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[Luthien]

Name: Philip
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Physical Appearance: Philip is tall, standing about 6'5". He has a fairly slim build which comes from years of hard labor without sufficient food. His face is also thin, and a little to long, giving it slightly a stretched appearance. He is actually fairly good looking. His hair is dark brown and extends to about his chin, but it is generally pulled back in a small pony tail at the base of his neck. His eyes are also a deep chocolate color; they are fairly large, drawing the eyes of an observer. His mother gave him the great gift of a straight, fine nose.

Philip's skin is a darker shade of tan that resulted from so much time outdoors. Because of his skin tone, his teeth seem whiter than they are-- almost snow-white.
His hands are fairly large which is handy for gripping rigging as well as his sword.

Philip walks with the graceful air of an expert swordsman, head held high and a slight swagger. He is generally seen in fine clothing, including the silks and laces that are popular in royal courts even for men. He has a hat with a wide brim and a tall feather dyed purple. The hat is rarely on his head, for it is ever in his hand and over his heart as he bows to passing young ladies. His rapier is nearly always at his side.

Personality: Philip is a bright intelligent man with an incredible amount of streetsmarts. However, where young ladies are concerned, he is an idiot and a fop. He has a typically free and easy manner, smiling often and long. When he is angered, he glares from under his eyebrows with a gaze that could melt a stone building. Honour is very important to him and he is no stranger to duels.

History: Philip was born to a wealthy noble. His parents doted on him, giving him anything and everything he asked for, resulting in a spoiled brat to whom no one wanted to be near. His parents were oblivious to this for many years because of their great love for him, but in time his actions began to bother even them. However, they could not discover the reason for his behavior. They reasoned that as they loved him so much and did so much for him, he should be grateful and do everything in his power to please them. Philip however, was human, and as nearly every human is, he was incredibly selfish. He didn't care about his parents- only himself and he had been taught that he was the only thing that mattered to his parents as well.

The aggravation reached a climax on Philip's 16th birthday, when he became angry at the gifts offered to him (which had been bought at great price), and threw them on the ground, breaking many valuable and fragile things. His parents were grieved and went to an elderly man they knew for council. He said that Philip needed to grow up- he was as much a baby as he had been at 3 years old, because nothing had ever been required of him. The advice of others concurred with this. His parent's contemplated the idea for weeks- they needed some task that would mature Philip, but was also acceptable for nobility to do. At last they came to the conclusion that Philip would go to sea with a wealthy merchant. They figured that he would have enough duties and struggles to make him mature a little, and that sailing was often considered a rather exciting thing, and therefore something acceptable for Philip to do, unlike farming or something of the like. Also, though they would never admit it, the probably wanted to send him someplace where they could be guarantied that he could not just return the instant he desired. They went to ask him about it, and he being a teenage boy, thought that it sounded rather fun, and agreed readily.

He packed his belongings, and his parents brought him to a small shore-lined kingdom, from where he would accompany the merchant to the edge of the sea, and from there to the sea itself. He ordered one of the sailors to bring his belongings on board, heart thumping wildly with joy and excitement. The sailor laughed at him and continued his business. Philip's nose went up in the air, and he turned to the merchant to protest (something also known as whining). The merchant informed him that here he would have to earn his keep, and needed to bring his own things on board. Philip stared at him, aghast, but finally decided that the pleasure he would get from this voyage would be worth a little trifle like bringing his packs on board- he was a rather strong lad as one of his greatest enjoyments had been learning to fence, at which he rather excelled (It is doubtful that he would have enjoyed it had he not been good at it.). So, grudgingly, he hefted the heavy bags over his shoulder and marched on board where he was directed to the bunk room. Here he discovered that he would be sharing lodgings with the sailors, which he found rather disgusting. He asked loudly, trying to show his annoyance, where he might put his things. A nearby sailor jerked his thumb toward a bunk and a tiny space for possessions.


In due time, they set out. They were headed for a small island- not for it‘s products, but to sell supplies to those who lived there. Philip was put to work. In short order, his hands were raw and bleeding. He tried to quit several times, but he was ordered that he must earn his keep, and if he did not work, he would receive neither food, a bunk, or passage. Meaning that he would have to swim to the island. Once again, he turned to protest to the merchant, when he saw the owner of the ship working along side the men. Philip was rather shocked, but was also forced to return to work. After a fairly good meal, (it was of course, only the first day out.) he went to the bunkroom to collapse.

For 2 months, Philip continued serving on the ship, and, as his parents had hoped, he began to mature.

Then one day, a pirate ship was sighted. Unfortunately, the sailors on the merchant ship were not fighters- well, no more so than the average sea-man anyway. They were quickly defeated. Philip, however, was excellent with a blade, and managed to kill 3 pirates before the ship was overrun. Philip and a few of the other survivors were taken on board the pirate ship, to work for now, and later to be sold as slaves. They had much the same philosophy as the merchants- work or be thrown overboard. But though they didn't mention it, the pirates had another interest in Philip. He had killed some of their men, and now they were down in numbers. Philip was also an excellent swordsman. They hoped to convince him to join their ranks. This was not a difficult task- although Philip had grown more mature and more wise, he was still incredibly selfish, and joining up with the pirates seemed to be the best move for him at the time.

9 years went by with Philip sailing with the pirates, and eventually rising to prominence among them. He was now 25. The pirate captain began to regard Philip as a threat. The man was not as young as he used to be, and Philip was becoming a leader among the men. The aged captain feared mutiny from him. He had become a sly, cunning young man, and still retained his love of self. The captain had no doubt that Philip would not hesitate to take over the ship once he realized how much sway he held over the sailors. So, one night the captain had some of the men who still respected him drug some of Philip's food. He passed out during the meal- the men just thought he was drunk and laughed at him. When the meal was over and the smelly group of noisy men left the meal to return to their posts, one of the captain's faithful men dragged Philip to his bed. That night while most of the men slept, Philip was thrown overboard. They were near a small island at the time, which the captain knew, but he didn't want to wait any longer and assumed Philip would drown under the influence of the drugs. The captain did not know however that the drug was wearing off. The cold slap of the water brought Philip to his senses, and he managed to force his stiff muscles to the barely visible island.

When he next woke, the sun was bright in his face and he was incredibly thirsty. He wandered the edge of the island until he found where a small stream ran into the ocean- thankfully, it was fresh. After getting a drink, he continued circumnavigating on the island until he came to a dock- a welcome surprise. The island was inhabited, or at least had been. Inland from the docks were a few cottages, where Philip took shelter for the next several days. They were in fairly decent order, which made him hope that perhaps someone lived here and would be coming back soon. He was right- the island was a water refilling stop for a line of merchant ships, one of which arrived at the island shortly. He managed to beg passage back to the mainland.

Once there, he decided he should reunite with his parents, be they yet living. They were, and they welcomed him home with wide open arms- it seemed to slip his mind to tell them that he had served willingly with the pirates. He made it seem as if he had been their prisoner the whole time. His parents knew little of the sea or pirates, and had no reason to doubt this. Philip quickly regained his love of fine clothing. I shan't take the time to tell you of all the young ladies he has courted, many of whom were con artists who easily managed to take advantage of the otherwise cunning young man.

Strengths: Philip is physically strong because of his years on the ocean, and is nigh unbeatable with a sword.

Weaknesses: Philip has a definate weakness for young ladies, and can be easily taken advantage of. He also has a hidden past which haunts him- if one of his former shipmates (or former captives) saw him, he would likely be hung. If he could be caught, that is.

[Luthien]

I accept myself.