Kingsport 1844: Quiddity Dock
- At August 19, 2021
- By Great Quail
- In Call of Cthulhu
0
11) The Quiddity Dock
Pier 42, The Tuttle Docks, The Wharves, Harborside.
A) The Quiddity
Berthed at Pier 42 in front of the Tuttle Shipyard is the Quiddity, the ship that will be the player’s home for the next three years. (See “The Quiddity” for details.) During these last few days of October, the Quiddity has been a hive of activity, with stevedores, riggers, and provisioners swarming her decks. Sails, canvas, ropes, livestock, and extra spars are being shipped and stowed in a frenzy. Chief mate William Pynchon is usually on board, directing the “fitting out” under the watchful eyes of Captain Gideon Sleet and “Captain” Jacob Macy, the agents from Sleet, Baker & Blood. Stanley Ruch and Seph Lovecraft, the ship’s carpenter and cooper, are also regular visitors, each attending to his domain. (Leland Morgan should also make an appearance or two, despite his other activities.) Occasionally third mate P.H. Whipple lends a hand, flexing his authority and bullying the stevedores, his predilection for petty tyranny on full display. Jeremiah Joab is not to be found, and questions about the captain are pointedly evaded by Macy—“He’s a fine, fishy skipper, and you’ll know soon enough ‘bout his ways.” If pressed, Macy reveals that Captain Joab has been “a bit under the weather, aye, but shall be hale and hearty by th’ farst!”
Starting the afternoon of October 28, seamen are permitted to enter the forecastle, select a bunk, and stow their sea-chests. (Only lubbers pronounce “forecastle” as it’s spelled. Sailors say “FOWK’sl.”) Mr. Pynchon forbids any sailor from spending the night in the forecastle while the Quiddity is in port. If a sailor pleads destitution, Pynchon recommends he ask “Mr. Macy” for an advance on their signing. (No true officer refers to Jacob Macy as “captain.”) If the player characters are interested, they may also visit Barzillai Coffin’s old ship, the Virgin. Moored at a nearby slip, she’s having a new mast installed, and is planning to ship out in early November under the command of Captain Erastus Fuller on a “plum pudding” cruise.
B) Player Characters: Signing the Articles
All nonplayer characters have already signed the ship’s articles, as have Leland Morgan and Ulysses Dixon. Joseph Coffin and Montgomery Lowell have individual appointments: Professor Lowell has an October 28 meeting at the office of Sleet, Baker & Blood (see Encounter 26), and Mr. Coffin is to pay his respects to Captain Joab on board the Quiddity the evening of October 29 (see below). This leaves only Quakaloo, Milton Redburn, and Tobias Beckett. As fate would have it (“fate” meaning “the dramatic requirements of the scenario”) the ship still needs a couple of seamen and a boatsteerer—a Quiddity harpooneer named Bembo Burn was recently murdered in Cock Lane. (See Encounter 27 for details.)
Meeting the Agents
Sleet, Baker & Blood are represented by Captain Gideon Sleet and “Captain” Jacob Macy, who oversee the signing of the articles and assign the lays. Captain Sleet radiates an unsavory aura, but just why he seems so repellent is hard to put in words. Certainly his left pop-eye doesn’t help, and the noxious odors of his infernal meërschaum pipe are an acquired taste, to say the least. His treatment of prospective crew members is likewise unpleasant: Sleet treats every unfamiliar seaman like a greenhorn eager to disgrace the voyage, if not sink the ship outright. Nor is the captain much kinder to old hands, whom he mocks with cheerful rapacity, including lower-ranking officers—“Aye ye bastard Whipple, that seaman’s chest seems heavy to me! I warrant ‘tis full of grog. Do something useful beside bullyin’ and bellyachin’ and give it a rummage, will ye?” These salty outbursts are incongruously belied by Shakespearean asides, bizarre moments where Sleet addresses some imaginary observer with quiet words of surprising erudition—“Oh, and for all his raging, he’s a small man, his savage heart o’erflowing his minute frame; pity this cursed wretch, born astride the grave and bound to perish alone…” It’s hard to ignore that during these perplexing asides, Sleet’s pop-eye seems to roll uncontrollably.
Jacob Macy is less abusive than his partner; yet manages to come across as even more obnoxious. He continually plays up his sailing experience, using ostentatious nautical jargon and always ready with a “hearty” laugh—“Aye, shipmates, better keep a weather eye open when fishin’ for Parmaceti! Them fish is made by the Div’l himsel’, take ye to Davy Jones quicker’n luffin’ a sail! Just look at me scars—burnin’ whale ile did this, shipmates! Even arter they be dead an’ butchered, they can strike from th’ grave, har har har!”
The two agents have worked out something of a good cop/bad cop routine when interviewing prospective crewmen. When Sleet becomes too fearsome, Macy throws an arm around the trembling greenhorn—“Aww, just ignore the ol’ man, he’s all hellfire and brimstone on the outside, but inside he’s a pussycat!” Local sailors bear an intense dislike for both agents. They whisper that Captain Sleet made a pact with the devil, and his pop-eye can see “things no man oughta see.” Jacob Macy is considered a “humbug,” a jumped-up mate sailors privately call “One Button Jake.” He earned this scornful nickname as third mate of the Celaeno, when he deducted one penny from a seaman’s lay for “borrowing and losing a spare button.”
If a prospective crewman proves he’s not a complete idiot, and is willing to spend three years of his life in effective bondage, the candidate is offered a decent lay with little haggling. A harpooneer, of course, is asked to “show his stuff,” and a floating barrel is cast over the side—“Thar’s yer whale, mate!” This target is fairly easy to hit, and the harpooneer is allowed a +1D10 bonus die to prove his mettle. An Extreme success impresses the agents tremendously, and results in a better lay. A signed sailor is entitled to ask for an advance; but he’s instructed to leave some form of collateral with “Captain” Macy to ensure his return. Nor is he told that his advance will accumulate interest over the three years of the voyage!
| The Lay System Whalemen are not paid with a salary. Rather they are given a lay, or a percentage of the voyage’s net profits. The captain, known as the master, receives the largest portion, usually between 1/8 to 1/18, hereafter expressed as implied fractions, i.e., 8–18. The other officers earn decreasing portions, from 18–25 for the first mate to 50–65 for the third mate. These are collectively known as the “short lays.” Harpooneers might earn between 65–90, while idlers such as blacksmiths and carpenters range between 50–140. The average seaman is paid according to his skill, with able seamen earning between 125–160. Green deckhands and cabin boys get the “long lay,” usually between 170–225, but sometimes down to 1/300! They are usually teased as well, some variant of “Oh, ‘tis called the long lay, so it must be good, eh? Ye wouldn’t want the short lay, would ye?” If a successful three-year whaling voyage generates around $100,000 in profit after the owners’ cut, a well-compensated captain may earn around $10,000, a harpooner around $1300, an able-bodied seaman around $800, and a greenhorn around $400. Of course, less profitable journeys and less generous lays result in lower earnings, and historical records show some greenhorns receiving a mere $10 after three years at sea! (Multiply these amounts by 35 to obtain approximate modern values. Also, these figures are representative of mid-century lays; earlier lays were more generous to sailors, and later lays more generous to officers.) These “earned” amounts are then reduced by a series of unfortunate deductions. Signing advances must be paid back, with accumulated interest; exorbitant fees for the medicine chest and slop chest are deducted, and many agents also impose fees to cover the costs of recruitment, loading, and unloading! And finally, there’s the rapacious “landsharks” waiting to part a seaman from his pay—the outfitters, infitters, and boardinghouse keepers who skyrocket their prices just before and after voyages. In the end, the common foremasthand was exploited as brutally as any factory worker, and many first-time whalers never returned to sea! |
Assigning Lays
Although Sleet, Baker & Blood has a reputation for being “queer,” everyone agrees they pay well—they offer extremely generous lays, which ingratiates them to sailors despite their unsavory reputation. Greenhorns such as Beckett receive the 220th lay, able seamen such as Redburn receive the 150th lay, and competent harpooneers such as Quakaloo receive the 75th lay. Dixon has been awarded a bonus 65th lay, and Mr. Coffin has been enticed by a handsome 42nd lay. (Captain Joab receives the short lay of 1/10, and has been encouraged to buy into the Aldebaran.) However, offering superior lays doesn’t mean the owners are lenient! Sleet, Baker & Blood’s officers strictly enforce the ship’s rules, and after a voyage has been concluded, the agents make standard deductions down to the last item dispensed from the slop chest. Of course, there’s another reason the company is offering such generous lays. After the Quiddity ships back its oil from Maui, it has other orders. To put it bluntly, Sleet, Baker & Blood are not expecting most of their sailors to return!
The Articles
The only player character authorized to view the ship’s articles is Mr. Joseph Coffin. The original document will be stored at the office of Sleet, Baker & Blood. A copy will be given to Captain Joab and stored in his cabin, and a copy will be filed at the Custom House the Monday after the Quiddity departs. The articles are detailed in Handout: Quiddity Articles.
C) Programmed Events
Although the entire cast must gather here at dawn on November 1, the Quiddity is the site of four Programmed Events before she sets sail.
October 29, 5:00 pm: Mr. Coffin Meets the Captain
Mr. Coffin’s invitation to meet Captain Joab is set for 5:00 pm, October 29. He is ushered into the captain’s cabin by Mr. Pynchon, where he’ll find Joab furiously marking changes on his whaling charts. The meeting will be brief, and the Keeper is encouraged to conduct it in private, so the rest of the players have the benefit of encountering Captain Joab for the first time on the Atlantic.
Joab seems curiously nervous about meeting this unexpected new officer. The captain curtly indicates that he runs a tight ship, and that all his officers work, and work hard. He asks about Coffin’s family and personal whaling experience, then gruffly informs Coffin, “I would have rather had a man I could trust, a man I knew to his very sinews. But I have thee.” Joab darkly suggests there might be “some trouble” regarding Mr. Coffin’s placement, alluding to fact that Dixon and Whipple feel slighted—“passed over.” He bluntly asks Mr. Coffin how he plans to handle this situation; anything less than a fishy, tough-as-nails response is met with a snort of derision. In any event, after offering a perfunctory toast to prosperity, the captain dismisses him—“Very well, sir. Look to Mr. Pynchon for thine arrangements. I bid thee farewell, for now.” Unless the player character specifically demands another audience, Mr. Coffin will not see Joab again until the Quiddity has sailed.
October 29, 5:30 pm: Mr. Coffin’s Cookie Run
William Pynchon is more cordial, shaking Coffin’s hand and offering his condolences on the death of his mother. He shows Coffin to the cabin he’ll be sharing with Mr. Whipple and Dr. Lowell, introducing him to the ship’s carpenter, Stanley Ruch. Pynchon apologizes for the predicament—“Stanley here is fitting your cabin for another bunkmate, a professor who wants to study himself a whale.” Pynchon also apologizes for not inviting Coffin to dinner; blaming “a thousand small fires that need attending before we hoist sail.” Surprisingly, Pynchon declines any offers of assistance. However, the chief mate does request one small favor from Coffin. It’s traditional for Kingsport mates to acquire a packet of “Joe Froggers” before sailing. Large cookies made from molasses and rum, Joe Froggers can last for months at sea. They are traditionally presented to the officers, boatsteerers, and idlers as special treats after rounding Cape Horn. As Mr. Pynchon is “inconvenienced,” would Mr. Coffin perhaps adopt the tradition? Indeed, it might be a “rum” way of ingratiating himself to the men. Joe Froggers can be purchased all over Kingsport, but the originals are still preferred. They are sold at Black Joe’s Tavern at the edge of the Hollow (Encounter 12).
October 31, 5:30 pm: Rachel Ward Stows Away
Rachel Ward sets out for the wharves as the Halloween squall starts moving in, relying on the sudden confusion and activity to cover her actions. She plans to smuggle herself onboard the Quiddity, where she’s already opened a stowed casket and drained its water. With a small but ingenious device she jury-rigged herself, she’ll pull the lid closed. She carries a satchel containing several days of food, two jars of water, her lorebook, and any other possession declared by the player.
October 31, 6:30 pm to Midnight: The Green Fire
Once the Halloween Tempest begins lashing Kingsport, the masts and rigging of the Quiddity become enveloped by a flickering green glow that lasts until the Congregational steeple is struck by lightning. This glow is definitely preternatural, but may be passed off as St. Elmo’s fire from a comfortable distance. The fire protects the ship during the storm, preserving its sailing date upon the morrow: All Soul’s Day. Witnessing the glow costs 0/1 Sanity. A Kingsport Cult roll recalls stories of the “cold green fire” worshipped by the Kingsport witches of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
White Leviathan > Chapter 1—Kingsport 1844
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Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 9 March 2024
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
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