The Great Pirate Tournament Background

"No one remembers how it all started… but any pirate worth the wood in his leg knows how it ends. The last Championship of the Great Five…
For decades 5 powerful merchant houses dominated the world's seas. The House of Lodos specialized in fish and seafood; the House of Pentar dominated the weapons trade; the House of Kirus provided everything needed for the body's well-being; and the House of Sobek focused on a… well, shall we say, different kind of physical need… and yet no one, truly no one, could measure up to the glory of the House of Buthu. As the sole supplier of rare herbs and spices, this house enjoyed influence, power and wealth without limits. No wonder, then, that the House of Buthu perpetually came out on top in the Championship of the Great Five. One day, a new organization appeared on the horizon. A splinter group of former members of the House of Buthu, with but one common purpose in mind: revenge!
The House of Anansi proudly displayed the coat-of-arms of its patron. The shrewd god of spiders that bears that name has proven its cunning in countless tales. Now the time had come to turn those fables into reality.
The members of the House of Buthu stealthily infiltrated the other houses. With lies, half-truths and targeted needling, they caused the formerly rock-solid association to weaken. What started as unrest spiraled into utter chaos. When this bedlam reached its climax during the Championship of the Great Five, Octavio Acari, leader of the House of Buthu, launched a surprise attack that ended the tournament. Quick, uncompromising and over in one fell swoop.

With the trophy in hand, Acari announced from his ship's decks that the era of the great houses was over. In the future there would instead be a grand pirate tournament. A competition for all eager to demonstrate a cool head under fire. This year 6 houses are hoisting their colors high… but only one can win!"