A PEGASUS CLASS ELEMENTAL DRIVEN WAR GALLEON

Though some detail is missing (well, most detail actually), here is a rough idea of the top of the line sailing vessel to be found on Orlantia. Each deck level is numbered and on that level the actual surface area of the deck open to the air is darkened in color. These are the deck areas that are exposed to the outside air. The lighter shades on that level have a ceiling above them. As you can see, there are four main masts.

Each square is 5 feet by 5 feet. This makes this vessel over 150 feet long and 35 feet wide. Except when carrying extra men instead of cargo during times of war or for other reasons, here is the normal make up of the officers and crew and the normal operating conditions:

001 Captain.
004 (1st - 4th) Officers.
004 Petty Officers (midshipmen).
001 Cook.
001 Carpenter.
001 Blacksmith.
004 Cabin Boys.
001 Surgeon.
002 Specials.
004 Mates (Cook's mate, carpenter's mate, blacksmith's mate, surgeon's mate).
115 Men and Women.
006 Optional Uppers.
016 Optional Lowers.

Total: 160 souls (during peacetime).

008 - 20 soul long boats.
600 tons of cargo.
~600 hit points.
4 to 6 knots Under Sail
8 to 10 knots Under Sails with Elementals.

The 002 specials include ship's sage, a dignitary, politician, or other specialist needed for a particular mission.

The 006 optional uppers might often include adventurers, temporarily in service, who have either paid for passage, or exchanged service for passage. The 016 optional lowers may also be adventurers, though they would probably be lower level and more permanently assigned to the vessels for longer periods of time. They are often imperial guards, or instructors to teach the remaining crew additional skills in combat, crafts, or knowledge.

Each Petty Officer is directly under the command of the captain and the senior officers. The ship's cook, carpenter, blacksmith, and surgeon, each have a mate, second in their department - cook's mate, carpenter's mate, etc. - and the cabin boys help them as well in addition to their other duties, but usually one or more members of the crew are also well versed in the rolls of cook, carpenter, blacksmith, and surgeon and act as back ups.

The 115 men and woman are organized into three 8-hour shifts. They work for 8-hours, take rest and recreation for 8-hours in the hold or skylarking on deck, and sleep for 8-hours. Three crewmen therefore share each hammock.

The captain and 1st and 2nd officers each have their own room with an actual bed. Other senior members usually share a room (two to a room, such as cook+carpenter, 3rd+4th officer. The Upper and Lower optional are either for paying passengers (usually very rich and important people), or frequently, small numbers of mercenaries and adventurers hired on to protect the ship or fulfill mission requirements.

Refrigerator Room: Operated by employing the properties of brown mold, this allows frozen foods and refrigerated foods.

Shop: Various tools for sail making, rope making, wood working, black smiting, and even equipment using continual heat sources to distill sea water for drinking water in emergencies. More of ship's stores are below decks.

Elementals: There are three magic rings of specific elemental control (as these rings can only control these three specific elementals and not elementals in general, they are easier to produce and less expensive as well). Each of these ships has 3 rings, and each ring can control all three elementals - two water, one air - bound to the ship. These are worn by the captain, 1st, and 2nd officer, and each ring is subservient to a ranking officer's ring. With these, they may help propel the ship to gain speed or maneuverability (it is so maneuverable that it can turn 360 degrees with no appreciable lateral movement). It is also possible for the elementals to attack, but this is usually considered risky, and a captain has to answer dearly for losing an elemental (such losses usually end their career, or more probably prevent further advancement, or if the board of inquiry agrees, usually nothing will come of it, though it hardly calls for promotion in any event). As it actually takes +2 magic weapons to even hit an elemental, most people fear the power at the command of such a ship.

Though the elementals are usually employed for extra speed, their greatest benefit comes from the added maneuverability they may lend to the ship during battle, or the small amount of time it takes to begin moving the ship even from a dead stand still. Such a vessel can go from anchor to useful motion in as little a 3 minutes. At times of conflict, sails are often taken in to avoid being dismasted as the ship drives in directions contrary to the wind, while their opponent's remain at the mercy of the wind. This allows the elemental war galleon to stand off and pound their enemies with huge ballista, the missiles often set on fire to turn the enemy vessel into a flaming inferno, forcing the enemy crewmen to occupy their time with putting out such fires. While on deck, such men and woman are susceptible to crossbow fire, and any return fire is often negligible due to the strong winds the air elemental imparts in various directions and in well timed bursts.

Such battle tactics, most know, means if an imperial elemental driven war galleon has you in range, you will either be destroyed or forced to surrender. And if they even see you upon the sea, chances are they can outrun you and will be able to get within range. The only other option is to quickly close with the imperial galleon and board her, but such a desperate tactic usually loses the attacking vessel an average of 50% of their crew before they even can reach the decks of the imperial galleon. Since the empire mans their vessels with 160 or so in times of peace, and as many as an additional 600 in times of war, and since the officers may always employ actual elementals in emergencies, the usual outcome is the demoralization of the enemy and their quick surrender.

So far, only the Alodarian Empire has the wherewithal to construct and employ these vessels, and the empire, therefore, more or less rules the oceans and all commerce upon it. These vessels travel the oceans and seas, patrolling shipping lanes and protecting merchant shipping, discouraging piracy, and staving off more fantastic problems - such as sea monsters who wish to make their home near the shipping lanes - as well as hauling as much as 600 tons of trade goods. In times of peace, this is a significant source of income for the empire, and the desire for free trade of goods encourages most kingdoms to remain at peace, even with each other, as imperial vessels often are directed to avoid war zones between other feuding powers.

In times of war the hold is rigged with enough births to accommodate up to 600 fighting men and woman and the provisions to keep them, all of which takes the place of the usual 600 tons of cargo.

Currently there are 24 of these A.I.V. (Alodarian Imperial Vessel) ships in the Imperial fleet, though they employ many more regular galleons and smaller vessels as well. The Pegasus was the prototype for the elemental driven war galleon, and all such vessels are known as Pegasus class. Of the two dozen ships of the line, the last one constructed, the A.I.V. Gimarian, was paid for by the Alderami Elves, named by them, and is manned primarily with elves. With the blessing of the empire, it is under the command of the elves as well and does not necessarily follow most of the guideline given above. Though it still technically is an imperial vessel, it serves the elven people of the Alderami Isles and will more often than not be found in those waters protecting elven interests.

The current vessels are listed below:

001 The A.I.V. Pegasus.
002 The A.I.V. Constitution.
003 The A.I.V. Sapphire.
004 The A.I.V. September Girl.
005 The A.I.V. Draconic.
006 The A.I.V. Raven.
007 The A.I.V. Minneapolis.
008 The A.I.V. Epsilon.
009 The A.I.V. Athens.
010 The A.I.V. Alisand.
011 The A.I.V. Hawk.
012 The A.I.V. Defiant.
013 The A.I.V. Wizard.
014 The A.I.V. Steel.
015 The A.I.V. Starline.
016 The A.I.V. Augustine.
017 The A.I.V. Titan.
018 The A.I.V. Constellation.
019 The A.I.V. Runic.
020 The A.I.V. Paladin.
021 The A.I.V. Aegis.
022 The A.I.V. Mithral Bell.
023 The A.I.V. SUBMIT NAME.
024 The A.I.V. Gimarian.

If you read this, you may wish to submit a ship's name yourself, or even suggest a better one. Only a few are truly fixed and part of the various story threads, so most of the others could still be changed. If you'd like to do this, and are first, and your name is acceptable to me, I'll make the change ;-)

Email Jim Your Comments (Send Praise, Critique, Complaints, Suggestions, Ideas, or Submissions).