The Seamen
Seaman (n.) - Low-level crew member responsible for general manual labor on and below deck.
46 - Alarcus Nikishin
Origin: Russia
Appears in: 4 memories
Accepted fates: Drowned by a terrible beast, fell overboard, clawed by a terrible beast, strangled by a terrible beast
Story Summary
Alarcus Nikishin is the only Russian to not appear in Loose Cargo, instead making his debut appearance in A Bitter Cold Part 1. In it, he plays a card game with his bunkmates Leonid Volkov and Aleksei Toporov. Toporov and Volkov briefly bicker over whether Volkov is cheating, but their attention is soon grabbed by the unfolding situation with the Indian seamen. Nikishin looks over his shoulder as they talk.
Next, he is seen participating in the mutiny organized by Edward Nichols, helping Li Hong take a tied-up It-Beng Sia onto one of the launch boats. They are accompanied by Samuel Galligan, who later acts as the boat's skipper while Nikishin and Hong row. Shortly after their departure from the Obra Dinn, mermaids attack and one of them kills Hong with a spear in The Calling Part 1. The same mermaid then attacks Nikishin in Part 2, dragging him overboard while digging her claws deep into his chest. Nikishin is not seen again, but a knife appears to have been left behind in his place, which is subsequently used by Sia to kill Galligan.
Interpretation
We don't get much characterization for Nikishin specifically, but I guess I will mention here that I think that he and Toporov were already acquainted with each other before working on the Obra Dinn, but Volkov is someone who is newer to their group. This is why I think that Volkov did not participate in the mutiny while the other two did; they kept it a secret from him because they didn't necessarily have enough trust in him for it.
I'll also mention that I find the inclusion of a knife in Nikishin's spot on the boat interesting; of course, I recognize it had to be somewhere for Sia to be able to use it to kill Galligan for external plot reasons, but I try to look at the details in this game from as much of a Watsonian perspective that I can. It's simply more fun to try to come up with reasonings that the characters do certain strange things rather than just dismissing it as “Lucas Pope needed it to be like that for the plot to work". With that in mind, why does Nikishin have a knife? Maybe he and Toporov were making plans of their own, wanting to overthrow Nichols and Galligan to get a larger share of the boon for themselves.
Headcanons
Something that is often brought up/memed on is that “Alarcus" is not a real Russian name, nor a name from any culture at all I believe. Pope admits that he doesn't know how this happened and that it was a mistake. But. As I said above, I like to look at this game through a very Watsonian lens, just for fun. So I came up with an in-universe reasoning that Nikishin has a non-existent name, and I think it's something that's fairly fitting. We already know Nikishin to be a shady guy with a questionable moral compass, thanks to his participation in Nichols's mutiny. It wouldn't be out of the question to consider that he may already have committed other crimes in the past, and is wanted by the authorities for these crimes. And what do people on the run often do? Use fake names. Perhaps Nikishin started using a fake name, Alarcus, and decided to make up a completely bullshit name just because he knew British authorities knew so little about Russian culture that they wouldn't even clock it as obviously fake. I feel like that would be something that he would find very amusing, his little prank against the UK.
47 - Aleksei Toporov
Origin: Russia
Appears in: 8 memories
Accepted fates: Drowned by a terrible beast, fell overboard, clawed by a terrible beast, strangled by a terrible beast
Story Summary
Aleksei Toporov first appears in a minor role Loose Cargo, rolling a barrel across the cargo hold, just out of view of the accident that kills Samuel Peters. He next appears in A Bitter Cold Part 1, playing a card game with fellow bunkmates and Russians Leonid Volkov and Alarcus Nikishin. Toporov accuses Volkov of cheating, but Volkov dismisses this flippantly. Their bickering is interrupted by the commotion caused by the Indian seamen, but Toporov stays focused on his cards as Volkov and Nikishin turn towards them.
Toporov next appears in Murder Part 2, forming part of the firing squad tasked with executing Hok-Seng Lau, along with Patrick O'Hagan, John Naples, and Henry Brennan. His shot does not hit the target. He appears again in Part 3 as a participant in Edward Nichols's mutiny. He is smoking his pipe and tending to the ropes that keeps one of the launch boats attached to the Obra Dinn, while O'Hagan attempts to assist Nichols in taking the kidnapped Bun-Lan Lim on board their boat.
After making their escape onto the high seas, Toporov and O'Hagan row while Nichols acts as skipper. The Calling chapter is started with a mermaid killing one of the other boats' rowers, Li Hong. Chaos quickly unfolds, and Toporov watches in horror as O'Hagan gets speared in the neck soon after in Part 2. In Part 3, he suffers a similar fate to Nikishin, getting grabbed by the hand by a mermaid and subsequently being dragged underwater, never to be seen again.
Interpretation
As I mentioned before in Omid Gul's section, it was quite uncommon for low-ranking crew members like him or Toporov to possess significant personal possessions, simply due to how destitute these men often were. With that in mind, I find it very interesting that Toporov not only owns his own tobacco pipe, but also a large, seemingly well-made leather bag. He also has a rather distinguished mustache, much neater than the facial hair sported by some of the other seamen and topmen. This could suggest he hails from a higher class than the usual seaman, though I'll get into the details of this in the Headcanons section as it strays quite far from canon.
I also have some thoughts about Toporov's relationships with the other Russian sailors, but I mostly covered that in Volkov and Nikishin's sections, so take a look at those if you haven't already.
Headcanons
Here me out, I headcanon that Toporov is a disgraced member of the Russian nobility. I'm sure I could do a lot more research into this and I do want to do so in the future, but from what I've been able to find so far, in this time period it was quite common for the young noble men to be sent to St. Petersburg to attend university. While in university, it was common for these men to learn English and other subjects due to the effects of the Russian Enlightenment. St. Petersburg was/is also a port city, and while it would have been very frowned upon, perhaps Toporov began hanging around the harbors and made some friends there. It would have been his first taste of freedom away from home, wherever in Russia that might have been. He even ended up involved in some activities that were illegal, such as gambling, maybe even some improper romantic relationships.
But, how did Toporov go from this to being a seaman in the UK? I like to imagine he had a relative, probably a cousin, that was also attending university, was second in line to receive the noble title and lands that the Toporov family held, and very envious of this fact. When this relative learned of Toporov's uncouth past-times, he told his father and caused Toporov to be disinherited, thus being able to receive the inheritance himself. Now without any support from his wealthy family and concerned about his safety due to the crimes he committed, Toporov fled the country and ended up in the United Kingdom, able to get by with the English he learned while attending university, and seamanship skills he picked up at the harbor. I do want to write a fic that focuses on this general story, and I'm unsure of the exact details, but I'm thinking that either in St. Petersburg itself or in the UK is where he and Nikishin meet and become “partners in crime". Now that Toporov has fled from home and is disconnected from his former noble life, he fully partakes in a life of crime, further egged on by the already hardened criminal Nikishin. Then they eventually wind up on the Obra Dinn, catch wind of Nichols's planned mutiny, and the rest is history. Perhaps his participation is informed by a desire to once again reach the heights of wealth and comfort that he once knew as a “prince".
A more minor detail that “supports" this idea is that, during this time in Russia, only members of nobility were allowed to hunt. Perhaps this is how Toporov learned to handle a musket, thus providing a reasoning for his inclusion in the firing line?
48 - Nathan Peters
Origin: England
Appears in: 15 memories
Accepted fates: Drowned by a terrible beast, fell overboard, eaten by a terrible beast
Story Summary
Nathan Peters first appears in Loose Cargo, rather unfortunately as he witnesses his brother Samuel being killed in an accident involving a platform of cargo. He watches this happen from the main deck, giving him an ideal view of Lars Linde down on the orlop deck. He later comes to believe Lars is responsible for this accident. He next appears in A Bitter Cold Part 1, sleeping in his hammock along with his bunkmates Lars and Omid Gul. Presumably Samuel occupied the fourth spot in their area before his untimely death.
After this, Nathan reappears in Unholy Captives Part 1, turning the capstan along with Lars, William Wasim, and Abraham Akbar in order to haul the mermaids on board. After this task is accomplished, Nathan, Wasim, and Akbar, joined by John Naples, carry the mermaids down to the gun deck in a stretcher. Thomas Sefton tries to make light-hearted conversation while they are moving onto the orlop deck stairs in Part 2, but gets struck in the face by the tail of a mermaid. This causes the stretcher to slip out of Nathan and Naples' hands, resulting in the death of Wasim as the pole of the stretcher comes down on his neck as he falls down the stairs. Nathan is not seen for the last memory of the chapter, but evidently he and the remaining seamen accomplished their task of bringing the mermaids to the lazarette.
Nathan accompanies the other (still living) seamen on the main deck in Soldiers of the Sea Part 1, heaving a rope under the direction of Charles Miner. They then witness first-hand as a crab rider emerges from the ocean and kills Nicholas Botterill with a spear in Part 2. The men scatter, with Nathan and Lars retreating to the gun deck in Part 3; the former hides behind a partition near the orlop deck stairs while the latter inches his way towards the galley. Nathan warns those already on the gun deck to stay away, as the beasts have already killed Nick. However, Marcus Gibbs does not heed his advice and gets spiked in the chest after throwing an axe at the first crab rider, and Winston Smith also gets impaled in an attempt to stop him. In Part 4, Nathan has dragged Smith to his side behind the partition, and peeks around the corner to watch for danger as Smith holds his shoulder in pain.
The pair seem to form an alliance after this, as they are next seen together in Part 5, entering the orlop deck from the aft stairs; the spike that impaled Smith has now been removed. In Part 6, Nathan opens the hatch to the cargo hold while Smith receives a hand mortar from Alfred Klestil. They are presumably preparing an ambush before and during Part 7, and during this time are joined by Alexander Booth and Maba, armed with a spear and sword respectively. The surviving crab rider then enters the cargo hold in Part 8, and the ambush is set in motion. Smith shoots the rider with the hand mortar as it simultaneously kills him with its spear and the crab's claws. Meanwhile, Nathan stabs the crab from behind the stairs with a spear.
The Doom starts off with Nathan, Booth, and Duncan McKay attempting to make an escape with one of the launch boats. They are interrupted by Lars, who asks to join them. Nathan refuses, citing his belief that Lars is responsible for Samuel's death. Lars is shocked and claims that it was an accident, a statement supported by Booth, who was in the cargo hold when it happened. Nathan refuses to hear either man out and strikes Lars with a club, killing him. They then depart the ship. They are not seen again until Part 7 of The Doom, where their boat can be seen getting flung into the air by the kraken's tentacles. Given the amount of time that has seemingly passed between these two memories, it may be assumed that the group attempted to return to the ship, for whatever reason. Regardless, the men are left to drown after their boat is capsized.
Interpretation
What an absolutely fascinating character, man. I love thinking about Nathan and his psychology. You may have seen that he's included on my favorite characters list and, to be clear, that's not because I think he's an especially “good" or admirable person. Rather, I think he is endlessly interesting and complex; a good character and a bad(?) person. The main thing that really gets me is the stark contrast between his behavior in Soldiers of the Sea and The Doom. I often like to imagine how differently he would be perceived by the fandom if he had died at the end of Soldiers of the Sea instead of during The Doom. He would be lauded as one of the most badass characters, similar to others like Smith, Maba, or Martin Perrott. But no, I guess I could say he survived long enough to become a villain, abandoning the ship and murdering an innocent man. It ties into some of the thoughts I have about another character, Marcus Gibbs. Go to the officers page to see my thoughts about him (once the page is published, of course).
For that reason I think Nathan is a really good reminder for truly just how little of these characters we are seeing and how much our perceptions about them are affected by these miniscule fragments. We like to think we know these people so well, or I do anyway, but we really don't. We're just making assumptions, really big assumptions. There could be so many more people like Nathan than we realize, they just don't live long enough for us to realize it.
So now we must ask, why? Why the big shift from bravery and collaboration to cowardice and murder? Let's start from the beginning. Nathan does get dealt a pretty bad hand early on, watching his brother die in a brutal accident. For whatever reason, he comes to blame Lars for this incident, even though there really isn't any evidence to suggest that this is the case (how could Lars have sabotaged the ropes from the orlop deck?). I'll get into my exact reasoning in Lars's Headcanons section, but I believe that the fact that the two are forced(?) to bunk together contributed to this. Nathan needed someone to blame, and Lars was an easy target to latch onto due to the forced proximity and him knowing that Lars was tangentially involved in the accident.
Nathan and Samuel naturally must have been very close, not only being brothers but also being in the same profession, sometimes even working on the same ship together. He even appears to be helping out Samuel in the card game shown in the Under Way sketch. It's natural that he would be left in a volatile emotional state, since only a few weeks pass between the first and last chapters of the game (I'll explain this whenever I do a general plot writeup), and he's being forced to work with the man who he believes is responsible for Samuel's death.
And then comes Soldiers of the Sea. He initially seems to be intent on not fighting back against the crab riders at all, but after what happens to Smith he seems to change his mind. There must have been something that Smith said or did, that convinced Nathan to fight back, I assume. Maybe he felt obligated because Smith was an officer and was, in a way, giving him commands about planning an attack. Maybe Nathan only agreed to it because of the fact it was an ambush, and therefore less risky? He did choose to hide beneath the stairs, which was the safest position to be in. And then seeing Smith, and all the others, die because of their bravery convinced Nathan that being brave wasn't worth it.
I feel like Samuel's death must have also motivated Nathan's decision to leave as well. This is getting into headcanon territory, but I imagine that Nathan and Samuel both had families that they provided for. And knowing that Samuel has, inadvertently, left behind a family that now has to get by without his support, perhaps makes Nathan want to try to avoid doing the same to his own family when given the opportunity to escape. He had some very close brushes with death and had a taste of bravery in Soldiers of the Sea and decided he didn't want it. At least, he wouldn't choose the Company over his own family.
I'm not really sure who organized the escape plan; I'm torn between it being Nathan or Duncan McKay's idea, though I lean slightly more towards McKay due to him being an officer. And I think Nathan would happily agree to facilitate his escape when presented the opportunity. And I guess Booth also gets roped into it as well (he seems too passive to be the one who planned the escape to me). Nathan and Booth both participate in the ambush, so maybe their connection stemmed from there.
Anyway, the three are making their escape and get interrupted by the one person that Nathan probably hates the most in that moment, Lars. If presented the opportunity, I wouldn't be surprised if Nathan killed Lars before this, but abandoning the ship is an even more ideal time to do it because he wouldn't have to face any consequences for doing so. He's already abandoning the ship, why not abandon the rest of his morals too?
On the whole, Nathan seems to be a very emotionally driven, self-preserving man. He holds grudges, makes assumptions based off of little evidence, and doesn't want to listen to reason. He isn't brave, but is willing to use violence if it gets him what he wants. He follows orders, but is willing to commit crimes if he thinks no one is watching. But even then, he seems to be someone who has a strong connection to his family.
Headcanons
So, I mentioned above that I think that Nathan has a family back home in England that he's providing for and wants to return to. Specifically, I've always imagined this as consisting of his wife and one young daughter. He's always seemed like a girl dad to me. Besides that, I think I covered most of my thoughts about him in the section above, as well as Lars's speculation sections. I'm sure I'll get more ideas for him eventually though, because I do want to write a fic that focuses on Nathan's POV throughout the game's events.
Oh I can also mention that I think Nathan is the younger brother out of him and Samuel. I partially based this off of the game's Japanese translation, since Japanese features different words for older brother vs younger brother, and the former is what Nathan refers to Samuel as in The Doom Part 1. But even without that, he kind of just gives me that vibe anyway.
49 - Lars Linde
Origin: Denmark
Appears in: 12 memories
Accepted fates: Clubbed by Nathan Peters
Story Summary
Lars Linde makes a notable first appearance in Loose Cargo, working on the orlop deck as the crew loads more cargo onto the ship. A platform full of cargo is being lowered through the main hatch, but Lars notices something is wrong and attempts to warn the people below that they need to get out of the way as the rope holding the platform snaps. Unfortunately, Samuel Peters is not able to heed Lars's warning and gets killed in the ensuing accident. This incident is witnessed by Nathan Peters, whose position on the main deck gives him an ideal view of Lars when it happens.
He is next seen sleeping in his hammock in A Bitter Cold Part 1, along with his bunkmates Omid Gul and Nathan Peters. The fourth spot in their area was presumably occupied by Samuel before his untimely death. Lars is also present as a bystander to the execution of Hok-Seng Lau in Murder Part 2. He appears again in Part 3, where he is kneeling on the deck, with his hand held to the back of his head. Evidently, he was a victim of the mutineers' attack, presumably tried to stop them, and got hit in the head in the process.
Lars appears throughout Unholy Captives, first seen in Part 1 cranking the capstan to lift the mermaids up, along with Nathan, Abraham Akbar, and William Wasim. After this he seemingly gets reassigned to helping Alexander Booth and George Shirley with moving the Formosan chest, which he is seen doing in Part 2. They are inaccessible in Part 3, but they are seen continuing this task in Part 4, where they have now reached the orlop deck. Eventually, the chest reaches its destination of the lazarette.
Lars is seen with the other seamen in Soldiers of the Sea Part 1, pulling a rope under the direction of Charles Miner. After the crab riders board the ship and kill Nicholas Botterill in Part 2, the group scatters, with Lars and Nathan making their way down to the gun deck. Nathan hides behind a partition near the stairs to orlop while Lars seems to inch his way toward the galley in Part 3, remarking in Danish that the crab rider is a demon. He is not seen for the rest of the chapter.
Lastly, Lars appears in The Doom Part 1, where Nathan, Alexander Booth, and Duncan McKay are preparing to abandon ship on a launch boat. Lars approaches with a knife in one hand and a lantern in another, asking to be let on. Nathan refuses him with disdain, and when Lars reacts with confusion, Nathan clarifies that he believes Lars murdered his brother Samuel. Lars denies this, as does Booth, but Nathan doesn't listen to either man and strikes Lars with a club, killing him. The group then departs the ship. Later, in Part 2, John Davies and Davey James are seen investigating his body.
Interpretation
Lars is an interesting case, because I do believe him when he says that he didn't have any involvement in Samuel's death. First of all, why would he do that, and second of all, how? He was working on the orlop deck when it happened, and the ropes would've had to be tampered with somewhere higher up, and there wouldn't have even been a guarantee that Samuel would've been standing in the right spot to get killed whenever the tampered-with ropes did eventually fail. It just doesn't make sense. But, the fact that he has a knife during The Doom is a very peculiar detail to include, especially when it's a seemingly innocent guy like Lars. Was he willing to use force to get onto the boat if needed? No matter how you look at it, I think it suggests that Lars isn't a perfect angel that he portrays himself as.
He also acts completely shocked when Nathan accuses him of killing Samuel, which has clearly been eating away at him for a while. This either implies that Nathan was doing a really good job of not showing his grudge, or Lars is really, really oblivious.
Lastly, we have the fact that we don't see any sort of bravery or heroic acts from Lars, aside from his presence in Murder Part 3. Even that seems a bit incidental, the fact he's clutching the back of his head may indicate he was attacked from behind, and wasn't even actively fighting against the mutineers unlike the others in the memory. He seemingly hides in the galley for most or all of Soldiers of the Sea, along with Davey James (a defenseless teenager). And then he attempts to abandon ship the first chance he can get. Kind of pathetic, all in all.
Headcanons
Since I don't think Nathan is the type of guy to be really good at hiding and regulating his emotions, I tend to lean towards Lars being really oblivious that Nathan starts to hate him for his involvement in Samuel's death. I also don't think that Nathan even started to believe that straight away, but it was spurred on by the fact that the two are already bunking together and don't have much options to move somewhere else. In addition to being really oblivious, I've started to imagine that Lars is just generally really obnoxious and annoying to be around, let alone have as your bunkmate and coworker. Maybe he's made some insensitive comments relating to Samuel and his death, maybe not intentionally, but it was still something careless that hurt Nathan's feelings. Nathan needed someone to blame, and Lars was 1: right in front of him and 2: already really easy to hate.
This relates to another odd detail surrounding Lars: the fact that he randomly gets swapped to a different task in between Parts 1 and 2 of Unholy Captives. I think it's notable that it's Lars in particular that's swapped out, starting out as being in the same group as Nathan and then getting moved elsewhere. I wonder if they got into some sort of petty squabble, really nothing of importance, but Nathan wanted any excuse to get angry and lash out at Lars, and someone had to come in and separate them by assigning one of them to a different task. Probably Martin Perrott.
It's ironic that I have all these headcanons and such now, because at one point in time Lars was one of my favorite characters, and now I've made him out to be this unbearably annoying prick lol. I promise I don't hate him now, I just think it adds some interesting nuance to the situation between him and Nathan, which I think we were already meant to pick up on because of Lars's knife. It is also kind of funny to imagine, just how oblivious he would be to the fact that Nathan obviously hates him (and then you add Omid Gul as their bunkmate caught in a really awkward third wheel situation). I also don't think this justifies Nathan in any way, I still think he's not a good person, but it adds a bit more depth to both of them at the same time.
50 - John Naples
Origin: Wales
Appears in: 5 memories
Accepted fates: Killed with a sword by Fillip Dahl, torn apart by Fillip Dahl
Story Summary
John Naples is notable for being the only low-ranking crew member (topman or seaman) that does not appear in A Bitter Cold Part 1. He makes his debut appearance in Murder Part 2 instead, where he participates in the firing squad tasked with executing Hok-Seng Lau, though his shot misses.
Next, he is seen standing over a launch boat in Unholy Captives Part 1, watching Alexander Booth and George Shirley attempt to move the Formosan chest. In the next part, he carries the stretcher of mermaids along with Nathan Peters, Abraham Akbar, and William Wasim. He seems to be taking on a leadership role here, giving instructions to the others. Once they reach the gun deck, Thomas Sefton approaches the group and makes small talk. He attempts to touch the mermaids, but Naples warns him to stay back. Unfortunately, Sefton does not heed his warning and gets struck by a mermaid's tail. The sudden movement knocks the seamen off-balance, and Naples and Peters lose their grip on the stretcher. This then causes Wasim and Akbar to fall down the stairs, with the former's neck getting crushed by the stretcher.
A decent amount of time seems to pass after this, but the remaining seamen recover and continue their task of bringing the mermaids down to the lazarette. However, at some point during or after this task, Naples gets attacked by Fillip Dahl armed with a sword; the man is convinced that the mermaids are cursed and that they must be released. Things escalate until Naples's lower right leg is cut off. Dahl is then apprehended and thrown into the lazarette, while Henry Evans, James Wallace, and Zungi Sathi tend to Naples's wound in Part 4. Evans assures Naples that he will be alright, but the man seemingly succumbs to blood loss anyway. For whatever reason, the severed leg gets separated from Naples himself, much to Evans's confusion, ending up tucked into a corner by the stairs next to the lazarette. It is seemingly never found and remains there until 1807, allowing the investigator to see the events of Unholy Captives and The Calling.
Interpretation
We don't get much in the way of a personality for Naples, but we do get some interesting, indirect implications about his history. First of all he appears to be quite old, definitely the oldest seaman and possibly one of the oldest characters on the ship. It's rather remarkable that he hasn't retired or become a ship's cook yet (a common career path for old or injured seamen). It could speak to his vitality, and maybe also some stubbornness.
There's also the interesting and mildly amusing implications of Evans's line in Unholy Captives Part 4, that, somehow, Naples has dealt with worse than getting his leg cut off. We could also look at it more through a lens of Evans trying to provide some banter to distract and cheer him up, which also has implications that the two might be well-acquainted, with Evans knowing that Naples might appreciate this sort of comment. Maybe both things can be true. With all of the years he's seemingly been at sea, I wouldn't be too surprised if he's survived some very weird and improbable shit.
51 - Renfred Rajub
Origin: India
Appears in: 4 memories
Accepted fates: Succumbed to an illness
Story Summary
Renfred Rajub is seen working in the cargo hold in Loose Cargo, carrying one barrel over each shoulder. Soloman Syed is nearby, doing a similar task. After this, both men are seen being very under the weather in A Bitter Cold Part 1. Rajub rests in his hammock, clutching his head in discomfort or pain, while Syed wheezes and eventually succumbs to whatever illness is ailing them. Rajub is then moved into the surgery to be examined by Henry Evans in Part 2. He concludes that it isn't consumption, and that they must have caught it from the lascar house. He gives Rajub some laudanum to provide some comfort, then gives a report of his findings to Martin Perrott. Shortly after this, Rajub coughs and breathes his last breath. His body is then taken to the carpenters by the two remaining Indian seamen to be given a sea burial in Part 3, just like Syed.
Interpretation
We don't get much to work with for Rajub's personality, but something I do find worth commenting on is that him and Syed have identical outfits. They are the only lower-ranking crew members that share this distinction; all the other topmen and seamen have their own unique outfits. Evans comments that they must have picked up their mystery illness from a lascar house, perhaps this is a shared origin that they have that the other two Indian seamen do not, thus explaining the illness and the outfits?
52 - Abraham Akbar
Origin: India
Appears in: 12 memories
Accepted fates: Crushed by a terrible beast, crushed by a loose cannon
Story Summary
Abraham Akbar makes his first appearance in A Bitter Cold Part 1. He sits in his hammock, watching as William Wasim comes to the aid of the ill Soloman Syed. Unfortunately, Syed dies at this moment, and Renfred Rajub, the fourth bunkmate, is not faring much better. Syed is taken to the carpenters' shop to be prepared for a burial at sea, while Rajub is taken to the surgery for treatment from Henry Evans. While Evans discusses Rajub's condition with Martin Perrott in Part 2, Akbar can be seen kneeling in front of Syed's body, and very faintly heard praying or chanting over it just outside the surgery. After Rajub also passes away from the mysterious illness, Evans instructs Akbar and Wasim to take him to the carpenters as well, which they see to by bringing him up to the gun deck during Part 3.
Akbar next appears in Unholy Captives Part 1, turning a capstan to lift the mermaids from the launch boat along with Wasim, Nathan Peters, and Lars Linde. Lars then switches places with John Naples, who assists the other three in moving the mermaids into a stretcher so they can be brought down to the lazarette. When the group is in the gun deck in Part 2, Thomas Sefton approaches to make small talk and attempts to touch the mermaids. This causes one of the mermaids to strike him in the face with her tail, killing him and causing the men to lose control of the stretcher. The ensuing tumble causes Wasim's neck to get broken by one of the stretcher's poles. The remaining men continue in their task of bringing the mermaids to the lazarette, and afterwards in Part 4, Akbar is seen assisting the carpenters in recovering Wasim's body for it to be buried.
During Soldiers of the Sea Part 1, Akbar appears along with the other seamen as they pull a rope under the direction of Charles Miner. When the crab riders attack and kill Nicholas Botterill in Part 2, the group panicks and scatters. In Part 3, Akbar is the only person who remains on the main deck, hiding behind the capstan. Although the second crab rider is looking in his direction, it does not kill him and he doesn't appear for the rest of the chapter.
Akbar is sleeping in his hammock during The Doom Part 2, the only person left out of the original group of four Indian seamen. When the battle against the kraken begins, he participates by manning the cannons at Christian Wolff's command. Disaster strikes in Part 3 though, as one of the tentacles reaches through a porthole and grabs a cannon that Akbar had just lit, crushing him in between the cannon and the hull of the ship. This kills Akbar, and the cannon subsequently causes the deaths of Wolff and George Shirley. Since Akbar lit the fuse that detonated the cannon, it is technically possible for the inspector to blame him for both of their deaths.
Interpretation
Poor Akbar seems to have a pretty rough time of it on the Obra Dinn. He is visibly affected by two of the three deaths of the other Indian seamen on board, and also has what has to be a very painful death. Plus there's the possibility of him being blamed for the deaths of Wolff and Shirley even though it obviously isn't actually his fault. His concern over the deaths of Syed and Wasim gives me the impression he's a bit of an emotionally vulnerable, downtrodden guy, though I know there really isn't a ton in canon to make that assumption.
One could call him cowardly for hiding from the crab riders during Soldiers of the Sea, and maybe they'd be right. But if he had no way to get down to the lower decks and get himself armed, I think it's reasonable to not try to recklessly risk your life just to say you died by being “brave". Most of the people who died in Soldiers of the Sea were initially armed with weapons themselves, so it didn't even make a difference for them in the end. Akbar sufficiently proved his bravery agaisnt the kraken later on, anyway.
53 - William Wasim
Origin: India
Appears in: 6 memories
Accepted fates: Crushed by a terrible beast, crushed by falling cargo, fell down the stairs
Story Summary
William Wasim first appears in A Bitter Cold Part 1. In it, both Soloman Syed and Renfred Rajub have fallen ill to an unknown lung disease and are attempting to sleep in their hammocks despite the difficulties. Wasim and Abraham Akbar are their bunkmates, but are unaffected. Syed begins to wheeze, and Wasim exits his hammock to check on him, urging him to drink something. However, Syed dies before he is able to do or say anything. Syed's body is then taken to the carpenter's shop to be wrapped and prepared for seal burial, while Rajub is taken to the surgery for treatment. In Part 2, Wasim and Akbar are just outside the surgery with Syed's body nearby. Wasim crouches and looks off to the side, while Akbar is kneeling and seemingly praying or chanting over the body. Rajub then dies, and the two surviving Indian seamen are tasked with taking him to the carpenters by Henry Evans, which they see to in Part 3 by taking his body up to the gun deck.
Wasim is then seen throughout Unholy Captives, and in Part 1 is turning the capstan to lift the mermaids out of a launch boat, along with Nathan Peters, Lars Linde, and Akbar. Lars is then swapped out for John Naples, and the new group of four place the mermaids into a stretcher so they can be brought down to the cargo hold. When they reach the gun deck in Part 2, Thomas Sefton approaches to make small talk and attempts to touch the mermaids, despite Naples's warning that he should stay back. In response, one of the mermaids strikes him in the face with her tail, killing him and causing the group to lose their balance and grip on the stretcher. Akbar and Wasim fall down the stairs, and one of the poles of the stretcher comes down on Wasim's neck, presumably breaking it and causing his death. In Part 4, Akbar is seen assisting the carpenters in recovering Wasim's body and preparing it for a sea burial.
Interpretation
Though we don't see too much action from Wasim, he does clearly appear to be a very caring and compassionate person, trying to help Syed as he is on death's door. You can really hear the urgency and concern in his voice, and I think that is a really refreshing thing to hear and see in the context of sailing, where you sort of assume everyone to be callous and uncaring about others.
Headcanons
I've read somewhere once that during this time period in the East India Company's history, the Chinese and Indian sailors that worked for them kind of functioned as their own self-contained little units. They still ultimately reported to the bosun and captain and such of course, but they also had their own leaders amongst themselves that managed the others and reported to the regular officers on board. I think Wasim would be a good candidate to imagine as this “leader" for the Indian seamen, as showcased by his compassion for Syed. He also stands out compared to the others thanks to his hat. That's not a requirement for being a leader as far as I know, but him having some sort of clothing item to distinguish himself does make sense for him to have in a position like that.
54 - Soloman Syed
Origin: India
Appears in: 3 memories
Accepted fates: Succumbed to an illness
Story Summary
Soloman Syed appears in Loose Cargo, in the middle of moving a barrel in the cargo hold while fellow Indian seaman Renfred Rajub does similar work nearby. His next and final appearance is in A Bitter Cold Part 1, where he is wheezing heavily while lying in his hammock. Rajub is in a similar state, clutching his head, while Abraham Akbar watches over Syed from his hammock. William Wasim exits his own hammock to check on Syed, urging him to drink something. Syed then draws his last breath and succumbs to whatever mysterious illness ails him and Rajub. His body is then taken down to the orlop deck, and, in Part 2, Abraham Akbar can be seen and (very faintly) heard praying or chanting over it.
An easily overlooked detail is that Syed is depicted smoking from a hookah in the Under Way sketch.
Interpretation
In Rajub's section I theorized that he and Syed might have had a shared origin in a lascar house, which doesn't overlap with the other two Indian seamen, thus explaining their self-contained illness and uniquely matching outfits. But I think there is possibly a shared history that the four Indians have beyond this, since both Akbar and Wasim seem to be concerned for Syed's well-being.
55 - Hamadou Diom
Origin: Siera Leona
Appears in: 4 memories
Accepted fates: Spiked by a terrible beast, speared by a terrible beast
Story Summary
Hamadou Diom is among the men working in the cargo hold during Loose Cargo. In the moment, he is tending to some boxes in the middle of one of the passages ways, and barely sees the accident that kills Samuel Peters and the stowaway. After this, he is also seen in A Bitter Cold Part 1, sleeping in a hammock along with bunkmates Henry Brennan, Alexander Booth, and Patrick O'Hagan.
Lastly, Diom appears in Unholy Captives Part 1. In it, he has been called upon to physically restrain Chioh Tan after his murder of Edward Nichols so that Robert Witterel and Huang Li can interrogate him. While doing this, a mermaid launches a few spikes at the crew, one of which impales both Tan and Diom in the chest, killing them. In Part 2, Henry Brennan is seen crouching over Diom's body and is not seen again in other parts of the chapter.
Interpretation
The main bit of characterization we have to work with for Diom comes from Henry Brennan. The two are bunkmates and Brennan is visibly concerned about his death, as seen in Unholy Captives. Since he doesn't appear in any other part of Unholy Captives, only Part 2, showing him crouching over Diom's body is a rather deliberate and out of the way choice, especially considering it isn't even a clue for either's identity. So I'm confident in guessing that they're good, longtime friends, maybe even better friends that what we usually see from this cast of characters.
Headcanons
I don't have many headcanons for Diom, but he seems like the strong and silent type, but also still pretty friendly. Does what is asked of him and does it well.
56 - Henry Brennan
Origin: England
Appears in: 17 memories
Accepted fates: Knifed by Robert Witterel
Story Summary
Henry Brennan first appears in Loose Cargo, carrying a small barrel on the orlop deck. After this, he is in A Bitter Cold Part 1, sleeping in his hammock along with Hamadou Diom, Alexander Booth, and Patrick O'Hagan. He appears again in Murder Part 2, forming part of the firing line that is tasked with executing Hok-Seng Lau. His shot is the only one that hits and therefore kills Lau.
Brennan makes a brief appearance in Unholy Captives, seen in Part 2 crouching over Diom's body. He is also briefly seen in Soldiers of the Sea, appearing in Part 1 with the other seamen who are pulling a rope under Charles Miner's direction. When the crab riders board the ship and kill Nicholas Botterill in Part 2, he is seen pointing out the second crab rider on the port side. He is not seen again after this, presumably running off to hide somewhere that is inaccessible in the other memories.
Brennan is again seen sleeping in his hammock in Part 2 of The Doom, though this time he is now alone as all of his bunkmates are either dead or, in Booth's case, have abandoned ship. He participates in the battle against the kraken in Parts 3 and 4, operating a cannon under Christian Wolff's direction. After an accident results in the deaths of Wolff, Abraham Akbar, and George Shirley, the men abandon the cannons and Brennan does not appear for the rest of the chapter.
He is seen next in Escape Part 2, running towards the aft deck with a club in hand, along with William Hoscut, as they attempt to reach the fight that has broken out between Paul Moss and Leonid Volkov. They are seen climbing the stairs to the aft deck in Part 3, but are too late to prevent either man from being killed. They stand at the bottom of these stairs in Part 4, but their attention is caught by the scuffle occurring between Thomas Lanke, Olus Wiater, and John Davies in the gun deck. Brennan goes downstairs and sees that Davies has just killed Wiater with his own gun, and presumably also sees that Lanke has been stabbed in the back several times. In response, he clubs the man in the back of the head, killing him. Meanwhile, Hoscut tends to a dying Lanke, and shouts to Brennan to bring the surgeon's kit.
Finally, Brennan appears in The End. In Part 1, he and Hoscut stand outside Robert Witterel's door, demanding they be given the shells. When Witterel refuses, Brennan urges Hoscut to kick the door down. However, before he has a chance to do this, Witterel opens his door and shoots Hoscut in the chest with a pistol. After this, Brennan picks up a nearby spear and brings it with him into the captain's quarters. He successfully stabs Witterel in the shoulder area, but Witterel slashes his throat open with a knife. Brennan is then heard choking to death on his own blood.
Interpretation
As I mentioned in Diom's section, I am confident in saying that he and Brennan are good friends, and it is sad to see him looking over his body in Unholy Captives. That's sadly the only remotively kind or positive thing I have to say about Brennan though, lol. I don't like the guy too much because he murdered John Davies, who's one of my favorite characters in the game, and for a really stupid reason as well. He really seems to be a person that thinks violence is the answer to everything. He just makes a hasty assumption to murder the damn fourth mate, of all people, without even letting the man get a word out first. He also encourages Hoscut to take a more aggressive path during The End, and is the only person to not miss the shot on Hok-Seng Lau, suggesting a decent amount of experience with firearms.
But! When violence arguably is the answer, during Soldiers of the Sea and The Doom, he is almost nowhere to be found! He disappears from the battle against the kraken as soon as an officer is no longer around to give him orders, and he makes no contribution to the battle against the crab riders.
Similar to Leonid Volkov's situation, it is very odd that Brennan starts Escape with a weapon already in his hand. I wonder if they were already planning something of a mutinous nature by that point, possibly the same scheme proposed by Olus Wiater. It would make his murder of Davies make slightly more sense.
Headcanons
This is kinda silly, but I imagine Brennan to be a devil sitting on Hoscut's shoulder in the time between Escape and The End. Hoscut goes through quite the shift in demeanor in that time, from tenderly comforting Thomas Lanke as he dies to basically threatening to murder his brother-in-law and captain. Lewis Walker doesn't really seem to be a particularly proactive person, so I have to wonder if Brennan is at least partially responsible for this. I can imagine Hoscut being in a very emotionally low point at the end of Escape, considering how many people that are close to him that have died (his sister, his steward, all his fellow mates, and the midshipman he failed to save). Maybe Brennan, with his antagonistic tendencies and possibly pre-existing plans to commit mutiny, started saying things to Hoscut that turned that despair into anger against Witterel? He was probably already a bit angry at Witterel to being with, but Brennan could've encouraged him to act on it, got him fired up enough to grab that axe and start yelling outside Witterel's door.
57 - Alexander Booth
Origin: England
Appears in: 11 memories
Accepted fates: Drowned by a terrible beast, fell overboard, eaten by a terrible beast
Story Summary
Alexander Booth debuts in Loose Cargo, working in the cargo hold while the crew brings more supplies onto the ship while in port. He is a firsthand witness to the accident that kills Samuel Peters, caused by a rope attached to a wooden platform snapping and him being crushed. He also appears in A Bitter Cold Part 1, sleeping in a hammock along with Hamadou Diom, Henry Brennan, and Patrick O'Hagan.
He reappears in Unholy Captives Part 1, attempting to move the Formosan chest out of the launch boat and onto the ship along with George Shirley. In Part 2, they are joined in this task by Lars Linde. The trio is inaccessible in Part 3 but reappear in Part 4, having now reached the orlop deck. Eventually, the chest reaches its destination of the lazarette.
Booth appears in Soldiers of the Sea Part 1 along with the other seamen, pulling a rope under Charles Miner's orders. The group scatters after the crab riders board the ship and kill Nicholas Botterill in Part 2, but he makes an appearance much later in Part 8. In it, he participates in the ambush against the second and final crab rider, armed with a spear that is currently being taken from his hands by one of the crab's claws.
After this, Booth makes plans to abandon ship along with Nathan Peters and Duncan McKay in The Doom Part 1. Lars attempts to join them, but is refused by Nathan because he believes that Lars intentionally killed his brother, Samuel. Lars denies this and so does Booth, confident that it was an accident because it occurred right in front of him. Nathan refuses to listen, and strikes Lars with a club despite Booth's protests. This kills the Dane, and the group proceeds to leave the ship. They reappear much later in Part 7, where their boat can be been getting flung into the air in the distance. All three men fall into the water and subsequently die.
Interpretation
Booth is similar to Nathan Peters in that he seems to show a little bit of bravery in Soldiers of the Sea, but then suddenly changes course by choosing to flee at the beginning of The Doom. At least he tries to stand up for Lars, who I do think is innocent in regards to Samuel's death. I'll also mention that I find it unlikely that Booth was one of the main planners behind the escape, it was likely either Nathan or McKay. Booth just doesn't seem to be the proactive type to me, I think he just joined their team because he thought “yeah, going home would be nice". He seems a bit inexperienced really, if anything.
58 - Patrick O'Hagan
Origin: Ireland
Appears in: 7 memories
Accepted fates: Speared by a terrible beast, spiked by a terrible beast
Story Summary
Patrick O'Hagan makes a minor appearance in Loose Cargo, witnessing the death of Samuel Peters from the gun deck. He also “appears" in A Bitter Cold Part 1, sleeping in his hammock along with bunkmates Hamadou Diom, Henry Brennan, and Alexander Booth.
O'Hagan then forms part of the firing line that has been tasked with executing Hok-Seng Lau's execution in Murder Part 2, though his shot misses the target. He appeears again in Part 3, as a member of Edward Nichols's mutiny and scheme to kidnap the Formosans and steal their chest. He stands on the edge of one launch boat, along with Aleksei Toporov, and attempts to assist Nichols in taking Bun-Lan Lim on board but is interrupted by Nichols shooting Timothy Butement. The group then leaves, with Nichols and Lim coming on board, the former acting as a skipper while O'Hagan and Toporov row the boat.
Disaster unfolds in Part 1 of The Calling, with mermaids attacking the two boats. One of them throws a spear at Li Hong, killing him. The group panicks, and Nichols attempts to shoot one of the mermaids but is unable, and refuses O'Hagan's demand to be given a weapon, only telling them to keep rowing. O'Hagan is subsequently killed when another mermaid surfaces and throws a spear at him, which cleanly pierces through his neck. After this, Samuel Galligan, the skipper of the other boat, asks O'Hagan if he's is still alive, unable to see him in the dark.
Interpretation
I guess the thing that I find the most interesting about O'Hagan is his apparent connection to Galligan. They're both Irishmen, they're both involved in Nichols's mutiny, and Galligan places a weirdly high priority on O'Hagan's safety when the mermaids attack. The two of them aren't even on the same boat, why would Galligan care about whether he was able to row? I can't imagine why an elderly steward and a young seaman would be friends, but I have to imagine they were acquainted in some way before getting involved in the mutiny scheme. Or maybe, like the Russians, they had ulterior motives of their own going on.
The thing he says right before he dies is also a bit interesting ("Give us a weapon!"). It, plus him being part of the firing line could suggest that he is rather comfortable with or skilled in handling firearms.
Headcanons
O'Hagan feels like a pretty callous, abrasive guy in my mind for whatever reason. Maybe it's the fact that his character model appears to be eternally pissed off lol. But yeah, not the most pleasant person to be around, imo.
59 - George Shirley
Origin: England
Appears in: 9 memories
Accepted fates: Drowned by a terrible beast, fell overboard, eaten by a terrible beast, exploded, shot with a cannon by a terrible beast, shot with a cannon by Abraham Akbar
Story Summary
George Shirley appears in A Bitter Cold Part 1, sleeping in a hammock along with his bunkmates: Huang Li, Jie Zhang, Li Hong, and Wei Lee. He appears again in Unholy Captives, where in Part 1 he is seen attempting to move the Formosan chest out of the launch boat along with Alexander Booth. In Part 2, they are joined in this task by Lars Linde. The group is inaccessible in Part 3, but can be seen again in Part 4, where they have now taken the chest down to the orlop deck. It eventually reaches its final destination inside the lazarette.
Shirley makes a brief appearance in Soldiers of the Sea. In Part 1, he and the other seamen pull a rope under Charles Miner's direction. When the crab riders board the ship and kill Nicholas Botterill, the group scatters. Shirley in particular is seen running in the general direction of the ship's stern in Part 2. He is not seen for the rest of the chapter.
Shirley is seen again in The Doom Part 2, having drinks at a table along with his last surviving bunkmate, Wei Lee. When the battle against the kraken begins, he participates by manning the cannons under the command of Christian Wolff. However, disaster strikes when one of the tentacles reaches through a porthole and grabs a lit cannon in Part 3, crushing Abraham Akbar and pointing the cannon's nozzle directly at Wolff's chest. The tentacle also wraps around Wolff, trapping him and putting him at immediate risk of being killed. Shirley attempts to pry the tentacle off of him, but this effort is seemingly fruitless. Shirley's exact fate is ambiguous here, but in Part 4, a scream is heard but quickly becomes distant, then the cannon goes off and completely obliterates the upper half of Wolff's body, as well as the ship's hull. Shirley, meanwhile, is completely absent from the memory. The game accepts a wide variety of answers for his death - the highest number for any character - all relating to either being killed by the cannon or falling out of the ship.
Interpretation
Shirley seems to be pretty decent guy, all around. He is clearly open-minded for a man of his time, going out of his way to socialize with the Chinese topmen that areon board rather than his fellow Englishmen. It makes me think he must have some sort of history with China, like he stayed there for a couple years and learned the language or something. He also very bravely tries to save Christian Wolff from a very terrible and gruesome death, but suffers a terrible and gruesome death himself. I'm personally of the opinion that he fell out of the ship, most of the evidence seems to point towards that being the case. Probably a combination of losing his balance and being yanked around by a tentacle.
60 - Samuel Peters
Origin: England
Appears in: 1 memory
Accepted fates: Crushed by falling cargo
Story Summary
Samuel Peters only appears in one chapter, the very first one chronologically, Loose Cargo. In it, he is working in the cargo hold as the crew loads more cargo and supplies onto the ship while in port at Falmouth. A wooden platform is being lowered through the main hatch to help speed up this process. However, something goes wrong and causes the rope carrying the platform to snap. Lars Linde attempts to warn the people below but Samuel is not able to react in time, and is crushed to death while his brother Nathan looks on from above.
We never get to see Samuel's sleeping arrangements, but most likely he occupied the now-empty space in proximity to his brother, Lars, and Omid Gul.
Interpretation
As I discussed in Nathan's section, I believe that the Peters brothers were very close to each other. I also imagine that, tragically, Samuel left behind a family that depended on him when he died, which informed Nathan's decision to abandon ship later on. I don't have many other thoughts about him besides this, but I'm sure I'll develop him some more in my mind as I work on that one Nathan fic that I want to do eventually.
Headcanons
I imagine Samuel is the older brother out of the two. Nathan just gives that little brother sort of vibe to me.