De Luca the Dreaded

While The legend of De Luca the Dreaded tends to exaggerate the man's features, one consistent trait is that his chest, both in breadth and hair, could rival a Bodaci . His long, thick hair that falls from his head in curls is also said to be the envy of many a woman in the capital. Or it would be if he kept it washed. Rounding out the imposing figure is his imposing height. A towering man over six feet, he strikes terror into the most of those who would dare oppose him simply by casting a shadow. With broad shoulders and a glowering face, De Luca was 'the dreaded' long before he became a Pirate.

Mortimer De Luca was raised in one of the many small towns that dotted the Coastline of Shimshar. He was small, and skinny as a lad; anyone who had seen him in is youth would never believe that he would grow into one of the more feared people in the world. He also had a hopeless crush on his neighbor, Flora Alaclore. While he did poorly in school, he was quick on his feet and took to working on the fishing ships that frequented the harbor with almost unnatural ability. His parents doted on him, giving the child whatever he wished.   The last happy moment of his life, as far as anyone from his hometown can remember, was marrying the love of his life. The ceremony was held on the deck of a ship, just as he'd always wanted. They looked like a very happy couple. A year or so later, Mortimer and Flora moved to another coastal town to begin a new life.   Neither of them darkened the doorsteps of their hometown again. And when De Luca rose to power in the Eastern sea as 'The Dreaded', sailing the Faithless Molly, Flora was nowhere to be seen.

Very few know what De Luca was like before he became De Luca the Dreaded. The only hint to his motivations aside from 'burn the entire ocean to the ground' lies in the name of his ship, the 'Faithless Molly'. Psychologists have posited that he was spurned by a lover and in turn, turned to the sea as his only love. This does not explain the sheer destruction the man trails in his wake.   No man has been kept alive from his crew to give insight into his motivations. However, from the type of men he recruits, either willingly or forcefully, it can be surmised that he didn't turn to piracy out of desperation or lack of options. De Luca was a man on a warparth against something-or someone.   But no one knows who.

De Luca was no king, but his reign of Terror over the Eastern Sea lasted for almost ten years. He is said to rival only The Captain in ferocity and fear. Merchants ships would be attacked, plundered, then sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Navy ships were treated the same. De Luca would only leave enough survivors to spread his name, and his warning; none who crossed him would be spared his wrath.   It was De Luca, along with a turning tide in navagational technology, that pushed Shimshar to develop stronger, steel-hulled ships and prototype radar technology that could detect ships from further distances than the eye can see, to try and circumvent De Luca and his ravenous crew. One of the pinnacles of this technology, the [Dictator], was unfortunately absconded with by Aramis 'Headwind' and turned into the Admiral's Revenge. While several other ships were developed with this technology, the loss of the Revenge stung.   De Luca's reign came to an end after it attacked the Caruso, one of the last wooden-hulled ships remaining in Shimshar, and one of the oldest. The Revenge was the first to happen across its charred remains and reported its loss to the world at large. There are two versions to the story of how Aramis decided to pursue De Luca; the first was out of a sense of justice for the lives lost over the years. The other involves three barrels of Fool's Ichor that had been aboard the Caruso, and were now in De Luca's possession. Aramis, a mage whose activities would be severely limited by the Ichor, to say the least, had a personal investment in making sure De Luca never put the explosive material to use.   Using the Longman's Rover as bait, the Revenge laid an ambush for the Faithless Molly, catching it off guard as it fled from the Queen Isabelle, one of Shimshar's Naval vessels. The crew of the Revenge swiftly boarded and laid low the crew, Aramis killing De Luca himself. The body was left where it lay on the deck, and the Caruso's cargo reclaimed. The Molly's crew was tied to the rail and set adrift as the Revenge made its escape.   the Death of De Luca was the first of two deaths that heralded the end of the age of Piracy in Shimshar. Aramis' own death shortly after due to Ichor poisoning was the other,