Celeste was born twenty-two years ago on Devil's Island. At an early age, she learned the arts of navigation, fighting and how to assess the value of ÒprizesÓ taken during a raid. Her skill with weapons (sword/falchion or cutlass) is excellent. She is considered very attractive by her tribe, though there are those that might find the ritual scarification practiced by her people to be cruel and disfiguring. There are some who might consider it ÒexoticÓ
Her father, Astercaar, is the tribal chief of the clan known simply as the ÒRaiders of Red Tide. The Raiders of Red Tide are most feared of the sea-faring barbarian tribes, second only to the raiders of Yzlon . Her mother Solisti, was a prize taken in a daring raid against Yzlon. (Such raids against other sea-faring barbarian tribes are rare, but not entirely unknown)
The Raiders of Red Tide are savage and often brutal in the course of plying their trade. Frequently prisoners deemed Òwithout valueÓ are disposed of with little regard. Those of prizes of ÒvalueÓ (such as Solisti) are either ransomed back to their respective tribes at extreme cost, or kept as ÒtrophiesÓ (ie. wives), or galley slaves in the great rowing ships of the Middle Seas.
Not all of the barbarian tribes of the Middle Seas are savage or illiterate. The more successful ones have over the course of time captured educated persons and `employed' them to educate the population (on a very limited basisÑas inÑthe chiefs family or trusted crew) Utilizing the knowledge of ÒvaluableÓ prizes, the Raiders of Red Tide have been able to expand their knowledge of navigation and mapping of the coastal areas, by recording the various exploits of the ships of the fleet.
Celeste was trained in navigation and mapping as well as how to handle a sword. As the eldest child of Astercaar, she was entrusted with the safekeeping of the charts.
Two years ago, the Raiders of Red Tide crossed paths with another sea-faring barbarian tribe. There was much posturing and shouting on the decks of both flagships. Oddly, the encounter did not end in bloody battle. The unknown barbarians raised great sails, with strange markings, from the decks of their ship and aided by the great oars, and an unexpected wind departed towards the northern regions of the Shattered Isles, but not before Celeste, standing on the foredeck with Astercaar, had taken note of a young sailor on the nearest of the strange barbarian ships. Apparently he had notice her as well, for as the great ships with the strange sails moved away, Celeste saw him raise his sword to his forehead in a salute peculiar to the Middle Seas that indicates ÒFarewell , friendÓ.
Six months after that encounter, Celeste and Solisti disappeared from Devil's Island. Initially, Astercaar believed they had been taken in a secret raid by another tribe until it was discovered that the great navigation charts entrusted to Celeste's keeping had disappeared as well, along with Astercaar's prized sword, a great falchion with an elaborate design of twisting and interweaving knotwork. Celeste had gone to find this stranger and took with her Solisti. Eventually they found the Kislan Tribe, as well as the man, whose name was Tjen.
One month ago, while on a raid along the northern coast of Merikia, the Kislan ship Sea Dog, with Celeste and her husband, Tjen, was set upon by a great dark vessel with two decks of oars. No winds were upon the seas that day, and the single ship was unable to outrun the great vessel. No amount of manuevering could evade the dark ship, and finally the Kislan ship was rammed and broken. Masked raiders, unlike any Celeste had ever seen, boarded the ship. Overwhelmed by sheer numbers, most the crew of the Sea Dog were quickly dispatched. Great waves began to rock both of the ships as if some great creature was drawn to the carnage in the water, and indeed that is what occurred. Something unseen and very large swam just below the visable range of the water, plucking dead and injured alike from the surface. As the broken ship pitched to the side, the remnants of the splintered boom swung behind Celeste, knocking her to the deck and slamming into the forehead of the masked pirate, who was on the verge of engulfing her in his massive arms, and dislodging his black mask. Before she lost consciousness, Celeste glimpsed a fraction of the now bloody face of the pirate and recognized the tell-tale scarring her former tribe.
Adrift on a hatchcover, Celeste awoke to a cloud covered night sky. There was no sign of the black ship, the Sea Dog, the great monster from beneath or any of the crew, though she was surprised she had managed to hang onto the great falchion.. A few cargo boxes floated nearby, corners pointing towards the clouds as the shifted contents gradually absorbed more water. Celeste managed to grab hold of one and pry the lid from the container. Much to her disappointment, all that she found inside were a few folds of various woven fabrics, wet fabrics. The lid of the container she dragged onto the hatchcover in hopes of fashioning a rude sunshade, and possibly using the longer sections of wood as a paddle. Her head still pounding from the blow by the boom, she lay down upon the hatchcover and watched remainder of the containers, too far away to salvage, until the last one finally gave up disappeared beneath the dark surface.
The currents took Celeste and her hatchcover life raft north and east, away from her adopted home and away from the place of her birth. Betrayal had been met with betrayal, but she was alive.
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