Crews of Creation

Trierarch

The trierarch is absolute lord of the craft, giving orders and being followed in them. The surgeon, kubernetes and arms master answer directly to the trierarch.

• Surgeon: Considered an officer, the surgeon answers directly to the trierarch. The surgeon is in charge of disease prevention, general welfare and nearly every aspect of keeping the crew healthy.
  • Surgeon's Men: The surgeon's men answer directly to the surgeon and are in training to become surgeons themselves. They are basically journeyman surgeons.
  • Surgeon's Boy: The surgeon's boy is in charge of much of the drudgery of caring for the sick and wounded, including the clean-up. He, too, is in training to become a surgeon. He is basically an apprentice.
• Arms Master: The arms master is in charge of every weapon aboard the ship, keeping them locked in an arms locker in the companionway of the cargo deck, as well as personally maintaining the ship weapons. Though he takes orders from the kubernetes, the arms master technically answers directly to the trierarch. The weaponsmith and marine lieutenants answer to the arms master.
  • Weaponsmith: The weaponsmith answers to the arms master, and is directly responsible for maintaining and performing simple repairs on weapons. He also takes the responsibility for working with the purser when in dock for getting new arms at the cheapest price, while not sacrificing quality.
  • Marine Lieutenant: The lieutenants answer directly to the arms master and assist him in the upkeep of the ship's weapons. In actual battle, the lieutenants often oversee the reloading of the fire cannon; outside of battle, they often assist in drilling the sailors in preparation for combat.
    • Marine: The marines themselves are drilled in assisting in emergency situations aboard the ship and (of course) during combat, but other than that, they tend to spend their time either drilling in areas allotted to them belowdecks or performing upkeep on their equipment. Unfortunately, military men don't handle boredom well, so they also tend towards gambling and starting fights with one another or sailors (who tend to consider marines to be scoff-works anyway).

Kubernetes

The kubernetes is the first mate, the second-in-command who acts as the trierarch's right hand man. The kubernetes is also the pilot and navigator of the ship, overseeing all aspects of the ship's operation. He knows everything that is going on at any given time. The proreus, purser and kubernetes' man answer directly to the kubernetes.

• Kubernetes' Man/Men: The kubernetes' man (or men, in the case of large ships) assists the kubernetes in all things that he may require of him, in addition to learning the skills of being a successful kubernetes themselves. The kubernetes' man stands in watches opposite the kubernetes.
• Purser: The purser is in charge of the ship's finances and the ship's stores. He ensures that the ship is watered, and oversees provisioning. Pursers have reputations as men with canny accounting skills and underworld contacts.
  • Steward: The steward answers directly to the purser and assists the purser. He is also in charge of the ship's cook.
    • Cook: The cook for the ship, who prepares all the meals and tends to the cleanliness of the galley.

Proreus

The proreus is second mate, and in charge of the discipline on the ship, whether that means beating a shirker out of his bunk to take his turn at watch, flogging for theft or performing executions. Where the trierarch or kubernetes speaks the commands, it is the proreus whose voice is raised to make sure that the crew heard the command. The proreus' man, master of the tops, master of the bow, sailmaker and carpenter all answer to the proreus.

• Proreus' Man: Standing opposing watches to the proreus, the proreus' man is in training to one day hold the position of proreus, and is also known for being a harsh disciplinarian and loud-voiced.
  • Afterguard: The afterguard are the other sailors, who tend to those tasks that occupy the latter half of the ship. It isn't a lesser position – rather, it is the default job for a sailor unless he proves himself to be particularly inclined towards being a topsman or foremast jack. Topsmen and foremast jacks are sometimes given afterguard duties when additional men are needed.
• Master of the Tops: One of the most agile, nimble, skilled and likeable of the topsmen, the master of the tops is responsible for the smooth operation of the sails, answering to the proreus.
  • Topsmen: Topsmen spend most of their day in the air, going nearly the entirety of their shifts without actually touching the deck. They tend towards flamboyance and showmanship, often striving to outdo one another in aerial tricks.
• Master of the Bow: As the master of the tops oversees the topsmen, the master of the bow oversees the foremast jacks.
  • Foremast Jacks: Foremast jacks work the forward part of the ship. They are able seamen and in charge of mooring the vessel, as well as running the rigging in conjunction with the topsmen.
• Sailmaker: Answering to the proreus, the sailmaker tends to be a normal member of the crew who is also a skilled seamstress or tailor. In charge of the upkeep of the ship's suit (full set of sails), he is excused from other duties when the sails need looking after.
• Carpenter: The carpenter is one of the most important people during combat, as he is in charge of repairs.
  • Carpenter's Men: The carpenter's men provide assistance to the carpenter in his duties.