How Can We Help?
< All Topics
Print

Seafarers Accords

Posted
Updated
BySuraia Silverbell

From Contracts on Paper to Shields on the Waves

Overview

The Seafarers Accords began as a series of contracts drafted by the Xaverion Senate shortly after the founding of the Xaverion Order. Their original purpose was simple:

  • to sanction ships in service of the Order,

  • grant them authority to uphold Xaverion law at sea, and

  • keep the waters around the islands safe from pirates and smugglers.

Over time, this paper framework gave rise to a full naval organisation commonly called the Seafarers. What started as contracts for hired ships has, by Year 22 of the Fifth Era, hardened into the closest thing the Xaverion Islands have to a unified navy, especially after the rise of the sirens.

Origins & Creation of the Accords

The Seafarers Accords were created shortly after the Xaverion Order itself was formed, in the early years following the War of the Islands and the peace treaty of Year 9.

In essence, the Accords are:

  • A collection of formal contracts written and signed by the Xaverion Senate.

  • Legal documents that sanction ships to act in service of the Xaverion Order on the seas.

  • A framework granting captains and crews the right—and responsibility—to uphold the law within Xaverion waters.

As part of these contracts, an organisation named after the treaties themselves was formed:

The Seafarers – ships and crews operating under the Accords, recognised by the Order as authorised keepers of peace at sea.

Any suitable ship may enlist under the Accords, effectively joining this organisation in exchange for payment, protection, and legal authority to act on the Order’s behalf.

Purpose Before the Sirens

In their earliest form, the Seafarers were primarily concerned with:

  • Fighting piracy in the trade routes between the islands.

  • Suppressing smuggling over water, particularly contraband goods that avoided harbour taxes or broke Xaverion law.

  • Maintaining order on the sea in much the same way as the Xaverion Knights do on land.

The Accords gave the Senate and Xaverion Order an instrument to extend their reach beyond harbours and coastlines, making it clear that Xaverion law applied not only on land but also across the recognised territorial waters of the islands.

The Rise of the Sirens & Transformation into a Navy

On Vicday, Cycle of Arilya, Season of Ysandra, Year 14, disaster struck the coastal city of Serinhal on Meriquy:

  • The entire city was swallowed by the sea overnight.

  • At first it appeared to be a natural catastrophe.

  • Investigations by Xaverion investigators and the Wanderers League revealed signs of deliberate sabotage.

When ships were sent to investigate the waters around Meriquy:

  • The flotilla was attacked by sirens and other sea creatures.

  • Only one ship returned; the rest were dragged beneath the waves.

From that moment, it became clear that:

  • The sea had become territory of Ghor.

  • The waters around the Xaverion Islands were no longer merely dangerous—they were actively hostile.

In response, the Seafarers Accords were tightened and expanded:

  • The Seafarers were reorganised into a more structured, naval fighting force.

  • Recruitment of ships and crews intensified, focusing on those capable of combat as well as patrol.

  • Their mandate shifted from policing smugglers and pirates alone to also protecting sea travel and pushing back the siren threat before it could grow worse.

What had originally been a legal framework for contracted patrol ships became, in practice, the navy of the Xaverion Islands.

Organisation & Membership

The lore describes the Seafarers primarily through the Accords that bind them:

  • Ships “enlist” into the Seafarers by signing on under the contracts.

  • Once accepted, they are recognised as operating under the authority of the Xaverion Senate and Order on the water.

  • In return, they are expected to:

    • Patrol designated routes,

    • Respond to reports of piracy and smuggling,

    • Assist in emergencies at sea, and

    • Take part in coordinated operations against sirens and other Ghor-touched threats in Xaverion waters.

While the details of internal ranks and command structures are left to the imagination of chroniclers and captains, all agree that once the sirens appeared, the Seafarers could no longer function as loose, independent captains with letters in their pockets. They had to work as a coordinated force or die separately.

Duties at Sea

Under the Accords, the Seafarers are charged with:

  • Law enforcement on the water

    • Intercepting pirates and illegal traders.

    • Boarding suspect vessels under Xaverion authority.

    • Escorting high-value or vulnerable cargoes, when contracted to do so.

  • Defence against Ghor’s creatures

    • Engaging sirens and sea-spawn threatening merchant routes or coastal settlements.

    • Supporting investigations into attacks at sea, such as those around Meriquy after Serinhal’s fall.

  • Maintaining safe lanes

    • Marking routes that are considered safe enough for ordinary traffic.

    • Reporting waters that are now too dangerous to be left open, either due to pirate activity or the presence of Ghor-touched creatures.

In some coastal narratives (like Thorn dragging Suraia’s lifeboat toward “Seafarers territory”), survivors and travellers speak of Seafarers-patrolled waters as distinct zones of relative safety amid hostile seas.

Relationship with the Xaverion Order & Others

The Seafarers:

  • Operate under contracts authorised by the Xaverion Senate, giving them legal standing similar to land-based Xaverion Knights, but on the water.

  • Work closely with:

    • Xaverion investigators, who uncover the causes of major sea incidents (such as the sabotage at Serinhal).

    • The Wanderers League, especially when magical or historical anomalies at sea need expertise beyond standard naval skill.

    • Orders such as Ahn’Ghor, when clearly Ghor-related threats spill into coastal regions and harbours.

In everyday life, harbourmasters, local courts, and Seafarer captains form a three-way link:

  • Courts interpret the law,

  • Seafarers enforce it on the water,

  • Harbours provide the logistical base where both meet.

Reputation & Present Day (Year 22, Fifth Era)

In the present era, the Seafarers are seen as:

  • For merchants and travellers: a necessary shield against both pirates and sirens.

  • For smugglers and pirates: an increasingly organised threat that is much harder to evade than the old, loosely coordinated patrols.

  • For coastal villages: the difference between a harbour that survives a siren season and one that does not.

Yet despite their efforts, the seas are still widely regarded as belonging to Ghor. Attacks from the water on harbours and ships remain a grim reality, and no one pretends the Seafarers can be everywhere at once.

To most citizens of the Xaverion Islands, the phrase “under the Seafarers Accords” has come to mean more than a legal clause. It signals that a ship and crew stand between civilisation and the hungry dark of the ocean—and that they have sworn, on paper and in blood, to keep the waves as safe as anyone now can.

Tags:
Table of Contents