Rhovanielle
Rhovanielle, also known as the The Crimson Burr and God's Heart.
King
Lance McKenath's ship and ruler of the Seas.
Table of Contents
by Lance's sigil representing the forward facing Rhovanielle on the water, and Dea's version of the Ternary above.
Rhovanielle has a strange air of sentience...
Standing close to her will emanate sense of company, and gazing from afar will give the onlooker a sudden, brief flash of panic. Her design is of idiosyncratic divinity. Crimson spires in her front and back latch onto enemy ships to instantly set them ablaze from the inside out. She is fireproof for this intention; albeit still made of parts from rope and sail, she does not burn. The crimson red wood is a holy material sourced from Dean Redwood trees found near Dea's Grotto Her thick black metal chains reinforce the bowsprit to foremast, and the symphony of ornate gilding further protects her heart from harm. The birth of Rhovanielle however, is a secret only she could tell.
Rhovanielle's Tenders
Her crew is commonly named "Rho Tenders" among the family itself. The pledge to her is for life, attending to her heart, needs and whims until the day of death. If a Tender is disabled and cannot serve on board, they are sent ashore to continue any duties possible, there. Anything the Captain will ask for a landbound Rho Tender must be done, especially since there isn't much they could do to serve her away from the sea. This is especially difficult to experience because her Tenders are soulbound. They feel a strong nagging desire to return to her that never subsides. It's not quite enough to be maddening, but it can cause psychological disturbances such as depression, anxiety, and paranoia.
"It's alright Lukas, you are home. Ain't nothin' to rush for now that you're here, is there." Crimson red elements of the ship creaked gently against metal details, softly adding to the ambient lullaby. There is no place on the planet like it, nor any way it could be mimicked. The salty metallic scent is one of a kind, like breathing in your den's essence after a long time away. The draw Rhovanielle has on her Tenders is that of a rubber band; you feel like you are missing a part of your soul until you are suddenly snapped back into place at her heart. Her adamant reminder that your life's home will always be here, awaiting anxiously for your return.
Hazing
Rho is known to haze new initiates in curiously haunting ways. New Tenders can get stuck on the stairs in a forever climb, hallways can repeat, and doors unlock or disappear. It's assumed that this strange behavior an echo of Dea's trickster demeanor, since he is most known to incur states of confusion. Life long Tenders do occasionally become victim to her random tricks as well. For help, knock three times and whistle her chanty. When another Tender is within sight, her haze will cease.
Initiation
Pledging one's life to Rhovanielle is a ritual that is as old as Rhovanielle herself. Simple and ancient, the bizarre custom is the perfect commencement into the mystifying family. First, the initiate is let to the bottom of the ship to her heart named the Spire Room, a tightly locked space underneath the bowsprit. Each Rho Tender is counted as a "spire" that is added to her heart. The initiate is slashed with a spike, then told to press their bloody hand print against her heart's wall with the others.
Every individual's experience in this moment varies. There are those that swear they have felt an instant connection to the ship as though they shared a singular life force. Tenders have also passed out for hours in standing gesture, hand frozen against the wall in a dream like loop. On the contrary, there have been individuals that 'feel nothing', are jovial, drunk, apprehensive... or have trouble concealing the jarring terror they could be feeling.
Spire Room Key
The key to Rhovanielle's Spire Room is a plain silver metal bit with a triangle shape handle. Lance carries it with him on a thin chain in his inner coat pocket. Just like many items throughout the world, this Key has a peculiar way of disappearing and reappearing in odd places and discovered by various Tenders. Lance thinks it is just another part of Rhovanielle's mischievous hazing, but no one knows for sure.
Leaving her service
The only way to leave Rhovanielle is death. Landbound pirates who are injured or otherwise, are still committed into service. Recently, a Tender named Lukas had to be re-initiated because he had an unclear, dubious death. This was the only time in the ship's history this had ever happened.
Lance joined Lukas in the forum and slid two heavy books to the table. He sat across from Luke and immediately opened the largest, a thick tome with old parchment pages and a heavy red spine. The thing is so massive it could kill someone. He flipped to a section and asked, while not taking his eyes away from the page, “Did you die?” Lukas thought hard, before replying, “I really don’t know. I know it definitely felt like I was drowning on the way down, and I panicked at some point. I vaguely remember feeling like someone was comforting me before I blacked out. I don’t remember anything past that point, before I washed ashore.” He related, then smiled faintly. “I would like to re-pledge properly anyways. I feel like it’s necessary. I was given a second chance - it’s only fitting I should have to renew my vows.” Lance nodded, “Aye that, agreed, however..” He hummed and flipped through to the index, then to another section of the heavy book. “Ah’ve read this piece perhaps a dozen times in my life and nowhere does it say a taste about it otherwise, so..” Lance reached far behind him at a desk for a pen, chose a blank space on the page, and began to write. He paused every few beats to think, and continued the scripture. “Tis not something that happens often.” He pushed the book to the side when he finished to let it dry.
Rhovanielle's Blood
Rho bleeds a golden paint-like substance when she is injured. Many have witnessed this, but only the inner crew had experience touching it. Similar to the experience of touching a hand print in the spire room, her gold essence may send those who come into contact into a trance; or nothing at all. It is not toxic or dangerous if accidentally consumed, as current knowledge abides.
Rho's current engineer, Janik Granell, works within the mysterious depths of her hull and sprit casings. His thin body slides into her many tight places most have not been nor know about. How she operates, how she is fireproof, and why she bleeds remain inexplicible... to most. Janik and Lance are the only Tabians who understand her nature.
Rhovanielle's Call
Her chanty is a haunting lullaby composed of three versus, sang slowly in flat notes and crooked tails. It is never voiced or whistled in a joyful sense. Lance chants it when he is drunk and moody, or to call his crew together after shore leave. It is not a popular song for the crew to be singing for no reason. They howl and whistle the serenade during raids, or during the post initiation ritual. Enemies however, have been known to feel Rhovanielle's presence in hindsight and hum her chanty without ever actually hearing it in their lives; a prelude to the hellfire visit to come soon after. The first verse describes Rhovanielle's fanatical appearance during the night.
Ninety two spires upon her chest,
One glimpse turns night to day.
Her tail leaves trails of ashes,
That swept the moon away.
Twice a year when Lance and Rho's crew return to the capital, Dea's Grotto, to take a break and visit family. When shore leave is over, he whistles her chanty piercingly loud in the harbor that has a grand view the city's cliff side. The Grotto's citizens carry the verse deep into the city so all can hear. This has become a traditional way for Lance to communicate to his crew that it is time to leave God's land and return home to her.
Lance stood tall on the edge of Rhovanielle with two fingers curled into his mouth. After a deep breath, he whistled her slow haunting chanty into the cliffs. The extra boisterous bid pierced the distance and found it’s way to the edge of the city with ease. Within seconds, echoes of the chanty waved through Dea’s Grotto in a nostalgic harmony of various octaves and intervals. Citizens ceased what they were doing to carry the call from the docks to the edge of the Lull. Lance halt the end of her first verse and chuckled to the city resonating the entire piece like an aviary of ghostly birds. His deep love for God’s city and its people is genuinely displayed during times like this.
Technology
Rho has been updated in her recent generation to modern standards, the most notable being a water pump that delivers water to the showers, jacks, sinks, and a bath in Lance's quarters. Janik even upgraded the system to further filter out elements from the sea water so it is just salt, magnesium, and water. Since Tabians enjoy cold water the most, there is not a thermal element used in the pump system.
Drinking water is stored in gigantic vats near the kitchen. The water is pre-boiled before arriving on the ship, then further sanitized by adding a small controlled amount of chlorine. Its' pipes flow downward to the mess hall for collection.
Although she is fireproof from the outside, Fireplate Technology does not exist within Rhovanielle. Crystal deck prisms fueled by oil and other traditional means are used to light the the ship. Room windows do the best job of this on the first and second deck. The third deck downward to the hold is purposefully kept very dark and cool. A large fire brazier is located at the front of the ship, stored just under the forecastle deck. The giant metallic bowl is lit during celebrations or during cold conditions.
Food storage has always been a problem for Tabians. They have only begun to master seafaring, and are discovering new ways to protect food so they can survive. On land, ground concrete containers is used for cold storage to keep vegetables for long periods; the best Janik has come up with is a pseudo cold storage box with running pump water to keep it cool, but the prototype has yet to be more useful than the trouble it explicitly dictates.
An advantage Dean sailors have however, is that they seem to rely on the salt content. The excess amount of salt does not harm, but rather heals; similar can be observed with Lance's mithridatism. This hypothesis has kept Janik from building a thermal distillation system on Rhovanielle for years. The salty quirk has made it easy for Tabians to deal with the high amounts of salt to preserve food instead such as vegetables until it was no longer available, then proceed to nuts, bread, oatmeal, eggs and fresh seafood.
Raid Masks
Every Rhovanielle Tender own a Raider's mask for raids and group situations. It promotes the beehive mindset to work together and terrorize as one unit. The physical purpose however, is to protect the Tender from breathing ashes due to Rho's intense inferno she creates. Eyes are use to the sting; breathing is more important, especially when surrounded by smoke and fire.
Each mask is carved from rare Dean Redwood just as Rhovanielle is built from, therefore also share the same filigree theme. The shape is of a Wolfex, since after all, the God they worship created the beast like creature to terrify and destroy.
Roster
Officers
| Position | Tender | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | King Lance McKenath | Responsible for the safe operation of his vessel and her crew's safety and morale. Conduct his crew in their tasks, monitor their performance, and guide them in career. Due Lance's particular position with Rhovanielle, also lead the crew spiritually. |
| Quarter master | Fishhook | In charge of the social livelihood of the crew, solve disputes and appoint punishments when necessary, in charge of the ship’s operation directly after Lance. |
| Engineer | Janik Granell | NOT a mechanic! Plan, design, construct physical engineering drafts and works from the ship's maintenance to artillery. |
| Lead Bosun | Jocha Kelly | Maintains the ship’s rigging and sails, leads the deck operations. |
| Raid Lead | Felix McRegan | Raid group Leader. Adhere to this person into, during, and from a raid if Lance is not nearby or says otherwise. |
| Demolition Master | Lukas | Setting, planning, engineering brilliantly planned explosions. Invent and research modern demolition and chemical technologies. |
| Heavy Lead | Bruno Cox | Responsible for most the lifting, maintenance and storage of heavy chains and equipment. |
| Physician | Fishhook | Diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Perform surgeries. Take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. Counsel the crew on diet, hygiene, and preventive health care. |
| Navigator | Lance and Fishhook | Ship's navigation through the ever changing ocean and wind currents, and planning the future thereof. Includes astrological study, landmass tracking, and cartography. |
Crew
| Position | Tender | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Arsonist | Tyger | Reports directly to the Raid Lead during land jolts if Lance is not nearby. Sets fires in the “organized chaotic” way Lance is known for. |
| Cartographer | Lukas | Concerned with all aspects of map-making, scientific, technological and artistic. Responsible for researching, collecting, storing, retrieving, evaluating and manipulating land mass and ocean data. | Pure Raid | (6) | ‘Raider’ or just ‘Pirate’. Main melee of the ship especially during raids. Hired blades are called ‘Mercenaries’ which can be used on other ships under Lance or Draccena. ‘Privateers’ is an Eleanoran term for the position in the Eleanoran infantry and armada. | Armorer | (2) | Maintains and repairs stock of raid outfitting and arsenal. Raid lead and demo master assume this position. |
| Sub Heavy | (2) | Report to the Lead Heavy or Bosun for heavy lifting of anything needed, especially heaving and hauling Rho’s chains and equipment. |
| Sub Rigger | (2) | Report to Bosun, maintenance of rope and chain rigging, sails, and equipment on deck. |
| Engineer Assistant | (1) | Report to Janik, ship maintenance. Rho internally heals herself, but outer shell replacements are inevitable. |
| Engineer Assist | (1) | Help Janik with engineering traps and escape routes during raids. However, Janik specifically drafts Rhovanielle’s repair plans with integrity alone. |
| Crow | (2) | Watchful far eyes during sundown or sunup shifts! |
| Cook | Bastion O'Devlin | Cook, clean, maintain the kitchen and storages, steward to Lance and the officers if they don’t leave their rooms, and polishing- although everyone is responsible for this in rotations. |
| Spy, Spiritual Medium | Sage O'Lally | Continues her duties ashore, landbound. |
| Spy | Shayla Ashe | Continues her duties ashore, landbound. |
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