The Stone Pilot (character)

The Stone Pilot, Maugin, is a fictional termagant trog from "The Edge Chronicles" books by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.

Character

Maugin is a reserved character; throughout the books she speaks very little, and has a shy personality. She is fiercly loyal to her captains and her crew. She has proven herself to be an incredibly skilled Stone Pilot, saving the crew from danger with her knowledge many times.

History

Maugin started her life living in the underground trog caverns beneath the Deepwoods with the civilitations of termagant trogs. In their species the females keep the appearance of young children until they reach of age and shower themselves in the blood from the roots of the infamous Edge tree the Bloodoak. When doing this they change into the adult female form of termagant trogs. This is a celebrated day for termagant trogs. While still young Maugin had been brought a baby Prowlgrin, whom she named Blink, by her mother, Loess.

As Maugin approached her blooding ceremony day her mother told her that she must release Blink back into the world above. Maugin chose to do it herself and bid her final heart felt goodbyes to her beloved pet. However she misses her coming of age and fails to turn into the adult version of the termagant trog. Ashamed, she runs away. As a result of her missing her coming of age, she is 'cursed' to live out her child form forever, a fact that she bitterly resents.

Later, she is rescued from a slave market by the sky pirate Quint, who takes her back to the Galerider, captained by his father Wind Jackal. Shortly after her rescue an attack from a League ship kills the Galerider's stone pilot, Ramrock and in a spur of the moment decision Maugin dons his protective hood and gauntlets and takes his place, saving the ship from plummeting into the ground.

Under Wind Jackal's protection Maugin is given the post of Stone Pilot aboard the ship, and in the years to come she serves in the same position under Captains Cloud Wolf and Twig. To keep her identity a secret, she remains silent and is referred to only as "The Stone Pilot" by the crew.

Maugin is first revealed to the reader in Stormchaser, in which she removes her hood and reveals her true appearance to Twig. They form a romantic interest, although they are separated for many years at the end of Midnight Over Sanctaphrax. She was last seen at Riverrise, having sky-fired Twig and Cowlquape and waiting for their safe return.