The Crow's Song
The four-masted ship that downs the Oot's Dream in the open Verdant Sea. She flies false royal colours while she waits on a proper black-on-red flag, and her crew, on closer view, look less like privateers than newly-minted pirates. Tress climbs her hull on a vine she grows herself, and is hauled the rest of the way up by her crew after fifteen minutes hanging from the porthole rail. STD:Tress:Ch 11
Known facts
- pirate-debutThe Crow's Song's attack on the Oot's Dream is her first as a pirate vessel. She still flies the king's colours as a pretty face, her proper black-on-red flag is still being sewn below, and she leaves one survivor adrift in a lifeboat — a deliberate herald rather than carelessness.STD:Tress:Ch 11
- crew-compositionCarries a mixed crew of roughly equal numbers of women and men and a range of ethnicities — not unusual for spore-sea vessels, where, the narrator notes, sexism is a luxury that interferes with profits.STD:Tress:Ch 12
- declared-piracyHer attack on the Oot's Dream was meant as a declaration. She left one survivor in a lifeboat and did not cover her own painted name — both, Huck and Tress work out, deliberate, the pirate equivalent of putting up a sign that a new shop has opened.STD:Tress:Ch 12
- decksA four-masted vessel of about sixty crew, built like a small galleon. She has four levels: an exposed upper deck; a middle deck for the mess, the armory and officers' quarters; a cramped lower deck for the sailors' bunks; and a cavernous hold below that.STD:Tress:Ch 13
- now-classified-deadrunnersWhatever Captain Crow told the crew when she pitched piracy, the actual sinking of the Oot's Dream has made the Crow's Song a deadrunner vessel — the kind no honest port will resupply and the king's marshals will hang on sight.STD:Tress:Ch 16
- fort-and-salay-uneasy-with-captainAccording to Laggart (overheard via Huck), Fort is *brewing trouble* aboard the Crow's Song and Salay may be as well — uneasy enough with the captain's direction that Crow is thinking about how to bind the crew to her more tightly.STD:Tress:Ch 18
- uses-ballast-to-disguise-as-merchantSits lower in the spores under deliberate ballast to mimic the silhouette of a fully laden merchant — the disguise that draws targets within reach. When Crow commits to a pursuit the ballast is dropped, and the ship turns into one of the fastest hulls in the Verdant Sea.STD:Tress:Ch 24
- hit-at-the-prowWhen the seethe stills and traps both ships in place, the prey ship — no longer chasing surrender — finds its nerve, fires a burst of zephyr charge, and lands a cannonball at the Crow's Song's prow right where the spores meet the wood. The first hit the Crow's Song has taken on the page.STD:Tress:Ch 24
- hull-sealed-against-blood-leaks-into-sporesShips built for the spore seas have their seams pitched and sealed against any liquid leaking over the side. A stream of blood off a deck would, on the Verdant, immobilise the ship in a snarl of vines; on the Crimson it would shred the hull from beneath. The Dougs keep emergency towels on hand and, when Pakson is killed, scramble to sop up his blood before any can run off into the sea.STD:Tress:Ch 42
Backreferences
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 11
- factThe Crow's Song
- factCaptain Crow
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 12
- factHoid
- factLaggart
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 13
- factThe Dougs
- factFort
- factAnn
- factFelony Murder Rule
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 14
- factHoid
- factSalay
- factUlaam
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 15
- factCaptain Crow
- factWeev
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 16
- factThe Crow's Song
- factLaggart
- factAnn
- factUlaam
- factUlaam
- factUlaam
- factThe Crow's Song
- factCaptain Crow
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 19
- factSalay
- factShimmerbay
- factThe Seven Straits
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 20
- factTress
- factTress
- factCaptain Crow
- factCaptain Crow
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 21
- factTress
- factKnocks
- factThe Sprouter's Cabin
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 22
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 23
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 24
- factThe Crow's Song
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 25
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 26
- factSmocke
- factCrew of the Oot's Dream
- factHoid
- factUlaam
- factCharlie
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 30
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 31
- factTress
- factLaggart
- factSalay
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 32
- factTress
- factTress
- factCaptain Crow
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 33
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 34
- factCaptain Crow
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 35
- factEmerald Sea
- factCharlie
- factFort
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 36
- factFort
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 37
- factTress
- factCrimson Sea
- factCrimson Moon
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 38
- factAnn
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 39
- factTress
- factTress
- factKulunut
- factSunlight Spores
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 41
- factThe Sorceress
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 42
- factSalay
- factRain
- factPakson
- factPakson
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 43
- factTress
- factPakson
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 44
- factSalay
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 45
- factLunagree
- factCharlie
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 46
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 47
- factTress
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 48
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 49
- factCaptain Crow
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 52
- factTress
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 53
- factMidnight Moon
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 54
- factTress
- factVerdant Spores
- factCharlie
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 56
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 57
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 58
- factThe Sorceress
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 59
- factThe Sorceress
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 60
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 61
- factFort
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 62
- factLaggart
- factSalay
- summarySTD:Tress:Ch 63
- factHoid
- factHoid
- factTress
- factCharlie
- factThe Sorceress
- summarySTD:Tress:Epilogue
- factTwo Cups