"Milmar is the most exciting place on the face of Argull, and the most dangerous. You can buy anything there, and everything is for sale. If you go there, my lad, keep a tight grip on your wits, and a tighter grip on your purse."
Those were the last words Sir Gerald D'Arimalle said to his son, two weeks before the foolish boy ended up on the block at Milmar's Slave Market.
Milmar is quite infamous. Her captains like to think of themselves as cunning but honest merchants; to the rest of the world, they are ruthless opportunists who will trade with those stronger than themselves, and prey on those weaker.
The seamen of Milmar have the advantage of a secure base at a key location. It is an island a day's sail from the mouth of the River Remvar, sitting square upon the trade route between Jakta and Enrieme. The place is a rocky plateau jutting out of the sea, with sheer cliffs all around. But the sea is relentless, and over the centuries eroded the tough cliffs to make a sea cave, breaking through the far end into softer chalky rock which it wore away in turn to gift the island a most fabulous and secure natural harbour.
Milmar Town grew up around this harbour, gaining it's wealth from the bounty of the sea, both honest and dishonest.
The way Milmar is governed is as idiosyncratic as it's people. There is a Council of Captains, and the number of votes a Captain commands depend on the tonnage or number of oars his ship has. The twenty four captains with the most votes form the Inner Council, which is supposed to determine matters of policy and law. In reality, they spend their time in internal bickering and power struggles. This leaves the city practically ungoverned on a day-to-day basis; the inhabitants choose which pirate lord to give their allegiance to in exchange for protection and patronage.
But not any ship counts when it comes to votes; it has to be one properly registered with the Council. This is supposed to stop anyone from building huge numbers of ships just to get votes but not sending them to sea. The captain of a registered ship is issued a silver plaque to wear around his neck, magically linking him to his ship. It acts as both a register of his right to vote, and as proof of ownership of his ship.
With the nature of Milmar, this opens up all kinds of avenues for the rich and unscrupulous to abuse the system. A captain falling on hard times will rent out his votes to a sponsor (usually from the Inner Council), and there is a system of "Contact Captains" where a ship owner with more than one vessel will hire a crew and officers to sail them, but retain the voting rights. If a ship is lost at sea or becomes so old and unseaworthy that she has to be scrapped, the owner loses the votes that went with it.
But despite their distinctly flexible ethical standards, the Milmarians are recognised as some of the finest seafarers in the whole of Argull, with only the ships of Ciudad Nueva offering them any real competition. While the Ciudadan ships tend to be sturdy carracks and caravels, the Milmarians prefer faster, lighter ships; fast galleys and xebecs, especially. With these vessels they can carry light, high value cargoes (licit or illicit) rapidly to trade at any port they wish, and they are also ideal for mounting lightning fast pirate raids on land or sea.
Unusually, the Milmarians are also happy to welcome outsiders into the fold. They don't care where a man or woman originates, if they show the right spirit and prove themselves, and have something worthwhile to offer, they'll be welcomed into Milmarian society. Many of the traders and shop-keepers in Milmar City originally came from somewhere else, making it by far the most diverse and cosmopolitan city in the North. Even some people originally taken as captives on ships pirated by the Milmarians, or taken as slaves in one of the regular raids on the Remvar Delta, have gained their freedom and settled down in the town.
Both Jakta and Enrieme have had significant shipbuilding programmes over the last few years, but neither has felt strong enough to directly face Milmar. The island is far too well defended by both man and nature to be easily assailed. But more to the point, the Milmarians are far too useful and wealthy, and despite their internal squabbles always manage to come together if their piratical activities are threatened.
This post was inspired by today's writing prompt in the Worldbuilding community - Pirates. Argull is a very sea-focused homebrew world, so I can see myself responding to quite a few of these topics !
