Tag: beyond pragmatic intentions ( julienne headcanons )

The Tromperie

Base Statistics:

• Class: Third-Rate / Ship of the line
  
• Guns: 74
• Decks: 2 – lower, upper, castle and forecastle
• Complement: 340 – 600

Colors:

• Hull: Repainted black with red trim, her name emblazoned in gold.
  
• Sails: Dyed black. Occasionally trimmed red.
• Flag: Black. White gem above crossed red rapier and rose.
• Uniform: Here.

Crew:

• 240+ Original crew from the Flight of France
  
• 090+ Hired replacement crew mates
• 065+ Liberated slaves from merchant vessels
• 040+ Rescued English invited / requested to join
• 040+ Other rescues / refugees
• 030+ Cats
• 020+ Children born aboard / brought aboard
• 090 (+/-) positions / beds available

Fun Notes:

• When the crew initially redesigned their stolen ship of the line, they flew red sails until a member of the peerage aboard, ( A vicomtesse who had sought to escape France outright, who now serves with the ship’s surgeon as nurse and midwife ) made a remark that akined the sight to a woman’s intimate time of the month. The sails colors were promptly reassigned amid a mixture of discomfiture and hilarity.
  
• Marriage / Matelotage is somewhat common aboard Tromperie and is cause for great celebration. As such, generally speaking the official ceremonies are held after recent conquest, generally in a tropical and isolated island region where the crew can go ashore and enjoy games and a feast.

  Generally celebrating more than one at a time due to constraints on supplies, anyone wishing to be celebrated can have their union done privately by the captain and their names noted in the ship’s log for assurance of shares. When a ‘wedding day’ comes, those with their names in the book will be ceremoniously reavowed before the crew and granted the best cuts during the consequent feasting.

• Upon rescuing crews from drowning, Tromperie immediately makes heading for the nearest safe port. Her crew will sacrifice their lodgings if necessary and share / bunk up with their fellows to ensure that the newly acquired have plenty of space in a swiftly overcrowded vessel depending on the size of complement rescued. Upon making port, the rescued are swiftly abandoned to make their own way.

Concerning Julienne’s Crew.

Requirements:

Generally speaking, the crew aboard Tromperie is only replaced in the advent of death. Well over ninety-percent of Julienne’s crew are his original men from France – military trained merchants, dignitaries and disenchanted naval officers. However, the ship needs to maintain herself and that requires a crew of 250to manage in an adequate fashion, however a full complement aboard her would be 600.

Tromperie is operated with the same efficiency as a military vessel. New recruits are expected to have discipline, focus, a willingness to learn and an understanding of the Pirate Code. There are modifications to the Code aboard Tromperie that are discussed with those familiar prior to signing on – those with no familiarity with the code are inducted to it, as well as taught where basic pirate law and law aboard Tromperie differs.

Prior to being signed on, men ( and women, should they be so inclined ) are interviewed first by Evrart Regnault, the Quartermaster. After him, they are introduced to Julienne’s daughters, who will take turns asking questions – responses to their presence and them in general will weigh heavily on one’s approval aboard the vessel. After this, information is brought to Julienne and he will personally speak with each who have passed the preliminary portion. Generally upon making port, anywhere from fifty to a hundred will be interviewed, with perhaps ten making it aboard.

This can be straining after particularly horrific battles, but with the community aboard Tromperie it is absolutely essential. Julienne’s ship operates very much like a floating town, where everyone is quite familiar with everyone else after years of working together, and dispositions as well as skills need to be matched. Julienne can afford to be discerning, and as a result, he will be.

There are unique cases when rescued men and women from other vessels may appeal or be invited to stay aboard Tromperie as a result of their time aboard and the impressions that were either made upon them, or by them.

Uniform: 

Despite being pirates, Julienne’s crew is exceptionally distinctive in the fact that every man and woman aboard his ship wears something resembling a uniform. The base items are polished black boots, pale cream pants, and black shirts. ( These can be embellished as the crew members see fit, being as plain, as frilly, as open or as closed as they please. They must, however, be full sleeved – rolling to the elbow is permissible in high heat. Shirtlessness is only permissible at the captain’s decree – which is generally granted when becalmed or when the heat is truly unbearable. ) 

From this base, further embellishment is permitted in the form of red sashes or bandanas, black or red silk cravats and queues, and jewelry / hair beads of gold, brass or silver to as lavish an extent as each person pleases. Rings, bracelets, bangles, necklaces, earrings are all permitted, and there is no limit to a crew member’s artillery provided it does not clash with the aesthetic of the crew. 

Coats and cloaks for the crew must be black and plain. Only those of station are permitted to wear red coats or gold brocade on their over-wear during colder temperatures or ceremonial situations ( be they marriages / matelotages or the boarding of particular ships where a certain air of dramatic flare is encouraged – generally reserved for French ships, because these assholes are extra af ) Those permitted these extremities are:

• The Captain ( Also extending to his hat, which may be black with red plume for boarding, or red with black plume for ceremony )  
• The Quartermaster ( Red coat / gold brocade )
• Gunner & Sailing Masters ( Black coat, gold brocade )
• Division Heads ( Black cloak, red inner lining, gold trim )
• Captains Daughters ( Black cloaks, red trim / Red coats, black brocade )

Julienne’s previous first mate had himself a dalliance with a stowaway many moons past, resulting in a child born at sea that neither were prepared to deal with. To their surprise, Julienne offered to take her from their minds and concerns, and hold her as her own. They both agreed readily and, perhaps afraid he would change his mind at some point, deserted the ship when she next made port.

Dubbing the infant Aspasie, Julienne hired a midwife to join the ship until they next made berth in Muzillac, where his daughter was left with good friends to be kept safe. A ship was no place for an infant and he well knew it.

Two years later, Julienne returned with another child – this one his own, reputedly. There was no certainty of it, but he did not question the mother and simply accepted the burden. Named Andromède, she too was taken in by Julienne’s friends.

The couple were so well compensated that they eventually moved themselves, their two sons and two charges, to a well fortified village further inland to better ensure that none would question just where their money came from. Julienne visited one last time, with a daughter he knew for certain as his own, deemed Angelique.

Though he visited when he could, it was not until the girls were eleven, nine and six respectively that matters changed dramatically. Napoleonic rebels and royalists were up to devilry in Muzillac, and Julienne received an emergent missive from his friends informing him that they may no longer be safe in their village.  

Returning post haste, Julienne took the entire family upon his ship and fled them all across to England – where his friends and their sons disembarked, but his three daughters remained with him at their insistence. The girls were assigned to sailors familiar with Tromperie and her captain, and were taught the way of the ship.

For reference, Julienne’s daughters joined his crew as of Reckoning to be Reckoned, when he was thirty-five years old, and may be present in threads taking place in that verse, or any afterward.