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No better god for soulless back stabbing evil lawyers. I cordially agree, speaking as one myself. Naval officers in particular have so many nice regulations to deal with as they go out conquering the enemies of Cheliax.
Still hoping this will go forward sometime...
Very glad to hear she's doing better, and what everyone else has said. Personal life takes priority over games. Thanks for letting us know about the situation. That said, I'd be happy to show up if you're running another game. Stefan will continue to hang around.
Stefan let his appreciative eyes accept the invitation, and his mouth twisted in a wry grin. "He may not have much endurance, but he's useful anyway. There are more ways than the flesh to power and pleasure and privilege, my friend. Filippo is quite an interesting collection of them -- there's the dry wood that snaps in your hands with pressure, and the dry wood that's harder than iron and lasts forever. His mind is like that with Navy regulations, and he has such an interesting collection of, shall we say, secrets one can work with. I don't think he would notice your finer qualities, or Malen's, if he tripped over them -- but I noticed his when I tripped over them. More tools in the toolbox, I always say, more ways to get things done." Stefan keeps writing, adding another sheet full of shorthand to the pile beside him. "I was going to leave him here in the Admiralty, but now I think maybe I should bring him along -- some exposure to the other side of our job might do him good. But do you think I should? Would he survive a tropical voyage?" He raises one eyebrow at Morrigyn. "Professional opinion, not amusement opinion, if you please. I know he's not amusing. As far as I can tell, his only unprofessional vice is architectural snobbery. He can't abide anything not in the Egorian style -- visiting warehouses gives him the hives."
Looking forward to setting sail on the seas of wealth, glory, and adventure. ;) Stefan also wants to know which ship the Admiral will be on. One of ours (and which?) or an additional ship of his own?
Yeah, there's a lot hanging fire waiting for DM response. ;) I got bards for a +1 competence bonus all around, plus I've got other people to cast 1st-level (much less 0-level) cleric spells, and a siege mage who knows true strike. I was looking more for 2nd- and 3rd-level cleric spells, stuff only I can do, or maybe the ship's chaplain. Prayer is obvious as a mass crew buff but has short duration - I plan to cast it just as we board an enemy ship, or maybe for an opening volley with all our weapons. Most of my good attack spells are short or medium range, meaning by the time I can cast them the ships are already just about to boarding distance anyway - though hold person on the enemy helmsman, or silence around the enemy captain, show potential. Long-range cleric spells are few and far between. Heartening speeches to the crew I can certainly pull off, and I plan to spend a lot of the voyage south training the devil out of them. And of course I have good Profession (sailor), so some of this will be me being a good captain and shiphandler to let my crew do their thing. (Latest idea: cast water breathing on myself and join the skeletons in an overboard run to climb up the enemy ship's anchor chain and board them at night -- bloody skeletons or plague zombies will be remarkably effective unless the enemy has positive energy clerics aboard), but that only works on anchored enemy ships that don't keep a good watch.) (Bluntly, most spells are designed for adventuring parties in dungeons rather than supporting mass combat at typical mass combat ranges.)
Nothing in a while from Malen, Casarus, and Nebdel... everyone still here? (Hope the DM's life improves a bit soon!) Stefan is thinking about naval combat, and realizing that there really aren't a lot of helpful low-level cleric spells for long-range shipboard combat. Here's hoping my siege wizard has a few tricks up his sleeve, or that we can get to boarding range quickly. Hmm, direct the artillery guys to go for the enemy rigging, then close and board.
"Well, there's enough wood in this office for plenty of nailing", Stefan offered with a chuckle. "Very fine workmanship, though -- the nails are well-concealed and no cracks are visible." He stretched luxuriously, then froze. Then he pulled out his notecase and started scribbling again. "Almost forgot! We need to requisition a few dozen iron cages and quite a few dozen manacles. They can ride as ballast in the holds until we need them, but between keeping some extra undead assault troops around, and holding pirate prisoners after we take them, and maybe picking up some slaves to bring back on our return voyage -- it is the Shackles after all, and we might end up in Sargava, I think we'll get plenty of use for them. When is Filippo going to get back here with that sealing wax I sent him for!?"
"Indeed it is, unless the Inquisition is expected." Stefan chuckled. "Which it never is, so... always great?"
Elsewhere in the building, clerks continued to write in ledgers and shuffle paper; somewhere in the basement an interrogation proceeded, masked in spells of silence and aversion; on the roof gulls squabbled for nesting sites. But in the extravagant office of the Imperial Quartermaster, all was silent. Cups sat empty on a sideboard; no pictures moved on the wall; the quiet conversation between the two waiting officers had died down. "I think," Stefan said at last, "that our esteemed host must be busy with another emergency". Perhaps involving some of those serving girls in Marine uniforms. I hope he gets to us while there is still time to issue orders to the warehouses. "Anyway, we have the medical supplies for the fleet listed. Anything you can think of that we should have on a long voyage? Things that would be hard for us to replace or rebuild from shipboard resources or a convenient forested island? Maybe anchors, or long spars? Certainly kegs of nails and spikes, beyond the normal complement. Extra tools, too, I think." The words were purely businesslike; the tone was ... more suggestive. Four eyes, however, continued voyaging, up, down, and around.
Continuing to be devious here, and thinking of ways of reducing forts. Diplomacy (negotiate,bribe, etc.) is a time-honored method, and Stefan might be good st that - but what can we offer pirates that they will believe and accept? Silver tongues, or mule loads of gold, can do much, but the Admiral would need to provide the gold and/or set the limits on what can be negotiated. Rapid assaults are the prerogative of the Marines and Elrox, though Stefan will be happy to provide magical support, and maybe engineering crews if undead sailors can be induced to help dig and assemble siege engines. GM call on that. If it comes down to a siege, there are ways to reduce the defenders’avility to resist. Now being devious... Create a plague zombie seagull, smear it in the contents of sailors’ chamber pots, and send it to fly into the enemy’s water supply and just sit there. Or maybe several of them. Disease and hunger can do much. Plague zombie rats ditto. (Can one create swarms of undead with animate dead?) Capture an enemy, or a local native. Infect them with contagion. Bestow curse to make them incapable of talking or writing, then chase them toward the fort, being sure to make a show of force to convince the enemy of the fugitive’s good faith. Wait for many enemy to fall sick,then strike. For extra evil points, get a volunteer from our crew for a scouting mission and put some spells on them to similar effect. If we can get a Large flying zombie, maybe it can pick off an enemy sentry and carry it back to us for interrogation.
Happy New Year. Hope Stefan's loquacity isn't scaring people off ;)
Time to restudy the ship combat rules....
I pve clerics. So many role playing options, so much variety in approach, so much role playing fun doing different gods’ approaches to things.
Some thinking on skeleton crew -- the GM has ruled that I can recast it on bones to keep the crew animated. I'm figuring that if Stefan casts death knell to boost his caster level to 6, in a desecrated area I can animate 24 HD of skeleton crew each day, and they'll last for six days, so if I regularly cast both spells once a day I will end up with 144 skeleton crewmembers (versus 100 if not using death knell, which isn't a complete crew for a ship the size of mine but can work around the clock without needing rest or food or water, so pretty much all the routine tasks of shiphandling and maintenance will be taken care of (might need extra help handling the ship in heavy weather). That would leave the regular sailors to handle complicated stuff and combat-related stuff (plus any makework duties to be assigned). Fortunately, no shortage of rats or fish or seabirds at sea to sacrifice. Might need to memorize two castings of death knell in case the first victim fails their save. Also assuming that the Navy will cover the expenses of these castings (desecrate in particular has an expensive material component, and it's not clear if skeleton crew does as well). Query 1: would the Navy have included an unhallow spell on the ship's chapel, or is that too much of an additional expense? I figure this is the sort of thing a state religion might reasonably do on a major warship... if so, what's the attached spell? Query 2: Am I correct in assuming that I can delegate control of the skeleton crew to other officers (either by personal orders or by "obey orders from anyone dressed in an officer's uniform"). If Stefan has to order them to every task personally it will be, um, rather time-consuming and much less useful. (There is, of course, a possible security hole here: how do the skeletons recognize legitimate ship's officers? Can anyone wearing the right uniform order them to go overboard and clean barnacles off the keel or something?) Query 3: Skeleton crew can't fight, but could they (for instance) load weapons and pass ammunition, or is that not part of regular ship operations?
Merry Christmas to all! What season are we in, in Cheliax?
I don't think a priestess of Calistria would find it sufficiently cruel to have enemies hit themselves in the face...
I guess we get to continue flashbacks and personal bonding experiences ;) Best wishes and a cheerful holiday season to all! (What are Asmodean holidays? I'm not sure I want to know...)
Later last night: Stefan considers Elrox for rather a long time. "We all serve Cheliax," he says at last, "nor do I have any desire to 'pierce your resolve', as you put it. You want justice; so do I. You want to train effective warriors; so do I. You want to serve our country; so do I. I think we can help each other toward those goals." He waves one hand toward the harbor. "We serve where we are placed. Our Dread Lord has guided me here, and perhaps brought you here as well. Or if not, He can give us the strength to serve well and the will to do our duty, no matter how hard that is." Stefan meets Elrox's eyes. "It seems in your case He has already hardened you. So if you have no desires beyond these, then there is only the duty to be successful. You shape warriors. Sailors are sometimes harder, because so much depends on leading them rather than driving them. One man with a torch can burn a ship; one man with a knife can cut a vital rope; one man failing to pull his hardest at the right moment can make any order fail. You could punish them after the deed, no doubt very bloodily and messily and with a great deal of pain. I could call up one of Our Dread Lord's lesser servitors to feast on tender parts of their bodies -- but the damage would already be done, the mission already failed. Fear and pain are tools, and you can probably use them better than I."
"But they are not my only tools. I consider the material of which men are made -- some lack the inner steel to be warriors, some lack the flexibility to be sailors. Half my duty is finding the right spot to put someone... sometimes openly, sometimes subtly. 'Subtle is the way of our Dread Lord.'" "Thank you for your frankness; it's rather refreshing after some of my contract negotiations with, ah, merchant-suppliers... I think we'll get along just fine." Stefan smiles. "I noticed you were drinking a bit back in the tavern, and seemed rather uncomfortable there. Do you prefer a, hmm, more private place for your vices? Or is casual drinking not your thing? I could introduce you to a few establishments that cater to varying tastes."
Very busy here, but working on Stefan's response to Elrox... hope I can get something up tomorrow.
Late last night: The moon had sunk toward the water, and the brighter stars were still visible about it, though the brick walls of the warehouse blocked the northern stars. Stefan turned back towards Elrox, tucking a sated viper into his sleeve. "You asked about my exploits. Well, I don't have so many of them. My first voyage, I ended up the only officer alive and in his right mind, and I captured a Rahadoumi corsair. That one caused rather a stir, I think, particularly my court-martial afterwards. After that, a couple of years learning the ins and outs of the Victualling Office, where I managed to find a few people abusing the Regulations for personal gain. I managed to get to sea after that, though, a long voyage down the Garundi coast on piracy patrol. My captain died on the return trip -- jungle fever, Morrigyn and I diagnosed; she and Malen were my shipmates then. And a few things after that." He glancees sideways at Elrox, as if expecting comment. "Yes, it's not a thick record, though I admit many a lieutenant has little more after a few years. So why am I getting a ship command? The Church of Asmodeus has a lot of influence, and you'd be right to suspect that we like getting one of ours in position, but it's not the only reason I'm here. I think part of it is that Admiral Teip wanted officers with experience in the southern seas, and there aren't too many of us -- the First Fleet took a lot of them with it. Maybe more importantly, I am a servant of Our Dread Lord, and He empowers me to do various things, some of which are useful to the Navy. Imagine how much easier it is to load a ship for a long voyage when half your sailors don't need to eat or drink, and can work around the clock without ever growing tired... Frankly, it's a project some vanished necromancer sold the Navy, and I get to try and make it work. So if it fails, obviously the original concept was flawed and I get credit for trying my best and following orders, while if it succeeds I get the credit for taking a bad idea and making a brilliant success of it. I could die in the process, but then every sailor runs that risk on every voyage, just like every soldier in every battle." He smiles grimly. "'To a bloody war and a sickly season', that's the toast, and I think the survivors will have promotions, prize money, and perks galore. Want to be one of them with me?"
Let's see -- Stefan is engaged in a four-year-old flashback with Casarus, a one-night-old-one with Elrox, a current conversation with Morrigyn, and has a feeler out at the chapel for Nebdel to pick up. I wonder, can I somehow contrive a thread with Malen and be doing separate conversations with everyone? :)
"How about preventing disease?" Stefan asked. "Long voyoage ahead of us, not many chances to bring new sailors aboard, and we'd like to reach our goal with as full a crew as possible -- the undead have many enviable features but they're not nearly as flexible as the living. Oh, there's a bunch of stuff in the Regulations about windscoops for fresh air, and cleanliness, and making sure the rations are purified -- thank the Dread Lord that the ship's chaplain can do that and I won't have to spend every meal chanting a blessing over the ingredients -- but how to prevent a crew from getting shipboard fevers in the first place, or jungle fever once we reach our destination? You have more training than I."
Eager to see how the ships are set up ;)
Late last night: The officer in red and black turns back to look at Elrox, then slows his pace, and gestures the other to walk beside him. They pace down the dimly lit street, past a lantern or two flickering at windows, and one of the city fireglobes shedding a little more on its corner pole. Stefan’s insignia are nearly invisible in the shadows, but his eyes reflect the orange flame. ”A dark night, but at least not a stormy one,” he says obliquely. ”Walk with me a little, and I’ll tell you a tale.” They pass another tavern, a clear female voice drifting through the windows in a song as chaste as it was comprehensible – that is, neither of those at all. Stefan waits until they pass the tavern and reach the alley beside a large warehouse, its doors closed and locked for the night, brick walls stained with streaks of tar and paint and bird droppings. ”My great-great-grandparents,” Stefan says after a minute, ”lost everything after Aroden’s death.” He does not say, when Cheliax collapsed in civil war. ”I’m not even sure where they came from, before they arrived in Westcrown. Perhaps they thought it better not to say. Their children had a hard life. Grandfather learned his letters, and apprenticed to a cloth merchant, and came to rise high in the world. So did his son – my father – in turn. But we remember the chaos. Great-grandmother had scars till her dying day, from the mobs – she showed me some of them. My mother’s mother fell afoul of an Andoran corsair, somewhere in the Inner Sea; they refused to ransom Grandmother, and Mother in turn had a hard life, till she snared my father.” He looks out across the harbor, where a few lights flickerd as ships ride at anchor, or wait by the dockside. Some, farther down, are being unloaded by torchlight. ”Their wealth travels on these ships. So do half the things this city makes or buys or sells. I was seven when Father lost a rich cargo from Thuvia to Rahadoumi pirates. He had to take a large loan from the Church of Asmodeus to cover his debts. My entry into the seminary was part of the arrangement.” He pauses for a minute. Overhead, the moon is riding towards setting, and the midnight stars glitter above the harbor. Somewhere in the alley a rat chitters, and Stefan bends down to the ground. A red-and-black form, black-and-black in the light, slithers down his arm and into the darkness. He looks back up as Elrox’s face twitches. Stefan looks into the alley after Sestandantilus, as if sharing sensations in some odd way, still crouched, and then gazes up, meeting Elrox’s eyes, almost in the position of a supplicant for understanding. ” I took many things from my time there – Sesty was not the least of them. You don’t like her, I could see back in the tavern. Few folk do – but from your repute, I know you know that weakness invites attack, and only strength succeeds. Seminary was harsh; binding to Sesty very harsh – but there is power in surviving such things, power for those with the strength to take, and the subtlety to keep. Chaos threatens us on every border, and only strength protects.” He stands up, and there’s a faint squeak from the alley. ”And why am I in the Navy, when I could be elsewhere? Well, I noticed things in seminary. Many novices intrigued to be sent to court, or the high palaces of the Church, or the diplomatic services. I realized that not so many of them were ever heard from again.” He paces a few steps forward into the alley, then back out, facing the harbor. ”’Power is where you find it/Seek it, serve it, bind it’ – it’s in the Asmodean Book of Nursery Rhymes, did you ever read that as a child? -- There's power in many places, not just the glittering ones. Not so many novices went to sea. . . and I loved ships; I’d been on a short voyage or two with my father as a boy, and I handled storms well. One other thing I discovered -- there are very few chaplain-officers. Quite a few chaplains in the Navy – the Regulations are explicit that every ship must have one – but not so many servants of Our Dread Lord with an officer’s epaulets as well as a chaplain’s sash. There’s room here for a capable man to rise, and build a power base. The Church helps me rise in the Navy, using me as a lever to influence them. . . but a lever works both ways. As I rise in the Navy, I have more influence of my own to exert, more rewards to offer, to other servants of Our Dread Lord.” He bends down and picks up Sestandantilus, as the snake slithers out of alley, a round bulge in her middle. ”Which brings me to you … what do you desire, and what do you want from the Navy? Everyone wants something…”
"I should have the letter for Lieutenant Danigan to you before we sail," Stefan said, "which the dockmaster tells me is tomorrow. Evidently Admiral Teip is not wasting time, and I think all his ships are fast sailors. I am very much looking forward to this briefing." He glances around at the elaborate office. Much of the artwork is well beyond either of their appreciation, not to mention budgets. A side door slips open quietly and a servant girl, dressed in a uniform almost that of a Marine, but artfully cut to suggest at everything and hint at vices yet undiscovered, while admitting nothing and revealing only a little more, comes in with a silver tray and a steaming cup. Stefan smiles up at her. "Thank you for your service, and could you bring another cup of coffee for the Sera here?" Once the girl departs, Stefan lets his eyes track back to Morrigyn. "Some captains dress all their boat crew alike, in private livery - I think the Admiral was one of them. Is Malen doing that? Seems like the sort of gesture he might be interested in." After waiting for Morrigyn's response, he goes on "What medicines do you think we will need most of? I've ordered a double supply of everything the Regulations prescribe, for a ship with half the normal crew, because I don't know what the marines on board will be supplied with yet. I remember you did a pretty good job keeping our crew healthy on our last voyage, but there are so many things that can go wrong down in the Shackles." . After a while, if Count Admiral Napaciza hasn't arrived, Stefan ssks "So, what do you think of our new comrades? I met Casarus briefly a few years ago, and he's a good officer with a head for details. The others I only met last night, but you have a well-honed eye for the qualities of men."
Sending good thoughts your way. Real life is more important than games.
Innuendo is such a perfect subdomain for clerics of Asmodeus.
I think we can all agree there are plenty of spoils to go around with a successful campaign, so why fight? :) Exactly. I hope nothing's happened to the DM - judging from past posts, there are some personal issues. Well, more time to build background and connections...
While we're waiting, just a thought or two on evil PCs. Nothing kills a campaign faster than PvP, and I just want to emphasize that Stefan isn't the sort of person to do that. He might collect blackmail information for self-preservation, or to work toward a goal, but he's not going to try and destroy fellow PCs. (His idea would be to maneuver them into serving his goals, or at least those of the Navy, instead. Tools are so much more useful if you can re-use them, after all. Breaking them is a last resort.) Lawful evil, not chaotic evil. ;) And certainly not PvP evil. We're all stronger if we're in this together, after all, for the success of the Navy, the glory of Cheliax, and (incidentally) our bank accounts. Also, not planning to be more explicit about some things, unless everyone is comfortable with going there. (The present level is about as far as I anticipate. Sure, Stefan is very capable of doing some very nasty things, but... not going to be graphic about it.)
The floggings will continue until morale improves.
Nice to populate our ships and do backstory, but time... is... dragging... on... in... the... office...
I was lucky, Stefan thought; the buzz of a passing fly had lifted his gaze just enough to catch a reflection of Morrigyn's approach in the polished darkwood table. "You're usually better than this at sneaking," he acknowledged affably, "but I'd rather not discover we were wrong about his tastes the night before we sailed. Investigations can be such a . . . tedious process. Much worse than a bad hornpipe, or a bout of seasickness, or jungle fever. But let us not speak of such unpleasantnesses. What are you here to bargain with the Quartermaster of the whole Navy for? It seems to me that Admiral Teip has already stocked our ships pretty completely, but there are always a few small things that slip through the cracks. I've been writing to various people most of the afternoon." He gestures at the writing board on his lap, with a dozen folded scraps of paper on it, and another half-complete. "My clerk had to run out and get more sealing wax. Would you believe that the Admiralty sent me eight midshipmen, five of whom still don't need to shave, but no schoolmaster for them?" He smiles slyly back to Morrigyn, letting his gaze roam freely, and recalling memories of warm flesh. "Lieutenant Danigan got what she bargained for. No less, and certainly not more. She might have bargained better, but it went well, and she told me much." He shrugged casually. "I might be interested to hear from her again, about her new berth. Perhaps I should write . . . would you convey a letter?"
OK, so we have: Abrogail's Resolve - for some reason I seem to have named her Revenge instead, maybe we could keep that name? Revenge sounds like a more Chelaxian virtue (?) - Stefan & Elrox (and which of us gets called "Captain", eh? - with 300 Marines under his command Elrox is probably a Major) - fast heavy troop ship Impeccable - Malen & Morrigyn - fast scout ship Bezrieul’s Gaze - Casarus & Nebdel - fast scout ship And a fourth ship, presumably the Admiral's, unless he decided to sail on Abrogail's R instead. Name and type unknown. (I wonder, is this the Penitence or did Aurilous and his ship get snagged by another of the fleets?)
I figure that for simplicity a lot of sailors will be expert 1, or rogue 1, or maybe warrior 1; experienced and memorable sailors will be 2nd level (and very possibly multiclassed), with a sprinkling of other classes to taste. Here's the complete roster for a historical 74-gun warship - I figure that the Abrogail's Revenge is a slightly smaller ship (maybe the equivalent of a Royal Navy 50 or 64), and only partly manned to boot, but a lot of the jobs will be the same. Our smaller ships would probably have a crew of about 150-300 men, depending on size. Obviously, in game some of these jobs will be carried out by other classes (e.g., surgeons and chaplains might be replaced in whole or part by clerics), but there's a LOT of work that goes into making a major warship functional. complete roster of a 74-gun warship: From the appendix in the Wooden World 3rd rate, 74 guns Complement 600-700 Captain 1 Lieutenants 4 Warrant Sea officers 6 (Master, Boatswain, Gunner, Carpenter, Surgeon, Purser) Inferior Warrant Officers 8 (Chaplain, Cook, Schoolmaster, Sailmaker, Armorer, Surgeons Mate x 3, Master at Arms) Petty Officers 55 (Master’s Mate x 3, Midshipmen x 16, Captains clerk, Quartermaster x 6, Quartermaster’s Mate x 4, Boatswain’s Mate x 2, Yeomen of the Sheets x 4, Coxswain, Sailmakers Mate, Gunner’s Mate x 2, Yeomen of the Powder Room x 2, Quarter Gunner x 18, Carpenters Mate, Steward, Corporal x 2, Trumpeter) Idlers 11 (Sailmaker’s Crew x2, Carpenter’s Crew x8, Steward’s mate) Servants 39-43 Widow’s Men 12-14 (“dummies” carried on the books to provide widow’s pensions) Seamen 352-448
Marines 1 Captain, 1 1st Lieutenant, 1 2nd Lieutenant, 3 Sergeants, 2 Corporals, 1 Drummer, 90 Privates
Stefan smiled as his left hand snaked up and grasped Morrigyn's wrist a bare inch from his neck. "Putting on a show in a Shackles dive is one thing," and his smile grew wider as memory touched his eyes. "Or on shipboard. But, you know, I don't think I've heard anything of the Count-Admiral's taste in entertainment."
His fingers trace softly along the soft skin of the underarm as he lets go. "Pity we'll be on separate ships. I managed to snag Massio as my coxswain, so he'll be away from your influence for a while. I am looking forward to another of his hornpipe demonstrations." He smiles up at her, eyes hot. "Did you and Malen manage to keep any of our old crew for this command? You rewarded them well; I'd think some would want to serve again under you ... and him." His hand comes down, maybe brushing her waist for a fraction of a second, and his gaze is still inviting.
I built them up. Naturally the GM can overrule if he wants, but I tried not to be too excessive. Still, a ship of the line historically had a crew of 550-600. I figured officers in command of that many people would have 3-5 levels, even if we are half-manned, and giving each of them a brief personality helps me keep them straight for later.
I have not yet begun to deviate...
Right, so we're a ship-of-the-line armed en flute, with weapons mostly stripped to allow us to carry troops, a fast troop transport with some teeth, probably quite capable of fighting a small pirate ship but might have some difficulty with a bigger warship. OK, got it. Oh, and nasty idea for a land siege -- trebuchets can throw pretty large stone blocks. Attach a bloody skeleton to the stone block and launch into fort. Skeleton is probably killed by the fall but it reanimates an hour later inside the fort... along with all the others launched on succeeding blocks.
Sounds reasonable... ... but I certainly hope we don't run into, say, a pirate equipped with lots of cannon ;)
Quick query: are the ships armed with cannons, or with earlier types of siege engines (catapults, ballistae, trebuchets)?
"They will be here by 4 bells," Stefan tells the dockmaster, admiring her technique of handling the men. "I still need a copy of the manifest and of the supplies scheduled to be loaded, though." Because if we are sailing tomorrow then I have almost no time to get any additions to the supplies. The Admiral is in a hurry! "The blessing of Our Dread Lord be upon you and your efforts."
He snags one of the dockboys waiting around and gives him a copper (or two) to send a quick message to his rooms, directing his servant to get everything packed and moved to the docks immediately.
Stefan spends a little time admiring the furnishing, but his mind is busy thinking over his officers and how to use them. A long voyage south, but that should give us time to get at least a few midshipmen in shape to stand a watch. We are all going to be wildly overworked -- only five watchstanders on a ship this size, and I'm going to be spending a fair amount of time directing the skeleton crews, unless another chaplain gets shipped. Malvoglio and Maretto seem good and eager, Doria is a bit of a weak point but I suppose appearing a naval family is worth ti... Orcia may need careful handling from what I saw of her." Almost against his will is eye is drawn back to his opulent surroundings. One of these days I will have an office like this... He had expected to be sent through a series of clerks, and knew how to handle them. To be escorted into the office of the Imperial Quartermaster is a bit of a shock. Well, I suppose a mission at the Queen's direct command will attract attention. He begins thinking through his list of additional requisitions, writing them down one by one. Iron cages in the hold, for the undead and maybe for prisoners later. At least one needs to be able to hold birds or similar-sized creatures. Choking shot for the weapons - some gas clouds on board enemy ships will do much to ease their capture. A full chest of onyx and powdered silver and other necromantic supplies - after all, that project has been approved. We should already have a chapel on board dedicated to Our Dread Lord - it's in the Regulations for all ships of this class -- but carrying along a large supply of extra bones and skeletons would be useful for replacing casualties and animating extra assaulters. Two or three extra boats - if we carrying marines we need to be able to land them all quickly, and there's room in the waist if we stack them inside each other. Pull a few from other ships if necessary for speed. The ship's carpenter can fashion siege ladders and rams and other gear, and we can dismount some of the ship's weapons if necessary, but a few cases of picks and shovels and axes and spikes would be very handy for engineering operations and siege warfare. The marines might not be thinking of that if they don't have an engineer assigned.
Stefan is a firm believer in the velvet glove, by the way. Doesn't mean there isn't an adamantine viper inside it...
It was late afternoon before the rapid loading halted for a time, while the dockmaster waited for more wagons to arrive. The smell of the harbor, of gulls and salt water and city sewage, was comfort to the more experienced sailors, and the fickle breezes brought a mixture of scents from land and sea across the decks, where canvas windscoops brought the air below. Stefan seized the opportunity to order a full assembly. The waist of the ship was filled, but scantily, and the men looked uneasily at each other. Even the newer sailors knew that a ship of the line had a crew twice the size or more of the numbers mustered. Still, midshipmen got their sailors into something resembling order, and the officers waited while the new captain paced up and down the ranks, looking into the eyes of man after man, nodding occasionally, and dictating occasional notes to his clerk. He ended at the wheel, beside the assembled lieutenants, then stood to face the men. From behind him, Andreas' drums trilled a rapid call to order, a fanfare of obedience. He raised one hand for silence, and it fell, broken only by the squawking of gulls swooping through the rigging. "We are Abrogail's Revenge", he told the crew, and took a breath. "We are the ship named for our fair and mighty queen. We are the vengeance she sends upon her foes. We are all keel-owners " -- the first crew of a newly commissioned ship -- "and in the days to come, the Navy will be proud of us. The nation will be proud of us. The Queen herself will be proud of us." He gestures to the flag draped over the binnacle, the naval war banner, and touches it briefly with a barbed ruby pentacle, the symbol of Asmodeus. . "And I know this, because you will be well-trained and do your duty. Our Dread Lord's eye is on us all, to punish the slacker and the coward, but the Queen's hand is open to reward valor and success. I started below decks, under orders. I followed orders and did my duty, and the Queen's hand came down to bless me, to sign my officer's commission." Though they needn't know the details of a really messy trial and a lot of Church string-pulling! He paused, letting his eyes go up and down the ranks, trying to appear to meet each man's gaze. "We sail against the enemies of Cheliax, against pirates who enrich themselves by preying on our shipping, and who by this declare themselves our lawful prey! Our Dread Lord's blessing is on us for this, and His curse upon our foes. We will deliver it, and send them all to their deserved reward, of fire and death and darkness!" His voice rises to an exultant pitch, then resumes in a subtle soft whisper. "... if we do our duty. You are sailors; you know already our ceaseless battle against the unrelenting sea, and the need for every man to do his best, lest he endanger all the rest. Every one of us must make it work. The Admiral will give me orders, and I will obey them and order the officers. They will give you orders, and you will carry them out with heart and soul and spirit, with all your wit and will. My eye is keen to reward good service, and swift to punish slackness. If we do our duty, we will gorge ourselves on pirates' plunder. We will crush them! We will drive them before us! We will hear their lamentations! On that day, we will not just be the keel-owners of this ship, of Abrogail's Revenge. We will ourselves be our Queen's revenge!" He holds them all for a minute, spellbound. "And then... then we will return home, lucky and famous, wealthy and victorious. Men have founded houses, opened shops, bought their own ships, with the rewards the Navy gives -- that the Queen gives -- for valor and victory and success. And some of them have done even better. Some have risen high, to stand among the great." For a minute he looks out over the silent crowd, gauging the effect of his words. Oh, they all know of the odds, of all the seaman's deaths. But I think enough will listen, and remember. 'Set ambition in men's hearts; ambition is a whip that does not cease.' "Dis-missed!" Andreas' drum beat a quick tattoo of dismissal, and men hurried back to their tasks, hauling and loading, checking lines and stays, and Stefan nodded to the officers. "Ser Malvoglio, you and I are expected at the Admiral's evening briefing. I will stop by the Victualling Office on the way to hasten the supplies our driving dockmaster is waiting for." Maybe if they slack, I can press some of them for sea-service... "Sera Maretto, you have the watch. Carry on." He nodded, and went below. Andreas was waiting in the cabin, case packed and a folder of order forms under his arm. Sestandantilus coiled on the table, bulging around the middle. "Watch the cabin, Sesty," he ordered -- several cases of private supplies had already been delivered. And now for the Victualling Office again. Dread Lord, but I'm glad to have the whip hand over them this time!
OK, officer's roster for the Abrogail's Revenge. Subject, of course, to the Admiral's approval and/or Admiralty reassignments First lieutenant- Lucio Malvoglio (LE male human fighter (lore warden) 4), decorated for bravery in boarding actions and good with small boats Second lieutenant - Julia Maretto (LN female human ranger 3), good navigator and sailor Third lieutenant - Marco Doria (LE male human fighter 2/aristocrat 1), a nephew of the late lamented Captain Doria from Stefan's previous voyage Sailing master - Ferdinand Colombo (LE middle-aged male human expert 4), veteran of the Shackles Patrol and generally tired of life 8 midshipmen - it's a large ship but the Admiralty was out of master's mates with all the recent casualties and deployments so we got a draft of just-graduated Academy youngsters. Purser - Isabella Rotino (LN female halfling expert 3/rogue 1), very capable and very quiet, and a skinflint gambler Carpenter/surgeon - Brer Pollo (NE male human adept 1/expert 3). Stefan would really like to know how Brer finagled the Admiralty into getting two warrants and drawing two salaries simultaneously... Brer might have things to teach him about Regulations-fu. Very superstitious and plenty of low-level spells. Bosun - Val Orcia (LG female human expert 3/ranger 1), good at boats, rigging, daredevil acrobatics, and being out of place in Cheliax. Ship's wizard - Dottore Giuseppe Secco (N middle-aged male human wizard 3 (siege mage)/ druid 2), noted artillery expert with a side interest in tropical birds Ship's chaplain - Matthias Terrani (LN male human cleric 3/expert 1), cleric of Abadar and naval architect, still on board for inspections and finishing the ship. (Stefan really hopes to still get an assistant chaplain for him who can command undead if necessary.) Marine captain - not yet arrived aboard
Hmmm... still thinking about my crew. Been a rather busy day, hope to get a post in tomorrow.
So, a large ship - but equipped more as a transport than a warship. Will the Admiral be aboard her as well? She's certainly suited to be a flagship. Still, the captain's cabin was his! Stefan sat back in a chair -- his chair! -- and thought deeply. The crew seemed calm, the officers ambitious but not excessively so; nothing much was out of order; the supplies being loaded were more than enough for a voyage to the Shackles. No coffee yet, but his personal supplies were being packed for loading. A shortage of lieutenants - I must see who can reasonably be trained or trusted as watch officers from among the master's mates. And transport of undead would be difficult, especially in mass. I can control perhaps a score; we must ensure that they do not break free or threaten the men. Probably iron bars in the hold, and a cage fitted with two doors, into which we can call the ones we wish to bring out. Perhaps a ship's wizard can make repairs in that area with unseen servants if necessary - do we HAVE a ship's wizard? Stefan doodles some quick thoughts as to a watch schedule, but quickly realizes that will have to wait until he knows the various petty officers a little bit better and gets a full muster book. Interview the quartermaster, get the state of the stores, see if any supplementary requisitions are needed. If not, congratulate the first lieutenant and quartermaster on a job well done. And find out how long before we are ready to sail... the Admiral will want to know. Stefan proceeds about the business of ensuring the Abrogail's Revenge is ready to sail.
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