Shanty

"A captain always goes down with their ship. So then why am I the only survivor?"

Beginning her life at the Churnscar Wharf, Shanty was adopted into a family of sailors and fishermen. She was named after the songs her father sang with his fellow sailors on long journeys. It would not be long before she followed her foster family to the seas, eventually becoming the captain of her own cargo vessel. She then enjoyed a lucrative shipping career, growing proud of her crew and vessel.

However, success caused Shanty to become overconfident. One seemingly balmy night, she ignored the weather forecast of a large thunderstorm in the area, holding more faith in her innate knowledge of the waters. What did those stuffy arcane dragons know about how the ocean behaved anyway? They weren't water dragons like her. They didn't have the Tidelord's blessing, nor did they have her lifetime of experience on boats.

It did not take long for Shanty to regret her decision.

The air around the ship went cold as the winds howled mercilessly. The gentle lapping waters had been churned into enormous waves. Rain was pounding heavily enough to obscure vision. Despite this, Shanty remained at the helm. She gripped the wheel with her characteristic resolve, trying to ignore the unease creeping up on her.

No amount of water magic or experience could have prepared Shanty or her crew for the lightning.

A bolt struck the crow's nest, splintering it on impact and showering the deck with flaming debris. The cargo at the time consisted of miscellaneous goods, such as crops and textiles. However, a burning wood shard fell through a crack in the deck and landed right on top of another shipment- several barrels of gunpowder for the Dustcarve Dig.

It all happened at once. The explosion, the screams, the ship beginning to sink as it took water from the newly-created hole in her hull. The deck was ablaze and thunder roared. The dragons aboard may have been able to escape if not for the blinding rain and howling winds knocking them right back into the merciless waves.

Through some cruel twist of fate, the only survivor of the tragedy would be the once-arrogant captain Shanty. Awaking on a rocky outcropping, having lost her ship, her crew, and an eye, Shanty found herself sobered with guilt.

You encountered her beside the traveling Trading Post. She rode atop the back of her familiar, a gentle bicorn whale. It almost seemed like she was a captain again...