Sister Vale

Sister Vale learned her hymns in a community that sang for the dead when no body could be brought home. The melodies gave mourners something to follow through an absence, and Vale came to believe that a voice could hold a scattered gathering together.

Aboard Pale Hymn, her singing has acquired a more troubling reach. During an engagement, the hymn spreads through the space between ships, and instruments aboard her opponents falter in time with its phrases. Vale first noticed the effect when a pursuer lost her trail; she has since learned to use it deliberately.

Her pale face and dark veil give little away while she sings. She is thoughtful with those who ask for a memorial and guarded with those who want to turn every song into a weapon. Vale knows a hymn can guide or disorient. She chooses which purpose it serves, and she remembers the people caught listening.