Mary Read

(a.k.a. Mark Read)

Mary Read is an infamous Antillean pirate, a quartermaster to Blackbeard and wife to Anne Bonny. Mary is one of few female pirates to have risen to infamy, known for dressing as a man to gain respect in the industry.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Early Life

Mary Read was born in the southern province of Staithes, Elaria, a relatively poorer region of the country. Read was born to a wealthy father and a poor mother, with an older brother. Read's family could afford solid education in her early childhood, but in a turn of tragedy, Read's brother fell ill and died at the age of 17. The same fate would soon meet her father, as he died when Mary was just 12 years old.
Read's father's family was very selfish (and disapproving of his marriage to someone of the lower class), so they would've tried to take his inheritance all for themselves. However, in order to secure the inheritance to support the family, Read's mother dressed her as a boy, impersonating her late brother. The father's family bought the lie, and they were able to live off of the inheritance for several years. Read had to continue the facade for a legal security of the inheritance, and this led her to get her first job in sailing, and later she was recruited into the Elarian navy.

Turn to Piracy

On one job in 568, Read boarded a ship bound for the Antilles, only for her ship to be taken by pirates. Read's mother had died and she had no attachment to her father's family, so she willingly joined the very crew that seized her ship. Read resumed her male disguise in order to gain the associated respect and authority, eventually crossing paths with pirate John "Calico Jack" Rackham and Anne Bonny. Both believed Mary to be a man, and Bonny was also similarly disguising her womanhood.
At one point, Mary revealed to Anne Bonny that she was attracted to her, forcing Anne Bonny to reveal her true nature. Read revealed the she, too, was a woman, but Rackham grew jealous of Anne's and Mary's relationship (thinking Mary to be a man). To abate his jealousy, Anne revealed that Read was a woman and solidified their trifecta. Rackham, Bonny, and Read sailed the Antillean Sea as an unstoppable force in the world of piracy.

End of an Era

In late 574, a pirate hunter took Rackham's crew by surprise while they were off drinking rum and partying in the tropical Antilles. Rackham's crew retreated into the hold, leaving only Read and Bonny to stave off the boarding party. The hunter's crew eventually overpowered the women, while Rackham surrendered and requested mercy, even drunk himself. The entire crew was taken into a coastal Elarian city to be arrested and tried for their piracy. All members of the crew were sentenced to hang, including Read and Bonny. However, the women were able to subvert their execution by pleading the belly, or claiming they were pregnant to delay the execution until they gave birth (operating within an Elarian legal technicality). These claims turned out to be nothing more than a lie, and the two women were able to escape prison, leaving their former partner in his prison cell to rot.

The Queen Anne's Revenge

As of 569 AP, Mary Read and Anne Bonny were free to roam the Antilles once again. Mary reassumed her male alias to regain that leg up in the pirate world, while Bonny dropped the disguise altogether. At some point after this, Mary Read and Anne Bonny became romantically involved with one another, although there are many pirates that believe their relationship started long before they were even imprisoned (though they wouldn't dare utter this around either of them). Mary Read and Anne Bonny joined Blackbeard's crew in 573, which would be their first time as part of a crew since their imprisonment. The two of them quickly earned Blackbeard's respect as among the bravest and strongest crewmates of the Queen Anne's Revenge, eventually being promoted to dual quartermasters. The couple has run with Blackbeard's crew ever since, with Read dropping the male alias and earning quite the name for herself.

Alignment

Social Neutral

Age

31

Date of Birth

16th of Sunbris, 545 AP

Birthplace

Staithes, Elaria

Gender

Female

Eyes

Green

Hair

Long, black, braided

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Fair

Height

5'8"