Jolly Froyalaner
 Just another hull in the intrigue-ridden seas of Micras. | |
| Type | Coastal Merchant Vessel |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |
 Jingdao |
| Used by |
 Guttulipreviously  Los Liberados |
| Owner | Unknown |
| Operator | Octavian Import-Export Corporation (suspected) |
| Crew | Unknown - reports state between 10-15 |
| Length | 38m |
| Beam | 6.5m |
| Draught | 2m |
| Depth | 6.2m |
| Propulsion | 3x All-Garden Pyroenergetics Complex turbo biodiesels |
| Speed | Unknown - believed in excess of 25 knots |
| Armament |
- 4x laser optics dazzlers |
The MV Jolly Froyalaner is a small merchant vessel of some 100 displaced tons operating in the seas between Benacia and Apollonia; a rake-bowed coaster most often seen off the Eastern Guttuli Protectorate. The owner, operator or flag state of the vessel - which has been subject to numerous modifications - have not been definitively identified, despite much rumour and speculation.
History
The original hull and superstructure of the Jolly Froyalaner resembles a Jingdaoese fishing vessel of the type prevalent in Carama Bay, presumably spending its early life in that capacity. The manner in which it passed out of Jingdaoese usage is unclear; whether wrecked, sold, deposited in one of the many ship-breaking yards of the Raynor Sea or some combination thereof, its first confirmed sighting was in Los Liberados in 1669 as a beached hulk on the foreshore near Puerto Arcadio, attended upon by a gang of Liberadosan labourers under the apparent guidance of skilled fabricators with heavy Nova English accents. Over the course of the year the hull was repaired and repainted, followed by a removal of the uppermost superstructure including the wheelhouse. In its place was added a telescopic mast topped with a multi-lensed, free-training optical device alongside a forest of radio antennae.
During this period the vessel was refloated and moved to a dedicated berth in Puerto Arcadio proper where it remained for several weeks before disappearing, eventually re-emerging in the Liberadosan colony of Corcovado where it was particularly active during the Haifan Civil War; thereafter it plied an irregular route between Corcovado, Los Liberados proper and indeterminate destinations in Western Eura. According to those few stevedores who could present a credible story of having dealt with the vessel, its main cargoes during that time were high-value items sought by the Octavian Import-Export Corporation, particularly rare-micras metals, for safe delivery to the Iron Company shipping hub at Puerto Arcadio.
In late 1674 the vessel made an abrupt and unexpected passage westwards from Los Libarados. After some weeks it appeared at Torpentus Creek in the Eastern Guttuli Protectorate, on the tidal wharf of a fishing village where it appeared visibly battered by its 15,000km voyage. Its crew, to the delight of the local population, offered substantial amounts of Kalgarrand bullion coinage for materials to repair the vessel and duly attracted some measure of 'protection' from local authorities.
In 1677 the Jolly Froyalaner was intercepted by the Navy of Ransenar on passage toward the Guttuli Protectorate and revealed to be smuggling arms in defiance of a Raspur Pact blockade. It returned to Torpentus Creek without its cargo after negotiations for its release by the Octavian Import-Export Corporation.
Characteristics
Initially thought to be registered in Stormark on account of its name and its flying of the Storish flag, the Jolly Froyalaner has since been spotted using the flags of other states such as Alrig, Phinbella, almost all of the Vulture States and even Çeridgul. The vessel's movements in and out of port are rarely seen by the casual observer as they usually occur in middle of the night during times of inclement or even violent weather - mariners in Corcovado during the Jolly Froyalaner's time there spoke variously with admiration or disdain for the vessel's crew and their habit of putting to sea in such conditions, as a mark of either masterful seamanship or foolish recklessness.
Of the Jolly Froyalaner's crew themselves, little is known except that they come from a multitude of nations; accents as varied as Liberadosan, Nova English, Constancian, Raspurid, Batavian, Norestrian and even the unlikely strains of the landlocked Kalgachi have been heard from them. Although seen to socialise among themselves in public venues, these men reveal nothing about their work and tend not to associate with others. The few occasions when they have been pressed on their business have invariably resulted in a display of military grade hand-to-hand combat skill which has caused most casual challengers to leave them alone. The profusion of optical and electronic fittings on the vessel, along with an exhaust plume diffuser of the type used to reduce infrared signature and a better-than-average hull condition overall, have provoked suggestions from more educated quarters that one or more 'state actors' have an interest in its operation.
Ships sailing in close proximity to the Jolly Froyalaner have occasionally experienced anomalous behaviour from their radio and radar equipment. The Jolly Froyalaner rarely uses an AIS transponder and when it does, the resulting telemetry often diverges considerably from the vessel's actual status. Reports of "teleporting supertankers" and other shape-shifting contacts on regional VTS systems are roughly correlated with periods when the Jolly Froyalaner is known to be at sea. It has even been suggested that multiple, identical Jolly Froyalaners are operating in the region; while this would explain the vessel's regular re-appearance in port despite the claims of regional powers to have sunk it, the phenomenon may be little more than the self-spoofing of a single vessel to surrounding sensor systems.
