Coburn

Coburn carried the look of an aged chieftain, resembling the later Shandia Chief. Thick facial hair and heavy brows framed his face, and his long silver hair was bound at the sides, with the small pair of wings common to all Shandia. He draped himself in a flowing robe and topped it with an animal's head worn as a feathered helmet, while in hand he held a fuzzy staff crowned by a tribal mask.

Set apart from his tribe by his wisdom and even temper, Coburn was willing to tolerate what others called heresy if it served the Shandia's survival. Even after Mont Blanc Noland slew Kashigami, an act the tribe held sacrilegious, Coburn granted him the chance to find medicine in exchange for his crew's lives, and he meant to honor that bargain despite his people's anger, having recognized Noland's good sense. As leader he bore responsibility for decisions affecting the whole tribe, though he openly admitted he could not commune with the gods, since that role had belonged to the late Pantri, Chiya. Whether he possessed any combat skill is unknown.

Coburn first appeared during the attempted sacrifice of Mousse, offered up to appease the god Kashigami. When Mont Blanc Noland rescued the girl and explained that a cure existed for the sickness devastating the Shandia, Coburn granted him a single day to prove his claim while holding his crew captive. He worked to calm the villagers, persuading them that the tribe's survival was worth one day's patience, and Kalgara went along with it. As the deadline closed in, he ordered Noland's crew brought to the altar, but once Noland succeeded in curing the Shandia, the relieved chief was last seen gazing up at the moon.