Even on a ship with more than its share of battle-hardened old salts, some men rise to special prominence. Mr. Walls, the senior quartermaster of the Talion, boasts more combat experience than anyone on the ship—including Captain Shae. Ten years the captain’s senior, Walls has earned a reputation for leaping to the fore of battle with pistols blazing; in fact, he rarely carries fewer than three braces of well-oiled firearms on his person. Stubs, his pet monkey from the continent of Zu, is an ever-present fixture on his shoulder. The quartermaster tolerates no mistreatment of the monkey, spoiling Stubs with food from his own table and a portion of his rum rations.
Mr. Walls displays two distinct demeanors. One is a stern taskmaster who accepts no excuses from his men. The other often intercedes on his crew’s behalf and always has their backs in a scrap. This soft spot has occasionally gotten him in trouble over the years, as he bends the rules for those under his watch.
This innate concern led Mr. Walls to take a key role in Phinneus Shae’s infamous mutiny aboard the MLS Exeter. He informed Shae of the mistreatment of Joln Rockbottom, prompting the warcaster to confront the ship’s captain. That this confrontation got Shae thrown overboard is a fact Mr. Walls remembers with a keen sense of guilt, and he holds a special obligation for the men among his crew who survived the original mutiny. When stopping at port he often spends most of his share buying the crew rounds at dockside taverns.
Despite his generosity, the pirate life has hardened Walls into a grim, vengeful man. He knows that sizable bounties attract many pirate hunters to the Talion and that his crew risk their lives every time they put to sea. He accepts that they must take whatever work they can get and tries not to dwell on the fate of those they inevitably leave drowning in the deep. He focuses on his loyalty to Shae and his duty to keep his men alive and in line.
Mr. Walls does not talk about the loss of his eye, but Doc relates the story whereby Walls took a bullet in the face during a boarding action against Blackwater raiders. The quartermaster fell to the deck as the Scharde who shot him stepped past. Stubs leapt on the man and bit him, giving Mr. Walls the time to stand and finish his assailant with a shot to the neck. Mr. Walls continued fighting for another half-hour before he passed out from blood loss. He hasn’t shot straight since and now suffers from piercing headaches. He has not allowed this to dampen his enthusiasm for pistols, though, allowing only that he has better luck when he gets up close and personal before firing both barrels square into the face of an enemy.