Murderer compelled by haunted weapon

Early Life

James Wavebreaker was adopted by Mordecai Wavebreaker at a young age. The old sailor taught the young boy the ways of the sea, and eventually James became a captain for the Royal Navy of Keoland.
 

Family Reunion

James was absolutely mortified in 1BPF when he found his father impaled by one of his own weapons - a glaive. James mourned his father and mentor for many months but continued to operate as a captain on royal vessels with the glaive hanging in his quarters. This was his way to show honor, and he felt strangely close to Mordecai this way. Almost as if he could hear him still.
 
While on a rescue mission to save the alchemist, Klearic Faymal, from his Sea Prince captors, James became certain. Mordecai lived inside The Glaive! He was still here, and he was telling James that the Sea Princes were responsible for his death. Those dirty pirates were responsible for widowing Zulynn. The Sea Princes must pay! It felt so right when the glaive pulled him through this great battle, killing foe after foe. James slaughtered 12 Sea Princes’ and saved slaves. It was a great day. Mordecai’s voice rang out from the weapon. He was proud of James’ combat prowess. Mordecai was proud of the man James was. But before long Mordecai wanted more blood, and there were no Sea Princes’ in sight.
 

The Grave Glaive

Before sailing back to Saltmarsh, James had a hypothetical conversation with his deck wizard, Kevdithor, about magical weapons. Kevithor hesitantly admitted that he wasn't very knowledgeable about magical weapons, but knew of a powerful archmage, Zomaex the Learned, who had reportedly imbued many weapons with his own magical power.
 

 
Once ashore, James took leave to go to the Tower of Zenopus where the archmage lived. James approached the tower. Zomaex was an elf archmage trained in oremancy and swordmancy, and was happy to speak to the sea captain, despite his tendency to keep to himself. The talked for a while, with Zomaex even inviting the sea captain inside for a drink. After a short round of plesantries, James showed Zomaex the glaive. The powerful mage quaked. He cowered. He pleaded with James.
 

“We must destroy it, before it destroys you! That weapon - The Grave Glaive - is an artifact of ancient evil!" - Zomaex the Learned, crying out to James Wavebreaker moments before his death.

 
Zomaex's cries fell on deaf ears. James would not loose Mordecai again. He would not surrender the pride his father finally felt for him. He had no choice. Surely, Zomaex would tell others of the weapon. If he left Zomaex alive he and Mordecai would be seperated. He made the only choice there was. James slayed the elf with The Grave Glaive. Zomaex's corpse was instantly replaced with a pile of green ash that was then absorbed into the glaive.
 
“No!” Wavebreaker yelled, “Mordecai is FINALLY proud of me! I won't let you take that from me!”
 
Before James left the Tower of Zenopus, he felt the Glaive calling him towards one of Zomaex's spellbooks. He kept the spellbook as a purposeful trophy.
 

The Grave Grimoire

James got back home to Mordecai's home in Saltmarsh, and he was upset. He was lost. He had killed an innocent man. Mordecai helped
justify the mistake. He encouraged James to study the spellbook.
 

 
So James began studying the spellbook he stole from Zomaex's tower. Its cover was black and its pages arcane. It contained hundreds of pages of arcane history but Mordecai only wanted James to study the spells.
 
James was talented, and it wasn't long before he realized he could channel the book's spells through the Glaive. He was stronger, but he wasn't strong enough. In fact, he new he couldn't resist Mordecai's demands for more souls forever.
 
So James resigned from Keoland's Royal Navy so that he would not harm his crew. After his resignation James moved into a smaller home, a shack in Crabber's Cove, so that nobody - particualrly his stepmother Zulynn - would see his atrocities.
 
James used the power of the Glaive and the wizard's dark spells to exact Mordecai's bloodlust on Saltmarsh in the dead of night. He vowed he would only kill the guilty. Finding the first guilty target proved time-consuming. It took weeks for the town council to sentence a criminal to death. Eventually, they sentenced Vick Beaman, an alleged murderer, to death. James snuck into the prison the night before Vick's execution and eviserated him, turning him into green ash.
 
Mordecai was satiated but was slightly displeased about the time it took for James to pick a guilty target. So Mordecai lied to James. He convinced him of several crimes the innocent of Saltmarsh had commited. Mordecai justified this to James as vigalintism. James accepted this explanation easily, killing the targets he was told to and trusting Mordecai with undying fealty.
 

The Slayer of Saltmarsh

James killed 20 residents inside of Saltmarsh. All of their bodies disolved into the same green ash. For each resident James took a trophy in order to remember those he had killed, even if they were traitorous villians as Mordecai told him. (For the full list of James' victims and the trophies he took from them read this article.)
 

Joining the Party

James got away with these killings for months. His killings had been noticed, but with no physical evidence of any murders the town council assumed these were simply kidnappings orchestrated by the Sea Princes. When the town council of Saltmarsh sent James a letter asking him to join a team of adventurers they were forming, James jumped at the chance to hunt Sea Princes and enact Mordecai's revenge. He joined happily, along with four others.
 

 
This party, later called The Pieces of Eight, was created to investigate the Alchemist's Haunted House which was suspected to be a base of operations for the Sea Princes and their alleged slave trade. Ironically, the town council was hoping to intervene and find the missing residents of Saltmarsh, completly unaware that James was the force creating missing people in the first place.
 
James became the de facto leader of the Pieces of Eight, and led their investigation under the guidance of Mordecai. However, the late Mordecai was upset by the last minute addition of his former wive, Zulynn, to the party. James and Mordecai could feel an uncomfortable divine power within Zulynn's spyglass, and did their best to keep their distance from the elf, while working out a way to seperate her from the spyglass.
 

Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

Exploring the Haunted Mansion

James and the other members of the Pieces of Eight (Klearic Faymal, Vencyne Amakiir, Zangrim Tarkelby, and Zulynn Heartwind) left from Saltmarsh shortly after the party's formation and journeyed to the haunted mansion to look for Will Perish, the brother of the woman who washed ashore with marks of being bound. They battled several creatures and critters, found a trapdoor, before eventually finding a man bound and gagged.
 
The man pretended to be Will Perish and joined them in returning to Saltmarsh, until he stabbed Zulynn and ran. Zulynn collapsed to the ground and the party lost track of the traitor. They returned to town determined to follow the man's tracks back to the mansion in the morning.
 

The Slaying of Skadarus Flaskjaw

That night Klearic went drinking in a local tavern with his friend Skadarus. Little did he know that Skadarus was the very same dwarf Mordecai had been telling James about. According to Mordecai, Skadarus Flackjaw was a Sea Prince traitor who had been selling Navy secrets. He had to be put down.
 
When Skadarus left the tavern that night, a hand emerged from the shadows and took hold, pulling him into a dark alley. The dwarf fought to get away, resulting in the braid tearing from his skin. Skadarus dropped to the ground and scrambled for the street but he was too late. Wavebreaker, still holding the braid in his off hand, put the glaive into the back of Skadarus' neck at the top of his spinal column, and the miner collapsed into a pile of ash on the dirt. Wavebreaker went to the shack, put the braid with his other trophies, and rested up for the next day.
 

Exploring the Caves Under the Haunted Mansion

The next morning the party attempted to investigate the trapdoor again but it was missing. After a few moments, it was understood that the trapdoor had been magically concealed. Zulynn opened it and Zangrim investigated. Three bandits were poised to attack the gnome when he told them a clever lie. They sheathed their rapiers and showed the party the real Will Perish.
 
The poor man had encountered a black mold. He succumbed to its spread. The party set fire to the mold, removing it permanetly. Mordecai didn't seem to like this. Mordecai thought the spores should be studied and so James stored some in secret while the party was dealing with the bandits. Those bandits revealed information about the operation and agreed to come with the party and face consequences. However, the bandits lied and escaped through a skeleton infested room. The party battled the skeletons and eventually, their alchemist master - the former owner of the mansion.
 
After defeating the alchemist, Zangrim investigated the labratory. He found shelves of books, potions, and information. James noticed Zangrim pocketing a philosopher's stone - a magical force that would allows someone to transmute all matter into gold. Mordecai did not like this.
 

"That horrible little gnome wishes to cheat his way out of his debt to King Skotti. What is to stop him from betraying you." - Mordecai to James during Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh

 
Mordecai produced a new stone, identical to the old, that would ward James against Zangrim's attacks. James went to switch the stones but Zangrim was missing. The party could not find him for a few moments eventually noticing a concealed door. They traveled through the door in time to notice Zangrim being rowed out to sea by his Sea Prince captors.
 
James fired a volley of spells towards Ned, Zulynn's backstabber, knocking him unconcious. Zangrim took his opening, grabbed his tools, and jumped into the water. He began swimming back to the mansion but the wizard Sandbalet responded with magic missles. Zangrim was unconscious and sinking fast, but Vencyne and James came to his aid. James sneakily swapped the stones while Zulynn was healing Zangrim.
 

Sea Ghost of Saltmarsh

The party then went back to town and revealed the new information about Will Perish as well as the things they heard from the bandits. This satisfied their original mission and the council paid them for their sucessfull mission, before turning around and giving them a new mission - to board the pirate’s ship and either eradicate or arrest them. Most of the party got new equipment while they were in Saltmarsh.
 
They barely got a full night's rest, waking up at around midnight to intercept the Sea Ghost. They returned the signal with their newly crafted lantern and then returned to the caves below where Ned and Sandbalet awaited a rematch. The party killed Sandbalet and dropped his lifeless body into the ocean. Ned was knocked unconcious and dragged into a secluded corner, while the party boarded a rowboat and sailed out the the Sea Ghost.
 
The party blended in, acting like Sea Princes. This went sideways when the party fumbled the weapon transport and was forced to engage in a skirmish with the Sea Princes. James went beserk killing four of the Sea Princes, before he was knocked out. Zangrim was nearly killed by the Sea Ghost's captain, Snake Eyes, but when the fog cleared the deck the Sea Prince captain surrenderred. Snake Eyes and his deck wizard, Punketah, were the only ones left alive. They were tied up and placed in one of the rooms.
 
When James came to he walked towards the prisoners and killed them with the glaive in private. He returned to the party and lied. He convinced his allies that the deck wizard must have escaped with several of the bodies. The party searched diligently but there was no chance to find them, as their souls screamed for release in the Grave Glaive. However, the party did find Oceanus, a captured sea-elf living on the ship. James then captained the Sea Ghost back to Saltmarsh.
 

Danger at Dunwater

Sad News in Saltmarsh

The party returned to the town council with Ned Snakeshaft. The party informed them that the Sea Princes had been stockpiling weapons to sell to the Lizardfolk. Ned also accused Gellan Primewater, claiming he was an accomplice in the Sea Princes affairs. The party were skeptical but they activated Ned's lesser speaking stone and Gellan's rang. The guards arrested Primewater as he professed innocence intensely. These cries fell on deaf ears and Gellan joined the Sea Prince prisoners starting their sentence.
 
The party started work on their new mission straight away with everyone going to the docks to get help from a new dragonborn, Kleth Rona, who they had just met. James lied to the party again, feigning worry that Punketah would return and free the prisoners. It wasn't simple but James used this opportunity to kill the prisoners himself. He put the guards to sleep, murdered each man, took trophies from them all, and then channeled the power of the Glaive to cause a massive explosion.
 
When Klearic, Kleth, Vencyne, Zangrim, and Zulynn all arrived at the destroyed jail, James was waiting for them. He lied telling them that someone had sent him into a magical sleep. He convinced them all that Punketah was behind the attack, and after deeper investigation they all came to understand that these weren't the first dissapearances in Saltmarsh. They agreed this would be the next issue to focus on after they fufilled their mission for their council. A mission which had been altered a little by new party member, Kleth Rona, who insisted - giving his own life as colatteral - that the Lizardfolk should recieve their weapons.
 
James also talked to Zulynn in private, and she was able to talk to Mordecai. Though both parties felt something wrong concerning the other's magic. Mordecai begged James to reunite him with Zulynn in the Glaive, but James resisted. James was almost convinced when he heard a sound outside. He found Xolec, a vampire, chained in a nearby basement but chose to leave him for another time.
 

Bullywug Battle

On the way to the Lizardfolk Lair, the party encountered Bullywugs and battled with them.
 

Appointment with the Queen

After defeating the Bullywug King Gulpa'Gor and his gigantic toad mount, the party were invited into the Lizarfolk Lair. They gained an audience with Queen Othokent. She was indifferent about the death of the Sea Princes and was still willing to purchase the weapons from the town.
 
The party offered to sell the weapons if the Lizardfolk could help them solve the problem of the missing residents of Saltmarsh. Queen Othokent replied with a new mission.
 

"Until my people are safe from our great god, Thousand Tooth the Devourer, I am unable to help your community." - Queen Othokent of Dunwater

 
Queen Othokent asked the party to kill the lizardfolk diety, Thousand Tooth the Devourer, one of the earliest ancestors of Lizardfolk. He was revered as sacred by many, but Othokent grew tired of his consumption of her tribe and made the unilateral decision that the feral god must be removed for the future safety of lizardkind.
 
The party agreed to help, with some returning to the boat to update the guards traveling with them. Vencyne, and Zulynn traveled with James. Mordecai was paranoid the entire time about Zulynn's divine power, and had also become paranoid about Vencyne's powers as well. Mordecai was positive that her newly aqquired powers of communing with the dead were a side-effect of the Glaive. James watched both elves very carefully. He also killed one of the guards who accompained the party to Dunwater.
 

Trouble on the Road

The party encountered Graicen Gothorn, a rival of Vencyne's. Klearic dealt with her handily, forcing her to walk for hours. Then Kleth angered their Lizardfolk companions, resulting in a battle between them, and one Lizarfolk - Song - escaping from the party's misguided attempt to help the foolish Dragonborn. They shrugged this off and continued their travel to the Devourer's Den.
 

Gnashing of Teeth

The party fought and defeated Thousand Tooth the Devourer.
 

Treasonous Song

The party returned with Thousand Tooth's head but they were beaten by Song, who had returned earlier. His near death at the hands of the party resulted in an insurrection where the Shamans attempted to usurp the Queen.
 
James battled the Elder Shaman in ritual combat, falling unconcious when the wise elder heated his armor to a point that was unmanageable even for a warlock who was amassing great power. The party stepped in and finished off the elder, escaping Dunwater with the Queen and several loyal lizardfolk.
 

The Crimes of Wavebreaker

Upon returning to Saltmarsh, James was arrested by Eliander Fireborn. Neither he or Zulynn could be found for a week.
 
Eventually, the party learned that James was to be executed. Vencyne's abilities as a medium led her to Eliander's home where she found all of Wavebreaker's morbid trinkets. This led her to believe that Eliander was framing Wavebreaker. In actuality, Eyrs Thonich had discovered these trinkets while the party was at Dunwater and relocated them for safekeeping.
 
Unfortunately, Eyrs and Klearic's accusation of Eliander was disarming, and Wavebreaker used that opening to kill the captain of the guard with a quick spell. The party was floored by Wavebreaker's betrayal and were helpless to stop him in killing four more townspeople before he stole the Sea Ghost and fled town.
 
On the deck of the Sea Ghost, Wavebreaker gave one final threatening proclamation.
 

Insert James' quote here.

 

Wavebreaker, the Grave Slave

Wave of Terror

Wavebreaker renamed the Sea Ghost to Mordecai's Revenge and hunted Sea Princes with his ghostly crew. He attacked every Sea Prince ship he could find. Dozens of vessels sank beneath the Azure Sea, as the were broken by The Wavebreaker.
 
Word spread across the ocean of his power. The touch of his glaive could turn a man to dust, and even the ghosts he wielded could age a man dramatically. It was Mordecai's idea to let this news spread. There wouldn't be witnesses if Mordecai said otherwise. The Wavebreaker was too powerful to leave accidental witnesses.
 

Multiversal Mambo

Unknown to The Wavebreaker, Oceanus was still onboard and after several weeks of hiding managed to steal James' lesser speaking stone. Oceanus sent a message to Zangrim. The first message got through. However, Oceanus sent several more messages which all went unheard since the speaking stone was out of range.
 
Until one day, for some strange unknown reason, the speaking stone connected to the wrong counterpart, Jimmy Tarkelby's speaking stone tattoo. It was then, that the avatar of Amphritrite recieved a message from the sea-elf and finally knew where The Wavebreaker was.
 
Jimmy, who had been searching for The Wavebreaker, came quickly with a fleet of ships to Oceanus' aid. He was prepared for a tough battle. However, he was not prepared for the opponent he would face. Jimmy knew in that moment that The Wavebreaker had been orchestrated by The Gravebound to punish him for surviving.
 
Jimmy lost all of his forces, as he contemplated how to handle killing a version of himself. With Oceanus moments from death Jimmy rallied, determined to stand strong against the Gravebound's enslaved minion. Jimmy stopped the Wavebreaker from milling Oceanus but James secreted away the speaking stone for later.
 
Jimmy fought long and hard against The Wavebreaker eventually calling on his patron to cast The Wavebreaker into the sea.
 
Jimmy reclaimed the Sea Ghost, which had been stolen by the Scarlet Brotherhood several years earlier, and returned its original name when he reached The Hold of the Sea Princes.
 

Under the Sea

The Wavebreaker trashed about in the sea. He was left for dead by another version of himself, but his power remained with him. The Wavebreaker would not be that easy to kill. Mordecai wouldn't simply let him die.
 

Missing Time

The Wavebreaker was not seen for several months between his battle with Jimmy and his redemption in Tarkeltopia. However, it is clear that he appears to be much older. Whether this is a result of exposure to the Glaive, the Grave Reminders, or other factors is currently unknown.
 
This section will be expanded when Wavebreaker's time as a Grave Slave is eloborated on further.
 

Killer Wave

In 1APF, The Wavebreaker sat listening to Mordecai. His father whispered to him about his former friends.
 

"Your so-called friends are traitors. They have killed innoncents in Saltmarsh. They have dodged their duty to King Skotti. They must be elimnated, my son." - Mordecai to The Wavebreaker

 
Inside James didn't want to kill his friends. Despite only spending a few days in their company he knew they were good people. But he had once thought the same about his first mate and his deck wizard. Perhaps, Mordecai was right about the Pieces of Eight. The Wavebreaker agreed, the traitors would be slain.
 
Mordecai told Wavebreaker to head to Sweetsong, the Eleven Capital City. Wavebreaker waited in the shadows for them to arrive and attacked them on sight.
 

The Battle of Broken Man

Wavebreaker found himself somewhere different. Large doors blocked his path. Wavebreaker wondered where the traitors had gone but Mordecai was sure some of them were nearby. Wavebreaker called Zangrim on the speaking stone, and demanded he face justice.
 
Zangrim ignored The Wavebreaker and spoke to James, who managed to answer back for a short fleeting moment.
 

"Zangrim, I can't break free, its just too powerful. I can't..." - James Wavebreaker

 
Mordecai shouted at James with dissapointment. They were so close to overcoming their opponents and he was about to throw it away. Mordecai wondered outloud if an adopted son could ever meet his expectations. James was crushed, he had followed every word Mordecai had said. Why was he being treated this way?
 
The Wavebreaker summoned a wave of Grave Reminders and forced his way through the halls of Tarkeltopia. He knocked down door after door. He watched Zangrim and some others escape onto a confusing tube as it sped away. The Grave Reminders of Yeros and some Sea Princes followed.
 
Wavebreaker approached the platform where the traitors just stood. Zangrim stood before him.
 

"I just saw you step on to that speeding metal tube. Your illusionary spell doesn't fool me, Zangrim." - The Wavebreaker

 
Zangrim Tarkelby One Million One was using a concealed speaking stone to talk to Newlynn. He quickly ended the call to address Wavebreaker.
 

"Listen, I know there's someone real in there. I don't know how, but I know you can get out of this. You can get free, James. Don't let him use you to destroy your world. I can tell you first hand, its not a good time." - Zangrim One Million One

 
The Wavebreaker cut down the odd looking Zangrim and the Grave Glaive absorbed the dust, but inside James felt inspired. Maybe he could break free. But no, Mordecai would be dissapointed. He would be angry.
 
The Wavebreaker boarded the next train. It took him to a bridge, where the real Zangrim waited with an army of Souldiers. Wavebreaker came out in full force attacking with every Grave Reminder he'd ever created. The power was spread thin but the sheer number was overpowering. Zangrim and his allies would be whittled down. They would be destroyed as Mordecai had demanded.
 
Mordecai had even found a weakness in the Souldiers, they were very easy to posesses, and just as the Pieces of Eight were overwhelmed, James called back the spirits. Mordecai was unhappy.
Why would Wavebreaker give away the upperhand. But James said he didn't need them. The Glaive was plenty powerful on its own. Mordecai agreed, suprised at Wavebreaker's ambition.
 
James challenged Zangrim to single battle, purposfully invoking a memory into Zangrim's mind. Zangrim tried to cast heat metal. It wasn't working. James felt Mordecai laugh. James was horrified, he remembered the cursed luckstone - the one that stopped Zangrim's magic from affecting him.
 
James called on Zangrim One Million One's bardic inspiration. He laughed and taunted his Zangrim.
 

"You clever little gnome. I always knew we would have to fight. That's why I warded myself against your magic. You know that stone you've carried since the haunted house? The one you can't remove?" - James Wavebreaker

 
James was unsure of how this would help until Zangrim - a man driven to his edge by the death of his brother - lifted James over his head. Before long, Newlynn was assiting as well. James was relieved. Soon, he would be dead and his father would never treat him this way again. He would be free.
 
James closed his eyes and awaited death, when a sharp pain flitted through his wrist. He could feel his hand. He looked over to the Glaive, it was finally gone. Mordecai screamed from the void for James to call him back.
 

"You bastard! I took you else when nobody else would. I made you what you are and you can't even avenge my death." - Mordecai

 
James watched The Grave Glaive fall forever. It begged for him to return it to himself, but he refused. Mordecai, the actual Mordecai, wouldn't talk to him like that. Then suddenly James thoughts were only his. He was free again. Free from "Mordecai." Free from
magic. Free from murder.
 
The rejoicing was short-lived even within James own mind. He had left a wave of death everywhere he went. He was filled with guilt. He would never be able to fix the damage he'd done. He would never be able to unsee his crimes. He deserved the gormantic brand that was burning into his flesh at that very moment. He deserved to be tortured for eternity.