Arturo of Alamogordo, as the young Breton of Spanish descent was known, was not only a clever and witty man, but also one of the most daring men of the late 18th century. His was a courage not born of unbridled aggression or foolhardy bravado, but of cold reason and calculated action. When the Franconian Pirates of Brittany assembled a motley crew comprised of graven-image worshiping scalawags and murderous ne'er-do-wells, Arturo took it upon himself to devise a means of not only repelling a possible attack, but of doing away with that dreaded scourge of the Celtic sea once and for certain.
Where most men would turn tail and flee for safer harbor when threatened, Arturo grew stronger and more resolute in his determination to bring about the end of the bastard horde. Outnumbered as they were 25 to 1, he still insisted to the people of the small settlement that theirs was the advantage.
Arturo's Grandfather had been pardoned for his minor role in the Cellamare plot, and had sidestepped even the hint of involvement in the Pontcallec Conspiracy by removing himself and his family to the small village south of Quimper. It was here that the family Ar Braz (the name taken after the War of the Quadruple Alliance had made being identified as Spanish a risky proposition in France) had established itself as first, fishmongers, and then as shipwrights noted for their hand in the development of the tumblehome.
Arturo's plan to bring the Pirate's reign of terror to an end was steeped in his knowledge of both shipbuilding, and of the Brittany coast. From his earliest days he was taught the dangers of the shallows in the bay, and of the Abers, the treacherous rugged inlets of the north coast that present themselves as safe havens, but which had sent many a man on his way to Fiddler's Green.
More important than Arturo's knowledge of his environs and the sea however, was his knowledge of the limitations of the Pirate's ships. These dregs knew not the speed and maneuverability of the Caravel nor the strength and armament of the Galleons. They had naught but decrepit brigantines, square-rigged and built for open ocean running - and very susceptible to damage by powerful winds.
The motivation of these particular Pirates was greed, plain and simple. Arturo knew he would have to devise a means of convincing them that there was a treasure worthy of great risk at a lightly guarded estate further down the coast from his vulnerable little village.
Arturo had spread the story of the discovery of the ruins of an estate that had once belonged to the Knights Templar just north of La Rochelle, in every wharf-side tavern along the Brittany coast, as well as the Basque country and even England. For his plan to work he needed not only the Franconian Pirates to take the bait, he needed every Corsair and Raider from Brest to Cape Ortegal to cut anchor and make sail immediately for the Bay of Biscay.
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