Who and What is Captain Penglas?

The no-nonsense owner and Captain of the ship named The Gastwrnis, which has sailed across the White Ocean from Ossyan to Thosea countless times over the years. He has a “proper” way of speaking from a childhood raised by a rich family, and he does his utmost to cover this up by adopting the dialect and accent of his fellow crew-members. He enjoys chewing tobacco, smoking, and squinting at things with his blue, too-close-together eyes.

We meet this cantankerous gentleman in the first book of the Nighthunter series, when Noran and Logan arrive in Cybrith Port and attempt to find a vessel that will take them to the mainland of Thosea from the island of Ossyan. At first jovial and avuncular, Captain Penglas becomes nasty and vindictive during the course of the voyage, putting Logan and Noran in apparent peril as payback for an earlier, minor confrontation, then cowardly as the crew try to brave the attentions of a giant, telepathic jellyfish attracted by Cailte’s unusual powers.

Copyright Matchsticks 2022

Since one of his crew members provoked a forysrhacos bird (like a giant, ancient phoenix) with a spear, Captain Penglas has maintained a strict no-weapons policy on board his ship. He is the only one allowed to carry a weapon, and confiscates Logan’s sword, Athannor, early in the journey. This causes them problems later on.

Arriving on the Thosean coastline at last, the jellyfish (which is actually a form of Ghost) catches up with the ship, and Penglas meets an incredibly unpleasant end.


Check out the latest Writing Tips article — all about the usages of the semi-colon!

The next freebie for e-mail subscribers will be a Spotify playlist inspired by the first Nighthunter book, “A Dark Heritage.” It will be ready by the beginning of May. If you’re interested in this musical shenanigans, sign up to the email list at the bottom of this screen!

Published by Han Adcock (author)

Author of short stories, longer short stories and poetry. Passionate about music, doing various creative things, and making people laugh! An amateur artist and occasional book reviewer, he runs, edits and illustrates Once Upon A Crocodile e-zine.

Leave a comment