Player Character Secrets: Rachel Ward

Rachel Ward

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell: Ding-dong.
Hark! now I hear them—ding-dong, bell.
—William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”

Character Profile: Rachel Ward

Another challenging character, Rachel Ward should be selected by an experienced roleplayer willing to take risks. Of course, her biggest secret is one that can’t help revealing itself after six to seven months. After her son is born, Rachel becomes something of a wild card, and may pursue multiple goals with many diverse outcomes.

Hidden Correspondences with Other Characters
Rachel Ward is named after the Rachel, a Nantucket whaler her father William Hart served as harpooneer. (Despite what it says in her character profile, her father named Rachel after his ship, and not the other way around.) The Rachel is the vessel that discovered Dr. Lowell on Albemarle Island in 1830, so Dr. Lowell would have met her father, although these memories are suppressed under his so-called Lacuna. William Hart was towed out of sight by Mocha Dick in 1835 and presumed dead. Rachel’s mother, Margaret Hart, became a “crazy woman” in Nantucket before committing suicide. Joseph Coffin once met her in New Guinea, the neighborhood in Nantucket populated by black and Indian residents.

Call of Dagon
Rachel Ward begins the campaign suffering from Stage 1 Call of Dagon. The player should not know this. If Rachel loses too much Sanity during the first few chapters, the Keeper may advance her to Stage 2 by the time the Quiddity departs the Galápagos Islands. Obsessed with her vanished parents, Rachel’s lapses into madness involve various forms of “monkey’s paw” wish-fulfillment: visitations by her broken mother and drowned father, visions of her father being swallowed alive by Mocha Dick and living in the belly of the whale, bouquets of seaweed left surrounding her bunk. Once her son is born, her madness may tend towards delusions of grandeur regarding his “great destiny.” Maybe he’ll be president?

Rachel’s Witchcraft
It’s essential that Rachel doesn’t reveal herself as a witch too early in the voyage. The results could be fatal: certainly a few crew members might call for her for be hanged from the yardarm! Once the Quiddity has entered undeniably supernatural territory, the very men who would have hanged her might start clamoring for her magical protection. The Keeper and Rachel’s player must work together to balance these tensions, especially as Rachel begins learning more powerful spells.

Rachel’s Relationship with Leland Morgan
A former prostitute, Rachel Ward can spot “man trouble” from a mile away. And there’s something not quite right about Morgan. The way he glances at her with those unblinking eyes, the way he licks his flabby lips, the way he once referred to her as “Mina.” (What is it with these sailors mistaking her for other women?) Whether or not they become friends or enemies, the Keeper should allow an organic relationship to develop between Rachel and Morgan; however, Rachel’s player must consent to anything unsavory.

Rachel’s Relationship with Captain Joab
Revealing herself to Joab initiates a complicated dance of seduction. At first, Joab will not love Rachel. The captain had a moment of weakness because Rachel reminded him of his dead sister Ligeia. He is shamed and appalled by her presence; but he’s too much of a gentleman to have her flung over the bulwark, so he orders the carpenter to fashion a “hen house.” By January, Rachel’s pregnancy becomes impossible to conceal. Even if she hasn’t announced the identity of the father, shipboard rumor fingers Captain Joab. Most of the sailors assume that Pynchon’s a “molly,” Coffin’s too proper, and Whipple’s too busy leading the gossip himself. Once Joab discovers Rachel is with child, he grudgingly accepts her rightful place onboard. (Interestingly, he never questions whether the child is actually his.) At that point, the situation becomes too complicated to predict or legislate in a “Keeper Note.” The Keeper must determine Joab’s responses based on the Keeper’s personal interpretation of Joab and the player’s actions as Rachel. Their relationship may develop in any number of directions, from a happy shipboard marriage to Joab icily ignoring “Miss Ward and her bastard.” Also, Ligeia committed suicide because she dreamt their baby would be a “monster.” Surely something that haunts Joab’s nighttime thoughts?

Rachel’s Son
Rachel Ward’s son is born on June 21, 1845. Although there’s nothing particularly remarkable about the baby, the Keeper should remember two things: (1) The Dream Wheel revealed that Rachel’s son had a great destiny, and (2) Rachel’s son is a direct descendent of Isaiah Tuttle, the second-oldest Perfecti in the Kingsport Cult. This makes him a potential vessel for the Rite of Investiture, should Old Isaiah be tired of living in a wormy old body! And you know what? He really is. And wouldn’t that fulfill the Dream Wheel’s prophecy to the letter? By the end of White Leviathan, Rachel’ son will be one year old. There’s not a lot of character development one can do for a toddler, and the Keeper should avoid weighing Rachel’s player down with too many maternal responsibilities. If she’s been broadly accepted by the crew, or has won the affection of the officers, her child has no lack of babysitters, and she may acquire a wet-nurse somewhere in the Pacific. However, the Keeper may wish to reveal flashes of his “great destiny”—or at least bits of precocious behavior that Rachel may interpret in such a manner. Once word reaches Kingsport that Joab has a son, Isaiah Tuttle’s ears perk up—or whatever cockroaches are serving as ears—and he starts warming up the Rite of Investiture. Indeed, if something happens to Abner Ezekiel Hoag, Tuttle has no problem presenting “Plan B.” As a Seventh Degree Initiate, he has the right to claim Joab’s son as his personal vessel, and will not hesitate to do so. Needless to say, this won’t sit well with Joab, even if he refuses to acknowledge the brat as his own. (See Chapter 9 for details.)

Joining the Kingsport Cult
Aside from William Pynchon, Rachel Ward is the most powerful spellcaster onboard the Quiddity. She’s certainly no Christian, and exhibits little fondness for Western society. An opportunist by necessity, Rachel is drawn to power, always hungry to learn more. In other words, an ideal candidate for the Kingsport Cult! Of all the player characters, she is the one Pynchon would most like to bring under control. And what better way to control someone than by becoming their mentor? Despite what common sailors think, Pynchon is neither emotionless nor averse to female companionship. If Joab rejects this beautiful, intelligent, talented young witch, well…

Endgame: The Witch at the End of the World
By the time the Quiddity reaches Abaddon, Rachel Ward may or may not be married to Joab, may or may not be in the Kingsport Cult, and may or may not be the most powerful witch at the Apocalypse! Her son may also be targeted for annihilation by a powerful sorcerer. While Rachel may (or may not) have qualms about Dagon, she can certainly imagine a world where witches are no longer persecuted. And as Supplicant—or by influencing the right Supplicant—she could bring about this new Aeon. And maybe, just maybe, the sea will truly give up its dead.

White Leviathan > Keeper’s Information > PC Secrets
[Beckett | Coffin | Dixon | Lowell | Morgan | Quakaloo | Redburn | Ward]
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 21 October 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]