)The Next Morning
You slowly peel your eyes open as you start waking up, followed by stretching your limbs. You sit up rubbing your eyes, the look over at Rose. She was fast asleep on her back with a blissful smile, her legs sticking up in the air, one hoof twitching slightly once in a while. Both your's and her manes and tails were quite messy, showing the fun night the two of you had.
You lean down to give her an ear nip to wake her up but stop with your lips just on the tip of her ear, another idea had come to your head. A large grin appearing on you face you lean over her soft belly, bring you mouth close, and carefully draw in a big breath.
Not carefully enough though, as Rose's eyes snap open and she levels a glare at you.
"Don't. You. Dare!"
Too late, you were committed.
Before Rose can stop you or even react, you blew a huge raspberry into her stomach. She shrieked with laughter which increased as you blew smaller raspberries followed by the feathered tips of your wings running along her belly, poor Rose didn't have a chance. You did this for a few minutes before she finally managed to recover, as she did you turn and bolt out the door into the main room of your shared cabin then out that room's door with Rose hot on your tail, you laughing and grinning like a loon.
Rose chased you out onto the main deck when several groups of crew members, both new and old, stopped what they were doing and watched with amusement as your Marefriend tried to catch you, you stayed just out of her reach with a smug smile that Rose hated. She sat down in a huff staring at you with a scowl crossing her forelegs, then an evil smile came over her face. You knew that smile, last time she had that smile Rose teleported onto you back, while you were still in the air, and pinned you to the ground when the two of you crashed and tickled you mercilessly with her magic.
"Now Rose, no need for that." You try to say.
She wasn't listening, her horn light up and Rose disappeared in a flash of light green.
Knowing what was coming you try to fly out of the way, you weren't fast enough. While you were able to keep Rose from fully pinning you, she was able to grab your long tail when she reappeared, with you letting out a yelp as Rose pulled you to the deck. What followed was the two of you wrestling with each other trying to pin the the other down. This continued for a bit when suddenly a small grey blur jumped in, it was Shadow Lance's bother Moon Sword, who was very eager to join in. The three of you wrested for a bit tickling each other before finally laying down laughing and hiccuping slightly.
After the three of you recovered and stood up, you find Razor smiling at you with a warm and amused look, next to him was a Changeling Queen giggling behind her hoof. Shadow Lance stood next to them with his own smile.
"Having some fun you three?" He asked.
The three of you smile back with Rose speaking, "Yea, somepony-" she leveled a playful glare at you, "-decided to wake me up first with a huge raspberry to the belly followed by smaller ones and feather tickles. He ran laughing and grinning like a loon and I chased him here, he tried to stay out of reach by flying but I teleport onto his back. well... he almost got away but I managed to grab his tail and things just went from there with this little cutie-" Rose rubbed Moon's head "-joining in."
The Colt gave a happy smile, leaning into the her hoof.
"Yea Moon loves to play." Lance said picking up the Colt and placing Moon on his back.
Razor then introduced the four of you to the Changeling Queen, Atlas Moth, Razor's wife and the Outcasts' Fleet Secretary and second in command. Atlas tells you a bit about herself and how she meet Razor, after some time passes a young creature, you would say about ten years old, that looked like a male Kirin but had the leg holes and back plate of a Changeling with it's wing membrane looking like the wings of a Changeling's approached. The second Rose saw him she dawwed and scooped the youngster in a hug, Razor and Atlas both laughed.
"And this here is our son, Silver Moth.
After properly introducing the four of you to Silver, who Moon and Rose took an instant liking to, breakfast was called. After eating Razor called the new recruits to a large room set up a classroom. Once everyone was seated Razor called for attention, he stood with Atlas and eleven other creatures; a Pegasus Mare, a Male Griffin, a male Dracony Wyvern, three Thestral Stallions, a male Longma and male quadruped Dragon, male Minotaur, and Zebra Mare.
"So everyone we're all here, These creatures here are my Head Officers. I assume that some of you have meet them already, they are; Zenith-"
The Zebra nodded.
"-the Fleet Gunnery Master. Steel Mass-"
The Minotaur gave a thumbs up.
"-the Fleet Beastmaster. Gold Fire and his twin brother Shadow Fire-"
The two Dragons bowed their heads in sync with each other.
"-the Fleet Engineers. White Fang and his two younger brothers Night Mist and Dark Rock-"
The three Thestrals stood at attention.
"-the Fleet Treasurers. Fire Gem-"
The Dracony tipped his hat.
"-the Fleet Fleet Warrant Admiral and head boatswain. Apollo-"
The Griffin spread his wings a little.
"-the Fleet Sailing Admiral and head navigator. Snowheart-"
The Pegasus put a hoof against her chest.
"-the the Fleet Enforcement Admiral. And finally Atlas Moth-"
The Changeling Queen wrapped a foreleg around Razor.
"-the Fleet Secretary, second in command of the Outcasts of the Abyss, and my wife. This little one here is my son, Silver Mouth." Razor finished pointing at the youngster on top of his head and under his hat.
"Now, since you're all new here let me go over a few things." Razor said taking Silver off his head and walking forward. "How many of you, at the very least, are familiar with ships?"
A few limbs go up, but only a few.
"Okay, let's start with the basics."
Razor and the Head Officers spent the rest of the morning and a good bit of the midday time teaching what the newcomers need to know about sailing and life aboard a ship, with the class taking notes and asking questions. After that the class were shown the basics of operating a sailing ship (Razor told the class that steam engines would come later), the class was told to continue studying the books they had been given the day before with Razor saying they were allowed to pick their own topics and work at their own pace.
It was after lunch that you, Rose, Shadow, and Moon decided to study together and sat down at a table in the somewhat small but full packed library. The four of you set the two books the group had on the table, then Rose asked;
"So what do you guys want to study first?"
"Well, I'd like to look at the Outcasts' forces. You guys? Rose?" You ask the two Thestrals and your Marefriend.
"I'm okay with whatever you guys pick." Rose said.
"I'd like to look at the Outcasts' flagship, the Dragon of the Depths. How about you Moon?" Shadow asked his brother. The Colt just shrugged, Shadow nodded and turned back to you.
"How about the two of us Rock-Paper-Scissors(1) to chose?" You nod in agreement, then heard Moon snort then speak for the first time since the four of you met.
"Really Lance? You're terrible at Rock-Paper-Scissors." Shadow glared at his brother.
"I am not! How can one be terrible at Rock-Paper-Scissors?!"
"Easy, because you always pick paper." Moon deadpanned.
"I do not!"
The two of them argued for a bit before Rose lit up her horn and blobs of light green appeared around their mouths before clamping them shut.
"Alright you two knock it off and just go already."
You and Shadow move your hooves forward.
"One, two, three, shoot."
As Moon had said, Shadow picked paper while you picked scissors. Moon had a smug look that would make a Canterlot Noble green with envy.
"Shut up!" Shadow said to Moon, who just smiled bigger and started laughing. You and Rose just shook your heads as the four of you opened the book to the right section and started reading;
(A/N: Now we get to the first of the Lore sections which will be written in Italic to separate them from the story. This Will have spoilers for upcoming chapters, at the time of this writing, in High Sea of Adventures. For this the spoilers will be marked if you don't want to be spoiled. Hope you guys enjoy. )
Note that anything new will have this mark * next to it.
(This is done in a Total War Warhammer style.)
Since the Outcast of the Abyss formed various units were created for different roles, these forces are split in to two sections: Land Forces/Crew and Navy.
Land Forces/Crew
Infantry
Deckworkers
The 'standard' infantry unit, Deckworkers are one of the most common pirate units in the Outcasts. Armed with a wide variety of swords, polearms, or in some cases boarding hooks and trained by skilled duelists, these pirates come from almost all walks of sentient life and make up the bulk of an Outcast army. They can hold their own well against most enemy infantry units and when boosted by an Outcast Quartermaster can even take on elite enemies and win.
Marauders
The second of the most common units, these pirates live for the thrill of combat and love a good fight. Armed with a wide variety of swords, axes, maces, claw-shaped short swords, and sometimes boarding hooks, these pirates are more often then not the first into combat and the first enemies clash with. They drink specially made potions before battle which give them remarkable healing on top of dense leather armor worn over their torsos and when boosted by an Outcast Quartermaster can really thin enemy ranks down fast.
Brawlers
A nasty armored unit, they are found where the fighting is the thickest. They carry a small drum that allows them to boost themselves and nearby allies.
Duelists
Duelists are Fencers, Martial Artists, former Assassins, and the like that are highly trained and veterans in the various arts of sword fighting, these units serve as elite infantry of Outcast forces and trainers.
Armor Scuttlers
Strong individuals armed with hammers, clubs, halberds, axes and other weapons good against armor, these units act as the counter to armored enemies. Their weapons are enchanted to increase their damage to armor.
Deck Smashers
Because the Abyss Guard is few in number an alternative that could be deployed in large numbers was needed, the result was the Deck Smashers. These units are large, heavily build individuals clad in rune enchanted iron armor armed with halberds, lances, pikes, and spears. Their best weapon in the rune enchanted steel shield wielded alongside the weapons, this shield gives incredible defense and also make an effective offensive weapon in a pitch.
Abyss Guard
The elite Infantry of the Outcast, these units are clad in heavy, rune enchanted armor. Armed with either duel axes or a single halberd, these units are among the Outcast most powerful infantry. Thankfully for their enemies the Abyss Guard is low in numbers.
Missile
Gunners
These pirates are the basic ranged unit, armed with cap and ball revolvers, lever-action blunderbusses, and double-barreled bolt-action rifles. These pirates are better trained with their weapons then most and can reload and aim faster then most can react, laying down a constant hail of fire but have a lot of trouble at melee range. When boosted by an Outcast Quartermaster their shots deal more damage.
Buccaneers
A step above the Gunners, these units replace the blunderbusses for hand cannons which allows the to take on large enemies.
Tide Gunners
An all female unit of gun-slinging sharpshooters, these units are very capable of taking out targets at range with their pistols, and are as pleasing to the eye as they are deadly.
Marines
Marines are from the Northern Trade Union, a massive Colonial Empire and one of the five major factions to have a presence in the Sea of Legends next to the Outcasts and the pirate gangs. The NTU has a long history of mistreatment of the lower ranks by the officers, which results in mass deflections, these individuals have thrown their lot in with the Outcasts, lending their marksmen skill in exchange for the warm beds, decent food, and better care. Besides their Bolt-action rifles they carry swords for close encounters.
Sea Hunters
Crack marksmen and skilled hunters, these former Panish infantry carry G82 bolt-action rifles and modified special ammo increasing their versatility in combat. Some have been equipped with a new type of lever-action repeater rifle.
Corsairs
Elite Sea Hunters, these vanguard units are equipped with the recently introduced lever-action repeater rifle with special ammo and have the role of taking out dangerous enemies. Some are equipped with the Bo-hiya fitted with various types of warheads.
Grenadiers
Seen as nutcases by other and for good reason, these pirates are seemly always drunk as a skunk even when handling explosives and are crazy. Armed with melee weapons and thrown bombs some use modified hand mortars giving allied units short range artillery support.
Sappers
Seen as the "saner" version of Grenadiers, Sappers handle explosives in situations that, to quote Razor, "Call to be more delicate." They are also in charge of handling construction and repair duties and more often then not have pet Monkeys.
Sniper
The best marksmen in the Outcasts, Snipers carry a heavily modified and customzied lever-action repeater Long rifle based on a G82 and a Jezail fitted with a removable scope. These units search for any high vantage points that give them clear lines of sight, ranging from trees to, in the case of the flyers, clouds and even just hovering in the air.
Weapon Teams
Minotaurs, Diamond Dogs, Yetis, and Ahuizotls armed with four different heavy weapons accompanied by four large Earth Ponies, Buffalo or Yak ammo carriers.
Deck Swabber
Armed with a hand-cranked, somewhat modified Bulldog Gatling gun, these units pin enemies down and chew through unarmored and lightly armored infantry with ease.
Deck Burner
Armed with flamethrowers, these units are not used on ships for obvious reasons.
Deck Pounder
Armed with a long-range, armor piercing, breech-loading swivel gun, these units hit hard against heavy enemy units.
Deck Cracker
Armed with a hand-held 24-pounder cannon, these units are the bane of heavily armored enemies and sometimes carries grapeshot for close encounters.
Hybrid Infantry/Missile Units
Swashbuckers
Mostly former Panish Navyponies, these pirates either left their former nation due to poor treatment or were left for dead, eventually joined the Outcasts. Armed with special bolt-action rifles fitted with an axehead and spike, they are able to engage enemies at range or up close. When boosted by an Outcast Quartermaster they become very deadly.
Kirin Blades
Young Eastern Kirin Mares who joined the Outcasts some time after the fall of the former Royals, after the Mares arrived Razor started getting reports of the remaining Nobles who swore loyalty to him (even though Razor tossed the Noble case overboard and he has very little if any trust for them) having a sudden increase in peg legs and missing ears, then a strange new grasp of Gentlecolt behavior among them. Considered very pretty by Pony standard, Eastern Kirin, despite being more peaceful then their Western Counterparts, are just as deadly. They are armed with twin short swords and shurikens.
Cavalry
Driftwood Timberwolf Riders
Armored Diamond Dogs, Yetis, Minotaurs, and Ahuizotls who ride into battle and fight atop Timberwolves made of driftwood, these units serve as light cavalry in the roles of scouts, raiders, vanguards, patrol, and flanking units armed with lances and shields.
Armored Driftwood Timberwolf Riders
The Outcast heavy cavalry, these units serve similar roles but wear heavy armor allowing them to stay in combat longer.
Missile Cavalry
Driftwood Timberwolf Gunners
Basically the Gunners unit mounted on top of driftwood Timberwolves.
Shock Cavalry
Driftwood Timberwolf Chargers
This cavalry unit used hit-and-run and shock tactics attacking from the flanks and rear of an enemy force, leaving behind bombs in their wake for extra chaos.
Flying Cavalry
Deck Dragons
Quadruped Dragons wearing a harness that allows them to carry a gunner with a rifle and bombs on their back and a second one with just a rifle in their front claws.
Flyers
Flying Gunners
Flying Gunners are basically the flight capable members of the Outcasts, like Pegsai and Dragons, with the same weapons as the regular Gunners who use their flight abilities to their advantage.
War Beasts
Driftwood Timberwolves
Tmberwolves made up of driftwood bound to the Outcasts through rituals and used in many of the same roles as dogs.
Ocean Phoenixes
A race of Phoenixes that only live in the Sea of Legends, they willingly joined the Outcasts for protection from poaching and serves as scouts, messengers, and companions. Outside of the SOL they are considered a myth.
Monstrous Infantry
Sea Serpents
One of the more nasty predators in the Sea of Legends with mouths full of teeth, nasty tempers, and really bad attitudes, Sea Serpents travel in packs to bring down larger prey. The ones used by the Outcast have been tamed and trained by Steel Mass and are used as attack animals.
Chargers
A breed of Changeling similar to the mainline Brute breed unique to Atlas Moth's Hive, this breed lives up to its name by charging headlong into enemy lines, sending them reeling as their attacks harmlessly bounce off the Charger's thick carapace armor.
Smashers
A breed of Changeling similar to the mainline Tank breed unique to Atlas Moth's Hive, this breed crashes into enemy lines and uses it's reinforced front limbs to attack enemies.
Monstrous Cavalry
Crushers
Changeling Juggernauts with four gunners on their backs, two with rifles and two with handcannons. The Juggernaut handles enemies up close while the gunners attack targets out of the Juggernaut's range.
Giant Fiddler Crabs
Just an up-sized Fiddler crab with four gunners riding on top of it's shell.
Monsters
Giant Driftwood Timberwolf
The Outcast version of a regular king Timberwolf used as a heavy attack and guard dog.
Giant Hermit Crab
An up-sized Hermit crab with a shell made from the wreck of a ship, the wreck has a tall mast with Snipers in the crows nest, two smaller masts with Gatling guns mounted in their crows nest, four small platforms with Gunners with rifles on the sides and back, and a forward platform with a rocket launcher.
Wreck Golem
A tall, bipedal construct made of ship wrecks, steam engine parts, and magic rituals, the Wreck Golem is one of the strongest land units in the Outcasts of the Abyss. Carrying four gunners with rifles on the body with two Puckle guns sticking through gun ports, two Gatling guns sticking out the back, two gunners with Gatling guns on the hips midway forward of the legs, and a sniper in the crows nest a bit above on a shot mast. The Golem itself is armed with a wide ride of cannons, generally four in a revolver-style set up but this can change from just one to eight depending on the type of cannon, though some have their cannons modified to unleash powerful waves of fire, mounted on the right arm below the elbow. A hand with long fingers tipped with sharp hooks and blades, and two rocket launchers on the shoulders. These units aren't too rare, but are not common neither.
Sea Wyvern
Another dangerous predator, Sea Wyverns live in deep waters hunting large masses of fish and large crabs and lobsters. Through magic rituals the Outcasts have bound these super predators to the faction were they serve as heavy assault air units attacking targets with their razor sharp teeth and claws, their sheer body mass, powerful tails, and their feared poison breath attack. One thing to note is that the Sea Wyverns seemed to have been bounded willingly.
Sea Dragon
One of the apex predators of the SOL, these twenty story tall Dragon-like beasts are highly feared for their rampages able to destroy large areas and ability to tear even the largest ships to splinters. Armed with powerful crushing jaws, thick limbs able to help it move on land as well as through water, a terrifying breath attack of scaling water and blazing steam, and its long tail able to crush even small islets with ease. The ones in the Outcasts have been taking as eggs and raised from hatching to adult, while these are not as powerful as their wild counterpart, they are far safer to be around and work very well as guards against enemy fleets and keeping other predators away from Outcast areas. Getting the eggs is very dangerous as eggs only appear during egg-laying season and Sea Dragons do not like company, even worst then usual.
Spellcaster
Ship Mage
The Outcast version of the Equestian Battle Mage, these Unicorns are very well trained in the various schools of spells and have tomes, crystals, and other artifacts to boost their abilities to near that of an Archmage. The most notable of item they have is a weapon known as the Mage Rifle, the Mage Rifle is a heavily modified G82 fitted with a mana crystal barrel with a focusing gem at the muzzle and a special magazine holding several mana crystals, each crystal holding about ten shots. This rifle allows the Ship Mages to fire off more complex spells quickly and fight alongside the troops holding their own against enemy forces.
Artillery
Cannoneers
Cannoneers operate the cannons on board ships with great aim and discipline, for battles on land they operate 68-pounder cannons mounted on gun carriages purpose-built for land with four ammo carriers per cannon. The Cannoneers work in groups of four cannons as the main form of artillery. Many Cannoneers are former NTU.
Bombardiers
Bombardiers are similar to Cannoneers but with 110-pounder cannons that have a greater range and faster rate-of-fire.
Mortars
Ship Heavy Mortars mounted on gun carriages that fire heavy hollowed out cannonballs that explode on impact, spraying red hot, razor sharp shrapnel in all directions, often in the middle of enemy formations.
Rocket Battery
A Rocket Launcher from a ship mounted on a gun carriage, while they lack the range and single-shot damage as the Mortar, they make up for it with the ability to fire and load faster, cheaper to built, and the amount of shots they can fire before needing to reload.
Giant Cannon
A massive cannon mounted in a special carriage, this artillery peace is used for sieges.
Thunderhammer
One of the most powerful cannons used by the Outcasts, the Thunderhammer is a massive, thick cast iron cannon with a bore big enough to fit nine 24-pounder cannons within and is mounded on a heavily reinforced, eight-wheeled carriage. With extreme range this cannon was the weapon that won the Battle for Smuggler's Cove for the Outcasts.
Dreadhammer
A true beast of a cannon, this artillery is an up-sized 100-ton Cannon with a thicker body and longer barrel mounted on a Heavy and large gun carriage fitted with a loading platform were the tip of the muzzle rests and a crane to add with loading. The Dreadhammer is quite rare in the Outcast's forces and is the most powerful artillery peace in the known world. It is the cannon that destroyed with formerly impenetrable walls of the Fortress of Royalty, allowing the Outcasts of the Abyss to take the Sea of Legends and earn the Dreadhammer the name "Royalties Judgement".
War Machine
Land Ironclad
A completely new form of war machine, The Land Ironclad is a reinforced iron built beast armed with a heavily modified 110-pounder cannon on top in a rotating turret on top and a large, modified heavy breech-loading swivel gun on each side. Crewed by twelve and powered by a magically boosted steam engine and moving on two spade-like tracks this machine is able to move over many types of terrain. The Outcasts have only build ten of these do to several reasons, first of which is high cost of materials, very limited ground to deploy (most of the islands aren't large or even enough), and very limited ways to transport them across the water. This weapon along with the Dreadhammer won the Outcasts victory in the last battles of the Rise of the Outcasts war.
Heros
Note: Hero Units, expect for the Crested Sea Serpent and Healer, are able to lead small armies of up to twenty units.
Crested Sea Serpent
Alpha Sea Serpents, these creatures are covered in thicker and denser scales and have even worse tempers and attitudes the their normal brethren. In battle these serpents are just as likely to attack from behind as they are from the front and have a bite that is far worse then their bark.
Healer
One of the most loved units, in battle they keep allies in the fight and on ships help the crews fight off sickness. While they carry a pistol and sword these are used only for self-defense, allies are known to protect Healers even at the cost of their own lives. The Outcasts of the Abyss have a good healthcare plan.
Gunnery Wight
Gunnery Wights are very skilled marksmen and gunners who serve as commanders of gun batteries both on both a ships gun decks and artillery batteries on land. On ships they're is one Gunnery Wight per gun deck (E.g. a Ship-of-the-line has four Gunnery Wights while a brigantine has two.) while artillery batteries have one per battery.
Quartermaster
Doing the same roles as real life ones, the Outcast Quartermaster also uses their trumpet to boost allied unit making them more powerful.
Fleet Captain
Outcast Fleet Captains are high ranked members of the Outcasts who mainly serve as agents, traveling around the world in unmarked ships setting up Coves, Hideouts, Hidden Taverns, and Smuggler Bays (See Structures for details). On the battlefield Fleet Captains bring their fighting skills along with magic tomes to hurt their enemies and boost and heal their allies.
Fleet Commodore
Fleet Commodores travel about the Sea of Legends with only one goal; raid, pillage and plunder the enemies of the Outcasts. They travel in small fleets generally but not always consisting of a Frigate as the flagship, a Schooner, a Brigantine, two Sloops of war and a Combat Tender attacking enemy merchant fleets, hunting lost treasure, and raiding enemy towns and ports.
Lords
Fleet Admiral
Fleet Admirals lead small fleets and are in charge of either protecting sectors of Outcast territory or leading forces to unexplored regions. Commanding Ships-of-the-line with other Hero units as Officers they lead land and Naval forces of various sizes against enemies.
Fleet Grand Admiral
The Highest ranked individuals in the Outcasts under Razor and the Head Officers, the five Fleet Grand Admirals are Razor's most loyal, and trusted Officers and rule large sections of Outcast territory for Razor and report directly to him. Fleet Grand Admirals command from the first five Titans the Outcast took, with armadas and armies that their beck and call should their section be threatened or if the Archduke sends the call.
Elite Units(2)
Bone Collectors (Elite Swashbucklers)
Fleet Enforcement Admiral Snowheart's elite unit and personal guard, the ones who make up this unit are former Caribou slaves who are now greatly feared by their former slavers. There is some talk on whether or not the bones that cover them are real or not.
Sea Hive Guard (Unique Changeling Unit)
The Naval version of the regular Changeling Hive Guard, they are Fleet Secretary Atlas Moth's personal guard.
Silver Dragons (Elite Abyss Guard)
The personal bodyguards of Archduke Razor Tail himself, these elite Abyss guards are among the deadliest warriors in the Outcasts of the Abyss. Armed with personally crafted halberds, powerful magic tomes and the best gear in the Outcasts this unit accompanies Razor where ever he goes unless otherwise told by him not too, these guards have sworn a blood oath to protect not just Razor but his wife and son as well, and will do so even at the cost their own lives. A minimum of eight travel with him but more will be seen should it be needed.
(A/N: More to come in the future.)
Navy
Note: For simplicity gun decks will count the cannons on the main deck, forecastle, and quarterdeck. This list also covers ship found in the Sea of Legends.
Longboats
Standard on any sea-fairing ship, Outcast longboats are larger and longer then most, able to hold up to a max of eight tons of weight. They are equipped with a compact steam engine, two sets of oars, and a collapsible mast and sail for movement. A short pole with a bright lantern at the back, a second lantern at the front hanging from a short beam, a large storage crate as a seat at the back and a reinforced metal front behind the front lantern. They are used for evacuation, landing and scouting.
Weapon Platforms
Weapon Barge
Weapon Barges are the converted hulls of frigates with their masts removed used as extra protection for Outcast controlled ports and coastal towns and cities armed with 76 cannons on four gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, four cannons on the quarterdeck, five Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers and numerous Swivel and Puckle guns. Weapon Barges are towed into place by Tugs and once in position drop their four anchors and stay there, they can't move but are able to turn 360 degrees with out trouble.
Armored Weapon Barge
The same as a regular Weapon Barge but upgraded with armor allowing them to take much more damage.
Support
Tug
The workhorse of the Outcast shipyards and ports, Tugs maneuver vessels around tight areas and also serve as icebreakers, salvage ships, and firefighters. While unarmed some clever Captains have used their towlines, powerful engines and reinforced fronts to pull and push enemy ships into the range of allied defenses.
Tender
While not a new idea, the Outcasts were the first to actually build and deploy Tenders, to great effect. Tenders are four-masted, square-rigged ships that serve as re-supply and repair ships, able to restore two even nearly destroyed ships back to full health simultaneously rather quickly. In fact, as long as the ship in question is able to stay afloat long enough to pull along side the Tender and the spine is not broken, it can be repaired. For this reason Outcast crews treat them the same as the Healers. Tenders are armed with sixteen cannons on the main deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, several Swivel and Puckle Guns and a forward ram.
Combat Tender
Combat Tenders have two more cannons and heavier armor but can't repair ships as quickly.
Large Tender
A Tender around the size of a Merchant Galleon, this ship can repair faster then regular Tenders and are armed with 34 cannons, four Heavy Mortars and numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Coastal Minelayer
A variant of the Tender with a Keg Mine deployment device on the sides and the same armament as the Tender. This type stays close to the coastal areas and ports laying mines.
Minelayer
Minelayers have high-powered steam engines allowing them to move fairly quickly and some Captains will move through a battle zone dropping mines in the path of enemy ships, who more often than not find their own ships blasted out from under them.
Boarding Ram
Brigantines with their masts and all but their bow cannons and rams removed, these ships have high-powered steam engines and heavily reinforced bows. Boarding Rams carry as many fighters as they can and use their engines to ram into enemy ships,once that's done the bow opens allowing the pirates on board to attack.
Landing Craft
Boarding Rams with their bows swapped out with a ramp, these ships carry troops and heavy equipment from ships to shorelines.
Mortar Carrier
A Merchantman with it's front and middle masts and it's cannons removed to mount a giant Heavy Mortar that fires rounds over allies, when these rounds reach their arc they burst open spraying the impact zone with mortar rounds.
Cannon Ship
A Merchantmen modified like the Mortar Carrier but with a 100-ton cannon instead of a mortar.
Merchants
Note: These listed Merchants are the ones under Outcast control, non-Outcast ones might be a bit different in terms of armament.
Hauler
Used to ferry many different types of solid cargo throughout the Sea of Legends, Haulers are important for keeping things flowing smoothly and are common targets for pirates (The neutral ones or those used by the four colonial Empires and the NTU, the pirate gangs in the SOL know full well to leave Outcast Merchants alone).
Tanker
The same as the Hauler, just liquid transport.
Barge
Barges are common all-cargo Merchants in the SOL, small ships with full Fore-and-Aft rigging on three masts with a single large lateen (triangular) sail. This ship has a relatively small crew and cargo, but make up for this with uncharacteristic agility and ability to sail well regardless of the wind. They are armed with sixteen cannons in one gun deck, two Rocket Launchers and several Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Fluyt
The most common all-cargo ship in the SOL, the Fluyt is a large square-rigged ship capable of carrying vast amounts of cargo, up to 100 tons yet has a shallow draft allowing it to enter rivers, coves and small harbors inaccessible to larger craft. However, this comes at the cost of it being slow, cumbersome and ungainly. It is widely agreed by both the Outcasts and other pirates that these vessels make poor pirate and warships and are only used to carry cargo and loot, the Outcasts have some modified for use as troop transport. Fluyts do carry a decent armament consisting of sixteen cannons in one gun deck, two Heavy mortars and several Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Merchantman
Merchantmen are cargo ships with large cargo space with plenty of room for crew and passengers and decent maneuverability, making them favored merchant ships. Though designed as cargo ships, the Outcast and several pirate gang have used these ships as potent combat ships with great success. Their three masts have large square-rigging on the foremast and mainmast while the mizzenmast (rear mast) has a small lateen (triangular) sail. The standard Merchantman's armament is 20 cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern and two Heavy Mortars while the pirate/warship version has 10 extra cannons on the main deck, several Swivel and Puckle Guns and a forward Ram.
Merchant Galleon
Large three masted square-rigged cargo ships originally built by the Panish that spead out among the various factions in the SOL, Merchant Galleons carry things of great value and most often serve as treasure ship, which makes them prized prey for pirates. However, these ships are not like most other merchants, these ships have heavy armor and a massive complement of creatures and weaponry. Their maneuverability is is poor and are painfully slowly to accelerate however, but once they get going they have a remarkable top speed. Although widely considered to be mediocre combat vessels with their poor maneuverability and slow acceleration, the Outcasts and a small number of pirates have found that with the right crew Merchant Galleons make incredibly effective combat ships to be respected with its heavy armor and armament. The standard Merchant Galleon's armament is 40 cannons in two gun decks, four cannons on the forecastle, six cannons on the quarterdeck, four cannons on the bow and stern, and four Heavy Mortars. The pirate/warship version have a third gun deck with 10 more cannons, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns and a forward Ram.
During the Rise of the Outcasts the then young Outcasts of the Abyss made heavy use of converted Merchantmen and Merchant Galleons as something close to Frigates and Ships-of-the-line respectively.
Bulk Merchant
Bulk Merchants are the largest cargo ship and easily among the largest ships in the known world at around 458.45 meters in length and able to carry over 500,000 tons of deadweight in cargo but are unarmed, through very few pirates ever attack these as they're just too big and are far more often than not very heavily escorted. The Outcasts have two known variants; one that is just a massive Tender, and one that works like a mobile shipyard.
Factory Ship *
An Outcast exclusive ship, the Factory Ship is a heavily modified Bulk Merchant with equipment added to make a mobile factory. One of the Outcasts biggest problems is the lack of proper industry, as most islands don't have the room and those that do already have something built on them, so the Outcasts turned to the Bulk Merchants. Factory Ship provide the industry the faction needs with the mobility of a ship, making it difficult of enemies to target them. Each Factory Ship is heavily escorted by a large fleet to protect it should one be attacked.
Submersible
Submarine
The newest vessel in the Outcast's Navy, Submarines are one of the projects the Dragon brothers Gold Fire and Shadow Fire have been working on for the passed three years. In appearance they are shaped like a cylinder with the front shaped into a dome which has four hatches on it, the back has two rudders with a propeller each and on top is a structure about ten feet high, with a pipe sticking up on top of that. After trying to create a breathable atmosphere several times through a wide variety of different devices with... limited success, this problem was solved by having the crews be Seapoines, Merponies, and Mermares due to their ability to breath both in and out of water. Subs are armed with a 110-pounder cannon on the top forward of the top structure, two tubes in the back that deploy Keg Mines, and six tubes on the front dome that fire the Outcast's newest weapon; the torpedo (see Naval Weapons for details). While they have yet to have their first field test, the subs have show potential and Razor has asked the two brothers to brainstorm some variants and see what they can make.
Warships
War Canoe
The War Canoe is the smallest ship in the Sea of Legends and is extremely fast, extremely agile, can turn on a dime and can gain speed very quickly. These fore-and-aft-rigged ships with triangular sails are able to easily dodge cannonballs and outmaneuver any ships larger than it, but this comes at the cost of it's cannons with two Rocket Launchers and a small amount of Swivel and Puckle Guns as it's only weapons. For this reason the Outcasts use War Canoes solely as scouting ships.
Gunboat
Gunboats are tiny but very maneuverable vessels mainly used to swarm enemy ships, provide screening for allied ships, and guard the shallows and reefs around inhabited islands. Gunboats have two masts with fore-and-aft-rigging and is armed with eight cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Rocket Launchers, and a few Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Torpedo Boat
A Sloop with it's weapons swapped out for two sets of torpedo tubes mounted on the sides, this ship is still in the concept stage as the Torpedo hasn't been field tested yet.
Pinnace
Similar in appearance to the War Canoe but larger, the Pinnace is the smallest true combat ship in the SOL and is very fast and agile. Due too their light armament and inability to stand long term combat they serve in similar roles to Gunboats but some pirates and smugglers use them. Their armament is 12 cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Rocket Launchers, and a few Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Cutter
Cutters are two masted, square-rigged ships that are generally the first ships to enter combat in naval engagements, leading the rest of the fleet behind them. They are armed with sixteen cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Rocket Launchers, several Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Assault Cutter
Cutters that are fitted with a second gun deck and heavier cannons.
Sloop
Sloops are small, seek ships with a short, narrow hull dwarfed by their large sails. Sloops have one mast with a large square sail, a smaller square topsail above it, three triangular stay-sails stretched between the mast and bowsprit and a large spanker sail at the aft. Sloops and their larger counterpart the Sloop of War are employed in the SOL as long-range artillery ships. The Sloop is armed with 14 cannons in one gun deck, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, and several Swivel and Puckle Guns.
Sloop of War
Larger then the Sloops, the Sloop of War is more heavily armed and is able to hold its own in ship-to-ship combat, even though they are still used as long-range artillery ships. It's sail plan is similar to the standard Sloop but with the large square sail and one of the stay-sail removed, it is armed with 26 cannons in two gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Howitzers(Outcast), two Heavy Mortars(Non-Outcast), several Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Lugger
Luggers are are fast and agile Sloop of War-sized ships with the same armament, just with a square-rigged sail-plan, two masts, two more cannons and the Heavy Mortars/Howitzers swapped for Rocket Launchers. A Lugger's role is that of a hit-and-run attacker and raider, moving in between larger ships, firing rounds and rockets into enemy ships, then slipping away from any retaliation.
Schooner
Schooners are med-sized ship with what many would say a prefect balance of speed, agilely, and firepower. Schooners are the ship-of-choice for a large number of pirates, big-time smugglers, Privateers, and Pirate Hunters. Outcast Schooners, very ironically, are sometimes used in Anti-Pirate Hunter roles, they are armed with 32 cannons in two gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars or Rocket Launchers, several Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Brigantine
Brigantines are general-purpose combat vessels, capable of handling a wide variety of tasks. They combine modest-but-significant firepower with ample handling and speed, which allows them to adapt easily to different kinds of opponents. Not surprisingly, Brigantines are the most common choice of pirate ship in the Sea of Legends for these reasons. It is armed with 36 cannons in two gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars or Rocket Launchers, several Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Barque
Barques are three masted square-rigged moderately speedy ship, Barques are one of two ships that originated from pirate gangs. As true Frigates are somewhat hard to come by, larger pirate gangs that wanted more power but couldn't get Frigates had to build something close to it. The Barque was one of these results that was successful, while not quite equivalent to true Frigates, it is a bit faster and can use that speed to get out of any situations it can't handle. The Barque is armed with 62 cannons in three gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram. Barques are the more common of the two.
Carrack
The second successful ship that originated from pirate gangs, Carracks are almost equal to true Frigates just lack some firepower and durability which it makes up for increased speed. Carracks are powerful ships, designed to go cannon-to-cannon with all but the largest ships. Carracks are armed with 70 cannons in three gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram. The Carrack is the rarer of the two but still more come than the Frigate.
During the Rise of the Outcasts several pirate gangs were almost destroyed by rivals, the NTU and the Royals. These pirates, with no where else to go through their lot in with the Outcasts, bringing their own surviving Barques and Carracks with them and giving the than young Outcasts of the Abyss ships close to that of true warships.
Frigate
A powerful brawler and dedicated warships, Frigates are large and fast combat vessels with sufficient maneuverability with plenty of cannons and a large crew. While most commonly seen in use by the Outcasts, the Colonial Empires and the NTU, Frigates can be seen in use by a number of pirates either as personal vessels or flagships and are considered prizes by them, however these ships can be somewhat rare and hard to find in the SOL. The Frigates is armed with 76 cannons in three gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Galleon
First developed and brought to the SOL by the Panish, Galleons are the roughly comparable to Frigates. While not as maneuverable, quick-to-accelerate or as heavily armed, it is a bit faster, more durable and more common with about four Galleons to every one Frigate. Unsurprisingly, these ships are more often used in pirate gangs in place of the Frigate which only a small number of gangs have. The Galleon is armed with 72 cannons in three gun decks, two cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
War Galleon
A larger variant of the Galleon, War Galleons are comparable to the Man 'O War with about three War Galleons to every one Man 'O War. It is armed with 80 cannons in three gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Flag Galleon
The third and largest variant, Flag Galleons are widely considered to be the Panish answer to the Ship-of-the-line. A huge, extremely durable ship with massive firepower and a huge complement of creatures but slow speed and maneuverability. There is about 2 Flag Galleons to every one Ship-of-the-line. It is armed with 84 cannons in four gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, two Heavy Mortars, two Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
During the Rise of the Outcasts the young faction needed dedicated warships which the three Galleon variants provided and even today they are more common in the Outcasts then their respective counterparts.
Man 'O War
Huge and powerful ships, Men 'O War possess enough firepower to destroy anything around it's size and smaller on one broadside, but is slow and awkward to maneuver, handling like a beached whale(the crew's words not mine). Only a few pirate gangs have the wealth to operate a Man 'O War, which are used as flagships. It is armed with 86 Cannons in four gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, four Heavy Mortars, four Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Ship of the Line
One of the most powerful ships in the Sea of Legends, the Ship-of-the-line exist solely to pummel other warships into splinters in naval combat. Even in the Outcasts Ships-of-the-line are rare with only about nine dozen while the other major factions have fewer. For pirate gangs very, very few are able to get and hold onto them, if pirates are able to steal one they can fully expect that the faction that owned it will be bent on getting it back or, failing that, sink it. Only nine pirate gangs have been able to steal and hold onto Ships-of-the-lines, making them among the most powerful in the SOL. A Ship-of-the-line is armed with 90 cannons in four gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, four Heavy Mortars, four Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Juggernaut
The most powerful conventional ship in the known world, Juggernauts are huge, extremely durable vessels with enough firepower to turn a whole Armada into flotsam, but are extremely rare. To date only the Outcasts, Equestia, the Caribou, the four Colonial Empires, and the Northern Trade Union are able to build and deploy Juggernauts, and even then in very limited numbers, with only the Outcasts have the most at around thirdly ships. No pirate gang other then the Outcasts have Juggernauts. It is armed with 100 cannons in five gun decks, four cannons on the bow and stern, four Heavy Mortars, four Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram.
Titan
A ship that only the Outcasts and Caribou have, Titans are a true monster of naval combat. Titans visually look like three Juggernauts attached end-to-end and were designed to counter Juggernauts the Titan is armed with 300 cannons in five gun decks, six cannons on the bow and stern, 12 Heavy Mortars, 12 Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a forward Ram. Note that the above armament is Outcast, not Caribou, who's choice of armament isn't as much with the mortars and launchers and missing the Swivel and Puckle guns and Ram. Only twenty five Titans have been built due to their very high cost, fifteenth "liberated" by the Outcast, five lost to the deeps, and six still under Caribou control.
Carrier
Carriers are very unusual ships and are massive, roughly half the size of a Bulk Merchant. Originally built in very small numbers by the Equestian Navy as a concept for the flying Ponies, the idea never really launched and the project was shelved and forgotten. Somehow the idea made it to the Sea of Legends were it found new life in the ownership of the three richest pirate gangs as a mobile haven of sorts.
Carriers are structured far differently then other ships, for this guide they will be split into three sections; The first section is largest and shaped like a stretched pentagon with three large masts and two smaller ones, all with triangular sails with a total of three very large ones and three medium ones. This section holds the Crew Quarters, Tavern, shops, and everything else that one would expect to find in a Pirate Haven. This sections weapons are a shocking 700 cannons in five gun decks on 3 of the 5 sides, 20 cannons on the bow, Several Howitzers(Outcast), Heavy Mortars and Rocket Launchers, numerous Swivel and Puckle Guns, and a massive forward Ram.
Behind this is a section close to the same size with a flat deck set at a 10 degree angle, resembling a runway like the one at the Wonderbolt Academy. A ship castle-like structure that runs from the first section to the back section at the left of the runway, a smaller ship castle-like structure on the right, and 4 masts on the larger side with square-rigging. This section had multiple cargo bays and a "hanger bay" under the runway. This sections weapons are 150 cannons in five gun decks , 100 cannon, 10 Howitzers(Outcast), 20 Heavy Mortars and Rocket Launchers, and numerous of Swivel and Puckle Guns on the starboard side. The weapons are 100 cannons in five gun decks, 5 Howitzers(Outcast), 10 Heavy Mortars and Rocket Launchers, and numerous of Swivel and Puckle Guns on the port side.
The last section has a large sterncastle at the back end of the runway. This is where the Helm, Officer Quarters, and other important areas are, Behind this is an open space with a tall, large mast with large square sails. This section has to enclosed side structures with a tall mast with square sails on each. This sections weapons are 20 cannons on the stern, 10 Howitzers(Outcast), 20 Heavy Mortars and Rocket Launchers, and several Swivel and Puckle Guns.
As mentioned above, only the three richest pirate gangs were able to build Carriers, one of which was taken by the Outcasts early in the Rise of the Outcasts, granting them a mobile base of sorts.
Other ship types
Besides the standard Sailing ships the Sea of Legends is also home to other types as well.
Junks *
Junks are sailing ships originating from the Eastern Reaches, Junks stand out from other sailing ships due to their unique battened sails, which are a type of sail rig with rigid supports spanning the full width of the sail and extend it forward of the mast.
Junks are quite common in the SOL due to being considered one of the most efficient designs for carrying personal and cargo on both the high and stormy seas and the inland waterways, their interior compartments or bulkheads, strengthen the ship and slow flooding in case of holes. Other ships in the SOL would copy this feature to some extent over the years. There are variants of Junks based on the above ships.
Armored Ships
These ships are most of the above warships with special armor added to them. This armor renders the ship, or the hull at least, invulnerable to cannonballs but at the cost of one gun deck, lowering the ship's firepower by that much. Only the Outcasts, due to their vast wealth, have these in small numbers where they are deployed along with Outcast Ships-of-the-line and Juggernauts in Home Guard and Anti-Slaver duties. The only other factions to deploy them is the Equestian Navy NTU, but in very limited numbers.
Considered a dying breed of ships after the introduction of the propeller, Paddlewheeler ships in the distant past were once the standard ship in the Sea of Legends but have been largely replaced by steam propeller ships or even just the standard sail. However, the Paddlewheeler can still be found throughout the SOL. Many pirate gangs grabbed them as they were close to Armored ships, while the Outcasts used them in certain area for their unique advantages. The greatest number of Paddlewheelers are found in Pirate Lord Blood Fang's War Pirates, where a few variants unique to the faction have appeared, some of these variant were later given to the Outcasts in a trade for rare metals.
These variants are the Airship Carrier, the Steam Battleship, and the Steam Juggernaut. (See the War Pirates in Factions of the SOL for more details)
Ironclads
The ultimate armored ships to sail the known world, Ironclads are all but invulnerable to enemy fire, with only shells being able to damage them. Only the Outcasts, the Equestian Navy, the NTU, and the Caribou are able to deploy Ironclads, and even then only in single digits. No two Ironclads are the same so their armament widely varies between ships.
Airships *
A type that's been around for a long time, Airships are believed to have originated from Equestria and have spread out from there. The Equestrians have two variants, cruise liners and troop transports. In the SOL airships are used by the several factions, such as the Outcasts and the War Pirates, while a few pirate gangs operate solely on airships. These airships, known as Air Warships or War/Battle Airships, roam the skies above the waters, crew by default by (though not always) flyers like Pegasi and Griffins.
War Airships are any of the above sailing ships with their masts and sail removed and replaced with large bags or balloons filled with an unnamed lighter-then-air gas to keep them aloft. The bags are attached to the hull by chains and heavy rope, the shroud that would hold a ship's masts in place allow travel up to the bags. The bags are generally, though not always, oval-shaped and made from thick, durable materials with metal bracing reinforcement. Beyond that the bags' appearance matches the ship's with some sails and other extra additions. (A/N: Similar the the Warcraft II Goblin Zepplins)
Smaller ships have one bag while larger have two and ones like the Ship-of-the-Line variant have three.
The hull is more or less the same as its sailing counterpart, but with several changes. Besides the masts being removed, the keel has also been removed and redesigned to fit weapon mounts, like the ship's artillery which is now mounted in turrets to aim and attack ground targets. Along with the ship's normal armament a section called the "Bomb Bay" has be installed (More on that in Naval Weapons) and the bags have platforms on top and gangways between each bag allowing the crew to attack any flying targets.
Airships in the SOL are propelled by steam powered turboprop engines at the back under the quarterdeck and at the front just behind the prow, each engine is able to run independently of each other allowing the ship to turn on a dime. Sometimes the bags will have engines but this isn't very common for several reasons, one of each is the fact that trying to run hot pipes from the hull to the bags isn't easy and the crew don't what possible burns.
Although Air Warships are powerful and have the major advantage of being able to travel anywhere, they have a number of flaws that keeps them from becoming the norm. The bags' gas is very flammable and if lit can very easily bring the ship down, the bags themselves, while durable, will leak or tear open if damaged enough and its generally the rule that if the Airship's crew see the ship's repair team bailing after they sound alarm, its time to get off.
Air Warships also have, as a rule of thumb to save weight, light and thinner hulls, making the ship more vulnerable to cannon fire. This flaw is the reason they try to stay out of range of cannons on the ground and engage with only their underside artillery and bombs, and some bolt launching weapons have been modified to fire long range bolts, often tip with fire and/or explosive tips. The last major flaw is they are very vulnerable to the random storms the plague the SOL, even with equipment designed to help them avoid those.
Leviathans
A type of ship only seen in the Sea of Legends, the Leviathan is essentially the hull of a Bulk Merchant with the top half of a Cruise ship combined together. As far as it is known only four Leviathans have ever sailed the SOL; one by the Pirate Lord Black Marrow 500 years ago, the Blood Fang's ship The Beast(though it didn't start as one), and the two Outcasts of the Abyss flagships the Black Dragon and the Dragon of the Depths. There is a rumored fifth one sailed by the Caribou, but this is unconfirmed as of now.
It should be noted that no two Outcast ships look alike, with only their type being the same.
You, Rose, Shadow, and Moon looked up from the book and at each other.
"Quite the roster for the Outcasts, and we known what the various factions in the Sea of Legends sail as well." Shadow said.
"What Infantry Unit would you guys be?" Rose asked.
"I'd probably be a Gunner, I'm a good shot with a crossbow so a rifle shouldn't be that different." Shadow said.
"I'd most likely be a Marauder, I do enjoy getting up close and personal in a fight." Moon said.
"For me, I would be a Deck Smasher, I'm quite strong for a Pegasus." You say flexing your forelegs and wings.
"Yet you can't beat me in a fight." Rose said with a smirk, you glare at her.
"Rose, one; you're my Marefriend, I'd never hurt you. Two; you know just where to hit. And three; you are quite strong for a Unicorn so you are able to match me with both your own strength and magic."
She laughed and lightly punched you.
"And don't you forget it."
Shadow and Moon watched the exchange with amused looks.
"What would you be Rose?" Moon asked.
"A Healer, I learned healing spells long ago as a... just-in-case thing back in school." She said looking at the table, you reach over and lay a foreleg across her back. After a minute Rose looked back up.
"So what next?"
"Well... how about the Naval Weapons" Shadow asked.
"I though you wanted to look at the Dragon of the Depths." You say.
"I think that should be saved for last."
The four of you talk for a few minutes when Moon sujests looking at infantry weapons then naval weapons, so the four of you turned to the section marked "Infantry Weapons" and started reading.
Infantry Weapons *
Melee Weapons
The Outcasts and others in the SOL have melee weapons from all over the world, ranging from daggers to clubs to polearms. The general belief is if its a melee weapon, it can be found in the Sea of Legends, no matter of how rare it is.
Firearms
Firearms are a common sight in the SOL, most commonly match, wheel, and flintlock weapons. The following firearms are used only by the Outcasts.
The standard pistol of the Outcasts, this weapon holds up to six shots before having to reload though some used by the larger and stronger members like Yetis are modified to hold more. The ability to hold at least five more shots, much better accuracy, armor-piercing, faster reload, and reliability made this weapon the favorite of the Outcast pirates and a very rude shock to their enemies.
As the years since the Outcasts became the dominant power in the SOL they have be very slowly replacing the Caplock with pistols that use Pinfire cartridges.
Lever-action Blunderbuss
A modified Blunderbuss, this weapon uses the action to cycle percussion caps from an internal tube, with the wielder placing the shot into the barrel and letting it slide down to the firing chamber. How this works in unknown but it works like a normal blunderbuss, just with a faster reload.
G82 Bolt-action Rifle
This rifle has a long history with the Outcasts, soon after the faction formed Razor and the other Officers wanted better equipment as taking the Sea of Legends with match, wheel, and flintlock weapons would not work. After the coves were created the Outcasts got word of the weaponry of the Pony country of Germaney, a country known its advanced military technology from the many wars they fought with their neighbors. Getting the weapons needed however proved to be quite the challenge, as Germaney's borders were always on lock-down to keep those weapons from leaving the country. It took a lot of time but eventually the Outcasts managed to bring parts of what would become the G82 rifle to the SOL, and once this rifle started being used it very quickly replaced the muskets.
The G82 is well loved by its wielders and was considered one of the worst shocks to the enemies of the Outcasts during and after the Rise of the Outcasts war, this rifle has served as the base for other two-handed (or Hooved) firearms. The G82 uses Centerfire rounds and is fitted with two magazines, one mounted on the left side and an internal tube under the barrel, each holding eight rounds, with a round in the chamber the rifle holds a total of nineteen rounds before needing to be reloaded.
After the Outcast took the SOL there have been efforts to eventually replace the caplock and pinfire rounds with the centerfire ammo, but its a very slow process as the Outcast currently lack the both industry and skilled makers to mass produce it.
Lever-action Repeater Rifle
A recent variant of the G82, this rifle had its action changed from bolt-action to lever-action for faster rate-of-fire but is so far otherwise the same as the standard G82.
Sniper Rifle
A lever-action Long rifle variant of the G82 combined with a Zebra Jezail, this rifle uses a Ring Lever-Action to cycle rounds from the internal tube magazine and is fitted with a small, long spyglass to help the Sniper to hit targets at long range.
Bulldog Gatling gun
the Bulldog is a multi-barreled, rapid-firing spring-loaded, spring-loaded, hand cranked weapon usually mounted on a wheeled stand but a modified version is carried by Deck Swabbers as their main weapon.
A miniature cannon that uses percussion caps, it can fire any of the same shots that cannons are able to fire and is reloaded by sliding the shot into the barrel and placing the percussion cap on the back after pulling the hammer back.
Hand Mortar
A variant of the hand cannon, it is basically the same weapon but modified to allow it to work like a small mortar.
Flamethrower
A weapon consisting of a nozzle with a handle and lever with a tube attached to a fuel tank, this simple but effective weapon shoots a stream of burning liquid at short-range. Not used on ship of obvious reasons.
Bo-hiya
The Bo-hiya is a fire arrow launcher though Outcast ones are able to launch other projectiles like rockets.
The four of you then turned to Naval Weapons.
Naval Weapons
Ram *
The Forward Ram, also called the Battering Ram, is a simple but powerful weapon that is something of a standard on most ships in the SOL. Protruding out of the reinforced bow under the figurehead, while it takes many forms it has the same use, breaking open the hulls of enemy ships. Even large ships like Men O' War and Ships-of-the-Line make use of Rams, despite not using them in combat to often. Rams also are used to allow ships to safely travel in area with dangerous obstacles, like the ice in the Frost Zones. The larger the ship the bigger and longer the Ram.
Ironclads don't have Rams as their hulls are strong enough to be used as such.
Small Weapons
Harpoon Cannon
Harpoon Cannons are used for fishing but pirates found that harpoons work well for pulling targeted ships to their own for easier boarding, some cannons are modified to fire explosive harpoons.
Fire Cannon
Fire Cannons are ship-mounted versions of flamethrowers, surprisingly these are almost unheard of in the SOL despite their power against wooden ships. Very, very view ships have these mounded, mostly in pairs fixed on the bow.
Swivel Gun
Swivel Guns are small cannons mounded on swiveling stand or fork which allows them a very wide arc of movement, there are two types in the SOL; a muzzleloading smoothbore variant and a breech-loading rifled variant, the latter of which has a fast rate-of-fire since multiple chambers can be loaded in advance and quickly fired in succession. These weapons are very common, to the point that even the smallest ships have as many as crew and space allow.
Puckle Gun
Puckle Guns are a crew-served, manually-operated percussion cap(outcast) or flintlock(Non-Outcast) revolver-type weapons usually mounted on ships but sometimes found on land battles, the cylinder holds 6 to 11 shots depending on the configuration and are loaded with powder and shot while detached from the weapon.
Thunder Gun
Thunder Guns are a modified variant of the Puckle Gun with much more powerful shots.
Short Range
Carronade
Carronades are short, smoothbore cannons used as powerful short-ranged, anti-ship and anti-crew weapons, there are three types in the SOL; a 12-Pounder, 32-Pounder, and a 68-Pounder.
Cannons and Heavy Cannons
The standard weapons on the ships and forts in and out of the SOL, the standard cannons are the 12-Pounder Long Gun, 18-Pounder Long Gun, and 24-Pounder Long Gun while the Heavy Cannons are the 32-Pounder Cannon, 36-Pounder Long Gun, and 68-Pounder Cannon. The types of the cannons greatly depend on the crews preference.
110-Pounder Rifled 7-Inch Gun
A heavy cannon, the 110-Pounder cannon is quite rare with only the Outcasts, the Equestian Navy, the NTU and the Caribou having the ability to build them in bulk, most in the other pirate gangs are either bought or stolen from forts belonging to the latter two, and even then in small numbers. What separates this cannon from the others is the fact that it is one of the only two cannons that is rifled and fires shells, it is also the only one to be breechloading rather than muzzleloading. It has the best range out of the normal cannons and are most commonly found as the main weapons of an Ironclad.
There is a variant called a long gun, which is any of the normal cannons fitted with a longer barrel, allowing the cannon to have more powder charges placed within and giving the cannon longer range. The long gun modification is very common on lighter cannons like the 12-pounder and 18-pounder, while larger cannons like the 36 and 68-pounders only have it on special mounts on a ship's main deck that allow them to turn, as muzzle loaders with longer barrels take longer to reload. *
Super Heavy Cannons
100-Ton Gun
The largest of the cannons known to exist, the 100-Ton Gun is used as island and coastal defense gun. With a range of four miles and able to fire a 818-pound shell this cannon can split even a Caribou Titan in a single hit, making them highly feared. But only the largest forts and ports have them and only in very small numbers due to their high cost and crew requirements, though there are rumors that the Outcasts may be designing an Ironclad that had these these as it's main weapons but the Outcasts deny it, saying the only ship they have that carries the 100-Ton Gun is the Cannon Ship.
Artillery
Heavy Mortar
Large cast iron cannons with wide, short barrels, Heavy Mortars fire a large cannonball at very long range able to deal a lot of damage to enemy ships, outright destroying small-to-medium ships in a single hit while severely damaging larger ships.
Howitzer
Jokingly called the "Love child of a Heavy Mortar and 110-Pounder cannon", the Howitzer is an Outcast-exclusive weapon that is basically a 110-Pounder cannon up-sized til the body is the same size of the Heavy Mortar with the barrel also bigger to match. Howitzers have a greater range them Heavy Mortars and are able to fire at multiple degrees unlike the Heavy Mortar which can only fire at a few degrees, though at the cost of a longer reload time and lower rate-of-fire.
Rocket Launcher
While not as powerful or as long ranged as the Heavy Mortar and Howitzer, the Rocket Launcher is cheaper to build, can fire up to 50 rockets before reloading, and much faster to reload. All this makes the Rocket Launcher quite popular among both the poorer pirate gangs and lone pirates. Even the richer factions make heavy, widespread use of this weapon. Besides the normal rockets, a wide variety of rockets are available with different effects depending on the warhead.
Other
Keg Mine
A nasty weapon, the Keg Mine is a sealed powder keg with a set of rings covering it from top to bottom, a cone bolted on the top and bottom, and a small canister filled with a powder that creates powerful shock waves, adding to the damage the mine can deal. The rings have several contact-sensitive spikes on them that when a ship touches a spike it explodes at best crippling the ship or at worst sinking it. The mines are held in place by a small anchor with a thin chain attached to the tip of the bottom cone. Only those from the SOL know how to build Keg Mines(E.g. the Outcasts and pirates), everyone else has no idea how to build them without them exploding in their faces. Keg Mines are used to defend areas and paths that ships wouldn't be able to, Pirate Havens are know to be surround by them.
Bombs *
A weapon only found on Air Warships, bombs are generally a full gunpowder keg enclosed in a wood shell with a domed front and four fins on the back. Dropped from an Air Warship "Bomb Bay", these weapon are able to deal huge amounts of damage to sea and land born targets, though their accuracy gets worse the higher up the ship is. To counter this they either fly lower to get good accuracy but that leaves them vulnerable to anti-air weapons or in large squadrons to carpet bomb an area.
Cannon Ammo
Langrage
Bags of any junk – scrap metal, bolts, rocks, gravel, old musket balls, etc., fired to injure enemy crews.
Grape Shot
Canvas-wrapped stacks of smaller round shot which fitted in the barrel, typically three or more layers of three. Some grape shot is made with thin metal or wood disks between the layers, held together by a central bolt. The packages break open when fired and the balls scatter with deadly effect. Grape is often used against the enemy quarterdeck to kill or injure the officers, or against enemy boarding parties.
Canister Shot
Cans filled with dozens of musket balls. The cans break open on firing, turning the gun into a giant blunderbuss for use against enemy personnel.
Round Shot
Solid spherical cast-iron shot, the standard fare in naval battles.
Chain Shot
Two iron balls joined together with a chain. This type of shot is particularly effective against rigging, boarding netting, and sails, since the balls and chain whirl like bolas when fired.
Bar Shot
Two balls or hemispheres joined by a solid bar. Their effect is similar to that of Chain Shot.
Expanding Bar Shot
Bar shot connected by a telescoping bar which extends upon firing.
Swivel Shot
Round shot cut in half horizontally in the middle of a set of blades that spin in flight, tearing through sails, rigging, and crew.
Shell
A special round used in 110-Pounder Cannons, 100-Ton Guns, and Howitzers, Shells have a thin lead coating which made them fractionally larger than the gun's bore, and which engage with the gun's rifling grooves to impart spin to the shell. This spin, together with the elimination ofwindage as a result of the tight fit, enabled the gun to achieve greater range and accuracy than existing smoothbore muzzle-loaders with a smaller powder charge.
On top of each powder cartridge was a "lubricator" consisting of tallow and linseed oil between two tin plates, backed by a felt wad coated with beeswax and finally by millboard. The lubricator followed the shell down the bore, the lubricant was squeezed out between the tin plates and the wad behind it cleaned out any lead deposits left from the shell coating, leaving the bore clean for the next round.
Special Shots
Link Shot
A series of long chain links which unfold and extend upon firing.
Fire Arrows
A thick dart-like incendiary projectile with a barbed point, wrapped with pitch-soaked canvas which catch on fire when the gun was fired. The point sticks into sails, hulls, or spars and detonate after half a second, setting fire to the enemy ship.
Heated Shot
Shore forts sometimes heated iron shot red-hot in a special furnace before loading it (with water-soaked wads to prevent it from setting off the powder charge prematurely). The hot shot lodges into a ship's dry timbers, setting the ship afire. Because of the danger of fire aboard, heated shot are seldom used aboard ships.
Molten Iron Shot
A variation on heated shot, where molten metal from a furnace is poured into a hollowed out shell and then allowed to cool briefly to seal the molten metal in before firing. Only Armored Ships are outfitted to fire molten shells.
Exploding Shot
Ammunition that works like a grenade, exploding and sends shrapnel everywhere, either by a burning fuse which was cut to a calculated length depending on the range, or on contact with the target (rarer). Shells were often used in mortars for shore bombardment.
Enchanted Shot and Warheads
Originally used by Skeletons, the Outcasts eventually found the secret to forge these. Enchanted Shot and Warheads has a wide variety of effects of ships and/or crew, either effecting the whole ship or those in the blast radius. Each effect has a different color mixed with black and are as follows;
Red: Locks the target's cannons and other weapons in glowing chains temporarily preventing their use, doesn't effect small arms.
Blue: Knocks the target's crew out for a while allowing easy capture, rare as they are the most difficult to craft.
Green: Closes the target's sails and temporarily encases them in glowing chains colors.
Purple: Drops and temporarily locks the target's anchor in glowing chains.
Pink: Temporarily slows the target's crew's movement to a crawl.
Torpedo
The Torpedo is a new device designed along side the submarine. It was fitted with a small steam, magic boosted engine and one of two different warheads, the first was the standard high-explosive made from a gun powder barrel stuffed with as much powder as it could fit, the second was similar to the enchanted ammo the Outcasts use to disable and capture ships, and fitted with a modified tracking spell. The modified spell uses the same basic principle in that it would track its target, but in this case the spell allowed the torpedo to home in on a target.
The four of you had just finished the Naval Weapons section when the bell for supper rang, startled that the day had passed faster then the four of you thought you close the book and walk to the Main Tavern.
"So what would you guys like to study next?" You ask.
"Not sure, Shadow? Moon?" Rose asked looking at the two Thestrals.
Both just shrugged, Shadow speaking up.
"Let's just get some supper and worry about that tomorrow." Mon grunted his agreement. You and Rose agree, entering the Main Tavern and taking a seat. After supper the four of you play some card game with some of the crew before returning to your rooms. You set the book on the desk and stretch your wings, before being pounced by Rose.
And she was giving you those eyes.
"Really Rose? We just had some last night."
"Like you didn't enjoy it." She said nuzzling your neck, touching a spot that was like you nipping her ear. You let of your own eep at the feeling of her nose on that spot.
"That was for the ear nips."
She nuzzles that spot harder, making you eep with increasing volume.
(1) A Pony's hooves are pressed together for Rock, one facing up and held flat for Paper, and both are held like a horizontal V for Scissors.
(2) Or Regiments of Renown if you prefer.