| Oscar Locke | |
| |
| Profile | |
| Status: | Dead |
| Age: | 68(at time of death) |
| Race: | Human |
| Gender: | Male |
| Class: | Paladin |
| Nation: | Aison |
| Faction: | |
| Era: | Third Age |
Oscar Locke is the husband of Melana Locke and father of Osmond Cordae Locke who instilled his son with values of fairness. He left his family behind during the last stages of the Great War and ended up in Shipwreck Cove where he worked as a healer. After besting Captain Kusotare, Oscar became the newest pirate captain of the Blue Dragons and the owner of a ship called the Seastrider. He and the crews of the Moldy Crow and the Morning Star tracked down and saved Unithien Greyrain from Devilfish Strait, shattered the mystic Eye of Thunder and discovered the sanctuary of the goddess Tiamat.
He died of old age eighteen years after the Fourth Age began. He is buried next to his wife and his best friend, Susumu Kawamoto, also dead of old age.
Biography
Early Years
Oscar Locke was born in Aison. He met Melana Locke who later became his wife and gave birth to their son Osmond Cordae Locke. Osmond was instilled with the values of fairness and do unto others what you would have them do to you as he grew up. Oscar practiced that to the best of his ability, and was well-loved by the populace in Myridia where his family was living in. His superiors, however, were more keen to put him on a leash than sing his praises.
The First Battle of Myridia led to the Aisonian capital, and eventually most of the continent, falling under the power of the invading Yamato Empire. Although many Myridians fled to the caverns of Glenfiddich Range during the battle, Oscar's family was one of the families which stayed behind and eventually became subjects of Witch King Zarnagon, the new overlord of Aison, who had overthrown King Byron Kagawest.
The Great War to liberate nations, Aison included, from the Yamatian yoke took place a few years after the Yamatian Invasion, and the army of the Grand Alliance eventually landed in Aison and took back Myridia from Yamatian forces. Oscar left his family to do battle during the last stages of the war and wasn't seen or heard from again.
Godslayer Era
Fateful Meetings
Oscar had, it turned out, been a prisoner of Blue Dragon pirates in Shipwreck Cove after he had gone missing. He worked as a healer for those pirates that returned to the Cove injured and unwell and got acquainted with many of the famous pirates and entertainers in the hidden pirate city, including Pirate King Kuro Tori himself. He also became the caretaker of Wes, a Scun who had proclaimed himself High Cleric of Phil, and also befriended Captain Uminoko Kawamoto.
In 1017 AE, Oscar tried breaking up a fight started by Captain Kusotare around Uminoko and Wes, accompanied by the Cove's recent prisoners Unithien Greyrain and Varalia Earthhaven whom Kusotare had targeted in an alley. Despite Oscar's best efforts, it was ultimately the arrival of Kuro Tori's personal slave and interpreter Hiroki Hyuga that got the pirates harrassing the group to finally retreat although Kusotare swore that the group would hear from him again.
Oscar invited the party to share dinner in his clinic after he had healed a head wound on a pirate. After some small talk, Uminoko caused a slight scene regarding Unithien and a certain sickly appearance the half-elven cleric was sporting. Hiroki and Unithien had a talk outside of Oscar's clinic while Varalia tried coaxing Umi out of a closet. Wes simply broke the door to try and force Uminoko to apologize, and Oscar restrained the Scun with pressure points.
The paladin also revealed he knew Varalia's old moniker, Sapphire Ghost, from her mercenary days. He forgave the elf for her sins against the paladin, his family and his home kingdom, and offered sanctuary to them any time they wished. Varalia asked for Oscar's aid, and despite misgivings, he gave it, and healed Unithien to the best of his ability, exhausting himself. He passed out and slept on an infirmary cot.
When Oscar awoke later that night, Wes had already moved him to the operating table and was currently defending the clinic surprisingly well from some pirates who wanted to retrieve the two elven ladies who they had learned were in Oscar's care. Oscar confirmed that Varalia and Unithien were gone and deduced that the two must've fled while he and Wes hadn't been looking. He left Wes to defend the clinic while he sneaked off to the docks, where he would expect a couple of women trying to escape to go, avoiding any other pirates to the best of his ability.
Joining the Fray
When Oscar arrived at the docks, Varalia was nowhere to be found, but he did spot Unithien who was fighting an unfamiliar golden-armored man for some reason, and Kusotare who was taking on Uminoko's father Susumu Kawamoto in shallow water. It became obvious to Oscar that Susumu was trying to do something that the Kusotare was hindering and that Kusotare was up to no good. Oscar called 'dibs' on fighting Kusotare, which his pirate friend immediately proceeded to ignore.
However, Oscar still lent a hand to Susumu, helping him face Kusotare despite both pirates' protests. He learned from Susumu that Kusotare had ended up on Kuro Tori's bad side by harrassing Unithien and Varalia earlier who the Pirate King wanted to remain unharmed until further notice while they were his prisoners in the Cove. The Pirate King had put a bounty on the head of Kusotare and on his rogue crew after he had learned of their actions which he viewed as them defying his will.
The battle at the docks turned more fierce as more combatants from both Susumu's and Kusotare's crews joined the fray. Kusotare proved himself to be a cunning bastard, though, using some dirty tricks to keep Oscar occupied long enough so that he could attempt to finish Susumu off and then deal with the paladin himself. However, Kusotare and his crew, who were known for their ruthless cunning, did seem to make some oddly amateurish mistakes during the battle for some unusual reason. That, coupled with the rogue captain underestimating both Susumu and Oscar's skills, eventually led to his downfall.
The sharks which Kusotare had lured to chow down Susumu ended up devouring the wounded rogue captain himself instead in an ironic twist but not before Oscar severed the rebelling pirate captain's head with his spells so he'd have some proof of the man's demise once he presented his case to Kuro Tori.
While the battle between the pirate crews had taken place, a sea serpent sneaked near the docks and suddenly attacked, catching everyone by surprise. The serpent swallowed the golden-armored man whole and then took Unithien with it to the depths while fleeing as quickly as it had appeared. Oscar joined forces with Marcus Sarillius, a man he recognized as the leader of the Grand Alliance of old and who had somehow also ended up in the Cove, and they, along with Marcus's companion Rhett Lassiter and Susumu, managed to save Varalia, whom the golden-armored man had wounded and left to drown, in the nick of time.
While everyone was busy dealing with the immediate aftermath of the sea serpent attack and the surrender of Kusotare's remaining crew mates, no one managed to pay any attention to a shadowy figure who appeared at the docks afterwards to collect the shattered remains of Caraxa, the sword which Varalia had wielded while defending Unithien from the golden-armored man. The pirates also failed to consider what had caused Kusotare's oddly sudden, reckless rebellion and why he and his rogue crew had been less effective in combat than they should've been. All Oscar and the rest could think of was what to do now that Unithien, one of Kuro Tori's personal 'guests', had now been taken by a monster of the deep.
Forming a Crew
Oscar, with the aid of Marcus, took Varalia's battered body to the clinic and healed her with a mix of white magic and surgery. Having been unable to recover Unithien, they were escorted by Oscar's friendly rival Decanus Tafford, who was fondly known as 'Captain Hook', to the palace of Kuro Tori where they were to be questioned by the Pirate King himself.
They presented their case to Kuro Tori, explaining to their knowledge the events leading to Kusotare's rebellion and the actions of the mysterious man in golden armor as well as the surprising attack of the sea serpent. Although furious of having lost Unithien, Kuro Tori nevertheless acknowledged Oscar and Susumu's actions at quelling the rogue captain Kusotare's rebellion. The Pirate King decreed that all of Kusotare's crew would be executed for treason save for the crew's cleric Toshiro Hakunetsu as Kuro Tori didn't want to harm a man devoted to the faith of Tiamat, Goddess of the Sea who he himself worshipped.
As per pirate code, the killer of the treacherous captain Kusotare would receive his captainhood and ship, but the court realized it was facing a problem: Oscar and Susumu had jointly defeated the rogue captain and thus had as much claim to his belongings. Kuro Tori decided that a public duel between the two claimants would settle the matter, and the winner would get it all. Oscar was thus forced to duel Susumu for possession of Kusotare's ship, and he won after a hard battle, opting to spare Susumu's life. Oscar was sworn in as a captain immediately afterwards and pledged his allegiance to Kuro Tori. The little duel didn't affect his and Susumu's friendship as Susumu accepted his defeat gracefully and even opted to join Oscar's crew as a quartermaster to provide his expertise to the novice captain.
Oscar noticed that Varalia had been oddly complacent for a prisoner who had tried to escape the Cove the night before. As they left the palace, he figured out from Hook's off-hand comment of missing a dagger that Varalia must have stolen Hook's dagger while everyone had been focusing on the duel between Oscar and Susumu. Having learned that Varalia would accompany Kuro Tori to the Pirate King's private quarters later that day and that Varalia might use the privacy to do something bad, Oscar tried to warn the Pirate King of Varalia's treachery by leaving a message for a guard to send. However, he noticed something was amiss with the guards although he wasn't sure what it was, but he did what he could to make sure the message would reach Kuro Tori no matter what. Although he suspected something foul was going on, he didn't have enough time to ponder it at length because he had more pressing matters to deal with: namely, to recruit a crew for his recently acquired ship.
Oscar and Susumu headed for a nearby tavern where they began recruiting crew members. Oscar also used the opportunity to prove himself to the pirates who questioned whether a known paladin and healer like him would be a worthy pirate captain, and he did manage to recruit many famous pirates before long, including the hot-headed Ken and Ryu, Susumu's friend Peg-Leg Mike and even the atoning Hakunetsu himself as the token cleric. He also talked with Madame Alicanto Ke, who was one of the Pirate King's favourite concubines, as well as the sculptor Mammon and the bards Silk and Velvet in hopes of convincing Lady Silk to accompany the crew in the search for the kidnapped Unithien as he believed her songs of power could turn out to be useful. It took a bit of effort, but finally Oscar succeeded in convincing Silk to accompany him in the risky voyage.
Serpent Hunt
The following morning, Oscar renamed Kusotare's ship, which he now owned, as the Seastrider, and set sail with various other pirate ships whom Kuro Tori had commanded to scour the Yamatian archipelago and return the missing Unithien safely to him. Although many pirates questioned why one seemingly insignificant cleric was suddenly so special to the Pirate King, and more importantly why the king himself hadn't even bothered to show up at the docks to see the ships depart, they kept their doubts to themselves and carried out Kuro Tori's orders.
After leaving the Cove behind, the searchers divided into groups with three ships each, and Oscar ended up accompanied by the Moldy Crow and the Morning Star which were helmed by Captains Uminoko Kawamoto and Decanus Tafford. They were also accompanied by Marcus and Rhett, hoping to use their knowledge, and Marcus's magic sword Dusk, to locate the elusive sea serpent more easily although they knew how difficult their mission was.
After two weeks of fruitless searching, the crews were becoming anxious and frustrated. Oscar held a meeting in his cabin with Susumu, Marcus and the others, and they devised a plan which would be their last ditch effort. If they could not get to the serpent, they would try to lure the serpent to them instead, and they would use Dusk as a bait. Marcus was initially skeptical of the plan or the fact that all these crews would be endangering their lives for the sake of a single cleric who might already be dead for all they knew. However, he was finally convinced when during the meeting their group came to the conclusion that the sea serpent may have snatched Unithien because of the magic she wielded and could thus theoretically be drawn to the magic of Dusk if the power of the sword was activated.
The meeting adjourned, and Oscar sent details of their plan to the captains of the other ships. Before long, they were baiting the serpent by holding Dusk above water while Marcus used his magic to activate its dormant power. Much to the crews' surprise and relief, the plan worked: the same serpent which had snatched Unithien showed up and tried to snatch Dusk. The trap was sprung, and the crews worked together to subdue the beast, and Marcus used Dusk to hold its jaw in place and preventing its movement.
However, when Oscar tried to communicate with the serpent and hope the beast would be intelligent and collaborative enough to take them to wherever it had taken Unithien, the serpent suddenly snapped and Marcus weakened at the same time much to everyone's surprise. The serpent closed its maw but not before Marcus tossed Dusk at Oscar, thus preventing the beast from snatching the sword too. Furious at losing its target but too injured to keep fighting, the serpent opted to flee. It took a while for the crews to repair the most glaring damage from the battle and then headed after the beast.
Hook's ship was the first to enter the serpent's destination, Devilfish Strait, which had an eerie reputation among pirates as a location from which no sailor had ever returned. Before Oscar and Uminoko headed after Decanus's ship into the strait, they picked up a lone, stranded cleric, who turned out to be Jonathan Ferron who had gone missing from the Cove since the serpent's attack, from a small island. Oscar didn't have time to ponder how Ferron had survived a trip all the way here solely with magic and instead sent the hungry cleric below deck to be treated while focusing on entering the ominous strait.
The two ships sailed through the ominous strait while Silk did her best to boost the crews' morale with her songs. They eventually caught up with Hook, only to see that their fellow captain's ship had fallen under attack from terrifying winged beasts, harpies. A fierce battle was fought between the three crews and the avian warriors, and it was ultimately Rhett Lassiter who saved the crews from being overwhelmed when he activated the powerful magic within his Pendant of Order to send the harpies into retreat.
The power surge from the pendant also revealed an entrance to a cave and, much to the crews' delight, the very sea serpent which had escaped from their clutches earlier. Although they were tired from battling the serpent and the harpies, the crews nevertheless lowered rowboats and sent selected groups into the cave after the serpent to rescue Marcus and--hopefully--Unithien from whatever fate had in store for them.
Choosing a Side
The three rowboats discovered that the cave they had entered was filled with strange eggs which had something humanoid inside. Before long they reached a stone island surrounded by water and noticed Unithien, seemingly unharmed, as well as a mysterious and beautiful woman who came to greet them. The woman sang a soothing song which turned out to be a magical trap which put all the men on the rowboats under her spell. Only the women among them and, oddly enough, Hiroki Hyuga who had also accompanied them to the cave without drawing attention to himself, remained unaffected. Hiroki cheered Silk on to counter the mysterious woman's song with her own, and Silk managed to break the spell although it drained her in the process.
As the rest of the crew regained their senses, they witnessed that the mystery woman's illusion had shattered and revealed a serpentine beast in her place. This songstress was a siren, and was revealed to be the one who had sent the serpents to snatch Unithien and Dusk. Although her glamour spell no longer worked, the siren was still a threat and demanded Dusk for herself, claiming that it was one of the objects she needed for a ritual.
Rhett intervened before the siren could sic the sea serpent and its companion at the crews and offered the Pendant of Order in place of Dusk in exchange for their lives and him being allowed to perform some miracles with a select few people in the crew. The siren greedily accepted Rhett's offer, sensing great power within the pendant which had thwarted the harpies earlier. Rhett wasted no time and healed the weakened Unithien from the illness that had been ailing her, had Silk recover her strength, and restored sight to Oscar's damaged eye much to the captain's surprise and delight.
The siren grew impatient and demanded Rhett to keep his end of the bargain even though it was obvious to everyone present that she could easily use the pendant's power for evil if given a chance. Rhett, however, already had a plan as he tricked the enchantress and released the remaining magic from the pendant at her, wounding her in the process at the cost of his own life. The pendant's power was gone now and could no longer be used, and the siren had weakened considerably from Rhett's selfless act of sacrifice. Unithien was reunited with the crew and was taken onboard Uminoko's boat. Uminoko wasted no time and used the distraction Rhett had provided to take Unithien to safety before the siren could sic her pet sea serpents at them.
Meanwhile Oscar and Marcus took the initiative and confronted the siren on her island, preparing to neutralize the threat she posed by spilling her blood if necessary even though both of them were troubled by the sudden appearance of Hiroki among their ranks even though they had thought the Pirate King's personal slave had remained by his master's side at the Cove.
Before they could deal a killing blow, the siren revealed that she had only been after Unithien, Dusk and the golden-armored man for the powers each of them represented. She needed the magical power within them to destroy the Eye of Thunder, a magical gem in the middle of the island which held an entity which had been leeching off not only her power but also the lifeforce of the eggs which were revealed to contain still unhatched sirens. The siren enchantress had wanted to ensure a new siren generation's future by any means necessary and was willing to do anything to succeed in her goals, which had led her to send her serpents after the targeted people.
Although Marcus hesitated and thought the story might be the siren's way of attempting to gain sympathy and trick them, Oscar decided to hear the siren out. Looking into the siren's eyes, Oscar believed her words to be true and, after some pondering, decided to help her out because he didn't want the blood of children, no matter what race, on his hands. The siren suggested that Oscar could make up for Rhett's deception by touching the Eye and channel its power through Dusk, the corpse of the golden-armored man, and Unithien who was being taken to safety. She also warned that if Oscar failed in the test of strength and wisdom the entity trapped within the Eye had in store for him, the Eye would draw his lifeforce into itself. Despite the danger, Oscar touched the Eye while asking Marcus to hold off anyone who might want to intervene.
More info later.
Intervening Years
Oscar was set loose from the Blue Dragons, and together with Susumu they wandered around the seas and the lands, until finally Oscar struck gold and found his family. His friend stuck by him and they lived in Valencia.
Death
Oscar died when he was 68 years old, passing away in his sleep. His wife and his best friend were not far behind him.
Legacy
Before his final sleep, Oscar called his son and his son's sworn brothers and whoever else might listen to him. He passed word of his vision, which had passed again before his eyes like it had in the Sanctuary, giving warning of great danger in the coming age to his son and his new liege.
Aliases and Nicknames
- Gaijin
- What the disparaging Blue Dragons, such as Kusotare, call him. He dislikes this, because despite the home he's carved in the Cove, and his useful job, this name tells him that he is an outsider. That he does not belong. That he can not belong.
- Osjii
- What Uminoko and many others of the Blue Dragons call him. It's a Yamatian phrase which basically means Old Man Oscar, referring to his age and experience.
- Oscar
- What he is named. Generally called this by those that don't know him well or are non-Yamatian.
Appearance
An aging man, Oscar appeared as an old soldier. His hair was white due to both age and stress, and his armor, which he was fond of wearing, was worn and, in places, pitted. He generally wore purple or maroon, occasionally throwing on something dark green, and typically wore a mantle over one shoulder and around his back.
Oscar had a hooked nose set over a mouth that was typically smiling, and white stubble grew on his generally shaven jaw and chin. Below his long, braided white hair sat white eyebrows over one green eye. His right one was scarred shut after he injured it, but the wound was neat and clean, and non-brain-damaging. After Rhett used powerful healing magic on it in Devilfish Strait, sight was restored to the paladin's damaged eye much to his delight.
Personality and Traits
Oscar was a kindly old man who enjoyed having fun, chatting, and seeing his cooking go to some use. He generally took a great deal of interactions in stride, having learned great patience although at times people's behavior could make him lose his temper. He still has some soldierly instincts, however, and sharp eyesight in his remaining eye.
He perceived a great deal more than many thought and tended to address people in a rather blunt manner at times, something he learned from interacting with foulmouthed pirates over the years. Oscar could be cold and cruel when there is need for it, but it is not often.
He liked having company over, sharing stories and passing wisdom to those younger than he.
Powers and Abilities
Oscar is an old soldier, and in his quietest moments, practices the combat forms he was taught in his youth. He knows pressure point combat, where to strike to kill an opponent quickly, and the Great War and his experiences beforehand honed those skills to almost surgical precision.
As a paladin, Oscar possesses white magic, and has mainly focused on that portion of his powers for the last ten years, and so he is a skilled healer with myriad uses for all the spells he knows.
Innate Ability: His ability brought his magic to him easier, but he lost the ability after the Cataclysm. He now he has to concentrate harder on the magic, and it does less than he could do originally.
Relationships
Alicanto Ke
Oscar is on friendly terms with Madame Ke who often flirts with him. Despite her attractive and seductive persona, Oscar hasn't let himself to become more intimate with her, respecting Kuro Tori's ownership of the Pirate King's favourite concubine. There is some sexual tension between the two whenever they interact, however, and Madame Ke is known to be a woman who always gets what she wants in the end no matter how long it takes, and this may very well include stealing Oscar's heart before long.
Decanus Tafford
Oscar came to know Decanus when he helped treat the pirate captain's severed hand, preventing infection on the stump. The two became friends, as much as one can be in a den of lying cutthroats, and the two often banter in a somewhat lighthearted manner which they view as verbal jousting of sorts and which both appear to secretly enjoy.
Delora d'Zarnagon
Delora, or Silk as she was better known as in the Cove, got along well with Oscar. The captain appeared to have some budding romantic feelings for her although she didn't react the same way. Despite this, the two had respect for one another, sharing the faith they had for the fallen god Cardia, and their friendship deepened during their long voyage together.
Hiroki Hyuga
Oscar respected Hiroki who, despite being the Pirate King's slave as well as member of the Hyuga Clan who had once opposed the Grand Alliance Oscar had been member of, acted like a gentleman and sage towards him during the years they ineracted in the Cove. The events in Devilfish Strait, however, put Oscar's trust in the sage to the test as he slowly came to realize that Hiroki was more cunning than he had appeared at first glance and was planning something behind everyone's backs. Oscar's frustration with him grew to the point that he openly confronted Hiroki and questioned his allegiance to Kuro Tori. However, Hiroki still continued being polite while reminding Oscar of his oath as a captain to the Pirate King.
Kuro Tori
Although Oscar's interactions with Kuro Tori have been few and far between, he does appear to have some loyalty towards his new master, so much as to swear not to flee from the Cove after gaining a ship and do everything in his power to return Unithien to him. He even went so far as to warn the Pirate King of Varalia's treachery at the expense of her losing trust in him. Despite ostensibly becoming a Blue Dragon pirate all the way, Oscar can't help but secretly yearn to return home as the nagging feeling in the back of his head reminds him that he may never fully belong in the kingdom of Kuro Tori who views him, a non-Yamatian, as an outsider.
Kusotare
Osmond found Kusotare as repulsive as he did a rotten corpse. Moreso, since the pirate captain moved. The feeling was mutual since Kusotare only ever saw Oscar as a gaijin, an enemy who didn't belong to the Cove and who was only fit to be ridiculed as an outsider. Oscar tolerated Kusotare for years and tried to treat him and his crew fairly until the pirate decided to hurt Oscar's friends one time too many. Oscar finally resolved to kill Kusotare, which he did, showing the pirate no sympathy or mercy. With the death of Kusotare, Oscar lay claim to the man's ship which he renamed the Seastrider.
Marcus Sarillius
Although Oscar and Marcus occasionally butt heads with how to proceed with this or that plan and the fact that their world views differ somewhat, they have come to see the value in one another and not only because both are paladin alumni of the same Aisonian military school. This trust extended so far that Marcus was willing to leave his precious sword, Dusk, in Oscar's safekeeping while he was unable to hold on to it. Oscar, likewise, trusted Marcus to keep enraged pirates at bay and protect him while he accessed the power within the Eye of Thunder.
Melana Locke
His beloved wife, Oscar misses her terribly. He knows not what has become of her, and hopes she has lived happily during his absence.
Osmond Locke
His cherished son, Oscar misses him terribly. He knows not what has become of him, and hopes that he has become the man he saw in him to be.
Susumu Kawamoto
Oscar likes to think of Susumu as his friend and ally in the Cove. He often snarks with the man whenever they are in conversation. He eats with him and his daughter Uminoko at least once a week when they are around.
Uminoko Kawamoto
Oscar saw Uminoko as a daughter and a friend. She helped keep him from being too lonely in the Cove, where his friends were too few and far between.
Wes
Oscar acts as a caretaker of sorts for Wes, keeping the Scun out of trouble when he can. The two seem to respect one another to an extent, having formed a close partnership in taking care of the clinic together.