The Pirate Prince - What’s more to be said? A pirate captain is easy enough to become, but a pirate prince? Indeed that takes some skill to achieve! Now, heard of him or not, there is very little in the way of questioning his skills as a pirate, as not only has enough skills to sail the seas and command not just his own crew, but an entire fleet of pirates.

A Devilish Rogue with Quick Hands - Quick on his feet as he is quick with his hands, he might not be the toughest of fighters, but he certainly has a great deal of finesse that grants him a great deal of vertical. Furthermore, Zufar possess quite some talent for sleight-of-hand tricks, lifting items off of thieves with a swift ease or feign his intentions with his blade. Just never trust your eyes when your in the presence of Zufar…

The Noble Swordsmen - Trained from his youth to handle a blade, while the Pirate Prince has proficiency in other weapons, his mainstay weapon in battle is definitely the blade.

Grand Strategist - Lead armies as a child, command is not a foreign concept to the Pirate Prince, as it was what perhaps helped to win his title. Zufar knows full well the forces he leads and the odds he faces, this isn’t afraid of a dirty trick or two, and merely retreating is by no means a dishonorable feat.

Master Alchemist - Rumor has it that Zufar is also a very skillful magic user; this is indeed false. Zufar has no magical capabilities, but what he does have is the vast knowledge of alchemy, able to craft potions and other concussions to put himself in an advantage and his opponents at a disadvantage. Combined this with his sleight-of-hand skills, and he appears to the untrained eye, to be able to control magic.

The Carpet Rider - Perhaps a fame greater than his title as Pirate Prince, as Zufar has come into possession of a magical carpet from his homeland and has been able to use it to some scary degree of effectiveness. might think your safe behind your cover, but just remember one of many things when facing Zufar: Always be conscious of the “up”.

Learned Scholar - A man of intellect, tutored by some of the best at such a young age, he has retained a skill that has been valuable in all his voyaging years: The ability to learn. As such that Zufar is quite skilled at picking up a new skill quickly. THis has been especially useful for learning various new languages of lands far and wide, which surprises those outside of his circle to no end.

Locksmith - They don't call him the "Bane of Chains" for nothing. Both a hobby and a skill set, Zufar has spent a great deal of time learning the best ways of crafting and dismantling locks from all across the continent, from the most mundane to the most magical. In fact, Zufar has gone as far as to purchase various locks and chains in order to better study their make up, all so he knows how to break out of them later.

Sword of Kings - What appears to be a beautifully decorated scimitar hanging from Zufar’s belt, it has more utility than just being a simple blade. The special feature for this weapon is that it can be thrown like a boomerang, flying in a spinning flower of blades into its target, than spinning straight back to its owner: Zufar el-Hassan

Velvet’s Tyrant Killer - A kris knife that is safely tucked away on his belt. Zufar doesn’t seem to use it all that much...but it seems to be one of his most important items.

Throwing Knives - Simple throwing knives, nothing to special about these, good for a quick snap-shot ranged attack.
Crossbow Pistol- A smaller version of a normal crossbow that is more than capable of being wielded in one hand. While the weapon lacks the range of it’s heavier cousins, it makes up for it by being quite a concealable weapon, perfect for a spontaneous attack or defense.

Alchemy Satchel - A satchel that contains various ingredients to mix together for various potions and other mixes. But, something a bit more sneaky is that some of these mixes are contained in small globes to be thrown at the enemy, causing various effects upon the nearby area or upon the target.

Spy-Glass - Self-explanatory, good for seeing things that are really far away.

Deck-o-Cards - Simple deck of cards, usually in Zufar’s hands when there’s nothing better to do.

Lock Picks - For you know what, although he seems to be very good at hiding the damn things. Don’t think chains or a cage can hold him, and even if you do manage to catch him, odds are he wanted you to.

Powder the Monkey - Zufar’s trusty companion, if not a bit mischievous of companions. Powder tends to rest upon Zufar’s shoulder, if not climbing up somewhere high to get a good look at the situation. Powder is a bit greedy, loves to steal mostly shiny stuff. But, people are more important than any amount of gold, and would abandon(with a bit of reluctance) to help his dear companions out of a bind.

Magical Carpet - What some might consider a luxury is actually one of Zufar’s greatest tools: A flying carpet. Now, this carpet is in it of itself sentient, with its own sort of consciousness, it seems to serve Zufar, with a great amount of glee as well, flying to Zufar at the sound of his whistling. The magic carpet can only carry so much, roughly 300lb at most, as anything heavier will have a detriment to the carpet’s speed and control. It is also magically affected, which means that if it comes into contact any anti-magic skill sets, it’s flight and strength will be greatly weakened.

Formerly known as “The Magnificent Enslaver”, now “The Magnificent Liberator” is a three deck galleon captained by Zufar el-Hassan.

Each side of the ship are armed with a couple of batteries of heavy ballistas, ready to fire off a cannonade of massive bolts at the word go. On the top deck, there a couple of medium ballistas mounted on stationary tripods, trading sheer hitting power for accuracy. The top deck also contains two catapults mounted on a rotating surface, allowing it to reposition itself in the direction of its target, increasing its accuracy. Mounted on the ship’s topside is a couple of manual repeater crossbows, capable of pumping out a hail of crossbow bolts in both boarding and repealing actions. If that was not enough, to the bow, often hidden under the waters, is a well constructed ram, capable of carving certain ships in half given enough speed and momentum.

The ship itself can take a fair few hits in the midst of combat before unleashing its own barrage. However, what makes “The Magnificent Liberator” so powerful is it’s high degree of control and it’s speed. See, what makes the ship so effective in combat is its ability to run away when things get too dicy. This is helped by the magic users aboard, both in the wind and water kind, coordinating with a great degree skill in quickly speeding the ship away from danger. One of “The Magnificent Liberator”’s more signature moves is deploying smoke screen. Weather throwing them off in barrels from the stern side of the ship or launching them from the topside ballistas and catapults, the ship will lay down a sort of artificial fog to mask their movements, allowing them to make their escape if necessary. Further defense for “The Magnificent Liberator” takes the face of dwarven runes, that can cast a “anti-magic” field around the ship, nullifying any incoming magical attacks or effects. Now, this is not without its drawbacks. First and foremost, these runes function on a charge, so it cannot be held up indefinitely. Second, the field has no effect against physical projectiles. Third, all magic users aboard will have they’re magic nullified as well, which means that “The Magnificent Liberator” is trading off control for magical protection.

The crew of “The Magnificent Liberator” is a diverse and motley crew, having come from all walks of life. Humans, dwarves, elves, lizards, orcs, etc. But with one thing that all serving aboard “The Magnificent Liberator” have in common: Having walked the lives in chains. As such, they hold little remorse for any slavers, not to mention they swear their lives to the cause of their pirate prince. Thus, the mere sight of their pirate prince leaping into battle is enough to urge them into a fearless frenzy onto their opponent, and that is to say nothing of their ranged capabilities. The standard protocol is to unleash a barge of crossbow bolts and arrows upon the closing enemies, followed by harpoons, before finally boarding or repealing the enemy. Those with magical capabilities will be hurling fireballs or ice balls at the enemies at the captain’s command, increasingly the deadliness of the ship.

But that’s not all, as with the ship comes it’s auxiliaries. First is the dolphin squadron, lead by its own dolphin alpha. These dolphins don’t really participate directly in ship-to-ship combat, but act as fast transport for the crew when needs call. Furthermore, they are effective as a reconnaissance force, as well as warding off other predators of the seas. The other auxiliary force comes in the form of a megalodon shark. Now, this beast of the deep cannot simply devour a ship; that said, the shark can slow down and damage an opposing ship, tearing into the vital parts of the ship from below. Gods help you if you fall into the water during a boarding action against “The Magnificent Liberator”, as you may find yourself a jaws of death.

Who are the Velvet Redeemers? A motley pirate fleet that has a cause larger than just simply “get rich”.

The Velvet Redeemers (Sometimes referred to as the Velvet Fleet) are not motivated by the calling of the coin, although their purpose has garnered them quite the fortune. No, they’re creed has set them to war against the likes of slavers and raiders alike. The vast majority of Redeemers themselves are former slaves, freed from their shackles

Nearly all of the ships in the Redeemer’s service were former slave ships, often retaining a part of their original names, replacing another with something a bit more grander and fitting for the cause. Nearly all those captaining the ships themselves had been in chains as well. Now, all serve for a grander purpose.

The Redeemers have their attention on the slave trade on the contienent, with the primary goal of crippling the slave economy, runing both the image of slavers and emptying their pockets for themselves. After all, fear is a slaver’s greatest weapon; without it, they are just as vulnerable out in the open sea as anyone else. Thus, they make their attack there, striking fast and catching their targets off guard, before boarding with unmatched ferocity. With victory secured, the crew would strip the ship of its fortunes and ill-gotten gains, sending the remainder of the crew out to sea on rowboats before setting the entire ship alight...as a warning to all other slaves that the Redeemers have struck. It is said the ballsier of Redeemers will even tow the captured ship to the horizons to cities with a known slave network, where they’ll set it ablaze for all to see.

Of course, the life of the Redeemer is by no means a safe one, the danger of getting killed, or gods helping them if they get captured. Redeemers aren't popular among other pirates or slavers, and captured Redeemers are not often spared much quarter. Thus it keeps the men fighting with a great deal of ferocity, even to the death if necessary. Now they’ve tasted the wine of freedom, they will not go back.

Now the Redeemers will at times work as Privateers, for the right price...which almost always seem to be a vast quantity of slaves, which inevitably they’d set free.

The Redeemers have their own pirate code, which must be a variation of Zufar el-Hassan’s articles. Most of these codes are simply so that the ship crews would function with some order, but many also are an attempt to prevent cruelty. It is said that they would be no better than their former masters. It is thus, when a ship surrenders, the captives are not slaughter, but instead sent off rowing to live for another day.

The pirate fleet itself is based in this mysterious place called the “Isle of the Forgotten”. Problem is, no one seems to know where this Isle is, which gives the Redeemers a big advantage. Frankly, any attempt on ships flying the Velvet flag has chased them into a deadly storm, to which they miraculously disappear into, or the chasing ship gets torn to shreds, somewhere off the spear.

They are led by Zufar el-Hassan, who possess the title of “Bane of Chains” for his role in the formation of the Redeemers. No one really knows, however, what of the Pirate Prince’s ambitions. Is it to conquer the high seas? Or to free all the slaves?...No one but a Redeemer could say for sure...

???

You wouldn’t know Zufar was the Pirate Prince if you merely looked at him, or at the very least, when he’s in the company of his crew. Zufar is rather quiet, soft spoken at first glance, a calm demeanor despite at times a less calm atmosphere. These traits are not said to be befitting of a pirate captain, perhaps not even a pirate prince. But there are many more dimensions to Zufar than just the soft-spoken pirate, he’s just rather deceptive in his mannerism. Zufar is indeed a rare man amongst his kind; a scholar and a scoundrel in one. Educated in both the book and the sea, it’s not hard to strike up a conversation with this one no matter what walk of life you come from. It also means that Zufar is quite full of fun surprises. One moment he could be having a lovely conversation on the philosophy of society and the next he’ll be bellowing out curses at the enemy. It is this “keep you guessing” demeanor that makes Zufar actually rather of a mysterious person. No one can really read him as a person, despite his range of emotions. His intentions are a bit of a mystery even among his own crew. Regardless, he looks after his people and look after others...it seems that at least one of Zufar’s philosophy is that life does not revolve around wealth.

Make no mistake, if there is business to be done, he wouldn’t mind doing it...on his terms. Always remember, you are there to do business with him, as he could care less about the other way around. Afterall, he can make just as much of a profit from raiding the slave trade and than wasting time with you. But Zufar does not mind entertaining guests if they have enough respect. Zufar has been known to walk out of a meeting after only five words uttered from the opposing party, that is because he has very little patience in dealing with those who do not understand the meaning of respect, and while he would not personally offend, his time is more valuable to waste on such people.

It is an odd trait to have as a pirate prince, but it is what made him popular; a rather Robin Hood-esc persona. A man of great intellect and skill, but does not use such ability on himself but in the services of the less fortunate. An example is that Zufar often takes time out of his day to do small stuff for his crew, a fine example has been his efforts to teach those aboard the Magnificent Liberator how to read and write. Such actions make him popular amongst his crew, and thus their trust.

Many legends begin their stories with humble beginnings...but not Zufar. The fact of the matter was, Zufar was indeed born a prince, a prodigy of a far away land...and it was said that his destiny, his birthright was to rule...and as such, from such a young age he had it all, wealth, power, luxury beyond dreams. In his youth, he had the finest tutors of all the lands, servants at his beckon call, his own harem... even an army at his command...all as a mere child...and what a child he was...his intellect and skill had blossomed at such an early age, which only serve to reinforce the prophecies of his birthright...but more importantly, it inflated the child’s massive ego even further.

Zufar, as a child, was a far cry to the man he is today. The child prince, his arrogance was borderline cruel, seeing himself as gif given by the gods upon his kingdom, and that all those lesser than him should bow to his majesty. It did not help that he was spoiled, or that he was truly considered to be the one that would be destined to rule...that all of the realm would be his and his alone, he embraced what he thought was his future role like a child with a new toy; abusing and misusing every facility given to him. It was said that the child prince would order his soldiers into battle on a whim for his own personal entertainment, ordering and watching his armies from the safety and luxury of the rear lines. Do not be mistaken, he was a very intelligent strategist, but he could care less if a unit had gotten whipped out to the last man. No remorse, no sympathy.

All may bow to the child prince, for he’s destiny was to rule...and it was this arrogance that would be his downfall.

It had happened during just what had appeared to be just another battle against some desert tribe or another...but Zufar was betrayed by those among his ranks...turned upon their former master, taking the loyalsits by suprise...slaying them to the last man...and the child prince was captured...his enemies sethed at the sight of him...but instead of being ransomed back to his people, he was given a different fate by his captives...one that they saw would put this brat in his place...so he was sold off into slavery, as nothing more than another mere human...stripped of the luxeries of his former life and bounded to potentially an life time of servitude...if he was lucky.

But that was where they were wrong...for perhaps the profiles contained some truths...for mere chains could not hold the ambitions of Zufar el-Hassan.

Zufar was truly a remarkable individual, even at such a young age, and while he had been previously spoiled by the easy life, his entrance was first marred by hardship...sold off to one of many within a slaver fleet...and it would have been worse had he not had someone looking out for him. She was...a mentor, in many aspects...someone who rescued him, even protected him...not because he was the chosen one...but because it was...her creed...her purpose...perhaps had it not been for her, Zufar would have still been in shackles...but it was because of her, he was able to adapt to his surroundings...and began to take control once more.

A mere year passed before Zufar found himself freed from his bondage, leading a slave revolt upon the slaver’s ship, they took their former masters by utter surprise and gained control of the ship...but not without a price. Zudar's mentored had been wounded in striking a blow against the vicious captain, finished off by the boy...and she lay dying in his arms...he cried...for the first time as long as he could remember...he cried for another individual...but now he was shedding tears...amongst the chaos...but it was to end as a victory...for while they lost their comrades...they have gained their freedom...and Zufar had inherited a new cause...and this was where the legend all started.

But it was never easy at the beginning, for the great Zufar el-Hassan did not win victory after victory upon his own self-liberation. In fact, the early days upon the seas saw as many defeats as victories, with the crew escaping by the skins of their teeth for being recaptured back into slavery. But above all, it was the lessons of leadership, as now his people were not born to serve him, but served out of their own villican.

And they needed a leader, not a ruler.

It was not to say any of this was easily learned, and more than once Zufar found himself almost overthrown as the captain of his ship. Fear nor terror would coax these people into obeying, slave or not, they had they’re freedom...no, these people needed to be inspired into action. Camaradiare would be the key, and it was a skill that the former child prince had to learn...he learn to listen as much as he talked...protrude confidence in the face of hesitation...and the fiction that he took upon himself...he shared it with his crew...so that they too shared a common goal...a cause greater than any individual greed, a cause to bind them like glue.

Even than, victory was never assured in those early days. They would always find someway of pulling through, of getting away just to sail another day. It was said that the crew under Zufar had gone through five or so ships, as the crew ran their vessel ragged, and on the urge of every individual vessel destruction, they’d hurl headlong into the enemy and board with Zufar at the head...into the melee they hurled themselves, life or death, there was no concept of surrender...sometimes they’d even be outnumbered, but somehow they’d pull through...capture the ship and repurpose it for themselves. But ever battle a new lesson was won, experience and wisdom would be gained come victory or defeat. As time passed, the crew of Zufar el-Hassan would gain some notoriety as a pirate crew, sailing to and fore, winning victories, taking names, freeing the chains that once shackled them.

But...the legend of Zufar el-Hassan and his Redeemers truly began with their grand escape from the depths of the Cerak Ar’Thur...and set the Black Bay on fire.

It began when the crew arrived at Cerak and having to abandon their previous ship upon the shores of the Black Bay. This was a territory that none of the crew had wanted to be, luckily they’re identities had yet to be discovered. But they needed a way out...and they were not planning to bargain with any slavers. So, it was decided upon council, the plan was to be set into motion...a plan that took a few days of preparation and patience...that even if it were to fail, would at least be one hell of a way to go. The plan revolved around “The Magnificent Enslaver”, one of the bigger ships in the docks at the time and incident was the flagship of the slaver fleet Zufar was sold to. On one particular night, Zufar and his crew went on what some may call a bit of a rampage; racing among the docks, breaking open cages and freeing slaves aboard the various slaver ships, instructing them into the water and for the “The Magnificent Enslaver”, where a team lead by Zufar had boarded and dispatched of it’s sleeping crew. Those among Zufar’s on the docks would then set the ships ablaze, and race to the next ship where

Time was against them, but they were able to start a chain reaction that lite docks of Cerak ablaze. With the crew now abroad and Zufar at the helm, the ship was ordered forward, now on the run from those still in the docks. Had it not been for some non-prirate individuals with them that day, they may have been capsized by the Black Fortress. But it seems the gods were on their side that day, as a freak fog suddenly rolled into the bay, obscuring the view of all, and allowing the hijacked ship to slip away amidst the chaos.

It was said by one of the crew members present during the escape, that while they were sailing for their lives, he caught a glimpse of their dear captain. Zufar, at the helm, in a moment of reprieve, had gazed upon the mountain overlooking the Black Bay. No doubt looking at the Black Fortress...but whereas most men who gazed upon the protectorate of Cerak would want to look away, Zufar maintained his eyes upon the Forretress...a wicked grin, one that was signature to him, was affixed to his face...one that belonged to a man whom had just spat in the face of death...and this particular sailor swore that when he looked up, he saw someone...standing there...

Now it could not be overstated that Zufar and his crew managed to escape by quite literally a mouse's fart, and had it not been for the sudden freak of a fog that rolled in,. This was also by no means a crippling blow upon Cerak At’Thul’s defensive capabilities by any stretch of the imagination, but Zafar's escape certainly did a lot of damage to the “locals”; some say the damages reached the seven digit marks. It is for this reason that neither Zufar or his Redeemers are not ever welcomed back to Cerak Ar’Thur; while Cerak is home to the most nafaouris of individuals, Zufar had in one fell swoop wronged so many of Cerak’s denizens that he had effectively become a wanted criminal among criminals. Not an easy feat.

Indeed Zufar made his escape from the Black Bay, but he was yet out of troubled waters. Obviously, those whose vessels hadn’t been put to the torch quickly pursed after Zufar was a vengeance. For days, Zufar and his crew managed to evade and outmaneuver their purses, fighting back when they could and running when they couldn’t. The “Magnificent Enslaver”(as it was still called at the time) was chased all the way down to the Spear, disappearing into a storm South of the Spear.

Now of course, this isn’t the first instance of ships escaping into the storm, but with little evidence that they survived, well...a lot of pirate and slaves had to cut their losses. So life went back to normal kind of...yet people started noticing that slaver ships kind of disappeared, with increasing frequency, and while at first no one really gave a damn(cause everyone thought “not my problem”), when the first pirates came back after surviving one of these disappearances, they described a man that was. It was the bastard Zufar, he was still alive! And he was flying the...Velvet colors? Yet the colors of the ship were the least of some people’s concerns...as a lot of slavers wished he had remained “dead”. But it wasn't just him this time, oh no; more ships had also been raiding the slave routes, nearly all were flying the Velvet flag. Word soon began to spread of this band, the Velvet Redeemers, and who was at the head of these? That bastard Zufar!

No doubt, perhaps this was where Zufar began to catch on among the whispers in the taverns, upon sailors, and even among slaves themselves. Most slavers and pirates despised Zufar, whom seemed to actively target their way of life, taking from the riches and cargo that they had rightfully stole. And this is where the story continues, as over the course of years and dozens of adventures. To this day Zufar still sails the high seas, his one defined goal is not merely to get rich, but to free those many still in bondage. Perhaps all along this was the destiny that had been foretold about Zufar, that he indeed was “ruling”...or rather...leading his new people...

• Quartermaster “TwoAxe”
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  • One of Zufar’s earliest companions, Twoaxe got his name from his signature dual chain axes he wields with a berserker life ferocity. Being a dwarf(or the dwarf) of the crew meant that he had some expertise with weapons, thus allocated as the ship’s quartermaster.
• Anchorman “Ironsphittah”
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  • A massive greenskin with incredible strength. Being one of the biggest crew members of the Redeemers, he wields his signature anchor with great ferocity, using his brute strength to help tow in ships or provide cover for his allies.
• Navigator “Ripper”
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  • A sharkman of sorts, with valuable knowledge of seafaring and the ability to speak to the sealife. Don’t underestimate him by his title, his teeth are razor sharp, ready to ripe a man to shreds.
• Gunnery Master “Bonnie”
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  • A lass that went from a helpless victim to a ferocious marksmen, her aim is one of the best among the Redeemers, weather that be shooting a crossbow or firing off a ballista.