| Captain Johnathan Llewlyn Race: Human Sex: Male Age: 30 Class: Swashbuckler Ht: 6' Wt: 210lbs Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Last child born to a pair of aging farmers, he already had six siblings. Originally christened Johnathan Llewlyn, he spent the first 6 years of his life living on a farm... long enough, in his eyes, to know that it was not what he wanted. Accompanying his father on a rare trip into the city, he fell in love with the great ships that glided across the waves. While his father talked to merchants and shopkeepers, looking for someone to buy his crops, John talked to sailors, first mates, and eventually a captain. The captain liked Johns spirit, and offered to take him on as cabin boy. He negotiated the apprenticeship fees with his father, and John went from being a farmer to a sailor that day. Saying goodbye to his father then was probably the hardest thing that he ever did, but the excitement of travel helped him keep his spirits up. The captain's name was Wright, and the ship, Ear'loke, or the Sea Snake. Originally an elvish smuggling ship, it came into the hands of its current captain when he captured it during a lucky trip. He had been captain of her for about 2 years now, and claimed that she was in better condition now, than when he first acquired her. This was quite possible for he took very good care of her. He used her mainly for transporting personnel, some small goods, and received a nice bonus from the watch to turn in the occasional smuggler or stowaway. Meanwhile John worked hard at sailing, the open ocean was far better than the endless fields of crops that he had grown up with. Each day he learned something new, and it was no surprise that he was accepted as a full member of the crew at the age of 10. While not working directly with the ship, he was mingling with the crew, learning stories, songs, lore. And how to fight, with fists, knives, and eventually swords. In fact, the last act of Captain Wright before he retired, and was replaced by his first mate, was to name John a sailor, no longer an apprentice, and to bequeath to him his cutlass. A sturdy, and magicked?, blade, he took it from the ship's first captain. The new captain made few changes in the crews manifest, mainly allowing the older sailors who had sailed with Wright to retire. The on thing that he did do was to constantly move John around, letting him find what it was that he was best at. He would work at a job tirelessly for about 6 months, until he knew what he was doing, and could do it as well as any man aboard. John spent this time honing his skills, and filling out. Courtesy of his families earthbound roots, he was going to be a big man, large enough to be the bully, but his spirit preferred otherwise. Why lead by fear and resentment, when you can lead by example and gain trust. That was one of his early lessons, and it was in his soul. Finally he found it, his calling, during his 10th year aboard, at age of 16, it was navigation. After he had done just about all there was to do onboard, and he had learned how to read charts and stars, currents and winds, and knew every part of the ship, they told him to drive it. He loved it, every moment, and he was good, it was if he had a knack for finding the winds, even if the ship was becalmed, he seemed to find a current heading the way they wanted to. After being onboard 14 years, at the age of 20, the ship had an unlucky run in with some pirates. The results were that the first mate, and a quarter of the crew had to be replaced. The logical choice would have been the next senior man, but it was Johnathan that assumed the position. As soon as he was named first mate, he became a terror to the crew, enforcing rules and stepping up discipline. But he didn't punish the sailors with pain, half rations, or threats, he just told them that they had let him down, and the next time he would choose someone else. For he loved the crew, they were his only family, his real parents he had left behind and forgoten. The crew saw his as a part of the ship, when he spoke it was if it were a part of the ship iteslf. Just a soft word of displeasure was all that he ever needed. He became Captain of the Ear'loke when he was 25, and has sailed her that way for 5 years. He has seen all of the crew that he first sailed with depart, and most of those that served him as first mate. He has been just about everywhere during his life, and about everything. Now, he is 30, still large and strong, he prefers to lead the others by himself when he can. Knowing that they look to him for stability, for direction, and for discipline, he worked to not let any of them down. But he is tiring of the sea, of the tolls that it takes. He wishes for a family more and more each year, and though he is certainly rich enough to retire, he loves the life of sailing too much. He is as much bonded to his ship, and the seas, as a man is his wife. |