Blackbeard

Edward Teach, or possibly Edward Thatch, was an English Pirate who sailed the waters of the 'West Indies' (Caribbean Islands) and terrorized the inhabitants of the American colonies. Known for his towering figure, great black beard, and fearsome visage, Blackbeard was a natural leader who frequently united the disparate Pirate crews sailing the ocean waves against the imperial navies of his day.
== Facts: ==
-Blackbeard's iconic image involves a 18th century seaman's hat with lit fuses poking out from underneath. This would envelope Blackbeard's head in a devilish halo of fire and thick, black smoke, the better to awe and intimidate others.
-Blackbeard relied mostly on reputation and his image to intimidate others into falling in line with him. While he certainly wasn't above violence, Blackbeard thought of himself as a 'gentleman pirate' and would allow ships that didn't resist or put up much of a fight to sail away, devoid of their cargo but still alive.
-Blackbeard used a similar approach towards his own crew, often forcing them to endure terrible trials of stamina with him. Blackbeard would frequently fill a room with voluminous smoke and wait it out, being the last man to leave while his subordinates coughed and gagged for breath.
-Blackbeard was clearly a member of the Order of Fallen. His rebellious nature and avarice lent him towards the darkside, although he managed to avoid falling into the abyss of sadism.
-The Title Devil of the Sea is believed to have been first worn by Blackbeard, who used his demonic reputation to bolster his standing among the Brethren of the Coast and to put fear in the hearts of sailors everywhere.
-Blackbeard's personal flag had a skeletal figure piercing a heart with a spear while holding a wine glass in the other hand (presumably to toast the Devil, as rumor had it).
-Blackbeard first learned to pirate under the tutelage of another renowned Pirate, Benjamin Hornigold.
-No one really knows of Blackbeard's early days. Historians have noticed a name on the registry rolls of English privateers called 'Edward Thatch,' who sailed with a Letter of Marquis from Queen Anne of England. The fact that Blackbeard's flagship was dubbed the Queen Anne's Revenge leads many to conclude that this solitary mention is all we know of Blackbeard's younger days.
== Blockade of Charlestown: ==
In the summer of 1718, shortly after attaining the Title of Commodore, Blackbeard sailed for the Atlantic Coast of North America where he proceeded to blockade the port of Charlestown with his fleet. Capturing several vessels, along with one ship carrying several prominent men of the colonial government, Teach demanded medicine and money from the colony of South Carolina or he would execute all of his prisoners. 
The captured civil employees quickly agreed and letters were sent ashore along with some of Blackbeards pirates. After several days of waiting, however, they did not return, and Blackbeard grew impatient. Believing that his men had been detained and imprisoned, Blackbeard drew his ship Captains into a war council and began making plans to attack. He sent several of his ships closer to the harbor, taking up firing positions, something which sent a wave of panic through the town. 
As the story goes, at the last minute, a deputation of representatives from Charlestown rowed out to greet Blackbeard and informed him that they had indeed agreed to his demand and presented him with the required money and medicine. Blackbeard's pirates, it turns out, had gone drinking shortly after arriving in town, and for the last few days the officials of Charlestown had been trying to find them all. The pirates were being cared for ashore until they sobered up. 
Blackbeard honored his side of the bargain and released his captives and their ships. 
== Blackbeard's Last Stand: ==
Blackbeard lead an illustrious career as a Pirate, but his luck finally ran out in November of 1718. Blackbeard had sailed his fleet into the inlet of Ocracoke Island, just off the shore of North Carolina, where he was 'entertaining guests' at what most consider to be a very oddball, pirate-version of a formal party. 
What Blackbeard didn't know was that a fleet of English navy ships had tracked him down by following the ships of his guests. Blocking both ends of the Inlet, the pirate hunters, led by a Captain Maynard (Knights of the Round), prepared to ambush Blackbeard. What's worse was that Blackbeard had sent several of his crew away, and was operating at barely half his usual crew level. 
When a single, solitary ship attempted to exit the inlet, Maynard's forces fired upon it. The ship survived and retreated, warning Blackbeard of the trap. Marshaling his forces to him, Blackbeard immediately maneuvered his ships into a firing line, even going so far as beach one or more of them so as to increase their accuracy and firing power. 
When Maynard and his forces attempted to enter the inlet, Blackbeard tore several of them apart with concentrated cannon fire. However, despite the loss, Maynard persisted and drove his own ship onwards, even going so far as to beach his own vessel. 
The battle quickly turned to small arms fire as each side attempted to free their vessels and sail again. It's uncertain who succeeded first, but it appears that both Blackbeard and Maynard managed to untangle themselves around the same time. The two ships then began a slow dance of death as their crews edged them closer to together, each intending to violently board the other vessel. 
Maynard, who had come prepared for the fight, had packed the below decks of his ship with soldiers who now stood ready to fight. Blackbeard, outnumbered and outgunned, didn't realize this (or he did but knew there was nothing he could do) and ordered his men to board the naval ship. 
Using bottles of shot and powder as improvised grenades, Blackbeard and his men rushed Maynard and his sailors. However, the battle quickly turned against the pirates when Maynard's marines burst from below deck and the pirates quickly found themselves outmatched. 
Accounts differ as to what exactly happened next, but it appears that Maynard rushed Blackbeard, intending to take him by surprise. However, the Pirate Commodore proved too nimble and actually broke Maynard's sword with a stroke from his own cutlass. One or two British marines interjected at this point and shot Blackbeard at point blank range, which slowed Blackbeard down but didn't stop him.
Maynard, this time producing a knife, slashed at the Pirate, severally wounding him but again not killing him.
Blackbeard brushed aside Maynard's next assault and was about to kill him when several more marines attacked Blackbeard at once. Blackbeard had been so focused on Maynard that he hadn't realized his own men had been pushed back. Alone and surrounded, Blackbeard was finally brought down by combined small arms fire and sword strokes. 
Soon after his demise, Maynard cut off Blackbeard's head and hung it from his ship's mast. 
== Strange Phenomena: ==
Ever since Blackbeard's death at Ocracoke Island, the waters of the island are said to be haunted by his ghost. Now known as Teach's Hole, the inlet is said to be home to strange lights which glow just underneath the water's surface. These lights have been dubbed Teach's Light. 
Residents of the area report seeing Blackbeard's headless body wandering the shoreline in the moonlight, forever in search of his head. Sometimes his headless body is spotted just off shore, or during rain storms. During violent thunder storms it is said that a guttural cry sounds in Teach's Hole, shouting 'where is my head!'
Obviously, among the Brethren of the Coast, Teach's Hole holds a place of respect bordering on the religious. Pirates frequent the place or stop by to pay their respects (ie, get drunk in his honor). Exorcists within the Chapter frequently come here looking for his ghost. 
== References: ==
-https://www.qaronline.org/history/blackbeard
-http://thepirateking.com/bios/teach_edward.htm
-http://www.republicofpirates.net/Blackbeard.html
-https://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/search/label/Edward%20Teach
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eyKPDsOyR8Category:Brethren Of The Coast
Category:Infernal
Category:Spirit
Category:Death