Shadowed Charger

The Shadowed Charger
Class:	Galleon
Rooms:	8
Look:	a massive black four-masted galleon with a snarling panther figurehead named the Shadowed Charger
Pilot:	Kattae
Captain:	Shaylynne
Crew:	Ledia Allye
Extras:	telescope, fishing supplies
Source:	Feast of Eluned II Token Auction
Instance:	Prime
Status:	Active

Rooms

[The Shadowed Charger, Bow]
The walkway constricts sharply, allowing minimal traveling space in order to accommodate the large bowsprit and conglomeration of ropes fastened to the foremast. At the corner of the bow, a jackstaff flies a fraying black flag embroidered with a silvery crest. Surrounded by the lines used to trim the sails, the foremast rises in its web of standing rigging. The foremast stay, supporting the jib, runs from high overhead to the bowsprit. You also see a crisp white linen cloth with several things on it, the fore topsail, the fore mast, a midnight black mistwood hatch with a polished silver nightingale handle, the fore course and the flying jib.
Ship paths: aft.

• LOOK at hatch:

Small flecks of diamond litter the matte black backdrop like tiny twinkling stars in Phelim's night sky. The streaking silver and green veins of the mistwood create the illusion of colored lights dancing across the heavens. The intricately etched handle resembles a nightingale posed as if in flight, the polish accentuating every feathery detail along the outstretched wings.
It is open.

[The Shadowed Charger, Cabin]
Glossy mistwood paneling stretches from ceiling to floor along each wall, providing a luxurious backdrop for the furniture arranged carefully around the cabin. Filigreed sconces are affixed on each panel to provide subtle illumination for the silvery veins flowing through the mistwood. A plush Musparan silk rug enwreathed in silver tassels stretches from wall to wall, and the slight hint of incense drifts on the air. You also see an ample mistwood bed covered in watered silk sheets and pillows, a mistwood table displaying a large map of Elanthia's oceans and a varnished mistwood door with an elegantly scrolled animite lock and handle.
Ship paths: none.

• LOOK at door:

The deep black door's animite hinges match the scrollwork bracketing the lock and handle. Three animite hooks shaped like ship's anchors are aligned in a column down the center of the unblemished wood.
It is open.

• LOOK at table:

Nearly as long as the wall is wide, the table's surface provides adequate space for a parchment map detailing ship routes and known landmarks throughout the seas. Hazy oceans and intricate sea creatures decorate the unknown expanses beyond. A compass and protractor are used as paperweights in two of the corners, while an ink jar stabilizes a third. The fourth corner is secured by a silver incense holder covered in soot, the still-smoking nub of fragrance sticking out of upward-facing prongs.

• LOOK at bed:

Large enough to suit three people comfortably, the strong mistwood frame has a broad headboard carved with nightingales in various natural postures. A sumptuous down mattress is swathed in grey watered silk sheets with dozens of plump pillows in matching cases.

[The Shadowed Charger, Fore Waist]
The main mast dominates the spacious beam of the galleon, rising to a dizzying height supported by a network of standing rigging where passing seabirds often rest and occasionally deposit small gifts before departing, seemingly in spite of the fierce swearing of the swabbies on board. You also see the main upper topsail, the main lower topsail, a large seagull, the main course and the main mast.
Ship paths: forward, aft.

• LOOK at seagull:

Sleek and graceful, the seagull soars happily on the wind, enjoying its gift of flight.
A large seagull stares intently at you from above and suddenly dives! Before you can even react it has reached you. You feel a sharp peck at your head, and duck just in time to see the pesky seagull fly up and away.
A large seagull stares intently at you from above and suddenly dives! Before you have time to consider what it might do, it has flown straight at you, barely missing your head as it pulls sharply up again -- but not before mischievously depositing a memento of its visit on your person.

[The Shadowed Charger, Aft Waist]
Burnished ironwood planks cover the deck, swabbed periodically by a young lad clothed in sailcloth breeches. Crated goods from exotic locales are secured with sturdy hemp rope and stacked against the rear of the ship, with particular attention paid to the barrels labeled "wine" and "ale". Creaks and shouting from the rigging high descend toward the deck, occasionally peppered with loud guffaws in response or the snapping sound of wind on sail. You also see Stone Docks, a young sailor lad, the crossjack, the mizzen upper topsail, the mizzen mast, and the mizzen lower topsail.
Ship paths: forward, aft, down.

• LOOK at lad:

The young lad's hands are rather scrubby and covered in soap suds. Despite his status as deckhand, he is rather well dressed. He smiles cheerfully as he continues his chore of scrubbing the deck.

[The Shadowed Charger, Ship's Hold]
The noisy tumult of waves against wood harmonizes with the scratches of shifting goods throughout the cramped space housing much of the ship's cargo and necessities. Bulky crates webbed in thick rope line the walls, with only a few cleared paths snaking between the heavy containers. The pungent aroma of soured beer lingers in the air, likely emanating from the corner where a shattered barrel slowly leaks its contents onto the floor. You also see a dark dragonwood trunk padded with a thick layer of fleece, a stately flamewood chest with rich golden accents, a basket of normal fishing line, a barrel of fishing poles, a cargo net, a barrel of fish bait, a bucket of hooks and a gold-etched brass coffer.
Ship paths: forward, up.

• LOOK at chest:

Bright whorls furl and unfurl in the gleaming wood that form the side panels and domed lid, with thick gold banding securing and strengthening each joint. A solid gold padlock hangs from the clasp, unable to properly secure the contents ever again. A slim black dagger is forcefully wedged into the keyhole, rendering the mechanism useless, and dangles just above a hastily scratched word along the front of the chest: "Thief."

• LOOK at trunk:

Soft light from a nearby torch serves to accentuate the characteristic serpentine pattern within the grain, not unlike how the setting sun reflects the smooth scales of a dragon in flight. The sturdy wood is matched by a protective interior lining dyed the somber grey hue of an ancient granite gravestone.

• READ chest or trunk:

A stately flamewood chest and dark dragonwood trunk both read:
"Crafted for Sir Darius, noble Paladin and upstanding gentleman. May you be exempt from Botolf's treachery, and may Rutilor guide you along the lighted path."

[The Shadowed Charger, Ship's Galley]
Cradled in the belly of the ship, the kitchen area has no portholes for natural lighting. The galley crew works amidst meager illumination exuding from huge golden lanterns suspended from the ceiling, the metal and glass darkened from years of smoke exposure. Dim shadows flicker across cutting boards, resulting in occasional yelps from the workers as wayward fingers are punished by fast-moving knives. You also see a sturdy bloodwood bench reinforced with dingy steel banding, a massive bloodwood table set with iron brackets and screws with several things on it and an immense black stove belching heat with a few things on it.
Ship paths: aft.

• LOOK at stove:

The soot-blackened stove hunches against the wall, closely resembling a hulking, angry beast. Its parts rattle noisily, and expulsions of steam from kettles and pots resting tenuously upon the cooking surface threaten to scald the kitchen workers, who are forced to dodge the sporadic bursts of hot air to snatch cookware from the fire. The stove's only redeeming quality is the ever-present aroma of delicious food wafting outward from the otherwise distasteful sight.

• LOOK at table:

Rectangular iron plates are bolted into the wood to fasten the joints, each embellished with large spikes that hint that the table was not always used for dining. Scars and gouges mar the surface, a few stained to darker shades than the rest of the table.

• LOOK at bench:

Austere and unadorned, the sanded bloodwood bench is strengthened around the legs to support the weight of several burly sailors should the need arise.

[The Shadowed Charger, Quarterdeck]
The piercing shriek of gulls assaults the air while the occasional salty sea breeze whips about the shrouds and rigging. Four substantial ironwood masts jut into the sky, each supporting three dusky crimson sails that ripple in the wind like the ocean's waves at sundown. The ship's engraved platinum bell reverberates with every rock of the vessel. The pilot surveys the expanse with watchful eyes, standing at the ready behind the ship's wheel. You also see a darkened steel telescope etched along one side with a crouching panther, Pilot Kattae, the upper spanker, an imposing adderwood wheel impaled with slim black daggers along the rim, a platinum ship's bell engraved with Albarian scenes, the spanker mast, the lower spanker, a flawless flamewood hatch carved to represent Damaris and his aspects and the gaff topsail.
Ship paths: forward.

• LOOK at tele:

Gleaming platinum rims have a faint pattern of flying shrikes etched along them. The body of the telescope is engraved with a panther crouched as if to strike, a single dark emerald serving as its eye.

• LOOK at wheel:

The adderwood wheel shows the rudder is centered amidships.
A motley collection of light edged weapons are stabbed firmly into the outer rim of adderwood to serve as the hand-pegs used to turn the wheel. Elaborate images carved into the spokes depict scenes typical of a thief's life. Above each image, a silver plate engraved with a name wraps around the top of the shaft just before connecting to the rim. The spokes taper inwards to skewer a blackened silver skull above an embossed steel plate in the wheel's center.

• LOOK at bell:

Mounted on a bloodwood plaque, the ship's bell is truly a showpiece. A wraparound scene is intricately engraved in the rounded sides, capturing an artist's rendition of Albaria. Small crystal snowflakes are embedded in the highly polished platinum sky, each true to nature in being slightly different from the last. Suspended from a chain inside the bell, an inverted platinum dagger replaces the traditional clapper.
Small letters are engraved around the rim of the platinum bell.

• READ bell:

Made with loving care by Beelnee Cuilanar.

• LOOK at hatch:

Meticulously molded eyes of the three life-sized immortals stare silently as if with appraising looks at each person to approach the entrance to the Captain's cabin. Appropriately, Damaris is the focal point supported by Phelim on his right and Dergati on his left, with stunning depictions of the panther, nightingale, and shrike sitting vigilantly in front of their respective gods. Each animal is rendered in painstaking detail, their sinuous lines appearing nearly lifelike.
It is open.

[The Shadowed Charger, Captain's Cabin]
Polished flamewood panels enclose a spacious room, the richly hued grain gleaming under the light of elaborate fire-gilded sconces mounted at regular intervals. Handsome flamewood furniture, including a professional scroll-top desk and chair, is secured to the floor and walls to keep it in place even on the roughest waters. A regal four-poster bed with a translucent firesilk canopy is secured opposite an impressive collection of armaments. You also see a towering statue of a hooded figure with a recessed mirror on it, a decorative stained glass porthole detailing multiple shadowy images, a sleek obsidian panther with a lustrous platinum collar and a heavy flamewood door affixed with a defiled portrait of a general.
Ship paths: none.

• LOOK at desk:

Mock tribal etchings of panthers in various poses along the edges of the desk's surface add an artistic motif to the otherwise practical design. Half-empty ink jars filled with a smattering of dreary colors line the rear wall, and a small wire cup holds assorted quills with sharpened nibs. Slots on one side house letters and ledgers, and deep tracks on the outside curve allow the desktop to be tugged down to conceal the captain's business.
There appears to be something written on it.

• READ desk:

A roll-top desk reads:
"TERC WUZ HERE"

• LOOK on desk:

You rummage around on a professional roll-top desk carved with stylized panthers and see a cartographer's sketching kit covered in a map of Qi'Reshalia, some blackened shark's teeth, a map, a tall anlora-avtoma desk lamp with an ornate aganylosh'a base, a passport, a creamy white seashell painted with a Cha'Walkas landscape, a dark crow feather quill with a contrasting white nib, a ship captain's logbook with salt-stained pages and a miniature Ilithi peach tree set in a large clay pot.

• LOOK behind desk:

Behind the roll-top desk you see a ceramic wash basin.

• LOOK at bed:

Richly stained to emphasize the grain, smooth flamewood comprises the frame, headboard, and posts of the extravagantly ample bed. Diaphanous firesilk encases the occupant in a seductive illusion of shimmering embers adrift on a breeze due to streaks of brilliant red threads used in the warp of the loom. The comfortable down mattress and several fluffy pillows are covered in pristine white firesilk, both of which attractively compliment the bed's soft golden coverlet of the same material.

• LOOK at door:

Dozens of deep penetrations of varying lengths mar the general's face, apparently a bull's-eye for target practice with sharp objects. The many punctures conceal his identity, though the rank is clear. One throwing dagger is buried deeply in the door, its diamond-encrusted hilt protruding from the portrait's left eye. The weapon is wedged firmly enough to act as a makeshift handle for opening and closing.
It is open.

• LOOK at panther:

The menacing black panther sits regally erect with his head lowered, appearing amazingly lifelike and ready to pounce. With sharp ivory fangs slightly bared, the large pearly eyes seem to glimmer with suspicion when soft light reflects across the panther's face. White diamond nightingales and black diamond shrikes stud the movable metal collar, which when aligned correctly along the neck reveals a secret safe within the statue.

• LOOK at porthole:

Intricate patterns outlined in lead are set into the multifaceted window. An obsidian panther with emerald green eyes dominates the top panel, its gaze directed downward. In the middle, a Kaldaran male crouches in the murky shadows, his eyes ever watchful as he skillfully balances a lockpick on the back of his hand. An iridescent nightingale with moonstone eyes rests in the bottom panel, her beak inquisitively poking through a pouch filled with sparkling gold and platinum coins.

Pilot Kattae

Petite and muscular, the lovely brunette wears supple leather armor that clings to her enticingly, providing nearly enough distraction to disguise the glint of weapons tucked into the leather. Her waist-length hair dances in any breeze. Hazel eyes glittering with intelligence, passion for her work, and a flirtatious twinkle constantly assess the condition of the ship and its crew. Though alluring as a siren's call, the tone of her voice ensures no arguments from her crew as they hastily obey her orders.

Captain's Ring

Current

TAP: a kiralan pirate's ring inlaid with wavy grooves of flooded goldfyre

LOOK: Encircling the deep oceanic blue metal band are intricate, undulating cuts inlaid with flooded goldfyre. The goldfyre seems to flow within the grooves, creating a mesmerizing interplay of light and shadow that pulses with azure energy and watery essence. Each meticulous detail reflects the beauty of deep, ancient seas.

Previous

TAP: an exquisite icesteel lady's ring bearing the Silvermist family crest

LOOK: Gracefully crafted to resemble a band of sun-warmed Elven ivy that wraps daintily around the finger, the translucent metal is gilded with a stately emblem in the shape of a cluster of delicate moonflowers wreathed in stylized flames. Along the edges of the fine flowers, glimmering, frost-blue icesteel creates the impression of frozen dew upon each diminutive leaf. A shimmering layer of riverstone dust adds a luminous, dew-like enhancement to the ornate periphery.

Previous

TAP: a sculpted platinum ring with a panther's gaping jaws imprisoning a huge opal cameo

LOOK: Designed to curl around the finger, the predator's head is positioned to rest comfortably on the hand with the tail coiled around its paws. Faceted emeralds serve as eyes, while open jaws clench an opal cameo with sharp animite fangs. The image of a multi-masted galleon on roiling seas is masterfully carved into the opal, with glints of rich royal blue and sea-green accenting the band. An occasional flash of red or gold lends a fiery element, making the ocean appear to dance with flames.

Notes

• As of 2022, officially commandeered by Shaylynne Kendialahle and Ledia Wulincu during a raging tempest. All previous owners present during the storm are reported as lost at sea. Rumors abound the ship was pirated using the unfair weather as a cover. Only a few living crew members know the truth, if you dare to ask. The ship was most recently seen cruising the coastline, and hosting lavish parties catered by the Dancing Swan Company.
• As of 2015, captained by Kintalia with Gotinx serving as command crew.
• Originally commissioned by Tercsyn, the winner of the Feast of Eluned II Token Auction.
• This vessel has been completely customized from top to bottom. It also includes a telescope and fishing supplies.