[09:51p] › WaylandSmith changes topic to: Remnants of Gor: A flat bottomed large ship navigating a point between a jetty at the conflux of the Vosk and a tributary and the docks of Port Kar.
[09:51p] › WaylandSmith changes welcome message to: The weather has cleared up, it’s still fresh but the sun is less aenmic than it was. The Vosk itself is swollen and widening with increasing amounts of water submerging the marshes towards Port Kar.
[09:56p]
WaylandSmith Port Kar loomed in the distance to Tun - every ehn that passed the smith should be feeling more comfortable that his goal was approaching. Still he remained perturbed and paced around the ship so much that even 'Big Jim' began showing signs of restlessnes. As much as he tried to catch Crab at another surreptitious signal or scan the horizon for hordes of marauding Kurri - nothing evident showed itself except the placid flowing of an extremely broad Vosk. In fact the depth of the Vosk seemed rather shallow
[09:56p]
WaylandSmith With water stretching to all sides it was hard to tell whether they were sailing the Vosk proper or just over its flood plains and marches...
[09:59p]
WaylandSmith "Marches!" Wayland thought to himself - recalling a conversation in a hidden den with a robed thief, he realised that tidal marshes lay to the Klim of Port Kar. These were navigable by flat bottom ships at high tide, let alone high tide with unusually high levels of water in the Vosk. An inkling came to him of what Crab meant to do - to be certain he reached into his cart and took out the map of this area made by none other than the cartographer Marcus of Ar.
[10:01p]
WaylandSmith Sideways he noticed a flicker of annoyance or concern pass Crab otherwise unreadable beastly face. Focussing on the area of the marshes the smith realised that they were way too far to Vask, according to Marcus the Vosk did not pass through Port Kar itself at all. It was a tributary river that veered off due Vask right above Port Kar - many common maps of Gor incorrectly placed the Vosk as throwing itself into the Tamber Gulf.
[10:03p]
WaylandSmith Folding the map the smith pursed his lips - the trap that was being laid before him was now clear. The problem was how to avoid it - Crab had cleverly sailed the ship too far to Vask so it was now over the tidal marshes themselves. That this wasnt immediately evident was due to the unusual flooding exacerbated by high tide. Wayland was uncertain whether he could handle the simple square rigged ship but there would possibly be no alternative.
[10:05p]
WaylandSmith : Crab take the ship more to rim, I prefer to approach Port Kar from the Ta=Sadar-Var - it is the part of the city I know best.
[10:07p]
WaylandSmith Crab emitted another moan of annoyance or disturbance but duly turned the ship, the wind freshened and they made good speed. His obedience took the smith somewhat by surprise, was he paranoid? There was a way to find out, settling next to the anvil perched delicately on the port side he leaned back against the hull and pretended to close his eyes again. Waiting for a 5 ehn he checked back.
[10:08p]
WaylandSmith surely enough the ship had turned back down towards the Tamber gulf - it was obvious that Crab meant the ship to run aground in the Tidal Marshes as the tide flowed out after which his associates - near or approaching - would make short thrift of the smith and his bosk.
[10:09p]
WaylandSmith : How come we have fallen back to leeward Crab - turn back to rim - harta!
[10:09p]
WaylandSmith the creature set up a pitiful but transparent pleading.
[10:10p]
WaylandSmith : Crab: Master Crab cannot - we sail too close to the wind and this poor ship handles badly if we course to rim-ward. Let Crab enter Port Kar as he may.
[10:10p]
WaylandSmith : Turn to rim...
[10:14p]
WaylandSmith Wayland did not raise his voice but did lean back against his anvil - if it were to fall overboard the Kurri would be yanked from his place at the help and barring a surfeit of strength from its crippled body drawn over the side. Most likely the rope would not be long enough for it to remain above water - so a slow and painful end would be its fate.
[10:14p]
WaylandSmith : Crab: Please Master be careful - the anvil might fall. Crab obeys.
[10:17p]
WaylandSmith The ship did indeed turn but not enough to the smith's liking, looking to starboard he saw a difference in the surface of the water and a subtly different colour. That is where deeper water was he reckoned, deeper and with an actual flow of a river rather than the treacherous hither and thither of the tides. Crab continued to try and steer as much away from the main course of the river - Vosk or its tributary - Wayland was unsure. Time had come for action.
[10:18p]
WaylandSmith Pointing to the rear Port side to a place behind Crab he cried out.
[10:18p]
WaylandSmith : By the Priest Kings what is that thing!
[10:21p]
WaylandSmith Driven by impulse Crab had to turn around almost a half-circle due to his blind eye and therefore did not see that Wayland pushed the anvil overboard. The smith did so without pleasure, an anvil was an expensive and necessary piece of equipment, however needs must. It was too risky to attempt to fight the large creature even as wounded as it was - the ship might go off course and his pursuers would be upon him in an instant. A splash and cry of rage was heard - Crab was to drown.
[10:23p]
WaylandSmith Grabbing the helm before the ship turned downwind completely of its own accord, the smith tried as best he might to handle sail and helm. It was not complicated and he had carefully observed what Crab had done over the past several ahn but he was not skilled - looking over his shoulder and around repeatedly he was relieved to see there was no threat.
[10:24p]
WaylandSmith As best he might the ship was manoeuvred back into the river's main course, Port Kar came ever nearer. Oddly there was no smoke to be seen from ... well anything really. Houses or business activities both of which were present in the notorious city of thieves. As the ship approached the city, the scent of vegetable rot of the tidal marshes was mixed with another odour. Richer, more pungeant and unpleasant.
[10:26p]
WaylandSmith Wide-eyed Wayland approached the river docks of Port Kar - the city exuded a definite charnel smell - death pervaded it. It seems that the city of thieves had fallen to something. Distracted the smith almost sailed past the docks and finally with much clumsy manoeuvring and a rather harsh bump into a quay he managed to halt his vessel. Lowering sails and tying the boat up - he noticed the absence of people. No people but he did see a young jit.
How odd!