Stonejaw - A Writing Sample
Matthias Mayford, historian,
adventurer, and ex-navigator for Jeremy Rand has devoted the past year and a
half to recording every detail of the people, places, flora and fauna of The
Swordfish Islands he could. With the help of his assistant Zilbee we have procured
a page of his notes on Stonejaw that we will share with you below the break!
Name: Stonejaw (real name unknown)
TL;DR: A true killer. Loyal. Pure
Self-Control.
Ht: 6'10
Wt: 375lbs
Age: 33
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Grey
Manner of dress: Pants and vest,
coat or shirtless due to his size and difficulty keeping shirts intact
Occupation: Jeremy Rand's Body
Guard, Hired Killer
Temperament: mild,
disinterested, restrained
Value for Life: none, kills
indiscriminately
Respect for Authority: Little if any, but
enjoyed militaristic structure in his youth
Loyalties: Jeremy Rand
Combat style: Brawling, Brutal,
improvised weapons, takes pain without flinching
Usually found: At Rand's left
side or in his very own sofa chair in a back corner of the Virgin Berth
The first time I saw Stonejaw he was about to be thrown below decks
on The Fooled Albatross to become an oarsman. My task at the time was to
catalogue the vessel's newly acquired prisoners, noting any tattoos, piercings,
or other features that could be used to identify them should they escape. Our
meeting was necessarily brief, and I only recall the situation due to Stonejaw's immense size, and stench. Dysentery
has a very specific odor and he seemed so far gone to it that I drew a small
skull next to his name in the ledger.
The second time I saw
Stonejaw
he was knocking down the door to my chambers during Finnegan's Mutiny of The
Fooled Albatross several years later. I was left quite speechless. Not because
of the shattered door or broken saber at my throat, but because this man had
survived the worst case of dysentery I'd ever seen, and he'd done it in the
stinking dark below decks. Thankfully Zilbee's quick tongue, and the deal she
struck with Jeremy Rand saved us from Stonejaw and the rest of the mutineers that
day.
Since the mutiny, I
have come to know the man well enough through adventure and drink to consider
him a trusted ally but I doubt he considers anyone a true friend. Perhaps
Jeremy Rand, but even then I can't help but think Stonejaw's fierce loyalty springs more from a
sense of obligation and respect than feelings of fondness for Jeremy's character
or camaraderie. We are all better off having Stonejaw around and on our side, than not.
Despite his slow wit and excessive size his senses are keen, and he is often
the first to spot trouble no matter how veiled or hidden it may be.
It is a rare thing to
hear Stonejaw
speak, and even more rare to hear him speak about himself, so I know little of
his past. The information I have managed to cobble together points to a harsh
childhood filled with surprise beatings from his keepers which I suspect contributed
greatly to his current skills of supreme silence and alertness. Based on the
way he sometimes pronounces his "L"s and "R"s I speculate
that he hails from the farmlands west of Reywish, and I am further convinced
that he spent time on a farm during his formative years by the single
conversation I have witnessed him interrupt. Shortly after arriving on Rand's
Retreat I became engaged in a rather heated discussion with Belly over the
proper techniques to aerate and irrigate raised vegetable gardens. After
fifteen minutes of heated exchanges between us at the crew table in the Virgin
Berth, Stonejaw
drained his lager, slammed the mug down, told us we were both idiots, and then
proceeded to detail an ingenious technique in thirty seconds before walking
away in disgust. We use Stonejaw's
technique to this day.
It has been my hope
to see new life bloom within Stonejaw
here on these islands, but outwardly he appears to be the same silent
juggernaut, deliberate in his actions, and apparently disinterested in anything
except his eternal vigil against any danger that comes Captain Rand's way. When
not shadowing the captain (and it's amazing how much like a shadow this giant
can become) Stonejaw
can be found drinking in Virgin Berth, surrounded by Faye's most beautiful and
desirable female whores. He looks to enjoy their company at the table, going so
far as to kill anyone that roughs them up, but he never spends any time with
them in the rooms upstairs, preferring instead to spend coin on the men.
In the end it should
never be forgotten that Stonejaw
is a killer. Clean, thorough, methodical and cold blooded. Because his physical
strength and size are so obvious, in the view of this old writer, self control
is his most overlooked strength. Having seen the fire in his eyes as he kicks
down a door, should he ever abandon his restraint the ocean itself would not be
large enough to separate him from his enemy....
0 comments:
Post a Comment