The Sounds of Mortar Fire

[RealisticFantasy]

Gwendolyn Euphemia Cardiner

Nicknames: Effie in her early childhood, Gwen most recently if she's called by a nickname at all


Birth Date: May 18, 1664 (21 years of age)


Personality: In her early childhood, Effie was an outgoing and slightly rambunctious girl. She often found herself bored of the duties of a life of nobility, and more times than not, in trouble due to her methods of trying to remedy that awful feeling. Effie often had to be trudged home in the hands of a trustworthy officer.


Effie had been in love with the sea ever since her first sight of it during a carriage ride past the ports. Most often times, after making her daring escapes, she was found down at the docks, chatting with the seamen or simply sitting by the water's edge. She wouldn't leave until she had to be dragged home by a naval officer who quickly identified her by her often incessant chattering.


As she approached adulthood, Effie was forced to be a reserved and well-mannered woman. She was kept under strict lock and key due to her tendencies to disappear. And that made her day to day routine all the more boring. She found no interest in the suitors that came to dine with her family. Her family soon saw her as a problem child as she found subtle ways to express her disinterest.


Background: Effie found no enjoyment in the endless amount of toys and "friends" she was given. She much rather participate in mock sword fights than hosting tea parties with her servants. The strict rule of her parents could never phase her insatiable need for adventure. Although she was often punished after being returned from an unauthorized venture, it was never anything that would discourage her from doing it again.


As she matured, she found that she could avoid her other duties by throwing herself into her hobbies. She would use learning languages, reading, playing instruments, and many other activities as an excuse to avoid meeting suitors. Although she was at first scolded, her parents were happy that she was bettering herself and they were under the impression that she was doing this in order to make herself seem a more adequate wife. However, when not under the watchful eye of her parents, she studied more boyish activities such as navigation and swordplay.

 

[Morrigan James]

Jacques Olivier Perry Chevalier de le Mer


Known as: Knight of the Sea, Jacques, Chevalier


Background: Jacques Olivier Perry was born a French peasant. As his parents became in extreme debt, Jacques was sold, at eight years of age, to a wealthy British official. Under his rule, Jacques would sail on the "Mirsada", a merchant schooner. After he was caught stealing multiple times upon the ship, he was resold to a British admiral, to be placed in the British Navy. He worked as a deck hand and moved up in ranks, finally being promoted to helmsman. He used his charisma to gain the friendship of nobility. Amongst the nobles, he had fallen in love with the Admiral's daughter, Madeline Bataille fille de l'admiral.


While walking back to the sleeping quarters one night, Jacques accidentally witnessed Madeline's father attack English sailor, and fellow slave, Robert Pax. Jacques and Pax succeeded in an escape upon a brig, with many other crew members.


Hearing of safety for refugees, Jacques and his new crew set a course for the New World. Jacques finally made home in Nassau, city of the pirates. With his standard outfitted brig, Jacques began piracy throughout the Caribbean. He had become so successful that he got the attention of Edward Thatch. After meeting Blackbeard, himself, Jacques continued piracy with Thatch as a partner.


One of Jacques' missions left him with a heavily equipped galleon. He took this galleon as his own, finally naming it "Madeline's Majesty".


Jacques Perry is now known and feared by both Spanish and British Navy for his mass plunder and merciless pillaging. After becoming so successful, gave himself the title "Chevalier de le Mer" meaning "Knight of the Sea".


Personality: Jacques Perry is known for his unexpected behavior. He is known for allegedly hanging the skulls of his victims along the exterior of his hull. However, he is known for his moral standings and chivalrous behavior, once executing some members of his crew for the attempted rape of enemy civilians. His great charisma and excellent cunningness makes him a egotistical arse. He feels himself to be superior to everyone, yet still shows respect to those he feels are valuable to him. Don't expect that to happen very often, for he finds himself not craving a social life, and can be what some describe as stoic or sociopathic. He has a short temper for those who doubt his superiority and those patronizing to him. If set angry, he won't hesitate to level an entire settlement with mortar fire. He enjoys when his manipulation of people is successful and his main source of happiness is being feared.

 

[Morrigan James]

Madeline's Majesty

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Madeline's Majesty is similar to Thatch's Queen Anne's Revenge in the sense that the upper deck and poop deck protrude far into the heavens. The main deck is somewhat shorter, being overtaken by a long foredeck. She has an upper and lower gallery. The higher being accessible from the captain's quarters, the other by the crew's quarters. The two galleries wrap around the stern of the ship. The captain's gallery has a canvas cover over it. Ivory French doors separate captain's quarters and gallery. Chevalier opens the doors to let the moonlight in and plays on a beaten violin that never falls out of tune. Her bowsprit is long and tall with a flag on the end. Her head, metal and at a downward curvature. Lanterns cover her rails on either side with 2 large hanging lanterns at the aft. Her figurehead is two fighting familiars. One, a wolf, the other, a gargoyle. The metal on the Majesty is silver and the wood is black. Her deck rails on the aft are rounded and have the shape of shields. She holds bout fifty to sixty broadside cannons, three mortars at her bow to rain fire within a half kilometre range. She wields eight bow chasers, loaded with chain shots to demolish enemy masts. She also has eight stern cannons and breathes fire through her nostrils at the fore. Chevalier never explains how it works, but it is from a combination of ready-to-use oil and pressure created from the burning caldron in the hull. Her sails are grey and tattered. She is a pure sea devil, feared by any who can hear the singing chant of her crew.