- "Borya was a Pirate Lord. An experienced captain."
- ―Robert Greene
Boris Palachnik (Russian: Борис Палачник), also known as Borya, was a Russian pirate during the Age of Piracy. Despite his short stature, he was feared and respected by all of his fellow pirates as captain of assorted sloops, all named Koldunya, and the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea. However, despite being an experienced captain and one of the most successful pirates of his time, his greed knew no boundaries, so he and his men engaged in rogue piracy and started slaughtering captured crews of merchant ships so they could keep their vessels and sell them, openly violating the Pirate Code. Organizing a fleet of rogue pirate ships, Borya became the scourge of the Seven Seas, until his luck ran out when he knowingly targeted and sank the Cobra, a pirate ship of Hector Barbossa, who considered Borya a friend. A few months later, at Shipwreck Cove, Barbossa and the young pirate Jack Sparrow exposed the Russian rogue pirate's actions to the Brethren Court, and Borya and his men were all sentenced to hang. They managed to escape with the help of another rogue pirate, Christophe-Julien de Rapièr, and became outlaws in the eyes of the Brethren. Despite the danger from both the authorities and his former pirate colleagues, Borya remained in the Caribbean for the next five years, continuing with his fiendish activities. Upon learning about the whereabouts of Jack Sparrow, now a merchant seaman under the employ of the East India Trading Company as captain of the Wicked Wench, Borya started a hunt to exact revenge on his old nemesis.
Biography[]
Pirate Lord[]
- "Borya? Can't be! I've known him for years! I've gambled with him, gotten drunk with him more times than I can count. He wouldn't...would he? Damn me for a simpleton. The little butcher always did love gold. The soulless little blackguard."
- ―Hector Barbossa on Borya
Little is known of Boris "Borya" Palachnik's life other than he was a Russian who went "on the account" by engaging in piracy. As a captain of a ship, usually sloops, he named them all Koldunya, which means "Witch" in Russian. At some time in the past, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea passed one of the Nine Pieces of Eight to Borya Palachnik, who became a Pirate Lord himself. Over the years, Borya became well-known and respected by all who lived in Shipwreck Cove, notably Edward Teague, the Pirate Lord of Madagascar as well as Keeper of the Code, and young Jack Sparrow, who spent time with the Russian pirate aboard his assorted Koldunyas, picking up pocket money by doing chores. Seeing how good a sailor Jack was, even at his young age, Borya predicted that Jack would one day become a Pirate Lord himself. Borya also met Hector Barbossa, who he gambled and got drunk with as good friends for years.
Rogue pirate[]
The flag that Boris "Borya" Palachnik flew as he engaged in rogue piracy.
- "That's Koldunya—means 'witch' in Russian—and she belongs to Boris Palachnik, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea. Borya's our rogue pirate captain."
- ―Jack Sparrow to Esmeralda
At some point during his career, Borya became the leader of the gang of rogue pirates that violated the Pirate Code. The Russian rogue pirate eventually assembled a fleet with seven pirate captains under his command, the French pirate Christophe-Julien de Rapièr among them. The crews of merchant ships they attacked were always slaughtered after the fight. Only a few men on the attacked ships managed to escape death by playing dead. The rogues butchered even the crews which surrendered without fight. Borya's fleet soon began to spread their attacks on all the oceans of the world. The rogue attacks soon forced the navies of European countries to escort merchant convoys.
About one year after the start of his rogue activities, Borya's sloop encountered Hector Barbossa's schooner, the Cobra, in the waters north of Bermuda. The Cobra was heavily laden with ivory, after the successful attack on the French barque. The crew of the Cobra raised Barbossa's black pirate flag, to which Borya's crew responded by raising their red pirate colors. Though the Pirate Code called for all pirates to respect each other, Borya's greed for booty prevailed, and he ordered his men to open fire on the Cobra. The battle between the two pirate ships lasted until sundown, and ended with the sinking of the Cobra. Borya's men killed all the survivors they could find in the water, to leave no witnesses. But they didn't know that Barbossa and the few of his man managed to escape from the battlefield in the boat under the cover of the night.
Shipwreck Cove[]
Meeting of the Brethren[]
- "Monsters, not men, da? Such evil deserves only death from us, Captain Teague."
- ―Borya to Edward Teague
Two months later, the Koldunya docked in Shipwreck Cove, where Borya participated in a meeting with other contemporary pirates—Don Rafael, Dona Esmeralda, Edward Teague, Mistress Ching, Eduardo Villanueva, and Jack Sparrow. At the Great Chamber of the Brethren Court, the pirate captains at the meeting expressed their dismay over the occurrences of rogue pirates attacking peaceful merchant ships, for the fear of war on piracy being declared by the colonial powers of Europe.
To Borya's surprise, Captain Hector Barbossa also appeared on the meeting, where he told the story of his own encounter with the rogues. Pretending to be a loyal pirate, Borya proposed to go hunt the rogue vessel with the Koldunya, but Jack Sparrow noticed that there were too many attacks for only one ship to be causing them all. The Pirate Lords agreed to find the rogues and deal with them once and for all.
A suspect[]
- "He is the one. He has sent me many dead for more than a year now. He commands others. There are seven captains under his command, and they all send me souls. Mercy is something they know not. Their ships bring only death."
- ―Davy Jones on Borya
A few months later, one of Barbossa's men, One Tooth Tommy, saw Borya in Shipwreck City, and recognized him as the captain of the sloop that sank the Cobra. Though he didn't know who Borya really was, Tommy talked about his encounter with Jack Sparrow. The same night, Tommy was drowned by Christophe-Julien de Rapièr, one of Borya's rogue captains, who wanted to silence a dangerous witness. Tommy's death alarmed Jack, who started to search for the rogue sloop in Shipwreck Cove. Together with Esmeralda, Jack rowed around the harbor, until he saw the Koldunya having Indian brass bow chaser, the cannon that was the first to open fire on the Cobra, and suspected Borya to be the rogue pirate captain.
Jack told of his suspicions to Barbossa, who recognized the Koldunya as the ship that sank the Cobra, calling Borya a "son of Hades" as well as a "soulless little blackguard." Captain Teague and Don Rafael joined them on the docks, and they agreed to search Borya's ship. They didn't find the Indian bow chaser on Borya's ship, but Teague decided to call for an official court of inquiry. In the Great Chamber, all the witnesses told their stories, but there was not enough evidences against Borya, and Teague decided to summon Davy Jones, the Lord of the sea. Jones knew everything that happened in his watery kingdoms, and the Brethren Court spoke a magic call that brought Jones onboard the Troubadour, Teague's ship. When asked about Borya's guilt, Jones recognized him as the leader of the rogue pirates, saying that he and his men sent many souls to the sea bottom without mercy.
Imprisoned[]
- "Seems that when Cap'n Teague's men took our condemned friend Borya down t' the dungeons to question him, the little coward sang like a songbird—before they could even heat up the irons or ready the rack! Gave up his confederates and disclosed where and when they're supposed t'gather to divide up their swag. 'Tis some little island, east nor'east of Cuba."
- ―Hector Barbossa to Jack Sparrow
Borya and his whole crew were quickly imprisoned in the dungeons of Shipwreck City. They were all sentenced by Captain Teague to hang. For unknown reasons, Borya gave his jailers the names of all rogue captains under his command. Thanks to the information, Christophe-Julien de Rapièr was captured while he was trying to flee from the island. The French pirate and his crew were also sentenced to hang.
A day before the execution, Barbossa visited Borya in a prison, where Borya apologized for the destruction of Barbossa's ship. Borya even gave him his most precious token, his Piece of Eight, the sign of pirate lordship, thus making Barbossa the next Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, though Barbossa didn't know the meaning of the Piece of Eight at that time. Borya even offered to give the Koldunya to Barbossa as a payment for the loss of the Cobra.
The same night, Jack Sparrow, who believed that Christophe was innocent, helped him and his crew to escape from their cells, but Christophe's guilt was proved a moment later, when he freed Borya and his crew too. The rogues escaped to their ships, leaving Shipwreck Cove forever.
Search for revenge[]
- "Borya offered to pay anyone who could report the whereabouts of a certain Captain Jack Sparrow, a merchant captain who was sailing an East Indiaman for the East India Trading Company."
- ―Esmeralda to Jack Sparrow
For the next five years, Borya continued with rogue piracy, and he remained in the Caribbean, though he was now an outlaw in the eyes of the Brethren Court. He also wanted to exact revenge on Jack Sparrow, whom he blamed for the downfall of his organization. Upon learning that Sparrow became a merchant seaman pursuing a legitimate career for the East India Trading Company, now a merchant captain of an East Indiaman, Wicked Wench, Borya offered to pay anyone who could report the whereabouts. At some point, Borya discovered that Sparrow was back in the Caribbean, so he sailed to one of the most-used routes on the Triangle, to wait for Sparrow's ship.
Last battle[]
- "We've got a rogue pirate closing in on us, and he's made his intention to attack us clear. The rogue pirates are the ones that give no quarter, savvy? That means they take no prisoners. If they capture us, we're all dead."
- ―Jack Sparrow to Amenirdis, Tarek, and Shabako
While she was cruising in the Bahamas, Borya Palachnik and the Koldunya encountered Jack Sparrow and the Wicked Wench. After the long chase, the both ships grounded in the shallow waters. But the ships remained in good positions to fire at each other, and they exchanged many broadsides, inflicting heavy casualties among the crews. The victory ultimately came to Sparrow's side, when Amenirdis, a Zerzuran princess onboard the Wench, used her magic to blow up Borya's powder magazine. All the rogues onboard the Koldunya died in the explosion, Borya among them.
Legacy[]
Hector Barbossa (pictured) became the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea after Borya gave him one of the Nine Pieces of Eight.
- "Oh, yes, but the last one is the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea. Ever heard of it? No, of course not, because it's an absolutely useless sea. I mean, it's completely landlocked. Really just a big lake. So whoever he is, he's not much of a pirate threat, eh? Sailing from one side to the other, going: 'I wonder where all the other pirates are!' Ha-ha!"
- ―Jack Sparrow
After his death, Boris "Borya" Palachnik was remembered as a rogue pirate, but his legacy as a Pirate Lord lived on. When Borya passed his Piece of Eight to Hector Barbossa,[1][2] Barbossa took on the mantle of Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea and kept possession of it for many years.[4] Barbossa had the title when he became the first mate aboard the Black Pearl,[4][5] formerly the EITC merchant vessel Wicked Wench,[2] though it was believed that Barbossa led a mutiny against Jack before becoming a Pirate Lord.[4] At some point during his captaincy of the Pearl, Barbossa handed his Piece of Eight to Ragetti for safekeeping until its destruction following the Fourth Brethren Court.[6] Despite this, Hector Barbossa still held the title of the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea until sacrificed himself for his daughter Carina.[7]
Personality and traits[]
- "He was the only man Captain de Rapièr ever feared."
- ―Robert Greene
Boris "Borya" Palachnik was an experienced pirate captain who was known to be ruthless, skilled, and feared, a trait that was belied by his thin, unassuming appearance. Like all pirates, he had a particular lust for wealth, especially that stolen from others, however, his greed was such that he saw fit to steal even from other pirates through rogue piracy, an act forbidden by the Code and punishable by death though he did not seem discouraged by this at all. Loyalty and brotherhood meant little to him if there was nothing he could gain from it, and he was perfectly willing to put up a facade of camaraderie even as he plotted against those who considered him a close friend.
Despite this, there were signs that he had some form or loyalty or brotherhood with a select few. This was demonstrated by his confession and apology to Hector Barbossa when he passed a small block of wood, revealed to be one of the Nine Piece of Eight, to him. Despite his association with Christophe-Julien de Rapièr, a French pirate who also engaged in rogue piracy, Borya was considered the only man de Rapièr feared.
Equipment and skills[]
- "You say Borya is evil rogue pirate because he has Bermuda-rigged sloop, da? Hah! How many Bermuda-rigged sloops in this world, I ask you? Hundreds...maybe thousands, Captain Teague, Keeper of Code. You know this. So do I."
- ―Borya to Edward Teague
Boris Palachnik was a small, scrawny man with a thin, weather-beaten face. In his short coat, shapeless hat, felt boots, and with thick-lensed spectacles hanging from on a ribbon around his neck, he was a strange figure. Nevertheless, Borya was as much a true pirate as any of his more imposing brethren. Over the course of his career, he captained several ships, prefering sleek, powerful sloops, and all of them were named Koldunya, meaning "Witch" in Russian.
Palachnik possessed a unique piece of eight, as did all of the Pirate Lords. His piece was a small block of wood.
Behind the scenes[]
- "At some time in the past, the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea passed his Piece of Eight to Barbossa."
- ―From the "Pirates Secrets Revealed" pamphlet
Boris "Borya" Palachnik was first mentioned, albeit indirectly, as the then-unnamed Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea who passed his Piece of Eight to Hector Barbossa, revealed either by the "Pirates Secrets Revealed" pamphlet or during the "Inside the Brethren Court" special feature originally included in the DVD release for the 2007 film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[1][4] The character made his first appearance, identified by name, in A. C. Crispin's novel The Price of Freedom, published in May 2011.[2]
While unconfirmed, Palachnik's custom of giving all of his ships the same name is a possible reference to Bartholomew Roberts who named four of his ships the Royal Fortune.[citation needed]
Appearances[]
- The Price of Freedom (First appearance) (First identified as Boris "Borya" Palachnik)
Sources[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Pirates Secrets Revealed" (First described)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Inside the Brethren Court" (Indirect mention only)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Pirates Secrets Revealed"
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 The Price of Freedom
- ↑ Although there is no official date of Boris Palachnik's death, the timeline established in the film series and its tie-in materials sets the events of The Price of Freedom circa 1715.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: "Inside the Brethren Court"
- ↑ Legends of the Brethren Court: Wild Waters
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
- ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
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