Character Sheet for Broggward Kelly
Species
Black Rat (rattus rattus)
Character Description
Captain Brogg 'Seabeard' Kelly of the Blaggot Rollers was an unlikely hero at the Rendezvous of the Six armies. He leads a crew of 65 classic vermin pirates who would fit villain rolls in any Redwall tale. They are the real thing, and their initial appearance on June 21, 5645 caused some alarm among the Redwallers. But General Longstride of the Long Patrol assured everyone that Brogg and his crew were there to help, not plunder. Besides, the pirates would have been hopelessly outnumbered. The Blaggot Rollers became instant celebrities, especially among the dibbuns(abbey cubs). Real pirates, complete with the flair and lingo. Brogg was a constant source of amusement and entertainment. He was also an invaluable source of information, having traveled farther and more frequent than any of the other leaders present.
The loud, crass, but good natured sea rat is the only pirate to have ever had full access to Redwall Abbey. Brogg knows plenty of history. One can't be a pirate in Mossflower without knowing of legends like Cluney the Scourge, Gabool the Wild, and of course, Badrang the Tyrant who enslaved abbey founder Martin the Warrior. Brogg knew his presence here was a privilege shared by few vermin. He'd always wanted to visit the abbey, and now he was here by invitation. It humbled him. The abbey's construction was grand, its beauty unmatched, but not arrogant and pompous. Robust, built for the ages like a sturdy ship. In fact, Brogg remarked how much Redwall Abbey was run like a pirate ship, without the looting and such. The crusty old pirate made friends quickly. He and Abbot Serney had similar personalities and even closer senses of humor. The other abbey folk found him entertaining, but a little much. The exception to this were the dibbuns. Within a few days, every time Brogg entered the abbey he was tackled by dibbuns. He loved them to death and to the delight of the sisters and Badgermum Liza, Brogg had endless entertainment energy. They'd play pretend pirates in the abbey pond, he taught them pirate songs(clean versions of course), and even a visit to his pirate ship anchored in the River Moss. There were always moans and groans when the fun ended.
Brogg was serious when it came to battle planning. He understood the threat of losing Mossflower to the Siberians, he'd had several encounters with them in his buccaneering. "Yarrr, the Siberians are not a seafaring people! They are creatures of the winter. Snow and ice are their strength. It is empire they seek, and in winter they will strike!" he said while standing, then pounded his fist to the table. He quickly earned General Longstride's trust and respect as a fellow leader.
Brogg took affection toward Recorder's Assistant Timeous Frent. The brave, resourceful young mouse reminded Brogg of some of the young orphaned creatures in his crew. Timeous took a deep interest in Brogg's exploits, but one day an ulterior motive became clear. Timeous led Brogg down into Redwall's archives and pulled out some ancient scrolls. They all contained sketches of falling stars and Mt. Salamandastron. "Brogg, Martin's sword is made from a meteorite. But this shows there was more than one. If that's true, do you know were the other meteorites are? Because you've been everywhere." Timeous asked. Brogg's eyes glazed over, he did know where they were and he knew who had them. "What if we made a whole bunch of weapons, just like Martin's sword?" It was a crazy idea, but they decided to tell General Longstride. With that decision, Brogg Seabeard marched into Mossflower's history books.
His time at Redwall Abbey was short. Brogg helped recover the meteorites and delivered them to Salamandastron where special shields and lances were forged. He then sailed back to Blaggot as Admiral Brogg and built Mossflower's first navy. On December 18, 5645, the ragtag navy of pirate vermin, Long Patrol hares, and Mossflower woodland warriors retook Queen Guivderin's kingdom of Dugroznik from the Siberians.
Personality
Loud, lewd, alpha male. Brogg has charisma and leadership presence. A terrific sense of humor. He also has restraint and knows how far to take a situation, but his bravery lets him take things pretty far. He likes to push the boundaries to get results. Very encouraging, admires the accomplishments of others, a natural mentor. Paternal instinct, very good with children. Knows how and when to be patient and quiet, his time at Redwall Abbey put this to the test. Good at reading others.
Likes/Dislikes
Adventure! A pirate likes nothing more and Brogg isn't any different. A good party with song, grog, and dancing girls. His loves his crew, they are hand picked and loyal. He's very proud of them, many starting as orphaned youngsters. Others he's known since he was a teenage cabin boy aboard the Starfly. Knowledge, it means power. Brogg may not have the best grammar, but he taught many of his crew how to read and write. Children/dibbuns and their sense of adventure in the simplest of places.
Brogg doesn't like cowardice, he wants a brave crew. If you're a landlubber, just say so. He'll leave you on the dock, but respect you for staying true. Killjoys, don't be boring.
Background/History
Born April 19, 5589 in Blaggot, Mossflower, Broggward Kelly is the sixth of eight children. A typical feisty rat-boy with young peasant parents. They lived in a one room stone house with a dirt floor. It was a fun happy home with lots of laughs, dirty humor, wrestling games, etc. Brogg's father, Flaggrit, was a laborer in the shipyards. He was a typical goofy rat right out of any Redwall book. He cared for his family, was not a criminal by nature, but rather dim. Brogg's mother, Torrine, was similar. She stayed home to care for Brogg and his siblings. It was continuous work since they were each, *sigh*, nine months apart in age.
Brogg's parents were illiterate, thus so was he. He had no formal schooling, but his adventurous nature made him curious about the world beyond Blaggot. This brought him to the shipyards. He watched the comings and goings of ships and their crews of sea rats. Arriving creatures would take their earnings and head straight to the pubs and brothels. Departing creatures were often happy to be reunited with their ship-mates. Secret pawshakes like in a clubhouse, shared stories of their time ashore. Brogg wanted to be part of it. That's when Captain Klute, a dormouse, came strolling up to the wide eyed staring 10 year old rat. "Ya lookin' to learn the ways of the sea, matey? Feel the salt spray, see lands beyond the horizon?" Brogg nodded. "Slip 12 at sunup, the Starfly. We sail after breakfast, don't be late!" Brogg's seafaring life began.
10 year old Brogg became a cabin boy on the Starfly. He took to the sea like a fish to water. Captain Klute taught him to read, taught him mathematics, then taught him navigation and charts. He learned all about running the ship. The now literate Brogg read everything he could get his paws on about seafaring. He learned Mossflower's history as it relates to the sea, including its history of corsairs and pirates. This pursuit of knowledge would serve him well throughout life.
Brogg was 12 on his 5th Starfly voyage when he and other youngsters were repeatedly victimized by a rapist crewmember. The boys stayed quiet out of fear. The rapist did not appear on subsequent voyages, but when Brogg was 17, he found out that Captain Klute knew of the raping and did nothing. Klute did nothing because he was under contract. He didn't own the ship, it belonged to Southsward nobility. Starfly sailed from Blaggot because vermin were better sailors, and were expendable. It was a betrayal he couldn't handle. Brogg was now bigger than his dormouse captain and overpowered him. In the scuffle, Brogg mortally wounded Klute. He dragged the captain out on the deck for everyone to see, and told them where they all really stood in the grand scheme "Go ahead, throw me overboard, run me through. Yer all fugitives now, on a stolen ship." Klute bled out 5 minutes later. There was a murmur and some light panic among the crew. Brogg put Klute's captain hat on and raised his sword, "Not fugitives mateys, PIRATES!" Thus was born Captain Brogg.
The plan was to finish their voyage, but keep everything for themselves and their families upon return. Let nothing go to Southsward nobility, the pompous sods. Change the ship, make it theirs. This is how the Starfly became the Blaggot Roller, a pirate ship. They would build their own enclosed slip for it, hiding it in plain sight. The previous owners of the Starfly wouldn't recognize it.
For the next 40 years Brogg and the Blaggot Rollers sailed the high seas. Raiding, partying, enriching their families and the city of Blaggot. They traveled far and wide, including a round trip crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. He acquired knowledge of the world beyond Mossflower and met many interesting creatures. But Mossflower was his home, and when it was threatened with invasion, he stepped to the right side of history by offering his life, ship, and sword.
After a life of hard living, Brogg slipped into a diabetic coma just after turning 63. He died a few days later.
Relatives/Family
Ex-wife#1:Eldra Kelly, age 54.
Ex-wife#2: Ingrid Kelly Wink, age 62.
Ex-wife#3: Kran Kelly Drundle, age 49.
Son: Skradle Kelly, age 36 (from first wife)
Son: Linni Kelly, age 31 (from second wife)
Daughter: Treena Kelly Bornt, age 30 (from second wife)
Daughter: Athra Kelly, age 18 (from third wife)
Above are the children he is aware of and is still in contact with. Brogg likely has several other children. Of his seven siblings, three are still alive. They are:
Brother: Alfrek Kelly, age 59.
Sister: Riga Kelly Wentle, age 53.
Sister: Tarna Kelly Lindenrod, age 52.
His parents are long dead. He has many cousins around Blaggot and other parts of southern Mossflower with whom he has occasional contact.
World/Setting
Set on planet Earth approximately 50,000 years in the future. All of my Redwall OCs are depicted as they were in the year 5645(Year Zero was when time measurements switched from seasons to years.), the year of the Rendezvous of the Six Armies. Most of the anthro world is stone aged to medieval at this time, with some increasing industrialization. The most modern cities have technology equivalent to that of Ancient Rome. Worldwide ocean travel exists with celestial navigation as a risky undertaking.
Brogg is from Blaggot, a large seaside city in southwestern Mossflower adjacent to the Kingdom of Southsward. Blaggot is named after it's founder, Blaggut The Boatswain. He appears in the Redwall book, The Bellmaker. After his time at Redwall Abbey as a well liked guest, he traveled to this seaside area near Southsward to build ships. His trade became a lucrative business, attracting other skilled beasts and bringing in wealth. He allied himself and his business with Gael Squirrelking of Southsward, a wise choice at the time. When Blaggut died happy and wealthy, the little shipbuilding village he created was named after him.
1300 years later, Blaggot(pronunciation changed over the years) is Mossflower's second largest city only to Southsward with close to 100,000 residents. It sits in a beautiful Mediterranean coastal setting with hills, farms, and forest surrounding it. The Blaggot harbor of slips, piers, and shipyards is its crown jewel and one of the most magnificent in the world at the time. Whether anybeast likes it or not, the finest ships in Mossflower are built in Blaggot. Even King Foldore's fleet was built there, a sore spot on his pride. Blaggot is a vermin city, 90% of its residence are of vermin species. It is specifically called "The Rat City" since rats make up 40% of the population. The other 10% are goodbeasts who are either outcasts or brave beasts who decided to make their fortunes in shipping or vice. It is also Mossflower's only functioning democracy, boasting an elected mayor. It's a popularity contest with a mostly illiterate populous casting their votes, so there is lots of corruption. But they've got the right idea and it's stoking the ire of Mossflower royalty.
Blaggot is filthy, loud, decadent, and a damn good time. Think Port Royal, Jamaica during the Golden Age of Piracy, except the pirates are building the boats too. Most residents are peasant laborers in the shipyards, many of them peasants due to blowing their earnings on Blaggot's readily available vices. There is a substantial merchant class of business owners, pimps and madams, trading company owners, and highly skilled shipbuilders and engineers. There is no noble or royalty class. In fact it's common to see vermin(and some goodbeasts) wearing shirts with 'Fuck Southsward' or 'Nobles, not just for breakfast' and other fine sayings embroidered on them. There is even a well maintained mural of King Foldore sucking a dick on a public 'pissing wall.' Blaggot also boasts a significant warrior class to keep the peace. They also guard the city's roads, ports, and the two bridges over South Stream linking Blaggot and Southsward.
Blaggot residents are paranoid and distrustful of King Foldore. This paranoia is perpetuated by Southsward residents who work in Blaggot and spread the rumor that Foldore will conquer Blaggot someday. Unfortunately, this is more of a threat than a rumor. Foldore has had his eye on Blaggot's shipyards and exploitable vermin workforce for a long time. He's just waiting for the opportunity.
Blaggot is located near our current city of Huelva, Spain. It experiences the more familiar Mediterranean climate that allows a nearly year round growing season with a natural sea breeze in the summer that keeps it comfortable. Winters are cooler and wetter than in our current time. The creatures of Blaggot speak Mossflorian with a stereotype pirate dialect.
Body
Big muscular rat at 6 foot 4 inches. Despite his species name, he has brown fur, which has dulled with age. He is greying in places and has a small bald spot on his head. The fur of his beard is twisted into a dozen or so ragged dreadlocks, earning him the nickname 'Seabeard'.
His naked ears are torn in a few places due to fights.
Clothing
An old army green Long Patrol Officer's coat with torn or missing tassels on the epaulets. "I won't ask you where you got that." General Longstride stated during their first meeting. "Better ya don't!" Brogg replied.
Open chest cream-colored silk undershirt. Trousers of various loud colors held by a big leather belt. Dark blue sea captain's hat that once belonged to dormouse Captain Klute.
Accessories
Blue eye patch. His eyesight is fine in both eyes. He just likes the look and enjoys testing those around him by swapping which eye it covers. He'll do this to new members of his crew to test their assertiveness and attention to detail.
Large well made pirate cutlass plundered from a rival corsair.
