Nigel Harrington
From Age of Intrigue Wiki
This PC is retired/deceased.
Contents |
Short Stats
- Character Name: Nigel Harrington
- Title: Viscount
- Rank: Captain
- Estate Name: Blackheath
- Nationality: English
- Age: 30 (b.1645)
- Gender: Male
- Eye Colour: Grey
- Hair Colour: Black
Physical Attributes
Nigel is a man of vigorous health as befits a life long professional soldier. He is an an imposing 6'3" and a wiry 14 stones. He has long luxurious black hair that frames his slightly gaunt face. He sports a deep soldier's tan from years of serving abroad. While of a slender build he is powerfully built for his frame. His eyes very intense and though when he smiles it rarely touches his eyes.
Nigel's most prominent feature is his scarred face. A scar roughly in the shape of an inverted triangle that starts just under the left eye and runs almost down to the corner of his mouth on the left side. A faint scar curves from Nigel's left lower lip down the side of his neck and into his collar his left side. When angry Nigel's lip curves up on the left side causing the two scars to meet and look as one.
Initial Impression of Personality
Nigel mixes a stiff military manner with the litheness of a predator. Even at rest it is often remarked that he reminds others of a coiled spring or a predator patiently waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
Background
Serving as a Captain under George Monck, the wealthy Nigel Harrington gained the reputation of 'The Butcher of Breda', his temper renowned.
He is lately married to Catherine Erskine-Fox, daughter of Viscount Kendall.
Recess III
Nigel set to the planning of the expedition to Tangiers with the relentless professional drive he was known for. He liaisoned with the Navy till he got the best ships that were available, with Captains that he was confident of, from the Royal Navy. Wanting to have a force to break the blockade but still have a small quick flotilla, Monmouth's staff settled of six ships of the line. The flotilla was commanded by a Commodore Albertson, a navy commander with a solid reputation under fire.
To augment the ship's troops Nigel drew up orders, signed by Monmouth, that detached 20 hand picked men from the 2nd Troop of the Lifeguard, for detached duty to the Tangiers Expedition.
The journey to Tangiers was normal enough. The Tangiers Expedition took the Barbary coast ships blockading the garrison at Tangiers, partially by surprised. That, added to a bold plan, aggressive ship to ship engagements and favorable winds, allowed the Expedition to rout the pirates and break the blockade.
The satisfaction of a battle won and camaraderie of seeing Don Carlos again was to be short lived though. It was then that Monmouth and Plymouth revealed the second objective for the Expedition. The word that a renegade sheik wanted a meeting with the King or "senior government members" to speak on a peace treaty, was not well received by Nigel. He argued long and hard with both Monmouth and Plymouth that there would never be peace with the Moors. He spoke of the Moors' hated of all Kafirs and their long history of treachery. Monmouth and Plymouth would not to be moved though. They had orders from they're father. Even in Nigel's world, where he is right and everyone should just realize it, does a major change the mind of two generals set upon a horrible plan.
The meeting was to take place on the small Perejil island. Though the isle was claimed by Spain it was just off the coast of Morocco. With the arrival of Owen and the Lady of Swansea, it was decided that Owen's ship and two warships detached from Commodore Albertson's flottilla, the HMS Defiant and the HMS Raven, would make the journey to Perejil.
Nigel was a slow man to make friends but he was glad to have Lord Carrington along. While Nigel worked him as hard and unforgiving as he did all the officers under him, it was clear to the other officers and men that Robert was a man Nigel respected. Of Lt. Dawes, Nigel had little use and after several dressing downs, Dawes learned to stay out of Nigel's way. As a reward for Carrington's competence he was given Lt. Dawes to break in. "Break him in or I will just break him, Robert.", to be exact.
The island of Perejil was small and had only two suitable landing points, a large beach to the east side of the island and a small protected cove to the west. It was decided to make a landing at the beach. Nigel took the first troops ashore, the Coldstreamers of 2nd Troop. Of all the men under his command, Nigel had worked these men the hardest. He had trained, pushed and abused these men till they were at their breaking point and then he took them past that point to show them what it meant to call oneself a Coldstreamer. Love him or hate him, Nigel was determined to turn the men of his beloved regiment back into real soldiers. Securing the beach, Nigel had Carrington and the small supply of mounts that were stored on Owen's ship, brought ashore as a mounted reconnaissance force.
With two impatient generals waiting onboard the HMS Raven for Nigel to be satisfied that the island was secure, Nigel held the secured beachhead while Carrington and his small mounted force scouted the island. Only after Carrington had completed his sweep did Nigel send for the rest of the landing party. It appeared that the island was empty and they could settle in for the renegade sheik to arrive in two days. Appearances proved to be deceiving.
The Moors had laid their ambush well. A picked band of Barbary raiders had hidden themselves away in a cave with a very well camouflaged entrance. A few hours into setting up their bivouac, the Moorish raiders attacked. The pickets that Nigel had put out from the ship's troops that had been brought ashore with Monmouth and Plymouth, spotted that raiders moving into position to attack and their warning bought the rest of the men time to form squares to meet their attack. Though outnumbered by the Moors, the soldier's discipline held. Monmouth, Plymouth and Nigel each commanded a square that mutually supported each other. They slowly made their way tactically to the beach, while being assaulted by the Moorish raiders. Unfortunately the raiders got a number of musketeers in a rocky outcropping that allowed them to deliver plunging fire down onto the English troops on the beach. Monmouth had hoped to hold long enough for their ships to get closer to the shore and give supporting cannon fire to the besieged squares.
The troop's morale wavered when they all saw the ships put on sail and put out to sea. Seeing other sails on the horizon, they knew that the raiders were but a small part of the ambush they found themselves in. It was a feat of leadership, iron will and English tenacity that Monmouth, Plymouth and Nigel got their squares moving again, this time inland away from the beach. All the officers knew that if they were to make a stand that they would have to get to the high ground and hold it. The island offered little high ground but one well placed hilltop on the west side of the island would do.
They made it to the hilltop but not without paying a bloody price. When they were coming off the beach and onto the rocks, Plymouth's square faltered and got spread apart. The raiders tore into Plymouth's men with a fury. Plymouth went down with a musket wound to the chest but he struggled back up on his feet, coughing up blood and trying to rally his men.
Nigel's square was the closest to Plymouth's and all the sweat he had wrung out of the Coldstreamers paid off. As only a elite veteran unit could, they changed their formation from a square to a diagonal skirmish line and charged into them. They pushed into the raiders and drove them away from broken square. Only Monmouth still had an intact square at this point. Monmouth's square had made it to the hilltop. Nigel got a faltering Plymouth over his shoulder and ordered his men to run for the hilltop and Monmouth's square. It is doubtful that they would have made it, is it had not been for Carrington. Carrington had the smallest force but the most mobile one. He knew he had a card that that could only be played once. He saw the time to strike to do the most damage to the raiders. Carrington's charge took the raiders in the flank as they sought to cut Nigel's men off. They sent the raiders into disarray and bought the men of those two squares the time to get to the hilltop and reform. It was not without a heavy price though. Carrington's men were outnumbered and after the shock of their charge wore off, the raiders tore into them. Only Carrington and one of his enlisted men made it to the hilltop alive.
Plymouth's last moments were with his brother and his mentor, as blood filled his lungs on an isolated hilltop, on an island no one really wanted. To his brother he said "Tell father I am sorry.", to Nigel he said "Look after my men Nigel, they are good lads..."
With Plymouth dead, many others dead, not a small number of wounded and their ships nowhere to be seen, morale was low. If the likes of officers like Monmouth, Carrington and Nigel had not been there...well the battle might have had another ending.
Nigel had told Monmouth many times since becoming his aide that, "It's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission." This was one of those times. What Nigel knew that the others didn't was Nigel had given Owen instructions that if anything like this was to happen, to be ready at midnight, for as many days that they could manage, to pick them up at the cove on the west side of the island. The Barbary pirate raiders had paid a bloody cost in their attacks and they were not that motivated to charge up that hill and try to take high ground away from English regulars. As the sun went down, they knew that with the morning sun would come their ships and reinforcements to finish off the English.
As midnight approached, Monmouth slowly filtered men down to the cove. The English force on the hilltop, grew smaller and the men tended the watch fires and went to great lengths to appear to be of greater numbers. Nigel and Monmouth had no small amount of heated words over who would command the last of the rear guard. In the end Monmouth ordered Nigel to take charge of his brother's body and see it to the cove.
It is unlikely that Owen will ever be a popular as he was that night when the led a pair of longboats into that dark cove to rescue those men. He was shook, hugged, kissed, blessed and given one "Well done, lad." With efficiency and speed, the entire English force was spirited away in the dark with the Moorish raiders none the wiser.
Morale improved but it was learned the one of the warships, the HMS Defiant, had been lost in escaping the Barbary pirate ships but not without cost. The Lady of Swansea and the Raven had sent two pirate ships to the bottom of the sea. The four remaining pirate ships were out there still in the dark. The two ships made their best speed but the morning sun revealed the sails of the pirate ships pursuing them. For a week they played cat and mouse. Two of the pirate ships were evaded but finally two remaining pirate ships maneuvered into position to attack the English ships.
The fighting was fierce, with no quarter asked or given by either side. In the end both pirate ships were sunk, one from cannon fire, the other scuttled by a counter-boarding party after the pirate ship boarded the Raven. The Raven had taken heavy damage. It's mizzen mast had been sheared off, her Captain and officers dead. It was clear that the pirates were targeting Monmouth, though the Lady of Swansea had been heavily engaged, several times the pirates had broke off from engaging her to press their attacks on the Raven.
With the seas relatively calm, the Lady of Swansea came along side the Raven. Both crews started making emergency repairs to get the Raven back underway. After a few hours a lookout saw sails on the horizon, closing fast. It was two pirate ships that had been thought to have been evaded. It was clear that the Raven, while seaworthy, was in no shape to outrun the pirate ships. The crew of the Raven and supplies were quickly transferred to the Lady of Swansea.
Nigel stood at the shattered handrail on the aft of the Raven, with his man Carruthers. He looked at the two pursuing ships "We can't do it can we, Will?" Carruthers' eyes were too on the closing ships. His hands tightened on the rifle he carried in his hands. "No sir, not two. One we can evade but two will pen us in. It will only be a matter of time." Nigel was silent for a moment, his mind far away from that battle and that place. I guess, I won't be able to keep that promise little one...I am sorry Catherine. "Pick your skeleton crew from volunteers, Will...I will deal with the General."
Few were close enough to hear the heated words that passed between Nigel and his General as they stood alone on the quarter deck of the Raven. In the end it was a matter of duty. Jemmy's duty was clear and so was Nigel's. The last thing to be transferred to the Lady of Swansea was Don Carlos' body, carried by his brother. There were few men that were not wounded in one way or another. Carrington was down with a sprained ankle and foot swelled up to almost twice it's normal size.
As the Raven made to cut away from the Lady of Swansea, Nigel's goodbyes were quick. To Carrington he said "No man should ever be ashamed for doing what he knows to be right, fight the good fight brother."
To Monmouth his words were simple "First England, then you Jemmy." he said as he grasped Jemmy's shoulder quickly. His last words were to Owen just before the ships pulled apart. No one could hear what was said but all saw Nigel hand Owen, Cromwell's black sword that was his prize possession.
The ships pulled apart, as the Raven turned about to engage the lead pirate ship. Nigel looked to Carruthers who said "Are we going to do this or talk about it Sir?" Nigel just smiled. The lead pirate ship slowed to get a look at the Raven, as the Raven closed on her. The pirate captain was sure he could take it in a broadside, especially in one that was going to be as close as this one. He was unprepared for the Raven to wheel over sharp at the last moment and ram into his ship. The dozen men on the Raven fired the canons in the bow into the pirate ship at point blank range. They had double charged the guns with powder and tripled the normal grapeshot load. A desperate act but they were desperate men. The crew of the Raven did the only thing they could. They boarded the pirate ship as it's crew reeled from the devastating damage of the cannon's grapeshot, sweeping down the deck. The English skeleton crew followed the grenades they flung onto the deck of the pirate ship. The battle was not a long one but it was a fierce one that both sides lost. As the Lady of Swansea made for England, with it's precious cargo aboard, the Raven and the pirate ship it had rammed were completely entangled and both were fully aflame. Few had time to watch as they had their own problems, with another pirate ship in deadly pursuit. As the two flaming ships faded into distance, the last thing that could be made out was the Barbary flag being cut down and fluttering down to the water, as the two burning ships slipped under the waves.
