From the time he'd picked him up in Gerenois Harbor, just two hundred
miles from Marais, he'd been trouble. It wasn't anything he _did_,
precisely, but the crew were uneasy around him, and some of them blamed
him for every little thing that went wrong. If only he _were_
responsible, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. could have justified dropping him off any any old
port and been done with it. But he did nothing wrong. He was polite, if
curt, and just sat up on deck at all times, rain or shine, night or day,
watching.
His eyes were on everything. The crew, the deck, the masts and sails of the caravel, the water, the clouds, the stars. He always claimed he was “learning.” Pencak, the first mate, kept trying to catch him at something, but the man was never in the way, never made any show of distracting the crew.
He didn't have any baggage. He didn't even have a name. He called
himself “the Messenger.” What he did have was money, and that, in the
end, was the reason Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. had taken him on board. A hundred Rangplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe Kingdom of Rang
Overview
Rang is a huge kingdom, covering more than a million square miles, and extending from the Great Sea to the Ice Sea. It dominates the area politically, militarily and religiously. Rang is a monarchy, led by King Diure LXIV, but its immense size weakens the central government. Most feudal lords manage their lands independently, and only answer to the king in the loosest sense. The king does have several pockets of power, such as in Huerten, which allow him to maintai…-
weights of gold in ten oversized coins – a hundred attles, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.
reminded himself, now that he was trading in Rangplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe Kingdom of Rang
Overview
Rang is a huge kingdom, covering more than a million square miles, and extending from the Great Sea to the Ice Sea. It dominates the area politically, militarily and religiously. Rang is a monarchy, led by King Diure LXIV, but its immense size weakens the central government. Most feudal lords manage their lands independently, and only answer to the king in the loosest sense. The king does have several pockets of power, such as in Huerten, which allow him to maintai…. And all the Messenger
had asked was food, water and a place to sit on deck. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. should have
known that such an exorbitant sum for four weeks' travel had to have
some strings attached.
The weather had been bad. It always was finicky this time of year,
but this was worse than usual. Some people said the recent changes in
weather patterns were just the world's randomness showing itself as it
always did. They said the weather hadn't really changed at all. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.
knew better. As someone who had made his way from deckhand to ship's
captain, starting as just a boy, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. knew the sea, and while one
storm here or there didn't mean anything, patterns were forming. The sea
became less and less predictable as one of the five moons approached its
new phase, and storms were just a little more common on new moons than
on the days before and after. This was a sign of the coming Zioth. The
world was already being destroyed.
Some of the crew hadn't been at it as long as Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.. For three out
of the dozen crewmen, this was their first sea voyage. And they blamed
the Messenger for the weather.
It didn't help that he was always talking about the Zioth. He seemed
to know as well as Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. did that the Zioth brought trouble, but his
perception went far beyond that. The weather was “the winds of the
Zioth.” The sea was the “harvest of the Zioth,” whatever that meant.
The heavens – clouds during the day and stars at night, predicted all
manner of doom, and he insisted that there would be changes very soon.
Within weeks, he said. It didn't take much of this to put even Pencak
on edge.
At least the trading had been reasonable. Nothing special, but a few
quick deals along the Terradian coast put the venture a little ahead of
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.'s expectations. If the Huerten Winter Fair turned out to be as
profitable as it should be, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. would better than break even.
Following sixteen days of trading along the coast in his own ship,
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. was in a rented river barge, on his way to the Fair, with a full
cargo of wine from Marais – always popular in Huerten, where the
nobility numbered, quite absurdly, in the hundreds – and various goods
from Marais and the coastal cities of Terradiaplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigThe Free States of Terradia
Terradia is a region to the southwest of Rang, separated from that great kingdom by the Koril Mountains. Most trade and travel between the two regions is done through waterways, as they are much more passable than the Koril Mountains. Terradia is bordered on the south and west by the Great Sea (or the Heirului Sea, as it is called in most of Terradia), and on the east and north by the Koril Mountains.. There had been promising
news on the way. Rumors of some sort of miracle worker in Huerten city
meant a larger than average attendance at the fair. Celebrations would
be grander, meaning wine would be in higher demand, and things like
cotton, blankets, tool handles and garlic would move fast.
For company, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. had two able-bodied seamen, Joos and Jan, to
guide the barge and protect and unload the cargo; Kalkuri, the owner of
the barge with his two crewmen; and, of course, the Messenger.
On the first of Saulturithagon, they were making good time. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.
estimated they would arrive two days early for the fair, allowing them
time to make merchants bid against each other. There was a chill breeze
throughout the morning, but the sky was mostly clear, and they were able
to move quickly through the calm river.
The Messenger sat on deck, as usual, staring at the sky. Early in the
afternoon, when Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. happened to pass within earshot, he heard the
Messenger saying, “the Zioth mists in ice and fog, and memories long
lost.” Then he looked right at Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. and added, “Don't you think it's
a good time to bring the barge ashore?”
“Well sir, you would have to ask the master about that.” Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.
nodded towards the owner of the barge. “Stopping would be up to him. If
you require exercise, the barge moves slowly enough you could walk
alongside for a while. I'll make sure we don't lose you.”
The Messenger shrugged his shoulders, then lay down on the deck. “Barely eighteen years left until the end of time. You may want to get into some warmer clothes.”
“Well, hopefully I can sell this wine first. I'd hate to die impoverished.”
The Messenger just stared silently into the clouds.
Within a few hours, the flurries started. Clouds thickened, and the wind picked up a little, but not enough to slow down the barge. The Messenger got up and moved into the small crew cabin, which was odd, since he'd stayed out in far worse weather. Then, with surprizing suddenness, the flurries became a full-fledged storm, and within seconds, the barge had lost its momentum and was tossing about in a thousand-foot-wide stretch of river.
The sails were lowered – almost too late – and the oars taken out.
Kalkuri guided the barge from the front, with Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. at the rear, and
Joos, Jan and Kalkuri's two crewmen rowing in the middle. Just keeping
the barge steady took all their effort; approaching the shore seemed an
impossible task. Momentum was building up, but downstream, back towards
the sea. Then, through the blinding fog created by the blizzard, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.
saw that they were approaching a island – a rock, really, with three
pines growing close together. They had passed this rock hours ago, and
the storm had only been going on for one hour. The barge was moving
faster than they'd thought.
They needed to slow down. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. grabbed Joos and Jan, and the three
of them tied the biggest sail to a large hook the craft used to keep it
attached to the docks. The makeshift drogue was already getting heavy
with snow when they tossed it out behind the barge. The line soon became
taught, and the barge dragged, the front briefly rising above the water
as it slowed down. Joos and Jan went back to the oars, steering to avoid
the island, while Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. manipulated the drogue as best he could to
catch it on the rocks.
The barge jumped, and a scraping sound reverbeated throughout the
wood. They'd missed the island by the narrowest of margins, dragging
instead against a sunken bolder off the west side. No sooner had the
noise stopped than a tearing sound replaced it. A wide hole opened in
the drogue, but it slowed the barge down enough that everyone standing
was jerked off his feet. It was all Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. could do to keep from being
thrown overboard. Then the drogue caught on another rock, and the barge
came to a stop, tossing around in the current and wind, but keeping in
one place, for now.
The raft shifted randomly in the current while Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. studied the
trailing wake. Joos and Jan, recognizing the look on their captain's
face, squatted for stability and watched expectantly. After a short
wait, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. barked a few orders, unintelligible to the others on the
raft. The two sailors started moving before he'd finished, anticipating
action by the change in Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.'s face. They moved catlike and were
unbothered by the danger of stepping near the raft's edge. The sailors
moved some cargo aft and then set up a smaller drogue fastened to a back
corner of the raft. The upstream end of the raft lifted above the
churning current and the motion subsided. After a quick adjustment by
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier., the raft further settled down and sat nearly motionless in the
rushing current.
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. and the crew moved some more cargo around, lowering the
overall height. Then Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. pointed to the small deckhouse. Jan and Joos
immediately started to knock the roof off. One of the barge owner's
crewmen complained. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. interrupted by yelling “Windage!”
This left the mysterious guest, with his cryptic attempts at
warnings, roofless. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. grinned a little when a massive drift of snow
beat against the Messenger's head.
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. barked some more orders to the crew, who began to assemble
and splice all available cordage. While the crew worked, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. measured
the distance between planks in the raft by notching distances on a
board. He had to brush nearly half a foot of snow from the planks just
to see them. When he arrived at the fore of the craft, he was ready for
the master's rebuke at his questioning of the barge's stability, but the
master was nowhere to be seen. Not that there was much visibility
anyway. He could have been ten feet away and looked like nothing more
than a vague shadow.
When the rode was complete, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. tested the current to ascertain
the feasibility of someone pulling themselves along the line to the
island to tie-off the second line. It looked possible. The barge was
still tossing about, but it was also still caught on the island. The air
thick with snow, it was hard to tell how well it was still caught, but
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. hadn't heard a tear in a while.
He decided not to risk it, with the raft master missing. Instead, he made sure his crew hunkered down for shelter under the tarps that covered the excess cargo. While they weren't sure about trusting the raft to the winds, they were happy for an excuse to huddle up for warmth. It was a good thing they'd packed winter clothing and blankets for the return journey.
Checking on his crew from time to time, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. continued to check
the spacing on the raft's logs. No new gaps were opening, and besides a
half-inch space about a third of the way from the fore, where a little
water splashed up from time to time, the raft looked secure. On his
third round, Joos came to him with the news that he'd dug up the anchor.
At Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.'s order, he deployed it. The anchor didn't steady the craft
against the increasing winds, but at least it would keep it from rushing
downstream if the line broke.
Finally, trusting in the single rode and the anchor, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. joined
his crew to wait out the storm.
But the storm didn't end.
Hours passed, and snow drifts built up in mounds on the deck,
accumulating against anything that wasn't lying completely flat. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.
had to set up regular patrols to sweep the deck clean, for fear the snow
would become too heavy. By evening, or at least he guessed it might be
evening since the darkness deepened ever so slightly, the winds had
picked up a little. A tearing sound blasted through the air, as the
droge finally lost its grip on the little island. There was no choice
now but to set the second line.
Squinting against a gust of wind, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. grabbed the first line and
climbed hand-over-hand towards the island. Half way there, the wind
picked up, and he couldn't move forward without risking a fall. He hung
there for a time that seemed to stretch on forever, his hands rapidly
becoming numb, until the wind calmed. Then he climbed the rest of the
way, and tied off the second line.
Some of the rocks rose much higher out of the water than he'd
suspected, and, under two feet of snow, it looked like there could be
a cave. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. kicked away some of the snow, at it seemed there was a
cave-like depression that could fit a few people. It would be cold, but
at least it would block the wind. Then again, the tarp on the raft was
doing a good enough job of that. He climbed back to the raft and found
it a good deal steadier for the extra line.
The raft master never appeared. At this point, there was little doubt that he had fallen overboard and been washed downstream.
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. returned to the tarp, where he dried out and changed his
clothes. He needed help to finish as he lost all control over his hands
and feet. The dry clothes soon helped return feeling to his extremities.
First there was a slight warm sensation, not unlike that from alcohol.
Then the pleasant warmth turned to cold muscle aches. Nonetheless,
packed tightly into a sheltered nook with his crew, he began to feel
better. Once his mind cleared, he began to assess the situation.
The raft was reasonably safe and stable. It didn't seem worth it to risk moving everyone to the cave. He also considered cutting the rode and running with the storm. But that risked a collision with rocks and would only prolong the agony. Waiting it out seemed best. All storms must pass eventually – he hoped anyway.
Once he could comfortably move, he directed the crew to start a small
cooking fire. They would need good hearty food and warm, or at least
not frigid, water to help keep their bodies alive. A couple of them
moved to the crew cabin, which wasn't big enough to cook and rest in at
the same time. When the food was ready, Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. came down to the cabin
with most everyone else, leaving Joos and one of the barge's men to keep
watch under the tarp.
The cabin, while cold even with the fire going, was at least less
drafty than the tarp. Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. could see that the wind, or perhaps a
flying ball of ice, had broken one of the boards loose, and the board
had been nailed back up poorly. The Messenger sat on the floor with a
mug of water. “The winds of the Zioth herald change,” he said. “This
will be a painful winter.”
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier. just shrugged his shoulders and settled himself to wait out
the storm.
The night passed with no sign but a slight brightening of the snow.
Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier., like the rest of the crew, took turns on watch. The snow was
so thick and the cold so penetrating that the river actually slowed a
little. Chunks of snow flowed past the barge, rocking it back and
forth. The biggest danger once the worst of the wind settled was the
weight of the snow, so there were always at least two crewmen shoving
snow off the sides and into the river.
This went on all day, until the barge was fused to the rock it was tied to by a bank of snow and ice, and all rocking had stopped. Finally, after the sky darkened once again, the blizzard died down. Over the course of the night, the snow that was clogging the river loosened, and set the barge rocking again, which at this point was a good thing. Once the worst had passed, the river would again be navigable.
The captain never turned up. Everyone assumed he had fallen overboard
unnoticed. When it was time to set sail again, the barge's mate, a man
barely old enough to grow a beard, strode up to Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.. “Look,” he said.
“I don't want there to be any question as to who runs this raft. The
captain's gone, so it's mine to take to Huerten and back. But…” he
looked a little sheepish as he continued. “You did some good work during
the storm… and… we're under-manned, so… so your… orders,” the
last word was almost a question, “are to assign the crew to their best
use, and keep the raft on course, and make sure we get there in good
time.” He fell to a mumble towards the end. He'd all but asked Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.
to captain the barge.
Welcome, Martin, player of Cundeeplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCaptain J. Cundee
As a seafarer and merchant I am probably as alien as an elf or dwarf to most landlubbers. I am educated, but not a clergyman. I am obviously modestly wealthy, but not nobility. I have a physical appearance of a farm laborer (tanned, rough hands, etc), but I clearly am not a peasant. I dress in strange dress, walk differently and even talk differently. I carry a sword and may have even trained in its use, but I am not a soldier.! Thanks for being so patient.