Fallows Zayne

From Bestiary of the Hypogriph

Template:Person

Didn't you know? The city was named after me! I am the aforementioned "Dead Man", heheheheh...
โ€” Fallows Zayne, intimidating some unfortunate merchants

Fallows Zayne, formerly Falkwell von Aschenbrener, is the modern Pirate King of Dead Man's Bay. Commandeering over the ghost vessel known as the Davy Jones, Zayne is arguably the most feared pirate of all of Telamon, terrorizing the seas from west to east in equal measure, amassing uncountable treasures and infamy along the way.

History[edit | edit source]

Fallows refuses to tell of his past to others in the modern day, but it is known to the older vampires of Duskwood; the man named Falkwell was born at the city of Dreadwharf, serving as a prestigious commander of the local fleets, ensuring the seas were safe from the likes of pirates or Tusclander raiders. He was worthy enough in life that the von Aschenbrener family approached him, leading Falkwell to receive the Blood Kiss from none other than Count Varelos himself, who named him one of his champions and gifted him with the powerful artifact known as the Haemophagist. Falkwell served along the von Aschenbrener for the next 200 years, becoming the count of Dreadwharf, until he fell in battle to the hands of Aldireian crusaders attacking the region; unable to kill the vampire, the crusaders instead trapped Falkwell into his own coffin with chains of cold iron and threw him into the sea as a mockery over his rule over the port city, leading the rest of the von Aschenbrener family to believe him dead.

Falkwell spent at least a century encased within the coffin, only surviving through the power of the Haemophagist which he had managed to keep in his person, until by mere chance, he was discovered by pirates sailing across the southern coast of Natelar; while they believed the coffin to hold treasure due to its religious markings and chains, they instead freed the vampire, half-mad from hunger and isolation, who proceeded to butcher the crew in a frenzy. By that point, he had forgotten most of his former life, instead only remembering the von Aschenbrener and how they seemed to have abandoned him. Using necromancy to raise the dead crew as zombie servants, the vampire took the ship and begun terrorizing the seas.

The figure known as Fallows Zayne became famed across the pirate crews of the world, for his deeds rivalled those of their greatest captains. The Council o' Captains of Dead Man's Bay approached the vampire and offered him a seat among them, and at 2640 3E, he would be chosen to serve as Pirate King following his predecessor's arrest by Dalmiric authorities.

Features[edit | edit source]

Fallows Zayne is a fearsome human vampire, standing at a meter and ninety and sporting a sickly, gray-blue skin due to the years trapped underwater, as well as long, white hair. He wears a black and red leather longcoat over a suit of vampiric plate armor, as well as an eyepatch over his left eye, lost long ago in battle. His weapon of choice, the Haemophagist, is a sacred artifact of the demon lord Analuhati which causes those struck by it to bleed permanently - while he was a fervent worshipper of the demon before, he holds no religious allegiance in the current day. In his off hand, he wields a powerful handgun crafted by dwarven smiths serving among the crew of Dead Man's Bay, and often uses both the sword and the gun in equal measure in combat. Fallows is a terrifying duelist, with his prowess being rivalled only by the likes of Count Varelos.

A sadistic and cruel individual, Fallows Zayne embodies the worst traits of piracy, being a merciless outlaw who slaughters any who may stand in the way of whatever riches he sets his eye on. He is untrustworthy and leads largely through fear, though is known to retain some of his former von Aschenbrener sense of honour by favoring his most renowned crewmates and granting them his Blood Kiss. Zayne's relations with the Council o' Captains are somewhat strained; his skill in piracy is without a doubt fantastic, but he tends to do as he pleases, only really keeping the Council's word in mind when it suits him. He holds a deep hatred for the worshippers of Aldirei, and any who crosses his path is bound to a fate worse than death.

Relationships[edit | edit source]

  • Allies
    • Council o' Captains - Zayne serves the interests of the Council as far as he is willing to. Despite his attitude, he is not the worst Pirate King they've ever had to deal with.
  • Ambivalent
    • Axshuai of the Serpent Blood - Fallows is unamused by Axshuai's rumoured divine heritage, considering himself far worse than anything she could be.
    • Pelagrios Wavebreaker - Fallows sees Pelagrios as a coward, too nice to be a true pirate.
    • Ookin Dookinton - Fallows treats his ship's resident vermin better than he would ever treat Ookin.
  • Enemies
    • Varelos von Aschenbrener - Zayne believes the count of Duskwood left him for dead, and wishes to see him and all his family reduced to cinders. While he doesn't go out of his way to attack them, he enjoys raiding the coast of Duskwood over anywhere else.
    • N'hali Brineheart - Zayne sees N'hali as a strong rival, for he too is a cursed undead monster of the seas, though he feels absolutely no sympathy for him.

See also[edit | edit source]