The Cheerful Rambler
A coastal boat of the Extended Dominion
As you walk along the docks, most of the boats you see are galleys - designed to be rowed by teams of strong men. At the end of the dock, a large sailing boat stands out. The railings and trimmings are painted in blues and yellows. In big, bold, green along the side is her name - "The Cheerful Rambler". She seems to bob merrily in the slight swell. All of a sudden, the doors to the cabin blast open and a man wearing a big hat and an even bigger scowl takes two stomping steps out. He swivels on his wooden left leg and shouts something indistinct (but clearly furious) back into the cabin. He turns forward again and storms across the deck to the gangplank. As he disembarks his eyes meet yours and he opens his mouth as if to fire off something sharp, but at that instant his foot catches on an irregularity in the wood and he lurches sideways then plunges fifteen feet to the water below. The enraged howl that he unleashes as he plummets doesn’t sound particularly suprised - just resentful. You just almost met Captain Thunderbeard, who has recently acquired a new boat, by rather devious means. It is well known among sailors that it is bad luck to change the name of a boat, even if you really don’t like the one it currently has. But Captain Thunderbeard didn’t change the name of the boat and he has still been plagued by the worst string of bad luck he’s ever experienced.
History
The Cheerful Rambler was one of the first sailboats built by the humans of Haumbil Bay. From the first day she set sail, The Cheerful Rambler has required at least one crew member dedicated to bailing the water that ekes its way between her timbers. But she's always remained upright, no matter what the weather, and always made it back to port. For many years she was sailed along the southern coast of the continent, carrying trade goods between the Kingdom of Men and the Extended Dominion. She was owned and captained by one Captain Billiam, a man who loved the sea and treated his crew with respect. But increasing piracy in the west parts of the coast lead to Captain Billiam keeping to the east, taking lower paying cargoes. As finances became tighter and tighter, he took a risky line of credit with the unscrupulous Galleon Guild. His final load of cargo failed to make it to it's destination port before a competitor's, ruining its market value and forcing him to give up ownership of the boat to the guild. Captain Thunderbeard, a high ranking member of the Galleon Guild, was the beneficiary of this misfortune. Some suspect he may have also been the captain of the competing ship, operating under a false name and with his sole intention being to undermine Billiam. Nothing could be substantiated though, and now he sails the Cheerful Rambler, for better or for worse. ResistancePropulsion
Sailboat
Weapons & Armament
None
Width
9.1m
Length
37.5m
Height
Fore 28.7m, Main 31.3m, Mizzen 28m
Speed
14 knots
Complement / Crew
16
Cargo & Passenger Capacity
520m3 / 40 passengers
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