Kriegwind (Warwind)
by John HareType: Light warbird, Waffenadler
class, modified
Date of Commission: AC 987, modified AC 993
Port of Call: Freiburg
Service Record: The Kriegwind originally entered service as a patrol vessel based out of Vanya's Rest. However after the disaster of a new crew aboard the warbird Kriegwind in AC 992. Inexperience crashed it while attempting to land causing damage to the warbird, nearby warehouses and crew. It was decided that a period of training aboard a warbird with some seasoned crew members would be prudent. The Kriegwind was chosen and modified to include brass & silver fittings. In this way in addition to their normal duties crewmen would be expected to keep all the brass and silver shiny. This was to provide more duties than would be normally expected and thus prepare crews for long intensive work days aboard a flying ship. Also emergency training drills and assumption of command due to casualties were instilled. Originally the crew was 2/3 seasoned personnel from other ships and the remaining 1/3 were new crewmen. Some crew members stay constant, such as the captain, chaplain and bosun. Most of the other crewmen are rotated around so that the rotation includes 1/3 new crew, 1/3 crew on second training tour, and 1/3 is seasoned crew which is the main training cadre. Every 3 months the crews are rotated around, so that the majority of the second crew is rotated off with some of the main cadre, a new crew brought in and the crew that just finished its first tour begins its second in supervision rolls and to ensure that the training has held. Some members of the second crew are transferred to the main cadre.
The current captain is Gretchen von Straus, an attractive women in her mid-forties who came aboard after being the first officer aboard the Karmesinfalke for 3 years. She has been in command of the Kriegwind since 1013. She is a hard taskmaster and runs a very tight ship. She has been awarded several medals for her service. She has the Gorgerin with one oak leaf, the Cord with two oak leaves and the Hilt. Because of the high demand of training she requires of her crew it receives a +1 to initiative and is less likely to be surprise (1 in 8 chance). However these two bonuses only come into effect half way through a training period, or 6 weeks after being recrewed.
During the very brief periods of time when all warbird crews are filled Gretchen takes up personnel who are selected to eventually train on warbirds. Her theory is that the more people trained then the less likely an accident, as what happened with the Dracheklaue will occur. Part of her drive in this is that her younger brother who had also joined was killed when the Dracheklaue crashed. He wasn't part of the crew, he was just a serving brother assigned to load supplies onto the Dracheklaue.
The Dracheklaue took part in the
battle over Freiburg against the Myoshiman rakasta. Afterwards it
was discovered that while in the heaviest fighting it took the
fewest casualties, as such it was returned to its assignment of
training replacement crews.