QUOTE
The life of pirates has often been glamorized in tales usually by bored landlubbers as a romantic voyage of exploration and adventure, however this was not always the case.
Sea life could often be boring and dangerous. Decent food was often hard to come by and was mainly what sea life they could find although on occasions some poultry was on board for meat and fresh eggs. Pirates ate a type of long lasting biscuit called tack and they also were provided with limes for vitamin c.
There was very little excitement at sea with long weeks with nothing to do infighting was common which had to be dealt with by the captain by respect or fear, though he was not immune and the ship was run democratically and often if a captains reputation was beginning to disintegrate through bad leadership decisions or low morale through bad conditions a mutiny would occur and a new captain would be chosen.
When pirates docked from long voyages on sea they would often want to unwind and from a successful journey they would often waste their earnings in the local taverns drinking rum and gambling.
Women were another form of enjoyment with money being spent on ladies of the night but not all the money was wasted as pirates would have to restock and resupply the ship with food, water and other supplies.
The necessity for repairs was also another reason for money to be saved and often meant scraping barnacles gained to the hull of the ship through time.
Mistakes in looting the wrong ships could result in mutiny as one of the prime reasons for looting in the first place was wealth and such wealth as septims, jewelery, clothing, tools and ship parts.
Medical supplies were another essential and valuable piece of loot as pirates would often come under painful afflictions during their journey and looting had their own risks of injury but that was not the only form of medical emergency as when spending time with women on land they would pick up other afflictions and sometimes pirates could be content with medical treatment.
A punishment for a rebellious pirate was often to have him placed on an island on his own with a pouch of water, a shot of gunpowder and of course a gun.
Pirate flags were not just skull and crossbones in design but there was often a range of designs of flags but usually had a theme of death.
Pirates believe it or not rarely had cannons unless looted from a ship preferring to use hand weapons, and pistols. Other pirate weapons included a thin bladed sword with a basket called a cutlass, a marlinespike which could be made of wood, bone or steel and was often used as a tool but could always be used as a weapon.
More weapons included boarding axes but the boarding axes were used as defensive tools as well cutting at ropes or wood. A small throwing knife called a dirk and daggers which could be used for eating purposes as well were common.
Punishments for piracy was usually jail and then hanging with their corpses being displayed on public as a warning for other pirates although some pirates were given pardons if they renounced their piracy to the king and gave information regarding other pirates though a word of a pirate was not always to be trusted as the pirates would often fall back into old habits out of boredom or poverty as most pirates ended up as street beggars making money by offering long tales of their voyages at sea.
Sea life could often be boring and dangerous. Decent food was often hard to come by and was mainly what sea life they could find although on occasions some poultry was on board for meat and fresh eggs. Pirates ate a type of long lasting biscuit called tack and they also were provided with limes for vitamin c.
There was very little excitement at sea with long weeks with nothing to do infighting was common which had to be dealt with by the captain by respect or fear, though he was not immune and the ship was run democratically and often if a captains reputation was beginning to disintegrate through bad leadership decisions or low morale through bad conditions a mutiny would occur and a new captain would be chosen.
When pirates docked from long voyages on sea they would often want to unwind and from a successful journey they would often waste their earnings in the local taverns drinking rum and gambling.
Women were another form of enjoyment with money being spent on ladies of the night but not all the money was wasted as pirates would have to restock and resupply the ship with food, water and other supplies.
The necessity for repairs was also another reason for money to be saved and often meant scraping barnacles gained to the hull of the ship through time.
Mistakes in looting the wrong ships could result in mutiny as one of the prime reasons for looting in the first place was wealth and such wealth as septims, jewelery, clothing, tools and ship parts.
Medical supplies were another essential and valuable piece of loot as pirates would often come under painful afflictions during their journey and looting had their own risks of injury but that was not the only form of medical emergency as when spending time with women on land they would pick up other afflictions and sometimes pirates could be content with medical treatment.
A punishment for a rebellious pirate was often to have him placed on an island on his own with a pouch of water, a shot of gunpowder and of course a gun.
Pirate flags were not just skull and crossbones in design but there was often a range of designs of flags but usually had a theme of death.
Pirates believe it or not rarely had cannons unless looted from a ship preferring to use hand weapons, and pistols. Other pirate weapons included a thin bladed sword with a basket called a cutlass, a marlinespike which could be made of wood, bone or steel and was often used as a tool but could always be used as a weapon.
More weapons included boarding axes but the boarding axes were used as defensive tools as well cutting at ropes or wood. A small throwing knife called a dirk and daggers which could be used for eating purposes as well were common.
Punishments for piracy was usually jail and then hanging with their corpses being displayed on public as a warning for other pirates although some pirates were given pardons if they renounced their piracy to the king and gave information regarding other pirates though a word of a pirate was not always to be trusted as the pirates would often fall back into old habits out of boredom or poverty as most pirates ended up as street beggars making money by offering long tales of their voyages at sea.
I was thinking of something that could maybe posted on the elder scrolls forums for a book. For a challenge maybe that we could do a book of funny pirate songs and people could make up their own songs maybe 10 lines long and we could put the best ones in a book. Obviously these songs would not be too offensive lest we risk a ban on the boards ^-^. Anyway its up there as an idea, thoughts please.
