Troylus Cobbler District 4 (finished)

Tall and heavily muscled, even at a tender 17 years, Troylus is a formidable sight to behold. He isn’t really aware of his good looks though, but does enjoy being larger and less easy to intimidate than he was as a child. He has a mass of blonde wavy hair, that seems to never lie still. He certainly never feels at ease unless he’s at sea, with the wind in his hair. That might explain his tanned, almost leathery skin, already worn and sun damaged from all the years of salt and exposure to the elements. He never really thinks about the way he looks, and the most he ever does for his appearance is to attempt to run a comb through his usually messy hair.

He has started to garner some attention from the young girls when he’s in port, and it always makes him blush when he realises they are looking at him with interest. He would never stare back at them, even though sometimes he would like to, but his mother always told him to treat all girls as ladies, with respect and decency. For this reason, his gentle grey-blue eyes only catch furtive glances from under his long dark eyelashes of the girls now and then when no one is looking.

He was what his captain called a ‘late bloomer’ in some ways, being quite a small child and suddenly having a huge growth spurt that made his whole body ache terribly at fifteen. His constant heavy work on the whaling ship, and his good high protein diet of seafood, meant that he naturally developed a lot of muscle and strength, along with the height. At sixteen his huge frame seemed to not be connected to his brain, making him awkward and lumbering, but these days he is getting the hang of it more. He is often seen on the deck of the ship in the middle of a storm, bare feet spread for balance, the muscles of his arms bulging as he holds on against the wind and waves.

Troylus tries to never lie; he believes in honesty and integrity at all times, even if that comes at his own personal risk. He hopes that even to save his own life he wouldn’t tell a lie, but he concedes that to save the life of one he cares for, his own ethics around honesty come second.

He often seems stern, some might even think him angry, but it is more that he feels a weight of responsibility on his broad shoulders. He sends almost all of his wages straight back to his mother . She and Troylus’ father are struggling in their old age and it pains Troylus deeply to think of them going without or suffering if there is anything he can do to help. He wishes he knew how to write properly so that he could send them letters during the long months he is out at sea. He enjoys it when another sailor reads him the news of home in his mother’s frequent letters to him, that they collect in big bundles each time they stop in a port.  It means he gets all the news from home in a jumbled order sometimes, but nothing much seems to change; his father is still in constant pain with his bad back and aches and pains, and his mother struggles to make ends meet, but in her letters she clearly tries to conceal this and not complain about her lot.

Troylus takes after his parents and is stoic; he hates to complain about things.  The only time he reveals his feelings is when he sings on the ship, leading the crew in jaunty shanties to keep their spirits up, or haunting melodies that tug at the heart strings of many who listen.

Troylus is fiercely loyal - especially to his family and captain, and several of the crew that he is close to.  Now that he is grown into such a large young man he doesn't like to bully people into doing what he wants, unless he is protecting those he is loyal to. If angered enough he is known to throw punches, and usually intends to send a clear message so he doesn't have to hurt the person again.  He doesn't like hurting people at all, even if they probably deserve it.  Especially if they've only hurt him; he'd prefer to turn the other cheek.

Troylus tries to be brave, because that is how his parents raised him, but having spent so much of his life as a tiny person, easily pushed around, he sometimes forgets that he can stand up to people now. People around him may not realise that he is scared though, as he doesn't show much of his fear or worry on his face or body-language.  If you ask him though, he'll tell you straight up, of course.  That thing of always telling the whole truth is sometimes not terribly helpful for him, but he figures that is why you have these personal standards to uphold; not for when life is easy but for when it's hard.

Troylus was never a good student. He isn’t stupid, but he was never academic at all, and letters and words never made any sense to him. Just like his father, Troylus has never learned to write much more than his own name, and can read just enough to recognise the name of the ship he is working on. At school the other children would tease him about it, and push him around because of his small size. He had one or two good friends that stuck by him though, and he tried not to let the teasing bother him too much. 

His parents’ love also helped him withstand the bullies. His mother had several miscarriages and her one living daughter was always sickly and died before her second birthday. His parents had given up trying, and accepted that they would be childless, until in her late forties she became pregnant and Troylus was born healthy and strong. Both parents adore him and lavish affection on him whenever they see him.

When Troylus was nine years old his father, who had worked at sea his whole life, hurt his back and could no longer work. The three of them had several very difficult years trying to survive on scraps and the charity of neighbours. The family’s rescue came from an old contact of his father, an old sea captain who offered to take Troylus on for quarter wages of the men. It nearly destroyed his parents to send Troylus away to sea. He was keen to go though, as school was so difficult for him. His parents worried that the authorities would find out and punish them for his not being in school so young, but they worried far more about Troylus’ safety so far from home.

The first few years at sea were hellish for the small boy. The work wasn't too bad; his small fingers and hands were rubbed red raw fixing holes in the fishing nets, helping cook dinner for the crew, and running around the ship passing messages and doing odd jobs.  The work wasn't the problem though. He tries not to think of those years, and attempts to block out the events, but even at 17 he often wakes with nightmares of strong, calloused hands pinning him down in the dark below deck. Honesty and bravery was his saviour - his captain asked him to report on where he got the bruises all over his torso one afternoon, and despite all the threats his abuser had made if he spoke up, Troylus broke his silence and reported the man. The sailor was put off the ship at the next port and the captain told Troylus to come to him any time he had any concerns. Other than that, he has never spoken of what happened to him.

These days he is a man grown in body at least, and earns half wages (the captain promises to give him full wages when he's 18 and allowed to be there legitimately).  The ship primarily is a deep sea fishing and whaling vessel, but Troylus is starting to notice that the captain does some other sort of work on the side.  It's all very un-Troylus, secret meetings in ports with shady looking individuals, negotiating the transport of goods from one place to the next.  Troylus has no idea what is in the huge crates that are boarded up and kept hidden below deck, mixed in amongst the food and other supplies.  he tries not to think about it, and focuses on his work as a fisherman; hauling in the catch, helping hunt the whales, and butchering them.