About Me
Born in a coastal farming village in the Orkney Islands of Scotland, of his parents' many children, he was the only son. When he was 14 years of age, a British Naval vessel docked at his home town and a press gang forced him and several others of his village into "service" for the crown. Too old to be a cabin boy, and too inexperienced to be left on his own, McCormick was put on the deck crew where his stubbornness soon introduced him to British naval discipline - an experience that began his lifelong distaste for officers and the navy in general.
He soon realized however,that with a cooperative facade and a pretended demeanor of obedience, he could achieve his goal of escaping the ship more quickly. His penchant for entertaining soon made him a favorite among the crew, many of whom would teach him the varied aspects of seamanship _ from rigging to signals, even gunnery. He made an important friend in the ship's sailing master, a fellow Scotsman, who taught him the specialized art of navigation.
Zachariah earned his nickname during a battle against a French ship wherein, more out of self-preservation than loyalty to the crown, he loaded his swivel gun with the only ammunition he had left at his disposal - the shattered, hardened splinters of what remained of the quarter-deck on which he was stationed. This action so bloodied and destroyed the opposing quarter-deck crew, the "Splinter" was credited with turning the battle to the favor of the British ship.
Finally, arriving in Port Royal, "Splinter" was able to jump ship and blend in temporarily with the surrounding populace and was able to stay hidden until the man-o'-war's sailing schedule assured his freedom. Splinter McCormick then signed on with a local pirate sloop, mainly for the transportation to the Americas, but soon found that he liked the freedom and the camaraderie of the pirate way of life. He rose quickly through the ranks of the pirate crew, and was soon at the helm of the sloop as captain. While the perks and spoils were greater at this position, Splinter soon found that he preferred the position of quartermaster to that of captain. He proceeded to join several pirate crews in succession, each to a larger ship, and was quartermaster of each. As he did so, he found a cadre of loyal friends and fellow pirates that followed him from ship to ship as well. After a successful turn as quartermaster of the "Osprey" with the well known and feared Captain Quicksilver, he once again went on his way, now Captain of the "Emerald Rose". Splinter and the stalwart brigands of the "Emerald Rose" continue to sail and maraude the open waters of the world's seaways.
