From publisher blurb: The Kingdom of the Ivory Pearl is ruled by robber barons, pirates, more accurately. It is a kingdom of islands currently ruled by a ruthless Queen. There are 19 islands in the kingdom, seven with sizable harbors. An “earl,” six in number, controls each harbored island. “Barons” rule thirteen islands. There are no rules of succession; might makes right. Queen Captain Hester the Reaper rules the kingdom with an iron fist. Her carrack fitted for war, the “Bonny Blood,” is the largest in the fleet, tied up on Ivory Pearl Island, the largest and most central of the isles.