Heavy Cargo Ship


This ship is the top of the line when it comes to heavy hauling. The ship itself is 200 tons and powered by a Sun Helm (The only way to even get this massive ship moving.) Its length and weight make it hard to handle and only experienced helmsman and captains pilot these ships. Rough weather and less than exemplary handling has snapped more than one of these things in half. When piloted by trained experts however, it is the most cost effective bulk transport in the Known realm.

Everything square foot of this ship is designed to carry cargo. The single massive hold underneath is completely separate from the rest of the ship. Twelve cargo hatches line the main deck for access. Three sail masts double as boom cranes to get the cargo on board quickly. Extra sail storage is located in both the fore and aft housings as damage to the many huge sails is almost inevitable. Enough extra tackle and ropes are stored above deck as well in case the captain chooses to load the deck with more and or larger cargo. The rear end of the ship has the helm and officer quarters. The crew quarters were put in on the cargo deck as almost an afterthought. Even with numerous rooms, the many crew members on this ship still need to hotbunk, having one member sleep in a bed while the other is on duty, trading off when shift change comes around. For being one of the largest human ships sailing, there is little room for the crew.

The fore and aft lookout decks are manned at all times. Even with the Helmsman being able to magically see around him, there is often too much to keep track of and extra eyes are always on watch. Most Heavy Cargo Ships are unarmed. They are slow, maneuver poorly, and have too much area to cover. Normally they count on lighter escorts to keep them safe. Some captains will mount a Medium Ballista on the fore and aft weapons deck, though this doesn’t often seem to help much. A wise captain will keep his crew manning the sails instead of trying to fire at attackers as this ship quickly looses what little maneuverability it has when the sails are damaged.

Heavy Cargo Ships are most notably used by CKS Enterprises. They originally designed the ships and have since sold off some of the older vessels in their fleet which has lead to other shipping companies copying them. Most experienced captains will only pilot a CKS Enterprises original though as they say that the ship was designed to cut every corner possible without jeopardizing it’s structure, and when the knockoff companies try to make one and cut just a few more corners, it is often has disastrous results.