Gabrielle de McKarae

[Gabrielle de McKarae]

PC NAME - Gabrielle de McKarae
AGE AT TURNING - 23
APROXIMATE DATE OF TURNING - October 25, 1705
SIRE - Unknown
MIND GIFT - Very strong mainly due to the simple fact that she loves to use them.
FIRE GIFT - Mild... mainly used to light the many candles found in her home. Electric light bugs her and she doesn't like to delve into the affairs of the "others".
CLOUD GIFT - Also not as well developed as her "mind gift", but does use it to entertain herself if ever there is a dull moment.
NOTES - Talamasca does not even know that she exists because of how maticulously she has concealed herself... always in hiding. Even went to the extreme of burning the Red Dawn in the ocean with some of her journals and possessions. Secrecy is her speciality... until now.
APPEARANCE -Height-5’ 7”
Weight-135 lbs
Hair-Thick raven black locks that falls to the backs of her knees. From certain distances and depending on the lighting sometimes appears to have blue high lights, but that… is just a trick of the eye.
Eye Color-A lovely aqua… very pale to a mortal’s sight.
Clothing Style-Depends in what mood she is in that night ( or in which time frame I am playing).
BIO-Gabrielle de Mckarae ( later on known as Keelhaul Rose) was born to a poor fisherman and his wife on the island of Le Palais off the Atlantic coast of France in one of the many small fishing villages. As she grew her father taught her everything there was to know about the sea. The dangers, the life it gives, and the many stories of the pirates that sail it’s waters. Forget what you see on the silver screen… it’s more than a way of life. Sometimes it was the only choice left if you wanted to live. “You are meant for great things Gabriella,” he had told her when she was young and didn’t understand a great deal of what he was saying. The meaning did come to her with the passing slave ship on route to London for supplies and that is where she met Him. Bartholomew Roberts.
Roberts was third mate upon the vessel he sailed upon at the time. In Gabrielle’s eyes he was everything a woman would want in a man…clever, daring, and at times made her laugh. Mostly he loved the sea just as much as she did (and still does till this very day). “I see the ocean in yer eyes,” was one of the first things he had said to her as they walked along the water’s edge. Of course her father didn’t agree that Roberts should be the type of fellow that she falls for, but he didn’t stop her. In her mind Gabrielle supposes that he knew that she wouldn’t listen no matter how much he begged and pleaded. Perhaps because of the fact that… like many have told her relentlessly…he knew that she was too wild, much like the sea that she so adores.
So, for a year the two lovers wrote letters back and forth to each other by means of a messenger ship that would pass by way of the Princess (the ship that Roberts crewed) every other couple of days. Then, in the month of March, the letters just ceased to come at all. Due to her father’s constant tales of what pirates would do to ships they had incarcerated along with the vessels crew she feared the worst. For two whole months… not a word. Every day she would stand out on the rocky shore line near the cove just to watch the waves and hoping to see white sails rising on the horizon. But, every time she thought she did, it was just clouds. Even in storms, with the waves lapping angrily at her feet, she waited until she was drenched to the bone.
Finally, when she had nearly given up hope, a small messenger ship made dock in the harbor with a letter from her beloved. It read as stated:

June 24, 1702
My beloved Gabriella,


I’ve sent this in the highest hopes that you still remember me… and
maintain your love for me. Also I regret to inform you, my
dearest, that the Princess has been apprehended by the pyrate captain
known to you by the name of Howell Davis. Do not alarm m’ love for I
am safe of harm. They have shown quarter (mercy) to me, but I am no
Longer third mate. Instead I swab the decks like some cabin boy!
Though, I must say, that I have rather taken on a liking to their
way of life.
They are not nearly as nightmarish as the fables have made them out to
be. For, if that were true, I would not be sending this letter.
Well, I do detest, but I must be bringing this to a close and I do fret that you
receive this in due time. I will tell the messenger to make way as fast
as the sea will allow.Also I state that I will
come for you when I have procured
my own ship and become
Captain.


Yours Eternally,
Roberts

The letter made Gabrielle’s heart pound in her chest to the point that she believed it would burst. But, even as the letter did ease some of her worries, every evening as the sun would sink below the water’s edge there she will await his arrival. Though, while watching the colors of the sky fade, her thoughts were on where her destiny now lay… and what her father would think of her being in love with an… pirate.
Deciding that it would be more safe if he didn’t know at all. So, every time she would receive a letter from her beloved Gabrielle would burn them to keep this secret from getting out to ears that would be disgruntled by such disturbing facts.
It wasn’t long until Roberts suprised her on the shore where she always waited for him, scooping her up into his arms, and whisking her away onto the open seas. Of course it was like she were home. No sea sickness, no worries or doubts… just open ocean and the master of her heart.
After a couple of months the crew became accustomed to her presence and eventually grew to have a high regard for Gabrielle. For a while she did most of the hard work until Roberts (her life partner and now called Captain “Black Bart” Roberts) started taking notice in her efforts and noticed that one of his Galleon War Ships that he had swaged from another pirate, the Red Dawn, was without a captain. Now they were about five ships strong. The Good Fortune was captained by the commander of the fleet himself (Roberts), the Red Dawn was Gabrielle’s, the Magician by Drezdal ( Drezdal the Dreadful), the Burlington Bay by Mad Mires, and finally the Mirth by Ashten… who is a good friend of both Roberts and Gabrielle.
As the captain of the Red dawn she wore a long coat, an rather interesting outfit much to the liking of what one would think a pirate of that day and age (let’s just call Kate the lovely model for this), and a feathered tricorn (pirate talk for ’hat’). Also… a captain has to be heavily armed he, or in this case, she would have to be heavily armed to the walls. So she did indeed where gun and sword sheaths complete with black leather and a silver buckle holding a French duel iron along with the lovely detailed saber. The Red Dawn had to be the best Galleon to sail the seven seas because it never let Gabrielle down. Weathered storms with little trouble, didn’t have a leak already started, and was one of the fastest war ships she had the pleasure of manning.
The entire crew loved their captains… especially Gabrielle and Roberts who lead them with care to make sure everyone got their share. Every Sabbath Day they would pray to God to forgive them of their sins and they would never attack on that holy day… but a lot of people called Roberts a pious man for that. If they only knew half the things he would do to the people who become their prisoners of war. “Keelhaul with these lily landlubbers!” he would order and Gabrielle’s ship was the one most famous for doing such a thing, hence, her “pirate name” as they had called them. Well, everything seem to have been ’sailing smoothly’ until that one fateful evening off the Cape of Lopez (now Gabon). Indeed she will forever remember this as one of the most terrible days in her eternity as a whole… besides for when she waited at Ashten’s side while he passed away of old age, but that is another tale.
Gabrielle led the first part of the fleet to make way to the deeper waters, but unfortunately the Good Fortune had trouble getting from port… that’s where everything seem to happen too fast. A Man O’ War came around the corner having been hidden by the fog of the coming cool of the evening. Instantly Gabrielle knew that it was British, but they had French colors ran up… to confuse them more than likely. It must of worked because as the Man O’ War approached the Good Fortune... Roberts never calling his men to arms. How could she see all this? Well, a looking glass of course. She watched on with wary eyes as the ships drew within fifty yards from each other before her first mate said in her ear, “I know that ship that be… that be HMS Swallowtail is what she be cap’ n.”
Tragically, before her very eyes, both ships exchange two broadsides and that is all it took to claim the life of Commander “Black Bart” Roberts. Most of the crew was taken prisoner aboard the HMS and taken to Cape Coast Castle in West Africa for execution trials. As for the Good Fortune it was lit aflame to burn to nothing other than floating trash in the black water whenever the Red Dawn approached upon the wreckage. That’s when Gabrielle saw the floating body of her dearest love… amongst the splintered remains of the ship that he loved most. Without thinking twice she had leapt into that flame ridden water to retrieve him only hoping, when crashing into the cold unmerciful surface, that he was still alive….
THE EMBRACE - She can remember the date vividly... October 25, 1705... the largest trial in European history. This, the eve that the crew of the Good Fortune met their fates. Gabrielle can still feel the fury that she had felt that day that she had planned a large scale rescue attempt, but the rest of the crews of the fleet were too fightened by the idea of the hangman's noose to even try the thought of it. So, with a broken heart, she had to watch all sixty men hang till dead. Thankfully she was a master of disguise so none noticed the captain of the Red Dawn, but rather a simple woman of nobility. There was, though, someone who wasn't so easily fooled.
Maybe it were her tears instead of cheers that gave her away. This man, this creature, no..., this MONSTER knew everything. About Les Palias, her lost love, and even the detailed description of the Red Dawn. He had obviously been following her for quite some time. It was frightening just how much He knew.
Gabrielle doesn't know His name or of what He may of looked like, but only that He had taken her that night like it were planned out for years. What she experienced and seen is sometimes more than she can bear. Needless to say that it is a very sensitive topic for her. All she can really remember of Him is the deathly chill of His caress, the shadows that clung like a mask to His face, and the sight of those tiny needle like fangs moving closer... closer... closer still until they all but vanished from sight. This was shortly followed by suddenly jolting sting of the bite... oh, she'll never forget what that had felt like. How it had left her dizzy; made the room spin hopelessly around her.
What happened afterwards, what always happens..., the excruciating pain of death raking throughout her body with the terrible screams that had left her lips... the tears, but He was nowhere to be seen. In a dazed stupor Gabrielle had wandered the streets like some drunk would; that was until the arms of related pitty fell around her. In those arms she had fainted... exhausted by the events of the night, but they saved her from the coming of the sun. When she awoke the following night there was a letter:
'Beautiful Stranger,

I know that you know not of me and I as well as you, but I've this urge that you are in need of some guidance. Truth be known that even I know very little about this life known as the "dark gift" for I've many unanswered questions as well. I assure you, though, that I know enough to help you hopefully to survive the first couple of years. Forgive me when I say that this may be quite a shock and, no matter your reaction, that you are not alone.
Indeed, I know not of you, but I couldn't bring myself to suffer such a beautiful creature to death. Of what we are, there is no name that I can give you, there are however some details that I am most certain of.
You will, unfortunately, have to feed. When I say this I do not intell that you dine on food that you would normally depend on, but something much more disturbing and, at times, hard to accomplish. Madame, I regret to inform, now you MUST drink blood... you must. Once you become parched enough the thirst's instinct will know what to do so do not fear if you think for one moment that you've no clue how to acquire such. Also, do not fret if the feeding seems a bit sloppy. Every first time is.
Madame, you may believe that you find yourself slipping away. Do not let this drive you mad. Again, I do not know what happened that leaves you abandoned, but take comfort in knowing that I'm never too far away. I will be keeping an watchful eye on you, my Beautiful Stranger, but YOU will never see me for reasons I myself am not sure of as yet.
Use this place that I have left you with as your refuge away from the sun's light every morning. Please, I emplore you, stay away from the sun and keep your secret safe from that of those whom you would normally fear not of. I wish never to learn of your passing. I've left some money... may we meet sometime in the far future so that we may talk about years past.

The Watcher'
The letter had kept her from much unwanted dangers and helped the confused masterless fledgling to survive. For years she searched for the author of this letter; as well as her master for centuries until 246 years later in the year 1951. Much too tired or uncaring to search anymore. So, now she lives back in the place of her mortal birth on the Isle of Les Palias having purchased it through an friend that kept her name anonymous in an attempt to keep her from being discovered.
The island is where she stays... away from the eyes of the world.[/color][/font][/i]

[starrzchylde]

Phenomenal character background, sweetie!