Pirate Lord Pic

## ***BACKSTORY***

Born to a poor family near the docks, Pic’s best option for survival was to join the Navy as early as he could, where the incompetent and cruel captain of the *HMS Greyhound* tortured the poor lad during his 5 years at sea. During this time, he befriended the helmsman, a jolly old man named Hector, who taught him to read the sea and letters, as well as to gamble and the value of information.

As Fortune would have it, the *Greyhound* was wrecked in a storm that left only a few survivors, including Pic and Hector. They unified the survivors, who all hated the previous captain, and began to salvage what food and supplies they could. With his ingenuity, Pic crafted a small sailing canoe out of driftwood, and the castaways set a course for civilization. (A dramatization of all that follows from here can be found in the Library, in a tale entitled ***The Price of Plunder**.*)

After a few days at sea, they came upon another island, this one supporting a small village of fishermen. With the driftwood ship near to tatters, Pic and Hector, now his First Mate, set their eyes upon a small schooner that had sailed into the area, and commandeered the vessel. Only one of the crew of that ship was willing to lay aside his loyalty and join with Pic’s new pirate crew, a lad by the name of Willie. In time, he would become Pic’s Quartermaster, and one of his most trusted sailors.

Over time, Pic recruited the island’s other denizens into piracy as well, and built for himself a little kingdom. But the Navy soon learned of his island of raiders, and mobilized a pacifying force to put a stop to their activities. Pic and his main crew dispatched the first wave of aggressors, but with an incoming fleet on the horizon, he knew that his kingdom was doomed. They made for Pike’s Port in the schooner, which had been renamed the Gutless Goon, in order to regroup with the rest of the island’s inhabitants after they made their own escapes.

Out of several dozen, however, only 16 evaded capture or execution, one of the fallen being Hector, Pic’s old friend and First Mate. These sixteen, aflame with vengeance, proceeded to raid the Naval fort on the opposite shore of Pike’s Port. It was here that Pic met Della Rose, a woman imprisoned in the fort’s stockade, who was being indicted for witchcraft. Claiming to be a mere healer, Pic broke her out after taking a bullet wound in combat with the captain of the fort.

Della Rose dressed his wound as they made a run for it in the Goon, but Pic’s bloodlust was not yet slaked. After healing remarkably quickly, he ordered his ship to come about and engage three Navy brigs who had given chase after their escape. They disabled one of the ships, but were outmaneuvered by the other two, and were about to be sunk, when the ‘healer’ stepped out onto the bow. Calling upon profane powers, she healed the Gutless Goon much as she had Captain Pic, drawing the flotsam of the sea about the ship to patch and refit it. No longer a schooner, but a snow (as well as unsinkable, due to the witch’s magics), the crew obliterated another of the pursuing ships before the final one turned and fled.

After a hasty re-introduction, Della gave Pic coordinates to the Isla de Oro, and he sailed thence to join the pirate republic that was being formed. Working his way all the way up to the Council, he maintains a soft spot for the Gutless Goon and her crew, and is known to make time to work the rigging and raid, just like old times.
*(see **Flint and Pic** in the Library for a tale of his exploits with Lord Flintlock)*

## ***APPEARANCE AND GEAR***

Pic’s outfit is just as dashing as his figure, only more colorfully so. He wears a broad hat decorated with bright macaw feathers and an ostentatiously up-turned front brim. His blue coat is long and well-kept. Underneath is a drab-gray shirt and dark pants, equally pristine. Pic wears all kind of strange ornaments from his adventures across the sea: a crab claw necklace, a bright yellow silk sash, and stolen jewelry, to name a few.

In a leather sling on his back is a fearsome-looking blunderbuss, custom-made for him in Pike’s Port, named *Snakebite*, along with several black powder grenadoes tied to his front. He also carries an old Naval cutlass tucked into his silken sash.

Lady Della is a magnificent blue macaw gifted to Pic by the runaway witch of the same name. It is said that she can possess the bird at times and help warn him of danger. Although fussy towards others, Pic takes great care of Della and always keeps her close.

## ***PERSONALITY AND ABILITIES***

Pic is well-respected by the pirates of the Isle for his charisma, and his knack for getting them out of trouble (even if he’s the one who initially put them there). He usually answers disaster with a jovial smile and a slight nod, reassuring his crew he’s got a trick up his sleeve.

Being tossed about by life has made him scrappy and resourceful. He seems to know every tavern owner and barkeep in the realm, and can often get rumors about the next big score with a joke or a few compliments. He has a taste for the finer things in life, enjoying good mead, shanties, and gambling. Pic loves to be underestimated, using his polished appearance and relaxed demeanor to gain the upper hand with less-savory sorts, whether in battle or a game of dice. He is also fascinated by magic and the occult, trusting in spells and tall tales, sometimes even more than his own senses.

* 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