From Mosholu's Journal


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Although I wasn’t exactly eager to get on the ship, I was all too happy to leave the city behind. I had heard rumors at the pub (where I alternately swilled and served mead, ales, and mediocre wine) that the city was beginning an effort to track down and catch some of the cutpurses and rogues – all in an effort to save citizens a measly coppers. Ridiculous. The crackdown, if and when it came, would merely be a shifting of those who had no coppers from the foolish and unwise to the crafty and self-reliant. Didn’t seem fair.

I handed over my belongings willingly enough, sure that I would be able to retrieve them at will, whether my new masters on the ship approved or not. I felt safe right up until we cast off the lines. Stuck as an oarsman is no way to see the world, but the sea seemed so big. Wider certainly than I thought possible. And I had expected the ocean to be a dark blue, but soon we were under wind and cutting a wide wake in the light blue, almost turquoise water.

There seem to be three social classes onboard. I belong to the lowest caste, the oarsmen. We do the rowing. Next are the sailors. They tend the sails, the steering and many of the more complex at-sea duties. Next are the officers. This is a military vessel after all and these men seem to be the brains of the operation. I have seen nothing that makes me feel unsafe, save the strong winds and gigantic waves we experienced last week. If I had been told I could weather it before I left I would scarcely have believed it, nothing in my city experiences could have prepared me better for what was to come weather-wise.

Some of the men I have met and general impressions:

Angry Pipe: Elf; seems like a hardy one; fought at the ship’s fight night and has a 1-1 record; doesn’t say much; smokes a lot; got on the boat at Freestone; friends with Garfer, the Cook’s mate.

Linear: Another Elf, also got on the boat at Freestone; watched my back twice already; didn’t ask a lot of questions about what I was doing or why; seems trustworthy; has a strong sense of nature that I hope to be able to learn about. I shared some of my secret stash of figs with him.

Miro: He has been on the ship a longer time than I have; he seems pre-occupied and very stressed out about something; gave me a major hookup of lockpicks; he is a good source of information about the political structure on the boat and how the rules are enforced.

Seika: excellent fighter yet with strong peace of mind and great patience; his poetic way of speaking grates on my nerves sometimes (who has time for that?) and I expect he would hate spend a great deal of time in my beloved bustling Freestone; fought twice and won twice (it was I who suggested he trip his second fight-club opponent). I also shared some of the secret stash of fruit with nature boy.

Tegamon: he is an officer onboard, though I am not yet certain was his specific duties are. I learned that he has some magical skills, (though I also hear that Palazar (our destination) is less than endeared by magic use). Word is, "After the split the South got the magic." I have had two encounters with him, both very short as expected between a lowly oarsman and an officer on a ship this size. The first was when I went seeking my book, (which never turned up in my locker (#153)) and he said that it wouldn’t be possible to have possessionof my book while we were at sea. I asked him if I would have my property returned to me when we reached port and he was vague and unspecific.

Our second encounter was also initiated by me. I went to his cabin to see if he wished to attend the second fight club. He was no happier to see me than I him, but he was somewhat less abrasive. He said he might indeed go down to the fight. I made that I thought a bit of good will was in order, and apologized for having strode away from him so forcefully after our last discussion. I also asked if he wanted to make a bit of a wager on one of the matches, if I won I’d retain my book. He declined, but was not completely dismissive of the idea. I hope to earn his trust.

I did a very brief inspection of his room during the fight and discovered that he had writing materials, (vellum!), and a scroll (I borrowed the scroll to put into my book when I get it back and plan to return the scroll as soon as it seems safe to do so).

I look forward to the rest of our journey and I hope to become better acquainted with the fellow adventurers I’m a’sea with.

To be continued...