Captain Vincent Ironside

Art by Sea\_bayer

> *"I'm the freest pirate there is! But I've earned that freedom, after many years of hard work. You're in an older time, with an older code. You sail the high seas, you find some treasure, you plunder and loot. That will only get you so far."*
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> -Captain Vincent Ironside
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**Captain Vincent Ironside** was a fearsome pirate that roamed the Great Journey. Seeing himself as more that a simple plunderer, he amassed a large fleet under his colors and proceeded to strongarm foreign powers through heavy-handed diplomacy and intimidation.

## Description

### Appearance

Vincent Ironside's defining feature is his enormous size. He is well over 8ft tall, broad shouldered and heavy-set. Alongside that, his second most prominent feature is his mechanical right arm. The arm is entirely metallic and bears almost exact resemblance to real human arm. The arm is attached to Ironside's shoulder, with a series of overlapping pauldrons covering the joint. A pair of leather belts circumnavigate his chest to secure it. Ironside also has alternate attachments for his arm, including a large hand cannon which attaches to his forearm.

Ironside has a rough weathered visage, covered by a thick heavy dark brown beard. He has equally bushy eyebrows and messy long hair hair he usually keeps under a red bandana with some silver buttons on either side. He has a large nose and deep bags under his eyes.

Ironside usually wears a a dirty white vest with dark brown trousers and a pair of heavy boots. A belt with various tools for his prosthetic arm can be seen around his waist. He usually wears a large red coat over this ensemble.

### Personality

His rough appearance might lead one to assume Ironside is a brutish man. However, this could not be farther from the truth. Ironside was an intelligent man who prided himself on his accomplishments. He was well-spoken and charismatic, commanding the attention of any room he entered. He often engaged in debate with his enemies, seeking to win them over with promises of prosperity and mutual benefit. Ironside also showed himself to be quite knowledgeable. He was aware of the City of Krakesque and the means to find it, delved into the Crater of Atlas to uncover its secrets, understood the significance of the statue of Sterling Smiles enough to keep it safe in his fortress. It is also implied that his prosthetic arm is one of his own design, as are its attachments.

However, it is clear from his actions that Ironside was every bit as cruel and power-hungry as the tales claimed. He attacked Captain Ikrab's ship with no provocation in order to obtain the Krakesque coin, leaving Ikrab the lone survivor. He constantly amassed ships and men to his side, seizing both Kreshart and the Miss Demeanor to further build his power base. He oppressed the citizens of Kreshart, a place that prided itself on its liberty, through fear and constant surveillance. He even treated his own men as tools and fodder, using some of their bodies as ammunition for his arm cannon when fighting the Miss Demeanor's crew.

Despite his cunning, cruelty and charisma, Ironside's undoing was his overconfidence in his own abilities. His reputation as a legendary pirate might be deserved but he was unable to curb his ambition. Though he sought to strongarm nations, he lost command of Kreshart within a month of taking it, unable to pacify its populace or win their loyalty. He did not treat the crew of the Miss Demeanor as a serious threat, giving them ample time to prepare an assault against him. And, perhaps most egregiously, he thought himself a suitable host for the VOID Seed he had found, thinking he could unlock its power and become immortal. Instead, under enough duress, the VOID Seed overcame Ironside in order to keep itself alive, effectively killing him and manipulating his corpse shortly afterwards.

## History

### Background

Not much is known of Ironside's background. It was clear he had giant blood in him due to his immense size and durability, though his parentage is unclear. Ironside set his mind to sailing which led to him becoming a pirate. He garnered a reputation as a notorious captain, terrorizing the Great Journey for several decades. He eventually amassed a sizable fleet under his command, which he used to strangle trade routes between Ishtar and Qethos. At some point, Ironside lost his right arm to gangrene all the way up to the shoulder. He eventually replaced it with a prosthetic, using the assistance of a powerful mage to do so. At some unknown point in time, Captain Ironside travelled to the Crater of Atlas. Delving into its depths, he found a seed which was infused with the power of the dead god VOID. Ironside claimed it for himself and managed to infuse it into his body with the intent of gaining its power.

## Phase 2 Story

### Searching for The Coin

Ironside, through his career, became familiar with the legend of the Sunken City of Krakesque, and of the cursed treasure with which one could claim mastery of the city. To this end, Ironside devoted his efforts to finding evidence of the treasure. The search led him to attacking a ship of the coast of Dead Rat Island, north of the Freeport of Kreshart. The captain had recently come into possession of a coin which matched the description of a Krakesque gold piece. The ship was wrecked by Ironside and its crew slaughtered, but no evidence of the coin was found. Ironside left the ship to its fate and regrouped with his fleet. Later that day, Ironside docked in Kreshart and barged into the local tavern, the Telltale Tavern. Ironside's entrance drew the attention of all inside, causing the normally rowdy pub to fall into silence.

Ironside then announced his reason for being in Kreshart, that he was looking for a special gold coin, and that anyone who came across such a thing would be rewarded if they give it to him. Though several individuals in the tavern knew precisely what he was talking about, no-one came forwards. After several seconds of silence, Ironside decided not press the issue further. He did however state that he and his men would be staying for some time should anyone wish to take him up on his offer. Ironside then occupied a table and ordered food and drink for him and his men.

### Consolidation Prizes

Ironside's hunt for the coin was to end in failure, as another group of pirates had beaten him to it. The coin instead led them to Krakesque, leaving Captain Ironside with no leads. Rather than gripe over his losses, Ironside decided to take another prize; Kreshart itself. Over the next month, Ironside's fleet descended on Kreshart, essentially blockading the island. He was met with some resistance but his men were able to overcome it with ease. Most of Kreshart fell in line, in fear of Ironside's reputation and sheer power. About three weeks later, a ship mysteriously appeared in the port, bearing the name The Miss Demeanor. Ironside's men quickly captured it, and Ironside himself went to investigate. The sole occupant of the ship was a gnome who introduced himself as Wood Gnome. Wood Gnome was interrogated by Ironside, and gave up information about the rest of the crew's whereabouts and how the ship had come to appear in Kreshart. Wood Gnome, as the only person to make it back, offered the ship and his services to Ironside, likely out of a mixture of fear and opportunism. In addition to the ship, Wood Gnome also offered a statue of a man that the crew had obtained in Gubwater Keep. Ironside recognized the significance of the statue as a petrified hero of eld, Sterling Smiles. Ironside accepted Wood Gnome's offer, taking the statue for himself and naming Wood Gnome the ship's new captain. In reality, Wood Gnome was a figurehead, with the crew Ironside provided the traitorous gnome ensuring the hewould stay in line.

### Kreshart under Ironside

Ironside spent the next month exerting his control over Kreshart. He took up residence in the old fort in the center of the island and shored up the defenses to prevent any coordinated attacks. He also ensured the petrified Sterling Smiles was kept safe in his fortress at all times. His fleet constantly patrolled the waters around the port while his men did the same around the town. Restrictions were placed on trade, forcing it all to be funneled through Ironside's forces. Ironside's rates proved to be amenable to kingdoms like Brysben and Llwendolyn, so they did not step in to denounce his actions. Citizens went about their lives as usual, but with a new accompanying anxiety brought on by the occupation. Though there were some fomentations, any dissent was swiftly dealt with. Ironside also tried to recruit people from Kreshart to join his fleet, with some taking him up on his offer. It was clear that under Ironside, the freedom the inhabitants of Kreshart valued so much was all but lost to them.

### Return of the Miss Demeanor

A month after Ironside's occupation, things began to shift out of Ironside's favor. This started with the taking of the Miss Demeanor in the dead of night. The crew of the Miss Demeanor had returned and had somehow managed to enter Kreshart undetected. The men guarding the dock and the crew Ironside posted on the Miss Demeanor were soundly defeated and the ship set sail into the night. One of Ironside's ships attempted to give chase but lost them in the darkness. Shortly after the taking of Miss Demeanor, some of Ironside's men were attacked in the Telltale Tavern by a crowd including the selfsame pirates. How much of this Ironside was aware of is unclear, though his defenses were ready to meet any invaders, with several ships from his fleet stationed in the bay.

### The Battle at the Old Fort

About eight hours after the tavern brawl in Kreshart, a small fleet of ships bearing pirates of Kreshart arrived to the bay to engage Ironside's fortress. Though his men were waiting to engage, they were thrown into disarray when several of Ironside's ships exploded, having been rigged to blow in secret. In the fort, Ironside awaited the attackers with some of his men, equipping his arm cannon. Breaking into the fort came the crew of the Miss Demeanor. The captains Cornelius Armstrong and Layton Beardthrone declared Ironside's rule over Kreshart was over. They gave him the chance to surrender and never return. Ironside was undeterred, stating people always rebelled no matter what he did. He claimed that his methods, though heavy-handed, were essential for Kreshart to prosper even at the expense of its freedom. The crew did not buy his claims, denouncing him as a tyrant.

Ironside retorted claiming that if he was deposed, another tyrant would likely take his place. He claimed his dealing with the other kingdoms was preserving Kreshart's independence, and preventing war. Ironside rejected talk of freedom, claiming it was a commodity like any other. He stated he was the freest pirate there could be and he was not bound to the old ways like Layton and Armstrong. His taking of Kreshart was not ambition to him, rather a necessary means of survival. After a brief side tangent about his arm, Ironside demanded the group leave or they would be destroyed. Layton then reminded Ironside he had taken their ship and the statue they were protecting, and regardless of politics, he had stolen from them. Ironside denied this, stating Wood Gnome had gifted it to him and they had no proof of theft. In addition, as far as Ironside was concerned, the Miss Demeanor's crew had broken into his fort and threatened his life and they should deal with that first.

With the pleasantries out of the way, Ironside and his men engaged the crew in battle. Ironside's men fell easy, but the captain himself made good use of his inhuman strength and his arm cannon in an attempt to take down the assailants. At one point during the battle, Ironside was seemingly defeated, but instead got back to his feet to continue fighting. The same happened again after being stabbed by Captain Armstrong. Noticing the gigantic pirate's chest pulsating, Armstrong observed VOID energy circulating through Ironside. the young navigator Alice saw the VOID seed Ironside had implanted in his chest. The boy, horrified, demanded to know where he got it. Ironside revealed he had found it in Atlas. After identifying the seed, Alice began targeting it specifically. Alice, ever observant, revealed to Ironside that the seed was killing him in order to sustain itself. Panicked by this, Ironside redoubled his efforts to strike down the enemy crew. However, Ironside eventually fell to the tenacious efforts of the Miss Demeanor.

However, the fight was not over. Though its host had died, the VOID Seed still struggled to survive. It began to infuse the body of Ironside with its remaining power, puppeting the corpse as an avatar. Screaming out for VOID, the corpse of Ironside went into a frenzy. It used its power to create VOID puddles, trap its foes in a pocket dimension to be eaten alive, and generally rampaged through the fort with its unstable energies. However, despite all this, it only proved to be the VOID Seed's death throes. The VOID corrupted Ironside was then put down by the Miss Demeanor, ending his reign over Kreshart forever. The VOID corpse of Ironside then crumbled away into dust.

### Legacy

The end of Ironside's brief occupation was marked with a great celebration by the people of Kreshart. The infamous pirate's declaration of war and loss of independence did not come true and Kreshart remained free. In addition, the battle with Ironside and his VOID powers appears to have awoken Sterling Smiles from his petrification. This was of great importance, as Sterling proved to be a valuable asset and trusted friend of the Miss Demeanor in the coming battles. As for the crew of the Miss Demeanor themselves, the confrontation and defeat of Ironside proved to be of little consequence in the long term, with Layton even forgetting his name over the course of their adventures.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Half-Giant Heritage:** Ironside, as a Half-Giant, had exceptional strength and resilience due to his parentage.
* **Hand-to-Hand Combat:** Ironside fought like a brawler, using his fists and headbutting his opponents to defeat them.
* **Arm Cannon:** Ironside's specially customized Arm Cannon was able to fire heavy projectiles such as cannon balls at his enemies. He also was wont to stuff anything he could find in the cannon as ammunition, including the bodies of his own crew.
* **Legendary Pirate:** Ironside was a gifted pirate, being able to manage an entire fleet to plunder and loot. He was experienced in naval battles and garnered both an impressive amount of wealth and power and a fearsome reputation as a result.
* **VOID Seed:** The VOID Seed found in Atlas gave Armstrong unnatural powers. It allowed him to survive potentially fatal injuries up to a point, which Ironside interpreted as immortality. However, the seed eventually turned on Ironside in favor of its own survival. While in control, the VOID Seed used powerful VOID magics such as VOID Surge, VOID Puddles and the deadly Return to the VOID.

## Etymology

"Vincent" is an English male given name derived from the Roman name "Vincentius", which is derived from the Latin word *vincere* which means "to conquer".

The term "Ironside" is usually meant to denote somebody who is strong or courageous. Edmund II, who ruled as King of England between 23 April to 30 November 1016, was given the name Ironside for his bravery in fighting against the Danish invasion during his reign. It also became a moniker for English General and statesman Oliver Cromwell, who was called "Old Ironsides" during the English Civil War, and soldiers under his command were also referred to as such.

## Trivia

* Ironside's fleet flies a red flag with a iron helmet crossed by wrenches, mimicking that of a skull-and-crossbones.
* According to Brett during Miss Demeanor Season 2 Episode 10, Ironside was initially thought to be the primary antagonist for the Miss Demeanor's Season 1. However, the plot progressed in such a way that Ironside's role was greatly diminished, so he was instead set up as an antagonist for Season 2.
* In the alternate reality of The Altered Miss Demeanor, Ironside is instead an ally of the Miss Demeanor. Under the title of Admiral, Ironside provides the crew a sand scooter from his fleet so they can settle their business with Wood Gnome, before they rejoin him to face Shadow Lord Levin's army.

## Images

### Official art

Ironside's body being controlled by the VOID Seed.