Theolin Windsplitter
Theolin (a.k.a. Windspliiter)
Theolin's earliest memories before the age of 8 years are fragmented, happy but fragmented. He remembers being an energetic little blonde boy dressed in fineries, running, playing, and hearing the laughter of his attentive mother and father.
The following memories are as clear as if they happened yesterday...
At the age of nine, he remembers his parents packing his clothes and boarding on a ship. He does not remember where his family was taking a voyage to, but his parents and he shared the same excitement. It was his first time on such a large water vessel, as he remembers leaning over the prow and pointing and screeching in joy and wonderment at a pod of dolphins breaching the ocean's surface.
He remembers the large ship that rammed the vessel he was sailing on, and the black flag with the skull and crossbones that flew from its mast; a Jolly Roger he would learn it to be called. He remembered mean, terrifying men-cutthroats leaping over the side of the ship he boarded, and the sailors that lived and worked on this boat being cut down like wheat by a scythe.
His next memory is of his mother and father being forced to their knees before a large grim and hideous man. He wore a black tri-cone hat, and a bushy beard as black as the man's heart. He gestured to one of his men, as the brigand thrust a cutlass into his father's and mother's stomachs, their bodies thrown overboard. Theolin then remembers the next words he heard as the man with the beard gently ran the edge of a dagger over the Theolin's throat,
"Pirates take no prisoners..."
But Theolin's life was spared that day, but not without hardship.
The pirate that murdered Theolin's parents was going to sell off young Theolin, who now had bronzed skin kissed by the sun and salt of the sea, to another pirate captain. The buyer, who Theolin would learn was the dread pirate Graham "Merciless" Mabbot; captain of the sea-vessel, "Thie Ghost Bounty," and made Theolin his cabin boy, and for the next four years he would spend every living day on the pirate ship, The Ghost Bounty, as they raided Galadorian, Imperial, and Zylistanni vessels alike (they steered clear of the longships of Northmen Of Brondheim), watched as innocent people were put to the sword, or made to walk the plank in shark infested waters.
Sometime around his thirteenth year, the Ghost bounty pulled into port at Port Regency in Dornica, otherwise known as the "Pirate Isles."It was then that Theolin learned that Ole' Merciless had a daughter near the same age as he, a girl of obvious Lumenian descent named, Meera Mabbott. She begged her father to keep Theolin aboard the Ghost Bounty, if nothing else he would make a fine galley slave. It was obvious that Meera had taken a liking to the blonde cabin boy, and Captain Mabbot then indeed did make him row in the ship's galley.
"Merciless" also did something unexpected, and took his daughter on the Bounty's next voyage as well. It seems the old sea dog was thinking of taking his ill-gotten booty (stop giggling, Mark) and retiring from the open sea. He was going to train and groom Meera to take up his legacy of piracy and terror. During the day, Theolin rowed. At night as her father slept, Meera would bring him extra food and water. Theolin grew large and strong because of the torturous hours spent rowing alongside other slaves and the extra nourishment Meera had brought him. And there was a growing emotional connection between Meera and Theolin as well.
A few years later while still out at sea, Theolin overheard the Bounty's first mate and another deckhand talking of mutiny. Fearing for Meera's safety, he alerted her that night when she brought his extra bread and water, and Theolin begged the young girl to tell her father. Meera did so, and Captain Mabbot discovered the identities of the conspirators among his crew. Merciless Maboot had all executed, their headless bodies thrown into the waters for shark food, and had his former first mate keel hauled.
Meera told her father that it was Theolin who warned her of the plot, and the grateful pirate rewarded Theolin by freeing him from his toils as a galley slave, and made him a deck hand.
Merciless Maboot trained his daughter and Theolin in the ways of piracy; sailing, navigation, naval warfare, and the pirate way of fighting. Both young people excelled at these lessons; Meera seemed better at hand to hand combat than Thoelin as she proved to be a viscious fighter, while Theolin seemed a natural at naval pursuits. He would earn the nickname, "Windsplitter" for his talent at the helm and turning the sails at the right moment to take full advantage of the ocean winds...or the wind he broke when he consumed naval fare.
Years would pass on the open sea, as Theolin and Meera's feelings for one another grew, so did the blonde budding pirate's love of ale and rum.
Theolin loved sailing on the open water. He felt the freedom that only piracy could offer. But the way of a pirate's life was also filled with brutal violence, the plundering of other ships, and the slaughter of innocents. Theolin could not stomach the darker side of piracy, and when Meera realized this, a distance started to grow between them
.Not long after Theolin turned twenty, the Ghost Bounty was attacked, and boarded by the Royal Imperial Navy of the Kingdom of Galador. The navies of the kingdoms of The Silver Shores had made ending piracy on the All-Sea their top priority. Not only did pirates not take prisoners, under Merciless Mabbot's orders they did not surrender either. But the pirates were outnumbered and out classed when it came to the difference between weapons and armor compared to that of their pursuers.
Captain Graham "Merciless" Mabbot was killed by the soldiers of the Galadorian Naval vessel. He died where he hoped he would, on the deck of the Ghost Bounty. Meera fought the Celinadian boarding party like a ferocious lioness and was determined to die alongside her father, but she saw Theolin commit an act that was bane to all pirates...
Theolin surrendered to the authorities...
During his spent aboard the Ghost Bounty, Theolin took no action against others, except in self defense. He mostly stood aside while others were victimized. In the young man's mind however, his inaction might as well have been the blood of others on his hands. Consumed by regret and guilt, Theolin threw down his sword, and gave up quietly.
Meera cursed him as she was eventually subdued, distracted by her best friend's surrender, and led off the boat in chains. Several members of the pirate crew survived the raid and were being taken mainland to face public execution on the docks. Theolin had surrendered out of guilt. While he never took a blade to a single person not worthy of it, he still felt remorse for the crimes he had witnessed and was present for. He stood by while innocent people were robbed, raped, and killed. And he did nothing. All these years he harbored secretly a burning desire to see Merciless Mabbot and his crew pay for the murder of others, and the other hundreds of lives they ended and the destruction these marauders caused.
.Meera swore to the gods loudly that she would escape her captivity, and vowed to kill Theolin. The man could feel the seething hate as her vow was hissed through clenched teeth, but he could also feel her heartbreak and sorrow at his betrayal.
As Theolin was taken aboard the navy's ship, he was brought before the captain. The crew of the vessel that raided the Ghost Bounty was now much fewer in number after their battle with the frenzied pirates. The ship's captain was told that Theolin did not fight, that he surrendered freely. The captain offered him a bargain as a reward for his non-violent capture; join the crew til they were safely back at port or join his former fellow pirates in the brig.
The rest of Theolin's journey was without much incident. He had hoped by turning himself over to the authorities that he would pay for the crimes of his inaction and the violence he bore silent witness to. He could still feel and see Meera's hate and disappointment for him.
The journey to the port of Strongwall in Stormhaven's Bay filled Theolin with sadness and he feared this would be the last time he felt the spray of the sea, tasted the salt on his lips, and the wind in his hair. His own heart broke that day that he did not join his best friend in fighting to the death, his disappointment in his surrender was added to the regret that he did not join his former bucaneers in chains
.Sailing to the Kingdom of Galador with the possibility of still facing a trial and justice, Theolin made a single vow; if he was not executed, he would never abandon a friend again.
When the vessel reached port, Theolin and the handful of former surviving marauders were taken from the brig and being sent to the docks in rowboats. Meera was nowhere in sight, Theolin had a sudden change in heart, and while he was being taken a shore, his hands manacled behind his back, he threw himself overboard.
He used his impressive strength to break the chains that bound him while he held his breath underwater. Theolin was an excellent swimmer and managed to stay hidden in the foamy waves (the soldiers bringing him ashore thought he likely committed suicide). He swam towards the beach until he was fatigued and washed up on a sandy beach miles away on the shores of Galador.
From there he spent years wandering the kingdom's countryside, heading northeast. He was able to parlay his considerable fighting skills into earning a modest living as a bodyguard, caravan guard and mercenary. He did his best to spare himself from more unsavory work, because during his travels as a sellsword, he made a second vow; remembering the murder of his own parents, he would never cut down a defensless or unarmed person.
Various jobs and employers finally led him to a logging town near Ironwood Forest. There he would meet a hyperbolic female bard who was a halfling. And the warrior's life would be forever changed...
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
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I work hard so I can play harder.
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Age: 33 Gender: Male Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown Skin Tone/Pigmentation: Light Bronze Height: 6'1 Weight: 175 lbs.
View Character Profile- Chapter I: The Journey Begins
- Chapter III: The Crucible Stolen
- Chapter IV: Assault On The Keep
- Chapter V: Into Oathheath
- Chapter VI: Fight At The Flagon And The Crow
- Chapter VII: Escape from Oathheath
- Chapter VIII: Shadow Over Ashenport Part 1
- Crucible Of Freya: Epilogue
- Interlude: On the road to Oathheath
- Last Hope For Ironwood
This is a very immersive article and I really really enjoyed it. I would like to know what happened to Meera though. Thank you for the exciting read.
Meera will make an appearance in an upcoming chapter to the campaign saga. Thanks a lot of for the kind words.