BASIC INFORMATION

Full name: Captain Esgaron "Reaver" Rivornor
Name Meanings: Esgaron – Shore; Rivornor – Black Crown
Nickname(s) or Alias: The Stormreaver; Scourge of the Seas; Reaver; Terror of Tuor; The Unsinkable; Ghost of Talmara
Gender: Male
Age: 1000? Give or take a couple hundred years. He doesn't even remember.
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 189 lbs
Race: Sea Elf
Sexuality: Bisexual – Heavy preference for women
Nationality: Talmi
Residence: Eye of the Storm – His pride and joy; Ship type: Schooner
Relationship Status: Single


PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
For an elf, Reaver has uncharacteristically strong features. Where many elven men might have nearly as fine and delicate features as their women, Reaver has a strong jaw, with a prominent brow, and slightly wide cheekbones –giving his face an overall square shape. With a slightly snub nose, deep-set emerald eyes, and thin, pursed lips he's gotten more than his fair share of admiration for his rather attractive countenance.

Long, straight black hair has an almost glossy midnight blue sheen in certain lighting and flows through the fingers like fine, silken threads. Reaver's hair could leave a woman in envy with the sheer beauty and length of it. His hair falls well past his muscled shoulders, almost reaching his waist. Matching eyebrows sit in finely sculpted arches above his very bright green eyes. Peeking up through his luscious locks are a pair of long, stiff, upright pointing ears.

The body of Reaver may as well have been carved by the world's greatest sculptor or the creator themselves. While his torso is narrow, his chest and arms are covered in streamlined, rippling muscles, his abdomen is perfectly chiseled, all fat having been  chipped away by toning exertion, giving him a lean and fit core. The toned perfection slides right down his narrow hips and long, strong legs. All this perfectly designed flesh is covered in a golden bronze complexion.

Reaver has two very distinct tattoos, one across the center of his chest, and one across his upper back. Splayed across his chest is an accurate navigational map of the entire earth, including magnetic poles and lines of latitude and longitude. Sprawled over his shoulder blades is a circular pattern of stars, actually they're constellations, accurately depicted around as they would appear as the world spins. Another navigational tool used commonly by sailors.

While most of Reaver seems to be a testament to perfection, take the glove off his left hand and you'll find that the skin of that hand is mostly black and is distinctly not smooth like the rest of him. Rather it appears to be cracked and hardened, as if severely burned.


CLOTHING, GEAR, AND JEWELRY
Reaver has quite the ensemble of clothing, and he is meticulous about his appearance. After all, he has a very distinct reputation to live up to. It simply wouldn't do not to look magnificent and impressive.

A well-tailored suit is generally worn when out and about on land. Black trousers hug his legs, tucked into black leather cavalier boots that are turned down mid-calf. A crimson silk shirt with ruffled front slides smoothly over the rippling muscles beneath, and a black waistcoat of crushed velvet is clasped by rubies set into silver buttons. A knee-length black coat embroidered at the seams with silver waves and wide lapels is worn over everything, with ornamental buttons matching those on his waistcoat. Both his silk shirt and long coat have silver and ruby cufflinks. No fewer than three belts slant across his hip, black leather with simple silver buckles, holding his sword, pistol, and ammunition/gunpowder pouches. Another black leather strap crosses his chest, under his coat.

He's also partial to wearing a black and silver captain's hat with a long, bright crimson plume. His left hand is nearly always covered in a black glove with matching embroidery to his coat, but his right hand is generally left bare. On his right pinky he wears a silver ring with a ruby, and on the pointer finger of the same hand is a silver band incrusted with tiny rubies. His long elven ears are pierced four times each, with two rubies set in silver on each side mid-ear, and two silver hoops on each side closer to the tips of his ears.


EYE OF THE STORM
The pride and joy of Reaver is a fifty-foot schooner with three gaff-rigged masts. The hull is painted an ominous crimson red with black trimmings. The sails are darker than the night sky, and billow in the breeze like dark clouds heralding the coming storm. The wood is lovingly oiled and polished, the ship receiving more tender care than perhaps anyone on board. For its great age, the ship looks as lovely as a vessel on her maiden voyage.

Most of the interior of the ship is taken up by cargo space, with the crew sleeping in very small, cramped rooms not much bigger than their hammocks, with a small chest of drawers for stashing personal belongings such as clothing. The captain's cabin is enormous in comparison; with room enough for multiple dressers, a huge bed, and even a very comfortable throne-like chair. Everything is bolted down and securely latched, of course.



PERSONALITY
At the very core of his being, Reaver is a lost, weary, and restless soul. There used to be a good man in his heart, but that man died a very, very long time ago. So long ago, that it is like the foggy memory of another lifetime, on those rare occasions when Reaver actually thinks and reflects on his long life. It isn't often that Reaver tries to think about himself in regards to what really lies within him, what things lurk in his blackened heart are too painful to even remember. The tragic deaths of his wife and children have been repressed, his mind unable to cope with the loss.

The only thing that still lays within him that resembles who he once was is his unquenchable thirst for adventure. Reaver is a thrill-seeker, and the more dangerous something becomes, the more exciting and enticing. Perhaps his subconscious desire to be with his loved ones again leads him to take greater risks than ever before, in an unconscious desire to die, but an unwillingness to outright end his own life.

Selfish beyond belief, the only person Reaver seems to care about anymore is himself. Everything is about what he wants and what will bring him pleasure or relief. Whether that is adrenalin high from his reckless pursuits, to actual drugs, alcohol, sex, and a sadistic pleasure derived from causing others pain. Despite the carefree mask he wears, Reaver is just a miserable, hollow shell, and his pain has been internalized to the point that he bitterly wants to bring as much pain to others as he feels.

If an ego actually physically gave one a 'big head' then Reaver wouldn't fit on his own ship! Maybe he was a humble man a long time ago, but going on a millennium of hearing tales of your greatness can rub off on a person. Or maybe the ego just goes along with his ruthlessness. The worst people always seem to think the most highly of themselves, for whatever reason.

So he's a sick, twisted, sadistic, egotistical, hedonistic, miserable adrenalin junkie and addict.



SKILLS
Talents/skills:
Reaver can perform any job on his ship – from tying off knots and lines, to navigation, to swabbing the deck. Not that he does those things anymore, he's the captain, his job is to give the orders and plan their heists. However, in a pinch he can and has jumped right into the thick of frantic activity to set things right when they've run into trouble.

Aside from his naval talents Reaver is well-versed in merchant trading, map-making, and appraisal. He knows what he's stealing and what it is worth. He's also fluent in several languages – Talmi, Adelan, Common, Standard Elvish, Drow, and Dwarvish – being able to understand, speak, read, and write in each.

Sea Elves are uniquely adapted to their life living off of the salty waters of the world's oceans. Indeed, they're partially amphibious and some say they are related to mermaids almost as closely as they are to other types of elves. Reaver can breathe underwater for several hours before needing to resurface, but still prefers life on the sea to life below it.

Magic Abilities:
Among the Talmi sea elves the greatest magical talent is the ability to control the weather, and Reaver was one of the greatest weather mages ever to have lived among his kind. Able to whip up roaring tempests and calm unsettled seas, Reaver is the master of his element. Hurricanes, tropical storms, fog banks, whirlpools, and high winds are all things he can create and use to his advantage.

His ship always finds favorable winds, and those that would pursue him will find the very seas turned against them. Eye of the Storm is said to be able to vanish like a ghost into thick fog banks when escaping ships that have been sent to collect a bounty on Reaver and his crew. Dozens of enemy ships have been lead to their doom in treacherous waters with hidden sand banks and jagged rocks.



COMBAT
Peaceful or aggressive attitude? Aggressive – although that seems far too cut and dry. Reaver isn't just aggressive, he's ruthless. Needless and excessive violence is nothing to him and something he can and does embrace readily on a whim.

Fighting skills/techniques: Reaver is a blade master in the ancient and forgotten sword "dancing" of the Talmi Sea Elves. It is a graceful, fluid, and breath-taking form of both art and combat. Talmi warriors would settle disputes by shows of mastering the dance without violence. Though they used this combat as a peaceful competitive art between themselves, it is a deadly technique and because of the speed and skill involved is difficult to counter.

Special skills: Sea elves are both faster and stronger than humans by nature. Even among elves they are said to be some of the most beautifully graceful in the world. They also have high ratios of weather and water mages born into their bloodlines.

Weapon of choice (if any): A broad, curved cutlass made of black steel, said to be indestructible and to never dull. The Red Reaver is the name of the blade and it was forged with magic and hellfire, or so the legend goes. A line of small blood rubies are set in the half-guard and two larger ones are set into each side of the hilt. In the beautiful language of the sea elves, the words "My heart lies within the sea and stars" are engraved in silver across the black blade. He also carries a silver-plated wheel lock pistol.

Weaknesses in combat: Are you kidding? Even if Reaver had a weakness, which he will insist he does not, he wouldn't reveal it to anyone, and those who might have discovered such a weakness to exploit would have been cut down without mercy.

Strengths in combat: Countless years of experience have honed his skills to an art form. With the fluid strength and grace of a feline, he is a deadly adversary, cutting down his prey swiftly and with tactical precision. Reaver is also an expert at fighting dirty and will do whatever it takes to win. Fighting honorably is for knights and fools.



FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FOES
Parents names: Nemiril – Mother, name means "Water Jewel"; Cairon – Father, name means "Ship"

Are parents alive or dead? Deceased

Is the character still in contact with their parents? Obviously not.

Siblings? Relationship with siblings? Reaver thinks he had some – a long time ago in another life, but their names and faces are lost to the darkness of time.

Other Relatives: Undoubtedly he had many relatives, but like his siblings, they have been long forgotten.

Partner/Spouse: Ask Reaver if he was ever married. Go on. I dare you.

Children: Reaver has more than sown his wild oats. Over his long life he has enjoyed many women and there's little doubt that at least a small percent of those beauties became with child after he ravished them. Even a small percent of them is still quite a lot. Not that he knows any of these children or even cares that they exist.

Best Friend: Uilon – First Mate, name means "Seaweed"

Other Important Friends: His crew – Rosson, Hithon, Midhon, Fainor, Helegon, Seron, Angon, Ivoron, Malton, Iston, Parvon

Acquaintances: "Business" contacts.

Pets: Are you kidding me? No.

Enemies? Why are they enemies? You can't be as fabulously devious, delinquent, and wicked as Reaver without stepping on some toes here and there. With as many people as the crew of Eye of the Storm has murdered and robbed, they have enemies from one end of the world to the other.



THE LEGENDS
Some people say that the god of the seas came across the fairest maiden in the entire world walking along the shores of the island of the Talmi people. He was so captivated by her beauty that he took the form of a sea elf and seduced her.  Nine months later a son was born of the union, and his birth was heralded by the fiercest storm Talmi had ever seen. The child was said to be able to command both the skies and the seas, and that all who met him were in awe of his power.

There's a story that says Reaver angered a king by stealing the heart of the princess. So the king sent a fleet of a thousand warships to retrieve the infamous black crown. At dusk the fleet appeared to have cornered the Eye of the Storm, but a raging tempest swept over the king's ships, sinking each and every one by dawn, while the Eye of the Storm disappeared into a fog – untouched by the storm – never to be seen again in the that king's lifetime.

Another legend says that Reaver single-handedly stormed a keep, slaughtered the hundred guards, before facing the warlord in single combat that lasted for three days and three nights before finally cutting clean through the warlord's blade and beheading the man with one fluid swing of The Red Reaver. They say that the blade actually absorbed the life of his enemy, taking his strength and power for its master.

The story goes that Reaver once angered a powerful sea witch by refusing to marry her, and so she sent his ship to the bottom of the ocean, saying it would never sail the seas again so long as his heart belonged to another. Now, legends disagree on how long Eye of the Storm sat in the deeps, some say a hundred years, some say a thousand – but everyone agrees that Reaver cut out his own heart, giving it to the sea witch, saving his ship and his crew. Now the sea witch holds the heart of The Stormreaver, sealed in a chest within her lair in the blackest pits of the ocean.

There are literally hundreds – if not thousands – of versions of these tales and others. In them Reaver goes by many different names, but they are all about him and his crew. Of course, no one can prove or disprove any of these legends, they simply are and have grown and evolved as they have been passed down through the years.


BACKSTORY
Esgaron's story begins much the same as any number of stories of the lives of his people. His mother was a weaver, his father captain of a merchant vessel, and they were happily married. They had several children before Esgaron, and several after him. He grew up running about the beaches and shores of Talmara, the small island nation of his people, the Talmi sea elves. There were only a handful of small villages scattered about the shores of Talmara, less than five thousands occupants of the sheltered coves.

His young life was one of leisure and pleasure, but also one of many studies – which he found pleasurable. From his father he learned about the stars and the sea, how to map and navigate, and the many languages of the great world outside of Talmara. Esgaron knew right from his childhood that he wished to captain his own ship someday. The thrill of adventure and exploration sparkled in his eyes, lighting them up with every story of the great outside world the sailors would bring home to tell all the youths.

As he grew the art of sword dancing was passed down to him, and he loved and excelled in the vigorous activity, but it wasn't until he was twelve that he was first taken onto a ship that would leave port. His father allowed him to go on a short trip – only three months – so that he could learn his way around the inner workings of a ship. It was the greatest moment of his life up to that point. The boy threw himself into it, learning everything and anything his father's crew would teach him.

The next twenty years of his life were spent on and off his father's ship – more and more often on than off. In that time he was groomed for being a merchant trader, just like his father. Together they supplied most of the island's non-native goods. Eventually Esgaron was able to acquire his own ship, and lovingly dubbed it Eye of the Storm, because of his magical abilities. Pulling together his own crew from a mix of eager young sailors to more seasoned men, fine Talmi men one and all, he began running his own supply lines.

Nearly a decade later Esgaron met and married Lithel, who he teasingly called the Heart of the Ocean. She was his world, his everything, the only thing he loved more than sailing – the only thing he thought he could. Of course, he had no idea how deeply you could really love until his first daughter, Lornel, was born and then again when a few years later he became the father of a healthy son, Celonor. His trading kept him away from home for months at a time, but he always brought back gifts for Lithel and the children. His life was absolutely perfect. There wasn't a happier, more content elf on Talmara, or so he was convinced.

A trading trip to the mainland, one that was to last six long months, was just another voyage to bring valuable goods to Talmara. With Esgaron in charge the sailing was smooth and the bargains good, but when they returned, loaded down with exotic furs and carefully preserved foods that did not grow on the tropical island, everything changed – forever.

The slumbering volcano that had towered over the small villages had awoken while Eye of the Storm was out of port. The resulting flows of lava and the superheated ash cloud had decimated the island utterly and completely. The Talmi people had been wiped out in a single disaster; the only survivors were those that had been at sea. Esgaron had frantically searched for his family in the ghostly village, covered in a thick layer of ash, but only moderately damaged. His wife and two children had been curled up in his bed, clinging to each other in their last moments, and they were like ashen statues, so fragile in their preservation that they began to crumble as he touched them with a trembling hand.

Esgaron isn't sure how long he knelt beside his bed, weeping for the dead. His family had died horribly, and not only did he fail to protect them, he hadn't even been there. The loss broke him to the depths of his soul. Life was unfair, cold, and cruel. If his family had slipped into the void beyond, why hadn't he gone with them? Surely there was no reason to stay in this world when everything that had made his life worth living was now dead and cold.

It was three days before the crew of Eye of the Storm shuffled back on board, disheartened and lost. The wind had been snatched from their sails and they felt lost and adrift without a rudder in the course of time. For a time they did drift with no clear purpose or reason, barely keeping themselves going, and only through sheer force of will to continue living. As luck would have it, their lives were about to change forever once more.

Eye of the Storm came under siege by a pirate ship. The crew was able to beat back the thieves, and Esgaron himself cut down the captain of the enemy ship. Black blade dripping blood, he named the sword The Red Reaver, and a strange lust came into his deadened eyes, re-igniting the fire that had once been in them, but had been extinguished since the death of his wife and children. They raided the ship before torching it, watching it sink beneath the treacherous waves of the sea.

Over the next three decades Eye of the Storm assaulted hundreds of ships, and Esgaron was lost entirely, even his crew, that had known him all his life, called him Reaver, for that was who he had become. None was safe from the bloodthirsty captain. Merchant vessels, pirate ships, luxury ships belonging to the privileged, they sacked them all, slaughtering crews and passengers alike, and then sending the ships to the cold ocean floor.

As the centuries past, the stories and legends surrounding Eye of the Storm, her crew, and most notably her captain, grew and multiplied. Reaver could retire and they would still expand upon his legend long after he finally was taken by the dark waters he prowls.