Captain Pierre Lavett

> "From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair." - Psalm 88:15
>
>

Pierre Lavett is a cursed pirate currently at large in the Caribbean. He is captain of the *Dame Flétrie*, a ketch which shares his affliction. Lavett's curse is that of pestilence and vermin. Once a hypochondriac, he is now doomed to forever suffer the illnesses which he had lived in fear of.

## Appearance

Prior to being cursed Lavett was an unassuming a man as any, with fair skin and curled black hair. His appearance changed drastically over the time that the curse took hold though, with his hair falling out, muscles becoming atrophied, skin tallowed and eyes jaundiced. He now more resembles a day-old corpse than a living being. Rats can often be found scurrying about his overcoat, sometimes biting at his flaking skin.

## Life Before the Curse

Born to a family of fishermen in the town of Vannes, Lavett worked in the family profession for twenty-three years. Over those years he watched many friends and family members wither away at the hands of disease, most notably his mother who was taken by cholera when he was seven. Consequentially he became extremely wary of illnesses and lived in a constant state of paranoia as to the state of his health. It was not until the passing of his father that Lavett bought passage to the new world, hoping to start his own fishing business in the Caribbean.

Shortly after his arrival in Petit-Goave Lavett met Jimar Powell, a local fisherman. The two often found themselves working alongside each other on fishing boats and came to become business partners once Powell purchased his own boat, the *Dame Volante*. Lavett was brought aboard the ketch as her first mate and, along with their crew of twenty-two, found great success in their business.

## The Curse

As the profits grew, so too did Lavett's paranoia. He spent great sums of silver on herbs and tonics from the witch doctors in the area, certain that they were the only thing standing between him and an early grave. It got to such a point that Lavett would refuse to leave his home until his "medicine" had been delivered. This put considerable stress on the business and eventually Powell made the decision to embark on a delivery without telling his first mate who was still holed up in his home near the docks. Lavett looked out his window and saw the ship being loaded and, in his paranoid state, was certain that his partner was about to leave him and take their money.

Taking the last of one of the bitter syrups he had purchased, he stepped outside and confronted Powell on the docks. The two of them stepped aside to a less busy area and began to argue about the situation. During the exchange Powell became irritated by Lavett's accusations and excuses and grabbed a dead rat which had been trapped in an empty crate. He taunted Lavett with it, trying to push it into his face and causing him to panic. Lavett picked up a boat hook and lashed out with it, striking Powell in the temple and breaking his skull. Lavett pushed the body into the water and headed back to the ship, setting sail with the small crew and leaving most of their cargo behind.

It was not long before the body was discovered and Powell's family immediately knew who was to blame. They sought the help of the same witch doctors that Lavett had depended on, and commissioned them to afflict a suitable curse upon the hypochondriac. At sea, Lavett felt his stomach suddenly drop and a horrible chill go up his spine. He reached for his flask of tonic, finding it empty as it reached his lips.

The hull of the ship groaned unnaturally as many members of the crew rushed to the sides and began to vomit, as if it too had felt this horrible and sudden sensation of illness. Rats began crawling from the containers below decks, seemingly replacing the fish which were there previously. Lavett retreated to his cabin and locked himself in. He doubled over abruptly and fell to his hands and knees as he began to retch a dark, brackish liquid onto the floor. The curse had taken hold, and Lavett's fate had been sealed.