Captain Falthren Pulliva

Falthren Pulliva files the black. He is based mostly in Port Royale and is known for his contacts and ability to smuggle goods in and out of Verazul under the noses of the Polonians. In most stories, he narrowly escapes capture while leaving Polonians hoodwinked, floundering, and plundered.

Falthren Pulliva is the “black sheep” of one of the families granted much authority by the Polonians within the city of Verazul. Falthren is of modest height and slight build, standing 5’6” tall with violet eyes and raven-black hair that shines silvery in bright light. He always keeps himself well-dressed, to an almost foppish extent, favoring blues and blacks accented by silver embroidery and jewelry, especially a silver ring bearing sapphire carved into a minotaur skull on his right index finger. This ring grants Falthren the ability to change into a hulking minotaur.

As Falthren is a wanted “man,” he has taken to the seas as the Pirate Lord “the Ole Sea Bull.” As the Bull, Falthren is a huge grey minotaur with piercing red eyes and multiple scars. He wears thick black boots, loose-fitting pants striped in red and white, a thick belt with a sapphire buckle, and a black vest and coat. He has many rings on his fingers and has his elven longsword, “Adoni Blade of the Dancer” at his waist as well as a two-handed Drunsven Axe on his back that most profess they have never seen the Ole Bull use.

The Ole Sea Bull’s ship is a massive 4-decked, 5-masted galleon named the Raging Bull. While impressive in its own right as a heavily armed ship of the line, Falthren also has enchanted his otherwise spartan captain’s chamber in the transom. Opening his armoire and speaking the command word activates a door to a small demiplane large enough to hold Falthren’s most prized loot and his true private quarters. When he enters this plane, Falthren creates an illusory image of the Ole Sea Bull sleeping or looking at map muttering to himself so that the ruse is never dropped. His enchantments also extend to the ship’s propulsion system, as there are two compartments on the lowest deck that house two water elementals that can drive the ship through the water when becalmed and keep it afloat even in the harshest conditions.

Each level of the ship is well appointed for the crew, as he believes treating them fairly and well ensures that they never feel the need to mutiny or leave the service of the Sea Bull. He is strict but fair, quick to mete out punishment for crimes against the crew and their cause but just as quick to divvy out treasure to his crew – sometimes even more treasure than his share! The crew is told that we do not murder and only kill as a last resort.

The crew is mix of all races and cultures, but Falthren tries his hardest to only recruit sailors and officers that have some sense of nobility and are trying to right a wrong or are trying to atone for past sins – as far as pirates and sea rogues go. He views his ship and crew as carrying out a noble quest to resist the Polonians. While the family that he was born into in Verazul despises him for interfering with the trade that has made them rich, the lower classes there view him as a hero and help him smuggle goods in and out of the Old Harbor. He has plenty of contacts within the city.