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(contains spoilers)
Pirate Terms:
Apothecary - A person who prepares and sells medicines and drugs.
Belay - To stop or ignore.
Bilge Rat - An insult; pirates consider bilge rats to be the lowliest of creatures.
Bilge-sucking - An insult suggesting that one sucks the bottom of a ship where it curves.
Boatswain - The person aboard a ship responsible for maintenance and supplies, as well as deck activities.
Bone-Ace - A game of cards in which there are two ways to win.
Bow - The front part of a ship.
Bowsprit - A pole which extends forward from the bow of a ship.
Brig - The jail aboard a ship.
Bube - A slang term for “syphilis.”
Cabin boy - Younger hands often kept as servants, though The Heartbreak’s cabin boys were not.
Captain - The person aboard a ship responsible for keeping control of the crew, navigation, some sailing, and some parts of raiding/acquiring goods.
Carpenter/Surgeon - As most pirate crews did not have dedicated doctors, the carpenter would often act as a surgeon in times of need.
Catch and Release - A game for children.
Crack Jenny’s teacup - To spend the night with a doxie.
Crow’s nest - Vantage point on the mainmast of a pirate ship from which the lookout keeps an eye on things.
Cutlass - A slightly curved sword.
Dance a hempen jig - To hang.
Deadlights - Strong shutters or plates used to cover the portholes (ship’s windows) during storms.
Doxie - A term for someone who exchanges sex for payment.
Feck - A slang term for “fuck.”
Fire ship - A doxie with an STD.
First Mate - Similar to a pirate ship’s Quartermaster, the First Mate is the second-in-command on a merchant ship or naval vessel.
Flagship - The ship in a fleet that carries the commanding admiral.
Flinch and Fist - A game played aboard The Heartbreak whereby the Captain would punish petty crimes or slights. The offender faces a sharp punch, and if he flinches, he gets hit again and again until he takes the hit without flinching.
Galley - The kitchen on board a ship.
Gallows - A structure usually made of wood with two vertical beams and a crossbeam used for hanging criminals.
Gangplank - A removable ramp that stretches between moored ships.
Give no quarter - Show no mercy.
Grog - Rum diluted with water — in this case, heavily diluted, and since there wasn’t a good way to keep water fresh aboard the ship, it didn’t taste very good at all.
Hands - Crewmembers.
Hatch - The opening between decks.
Heading - The direction in which a ship is going, or the destination.
Helm - The wheel of a ship.
Jib - A small sail.
Jolly boat - A smaller boat used to ferry personnel and goods from the main ship to shore.
Keelhauling - A method of torture or killing where a person is tied to a rope and dragged under the keel of the ship. It’s incredibly painful and can result in death via laceration from the barnacles on the ship’s bottom, or drowning.
Kenz’s Luck - A game invented by Kenz in order to punish current hands or initiate new hands.
Kraken - A massive, mythical sea creature.
Landlubber - A person unfamiliar with sailing.
Letters of marque - Letters issued by acting governments basically giving permission for piracy.
Lily-livered - An insult meaning “coward.”
Lusca - A sea monster that is half shark, half squid.
Mage - A magician, or someone who practices magic/witchcraft.
Mast - A large pole used to secure the sails.
Master Gunner - While pirate ships generally had multiple gunners, the Master Gunner was the most experienced and in charge of the cannons and ammunition.
Mooring - To pull alongside of.
Mutiny - When a crew rises up against their Captain and attempts to remove them from the ship.
Nutmegs - Testicles.
Parley - A discussion between opposing sides of an argument or dispute.
Pogue’s Luck - A game more theory than real whereby Captain Hallam would punish offenders by keelhauling them to see if their luck held out for survival.
Port - The left side of a ship.
Powder monkeys - Young boys used for loading cannons and bringing gunpowder up from below deck. It’s a dangerous job, and as such, The Heartbreak refused to force children to do it.
Privateer - Pirates or others operating outside the bounds of typical law with the blessing of the government in times of war.
Quartermaster - The person aboard a ship responsible for dividing up spoils, keeping the peace and disciplining crewmembers, and aiding the Captain in times of war or raids.
Quarters - The rooms in which crew members sleep.
Quim - A slang term for “cunt.”
Rigger - The hands aboard a ship responsible for the ropes and sails.
Rigging - Ropes, cables, and chains.
Sailing Master - The person aboard a ship responsible for navigation and sailing the ship when the Captain is unavailable or wishes to delegate.
Savvy - A term that means “understand.”
Selkies - Half man, half seal. These creatures can appear as seals, but shed their skins to become human.
Sink me - An expression of surprise.
Sirens - Creatures with the ability to imitate voices and ensnare humans with the sound of their song.
Starboard - The right side of a ship.
Stern - The rear of the ship.
The Anguish - The sister ship to The Heartbreak, captained by Henley Morrow.
The Arbitrage - The flagship of the Three Kingdoms Trading Company.
The Heartbreak - The frigate ship captained by Pogue Hallam; the flagship of the Hallams’ fleet.
The Octavia - The flagship in Port Tiev’s navy, captained by Commodore Martext.
The Three Kingdoms Trading Company - Directed by Arley Gnash, it’s Qadia’s biggest and farthest-reaching trading company.
Trysail - A small sail.
Wench - A woman or peasant.
Winward passage - A person’s rear.
Wise woman - A woman who practices both medicine and witchcraft, usually blending the two.
Characters:
Abesti - A siren mated to the sea god, Jasterion.
Acuan - The Qadian god of the seas.
Agrandi - A mage from Port Tiev.
Alcott - One of The Heartbreak’s original cooks.
Ambrose Martext - The son of Commodore Caliban Martext and one of Kenz Hallam’s many partners.
Arley Gnash - The Director of the Three Kingdoms Trading Company; The Heartbreak’s original benefactor.
Astaryn - The Heartbreak’s master gunner.
Barlows - A pirate crew.
Beldan - One of The Heartbreak’s original cooks.
Brandon - A young man recruited by the Hallams to join The Heartbreak’s crew.
Breg - The owner of Teag’s Tavern.
Brellan - One of The Heartbreak’s original crew members.
Brick - Cousin of Karis and member of The Heartbreak’s crew.
Commodore Caliban Martext - Captain of The Octavia and leader of Tiev’s naval forces.
Covell - One of The Heartbreak’s original crew members.
Drak - One of The Heartbreak’s original riggers.
Gil - One of The Heartbreak’s original riggers.
Governor Pritchard - The Haven’s Governor and Wayke’s father.
Gresh - One of The Heartbreak’s original riggers.
Hadwin - One of The Heartbreak’s original crew members.
Halos - The Qadian god of conquest.
Henley Morrow - The Captain of The Anguish and frequent companion of Kenz Hallam.
Iris/Circe/Ophelia Hallam - The daughter of Kenz Hallam and Henley Morrow. She has three names, since Pogue, Kenz, and Henley couldn’t agree on one.
Izai - A doxie from Roxgard.
Jadae - A doxie met at Teag’s Tavern.
Jakes - A pirate from Port Tiev.
Jasterion - A sea god mated to the siren, Abesti.
Karis - A young man recruited by the Hallams to join The Heartbreak’s crew.
Karvers - A pirate crew.
Keet - One of The Heartbreak’s original crew members.
Kenz Hallam - The Quartermaster of The Heartbreak and son of Reks Hallam, brother of Pogue Hallam, and descendant of Jones Hallam. It is said all Hallams are born during a storm.
Laywards - A pirate crew.
Lord Protector Beckwith - The man in charge of all of Ekretor.
Narkal - One of The Heartbreak’s original crew members.
Nasian - The Qadian god of fortune.
Pogue Hallam - The Captain of The Heartbreak and son of Reks Hallam, brother of Kenz Hallam, and descendant of Jones Hallam. It is said all Hallams are born during a storm.
Ransley - The Heartbreak’s original surgeon and carpenter.
Rasha - A doxie from the Haven.
Rat - One of The Heartbreak’s original cabin boys.
Reks Hallam - Father of Pogue and Kenz Hallam, descendant of Jones Hallam.
Remy - A young woman recruited by the Hallams to join The Heartbreak’s crew.
Renton - The Heartbreak’s master sailor.
Riston - One of The Heartbreak’s original crew members.
Seaton - One of The Heartbreak’s original riggers.
Scarus - One of The Heartbreak’s original gunners.
Solaris Hallam - A boy who is half witch/half Hallam. He was born during a hurricane. Nicknamed “Bear.”
Solomons - A pirate crew.
Tacks - A pirate crew.
Tella - One of The Heartbreak’s original gunners.
Thorps - A pirate crew.
Tortan - The Qadian god of Gehenna.
Venar - The Qadian god of the hunt.
Wayke Pritchard - The son of the Haven’s Governor and frequent companion of Pogue Hallam.
Weasel - One of The Heartbreak’s original cabin boys.
Willow - A wise woman in Ekretor; Solaris’ mother.
Wystan - The Heartbreak’s original boatswain.
Yao - One of The Heartbreak’s original crew members.
Places:
Akriva - The hometown of Pogue and Kenz Hallam.
Croulen - Qadia’s southwestern territory, comprised of cities such as Roxgard and Molvas.
Drovern Sea - The body of water that splits Qadia’s southern regions.
Ekretor - Qadia’s northwestern territory. It’s comprised of cities such as Port Tiev, Akriva, Valt, and others.
Gehenna - Hell.
Gracian Isles - A group of islands in the Trusian Sea.
The Haven - An island not far from the coast of Croulen. It’s said to be a safe place for pirates but rarely is. It’s governed by Pritchard, and home to Wayke.
Isle of Dread - A group of islands in the northern reaches of the Drovern Sea, mostly abandoned except for selkies and sirens.
Molvas - A town in Croulen, and the site of Solaris’ first raid.
Nybol Mountains - The mountain range in northern Ekretor.
Okos - A city in Torid.
Port Tiev - The port city at the southernmost point of Ekretor. Nicknamed Port of Thieves, this city is a hotbed for piracy, thievery, and shenanigans.
Qadia - The world, comprised of Ekretor, Croulen, Torid, three seas, and several islands.
Ravere - A city in Torid.
Rohim - A town in Middle Ekretor and a refuge for those trying to escape Port Tiev.
Roxgard - The capital city of Croulen.
Sodour Bay - The body of water that splits Qadia’s western regions.
Teag’s Tavern - A tavern frequented by The Heartbreak’s crew; located in Port Tiev, Ekretor.
Tiverport - A port city in Torid.
Torid - Qadia’s eastern territory.
The Trusian Sea - The body of water that splits Qadia’s northern regions.
Valt - A town in Middle Ekretor and a refuge for those trying to escape Port Tiev.