Torn of Seeds

Nine individuals, each with their own story, end up crossing paths with each other---and learn that their stories may not be so disconnected after all.
Odile Kestrel, the doctor on a scavenger pirate ship, and her brother Marcello Kestrel---who is the captain of said ship; Phillipa Featherstone, a botany professor that studies "man-eating plants;" Conate Hawkins, a deserter of war that fled his fallen kingdom of Lurac; Ta'ashiri, who ran away from home to travel and experience the world; Kaekil, a pirate that was one of three survivors in a shipwreck---and is also the captain's chosen successor; Tethys, a contemplative that survived being thrown into the sea as a sacrificial maiden; Lurania Love, a bounty hunter disguised as an art merchant in order to track down her kidnapped brother; and Herbert, an "entertainer" that is paying back his medical debt after his own heart nearly killed him.
Everything changes the moment they meet, and that's only just the beginning.

(*This story contains elements of dark fantasy and has some scenes that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion advised.)
(**Content warnings include (but are not necessarily limited to): strong language, mention of death/implied character death/mild scenes of character death, violence between characters, kidnapping of characters, implied sexual acts (consented), and mild scenes depicting trauma.)
(***This story is an experiment and will likely undergo drastic revisions in the future.)