Wetward We Are!

[Ae'garn]

30th of Cylus, Afternoon
Andaris's Docks, Headed to...

A

ll set to go! Ae’garn’s nose sniffed the air and he pushed his hair back, one foot on the edge of the docks as always, as if ready to leap off into the water. They’d picked up all the supplies for the trip they were going to get between them, done their ceremonies and the priest had said his goodbyes. A couple of smoke potions, the priest also had a lockpicking set, Ae’garn didn’t question where he’d picked it up, better not to know about these things! The only thing left to do was board the ship for Viden. All set for the voyage to the icy wastes up north, Ae’garn was looking forward to his first visit to the far reaches of Idalos, but... the priest had other ideas.

“We are not going to Viden then?” Ae’garn’s shoulders deflated.

“I am sorry I know how much you wanted to see it,” the old priest looked down to his friend.

“But Famula’s relics?” Which was far more important than any sightseeing to Ae’garn.

“A little bird tells me our thief has moved on to Scalvoris” The priest said with a smile. Ae'garn's eyes went wide, yes! That was still in the north! Balancing up to his tip toes and down. “And this is our ship,” the priest picked up what few belongings he had, and Ae’garn walked his horse and cart along with them both, trotting along behind them.

“Do you think we’ll see snow monsters?” Ae’garn asked matter-of-factly, trying his best not to sound excited.

“If we do, I’ll be sure to tell you,” the priest humoured him, having become accustomed to Ae’garn’s childlike sense of exploration. The boat docked and you can be sure Ae’garn was one of the first onboard, waiting for everyone else to get checked in as soon as he was, just sitting there enjoying the water on the side of the ship. When he was at a place he was in no hurry to leave it, yet he always did in a flash when it was time! Was that homesickness again, maybe?

Waiting till last to go find a bunk, meant he got the worst one there, but his horse was well taken care of. So much so he put his stuff with the horse, choosing to put his head down there. The ship held at least sixty passengers, so it wasn’t a small vessel, travelers coming in all shapes and sizes, the crew were at least sixty strong as well. Ae’garn was curious, but quiet, creeping through all of them, and once or twice hiding so nobody was offended he had seen their private chats. It wasn’t an intentional intrusion, it was his natural curiosity to see people, to be part of something, sadly he was always out of arms reach of it.

[Ae'garn]

“There you are!” A balding, scarred face looked down at Ae’garn. A certain Sev’ryn who had become very comfortable indeed in his straw bed with the other animals, saying a prayer to an immortal or two of course while he rested. “About time you got to work ain’t it?” The sailor barked.

Ae’garn’s nose scrunched up and he chewed on his lip, “I’m a passenger…” before Ae’garn could reply, a mop and bucket were produced and dropped next to him. “This is Daneth, he’ll be working with you.”

Getting up and brushing straw down from his top, Ae’garn wondered if the man had heard him. Patiently waiting for Daneth to approach and begin describing the duties of a swabbie to him, essentially cleaning and soaking up any water with a mop. “I’m honoured but I am a passenger,” the Sev’ryn said again.

“A passenger who ain’t paid,” the bald man said crossing his arms, “captain’s got a soft spot for holy men. Priest told the captain you’d both work it off, he’s giving the men a reading from his book, and you’re giving the floor a clean.”

Picking up the mop and bucket, Ae’garn took the news surprisingly well. If he could be of service it would be better than sleeping all trip. “Certainly,” with a bright smile, which caused the bald man to grunt and walk away, Daneth and he soon got to work swabbing the decks. Although Daneth tried to sound like he was teaching him something, mopping wasn’t arcane surgery. Ae’garn still smiled, nodding, and happy to listen to let the other man talk away.

“And don’t forget, if you twist the mop like this you can…” The chatter went on for a while. Even in small tasks if you focused on them, you could learn little secrets. By the end of the first room he’d paid attention how the floor of the ship was put together; how to know if someone was sleeping in his bunk, by a small blue cloth hung over the edge; also that a mouse had found its way aboard, that part he didn’t tell Daneth about, wanting to give it a fighting chance of staying free instead.

[Ae'garn]

W

hen Ae’garn reached the main deck, he realised he wasn’t the only passenger that was helping, there was a half dozen he’d seen at the dock, either new sailors or people being told how to carry powder around the ship. A powder monkey it was called, one or two were drafted as cabin boys and another former sailor as a rigger. “Isn’t a cabin boy usually a young boy’s job?” One of the group remarked, getting absolutely nothing but contempt from the deck hands educating them.

They were on what Daneth called a Carrack, a three mast sailing ship that was able to sail in heavy seas or around the coast. Daneth said it was a favourite of merchants who wanted a solid vessel, and that it wasn’t the fastest ship in Idalos but a three master Cararck had room for a fair amount of cargo and passengers, usually needing more crew than sixty. Ae’garn didn’t ask why there were less, feeling it an intrusion, and he was enjoying the speeches Daneth gave like he was part of a great unfolding story.

Ocean air, so different to the forests that he wasn’t sure if he’d liked it on his trip to Andaris, this time he’d decided he did like it. He liked the feel of the wet wood, waves sometimes splashing or getting a spray of water from the wind. Yep Ae’garn liked the sea, dreamily looking across the deck. “Back to it swab!” One of the ship’s mates saw him standing around, and he hurriedly got back to swabbing.

While he worked he dedicated a prayer, “Delroth give us wind beneath our sales and U'frek calm water, a steady current to guide us.” Ae’garn said beneath his breath, Daneth apparently heard him, because he took some water from his bucket and threw a splash over his shoulder. Superstitions among sailors wasn’t always just a fable, Ae’garn joining in did the same.

Appearing to have quietened down since the prayer, Daneth worked harder. Ae’garn joined him and the two of them shared that in common, faith, quiet prayer and faith. Reaching one end of the deck, he gave a final look to the seas around him, and they made their way down into the cargo hold.

Finding a strange noise greeting them. POP.

[Ae'garn]

Wine was spilling everywhere.

“The captains wine!!!!” Daneth exclaimed, in greater panic than if he had found a hole in the ship. Carelessly he’d caught the wine’s cork with his mop handle, honestly it wasn’t exactly light down here, Ae’garn couldn’t see much. As Daneth scrambled to save the wine, he passed it over to Ae’garn, splashing him with the vintage.

“It’ll be a flogging this will, it’ll be ten lashes,” the man panicked, searching the room for a cork. Finding it, he looked at the now half empty bottle in Ae’garn’s hands. Then he looked at his mop bucket, he looked at the bottle. Was he thinking of filling it with dirty deck water? Daneth picked up the bucket and Ae’garn didn’t know what to say. “Wait!” You can’t do that.

“To the depths I can’t! I ain’t taking no lashes for no stinking overpriced wine.” Daneth began to tip.

Ae’garn had to think fast on his feet, “he’ll know it was a swabbie, it is more honourable to be honest. I will tell him.” Daneth stopped, and thought about it. “You’ll tell him it was your mop?” Ae’garn had to think about it, he didn’t want lashing but he didn’t want someone else getting lashed for a mistake either.

“Yes. I’ll tell him I did it.”

“You sure? We can always put it to the back, and maybe they'll not find it for half a season.”

“No I am not sure,” Ae’garn said nervously, taking the bottle with him anyway, and walking up to the deck. It wasn’t long till a mate had spotted them coming out, carrying the captain’s half empty wine. “Oi! What do you think you are doing with that bottle.” The mate sniffed him, “you stink of the stuff!” Grabbing Ae’garn’s arm he marched him to the center of the ship, and to the first mate who currently was on duty. Almost a foot taller than Ae’garn, the tanned human was busy commanding, the scar across his cheek and his grizzled appearance, did nothing to lay Ae'garn's fears to rest. The First Mate looked down at the Sev’ryn holding the bottle, and then to Daneth.

“Been at the captain's wine Daneth?” The large First Mate asked, several of the sailors stopped and looked, the other Mate shouting at them to get back to work. “I spilled it cleaning the cargo hold.” Ae’garn told him. “Wasn’t talking to you,” the First Mate went back to looking at, “Daneth?” He asked him again. “Accident, swear on my mother’s good leg, not had a drop sir,” Daneth said hopefully. The Large Mate stared him down and then decided. “Both of you’ve got night duty for seven trials, your rum rations are gone for this trip, and you’ll miss tomorrows food.” That was a light punishment, it was only light because around them other drafted passengers were also making errors and mistakes, they were having to make do with landlubbers.

"Aye Mr Heggan," Daneth said with some relief that they'd got a break, "i'll make sure he's more careful...."

"...Boat ahoy!" The attention wasn't on them anymore.

[Ae'garn]

“What flag is she flying?”
“Is she a friend?”
“She’s on a course to intercept.”

A

ll this and more chatter went on around Ae’garn, who dutifully went back to mopping, not wanting to get in more trouble. He had the technique down now, it was even giving him a bit of a workout, humming to himself as he worked. The spray from the occasional wave was calming, always making more work for his mop. Unlike those around him he’d become tranquil.

Those around him were scrambling around to their posts, especially as the captain had just walked on board. A Biqaj of advancing years, seeming to command some respect or fear from his men because they all made way for him. He raised his spyglass to get a good look at the vessel and several of the mate’s hung on his order, all four of them having been roused to duty.

“Merchant vessel, she looks like she’s Careening on her starboard side, badly damaged. Mr Heggan ready the men to assist. Mr Landson ready our medical supplies and wake the doctor.” So the deck became alive, not everyone was woken up but many of the crew were called to general quarters, meaning they made ready to help.

Ae’garn listened on and mopped away, curious to the last, “you there lad, can you write?” Ae’garn looked about himself and then back to the captain, “yes you, can you write lad?” The small Sev'ryn was no poet but he could write common, “sure.” The captain produced a journal, an ink pot from an assistant and a pen. He gave the thick journal to Daneth to hold, and the ink pot and pen to Ae’garn. Ordering a sailor to relieve him of his swabbing duties, the Sev’ryn could smell an adventure brewing.

“Then you’re with me, keep up.” Ae’garn didn’t need to be told twice, skipping ahead, with Daneth holding the large journal open, both of them followed the captain. Their course was altered to meet the damaged ship half way, which looked to be taking on water. “I want you to record the event,” he told Ae’garn, “my last chronicler fell overboard and drowned, so do watch your step.” Ae’garn peered over the sides of the ship, eyes wide. The speed at which the captain moved, the rocking of the boat, and people moving around them made it hard to chronicle anything, how was he supposed to start!

“Write what you see.” The captain told him, and so he begun. Daneth holding the book tight, grinning from ear to ear, from a swabbie to an assistant chronicler in one step, was quite a promotion for his friend!

[Ae'garn]

S

o it was Ae’garn began his career as a writer! With his imagination it was no trouble to find things to write about! Sadly his sentence structure was terrible, and his use of grammar which he believed might be an elderly relative someone lost in his own translation, was also pretty darn bad. Did that stop him, ha! He scrawled more wonderfully colorful gibberish down into that journal, than three accountants at the end of a carnival's tax year.

They pulled the wreck in with use of ropes, flotsam and strewn cargo trailing behind it, it was taking on water fast. “Steady!” “Steady!” and then the boats jolted together. The crew from the other ship were more than a bit relieved to be offered the lifeline! It creaked and swayed, if they weren’t fast they could get pulled under with her. Their captain was risking a lot, he could have used the small ship’s boats on the side to ferry people across, that would have been slower but kept their own ship safe. Ae’garn admired him, and he made sure he wrote that down, with notes to Qylios of course.

Hurriedly people were brought across, the ship could go under at any minute. They’d cleverly blocked off parts of the hull but it was a miracle they were still afloat. Some were injured, some were scared stiff, and some came by the captain to talk. Some that soon became a half dozen, the captain and his small chroniclers were swarmed by drenched, cold and scared sailors.

“They hit us out of nowhere, she was so fast!”
“A pox on pirates.”
“Terror on the tides.”

“Captain, boat ahoy…”

To be continued here!

[Inali]

Congratulations!

Ae'garn

Knowledge:

• Stealth: Hiding in small areas to avoid detection
• Daneth: Shiphand
• Daneth: Clumsy
• Mr. Heggan: First Mate
• Mr. Heggan: Strict and demanding
• Etiquette: Accepting sudden tasks with grace
• Deception: Using props and reasonable excuses to decieve
• Etiquette: Accepting a harsh punishment without an emotional outburst
• Seafaring: Layout and maintenance of midsize vessels
• Endurance: Repeating a task builds muscle memory
• Writing: Writing on an unsteady surface
• Writing: Writing for an extended period leads to multiple mistakes

Loot: None
Injuries: None
Fame: +1 (General good deed)
Devotion: U'frek: 1 (Pray to Uf'rek), Delroth: 1 (Pray to Delroth)
Magic: These points cannot be used for magic

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 0/5 (Sol)o
Structure:5/5

I really liked this thread. It's rare to see a PC stoop to something as menial as mopping the deck and you really made it interesting. There were a few minor spelling errors, but nothing to take points off for. I also really liked how you incorporated religion into this - it felt like a part of the environment without being forced. I can't wait to see more of these small moments from NPCs and Ae'garn