The Padua Family
Sky-blue sails emblazoned with a golden sun catch the wind, driving finely painted narrow-hulled cutters through the sargasso-choked sea. Most Southern captains would baulk at the expense, but to the golden-eyed Padua family such things are mandatory. They are not some low-life pirate scum - they are nobleborn and kin to the Sun, and to hide their proud heritage would shame them. And the hot-blooded Padua are quick with their machetes at the slightest hint of disrespect.
Sixty years ago, the current duchess of Anara Lulina seized power from her elder brother, driving him into ignominious exile. Half the fleet followed their lord, taking refuge in Saata. The dukes had always raided the Deep South West for slaves and treasures, and now without lands to call their own the Padua exiles embraced a life of piracy. With the proceeds of his plundering Aunra Padua bought a lush estate from the lords of Saata, but his heart remained always with his malaria-choked home and he raised his children to resent the thieves who stole their birthright.
Unlike some of the pirate-lords of Saata, the Padua are firmly anchored in their territory. The current duke-in-exile, Mauro Padua, holds residence in Saata, but they have also founded the township of Na Lulina on the volcanic Heou archipelago in the far South West, which serves as their base of operations when raiding and plundering. Trade fleets carry the goods gathered north, to be sold to the merchants of the Three Flame society or in the Daimyo & Yellow on Saata.
The Padua descend from the goddess Sulyverre, great-granddaughter of the Sun, and while they are mostly men their luck sometimes seems divine. When the sun shines brightly on them, things go on their favour more than they should. At midday a ship they are chasing snags its rudder on sargasso and is slowed enough that they catch it easily.
Mauro Padua is no longer a young man, and an old wound to his leg got in a youthly brawl has left him dependent on opiates. His two sons vie with one another to be the new Duke-in-Exile, knowing that their father has not yet chosen an heir. Ju is beloved by his men, rash and touchy with open pockets and a bright nature, while the morbidly obese Mataki is colder and more calculating, but has little of the luck of the family. Unknown to either of them, their sister is secretly in contact with their great-aunt, the grand duchess of Anara Lulina. As she sees if, if she offers the duchess her hated brothers' heads, she can reunite the family - and keep the holdings the pirates have built up in exile. Malaria-ridden Anara Lulina appeals to her little, when she might snatch the Saatan estates for her own.
Vessels & Men
The Padua family maintains three trading fleets of scows and junks, focussing mostly on transporting hardwoods, spices and slaves north from Na Lulina. These fleets have cutters attached to them, like wolves among sheep to dart out and prey on targets of opportunity. Their pride and joy, however, is the great expeditionary fleet of eight vessels, and their four-mast junk flagship, The Duke's Revenge.
While the Padua began as nobles and their retainers, they have recruited heavily from outcasts and the scum of the Saatan docks. The brutal attitude of men has mixed with the arrogance of the Padua lords to produce violent pirates with hair triggers and lavish tastes. The family has long known how to buy the loyalty of men, and the treasure shares they offer to their crews are the most generous of the pirate-lords of Saata. Their men are well-trained in the use of firewands and the signature Padua style of machete, and in the docks of Saata they are known for their swaggering bravado and willingness to draw on the slightest perceived insult.
