The Terminarch is a specialized submarine that was built for and is owned by the last surviving human on Earth, Shin Hydroanii. It provides him with transportation and living quarters, among other things, and he uses it on behalf of his adopted tribe for collecting data and exploring the planet. The technology aboard the Terminarch is beyond anything available in the twenty-first century, or even in current times of the seventy-first century.
The name Terminarch appears on an illustration that was made available on Andreafishy's Patreon account, but enough of the concept art image is shown in a collage at the end of The Siren's Call to see the name. Andreafishy uploaded a similar concept art image to her account on ArtStation. The image is available locally for viewing as Submarine variations.
Description[]
The Terminarch is an aquadynamic deep-sea vessel, with a pointed bow barbed like a harpoon, that appears to be roughly sixty to seventy-five feet long from bow to stern. It widens out, becoming larger in girth to make room for the bridge with its 180° convex viewport at the fore, with a dorsal fin on the roof. Below the bridge are rooms with traditional round portholes. At the stern there are four translucent fins positioned at the cardinal points around the circumference of the engine's ejection nozzle. Topside, from the bridge to the engine room, are multiple berths and utility rooms with windows lining the hull. Below decks, bulging out like the hulls of boomer submarines did once, are cargo holds and a moon pool, among other chambers. Near the bow and close to the keel, two long fins, like the pectorals on a fish, stick out when the boat is underway.
The submarine is designed with the latest advancements in diving technology, as well as being engineered to be virtually indestructible. The claim was proven by Shin's inattention when a derelict submarine hull makes violent contact with the control room window and causes no damage to the ship.[1] Shin also claims the ship can withstand crushing depths of nine thousand meters.[2]
Rooms onboard[]
The control room, which in another time might have been called the bridge, is the room where the ship's wheel, mounted at the helm or control station, can be found. It is from here that the captain drives or pilots the submarine, with all the required gauges and indicators to keep the ship on course and to monitor all systems. The control room has a domed, paned window that allows a nearly unrestricted view around the ship.
The storeroom that Shin keeps his collection of all of those things the Dohrnii definitely shouldn't know about. There appear to be all types of oddities, not unlike a certain well-known little mermaid's treasure cave, including books, weapons, animal specimens, even an ancient Egyptian shield. And, for a short time, the Mirror. Dinglehopper, anyone?
The room where Shin keeps many of his weapons, specifically spearguns, choosing to hide them in the walls. This the room where Pezci and Scypho take shelter from the barracudas when they first break into the submarine. This room doesn't appear to be a designated armory, but its actual function is never made clear.
The brig is an automated jail where the prisoners float above or stand on clearly demarcated ovals on the floor, and when the submarine detects the presence of the prisoners — as previously designated by the captain — it activates vertical floor-to-ceiling bars that create a cage for creatures that can swim or walk. The ship's security control system is also in this room, allowing the captain to see all parts of the submarine. The security system is programmed to recognize threats and alert the crew.
The reactor room is where the reactor is located which provides power to the engines.
History[]
Chapter 3[]
Pezci and Scypho stumble upon the submarine while fleeing from the police, and break into the vessel when threatened by a monstrous Barracuda lionfish. The break-in was not appreciated.[3] The captain of the submarine first observes the intruders, then he takes them prisoner. The boat's systems create water containment bubbles around Scypho and Pezci and it allows Shin to direct their paths. The amount of walking and the number of passages is a clear indication that this is no small vessel. He finally gets them to the brig and locks them up. The boat's security system alerts the captain to the presence of a giant barracuda's head sticking through the hatch the two intruders had broken to get in. He deputizes his prisoners and takes them back to the chamber he found them in and reveals an armory of spearguns stored in the boat's hull.[4] Out in the darkened passageway, it becomes apparent that the barracudas that came with the monster have eaten all the light fixtures in the hull. They quickly defeat the little monsters and the big monster gets away.[5]
When Scypho tries to leave the boat to go with Shin, the boat delivers a strong shock that is used to deter escaping prisoners.[6] The boat delivers another, more debilitating shock to Scypho to correct his behavior when Shin activates a cufflink button. They all collect back in the passageway and Shin secures the hatch, with Scypho on the deck still unable to move on his own. When Shin tries to put the Mirror into his private collection, he has to have the boat use a type of energy containment on the Mirror to safely store it away.[7]
Shin takes the submarine to the Dohrnii's city to visit the elders of the Dohrnii tribe, bringing the boat in to the landing with a flourish. He kicks open the damaged hatch with a bang and marches his prize into the castle.[8] The visit with the Dohrnii is cut short by the reappearance of the maelstrom,[9] and the three adventurers are forced to flee, now on a mission to reach the Light Tower.[10]
Interlude 1[]
Once on board, Shin equips the two merfolk with hydrospheres, which the submarine's computer is responsible for maintaining. He takes them on a tour to many of the rooms about the ship, arriving at last in the control room, which is sometimes called the bridge. After some give and take between the two men, resulting in a damaged ceiling, Shin takes them to his private collection, where all the stuff he doesn't show to the Dohrnii is stored.[11] Once inside the room, Scypho wastes no time determining where the Mirror is kept. While Pezci keeps Shin distracted, Scypho sneaks over and reclaims his Mirror. Shin catches him, but its the Mirror's actions that convince Shin he needs to let if go back to Scypho. He does end up with another couple hundred years worth of honey for his trouble.[12]
Chapter 4[]
The three adventurers set out for the Light Tower in Shin's submarine. In addition to the captain's chair, the ship's control room is equipped with two transparent globes large enough for the average merfolk, filled with water, with a large, disk-shaped cushion in the bottom. The globes rest on short metal posts to keep passengers on the same level as the crew. All is well, until a proximity alarm sounds on the helm's center pylon. A storm has been newly formed and it's agitating the sea, forming a maelstrom beneath it. The ship is struck by the hull of a derelict submarine dredged up by the storm, but the Terminarch's advanced engineering allows it to shrug off the blow easily. Shin takes the sub farther into the depths, believing the ship is safe, but the storm exceeds expectations and catches them again. The fury of the maelstrom shakes and rattles the ship, causing the travelers to be tossed about and the globes cracked. The Mirror is tossed like a spear, and it stabs into the bulkhead and gets stuck in place out of reach of the others. Shin determines their best course is to try for the middle of the storm. He drives the submarine into the vortex of the maelstrom all-ahead full, but the power of the storm grips the craft and ultimately drives it vertically into the muddy seabed.[1]
After a short time pointed to the vertical, the ship settles with a loud creaking noise back to an even keel, hitting the seabed hard and tossing its occupants to the now level deck. The lounging globes are broken and the engines are nonresponsive, but other than that, the ship suffers no serious damage. A check of the readouts at the helm shows the reactor has shut down due to overexertion, which will need to be dealt with. Trying to jump start the reactor doesn't work, even when the backup jump starter is put in service, so those who are able to must go out to the nearby city to get another jump starter pack. This means Scypho and Pezci will have to leave the ship, so they head out for the deep sea city.[2]
After Pezci falls victim to the siren Lepto, Scypho returns to the ship to get Shin so they can affect a rescue. Because of his limitations as a human, Shin has to wear a special suit to go out in the crushing depths of the deep sea.[13] After rescuing Pesci and Scypho, with the help of the little octopus clinging to his arm, Shin returns using the suit for transportation, and drops them to the ground outside of the submarine upon arrival. Shin invites Levin inside, saying his ability to shock things may prove useful.[14]
