The Sable Tally is a broad-bellied, three-masted ship with a high stern and a blunt bow built to carry cargo as well as a fighting crew. Her patched sails are a mismatched brown-gray, and her dark hull is scarred by old shot and pale repairs. A faded white bar tally is painted beneath the stern windows, its marks too worn to count from a distance. Up close, her sturdy timberwork is masked by years of tar, rope patches, and hurried repairs. The gunports are painted a dull red, and a crooked string of lanterns hangs beneath the quarterdeck for night signaling. The ship flies a ragged black flag bearing the same white bars as her stern, a mark that has become infamous along the coast.

Built as a heavy merchant vessel, the ship was once called the Tally after a forgotten harbor clerk who recorded cargo duties for a vanished port authority. Years later, Sesa Vark and her crew seized her and kept the old name's mark, changing it into the Sable Tally. The ship earned its reputation by raiding well-armed convoys, taking prizes quickly, and often sparing those who surrendered.