Hendrik Van Der Decken
| Name | Hendrik Van Der Decken |
| Race | Undead |
| Type | Incorporeal |
| Faction | Dark Forces |
| Premiere | Desideratum: Blood Bonds |
| Relative(s) | N/A |
Contents
Hendrik Van Der Decken
"Oh, she’s real enough! I’m her captain. Tell me, woman, what is the year of our Lord?"
Biography
Pre-Desideratum: Blood Bonds
If ever a stubborn man lived, it was Captain Hendrik Van Der Decken. Raised in Norway and relishing the sea, he did all that he could in the 1600’s to become the captain of a vessel and got his wish. For two decades he captained multiple ships, known to be daring but not reckless, his crews always admired and respected him. Eventually, in the 17th-century golden age of the Dutch East India Company, he was given the ship, The Flying Dutchman (Dutch: De Vliegende Hollander). He was always punctual without exception, and as he sailed round the Cape of Good Hope, a massive storm swelled. He refused to wait and ordered his men into the storm. These stalwart crewmen had seen the captain weather other storms and they did their duty. They continued forward to make their way into Table Bay.
However, the further that they sailed the worse the storm became until it was almost certain that they’d go down. Still, Hendrik refused to stand down. He could see the bay on the horizon and refused to give up. Yelling orders as the mighty waves crashed and lightning crackled above in the sky, he yelled out that his men were as sturdy as the ship, and both as strapping as he was. He claimed, boastfully and loudly, yelling at the storm and the very timbers of the Flying Dutchman, “Nothing in all creation can bar us from our goal, storm, sea, and God be damned!” As he finished, a bolt of lightning smashed into the ship, splintering it, and the churning waters consumed every soul on board.
However, as with other ghosts, most of this crew and especially her captain refused to rest or go into the Inner Light. Through mental force of will or perceptions beyond the understandings of mortals, the ship as a specter, rose from the sea. They could enter every port or dock anyone on any ocean, except Table Bay. Superstitious as ever, Hendrik and his crew also feared leaving the Physical World in case they sat in judgment for the captain’s cursing of God. After decades wandering the seas without purpose or plan, they decided to collect cursed treasures to help ensure that other souls not be tainted, and they hoped that it might abolish their sins and help them find peace when they finally move on to other realms of existence.
Desideratum: Blood Bonds
In Desideratum: Blood Bonds, Hendrik is the final boss for the Docks hunt. Though Absinthe Van Gothen managed to face and defeat Captain Van Der Decken and some of his crew, they were only dematerialized for the night. On the next, they found themselves drifting the seas again, forever.
Appearance
Hendrik is a pirate captain ghost, looking to have died as a middle aged man. He had quite the beard.
Abilities
- Incorporeal
- Drain Life
- Spectral Swordplay
Notes and Trivia
In the Docks Hunt, Hendrik is present in the following bad ends:
- Cap'n Van Gothen
- Ghostly Galley Gal
