Skald Longship

Longships are a type of ship invented and used by Skald sailors and raiders for commerce, exploration, and warfare since the Age of Dawning. The longship has evolved over many centuries, and was based on the earlier faering boat, which was made to hold only around 20 passengers, whereas the longship can hold around 60 to 80 passengers.

Design
Standard longships follow a simple design developed in 608 (Age of Dawning) that has been the basis of all Skald ships, as well as many other cultures, including the Arenese and Tavini. Longboats are fastened with a cord, not nailed, and paddled, not rowed. Their single mast is much larger than the average boat's, in order to pick up speed for ramming, and can be easily angled by a series of ropes and pulleys on either end of the ship. The largest longships can reach lengths of 120 feet long, and reaching 20 to 30 feet in width. Unlike most boats, they are set very low in the water, which helps when trying to avoid detection in fog and under the shade of night. One of the longship's most distinctive features is it's two-prong cutaway section.

Many longships are decorated with carvings of Dracae heads on the bow and stern, and rows of painted round shields often adorn the sides of the boat, though this practice was initially to provide cover from projectiles aimed at the sailors aboard.

Notable Longships
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