Captain "Red" Ned Morris

Ned "Red" Morris
Ship's Captain
Weredragon

Carousin': 2
Plunderin': 4
Swashbucklin': 3
Wenchin': 3

Background

Ahoy and avast, ye jolly blacktars! Ye be Capt'n Red Morris, the most fearsome seadog what sailed the Seven! Ye and yer hearty hands aboard the Jolly Rancher sit on t' waves of every coastline known to man or beast, pillaging from th' best and living high on rum, meat, salmagundi and the sweet salt air. Ye be known far an' wide, and any landlubber or bilge rat what doesn't give you quarter will end up prayin' they be given th' chance t' walk the plank. Better that than cross Capt'n Red Morris and his crew!

. . . all right, that's good enough. It's not like anyone is watching. I mean, you're talking to yourself, for one thing.

You're Ned Morris, Captain of the Jolly Rancher. Once a member of the Navy, you developed a dislike for the bloated incompetence and old boys' club style of most Naval ships. You'd been preparing to go on account and form your own crew, with its own modern democratic leadership and Letters of Marque.

And then, something happened that you have since facetiously named The Incident.

A number of years ago in an exotic locale you were serving as lookout on your old Naval ship, the HMS Superlative, when the water turned rough. Thinking it a passing storm or something equally commonplace -- you hadn't finished your training as a Sailing Master -- you sent word for the night crew to batten down the hatches. Moments later, the Superlative rocked and you were alarmed by the sight of the biggest thing you have ever seen come from the ocean, before or since. It was long and reptilian, easily the size of your ship if not larger, and had no appendages save two fan-like fins that you quickly learned also served as wings. It leapt from the water like a dolphin, crashing down upon the crow's nest and destroying most of the ship.

At least, you think it destroyed the ship. It was hard to tell from where you were, scraped and bruised in the belly of the beast. Its gullet was dark, dank and smelled of carrion, and what's more your skin stung something awful, especially right around the scratches. You sat there for hours, trying to figure a way out of its innards without going mad or running out of air. You remembered the story of a wooden boy and and some bug in a similar situation getting out by tickling the thing from the inside and getting sneezed out. You didn't have anything to tickle with but you did have a long, jagged plank of the ship, and while what you did wasn't exactly considered tickling it certainly served its purpose. After a long, bloody and fairly disgusting battle, you were out. You swam until you were saved by another ship, surprised at how little you seemed to tire in the ocean's grasp. The rest of the crew was never heard from again.

Obtaining a ship and a 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. Thankfully, your newfound and seemingly exceptional underwater skills made this possible. It wasn't until after you had set sail for the first time that you were able to put it all together: your amphibious talents, your ability to sense things by smell, your growing enjoyment of meat and fish, your impulse to hoard treasure rather than sell or use it, your desire to kidnap beautiful, well-dressed young women . . .

. . . those stinging scrapes over your skin were from the edge of the dragon's teeth. And now, you were becoming one. As you have not seen a dragon since your change, you think it likely that you are the only one of your kind. You have not revealed your true nature to the crew.

You have since learned to control these new impulses and become one of the most powerful pirate captains alive today. The proud words you use to fire up your crew aren't far from the truth. Your crew is first rate, and they live and eat well because of it. Your ship is in tip-top shape. Your hearties get along as well as any pirate crew, and work as smartly as a well-oiled machine. Other crews you've run across have either given you quarter or been no real trouble, increasing your bounty and occasionally your crew through recruit. There is little besides loot you have had to take by force. Except . . .

Anne.

Calico Anne Bowman and her crew on the Sky Devil were the only ship to challenge yours, and even they didn't do so directly. You were both on the hunt for the King's Coffer, the single biggest chest of gold and gems in the East Caribbean. While you had sought more interesting bounty, your draconic sensibility was piqued by a hoard of this size. When you arrived the Sky Devil was ahead of you, so you gave chase. After making full sail and catching up to them, you began the slew of daring invective pirate negotiations are known for when the other ship was bombarded by a series of potshots by a French naval vessel hidden behind a nearby reef. You returned fire, caught in a heated battle that destroyed the French ship but left the Sea Devil a sinking wreck, a couple of their crew struggling towards lifeboats and their captain unconscious and sinking into the deep. You called out to your helmsman to bring the Jolly Rancher around, gave your First Mate temporary control of the ship and pulled away from the rest of the crew, diving into the waves to save Captain Bowman before she made it to Davy Jones' locker.

She was beautiful. You noticed that as soon as she was dragged aboard and the surgeon set to work on her. She also had a fascinating amulet around her neck, previously obscured by her clothing. You felt something inside you kindle. At first you worried that you were losing control of your maiden kidnapping instinct, but this felt different. She felt, and smelled, powerful. Powerful and attractive. Just as the surgeon let you know she would live and you reached for the amulet to examine it she sprung to her feet, catching you by surprise by grabbing a sword from one of your nearby crew and pressing you against the boards of the ship, threatening grievous harm to you or any of your crew if you ever came near her or the amulet again. Ooh. This was getting interesting. Your crew advanced on her but you waved them off, hoping to resolve this bloodlessly, but in your brief distraction she ducked and raced into the ship. You told the crew to man the exits to make sure she didn't escape and followed her into the depths of the Jolly Rancher. While you didn't find her, you did run across the amulet around the neck of a tabby cat in a pile of barrels. You were on guard now, and while the cat was fast it was not fast enough; you grabbed it by the tail and then the scruff, causing it to go limp. You took the amulet, placing it in your pocket for safe keeping. Anything that could cause a woman like that to defend it with her life against insurmountable odds was well worth having, and besides, you weren't certain after that little shapeshifting trick that leaving the amulet in her hands wouldn't be dangerous.

Ever since, you have kept that amulet in your personal chest in your room and Calico -- if that tabby is indeed Anne, and you think it is -- has stayed in feline form. Through clever interloping you have learned that she can talk in this form, and while she was quite disagreeable for someone who you saved, she has come to be less venomous towards you. You have had a few pleasant conversations, though they have often ended in her unsuccessfully trying to convince you to part with the amulet. You might be persuaded if she were willing to tell you what it is or does, but she says very little to you, and nothing to about the amulet other than attempts to get it back.

Since then, meaning the past few years, life has been good. The success of your recent campaigns has kept the crew well enough to let you weigh anchor for your own purposes from time to time. Your current quest is for the Blood Jewel. Worth thousands of dubloons to the proper buyer, the gold it would garner could secure your crew's future for a decade or put you up for life. But that's not your reason for wanting it. Rumor has it that the Blood Jewel is no jewel at all, but a dragon's egg. If this were the case, and if it were fertilized, having it hatch might be your only chance to learn more about what you are. Your navigations have led you here, to this cove. It may simply be a matter of searching. And if it does turn out to be a dragon's egg, you mean to keep it for yourself. And if that means turning into a dragon to do so, you'll do so, though you would prefer to wait until the time is right.

But tonight is a night of carousing, a hard-earned reward for your work. As is the Captain's right, you have chosen to spend the night enjoying yourself rather than keeping the crew in order, handing over that task to your First Mate, Nathaniel Teach. This doesn't mean that you won't make the final decisions on any important matters, of course, especially 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. Like most of the lead crew, you recruited him early. He's good at what he does but has problems with Nathaniel which he mostly controls around you. He follows your orders.
• Calico - The ship's cat. Also Anne, you think. Your feelings are intensely mixed about her.
• 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. Like most of the lead crew, you recruited him early; he needed proof of your skills.
• Kate Highwater, Sailing Master - Charming but hard to read. Like most of the lead crew, you recruited her early; she needed proof of your skills.
• Thomas Kidd, Cook - A great cook, and a warm and chatty guy.
• Siofra O'Malley, Cooper - A freespirited, personable woman. She was originally on the Sky Devil.
• Lady Charlotte Marlow - A well-to-woman who's taken to piracy. You enjoy her company; you two have shared a bit a couple times in the past year. She is always gone by morning.
• Tully Morgan, Lookout - A woman who knows herself. She was originally on the Sky Devil.
• Mary Rackham, Carpenter - A bit of an unknown. Her mysteriousness appealed to you; you two have shared a bed a couple times in the past year. She is always gone by morning.
• Bloody Christian Read, Surgeon - As good a doctor as a carouser.
• Nathaniel Teach, First Mate - A smart, learned man. He's the first person you recruited for your current crew. He's a little soft for a pirate, but good with people. He offered to pay for a good chunk of the money for your ship rather than have you steal one, making your life worlds easier. You've since paid him back.

Abilities

• Draconic Senses - You can smell other people and discern a bit about them. Roleplay sniffing or taking in a deep breath to simulate it. See a GM to use.
• Transform - You can transform into a dragon. Your dragon form is large, long and serpentine, with fins that can serve as wings. See a GM if you want to use any stereotypical draconic powers. This takes one turn during combat.
• Water Baby - You are as comfortable in the water as any sea creature. You can swim at a swift rate, as well as see and breathe underwater.

Items

• Arcane Amulet - A strange amulet stolen from Calico Anne Bowman. (See a GM if you want to take it from its hiding place.)