Zou Nym-Shoɾon, Sky Pirate (nim ʃoɾon)

Captain Zou Nym-Shoɾon - nee Skypainter

"I'm sorry, maybe I never made myself clear. If you wanted to be left alone now, you ought to have paid then. That's how a contract works. You can't change your mind after it's been taken off the table."

— Zou Nym-Shoɾon

Zou Nym-Shoɾon was a Moon Velsen sky pirate captain in the late Third Course. Accompanied by her crew, the Black Feathers, she terrorized House Pluma outposts and ran protection rackets across the Sea of Air.

Born ϕylc Skypainter, Nym-Shoɾon was the child of nobility associated with House Pluma. Her mother, Syla Skypainter, was a Houseward member who served several terms as a member of the Thirty. Her father, Showu Skypainter, arose to leadership of the city Seinmeige-sur-Mer during Nym-Shoɾon's early childhood.

Nym-Shoɾon practically grew up in one of the floating manor houses scattered around House Pluma's territory. The house was shared by herself, her mother, a small number of minor House Pluma leadership, appropriate staffing, and Nym-Shoɾon's younger brother, Tselecwyn Skypainter.

In 920 3C, during Nym-Shoɾon's teenage years, her home was attacked by a band of sky pirates. The identities of these pirates and the name they sailed under are unknown, as Nym-Shoɾon would later take it upon herself to destroy all information about them.

In the pirates' attack, Nym-Shoɾon's mother was killed alongside the rest of the nobility. She and her brother escaped death by hiding in a secret room behind a tapestry, but were caught by the pirates when they emerged. They were offered a deal: service to the pirate band in exchange for their lives.

Nym-Shoɾon and her brother accepted the deal and were imprisoned on the pirates' ship. The two of them were put to work completing menial tasks of ship maintenance and the like, as they planned an escape.

On the night of their escape, Nym-Shoɾon and her brother attempted to steal a small skiff and use it to escape across the sand. They were captured before they could do so, and Tselecwyn was executed in front of Nym-Shoɾon.

In the years after, Nym-Shoɾon was, for all appearances, broken and docile. She never made another attempt at escape or even spoke aloud, and would complete any task asked of her, including the killing of further targets and execution of hostages. Eventually, the crew grew trusting enough of her that she was allowed to wander the ship freely.

It was then that Nym-Shoɾon revealed her true colors. She had long been winning the trust of crewmates who disagreed with the current captain's violent ways, and lead a mutiny that ended up killing nearly all the crew save for a few members of Nym-Shoɾon's band. The remaining crew named one of their own as new captain and Nym-Shoɾon as second mate. Nym-Shoɾon claimed her new name then, and her crew gave her the Volatil honorific Nou.

For the following years, the new crew grew in number. Nym-Shoɾon eventually ascended to the position of first mate, and gained notoriety in both the circles of pirates and of those who feared them. She was an oddity among sky pirates for her lack of wings, but with her crew's assistance she was just as competent as her Volatil crewmates.

Once the ship had returned to its former glory and Nym-Shoɾon was firmly placed within the ranks, she lead another mutiny. This time, her goal was to eliminate all members of the original pirate crew, alongside anyone who objected. In the end, the ship's crew was left gutted once more, and the now-named Zou Nym-Shoɾon assumed the position of captain, rechristening her band the Black Feathers.

With Nym-Shoɾon in charge, the pirates' activities changed slightly. They targeted House Pluma outposts less often, and leveraged threat more than force in such assaults. In addition, Nym-Shoɾon began to run a protection racket across the Sea of Air, offering to keep House Pluma safe from sky pirates—including her own band.

At this time Nym-Shoɾon began her campaign to wipe out all record of the pirates who had kidnapped her and her brother. Such attempts were largely successful, and she succeeded in destroying the knowledge of the band's identity.

In 939 3C, Nym-Shoɾon was killed by a House Corvus member in her attempt to break into the Library of the Seventh Crow via one of their lesser libraries and destroy the final record of her enemies. It is unknown whether she succeeded before her death, and only House Corvus retains that information. The Skypainter family died with her father in 952 3C.

Professions

• Sky Piracy

Date of Birth

904 3C

Date of Death

939 3C

Pronouns

she/her

Gender

Female

Eyes

Crystal blue with black sclera

Hair

Black, loose curls

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Slate grey