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

110 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
poWder magazines and the Cannon
unlike breeCh-loading firearms on land, the Cannons found
aboard ships do not paCkage the red and blaCk blasting
poWder together in a silk bag. the pin fire method used in
small firearms is Completely impraCtiCal in Cannons due to
the faCt that the amounts of poWder used and the forCe
needed Cannot be re-Created by employing those meChaniCs.
instead, Cannons have tWo separate Chambers—one for blaCk
poWder and the other for red. the poWders are stored far
apart in the ship itself, usually one in the fore Cargo hold
and one in the aft. With the Way ships toss and roll While
sailing, the risk of the poWder Casks breaking and the poWders
mixing is simply too great.
the tWo poWders are poured into their Chambers and then
Compressed against a tough, alChemiCal flash paper divider
that separates the tWo Chambers. a quiCk-burning fuse is
inserted into the touChhole Where the poWder presses it up
against the flash paper. a seal of Wax and paper is then forCed
doWn the barrel and the shot or Cannonball is loaded on
top of it, ensuring that none of the explosive forCe is Wasted.
When firing the Cannon, the fuse burns quiCkly and rapidly
vaporizes the flash paper. the poWders mix and explode and
hurl the Cannon ball, or shot, out of the barrel.
the reloading times of the Chamber Cannon, as it is Called,
and the smaller muzzle-loading Cannon are Comparable due
to the faCt that the barrel and eaCh of the Chambers for
the red and blaCk poWders must be Cleaned individually. this
means that the rate of fire for the larger Chamber Cannons
and the smaller muzzleloaders is roughly equal, though the
Chamber Cannons do have a signifiCant range advantage over
their smaller Cousins.
Education & Learning
Schools and Tutors
Formal secular education is rare in the kingdoms.
There is no compulsory schooling, and for the most
part it is a luxury available only to those who can afford
it. More often than not pupils come from families
wanting a child out of the way for various reasons,
so they shell out a few crowns every week to enroll
their young ones in a petty school or a privately run
boarding school where students are taught the very
basics of “reading, writing, and reckoning.” In the
main, however, elementary education does not reach
a very high standard and those fortunate enough
often learn from a personal tutor willing to pass on
his knowledge and/or trade. One might commission
a bard or someone like the renowned Vladimir Szetka
(male Umbrean Clr6/Ftr4) who might be willing to
share some of his wisdom, but children are more apt
to learn from their families, from community elders,
or from streetwise peers.
Aside from the infrequent schools, education is
not so much about what people are taught—it is about
what they learn. A young farmer learns farming by
working in the fields alongside his kin or being sent up
into the hills with the goats. If he is a tailor, he learns
by sweeping floors, ironing clothes, and then gradually
being given ever-more demanding tasks to accomplish.
Apprenticeship is the norm—schools and tutors are
the exception—and as soon as a child is considered
old enough to be gainfully employed, he is sent to
learn a trade. If he is lucky, the trade will take its duties
seriously. The Cygnaran military, for example, spends
at least a year drilling recruits before they see active
service and then calls them back for a month each year
for training on maneuvers.
The situation is slightly different for those with
money. Nobility are expected to be informed, quick
of wit, and sharp of judgement. To this end most
families hire a tutor to instruct their offspring, hoping
to leave them with enough of an insight into people,
etiquette, historical precedent, and the law that they
Leto? He was a sterling pupil… attentive, thoughtful, and conscientious. Yes, like any young
lad, he was mischievous from time to time. I remember the first time I caught him reading one
of those seditious pamphlets his brother had tried to ban, tucked inside the body of a geometry
text. But he knew when to set such willfulness aside—not like his older brother. Frankly, I was
glad to see the back of him and made no protest when he was declared too old to benefit from
further tutoring. I’d rather wrestle a gorax than debate with that boy.
—Brennan Smythe (male Caspian Clr3/Exp5), personal tutor to the Cygnaran Royal Family