Deck plans for the Ulfberht
Ship Systems
CARGO HOLD
The hold takes up most of the ship’s forward scythe, or if one thinks of an axe, positioned in the “cheek.” It is intended for temporary storage until the acquired commodities are passed on to accompanying ships with greater cargo capacity. Some Myrkwyrm ships are designed for solitary missions and can hold their merchandise for long hauls, with cooling storage units available for perishable items. An emergency sick bay station can be set up here for those in need of immediate medical aid, but dying Vuldrok crew-members prefer the mess area, surrounded by their comrades who, downing copious amounts of mead, wish them well in the afterlife. Depending on the nation and customs, the dead are either jettisoned into space with their weapons fastened to them or placed in cold storage so their relatives may later perform the necessary rites and dispose of the body.
BARRACKS/MESS
The marines bunk up here in open bunks with flimsy partitions between them at best, and they all share a central mess hall. These living quarters are often spartan affairs. In some ships a sort of long table, as found in Vuldrok mead halls, is the norm; in others, people eat sitting on the floor or standing up with shelves to rest their bowls on, depending on the ship’s majority nation. Since crews may hail from many Vuldrok Star Nations, it is usually the captain’s choice in this matter of dining customs. In any event, after the meals, the tables and furniture are stored, and the mess becomes an open space for weapon training, socializing, and strategy. Like the bunks, the privies are not very private. In some notorious ships, waste is said to be collected in the hollowed-out skulls of enemies brought low in battle and then jettisoned into space.
ENGINE ROOM
Located in the “grip” of these axe-shaped ships, the engine room is the territory of the Maghtaw shaman and any journeyman assistant aboard. It is here where the Sathra damper is maintained, and the ritualistic spells performed that call the spirits to aid the energy needs of the ship. This is a matter held in superstitious awe by the Vuldrok. Ships have been known to possess non-Maghtaw engineers, but even these ships are usually ritually “prepared” by Maghtaw shamans before their journeys, often utilizing time-sensitive spells akin to the orders given by think machines to mechanical devices. It is considered good luck to have a shaman aboard, and if one isn’t, the morale of the crew plummets.
BRIDGE
This is the command center of the ship, where a sort of holographic star map “speaks” with the captain about the external environment and the ship’s location, as well as watching and identifying other Vuldrok and non-Vuldrok ships. The communications equipment is located here, differing from Known Worlds standards, and run by a Maghtaw shaman, or if one is absent, programmed by them before the ship forays into space. The bridge is rather spartan, although runic inscriptions or talismans representing various spirits and gods are often found at the entrance.
CAPTAIN’S CABIN
Situated to the rear to the bridge, the captain’s cabin is larger than the adjacent crew cabin. These can be spartan quarters or decorated with the trophies of fantastic bestial creatures captured in hunting forays. There is no standard pattern; some captains live with their husbands or wives, and some furnish the room in captured riches and artwork from the more sophisticated worlds they raid. A sort of radio device called a God Box, somewhat altered from the planetary versions, allows the captain to give orders to the crew.
CREW CABIN
This cabin is usually shared by the engineer and pilot, although on some ships one of the beds is given to the cook. Those who can produce good mead and ale aboard ship are held in high esteem and often given this place of honor, which means either the pilot or the engineer must bunk in the barracks.
TURRET
A turret-mounted grapple gun. The gunner is usually also trained as a marine and joins the boarding party once they’ve grappled a ship.
