02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

104 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
Brig
There are various types of brigantines or brigs, also
known as frigates. These ships are abundant upon the
seas and the rivers and serve as the eyes of many a fleet.
They are the scout-cruisers of the Iron Kingdoms era
and are often employed as escorts to larger, slower,
or mercantile vessels. Many sailors call the brig the
“master of the seas” though that is starting to change
with the refinement of the steam engine. To keep
pace, many ships have joined the trend and are being
retrofitted with steam plants. They have at least one
full battery deck—sometimes two or even three—as
well as a spar deck with a lighter battery. After the
application of steam for navigation, “steam frigates”
have become increasingly popular along the coasts
and in the deep harbors.
The brig tends to fall between 70 and 100 feet
long with a slim and slender profile. It has 2 masts, the
foremast rigged square and the mainmast rigged fore
and aft making it both fast and maneuverable. It is a
favorite of pirates and as such the ships usually seen in
Cryx’s fleet are brigs.
This was the light warship of the pre-steam days
and can be arrayed with a very impressive 20 to 25
guns. It remains the primary warship used in smallscale
battles and naval skirmishes, and merchants like
the brig because it is fast and can protect itself in a
scrap. In a pinch, it can often travel far upriver.
rumor has it…
the hunting of Whales is a dangerous but luCrative
endeavor. Whales produCe oil, meat, leather, and Whalebone.
the latter Commands a good priCe due to its popularity in
sCrimshaW Carving and With dressmakers Who make use of it
to enhanCe the female figure by shaping the silhouette. it
is unknoWn When sailors first ventured out to hunt the
monsters of the deep, but khador and ord are the tWo most
prominent Whale-hunting kingdoms, and the tradition is at
least a thousand years old. khador speCializes in hunting
the great iCe Whale WhiCh yields an enormous amount of
Whale oil per beast (often 150 barrels per Whale, or five and
a half tons), Whereas ord hunts the southerly blaCk Whale,
hook Whale, and the sand strait Whale—sometimes Called
the sChardeWhale. the southern Whales are smaller than
the great iCe Whales but make up for this in sheer numbers.
the Whale oil is put to use in lamps and Candles as Well as
lubriCants, CosmetiCs, and mediCines.
Whaleboats and handheld lanCes have been abandoned in the
past feW deCades and the harpoon launCher has beCome the
primary Weapon of ChoiCe for Whale hunting. the harpoon
is tethered and fired from a blasting poWder Chamber that
propells it at a Whale With extraordinary speed. the heavy,
barbed harpoon strikes the flesh and barbs hold it there, and
the attaChed rope keeps the ship in ContaCt With the beast.
the hunters then Wait for the Whale to bleed out and die.
sometimes additional harpoons are fired into the Whale to
ensure a sWifter death and to make Certain the beast remains
attaChed to the ship. it should be noted that some large
animals, When struCk, have a habit of diving deep or heading
further out to sea. indeed, some Whaling ships have been lost
after harpooning a too-large beast and then being dragged
into the stormy depths of blaCk meredius.
rumors persist of a breed of Whale in the deeps that is so
large it Can sWalloW an entire frigate in one gulp. this breed
has no offiCial name, but a handful of sailors Claim to have
seen suCh a Creature and tell tales of a gargantuan monster
festooned With barnaCles and bony protrusions With smooth,
sliCk skin the Color of dried blood and teeth the size of an
ogrun. some ConjeCture its origins lie near the blighted
Waters off the Coasts of Cryx.
Schooner
Schooners are multi-purpose ships ranging from
50 to 100 feet in length and used as merchantmen,
salt bankers, fighting ships, and more. The typical
schooner is often of the two-masted variety, both
rigged fore-and-aft. Designed for speed, it is a stealthy
vessel with a shallow draft as sailing ships go that allows
for navigation over rivers and dangerous shoals. The
simplicity of the schooner’s rigging allows the crew to
be reduced to an absolute minimum. Sometimes all it
takes is a captain, a cook, and but one sailor per mast
to operate one of these vessels, and the minimal crew
greatly reduces operating costs. Due to these traits,
schooners throughout Immoren are also called packet
ships, referring to the fact that they frequently carry
various cargos packaged separately and are often used
by merchants who offload at multiple ports.
In addition to the (relatively) honest merchants
that employ the schooner, it is a ship favored by pirates
and smugglers as well. The interior of a schooner is
almost entirely made up of cargo area which pirates
most often use for berths and bunks. A large schooner
can carry up to 75 marauders, allowing for a large
boarding force to take a ship by shot and steel. The
outsized cargo-to-crew ratio is also useful as a decent
area for captured booty. Of course, the schooner is
also small enough to hide in river mouths, inlets,
coves, and near the shoreline to wait in ambush for its
eventual prey.