THE BLACK HYDRA

The Black Hydra has been all up and down the coast, from Vanaheim to the horn of the Black Kingdoms. It is a ship with a history longer than any of her crew can recall. Recent history however, has been cruel to the ship and her crew. Mutiny, violence and bloodshed have stained her decks; they are stains that do not wash away so easily. But the crew carries on in spite of it, seeking new opportunities for piracy on the high seas, even though on paper they are simply a trade ship. In recent weeks they have been docked in the port of Varáth Limáni. Their crew can be found throughout the docks and in taverns around town.

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The HISTORY and CREW sections below are collapsable. Please expand them to read more. NPCs will be added in-game when possible and played in future sessions. The following represents information that could be uncovered with a bit of digging. Feel free to reach out to Ghazi any time with questions or to approach any of these characters ICly. Always open to potential tie-ins, including as a way out of the Exiled Lands or Siptah and into Argos.

The BLACK HYDRA has many nautical miles behind her, and miles more to go. Though her parts have been changed many times over the decades she's been sailing, she's a sturdy vessel. She's been up and down the coast more times than most can recall. Not many remain from her early years. Only FRITZ would remember those days, but his testimony can be less than reliable. He might spin some yarn about an encounter with a multi-headed behemoth, the eponymous Black Hydra that would become the ship’s namesake. Captain NOAB might suggest that the vessel is indeed much older, having worn many names. Though her crew has come and gone, she is never without a capable company of men and women to keep her afloat as they brave dangerous waters.

The current captain is NOAB, a Kushite who spent years as a Stygian slave. He was freed from his masters in Kheshatta when the crew of the BLACK HYDRA raided a coastal incense plantation where he worked in chains. A few of the slaves they freed in that raid still remain in the crew. But it would be a long time before NOAB took command of the BLACK HYDRA. For years he served under a Vanir warrior called OLAF. OLAF was a beast of a man when he was in his prime, but the years took their toll and though his strength waned, he maintained the respect of the crew. Still, it was only a matter of time before a brood of vipers caught wind of that weakness.

FESTIVAL OF THE BULL

About 4 years ago, the crew of the BLACK HYDRA were invited to partake in the Festival of the Bull (Pteor) in Asgalun. Many came from the lands beyond Shem to take part in this festival of debauchery and, after some failed raids on the coast of Zingara, the crew needed something to boost morale. They were promised safe harbor in port thanks to some high-ranking friends, and the crew went out to enjoy themselves. Their bender lasted a solid week, during which time they crossed paths with SIROKAN, a Stygian archeologist and historian. Considering his rather dry vocation, the man knew how to let loose -- or at least it appeared that way. In truth, SIROKAN just needed a ship and a crew that could guide him on his journey to find the lost Isle of Siptah. He was a con-man and a snake. Along with his brood of 6 men, he staged a coup with a ruthlessness only a Stygian could manage.

He talked his way onto the ship as the crew started to make their way back on board. He slowly started dosing some of them with paralytic toxin, gaining access to their brig and keeping them bound within. He chose his targets carefully, choosing those that the rest of the crew had strong emotional ties to. Then he announced his intention to commandeer the vessel for a mission of great import. OLAF drew his axe ready to loose his rage upon the usurper, but the poison had already taken a hold on him, and within moments he lie dead on the deck. The rest of the crew stood ready for vengeance, but SIROKAN warned them of his men below decks holding the rest of the crew's lives in the balance. The Stygian gave them his terms and those who were left took the deal, hoping to buy time to save their friends.

THE BLACK TOWER

They spent the next several months looking for this Isle of Siptah with no success. But SIROKAN maintained his strangle-hold on the crew of the BLACK HYDRA. There were a few attempts to free the captives and reclaim the ship, but these were each stamped out before they began, and each time someone would be made to pay mercilessly for their mutiny. Little by little the crew's feigned obeisance was replaced by loyalty. Whether the rumors of a sorcerer in their midst was true or some of the crew just decided to back the winning horse, it was unclear. The search for Siptah continued for 2 years all tolled, 2 years under a ruthless tyrant. The crew dwindled, being replaced at various ports when they would go to restock supplies. Still, none dared to defy him, for he always had leverage. Finally, his dark tactics would pay off. They one day found themselves at the heart of a storm where the waters had grown still. Bodies floated there, each with a serpentine bracelet that bore a green gem. It was with these bracelets, pilfered from bloated corpses, that they managed to find their way through the fog and through the storms, to the great eldarium tower.

They were not the first to arrive as more of these Exiles washed up on shore, these ones actually having managed to survive. They built their homes here in the shadow of the tower and its vortex to Yuggoth. The crew's purpose had finally been served, but SIROKAN would not relinquish his grip. He needed reinforcements if he was to claim the island in the name of Stygia. So he found shelter on the island and sent the rest of the crew back to the mainland, trusting his cadre of serpents to maintain order with the crew’s captives chained up below deck. They made the journey, but while in port, those who still remembered OLAF would take back the ship, escaping under the leadership of NOAB. That’s the story told by those who were there, although they never elaborate much on the details.

THE BONDED ONES

Once the BLACK HYDRA had been liberated from the grip of those loyal to SIROKAN, the crew would waste little time in returning to Siptah to get their revenge on the Stygian usurper. Using the bonding bracelet, they found their way back, but they would not find SIROKAN. The Stygian navy had already landed, preparing to take back the island. But like a snake in the grass, SIROKAN was nowhere to be found. Not long after that the tower pulsed and the hole in the sky tore open. The maelstrom flared, and those who managed to find shelter would be hunted down by demons. Before hell broke loose, the crew of the BLACK HYDRA escaped with some of the exiles. Once they had gotten to a safe distance from the island, the Attrition would take hold, gradually wearing them down as the bracelet consumed their souls. The crew did what they could for the exiles, but many died within days.

Fortunate for some, a Shemite astronomer by the name of RISHAN-KAMAR had been brought on board during SIROKAN’s hunt for the island. He was hired not only for his knowledge of celestial navigation, but also for a first-hand understanding of the Giant Kings and their great prison. They returned to Asgalun, where RISHAN-KAMAR was able to stabilize some of the exiles that had not yet been claimed by the Attrition, while they searched for a way to remove the bracelet. In time the problem resolved itself, as the bracelet lost its glow and its power faded. Something had changed in the Exiled Lands and enough of the crew was curious to discover just what. Most voted to seek out these strange shores and within a few short months they would find themselves on the eastern shores of Flotsam, where former exiles were building ships to escape these lands with whatever they could carry. They would attempt to find Siptah again, but no navigator has yet managed the task. There are some who hope SIROKAN survived the maelstrom — those who hope for a more prolonged retribution.

CAPTAIN NOAB

Gallah Kushite, once of the coastal Lua tribe. He was captured by Chaga slavers and sold to work on a plantation along the coast of Stygia. He was freed by the crew of the BLACK HYDRA under Captain OLAF during a raid. He and the other slaves that managed to escape joined the crew, forever grateful for their freedom. He served OLAF faithfully until the day he was killed by a new Stygian master. SIROKAN made Noab a slave once more, holding his loved ones hostage and beating the brute of a man into submission. He does not speak on those times. He is a serious man, calculated and even tempered, but those who have seen his anger flare are careful not to invoke it. He is a spiritual man and often conducts private rituals in his quarters to seek the guidance of the inquices.

FIRST MATE LUCIA

Raven-haired Nemedian. She does not talk much about her homeland or what brought her to the BLACK HYDRA, but she has been around a while, perhaps as long as Noab. For whatever reason he seems to trust her. The pair of them spend a lot of time in closed council discussing strategy before bringing it to the rest of the crew. She is involved in almost all decisions, even though she doesn’t express her own thoughts publicly. She has a level of poise and sophistication that hints at a civilized life she left behind. Her instincts for intrigue are keen. She is patient and cunning — a combination that she believes will deliver the world to her feet in time.

QUARTERMASTER TEO

Zingaran Freebooter. Teo was around during the dark times under Captain SIROKAN, although he doesn’t talk much about it. He is quick to brush aside painful memories, maintaining a positive attitude and upbeat demeanor. He keeps his finger on the pulse of the crew, diffusing conflict and watching for signs of slipping morale. He was raised by the streets of Kordava, forced to fend for himself from a young age. He doesn’t speak much of his parents, but they don’t seem to feature prominently in his growing up. It took him some time to understand the meaning of family, something his adopted daughter Dolores helped teach him. In time the Freebooters would become a family to him, and eventually the crew of the BLACK HYDRA. Still, he’s not quick to trust, though he often masks that suspicion behind forced smiles and dark eyes. He has many contacts in ports along the coast, always keeping a tally of who to trust and who’s likely to stick a knife in his back.

SURGEON HERNAN

Zingaran originally from Kova, a poor town on the border of Argos. Kovan people have seen war, famine and strife. It is a way of life there and Hernan considers himself stronger for it. Growing up he wanted to help his people, which led him to Jerida, where he tried to find apprenticeship as a physician. It was not easy and Hernan turned to crime to get by. He would eventually buy his way into an apprenticeship under a renowned surgeon. Hernan’s dexterity, well-honed in the art of thieving, would be put to new use. He discovered a talent for it, but although the pay was good, old habits proved hard to break. For reasons he won’t say, he has been blacklisted across Zingara, barred from practicing medicine. The black market still had use for him, and its through these contacts that he eventually joined the crew of the BLACK HYDRA.

BOSUN LARS

Vanir carpenter and smith, son of Captain OLAF. When SIROKAN executed his father during his coup, Lars was already in chains, predicting that his temper would prove to be a liability. A wise precaution, since his rage would burn without end for months afterward. His ire was snuffed like a flame as he was starved and abused, perhaps worse than any of the rest of the crew. While he might once have kept the ship running with just his own two hands, he’s now missing his left index finger and the others have been crippled, broken and not allowed to set properly. He walks with a limp and the aid of a load-bearing brace that keeps his right leg straight as he hobbles about the deck. His right eye is also absent, but he refuses to wear an eyepatch. Instead, the lids are sewn shut. He will wear the scars from his father’s killer for the rest of his life, preventing him from doing the work that gave his life meaning.

STRIKER HOSA (Little Raven)

Pict, exiled from the Raven tribe for spilling blood on hallowed ground. Young and impetuous, he cannot abide liars. So it was, when a meeting was called on sacred ground to discuss the alleged rape of his sister by a respected war chief. Hosa did not like the verdict, accusing the war chief of dishonorable acts against his family. There’s no way to know if the war chief would have been held to account for his actions; Hosa cut open his throat and then proceeded to remove his manhood to deny him their use in the hereafter. The elders cast him out of the tribe and he wandered alone for many years, until he met the crew of the BLACK HYDRA near the mouth of the Black River.

ASTRONOMER RISHAN-KAMAR

A Shemite astronomer, hired by SIROKAN during his search for the isle of Siptah. He is a trained Ishtari, having learned to read the stars and divine past and future. He’s travelled across Shem, Koth and even down into Stygia, where he learned about a long lost vestige of the Giant Kings and their civilization: the Exiled Lands. Learning that Thoth-Amon had been sending criminals there for years, he sought a way in. He spent years within the Cursewall, but somehow he got out before it fell. SIROKAN looked to him to guide them back. When NOAB took back the ship, Rishan-Kamar offered to stay on, having no loyalty to SIROKAN.

TRANSLATOR VANALAYU

A Shemite scholar from Asgalun. She was trained by the priestesses of the prestigious Veridian Seminary. Though she did not seek the priesthood herself, she demonstrated a preternatural understanding of languages. She worked for many years, translating texts in the archives. She learned many secrets here and learned a great deal about the world. She read about places she thought she would never see, since her husband would never allow it. He may have indulged her, letting her work in the archives, but only so long as she fulfilled her duties as his wife. But fate would not see this desert rose wither in captivity, as tragic circumstances would lead to the murder of her beloved husband. The tragedy was not without its silver lining though, in the form of a considerable inheritance from his mercantile ventures. She did not belabor her grief for long before she set sail, with a crew that may have had nothing at all to do with the murder.

LOOKOUT HAMISI

Hamisi was born in the Black Kingdoms, south of Kush, to a tribe known as the Bamula. Her father, a great hunter, had no sons, and so he taught his eldest daughter everything he knew about the creatures of the jungle and how to track them. This included men, as the Bamula would often hunt their Kushite neighbors, raiding them to steal the bounty they took from their raids on Stygia. On one such incursion into Kush, they came upon a tribe of Lua along the coast, the tribe of a much younger NOAB. They raided the Lua and failed. Hamisi lost her father in the battle and was captured. She was kept as a slave for 2 years before Chaga slavers raided the village and captured her, NOAB, and any others who did not manage to flee or die in the attack. The two now shared a cage and were put to work in Kheshatta. When they were finally freed by OLAF they had put aside their animosity. Hamisi is now one of NOAB’s most trusted allies.

(Note: The location of the Exiled Lands is believed to be somewhere in the Western Ocean, though no one can say quite where.)