Captain Joseph Lorune
Joseph Lorune was the pampered son of Lydia and Woodrow Lorune. Lydia and Woodrow were adventurers who had amassed a fortune before settling down and starting a family. They retired to live a quiet, relaxing life. Lydia, a warrior with a keen mind for strategy, invested funds in a few businesses around Korvosa. Woodrow, a wizard, kept tabs on those investments. Together they expanded on their fortune and hoped to pass it along to their children.
Joseph was the firstborn, followed by his sister Vionne. The children sat at night and listened to stories of their parents' escapades. Vionne knew she would grow up to be an adventurer like her parents. Joseph was content to read stories and pretend to slay dragons. As they grew older, it became clear that Joseph was more interested in spending the family fortune and enjoying the finer things in life. Vionne trained with her parents and left Korvosa as a magus. Joseph waved as she left, then returned to the wine cellar. His parents were not impressed.
From the Nest to the Ocean
Joseph was summoned before his parents the morning after another party at the family estate. They believed that Joseph was not only spoiled but the boy was soft. His sister was out in the world, risking her life while she earned her fortune. Joseph was becoming a laughing stock around Korvosa, and his parents would no longer allow their son to ruin his reputation and the family name.
Joseph was shocked. Just because he hadn't grabbed some dirty armour and ran out to stab things didn't mean he was soft. And a laughing stock? Him? He was Joseph Lorune, respected and beloved by all in Korvosa! His parents were fools, and he would show them!
That very afternoon, Joseph stormed to the pier and bought his ship - the Mighty Maiden (because it sounded tough). He had always wanted to sail the oceans, fight pirates, and see the world. So he made himself Captain, paid the crew well, and prepared for adventure. Instead, he ran the same trade routes to keep his crew happy and paid. First Mate Serena, an experienced sailor and the de-facto captain, made up for Joseph's lack of experience. Second mate Ungur handled much of the business aspect regarding contracts with ports. Bosun Nirman managed the crew while serving as a technician to the mechanical rowing construct Piko.
Captain Joseph Lorune quickly realized that he needed the crew because they were experienced and capable fighters. Pirates boarded his ship once, but the crew (and Piko) dispatched them. He had several other brushes with what could be considered "adventure" and "danger," but the crew managed to keep him alive. The crew remained with the Captain because he always paid them, and Serena kept him from getting them into too much trouble. To his credit, while being incapable of navigating the ocean, Captain Joseph Lorune could navigate the bureaucrats and noblemen that tried to shackle them in red tape.
The Well Runs Dry
After a difficult and stormy trip to Magnimar, Joseph visited the Church of Abadar to retrieve coin from the family account. His request was denied. Shocked, Joseph demanded a mage to send word to his parents. Woodrow teleported and appeared before his son. He explained that Joseph was out of control and the free ride was over. He would only be allowed back in the family's good graces when he proved himself capable, much like his sister had. She, not Joseph, would take over the family business and Joseph would be disowned.
Joseph explained that he had been the captain of a ship! He'd fought pirates! Woodrow told his son that he knew what the crew had done, and what Joseph had not. He was a coward and a disgrace. Woodrow then disappeared, leaving Joseph alone.
A coward? Joseph Lorune was many things, but a coward was not one of them! He would prove that to his father, his crew, everyone! But how?
The answer was obvious. He would become an adventurer. Not just an adventurer, but one even greater than his sister! He began frequenting taverns known to be the gathering place of adventurers. He questioned them and asked about his sister Vionne. Had they heard of her? What were some of the things she had done? What were her achievements, so that he could surpass them? The sellswords he offered coin to, had no shortage of achievements Vionne had done. Some may have been exaggerating, or just making random things up. Joseph took it all as gospel, and soon his To-Do list was complete!
A New Chapter
Before partaking on his next adventure, Captain Joseph Lorune needed to make some serious money. Luckily, a man claiming to be an awakened azlanti named Alduin hired him to retrieve some personal items near the ruins of Old Azlant. Serena was cautious, but the azlanti paid them in platinum bars, all the incentive they needed.
After spending weeks with the azlanti, his presence seemed to affect the crew and the Captain was not pleased with it. Alduin was tall, handsome, physically imposing, and had bold confidence that quickly won over the crew. Despite Alduin assuring Lorune that the Captain was just that, the crew seemed to look to Alduin for guidance.
One night, after Alduin had successfully retrieved his hidden cache of strange magical items and valuable gems from somewhere deep beneath the ocean, the azlanti hosted a celebration for the captain and the crew. They opened the cork on many recently discovered bottles of azlanti wine and spirits, which turned out to be borderline toxic. Alduin's superior constitution helped him fend off the adverse effects, but the rest of the crew became staggeringly drunk. Far too deep in his cup, Captain Lorune confessed to Alduin his desire to become a great adventurer but admitted he didn't know what skills he needed.
Alduin smiled, something rare for him, and claimed he could help. He took Lorune back to his quarters, something Alduin had never allowed before. He presented the captain with one of the items he had retrieved from his cache. It was a crystal of some sort, shaped like an egg. Barely able to stand, Captain Lorune tried to eat the egg. Alduin kept him from choking and told him to look at it. Lorune watched the crystal for several long moments. The room began to spin, and just before he lost consciousness, Joseph Lorune thought he saw something inside the crystal move. The Captain then fell unconscious.
From the Sea to the Land
Captain Joseph Lorune woke the next morning to an unfortunate and unbelievable sight. His ship was parked on the side of the Lost Coast Road, and the azlanti was gone along with most of the crew of the Mighty Maiden.
Lorune, embracing the opportunity and the "blessing" he had received from the azlanti, had Nirman reprogram Piko to begin converting the ship to an Inn. He would use it as a base of operations where he could commence his adventuring career and begin taking things off his To-Do list. The few remaining sailors decided that the tavern life was not for them and gladly fled and joined other ships. But Serena, Ungur, and Nirman remained with Captain Joseph Lorune.
The Mighty Maiden was born!
A Maiden in the Arena
Captain Joseph Lorune’s ever-growing “To-Do” list—his personal guide to becoming a legendary adventurer like his sister Vionne—contained many daunting feats, most of which he had only heard about in rumors or tavern tales. One such task, scribbled in ornate ink beneath “Steal from a dragon’s hoard” and “Survive a haunted crypt,” was simple in wording but grand in implication: Compete in a combat tournament of some kind.
Upon hearing of the Champion’s Games in the famed city-state of Tymon—an annual event of martial spectacle said to be the grandest in years—Lorune saw an opportunity to check another box. He emptied the Inn’s coffers and unearthed every gem and bauble he had squirreled away. With that treasure, Bosun Nirman undertook the ambitious task of converting their ship’s construct, Piko, into a fully-enclosed suit of power armor designed to be worn by the Captain himself. Christened *The Mighty Maiden,* the construct would become both armor and weapon in Joseph’s hands.
Leaving First Mate Serena behind to watch over the Maid-Inn, Lorune traveled to Tymon with Second Mate Ungur and Bosun Nirman. The trio assured Serena they would surrender on the Captain’s behalf if his life was in jeopardy.
In the tournament’s first round, four teams entered the fray: the brutal Gravediggers, the coordinated Chuko’s Ravens, the elusive Night Owls, and Lorune’s solo entry, The Mighty Maiden. Despite his inexperience, Lorune managed to defeat the Night Owls in a dramatic clash and lent unexpected aid to Chuko’s Ravens in toppling the Gravediggers. The Ravens, shrewd tacticians that they were, allowed the Maiden to absorb most of the battle’s punishment. Once the Gravediggers fell, the exhausted and dented suit of armor that was Lorune surrendered immediately.
True to form, Captain Joseph Lorune considered the venture a smashing success. He had entered a combat tournament, fought opponents, and most importantly, lived. With great satisfaction, he scratched another line off his adventurer’s list.
From Ashes to Arcana
After the spectacles in Tymon, Captain Joseph Lorune returned to the Mighty Maid-Inn only to find his coffers as empty as his resolve was full. The homecoming was far from celebratory; the Captain arrived to find the Inn’s facade charred and the interior in disarray. First Mate Serena recounted a harrowing tale of a bandit raid; while she had managed to drive the brigands back, the villains had ignited a fire that nearly claimed the converted ship. The structure had only been spared thanks to the timely intervention of the Crownless Company, an adventuring guild that happened to be in the vicinity.
While assisting with the grueling task of clearing debris and tilling the scorched earth for repairs, Lorune’s shovel struck something hard and crystalline. Buried beneath the grime was the egg-shaped gem—the strange Azlanti artifact gifted to him by Alduin months prior.
The bandits, emboldened by their previous assault, returned under the cover of night. As Serena drew her steel to defend their home, Lorune felt a sudden, violent surge of heat radiating from his pocket. To the shock of his crew and himself, mystical bolts of energy erupted from his fingertips, striking the lead bandits with lethal precision. Two raiders fell instantly, and the rest fled into the dark. Suspecting the source of this newfound power lay within the Azlanti egg, Lorune realized his path to surpassing his sister Vionne had taken a turn toward the arcane.
The Riddleport Guild
Determined to master the power within the crystal, Lorune traveled to the Cypher Lodge in Riddleport to seek an academic evaluation. While in the city, he paid a visit to the Crownless Company’s Riddleport Hall to offer his formal gratitude for the salvation of his Inn. There, he met Designated Master Maren Duskhollow, who, seeing potential (or perhaps the glint of family gold), offered Lorune official membership within the guild.
Lorune was assigned to a veteran band of adventurers known as the Vanguard Six. The group was led by Captain Ares Thorne, a rigid military commander whose title and authority Lorune took as a personal challenge. Throughout their missions, Lorune attempted to assert himself as the natural leader of the party, only to be consistently dismissed by Thorne and the other seasoned members.
In a characteristic display of bravado, Lorune began appearing on the battlefield in a full suit of heavy plate armor, often utilizing a floating disk spell to hover inches above the ground—ensuring he was physically taller than Captain Thorne during briefings. Despite the internal friction, Lorune’s participation in the Vanguard Six’s exploits allowed him to accrue significant gold and a growing reputation within the guild.
The Mighty Maiden Supreme
The final piece of Lorune's ascent came through an unexpected connection to his past. Reinmar the Shipwright, a former apprentice to Lorune’s own Bosun Nirman, approached the Captain with a revolutionary theory. Reinmar believed that if the Azlanti egg could be properly infused with magical energy, its latent power could generate enough lift to negate gravity itself.
Investing his hard-earned adventuring spoils into the project, Lorune purchased a sturdy barge to serve as a testbed. Under Reinmar's technical guidance and Lorune’s own burgeoning magical channeling, the experiment was a resounding success. The barge didn't just float on water; it ascended into the clouds.
With the egg integrated into the vessel's core, Captain Joseph Lorune reclaimed his title in the most literal sense possible. He took to the skies as the master of the world’s newest aerial wonder: The Mighty Maiden Supreme.
