Major July Cullens
Major July Cullens never dreamed they would have ended up with this life. July came from a long line of soldiers. Grunts and sailors, grunts and sailors. July’s mother was a sailor in the navy, her mother was a sailor, and her mother was a sailor. July’s father was a soldier in the army, his mother was a soldier, and her father was a soldier. Although the Cullens had moved to Liber when they got married both families had long history of combat going all the way back to the earliest days of the Kings War. July grew up hearing war stories about both sets of great grandparents and great great grandparents. Living in Barbilla July loved going down to the docks and watching the bigs ships sail in. The sailors were always another source of inspiration and always had fantastical tales of bravery and adventure on the ocean. The big question was which branch of the military July would join. With the war long over July figured sailing would get them the chance to at least see the world and maybe get to fight some pirates.
July served under Captain Montgomery Perry on the ship The Stalwart. July loved being on the sea and while things sometimes got exciting with storms or the occasional creature of the deep it wasn’t the adventure July had dreamed of. Still constantly sailing meant always going to new places. And July continued to love to hear peoples stories. Everywhere people had different perspectives and ideas and July loved learning from new folks. July fully expected to live a normal life in the navy with only the occasional adventure but everything changed when the Battle of the Broken Horn happened.
The Stalwart had made port in Barbilla and July was excited to have come home. The pirate captain Rellin the Bold had planned an attack on the port city. Rellin had spies infiltrate the defenses and sabotage the warning horn. Their surprise attack caught the city by storm and with the warning system disabled things looked dire. The Stalwart was caught off guard in the harbor and Captain Montgomery Perry was fatally wounded in the opening volly. The first mate was struck with horror and fear. With the first mate out of the picture the crew of the Stalwert was ineffective in coming to the defense of the city. July was terrified but thought back on all the stories they heard growing up and all of the stories they had learned in their travels. Ordinary people are capable of coming together and doing extraordinary things, they didn’t need a rank, title, noble blood, or a famous family. All they needed to do was be brave and work together. July stepped up and rallied the defense of the Stalwart. With the ship secure, the first mate got over their fear and came on deck. But even though they outranked July, they were looking to Cullens for orders. July was able to route the pirates from the bay and retake the defenses of the city. While no body of Rellin the Bold was found it is believed she perished as her flagship, The Cursed Raven sank. Much of the credit for the victory was given to July, despite them feeling the ultimate victory belong to the whole crew, and July had accidently found themselves as a folk hero.
The Empresses were enraptured with the story of the simple sailor turned Pirate Defeater and insisted July be given a rank worthy of the heroic battle. The military as a whole frowned on this. Generals and Admirals did not feel one soldiers lucky victory would make them a successful commander. So July was made a Major. July was humbled and shocked to be met with such an honor. Nobody in their family had ever become such a high ranking officer. However July was met with constant skepticism and doubt by every officer they interacted with. In their eyes, July was still just a lucky sailor. And in order to make sure this unschooled, barely trained, upstart did the least damage July was quickly sent to lead the military in Flint. Afterall, Flint is as far away from the action against pirates and mercenaries one can get. What could possibly happen on the opposite side or the world?
July hated not being on a ship. But being landlocked in the new world had its advantages. For one thing there were no rude and condescending admirals in Flint to deal with. And two, folks from all over were coming to Flint. July could still meet new people from everywhere and hear their stories. And July quickly learned, everyone who comes to Flint has a story worth sharing.
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