Mistmaidens

The fishermen of the Great Inland Sea have a oral tradition that dates back over a thousand years. One of their tales is of the mistmaidens, spirits of drowned women and girls taken from their homes in raids by pirate reavers. The best known of these is the spirit called Quan Zhi, a princess who was taken on her wedding night and chose death over dishonor as she freed herself and burned the ship she was captive on to the waterline. The mistmaids heard her cries and spirited her away to be their leigelady forevermore. It is said that fishermen who find themselves flung into stormy waters will occasionally see Quan Zhi walking calmly across the waves, her dainty feet making barely a ripple as she pulls her famed Shawl of the Mists tight around her shoulders. The brave and true she plucks from the water and deposits on shore. The false and blackhearted see only her impassive face as they sink beneath the surface to join their damned kin.