Gutt

About

Captain Gutt is a twelve-foot-tall kraken with a fleet of pirate ships at his command. Though he spends most of his time aboard his flagship Briny Deep, his crew aboard other ships are just as scared of him as the crew within murdering distance. Gutt considers all of them disposable, and he commands his fleet with careless cruelty. Some crew are harder to replace than others, yes, but even his favorites can be dropped in an instant if it suits him. They're all tools to be used and abused in his never-ending quest for more stuff and more power.

Now, this kind of attitude towards other people tends to make one a lot of enemies. Gutt's completely aware of how many people hate him, and he revels in it. He doesn't bother trying to make friends, anyway - he's too selfish to participate in a genuine friendship, and he suspects that any "friend" would betray him if they could get something out of it. (This is, of course, because he would gladly betray a friend for a reward.) Instead, Gutt gains his allies through fear. When he's not getting his way, he starts making threats, and if that doesn't work, he follows through.

So far, no one has been strong enough or scary enough to make Gutt face any meaningful consequences for his actions. Even a mutiny doesn't faze him - he once fed half his crew to the sea for attempting to overthrow him, and then casually replaced them with men from a captured ship. The power has absolutely gone to his head. His ego probably has its own area code at this point.

He does get marginally friendlier if he's had a few drinks (though if you keep dosage in mind, "a few" for him is "a lethal amount" for a normal-sized person). Being buzzed mellows him and makes him more playful. He's less likely to eat you and more likely to play darts with you. You might still become the dartboard if you annoy him, though.

As if all this shit wasn't enough, Gutt's also got a gambling streak. His poor impulse control makes him loath to refuse any kind of challenge or wager, especially if there's a chance of a big payoff. Only a real idiot would play against him, though - if he wins, he wins, and if he loses, you might die. Many have tried to exploit Gutt's love of wagers to lure him into a trap, one way or another. None of them have succeeded in any way that matters, as you can see by the way Gutt's very alive and not in jail. He's an adrenaline junkie anyway, so mortal peril just gets him excited.

Some have alleged that Gutt is only a tornado of restless violence because he's searching for a worthy foe - someone who can match his strength, someone who can finally stand up to him and bully the bully. Rival pirate captain Bones is clearly doing his damned best to be that foe... even if the aforementioned rumors are nothing but the usual sailor bullshit.

Physical Appearance & Abilities

Gutt wears a variety of fancy outfits, usually featuring custom made frock coats. He likes to layer his coats over vests and ruffled shirts, and then accessorize with gold. He will absolutely wear necklaces as bracelets and actual bracelets as rings. The captain has to look damn good.

Like other cephalopods, the color and texture of Gutt's skin are both under his conscious control. He changes them on a whim, primarily for intimidation. (I've made a couple of example palettes for him, but anyone who draws him is 100% allowed to make up a new one!)

Gutt’s entire body is dense and powerful, yet he's practically amorphous. As a mollusc, he has no bones; his beak and hooks are his only truly rigid body parts. He’s squishy and slimy to the touch, but don’t expect him to let you touch him - that’s a great way to book yourself a one-way ticket to the bottom of the sea. Seriously. Don't shake his hand, don't pat him on the shoulder. No touch.

His tentacles are prehensile, and they have even higher dexterity than his hands. Their suckers have hooks for extra grip strength, and the nerve clusters in each one let them move independently of each other. It's like he's got an extra brain in each arm. And extra hands instead of hair. And three hearts. Yikes.

This motherfucker moves lightning fast underwater, too. His strength is truly uncanny - yeah, he's well built, but he still shouldn't be able to tow a ship on his own. He shouldn't be able to take down someone else's ship with his bare hands, either, but good luck explaining that to the sunken ships with Gutt-related breaches in their hulls. You think you're bad until Gutt snaps your mast and reefs his sails with your intestine.