Building a Vessel

Series: world-building · Part 6

A vessel is a mobile island fragment — a ship with rooms of its own that carries travelers across the sea between realms. Building one is the act of launching something into the world that moves.

The guided flow

Vessel creation uses a step-by-step conversational flow. Each step is one command, one draft, one decision.

chart> create vessel

What class of vessel?
  [1] Dinghy (1 room, 1-2 passengers)
  [2] Sloop (2 rooms, 4-6 passengers)
  [3] Brigantine (3 rooms, 10-15 passengers)

> 2

Name your vessel:
> Nightjar

Draft ready:
  Vessel: Nightjar (sloop)
  Rooms: deck, cabin
  Berth: your-realm harbor

  Deck description:
    A narrow deck of salt-bleached planks. The tiller is lashed
    amidships. Coiled rope and a canvas tarp occupy the stern.

  Cabin description:
    A low cabin below the deck, barely tall enough to stand in.
    A hammock sways from the beams. A chart is pinned to the
    bulkhead with iron nails.

[a]ccept [e]dit [r]egenerate [t]weak

Accept the draft, and the vessel materialises at your harbor:

Launched: vessel:your-realm/nightjar at harbor
  2 rooms (deck, cabin), class: sloop, capacity: 6

Vessel rooms

A vessel’s rooms are authored like any other rooms. The deck is always present — it is where passengers board and where the pilot stands. Other rooms depend on the vessel class:

Class	Rooms	Character
Dinghy	deck	Fast, low, nearly invisible. The solo traveler’s choice.
Sloop	deck, cabin	The working vessel. Most pilots own one.
Brigantine	deck, hold, cabin	Status. Requires patronage or standing.

You can edit vessel rooms after creation — add details, change descriptions, place items. A vessel is your craft in both senses of the word.

Editing after launch

chart> describe nightjar/deck
  (Enter description. End with a blank line.)
  A narrow deck of salt-bleached planks. The tiller is lashed
  amidships. A lantern swings from the boom, casting unsteady
  light across the water.

  Description set for room:your-realm/nightjar/deck.

chart> add detail nightjar/deck lantern
  Added detail "lantern" to room:your-realm/nightjar/deck.

Vessels are entities like any other. They have rooms, details, items, and behaviour rules. The only difference is that they move.

Once your vessel exists, you can register as a pilot and set course for another realm — but that requires the sea layer and federation links, which come in later phases. For now, your vessel sits at harbor, waiting for the lanes to open.

Build it well. A vessel’s rooms are the world for everyone aboard during a crossing. Make the deck worth standing on.