Kristalin (prime)

Kristalin Kaije, known to few outside her family by anything but “Kris,” grew up surrounded by gleaming coin, endless blue sea, and more brothers than any one should have to endure. Born the tenth child and only daughter of the powerful Kaije shipping dynasty of River’s Rest, Kristalin’s world was one of polished silver, rare gems, and carefully concealed secrets.

While her nine boisterous brothers competed for glory at sea and brought home artifacts “of unclear provenance,” Kristalin was gently pushed to the sidelines—never cruelly, just… overlooked. Timid and soft-spoken, she was encouraged to entertain herself, often sent to the cliff’s edge with the vague command to “sing to the sea, little songbird.” And so she did.

Alone with the tide, Kristalin discovered her voice—not just the delicate, ethereal one that could silence storms, but the bard’s voice inside her: playful, witty, and bold in ways she herself was too shy to be. Her ballads could make sailors cry, but her sea ditties and tavern tunes, always filled with clever twists and comedic flair, could send whole crews into laughing fits. No one in her family really noticed.

Kristalin adored everything blue—lapis, aquamarine, sapphire, even cheap glass beads if the hue was right—and had an almost childlike obsession with dragons, despite knowing full well they didn’t exist. To her, the world was still full of magic and mystery, and every new discovery was a marvel. She wore jewelry like armor—gifts from her brothers, treasures from her father's vault, or trinkets she bartered for just because they sparkled.

But innocence does not mean naivety. When she discovered her family’s reluctance to let her join the fleet had less to do with her safety and more to do with the shadows their wealth cast, Kristalin made a choice. She would write her own adventure. She remembered Dalyan LaTray—the rogue with bloodied knuckles and a silver tongue, the one Kristalin had helped flee the law with the gift of a stolen sloop and an open heart. If anyone would give her a place to start, it was Daly.

And Daly did.

Now aboard The Madness under the ever-chaotic command of Admiral Pixie, Kristalin serves as a Swashbuckler and Ship’s Cook. She rarely speaks in casual conversation—her shyness still holds—but when she sings, the crew listens. Her voice lifts the morale of hardened pirates, fills their minds with courage, and gives laughter to the weary. She spins stories between courses of seared fish and sauteed meats, wields her iron skillet like a dagger when cornered, and hums lullabies to the ship when storms roll in.

The crew says Kristalin might be shy, but she’s the heart of The Madness.