Brethren Of The Coast

In the 17th Century Port Royal had been a haven for pirates, second only to the island of Tortuga. However by 1675 Henry Morgan was Governor of Jamaica and the pirates were no longer needed to defend the city. He turned the pirates into “buccaneers”, the privateers sailing under letters of marque which had raided Spanish shipping passing from the Spanish main to Europe, and codified rules for them. In 1692 an earthquake devastated the city and brought an end to the first era of buccaneers in Port Royal.

Following the Gomorrah Event, however, the Jamaican governor Edward Trelawny again needed protection for his ports, his troops and ships having been cut drastically for operations on the North American mainland. He re-instituted the Brethren and their Code, giving them safe haven at Tortuga, Port Royal and Kingston.

Today the Brethren are an association of merchant mariners in armed ships and skyships, issued Letters Of marque by the New British Crown and authorized to raid the shipping of any other nation, with goods and prize ships sold at auction in Port Royal (where a percentage of each auction’s proceeds goes to the crown).

At any given time, there may be up to two dozen ships (but only a few Skyships at most, they are horrendously expensive in comparison to sea vessels) in the Brethren’s roster, with at least a few docked at Port Royal to enjoy it’s many pubs and bawdy houses.

Buccaneer Template