Deck Gunner

The Mershael have the fiercest navy in the known world. Only the very brave or very stupid take on a Mershaeli ship in a “fair fight.”
The Mershael were plying the oceans long before the civilizations of Isarshael and Ryshael pulled themselves up to dominance. They have the experience of centuries of sailing the seas, even long before an internal cataclysm drove them from their home to the shores of Ryshael.
The Mershaeli navy and merchant fleet sailors are highly trained, well-armed, and highly motivated. Although all Mershaeli serve time in one of the armed forces of Mershael, most of the navy is a force of battle-hardened veterans looking to bring prosperity to their houses and nation. All of this honors their ancestors who sacrificed so much to get the Mershael out of darkness and into a second chance in their new home.
While every Mershael sailor is a feared fighter, the last thing an enemy vessel wants to see is a Deck Gunner. Deck Gunners man the Bishoneta Chorut, the ballista that graces Mershael ships. These ballistae hurl large bolts that can clear boarding planks with ease.
The Mershael use their ballista in several capacities. First, they are excellent weapons, hurling massive bolts at enemies and making boarders think twice about crossing ships. Just the site of a Deck Gunner aiming a Bishoneta Chorut can dissuade enemy sailors from trying to board. Who wants to be the first in that line?
Ships have multiple places where the ballista can be mounted, and the larger the boat, the more Bishoneta Chorut, and optional mounting locations there are. This gives deck gunners tactical choices when a fight approaches and hopefully the time needed to lug the significant firing mechanism into a place where they can be helpful.
Secondly, they can fire grapplers that latch onto an enemy ship, allowing the Mershael to pull an enemy ship into boarding range. In this capacity, the heavy hooks fired by the ballista are called Aybashu Pasachu, dragon claws.
Thirdly, almost all ballista can be dismounted and carried by a Deck Gunner in a landing party. The Deck Gunners are taught to hurry as quickly as possible into the most advantageous position because once they set up a Bishoneta Chorut, it is challenging to move again.
This allows Deck Gunners to be part of a Paja, the world used to describe a Mershaeli freeband. Deck Gunners give the Mershael Paja much-needed long-range support that packs a punch, but they give up the maneuverability characteristic of the common Paja.
Deck Gunners are welcome additions in garrisons, where the Mershaeli use the large Bishoneta Chorut. They are also welcome on missions where commanders know they could use an extra punch with their long-range weapons, especially when they face an enemy with heavy armor or are defending an objective.
Much larger versions of the Bishoneta Chorut line Mershael’s magnificent walled cities. They have even developed a version that is effective against the Traazorites Daklos wings. However, when it comes to ship-to-ship combat or infantry action, a Deck Gunner with their Bishoneta Chorut is more maneuverable and effective in combat.