The Mourner

Small bones hang from the Mourner’s dark veil. Some belong to those who taught her the burial rites; others were given by families who asked her to remember someone lost far from home. She keeps the two kinds on separate strings and explains the difference only to someone who asks.

Every ship she destroys receives a funeral. The practice began when an enemy crew died beyond the reach of their own people, and the Mourner could not bear to leave them without a rite. Over time, the ceremony became an obligation she imposes upon herself, even when the dead were trying to kill her.

Requiem carries stolen plates and a growing record of names. She will accept corrections from survivors and offers them a chance to speak. That courtesy does not make her harmless. She can grieve an opponent sincerely while remaining convinced that the battle was necessary.