The Maldian

**The Maldian,** known to his crew as **Mal**, is the captain of the pirate ship *Fair Wind,* and an infamous smuggler and pirate who operates around the Shards. He is Karthik, and of humble origin; "Maldian" means "of the weaver" in the Karthik language, denoting a weaver's lower level apprentice. Vicious rumours of him abound, but he is also known for being popular with his crew and fair in his punishments.

## Characteristics

Mal has long, dark red hair and warm, brown skin. He wears mostly simple clothing: a cheap linen shirt, grey pants that are rather large on him, faded leather boots and a baggy old jacket that looks like it belonged to a Thalsoim naval officer. The little flourishes in his outfits are the most revealing, though: his belts are made of delicately woven, intricately dyed fabrics of the best quality; his leather cuffs are embossed in beautiful detail; and each of his rings was stolen from a different noble. Under his jacket, a small holster hangs from his belt that holds one or two books - this was custom-designed for him, and is one of his favorite possessions.

Some who have heard stories of Mal's exploits are surprised to find that in person he is soft-spoken, quiet and polite. He is strikingly tall and well-built, but carries himself with a confidence and warmth that makes him approachable rather than intimidating. He is known for being genuine and straight-forward in conversation but unrelenting in negotiation; he takes his promises and responsibilities seriously, holds grudges deeply, and will protect his crew at all costs. He is well-known by librarians in cities all over the Shards as an intellectual who returns his borrowed books on-time. Rumour has it he keeps a loom in his cabin and weaves on quiet days, but the products of such a hobby are never seen off of his ship.

## History

Mal was born in a small seaside village in Karthis, the first of two children to a young mother and absentee father. His mother cleaned houses and washed fabrics, and it was through this job that she found Mal an apprenticeship with the local weaver. Unfortunately, Mal had no real skill in weaving, and by the time he was 12 it was clear his mentor would never allow him to graduate. Meanwhile, his younger sister was having trouble finding an apprenticeship. When the *Fair Wind,* captained by Holden Crawford, docked in his village's modest port, Mal found himself a solution: he would sell himself into service of the ship and use the money to barter with his mentor so that his sister might take his place as his apprentice.

Mal found himself much better suited to piracy than he'd been to weaving, and in only eight years rose the ranks from a lowly deckhand to quartermaster. The *Fair Wind* occasionally took on passengers, and one of these taught Mal how to read; he became a voracious reader, stealing books whenever he could find them on raids and soon becoming a regular at local libraries throughout Shield.

When Mal was 21, he met Emeric - then Lord Argent - at the docks in La Vieille, and they quickly became involved. By that time, Mal had grown disillusioned with Captain Crawford, who was infamous among pirates for his near-tyrannical rule, but apparently popular among the nobility, who made only cursory attempts to capture him. Though Mal had the votes to depose Crawford, he feared reprisal from those in power in La Vieille if he were to do so openly. He offered Emeric a deal: help him make Crawford's death look like an accident, and he would smuggle the young noble from the city. Crawford died when a boat he was on burst into flames off the cost of La Vieille; his lover, a lesser noble named Magdalene, died in the fire as well.

Mal quickly proved himself as captain, and with Emeric's help conducted a number of successful raids on nobles in coastal areas throughout Shield. Emeric served as the *Fair Wind*'s red artist until the *Fair Wind* encountered a civilian Thalsoim vessel bound for La Vieille carrying the names and death warrants of the whole crew (Emeric excepted). Mal decided to sink the ship and kill everyone on board to delay the Thalsoim - including the civilians, some of them children. Emeric argued publicly with him to save the civilians, and their argument nearly came to blows; he eventually convinced him to maroon the civilians on a deserted island instead. Though Mal came to agree that this was the right choice, he could not allow Emeric to remain aboard having disobeyed him in such a way, and so he left him at the next port. Privately, he deeply regrets this choice and misses Emeric's company.

In the years after parting ways with Emeric, Mal has become one of the most famed pirates in the Shards. Recently, unsatisfied with merely being a well-known pirate captain, he has begun consolidating his power and making alliances with other captains with the goal of developing a coalition of pirates to settle disputes, ensure safety and longevity for crew members, and advocate for the citizens of Lamplight in the political sphere.