CYF Sea Hedgedog
The ship "Sea Hedgedog" was second one to be finished and launch from Hedgy-class. She was one of the most used warship in the entire fleet of Captain Yoral Fligher. She served as second flagship of the fleet and was given to his most trusted Captain Vellana Flyur. Her first officer and corsairs commander was Galla Gollar. The two were very close friends and form a great team.
When the information about the kidnapping of the Captain Mandrasa Fligher reach the Fleet, The "Sea Hedgedog" was first to respond to the call. Although her construction speed wasn't great, the mage squad works themselves to the exhaustion keeping maximal speed during the pursuit. She was first to spot the ambush and engage the fleet Bloody Jarma left to slow Yoral's Fleet. Captain Flur successfully manoeuvres her ship and was able to provide cover for other much less armoured ships in the fleet. So the "Sea Hedgedog" took the vast majority of the hits from the initial strike. Heavy attacks melt almost the entire plating of starboard and destroyed most of the armament stationed there, but they weren't able to set the hull on fire. The rigging and the masts, however, were completely scorched turning her sitting dummy.
The survived crew was knocked out by the ferocity of the attack and the ship was effectively disabled. But disabled doesn't mean destroyed. After the initial shock disperses, and some of the crew members awoke, the captain ordered immediately counter-strike with all available arsenal even before the damage report. The surprise attack was able to do damage to two of the enemy ships - the stern cannon was able to a blow hole under the waterline of a light frigate and the lone surviving Ballista set ablaze the main deck on another one. As most of the starboard Scorpios were annihilated along with their mounts, the crew tried to rotate and aim the port ones. Their salvo wasn't able to do any significant damage, but at least draw enemy attention of enemy ships to the "Hedgedog". She required and received damage reports, and ordered a mass evacuation from the ship. The almost entire crew, both seamen and marines were volunteers, but the captain feared for their fate and allowed only limited crew members to stay and fight from the decks of the "Sea Hedgedog". Vellana Flyur had to put her best friend, Galla Gollar, in a lifeboat by force and ordered her to finish the fight from another ship. The marine's commander gladly fulfilled it by capturing one of the mightiest warships in the enemy fleet.
In the following fight, the crippled ship proves to be not just a still target, but an afloat artillery platform. That mistake cost dearly to the Jharmal's fleet. The survival Ballista and the cannon didn't stop shooting until the end of the combat. Two enemy ships sank from her strikes, several others were crippled and only one ship was spared, but only because she was captured before Captain Flyor could aim weapons at her.
After the battle had finished, the "Sea Hedgedog" was inspected much deeper. Reports said that the fact she's still afloat was a little miracle. Heavy armour plates that helped her survive so many battles now were completely melted and had burnt the wood. Some of the direct hits penetrated the hull from one board to another, breaking all internal walls. The rudder was completely annihilated and the sternpost was compromised. There was some penetration under the waterline but luckily the ballast locks and watertight barriers withstood and didn't allow water to flood the ship. The masts and sails were scourged. The entire ship was completely immobilized and uncontrollable, she was left to the mercy of the seas.
Not only the "Sea Hedgedog" but many other ships in the fleet suffered different from different damages, even a few have been sunk. However, the hostile fleet suffered completely defeat as most ships were destroyed or boarded. Only a limited number of fast runners were able to escape. Captain Yoral had to take a difficult decision. He chose to abandon the chase for now and to take care of his crews and vessels. Anything non-vital for the floating capacity was removed from most damaged ships and then redistributed to less harmed. Some patching and repairs were done. Then the crippled fleet went to the nearest shore looking for a friendly bay where to drop anchor and proceed with repairs. The two slightly damaged ships were dispatched to bring reinforcements. The first one was sent to The Archipelago to gather the remains of Yoral's Fleet and all possible allies. The second one went to City of Varglara to recruit freelancers, mercenaries and even ships if is possible.
Meanwhile, the fleet reached the shores of the Western Continent and followed its coastline seeking a suitable place to establish a base. Soon enough an appropriate location was found - a deep bay, large enough to shelter the entire fleet. The water body is surrounded by walls, higher than the ship deck and no beach. The inlet is covered by a high natural arc. It wasn't exactly welcoming and hospitable, but on the other side, it offered cover from the open sea and a defendable position against naval attacks. However, the elevation of the dry land threats to turn any land-based attack into a massacre. Captain Yoral ordered the building of some palisades and basic defences. Captain Flyur volunteered to run aground her ship as a stationary firing point. She noted that the "Hedgedog" has suffered the most damage in the whole fleet and her repair will be too costly, time-consuming and difficult. It was considered to be a good decision, but Captain Yoral strictly forbade it.
Vellana proved to be stubborn and didn't obey the order. Instead, she gathers the remains of her crew and together they hatch a plan. Her first office, Galla Gollar, forms two squads that were tasked to secure the largest two active cannons in the fleet and use them to dig a bed for the "Sea Hedgedog". The mage squad was assigned the task to lighten up the ship and force a huge wave to push the ship into the crater, created by cannon strikes. Captain Flyur went for negotiation with the captains of sentry ships that guarded the entrance of the bay. They should order their mages to create a barrier that allows tidal waves into the bay but not water leaves it. The captain also would be on the ship to navigate her precisely into the bed. The plan met no objections and was scheduled for two days later when the "Sea Hedgedog" crew was on watch.
When the time came, the execution was swift and precise. By the time Captain Yoral woke up and realized what was going on, "Sea Hedgedog" was already ashore. He was very frustrated that Captain Vellana disobeyed his direct order and put one of the mightiest ships in the fleet out of service. However, he chose not to strip her of the ranks and decorations. Instead, Captain Yoral appointed "Sea Hedgedog" as the new village hall and nominated her commander, captain Vellana Flyur, for village mayor and put her in charge of the entire coastal defence.
The ship now rests in the rocky bed with stern pointing sea and bow - hinterland. Some fortifications started immediately and part of her armaments were reinstalled.
It appears that Mandrasa is abducted to be sacrificed in honour of Morgarasha, but before the actual ritual happens there are many preparations to be done. Also, astral objects and magic lay-lines need to be aligned in a special order.
Power Generation
Squad of magicians.
Propulsion
1'800 m2 of magic-imbued sails
Weapons & Armament
Two ballistae on the bow, equipped with various types of ammunition.
One mage-technical cannon on the stern.
Multiple Scorpios on both sides.
One mage-technical cannon on the stern.
Multiple Scorpios on both sides.
Armor and defense
Magic-infuse armour plates
Class
Designation
CYF
Manufacturer
Creation Date
06-14-1998
Decommission Date
06-14-2005
Owner
Owning Organization
Current location
Width
15
Length
45 m
Weight
3'500 tons
Speed
8 knots
Complement / Crew
135 sailors, 300 marines, 25 mages
Cargo & Passenger Capacity
800 tons
