"Bring Me That Horizon..."

Shift off'n that keg, ye scurvy sack o' dogmeat. Ye be wantin' words o' me? I'll be a'ter tellin' it damn straight, an' see you takes it down proper. Wot ye've writ on that page, "Bring me that 'orizon!"...well, them words be spoke by many a fine captain afore that young scallywag Jacky Sparrow made 'em known t' all th' world, but 'e gets all th' credit whilst rest o' us gets nary a line in a 'istory book. I be thinkin' ol' Ed'ard Teach prob'ly said 'em fust. 'E was a eddycated bloke an' prone t' turnin' phrases wi' th' tide by wot I 'ears. An' I be tellin' ye now that th' Black Blade (that be mese'f, Morgan Corbye) said 'em when fust she cast off in th' Winged Adventure. 'Twas a few years ago, that, an' I still be lookin' t' reach th' last one. 'Tis no sense in livin' wi'out adventure, no sense a-tall t' be settin' yer hindparts on a cushion fer th' rest o' yer days, not when there's a 'orizon ye've never charted. 'Tis me way o' thinkin' that someday I'll be gettin' but 'alfway there afore I keels over, but by the lord 'Arry, I means to be under full sail when it 'appens.

Now lay down that pen an' get yer sorry shanks topside an' make fast them lines afore I uses yer backbone t' 'olystone th' deck. Bloody 'istorian!

Sister-foe

Of an evening as we sailed clear of Port Ryffe, a tale of long-standing enmity was related to this biographer whilst I dressed a deep cut on Captain Corbye's hand. I provide it in the Captain's own words for my readers as a point of historical interest for, having been forbidden to leave my quarters on board the Winged Adventure, I did not witness the encounter.

*****

Upon this day, 'tis a fact that many a pirate puts t' port an' takes on ship's stores an' pays a visit t' a grog shop or two, but 'tis also a fact that there's many a score t' settle, an' by the lord Harry, there ain't none more fierce than that blood-feud wot lies atween th' Black Blade an' 'er thievin' dastard o' a sister, 'er wot they calls the Dread Pirate Corbye in some quarters. Identical they is, an' were only experience wot made one o' 'em better at th' knife than t'other, made 'er stronger an' quicker an' a dab 'and wi' the lash.

This feud, now...it goes back a long ways t' when these two wuz dressed by they's mum in pink satin and ruffles (wot, y'might imagine, they both despised, a-bein' o' the piratin' nature from early on), fer it was Kat Corbye wot made folk believe she were 'er own sister, an' gettin' blame laid on the backside o' the Black Blade wi' a strop fer the mischief she'd be about. An' the two o' 'em were sich rivals that when Black Blade shipped out in th' cargo 'old o' a vessel bound fer Tortuga at age o' twelve that naught would 'ave it but Kat Corbye follered suit an' weaseled 'er way inter bein' cabin boy fer a cap'n wi' a shady reputation, conked 'im cold an' chucked 'im overboard a fortnight out. Blood were spilled next time th' two met, an' Black Blade 'as sworn she be a-goin' t' flay Kat Corbye alive wi' cat-o-nine-tails afore she keelhauls 'er an' leaves 'er wi' cannibals, 'er wretched ship on th' bottom in some uncharted cove.

Black Blade (for it be she wot's stronger an' quicker) will no' be lettin' Kat Corbye sully 'er name on this day of all days! 'Twas a certain mischance that th' two o' 'em put into same port 'ere, commencin' t' fight t' th' death, I'll warrant, lest that plaguey sister o' mine slinks back t' 'eal 'er wounds in th' bilge where she belongs.

Down Among The Cannibals

It has been said of Morgan Corbye that she went a little mad during the period when she found herself among the peoples of a remote island archipelago, but on this point, the debate is no more clear than that of chicken and egg. Driven to an act of desperation when very young, no doubt her mind was already somewhat unsettled. Her years of service aboard the Compass Rose surely proved difficult as she strove to maintain her masquerade as a common seaman (albeit a young one) while at the same time, her secret adoration of the ship's Captain warred with her emotional control. If aware of her feelings toward him, Capt. Service never sought the advantage a lesser being might have pressed. For all that he was a pirate of the first water, he was a man of honor insofar as widows, orphans and the like were concerned, and although he was hard-tempered with his crew at times, he never punished a man for an honest mistake. The code by which he governed those under his command and his kindness to the disadvantaged also became the signal principle by which Morgan Corbye presides to this day. "I'll be havin' no truck with them as 'urts stray cats an' kiddies," she says with a gesture to the two moggies who share her cabin.

Preface

Little is known about Morgan Corbye's early years other than from the abbreviated log entries of infamous Capt. Edgar Service who discovered a twelve-year old stowaway among his cargo shortly before offloading a freight of illicit goods at Tortuga. Emaciated and filthy, the feisty girl caught his fancy when she nearly succeeded in making good on a threat to "have yer gizzard on a marlinespike" as she took on a man twice her size and five times her age despite her poor physical condition. Service placed her under his protection, garbed her as a common sailor and kept her in his employ for several years aboard the Compass Rose until the ship foundered in an unseasonal storm. Capt. Service went down with his vessel and from various sources, we know that only a few hands made it to shore, Morgan Corbye among them, if not perhaps literally in proximity to them.

Her history again becomes vague at this point with only rumours to describe how she came into possession of the Winged Adventure, stories ranging from the ridiculous (that she was possessed by the spirit of Edward Teach and commanded by enchantments) to the sublime (that she gained the helm upon singlehandedly subduing its crew of a dozen at knife-point). Based upon personal acquaintance with Capt. Corbye, your historian is inclined to believe the latter, although it is impossible to verify with many of the former crew no longer among the living; the Captain herself claims only five put up serious resistance.

It is worth mentioning that Morgan Corbye is a singular individual, although not in a genetic sense. She is the identical twin to notorious scoundrel Kat (Katherine) Corbye, called by some the "Dread Pirate Corbye" just as Morgan is referred to as the "Black Blade." It does not sit well with either woman that there are two "Captains Corbye" on the waves, both of similar infamy and prowess. Indeed, exploits attributed to one sister may be those executed by the other, a factor which contributes to the inaccuracy of the colorful histories which surround both women. It is well documented that Kat Corbye obtained her command of the Grey Raven by dispatching its captain at the same time that her sister was serving her apprenticeship under Capt. Service. Morgan Corbye benefited from the guidance of a superior while Kat Corbye had no such tutor in the ways of command.

Throughout the years of her career, Morgan Corbye has commanded but one ship, the Winged Adventure. A few of her original crew remain staunchly loyal, the remainder having fallen to the various forms of attrition incumbent with acts of piracy. She exhibits a fondness for knives and the lash, but applies neither injudiciously, and may often be found in her cabin, at work with the same marlinespike with which she menaced Capt. Service those many years ago.