Pacific Ocean II: The Gam with the Persephone

6) The Gam with the Persephone
The Offshore Grounds, October 20-21, 1845

A) Fellow Travelers
On October 20, the Quiddity speaks a fellow Kingsport whaler, the Persephone. Commanded by Captain Julian Blood, the Persephone is a homebound vessel, looking to capture a few more whales and round the Horn in late November. Having been at sea for two-and-a-half years, the crew is starved for news from home, and greets the Quids like long-lost brothers—indeed, a few of the more experienced whalemen know each other from previous voyages or late nights at the Knotted Iron.

B) Persephone Officers
The men of the Persephone call themselves “Persies,” and are led by a youthful cadre of officers. The ship lacks a third mate, as Mr. Juniper died of “stroke” during a whale hunt three weeks prior.

Captain Julian Blood
Age 31, Nationality: American, Birthplace: Kingsport 1814. Kingsport Cult: Fifth Degree Initiate.

The youngest child of Samuel Blood and Ellen Fleiss, Julian Blood bears the trademark mane of copper-red hair native to the Philadelphia Bloods. This voyage marks his first command as captain, and he’s been blessed with an abundance of greasy luck. A dashing young figure, Captain Blood is well-liked by his crew, and radiates good humor and a sense of joyous animation—two qualities rarely seen among the officers of Sleet, Baker & Blood! He’ll even tease “Old Jerry” once or twice. Most of all, Julian eager to hear about his sister-in-law, the Widow Asenath—“How’s she doing? My brother’s loss was hard on her. Did you get your little Bible-in-a-basket? And young Jason? I hear he’s to be a cabin boy soon!”

First Mate Christopher Wakeman
Age 38, Nationality: American, Birthplace: Kingsport 1807. Kingsport Cult: Fourth Degree Initiate.

A more saturnine figure than his captain, “Topher” Wakeman is a gloomy fellow with a bent nose and three missing fingers, long-digested in the belly of a great white. Despite their difference in temperament, Blood and Wakeman are close, with the older man adopting an avuncular concern for Julian—“I promised the Widow I’d look after her sainted nephew.”

Second Mate Wicks Averill
Age 29, Nationality: American, Birthplace: Innsmouth 1816.

A taciturn man with premature pattern-baldness and a trembling lip, Wicks Averill left the fisherfolk of Innsmouth to seek his fortune with “more hospitable” neighbors. Not a member of the Kingsport Cult, Mr. Averill nonetheless fears that “strange doings” are not necessarily confined to Innsmouth these days. (In fact, after this voyage, Averill will be denied promotion by Sleet, Baker & Blood, and will relocate to New Bedford.)

C) Meeting of the Bons Pêcheurs
Although it’s customary for captains to gam on one ship and first mates on the other, all four officers are part of the Kingsport Cult, so tradition is set aside and Coffin is placed in command of the Quiddity while the four Bons pêcheurs meet in Blood’s cabin. The “Persies” are sent to the Quiddity for the usual festivities, commanded by Mr. Averill. A Seamanship roll made while the boats are crossing observes that Joab is carrying nautical charts, including the ones that Pynchon updated after skinning the Raging Bull. It’s not unusual for fellow officers to update charts, but Joab’s passion for finding Mocha Dick has precluded him from sharing information with any other captain during previous gams—but then again, the Persephone is owned by Sleet, Baker & Blood.

As no player characters have been invited to the Persephone, only the Keeper knows what happens between the officers meeting in Blood’s cabin. Essentially it’s a transfer of information. The Persephone was also charged with finding Kith Kohr, but failed. After the officers update each other’s maps, Captain Blood agrees to transfer a “safety precaution” he purchased in Valparaíso: a British 6-pounder! He explains, “I have never trusted the bloody Kát. Tell your men it’s needed in Maui; or just tell them you plan to attack the British and steal the recipe for spotted dick.”

D) Festivities On the Quiddity
Mr. Coffin is allowed to preside over the gam, which involves high spirits and sailorly gossip about Kingsport. One of the Persephone’s harpooneers has a bent iron he plans to submit to Roland Hall for the Whaling Wall, while another shares fond memories of a night spent at the Starry Busk—“I had to clean myself up, mates, and spent a small fortune, but no regrets!” Joe Froggers are discussed with high regard, while everyone shares a scornful laugh at the expense of Jacob Macy—“Oh, sure ‘tis been a greasy voyage—until One Button Jake counts up the slop chest! ‘I see ye used a piece of twine, boyo, that’ll be twenty dollars!’”

Whales
The Persephone’s had excellent luck, and her holds are full of oil. If asked about Mocha Dick, the men shake their heads. They aver that “Cap’n Julie” believes Joab has “set his spanker flappin’ in the wind over the creature,” and would never lower for such a monster himself. If the Raging Bull is brought up, the Persies tell an exciting story about harpooning a black whale a few weeks back, but “the bastard stove a boat and broke Young Sammy’s arm. Gave poor Mr. Juniper a stroke, it did! Our third mate, dead as a doornail, and not a scratch on him.” The creature escaped. Despite the accident, Blood seemed quite interest in finding more of these “big black brutes,” but to no avail.

The Black Island
If anything relating to the Black Island is brought up, the Keeper may decide whether it resonates with any particular Persie. Maybe there’s an eccentric whaleman who would rather jump ship than head home? (A chance to expand the Quiddity crew?)

Kingsport Cult
Anything related to the Kingsport Cult triggers an uncomfortable reaction among the Persies. While their voyage has been free from Mythos elements, it’s hard to turn a blind eye to the “queer closeness” of Captain Blood and Mr. Wakeman—“It ain’t like that, I mean; it’s just they seem to share some kind of secret, even though they’ve never sailed together before.” One particularly devout Persie brings up religion—“Oh aye, I suppose they’re god-fearing Christians, but something just ain’t right. I’m not saying they’re godless, not quite. I think they’re Freemasons. I hear Sleet, Baker and Blood is riddled with them!” Any further gossip is nervously squashed by Mr. Averill—“Enough of that, men. And remember, George Washington was a Mason.”

Other Topics
This gam provides an opportunity for the Keeper to frame personalized elements of the campaign as fraternal gossip or sea-tales, and to offer callbacks to past events. Maybe the Persies encountered Oliver Moneypenny on his way to the Black Island? Or gammed with the Rachel before her crew went mad? Maybe they gammed with the Julia, or one of the player characters’ old ships, such as the Celaeno or Dawn Whistler? Perhaps the Persies had a memorable run-in with Lieutenant Dandridge, François-Paul Loïc Tremblay, General José María de Villamil, or Salvator R. Tarnmoor? The Keeper may also foreshadow future adventures. Maybe the Persies had strange encounter with the Chester Todd?

E) Paladin
The morning after the gam, Mr. Pynchon instructs the forenoon watch to prepare for an “important transfer” from the Persephone—“important and very likely heavy.” He summons Dixon to deck and informs him that Captain Blood has asked the Quiddity to carry a “particular” item of cargo to Maui—“A cannon, Mr. Dixon, a ship’s gun. Along with the usual accoutrements. It apparently served the British at Kathmandu.” He asks the former Navy officer to preside over the transfer, paying close attention to the storage of the gunpowder.

In order to receive the cannon, the two ships much be brought in close contact. Fortunately the wind and waves are cooperative, and a simple Pilot roll avoids damage or unwanted entanglements. The cannon is hoisted from the Persephone’s hold and carefully swayed over to the Quiddity using ropes and gaffing poles. A handsome 6-pounder cast in gleaming bronze, the cannon is secured to an wooden carriage by an abundance of hemp. As it’s gingerly lowered to deck, the planks creak under 700 pounds of bronze and stained oak.

Dixon is free to examine the piece, an Artillery roll confirming that everything seems in order. A successful roll identifies the gun as a “saker.” A British term for a medium-sized cannon, the word is derived from the saker falcon, a relative of the gyrfalcon famously trained by the “Musselman falconers of Arabia.” The markings on the left trunnion indicate the cannon was cast in 1794 by “R.C. Allen” at the “Clotton Bell Foundry.” The second reinforce carries the cypher of George III, and the weight marked by the breech is “5-1-2,” or about 594 pounds. (5 hundredweight, or 5 × 112 lbs.; 1 quarter, or 1 × 28 lbs.; and 2 pounds.) The name of the gun is etched into the wooden carriage: PALADIN.

A whaleboat from the Persephone arrives soon after, Mr. Averill accompanying two kegs of gunpowder, a crate of twelve 6-pound balls, a bag of grapeshot, and a gunny sack containing the cannon’s maintenance tools. Averill gives Dixon a bracing look and explains, “We’ve been carrying the damn thing since Vallipo. It’s all yours now!” An Artillery roll notices that the iron balls are coated with rust, and need a good “chipping.” All the necessary equipment is present and in good shape: rammer and sponger, wormer, vent pick, hand spike, etc. All that’s missing are tackles and priming quills, but those can be improvised from the Quiddity’s stores.

Pynchon orders the saker cleaned and oiled, lowered to the hold, and carefully secured—“Mr. Bodine is one loose cannon too many already, I should think.” Dixon is instructed to store the powder and shot by the water kegs, “safely away from lanterns.”

Crew Reaction
The Quids express a wide range of reactions to their newest piece of cargo, from cheerful speculation about pirates and hostile natives to dark mutterings about the Manuxet—“Ain’t no good to have that much powder on a whaler. What’s the captain thinking?” To this statement, Quentin Shaw remarks, “Why, I suspect he plans to shoot old Mocha Dick!” His quip is greeted by laughter—albeit nervous laughter.

Player Character Reaction
If a player character demands an explanation of the cannon, Pynchon’s response depends on their relationship. If there’s no reason to let the character into his confidence, he repeats the established “cover” story—“I really have no idea. But if Sleet, Baker & Blood want a cannon in Maui, they’ll get a cannon in Maui. Maybe ‘Captain’ Macy wants to play at pirates.” However, if the character has earned Pynchon’s confidence, he’ll hear the genuine reason—“We’ve heard reports that the natives of Katau Peidi may be getting…ideas. We don’t want a repeat of the Wilkes Expedition, do we?”

White Leviathan, Chapter 5—Pacific Ocean II
[Back to Encounter 5: Trying-Out the Weird | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 7, Arrival at Katau Peidi]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 14 April 2024
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]