Sky Pirates

Since the re-emergence of air travel as a viable means of shipping, and the increasing availability of small scale airships piracy has migrated from the waves to the clouds. Sky pirate crews have made their home in the Bailey for decades now but since the advent of the Great Horde new crews have been popping up all over.   A typical pirate crew or clan consists of ten to twenty able bodied scalywags with little to lose and no fear of heights. Generally they are commanded by an elected Captain who keeps the ship and crew working together as a team. Generally the Captain decides on which criminal scores to take on and which threats are worth combatting and which require a retreat. Some of the more wealthy and powerful command more than one ship and become Commodores.   Armoring an airship is a delicate balancing act, not enough armor and your boat plummets like a stone after the first hit and too much and you can't get off the ground. Most airships are at least lightly armed with their bottoms lightly armored to withstand ground fire and have canons or other guns along the sides for attacks. The entire crew must have a certain level of skill at both maintaining the ship and in airship combat to make it even slightly viable.   Most citizens think of such vehicles as death traps and the reality isn't far from the truth. However, where there are shells to be made there are always fools willing to risk their lives to chase them and some of those end up on unlicensed airships.