Eleanor Benson

Born in a tiny hamlet called Northland, Eleanor was the youngest of a family of three generations, consisting of her older brother Boris, father George, mother Luna, and her grandparents whom she called Papa and Nana. They had a happy life together, and she learned cooking from Nana, storytelling from Papa, archery from her father, bargaining from trips to the market with her mother, and general roughhousing and toughness from Boris. This came to a tragic end when her father contracted the Plague, and passed away three months later. Her mother was to fall victim to consumption three years later, and at this time, Papa decided that his time had come. He bade the remaining family farewell and wandered into the woods, never to be seen again.

Eleanor continued to live with Nana and Boris, eventually picking up the pieces from their loss and finding happiness together again. When Boris reached his majority, however, he left to find his fortune, and wrote back to Eleanor of how he had found it on Isla de Oro, amongst a crew of pirates. She was happy for him, and dreamed of her own adventures while she took care of Nana, whose own health had begun to fail by this time. When she passed away, and Eleanor was left with no family and no home, she was taken in by a friend for the remaining years of her minority, and was pressed to find work when she was able.

She took various jobs as a cook here and there in order to pay her way, until she one day came across an ad for a fry-cook aboard a merchant brig who was involved exclusively in the trade of apples. Sensing an opportunity to join in her erstwhile brother’s adventures, she took the job and sailed away. She worked for the apple merchant for many months, becoming quite the expert at making all manner of dishes from apples, and saving up the vast majority of her wages so she could book passage to the island that Boris had gone off to as soon as she was able.

Their common trade route took them from the temperate climes of the New World into the frigid northlands, where apples did not grow and thus fetched a dear price. It was on one of these journeys north that the ship was all of a sudden struck by something, which caused the vessel to list to one side momentarily. Eleanor tumbled away from her stove, on which she had been preparing a lovely assortment of pies for her crew, and rose to her feet in a lather, vowing to lash the fool who had spoiled her efforts by upending the ingredients onto the floor. When she came abovedecks, though, the cause of the ruckus froze her in place: a positively massive seal had clambered aboard, and was flopping about while the aghast crew went for harpoons and the like to subdue the beast. Upon seeing Eleanor, however, the seal made a beeline right for her, heaving across the deck much faster than its bulk suggested was possible. Eleanor panicked as it approached, and raised her spatula before her in defense - and the seal scooped her up in its flippers and began to lick her face affectionately. She took a liking to the creature, and bade her crew stand down as they gathered around, harpoons raised to strike the beast down before it could harm her. As she lifted her hand to hold off her friends, the seal slapped her upraised palm with one of its flippers, and it soon after became one of their favored gestures and bonding exercises. She named the seal Sugar, and they became fast friends ever after.

She served aboard the merchant ship for a bit longer, until the crew surprised her one day. They had taken secret note of her desire to join her brother on Isla de Oro, and had begun a collection to supplement her wages, and help her to barter passage thence. Presenting her with a hefty bag of gold whilst in port one day, she accepted with gracious tears and bittersweet hugs to all the friends she had made, and Sugar gave a high-five to each one of them as they disembarked and bade each other Good Journey. Eleanor soon found the Storm Crest pulled into that same port, and approached Captain Kennedy Laurent with gold in hand, requesting passage to the Isle and a wish to join her brother. At mention of Boris’ name, Kennedy gave a start, and called to a ‘deckhand’ of that same name. It was, indeed, her long-lost brother serving on that very ship, and they embraced joyously after so long apart. Introducing Sugar to him and the Captain, they were both welcomed aboard, and Eleanor’s gold was added to the riches they transported back to Puerto Dorado.

Eleanor officially joined the crew of the vessel that had reunited her with Boris, and achieved the rank of Master at Arms in short order, having discovered that her training with a bow, and propensity for apples, translated into an equal skill with cannonballs. She serves that ship, alongside her brother, to this day, and Sugar is never far to keep her spirits up with a high-five or a pleased bark.

* Isla de Oro Wiki
* The Island
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* The Council of Bones
* The Fleet
* The Captains
* The Officers
* The Nightwatch
* NPCs
* The Library
* The Hall of Legends