Tarnak Dav Chaladev - Unaligned
Tarnak can not remember a time when he was not at sea. His earliest memories are of a Mershael captain fishing him from the wreckage of a ship on the ocean end of Clearwater Bay. He has little recollection of anything before that, only flashes of emotion.
His next few years were spent aboard the Mershaeli escort ship, where the young boy became a mascot to the crew. It was a strange juxtaposition, a young, raven-haired Faeler taken care of and taught by a band of hardened Mershaeli sailors, but that was the upbringing that Tarnak enjoyed. Tarnak learned much from the Mershael, from battle tactics to brinkmanship. Ultimately he was strong-headed and did not enjoy the discipline of the Mershael while upon the sea.
As soon as he was able, Tarnak ran away from his adopted crew in the great port of Terezret. With his knowledge and experience, the pre-teen quickly found employment on a ship that favored his disgust of discipline and social mores. He found work on the privateer Daylight’s End, captained by an Izchan named Ibosa Dahni.
The Daylight’s End operated up and down the eastern coast of Ryshael, taking whatever job they could. One month they were privateers, taking contracts from the Traazorites to disrupt Mershaeli shipping. The next, they were taking contracts from the Mershael to prey on the Traazorites. When they couldn’t get a legitimate contract, they’d do a bit of pirating.
Tarnak rose quickly and steadily through the ranks due to his skills, ambition, ruthlessness, and tenacity. Seven years after running away from his Mershaeli saviors, he was Quartermaster of the Daylight’s End and second only to Captain Dahni.
While savaging the east coast of Ryshael off of Mishdad (Mishdadan tribute ships were always loaded to the gills with riches), the crew came across a mountainous island with a naturally hidden cove. The pirates of the Daylight’s End scoured the island from stem to stern for anything worth plundering but found nothing.
Tarnak, however, could not take his mind off the island. He approached Captain Dahni about building a town, a hideout for pirates, and a place where they could control the economy. Captain Dahni laughed off Tarnak’s proposal; he couldn’t see what Tarnak could.
After finding the island, Tarnak was a changed young man. He was focused, alive, and obsessed. He scrimped, saved, and stole for another five years, eager to make his dream come true.
An opportunity finally knocked. After Captain Dahni was killed in a boarding action against the Traazorites, the crew voted Tarnak as their captain. Immediately Tarnak sailed back to the island and pitched his plan anew. The pirates agreed, as long as it didn’t interfere with their flow of wealth. Tarnak promised them it would bring them more incredible wealth and offered them each a share in the island’s future profits if they stuck with him.
That was what they wanted to hear. Sailing from their new base, now dubbed Mernasu, the crew sailed into Mishdadan waters and plundered one of their tribute ships headed to Metazar. With that wealth, they sailed back to Terezret and bought supplies and extra crew to help build their new base.
Mernasu started small but grew appreciably over the next few years. So did the reputation of Tarnak, now known as Dav Chaladev or the Seawolf. He was given the name because of the fearsome visage he chose as the masthead on his ship, which he renamed the Maelstrom.
His adoptive Mershaeli father used to tell him stories that featured wolves as enemies. They were wily, vicious, and always hungry. Tarnak thought the idea fit well. Who cared if none of the sailors on his ship had ever seen a wolf before? He could make them as terrifying as he wanted in his stories and anecdotes.
And make them terrifying, he did.
Over the next several years, Tarnak, now dubbed the Sea Wolf, terrorized Mishdadan tribute ships, Traazorite merchant ships, and Mershaeli trade ships up and down the east coast of Ryshael. Those looking for the Maelstrom in the harbor never found her. After every strike, she retreated to the island of Mernasu, where Tarnak continually built his pirate haven. Few were told of the island, and even fewer were invited.
The Sea Wolf kept a small fleet there. Over time, Mernasu became a thriving community and pirate town. It served as a base of operations for the Sea Wolf’s small fleet of ships. It also grew to a place where other pirates could come and lay low for a while or store goods that needed to be off the market to avoid detection by the authorities.
For a price, of course.
A passing Traazorite warship has investigated the island twice so far, only to be met with complete resistance from the pirates of Mernasu. The investigating Traazorites were laid to rest in the sea. Their ships were either dismantled or repurposed for the Sea Wolf’s fleet.
This has only furthered Tarnak’s already formidable reputation. Many people have called him many things during his time as a pirate. The Mishdadans call him “I as orja Medya’az,” The Reaper. The Traazorites refused to officially give him a memorable name, fearing it would legitimize him. Privately call him Dal Vaila Ara, the Sea Devil. The Mershael know him as Hona Umo, The Maw because he devours whatever he sees. The Maw is also the name of a quasi-mythical sea beast that the Mershael have claimed to encounter.
The pirate community calls him Izmem Aie Namant or the Admiral. Very little happens in the pirate community without Tarnak knowing about it. The older he gets and the more pirates that Mernasu hosts, the list of favors owed by that community get longer and longer. When decisions as a community need to be made, Tarnak is always at that table.
As Tarnak gets older, his long jet-black hair starts showing gray. He continues to dress as he always has, in dark colors with colorful sashes and head wraps. He bedecks himself with jewelry, each piece a story from one of his numerous exploits. If you are honored to meet Ve Izmem Aie Namant, you’ll hear about each. Tarnak also wears a broad-brimmed black hat with red and black plumes.
Tarnak’s constant companion is Arlo, or Arhalsho, a large gray-skinned Shakrim. Arlo was captured when the Maelstrom engaged a Mishdadan tribute ship and a Shakrim pirate ship that had come for the same prize. Tarnak fought off the Shakrim and claimed the tribute ship as a bounty in a battle that would make the Sea Wolf a legend.
Arhalsho was the lone survivor of his crew and, being pragmatic, joined the Maelstrom crew. Tarnak couldn’t pronounce his name, so he shortened it to Arlo. Arlo doesn’t seem to mind and has been by Tarnak’s side ever since.
Arlo sometimes disappears, especially when the crew has to port in a place that isn’t Mernasu. The rest of the band doesn’t know that Arlo is a shapeshifter and melts into the population at a port to determine how safe it is for the Sea Wolf there. Usually, this is at Terezret, where toleration for privateer work prevails. Still, even then, the Traazorites, who nominally control the city, can make it uncomfortable for The Sea Wolf and his crew. Arlo’s ability to shape-shift has also come in handy at other times.
Despite the dangers of everyday pirate life, Tarnak continues to do well. He has lived much longer than most in his profession, giving his reputation an even more terrific lift. For many pirates, Dav Chaladev is a legend and an inspiration. Mernasu is a mythical friendly port where anything goes, and there is never fear of a Traazorite shakedown. Those who have sailed into Mernasu know that the tales of the Sea Wolf and his haven are genuine.
As time passed, the administration of Mernasu kept Tarnak busier and wealthier than pirating. He longed for the sea, but Mernasu brought in so much money that he nearly stopped taking to open waters. The Maelstrom was given to the competent hands of Tarnak’s protege, Anil Sadzai. He became the Sea Wolf for all intents and purposes, and the Maelstrom kept hounding ships and bringing their wealth back to Mernasu.
Tarnak occasionally hunts whenever administering a pirate haven becomes too tedious. Sometimes an upstart at the local bar has too much to drink, bragging about how much better than the Sea Wolf his own captain is, and Tarnak has to put a stop to that. Still, as good a pirate as Tarnak is, he’s an even craftier businessman.
Children
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