Tiberius Rex, The Pirate King

Adventurer “Lord”
Outlands

Location

South

Residence

Fort

Features

Versatile Woodlands (Fishing and Ship Graveyard)
Barracks
Adventurers’ Guild House
Knightly Order (Crew of the Fury)
Dungeon
Megadungeon (The City Ship)
-40

Retinue

Hero
Sheriff
Spy Master
Majordomo
-50

Boons

Supreme Sorcerer (Personal Combat Magic)
Title Upgrade
Autonomy Upgrade (Tiberius is technically the ruler of a fourth-rate independent power, but given his criminal status he has even less foreign influence than he should.)
Heroic Prowess
-90

Drawbacks

End Times
Undesirables
Barbarians (Foreign Pirates)
Cloak & Dagger
Shadows Gather (He has no actual legitimacy to the lordship of Kraken’s Repose beyond Possession, technically anyone in Kraken’s Repose could seize power and some are happy to try)

Background

Tiberius Rex was born Tiberius Sindry, the second son of an unlanded noble family in the Capital. As was tradition for the second son, he trained as a Battle Mage and joined the Empire’s navy. In the navy, he met the first and only love of his life, the Sea. Such was his love of the sea that he rarely came ashore and made a habit of volunteering for long voyages and dangerous sorties against the south sea’s pirates. This devotion to the Imperial navy saw his rapid rise through the ranks. By the time he was made Captain of an experimental galley, The Devotion, he was among the most feared pirate hunters in the world.

Perhaps his story would’ve ended there, a celebrated captain only known by those who cared for stories from the high seas. It wasn’t the end of his story however; it was the beginning.

The path of Tiberius’s life changed when a member of the Royal Family came to inspect Tiberius’s naval innovations. During the inspection, the Royal took liberties with a young member of Tiberius’s crew. Tiberius demanded satisfaction on his crew member’s behalf.

The Royal, given the difference in status, was under no compulsion to accept Tiberius’s duel. Nor was he foolish enough to think he stood a chance against an experienced Imperial Battle Mage. He refused. Tiberius did not accept his refusal.

The Royal’s ‘sacred’ head rolled across the deck before he had time to cry. In that moment, the crew of The Devotion had a decision. Their only path to innocence in the eyes of the Empire was to assail their captain and avenge the Royal who’d been nothing but a monster to them. If they wanted to see their families again, they had to draw their sabers and hack Tiberius to pieces. They had to. They didn’t.

When Tiberius saw his crew stay their hands, he knew they had only one path away from the noose. It was not the path he would’ve chosen, but it was the only one where everyone lived.

That path was piracy. Tiberius rechristened The Devotion to The Fury and spent the next 20 years terrorizing the Empire’s shipping lanes. His long and storied career as a pirate hunter gave him an insurmountable advantage over the Empire’s lesser pirate hunters.

Despite his vendetta Tiberius was merciful... for a pirate. Women and children were not harmed. Any ship that surrendered was spared and only relieved of what cargo The Fury could carry. Such was his efficacy and reputation as an honorable man that the Emperor Himself offered pardon.

Tiberius didn’t accept the pardon. He thought it a trap. Why shouldn’t he expect treachery from the Royal Family? He’d met a member after all.

After a narrow escape from an Imperial trap, The Fury found itself hemmed in by three War Galleys. They were in an area called Kraken’s Repose, a ship graveyard filled with treacherous shoals and unpredictable currents. Some sailors claimed there was an island in the middle of this graveyard. That the Kraken’s Repose was really a half-sunk island overflowing with milk and honey. Tiberius had always thought them wives’ tales. No-one had ever navigated the Repose before. Any ship that ventured past the broken masts of their predecessors never returned.

But, when faced with a choice between certain death and false hope, Tiberius chose to die a fool rather than a hero.

Tiberius guided the Fury into the Graveyard. The War Galleys dared not follow. In a display of navigational prowess, guts and blind luck never seen before nor since, Tiberius navigated through the Repose and found the white beaches of a long lost island, nearly lost to the sea.

That was ten years ago. The crew of The Fury settled Kraken’s Repose and began to use it as an unassailable base of operations. Over time they opened up the Repose to more crews: pirates, smugglers, whomever needed shelter from the Empire’s watchful eye. Tiberius the traitor, the murderer, and pirate, found himself made a Petty King over a kingdom of pirates and rogues. It was a stagnant desolate place, but it was his and he was free.

One day, when Tiberius explored the graveyard in a rowboat. He happened upon a ship 200 meters tall and 2000 meters long, completely intact. Driven by curiosity, Tiberius boarded this impossibly large ship. He barely escaped with his life.

Word spread of this massive city ship and the Adventurers’ Guild, driven by greed, went behind the Empire’s back and negotiated a deal with Tiberius to begin excavations. Tiberius agreed and Kraken’s Repose added yet another demographic to its population.

That was three years ago, the Repose has grown into the largest pirate port in the sea. Pirate hunters scour its graveyard for an unguarded ingress, knowing the land beyond is ill-defended. All that has given them so far is lost ships.

Tiberius is at a crossroads after Abaddon’s ultimatum. While he has no love for the Empire, he holds no ill will towards her subjects. The explosive growth of the Repose has also seen ruling it become less like freedom and more like a prison. He knows that the Empire could use his sword to stave off its destruction, but he despairs over the difference a single man can make. The only thing he’s done so far is place restrictions against seizing grain ships for ransom. This has been met with resistance and outright refusal from certain quarters, but such is the nature of edicts.

Tiberius often finds his thoughts drifting towards that City-sized ship. That horrible vessel which has claimed so many adventurers and given wildly extravagant treasures. While he barely escaped with his life the last time he ventured aboard her deck, he was alone. Perhaps this ship holds secrets which may serve the fight against Abaddon.

Kraken’s Repose

The island nation sustains itself through fishing, salvage, smuggling and piracy. While the land is fertile Kraken’s Repose has few civilians and what few they do have are skilled artisans.

Guides live on the outskirts of the graveyard. They guide the ships through the graveyard one at a time. Invasion at this point is impractical unless another path through the graveyard can be found.

The buildings on the island are awfully crude and usually consist of ship parts.

Trade

While the Repose does have a port, its isolation renders it as unworthy of a domain upgrade. Trade does occur but it is largely ancillary to the Repose’s economy.

Plan

Tiberius explores the dungeon in his territory. When the timer runs out he joins the hero countdown. The Majordomo takes over management of the territory. The Fury is a terrifying naval vessel crewed by knight equivalent combatants. It will launch raids, ferry supplies, whatever it can do in clandestine aid of the war effort against Abaddon. They are still wanted criminals, so unless a ‘no show’ pardon is issued for the crew how directly they help will be limited.