Name: Jonathan “Jack” Campbell
Nickname or alias: Jack the Red
Date of birth: 17th March, 1675
+ Resourceful, astute, charming
- Domineering, arrogant, self-serving
What rank is your character trying to be? Are they looking to be captain of their own ship, first mate, or will they take what they can get? Do they have any special skills that relate to seafaring?
Jack is an experienced sailor, having been on the sea for over two decades. He has served in almost every crew position imaginable at this point- except for the captain. He’s hungry for the chance to lead his own crew and captain his own vessel, and there’s no doubt in his mind he deserves it. The sea is in his blood, he knows the water and can keep a ship afloat in even the most dangerous of storms. He’s ready for this- and determined enough to go up against anybody he deems as competition.
Why does your character go to sea? What are they looking to find?
Jack was 13 years old the first time he set sail, as a cabin boy in the British army. He was a recent orphan. His father was a Scottish rebel who had been executed some years prior, and after struggling to raise her children in poverty for several years, his mother had passed away after a struggle with illness. Jack, the eldest of their three children, was left to provide for his sisters, and the navy offered that chance. He soon proved himself as a born sailor, however, the military life wasn’t his destiny. He was 17 when, after a night of drinking turned sour, he drew his blade and left an officer dead on the floor, thus becoming a wanted man. He managed to escape on a life boat, and after a few days on the open water, was picked up by pirates. He joined their crew, and the rest was history. Jack has spent the last 18 years adding to his list of crimes. With the price on his head growing larger and larger, the sea is the only place he can be safe from the noose, and he values his life far too much to risk the alternative.
Jack has survived three ship wrecks in his career. The first was during his time in the navy, and most of the crew were able to abandon ship and make it to safety. During the second, he disobeyed the captain’s orders to remain on deck and try and keep the ship afloat, escaping with stolen supplies and watching as the crew went down with the vessel. His third was only a few years ago, and the most severe. A storm tossed the ship violently between monstrous waves, and Jack thought for sure he would go to his grave, almost drowning as the ship went down into the water. He was pulled to safety by a swabbie, who had fashioned a makeshift raft, and remains grateful for his life to this day.
Jack has spent most of his life at sea, and has picked up many of the customs of sailors over that time. As a result, he is deeply superstitious, and expects everyone on board the same ship as he to follow his beliefs in order to ensure safety. The quickest way to cross Jack is to scoff at superstition.
Jack has a fondness for cats, and will not sail without a ship’s cat on board. He has a small calico that he has taken on every voyage he has been on for the last few years, who he has named Duchess, and who he adores.
Jack has a weakness for beautiful women. Though general strong-willed and strong-minded, he is a huge flirt, and falls fast and hard, and when a woman has his ear, can convince him to do almost anything she pleases- until, of course, he gets bored and casts her aside, which usually occurs as quickly as he fell for them in the first place, and he soon moves on to a new object of affection.
