[hider=The Bastard] [center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/211221/17c803252d81eadeaeea2edda9da4c95.png[/img] [h3][color=cc0000]Ardyn Croft ⋆ 713 ⋆ Male ⋆ Elf[/color][/h3][/center] [hr] [u]Appearance[/u] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/70/80/0f/70800f2a7d8b615fe68544285a74bf49.jpg[/img] [b]Height:[/b] [indent]6ft[/indent] [b]Weight:[/b] [indent]185[/indent] [b]Hair Color:[/b] [indent]Black[/indent] [b]Eye Color:[/b] [indent]Gray[/indent] [b]Skin Tone:[/b] [indent]Fair[/indent][hr] [u]Psychology[/u] [b]Likes[/b]: [indent] ⋆ A challenge ⋆ The Sea ⋆ Rarities ⋆ Amas ⋆ Power [/indent] [b]Dislikes[/b]: [indent] ⋆ The law ⋆ Sirens (in general) ⋆ Being short-changed, and not just with amas [/indent] [b]Fears:[/b] [indent] ⋆ Losing his ship ⋆ Hygora Shrimp ⋆ Black Dragons [/indent] [b]Personality:[/b] [indent] Ardyn is an extrovert to the bone. He is his number one priority, but the elf isn’t completely selfish. Ardyn sees his crew as long term investments, but also extensions of himself. Those not in his crew are treated coldly and cruelly. Ardyn could cheer his crew up and in the next moment, torture a slave to near death. He will do all he can to keep the members of his crew alive as long as it does not threaten his life or the lives of other crew members. On the surface and in front of an audience, Ardyn appears quite calm. In reality, Ardyn is just waiting to take out his anger through a powerful action or in a private setting. Being as old as he is, Ardyn is very patient, but when under pressure or angered he can make snap decisions. He’s only brave when he’s confident, which he usually is. He gets tense if he is away from his ship and is wary of Hygora Shrimp. Ardyn is highly intelligent, assembling ideas and even groups of people to serve his best interest. He tries to remain steps ahead of his foes and even his rivals. Ardyn can be manipulative, but his charisma is heavily based on his charm. Ardyn is not one for humor unless he uses a joke as a threat or a way to describe an enemy’s death. Ardyn has a screw loose somewhere, he’s just off. A narcissist, maybe? He has moderate levels of energy [/indent][hr] [u]Background[/u] [b]Occupation[/b] [indent]Pirate Captain[/indent] [b]Living Immediate Family Members:[/b] [indent]None of note[/indent] [b]Dead Immediate Family Members:[/b] [indent]Torvin Croft (Father) Mina Laveran (Mother) [/indent] [b]Current Crew:[/b] [indent] Vellen Skolz Rellen Skolz Garz Voltun Liliana Perennia Mori Seastorm Vale Lorinthia Krash Shellbone Thorm Hardhelm Sonny Talo Verneus Leon Tarexi “Flash” in the Darkness Spud Tinkatink Voss Sandskin Mazoga Aglir Kytin Carissa Shallowbay [/indent] [b]History:[/b] To make a long story short, Ardyn Croft was conceived from what would have been deemed a forbidden affair between a Light Elven maiden and a Dark Elven rogue of a man. They started out as culprit and victim seeing as he kidnapped her for a hefty ransom. He held her captive aboard a ship he let sit in a bay for one whole month while awaiting word on negotiations. With the prospect of getting money and the faith that the maiden had in her family gone, the rogue allowed the woman to be a tag-along. The maiden being quite jaded allowed the rogue to work his charismatic charm in getting her to help with earning amas in all the wrong ways. She didn’t mind taking from the wealthy as it reminded her of her neglectful family. In time, Stockholm's syndrome morphed into partnership, and partnership into love. The two use the small ship to go from place to place, taking from the complacent and fooling the dull-minded. It was Mina who suggested they grow their operation by investing in a larger boat and bringing in more like-minded people to work with them. Demi-humans were the cream of the crop. Many treated poorly in Elven settlements and with Torvin and Mina’s primary targets being their own kind, many opportunistic and talented Demi-humans joined in on making amas. They were called pirates, which was quite fitting despite that not being what they dubbed themselves. To Torvin and Mina, they were just people taking from those who were too careless to protect their assets. It was only a matter of time until Ardyn was born. Born and raised on a ship of no-gooders really shaped the lad. His mother was strict on Ardyn being presentable, while his father made sure his son practiced the craft he needed to be successful. A thuggish gentleman if you want to put a title to it. Ardyn was destined to eventually take his father’s place, but he wanted to build his own. It was a matter of contention between the two the older and more independent Ardyn became. One day fate took that contention away and with it, Torvin, Mina, and many others’ lives. A sadistic Siren slinked onto the ship and compelled Torvin who had just shared a celebratory drink with his crew, to steer the ship towards a bed of mating Hygora Shrimp. The ship was utterly destroyed with few survivors. Ardyn could only keep himself afloat using some of the debris and watch as the culprit happily jumped out and into the water like an excited dolphin. Her laughter was unforgettable. Ironically, Ardyn was saved by a passing trading ship, the same ship the group had planned to hit next. Ardyn was ready to quit. The shock of the Hyrdoga Shrimps blowing holes through the ship dwelled in his nightmares as well as the echoed laugh of the siren. He was ready to quit pirating, but how would he ever find the cruel Siren that killed his family and his dream if he actually quit? Stuck in River Port of all places, Ardyn spent time trying to earn money the way his parents taught him. He used charm and his craft to work his way from the bottom to the point where he could purchase a ship. He was an Elf so it was only a matter of time. His crew was smaller this time and much more inexperienced. On the other hand, his boat was old and rickety, and far too experienced to be safe. Ardyn took the chance, and with it he climbed back up to the top. His crew was ready and his schemes were prepared, but despite that, he always had that bitch of a Siren in his mind. He sought her out, asking around at ports, looking for fresh ship wreckage for clues. He searched seemingly everywhere until he found her. She was old now. A slave strung up on the mast of a slave ship. She was living a hell that even Ardyn had not thought up. It turns out, the slavers used an obedience gem on the Siren to force her to call civilian vessels to them. And then they enslaved them and later sold them. The slavers shared with Ardyn how much amas they were making with each delivery and how they even kept some of the slaves to perform manual labor no one else couldn’t be bothered with. Ardyn and his crew not only killed the slavers, but took their ship as well. Ardyn made sure the Siren knew who he was and reminded her of what she did so many decades ago, but he did not kill her. She remained on the mast and was forced to use her abilities, but for Ardyn instead. He drew in trading ships, civilians ships, and even other slave ships. His vengeance would be using the Siren to amass more wealth than he could dream of. He sold most of the slaves he acquired and kept merfolk to test them for the abilities of a Siren. In time, the Siren he had hated greatly died. She died in his service which he was perfectly fine with. Killing her outright would have been a waste. She hadn’t just killed his family, but she took everything from him. So in turn he used her to get everything and more back. His family could never be replaced but he would honor them by amassing as much wealth and power as he could. When the Siren expired, he used another, but this one was used to lull the slaves into obedience. She was a slave he had treated like a princess to keep her compliant. In her old age she would persuade the next Siren to be taken aboard the ship. They were so rare and breeding them did not promise the ability to compel others. He learned much about these creatures and their abilities as he replaced each one. At the same time, more and more slavers sought out the Sirens that could meddle with the minds of their targets. Ardyn was part of what created the trend of stealing away Sirens and using them. Sure, King Oceanheart was the king of the Aquarian Kingdom, but Ardyn was sought to be King of the Seas. The war was his chance to acquire more amas by stealing from supply ships. Weapons, amas, food, amongst other things were his to take. Those who wished to get in on the hunt needed to pay a hefty tax if he happened across them. And if they refused? They paid with their lives and their ship. That was the dread of running into the Whoreson’s Heir [hr] [u]Combat and Magic[/u]: [b]Strength:[/b] 7 [b]Speed on Land:[/b] 6 [b]Speed in Air:[/b] N/A [b]Magical Ability:[/b] 8 [b]Dexterity:[/b] 10 [b]Weapon Proficiency:[/b] 8 [b]Stealth:[/b] 8 [b]Subspecies:[/b] [indent]Light Elf[/indent] [/hider]