|
Post by SouthWestern Traders on May 1, 2017 20:28:16 GMT
The winds were quiet and the sailors were restless.
They had been given a reprieve from rowing, and two of them were now leaning over the starboard side, soaking in cloudy sun and salty air.
"First winds strong enough to blow a man over, then it seems as if time has chosen to stand still. It's unnatural I tell you." The first sailor told the other. The other sailor nodded in agreement, as he chewed on his gums.
Captain Norvin and Lord Kaegan took stock of the goods, and surveyed the situation. Seeing the men growing restless, Captain Norvin figured it was just about time to get back to rowing again. Lord Kaegan interjected briefly, requesting a chance to tell a short tale to boost the morale. Then they could set about rowing their way towards Hibernia once more.
"Good men, hear now the story of the elves of Nagnati. On their lands, the oak trees grow not only mightily fast, in complete contrast to the long lived ages of the elves that live there. Nay, an oak tree planted there will grow with a young child born on the same day, and he might see a ship built from its wood after his 21st winter. The elves make use of it, living in grand oaken homes that might surpass the dwarven halls of North Hold."
"These oak trees are blessed with fey magic. The wood is light enough for a man to carry a tree, yet strong enough to hold up a small army... sturdy enough to stand against the ravages of the sea, yet flexible enough to be shaped whichever which way a shipwright desires."
"These are the lands towards which we sail. Imagine, if you will, a ship so light that your oars would carry it as the wind carries the butterfly. Now, grab those oars and row, so that we might get ourselves some of this wood, and sail further still."
With the story complete, Captain Norvin gave the command, and the rested and restless men returned to their oars, somewhat grudgingly, and prayed for the wind to pick up again.
|
|
|
Post by Daniel ap Llyn on May 31, 2017 21:07:33 GMT
The waves beat against Sanctuary. It was laden with weapons of war from Albion destined for Nagnati. First mate Erik was in effect the captain, with his navigator being the effective first mate of the vessel. It was an arrangement that suited him just fine. Daniel had joined the ship, that he might journey to Nagnati and learn more valuable lessons there, as he had done in Lothia. The winter winds were cold, and the ocean sprays even colder, but the crew and Daniel were well-dressed for the weather.
During their time on the ship, First Mate Erik explained a number of concepts to Daniel that were important to mariners. Maritime law, some called it, was quite different from the law one might find among the nobles or commoners on land. For a start, the captain was the master of his ship. It gave him tremendous power, but also tremendous responsibility.
Should anything happen to the vessel, it would be the captain, in this case First Mate Erik, who would be ultimately responsible for the fate of his crew, his cargo and his ship. That was why many captains preferred to do all they could to rescue the aforementioned, even sometimes willingly going down with their ships if it would help them save more lives. That’s not to say that captains didn’t sometimes survive shipwrecks and the like, but a captain that was found to have been derelict in their duties would forfeit their life – so there was every incentive to make sure that they carried out their duties to the very last.
Indeed, such was the responsibility that the captain’s choice could not be held against the crew. The crew was bound to obey the captain, and while they could be punished for mutiny (at the behest of a tribunal of captains), they could not be punished by the same tribunal for following orders their captain had given them. A captain that thus turned to piracy and the like was thus the sole party responsible, legally speaking, and a tribunal would only find against them.
Now it got more complicated than that, for pirates could most certainly be put to death if they were found to have not just followed orders, but willingly aided the captain. It was a nuanced distinction that would ultimately be determined by a tribunal.
Then there were matters of property. In their particular instance, the ship and weapons were guild property, and the guild was responsible for reimbursing any losses that might be brought against the guild should anything be lost, but it also had first rights to any gains from these ventures. If the same cargo was lost at sea, or if the ship was shipwrecked, it did not fully cease to be the guild’s property, but anyone who found it was entitled to salvage it. Such salvage could then either be kept by the person in question – albeit with likely grumbling – or it could be returned in exchange for a fee. Salvage was a tricky issue, to be sure, and one that could leave people awake for many nights discussing its merits.
More importantly, though, was the concept that any mariner or sailor was obligated, in some form, to aid in salvage. That is to say, they were obligated to aid in the rescue of a derelict vessel, its cargo and its passengers, to the best of their ability. The main point of controversy here became the question of ability. In general, the consequence of that was that the guilders tended to only provide aid to those whom they trusted, including other guilders and albionese landlubbers who had gone astray and found themselves at sea. The guild might salvage ships owned by Slavers, for example, but with great precaution and prejudice. Their crew would be saved, but imprisoned. Their ship would be salvaged, but confiscated. And the guilders could expect the same from the Slavers.
First Mate Erik was not, as it were, an expert on matters of law, but he was a mariner. And what was really important to him was the consequences of various courses of action or inaction. The specifics? Not so much. Daniel would have to ask Admiral Whiterose or Captain Gwyndaf for that. They were more well-versed or authoritative than First Mate Erik could ever be.
|
|
|
Post by SouthWestern Traders on Jun 26, 2017 18:27:22 GMT
While many other ships ferried warriors to Hibernia, on behalf of a great variety of realms, Sanctuary remained dedicated to its chief task: Supplying Nagnati and its allies with the tools and goods needed to keep the fight going. Once more setting out from Exeter, the ship's first mate and its crew knew the journey well. Unlike the first time, they wouldn't need to spend much time looking for where to make port upon their arrival.
Some might question why a ship well-suited to bringing more able-bodied men to Hibernia wasn't doing so, but the reality of war was that it was not won merely by force of arms, but also through an army's stomach and, as it just so happened, coin to pay for a man's living, whether that man was a tradesman or a warrior. Sanctuary was making sure the food was getting there, and that the coin would be ready to make its way into the coin purses of those who earned their pay.
|
|
|
Post by Daniel ap Llyn on Jul 13, 2017 16:47:00 GMT
Meeting with Lord Kaegan, Daniel learned the intricacies of the court of Nagnati (and Nemeth, a court Kaegan had much experience with). Many royal courts had their own quirks and Nagnati was no different. Truthfully, Lord Kaegan had scarcely spent a year among these Sidhe and there was much more to learn. Nevertheless, the noble merchant shared what he knew with the young boy.
First and foremost, as was the case with any court, intrigues were a given. The signs of a healthy court was not so much the absence of intrigue, but rather its form. For example, Lord Kaegan knew that Lady Isabella, also an influential person from Nemeth that had since fled that morass of a royal court, played her personal intrigues in the court of Caerleon. However, such intrigues ultimately came to the benefit of Queen Jessica and the court itself. It might seem odd to those with less experience, but to Lord Kaegan's knowledge, it had thus far resulted in the construction of a highway between Caerleon and Camelot, the construction marvelous quarters in Deganwy and Aberconwy, and the subsequent habitation of said quarters. In return, the guild enjoyed the support of Caerleon in its actions. Similar benefits could be seen in pretty much every realm of Albion.
Contrast that with Lord Kaegan's enormous losses in Nemeth, and the intrigues of that royal court. It lacked honour and transparency, Kaegan claimed. That made it a poor realm in which to invest in, as he had learned the hard way. This was in contrast to Nagnati, where Kaegan knew he could expect competition from the United Hibernian Traders. But such competition was to be expected, and it was open; everyone knew the rules of the game, and so Kaegan played it.
Daniel took that with a grain of salt though. He'd been warned that Lord Kaegan could be a bitter man at times, and was not particularly fond of the direction the royal court in Nemeth had taken, although Kaegan did seem rather pleased at the thought that it would now be subservient to the royal court of Camelot. Most merchants didn't seem to care either which way, but Daniel noticed that Kaegan was abnormally gleeful over the prospect.
Daniel learned much, and the most important lesson he learned was skepticism. Don't always believe everything a man tells you, just because he claims it to be true, for he may be blinded to the truth by his own prejudices.
|
|