Landloving barbarian cities

[Whyvel Raj'Akor]

Ymiden 3, Arc 718


Homesickness is a queer feeling, especially when one is fairly certain that they are better off far away from home yet still finding themselves missing the place. The Sailor shrugged off these thoughts as he rolled out of his small cot onto the rough wooden floor of his boat. Idly scratching his mangy companion that was supposedly a cat and yawning the man cast his gaze about the room idly pulling his thoughts together. He was in Ne’Haer now, a city he’d be tentatively calling home.
Pulling on his pants but foregoing a shirt he clambered up to the deck of the ship and squinted in the bright sunlight. The strong tingle in the back of his head and the dull ache sunlight caused him was a grim reminder that he’d finished off what alcohol he had had left in celebration of his arrival. Stumbling onto Ne’Haer’s docks he pointedly ignored the stares of the dock workers and decided it was fine time to get his bearing in the city.
As he stumbled through the docks toward the city proper he began to giggle dryly as a realization struck him. He’d spent most of his time at sea and while some people had trouble finding their sea legs he was having a hard time walking land. The idea of walking on a surface that didn’t pitch or shift in the slightest was disconcerting. But such was the weight of his decisions, He wouldn’t return to Blackbrine tell he was a captain on his own merit and that meant living among the land dwellers for a time. Unpleasant but perhaps necessary. Still what made a good first impression in a city of pirates and what makes a good impression in a city of priests are decidedly two very different things. A shirtless man stumbling about who reeks of boos isn’t exactly the most approachable creature.
The sunlight beginning to grind on him he cast his eyes about for some dark hole to fall into for a moment. After a second his eyes alighted on a tavern as he approached the center of the city. A place called the crest break Tavern. Pushing the heavy door open he stumbled in only to meet the combined gazes of what few daytime customers the place had. Half grinning at their combined expressions he leaned against the doorframe and pulled out a couple coins. Before speaking in Rakahi.

” What’s with the looks mates, I’m a payin man”
Frowning he shrugged before he realized that mainlanders didn’t speak his tongue, the uncultured barbarians that they were. Trying his tongue in their rough language of common he furrowed his brow.
“I want, drink…. And I want Guide, gold for Both”
At that the locals seemed to accept him at least as not being a threat.. for the moment… it’s best not to trust anyone he thought to himself. Swaggering up to the bar he set down a gold coin and gestured towards a small shot glass and waited on service. Meanwhile he cast his eyes about seeing if anyone had shown any interest in his request for a guide.

[Tahei Nji'Ryn]

Getting pecked in the face was hardly a normal way to be woken up. But, it was Tahei's reality with a bird that hadn't learned the meaning of sleeping in. He rolled over to the rather unpleasant sensation of a rock attacking his nose. Wait...rocks didn't move, so it probably wasn't attacking. But surely it had to be huge to cause such pain. Tahei blinked several times and waved off the bird who was obviously offended that he had dared to not jump immediately to his feet. The young man could barely see for the blue feathers pummeling his person. There was no such thing as even trying to be groggy at this point as he sat up and remembered his predicament. This wasn't home. And the rock proved to be no more than a rather sharp pebble.

There was no turning back. He wasn't going to face his father or resign himself to a life he would hate. His family's ship was long gone probably visiting some far off port, and he was stuck here. Tahei pulled a hard biscuit from his pack and split it against his leg roughly in half. It wasn't much, but at this point, he didn't have much. Life away from his family wasn't one big adventure after another. It was feeling lost and wishing desperately that somehow he could take it all back. That he could just be normal and follow in his father's footsteps. Be the obedient child and just accept fate. But that wasn't him. He wasn't the sort of person who would be content doing the same things day in and day out, creating for others and receiving little for himself. He wanted more, and the call of the sea was too strong. To stand on the beach and look out longingly was torture. It was like putting a haunch of meat in front of a cur just out of reach.

Half the biscuit went to the now calmer macaw. She shredded it like paper with a beak designed for cracking the hardest nuts. Tahei ate slowly being forced to soften the bread before he could chew it. It gave him time to think about a plan for the day. People worked, so at some point, he'd have to find a job. Crest Break Tavern was the closest, and if nothing else, it would be a place to listen.

Inside, he found himself a table and kept his bird relatively quiet with a piece of braided fiber. There was some noise of conversation and people eating, and the locals left him alone. A drunk walked in which wasn't much in itself. Maybe still hungover from something. It wasn't his place to judge. Though, he didn't look like anyone from Ne'haer not that it was too unusual for foreigners to be wandering about. No, what made Tahei stare was the fact that this foreigner spoke Rakahi. So far as he knew, only the Biq'aj used that language, and upon closer inspection, that hunch was proved true.

Everyone else in the tavern turned back to their own business. Even with the offer of coin, no fish were biting. He waited a few more moments before moving his macaw from the table to his shoulder and standing up. She could still shred the fiber, and the pair left bits of debris in their wake. Still, better that then his hair or clothes. Tahei approached the bar and took a seat next to the foreigner.

"You're new in Ne'haer, then? I suppose I could show you around? How much are you offering?"

He spoke in Rakahi and tried to pull off an unconcerned expression. And there was the painful voice of his father in his head reminding him to never take a job without knowing the payout up front. The macaw watched the stranger as well, though not even Tahei could really predict her thoughts.

[Whyvel Raj'Akor]

It wasn't long before his off offer was taken up, by a fellow Biq’Aj at that, his fortune made him smile wanly. So long as he was on the coast and didn’t mention his origins he would have friends. Turning to the man he grinned widely, and when the man asked how much he was offering he grinned even wider.

“How much am I offering? Well how much, I do believe is a subjective question, though I do believe my asking price was 1 gold coin, however, I’m not above haggling and I am just as willing to pay in favors as I am in gold, so, I suppose payment, would be…. Decided by the quality of services rendered.”

He wasn’t sure as to how the man would react to his waylaying of his question, people had a tendency to like answers as solid as the ground they walked on but Whyvel was a man of the sea, and like the tides his decisions varied with each passing moment. Finishing the domestic swill the called alcohol in this and slapping the glass on the table with a hard “thunk” he momentarily relished in burn washing down his throat that woke him up and readied him for a day of cavorting about the town. Holding out a hand to the stranger he grinned again and eyed the bird on his shoulder.

“Name’s Whyvel, and if ya don’t mind me askin, which one of you’s is the brains of this operation?”

Laughing at his own dumb joke he waited on the man’s reply he did hope that the man was willing to barter or take up his offer of a favor over payment, he didn’t like departing with his coin when he could avoid it, and if the stranger was a fellow brother of the sea, then he believed the day would turn out favorable…. That said aside from the man’s dirty appearance he looked to soft to be a sailor… or at least a seasoned one.

[Tahei Nji'Ryn]

The macaw bobbed her head and looked very thorough in her appraisal of the fellow Biq'aj, but she could be difficult to read. Not even Tahei had a clue as to what went on in her brain half the time, and the other half was because she tended to loudly exclaim her various needs and desires. Admittedly, that need could be something silly like her latest toy falling to the ground and her not wanting to fly down to get it. The young man also firmly believed that his bird was in the business of making people miserable. He recalled many nights where she simply screamed and screamed until someone woke up, tried to appease her with all manner of things, and eventually start yelling and cursing out of frustration. At which point, she would stop screaming and let out her imitation of a laugh. It only stopped because she found the repetition finally boring and blessed everyone on the ship by keeping quiet for one full night. Tahei regularly doubted his ability to keep the bird considering her many frustrations and difficulties, but then she would do something that just made him fall in love all over again. Like the time she attacked a rat that had crawled into his folded hammock or when her screaming and flapping scared off a potential thief.

"Fifteen silver nel. I can show you all the sights, places to eat and drink that won't bleed you dry, stop where ever you ask, talk about the history, you name it. Normally I'd ask for more, but you're a brother."

It would be enough to cover a hot meal for himself and his bird and a room somewhere so they weren't out on the street. If he rationed out the food, it might even last for two meals. The mental arithmetic was something he had to learn with ship building, but he had no idea how much it would come in handy just trying to scrape by for a living. The dockyards at least provided a roof over his head and enough pay so as not to starve. No, he banished the thought from his mind. He wasn't going back. Not now, not ever. The fellow Biq'aj, Tahei noted, was certainly a big drinker. Maybe pointing out places to get a drink wouldn't go amiss.

"Name's Tahei, and this is Amia." He gestured to his macaw who dutifully stuck out a foot for a moment before firmly reattaching it to Tahei's shoulder. "I like to think I'm in charge, but Amia regularly begs to differ. Just...expect the unexpected with her."

He offered an apologetic smile knowing full well what his pet was capable of. For now, she was being unusually quiet. Most likely to persuade Whyvel to drop his guard. That was her style, after all. Tahei shook the hand that was offered to him, the callouses giving some indication to a man who'd put in hard labor. There was also the rope tattoo across his wrist which marked him as a deckhand, but that particular form of initiation was hardly universal among the Biq'aj.
Each clan did things their own way, and Tahei was used to others either not noticing it or thinking it was purely decorative. The reef knot that tied the two rope ends together was on the underside of his wrist along with a stylized star. Everyday, the tattoos were a mark of shame and his inability to return to the sea which he loved. A sailor without the sea was a sorry man indeed.

[Whyvel Raj'Akor]

“You drive a hard bargain friend”
Grinning as he shook the man’s hand Whyvel eyed him once over curious as to the man’s tale, something he’d have to pester the him about over the course of the day, it never hurt to know what someone else knew.
“Anyways, nice to meet ya Tahei, and You as well Amia… So, Brother.. what does you city have to offer me?”

Slapping some coin on the bar for his drinks he stepped out of the bar and into the sunlight squinting momentarily before looking back at his bought company for the moment. The man seemed friendly enough and while he was a stranger in a strange land he was fairly certain he could trust the fellow not to shank him in the ribs as he showed him around, though he’d keep his eyes open if they entered any alleys.

“So while you’re at it do you know much about the business in this city? Imports and exports and what not, I’ve got a boat myself and ‘m trying to get myself into the business myself, though I’d rather be my own captain if ya catch my drift, Hah! Anywho ya look like ya might know a bit on the topic, and while yer on it… ya know anything about pirates in the area?”

It felt likea subtle enough way to get information he wanted, hunting a pirate was going to be a task but it was one he was willing to take though bringing up the name of pirates was generally taboo, especially with other Biq’aj, but he was willing to take some risks to find out the whereabouts of his quarry.

[Tahei Nji'Ryn]

Tahei offered a casual smile and shook on the deal. Though a significant chunk of his formative years were spent sailing far from the shores of Ne'haer, this was still home. In a confusing and not altogether uncontratictory way. A part of him was desperate to leave and return to the sea, but his mother had been insistent on him always seeing this place as home. Just as turtles would return year after year to the same beach where they hatched.

He led the way out into the city pointing out the directions to various shops of possible importance of renown. The city square was a hive of activity as usual, and the statue of the city's founder was prominent. For good measure, Tahei gave the rundown of the city's history and the importance of Reasoa Euthik. From there, it was easy to see the bay back where they had come. From there, the various temples and the rather tolerant if not pious character of the city. He was less than pleased about a statue of Chrien and U'frek being in the same place, but kept the more scathing comments to himself.

"Off the top of my head, the major exports are fish, pearls, lumber, and cattle. And ships since the city has some of the best shipwrights. There's a fair amount of agriculture, so fruits are also not unheard of as exports. Most of our metals have to be imported, lot of exotic seeds and dyes. Honestly, just about everything comes through here at some point."

This whole time, Amia had kept unusually quiet and reserved. She was more than comfortable on Tahei's shoulder and pecked listlessly at the braided fiber. The silence left Tahei worried not because he thought she was sick, but because he knew her well enough to know it was an act. As they passed under a bit of shade, she perked up and stared hard at Whyvel. And then. She screamed. That earsplitting screech that was much better suited to jungle canopies than a city. Tahei instinctively clapped his hands over his ears as his bird put on a full display of flapping wings, fanned tail, and turned herself into some massive scarlet monster. Five seconds, then stop. She returned to her demure posture on the man's shoulder chortling to herself with satisfaction. Tahei's ears were still ringing, and his face felt hot. It was about another minute before he spoke up again and the worst of the deafness had subsided.

"Sorry 'bout that. She likes scaring the wits out of people. You'll never need a knocker with her around as the whole neighborhood would know any time someone walks past the door."

He led the way down another street towards the Coliseum and past the Armourer's shop point it out as they went.

"But if it's pirates you're after, you won't find them here. Most of the unscrupulous folk hang around Bayward, about two weeks walk south of here. With fair winds, you could make the journey in about a week by boat. I'd steer well clear of that place, though. As a respectable merchant, you wouldn't want to give anyone the wrong impression."

The Coliseum had a rich history and was one of the oldest buildings in Ne'haer. Tahei explained how the fights worked and that while fair play was encouraged, cheating was known to happen. Betting was a popular past time, and many quite enjoyed the spectacle of death and blood. It was also a nice place to get out of the sun for a few minutes, though Ymiden was hardly the baking and intolerable heat of Saun.

"If you don't mind a few questions of my own, what's your ship like? Any crew to help you? I can definitely respect a free spirited man with a desire to do honest work. I know most of the local trade routes, and I used to work on a merchant ship, so I know how it goes."