BACKGROUND INFO
The Brotherhood, or as it was to become known, the Pirates of the Crimson Coast (shortened frequently to just Crimson Pirates), was founded in 1723 when the Captains of 5 Freebooters ships joined forces for mutual defence and to stop poaching each others territory. This loose federation grew over the years until by 1760 a full 40 ships captains and crews had joined.
While this did increase the coordination and cooperation among the pirate vessels, it also had the unfortunate side effect of drawing considerably more attention to themselves from various navies. As a consequence, profits fell sharply, and several of the ships were taken.
In 1783 the Counsel of Captains, the loose legislative body of the Pirates, voted to cease pirating activities. While this caused much consternation among many of the captains and crews, the alternative, capture & prison & possible execution, didn't seem to be a better alternative. So, what they did, after contacting the governments of many of the navies chasing them, was to eschew piracy in favor of other pursuits. Some were legal, such as hiring out as mercenary ships or hauling cargos, others were not-so-legal, such as smuggling. They also used their considerable combat experience to hire out as convoy escorts, protecting the very ships they had previously preyed upon from other pirates.
Much to the surprise and delight of the ships, this more varied approach was much more profitable as well as having the desired effect of stopping them being hunted by virtually every navy in existance.
The Crimson Pirates, having kept the name for traditional purposes, continue to this day following a similar path, taking jobs as they can... some legal, some not. The only two prohibitions to any of the ships and crews is not to engage in open piracy nor in the slave trade.
