Commodore Pharos (Petrichor 365)

While he is not always in port, his presence is always felt through his command of the Imperial Navy ships that visit Port Imperial.  Commodore Pharos is far too much of a sailor to stay ashore any longer than is required for his duties.

Much is said about Pharos, but how much is legendary and how much is the truth is hard to say, what is known is that he is an old earthkine.  How old?  Over eight hundred years it is said. If the stories are to be believed, he joined the Imperial Navy in the second century of the Empress’ rule as a midshipman during the Grand Spiral Progression.

He served with distinction again various pirate groups, rebel factions, and even a hidden giant stronghold, rapidly gaining distinction and rank.  As the captain of Imperial Swan, he engaged and killed the black space serpent that had been destroying the shipping off Valsheron.  The Imperial Swan limped back to port with only one of its masts intact, the front third of the serpent stapped to the deck.  The prize money was considerable and the Empress ascended him to the lower rank of the Dragon blooded.

Pharos gained his promotion to Commodore when he led the first retribution mission in the wake of the Sen’Tek Betrayal.  For his excellent work, he was rewarded with an ascension further up the rank of the Dragon blooded.  Since then he has acted as a general overseer of new forces, so an assignment to keep an eye on Petrichor and Port Imperial was a natural fit for him.  This has led to a friendly rivalry with Captain Ajzure who, as commander of the Imperial land forces, has primacy in Port Imperial but relies on the help of the Imperial Marines to maintain order.  They often play strategy games when he is in port.

Pharos is a tall earthkine (or elf as they are also known) standing 6’2″ (188cm) tall and slender, a man used to surviving on shipboard rations.  His hair is silver-white and worn close-cropped and his eyes are a startling metallic gold, his skin is weathered as sailors tend to be.  When not serving as a commodore, he prefers to dress down in civilian clothes, with a shirt of dragonsteel mail underneath, he is not a fool.  For official duties, he always wears his full uniform with medals and fancy hat (and dragonsteel mail under it all), if he demands proper dress from his sailor, he must do the same when on duty.

Commodore Pharos demands the best from his sailors and marines, but he is not afraid to pitch in as well, he has served in almost every shipboard post over his long tenure in the navy and can speak with authority on all of them.  He is not a person who believes that respect comes from a title but from proper actions and doing your job competently.  He is always reading, studying, and preparing himself and his ships for future troubles.

Anyone who served in the Imperial Navy, or possibly other navies, knows about Pharos, he is a living legend in naval circles.  He could have met others if he rescue their ship from pirates or helped out in other maritime situations.

His current flagship is the starship Crown of Stars.

Pharos usually has a paid companion in his homeport, currently Port Imperial, so he will have someone to spend time relaxing with.  Being such a frontier posting, keeping such companions has proven difficult and he has already lost two who were unhappy with how rarely they were visited by Pharos and the lack of amenities in the new city.

Notes: Of course, I had the Al Stewart song Old Admirals running through my head while working on this.  The Imperial Navy is the largest part of the Imperial military and even it is not very large but it has the best equipment and training.

Petrichor 365.  Previous: The Port Guard.  Next: Three Stars Stable

Image edited from Albin-Reine, Baron Roussin, amiral de France by Charles-Philippe Larivière found on Wikimedia Commons and is in the Public Domain.