Topic: The Abyssus

Diritas Ashin

Date: 2013-04-09 04:42 EST
(((OOC: A fairly complete and labeled cross section of the Abyssus can be found in the gallery. I found it extremely helpful, I hope you do as well. If you are interested in joining the Abyssus, PM me or Reply to my Crew Wanted Post. Please only comments on the actual ship here.)))

http://i.imgur.com/zh5ImEF.jpg

Designed by Diritas and Ventus before their fragmentation, the Abyssus is a two-mast sloop with a shallow draft. She remains as the home and business place of Diritas, and as a fully functional means of transportation and the backbone of "Diritas" High Risk Trading and Acquisitions", a merchant company dedicated to the delivery of specific treasures for its clientele. Upon request, the Abyssus will discretely retrieve specialized merchandise of specific natures at a reasonable and fair price.

The ship is made of heavy oak stained deep red to blend with the shadows and polished to be as glassy as the surface of the waves. Her sides are armored with laminate steel from the orient, made and folded in the same manner as katana while mixed with some extra alloys to resist rusting and corrosion. The ship flexes with cannon fire, and has never taken on water from something so simple. The sails of the Abyssus are black, made to emulate the shadows between the waves so that she can disappear in the night after a raid with her slim profile hidden in the valleys of water. The main deck is the natural oaken color of the wood, polished to a ballroom shine. Though every railing, boom, yard mast, gaff, and the bowsprit are all stained the deep red of the hull. The armor on the outside of the hull is blued a deep black, to avoid the silver reflection. There are no cannons on the Abyssus, thus the crew must be comprised of powerful and versatile members who can also pass as a private sailing crew upon hostile or official inspection.

The Inside of the Abyssus is much more luxurious but no less functional. The entire hold includes the natural deeply hued oaken wood walls, studded with the same armor as the hull to prevent anything capable of piercing the hull from going too deep and killing the entire crew. The hold is comprised of the fourteen crew's quarters as well as the galley, brig, and storage areas. There are in each cabin fold out beds, hammocks, foot lockers for their shares, wardrobes, and hidden weapon racks. Each one includes a private restroom and bathing facility. Though the cabins are small, each of the crew members is granted a private cabin of their own upon acceptance, without exception. If searched none of these things can be found without the owner's or the Captain's explicit consent.

The galley is where food is prepared and set out by the eventual Cook/Butcher for the crew. It is also available to any crew member and their guests should they decide to bring anyone aboard. There is a hearth that vents outside of the ship into the water in order to avoid detection by the smoke during stealth missions that keeps it warm and lit, and a table fit for serving up to fifteen people. A bar is set against the opposite wall, and is usually well stocked. Lighting comes from lamps hidden in flame proof recesses so as not to overwhelm the eyes.

Storage areas hold the necessary supplies for each voyage, varied as they may be, so just use your imagination. There may be anything in these rooms, including things such as old weapons, barrels of water and other substances, stores of alcohol and food, and sometimes specialized equipment that may be needed for a specific job. This is where all of these things will be stored if they are not specified as being elsewhere. The storage areas are located in the stern of the ship near the rudder, which is why explosives are not permitted to be stored in these rooms. There are also constant lockers in the storage rooms, one for each member of the crew other than the Captain.

The brig is located in the hold as well, it is a simple windowless barred cell in the prow of the ship, triangular and sloped upward to a point there are no flat areas on which to rest comfortably. It is gated with metals impervious to most magic, and within the lock for the cell are powerful magnets in random places that make it nearly impossible for a pick to be held steady enough to pick the lock. The bars are set deep into the wood, and would take massive strength in order to break or bend. But to those who are undaunted, skillful, strong, and determined, there is a way out of everything.

Above the hold and in the bow of the ship on the main deck is the Forecastle. This is one of the two most heavily enchanted rooms on the ship. There is on the ceiling a constant projection of the night stars which changes with the seasons regardless of the conditions of the weather outside. In the middle of the room is a table, with several slots in its surface, each slot contains different charts and maps of the surrounding waters of places likely to be visited including islands and sometimes even blueprints of enemy ships. The Forecastle is as close to a war room and planning room as the Abyssus has. Weapon racks holding varied weapons from around the world line the wall, many of which are enchanted with equally varied effects. Diritas also displays many trophies from around the world in this room, including artifacts and treasures he has won over the years as well as souvenirs from his travels.

In the Forecastle is also a large chest, it is the same armored and stained oak as the rest of the ship and is generally where the mission's cargo will be held until it is delivered. This chest is enchanted that the only one able to open it is the Captain himself. It is built into the ship itself, and cannot be moved from its place in the room. Inside it is lined with soft velvet and the same black rabbit furs that line Diritas" coat in order to accommodate more fragile cargo. In addition to this is a convenient ability to change its interior size to best suit the cargo in question from jewelry to on the rare occasion the noble wearing said jewelry, and sometimes his or her horse if necessary. This chest is called the abyss, and it is what gives the Abyssus her name.

The Captain's cabin is the most heavily enchanted room onboard. It is completely soundproof, from both within and without. Its back wall is lined with picture windows viewing from the stern of the ship that are tinted a dark black so as not to afford a view in from the outside while allowing a smoky obsidian view from the inside. These windows are nearly impervious to breaking, capable of withstanding direct blasts from cannons and other massive forces. Forcing your way into this room would require one to overcome the will of the Captain himself, as none can enter without the express permission of the captain unless he is aboard and drops the wards protecting it.

Upon entering the quarters, in the middle of the picture windows in the stern, beneath their bottom edges is a hearth in which a fire is often blazing in response to Diritas" emotions. Before the hearth is a scorch mark burned deep into the wooden floorboards in the shape of a nightmarish bleeding flower of an unidentifiable type attached to a nightmarish vine that seems to entwine around itself as it disappears into and back out of the wood. In the starboard bow corner rests a perfectly tuned rosewood piano, its black keys made of onyx and its white ones of opal. In the port bow corner behind two paper screens rests a large bed, covered in midnight blue and dark grey silk sheets and a few pillows as well as the recent addition of a few black rabbit fur blankets to protect against the cold.

In the middle of the room between the hearth and the entrance is a small gathering setup for the captain's guests. A couch and a couple of individual chairs surround a coffee table. On the port side of this setup against the wall are two wardrobes with a weapon rack between them. One wardrobe holds the captain's clothing and other personal items, while the other holds food, drink, poisons, serums, and other tools and oddities the Captain may have up his sleeve. On the other side of the sitting area is the Captain's desk, a massive oaken thing holding his papers, correspondences, trinkets, and a strange chest. Opening this chest without Diritas" express permission is punishable by execution without trial without exception.

There are three decks aboard the Abyssus, the Quarterdeck, Main deck, and the Forecastle deck. All of which are polished oak. The gangway leads up to the Main deck, aft of the gangway are two sets of stairs, one on each side of the door to the captain's quarters. Opposite that entrance is the main mast, then the hatch below, and finally the Forecastle entrance between two stairwells to the Forecastle deck, from which sprouts the foremast and bowsprit.

The last bit of information about the Abyssus that any crew member should know is that the entire ship is soulbound to Diritas. It responds to his will and his strength, which is one reason it is so formidable despite having no weapons. All enchantments aboard the ship are linked to Diritas, and the entire ship can respond if her captain is pushed to certain points. There may be those who are also soulbound to Diritas, as it is a talent of his due to the fragmentation process that resulted in him suddenly having a "brother". These individuals are as much a part of the ship as the sails, decks, and the very helm. As such, they obey Captain Diritas as a part of the ship until released. Not every crew member is soulbound, indeed it is very rare for such a thing to happen though still worth mentioning.

And thus, is the Abyssus.