Atlantic Ocean: The Hen Frigate

5) The Hen Frigate
Atlantic Ocean, November 3–December 1, 1844

A) The Second Stowaway
Presuming Rachel is a stowaway and not disguised as a greenhorn, her character has been living in a cask for several days. While this is certainly uncomfortable—especially as her food begins to dwindle and spoil—it also prevents Rachel’s player from taking part in the game. So while Rachel the character may have intentions of staying hidden for a longer period, her player is probably anxious to get her into the action. There are two ways to accomplish this:

Rachel Reveals Herself
Whether she’s out of food, becomes sick of hiding, or develops a reasonable fear of rats, Rachel may opt to reveal herself. As discussed in the background section above, her appearance may be presaged by smaller excursions, whether scoping out the ship at night or arranging clandestine meetings with allied player characters.

Rachel Is Discovered
Alternatively, the Keeper may force the issue by having an NPC expose Rachel. This could lead to numerous interesting scenarios, from a scoundrel threatening to blackmail her to a kinder soul becoming an ally. She may also be discovered by a player character, most likely Morgan or Mr. Coffin.

No matter which scenario is enacted, Rachel’s presence creates quite a stir, and offers many exciting roleplaying opportunities!

B) Rachel Settles In
The days after Rachel’s appearance are occupied by the crew’s reactions to Rachel, which can be roleplayed or simply described. Eventually she’ll manage to settle in, and Stanley Ruch constructs the fore privy and “henhouse” described in the “The Quiddity.” The fact that no whales have been sighted is occasionally attributed to the presence of a woman onboard; but a few level-headed sailors point to the excellent weather as evidence to the contrary—“Arter all, th’ cap’n’s more a Pacific skipper, aye? Fuckin’ Nantucket cleaned these waters art when ye was a wee tadpole, lad.”

White Leviathan, Chapter 2—Atlantic Ocean
[Back to Encounter 4, Training and Tacking | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 6, The Fistfight]

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