Quartermaster Stede Hawthorne

Stede Hawthorne / Rikuto Sugiyama
Quartermaster
Ninja

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!

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

You are Rikuto Sugiyama, the last remaining member of the Monkey Clan. Your clan is the steady clan, most known for its exceptional stability, defense and certainty. Sadly, the Monkey were wiped out a decade ago in the Clan Wars. There are rumors that your clan's destruction was due to the Mantis Clan, but rumors are only that.

In fact, it is possible that you are the only ninja now left alive.

After the Clan Wars you decided to put your skills to other uses. You joined the Jolly Rancher fairly early as their Quartermaster after the captain proved himself to be a capable pirate in his own right. You asked he and his crew to bring back a diamond the size of your palm within a week, and he fulfilled his task. From that day forward, you swore your service to him, confident that he would be a good leader.

Since then, things have gone well. The proud words your captain uses to fire up your crew aren't far from the truth. The crew is first rate, and they live and eat well because of it. The 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.

Like Kate Highwater, the Quartermaster. She was already part of the ship's compliment, and if anyone was instrumental in helping the captain find the diamond, she was. She is incredibly good at her job. She seems so versatile, and with this mysterious edge that you find somewhat intriguing. You might enjoy getting to know her more. On the other hand, she might find you stubborn and intractable. It's hard to say.

Being the Quartermaster also has its advantages. You oversee many of the day-to-day operations on the ship without most of the additional leadership responsibilities; those normally go to the captain, then the first mate, then the second mate, then yourself. This lets you keep things as stable as things will get on a ship of pirates, and gives you access to most of what is stored on the ship if you know where to look for it. Like that large diamond you asked the captain to find to secure your services. Of course, you don't know where everything is, especially in areas run by others. But the ship offers a great deal in terms of material advantage as well as a chance to develop your skills.

And then there's the matter of 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 dragon's egg. If this were the case, and if it were fertilized, secreting it away and having it hatch might be your only chance to keep the ninja clans from dying out entirely. For a ninja clan to be successful it needs to have a powerful kami (or spirit) at the heart of its spiritual focus, and what would be more powerful than a dragon? It would mean creating an entirely new ninja clan from scratch, but there may be few enough ninjas that there would be no one to argue with you over it. 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 a dragon's egg, you hope to keep it for yourself. And if that means using your ninja skills, you'll do it, though doing so in public would make it obvious that you're a ninja and possibly draw the attention of others who know of your clans.

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 - Quiet and thoughtful.
• 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.
• Flintlock Jack, Master Gunner - An intense man who seems to care about honor.
• Pele Giggs, Boatswain - A little odd, but good at his job.
• Kate Highwater, Sailing Master - Charming but hard to read. She is quite appealing to you.
• 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.
• Nathaniel Teach, First Mate - A smart, learned man.

Abilities

• Earth Surety - Your certainty leaves you immune to powers that manipulate your emotions or libido. You are welcome to give into any suggestions or commands you please, but you do so of your own free will.
• Opacity - Your solidity keeps you immune to powers that read your mind or emotions.
• Stone Stander - You can focus your will and make you and your possessions absolutely unmovable. Once during the game you may ignore all successful throws of Rock Paper Scissors against you. This power lasts for one turn, not one combat. This power may be used in concert with others; feel free to ask the GM if it is an appropriate circumstance.

Items

• Large Diamond - A palm-sized diamond.