"Sea Snake" Snapper

## ***BACKSTORY***

Snapper was born to diametrically opposed parents. His mother was a refined lady in Port Royal, kind, proper, and beloved by the town. His father, on the other hand, was a drifter who rolled into town one day with nowhere to sleep. Kind as she was, she didn’t turn him away when he came begging at her door, and he stayed a bit longer than he ought to have done. At one point, she let slip that she was in debt to the governor of Port Royal, and the scoundrel saw his chance. He promised to pay off her debts, in exchange for her hand in marriage. Having no other choice, she agreed, and in the course of their union, Snapper was born.

His mother loved and cared for him mightily, but there was no other love to be found in his childhood home. His father was a wastrel and a drunkard, often flying into mad rages with little provocation. At age 18, he was unable to bear it any longer, and so he left to join the Navy, having no idea that he would never see either of them again. He served aboard a frigate for little more than a year before receiving the letter that would change his life. In it, the governor of Port Royal informed him that his father had been swindling him on paying off his mother’s debts, paying with counterfeit coins for years. When officers were sent to apprehend him, he had already skipped town, so his mother was taken into custody in his stead and scheduled to hang. Snapper frantically implored his captain to return to Port Royal so that he could save her, and the captain, being a fine upstanding man, assented.

But by the time they arrived, he was too late. His mother’s sentence had already been carried out, the earth on her grave cold and packed. Delirious and distraught, Snapper wandered to the docks and stole a small dinghy, rowing out into the open ocean until he came upon a small deserted island. He docked and made his way inland, aimless and aloof, and resolved to waste away there. Employing a little trick he learned in his time in the Navy, he spent all of his time procuring and fermenting sea snake urine, slowly mastering the process as he drank his sorrows and his senses away. He lived like this for three months, until the Gutless Goon made berth to hunt for supplies, and after introducing himself to Captain O’Fortune, he decided to join up as a deckhand.

When they returned to Isla de Oro with their new crewman, his unique booze became an instant hit with the rest of the inhabitants. Some were less than appetized when he told them how it was made, but they could not deny its quality, so they appended the name ‘Sea Snake’ to him in cheeky recognition. Over time, he served the Goon well enough to earn the rank of Master at Arms, and became a positively dastardly devil at it. Then, one fateful day, the Goon was set upon by a French pirate hunting vessel. With him at the cannons, they dispatched their would-be captors and forced them to surrender. After sending the remaining crew away on a lifeboat, Snapper lay claim to the vessel with O'Fortune's blessing, and at the approval of the Council, became the Captain of his own vessel, The Bleeding Rose.

He is driven by anger at the Royal Navy - as well as at his father, and a desire to find him and make him pay. So he bides his time and listens for news of him, so that he can avenge his beloved mother.

UPDATE: “Sea Snake” Snapper was assisting Luxor Jones with an experiment in the Tavern one day, when it all went horribly wrong. A miscalculation in his combination of arcane ingredients resulted in a massive explosion, and his entire stash of Sea Snake Grog (one of the ingredients) was lost. He himself was caught in the blast, nearly dying and being left with vicious scars on his chest. Sadly, his pet snake, Geoffry, also fell victim to the explosion, and was killed. In grief, and to do honor to his dear mate, he dropped the appellation of “Sea Snake” from his name, and decided to leave the brewing to Yarrbot. His responsibilities as a Captain took priority, after all.

## ***APPEARANCE AND GEAR***

* Snapper is relatively young, with long dark wavy hair and sharp eyes. His face is tanned from the Caribbean sun, and he is above average in height. Deep burn scars mark his chest from a particularly nasty accident involving an experiment with Luxor Jones. He covers these with a black vest, and wears a long red silken coat over that for dramatic effect.

* Snapper wears a dark baldric and belt, upon which hangs his golden swept-hilted English backsword, won in single combat with a redcoat officer. The grip is wrapped in fine black leather and bright twisted brass wire. On the pommel, in long script, is engraved the phrase *“De sanguine et ferro”* - *of blood and iron*. He also carries an over-under flintlock with two barrels that can be manually revolved to fire twice.

## ***PERSONALITY AND ABILITIES***

* Snapper is nervous around fire after his mishap with Luxor, but otherwise is as adventurous as they come. He turned to piracy for revenge, but fell in love with the life when he first experienced the feel of sailing the ocean free of the tyranny of the King.
* He is quite handy with his sword, and has proven to be surprisingly agile and strategy-minded for someone with such a love for alcohol. He served for a long time as a Master at Arms, and as such, has a propensity for the firing of artillery that few can match.

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