El Nallojal was the navy of Calimshan.[1]
Organization[]
The lowest ranking officers of el Nallojal had the title of amhir and served as commanders.[4][5] The captain of a ship had the title of rysal.[4][5] Fleet admirals were titled ralbahr.[4][5] An amhir was at first considered part of the lower class,[4] while those holding the other two ranks were considered a part of the upper class of Calimshan.[4][5] By 1374 DR, amhirs were treated as nobles as well.[5]
Naval uniforms were colored bright pink and yellow. Sailors in el Nallojal wore keffiyeh with fish-shaped badges on them. Marines wore cork helmets with brass rims covered in turbans. The rysals wore special plumed turbans.[6]
Members of el Nallojal had equal social standing in Calimshan with members of the other military forces, although some sultans and traders whose financial stability depended on the sea granted more standing to the navy.[7]
In the capital city of Calimport, troublemakers in Armada Ward were known to be arrested and press-ganged into service as sailors in the navy, forced to serve three-month tours of duty.[8]
In 1370 DR, the head of el Nallojal was Syl-Ralbahr Mond el Vitendi, Sultan of Teshburl, a personal friend of Syl-Pasha Ralan el Pesarkhal. Sultan Mond was advised by Vizar Apu el Jhodan, his former cabin boy.[2] Syl-Ralbahr Vitendi answered to Sultan Fahd el Pesarkhal who was the supreme commander of all the armed forces of Calimshan under his father.[8]
Base of Operations[]
The primary docks for el Nallojal were located in the port town of Teshburl,[2][9] but by the late 14th century DR, all of the Calishite port cities had special piers and wharves for the ships of the navy, and at least a dozen vessels were always moored in each. More than 30 ships were docked in the cities of Almraiven, Calimport, Memnon, and Teshburl.[1] Memnon served as the base for the scouting and advance forces of the navy.[10]
Sailors and marines of el Nallojal were quartered in buildings known as sadidah within port districts of Calishite cities.[11]
Decorations[]
El Nallojal awarded decorations to its troops and sailors who had demonstrated bravery or other favorable things, such as simply surviving a conflict. Known decorations in order of increasing prestige included:[12]
- Sword of the Syl-Pasha — an embroidered badge awarded for being wounded
- Howl of the Black Horde — an embroidered badge awarded for skill during training
- Chains of Harakhti — an embroidered badge awarded for service in a battle
- Torch of the Seven Burnings — an embroidered badge awarded for service in a campaign
- Axe of Shanatar — an embroidered badge
- Eye of the Beholder — an embroidered badge
- Quarrel of the Night — an embroidered badge
- Fire of Memnon — a reddish gold sash
- Breath of Calim — a silvery-gold sash
History[]
The navy was first formed in the Second Age of Calimshan during the Tavihr Dynasty, circa −2600 DR, when the reed boats used for trade along the coasts were converted into vessels of war and used to spread the empire.[13]
When that dynasty fell in −2381 DR,[14] the use of boats for war had fallen into disuse, but the practice was started again around −1150 DR during the time of the Drakhon Dynasty in the Third Age,[15][3] being commissioned by Syl-Pasha Kamal el Drakhon.[3] The Imperial Navy grew to control the Shining Sea[3] and the entire Lake of Steam region[15] at that time, and this naval domination lasted for 700 years.[15] The navy also aided in transporting troops quickly in the war against the beholders of the Alimir Mountains.[15][3]
El Nallojal was also responsible for the spread of the empire during its "colonial era" in the Fourth Age. During this time period, the ships of the navy were being made with wood instead of bundles of reed, and this technological advancement allowed Calimshan to reach as far as Chult and Tashalar for trade.[16]
The navy had a surge in growth during the reign of Empress Shoon V, giving the Imperium more control over the Chultan Peninsula.[17]
The Calishite navy was once the empire's greatest strength, but it fell apart over time.[7] After a long period of nonexistence, el Nallojal was re-founded by Pasha Rashid el Djenispool,[1] in the mid-14th century,[7][18] and he took great pride in it. His successor, Ralan el Pesarkhal, saw it only as a tool to consolidate his power in the region,[1] but it had grown large enough by the time of his rule to worry nations even in the Western Heartlands and the North,[7] reaching over 150 ships.[2]
In 1360 DR, what was to be the flagship of the navy, the great Pasha's Palace, a warship 1,000 feet long and 100 feet wide, was sunk on its maiden voyage 90 miles southeast of Volothamp by a kraken. El Nallojal took more than ten years to recover from this loss.[19]
After the discovery of Maztica by Amn, el Pesarkhal sent at least six naval ships per year to try to claim land on that great continent south of the area claimed by Amn. None of the ships sent ever returned.[20]
Notable Members[]
- Syl-Ralbahr Mond el Vitendi, Sultan of Teshburl and head of el Nallojal.[2][9]
- Rysal Dumahl el Ehrat, the first Red Rysal.[21]
- Amhir Oadif el Wajin, a friend of Kanar el Ehrat, the Red Rysal in 1370 DR.[21]
- Ralbahr Eshtarl Eshram, the admiral overseeing the construction of the Pasha's Palace warship.[22]
- Ralbahr Tahyr el Pesarkhal, admiral of the navy moored at Calimport.[23]
- Ralbahr Halus el Duramij, admiral of the navy moored at Memnon[24]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 68. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 117. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Steven E. Schend (October 1998). Calimport. (TSR, Inc), p. 15. ISBN 0-7869-1238-3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 59. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (March 2006). Power of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 29. ISBN 0-7869-3910-9.
- ↑ Clayton Emery (January 1999). Star of Cursrah. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 5. ISBN 0-7869-1322-3.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 58. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Steven E. Schend (October 1998). Calimport. (TSR, Inc), p. 61. ISBN 0-7869-1238-3.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Scott Haring (1988). Empires of the Sands. (TSR, Inc), p. 57. ISBN 0-8803-8539-1.
- ↑ Scott Haring (1988). Empires of the Sands. (TSR, Inc), p. 56. ISBN 0-8803-8539-1.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend (October 1998). Calimport. (TSR, Inc), p. 8. ISBN 0-7869-1238-3.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd (March 2006). Power of Faerûn. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 34. ISBN 0-7869-3910-9.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 16. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 40. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 17. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 18. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 27. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Scott Haring (1988). Empires of the Sands. (TSR, Inc), p. 53. ISBN 0-8803-8539-1.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 89. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 90. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 119. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.
- ↑ Scott Haring (1988). Empires of the Sands. (TSR, Inc), p. 54. ISBN 0-8803-8539-1.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend (October 1998). Calimport. (TSR, Inc), p. 64. ISBN 0-7869-1238-3.
- ↑ Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan (September 1998). Empires of the Shining Sea. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 116. ISBN 0-7869-1237-5.