• Graded • Hook, Line, And Anchor

[Darius Baer]

Arc 721, 87th of Ashan

Despite growing up in nearby Scalvoris Town, Darius had never before set foot in Egilrun. But the town was famous for the quality of its crafted goods, which made the keen woodworker wonder just why he had taken so long to visit.

Alas, he had arrived for reasons other than to further his skills and gain inspiration for new creations. He was not in Egilrun as a hobbyist woodworker, but as Baron Darius Baer of House Von Smooglenuff - and, more to the point, he was there as the founder of the Hopetoun settlement on Faldrass.

He was not alone, either. The Libertalia had sailed gently into the shallow bay and berthed alongside the town docks. The brig's crew were used to having to work hard with loading the ship for each subsequent journey, but Darius knew they would not be in the town for long, and so he encouraged the sailors to spend some time in the town and return to the ship after a pair of breaks had passed. They didn't often have the luxury of exploring the locales they visited, and they were hard workers. They deserved to enjoy some time onshore under the proviso that they return on time, sober, and ready to work.

And besides, from Darius' perspective, it meant Astra and his two passengers could accompany him.

Kester and Brigitte had travelled on the Libertalia once before, when they had taken abundant supplies to help the people of Scalvoris Town. It had been a deliberate choice. The young married couple were skilled fisherfolk, but the limited resources in Hopetoun meant they were largely restricted them to staying on the island and fishing from the water's edge. They had spent their time between Ishallr and Egilrun learning from the sailors: how to tie knots; how to use the wind to guide the ship, even when it meant sailing upwind; how to follow the stars and navigate by night. They had also caught fish and shared their bounty with the crew, which had ensured the pair would always be popular passengers in the future.

The brig, of course, was not designed for fishing, and it was the pursuit of fishing boats that had brought them to Egilrun.

And that meant the two couples - Darius and Astra, and Kester and Brigitte - would be well-equipped to find a vessel or two that would be ideal. Darius and Astra had spent enough time sailing to identify which ships were seaworthy, and the fisherfolk would know which designs were best suited for catching the bounty of the sea.

Armed with that shared knowledge, the four visitors entered Sea Spray Ships.

[Darius Baer]

The fresh breeze of the Hollow Sea faded as the group entered the building, though the scent of salt lingered in the air. The room appeared to be empty, which gave the visitors an opportunity to look around.

The eclectically mismatched structures that had been combined to make Sea Spray Ships were almost entirely from vessels that had once braved the oceans. Sturdy hulls, designed to keep water out, continued their task, but, in being repurposed as roofs, they now fought against water from above, rather than from below. Masts that had once held aloft sails and sailors now served as wooden columns and load-bearing beams within the structure. Large nets that once hauled up the bounty of the sea offered a slightly musty decoration on the walls, as a curious attempt to beautify the space, while simultaneously re-purposing the possessions of fisherfolk who no longer needed them.

A long wooden counter, resemblant of a tavern bar, ran along the far end of the room. Atop it sat messy piles of papers, a quill in an inkpot, and all manner of

Lining each wall were framed paintings of various dramatic seafaring scenes: a ship riding high on the crest of a large wave; sailors on the deck fighting a giant squid; a castaway on an island sighting his potential salvation in the form of a distant ship. Interspersed among these works of arts were sketches and schematics of ships, some of which appeared to be conceptual ideas, while others looked like the plans a ship builder might rely on to construct a seaworthy vessel. In the corner of each of these designs were the initials 'S Whitbloom'.

"Whitblooms are good ships," Astra said quietly, pointing at one such framed schematic. "Reliable. Sturdy. Probably not cheap, though."

Brigitte was studying one of the nets and Kester was staring upwards at the ship's deck that now formed part of the ceiling when the group heard a noise coming from behind the counter. Four heads turned to see the back of a large man rising to his feet, and placing yet another piece of parchment onto the counter. He turned, then, revealing long hair and a thick beard that matched in dark brown with silver streaks.

An heavy silence hung in the air for a trill or two as the large proprietor realised that these potential customers had arrived while he had been rummaging behind the desk, but he quickly regained his composure and studied the new arrivals.

"Welcome to Sea Spray Ships," he offered awkwardly, for he was a more accomplished boatbuilder than he was a salesman, and he scanned the group, unsure who would speak. "I am Streth Whitbloom. What can I do for you?"

Darius took a step forward to draw the man's attention, then nodded politely in greeting.

"Well met, Streth," the bearded mariner returned the greeting. "I am Darius Baer, freshly arrived from Faldrass."

"I've heard of you," replied Streth, and the looked the baron up and down.

Darius was not a small man, and it wasn't often that he was made to feel like one, but the shipwright was proving very effective at doing precisely that.

"You're the one who brought food to Scalv Town," Streth nodded, and Darius hoped that his cheeks weren't feeling warm because news of his modest gift had reached Egilrun. "I hear you have a pretty impressive brig. Is the Baron of Faldrass looking for a replacement?"

Darius hesitated with his answer, unsure if he should correct the shipwright. He was not, after all, the Baron of Faldrass - he was a baron of House Von Smooglenuff - but he quickly realised that keeping the focus on himself, rather than on what the settlement needed, would have been self-indulgent.

"Actually, the brig is fine," he grinned, "but our settlement on Faldrass is in need of a couple of fishing boats."

"Something nice and stable," Brigitte added, "so we can stand up and not risk toppling over."

Streth nodded.

"I have a couple of ideas in mind," the shipwright said, and he wasted no time in grabbing at one of the piles of paper and waving the group over. "Come closer, folks, and let's see if we can find something you like."

[Darius Baer]

It didn't take long - half a break at most - for the group to settle on what form their pair of fishing boats would take.

Astra wanted to ensure that the vessels were stable in foul weather, manoeuverable, and swift when their sails were filled with wind.

Darius, as a man who had crafted many items with wood, was primarily focused on the materials Streth would use to construct them.

Brigitte and Kester had more of a focus on the fishing side of things. Each boat needed to have enough room for at least half a dozen people, if not more, for every pair of hands was the potential of another caught fish. They needed to be capable of moving over shallow water, so that they could still catch fish close to shore.

"Seems to me you're wanting a ketch," Streth concluded, and he rifled through his papers until he found the one he was looking for, which he laid out on the table.

The unfurled parchment revealed a simple sketch ​of a small, two-masted sailing boat.

"These boats are great for fishing," the thick-bearded man told Kester and Brigitte, "and they can sail in shallow waters just fine."

He pointed to the sails with one finger, then looked to Astra.

"The small sails mean fewer hands are needed to get her to where you want to go," he explained, "and you can use two sails at a time, which makes for more options for sailing in different conditions."

Astra nodded, apparently satisfied with the man's explanation.

"And I can assure His Lordship," Streth added, turning to Darius with a confident but polite tone, "that anything built by Sea Spray Ships will only use the finest materials and the most skilled craftsmanship."

"I would expect nothing less," the blond mariner replied.

"This is a standard design, and those under my employ are highly skilled and very experienced. We could have these completed by the end of Ashan, depending on how much you're willing to pay for your urgency."

Darius chuckled at the man's bargaining skills, and then began to make arrangements for the boats to be built.

Arc 721, 119th of Ashan

Darius looked at the two boats as they sat, gently rocking in the calm water, their sails furled. They were anchored a short distance off the coast of Faldrass, lolling in the warmest waters of the Hollow Sea, and the baron was waiting for their new custodians to see them for the first time.

Streth Whitbloom had delivered the ketches ahead of schedule, courtesy of Darius dipping into his own coffers to ensure that might happen, and the baron was excited about the possibilities they would bring to Hopetoun. Kester and Brigitte had diligently fished from the coastline, and they had gone a long way to ensuring the community were fed. Now, they would be able to catch fish at sea, with others helping them and a means to haul back much larger quantities of seafood.

Their only minor regret, which they had expressed on the return journey from Egilrun, was that by having each of them commanding their own boat, they would no longer be together while they set about feeding the Hopetounians.

As a result, Darius had asked Streth to make a small adjustment to the original order, and now, a little over thirty trials later, he could see that the shipwright had carried out his instructions to the letter - quite literally!

"Oh, they look wonderful!" came Brigitte's voice, and Darius turned to see the fisherfolk couple approaching the water's edge. "And look, Kester! Their names!"

The baron grinned. The two boats, Kester and Brigitte, continued to sit nonchalantly in the shallow water.

"Brigitte, you can sail on the Kester, and Kester on the Brigitte," he chuckled at the slight tongue-twister. "That way, you still get to be together - in a way - when you're apart!"

[Pig Boy]

Player Name: Baron Darius Von Smooglebaer

Points awarded: 10
Magic xp: none

Knowledge:

Appraisal: Ensure the item is fit for purpose.
Appraisal: Finding value in a second opinion.
Caregiving: Meeting a need, even symbolically, can make a difference.
Etiquette: The host should settle the bill.
Leadership: Treating people well can inspire them to follow you.
Socialization: Providing an incentive for better service.

Non-Skill Knowledge:
Item: Ship (Ketch)

Renown: 15 for acquiring a set of masterwork ships. People notice such extravagant purchases... And I tacked on an extra 5 renown for donating them to your settlement.
Loot: Two ketches of Masterwork quality
Injuries/Overstepping: none
Wealth Points: - 7 wp (Please remember to deduct from your CS Wealth ledger.)

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level

Notes: Hah, well I love me a good christening of a pair of ships. The lead-up to the actual acquisition was satisfying enough and gave a lot of background information on the two couples and their motivations. I think it was a fine way to acquire ships, whereas many people tend to relegate such purchases to ticking a box on their wealth ledger, so well done there.

It was also pretty generous of Darius to donate them to Brigette and Kester. I thought it was a nice gesture to give the Ketch Kester to Brigette and the Ketch Brigette to Kester, so they wouldn't have to be without each other, even when apart. Nice synchronicity there.

That said, it's probably a great idea to get an extra set of fishing boats for Hopetoun!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!