Nautilus Barbarus
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Nautilus Barbarus (literally the "Barbarian Fleet"), was a part of the Imperial Naval Fleet of Caphiria formed somewhere in the 9th century to combat the rising piracy off the coast of the Imperium. The fleet is best known for its imperative part in the widespread establishment of piracy in northern Sarpedon following its revolt lead by Quintis Fundanus Faustinius, who eventually became known as the Pirata Rex, the Pirate King.
History
Little is known of the early history of the Nautilus Barbarus, likely due to the Caphirians being a primarily land-based people and seeing the navy as little more than the least prestigious branch of the Imperial Legion. Based on historical records, the founding of Nautilus Barbarus is typically placed somewhere in the 9th century, thought to have been created to combat the piracy that had been growing following the fall of the First Imperium. The Nautilus Barbarus practically disappears from the historical record until the late 10th century, when during the Caphirian civil war, the Admiral of the Nautilus Barbarus, Placus Maelius Regulus, was recorded to have expressed his concern over the general discontent of the men serving in his fleet.
The civil war that was raging at the time had drawn funding away from the navy, leaving many of its fleets completely lacking in both payment of food and coin. This naturally drastically lowered the morale of the seamen, which Regulus had noted at this point, fearing mutiny in his appeal to the local garrison where he requested funding. The funding Regulus requested was not granted, and after returning to his fleet to give the news, Faustinius rallied his fellow seamen to drown their Admiral and claim the pay they haven't received. On the night of the same day, Faustinius lead three ships to the nearest fort which housed not only the local garrison, but the rations and payment for the Legion. Faustinius managed to narrowly beat the garrisons men, which sparked widespread looting of the fort by him and his men; initially meaning to take just what they thought was theirs, it spilled from the fort to the nearby trading warehouses, where luxury goods were stolen, and a record number of wine.
Faustinius then quickly sailed further west, docking at the city of Utur located in the Azure Bay in modern day Aciria, where the crew managed to sell off the loot they had stolen, restocking with the gold they had made before returning to sea. The revolt and assault on an imperial garrison quickly spread word of the Pirate King Faustinius, which inspired many other naval officers discontent with their current position to revolt and join Faustinius.
Historicity
Most sources of Nautilus Barbarus following their revolt and defection are thought to have dramatized the success of both Faustinius and his pirate fleet. Contemporary sources are mainly from pirate sources, as other naval officers following their revolt praised both Faustinius and Nautilus Barbarus in order to recruit more able-bodied men for their fleets.
Legacy
Faustinius' exploits in the Urlazian Sea inspired various works of art in history, maybe most notably the works of Centurilio Marina who based his book The Black Flag (1832) loosely on Faustinius' time as a pirate.