[hider=My Character] [b]Name[/b]: Edric Blake [b]Age[/b]: 37 [b]Gender[/b]: Male [b]Pronouns[/b]: He/Him [b]Sexuality[/b]: Straight [b]Nationality[/b]: Welsh [b]Face claim[/b]: [hider][centre][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0197fbd3-5ecd-7473-81e5-8a66212680b4.webp[/img][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0197fbd3-2ade-7282-afc8-2bfc3fa7225b.webp[/img][/centre][/hider] [b]Outfit[/b]: [hider][centre][img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/0a/00/2d/0a002d706efa9479b9ea04605d602f4e.jpg[/img][/centre][/hider] [b]Weapon[/b]: [hider][centre]30 inch (82cm) boarding axe, hung from the hip. [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0197fbd5-2f66-77f9-aeb1-1e303c347ed5.webp[/img][/centre][/hider] [b]Extra[/b]: [hider]Two tattoos: - [abbr='You've done enough']'Rwyt ti wedi gwneud digon'[/abbr] tattooed on left shoulder blade - [abbr='Never enough']'Byth digon'[/abbr] tattooed on his left hand, near the base of his thumb [/hider] [b]Personality[/b]: Edric Blake is a man carved by labour, not glory. He speaks in short phrases, works long hours, and trusts actions over any kind of oath. His loyalty is hard-won, but once earned, it's ironclad. He doesn't waste words, not because he's unfriendly, but because he doesn't believe in beating around the bush. You'll know where you stand with him, and if you don't, he's more than happy to show you. He's the type to fix a sail with his bare hands while runs from his knuckles, or to quietly finish someone else's task without ever claiming credit. His presence among the crew is solid and grounding. Even if you're not his friend, he's someone you can rely on. When the storm hits, when the ropes snap, when the captain calls for boarding, it's Edric at the front. On land, he feels heavier. Less alive. The sea to him makes sense, the endless work, the wind and salt, but the land asks questions he doesn't know how to answer. So he rarely takes shore leave and when he does, or is forced to, he'll drink, fight and wander until the tide pulls him back. He's not soft but he'll happily break his back for the crew before he breaks their spirits. When he gives an order, it's not to throw weight, but to keep them alive and they know it. He'd never ask anyone to do something he wouldn't happily do himself. [b]Role on Ship[/b]: [u][i]Boatswain[/i][/u]- Senior deck officer responsible for the rigging, sails, anchors, tools, and physical upkeep of the ship. Oversees deckhands, ensures the ship is seaworthy, and leads boarding parties during combat. [b]Fears[/b]: He says he doesn't care, but he does. His tattoo, [abbr='Never enough']Byth Digon[/abbr], is more than a memory. He fears failing the crew, being too slow, not strong enough. He works until his bones ache because he's terrified of stopping and realising he's just a man. [b]History[/b]: Born in a coastal village in Pembrokeshire, Southwest Wales, called Porthgain, Edric Blake grew up with the scent of salt in his lungs and calluses before he could write his name. His father was a shipwright, his mother a quiet woman whose mind began to fray long before her body did. Edric spent his youth repairing roofs, hauling nets, and learning how to fix what others broke — both in the home and on the docks. By twelve, he was the one holding the house together. His father’s health had failed, the coin dried up, and his mother no longer remembered what day it was. Edric cooked, worked, patched holes, and bartered labor for scraps — never asking for help, and never expecting any. At fourteen, with the roof sealed and the cold creeping in, he stood at the door with a satchel and a decision. His mother, watching the fire, smiled softly and said, “You’ve done enough.” He answered without turning. “Never enough.” She died while he was gone. He didn’t find out until a year later. He signed onto a merchant brig bound for Bristol under a false name. For a while, the work made sense — rigging, hauling, watching the coast change with each tide. But war has no interest in peace, and it wasn’t long before his crew was pressed into the Royal Navy by force. He endured. Did his job. Took orders until the wrong one was given. He refused to lash a boy half-dead already. It earned his a length of chain, ten lashes, and the red-hot brand seared into his ribs, low on the left side. The iron left a deep ‘R’ burned into him, a mark for refractory conduct. They branded him for disobedience. He wears it like a mark they failed to make deep enough. He deserted not long after. Slipped away in the chaos of a storm. Drifted from ship to ship for a few years, choosing jobs that paid and captains who kept their voices low. Eventually, he found the Gunpowder Storm, and for once, he stayed. Now Boatswain, Edric commands the sails, oversees the rigging, and leads the crew in the ship’s bones and heartbeat. He works without complaint and fights without hesitation, first over the rail when boarding steel bites, always with the weight of iron and memory behind his swing. [b]Likes[/b]: - Leading a good shanty - Salt-cured meat - A strong storm - The call of 'gulls in the morning - the sound of the sailcloth catching the wind - whistling [b]Dislikes[/b]: - Idle hands - Half-done work - Being called 'sir' - Drunken recklessness [b]Quote[/b]: [i]“There's rest at the end of that rope, boy, not halfway through it!”[/i] [b]Theme Song[/b]: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkzy_420hts&list=RDxkzy_420hts&start_radio=1&ab_channel=TheWellermen-Topic]'Hoist The Colours' Bass Singers version[/url] [/hider] All done! Let me know what you think and if he needs tweaks!