Sailor Superstitions

With the Wilds being as unpredictable as they are, sailors the world over have become some of the most superstitious people one could ever meet. The following are some commonly held superstitions: 
* A crew with no women is a crew doomed to sink. A crew with no men is a crew doomed to maroon. Always sail with both.
* Cats see things we often can't. Keep a cat on-board for every sail a vessel catches wind with.
* It's terrible luck to sail an unnamed ship, and far, far worse to change a ship's name once one has been given to it.
* Spirits of the sea, klabauter, are attracted to ships. They take up residence within the wood, rope, and cloth of the craft, becoming its soul. If ever a sailor sees the spirit of their ship, it is an omen of death. For a sea spirit will never be visible to mortals unless its home is about to be destroyed. The type of spirit that is attracted depends on how the crew treats their boat:
** Trickster spirits will come to those that treat boats badly, forever dooming them to misfortune when they sail.
** Spirits of sorrow and loss come to those ships that never get named, and to those ships that have been long abandoned and forgotten.
** Benign spirits come to those that love their ship and treat her well. These spirits are said to raise the alarm and wake the crew when there's a fire on-board, fix up what things they can repair with a wooden mallet, and guide the boat's rudder in rough seas.
** Metal ships, such as goblin junkers, can't house klabauter.
Category:Misc. Stories