Age of Skysail: Fate Core Group Game

[TheGlyphstone]

So thus far we have

- British Naval Officer (which I will tentatively refer to as "Admiral" in case we have more than one ship)
- Bastard Prince of the Skies (shipwright?)
- Surgeon/Cook
- Merchant type (Me)

Actually, I'm probably going to go closer towards a 'master gunner' than shipwright...his expertise is in the mineral that gives ships their lifting capability, not building ship hulls themselves...and I've decided that the stuff in its raw form is rather volatile. :D

[kckolbe]

A master gunner is even better!

[SGTDan]

I would either be Captain if one vessel or Commodore if under command of many.

;D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzN8iHiLjq8
SING WITH ME!

[mai]

This looks like a fun game, I'm including a preliminary character below, let me know what you all think about her? I'm pretty new at the FATE system so let me know if I've messed something up. (e: already forgot an aspect from the backstory, but I added one in now)

edit: leaving this here for reference, final version of this character sheet can be found here

Name: "Lia" Li Yan (Li being her family name, Yan her given name, and "Lia" a westernized name she adopted for dealing with foreigners unable or unwilling to pronounce her real one)

here's a picture, although she wouldn't be dressed up so formally most of the time

High Concept: Shrewd, smooth-tongued diplomat

Trouble: Loyal to the Empire - Li Yan is tied to her homeland in many ways, most of which aren't exactly an asset in the far West. Some treat her with suspicion, after all, she's openly the agent of a foreign power. Other times, people with previous relationships to the Empire or its enemies will expect things of her or oppose her on the basis of her affiliation.

Backstory: The daughter of a minor noble functionary from the city of Shenyang, Li Yan accompanied her father as part of the retinue of an embassy sent West by the Wanli Emperor. Although she's a young woman now, she hasn't seen her homeland since she was a young teenager. She still remembers it fondly, if not terribly clearly after many years. On the trip, Li Yan distinguished herself by showing a keen eye for observation and a quick facility with languages. However, not all has been at peace since they left. The death of the Emperor and the capture of Shenyang by rebel forces has left the embassy on shaky ground, and so the ambassador has decided to hedge his bets by extending his stay in the West indefinitely and shrinking the size of his retinue (by, for example, hiring out his functionaries' children to privateer ships). Secretly, he plans to gather as much valuable information on the rapidly expanding West as he can, so as to have something of value to present to the Emperor (whoever that ends up being) when he returns. Aspect: Not from around here.

First Adventure: Li Yan hires on to a French ship, bound for the American colonies with the hope of taking a valuable artifact uncovered by an English expedition. Unfortunately, another privateer got to it first, and Li Yan is sent to negotiate with him in order to arrange a purchase and/or theft of the artifact. She manages to talk him into a drinking contest, wagering the ship (which wasn't hers to lose) against the find. Although Li Yan somehow manages to emerge victorious, she also comes away from the ordeal with a dangerous new affinity for the bottle. Aspect: Holds her liquor, as often as possible.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

guessing I will be going for a soldier then.

[SGTDan]

Name: Sir Humphrey Irving Battle
High Concept: Master and Commander
Trouble: Your Faithful & Obedient Servant, Sir
Backstory: My Bonnie Lass
First Adventure: The King's Secret Navy

Those are my aspects, have no fear I will flesh them out tomorrow.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Name: Lieutenant Catrina Donalda Fraser
High Concept: "A Life on the Ocean Wave"

Life began among the hard fought lands of the highlands where an existence eked out of the farmlands was a battle each day.  Born the unwanted only daughter to an aged farmer, Catrina Donalda Fraser came into this world as her mother left.  Though a burden to bear among so many, her father had never shied away from the hard labors.  He took her on as he did most things, with a swig of his whiskey and a call to the Heavens.  At one time he had been a man of Queen and Country, his land paid for with service wearing the black tartan and blood of his kinsmen slain at his side.  Such stories decorated the mind of the young girl as she grew at his fireside and worked the small kitchen of their home.  Yet dreams those stories invoked of distant lands and far off places.  Her Fate was already sealed when her father took his last breath and her hair was slashed short with his old bayonet.

The Royal Marines were not eager for a woman among their ranks, but times were tough and bullets knew not the difference the recruiting officer said.  So she was shoved to the front of the line figuring she’d be the first out the door.  To much surprise she laid low any man standing in front of her and the same for any woman that raised a fuss for her being there.  When concern was raised over having a woman aboard they were dissuaded with her level hand when the battle begun and her ferocity when the charge was made to board.  Catrina embraced the tenets of the Royal Marines as if she were born to them and so secured her place aboard a sky ship while fighting the Spanish Armada.

A young officer to be had taken a shine to her during these years.  At first he whispered to her as he walked the deck for night watch, typically taking a warning finger to his ribs for the effort.  Friendly banter soon replaced flirting, but the tension remained between the pair.  Yet as he moved up along his ladder so too did she move with him from ship to ship.  A matron and a terror, she kept the men in line while they also exchanged letters back and forth.  Even on shore leave they always seemed to be near each other as she leapt to his defense as he meet with children of his past.  His low birth kept a secret between her lips as she saw now need to shake the rafters of his career with gossip.

The posting aboard a frigate was not glorious, but was the best she could hope for so early in her career.  Most of the men were young and inexperienced, requiring a motherly reassurance and a swift boot to the rear.  Catrina found herself well placed to offer both until the fateful day when her ship pulled alongside the flagship of the Spanish.  Quick to the rigging she was first to pepper the deck of the opposing ship, looking from her perch as the young officer called for the charge.  Fire rose in her veins at the call and she was soon amongst her brothers-in-arms, shoulder to shoulder with this officer to bring steel and shot against the enemies of her country.  Long after the adrenaline had cooled was she still fighting forward, ensuring that the ship would never cause trouble for her brothers again.

Invoke – The High Concept can be invoked whenever Catrina is performing a stunt of daredevil bravery in the service of the Royal Marines.  This could include leaping from the rigging of a ship, charging across the decks of a ship or spitting whiskey into the face of someone questioning the honor of her Corp.

Compel – The High Concept can be compelled to have her leave safety and security, to put herself in harm’s way when all she might want to do is lay warm beside the fire or next to her lover.  Catrina will take to her love of the skies and sea above any other.


Trouble: “Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die”

Love is an evil thing and love without restraint more evil still.  A single night of passion was promised after the battle of the Spanish Armada.  This was not a promise of words, but of whiskey and flesh.  Brought together without thought or reason, she wanted to believe for a moment that their future together could be sealed.  That night would confirm her fears as another officer stumbled into their room just as her hands undid the lacings of her bodice.  Rumors were quick to fly, fires that lit up the decks of ships and the banquet halls of proper gentleman and officers.  Catrina was soon brought in to answer questions and she knew well what they wanted to hear.  She knew that her answers could well bring down the career of the young Battle, but could also sink her own if she were not careful.  A soldier to the last, she stood tall and confessed to the crimes of seducing her commanding officer.

Men and women were both taken back by the scandal she confessed to, but once the words were spoken she could not take them back.  Once more the hand of Fate worked to take her from her home, pushing her now back toward her father’s farm instead of toward the skies above.  A last glimpse of he and her both in uniform was given as she was walked out under guard from the chambers.  Soon he would be the talk of the town, a testament to English civility and stoicism against the wild nature of a woman.  Catrina did not regret taking the bullet for him, but she felt the weight of her sacrifice as she was stripped of rank and pushed out of service.  Work was hard to find and she was ill at home to work her father’s lands.  Sword and pistol were all she knew, but just as her father before her she shouldered the burden.

Invoke – Catrina can invoke this aspect to place herself in danger for another she views as a brother-in-arms or a commanding officer.  She will toughen out the pain her orders demand and press on to complete her task.

Compel – Catrina can be compelled to leap in front of danger for her comrades and superiors, despite good sense to avoid doing so.  She will rush to their defense, take the blame and be their martyr so that they can continue on without her.

Backstory: Not the Marrying Kind

Discharged and humiliated there wasn’t much work to be had for a former member of the royal marines with a sullied reputation.  Those few merchant companies willing to open their doors to her had heard of her performance and discharge, some seeing her as a disgrace while others desired a protector to sleep between their sheets.  Catrina would have none of either and so returned to her father’s lands with little to show for her time gone.  Money had been sent home during those times, money that had paid for the lands but could little be relied upon now to till the fields and feeds the hands.  There simply wouldn’t be enough to continue with this existence for long.  So with her head hung low she turned to merchants outside of her homeland, to those of the Eastern lands.

Riches poured through the fingertips of Eastern lords and wealthy houses based in those lands.  Enough riches that the men had need of a woman fighter, one to watch over their mistresses and daughters.  Catrina, with her prowess on deck and proud history, was a near perfect candidate.  Many of the mistresses were even pleased to see a woman that had a sullied reputation as this meant she might not stare down her nose at them.  There would be little glory here and little honor, but the money was far better than she had before and so she could keep her father’s farm afloat.  The added benefit was that her love, still a thorn to her heart, was long away on his own voyage away from her.

Invoke: Can be invoked whenever temptation arises via seduction or the promise of riches.  As a woman of means and a woman used to turning aside the advances of others, she is well positioned to resist.

Compel: This aspect can be compeled to sully her name and bring about harsh reactions from those around her.  The honor of the Royal Marines on her chest has been tarnished and there are few that don’t know what she has done.

First Adventure: Second Chances

Will improve and work on them as they go, but this is largely what I have thus far.  Also, sorry Dan but stole your setup there.

[kckolbe]

This looks like a fun game, I'm including a preliminary character below, let me know what you all think about her?

She looks lovely, and I love the alternate version of her name for the less worldly types, definitely going to have my char make use of it.

First Adventure: Li Yan hires on to a French ship, bound for the American colonies with the hope of harrying British merchant traffic, only to find that its captain has lost the ship in a hand of cards. In a somewhat impetuous move, she challenges the new owner in order to win back the ship. He chooses a drinking contest, and although Li Yan somehow manages to hold her own, she comes away from the ordeal with a dangerous new affinity for the bottle. Aspect: Holds her liquor, as often as possible.

This part did confuse me a bit.  Did she win?  What did she wager in return?

[mai]

This part did confuse me a bit.  Did she win?  What did she wager in return?

Yeah, that part's not as good as it could be, I think. I was thinking that she won, and probably didn't so much wager anything in return as imply insult to his manhood if he couldn't beat her.

e: I'm considering reworking quite a bit, actually, I'm thinking that polyglot might make a better skill than aspect, with the aspect from her backstory being something about being always away from home, or perhaps about just being notably "other" or exotic (so something like "at home on the road" or "not from around here"). The first adventure could probably make a bit more sense, also, I kind of started with the aspect I wanted and then worked back from there, and I'm not sure how I feel about how that went. Thoughts?

[kckolbe]

So she has her own ship as a diplomat?  How does she keep it sailing?  She'd need a significant source of income.

[mai]

So she has her own ship as a diplomat?  How does she keep it sailing?  She'd need a significant source of income.

No, she doesn't have her own ship, she's a hired hand on privateer ships. The embassy has several of its own ships, but they're not going anywhere anytime soon, and she's not on them. The ship she "won" isn't hers, it belongs to the privateer she was working for.

e: she's not the ambassador, or even someone remotely important in the embassy, she's the daughter of a minor functionary who has a knack for languages, which is why she was basically cut loose when they decided to start cutting costs in order to extend their stay

[kckolbe]

Oh, I see now. 

[mai]

I actually made some changes, hopefully the new adventure makes a bit more sense and is a bit more plausible (quoted below for reference). I also changed the aspect from her backstory.

Backstory: [...] Aspect: Not from around here.

First Adventure: Li Yan hires on to a French ship, bound for the American colonies with the hope of taking a valuable artifact uncovered by an English expedition. Unfortunately, another privateer got to it first, and Li Yan is sent to negotiate with him in order to arrange a purchase and/or theft of the artifact. She manages to talk him into a drinking contest, wagering the ship (which wasn't hers to lose) against the find. Although Li Yan somehow manages to emerge victorious, she also comes away from the ordeal with a dangerous new affinity for the bottle. Aspect: Holds her liquor, as often as possible.

[chaoslord29]

I actually made some changes, hopefully the new adventure makes a bit more sense and is a bit more plausible (quoted below for reference). I also changed the aspect from her backstory.

Mai, waking up to your character submission was quite a treat, let me tell you. Loved tracking through the revisions and as a finished concept your character's backstory and adventure are a shining example of more of what I'd like to see. The only thing I would suggest is that your High Concept lacks a little punch or flavor that makes a good Aspect. Don't get me wrong, as a means of defining who and what your character is/does, it's great (concise is the word that comes most readily to my mind). However, it also doesn't readily suggest any particularly dramatic invocations, or especially, how I might compel it.

May I suggest something like "Silver-Tongued Emissary of the East" or if you want in to keep 'shrewd' in there, or throw 'mystique' or 'orient' in the mix, feel free to get creative and knock it up a notch (Bam!)

Name: Sir Humphrey Irving Battle
High Concept: Master and Commander
Trouble: King's Servant
Backstory: My Bonnie Lass
First Adventure: The King's Secret Navy

Those are my aspects, have no fear I will flesh them out tomorrow.

Name: Lieutenant Catrina Donalda Fraser
High Concept: A Life on the Ocean Wave
Trouble: “Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die”
Backstory: Not the Marrying Kind
First Adventure: Second Chances

Will improve and work on them as they go, but this is largely what I have thus far.  Also, sorry Dan but stole your setup there.

Okay, I like what I see, but I'm a little off-put here by what I don't see. Generally, creating Aspects and then filling in the background to make them work is discouraged in Fate, and I personally see it as going about things a little bit backwards. That said, I do really like a lot of those Aspects, and am very much interested to see how you make them work with your characters story and first adventure.

@SgtDan
I'm a tad miffed you went with Master & Commander rather than my personal favorite Napoleonic Era nautical adventure series (The Hornblower Novels by CS Forester; I highly recommend them if you're already a fan of M&C), but that said I'm not about to fault you for drawing on at the very least the visual inspiration  ;D

High Concept and Trouble look great, though you may consider changing up the Trouble to "Your Faithful & Obedient Servant, Sir" (or some variation thereof) which is the traditional valediction of dispatches for the Royal Navy.

@Pumpkin Seeds
I rather like the Trouble you have there (however anachronistic) and can't wait to see what sort of backstory lead to Catrina being Not the Marrying Kind. Your High Concept however I think needs a little work, or else, I'd appreciate if you explained more of what you mean by it. I'm ambivalent at this point to your final Aspect until I've seen the Adventure from which you derive it.


To the assembled players, I would prefer that Aspects always be bolded and in italics, for the purpose of distinguishing them both OOC and during play. They need only be put in quotations if they are in fact meant to be a quote by or about your character (i.e. "I am not Really Left-Handed!")

[mai]

May I suggest something like "Silver-Tongued Emissary of the East" or if you want in to keep 'shrewd' in there, or throw 'mystique' or 'orient' in the mix, feel free to get creative and knock it up a notch (Bam!)

I really like this idea! I'd like to keep it centered on her homeland though, since she wouldn't have thought of herself as "from the East", rather that she'd traveled to the West. Maybe something like "Silver-tongued Emissary to the West" instead?

[kckolbe]

Regardless of how she identifies, she does stand out.  Perhaps "A Most Memorable Emissary" or something similar?

[mai]

Regardless of how she identifies, she does stand out.  Perhaps "A Most Memorable Emissary" or something similar?

The standing out and "exotic" sort of thing was what I was going for with "Not from around here", I'd rather keep the high concept focused on her skill with words/diplomacy and her connection to her homeland.

[chaoslord29]

I really like this idea! I'd like to keep it centered on her homeland though, since she wouldn't have thought of herself as "from the East", rather that she'd traveled to the West. Maybe something like "Silver-tongued Emissary to the West" instead?

That's perfect! Allows for invocations any time you want to smooth talk your way through some 'diplomatic niceties' (Should I wink? I'll hold off in case you don't want it to be that suggestive). Allows me to compel any potential naivete she might have towards Western etiquette, traditions, etc., plus anyone whose going to potentially be prejudiced against the duplicitous heathen foreigner.

I'm looking at your Background Aspect again and thinking it may need a little work. It looks ripe for some compels, but I'm not sure how exactly you'd invoke it. Also, your story seems to suggest that she's somehow beholden to report to the ambassador proper (the bit about him wanting to gather information) but also being more or less on her own what with the lack of support from back home or the diplomat. So far you don't have any Aspects which portray her (minor) noble heritage, or her facility with language, so you may want to consider that as well. Loyal to the Empire covers that she's a foreigner, plain and simple, and expressly loyal to a foreign power, but what about the Ambassador himself? Maybe you'd like to include an Aspect here about her relationship with him? Or her father, the functionary? Food for thought.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

A Life on the Ocean Wave is the song of the Royal Marines which was derived from a poem. 

A life on the ocean wave,
A home on the rolling deep,
Where the scattered waters rave,
And the winds their revels keep!
Like an eagle caged, I pine
On this dull, unchanging shore:
Oh! give me the flashing brine,
The spray and the tempest's roar!

Once more on the deck I stand
Of my own swift-gliding craft:
Set sail! farewell to the land!
The gale follows fair abaft.
We shoot through the sparkling foam
Like an ocean-bird set free; -
Like the ocean-bird, our home
We'll find far out on the sea.

The land is no longer in view,
The clouds have begun to frown;
But with a stout vessel and crew,
We'll say, Let the storm come down!
And the song of our hearts shall be,
While the winds and the waters rave,
A home on the rolling sea!
A life on the ocean wave!
Epes Sargent


The poem probably explains what I was going for more there.

[chaoslord29]

A Life on the Ocean Wave is the song of the Royal Marines which was derived from a poem. 

A life on the ocean wave,
A home on the rolling deep,
Where the scattered waters rave,
And the winds their revels keep!
Like an eagle caged, I pine
On this dull, unchanging shore:
Oh! give me the flashing brine,
The spray and the tempest's roar!

Once more on the deck I stand
Of my own swift-gliding craft:
Set sail! farewell to the land!
The gale follows fair abaft.
We shoot through the sparkling foam
Like an ocean-bird set free; -
Like the ocean-bird, our home
We'll find far out on the sea.

The land is no longer in view,
The clouds have begun to frown;
But with a stout vessel and crew,
We'll say, Let the storm come down!
And the song of our hearts shall be,
While the winds and the waters rave,
A home on the rolling sea!
A life on the ocean wave!
Epes Sargent


The poem probably explains what I was going for more there.

Excellent, excellent, mind putting that in quotations for me so I remember it's significance? Looking forward to the actual story there, how your character comes to the Royal Marines and how her gender factors into it.

[mai]

That's perfect! Allows for invocations any time you want to smooth talk your way through some 'diplomatic niceties' (Should I wink? I'll hold off in case you don't want it to be that suggestive). Allows me to compel any potential naivete she might have towards Western etiquette, traditions, etc., plus anyone whose going to potentially be prejudiced against the duplicitous heathen foreigner.

That works, let's keep it as "Silver-tongued Emissary to the West", then.

I'm looking at your Background Aspect again and thinking it may need a little work. It looks ripe for some compels, but I'm not sure how exactly you'd invoke it. Also, your story seems to suggest that she's somehow beholden to report to the ambassador proper (the bit about him wanting to gather information) but also being more or less on her own what with the lack of support from back home or the diplomat. So far you don't have any Aspects which portray her (minor) noble heritage, or her facility with language, so you may want to consider that as well. Loyal to the Empire covers that she's a foreigner, plain and simple, and expressly loyal to a foreign power, but what about the Ambassador himself? Maybe you'd like to include an Aspect here about her relationship with him? Or her father, the functionary? Food for thought.

As for invocations, I was thinking that it'd be useful to her in that because she's strange and unusual, she tends to draw interest. She might be able to invoke it in order to get people to talk to her when they otherwise might not, to avoid certain etiquette rules (since, after all, how could a foreigner possibly have known?), or something like that. Basically any time that not being bound up in European society and social norms might help.

Originally I'd had the aspect from her background be "Polyglot", but I changed it because I thought that might work better as a skill than an aspect (or are we not doing skills? Just mechanically speaking it seemed to be suitable more for a skill than an aspect, since I'm at a loss as to how it could be used in a compel).

I do like the idea of having it be an aspect that is more specific about her relationship with the Emperor or her family, but the issue there is that things are very tenuous in that department. The Emperor who dispatched the embassy is dead, and the empire itself is firmly in decline (the Ming dynasty was more or less gone except for a few remnants by the 1640s). The political turmoil means that everyone in the embassy is a little bit unsure of what their status with relationship to the Empire is (or even if they'll be allowed to keep their heads if and when they return home). I didn't really want to make an aspect that focuses too much on that, since this game is about European politics rather than Chinese ones, but it does complicate a more straightforward sort of aspect like "the Emperor's favor" or "Heaven Guides Us". Maybe something about filial duty? That would cover her relationship towards her father and family (and a bit of religion also, since duty to one's family is a significant part of Confucian thought), and by extension the rest of the Imperial hierarchy, but it also perhaps makes them more a part of the game than I really wanted them to be (my idea was that they'd just sort of sent her out to look for something). Perhaps something like "spy in plain sight" to refer to how she's always looking for something that will allow her family to re-enter the Empire in good standing (or maybe "the Emperor's eyes and ears")?

[kckolbe]

Concepts: Man of the East India Company
Trouble: This is Not What I Signed Up For
Adventure Aspect: Gold is the Answer
Backstory Aspect: Raised With the Perks of a Noble

Name is still pending.  The idea is the son of a wealthy merchant.  He is still very much a commoner, both in culture and title, but he is well-educated, a man of resources, and some connections.  I was thinking he would belong to the East India Company, though would still be subject to Royal Whim.  Given what impact gold has had on his life, he places more than considerable value on it, both coveting it and relying on it.  He is not stingy, though, if there is something he wants, but gold is his primary motivation. 

The Trouble is something I am not sure of, as I am not yet sure what the focus of our game will be.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Did you want us to have separate aspects toward other player characters?

[chaoslord29]

Concepts: Man of the East India Company
Trouble: This is Not What I Signed Up For
Adventure Aspect: Gold is the Answer
Backstory Aspect: Raised With the Perks of a Noble

Name is still pending.  The idea is the son of a wealthy merchant.  He is still very much a commoner, both in culture and title, but he is well-educated, a man of resources, and some connections.  I was thinking he would belong to the East India Company, though would still be subject to Royal Whim.  Given what impact gold has had on his life, he places more than considerable value on it, both coveting it and relying on it.  He is not stingy, though, if there is something he wants, but gold is his primary motivation. 

The Trouble is something I am not sure of, as I am not yet sure what the focus of our game will be.

Again, I'd like to reiterate that I prefer to see the backstory and adventure written before Aspects are pitched, but since the prevailing trend seems to be the opposite, I'm just going to roll with it haha.

As it happens, your Trouble is the Aspect I like most in your character, though (Gold is the Answer is a close second; you may want to add an 'Always' in there for good measure). It all seems to suggest that your character is something of a pretty boy or a tad poncy; of excellent breeding, and well educated of course, but unfortunately without a title. The East India Company is a logical choice for such a personage of course, and I might suggest just shifting around your High Concept to be East India Company Man, since that's actually the origin of the modern phrase "Company Man".

I can see a lot of potential compels for your Trouble, as anytime things progress pass civilized negotiations and business dealings your character seems likely to be out of their element. In fact, it makes me picture something in your First Adventure where your character is exceedingly accomplished where business dealings are concerned, but his talent and ambition wind up netting him some rivals or enemies within the company who force him or see to it that he receives an unfavorable assignment working on this particular vessel as an agent of the Company (fully expecting he'll get himself killed sooner or later).

Your Backstory Aspect lacks a certain panache, and given that you're looking to play a Noble, that's hardly going to do. Maybe something more like Fortunate Son, or Silver Spoon.

Did you want us to have separate aspects toward other player characters?

That will be conducted next as each of you will take a turn guest starring in two of your fellow players First Adventures. This is why it's important that you actually flesh out said Adventure into at least a couple of sentences explaining what went on, because the guest stars will then add another sentence or two detailing their involvement and providing a mechanism for how you all know each other (at least indirectly). You then derive another Aspect from your role as a guest star, and then everyone trades dance partners and everyone has two more Aspects which help relate them to the other characters.

I'll be conducting this phase of character creation after I've made the decision however on how many PCs their will be and who makes the cut. Another reason to get on fleshing out those Backstories and First Adventures.

[kckolbe]

Again, I'd like to reiterate that I prefer to see the backstory and adventure written before Aspects are pitched, but since the prevailing trend seems to be the opposite, I'm just going to roll with it haha.

As it happens, your Trouble is the Aspect I like most in your character, though (Gold is the Answer is a close second; you may want to add an 'Always' in there for good measure). It all seems to suggest that your character is something of a pretty boy or a tad poncy; of excellent breeding, and well educated of course, but unfortunately without a title. The East India Company is a logical choice for such a personage of course, and I might suggest just shifting around your High Concept to be East India Company Man, since that's actually the origin of the modern phrase "Company Man".

I can see a lot of potential compels for your Trouble, as anytime things progress pass civilized negotiations and business dealings your character seems likely to be out of their element. In fact, it makes me picture something in your First Adventure where your character is exceedingly accomplished where business dealings are concerned, but his talent and ambition wind up netting him some rivals or enemies within the company who force him or see to it that he receives an unfavorable assignment working on this particular vessel as an agent of the Company (fully expecting he'll get himself killed sooner or later).

Your Backstory Aspect lacks a certain panache, and given that you're looking to play a Noble, that's hardly going to do. Maybe something more like Fortunate Son, or Silver Spoon.

I'll gladly add in the "always" and tweak the Concept wording as you suggested.  As for the Backstory Aspect, I didn't intend for him to be a Noble, just having had a family able to buy many of the advantages available to one.  I was hoping the Aspect would represent the knowledge one would expect of a noble (for invocations), but with the obvious signs that he is no noble (for compelling). 

I see him as being well educated in the ways important to a merchant, being good with sums, navigation, language, and knowledge of what commodities are found where and for how much.  His knowledge on art, music, and fashion, however...not so much.