Brethren Court

The collective of eight pirate lords, who have divided up the sea amongst themselves. It was established after binding the Goddess Calypso as an organization to protect open piracy and insure that she stay bound.

Background
The First Brethren Court was convened at Shipwreck Cove, which is a well-supplied and impenetrable pirate fortress. The purpose for the meeting was to imprison the heathen goddess, Calypso. The Brethren figured that with Calypso taken from her powers over the seas, they would be able to "tame the seas" for themselves. Davy Jones, out of rage, thus came forth in this meeting to teach the lords how to imprison her within Tia Dalma.

Jones, prior to the meeting, was heartbroken by Calypso, who was his love. To bind Calypso, the Brethren planned on using nine pieces of eight, but when they first met, they were completely impoverished with no common currency, and so they used "pieces of junk". These pieces of junk however kept their name as pieces of eight, since that the lords believed this sounded more piratical than, "the nine pieces of whatever we happened to have in our pockets at the time".

After binding Calypso, the seas came under pirate exploitation. The pirate lords were established as means of controlling piracy in their respected territories. The First Court also produced the first Pirate King, though after his death, there came none else. The age of when the First Court met seems to be centuries before the events of the films, when piracy existed even then and when the early pagan peoples of Earth believed in gods and goddess. What caused the Second Brethren Court to convene is unknown, although it was when the Pirata Codex was set forth by Morgan and Bartholomew and is know as the "dawn of piracy". Nothing is known about the Third Brethren Court, except that it ended badly.

Structure
The Brethren is the governing body representing piracy and the common pirate at seas. Thus, it exists to maintain the safety and existence of the state of piracy. This is why the Courts are convened; to solve the issues at hand. The structure of the pirate government is mostly unorganized and chaotic, which is why the Pirata Codex was created by Morgan and Bartholomew to help the Court resolve matters without slaughter. The Codex is the Brethren's "law book" containing their "guidelines". If disobeyed or cursed upon, severe punishment follows, though many disregard it. This seemingly proves the government's lack of enforcing the word of the Codex throughout the pirates.

Headquarters for the Brethren Court lie on Shipwreck Island, at the heart of Shipwreck Cove, within Shipwreck City. The court meets in a chamber created from the hull of a wrecked ship, and surrounded by the ship's curved spars is the historic table were the Court has met since its first assembly. Shipwreck Cove is said to be a stronghold "nigh impregnable, able to withstand blockade for years." The cove firmly secures the Brethren's structure and provides protection against enemy forces.

The main enemy of the Brethren comes to be the East India Trading Company because the Brethren is the central point of piracy, Lord Cutler Beckett wishes to destroy it. He figures that its defeat would render the worldwide pirate force weak and leaderless.

Leadership
The Pirate King of the Brethren Court is elected by the pirate lords through popular vote during a conclave. Requirements to become a candidate for the Brethren include being captain of a ship, swearing to the Pirata Codex, and having killed a man. The first king was elected in the First Brethren Court. Since then, there had been no other king. The reason behind this is that every pirate lord usually votes for himself. Furthermore, war may only be declared by the king and none else as stated in the Pirata Codex.

Nine pirate captains run a systemic governance over their respective territories. Their titles are solely based on the seas of which the govern. The lords are the fiercest of the pirates around and the most strong to survive in the harsh world of piracy. It is to them that the regular pirates look to. When a pirate lord feels his/her time of retirement has come, he passes on his or her piece of eight to a captain worthy of lordship status. The next pirate lord then comes to govern their predecessor's realm. "-A majority of this article comes from the Wikipedia article"

Members

 * Ammand - Ammand the Corsair is the Turkish Pirate Lord of the Black Sea
 * Hector Barbossa - Barbossa is the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea
 * Chevalle - Chevalle, the Penniless Frenchman, is the French Pirate Lord of the Mediterranean Sea.
 * Ching - Mistress Ching is the Chinese Pirate Lord of the Pacific Ocean.
 * Jocard - Gentleman Jocard is the African Pirate Lord of the Atlantic Ocean.
 * Captain Jack Sparrow - Jack Sparrow is the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea.
 * Sumbhajee - Sumbhajee, a former Hindu Priest, is the Pirate Lord of the Indian Ocean.
 * Eduardo Villanueva - Eduardo Villanueva is the Spanish Pirate Lord of the Adriatic Sea.
 * Sao Feng - Sao Feng was the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea.