Rat King's Crew

**The Rat King's Crew** are a group of pirate-themed cats aboard a human ship. The actual human name of the ship is unknown to the cat crew, but it has been nicknamed "The Rat King."

The first (and only) Captain of the cat crew was **Captain Jack** **"the Rat King"** himself, for which the ship was nicknamed. The original First Mate was **Master Chubbs**, later **Davi** (see: Nameless, Stray, Magpie). The ship's Navigator was **Noodles Celiac VI** for most of its career, with the Quartermaster also being Master Chubbs. The Head Boatswain and Quartermaster Assistant was the infamous **"Long John" Shivers**.

## Description

The Rat King is a genuine antique, a living relic of a forgotten age. She is a galleon - a large, multi-decked and full-rigged sailing ship, complete with a foremast, mainmast and mizzenmast - stolen from a merchant navy at an unknown point. The sails are dark in colour to match the dark wood the masts are carved from. Every line of rope involved in the rigging of the Rat King is black in colour without exception, leading to some superstitious myths being developed and adopted by cat and human crews alike.

The cat crew is tolerated by the humans on board mostly because they keep the rat population in check, but also because they carry out a number of essential tasks. According to the cats themselves, they are of course the actual ones in charge and tolerate the humans being aboard for similar reasons.

### Hierarchy

The leader of ship is the Captain. The second-in-command is shared by the First Mate and the Quartermaster. The Quartermaster *can* be the First Mate, but this is not always the case. The third-in-command is similarly shared between the Navigator and the Head Boatswain, the latter of whom oversees the other Boatswains in turn. The Boatswains themselves oversee the average crewmates, assigning various roles and themselves serving different stations aboard the ship,

New crewmates are named "Greenpaws" and are the second-lowest on the totem pole; the lowest being Stowaways and rats. Greenpaws must serve onboard for a term of 6 months before being promoted to crewmates, per the ship's Articles of Agreement.

### Articles of Agreement

Also known as: "shipping articles", "the articles", "the code", "the ship's code", "the Jamaica discipline".

"The articles" are essentially the Warrior Code for clan cats. They are the rules and regulations agreed upon by the Captain and the seafarer (all crew).

They specify the name of the ship, the conditions of employment (including the size and ratings of the intended complement), seafarer's compensation (shares or payments), the nature of the voyage(s) and duration, and the regulations to be observed aboard ship and in port, including punishable offenses and punishments.

In the case of the cat crew, the articles are referred to as "documents' despite not being written down anywhere.

#### Per "the articles"

*The nature of any and all punishments for any infraction are to be left to the discretion of the Head Bos'un, Quartermaster and First Mate. The Captain shall only intervene in the most sincere of cirumstances, and is allowed one objection per punishment. In case of a stalemate, Navigator is given right to a vote. A 2/3 majority vote against the objection is needed to overturn.*

*All crewmates are to be allotted fair housing (berth), board (food and provisions), medical care (ship's doctor), and an additional allowance of shiny trinkets and baubles. Greenpaws are not awarded the additional allowance.*

*The Head Bos'un is responsible for the appointment and management of Bos'uns, but must acquire the Captain's permission before each promotion. The Captain may choose to appoint a Bos'un of his own choosing. Each party (Captain and Head Bos'un) are allowed one veto. In the case of a stalemate, Quartermaster and Navigator may intercede.*

*The Quartermaster is to be a check to the Captain's authority, and may only be appointed by a majority vote of the crew. The Quartermaster is to have the best interests of the crew in mind for all decisions.*