Ducal Navy

Greyhawk Organization

Ducal Navy
Type:	Military
Headquarters:	Leukish
Allies:	House Kaste House Kilbourne
Enemies:	Rivalry with the Ducal Guard

The Ducal Navy’s task is to ensure the safety of the Duchy of Urnst and protect the ships of the merchant houses on the Nyr Dyv and its tributaries.

In the Living Greyhawk campaign, the duchy's national navy was originally only lore or background information developed through 593 CY (2003), but was later developed into a meta-organization player characters could join. The organization was first previewed as a meta-org in 2005-2006 and became available to players in 2007.

Members

Notable individuals

• Fleet Admiral Tirrek Mourine—commands the Nyrstran fleet
• Fleet Admiral Gervrin Wern—commands the Leukish fleet.
• Admiral Rivan Lourik—based in Leukish and operates the Duchy of Urnst Naval Academy, the Docks of Leukish and the supplies.
• Admiral Tellor Kaste—"naval hero" and a legend in the navy.

Headquarters

The navy maintains two major ports, at Leukish and Nyrstran, each with the capability to "service the ships and have the supplies on hand to quickly build another eight ships should the replacements become needed."

Structure

Ranks

Members of the Ducal Navy are broadly grouped into one of four categories:

Officers

Fleet Admiral

Admiral of the Leukish fleet and Admiral of the Nyrstran fleet, who each command all the ships based in their respective ports.

Admiral

In addition to other duties, some admirals run operations like the Duchy of Urnst Naval Academy, individual docks, or ports.

Post Captain

Post Captains hold a permanent command, earning the Navy’s respect. They are typically assigned to Greatships or Dromonds, signifying their high status. Insignia: A Rampant Golden Bear on Crossed Anchors on a Silver Six Pointed Star bearing a Trident.

Commander (Captain)

Commanders have earned the rank to captain a ship but must apply to the Admiralty, often facing delays or temporary assignments. Captains hold absolute authority over their vessel and crew, whether at sea or in port. Leadership styles vary from harsh warriors to empathetic leaders, though some captains have bought their commissions, often to the detriment of their crew in battle. Insignia: A Rampant Golden Bear on Crossed Anchors on a Silver Six Pointed Star.

Lieutenant

Enforces the Captain’s orders and oversee daily operations aboard a ship. Each manages a watch or the Marine contingent, with one designated as First Lieutenant, who outranks the others. They may also serve as temporary captains of prize ships until reaching port. Insignia: A Rampant Golden Bear on Crossed Anchors on a Silver Triangle.

Ensign

The lowest officers in the Ducal Navy, are recent graduates of the Navy Academy in Leukish. They have minimal responsibilities, focusing on learning and furthering their education. Insignia: Anchor and a Rampant Golden Bear on a Silver Triangle.

Spell Casters

Senior Caster

Senior Casters are experienced spellcasters placed on front-line ships like Greatships or Dromonds. They command Ship Arcanists and Ship Priests, and although they hold a rank similar to an Ensign, they don’t command Sailors or Marines. Their expertise makes them valuable advisers to the Captain. Insignia: Three stars forming a triangle, broad side down, with a larger star in the center over an Anchor.

Ship Arcanist

Ship Arcanists, usually present on every ship (with more on larger vessels), use their magic in various ways, including espionage, deception, manipulation of enemy tactics, and combat spells. They also serve as advisers, particularly against enemy spellcasters, and are highly respected by the crew for their expertise. Insignia: none

Ship Priest

Ship Priests serve dual roles: during peaceful times, they counsel the crew, lead prayers to Xerbo, and seek Osprem's support. In battle, they heal the crew, repair the ship, and invoke divine wrath on enemies. After the Temple Coalition Revolt, their numbers dwindled, making them highly sought after by captains. Insignia: Holy Symbol of their god

Marines

Marine Sargent

Marine Sergeants lead the Marine contingent on a ship, providing leadership during battles and ensuring the protection of the Captain and staff from potential insurrection. Insignia: Crossed Cutlasses

Marine

The Marines, while a small portion of the Ducal Navy, are the core of boarding parties, specializing in combat and handling the heaviest fighting during battles. Paid directly by the Admiralty, they maintain high morale regardless of the crew’s. Though primarily fighters, their ranks also occasionally include barbarians, rangers, and paladins. Insignia: Cutlass

Sailors

Senior Mate

The Senior Mate, second only to the Captain, is crucial to a ship's operation. Highly skilled and knowledgeable, they efficiently delegate tasks to Mates and motivate the crew to ensure everything runs smoothly. The Senior Mate is at home on any vessel, navigating the Nyr Dyv or other deep waters of Oerth. Insignia: Knotted Rope & Star on a silver triangle

Mate

Mates oversee specific duties aboard the ship, with most being Boatswains who manage every ten Deckhands, ensuring tasks are completed (often with a knotted rope). Other specialists, like Artillerists, Blacksmiths, and Carpenters, handle their respective roles, with Artillerists supervising siege engines. Insignia: Knotted Rope on a silver triangle.

Deckhand

The majority of the Ducal Navy consists of Deckhands, who often serve as oarsmen on galleys. While pressed into service at times, they generally learn to accept their role. Deckhands eagerly anticipate shore leave, enjoying the vibrant ports of Leukish, Nyrstran, and Radigast City, where merchants, taverns, and entertainment await. Insignia: none

Resources

Ships

Only four of the following ships, Black Swan, Lady of Sculdan, Right of Savode, and River Jumper, were available for player characters to crew in the Living Greyhawk campaign.

Some details changed between 2003-2006, including publication of Stormwrack (WotC, 2005), from which details for the types of ships were taken. Also, ship captains were given more specific rank rather than simply titled "Captain".

Ships in the Ducal Navy in spring 596 CY.

Admiral	Type	Name	Captain	Port
Admiral Tirrek Mourine	Greatship	The Regal Falcon	Post Captain Mariel von Grox	Nyrstran
	Greatship	The Jeweled Dragon	Post Captain Justinian Teranin
	Greatship	The Silver Gull	Post Captain Grannt Emil
	Dromond	Black Swan	Post Captain Karter Kaste
	Galley	The Ruby Steed	Post Captain Karll Maulin
	Caravel	The Noble Unicorn	Commander Verlin Keeve
	Pinnace	The Honorable Eagle	Commander Rillin Toulan
	Trireme	The Storm of Nystran	Commander Baolin du Sete
	Trireme	The Lady of Sculdan	Commander Melin Meissel
	Longship	Wind Dancer	Commander Remilan von Mossberg
Admiral Gervin Wern	Greatship	The Golden Serpent	Post Captain Erlis Reede	Leukish
	Greatship	The Marching Bear	Post Captain Drevis Kilbourne
	Dromond	The River of Palten	Post Captain Arton Kaste
	Dromond	The Hull of Molk	Post Captain Joln Wilhelm
	Trireme	The Mine of Koken	Post Captain Revin Kaste
	Pinnace	The Honor of Hellstein	Commander Kurkin Morris
	Trireme	The Oars of Eschen	Commander Raxon Maulin
	Trireme	The Glory of Seltaren	Commander Gilonian von Reule
	Trireme	The Right of Savode	Commander Balis Grek
	Trireme	The Helm of Altenmaure	Commander Kerrik Pelavin
	Trireme	The Wave of Kehle	Commnader Delvin Mossine
	Trireme	The Shield of Seren	Commander Nerrik Welmen
	Trireme	The Spear of Leukish	Command Elidov Mentin
	Trireme	The Force of Bessenland	Commander Anex du'Sey
	Longship	Storm Chaser	Commander Elsper Kaste (female)
	Longship	River Jumper	Commander Merin Farhair (halfling)
	Longship	Wave Runner	Commander Korl von Her
The names above are transcribed directly from the original source. However, by naval custom, "the" is not part of a ship's proper name, though it is often used informally The table makes clear when a definite article is or is not used with a ship's name informally.

Creative origins

The Ducal Navy meta-organization for Living Greyhawk was originally created by Bryan Kelley and Brad Street. It was later edited in 2006 (ver. 1.1) by Denise Mauldin and George Rashi.

References

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic	Type	Description	Product	Page/Card/Image