Voralis ˈGǘshaz

VORALIS ˈGǗSHAZ stands as a rugged testament to the mercurial nature of the seas he commands. His visage, weathered by salt and sun, bears the hard lines of a man who has faced the tempest's wrath and emerged with a fierce resolve. Dark eyes, piercing and sharp as the horizon at dawn, betray a mind that calculates and conspires with the acumen of a seasoned merchant turned marauder, now Captain of The Big Guns. His garb is an eclectic amalgam of his tumultuous past; rich, heavy fabrics cling to his frame, bespeaking the opulence of his merchant days, now weathered and repurposed for the pragmatism of piracy. The once-gleaming buttons and brocade, now tarnished by sea spray and the touch of salt air, hint at a life that once balanced diplomacy with trade. Around his neck hang tokens of his travels, beads, and trinkets bartered from far-off lands, each a story in itself.

by midjourney

Above: Trade in the port of Ruxitgu, off the coast of Ponoflee, Sau-Hezib.

In the bustling maritime crossroads of the Pelisemeran Sea, amidst the diverse nations of the Ring of Rhodil, Voralis ˈGǘshaz carved his destiny from the salt and winds of an unforgiving sea. Once an apprentice to Kùu Iche, a revered Sau-Heziban trader of the Dzobe Keẓo ("Salty Waters Syndicate" in Si-Sau), Voralis’s life was one of barter and diplomacy, the ebb and flow of commerce pulsing through his veins. It was a life charted by the steady compass of legitimate trade, a far cry from the roiling adventure his future held. Tragedy struck when Kùu was ensnared in a spider’s web of political machinations, a scandal leading back to the voracious Zùʻazegato Clan. In a bid to monopolize the thriving trade lanes of the Dzobe Keẓo, they engineered the downfall of an innocent man, and eventually, his untimely death. Voralis, propelled by loyalty and a burning sense of justice, maintained the course of his mentor’s ship through these treacherous waters, transforming from a trader’s apprentice to a defiant mariner with a reputation as formidable as the gales he commanded.

Adorning his left hand may be seen a glove of skeletal fingers – a chilling testament to his past and ostensible conduit for Kùu Iche’s unquiet spirit. A cultural relic of the Hezib, it's believed to house the soul of the departed, and Voralis, through somber rituals, has channeled his mentor’s desire for retribution. The glove, a symbol of an oath unfulfilled, whispers of vendettas and the spectral traces of vengeance. Yet, the passage of time has also eroded the edges of his rage like waves upon cliffs. In the decade or more that's passed since the initial crisis, Voralis's vendetta against the indomitable Zùʻazegato has transformed, matured from the fiery fury of youth to a broader crusade against oppression. Where once he sought personal retribution, he now wields his influence for a more just cause, targeting the tyranny that suffocates freedom across the seas. The omnipresent shadow of the Zùʻazegato and their enigmatic enforcers, The Red Eyes, looms large, yet Voralis navigates these threats with a newfound prudence, and keeps his ear close to the ground at home through his extensive network of Delhizan contacts.

by midjourney

Above: Voralis' ship, The Black Fang.

He is close friends with Skhar D'jolim, the man to lead him into pirate life. The two have faced life and death together, but Voralis has never been able to tolerate D'Jolim's insufferable penchant for cheating at the cards table. Voralis also oversaw Mara Zhaun Relor's entry into the Captaincy, having met her in Brozkul, on Apolpho Bay, but while the two share an intense bond his wariness of magic causes him to question Mara's investment in this mystical object, the Laughing Cup, which she holds solely responsible for her later fortune.