Terminology

Aloft and Alow: In the upper and lower rigging of a sailing ship, respectively.

Beam and Abeam: A vessel’s width, and at right angles to the centerline of the ship’s keel, respectively.

Belowdecks: Beneath the solid “weather deck” of a ship. There is no “downstairs” aboard a ship.

Bow and Stern: The forward-most and aft-most extensions of the deck.

Fore and Aft: Forward and rearward aboard a ship. Also “afore” meaning in front of, and “abaft” meaning behind.

Port and Starboard: The left and right direction or side, when facing the ship’s bow.

Bilge: The lowest interior compartment of a vessel.

Bollard: A post to which ropes are secured.

Boom: A fore-and-aft rigged spar supporting the lower edge of a sail.

Bowsprit: A spar extending forward from the bow to support forward sails.

Crow’s Nest: A platform for a lookout near the top of a mast.

Draft: Measure of how deep the ship is, from the keel to the waterline.

Forecastle: The often-raised forward part of the weather deck of a vessel. Also called the “fo’c’sle.”

Gaff: A spar to support the top of a fore-and-aft sail; also a hooked pole for landing fish.

Galley: A vessel’s kitchen. Helm: A wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered.

Hull: The outer body of a ship.

Jib: A triangular sail suspended from a forward stay.

Keel: The bottom of a hull, and the main source of a vessel’s structural strength.

Lateen Sail: A fore-and-aft rigged triangular sail set on a sloping yard.

Launch: Any small boat used to travel between the ship and a dock, shore, or another ship (such as a gig, cutter, jolly boat, barge, or pinnace).

Mast: A long spar rising from the keel or deck of a ship and supporting the yards, booms, and rigging. Mizzen: Any rigging belonging to the aft-most mast of a ship.

Quarterdeck: The part of the deck abaft of the mainmast.

Ratlines: Ropes or lines that serve as steps for going aloft.

Sheet: A rope for adjusting a sail.

Shroud: Any rope converging from both sides of a ship to support a mast.

Spar: Any pole meant to support a sail.

Stay: Any rope for steadying masts on a fore-and-aft axis.

Sterncastle: A ship’s enclosed, aft-most elevated portion.

Transom: The flat back panel forming the stern of a ship.

Waist Deck: The upper deck amidships—the working area of the deck.

Weather Deck: The unenclosed deck or decks of a vessel, which are exposed to the weather.

Yard: The spar from which square-rigged or lateen sails are supported.

The following sailing ships are designed for general purposes such as transport of passengers and cargo, and small-scale skirmishing such as piracy and coastal raiding.

Brig: These two-masted, square-rigged ships are employed as fast merchant vessels, but are also often armed as corsairs or privateers. They’re lighter than frigates, but able to carry a comparable armament. Brigs flying pirate flags are the scourge of the Inner Sea.

Brigantine: Two-masted ships with square rigs on their foremasts only, brigantines are smaller than brigs, and are slightly more maneuverable, though they cannot sport the same armament. Brigantines are often employed as armed merchants, escorts, privateers, or corsairs.

Caravel: Small lateen-rigged ships characterized by a high sterncastle, caravels are generally employed in cargo or fishing, but sometimes armed for raiding.

Catamaran: A catamaran is a small vessel formed of two hulls or floats held side by side by a frame above them. Very fast but not rugged enough for warfare, they’re most often used in tropical climes for fishing and transporting cargo. Some island tribes, however, sometimes use catamarans to carry their warriors into battle, board unwary ships at anchor, or raid.

Galley: A galley is propelled mainly by one to three tiers of oars, but also sports lateen sails. Galleys are often used by slavers, though they’re occasionally employed as short-range warships. They are heavily armed with ballistae, catapults, and even bow rams. With a shallow draft, galleys are especially useful in shoal waters and rivers, and can move quickly using their powerful banks of oars. Galleys do not handle high seas well due to their low profile, and can founder in rough conditions.

Felucca: With lateen sails on one or two masts, feluccas are fast, sleek vessels employed for fishing and transporting cargo, and—rarely—as warships. Feluccas have a shallow draft and can navigate rivers easily, employing both sails and oars.

Galleon: An eminently durable design characterized by lofty forecastles and sterncastles, galleons are used as heavily armed merchants or warships. They are square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast, and lateen-rigged on the mizzen.

Junk: Having square sails set on masts that are often stepped off the centerline of the ship, a high stern, and a flat bottom, junks are slow, sturdy craft employed as cargo vessels and warships by Tian nations.

Longship: With their narrow, open hulls, single square sails, and large numbers of oars that provide most of the propulsion, longships are commonly used by Ulfen for transport cargo and raiding.

Schooner: Characterized by a long keel and fore-andaft-rigged gaff sails and jibs, schooners are fast, and can sail very close to the wind. They are used for fishing and as fast merchant vessels, but are rarely armed, relying on superb maneuverability to evade trouble.

The following vessels are designed specifically for naval warfare and are rarely employed for other purposes.

Battleship: Often called line-of-battle ships, these vessels are used as main forces by large navies. Battleships commanded by commodores often head squadrons, hunt pirates, or escort merchant fleets or expeditions. With upward of 40 ballistae, three to four catapults, and often 200 fighting sailors, such a ship is rarely tangled with by a lone corsair.

Catawar: This large, shallow-draft warship has two hulls connected by a broad, firm platform, and is usually rigged with lateen sails. Each hull can be fitted with 100 oars, and the vessel can support large numbers of soldiers, archers, and siege engines. Despite its size, the craft can maneuver well using its huge banks of oars. Catawars are often used for harbor protection or in blockades.

Frigate: Three-masted and square-rigged, frigates are the smallest of the “rated” ships—those commanded by an officer of captain rank. They’re fast and heavily armed, with one or two decks of ballistae and a bow-mounted catapult. Frigates can hoist a huge number of sails, require large crews, and are often manned with specially trained fighting marines for boarding actions.

Man-o’-War: These sailing behemoths are the height of military naval engineering. Generally fleet flagships commanded by admirals, men-o’-war rarely leave port with fewer than a dozen other warships accompanying them. With up to 50 ballistae on three or four decks, half a dozen heavy catapults, and hundreds of fighting sailors, marines, clerics, and wizards, these intimidating ships are virtually unstoppable.

The following trade routes are the most commonly traveled in the Inner Sea region. While they are not the only currents and prevailing winds that allow for consistent travel, they connect the region’s centers of commerce and culture more efficiently than other routes.

Encarthan Circuit: Shipping cargo between Kerse, Tamran, Caliphas, and Thronestep, a fleet of nimble caravels plies this lucrative but dangerous route, sailing as far as possible from the treacherous shores of the Isle of Terror.

Fever Run: Risky indeed, this profitable route skirts the Eye of Abendego and the Shackles to Sargava for spices, alchemical treasures, and gems.

Inner Sea North Tack: The downwind run along the north coast of the Inner Sea is a lucrative route, but tensions between Andoran and its neighbors have caused problems even for honest merchants. The Gray Corsairs tolerate no piracy, and the Chelish fleet stationed in Ostenso looks very closely at any ship traveling from the east.

Inner Sea South Tack: Most captains view this easterly beat against the prevailing winds as a necessary evil, but a wily sailor can use the cape effect and diurnal winds generated from the heating and cooling of Garund’s vast northern desert to make the passage easier and more profitable.

Obari Trade Circle: Spanning Katapesh, Quantium, Niswan, Sedeq, Katheer, Absalom, and Sothis, all of which have the easterly trade winds abeam, this highly profitable route is heavily patrolled by Okeno slavers and subject to both blinding siroccos and sweltering calms.

Sand Coast Reach: This short route across the Arch of Aroden can be lucrative, but is dangerous for those trying to smuggle religious items into strictly atheist Rahadoum.

Varisian Reach: Travel along this long route from the Arch of Aroden to Korvosa and Magnimar is generally timed to avoid deadly winter “Nor’westers” lashing out of the Steaming Sea. This primary trade route between the Inner Sea and Varisia can make a captain rich if she avoids dangerous storms and the denizens of Hellmouth Gulf.

Despite the relative safety and consistency of conditions on the above-listed trade routes, there are obstacles and natural hazards that sailors would do best to bear in mind.

Arch of Aroden: The ancient, ruined megalithic bridge known as the Arch of Aroden spans the Hespereth Strait between the Inner Sea and the Arcadian Ocean. It’s constantly patrolled by the Chelish Corentyn Armada.

Eye of Abendego: This endless hurricane forms an impassible barrier between the Shackles, Mediogalti Island, and Rahadoum’s Nuat blockade. Intrepid, insane, or desperate captains have been known to skirt the edge of this massive, ceaseless hurricane, using the tearing counterclockwise winds for a speedy but perilous passage.

Siroccos of the Qadira Coast: Scorching storms from the Zho Mountains send sheets of blinding dust and scouring winds to wreck ships on the unforgiving Osirian coast.

Yanimere Torrents: Treacherous currents and maelstroms plague the narrow pass between Yanimere Isle and the Qadiran coast. Sailors tell of a huge beast that forms shipkilling whirlpools, but others discount these fanciful stories.

The following waterways are known for their many perils, and captains sailing them are wise to prepare for the hazards spoken of in sea shanties and dockside taverns.

Haunted Coast of Geb: The laws protecting the living in the nation of undead take effect only upon that nation’s soil, so sailing these waters without proper protections is not only dangerous, but foolhardy. Though Geb trades heavily in grain harvested by legions of zombies, few free traders venture here, for ghost ships patrol Geb’s waters, and the night skies are oft filled with wraiths, vampires, and worse.

Hellmouth Gulf: No sane merchant captain would risk sailing through this cauldron of vengeful fey, fiends, merfolk, and strix—even Chelish warships are reluctant to dare it. Bracketed by the southern spur of the Menador Mountains and the rocky shores of the isles of Thuryan and Shardstone, this is a stretch of sea in which even pirates become prey.

Obari Ocean: In this hunting ground of the Okeno slavers, the mere sight of yellow sails can send a merchant ship into panicked flight. Few traders go unarmed, and many chose to sail in small, armed flotillas, often contracting corsairs in Katapesh as armed escorts.

The Shackles and Fever Sea: Only the Free Captains of the Shackles have accurate charts of this labyrinth of deadly reefs and currents, but uncharted shoals are the least of a captain’s worries in this archipelago populated by cannibals, pirates, predators, and undead. This is perhaps the most treacherous nautical expanse in all of the Inner Sea region.

Sodden Coast: Few captains brave both the Eye of Abendego and the pirates of the Shackles to cruise the shores of the Sodden Lands. Treasure hunters sometimes risk this coast, but few survive long enough to be more than prey for the scaly inhabitants of this storm-wracked shore.

Steaming Sea: Ulfen raiders not only pillage coastal towns and villages, but also take ships at sea. Few survive the fury of these pirates, but some of the grim captains can be bartered with if the target doesn’t look like easy prey.

Varisian Gulf: The Varisian Gulf is far enough away from established trade routes that anyone plying these waters is either up to no good, or able to fend off those who are. Pirates from Riddleport view incursions into their territory as an affront, and are likely to burn unwary ships to the waterline without taking prisoners—after looting them, of course.