Felicisima Armada

"No prey, no pay."

"Take what you can, give nothing back"

Who and What are "Felicisima Armada"?
They are an association of Antivan "pirates" and are the leading maritime power in the region. Felicisima Armada gained influence when they aided the allied forces in the Exalted Marches against the Qunari, and now they pose a serious threat on the Waking sea. Wealthy merchants often prefer to pay the leaders of the Armada rather than risk their cargo.

The Raiders of the Waking Sea, or more simply "the Raiders", is the more commonly known name given to those belonging to Felicisima Armada. Once these pirates were little more than opportunists, individual ships based out of the coastal city of Llomerryn that preyed on sea traffic and which were frequently the target of concerted efforts by the Orlesians and Free Marches cities to destroy them once and for all. After each such effort, new pirates would appear to fill the vacuum and thus the cycle continued.

During the New Exalted Marches, however, the nations of Thedas found themselves in dire need of every ship they could muster against the massive power of the Qunari dreadnaughts. The Llomerryn pirates were faced with a difficult decision: band together under one flag and fight with those they had previously preyed upon or face conversion and annihilation by the Qunari. Thus the Armada was formed. The pirates brought their knowledge of stealth and trickery to bear, plaguing Qunari supply lines and even launching seaborne invasions against the Qunari coast. For a time it was said the Armada was the premier naval power of Thedas, and after the signing of the Llomerryn Accord they maintained their association rather than disband—much as others might have hoped.

Wealthy merchants often pay the leaders of the Armada, rather than risk having their ships commandeered and their merchandise stolen and sold on the black market. They're hardly unified, and bloody battles between Armada leaders are frequent, but any attack by outsiders will cause them to instantly put aside their differences and close ranks... and thus the raiders have become far more of a plague in the last century than they ever were before. There are a lot of legends told about how dashing and romantic life aboard a raider's vessel is, but don't believe it. They are scoundrels and smugglers all.

Twelve Ships - Twelve Captains
Seven ships are named; the type of ship and their affiliations are listed

Benito Vivion, Captain of "The Fury"
"A type of warship. The term 'frigate' refers to ships which are as long as a ship of the line and are square-rigged on all three masts (full rigged), but are faster. Frigates in the Waking Sea are long, narrow nautical vessels propelled by either oars or sail or both. They are also excellent raider ships and in times or war are used for blockade duty but also for patrolling and escort."
 * Type of vessel: Frigate
 * Affiliations: Close ties to a Crow Master

Evangeline Drake, Captain of "Rialto's Revenge"
"A type of warship. The term 'frigate' refers to ships which are as long as a ship of the line and are square-rigged on all three masts (full rigged), but are faster. Frigates in the Waking Sea are long, narrow nautical vessels propelled by either oars or sail or both. They are also excellent raider ships and in times or war are used for blockade duty but also for patrolling and escort."
 * Type of vessel: Frigate
 * Affiliations: Close ties with a Merchant Prince

Erik Nobody, Captain of "Demon's Run"
"A sloop is a fore-and-aft rigged ship type, normally with only one mast although larger ships with two or even three masts are referred to as sloops-of-war or war sloops. Sloops are used both as merchant and as pirate ships, in fact it is the most common type of pirate ship as they are fast and agile and require a very small minimal crew (even a one-man crew can be enough for a small sloop) but can also carry up to 100 men. Raider sloops normally carry 60 to 80 crewmen."
 * is NPCed by staff*
 * Type of vessel: Sloop
 * Affiliations: Has secretly been a Brotherhood of Leviathan ship for centuries. Spies upon and manipulates the Raiders where possible.

Serri Ethillion, Captain of "The Archon's Whore"
"A galleon is a large, multi-decked sailing ship, used for war or commerce. The galleon is an evolution of the caravel and carrack. A lowering of the forecastle and elongation of the hull gives an unprecedented level of stability in the water, and reduced wind resistance at the front, leading to a faster, more manoeuvrable vessel. The galleon is powered entirely by sail, carried on three to five masts, with a lateen sail continuing to be used on the last (usually third) mast."
 * Type of vessel: Galleon
 * Affiliations: Rumours that it is tied to a magister

Iridis, Captain of "Lusacan's Breath"
"A sloop is a fore-and-aft rigged ship type, normally with only one mast although larger ships with two or even three masts are referred to as sloops-of-war or war sloops. Sloops are used both as merchant and as pirate ships, in fact it is the most common type of pirate ship as they are fast and agile and require a very small minimal crew (even a one-man crew can be enough for a small sloop) but can also carry up to 100 men. Raider sloops normally carry 60 to 80 crewmen."
 * Type of vessel: War Sloop
 * Affiliations: Ties with the Merchant Princes

Alonso de Soto, Captain of "Andraste's Curse"
"A galleon is a large, multi-decked sailing ship, used for war or commerce. The galleon is an evolution of the caravel and carrack. A lowering of the forecastle and elongation of the hull gives an unprecedented level of stability in the water, and reduced wind resistance at the front, leading to a faster, more manoeuvrable vessel. The galleon is powered entirely by sail, carried on three to five masts, with a lateen sail continuing to be used on the last (usually third) mast."
 * Type of vessel: Galleon
 * Affiliations: Not on good terms with the Crows.

Javier Garoche, Captain of "The Jewel of Antiva"
"A sloop is a fore-and-aft rigged ship type, normally with only one mast although larger ships with two or even three masts are referred to as sloops-of-war or war sloops. Sloops are used both as merchant and as pirate ships, in fact it is the most common type of pirate ship as they are fast and agile and require a very small minimal crew (even a one-man crew can be enough for a small sloop) but can also carry up to 100 men. Raider sloops normally carry 60 to 80 crewmen."
 * Type of vessel: Sloop
 * Affiliations: Has an affiliation with two Crow Masters and with a Merchant Prince.

Ship's Hierarchy
There are many Roles on a Ship and not all ships need every single role filled. Usually on smaller ships of skeleton crews members of the crew double up on roles (the captain is often the navigator, for instance).

A Raider captain is voted on by the crew and their authority is usually only absolute in the heat of battle or when giving chase. At other times, the captain's wishes could be dismissed by a simple majority vote of the crew. Raiders tend to like their captains to be not too aggressive and not too meek: a good captain had to know when a potential victim was too strong for them, without letting weaker quarry get away. The most successful captains possess great charisma and easily recruit new pirates to their cause.
 * Captain

Finding a good navigator for the Waking Sea is difficult, especially for Raiders. Rialto Bay has many secret coves but most are controlled by the Crows. A navigator who knows the way to safe havens and through the most dangerous shallows in the Waking Sea are in high demand. Trained navigators use the stars and the two moons to figure out their latitude, and therefore can sail from east to west fairly easily, but figuring out longitude is much harder and involves a lot of guesswork. If Raiders find there is a skilled navigator on board a prize ship they will often force them to join their crew. Sailing charts are also valuable and are kept when discovered on board prize ships.
 * Navigator

Any ship is at an advantage if they have a mage on their crew. Be they a merchant, Raider or Pirate ship a mage can be used as a weapon, a defence, a storm calmer or maker, and propeller of a ship when becalmed. They are expensive to buy and difficult to train, since such specialised mages are rare. Only a few Raider vessels possess them.
 * Mage - Windtalker or Water Weaver (preferably both, often neither)

After the Captain, the quartermaster is the most important position on the ship. They are in charge of seeing that the Captain’s orders are carried out and handles the day-to-day management of the ship. When there is plunder, the quartermaster divides it up among the crew according to the number of shares each man is due to receive. They are also in charge of discipline in minor matters such as fighting or minor derelictions of duty: more serious offences go before Captain, or Coalition of Captains. Quartermasters often inflict punishments such as floggings. The quartermaster also boards prize vessels and decides what to take and what to leave. Generally, the quartermaster receives a double share, same as the captain.
 * Quartermaster (sometimes called the First Mate)

The Boatswain, or Bosun, is in charge of the ship itself and keeping it in shape for travel and battle. They look after the wood, canvas and ropes that are of vital importance on board. They often lead shore parties when supplies or repairs are needed. They oversee activities such as dropping and weighing the anchor, setting the sails and keeping the deck clean. An experienced Boatswain is a very valuable person. They often got a share and a half of loot.
 * Boatswain

Wooden barrels are very valuable, as they are the best way to store food, water and other necessities of life at sea. Every ship therefore needs a cooper - which is someone skilled in making and maintaining barrels. Existing storage barrels have to be inspected regularly. Empty barrels are broken up to make space on small ships: the cooper quickly puts them back together when the ship docks to take on food and water.
 * Cooper

The carpenter is in charge of the ship’s structural integrity. They generally answer to the Boatswain and fix holes after combat, keep the masts and yardarms sound and functional and know when the ship needs to be beached for maintenance and repairs. Ships carpenters have to make do with what is at hand, as Raiders usually cannot use official dry docks in ports. Often-times they have to make repairs on some deserted island or stretch of beach, using only what they can scavenge or cannibalize from other parts of the ship. Ship’s carpenters often double as a surgeon, sawing off limbs that had been wounded in battle.
 * Carpenter

Most Raider ships prefer to have a medic on board when one is available. Raiders fight frequently – with their victims and with one another – and serious injuries are common. Raiders also suffer from a variety of other ailments, including venereal diseases such as syphilis and tropical illnesses like malaria. If they spend a long time at sea they are vulnerable to vitamin deficiencies like scurvy. Medicines are worth their weight in gold. Trained medics are hard to find, and when ships have to go without one, often-times a veteran sailor with some common sense can serve in this capacity.
 * Medic (sometimes a healing mage)

Felicisima Armada Friendly Ports

 * Llomerryn - this was the birthplace of the Armada and continues to be its most supportive ally, allowing the Armada ships to dock at any time. Their allegiance is to the Raiders and the Armada's enemies will receive no quarter there.

Relationship with the House of Crows
The Armada is an independent coalition of ships that are only "loyal" to each other. However, some of the ships have affiliations with the Crows, to a lesser and greater extent. Some are enemies to certain Masters (though admittedly, unless the ship stays out at sea those responsible for the opposition to the Crows normally find themselves assassinated) and some are more than close allies, with everything in between. The Armada have a working relationship with the House of Crows then benefits all for the most part.

Relationship with the Merchant Princes of Antiva
Similar to the Crows various ships have contracts with the Merchant Princes and some are enemies, but for the most part they work together or simply ignore each other. The Armada have a different view of the Princes than they do other merchants they deal with, mostly because the Merchant "families" are far more dangerous and powerful than the typical merchant. As such the Armada ships deal carefully with the Princes, since they need Rialto Bay and the contacts the Princes have inland.

Relationship with the Brotherhood of Leviathan
This relationship is taut and frayed. The Armada refuse to deal with them and they keep to the Waking Sea. The Brotherhood claim the Waking Sea as a part of their territory, insisting on an Armada Captain taking their seat on the Leviathan Court, but the Raiders refuse and openly rebel. The animosity between the two has often spilled over into open warfare.

The Armada do not know it but one of their Captains actively takes part in the Brotherhood, hiding their allegiance to the Order of Leviathan. If they are discovered then the Raiders, the Crows and the Merchants Princes will want their head. If they reject the Brotherhood, then they will demand payment.

Raider Code
"First freedom and the captain. Second the loot, third women and the rum and at the end no mercy if they not immediately surrender!"