The Black Fleet

Affiliations: Moriji
Culture: Deadbeat
Language(s): Moriji, Holo-Dhennet
Religion(s): Just Mori
Type: Paramilitary
Specification: Navy
Current leader(s): Fleet Admiral Jichadi
HQ location: Black Fleet Admiralcy, South Moriji, Memento
Industry: Mining, Information, Shipbuilding, Weaponry, Military, Banking
Products: Ships of War, Gold, Weapons, Armed Combat, Security Services
Subsidiaries/Members: Moriji Naval Militia, Moriji Merchant Fleet
Wealth Level: 7

The Black Fleet is a non-governmental organization responsible to the majority of Moriji Island's military might. The organization is staffed by volunteers and funded by a variety of income sources. These sources include the exploitation of gold mines in the Moriji mountains, the offering of loans and credit to private persons affiliated with Moriji, the sale of ships and armaments, escort services and armed combat, and donations from Deadbeats thankful for the Fleet's hard work to protect their Mori's Island.

The Black Fleet's main purpose is the defense of the island's shores against the assaults of enemy nations and schizos. All of its other activities are only means to achieve this end.

The Black Fleet's holdings include the navy itself, hundreds of fine sailing ships in the eponymous colors of the Fleet. Fast and dangerous corvettes and frigates make up the bulk of the navy's presence on the Holosea, while its most elite, dangerous units are strike groups with Scythe-class and above ships at their cores.

Organization

At home, the Black Fleet collaborates closely with private Deadbeat interests and the Goddess Faithful to conduct its operations. In particular, the Goddess Faithful intelligence groups will often cooperate with the Black Fleet when acting on foreign soil. The Merchant Fleet and Naval Militia both report to Black Fleet leadership, and resources and information are pooled across the various organizations, though the Merchant Fleet does not have a central leadership structure, and may lack security clearances to be made aware of some sensitive information.

Besides sharing information with the Black Fleet through the messenger bird network, the Merchant Fleet may also be a source of supplies for military ships acting far from home and resupply warehouses. Black Fleet commanders may create IOUs to exchange for supplies. The Deadbeat merchant can then exchange this IOU for gold back on Moriji, usually at a beneficial exchange rate. Offering those services to the Black Fleet is well worth it for the merchants, who often enjoy safety in their travels thanks only to Black Fleet escorts or its presence in the region.

Outside of Moriji territorial waters, the Black Fleet operates shipyards, messenger bird relay stations and warehouses across the globe, with major installations in the Kaiserreich, Himedom, Serene Republic, Holo Empire, Infinitum and on the Risuner coast. This extends the range of operations of the Black Fleet significantly, though its presence is still limited on the Horny and Indie continents.

The military structure used by the Black Fleet consists a ranking system divided between Enlisted Sailors (Which includes NCOs) and Commissioned Officers. Enlisted Sailors come from all walks of life on Moriji and even includes a foreign legion, though most sailors in the foreign legion soon fulfill the Black Fleet's requirement to join the main organization. Commissioned Officers will have received training and education at one of the Black Fleet's numerous Naval Academies.

The Black Fleet Admiralty is the group of the currently active Admirals, and are responsible for the military assets under their direct orders. At the Admiralty's level, the decision-making of the whole Fleet is somewhat democratic, with each Admiral representing the men under the umbrella of their chain of command. A Fleet Admiral is generally elected from and by the Admiralty every five years with no term limits.

Factions

The Admiralty is an extremely divided leadership, which has both benefits, and issues. This means that the great resources of the Black Fleet are distributed to a variety of targets, as required, due to the Admirals having a wide range of priorities and interests. However, it also means the Black Fleet has difficulty focusing its might on specific campaigns and operations, due to the impossibility of getting a large fraction of the Admiralty to agree on a given priority. Historically, unanimous agreement to tackle a problem as a single Fleet has only ever occurred when Moriji was in immediate, existential danger. The following is a short summary of the factional forces affecting the politics of the Admiralty as of 1130 VTE. Note these groups are not exclusionary, and some Admirals would rightfully adopt the stances of multiple factions.

Moderates

Moderates do form a plurality within the Admiralty, and act as a balancing force to all the more radical and extreme ideologies. They will also have a tendency to prevent any single group from gaining too much power.

Kaiserreich Alliance Group

The Kaiserreich Alliance Group is one of the oldest and more influential factions to have a presence in the Admiralty. The Kaiserreich-Moriji relations have varied throughout history, with some armed conflicts even flaring up, but there has always been Admirals advocating for appeasement and a strengthening of relations between the two countries. In the current day, national feeling is friendly, though there are vocal anti-Moriji groups in the Kaiserreich still.

Watame Disturbed Individual

The sheep goddess is by and large beloved in Moriji, being praised for its associations with Mori in the Heavenly Realm activities divined by the Goddess Faithful. But strangely, an Admiral with a negative perception of the goddess and by extension, its people, seems to often find their way in the organization. Those feelings tend to be repudiated by the rest of the Admiralty. However, the increasing presence of Watamelon terrorists in Moriji waters might affect this dynamic.

Matiyotl Apologists

The conflict with the people of Matiyotl has had a major effect on the Black Fleet's policy throughout history. Some Admirals believe that with the diminishing numbers of raids from this people on civilized nations, the Black Fleet should be adopting a policy of appeasement and establishing proper diplomatic channels with the nation, as well as work out deals with them. This, however, is still an unpopular position to take, especially within the wider population of Moriji.

Anti-Cannibal Hardliners

The centuries-long blood feud with the cannibals has marked the minds and memories of many Admirals, most of them having been in armed combat with them, and losing comrades to their swords. For obvious reasons, this results in an aggressive attitude towards them. Some even support starting a war of invasion on the barbarians, though this is a strategy considered highly ill-conceived by the other Admirals.

Infinitum Appeasement Advocates

This is a more recent faction within the Admiralty, borne out Infinitum's recent end of its isolationist stint. The clock people leave few indifferent, through their perceived rampant imperialism, accelerating technological development, and most importantly within the Admiralty, strong and friendly associations with Matiyotl. However, there are Admirals who believe Moriji would be foolish not to establish good relations with this growing power.

Isolationists

This is a faction that has been losing influence within the Admiralty, but which still exists. Some Admirals believe pulling back from engaging with the rest of the international community would be beneficial, in no small part due to the dislike or outright hatred expressed by some countries towards Deadbeats and their religion. The majority of the Admirals do not let those sentiments hinder their diplomatic efforts.

Extended Universe Partnership

The Extended Universe is an umbrella term which includes a wide range of divinities worshipped in Moriji. Some of these deities' worships are native to Moriji, others are based in foreign lands, in particular on the Indie continent. The Admiral aligned with the Extended Universe political philosophy advocate for enthusiastic international cooperation, in particular with smaller nations that could use the support of a powerful country like Moriji in their development.

Demon Cult

The "Demon Cultist" designation is not one that is worn openly, but it is extremely common in Moriji, all the way up to the Admiralty's level. Demon cultists can recognize each other through arcana symbols and pass-phrases, but this worship is always kept secret; open worship of the demonic entity has been known to attract the attention of the Custodians.

Followers of Ope

The uncritical warhawks of the Admiralty, "follower of Ope" is what the Admirals who openly support warfare towards other nations or groups for little to no reason are called. One of the more chaotic groups of the Black Fleet, these Admirals tend to have limited political acumen; however, their skill in warfare makes up for those failings.

Deathstar Backers

The Shining Star goddess is a beloved divinity on Moriji; her songs are sung in the streets of the cities, and in many the Heavenly Realm revelations connect her with Mori herself. The geopolitical reality is more complex. The Hoshiyomi are a rival navy, patrolling the oceans West of the Holocontinent, and there is some tension between the two nations with due to both nations vying for dominance of the seas. Full-blown conflict has been uncommon, but Deadbeats and Moriji have a poor reputation in the Hoshiyomi's lands. The Deathstar-aligned Admirals believe more efforts should go towards bonding with this nation, so that both countries may share control of the Holocontinent's oceans.

Schizocide Radicals

Schizos have always been the first and most important priority of the Black Fleet, being the most common attacker Moriji has to deal with. Not only are schizo raids almost continuously happening at least somewhere on the island, major attacks threatening the well-being of large swathes of Deadbeats have occurred multiple times. As such, the destruction of any and all schizos and schizo collaborators is considered a just goal by the majority of the Admiralty.

Holoempire Abandonment Supporters

Moriji has a complex relationship with the heart of the ancient Holoempire. Deadbeats living there have a history of persecution which stretches into the present, which explains why many Deadbeats in contemporary times see the Old Empire with some disdain, and fiercely value the independance of Moriji with regards to its capital of old. Admirals who agree with this approach consider distancing Moriji from the Empire to be a net benefit, preferring to form connection with other nations, whether fellow Holo nations, or others.

History

The Black Fleet rose to prominence due to the need for a naval force that could protect Moriji from repeated foreign assaults. Its origins are murky, lying in the dark and chaotic past of the island, but the organization has been forged by hundreds of years of warfare over its long history.

In terms of composition, the importance of heavily armed sail ships adapted to line battles was established around 1000 VTE, when the /meat/head superfleet that had been dominating and terrorizing the Holosea for the decades prior met with line battle tactics for the first time, and a respite from the cannibal menace was earned through the victory of the Holonation's alliance, with the Black Fleet playing an important role.

Today, the Black Fleet's sees combat with pirates, raiders and schizo almost continuously somewhere in the Holosea, assisted by the Naval Militia. Conflicts with fellow Holonations or factions from the Nijilands are also common occurrences.