Description

Personality

De Soto is a complex contradiction of a man. On the one hand he plunders and pillages for treasure and loot, but his real desire is to be respected, looked up and and admired. He takes little delight in material comforts for their own sake, but will surround himself with fineries in order to impress others. This often surprises people, because he presents them with a man who on the surface seems to be used to the finer things, yet at the same time is perfectly comfortable living the rough life of a pirate.

He is mild mannered, well-spoken, intelligent, even charming. He responds especially well to flattery and compliments, but the moment he suspects anybody of disrespecting - or even disliking - him, that person becomes effectively his 'plaything' and is liable to suffer all manner of indignity, humiliation and torture. The worst crime of all is if he suspects you of paying 'lip service' and only pretending to have a high opinion of him. The second worst crime is to suggest that his young age makes him any less of a threat.

Despite his selfish, murderous, plundering nature, De Soto considers himself a devout Catholic. This is due to his family heritage: he knows only the basic minimum about the doctrine and teachings of the Church, and spends most of his time at sea so rarely comes into contact with the clergy, so in reality his Catholicism is a seriously convoluted version of the real thing bent to suit his own needs. He does, however, say the rosary daily, can real off a plethora of Latin prayers, and has a Chi-Rho tattoo on his left bicep as a testament to his percieved religious devotion.

Even so, Benito is prideful, lustful and self-interested. But then again, so were all the clergymen he ever met.

Equipment

Period dress tending towards black with gold trim, an ornate Blunderbuss, a boarding axe, an elabtorate set of rosary beads hanging from his belt.

History

De Soto served on an Argentinian slave ship before leading a mutiny off the coast of Angola. When 18 of the crew declined to participate because of Benito's young age, they were proven wrong after the mutiny was successful, and were cast adrift off in an open boat.

Having renamed the vessel the Burla Negra, de Soto crossed the Atlantic, where he sold stolen cargo of slaves in the Caribbean, and then sailed south, attacking English, American, Spanish and Portuguese ships along the South American coast. The Burla Negra also ventured eastwards into the Atlantic to intercept vessels returning from India and the Far East.

The most infamous episode in de Soto's career so far came when the Burla Negra happened upon the Morning Star en route from Ceylon to England. After killing some of the passengers and crew with cannon-fire, de Soto murdered the captain and took possession of the ship.

Many of the captured crew were killed, while others were locked in the hold. De Soto then scuttled the ship, thinking to leave no evidence of the attack, but the imprisoned survivors managed to escape and prevent the Morning Star from sinking until a passing merchant vessel rescued them the following day. This allowed tales of the evnt to spread, and now De Soto is a feared pirate despite his young age.

De Soto's crimes caught up with him after the Burla Negra struck a reef and was wrecked off Cadiz. He and his men headed for Gibraltar, but they were recognized and taken for trial. It was while in prison that De Soto recieved the letter, delivered mysteriously by an anonymous stranger who then helped spring him out of prison, retrieve his ship and escape Gibraltar. However, De Soto is now operating with minimal crew.