The Stone Pilot (character)
Encyclopedia
The Stone Pilot, Maugin, is a fictional termagant trog from The Edge Chronicles
books by Paul Stewart
and Chris Riddell
.
. Before revealing herself, she was known and referred to only as "The Stone Pilot," and never once spoke or removed her stone pilot overalls or hood. Because of this, Twig assumes the Stone Pilot to be male, a mute and possibly even a deformed monster. However, after most of the crew is killed following a disastrous effort to get more stormphrax from the Twilight Woods, she and Twig are the only survivors. She removes her hood and reveals her true appearance to Twig, who is shocked. He soon works out that she is a termagant trog - he had spent some time with the community some time ago, and has the ability to recognise them. She reveals that, as she missed her coming-of-age ceremony, she is 'cursed' to live out her child form forever, something that she bitterly resents. Unbeknownst to her, Twig is somewhat relieved that she is still in her child's form, as his most heartbreaking experience was having seen his beloved Mag, another trog, become such a creature. As they work on restoring the old ship, the Windcutter, where they have sheltered, they begin to form a romantic bond. However, this comes to a tragic end when they are separated for many years at the end of Midnight Over Sanctaphrax. She is last seen at Riverrise, having sky-fired Twig and Cowlquape and waiting for their safe return.
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, to her horror, he is killed almost immediately by an arrow - when she runs off to investigate, she is seized by a slave-trader, Zelt Pink-eye, and dragged off to a slave market - as a result, she misses her coming of age and fails to turn into the adult version of the termagant trog. She is purchased by an academic named Illmus Pentephraxis, who recognises her as a termagant trog and sees her as an opportunity to unlock the secret to the transformation. However, his careless treatment of her catches the notice of a nearby Quintinus Verginix, who violently attacks him, before rescuing Maugin and taking her to the Galerider, his father's sky ship. There, she finds herself drawn to the art of stone piloting, and takes the place of the Galerider's stone pilot after her predecessor, Ramrock is killed in a battle with the angry slavers.
Maugin's last appearance (and her death) is in The Immortals
in which it is revealed that she is killed by Golderayce One-Eye, the waif who claims ownership of the Riverrise Spring.
The Edge Chronicles
The Edge Chronicles is a young-adult fantasy novel series by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. It consists of three trilogies, plus three additional books, and others . Originally published in the United Kingdom, this series has since been published in the United States, Canada and Australia. To...
books by Paul Stewart
Paul Stewart (writer)
Paul Stewart is a writer of children's books, best known for the bestselling The Edge Chronicles, the Free Lance novels and the Far Flung Adventures series which are written in collaboration with the illustrator Chris Riddell...
and Chris Riddell
Chris Riddell
Chris Riddell is a British illustrator and occasional writer of children's literature, and a political cartoonist for The Observer. He has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice and the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize seven times....
.
Character
Maugin is a reserved character; throughout the books she speaks very little, and has a shy personality. She is fiercely 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 is first revealed to the reader in StormchaserStormchaser (book)
Stormchaser is a children's fantasy novel by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, first published in 1999. It is the second volume of The Edge Chronicles and of the Twig Saga trilogy; within the stories' own chronology it is the fifth novel, following the Quint Saga trilogy that was published...
. Before revealing herself, she was known and referred to only as "The Stone Pilot," and never once spoke or removed her stone pilot overalls or hood. Because of this, Twig assumes the Stone Pilot to be male, a mute and possibly even a deformed monster. However, after most of the crew is killed following a disastrous effort to get more stormphrax from the Twilight Woods, she and Twig are the only survivors. She removes her hood and reveals her true appearance to Twig, who is shocked. He soon works out that she is a termagant trog - he had spent some time with the community some time ago, and has the ability to recognise them. She reveals that, as she missed her coming-of-age ceremony, she is 'cursed' to live out her child form forever, something that she bitterly resents. Unbeknownst to her, Twig is somewhat relieved that she is still in her child's form, as his most heartbreaking experience was having seen his beloved Mag, another trog, become such a creature. As they work on restoring the old ship, the Windcutter, where they have sheltered, they begin to form a romantic bond. However, this comes to a tragic end when they are separated for many years at the end of Midnight Over Sanctaphrax. She is last seen at Riverrise, having sky-fired Twig and Cowlquape and waiting for their safe return.
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, to her horror, he is killed almost immediately by an arrow - when she runs off to investigate, she is seized by a slave-trader, Zelt Pink-eye, and dragged off to a slave market - as a result, she misses her coming of age and fails to turn into the adult version of the termagant trog. She is purchased by an academic named Illmus Pentephraxis, who recognises her as a termagant trog and sees her as an opportunity to unlock the secret to the transformation. However, his careless treatment of her catches the notice of a nearby Quintinus Verginix, who violently attacks him, before rescuing Maugin and taking her to the Galerider, his father's sky ship. There, she finds herself drawn to the art of stone piloting, and takes the place of the Galerider's stone pilot after her predecessor, Ramrock is killed in a battle with the angry slavers.
Maugin's last appearance (and her death) is in The Immortals
The Immortals (The Edge Chronicles)
The Immortals is the final book of the Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. It was released on September 14, 2010 in the United States and Canada.- Story :The story is set approximately 500 years after Freeglader...
in which it is revealed that she is killed by Golderayce One-Eye, the waif who claims ownership of the Riverrise Spring.