Captain James Gavell

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> *"'Twould take a great fool to stand in my way, and I'll be damned if I were ever to suffer a fool." - James Gavell*
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James Gavell is an English pirate currently at large in the Caribbean. He is captain of the frigate *Styx*, a former ship of the Royal Navy he once served on. Many know him as "Eyeless Jim" due to his badly damaged right eye. Though a relative newcomer to the world of piracy, Gavell has quickly made a name for himself through both his high-risk-high-reward methods and his talent for striking fear in the hearts of his foes.

## Appearance

Gavell is a man of average height and build, though with somewhat gaunt features. His face which could once have been considered ruggedly handsome has been battered by winds and salt, seemingly aging Gavell beyond his years. He keeps his light brown hair short and styles his beard in a "Van Dyke" fashion, sometimes trimming it for special occasions. His most defining and infamous feature is the scar adorning the right side of his face and the eye which was struck along the way, now reduced to a glassy white orb.

## Personality

A self-proclaimed "Gentleman Bastard", Gavell enjoys the finer things in life and will go to great lengths to have them for himself, though his definition of these commodities mostly boils down to three things; Alcohol, food, and women-- all of the exotic variety. He is both charismatic and manipulative, never letting any bit of leverage go to waste once he finds it. He cares only for his own gain and pleasure, usually only helping others when he will gain something from it.

## Naval Career

### Enlistment and Service

At the age of 16 Gavell enlisted in the English Royal Navy, travelling to London for his education and training. Over the course of a year he developed his practical skills as well as his seafaring knowledge, aspiring to be a captain some day. After his training had finished he was assigned to the *HMS Yeoman,* a Brig, under Captain George Harrington. The *Yeoman* was tasked with escorting valuable cargo ships to and from the new world, and Gavell served aboard her for 6 round trips over the course of a year before requesting a transfer to the newly formed Royal Marines.

Gavell spent another year honing his abilities as a soldier, finding that he had a knack for fencing. His talent was later recognized by his superiors and earned him a place aboard the Navy's newest Frigate, the *HMS Enforcer,* on her mission to crack down on piracy around English ports in the Caribbean under the command of Captain Percival Ross.

Not even a full month into the voyage, Gavell had become tired of Captain Ross. He saw Ross as a drooling incompetent who only gained his position through connections. He never listened to his crew, touting his prestigious lineage of Naval Officers as if it made him right by all accounts in any situation. Sharing in this opinion was Benjamin Thatcher, another marine whom Gavell quickly befriended. Eventually Gavell's frustrations boiled over and he spoke up against his Captain, calling him an imbecile who did nothing but ride his father's coattails. This outraged Ross, who ordered that Gavell receive ten lashes and be locked in the brig for five days. He also promised that he would have an official reprimand filed against Gavell as soon as they reached port.

### Mutiny

Fed up with his Captain's perceived incompetence and arrogance and knowing that his career would soon be ruined, Gavell began to conspire with his fellow crewmen, using his talent for persuasion to rally more and more of the crew to his cause. Promising them a future of adventure and luxury, James amassed a following of fifty-eight sailors and twenty-one marines, just over a third of the ship's crew. For weeks he formulated a plan to usurp Captain Ross and take the *Enforcer* for himself and, on the ship's sixty-first day at sea, he put that plan into action.

They waited until nightfall, having already made sure that only the mutineers would be awake on watch duty. Each of them tied a black cloth around their arm to identify each other, then snuck below decks and quickly began gagging and slitting the throats of those deemed loyal to the captain. However, disaster struck when one crewman was awoken by blood dripping on his face from the hammock above him. The alarm was sounded and an intense fight broke out between the crew and the mutineers. Having the element of surprise Gavell's team cut down many of the panicked sailors before they could even find a weapon, but soon a formidable number of their opponents had found their way to the main deck and distributed the boarding weapons amongst themselves. After a long six minutes of bloodshed below decks, James Gavell emerged from the carnage followed by Thatcher and twenty-three of his surviving men. Before him on the main deck stood Ross, backed up by thirty of his own crewmen.

Words were exchanged and it was agreed that a fight between both surviving groups would surely end with too few sailors to keep the ship sailing, so Gavell threw down the gauntlet and challenged the Captain to a duel. Of course Ross had no choice but to accept, and so it was that the fate of the ship would be decided. Few tales truly tell how duels truly went. They are happier to embellish the event, describing every swing with as much bravado and drama as they can muster. Reality, however, is often quite plain. Plain and visceral. It was a matter of one wrong move, one bad call, that saw Gavell reeling back against the deck railing beside one of the long nines with his face cut wide open. He looked down at himself, watching as blood poured out onto his body. He thought about how odd it was that he felt no pain, only the warmth of his blood running down his face. Then he looked up at his former Captain gloating over him, rubbing his eye mockingly towards James, whose eye had been struck and was now filling with blood. Gavell's heart filled with bitter hatred, and any sense of honor which may have remained in him was snuffed. He reached down for his sword, instead finding the familiar shape and texture of a powder charge. Gritting his teeth, he carefully opened the parchment pouch and took a fist full of black powder before lunging forward with all his might and heaving the powder into the Captain's eyes. His opponent fell onto his back crying out in pain as the gunpowder burned his eyes. Gavell snarled, unhooking a nearby deck lantern and approaching his fallen foe. He raised the lantern above his head and brought it down onto the head of Ross. There was a flash of light accompanied by an almost inhuman scream as the lantern's glass broke and the flame met the black powder on the Captain's face, rapidly burning down to bone and searing his eyes from their sockets. And, with that, the duel was finished.

Those remaining on the former captain's side were thrown into the sea, all except for three. Gavell decided to use these men to begin his legend. Two of them had both eyes put out, the third kept his but had his tongue cut from his mouth. They all were put on a boat with enough food to get them to shore. James sent them off with one final shout;

> *"Begone with you lot, and tell the Crown that the ferryman sent you!"*
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## Piracy

Gavell's first flag, created during his first stay in Barataria Bay.Gavell's blood flag, nicknamed "The Bleeding Glass", created after his first defeat at the hands of Isaac Brimley.Gavell's second black flag, created after becoming "mayor" of Barataria.The day following the mutiny aboard the *Enforcer,* Gavell selected Thatcher as his first mate and made for the lawless shores of the Gulf of Mexico. He had become acquainted with the area during his previous voyages and knew that certain changes would have to be made to his ship in order to avoid unwanted attention from other pirates. He began by working with his men to cover the ornate designs painted on the ship's walls in pitch, leaving them a grimy black mess. Next he ordered that no lanterns be lit at night and that all Naval flags be doused in oil and affixed to empty barrels to act as decoy lights if someone should come too close in the dark. Finally, Gavell personally charted the safest course through the dangerous waters and took his place at the helm.

As luck would have it a tropical storm had blown through the area not long ago, leaving the waters mostly free of any threats and within a week Gavell reached his destination, the pirate haven Barataria Bay. After selling off anything the ship carried that was of no use Gavell was left with a modest sum, enough to have a new plaque made for his ship. He thought back to his parting words with the prisoners with a dark grin, already having a name in mind. Next he went to have a flag made. He settled on a simple design, an hourglass flanked by two skulls facing away from it, almost giving the appearance of a pair of wings. The ship set sail on a dreary day a few weeks later, equipped with a newly hired crew. Those watching her depart saw the frigate's hulking black form fade away into the fog, the last thing visible her newly acquired name: *Styx.*

### Rise to Infamy

Before the season had come to an end word had spread across the Caribbean of a dangerous new threat. One could seldom find a tavern in all the Spanish main that didn't echo some rumor of the mysterious *Styx.* "I can't say I rightly know, but word is that her captain was born without eyes," some rumored, "So he taught himself to track the scent of his targets in the spray of the sea..." Others disagreed, "Nay, I've heard from a good source that he was a captain in the Navy, but his heart was so rotten that it drained the life and color from all around him, even from the very walls of his own ship. So maddening it was to him that he took a silver spoon and scooped his own eyes out of his head so he wouldn't have to look upon the consequences of his sin!"

A legacy was quickly building, carved by the emptied ships and terrified victims of this elusive pirate. The rumors were music to Gavell's ears. His knowledge of merchant routes and protocols had payed handsomely, and earned him some mysticality in the public eye to boot. However he was soon to be put to to the test. The Crown had finally received word of the *Enforcer's* fate and reacted with outrage, sending forth three of their newest vessels under the command of Commodore Isaac Brimley to reclaim the frigate and bring the traitors aboard her to justice.

### First Contact

Gavell had been lurking along the Gulf of Florida close to shore waiting for the next scheduled merchant to pass through when he spotted a brig emerging from around the coast, flying a Red Ensign. Overconfident in his planning, Gavell opened sails to full and closed in on the supposed merchant, raising the black flag. He peered through his spyglass and and the smirk disappeared from his grizzled face as a second shape emerged, a galleon painted with the unmistakable colors of the Royal Navy. He frantically turned the *Styx* about, realizing that he had been lured into a trap, and sailed into unfavorable winds. His heart further sank when a third shape appeared between him and his escape, this one a war sloop which had snuck through the Keys unnoticed. Gavell gritted his teeth and took one last look back at the galleon through his spyglass, seeing her captain looking right back at him through his own.

Cannon fire rang out and several holes were splintered open in the hull of the *Styx.* Gavell had to think fast. He knew the sloop would stand no chance against a frigate's firepower, but as long as the ships to his rear could see him he would not last long enough to reach friendly waters. His eye darted around the deck and landed on a stack of powder kegs. "Load the longboat with powder on the double, or there'll be the devil to pay for all of you!" Gavell barked, sending a couple other crewmen to fetch some barrels of rum and lamp oil. "Set a fuse to the powder kegs," He instructed the chief gunner, "About two meters should do the job." The others soon returned with the rum and oil, adding them to the pile. "Light it and send her off, then everyone back to your stations! We aren't yet out of the woods!"

The boat was lowered into the water, fuse burning down steadily as the *Styx* pulled away from it. One more volley crashed into the frigate and further compromised her hull before a long silence filled the air, only to be interrupted by a monumental explosion. Smoke and flames belched forth from the now ignited powder and fuel, the wind which had blown against Gavell now carrying the fumes directly into his enemy's path. "Sweeps, now!" James ordered, and several pairs of oars extended from the gun ports below deck. The *Styx* quickly began to pick up speed towards the now isolated sloop, and was soon in firing range. "Starboard side! Put some holes in her and get back to rowing!" A volley thundered out from the frigate and found its target, dealing considerable damage to the small enemy vessel and forcing her to retreat.

The *Styx* crawled her way back into port, her captain enraged and humiliated. A familiar feeling of bitterness filled his heart and along with it a new hatred for the Navy he once served in. The die was cast, and Gavell would soon venture down a road much more dark than before...

### Second Wind

For months Gavell stayed ashore in Barataria Bay, his anger festering inside him as he obsessively plotted his revenge. Word had spread that the *Styx* had been bested, some claiming that Eyeless Jim had been slain in the battle. Either way the Caribbean was granted a long awaited respite, at least from one threat. Trade lanes had been reopened and were now thriving under the protection of Commodore Brimley, the news of which only served to further enrage Gavell. And when the time finally came for the *Styx* to set sail once again, her captain manned the helm a much more dangerous and violent man than ever before.

The frigate ventured out past her old hunting grounds in the Florida Keys and headed east, past Cuba. Gavell was taking a risk. He knew that the Keys were now under the watchful eye of Brimley, and decided to put all his chips on the table by searching for targets in the Atlantic crossing. These ships would no doubt be carrying much more valuable cargo, and would be protected accordingly. Speed and efficiency would be paramount in engaging these threats, and Gavell had been sure to have the *Styx* newly outfitted to fit both these needs. Her deck and hull had been lightened as much as possible, with decorative pieces and other such unnecessary weight stripped away. Ten cannons had been removed from the gun deck and two had been added at both the bow and stern of the ship. As a result of these modifications the *Styx* was now alarmingly fast for a ship of its size and class, and could fire upon enemies both directly in front and behind her; An ability that would soon prove invaluable.

Along with Thatcher, Gavell also assembled his boarding team; The Jackals. Primarily comprised of former marines and veteran sailors, the team would be the first ones to board an enemy ship and overwhelm her crew. These men would soon be the ones to carry out some of their captain's most appalling tasks.

A suitable target was found before long, a Red Ensign brig with an escort sloop, and Gavell prepared to set his long-thought-out plan into motion. "Load the chasers with chains, double charge! Once they're crippled run up the Bleeding Glass and get ready for the butcher's work..."

### The Bloody Five

It was a calm spring morning in Antigua when it began. A fisherman was heading out towards his usual spot when he spotted a shape emerging from the morning fog. The wind blew in from its direction and carried on it the unmistakable stench of death and decay. Repulsed by the choking miasma, he made his way back to shore and informed the dockmaster of the vessel. As the ship slowly drifted closer to shore a small group of garrisoned soldiers were sent to investigate, identifying the ship as the *Fortuna* as they rowed closer. Before they had even made it aboard they were greeted with a grim sight. Among the tattered remains of canvas draped from the remaining lower half of the brig's mast hung dozens of bodies. The horror only escalated as the men climbed their way aboard, finding the deck painted red with congealing blood and strewn with corpses. At the helm stood the captain, his lifeless body crudely tied to the wheel in a standing position and his head hanging down limply. One soldier stepped closer and tipped the head of the corpse back, reeling in horror as the empty sockets where once were eyes stared back at him.

The *Fortuna* was only the first of many. Over the next year four more ships would be found, defiled in similar ways. These vessels would soon become known as the Bloody Five, and there was little doubt in any mind as to who was responsible. The *Styx* had returned, and the Ferryman had gained a terrible new lust for blood.

### Bayou Buyout

During his rest in Barataria following his rampage Gavell pondered how he could further gain power and influence. He looked at the town, leaderless as ever, and decided to cash in some of his newfound infamy. Sending his crew out into the town, he began a sort of whispering campaign to increase his influence over the small populace.

That same evening another ship made port at the docks, the *Bigge Bertha* captained by Henry Ragsdill. Gavell watched silently from his cabin as her crew disembarked for a night of revelry after a successful journey around the Bahamas. He invited Ragsdill aboard the *Styx* and the two of them soon struck a deal. Gavell would provide safe harbor and protection to Ragsdill in exchange for just over a fifth of his profits. Now one investor richer, Gavell watched as his guest departed and turned to his first mate;

> *"Tell the men to stow the guns, the meeting went better than expected."*
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### Unforeseen Consequences

Unbeknownst to Gavell, his bloody campaign across the Caribbean attracted more attention than just the colonial navies. All the way from the old waters of the Mediterranean sailed a contingent unlike any seen before in the new world; the accursed *Phlegethon* and her sinister captain Muhab Al-Khayin. Drawn to the pathos sewn by the *Styx*, the damned Turk voyaged across the world and fed upon the newly fueled fear among the populace.

While out patrolling her usual route along the Florida Keys, the *Styx* found herself mired in a thick fog. Her crew looked into the waters only to see them stained red with blood and steaming angrily. Upon reaching a clearing in the mist, Gavell and seven Jackals rowed to the nearby shores in hopes of finding natives to question about the phenomena while Thatcher stayed behind to manage the *Styx.* This expedition culminated in a meeting between the two captains, which Gavell narrowly escaped from with his life.

## Trivia

* The name of his ship and design of his flag suggest that Gavell has some knowledge of Greek mythology.
* Gavell's great-grandson Jamison would become a notorious bounty hunter in the American West during the late years of the 19th century.
* Coincidentally, Gavell bears a striking resemblance to Sir James Lancaster; an English privateer credited with discovering the use of lemon juice to prevent scurvy, as well as sharing a name with Gavell's player.