Interlude: The Rivals

In a previous post I introduced a magical item, the Bloody Banner; it was adapted from a Pathfinder-compatible project of mine for a high-fantasy setting. Building on it, I present here a group of pirates who could serve as foils for PC's who are not as wicked as they could be.

Interlude 43: The Rivals

A lot of swashbuckling fiction tends to portray pirates as Robin Hood-like characters, ones who break the law but tend to do so for good reasons; that is the assumption in the Come Hell and High Water campaign. Such is the exception to the rule, however, historically speaking. This article presents a group of cutthroats who are wicked and bloodthirsty, embodying the evil characters that most people believed pirates to be.

This group is known as the Crimson Company. They take their name from the red flag that they fly--but theres is no ordinary jolie rouge, the red flag that symbolizes no quarter asked or given. Rather, there is the Bloody Banner, a device steeped in evil rituals and the blood of their enemies. (See the appropriate preceding article for information about this magical item.) For them, plunder is only a secondary concern; it is violent combat for its own sake in which they truly relish.

Note: This articles uses rules from the article "On the Dreadful Curses of Blood," taken from Issue #1 of the Buccaneers & Bokor e-zine.

Typical Crew Member

Sea Dog 1; CR 1; Size medium; HD 1d10+2; hp 12; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 armor); Atk +4 (1d6+2, cutlass) or +2 (ranged); SQ Superstitious, close quarters +1, dodge; AL NE; SV: Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.

Background: Sea Devil (Profession: sailor, Survival).

Skills: Blood Curse +5, Climb +6, Jump +6, Profession (sailor) +5, Survival +5, Use Rope +5.

Feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus (cutlass).

Fortunes: Doll's Eyes, Superstitious.

Equipment: Buff coat, cutlass, miscellaneous personal items.

These sailors make up an unsavory bunch of bloodthirsty scallywags.

Veteran Crew Member

Sea Dog 3; CR 3; Size medium; HD 3d10+6; hp 27; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 armor); Atk +6 (1d6+2, cutlass) or +4 (ranged); SQ Superstitious, close quarters +1, Dodge, favored ship (English ships); AL NE; SV: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.

Background: Sea Devil (Profession: sailor, Survival).

Skills: Blood Curse +7, Climb +8, Jump +8, Profession (sailor) +7, Survival +5, Use Rope +7.

Feats: Cleave, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (cutlass).

Fortunes: Doll's Eyes, Superstitious.

Equipment: Buff coat, cutlass, miscellaneous personal items.

The veterans crew members often form the vanguard during a boarding action, throwing themselves aboard an enemy vessel and reveling in the enusing slaughter.

Burleigh Dunn, First Mate

Sea Dog 4/Sea Officer 3; CR 7; Size medium; HD 7d10+14; hp 57; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 armor); Atk +10/+5 (1d6+3, cutlass) or +5 (ranged); SQ Superstitious, close quarters +1, Dodge, favored ship (English ships), Mobility, skill expert +2, command (morale bonus); AL NE; SV: Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5; Str 16, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.

Background: Sea Devil (Profession: sailor, Survival).

Skills: Blood Curse +9, Climb +11, Intimidate +11, Jump +11, Profession (sailor) +9, Survival +5, Use Rope +9.

Feats: Cleave, Power Attack, Ugly, Weapon Focus (cutlass).

Fortunes: Doll's Eyes, Superstitious.

Equipment: Buff coat, cutlass, miscellaneous personal items.

Burleigh is a hulking fellow with a shaved head and a body covered by scars from his previous battles. He uses his intimidating manner to keep the crew in line and, when the time comes, usually leads the boarding party into battle.

Captain Russel McNally

Sea Dog 4/Sea Officer 9; CR 13; Size medium; HD 13d10+26; hp 102; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +2 armor); Atk +14/+9 (1d6+4, cutlass) or +9/+5 (ranged); SQ Superstitious, close quarters +1, Dodge, favored ship (English ships), Mobility, skill expert +5, command (morale bonus, readiness, break enchantment, furious attack); AL NE; SV: Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +8; Str 18, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.

Background: Sea Devil (Profession: sailor, Survival).

Skills: Blood Curse +14, Climb +17, Intimidate +16, Jump +17, Profession (sailor) +14, Survival +5, Use Rope +14.

Feats: Cleave, Great Cleave, Guidance, Power Attack, Ugly, Weapon Focus (cutlass).

Fortunes: Doll's Eyes, Superstitious.

Equipment: Buff coat, cutlass, miscellaneous personal items.

In stark contrast to his first mate, McNally is neither tall nor very broad; he has a wiry strength, however, and knows how to apply it to hurt others. In this way he possesses none of the swashbuckling charisma common to pirate captains; rather, he is grim and humorless. What pleasure he does take from his violent and wicked pursuits, he does not show it.

The Sanguine

This vessel is a modified slave ship, notable for the fact that it carries no cannon. The members of the Crimson Company prefer to grapple an enemy prize and then board it, relishing in the ensuing melee. The crew includes McNally, Dunn, fifty ordinary sailors and ten veterans. It is a surprisingly Spartan arrangement, another sign that this crew is different from other pirates.

One practice does set the Company apart from other groups of pirates. While most scallywags prohibit fights between fellow crew members while aboard ship--instead prefering to settle such business during duels on shore--these pirate do nothing to discourage such activities. Instead, these battles between sailors are usually fought to first blood, with the loser contributing his own vital fluid in annointing the ship and the Bloody Banner. Indeed, this serves as a kind of ritual, and helps to establish the pecking order among the members of the Company.

Using the Crimson Company in a Skull & Bones Campaign

The Crimson Company could become involved in a Skull & Bones campaign in a variety of ways; a few of the possibilities are detailed here.

• As implied by the name of this interlude, these pirates are intended as rivals for the PC's. As such, they might be rivals in the pursuit of a lost treasure, or could join an affiliation of pirates and thus provide a bloodthirsty conflicting opinion to more moderate attitudes.
• Should the PC's run afoul of some individual or organization, that enemy could hire the Crimson Company to deal with them.
• If the PC's have entered into government service, they could be sent to apprehend Captain McNally and his crew.
• For a real twist, to start off a new campaign or perhaps for a one-shot scenario, the PC's could be taken prisoner by the Company and be spared for some reason.