Brandis Thorn

Captain Brandis Thorn is a pirate commander of the Dire Fleet of the Brazen Coalition on Ixalan.

History
Captain Brandis Thorn was never satisfied with being in command of just one ship. From the start of his career, he dreamed big and saw himself as captain of an entire fleet. His first act as captain of the dire, after seizing the wheel out of the still-warm hands of former captain Gram Greddis, was to order a raid on the nearest vessel. Brandis himself boarded the ship and ordered its captain to walk the plank; he didn't want the bother of dealing with dissension in the ranks. With the captain gone, Bradis named the ship Diremore, and welcomed it to his Dire Fleet. With both ships at his command, he went on to claim two more vessels before sunset, and another one under the cover of darkness that night, or so his legends say.

The crews of ships annexed into the Dire Fleet have the choice of falling in line under Captain Thorn or following their erstwhile captains to the bottom of the sea. Most choose the former, happy to become part of the most feared fleet on the sea. It is said that some crews even hope for a raid by the Dire Fleet. Once, Daphne Vail, the lookout of the Ugly Mug, who was annoyed at being overlooked time and time again for promotion by her own captain, saw Captain Thorn's fleet coming but said nothing until it was too late to take evasive action. After the Dire fleet claimed her ship, Daphne told Captain Thorn what she had done and asked for a higher position on one of his ships. Impressed, he made her first mate of the Dire, securing her loyalty forever. The Dire Fleet relentlessly pillages other ships as well as coastal towns. Captain Thorn is said to have plundered more treasure than any other captain at sea. He leaves much of it buried at locations only he knows of, keeping only his favorite bits and leaving behind anything, or anyone, that might weigh him down. He sails with a different ship of the fleet each day, both to make it nearly impossible for enemy captains to find him, and because he enjoys the feel of steering every ship he owns. To him, his ships are far more than wood and nails; each one has its own personality, and he wants to get to know them all.

In one of his most recent raids, Captain Thorn took control of the Salty Dog. but when he boarded, preparing to force the captain down the plank, he found someone already halfway down the plank: a stowaway named Oscar Flinch. Smelling something amiss, Brandis asked Flinch for his side of things. Flinch claimed he had fled his old vessel, the Tormented Doubloon, when it was taken over by a snake-haired woman who turned their captain to stone and set off to find the legendary golden city. Hoping to avoid becoming stone himself, Flinch escaped on the small dinghy and found his way aboard the Salty Dog. Intrigued by the promise of the golden city's treasures, Captain Thorn took Flinch back with him to the Dire, after ensuring that the captain of the Salty Dog walked the plank. Now, Captain Thorn is using Flinch's piecemeal knowledge of the location of the golden city to lead an expedition into the heart of Ixalan. With so many ships' crews at his disposal, he has a virtual army of pirates at his command. This, he believes, is the treasure the Dire Fleet was made to plunder!