Gloskyma

Gloskyma (is/was) the royal flagship of Aparnovos, constructed at prodigious expense from 309-314 AU, during the reign of Prince Ritaritikion, coinciding with his costly expansion of the city's Palace that sorely tested the crown's relationship with the mercantile guilds which helped finance these undertakings. Timber for her construction was drawn from the furthest extent of Aparnovosi exploration, and most of these locations have since fallen into obscurity. Many of these exotic woods were selected for their exceeding hardness, durability, and resistance to rot. The most visually striking of these was used for the planking above the waterline, and retained a rich, dark purple hue especially when kept well-oiled. Even heavier woods were used for planking below the waterline, and the ship's frames, knees, and other internal timbers were sourced from wood of various strengths and weights according to a scheme refined throughout construction to minimize weight the higher each component was placed in the ship's hull. Even with these measures, construction was complicated due to the ship's considerable weight, the lengthy process involved in sourcing these materials, and assembling expertise and equipment sufficient to work with them. Although the guilds and the financial and dockyard institutions of Aparnovos had enjoyed an effective, interconnected and relatively self-sustaining relationship for some time, the ambitious and experimental nature of the project meant that Ritaritikion's intense energy and personal charisma was essential in sustaining momentum in the face of obstacles- such as the several rebuilds necessitated during the ship's construction, the exorbitant price tag, and, even more so than usual, the effort required to jealously guard the shipbuilding techniques involved from outsiders- that would have otherwise caused even the wealthiest and most influential guildsmen and office-holders to balk.
Even with all the experience garnered with the new techniques and materials throughout the protracted assembly in the dockyard, Gloskyma's hull, when launched, still proved to be considerably heavier than forecasted. However, Ritaritikion and the master shipwrights were thrilled with the soundness and stability of the hull; the strong hardwoods and sophisticated framing system had meant that the ship's timbers, once their final arrangement had been settled and all joints secured, had not sagged, hogged, or strained an inch. Moreover, each plank had been tightly rabbeted into the next and sealed with oil, resin, and lime before being fastened to the frames with wedged treenails hewn from the durable black locust. The resulting hull was not only incredibly tough, resistant to rot and leaks, and formidable against penetration from ramming or grounding, but also smooth and sleek in appearance, with observers noting that it appeared to have been carved from a single, great piece of timber and bearing an attractive colouration. A chronicler noted, however, that "those whose cunning lay in the arts of navigation and sea-warfare, along with those sailors who well understood the behaviour of various types of vessel as they move amidst a sea found much less to praise, and indeed wondered and despaired over, the lofty castles and works which were set atop the hull for the the convenience of the Prince, who would have in this ship his chief palace and fortress wherever she lay..."
The riggers whose responsibility was to furnish the masts, sails, and rigging were thus forced to produce a rather modest arrangement with reduced sail area to avoid upsetting the ship with her tall, elaborately carved, decorated, and furnished upperworks which, as un-seamanlike as they were, outstripped any previous vessel and were a testament to aesthetic and architectural- if not strictly practical- achievement. As such, between the sheer weight of the ship, the loftiness of the superstructure, and the handicapped rig to safely accommodate the latter, Gloskyma demonstrated decidedly subpar speed and maneuverability during sea trials, despite the promise of the hull's proportions and shape beneath the waterline.
Gloskyma served through the rest of Ritaritikion's reign in the capacity of flagship, conveying his court to harbours and cities across the Empire. His successors, however, gradually lost interest in the expensive vessel, as it had little utility outside of royal visits and projecting majesty, or serving in large, set-piece battles, which had become increasingly rare. Tasks which more frequently demanded the attention of the Aparnovosi fleet, such as clamping down on piracy and smuggling, returning recalcitrant colonies and settlements to the fold, and exploratory voyages saw Gloskyma outclassed by smaller, nimbler Aparnovosi ships. After several such humiliations, authority was granted to a small council consisting of the current captain, Heskathatos, several of the ships officers, and a number of leading shipwrights to determine the fate of the vessel. Owing to her sophisticated materials and construction, the ship was still in a remarkable state of preservation after decades of service, but opinions differed regarding the ship's best use. Several of the shipwrights supported the idea that she be broken up, with the resulting materials reallocated towards building several smaller vessels. Others, alongside the Captain and most of his officers, saw the underlying promise of the hull's shape and construction, and pressed for the ship to be refit into a faster and more weatherly form. This impasse continued for some months, with the Crown occasionally weighing in; but it, too, was indecisive, not wanting to continue to maintain the vessel in its current form, but also concerned about the loss of face which would attend admitting such a large and magnificent ship was essentially a mistake.
Heskathatos, having captained the vessel for years and acquired an extensive knowledge of her workings, was eventually able to broker a compromise, in which the ship's superstructure would be removed and one deck opened up and cut down between what remained of the fore and aftercastles, giving the ship a significantly lower profile, less windage, and eliminating excess weight. The shipwrights, in return, would be given the timber from these removals for use in new vessels. This would allow the ship to safely far more canvas in a much-enlarged rig. The bows, no longer required to support such weight with the buoyancy provided by a bluff, round shape and near-vertical stem, could be rebuilt with finer lines and a forward-raked stem, improving hydrodynamics while facilitating sailing upwind and quicker tacking. A fourth "bonaventure" mast was added aft of the mizzen to likewise facilitate handling and balance the extension of the bow.
The "new" Gloskyma which emerged from this refit, while still quite large, was far more streamlined and had a longer length at the waterline. While much weight had been removed with the superstructure, the hull retained the dense materials and heavy construction from before, meaning that the ship was still heavier, but also sturdier, than otherwise. The updated rig was capable of supporting a prodigious amount of sail area, offsetting the weight and enabling very impressive performance. Once at speed (which, admittedly, took some effort), this impetus meant that more momentum could be retained in complex maneuvers as sails were adjusted and braced around. The handling of such a rig required a large and very skilled amount of manpower, leading to the savings expected by the Crown never fully being realized. However, now their funds went towards a vessel which was far more formidable and useful. The Gloskyma and her crew now inspired an espirit de corps among the fleet instead of being seen by most captains as a useless vanity project; a berth aboard was considered a badge of honour by experienced sailors.
Nonetheless, the ship at first acquired a fickle character in the minds of her crew as they adjusted to her various peculiarities. One of the most notable examples of this learning process occurred during a battle with Azarian pirates. Following the usual Aparnovosi tactic of engaging an enemy fleet in heavy weather to capitalize on the seaworthiness of their ships and put their opponents at a disadvantage, Gloskyma (still commanded by Heskathatos), surged ahead at speed with a following sea, building up considerable momentum. The order to come about, while properly timed for most Aparnovosi ships, did not account for the mass of the flagship, propelled as it was by a heavy swell, and thus came too late. Gloskyma's port bow impacted an enemy vessel, which although being immediately stove in, also became entangled with and tore away the former's bowsprit and beakhead as it passed alongside and sank. Following a lengthy repair in which the beakhead, ironically a decorative vestige of archaic rams on most contemporary ships, was strengthened to again enable this use, and practice for the crew entailing pitched maneuvers in strong winds was afterwards made more stringent. Stories of such incidents, along with the expertise required to manage such a large crew and unique rig, helped to make Gloskyma a strenuous command for the captain and senior officers, despite being the most prestigious.
The last recorded incident in Gloskyma's eventful career occurred shortly after the Fall of Aparnovos. When Southwythian forces besiged the city, Gloskyma was docked and undergoing a refit of her spars and rigging. Once the outcome of the battle had become clear to the defenders, the ship, like many other craft of all sizes in the harbour, was hurriedly readied for sea. As she was berthed near the Palace- the primary target of Southwythian troops once they had entered the city-Gloskyma's crew and workers had not yet finished their work when the surrounding dockyards became a battleground. In what would become a much-recounted story, the men working in the rigging to send spars and cables aloft dodged bolts and arrows as they climbed, while those below staved off would-be boarders with pikes and boathooks. Through their efforts, the ship was freed at the last possible moment, joining Erymost Kanlagion's fleet as it fled westwards. During this transit, however, Gloskyma lost contact with the rest of the fleet in particularly foul weather, not to be seen again by the survivors who established the rump states of Torelledir and Fosowbria. There was widespread doubt, however, that a ship of such sturdiness and seakeeping ability was sunk in this incident, when throughout her career she had survived far worse. Among the Aparnovosi diaspora, she is rumoured to still be active and afloat, sailing under a vengeful captain and wreaking havoc among the erstwhile enemies of Aparnovos; this tale is supported, so they say, by remnants of ships and fleets being found stove in by ramming or burned down after particularly heavy weather.