Designing a city for my pirate campaign

[Imaculata]

Letters of Marque?

Yes, correct. Several years ago an ex-pirate became the Marquis of an important coastal city, and established a system where local privateers could receive a letter of Marque. They would be considered a part of the royal navy (at least on paper) and an aid to the war efforts against the nation of Kturgia, as long as they didn't raid trade vessels belonging to the crown. Of course this is but a piece of paper, and many pirates realize that with the Marquis now dead, this fragile safety net could be meaningless as soon as the war ends.

They could be in for a massive hanging as soon as the king decides to no longer honor the letters. A villanous pirate from my story warned about this threat long ago, but his fellow pirates turned against him, resulting in his death. He returned as an undead pirate several sessions ago, but now he is dead once again. However, this doesn't make him wrong in his opinion that the letters of marque are not the same as true freedom.

having the cities major export being “Holy Water” from the Distilleries of St Lucia, which the PC pirates have to get through the blockades of a neighbouring teetotaler nation would be brilliant

EDIT:
actually that solves the cognitive dissonance of Pirates and Paladins too, perhaps a Petit-forte Lucia is part of a nation which has a peice rety with a larger nation which has put tariff blockades on the Diistiled LIquor - which just happens to be St Lucias major export.
The City needs the export income but cant be seen to be breaking the Treaty, thus the Paladins tolerate Pirate smugglers who can transport the barrels for them

I don't think smuggling is something the paladins would consider. They may be zealots, but they do honestly believe in their vows. However, I think the paladins and the players have one thing in common: their battle against evil. The local religious leader is one of the few people in the country who truly understands the threat of the big bad, and might make for a valiable ally. The paladins are a sect that is separate from the state religion. They do not obey the words of the bishop, who answers directly to the king. They have kind of carved out their own region of power that the bishop cannot touch, and answer only to the high priest of their faith. If the players and the high priest can agree on a common enemy, the paladins might be just the expendable army they need.

 

[Guest 6801328]

Instead of just commodities (lumber, furniture, etc.), think about what special (rare or even unique) things might be harvested or produced. More fun, and more colorful, than generic exports.

• Maybe the craftsmen produce wonderfully intricate puzzle boxes, made from a variety of the wood species found in the forest, that are highly prized.
• A mushroom with a unique flavor, and rumored medicinal value, is unique to the forest.
• There is a light, very finely grained, and aromatic wood that grows in the wood, which is highly prized by the craftsmen of (insert some other locale) for their temples. (My inspiration here is Port Orford Cedar from the pacific northwest, which is the preferred wood for repairing temples in Japan, since the wood they were all built with...can't remember the species off-hand...has become too rare.)
• A variety of fox, shy, bushy-tailed and adorable, which are much sought after by wealthy fashionistas in (insert locale) as pets.
• Alternately, as hats.
• Similarly, there is a bird that only inhabits the tops of the enormous cedars found in the heart of the forest, whose plumage is all the rage across the ocean in (some city).

Etc. Maybe some combination of rare products from the forest, and skilled/secretive craftsmen in the city.

 

[Derren]

Letters of Marque? If the Paladins think the applicant is too much of a scoundrel or otherwise untrustworthy, they may assign a Representative to sail with the ship. If the ship comes back later but the Rep does not, everything the crew says (especially the bragging during the drinking) may be used against them ...

You might want to read up on the Knight Hospitaller while they were stationed on Rhodes.