Sometimes referred to as the Isles of a Thousand Barons, the Barony Isles are an archipelago southwest of mainland Norlanin in the heart of the Strifesworn Sea. It is typically a lawless haven of pirates, swashbucklers, and scallywags. Across its many islands, big and small, pirate lords have set themselves up as local Barons and Baronesses; their power base and rule contained to their particular island Barony, and their influence extended by the size of their fleet. The larger the island, the more powerful the Baron.
This has led to a chaotic cutthroat form of government upon the Barony Isles, where a lesser Baron can increase their status by defeating the Baron of a larger island, claiming it as their own. This can be accomplished through political bullying, clever espionage, violent naval warfare, or plain murder. In doing so, the Baron typically vacates their own island Barony, leaving it to be claimed by a lesser Baron, or perhaps even some new pirate lord who arrives with timing fortuitous enough to fill the power vacuum. This leads to a grand game of political leapfrog when any Baron is defeated. Other times, a Baron or Baroness that has claimed a greater island Barony as their prize may bequeath it to a loyal subordinate, perhaps even a son or daughter, granting them the title of Baron and producing a built-in ally, at least until someone’s ambition causes the whole of it to collapse. Regimes, alliances, and pacts change with frightening frequency on the Barony Isles, making it a dangerous political quagmire for anyone seeking power.
With the exception of those crafty or brutal enough to climb to the top of the political ladder in the Barony Isles, few Barons or Baronesses stay in power for long, and trying to keep track of which Barony belongs to whom can be a futile and frustrating affair. The crown jewel of the Barony Isles is the City-State of Freeport, located on the largest and most prosperous island in the entire archipelago. To claim this Barony is to reach the very top of the ladder, and if anyone could profess to claim dominion over the Barony Isles, it is the Baron of Freeport.
Current Baron of Highport: Admiral Lorenzo Estallion