character name: Silver Mare
gender & pronouns: afab nonbinary she/they
birthplace: mediterranean sea
length of time in port vale: 6 months
occupation: tattoo artist
Silver was born to a small pod. They were already struggling for survival when she came about. The elders that were supposed to take care of the young had died due to humans overfishing and poisoning the waters. Despite tradition saying that she was to stay with the pod till she matured, she was cast out at a young age. The pod just couldn’t support another mouth and their ‘birth’ had been accidental. No one had been expecting another siren.
She blamed the humans for her misfortune. The mermaids moreso with their established territory and not a care in the world. Both of them needed to learn that sirens were not to be messed with. Silver wandered for a while, slowly and quietly building a small army of vengeful sirens. Those who weren’t satisfied with their life on the fringes, constantly fighting for survival. They only returned home to claim the title of captain, taking a broken silver bracelet as her token of change.
She is 60 when she leads an attack on the mermaids. Their newfound pod is as brutal and vicious as the worst of sharks. They turn the waters red with the initial win. Silver never meant to start a war or to aid one. She just wanted to make a stand, a point that they couldn’t be bossed around by the mermaids. When things get bloody and difficult because her single battle didn’t win them everything promised, some of her pod leave. When she loses other battles, others turn on her, blaming her for the deaths of their kin.
Despite the failure, her title is kept much to some sirens dismay. They all want the same thing as her and that helps keep her on top. All the battles she fought were ruthless and violent with few survivors if any on both sides. Some rumors say Silver is still in the ocean hunting down mermaids. Her reputation helps her keep her title regardless of the fact that sirens start taking their frustration out on her.
Silver flees to land, lacerated in scars. Half of her dorsal fin is now missing and damage to her vocal cords make it hurt to talk. She still sings to get what she wants sometimes.
Silver misses the ocean dearly. She hates that she’s been forced to don human legs because now there are those of both species that would wish her dead. Her pod remains loyal to her, but she can feel that loyalty wavering. They still sneak off to the water whenever they can. They dislike life on land. Silver feels weak in Port Vale though even the humans watch her warily. She’s trying to dissuade their curiosity and suspicion as much as they can while they try to come up with a plan to fix things.
Silver is far less proud and confident than she used to be. She’s grown cleverer, but warier. They no longer jump into things as they once did. Jumping into things is what almost got them killed. They blame themself for the war, for all the deaths and harm that’s come to all in the sea. She’s desperate to prove herself worthy again. She needs to fix things. Silver is constantly on edge after some of her pod turned on her, after the mermaids fought back. They half expect to be killed on land by a mermaid or human.
Silver still wants what she wanted before the war. A place to belong, to be safe. Now she doubts if anywhere is safe for anyone. At night whenever she can, they swim patrol around the port. They don’t know what killed that human or what’s killing sirens and mermaids, but maybe if they find out they can kill it and she’ll be welcomed back. Silver wants back permanently in the ocean by any means necessary, even if it puts her own life at risk. Maybe the mermaids are right that it’s the sirens’ fault. Maybe the same thing that created the sirens created the danger. She doesn’t really know what she believes right now except that it’s her fault.
