Seneca finds the gods distasteful, and searches for his own meaning in life. He trained to be a diplomat in his youth, and excelled. But, he wasn't satisfied, left feeling like a lowly pawn in a larger game. He didn't know how he wanted to live, but decided to travel in search of a better way.
While securing passage across a landlocked sea, he fell in with a pirate crew, and became close with the captain. The life of a pirate captain, to Seneca, represented absolute control over your own fate, an admirable enough cause. That pirate captain, who went by the name of Captain Aurelius, took Seneca on as a kind of apprentice.
Aurelius trained the boy to shoot a crossbow, to care for his hawk, Hank, and given his diplomatic background, to represent him in negotiations and parleys.
They pirated together for a decade like that, going from master and apprentice to capable partners. They were successful, and became big fish in a small pond.
Unfortunately, the life of a pirate captain is not without its risks. One fateful afternoon, Captain Aurelius was struck down by a blast from a spellcaster on another ship. The battle was won nonetheless by a precise shot from Seneca's crossbow, but the damage had been done. The whole crew mourned the captain's death.
Seneca suddenly found himself the captain of a ship. He took his late partner's name and cares for his hawk, and became Captain Seneca Aurelius.
But the life of a pirate had lost its luster. Old dissatisfaction took root. He had become autonomous, but he would never make a name for himself as a small time pirate on a small sea. His name had meaning to all of a dozen people. He wanted more.
It was then that Seneca heard of the portal. A portal to a New World. A world with no pirates, kings, or legendary adventurers. The firsts were yet to be.
Captain Seneca Aurelius knew this was his chance to become legend, but for what he did not yet know.