Carpenter Mary Rackham

Mary Rackham
Carpenter
Vampire

Carousin': 4
Plunderin': 2
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!

. . . all right, that's enough. Whew! If you can keep that up, no one will be the wiser.

Your name is Mary Rackham, and you are a vampire. Once mortal like everyone else, you were found and changed by one much like you into the predator of predators, feeding on the blood of the living to survive. You are cautious to reveal too much in order to avoid the misunderstandings it could cause; due to human intervention you may be one of the last of your kind.

You were born to a poor family, one where everyone learned a trade to make sure that there was food on the table that night. You were a carpenter like your brother. One night, while you were traveling from town to town to spread word of your business, you were attacked on the side of the road. Your brother was killed, and you were left bleeding and helpless. As you began to lose consciousness you felt something heavy in your mouth. It was sharp with the taste of iron and, though you could barely stomach it, you gulped it down. Your wounds began to heal and you heard fluttering in the distance. You never met who made you.

You have lived for a century or two as a vampire. Thankfully, there are certain advantages to human misunderstanding, namely old wives' tales. While vampires are somewhat weakened during the day, sunlight does not kill them. Stakes, on the other hand, do. Good thing you're a carpenter; it makes keeping track of every little scrap of wood on the ship easier. Like that weird wood pendant. It's petrified wood, but too small to be of much danger to you. Still, it might be of interest to someone.

After a mortal lifetime or two in various cities, leaving before anyone noticed that you weren't aging, you decided to join a pirate ship. You're a recent addition to the Jolly Rancher as thir ship's carpenter. You technically work for Pele Giggs, the boatswain, but you'd be surprised if he noticed. You have been noticed, however, by the ship's captain. You've shared his bed a couple of times over the year or so you have known him, but you always make sure to get back by morning. Your work also overlaps with Siofra, the ship's Cooper, but she mostly makes barrels and ornamental, unimportant things. You do make decorative things on occasion, though. You once made a nicely carved wooden sphere just for the fun of it; Bloody Christian Read has it now.

You would like to get to know more people on the ship. Perhaps Flintlock Jack, the Master Gunner, or Stede Hawthorne, the Quartermaster. You're also a bit curious about Lady Marlowe. She's not terribly much like you, but she is quite attractive, and there's something about her that draws you to her.

Ah well, maybe you'll have more luck with the Blood Jewel. Worth thousands of dubloons to the proper buyer, the gold it would garner could secure the 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 source of great magical power. If this were the case, using it in the proper ritual could bring back one of your progenitors to repopulate your kind. No longer would you live in fear of humans destroying you slowly, one by one. The crew's navigations have led you here, to this cove. It may simply be a matter of searching. If it does turn out to be source of great magical energy, you hope to keep it for yourself. And if that means you need to reveal yourself as a vampire, you'll do it, though you realize you could be giving away your true nature to humans.

But tonight is a night of carousing, a hard-earned reward for your 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 his First Mate, Nathaniel Teach. This doesn't mean that he 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 - Some may see you as a loner, but she seems as much a loner as you.
• Edward Blackfellow, Second Mate - A man who's been a leader.
• 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. How can she stay so cheerful on a pirate ship?
• 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. She is unbelievably attractive.
• Tully Morgan, Lookout - A woman who knows herself.
• "Red" Ned Morris, Captain - A charismatic, able captain. You slept with him a few times.
• Bloody Christian Read, Surgeon - As good a doctor as a carouser.
• Nathaniel Teach, First Mate - A smart, learned man.

Abilities

• Aura Read - You can see auras and determine a bit about your target. See a GM to use this ability; it may take some figuring out to determine exactly what you are sensing.
• Force - Once per combat, you may throw bomb for any action that involves an aggressive action. Because this attack takes some preparation, this attack may not be used until the third turn of combat.
• Wood Worker - You can make nearly anything out of wood provided you have enough of the substance.

Items

• Pendant - A petrified wood pendant in the shape of a wedge with a symbol woodburned.