Thursday Fluff – Armada – The Elves
16th Dec 2021
Jonny Mann
Hello and welcome to Thursday Fluff.
Put the kettle on, take a seat and get all snuggly warm, it’s story time!
Ok, so Thursday Fluff might not be quite as fluffy and cosy as the title suggests, but it is our new series exploring the lore and background around some of the most interesting aspects of the worlds of Mantic. We’ll be covering all game systems too, so whether it’s the creation of the Enforcers, the splitting of the Fenulian Mirror or the Salamanders and their love of sailing, this is the place to be if you want to find out more.
Today we’re exploring the elves and their love for sailing ships around the seas of Pannithor. Hmm… we can almost smell the salty sea air. Oh, no, that’s just Dave bringing in some fish and chips into the office.
It is said that Elves first learned modern ship-building techniques from the Celestians, but had explored much of the known world before other races had dared leave the safety of their coastal waters. In those early times, mastery of the ocean was vital not for power, but for knowledge. And yet war, it seemed, was never far away.
Over the millennia, Elven ships have changed little in their design. In the groves behind Therennia Adar, warship parts are painstakingly crafted beneath impossibly high forest canopies. Through magical rites, Elven shipwrights sing trees into sweeping curves with which to build their sleek, twin-hulled vessels. The Elves seek grace and beauty in all things, and each ship is a work of art, with gilded, blade-like hulls that slice smoothly through even the most turbulent waters. They favour lateen sails, allowing them to sail further and faster in even low winds, while their Mages are amongst the most proficient in all Pannithor at influencing the weather, so conditions are always favourable.
Like organic beings in their own right, each Elf ship is individually crafted, the artisans of Therennia Adar eschewing uniformity in favour of aesthetic beauty. And yet similarities exist in their tried-and-tested designs. The largest warships share distinguishing features such as hull shape and weapon complement. They all are topped with elegant parapets connected with arched bridges and even living glades of evergreens.
The finest and largest ship is the Valandor. Only the finest admirals of an Elf fleet are granted the singular honour of commanding a Valandor. The crew are hand-picked from the best sailors the Sea Kindred have to offer. Each Elf aboard works together with preternatural efficiency, so that commanders, workers, navigators and gunners operate in perfect harmony.
Developed from the Stormcaller Trimarans with which the Elves first conquered half the world’s oceans, Valandors are triple-hulled warships, whose size belies their staggering speed and manoeuvrability. The pride of the Sea Kindreds. Valandor battle ships carry upon their sterns a Hall of Battle, often housing a full troop of Therennian Sea Guard, slender mage-towers from which Elf sorcerers bombard their foes with elemental magic, and even an eyrie from which Drakon Riders can launch their furious attacks.
The only single-hulled warship in the Elven fleet are the Leafblades, so named for their shape, taken from the leaves of the moonwillow – the sacred tree of Therennia Adar. The crews of these vessels share a bond with the Fey, and are solemn in their oaths to the Green Lady.
They live an almost monastic life aboard the vessels which are often their homes for months or even years at a time. If the Elves could ever be said to produce a ‘workhorse’ ship, then the title would go to the Leafblades. Whether outrunning ponderous human or orc vessels, or trading broadsides with dwarf ironclads, Leafblades are more than capable of turning the tide of battle.
Embodying the spirit of the Drakons from which they take their name, Drakon’s Fury are triple-hulled warships, much-feared by enemy crews. Their crews adopt the ferocious, swift-strike tactics of the Drakon, steering fearlessly into the heart of the enemy battle line, while their oversized bolt-throwers fire massive quarrels enchanted with fire spells. It is said that an Elf who spends too long aboard takes on an almost bestial nature, losing something of themselves in the passion of the hunt.
Wave Dancers are said to be the favourite vessels of Madriga, High Warden of the Seas. With this knowledge, it is easy to see why so many Elf captains vie to command these elegant, twin-hulled frigates, and are reluctant to accept promotion away from them. Epitomising Elven battle philosophy, the Wave Dancer strikes the perfect balance between speed and strength, and in the hands of a skilled captain is like a well-honed duelling blade.
Storm Chasers, lightly armed catamarans, are the proving ground of Sea Kindred captains. They appear like a sudden squall, darting into battle and sailing rings around the confounded enemy, before sailing out of range again, intangible and deadly as a storm.
The smallest vessels in the Elven fleet, Argus squadrons are the finest scout vessels in Pannithor. Their slender prows form a conduit of energy, powered by glowing magestones. When they reach the perfect position, Elf Mages aboard larger vessels reach out with their minds, communing with each Argus, and gifting uncanny farsight to nearby gunnery crews.
