Ploughwater Galleys

A Ploughwater Galley is a type of riverine, oared galley, used by the Jorans in the Ploughwater River and its tributaries, though it may also refer to any type of riverine vessel found on the waterways of Stribrna Joraje. Ploughwater Galleys are used by the lords of Joraje, and are used for both running cargo and for patrolling the river for pirates and bandits.

Ploughwater galleys are long, narrow, and sleek, with a single mast, which supports a lateen sail. They have a single bank of oars, and a draft of less than 2 meters. Larger galleys may have a small castle at the bow and stern for crossbowmen and marines.

## Use

Ploughwater Galleys, as river galleys, are designed for use in the calm and slow waters of the large River Ploughwater. They are lightly built, and have low freeboards, so are rarely used in coastal and oceanic waterways.

Ploughwater Galleys can be used to run cargo, but their main user, the lords of Stribrna Joraje, use mainly use them as military vessels, and use the to patrol the rivers for pirates and to exert their will on the regions through which the river passes.

## History and Development

The first of the galleys on the Ploughwater were the descendants of the simple canoes and rafts used by the Jorans before the First Kingdom. They were small, only about 5 meters long, and 2 meter wide at the widest point, and would have an average of 3 oars per side, and would have no masts or sails. These galleys were employed by the local lords on the river to exert their control on the river, and take taxes from any passing vessel.

The first true galleys on the river would come about during the reign of Wenselsos Sabot, son of Jarotaepe, the second king of Joraje. He would create large vessels of war, with between 5 and 9 oars per side, which he would use to dominate the local tribes, and bring them into the burgeoning kingdom of Grander Joraje. These galleys would have a single large sail, with between 15 and 25 crewmen, and about 10 marines aboard them, which Wenselsos would use to dominate and destroy the much, much smaller traditional boats used by his rivals.

During the First Anarchy, the Ploughwater would see many battles on the river, which could range from small, two ship actions to massive battles with a dozen ships on each side. During this time, the largest galleys would be built on the river, with some records indicating that they could have up to three masts, and up to 40 oars, which would be the largest riverine ships on the continent (Though Great Rafts were much larger). These ships would be called the Lordly Galleys. The largest of these such galleys, known as the *Regal Headsman*, was built by Karstel the Clever, who used it as a great platform of artillery and archers during his campaigns along the Ploughwater. It supposedly had a crew of 200, and could support up to 100 marines, and was armed with 3 trebuchets, 5 mangonels, and 2 large bolt throwers. The great galley would be sabotaged and burned by the forces of Arsephald of Loren while it was en route to the Haller's Ford. Had it been there for the battle, the united army of Tanderland and Loren would most likely have been defeated, and Karstel would have become the Duke of Joraje following the anarchy.

Following the anarchy, most of the large galleys were either broken up, being too expensive to maintain during peacetime, or were destroyed by enemy action, such as during the Lerdsper Revolt, where a river port revolted and burned 10 of the duke's ships, including 3 of the remaining Lordly Galleys. During the period of the Second Dynasty, the Dukes and other river lords would invest in lighter, smaller craft, called Common Galleys. Smaller, lighter, faster, and cheaper to build and maintain than Lordly Galleys, Common Galleys would become the primary military vessel found on the Ploughwater. Equipped with between 8 and 18 oars, common galleys had a crew of between 12 and 30, and could deal with most any threat they encountered on the river, from pirates to bandits on the shore.

A third class of galley would be introduced by the Taepe family during the Second Anarchy, an intermediary class of galley, called the Knightly Galley, would be introduced. With similar dimensions to the Common Galley, knightly galleys are much more heavily built than their common counterparts, and are often equipped with a trebuchet or a large bolt thrower. They are also equipped with rams, and carry far more marines than a common galley.

## Construction and Specifications

Ploughwater Galleys are clinker built vessels. Between 12 and 25 meters long at the waterline, they have a beam of between 3 and 5 meters, a draft of one or two meters, and a freeboard of half a meter in height. The mast is always in the center of the ship, and is placed directly on the keel.

Ploughwater Galleys, like other galleys, are propelled by both sail and a single bank of oars. A single large sail, often a lateen sail, is mounted on a mast at the center of the hull, while benches are arrayed alongside, each sitting one rower on a long oar. While going downstream, a galley can achieve a maximum of 7 knots, while going upstream it can reach 4 knots.

Galleys on the Ploughwater may be steered by either an oar or a rudder, mounted at the stern of the ship, often in a slightly raised castle. Oars are always mounted on the starboard side of the vessel, while the rudder's tiller is always central, mounted on the line of the ship's keel.

Often, on both common and knightly galleys, there will be a castle on both the fore and aft. This castle will be made of wood, and mounted about a meter above the waterline, unlike the main deck where the rowers sit, which tends to be about half a meter below the water. This castle allows for marines to shoot at enemy ships from above their decks, and allows them and the ship's commander a better field of view than they would achieve if below the waterline.

Ploughwater galleys are far more narrow than other types, with common and knightly galleys having an average beam of 3-5 meters, and lordly galleys having 9 at most. Common and knightly galleys are often between 9 and 25 meters in length, and have a draft of between 1 and 2 meters. They have little to no room for crew quarters or cargo, so the common practice is to beach the ship during the afternoon, and allow the crew to make camp on the land.

## Distribution

The vast majority of Ploughwater galleys are located in the River Ploughwater and its tributary rivers and streams.

While Ploughwater Galleys are locked into the River Ploughwater due to the Tander Falls, a large waterfall about a mile from the mouth of the river, galleys of Ploughwater design heritage can be found across the Vechtese Sea, from the coastal waterways of Amastre down to the great Reyelle River. the architects who build this ships are often hired out by foreign nations to construct their own fleets, using their expertise instead of going through the trial and error of building a design of their own from scratch.

There are a few galleys of Ploughwater design lineage which sail the open waters of the Vechtese Sea, though their design has been modified to improve seakeeping on the open ocean. These galleys have higher freeboards, and often have more oars and a higher crew count, and may have up to three masts, depending on the length. These galleys are based out of the ports in Karred, and are used for both running cargo along the coast, patrolling the sea for pirates, and for exerting the influence of Joraje across the Vechtese Sea. Most of these galleys are operated the Lords of Karred, though the Dukes will often have a small fleet directly under their command.

## Remaining Lordly Galleys

Despite how many were supposedly built, there remain only three Lordly Galleys on the Ploughwater, as most were either destroyed or broken up for scrap when they became too expensive to repair. The three remaining Lordly Galleys are as follows:

### Lordly Taepe

The Flagship of the Ploughwater Fleet, the Lordly Taepe is the newest Lordly Galley constructed. Built for Johazlos Taepe, it was launched without issue, and has yet to see combat.

### Real

The Real is the oldest of the Ploughwater Galleys. Built during the last days of the First Anarchy, the Real served as the flagship of the House of Loren at the Battle of Haller's Ford, where it carried the riverine half of the fighting, sinking 2 Common Galleys and capturing 4 more. It is in a decrepit state, and is likely to be broken up soon.

### Jarotajep

The Jarotajep is a Lordly Galley which was commissioned for the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Kingdom of Grander Joraje by Jarotajep the Ploughman. The ship is currently lain up on shore, and is undergoing desperately needed repairs to its rotting hull.

## See Also

* The Evolution of Fengdao Ships, the different watercraft found in the east in service of Fengdao
* Great Rafts: Large riverine and coastal vessels found throughout the large rivers of Sabrim