Army Name: Marlin Blades
Nation / Provincial Base: Jadefang / Ruin’s Reef
Base Combat Strength: 3000
Army Health: 100
Base Speed: 10
Traits: Fleet, Aggressive, Artillery Corps, Demolition Specialists
Special Actions: Artillery Barrage, Drive Them Before You
The Marlin Blades were commissioned almost three centuries ago, just over two decades after the formation of the Alliance, when the Reign Of Piracy was in full swing and the Alliance needed a naval force able to patrol the ocean around the Archipelago to fend off any merchant escorts or naval forces too strong for the independent Flotillas to handle. The 2nd Fleet has survived multiple reorganizations of the Alliance’s navy, emerging from the turmoil of the Keelhaul War in an almost-broken state but pulling together during the subsequent Churning to lead a combined navy in eventually pushing the Cultist forces out of the Southern Sea.
The modern 2nd Fleet is a battering ram, heavily armed and armored and with massive marine quarters and ammunition holds. It’s said that the largest dreadnaughts in the Fleet can survive multiple direct hits from a Leviathan, and judging from the state that some of them come home in from expeditions to the Southern Seas that might well be accurate. The Marlin Blades have changed significantly from their Swashbuckler-heavy origins, evolving over time into an expeditionary force that the Alliance sends out to squash problems that aren’t going to run away from them and that lighter vessels aren’t suitable for dealing with.
The Marlin Blades are commanded by Lucia “Blackstone” de Cajal, a dwarf with the same amount of subtlety as her dreadnaught flagship but who has earned the unwavering loyalty of her crews over the decade she’s held the Admiral’s flag.
Norharbor is the home port of the 2nd Fleet. Originally this was intended to give them quick access to the Vauldan coast to the north in case the Imperials tried to start another war, but in modern times the heavy ships are used more for hunting Leviathans or Krakens and transporting military personnel and equipment than for war.