Thatcher Appledin

A pirate captain sailing the ship The Harbinger. Though he has now dedicated to give his life to fellow Captain and love interest Vance Baj, surrendering his fleet and all he is to the man. He now sails his ship under Vance's flags.

Born to a unicorn father and a non-unicorn mother, he was a bastard since the day he was born. Held to a higher standard than his unicorn peers to "make up" for his missing blood on his mother's side, he had to be the best or be nothing at all in the eyes of his family. Perfecting multiple instruments, dances, languages, and weaponry, he learned how to either become the greatest or hide his mistakes well, lest he knew the consequences. With such an upbringing, causes deep resentment. Under his father's wing, he began to train to serve his kingdom at age 14. The young teen later graduated at age 16 to be sent off with a new mentor, Jakob. In this position he learned nearly all languages the kingdoms had to offer, and in two years time he took a position as his kingdom's Royal Translator and Negotiator. However, with this position, came a much more... appealing proposition...

While serving as the Negotiator and Translator for his kingdom, people talked, and he met countless different types of people. Among those people, were an underground group operating with the intentions of gathering intel and secrets on each of the kingdoms. This caught the young man's ears, though not for the reasons you'd think. He didn't see it as a just cause, or something noble he could do, more so something to pass his time with. Something he thought served his talents better, as opposed to the "mind numbing" work he currently thought he had. A combination of his upbringing and simply who he was predispositioned to be led him into a mindset like this, having a disregard for both himself and the causes he joins, seeking them out only for the thrill they could possibly give.

This was so much so the case, he entangled his own love interest at the time, Aleksey Blazh. He convinced the kind hearted and, at the time, naive entertainer that this was in fact a just cause. With his lover's ability with illusion magic, a plan was set into place for the two of them to carry out a plan of aquiring copious amounts of information on an upcoming strike to another kingdom. This of course ended in disaster, as Thatcher knew there was a chance of occuring.. He had settled in his mind that to be captured alive would be worse than death, instead plunging a dagger into his own heart just as the guards closed in on the pair.

Now, in life things rarely work out how we expect. But the last thing he expected was to be thrust back into the land of the living, waking up tied to an old wooden chair in the castle dungeons. It was there that he learned he had been brought back from death, his heart now beating at a constant and unforgivable pace. His heart could no longer die, cursed to continue beating long after the rest of his body had given out. It took a few days of torture before he was given a deal. Give the information of the underground group, and he'd be let free into the exiled lands with no further questions.. so the deal he took.

It was after his exile that he quickly seemed to find his place, being drawn to the authority and power the Captains at town port held over not just their crew, but everyone they came into contact with. He immedately signed himself away under one of these Captains, starting his life as a lowly deckhand. It was here that he learned how he appreciated someone who could truly command a group of people, something he'd never once seen from the "weak royals" of the kingdom. Though even after a while, his own Captain became too boring in his eyes, playing everything safe and appearing as weak to him. At age 24 he organized a group of his fellow pirates, overthrowing what he thought to be the weak Captain. He took the spot for himself, becoming a Captain before he even reached age 25.

Shortly after he became a Captain, he had his first run in with Vance Baj. An older and more seasoned Captain than himself, he enjoyed surprising the man with his long since perfected swords skills, nearly besting the Captain with that and a combination of some cheap tricks. The older man eventually bested him and retreated back to his own ship, remembering the upjumped deck boy's face. Months later they again happen upon each other, Vance now truly besting him in combat.. it is unclear if Thatcher allowed this to happen even easier simply to see what the man would do. The Captain aimed to kill him, plunging a sword through his beating heart.. only to learn of its inability to die. Vance accepted this as Thatcher earning another chance, letting him recover for a few hours before throwing him overboard, leaving him to swim to a nearby island. From there, he caught a merchant ship to sail back to the mainland. Sometime after this interaction, Thatcher saved the Captain's little niece when they had been visiting a port town. In exchange for this, Thatcher struck a deal with the Captain.. Vance, for as long as he lived, was sworn to never kill Thatcher.

Life went on, the two of them meeting often enough for a pair of pirates. They'd have their mock battles and be on their way, until years later when the younger Captain confessed his love and adoration for the other Captain. After deep consideration, some form of intimacy was established between the two of them. This of course was until Vance got overthrown from his own ship, Thatcher left for ten years to assume the man had been taken to his grave in the ocean. It was in this time that Thatcher became the most unhinged, earning himself the title of Pirate Lord by how he ruled over his portion of the sea with an unforgiving grip. Nothing amused him, nothing entertained him, and nothing brought him joy. He had no easy escape from this due to his forever beating heart, letting ruthlessness overcome him.

This was of course, until he learned of Vance's survival, and how he had a whole new ship. Had he been avoiding him, he wondered? Where was he? He had to find him, seek him out. And that's exactly what he did. He eventually found the man, boarding his ship and giving Vance his life. He laid down his sword before him, gave him his ship and crew, and swore to serve under him until the day he died. It is now that he does just that, serving as what many degradingly call the Captain's Dog. He'd have it no other way, finally satisfied with his life.

• He is a half-breed unicorn Exiltone
• He has a cursed heart, and no matter how injured it is, his heart will never die.
• He is fluent in nearly every main language the kingdoms have to offer, and plays violin and piano with exceptional skill.

Vance Baj

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Lover and Captain

His love for Vance boarderlines obsession, as there is no length he isn't willing to go to for the man. It is rare he spends a single night aboard his own ship, and not over in Vance's cabin on The Widow.