Captain Kohl Stryker - Fox - Corsair - Neutral

Personality:


The harshness of corsair life has beaten the 'pacifist' right out of him; Stryker, now 25, presents himself as a cold, calculating pirate who's used to taking more direct methods to get what he wants. Though he is fair to the crewbeasts serving under him, Stryker isn't the kind of pirate who allows others to forget their place – even if it means a sharp kick here or a cold, abrasive tongue-lashing there – least of all himself, and takes his job as Captain extremely seriously. The corsair lifestyle has taught him the value of living things, as his existence is marked by death of both enemies and friends, and the seemingly futile attempts to escape the unforgiving whims of Lady Misfortune. He has seen stupidity firsthand and has come to despise it, loathing 'foolish deaths' above all else – for example, the searat who falls overboard and drowns because he never learned to swim, or the wounded weasel who dies of his wounds because of an incompetent doctor. Stryker has sailed with some of the worst creatures one can imagine, ranging from beasts who were horrible at their chosen craft, had bad aim, or just a downright nastiness that's caught up with them later thanks to karma. He's always been good about learning from one's mistakes, and they don't always have to be his own for him to walk away with a new piece of knowledge or advice, Stryker careful to glean as much as he can from every seafaring experience possible.

Sharp of tongue, wit and nature, Stryker is a determined young fox, almost to the point of obsession, often times allowing himself to be completely consumed by a singular idea, which sometimes costs him the lives of those beside him. He's a dangerous creature, as all corsairs are, but not in the most obvious sense. Coldly charismatic, Stryker's appeal comes from his oddly twisted moral code, and his ability to present both sides of the story to even the daftest of crewbeasts. He's no fool, and it's easy for anyone to see that this educated, intelligent fox has big, big plans, Stryker able to draw people in by mere presence and mental solidity alone. The most dangerous thing about Captain Kohl Stryker is what's called the “Stryker Effect”; it makes creatures want to support his cause, want to put their trust in him and expect great things of this peculiar corsair. Though it's nonsense to call it witchcraft, it certainly is something, though what, we'll never know. A notable feature of Kohl's is his adaptability; a survival skill any would be envious to have, Stryker isn't the type of fellow to settle for dying bravely or surrendering, and is known for his hasty (but effective) “Plan B's” – which could quite possibly be the secret to his long life, considering all the trouble he's been in. Despite having the ability to be more than insensitive towards his crew, Stryker prefers to play the fair, calculating judge rather than ruthless, careless executioner, and can, at times, perform great acts of charity or honor that has a few dim-witted crewbeasts scratching their heads in wonder.

Stryker believes heavily in karma, and it's unknown whether he obliges his own honor code for the sake of upholding some kind of honor (no matter how twisted), or simply appealing to the Gods so that they may judge him a little less harshly come that last stop at Hellgates. Stryker obviously isn't the easiest creature to read, and his crewmembers may have difficulty in gauging his emotions that aren't simply happiness/contentment or obvious anger and frustration; Kohl tends to keep to his emotions to himself. Obsession can be a heavy load to carry, and Stryker's particular form of it is no different; it's as though he's been seized by some hellish fiery passion to reach a certain goal, obtain a certain item or defeat a sworn enemy. Talking him out of it is nine-times-out-of-ten, not possible, and Stryker gives off the impression that he'd go to Hellgates and back if that's where his all-consuming desires took him. An obsessed Stryker is somewhat of a scary Stryker, the silver fox becoming the kind of Captain who doesn't value the lives of his crew quite as much as normal Stryker did. How far he's willing to go to satiate his own needs is anyone's guess.

Oddly enough, Stryker has an almost silly fondness for stars; ever since he was little the stars have retained some kind of magical essence for him, a kind of pull in the right direction, serving as a secret source of his strength. While the endless expanse of the nighttime sky from the deck of a ship can calm him down with ease, there are a few significant things that can push this fox over his boiling point.
Slavery is something Stryker abhors even more than stupidity; the idea of working a creature to death to serve your own selfish needs sickens him. Slavery and labor is a touchy subject for him, and an almost ugly side of the normally charismatic Stryker can rear it's ruthless head when faced with the object of his abhorrence. Stryker tends to judge creatures by how well they treat those beneath them, and this judgment applies to himself as well, the fox never doing anything to harm a crewbeast without very good reason. He tries not to take his anger out on his shipmates, and is usually very good about keeping it in check. Aside from slave labor, another thing that tends to rub Stryker the wrong way is mutiny; Stryker has a love for loyalty, and to see such a wholly good thing such as a trusting bond shatter because of an unruly crew is disgusting to him. He's seen firsthand the casualties that can arise when the trust between captain and crew shatters, and has vowed to never be put in a situation like that ever again, especially now that he is a captain of his own vessel, responsible for the lives and the trust of his crew.

The last of Stryker's personal grievances is a little on the unexpected side, though not absurd. Above death, destruction and disease, Stryker's fear for scorpions and snakes trumps all. Kohl tends to show anger in place of fear when confronted with something that makes his blood run cold, and snarls rather than whimpers, lashing out and becoming reckless when faced with the cause of his distress. It's an unnatural side of him, to show such audacious and desperate anger, and a coward may or may not rise out of him like the living dead, threatening to make him abandon everything in his care for the sake of saving his own skin. His skewed sense of honor binds him to the side of every crewbeast serving on his ship and under his flag, but Stryker's reluctance to die a fool's death may cause him to drop everything – even the trust he's worked so hard to earn – and abandon ship. The sum of Stryker's parts yield a creature who's complicated even on a good day, but tries to do right by those serving under him, and lead a corsair life ribbed with fortune and fame rather than doom and gloom. Owing to his experience, luck and certain charm as a corsair, all this may be enough to get him everything he's looking for.

Strengths:

• Ambidextrous ~ a skill he picked up while aboard the Sea Serpent.
  
• Navigation Skills ~ Also learned on the Sea Serpent, Kohl furthered his education as much as he could.
  
• Fearless, Cautious ~ You're unlikely to see him charging into the slaughter yelling blood'n'vineager, and you're even less likely to see him cower in the face of adversity.
  
• Educated/Intelligent ~ Kohl's biggest trump card out on the high seas is the education he received both at the Parish and aboard the various vessels he's sailed upon, for Kohl without a knowledgeable head on his shoulders is an unlucky Kohl indeed.
  
• Lucky ~ Where would he be without a little bit of luck on his side? Down at the bottom of Davy Jones' locker, that's for sure. Kohl can credit luck with most of his success, and intends to do anything he can to keep from getting on her bad side.
  
• Expert Swordbeast ~ Perhaps another aid to Stryker living so long is his abilities with a saber or cutlass. He hasn't met a beast yet who can match him, right or left pawed.
  

Weaknesses:

• Obsessed~ Almost tormented by his own driving ambition, Kohl possesses a single-minded intensity when he goes after the things he wants, and isn't about to let anyone stop him from achieving his goals, even his fellow shipmates.
  
• Damaged Sense of Smell & Taste ~ his life aboard other pirate ships have not left him without a scar or two, but his biggest loss was his heavily weakened sense of smell and taste. Inhaling too much salt water, nearly drowning, a nasty blow to the head – anything could've been the cause of it, but the problem lies in the fact that these changes seem to be quite permanent.
  
• Plagued by Nightmares ~ ever since the death of Captain Desoto and the rest of the crew aboard the Sea Serpent, Kohl has been plagued by nightmares so terrible, he may oftentimes wake up screaming.
  
• Fair but Ruthless ~ Kohl is unafraid of resorting to dark methods to keep order on his ship, and any crewbeast with half a mind to overthrow him will find themselves strapped to the front of the ship until he begs for pardon or dies a foolish death.
  
• Limited Fighting Style ~ Kohl's dexterity with a blade is legendary, but hand him an axe or a broadsword, and it'd be a sad sight indeed. Kohl has neither the patience nor the practice to wield anything beyond a cutlass, dagger or a saber.
  
• Fear of Snakes and Scorpions~ A rational fear in the eyes of most people, Kohl's fear of snakes and scorpions can turn a fearless Captain into a cowering dog, a sight disastrous enough that the crew may come to question his abilities as their Captain.
  

(c)

Awesome! All I have is two inconsequential things.

1. It's lightning, no 'e.' (Sorry, it's just a repeated thing in this character, so thought I would bring that up.)

2. His swordfighting abilities should DEFINITELY be listed as a strength.