Riverblade

The riverblade is a small boat with a sail, usually suitable for not more than ten people at once. Traditionally it has been developed and used as a transport vehicle in Ivendarea's southern swamps, as it is quick and agile enough to move along wild and winding rivers (or flee from angered crocodiles and other creatures lingering in the muddy waters) even when fully loaded with wares. It is still in use particularly in the monsoon season, when the water in the swamps rises high, but it has also become popular in other regions of the country, who go boating with it simply for fun's sake - and even across much further distances than it was originally intended to. Several sub-classes of riverblades have been developed for different purposes over time, such as the Waveblade which is more suitable for the open sea.

Remarkable Subtypes

A version of the riverblade very popular and often seen on the capital city's channels is the Sarathean Sabre. It is much smaller than the traditional riverblades, usually featuring only enough room for 2-4 passengers and one crewmember steering the vessel. The wooden carcase is much narrower and longer than the traditional boat, the bow eleganty curved upwards and the sides decorated in colours or woodcarvings. The sails are also smaller than those of the traditional version, and tinted in bright colours depicting stories, historical events, beautiful landscapes, or even the gods. The Sarathean Sabre is not really a classical riverblade, despite shared origins as being a vehicle to transport wares or people from one place to another. It is very popular with the nobles as well as well-off visitors of the capital, no matter if truly for a comfortable way of traveling from point A to point B in a timely fashion, or for a joy ride together with close friends, a love interest, or business partners.

Propulsion

The riverblade gets its name and its speed from a large, triangular sail that looks like the tip of a knife in shape. The boat itself lies relatively flat on the water while the sail sticks out, as if a blade is cutting through the water. Wind, no matter if natural or magically created, is necessary for it to move to its top speed, but for emergencies there's always paddles onboard as well.

Weapons & Armament

The riverblade is mostly a civilian boat and so far hasn't actively been used in warfare; although there have been experiments during the Invasion War to turn riverblades into miniature battleships, should Zerenda send a fleet to Maan Garth. While not having any weapons of its own onboard these military riverblades would have been used to bring mages and archers close to enemy vessels to strike fast and hard, then disappear behind the waves again, all in one swift movement.

Armor and defense

The riverblade's biggest defense is its agility and speed, and also its biggest weakness at the same time: the large sail is an easy target that can make the boat immovable in seconds once destroyed. Also, the relatively low sides of the carcase of the boat don't offer a lot of protection for the crew and passengers on it. Versions of the riverblade with higher sides were inevitably heavier and less agile in the water without an even larger or two sails.

Used by

• Sarathean Sabre
• Waveblade

Rarity

common

Width

one, 5.5 meters high

Length

5 meters

Speed

up to 50 knots (~90 km/h)

Complement / Crew

2-3 recommended, but also manageable alone

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

3-7 passengers + crew, up to 400 kg of cargo