Rogues and Vilains of New South Cambria

Guereint o'Connel

Also known by his irish name of Gearoinn Uí Chonaill, O'Connel is seen by some as a freedom fighter while other consider him nothing more then a highwayman.

He was born in Ireland but was sent out to the colonies while still a teenager for having stolen a loaf of bread to feed his starving siblings.

After the battle of Vinegar Hill (near modern day Sednir), Guereint was sent to Norfolk Island as an incorrigible. There he became somewhat of a living legend for the number of time he was flogged by the local commander. After one such punishement where he received a "slow 100"(¹) for accidently breaking a brick, the overseer took him off the rack and called him a "steelskin" for wistanding such a lashing without so much as a whimper. This nickname was to stick to him for the rest of his life.

(¹) a "slow 100" meant a lashing that was inflicted over many days with the back allowed to scab over in between sessions. this type of lashing resulted more often in infection and permanent disabilities then its quicker counterpart.

Paul "Mad" Morwin

AKA The Calgooli Cannibal, Morwin is considered to be the maddest of Bushrangers. According to one of his biographers, he was born in calgoolie at midnight on friday the 13th 1813 the illegitimate son of a prostitute and a murderer. He was aparently abandoned at the age of 3 to the care of a local illegal grog salesman and "herbalist", some say he was exchanged for 2 bottles of the good stuff. According to some accounts, his adoptive father would often test his latest batch on him first as part of what he called "quality control".

He first came to the attention of the authorities in his mid twenties after aledgedly assaulting a constable. He maintained he was simply defending himself against an overbearing officer. Nevertheless, the Judge gave him 6 years hard labour (the first 2 to be served in chains). The ship which was carrying him to norfolk island however encountered a storm en route. No one know how many survived the initial crash but when a search party found the wreck weeks later, Morwin was the only one still alive. Without tools but chained to two dead convicts, he had had to resort to gnawing at the others to free himself. It is this incident which was to give him his most commonly heard nickname of the "The Calgooli Cannibal". Despite his ordeal, he was nonetheless sent to Norfolk Island as per his original conviction.

He later escaped with another convict, one Peder Wigham whose partly eaten remains were found less then two miles from the prison. As way of an explanation, Paul later confided to a journalist he was holding up that he and Peder had fled without taking any food and all that running had made him peckish.

He spent the following years avoiding lawmen and attacking isolated farm often giving the unfortunate inhabitants what he called a "roasting" (tying them close to a roaring fire).

His luck finaly ran out when a stablehand shot him in the back as he was leaving a farm he had just rob. His last words were "why didn't he shot him in the front"

Lord Backhouse

Born in England, Lord Blackhouse was an exlorer who singlehandedly discovered artifacts and manuscripts from all over the pacific isles including a few written documents from some cultures thought to have lacked a writting system.

Due to his talent as a forger and his vast knowledge, it is believe that many museums around the world still have some of his forgery in their collection that have yet to be identified as such.

Captain Nightshade

Captain Nighshade was the leader (or leaders) of a band of robbers known as the Shadow Gang. While one man was arrested and admited to being Captain Nightshade, later crime commited by a man claiming to be him has left some mystery as to his ture identity.

Andrew Ward, the man considered by the authority to be responsible for the Shadows' crimes, was born in Cambria to a Cambrian Rite priest. He was well educated and it came as no surprises when he too decided to take up the robe.

His first assignement was to a small country town. He was well liked by all who enjoyed his gentle manners. He also soon became friend with the son of a local Clan Chief who seemed to share many of his interests. They were often seen walking together, chating about ancient greece, renaissance sculptures and the lives of famous sailors. The local female population too seemed to be well disposed toward the shy but handsome young abbot although he often said he prefered to devote himself to religion at least for the time being.

It came as a surpise then when he suddenly volunteered to go and spread the good word among the convicts of New South Cambria. No satisfying reasons were ever found by those who had studied his life but a letter written by his friend's father sent to the local priest seem to imply the later had exerted pressure on the clergy to try and remove "Ward's and his socrates-like influence" on his son.

Black Bart

The most infamous of the Riverboat Reavers which plagued the Murrum Riverine Territory.

Albert "No-Nose" Reeves

An ex-organised crime hitman turned turned entertainer. He obtained his nickname after slicing off his own nose in a bid to escape prison by way of the infirmary.

After a movie was made based on his crimes, Reeves embark on a career as a stand-up comic and later, children book author.