To clear everything up: Kane is the supreme leader of the Armada: we have not seen him yet
Deacon is Kane's spymaster, seen to the right of Kane in the puppet show.
Phule is the jester, seen on the bottom right in the puppet show: he is a recurring character.
Rooke is the marshal, seen on the far left in the puppet show: he has been seen once in mooshu
Bishop has only been mentioned by Phule, but I think he is on the far right in the puppet show: his whereabouts remain unknown for now
Finnaly, there is an unnamed female figure sitting to the left of Kane in the puppet show: her name and whereabouts remain unknown.

Thats all I have to say now: please speak your opinion below.

Bishop shows up in a typhoon on a boat with a particular NPC i wont mention so as not to spoil it but he does not fight you but rather mentions your not ready to battle him and leaves the boat for you to fight your battle against particular NPC.

DS Devereaux on Jan 6, 2013 wrote:

I always thought of the court as the back row of a chess game (on either side):

--Kane is obviously the king - in my playing experience, he has seldom moved, but he's very important.
--Deacon is an interesting one. In chess, there is a non-conventional piece (better known as a fairy piece) called an archbishop, also known as a deacon. Deacon pieces are very powerful with both the power of a knight and a bishop.
--Bishop and Phule are bishops, by name for Bishop. However, the ridge in a bishop piece is called a "fool" ("fou" in French, where I believe it originated), and KI was clever to change the spelling up a bit to look different. The fools in the bishop pieces are meant to make the tops look like jester's caps.
--Rooke is most likely the a rook of the Armada. Notice how chess rooks were fashioned after siege towers, and how Rooke the clockwork is like a tower himself.
--Let's take a look at "Queen". Correct me if I'm wrong, but One-Eyed Jack said, somewhere on these boards, that this clockwork was a very important part of the storyline. Queen chess pieces are indeed the most powerful of them all, I wonder what's in store for this clockwork?
--There is a chessboard called the Spanish Armada chessboard, or something like that. It is in memorial of a maritime battle between Spain and...hmm...England? Hey, aren't Marleybone (England) and Monquista (Spain) feuding in Pirate101?

That's what I've been thinking about lately, glad to be of any help.

D.S. Devereaux

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!!!!! If the queen IS the most powerful chess piece, doesn't that mean that Queen is the one commanding the armada? Or is Queen ruling along side with Kane in this spiral wide war version of chess?

Quentin Atherton on Jan 8, 2013 wrote:

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!!!!! If the queen IS the most powerful chess piece, doesn't that mean that Queen is the one commanding the armada? Or is Queen ruling along side with Kane in this spiral wide war version of chess?

Remember, you can't play the queen piece in chess if the king's out of the running. While somewhere on these boards, One-Eyed Jack briefly noted that "Queen" was powerful, we need to remember that Kane would be the commander in favor of his own "life". Queen has quite a bit of influence, most likely, but isn't the one making final decisions. Still, I think Queen was held back for a reason, and one that will test our pirates even further.

Following this thread, I love a discussion!

D.S. Devereaux

On the typhoon thing, I believe that the said typhoon is in Mooshu, as they're called tempests and things elsewhere.

Regarding the importance of the clockworks, I've looked at the normal ones lately. With a large supply of them, I'd guess that the Court would consider the lesser clockworks as pawns. However, there is a point in Bruno Chapel where Phule calls forth a group of white and a group of black clockworks. I think that this suggests the Armada's considerable power, as white and black are the two piece colors of the chessboard. This led me to think that the Armada not only had power, but was gaining it as time passed, hoping to eventually gain both sides of the chessboard. Say Valencia was resourceful and powerful enough to be the entire white side of the board. What could be waiting for us there?

D.S. Devereaux

DS Devereaux on Jan 14, 2013 wrote:

Remember, you can't play the queen piece in chess if the king's out of the running. While somewhere on these boards, One-Eyed Jack briefly noted that "Queen" was powerful, we need to remember that Kane would be the commander in favor of his own "life". Queen has quite a bit of influence, most likely, but isn't the one making final decisions. Still, I think Queen was held back for a reason, and one that will test our pirates even further.

Following this thread, I love a discussion!

D.S. Devereaux

Coming to this thread a little late, but the questions are still there... Your idea of the chess board and Kane's court was very convincing and well thought out, Destiny, and I think the idea largely holds, only I suspect they are all very much subordinate to Kane (thus the female clockwork, although she may have the role of 'Queen' on the chessboard, would have no more essential power than Bishop, Deacon, etc). Another poster suggested that 'Kane' would be a morph of 'King', since they both begin with the same letter, which may be the case. However, I can't help but think of the story of 'Cain', the willful first-born son of so much promise who kills his brother in a fit of rage (or really, pique). So do we have here 'Kane', the beautiful creation (rather like the Greek gods bringing to life Galeatea, or -more sinisterly- making Pandora) who strikes out against what his original role is supposed to be? Or is it like Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_ (the book, not the movies) where the creation is shamefully neglected, twisted by circumstance so that the innocent monster becomes a creature of hatred and vengeance? Or something else entirely? But, as Blind Mew would say, we'll find out...
And, the curious female (although I think Phule is the most curious, that is to say, difficult to interpret), is her name 'Queen' (or even the meaning of queen in a different language)- following the model of Rooke, Phule, Bishop? Or could her name have a literary allusion or a name symbol, perhaps, of what Kane wishes to achieve? Something like 'Victoria', for example? (To be honest, Victoria, Queen, etc. would be less scary than one particular literary allusion - Milady)
Virtuous Anne Radcliffe

Tis reallyo clear things up the leader Kane is actully is the one they don't want to die because if you kill him they all die so that's his armys and his right hand pepol are there for and by the way they are bishop phule/fool also rookie and the queen wich is actully is the rightfully ruler(wich is the most powerfull) they will all die if he dies because he is the maker and he has there switch and its him and this is what would happen after that

Quentin Atherton on Jan 8, 2013 wrote:

Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!!!!! If the queen IS the most powerful chess piece, doesn't that mean that Queen is the one commanding the armada? Or is Queen ruling along side with Kane in this spiral wide war version of chess?

One eyed Jack said she had a ery important role in the storyline and when you look at it she is the only female elite clockwork and something else i noticed in the armada puppet show she is the only other person sitting in a chair other than Kane and that made me find out she definitley is the Queen of the armada all the other armada elites were standing and phule sitting on the floor I also have a theory that the Queen as we call her may be the actual ruler of the armada but nobody knows it at least not yet that could be the reason she has not been mentioned or named in the storyline my theory is probably wrong but who knows it could be true. If the queen is the most powerful chess piece then it makes since that she just hasn't revealed who she really is and what her role is? does anyone agree or have something else to say about this
Slick Cody Jones privateer lvl 50
Merciless Ethan Jenkins swashbuckler lvl 50

That is a very well thought out idea, Destiny, and it sounds completely plausible to me. Even if the female elite clockwork is in the same subordinate plane to Kane as the other elites, I'm sure they are only going to get more and more powerful as we are introduced to them, and I am sure she will be especially dangerous and even nasty to deal with. On the other hand, I am looking forward to such an encounter, not only as it would answer questions and provide exciting denouments, but because of ... her clothes. Yep. In the puppet show, the female elite wears an 18th C. style gown. Now Anne would love to wear a gown... oo, with sleeve ruffles... an embroidered stomacher perhaps or the front decorated with silk ribbons... but so not practical. Swashbuckler flips plus long skirts -- I don't think so. Mustang Sally manages a gown with no problem, but she doesn't do the flips in the air. The elite female, of course, still could be a swashbuckler; flips or no flips, I'm sure a clockwork could manage her petticoats.
Virtuous Anne Radcliffe

Chrissy Th'Blesser on May 12, 2013 wrote:

You always make me giggle Anne . Either from your well thought out puns, plots or just how you think things out. x Hands a cool yum x You keep talking girl. You are a priceless asset to these boards. Many others are too, mind you, just responding to this current giggle.

Thank you, Valzabrat. You are, as always, kind and generous. x happily accepts yum as all that talking makes her thirsty x I do love to look at period-inspired clothes, whether or not Anne could actually get to wear them. And, taking another peek at the puppet show, the female elite seems to be wearing a sort of embellished riding outfit -- no potentially awkward pocket panniers (that mid 18th C. undergarment that made formal gowns stick far out to the sides, requiring grace and style to get through doorways), so yes, she could definitely manage that outfit in practically any fighting style she wants to.
Virtuous Anne Radcliffe

DS Devereaux on May 17, 2013 wrote:

Interesting observations, you guys! I was never the pirate for fashion, so I wouldn't have noticed Queen's attire. That makes me think about the armor choices of the other clockworks, however. Rooke, firstly, seems to be the sort of tank by name, thus having quite a good sense of physical defense on him. Phule doesn't carry as much heavy armor, though, thus matching a quality of a court's jester. (I think his personality suffices, anyways.) Kane seems to be armored decently, so he may be a bit more protected than Phule but not as tough as Rooke by far.

....I don't know, just an observation.

Viva los Piratas!

D.S. Devereaux

Yes, Rooke is a good example of 'the clothes defining the man' (er, clockwork) -- in many respects he resembles 'The Black Knight' of song & story, and his heavy armor fits the image. And I think additional hints about the mysterious Kane and his court can be inferred by their clothes.
Let's take Deacon, the first clockwork we meet. Deacon is dressed extremely well in an elegant gentleman's suit of the late 18th C., dark fabric trimmed liberally with gold & gold buttons... his cloak fastened by a large gold pin instead of ordinary ties. All this makes a statement about wealth and influence intended to intimidate -- and Deacon was so very good at being intimidating! Bishop's robes suit a mage or a (well...) bishop, and his staff imitates something of the design of a bishop's croizer. Phule is clearly dressed in a 'fool's' outfit, which in itself is extremely strange. Why a fool, other than to fit in a sort-of medieval/Renaissance court image? It is only one example of how little we understand the nature of the Armada. As for the female elite, wearing high fashion 18th C. sportswear (if I correctly interpret her clothes as a riding habit), those sort of clothes would not hinder swift and precise movements, but might lull the viewer into a false sense of security. Very much speculating here, but I suspect she is Kane's assassin.
Finally, Kane himself. I would interpret that he is wearing a late 18th C. style greatcoat (over what garments? armor?). I don't know military fashions, but I have seen sashes accompanying coats in the 17th-18th C. on pictures of officers and - especially- generals, such as Kane wears. And what of those medals, those military honors? Did he award them to himself to look good -- or, did he earn those in his past, when he was a Valencian admiral perhaps, before he took the title of supreme commander for himself? Questions, questions...
Virtuous Anne Radcliffe

DS Devereaux on May 24, 2013 wrote:

Anne, that blew me away! Your research simply proves the theory of the era being the late 18th C., the era of exploration and settlement. In fact, Cool Ranch is a wonderful example of that as people are settling into Cooper's Roost and into the farther reaches of Tumbleweed. Proving that the 18th century (or the 1700s) sets the time period for many things. However, the actions of the Armada, as I have previously stated, may be closest to the actions of the Spanish Armada fighting in the Anglo-Spanish War from 1585-1604. As states the Wikipedia entry (As I shouldn't post the link, this is my "formal citation".), the Spanish Armada, nicknamed Armada Invencible by Spain, attempted to invade England, as the P101 Armada makes stations in Port Regal and MB (I would guess). Could the actions of our Armada follow those of Spain's with a twist forward in time? We'll have to see.

D.S.D.

Thanks, Destiny, but I can't take any credit for research on this one -- I've been a nutball for historic clothing since I was a wee lass (I used to make all sorts of period clothes for my dolls... still do, when I get the chance), and 18th C. clothes are one of my very favorites. But I don't think we're locked in any one particular time period in Pirate101 -- it's pretty much a mashup of the general time period of The Age of Piracy (late 1500s to beginning of the 1800s, if I remember correctly). So you have late 16th-17th C. fashions in Monquista, 18th C. fashions (but 16th C. styles as well) in Valencia, 18th C.-early 19th C. ones in Marleybone, 19th C. clothes in Cool Ranch, etc. But my favorites are the 18th C. styles, even if it would be impractical for Anne to wear gowns with sleeve ruffles!
Virtuous Anne Radcliffe

DS Devereaux on May 25, 2013 wrote:

Hey, that makes sense.

16th-17th in MQ
18th with a hint of 16th in VA (after we go through MQ, right?)
18th-early 19th in MB which is historically before CR (I wonder if there's an AYP Expo spinoff somewhere in MB...)

W-wait, what does this have to do with the Armada, again?

Quentin: Indeed, lets get back on topic
Bernard: Ok, as we all know, Kane's court is based off of chess rankings.
Valona: Lets not forget about Kane, after all, we keep underestimating that clockwork version of Hitler.
Quentin: True, his hate campaign against the pirates does ring a 'Nazi Bell'
All: LOL
Griffin: Then there is that clockwork mistress, I think a good scary name for her would be Duchess, but I think Queen is much more formal.
Alexander: Let's not forget on how she fights. She could be programed with ninja skills for all we know.
Noah: Indeed, and how she can fight in those corsets, I think she will be a marvelous acrobat in that dress. After all, we can't let our guard down around that clockwork mistress.
Quentin: True, then there is Kane, he is probably wearing armor under that military coat.
Valona: He might even be part Battle Angel, and probably the only male Battle Angel in the Armada.