Tress of the Emerald Sea

Tress grew up on The Rock, an isolated island in the Emerald Sea. She spent her days collecting cups from passing sailors, forming an impressive collection. One day, Tress visited her friend Charlie, the Duke's son, but their bonding was cut short by the Duke's disapproval.

The next morning, the Duke announced his family would be leaving for an arranged royal marriage. Before departing, Charlie promised Tress he would return unmarried and bring her a special cup. A year passed, and the Duke's family returned - but Charlie was missing. Tress learned he had been captured by the Sorceress after being exiled to the treacherous Midnight Seas by a furious King. Determined to save Charlie, Tress set out on a perilous journey. She boarded the smuggler ship Oot's Dream, where she befriended a talking rat named Huck. When the ship was ambushed by pirates, Tress and Huck escaped and joined the crew of the notorious Crow's Song.

Tress quickly endeared herself to the fearful, ragged crew, including the quartermaster Fort, carpenter Ann, helmsman Salay, and the eccentric Hoid, the latter of whom had suffered a curse once inflicted by the Sorceress. She discovered the captain, Crow, was a "spore eater" who used her abilities to terrorize other ships. Tress sabotaged the Crow's Song's attacks to avoid casualties, while also secretly planning a mutiny with the crew. As they neared the Crimson Sea, Tress learned Crow sought a cure for her illness from the dragon Xisis. Tress convinced Crow to take her along, hoping Xisis could also help free Charlie from the Sorceress' clutches. With the crew's support, Tress set out on quest to stop the Sorceress' dark plans.

Three days later, Tress enacts her plan to leave the ship and continue her mission to rescue Charlie. However, Crow undermines Tress' efforts and warns her of the dangers of the Crimson and Midnight Seas. With Huck's encouragement, Tress invents a flare gun that summons the spores. Huck then informs Tress about the Sorceress' lair and the perils she is unprepared for. To confront the Sorceress, Tress must overcome three trials: the Midnight Essences, giant golden statues, and a fortified tower. As two storms approach, Tress uses spore-infused water to conjure a giant protective tree for the ship. Tress, Fort, Ann, and Salay plan to remove Crow, but she exposes their scheme using midnight spores. Crow's cannon master Laggart ambushes them, injuring Salay. Crow then takes Fort and Salay hostage to force Tress' compliance. In Xisis' lair, Tress outsmarts Crow, convincing the dragon to free her. With Crow removed, the crew elects Tress as their captain, supporting her mission to the Midnight Sea.

Tress introduces Huck as her valet, revealing the Midnight spores that can disable the Sorceress' monsters. However, the paranoid Huck secretly sabotages the ship's food taking advantage of Hoid's curse, causing Tress to distrust and imprison him. Tress plans to take Hoid to the Sorceress' lair, but the Midnight Essences ambush her. Huck then admits he serves the Sorceress, taking Tress captive. At the Sorceress' island, Tress realizes the Sorceress has cursed Charlie, now revealed as Huck. As Tress and Charlie embrace, the Crow's Song crew attacks the island. Fort controls the Midnight Essences, and Hoid, with his own curse now lifted, halts the Sorceress' attack upon Tress and the crew, forcing her surrender. Five months later, Tress, Charlie, and the crew depart The Rock and sail off towards other adventures.

• Tress: The story's main protagonist and heroine. Her actual name is Glorf, which she considers to be a very unfortunate name. Everyone in the story calls her Tress, after her unruly hair. She is fond of cups and has a small collection (courtesy of Charlie and his many expeditions as the duke’s son) which she carries around everywhere she goes.
• Captain Crow: The ruthless ship captain of the Crow's Song. She has a symbiotic relationship with Verdant Spores (a condition colloquially known as being a “spore eater”) in which the spores protect her from harm in exchange for increasing amounts of water. This condition is fatal, but she has already lived past her expiration date, making her nihilistic and overconfident, and therefore dangerous.
• The Sorceress/Riina: the main antagonist of the story. She came to Lumar because she believed it to be the most vulnerable planet in the Cosmere. She then cursed anyone she met, making hers a very feared name indeed. In the story we meet two people she cursed, one being Hoid (expanded upon in Hoid’s entry) and the other being Charlie (expanded upon in Charlie’s entry)
• Ann: The ship's carpenter. She loves guns, but has horrendous aim, to the point of comedy.
• Salay: The ship’s helmswoman. Her goal is to find her father.
• Fort: A deaf quartermaster who uses a Nalthian board for translation. He was the first member of the crew to be nice to Tress.
• Charlie: The Duke's son. He is most fond of stories and adventures. He is Tress' love interest. His curse from Riina turned him into a rat.
• Ulaam: A Kandra from Scadrial who was called to Lumar by Hoid (presumably before Hoid got cursed). After seeing Hoid’s state, Ulaam chose to remain with Hoid to keep an eye on him. He now spends his days as the ship’s surgeon.
• Hoid: A Worldhopper and storyteller who acts as the narrator of this story. Hoid recurs in every novel set within the overarching story of the Cosmere.