08 - Eiyudi Cog

Versatile Sailing Ship

A cog is a type of ship used by the Eiyudi for trade, transport, and even recreation.

Cogs are fitted with a single mast and sail but the dimensions vary from ship-to-ship based on the purpose of the vessel. Originally they were used for traveling larger rivers but as the use of sails became more common those who could afford it began to invest in ships that would allow them to transport their goods more reliably. Typical seagoing cogs were 50-80ft from end-to-end and 15-30ft wide, although some were considerably larger. Whereas larger cogs were used to move cargo, smaller cogs were also designed with the specific purpose of travel. They were fast and compact but built for short trips with easy access to land and only carried 2-4 working sailors.

Cogs steadily replaced longboats and other manually driven vessels until they became the standard for hundreds of years. Cogs could carry more cargo than longboats of a similar size and their nearly flat bottoms allowed them to settle on land, making them easier to handle the cargo if a dock isn't available. The flat bottom permitted cogs to be readily beached and unloaded at low tide when quays were not available; a useful trait when purpose-built jetties were not common. Their high sides made them more difficult to board in a sea fight, which offered superior protection from pirates but also proved to be vital when the ships faced the worst storm that Kaos has ever known.

The high sides of cogs was always a source of contention among shipwrights and builders. There was very little practical purpose for the extra materials but somehow the ships design never evolved much over the course of centuries. When the Eiyudi were facing destruction the people that lived near water gathered what they could and fled to deep ocean. It wasn't long before they realized they would need to feed themselves while also maintaining a steady pace away from the chasing Storm. There were attempts at a make-shift flotilla but even gathering to converse was difficult on the swaying ships which slowed everyone down for days but eventually it became - with no malice, every ship for themselves. The cogs won out within a matter of weeks any other type of ship was either swallowed by the Storm or abandoned.