Vlard's Maintenance Yard

Vlard's Maintenance Yard was a dry dock business in the city of Ravens Bluff in the 14 century DR.
==Location==
The Maintenance Yard was located in the Crow's End district of the city, within the neighborhood of Anvil. It stood along the very end of Fishleap Lane, around the corner from Black Dugal's Music Shoppe.
==Structure==
The business consisted of three dry docks, one large enough that it could accommodate galley or caravel sized vessels, and two that could only fit smaller ships, primarily fishing boats. Ships would typically be brought into the dry docks when the Clearwater Harbor was at its high tide, where they would rest upon a wooden platform. When the low tide went out in the Harbor the gates of each stall would be shut and any water that remained within them would be pumped back out.
Besides the three dry dock stalls, the Maintenance Yard had a single warehouse and a small office building with a window overlooking the Clearwater Harbor. The office was used by the owners for conducting business and getting away from freezing winds. The warehouse was used as a space for working on small boats, such as life boats and rowboats, and for storing equipment.
==Interior==
The interior of the small office was sparsely decorated. It housed a small desk, a few chairs for clients, and a hanging lamp.
==Services==
Vlard's Maintenance Yard offered both ship cleaning and repair. This included such things as resealing hulls, painting, and scraping off barnacles. Rather than having a fixed rate for general maintenance of ships, the Maintenance Yard charged customers ten percent of whatever the total value of their vessel was and they required half of that payment be given in advance. If a vessel was ever damaged due to poor workmanship or "natural causes", the business would offer repairs at no cost, though this offer did not extend to damage incurred from magic or maritime attacks.Though the book states that Vlard's does cleaning in addition to repairs, only the going rate for maintenance is given.
On average it took a month for work to be completed on a large ship, but only one to two weeks for smaller vessels, though this rate could vary depending upon how much damage needed to be set right.
==History==
Around the early 14 century DR, the Maintenance Yard's owners perished and its operation was inherited by their child, Vlard Bluegill.It is neither stated how long Vlard's Maintenance Yard has existed within Ravens Bluff, nor how long Vlard Bluegill has held ownership of it, but Krey Bottleman is stated to have been working there for 31 years so it can be assumed that the business goes back at least to the 1330's DR.
Around 1361 DR, the SS Stareyes sank in the waters of the Dragon Reach, just beyond the boundaries of the Clearwater Harbor. Accusations arose that its sinking might have been caused by poor maintenance and as it had serviced the ship before it set out to sea blame fell towards Vlard's Maintenance Yard. Not wanting his reputation for quality work tarnished, Vlard Bluegill hired a group of adventurers to determine what was the cause of the sinking.Port of Ravens Bluff (pp. 42, 45) states that Charles O'Kane became Mayor 20 years ago, which would set it in 1361 DR. All other dates in this article have been derived from working backwards from this date.
Sometime around that same year, the Maintenance Yard fell host to a bevy of issues. Accidents, schedules being fallen behind, and job orders being cancelled. Vlard once again hired outside help to investigate, as he was suspicious that these incidents were being purposely caused. Posing as temporary dock hands, the adventurers found that Supervisor Mevia was the culprit of the string of misfortunes, having caused them in an effort to discredit her fellow supervisor Krey.
Over the next few years, sabotaging of ships by rivals in the Harbor District, Vlard's Maintenace Yard had to rebuild itself into a ramp-and-cradle operation, allowing the business to work on even large ships wholly indoors.Though left vague, the rivals responsible for sabotaging Vlard's ships were most likely Corbert Coker and Hugh Sandor.
In 1371 DR, a string of "accidents" began occurring in the Maintenance Yard once more, with many of his best workers falling victim. Vlard suspected that one of his employees was likely responsible, working on behalf of his rival Corbet Coker, though he had no particular suspects in mind. Around that same time the business began experimenting with the possibility of setting up a floating drydock, moored in the harbor, for the purposes of serving the largest of ships in the Realms.
==Inhabitants==
The business's owner, Vlard Bluegill, took pride in the repairing of ships and sought to maintain a track record of quality workmanship. He would often guarantee clients that any work done at his docks would last for half a year. He generally recommended to clients that they should take their ships in for maintenance on a yearly basis. Besides Vlard himself, by around 1361 DR the business employed three supervisors for each of the dry docks and seven workers. The business also occasionally hired on temporary help, paid at a rate that was lower than his permanent staffers but still considered decent within Ravens Bluff. All of his laborers were known for having above average strength.
The supervisors of the dockyard included Krey Bottleman, Toby Bareback, and Mevia Quicken who was the sole female employee. Krey was a close friend of Bluegill, who worked alongside him at the dockyard since 1330 DR, eventually rising to the position of supervisor of the large dry dock 1354 DR. Toby began working at the business in 1355 DR shortly after arriving to Ravens Bluff and supervised one of the small dry docks. Mevia began working at Vlard's in 1356 DR and rose to the position of supervisor over one of the small dry docks around 1361 DR after some form of accident befell the dock's previous supervisor. Well respected among her peers, Mevia pushed the workers under her care hard and had ambitions to one day become supervisor of the large dry dock.
==Reputation==
Vlard's Maintenance Yard was considered to be a rival business to the Coker Wharf Company and its partner High Seas Shipbuilding, being one of the few in Ravens Bluff preventing Corbet Coker and Hugh Sandor from having a monopoly over the city's shipping services.
==Appendix==
===Notes===
===References===
Category:Businesses
Category:Boatyards
Category:Locations on Fishleap Lane
Category:Locations in Anvil
Category:Locations in Crow's End
Category:Locations in Ravens Bluff Harbor
Category:Locations in the Vast
Category:Locations in North Faerûn
Category:Locations in Faerûn
Category:Locations on Toril
Category:Year of Metropolises