Richard Venables



His Grace, The Duke of Argyll (Sir Richard Venables) (1701-1792) was a British Officer and aristocrat, best known for his many years of service in the Caribbean.

Born to an aristocratic family in Scotland, he was the older twin of Mathieu Venables. He entered military service at age 12, seeing little to no action during the first ten years of his service.

Early Service
Venables joined the Royal Navy at age twelve and was stationed onboard First Sea Lord Matthew Faye's flagship. He quickly gained influence with Lord Faye, and became a student under Faye's leadership. For awhile he served with the British Privateer, Captain Alexander Dakota. Eventually he rose to captain a sixth rate frigate known as "Artemis" and was posted in the West Indies for two years. It was at this point he met his first wife, Lisa Darkscarlett after capturing a Spanish Pirate ship and taking her prisoner.

Climbing the Ranks
Though not very wealthy at this time, he juggled being a good husband to Lisa, whilst also juggling the demands of Naval service. They eventually bought a small house in Port Royal as Venables was stationed here and had a child, Ishmael Venables.

Not much is known about Venables service through the Paradox War, though he did not play a direct part in combat, due to a sickness at the time which kept him down for several months, Which led him to returned to Britain with his wife.

On return to Britain and active service with His Majesty's Navy, he was given command of a fourth rate ship of the line, "Favor" and promoted by Faye to Commodore. He was posted to active duty once more in the West Indies, though on the Kingshead station, where he saw action agains't both the Spanish and French Navy's. His wife remained in England, but died later of neumonia.

The Faye Drama
When First Sea Lord Faye, fell out of favour with the King, Venables too fell out of favour, Feye's replacement had no time for a grieving officer on half pay and so Venables was forgotten for a time.

East India Company Service
Venables was eventually transfered against his will to the new Royale Co. Navy, and was demoted to Post Captain. He commanded the third rate, "Aggression" at the Invasion of Ireland, but played only a small roll as by the time he arrived from the Caribbean the war was over.

After this time he went to various postings, ending up with the EITC Third Division as a Commodore, he led a small detachment of ships, against pirates and made something of a name for himself with this. It was at this point in his career he inherited the family estate and the Duchy of Argyll.

He also remarried at this point to Hannah Bluefeather, the granddaugther of British Prime Minister, Lord Giovanni Goldtimbers.

His son Ishmael, made him very proud by achieving the noble position of Third Sea Lord, Richard was very proud. It was at this time he also had two more children, Giovanni and Amelia Venables with Hannah, they were born in the Presbyterian church in Port Royal.

Eventually, he had made such a name for himself he was offered the chance to be Lord Marshal of the East India Company. His friend, Sir Joseph Grey offered him this position, which he filled with difficulty, he was unpopular as Lord Marshal and was eventually removed from the office by the Prime Minister and the new First Sea Lord, Blake Stewart.

Return to the Navy
Venables returned to the Royal Navy and was promoted to Vice Admiral, by his close friend, Admiral John Collingwood, and made second in command of the Antilles Squadron, once more, in the West Indies, and made governor of Bridgetown, the Squadron's base of operations.

When John Collingwood returned to England  due to sickness, Venables was promoted to Fleet Admiral and given command of Antilles Squadron.

He commanded the HMS Retribution, a Third Rate ship of the line, of 78 guns. He commanded her personally as well as the fleet.

First Maroon War
Under Admiral, His Grace, Sir Richard Venables. British Naval Forces have deployed across the Atlantic and Caribbean and patroled tirelessly the trade routes of Great Britain against Cudjoe's limited Naval Forces. HMS Retribution The flagship, take several vessels manned by rebel slaves and hangs them by their own yard arms.

While in port at Cape colony, Cudjoe and several other Africans disguised as English soldiers boarded the flagship of Admiral Richard Venables while it was in cape town harbor. Near dust and After silently killing the guards left oboard while the crew was drinking in the tavern Cudjoe and his men set fire to the power room in deep inside the ship's hull and set a 4 minute fuse for it to blow to pieces! Cudjoe and his men nearly escaped, but all escaped unharmed! African war chants could be heard throughout the city as the massive war ship exploded into pieces! The explosition caused a massive fire which inturn because of the direction of the wind the fire swept across the city destroying much of the wooden buildings!

Hours after the British had beaten the fires, the Barbary pirate allies of Cudjoe arrived and attacked the unsuspecting English ships in the harbor. Cudjoe's navy was soon defeated and was forced to escape before they lost too many ships. Cudjoe took a small group of pirates and slaves and African warriors to raid the town. Cudjoe surprised Admiral Venables as he was making his way to a rowboat to help fight off the pirate attack and the pirates battled the British crews on the shorelines!

Admiral Venables was shot by a musket point blank and was badly wounded! satisfied with their victory, Cudjoe retreated on to a passing Barbary sloop and and left Venables for dead! Admiral Ironskull himself operates on Sir Richard, and patches him up, Venables is told to stay down for awhile and rest but refuses and returns to battle, leading the British to an Pyrrhic Victory before collapsing on the quarterdeck of the Dorian, the sister ship of the Retribution commanded by Sir Mathieu Venables, from exhaustion, upon receiving the enemy's surrender.

Admiral Venables, still badly injured but on his feet takes his naval fleet, consisting of 22 ships, into the Caribbean and begins to attack the rebel fleet lurking there. In the action, Sir Richard leads a boarding party onto the rebel Flagship and captures her, the British sailors in a bloodlust, refuse to take orders and massacre the rebels to a man on the flagship, forty minutes after the rebels offered their surrender. Nearly 30 British Sailors are killed, and Admiral Venables is wounded once more, from a splinter that strikes him in the face, he refuses to be taken to the surgeon and returns to the Dorian and only goes to the surgeon after several others of being blind but commanding the fleet none the less! Several rebel ships escape but their butchers bill is high, nearly 12,000 dead, compared to the British with only 1200.

Attack on Kiev
Admiral Venables took part in the storming of Kiev to capture Ronald Coben and Ser Gregor. Admiral Venables was the first to storm the palace where they we're holed up, after blowing up the main wall of the city to get in with over 150 angry sailors.

He duelled Sir Gregor and was nearly killed when tackled into a large fountain but was saved by several sailors who attacked Ser Gregor. Venables struggled out of the fountain and went to the aid of Queen Genevieve of Switzerland and tried to rescue her before being hacked in the arm by Ser Gregor, and collapsing. He was dragged out by two marines and he was brought to HMS Defiance and had it saved and returned to duty in an hour, consoling Lord Goldtimbers over the capture of Genevieve.

Torture of Ser Gregor
Admiral Venables in his anger about losing the Queen of Romania, stayed on station in the Black Sea, with Lord Goldtimbers, Sir Mathieu, Ryan and Albert Spark. The Defiance was off Sevastopol when Sir Joseph and Queen Genevieve suddenly appeared alongside in a small boat, along with Ser Gregor.

All through the night they tortured Ser Gregor, before he finally revealed the location of Ronald Cobens, shortly before he died of his wounds and being shot by King Albert.

Venables then in a moment of christian kindness blessed Ser Gregor's soul and had his body commited to the deep.

Return to the Caribbean
Venables remained on station in the Black Sea for two weeks after the end of the First Maroon War. After having buried his dead and repaired his ships in the Ottoman Empire's ports, He made sail for Gibraltar and then after Gibraltar, sailed for England, landing at Portsmouth. He spent some brief time with his wife Hannah, and their children and then reported to Third Sea Lord Venables, to give him his report.

After this, Venables returned the Dorian to the command of Mathieu Venables and was given command of a new Third Rate, the HMS Defiance which became his new flagship. Venables then after having organised a new crew and officers, returned to the Burning Seas with his Squadron and began the task of taking the fight to the remnants of the FSA's former allies and any remaining FSA in hiding.

The Palladins, the Second Maroon War and 'Death'
Venables' brother, Mathieu was becoming more and more obsessed with his Knights Palladin Order and became more distant from Venables, who in his brotherly care, became concerned. What he discovered horrified him, his brother had become allied with the Assassins, arch enemies of the Templar Order, whom Venables was a significant part of.

Venables was approached by British Intelligence to 'watch' his brother and gather information, and became deeply embedded into his brothers 'organisation'. He was there when the Second Maroon War was declared and was in India at that time, spying on His brother's agents in Calcutta. When he was called to help defend the British positions from attack by the enemy forces he found the perfect opportunity to become even deeper entangled into the Knight Palladin Order's thick web of conspiracy and deciet and faked his death, which was even recorded in an oil painting now hanging in the headquarters of British Intelligence.

He went off the radar, his brother inheriting everything, and Venables going deep under cover as a 'ghost' agent. Venables eventually returned after having convinced his brother to show his true self and murder Hannah Venables, Venables' 'widow' who was in on the game the whole time. Venables kidnapped Hannah, taking her to Russia, where he ordered Mathieu to "deal with her" and left them, Mathieu then shot Hannah and blew up the old house.

Richard and Mathieu were charged as traitors, with Venables being flogged for his crimes and then branded with the Queen Genevieve's mark on his back. Mathieu was sent to Denmark under Kwagar Ocata. It was at this time, that Venables was secretly given the rank of Major in British Military Intelligence and began his spy work in Switzerland.

Return to Naval Captaincy
In 1769 Venables returned to the service, being placed as Captain of the HMS Formidable, 92 gun second rate, ship of the line as part of the Kingshead Squadron under Sven Daggersteel. He currently is standing in reserve until further notice with most of his crew having been sent aboard other ships.

Family

 * Lady Hannah Maria Venables - second wife
 * Giovanni Mathieu Venables - youngest son, heir
 * Amelia Theresa Venables - daughter, youngest child
 * The Right Hon. Sir Johnathan Goldtimbers - Grandfather in Law
 * Mathieu Venables - Younger Twin Brother
 * Elizabeth Venables Morgan - Younger Sister
 * Marcus Venables - Youngest Brother