Atlantic Ocean: Joab’s Binding Oath

3) Joab’s Binding Oath
Atlantic Ocean, November 2, 1844

A) Overview
It’s traditional among the whale fishery for the captain to address the crew the first day at sea. While Joab has shifted this address to the second day, his speech is more than the usual, “I run a tight ship, listen to the mates, don’t grumble, and sing out for whales.” Joab is preparing to cast Binding Oath, making every soul onboard the ship swear to kill Mocha Dick. To successfully cast the spell, Joab has spent the last month investing a “talisman”—a $10 gold coin, freshly minted and charged with 300 magic points to keep thirty souls in bondage. Before running this encounter, the Keeper should review “Binding Oath” under “New Spells.”

B) Enter Joab
Once the boat crews have been decided, another shipboard tradition begins: the captain’s address. Appearing on deck for the first time, Joab emerges from the cabin companionway and steps onto the quarterdeck like the lead actor taking the stage. He’s an awesome and terrible sight to behold: wrapped in a great pea-coat, taut frame balanced atop an ivory mast-leg, aquiline face cleft by a scar; Jerimiah Pericles Joab is every inch the Old Testament prophet. The wind lashes his coat, plucking strands of hair from beneath his hat like graying pennants. He stands on the quarterdeck for a tense moment of silence, then clears his throat and speaks.

C) The Captain’s Address
Joab addresses the crew in a hearty, lusty tone, couching his words in Shakespearean grandeur:

JOAB. Men, we be here assembled for one purpose, and one purpose only. To hunt whales, to kill whales, and to boil their corpses to grease! It is by this divine right, our God-given mastery over the earth and her oceans, that men drag this wicked fish from the deep to light our homes, to illumine our most noble of accomplishments, to lubricate the very cogs and sprockets of industry itself! Which one of ye has not gazed upon the Kingsport Light, that beacon of safety in yon tempestuous seas? And from whence comes that light, lads? From us, my hearties! [Pounds chest and stomps ivory leg] From good Kingsport whalemen! From our sweat and blood, from our brains and sinews, we take Leviathan and transform the brute beast into the very sun at night! [Crew cheers]

And where upon does every drop of thy sweat and blood fall? Upon these very decks, the body of the Quiddity herself! [Slams butt of harpoon into deck] Here at sea the Quiddity is thy mother, thy sister, thy wife, and thy lover. Hearken, lads, ye must take good care of her, and every man-jack amongst ye is responsible for her well-being. And upon these decks, I am her Lord and Master, and should any of ye falter in thy responsibility, know that my displeasure shall fall upon ye swift and sure as the wrath of God himself! [Joab pauses dramatically, then calls to Thomas Plunkett and Natty Weeks to break out a firkin of grog. Men cheer excitedly]

So if ye spy a whale, lads, ye sing out! Ye sing joyfully and with hearts full of gladness, ye sing like that fish is the Second Coming and Rapture is nigh! You, there, Mr. Shaw, what do ye do if ye spy a whale?

SHAW. I sing out, captain!

JOAB. [Smiles lustfully] And you there, Mr. Weeks, what does my cook do if he sees a spout on yon horizon?

WEEKS. Why captain, I sing out, “Thar she blows!”

JOAB. Aye, exactly that, good doctor! [Joab laughs heartily and turns to Beckett or Redburn] And you there, sailor, what d’ye do if ye gaze upon on white water whilst dreaming at the masthead?

PLAYER CHARACTER. [Gives appropriate response] “— !”

JOAB. Aye, just so—ye sing out! And men, somewhere in this endless, winedark sea; this cold, fishbreeding sea; there dwells a Leviathan as monstrous as Lucifer himself! A great beast of a whale, as white as the face of death, as wicked as the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Aye, men, ye know the monster of whom I speak, the ocean’s most terrible tenant! But we shall not be afraid to say his name, lads! For this great fish, this piercing serpent, this Satanic dragon of the sea, this affront to eyes of God and man alike, is nonother than MOCHA DICK! [The men quiet their temper into an awed stillness. A few men hiss. Plunkett pours the rum into a metal carafe]

Now, fear not my hearties. In the Good Book, the Prophet Isaiah tells us, “In that day, the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword, shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent, and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”

Men! Shipmates! I am here to tell ye, that day is now! And—[Raising his arm high, clutching a harpoon]—that “sore and great and strong sword” is here!  [Joab throws his harpoon straight and true, impaling the mainmast. The crew cheers wildly. The captain’s face is a mask of pure hatred]

D) The Terrible Oath
Passing the grog around, Joab implores all hands to drink from the battered carafe, letting the fiery liquid boil their bellies with steaming hatred for the White Whale. Retrieving a newly-minted $10 gold coin from his pocket, he holds it to the sun and proclaims, “And this gold coin, this gilded eagle, shall be the prize for the first soul who claps eyes on the White Whale!” As the men cheer themselves hoarse, Joab orders Morgan to nail the coin to the foremast. “Now lads, will ye swear an oath to thy captain? Will ye swear to be the arrows of vengeance, shot from the bowstring of thine Master’s heart? Will ye swear to it? Repeat after thy captain, lads: Death to Mocha Dick! Death to the White Whale! Death to Mocha Dick!”

Acting in a frenzy, Joab gathers his mates and harpooneers, ordering them to cross their weapons so the shanks are touching. He grips each triad of irons, the harpoons with his left hand, and the lances with his right. Laughing wildly, he cries out, “I am the thunderhead and the lightning, and I charge these rods with my electric will! May the current of my fury shock ye to thy bones, may thy blood be magnetized by my will, may thy hearts beat as one with the rhythm of my own!” (At this point, Coffin, Dixon, and Quakaloo may make Power rolls to actually feel the captain’s energy trembling down the iron shanks.)

Calling for the carafe of rum, Joab cuts his hand on a harpoon and lets his blood flow into the liquor. He passes the carafe to the mates and harpooneers, commanding, “Do ye as I have done! Mix thy blood, pagan and Christian alike, with this fiery spirit!” Once the carafe has made the rounds and the men added their blood, he laughs uproariously, “Good, good! Now, my lords and knights, unsheathe your irons and hold them with upturn’d sockets, like empty hearts in want of filling!” Joab pours the bloody grog into the upturned sockets of the boatsteerer’s harpoons and the mate’s lances, and commands them, “Drink! Drink, drink to the hunt, drink to the death of Mocha Dick, drink, ye hearties, drink ye motherless sons of bitches, drink!” After the six “lords and knights” have drunk, the carafe is passed to each and every sailor, with Joab imploring, “Drink my hearties! And know that after this, there’s more grog, and no work till morning!”

Laughing maniacally but contentedly, his face flushed like the devil, Captain Joab retreats to his cabin. He’ll see no-one, not even Pynchon, until the sun rises.

E) Reactions of the Player Characters
The players should remain blissfully unaware that Joab is casting Binding Oath. The Keeper must note two important things about the ritual: which characters chant “Death to Mocha Dick,” and which characters drink the bloody rum. Both factors affect the outcome of the spell. The Keeper must refrain from telegraphing the importance of these acts during Joab’s speech; for instance, pausing to ask, “Do you chant with the others?” or “Do you drink the rum?” Such portentous questions only invite the players to hesitate and rethink their actions. Ideally, the Keeper should run the encounter with a minimum of pausing, encouraging the players to be swept up in the moment, actually chanting “Death to Mocha Dick!” along with Captain Joab. Even better, a carafe of homemade grog (or iced-tea) may be passed from player to player to simulate the collective toast. The Keeper should take note of which characters chant and drink, and which do not. Of course, not all gaming groups engage in such “first-person” roleplaying, in which case the Keeper may be obliged to ask the questions directly. While this may tip her hand, it’s still critical to know which characters are affected.

Having said that, players who refuse to engage with the ritual must justify their forbearance with a valid reason. “I think the Keeper is pulling a fast one,” or “This seems like a spell to me!” are meta-gaming shenanigans, and should earn the full disapprobation of the Keeper. After all, Joab knowns how to whip up a crowd, and a little mob-mentality goes a long way! Religious convictions are the most likely excuse for a character not taking the oath. A commitment to Temperance is also fair; but must have been established by previously roleplaying the character as a teetotaler. Notes on individual player characters follow:

Beckett, Coffin, and Redburn
Being the most religious of the player characters, Beckett, Coffin, and Redburn may certainly find Joab’s speech questionable, if not blasphemous. While Beckett and Redburn are too menial to attract the captain’s attention, Joab keenly observes Mr. Coffin during the ritual. If his second mate fails to chant the oath or drink the grog, Joab marks him as a man to distrust. The Keeper is free to share that information with the reluctant player; maybe a Spot Hidden roll observes Joab’s eyes watching him carefully? There’s nothing like a little peer pressure to get someone to drink the proverbial Kool-Ade!

Dixon and Morgan
Neither of these characters are particularly religious, and should have no serious misgivings about Joab’s speech. In fact, Dixon may enjoy the bloodthirsty aspects of the oath, and Morgan may be disturbingly attracted to the blood itself. If their characters refuse to partake, the Keeper may force them to make a Power roll, with a failure breaking their resolve.

Quakaloo
Being a pagan cannibal, Quakaloo shouldn’t have any problem with the oath! But again, it’s up to the player.

Lowell
Lowell can go either way here. He may be intrigued, or he may find it shockingly distasteful. It’s up to the player.

Rachel
Sadly, Rachel Ward cannot participate in this, as she’s still in her barrel. This means she’s the only player character completely free from the Binding Oath. However, Rachel certainly recognizes Mocha Dick as the whale that carried her father to his doom. (If Rachel is openly serving the ship disguised as a male, that’s a different story, and only a Hard Power roll may check her reckless enthusiasm.)

F) Reactions of the Nonplayer Characters
Most nonplayer characters willingly participate in the oath, with some going overboard the impress the charismatic captain—P.H. Whipple, Mattashunama, Zimri Folger, and Paddy Garcia are particularly vocal. The only NPCs who decline to chant are Stanley Ruch, Natty Weeks, Peter Veidt, and Duke Nelson, all of whom remain free from the Binding Oath. (Though Nelson is already laboring under the Call of Dagon.)

Mr. Pynchon
The first mate represents an unusual case. Unaware of Joab’s intentions to cast a Binding Oath, Pynchon realizes what’s happening the moment Joab produces the gold coin. Because it’s expressly forbidden to cast a Binding Oath without the permission of Covenant Elders, Joab’s speech gives Pynchon the first real sign that he’s willing to disobey the Bons pêcheurs. As a result, Pynchon simply mouths the chant and pretends to drink the rum. Fortunately, Joab is too busy eyeing Coffin to notice his mate’s quiet defection.

G) The Binding Oath
Once the Keeper has determined who’s sworn to kill Mocha Dick and who’s imbibed the bloody grog, it’s time to resolve the spell.

Joab’s Binding Oath

Everyone who swore “Death to Mocha Dick” must make an opposed Power roll against Joab’s Power of 95. Furthermore, if they drank the bloody rum, they suffer a –1D10 penalty on the roll. If they actually shed some of their own blood, the penalty is –2D10.

Under the Oath
Characters who succumb to the Binding Oath find themselves becoming obsessed with hunting and killing Mocha Dick. This begins quietly at first, but increases over the course of the voyage. For the sake of the scenario, the Keeper may assume that every NPC except William Pynchon, Stanley Ruch, Natty Weeks, Peter Veidt, and Duke Nelson succumbed to the Binding Oath. If a player is running a secondary character among the crew, they should be given the chance to make a genuine roll for that character. Characters who escaped Joab’s Binding Oath remain free to act as they see fit regarding Mocha Dick.

Limitations
Joab’s Binding Oath forces oath-takers to remain with the Quiddity until the White Whale is killed. While active, no oath-taker would willingly abandon the ship or miss an opportunity to hunt Mocha Dick, no matter the danger! Over time, some seamen may begin questioning their commitment; especially as the voyage grows darker and more perilous. Also, the coin nailed to the masthead represents a vulnerability. Being part of the spell, no oath-taker would dare disturb the coin; but an unaffected character is free to remove or discard it. (For details on how to break a Binding Oath, see “New Spells.”)

H) The Second Night
Despite Pynchon’s obvious disapproval, Joab remains true to his word. Watches are reduced to skeleton crews, just enough to keep the ship moving south. The men are given triple rations of grog, and two kegs of Arkham ale are sent to the forecastle. The result is a lively evening, filled with raucous antics and much bravado about Mocha Dick—“The skipper wants revenge, and we’re gonna give it to him!” Some of the hands with personal experience of Mocha Dick are a little more somber. Peter Veidt mentions the disasters the White Whale brought to the General S. and the Janus, not to mention the Quiddity herself: “Sent old Eli Watts insane it did; and let’s not forget losing four good men.” At the mention of Whipple’s whaleboat crew, Joshi becomes belligerent, barking, “Halt your tongue, old woman. Lightning don’t strike twice.” After a second of silence, Veidt says softly, “Just once for ol’ Cap’n Warnock, an’ that’s what gave Joab the quarterdeck.” Nevertheless, many men go to sleep muttering “Death to Mocha Dick” on their spellbound lips.

White Leviathan, Chapter 2—Atlantic Ocean
[Back to Encounter 2, Selecting Boat Crews | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 3, Training & Tacking]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 15 March 2022
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]