Dwarven Boxdraught Hauler

Created by Iconoclast engineers, the Boxdraught Haulers are an adaptation of Dwarven technology limited access to metallurgy and industry in the Western Spur of Thousand Seas. With minimal iron available they created the vertical bladed turbines and screw gear drives for their ships allowing them to carry more cargo than the Double Hulled ships of the islanders, the Sultanate Galleys and all but the largest of the Protectorate Barques. Their speed is dependent on the wind, regardless of direction.

Construction

Build with minimal curves, the Boxdraught hauler has a rectangular hull designed to hold as much cargo as possible. The Iconoclast Dwarves have developed means to pressure treat and laminate the trees of the South Eastern Spur in specially crafted caverns creating long flexible planks that are used to make hulls and the blades of their turbines. The gearing mechanisms are also made of wood with iron only used for reinforcement as opposed to purely metallic construction. This is due to a combination of lack of resources and the necessity of being able to rebuild the mechanism with minimal resources. Instead of sails, they have three long arching wooden blades to catch the wind and turn the spinning mast, which turns the gearing mechanism, which turns a screw to propel the ship.

Usage

Used exclusively by the Iconoclast Dwarves, the Boxdraught Haulers are cargo vessels. Typically they are lightly armed and armored, as their hulls are not as durable as other vessels. There have been few attempts to heavily arm the Boxdraughts, but their spinning vertical blades are more susceptible than sails and harder to repair or replace while at sail. This leads to them being disabled by just damaging of a mast, not requiring it be destroyed to be disabled. This leads to Dwarven Boxdraught Haulers to be treated as neutral non-combatants or support vessels at most. They rely on their maneuverability and speed to outpace other vessels by turning directly into the wind. While square-rigged Protectorate vessels can tack into the wind, they lack the speed of the Hauler.

History

As the Dwarven Iconoclasts began to expand from Ke’hoa’talla in the Southeast Spur, they did not have a tradition of sailing. While they were able to learn the basics from their Islander hosts canoes and double-hulled vessels they never got the hang of managing sails. So they "improved" them. Build by engineers Banished to the Ice, they used the resources they had at hand creating durable wooden mechanisms to drive their ships.

As they stretched out north and east they encountered the burgeoning Protectorate, triggering fears of opening a second front in the Third Nexus War. Word of their existence far outpaced their vessels and it was years before their trade routes expanded to the Eastern Cluster. Their traders were met and turned back by massive Protectorate fleets, it was years before the misunderstanding was cleared up.