Captain Johannes LaGarre

Full Name: Captain Johannes LaGarre
Age: 31

Gender: Male

Species: Why, a cat, lad!

Height: 6'2

Weight: 178 pounds

Build: Broad shoulders, sculpted chest, tapering slim waist, strong arms and legs.

Fur Color: Bodyfur is bright red (I dye it, lass!), he has a luxurious dark-red mane of headfur that trails past his shoulders. He often ties it up behind his head.

Eye Color: bright emerald green

Clothing (armor): The good captain often wears a white silk shirt, richly embroidered, that stays close to his body. His breeches are the best money could buy (although they are often the best a pirate can steal from an enemy captain's hold) and are black, down to ankle-length. Around these he wears a metallic blue Fringed sash... Very long, 10" wide sash made from a luxurious heavy satin, trimmed with a generous fringe at either end. Long enough to wrap twice around the waist to provide a place to stick a knife or flintlock.
However, his pride and joy is his Frock coat: The envy of any ship's captain, it is made from a rich red velvet, fully lined with either satin or broadcloth and feature rather special pockets (more of that in the artefacts section), turned back cuffs, half circle split and pleated skirting at the sides and center back vent with pleating on either side of the back vent. It has golden buttons and it is trimmed with elegant golden metallic braids
Whenever he wears his coat he makes sure he is wearing his best golden-buckled shoes...however, when he is Boarding or fighting, however, he just wears his shirt , sash and breeches, leaving both coat and shoes behind.


Accessories (weapons, jewelry, tools, magic items, vehicles, etc.): The good captain always wears his trusty Cutlass by his side, with a richly-set handguard that has his name engraved on it. It is a veritable showpiece as it is embedded with Agate, Rubies and Tigereyes, and it is aptly forged to resist the greatest strains in battle.
The cap'n has managed to accumulate a series of magical trinkets from his plunders, among these the most important are:

-A magical umbrella that has the Featherfall spell embedded on it. Upon opening it bestows a gentle and slow fall to whomever is holding it. (often stored in his frock coat pocket)

-A flintlock pistol that does not need ammo to fire. Instead it has a small chamber where a piece of Agate has to be placed. With every shot the Agate wears down little by little and must be replaced for the gun to work.

-A signet ring that bestows the owner with light if you rub it in the darkness. (worn all the time)

-A telestope that allows him to see through buildings and mountains if he so desires, but only see where there is light present- if there is a room that's bathed in darkness, he will only see darkness. It has several dials that gradate the distance through which he wants to look at.

-His Frock Coat has Bottomless pockets. He can store anything that fits through the opening and pick it out at will. He does not gain any weight when the object is inside the 'pocket' (really a small pocket universe), but if it is heavy he may need help taking it in and out to begin with! (They were the priced possession of a rather wealthy british admiral that Johannes had the pleasure of 'relieving' of his cumbersome possessions. And provisions.)

-An elaborate cannon aboard his ship. Cannonballs placed and fired with this cannon will always follow what they were aimed at-- it doesn't mean they'll hit it, especially if it moves, but it's the next best thing. Anything shot out of this cannon contains a deadly force-- known even to wound immortals such as Gods! Forged in the Vaesubius through dark rituals, later transported to Beliz, this cannon acquired its nickname "The Devil of Beliz" after single-handedly reducing a mob of invading soldiers-- without anyone manning the cannon! So far it seems to be undamageable. Anything shot out of the cannon that isn't a cannonball will find a strange magical effect: acceleration does not stop once shot but increases for the next three minutes out of the cannon's muzzle. The result can be rather messy.


Pets: Sylas Maccabeus, a species of bird that could well be described as the result of a parrot that met a phoenix and got off rather well, causing Darwin to go "Oy Vey" and rush off to write a new chapter. It is sentient, and can speak--whenever it pleases it to. Whether that's a good thing is still to be agreed upon.


Abilities/Skills & Power Level: Johannes possesses the following skills:

-Swashbuckling/Swordsmanship: A fearsomely high level with the handle of the blade, the Captain is a vicious feline predator-- add a sword, and you've got trouble. Very few can outmatch him. (Very few dare). He is one of the terrors of the air or sea with a sword- not due to any supernatural powers, but rather on the advantage of his feline inheritance, as well as nearly three decades of training with the Swordmasters.

-Gymnastics: He's shaped his physique so it allows him the right mixture of strength and speed -vital for those that want to survive Boarding or being Boarded. He practices Gymnastic excercises followed by minor acrobatics regularly.

-Sailing (Airship): A salty sea dog for years, recently Johannes has learned the craft of Airship sailing. His beautiful Galleon the Lady Amalthea (*A nod to Peter Beagle*) was built originally by the Elves that live by the Ports, it was later enchanted for flight by the sorceress known as Erana, few years prior to her disappearance.
Needless to say, it was not freely given to the Captain- he stole it.

-Magical Artifacts Lore: An avid treasure seeker, Johannes' tastes are much more refined than your usual pirate. He seeks magical artefacts both for the beauty of their craftsmanship as well as for the upper edge they provide against other greedy captains...and anyone that might want to apprehend a pirate.

-Literature: The captain is known to lock himself up in his cabin and read from time to time. He has a certain affinity to essays.


Special Effects (if any): His signet ring is the only magical item he has that shows it is blatantly magical: It sparkles.

The Lady Amalthea and Albatross
Albatross is the intelligence that lives within the Brigantine named The Lady Amalthea. An amalgam of machine, magic and spirit, it seems to be the central intelligence of the ship, doubling as a computer and as its 'soul'. It emits a constant interference field that tampers with magic- magic spells that aren't cast by Albatross itself have an 80% chance of failure within the ship's area, which is why there are no magic users in the Captain's crew. Albatross is capable of absorbing magical and psychic energy from beings on the ship- sometimes even against the Captain's orders. It is not advisable for magical creatures to board the Amalthea without express permission of the Captain and Albatross. The ingelligence seems to forego all authority when it comes to Demonic beings, relentlessly consuming any demonic being on board and ignoring the captain's orders. The nature itself of Albatross remains a mystery even to the Captain. There is a rumor floating about that the entity might be an imprisoned mage, or that it is actually the soul of the enchantress Erana, chosen as her last resting place by her own hand. Whether any of these speculations is true, nobody knows.

The Code Of Piracy
The rules of each pirate captain are clearly stated to each member of the crew. There is little ambiguity about acceptable behavior among pirates on a typical pirate ship. These are the rules that Captain LaGarre has laid down for his crew:

* Every man shall obey civil Command; the Captain shall have one full share and a half in all Prizes; the Master, Carpenter, Boatswain and Gunner shall have one Share and quarter.

* If any man shall offer to run away, or keep any Secret from the Company, he shall be marroon'd with one Bottle of Powder, one Bottle of Water, one small Arm and some shot.

* If any Many shall steel any Thing in the Company, or game, to the Value of a Piece of Eight, he shall be marroon'd or shot.

* If at any Time we should meet another Marrooner (that is Pyrate) that Man that shall sign his Articles without the Consent of our Company, shall suffer such Punishment as the Captain and Company shall think fit.

* That Man that shall strike another whilst these Articles are in force, shall receive Mose's Law (that is 40 stripes lacking one) on the bare Back.

* That Man that shall snap his Arms, or smoak Tobacco in the Hold, without a cap to his Pipe, or carry a Candle lighted without a Lanthorn, shall suffer the same Punishment as in the former Article.

* That Man that shall not keep his Arms clean, fit for an Engagement, or neglect his Business, shall be cut off from his Share, and suffer such other Punishment as the Captain and the Company shall think fit.

* If any Man shall lose a Joint in time of an Engagement he shall have 400 pieces of Eight; if a limb 800.

* If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her Consent, shall suffer present Death.

The Crew

The Crew of the Amalthea rounds off at 250 hands

The History of Johannes LaGarre
Born Johnathan Lawrence, Johannes LaGarre was the eldest son of an-up-coming family belonging to british nobility. His father, a lesser noble, had expanded his economic status by funding several successful mercantile operations which, although suffering losses from pirate assaults, were enough to give him a buoyant lifestyle. Jonathan's upbringing was typical for a member of the lesser nobility, a balance of scholastic endeavors, naval and military knowledge, as it was not uncommon for the sons of minor noblemen to end up taking up posts as officers.

A few years after William III's elevation to the throne, Johannes was of age and suitable for a post in the royal fleet. Due to his father's moderate influence, he secured a mid-ranking position as an officer of the brigantine "The Intrepid" and enjoyed a moderately successful campaign for his first years, eventually rising to the higher ranks by virtue of his skill and leadership potential.

Eventually, due to his services and merit, he secured him the captainship of the Warship (Third Rank) known as "The Justicar", dedicated to protect his Majesty's waters from the plague of piracy, particularly French privateers and blockade-runners. During his time as the Captain of "The Justicar", he acquired the nickname "La Garre" (the claw) from the French privateers and pirates alike. His reputation grew more with each successful capture and was eventually knighted for services rendered to the crown.

Unfortunately, his successes in the naval field were not matched in British society. Although favorably viewed by many members of the court (women specially), there were certain individuals that were most displeased with the speedy ascension of this minor noble through the ranks, when some of their own progeny were not nearly as succesful as their birthright should make them. Sir Derek Lowry became his enemy in society, an intelligent and powerful antagonist who would prefer to see his own son as the captain of "The Justicar".

The death of Jonathan's father was the opportunity Sir Lowry was waiting for, as Jonathan inherited his father's wealthy estate and his many mercantile companies. Not interested in abandoning his naval career quite so young, Jonathan placed several of his trusted friends and associates as partners and administrators, allowing him the opportunity to continue with his naval ambitions.

Unfortunately for the young Captain, his associates were more loyal to Sir Lowry than to him. The considerable profit that would involve the elimination of the young Captain from the company was more of an incentive to the associates than any shred of loyalty (after all, such occurences were fairly common in the intrigues of court). While the Captain was at sea on a run against the French privateers, Sir Lowry arranged for several incriminating (and deftly falsified) documents to be placed in the Captain's secured desk: a French letter of marque and letters written in French, addressed to several well-known French officers describing the trade routes that he would be escorting in the next months, and also including information concerning the least-protected shipments that were not assigned to him. Under the excuse of needing a copy of the original contract of the company as drafted by Sir Lawrence, the associates allegedly forced open the desk and were deft to communicate their 'findings' to the crown: Johannes Lawrence was a double agent, working against His Majesty's fleet and leaking information to French privateers.

Upon his return, the Captain found a court ready to try him for treason, and his rank stripped.