The Origin of the Resin Pirate • Law of Talos | IN PROGRESS

|•~Part Eight~•| A Harndal History

Glossary/Pronunciations:

- Eyvyn: Ae-vinn (an old, rare boys' English name)

- Boisterous: noisy, energetic, rowdy

Possible minor TW for a character hypothesizing SA (about midway through).

~~~

July, 1712

Henry Barnau had slowly come to trust Elias and his men.

Additionally, it took time for Henry to repair the bridges that he had burnt with Karl. Karl had received a just and deserved apology from him, one of clear remorse, and he forgave the former quartermaster. Elias had also befriended some of the crew, young men around his age, and even Karl to an extent. He had proven his loyalty for four months, and showed nary a sign of revoking it. As he became closer with some of the men, he started to learn intricacies about Karl that many would not discern from the surface. He learned of the young Anivan's love for the violin. He learned of how deeply the latter cared for his raven, Arma, and what she was named after. He learned of many things, and with each thing he learned, it distanced him more from his old life. A life where such intricacies didn't exist.

When Victor had moments to speak with Elias, he would question him about his father. One of his earliest questions was why Harndal specifically wanted to see Karl dead, for Jasper Harndal's feud was always with Victor, not his son or anyone else. He was surprised when Elias had a definitive answer to give him.

Jasper always took pleasure in playing the long game. That, Victor knew. Rather than challenging his adversary head on, he would first chip away at the foundations, such as the blitz attack by his quartermaster, or hiring the privateers anonymously, to weaken them bit by bit over time. Victor's death was the desired end result. However, by sending out the privateers with the specific instructions not to murder Victor, but Victor's son, Jasper intended to break the captain beyond repair. With the death of his son, Jasper figured, Victor would fall apart.

And beyond that, Jasper Harndal was sadistic. He reveled in the thought of seeing Victor Anivan heartbroken to the point of self destruction. Victor had told Elias that Karl was one of the most prized possessions aboard his fleet, and every man on board would defend him with their lives if the need arose. Additionally, Karl could sufficiently defend himself. Victor spoke to Elias, as if speaking through him to Jasper, that the Koveil's captain would never succeed at getting to Karl. Elias's response was one of agreement. The now 21-year-old Armaven quartermaster assured him that Victor was right.

Karl and Elias had had many conversations in which it was only the two of them. As time passed, Elias began to hold great respect for Victor, and informed Karl of the manner in which Harndal and his men viewed the Armaven's captain--a manner that Elias now deemed was incorrect. The men and boys were taught that Victor was weak, inferior, and a parasite who stood in the way of their plans and plunders. That Victor was someone who needed eliminating, but through a process of weedling down--for the message would stick if enough hits had been struck against him. Hence why the next intended hit, one that had already been attempted, was Karl's death. Elias added that Jasper has also mentioned, to his quartermaster, that it would be even better if Victor could watch it happen.

However, Jasper and Victor's paths had not directly crossed in many years. Elias had only a vague idea of where his father had last been, yet even that location was dated several months. Jasper Harndal had a habit of being one of the most prominent, yet inconspicuous pirates to sail the West Indies. As Victor often said, Jasper never revealed himself until he intended to be seen. He was boisterous, but always clever. Elias claimed that that was one of the few traits he admired about his father as a child.