From Introduction:
Th e goblins of the wasteland were not quick to take to the sea. It took many years before they were first recruited onto the ships of human pirates, and several generations before they were fully accepted by any of them. Once they finally overcame their disinclination toward maritime affairs and began running their own ships, however, goblins rapidly became the single most powerful criminal force to set sail upon the North Sea waters. The inland kingdoms hate and fear them, but these pirates have never tried to be loved. They can be useful at times, and they will strike deals with monarchs when it suits them to, but they keep faith with the pirate ideals of old and they have always refused to kneel.
The goblin pirates of today draw their members from all areas of goblinoid society. Mutants and orcs are treated the same as any other goblin, and even dark elves can feel at home if they do the job they are assigned. Some pirates even spend their whole lives from birth to death living on ships, where it takes skill to survive and divisions based on ancestry are not pressing political issues the way they are with the landlubbers. It may not be this way forever, but for now, the goal of these pirates is for goblins to rule the North Sea, not fight amongst themselves.