NAME: Francisco Bagua, Known simply as "Mullato" by Spanish authorities, Otherwise called "Juracán" or "Huracán" (Taíno, Spanish respectively)
SEX: Male
DATE OF BIRTH: 11 September 1687
PLACE OF BIRTH; A village just south of Arecibo, Puerto Rico
BACKSTORY: The island of Borikén attracted many suitors with imperial dreams. Though the Spaniard Cristóbal Colón arrived earliest among the Europeans to lay claim, this did not stop other powers from trying for the island. This tension led to a number of conflicts. It was during one such conflict that a particular African taken as a slave by the Spanish found himself freed from his shackles. Meanwhile, a young officer by the name Miguel Avecedo was praying as British forces surrounded him. His prayers were answered by the African who took up arms and dealt a decisive blow against the attackers. A number of slaves acted accordingly, but Miguel Avecedo had known of the African already and felt shamed by his prior actions. This African alone regained his freedom -- a fact that shaped his life from then on.
Francisco was born a little way south of Arecibo. His father farmed coffee, while his mother worked at a church in town. His mother, a Catholic with both Taíno and Spanish blood, taught him letters and the state of the world. His father told him stories of Africa and taught him to farm, hunt, and craft. Despite their best intentions, Francisco felt as if a keg of powder lay within his chest. He felt hatred. The island was plagued by slavers dealing in Black flesh to work fields. Spanish soldiers thought themselves heroes each time they deflected other European ships, then promptly took their 'rewards' from those in town. Each disgusting act filled the keg with more powder. One night Francisco accompanied his mother and younger sister into town to deliver coffee beans and purchase supplies. The trip was not long but tired them regardless. Spanish soldiers greeted them upon their arrival, looked over their cargo, and approached his mother. They whispered at first and he could see the discomfort on her face. She turned away, but one of the soldiers caught her chin in his hand and pulled her close. They did not notice Francisco reach into their wagon, they did not hear the flintlock's mechanism click back prepared to fire, and he felt no compulsion to warn them. His powder keg was filled. He fired and the soldier reaching to grope his mother flung back with a red spray bursting from his chest. Suddenly the attention of the soldiers directed to the young man who, defiantly, gripped the rifle as if ready to club. The soldiers overpowered Francisco in short order and their fallen had already returned to his feet, chest speckled with spots of blood from the birdshot. He'd successfully pulled the attention from his mother.
Firing upon a Spanish soldier was a turning point. Francisco sat in a cell beneath Arecibo for days until receiving visitors. His family came in first with warm embraces and kisses, learned of his condition, then said their goodbyes. His father delayed to give him a piece of advice, "A man may be bent. Broken in every way. And that same man can still stand up when the moment's right." In the night a soldier, navy by the look of his coat, arrived with a torch in hand. Francisco vaguely remembered him as a Spaniard from his father's past. Capitán Miguel Avecedo explained to Francisco the weight of his actions and his fortune that the soldier was only lightly wounded in a manner reminiscent of his father. They spoke for at least an hour, during which Francisco managed to inspire a laugh and learn a lesson or two. The next morning three naval soldiers arrived and escorted Francisco out of the cell in shackles. Though just after dawn, the sun overwhelmed his eyes, he could still hear his family calling out. His mother, father, and sister walked along the group expressing their love and faith in him. He did not understand until he'd arrived aboard a naval ship preparing to depart.
A decade has passed since Francisco set foot upon La Cadena Negra. In that time he's thought of the experience as both curse and blessing. His role has been, officially, that of a slave in service to Capitán Avecedo. The reality of his service has been closer to that of a helper assisting wherever needed with tasks big and demeaningly small. In the beginning, the captain sought to break him, tasking the youth to follow the repairmen's orders and clean in any moment between. He continued onto learning to rig and, from time-to-time, going ashore for supplies to maintain ship and crew. A year in and the purpose of the ship shifted from securely moving cargo to that of a guardian for vessels ill-equipped against the growing scourge of piracy. Francisco learned combat with a blade and, despite the first mate's caution against any kind of slave touching firearms, he received standard training with rifles as well. La Cadena Negra successfully defended three dozen voyages in as many months. When not guarding ships or finding rest at a port, Avecedo sought pirates still, though the men could not complain after the claiming the bounties. Such was Francisco's life until recently when Avecedo accepted a different kind of job.
They were to sail for Africa.
APPEARANCE: Francisco is average in height in build with the exception of notably broad shoulders. Since boarding La Cadena Negra he allowed his hair to grow long, wearing it now in thick black braids that hang to the middle of his back. His skin is darker than any Spaniard, but lighter than his father or most others he has known from Africa. It's clear he is not Spanish, yet likely unclear what exactly his origins might be. Adorning his arms and back are various tattoos depicting symbols from his heritage. Most notably among these tattoos are the and sun and moon on his wrists. Though he is generally treated far better than any slave, when it comes to wardrobe, what he was given was purely essential. Francisco wears a roughspun tunic, heavily patched pantaloons that end just below the knee, and a pair of cracking leather boots and a tattered sailor's coat taken from a dead pirate.
MOTIVATION: Francisco dreams of stumbling upon a world lost to him. Living exclusively on Borikén, he has only heard rumours of lands untouched by invaders.
SKILLS/STRENGTHS: Francisco is capable. His father took care to ensure he knew how to provide for himself, while his mother believed knowledge the greatest key to a good life. From their teachings he is a capable hunter and farmer, he can craft basic tools, and he knows letters. In short, Francisco has the foundation to survive in civil society or the wilds.
His ancestry can open doors. Growing up in a village near Arecibo taught Francisco the importance of community and culture. Unlike those in San Juan exposed chiefly to Spanish influence, he was able to grow up with many African and Taíno stories instead. Capitáno Avecedo has noted and exploited this part of Francisco, knowing full well how said roots run in parts of the Carribean.
Francisco is no soldier, don't let that deceive you. He remembers well his father's story of the Spanish slave ship that took him as a boy. The lesson, aside from understanding the horrible acts the Spanish might do for greed, was to be prepared. His father taught him to grapple. Later in life, Avecedo's crew expanded the lesson to include the Spanish ways of swordsmanship and how to use a rifle.
WEAKNESSES:
Trust me, they see colour. His father was stolen from his land, put in chains, and taken across the sea. His mother's people were largely either eradicated or enslaved. Francisco was raised with a keen awareness that his value as human-being, in the eyes of many, is questionable and this prejudice can have an effect on everyday life.
Retribution is best served cold. Francisco and his family have suffered greatly due to human-trafficking and imperialism. As a result, he is easily tempted to lash out at those who benefit from pursuits without consideration for his own well-being (similar to his response to his mother being harassed).
Without a name or land. Francisco lacks a recognizable name, land, or any reputation aside what he's gained aboard the La Cadena Negra. Leaving the ship means leaving behind most everything he's earned in his adult life.
ROLE ON SHIP: Slave Hand
NAME OF SHIP: La Cadena Negra
NAME OF CAPTAIN: Capitáno Miguel Avecedo
SHIP DESCRIPTION/SPECS: The ship is a fifth-rate two-decker armed with 40 guns suitable scouting and speed. (Chances are this will not be the ship we see Francisco on for long.)
