User:Soranin/Sandbox5: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:19, 27 July 2026

My quinary sandbox. :)

Groups[edit | edit source]

The course of the 18th Century saw the British Empire become the world's leading colonial power, with France and Spain as its primary rivals. After siding with the Netherlands and Austria in the War of the Spanish Succession, the British Empire expanded, gaining territories from both Spain and France, and taking over control of the Atlantic slave trade in Spanish America.

For a handful of coin, "Dancers" can be employed to distract guards and interfere with ongoing fights. They might also have some incredible stories of their own to tell, if only you'd bother to listen.

Sailors flush with rum and the heat of the sun, these Drunkards can be useful in a few ways. First as blend groups that allow Edward to hide in plain sight, and secondly as allies in the event of a scuffle. But remember to bring a bit of coin if you want them to fight alongside you, as these pirates won't risk their lives for free.

Already a global power, the Spanish defeated powerful adversaries such as the Aztecs and Incas in the Americas by exploiting existing conflicts and rivalries between tribes and nations between the 15th and 18th centuries. Acquisitive and protective of the supply of precious metals its new colonies afforded it, the Spanish Empire enthusiastically participated in the Atlantic slave trade and defended its trade routes aggressively. Even after its defeat in the War of the Spanish Succession, the 18th century was nevertheless one of prosperity for the Spanish Empire, as their trade reputation grew steadily under Bourbon oversight, and continued to grow at an extraordinary rate until the 1780s.

Often used interchangeably, there are a number of important distinctions to make between these different kinds of swashbucklers... Pirates: Criminals on the open sea who use coercion, intimidation and violence to rob innocent people of their cargo and transport. The term pirate is a catch-all and may be used generally to refer to all who perform acts of larceny on the open ocean. Pirates have been a problem since the advent of long-distance ocean travel; every age has seen its share of pirates, and every age has cursed their name and romanticized their cause. During the so-called "Golden Age of Piracy" (roughly 1650 to 1725), the majority of pirates were from the British Isles. Most were young men in their 20s and almost all had already gained some experience as sailors prior to falling into piracy. Buccaneers: Though often used as a synonym for Pirates now, the term Buccaneer refers more specifically to a group of pirates who lived and operated in the West Indies in the middle of the 17th century. Best known for attacking settlements and fortifications on land in large groups, the Buccaneers derived their name from the French Boucanier -- an instrument used for smoking strips of meat over an open fire, a favorite sort of sustenance for these terrestrial pirates. Privateers: Non-commissioned sailors who attack and rob, having been given a Letter of Marque by their King or a royal official such as a Governor. Thus the distance between a Pirate and a Privateer is but a hair's breath of difference -- Pirates simply sail for one monarch fewer.

Taíno refers to a group of related languages and cultures widespread across the Caribbean at the time of European arrival. Broadly speaking, they consisted of the Ciboney or Western Taíno of Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas; the Classic Taíno of Hispaniola and Borikén (the indigenous name of Puerto Rico); and the Eastern Taíno of the Antilles. A Taíno cacique or chief demonstrated rank by carrying an object forged from guanín, a unique indigenous alloy made out of copper, silver, and gold, noted for its lustrous shine. The term "tabaco" from which we also derive from a Taíno word, as tobacco was cultivated on the islands and its usage noted by Spanish explorers. Other English words with a Taíno origin include barbecue, canoe, hurricane, iguana, and potato. Other, non-Taíno indigenous groups of the island include the Ciguaya, Macorix, and Kalinago or Caribs, for whom the Caribbean Sea is named.

An obscure group of warrior natives likely related to the Taíno people, they are secretive in their dealing with other tribes and groups. Calling themselves the Guardians, they protect the lands they deem sacred and brook no unauthorized passage through their hidden realms. Over many generations, they have developed an incredible talent for stealth and secret attacks, and can be quite deadly when attacking from unseen vantage points.

Despite owning a globe-spanning empire reaching Africa, India, and even China, Portugal's presence in the New World was restricted to Brazil by the Treaty of Tordesillas. This was an agreement brokered by the Papacy that purported to divide up the world between its loyal Catholic subjects of Spain and Portugal. By 1700, Portugal was in decline, but a gold rush in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro region throughout the 1720s saw a surge of slaves and settlers there.

Locations[edit | edit source]

There were several attempts to found a town near the Havana Bay in the early 1500s. A settlement was established by the Spanish Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar around 1514. The city sits on a bay that opens to the Gulf Stream and thus became a natural stopping point between Europe and the Americas. In the earliest stages of the golden age of piracy Havana was burnt to the ground by French corsair, Jacques de Sores. By the 1700s, Havana had become a large, heavily fortified port city where Spanish treasure ships would dock on their way to Europe. Pirates lurked on the approaches to the city, hoping to capture these same ships.

Originally founded as another Charles-Towne, the city was renamed Nassau in honor of King William III of the house of Orange-Nassau. This city has a particularly colorful past: In 1706 the city's officially appointed Governor skipped town, thus severing the Crown's direct control over the Bahamas. The islands languished for almost a decade in the hands of British citizens with little or no interest in Statesmanship. By 1713, the entire region had become a haven for pirates and it was in this period that Benjamin Hornigold declared Nassau to be a pirate republic. He proclaimed himself governor and thereafter every pirate of any sense and reputation used Nassau as a base of operation, transforming this small city of barely 1000 residences into a "nest of infamous bastards", according to the Governor of Bermuda.

Dating generally from the Mayan Classic period (AD 250 - 900), most Mayan ruins can be found throughout the Yucatán peninsula and Central America. Mayan Temples have steep stone steps and a platform at the top for wooden crowning structures. Mayan architecture is composed with a sophisticated eye to decoration, often using wall paintings and elaborate bas-relief stone carvings. Mayan arches forego the use of a keystone, instead creating a triangle-like arch known as a corbel vault.

Present day North and South Carolina were originally a single English colony, Province of Carolina. They split apart in 1729. The province's sparsely settled seacoast was often pillaged by pirates, including Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch, "Calico" Jack Rackham, Charles Vane and William Kidd.

Mayan Ruins can be found throughout the Yucatán Peninsula and Central America. This large civilization flourished from 250 - 900 AD.

The West Indies region is often beset by hurricanes and tropical storms. Combined with the shallow waters to be found there, the result is a high incidence of shipwrecks. Especially during the age of sail, vessels of all sizes were frequently tossed onto rocky shores. Their stranded crews often perished before they could be rescued.

The Observatory seems to have been a surveillance device built by the precursor "First Civilization" about eighty millenia ago. Its cavernous ante-chamber was built as a security measure, while its long corridors were used to store thousands of crystal blood vials containing the DNA of those whom the First Civ wished to spy on. At the heart of the Observator was a large theater lined with seats. At the fore was a massive device like an armillary sphere with a crystal skull housed at its center. When loaded with a crystal vial containing a subject's blood, the observatory device would come to life, illuminating the room with a holographic projection of a real time feed from the subject's own eyes and ears. In this way, the First Civ could spy for an indefinite period on this subject and those with whom he or she was associated, without fear of detection. Note too that the crystal skull can also be removed from its perch, turning it into a portable device, but also rendering the Observatory itself inoperable.

Landmarks[edit | edit source]

A dominating presence on Havana's Plaza de San Francisco, the Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis dates from 1580s. Originally, a statue of St. Francis of Assisi stood atop the bell tower, but this was blown off in a cyclone in 1846. Baroque features were added to the basilica in 1730.

The Governor's Mansion housed the acting Spanish governor in addition to prison facilities. A new governor's mansion was constructed across the square in 1791.

This drinking spot, named after "The King of Pirates" Henry Avery, was highly popular among gritty seafarers in the early 18th century. Legend had it that Avery himself once had a financial stake in several establishments throughout the West Indies, but that appears to be nothing more than self-promotion.

Laurens Prins was an incredibly successful slave-trader who spent the better part of his 80 years transporting human cargo from the west of Africa to the West Indies. Near the end of his life, he lived in semi-retirement on land he purchased near Kingston. One of his most active slave ships, the Whydah, was famously captured by the pirate, Sam Bellamy.

Sugar cane was introduced to the Caribbean basin by Christopher Columbus. It thrived throughout the islands. Indigenous Tainos in Cuba were conscripted to harvest the cane. Once harvested, the cane was taken to sugar mills to be washed, shredded, then repeatedly crushed to produce sugar.

Sixty-five steps carved directly into the promontory rock, the Queens [sic] Staircase connects the lower town to the fortifications above. Slaves carved the steps by hand in 1773-74 into the 102' (31m), solid limestone cliff.

As colonial governments expanded their duties in the West Indies, they often operated in an ad hoc manner. As a result, the improvised use of fortifications as a governor's residence or as the town prison was not unusual.

Construction of the Cathedral de la Virgen Maria de la Concepcion Immaculada de la Habana was started in 1748 and finished in 1777. A mesmerizing example of Baroque aesthetics, the building's obvious asymmetry and curious construction material - coral taken from the ocean nearby - make this one of the most unique houses of worship in the world, and one of the most iconic landmarks in the West Indies.

Built in 1589 to protect Havana's bay from pirates and foreign invaders, the Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro is an imposingly solid structure. Its mere presence put a stop to any raids on the city of Havana until the British invaded during the War of Jenkins' Ear in 1762.

Paintings[edit | edit source]

An unusual rendering of Saint Jerome as a scholar rather than an ascetic. The book supporting his hands alludes to his work as a Bible translator.

Harbor scenes such as depicted in this 1644 painting were a favorite subject of the artist Claude Lorrain.

An oil on canvas painting by Willem van de Velde II, the founder of the English school of marine painting. It shows a battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

More of a display of his imaginative and technical skills than an actual historic representation, this dramatic painting by Willem van de Velde II depicts a battle with Barbary corsairs from north Africa.

This painting by Luca Giordano was commisioned by King Philip V of Spain for display in the French court.

Strange Paintings[edit | edit source]

An impression of acquantances rousing in the morning. Everything is as it seems.

A beautiful scene of the harbor at sunset.
Definitely the original work.

A representation of time through various objects. Something feels off about this.

Art pieces[edit | edit source]

Gold-work from the Isthmus, representing a crowned half-human, half-bat figure flanked by four crocodile heads.

Artifacts[edit | edit source]

Today is my birthday.

Brandish every Cask, Bottle and Barrel of Alcohol. Everyone is to partake and sing my Praises. To ensure that this Do goes splendidly, I will take charge of the Stores and require its Key.

My Father will be most gratified at your swift fulfilment of my Commands.

- Emmerson Beckford

I, Thomas Cecil, hereby report that the following is a true Manifest of all the Goods, Wares and Merchandize, of the Marks, Numbers and Contents of each Package on board the Endeavor which Cargo was received at the Trading Post of Andreas Island from whence the Craft Sailed for the Plantation of Cat Island. Sugar - 110 Barrels Molasses - 25 Barrels Tobacco - 15 Barrels

John, It is done. Accompanying this Letter you will find the Will, fully notarized by myself and with the old Man's signature. It will survive the scrutiny of any English Court, I assure you. Arrangements for your Daughter's removal are also underway. My Associates in the Royal Navy tell me she will be apprehended within the Month. In fact, I hear they have solicited the most reputable Pirate Hunter Lieutenant Maynard for the Task. Courage my Friend. After so many long Years, we are almost there, Thomas Barehaire Esq.

In the Name of God, I, Theodore Rupert Braddock, being of sound Mind and Memory, do declare this my last Will and Testament, in Manner and Form following, revoking all former Wills by me made. As touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life, I give, devise, and bequeath all my Goods unto my well-beloved Son-in-Law, John Baldwin, Husband of my late daughter Elizabeth, to have and to hold the same unto him, his Heirs, and Assigns forever. I do nominate, constitute, and appoint my said Son-in-Law, John Baldwin, to be the sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament, charging him to see this my Will performed according to my true Intent and Meaning. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal, this Second day of January in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty. Signed, sealed, published, and declared by the said Theodore Rupert Braddock as and for his last Will and Testament, in the presence of us, who, at his Request and in his Presence, and in the Presence of each other, have subscribed our Names as Witnesses hereto. Theodore Rupert Braddock Witnessed by:
Thomas Barehaire, Esquire
John Baldwin

Thom, Don't go getting all uncharitable about this, I did it for your own Good. I knew we might strike some Trouble along the way, so I hid your Share with the original Will in the Likelihood we ever need the old Man's Signature again. The Locket's here too. I want it kept, no matter what you think. There is no one left to know of it's Significance, at any Rate. I'll recover it from you when all this is over, and include a Crate of Rum for the Inconvenience. Chin up Man! We're Home free! John.

Vance, I had to leave early. My Order requires a Report and there cannot be a Delay. I'll be waiting by the Tavern at the usual Time. Come with both pieces of the Map. Jing Lang

A letter to Lauren Prins, [sic] congratulating him on acquiring The Sage.

1. Cato, 35 years, superior carpenter and ship caulker.
2. York, 16 years, field hand.
3. Nero, 25 years, stone cutter.
4. Bess, 28 years, field cook, water carrier.
5. Esther, 31 years, midwife.
6. Gracey, 14 years, good house girl and child's nurse.
7. Anthony Morgan, about 30 years, fine engineer and field hand.
8. Sarah Morgan, 32 years, good field hand; tonsils occasionally inflamed. 9. Infant, 2 months.
10. Anthony, 3 years.
11. Stephen, 5 years.
12. Nace, 9 years.
13. Sophy, 12 years, likely.

You, Mr Thomas Stell, Ensign, stand charged for Dereliction of Duty. On Tuesday last you were tasked to deliver a Prisoner to the Church at the center of Kingston, but were discovered to be in a shameful and drunken State, having abandoned your Post. You are dismissed forthwith from Service, being no longer entitled to Pay or Protection from the Royal Navy.

Know all, by these Present, that I, Alvin of the Village of Grand Cayman, in consideration of the Sum of Forty-Two Reales in Hand, paid to me by Vargas of the Village of Grand Cayman, the Receipt of where I do acknowledge, have in turn sold and delivered in measured Weight One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Six Pounds of Mutton Snapper unto said Vargas. In witness whereof I have set my Hand the Fifth Day of May 1716.
Signed, sealed and delivered in the present of All and Sundry, viz. - Alvin of Grand Cayman

John Boreham, In Recognition of your Efforts as a Friend of the Church, we extend to you this private Invitation. Cross the Stream east of Kingston and follow the Lights on the Path. Tonight, we will induct you as a full Member of our Circle. This Opportunity will not be offered again. Yours in our Lord, Bishop Horace Ravenscroft

My dear Friend, Edward. After a rather unfortunate Kerfuffle with the Governor's men, I currently enjoy the Hospitalities of a Charles-Towne Jail. It's all a bit bothersome, but I have Faith I'll be freed soon. Luckly, I'd already stashed some of my Takings in the Cabin of my Ship. I've sent it ahead to Mystery Island, but the Crew can be unpredictable without a Captain. I thought you might be amenable to checking in on them. There will be Reward for the Inconvenience of course, and I'll meet you there when I manage to extricate myself. It'll be just like old Times! Signed Captain Stede Bonnet.

Edward, I am to be hanged on the Morrow. I imagined facing Death like you, Swords drawn, full of Gusto. Instead, I found myself begging and weeping at the Governor's feet. I fear your Advice was wasted on a Constitution like mine. Perharps I should've left off Pirating altogether, and sailed home to my Wife and Children. But I'm not quite the same Man who left them, am I? That was the Gift you gave me, the Courage to live free. I'll muster that Courage when the Morning comes. The Stories I promised will have to wait, Edward. But if, on your Adventures, you should hear any Tales of my sundry Exploits and Capers... then perhaps in the End I lived as I was meant to.

A sharp dagger once belonging to Stede Bonnet.

Well, that would be it, it seems. The Bags are packed, the Sails trimmed, the long Trick finally over. The old Revenge is ready for the Journey Home to Barbados Tomorrow, and myself along with her. I should be glad for it, and a large Part of me is. I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but I do miss my Mary, and the Children I left behind. How many can say they plundered with Ed Thatch, were pardoned by the King, and sailed Home to tell the Tale? And in Truth, I never quite found the Constitution for it all anyway, the Dust-ups and the general Bluster. So why, then, does my Heart still long for the open Sea? There's a sense of things yet undone. The Call of the Gulls and the Promise of Adventure is still wild, still clear. Thought the prospect of Danger turns my Stomach, the Dread of dying in a silken Bed forgotten and full of Regret is the more distasteful to me. Edward, my old friend, you had such a way with Words. What would you say in a Moment such as this? Sod it all. Barbados can wait. Mary will have to be patient. I'll to the Helm again,[sic] set a new Course, and make something of this Life.

Lieutenant Maynard, I am writing to you and not the Captain as it's clear you're the Authority in these Matters. The Pirate Master Gunner has been found. I will secure him aboard your Fleet when it next arrives at our Island. He remains uncooperative despite encouragement from me. I leave it to you to correct what remains of his Temper. Commander Cyrus

Jonathan, Once you have brough all you can into our Employ at Nassau, take whatever Gold is left and store it with the rest at the Beckford Estate. Await Word from me there. I have to finish our other Business. The irony that the Pirate's former Capital will help forge the Weapon that undoes them is almost too perfect. In the meantime, avail yourself of the Villa's Amenities. The spiced Wine is excellent. - Lt. Maynard

A mysterious crystal skull.

Portraits[edit | edit source]

A debonair portrait of Julien Du Casse, the infamous mercenary. Hangs above the bed in the Mansion at Great Inagua.

A vivid portrait of Laurens Prins, the reprehensible slaver. Hangs in the hall of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

An imposing portrait of Commodore Peter Chamberlaine, the notorious pirate hunter. Hangs next to the Templar Door in the Mansion at Great Inagua.

A fierce portrait of the pirate captain Edward Thatch, better known as Blackbeard. Hangs in the basement alley of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

A warm portrait of the gregarious Stede Bonnet. Hangs in the basement alley of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

A careful portrait of the multi-faceted Woodes Rogers. Hangs in the basement alley of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

A fine portrait of Benjamin Hornigold, the famed pirate turned pirate hunter. Hangs in the basement alley of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

A stern portrait of that pirate nemesis, Lieutenant Robert Maynard. Hangs in the stairwell of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

A dramatic portrait of the Templar Grandmaster, Laureano de Torres y Ayala. Hangs in the basement alley of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

A striking portrait of the mysterious and intimidating El Tiburon. Hangs in the Office of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

An impressive portrait of the legendary pirate, Bartholomew Roberts. Hangs in the basement alley of the Mansion at Great Inagua.

Ships[edit | edit source]

The schooner was a class of ship used as a general sailing vessel by both navies and civilian operators, providing light firepower and ample speed.

The brig was a class of ship bearing two square-rigged masts, and represented a compromise between larger, more powerful ships, and the faster, but less well-armed ones.

The man o' war was a type of large warship purpose built for warfare, boasting multiple gun decks, and crewed by heavily armed professional soldiers.

El Dorado was a brig that formed part of the Spanish Treasure Fleet. The fleet was destroyed in a hurricane, with the El Dorado its lone surviving vessel.

The Jackdaw was a brig captained by the pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway, who named it after the small, swift bird of his native Wales. The ship was known as El Dorado before Edward and his future quartermaster Adéwalé captured it from its fleet.

The Royal Fortune was a man o' war captained by the pirate and Sage Bartholomew Roberts, who elected to keep and renamed it after he captured it as the Nosso Senhor da Compreensão from the Portuguese Navy.

The Ranger was a brig formerly owned by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold before he passed it on to his colleague, Charles Vane.

El Arca del Maestro was a Spanish galleon used by the French Templar Julien du Casse. It was gifted to him by Templar Grand Master Laureano de Torres y Ayala to help further the Order's goals in the West Indies.

Queen Anne's Revenge was a British frigate that was originally a slave ship named La Concorde. It was later captured and renamed by Edward Thatch, who captained as the flagship of a small fleet.

Nosso Senhor da Compreensão was a man o' war that formed a part of the Portuguese Navy. It was later captured by the pirates Bartholomew Roberts and Edward Kenway off the coast of Mexico.

The Benjamin was a schooner owned and operated by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold.

El Impoluto was a legendary ship that could be found in the Gulf of Mexico. It was among the fastest and most maneuverable vessels in the Spanish Navy and - somewhat unusually for a man o' war - wielded a deadly naval ram.

HMS Prince was a legendary ship that could be found south of Saint-Domingue, surrounded by a ghostly fog. It was a Royal Navy warship whose tattered black sails gave the appearance of a "ghost ship", often terrifying sailors who happened upon it.

La Dama Negra was a legendary ship that could be found south of the fort of Serranilla in the Caribbean Sea. It was one of the strongest warships in the Spanish Navy, and was highly resistant to broadside fire due to its heavily armored sides.

HMS Fearless and the Royal Sovereign were twin legendary ships that could be found beyond the Bahamas, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. They looked identical, save for the reversed coloring of their sails and hull. They exhibited formidable teamwork, often employing flanking tactics to trap their target between them.

The man o' war class Ipswich was a massive warship captained by Lieutenant Robert Maynard as flagship of an Armada built to hunt down the pirate Edward Kenway.

Ship models[edit | edit source]

A miniature ship model of a Spanish Brig.

A miniature ship model of a Spanish Cutter.

A miniature ship model of a Spanish Schooner.

A miniature ship model of a Spanish Frigate.

A miniature ship model of a Spanish man o' war.

A miniature ship model of an English Brig.

A miniature ship model of an English Cutter.

A miniature ship model of an English Schooner.

A miniature ship model of an English Frigate.

A miniature ship model of an English man o' war.

A miniature ship model of the El Dorado.

A miniature ship model of the Jackdaw.

A miniature ship model of the Revenge.

A miniature ship model of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

A miniature ship model of Nosso Senhor da Compreensão.

A miniature ship model of El Impoluto.

A miniature ship model of the HMS Prince.

A miniature ship model of La Dama Negra.

A miniature ship model of the Brothers in Arms.

A miniature ship model of the Ipswich.

Fauna[edit | edit source]

In the Americas, the term ‘black panther’ generally refers to a melanistic jaguar. They are not a separate species, but a color morph of the spotted form. Black jaguars form less than ten percent of jaguars. Black jaguars can be found in Isla Providencia and Pinos Isle.

The cat is a small carnivorous mammal with a flexible body, sharp claws, and quick reflexes. Cats have long been domesticated, and are favored as pets for their affectionate independence, and playful natures. Sailors often keep cats aboard ships to deal with rats and other vermin.

The Crocodile is a large, tropical-dwelling tetrapod. Crocodiles can measure up to 15 feet long, weigh 2000 pounds, and live to be 70 years old. This prehistoric-looking predator preys on birds, fish, insects and other reptiles. Crocodiles have been known to indulge in cannibalistic behaviour. Because of this, they live in groupings of the same size. Not to be confused with alligators, crocodiles are bigger, lighter in color, and have narrower snouts. Although known to attack humans, the crocodile is more likely to flee than to react aggressively when approached. Crocodiles are most commonly found in Nassau, Long Bay, and Matanzas.

Deer are large hoofed ruminants notable for having two large and two small hooves on each foot. Males have antlers while the females do not, with the exception of a single species where the females also grow antlers. Deer are selective feeders, eating plant food low in fiber content and high in protein such as young grass, herbs, woody shoots, and bark. Various subspecies of deer can be found in the Caribbean bioregion. The red brocket deer, for example, is found in Trinidad and Tobago and the Key deer, introduced by colonists, inhabits the Florida Keys. Deer are most commonly found in Kingston, Salt Lagoon, and Santanillas.

Frigate birds are large seabirds with long wings, forked tails, and slender bodies. They generally inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans, often nesting on remote islands. Frigate birds are skilled fliers, and are known to steal food from other seabirds.

Found across the world in tropical and temperate waters, the hammerhead's unusual head shape gives it increased sensory ability to detect its prey. The hammerhead does not attack humans, although it can be lethal if provoked. Hammerhead sharks can be found in the Eleuthera and Gibara regions.

Considered one of the loudest animals on earth, the small-sized Howler Monkey generates a siren-like howl that can be heard from a distance of 3 miles (5km). They are not aggressive and are popular as pets in The West Indies. Howler monkeys are most commonly found in Kingston, Cape Bonavista, and Long Bay.

The hutia is a large rodent unique to the Caribbean basin which varies in size, and can form distinct species from island to island. Hutias are often hunted by locals to be eaten in a spiced stew. Hutias are most commonly found in Cayman Sound and Long Bay.

Iguanas are large, herbivorous lizards found throughout the Caribbean islands. The common iguana eats only leaves, flowers and fruit. Despite their at times fierce appearance they are not aggressive, and typically flee when threatened. However, they can lash their tails and bite if provoked. Iguana are found in Great Inagua, Andreas Island, and Abaco Island.

The largest feline in the Western hemisphere, the jaguar is distinguished by its compact and powerful build, its agility, and its unique killing method of biting directly into the skull to pierce the brain. The Mayans believed that the jaguars could carry messages to and from the afterworld. Jaguars are most commonly found in Cape Bonavista, Long Bay, Tulum, and Principe.

Also called a medusa, the jellyfish isn't technically a fish—it is a free-swimming non-vertebrate found in every sea across the world. Jellyfish consist of a gelatinous bell with trailing tentacles capable of stinging prey. Jellyfish stings are in most cases harmless to humans, but some can be extremely serious, even lethal.

Although related to sharks, manta rays are harmless. They can be quite large (up to 30 ft (9m) wide) and feed on small fish and plankton, funneling food into their mouth using cephalic flaps extending from the eyes. Manta rays, which are found all over the world, have the unique ability to leap from the water into the air to escape attackers.

Monkeys in the Caribbean are primarily an introduced African species called the green monkey, although up to the 17th Century these still shared territory with the now extinct Jamaican monkey. Both species were omnivores that ate a variety of foraged foods including fruit, seeds, flowers, insects, and smaller animals like frogs and birds. Monkeys were viewed as pests by farmers as they continually raided crops, but were favoured by locals and sailors who adopted them as mischievous, intelligent pets.

The ocelot is a wild cat that typically has yellow fur with dark stripes in the manner of a jaguar. Ocelots are nocturnal and range from the size of domestic cats up to four feet (1.2 meters) in length. Ocelot hides are coveted by leather workers for their ease of working, patterned fur, soft texture, and durability. Ocelots can be found in Cumberland Bay and Abaco Island.

The Caribbean basin provides an excellent climate for both land and sea turtles. Turtles are reptiles with a hard, protective upper shell called a carapace. Although they are natural swimmers and can stay submerged for up to 7 hours while resting, turtles breathe air. Despite being awkward and slow moving on land, they go ashore to lay their eggs.

White coats in animals can be due to a specific genetic mutation or albinism. The genetic mutation that yields a white jaguar also results in a more aggressive animal, making them dangerous as well as rare. White jaguars can be found at Great Inagua.

The wild pig, or boar, is a large cousin of the domesticated pig covered by hairy bristles. They were introduced by Europeans to the Caribbean basin (Columbus himself brought eight pigs with him from Spain). Wild pigs flourished in the island environment and were hunted by sailors and pirates to provide salted pork on their voyages. Wild pigs are most commonly found in Nassau, Great Inagua, and Cape Bonavista.

So-called because of their short snouts and their tendency to head-butt prey, bull sharks are commonly found in warm, shallow waters. They are extremely aggressive and dangerous to humans. The females are larger than the males, and adults measure well over seven feet (2.15m) long. Bull sharks can be found in the Dry Tortuga, Gibara, and Punta Guarico regions.

Found throughout Central and South America, capuchin monkeys are small and highly intelligent. They eat almost anything -- nuts, fruits, small birds, frogs, clams, etc. Many pirates favored capuchins as pets. Capuchins can be found in Matanzas and Misteriosa.

The largest predatory fish in the world, the great white's lethal aspect is due to its nearly 300 serrated teeth arranged in rows. Great whites have been known to attack humans, but usually more out of curiosity than hunger -- "sample biting" and then releasing their victims. The great white reaches an average length of 15 feet (4.6m). Great white sharks can be found in the Cruz and Serranilla regions.

Known for emitting complex sequences of haunting moans, the humpback is a large whale that reaches up to 62 feet (19 meters) in length. They migrate from the poles to the equator seasonally and travel in pods. Humpback whales can be found in the Castillo De Jagua and Navassa regions.

Called the Grampus by sailors in the 18th century, the killer whale, or Orca, is part of the dolphin family. Known for their ferociously deadly predation, killer whales feast on seals, sea-lions and even other whales. They hunt in pods in the manner of wolf packs and are found throughout the world's seas. Killer whales can be found in the Cruz and Conttoyor regions.

Red howler monkeys are distinguished from other howler monkeys by their reddish fur and large size. They are generally found throughout South and Central America. Red howler monkeys can be located on Isla Providencia.

Allies[edit | edit source]

Born: 1692, Trinidad

Died: 1758, New York

Born to enslaved Ogoni parents in Yoruba, Adéwalé was sold to the owner of a prosperous plantation when still a child. He remained on this plantation, working the fields, until his mid teens, always scheming of ways to escape his predicament, but uneasy with the prospect of living life as a fugitive.

Then fortune intervened, giving Adéwalé the sign he needed. Near his 16th birthday, a group of buccaneers raided the plantation, robbing it of raw cane, refined sugar, and as many reales as they could find. Seeing in this an opportunity, Adé grabbed a crate of sugar and hauled it aboard one of the longboats the buccaneers had rowed ashore. Surprised to see a slave among them, the Buccaneers were nevertheless thankful for the aid, and welcomed Adé among them.

Adé sailed with this first group of men for many years, quickly learning the ways of a seaman, grateful for the chance to develop his own skills and chase his own passions. And though his life among buccaneers was not free of the usual bigotry of the era, Adé found the prejudice to be more confrontational than restrictive.

In 1715, misfortune struck a cruel blow when the ship Adé was aboard, struck a shallow sandbar near the port of Havana. The buccaneers—mostly British at the time—tried desperately to free the trapped vessel, but after catching sight of an approaching Spanish Galleon, abandoned ship only to be torn apart by schools of circling bull sharks. Adé made peace with his fate, and stood his ground.

Taken to Havana for questioning and inspection, Spanish authorities eventually decided to send Adéwalé to Spain, where they felt he would make an excellent interpreter, owing to his fluent command of Spanish, English, and French. Some weeks later, they loaded him into of the Galleons that made up their perennial treasure convoy, en route to Seville.

Thanks in large part to a hurricane, however, that trip never took place. With the aid of a young Welsh pirate named Edward Kenway, Adé escaped the bilboes that bound him. Freeing more prisoners as they went, Adé and Edward commandeered a Brigantine and set sail just in time to beat the worst of the storm. When the hurricane passed, Adé was free once more.

From that point forward, Adé sailed as the quartermaster aboard Captain Edward's ship, the Jackdaw. Operating out of Nassau for a time, they grew wealthy off their spoils and lived the lives they had always dreamed. But Adé was a man who valued the democratic ideals of this pirate community far above the spoils they acquired while living it. And as he saw Edward Kenway fall deeper and deeper into a spiral of selfish greed and pointless glory, he wondered if there wasn't a better alternative... a more noble cause he might adopt to suit his ideals.

In 1720, these very ideals were put to the test when Captain Kenway sailed to a meeting with the notorious Bartholomew Roberts. Adéwalé had never trusted Roberts, and had hoped Edward might come to the same conclusion before it was too late. Unfortunately, Adé's instincts were correct. In Edward's absence, Roberts' enormous crew attacked the Jackdaw, hoping to subdue her. Adé took command of the brig and sailed her and her crew to safety, regretting the loss of his Captain, but confident he had made the right decision.

Some months later, Adé resolved to meet with Ah Tabai at the Assassin's village in Tulum. There he spoke at length with the old Mentor and asked him many questions about their Order. After hearing answers that pleased him greatly, Adé joined the Order, then set about devising a scheme to locate his old Captain.

Months later Adéwalé and the Assassins got word that Edward Kenway had been languishing for many months in a prison in Port Royal. They learned too that Mary Read and Anne Bonny had also been taken there. Adé and Ah Tabai put a plan in motion to rescue them. After the escape—a tragic success—Adé returned the Jackdaw intact to Captain Kenway, and bade him visit the Assassins as soon as he was able.

And in due time, Edward Kenway did just that...

Born: 1660s, Yucatan Peninsula
Died: c.1745, Yucatan Peninsula Named for the Mayan god of hunting, Ah Tabai's given name remains a mystery, and very little is known about his earliest decades. The only child he is known to have fathered died before the age of ten. What little else we know about him comes from his own mouth; from the stories he told those who knew him. When speaking about his own past, he avoids personal details in favor of abstractions and hints. He frequently speaks of his love and admiration for the tragic history of his people, and used these stories to illustrate the complex intersections of cultures and religions, frequently pointing out the fact that "From within and without come enemies and allies alike. Nothing in life is guaranteed, except surprise..." It is not known how early Ah Tabai acquired the title of Mentor, nor how large his impact was on the Assassins of the West Indies. However, that he maintained semi-regular contact with the Assassins in the British colonies to the north, in various parts of Europe and Africa, and in China. He was instrumental in opening his branch to men and women from all walks of life - mostly Europeans, Africans, and those Native to the area. As a native Mayan himself, rumors and stories of the ancient Observatory were not foreign to Ah Tabai. So when in 1713 rumors of a new "Sage" began to surface, Ah Tabai took it upon himself to locate the man, believing the Assassins should be the protectors of the ancient and mysterious place. He sent word far and wide to as many Assassin outposts as possible, hoping their network of spies and informants would lead them to their prize. But after two years, there was no word. Then, in early 1715, an experienced British Assassin named Duncan Walpole arrived at Ah Tabai's encampment, initially expressing a desire to train under the Mentor directly. Ah Tabai found the request odd but flattering, for Walpole had already achieved a level of Mastery few assassins ever reached. After many months of intensive training, Ah Tabai came to consider Duncan Walpole as one of his most trusted colleagues. Then in June of 1715, word arrived that the Templars had located and imprisoned the Sage on Spanish lands in the far south. Seeing an opportunity to cripple his arch-enemies, Ah Tabai entrusted Duncan Walpole with the task of rallying various Assassins around the West Indies and leading an assault on the Templar prison ship en route to Havana. Duncan Walpole agreed to this task... and was never heard from again. It was only after Edward Kenway's disastrous meddling in Havana that Ah Tabai was made aware of the full extent of Walpole's betrayal.

Born: 1702, Ireland
Died: Unknown Anne was barely a teen when she left her native Cork in Ireland for the British colonies, and by sixteen she was en route to West Indies at side of her new husband, Mr. Jack Bonny, a gentle but sturdy young man in his early 20s. The pair arrived in Nassau in April of 1716, settling down with an unclear idea of what shape their lives might take. Jack eventually found work on one of the small plantations there, while Anne cultivated her ability to loaf and daydream. Unfortunately, her beauty, aloofness, and complete indifference to propriety made her the object of more romantic attention than she had ever known or cared for. Within a year of arriving in Nassau, the Bonnys' marriage was in shambles, a union only in name. While Jack disappeared further into his work, Anne grew more confident and sociable, eventually taking a job as a barmaid at the popular Old Avery tavern in the center of Nassau. And though she took on a few lovers in the next few years, it was mostly out of envy and spite that the rabble of Nassau branded Anne a harlot and a tease. But with no high society to shun or shame her, Anne's desirability only increased on the strength of these rumors. After living and working in Nassau to no great purpose, Anne eventually fell for the roguish charms of "Calico" Jack Rackham. A man who had already fallen into and out of piracy, Rackham was just the sort of character to lure Anne away from her dull marriage. It was also around this time that Anne befriended Mary Read, whose manly disguise she had seen right through. The two grew to be close friends, much to the consternation of Rackham, who threatened Mary with violence for flirting with his prize. Mary, to diffuse the situation, revealed herself to Rackham too... much to his delight no doubt. A few months later, for reasons not entirely clear, Anne, Mary and Rackham raised a small crew, slipped aboard a marooned schooner, and sailed from Nassau's port under cover of darkness. Their goal was to execute a series of swift robberies before retiring with enough gold to live on, but once again Rackham's incompetence proved disastrous. Within 3 months of setting out, Anne and Mary found themselves alone on the deck of their stolen, damaged schooner, fighting off waves of British soldiers as Jack and the rest of his crew lay below deck, passed out from a heavy night of drinking. They were outnumbered, and quickly detained. The British authorities, surprised to find two women fighting so fiercely as pirates, deigned to make a show of their subsequent trial. But Anne and Mary had a plan of their own. Unbeknownst to the British, both were pregnant—Anne by Rackham, most likely, and Mary by an unnamed sailor—a fact which they revealed just as the judge passed a sentence of execution on them. Owing to the fact of them being "quick with child", the judge stayed their executions until the came to term. Some 4 months later, Mary had her child, but died soon after in prison of a terrible infection. Anne, however, was rescued by Edward Kenway and the Assassin master Ah Tabai just in time to give birth at the Assassin camp at Tulum. The child, a boy, died soon after and struggling with the loss of her son and friends, Anne became deeply depressed. Not long afterward Edward returned to Tulum. With Adéwalé having left to join the Assassins, the Jackdaw was in need of a new quartermaster. Anne agreed to replace him and took to her new role with gusto, helping in the pursuit of Sage Bartholomew Roberts, Templar Woodes Rogers and Grand Master Laureano de Torres, and the eventual defeat of British pirate hunter Lieutenant Robert Maynard. Despite being coyly invited by Edward to return to England with him, Anne chose to stay at Great Inagua, though she lacked the conviction to join the Assassins. Anne's final fate is uncertain. It was commonly assumed that her father eventually came for her, and spirited her back to the British colonies in North America. A burial record found in archives for St. Catherine Parish in Jamaica suggesting she might have died at or near Spanish Town in 1733 remains the subject of historical debate.

Born: 1670, Africa
Died: Unknown Born to the Ashanti tribe in the Akon region of West Africa, Antó was sold into slavery as a young man, and sent to Jamaica. He soon escaped with the help of the legendary warrior, Kujo, and founded a Maroon community near Kingston. There he quickly established a good relationship with the local traders, and began coordinating plantation raids to free slaves and build an army. Although he ran the Assassin bureau, Antó's priority was always to free slaves from captivity.

Born: 1680, England
Died: 1718, North Carolina Known variously by different sources as Thatch, Teach, Theach, Tache, Titche, Teatch, Tack, and more, we are fairly certain Edward Thatch was born in or around Bristol and took to the sea at an early age, most likely in his teens. It is also speculated that he arrived in the West Indies quite soon after leaving England. If this was indeed the case, Ed Thatch would have seen his fair share of the War of Spanish Succession, a protracted fight between most of the Empires of Europe that pitted Hapsburg Austia and its British ally against Bourbon France and Spain. In these early years, from 1700 to 1713, Thatch was a privateer or at the very least a merchant seaman, doing his part for the crown—Queen Anne at the time. But with the Treaty of Utrecht bestowing peace upon a troubled Europe in 1713, Thatch and his fellow sailors found themselves far from home and out of work. Thus, they turned to piracy as a means of sustaining themselves. In the ensuing years, Thatch befriended a captain named Benjamin Hornigold and soon after joined his crew as quartermaster, at some point between late 1714 and early 1716. Settling in Nassau, Thatch, Hornigold, and the rest of the "Flying Gang" as these pirates called themselves, began cooking up schemes far larger than most pirates of the era dared dream. Wanting nothing less than a country of their own, they worked to turn Nassau into a place of liberty and freedom for all who desired an escape from the bonds of imperial rule. As Thatch's reputation as a worthy and fearsome seaman grew, so did his ideas about piracy. At some point in the latter half of 1717, having grown a long and frightful beard, he took to calling himself "Blackbeard", and worked at every turn to bolster his legend as the most feared pirate in the West Indies. Thatch reveled in the power of a good legend, and worked hard to cultivate his—frequently sticking lit slow-matches in his hat to raise a frightening cloud, or challenging his crews to endure long stretches below deck as burning sulfur clouded the hold. After helping Hornigold take command of a number of vessels, Edward Thatch finally acquired a ship of his own in September 1717—a vessel called "The Adventure"—captained by the most unlikely pirate of them all, one Stede Bonnet. For two months, Thatch captained the Adventure, with Stede content to tag along as a passenger. But in November, Thatch's fortunes improved further when he captured a massive French slave ship called La Concorde. Renaming her Queen Anne's Revenge in honor of his former Stuart Queen (and possibly as a subversion to validate his continued piracy), Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch was now one of the most feared and deadly pirates in the West Indies. For the next year he terrorized the West Indies and environs, before sailing north to the British colonies in North America. Here he frightened the inhabitants of an entire city when he blockaded the port of Charleston, South Carolina, in an attempt to acquire medicine for his ailing crew. But shortly after this audacious gambit, Blackbeard decided he'd had enough of the pirate life. He was nearing forty and, despite his ferocious reputation, had lost his love for the pirate's game. In the early summer of 1718, he half-heartedly accepted a pardon from his friend Charles Eden, Governor of North Carolina. But by late August of that same year he had fallen back into his old habits, restricting his activities to the southeastern coast of the North American British colonies. Unbeknownst to him, the Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, was keenly aware of his continued piracies, and was busy organizing a party to "extirpate this nest of vipers". In November of 1718, Spotswood offered money to British pirate hunter Lieutenant Maynard to see the job done. Taking command of a few fast ships well suited to the shallow inlets where Blackbeard was known to hide, Maynard set off in search of his prize. He learned from passing ships that Blackbeard was likely anchored on the inland side of Ocracoke Island, an ideal haunt for a pirate. As dusk fell on November 21st, Maynard and his crew spotted Blackbeard's rag-tag group, but decided to hold off their attack until the tide rose. In the early hours of the following day, Maynard's crew slipped into the bay and approached Blackbeard's ship. They were greeted by a sudden volley of pistol shots and cannon fire. This caused Maynard to retreat, giving Blackbeard and his crew time to slip through the shallow waters and escape. However, weary of his continual pursuit, Blackbeard sought out Maynard and was caught in fierce hand to hand fighting with his crew on the deck of Maynard's ship. Despite help from his consort Edward Kenway, Blackbeard was overcome. Heavily wounded by multiple sword strokes and pistol shots, he was slain by Maynard who struck the final blow from behind.

Born: 1693, Wales
Died: 1735, England Edward James Kenway was born on the 10th of March in Swansea, Wales, to Bernard Kenway of Manchester and Linette Hopkins of nearby Cardiff. By Edward's 10th birthday, his father had moved the family to a small farm just outside Bristol, a nearby port town in the southwest of England. This relocation had a depressing effect on young Edward's mood. He grew restless from a lack of contact with old friends and struggled to find an outlet for his limitless energy. By his teens he was spending more and more time in the city away from his farm, where the lure of excitement overrode prudence. By age sixteen, he had substituted a career as a successful farmer for a life of hopeless tomfoolery, frequently shirking his responsibilities to his family in favor of rough company. In late 1711, at the age of seventeen, Edward met Caroline Scott, a woman of modest but steady means. Their friendship began cautiously, as Caroline's hand had already been promised to the boorish son of a wealthy East India Company executive. But Edward's charms eventually won out, and he and Caroline were married within a year of their meeting; a union that angered her father, and got the whole of Bristol talking. In the earliest months of their marriage, Edward resolved to do well by his wife and provide for her as he believed a man in his position should. But his grandiose dreams and exaggerated opinion of himself prevented him from taking immediate responsibility for their well-being. And after only a year, he had stumbled back into his worst habits - drinking, fighting and idleness. It was in this dark period that Edward revived an old idea of joining a privateering fleet sailing for the West Indies, with the aim of making war against the Spanish and collecting unchecked sums of gold and cargo. This, he told his wife, was their path to quick riches. Being a sensible and prudent woman, Caroline discouraged these fanciful ideas. By the summer of 1712, Caroline understood that her husband's departure was inevitable. She wanted no further part of Edward's reckless plan, and so left him to live with her parents. Stunned by this sudden turn, Edward was determined to earn his fortune fast and prove himself as capable as he always claimed he was. He left for the West Indies barely one month later, where he soon fell in with the privateer Benjamin Hornigold and his quartermaster, Ed Thatch. Edward spent the first half of 1713 sailing with these two seasoned sailors, on regular sweeps of the windward passage. But that year, fate threw him another upset. With the signing of the treaty of Utrecht, all hostile actions between the major empires came to an end and the prospects of British privateers dried up. Now poor, unemployed, and thousands of miles from home, Edward and his colleagues settled on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to reconsider their options. These were fanciful days for Edward. He discovered in the small town of Nassau a life quite unlike that which he had left behind. The atmosphere of wild and noisy freedom in this small stateless encampment overwhelmed and captivated him. The drinking, the gaming, the women, the aimless desire to simply live as one pleased. And yet, as carefree as he was, his beloved Caroline was never far from his mind. If he could make something of himself in the West Indies—working a sugar plantation, perhaps—he might win her back after all his time away. But in absence of true conviction, habit takes hold fast; and it was only a matter of time before Edward set back out to sea with his mates, to live the life they knew best; no longer privateers—legal and sanctioned—but as pirates now, with nary a whit of loyalty to kin and country, earning his fortune by the sword and pistol, praying his end was never too near. Sometime in the year 1715 Edward was imprisoned on a Spanish Treasure Fleet and escaped with the African pirate Adéwalé. The pair immediately became fast friends. They stole the ship El Dorado and rechristened her the Jackdaw, with Edward as its captain and Adéwalé as quartermaster, later establishing a base of operations on the island of Great Inagua. For the next years, Edward struggled with a growing conflict between his desire for wealth, and duty to his friends. After losing most of his closest friends, including Blackbeard and Mary Read, and only barely escaping the attention of famed British pirate hunter Lieutenant Robert Maynard, he realized the folly of his direction. He subsequently joined the Assassins, and helped hunt down Templars throughout the region. After more than a decade in the West Indies, Edward learned his wife Caroline had died and left him a daughter. WIth her mother gone and her grandfather uninterested in raising her, nine year old Jennifer Scott sailed out to Great Inagua in 1722 to meet her father for the first time. Edward, his heart and mind finally reconciled, entrusted Great Inagua to the Brotherhood and returned to England with his daughter. After receiving a pardon from Robert Walpole he acquired an estate in London, and later married English nobelwoman [sic] Tessa Stephenson-Oakley, with whom he fathered a son, Haytham. Upon returning to England Edward joined the British Assassins, quickly rising to the rank of Master Assassin and then co-leader alongside London Assassin Miko. He began researching the Isu, travelling the world in search of more sites like the Observatory in the West Indies, and recording his research in a journal. Edward eventually retired from active duty to spend more time preparing his son for the Brotherhood. However, in 1735, Edward was killed in his family estate by mercenaries sent by the Templar Grand Master Reginald Birch, who wanted Edward's journal. Despite his father's careful training to the contrary, Birch then took advantage of Edward's death to indoctrinate Haytham into the Templar Order.

Born: 1682, Jamaica
Died: 1721, Jamaica Of the few infamous pirates to call the West Indies his birthplace, Jack Rackham was born in Jamaica at the height of Port Royal's boom as a den of scoundrels. This would likely explain his atrophied moral compass, for he was frequently drunk, rarely serious about anything, and always chasing women. He used his outrageous and offensive charm to keep out of most trouble. But a strategist and fighter he was not. Nicknamed "Calico" for his affinity for Indian and Asian prints, he was a terrible sailor and a worse pirate, given to flights of fancy and myopic ideas that served only himself, rather than solid strategic thinking. He was likely drunk for half of his adulthood, and had a weakness for women that trumped all basic needs, such as sleeping or eating. His disarming charm, dashing good looks, and his swift wit carried him far, but parties can only last so long before someone has to clean up after them. After marooning Charles Vane and leaving his former captain with a small, shattered vessel, Rackham knocked about the West Indies for barely 2 months before returning to Nassau and accepting the King's pardon from Governor Rogers. Was it boredom that brought him back? Or the affections of a lady he sought? Quite possibly the latter, for he soon found himself involved with another man's wife – the fetching Anne Bonny, a woman 20 years his junior. When their relationship was discovered, Anne's husband was so appalled by his wife's infidelity that he tried to have her arrested and whipped. Rackham offered to pay for a divorce but the husband would not hear of it. At their wit's end, Anne and Jack decided to elope and return to the sea as pirates. Joining their crew was Mary Read, still passing as a man. Together the three set off in search of a fresh ship of freedom. But they did not get far. Within 4 months of their flight from Nassau, they were captured by authorities and brought to trial. Jack was kept in a prison in Jamaica, perhaps in a cell near his old rival Charles Vane. A few weeks later he was hanged, and his body gibbeted just outside Port Royal on a small islet now called "Rackham's Cay".

Born: 1691, England
Died: 1720, England Daughter of Emmett and Elizabeth Scott, Caroline was born in Bristol, England, to a prosperous family of merchants and civil servants. Given a modest education by her father, she furthered her own studies in her own way, taking time to read as often as her familiar duties allowed. Splitting her time between this and helping her mother manage her father's affairs, she grew into a confident and level-headed woman with more skill and intelligence than her situation allowed her to exercise. Caroline first met Edward Kenway outside the Auld Shillelagh, in the aftermath of a drunken altercation. She had arrived to fetch one of her servants and there found Edward escorting the woman from the clutches of one of Bristol's more notorious cads. Thankful for his kindness, Caroline agreed to a second meeting on more equitable terms, hardly thinking a romance possible. And yet—against all odds—that is just what happened. Edward and Caroline grew quite close, and soon fell in love, quite much to the dismay of her father. Emmett Scott had already promised his daughter to the son of a wealthy East India Company executive, and made his displeasure apparent at every turn. But all his noise was to no avail. Caroline and Edward were married in 1712. For a time it seemed as though this odd pairing might produce a lasting union. But Edward's deep love for his wife was offset by his uncouth habits and reckless attention to responsibility. Not content to live a life of middle class drudgery, Edward dreamed large, and fixed on the idea that he could sail to the West Indies and fight as a Privateer against the Spanish. Or, barring that, buy some land and sow a sugar plantation. Caroline tried to dissuade her husband, but to no effect. At last his drunken antics and wild dreams strained their marriage beyond repair. To further complicate matters, Caroline discovered she was pregnant, and could not fathom Edward being a responsible father to their child. She resolved then to leave her husband and live again with her parents. Edward was hurt by the idea, but the shock of it did nothing to cure his fantasies. Instead he doubled down, and left for the New World, vowing to prove himself a man of quality. Caroline had her child some months after Edward's departure, calling the girl Jennifer. In the ensuing years, Caroline lived a life that alternated between great joy and crushing grief. She had a beautiful daughter and a supportive mother, yet her father—ever resentful for Caroline's defiance—never treated her as a daughter again. In early 1720 tragedy struck with a slow but deadly force—Caroline fell ill, and for many months languished at her parent's home, desperate to get well. Emmett Scott, believing his daughter's illness to be self-induced, did little to aid her. Unfortunately, the disease was all too real. Caroline Scott Kenway died in 1720 in her parents' home on Hawkins Lane, in Bristol.

Born: 1695, England
Died: ???? Even though not yet out of his teens, James Kidd was a cocky and confident lad with a brashness cultivated to counter his youth. He claimed to be the bastard son of the late William Kidd, the infamous privateer-turned-pirate who was captured and hanged by British authorities in 1701. Although James had no proof of this connection, his mother always insisted on it, claiming that she spent a single "panicked night of passion" with Captain Kidd just before his departure from London in 1695. Growing up fatherless and with a spendthrift mother did little to improve his prospects at leading a normal life, and at the age of 12 he found employment aboard merchant vessels sailing between the British colonies in North America and the West Indies. By the time he was 17 he called Jamaica his home, where he further honed his skills as a sailor here. Although he never sailed with the likes of Ben Hornigold, Ed Thatch, or Edward Kenway, James was among the first sailors to settle in Nassau, and was a central figure in its development as a pirate republic.

Born: 1713, England
Died: 1805, England Jennifer "Jenny" Scott was the first and only child of Caroline Scott and Edward Kenway. Born in Bristol, after Edward Kenway's departure to the West Indies, she was raised by her mother and her mother's parents, and so took her mother's surname. Despite being the issue of a legitimate marriage, Jenny's grandfather, Emmett, treated her with disdain and contempt, owing to his hatred of her father Edward Kenway. Thankfully her grandmother -- Caroline's mother, Elizabeth -- was a constant source of strength, and she brought much joy to a life otherwise marked by idleness and boredom. Around 1719 or 1720, fate took a turn for the worse as Caroline fell gravely ill. Emmett, believing his daughter's malady a mere "complaint of the nerves," ignored the seriousness of his daughter's situation until it was too late. Caroline died before Jenny was seven. Shortly after, a letter arrived at the Scott household addressed to Caroline. It was from Edward Kenway, Caroline's estranged husband and Jenny's father. Eager to rid his household of the girl he had always found to be a burden, Emmett Scott made arrangements to send his granddaughter to live with Edward in the West Indies, hardly caring if Edward's claim to have made a small but reasonable fortune there were true. In late August of 1722, Jenny boarded a ship bound for the West to meet her father for the first time...

Born: Unknown, England
Died: ???? Of all the infamous West Indies pirates, Mary Read stands out as one of the most mysterious and inscrutable. No one is sure when she was born, with most speculation ranging over almost a decade, between 1685 and 1695. According to Charles Johnson—a frequently unreliable source—her mother began dressing Mary in boy's clothes from a very early age, with the hope of passing her off as another man's son. In her teens, Mary evidently harnessed her skill for disguise to secure a job aboard a ship. Taking to sea, she worked her way forward until she found a position in the British Navy. Still disguised as a man, she saw action in battle, though owing to the conflicting reports of her birth, which battle is uncertain. It was during these skirmishes that Mary met her first husband—so the author of the "General History of Pyrates" claims—a Flemish soldier who had evidently fought beside her. But this union was not fated to remain intact, as Mary's husband was killed soon after their marriage. With few reasons to remain in Europe, Mary sailed for the West Indies. It is unclear what transpired in the years following, but it is almost certain that she resumed the practice of dressing as a man. It is also assumed Mary continued working aboard ships, improving her skills as a sailor and swordsman. By 1715 or 1716, it was likely she had visited her fellow sailors in Nassau, though perhaps not for the same reasons...

Born: 1695, Cuba
Died: Unknown Born in Cuba, Assassin bureau leader Opía Apito was raised Taíno, among her mother's people, never knowing her father, a Spaniard. At twelve, her village was raided by the Spanish. Most of her community was kidnapped and killed. But Opía, the lone free survivor, fought and ran. She survived in hiding for close to a decade. Much of what we know of Opía is inseparable from legend. Her name, possibly self-given, is an amalgam of the Taíno words for "eternity" and "ghost." She claimed to be a direct descendant of the warrior Hatuey, who stood against the Spanish in the 16th Century. She was guided throughout her life by the mantra, Aji aya bom—better dead than a slave. In her early twenties, she was hired by the Assassins as a guide, and was soon adopted into their ranks. She delighted in a characteristic Taíno approach to strategy: preferring to harm the enemy by taking something from him in battle, that he might live to notice it missing. But as an Assassin she did not shrink from violence. True to her name, once promoted to Assassin Bureau leader, she built an agile and highly effective "ghost" bureau near the Cayman Islands, with virtually no physical footprint to speak of. We might regard it today as an early example of a terrorist cell, but she left no records and no descendants, and until now, history has held no record of it.

Born: 1688, Scotland
Died: Unknown Born in Scotland, Rhona Dinsmore was made for adventure. After suffering the lows of a troubled household–an absent father and a drunkard of a mother–Dinsmore left her home in Glasgow in her mid-teens. At nineteen, she found work amongst merchants in Bristol and remained at that post for nearly two years. By twenty-one, Dinsmore was trapped in a terrible marriage. She fled again and sought refuge in Boston, where she remained for six months, before moving on to the warmer climes of Jamaica. There she found it exceedingly difficult to find work among farmers, and finally took to the sea, ultimately finding her calling within the Assassin Brotherhood.

Born: 1688, Barbados Died: 1718, Charles Town Born into plentitude and wealth on Barbados, Stede Bonnet seemed destined for a life of pleasure and ease. The son of a successful and influential plantation owner, his early life was marked by tragedy when his parents died suddenly, leaving seven year-old Stede orphaned and in a perpetual state of melancholy. His inheritance of some 400 acres of land softened the blow caused by the loss of his parents, and by the time Stede was in his late teens, he had already restored the sugar plantation to a profitable state. He married young and set about starting a family as soon as possible, but owing to what some called a "disorder of the mind" he never found solace or comfort in these domestic trappings. To further complicate his unease, his firstborn son died in infancy, further amplifying his grief and stiming his restlessness. As a means of coping, he dreamed of going to sea and sailing about the world, meeting people, living life as a man free of the obligations thrust upon him. At some point around Stede's 29th birthday, his restlessness got the better of him. Owing to "some discomfort he found in a married state" which brought on a "disorder of the mind", Stede decided it was time to take his first bold step into the life he had always dreamed about. Using his considerable fortune, he either purchased a boat or had one built for him—a small schooner he christened "The Revenge". To maintain some semblance to the comforts he had come to enjoy as a man of means, he installed a full library in the Captain's quarters, and packed his wardrobe with all manner of finery—silk pajamas, smoking jackets, and frocks. Near the end of 1717, his ship was ready. He bid adieu to his wife and remaining children and weighed anchor, sailing north from Barbados, hoping to reach the British colonies within a few months. He would never see his family again. Now sailing under the moniker "Captain Edwards", Bonnet sailed about the West Indies looking for his first prize. Spotting a large Spanish warship, his crew foolishly encouraged an attack. After a brief engagement, almost half of Bonnet's crew was dead or injured. Miraculously, the Revenge was able to escape capture herself, and Bonnet ordered the crew to sail her to the only place he knew he could find refuge: Nassau. It was here, in the pirates' infamous republic, that Stede met and befriended Captain Thatch, the infamous and capable captain who had recently taken to calling himself Blackbeard. Thatch managed to convince Bonnet to hand over the Revenge's reigns, leaving Stede happily confined to his cabin. The two sailed about as unlikely partners for some months, until Blackbeard took a far greater prize for himself: the Queen Anne's Revenge. After keeping Bonnet's Revenge in his own fleet for a short time, Blackbeard suddenly abandoned her along with most of its crew. Bonnet was again free to seek his own path. Perhaps believing he had been properly mentored under Blackbeard's tutelage, Bonnet stuck out for the Danish island of St. Thomas, hoping to earn a privateering commission. But his crew had other ideas. Plunging headlong into piracy once more, Stede's crew lashed out recklessly at every prize they could find. At the urging of Ignatius Pell, a member of his crew, Bonnet embarked on his most ambitious prize yet--a fleet of eleven vessels just outside Charles-Towne, glutted with cargo and ripe for the taking. This proved to be his undoing, for the fleet had been set up as bait for precisely Bonnet himself. Pirate Hunters hired by the governor of South Carolina set upon the Revenge just as Bonnet engaged, severely crippling his fleet and sending it limping into the shallows of the river. In an act of unlikely heroism, Bonnet swapped places with his crew under cover of darkness, placing them at the helm of the Revenge and sending them off to safeguard his spoils. He remained behind on the river and drew the fire of enemy sloops, allowing Pell and Rowland Sharp to break through the blockade, while he was eventually overcome and captured. Once imprisoned within the Charles-Towne jail, Bonnet gained something of a popular following among the citizenry, delighted by this articulate and good-natured gentleman pirate. While he awaited trial, numerous people came forward as witnesses to attest to the good quality of his character. But this came to nothing, and after one botched escape attempt, Stede was finally walked to the gallows in December, 1718. As the hangman slipped the noose around his neck, he broke down in tears, begging for mercy. The sight of his abject shame moved many to tears, but it was not enough to save him. The "Gentleman Pirate" was no more.

Born: 1688, England
Died: Unknown Upton Travers was born in England, in 1688, two years ahead of his brother, Vance Travers. Together, they traveled to the West Indies in search of their fortune. There they established a smuggling business, which they used to fund their growing involvement with the Assassin brotherhood. Although Vance was the more charismatic of the two Assassin brothers, Upton made up for it with his measured, sensible responses to life's challenges. However, every man has a breaking point, and Upton found his after Vance took up with the Chinese "Pirate Queen," Jing Lang, a Templar, and sought to steal the treasure on which they had staked their retirement before finally attempting fratricide. Depressed, Upton turned to alcohol, which may have been a factor in his retaliation. He ultimately had both Jing Lang and his brother dispatched with the help of Edward Kenway.

Enemies[edit | edit source]

Born: 1682, Wales

Died: 1722, West Coast of Africa

Originally hailing from Wales, little is known about John Roberts, the real name of the man who would come to be known as "Black Bart" long after his death.

Most assume he went to sea at a very young age -- at 13 or so -- but there is no record of him in any historical documents until his noted appearance in 1718 aboard a merchant's ship, Barbadian in origin. Just a year later Roberts was pressed into piracy by the notorious Howell Davis while working aboard a slave ship under Captain Abraham Plumb. Though Roberts had likely not gone to sea with the intent of becoming a pirate, when the opportunity thrust itself upon him, Roberts was reported to have said 'A merry life, and a short one shall be my motto.'

A few months later Davis was killed in an ambush on the Portuguese Island of Príncipe, and Roberts was swiftly and unanimously elected to replace him. This was surely a testament to the man's natural charisma and leadership, for he had been a pirate only a few months. It was at this point he took the name "Bartholomew", likely naming himself for the infamous Bartholomew Sharpe, a pirate of some renown who had disappeared just two decades earlier.

One of the most intelligent and strategic pirates of the Golden Age, Roberts was a sturdy man, known to dress in fine clothes. Handsome, and carrying himself with a dignified but unpretentious air, he had dark hair to match his dark complexion, likely set from the almost two decades he had spent at sea. He often carried numerous pistols, each tied to one end of long silk sashes, which he kept slung over his shoulder.

His tactical ideas were usually radical, but thoughtfully considered. He never jumped into any scheme rashly, though his ideas seemed almost suicidal to those unacquainted with his methods. Ultimately responsible for the theft of around 400 ships in his three-year career, he bested every other pirate of the era by a factor of ten times or more, although it must be said that at least half of these boats were small periaguas and the like.

Roberts' boldest gambit by far was the theft of a fully laden treasure ship taken from a fully armed and manned fleet of 42 docked Portuguese ships. As the story goes, Roberts flew false colors, sailed among the anchored ships until he found a skittish officer to take hostage. Threatening the man with death, he asked where the most valuable ship was moored. When the young man pointed it out, Roberts sailed there, quietly commandeered the ship for his own, and sailed away without any of the other 40 ships being aware of what had transpired.

Roberts was not opposed to slavery, but he had a more open policy about African men working freely on his ship. Nevertheless, he did occasionally trade slaves too when economically necessary, and—most notoriously—he burned a slave ship with 80 men chained below deck simply because he was being pursued and had no room to take the slaves aboard.

Shortly after this incident, Roberts was tracked by British authorities to the West Coast of Africa, not many miles from where he had begun his career as a captain. Ambushed by those who wanted him dead, Roberts was reported to have dressed in his finest clothes before stepping out onto the deck of his ship, directly into a hail of cannon fire and grapeshot. In a flurry of projectiles, Robert's throat was torn out. He slumped to the deck, coming to rest against one of his cannons, and quietly bled to death.

His crew, believing he was resting, reprimanded their captain before discovering his true fate. When they realized he was dead, they picked his body up and tossed it into the ocean, giving him a proper sailor's burial and denying any British ideas to cart his body home and put it on display. Thus, with a quiet splash, ended the boisterous career of brash and bold Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts.

Born: Mid-1680s, England
Died: Summer, 1719 Benjamin Hornigold was likely born in Norfolk, England. The first recorded instances of him are of his early exploits as a pirate in the West Indies around 1713-1714. Hornigold was one of the earliest pirates to emerge after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, and one of the many hundreds of privateers who were left without gainful employment in the ensuing peace. Like many other British mariners, he spent much of his time in the Bahamas, eventually settling in Nassau. It was from there he launched his career as a full-fledged pirate, though he likely thought of himself as a privateer--in his earliest years, at least. A skilful sailor and strategist, Hornigold lacked some of the ruthlessness required to be a truly successful pirate, and until 1716, refused to attack English ships out of a sense of loyalty to his home country. Hornigold continued pirating throughout 1717 and 1718, always with a mind on improving the situation in Nassau. But when rumors began circulating that King George I of Britain had issued a full pardon to any pirates willing to cease all illegal activity and retire, Hornigold took stock of his stagnant situation and considered it seriously. This angered his closest associated -- Charles Vane most notably -- who considered the pardon to be a cowardly surrender. Then came the day of reckoning. In 1718, Captain Woodes Rogers arrived in Nassau with a fleet of seven tail-ships and declared himself the king's appointee as governor. With a mandate to rid the Bahamas of all pirates, Rogers was not a man to be trifled with. Hornigold, who had grown quite sick of defending a republic few were willing to back, surrendered to the governor and took the pardon. In the year following, Benjamin Hornigold grew to admire Captain Rogers and worked as a privateer for the Governor as often as he could, ultimately raising his reputation far above what it had been as a mere pirate. But when his activities brought him back into the sphere of his old friend, the pirate Edward Kenway, his seemingly good fortunes came to an end. Benjamin Hornigold died under mysterious circumstances in the summer of 1719, somewhere in the western seas of the West Indies.

Born: Unknown
Died: Unknown Almost nothing is known about El Tiburón "The Shark" outside of his service as the loyal, mute bodyguard of Laureano de Torres y Ayala, the Grandmaster of the Caribbean Templars and the Governor of Cuba. The Shark's penchant for medieval armor and brutal violence cut a swathe of fear through Havana, leaving citizens and soldiers alike quivering in his blood soaked wake.

Born: 1682, England
Died: 1717, West Indies Hilary Flint was born to an aristocratic family, the youngest of three boys. The black sheep of the family, he sought solitude in his studies. Immersing himself in math and sciences, Flint discovered an abiding interest in explosives, earning him the label of "problem child". To correct his course, his parents enrolled him in military school, where he quicklyexceeded their expetations, working his way into the hearts of both teachers and students, as well as a few secret societies. After graduation, his connections and easy manner earned him access to Templar ranks where his obsession with firearms made him an important asset. Records reveal an ongoing relationship with Assassin Rhona Dinsmore, the full nature of which is uncertain. She vanishes from record after Flint's death at the age of 35.

Born: 1686, China
Died: 1717, Nassau Born to Chinese rebels, Jing Lang came into the world fighting, but survived to become a skilled diplomat with a flair for languages and a taste for discovery. Ambitious, Lang married the son of a General in the Qing dynasty, joining the Templar order, but severing ties with her family in the process. She served as a diplomatic advisor, until a shift in political tides provoked her escape into piracy. Over the next decade, she crossed every sea, developing a reputation for brutality that preceded her into most conflicts. In the West Indies, she fell under the spell of a rumored cache of treasure, and feigned a romantic relationship with one-time Assassin Vance Travers to gain access to it. She might have been successful had it not been for Travers' brother, Upton, an Assassin who schemed to have her killed, betraying his brother in the process. She died at the age of thirty.

Born: 1689, England
Died: 1719, Príncipe Cockram's pirate career began during the War of Spanish Succession, when along with Benjamin Hornigold, Daniel Stillwell, and others, he plundered Spanish vessels off the coast of Florida. Running afoul of the British governor of the Bahamas, Cockram gave up piracy and became a trader, smuggler, and fence, serving as a go-between for the Carolina colonies and the pirate ships. Later renewing his acquaintance with Hornigold, he fell into pirate-hunting, as most reformed ruffians were wont to do.

Born: 1689, England
Died: 1719, Príncipe A close friend and confidant of Benjamin Hornigold, little else is known about Josiah Burgess. Records indicate that he was a pirate for a few years, prior to 1718, before he surrendered to the king's emissaries. It's likely he fell into pirate-hunting after that, as most reformed ruffians were wont to do.

Born: 1682, France
Died: ???? Nephew of the buccaneer Jean du Casse, Julien was born in Montpellier, France. He took after his uncle's example and took to sea at a young age, eventually joining him in a few skirmishes during the War of the Spanish Succession. Fighting on the side of the French, and by proxy, on behalf of King Philip of Spain, du Casse's skill as a gunner improved rapidly, even as he grew wildly disillusioned with the monarchy and its obsession with lineage and breeding over raw talent and skill. In 1704, ordered by his superior officers to join his uncle and hundreds of French troops in what would become known as the Battle of Vélez-Màlaga, du Casse opted instead to desert his post and seek his fortunes in the New World. At first he threw in with slave traders in Africa, and for a year made a modest profit off the venture. But he was never comfortable with the cruelty and detachment the job required, and so departed for the West Indies in search of yet another vocation. For the next 10 years, du Casse roamed the West Indies as a hired gun, working for whomever had the coin and confidence to pay him. Ever prizing the value of intelligence and skill over mere reputation and breeding, du Casse, eventually found his way into the company of Laureano Torres of Cuba, in whom he found a friend and confidant. By July of 1715, Du Casse had earned Torres's full trust and was soon appointed as Captain of one of the Governor's largest galleons. Running guns, munitions, gold, and supplies for the Governor, Du Casse gained a reputation as the Governor's hit-man, a cold and ruthless killer who would not hesitate to eliminate anyone who crossed Torres' path. But in September of 1715, he crossed Edward Kenway's path... and the rest is unrecorded history.

Born: 1675, England
Died: 1715, Kingston Born to an upper class family and educated in boarding schools from age five, Kenneth Abraham learned to fight for himself at an early age. Upon graduation, he entered the army and rose through the ranks, finally meeting the rank of Commander. His embrace of order and disciple drew him into the fold of the Templar Order, which offered him influence beyond that offered by his military career. From the age of thirty, he ascended its ranks in parallel to those of his military career by devoting himself to the promotion of order and peace. In 1715, the Assassin Anto infiltrated a Ball held by Abraham on his plantation, together with the pirate Edward Kenway. There, Abraham was assassinated by the pair, confronted in his final moments by the nemesis he had tried and failed to defeat. He remained, until his death, determined to rid the world of unpredictable and disorderly elements.

Born: 1645, Cuba
Died: 1722, Jamaica Born in Havana, but raised in Madrid, Spain, Laureano was of noble stock, the son of Tomas Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos. He joined the Spanish army in his late teens, and was later appointed as the governor of Spain's territories in Florida, a post he held from 1693 to 1699. He then returned to Europe to participate in the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1708, Torres was appointed as the governor of Cuba, a post he held for three years until he was accused of and arrested for corruption. He was acquitted of these charges, however, and managed to win a re-election bid in 1713. During his time in Cuba, he made many lasting improvements to the city, fortifying the island's defenses and introducing the production of tobacco there. He remained Governor until 1716, after which point he retired and devoted his life to charitable functions, such as building hospitals. Though long since retired by the 1720s, Laureano Torres still commanded great respect and admiration from the people of Cuba. In 1722 he was evidently able to muster a few regiments of Spanish troops for the purposes of a secret excursion somewhere in the West Indies. Torres and his regiment were never heard from again, and though the official record hints that Torres died peacefully at some point in this year, contemporary evidence suggests an altogether different story.

Born: 1630s, Amsterdam
Died: 1717, Kingston Laurens Prins (often anglicized as Laurence Prince) was a Dutchman from Amsterdam who spent the majority of his life in and around the West Indies. Operating out of Port Royal, Prins saw an incredible amount of action and adventure in his long life. Sailing as a privateer in the early days of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650s) he developed a reputation for courage fighting the Spanish on behalf of the British crown, sometimes bearing a letter of marque, often without. He even played a pivotal role in Sir Henry Morgan's infamous raid on Panama in 1671, for which he was roundly celebrated. Prins eventually retired from privateering and settled in a large acreage of land in Jamaica. Around this time he entered into the slave trade as a means of bolstering his wealth, an occupation he pursued well into his seventies. In 1717, his flagship slave galley, The Whydah, was attacked and captured by the pirate "Black Sam" Bellamy. He managed to survive the encounter, and fell back into his old occupation until his death some months later.

Born: 1689, Spain
Died: 1715, Pinos Isle Born in Spain, Lucia Márquez never knew her father. By the age of twelve she was supporting herself and her sisters on the streets, begging, borrowing, and stealing anything she could, all the while developing the skills of a master thief. At the age of seventeen, she was caught stealing a horse belonging to a high-ranking Templar, and wisely opted for training over jail time. The Templar life gave Marquez the focus she needed and she never found herself at a lack of challenge or adventure. She died at the age of twenty-six on Pinos Isle, wise beyond her years, on the order of the Taino Assassin, Opía Apito.

Born: 1660s, England
Died: 1718, Nassau Commodore Peter Chamberlaine sailed into the history books on the coat-tails of Woodes Rogers, privateer captain and Governor of the Bahamas. Though charged with the task of helping Rogers carry out his reforms and issuing King George's pardon, Chamberlaine had an irrational and burning hatred for his civilian commander, and flouted Roger's orders as often as possible. Gruff and humorless, Peter Chamberlaine was nevertheless respected by his men as a man of fortitude and cunning, and his willful defiance of civil authority only bolstered his reputation among the rank and file.

Historic archives contain scattered references to individuals known as "Sages", but they are few and far between. Each citation seems to refer to a different person living in a vastly different time and location. The earliest example was found in a Sumerian clay tablet in cuneiform script, while the latest survives only as a footnote in one of Laureano Torres's own journals, dated January 1704. In all – according to exhaustive research – seven different "Sages" seem to have graced the world's stage in the past twelve hundred years. But the real number is likely higher. Perhaps, the strangest aspect connecting each of these various sightings is the fact that, in every case, visual descriptions of each Sage are remarkably similar. So similar, in fact, that one wouldn't be faulted for assuming they ware talking about a single, immortal man. However, in two of the seven citations, explicit mention is made of their death and burial. Is this therefore some bizarre form of reincarnation? Or some simpler explanation that is presently unknown? More research is required.

Born: 1690, England
Died: 1717, Nassau Born in England, the passionate, creative, yet incredibly gullible Vance Travers, found a life for himself amongst the Assassin's Brotherhood in the West Indies, where he ran a successful smuggling enterprise, with his older brother, Upton. Business took a turn for the worse after he met and fell in love with the Templar, Jing Lang, who persuaded him to divulge knowledge of the location of buried treasure with which he and Upton planned to fund their retirement. Paranoid, Travers developed delusions that his brother plotted to steal his treasure and Jing's heart. He broke from the Creed and, after a failed attempt at fratricide, was killed by Edward Kenway.

Born: 1679, England
Died: 1731, Nassau Woodes Rogers was born into money, to a seafaring family with deep roots in both Poole and Bristol, England. His early life was a picture of industriousness and ambition, and by the age of 18 he was an apprentice Mariner. Upon his father's death at sea in 1706, Woodes inherited his family's prosperous shipping company, which he took to managing with great passion. Between 1704 and 1707 Rogers' fortunes and family grew, and by the time he was twenty-seven his marriage to Sarah Whetstone had produced one son and two daughters. By the end of 1707, however, his business had suffered great losses by raiding French forces, giving Rogers the idea to recoup these dreadful losses himself. Knocking about Bristol in search of a partner for this endeavor, he soon found himself in the company of William Dampier, an old friend and unlucky Captain who suggested setting out on a privateering expedition, one that would range far and wide about the New World. In 1708, Rogers made the necessary arrangements and set out as Captain of his own vessel, on a difficult voyage that would last over three years. Along his course Rogers met with many successes and failures. In 1709, off the western coast of South America, he found and rescued a marooned sailor by the name of Alexander Selkirk, a sailor who had spent nearly 4 years living in isolation and who would serve as the inspiration for the book "Robinson Crusoe" just a few years later. Soon after Selkirk's recovery, Rogers' fleet engaged an enemy vessel in open combat—a skirmish that earned him a pistol shot to the left side of his face and a mangled heel. Neither wound was enough to remove him from command however, and he continued serving as captain until his return to England in late 1711. To commemorate this return, he had an operation to remove the offending bullet from his upper palate. Now in poor health but high spirits, he set about writing his memoirs. Upon their publication a few years, they were an immediate success, and proved a great source of income. But this brief glory was offset by the sudden death of his son, a tragedy compounded some months later by his wife's decision to leave him. Also at this time, Rogers was sued by former shipmates for allegedly hoarding goods and money plundered from enemy vessels. Rogers assembled a defense, but lost the case. In 1713, itching to return to sea, he organized passage to Madagascar claiming to be a merchant in the slave trade, but with the intended purpose of reconnoitering the rumored pirate colonies established there. When he arrived in Madagascar after months of hard sailing, he found that the legends of the pirate town "Libertalia" had been exaggerated one-hundredfold. The pirates in Madagascar were sickly and few and desperate for help. After spending just a few months here, Rogers set sail for England, a failure in his own mind. And yet, never one to give up hope, Woodes Rogers reoriented his attentions to the West Indies, eventually lobbying King George for a commission to hunt pirates in the Caribbean. On this score, he succeeded. After a few diligent years of making his case, King George appointed Woodes Rogers as the Governor of the Bahamas. Now, at last, he would make his mark, and bring justice to a land where chaos had taken root. Rogers arrived in Nassau at the head of a small fleet of half a dozen ships on the 22nd of July, 1718. Accompanied by Commodore Peter Chamberlaine, he spent the first day negotiating with the pirates living there, hoping to entice each and every man on the island with the King's Pardon. Rogers' hopes were quickly dashed by Charles Vane and his men, who blasted their way out of Nassau's harbor with the aid of a fireship. This minor set-back hardly mattered, for Nassau was now in the hands of the British, just as Rogers had promised his king, and a number of former pirates—Benjamin Hornigold among them—now sailed for him. Rogers set about renovating the city at once, first ridding it of its remaining rogues and rapscallions, and even going so far as to hang a number of men who refused the king's pardon, yet remained on the island. But Roger's swift initial success suffered an early complication when a huge portion of his crew took ill and died, likely of Yellow Fever. Another large portion of the soldiers who had accompanied him to Nassau departed with little warning for the colonies up north. And perhaps most troubling of all, Spain and England were at war again making Nassau a likely target for Spanish aggression. He wasn't wrong. In March of 1719, he got word that a Spanish fleet was on its way to attack his fragile town. Rogers had spent much of his own private fortune renovating the decrepit fort town, but he was still unprepared for a full Spanish assault. Much to his relief, the Spanish fleet turned away at the last minute and instead attacked a French settlement to the north. Rogers served as Governor for three full years in Nassau, and though he did not suffer any more military threats after early 1719, his job was no less difficult. Dwindling finances and a general apathy among the population led to only modest improvement to the city. In early 1721 however, he caught wind that the King was unhappy with his performance in the fledgling community. Rogers decided to return to England to defend himself, but fell deathly ill before he could make the trip, and still later was wounded in a duel gone bad. Recuperating in Charles-Towne, South Carolina, for some six weeks, he finally left for England in March of 1721. Arriving in England, he found his worst fears come true: he had been sacked, and a new governor had been appointed to run the Bahamas. Worse yet, he was imprisoned for defaulting on the debts he had accrued during his time as Governor—the same debts caused by the King's refusal to fund his term. Rogers was eventually released from jail, and spent the next few years recovering from this slight as best as he could, until the publication of Charles Johnson's "General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates", which painted Rogers in a heroic fight for his single-minded quest to rid the seas of pirates. Propelled into the limelight once more, Rogers was given an excellent pension by the King, and awarded a second shot at his old job. Rogers returned to Nassau in 1728, a Governor once more--a post which he kept to the end of his life just 3 years later.

Hub[edit | edit source]

An incomplete audio clip from The Devils of the Caribbean Podcast reconstructed from recovered files.

@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 Other, non-Taíno indigenous groups of the island include the Ciguaya, Macorix, and Kalinago or Caribs, for whom the Caribbean Sea is named.
+|-|The Guardians=
+An obscure group of warrior natives likely related to the [[Taíno]] people, they are secretive in their dealing with other tribes and groups. Calling themselves the [[Guardians]], they protect the lands they deem sacred and brook no unauthorized passage through their hidden realms. Over many generations, they have developed an incredible talent for stealth and secret attacks, and can be quite deadly when attacking from unseen vantage points.
+|-|Portuguese Empire=
+Despite owning a globe-spanning empire reaching Africa, India, and even China, Portugal's presence in the New World was restricted to Brazil by the Treaty of Tordesillas. This was an agreement brokered by the Papacy that purported to divide up the world between its loyal Catholic subjects of Spain and Portugal. By 1700, Portugal was in decline, but a gold rush in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro region throughout the 1720s saw a surge of slaves and settlers there.
 </tabber>
@@ Line 54: / Line 61: @@
 |-|North Carolina=
 Present day [[North Carolina|North]] and [[South Carolina]] were originally a single [[United Kingdom|English]] colony, {{Wiki|Province of Carolina}}. They split apart in 1729. The province's sparsely settled seacoast was often pillaged by [[Piracy|pirates]], including [[Edward Thatch|Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch]], "Calico" [[Jack Rackham]], [[Charles Vane]] and [[William Kidd]].
+|-|Mayan Ruins=
+Mayan Ruins can be found throughout the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] and Central America. This large {{Wiki|Maya civilization|civilization}} flourished from 250 - 900 AD.
+|-|Shipwrecks=
+The [[Caribbean|West Indies]] region is often beset by hurricanes and tropical storms. Combined with the shallow waters to be found there, the result is a high incidence of shipwrecks. Especially during the age of sail, vessels of all sizes were frequently tossed onto rocky shores. Their stranded crews often perished before they could be rescued.
+|-|The Observatory=
+The [[Observatory (Isu)|Observatory]] seems to have been a surveillance device built by the precursor "[[Isu|First Civilization]]" about eighty millenia ago. Its cavernous ante-chamber was built as a security measure, while its long corridors were used to store thousands of crystal [[blood vials]] containing the DNA of those whom the First Civ wished to spy on.
+At the heart of the Observator was a large theater lined with seats. At the fore was a massive device like an armillary sphere with a [[Crystal Skulls|crystal skull]] housed at its center. When loaded with a crystal vial containing a subject's blood, the observatory device would come to life, illuminating the room with a holographic projection of a real time feed from the subject's own eyes and ears. In this way, the First Civ could spy for an indefinite period on this subject and those with whom he or she was associated, without fear of detection.
+Note too that the crystal skull can also be removed from its perch, turning it into a portable device, but also rendering the Observatory itself inoperable.
 </tabber>
@@ Line 81: / Line 101: @@
 |-|Cathedral of Havana=
 Construction of the [[Cathedral of Havana|Cathedral de la Virgen Maria de la Concepcion Immaculada de la Habana]] was started in 1748 and finished in 1777. A mesmerizing example of {{wiki|Baroque}} aesthetics, the building's obvious asymmetry and curious construction material - coral taken from the ocean nearby - make this one of the most unique houses of worship in the world, and one of the most iconic landmarks in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]].
+|-|Castillo Moro=
+Built in 1589 to protect [[Havana]]'s bay from [[Piracy|pirates]] and foreign invaders, the [[Castillo Morro|Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro]] is an imposingly solid structure. Its mere presence put a stop to any raids on the city of Havana until the [[United Kingdom|British]] invaded during the War of Jenkins' Ear in 1762.
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@@ Line 651: / Line 674: @@
 Within a year of arriving in Nassau, the Bonnys' marriage was in shambles, a union only in name. While Jack disappeared further into his work, Anne grew more confident and sociable, eventually taking a job as a barmaid at the popular [[Old Avery]] [[tavern]] in the center of Nassau. And though she took on a few lovers in the next few years, it was mostly out of envy and spite that the rabble of Nassau branded Anne a harlot and a tease. But with no high society to shun or shame her, Anne's desirability only increased on the strength of these rumors.
+After living and working in Nassau to no great purpose, Anne eventually fell for the roguish charms of [[Jack Rackham|"Calico" Jack Rackham]]. A man who had already fallen into and out of [[piracy]], Rackham was just the sort of character to lure Anne away from her dull marriage.
+It was also around this time that Anne befriended [[Mary Read]], whose manly disguise she had seen right through. The two grew to be close friends, much to the consternation of Rackham, who threatened Mary with violence for flirting with his prize. Mary, to diffuse the situation, revealed herself to Rackham too... much to his delight no doubt.
+A few months later, for reasons not entirely clear, Anne, Mary and Rackham raised a small crew, slipped aboard a marooned [[schooner]], and sailed from Nassau's port under cover of darkness. Their goal was to execute a series of swift robberies before retiring with enough gold to live on, but once again Rackham's incompetence proved disastrous.
+Within 3 months of setting out, Anne and Mary found themselves alone on the deck of their stolen, damaged schooner, {{Wiki|Capture of John "Calico Jack" Rackham|fighting}} off waves of British soldiers as Jack and the rest of his crew lay below deck, passed out from a heavy night of drinking. They were outnumbered, and quickly detained. The British authorities, surprised to find two women fighting so fiercely as pirates, deigned to make a show of their subsequent trial. But Anne and Mary had a plan of their own. Unbeknownst to the British, both were pregnant—Anne by Rackham, most likely, and Mary by an unnamed sailor—a fact which they revealed just as the judge passed a sentence of execution on them.
+Owing to the fact of them being "quick with child", the judge stayed their executions until the came to term. Some 4 months later, Mary had her child, but died soon after in [[Fort Charles|prison]] of a terrible infection. Anne, however, was rescued by Edward Kenway and the Assassin master Ah Tabai just in time to give birth at the Assassin camp at Tulum. The child, a boy, died soon after and struggling with the loss of her son and friends, Anne became deeply depressed.
+Not long afterward Edward returned to Tulum. With Adéwalé having left to join the Assassins, the Jackdaw was in need of a new quartermaster. Anne agreed to replace him and took to her new role with gusto, helping in the pursuit of Sage Bartholomew Roberts, Templar Woodes Rogers and Grand Master Laureano de Torres, and the eventual defeat of British pirate hunter Lieutenant Robert Maynard.
+Despite being coyly invited by Edward to return to England with him, Anne chose to stay at Great Inagua, though she lacked the conviction to join the Assassins.
+Anne's final fate is uncertain. It was commonly assumed that her father eventually came for her, and spirited her back to the British colonies in North America. A burial record found in archives for St. Catherine Parish in Jamaica suggesting she might have died at or near Spanish Town in 1733 remains the subject of historical debate.
 |-|Antó=
@@ Line 669: / Line 708: @@
 Settling in [[Nassau]], Thatch, Hornigold, and the rest of the "Flying Gang" as these pirates called themselves, began cooking up schemes far larger than most pirates of the era dared dream. Wanting nothing less than a country of their own, they worked to turn Nassau into a place of liberty and freedom for all who desired an escape from the bonds of imperial rule.
 As Thatch's reputation as a worthy and fearsome seaman grew, so did his ideas about piracy. At some point in the latter half of 1717, having grown a long and frightful beard, he took to calling himself "Blackbeard", and worked at every turn to bolster his legend as the most feared pirate in the West Indies. Thatch reveled in the power of a good legend, and worked hard to cultivate his—frequently sticking lit slow-matches in his hat to raise a frightening cloud, or challenging his crews to endure long stretches below deck as burning sulfur clouded the hold.
@@ Line 686: / Line 722: @@
 |-|Edward Kenway=
-Born: 1693, [[Wales]]<br>Died: ????
+Born: 1693, [[Wales]]<br>Died: 1735, [[United Kingdom|England]]
 [[Edward Kenway|Edward James Kenway]] was born on the 10th of March in [[Swansea]], [[Wales]], to [[Bernard Kenway]] of [[Manchester]] and [[Linette Kenway|Linette Hopkins]] of nearby {{Wiki|Cardiff}}. By Edward's 10th birthday, his father had moved the family to a [[Hatherton|small farm]] just outside [[Bristol]], a nearby port town in the southwest of England.
@@ Line 709: / Line 745: @@
 For the next years, Edward struggled with a growing conflict between his desire for wealth, and duty to his friends. After losing most of his closest friends, including Blackbeard and Mary Read, and only barely escaping the attention of famed British pirate hunter Lieutenant Robert Maynard, he realized the folly of his direction. He subsequently joined the Assassins, and helped hunt down Templars throughout the region.
+After more than a decade in the West Indies, Edward learned his wife Caroline had died and left him a daughter. WIth her mother gone and her grandfather uninterested in raising her, nine year old Jennifer Scott sailed out to Great Inagua in 1722 to meet her father for the first time. Edward, his heart and mind finally reconciled, entrusted Great Inagua to the Brotherhood and returned to England with his daughter. After receiving a pardon from Robert Walpole he acquired an estate in London, and later married English nobelwoman [sic] Tessa Stephenson-Oakley, with whom he fathered a son, Haytham.
+Upon returning to England Edward joined the British Assassins, quickly rising to the rank of Master Assassin and then co-leader alongside London Assassin Miko. He began researching the Isu, travelling the world in search of more sites like the Observatory in the West Indies, and recording his research in a journal.
+Edward eventually retired from active duty to spend more time preparing his son for the Brotherhood. However, in 1735, Edward was killed in his family estate by mercenaries sent by the Templar Grand Master Reginald Birch, who wanted Edward's journal. Despite his father's careful training to the contrary, Birch then took advantage of Edward's death to indoctrinate Haytham into the Templar Order.
 |-|Calico Jack Rackham=
@@ Line 726: / Line 768: @@
 |-|Caroline Scott=
-Born: 1691, England<br>Died: ????
+Born: 1691, England<br>Died: 1720, England
 Daughter of [[Emmett Scott|Emmett]] and [[Elizabeth Scott]], [[Caroline Scott-Kenway|Caroline]] was born in [[Bristol]], [[United Kingdom|England]], to a prosperous family of merchants and civil servants. Given a modest education by her father, she furthered her own studies in her own way, taking time to read as often as her familiar duties allowed. Splitting her time between this and helping her mother manage her father's affairs, she grew into a confident and level-headed woman with more skill and intelligence than her situation allowed her to exercise.
@@ Line 735: / Line 777: @@
 For a time it seemed as though this odd pairing might produce a lasting union. But Edward's deep love for his wife was offset by his uncouth habits and reckless attention to responsibility. Not content to live a life of middle class drudgery, Edward [[Edward Kenway (memory)|dreamed large]], and fixed on the idea that he could sail to the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] and fight as a [[Privateer]] against the [[Spain|Spanish]]. Or, barring that, buy some land and sow a [[sugar]] [[plantation]]. Caroline tried to dissuade her husband, but to no effect.
+At last his drunken antics and wild dreams strained their marriage beyond repair. To further complicate matters, Caroline discovered she was pregnant, and could not fathom Edward being a responsible father to their child. She resolved then to leave her husband and live again with her parents. Edward was hurt by the idea, but the shock of it did nothing to cure his fantasies. Instead he doubled down, and left for the New World, vowing to prove himself a man of quality.
+Caroline had her child some months after Edward's departure, calling the girl [[Jennifer Scott|Jennifer]]. In the ensuing years, Caroline lived a life that alternated between great joy and crushing grief. She had a beautiful daughter and a supportive mother, yet her father—ever resentful for Caroline's defiance—never treated her as a daughter again.
+In early 1720 tragedy struck with a slow but deadly force—Caroline fell {{Wiki|Smallpox|ill}}, and for many months languished at her parent's home, desperate to get well. Emmett Scott, believing his daughter's illness to be self-induced, did little to aid her. Unfortunately, the disease was all too real. Caroline Scott Kenway died in 1720 in her parents' home on Hawkins Lane, in Bristol.
 |-|James Kidd=
@@ Line 744: / Line 792: @@
 Although he never sailed with the likes of [[Benjamin Hornigold|Ben Hornigold]], [[Edward Thatch|Ed Thatch]], or [[Edward Kenway]], James was among the first sailors to settle in [[Nassau]], and was a central figure in its development as a pirate republic.
+|-|Jennifer Scott=
+Born: 1713, England<br>
+Died: 1805, England
+Jennifer "Jenny" Scott was the first and only child of Caroline Scott and Edward Kenway. Born in Bristol, after Edward Kenway's departure to the West Indies, she was raised by her mother and her mother's parents, and so took her mother's surname.
+Despite being the issue of a legitimate marriage, Jenny's grandfather, Emmett, treated her with disdain and contempt, owing to his hatred of her father Edward Kenway. Thankfully her grandmother -- Caroline's mother, Elizabeth -- was a constant source of strength, and she brought much joy to a life otherwise marked by idleness and boredom.
+Around 1719 or 1720, fate took a turn for the worse as Caroline fell gravely ill. Emmett, believing his daughter's malady a mere "complaint of the nerves," ignored the seriousness of his daughter's situation until it was too late. Caroline died before Jenny was seven.
+Shortly after, a letter arrived at the Scott household addressed to Caroline. It was from Edward Kenway, Caroline's estranged husband and Jenny's father. Eager to rid his household of the girl he had always found to be a burden, Emmett Scott made arrangements to send his granddaughter to live with Edward in the West Indies, hardly caring if Edward's claim to have made a small but reasonable fortune there were true.
+In late August of 1722, Jenny boarded a ship bound for the West to meet her father for the first time...
 |-|Mary Read=
@@ Line 816: / Line 878: @@
 <tabber>
 |-|Bartholomew Roberts=
-Born: 1682, [[Wales]] <br> Died: ????
+Born: 1682, [[Wales]]<br>
+Died: 1722, West Coast of [[Africa]]
 Originally hailing from Wales, little is known about [[Bartholomew Roberts|John Roberts]], the real name of the man who would come to be known as "Black Bart" long after his death.
@@ Line 826: / Line 889: @@
 One of the most intelligent and strategic pirates of the [[Golden Age of Piracy|Golden Age]], Roberts was a sturdy man, known to dress in fine clothes. Handsome, and carrying himself with a dignified but unpretentious air, he had dark hair to match his dark complexion, likely set from the almost two decades he had spent at sea. He often carried numerous pistols, each tied to one end of long silk sashes, which he kept slung over his shoulder.
-Roberts' tactical ideas were usually radical, but thoughtfully considered. He never jumped into any scheme rashly, though his ideas seemed almost suicidal to those unacquainted with his methods. Ultimately responsible for the theft of around 400 ships in his three-year career, he bested every other pirate of the era by a factor of ten times or more, although it must be said that at least half of these boats were small periaguas and the like.
+His tactical ideas were usually radical, but thoughtfully considered. He never jumped into any scheme rashly, though his ideas seemed almost suicidal to those unacquainted with his methods. Ultimately responsible for the theft of around 400 ships in his three-year career, he bested every other pirate of the era by a factor of ten times or more, although it must be said that at least half of these boats were small periaguas and the like.
+Roberts' boldest gambit by far was the theft of a fully laden [[Royal Fortune|treasure ship]] taken from a fully armed and manned fleet of 42 docked Portuguese ships. As the story goes, Roberts flew false colors, sailed among the anchored ships until he found a skittish [[officer]] to take hostage. Threatening the man with death, he asked where the most valuable ship was moored. When the young man pointed it out, Roberts sailed there, quietly commandeered the ship for his own, and sailed away without any of the other 40 ships being aware of what had transpired.
+Roberts was not opposed to [[slavery]], but he had a more open policy about [[Africa]]n men working freely on his ship. Nevertheless, he did occasionally trade slaves too when economically necessary, and—most notoriously—he burned a [[slave ship]] with 80 men chained below deck simply because he was being pursued and had no room to take the slaves aboard.
+Shortly after this incident, Roberts was tracked by [[United Kingdom|British]] authorities to the {{Wiki|West Africa|West Coast}} of Africa, not many miles from where he had begun his career as a captain. Ambushed by those who wanted him dead, Roberts was reported to have dressed in his finest clothes before stepping out onto the deck of his ship, directly into a hail of [[cannon]] fire and {{Wiki|grapeshot}}. In a flurry of projectiles, Robert's throat was torn out. He slumped to the deck, coming to rest against one of his cannons, and quietly bled to death.
+His crew, believing he was resting, reprimanded their captain before discovering his true fate. When they realized he was dead, they picked his body up and tossed it into the ocean, giving him a proper {{Wiki|Burial at sea|sailor's burial}} and denying any British ideas to cart his body home and put it on display. Thus, with a quiet splash, ended the boisterous career of brash and bold Bartholomew "Black Bart" Roberts.
 |-|Benjamin Hornigold=
@@ Line 895: / Line 966: @@
 In 1704, ordered by his superior officers to join his uncle and hundreds of French troops in what would become known as the {{Wiki|Battle of Málaga (1704)|Battle of Vélez-Màlaga}}, du Casse opted instead to desert his post and seek his fortunes in the New World. At first he threw in with [[Slavery|slave traders]] in [[Africa]], and for a year made a modest profit off the venture. But he was never comfortable with the cruelty and detachment the job required, and so departed for the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] in search of yet another vocation.
-For the next 10 years, du Casse roamed the West Indies as a [[Mercenaries|hired gun]], working for whomever had the coin and confidence to pay him. Ever prizing the value of intelligence and skill over mere reputation and breeding, du Casse, eventually found his way into the company of [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala|Laureano Torres]] of [[Cuba]], in whom he found a friend and confidant...
+For the next 10 years, du Casse roamed the West Indies as a [[Mercenaries|hired gun]], working for whomever had the coin and confidence to pay him. Ever prizing the value of intelligence and skill over mere reputation and breeding, du Casse, eventually found his way into the company of [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala|Laureano Torres]] of [[Cuba]], in whom he found a friend and confidant.
+By July of 1715, Du Casse had earned Torres's full trust and was soon appointed as Captain of one of the Governor's [[El Arca del Maestro|largest galleons]]. Running guns, munitions, gold, and supplies for the Governor, Du Casse gained a reputation as the Governor's hit-man, a cold and ruthless killer who would not hesitate to eliminate anyone who crossed Torres' path.
+But in September of 1715, he crossed [[Edward Kenway]]'s path... and the rest is unrecorded history.
 |-|Kenneth Abraham=
@@ Line 909: / Line 984: @@
 |-|Laureano Torres y Ayala=
-Born: 1645, [[Cuba]]<br>Died: ????
+Born: 1645, [[Cuba]]<br>Died: 1722, Jamaica
 Born in [[Havana]], but raised in [[Madrid]], [[Spain]], [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala|Laureano]] was of noble stock, the son of Tomas Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos. He joined the [[Spanish Army|Spanish army]] in his late teens, and was later appointed as the governor of Spain's territories in [[Florida]], a post he held from 1693 to 1699. He then returned to [[Europe]] to participate in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]].
@@ Line 916: / Line 991: @@
 During his time in Cuba, he made many lasting improvements to the city, fortifying the island's defenses and introducing the production of tobacco there. He remained Governor until 1716, after which point he retired and devoted his life to charitable functions, such as building hospitals.
+Though long since retired by the 1720s, Laureano Torres still commanded great respect and admiration from the people of Cuba. In 1722 he was evidently able to muster a few regiments of Spanish troops for the purposes of a secret excursion [[Long Bay|somewhere]] in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]]. Torres and his regiment were never heard from again, and though the official record hints that Torres died peacefully at some point in this year, contemporary evidence suggests an altogether different story.
 |-|Laurens Prins=
@@ Line 944: / Line 1,021: @@
 Commodore [[Peter Chamberlaine]] sailed into the history books on the coat-tails of [[Woodes Rogers]], [[privateer]] [[captain]] and Governor of [[the Bahamas]]. Though charged with the task of helping Rogers carry out his reforms and issuing King [[George I of Great Britain|George]]'s pardon, Chamberlaine had an irrational and burning hatred for his [[civilian]] commander, and flouted Roger's orders as often as possible.
-Gruff and humorless, Peter Chamberlaine was nevertheless respected by his men as a man of fortitude and cunning, and his willful defiance of civil authority only bolstered his reputation among the rank and rile.
+Gruff and humorless, Peter Chamberlaine was nevertheless respected by his men as a man of fortitude and cunning, and his willful defiance of civil authority only bolstered his reputation among the rank and file.
 |-|The Sage=