Curiosity

A purpose built two masted vessel sent out to survey a route for the End of Darkness Expedition.

History

Built using rediscovered plans and techniques, completing the 90ft long Curiosity took over a year longer than expected. A host of problems were then discovered during the early sea trials, requiring further months of work to correct.

Even when the issues with Curiosity’s construction had been addressed, new challenges were found with the rigging, which differed significantly to that used on other vessels. Lines snapped and fittings were pulled out by forces far stronger than anticipated, and one of the masts was broken when Curiosity was turned into the wind without the sails being set correctly. More than a few suggested that Curiosity was more trouble than she was worth, but at the instruction of the king, the work to master her quirks continued.

The square rigged sails on both of Curiosity's 70ft tall masts made her a distinctive shape while she was trialled near Filishar

When everything was going right Curiosity’s doubters could mostly be silenced by her impressive speed and capacity, but it was hard for even her most ardent supporters to justify why such a vessel was needed. There was no way she could stand against an elven ship in a fight, and she was uneconomical for a trader. Added to the extra effort required to train a crew, it all amounted to a fairly pointless design.
Despite all this the Curiosity was eventually commissioned under the command of Seamus Havendon. After several months of training, the ship was outfitted for a long voyage, which many believed would be to the distant continent of Dalthion. However when she departed Filishar, Curiosity turned south and was later reported to have stopped at Pelimouth.

Equipment

Curiosity was built as an explorer, with the goal being for her to be used to chart a route to the far east. This necessitated some expensive equipment being provided including an Endless Glass and an hearthstone.

Crew

At 25ft wide and with a draft of around 12ft there wasn't much room to spare on Curiosity. Nonetheless she was deliberately overcrewed as there was little chance of being able to find replacements during the voyage. The crew included:

2 Lieutenants.

2 Midshipmen.

Purser.

Cooper.

Cook.

Carpenter.

Caulker.

Bo's'un.

Ropemaker.

Sailmaker.

Given the nature of the expedition the captain took on the role of navigator himself.
The ship's healer, Hobar, doubled as the crew's spiritual guide, and was not above withholding minor healing for those who had been less than rigorous in their religious observanaces.
Curiosity also had a new position, that of Ship's Forecaster. During Curiosity's initial voyage the position had less formal responsibility than is currently expected, but the expansion of the role's duties came from the example set by the first to hold the rank.

In addition to the regular crew Curiosity also had space set aside for a number of specialist mercenaries. These talented fighters and casters formed the ship’s landing party when confronted with threats that couldn’t simply be avoided. On the initial expedition one of these mercenaries was forced to leave the ship following an incident in Pelimouth but the ship's cook proved more than capable of stepping in to fill the gap.

The mercanaries were provided with a separate sleeping space to help minimise any fighting between them and the rest of the crew.

Weapons & Armament

While not intended as a fighting vessel, four ballista are mounted on Curiosity, along with an archery platform on the forward mast. These were included in Curiosity’s design to help deal with larger predators that might attempt to impede her journey, as well as acting as a deterrent to any potentially hostile vessels.

Designation

HMS

Motto

At The Forefront

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Caresnas

Width

25ft

Length

90ft

Complement / Crew

60

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

6 passengers

The lessons learned from Curiosity's extended journey were incoporated into the four vessels of the Frostburn Class.