Pride
This article is about the The Pride was the ship of Captain Cobiah Marriner. In Lion's Mane, off the coast of Claw Island, lies the wreckage of the Pride, once captained by Cobiah Marriner, and the remains of the Maw, a Risen leviathan. Macha sacrificed herself to bring down the Maw, saving Lion's Arch from destruction.
Description[edit]
The Pride was a lightweight pinnace best suited for shipping and smuggling. Although she had plenty of cargo space, she was thinner than the larger galleons. Though she had only two masts, she was quick in the waves and easy to pilot with just a small crew. She wasn't the easiest ship at sea, but she was stalwart: a rough, rugged-looking thing with many varieties of wood patched into her smooth hull. The portholes had no covers, and water splashed in when the waves were high. Worn brass fittings and rows of mismatched guns dotted her side. Designed to sail but rigged to fight, the Pride was more than one might take her for at first glance.
The foremast carried a conventional square course and topsail, but her mainmast was lateen rigged, carrying a massive triangular sail set on a long yardarm mounted at an angle from the mast. Converting the triangular sail rig typically seen on smaller fishing vessels to a larger pinnace had been Macha's idea, and it was one of two things that set the Pride apart. Her other advantage was even more unusual, and the crew of the Pride did their best to keep it a well-guarded secret. Beneath her cobbled-together exterior and patchwork sails, the Pride had the brave, beating heart of a lion. The Havoc's engine had been redesigned to to be smaller and more efficient than the original. Although the ship couldn't carry enough fuel to run it nonstop, the engine got them through the doldrums and was a massive advantage in a fight.
With engine roaring and sails to the wind, no pirate could catch her at sea; the Pride could outmaneuver any brigantine. She could turn on a gold coin, with or without the wind, and bring her broadside armaments to strike a blow whenever she chose. Though she wasn't much to look at, her decks were scrubbed sparkling from quarterdeck to forecastle with the diligence of a dedicated crew, and the eager glint in each sailor's eye spoke of a deeper devotion—both to the ship and to her master.
History[edit]
Many of the crew of the Havoc had remained under Captain Marriner's command, along with more than a few from the Disenmaedel, as well as a handful of asura willing to exchange labor for a chance to test experiments out at sea. The crew had made their name sailing the Krytan coast, living the life of a for-hire mercenary trade ship or privateer—or in lean years, a brigand on the open seas. They were unorthodox at best, a mix of races, but they respected the captain's courage and daring.
The crew's list of adventures included a raid on the Xunlai warehouses near Lake Bounty, bluffing their way out of the Splintered Coast with three broken bottles and a handful of flash powder, and sailing right into the middle of a krait deeps just to rescue a cook. Less palatable exploits include the sacking of a norn vessel carrying settlers—women and children—south of the Shiverpeaks, and a charr freighter carrying Ascalonian relics to Port Noble as a peace gesture, thereby sinking any hopes of a treaty between Kryta and the charr.
The Pride was docked at Port Stalwart when the armada of Dead Ships attacked, but managed to escape. She later sailed to the Ring of Fire, where they attempted a raid on the Salma's Grace. The two ships ended up teaming up to defeat the Harbinger, marking the first ever defeat of a Dead Ship. The Pride took the Grace's gold anyway, and used it to rebuild Lion's Arch, which had been destroyed during the Rising of Orr.
The crew of the Pride continued to go on adventures, battling Dead Ships and contributing to the reputation of their growing settlement. As Lion's Arch became more of a force in the region, Captain Marriner became more and more preoccupied with its success, and by 1237 AE he rarely left the city. He didn't even sleep on the boat any more, preferring the comfort newly-built Commodore's Manor. He handed over captaincy of his ship to his first mate, Fassur Steamreaver, but retained his position as the the Pride's representative on the Captain's Council.
In 1256 AE, during the Great Krytan Blockade, the Pride returned to Lion's Arch, smuggled through by Captain Isaye of the Nomad II. When negotiations broke down and the Dead Ships attacked privateer and Krytan forces alike, the Pride, with Sykox Steamshroud at the helm, was the flagship of the city's makeshift fleet, and was instrumental in turning the tide of the battle. Near the end of the battle, when the undead fleet had retreated but the Maw, Zhaitan's Risen leviathan, remained, Macha tricked the Steam warband into giving her control of the ship with an illusion, offloading them onto the Nadir Shill, and sailed at top speed into the jaws of the leviathan. The engine was overtaxed and the Pride exploded, klling them both.
Notable crew[edit]
- Original crew
- Captain Marriner
- First Mate Steamreaver
- Pilot Macha
- Engineer Steamshroud
- Aysom Steamhawk
- Bosun Fellsteam
- Recruits from the Salma's Grace
- Crew as of 1237 AE
