Osten
The Dockhand Who Won't Dive
Osten is a young dockhand in Carrow's Reach who has been down to the cracked reef twice and swears he will never go again. He deflects fear with jokes that land wrong, fidgets with whatever he's holding, and carries a burn-like mark on his palm. Beneath the nerves he knows more about the reef than he lets on, and kindness will loosen his tongue.
Description
Osten works the docks of Carrow's Reach, and he has been down to the cracked reef twice — which, to hear him tell it, makes him the local expert on why no one should ever go down a third time. He jokes constantly and none of it lands, his hands never quite still.
Behind the deflection is real fear he hasn't got the words for. Treat him gently and he may tell you what he saw below, and hand over something he took from the reef that he has not been able to put down since.