Jack Tyde, One Eyed Jack

A year before his birth his father, Jonathan Tyde of Athkatla, on a journey to Phlan on merchant related business was taken captive by a tribe of Gray Orcs. During his time as a captive he used his wits and cunning to charm a young Orcish female, Dura, to claim him as her own. Eventually he won favor and was claimed by Dura, who by Orcish terms was the ugliest of the tribe – so by Human terms she was not too bad looking. Unfortunately for Jonathan, this meant that the two were to be mates and he was forced to lay with her. Unless he was able to impregnate her, he would not be permitted to leave – at least not alive that is. Giving into the fact this was his only ensured way to escape he laid with Dura. Eventually after several of these sessions he managed to impregnate her but only to have soldiers from Phlan come the very next day to save the survivors. Now that she carried his child, he could not leave Dura to the fate of being killed so he convinced the soldiers to spare her and their child.

Once back in Athkatla some months later, Dura would give birth to her only child. A healthy Half-Orc boy who she named Jak but before she could enjoy time with her son she passed out. The midwife did what she could but time was running out for Dura. She lost much blood during the birthing and despite Jonathan's attempts to get a healer, none would treat an Orc and she shortly died soon after. Now without a mother for his half-blood son, Jonathan found himself in dire straights. He had to spend so much coin to bribe the guards to turn a blind eye to him bringing in a pregnant Orc into the city that he was now in debt and now needs coin more than ever to feed a baby. Thoughts of abandoning the child did cross his mind but he dismissed those and made arrangements to sell his business and its remaining assets. A few scary tendays passed but eventually Jonathan had enough coin to support the two until Jak, now properly Jack, grew old enough to work.

Jonathan raised Jack primarily on his own for eight years. Teaching him to speak, write, do math, and other similar things. When Jack turned seven, his father managed to finally get a new line of work – a ship hand for a trading company that worked out of Athkatla and ran up and down the Swordcoast. For most of that year, Jack was on his own and learned to take care of himself to a suitable degree in that time frame. Returning for Jack's eighth birthday, Jonathan informed Jack of interesting news. This news was that he managed to convince his captain to allow Jack to accompany them on their next voyage as a cabin boy. While not exactly pleased nor displeased, Jack accepted this new duty his father gave him. After a few tenday passed, it was time to join up with the crew of the Sea Rat.

For the duration of the next ten years, Jack served as cabin boy for the crew of the Sea Rat. His daily tasks were running messages between the officers and crew, serving food in the mess deck, mopping the deck, and working the bilges. On the two occasions the ship was attacked he guarded the storeroom and saw no combat. Returning home after turning seventeen was an exciting time for Jack as it meant his next voyage with the crew he would be permitted to serve as a normal crewman and wouldn't be viewed as a “junior” member any longer – however this all went up in flames, literally.

With the city in the viewable distance, the ship would reach port by the morrow but one of the crewmen was too drunk on grog managed to knock over an oil lamp in the storeroom. This caused much of the ship to go up in flames over a very short period of time. Along with the rest of the resting crew who were startled out of their sleep, Jack tried to help put out the fire. Several crew were burnt to death in the process, including the captain, and a few jumped overboard not to be seen again, but Jack and Jonathan fought the flames. Both would suffer severe burns and the ship would barely make it back to port, it was considered a complete loss.

Jack's wounds healed leaving nasty scars but Jonathan's became infected and eventually lead to the loss of an arm. Knowing his father would not be able to work like he did previously, Jack sought new work, one day while he was out some men came to see his father. Upon returning Jonathan told Jack of their visit and intention, it was an invitation to join their crew but it was a long and possibly very dangerous voyage. The men finding out Jonathan would be unsuitable suggested that Jack could come in his place and they would even pay a sizable portion of his share upfront. It did not take long for Jack to decide to take part in this voyage and would go seek out the men, following getting his first tattoo done, the Sea Rat.

A journey to the lands across the sea, the so called lands of Maztica was the goal of this voyage. A heavy resupply for the port city of Helmsport founded in part by Amnians and supported by a regiment of religious soldiers of Helm. It would take nearly two solid months at sea for the Valiant to reach the city and unload before a return trip could be made, with the amount of open sea it makes it an incredibly dangerous trip. Despite many of the crew being worshipers of Helm, the prayers to Umberlee and Talos were not neglected. Jack, for his part, didn't pray to anyone and prepared simply by ensuring all of his belongings were stowed away and he kept out of the way of the Helmites – most of whom were not fans of having non-Humans on board.

As a standard crew member, a deck hand, Jack did various tasks. These tasks included the likes of mopping the deck, working the bilges, manning the lines and sails, working the crow's nest, fishing, and whatever else was needed by the officers and captain. On his downtime he enjoyed games of dice and cards, the “allowed” fighting, and meal time. During this time he would also begin his service tattoo list on his left arm, with two entries to start.

For the most part outside some terrifying storms, the journey was uneventful with no fatalities due to weather or the sea – were a few from bad hygiene or food poisoning. Though many, including Jack, would receive punishment for even the smallest issues, these included harder labor or whippings. In Maztica, with their tenday of shore leave, Jack would enjoy the local fare and city life. The day before having to return to the ship, Jack would meet a native woman named Atzi, a member of the Nexalan people. The two became quite friendly, quite quickly, and spent a night with one another. Despite wishing it to last longer, Jack returned to the ship and after almost two months back home.

Once back in Athkatla, Jack returned home to find Jonathan on his deathbed. Jonathan's health continued to decline whilst Jack was away and there was no real means to save him. He accepted his death and told Jack to live his life how he wished it, so Jack returned to the Valiant and asked to join its crew on a more normal basis. It would be during his next trip to Maztica that Jonathan would pass and upon his return trip the next time he would end up selling his father's house and acquiring an apartment.

For the next five years Jack would travel with the Valiant to Maztica and during each visit he would spend time with Atzi, who became increasingly close with him. Eventually he would sire a child, a son, and desired to bring Atzi and his son Tocol back to Athkatla with him. His next to last visit, in 1362 DR, he promised he would return to the following spring and bring them to his home. Helmsport would be under threat by the Bacar, a race of ant-people, and many trade and supply ships would be delayed until the situation was handled. Sometime during this time period Atzi and Tocol would go missing and when Jack finally returned in 1364 DR he would be heartbroken and lost as so much time had passed with no sighting of either. Upon returning to Athkatla he decided he had to move on and ended his contract with the Valiant.

The following year he moved to Westgate on the Dragon Coast near the Sea of Fallen Stars to completely begin anew. Finding it easier to obtain work here despite his lineage, he quickly began to work with a trade company, The Silver Bells, who ran the ship the Green Monk. The Green Monk made regular journeys to Starmantle, Alaghon, Sapra, Reth, Airspur, Cimbar, Delthuntle, Spandeliyon, Velprintalar, Telflamm, Nyth, Sarshel Hlammach, Lyrabar, Procampur, Ravens Bluff, Tantras, Scardale, Yhaunn, Selgaunt, Saerloon, and Urmlaspyr. Jack was able to experience many different cultures and people in his ten years with the company for better and worse. During these years he became accustom to sea combat as the Sea of Fallen Stars had many dangers ranging from pirates to hostile sea elves to everything in between. During this whole time, Jack remained by himself relationship wise. Near the end of his tenure with these voyages he would get his back tattoo done to cover the whip scars he received as a young man with strict Helmites.

One day the owner of the Silver Bells, a Jude Malcal, requested for Jack to take part in a business expedition. They were going to launch a ship from Athkatla to begin trade with the city of Caer Calidyrr in the Moonshaes Isles. Jack was asked to help due to his long time connection to the company and his experience in the city of Athkalta. He agreed and by the end of the following year the company was ready to begin shipments.

The distance between Athkatla and the island of Alaron where Caer Calidyrr was located was a fair ways, not nearly as much as Helmsport in Maztica but still not a simple back and forth. The seas here was especially rough at times and prone to piracy or open attacks by the Northlanders, the neighbors and foes of the Ffolk. As a result Jack's pay was increased and more armed guards were present on each trip.

For the next three to four years, Jack traveled with the ship known as the Western Star back and forth to the Moonshaes. Though it would be in the fourth year that a great battle would occur involving Jack. During a shipment of textiles to the trade city, a Northlander ship began to harass the Western Star. The captain decided it as best to make a run toward the city and home Ffolk ships nearby would intercept or chase off the Northlanders but the attempt failed. Using magic and mundane boarding tools, the Western Star was caught and a fierce battle took place on the decks. Ffolk ships from Caer Calidyrr could be seen in the distance approaching but there was no evidence if it would be in time.

During the battle a fire erupted on the Northlander ship and was consuming whatever it could touch whilst the melee intensified. At some point during the conflict, Jack would take a heavy slash though it maimed his ear the rest of him was saved from the bite of the blade. The Western Star began to push the Northlanders into the sea or back onto their own ships but in a move of desperation, one of the Northlanders threw a keg of smokepowder into the flames. The resulting explosion killed the majority of the people there and wounded the rest present. Jack himself was burnt and hit by shrapnel from the wood being blown apart, he was flung from the ship.

When Jack came to, he awoke swinging and yelling and in a foreign place. Jack had awoken after the Dream and was in Sol's Hope. His wounds long having healed it would seem. After a short while to get use to what happened and where he was, grow accustom to one eye --- he returned to working at the port once more. Running with several of the crews from time to time. Eventually after Avalorn began to welcome new settlers, Jack drifted there and began to work as a seasoned dock worker and sailor for the Crowns. Recently he obtained a new chest tattoo.