You'll Not Feel the Drowning [Aeden]

[Tabarnac]

The speaker made a sign of respect for the dead in the direction of the improvised cairn, and the rower followed suit. The former offered Aeden a hand in while the latter leaned to the other side so he wouldn't capsize them. Soon enough the dinghy was turning about to head back to the waiting fishing boat. The talkative man began answering Aeden's questions. "We are very near Denval in Kalea," he said with a bit of modest pride. "We're in the Bay of Storms, and the coasts are rocky as you have seen. You are lucky you washed up so close to us. Traveling by land with no equipment, you would likely have been quick to follow your shipmates, may they rest with Laviku." He continued to answer Aeden's questions and attempt to draw him out about himself as they made their steady progress back to the ship, whose name was written in Denvali, not that Aeden read even Common, so it remained unknown to him even as they were drawn up onto the larger vessel. The fishermen were eager to make up for lost time and while Aeden was welcomed with various levels of fluency in his own language, they turned back toward Denval. The day after the storm was good fishing, those schools of fish driven downward to avoid the turbulence of the storm were near the surface in droves to bask in the sunlight and feed. It only took a couple of hours to fill the hold with their flopping prizes, caught in the various nets, and then it was time to head back to the rocky harbor. So dangerous was the harbor that they anchored well away and were met by various barges. The man who had shared the dinghy with Aeden set a friendly hand on his shoulder. "You worked hard. You can stay with me for a while if you like, earn some money with us to help you get back on your feet. Or you can go up to the Captain's Hall and speak to her if you seek something different. One of the barges will take you to the passenger quay, and anyone will show you to the Hall... You can even stop at the Stranger's Welcome and tell Oleg to give you a shot of degtine on Joslin's tab." He grinned.

[Aeden]

Aeden remained silent as the men made a mark of respect for the dead, one that wasn't known to him. It wasn't long beofre the talkative of the two was answering him, telling him where he was. The name Denval meant nothing to Aeden, but he assumed it was a settlement of some sort. He nodded in understanding as the man reiterated how lucky he was, to have lived through the shipwreck and to be found. Aeden knew all to well how lucky he had been.

Once in the dinghy Aeden bantered with the talkative man, seeing no harm in sharing information about himself. After all, if they were indeed up to no good, the man might be less likely to want to see harm done to Aeden if he saw him as a person, or at least Aeden hoped that'd be the case. But it seemed that his worries were unfounded, for as he clambered aboard the larger of the ship, he was welcomed by the entire crew. Aeden smiled at them all, thanking them for their kindness.

As the crew returned to their work, Aeden stored his pack away and pitched in. Most of the work was familiar, but he had never done fishing on such a large scale. The work was easy enough to pick up, just hauling large nets up and depositing their catch into the hold. The work helped to ease Aeden's sense of loss and his worry for what the future held. He was still coming to grasp that his friends and companions were gone, plain and simple. It was a harsh reality he was being forced to live with.

As the ship turned back towards it's port, Aeden gathered his things, thinking he'd be asked to leave the boat. But then he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the face of the talkative man from the dinghy. The man proceeded to offer a spot on the boat to Aeden, then told him about some other possibilities. "Thank you for your hospitality and kindness," he began, then extended his hand to take the other man's hand in a firm grip, "I think I might first look around town Joslin. Having just survived a shipwreck I think I won't test my luck, at least for a little while. But if I ever am looking for a ship to work on this one will be the first in my thoughts."

Aeden said goodbye to the rest of the crew then moved to one of the barges, his pack tucked under one arm. He wondered what work he might find other then on a ship. He wasn't very skilled at much of anything, besides ship work and other, less than reputable undertakings. He just hoped he could find something to learn quickly or that he could adapt to. He had a whole new world in front of him.

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Aeden XP Award: Sailing +2; Swimming +2; Climbing +3; Wilderness Survival +3; Fishing +2 Lore: Fishing Areas of Denval (basic) Item: pouch of gold (50 mizas); dagger and sheath; silver medallion; set of clothes Additional Note And now you are in Denval! As Joslin said, he has options, which I will let you explore. I will mod as necessary or requested. Have fun with the other citizens and visitors! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!