Gan

Gan is the highest‑ranking strategic officer in the Urnudan naval tradition and within the command community aboard the Daban Urnud. The closest Orth translation is “admiral,” but the role is broader, focused on strategy (“the forest”) rather than tactics (“the trees”). A Gan sets overall direction for the fleet and, when present, answers to civilian authorities; day‑to‑day command of specific vessels is delegated to tactical officers called Prags (akin to captains).

Role and hierarchy

• Strategic command of the fleet’s course, aims, and rules of engagement.
• Delegation of ship‑level command to Prags; the Gan issues intents and constraints while Prags execute tactics.
• In longstanding practice, Gans have represented a contemplative, long‑view authority sometimes likened to the avout, while Prags are compared to the Sæcular Power.

Historical notes (as related by ship officers)

• The first Gan entrusted with the Daban Urnud was tasked to found a colony beyond Urnud. As communication with home waned and the ship’s mission changed, the office accrued wider authority, especially when the “fleet” consisted of one ship with one Prag.
• Over time this produced a stable arrangement: the Gan embodying strategic stewardship and the Prag operational control.
• A later Gan—counted as the third in the shipboard succession—interpreted received signals from beyond as a summons and altered the ship’s trajectory to begin the long wandering between Advents. Subsequent eras have seen alternating ascendance of the strategic and tactical poles, a tension sometimes nicknamed the “Fulcrum” (Gan‑ward) and the “Pedestal” (Prag‑ward).

Current context

• During the present Advent at Arbre, the title is borne by Gan Odru, named as the forty‑third to hold it. By his account, ceremonial duties persist while practical control often lies with the Prag, reflecting the Pedestal–Fulcrum tension aboard the ship.
• Formal dress for a Gan descends from ancient Urnudan fleet uniforms; robes are used for ceremony rather than for work in or around ships.

Terminology

• Gan: highest strategic officer; Orth gloss “admiral.”
• Prag: tactical ship commander; Orth gloss “captain.”
• Advent: an extended period of contact and activity at a world during the intercosmic journey of the Daban Urnud (Advent).

First known mention in current events

The office is explicitly described during a meeting aboard the Daban Urnud, when its bearer explains the title’s meaning, line of succession, and relationship to Prags and to shipboard politics during the ongoing Advent.