Here is a second batch of adventurers, this one hailing from the nations in and around the Sea of Dread.
Crew of the Red Tide
by John CalvinTaking the name of their ship as their own, the crew of the Red Tide, led by Red Elyssa, roams the Sea of Dread looking for adventure and opportunity. All of them have cause to hate and fear Adhuza, the major power of the area, and they actively seek ways to torment that nation on every occasion.
Captain Elyssa Naihr “aka Red Elyssa” CG Human (Corsair) Swashbuckler
Elyssa Naihr is an attractive woman in her late twenties. The bright red locks around her face are always tightly braided, but the rest she lets hang in loose curls that fall well beneath her shoulders. Elyssa’s eyes are as blue as a summer storm at sea, and just as dangerous. She dresses in linens and silks (when she can find them), favoring clothing dyed in reds and yellows, and accented with stark patches of white and black. Beneath a short cape always kept draped over her right side, Elyssa hides her right hand from casual observers. The hand is light green in color,larger than normal, and scaly - grafted onto her body after she lost her own hand in a bloody battle.
Born on the Corsair Isles, Elyssa Naihr traces her ancestry all the way back to the Dawn Lands. Generations ago, her forefathers were taken from their lands and sold into slavery in Mogreth. She would have been borne into such a fate if her grandparents had not participated in the Slave Revolt a hundred years ago. Instead she grew up in relative freedom, though she always fought hard to improve her station. Elyssa signed on as a seahand at a very early age and fought her way to the captaincy of the Red Tide by the time she was 24.
Elyssa hired Herrindal as an interim stormtamer after her own was lost in a battle with the Adhuzan navy. The two quickly became lovers and Herrindal has stayed by her side ever since. She met Mahohl in much the same way, although in that case her fortunes were dire indeed. Mahohl saved her life and replaced her lost hand with one from a fallen enemy. The two talk often, though Elyssa finds Mahohl to be distant and mysterious. Krriljruk she tolerates because of his many talents, but does not trust. Too many times has she fought shark-kin shock troops under the command of Adhuza.
Herrindal NG Elf Stormtamer
Tall, for an elf, and pale of skin, Herrindal sports a long mane of blue gray hair and a thin, neatly trimmed beard and moustache. Shells, bone, and shards of metal strewn in long lines dangle from every piece of clothing that he wears, from his tunic and breaches to the hooded cloak that constantly covers his head. Herrindal’s slightest movement sends a chiming symphony through the air, and the elf rarely moves without making it a flourish.
Nearly 200 years ago, Herrindal’s family made the decision to leave their homeland of Vulcania, joining the Second Separatists. Since that time, Herrindal has been travelling back and forth between his people and his homeland, ensuring that the colonists were well supplied in their long travels. 100 years ago Vulcania was destroyed in cataclysmic volcanic eruptions, after which Herrindal and his people joined with Ilsundals’ First Migration. The bulk of the elves now lives on the Savage Coast, but Herrindal journeys through the Sea of Dread seeking the lost elven tribes and acting as a forerunner for his people. His skills at taming the seas are highly prized both by his own people and the other sea faring nations in the region.
Herrindal has known Krriljruk since he rescued the adolescent right after his village was destroyed. Since then he has kept an eye on the shark-kin, feeling somewhat responsible for the Adhuzan retribution unleashed upon his family and friends. Red Elyssa is a useful ally, as well as an enjoyable companion, though the elf feels few lasting emotions for the woman. Mohohl is the person that Herrindal is most interested in, and he has actively been trying to establish formal relations between his people and hers for several years.
Krriljruk, the Last Aukuk CN Shark-kin Enforcer
Green-blue scales with the texture of rough sand cover Krriljruk’s entire body, and his sharp toothy grin set below jet black eyes have a way of setting folk on edge. Krriljruk wears little more than a loincloth, though he often slings a bone shield and trident across his back. The right side of his body is covered in green and purple tattoos, while the left side is marred by scarred slash marks - each representing one of his dead kin.
When he was an adolescent, Krriljruk’s tribe, the Aukuk, made a deal with a group of elven merchants, granting them safe passage through the Dragon’s Teeth reefs and allowing them to enter unmolested into the Sea of Dread. Once the Adhuzan priesthood learned of this deal, his entire village was wiped out. Krriljruk was the only survivor, lucky enough to escape by climbing aboard an elven ship racing away from the carnage. Since then he has roamed the Sea of Dread espousing his hatred for the unjust god of Adhuza and inciting others to oppose him.
Krriljruk has known Herrindal for a long as he can remember, and while grateful to the elf for rescuing him, the shark-kin bears some deep seated resentment towards his friend, still blaming Herrindal for the devastation of his village. He admires Mahohl, seeing in the Maker another kindred spirit set against the will of Adhuza. Captain Elyssa fills a much needed role of authority for Krriljruk, and he is totally devoted to her.
Mahohl LN Maker Fleshcrafter
Though vaguely human shaped, it is easy to see at first glance that Mahohl is nothing of the sort. Most of her features are thin and elongated, and her skin takes on a light blue tint. Her lack of hair accentuates other facial features; large nose, elongated ears, and saucer like eyes. Plane cut robes made of strange materials in blue and white cover her gangly frame and other than her head the only portion of her body to be seen are her spindly fingers. The jewelry Mahohl wears is sleek and form fitting with the few embedded jewels often glowing with a faint inner light.
Somewhat of an enigma to outsiders, Mohohl left the Refuge of the Makers several decades ago to explore the Known World for herself. Since then she has studied in Himnem with the Radiomancers of the Gate of Light, been employed by some of the wealthiest houses in Isshum as a birthing cave attendant, has even journeyed deep into the frozen lands of the interior to trade secrets with the troll queens of Grondheim. In all her journeys she has only been unwelcome in the lands of Adhuza, where the ruler priests look upon her with fear and disgust.
After healing a serious wound for Captain Elyssa, Mahohl decided to join her crew. Although she still desires to travel the world, Mahohl appreciates the closeness to her own home that serving aboard the Red Tide affords her. The elf, Herrindal, she sees as a schemer and keeps him at arms length, however she has taken quite a liking to the shark-kin, Krriljruk. Although often savage, she sees a great potential in him and his people and is determined to study him further.