[Splice Willow] [The Green Thorn Pirates]

[CapnWillow]

Name: Splice Willow
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Hometown: Loguetown, East Blue
Combat Preference: Sword (to be trained in hand-to-hand later in his progression)
Position at Sea: Deck Hand (for now)

Personality: A timid boy at first glance, but his outer fragility masks considerable determination to achieve success. He is happy to be led, and has almost no ambition for power or wealth; the thing he desires most above all is to find a role on a pirate ship in which he feels completely at home, with a crew he would happily entrust with his life and, if necessary, a captain to die for. In a fight, he is mainly defensive until given direct orders to attack. Once the order is given however, he fights with grim single-mindedness to achieve his task.

Appearance: 5’ 10’’ at this point, but he is still growing. He is thin and gangly, with dark brown hair cut short. He has dark skin from his mother, and his father’s green eyes. He has no tattoos or scars at this point. He carries with him a harmonica his father left to him at all times, and when not given any specific tasks he will play it in the crow’s nest of whatever ship he happens to be on.

Biography: Splice was born in Loguetown, the child of Gib Willow; a marine in the local garrison and Orchid Willow; a shopkeeper. His mother sold trinkets, anything from little name plates, carved animals, bracelets and other basic jewellery and anything else that she could trade for. As Loguetown is a relatively large and busy town, she did a brisk trade and made enough money to support the family comfortably. As a small child, Splice was fascinated by the fantastic and exotic goods that his mother sometimes traded for with merchants, marines and even pirates (admittedly when her husband was not around). The tales of islands and adventures these travellers thrilled and excited him. His father, a marine, was low ranking but well liked by his fellow marines, his superiors and the townsfolk. He was a sergeant, and had been for several years. He had been offered, and refused, promotion several times. He told people that the reason he refused was that he could do the most good in his current position, and indeed that seemed to be the case as his relationship with the people allowed him to keep his finger on the pulse of the town, quite often rooting out criminals just by talking to people in the local taverns and deducing what crimes had been committed by who from their chatter. Splice was an only child, but often played with the other children in the area, usually getting into trouble with the other shopkeepers by stealing food and other childish pranks, which sometimes ended in the whole gang being chased by Willow’s irate father. They never did any real harm though, and were usually forgiven by the other merchants. Eventually, Splice grew old enough to start helping his mother out around the shop. His father, of course, had been priming him to join the marines, although he was determined to let his son make his own decision.