| “ | While La Peste and his minions continue to plague the region, the Compagnie Royale has dispatched their forces to neutralize the growing pirate threat. The Hubac Twins are brutal enforcers sent by the Compagnie to put us down like dogs. Once songbirds for the French crown, their deadly chorus now threatens to drown out all resistance. They have come to see all pirates hang, including your pretty head, Captain. The Helm can coordinate all rogues against this new threat. But it will be up to you to push them back. If we do not, there will be more than profits at risk. The Compagnie will stake their claim in the region. Prove your prowess against the Twins and their Chorus fleet. Still, their song, and show them why the pirates of the Indian Ocean will not be silenced. |
„ |
| ~ Yanita Nara |
At the start of Season 2 of Skull and bones, the Indian Ocean is set on the precipice. In response a pair of veteran pirate hunters (and former opera singers), Armand and Bertrand Hubac, have been sent to the Indian Ocean alongside the Compagnie Royale to eradicate the Helm and the growing pirate threat.
Commanding their Chorus Fleet, these flamboyant yet deadly twins are not to be underestimated. Meanwhile rumors circulate of sea-monsters and a monstrous Elite French Warship, Soleil Royal, along with a lingering plague and poison resurface along with sightings of a deadly new weapon, as La Peste and his Plaguebringers still stir.
Background[]
| “ | The Compagnie remains hellbent on clearing out the Indian Ocean of pirates and seizing its riches. They've dispatched the Hubac Twins to get it done, by any means necessary. The sword and spear of the Compagnie are gaining enough ground to have my employer concerned. I'm sure you'll agree they must be stopped, before we all end up with our noses far up French arses. |
„ |
| ~ William Blackwood |
Armand and Bertrand Hubac; twin brothers and infamous pirate hunters, The Sword and Spear of the Compagnie Royale however this wasn't always so. In the gilded opera houses of Europe, there lived a pair of songbirds who captivated all with their spellbinding melodious duets. Both brothers consumed by fame, living lavishly, but always constantly craving more. But fame is fleeting. When a rising talent entered the royal court, their song reached a chilling crescendo.
In a fit of passion, envy, and hot-headed jealousy, the hot-headed Armand in full view of the Royal Court -- including the the King -- silenced the rival singer, penning their own fate in blood. As punishment, they were banished and sent to serve under the Compagnie Royale's banner. The twins vowed to spill pirate blood until their dues were paid, spreading their deadly song from sea to shore. Eventually however King Louis, dispatched them to the Indian Ocean with the task of quelling the growing influence of the Helm and its pirates. It wasn’t long before the Twins orchestrated their Chorus of Havoc, becoming haunting legends, serenading ships before sealing their doom.
Whilst the Hubac brothers may be twins, they also couldn’t be more unlike if they tried. Armand is known as the more aggressive and prouder of the two. He is also the older of the two, often feeling protective of his twin. He sails aboard the black-sailed frigate The Black Aria. Bertrand on the other hand, is seen as the more diplomatic, logical and cunning of the siblings; trying to plan ahead and solve problems through dialogue and deals. He sails aboard the white-sailed frigate The White Aria.
Bertrand Hubac fought as part of the Verse of Remorse contract where he has been seizing assets and targeting locations in the Red Isle. Armand Hubac meanwhile is faced as part of the Verse of Vengeance contract where he has been dispatched by the Compagnie to reaffirm their more direct supremacy in the Indian Ocean.
A final bid for freedom?[]
After being exiled to the Indian Ocean, the Twins found themselves approached by a powerful, secretive organization deep within the European smuggling underworld, who were themselves looking for allies and found that their goals and the twins aligned. Whilst the details of this organization are unknown, they clearly have quite some power and influence if they are able to call on such tarnished stars, though the twins themselves don't like them.
In any case, the Hubac twins play the part of loyal Compagnie agents by day, but under the cover of night, they can be found plotting, seeking ways to sever their chains to the King and the shadowy European underworld which now holds both their fates. Because of this, they hunt for Freeman’s Treasure as they believe it is their only chance to rewrite their destinies and to sing once more for their souls.
Ever the cunning individual, it should come as no surprise that Bertrand attempts to make deals with pirates across the Indian Ocean. Bertrand holds a firm belief that such deals will get them closer to the destruction of the Helm and their goal of Freeman’s Treasure. He even attempts to make a deal with the pirate protagonist, until his more firebrand brother intervenes...
The Shadow Sonata[]
| “ | Of all the missives sent to pyrates who matched me cannon for cannon, you are the first to respond, Capitaine. | „ |
| ~ Bertrand Hubac -- The Shadow Sonata Parlay |
Eventually Bertrand Hubac starts sending missives to various pirates who've managed to match him cannon for cannon, asking for parley. The player pirate would be the one to respond first, meeting Bertrand at the twins base within Fort Louis. There Bertrand reveals that he knows about the helm and how that they've been sending the rising kingpin after him, before mocking how the Helm offers the pirates freedom and power, yet metaphorically yank a chain around their neck.
He then asks why the captain risks his life "for a few of their paltry trinkets", with the captain either denying by saying that nobody directs their sails but them or that it was better to be a rogue then a Compagnie dog. In the former case Bertrand remarks that they and the pirate are not so different as they both crave the same freedom, before hinting that the helm hides treasure more powerful and vast than what the kingpin can imagine.
Bertrand then states that he and his brother have no quarrel with ordinary rogues, only the helm and their friends. The lone twin then asks the "Capitaine" to join them, offering to spare their burgeoning pirate empire from the wrath of the Compagnie Royale and the Chorus fleet, leaving them to pick up the pieces once the Helm was destroyed.
To prove that the helm was scheming behind the Kingpin's back, Bertrand shows the captain a missive from one Helm sister to the other, apparently boasting about using their treasure to influence all rogues in the Indian Ocean.
Enraged by your loyalty to the Helm, Armand Hubac has set his sights on destroying everything.
However before Bertrand can show the captain the letter's contents, Armand bursts in and interrupts the meeting, saying that whilst parlay with the Plague King was one thing; trusting the captain was another. Although Bertrand tries to convince his brother to see reason -- explaining that to cripple the Helm they must lure powerful agents from their side (exposing their weaknesses and revealing the location of their treasure).
However Armand is unconvinced, his officers having reported that the captain had already gained a high rank within the helm and was unlikely to bite the hand that lined their pockets with Pieces of Eight. Realizing that the captain was of no use to them, Bertrand gives up and dispenses with the pleasantries, telling the captain to go to hell before storming out of the room with his brother. The captain then leaves, returning to Sainte-Anne to speak to Yanita about the revelation of a treasure within the Helm, which she denies, claiming it to be a trick by Bertrand to turn them to their side.
A post on the skull and bones twitter would reveal this treasure to be none other that the fortune of Uricko Freeman, which was taken from the Dutch Galleon Schaduw, likely thinking that it could get them out of their predicament.
The Final Act[]
| “ | "Here, the Chorus Fleet sings it's opera for the last time!" | „ |
| ~ Asnah Yatim -- Chorus of Havoc |
After a season of battling the Chorus Fleet, rumors circulate that the Hubac Twins are planning their final act; an attack at the heart of pirate operations in the Red Isle, Sainte-Anne, or to be more specific the Helm’s sanctum there.
| “ | "You had your chance, Capitaine (Captain). Now feel our wrath!" "Enough stalling, brother! Let's blast them with our song!" |
„ |
| ~ Bertrand and Armand Hubac -- Chorus of Havoc |
The Compagnie's sword and spear were at the height of their strength, but before they could reach their grand crescendo and bring the helm to it's knees, the twins were defeated one last time by the Rogue Pirates of the Indian Ocean. With their advance halted, their fleet in ruins and their silenced their song, one last time...
Archive entries[]
Twitter[]
| “ | The winds are changing Captain. Do you truly believe you’re on the right side? After all, does it really matter who offers the bone when all you’re after is wealth and power? | „ |
| ~ Bertrand Hubac -- Skull and Bones twitter post |
| “ | We know you pyrate. You crave the freedom to shape your future. But alas, all you do for the Helm is dust their doorstep. And I believed you were smart. They hide so much and scheme against you. Yet you do not look for the truth. | „ |
| ~ Bertrand Hubac -- Skull and Bones twitter post |
| “ | We’re more alike than you think, pyrate. A chance to write our own stories, sing our own songs. We all do what we must to free ourselves. | „ |
| ~ Bertrand Hubac -- Skull and Bones twitter post |
| “ | It seems there is more to the Hubac twins. Rumblings they’re after Freeman’s treasure 👀 As if it could get them out of their predicament. Maybe there is something more to this treasure 🤔 | „ |
| ~ Skull and Bones twitter post |
Chorus Captain's Missive[]
Parley with the Hubac twins[]
Trivia[]
Prior to the release of season 2, the Skull and Bones twitter would make several posts in the character of Armand and Bertrand Hubac directly addressed to the player. Bertrand in particular (addressed as B) would try to sow doubt about the Helm and attempt to get the player to switch sides. Whether these posts are a hint of something to come has yet to be seen.
Gallery[]
