Captain Haephestus J Burnside
From Brass Goggles
Contents |
[edit] A Freelance Hero
Orphaned at an early age, and taken in by his grandfather Elias, a former hired sword. Though he mourned the loss of his parents, Haephestus became obsessed with his grandfather's past, and would sit spellbound for hours as Elias regaled his with tales of adventure on the seven seas and the eight winds. Haephestus was later to graduate University with a degree in Archaeology, only to claim the heirlooms left to him by Elias upon his death. These heirlooms included Elias' old ship, the "Fifth Ace". Seeing a chance to make his own legend, Haephestus went into business. He was an outstanding success, selling his swashbuckling skills and his ready wit to the highest bidder, regardless of affiliation or objective. He filled his pockets many times over for every year that he plied his bloody trade.
[edit] The Warpath
Then, everything changed. He was hired by a British captain, ostensibly to help smoke out a nest of pirates, but in fact to settle an old score of the client’s. After Burnside had completed his objective, he was captured by his client, a man named Beffington-Smythe, and imprisoned for the murder of a British officer, whom Beffington-Smythe had led him to believe was a pirate. His crew dead or scattered, his ship ablaze, and his grandfather's memory besmirched, someone had to pay. It was as he awaited the cold embrace of the hempen noose that Burnside met his cellmate, a bedraggled individual who went only by the moniker of “Mac”. He had been through almost the same ordeal as Burnside, and he too had vowed vengeance.
Together, the two broke out of Gallowgate prison, and stowed away on a packet flier as far as they dared. It was in Dublin that they were to meet the rest of their crew, and abscond with an experimental Imperial flier. Together, the crew of the newly liberated "Reckless Abandon" set sail towards a brighter future.
[edit] Appearance and Customs
Outside of combat, Burnside is a peculiar man. He spends hours crouched atop the figurehead, staring at the horizon, singing softly to himself. For all his dreaming, he is possessed of an iron determination, and is never willing to give up on any venture without taking at least one last throw of the dice. Although immensely protective of his crew's lives, Haephestus is extremely careless with his own, reasoning that he has lost far too much already to care about death.
Description: Light, slim. Neatly trimmed black hair, with a discoloured red patch. Goatee beard and moustache. Garb: A safari jacket with a corduroy waistcoat, white shirt, and scarf. Also favours brown trousers, with boots and spatterdashes. Inseperable from his leather Akubra and lucky flying goggles.
Weapons of choice include a Khyber knife, cavalry sabre, and a revolver. These are known as "Treason", "Strategem", and "Spoils", respectively. He has recently acquired a custom-made hunting-rifle, called "Diplomacy".
[edit] Quotes
"Havoc for hire!" Warcry.
"What do we do? You're asking me 'what do we do'? We do what we always do....We CHARGE, by thunder!" Shortly before a boarding action.
"Take a look at the name on my prow, and ask me that question again." On being warned of a suicidal course of action.
