The Banshee

The Banshee is a former Avalon (faux-British Isles) privateer, one of a group of privateers (the "Sea Dogs") who defeated the Castillian Armada about a decade ago. Most of the original crew from that time is no longer with the ship -- many of them were paid out after the battle, while most of the rest of the crew remained in Avalon when the Banshee left Avalonian service.

The captain of the Banshee is Captain John Malcolm, who was born and raised in the Highlands Marches. His shockingly red hair has started to go grey as he ages; while he fights with a basket-hilted backsword, he keeps a great ancestral claymore in his cabin.

While most pirate ships are owned by their crew, the Banshee is personally owned by Captain Malcolm, though over the course of the last decade the crew has shares in the ship as profits from piracy have had to be used for repairs and other business.

The Banshee does have a charter, similar to most pirate charters, though it does not contain a provision for challenging Captain Malcolm. The Quartermaster -- the second-ranking officer aboard ship -- is elected, however.

The present quartermaster is Anne Crieux, a Montaigne woman. She is a blonde woman who was formerly a lieutenant in the Montaigne Navy; when her ship foundered on a reef due to poor orders by her captain, she led the survivors in a small flotilla aboard the remaining longships. She and hers were rescued by Captain Malcolm, and most of her crew joined the Banshees. She was elected Quartermaster not long after when the ship's former quartermaster was found stealing and was marooned.

Among the ship's officers, the gunner, mate and boatswain all have long service, and these along with the quartermaster these senior officers are known colloquially among the crew as the 'chiefs'.

• The gunner is Tom Radishes, formerly the ship's cook and one of the handful of sailors still remaining from the Banshee's Sea Dog days. He has an instinctive command of the complex math required for powder and windage, often baffling his junior gunners.

• The boatswain is Long Ned, who maintains order among the crew with a swift lash. He was recruited from Aragosta after the Banshee arrived in the Atabean. Despite being the agent of discipline -- or perhaps because -- he is popular among the more bloodthirsty segment of the crew, many of whom he recruited himself from pirate havens around the Atabean.

• The mate is Adal Vorhees, a Vendel who is an excellent if dour navigator who was the purser aboard one of the Banshee's first prizes after striking out on its own. He has an excellent command of math and is generally responsible for the ship's supplies in addition to navigation; his ability to eke supplies out of nowhere has earned him the crew's admiration in lean times.

The Banshee has other officers -- a surgeon, a carpenter, an armorer, and others -- but they don't have the longevity of the 'chiefs'. A handful other notable crew-members include:

• Vittoria Viani, a Vodacce swordswoman with a cold-burning temper who serves as a boatswain's mate.

• Jerome Dechaine, a big Montaigne sailor who joined the crew with Anne Crieux.

• Nasa of Itamini, a Rahuri topsman who serves often as the ship's lookout and ambassador to the Rahuri natives of the Atabean.

• Big Reilly, an Inish deckhand who is the undisputed king of the informal boxing contests aboard ship.