Ryger ir'Wynarn

High Prince Ryger ir’Wynarn is lord of the Seadragon Principality and nominally the leader of all the Lhazaar Principalities. However, Ryger and his allies (and enemies) know that he could be overthrown by one of the region’s other princes at any time.

Source: ECG

Rygar is remarkably clever and charismatic, with skills in diplomacy as well as the blade. He has earned a reputation as a man of his word, though he will not give his word carelessly. However, he is a Lhazaarite, and he respects the traditions of his people -- including piracy. Merchants who sail the Bitter Sea can pay for the protection of the Seadragons, and Rygar will strike at any ship that dares to raid near Regalport. But he feels no obligation to hunt down Lhazaarites who engage in piracy.

One of Rygar's earliest acts as prince was to grant House Thuranni land on Greentarn. This alliance between House Thuranni and the Seadragons is one more weapon in the high prince's arsenal. Some say that Rygar wanted to bring House Thuranni to the Principalities to guard against agents of the Gray Tide principality; if anyone can counter changeling schemes, it's the house of shadow.

Source: Dragonshard Part 2

A leader amongst leaders, High Prince Ryger ir’Wynarn is a peerless athlete, cunning tactician, and suave diplomat. Ryger is a sterling example of Lhazaar’s meritocratic principles, a true rags-to-riches story. While the High Prince claims some distant relationship to Galifar, most consider this claim to be part of his self-made mythos rather than a serious gesture towards the throne. Still, Ryger has great ambitions for the Principalities and hopes to consolidate power peacefully, to ensure the prosperity of the region. His greatest foe in this regard is Mika Rockface and the Cloudreavers, who seek to tear down the order he has so carefully crafted.

Ryger’s ascension to High Prince, though seemingly inevitable from his combination of talents, has always bothered the Seadragon leader. Mika Rockface claims to have sunk Horget Black’s ship in a nighttime raid, but the Cloudreaver leader has never produced a trophy as proof. Ryger still feels a great debt to Horget’s mentorship, and if the former High Prince is still out there Ryger would move Siberys and Eberron to help him.

Source: Politics of the Lhazaaar Principalities

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

Keith