"The very first Sky Pirates would probably be better known as Freedom Fighters, as they gave a far different meaning to the name. They were mostly survivors who wanted to do things their own way and weren't ready to lie down to allow The World Navy to trounce all over them. They were hardy fighters, most of them having fought alongside the members of the Navy against the tyrant-God. The battles waged between both sides raged on for many years, most of them taking place at sea. It was these Freedom Fighters who were the first to abandon the naval ships in favour of a far greater advantage over their enemy, Sky Ships. Thus earning them the title of Sky Pirates."
~ Archivist Cagen, The Tome of Rebirth
~ Archivist Cagen, The Tome of Rebirth
"If I told you that I was an honest man, I'd be lying."
Name:
Fletcher Gulliver Payne
Alias(s):
Fletch, Cloudstrider, Shardseeker, The King of Storms
Age:
28
Height:
5’11”
Weight:
177lbs (80.3kgs)
Hair Color:
Dark Brown
Eye Color:
Grey
Crew Position:
Captain
Physical Appearance:
Fletch's most notable feature is his boyish looks. Despite being twenty-eight, he still manages to retain his youth rather well, though this usually leads others to think that he's younger than he actually is and has garnered more than a few insults about his experience as a captain. He does, however, prefer himself this way and accentuates these looks by keeping himself prim and proper. He likes being clean and maintains his appearance thoroughly.
His physique is well maintained, also. Having fought and many various boarding raids, Fletcher has to keep himself in good physical condition so that he can fight off his enemies effectively. His training in swordsmanship helps greatly with his stamina and endurance. He possesses a large scar that runs from the upper left rib cage, down to his lower right hip. This was received during a personal fight against Commander Lox of the World Navy.
Attire:
His cleanliness trait also manifests itself in his clothing choices. He is often seen wearing a slim-fitted shozoku. It is made up of split-toe tabi boots and socks; special trousers with double-ties which fasten at the ankles, knees and waist; a jacket with overlapping lapels which is tucked into the trousers and protective arm-and-hand gauntlets.
He also sports a long, trailing sash of purple colour and embroidered with a white unknown symbol. He received the sash as a gift from the Immortal Archivist Cagen as a good luck charm.
Personality:
Self-Assured: Fletcher tends to face most problems with a confident outlook. Nothing is too difficult or challenging for him in his eyes and he readily believes that he can overcome most obstacles one way or another.
Distant: Somewhat ignorant to most situations, though not through choice. He doesn’t register danger as most others do and generally doesn't listen when it comes to what he should and shouldn't do.
Brash: If there’s a quick way of doing something, a shortcut to follow or generally just an obscene way of doing things, Fletcher will undoubtedly do it. He dislikes acting responsibly, even despite his position as Captain, and will do his utmost to make his life more exciting, usually through more adventurous means.
Promiscuous: Fletcher has spent many a night in the comfort of someone else’s bed. He doesn’t discriminate when it comes to race and generally tends to use his charms for personal gain rather than monetary or any other reason. Though he is widely known only to sleep with females, there are rumours that he has strayed into a few beds owned by members of the same sex, though these have neither been confirmed or denied.
Weapons & Equipment:
Fujin: This katana is a weapon that has been in Fletcher's possession for as long as he can remember. He doesn't go anywhere without it and you'll never see it leave his person. He trains exclusively with this sword but he refuses to unsheathe it when fighting. He keeps his reasons for this untold and asking him about it will only make him end a conversation or change the topic. He has, however, fought with it unsheathed but only twice before. The first time remains a secret much-like his reasons from keeping it in its' sheathe. The second time he was forced to fight with it unsheathed during his battle against Commander Lox, where his opponent pulled the blade from its sheath after knocking Fujin from his grasp and then discarding it.
He utilizes a mixture of styles when fighting with this sword. Typically though, he will fight very defensively, forcing others to expend most of their energy before making a decisive strike once they leave an opening. The sheath has been reinforced with Black Steel whereas the actual blade is made of White Iron.
The blade also has two extended sageo attached near the koiguchi (scabbard mouth) that Fletch uses for a ranged style of combat where he launched the sword towards his opponents, using the sageo to direct his attacks. He doesn't often use this style but he has proves himself more than efficient when using it.
Shardstone Medallion: Fletcher's famed medallion, given to him by none other than the Immortal Archivist. Whenever Fletcher approaches someone new who possesses a Shardstone, the medallion will ring out to Fletcher alone, notifying him of their ability, whether the person themselves knows about it or not.
Shard Ability:
Aeromancy: Fletcher's nickname King of Storms comes from his ability to partially control the air around him. Much-like other Shard Users, his abilities are very close range and not entirely all that powerful. He utilizes his limited control mainly for speed boosts when moving or attacking but he has, on occasion, summoned raging winds that directly affect some enemies who have gotten too close.
When attacking, he will boost the effects of his punches by forcing his opponent back much further then they would normally travel. This adds an extra level of power to his strikes that gives him a higher advantage at close range. When using his sword, he will create miniature air currents that boost the speed of his swings to deliver crushing blows against his enemies.
He is known to possess a special move of sorts that extends his range of command beyond that of his normal range. However, rather than directly creating air gusts or currents, he completely stills the air of the area around him. This, combined with pinpointed bursts behind his movements, allows him to move and attack at incredible speeds and deliver strikes that any normal opponent would not likely see. This part of his ability is not widely used, however, due to Fletcher's inability to proficiently control it and still move/attack at the same time.
Brief History:
Fletcher was born as the son and heir of the notorious sky pirate: Wallace the Rampager, head of The Reapers, who reigned supreme during his time as a Pirate Lord for nearly one-hundred & twenty years. Captain Wallace - whose real name, Wallace G. Payne, remained a secret to the rest of the world - was notably one of the first majorly successful pirates to soar above the Eternal Ocean, having accomplished many incredible feats during his pirating career such as; Being one of the first pirates to claim Lordship over more than one Pirate Faction resulting in him being the first Pirate Lord; Being one of the first few Pirate Captains to claim a seat during Spire Moots held at the Western Towers; Successfully assaulting and ransacking three levels of the Pyramid of Horus before being forced to retreat; and waging the largest war against the World Navy to date and captaining the only Pirate Ship to come within 5 miles of the City of Ra.
His mother's identity remains largely unknown but it is assumed that she was merely a dock wench (Prostitute) who resided in Shoel. After his birth, Fletcher was left in the care of the Immortal Archivist Cagen; A close friend to his father who ended up raising Fletcher until he was thirteen years old. During that time, Cagen would teach and guide Fletcher about the workings of the world and would also inform him about who his father was. From the very first tale, Fletcher was mystified. He began learning how to pilot Sky Ships at a young age, test flying most of the new ships off the line in one of Cagen's many factories in Shoel. He wanted to grow up to be a pirate just like his father and surpass him in every way. But Cagen had other plans for the son of the world's most famous Pirate Lord.
However, he allowed Fletcher to go out on his own, to take with him his teachings and truly discover the world of the Eternal Ocean. With the money Cagen had provided him with, Fletcher bought passage straight to Jarrah; The trade-capital of the Wandering Isles. Life was tough amongst traders and merchants, he soon found, and it wasn't long before he had resorted to stealing to survive. Despite the Wandering Isle being heavily defended against pirate raids, theft was still rife on the streets. In the five years he spent stealing and selling upon Jarrah, Fletcher had begun to make a name for himself. In his naivety, he'd been touting himself as Wallace the Rampager's successor. But within Jarrah the mere mention of the notorious Pirate Lord struck at a deep nerve. His father's attack against Horus still stung, especially to those who had lost family during the raid, and it wasn't long before the cocky, little street-thief found himself a very wanted man.
Having to escape from Jarrah had shown Fletch just what Cagen had meant by 'truly discovering the world'. His father had made many enemies and suddenly the world wasn't such a safe place anymore. At the age of eighteen, Fletcher found himself at the Archivist's doorstep with nothing to show for his adventures and no idea where to head next. Cagen, however, had anticipated this and welcomed his foster-son home with open arms. It was during the next two years that Cagen would impart unto Fletcher all knowledge of the Shardstones, including the fact that he possess one himself. It was the reason why Wallace had left him in Cagen's care.
Amongst his many adventures, Wallace's most important haul to date was that of a rough, emerald Shardstone, roughly the size of a baseball. It had been discovered within the remains of a large Sea Serpent. Wallace claimed it for himself but as soon as he touched it with his bare hands, the Shard seemed to come alive, cutting into his palm until it disappeared within him completely. That night, Wallace was overcome with a terrible fever, many of the crew thought he was going to die for sure. But by morning the fever had lifted and Wallace carried on as if nothing had happened. However, he did set an immediate course for Shoel and demanded an audience with the Immortal Archivist.
Cagen revealed that these Shardstones were in fact pieces of Atlaias that bestowed Divine Abilities upon those who found one. What Wallace didn't know, however, was that the Shardstone along with the abilities it granted were passed on through seed and into the egg that had become fertilized. Cagen didn't warn Wallace of this, who upon learning of these newfound abilities, began planning to wage war against the World Navy. Before his plan could be fully realized, however, Fletcher had already been born and the Shardstone passed on. Cagen remained quiet about it and Wallace began the war, believing that he still held his abilities.
Cagen didn't impart the full truth to Fletcher about why Wallace started the war, but he did confess his reasons for not telling Wallace that he no longer had his powers. Wallace was the first Shard User he'd met for over three-hundred years, before him all the others had gone missing or had died with no heirs. Cagen needed a new Shard User, someone he could teach about the importance of the Shards and someone who could do what he no longer could, collect all of the remaining Shardstones. Fletcher didn't ask for a reason why but suddenly he knew that this mission would be the single greatest achievement of his life, greater than any of his father's accomplishments. So he agreed to help Cagen and upon doing so, became the very first Shardseeker.
At the age of twenty, Cagen believed that Fletcher was ready to start his mission and gifted him with an extremely special ship, the Ocean Horizon. Fletcher had read the myths about this ship and upon receiving it from Cagen, only then did he realize how old the man was. For the past eight years, Fletcher has been scouring the Eternal Ocean, determined to find all of the Shardstones. He has met more than a few Shard Users along the way and taken them in to protect them, not only from others but from themselves also. He hasn't fully divulged the full details of his mission to his crew, only that Piracy is the only way he can achieve it.
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