Brandar the Burned
Appearance
Brandar wasn't burned, once. In the past, he was an unremarkable, if handsome man. His tall frame was lanky, with long arms and short legs, exaggerated by broad shoulders. He's still like that, just without the handsome. His face has been burned, and his body scarred, until it's hard to tell what his original skin tone actually was beneath the sun-tanned leather and scar tissue.
Skills and Abilities
Brandar is a mariner at heart. His social skills are limited only to what most mariners like; black humor, a love of drink, and the ability to be alone in the night, with naught but the waves to lull you to sleep. To be direct, his talents are tactical nautical thinking, ship maneuvering and rigging. He's also a skilled swordsman and fighter, primarily because of ship to ship boarding actions.
Beyond that, however, much of what he can do is sorely lacking. His unique situation has bred a longevity of view that often makes him seem timid to the those unfamiliar with him, whereas in his mind their impatience would undo a long game of planning.
Personality
He could best be termed genial, if he had anyone to talk to on a regular basis. So, when finally with another living being, he's often a bit of a chatterbox. Isolation tends to do that to people. He's known to have a fiery temper, as well, and doesn't stand up well to being mocked. If one thing is prone to making him lash out, it's feeling like he's being laughed at.
Beyond that, he's a loyal, patient man with a profound sense of duty to his goddess, Kiva.
Biography & Lore
The story of Brandar the Burned and his ship, In Irons, is as varied as the taverns in which it's lies are spun. A few things are known, however. Brandar was once a merchant mariner, plying the rich waters of his home, Alliria. A crew hired him and his vessel to take them to a distant island, paying a hefty sum. He spoke, before their departure, of a poem and a map, and made mention of his trepidation. But, coin is always the key to a man's stupidity, and so he doomed himself and his crew with his choice.
Most died on the journey there, and whatever they found, cursed him forever. Some claim it was a sea hag, angry at having her isolation disturbed. Another mentioned he killed a bird that'd guided them to shore, thus incurring the wrath of whatever local god existed for the sea. Some even speak in hushed tomes of a cursed skull, or other artifact, upon which his soul was damned.
All agree, however, that when he returned, he did so at the helm of a ship none had seen before. It bristled with artillery, and fired bolts and pots filled with a substance said to make water burn. It's sails were tattered, snapping in the wind even when becalmed. It's hull was layered over in grime, barnacles and the debris commonly associated with the sea. It's name, scrawled across the bow in the same green glowing from it's artillery decks, has sent dread into the hearts of many mariners for generations since it first erupted from the fog banks of the deep coastal waters.
In Irons is often considered a blight on the ocean, and it's Captain incurs the begrudging respect of any he comes across. This isn't from the ship, however. Like all pirates, he is capable of great brutality, and more than one ship has been found, cargo untouched, crews missing, with the captain strung up in his cabin by fishing net - and gutted, left to bleed out and scream.
Few doubt the crew behind this is that of In Irons, but no true port will ever turn him away. His crew rarely cause trouble, but in truth, none wish to incur the wrath of Kiva. The ocean is a fickle mistress, and he is her champion.
References
Through the Red Mist (Gal)
On Shores of Gold (Nina)
Kuroimono - The Black One (Public)
A Day on the Port (Public)
Basement Elf, Drowned Pirate (Telemachus)