Connor Tempest

Connor Tempest is the protagonist in the Vampirates series. After Dexter Tempest's death, himself and his sister, Grace, leave their small home of Crescent Moon Bay and are shipwrecked in a sudden storm.

Appearance
Connor has a lean build, but is muscular. Like his sister, he inherited auburn hair and green eyes from his mother.

The clothes he wears are hand-me-downs from his good friend, Bartholomew Pearce.

Personality
Despite not being nearly as smart as his sister, Connor is a quick learner. He is also quite adaptive, being described as mastering nearly every sport that he's played. Although he insists his sister is the brave one, Connor has shown he can be quite courageous, too. Despite his willingness to act in the face of danger, Connor has two main fears: heights and gore. Even just the description of blood can make him queasy, at first.

Connor is a lot less open-minded than his sister but he is open to heavy influence from her. He can be blind to the flaws of those close to him, even overlooking them completely. Like his sister, he can be extremely hopeful, refusing to give up looking for her when the pair are separated, even with everyone around him saying she's dead.

Background
Raised in Crescent Moon Bay alongside his sister by Dexter Tempest, Grace and Connor grew up in the town's lighthouse. The pair of twins were especially close and both were seen as misfits in their small town. Dexter encouraged both Grace and Connor to live life as they pleased and to grow into themselves as individuals. Ever since they were children, he would sing them the Vampirate Sea Shanty in order to calm them down whenever they were upset.

After Dexter's death, Grace and Connor were left penniless. They were given two options: to resign themselves to living in the Crescent Moon Bay orphanage or live under the restrictive bank manager, Lachlan Busby and his wife. Not wanting either, the twins decide to take their chances and leave town on Dexter's small boat Lousiana Lady. After a terrible and sudden storm, the twins were separated and the boat sunk. Connor was rescued by Cheng Li and brought aboard The Diablo. Connor quickly accustoms himself to the life of a pirate, despite missing his sister. Deemed a "pirate prodigy" after protecting Captain Molucco Wrathe from an assassination attempt, he begins taking sword-fighting lessons from "Cutlass" Cate Morgan, which he excels in.

Abilities
Connor is very athletic and said to be gifted when it comes to numerous sports, including sword-fighting. He is considered by many of his crew-mates (including the unshakable Cheng Li) to be a natural-born pirate.

Relationships
Cheng Li: Connor and Cheng Li's relationship is complicated. Due to Cheng Li having rescued Connor, Connor feels a sense of loyalty and gratitude towards her which allows him to see past her bitter disposition while on The Diablo. The two manage to have a mutual respect for one another's skills, particulalry when it comes to sword-fighting. While at the Pirate Academy, Cheng Li and Connor's relationship turns into a teacher-student relationship, which later turns sour upon Cheng Li's betrayal.

Bart Pearce: Upon first arriving to The Diablo, Bart gives Connor his bunk and some of his clothes, much to Connor's awe. The two only grow closer as Bart shows Connor the basics of life aboard the ship. Throughout the story, Bart offers Connor the support he needs to grow used to his new way of life.

Jez Stukeley: Jez was a very popular member of the crew aboard The Diablo and naturally got along with Connor. The two often play-dueled each other, and along with Bart were nicknamed "The Three Buccaneers", based on how tight-knit they were. Connor takes Jez's death hard, and begins to question everything he thought he felt and knew about life as a pirate.

Trivia

 * The name "Connor" has multiple meanings, it can mean "strong-willed" or "hound-lover"
 * His surname "Tempest" is a word which means "a violent windy storm"
 * Connor tends to have trouble understanding longer words, such as "foreclosed"