Swimming Fox

Off the northwest coast of the Kingdom of Caresnas sails a ship from a previous age. Larger than even the elven vessels that sail out of Bar-in-Cairen this relic from another time strikes fear into the heart of any who come across it.
With multiple masts and immense sails made of mist, this ship moves through the water with a speed that belies it's immense size. Crewed by the dead the ship has no known port and simply moves around the ocean looking for prey. The ship's undead crew have little interest in plunder, what they seek is a way out of their cursed existence.
The Fox was an imperial warship that patrolled the waters between Filishar and Laiqua during the The Third Age. The captain, Melvin Carr, was notorious for being harsh on his crew and was known to make life difficult for anyone who tried to leave his ship without arranging for a replacement. Melvin was known to be a fan of keelhauling, keeping his crew in a state of perpetual fear.
Melvin's behaviour eventually caused his crew to mutiny. As they began keelhauling him he cursed them and called on anything that might be listening to help him have his revenge. The crew laughed off his feeble cries and once they were done celebrating set course for a small port in the far north known as Ere Vullin. What they didn't know was that some entity had taken heed of Melvin's call and a heavy storm struck the ship less than a day after the mutiny. Without Melvin's skill as captain the ship went down with all hands, only to be brought back as a ship of the dead with Melvin back in command.
Free of the shackles of duty Melvin takes pleasure in keeping his crew working constantly and bringing on new crew that he can torment. His crew share his enthusiasm for acquiring new crew as only by bringing on new crew can they be released from an eternity of serving on the Fox. Whenever a new sailor is brought on board the longest serving crew are released which has led to the ship's current motto.

This was written for Spooktober 2022 for the Drowned prompt. Other Spooktober articles can be found in the Tremanac Spooktober 2022 page.

Nickname

Drowned Fox

Motto

The next in line

Among sailors this ship is more commonly known as the Drowned Fox. While few will talk about it, dismissing the ship as rumour, wise captains make arrangements in case they encounter the Fox. The tribute demanded by Melvin and his crew is for a new sailor to join them. The sailor must be drowned by their own crew, so many captains make sure to take on new hands that won't be missed. Many have also found that the threat of being chosen is enough to keep troublemakers in line. When a ship returns to port it is generally accepted that no mention be made of the Fox, and any deaths are reported as an accident at sea.