A Trip to Soldier Port

"A Trip to Soldier Port"

Dramatis Personae

Non Player Characters

Ship Crew

Note that there is 19 crew on The Pangolin making the ship somewhat cramped. The Pangolin has a varied crew, picked up here and there, all have sworn loyalty to House Tolmandros and professed reverence for Dormal the Sailor. They are divided into three ‘watches’ of four sailors each for normal duties, although the ‘slack watch’ (the watch resting but not sleeping) is roused for any maneuvers or tasks, giving eight sailors for the job at hand. In dire circumstances the ‘down watch’ is roused as well, but this is usually only for dangerous maneuvers or for combat.

Note: There is no 'Captain'. Redjack is 'sailing master' and he and his crew are specialists. The captain is in effect the PCs and the crew swears temporary allegiance before the passage.

Redjack Tursiops Sailing master and leader of the ship.

Light sallet (helmet), breastplate and cuir articulated limbs

Long Sword, Javelin.

Heavy set and of average height. He wears, like the rest of the crew, the blue and gold of house Tolmandros .

A sailorman comfortable with both words and swords, Redjack has a certain notoriety in the Mirrorsea and the Mournsea as a placid sailor ferocious in the defence of vessel and crew. He's quite comfortable with PCs running the show and will patiently inform them what the capabilities of his ship and crew are. He does not see his oaths as allowing the PCs to use the ship and the crew as muscle or shock troops but the PCs possessions are safe with him.

First Watch:

Rathmore

Kettle hat, light brigandine cuirass, light maille skirt and sleeves.

Broadsword, buckler, dagger, medium crossbow, javelin.

Rathmore is a short, handsome man with a curiously haunted attitude. He rarely goes ashore and then only with the other ship’s company, he stays aboard as much as he can and refuses to talk about his past. What is known is that he was a mercenary soldier and whatever he is reticent about has no bearing on his military career, however he is not interested at all in becoming a soldier again. He is the longest serving crewman on The Pangolin and Redjack prizes his quiet competency.

Hobrys Half-Praxer

Kettle hat, light brigandine cuirass, light maille skirt and sleeves.

Broadsword, buckler, dagger, medium crossbow, javelin.

Hobrys is a former bondsman, the son of a Tolmandros woman raped in a nomad raid on the Castle Marches. Mistrusted by many for his Praxian features, Horbrys has a deep dislike for Praxians and will not aid one in any way. He is fast friends with Scaither the Knife and the two are inseparable when ashore. Horbrys is usually a cheerful fellow, he is unlikely to talk to those ‘above his station’ but keeps up a constant stream of chatter or song with his mates. He has served with The Pangolin for four years but is not a good sailor as his concentration is always wandering.

Scaither the Knife

Kettle hat, light brigandine cuirass, light maille skirt and sleeves.

Broadsword, buckler, dagger, medium crossbow, javelin.

A silent and saturnine sailor, Scaither is quick to quarrel and troublesome ashore although The Pangolin’s strict discipline keeps him in line. He’s something of a cynic and a killjoy, the only time he ever smiles is when Horbrys is telling his incessant jokes, he is well aware that the Bosun and the Officers have their eyes on him and if he causes trouble he’ll be put ashore with the mark of ‘a bad sailor’ beside his name and be unlikely to ever see his friend Horbrys again. This threat stops him causing the problems he undoubtedly would cause if left to his own devices. He is, however, a good sailor and brave to a fault, as well as being prone to working overtime to make up for Horbrys’ deficiencies as a sailor.

Sotted Carrowise

Light brigandine cuirass, light maille skirt and sleeves.

Broadsword, buckler, dagger, medium crossbow, javelin.

A sorry sailor and likely to never amount to anything, Carrowise is a drunkard and even though the oldest man on the first watch is by far the most junior, he is the bane of Rathmore and the Bosun as Carrowise is totally irresponsible and untrustworthy. Carrowise will sneak off on watch to drink and is frantic if he doesn’t have his morning and evening tot. Like most handicaps, the first watch has become accustomed to Carrowise and his failings, and have learned to work around his fumbling work, their intense loyalty to each other even extends to Carrowise so they usually manage to cover up his botched work. Even when the crew is practicing with weapons, Carrowise is ‘kept on lookout’ as he’s not likely to be given a weapon any time soon. The saddest part of it all is that Carrowise honestly tries hard but is a slave to his addiction, he suffers hells of anxiety when he realizes he’s let his watch down and tortures himself over his failings, but nothing is ever enough to allow him to start the climb out of alcoholism. Redjack has little idea of the extent of Carrowise’s problem, or he’d mercilessly remove him from the ship. Carrowise has sold his kettle hat for drink, he’ll be punished if found out.

Second Watch

Maswe the Esrolian

Kettle hat, light brigandine cuirass, light maille skirt and sleeves.

Broadsword, parry dagger, medium crossbow, javelin.

A pretty woman with an erect, defiant bearing, Malwe is a former Esrolian fisherwoman and the former owner of a small boat of her own. Originally she signed on to earn enough to buy another boat, but after five years and several lucrative cruises she has made her home on The Pangolin. She scrupulously avoids liaisons with other crewmembers and is a no-nonsense individual that none of the other crew dare tangle with. After a savage knife fight when a former shipmate tried to rape her three years ago, the crew dumped the offender overboard during a night watch, something none of the officers are aware of. Malwe knows the Esrolian rivers well, having grown up in a family fishing them.

Spirits

Pavis Price List

Pavis Price List

Spells

• Gloranthan Spells

House Rules

Character Generation

Standard PWB Character Sheet Format

Note this sheet is for the finished Parade Way Blues game. Ignore references to Pavis Constabulary.

Combat Rules

• Shortswords, Broadswords, Scimitars, Bastard Swords and Greatswords all do 1d8+1 damage on a thrusting attack, they retain their existing damage for cutting attacks.

• All spears do 1d8+1 damage.

• Any Two Handed Weapon uses the next higher Damage Bonus.

• At Negative Fatigue Points the next lower Damage Bonus is used.

• Pila (the plural of Pilum) are Javelins that have 15AP, but cannot be used as melee weapons.

Special Attacks: RuneQuest 2 Slashes, Impales, and Crushes can be declared instead of a knockback on a Special Attack roll. Shield or Weapon Special Parry rolls Bind the parried object for 10 Strike Ranks, but the parrying weapon may not be used in that time, nor may the attacker or parrier close or lengthen range in that time.