Otevi Sevar

*Part of Characters of Otheia*

Otevi Sevar is an active pirate operating in the Warm Sea. Of Horvath descent, he is the most successful pirate in Nomos, taking over 450 vessels over the course of his career so far. Alongside this, he is otherwise notable for his boisterous, outspoken and opinionated personality, for adopting his own version of the Confederated Agreement, and for freeing every slave he captures.

Sevar’s success and infamy would see him become known as “the Black Corsair”, and a popular subject of writers of both fiction and nonfiction.

Born in the fishing village of Elaisefa in the Realm of Aslock, in Otheia, to a mixed family of Horvath and Otheiae fishermen, Sevar would join the merchant navy at the age of 13. There he would work with several companies and vessels, most notably aboard the small vessel Prince, as well as with the Warm Sea Company’s Kara of Artsby.

In the year 369, while once again aboard the Prince, the ship was captured by the pirates while at anchor off the coast of Ukria. The pirates were in two vessels, Kara’s Merchant and Sedd’s Sail, led by Kelis Dedrai. Dedrai, like Sevar, was a Horvath, born in the Realm of Rasek. Sevar and several others from the Prince, were forced to join the pirates.

Dedrai quickly discovered Sevar’s abilities as a navigator and took to consulting him. He was also able to confide information to Sevar using the West Horvath language, thereby keeping it hidden from the Otheiae and international crewmen. Sevar was originally reluctant to become a pirate, but rapidly came to see its advantages and opportunities of the new lifestyle.

Within a few weeks of Sevar’s capture, Dedrai hoisted the flag of an Aslock Man’o’War, and took the Kara’s Merchant into the port of Ukria. After a few days, Dedrai invited the governor  lunch on board his ship, intending to hold him hostage for a ransom. Dedrai had to send boats to collect the governor, and he was invited to call at the fort for a glass of wine first. The Lireimen had discovered that their visitors were pirates. They ambushed Dedrai’s party on its way to the fort, shooting Dedrai dead.

A new captain had to be elected, and Sevar was elected as captain within 7 weeks of his capture. This was unusual, especially as he had objected to serving on the vessel, but it is agreed that he was elected for his navigational skills and personality.

Sevar immediately raised anchor, and set out to sea. On his first voyage as captain, he captured 10 vessels. The combination of bravery and success that marked this adventure cemented most of the crew's loyalty to their new captain.

For the past 4 years, he has captured over 400 ships, and over one-million naudu worth of cargo and goods. His largest single prize was the Falkeni Kyrn’s Lighter, a 20 gun ship, which was part of a 40 strong convoy. While the convoy was at anchor awaiting Moonfleet escort, Sevar snuck amongst the flotilla in his Kara’s Merchant, and captured a Falkeni captain. He ordered him to point out the wealthiest ship in the fleet. Sevar and his men boarded and captured the Lighter, which contained over 400,000 naudu worth of gold, silver and gemstones.

He is also notable for liberating all slaves aboard prizes he takes. It is estimated that he has freed several thousand slaves, who often join his own crew, or overpower their former masters and seize their vessels, becoming pirates themselves. As such, he has become a romantic symbol of international abolitionism among the Otheiae.

As a result of his personal charisma and abolitionism, he has amassed a large fleet of over a dozen ships. While they are small, as typical of Otheiae pirates on the Warm Sea, these ships are all fast, heavily gunned, and in possession of relatively large crews. In total, he has about 800 men under his command.

In total, Sevar has a collective bounty of over 1,00,000 naudu on his head. It has yet to be collected. In response to the various bounties, Sevar has placed bounties on the heads of the governors who issue them, half-again as high as their own. He has also stated that whoever kills him can claim his fleet.