Cresseid Cortassi

Cresseid Cortassi is a white artist and pirate in the employ of The Maldian on the Fair Wind.

Born to a family of smugglers in the Shards, she began hearing voices as a child, voices that told her things that would happen and secrets others meant to keep from her. For some time she kept the source of her knowledge a secret, but when she was 12, a guest in her family's home figured her out and told her parents. They advertised her abilities as fortune telling, and as she accrued local fame her family became quite wealthy off of her; but she found no joy in her new profession. When she was sixteen, the Fair Wind docked in her town to resupply, and the Maldian, having heard rumours of her, came to have his fortune told; but Cresseid saw in his eyes her own future instead, and convinced him to hire her.

Seven years later, Cresseid is a competent white artist who uses her abilities to foretell dangers to the Fair Wind, stake out enemy ships, and craft illusions to keep her crew safe. She is sharp-witted and has a biting, sarcastic sense of humour that can sometimes come off as mean-spirited (especially when she's tired). She also becomes attached to people easily and doesn't take loss or betrayal well - she's been known to go below decks and sulk for days on end when shipmates leave the crew. She is also deeply loyal and very adventurous; while many of her crewmates are mostly in the piracy business for the money, she left a more luxurious life to pursue it.

She is short and thin, with a youthful, round face that makes some people mistake her for a child; light blonde hair worn in a loose braid; and large, grey-green eyes. She usually wears a short, baggy greenish-white dress over shorts, knitted armwarmers that look pretty grimy, leather cuffs, and lots of earrings.

One of her voices told her about Orarch naming conventions, and having been inspired, she styles herself Cresseid, High Tides and Sea Glass, Crow Feathers Get Stuck in Woven Sails. Unfortunately, no one she knows takes this name seriously, and most of her shipmates just refer to her as Cress. Anyone who calls her Cortassi will find themselves regretting it.