The Graveyard Galleon

If there's one thing that is eternal on Isla de Oro, it is the ghastly Graveyard Galleon and her crew of undead and evil spirits. The ship itself lives up to her name, being a Spanish galleon turned ghost ship. Her appearance changes every day as the crew builds and rebuilds her. Yet this incredible warship is capable of more than what it seems, and her powerful rum engines are enough to take her to the skies.

History
There is no one true history of the Graveyard Galleon as a single vessel itself. The ship gets built from the hulls, masts, decks, and armaments of all the different ships that the pirates have taken down over the decades, and that have since ended up in the Boneyard due to the Quacken. Every night before midnight, the crew comes together to rebuild the ship from the rotten wood, and the Galleon never looks the same twice.

Despite there being no clear origin ship of the Graveyard Galleon, its creation can be narrowed down to a single moment in time: when Nukesquid became the original leader of the Nightwatch when the pirate republic of Puerto Dorado first formed. He requested a warship and a crew for him to captain, to protect the island and its seas in the name of Davy Jones. The Lord of the Deep quite happily agreed to the arrangement. It was then that the Graveyard Galleon rose from the depths of the Caribbean Sea for the first time.

Shortly after, Grim took over the helm. One of the longest-running Captains, he was a true pirate icon, and he led the ship with courage and ferocity that has rarely been seen since. With the help of Croco and Scourge, he is the one that gave the Galleon the rum engines that allow her to take flight. His knowledge of countless weapons and their uses, his blazing fierceness in battle, and his sheer insanity when it comes to tactics will be remembered through the ages. Yet all greatness comes to an end, and due to his duties as a Lord, he gave up his Captain's hat.

It was Jane Azarok Barnaby who took up the mantle of Dread Captain. She rose to the role like a natural and reshaped the crew, making them a cohesive and powerful unit of warriors like never before. Under her reign, the Graveyard Galleon flourished, and the ship was a true scourge. Tales of the vessel and her crew resounded through all seven seas, and their name is still uttered in hushed whispers now. After years of serving the crew with unwavering devotion, they stepped back.

When Barnaby stepped down, it was Raven Ivanof who stepped up. Under the necromancer's rule -- who was made entirely out of black metal bones -- black magic and questionable ethics flourished. The boundaries of what was natural and what was allowed were pushed and moved. The crew became even more ferocious and powerful, a threat in battle like never before. Eventually, after several years, he stepped down as well.

It was then that Jane Azarok Barnaby stepped back up, reclaiming the Galleon as hers. With Azarok at their side, she commanded the Galleon with the confidence that came from experience. The crew responded in kind, bringing out everything they had inside them and more. They continued to protect the island with the fierceness of a mother bear protecting her cubs and the insanity of an undead that has nothing left to lose but the week's entertainment. They soon became the scourge of the high seas once again, feared all around. Until Barnaby was killed in duty by the Jester.

Maude Carter took her place, changing the tone of the crew and the ship drastically. The time for play was over: there was work to be done. Artillery batteries were built, defences were fortified, and bigger cannons were dived up from the Boneyard. The crew worked hard, with renewed vigour. Security of the island has never been better, even if the Dread Captain has never been more heartless.

The Nightwatch
Having died at sea and drawn the attention of Davy Jones himself, these powerful warriors have been raised from the dead to protect Isla de Oro. While most are undead, some are spirits cursed with immortality. None are able to escape their duty unless the Lord of the Deep himself lets them, and he is known to be a cruel master. Some spent the rest of their days struggling against his control, whereas others accept it and try their best to appease him.

The members of the Graveyard Galleon are forced to work seven days a week, twelve hours a day, between midnight and noon, sailing the Galleon to patrol the high seas around Isla de Oro, as well as patrolling the streets of Puerto Dorado and the sprawling wilderness of the island. They are there to ensure no threats get through; if any do, they are dispatched swiftly. They fight without fear of pain or death and oftentimes throw themselves into battle with manic fervour, eager for some entertainment even if it ends in bloody death.

While all Nightwatch members are enhanced to be superior in terms of combat and being general guardians, their existence has a lot of drawbacks as well. With their souls sold to Davy Jones, they have no chance at an afterlife. The curse they have is often ruthless as well and brings as many drawbacks as it brings strengths. Iron, sage, and salt are some of the reverents' worst enemies. Anything meant to cleanse, purify, or ward off evil will harm them.

Since they are either immortal or undead, the Nightwatch can't be killed by conventional means. Still, they can be incapacitated. If draugur, lichs, or vampires are decapacitated, or skeletons have all their bones shattered, they are essentially unconscious and 'dead' until they are healed or regenerated, which can take hours up to days. Wraiths are the only ones somewhat exempt from this, but they have such a large amount of things that can ward them off that it's possible to be safe from them if you come prepared.

There are a few special substances that have been created for the undead to make their lives a little easier -- or to deal with them more effectively. One of the former is Dead Man's Test, a drink developed by Cenwyn Ivanof using berries from the Dead Forest. It's a kind of poison strong enough to be alcohol for the undead, and temporarily gives them all their senses back, allowing them to feel as if alive. An alteration of this is Dead Man's Rest, made by Luxor Jones, which is Test mixed with other ingredients to essentially form a deadly, fast-acting poison to knock undead such as vampires, draugur, and lichs unconscious. Both drinks are lethal to the living, even if just a few drops.

Skeletons
Skeletons are made entirely of bones, animated by magic. They have lost all their senses but sight and hearing, both of which are strongly enhanced. Since they feel no pain or exhaustion, they can keep going forever, making them excellent Watchpeople and fighters. However, their lack of almost everything is something many of them find monotonous, and they often get lost in dissociation.

Over time, skeletons have formed their own language, which consists of bone rattling, jaw clacking, and spine cracking. The noises are difficult to differentiate for outsiders, but the undead can hold entire conversations without ever speaking a word. New undead are taught this language over time.

Most of the skeletons had their sentience taken away from Jones or lost it over the aeons, but a select few holds onto it. Those mindless skeletons are able to communicate in the undead language, and can follow commands, but they cannot reason for themselves. They are convenient workers and make up the majority of the crew.

With enough practice and skill, the sentient skeletons are able to learn how to control several bodies. By taking several bones and sticking them in a milk vat to grow a spare skeleton (a common practice in case the main skeleton gets destroyed during Watch), they can essentially create duplicates of themselves. However, they split their consciousness between their bodies too, which is something mortal minds aren't meant for. For this reason, most skeletons are only capable of controlling one or two skeletons at once.

Did you know?
 * Since skeletons cannot swim, they often resort to awkwardly crab-walking along the sea floor to get back to shore.
 * There is a drink called Dead Man's Test that allows skeletons to temporarily regain their senses as if alive. A main ingredient is the lethal berries from the Dead Forest. The drink is lethal to the living.
 * The skeleton equivalent of energy drink is skelly juice. Highly toxic to the living, this stimulant will give skellies one hell of a boost at a good dosis, although it's always followed by a crash afterwards.
 * Skellies can use illusions to appear like they did when they were alive. However, any investigation beyond a cursory glance will reveal the illusion as a fake.

Strengths:
 * No pain
 * No exhaustion
 * Highly enhanced vision (seeing further and in pitch black)
 * Highly enhanced hearing (hearing better and in a far larger range)
 * Enhanced strength
 * Can heal damage quite readily with calcium
 * Can have and control several bodies at once, limited by the skill of the wielder (often to 1-2)

Weaknesses:
 * No sense of touch and no sense of smell or taste except blood and rot
 * Prone to dissociation and memory loss
 * Blunt damage will wreak havoc on their bones, as will explosives and large calibre bullets
 * Acid will melt their bones
 * Poison mixed well with milk gets absorbed by their bones on touch
 * Loud noises and bright lights can overwhelm their sensitive senses
 * 'Heavy' dairy such as cream is essentially a sedative
 * If you deprive them of calcium for long enough, they are unable to regenerate damaged bones, and in later stages, they will be sluggish and in constant pain, until they are unable to move at all

Vampires
Vampires look quite similar to humans, except they have crimson eyes and sharp fangs. They live off of the blood of the living, which they crave. They have enhanced strength, speed, and stamina, their fingers turn into claws, and their sense of smell, sight, and hearing are unparalleled. They are perfect night hunters. But they often struggle to control their monstrous nature, and their enhanced senses can be their downfall.

Everything about vampires is made to kill. From their hands which can transform into elongated claws, teeth that become needle-like fangs, eyes that can pierce perfect darkness, ears that can pick up the panicked heartbeat of someone hiding nearby, and noses that can pick up the scent of blood from a fifty yards away. Their reflexes are lightning quick. Still, vampires are ambush predators. They prefer to stalk, to use the cover of darkness to their advantage, and then lay in wait until the perfect moment. Then, in a brief but explosive show of power, they take down their prey, draining them of blood. They often have little issue taking down humans, given their superior strength and speed.

A feral vampire is one of the most terrifying things a human could possibly face. Reduced to nothing but their killer instincts, these vampires have their minds on only one thing: blood. This state can be reached if they are sufficiently provoked or deprived of food, and getting them out of it without copious amounts of blood is incredibly difficult. The Galleon has several protective measures on board just in case any of its vampire members lose their sanity temporarily, even if none of them has blood themselves.

Did you know?
 * The thirstier or more upset a vampire is, the more they struggle to control their appearance, and the more their monstrous side shows. Their eyes will glow fiercely, their fingers will become claws, and hisses will accentuate their words.
 * If vampires drink the blood of someone that's intoxicated or under the influence of a substance or poison, they will then be poisoned as well.
 * Vampires function by turning the life force within blood into energy, which then allows them to continue to exist. The blood then actually enters their bloodstream as well, which can sometimes make them feel warm for a little while after a good feeding.
 * On land, vampires need to be officially invited before they can enter someone's home, or else they can't cross the treshold. It will feel like walking into an invisible wall. Leaving a door or window open counts as an invitation.

Strengths:
 * Highly enhanced hearing
 * Enhanced sight
 * Highly enhanced sense of smell
 * Highly enhanced reflexes, speed, and strength, albeit in small bursts
 * Natural weapons such as claws and fangs
 * Incredibly fast regeneration of injuries, depending on how well-fed they are. Small cuts close within minutes, broken bones mend within hours, and missing limbs regrow over the span of days to weeks depending on the size. The more injuries, the longer it takes

Weaknesses:
 * Bright light, especially daylight, is painful to their sensitive eyes
 * Loud sounds hurt them due to their sensitive hearing
 * Wood causes additional burning, especially fresh wood full of sap. Fresh plants, in general, burn them due to the sap
 * The scent of garlic is absolutely terrible to them
 * Silver burns them as well. They cannot be seen in mirrors since mirrors were made with silver
 * Afraid of fire and burnt badly by it
 * Compelled by spiritual beliefs of any kind, so long as the person believes strongly. Crucifixes, Bible verses, holy water, etc. all hurt if the person who uses them believes in them, but so do things from other religions
 * Their stamina is quite limited since they're ambush predators mainly
 * Unstoppable bloodlust. If deprived of blood long enough, they will go feral and attack anything that moves

Lichs
Lichs are undead shapechangers, using magic to alter their appearance and voice to take on new personalities and identities. They learn tricks from one another to better manipulate people and make them do what they want, either by carrot or by stick. These sly and clever reverents might lack the special strength and abilities other undead have, but they're the only ones able to closely resemble the living.

Although no two lichs are the same in the method they use, they are bound to the same magic. Although they can change the colour of their skin, eyes, and hair, as well as their length and body shape, their amount of limbs and the arrangement stays the same. Their senses remain the same as well. Thus they stay always humanoid, assuming they were humanoid before they were bound in service to Davy Jones. Clothing and weaponry does not change with them; they can only alter their body.

Lichs can fill a whole variety of roles. They can help out with diplomacy in ways the overly aggressive vampires and the creepy wraiths can't, or help settle on trade deals and accords with factions who refuse to meet with skeletons. But they can also be rogues and spies, using their abilities to infiltrate and be successful at stealth. To many, it's a game how much they can pull off without being detected.

Did you know?
 * A lot of lichs have a flair for theatrics, and they'll often hold little plays for one another where they'll go all out with their performances to try to outdo one another. The other lichs are the judges, and the competition is cutthroat. The punishment for losing is decided by the other party and almost no bars are held.
 * Although a few of the lichs like to charms to get their way out of situations, most prefer pure intimidation and fright. They spend a long time practising to be as menacing as possible without having to utter threats or show weapons. Davy Jones is their idol in that regard.
 * In their natural form, and the form they take on when they've been "killed" / incapacitated, they resemble a pale, zombie-like version of their living self, with colourless eyes and wiry grey hair.

Strengths:
 * Able to change their appearance and voice at will
 * Experts at manipulating people
 * Unlike most undead, they can touch, smell, and taste
 * Can also appear as other reverents, like draugur, vampires, and particularly corporeal wraiths

Weaknesses:
 * Burnt by silver
 * Tin stops their ability to shapechange
 * They have sight/hearing comparable to humans
 * Can still feel pain as normal
 * They require normal human food to function, albeit in smaller amounts, so they often eat from the skeletons' rations

Draugur
Draugur are guardians raised from the dead with one purpose: to protect Davy Jones' property. These powerful warriors have enhanced strength and stamina, with poisonous blood they smear onto their blades. While they can feel pain, they can't smell or taste, and their body is rotten and hideous, similar to a zombie's, and they crave the flesh of the living. Their sense of duty is stronger than other Nightwatch reverents as well.

Originally, draugur are undead that have returned to life to guard something important, often their barrow or some sort of treasure. Their entire existence revolves around protecting this one location. Davy Jones took this aspect of theirs and twisted it, making it so that their barrow is the entirety of Isla de Oro. They have the strongest sense of duty out of all the Nightwatch, and will fight fiercely to protect 'their treasure'.

Yet for all their duty, honour and morality are not exactly something that applies to them. Most draugur are envious of the living, or plain furious that they get to be alive and beautiful while they are dead and rotten. This gives them a cruel streak, which often results in them daring each other into increasingly more dangerous and nasty stunts. They like to apply their own black, rotten blood to their weapons to ensure their victims' wounds get badly infected, often lay nefarious traps, and will try to let their targets get away alive if they can -- only to die a few days later due to their injuries.

Did you know?
 * While draugur originate from Norse regions, Davy Jones has raised them from all cultures, resulting in quite the motley crew of reverents.
 * Just like the skeletons, they're able to regain their senses as if they were alive by drinking a substance called Dead Man's Test. However, it's only temporary and can get them drunk.
 * Draugur can be quite the rowdy bunch. Their drinking nights are some of the wildest nights that the Galleon sees.

Strengths:
 * Enhanced strength
 * Highly enhanced stamina (can keep fighting for hours and hours)
 * Enhanced eyesight (can see in the dark)
 * Rotten blood that can be applied to weapons or used as poison
 * Quite sturdy and can take a lot of hits
 * Can regenerate injuries such as cuts, broken bones, and even missing limbs, but it takes hours up to days

Weaknesses:
 * Not always very quick due to their rotten bodies
 * Afraid of fire and burnt badly by it
 * No sense of smell or taste, except for blood and flesh
 * Craving for flesh, an always-present hunger
 * Very emotionally attached to 'their burrow' and can be overly aggressive towards perceived threats
 * Can feel pain, even if they are used to it
 * The regeneration of injuries depends on how well-fed they are. Deprive them of food and they are unable to regenerate. With enough deprivation, they will go into a feral rage, trying to eat anything that even vaguely resembles food
 * Some draugur hate their rotten and disfigured appearance, to the point of avoiding mirrors like the plague and attacking people for commenting on it

Wraiths
Wraiths are evil spirits with unfinished business in the realm of the living. They are able to blend with the shadows, the only thing standing out their glowing green eyes. They live off of fear and negative emotions, though they can survive off of positive ones. They have sensitive hearing and a sixth sense for emotions but are quite sensitive to daylight, and salt and iron burn them.

A notable feature of wraiths is that they are capable of blending into the shadows, melting into them as if becoming one with them. This makes them essentially invisible so long as they stand still or move slowly, and no one scrutinises the shadows too closely. They can close their glowing green eyes to make their disguise complete and fully hide in the darkness.

Wraiths are true terrors. Nothing is as delicious to them as true, unbridled emotion. Especially fear and anger are sought-after flavours, although some like the taste of paranoia, shame, guilt, and others as well. While they cannot affect the emotions of their victims through magic, they can still attack them, jeer at them, lay traps, and use illusions to get the desired effect. Then once the emotions are at their highest, they get close and essentially "inhale" them, turning them into magical energy.

Did you know?
 * A few wraiths try to be 'vegans' and live off of positive emotions such as happiness, but those wraiths are few and far between.
 * Since the wraiths have so many issues with the magical properties of plants, one of their favourite places to be is actually the Badlands -- albeit at night. Its complete deadness is perfect for them.
 * Although they have been strictly forbidden from feeding off of the people of Puerto Dorado, they still regularly sneak into the town to feed off of the fear of the townsfolk's nightmares.

Strengths:
 * Able to blend into the shadows when standing still / moving slowly
 * Basic illusions, visual and auditory only, nothing too large
 * Able to see in the darkness
 * Doesn't experience physical pain except by specific substances
 * Incredibly stealthy
 * Able to devour emotions

Weaknesses:
 * Incredibly sensitive to light in general, but especially daylight
 * Burnt by iron, salt, sage, eucalyptus, peppermint, sandalwood, and many more
 * Hurt by chiming bells. The sound causes physical pain
 * Warded off by lilac, mugwort, patchouli, pennyroyal, thistle, yarrow, and many more
 * They don't really have a sense of smell or taste, although they swear that emotions have flavour
 * If deprived of sustenance long enough, the wraiths become weaker and weaker and eventually go catatonic
 * They can't steal the emotions from someone protected with lead or other protective charms

Appearance
No two nights is the Graveyard Galleon the same. Before midnight, it gets rebuilt by the Nightwatch. Due to them using the same base as a Spanish galleon, it's always eighty-five metres (280ft) long, but its number of decks varies between four large ones and three massive ones. The number of masts changes as well, sometimes being four large and sometimes three huge. It has some of the largest guns of the fleet, bearing up to forty-four 24-pounders, and has two gun decks.

Being a true ghost ship, the Graveyard Galleon has rotten black wood, her sails are in tatters with large tears in them, and her cannons are rusted. Whatever holes are left in her hull, an eerie blueish glow covers up, filling in the gaps and making the vessel sea-worthy. The inside looks ghostly and translucent, coloured the same light blue as the light. This glow can be diminished and even vanish to ensure stealth at night.

Her armaments are a curious collection of massive cannons, quick swivel guns, and several ancient ballistae and trebuchets. The knowledge of how to use the latter is passed on through the undead, and most of the Nightwatch knows how to use the weapons, which are proudly displayed on the main deck.

Abilities

 * Ghost ship Despite having holes in the hull and tatters in the sails, the Graveyard Galleon can sail as well as any Spanish galleon, if not better.
 * Flight Thanks to her powerful rum engines, the Galleon is capable of flying up to twenty knots.
 * Teleportation In extremely rare cases, the Galleon is able to teleport up to five hundred metres.

Other information

 * The Graveyard Galleon is the oldest ship in the fleet and has undergone the fewest changes. It has almost never changed in lore, Captain, or symbol. That is where the slogan "Galleon eternal" comes from.
 * The Nightwatch used to be the moderators when the Americans were offline, even though the crew was known for being rather chaotic and full of troublemakers.
 * Back in the day, people could only be crewed to the Galleon if they were active between midnight and 7 am EST. That was later changed to midnight and noon EST, which was quite a big deal, and the biggest lore change to the Galleon yet. At this point, every recruit had to be killed and turned into a skelly to join as well.
 * The next change came when the recruitment restrictions based on timezone were lifted entirely, although the flavour of working twelve hours a day remained.
 * The most recent change is the addition of four new races that members of the Nightwatch can choose to be upon joining the crew, and is the largest change of lore to date, with the addition of two entirely new creatures to the setting (albeit technically historical/mythological but altered).