TPS Olhahna

My dearest, it took all my willpower not to surrender on the spot! That ship rising out from the sea mist like a dragon, cannons bared like teeth, starry flag like a thousand eyes. I dread to think of how capable it is on the waves, and how rusty our own blades.

— Vosti Sailor in a letter to his wife, 330 AC

TPS Olhahna was a three-masted galleon of the Skarhan navy, most famous for its role in the Wenzi War from 330 to 331 AC.

Weapons and Defence

Above all else, the Olhahna was built for war, or at the very least to defend civilian and merchant transport from piracy. It typically carried 74 cannons, more than any other ship of its day, with each cannon made to allow for the infusion of magic as the situation required. While it was not a fast ship compared to smaller sloops used by The Vosti Empire, it was more than durable enough to withstand potshots. It also boasted many decently defended positions on the top deck and up the masts for archers and mages to attack enemy fleets, which worked fantastically due to Skarhu's extremely well trained navy.

History

The Separation in 326 AC caused a great deal of chaos throughout Abravost, and while it did not spare the Republic of Skarhu by any means, it left it with far fewer scars. As President Tahla Mohil sought to repair the damage done and ensure the safe settlement or return of any who found themselves stranded in her country, news trickled in of the social devastation in the east. Key amongst this was the loss of Empress Ila of Vost, and her entire immediate family, throwing succession into crisis. Anticipating a conflict, Mohil ordered the construction of additional ships for the Skarhan navy, so that they would be able to "protect their interests".
TPS Olhahna was the most ambitious of the ships proposed, and after some delays for research and an accident in the shipyard, it finished construction and was commissioned in 329 AC. Its maiden voyage accompanied a Skarhan merchant vessel to the Wenz Archipelago, a island chain south of the mainland empire which served as a minor trade hub for Skarhu and Waal Zaimyatl, due to its halfway position. Even though a new Empress had been found, tensions continued to simmer.
Olhahna again made the trip to Wenz in 330, this time bearing the Ambassador to the Vosti Empire, after a request from the Duchess of Wenz for a diplomatic meeting. While the exact details of the meeting are confidential, its purpose was clear - to convince Skarhu to help the Wenz Archipelago remains neutral in the by-now inevitable civil war.
Olhahna made multiple trips between the Skarhan capital of Plumtris and Wenz over the following months, on one occasion carrying President Tahla Mohil herself to sit down for a negotiation with the Vosti Ambassador to Skarhu, in efforts to keep the islands free for Skarhan and Waal Zaimyalkee trade vessels. These talks failed due to the Vosti impression that it was a plan for Skarhu to conquer the islands, starting the Wenzi War.
This War did not last long, due to Skarhu's far superior navy, and the presence of the TPS Olhahna in terrifying many Vosti sailors. It was present in multiple individual battles of the war, and helped to successfully blockade the port of Shonyul, remaining in the port for many weeks. Once the war ceased in 331, Olhahna remained in the southern seas to patrol the thoroughfare to Waal Zaimyatl, and to protect the Wenz Archipelago from any efforts to constrict it. It saw occasional conflict with pirates and isolated Vosti ships, before being retired in 346 and moved to a secure location. It was later placed in the Plumtris War Museum.

Owning Organization

Republic of Skarhu

Namesake

The TPS Olhahna gets its name from Yuli Olhahna, who served as President of Skarhu from 137 AC until their death in 151 AC, shortly before the election that same year. Aside from being Skarhu's longest serving President, they were also in power during the "re-discovery" of Abravost, a monumental event in the history of the Republic. It was their keen negotiating ability which protected the independence of the country, after the Vosti Empire suggested they had never been granted independence officially.
Olhahna is incredibly well regarded amongst their peers, and is often called the Defender of Skarhu. Aside from the first President of the Republic, Resaven Berem, there is no other president with as many locations and military vessels named after them.

Old Open Book by congerdesign

Island Gains

At the end of the Wenzi War, Skarhu was ceded all of Vost's island territories. While this naturally included the Wenz Archipelago, which became an independent protected state and later the Skarhan county of the Wenz Islands, it also included the Yulemta Islands, far to the north. This was a surprise to the Yulemto, who had been completely uninvolved in the conflict.
Despite the strange origin of the arrangement, things seem to have turned out well for all parties, and Skarhu can credit their victory in the war for two of the stars on its flag.

Yulemta Archipelago by Isaac Thompson