In the year of Our Lord one thousand five hundred twenty-eight, the Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez set out to colonize and explore the newly discovered land of La Florida. He hoped to find treasure as great or greater than the treasures of Mexico and Peru. Instead, he found death. In a last ditch effort to escape from this hell, the remnants of his starving, tattered army built small boats and attempted to sail to Mexico; but a hurricane washed them ashore. In the end, only four men survived, among them Narváez’s second, Cabeza De Vaca, and an Moorish slave named Estevanico. For eight years, De Vaca and his men wandered the trackless wilderness of the American continent until chancing upon a Spanish survey team from Mexico. As they shifted through De Vaca’s report, one article caught the eyes of the Spanish officials: rumors of a city of gold whose wealth far outshone the combined splendor of Cuzco and Tenochtitlan.
Thus, the viceroy of Mexico ordered Estevanico to lead a scouting expedition to the City under the command of a Franciscan friar, Marcos De Niza. At first, their search turned up nothing. The City began to seem more and more like the mirages of four men wandering delirious in the desert. Then at last there came a stroke of luck. Fray Marcos came upon a friendly tribe of Indians who called themselves the Diné. They had among them a female captive revealed she came from a great city of yellow metal, and had been capture whilst travelling with a trading expedition to lesser villages to the east. She had with her a Key that could only point the way to her city when it was placed in a sacred Gate, hidden within the ruins of an ancient city left over as a remnant of her people’s glory from long ago. She would give Fray Marcos this key if he returned her to her people.
As a minister of God, Fray Marcos was true to his word. He convinced the Diné chieftain to release the captive, and escort her to her home. In turn, the captive held true to her word and gave Fray Marcos the Key. Fray Marcos’ original intention was to gather intelligence about the City and report back to Mexico City in preparation for an invasion. But when he be held its splendor and the innocent hospitality of its natives, Fray Marcos found it no longer in his heart to subject this paradise to the horrors the Spanish armies had wrought upon the Aztecs and the Incas. And so, he shattered the Key into eight pieces and entrusted them to God’s protection.
Four, he gave to the Diné, who entrusted them to their pagan deities. Each was hidden on one of the Diné’s four sacred mountains, which, when plotted on a map, vaguely resembled a crude cross. Three, Fray Marcos entrusted to the Christian God, for three was the number of the Christian Trinity. One was to be kept in the crypts of the Cathedral in Mexico City. The other two were sent to Portugal and France in hopes they would find their way to the New World once again under the stewardship of Franciscan or Jesuit missionaries. The eighth and final Piece, Fray Marcos kept for himself, and hid it in his secret journal which he would file away in the archives of his order. Unfortunately, Estevanico did not share the good friar’s humanitarian concerns and wished to expose the location of the city in hopes of sharing in the spoils of conquest. Fortunately, the Indians gave Fray Marcos the means to dispose of the scheming Moor. They lead him to a small village where the natives generally mistrusted strangers. There, Estevanico’s own arrogance destroyed him. In his official report, Fray Marcos marked this village down as the City of Gold, and the following year lead the armies of the viceroy there to conquer it. When he discovered Fray Marcos had deceived him and lead his men to what was little more than a squalid honeycomb of adobe huts; the leader of the army sent the friar home in shame and continued off in disappointment into the unknown. They returned empty handed. Fray Marcos died, telling no living soul of the real City of Gold. Only his journal, buried deep in the archives, held any hint of his discovery. No man, neither religious or lay, had ever laid eyes on it or its secrets. Until today…
Over a hundred years have passed since Cabeza De Vaca first heard rumors of the City of Gold. It is now only a legend – a relic of the Age of Discovery. After nearly a hundred years collecting dust on a forgotten shelf, Fray Marcos’ journal and his fragment of the Key have been gathered up in a bundle of ledgers and reports and placed aboard a ship bound for Spain, where they will be sent to Assisi, Italy, to be filed and forgotten. Unfortunately, the journal never made it beyond the Caribbean. Men who serve no nation ply the waters between Mexico and the isles of the Bahamas – pirates. For the first time since Fray Marcos laid down his pen has his secret journal been opened – by an English pirate, James Taylor. In his hands, James holds the one document that can lead him to the seven remaining Pieces of Eight and the Gate. These in turn will lead him to a treasure greater than the wealth of the entire Spanish Main – the City of Gold.
This is the story of City of Gold, a Pirate RP. If you managed to survive reading the introduction, you are almost ready to join the crew. However, there are still some things to consider – rules and regulations and such.
1. Cursing, swearing, and otherwise abuse of four letter words are allowed within the boundaries of the site’s rules. These are pirates, not school children.
2. I don’t foresee sexuality being a problem. If a plotline does start leaning that way, please observe the site’s rules for it.
3. Standard role playing etiquette must be observed.
4. As stated before: during the first part of the journey, we will spend most of the time at sea. I really have no plans for this segment of the story other than to retrieve the first two Pieces of the Eight. However, when the crew begins its search for the final five Pieces I will take a stricter and more active role in the plot. This segment of the RP will take place entirely on land and will take your characters to exotic places not normally associated with pirate settings. I will have a specific outline of villains and plot twists in this section that I’m sure you’ll find unique and interesting. For the time being, enjoy yourselves.
5. Magic is allowed, ranging from the mundane (Haitian voodoo) to the bizarre (elemental control of water). However, in this world, magic is something to be kept secret – the Salem Witch Trials, for instance, are still fresh in people’s minds. I only am allowing magic to be fair: in this world there are certain families who possess powerful magic abilities that might more accurately be called psychic powers. These powers include telekinesis, telepathy, enhanced intelligence, hyper-cognition, and most importantly, clairvoyance – to the point where they may seem very nearly omniscient. Some of these individuals can see into the future, and an even smaller group can see how their actions will affect the future and can thus control it. Fortunately, I hope you will be comfortable enough in this RP before I introduce any of these psychics. *These psychics can be the best of friends, or the most cunning and dangerous enemies. Just a heads up.*
6. A general disclaimer: this is NOT the Golden Age of Piracy. That generally begins after 1712. This RP takes place somewhere between 1650 and 1670. If you are curious as to why a pirate RP would take place in that period, please read about the Great Pueblo Revolt. If you are still confused, all will become clear later in the plot.
7. Any religious imagery in this RP is not meant to evangelize or offend anyone’s particular beliefs or creeds including my own. Fray Marcos was a Catholic priest. England is Protestant and Spain is Catholic at a time when Catholics and Protestants were at each other’s throats. Christian missionaries had a heavy presence in the Americas, especially in Spanish controlled areas. These details play a minor but vital part in the plot structure, but DO NOT define it.
8. Have fun.
If you’ve made it this far, you are ready to join the crew. Below is a general character template. I will post one for James later.
Name:
Age:
Description:
Weapons:
Skills: (any magical properties go here)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Greatest fear:
Bio:
Ultimate goal:
I will begin the actual In Character thread once everyone has signed up. If you have any questions or concerns, I will address them here.

Name: Cornelio Santiago

Age: 26

Description: Cornelio is a deserter of the Spanish army. He was a conquistador and still wears his uniform to this day. He isn't a tall man, about 5'7', and neither is he large at 177 pounds, but he does have one aspect that sets him apart from many others, his beard. His pride and joy, Santiago spends much of his days grooming and trimming his prized beard which now reaches down to his waist. His hair and beard and black, and his eyes are brown. Other then a few small scars and nicks, his face is rather average, not beautiful, but not ugly either.

Weapons: He carries a flintlock pistol, a knife stuffed into his boot, and another in his belt. He also still has his conquistador pole-axe which he keeps polished and sharp.

Skills: N/A

Strengths: Cornelio is strong in anything close quarters. He is an expert with his pole-axe, and isn't too bad with his hands either.

Weaknesses: As with most knights of a type, he is weak against firearms and long-range weapons. He also isn't a particularly good shot with a rifle or pistol.

Greatest fear: Snakes. He can't stand snakes. That, and children.

Bio: Cornelio Santiago was born to his father Marquise, and his mother Adora. His father was a blacksmith, who was being driven out of business by gunpowder and guns, which have made swords and armor almost useless. His mother worked as a washer, making a merger amount by washing the clothes of any who would pay. Though his family loved him very much, they could not afford to give their son any kind of education. So Cornelio turned to the military. After a few years of service, Cornelio was on duty at the docks one night when the idea hit him. He spent his savings and bought passage from Spain and ever since has been on whatever ship would take him.

Ultimate Goal: He seeks fortune for his family. He dreams of one day being able to return to his mother and father with gold stuffed in his pockets.

(I'm terrible with history, so I hope I didn't mess anything up.)

Before I put up a template, I just have one question: Is it alright if my character is female, but dresses as a male, and has therefore been taken for one for her entire life? Ah, and as far as sexuality goes, she is very much and surely inclined to the fairer sex.

Name:
Lali "Louis" Kamau
Age:
32
Description:
An absolute pillar of a man, Lali does not seem like the nimble pirate type. His skin is a rich black, strangely soft against its rough environment, and his hair falls lazily in dreads around his face. He usually just wears some loose leggings bound at the ankle with some metal bands, and a thousand and one strings, belts, straps, and other such devices around his waist holding herbs, vials, powder, gold, and the shinbones of an undisclosed animal. A similar set up is tied around his head. He usually goes shirtless, but when he's going "out" he usually wears the height of fashion, from violent frills to pressed coat, strangely weakened by the necklace of tribal charms around his neck.

Weapons:
A Portugese rapier of beautiful design at his side, and three pistols of decreasing size. Lali's prefered hand to hand weapon is actually a cat o'nine tails, perhaps as a message to his former slave-owners. He keeps that tucked at his side next to the sparkling, swirling, elegantly designed rapier, which he says is only for killing "good men."

Skills:
You will never find a better rope-maker on earth. His absolute obsession with rope is unnerving, but he usually has a point, many an enemy has tried to cut a piece of Lali's rope and found their sword dulled instead. Lali has an incredible eye for detail, which has added to his seeing, and allows him to "appreciate the never ending intricacies of this incredible thing called life" and makes him terrible to play hide and go seek with.

Lali's particular brand of magic comes from his ancestry. The reason Lali is so dependable is because of his incredible clairvoyance and ability to read approaching danger in smoke and sea-foam. He is also is a master astrologer, and some of his comments will often involve such generalizations as "dumb as a scorpion" or "acting like a twin" in which he is referring to the star signs Scorpio and Gemini.

Strengths:
An eye for detail and his stunning accuracy with a pistol, also good for patching up the ship.

Weaknesses:
Sweets, his incredible bulk and inability to hide or be even remotely subtle

Greatest fear:
Being enslaved, being told he's not good enough, hurting his ropes' feelings
Bio:

The result of a pirate raid on a slave ship, Lali transformed himself from the abused sliver he had been on the slave ship through constant hard work. The Pirate Lord Carmichael, who took a particular interest in raiding slave ships, liked Lali so much that he took him into his private circle, and when the ship went down, Lali was given an asylum in Gibraltar. His longing for the pirate life welled up, however, and soon he was being passed around the world, climbing up the Pirate Chain of command for whatever ship he came to. He made a point of, when two pirates clashed, siding with the stronger pirate, and he believes he has found the strongest since Carmichael in James Taylor.

He is very good at gaining trust, and a secret that falls on his ears will never leave his lips. He is the ultimate personification of dedication. The crew relies on him for his accuracy and no holds barred attitude. If Lali cares, he'll make his opinion known. If he doesn't he'll remain silent. The crew gave him the name "Louis" as in the french pronunciation, during a fight with a French merchant, in which Lali began speaking in perfect French. He didn't reject the nickname.

After escaping life as a slave, Lali is intent to live like a King, his personal quarters has three chests, holding what he believes are the "Three Virtues of Piracy:" Alcohol, usually spectacular wines and rich bourbon, Pleasures, which he uses to refer to confections and desires of the flesh, and Plunder. The case of plunder is special, he keeps it in an ale barrel, and his stash is impressive. He likes to keep momentos, his rapier is a sign of that, and a supply of what he calls "good reading."

Lali is a Taurus, and willing to explain what all that implies, but one important feature is that when he gets mad, absolutely no one gets madder. Usually only driven to such extremes when taunted with a bit of sugar cane or having his rope insulted, getting Lali angry very rarely ends in anything short of death.

Ultimate goal:
To have enough money to build a mansion on top of Mt. Gibraltar, some shining lighthouse on the Pillars of Hercules that people will look to and see that the one who lives there is a man of class and luxury, not vulgarity and poverty. Lali likes things. He wants things. He wants everyone to know he has things, and he's a man who will always have money in the bank. As long as he has something as dependable and long lasting as the sea, he'll be fine.

But shining things are nice too.

((I'm aware that clairvoyants are, stereotypically, beautiful women, but I feel like breaking boundaries))

Name: Declan Tate
Age: 30
Description: 5'11" and 180 pounds
Weapons: Carries a long Sliver Cutlass. Two pistols with on positioned on his right front side and left back side.
Skills: Great with words and charming others.
Strengths: Has high speed and endurance. He's also vary good with words and talking his way out of situations. He's also an expert sword fighter and marksmen. Incredible luck.
Weaknesses: Rum. Sticking to his word.
Greatest fear: Fear of the Rum being gone.
Bio:
Spent his entire life on the seas, his dad being a Captain of a pirate ship. Pirates were a rare sight, but he always loved the sea and decided at an early age to spend his entire life exploring the world. His father took him from port to port showing him the tricks of the trade and how to make sure that you always profit even when you spend. When he turned fifteen he engaged in a ship raid with his father for the first time. He made his dad proud and was able to finally gain somewhat of an ego. He had always been considered an eccentric and can sometimes confuse those he talks to with his, basically, illogical rabble. When his dad died at age twenty he handed the ship and its crew over to the first mate and struck out on his own. Over the next ten years he made friends and enemies... mostly enemies.

Ultimate goal:
His goal is simple. To sail the seas forever, to be free forever.

Incognito: Technically, most historians agree the age of the conquistador ended in 1598. However, I still use that term myself, so there’s nothing wrong with it.
Haruka Tenou: There is nothing wrong with creating a woman who is so used to being disguised as a boy that she thinks she is one. Go for it.

we need more ladies in our group. we don't have to be too historically correct.

Name: Haruka Tenou

Age: 19

Description: This tall, lanky, girl stands at two inches above six foot, and boy is she stared at for it. Her dark, emerald green eyes just dare someone to make her mad - and they promise that they won't live through it. Her skin is tanned; however, the toned, corded muscles she has come to acquire have only slight definition under said skin. Her body is—always has been, actually—quite masculine, and this fact is only amplified by the bindings on her breasts to make her chest appear flat. Her facial features are handsome, but have a slight feminine beauty to them; however, this goes unnoticed by most. She wears mens clothing, and always makes sure to keep her sandy-blonde hair cropped short and neat. Don't ask her where her looks came from; she's not going to tell you.

Weapons: Being trained in martial-arts - Karate, Kendo and Judo - Haruka prefers to not use any tangible weapons; however, she is quite a good shot with a pistol if the situation requires it.

Skills: She seems to have the uncanny ability to manipulate the winds, but it has never been proven.

Strengths: Haruka is the most brazen, brash, tenacious, and strong-willed woman you will ever meet. She is not afraid of a fight, and will be sure to win, or if she can't, she'll take her opponent down with her.

Weaknesses: She can't confess to her feelings for the life of her. That, and if a beautiful woman works at it hard enough, Haruka will probably let down her defenses completely. Though her alcohol tolerance is pretty damn high, when she is completely wasted, her tongue becomes very loose... Her secret had almost slipped from her on those rare occasions that she ends up wasted, so she tries to avoid those situations as best she can.

Greatest fear: Of never having anyone who loves her - of dying without having at least tasted true and lasting love. Though, if asked directly, she'll tell you that her worst fear is of her parents coming back to haunt her for all the things she has done in her short life.

Bio: Haruka was born to a Japanese couple whom had come to England to try and find a better life, rather than live with the poverty they had endured back in Japan. Things turned sour, however. They were branded as illegal immigrants, and so were sold as slaves. Haruka's parents died when she was eleven; they had been worked to death before her very eyes. She was turned out when it was discovered that she would be of no use to her masters.

When she was twelve she was hired to work as cabin boy on a merchant vessel. She needed a job and desperately wanted to get out of London, and so she disguised herself as a boy, and then applied for the position. The ship was heading for the American colonies. Their first stop was to be Georgia and then we planned to sail up the coast to Virginia. Haruka had heard many stories about people who became very rich once they immigrated to America, and she dreamed of becoming one of them. Of course, a twelve-year-old probably wouldn’t have made it far, but she never really thought about that. It didn’t matter anyway, because the ship never reached the American main.

The ship was attacked by pirates, and Haruka was taken aboard their ship. They planned to sell her to an establishment that catered to men with a special fondness for young boys, taking her for a boy as her disguise led them to thinking that she was a boy. However, a few days later a terrible storm hit; it was a full-sized hurricane. The pirates released the prisoners because they needed every hand on board. It was horrible. Several men went overboard, never to be seen again. In the end the wind became so fierce that it broke the main mast. That was a fearsome sight. The whole thing came crashing down, almost destroying the ship. The captain had been standing close to Haruka, and right where the mast came down. She didn’t mean to help him, but she supposed it was some kind of reflex. Haruka pushed him out of the way and saved his life.

The captain felt indebted to her, and decided to adopt her. They never did discover her gender, and so, she stayed with them. They taught her to fight and to navigate a ship, and she slowly became one of them. She first killed a man she was thirteen. He haunted Haruka in my nightmares for many months. But after a while, she got very used to killing. When her surrogate father died a year ago, Haruka tried to take control of his crew. No luck; they mutinied, as someone had spilled her secret. A battle ensued, and Haruka had to fight her way out alive; she killed the people she had come to consider family. As a result, she was left jaded and bitter - she also gained sever trust issues, and is more likely to hate someone than trust them now.

Ultimate goal: To find a real and true love; one that cannot be bought, sold, or traded for anything else in the world. Though, if asked directly, she would give no answer.

I think I got carried way with my character's bio. I'm sorry it's so long! I have a question though. Are we already part of James' crew or will we be joining it during the roleplay?

Name: Salina Delvard

Age: 23

Description: Tall and has a well toned body that is not as muscled as most pirates (It allows her to be agile and quick on her feet). Long brown wavy hair that is tied back. She is tanned from being on sea for quite awhile. Her golden eyes are sharp and observant. She has arched eyebrows that indicates her strength in character. Her sharp nose sits upon a full mouth. She wears breeches and knee high black boots. Slung about her hip is a brown belt that holds her dagger and her father's sword. She wears a tight top that has bindings that make it easier for her to move about on the ship.

Weapons: On her two hands, there are 2 bronze bands that extend to her elbows. Hidden beneath these bands are two blades. She has her father's sword, her own dagger and a pistol she stole.

Skills: Salina has a sharp mind is very intelligent. Her ability to pick up languages quickly has proven useful for her during her trying journey. Salina may not have brute strength that most on board the ship do but her quick mind makes up for it.

Strengths: Salina is brilliant with blades and is difficult to beat in close combat because she is quick on her feet. Because she remains silent most of the time, she unnerves her opponents.

Weaknesses: She tends to be rather hostile and as such does not have many friends. Furthermore, she finds it difficult to trust most, especially men. Salina's most obvious weakness is when the weak are attacked. She is easily distracted when children and adults who are unable to defend themselves are abused. Her weakness had been once used by an enemy.

Greatest fear: Feeling helpless.

Bio: Salina was born to a family that had no use for her. As the firstborn, she disappointed her parents by being a girl. Her 3 other siblings ended up being boys much to her parents' joy. Her father was a merchant and wanted one of his son's to inherit his vast fortune. Salina's father seemed to detest her and refused to even speak to his only daughter. Her mother seemed to share similar sentiments and at the age of 3, Salina was sent to their estate on the countryside. As Salina grew up, it was obvious she looked nothing like her parents. Her skin was olive coloured, much like a Spanish native's skin and her hair was a rich brown that had strands of gold in it. The only characteristic that marked her as her mother's daughter, were her eyes, a molten golden colour. Because of her differing looks, word got around that she was a bastard, born out of an affair her mother had with a Spanish man although the whereabouts of her real father was never known.

Salina was raised by the housekeeper of the country estate and was soon deemed a hoyden. She loved to run with the footmen in races they held on the hills. She learned to swim like a fish in the lake behind her home. She climbed trees and went fishing. She basically did everything a girl shouldn't have been doing. But it suited her and the servants just fine for Salina's parents never came to visit. It was at the age of 12 that everything changed. An old man came by the country house one day and demanded to see Salina. It was her grandfather from her father's side. He seemed eccentric and was overjoyed to see his only granddaughter. He stayed at the estate to get to know her better. Salina, excited to finally meet a family member, showed him everything she could do. The servants worried that the lord might be angry that his granddaughter behaved unladylike. But he surprised them all by participating in all her activities.

However, he also began to teach her for she was uneducated having been left in the countryside with no tutors. Salina took a liking to learning from her grandfather and put her mind to it. Her grandfather was very pleased with the 12 year old who absorbed everything he taught. It was during the years he spent with her that they both discovered her natural flair for languages as well as memorising facts. Salina helped her grandfather when he wrote his scientific journals. She was never happier and she loved her grandfather.

7 years later however, he passed away from a heart attack. Dismayed, Salina did not speak to many people. She attended the funeral and for the first time since she left her parents, she met them again. Her father immediately decided to get her married off to some American man. "Atleast she'd do this family some good by marrying a rich American merchant." Salina did not have the energy nor the spirit to fight her father at that time and so was sent off on a ship with her maid to meet the American man she was promised to. It was on board the ship she felt herself coming alive again. The sea beckoned to her in a way she couldn't describe. Having read countless of books on the sea, she was estatic to finally be on board a ship sailing the waters. The peace was shortlived however, when the ship was attacked by pirates run by the notorious Captain Andrea.

The devious captain killed off most of the men and gave the women to his crew. Salina, unfortunately had caught his eye. When Salina refused to listen to him, Andrea slit the throat of her maid and threatened to do so to every other woman on board the ship. Trapped, Salina agreed to do what he wanted. But in his private room, when he was distracted, Salina brandished a dagger she had hidden within her boots. She swiped at his hands, forming a long gash across his palms, and plunged the dagger into his chest. Not waiting to see if he lived, Salina ran out of the room and onto the deck. She had tried to search for any woman who had survived but most had been killed or were dying. With no choice left, Salina changed into the pants and coat she found before stealing away on one of the boats. A day later she was picked up by another ship and was offered a position there by the kind captain. Tired and weary, Salina kept to herself and didn't like any man touching her. She made friends with the cook onboard the ship and did mostly deckhand work. Secretly, she began reviewing old maps on board the ship and started making revisions to them as they traveled around.

Ultimate goal: To settle down and write books and academic journals.

I was thinking we could form up a crew in the first few posts. I still need to assign crew positions, such as first officer and such. However, if it works better, we could assign the positions here and already have them as a crew. It's up to you. I am now working on the first in-character post. it should be ready by tonight.

I'm up for anything. Either way is fine.

Perhaps we should start with everyone (miraculously) being in the same bar. Capt. James could be looking for a new crew, or perhaps additions to his current crew, to undertake this voyage for the eight pieces. Most of us appear to be heavy/medium drinkers, so it would make sense for us to be at a tavern on the docks. (Maybe would could be at the Cape of Good Hope?)

I say Incognito has a point; anyone else like the idea? Captain? *looks to Tiger*

Let the adventure begin! city-gold-t36718.html

Okay posted

I already started the in character thread. city-gold-t36718.html

yeah sorry. I made my post in the wrong thread just now. Shifted it over.

I'm headin' to the IC now; I'll post soon.

Just a quick question, I was wondering how we would get James to recruit us onto his team? Do we approach him or?