TheIratePirate

Seas of Blood

This is exciting. <3 All you people and your creative minds, you're exciting.

In the meantime, I've come up with a small one I think I can manage that won't derail the whole thing with my spotty posting times. That's IF you'll have me. :P

@Lady of Lore

@Lady of Lore, in any capacity I can have you join us, I'll take that! By all means an information broker would be interesting. You may have to NPC other crews to obtain said information (or have a crystal ball?) because nuggets like that don't fall of trees, but do love the idea!

Seas of Blood

Addendum to last post: As discussed earlier to accommodate a woman on board, ship would be a fast but lightly armed Navy packet which mutinies. With something like two officers, two petty officers, a crew mostly composed of pressmen, and passengers to offer the possibility of foreign nationals, it seems like a the ideal scenario. Unless you have a better idea, which I'm totally open to.

Seas of Blood

Well, I'm looking at ship types at the moment to find something that would be proper and interesting as a packet ship. It would explain having passengers on board and give us access to piles of correspondence, navy and commercial, and a chance to know of the arrival of other ships. A serious head-start. I'm open to suggestion as to your preference for early or late period, tho early might work best, without the constant presence of frigates around, to form an illegal colony.

Seas of Blood

Then @JDolan I'll mark you down for a more realistic setting. I like that idea too, personally. I'm thinking of something in the golden age of piracy like 1650s to the 1730s. Before the European nations and their navies get too powerful, especially the Royal Navy's Jamaica Station at Kingston. Does that help?

Seas of Blood

May I come aboard (in whatever capacity I can, since I haven't quite thought through my character ideas yet), Cap'n @TheIratePirate? Don't worry, I'll lose the skirt and the pretty hair before I arrive. You'll never know a woman was aboard.

@Lady of Lore

Nothing I'd like more than to welcome you on board @Lady of Lore!

Considering the stories of Anne Bonny, Mary Read or even Ching Shih, the artifice might not be necessary, and people may yet live to fear the Petticoat Pirate! In fact, there probably is a way to get to that without any subterfuge.

Additional potential lore:

Following ill treatment at the hands of Captain Lawrence G. Hamill, the crew of the mail packet HMS Hermes (a fitting name if any) bound for the colonies mutinies and takes to piracy. Amid the general panic on board, one of the heated topics of discussion among the crew is what to do with those sailors loyal to Hamill and the passengers, among which are women. It may be best that the crew knows from the start, as they might associate a stroke of good fortune with your presence rather than discover that the source of their misfortune was a woman in their midst...

Btw... I do have an idea to make her extremely useful, if you'll have a suggestion.

Seas of Blood

updated!

Based on the legend of Libertalia, the general storyline would involve piracy (duh!) and the establishment of a colony of free men and women who would seek refuge from the tyranny of the old monarchies. There would be an accent put on shipboard life, at least initially, survival, as the resources would initially be meager and the island essentially deserted so everything would have to be built from scratch.

ACT ONE: The Hermes Mutiny

1665, the Navy packet ship Hermes leaves England for it's East Indies possession, having on board letters and dispatches for St. Kitts, Nevis, and a handful of passengers headed to the newly acquired colony of Jamaica. The ship never made it's destination. This is it's story.

Shipboard roles after the inevitable happens:

Crew roles:

• Captain: That's me. You're out of luck, you mutinous swine!
• Quartermaster: The quartermaster is next in line after the captain in exercising authority over the pirate crew. His authority on the ship takes up where the captain’s leaves off. Whenever the ship is not in chase or battle, the quartermaster makes most of the decisions regarding the day-to-day ship activities. The quartermaster is elected by the crew, and is expected to represent their interests, for which he receives an extra share of the treasure. His main function is to protect the crew against each other by maintaining order, settling squabbles, and distributing food. The quartermaster usually also keeps the account books for the ship. He can punish the crew for disobedience and frequently mediates minor disputes among the crew. The quartermaster also quite often leads any boarding action, being the first to board the Prize ship.
• Sailing Master: This is the officer in charge of piloting, navigation, and the actual sailing of the ship. He determines the course and looks after any and all instruments needed to navigate the ship.
• Boatswain (said Bos’n): A boatswain’s duty is to supervise the maintenance of the ship and its naval provisions, such as tar, pitch and tallow, spare sails, etc. He must inspect the ship, sails and rigging each day, and report their condition to the quartermaster or captain, as appropriate. The boatswain is also in charge of all deck activities, such as weighing or dropping anchor, and handling of the sails.
• Master Gunner: The master gunner is accountable for the ship's guns and ammunition. This includes sifting the gunpowder, to keep it dry and prevent it from separating; making certain that the cannon balls are free of rust, and that all weapons are in good repair. A knowledgeable gunner is essential to the crew's safety and effective use of the ship’s cannons.
• Surgeon: The surgeon is responsible for the fitness of the crew, and the treatment of the sick and wounded. As a person with critical skills that are sought after in many places, the surgeon is also often an unwilling recruit on a pirate vessel...
• Sailor: The common sailor, who is the foundation of the ship’s operation, needs to know the rigging and the sails. He needs to understand how to maneuver the ship and how to sail under different wind conditions. A good sailor can discern weather patterns, read the stars, and, most importantly, can anticipate the wishes of his commanders. A ship’s crew must work together in careful synchronization to maneuver a large sailing vessel while tacking or wearing the vessel, or while docking or weighing anchor. A capable crew is critical during battle maneuvers, when the exact position of a ship makes all the difference.

Eventually on land:

• Tavernkeeper
• Governor (yes, the colony's governor would be an elected position)
• Perhaps a council of captains, should things go large enough to have more than one crew
• Trader / Fence to trade with other colonies and acquire that which cannot be produced on the island
• Whatever else: These are critical positions, but I'm sure people can think of interesting roles to be!

I don't want to write too much in one sitting because I'd like this to be as much of a collaborative creation as possible. If you have ideas to propose, please, please do. I have not, for example, determined the type of setting. I'm open to gritty realism (actual nations and maps), high fantasy (bring on the knife-ears), Pirates of the Caribbean style... (If you propose to be Jack Sparrow or Mickey Mouse I guarantee you a quick drop and a sudden stop. *points to the noose dangling from the yardarm*)

Welp? What'll it be? Shall this one sail, or be marooned?

The Captain's quarters

1655. Only a few months ago, Spain has ceded the island of Jamaica to England. Due to it's strategic location, the Admiralty has seen fit to establish a permanent station there.

The packet ship Hermes, a brig under the command of Captain Stephen W. Hamill, was under orders from Whitehall to deliver important mail, light cargo and passengers to the New World colonies. It's itinerary would take it from Portsmouth to Bermuda, from there to Nevis and St. Christopher Island and finally to Kingston, Jamaica.

Captain Hamill, master and commander, a competent but aging commander seeing retirement looming on the horizon, fully realizes that should he ever have any designs for advancement, he needed to command a more high profile ship, and the only way he could accomplish that would be to do anything in his power to be noticed, else he might forever be relegated to... milk runs. Determined to make a name for himself, he set out to make the journey in a record time.

The stricter discipline he has been enforcing on the journey to Bermuda hasn't gone unnoticed, and grumblings among the crew had already begun. Things took a turn for the worse when they got to Bermuda. Mail was delivered, fresh provisions were embarked... but not a man save himself made it farther inland than the docks in so doing. As anyone can imagine, that the crew should be deprived of shore time for the pride and advancement of one man did not go over too well.

After the very same scenario happened at Nevis and St. Christopher, tensions on board grew to an all time high... and this is only the beginning for...

His Majesty's Ship the brig Hermes:

The Captain's quarters

Placeholder post 5:

Character concept 2

The Captain's quarters

Still a placeholder

The Captain's quarters