By Land and Sea

Below are tips on successful use of mangonels. If you have anything you would like to include here, please Contact Me.

- Sinking the ghost ship
- Standard mangonel use (navy, Kree'la, Lybadel)

Sinking the Ghost Ship

Here are some tips for sinking the ghost ship by the first crew to ever do it (12/31/05), which includes Kraelyst, Aavarine, Nabihle, Cindi, Mihalia, Dyminica, Ezirah, Nehahra, and Eve.

There are 4 mangonels on the Crest Rider (the ship you will be fighting from). Each mangonel has a Bombardum Mate who will crank, load, aim, and fire for you as commanded. This makes it possible for a single person to operate each mangonel. One competent person should be stationed at each mangonel within a minute of the final ghost ship puzzle being solved (You have about a minute before the ships separate and can be attacked). Obviously it is best to have the mangonels cranked and loaded prior to the start of the attack.

Here are the only commands you will need and the order you will use them:

> COMMAND Mate TO CRANK
> COMMAND Mate TO LOAD {BALL/CHAIN/BARREL}
	CHAIN: seems to hit best when the enemy ship is at or near the distance of "not especially far"
	BARREL: seems to hit best when the enemy ship is nearby, close, or adjacent
	BALL: seems to hit best when the enemy ship is "not especially far"
	It may just be that all the items hit well when the enemy is "not especially far" or closer, and to hit at distance you need to overcrank.
> COMMAND Mate TO OVERCRANK (optional and not advised)
	This makes the projectiles go about twice as far. This might be useful when you see the enemy ship is "distant", but even then the ship will come close very quickly after that (probably by the time you're done overcranking), so better to just wait until it is in range of your projectile.
> COMMAND Mate TO AIM ship
	- When the mangonel is cranked and loaded, aim at the ship. - The enemy is always moving and cannot be reached by every mangonel all the time: only the two forward mangonels can hit the ship when it is north and east, and only the two aft mangonels can hit the ship when it is south and west. Don't worry about this, just keep typing COMMAND MATE TO AIM SHIP until you begin aiming. - Important tip: As soon as you begin aiming, LOOK to see the position of the enemy ship for 2 reasons: 1) If the ship moves between the time you aim and the time you fire then you will miss. You must look when you AIM, then look again right before you fire to be sure the enemy didn't move. If the enemy does move then you must AIM again. 2) Remember the distance of your projectile: if the enemy is at distance then don't fire with a barrel or chain because you won't hit. Wait until it comes closer, AIM again and FIRE before it moves.
> COMMAND Mate TO FIRE
	Remember to LOOK where the enemy is when you AIM, and then LOOK again right before you fire. If the enemy has moved you must AIM again or you will miss.

If you fire a lot in practice, you might need to repair your mangonel once. You can look at the mangonel to see the condition of the ropes. If you are going to repair, make sure it is repaired before you begin combat because repairing it takes a good 2 or 3 minutes.

If ever in doubt of which command you are on, you can LOOK at the mangonel to see what position it is in: cranked/uncranked, loaded/unloaded, or under repair.

All possible mangonel commands for quest:

COMMAND Mate TO CRANK
Cranks throw arm into firing position
COMMAND Mate TO LOAD
COMMAND Mate TO LOAD BALL (iron ball projectile)
COMMAND Mate TO LOAD CHAIN (sail damaging)
COMMAND Mate TO LOAD BARREL (fire bomb)
COMMAND Mate TO AIM {target}
COMMAND Mate TO OVERCRANK
Puts additional tension on throw arm.
COMMAND Mate TO FIRE
COMMAND Mate TO REPAIR
Calls out carpenter to handle mangonel repair
COMMAND Mate TO RESTOCK
Restocks ammunition supplies.
COMMAND Mate TO RESTOCK BALL (iron ball projectile)
COMMAND Mate TO RESTOCK CHAIN (sail damaging)
COMMAND Mate TO RESTOCK BARREL (fire bomb)

Log of the ghost ship being hit by a ball while the ship is "not especially far"

[The Crest Rider, Quarterdeck]
Carved into shapes reminiscent of the crests in a swelling sea and painted marine blue, the uprights meet a rounded white top rail that encircles the entire quarterdeck and forms the handrail on the stairs leading to the main deck. The flag of Zoluren flutters off the stern from a flagpole just to starboard of the rudder. A miniature brass replica of the ship's figurehead forms the handle on the entrance to a small pilothouse. You also see a mangonel and the Bombardum Mate.
Also here: Reaver Stralin and Ssliver.
Obvious paths: none.
Ship paths: none.
Nearby in the water you see: a dark ship with broken masts and ragged sails (not especially far: southwest).

>command mate to aim ship
The Bombardum Mate yells, "Position the mangonel to target a dark ship with broken masts and ragged sails!

The mangonel's bombator yells, "Targetting dark ship!"

>command mate to fire
The Bombardum Mate is too busy right now.

>command mate to fire
The Bombardum Mate yells, "Fire the mangonel!"
The mangonel's bombator yells, "Firing!", and quickly pulls the trigger release.

The mangonel's throw arm rockets forward, slamming into the crosspiece.

An iron ball flies out from the mangonel, arcing over the waters of The Reshal Sea to slam into a dark ship.
[TEMPORARY] An iron ball does 20000 points of damage to a dark ship.

Regular Mangonel LOOK Description (NOT Quest mangonels)

The frame of the mangonel is composed of thick wood rectangles laid flat on the ground. Two holes are bored into each side of the frame through which run skeins of rope. In the middle of the sinew ropes is the throwing arm with a basket attached to one end. A lever attached on one side is used to torsion the skeins as well as ratcheting down the arm.

The mangonel is centered, facing starboard.
The mangonel's arm is winched down and ready to be loaded.
The mangonel's torsion ropes are slightly frayed.

A small sign is hung from the mangonel that reads;
"TURN to tighten the torsion ropes."
"PUSH/PULL to adjust position."
"SPIN to change direction the mangonel is facing."
"POINT to acquire a target."
"TAP to pull the firing pin."

The following is from a guide made by Sardolf for mangonel use on navy ships. Not all of it will apply to your average mangonel user, but there is tons of good info here.

Ammunition

There are three types of ammunition for the mangonels, these are:

Rocks - Used for breaking the hull of other ships and sinking them.

Pitch-filled Bladders - Used for catching the ships, rigging, and crewmembers on
fire.

Chain Bundles - Used for tearing the rigging up and pelting crewmembers.

It is smart to have each person in the mangonel crew to hold a piece of ammunition, your
mangonel chief will tell you which one to get. Also, have a few extra's lying on the floor, it
does not have a roundtime to pick ammunition up from the ground, but it does to take them from
the crate.

You can see how much ammunition is left in a container by looking in it. Once it is used up, a
deck hand will refill the container.

So, when do you know how to use these? It would depend on your situation, but as rule of thumb,
I always have the mangonels first loaded with chains. These are used to tear up the rigging so
ships can not run away or sail circles around your own ship. (We all know how fast the Zoluren
ships are...)

Bladders do more damage to all three, hull, rigging, and crew at the same time, but rocks cause
more damage too the hull.

Apart from using the mangonels, ranged weapons such as bows and crossbows can be shot from one
ship to another provided they are close enough.

___________________________________________

Mangonel Directions

Now comes the tricky part. Learning how to line a mangonel up to your
target.

There are a few commands for changing the direction of a mangonel.

Push, Pull, and Spin.

Push - Pushes a mangonel 1/3 of the way right.
Pull - Pulls a mangonel 1/3 of the way left.
Spin - Spins a mangonel in this order: Forward, Port, Starboard, Aft.

>[You are aboard the (SHIP'S NAME) which is afloat in the Segoltha river estuary facing east and
is moored to the Landfall dock.]
[(SHIP'S NAME), Amidships, Port Battery]
Thick rope netting dangles over the side of the ship, left there by sailors engaged in their
ongoing battle against the growth which forms on the ship's hull. The sharp scent of fresh
paint wafts through the air from buckets that hang from hooks on the nets. You also see a
mangonel, a heavy crate, a dark barrel, and a chain pile.

As you see, the ship is still facing East.
>look man

>The frame of the mangonel is composed of thick wood rectangles laid flat on the ground. Two
holes are bored into each side of the frame through which run skeins of rope. In the middle of
the sinew ropes is the throwing arm with a basket attached to one end. A lever attached on one
side is used to torsion the skeins as well as ratcheting down the arm.

The mangonel is centered, facing forward.
The mangonel's arm is in the forward position.

The mangonel is centered, facing forward. That means it is facing the same direction as the
ship, East.

Now lets say our target is Northeast. We know our Mangonel is facing East, so in order to get it
facing Northeast, we can do one of two things. Spin the mangonel until it is facing port(which
is on the North side), then push it so it will face right of port. Northeast.

Or we could simply pull it to face left of it's current possition. A halfstep left of east would
be Northeast. So you see, this would be faster than spinning it to face Port side, left.

Example:

Long Way
The mangonel is centered, facing forward.

>You spin the mangonel so it points aft.
Roundtime: 10 sec.
You spin the mangonel so it points forward.
Roundtime: 10 sec.
>You spin the mangonel so it points port.
Roundtime: 10 sec.
>You angle the mangonel to the right as much as you can.
Roundtime: 10 sec.

Short Way
The mangonel is centered, facing forward.

>You angle the mangonel to the left as far as it will go.
Roundtime: 10 sec.

>l man

The mangonel is currently angled left of center.

Tah dah.

Now, there is one thing you will have to remember. You must remember what direction your
mangonel is facing, Forward, Aft, Port, or Starboard. This is because once you have push or
pulled your mangonel to the left or right, you will see this:

The mangonel is currently angled right of center.
The mangonel is currently angled left of center.

If you have not push or pulled it, you will see this:

The mangonel is centered, facing forward.

The mangonel is centered, facing aft.

The mangonel is centered, facing port.

The mangonel is centered, facing starboard.

So as you can see, positioning a mangonel can be a tricky task, and only someone with adept
knowledge in this will be a Mangonel Chief (The one whom directs the mangonel crew)

Having a mangonel facing in the north direction, while your enemy is in the northwest direction,
does not mean you will miss. You do not have to line the mangonel up to the bare-bone specifics,
but it greatly enhances your chance to hit the ship. During the first volley anyone should be
able to line their mangonel up directly. After that first shot, you may not have the time, for a
ships will then engage each other, and sail in a vary of directions, making it harder to
hit.

___________________________________________

Mangonel Use

Now you will learn how to crank, load, aim, and fire a mangonel.

First you will learn how to crank a mangonel.

A mangonel must be TURNed three times by 2 pairs. If one person attempts to turn the mangonel
alone, they will loose their grip.

Example:

Sardolf grabs hold of lever bar, cranking it with all his strength.
>
>
You throw your strength against the lever bar but quickly realize that it will take more than
one person to crank the torsion ropes.
Roundtime: 30 sec.
>
You lose your grip on the lever bar.
>
>
Sardolf lost his grip on the mangonel's lever bar.

Once you have a mangonel cranked, it can be loaded.

>l man
The mangonel is centered, facing port.
The mangonel's arm is winched down and ready to be loaded.

>load man

>You carefully load your rock into the mangonel.
Roundtime: 30 sec.

Now you can acquire your targeted by POINTing.

And then you are ready to fire your mangonel by TAPping it.

>l man
The mangonel is centered, facing port.
The mangonel's arm is winched down and ready to be fired.

>You quickly pull the trigger release.
The mangonel's throw arm rockets forward, slamming into the crosspiece.
A rock flies out from the mangonel, arcing over the waters of the Segoltha river estuary. After
a moment the rock drops harmlessly into the water about 675 feet away.

Usually there are 4 people on a team, and one of those will be your Mangonel chief, he helps
work the mangonel also.

It's a smart idea to put your strongest pairs on the first team, so they will be able to turn
the 3rd crank the quickest. Roundtimes on turning a mangonel go down with strength.

Finally you will learn about repairing a mangonel. You can fire a mangonel 5 times safely before
it should need repairing. While a mangonel is being repaired, it can not be used. So don't go
around repairing mangonels at random during battle, the mangonel chief will decided when to do
that. (Also) If a mangonel is fired too many times before being repaired, it will blow up, and
you will along with it.

>l man
The mangonel is centered, facing port.
The mangonel's arm is in the forward position.

The mangonel's torsion ropes are slightly frayed.

This mangonel can probably go for 4 more shots before it needs to be repaired.
>repair man
>You call for the ship's carpenter to come repair the mangonel.

>l man
>The frame of the mangonel is composed of thick wood rectangles laid flat on the ground. Two
holes are bored into each side of the frame through which run skeins of rope. In the middle of
the sinew ropes is the throwing arm with a basket attached to one end. A lever attached on one
side is used to torsion the skeins as well as ratcheting down the arm.

The ship's carpenter is currently repairing the mangonel.