The Captain of the Flying Dutchman is the master of the Flying Dutchman, a man who cannot stop: every ship may anchor except his. Common seafarers call him accursed; chronomancy calls him the debtor of an unresolvable pact.
| Type | Character |
| Ship | Flying Dutchman |
| Allies | Salem |
| Spanish entry | El Capitán del Holandés Errante |
Description
Gray hair in the wind; one white, cataract-clouded eye and one luminous blue eye; a sea beard braided with seaweed. One hand held open forward, offering or asking, with thin jets of mist rising from the palm like heavy smoke. His military frock coat keeps its epaulettes, eaten by salt; behind him the Dutchman’s rigging hangs like tendons. He speaks in a low voice with theatrical gestures and wears red robes on formal occasions, the Freddie Mercury red of late London theaters.
The curse
His condemnation was not imposed by any human court. It arose from the pact that kept him afloat longer than his timber allowed.
The boarding on the Moon
He negotiates from strength. When the group of the Northern Crown boarded the Dutchman on the Moon, he lowered his tone once he saw their offers came with dignity. He accepted peace and handed over the Silver Chains peacefully; this was a diplomatic settlement, not a surrender. He then revealed:
- an alliance with Salem, a nation of witches and structural ally in the Northern Crown cycle, with coordinated plans to carry the war to Europe;
- that the Dutchman can bring things “not only from another space, but perhaps also from another time”. Arkos records this as the first documented confirmation of Cronotravel in the 17th century.
Appearances
- The ritual of Patience: his first documented appearance, with the traveling group aboard.
- The interrogation by Edward aboard ship.
- The boarding of the Dutchman on the Moon: peaceful negotiation and cession of the Chains.
He is distinct from Captain el Coruña of Wander.