Captain Ortega
Paddle-Wheeler Captain
As a young boy, Ortega was fascinated with the steam powered paddle-wheeled vessels plying the waters near his childhood home. He would often yell out towards the wheelhouse, hoping the Captain would blow the whistle. As he grew into a young man, Ortega would continue to frequent the waterways and began dreaming of a "life on the river".
Now early into the 20th century, Ortega would often see a stately elderly man, white hair and mustache, often with a cigar in one hand and journal in the other, standing tall and gazing out at the river. One summers morning the man caught Ortega wishfully staring at a grand paddle-wheeler, making its way down river. The man, surprising Ortega, said, "When I was a boy, there was but one permanent ambition among my comrades. That was, to be a steamboatman. We had transient ambitions of other sorts as well. But these ambitions faded out, each in its turn; but the ambition to be a steamboatman always remained." The two chatted there along the shore for a spell. After a bit the man said, "I see you have a lust for the river. If you are ever given opportunity to take the wheel of such a grand vessel, I suggest you grab it." Ortega never saw the man again. Not two weeks later, while on the docks, a steamboatman yelled down from the wheelhouse. "Young man, someone I greatly admire said I should speak with you." Ortega never discovered the name of the man on the riverbanks.
Ortega became well known to the Corps as he would often help transport members and their gear, some say rum and whiskey as well, aboard his paddle-wheeler. The Royal Exploration Corps offered him a Distinguished Membership for his long time and honorable work and sense of exploration. Some say Ortega has a darker and more mysterious side as well, one that even dabbles with haunted spirts from time to time. These reports, though from reputable sources, are thought to be only hearsay.