(My appologies to everyone in the game. With the chaos at the end of last game, I assumed things that I found out were not to be the case, so I am rewriting Marlenus' story to fit what is really going on.)
Marlenus came from a seafaring family, his father the captain of a small fishing boat and his mother a well organized ship hand who knew every part and every job one would need to keep a sea vessle afloat. He worked on his father's ship from the moment he could walk, and for the first few decades of his life the ocean was all he knew. His father was a bold man, always willing to take the risk if it could put him ahead, but eventually his luck ran out. His father decided to go out into the deeper sea one afternoon in hopes of neeting a larger bounty of fish when a feirce storm moved in. His father did all he could to save his family and his livelihood, but the high winds and pelting rain proved to be too much for the small boat, and by the next morning all that remained of it was the splintered peices that had not yet sunk to the ocean floor. Marlenus, the only survivior, clung to a shard of wood that still drifted for several days until he was noticed by a large warship filled with Dragonborn. Though he was a human, they saved him from a watery demise and brought him back to health. Once Marlenus was able to get back on his feet he began helping out as best he could, be it swabbing decks, making sure knots were tight on the sails, or just offering a quick bit of youthful wit to keep morale up. The Dragonborn commander realized Marlenus had potential, and when they arrived back at the City With No Name, he requested that Marlenus be trained in the military and allowed to work on his ship. Having no real life to go back to, and not knowing how to do much else, Marlenus happily took the job offered to him, and thus his many years of service to the Dragonborn began.
As the years passed, Marlenus proved to be a great asset to the Dragonborn Navy, and while many of his crew mates did not see him as an equal, being but a lowly human, his skill and insight brought him recognition and eventually promotions, until at last he was captain of his own warship. He faced many battles on the sea and was seen as a fearless leader, never backing down and never worried for his personal safety. He would never leave a Dragonborn comerade to the enemy, and if you were his enemy he would chase you to the ends of the world to eliminate you. Because of this, he was granted a title few, if any, humans recieved in the service of the Dragonborn Navy. The rank of Admiral was bestowed upon him, and he did all in his power to see that the ones who had come to his rescue would never regret what they offered him.
Marlenus retired from the Navy after twenty years of service, taking the small fortune he had amassed over the years to buy himself his own ship, desiring to see everything the world had to offer him before his body decided to retire on him. He hired himself a crew from the port where he purchased his ship and, together with his closest companion, a messneger pidgeon named Mr. Fiddles that he recieved while in service of the Dragonborn to send messages from ship to ship, he set sail for the horizon, eager to find exotic ports of call.
On his second docking he wished to explore a few local legends. Donning his armor and a few items he thought necessary for the venture, he spent a day and a half in blissful exploration...though the legend he had hoped to find was little more than old tales passed around by salty dogs full of rum and ale. Humored by this, he returned to the docks, planning on hunting down a mythical treasure that he learned of after parting with a small bit of gold. However, when he got to the docks his ship could not be found. Frantically he questioned the locals on the docks about it, and learned that the crew set sail a few hours after he left. Everything he owned, including what was left of the fortune he had accrued, had gone with the ship. Over the next few weeks he went through a myriad of emotions. First anger, then depression, then a cold hatred and desire for vengance and the retrevial of his ship. He used his emotions to his advantage, striking out at bands of goblins and other foe, each kill making him thirst for the blood of his former crew which he learned were part of a theives guild from the port he hired them in. Hundreds of miles seperated him from that damned city, but it would do little to stop a man who spent his life hunting his foe. But the many battles had their toll, and eventually he had to stop at a town to repair his armor that was begining to fall apart on him.
It was in a town he found to be nearly destroyed that he made the aquaintence of a blacksmith. She was tall, powerful, and more amorous than he had ever seen in a human female. It was also in this town that he met a man who would call to him, speaking strangely about how he was different than normal people. It was something about a birthmark he had. Far rom his goal and not having much better to do, he followed the stranger into an underground laboratory where he met several others. There was in particular a female elf who reeked of booze that he poked fun of while he waited. He also secretly wondered what kind of underware she had. He had a thing for soft, frilly items. Not that anyone would know this of course. He did know elves had good taste in undergarments, and with her being as drunk as she always was, he was determined to find out what she had.
Later that evening the town erupted in chaos. A dragon had come into town and began ravaging it, destroying buildings until it was run off by a town hero. The group he was with chased the dragon out of town, and desiring some companionship he followed, only to find that the dragon was really one of his Dragonborn companions. Their journey led them to a rift that had recently appeared, and the group...at least most of them, camped out by it for the night. It was that evening that he was confirmed on a thought he had. Female elves do have delightful undergarments.
Great beasts appeared out of the rift...I knew we would need aid, so I send my trusted companion, Mr. Fiddles, out to find the female blacksmith that I was strangely finding attractive. No matter what we tried, nothing could stop the flow of tri-fanged beasts that spawned from the rift. Our ally, Jet, pounded them again and again, destroying them as best he could, even when an ally or two had to take some punishment for it. We all knew the cost when battle was at hand, and I was more than happy to to take a bit of pain to see what needed to be done was done.
Eventually we did defeat the feinds, including the primodial construct,. Had it not been for Arius guiding us to get the primodial on the portal to close it, the battle would have been everlasting. The blacksmith came to our aid, but my trusted and beloved companion and honor bound leader decieved her with his appearance, and she saw him as the enemy. I was too far away and too new to the situation to interviene, and she was far too powerful for my liege. The primordial fell, and just after so did my charge. My liege was slain. Worse yet, the female I found attractive was now the focus of my party's rage. Try as I might, my delicious blacksmith was slaughtered, and in a way too grusome to describe. Her hand in mine I watched her eyes glaze over...and then she was gone.
The rest of the night was a blur. The two I most associated with were gone. An airship landed and I, along with the one known as Brood, and Jet and the drunk elf, boarded the airship, but I was the odd man out and was tossed from the airship without a second thought. ME! Removed from a ship? How insulting. Did they not know I was a great admiral who had faced insurmountable odds and had come out victorious?
The elf girl saw my sorrow, and threw me some alcohol to ease my pain. It was the first true act of kindness I had seen with this group I found myself involved with. While I felt her a waste of potential, she did have some value. And when I looked at her companions, especially the one known as Jet, I had a gut feeling that I would have to repay her act with an act of valor of my own. While she seemed to have an affinity with the strange man known as Brood, the look in Jet's eyes unnerved me. As the airship flew away, I knew I would be put in the position of taking sides. Jet looked at her like one would a lover...or a pet. This was not good. If I was special because of my mark, then so was she. So was everyone else involved.
The airship set course towards a place known as the Oracle. The others looked to the same horizion, and much as I had many unanswered questions, I awaited their direction, blade and honor focused on the task at hand. Gods be damned, I now knew I was a part of something far beyond just myself. A focused breath held, I strode forth with my companions, eager to see what awaited me in lands I was completely unfamiliar with.

Very nice - I foresee Marlenus to be a LOT of fun!

Yeah...as long as he doesn't get squished again! Heh heh.