Any thoughts/feedback/suggested changes will be appreciated
Current To-Do list:
Description of Nian Shifters and their abilities.
Description of the Pånglao Crab People and their abilities.
---------Frug, just a reminder that the crab people are absolutely your fault
---------(16:04:06) Frug: seriously though, don't they all just wear paddy hats and sandals, and walk sideways?
(16:04:21) Frug: Oh wait, that's crabs
(16:04:33) (Quasi-AFK Darrik): !
(16:04:37) (Quasi-AFK Darrik): CRAB PEOPLE
(16:04:39) (Quasi-AFK Darrik): YES
(16:04:50) (Quasi-AFK Darrik): YES I SHALL THE CRAB PEOPLE BE MAKING YES OMG
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=====Nian Shou Pirate Fleet=====
===History===
The history of the Nian Shou Pirate Fleet begins at the end of the Imperial Consolidation, when the Tianlong Dynasty had expanded its territory and laid down the foundations of the The Sānshěng Liùbù' (Three Departments and Six Ministries). A tribe of ocean dwelling shifters, the Nian, grew envious of the Tianlong dragons' success. The tribal elder, gifted with persuasive charisma, went among the creatures of the oceans and the pirates to form a coalition. With his words he painted a picture of a land too large to protect, like a clam with too much meat, ready for harvesting.
In a way, the Nian were correct. Tian Xia's navy at the time was unimpressive, untested against threats larger than small pirate fleets, and greatly outnumbered should many pirate groups combine. Tianlong Guang's efforts during the consolidation period had been largely spent aiding Huangdi and Wangmu in establishing the structure of governance.
The Nian War lasted ten years, and in the end the Nian and their allies were driven back into the ocean. Though unprepared, the Tianlong responded to the invasion with alacrity, inventing new ways of constructing ships to better increase their strategic options in naval battles. The Tianlong Dynasty's superior access to resources and veteran soldiers also aided them
The Nian retreated, but never forgot the humiliation, and in each generation members of the Nian would turn to piracy. The powerful Nian, possessing a natural charisma and talent for persuasion, frequently rose to prominence amongst pirates. A century after the end of the Nian war, the Nian Shou Fleet was born: a fleet of pirates sailing under the banner of the Nian.
At present day, the Nian Shou fleet is lead by Nian Yi Sao, a fierce, brilliant, and indomitable woman who pursues the Nian Vendetta against Tian Xia.
===The Hierarchy of the Nian Shou Fleet===
At present time, under Nian Yi Sao, the entire fleet numbers some 300 ships.
On average, a standard pirate Junk is crewed by 60-90 pirates. Sometimes as many as 300 on the larger battle Junks.
As a result, maintaining a clear chain of command is a priority of the Nian Shou Fleet
=Fleet Leader=
At the top is the Fleet Leader: presently Nian Yi Sao
The Fleet Leader makes all executive decisions for the fleet's agenda, but is expected to listen to the advice of the squadron leaders.
The Fleet Leader also manages, with the assistance of the Fleet Purser, the central fund which supplies the fleet.
=Squadron Leader=
Beneath the Fleet Leader are the Squadron Leaders: These are veteran captains to whom other captains report.
Squadron Leaders may be entrusted with anywhere from 10 to 50 ships under their command, depending on their capabilities and reliability.
=Captains=
Captains are pirates who, through one means or other, have proven they have what it takes to command a ship.
The captains are responsible for ensuring the Nian Code is followed, and is also responsible for maintaining morale and ensuring the combat readiness of his crew for any fleet engagements ordered by the Squadron Leader.
The captain is also in charge of ensuring the ship's purser keeps accurate record of all plunder for redistribution by the Fleet purser.
A difficult role at times: for while mutiny is a capital offense, the Nian Code allows for another pirate's right to challenge.
An unpopular captain may find himself facing down one of his crew in a formal duel under the watchful eyes of a squadron leader.
=First Mates=
A captain cannot be everywhere on deck at once. Which is why they have Mates.
The First Mate's role can be as difficult as the captain's at times.
Whilst they do not have the burden of reporting to the Squadron and Fleet leader, they often need to perform the same disciplinary duties of a captain, ensuring the Nian Code is followed, and that ship and crew are ready for bad weather or battle.
The First Mate is often aided by second and third mates, depending on crew size and ship requirements.
=Senior Crew=
Each ship has the following positions, filled by reliable crewmembers capable of the role.
Purser: Responsible for handling the ships accounts. If a ship has nobody capable of the role, the Squadron Leader is expected to assign a new crew member to the ship lacking one.
Quartermaster: An assistant to the purser, responsible for handling the ships stores
Navigator: assists the captain in plotting the course and maintaining the ship's charts
Carpenter: responsible for maintenance and repair of the ship's hull and woodwork. Given emergency authority to conscript assistance if leaks are discovered.
Surgeon/Cook: responsible for the health of the crew. The Nian pirates believe that a man whose reputation is staked on the health of his companions should also be responsible for their food. A respected but difficult role.
===Nian Shou Fleet Headquarters: Chóushā (Vendetta) Island===
At the climax of the Changers' War, in the seas east of southern Tian Xia's Nanyue region, a large archipelago was formed surrounding a single large island.
When the Nian retreated at the end of their failed invasion of Tian Xia, they sought a safe place to construct a new fleet. One of their oceanic allies, the crablike Pånglao, suggested the archipelago. Surrounded by coral reefs and jagged outcrops of volcanic rock, the archipelago forms a natural fortress from a naval perspective. It was deemed perfect for their needs, and the Nian named it Chóushā (Vendetta) Island. It is only through careful charting by the aquatic Nian that pirate captains can access the main island. As the reefs can shift and grow, the charts are periodically updated, with out-of-date charts a potential death sentence to a negligent captain. The Fleet Leader distributes new charts through the Squadron Leaders.
A small city has been constructed on the main island to secure the fleet treasury, and those pirates assigned to guard it are considered the most trustworthy. Those assigned to the Island also trade with the Pånglao for clam and abalone meat. This is typically through non-pirate Nian translators, as the Pånglao find human speech as difficult to speak as humans find the Pånglaos attempts hard to understand.
==Nian Outposts==
The Nian Fleet raid up and down the entire length of Tian Xia's east coast, but not every village is made a victim.
Villages are often given the choice to support the fleet rather than suffer its predation. A village which does so is spared the brutality of a raid in exchange for supplies. Aiding the Nian makes a village, according to strict Tian Xia law, complicit in the crime of piracy. However, faced with the choice of pirates in the bay and 'maybe' getting caught assisting them, many villages with limited defensibility choose the option which grants immediate relief.
Attacking a village which has offered aid to the Nian is considered a breach of the Nian Code, with punishments determined based on the outcome of the attack, and the damage done.
Nian Pirates also have a working relationship with many of the coastal tribes in the jungles of Tian Xia's Nanyue region. The antipathy the tribesmen feel towards the Tian Xian Nanyue city states was a potent motivation for both parties to form an alliance. Nian Pirates will often trade weapons and materials to the tribesmen in exchange for supplies and shipbuilding wood
===The Code of the Nian Shou Fleet===
The Nian paid close attention to the methods of the Tianlong Dynasty. Just as the Imperial bureaucracy was held together by a detailed code of laws, so too was the Nian Shou Fleet.
To maintain a fleet of several hundred vessels required resources and a rigid hierarchy. The Nian Code was designed to ensure the survival of the fleet.
Much of the underlying morality, especially with regards to the treatment of female prisoners, comes from Nian tribal custom.
==Crimes punishable by Flogging==
* Theft from the fleet or ship funds (first offence)
* Withholding plunder (for individuals, or as a captain's first offence)
* Disorderly conduct
* Cowardice in battle
* Negligence aboardship or dereliction of duty
==Crimes punishable by Beheading==
* Giving Orders which contradict those of the Fleet Leader
* Disobeying a direct order from a superior
* Theft from the fleet or ship funds (second offence)
* Withholding plunder (for withholding of large treasures or multiple offences)
* Raping or killing a female captive
==Handling of Plunder==
* All plunder taken by a ship has to be publicly assessed by senior crew and entered into record by the ship purser.
* Once tallied, reports are prepared by the purser for the Squadron and Fleet Leader.
* When returned to Fleet Headquarters, all plunder is to be submitted to the Fleet Purser for redistribution. The ship submitting the plunder receives twenty percent.
* Physical monies plundered are likewise recorded by the purser, and the moneys submitted to the squadron leader to assist in keeping the squadron supplied. The ship submitting the monies receives ten percent.
==Handling of Captives==
* Female captives were to be released, ransomed, or married. A pirate who married a captive was expected to remain faithful to them.
* If a female captive is unlikely to be married or recieve a ransom, they are to be released at a port.
* Male captives are offered the choice of death by beheading, a career in piracy, or ransom.
* All captives to be ransomed are to be delivered to the Fleet headquarters. Ships submitting captives receive twenty percent of a successful ransom.