First Mate Nathaniel Teach

Nathaniel Teach
First Mate

Carousin': 3
Plunderin': 3
Swashbucklin': 3
Wenchin': 3

Background

Raise a glass, me jolly lads, to the greatest crew what sailed the Seven Seas! Led by Captain "Red" Ned Morris, th' rouges and scallywags manning the Jolly Rancher are the finest, the fiercest, and the most shipshape crew in all of creation. Yer exploits are known th' world over, bringing the crew fame an' enough gold to keep you well for a bunch of scurvy seahands. And now you're nearly at th' end of your quest for the Blood Jewel, ye can feel it! Worth thousands of dubloons, ye think it would keep the crew for at least ten years. In celebration of yer continued good fortune, Capt'n Morris has declared tonight a revel, an' while work t' find the Jewel is welcome, this is a night for rum and tobacco. The Capt'n has left the plannin' to his First Mate Nathaniel Teach for the night. So here's t' the Jolly Rancher and her crew; any landlubber or bilge rat what doesn't give you quarter will end up prayin' they be given th' chance t' walk the plank rather than cross ye!

. . . which is exactly what you would say if you were better at this sort of thing. Oh dear. You would think that, after becoming what you admired for so long, you would have taken more naturally to it. It seems that Descartian philosophy as it applies to aptitude assessment only goes so far.

You are Nathaniel Teach, and you know things. You know how to read and write languages modern and archaic. You know the concepts behind navigation using the position of the stars in the sky. You know information vegetable, animal and mineral.

And now? You know something about this ship or its crew is very, very odd.

Ever since you were a little boy, you dreamed about being a corsair. You remember sneaking out of bed late at night when Father was home and hearing him tell tales of the high seas; he was an officer in Her Majesty's Royal Navy. It all sounded so thrilling! Overhauling as ship as you give chase . . . sliding down the rigging to boot a rival privateer into the sea . . . standing on the crow's nest with the wind in your hair . . .

Father tried to persuade you otherwise. He said pirates were a bunch of dirty, scurvy, ill-educated beggars who died young, but you wouldn't listen. You had overheard the horror stories he told his fellow naval officers when he thought you were asleep, so you just assumed he was swayed against pirates due to being in the Navy. He even tried to bribe you with your family's heirloom golden breeches. Past down diagonally through the family line if the bearer had no children, you received them from your maternal uncle. While it did not dissuade you, you did like them a great deal.

He sent you to school. From his talk, he was hoping you would be a merchant, or a natural philosopher, or an advisor of some sort. You did well in your studies, focusing on classes that would suit your passion, such as coursework on the stars, water, weather and the winds. At night you would sneak out of university to the docks and watch the ships from a distance. In retrospect, it's a wonder that you were never accosted.

One night, near the end of your schooling, you heard a ruckus coming from a naval ship that had just docked there. As you crept closer, you heard boasts of a man capable of swimming better and stronger than any others they had seen before him. You caught his last name, Morris, as well as a mention of a pub he might be at. The next night, you went to the pub in search of him. His name was "Red" Ned Morris, and he was on the brink of becoming the most famous pirate to sail the Seven Seas . . . as soon as he found himself a ship and a crew, that is. But he was a fearsome pirate, that you could tell from the accolades of those around him! So excited were you that you signed up right then and there, offering to fund a goodly portion of the cost for the Jolly Rancher. As the second member of his crew, he named you First Mate. And although others are likely more qualified, First Mate you have stayed.

Obtaining the rest of the crew proved to be peculiarly easy. Some came to you by chance, others by bound contract if you could display a sufficient show of prowess. Most of these displays consisted of finding a particular booty, a difficult task for a would-be pirate captain without a ship. He always assured you that he had the matter well in hand, and would come back with the loot in more than enough time to make sure his new seahand-to-be kept his or her end of the bargain. You're still not sure how he was able to find those items so fast, though you're certain that if his swimming abilities were to be believed, they must have helped.

Since then, you and the Captain have found a first-rate crew, one that gets along relatively well and works as smartly as a well-oiled machine. And because of that, you eat and live well. Father was right; pirates are for the most part dirty, ill-educated and poor, but your crew appears to be better off than many. (It's a good thing the Captain has been around to help you in this regard. To be honest, it has taken you a long time to get your bearings as a pirate. Your sealegs, as it were. Haw.)

Since then, you have noticed some strange things . . .

A few years ago the captain had a bit of a run-in with another ship, the Sky Devil, in search of the King's Coffer. While they were engaged in parley a French naval vessel emerged from a reef and bombarded the Sky Devil with hostile fire. It was bullying, pure and simple. The Sky Devil was torn apart, most of the crew killed. The captain was kind enough to pick up the three remaining members of the ship's compliment: Calico Anne Bowman, Siofra O'Malley and Tully Morgan. Initially, however, there was a scuffle between Captain Bowman and Captain Morris over an amulet around her neck. She ran into the ship and he after him, and while no one ever saw her again the ship seems to have since gained a ship's cat. Named Calico. Who, if you can believe the rumors, can talk. How did he lose a woman and gain a cat?

And how did he save Captain Bowman in the first place? You remember him at the time pulling you away from the rest of the crew and explaining that you were in charge until he returned, and then diving over the side. You have heard tales of his swimming prowess, but . . . you saw him swimming. This was beyond the capacity of anyone you have ever met. How did he get to her so fast and skillfully?

Speaking of things which are fast and skillful . . . as one of the two people who commissioned the building of the Jolly Rancher, you remember its design. And while you're no boatswain, you could swear that when you wandered through some of the inner workings recently that there had been some changes. On the other hand, the ship seems to run as well as ever. Better, even. How is that possible, and what does that mean?

At least the crew seems to be eating as well as ever. The food is always consummately made, and as you have made mention, your crew is far healthier than most corsairs. In fact, you may be healthier than you were when you were at school. How is that possible?

Even if you were to become ill, you have full confidence in the ship's surgeon. Ill and injured people do not stay so for long on his watch. They often recover quite quickly. You remember someone mentioning once that they felt even better than when they were well after seeing him.

Finally, people recently seem to have been a bit on edge. Especially today. As there's to be a revel tonight, this is something to watch out for. Siofra has seemed a little tense. Come to think of it, so has Flintlock Jack. And Kate Highwater. Perhaps Thomas Kidd as well? It really is hard to tell around here; you never did quite get used to pirate demeanor.

And if that wasn't enough, Edward Blackfellow seems to have been a bit more unpleasant than his usual unpleasantness towards you. You have no idea why, but perhaps it has something to do with Gracy Duguay; she seems to have been looking overly long at your breeches.

By the end of the night, you may need a good, long drink. When you think back on your misconceptions, they almost make you laugh. Become a corsair, you thought! Adventure, excitement, and camaraderie unparalleled! Perhaps even riches and women! Hah. You had no idea what you were in for. Hopefully you will learn in time. That is what it is all about, yes? Learning?

Tonight is a night of carousing, a hard-earned reward for the crew's work. As is the Captain's right, he has chosen to spend the night enjoying himself rather than keeping the crew in order, handing over that task to you. This doesn't mean that he won't make the final decisions on any important matters, of course, specially about the Blood Jewel. For now, however, we eat, we drink and make merry! Three cheers for the Jolly Rancher and her crew!

Who You Know

• Sam Bellamy - Quiet and thoughtful.
• Edward Blackfellow, Second Mate - A man who's been a leader. He seems to have difficulties with you.
• Calico - The ship's (supposedly talking) cat. The captain found her soon after his encounter with the Sky Devil.
• Grace Duguay, Helmsman - Cheerful and friendly.
• Flintlock Jack, Master Gunner - An intense man who seems to care about honor.
• Pele Giggs, Boatswain - A little odd, but good at his job.
• Stede Hawthorne, Quartermaster - A steady, reliable sort.
• Kate Highwater, Sailing Master - Charming but hard to read.
• Thomas Kidd, Cook - A great cook, and a warm and chatty guy.
• Siofra O'Malley, Cooper - A freespirited, personable woman.
• Lady Charlotte Marlow - A well-to-woman who's taken to piracy.
• Tully Morgan, Lookout - A woman who knows herself.
• "Red" Ned Morris, Captain - A charismatic, able captain.
• Mary Rackham, Carpenter - A bit of an unknown.
• Bloody Christian Read, Surgeon - As good a doctor as a carouser.

Abilities

• Academic - You have received an advanced education. With access to an item and five minutes of interrupted study in your room, you may discern something about that item. The degree and quality of information may vary from item to item. You may only do this once per item in game.
• Conferral of Power - For all intents and purposes, you have the ability to wrangle the crew into doing anything related to the direct working of the ship as though you were the Captain. All executive decisions must still be run through the Captain, but you can implement them.
• Extrapolate - Three times per game, you may take a GM aside and form whatever wild theory you like: about an event you just saw, about the situation in general, etc. After you have presented your theory, you will receive a response from that GM related to the theory. Please note that the information will not be concrete or specific, but it will be accurate. Creativity is encouraged.

Items

• Golden Breeches - A pair of lovely golden breeches.