Commodore Roger Stodd of the Royal Navy

Name: Roger Stodd

Age: 36 by 1715

Affiliation: Templars and the British Navy

Appearance: Stodd is nearly six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a tanned, leathery body. With dark hair tied up into a tail, a strong jaw, and deep brown eyes, he comes off as quite a worn sailor, despite his age. Roger is by no means an imposing man, at least not physically - for that he uses his attire and his ship. If anything, Stodd comes off as a rather average man, with basic muscle tone and overall body shape. His outfit is that of a fine Royal Navy attire, blue and gold, with a black felt hat with golden feathered trim. He blended in fairly well with other Commodores, but stood out amongst the common drab.

Personality: Stodd is as proud as they come - he was born to low living and lived a low life before joining the navy, and now that he stands as a Commodore, he believes in everything he says and achieves, and feels very supportive of those few friends and companions he has been able to keep as he clawed his way to the top; for all his pride and honour, Stodd will stop at nothing to prove himself, to himself and others. When he first joined the navy, he knew he'd have to fight to get anywhere, and rumour is that he killed more British than French or Spanish in his climb to power.

Favourite Weapons: British Sabre, and an engraved wheellock pistol

Strengths: Stodd captains his own frigate, the HMS St. Irvine, with a crew of nearly two hundred and fifty men, many of them soldiers of the Royal Navy. With nearly fourty cannons, including explosive shells and chains to take down masts, Stodd is more than a threat to any on the open sea.

Despite his general behaviour, his high rank gives Stodd an immense sway over those aligned with the British Empire, and his influence makes him a notable asset to the folk of the West Indies.

Stodd's ability is a Commodore is only rivalled by his skill with a rifle; though he rarely uses them, his necessity to use them in his younger years has made him more than proficient in their use, and gives him a serious edge when the time arrives for it.

Weaknesses: As a Commodore, Stodd is bound by the same laws as any other, and if his missions with the Templars lead to conflicts with such ships, he often is forced to turn them down, especially with the rumours circulating of his treasonous acts. Similarly, if he is to see Spanish or French ships in British waters, his allegiance to the crown will surpass his Templar duties at all times, and lead to a far larger conflict.

Despite tactical genius and finesse, Stodd is a blunt and forthright man, and quite thick as well. He will often be very straightforward with others, will simultaneously getting quite angered when others are so straightforward. This may range from simply insulting someones wares, to outwardly disregarding the tactics proposed by a Templar Master.

Stodd often fails to comprehend the nature of the Assassins in the secret conflict, simply viewing the Templars as agents of understanding; rarely does he see how big of a threat the Assassins actually are. For this reason, his allegiance to the Templars is strong, but far from as rigid as it could otherwise be.

Background/Biography: Born in a small farming village in southern Scotland, Stodd spent almost no time among the nobles or proper folk that he would later join. He was a thief and a criminal, and by the time he was sixteen, he'd already been part of countless criminal activities, and been chased down by incalculable guards. When he was captured for the fifth time, he was officially enlisted into the Royal Navy, as a deckhand.

Stodd expected to see the cold harsh winds and rains of Europe in his time as a deckhand, likely to die to French cannons one day. He'd never expected to be a member of the Royal Navy of the Thirteen Colonies. He'd managed to flee from the ship that he was essentially a slave on, and went on to continue his life of crime in the city of Boston. Only to once again be caught and given a choice - death, or enlistment. He'd picked the latter, and joined the military of the Royal Navy. Somehow, he'd gotten a better job.
He worked hard, and over time cam to quite enjoy his work. When his ship was met with pirates, he was among the crew on deck at the time, and he and his comrades fought to the last breath against their enemies, pushing the pirates back. The survivors were promoted, and as time went on and his experiences grew, Stodd joined the nobility of Britain, as a newly promoted Commodore.

He was not given a ship; his efforts as a thief in his youth had actually accumulated quite well, and he'd been able to purchase a frigate with the money he'd looted as well as the money he'd earned in the navy. When the ship was christened, he finally knew he'd made it somewhere other than the squalor of a typical Scottish lad.
When Stodd was thirty four years old, he was contacted by the Templars, who simply acted as members of the Colonies, treating him as the rank he was and no more. They gave him ultimatums, and he accepted. By the time he was thirty five, he was an official Templar, after having personally bombarded an Assassin-supported fort of the Spanish, which he'd simply been told was a fort that was 'against the British people.'

Stodd has come to quite enjoy his time in the West Indies, and with the banner of Britain flying overhead, he was sure he'd take part in the formation of the greatest government of all.

While it is a very good character application, I must point out a small fault.

A crew of 30 men on a frigate is basically a skeleton crew only used when taking a stolen frigate to port. A frigate would typically have 36 guns and a crew close to 200 hundred in number. (Depending on rate and size)

I'm sorry if I came off as offensive, I am merely trying to increase your knowledge regarding the old tall-ships.

Voidmon wrote:

While it is a very good character application, I must point out a small fault.

A crew of 30 men on a frigate is basically a skeleton crew only used when taking a stolen frigate to port. A frigate would typically have 36 guns and a crew close to 200 hundred in number. (Depending on rate and size)

I'm sorry if I came off as offensive, I am merely trying to increase your knowledge regarding the old tall-ships.

Oh damn, you're totally right. I'd originally had it all written down as a brig but switched to frigate when I remembered he was a Commodore, it seems I failed to change the crew when doing so. Thanks for pointing it out.

Great job, as per usual. ARRRR - PROVED

Jas wrote:

Great job, as per usual. ARRRR - PROVED

Awesome, thank's Jas!