Q: How does Rygar keep the Cloudreavers in check? for Prince Mika to recognize him as the "leader" due to his fleet being larger and the need for delegation at thronehold, etc, surely there must be some concessions that Rygar has on the Cloudreavers? Surely Mika attacking the Brelish/Zil as they are called out as doing makes all of Lhazaar look bad and the Five Nations less likely to want to set up trade, etc. That's not something Rygar could ignore.
Cloudreaver pirates preying on Zil and Brelish ships in the Thunder Sea is canonical fact. So the question isn't how Rygar prevents such piracy—because as of 998 YK, he hasn't—but what he's going to do about it IN 998 YK.
For context, let's consider these quotes from the ECS, with some highlights added. "The balance of power is far from stable among the Lhazaarites... (Prince Rygar) HOPES hopes to unite all the princes under his banner, but he is far from accomplishing that lofty goal... As high prince, Ryger is seen as a leader among equals, and MOST of the sea barons and pirate lords bow to his wisdom and counsel (THOUGH NOT YET TO HIS RULE)... It was Ryger who gathered A council of captains and went to Thronehold to represent the Principalities in the talks that ended the war... Mika’s pirates and raiders terrorize the sealanes that run along the southern shore of Khorvaire."
So a few things to keep in mind...
- Mika's piracy largely takes place in the Thunder Sea. It's not like she's conducting raids in Rygar's backyard, and it's not like he can directly intervene with his own ships.
- Prince Rygar is still working to build his authority with the other princes.
- The Treaty of Thronehold occurred TWO YEARS AGO, as a desperate reaction to the Mourning, and recognizing the Lhazaar Principalities was essentially an afterthought for the Five Nations. In order to get that recognition, Rygar surely promised the other nations that he would curb Lhazaar piracy.
- As far as I know, we've never said Prince Mika took part in the delegation that represented the Principalities at the Treaty of Thronehold. Again, not all of the Princes accept Rygar's vision.
... And here we are today. Rygar has pledged to limit Lhazaar piracy. He's undoubtedly made both diplomatic entreaties and threats to Prince Mika, telling her to knock it off and that she's threatening his dream of Lhazaar statehood, and she's politely continued raiding in the Thunder Sea, saying that SHE never bent the knee to no high prince.
Which in turn means one of a number of things could happens next.
- Rygar's diplomatic efforts work and he stands down.
- Breland or Zilargo move to have the Principalities stripped of their recognition due to Rygar's inability to fulfill his promises.
- Rygar launches a unilateral attack against the Cloudreavers, either assaulting Port Krez or attacking Cloudreaver ships in the Lhazaar Sea. He's got the ships and power to do it, but it runs the risk of alienating the other princes and shattering the alliance he's attempting to build.
- Rygar convinces the other princes to support him attacking the Cloudreavers, either offering their own military support or simply agreeing to not to take offense at his actions.
- Rygar sends his ships—or, perhaps, employs adventurers—to sink Cloudreaver ships engaged in piracy in the Thunder Sea.
Rygar WANTS the Principalities to be stable. He wants to put an end to piracy and to unite the Princes in one shared vision. But HE HASN'T DONE IT YET. He has the military power to defeat the Cloudreavers if he chooses to attack Krag, but doing so unilaterally runs an excellent risk of turning a number of other Princes against him, potentially resulting in a less stable situation and him having even more powerful enemies than the Cloudreavers. So he's undoubtedly actively pursuing diplomacy and intimidation with the Cloudreavers (to get Mika to stop) and with other princes (to gain their support), but that's happening RIGHT NOW... and player characters could either be drawn into those efforts, or sent to try to engage Cloudreaver pirates in the Thunder Sea.
Source: June 2024 Q&A