Type: Heavy galleon (merchant-war hybrid)
Role: Cargo + legitimacy (the “law” on paper)
Hull: Triple-planked, brass-banded ribs, sealed vault deck
Pearls (shipwork):
Large Meito Pearl (Wind/Pressure) set into the mainmast “spine ring” to keep speed steady even in bad slack.
Medium Kokuto Pearl (Ward) in the vault bulkhead—makes boarding feel wrong (cold dread, nausea, “death-echo”).
Armament: 10–14 deck guns, 2 bow chasers, hidden swivel nests along the waist
Onboard Roles: Captain (bureaucrat-sailor), Pearlwright, Pirate Doctor, Marines (disciplined), Ledger Clerks
How it fights: Doesn’t chase. It holds lane, punishes boarders, and lets escorts do the killing.
Weakness: Turns like a cathedral. If the rudder linkage is damaged, it becomes a floating bank vault with no steering.
Type: Fast brigantine (escort-killer)
Role: Main threat / boarding denial / ship “breath control”
Captain: Iron-Lung Xandar (Privateer butcher—sinks surrenderers, hoards bounties)
Pearls (shipwork + captain integration):
Medium Meito Pearl (Breath/Pressure) mounted in a foredeck “breath bell” housing—Xandar can project pressure fields through the ship’s vents and grates.
Small Meito Pearl (Gale Trim) stitched into the rigging blocks for brutal acceleration bursts.
Armament: 8 guns (fast reload crews), 1 heavy bow gun, boarding net-launchers, deck pikes
Signature Tactic: “Breathe-Out”
Xandar uses pressure to steal wind from enemy sails (a dead, sagging silence), or crush breath during boarding range (panic, coughing, blackouts).
He forces ships to heave to without ever landing a cannonball—then boards and butchers.
How it fights: Picks one target, isolates it, turns the fight into air and fear, then finishes with steel.
Weakness: His pressure work needs line-of-sight lanes and stable footing—heavy spray, violent chop, or resonance song interference can distort the field.
Type: Lean schooner (windward scout)
Role: Eyes + pursuit leash (keeps pirates from escaping the lane)
Pearls (shipwork):
Small Meito Pearl (Sight/Clarity) in a mast cap “scope crown” to cut fog pockets and sharpen distance reading.
Armament: 4 light guns, swivel mounts, signal flare rack
Crew Roles: Helmsman, spotter team, Gunner (usually a sharpshot), 1 junior Pearlwright
How it fights: Never commits first. It tags targets, cripples rigging, and herds ships toward Xandar.
Weakness: Light hull—one good hit or one bad reef shove and it’s done.
Type: Plain sloop / “pilot tender” disguise
Role: The run’s hidden spine: signals, paperwork, and pearl custody
Pearls (shipwork):
Tiny Meito Pearl (Lantern Code) for silent blink-patterns only the escort understands.
Small Kokuto Pearl (Lock) on the strongbox—kills thieves slowly (fever, nightmares, hand tremors) unless properly keyed.
Armament: 2 concealed swivel guns, smoke pots, caltrop barrels for boarding decks
Crew Roles: Imperial ledger agent, 6 hardened hands, 1 “quiet” doctor (for emergencies)
How it fights: Doesn’t. It records, signals, and retrieves—if the Gilded Gull goes down, this sloop tries to escape with the real box.
Weakness: If caught, it folds fast—its power is secrecy, not steel.
Tide Warden runs windward and forward (first to spot threats).
Sable Lung stays offset—never directly beside the Gold-Ship (so it can pounce).
Gilded Gull holds center lane like it owns the ocean.
Ledger Sloop trails just outside normal attention—close enough to read signals, far enough to vanish in fog.
The escort isn’t fancy. It’s professional:
One ship sees you.
One ship takes your air.
One ship survives the paperwork and keeps the money real.