Serial Killer Hit 3: Blow The Man Down Part II
A Sea Faring Killer in A Small Vessel
In SK Hit 1: That would explain being able to get very close to Captain Bartholomew Westcott as he lay dying(?) on the wreckage of his sunken ship,
The Catfish in the first Serial Killer Hit
In SK Hit 2: on Captain Angela Tasman of the good ship
Emerald Princess the Scenario Title itself makes an oblique reference to the Beach Boy’s song “Sloop. John B” - I feel so broke up, I want to go home.
In SK Hit 3: It’s likely to assume that
Tube Rider, was shadowed by a smaller vessel to the island where Captain Mon Claire was intent on seeking clues. A smaller vessel has a low profile, is manoeuvrable and quick and would be able to shadow the Tube Rider from a distance without drawing attention from the
Tube Rider.
A small vessel would also be capable of drawing in close to shore in shallow waters on the other side of the island.
I can’t see
Captain Jessop in his Rowing Boat (if it’s still around) keeping track with a Brigantine, no matter how many Six Million Doubloon enhancements have been invested in him.
The small/medium vessels that stand out because of the previous reference in
SK Hit 2 are the
Sloops:
Captain Santiago Ortiz: Sloop
Captain Nova Piestewa: Sloop
Captain Jack Blackwater: Sloop
I have deliberately excluded
Captain William Cleene’s Sloop of War, because the armament and design of a Sloop of War came at a compromise - ship speed and profile. Reduced speed and a more pronounced profile.
The only other small/medium vessel that has a low profile vessel is the rather unique Kobukson commanded by the
Dread Captain Rabbit.
While there is debate on the exact capabilities of the Kobukson, (known as the Turtle Boat because of the alleged iron cladding it was said to have), including it’s exact speed, size and maneuverability, the ship itself has a unique profile unlike that of European sailing ships which would lend itself to being able to shadow the Tube Rider.
Granted, we may not know how efficient the crew of the
Tube Rider were, so the other small/medium ships cannot be ruled out. These include:
Captain Darsa: Barbary Corsair
Captain Gentleman Jack Morgan: Brigantine
Captain Cesare (Cuirasse) Bontempe: Caravel
Captain Mystique: Single Masted Schooner
Captain Caitri Ambrai-Greystone: Schooner
Captain Bloody Rich: Schooner
SK Hit 2 and
SK Hit 3 do seem to hint at the Serial Killer’s disdain (or contempt) for the particular sea going vessels commanded by Captain Angela Tasman and Captain Mon Claire, a
Dutch Schoener and a
French Brigantine respectively.
The
Tube Rider may have received scorn because of its own flamboyant appearance. What the two have in common is that the Serial Killer appears to draw some satisfaction from the fact that both the
Emerald Princess and the
Tube Rider are now without Captains. Cut off the head, so to speak.
Is this possible size envy? Hard to say although each of the three Captain-less vessels are significantly larger than a Sloop.
No definitive clues although the destruction of Captain Westcott’s East Indiaman,
The Catfish in
SK Hit 1 and the predicament the dying Captain finds himself in is a source of amusement to the Serial Killer.
A Peculiar Attitude
The Serial Killer has a rather vicious sense of irony and sarcasm when it comes to either mocking the dispatched Captain’s or disposing of them.
In SK Hit 1 Captain “Mean Bart” Westcott is mocked for being not so mean, and is taunted by being called a kitten and food for the fishes - ironic for one who commanded
The Catfish.
In SK Hit 2 Captain Angela Tasman is mocked by being called “Darling” (referenced to her earlier altercation in the bar) and the Serial Killer remarks callously that she will be sent home to “daddy.”
In SK Hit 3 Captain Mon Claire’s words literally come back to bite him, when the Serial Killer runs him through. The Serial Killer in his or her thinking bases the decision to take out Captain Mon Claire on his rather flamboyant and offensive dress sense, not to mention the pain all those seamstresses and cows had to go through to outfit him.
Killing In The Name Of...
The Serial Killer is far more dangerous and unpredictable than the Mafia, because the Serial Killer is a rogue card in play, and has the potential to turn both all players against each other with each Serial Kill that is made. The movements of the Serial Killer tend to be deliberate, calculated and precise.
In SK Hit 1: The Serial Killer doesn’t really have to do much to dispose of Captain Westcott. It’s not clear whether the dying Captain was pushed off the piece of wreckage he was floating on, or as suggested by others, the Serial Killer decided to speed up the killing process by dumping bait (flesh and/or blood) into the ocean to attract the natural predators to the scene of
The Catfish’s destruction.
In SK Hit 2: we are given a slightly clearer picture. The Serial Killer has no problem in walking into a tavern (granted it was full of pirates), and punching out Captain Tasman. This is a rather blatant act of violence, yet nobody does anything to stop the Serial Killer from striking Captain Tasman or taking her away to be disposed of.
The registration of shock upon Captain Tasman’s face could mean that she recognized her assailant, or that her assailant was intimidating and/or scarred. Enough that no-one in the tavern lifted a finger or spoke a word against the Serial Killer who waltzed out with his prize.
Captain Tasman is also disposed of in a manner that would be familiar to those who have worked, or lived around the shipping towns and ports. We can only assume that Captain Tasman would either drown in the sunken barrel, or if it was airtight due to the content of the merchant barrels being carried out to the waiting ships, then she suffocated beneath the waves in the weighted down barrel.
SK Hit 3: is deliciously ironic and vicious. Captain Mon Claire comments about running through his crew, and the Serial Killer decides that what goes around, comes around. Captain Mon Claire is run through. Nothing fancy, just a good old fashioned killing.
There are plenty of Pirate Captain’s who could have knocked out Captain Tasman, and used a sword (or other piercing weapon) to skewer Captain Mon Claire.
The only two who could be excused from doing either by lack of physical ability would be
Captain Ginger Ears and
Dominic the Parrot.
We’re looking for someone who is intimidating and/or scarred, and has no compulsion about punching out a woman in a crowded tavern or skewering Captain Mon Claire.
This person would also have to be familiar with merchant ships and how they’re supplied, and can quietly remain hidden from view in the jungle while observing Captain Mon Claire and his crew.
Captain Caine has an “imposing build” but there’s no mention of any stealth type abilities, experience with merchant vessels (other than escorting them and looting them), and it would seem out of character for a former Royal Naval Officer to blatantly punch a woman in the face.
Captain Mystique is certainly capable of stealth, and her patron was Panther Pete. She can certainly handle a man, but the only reference to use of a weapon is a knife.
Captain Greystone isn’t a subtle Captain, but she has been known to disguise herself as a man and did grow up around a fishing village (although that doesn’t necessarily include a port that had merchant trade).
She won’t back away from a fight, suggesting that the good Captain can fight, and she’s incredibly well armed. Captain Greystone “always has her cutlass, flintlocks, several daggers hidden upon her and boarding ax on her.” Captain Greystone also “has a wicked Irish temper and sharp tongue to match it. She is quick to end any argument with a quick tongue lashing or by slitting a throat.”
Captain Dread Rabbit is “feared and respected in her own right” but there’s no mention of her physical or stealth prowess.
Captain Santiago Ortiz is no stranger to the ways of stealth (thieving ways) and the name of his Caravel, the
Huracán or Hurricane fits in with the title of
SK Hit 3 - “Blow the Man Down.” While we don’t know the Captain’s physical prowess (aside from his ability to take a beating), the flag of the
Huracán does mention “two crossing spears on a black background” - A spear could easily have been used to run Captain Mon Claire through, but the association is tenuous.
Colonel James O'Connor is a competent Naval Captain, but he “typically doesn't usually involve himself in fighting other pirates, unless they get in his way.”
Captain Darsa is familiar with portside towns and is “a respected and somewhat feared Captain; her casual disregard for those not of her crew is legendary.” Her appearance is also marred by a “single visible scar lines her face from her left earlobe to her chin; the surgeon who stitched it did an amazing job and she is proud of the thin line proclaiming that she is a fighter, and is more than willing to tell the tale of what she did to the sailor who gave her that mark.”
Captain Darsa also “keeps herself as fit as she could, as she knows her physical strength and agility will help keep her alive and a contender among so many men.”
The only weapon noted is her 18th Birthday present, “a silver-hilted stiletto.”
Captain Darsa also “dresses well normally” and “she loves fine fabrics and colors.”
Could Captain Mon Claire have been an affront to Captain Darsa's fashion sense and Captain Tasman have been seen as a contender for the affections of men?
She also likes to let her hair “down now and again, to flow in the wind like her own banner.” Blow the Man Down as a reference?
Captain Jessop is physically imposing. He’s a patchwork of flesh and parts grafted onto him by a Parisian surgeon.
His ribcage had been replaced with an old oak rum barrel, his left arm was his own flesh and bone that had been grafted onto the barrel using some kind of gluey stuff, while the right was replaced entirely with a wooden socket allowing for all manner of useful attachments; such as a cutlass, musket, a cast iron pillaging rod and a harlot tickler.
The right arm of Captain Jessop could easily be used to knock out Captain Tasman and ironically stuff her in a barrel; and to run Captain Mon Claire through with a iron pillaging rod.
However, there’s the nagging question of how exactly Captain Jessop would have got to the island to kill Captain Mon Claire in the first place,
Captain Cleene might take offense to Captain Mon Claire’s dress sense, but it’s stated that Captain Cleene prefers to avoid fights.
Captain Lilith has been “assaulted by pirates, captured, and then ransomed several years later had taken it's toll on her worldly views as well as her body and mind.
From that point on, a fire burned inside a soulless mass, and an indomitable will was driven to extremes to reforge a broken self into a weapon to capable of saiting it's need for vengence on the kindred of those that had robbed her of her childhood and innocence.
More agile and as equally trained in blade then any man, superbly trained with the bullwhip, and possessing a wit and insight few possessed on the seas she slowly built a following.”
Not a Captain you would want to tangle with, and certainly capable of dispatching anyone who crossed her way. However getting to the Island undetected in a First Class Ship of the Line would be difficult at best.
Captain Rosa might have a fearsome appearance and reputation as the “ruthless female captain of The Golden Sunset - the Captain with a slashed throat and tremendous sharpened hook in place of her right hand”; but it would be difficult to sail a Man-O-War to the island where Captain Mon Claire was dispatched without being detected. And running someone through with a hooked hand? Not likely, this is a female Pirate Captain we’re talking about, not
Candyman.
Captain Piestewa knows the ways of stealth - a former smuggler and a thief. This could also include knowledge of transportation of merchant barrels, the type used to dispose of Captain Tasman. Captain Piestewa also has a reputation and “when her temper flares, she’s a force to be reckoned with.”
It’s possible that the antics of Captain Tasman annoyed Captain Piestewa and she decided to make an example of the Dutch Captain, and the somewhat amusing but warped reasoning for disposing of Captain Mon Claire could tie in with Captain Piestewa’s reputation as being “a little bit of a lunatic.”
Captain Devilish Mary Williamson is “something of a force to be reckoned with”, is no stranger to disguise and can fight as well as any boy (or sailor).
Captain Gentleman Jack Morgan is “a well-built and strong man, yet not exceptionally so. He is a competent swordsman, but his true strength in battle comes from his savagery and raw animal cunning.” We know that he is “victims and enemies, he is one of the most brutal and ruthless men on the Spanish Main.”
“Civilians and merchants fear him” and Captain Jack Morgan has been left “with one eye, no nose, and four lips. Even though a full beard would do much to hide this wound, the Gentleman is one of very few clean-shaven pirates.”
“Despite his terrifying visage, the Gentleman's dress is more suited to a European noble than a pirate baron and he speaks English, Dutch, and Spanish elegantly and articulately.”
Gentleman Jack Morgan might have taken offense to Captain Mon Claire, but it would seem out of character for the self-confessed gentleman to punch Captain Tasman in the face.
Captain Jack Blackwater has a fearsome reputation, based on rumors and he is a “massive man, well over 6 ft and seemingly as broad shouldered and brawney as he is tall. Jet black hair, wild and unkempt, adding to his savage appearance, shining black eyes peering from his bearded and olive skinned face, a long white scar starting over ihs right eye and running across his crooked nose to his left cheek a reminder of one of the many close calls he has faced.”
Captain Blackwater’s Sloop, the Bloody Rose is also claimed to be “fast, silent, and light,” the perfect vessel for shadowing another ship such as the Tube Rider.
Other than Captain Bloody Rich growing up in a fishing village that may or may not have had a port, there’s no indication that he is the Serial Killer from the Scenario’s played out in
SK Hits 1-3.
Really not feeling well tonight due to illness. Will be around to vote though.
