Maritime Salvage

Much of this material was created for use in my personal D&D campaign, so there are many references to places or states, but the rules themselves are generic enough to fit fantasy or historical games of any era from classical to Renaissance. Feel free to adapt this for your own uses by changing names and such. Following the process described below is an account sheet for a wealthy salvage master named Darocles. He happens to be a PC in my campaign, but feel free to change the name and use him in your own world.

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STEP 1. DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF WRECKS

The number of wrecks depends on the region and the season. In general, there is much greater trade during the warmer seasons, so the chances for a wreck increase simply due to volume. However, colder seasons, especially in the north, are more dangerous for the few ships that dare to trade. In general, Imperial waters are much calmer. Using Table 1 below, roll first for Isenwalder waters and then roll again for Imperial waters.

TABLE 1. NUMBER OF SEASONAL WRECKS BY LOCATION

Isenwalder Waters
Spring	3d6+6 (average of 16.5)
Summer	2d6 (average of 7)
Autumn	2d6+2 (average of 9)
Winter	3d6+6 (average of 16.5)
Average of 49 per year
Imperial Waters
Spring	2d6-4 (average of 3)
Summer	2d6-2 (average of 5)
Autumn	2d6 (average of 7)
Winter	2d6+2 (average of 9)
Average of 25 per year

Design Notes:

The Dutch East India corporation at its height in 1669 had over 150 merchant ships (plus 40 warships, though they are not our concern here). From 1595-1800, there were 653 wrecks. That’s over three per year, or about 2% of the fleet each year. The British maritime fleet in 1835 was comprised of 24,500 vessels. From 1793-1829, an average of 557 vessels were wrecked or lost each year, which is roughly 2-3% of the fleet each year.

The Norhansa alone has at least 1000 ships that are over 60 tons. Not including boats, there must be at least 1000 smaller vessels in northern waters, bringing the total to 2000. If about 2-3% were wrecked each year, that would amount to 40-60 ships per year, or roughly 10-12 ships per season.

Wrecks in southern waters would be far less frequent, though the greater frequency of pirates makes shipping just as dangerous and risky.

STEP 2. DETERMINE SHIP TYPE

For each wreck indicated, determine the ship type, using the correct table below.

TABLE 2. SPRING/AUTUMN IN ISENWALDER WATERS (1D00)

Roll	Result
01-20	Small Fisherman, Boat
21-30	Large Fisherman, Ship
31-35	Merchantman, Sm. Kraterschiff (50% ice-breaker)
36-40	Merchantman, Lg. Kraterschiff (50% ice-breaker)
41-45	Merchantman, Sm. Carrack (50% ice-breaker)
46-50	Merchantman, Lg. Carrack (50% ice-breaker)
51-55	Merchantman, Sm. Turm (50% ice-breaker)
56-60	Merchantman, Lg. Turm (50% ice-breaker)
61-65	Merchantman, Knarr
66-70	Merchantman, Karfi
71-74	Raider, Skeide
75-77	Moragielite Warship, Sm. Kraterschiff
78-80	Moragielite Warship, Lg. Kraterschiff
81-83	Norhansa Warship, Sm. Carrack (50% ice-breaker)
84-86	Norhansa Warship, Lg. Carrack (50% ice-breaker)
87-88	Smuggler, Sm. Carrack (50% ice-breaker)
89-90	Smuggler, Lg. Carrack (50% ice-breaker)
91-92	Smuggler, Sm. Turm
93-94	Smuggler, Lg. Turm (50% ice-breaker)
95-96	Smuggler, Skeide
97	Pirate, Sm. Turm
98	Pirate, Lg. Turm (50% ice-breaker)
99	Pirate, Skeide
00	Engel Eisen Ship (50% ice-breaker)

TABLE 3. SUMMER IN ISENWALDER WATERS (1D00)

Roll	Result
01-20	Small Fisherman, Boat
21-30	Large Fisherman, Ship
31-35	Merchantman, Sm. Kraterschiff
36-40	Merchantman, Lg. Kraterschiff (20% ice-breaker)
41-45	Merchantman, Sm. Carrack (20% ice-breaker)
46-50	Merchantman, Lg. Carrack (20% ice-breaker)
51-55	Merchantman, Sm. Turm (20% ice-breaker)
56-60	Merchantman, Lg. Turm (20% ice-breaker)
61-65	Merchantman, Knarr
66-70	Merchantman, Karfi
71-74	Raider, Skeide
75-77	Moragielite Warship, Sm. Kraterschiff
78-80	Moragielite Warship, Lg. Kraterschiff
81-83	Norhansa Warship, Sm. Carrack (20% ice-breaker)
84-86	Norhansa Warship, Lg. Carrack (20% ice-breaker)
87-88	Smuggler, Sm. Carrack (20% ice-breaker)
89-90	Smuggler, Lg. Carrack (20% ice-breaker)
91-92	Smuggler, Sm. Turm
93-94	Smuggler, Lg. Turm (20% ice-breaker)
95-96	Smuggler, Skeide
97	Pirate, Sm. Turm
98	Pirate, Lg. Turm (20% ice-breaker)
99	Pirate, Skeide
00	Engel Eisen Ship (20% ice-breaker)

 TABLE 4. WINTER IN ISENWALDER WATERS (1D00)

Roll	Result
01-07	Merchantman, Sm. Kraterschiff (100% ice-breaker)
08-15	Merchantman, Lg. Kraterschiff (100% ice-breaker)
16-30	Merchantman, Sm. Carrack (100% ice-breaker)
31-50	Merchantman, Lg. Carrack (100% ice-breaker)
51-60	Merchantman, Sm. Turm (100% ice-breaker)
61-70	Merchantman, Lg. Turm (100% ice-breaker)
71-85	Norhansa Warship, Sm. Carrack (100% ice-breaker)
86-95	Norhansa Warship, Lg. Carrack (100% ice-breaker)
96	Smuggler, Sm. Carrack (100% ice-breaker)
97	Smuggler, Lg. Carrack (100% ice-breaker)
98	Smuggler, Lg. Turm (100% ice-breaker)
99	Pirate, Lg. Turm (100% ice-breaker)
00	Engel Eisen Ship (100% ice-breaker)

TABLE 5. YEAR-ROUND IMPERIAL WATERS (1D00)

Roll	Result
01-10	Small Fisherman, Boat
11-25	Large Fisherman, Ship
26-35	Merchantman, Sm. Carrack
36-45	Merchantman, Lg. Carrack
46-50	Merchantman, Sm. Turm
51-55	Merchantman, Lg. Turm
56-60	Raider, Galley
61-65	Imperial Warship, Sm. Galley
66-70	Imperial Warship, Lg. Galley
71-75	Imperial Warship, Sm. Carrack
76-81	Imperial Warship, Lg. Carrack
82-84	Smuggler, Sm. Carrack
85-87	Smuggler, Lg. Carrack
88-90	Smuggler, Sm. Turm
91-93	Smuggler, Lg. Turm
94-96	Smuggler, Galley
97	Pirate, Sm. Turm
98	Pirate, Lg. Turm
99	Pirate, Galley
00	Engel Eisen Ship

STEP 3. DETERMINE LOCATION OF WRECK

First we must see if the ship sank in water shallow enough to be salvaged. If so, the DM must place the wreck on some known shipping route, based on the nature of the cargo. If it sank in water too deep, however, it is lost for all intents and purposes. In general, more seaworthy vessels (like cogs and carracks) that travel between Isenwald and other lands to the south do cross very deep waters, so their chances of becoming lost are greater, while smaller craft (longships) or regional craft (Kraterschiffs) tend to ply shallower waters. Thus, ship type determines the chance that it is lost at sea.

TABLE 7. CHANCE OF BEING LOST IN THE DEEP

Ship Type	Chance
Sm. Fishing Boat	05%
Lg. Fishing Ship	10%
Sm. Kraterschiff	05%
Lg. Kraterschiff	10%
Sm. Carrack	50%
Lg. Carrack	50%
Sm. Turm	50%
Lg. Turm	50%
Knarr	50%
Karfi	20%
Skeide	20%
Engel Eisen Ship	50%

Design Notes:

A look at bathymetric charts of the oceans, the North Atlantic, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean made one thing clear. Depths can vary widely at a given distance from shore. Wide underwater plateaus can make for shallow sea beds even far from shore, while terrifyingly deep gorges can exist within a few miles from land. The only constant was that the deepest of water was in the oceans far from land, so ocean-going vessels should have a greater chance of becoming lost in the deep.

STEP 4. DETERMINE DEPTH OF WRECK

If not lost in the deep, the depth—measured in feet—must be determined by rolling percentage dice.
If the water is warm, the best divers can use rocks as heavy as 30 pounds to speed descent and remain underwater for as long as five minutes.

Design Notes:

There is a good deal of information on the history of free diving (diving without any man-made breathing apparatus.). Divers were certainly able to get to about 100 feet with the aid of rocks. The length of time for which they could reportedly hold their breath varies, but five minutes seems to have been plausible, if not common. In shallow depths, with the aid of rocks, even two minutes is plenty of time to descend, to grab valuables, and to return to the surface.

Interestingly, ancient diving laws (Lex Rhodia) required that for dives over 50 feet, the divers received a third of the salvage, and for dives of greater than 90 feet, they received half!
For centuries people have dived apne, that is to say while holding their breath. In Greek, pneo means breathing, whereas the prefix a- stands for ‘no’ or ‘without’. Economic reasons to dive ‘without breathing’ were for instance the procurement of sponges, corals and pearls. For the latter purpose the practice continues to the present day, notably in certain areas of the Pacific. Working depths of up to 40 meters (131 feet) are not unusual. Divers engaging in this practice must be very fit and well-trained. Nevertheless their life expectancy is not very high at all. Risks are considerable, but fatigue and wear are also part of the equation.

From a very early date such divers also engaged in the retrieval of goods that were lost at sea. The Persian king Xerxes is known to have given such a commission to a diver named ‘Skyllias’ in 480 BC. Skyllias is therefore the earliest documented diver-salvor in history. Xerxes was concerned with the loss of the Persian fleet he had sent out in his expedition against the Greeks and that had been caught in foul weather while rounding Cape Magnesia. Skyllias was to bring valuables to the surface. Apparently he was very successful. According to the historian Herodotus (BC 485-425), he abandoned his client shortly after completing the job, while keeping most of the salvaged material himself. Apparently the salvage industry was as susceptible to controversies and jealousies in those days as it is today. It is not the only instance from classical antiquity. The Romans had a sort of corporation of divers, called urinatori. The Rhodian Sea Laws (Lex Rhodia) got their application partly in order to resolve the disputes resulting from salvage.

STEP 5. DETERMINE CARGO SIZE

Once the ship type is known, consult the table below to determine cargo size.

TABLE 6. CARGO SIZE FOR DIFFERENT SHIPS

Ship Type	Cargo Tuns
Sm. Fishing Boat	NA
Lg. Fishing Ship	NA
Sm. Kraterschiff	20
Lg. Kraterschiff	40
Sm. Carrack	400
Lg. Carrack	600
Sm. Turm	60
Lg. Turm	120
Knarr	20
Karfi	8
Skeide	10
Engel Eisen Ship	400

STEP 6. DETERMINE TYPES OF CARGO

Once the cargo size is known, you must figure out which goods comprise that cargo. Many are not salvageable, but some are. To do this, roll on the table below, adding up the tonnage until you get to the cargo size. For faster results with carracks, determine cargo up to 100 tons and then multiply by 4 or 6 as appropriate. Items denoted with an * take up an insignificant amount of space, so omit them in the calculation. Do not multiply them for carracks.

TABLE 7. SHIP’S CARGO ROSTER AND ESTIMATED VALUE

Roll	Item (Tons)	Salvage?	Value/Tun
1	Angel Iron (*)	Yes	3,000,000 shillings
2	Armor, Finished (10)	–-	NA
3	Armor, Finished (5)	–-	NA
4	Arms, Finished (10)	–-	NA
5	Arms, Finished (5)	–-	NA
6	Bloodstone (10)	–-	NA
7	Bloodstone (15)	–-	NA
8	Copper (1)	Yes	20,000 shillings
9	Copper (2)	Yes	40,000 shillings
10	Draft Animals (10)	–-	NA
11	Draft Animals (20)	–-	NA
12/15/17	Dyes (10)	–-	NA
16-17	Dyes (5)	–-	NA
18-20	Foodstuffs (10)	–-	NA
21-25	Foodstuffs (20)	–-	NA
26-27	Furs, Finished (10)	–-	NA
28-29	Furs, Finished (20)	–-	NA
30	Furs, Raw (10)	–-	NA
31	Furs, Raw (20)	–-	NA
32	Gems, Cut (*)	Yes	9,000,000 shillings
33	Gems, Uncut (*)	Yes	1,000,000 shillings
34	Gold (1)	Yes	2,000,000 shillings
35	Gold (2)	Yes	4,000,000 shillings
36-40	Grain (10)	—	NA
41-45	Grain (20)	–-	NA
46-52	Grain (40)	–-	NA
53-54	Hardware (10)	—	NA
55-56	Hardware (20)	–-	NA
57	Horses (20)	–-	NA
58	Horses (40)	–-	NA
59	Iron, Raw (10)	–-	NA
60	Iron, Raw (20)	–-	NA
61	Jewelry (*)	Yes	3,000,000 shillings
62	Leather Goods (10)	–-	NA
63	Leather Goods (5)	–-	NA
64	Linen, Raw (10)	–-	NA
65	Linen, Raw (20)	–-	NA
66	Oils & Perfumes (1)	—	NA
67	Salt (10)	—	NA
68	Salt (5)	—	NA
69	Silk (10)	—	NA
70	Silk (5)	—	NA
71	Silver (1)	Yes	200,000 shillings
72	Silver (2)	Yes	400,000 shillings
73	Spices (1)	—	NA
74	Spirits (10)	—	NA
75	Spirits (20)	—	NA
76	Spirits (40)	—	NA
77	Spirits (60)	—	NA
78	Stone, Hard (10)	—	NA
79	Stone, Hard (20)	—	NA
80	Stone, Hard (40)	—	NA
81	Stone, Soft (10)	—	NA
82	Stone, Soft (20)	—	NA
83	Stone, Soft (40)	—	NA
84	Tack & Harness (10)	—	NA
85	Tack & Harness (5)	—	NA
86	Textiles (10)	—	NA
87	Textiles (20)	—	NA
88	Timber (10)	—	NA
89	Timber (20)	—	NA
90	Timber (40)	—	NA
91	Timber, Brass. (10)	—	NA
92	Timber, Brass. (20)	—	NA
93	Timber, Iron. (10)	Yes	100,000 shillings
94	Timber, Iron. (20)	Yes	200,000 shillings
95	Tin, Raw (10)	—	NA
96	Tin, Raw (20)	—	NA
97	Tools, Iron (10)	—	NA
98	Tools, Iron (20)	—	NA
99	Wool (10)	—	NA
0	Wool (20)	—	NA

Design Notes:

One design dilemma was how to determine how many coins comprised a ton of precious metal cargo, such as copper, silver, or gold. It is easy to think of a ton as 2000 pounds and then simply divide by the number of coins per pound, but this is off. It is also easy to fall into a debate over whether to use short tons (2000 pounds, 907 kg, or 14,000,000 grains), metric tons (1000 kg or 15,432,385.4 grains), long tons (2240 pounds, 1016 kg or 15,680,000 grains), or troy tons (2450 pounds or 14,112,000 grains)—the latter being especially attractive as a choice because metals have traditionally been measured in troy tons. All of these are off, however.

A “ton” in this context is not weight at all, but a unit of volume, roughly corresponding to a cask (or tun) that can hold 256 gallons of wine. A gallon is defined as about 230 cubic centimeters, so a ton in this context is about 58,880 cubic centimeters. Of course, an answer to the coin dilemma requires us to know the size of each specific coin, but this is too problematic. An old Dragon Magazine article used a computation of roughly four coins per cubic centimeter when coins are loosely stacked (this will work for our purposes). Thus, a ton comprises about 235,520 coins. Given the great weight of most precious metals and the trouble people would have in carrying them, containers tend to be smaller and it is unlikely that a space would be filled to the rim with them. Thus, let’s round down to about 200,000 coins of whatever type per ton.

On small ships, where it is likely that only one ton will contain precious metals, you may have 200,000 coins. Yet, on a carrack, when you multiply the result by 4 or 6, you can get 4 or 6 tons of precious metal, equaling 800,000 to 1,200,000 coins. Some of the richest shipwrecks from medieval or renaissance times contained between one and four million coins, so this works. By way of comparison, consider the following examples: The La Madalena, sunk in 1589, contained over 1,250,000 pesos. The Nau Chagas, sunk in 1594, contained 3,500,000 cruzadoes. The galleons in Matanza Bay, sunk in 1588, contained over 1,000,000 pesos each. The Santissima Trinidad, sunk in 1616, contained 3,000,000 pesos. Remember that these were treasure ships, a rare phenomenon, so scaling it back a bit for average merchant ships (they way we did above) is probably fitting.

The same applies to gems and jewelry, but here we have another complication. Give the rarity of gems and jewelry, it is unlikely that a full ton of gems or jewelry would ever be found (tons are big!). Thus, when such a ton is detected, it represents not a full 58,880 cubic centimeters of gems or jewelry, but some smaller amount equal to the indicated value in shillings.

STEP 7. DETERMINE CHANCE OF OBTAINING A CONTRACT

A salvage master should not count on getting any particular contract. It should be difficult for a number of reasons. First, you have to get word of the wreck in a timely manner so that you can put in a bid for the contract. Second, your reputation must convince the prospective employer that you can handle the job. Lastly, your bid must satisfy the prospective employer. Given all this, it is likely that you will miss out on a bunch but hopefully secure one contract per season.

First determine your chance of obtaining the contract, using the factors below. Then roll percentile dice to see if you obtain the contract. A number lower or equal to the determined percentage indicates success.

TABLE 8. CHANCES OF WINNING A SALVAGE CONTRACT

Roll 1d20 to determine the base chance to obtain a given contract.

Penalty for competition is -1d10 (Isenwald) or -5d10 (south of Isenwald).

Bonus gained from bribes is +2 per 100 shillings spent per season.

Bonus for experience is +1 per ship salvaged (each salvage master has his own number).

Bonus for recent success is +5 per successful salvage in last year OR +15 per successful salvage last season.

The standard arrangement is for the salvage master to keep 33% of the net worth of the salvaged cargo. For each percentage point lower that you accept, add a bonus of +1.

The result is the the percent chance of winning the contract. Roll percentile dice; a roll below the target number is a success.

So if Darocles rolls a base chance of 15, routinely pays 1000 shillings per season in bribes, and did not salvage a ship in the last year, his chance for getting the contract on a given wrecked ship in the south would be 35% (15 +[2×10=20]). Add to that his bonus for his experience, measured in salvaged ships, which is currently 42, and his chance rises to 77 (35=42=77). Competition in the south would lower it by 20 (a roll of 5d10) to 57%. A roll of 71 indicates failure. If he had in fact salvaged a ship in the last year (+5%), his chances would be 62%, so a roll of 71 would still indicates failure, but if he had successfully salvaged a ship in the last season (+15%), his chances would be 72% and a roll of 71 would indicate success in obtaining the contract. Alternatively, if he hadn’t secured a ship in the last year (so back to 62%), but he had agreed to keep only 23% of the cargo value (+10%), his chance would be 72% and his roll of 71 would indicate success.

Darocles’ closest competitors are Master Lysander (51 ships salvaged), Master Amulius Flacco (44 ships salvaged), and Master Gaius Drusus (39 ships salvaged).

STEP 7. DETERMINE OPERATIONAL TIME AND COSTS

TIME REQUIRED

There is a daily cost for each operation, so we must first we must determine the total time required, which is a combination of the time it takes to get to the wreck, the time it takes to perform the salvage operation, and the time it takes to get home again (remember that currents will generally work against you for one leg of the trip).

As for the salvage operation itself, at least three days are necessary for securing the site and charting the wreck. Then salvage may commence. Use the table below to calculate the amount of cargo per day that can be recovered by each diver. The numbers are for warm water. Cooler waters, like those in Isenwald in the warmer months, cut these numbers in half. Operations in cold water are normally impossible.

TABLE 9. TUNS SALVAGED PER DAY

Depth of Wreck	Cargo Salvaged Per Diver
0-25’	Each diver recovers 1 ton
26-50’	Each diver recovers .5 tons
51-60’	Each diver recovers .4 tons
61-70’	Each diver recovers .3 tons
71-80’	Each diver recovers .2 tons
81’ +	Each diver recovers .1 tons

Finally, the salvage master must make a Profession check to see if he handles the operation properly. The DM sets the DC. The average wreck has a DC of 15 (Editor’s note: for GMs unfamiliar with D&D, a Difficulty Class of 15 represents a tough challenge—a beginner will fail more often than not, but a seasoned professional should usually succeed), but it can be higher or lower depending on the environment of the wreck or the position of the ship (depth is not a factor here). A capsized ship, for example, is much tougher to enter because divers must swim beneath the ship to get inside, barring large holes in the hull. The salvage master’s Profession roll represents his strategy and skill at handling such obstacles. If successful, the DM adds only 1d10 extra days to account for storms and other unforeseen events that slow operations. A failure requires an additional 3d10 days, not 1d10.

For example, a Turm containing at least one tun of silver (estimated value is 200,000 shillings) wrecks about 412 miles from Arianport. With an 18% bid, Darocles stands to make 52,000 shillings from this at face value. He believes that the wreck is at a depth less than 50 feet, so he’ll need not pay his divers more than their standard wage. (If it turns out to be deeper than 50 feet, he’ll have to pay them 17,333 shillings and keep only 34,666 shillings. If it were at a depth of more than 90 feet, he would have to pay them a full 26,000 shillings, keeping a like amount for himself. Now, Northern waters in the summer are considered cool, so all numbers on the chart above are halved. Darocles has a small carrack docked in Arianport, and it has a speed of six knots. On its way to the wreck, the ship must beat windward and tack, so, according to the ship’s stats (using only a minimal crew), it can go only 14 miles per day, but on the return voyage, it can make 42 miles per day. That requires 20 days in travel time alone (30 days to get to the site and 10 to get back home). As for the operation itself, it takes at least three days to set up and chart the area, bringing the total duration to 43 days. Darocles confirms that the ship is lying in water about 46’ feet deep, so each diver can recover .25 ton per day (half of what’s shown in the chart due to water temperature). Thus, using four divers, he could recover the full ton of silver in one day, providing nothing goes wrong. That brings the total to 44 days. Finally, Darocles makes his Profession check by rolling a 17 (DC was 14). Thus, the DM rolls only 1d10, yielding a 6, which indicates six added days of storms and other unforeseen events that slow down operations and bring the total duration to 50 days.

WAGES

A salvage master must pay his crew seasonal wages, but he usually pays no more during an operation. This can change, of course, if a wreck is known to be in a hostile or extremely dangerous area. Crews could ask for hazard pay, and the salvage master may opt to pay this added cost or obtain other crewmen.

PROVISIONS

A salvage master must provide food for the crew during salvage operations. Determine how many rations are required for each day (one ration being the amount of food required to feed one man for the entire day), and then multiply this by the duration of the trip. It is wise, of course, to keep more than needed, lest anything go wrong. Average rations, though typically poor in quality, are nonetheless preserved foods, so they cost more than you would think at five shillings each. Once back on land, the salvage master can return to providing his men with common meals at only three shillings per day.

For example, a crew of 50 men traveling for 50 days (the above mentioned operation) would require 2500 rations, requiring five tuns of cargo space. The cost would be 2500 rations x five shillings each = 12,500 shillings. However, the salvage master would be feeding his men normally back at home, so the added expense is only in the difference between the cost of rations and the cost of common meals (two shillings per day). So, recalculating, it costs 2500 x 2 shillings of difference = 5000 shillings minimum for the added cost of rations (that’s 12,500 shillings for 2500 rations – 7500 shillings for 2500 common meals).

EXPENDABLE MATERIALS

In addition to food, each expedition requires the use of certain expendable materials, including ballast, torches, oil, cooking fuel, replacement ropes, etc. A flat cost of 500 shillings per operation should more than cover this expense.

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THE SALVAGE BUSINESS OF DAROCLES SOTERION

SEASONAL REVENUES AND EXPENSES

I. SEASONAL BUSINESS EXPENSES

A. WAGES FOR CREWMEN

Soterion Salvage currently employs 53 people in the Imperial port of Perfugium. The table below shows the breakdown, including three journeymen that work under Darocles and can run the business in his absence.

Employee	Individual Wage	Total Cost
01 Sailing Master	3458 shillings	3,458 shillings
01 Quartermaster	1547 shillings	1,547 shillings
01 Boatswain	1274 shillings	1,274 shillings
01 Master-at-arms	1274 shillings	1,274 shillings
01 Purser	364 shillings	364 shillings
01 Blacksmith	364 shillings	364 shillings
01 Butcher	182 shillings	182 shillings
01 Carpenter	273 shillings	273 shillings
01 Cook	91 shillings	91 shillings
01 Cooper	273 shillings	273 shillings
01 Sailmaker	273 shillings	273 shillings
01 Surgeon	728 shillings	728 shillings
30 Able Seamen	182 shillings	5,460 shillings
08 Divers	91 shillings	728 shillings
03 Journeymen	1820 shillings	5,460 shillings
53 total		21,749 shillings

B. COSTS OF FACILITIES IN PERFUGIUM

Soterion Salvage requires a variety of small business-related expenses in Perfugium. The table below shows the breakdown.

Warehouse Fees / Upkeep	500 shillings
Dock and Harbor Fees	364 shillings
Workshop Fees / Upkeep	500 shillings
Carrack Upkeep	2,000 shillings
Total	3,364 shillings

II. SEASONAL LIVING EXPENSES

A. COSTS OF THE PERFUGIUM VILLA STAFF

In addition to his ship’s crew, Darocles maintains a moderate villa in Perfugium, as well as a separate staff for it.

Employee	Individual Wage	Total Cost
01 Butler	910 shillings	910 shillings
01 Clerk	273 shillings	273 shillings
01 Groundskeeper	91 shillings	91 shillings
01 Blacksmith	364 shillings	364 shillings
03 Grooms	182 shillings	546 shillings
04 Servants	182 shillings	728 shillings
11 Total		2,912 shillings

B. COST OF PERFUGIUM VILLA CONSUMABLES

Common meals for up to 20 people (at 3 shillings each) costs 60 shillings x 91 days = 5460 shillings per season. To this is added stabling costs, lamp oil, candles, etc. First, feed for two mounts (2 x 1 shilling per day each x 91 days) = 182 shillings. Then, lantern oil (3 shillings per night x 91 nights) = 273 shillings. Between food (5460), stabling (182) and lighting (273), the villa’s related expenses come to 5,915 shillings.

C. COST OF IMPERIAL TAXES

Imperial taxes on his business amount to 1,000 shillings per season.

D. COST OF ARIANPORT MANSION STAFF

Outside the town of Arianport in the Principality of Isenwald, Darocles also maintains a moderate mansion, as well as a separate staff for it.

Employee	Individual Wage	Total Cost
01 Butler	910 shillings	910 shillings
01 Clerk	273 shillings	273 shillings
01 Groundskeeper	91 shillings	91 shillings
01 Blacksmith	364 shillings	364 shillings
03 Grooms	182 shillings	546 shillings
04 Servants	182 shillings	728 shillings
11 Total		2,912 shillings

E. COST OF ARIANPORT MANSION CONSUMABLES

Common meals for up to 20 people (at 3 shillings each) costs 60 shillings x 91 days = 5460 shillings per season. To this is added stabling costs, lamp oil, candles, etc. First, feed for two mounts (2 x 1 shilling per day each x 91 days) = 182 shillings. Then, lantern oil (3 shillings per night x 91 nights) = 273 shillings. Between food (5460), stabling (182) and lighting (273), the villa’s related expenses come to 5,915 shillings.

III. SEASONAL PERSONAL EXPENSES

A. SEASONAL COST OF PERSONAL UPKEEP

Darocles maintains an upkeep of “Good”, spending 3000 shillings per season. He always stays in his own room at inns, and he eats healthy, solid meals with a glass of wine. He maintains a dignified style with his clothing and tries to keep himself supplied with some of the good things in life, as much for business relationships as for personal pleasure (Figure 30 shillings per day for room and board and wine x 91 days = 2730 shillings, plus some nights out, as well as sundry luxuries). Maintaining this lifestyle grants him a +2 bonus to all charisma–based checks. He also pays 360 shillings per season in upkeep for his two personal man-servants (former divers), Akky and Tokky. The total is therefore 3360 shillings.

B. SEASONAL COST OF PRIVATE RESEARCH

The cost of research varies considerably, so it is not considered part of his normal budget. Once all of his expenses are paid, he dedicates some money toward research.

IV. OVERVIEW OF SEASONAL EXPENSES

Category	Cost
Crew Wages	21,749 shillings
Perfugium Facilities	3,364 shillings
Perfugium Villa Staff Wages	2,912 shillings
Perfugium Villa Consumables	5,915 shillings
Imperial Taxes	1,000 shillings
Arianport Mansion Staff	2,912 shillings
Arianport Mansion Consumables	5,915 shillings
Personal Upkeep	3,360 shillings
Total Seasonal Expenses	47,127 shillings

V. SEASONAL REVENUES

Darocles must bring in at least 48,000 shillings each season to pay his expenses, not to mention paying for any private research. Currently, he has two streams of revenue, as follows.

A. SEASONAL WAGES FROM MASTER MARTINENGO DELTINI

Darocles receives 8,000 shillings per season for providing his services and expertise to Master Deltini and his representatives, namely Diego de Vargas.

B. SALVAGE REVENUES

Darocles must earn an average of 40,000 shillings per season in salvage operations. For the last decade, he’s averaged about one ship per season. His contacts with Deltini have helped him greatly in securing contracts, especially the more lucrative ones. Mechanically, this takes the form of a roll of 2d6, the result of which is used to offset some of the competition, though this  can only be used in southern waters.

Salvage masters generally receive about 25% of the value of the salvaged cargo, so Darocles would have to recover a cargo worth 160,000 shillings each season. One quarter of that is 40,000 shillings. Of course, the salvage business is not known for its regularity, so Darocles is sure to invest a good deal of his earnings when he completes a lucrative salvage job, and that money gets him through the dry spells.

For example, the salvage of a wreck containing one tun of gold is worth at least 2,000,000 shillings. One quarter of that is 500,000, though added guards and safety precautions for such a lucrative job usually diminishes his profits to about 400,000. Such a job could carry him for many seasons without a job. The occasional job of this magnitude also allowed him to accumulate a substantial savings, with which he recently built the mansion outside of Arianport.

V. INVESTMENTS AND SAVINGS

Darocles has the equivalent of 150,000 shillings in savings. Most of this is deposited with the merchant prince, Martinengo Deltini, for safe-keeping. Because of their solid business relationship, Master Deltini does not charge Darocles for the service of guarding this substantial savings, though such a fee is commonplace.