The infamous Sky Pirate King had very humble beginnings, but his story serves to show that even the smallest act can have disastrous consequences. Joseph Datief arrived in Rahmos to work as a servant in a large manor due to debts he owed. Though a routine punishment, in the years to come many would wish that Datief had never been brought to Rahmos. After serving five years and paying his debts in full, Joseph Datief turned to piracy and sky buccaneering. Being a Kathos native in Rahmos, he had no other option.
He and his crew were successful for the first couple of years, plucking heavy trading barges from the sky in North Osetia and South Rahmos. However, all good things come to an end - and that end is painful if Rahmos has anything to do with it. His crew was ambushed and slaughtered to the man by a battle barge of the Rahmos fleet. The only survivor was Datief, who had covered himself in the blood of his comrades and hidden among the dead. This experience left Joseph with a furious desire for vengeance.
A few months later, Datief managed to commandeer a new ship and take the people of a trading post hostage. The Rahmosian governor of Kathos sent a battle barge to hunt down Datief and kill him. Datief captured and beheaded the entire crew save one, whom he spared so that a message could be delivered to the governor: "Henceforward, I shall never give quarter to any Rahmosian."
Datief sacked Mithas by attacking it from the land, where it was defenseless. Over the following two months, Datief and his men held the city hostage. Despite the payment of the ransom (20,000 gold ingots), Datief continued to ransack the city, acquiring masses of gems, silverware and silks, a total 260,000 pieces of eight, and a number of slaves. The damage Datief inflicted upon Mithas was so great that the city, formerly a major trading center, nearly ceased to exist.
Joseph Datief and his crew disappeared over the Teltos Sea while battling a barge of the Rahmosian fleet. Legend has it that with his last breath, Datief cursed Rahmos and vowed to return from the grave to deliver his vengeance. Marauders still tell the tales of the Sky Pirate King with a mix of reverence and fear. Reverence for his daring exploits and fear that he will make good on his vow and return.
