"We thought it impossible. There was no way in all of Creation the Tormangi could sail against the tides and tradewinds to make it there before us. But we pulled up to the cliffs, looked down, and there they were. Over a hundred of the beautiful blue bandits, bobbing around in the waves, fishing from the rocks. They gave every impression of having waited half a hundredsday for our caravan to arrive and I'm sure their prices were 'adjusted' because of it."
-Tomiline Truefellow, addressing the Sheer-Yi Merchants Guild
The
Tormangi have always been known as impressive sailors and craftsmen of the ocean. Their light and nimble battle skiffs have caused more trouble for the much larger and better armed Rennon cutters and frigates than anyone in history. However, it is their longskiffs that have enabled them to become masters of oceanic trade.
Like every version of a Tormangi skiff, the longskiffs are double hulled catamarans with a single deck. But what sets them apart is the system of harnesses and rigging that allow the Tormangi to use dolphins and blackwhales as drayage beasts. It has even been rumored that their largest longskiff was pulled by a team of greatwhales but that has never been confirmed.
A typical longskiff is about 60 paces long and 10 to beam. It may have cabins built amidships but the deck is usually open and filled with trade goods, roped down tight. The Tormangi will build them capable of masted sails but normally keep the masts unstepped and use the sea beasts instead. Well trained blackwhales can pull a longskiff for weeks. The secret is their ability to switch out various sea creatures while on the move, allowing them to feed and rest and then meet back up for a return journey. The Tormangi are very protective of the details around their presumed network of sea creatures and attempts to pry into their inner workings are typically met with stony silence at best and the smash of a razorclub at worst.
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