Born: 1653, Port Royal, Jamaica
Age: 37 (as of 1690)
Occupation: Pirate Captain
Ship: Nightwind
Aliases: “Red Jane” (former), Captain Scarlette
Notable For: Command of the magically enhanced schooner Nightwind, multiple letters of marque, rise to prominence in Caribbean piracy through brutal methods, supernatural voodoo abilities

Captain Scarlette Jane is one of the most feared and enigmatic pirate captains operating in the Caribbean during the late 17th century. Born of mixed British and Afro-Caribbean heritage in Port Royal, she has built a reputation for cunning, ruthlessness, and an uncanny ability to vanish when pursued. Her ship, the Nightwind, is renowned for its magical properties and has never been successfully captured despite numerous encounters with naval forces. Recent revelations have exposed her divine nature and connection to voodoo magic, marking her as far more than a mere mortal pirate.

Early Life (1653-1666)

Scarlette was born in Port Royal, Jamaica to a British naval officer and a freed Afro-Caribbean woman. Her mixed heritage marked her as an outsider in colonial society from birth. Her father died under mysterious circumstances when she was eight years old, and her mother vanished a year later, leaving the young girl to fend for herself in the rough port city.

Life at Sea (1666-1675)

At age 13, Scarlette disguised herself as a boy and stowed away aboard a merchant vessel. When the ship was later captured by privateers, rather than being killed or ransomed, she convinced the crew to let her join them. During this period, she gained a reputation for exceptional ferocity and cunning during raids, earning the nickname “Red Jane” for both her distinctive red hair and the bloody aftermath of her battles.

Between 1670 and 1675, she sailed under several captains, including a brutal French corsair and a declining Spanish exile. This apprenticeship taught her multiple languages, naval tactics, swordsmanship, and espionage techniques that would serve her throughout her career.

Rise to Command (1676-1682)

In 1676, at age 23, Scarlette orchestrated a mutiny aboard a Spanish treasure galleon called El Corazón de Oro. Using the captured treasure, she purchased a fast brig and eventually acquired the Nightwind, though the exact circumstances of this acquisition remained mysterious until 1677.

During the late 1670s and early 1680s, Scarlette began accepting letters of marque from rival European powers, notably England and the Dutch Republic, playing them against each other for maximum advantage. She became legendary among pirates for her ability to ambush convoys, disappear into storms, and never lose a chase. Captains who crossed her were known to vanish or be found executed in brutal fashion.

The Fateful Deal with Percy (1677)

In 1677, Scarlette’s fate became irrevocably bound to supernatural forces during a high-stakes card game in an unnamed Havana tavern. Playing against a mysterious figure known as Percy, she wagered her very soul—body, soul, and all debts owed—against a ship called the Nightwind. She won with a straight flush against Percy’s full house, claiming the vessel that would become her greatest asset.

However, victory came with a terrible price. Percy revealed himself as far more than mortal, later confirmed to be the god Poseidon in disguise. He invoked three binding terms of their pact: first, Scarlette could never speak his true name without experiencing burning pain; second, neither could raise blade nor bullet against the other until the debt was paid; and third, Percy retained the right to call in a favor at any time of his choosing, with Scarlette’s life and legacy forfeit if she refused.

A black tattoo wound around Scarlette’s left hand and wrist, marking the divine pact. For the next thirteen years, Percy appeared periodically to mock, torment, and observe her exploits, creating a relationship of mutual hostility bound by supernatural obligation.

The Wreckshore Alliance (1680)

In August 1680, a catastrophic hurricane struck the Lesser Antilles, claiming hundreds of lives and devastating the regional naval presence. Both the Nightwind and the Spanish galleon San Ignacio, commanded by Admiral Corlissandro de Villanueva, were driven ashore near the ruins of Saint-Anne on southern Martinique.

In this first confirmed encounter between Scarlette and Corlissandro, the two commanders established a temporary truce known locally as the Wreckshore Alliance. For a week, their crews worked together to bury the dead, salvage supplies, treat wounded, and defend against looters. Scarlette offered one of her ship’s carpenters to assess the San Ignacio‘s hull damage, while Corlissandro treated wounded Nightwind crewmen.

The alliance dissolved when a French patrol ship was spotted offshore. Scarlette departed under cover of night, while Corlissandro remained to assist with humanitarian efforts. This encounter established a complex relationship of mutual respect and rivalry that would define their interactions for the next decade.

Major Naval Encounters

1683: Raid on Veracruz

Scarlette participated in the devastating Raid on Veracruz alongside Laurens de Graaf, Michel de Grammont, and Nicholas van Hoorn. During the raid, she engaged in a naval duel with Captain Corlissandro de Villanueva of the Spanish galleon San Ignacio, luring him into shallow waters where her superior knowledge of local reefs gave her an advantage.

1683: Siege of Cartagena

Following the Veracruz raid, Scarlette conducted an unofficial blockade of Cartagena de Indias in November-December 1683, operating alongside Laurens de Graaf’s historical blockade. Using false flags to disguise her allegiance as either Spanish patrol vessel or French privateer, she intercepted supply ships attempting to reach the besieged port. Her weeks-long blockade significantly weakened Cartagena’s defenses by cutting off crucial supplies. The French rewarded her with an unofficial pardon and second letter of marque despite her having attacked French merchants months earlier.

1683: Recruitment of Sabine Varnier

In 1683, Scarlette found herself betrayed and arrested in Paris by crew members seeking the bounty on her head. After escaping prison, she created a massive diversion during a public execution in a city square, setting strategic fires and triggering a mob riot. Among those freed from the gallows was Sabine Varnier, sentenced to death for the capital murder of Governor Adrien Corbeau IV.

Recognizing in Sabine a kindred spirit who had also been betrayed, Scarlette recruited her during their escape through Paris. The two women worked together seamlessly, both employing invisibility magic and moving through shadows until Scarlette teleported them both to the Nightwind. Under heavy guard at the docks, Scarlette blasted away the chains binding her ship and sailed out of the French port under musket fire. Sabine proved her worth immediately and became Scarlette’s most trusted crew member and Bosun.

1685: Battle off Havana

Scarlette fought alongside French privateer Jean-Pierre Reynaud during the Battle off Havana. Her Nightwind used magical illusions to confuse Spanish gunners and enabled Reynaud’s escape despite his ship being crippled. This battle further cemented her reputation for supernatural evasion and tactical brilliance.

1687: Ambush at Isla de Pinos

The Ambush at Isla de Pinos marked the only time the Nightwind was successfully boarded. Corlissandro used a scroll of true sight to pierce her ship’s magical cloaking, leading to fierce hand-to-hand combat between the two captains. Scarlette ultimately escaped by threatening to ignite her powder stores, forcing Corlissandro to grant her safe passage.

1688: Battle of Barbados

During the Battle of Barbados in 1688, Percy appeared at Scarlette’s side during a naval engagement, offering condescending tactical advice as she navigated through crossfire from two English brigs. When Percy suggested she turn north to avoid running aground, Scarlette instead turned south toward treacherous shallow reefs, ordering precise maneuvers that allowed the Nightwind to slip past while her pursuers crashed into the reef. After destroying one enemy vessel with a broadside, Scarlette’s savage grin and pointed reminder that she was no longer the child he’d made his deal with marked the first time Percy fell silent in their exchanges, demonstrating her growing confidence and tactical mastery.

Political Maneuvering (1683-1689)

Scarlette operated under as many as four letters of marque simultaneously during the mid-1680s, from England, the Netherlands, France, and a rogue Portuguese governor. This allowed her to play rival factions against each other while clearing bounty prices on her head. She formed alliances with voodoo practitioners in Saint-Domingue and was rumored to have made pacts with ocean spirits.

During the Port-au-Prince Negotiations in 1686, Scarlette was granted temporary protection to participate in diplomatic talks. Her tense exchange with Corlissandro resulted in the famous “Red Sash Incident,” where she infiltrated the San Ignacio and left her signature red silk as a calling card, demonstrating her ability to breach even the most secure Spanish vessels.

As the War of the League of Augsburg began in 1688, Scarlette fought for both French and English interests using false flags and elaborate deceptions, making her true allegiances impossible to determine.

Percy’s Debt Called In (October 1689)

In October 1689, while Scarlette relaxed in her cabin in Curaçao, Percy appeared to finally call in the favor owed from their 1677 card game. His demeanor was notably different—serious, tense, and calculating rather than his usual mocking arrogance. He demanded that Scarlette take him through the Phantom Sea to Circe’s island to reclaim his stolen eye.

When Scarlette questioned why he was finally calling the debt after thirteen years, Percy’s uncharacteristic tension suggested something had him genuinely concerned. He threatened total destruction if she refused: the Nightwind would sink, her crew would drown, and her name would be scoured from history, remembered as a coward or not remembered at all.

Scarlette agreed, stabbing her dagger into her desk as a pirate’s promise. Percy took the position of First Mate aboard the Nightwind, a role he wore with smug superiority. For the first time since Havana, Scarlette felt genuine uncertainty about her ability to navigate the supernatural forces now controlling her fate.

The First Attempt (1689-1690)

Prior to April 1690, Scarlette had already attempted to reach Circe’s temple and retrieve Poseidon’s eye. This first voyage through the Phantom Sea ended in catastrophic failure—her entire crew was lost, with some turned into pigs by Circe’s magic and others consumed by the temple’s deadly Hall of Mirrors. The trauma of losing her crew and the weight of her failure to fulfill Percy’s demand drove Scarlette to the edge of desperation.

Upon returning to Tortuga as essentially a ghost ship, Scarlette was forced to rapidly recruit a new skeleton crew for a second attempt. The psychological toll of her previous losses, combined with the supernatural burden of her binding pact with Percy, left her worn and increasingly unstable.