The Black Book of Corsairs

 XI. On the Castes of Corsairs

1. The Corsairs of Umbar were once the proud men of Numenore, the long-living, the King's Men. As an ill fate came to the men of Numenore, their bloodline continued to live along the coasts of Umbar and Gondor. The men of Numenore, even though not numerous, are even today the most noble of Corsairs.

2. As it happened, the men of Numenore mingled with the peoples of the coast and of Gondor during the yearhundreds, and a class of local nobility arose to the City of Umbar. It was this people without origins or with origins leading to every noble line of the known world, that once became known as the Corsairs of Umbar. Though far less rare in numbers than the men of Numenore, these old houses of Corsairs are even today the upper caste of Umbar. May this always be remembered by the men of the City.

3. As the noble lines of ancient peoples were wiped out, exiled, and cross-blooded throughout the history, the population of the native Haradrim grew in size and proportion in Umbar. On the day we are now living, of every ship but the most special and traditional noble vessel, majority of the crew are ordinary men of Harad. These men of Harad are Corsairs by their profession, not by their birth.

4. As there are three kinds of Corsairs, so are there three kinds of Corsair traditions. And as there are three kinds of Corsair traditions are there also three kinds of crews. The three kinds of crews vary greatly in organisation and hierarchy. Though the known truth is that no crews are exactly alike, three general castes can be distinguished.

5. The most traditional of Corsairs are the Numenoreans or the men of Numenore. Those few crews that still remain tend to uphold rigid traditions stretching far into the past. These crews usually sail vessels of great craftmanship and ancient design, such as heavy Progs and the Palanristi. Within the crews, strict hierarchies prevail in such a way that the Captains of the ships are almost without an exception those of the cleanest bloodline and highest social status. Their crews descend in ranks as they descend in social status. Men not of the blood of Numenore are rarely placed in positions of great importance. Ancient values such as honour towards the enemy, honour towards fellow sailors and honour towards the Numenorean traditions are strong. Usually, the Captain of the vessel owns the ship either himself or together with his family and House. Crews are hired based on their merits, caste and reputation, and even though shares are often dealt, the usual form of payment is constant salary.

6. The noble Houses of Umbar, the caste of the noble Corsairs, maintain their crews usually under the blessing of a Tower. Thus, the ship is usually owned by a Tower and a part of each loot goes to the Tower. Sometimes a crew or a Captain owns the ship, but operates under the blessing of a Tower, flying their colours. Crews are usually hired from the Tower the ship serves, with a constant salary and to the specific vessel. Ordinary Haradrim are a visible majority in the crews of vessels of this kind, but as the higher officers' positions are dealt out hierarchically by the Tower Lord or the Captain, the noble Corsairs often maintain these positions for themselves.

7. The last of the three classes of Corsairs is the least specific. It is the youngest brotherhood of Corsairs, crews of the ordinary men of Harad. These crews are usually made of simple but brave-hearted men who wield their scimitar with skill and live for the next loot. Often a crew of this kind sails under the colours of a Tower, led by a Captain named by the Lord, but a very significant segment are those who sail independently. Decisions may be done by votes in crews of this kind, and the Corsairs are often in the crew for one single expedition. Thus, the dominant form of payment is that of shares. The Corsairs of this kind are free men of all backgrounds imaginable, yet it must be admitted that, as they lack the hundreds of years of tradition and the Corsair education of the nobility, these men often have the poorest of luck at sea. Yet occasionally one of these crews arises to fame and glory all the way from the humble backgrounds.

So much about the castes of Corsairs.

XII. On Smugglers

1. There are many kinds of sailors that go by the name of Smuggler. Smugglers, in the specific meaning of the word, are men who trade illegal and contraband cargo, avoiding taxes and customs. In the seas of the Haradrim, the name of Smuggler has various meanings, such as the following.

2. The men who make their living by buying loot from independent or outlaw Corairs and Pirates, and then take it into the civilisation of Umbar to be sold and made profit of, are often called Smugglers, for they seldom reveal the origins of what they sell, and often they trade with those their Lords and masters are at feud with.

3. The men who make their living by buying normal trade goods from the enemies of Harad, such as the white-skinned men of Gondor, or men who make their living by trading with traders and Corsairs and craftsmen of Towers feuding with the Tower of their own allegiance, are often called Smugglers, for political and honour-bound reasons often make their work subject to constant scorns from their rulers. Known, of course, is that few rulers truly despise these kinds of men, for many irreplaceable goods come from the enemy.

4. Men who liberate and ransom slaves captured from the lands of the enemy are smugglers, for no captured Gondorian slave should see his home again. Men who smuggle people sought for crimes, or fugitives, or people under Censure, or slave escapees, or men going into hiding after being challenged into a duel, must do it by smuggling.

5. Sometimes the name of Smugglers is placed on those traders from Umbar, who do the actual trading in ports outside the City and, once they return to Umbar, pay little taxes for their wealth is already turned into gold or land outside the City, or into profitable businesses such as merchant companies and guilds or mines or herds or farms, or then they are declared the property of their own noble Houses.