So that settles things..

by **Marino Oceangem** on May 11th, 2020, 6:44 am

61st of Spring..

Marino traveled alone along the beach. He was heading towards the overwater rancheros he’d spied earlier from the deck of his Casinor. However the trip was much farther from the docks than he’d expected. It always looked so much closer from the sea, but he didn’t mind much. He wanted to explore what there was to see here before he made his decision on whether to stay for a while or not. He was inclined to stay if only to get to know the people more, but if his pod decided to travel on tomorrow, what then? Of course they wouldn’t do it so soon, but eventually. This place was interesting, and its people lovely. The jungle was said to teem with life, which was something he was inclined to believe based on the sheer variety of fruits and spices available to them her. An of course, there was the beautiful sea that was very much so a part of life here.

However, when he gazed at the jungle, that was when he started to have second thoughts. With the pod he was protected, but out here on his own. He didn’t even know where to begin to try roughing it out here. Even starting a simple little fire on the beach was beyond him as it was usually other members of his pod that took care of those things. Marino had always enjoyed learning how to sail more than those other things. That did not mean that he did not want to learn how to be more self sufficient. Owning a boat of his own had driven in that idea, because while he would always love and aid his pod where he could, there was an undeniable freedom in learning how to strike out on your own. He saw such an opportunity here. Towards such ends, he’d recently picked up fishing from his cousin, but he would certainly need more than that if he was going to last out here. His boat would do for work, if he could find it. That left the imposing nature of Syka itself, for which he was not equipped. Syka was still very much a wild place. He would need to learn how to survive out here on his own if he was going to make it.

Ahead he saw a man heading towards him from the rancheros. He had long dark hair, a neatly trimmed beard and was sporting a dark pair of breeches. Marino was wearing only breeches as well, though his were green. Raising a hand, he smiled. “Beautiful morning!” The man raised a hand as well, and returned the smile. “Yes it is. It is nice to see an unfamiliar face.” He said, closing the distance between them, adding. “My name is Stuvantis Alkamar.”

“Good to meet you Stuvantis” Marino replied, giving him a firm handshake. Up close now, he noticed the medallion around the man’s neck though he didn’t know the figure on it. Spying him looking, Stuvantis gave a hearty laugh. “Its Sivah.”

At that his grin widened. “Well, I like you even more now.” Stuvantis just smiled and clasped his hands together. “I’d expect no less from a son of the sea. Tell me, what pod have you come with, and have you brought anything to drink?”

Stepping close to the man, Marino patted him on the shoulder. “Of course, I forget myself. My name is Marino Oceangem, and you can be sure that we have brought drink back from our recent travels. You’d be more thank welcome at one of our bonfires tonight if you wanted to come.” Stuvantis grasped his shoulder in return, nodding. “I would be delighted. What brings you down here to the rancheros?” The man asked as he started walking back towards the huts on the water with him. Scratching his chin, Marino considered the question briefly before responding. “Suppose I was just giving the place a closer look, but I was really using the walk as time to think for a bit and see who I might run into.”

Stuvantis stopped, and smiled warmly. “Well, while the rancheros are nice, I know a better place for running into people if that is what you are after.” He said, turning Marino gently back towards the way he’d came, and walking with him down the beach. “Fine by me, I’m always free to meet new people.” Looking out over the water, he added. “I’m glad I ran into you” He wasn’t sure yet why he felt so comfortable with the man from the moment they’d met, but there was something enigmatic about him.

WC: 771

by **Marino Oceangem** on May 11th, 2020, 6:47 am

“Then we are both fortunate this day, for I have met you. I have no doubt you’ll fit in well. Tell me, are you staying long?” Stuvantis asked. Marino sighed, and looked briefly up at the sky. “Thats actually what I came out here to think about. Part of me thinks I might have found a good fit here, but can I really make such a monumental decision after just one day.” Stuvantis nodded and gave him a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. “I understand. My reasons for coming here were different than yours, but I’ve seen others express your view before.”

“And what did they decide” He asked, sounding more than a little over eager. “Well, it depended on their circumstance. Tell me, what would you do here if you stayed?” That was a very good question. He had some ideas, but nothing concrete yet. After a while lost in though, Marino responded. “I have a Casinor. I was thinking I could help transport people across the settlement, and material as well if there is a need for it.” Stuvantis grinned. “Now theres an idea. While I don’t speak for the founders, there certainly is a need for such services. Have you meet any of them yet?”

“No” He said, shaking his head. “Should I?” Stuvantis immediately nodded. “You do if you intend on staying. We might run into them where we are going, so you could ask then if that is what you want.”

Chewing his lower lip, Marino nodded and shrugged with his hands. Stuvantis cleared his throat, adding. “This is something you are going to want to be sure about before you broach the subject. You need to be serious about staying in Syka. I’ve come across the occasional visitor with vague notions of what they want from Syka and already I can see that they are going about it all wrong. It’s all about how you are a part of Syka and what we are doing here. So, would you like to be a part of Syka.”

“I would. I don’t know much about the jungle, but I’d love to learn if there was someone to teach me.” Stuvantis gave him an amused look at that last bit, saying. “We’ll see what the founders say before we decide all that, but if you do decide to stay, I think we will get along well.” “Agreed” Marino nodded, contemplating what the founders were like when the Syka Commons came into sight. “Go find us a seat, I’ll bring up some drinks.” Stuvantis said, gesturing up at the upraised structure. After briefly watching the man depart, Marino hesitantly started his way up.

WC: 445

by **Marino Oceangem** on May 15th, 2020, 5:12 am

Entering Syka Commons, he felt slightly uneasy, and not just because of the heights. He was anxious to see what these founder were like. A bit of it also was being so close to the jungle. His mothers had warned him about straying close, and he’d heard rumors. Seeing it up close though, he understood the sentiment better than ever before. As he walked up to the top, his eyes were glued to the trees which felt far larger up close. Far higher too he realized as he peaked below.

Hastily gripping the railing with white knuckled he worked his way over to a chair and sat down, occasionally peaking over his shoulder to look below. Shaking his head, he tried to ignore the fact that he was suspended above the ground and concentrate on the meeting ahead. Unfortunately, that was easier said than practice as the wait for Stuvantis stretched on. He found himself alternating fretting over making a poor impression, and toppling over the side of the railing. Which was ridiculous when he considered he kept his feet on a ship, but fear didn’t always make the most sense.

Sighing, he felt like he was about to nod off in his chair when Stuvantis appeared with a pair of mugs, and a trio of men he didn’t recognize. They each had a similar mug and grabbed chairs to sit around the little table Marino had picked. Stuvantis set a mug down in front of him while the first to speak was an older man with blue eyes, and neatly kept grey hair. “My name is James Chaliva.” “Randal Zor” The dark haired man to his right said, and then the man with the salt and pepper beard said. “And I’m Mathias Okavis.” “Marino Oceangem” He said hastily after having shaken all of their hands. James was the first to address him, cradling his mug as he spoke.

“Stuvantis mentioned you have a ship, and might be interested in some work.” Nodding, Marino gestured in the direction of the docks as he replied. “Yes, it is a Casinor. What do you have in mind?” Mathias’ lip twitched into a slight grin, but it was James who spoke again, his composure calm and serious which was something Marino could respect. “We need someone who can take people and supplies around Syka. As you’ve no doubt seen already, there is a lot more than just this beach, and a small boat can get around a lot faster than anything else we could try. Would this interest you?”

He considered it for a moment, and the said. “Yes, it does. When do I start?” Perhaps he had misinterpreted cues because suddenly Stuvantis and Mathias laughed, and James cracked a smile. Randal leaned forward, an amused look to his eye. “Tell me, do you always agree before hearing all of the details?”

Confused, he shook his head, and asked. “Is there more to the job?” Smirking, Randal shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “The pay, don’t you want to know the pay?” James nodded at this and watched him. “Well of course, but I figured because I’ve heard nice things about you all, the pay would be fair whatever you decided. Besides I love doing what you are asking me.”

“So we should pay you less?” Randal asked half jokingly, but James spoke over him. “How does six gold miza a day sound?”

“Great” He said extending a hand out to shake James hand who gave him a firm handshake in response. From his side, Mathias spoke up. “Now since you plan on staying you are going to want to see to a few things so your time here is as fruitful for you as it is for the community. Stuvantis mentioned you didn’t know much about the jungle so lets start there. Uta is our resident expert on plant life here, and it would do you a lot of good to meet her first. Then once you’ve gotten a grasp of that, you can move on to learning how to survive in the jungle, hunt, and forage. All of which are critically important if you are going to stay here.”

“I am.” He said immediately, before he realized it wasn’t a question. “I mean, I will do as you suggested. I realize I’m out of my depth here, but I’m eager to learn.”

Smiling, Mathias said. “Good, feel free to come see me anytime if you feel like your stuck. If I can’t help you, I can certainly find someone who can. We have a lot of capable people here on Syka.” With that said, the four men started to get up, and Marino stood up with them. “My pod is having a bonfire tonight, you and anyone for that matter are most certainly welcome to join.”

Still smiling, Mathias nodded. “Of course.” Then they all departed out of the commons.

WC: 822

by **Marino Oceangem** on May 16th, 2020, 7:35 am

Randal was waiting for him at the bottom. “Ready to do some work?” Looking at him curiously, Marino said. “Of course, what do you have in mind?” “I need to pick up some materials from the mill, and take them to a new build site.” Nodding, he replied. “Okay..” “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you where to go your first time around, though it is going to be your responsibility to remember where things are. I suggest exploring the settlement in your free time till you get a good grasp of the area.” “I was actually trying that out a bit this morning.” Marino said, and Randal nodded, walking off towards the docks. “Stuvantis said something of the sort. Seems like you are actually serious about this.” After a pause, he added. “Why? I mean we’ve got a number of Svefra staying with us, and those that come and go are the majority. So what makes you want to stay?”

Marino thought about it for a few moments before he said, “I like the people here, and I wouldn’t have the same opportunities out there on the open sea as I would here. I.. I want to learn more about the world, all of it. I’m tired of hearing the same tales about what the pod once was. I want to make tales of my own, and this seems like a good place for it.”

Randal remained silent for several chimes as they walked to the point that Marino was wondering if he laid in on a little thick, but then the man gave him a smirk, and said. “You know, I think I like that.” They were quiet for the rest of the walk to his ship, and even as Marino set up the sails. At last though, before they were to disembark, Randal spoke. “Go down the coast in that direction. I’ll tell you when we are getting close.” Randal said, pointing over the starboard side of the Casinor, and noting the direction, adjusted the sails appropriately. Randal didn’t say anything else after that, perhaps giving him his time to focus, or to watch him in action. Whichever was the case, Marino didn’t much care. He was ready to do a job, and do it well. Noting that the wind would not be behind them but across the port side of the deck he figured he’d go full sail initially to catch enough wind to take them out far enough where he could cut back towards the shore safely with the wind at their backs. Then depending on where they were going he could trim the sail so they could hug the coast without too much back and forth. He certainly didn’t know the settlement well enough to try anything else, and he figured Randal would need to have a good view to guide them to where they were going.

After they had pulled away from the docks and headed up the coast a while, Randal spoke again. “Do you recognize those buildings ahead.” He was pointing to a set of huts on the water, the same ones he’d walked outside of this morning. “Yes, I ran into Stuvantis there this morning.” Randal smiled. “Those are the Overwater Rancheros. I don’t expect you’ll be delivering much in the way of supplies over there, but maybe people so it is a good spot to keep in mind. To the left of those, just peeking out of the jungle are the Bungalows.” Marino considered that carefully as he loosened the leech and curled the foot. He tried thinking of how it would look if they were farther away from the coast, and the ways it could be faster if he could figure out how to navigate from the open sea. The wind was much better out there. There was also plenty of room to maneuver in the ways you had to catch the best wind. However, he might potentially miss his point out there so that made it imperative for him to study this coastline carefully.

It occurred to him then that he hadn’t had a lot of reasons to do this with his pod, and he was thankful for the opportunity now. From the Rancheros they kept sailing straight along the coast till they came to what Randal referred to as Sharktooth Point. He kind of saw a vague toothlike shape at one point among the rocks, but hadn’t noticed much else as he was busy working on catching the wind as the swung around the point. He did appreciate the landmark however which was memorable enough that he wouldn’t have too much trouble finding it again in the future. Perhaps when they swung back around he’d get a better look at it. For now though, they were close to their destination according to Randal. Just passed a massive herd of pigs that Marino salivated looking at. They seemed like such easy game scattered all over the beach, and seeing his look, Randal said. “Not a bad spot to try out hunting if you are green to it. They’re pretty easy pickings, and by far the easiest game you’ll find out here.” Grinning, Marino said. “I’d go for one right now if we could go ahead and cook it.” Randal laughed at that and patted him on the shoulder before heading over to the port side of the boat. “Plenty of time for that later, look now, we’re close.” He said, pointing to a spot further up the beach where it looked about to develop into another point. “Get us as close as you can and we’ll go see Lars together.” Marino didn’t see anything or anyone on the beach but he trusted Randals judgment. Slowly he brought the casinor closer to the spot on the beach he’d indicated, taking them as far as he dared into the shallow waters before furling the sails, and weighing anchor.

WC: 982

by **Marino Oceangem** on May 17th, 2020, 2:46 am

After they waded to shore, Marino didn’t immediately see the path that led into the jungle until he and Randal where almost on it. They had come at an angle and so he hadn’t noticed the slight gap in the wall of flora until it was a few steps away. He found that notion quite disconcerting, but he went with Randal up the path anyways. It had never occured to him about how much the jungle could hide. Within that dark foliage anything could be hiding really. He didn’t know what lived in the jungle either which was something he recognized he would have to figure out soon. It didn’t sit well with him not knowing what to expect out here as he followed Randal along the path.

When they came upon the saw mill, he felt a little relieved. A man soon emerged and greeted Randal warmly before turning to greet him. “Lars” He said shaking his hand before looking at Randal questioningly. “We’re here to pick up some wood and load it into his casinor. He’s going to be helping us out to transport people and materials.” Randal clarified, walking past Lars towards a stack of cut lumber. “This here?” He asked while checking the wood. Coming up behind him, Lars said. “Yes, I’ll have some more for you in a few days.” “What are those?” Marino asked as his eyes settled on some creatures near the mill. They were fairly large with a strange appendage sprouting from their faces, with short white spears on either side. However that wasn’t the most interesting thing about them as from their great ears hung these blue and green oblong globs that looked vibrant against their rustic skin. They stared back at him placidly, so he supposed they were friendly.

“Those are Ashta. They help with the mill.” Lars said before looking back at Randal. “So few days fine with you?” “Yes. Mind helping us to the beach with this?” Lars nodded. Marino seeing there was work to be done, set about helping them secure the bundle and soon they were down the beach with the lumber. Loading it aboard the Casinor proved to be a little awkward as they had to wade waist deep into the water, but they got it on after shifting it around a bit. Then they bid Lars farewell before leaving to go back the way they had sailed.

WC: 403