The Bone Architect

Metal plates frame the Bone Architect’s face, their rivets holding together pieces that came from different sources. She considers the visible joins part of an honest structure: each piece has a history, and each history should remain legible.

Ossuary has grown large because she adds material from the ships she breaks. Bone forms its framework, while stolen hull plates sit at angles dictated by necessity as much as design. She can name the ship behind each major addition, though the people who lost those vessels may take little comfort in being remembered.

Her stateroom is built from the bridge of the first ship she broke, and she still sleeps there. Her crew has heard her talking to the hull at night. She says the ships in it answer, and that each one tells her where it wants to be joined. She welcomes a conversation about construction, especially with someone who notices a difficult joint. A captain facing her should remember that she is already listening for theirs.