Post a Timeline of your Background Story

[pourlemerite]

11 June 1696, James Francis Edward Keith was born as the second son of William, 9th Earl Marischal of Scotland, at the castle of Inverugie near Peterhead.

Through his careful education under the historian Robert Keith, and subsequently at the University of Aberdeen in preparation for the legal profession, he acquired that taste for literature which afterwards secured him the esteem of the most distinguished savants of Europe, but at an early period his preference for a soldier's career was decided.

1715, James and his elder brother George supports the Jacobite Rebellion in Scottland.
The Rebellion collapse...

1716-1718, James visit a University in Paris

1719, James took part in the Jacobite-Rebellion of 1719, He command some spanish Troops at Eilean Donan Castle, After the Battle of Glen Shiel, Spanish troops were forced to surrender to government forces. James flee to the Continent.

1720-1722, James serve the Stuarts in Rome, here he comands the Guard of the Old Pretender

1723, As a part of a treaty between France and the Stuarts the Old Pretender send James and his brother George to the Caribbean theatre. James found the sworn community of "the Jacobites", to support french efforts to rule this part of the world

Sorry for my English, im come from Germany but i want support this effort for more RP in PotBS.

[Kaede_Baq]

Originally Posted by pourlemerite Sorry for my English, im come from Germany but i want support this effort for more RP in PotBS.

Nothing wrong with your English at all. And I agree. Some RP never hurt anybody. ^.^

[Alcarondas]

Timeline: Sylvain d'Aumont ((L50 Freetrader, Antigua France))

1678 - Born the sixth son of a very minor noble in continental France. Despite the measure of blue blood in his veins, he had few prospects due to his family's modest holdings and large size; for his own part, he was not disciplined enough for the military; not studious enough for academia; not organized enough for the law, and wholly unsuited to the clergy. However, his virtues (such as they were) manifested at an early age: He was charming, made friends easily, was quite shrewd and a keen judge of character, and could talk his way out of (and often, into) all sorts of dangerous situations.

1698 - After being thrown out of some of the finest universities in Europe for misbehavior of various sorts, his father cut him off and sent him away to make whatever life he could for himself.

1698-1702 - Before he was 24, he had become intimately familiar with every gambling hall and house of ill repute from Paris to Venice to Constantinople, always staying at least one step ahead of creditors, cardsharps, loansharks, and the fathers of compromised daughters. Along the way, his friends (mostly dispossessed young nobles like himself) were constantly talking of the "new world", and the opportunity there; the chance to write their own names on a clean slate, and be free of the shackles of the European social system.

1702 - The outbreak of Queen Anne's War, coupled with a particularly bad night at the casino, gave young Sylvain a motivation to seek adventure and fortune in the Caribbean. At first, the only things that changed about his lifestyle were the dress code and the ambient temperature. He drank, gambled, caroused, talked, and romanced his way around the Burning Sea; never staying too long in any one place.

1702-1712 - Eventually, he settled into a slow seasonal migration between San Juan and New Orleans, with occasional layovers in the French Antilles when he needed to stay out of sight. His natural talents for making friends and making deals kept him supplied with just enough coin to support his lifestyle. As a natural side-effect of the many days spent sailing from port to port, he became familar with ships and seafaring, and got to be an accomplished sailor of small boats; often supplementing his (ir)regular income with prizes won in races.

1712 - Late one breezy Monday morning on the docks in Havana, Sylvain awoke from a drunken stupor and met the love of his life. She was older than he was, by at least 20 years. Her beauty had faded a bit, and her raiment was tattered and worn, but she was still proud and unbowed by time and hardship. The war was winding down, and the peace that would follow the deal-making at Utrecht was bound to be bright and bursting with opportunity. As soon has he had focused his concentration enough to peer through his hangover, Sylvain realized he had found the perfect partner.
She was an old Spanish galleon. Her keel was laid in the middle of the last century, and she had been named Las Cruces. She was tied up to a disheveled pier in a remote corner of a private shipyard. What little paint and varnish she had left were peeling and flaking, and she was listing uncomfortably, but her lines were true and her timbers looked sound. Sylvain asked around a bit, and learned that the ship had been impounded by the dockyard owner for an unpaid repair bill. Some deeper questioning (lubricated with rum, no doubt) revealed that her last captain (apparently an entirely despicable personage) met his end on the point of a dagger in a disreputable tavern, and that his crew had promptly jumped ship. The registered owner was a small trading house in Caracas, but no word had been had from them in months; perhaps years.
Sylvain made himself as presentable as he could, and sought out the owner of the dockyard. Yes, the ship was for sale. It could be had for the settling of the bill, and some storage costs (which Sylvain promptly negotiated away). He toured the ship, and found her to be as sound and solid as the day she was launched. The shipwright was equally impressed, repeatedly exclaiming that "they don't build them like this anymore, and that's the truth!" "The Truth" indeed, thought Sylvain, and on the spot he renamed the ship Le Vrai.
They agreed on a price, and Sylvain handed over the few doubloons he had as a deposit. Over the next 3 days, he made some friends, made some deals, made some threats, and won a few very lucky hands at cards. He returned before the week was out to pay the balance. A weekend of fast talk produced some provisions and a small crew willing to sail on nothing but their new captain's charm and the promise of adventure and a bit of gold. As part of his wheeling and dealing, Sylvain had arranged the sale of a quantity of teak-wood between two acquaintances; part of the deal called for shipping the wood from the forests inland of Puerto del Principe to the shipyards in Santo Domingo. Thus, he had his first cargo.

1712-1717 - For the next five years, Sylvain and his (increasingly large and contented) crew criss-crossed the Carribean, at first carrying goods for independent merchants, and later trading on their own. From hemp to sugarcane, gold to gunpowder, cannon barrels to barrels of rum; if it was bought in one place and sold in another, Le Vrai and her captain were involved. But eventually, the bad weather, the deals that went bad, the pirates, the privateers, and (not least of all) the tax assessors drove Sylvain ashore. He had made himself wealthy beyond his own count, and settled down in the French colonies on the Gulf of Mexico.

1717-1720 - At first, he was content with a small farm in central Florida, but this soon expanded to include a vinyard and a winery, and later a ranch. His lifelong fascination with distilled spirits led him to cultivate sugarcane and with it, his own label of fine rum. Eventually, he began packaging the various products of his plantations into provisioning bundles for ships. Today, he trades under the name of "Gulf Coast Grocery & Supply", and his small fleet of cargo ships carry food and drink to all the major ports of call on the Gulf.

Present Day - Although he now has at his disposal a small fleet of armed merchant ships, he is still devoted to his first love, Le Vrai. She still hasn't seen a coat of paint or varnish, and her sails are stitched and patched a hundred times over. But Sylvain still finds his greatest joy on her quarterdeck and in the trade halls of the numberless ports of the Caribbean; in the unlooked-for deal and the quick profit, the blockades avoided and the pirates evaded. Part merchant, part noble, part gentleman-farmer, and part sea-dog himself, Captain Sylvain d'Aumont has made himself a new man on the Burning Sea.

((This was originally written as a prose biography; I reformatted it into more of a timeline.))

((Hopefully I'm not the only one with a "cosmetic ship" - Le Vrai is a scuzzy-looking Santiago Trader's Galleon, painted a dull grey-beige with faded, discolored French Trade Union sails. I'm currently using it to do the Red Tape/Speedy Delivery local trader missions, so if you're on Antigua, you may see her around!))

[CJFlint]

[quote=Alcarondas;1174257]Timeline: Sylvain d'Aumont ((L50 Freetrader, Antigua France))

WOW, you sir went all out with this.....Im vary intrested in te 16 and 1700s myself....Im impressed with you guys imaginations.

Off the subject..I was going to make a Brit FT named Barry Lyndon and pick up were the movie left off in POTBS!! That would have been a hoot...On seocond thogh I decided not too, Im not really that into eco to make an FT. Its fun and all, but not somthing I want to spend hours doing. In stead I made a pirate alt, oh dear!

[Samuel Voeckler]

1699 - Samuel Voeckler was the born near the french town of Strasbourg, in his fathers estate. He was the first-born in a family of 3 sons and 2 daughters, his father was the seigneur of a small fief in Alsace.

1709 - Samuel is sent to Paris, to study at the Collège Louis-le-Grand, here he studies together with some of the great minds of his time, for instance: François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire).

1715 - Samuel decides he is not meant for simple studies or writing, and his father buys him a commission as aspirant on the frigate: Le Guerrière.

1717 - Samuel quikly rises through the ranks, by now he is a Lieutenant de vaisseau, and word goes he is to be promoted to Capitaine de corvette soon.

March 1718 - It has happend, Samuel is given command of a small ship called Le Petit Soeur and sails for the Carribbean.

June 1718 - Le Petit Soeur encounters a british merchant ship outside of Jamaica, the Brit is far larger than the Soeur, but Capitaine Voeckler attacks anyway, after a long and tough battle the Brit surrenders, and Voeckler sails back to Point-á-Pitre, with his prize and cargo.

1719 - News of Voeckler's Capture reaches the ears of high admirals, and he is promoted to Capitaine de vaisseau. His new ship, La Belle Louise, is a fine 4th rate ship-of-the-line, and he soon begins sailing with the assembled fleet, he is witness, and partaker in many victories and defeats.

1721 - Voeckler has gained so much support of the aristocracy in France, that in May a letter is sent to him, containing information about his upcoming promotion to Contre-Amiral, and swiftly after Vice-Amiral.

1723 - After attempting to lead, or help lead french fleets for 2 years his vice-reine (Elune Baq) is forced to abdicate her post (for personal reasons) and a leadership void opens. The great societies, the aristocracy, and the king himself, decide it is the moment to form a "so-called" High Council (haute-conseil) to be formed. Seated in this High Council would be 3 equal ministers or Marquis'. And Voeckler was voted one of these. the following months he has done his best to lead the French to victory, before being called back to France for a short period of time, to discuss the matter of the Carribbean with the admiralty and the Royal Court.

1724 - Samuel Voeckler, High Chancellor, Marquis de la Nouvelle France, returns to the Carribbean, in good spirits, hoping to lead the french to victory once more.

[Capitane Jean]

5th January 1692: Johann Ammunition is born outside Stockholm, Sweden, son to a Captain in the Swedish army. His surname is a "Soldiers name", taken by his father instead of his real name. His fathers' original surname is unknown.

His father died 1704 in the Great northern war and because of the poor conditions of the family without income, he ran off from home. He wandered around for one year, eventually reaching the Royal Navy's base at Karlskrona. There he enlisted in the navy, eventually serving as midshipsman on the ship Wenden, at the battle at Køge Bay in 1710. Impending a promotion after then, he was falsly accused of thievery and corruption by a rival wanting his promotion, and was forced to flee the Navy.

He ended up in France 1711, and enlisted in the French navy under the changed name Jean d'Aammunition. His name was misspelled by the clerk when he enlisted, however he didn't bother with it, as it would make it harder for him to be recognized as a wanted Swedish officer.

On board a corvette destined for the new world, he took command of it when at the battle of Charlesfort, his captain was killed by a pirate and the town came under attack. He defended the town, was chosen command of the vessel, and shortly afterwards promoted to midshipsman in the French Royal Navy.

You know the rest :P

[Jack Enfield]

Originally Posted by Georgiana Jennings 1722 - Georgiana is knighted as a Dame of the Bath, the Knights of the Bath not yet constituting a regular Order. 1723 - Georgiana takes command of the 52-gun fourth rate HMS Boadicea and assigned to the Caribbean.

I wonder, will we soon hear the story of Georgina's taking of Jacobite sympathies and defection to France?

[Jack Enfield]

Originally Posted by CJFlint Off the subject..I was going to make a Brit FT named Barry Lyndon and pick up were the movie left off in POTBS!!

That would have been interesting, I forget did Barry lose his left or right leg, seeing as PoTBS only allows a peg-leg on the left? Either way if you ever create that character I recommend avoiding pistol duels, they don't seem to work out too well for Mr. Lyndon.

[Samuel Voeckler]

Originally Posted by Jack Enfield I wonder, will we soon hear the story of Georgina's taking of Jacobite sympathies and defection to France?

I wonder when we will finally have a new Port Royal Gazette......

[Tr0uble]

(Captain Vin Oragon - Timeline)



1693: Vin Oragon and his twin brother are born in a southeastern district of France near the borders of Italy. Vin was the second born, coming just three and a half minutes after his brother. Born to a poor family, his father worked at the docks

1696: After only a few short years the fathers "integrity" came into question and the family immediatly began their relocation. They made haste as they crossed the border into Italy, finding refuge with whomever would take them in. Of only three years of age, Vin was taken everywhere with his father. Both Vin and his brother grew very attached to their dad.

1700: At only seven years of age Vin was already starting to use his natural wit and charm to get what he wanted. He also used these opportunities of trust to steal things. Without permanent steady work, the family continued traveling along the coast of Italy, finally finding theirselves along the southern shores near Salerno. This is where the Oragon brothers would grow up.

1703: On a tragic cold winter day in October, Vin's mother passed away. Her untimely passing came at the worst moment. Vin's mother kept the two brothers in order, while their father turned a blind eye to the mischief. Vin and his brother slowly slipped deeper and deeper into the very beginnings of a criminal life.

1706: Vin and his brother started accompanying their father to the docks. The brothers quickly grew very fond of the sea and all its vast mysteries. They were intrigued by the large ships coming in and out of the port. Often times they would find themselves sneaking onboard eager to sail.

1708 - 1713: Both Vin and his brother are detained for multiple thefts and criminal misconduct on a variety of different occasions. At one point they become wanted by the local authorities. By the age of twenty Vin and his brother had made a long lasting impression on the port and its surrounding cities.

------- The two brothers had no real work to speak of. They stole and spoke smooth to get what they wanted or needed. They fought and argued with anyone who stood in their way. They sailed stolen ships to get around. The Oragon brothers gathered quite a following. They had amassed a crew without even trying. Many were eager to join and practically waited in line. Their acts at sea knew no bounds, stories developed quickly of their wild antics. The brothers set sail to the Caribbean and never looked back.


1715 - 1720: By the time they arrived in the Caribbean they already had a reputation set in stone. Their trademark ship was unmistakable amidst the burning sea. Vin and his brother were quickly coined the Devil's Hands. Doing the Devils dirty work. There are tales in the ports and harbors all over the Caribbean of a league of pirates that sail for the Devil himself.

They give no quarter, surrender, or mercy, and it is said that the souls of the sailors they kill are sent straight to hell. Beware the Oragon brothers and their brood, if you are unfortunate enough to be attacked by them in the open sea, know it will be your end. A chant was coined early on and it spread like wildfire across the sea ports.

"When the cold wind taps your spine,
and the darkness takes your eye.
The Devil's hands will reach out,
and by the brothers you will die."

1723: Vin continued his piracy, building a legacy and a legend. A fleet of loyal pirates was amassed all of whom proudly flew the color of the Devil's Hands. They wreaked havoc through the Bahamas and Antillies. No one was safe so long as they sailed the burning seas. There were no exceptions. Setting them apart from the rest of the pack was a small line in their creed....."Crew's family, mess wit one, n' die by our hands." Although it was clear who the Captains were, everyone felt equal.

1724-1727: Sometime between 1724 and 1727 Vin Oragon was bested at sea by a Naval Captain with the British Navy ((this could be you. Shoot me a PM)). The naval ship was disguised as a plain 'light class' freetrader. Legend has it, Vin was inbound back to a nearby port to meet with his brother and other members of the crew when he spotted the lowly freetrade ship with its sails at rest. Unable to resist, he quickly ordered his crew and readied the cannons. To Vins surprise the Naval ship in disguise readly responded. The British countered the attack, grappled Vins ship and boarded with great aggression. Vin was captured and set to be made an example. Vin was made to watch as the British Captain gave the order to sink his ship....Vin was to be hung at the British Caribbean capital.....