J is for Jon o' the Pipers

So far, I've introduced some history, a protagonist, some geography, some monsters, a legend...but no villains yet. And what is a fantasy setting without villains? Well, here's one of the worst Meterra has to offer.

While Meterra is not known as a seafaring nation, merchant ships do travel to and from the docks at the capital of Everton. Unfortunately, there are always those who seek to prey upon merchant vessels. Some seek glory and renown as rogues and rakes, such as Falston the Magpie. While merchants don't particularly enjoy his visits, at least they receive decent treatment from him, paying a ransom in exchange for their freedom. But there is another pirate lord in the seas near Meterra that merchants fear more than the devils of the sea.

 Jon o' the Pipers is a full-blown pirate, a man of no morals or remorse. He takes few prisoners, and those he does take are sold into slavery. He rarely captures ships, preferring to merely rob them of their treasure and sink them. There is a substantial reward awaiting the ship's captain who can bring Jon in to the authorities...or his body, if necessary. He is believed to have a hidden base in the Evergloom, but no one has dared to look for it yet.

Jon's ship, the Hellfish, is distinctive; aside from the green flag with the crossed lightning bolts, his hull is painted black, and his sails are dyed red. His crew, known as the Rattails, are just as bloodthirsty and greedy as their captain. None, however, is foolish enough to challenge Jon; he is a deadly swordsman, and more than one crewman has found himself spitted on the end of the captain's blade for his poor judgment. The Rattails are loyal to Jon mostly out of fear, but also because he is very successful.

Meterra's nascent navy is comprised of only a dozen or so ships, none of which are strong enough on their own to take on a pirate crew, especially one as seasoned as the Rattails. Under the command of Lord Renicus Bonshoms, a Ramai native who spent most of his life at sea before the Arrival, the Royal Navy is drilling hard to get themselves ready to take on the scourge of the Meterran seas.

Jon has yet to appear in a Meterra book, but that will change at some point. I've always loved stories of the Age of Sail and the naval engagements, so a pirate encounter would be fun to write about. And there is nothing redeeming about Jon o' the Pipers; should someone burn his ship to the waterline and throw him to the sharks, the only tears shed would be for the lost reward money. In a gaming campaign, he would make an excellent recurring nemesis, one the players would be eager to take down at the earliest opportunity.