Main Deck: The open deck of Bloodtusk’s keelboat sports a single mast, a stowed jolly boat (use the statistics for a rowboat on page 185 of Ultimate Combat), and an open stable (area A2). Netting along the rails provides additional storage space. A hatch in the deck aft of the mast opens onto the coxswain’s gangway (area A10) below. A short flight of stairs leads up to the forecastle (area A3). Two flights of stairs descend under the forecastle to the cargo hold (area A9). Double doors aft lead to the chart room (area A6) and Bloodtusk’s cabin (area A7), flanked by two sets of stairs that climb up to the aftcastle and pilot deck (area A8). A small crow’s nest sits atop the 30-foot-tall mast.
A2:
This open stable takes up a large section of the main deck fore of the mast. Its eight stalls are lined with matted hay. Creatures: The stable holds eight heavy horses, which are deployed on shore to pull the riverboat upstream when necessary.
A3:
Forecastle: This wide platform extends over the gunwales. A tower rises above the bow from the center of this deck, containing the galley (area A4) and the crew cabin (area A5). Two barrels lashed to the bow tower hold 20 javelins and four longspears for the crew to use in defending the boat from river threats or repelling boarders.
A4:
Galley: The crew prepares meals in this simple but well-stocked kitchen in the base of the bow tower. A small table in the room can seat six people. Stairs lead up to the crew cabin (area A5) above. Two hammocks can be hung under the stairs to provide additional sleeping areas.
A5:
Crew Cabin: The boat’s eight crew members sleep here in hammocks hung between several posts and the walls. Eight wooden footlockers with simple locks containing the crew’s personal effects skirt the perimeter of the room. Ten people can sleep comfortably in these quarters, or up to 12 in more cramped conditions. The PCs share this cabin with the riverboat’s crew, with any overflow housed in the galley (area A4) below.
A6:
Chart Room: A large oval table fills the center of this room. A detailed map of the border region between Belkzen and Lastwall, focusing around the Esk and Kestrel waterways, is spread on the table next to a leather-bound ledger.
A7:
Bloodtusk’s Cabin: Two large panes of lead-framed stained-glass windows on the far wall, depicting a regal Chelish naval officer atop a crow’s nest surrounded by devils, shine a cascade of scintillating light and colors over this otherwise modest bedchamber. A double bed, an ivory-inlaid footlocker, and a chamber pot provide the only furnishings. The footlocker is locked with a good lock.
A8:
Pilot Deck: The riverboat is steered via a sturdy tiller atop this raised deck. Behind the tiller, a heavy ballista (Ultimate Combat 161) is mounted on a swiveling base that gives the siege engine a 360-degree arc of fire. Three crew members are required to operate the ballista. All three must take full-round actions to load the ballista in 1 round; on the following round, two of the crew aim the ballista with full-round actions, while the third fires the weapon. Two nearby crates each hold 10 ballista bolts, and a barrel containing eight javelins and two longspears is lashed to the rail.
Captain Bloodtusk can usually be found here during the day with his hand on the tiller. If the boat comes under attack, three of the crew not manning the oars take battle stations here, though this leaves the ship undercrewed for sailing and maneuvering.
A9:
Cargo Hold: Two sets of stairs lead down into this hold from the main deck (area A1), while a set of double doors allows bulkier goods to be transported through the hatch in the deck and along the gangway (area A10). All manner of mundane trade goods stuff this chamber, including cloth, flour, dried fruit, horse feed, pickled beef, salt, and exotic spices. There are over 500 pounds of goods within this hold, with a total market value of 550 gold pieces. The ship’s larder is found here as well, and contains enough foodstuffs to feed 16 people for 2 weeks.
A10:
Coxswain’s Gangway: This long gangway overlooks the rowing banks on either side of the vessel and connects the cargo hold (area A9) to the armory (area A12). Coxswain Halrex can be found here 10 hours a day, pacing back and forth and pounding her drum to set the pace for the rowers in the banks below.
A11:
Rowing Banks: Four short flights of stairs descend from area A10 into these recessed compartments, where wooden benches provide seating for rowers working the massive oars that propel the riverboat forward. In all, there are 20 benches, 10 to a side, that when fully occupied can seat 40 rowers, two to a bench. The riverboat’s current crew rows in shifts of four for 5 hours, providing propulsion for 10 hours each day.
A12:
Armory: A pair of locked iron doors separates this hold from the rest of the ship;
A13:
Smuggler’s Hold: This secret hold is not detailed here.
A14:
Bilges: This 5-foot-wide corridor stretches for 80 feet between two doors. The corridor is filled with sludge and muck to a depth of 2 feet, and counts as a shallow bog
A15:
Pump Room: A rotting door from the bilges is the only entrance into this oft-neglected compartment, which holds the pump that drains the brackish water that accumulates in the bilges. A crew member comes down here once a week to operate the pump.
