Joseph Coffin

Looking into his eyes, you seemed to see there the yet lingering images of those thousand-fold perils he had calmly confronted through life. A staid, steadfast man, whose life for the most part was a telling pantomime of action, and not a tame chapter of sounds. Yet, for all his hardy sobriety and fortitude, there were certain qualities in him which at times affected, and in some cases seemed well nigh to overbalance all the rest. Uncommonly conscientious for a seaman, and endued with a deep natural reverence, the wild watery loneliness of his life did therefore strongly incline him to superstition; but to that sort of superstition, which in some organizations seems rather to spring, somehow, from intelligence than from ignorance. Outward portents and inward presentiments were his.

—Herman Melville, Moby-Dick, Chapter 26

Joseph Coffin (Second Mate of the Quiddity)

Statistics
Age: 28, Nationality: American, Birthplace: Nantucket 1816.

Combat

Skills
Accounting 35%, Anthropology 15%, Appraise 5%, Archeology 5%, Art/Craft (Blacksmith) 20%, Art/Craft (Carpentry) 15%, Art/Craft (Cooperage) 25%, Art/Craft (Concertina) 45%, Art/Craft (Literature) 50%, Art/Craft (Scrimshaw) 70%, Artillery 1%, Charm 20%, Climb 65%, Credit Rating 40%, Cthulhu Mythos 5%, Demolitions 1%, Disguise 5%, Dreaming 15%, Fast Talk 10%, First Aid 45%, History 10%, Hypnosis 1%, Intimidate 25%, Jump 40%, Kingsport Cult 5%, Law 10%, Leadership 60%, Library Use 20%, Listen 35%, Locksmith 5%, Mechanical Repair 35%, Medicine 15%, Natural World 25%, Navigate 70%, Occult 5%, Operate Heavy Machinery 30%, Persuade 70%, Pilot (Boat) 70%, Psychology 25%, Read Lips 1%, Religion (Quaker) 50%, Renown 15%, Ride 20%, Science (Astronomy) 20%, Science (Meteorology) 35%, Seamanship 75%, Sea Lore 30%, Sleight of Hand 10%, Spot Hidden 65%, Stealth 30%, Survival 45%, Swim 5%, Throw 60%, Track 10%, Whalecraft 75%.

Description

You are a slender man with dark features and a somewhat lugubrious demeanor. Although you shave every morning, your face is haunted by a perpetual five-o-clock shadow which highlights the dark brown of your sensitive eyes. You favor an out-of-style sailor’s cap, a Navy pea coat, and comfortable boots—always a necessity, comfortable shoes. Your clothing is clean and well-mended, as you believe it’s very important to keep up appearances as an officer, even on a three-year whaling voyage.

History
Born in Nantucket to the famous Coffin clan, your family are staunch Quakers, good Nantucketers who view all coofs with suspicion. Maybe even more than most; for your grandfather was John Coffin, brother of Barzillai Coffin, the “mad captain” who abandoned Nantucket in 1790. Joining the so-called “Black Macys” to found a new whaling dynasty in Kingsport, Old Barzo was considered little more than a traitor. Your father, Captain Luke Coffin, and your mother, Philomena Folger, only spoke of him in hushed whispers.

Fulfilling the Coffin Destiny
After learning the ropes as a cabin boy on your father’s ship, you shipped on your first real voyage at the age of 16. There was never any question that you’d pursue a career as a whaleman; not only did your family name demand it, but you loved the sea, and relished the hunt from the very bottom of your soul—if not the actual killing. It was good money, too, and you had every intention of commanding your own ship by the age of 30.

The only problem was Nantucket itself. Although you were square with your Quaker beliefs, your family’s clannish isolationism disturbed you, and you had no intentions of marrying any one of the endless parade of young cousins presented for your approval between voyages. There was also Nantucket’s inevitable decline as a whaling capital. All the excitement was now in New Bedford, and her ships needed fine Nantucket officers such as yourself. In 1837 you committed family apostasy by shipping aboard a New Bedford whaler, the Eliza. Distinguishing yourself as a boatsteerer, you followed this voyage as third mate aboard the same vessel in late 1840. The following year you received a letter from your mother—your father was dead, having suffered a heart attack on the Galápagos Islands. The grieving widow was not kind, stating plainly: “You broke your father’s heart, Joseph.”

Returning to New Bedford in July 1844, you were visited by Jacob Macy, an agent for the Kingsport whaling concern Sleet, Baker & Blood. It seemed the company was looking for a capable officer to serve as third mate aboard the Quiddity, scheduled to return next month. Your kinship to Barzillai Coffin and the recommendation of your recent captain—a personal friend of Gideon Sleet’s—aided powerfully in your recruitment. Although it was not a promotion, they offered a significantly better lay than what you might expect as second mate in New Bedford. Additionally, you thought it would be potentially interesting to finally meet the “black sheep” branch of your family.

Opportunities and Omens
Agreeing to their terms, you were astonished to hear a month later that the Quiddity’s second mate, Elijah Watts, had succumbed to madness while at sea. Sensing an opportunity, you requested his position, and you were pleasantly surprised when they offered it to you without hesitation, and at a better lay. But you almost lost your opportunity when you received word that your mother was gravely ill. Travelling to Nantucket, you spent the next few weeks by her side until she passed away on October 14. Her deathbed plea was that you return home and follow in your father’s footsteps. She made you promise you’d have no truck with the “infernal Black Macys,” and that you’d never set foot in Kingsport. Your mother’s last words were, “Your name is not your fate, Joseph.” You placed a silver hand mirror to her lips and saw no signs of breath. Motherless, you dropped the mirror, and it shattered into seven pieces—each promising a year of bad luck. You must have been overwhelmed by grief, because the next thing you recall, it was dark and your mother’s body was cold.

Mr. Coffin and the Quiddity
Although you would have preferred a few weeks in Kingsport getting to know the Quiddity and her officers, your mother’s illness left you no choice. You wrote to Sleet, Baker & Blood seeking assurances the position was still available, and once again they proved remarkably accommodating; apparently your “Coffin blood” was all the assurance they required. One unwelcome surprise, however, occurred when you found out that the Quiddity’s third mate, Mr. P.H. Whipple, would remain onboard in his previous position, rather than being promoted to another ship. This is bound to create tension. Not only are you sailing with an unknown captain and chief mate, but you’ve been placed over a man who will certainly—and perhaps rightfully—believe he should have your job. And so, despite your false promise to your mother and your anxieties about Whipple, you’ve made arrangements to sail for Kingsport on the packet ship Getty Lee, and should arrive the morning of October 27.

Postscript: The Curious Letter
Ever since you were a child, you’ve been a vivid dreamer. Most of the time your dreams are inconsequential, but every so often you find yourself in a particular place, a strange land that seems to exist beyond the walls of sleep. More surreal than your usual dreams, these visions always feature a wondrous city perched atop an island peak, beautiful but curiously vacant, its white spires floating in the air. Somewhat fancifully, you named the city Xanadu, after the pleasure dome from Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan. Occasionally, the city is visited by mysterious white ships blown by fragrant winds, the faces of the crew concealed by hoods. The ships sail upon an underground river—naturally you’ve named it Alph—that flows beneath the great, dreamy ocean itself.

Until recently, you’ve ascribed these dreams to your overactive imagination and your passion for Romantic poetry. However, the very moment you were about to depart for Kingsport, a messenger handed you a curious letter from one Mrs. Rebecca Carter Elton, the keeper of the North Point Lighthouse. Your read the letter, amazed—and terrified. How did this woman know about your dreaming city? And your mother’s dying words?

Roleplaying Coffin

More intelligent, kind, and perceptive than the average officer, you are generally well-liked by the crew. Your lack of “fishiness” is balanced by superior seamanship skills and your winning way with the men. While part of you—especially your Quaker nature—feels troubled when you butcher a whale, God made these poor brutes into floating barrels of prosperity, not Joseph Coffin. Not that you’re a Bible-thumper by any means, but if God should have chosen to place the Whales over Man, it would have been a different universe. A “Good Christian” with a philosophical bent and a superstitious streak, you take your faith seriously, and try to remain humble and open-minded. Although your quiet ways may cause some to question your mettle, you understand that courage is a stock of limited supply like anything else onboard a whaleship, and should only be tapped when the time is right. You try to instill this quality in your crew, and lead your whaleboat with heartfelt pleas and silky praise rather that bellowing commands and blasphemous imprecations.

You have a passion for literature, another unusual quality in a seaman. You admire William Blake and the Romantic poets, particularly Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and you know Rime of the Ancient Mariner by heart. You enjoy the parlor romances of Jane Austen and the arabesque tales of Edgar Allan Poe; but your most recent obsession is Milton Redburn and his Polynesian adventure novels, Nuka Hiva and Tahiti. You also appreciate philosophy, and gravitate towards more righteous, abolitionist newspapers such as Horace Greeley’s Tribune and Graham Blaine’s Kingsport Chronicle.

Although generally even-tempered, you have a certain zeal for coffee—an addiction that has earned you the nicknames “Java Joe” and “Joe Coffee.” You love the feeling of energy and focused concentration it gives you, and the steward knows that a perfect mug of coffee is the best way to curry your favor. Indeed, after you retire from a long career in whaling, you may launch a coffee importing business with an old mate of yours, one Obed Starbuck of Nantucket. Perhaps a mermaid would make a handsome logo…?

Forming Relationships
You seek out companions who believe the same fundamental truths as you. You welcome honesty above all, and would rather have the company of an honest rival than a false friend. But you adhere firmly to the chain of command, and tend to keep fraternization with the crew to a minimum—which might be a bit awkward once you realize that Milton Redburn is onboard! Dr. Montgomery Lowell might be an attractive companion, and may even discuss philosophy with you. You feel bad about hindering the advancement of Ulysses Dixon and P.H. Whipple; but then again, no one forced them to ship under these conditions. Rachel Ward may present a challenge, and you’ll have to balance your sense of chivalry with your desire to eject her from the Quiddity as soon as possible. Women don’t belong on whaling ships! Although she does look familiar, somehow; like that Irish widow who lived in New Guinea, Nantucket’s Negro neighborhood. Didn’t she throw herself from a lighthouse?

Goals
Your goal is to bring the Quiddity back in one piece, her hold overflowing with oil and all hands safe and sound. A deceptively simple goal, perhaps; for you must navigate not just the treacherous waters of the ocean, but the precarious currents of shipboard politics.

Mythos Knowledge
You are fairly innocent of Mythos knowledge, and have yet to connect your fanciful dreams to any greater power. You’ve heard rumors that Innsmouth is “strange,” and you’ve heard that some of them pray to Dagon—the pagan God of the Philistines. Your family regards Barzillai Coffin as a “hellion,” but you attribute that to the fact he abandoned Nantucket with the coof-marrying Black Macys. You know that Kingsport has a troubled history, and your aunt refers to Barzo’s second wife as “one of them Kingsport witches.”

Possessions
You have a beautifully carved sea-chest, a family heirloom three generations old. You take great care in keeping it well-oiled, maintaining the beckets, and replacing panels when they show signs of wear. A brass plaque on the lid boasts an engraving of your grandfather’s first ship, the Nantucket. You have a well-thumbed Bible, a personal journal with fresh ink and expensive paper, a set of intricately-carved whaling stamps, your father’s German concertina, and a small kit containing specialized scrimshaw tools. You are an excellent scrimshander, and when your duties allow you the time, you can still enjoy turning out the odd masterpiece.

Your sea-chest contains a leather satchel of books, including poetry by William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelly, John Keats, and Lord Byron; a brand-new copy of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, which you plan to read this voyage; both volumes of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque; and a few humble Quaker treatises. Your copy of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason is much dog-eared, but you have yet to complete it—it’s certainly not like your beloved Rousseau! The satchel also contains worn copies of Milton Redburn’s three novels—Nuka Hiva, Tahiti, and Melville. (You’ve heard rumors that Redburn also wrote Ishmael’s François, or the Ambivalences, which you tried to read; but you didn’t really understand it.)

Notes & Inspirations for Joseph Coffin

Mr. Coffin was partly inspired by Starbuck from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. Chapter 26 is especially helpful, as it paints a beautiful image of the Pequod’s chief mate. Another excellent resource for understanding the operation of a whaling ship and the responsibilities of an officer is Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. For a player that really wants a deep dive, becoming familiar with some of Coffin’s favorite literature is helpful, such as Coleridge’s poems Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, Herman Melville’s Typee (i.e., Milton Redburn’s Nuka Hiva), and Edgar Allan Poe’s “MS. Found in a Bottle,” “A Descent into the Maelström,” “Ligeia,” “Masque of the Red Death,” and The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. If White Leviathan were a movie, Joseph Coffin might be played by a young Stephen Rea; although Ted Levine’s Starbuck from the 1998 miniseries Moby Dick should not be overlooked. Another excellent Starbuck is Morgan Smith’s baritone in Jake Heggie’s opera, Moby-Dick, as produced in San Francisco and captured on film.

The Burden of Command
Joseph Coffin is third in command of the Quiddity. This means that all the other player characters in White Leviathan are technically subordinate to him! Coffin’s player must be willing to handle that responsibility, and should ideally be more familiar with whaling and shipboard etiquette than the other players. As the game progresses, these boundaries will shift and evolve; but for the first few chapters of White Leviathan, playing Mr. Coffin may be a powerful, but lonely, experience. Also, Coffin is one of the few characters who may actually question Captain Joab and William Pynchon. Use your power wisely!

Special Thanks
Special thanks to Tim Hutchings, who played Jospeh Coffin during my own run-through of White Leviathan. Tim brought a wonderful amount of warmth and humanity to the character, and embraced every aspect of the campaign from singing sea shanties to dying in spectacularly horrible ways. A Keeper couldn’t ask for a better mate, and I’ve learned much from Tim’s boundless creativity.

Opening Moves

Materials
Coffin begins the game with three handouts: “Period & Setting 1844-1846,” “Main Glossary,” and “Letter from Elton to Coffin.” At the Keeper’s discretion, the player may be provided with additional material about sailing ships, whaling, and nautical customs.

Starting Position
Boarding the packet ship Getty Lee in New Bedford, you sail into Kingsport Harbor just before noon on Sunday, October 27, 1844.

Adventure Hooks
The following scenarios provide engaging ways for Coffin to begin the adventure in Kingsport. Some represent obligations, while others are optional. You may wish to discuss them with the Keeper before gameplay begins.

The Social Call
Your wealthy cousins Isaac Coffin and his sister Lydia Coffin live in Kingsport. The children of Barzillai’s second marriage to Susan Tuttle, Isaac is a physician and Lydia is an eccentric “free thinker.” They live in a Stratton Point manor named Orchard Rise, and are expecting a visit the Sunday of your arrival.

Secure Lodgings at the Kingsport Hotel
Although your cousins have kindly extended an invitation to remain at Orchard Rise during your stay, they live a good distance from the wharves. You have arranged for a room at the Kingsport Hotel, by reputation a modest and clean boarding house on the respectable end of Harborside. Mary Brody is the proprietor.

Meet Captain Joab
On October 29, you have 5:00 pm appointment to meet Captain Joab on the Quiddity. Of course, you are welcome to visit the Quiddity at any time, and should do so soon after arriving.

Call on Rebecca Elton
If you decide to honor Rebecca Elton’s strange request, you must meet Lieutenant Costello at the Revenue Marine at 3:00 pm the afternoon of October 30. According to Mrs. Elton’s letter, you will be returned to Kingsport shortly after sunset.

White Leviathan > Player Character Profiles
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 16 October 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]