Threebl's Inspiration

Someone told you to ask me about Threebl's Inspiration? Well, as it happens, that's one of my very favorite ghost stories to tell....

— Shiv Moonsong

Named for the great Dragon clanlord, Threebl's Inspiration is a small ship, quick and light and sturdy in a storm, perfect for courier duty.

Inspiration-class ships are two-masted sea-sailing clippers built for durability and speed on the water, a design which exists -- little altered -- to this day! To achieve this, they give up cargo space which makes them perfect for any sort of small or delicate shipping. They are regularly used to transport important documents, small bundles of highly delicate (often valuable) goods, or even to move a family's household goods from one island to another. Throughout history, they have been used to transport treasure, emergency aid, and even important dignitaries.

Famous Lore

Captain Thaled "Ironfoot" Prou was no man's fool. He knew that taking on a ship like Threebl's Inspiration would be a love affair filled with danger and excitement. That was what made him agree. He'd barely been captain for a year when he was approached by a representative of the United Royal Family of Argentii with an unusual mission. He heard out the details, made his stipulations, and accepted the first half of the payment that was offered. It was enough to keep the crew in vittles and the ship in repair for another full year. And there was the promise of more upon safe delivery of this cargo.

On the appointed night, the ship made anchor off the Shimmering Sands, and waited for a boat, carrying three passengers. When the boat arrived and old Ironfoot helped the first passenger aboard, he was the only person on the ship who was not surprised to find that the special cargo...was the very heavily pregnant Queen Ellia, accompanied by her husband, King Darian, and a midwife.

It was, in those days, tradition among the royal family to give birth away from Capitalla, as a reminder to each member of the family that we are all one people, no matter what island we are born on. And Ellia had decided to bear their first child on Smouge. A destination that was never easy, it was questionable whether anyone in such a delicate condition should take such a journey. But, Ellia was determined, and furthermore, she was the queen. In the end, they set sail with smooth seas and clear skies.

For the entire voyage to Smouge, the weather held out. Breezy days made for sailing, and nights made to trade ghost stories. The crew of the ship was both entertained and enthralled with the terrifying ghost tales that the queen delighted in telling. And though she would die without ever knowing, several bitter old sailors never slept well after hearing one particularly blood-chilling tale about a cursed ghost ship named the Bloody Hand.

It was on the last evening of their voyage, just as Smouge was coming into sight on the horizon, that everything went straight to hell.

The morning's sunrise had been as red as blood, and so the weathereye had been keenly keeping eye out for the storm they all feared was coming. The black clouds began to roll in just as the sun was beginning to kiss the sea. And there, silhouetted against that sinking sun, was another ship. It didn't appear to be moving laterally -- that is, across their path. It appeared to be chasing them.

Fifteen minutes keen observation and some quickly charted maths proved this to be true. The ship was pacing them from behind and would certainly overtake them. They would have to slow their speed as they approached the treacherous waters around Smouge or risk being swept aside by a wave and brought down on one of the infinite fingers of hazardous rock that lay just below the surface. At that point, the othe ship would be able to catch them. No one was certain what would happen if that were allowed.

Old Ironfoot was afraid for the queen. It was clear that she'd begun her labor, and though she seemed to be progressing slowly, the experienced grandfather knew that these things were only a matter of time. He would allow no delay, whether friend or foe, and so he set his sailors about enacting a daring plan, inspired by the queen's favorite ghost story, The Curse of the Bloody Hand.

Working quickly in the fading light, the sailors threw out nets and gathered up as much Lumikelp as their nets could fetch. They sang and giggled like children as they broke the tips off of leaves and squeezed the sticky, oily sap out of the leaves and begain smearing it...everywhere. On the railings, on the masts, in the rigging. They mixed it with the galley's supply of rum and splashed it onto the sails.

As the waning light of the evening gave way to the waxing dark of night, Threebl's Inspiration emerged as a ghastly representation of a ship. It was then that the queen's labors began in earnest, and her howls and shrieks reverberated against the clouds, as the glowing ship sailed on toward port.

The weathereye, once the storm had broken, was tasked with watching the chasing ship to observe any reactions it made. As full darkness fell across the water and the ships eerie glow carried through the rain and bobbed around on the turbulent seas, the weathereye reported that the chasing ship had heeled over and was making sail to head back the way they'd come just as fast as the storm-set winds would let them tack.

They made it to Smouge in time. Queen Ellia had to be gently hoisted into the landing boat with a fishing net, and swore afterward that it ended up being the most comfortable part of the labor. Still, they made it to port and onto the rocky island's bare basalt before the queen could go no further and had to allow nature to take its course.

The midwife was there, and the king, too. But so was that old salt Ironfoot, experienced grandfather, aiding where he was allowed and making it out of the whole ordeal with only a broken hand. (The queen's doing, if you must know.)

And that, my friends, is the story of how I was born.

— Shiv Moonsong recounting family oral history regarding her own birth.

Spooky Shenanigans by Haly, the Moonlight Bard

Class

Inspiration

Motto

Swift, silent, secure.

Owner

Shiv Moonsong

Owning Organization

The Court of the Moon

Current location

Tilth

Rarity

Unique