Who they are
Nautilus is an undead revenant who haunts the depths of the Guardian's Sea near Bilgewater. He was once a human diver who drowned and returned as a titanic being bound to his huge diving suit.
Driven by a forgotten betrayal, he strikes without warning with his giant anchor. He enforces the Bilgewater tithe, demanding that ships drop coins as offerings to the sea deity Nagakabouros and drowning those who refuse.
Their story belongs to Bilgewater. A lawless harbor where anything can be bought, and the dead come ashore.
Their story, step by step
- Step 1
A superstitious diver
Nautilus was a large, strong human diver working out of Bilgewater. He was deeply superstitious and always insisted that crews pay the tithe to the sea before sailing. That devotion became the center of what he later became.
- Step 2
Death and return
Riot's lore does not describe how he drowned. After he died he came back as a revenant bound to his enormous diving suit. Over centuries underwater the suit grew huge and became rusted and barnacled, with cracks glowing a ghostly green.
- Step 3
The tithe
He gained great power over the waves, which may be a gift from the sea deity Nagakabouros, and he carries a huge anchor torn from his captain's ship. He now acts as the sea's enforcer, collecting the Bilgewater tithe. Ships that drop coins overboard are spared, and the rest are dragged under.
- Step 4
The Black Mist
When the Black Mist attacked Bilgewater, Nautilus held back or destroyed much of the undead threat a few miles from the port. This happened while Gangplank and Miss Fortune fought closer to shore. It showed him acting as a protector, though people still fear him.
Turning points
- Drowned and returned as a revenant in his suit
- Took up the role of tithe enforcer
- Held back the Black Mist's undead near Bilgewater
Where their story stands now
Nautilus still patrols the Guardian's Sea with no fixed home. The details of his drowning and the betrayal behind it remain unknown, and it is unclear whether he serves Nagakabouros or his own purpose.
Who they are tied to
- Illaoi →Both revere Nagakabouros, and Illaoi recognized his role in defending Bilgewater during the Black Mist attacks.
- Fizz →He hates Fizz and wants him dead, though the reason is not explained.
- Gangplank →Gangplank once nearly drowned in an encounter with him, and out of spite and disbelief still refuses to pay the tithe.
- Miss Fortune →She survived meeting him because he came for her ship's captain, Aligh, and not her.
Where this fits in the story
- Bilgewater · step 1
The Serpent Isles
The islands are older than the port. The Buhru people live there and follow Nagakabouros, a faith about testing willpower.
- Bilgewater · step 2
The Reaver King
Gangplank ruled the port as the Reaver King. His murder of Sarah Fortune's parents set her on the path to bring him down.
- Bilgewater · step 3
Miss Fortune's revenge
Miss Fortune destroyed his ship, then consolidated control over the port and eliminated the Corsair's Conclave. Gangplank survived with Illaoi's help, and now rule of Bilgewater is disputed between them.
- Bilgewater · step 4
The Harrowing
Each time the Black Mist from the Shadow Isles reaches Bilgewater, the dead rise. Illaoi's divine power is one of the port's defenses.