Marino

The Pirate Empire of Marino, more commonly known as simply Marino, is a unitary state based in the Northeast of Akonanda, on the continent of Aesteroth. As one of the dominant empires within the northeast region, Marino has considerable sway over global affairs, helped by the fact that it hosted the 2nd World Summit. With a population made up mostly of pvpers, they hold regular pvp tournaments. Geographically, it occupies the eastern coast of Aesteroth and part of the western coast of Aesteroth, as well as many islands in the sea of Aesteroth. Led by Merc, the nation is monocultural, taking the cultures of the nations it conquers and subsuming them into its own.

They follow a codex of laws called the Pirate Code, which entitles the following: 1, any sailor or person may be a pirate, regardless of how they look or who they arr (without an e). 2, all crew mates shall be held accountable equally, regardless of rank. This is enforced by the head of the crew. 3, the crew's bond is sacred. Those who betray the crew shall be met with cutlass in hand. And finally, 4, do not steal from fellow crewmates. Sharing plunder is very much encouraged, however. The Pirate Code ensures that despite being a nation of pirates who steal from others for a living, they maintain internal security and peace.

History
Marino began as the Mercantile Republic of Marino. At this point in their history, they were already pirates, but flew under the banner of merchants. They established their first claim on a small island just south of where The Frost held land; this would become their capitol and largest city, Port Marino, and quickly expanded from there, taking islands to their east, forming what would become their core towns. Continuing to expand eastward, they also began expanding diplomatically, taking over ownership of San Fiore from Cathai, and taking over the Bay Attleford sky islands.

They would also expand down the coast, setting up small encampments to allow sailors from Marino to make a stop there for food and other resources. After growing quickly in international recognition as the "pirate nation", they made a bid for the 2nd World Summit, which would be held in Port Marino. This led to them becoming even more well-known and renowned, and they quickly expanded, taking the Assembly of Aesteroth, the Frost, and the Tidewind Thalassocracy, and several other smaller nations on Aesteroth, leading to them becoming the dominant power on the continent. Though several contenders such as Midget Gang tried to contest this, they eventually faded from relevancy. To this day, Marino is still one of Akonanda's most active and powerful nations.