Editing Salay

|merge-family=y

|birthplace=Islands of Lobu

|first appeared=[[Tress of the Emerald Sea]]

{{quote

|Guiding the ship is a privilege, and the helmsperson is an officer tasked with a serious duty.|Hoid about Salay{{book ref|tress|21}}

}}

'''Salay''' is the helmswoman of the ''[[Crow's Song]]'' on [[Lumar]].{{book ref|tress|15}}

Like [[Tress]], she had set out in search of someone she had lost: her [[Salay's father|father]]. After Tress returned from her encounter with the [[dragon (cosmere)|dragon]] [[Xisis]], she gave Salay a note indicating her father's location to be [[Filistrate City]].{{book ref|tress|53}} Sometime after the departure of the [[Sorceress]], Salay and her father were reunited, and he took up the post of apprentice helmsman on their ship, the ''[[Two Cups]]''.{{book ref|tress|epilogue}}

== Appearance and Personality ==

{{image|Salay by Marie Seeberger.jpg|side=left|width=200px}}Salay is a short, dark skinned woman{{book ref|tress|45}} with black, tightly-curled hair and delicate features.{{book ref|tress|15}} Her naval outfit as helmswoman of the ''Crow's Song'' is a coat and stiff trousers.{{book ref|tress|45}} She can have a short temper,{{book ref|tress|30}} but is very loyal to her friends and the crew of her ship; she takes the loss of members of her crew very personally and feels responsible for their wellbeing.{{book ref|tress|21}}{{book ref|tress|45}} [[Ann]] claims Salay is bad at judging people.{{book ref|tress|40}} Salay is also quite courageous, being willing to stand up to Captain [[Crow]]{{book ref|tress|27}}{{book ref|tress|30}} and to sail the [[Crimson Sea|Crimson]] and [[Midnight Sea]]s.{{book ref|tress|31}}{{book ref|tress|62}}

== Attributes and Abilities ==

{{quote

|It’s the helmswoman’s job to protect the ship. Keep a steady hand, steer clear of danger. Out of storms, away from spore explosions. Keep them safe somehow . . .|Salay{{book ref|tress|21}}

}}

Salay is an expert helmswoman. Her duties include sailing the ship on the spore seas, charting the distances traveled and avoiding storms as well as possible. The helmswoman also traditionally engages the captain of a captured ship.{{book ref|tress|27}} Salay also feels responsible for the welfare of her crewmates in her role as helmswoman.{{book ref|tress|21}} As helmswoman, Salay safely navigates the ''Crow's Song'' through battles on the [[Emerald Sea]],{{book ref|tress|27}}, storms on the Crimson Sea{{book ref|tress|44}}, and through the maze of rocks surrounding the [[Sorceress's island]] in the Midnight Sea.{{book ref|tress|63}}

== History ==

=== Early Life ===

Salay, like [[Fort]], is from the [[Islands of Lobu]] in the Sapphire Sea.{{book ref|tress|15}} After [[Salay's father|her father]] got in debt, she promised him she would pay off his debts by working as a helmswoman. However, before she returned to pay off his debts, he was pressed into labor by the king's collectors. They left him in an unknown debtor's prison. Passing royal ships who needed crewmembers pressed him into their crews, leaving him in other prisons after they no longer needed him. Salay kept sailing to try to find him.{{book ref|tress|45}}

{{image|Salay by ohnoesaxel.jpg|side=right|width=300px}}

=== ''Crow's Song'' ===

Captain Crow convinced Salay and the crew of the ''Crow's Song'' to become pirates as an alternative to fighting in the king's war.{{book ref|tress|17}} Salay chose to remain on the ship as a pirate to continue to sail, both because of a love of sailing and in hopes of finding her father.{{book ref|tress|21}} Shortly after becoming pirates, Salay and the crew are forced to become [[deadrunners]] after killing the crew of the ''[[Oot's Dream]]'' through Laggert and Crow's machinations. Salay tries to prevent further killing - she stops Crow from killing the crew of a captured merchant ship{{book ref|tress|27}} and agrees to sail the Crimson Sea to avoid raiding more ships.{{book ref|tress|31}} Salay comes to believe Tress is a [[King's Mask]] and invites her to a secret meeting with Ann and [[Fort]] to discuss how they plan to react to Captain Crow's actions.{{book ref|tress|30}} Once on the Crimson Sea, Salay manages to navigate through a storm, keeping all of the crew except [[Pakson]] alive.{{book ref|tress|44}} However, a second storm comes on the crew when the sea is stilled, and Salay is unable to do anything to save them. Through quick thinking, Tress is able to save the ship by growing verdant vines to lift the ship above the crimson spikes until the storm passes.{{book ref|tress|48}} Shortly after this, Ann, Salay, Fort, and Tress meet to plan how to mutiny against Captain Crow. Crow, however, spies on the meeting with [[Midnight Essence]]. She sends [[Laggart]] to bring them to the deck at gunpoint. Laggert shoots Salay in the thigh and then has Ann and Fort bring her up to the deck. Crow challenges the four to a duel and handily defeats them, stepping on Salay's wounded leg in the process.{{book ref|tress|50}} When Crow takes Tress to the lair of the dragon [[Xisis]], [[Ulaam]] applies healing salve to Salay's wound, which helps speed up her healing.{{book ref|tress|53}}

=== New Hope ===

When Tress returns, she gives Salay an envelope with a letter from Xisis, which reveals that Salay's father is currently in [[Filistrate City]].{{book ref|tress|53}} This gives Salay new hope and purpose.{{book ref|tress|58}} She helps install Tress as the new captain of the ''Crow's Song''. Tress is determined to rescue [[Charlie]] from the [[Riina|Sorceress]], and so Salay sails the ship to the border of the Midnight Sea, where they drop anchor.{{book ref|tress|57}} On the way there, Salay alerts Tress that they had caught [[Hoid]] throwing supplies overboard on [[Huck]]'s orders.{{book ref|tress|56}} Salay tries to convince Tress not to go alone onto the Midnight Sea, but is unsuccessful.{{book ref|tress|58}} Once Tress does not return, she and the crew decide to sail to the Sorceress's island to rescue Tress.{{book ref|tress|62}} After being alerted to the dangerous rocks near the island by Tress, Salay is able to safely sail around the rocks by observing the flow of the spores around the rocks.{{book ref|tress|63}} She, Fort, and Ann bring Hoid to the [[Sorceress's tower]], where they are able to help save Tress and Charlie and to force the Sorceress to leave Lumar.{{book ref|tress|64}} After sailing out of the Midnight Sea, the crew sells the ''Crow's Song'' and buys a newer, larger ship - the ''[[Two Cups]]''. They also find Salay's father, who becomes the assistant helmsman on the ship. Over the next few years, the crew of the ''Two Cups'', including Salay, become quite wealthy due to their ability to trade through the Crimson and Midnight Seas.{{book ref|tress|epilogue}}

{{partial}}