Wednesday, December 23, 2015

The Dread Pirate Santa

Captain Nikolaos of Myra
This elderly Grecian is captain of the "Reindeer". Nikolaos and his crew sail all over the world, appearing seemingly at random. He and his crew of "elves" (as he insists on calling the short, bearded Norwegians who man the Reindeer) prey only on other pirates, usually after they've made a nice haul, and have been so successful that Nikolaus is rumored to be among the wealthiest men on the planet.

Nikolaos is eccentric, to say the least, and just as terrifying as one might expect of such an experienced pirate hunter, dressing all in red, with a thick beard, and a terrifying red-streaked hood for hand. He insists that his crew dress similarly. One pirate who escaped his attacks described him thusly:

"He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly..."

While the crew of the Reindeer prey on the most successful pirates, they have been known to appear and provide assistance to buccaneers just starting out. The Reindeer will appear out of no-where, deliver a full broadside from their cannon, firing packages filled with excess loot or useful equipment rather than cannon balls, then vanish into the mist. If attacked though, the crew of the Reindeer will not hesitate to defend themselves with almost-certainly deadly force.

Captain Nikolaos fights as a Frost Giant, dealing massive damage with his candy-cane hook hand. He is always aided in battle by eight large, magical reindeer (stats as Onyx Deer save that their bite turns targets into solid peppermint). His massive bag of holding may contain any of a wide variety of festive magic items.

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