The Iconoclast

The Cursed Ship that prowls the world's waters, hunting living and dead alike to one day break their heinous curse

If ya ever see a bloody frigate 'neath a grey and stormy sky, best to watch yer back or ye'll hear yer Captain cry - ol' Captain Cannonball and the Iconoclast draggin ye all down to die.

— Common sailor turn of phrase referring to the Iconoclast

History

Originally pressed into service shortly after its construction in the harbors of the Kingdom of Seoghar in the year 3918 ASK, the Iconoclast would go on to be one of the ships that would found the first ragtag fleets that would in time go on to become The Gāngtao Migrant Fleet. The Iconoclast would as well serve the Migrant Fleet faithfully for centuries until an ambitious and daring captain by the name of Connor McCoy took over command of the ship, then named the Jackton Brolga, during a period of scarcity and strife for the Migrant Fleet.
During a time in which the Migrant Fleet was incredibly low on resources and many captains took their ships and left for fear of starvation, where ships and their crews had almost no money, no spare resources to repair their ships, no ammunition, and almost no able bodies, Captain McCoy led the Iconoclast during a time when disease ran rampant through the fleet(Brought on by poor healthcare and terrible living conditions) and became a hero for his compatriots by leading his ship off on mysterious "expeditions" that would always yield massive amounts of food and supplies. Sharing these supplies with his fellows on his ship and in the fleet, Captain Connor McCoy became famous - though suspicion rapidly increased on his mysterious "expeditions" that yielded such massive rewards.
As it turned out, Captain McCoy had broken one of the central tenets of the Migrant Fleet itself - turning to privateering and skulduggery to make ends meet by raiding other ships, taking on contracts from other countries to hunt other ships, and doing anything to make ends meet(Though they always claimed they never resorted to outright piracy). This fact, when brought to light, was enough to earn Captain McCoy and his crew, now dubbed the legendary Captain Cannonball for the weapons that adorned his ship, an outright dishonorable discharge from the Migrant Fleet and a branding as Exiles most Dishonorable. This branding saw the Fleet stain the sails of the Jackton Brolga(Now renamed to the Iconoclast) crimson red(A sign of utmost humiliation to any Captain and crew) and exile them from the fleet despite their protests that they were merely doing what they had to do to provide for the fleet they cared so much for.
In time, through unknown means(Possibly the Migrant Fleet itself), the ship now called the Iconoclast in short order developed a curse most foul - a curse of starvation and immortality that descended over the crew and ship that would keep them alive forever(Not as undead, but living beings), unable to eat or drink, and unable to ever dock in harbor or set foot on land again...forever prowling the seas hunting the living and the dead alike, plundering ships for food and recruits to add to their ever-damned ranks. Yet even now, they retain some degree of the honor they once had - seemingly determined to carry out the mission of the fleet that exiled them by attacking the likes of The Ramshackle with as much regularity or moreso than they attack the likes of the living - making them a tentative ally on occasion to those haunted by The Ramshackle, though one can never trust them for long, lest they be attacked and assimilated into their accursed crew once their primary targets are slain.

Power Generation

As the Iconoclast relies on nothing but sails and rigging for its power, it has no means of power generation beyond the wind and waves that surround them as they sail.
However, after the ship was discharged from The Gāngtao Migrant Fleet and was eventually cursed, it now uses unknown means to generate vile, blackish energy that crackles all along the ship's hull - this unknown power of insidious origin empowers the ship and boosts its speed, power, durability, maneuverability, attack power, and more.

Propulsion

The Iconoclast has two primary means of propulsion - old fashioned, tried-and-true marine propulsion using sails and rigging to capture wind power to propel the ship, and a much more insidious and vile power born of witchcraft and accursed energy, a blackish energy that often takes the form of a fog cloud or bolts of electricity that surrounds or crackles around or on the ship's exterior hull and fills its sails.
Typically, the ship uses this more insidious means of propulsion when the wind vanishes or dies down, or to enhance its normal propulsion when chasing prey on the high seas.

Weapons & Armament

Though it was built with relatively few weapon emplacements during its initial construction as it was built in the dockyards of the Kingdom of Seoghar to be a merchant vessel, the Iconoclast has since been retrofitted in the following centuries with a host of weapons and armaments that have turned it into a deadly weapon of war.
Below is a list of the notable weapon emplacements on the MFV Iconoclast, their purpose, when they were added and by whom.

Weapon Emplacements

• Heavy Cannons: A wondrous series of weapons acquired by the Iconoclast's captain shortly before its exile from The Migrant Fleet , acquired from the black markets of the Iron Dockyards of Numiastra(Birthplace of the Bushūbunáo). Though considered outdated, antiquated technology by the advanced land of Numiastra, these iron-wrought metal tubes launch massive 10-30 pound iron balls at insane velocities, capable of ripping simple wooden ships apart in seconds. Precisely 32 of these metal behemoths sit on the Iconoclast's main deck, and are what gave the ship's captain his iconic nickname of "Captain Cannonball".


• Frontal Ram: This simple but deadly metallic prow attached to the prow of the ship was attached to the ship after it gained its infamous curse and became a Cursed Ship, plundered from one of its many victims. Magically enchanted, it can cause massive damage to those it impacts.


• Chainthrowers: Another wondrous creation of a far-off land, the Chainthrowers are two metallic tubes that were added to the Iconoclast's loadout before its exile during its service to The Gāngtao Migrant Fleet. Acquired from the far-off land of Corexus in the forges of a massive Empire of the Undead, these unique weapons are capable of firing thick iron chains with massive ramspikes that puncture metal and wood alike, anchoring into their target to hold them fast and drag them in for plunder. They are attached to strange metallic "tracks" on the ship's exterior hull to allow them to rotate around the ship to fire in any direction.


• The Hulleater: The only weapon that dates back to the ship's original construction, "The Hulleater" is a massive wooden Ballista attached to the ship's main deck, capable of launching massive Ballista Bolts to impair and destroy its foes. With the Iconoclast taken by its curse, the massive Ballista was taken by the fell energies that now surround the ship, and its touch now brings rot and ruin to wood and rope - capable of causing enemy vessels it hits to decay and rot away in a matter of hours.


• Accursed Magicks: As the ship was known to employ an especially powerful veteran Khyarmani Sailshaman as well as several mages during its tenure of service, the Iconoclast has a vast array of cursed magic and evil energy to call upon to bring death and destruction down upon its foes in a variety of ways from controlling the ocean and the weather to shooting fire and frost from its decks.

Armor and defense

Despite its vast array of weapons, the Iconoclast has little in the way of defense aside from its speed - its wooden hull, for all its accursed energy, does little to provide protection beyond the norm.
Instead, it relies on its strange ability to "feed on" and "assimilate" other wooden sailing vessels to repair any damage it sustains, though this process requires the ship to "feed" for several days to repair its damage.

Communication Tools & Systems

The Iconoclast retains its normal systems of communication with other vessels - mainly, the signal flags used to send out messages to nearby ships as well as various flags to fly from its masts, though these are generally only used to fool and trick nearby ships into letting them close to take them by surprise.

Sensors

Through means not entirely understood, the Iconoclast seems to be able to not only chart the weather and safe courses with perfect accuracy, but can detect the exact presence and location of living and unliving enemies in the vicinity with near-perfect clarity.

Class

Frigate

Nickname

The Jackton Brolga(Formerly), The Corpulent and Accursed, The Turncoats

Designation

MFV

Motto

The hunger rides on the blackest tides.

Manufacturer

Kingdom of Seoghar

Creation Date

Built in the early months of 3918 ASK

Decommission Date

Exiled from The Migrant Fleet in the year 4251 ASK

Owner

Captain Conner 'Cannonball' McCoy

Price

Originally sold for 30,000 Gold Pieces

Rarity

An ancient but standard Seogharan Frigate Design

Width

35ft (10.6m)

Length

135ft (41m)

Height

Around 175ft (53.34m)

Weight

Around 1,000 tons (907,184 kg)

Speed

Average 14 Knots (16 mph, 26 km/h). Can reach as high as 22 knots (25 mph, 41 km/h) when empowered.

Complement / Crew

Around 200 max