Pious Lament general overview
The Pious Lament weighs 29.7 megatons, is 5.07km long, 0.8km wide and 1.9km tall, she has 23 main decks and carries around 100,000 crew, (including 32,248 tech priests and enginseer), and supported about as many servitors in various configurations.
General layout
In general, the rear quarter of the ship, is given over drives, Warp engines Geller field Generators, life support and much of the other machinery that makes the magic happen. The front half of the ship is mostly armaments and magazines while the bit in between houses all the interesting stuff.
The decks are numbered from the top with the bridge spanning 1 and 2. Among the rest of the facilities here are officers quarter on decks 2 to 5 with the Lord Captains quarters and some key offices at the top with direct access to the bridge. The Navigation Suit and Chancel of the choir are on deck 3, the Hospice is on deck 7 and the security office is on deck 18 overlooking the hanger which stretches down to deck 22. Below this is a large, relatively narrow fin that houses much of the auspex gear and other sensor equipment.
Crewing and responsibilities
The crew is divided into three roughly equal parts, each headed up by one of the Rank 2 officers. The Military aspect, under the 1st Officer, covers for all things military, including flying the ship, gunnery, the fighting troops and air wing. The Civilian aspect, under the High Factotum, covers trade, supply, welfare, security and administration. The Engineering aspect, under the Enginseer Prime, is a law unto themselves and beyond the understanding of mortal man, but basically keep the whole thing working. There is a certain amount of cross over is some aspects, the honour guard have sentries on the bridge and officers mess, while the policing and security of the rest of the ship is the responsibility of the High Factotem, except for those areas where the mechanicus feel they need to mount their own guard and patrols.
Getting around
Horizontal travel may be had via a series of transit cars that run in dedicated passages on most decks, or walking. Vertical travel is usually via elevators or stairways that are liberally scattered everywhere. There is one passage that slopes quite steeply and carries moving walkways, this leads from the officer’s deck towards the rear of deck five, down to the hanger with openings on each deck, this actually coincides with the forward bulkheads of the Machine Cult workshops and offices on decks six, seven and eight.
Running most of the length of the ship and spanning decks 17 and 18 is a long, very wide passage that allows large objects and very heavy machinery to be moved around internally and facilitates mas movements of personnel within the ship. Small vehicles, scooters and bicycles are used to facilitate movement here, as well as dedicated load carrying equipment. Over the centuries various private enterprises have been allowed to set up there and it has become known as Gabriel Street after the dynasties founder. At battle stations it is sectioned off by heavy bulk head doors.
Accommodation
Officer accommodation is partially dependant on ship board rank, on deck 1 with direct access the command pulpit on the bridge is the captain’s suit. On deck two are four suits for Rank 2 officers along with two for visiting dignitaries. The majority of the other officers have suits, or rooms on decks three, four and five though hubs of similar accommodation may be found throughout the ship. Deck 3 also houses shared offices for use by junior officers, the officers mess, dining hall, kitchens, gym, library and a small chapel.
Rank two officer suits are spacious affairs against the outer hull, there will be a large reception room with a tall, gothic window and access to salvation pod, an office, two bedrooms a bathroom and a small kitchenet. Rank three officers get smaller quarters, not necessarily against the outer hull and if so, just a large round porthole affords a view outside. There will be a small office, a spacious bedroom, a comfortable bathroom and a small kitchenette. Rank four quarters are never against the outer hull, they will have a spacious reception room which includes an office area and a has a kitchenette in one corner, a moderate sized bedroom and a small bathroom. Junior officers and ratings usually have a single room that also serves as the office with bathroom facilities nearby while the vast majority of Voidsmen, surfs and troopers live in shared barrack rooms with common bathroom facilities
Married couples share the facility provided by the more senior ranking partner or that awarded to the next higher rank if that in not sufficient space. There are also some specialist accommodations for larger families among the ratings.
Whether in the officer’s quarter or elsewhere in the ship, each accommodation hub has an associated dining hall, recreation room, laundry service and chapel.
Accommodation for the Mechanicus is dealt with separately and beyond the ken of mortal man.
Shipboard routines
The Pious Lament runs on ‘Ship Time’ for day-to-day convenience, this is 7 days in a week, twenty-four hours in a day, sixty minuets in an hour, etc, as is the tradition bought out from Terra. The work schedule for essential crew members follows four or two hour ‘watches’ as explained elsewhere while non-essential staff generally work from eight hundred to eighteen hundred hours, six days a week, with the seventh day set aside for rest and worship of the God Emperor, to which end crew who are not on duty are expected to attend one of two mass services on that day, held in the Hall of St Gothren.
For longer time periods and official time keeping such as the ship’s log, the empirical calendar is adhered to which breaks each year down into 1,000 segments of 8 3//4 hours, (near as dam it).
Uniform and behaviourr
The majority of the people aboard the Pious Lament do not wear uniform but clothing and PPE appropriate to their position.
Officers, military personnel and those servants who work on the officer's decks and bridge do wear a variety of uniforms appropriate to their station. The Velspar colours of midnight blue with royal blue trim.
.
More detail will be added as it becomes apparent, there are pictures on the game map, diagram of the principle deck plan.
.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:56, Tue 20 Dec 2022.