Zoomer

"I've seen many corpses. I've even created some. I wouldn't mind doing both again."

— Zoomer, to a now-deceased EITC Assassin

Zoomer is the only pirate of ZoomerStrife. He was originally created in 2010 in POTCO, but was lost in 2013 as a result of the game's shutdown. He was recreated in December of 2016, during TLOPO's semi-open beta. He is a Pirate Lord in the 9th Brethren Court, representing the Red Sea, and an officer of the court's central guild, The Outlanders.

Zoomer October 27, 1726 -
Personal Info
Name	Zoomer
Other Names/Aliases	Wolf
Birthplace	Havana, Cuba
Town of Residence	Sultry Falls, Tortuga
Allegiance	Himself, 9th Brethren Court
Family	Raven (mother, alive), Violet (aunt, alive), Unknown father (likely deceased)
Ships captained or crewed
Light Sloop	Midnight Star
Light Frigate	Midnight Raider
Pirate Lord of The Red Sea
Pirate King	Richard Cannonwalker
Office assumed	April 1, 1749
Office relinquished	Incumbent
Officer of The Outlanders
Guildmaster	Richard Cannonwalker
Office assumed	December 10, 1749
Office relinquished	Incumbent

Traits

Physique

Zoomer is a tall, well-built young man. His jet black hair and deep blue eyes have become a sort of symbol of both his charm and his ruthlessness. Little exposure to sunlight has left his skin pale and sensitive. His inscrutable expression has made him all the more menacing. He wears a dark black long-sleeve shirt, a dagger belt concealed in a sash, zombie trousers, and black boots.

Personality

Zoomer is a lawless brigand and lone wolf that, while vowing never to harm an innocent soul, has strict definitions of what "innocent" entails. His heinous acts - among them grand larceny and serial murder - have rocked the Caribbean. To the annoyance (and absolute horror) of EITC and Navy higher-ups, there isn't the smallest trace left of him at his countless crime scenes. His elusiveness is such that the Caribbean's citizens - most out of fear, yet some out of wonder - have dubbed him the "Midnight Marauder".

He is a dark chameleon, donning his victims' identities and using them to easily slip into massive warships and impregnable enemy facilities. He has described these adventures as "a thrilling little hobby", but whether he steals others' lives out of enjoyment or merely to escape his own is a mystery. He is a daredevil, and his feats leave even his colleagues astonished. Despite his recklessness, he is wise beyond his years, and his knowledge of the high seas is an indispensable asset to the court.

Zoomer is reticent, but those who have melted the ice enveloping his soul have found that there is not darkness under it. He operates on a twisted set of virtues that never cease to shock those around him. For example, he has never even drawn his blade in the presence of a child, and those who have lain their hands on one often find themselves at the top of his personal "wanted" list. He has also vowed to give most of his wealth away to charitable causes to better the lives of innocent civilians in destitute areas. Where a certain colleague was the "pirate all pirates abhor", this dichotomy has made Zoomer the "pirate all pirates study".

To strangers, Zoomer's stolid presence is almost overpowering, but his occasional witty remarks do evince a trace of dry humor. His wit is a boost to his colleagues' moral, and he is not the slightest bit unapproachable. In fact, in the presence of his closest friends, he becomes surprisingly social, and has no qualms about attending festivities with them. While they admire his fierce loyalty to the Caribbean and to freedom, they all share some pity for him; a man with a bright spirit darkened by forces he couldn't control.

In the end, the man behind the mystery may remain in hiding forever. Still, everyone in the high seas feels strongly about the "Midnight Marauder", and despite his cruel acts, those who know him also know his actions are driven by an unshaken will to better the world that failed him.

Combat Aptitude

Zoomer's slim physique and flexible arms have bestowed upon him an amazing amount of alacrity in battle. Although he resorts to mostly daggers, he is a master of all weapons - from cutlasses to muskets. In close-quarters combat, he can disembowel or otherwise incapacitate dazed enemies with ease. Additionally, he is adroit in long-range combat and a hawkeye. These battle skills have proven to be an invaluable asset to the court.

Biography

Overview

Origins

Zoomer, real name Wolf, was born in late 1726 in the scarcely populated slums of Havana, Cuba, then owned by the EITC. Conceived in a particularly destitute area by a naive lady pirate (pictured above) and a rookie Navy Cadet, he'd be abandoned by his father soon after. Mind clouded by helplessness and rage at the infant Wolf, his mother nearly drowned him in the swamps of Cuba when he was only a week old. He would survive, but only to be captured by EITC thugs and be sold into child slavery.

He was bought at an auction by an affluent EITC officer, Samuel, as a tool for his plantation for ten gold pieces. He was only four years old at the time. Working for the EITC, he grew to adopt their ruthless mindset but coated it with a passionate hatred of his own: hatred towards the EITC and Navy. His job from dawn to dusk was to pick primarily sugarcane, but also wheat and corn that would become funding and sustenance for the company.

On the plantation, he would meet his first two friends: Ben Badbane and Dog Dockdougal. Ben, roughly fourteen at the time, was the "eldest brother" and mentor of the other two. Despite having practically no clout in the plantation, he protected his younger brothers with love. Dog, roughly eleven, was a jocular young man who managed to soothe the trio's sorrow with his indomitable sense of humor. The trio would sneak away to Tia Dalma's Pantano River at night for Voodoo training and were sometimes given basic combat lessons from passerby pirates who would pity them on their way.

Rebirth

The plantation itself was one of the EITC's most valued. Practically all of the company's sugarcane and most of its cotton supply was raised and harvested there.

Wolf's spite toward the EITC reached a breaking point when a fellow plantation hand, Charles Callecutter, was lynched and killed by the EITC for "disobedience". Unbeknownst to the others, Wolf began a covert operation of his own. He became versed in basic chemistry after regular eavesdropping on conversations between EITC gypsies. He began to poison supplies, primarily sugarcane and wheat, with bacteria and viruses from a nearby morass.

The EITC began to experience massive amounts of casualties due to food poisoning. At the same time, a certain disillusioned EITC assassin became infuriated with the company and the inhumane way in which their plantations were run. The focus of attention was centered on one particular plantation: the one in Havana, Cuba. The assassin's fellow conspirators, however, betrayed him, and so his mentor took matters into their own hands.

Little did they know, a similar, but vastly more dastardly plot was being fabricated right before them.

Disaster

On one fateful eve, when Wolf was away on one of his supply poisoning trips, the plantation was burned down by two men with noble intentions: to set the slaves free. This did not sit well with Samuel, the plantation's owner.

Samuel, upon the burning down of his money source, summoned his small cadre of servants. There, amidst the voracious flames, they would behead any slave they saw. Ben, attempting to save Dog while trying to locate Wolf, was caught and killed. Dog wouldn't make it too far before tripping over another slave's corpse into a pit of hungry fire.

Wolf would return to find the once-bustling plantation desolate. A myriad of corpses - mostly of children - littered the area. As the murderers walked away from their murders, laughing maniacally, Wolf took a good look at their leaders - Samuel and his loyal dog, Zachariah Sharp. He found among the corpses a decapitated Ben and what he could only assume to be Dog in a pit, as he had been charred beyond any hope of recognition.

Tearing the remains of his former prison upside down in search of supplies while a flood of emotions and thoughts clouded his head, Wolf managed to find some supplies that should last him enough to reach the shores of Cuba and escape on stowaway. Searching Samuel's room, he found a basic EITC dagger and the ten gold pieces his life was valued at twelve years ago.

Bidding his fallen friends a brief but heartfelt farewell, the then sixteen year-old Wolf left for the shores of Cuba, hoping to become a stowaway to a safer place.

Avenge

After a three-day long trek to the Cuban coast, Wolf snuck aboard an EITC Corvette en route to Padres Del Fuego. Once he deemed their destination close enough, he confronted the two crew members and subdued them easily. With some rope, he tied them to parallel ends of one mast, and lit powder kegs next to them.

"W-what're you doing! You're under arrest!" Said the dazed captain, moments after waking up.

"That's good to know. I'll be living and under arrest while you're dead and underwater."

As Wolf abandoned the ship and swum to shore, an ear-splitting explosion came from behind him.

Samuel, who had just docked with his own ship, was en route with his entourage to Beckett's Quarry. Thanks to the distraction earlier, EITC officers had been dispatched to investigate, and security around the quarry was rather lax. The lone guard was knocked unconscious with ease, and Wolf followed the oblivious Samuel inside.

Once they had reached a discreet location and began to converse, Wolf chucked a smoke bomb at the crew and subdued the lowly guards with much ease thanks to his superior martial arts prowess. Samuel, who was swinging his sword around himself wildly in a daze, fell just as easily.

After taking the incapacitated Samuel to a small outpost in the center of the mines, Wolf tied him to a table with rope and dumped a nearby bucket of stagnant water on his face.

"Say, Samuel, have you ever considered wearing another hat?"

"...". The now-awake Samuel gazed wildly at Wolf with eyes that evinced a mix of both scorn and fear.

"Hmm... you'll be even more speechless when I make you your new hat. For this work of art, I'll be using the finest material..."

"...?" A wild-eyed Samuel looked at Wolf.

"...your intestines."

Wolf left a small token of his "condolences" for those who would discover Samuel's body amidst the gore: ten gold pieces. Just as much as his life was worth twelve years ago. He sauntered out of the mines, his path without obstacles. It was at that moment he became infatuated with the art of murder, and vowed to save the Caribbean from those who would wish to do piracy harm. However, his bloodlust was only half sated.

Zachariah Sharp still lived.

Mire

Samuel was found eviscerated a few hours later by his guards, sending the EITC and Fort Dundee into a panic, but the town into a frenzy of excitement and praise for the unknown hero. Just two days later, Wolf caught wind of Zachariah's escape plan through a mysterious letter from an unknown third party and ambushed the clueless coward on his light sloop.

"W-who are you? Get off my vessel at once, or face justice!"

"Justice? I'm actually here to deliver something to you..."

"Out with it!"

Wolf drew his concealed dagger from his sash and held it up to Zachariah's throat. "Your death."

Taking control of Sharp's Sea Viper, Wolf left Padres Del Fuego and dumped his body overboard into the depths of the Boiling Bay. He would redecorate the Sea Viper to his own tastes, and rename it the Miles. The murder of Samuel and the disappearance of Zachariah Sharp had caused the EITC to plunge into a panic, and that combined with the new dearth of food and funds forced them to close Forts Charles and Dundee, and EITC involvement in the high seas was in steep decline for upwards of a month.

Much like the Miles, Wolf was beginning a new life. He became an assassin for hire, targeting Navy and EITC officials. He did this to service the Caribbean through the only way he know: using the scum of the High Seas as outlets for his undying rage.

Allegiance

Wolf made a fortune for himself with his work, and his skills only grew sharper with every mission.

After five years of being free in the Caribbean, he had attracted the attention of various organizations. One of these, the Brethren Court, took a particularly strong liking to him and realized they needed someone as skilled and ruthless as him to infiltrate the enemy and make them vanish.

He met Richard Cannonwalker and Finn Hamm, two leading figures of the Court, during a short vacation in King's Arm. Delighted to both have new friends and to pledge official allegiance to the Caribbean, he gladly accepted their offer to join them as Pirate Lord.

Viewing this as an opportunity to start life anew, he discarded his childhood name and instead donned the nickname his colleagues had given him as his own...

"Zoomer"

Life On The High Seas

Some years before joining the court, however, Zoomer decided to become involved in Caribbean government. He sought a decent home in an environment in which he could rest at night after long expeditions and from which he could further his goals. A home fit for a pirate.

This led him to Sultry Falls, Tortuga; a small town just east of the island's massive, pirate-run metropolis: Abassa. Sultry Falls was prosperous; it was the home of the island's successful peddler and a site of great agricultural industry. The town and the island itself were sympathetic to pirate causes, and so Zoomer decided to take up residence in the paradise.

After perusing the area for a home, Zoomer found one up for sale and purchased it for the small price of 5,000 gold pieces. It was surprisingly large and comfortable for a shack: it was decorated, the walls were well-reinforced, there was a bedroom, and it was visually appealing both indoors and outdoors. Once he settled down, Zoomer quickly began to search for work.

It did not take very long to find it. On an afternoon trip into the Royal Caverns, Zoomer met ex-navyman Charles Clive. Charles had left the navy for a few reasons, namely boredom and rage. Having grown up in Port Royal, Clive saw first-hand the appealing public face of the navy, but him joining them would change his opinion of them quickly. Now, Clive vowed to impede the Navy's invasion of the Caribbean through any means possible, and Zoomer saw a kindred spirit in him.

Zoomer would learn that Charles, along with a ragtag band of lumberjacks, gypsies, and merchants, were part of a large Tortugan political party known as the Typhoons. They were strongly opposed to the Bowdash administration, and stood for the lowering of taxes on merchants, the introduction of embargos to EITC goods, and the strengthening of relationships with the pirates and their own economy.

After being accepted into their ranks, Zoomer quickly moved to strengthen support for the party. He traveled not only across Tortuga, but across the Caribbean in search of brothers-in-arms. His unique way with words and his amorphous social skills proved to be a boon to the party as it saw its membership skyrocket. All across the Caribbean, pirates were becoming involved in local government, particularly in islands like Cuba and Padres Del Fuego. This earned him the admiration of those within his party, the annoyance of those opposed to it, and the attention of some higher forces.

The leader of the Typhoons was the popular long-time mayor of Abassa, Bernard Warren. Among his greatest feats were the establishment of King's Arm and the protection of the Tortuga mainland from Navy and EITC forces. Upon hearing of Zoomer's work, he took a particularly strong interest in him. Zoomer was summoned to Abassa's town hall on a chilly December morning in 1746, and there was crowned the chairman of the party's outreach committee at just 20 years old.

This new power put him in a position to contact massive outside forces such as notorious pirate guilds. A notable encounter was with Richard Cannonwalker, who at the time was the former Pirate King of the 8th Brethren Court and had returned to life as a private citizen. The two met in Faithful Bride on a frigid February eve to discuss the ailing economy, which had been wrecked by a recession the prior September, and the ever-increasing Navy and EITC population.

"Now, more than ever, the Caribbean needs new leadership. Will you ever return to your old job?"

"Perhaps, but I need some time to think now."

Cannonwalker would return to his Padres estate, but Zoomer kept both his day and night jobs. It is unknown if either of them remembered the meeting two years later.

Zoomer had become a leadership figure not only for the Typhoons, but across the Caribbean, despite his true identity remaining concealed. He mentored young, upcoming new pirates and led frequent expeditions into Navy and EITC strongholds. He was respected throughout the community as he worked to ensure freedom's survival.

Even now, as a Pirate Lord, Zoomer returns to his home town of Sultry Falls regularly to sleep once again in his own comfy bed and greet his old colleagues.

To be continued...

Gallery

Ever-faithful.

Calming.

Poignant.

Gallant.

Charming.

Hopeful.

Ominous.

Terrifying.