Rhine Island

Biodata

Background / History

Rhine Island serves as the legitimate commercial counterpart to Blue Bay Island’s smuggling economy. Tax-paying merchant vessels dock there to register cargo and pay duties under tax officials’ supervision, while smugglers and pirates commonly use Blue Bay Island instead 1.

The island is governed by Viscount Drew and protected by the Rhine Island fleet. Its harbor hosts merchant traffic, naval vessels, warehouses, a governor’s mansion, a tax vault, taverns, and high-society venues 19 23 39 40.

On October 11, Governor Drew received Arthur at the harbor for his knighting ceremony. Arthur was granted the title of Honorary Baron and a Letter of Marque, allowing him to plunder ships under legal protection in exchange for taxes 19.

The Old Wood Ship Auction was held at the Governor’s Mansion on October 15. The auction attracted Tudor nobles and dealt in New Continent goods, rare treasures, extraordinary potions, and other supernatural items 20 23.

Following the murder of Rhine fleet captain James and the disappearance of vault auditor Will’s key, the island’s tax vault was discovered completely emptied. Drew sealed the port and ordered merchant ships searched, fearing he would be unable to remit the stolen tax revenue to the Tudor authorities 39 40.

Arthur proposed that Drew exploit the theft as bait: send the fleet out to hunt the Sky Thief, leave the island seemingly vulnerable, and lure pirates toward the warehouses and docked merchant cargo 41. Drew also intended to use a contraband item from the vault as additional bait for nearby pirate crews 42.

Arthur secretly organized the very pirate assault Drew hoped to ambush. On October 26, eight pirate ships attacked Rhine Port during a downpour, taking advantage of the exposed coastal cannons’ dampened gunpowder. The Great White Shark rammed the pier while pirates landed through the port and began plundering the warehouses 47 49 50.

Locations & Defenses

Notable Events

• Arthur’s knighting ceremony — Governor Drew receives Arthur as a celebrated pirate hero and awards him a Tudor noble title and Letter of Marque 19.
• Old Wood Ship Auction — The Governor’s Mansion hosts an auction of New Continent goods and extraordinary treasures 20 23.
• Vault robbery — The island’s tax vault is found empty after the death of Captain James and the loss of auditor Will’s vault key 39 40.
• The Sky Thief crisis — Drew blockades the island and searches merchant ships while attempting to recover the stolen taxes 40.
• Pirate-lure scheme — Drew sends the fleet out as part of a plan to draw pirates toward the island, unaware Arthur is coordinating the incoming raiders 41 42 47.
• Attack on Rhine Port — Eight pirate ships assault the island during a storm; pirates breach the harbor, land ashore, and loot the warehouses 49 50.