A sailor, also known as a seafarer,[1] is an individual who worked aboard a seagoing ship or vessel.[10] The term was also used to describe crew members for skyships.[11] The act of work aboard ships is called sailing.
History[]
Tal'Dorei[]
Sailing has a history in Tal'Dorei, as humans originally sailed to the continent from Issylra and Wildemount.[12] One particular example of this was the team of explorers who sailed from Port Damali to Tal'Dorei through the Shearing Channel that were shipwrecked upon the rocky cliffs of the Alabaster Sierras. It was these explorers, led by the de Rolo family, who would later establish Whitestone.[12] Tieflings also sailed from Issylra to Tal'Dorei during the Age of Arcanum.[13]
Trading ships set sail to and from Tal'Dorei to Issylra and Marquet from the Bladeshimmer Shoreline.[14] Off the coast of the Bladeshimmer Shoreline is Visa Isle, which has been surrounded by rumors and sailors' legends since the beginning of human civilization.[15]
In Emon's Temple District, sailors and travelers often left tokens and gifts at shrines to bless their journeys.[16]
Sailors and merchants refer to Stilben as the "Rotted Lot" for the smell and the unsavory crowd found there.[17]
Harpies along the Lucidian Coast are known to harry sailors.[18] In the Shearing Channel, a kraken mutated by the residue of Tharizdun haunts the waters, where it is described to fuse the minds and flesh of sailors to their ships.[19]
Sahuagin are referred to by sailors as "sea devils".[20]
Wildemount[]
Sailing is common along the Menagerie Coast, where the working-class sailor is the strength of the Clovis Concord[21] and sailors who speak only Common tend to incorporated words of the native Naush language into their vocabulary.[22] An important holiday on the Menagerie Coast is Wild's Grandeur, the holy day of Melora, during which the people of the Coast sail around the waters simply for the pleasure of observing the natural beauty of their surroundings.[23] On the Barren Shores is a shipwreck whose crew of smugglers and sailors was slaughtered by a vengeful spirit.
Sailors along the Menagerie Coast often reach Brokenbank, where rarer goods are shipped via merchant sailors. Sailors carrying goods overseas often attempt to shave a few goods from their cargo to make some extra money. In Brokenbank, a garrison of Zhelezo maintain peace among sailors and peddlers.[24]
Darktow was originally established as a sanctuary for sailors traveling to Wildemount from Tal'Dorei or Marquet. At around 795 P.D., a group of sailors and traders within the Clovis Concord rebelled against their government's excessive taxation of independent nautical businesses, eventually conquering Darktow and making it their headquarters.[25] The Revelry, an association of sailors and pirates active along the Menagerie Coast and Darktow Isle,[26] was born from this rebellion.[26] The Revelry is disliked among common sailors, and noteworthy sailors might even have a rival within the Revelry.[27]
The Diver's Grave is a graveyard of merrow-infested shipwrecks scattered across the floor of the Lucidian Ocean. It is said that the graveyard itself senses approaching ships and sends out storms to consume them, and at the center of the graveyard is a sea fury, Dashilla the Dreadful, who, like other sea furies, lures sailors and explorers to her lair.[28]
Sailors do business in Nicodranas. A popular inn amongst sailors in Nicodranas is The Withered Bird.[29]
Dwarves are uncommon visitors to the Menagerie Coast, as most arrive as sailors or travelers from Tal'Dorei and Marquet, Revelry pirates, or Dwendalian soldiers.[30] Aarakocra are also an uncommon sight, as they are also most often seen with sailors from the Clovis Concord or pirates from the Revelry.[31]
Sailors and pirates alike tend to take a special interest in genasi for the power to harness the elements.[32]
The ancient leviathan Uk'otoa, imprisoned beneath the Lucidian Ocean, often reaches out to sailors as possible servants,[33] such as Fjord,[34] Avantika,[5] and Vandran.[35]
Notable sailors[]
Campaign One: Vox Machina[]
Player characters[]
NPCs[]
Campaign Two: The Mighty Nein[]
Player characters[]
NPCs[]
- Orly Skiffback[4]
- Avantika[5]
- Vandran[6]
- Sabian[7]
- Gallan Westman[37]
- Adella[36] (again)
- Bouldergut[5]
- Vera[5]
- Waldok[5]
- Shelda Delles[38]
Campaign Three: Bells Hells[]
NPC[]
- Silver Sun's crew
- Xandis
- Khalil Benes
- Denalia
- Terana
- Gordi
Other[]
Behind the scenes[]
In Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, "Sailor" is one of the provided Backgrounds, which provides characters with proficiency in the Athletics and Perception skills, Navigator's tools, and water vehicles, as well as a series of sailor-themed equipment. Another feature of the background is the feature "Ship's Passage", which aids in securing passage across the seas.[10]
Two variant Sailor backgrounds also exist: "Pirate" includes the feature "Bad Reputation", which allows the character to get away with minor crimes unreported because of their fearsome reputation;[10], and "Revelry Pirate", which seem to be a combination of the Sailor and Pirate backgrounds.[39]
References[]
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of sailor Adella, by Chandra Pandhita (source). Used with permission.
