The following statement comes to you courtesy of...
...this drunk-looking man. (You might want to stay upwind, folks!)
"It has come t' me attention that th' opposite o' an insignificant number o' scallywags 'ave blurred - if nah outright torn - th' words written on th' pages o' me personal tale. While I be nah one t' begrudge people from exaggeratin' certain facts here 'n thar, fer I meself am guilty o' it, th' fact remains that many o' th' details surroundin' me background are jus' flat-out wrong! So open yer ears or tilt yer hard-o'-hearin' aids in me direction now, 'cause I be only goin' t' be sayin' all this once!
Me name be Skol Duggary. I answer t' one o' three names, includin' that one. Th' other two are 'Sellsword' 'n 'Sea Wolf.' I ne'er answered t' th' moniker o' 'Black Dog.' That belonged t' Benjamin Doggett, th' real cap'n o' th' galleon known as th' Furious Flibbertigibbet. Whassat? No, aye, I don't blame ye fer gettin' confused. I, admittedly, did say that th' vessel in question was me ship. But, t' be fair, she was in a way! I'd been hired by Doggett t' protect 'er and 'er cargo, see? Therefore she was me responsibility!
I see that I be losin' some o' ye. Alright, allow me t' try 'n summarize. Everythin' that ye heard about me up t' a certain point be true. I did serve aboard a vessel known as th' Storm Chaser in me youth, 'n I mos' certainly did come face-t'-face wit' th' nefarious Captain Martinez. But most o' me time spent here on th' Sea o' Thieves has been as a doubloons-grubbin' condottiere! Simple enough t' remember, aye? Aye! Good! Now then, does any o' ye 'ave any questions fer me? Aye, ye thar in the back near th' water closet wit' part o' a plank stickin' outta yer face... Huh? No, I be nah goin' t' tell ye wha' 'moniker' 'r 'condottiere' means!"
(There's much more to this story, but I figured that everyone would be happy with the abridged version.)
What exactly is this, aside from poorly-written? It's my way of trying to retcon the background of the Skol Duggary character, who you might recall made his debut as the narrator of The Potentially Unbelievably True Story of The El Dorado...
Even though his nemesis is nothing like the legendary Hungering One, I felt that his story was too similar to Merrick's. Yes, Skol came first, but claiming that my character was once the captain of the nameless vessel on Old Salts Atoll was really pushing it. The part of the quintessential captain-turned-castaway was just not meant for him! This "new" Skol was built using the backstory of Pirates of the Caribbean character William Turner Jr. as a template. His years as a child and early teen were spent amongst the crew of the Dying Gull-like Storm Chaser, which often frequented a non-canon area of my own making that I've come to call The Hunting Grounds. This area would include a lot of islands that've only ever been realized in concept art, such as Anglers Island and everything seen here. This area would also play home to a unique threat in the form of the Poukai, an avian equivalent to the Megalodan created by artist Max Simoneau. You can see a picture of the beast here.
But I digress...
Skol's life changed on the day that he and the rest of the Storm Chaser crew happened upon a Bilge Rat Junk (see https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/30448/5-ship-types-for-sea-of-thieves-speculation-graphic) that had come under attack from a small fleet of Skeleton-manned vessels. The Storm Chaser's captain (who I imagine looked a lot like this) saw an opportunity to make some doubloons and so steered his modest vessel into the thick of it. Young Skol was among a small handful of volunteers who boarded the Junk to assist their crew in repelling borders. In the ensuing battle, Skol saved the life of one Madame Octavia, an Order of Souls representative whom the Bilge Rats were escorting to Grounds' recently established Outpost.
Days later, whilst wandering around said Outpost, Skol was approached by a man resembling this rugged individual designed by artist Dan Santandrea. He told Skol that he was a Hunter and the captain of a mighty galleon known as the Evening Star. It was the duty of the vessel and its crew to patrol the Grounds and eliminate any "unnatural threats" that should happen to appear. That would have included the vessels that ambushed the Junk as well, had it not found itself trying to fend off the aforementioned Poukai.
To make a long story short, the Hunter enlightened Skol to the fact that he and Madame Octavia were old acquaintances, and that she had confided in him that Skol had demonstrated the three-dimensional thinking necessary for a Hunter to perform their duties. She also suggested that a visit to The Bastion - the headquarters of the Hunters - might be in order. A "visit" turned into a decade-long stay, which also saw Skol learning all there was to learn about being a Hunter.
On his 21st birthday Skol was brought before the Grand Master of the Ancient Order, who told him that he could either stay and become a full-fledged Hunter like the man who took him in, or leave and find his own path in life. Skol chose the latter. Ever since then he has wandered the Sea of Thieves as a sword-for-fire, using the skills that he learned and honed as a Hunter to great effect -- particularly during the Warsmith Crisis!
Whaddya think? Not bad, eh? It's my hope that these changes will allow Skol to co-exist in other people's established narratives, such as my buddy @RevanJStone's The Legend of Brandy, for example.
