Great Pirate War

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Great Pirate War
LocationTaanttu Gulf
Military Participants
Multiple Pirate Groups:
Bavkir pirates
Dhwer pirates
Harakti pirates
Riyan pirates
Terminian pirates
Ekuosian pirates
Letzian pirates
Veridian navy
Laefevian navy
Dhwer navy

The Great Pirate War was a war in 1715 between different pirate groups and later into it, a few countries' naval forces, focused in and around the Taanttu Gulf. The conflict is remembered in history for being caused by mere rumor yet nonetheless spiraling out of control very rapidly until several nations were involved. Several powerful pirate groups also temporarily established independent republics on uninhabited islands in the Taanttu Sea in order to serve as a base of operations, ultimately leading to what amounted to a full-scale war when invasions began to occur.

Background

The Great Pirate War began as a result of widespread rumors of great fortune started by an infamous Bavkir pirate, Varṡasb 'Tażeg' Þovan. Tażeg was said to have stumbled across a massive amount of treasure, presumably including precious gems and gold, and then hid it in a remote archipelago in the middle of the Taanttu Gulf now known as Tażeg's Folly. There have been many theories as to where Tażeg found his alleged fortune, including one positing that it may have never existed, but there has been no concrete evidence definitively supporting any such claim.

After Tażeg hid his fortune, word quickly spread in all directions and caught on with pirate groups from various nations bordering or otherwise near the Taanttu Gulf. Several independent pirate groups flocked to the region in search of the fabled archipelago, resulting in many naval and shoreside skirmishes between the groups (even between groups from the same nation). The ensuing chaos led to a major disruption in international naval trade, resulting in numerous traders complaining to local governments about it, some of whom decided the conflict was destructive enough to warrant direct intervention.

Initial Encounters

The first few months after word spread of Tażeg's fortune were characterized by frantic and rigorous searching of previously unseen or ignored islands in the sea, which led to a high demand for extensively detailed maps of the Taanttu Sea that led to some of the earliest accurate maps of the region ever drawn. This also consequently led to a rise in the act of intentionally falsifying maps to distribute to and ultimately fool other groups, leading them away from where the archipelago could have been or simply drawing fake maps but still turn a profit. Several mapmaking mills were raided and looted by irate pirate groups who were victims of this trade.

One of the first encounters was between the crew of Thtulkmert (of Dhwer) and Phuna Meisián-Chéla (of Riyana), who opened fire on one another near the coast of Siakua on 2 May 1715. Both groups sustained heavy losses but nonetheless continued to search for the archipelago, like so many others.

On 12 May, an Ekuosian fleet headed by Ubregían Tyolemuá landed on an island that had been controlled by Cerman for several centuries, and attempted to claim the island as his own. This led to his entire crew being captured and later slaughtered for piracy, but he was spared and marooned on a small isolated island several hundred kilometers from the nearest center of civilization. He was later found by a rival Ekuosian buccaneer, Osube Gíros, and brought into her ranks.