[hider= Blue Boy Batts] [center] [h1][b][u]Name[/u][/b][/h1] [b][u]Baxter "Blue Boy" Batts[/u][/b] [indent] [/indent] [b][u]Age[/u][/b] [indent]58[/indent] [b][u]Gender Identity[/u][/b] [indent]Male[/indent] [b][u]Sexual Orientation[/u][/b] [indent]Attracted to the Waves[/indent] [b][u]Position[/u][/b] [indent]Able Seaman, Musician/Singer[/indent] [b][u] Appearance[/u][/b] [indent] Standing a good on six feet tall, no more no less. Still straight and hale despite getting on in years and having his fair share of aches and pains. What used to be a dark brown is now mostly grey hair that is pushed back up over his head and held in place by what ever loop of leather he's managed to purloin from the stores, his hair being quite long really to about just below his shoulders. Heavily tanned, almost dark leather tanned skin that has it's fair share of wrinkles, crags and other features of age. His eyes though have not aged all that much a pair of piercing grey eyes, clear, strong with barely a squint to them. A mouth that has lost a few teeth over the years from bar fights or the odd fight aboard ship. But with still a ready smile. Some other interesting features are his mass of tattoos. Inked upon quite a fair few days on land. And often in the middle of an afternoon of drinking when he was younger. The words Hold Fast on his knuckles. No less then four sea swallows on his chest marking more then twenty thousand nautical miles at sea. And has been initiated in the Sea King's court judging by the Sea King's Fork that adorns his left forearm. He's also got some generic tattoos a sea foam half jacket on his right chest and back for instance. His shoulders have a set of waves that look to be crashing against his neck. He keeps no less then four changes of clothing three of them being standard canvas shirt in a kind of off white almost very light yellow color, and grey dyed pants. Good utility-like work shoes with good treaded soles to allow him to work in the rigging. Two pairs of those just in case. His fourth outfit is a slightly finer set of clothing for when the captain of his current ship wants his people to look a little cleaner and proper. A navy blue great coat for when it's a little chilly, or for night watch. [/indent] [b][u]Likes[/u][/b] [list][*]Climbing the rigging first thing in the morning to watch the sun crest the horizon [*]The Sea, the wind and the salt on the air. [*]The idea of living to his last days on the sea. [*]Meeting a new ship, a new crew and a new captain. [*]Raising his voice and playing or humming a tune. [/list] [b][u]Dislikes[/u][/b] [list][*] The idea of his last days being on land. [*]Spending too long ashore. [*]Spiders, dear god no! No Spiders! [*]Scorpions too dear Sea God no! [*]An out of tune hurdy gurdy [/list] [b][u]Personality[/u][/b] [indent] "Ya best Hold Fast." Wise words from a man of the seas. Calm, and collected, wise on the waters, rough on the lands. Kind and knowledgable about ships and their workings. This is a man who has spent the majority of his life on or near the sea. The lapping of water against a strong hull is soothing. The roll of the waves like the movement of a lover. A sailor to the end. And no finer sailor are you going to find his age elsewhere he'll say. He's the man on the mizzen, the hand on the rope of the capstan, reliable and stead fast. The War to ol' Baxter is just another one like all the others he's heard of. Be you Deltish, Gallinian, Solan or Arkish like himself, or really any number of other nations, the war is a din on the horizon, something you keep your head on a swivel for when you're on the waves. Be you a fat Solan Merchantman running the winds to Deltain, or a whaler off of Gallanian shores, it's there now that the new world has been found. He's served on both sides, and a time or two in combat, but not beholden to any. His loyalty is to the sea, and the Sea King's court. [/indent] [b][u]Biggest Fear[/u][/b] [indent] Spending his final days on land This chills him to the core. He's been at sea on one vessel or another for most of his life. Having started on a small fishing barge at twelve. And the idea that he'll one day be guided off a ship to spend his last days laying in bed in some shabby land bound hospice turns his blood cold, and even brings tears to the old Arkish Tar on occasion. [/indent] [b][u]Greatest Dream[/u][/b] [indent] To one day say he's been around the world To gain the swallow tattoos to say he's been around the world all the way, not once, not twice, but a full three times. He's yet to truly have gained the full way, though he's travelled so far already. [/indent] [b][u]Background[/u][/b] [indent] Hailing from the well known sailing nation of Arkai, from the famous port capitol city of Lanakan no less. One of the merchant nations of the world, it hosts a merchant fleet just a few ships smaller then the Gallinian fleet, and has a navy of fast clippers and mighty Ships of the Line that only a trading nation could support. Arkai supports no side in the war, but has sworn to defend it's own were they to come under attack. Thusly it's merchant ships flying the blue, grey and yellow with the violet star of their nation will often sail with a escort of no less then three navy ships usually during this time of war. As you may guess the main trades in Arkai are fishing, whaling, and sailing. Nearly everyone of the large island nation, have sailed or do sail. And being a sailor is as natural as breathing to an Arkian. So should it be any surprise that as soon as he was able, Baxter put to sea. It was first on his half-uncle's fishing boat. He worked to gain the strength to haul in the nets, learned how to mend netting and string a long line for deep fishing. He got his sea legs under him in the wash and flow of the waves. Gained the calluses on his hands, learned how to scramble up the rigging of a ship. While in other nations kids like him would learn to read and write and figure, he learned how to respect the storm, and be ready to grab the life line if a wave tried to tank him down to the Sea King's court. Later in life Baxter did learn to read and write and figure but it was always secondary to being a sailor. Atleast REading came in handy when given a manifest to check, and figuring to count that they had the right number of items of cargo, but he never did find a huge use for writing outside of his name sometimes. The young boy was also taught the old pagan religion of the Sea King, a great mariner from long ago, one of the first people to put to sea. And the one who was able to some how tame the sea to his word and thought. Thusly so that his ship was always safe in a storm and his cargo never sunk. When this great mariner finally met his end at old age, and he was wrapped in his hammock and tipped overboard by his crew, instead of sinking and becoming the meal of one of the great ocean predators, he was swept up by the sea, and brought far below, his youth restored and he was given rule over the sea and ocean. Despite the state church in Arkai and other religions coming in to the island nation, the worship of the sea king is still strong. Baxtar wears the five pronged trident on his left fore arm as an indication of his devotion and his induction into the court as a proper seaman. As Baxter, who had gained the nick name Blue Boy because of an incident with a wine bottle during his time on a Deltish clipper, got older he skipped from boat to boat. Whalers, merchantman, he's served on both a Deltish and a Gallinian navy ship once each as well. And seen combat on the Deltish ship against a pirate vessel. His whole life has been the sea, and the now old Arkian Tar would have it no other way. As for the Adelaide, he heard of the new world, and heard of ships and crews sailing to those new lands. New waters to ply, new peoples maybe, and new adventures. He'd not thought he'd get a chance to go. But his last voyage on a small merchantman had come to an end, and he had been ashore long enough to miss the flow and bob of the seas. So when the mates of the Adelaide had put out word they needed crew on the voyage well he signed up quick. And boarded up a few days early to hang a hammock, and put his small sea chest down nearby. In side the chest his hurdy gurdy and mouth harp, his clothing and kit he'll need on the water. Everything the old sailor will need on the new voyage into the unknown waters of the New World. [/indent] [b][u]Extra[/u][/b] [indent]Color Code: [color=SteelBlue]SteelBlue[/color] [hider=Sugar in the Hold]Theme song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCAUaRFxC_g[/hider] Face Claim: N/A[/indent][/center] [/hider] Okay let me know if this is okay. Figured this is is a great idea and I think I've filled in everything.