#cs:intro

Maeve quite literally just joined the crew. Well, she’s in the process of joining the crew.

She’s joining up to save her friend and pseudo-uncle, Charles Cassidy, and to start a new life filled with adventure. In exchange for a place on the ship, she promised to share what she knows about the Jewels of Destiny.

However, she has no plans to let the crew actually reunite the Jewels - not that anyone knows that. 

Maeve is an emotional and mental fighter. She grew up hearing stories of all the things her mother endured to keep the secrets of the Jewels safe, and she steeled herself to deal with the same threats as an adult. She never imagined she would betray her mother’s trust.

Because of her secrets, she’s never been close to anyone outside of her mother or Charles. She’s had friends and flings, but it felt impossible to connect with anyone when she couldn’t tell them her whole truth.

The concept of actually opening up and making genuine, deep connections is new to her. Really getting to know her won’t be easy.

She isn’t sunshine and rainbows. She will call out people’s bullshit, or what she perceives to be bullshit, without a second thought. 

She’s excited to be leaving Westburgh, but she’s also incredibly nervous. Westburgh is the only home she’s ever known. Leaving behind a life of comfort isn’t easy.

Her feelings toward the crew are a mixed bag. 

She knows nothing about life on a ship and will need some guidance. She’s dependable and won’t shirk her duties, but she’ll likely be a little stubborn and snobby as she gets her sea legs. Not knowing how to do everything will frustrate and embarrass her, which will lead to some snappish moments.

Maeve isn’t a masterful fighter (yet), but she is quick on her feet. In a pinch, she can defend herself.

SECRETS

Maeve intends to help the crew learn how to use the Jewels, but she has no intention of allowing the crew to actually use the Jewels once they are reunited. She’s terrified of what a group of pirates would do with that power. If she has to kill them all to stop it, she will.

Born to a Christian family at the tail end of the Hessian War, the Keller’s had a strong relationship with the church in part due to their family business of wine making. Tobias was at first a dutiful son and took interest in the family business, however as he grew older and grew closer to the church he felt a disconnect between their teachings and their practice. Yet still a faithful man he became interested in Lutherism, a big believer that salvation could not be bought but earned. Though he was still on the fence as to what faith suited him best his family discovered he had been speaking with a Lutheran priest and disowned him for fear he would hurt their business. Tobias sought out the priest again, unsure of what to do at the tender age of seventeen, and was taken to be taught to be a priest himself.

Once ordained he said he wanted to travel as more than just a missionary. He wanted to get to know the community seek out the downtrodden and bring them salvation. While Tobias never ignored the devout he found himself gravitating to those who weren’t so interested in the church. At first Tobias wondered why but soon realized some people were just too focused on survival in those life to care much about the next. So he tended to these people-- regardless of their faith. As he traveled he also met people of other faiths and discussed their ideas about God and the nature of man. After all, Luther had translated the bible so the common man could speculate about God. Was this not in line with his teaching?

In his early thirties Tobias found himself in Spain, a country going through a tumultuous time due to it’s wars but making plenty of money due to the colonies. Nor was it a very safe place for a man of his faith but he persisted, having learned long ago how to protect himself on the road. In Huelva, he met Francisca, a married woman with a deep interest in faith though not a religious person herself. Tobias loved to discuss faith with her, finding her opinions fascinating especially for a woman who grew up under the strict doctrine of Spain’s Catholicism. Tobias would confess lust was the sin that lead him astray the most. Before then he had kept his relationship with men, a much more scandalous relationship but also easier to hide. That was before Francisca of course.

When Francisca fell pregnant Tobias begged her to leave her husband and come with him to somewhere, anywhere, far away from all she knew. Francisca was appalled, confused on how a man of faith could really expect her to leave her husband, that he would be so selfish as to have her forgo her entire life just for him. Francisca told him he could do what he wanted, even tell her husband the truth, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Distraught, Tobias boarded a ship for the New World, landing in Port Royal.

At first he tried preaching but found the people much too free spirited to subscribe to such a strict doctrine. So instead, Tobias began to learn from the people, stepping away from scripture. Of course along the way he met even more men of faith from all different corners of the world and gained some insight as to what it meant to be at peace. Despite this, the incident with Francisca still shook him, epseically a year later when he realized somewhere out there a child with his face was walking about. Tobias turned to the bottle and lost several years in Port Royal.

One night in a dark bar, a man approached Tobias and while he may have been more a lay man than a man of faith at that time, he still held the charisma of a parishioner. The two talked and drank for hours their topic ranging from wealth to women to wine. The man explained he was a captain of a ship and offered Tobias a chance to sail with him and his crew. Tobias agreed, if for any reason to give him a chance to leave Port Royal. The next day he was aboard the Cursed Serpent-- his role simply as confidant to the captain.

While the idea of living on a pirate ship was a bit unseemly to Tobias at first, he enjoyed his time with Bradway and he grew to care for the other crew mates. Especially the younger members of the crew who he knew had full lives ahead of them. Bradway and Tobias would spend their nights debating and while things could get heated they would always end the night with drinks and smiles. Neither of them cared about winning the debate, only challenging each other’s ideals. All was well and good for ten years till Bradway said something to Tobias he could not shake. Appalled and disgusted, Tobias left at the first port the ship docked, citing that it was just time for him to move on as he had done for most of his life.

Now without a crew Tobias returned to drinking and freeloading. He joined crews at random not caring if they were merchants or pirates or fisherman. Yet he never stayed around for long as the other crews only saw a soft drunkard who got in the way. For five years he lived that life till being abandoned in Westburgh. There on the docks he recognized a familiar sight. The Cursed Serpent, returned to him once again-- a sign from God one might say.

Quick Facts

He has few possessions save for his bible (written in German), a crucifix necklace, and a hunting knife.

Despite everything he is still very faithful and reads his bible and prays when he wakes up and before he goes to sleep. However he does not feel a need to convert anyone seeing it as a distraction to the cause of salvation.

Lust and drink are he main vices though he is much more open about the later than the former. 

Wanted Connections

DRINKING BUDDY: Tobias loves the drink. While he often drinks alone he always enjoys company and would easily fall into a routine with one of the cremates.

DISAGREEABLE MINDS: While Tobias welcomes all faiths and ideas he is at heart a priest and tends to follow those doctrines. Someone on board disagrees and the two will discuss and debate ideas relating to the soul of man.

Hi friends, I’m Via! I’m 24 and comfy with she/her or they/them pronouns. I’m Filipino-Chinese, so English isn’t my native language, but I try! I’m very excited to write Yasmin with you all <3 

THE CURSED SERPENT

Yasmin’s parents were Bulgarian-Turk immigrants. Her father worked odd jobs to make ends meet, while her mother was a seamstress for a small clothing factory. They lived a simple life in the slums of London, doing just a bit better than their neighbors. Yasmin’s childhood was spent on the streets, dodging policemen and other shadier figures, attempting a happy and normal life despite growing up in poverty.

Ever since she could remember, she always stood out. They lived in a neighborhood full of Irish and Italian immigrants, and more often than not, Yasmin’s olive skin and dark features were considered a novelty. Perhaps it was the memory of constant and unwanted attention, but Yasmin developed an aversion towards attracting any notice to herself. As she grew older, she retreated delicately into her shell, and preferred the company of her parents over that of other people.

When she was 15, she began working as a seamstress in the same company as her mother. The pay was pitifully small, but Yasmin’s fingers were deft, and it was time they were put to good use. She felt relieved and proud to be contributing even a measly sum to the family income, especially since her parents were getting older and working was becoming tougher on them.

Two years later, Yasmin was excused from her workstation to be informed that a fire was ravaging her neighborhood. She ran towards her home, thinking of her parents. When she got there, she was met with a wall of fire, bright and hot and seemingly endless. Even as she frantically looked around at the soot-covered faces around her, a sinking feeling in her stomach told her she wouldn’t find her mother and father among them. She was right.

When the fire died down two days later, all hope had gone out of Yasmin’s chest. Rain fell from the heavens like penance that came too late. She found her way into the ruins of her old home, now just piles of ashes, and felt anger and sorrow bloom in the place where her heart used to be. Just as she was leaving, she noticed a black box, purportedly untouched by the fire that burned down everything else. Yasmin picked it up and brought it with her to a friend’s house, where she had been temporarily staying.

When she opened the box, she found letters addressed to her from her late mother. The first of them opened to a statement that said: My darling Yasmin, if you are reading this letter then something terrible has happened. Please read on and pay attention to what I’m about to tell you. At the end of the letter, her mother wrote that the black box had a false bottom, and in it she would find a grimoire, passed down from generations upon generations of their family.

Yasmin browsed through the grimoire and realized she could understand it little, though a few of the letters her mother left her were instructions on how to read the book, written in Turkish and explained as best as her mother could. She knew sorcerers had a nasty reputation in Britain and the world at large, and so Yasmin kept her secret well-guarded, and studied the grimoire only whenever she deemed it safe. 

A year after the death of her parents, Yasmin set out on her own to join the crew of a ship called The Cursed Serpent. Word had it that they were pirates on a quest to search for The Jewels of Destiny, powerful gems that had been lost in the tides of time. Due to years of hard labor in the slums and her expertise at sewing, she somehow convinced the captain to take her on as a rigger.

It was undeniable – Yasmin was caught by the lure of the jewels, but more than that, she wanted to give her life a purpose beyond the ordinary. She wanted to restore glory to the sorcerers’ reputations and to honor her parents’ memories without fear. Foolish as it may be, Yasmin hoped a day would come when she didn’t have to be afraid of repercussions for honoring her family’s legacy. She wanted a future where she didn’t have to hide who she was ever again.

SECRET

Yasmin is a novice sorcerer with minimal training. Life after her parents passed was bleak to the point of intolerance, and she boarded the pirate ship in an attempt to redirect the course of her life. Her interest in the jewels lay in wanting to prove that sorcerers aren’t evil. Her parents hid the truth from her and her mother hid her own abilities to avoid persecution, and Yasmin couldn’t bear the thought of good people like her mother being persecuted because they were sorcerers. She’s looking for a fellow sorcerer to help her develop her skills, but she’s too afraid to talk.  

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

SOURCE OF COMFORT:  It’s not uncommon to find Yasmin deep in thought while patching up the sails with her thread and needle, or looking out at sea with an inscrutable expression on her face. This person accompanies Yasmin out on the deck for as long as they can, regaling her with stories and jokes or simply keeping her company. She might not always say it, but Yasmin appreciates this person a ton.

BUDDING ATTRACTION: A person who Yasmin is inexplicably attracted to, despite their difference in personality. Yasmin thinks she must be crazy, which is why she does little to reveal her affections. Still, she’s only human, which means that she slips here and there. Ultimately though, Yasmin would rather pitch herself off the side of the ship rather than confess.

I have a longer bio that you can find here, but these are the basics on Billie:

Born into the life of a pirate

Left her family and first crew behind when she was 16 to find her own adventure

Hopped around a few different crews but always got bored or booted off for being too hotheaded

Joined the crew of the Cursed Serpent nine years ago under Captain Bradway

Feels a tremendous amount of guilt over his death, owing to her role as the ships first line of defense

Tends to come off a bit cold and distant, but cares for the crew a great deal

Always watching and probably has you all figured out even if you’ve barely talked to her

EXTRA TID-BITS

Full Name: Thaddeus Charles (Harte) Durant

Date of Birth: January 20th, 1664 (Capricorn/Aquarius Cusp)

Height: 6′0″

Gender: Nonbinary

Pronouns: They/Them/Their

Orientation: Panromantic & Pansexual

THE CURSED SERPENT

Thaddeus grew up with a rather uneventful childhood. As the eldest sibling of 7, they took up working life rather quickly to help provide. Their father worked as a farmer, but their mother made her living as a midwife and local doctor. Given the option, Thaddeus eventually settled into their mother’s footsteps, having a natural affinity with medical practice. Their father was set in his ways and rather cold towards Thadd and their siblings, so their relationship with their mother was far closer.

As time went on and their siblings got older, Thaddeus set out to make their living in Port Royal instead. In their work, they grew to know many different doctors onboard ships, but none better than the one aboard the Cursed Serpent. He was a bit of an older fellow compared to the rest, but that was part of what made their friendship unique. When the time came for the man’s retirement, he all but forced Captain Bradway to give his position to Thaddeus.

Given that their line of work required enough trust that one would be willing to put their life into a doctor’s hands, the recommendation was nearly immediately granted Thaddeus permission to join the crew. Of course, it would take another year or so and a few instances of saving crew members from rather testy injuries to fully gain the Bradway’s trust. Once they did, Thaddeus always made a point to be the Captain’s confidant, should Bradway need it.

Thaddeus used their prior connections to ship doctors whenever the Cursed Serpent was at port to stay informed on their enemies and any possible trouble that might be coming their way—and they happened to have rather a way at coaxing such information out of locals without drawing too much attention to. This exchange of information with Bradway became routine, and even rather more conversational as time went on.

But death never paid such things any mind. It hit Thaddeus harder than they liked to admit, especially since they couldn’t save the Captain. They tried their best to keep such feelings under wraps. Adding to the others’ grief or lack thereof was unbecoming, in their mind, at least. They focused on keeping the others alive—hopefully that much would be within their power.

SECRET

Thaddeus’ mother was on a call to help the daughter of their local lord with the birth of her child. The birth had it’s complications, and their mother sent for Thaddeus to bring her some supplies and even help. This, however, led to a host of complications.

When they arrived, the baby had just arrived stillborn. The lord’s daughter wasn’t coping well at all. Accusations flew about of Thaddeus’ mother being a witch who sought to steal the soul of her baby. This outrage escalated to the point of involving local authorities. Their mother was arrested, regardless of Thaddeus’ protesting.

To protect their mother from a life in prison, or a more likely death sentence, Thaddeus wrote a full confession to crimes of ‘witchcraft’ and ‘devil-worshipping.’ That’s why they fled to live in Port Royal. Once they arrived there, they assumed a different last name, Durant. Their real last name, Harte, was left behind with any hope of seeing their family again. If that kept them safe, then so be it.

To their knowledge, Thaddeus is still wanted for those crimes. They don’t speak of their family, and what they do say is littered with lies. Tales full of unremarkable details to avoid further questioning.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

The Death of Me: An injury/illness prone crew member that seems to always be laid up in Thaddeus’ quarters. They drive the Doctor mad, even if it has given the ample opportunity to get to know them better. At this point, Thaddeus is quite fond of them; they are probably the closest thing Thaddeus has to a confidant onboard.(Magni)

Tried Patience: Someone Thaddeus rather resents. The two have never quite fallen in, and they are rather convinced it’s because this person views them as unable to be of any help when it counts (they aren’t the best with a gun or a sword, so it could be because they think Thaddeus is just going to get in the way).

ANYTHING ELSE

hello !! here you can find a lot of the basic stuff about lucien on the main. tbh i want connections of every sort, give me them all! he’s been on the boat for quite awhile now, so he probably has established relationships of all sorts. give me annoyances, rivals, confidantes, past flings, it all.

for the fun of it, here is some random stuff about lucien: 

he is a moody bastard but does actually really care about the crew and can be a softy...in his own way

around the boat he is known to take his job very seriously and can become particularly intense when there is a storm. major potty mouth at those times too. overall huge perfectionist behind the wheel.  

ok and while he is very good at english, he 300% still has a clearly french accent 

didn’t take bradway’s death particularly well, although only people who knew him well would be able to realize this fact

has the weirdest sleep schedule 

Hey hi hello! I’m super excited for this, I’ve been itching for a historical group and pirates are always delightful. You can find most of the major info about Hannah here,  but here’s some basics and random info

Grew up in the Carolina outer banks, her parents ran an inn there and she left when she was a teenager with one of the “privateer” ships that docked there. She hasn’t been back since, but has sailed with 5 crews total in her years.

Only passable in a fight, she tends to barricade herself in the infirmary during combat if she can manage it. Like she’s killed some people cause she’s had to, but usually mostly by accident and/or luck.

As maternal as you can get for a pirate, which is to say she’s not exactly warm and fuzzy but she’s usually happy to listen and offer advice and patch people up as needed, but she’ll call you an idiot to your face if you’re being stupid.