Sapphire

The Sapphire was a large warship, heavily armed, known as a "man-o-war". This vessel was the flagship of the privateer fleet of the Napan Isles in the period before the formation of the Malazan Empire. The sails of the Sapphire were dark blue in colour as was characteristic of Napan ships.Deadhouse Landing, Chapter 17, US TPB p.329/330/334
==In Deadhouse Landing==
The Sapphire, as King Tarel's flagship, led the Napan fleet in an ambush of the Malazan privateer fleet, commanded by Admiral Mock — the "pirate king" of Malaz Island. This ambush, which developed into a major naval engagement, took place outside the harbour of the Quon Tali city of Cawn. In the heat of this battle, the Sapphire and Mock's flagship, the Insufferable, exchanged repeated fire but without landing any "decisive blows". The Insufferable and the remaining Malazan vessels — having suffered major damage — had to disengage and retreat from the fight, leaving the Sapphire to "decorously" sail away, reordering the Napan ships by means of signal flags.Deadhouse Landing, Chapter 11, US TPB p.212-213/215/218-220
Subsequently, a Napan emissary from King Tarel, Admiral Koreth, appeared at the mouth of the Malaz City harbour aboard the Sapphire. Koreth, leaving the Sapphire in a launch flying a white flag, landed at the Malaz waterfront to confer with Mock about exchanging some eighty Malazan prisoners of the previous engagement outside of Cawn for a number of renegade Napans who had gone to ground in Malaz City. Mock and Koreth came to an agreement, and the Malazan prisoners as well as one hundred elite Napan soldiers — who were to "fetch" the renegade Napans to take them back to Tarel — were landed from the Sapphire.Deadhouse Landing, Chapter 17, US TPB p.329-331
The ultimate outcome of this proposed exchange was definitely not favourable to Koreth's Napans.Deadhouse Landing, Chapter 17, US TPB p.337-344 The Sapphire had to return to the Napan Isles minus the Malazan prisoners; without any of the Napan renegades; and having suffered heavy casualties among the elite Napan soldiers.Deadhouse Landing, Chapter 18, US TPB p.360
==In Kellanved's Reach==
Tarel, no longer king of the Napan Isles because he had been forced to abdicate the Napan throne by his sister Sureth, was exiled to the royal family's private island, Rueth Isle.Kellanved's Reach, Chapter 16, US TPB p.239 As a result of this, the command of the Sapphire — no longer Tarel's flagship — was given to Urko, one of the renegade Napans. Before Urko could use the Sapphire as a Malazan vessel, all of the huge man-o-war's multitude of dark blue sails needed to be replaced by colourless canvas. Once the Sapphire was thus refitted, it joined the rest of the Malazan fleet in transporting troops from Malaz Island to Cawn in accord with Kellanved's long-range plans of conquest.Kellanved's Reach, Chapter 19, US TPB p.284-286
==In Forge of the High Mage==
The Sapphire was now the flagship of Admiral Nok during the Malazan Empire's invasion of the Falari IslesForge of the High Mage, Chapter 28, UK HC p.441 and likely during the withdrawal from the Lands of Fist.
==Notes and references==
Category:Ships