Castaway

The self proclaimed "Sea Elf" known to the people of Saltmarsh as Castaway arrived in Saltmarsh by an unusual background but by disturbingly usual means. His earliest memories are from under the sea, living a relatively happy childhood among a "Pod" of aquatic being he refers to as The Seafolk. For most of his life Castaway lived as one of them with no idea of his true origins. He and his siblings were children and the Near Shoal to the Little Big all the way down to the Deep were their playground.

They swam and played with dolphins as playmates and rivals, pranked fishermen and taunted smaller sharks, explored shoals and reefs and caves under the depths.But everyday, he would have to go to the surface with his Mother or Father and "Be Dry" before he could rejoin his siblings. He was told it was a sickness he had.

As he got older things changed, he noticed that he looked more and more different than the other Sea Folk children in the Pod, further he was not as fast of a swimmer, he seemed to struggle with simple magic his siblings took to easily and worst of all he struggled with the gift of speaking to sea-life like they did so easily. His siblings mocked and teased him often as they began calling him their word for seal once he began growing more and more hair.

Desperate to ease his pain his Mother taught him the ways of Olhydra and the true nature of water as the very source and giver of all life.With practice and devotion and faith when he was 8 he dove down for the one and only time of his life to the Deep Dark and it was there, in the cold, black, endless void, he felt so small and alone. so vulnerable, as if he was in the mouth of a beast...and he was.

This was the day that he first heard the voice of Olhydra, Castaway was dutiful in his lessons and made his Mother proud by being able to "hear" the voice of Olhydra. She constantly reminded him that hearing that voice ensured his survival.

After that day he neither went to any depth below the Deep or had to "Be Dry' again, he also became a much faster swimmer and..he now knew a few tricks the other children did not know to help balance the scales.

But when his Pod would encounter other breeds of seafolk these beings often viewed Castaway with either pity or askance..and sometimes suspicion especially those from the Dark to downright hostility, the one time they met emissaries from the Deep Dark

As Castaway approached adulthood, he finally confronted the elders of the Pod and asked them "Why am i like this?" "Why am I different?" "Can we fix what is wrong with me?". The Elders deliberated and finally concluded that it was time...long past time.Castaway knew that his parents quarreled often and he felt usually about him being "different".

Castaway's parents took him to a small rocky islet on which lay the ruins of a wrecked Sidhe-Praxen vessel. Castaway had no memories of ever seeing this before but somehow felt a growing dread as they climbed into the ruin. They showed him the remains and artifacts of the long dead travelers, at least what was left of them by the gulls, crabs and sea lice over the many, many years much longer it seemed than Castaway had been alive.

His mother explained that many, many years ago this ship or "Wood bubble" from the Little Big Shoal on it's way to the Big Shoal was caught in a hurricane on the Little Big and crashed on this islet or"Little Little". Of all of the Elves and other half elves present only one small child, maybe 3-4 years old in age survived. That child was Castaway.

His parents had recently lost younglings to an attack by the most hated enemy of all breeds of seafolk The Devils, the only beings undeserving of Olhydra. for they only take from life but give nothing back. After the hurricane when they climbed up to the Little Little to explore the wreck for anything useful, they found a child and in their grief they used their gifts to allow this child to breathe underwater for 24 hours at a time and took him back with them to the feywild sea.

He was not Seafolk. He was not pod. This was not his place and his place was on the Big Shoal, that is where his real pod was headed. They told him the pod was leaving the waters of the Little Big and headed out far away to the Big Big likely never to return.

When Castaway begged them to allow him to stay with them, they warned that where they were going he was not fast enough to keep up. That the Big Big was too dangerous for him and that it was time for him to go be among his own people and find his place in the world. They shared a loving and tearful farewell and in that reminded him that Olhydra is also in our tears and departed, while Castaway used the few useful materials from the wrecked ship to build a raft on course for the mainland.

Off to find a place in the world where he belonged.....

...Soon after he was taken prisoner almost immediately by the smuggling crew of the vessel named Tempesta's Wrath.It was there where Castaway not only received his name, as his name in Aquan is very difficult to pronounce but also met new allies in Elegravain, who has a publisher. Starling and her podmate Khroe. Together, they were forced into being slaves rowing the boat for this crew of smugglers and pirates. These four banded together once docked at what they would learn is the Alexian city of Saltmarsh and overtook and killed their captors. Now, this group while not Castaway's pod are allies as they seek their fortunes in Saltmarsh.

Currently, Castaway has been using his gifts to aid the fishermen of Saltmarsh. He soon plans on mapping the local shoal complex which he thinks could aid the entire town fishing and maritime trade position on the whole. He hopes that in doing this he will be accepted by this community as his new megapod.

Castaway and his new ally-pod recently visited a small island near Saltmarsh with a pair of Standing Stones where they learned that local legends are true about a spirit of a "seafolk" being in the stones after being sacrificed in the distant past. This siren song not only can effect the land breathers but plays a role in drawing the fish to this are as well.

Castaway is debating what is the correct course of action here under the tenants of Olhydra.

Castaway is of average height for a Half Elf, with a lean build of compact muscle. He has piecing blue/green eyes, which turn black when he is casting and long shaggy black hair and a long unkempt shaggy beard. His pale skin has a blueish green tint, to some. When in normal dress, his wears ragged robes and a bright red sash he took from the dead body of the Captain of Tempesta's Wrath.

He can normally be found by day either near the docks salvaging items that have fallen overboard during loading and unloading of boats.

Or he can be found out with one of the fishing boats, pointing them towards fish, untangling their nets, retrieving lost nets, warning about navigation hazards

Or by pointing out to crab and lobster catchers where are the actual best places to put down their traps.

By night he can consistently be found at the The Snapping Line tavern enjoying the local beverage of Claw Wine made from fermented potatoes and lobster.