64 Foot Dak

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64 FOOT DAK – ‘LORKIN’

Home Port: None

Owner (Aboard): Eshârel Ranals Crew: 5 officers, 15 seamen

Passengers: 0 – 9 (4 semi-permanent)

INTRODUCTION

This article contains a description of a large commer-cial cargo vessel, a 64-foot dak named ‘Lorkin.’ A full set of GM Notes and a description of the crew and passengers is available separately in Friends, Foes and Followers Part 6, entitled A Company of Adventurers – “The Crew of the Lorkin.” This allows a GM to re-use this ship for different crews, times and places.

HISTORY

Originally named the “Lady Rayas,” the ship was con-structed in 682TR at the shipyard of Joss of Whedon, in the city of Murshel, Trierzon. She was one of more than a dozen daks commissioned by the Duke of Trabant for his private commercial fleet. She gave solid service for 29 years, before being retired and replaced by a newer, more modern vessel in 711TR.

The Lady Rayas and her sister ships are simple, con-servative, solid designs, built to last. Fashioned from the finest oak and fir from the Duke’s own woodlots (a con-siderable cost saving), the large timbers were cut from a

single tree whenever possible. For extra strength, long-life and durability in the rough Gulf of Ederwyn, the ships were Kamba straked (double planked) using continuous planks running the full length of the hull. No expense was spared on the hull or rigging, but the ships interiors were left exceptionally plain and workmanlike, with the Duke refused to spend money on what he considered ‘frippery.’

Based in Murshel, the Duke’s commercial fleet works the profitable sea-trade between Trierzon, Palithane and points north. The Duke’s agents deal in fruit, wine, honey, iron and ceramics, anything that makes a profit. For many years, the Lady Rayas was a solid, if unspectacular, piece of the Duke’s far-flung commercial enterprise.

In 692TR, after the loss of several commercial vessels to pirate attacks; the Duke ordered an expansion of his

CREDITS

WRITERS Kerry Mould Ken Snellings Andy Gibson MAPS

Ken Snellings (Lorkin)

Peter Fauconnier (Original Dak)

ARTIST ART SPONSOR

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war fleet and a number of his commercial ships were refit-ted as warships or transports. In 693TR, the Lady Rayas returned to Murshel for refit as a troop transport.

Originally, built with only a small, open sterncastle and no forecastle, the Lady Rayas was a basic trading vessel. The refit extended and enclosed the sterncastle, creating cabins for troop transport, and installed the most recent innovation, an enclosed forecastle, with two cabins for the ship’s officers. When work was complete, the ship could carry thirty soldiers, twenty crew and 167 tuns of cargo (provisions, horses, siege equipment and the like).

After the refit, the Lady Rayas returned to work as a commercial cargo vessel, occasionally transporting pas-sengers, usually the Duke’s bonded mercantylers. When the Duke needed additional warships (a rare event), the refitted commercial vessels were pressed into service. Despite the modifications, the Lady Rayas never saw ac-tive duty in the Duke’s war fleet, though the new quarter-deck and fo’c’sle proved their worth in her own occasional skirmishes with pirates. Unfortunately, time and one too many storms, took its toll on the old girl and in 711TR she was paid off and put up for sale. Unfortunately, several better ships were also retired that year, causing a glut on the used ship market. Tied to one of the Duke’s wharfs, she sat alone and uncared for until 713TR.

RECENT EVENTS

Despite her age, the dak is a rugged dependable ship. Her plain fit and finish, lack of decoration and conserva-tive design do not obscure the eight large cabins, great room and kitchen, ample cargo hold, finest clinker straked oak hull, fir masts and solid stone ballast of a true work-horse. It was these features that caught the eye of a for-mer sergeant, Eshârel (Shâ) Ranals. He had recently come into some money and was looking to buy a ship.

In the autumn of 713TR, Shâ purchased the “Lady Rayas” for the princely sum of £88 and renamed her the “Lorkin.” Shâ and his first mate, Zoë, were among the handful of survivors of the ‘Siege of Lorkin Castle,’ the fi-nal battle of the Jarin Rebellion in Orbaal. After the rebel-lion was crushed, they fled to Trierzon where they worked as mercenaries for the next nine years. In the summer of 713TR, during a skirmish on the Plain of Karetan, Shâ had the good fortune to capture a Shorkyni baron. His £120 ransom allowed Shâ to retire and follow his lifelong dream of buying his own ship.

The purchase price was only the beginning. After two years tied up and ignored, the Lorkin needed significant repairs just to make her seaworthy. Unable to afford a full refit (which would have cost at least £48), Shâ was forced to limit work to just the most critical repairs. Twenty-two pounds was just enough to have her pumped out, repair

the worst of the leaks, purchase some threadbare used sails, replace some rigging, stock a few spares, purchase some provisions and hire a crew. In the spring of 714TR, with Shâ’s last £10 invested in a speculative cargo; the Lorkin set sail on her first voyage under her new captain.

Since then, Captain Ranals has managed to break even. He hauls cargo (for himself and others), transports passengers and ‘occasionally’ participates in the ‘small package trade’ (a euphemism for smuggling). This earns him enough, barely, to pay his crew, buy new provisions and keep on sailing. The Lorkin is a little tired and worse for wear, but he intends to have her refitted as soon as time and money permit. For now, his chippy, Kayly, does the best she can to keep up with the maintenance.

OUTER DECKS

1. Quarterdeck. The raised deck at the rear of the

vessel, above the enclosed sterncastle, this is where the captain, pilot and other officers keep watch and command the ship. The dak has a steer-post rudder, which the pilot controls by means of a tiller bar. In fine weather, the pas-sengers will often congregate here to enjoy the sun. In event of combat, archers will be posted here to take ad-vantage of the deck’s added height.

2. Fo’c’sle. The superstructure at the fore of the

ship, this deck is also used as a fighting platform in event of combat. It is also the site of the toilet (heads).

3. Main Deck and Mast. Located six feet above the

water, this is the main working area of the ship. From here, the crew loads and unloads cargo, works the rigging and climbs the mast to loose or haul in the sails. The cap-stan (winch) for raising the anchor is just ahead of the cargo hatch. The anchors are strapped to the ship’s sides. 4. Cargo Hatch. This large (10 ft x 12 ft) opening

gives access to the Lorkin’s main cargo hold. Using lines and pulleys strung from the yardarm, crates, barrels and heavy freight are hoisted off the dock or pinda, swung around and lowered into the hold. Once loading has been completed, the hold is secured with a heavy oak hatch that is covered with oiled-canvas to make it watertight. 5. Pindas. The Lorkin carries two small twelve-foot

pindas. These four man boats are mainly used to shuttle passengers and crew to and from shore.

CABINS

6. Great Room. This room functions as a

combina-tion kitchen, dining room and lounge for the officers and passengers of the Lorkin. A large table with benches dominates the room and is the center of social activity during long voyages at sea. Water barrels, a counter and small wood stove line the sides of the room and serve as the kitchen. Since there is no permanent cook, the

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PLAYER MAP

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GM MAP

QUARTER

DECK

MAIN

DECK

TWEEN

DECK

ORLOP

DECK

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officers and passengers take turns cooking. The room is cheerfully painted a bright yellow with a painted flower trim (courtesy of Kayly). One of Shâ’s more unusual tro-phies, a strange bronze crest reputedly from the Diramoan Empire, hangs on the wall.

7. Passenger Cabin. Derrial Parma, an Inithiar

(Cleric) of Siem, currently rents this comfortable double berth. He spent several years in Evael at a Holy Grove in the South Downs. He joined the ship in Cherafir, seem-ingly unconcerned about its destination, telling Kayly “I have been out of the world a while, I’d like to walk it a spell.” He was a paying passenger, but recent events have made him more like crew and his fare has been waived for the last few legs.

8. Crew Cabin. The door to this double berth is

decorated with a colorful sign announcing this is ‘Kayly’s Room.’ The ships’ carpenter (or ‘chippy’), Kayly’s room is brightly decorated with souvenirs of her travels, including a very large, very fluffy, very pink, dress. It is in complete contrast to Kayly’s often masculine clothes and dirt smudged face.

9. Mate’s Cabin. The ship’s only married couple,

Hoban Fiôrfohd (the pilot) and Zoë Alleyne (the first mate), share this large triple berth. The room has a com-fortable double bed with a thick feather mattress and a chest of clothes. Zoë has a sizeable collection of weapons and armor in a chest under the bed. Hoban’s pilot’s rutter is carefully concealed in a false panel behind the bed. Only Zoë, the Captain and he know of its hiding place. 10. Captain’s Cabin. Captain Eshârel Ranals has a

triple berth to himself. A fine double bed, locked chest and small desk and chair fill the room. The chest contains the ship’s often meager operating capital and his personal records. Shâ also has a significant arsenal of weapons and armor under his bed.

11. Crew Cabin. The ship’s muscular

‘problem-solver,’ mercenary and marine sergeant, Eryla Cobb, has a double berth to himself. The cabin and a 10% share of the ship’s profits were part of the deal he cut to switch sides at a crucial moment when his gang tried to rob the Lorkin. The wall next to his hammock is lined with a large and varied assortment of weapons, all with easy reach. 12. Passenger Cabin. A master physician from

Sel-denbaal, Lläwaûr Tam, boarded the ship with his sister, Kibâ, in a drug-induced coma, hidden in a large trunk. He rescued Kibâ from the Order of the Crimson Dancer, who had enticed her with promises of a special education and instead conducted unknown experiments on her mind. The combination of the young man’s skill as a surgeon and Shâ’s ‘inconvenient sense of charity’ have resulted in the pair being given free passage and the crew’s protec-tion in return for his services as ship’s physician. Their

large double berth also serves as the ship’s infirmary and surgery. It is well stocked, results of a recent ‘job’. 13. Passenger Cabin. The fo’c’sle has two cabins, the

larger, triple berth is home to the ship’s ‘Ambassador’, Inara Serra, a guild certified courtesan. A beautiful and desirable woman, she has many wealthy and noble clients vying for her services in every major port. She pays cash for her passage and thus demands complete privacy. She sometimes entertains clients in her cabin, but more often is shuttled ashore by pinda and stays in fine inns or her client’s homes. Her status lends respectability to an oth-erwise scruffy and low-class vessel.

14. Passenger Cabin. This double berth is currently

vacant and is being used to store the officers’ liberty chests and the passenger’s excess baggage. The last pay-ing customer to use this cabin turned out to be a Crimson Dancer agent who attempted to kidnap Kibâ and hijack the ship. Shâ killed him and threw him overboard. Since then, the cabin hasn’t been used. However, if finances get tight, the Captain may have to revisit that decision.

BELOW DECKS

15. Provision Locker. This storeroom holds

suffi-cient food and water for 24 people for 30 days. Only the captain and first mate have keys.

16. Spares and ‘Discrete’ Storage. This locker

holds the ship’s spares, including material for repairing the hull, replacement rigging and sails. The spares are stacked right to the door. The ship has several ‘trouble-some little nooks’ where ‘small packages’ can be safely concealed from an overly inquisitive harbormaster. 17. Main Cargo Hold. The main profit maker for the

ship is her hold. A respectable 167 tuns net burthen, the Lorkin can transport a hefty amount of cargo at one time. Often, finding enough cargo is a problem, especially with-out a supercargo (bonded master mercantyler specializing in marine trade) or links to legitimate merchants ashore. The ship’s anchor cable and the crewmen’s liberty chests (¼ tun each) are also stored here.

18. Crew Quarters. Operating a ship the size of the

Lorkin requires substantial manpower. The Captain em-ploys a bosun and about fourteen seamen (a mix of able/ordinary seamen and deck boys). The crew shares a large 10ft high common cabin below the enclosed fo’c’sle. The hammocks are tightly packed, two levels high. Dur-ing the day, some of the hammocks are stowed and this becomes the crew’s kitchen, eating area and lounge. 19. Bilge. (Not mapped) Covered by an orlop deck, the

lowest interior part of the hull is where water collects and from where baling is done. Some ships have loose stone for ballast. The Lorkin has a ballast of cut granite blocks which fit tightly between the ship’s ribs.

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CREW OF THE LORKIN

Not a large ship, the Lorkin still requires a sizeable crew of five officers (see FFF6) and fifteen crew. The bo-sun (or second-mate), an able seaman with good leader-ship skills, leads the crewmen. The first mate (Zoë) com-mands the starboard watch; the bosun takes the port watch. The Lorkin does not have many long-term crew. The men come and go, joining or leaving the ship as the mood takes them. Thus, individual NPC descriptions are not listed; instead, generic profiles with average stats and skills are provided. GMs are advised to generate names and individual details as necessary (such as home port, when they signed-on, when they are scheduled to be paid-off, amount owed and any other additional pertinent in-formation). If this is more detail than the GM or PCs are interested in, this facet of the operation of the ship can also be ignored, under the assumption that the Captain and First Mate manage this as part of their daily routine or delegate much of it to the Bosun.

The crew consists of three groups: able seamen, ordi-nary seamen and deckboys. The best leader among the able seaman is generally appointed bosun, this may or may not be the most senior man. He and the first mate then each appoint two ‘lead hands,’ generally the next most experienced able seamen. The remaining able and ordinary seamen are equally distributed between the two watches. The most junior crewmen are the deckboys, equivalent of apprentices. They generally get the worst jobs, but are not given dangerous or critical duties until they have at least a year’s experience. Many of the deck-boys are little more than teenagers.

The crew of the Lorkin are well treated and well fed. Captain Ranals is also known as a hard, demanding Cap-tain with little tolerance for disloyalty or slackness. He pays only an average wage, but he pays on time and has a good reputation for being fair and trustworthy, if slightly shady. The Captain has little trouble filling his berths and the Lorkin normally sails with a full crew.

UNIFORMS

A former sergeant, Eshârel Ranals has a particular quirk, he insists all crew wear a basic uniform: the red shirt. It also sets the crew apart from the crews of other vessels, most of whom wear cheap, un-dyed cloth. A vet-eran soldier, he knows how chaotic things can get, whether it is during an attack by pirates or a simple port-side tavern brawl. Quick and easy identification of fellow crew members is vital. The captain has purchased a quantity of brightly coloured red shirts. Each sailor is is-sued one when he signs aboard and must return it when he signs off. As a result, the officers have taken to calling the crew ‘red-shirts.’

BOSUN (Able Seaman)

Str 12 Agl 12 Sml 12 Wil 12 Cml 12 Sta 12 Eye 12 Voi 12 Aur 12 End 12 Dex 12 Hrg 12 Int 12 Mor 10 Mov 12

Physical Skills: Climbing 60, Condition 60, Jumping 48, Stealth 36,

Throwing 48.

Communication Skills: Awareness 48, Intrigue 36, Oratory 24, Rhetoric

(Command) 48, Singing 36.

Combat Skills: Initiative 60, Unarmed 48, Dodge 60, Club 60, Dagger 48. Craft Skills: Fishing 36, Piloting 24, Seamanship 72, Shipwright 24,

Weatherlore 36.

Armour / Weapons: Wool Cap, red cloth shirt and short pants, leather

belt and shoes, knife, belaying pin (club).

ABLE SEAMAN

Throwing 44.

33, Singing 33

Weatherlore 33.

ORDINARY SEAMAN

Throwing 40.

30, Singing 30.

Weatherlore 30.

DECKBOY

Throwing 36.

27, Singing 27.

Weatherlore 27.

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VESSEL PROFILE

VESSEL NAME:

LORKIN

VESSEL TYPE:

SINGLE MASTED DAK

PORT OF REGISTRY:

UNREGISTERED

EXPIRY DATE:

N/A

History

Dimensions Cabins

Burthen

PORT BUILT:

Murshel, Trierzon LENGTH: 64 feet GROSS BURTHEN: 233 tuns

SHIPWRIGHT:

Joss of Whedon BEAM: 26 feet

THREE 3-BERTH CABINS (4 tuns ea):

Captain, Mate,Guest

12 tuns CREW QUARTERS:

(15 x 0.5) = 7.5 tuns

DATE OF LAYING KEEL:

1 Nolus 682 DEPTH: 14 feet PROVISIONS/LOCKERS: 7.2 tuns

DATE LAUNCHED:

22 Halane 682 DRAFT: 8 feet

FIVE 2-BERTH CABINS (3 tuns each):

Chippy, Marine, 3 Guests

15 tuns SPARES/STOREROOMS:

6.9 tuns

DATE OF COMMISION:

23 Ilvin 682 FREEBOARD: 6 feet ANCHORS: (3x2.33) = 7.0 tuns

TOTAL MANDAYS:

5673 VESSEL COST (new): 52,758d MASTS: One

OTHER:

Great Cabin & Kitchen

8 tuns PINDAS:

(2x15ft) = 4.4 tuns

REPAIR FACTOR:

2 VESSEL COST (used): 21,103d HEIGHT: 78 feet TOTAL CABINS: 35 tuns NET BURTHEN: 167 tuns

Crew

Port

Watch

Stbd

Watch

Pilot/Chippy Provisions

VCF:

8 SEAMANSHIP: Zoë = 62 SEAMANSHIP: Bosun = 72 PILOT: Fiôr = 119

SAILING CREW:

15+5 officers = 20 SHIPWRIGHT: 48 SHIPWRIGHT: 48 APPRENTICE: Shâ = 61

DAILY CONSUMPTION:

24 mandays

PASSENGERS:

4 HAZARD RATING: 91 HAZARD RATING: 67 CHIPPY: Kayly = 98

TOTAL COMPLIMENT:

24 FATIGUE: FATIGUE: CHIPPY’S MATE: none

PROVISIONS ABOARD:

30 days/man

Hull

Factor: Tightness:

Rigging

Sailing

Factors:

BASIC:

74+10 = 84 BASIC: 74+6 = 80 BASIC: 68+(26/3)+5 = 82 SAILING GRADE: Square/D STEERING: Rudder

DAMAGE:

28 DAMAGE: 26 DAMAGE: 27 BEAT MPs: 21 HAUL MPs: 10 RUN MPs: 4

CURRENT:

56 CURRENT: 54 CURRENT: 55

Equipment:

Flooding:

SQ1:

16 SQ3: 48

Oar Factors:

SPARES:

23x0.1 = 2.3 tuns SQ2: 32 SQ4: 64 OAR GRADE: N/A OARSMEN: N/A OAR MPs: N/A

ANCHORS: 3x2.33 = 7.0 tuns

Notes:

PINDA: 2x12ft = 2.4 tuns ‘DISCRETE’ STORAGE: 4.6 tuns OTHER: OTHER: OTHER: 1. Fir Mast (+5 to RF)

2. Kamba Strake Hull (+10 to HF)

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CREW LIST

VESSEL:

LORKIN

REGISTRY:

UNREGISTERED

NAME RANK POSITION WAGE ML WATCH PORT SIGN-ON PAY-OFF OWED NOTES

Eshârel Ranals AB Captain 50% 61 SB n/a n/a n/a n/a

Zoë Alleyne AB First Mate 20% 62 P n/a n/a n/a n/a

Hoban Fiôrfohd Master Pilot 10% 119 P Thay n/a n/a n/a

Kayly Frye Jrnymn Chippy 10% 98 P Sarkum n/a n/a n/a

Eryla Cobb n/a Marine 10% 90 n/a Golotha n/a n/a n/a Best combat ML

AB Bosun 3d 72 SB AB Leadhand 2d 66 P AB Leadhand 2d 66 SB AB Deckhand 2d 66 P AB Deckhand 2d 66 SB OS Deckhand 1d 60 P OS Deckhand 1d 60 P OS Deckhand 1d 60 P OS Deckhand 1d 60 SB OS Deckhand 1d 60 SB OS Deckhand 1d 60 SB DB Deckhand n/a 36 P DB Deckhand n/a 36 P DB Deckhand n/a 36 SB DB Deckhand n/a 36 SB

Lläwaûr Tam Master Physician 3d 101 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Kibâ Tam n/a Passenger n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Teenager

Derrial Parma n/a Passenger n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Cleric

Inara Serra n/a Passenger n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Courtesan