Captain origins
Who your captain was before the ship.
The ship's mage starts the voyage as her captain (unless the captain you chose is a clan outcast, a gnome exile or a wild caster fugitive, who take the first crewmate's place, or the ship carries no mage). The captain never dies. Struck down in a battle, a landfall or an event (and with no Vitality Chamber aboard), they are gravely injured instead: they drop to 0 HP and leave the decks, out of fights and landfalls, but stay on the crew list (their tooltip says how to heal them). A surgeon in any city (its Tavern & inn or Services tab) treats them for silver, and they are back on the ship. If nobody else is left standing, the voyage ends.
Dockhand
Known on the docks: starts with Guild standing 1 (legal jobs pay 5% more). Lowborn.
Letters from the docks: family who need silver, and who send news.
Disgraced noble
Starts with 2 extra flasks and Crown +1.
The house that disowned you keeps turning up.
Academy washout
The captain is a self-taught mage with Casting 1 (a captain who is already a mage gets +1 Casting, up to 2).
The exam you failed, and the people who passed it.
Clan outcast
Beastborn captain (Blooded). Clans −1.
The clan that cast you out.
Gnome exile
Gnome captain (Tinkering 2); a free Tinker's Bench if there is room.
The Compact wants its designs back.
Wild caster fugitive
A Leaking wild caster captain; starts at heat 2.
Someone who knew what you were.
Data from Magehold Fairwinds v1.9.26. Spotted something out of date? Discord