Copyright 2010 © All (non-Zelda) characters and storyline herein belong to Esther Chapman. All rights reserved.

"Ye don't choose the sea, the sea chooses thee."
Name: Jezebel
Nickname /Alias: The Jade (of the Sea)
Occupation: Pirate Queen on the pirate ship Morning Star
Age: Unknown
Apparent Age: 27
Zodiac Sign: Cusp of Sagittarius and Scorpio
Sex: Female
Species: Human
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 135 lbs
Eye Color: Sea green
Hair Color/Style: Dark brown
Theme Songs:
Heart of The Ocean
Sweet Dreams
Everloving
A Dying Sailor To His Shipmates


General Appearance: Tall, lithe and muscular. The Jade wears her hair intermittently fashioned into dreads, woven sections, beaded and braided. It is usually woven into many intermittent layers, the longest of which reaches her waist, while her bangs are grown out to her shoulders in woven, windswept chaos, beneath a seaweed green bandana and worn leather pirate's hat (no feather).

Usually, she prefers to go barefoot, but if necessary will wear her knee high, leather pirate boots. She prefers to dress lightly, for comfort and freedom of movement, to feel the ocean breeze on her skin. As such, she prefers loose, airy linen shirts (menswear only, as women's usually has too much lace and proves too tight fitting), little or no collar, buttoned down to near indecency, cinched at the waist with a sash or scarf. Mostly, she wears breeches, black, brown or gray, but eventually they get torn, tattered and worn down to shorts until she is forced to acquire a new pair. No matter how little she wears in clothing, she always wears her cutlass and whip.

The Jade holds herself with a casual air of royalty and defiance, befitting the Pirate Queen.

Weapon(s): The Jade doesn't believe in flashy weaponry, so she wields a steel cutlass, with a leather hilt for grip, which she keeps meticulously sharp. She also carries a favorable and functional, leather whip. But those are only the apparent and visible weapons. In addition, the Jade carries a variety of small steel daggers, concealed in the soles of her boot and in the boiled leather panels on the back of her gloves. The panels serve as a sort of protective armor, while concealing the daggers and adding to the impact of her backhand swing.

Armor:

• Hard headed with sharp teeth, and a swift boot/backhand.
• Wit.

Carried Possessions: Enchanted, gold compass, roughly the size of a doubloon (Spanish coin), which hangs on a gold chain necklace and is always worn, usually concealed. The compass guides her to the destination of her intent, unless the compass otherwise directs her to where she needs to go, regardless of whether she realizes she needed to.

The pirate ship Morning Star, a well worn, seaworthy vessel. As with the compass, it was a gift to her from the sea, given to her the day the ocean staked a claim in her, granting her a new direction and purpose in life. Made of unpainted wood, discolored by the sea to a tawny brown with briny green hues and stained sails. As long as her life belongs to the sea, and the Morning Star carries her, the Jade knows the sea will take care of her.

In her private quarters, the Jade possesses many strange, exotic objects and specimens. One might find maps to parallel worlds, a vile with water from the fountain of youth, or an array of other mysteries. While the Morning Star possesses many secrets, mysteries and marvels of its own, the Jade stores her private treasures in her private quarters where few are admitted.

On one of her many travels, the Jade acquired the companionship of a phoenix by the name of Tendril. She is a rare, firebird of steadfast loyalty, who attached herself to the Jade after the Pirate Queen helped to mend her broken wing.



Although the tales vary, and it is largely told as a metaphor, it is indeed true that the Jade won the heart of a dragon. She was offered to him as a sacrifice by an inland village whose members did not take to her pirating ways and also suffered with a dragon problem. Instead of eating her, he fell in love with her. One day she was mortally wounded and he gave her his own heart to save her life. She keeps it safe in her private quarters, resting suspended in the air over a stand fashioned out of coral.

The dragon's heart has afforded her a longer lifespan than the average human being. Due to the fact that she shares the heart with Malachite, they share one another's pains and afflicted injuries. If he is injured she will feel it, and if she is injured he will feel it. If the heart were injured directly, it could potentially destroy them both if it suffers enough damage. Separately, the Jade can withstand a great deal of damage before she will die, but she is human after all and more vulnerable than dragons.



Powers/Magic/Skills:

• Underwater breathing, only for saltwater.
• Martial arts and acrobatics in the general sense, meaning if she can get her hands on it, she can use it as a weapon.
• Sea legs allows one exceptional agility when aboard a ship.
• Mental Cascade
• Infinity's Touch

Wind Whisper: The ability to speak to the sea winds, a gift bestowed upon her by the sea when she was made the Pirate Queen. The sea winds carry messages to her, concerning anything from the weather, to information regarding other ships sailing within her course. Often times it has been known to reveal other secrets of the sea. As a result, and by her strong bond with the ocean, the gift of wind whisper allows her to "see the sea" in others, those whom the ocean has a certain affinity or disdain for. The sea also grants her the ability to send her own messages, carrying her voice on the wind to whom she intends it for, though it cannot promise her voice will be heard or if heard that it be headed. The sea winds are limited in that they cannot carry messages so far inland, for at a certain distance they lose their potency and seafaring nature, becoming a new nature of wind, especially once a range of mountains has been crossed.

Due to this ability, it may seem as though she has psychic abilities or intuition, for the sea winds often tell her things in speaking to her. It may whisper a direction she needs to go, something she needs to know about a person, how to defend herself from an unseen attack or alert her to danger. The wind doesn't reveal everything, only what is needed as it is needed. Therefore, it isn't the same as mind reading, especially since she can't do it at will. It is something that comes to her as it comes and cannot be forced.

Side-Effects: The drawback of sea legs means the Jade is somewhat less coordinated on land, affecting her balance, agility and accuracy in any physical endeavor. To the untrained eye it may not be immediately noticeable, yet grows more obvious when she attempts certain physical activities, like walking. Rum is the only remedy.

Mental Cascade: A state of mind in which all thoughts are drowned out, creating a roaring sound in the ears, not unlike the sound of the ocean or a waterfall. The origins are uncertain and it is often considered a curse, for the majority of individuals who possesses this skill (or are inflicted by it) often go insane. For the Jade, however, she finds it quite calming. When it sets in, she tunes out the world and in the enveloping roar she finds a sense of peace and stillness. Mental Cascade can also be projected onto another person, drowning out their thoughts, creating confusing or inhibiting their ability to think clearly altogether -depending on the mental discipline of the individual who has become its target. It can be experienced, not just as a deafening roar in one's ears, but as an overwhelming cascade of stream of consciousness thoughts, depending on the individual's disposition. It is like the dam of the mind breaks and all the thoughts contained flood madly into the person's awareness. It is experienced differently for each person. It can be a flood of thoughts, words, images, feelings, memories or just a deafening roar. In the very least, the individual will find it difficult to concentrate, focus or form coherent sentences. It can often render its target unconscious. In the extreme it can drive a person to temporary or permanent insanity. Only a person who has a true sense of peace of mind can withstand the onslaught.

The Mental Cascade cannot be seen, per se, only felt as a distinctly dense vibration or rippling to those who have been trained to perceive such things. Otherwise it is unable to be perceived directly, unless one happens to be the recipient. The only way one can tell it is being used, other than the telltale vibrations is that the user must grasp their target by the head, pressing their palms to both temples, thus creating a completed circuit. Depending on its effectiveness and the individual's ability to withstand, most likely once seized they will be unable to free themselves, despite the fact that very little physical force is necessary to hold onto them. They will be immobilized by the force of the Mental Cascade crashing through their psyche. Make note, this skill is not about physical strength, but mental resiliency.

Mental Cascade is calming to Jade, becuase she is a special sort of crazy. While not deranged, she is not sane in the sense of the average person. As someone who has already been taken by the sea, drowned and reborn, when the Mental Cascade came to the Jade she was able to integrate it into herself. It became an asset to her, allowing her to drown out the world and all its confusion for the comforting sound not unlike that of the tumultuous ocean which is her truest home. Over time she has learned how to control its intensity. She can use it gently to silence someone's mind, wreathing them in a softly roaring cocoon. Or she can effectively render someone unconscious with a quick, effective slap of both palms on their temples. She often finds it useful to get another's undivided attention. Of course, there are accidents, as sometimes she misjudges her targets' resiliency.

Infinity's Touch: As a timeless being, who dwells within the formless realm of dreams and pure energy, Malachite can tap into this energy and use it. Since the Jade possesses his heart, she has the same abilities it affords him. For instance, she can touch a person and direct that infinite energy into the person. When this happens it goes right into the core of their being, it can touch on their deepest fears, wounds, dreams and joys. It can be experienced as the touch of divine, pure, unconditional, love. It depends on what she wishes to touch in the person, and sometimes whatever unresolved issues reside within them is what bubbles up to the surface and spills out. If a person suffers from major unresolved issues within themselves, they may become sick to their stomach. The focal point for this energy resides within the heart, which is currently in the Jade's safe keeping in the private quarters of the Morning Star.

Battle Strengths: Improvisation, best at sea. If luck is with her she will conceive visionary battle tactics, but these are hit or miss and she generally prefers to "feel things out as she goes," relying on an uncanny gut instinct.

The Jade is skilled at acrobatics and a hodgepodge style of matrial arts -meaning that it doesn't originate from anywhere in particular, it is just something she has cultivated over the course of her travels from fighting various types of people. At sea, she is quick, agile, coordinated and light footed. Her fighting style is instinctive, meaning that she doesn't usually have to think about what she is doing, she simply acts -thought not reactive in the violent, rageful, uncontrolled way. Sometimes Wind Whisper aids her in battle, adding to her instincts in a way that borders on intuitive prediction.

Battle Weaknesses: Worst on land, with very little tolerance for strategizing and persistent irritability. She grows clumsy and uncoordinated. The clearest solution is to return to the ship.

Other: It is widely known that the Jade has a rival. Her scorned ex-lover, Maelstrom, Captain of the pirate ship Titan.

Personality: The Jade is like the ocean in that what you see on the surface is not necessarily the whole picture and there is a great deal transpiring underneath. She has a knack for seeing things on various levels. As such, she can be extremely volatile and is often considered intense, yet she can also be incredibly nonchalant. One moment she may seem calm and placid, almost a master of zen, yet in the next the whip is in her hand. She tends to get edgy about things which most people consider trifle, and remains nonplussed in the face of other things in which people might be easily reduced to a nervous wreck.

She has a tendency to laugh in the face of danger. She is often amused, curious or excited in circumstances most would consider dubious. She is not easily phased, even if the danger is very real and she probably ought to be. At sea she is at her most comfortable and easygoing. On land, however, she gets grouchy and unable to think straight. Thisi s because, when she is at sea, she feels like just about anything is possible. Whereas, on land, she feels encumbered and limited. She is known for attempting to engage in dialogue with fearsome sea creatures, whether or not it is considered possible. Yet, there are people on land she will not speak more than a few words to, if she can help it.

Likes: The Jade has an eye for oddities, rarities and things that are otherwise not what they seem, which are her personal treasures. Sometimes they are worth a great deal, sometimes they are not, but they are always worth it to her. Her favorite collector's items are exotic maps, usually the kind intended to reveal a lost city, legend or unresolved mystery.

She likes to be alone. The Jade's favorite thing to do is to sit up in the crow's nest of her ship, letting the waves and the wind rock her, while she talks to the wind. Anyone who disturbs her is chastised for interrupting, and whipped.

Dislikes: As connected as she is to the ocean and her winds, she gets extremely restless on land and does not like to be ashore for long. This also relates to the fact that the further she goes from the sea, the less she can hear the voice of the winds, which makes her feel incredibly uncomfortable and vulnerable, exacerbated by her lack of coordination on land. However, it also runs contrary to the promise she made with the ocean, binding her life to it.

Throughout humanity, there is nothing she hates more than slavery and will not hesitate under any circumstance to liberate those in bondage, especially if asked. As the sea once freed her from bondage to land and law, she considers it her duty. While she has been known for taking prisoners and for her own manner of trickery, she refuses to keep people against their will...for long.

The Jade detests boredom and if no other course to avoid it presents itself, she will resort to storm chasing.

Fears: With clear reasons, her most poignant fear is being landlocked, unable to return to the sea for any reason. This is more clear in light of her intense fear of losing her ship, as it is the vehicle of her freedom and independence, though that would never happen unless she were to go back on her promise with the sea. As long as her life is on the sea, her ship will never sink, never be conquered or wrecked.

Virtues: The Jade does not judge another's merit based on appearance, status or wealth, but solely on seaworthiness. She believes the true measure of one's character (or salt) is made by the sea, who is the only true unbiased witness.

Although she has a fierce reputation, with many tales surrounding her name, the Jade us unlike most pirates. Since the sea changed her and made her what she was, she does not have the same drives and motives as most people, even in her occupation. For example, while she is an avid hunter of the lost, rare and curious artifacts which are her treasures, she does not particularly value silver or gold in the monetary sense. In her mind, the ocean reveals what matters most to those who would see it, and money isn't it. In fact, many things will win out over the promise of worldly riches, like an appeal to her curiosity. In a way, this lack of regard for money stems from the fact that she no longer sees its use, because the sea provides her with all that she and her crew need.

While she can be crass and cold at times, she has an unwarranted predilection for justice, tempered by a unique sense of right and wrong. Despite her formidable reputation as a pirate and her own affinity for violence, she does not condone wonton pillaging or heedless ransacking, maintaining that a true pirate does not lower oneself to such standards of piracy. The only time the Jade permits or orders pillaging is to prove a point, which is a nod to her vigilante side, during which looting is allowed. Certain unspeakable things, however, are strictly prohibited. Things like rape and the slaughter of innocents will result in a sound lashing, walking the plank and/or forceful marooning on an island. That is, if she doesn't kill you for it first.

The Jade inspires fondness and fierce devotion in others, particularly in those the sea has "chosen." Most of the Morning Star Crew are those who have proven their salt and taken to the Jade's way of life, for which she becomes their anchor. They would fight down to a man for her, as they know she would stand for them, and has. Once a man makes his life on the Morning Star, the tattered lines of his former life are cut clean, as she sees it. None may claim him or his life, save the sea.

It is for this reason that she is usually very lenient and patient with new recruits, even those who have attempted to kill her. Once someone has been targeted by her compass or otherwise offered a place on her ship, she can put up with a great deal -so long as it does not violate her moral code or put the crew in considerable danger.

Vices: Maps are her weakness, especially concerning uncharted water or mysterious destinations. It is probably the only thing she can be bribed with, because they hold so much promise, potential and unknowns. The recipe for adventure. Without such things, the Jade would simply be a person floating on a boat without direction.

History: It is said that the sea chose her. The rest is heresay.

Threads:
True North (In Progress)