Keelford Dock Harbormaster

Masts and timbers creak and groan, an ocean of sails swells and heaves, and hundreds of ropes and stretches of rigging pull taught and then slacken to the rhythm of the waves. Wooden boards grind and moan underneath the countless hobnailed-boots of sailors, who grimace, beards bristling, at the pinprick flecks of seawater and sharp gusts of sea-air. Teams of workers strain at barrels and crates and at the treadmills of cranes, lowering cargo from the top of the sea wall to the dock below. All along the seafront, atop the walls, the stony visages of statues watch down upon the activity, hands held out to forbid the sea's entry to Keelford. They are't the only watchers here. In the top room of his lighthouse office, the Harbormaster is writing out grants to shipping companies, counting up the dock's profits, granting access to various piers, and ensuring that The City of Keelford Docks are run at peak order and efficiency.
Being the principal dock of The City of Keelford, and perhaps the most prosperous in all of The Kingdom of Archaria, The Keelford North Docks are vast and chaotic (one could say they are vastly chaotic (or chaotically vast)), and therefore require a great amount of coordination to manage. This task of management and maintaining order goes to the Harbormaster. Without this figure to coordinate which ships enter the docks and when, there would be many collisions as ships jostle to reach their allotted docking spaces (which are also determined by the harbormaster). Without the harbormaster to enforce docking and ship's passage fees, unsavoury seamen would flock to the port and the city would make significantly less profit from the harbour. The role of Harbormaster is essential in Keelford.

Requirements

The Harbormaster must have experience of sailing as an officer onboard a trade vessel to gain the position. In a few cases, military sailors have ascended to the role, but the Council prefers a merchant sailor with experience of foreign trade for the role. Furthermore, a candidate must be able to negotiate with unruly captains, be capable of managing complex timetables, and have education in economic theory.

Appointment

A new Harbormaster is appointed when the old Harbormaster either retires or dies. If the old Harbormaster decides to retire, he/she must give the Keelford Council of Representatives sufficient notice (minimum 3 weeks) to find a new candidate. If the Harbormaster unfortunately dies, a temporary harbormaster will be appointed, usually from a mariners' or merchants' guild. During the three weeks, candidates are free to apply for the job if they match the description. After two weeks, the council will select ten candidates from the applications, who will be interviewed, usually in city hall or the mariners' guildhall. From the interviews, the council will select one Harbormaster, who is appointed in a ceremony at Sea-mouth Square.

Responsibilities

The Harbormaster's responsibilities range from everyday management of shipping schedules and calculating docking fees based on the value of the cargo, to fruitlessly trying to ban Captain Radcliffe from sailing (see sidebar). Most of the Harbormaster's work is at a desk in the lighthouse office, writing schedules and financial documents, but some is in the harbour itself, be it negotiating docking fees, calming down disputes amongst captains and guild members and investigating smuggled goods.

Benefits

The Harbormaster gains a number of benefits for their service. The first is a comfortable house by the quay with adjoining lighthouse. This house, known locally as Myer's Lighthouse, is the second building to hold this purpose, the first being destroyed in the tragic demise of Harbormaster Sayer Bronzecliffe the Unfortunate, by a catapult boulder (see sidebar). The house which currently stands at this spot was built by Voylan Myer, the subsequent harbormaster to take up the role. The second benefit is a private ship, The Sovereign's Folly, and the third is an excellent salary of 5 gold pieces a day (1825 gp a year).

Notable Holders

Some of the most notable holders of this title include:

Vyncent Douloner

Vyncent was the founder of the North Keelford Docks, and the first Harbormaster. He set up the docks to rival the Southern Docks, and for personal gain.

Arin Bifur

Arin Bifur was Harbormaster and a senior adviser to the Queen Karnis the First of Archaria. She was the person to advise the Queen to create tax incentives for merchant sailors to visit Keelford - a policy which saved the city from financial ruin and made it the trade hub it is today

Sayer Bronzecliffe the Unfortunate

Sayer Bronzecliffe was a Harbormaster about 110 years ago, who served the shortest amount of time to date of any Harbormaster: 2 hours and 14 minutes. The events of the unfortunate evening are as follows. The ceremony to appoint Bronzecliffe went without a hitch. However, shortly after the ceremony, Bronzecliffe fell badly ill with a fever and headache. He retired to his lighthouse before the Navy could perform their ceremonial salute to welcome him into office. This salute consisted of three trebuchets mounted on warships hurling flaming boulders into the Bay of Keelford at sundown. To observe the event, Bronzecliffe ascended the stairs of the lighthouse to the balcony. Upon reaching the top, however, he slipped on a puddle of water (the balcony had just been mopped), and fell down the stairs behind him. Furthermore, little did he know, but the day before, Bronzecliffe had angered an air spirit. As the ships prepared for the salute, the spirit caused one of the trebuchet ropes to snap, and the ship it was mounted on to turn around. In a moment of madness, the boulder was thrown as the ship turned. It landed on the lighthouse, destroying the building and Sayer Bronzecliffe. From that day on, at the appointment of each new Harbormaster, a moment of silence is marked to remember Sayer Bronzecliffe the unfortunate.

Type

Civic, Professional

Source of Authority

Keelford Council of representatives

Length of Term

Until retirement or death

Reports directly to

Mayor of Keelford

Related Locations

• The City of Keelford
• The Shipyard

Captain Radcliffe

"This wasn't in the job description!"

A thorn in the Harbormaster's side for over 100 years, Captain Radcliffe and his ship The Unfortunate Harbormaster has caused more damage to the Docks than any other individual with his haphazard docking and insane ramming. The requirement for the Harbormaster to prevent Radcliffe from too much destruction is always mysteriously absent from the job description. This is likely because Radcliffe's apparent inability to get arrested, or ftrebuchetsor anyone apart from the harbormaster to take much notice of his shenanigans, would be enough to put anyone off the job. However, over the years, many Harbormasters have tried ingenious ways to control him, with or without success. Methods include:

• Building dummy piers for him to crash into to shield the rest of the docks (decent success, but expensive)
• Wind spells (somehow, it made him even more destructive)
• Groveling and begging him not to ruin your nice, organised docks (He seems not to have any idea what you're talking about)