The Lhazaar Principalities

Pirates, sea barons, merchant traders and all with a love of the water find their home in the Lhazaar Principalities. With a history that is equal part piracy and seafaring trade the Principalities have remained a separate entity from the kingdom of Galifar even during the years they pledged allegiance to the crown. Now, with the nation of Galifar officially shattered the Lhazaar Principalities have formed a loose confederacy of states each ruled by their own sea prince living a life where might makes right and the person with the most and biggest ships rules the sea.

Pre-Galifar
The Lhazaar Principalities take their name from the explorer Lhazaar, the woman responsible for first bringing human settlers from the nation of Rhiavaar in Sarlona to the shores of Khorvaire 3,000 years ago. It is theorized that these "settlers" were actually societal undesirables escaping jail and persecution. The Principalities continued to grow as humans spread across the landscape of Khorvaire. By the time Galifar Icame to power the Lhazaar Principalities had already been well established for over a thousand years and the people had earned a reputation as raiders and pirates. The strip of land went largely unnoticed under Galifar until 28 YK when Galifar brought his own navy against the Lhazaar Princes who had been wreaking havoc on the coastal communities both in the north and the east of Khorvaire. Over the next decade the Galifar-Lhazaar War resounded on the open seas around the principalities. After ten years and thousands in gold had been expended by both sides Galifar had finally secured enough victories against the sea princes that they entreated for negotiations. In the end they became officially part of the nation of Galifar, though they remained autonomous.

Under Galifar
Now officially a part of the Kingdom of Galifar, the Lhazaar Princes could no longer rely on piracy on the open waters, so they turned their efforts to trade and exploration, leading some of the most daring expeditions to date. For 800 years, the Lhazaarians bid their time, awaiting the spark of change. That spark would come in the throes of the Last War.

The Last War
When the Last War erupted in Galifar the sea princes remained decidedly neutral continuing as they had for many centuries to trade and explore the known world. As the war raged on for decades however the sea princes began to find the same argument that the dwarves of the Mror Holds had. Their agreement of fealty had been to Galifar and the Kingdom and with the kingdom now in ruin they saw their agreement as officially dissolved. Now free to revert to their ancient ways of piracy it didn't take long for the sea princes one by one to return to their old ways. At first the various princes warred amongst themselves for supreme sovereignty over the principalities until they realized that the whole of Khorvaire was their oyster and they were holding all the knives. Piracy once again plagued the coastal towns across Khorvaire while other sea princes hired out their flotillas as privateers. As the Last War subsided the Lhazaar Principalities were able to hold themselves together under Prince Rygar ir'Wynarn long enough to attend the forming of the Treaty of Thronehold granting them all of the rights of the other nations.

However, now with the confederacy of independent states now officially recognised by the other sovereign nations of Khorvaire the sea princes had to lower their flags of piracy and return to the life of trade and exploration. Some renegade princes still plague the open waters, but the rest of the princes seem to be biding their time for another spark, content to wait it out like a bad storm.