The Realmgard stories feature an ever-growing cast of characters.
Please allow me to introduce you to several of the most prominent citizens of the Free Mercantile City of Porthaven.
Meet the Sisters Darkstone…
A pirate and her big sister, ready for anything Realmgard might throw at them.
Age: 10
Occupation: pirate
Likes: adventure, treasure, Princess Moonflower
Dislikes: boredom, quiet, doubters
“Armed with her trusty wooden sword, cork gun, and big sister and seemingly blessed with inexhaustible good luck, Dunstana has made herself a fixture of Porthaven’s Dock District and has earned at least the grudging respect of most of the city’s other pirates.
However, Realmgard’s pirates are a proud and contentious lot, and some particularly stubborn, old-fashioned pirates are reluctant to acknowledge a ten-year-old girl as a legitimate member of the profession. Dunstana is, of course, resolved to prove these doubters and naysayers wrong.
Or at least settle for kicking them all in the shins in the interim…”
Age: 15
Occupation: Freelance adventurer; part-time sales associate, full-time big sister
Likes: pudding, sleep, couches, small animals
Dislikes: hassle, her middle name, mortal peril, low doorframes
“Much to her chagrin, Kat often finds herself being a reluctant pirate in all but name. As the big sister of one of Porthaven’s most noteworthy up-and-coming (ten-year-old) pirates, Kat often has no choice but to chase after Dunstana as she plunges headlong towards adventure trying to make a name for herself as a pirate, leaving Kat as something as an official unofficial member of the Porthaven Raiders.
Although outwardly taciturn and gruff, and fond of leisure by nature, Kat is steadfastly loyal to her friends and family and can be trusted to do the right thing, albeit while usually (and loudly) making known her objections to exertion and mortal danger. Kat also has a long-standing affection for small, cute animals, though she is not usually quick to admit this.
She is, of course, a cat person.”
…Their Family
Kat and Dunstana’s loving parents, plus the best-read ten-year-old you’ll ever meet.
Age: 38
Occupation: Outfitter, Working Mom
Likes: Her family, business acumen
Dislikes: her family being mortally imperilled
“Though her decision to marry a notorious pirate bewildered many of her friends, her marriage to Dorian Darkstone has proven happy and loving and has given them two daughters, Kat and Dunstana. Despite her obligations running the Emporium, Estelle always prioritises her family and home life.
Outwardly calm and dignified, Estelle will occasional allow her businesslike facade to slip, revealing her inward sense of humour and adventure.
Similarly, she is fiercely protective of her loved ones and will respond to any threats with a ferocity comparable to that of a mother bear with swords for hands and other, smaller swords for fingers, and a repertoire of dirty tactics learned from her husband and his piratical associates.”
Age: 42
Occupation: pirate (retired), part-time seller of nautical bric-a-brac
Likes: grog, booty (no, not that kind; grow up), the family legacy
Dislikes: the youth, aging, that someone clearly snuck into his wardrobe and shrank all his clothes
“He also once boarded a merchantman bound for Pelayo and caused the crew no harm but to demand the sailors’ literal hats, his own crew having lost theirs the night before during a particularly wild night of carousing.
Even among the lengthy annals of the Brotherhood of the Coasts, Dorian’s career stands out and legendary, and he is more than happy to tell anyone with ears, regardless of their own thoughts on the matter. Dorian is particularly concerned in teaching the youth of today a thing or two, in hopes that they might just learn something useful.”
Age: 10
Occupation: child genius, honorary assistant professor
Likes: learning, books, her dad, rules
Dislikes: eye contact, heights, disregard for rules, most kinds of smells
“Annie has read more books in her ten years than some people own altogether, leading to the not entirely inaccurate claim that she spends more time at the library than at home. She has also displayed a remarkable ability to retain any information she has read.
Due to her young age, combined with her personality quirks — her aversion to eye contact, fondness for touching flat surfaces, and insistence that every must be just so (the fork goes on the left) — Annie often has difficulty being taken seriously, despite usually being right.
She’s learned to live with it.
And has learned to be magnanimous in victory when she is inevitably proven right.”
…& Friends
The very best of BFFs.
Age: 15
Occupation: debutante, professional Best Friend
Likes: Kat, etiquette, fashion, noblesse oblige
Dislikes: the ill-mannered, bandits, not having a mother
“Exacting by nature and well-versed in social mores after many years of etiquette school, Amara is not one to suffer fools or the ill-mannered and is one to let said fools and ill-mannered individuals know it. However, despite her sharp tongue and short temper, Amara is nevertheless magnanimous enough to find a level of patience for those who at least make an effort to comport themselves with some level of dignity.
Even as her best friend, Kat is not entirely exempt from Amara’s attempts to spread poise and proper decorum throughout the world. Although Amara largely restricts herself to the occasional gentle nudge, or jab to the ribs, she continues to work towards the ultimate goal of making a proper lady out of her best friend.
She has been thus far unsuccessful.”
Age: 8
Occupation: Baker’s daughter, Responsible One
Likes: Baking, Dunstana, Kat’s calming influence on Dunstana, peace and quiet
Dislikes: Dunstana’s latest crazy scheme, adventure in general
“Unlike her best friend, Ginger is not the adventurous sort and is not often eager to leave the comfortable familiarity of her family bakery. In general, the most daring, adventurous thing she wants to do is try a new cake recipe. Of course, when Dunstana Darkstone is involved, even baking a cake becomes an adventure in itself.
Although Ginger has a deep dislike for adventure, she does nevertheless enjoying the opportunity to spend time with Dunstana and her sister Kat. Ginger admires Dunstana’s free spirit and determination. Similarly, she admires Kat’s cool, collected stoicism, physical skills — and, most of all, her ability to rein in Dunstana.”
Age: 21
Occupation: graduate student of Magicology at the University of Porthaven
Likes: academia, magic, teasing Kat
Dislikes: being named for someone famous, wild speculation about her paternity
“As the daughter of a single mother working as a pirate, the earliest years of Scarlet’s life were highly migratory and Scarlet’s first permanent home was with her aunt, who took in Scarlet while her mother continued to advance her piratical career.
It was Scarlet’s aunt her first fostered and encouraged Scarlet’s scholarly and magic interests, though her mother did send money back to ensure Scarlet would never want for new books or magical instruments.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Scarlet has little interest in following her mother — and, she assumes, her father — into a career in piracy. This is something she has in common with Kat Darkstone, one of her longtime friends. In fact, Scarlet’s mother Mariposa Mendez and Kat’s father Dorian Darkstone are both longtime members of the Brotherhood of the Coasts, and were once involved in a brief but torrid love affair. Scarlet, however, has assurances from both parties that she is not Kat’s secret older sister.”
Age: 22
Occupation: First mate of the Porthaven Raiders
Likes: offering sober second thought,her grandfather
Dislikes: Feeling like the only adult onboard, getting hassled for having a ten-year-old boss, eggplant
“By necessity something of a rigid disciplinarian in comparison to her captain’s mercurial free spirit, Jimena has become quite good at creatively interpreting Dunstana’s orders to deliver the most effective outcome. Similarly, she has a keen gift for offering alternatives to her young captain in such a way that Dunstana is able to claim them as her own ideas in the first place.
In addition to her famous grandfather, Jimena hails from a family which derives its name from a renowned warrior who famously slew a monstrous sea serpent known as an Orc. Her middle name is also an indirect reference to this act, borrowing from Duke Mercurio, another famous hero to slay an Orc.
Despite her lofty lineage, Jimena is a woman of few grand ambitions. She is content to remain a Porthaven Raider, but determined to shape the Raiders into the most effective and successful crew possible.”
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Realmgard can be found in the Encyclopedia Realmgardica, which I make sure to regularly update:
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