Blessed Perseverance

The symbolic head of the Royal Navy; a long-serving and venerated flagship, its legendary reputation known across the seas

Aye, she's a mighty fine ship, she is. The finest ship on the Great Sea and no mistake. Her crews sail with Zehir's breath in their sails and with Aegir's bravery in their hearts. To be assigned to her crew is every matroose's dream and that's a fact. Aye, you can take my word for it, young'un.

— An old sailor's testimony on the nature of the Blessed Perseverance

The Blessed Perseverance is the most famous warship of the Royal Navy of Caraegwyn. She has been a flagship from the first day of her 29 years of service, and she has been commanded by some of the most decorated officers in the Royal Navy. The legendary ship is currently based at the Rock of Kornarion, guarding the mouth of the Golden Strait.
Contents

Construction

The Blessed Perseverance is a galleon. Galleons are the heaviest type of battleship used by modern naval forces on the Great Sea. With four masts and five decks she is among the heaviest ships in the Royal Navy.

Propulsion

Like most galleons, the Blessed Perseverance has foregone the use of oar-propulsion due to the immense weight of its armored hull. The lack of oars frees deck space for other purposes and the lack of oarsmen allows for a larger complement of marines. On the other hand, the combat maneuverability of the ship is made worse for by the absence of rabidly adjustable propulsion. This is somewhat counteracted by the many utility spells cast by the blue wizards in the ship's crew.
Despite a displacement of 1,200 tons the ship is surprisingly fast thanks to her four masts; galleons of this size are typically built with only three. This makes her sailing speed exceptional and can permit some truly spectacular combat maneuvers under the right conditions. All masts are square-rigged to best make use of the constant winds of the Great Sea. Lateen-rigged headsails above the bowsprit provide additional maneuverability. An optional driver sail can be attached to the the jiggermast.

Hull

The vessel has a wide main deck and four decks below that. A large forecastle protects mounted ship-to-ship weaponry both inside it and on the foredeck atop it. The aftcastle has two levels; the poopdeck at the highest level serves as the captain's perch from where battles are surveyed and orders are given; one level below that the larger quarterdeck holds the galleon's lifeboats and serves as a platform for longbowmen during combat.
The hull is protected by permanent abjuration spells and reinforced with metal plates placed at key locations.

Appearance

The Blessed Perseverance is an imposing and regal warship -- a mountain of timber, rope and sailcloth, sending up glistening sprays of saltwater as she gracefully plows through the waves. The vessel towers above buildings and ships alike, dwarfing even the heaviest merchant carracks and whaling barges, and finding her match only amongst the newest of heavy lineships. Well maintained through the decades and wreathed in decorations befitting a ship of such ambitious design, the vessel is an immaculate display of craftsmanship and a testament to the great wealth of Caraegweni nobility.

The wooden hull of the galleon is wrought from great lengths of oak, carvel-planked and treated with sealant, colored a deep brown and accented by plain wooden laths, frames, railings and decorations. Such intricately detailed wooden features are of elven craft, made out of heartwood by woodsingers from the wood elf clans of Mercia.
The ship's armor plating gives her an almost indestructible appearance, shining mirror bright and decorated with golden filigree depicting various natural and chivalrous motifs. The many sails, flags and pennants of the vessel are of equally high quality, showing the black, white and gold of the Royal Navy and the azure of House Pendragon in vibrant hues.

by CraniumBeaver

Above: Like most vessels of the Royal Navy, the ship flies on its sails the colors and sigil of House Pendragon.

Arsenal

The Blessed Perseverance has been fitted for mixed battle tactics. Two Talon ballistae are mounted atop the ship's forecastle with rotating circular platforms that enable firing angles of almost 120 degrees facing towards the front, both manned by four engineers for quick operation. The ship's 42 Rake scorpions -- 21 on each side -- are capable of firing devastating broadsides at close range while longbowmen pepper more distant foes with volleys of arrows. Operated by one or two engineers, the scorpions are sheltered by the hull, peeking out of rectangular weapon ports protected by armored hatches that can be opened and closed as necessary. Finishing the ship's arsenal are two squads of boarding marines and a unit of blue wizards.

Marine battle deck

The Blessed Perseverance was refitted in 2496 ER with a dedicated deck for boarding operations -- a so-called marine battle deck. Situated one level below the main deck, the battle deck provides total cover for hand-to-hand fighters while they await boarding actions.
To repel enemy boarders, marines waiting inside the battle deck can be quickly brought up to the main deck via a ramp that can be made to rise up the ship's cargo hatch. The ramp has a shallow incline and is built wide enough for two marines at a time, permitting easy and quick movement even during heated combat.
To board enemy vessels, marines can be deployed through the so-called assault doors -- armored double doors, one for each side of the deck -- that are opened up to extend heavy boarding bridges that latch onto the railings or sides of the enemy vessel. The deck also has two smaller doors known as assault hatches that can be used for boarding or as large weapon ports. The ship's complement of 60 boarding marines are equipped with pikes, arming swords and two-handed axes.
Arrow slits with sliding hatches allow bowmen to engage enemy vessels at close range. The ship's towering hull grants bowmen on the combat deck an elevated vantage against most ship types. 50 marine longbows are distributed between the safety of the combat deck and the more exposed quarterdeck on the aftcastle. Archers on the combat deck are responsible for close-range defense and the ranged support of boarding actions while the ones above deck are able to fire volleys at more distant foes.

Starboard door -- ready! Execute! Pikes forward and hold! HOLD! Axes ready! Charge! CHARGE! GO GO GO! FOR THE QUEEN!

— Orders yelled by one lieutenant Hightower during boarding actions in the Battle of the Bloody Shallows, 2491 ER

Blue wizards

A unit of blue wizards is composed of three battle trained spellcasters and a dozen marine bodyguards. The blue wizards are masters of long-range evocation, bombarding enemy vessels with destructive magical projectiles from afar. They also prepare spells that manipulate water, using magic to amplify the maneuvers of their ship or to disrupt those of the enemy.
The third and perhaps most important area of expertise of the blue wizards, however, are weather-altering spells. These can be used to affect entire battlefields, changing engagement possibilities and altering the tactics available to both sides. Despite lacking the awesome destructive potential of long-range evocation spells, such subtle magics are perhaps the greatest asset a skilled admiral has at their disposal. After all, it is a core tenet of contemporary military strategy -- for both the Royal Navy and Caraegweni land forces -- that poor weather is the worst nightmare of a poor commander and the greatest ally of a great commander.

Type
Galleon
Assignment
Flagship of 1st Expeditionary Flagade, 2nd Fleet
Commanding officer
Flagade Admiral Eryn Flint
Captain
Brynden Thorne
Manufacturer
Penmerth Shipyard in Bryn Laoghair

Owning Organization

Royal Navy

Length

175 ft

Height

170 ft

Weight

1,200 tons (displacement)

Complement / Crew

40 sailors, 60 engineers, 120 marines

Weaponry
2x Talon ballistae
42x Rake scorpions

Queen Marian's Spirit

The ship's figurehead is a likeness of Queen Marian II Pendragon, a wise and strict monarch that reigned in the Summer Kingdom during the time of the ship's construction. The queen is depicted wearing a breastplate with a billowing cloak, a grand crown upon her brow and a longsword held aloft in her right hand and a tome of law grasped in her left. Association with the beloved queen earned the ship the nickname Queen Marian's Spirit.
The figurehead survided more than a dozen battles unscathed until sustaining great damage in a skirmish against Orkney raiders in 2487 ER. The figurehead was replaced with the likeness of a dragon's head -- to a great outcry from the soldiery and commoners alike. After several months of protests, the queen made her return to the to the ship's prow, restored entirely and strengthened with new protective enchantments.

Talon ballista

The Talon is a medium-class siege ballista designed specifically for mounting on warships for ship-to-ship combat. Its torsion propelled ammunition have an effective range of well over 1,200 feet.

The Judge - Ballista by Dominik Maral

Although it mainly fires mundane siege bolts destructive enough in their own right, the Talon can be used to launch a variety of special munitions at enemy targets. These can be alchemical payloads that make use of inventions such as alchemical fire or potent acids, bolts imbued with elemental enchantments, chained anchor bolts for shackling enemies and thus limiting their movement, or even bolts of slaying meant for combat against the most terrible of sea monsters.

Rake scorpion

The Rake is a heavy scorpion -- a torsion powered bolt thrower that is too large to be wielded by a soldier but too small to be considered a siege weapon. The smaller cousin of the imperial windlance, the Rake is nonetheless a potent ship-to-ship weapon, fixed permanently to the hull to handle its monstrous recoil.

Ballista & Stocks by Joseph Hobbs

The Rake fires two different types of ammunition: harpoons are heavy projectiles that are meant to pierce ship hulls while needles are smaller anti-crew bolts that are launched six at a time as scattershot.

Map

Blessed Perseverance

Open full size

Map of the royal galleon Blessed Perseverance.

History

The Blessed Perseverance was commisioned in 2470 ER by Duc Wyllam Brightwood as a ground-breaking project to "build the mightiest warship that has ever been." Military engineers from both the Royal Navy and the Imperial Navy participated in the design process, and House Brightwood spared no expense in the choice of craftsmen and materials. The ship was built in the southern coastal city of Bryn Laoghair at the private shipyards of House Brightwood.
The ship was launched in 2472 ER. In his speech at the festive launching ceremony, Duc Wyllam revealed -- to the great surprise of all -- that the galleon would be a gift to the Royal Navy. Such grandiose tribute to the Crown earned House Brightwood quite a bit of royal favor. The ship entered active service immediately, becoming the flagship of the 1st Flagade of the 1st Fleet.
She was the largest warship to sail the Great Sea for several years following her launch as well as being the first ever produced lineship -- a revolutionary new type of vessel fitted for line tactics instead of the traditional ramming and boarding actions. Larger and heavier lineships have since been built, and indeed have become commonplace for the naval forces of the Heartlands, but the Blessed Perseverance continues her long and illustrious service as a flagship to this day.
The ship's 29-year service record has had room for numerous famous accomplishments. She has been commanded by some of the most decorated captains and admirals in the Royal Navy, including the current High Admiral Margery Rowan. The ship has survived dozens of battles and travelled countless leagues, enduring through every storm and avoiding every perilous reef. Her deck has known the blood of humans and orcs, dragons and monsters, of vampire pirates, nordling raiders, rebel lords and pirate kings. She is an ageless symbol of the military might of the Royal Navy and indeed the Summer Kingdom itself -- a beloved legend and point of pride for all Caraegweni.

Notable commanders

by CraniumBeaver (Artbreeder)

Above: The enigmatic Margery Rowan, commander of the 1st Fleet from 2488 to 2494 ER, famous for her tactical brilliance. Current High Admiral of the Royal Navy.

by CraniumBeaver (Artbreeder)

Above: Flagade Admiral Rickard Greyhawk, slayer of the great wyrm known as the Terror of the Golden Strait in 2496 ER, since retired from service.

by CraniumBeaver (Artbreeder)

Above: Flagade Admiral Eryn Flint, current commanding officer of the Blessed Perseverance, commander of the 1st Expeditionary Flagade in 2501 ER.