Deep in the Marauding Sea, in the Grand Navy’s war against the Corsairs, there lies an artificial island constructed out of countless navy shipwrecks known as the ‘Slumbering Deep.’ This massive mass of interconnected shipwrecks modified into living spaces and other structures is the base of operations for the Deadmen Pirates, one of the six Corsair crews. The Slumbering Deep is set in a shallow, rocky sea home to incredibly rough waters, violent whirlpools, and a constant light rain. This makes it nearly impossible to enter by boat and only made harder by the twisting spires of obsidian that shoot out from the sea.
The violent sea hazards surrounding this artificial settlement are not natural. They are the result of the Deadmen Pirates’ captain and one of the six Corsairs, David ‘Davy’ Jones, who bears the Water Curse. Despite being the youngest and most inexperienced of the Corsairs, his volatile personality and sadistic creativity has given him a reputation as a very powerful and formidable adversary. Even though Davy Jones has a reputation as a madman and bloodthirsty killer, he commands a very strict hierarchy within his crew, with his Left and Right Hands being the second highest authority below him, and below them are the four Quartermasters, one of which was recently replaced.
The ranks within his crew proceed as follows; The newest members are Deckhands, AKA the common cannonfodder and choreboys who do the gross or menial work most of the time. Above them are Privateers, while still a common pirate, they’ve proven themselves by surviving the initial culling that is every Deckhand’s first mission. Privateers usually still do common work, but now have the privilege of pinning gross or dirtier work on Deckhands. Above a Privateer is an Officer, a minorly important figure who is more trusted and has survived a decent amount of conflict. Officers are the first rank who have some form of say in operations and are tasked with doing more important operations than what is given to Deckhands and Privateers. Above the Officer comes the Colonel, who usually oversees most operations within the crew and acts similar to secretaries or assistants for the Quartermasters. Next are the four Quartermasters, who enforce the rules amongst the crew and spearhead operations both internal and external. Only four may exist at one time, each one specializing in one of the four possible paths one can take; Strength, Spirit, Magic, and Weapons. Recently, the Magic Quartermaster was killed in arena combat after Davy Jones came across a young man he took a particular liking to and saw much potential inside of. Above the Quartermasters is Davy Jones’ two closest allies and his Right and Left Hands respectively, both commanding immense authority along with being responsible for strategizing and planning operations or keeping track amongst logistical operations.
The Deadmen Pirates have a very brutal and savage culture, where only the strong survive and the weak are weeded out and killed. You start out as considered less-than-prey, and if you survive and become a Privateer, you’re officially considered part of the food chain. You’re seen as weak and an easy target for harassment and rarely murder if you upset the wrong crewmates, but if you know your place and don’t cause trouble, all is well and good. However, murdering another crewmember is punished with death and you become an example for the other members. There are two exemptions to this rule; You are one of the Four Quartermasters, or you challenge whoever you don’t like to a fight in the ‘Kraken’s Maw.’
Despite the harsh conditions and general unrest caused by the higher ranks harassing those below them from time to time, most of the crew actually enjoy drinking together and watching people beat the living daylights out of each other. If it’s a general fisticuffs, it’ll happen anywhere and usually ends when one person is still left conscious, but if it’s more deep rooted and two or more people want to shed each other’s blood, then you go to the ‘Kraken’s Maw.’ It’s a massive, caged-in arena that sits towards the back of the Slumbering Deep. The arena itself was made by fusing the decks of many large warships together so that there could be as much space as possible. Unusable debris or salvage is dumped into the arena to add ‘obstacles’ to the fights, and sometimes gets utilized by fighters to build makeshift weapons. Otherwise, the arena walls are lined with big, sharp metal spikes and the big steel ‘arms’ that make up the main structure of the caged domain above the arena is what gave it the name it has today. Once you enter the Kraken’s Maw, the only ways out are either dying or being the last one standing. Many of the stronger crewmembers like challenging others for fun, using the slaughter as a display of power and dominance.
The Deadmen Pirates, despite their rough and savage nature, tend to be master shipbuilders who can cobble together horrifying and powerful ships from the broken remains of whatever they sink and drag back to their hideout. This uncanny tactic makes it hard for the Grand Navy to predict what ships they’ll have to face or how to properly sink them, adding an extra layer to the danger of fighting the Deadmen Pirates. This resourcefulness also means that the Deadmen Pirates are some of the smartest pirates among the Corsairs, giving the added benefit of their engineered monstrosities being much larger than normal ships. Their largest and most magnificent afrontations to shipwrights everywhere is their capital ship and the personal ship of Davy Jones, The Flying Dutchman, a monstrosity only kept afloat thanks to Davy Jones’ Water Curse keeping it from sinking. The Grand Navy classifies The Flying Dutchman as a ‘mobile island.’
The weapons most lower ranking crewmembers use are also either collected from those they kill or cobbled together from scraps. Some members modify the weapons they pick up after or during conflicts to give them an unpredictable edge, but often making them less effective or unreliable. Those who know what they’re doing when modifying their weapons create lethal devices that can cause serious issues if you manage to survive. However, higher ranking members of the crew will usually end up finding or claiming more quality weapons to be both a symbol of status and power. The Deadmen Pirates will also create new siege weapons to strap to their ships or to help defend their hideout if someone is stupid and lucky enough to make it there.
A very rugged, savage band of bloodthirsty pirates, the Deadmen Pirates are a unique kind of threat for their volatile nature, unorthodox weapons and ships, their cunning, and their resourcefulness. When this is paired with their power-based hierarchy where the strong and savage thrive while the weak are eaten alive makes this group of the Corsairs incredibly dangerous and highly unpredictable. If you see a jolly roger with crossed cutlasses behind a head with tentacles for a mouth, say your prayers because dead men tell no tales.