One unfortunate voyage had the ship John was sailing on beset by a typhoon. The sole survivor, he washed up on shore in what he would learn was China. Wet, injured and penniless he found himself in a Shaolin temple studying with the monks. Learning their herbal and spiritual healing, meditation, and of course their fighting techniques. After several years, he heard rumors of British expeditions in the area. Longing for news from home he left the temple in search of one such group. He found a jovial ship captain who claimed to be commissioned by the crown, who offered to bring John home. Little did he know this would be John’s baptism into piracy. The jovial captain was truly an unscrupulous privateer who dabbled in all manner of illicit trade sailing on the Drunken Cutlass. Soon John found himself not sailing for home in Britain but to the Caribbean and the Americas.
It wasn’t long before John’s good name soon was no longer. A price on heads of every sailor on the Drunken Cutlass was placed by both Britain and France. Running full sail, attempting to elude capture the Cutlass was in the sights of a Royal Navy war galleon. A pitched battle left the Cutlass a smoldering wreck. John chose to bravely run or more accurately swim away. After days at sea, he finally reached land in the Bahamas.
This couldn’t have been a worse possible place as somehow John’s name and likeness were on wanted posters for piracy all over the island. Living off scraps in the gutters he made his way to the Bourbon Monastery where he sought sanctuary. Offering his skills in medicine and herbs in return for safety from prosecution. The Brothers of the Bourbon Monastery agreed, so long as John became one of them. There John devoted himself to God, bourbon, healing and women (in secret of course). Not necessarily in that order.
Eventually, a fire darkened ship came to port and thought to lay siege on the monastery. No doubt looking for the nectar of sweet intoxication distilled therein. Longing to return to the sea, John saw an opportunity. He convinced the Brothers to allow him to parlay with the infamous Captain Red Beard. After several long hours of hard drinking, a couple stabbings and light negotiations the two came to terms. The Damned Promise gained an able sailor, physician, fighter, and “spiritual guide” as well as a barrel a week of the Monastery’s finest libations. The Bourbon Monastery gained a “missionary” at sea to spread the word of God and Bourbon far and wide. Truth be told John spoke more of the Bourbon. And John, well he got to return to the freedom life at sea provides.
