Serndalarin the honorable pirate.

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What a strange creature you have aboard ship Captain Varshey, he swings his blade like a demon but he talks like a gentleman. Was once said by the Black Gulls 1st mate regarding the Altmer deckhand know as "Sern"

But I digress Serndalarin came to the gull as a scawny teen with a dark past. It was whispered that the boy had grown sick of his fathers abuse of his mother and had attacked and killed him one night when he was being particularly rough. That was the truth but not quite the whole story.

The truth was Serndalarin was born to a beautiful high elf woman, blond haired, blue eyes, the envy of most. His father however had won her hand in arranged marriage in a game of chance. He was a man prone to anger and drinks far from handsome, worst of all was his jealousy. Sern had inherited his father's red hair, his green eyes, and his temper but his face resembled the much finer lines of his mothers and he had her caring heart. She always protected him from the worst of his father's anger.

One evening his father was drunker then usual and heard men at the tavern talking about his wife, how they should steal her from such a ugly mer as himself. Enraged he storms home surely she had done something to give them such thoughts! Sern's mother was home alone when his father set upon her like angry bear. This time he went too far by the time Sern returned home a book the local clerics had loaned and a sack of silvers for dusting the library at the monastery. What he saw was his father standing over the crumpled form of his beloved mother, the person he loved most in the world. The teenaged Altmer didn't know what came over him, his rage so great that by the time he was through snarling, cursing. and stabbing his own father was a bloody mess. He left the merman's body in their humble cabin to rot. It was his mother he gently carried laying her on a bed of dead wood and flowers saying his goodbyes as he burned her body. Sern left to make his way in the world alone the next day.

Three months later he signed on as a Cabin boy for the Black Gull, a dirty, filthy lot of pirates. Sern didn't care he just wanted to get far away. Things began to bother him, he could rationalize the stealing but not the rest of it. Half a dozen of the crew enjoyed kidnapping and having there way by force if necessary with women. The Captain didn't participate but turned a blind eyes only stating "Men will be Men." It drove Sern mad he could do nothing six versus one, those six full grown men? He would however sneak into the ships underbelly once all but night watch was asleep and offer the girls his apologies, fresh water, some food. It was all he could do but as time went on Sern filled out. He easily was stronger then many of the crew and had rose in rank quickly to midshipman a rank just below the 1st mate. The young mer also seemed to have Auri-El's favor and was smart and quick witted and began to study under the ships aging Medic to someday take his place.

Once more he brought his concern of some of the more barbaric practices to the Captain "Captain Vashney in all do respect we have to stop this. It's just not right these girls have done nothing but be pretty and be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"They are enjoying a perk of being a pirate lad. Why would I stop it?"

"If you won't stop it then I demand to defend the honor of each maiden, every time."

Captain Vashney liked Sern he was a good lad, loyal dependable. He trusted him more then the handful of seadogs he knew Sern was talking about. However he couldn't have brawls on his ship every time one of the crew got frisky with a prize. He was about to tell Sern that was not acceptable as Falinel the new bosmer deck hand busted into the Captian's Quarters.

"Captain we have a mutiny!"

Those same six were gathered on the deck, the crew was roughly split in half those with the Captain, those not.

"Seems you saved me the trouble of convincing the Captain to let me beat the snot out of you Rory." Sern said to the ringleader a big Nord with a cocky grin.

The nord jabs a finger at the Altmer Captain and the midshipman "You, with your smug little looks, you act as if you're all..." Rory didn't finish before Sern was upon him, one of the few beings aboard possibly able to beat the Nord in a fight. "I am better then you." Sern said while grabbing a handful of shirt. "Compared to me your nothing but a piece of crap raping and beating women to make yourself feel better." That was all it took, the deck erupted into a all out brawl. By the end of it the Captain was victorious with a price. The ship's medic had stood with the Captain, there was no saving him, his throat cut he bleed out before anyone could reach him. The next morning Sern mourned the loss of his friend and teacher and took up his position on the ship filling two roles.

Not long after that Sern had just turned twenty when the Captain announced they were going "legit" modest pay with a pardon of every mans crime aboard the ship. That included murder, Sern would finally be free of the one murder that hung over his head. His father. There of course was a catch a five year contract. Sern gladly signed it, he had nothing to loose.

It was the first day on duty running dominion flags above the black gull sails. They were to patrol the coast of Malabal Tor, easy enough. They frigate rounded a spur into a protected cove to come face to face with two sea elf galleons The deck was sprayed with cannon fire almost on sight.

"All hands, battle stations!" The Captain roared

"You heard him load the starboard cannons!" Sern yelled racing down the row making sure all had flint to spark the fuses.
There was no chance, no win had they spotted the galleons on the horizon the frigate could have easily outrun them but up close it was no match for a galleons fire power. They were down to handful of men still standing even as water began to surge over the deck of the sinking ship.

"Sern that's it the gull is done for clear is a path, we're jumping ship!" The Captain spun the young Altmer about. Serndalarin panted then growled summoning all he had left. He bleed from multiple wounds where swords and knives had managed to get inside his sweeping arc of a great sword. Still he managed to clear a path shoving or cutting down any who dared get in his way, once they reached the side of the ship he turned back. It was just him, just him and the Captain now. Without warning Vashney pushed hard sending Sern teetering over the side. "Swim for your life lad!" he roared as he turned back to fight off sea elves. That was the last Sern saw of him. He had no idea how much time had passed when he washed up on the shoreline just below the small settlement of Vulkhasten. He willed himself to move, he couldn't even recall how he got up the cliffs. Thus a wounded Altmer, one of the few honorable pirates tumbled into the tavern. If he was going to die it would be with a drink in his hand.

Several months before the tragic sinking of the Black Gull there was a meeting between Captain Vashney and his Red Guard first mate Alaki. It was held behind closed doors with orders to not be disturbed.

"Alaki, as you know the war grows deeper and I have heard of a offer. They are offering pirates a pardon if they and their ships join under the Dominion flag.

The bare chested red guard nodded "Why would we do such a thing? The reputation of the Black Gull alone is enough merchant vessels lower the sails at the very sight of her black bird flags. "

"You have a son Alaki, do you not hate having to look over your shoulder for a hangman's noose when you go to see him? Do you tell him what you do those long months you're away?" The Altmer Captain asked as he paced his well appointed Cabin.

"No I do not tell him, his mother tells him I sail on merchant ships, nothing more. I see..you do this for Serndalarin."

Captain Vashney sighed "Is it that obvious?"

"You took the boy under your wing the moment you took him aboard, I am no fool." Alaki raised his chin

"When Sern came to us he was just thirteen, the same age my son..my son would have been. I tried to do right by him and raise him to be a good and honorable man."

"No offense Captain but a pirate ship is no place for good and honorable men. That was a foolish quest."

"Aye it may have been but I took it on none the less, now I can give him something. I can give him a fresh start. His name will be cleared, all our names. After the five years is up I hope he will take my place as Captain, the gull is a good ship she deserves a honorable man, or he can find his own place in the world without being hung for piracy. I need you with me on this Alaki or I will face another mutiny. Those that don't like it I will offer severance in hopes they go peacefully."

The red guard passed and sighed "May I?" he waved a hand to the Captain's brandy cabinet.

"Go ahead."

He pours two glasses and hands one to his Altmer Captain. "I do not wish my son to see me hung as a pirate, so in this you have my support." He lifted his glass in toast "To our sons."

((Since Sern isn't the sort to keep a journal or diary this is going to be in more of a story format))

It all started at a tavern in Vulkwasten with a half dead, bleeding, dripping wet bilge rat of a Altmer sprawled up in a tavern chair drinking his last drink (or so he thought!). He probably would have died there in that chair, drink tumbling from his hand if not for the insistence of a small woodelf who called herself Nilt and a short but strong imperial warrior named Afer. It looked comical the two beings much closer to the ground half dragging the towering Altmer to the clinic.

With some healing potions and rest the auburn haired high elf felt more like himself and began to meet other denizens of the small village. After Nilt and Afer came a dunmer named Hloriella she caught his eye with her angry, sarcastic way of going about. At first his flirting was nothing but a game to see if he could get her to kiss him, she did by the second day. It can't go without mention that Nilt spiking the dunmer's jealous side went a long way in the win.

The more Hloriella hung around the more he liked her, something about her passionate way of doing things. Her behavior towards him grew gentler, softer, he had to admit that being spared her attitude made him feel somewhat special. He hadn't been looking for any sort of relationship, he never had even been in anything more then being annoyed his favorite wench at one port or another was not about. That is how the world does you though, it smacks you right across the face just as Hlor had the first day they met.

As time passed Sern became comfortable in the day to day, hanging about the tavern he had some ideas about doing something more. On occasion he'd find a bit of work not really enough to live on but he soon found himself moved in with Hloriella and her brother and adding his ability to cook well to the mix of usefulness he could offer. The towering altmer began to care greatly about the little dunmer woman with the mean streak. Right until the day she told him to go away she didn't want to even see him around he thought he had been doing right by her. It stung even more when he saw the strange connective looks between her and another werewolf Eranor. Sern was never a fool even as much as he acted like one, he could tell something was going on just moments after he had been dismissed from her side.

For while he felt lost, everything he knew for the last near decade sank to the bottom of the bay. The one real thing he thought he found, well that was gone to. Why had he even bothered getting up that day he could have sank into oblivion there and then with a drink in his hand, Saved everyone the trouble. He even considered being bit despite the high cost of ones soul. Maybe if he was one as well Hlor would see he was trying to understand her and be there for her. He punched his reflection in the stream. It had looked back with gaunt cheeks and hunting eyes, overgrown hair and beard, armor that was cracked and worn. “No, no I am not going to become a beast she either will love me for who I am ..or not at all.” He left the woods, the stream and the Sern he no longer recognized there.

The next day he was nicely dressed, hair cut, beard trimmed and at the nearest Thalmor office picking up every bit of work he could do and even those he was only partly sure he could pull off alone. The next few weeks he worked tirelessly, gold went to new gear and greasing enough palms to talk to the right people, he knew he had wit and charm his side, not to mention a disarming boyish grin. A few more months of work and Thalmor sent peons to offer him work so much so he had to hire on help, this the black gull mercenaries was born. One again he seemed back in the gods favor.

Sern was once more where he liked to be, in the thick of things on a adventure, sure there was times he thought of Hloriella and what could have been. He thought of what he could have done wrong but as time passed he grew more confident it had nothing to do with him at all. That being said as much as he liked the way he felt having someone he disliked even more when it was gone. He was bound and determined to not give his heart away again. He filled those gaps where he needed company with trips to the friends house in Baandari.

Then Ellix walked into his life, again he had planned to just flirt a little. She wasn't anything like Hloriella she was personable, sweet, and at the time they met she seemed lonely and lost. Sern couldn't help but want to help her in some small way. Once more despite him slapping himself and trying not to he found himself falling for yet another female mer.

((sorry for not more detail trying to catch it up!))

He sighed as he looked in the cloudy mirror that hung in the several large tents the gulls called home for the time being. Cursing under his breath as he nicked himself with the straight razor he was using to take the stubble off his cheeks. Ellix and him had gotten into something close to a argument a couple of weeks before, no it wasn't that. Sern really didn't know what to call it, perhaps a heart to heart. It didn't matter what he labeled it she had been right he had been pushing her away. He was worried she'd change her mind, go back to her posh life in Auridon and like Hlor just tell him to go away.

"This one told you to angle the blade, Ri'anhi heard you swear from over here!" the dexterous khajiit who had become one of his best spies chided him from the other side of the partition. "Or this one thinks you were not paying attention again."

Sern muttered, damn that cat. "Hush it! I am -trying- to concentrate." He could hear her laughter as he shook his head.

The leopard spotted little Khajiit stuck her head around the partition post "This one thinks boss thinks about the pretty altmer girl."

"Ri'anhi I am trying to shave here."

"This one will leave you alone she just wanted to say it is good to see him no longer mope about tent like a cow with no hay." she replies.

"Seriously what does that even mean R'anhi?" he only got laughter for a answer as he sighs and washes the lathered soap off his face.

He throws the towel he had used at the Khajiit as he walks past "Come on we have work to do."