> Fishmoth <“ You could listen to me for a change. ”
Last known residence:
Technical info:
genderless|barghest
personification of
a pirate schooner
Personality words:
Quick-thinking, illusive, loyal.The Fishmoth is a small schooner that was part of the deal that Anne Grey made when she sold her heart. It's one of the fastest on the sea, and notable for it's distinctive ashy-grey colour. Of course, since it was created through magic it has more than a couple of quirks, one of these quirks being Fishmoth. They seem to be the personification of the ship itself, although incredibly illusive Fishmoth will often appear at night or when the ship is in trouble.They have a particular fondness for keeping an eye on whoever's keeping watch at night, even if they rarely speak directly to them. Although, once Fishmoth has decided to speak you'll find that they have a wealth of dry wit and sarcasm at their disposal and tend to jump from one subject to the next so fast it's difficult to keep up.
Fishmoth is entirely genderless, although will sometimes appear more male or more female depending on their mood. They actually bear quite a striking resemblance to the figurehead on the prow of the ship itself, although that's probably not surprising. Fishmoth is a slight, red-eyed youth, with ashy hair that always appears to be caught in a gale, regardless of the actual weather.
> Anne Grey <“ The Captain. ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'Fir Coast
Technical info:
she|paragon|quad, human
custom|none
Personality words:
Business-like, enigmatic, tough.Very little is known about Anne Grey's history before becoming captain of The Fishmoth, it seems to be made up of rumours and half-truths. What isn't disputed is that Anne Grey grew up in a small village just outside of Whisper Forest, she was raised mostly by her mother as her father was often at sea. At the age of thirteen she dressed up as a boy and ran away to join a pirate crew. Three years late she helped orchestrate a mutiny against the captain and promptly left the crew to find her own ship. Nothing was heard of her until seven years after that, when she turned up with a small schooner at the port of Sa'fir looking for a crew to follow her. Quickly rumors spread about how she'd acquired it, and it didn't help that when asked Anne simply replied that she'd sold something precious in exchange. Many people believe that she sold her soul to the devil, that day. Since gathering her crew, they've become one of the most feared pirates on the whole of the Sa'Fir Coast. A favourite tactic of theirs is to wait until the mist rolls in and attack several larger ships consecutively, using The Fishmoth's superior speed and agility.
Anne herself is a ruthless pirate, she's a good swordswoman and it often seems as though she'll do anything to achieve her goals. Don't go assuming that because she's a woman you can appeal to her soft side, she simply doesn't have one. The only thing that irritates her more than sniveling cowards are misogynists, and she shows no mercy to either of them. Although, Anne will try not to spill blood unless she absolutely has to. Despite being very business-like, she tries her best to maintain some sort of honor and morality. Her crew is her family, and although she treats them harshly she would sooner slit her own throat than loose one of them. It takes a lot to gain Anne's respect, and the people on her crew are the few people that have managed to do so.
Surprisingly, Anne is actually quite introverted and values solitude and quiet. That doesn't mean she doesn't mean she's adverse to having as much fun as the rest of her pirates, though. She gambles and drinks and is as raucous as the rest of them when she feels like it. Anne spends a lot of time in her cabin, which only adds to the general air of mysteriousness around her. She enjoys being enigmatic and even the people close to her still feel as though there's sides of her they haven't seen. There's a lot of things she never says, even to Benny and Jeremiah, her two oldest friends. When she does speak, Anne doesn't mince her words. in short, she's a difficult person to describe. Often very outgoing, determined, and sharp, other times she's reclusive, uncommunicative and almost melancholy.
Appearance-wise, Anne stands about five feet nine inches. Her hair is a dark ashy blonde and falls past her shoulders, her eyes deep brown, almost black. She has a faint olive-y tinge to her skin, and has curiously broad shoulders. Otherwise, she's of a slim, wiry build. Anne's features are sharp, and intelligent looking, her eyes are large and her lashes long dark. Though her nose is a little bit longer than average and almost pointed at the end, giving her an almost bird-like look about her and she has a small scar across her bottom lip. Clothes-wise, Anne looks like your average pirate. Bandanna, tricorn hat, hoop earrings, the lot, although she tends to stay away from bright colours and much prefers greys and other dark tones.
> Ebenezer Clifford <“ The Quatermaster. ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'fir Coast
Technical info:
he|lucain|quad, human
custom|none
Personality words:
Superstitious, experienced, loyal.Benny Clifford has been a pirate for as long as he can remember, his parents were both pirates and probably his grand parents before then. He's been a cabin boy, a mate, a quartermaster and a captain (he even spent three disastrous months as a navigator) and now he's a quartermaster again. He was a bit down on his luck when Anne found him, and remembering her reputation originally refused to become her quartermaster although her persistence paid off and there's no one's crew he'd rather be a part of. He's incredibly loyal toward Anne and most of the crew look up to him.
Benny is very superstitious and has a thousand little ways of dispelling bad luck, he's an encyclopedia of omens and portents and puts psychics and fortune tellers in the highest regard. He was originally terrified of Fishmoth, although he's become the person they're most likely to speak to. They have a similar sense of humour. Benny and Anne also get on incredibly well, Benny providing the experience and wisdom that Anne doesn't have, he also tries to prevent her from taking too many risks, since if it was up to her they'd be the most ruthless and vicious pirate crew on the sea.
He's generally a warmhearted soul who always has a something vaguely alcoholic on hand and a few good stories for any wayward souls he happens to meet. Well, that's when he isn't at sea. Should you meet Ebenezer Clifford while at sea, he's a completely different person. It takes a lot to earn his trust and a lot more to earn his respect, he's dedicated and something of a taskmaster and he knows the sea better than most people know the back of their hand. He will show no mercy, and expects everyone else to do the same. He's spent longer on sea than he has on dry land, and is a skilled swordsman.
Benny is a scruffy, dark-haired man of about forty-something (he claims he doesn't know when his birthday is). He's relatively tall and his hair is always a little long. He's in the habit of wearing brightly coloured pieces of calico as bandannas or neckerchiefs, so it's clear that he does care somewhat. In his youth, he was considered to be quite handsome and he apparently has a couple of sons somewhere. In fact, minus a few scars and cleaned up a little, he could still be considered so.
> Erskine Fortescue <“ The Navigator. ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'fir Coast
Technical info:
he|illumindrak
quad, human
Personality words:
Exacting, fussy, argumentative. Erskine was originally a student in a far-off coastal city before he was forced into becoming a navigator for a crew of pirates. He was quick enough to realize the value of a good navigator and spent years perfecting the craft, he had originally intended to go back to studying once he left the pirate crew but when faced with the prospect he chose to continue his life of piracy and join up with Grey's crew.
Erskine is a shrewd creature, there's no fooling him and often it seems as though he's in a perpetual bad mood. He's reclusive and studious and would much prefer to be left alone in his cabin with his books and maps than messing around with the rest of the crew. He knows his own worth, and is always quick to point out to Anne how lucky she is to have him on the ship. They'd be, quite literally, lost without him. It's because of this job stability he's so opinionated and argumentative, it seems as though Erskine takes enjoyment in stirring up trouble between members of the crew. Most people think he's a bit of a prick, and would dearly love to punch him in the face. Despite this, Erskine is their bastard and woe betide anyone else who tries to give him a piece of their mind.
He's not all bad, though. When it comes to business matters, Erskine is Anne's trusted adviser and when it comes to money matters the crew are incredibly glad he's on their side. He's an expert haggler and could probably sell ice to a polar bear if he felt like it. This side of him does tend to make him a bit stingy, though. He's a perfectionist and incredibly exacting when it comes to his work, although his habit of holding everyone else up to this standard is what gets him into so much trouble. He gets along with Garrett amazingly well, they both dislike putting up with idiocy and tend to have similar opinions about things.. He and Anne also get along fine, but he can rarely stay in a room with Frederick for more than five minutes before a massive row occurs.
Erskine very rarely he mentions his family, but he occasionally mentions his sister and his mother. He's certain that they'd hate him for turning to piracy and is convinced that they are better off believing that he's dead. Erskine is actually younger than most people think he is, being in his early thirties. He wears small oval glasses on the end of his nose, has olive skin, dark hair he keeps in a ponytail and grey eyes. He's clean-shaven, with a rather thin. sharp face and expression of constant distaste. His style of dress is fairly simple, but he takes pride in his appearance and is by the far the neatest person who sails with Anne.
> Frederick Makepiece <“ The Navigator's Apprentice. ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'fir Coast
Technical info:
he|lucain|quad, human
lineage|none
Personality words:
Lazy, talented, calm.Frederick is actually Benny's nephew and was originally hired by Anne as a favour to his sister. Benny's sister was at the end of her rope with Frederick, she couldn't convince him to do anything, all he ever did was get into trouble and he avoided hard work wherever he could. Anne was convinced that she could straighten him out, and so he started sailing with the other pirates of The Fishmoth. What Anne hadn't realized was how intelligent Frederick was, and what lengths he would go to avoid having to do any work.
Frederick was a smart kid, but unfortunately a very lazy one. He quickly worked out that his superior intellect (at least compared to the other people his age) would allow him to get what he wanted with minimal effort and this attitude has unfortunately carried over to his work with Erskine and the crew of the Fishmoth. Frederick is an incredibly calm individual, he's always very optimistic and dislikes getting worked up about anything. He's completely unfazed by being shouted at, screamed at, cried at or pleaded with and in some ways he's incredibly self-absorbed.
However, don't make the mistake of thinking Frederick is entirely passive. He's incredibly stubborn when it comes to certain things, especially Erskine. He's worked out that the easiest way to have to get out of doing any work is to pick fights with Erskine, which he does with alarming frequency and if he wasn't so damned talented at navigation Erskine would have given up on him ages ago. During these arguments, the normally laid back apprentice can turn exceptionally vicious. The only person who can calm the two of them down is Jeremiah and that's only because Frederick completely idolizes Jeremiah.
Frederick is a young man in his twenties, fairly dark-skinned, with brown hair that's always kept short. He has a slightly crooked grin, probably from getting into a couple of fights when he was younger. He's of an average height and build, but his most unusual feature is probably his startling pale green eyes, which are apparently from his father's side of the family. Frederick always wears the same, incredibly worn military jacket that he stole from an officer a few years back.
> Jerimiah Elmswood <“ The Boatswain. ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'Fir Coast
Technical info:
he|bobcat slynx
quad, human
Personality words:
Sneaky, organized, smug.Like Anne, Jeremiah likes to keep his past to himself though he can't stop the rumors from circulating. The most widely accepted version is that he sailed for the navy for some time before meeting Anne back when she was a cabin boy. Then, when she found herself looking for crew members she went looking for him and asked him to join her. Although this seems far-fetched, it's obvious that Jeremiah has known both Anne and Benny for some time.
Jeremiah seems to know everyone, he has a contact there, a friend who owes him a favour there. He's always up to something, a plot or a scheme or a solution to a problem. Really, it's quite miraculous how he manages to pull half of the off. He seems to work miracles some days, and it wouldn't look so strange if it didn't appear to be so easy. He has the luck of the devil and seems to come out unscathed from most situations, it would be less annoying if he wasn't so smug about it all of the time. He's the cat that got the cream, the cream in this case being profit of one sort of another. His first thought upon coming into a situation is how much profit he can make from it, whether that profit be monetary or otherwise. He's rather like both Anne and Erskine in that respect. He likes to think of himself as a ladies' man, and Jeremiah is always trying to woo somebody, even if his romantic endeavors always seemed doomed to end horrendously. The only time Jeremiah ever seems flustered is when he's speaking to the current object of his affections.
In some ways, Jeremiah is the heart of the group. Even though he seems to be as ruthless as Anne sometimes, he's quite easily swayed by a good sob story. He enjoys dramatics, and is an insufferable romantic. Something which he does his best to hide. Being the Boatswain, he deals with supplies, checking the ships rigging, sails and various other things, although lately he's got saddled with the job of handling disputes between crew members, something that should technically be the quarter master's job. It's just that he's become the only one who can settle down Erskine and Frederick after they've had yet another one of their tiffs. He's very good with people, and the other crew members often find themselves coming to him for advice, despite his massive ego. Jeremiah is someone who, regardless of the situation, will never appear out of his depth. Of course, most of his act is sheer confidence, having a quick mind does help but even when he's running himself ragged Jeremiah would never admit it. It'd spoil the fun, after all.
Jeremiah is a relatively handsome man in his late thirties. He's rather pale, with dark blond hair and grey eyes. He's quite short, and you'd be forgiven for writing him off as a waif, but don't be fooled Jeremiah can best both Anne and Benny should it come down to swordsmanship. His appearance, in one word, could be described as suave. He dresses with a great deal of flair and favours a long coat and purple cravat, although both items are looking distinctly weather-worn now.
> Marie Bytheway <“ The Master Gunner. ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'Fir Coast.
Technical info:
she|| ringed tricky
quad, human
Personality words:
Hard working, measured, determined.Marie is one of the women who sail on The Fishmoth. Her father was a gunsmith in a small coastal town and she picked up all of her knowledge from him. She joined up to the crew after her mother threatened to marry her off to the undertaker's son. Her mother was always very strict about what Marie was going to do with her life. Which didn't suit Marie at all, so she packed her bags and left.
Stubborn and determined, Marie has a plan for every given situation. She's down to earth, but never gives her opinion or makes a decision without thinking it over properly first. Her reluctance to commit often irritates her fellow crew members when they look to her for support on an argument. Marie is a crack shot, having handled fire arms since being a young child. The crew tend to consider her one of the boys, even though she doesn't really make any sort of effort to be more masculine. In fact, she tends to be overlooked a lot, usually because she's so sedate. Marie is an extrovert and likes be around people even if she's rarely the center of attention.
Really, the reason she's so sedate is because she likes to conserve her energy for the real battles. Once Marie is angry or upset about something, she's a force to be reckoned with. There's no way anyone is ever going to make her do anything she doesn't want to do, she knows who she is and everyone else is going to have to deal with it and that's that. She won't sit by and stand for anything she perceives to be injustice and while her moral code is a little warped (being a pirate and all) she does stand by it. She doesn't bet and she doesn't drink much, although she does smoke a pipe. Marie is nearly always working, and dislikes inaction.
Marie is a young woman of average height, broad shouldered and freckly with large brown eyes and shoulder-length ginger hair. She a plain, good natured face that many people would find pretty and she dresses in a pretty even mix of breeches some days and skirts on others, her clothes are always a bit tattered but she does her best to keep them clean and patched up, although she's not too fussy.
> Silvester <“ The Carpenter ”
Last known residence:
Technical info:
he|evergreen
quad, human
Personality words:
Diligent, quiet, eccentric.No one knows much about Silvester, in fact, no one even knows his first name. He was one of the first people Anne found to join her pirate crew when she first turned up with The Fishmoth. One things for sure, he looks after the ship and is almost certainly the best carpenter on the black coast. Silvester works almost silently for the most part, although he often hums to himself. Never really any particular tune, in fact, it's almost like a strange little language only he knows. Silvester certainly can talk, even if it rarely seems like it. He probably hasn't exchanged more than a handful of words with any of the crew.
Fishmoth itself is actually rather fond of Silvester and likes to watch him work if no one else is around. Silvester doesn't seem to mind, in fact, he seems to mind very little about most things. He's incredibly hard working and is always busy doing something. He seems to be one of those people who find it difficult to sit still. No one really knows what he gets up to in his spare time, although he's unnaturally good at any card game you care to include him and he can drink to rival the best of them.
Appearance-wise, Silvester is a tiny man (around five foot four) in his fifties, with a short, scruffy-looking beard and brown eyes. He wears the same long (for him), brown coat filled with patches and pockets, all of which are filled with tools.
> Nox <“ The Surgeon. ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'fir Coast
Technical info:
he|tomb imuet|
quad, human
Personality words:
Generous, aloof, knowledgeable.Nox, who's full name is apparently unpronounceable to uncivilized tongues, is the ship's surgeon. He comes from a town in the Wilt'no. He was a priest rather left the town to spread word of his religion, although he quickly realized that very few people were interested in his religion and many more were interested in swindling, conning, or murdering him. However, he didn't let this deter him he just took to carrying around a couple of large machetes and looking a little bit more threatening. For many years, back in the Wilt'no, Nox studied to be a healer (before religion became important to him) and has a good understanding of medicine, perhaps even superior to those who studied more conventional texts. After sometime he tried to make an honest living as a surgeon in Sa'fir, before joining Anne's crew at her behest.
Nox's religion is a rather fascinating one, their main practices are kindness (although they believe that being kind and generous is a natural thing everyone should do without expecting thanks), and humility. They value intelligence, and have several incredibly complex philosophies regarding the nature of fate and destiny. One of their most prominent figures is a goddess known as Alma the Weaver.
Nox has a cynicism and a jaded attitude that very rarely leaves him. His expression is usually one of disgruntled annoyance. He's sick of the weather, he's sick of idiots who keep getting stabbed, and most of all he's sick of this goddamn ship. He's a realist, and dislikes mincing his words or toning his opinions down, a shame, considering how negative most of them are. Nox firmly believes that most people are complete morons, however, unlike most people with this opinion he doesn't really hold it against them. It's fact, simple as that. He will always see the worst in any situation, and like most of the crew of the Fishmoth, is actually rather introverted. Well, apart from when he's giving one of his infamous lectures, that is. Despite this, Nox is actually an incredibly kind soul, and he follows his religion to the letter. He truly believes in being kind for the sake of it, and tries to be humble when he can. Nox is smarter than most people he meets, and his kindness doesn't always stop him from testing them to see if they can keep up.
Oddly enough, Nox is slightly older than he looks, being in his late fifties. Although since people from his town often live into their late 140's, he's not really that old. He's a rather grizzled looking fellow with a with thin face and a deceptively slight frame. His hair is cropped short, but he wears a small goatee. He's long abandoned the traditional priest garb and instead prefers to dress like a surgeon; rolled up white shirt sleeves, and a slightly bloodstained apron. Honestly, it's no wonder people find him intimidating. When Nox became a priest one of his friends gave him a feathered scarab to celebrate the occasion, it's name is Serqet and Nox is never seen without it by his side.
> The Duchess <“ Ship's Cook ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'Fir Coast
Technical info:
she|regal draculi
quad, human
Personality words:
Dignified, adventurous, opinionated.The Duchess lead a very interesting life prior to Anne asking if she'd like to join the crew of the Fishmoth. She had been, according to her, been a member of the aristocracy and had been unhappily married to a Duke for several years, they moved the household when the Duke she'd married decided to pursue a naval career. Then, when pirates broke into the house she saw an opportunity to escape, and so she did. For a time, she found herself in the underworld of that particular city and for several years became a prize fighter. (Her mother, an unusual woman to say the least, had been of the opinion that a young lady should always be able to defend herself against attack. She was entirely right.) After that, she married an incredibly famous and dastardly pirate(the same pirate who had killed her previous husband, no less), had two children, lead a mutiny against him when he became too bloodthirsty and became captain of his ship for several years. During that time she had a love affair with another female pirate captain, and they became two of the most feared pirates on the sea. They were eventually captured, and while The Duchess managed to escape, her lover was hanged.
When Anne found her, The Duchess was running a small tavern several miles inland. Anne convinced her to come out of retirement to join her crew. Very few people actually know The Duchess's name, although, apparently if asked nicely she'll allow you to call her Anastasia. The Duchess has an extremely dignified air about her, and even at forty-eight she maintains the wiry strength and fast reflexes that made her one of the best prize-fighters this side of Jawan. She's ruled more by her heart than Anne is, although, overall she's more stately than Anne, who tends to be sharp and ambitious, rather than passionate and adventurous.
The Duchess dislikes staying still, and just as in her youth, she has an adventurous spirit. She had, before Anne approached her, assumed that she was done with the seafaring life, but she couldn't quite let it go-The Duchess still has a lot to see. The Duchess prefers fist-fighting to sword fighting, although she's far from inept. The Duchess is a lover, a fighter and an aristocrat, even now she throws herself into what she does wholeheartedly. She lives with very few regrets, few fears and has an unshakable confidence that is entirely enviable. She is usually able to play things cool, but does loose her temper occasionally and can be rash and hot-headed when her emotions get in the way, particularly if family is involved. To her, the people you love are everything, unless they hurt you. In which case it is completely permissible to slit their throats.
The Duchess hasn't lost her beauty all these years, her hair, which used to be golden is now white. She keeps it as she always has done, wound up elegantly on the top of her head. She's around five foot six, and her nose is extremely crooked from being broken so often during her prize-fighting days, and even before that it was her most striking feature. She wears lots of jewelry, including her engagement rings from her first and second husbands and a locket from her lover. There's something very regal about her attire, which while not being too different from the other pirates, retains a sort of elegance. The Duchess has a fondness for yellow calico, and will wear odd pieces of fabric tied around her waist and hair, this is mainly because it was the favourite colour of one Elizabeth Ackley, who captained the frigate The Marigold until her death.
> Garrett Ashby <“ Sailor. ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'Fir Coast.
Technical info:
he|lucain|quad, human
darius/astrid|none
Personality words:
Tough, watchful, easily angered.Garrett Ashby is a fairly recent addition to Anne's crew. Garrett was invited to join the crew after Anne saw him win a bar fight and decided that they could use some more muscle on the crew, and make no mistake Garrett is a terrifying figure. Although, it wasn't just his brawn that made him an ideal crew member of the Fishmoth, it was the fact that he accidentally managed to burn down the bar afterwards. Garrett has the abilities of a fire mage, but unfortunately, he never received any training for them and so is only able to preform the most basic forms of magic.
Garrett was one of many siblings, his family were scared of his abilities and the damage they could cause so encouraged him to keep them under wraps and never use them. Once he left the household, Garrett quickly realized how useful they could be. He spent several years at sea, going from merchant crews to pirate crews and back again. He was a fairly experienced sailor by the time his and Anne's paths crossed. Garrett is an extremely resilient soul, there's very little that can faze him. He's a warrior at heart, and is never willing to give up without a fight, even if the odds seem completely against him. He's a quiet guy who likes to focus on the job at hand, that mixed with the fact he's not sociable even when he has time to waste, makes him a fairly intimidating character.
He tends to be a little bit quick to defend himself or his actions, and is easily angered by those around him. Garrett is someone with an extremely low tolerance for bullshit, although he quite quickly learnt to respect the other crew members of the Fishmoth. Surprisingly, he and Erskine have struck up an incredibly close friendship. Because Garrert is so quiet, he notices more than he lets on and is surprisingly observant. He probably has a better understanding of the feelings and opinions of the crew than Jeremiah does, and that's saying something.
Garrett is an incredibly tall fellow, with very broad shoulders and deep-set eyes. He has dark, curly hair and appears to be in his mid-thirties. He has some rather nasty burns on his forearms, from bungled experiments with his magic when he was younger, and various scars from all the fights he's been in over the years. All in all, he's someone you don't want to mess with.
> Rossy <“ Ship's Cat ”
Last known residence:
The Fishmoth, Sa'Fir Coast.
Technical info:
she|sucrose kuhna|quad
Personality words:
Mischievous, odd, inventive.Rossy is the ship's cat, she wandered onto the ship when Anne first docked at Sa'fir and hasn't left since. After some negotiation Rossy agreed to be the ship's cat for a small cut in whatever treasure they find along with all the mice she can eat. You see, Rossy wasn't always just a cat. Originally she was a sucrose kuhna with the ability to turn into a human, but somewhere along the line she got into some trouble with a witch and was cursed. She doesn't seem to mind being a cat too much and has retained her ability to speak. For the most part, she's very quiet and will only talk when it suits her.
It seems that being a cat has rubbed off on Rossy, and she can be very problematic, even Anne can't control her. If you upset Rossy she has a habit of leaving dead mice in shoes or on hammocks for you to find, only to later claim that it was a sign of affection. She's contrary and lazy, but does have some surprisingly good qualities. Rossy is no idiot and if in the right mood can be an excellent conversational partner, she always has some new outlook or some interesting thing to say. She's only young-- around eighteen and she's spent five of those as a cat, but she maintains her cheery outlook on life. Rossy one day hopes to break the curse and be able to live life normally again, but until that day comes she's entirely happy to hang around with the pirates of The Fishmoth.
> Valerian <“ If you don't feel like selling your soul, I'll take your heart instead. ”
Last known residence:
Unknown.
Technical info:
she|ilos|innumerable
Personality words:
Changeable, mysterious, untrustworthy, dangerous.Valerian is a strange creature, she appears to be some sort of powerful sea spirit or goddess, no one is quite sure which. She appears sometimes, here and there, near and far, and wherever she goes she likes to bring trouble with her. She can't step on dry land, and so has to make up her own entertainment with the sailors and ships that stray onto her path. Her favourite thing is to make deals with them, sometimes she'll take something as simple as a tooth in exchange for a day or two of good luck, other times she'll steal away hearts or souls simply because she felt like it. She's dangerous, and feels no remorse in killing or drowning innocent bystanders simply for the fun of it, in some ways she acts exceptionally childish. She's watched men come and go and most of them appear like ants to her, however once in a while she can't help but take an interest in one of them.
Her current project is Anne Grey who in exchange for her heart bought twenty favoured years and a wish, although Valerian was feeling very generous that day. The most she normally offers in exchange for a heart is thirteen years and a wish, even then sailors sometimes only get seven. In fact, Valerian is quite fond of Anne generally and finds the young woman to be quite curious. She has a habit of appearing whenever things get interesting for the crew of The Fishmoth, if only to tease Anne a little. Originally the sailors were terrified of Valerian, although now they simply roll their eyes and tell Anne her wife is here to see her.
Appearance-wise, Valerian has no fixed form. Sometimes she's an ilos, or a mermaid, a siren, flying fish, young woman, albatross, she appears however she likes however her ilos and mermaid-like forms are her current favourites and tends to favour those above the myriad of other forms she can take.
> Gallimaufry <“ Quote ”
Last known residence:
The Dead Coast.
Technical info:
genderless|iridia
personification of a fishing sloop
Personality words:
Of course a boy like James Makepiece would have an enchanted fishing sloop. He's just that type of boy.
The Gallimaufry was given to him, against the wishes of his mother, by an lodger of their's. He was an old sea dog, too old now for sailing. He was impressed by the boy's moral fibre and courage, especially in a house like the Makepieces'. James, immediately left home to sail, where he found the ship was a little more than he expected.
Gallimaufry is some kind of spirit, sometimes appearing as a bird, other times as a voice on the wind or a figure on the bow, sat staring into the sea. They care about James immensely, sharing in his ambitions and completely taken by his somewhat-childish but entirely good-willed enthusiasms. They're charmed by his adoration of them, and won't hear anything against him, going so far as to cause accidents for those who disagree with him. They mostly only appear to James, and even then, its normally just a quiet word on his ear.
They seem to understand each other without speaking, which confuses even the longest-serving members of the crew. Gaullimaufry will do anything to avoid seeing their captain come to harm.
In of themselves, Gaullimaufry is quiet, shy, but curious. They like to hide, but will come out if called gently,
or else if something catches their attention. They love attention and being sung to, but are feisty and bitter when crossed.
> James Makepiece <“ Quote ”
Last known residence:
The Gaullimaufry
Technical info:
he|lucain
lineage|none
Personality words:
James is one of those people who are so fundamentally nice, courageous and well-meaning that you can't help but like them, even when you don't want to. Despite being raised in a household where most of the men were pirates and many of the women weren't far off, James seemingly from nowhere chose a life of grace and virtue. He wouldn't take any money off of his relatives in case it was stolen, and worked honestly to earn enough money to buy himself a prayer book. Now, having aged a little, James fancies himself as a Robin Hood character, trying to make a difference to the poor and less fortunate by taking money from those that he thought deserved it.
James is incredibly charismatic and totally unaware of it, his charm, patience and kindness just seem to be unending. He frequently puts his life in danger trusting the good will of others and doesn't even seem to notice when others are worried for him. He's an excellent swordsman, although, as you might imagine kills people very reluctantly. His worldview seems rather simplistic, but James ploughs on anyway, and people find it so easy to get swept away with him, despite their better judgement. He's not necessarily a fool, and is quite adept at forming plans and outsmarting others, he just has never really stopped for long enough to question what he's doing. He's self-assured to the point of not really knowing how to be anything else. He's a hardworker, and cares deeply for the people around him. If he does notice their flaws, he certainly doesn't let on. James seems to assume that the people around him are as virtuous as he is.
Its really only James' family who seem immune to his charms, his brother, uncle and mother all being rather despairing of his naivete and desperately wishing that someone with his natural talents at, well... most things would spend their time doing something more useful.
James is lovely to look at, with brown curls that fall angelically around his face, bright, intelligent eyes and a kind face. He's not too fastidious, but makes sure to keep himself clean, he dresses simply and plainly. Any money spent on expenses is money that could be given to someone who needs it. If money must be spent,
its generally to go on the ship. Anything he owns has probably been repaired several times. He wears a small silver cross and a piece of carved jet his mother gave him.
> Name <“ Quote ”
Last known residence:
The Gaullimaufry
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> Name <“ Quote ”
Last known residence:
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