Captain Malista Tinmaw

Iron Queen of the Sko-Vo

 

That one? She ain't just some river rat with a fancy title. Malista's got the Sko-Vo's toxic waters runnin' through her veins, an' more secrets than the Whispering Depths packed in that steel trap she calls a mind.

— Slazgar Two-Eyes

    A goblin born in the shadows of Grizburg's East Forges, Malista Tinmaw learned early that survival meant mastering both steam and steel. Her mother, a metallurgist for House Brinkburn, disappeared into the foundry fires when Malista was just six, leaving her to navigate the industrial warren's cruel hierarchies alone. By twelve, she was running messages through the forge-masters, learning the secret paths through steam and smoke that would later serve her in darker enterprises than simple smuggling.     The Rustleech came into her possession through a bloody game of chance in her twentieth year—a high-stakes round of Dead Man's Draw with three senior captains of the River Guild. When accusations of cheating erupted, only Malista walked away from the ensuing carnage, the barge's deed clutched in her crimson-stained fingers. What the dying captains never learned was that her mechanical arm, already inscribed with its first crude arcane runes, had given her sight beyond mortal perception into the cards' true nature.  

Watch how she handles that monster of a vessel - like a lover and a weapon both. The Rustleech ain't just a barge, it's an extension of her will. I've seen her navigate channels that would gut any other ship, laughing as the toxic waters splash against the hull.

— Kurgan Weinrich

  Under her command, the Rustleech transformed from a simple cargo hauler into a legend of the poisoned waterways. The vessel's distinctive silhouette—bristling with hidden weapon ports and twin Brinkburn alchemical engines—became both feared and sought after by those with dangerous cargo to move between Grizburg and the southern coasts. Her iron-reinforced hull bears three decks of mysteries: the command deck where her mechanical arm's runes pulse with nervous energy during treacherous passages, the cargo deck with its reinforced holds and experimental armory, and the engine deck where arcane furnaces burn with more than conventional fuel.  

The Crew of Shadows

  Malista's first encounter with Slazgar came during the infamous Crimson Spring, when a Reclaimer attack nearly destroyed both their operations. Their unlikely alliance in that blood-soaked season forged a partnership that would reshape river trade for decades, though neither speaks openly of what pact was sealed in gore and goblin blood that night.   The Iron Queen commands a crew whose loyalty runs deeper than mere coin. First Mate Ghurak "Ironjaw"—a half-orc whose mechanical jaw clicks with metallic precision when he speaks—leads morning drills that often become deadly earnest when passengers like Sherman volunteer for sparring demonstrations. Navigator Esra "Star-Eyes" charts their course through pale, glowing orbs that reflect more than starlight, her eerie melodies humming secrets that help her "hear the river's voice" even in the thickest fog.     In the engine room, Durlag Steamgrip tends the twin Brinkburn alchemical engines with jealous devotion, his dwarven hands coaxing power from mechanisms that blend engineering with darker arts. Quartermaster Vixla Fleetfoot maintains her sacred Crew Ledger—tracking debts, favors, and disciplinary records with halfling precision—while Old Muckfingers, the veteran goblin whose weathered face has witnessed decades of river horrors, spins tales that make even hardened soldiers shudder.  

The Great Northern Voyage

  Her reputation grew with each impossible delivery—forbidden artifacts from the Whispering Depths, experimental weapons for the Rust Barons, and stranger cargo that her crew learned never to question. Yet none of these shipments matched the significance of her current undertaking: an eight-hundred-and-twenty-five-mile voyage from The Jungle's Claw Tavern to Grizburg, bearing mysterious sealed crates that resist even magical divination and passengers whose presence heralds changes across all Nolavor.   The cargo remains defies conventional understanding—featureless blocks without visible seams or hinges, appearing like solid objects with handholds yet remaining impenetrable to arcane sight. When Fouk Shadim attempted to peer within using clairvoyance, he encountered only darkness absolute as molten lead, while his bone dagger Peake vibrated with strange resonance whenever near these enigmatic containers.  

The river takes what the river wants - that's what most captains say. But Malista? She takes what she wants from the river, and it seems grateful for the attention.

— Old Muckfingers, Veteran Goblin Crewman

  The alliance with Kurgan developed more gradually, built on a foundation of shared secrets and mutual profit. The Rustleech became a key link in his intelligence network, its regular routes providing cover for the movement of information more valuable than gold. Their current mission—transporting Kurgan's chosen agents to Slazgar Two-Eyes for the descent into the Whispering Depths—represents the culmination of schemes years in the making.  

Rivers of Blood and Fire

  The scars that curve across her throat and jaw speak to dozens of attempted mutinies, each one ending with new bones beneath the river's surface. Yet her most legendary trial came during the recent passage through Witch's Bend, where Vaersliss the River's Coil—a serpent whose emerald scales stretched beyond three trading barges in length—rose from toxic waters to claim the Rustleech for the depths.   As the massive predator began its dreaded encircling maneuver, Malista's mechanical arm pulsed with arcane energy, the runes inscribed in its metal surface blazing with power drawn from sources beyond mortal understanding. Her crew unveiled House Ironwake's experimental flamethrowers—volatile weapons that sprayed diesel fuel to cling to the creature's scales with devastating effect. The battle raged through venomous mists until the serpent's coils released their grip, retreating to depths that remember older wars.  

There's regular river witches, sure - every port's got 'em. But Malista? She's somethin' else entirely. I seen her bargain with things that live in the deep parts of the Sko-Vo, where the water glows with more than just toxic runoff.

— Vezra Blackbilge, Former Cargo Mistress

  Those who serve aboard the Rustleech whisper of their captain's stranger habits—her collection of preserved river monsters in the cargo hold, the ritual scars she carves into the ship's hull during the new moon, and the way she sometimes speaks to the toxic waters in languages that make mortal tongues bleed. The vessel bears witness to her arcane patronage: signal drums for coded messages through fog, a carved river serpent adorning the prow, and armaments that blur the distinction where technology meets sorcery.  

Enemies in the Mist

  The vendetta with House Greenglade's Captain Streak Haldar of the Golden Reed has claimed numerous lives in recent months, each encounter escalating in intensity as both houses pour resources into their private war. Yet deadlier threats shadow the Rustleech's current voyage—Eastern Kurnok war parties track them along the riverbanks, their flaming arrows following precise communication patterns that suggest coordination beyond tribal warfare.   Thronn Zamda's keen ranger sight has counted the crocodilian figures stalking through jungle shadows, their predatory intentions clear to any who understand the old hatreds. Three high shamans positioned at strategic points along the riverbank engage in rituals that transcend mere hostility, their arcane workings weaving patterns of power that will reshape the river's destiny before journey's end.  

The Iron Crown's Weight

  Now in her forty-fifth year, Malista's power extends far beyond her vessel's ironclad hull. Her network of informants spans from Grizburg's highest spires to the meanest river shanties, while her knowledge of the waterways' secret paths has made her indispensable to powers both mortal and darker. The mechanical arm that replaced flesh lost in her youth now bears runes of binding and sight, their arcane inscriptions pulsing with nervous energy whenever supernatural forces gather.   Some say she's struck bargains with entities from the Whispering Depths, trading pieces of her goblinhood for power over the poisoned waters. Others claim she's secretly amassing a fleet of similarly modified vessels, preparing for some grand design known only to her and her closest allies. The truth may be darker still—that Malista Tinmaw has become something beyond goblin or river witch, a fusion of flesh and steel and arcane will that commands the toxic waterways through bonds forged in foundry fire and sealed in blood.  

She played a pivotal role in helping Kurgan transport the Harmonicon of Eternal Dissonance from the Haplocai ruins, securing her place as a trusted ally of The Jungle's Claw Tavern. But trust? That's a luxury the Iron Queen can't afford—not when every current carries whispers of war.

— Vixla Fleetfoot, Quartermaster

  Whatever the truth, Malista Tinmaw and her dreaded Rustleech remain a force that even the Rust Barons think twice about crossing. As her iron-hulled vessel pushes deeper into waters where ancient powers stir beneath poisoned currents, the goblin whose mechanical arm bears the weight of arcane binding stands ready to face whatever depths—literal or metaphorical—await at journey's end. The river may remember old names and older wars, but it trembles still before the Iron Queen's passage, recognizing in her the fusion of mortal will and mechanical fury that has carved new channels through the flow of fate.