Bryn the Boatswain

Bryn the Boatswain

One of the new deckhands approached the towering blonde, “How did you get so big?”

She turned around, shifting the load of a full barrel on her shoulder, and peered down at the swabbie with a fiendish glint in her eye, “Why did you stay so small?” Then with a laugh and a hearty slap on the back, she sent the poor fellow stumbling over the railing and into the drink.

In her youth, Bryn, like most children, loved getting better at things. She loved running faster than she did the previous week. She loved skipping stones farther into the ocean than the day before. She loved getting taller than she was last year. She even loved hauling in heavier and heavier nets on Old Man Whitehawk’s fishing boat.

But Bryn was weird. You see, most children eventually stop getting better at things. They grow up, settle down, and accept that they have reached their limits. They convince themselves that they won’t get any stronger, faster, or smarter than they currently are. Bryn, on the other hand, decided that those rules didn’t apply to her.

And so far, they haven’t.

Instead, Bryn lives her life by a different rule: each day, do something better than yesterday. The fruits of her motto are obvious to anyone who meets her. Not only does she tower over nearly everyone – there hasn’t been a ship built that she didn’t hit her head on while going below decks – she’s also broader than most orcs, and has limbs as thick as tree trunks. Her ambition for self improvement doesn’t end with just her strength and size though. No single sailor on the high seas can tie a knot tighter, trim a sail fuller, or recognize a coastline more reliably – she holds that divination magic, while terribly useful, is cheating on the last trial – and it took Captain Whitehawk years to gather a crew that could keep up with her.

Bryn has looked up to her friend Captain Whitehawk ever since she met her years ago. Being ten years her elder, The Captain has always been like a big sister to Bryn. When Bryn was barely old enough, the captain (well she was just Elizabeth back then) and Old Man Whitehawk took her out aboard their fishing scow… Bryn fell in love with the sea. She had never found herself with as challenging a task as sailing a ship. The pair have been all but inseparable crewmates ever since.

Over the years Elizabeth has looked out for Bryn making sure she never got into anything too far over her head. On the other hand, Bryn has always had Elizabeth’s back when she needed it, and is one of the few crew to keep up with her wit.