MC goes on a voyage to arrange her hand in marraige, whether it falls through or not shall be determined. YC is a pirate, who boredom knows no bounds. No one has ever captured a royal and lived to tell the tale. Will now be any different? Follow along but do no post here unless you are given permission from either Megan or Tonneoshet.

Location:

A coastal maritime kingdom, long and narrow, stretching along cliffs and fertile plains. The land borders treacherous seas with frequent storms, hidden coves, and jagged rocks that make the coastline almost impossible to fully patrol.

Topography:

• Whitecliff Coast: Towering chalk cliffs near the capital, visible from miles at sea, iconic symbol of the Crown’s power.

• The Verdant Plains: Fertile farmlands inland; source of grain, livestock, and wines exported to allied nations.

• The Salt Marshes: Rough, flat regions where smuggling is common; breeding ground for rogue traders and minor pirates.

• Hidden Coves & Inlets: Used by privateers, smugglers, and pirate ships; dangerous but valuable for covert trade.

Climate:

• Temperate coastal climate

• Long, rainy winters

• Summer storms bring dangerous winds and unpredictable tides

The sea is both a lifeline and a threat—it feeds the kingdom but kills the unprepared.

Monarchy:

• Ruled by a royal family with a hereditary monarch

• The eldest child is heir apparent, though succession can be influenced by politics, marriage alliances, or skill (not just birth)

• Court is highly formal, structured, and extremely image-conscious

Political Structure:

• Privy Council: Advises the monarch; often corrupt and self-serving

• Merchant Guilds: Powerful, sometimes rival the Crown’s influence; control trade, taxes, and smuggling networks

• Naval Command: Loyal but stretched thin; corruption allows privateers to operate under Crown-sanctioned loopholes

• Nobility: Houses have allegiances, rivalries, and hidden agendas; some secretly fund pirates or rival kingdoms

Conflict Drivers:

• Disputes over trade routes and ports

• Piracy as a political and economic weapon

• Nobility manipulating royal heirs for personal gain

ECONOMY & TRADE

Key Industries:

• Fishing and maritime trade

• Export of grain, wine, and crafted goods

• Shipbuilding (coastal towns have famed docks)

• Salt trade from marshes

Trade Dynamics:

• Trade routes are dangerous, making insurance rare and fees high

• Pirates disrupt supply, but selective privateering is tolerated to weaken rivals

• Tidemarch benefits economically from pirates it secretly backs or taxes

CULTURE & SOCIETY

Values:

• Loyalty to family and Crown above all

• Appearance, etiquette, and restraint are highly valued

• Nobility is expected to marry strategically, often ignoring personal preference

• Heroism and naval skill are celebrated—but wit and intelligence quietly respected

Customs:

• Royalty is rarely seen outside ceremonial events

• Feasts, tournaments, and naval reviews are key displays of power

• Silence is a social tool: saying nothing can be more powerful than speaking

Gender & Roles:

• Noble women are expected to marry well, govern minor estates, and appear composed

• Men inherit command positions or naval commissions

• Exceptions are rare and often quietly condemned

Superstitions & Beliefs:

• Sailors and coastal folk respect sea spirits; storms are omens

• Pirates are feared publicly but admired secretly for daring and skill

• Nobility believe symbols, rituals, and proper etiquette maintain divine favor

Navy:

• Small but efficient; stretched thin defending ports and trade

• Privately funded fleets exist under royal sanction (“privateers”)

• Officers are trained from youth, focusing on loyalty, not moral judgement

Coastal Defense:

• Forts along cliffs and key ports

• Watchtowers line the shores for miles; some are abandoned or underfunded

• Hidden inlets and marshes are impossible to fully secure, creating opportunities for piracy

PIRACY IN TIDEMARCH CONTEXT

• Pirates are both enemies and unofficial allies

• Some are tolerated by the Crown for strategic purposes

• Certain routes are secretly “off-limits” or taxed

• The royal family profits indirectly from piracy through privateers

This makes the pirate captain’s world and Tidemarch inextricably linked—their clash isn’t accidental, it’s systemic.

SYMBOLS OF TIDEMARCH ROYALTY

• White Cliffs: The Crown’s power and visibility

• Signet Rings: Authority, compliance, and control

• Naval flags & banners: Political identity, trade signals, warnings

• Courtly gestures: Every bow, step, and word is loaded with expectation

Elowen grows up surrounded by these, only to discover their fragility at sea.

THE CAPITAL — CLIFFHAVEN

Description:

• Perched atop the Whitecliff Coast, overlooking the sea like a sentinel

• White stone architecture with tall towers, gilded rooftops, and ornate balconies

• Cobblestone streets, grand plazas, and a fortified harbor

Key Features:

• The Royal Palace: Massive cliffside castle with panoramic ocean views. Symbol of authority; many rooms for state business, private quarters for the royal family, and hidden passages used for secret meetings

• The Council Hall: Where the Privy Council meets; political intrigue is constant

• The Harbor: Bustling port; ships come and go under strict control. Guarded, but shallow coves nearby allow secret trade

Symbolism: Authority, tradition, and the rigid hierarchy Elowen is raised to uphold

THE WHITE CLIFFS

Description:

• Iconic chalk cliffs that stretch for miles along the northern coast

• Dangerous waters below; storm waves crash violently

• Access is limited, making them strategic for defense

Key Features:

• Lookout Towers: Signal forts that communicate with the capital and other coastal settlements

• Hidden Caves & Inlets: Often used by smugglers or daring adventurers

Symbolism: Strength and visibility; a constant reminder of what the Crown wants to be seen as

THE SALTMARSHES

Description:

• Rough, flat marshlands along the southern and eastern shores

• Treacherous ground, foggy mornings, and tidal creeks

• Fertile for some crops, dangerous for travel

Key Features:

• Smuggler Routes: Pirates and privateers use the marshes to bypass naval patrols

• Outlying Villages: Small communities that tolerate piracy in exchange for protection or trade

Symbolism: Moral ambiguity; where law and survival blur

HIDDEN COVES & INLETS

Description:

• Scattered along the coastline; accessible only by sea

• Sheltered from storms, perfect for pirate or privateer ships

• Often invisible from the land, known only to locals or experienced sailors

Key Features:

• Captain’s Hideout: The pirate captains uses one of these coves as a semi-permanent base

• Secret Supply Points: Hidden caches for contraband, weapons, and food

Symbolism: Freedom, danger, and choice; where Elowen first begins to experience life outside courtly control

The bells of Cliffhaven rang low and slow, their iron voices rolling across stone and sea alike as she stepped onto the quay.

Morning clung to the harbor in pale blues and silvered mist. The White Cliffs loomed behind her—unyielding, familiar, home—their chalk faces catching the early sun like a blessing she did not feel worthy to receive. Banners snapped overhead, the salt wind tugging at silk and hair alike, as if the sea itself were impatient to claim her.

Elowen did not look back at first.

The ship waited below, its hull dark and polished, its name gilded in curling script along the bow. It was a royal vessel in every sense—its hold heavy with gold-latticed chests, gem-crates sealed in wax and iron, dowry gifts meant to dazzle and bind. Rubies packed in velvet, sapphires wrapped in linen, coins stamped with her father’s crest stacked like promises no one had asked her to make.

Only when her foot touched the gangplank did she allow herself to turn.

Her family stood apart from the watching crowd. Her father, rigid as the cliffs themselves, his crown absent but his authority unmistakable. Her mother’s hands were folded too tightly, knuckles pale, eyes bright with things unsaid. Siblings lingered just behind—faces caught between pride and fear, between envy and grief. This was not a farewell meant for spectacle, yet it had become one all the same.

She inclined her head. Court-perfect. Composed.

The gesture hid the way her chest ached.

She boarded with her personal guard close at her back—men and women sworn not just to the Crown, but to her. Their armor gleamed, well-kept and ceremonial, though each knew it might soon be tested. Her handmaids followed, quieter, carrying chests of clothing and letters and pieces of a life that might not fit her again upon return.

Last came the King’s most trusted adviser.

He walked with measured steps, hands folded behind his back, eyes sharp and watchful as he surveyed the ship and its cargo. He offered her a polite nod—nothing more. No warmth. No reassurance.

She returned it coolly.

Trust was not something she gave easily, and never to men who smiled too carefully.

The sails unfurled with a sound like breath drawn deep, and as the harbor receded, so too did the safety of certainty. Tidemarch shrank into white stone and memory, the cliffs dissolving into haze until only the open sea remained—vast, indifferent, endless.

The crossing was long.

Days blurred into one another beneath sun and salt. She learned the rhythm of the ship: the groan of timber, the creak of rope, the murmured prayers of sailors as storms gathered and passed. At night, the sea stretched black and infinite beneath the stars, the gem-chests below deck gleaming faintly when lantern-light struck gold.

She stood at the rail often, cloak drawn tight, wondering what part of herself she was meant to leave behind upon foreign shores.

When land finally rose from the horizon, it was not gentle.

The rival kingdom’s coast was darker, its cliffs jagged, its harbor bristling with watchtowers and steel. Their banners bore unfamiliar colors, unfamiliar sigils—symbols of a court that would soon weigh her worth not in loyalty, but in alliance.

She disembarked beneath their scrutiny, spine straight, chin lifted.

Negotiations followed—formal, careful, edged with expectation. She was presented not as a person, but as a possibility. A union. A future written in ink and sealed with wax. Hands were shaken. Words were spoken that meant everything and nothing all at once. No decision was made. The contract remained unsigned. Her fate, once again, was deferred to her father’s judgment.

When she returned to the ship, the relief was sharp enough to hurt. The sails were raised without ceremony, the harbor slipping away behind them like a door left ajar—but not closed.

As the coastline vanished and the sea reclaimed them, she stood alone at the bow, wind pulling loose strands of hair across her face.

Home lay somewhere beyond the horizon.

And between here and there, the waters waited—uncharted, restless, and full of things she did not yet know would change her forever. The sea had settled into a deceptive calm by the time the conversation found her.

Elowen stood near the stern, watching the wake unravel behind the ship like a torn ribbon of white against the darkening blue. The air smelled of salt and iron, of polished wood and distant rain. Somewhere below deck, a chest shifted with the roll of the waves—gold murmuring softly, as if it too had opinions about where they were headed.

Footsteps approached, measured and familiar. She didn’t turn at first. She didn’t need to.

“You’ve been staring at the water like it might answer you,” came the low voice beside her. Warm. Steady. One of the few voices aboard that didn’t weigh her down with expectation. She exhaled, slow. “And has it?” she asked quietly. A faint huff of amusement. “If it has, it’s keeping its secrets.” He came to stand beside her, close enough that his shoulder nearly brushed hers, though careful not to cross a line he had never once tested. He leaned his forearms against the rail, gaze following hers toward the horizon. "They’re talking again below,” he said after a moment. “The adviser. The guards. Whispering like the sea can’t hear them.” Her jaw tightened. “Let me guess,” she murmured. “Speculating about whether I’d be easy to give away.”

He didn’t answer immediately. That alone was answer enough. She finally turned to look at him then, one brow arching. “Say it.” He sighed. “They’re saying the rival king is younger than expected. Recently crowned. Unmarried. Ambitious.” A pause. “And not particularly known for kindness.” A bitter smile curved her lips. “Ah. So a perfect match.”

“You shouldn’t joke about it.”

“I should,” she replied softly. “If I don’t, I might start screaming instead.” The wind tugged at her cloak, snapping it against her legs. She stared back out at the sea, voice quieter now. “Did you see him?”

“I did.”

“And?”

He chose his words with care. “He looked at you the way men look at land they intend to conquer.” Her fingers curled against the railing. Not in fear—but in something sharper. “They spoke of children,” she said. “Before they spoke of borders. Did you notice that?”

“Yes.”

“And of peace,” she continued. “But only after they discussed trade.” Another pause. He nodded. “I noticed.”

Silence stretched between them, filled only by the cry of gulls and the groan of the mast. Finally, she spoke again—barely above a whisper. “If my father signs that contract… I will go.”