Ancient Mariners

"Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailor take warning."

Background
The Ancient Mariners did not start as a gang, or even an organized faction. Those that would become the Ancient Mariners were originally the fisherman, ferryman, and sailors that skirted the coastlines of the East. As a collection of like-minded individuals who frequented the same territories and ports-of-call, many knew each other and considered eachother boon companions.



As years stretched into decades and decades stretched into centuries after the War, these sailors began to form into a loose brotherhood of companions and allies. Their organization began to be recognized by others as this affiliation began to form into a true alliance; an attack against one of these mariners would be considered an attack against them all.



The Mariners first became a true faction slightly less than half a century ago, when the then young Horace Quentin saw potential safety and profits if he were to organize these scattered but loyal sailors into a cohesive trading company. He swiftly found the fiercely independent individuals who traveled the waves of the Atlantic were difficult to bring to heel in any significant fashion, let alone into something that could be recognized as a true company. Instead, he began to focus on acquiring pledges of loyalty and small tithes from these individuals in exchange for organized protection when it was needed and political support when it was not.



Over the past few decades, this loose but structured organization has found great success in the port towns of the coast. Few dare attempt to swindle the Mariners and fewer would risk threatening one of their members; else they will find their community deprived of essential resources or even attacked by vengeful salt-encrusted harpooners. This increasingly powerful influence has especially taken hold in the settlement known as Ocean City; as an isolated ocean community, the Mariners have become instrumental in providing supplies and ensuring the ferry-routes remain open and safe, thus bringing important revenue to the city. The dominant families of the city have begrudgingly acknowledged Horace and his “boys” as essential to the success of Ocean City; thus, with no small amount of protest, they have given Horace a place within their inner circle.

Recent Events
Horace has brokered numerous deals with the locals of Ocean City to distribute water and import other essential supplies into the city. In exchange, he has been granted a seaside boathouse to be used as a de facto center of operations for the Mariners. Additionally, he has once again begun to attempt to bring increasing amounts of formal organization to the Mariners, establishing rough (but often ignored by members) ranks and duties, the latter of which are more often formally declaring what said individual would have been doing anyhow.