Roshan the Pirate

And Roshan stood atop the fragile remains of their boat and stared defiantly at their would-be captors. The whizzing of cannon fire drew to a halt as the foolish Empress realised her error.

With a bitter laugh, Roshan stepped off their own plank, plunging into the salty western seas. One of the Empress' sailors dove into the water, but would return with a shake of the head. They were gone, the sailor said. Them, and all their stolen goods.

— The Retold Tales of Roshan, 1321

Roshan Chey was a Kaoese oraci pirate who existed during the reign of Empress Eloise III, 4th Empress of Divinice. They live on through a variety of pirate legends, many of which describe them as the most fearsome and persistent of Eloise's opponents during the conquest of the Kao Islands, and who famously drowned rather than be captured.

Summary

The hold of her ship was full of gold and jewels. Roshan eyed it quickly, surveyed the value, and then squatted in a corner to scrutinise a pillar. "There are minor issues all around." They reported to their escort. "It'll be a simple fix - I have all the materials on hand. No problem would have arisen from it, but our Radiance deserves only the finest sailing."

Their escort nodded. "Of course. I will leave you to your work - just say the word when the ship is ready to be lowered."

And with that, Roshan had free reign. And so, with a gleam in their eye, they began to slowly gather Eloise's jewels in their shipwright's bag. Traditional carvings, items stolen from their homeland, the finest spoils of conquest, all were now Roshan's. And with a deft hand, they produced their saw.

— The Retold Tales of Roshan

Multiple stories about Roshan exist, mainly revolving around their various escapades and thrilling thefts of Eloise's riches. Prominent amongst them is the tale of how Roshan pretended to be a shipwright, snuck aboard Eloise's ship for repairs, and sabotaged the boat before fleeing with Eloise's riches.

By far the most famous tale of Roshan is their final stand. Having been on the run for multiple years for theft, Roshan and their ship, The Bright Night, were discovered at a Kaoese port. Roshan quickly fled port, with the Empress herself in hot pursuit. Out in the open sea, Roshan was surrounded by many Divinitian ships, and an attempt at an evasive manoeuvre resulted in the ship being badly damaged and taking in water. As their crew began to bail, Roshan stood on the deck of the ship and calmly extended the ships plank. Before a Divinitian ship could draw close enough to leap aboard, Roshan laughed and jumped off the plank, sinking into the depths. Efforts by Eloise to recover them or their body were unsuccessful.

Historical Basis

Roshan Chey had already long been a prolific thief on land. What records remain tell of a persistent criminal, an eternal troublemaker, hungry for the power and spotlight that wrong-doing would bring them. The opposite of that romanticised image of righteous crime which has become their legacy.

— The Retold Tales of Roshan

Roshan Chey was undeniably a real individual, having existed in local records and first hand accounts of the time period. They were born in the early 1060s, during the the final years of Eloise III's conquest of the Kao Islands, and were known as a troublemaker even before their 10th birthday. They disappear from official records in the mid 70s, with some accounts suggesting they ran from home at that time. This time period contains many of Roshan's early escapades, which are difficult to prove true. Many are based on events that did happen, but whether Roshan was involved is largely unknown.

Roshan credibly reappears in the late 70s at the helm of a ship called the Last Sun, after said ship was stolen from a Nirvejani port city. From there, they went on a piracy spree, robbing small boats all across the Western Sea, but never any from the Empress herself, despite what the tales suggest. In further contradiction to the tales, there is evidence Roshan was captured in 1081 by a group of demigod traders, who were able to overpower them. From there, Roshan was put on trial for piracy and sentenced to a mere 3 years in prison, on the basis that they were far too young and would straighten themselves out. This event is potentially what would spark Roshan's later acts, as correspondence from them details their utter dislike of the prison and the way they were treated there.

After being released in 1084, aged approximately 22, Roshan disappeared for another year before re-emerging aboard the ship The Bright Night. The taking of this ship is believed to be the source of the 'shipwright' story, as it was part of Eloise's fleet and disappeared after a routine repair, though it is unclear whether Roshan was responsible for this act.

Using The Bright Night, Roshan enacted a brief reign of terror by pretending to be a member of Eloise's fleet scouting the seas, until the aforementioned sighting in a Kaoese port town that was loyal to Eloise. The tale of Roshan's final stand is believed to be entirely factual with only minor exaggerations, with the story coming directly from a report by one of Eloise's captains. Such exaggerations are Roshan's laughter and much confusion about whether they sank or deliberately swam down, or if a blade was involved in any way.

Spread

No matter how they feel about the story or its hero, you would be hard-pressed to find any person in Losiné who has never heard of Roshan. To have not heard of Roshan would be like never hearing of Ylais, or Kysro, so much has their story persisted in the popular consciousness.

— The Retold Tale of Roshan

The story of Roshan is well known in Losiné, particularly in their native Kao Islands. However, outside of Losiné, their story is not particularly well known or popular, often substituted for more culturally relevant rebels.

Variations & Mutation

For a time, Divinice tried desperately to control the narrative surrounding Roshan, and in the attempt to exaggerate was ironically more accurate to their real life escapades.

— The Retold Tale of Roshan

Originally, the sole myth surrounding Roshan was that of their final stand, which had first originated from a captain's report of the event. As the story spread and found a home amongst rebellious individuals, Eloise III sought to quash the narrative by dredging up past transgressions of theirs, thus turning Roshan into a common criminal to be reviled. However, whoever was tasked with finding these events chose poorly or exaggerated the wrong details, and this new information simply fuelled the narrative of Roshan as a revolutionary attacking the Empress in whatever way they could.

With the benefit of time, and the embedding of Roshan into the popular consciousness, alterations were made. As the Kao Islands became far friendlier with Divinice, particularly due to the work of Empress Tsisia I (reign 1131-1139) and Empress Dara I (reign 1175-1205), Roshan began to be framed as less a revolutionary, and more as a misled soul, who could have done great things had they not been led to a life of piracy.

In many of the southern Losiné regions, such as Tsuliya and Stolisia, Roshan remained a revolutionary who exemplified the values they would need to gain independence, and during their wars for independence, Roshan's name was regularly invoked.

Many small acts of rebellion, particularly in Tsuliya, were attributed to Roshan regardless of historical accuracy, and it is also in Tsuliya where the idea of Roshan's escape from their final stand comes up. This alteration used to be common in Stolisia as well, but has since been removed after the Bombing of Kysra and the death of Kaisa, their first president.

Date of First Recording

1085

Date of Setting

1079-1085