Editing Mortal Peril/Fisher (section)

=Bio=

The man who would come to be known as Fisher was born, fittingly, in a small fishing village on the west coast of the Blessed Isle.  His family was successful, as fishers go, but their acceptance of tradition and their place in the world didn't seem to pass on to their son.  Even at a very young age Fisher was prone to go his own way, notorious but popular within the village for his combination of recklessness and boyish charm.  Growing up meant more pressure to work the nets as his parents did, and their parents before them, but Fisher decided that he was meant for bigger things.  Perhaps a little inflated by being the darling of the only place he'd ever known, Fisher was quite certain he could and should be living a life of adventure and thrills.  As soon as they would take him he joined the Imperial Navy, almost on a whim.

The Navy's discipline didn't suit Fisher at all.  After only a few months he happily deserted his ship, and quickly vanished farther into the West than they would bother chasing him.  For a long time he made his way on little but charm, courage, and luck, and took easily to the rough life of a sailor.  For many years he had nothing like a long-term home--he would bounce from ship to ship, and in between he would talk his way into an extended stay in the local villages scattered throughout the islands.  And of course, he would hit the ports for a few nights of fun whenever he managed to put some money together.  Though technically a foreigner, in just a month or two Fisher often came to be treated almost as family, and he has left a long string of friends and lovers all over the West.

As a naturally charismatic leader, Fisher was popular with the crews of the ships he worked on and rose in status over time. He also took well to the way Westerners dealt with their local gods, directly rather than through the Immaculate faith. Appeasing spirits was a matter of course out on the ocean, and Fisher recognized that there was potential power in dealing with them.   He made a point of learning from shamans in the places he stayed, and combined with his own trial and error, he eventually became adept at currying favour from spirits. He knew the favours and bargains he could get from the gods would give him an edge on the ocean, an edge that he would spin into wealth and prestige.

Fisher began taking officers postings on vessels, and for longer stints.  He was indiscriminate about what kind of jobs he did, and while running cargos could pay off, there was certainly a fair bit of smuggling and piracy to go along with it.  His talent got him hired into captain's positions in short order, running ships for those wealthy enough to sit back and let him take the risks on the waves for them.  There were many notable successes that spread his name, but more than a few bitter losses as well--Fisher was willing to take bold risks, impressive when they worked but catastrophic when the didn't.  He gained a reputation as someone who could get impressive results, but not necessarily the most reliable ones, which in turn lead to jobs that tended to be short-term, high risk/high reward deals.  That suited Fisher sense of adventure just fine; no matter how badly things fell apart, he kept moving and managed to find something new.

As any ambitious ship captain would, Fisher craved a vessel that was truely his own.  He managed to get one in a hired privateering job, taking the more loyal members of his crew over to the captured ship and claiming it for himself.  His career progressed along much the same path, save that he was freer to decide what jobs he wanted to go for rather than wait for the opportunities.  His brazen ambition caught up with him more than once, but one of his lowest points was resorting to selling off shipfuls of dead bodies to Skullstone, a practice which more than once paid off a debt that otherwise have could have meant his end.  It was in his business dealings with Skullstone that he met Melancholy Sky, a woman he would come across again later.

Fisher's latest turn of ill fortune was a large one, and the one that cost him his ship.  He and his ship were hired by a powerful Guild merchant to bring in some very valuable cargo.  Things went bad--Fisher may have ''exaggerated'' about his letter of marque, and may have made some unwise guarantees--and sadly the entire affair ended with Fisher sending his own ship to the bottom, cargo and all.  Needless to say, powerful Guild merchants don't take kindly to having their valuables sunk; this one seems to be torn between ruining Fisher's life for spite, recouping his losses from Fisher's personal property, and simple revenge-killing.  So far, he's tried all three.

Low on crew and friends (both dried up when his luck soured), with no ship and and dodging his newest enemy, the place on Amon's ship came at a very opportune time.  The chance to sail a wealthy scavenger lord around looking for treasure promised to be interesting at the very least, one of Fisher's primary considerations.  Plus, it paid.  He's gained the loyalty of a number of Amon's crew, and he's begun to build up a bit of money, and is just starting to feel that the wheel of fate is turning in his favour once again.