Post by Father Alvito on Mar 6, 2017 22:13:12 GMT
Name: João Alvito de Pombal
Nationality: Portuguese
Profession: Former Jesuit Priest, now in service of Captain Brighid Murphy
Born: 1630 (age 32)
Fighting:
Swashbuckling (Rapier, Saber, Cutlass, Dagger, Crossbow or pistol, dual wield w/dagger): 65
Physical Attributes:
Strength (base 10): 20
Agility (base 10):40
Swimming: 10
Stamina: 30
Social Skills:
Influence/Persuasion 80
Willpower 70
Perception 50
Professional Skills:
Sailing 35
Medicine/Healing 40
Languages:
Portuguese Free
English 40
Spanish 40
Backstory:
When you speak of pirates and buccaneers who terrorize the seas of the globe, the last figure that you would imagine finding in such a place is that of a Catholic Priest. Fair and youthful, clad in the black robes of The Society of Jesus, with a wooden cross hanging at the height of his bellybutton from a silver chain that never leaves his neck, Father Alvito surely shines like a beacon amidst the crew of the Scáthach . What keeps him there, though? He is not a captive (at least not anymore) nor a slave. The Captain holds no more power over him than over any other man in her crew; leaving would be as easy as jumping out of the ship in the closest harbor. Yet the man of god lingers with thieves and marauders, why? The answer is still a mystery, not even Father Alvito is sure what compels him to do so. He's torn between two lives, two loves. He stands true to the word of the Lord, and always will, even though a darkness keeps pulling him to a path he'd rather not follow. Through the years these villains became much more than comrades to him, they became his friends, his brothers. Hate the sin, love the sinner, isn't that what the Lord had told us? Wasn't He crucified among thieves? One thing he was sure, though. That here, with these men, he could make a difference. A real difference.
João Alvito was born the third son of a small Baron in the region of Pombal in Portugal. It was customary in his family that the first son would inherit the family's holdings in Portugal, the second would follow to the city of Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro where the Alvito's kept a small sugar cane plantation, and from the third son on, there would be a choice between the cloth and the street. From his youth, Father Alvito never questioned his destiny; he knew that the path of god was the only way for him. And that wasn't a problem for him, for that was the only life he knew and would have known. Before being sent to seminary, João had a very uneventful childhood. He enjoyed, although not many, all the luxuries that the son of a minor noble might enjoy: he never hungered, had a good education and couldn't complain about lacking a roof over his head. Soon enough, he would probably have to give up on most those things, so he might as well enjoy them. At the age of 15, the time came and it was time for him to give his life in service of The Lord Jesus Christ.
During his training as a priest, Alvito learned about the most honorable Company of Jesus; whose missionaries traveled far and wide to bring the words of Christ across the oceans. It was a beautiful work in his eyes, to bring salvation to the naive souls of the natives. At his first opportunity, João hopped on a ship to the city of Belém do Pará, where he'd meet with some Jesuit brothers and join the work in a Mission up an affluent of the Amazon river. he Mission was comprised by a small chapel by the river, surrounded by nothing more than a mud wall built at waist high, and thousands and thousands of miles of jungle, mostly untouched by Europeans. The nearest friendly native tribe was located a couple hours by foot from the mission, and Father Almeida (Head of the Local Priests) intended to expand their influence to another group of natives a couple miles to the east. There were already around 20 converts among the natives in the region, all of them already baptized and with a chosen Christian name. They attended a daily mass every morning and in the afternoon, Father Augustinho would teach them Latin and Portuguese. The priests were welcome to the tribe, especially when they brought European wares to trade. Father Almeida was a good man, he was that type of man that really cared about people, always willing to sacrifice something in order to bring God to the needy. Almeida loved his fellow man, and only through love once can be truly touched by the hand of the Lord.
Father Almeida died not three years after Alvito arrived, and the man that came from the metropolis to replace him, couldn't be more of an opposite. According to Father Ferreira, who arrived six months after Almeida's passing, the heads of the Company of Jesus had judged their Mission's model to be "un fructiferous" and would have to go through "some serious reformation". It seemed that exotic goods from the amazon forest had been in an all time high in Europe and the Jesuits in their missions had the monopoly of its exploration. Ferreira preached to the natives that work would be their path to salvation, through serving with their able bodies they would achieve salvation. By that time, the number of converts had quadrupled and now their influence extended to another three tribes in a two hundred miles radius. Alvito and the other two brothers could do no more than watch as all they had strived for was dismantled to become just another plantation, built to attend the needs of the powerful and not of those who needed it. This was not what his Lord had taught him. Two years under that administration was enough for Alvito, he would not be just another pawn of the Father General and his greedy intentions. Alvito grabbed his possessions and jumped on the first trade boat that docked by the mission. He was still not sure what he would do, as word of his desertion would soon reach the Church of Gesu, where the Father General wouldn't waste two minutes in expelling him from the order and judging him a heretic. But looking back was not an option, he was sure of his decision, for he knew God was by his side as he had always been.
The ship he had boarded in Belém had just reached the high seas when a small black flag was spotted on the horizon. Englishmen, Anglican Devils, if a Catholic Priest fell on their hands there would be only two certainties in his life: excruciating pain and a slow death. Their schooner stood no chance against the corsair, and Alvito prayed, prayed like he had never done before. Only this time, God seemed to closed his eyes on the poor Portuguese priest... And for the first time in his life, as the pirates took him alive onto their ship, Alvito questioned His decisions. Could his whole career have been a mistake? Could he and Almeida have misread the inscriptions? If He was really all loving, why did He put him through all this? These questions wouldn't leave his head, as João was beaten and starved on the cellars of the corsair. But suddenly, there was light and all was clear. God hadn't turned on him, as He had not turned his back on His own son. Alvito realized his suffering was not for his deeds, but for the Sins of mankind. And then Alvito smiled, for he would rather suffer a thousand tortures than see his fellow man in pain. He would die here in this dark rat-ridden hell, but soon he'd be meeting Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven, God would wait for him with open arms.
His chance of Martyrdom was stolen from him, though. The Lord seemed to still have plans for him on earth, for He sent the fairest of Angels to his rescue. The sound of screams, gunfire and the fiery headed figure were the last things he remembered before passing out. The cell that he woke up was not very different from the one in the English ship, yet something inside Alvito told him he was safe. As he woke, the chap who had been tasked with keeping an eye on him jumped to his feet and said: "Captain Murphy will be here in a moment, Father". The man spoke English, curses another bunch of heretics... But wait... No...That accent... Where had he heard it before? Irish! Catholics! He was saved indeed. The Lord be praised. The sight of Brighid was not what he had expected when the gaoler had spoken of Captain Murphy, but there he was, and beggars couldn't complain about what they got. As the Mistress of the Ship spoke, realization soon dawned on Alvito that he was still a prisoner at the mercy of barbarous marauders, Catholic or not. Captain Murphy, though, proved to be a much kinder Host than the Englishman; she'd more often than not use the word "guest" to describe his presence on board of the Scáthach. Apparently, the Pirate Lady felt that keeping a priest on her crew reminded her of home.
At first, Alvito resisted his status as a captive. He was a servant of god, not a toy that did occasional "confessions" and supper prayers. In his cell, he cried and shouted atop os his lungs... He had not exchanged Martyrdom for this travesty of a life. But as the time went by as he read and re-read a bible given him by Brighid, he decided to make the best out of his situation. Jesus had suffered worse odds and still, the Lord had persevered, and so would he. Now, a lot tamer, in no time he was allowed to roam freely on the ship. At some point, Brighid requested him to teach her some Portuguese and as he taught her the difference between 'am' and 'ão', something flourished in his heart. The way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she'd get angry when she couldn't get something right, he fell for her.... Hard. He had to suppress it, though. That was wrong in so many layers, he couldn't even count them. He was a priest, sworn to celibacy through his life, and a prisoner; nothing good could come out of it. Fortunately or not, he found way to control Satan's call.
Meanwhile, Father Alvito decided to try and be more present as a spiritual guide for the rest of the crew. These men were used to a life much tougher than the average catholic irishman. Things like "Thou Shall not Steal" and "Thou shall not kill" were not very welcome around these parts. Needless to say, Alvito's preaching was not very welcome by perhaps all of the crew, except for the old fellow who had been his gaoler in the beginning, who was one of the stauncher Catholics he had ever seen. He had to find a different approached, these men scorned him because he was not one of them. If he wanted to touch their hearts, he would have to give up some of his prejudices and become one of them, at least in part. So as he taught Brighid the beautiful Portuguese language, he asked her to teach him to become more like them. He knew that this was his true mission, bring the Lord to this dark place, that otherwise might never have seen the word of Christ again. As he learned to fight and talk like them, the crew members started to slowly open to him and accept them as one of theirs. Not only they started to tolerate his (now a little modified) preachings, some started to demand masses every Sunday morning and now and then a place for making a confession. No, they were not changed, they would still pillage and kill mercilessly, but at least some discovered that they could have a little taste of their homeland and commune with the Lord. And every day for the last years, Alvito has woken with a smile on his face, for he knew that in the darkest places the light of God shines brightest.
Nationality: Portuguese
Profession: Former Jesuit Priest, now in service of Captain Brighid Murphy
Born: 1630 (age 32)
Fighting:
Swashbuckling (Rapier, Saber, Cutlass, Dagger, Crossbow or pistol, dual wield w/dagger): 65
Physical Attributes:
Strength (base 10): 20
Agility (base 10):40
Swimming: 10
Stamina: 30
Social Skills:
Influence/Persuasion 80
Willpower 70
Perception 50
Professional Skills:
Sailing 35
Medicine/Healing 40
Languages:
Portuguese Free
English 40
Spanish 40
Backstory:
When you speak of pirates and buccaneers who terrorize the seas of the globe, the last figure that you would imagine finding in such a place is that of a Catholic Priest. Fair and youthful, clad in the black robes of The Society of Jesus, with a wooden cross hanging at the height of his bellybutton from a silver chain that never leaves his neck, Father Alvito surely shines like a beacon amidst the crew of the Scáthach . What keeps him there, though? He is not a captive (at least not anymore) nor a slave. The Captain holds no more power over him than over any other man in her crew; leaving would be as easy as jumping out of the ship in the closest harbor. Yet the man of god lingers with thieves and marauders, why? The answer is still a mystery, not even Father Alvito is sure what compels him to do so. He's torn between two lives, two loves. He stands true to the word of the Lord, and always will, even though a darkness keeps pulling him to a path he'd rather not follow. Through the years these villains became much more than comrades to him, they became his friends, his brothers. Hate the sin, love the sinner, isn't that what the Lord had told us? Wasn't He crucified among thieves? One thing he was sure, though. That here, with these men, he could make a difference. A real difference.
João Alvito was born the third son of a small Baron in the region of Pombal in Portugal. It was customary in his family that the first son would inherit the family's holdings in Portugal, the second would follow to the city of Saint Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro where the Alvito's kept a small sugar cane plantation, and from the third son on, there would be a choice between the cloth and the street. From his youth, Father Alvito never questioned his destiny; he knew that the path of god was the only way for him. And that wasn't a problem for him, for that was the only life he knew and would have known. Before being sent to seminary, João had a very uneventful childhood. He enjoyed, although not many, all the luxuries that the son of a minor noble might enjoy: he never hungered, had a good education and couldn't complain about lacking a roof over his head. Soon enough, he would probably have to give up on most those things, so he might as well enjoy them. At the age of 15, the time came and it was time for him to give his life in service of The Lord Jesus Christ.
During his training as a priest, Alvito learned about the most honorable Company of Jesus; whose missionaries traveled far and wide to bring the words of Christ across the oceans. It was a beautiful work in his eyes, to bring salvation to the naive souls of the natives. At his first opportunity, João hopped on a ship to the city of Belém do Pará, where he'd meet with some Jesuit brothers and join the work in a Mission up an affluent of the Amazon river. he Mission was comprised by a small chapel by the river, surrounded by nothing more than a mud wall built at waist high, and thousands and thousands of miles of jungle, mostly untouched by Europeans. The nearest friendly native tribe was located a couple hours by foot from the mission, and Father Almeida (Head of the Local Priests) intended to expand their influence to another group of natives a couple miles to the east. There were already around 20 converts among the natives in the region, all of them already baptized and with a chosen Christian name. They attended a daily mass every morning and in the afternoon, Father Augustinho would teach them Latin and Portuguese. The priests were welcome to the tribe, especially when they brought European wares to trade. Father Almeida was a good man, he was that type of man that really cared about people, always willing to sacrifice something in order to bring God to the needy. Almeida loved his fellow man, and only through love once can be truly touched by the hand of the Lord.
Father Almeida died not three years after Alvito arrived, and the man that came from the metropolis to replace him, couldn't be more of an opposite. According to Father Ferreira, who arrived six months after Almeida's passing, the heads of the Company of Jesus had judged their Mission's model to be "un fructiferous" and would have to go through "some serious reformation". It seemed that exotic goods from the amazon forest had been in an all time high in Europe and the Jesuits in their missions had the monopoly of its exploration. Ferreira preached to the natives that work would be their path to salvation, through serving with their able bodies they would achieve salvation. By that time, the number of converts had quadrupled and now their influence extended to another three tribes in a two hundred miles radius. Alvito and the other two brothers could do no more than watch as all they had strived for was dismantled to become just another plantation, built to attend the needs of the powerful and not of those who needed it. This was not what his Lord had taught him. Two years under that administration was enough for Alvito, he would not be just another pawn of the Father General and his greedy intentions. Alvito grabbed his possessions and jumped on the first trade boat that docked by the mission. He was still not sure what he would do, as word of his desertion would soon reach the Church of Gesu, where the Father General wouldn't waste two minutes in expelling him from the order and judging him a heretic. But looking back was not an option, he was sure of his decision, for he knew God was by his side as he had always been.
The ship he had boarded in Belém had just reached the high seas when a small black flag was spotted on the horizon. Englishmen, Anglican Devils, if a Catholic Priest fell on their hands there would be only two certainties in his life: excruciating pain and a slow death. Their schooner stood no chance against the corsair, and Alvito prayed, prayed like he had never done before. Only this time, God seemed to closed his eyes on the poor Portuguese priest... And for the first time in his life, as the pirates took him alive onto their ship, Alvito questioned His decisions. Could his whole career have been a mistake? Could he and Almeida have misread the inscriptions? If He was really all loving, why did He put him through all this? These questions wouldn't leave his head, as João was beaten and starved on the cellars of the corsair. But suddenly, there was light and all was clear. God hadn't turned on him, as He had not turned his back on His own son. Alvito realized his suffering was not for his deeds, but for the Sins of mankind. And then Alvito smiled, for he would rather suffer a thousand tortures than see his fellow man in pain. He would die here in this dark rat-ridden hell, but soon he'd be meeting Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven, God would wait for him with open arms.
His chance of Martyrdom was stolen from him, though. The Lord seemed to still have plans for him on earth, for He sent the fairest of Angels to his rescue. The sound of screams, gunfire and the fiery headed figure were the last things he remembered before passing out. The cell that he woke up was not very different from the one in the English ship, yet something inside Alvito told him he was safe. As he woke, the chap who had been tasked with keeping an eye on him jumped to his feet and said: "Captain Murphy will be here in a moment, Father". The man spoke English, curses another bunch of heretics... But wait... No...That accent... Where had he heard it before? Irish! Catholics! He was saved indeed. The Lord be praised. The sight of Brighid was not what he had expected when the gaoler had spoken of Captain Murphy, but there he was, and beggars couldn't complain about what they got. As the Mistress of the Ship spoke, realization soon dawned on Alvito that he was still a prisoner at the mercy of barbarous marauders, Catholic or not. Captain Murphy, though, proved to be a much kinder Host than the Englishman; she'd more often than not use the word "guest" to describe his presence on board of the Scáthach. Apparently, the Pirate Lady felt that keeping a priest on her crew reminded her of home.
At first, Alvito resisted his status as a captive. He was a servant of god, not a toy that did occasional "confessions" and supper prayers. In his cell, he cried and shouted atop os his lungs... He had not exchanged Martyrdom for this travesty of a life. But as the time went by as he read and re-read a bible given him by Brighid, he decided to make the best out of his situation. Jesus had suffered worse odds and still, the Lord had persevered, and so would he. Now, a lot tamer, in no time he was allowed to roam freely on the ship. At some point, Brighid requested him to teach her some Portuguese and as he taught her the difference between 'am' and 'ão', something flourished in his heart. The way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she'd get angry when she couldn't get something right, he fell for her.... Hard. He had to suppress it, though. That was wrong in so many layers, he couldn't even count them. He was a priest, sworn to celibacy through his life, and a prisoner; nothing good could come out of it. Fortunately or not, he found way to control Satan's call.
Meanwhile, Father Alvito decided to try and be more present as a spiritual guide for the rest of the crew. These men were used to a life much tougher than the average catholic irishman. Things like "Thou Shall not Steal" and "Thou shall not kill" were not very welcome around these parts. Needless to say, Alvito's preaching was not very welcome by perhaps all of the crew, except for the old fellow who had been his gaoler in the beginning, who was one of the stauncher Catholics he had ever seen. He had to find a different approached, these men scorned him because he was not one of them. If he wanted to touch their hearts, he would have to give up some of his prejudices and become one of them, at least in part. So as he taught Brighid the beautiful Portuguese language, he asked her to teach him to become more like them. He knew that this was his true mission, bring the Lord to this dark place, that otherwise might never have seen the word of Christ again. As he learned to fight and talk like them, the crew members started to slowly open to him and accept them as one of theirs. Not only they started to tolerate his (now a little modified) preachings, some started to demand masses every Sunday morning and now and then a place for making a confession. No, they were not changed, they would still pillage and kill mercilessly, but at least some discovered that they could have a little taste of their homeland and commune with the Lord. And every day for the last years, Alvito has woken with a smile on his face, for he knew that in the darkest places the light of God shines brightest.
