Captain René Venables

**Captain René Venables** (Matthew Timothée René Venables; 15 August 1700), also known as Stormfox, is the current captain of The Fox and leader of its crew, The Dark Hand. He is also Pirate King of the 11th Brethren Court.

## Early Life

### Birth and Early Childhood

Matthew was born on August 15th 1700, to Sir William Venables, and Lady Elizabeth Marie Du'Casse. His parents were not married at the time, however they both came from very prestigious families. His father, William, was the Head of the House Venables, a Noble Family that had a history dating back to Robert the Bruce. His mother, Elizabeth, was the daughter of Marquis Timothee Rene Du'Casse, who had served as the Lord of Normandy France.

After his birth, he was raised by his father and visited frequently by his mother. His father's estate was located within the city of Argyll Scotland, and Matthew would often wander out of the property gates and converse with the locals, traders, merchants, and other city-dwellers. This allowed him to gain useful personable knowledge that came to help him later in life.

## Arrival in Switzerland

### Early Career

After graduating from Oxford in 1722 with high marks, Matthew became a poltician in Britain and spent 14 years developing relations with other leaders and other nations. Early on, he started up a relationship with a visiting merchant's sister, Erin Perkins. This relationship exposed him to an ongoing dispute between the EITC and a group of merchants, smugglers, and pirates calling themselves the Paladins of the Black, both of which Venables kept close ties to. Erin's relationship with him would not last however and he ultimately married the daughter of a nobleman, Grace Wilde, with which they had 1 daughter (Olivia in 1735). His journey eventually led him to Bern Switzerland where he was subsequently appointed as King Regent by Tylar Kroshbon.

Matthew worked tirelessly to reform the government and country to its best extent, successfully turning Switzerland into a recognized European power. He became a very close friend of the then Sultan Parax of the Ottoman Empire, forging a strong alliance. Eventually Tylar struck a deal with Sir Joseph Grey to eventually take the throne with the aide of Britain, in exchange for turning Switzerland into a semi-puppet state. Matthew would then go on to suffer great hardship with a variety of suspicious rebellions. It led to his forced resignation after a confrontation with King George of Britain over the increased presence of EITC within Swiss borders, which resulted in Olivia's death.

After the resignation, Matthew continued to serve as a statesmen and occassional political advisor throughout Europe. In 1740, He began attending Cambridge (Kings College) and graduated, a few years later, with equally high marks from Kings College. Unfortunately, Venables would go into hiding following the 1749 War of Sardinian Succession and the death of his brother, the latter of which was blamed on him personally. He spent this time honing his skills with various Asian warriors and his magic with eastern European alchemists/witches. Venables also kept a steady income by working with black market merchants and selling information. Notably, months after the war ended, two individuals approached him for information on acquiring certain ingredients and supplies for an ancient and profane ritual. He recognized one of these individuals as Captain Leon, an adversary of the former Skull's Marines. The other individual gifted Venables with an arsenal of extremely powerful weapons for the information. Instead, Rene chose to provide them false information to keep them distracted chasing for the supplies while he tipped off his contacts in Asia, ultimately forcing the pair of them to also go into hiding.

## Strife and Peace

### Reassuming Command

In 1754, Matthew emerged from hiding after receiving news that the Swiss Confederacy had begun to collapse. He used the chaos to slip into Bern and free a number of his former allies who were being held prisoner. They would go on to form his crew, The Dark Hand. During their escape, they liberated the former warship of his late brother, Richard, the HMS Formidable. They began making their way for the Caribbean after word got out that the Brethren Court was reconvening. During the journey, they made updates the ship off the northern coast of Africa and once reaching the Gibraltar choke point, were forced to engage a naval checkpoint. With ferocity and speed, they quickly overtook the more clunkier convoy singlehandedly. News spread far and wide of this feat and upon landing on the shores of Tortuga, Venables was approached with the opportunity to become a pirate lord in the new Brethren Court, which he accepted and chose an heirloom of House Venables as his piece of eight. Soon after attaining this honor, Rene picked up a few more crewmates including Emily Sparrow, a former affiliate from Norway, and began his life as a pirate in ernest

During an outting with his crew, he stumbled upon a disoriented Captain Skull X, former leader of the Marines, adrift at sea. After much incoherent rambling, Skull managed to compose himself and inform Venables about the long ago plot by Leon and an evil witch to enthrall the entire Caribbean. Rene arrogantly dismissed the matter, presuming his efforts 4-5 years prior worked, as the two hadn't been seen or heard from since. Shortly after, the Brethren Court abandoned it's efforts. Rene and Ryan turned their focus toward growing the family's influence. Ryan left for Europe to settle the estates and expand the operations. The Venables' brothers frequently kept in touch, eventually forming an alliance with the French. In 1755, Venables ascended to the role of Pirate King and began forming the 11th Brethren Court in the increasing presence of British forces in the Caribbean. With his crew and influence reaching its peak, the good captain was ready for the coming conflicts.

## Titles, Styles, and Honors

### Titles and Styles

* 15 August 1700 - 1736: Lord Matthew Venables
* 1736 - 1738: His Highness, King Matthew II; Stormfox
* 1738 - 1749: Sir Matthew Venables; Stormfox
* 1749 - September 1754: various aliases
* September 1754 - present day: Captain René Venables; Stormfox

### Honors

* First Grandmaster of the Royal Legionaire Order