Founded eight turns ago by Cal, Neri, ????, and ????. ((PM me if you want to be a founder, there is still a spot open :3 )) They are not an official group as recognized by anyone outside the small chain of islands that they operate out of. They are well regarded by the people of the southern islands of Western continent, but little known outside the area, except by sailors and those who've happened to cross paths with them before.
A kind of mercenary fleet, they make most of their money by being hired to protect trading vessels from pirates, but also rescue stranded sailors, aid ships in distress, and search for those lost at sea as part of what they consider to be their duty to their community.
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 5:58 pm
What's happening now...
During the first threadfalld, when the Weyrs were still struggling to cope, the Sea Guard flew thread several times to protect their home, though never straying farther than the end of the southern islands. Since then, they've fought thread a few times in a limited area to defend the ships they were charged with protecting, or when alerted to a boat caught out in a Fall.
Currently, they will only fly thread over water, where the Weyrs won't go, but there are some in favor of changing this policy. Right now, the group is split, with some believing they should leave thread fighting to the Weyrs entirely, some who think they should work with the Weyr to negotiate some kind of deal, and some who say 'screw the Weyr, we can do what we want'.
As of now, they have enough firestone to fight thread in this limited capacity for some months, but not enough to expand their operations. If they wish to continue, they will need to somehow get their hands on a greater supply.
Stolen Cargo The group take down a pirate ship only to find that the sunken boat contains a large stockpile of firestone. The cargo is almost certainly stolen- should they try to find its rightful owners, or will they keep it for themselves?
Aiding and Abetting The group unknowingly invite a Weyr deserter into their ranks. Will they turn them away, or risk bringing the wrath of the Weyr down on all of them?
Pirate Hunting 101 New recruits are taught the basics of ships to ship (and dragon to ship!) combat.
Precious Resource The group is hired to protect a shipment of firestone heading to western Weyr when they're ambushed by pirates.
Showing up and Showing off Some of the more experienced members of the group can't resist showing off during an informal training session.
???????? If you have an idea of a RP for the Sea Guard, let me know and I'll add it!
Open Call For Characters: Coastguard / Seafaring Dragon Squad!!
Hey ya'll! So I'm working on a dragon rider whose main job is to escort trading ships to protect them from pirates, and I'm looking for a couple people to join her!
Very basic details are (still fleshing out):
- Located in Southern Islands of Western - Close-knit group (Founders friends from childhood? Weyrlings together, maybe?) - Most likely to come from Sea Holds - Mix of riders and non-riders - 2-5 small ships with between 1 and 6 people per ship (potentially one larger ship as well) - 2-3 dragons - Total group size of anywhere 6 and 20, depending on how many people are interested (and we can always stack the ranks with npcs) - Most likely garrisoned near a small coastal hold, somewhere with cliff caves large enough to house their dragons - Not a real coast guard, but they are somewhat supported by the local community in return for protection from raids/thread and assisting any stranded ships - For practicality alone, I'm imagining smaller dragons as being more likely here, but we'll make the bigguns' work if you want them - They have a small stash of firestone from before thread returned which they used to help take down enemy ships (by burning the sails, not the people, don't worry)
Slightly Clearer View (though I'm mostly just adding things as I think of them, let me know if you have a different idea):
I'm thinking 2-4 dragons, with 5/6 at most. The group will have either one or two Cutters (depending on their size) and 2-5 sailing dinghies.
Their main strength is in their dragons, with the ships just there to give support. The riders would follow their dragons in the dinghy. They might sometimes ride them too, but that makes it harder for them to do things like dive under water.
Their main forms of attack would be: -Diving in and out of the water to create waves and knock the boats over. -Ramming or clawing the boat from below -Dropping things on the deck from above -(Before thread) Flaming the sails (but firestone is too precious to waste now)
They could try to fly close and claw at the sails, but obviously the ships are going to have all kinds of projectiles, so they would probably want to steer clear (since dragons are not immune to trebuchets!)
The cutters would have a reinforced bow with a mounted ram, as well as various kinds of projectiles (I'll leave the details up to whoever wants to pilot them). The only thing they don't have is numbers, so they would want to avoid being boarded at all costs, and aim to either sheer at the oars, or just fight from afar.
The dinghies are mostly used for scouting and coordinating with the dragons, but they might carry agenothree or flame throwers as mew suggested, as a kind of 'Greek fire' type thing that they could lob onto the deck (though they wouldn't have the height to attack large ships with flamethrowers directly)
Their aim is to disable or drive ships away rather than destroy them or take them over. Their job is just to protect whoever they're escorting. That said, they probably get into fights a lot less than you'd think, since the sight of a dragon alone might make a pirate decide to just pick a different target. Day to day, their job is really just to fly/sail next to ships as an added deterrent and safety measure.
You can join with pretty much any kind of character:
Rider: The founding members of the group would be young adults/adults, who impressed all around the same time, however, other dragons may have joined after. The founders would mostly come from Sea Holds and have some experience sailing before they Impressed, though I like the idea of at least one being a non-sailor they met during Weyrlinghood, who would do scouting/aerial support.
Other riders could come from anywhere! Weyr/Craft/Hold.. They might have encountered the group before, or heard about them and asked to join. They would focus more personality than skills (since those could be trained) so they don't need to have a Seafaring background. Pretty much any rider would be allowed to join, as long as they worked well together and got along with the group.
Fishers/Sailors: The selection for non-rider crew members is a little stricter (since they don't come with a free dragon!), and they would need to be fairly proficient in sailing already. I'd like their best pilot/sailor be a non-rider, possibly someone who was a candidate with the founding members, but did not impress. The majority of the crew would probably be recruited from surrounding areas, but again, could come from anywhere.
Crafters: All kinds of crafters would be necessary to keep the group operational. Most would not work for them, but would just be crafters living nearby who they'd go to when they had work. Others, however, might be an official part of the group, that is paid a wage and works exclusively for them. I can see the main candidates for this being a Healer and Boat Maker (Woodsmith?) but I'd be open to anything, really! Unless it is something they really need, it would help if the person had some sailing experience or was willing to be trained in that too.
Trainees: If you want to join, but your character isn't old or doesn't have the necessary experience, you can always make them a trainee. Just pair them up with another player or an NPC for them to train under in their chosen discipline.
I've tried not to do too much on the culture of the group, since I'd like to let the people who join help shape that, but they mostly sail small ships and would have to work together closely, so I imagine they'd be a fairly tight knit group that know each other well and get along.
They're slightly more altruistic than mercenaries, but they don't have to be total boy scouts either. Again, I'll leave it up to the people who join how moral you want them to be.
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2017 6:27 pm
Adoptables!
Coastguard Founder 1:
Age: 25-29 Sex: Male Rider Rank: White, Blue or Green Rider Former Rank: Star/Sea/Fishcrafter of some kind
- Grew up in [Sea Hold] - Friends with Neri and [Coastguard Founder 2] - Impressed when Gold clutched at their Hold (10 turns ago) - Moved to [Island] after graduating and founded Coastguard group - Sails alongside dragon
Coastguard Founder 2:
Age: 25-29 Sex: Male Rank: Sailor/Navigator
- Grew up in [Sea Hold] - Friends with Neri and [Coastguard Founder 1] - Stood when Gold clutched at their Hold but did not Impress - Moved to [Island] after graduating and founded Coastguard group - Best sailor/navigator in the fleet
Coastguard Founder 3:
Age: 25-32 Sex: Male Rider Rank: Brown or Bronze Rider Former Rank: Up to you
- Went to [Sea Hold] for clutch (10 turns ago) - Befriended Neri and [Coastguard Founders 1&2] - Moved to [Island] after graduating and founded Coastguard group - Doesn't know how to sail; flies with dragon and does aerial support/scouting
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