Fishing in Havita (Cascade please)

[Drakn]

The 15th day of summer, 512AV


Drakn was born on the sea and he would die on the sea, this much he was sure of. How he would make a living, this was an other thing entirely, this was very unsure to him. He knew he could fish for food, but he needed money for other things in life. It was a near perfect day in the southern Suvan Sea, though the sky was a little overcast it was by all means still a very nice warm summer day. The young solo man found himself in a remote section of the Havita fishing grounds. It had not been long since he was separated from his pod and he was indeed still getting used to being alone. Alone he was indeed, at the moment he could not even see another ship, the only thing to see was the water and the life teaming in her. Drakn thought it was as good a time as any to do some fishing. Though before fishing Drakn always, being a religous man, began to pray to Laviku in hope that he would be blessed in his bounty.

He readied his net and other fishing gear, figuring that the more ways he could fish the better his chances of getting a good amount of fish. Once his net was ready and his fishing lines were set he looked for a nearby school of fish. After he found a sizable school Drakn would drop his net and manuver into position, then he would drop his other lines in a position that he thought they would not get tangled in the net. He then got to the wheel of his ship and steered toward the fish as to both catch them in his net and troll with his bait and tackel lines that he has tied to a rail. After each pass through the school of fish Drakn would pull fish net in as well as his lines, then he reset his lines emptied his net if anything was caught. He would manuver back into position, drop net and lines again and sail through the school again.

[Cascade]

Drakn would find that it was a slow day. Every time he brought his net back up, there was fish—but there wasn’t much. Even after several tries, he only managed to get a few handfuls of small-sized fish. It wouldn’t amount to much in the market. Perhaps the spot that he chose wasn’t a good one? Soon enough, another boat came into view. It was another Svefran casinor. There was an old man and a woman about his age onboard. The woman was holding onto a fishing net, as if ready to cast it out to the sea. However, before doing so, she called out to Drakn. “Hey, you been here for long?” she asked in fluent Fratava, her voice loud enough for Drakn to hear. She looked like a plain girl, though there was a mischievous twinkle to her eyes that caught the attention of most men. “How are the fish today?” There was a tattoo of a shark on hand, and the old man also had the same mark. The old man nodded at Drakn as a sign of greeting. He asked in a tired, husky voice, “You alone? Where’s your pod, young man? These seas aren’t safe for lone sailors these days.” He was talking about the new group of pirates that were rumored to appear around these waters. The pirates weren’t Svefra, which caused the Svefra that heard a lot of dismay. The race believed they were the only ones who had the right to pirate the open waters.

[Drakn]

Drakn was starting to become a little frustrated by the fact that he was having little to no succes catching fish. Him being an easy going person decided he would take a little brake to help his frustrations subside. This was indeed a poor spot to fish, for the moment atleast. He drew his net up and pulled in his lines, then took a moment to look at the pitiful sight that was his catch.

Then in the distance Drakn saw another casinor, this was a most joyous sight to the young man. On the boat were two people an older man and a young woman, as he watched them grow closer the woman began to speak. Drakn replied in his native tounge, "Not overly long, though long enough to know the fishing is poor here." He smiled and gestured toward his catch if they were close enough to see. The woman may not have been the most beautiful woman, but there was something about her eyes that shade of blue.

Drakn noticed that they both had tattoos of sharks on their hands. He had always admired sharks, they were such efficent predators. The old man asked Drakn some questions about his pod and why he was alone, he replied, "I was seperated from my pod. There was a storm up north a ways and well after it cleared there was no sign, I searched and searched in vain. It is likely I am the only survivor." He paused for a brief moment and continued on, "Aye, I know it is not the wisest to sail alone and the name is Drakn." He had heard some wispers in the wind, people speaking about some non Svefra pirates sailing about stealing things and to be truthful Drakn was lucky that it was his own people that he had run into.

"I was just thinking since the fishing is not very good here why don't we sail together and find another spot to fish. As you said it is unsafe out here and well I like to think of myself as a handy person to have around." He said with a wink then waited for the two to answer him.

[Cascade]

The old man and the woman exchanged looks. Was Drakn speaking about the terrible storm that had ravaged through the lands and waters the season past? Many lives had been lost during that storm, and they both immediately felt sorry for him. “Storm wasn’t just up north, aye,” said the woman. “The entire sea was affected. We lost a lot as well. Anyhow, this is Gramps, and I’m Cheska… we’re from the Riptides.” After she said that, her grandfather pulled her back, and they seemed to murmur to each other. Cheska nodded at her grandfather’s words. Afterwards, Cheska pulled away and started to work on the nets. Her grandfather, however, kept his eyes on Drakn. “Lead the way, boy. Show us where the good spots are.” He urged Drakn with a swift gesture of his hand. Cheska was still working on untangling the nets, but she had a smirk on her face, as if she knew something. Unbeknownst to Drakn, he was being tested by the old man. They would navigate their casinor to follow in Drakn’s route.

[Drakn]

Drakn watched as the two others he had just ran into looked at each other as if having a telepathic conversation, then it was the young woman who spoke. "I am sorry to hear of your loss, it was a bad time indeed for all." He said then stared off into the sea in a moment of sadness, then he continued on forcing a smile. "But it is very nice to meet the two of you, I was beginning to think i would go mad for lack of conversation."

Cheska and her grandfather spoke quietly amung themselves, she nodded to the old man and went to work on their nets. Her grandfather seemed to be a bit weary of Drakn however, keeping his eyes on Drakn as he spoke. "Aye, can do sir." He said with a grin from ear to ear, then he went about setting his sail and went to the wheel.

As he stood behind the wheel of his casinor Drakn hummed a tune to himself as he thought to himself as to where to go and navigated the boat. All the while Drakn would look for signs that indicated large schools of fish like larger sea animals that prey on fish. After what he considered quite a while they had come to an old fishing spot that his father had showed him one day a long time ago.

Drakn signaled to Cheska and her grandfather that they were at the spot, also letting out a whistle, then he let his sail down. "Well this is a spot my Da' taught me of when I was a pup." He said with a smile then started to get his gear ready. He remembered hearing his father say something about setting trolling lines with a few hundred feet of line. Once he had set his hooks with chunks of the small fish he caught earlier he dropped his lines then adjusted his sail as to pick up a small amount of wind. When he was sure that his lines were to far behind his ship to get tangled he would drop his net, though this time he would try deeper than earlier. He hoped that the spot his father showed him would prove to be lucky this day.

[Cascade]

The old man nodded his head as he looked at the spot they were in. It was clear to him that this place was indeed a better fishing spot than the one they had been in earlier. However, despite Drank’s effort, there were still not a lot of fish being baited or netted. There was a slight improvement, but not much. Regardless of the drawbacks, the two other Svefra looked impressed at Drakn’s actions. The old man knew what he was doing, but Cheska looked puzzled. As she threw their net over the side of their boat, she continued to look at the trolling lines that Drakn had put out. “What’s that for, Drakn?” the woman asked as she pointed a finger towards the trolling lines. She was a Svefra but she was clearly not too familiar with the different fishing techniques. The confusion was evident in her face as she urged Drakn to explain. Somehow, the two other Svefra managed to maneuver their casinor to get it closer to Drakn’s. Without a second thought, Cheska leaped unto the other ship. She did so with ease as she stepped down to Drakn’s deck. The ease she displayed was brought on by the many years of leaping from one ship to the other. “Child, please do tie the boats together first,” the old man called from the other ship. He was not strong enough to do it himself, and the casinors were slowly drifting apart. “Oh, right!” exclaimed Cheska. She turned to Drakn, “You don’t mind, do you?” Without waiting for his consent, she grabbed some thick rope from her casinor and tied the two small ships together. It took her minutes, but soon enough, she returned her attention to Drakn. The girl leaned over the side of Drakn’s ship, her eyes still transfixed on the lines. “Tell me, what are they for?”

[Drakn]

Some improvement was better than none Drakn thought as he saw what was being pulled in. It became clear that Cheska had never seem anyone troll for fish before as she asked what he was doing with the lines. Just as he was about to answer her she jumped from her ship on to his, this caused her granfather to voice his concern.

He watched as she tied the two ships together and spoke, "No I don't mind at all it makes for better safety." Drakn had to admit she was a funny girl, but not in a bad way, she was the very image of the Svefran people.

She asked again about the purpose of his lines and he answered this time, "Well Cheska, what I am doing here with these lines is called trolling. You see many of the bigger fish tend to be deeper in the water and it is easier to catch them with bait than to drop the net that far down and pull it up." He paused for a moment then went on, "The line with hook and bait is pulled behind as we drift which makes the fish think it is another fish or some other food, then they bite and I pull the line in." He smiled as he finished and hoped that his answer was enough for her.

Drakn then went about asking a question of his own as he worked his net and checked his lines, "I was wondering do you know of a market on shore where a person could trade his fish?" The question was aimed at both Cheska and her grandfather, he listened to the answer and continued working his gear.

[Cascade]

Cheska looked at him quizzically after he heard his question. She asked, in a very curious tone, “You know how to do this… trolling, but you don’t know where to trade for your fish?” The girl immediately bit her lower lip as soon as she realized how tactless her question was. He had mentioned her had been separated from his pod—maybe he had no real reason to know before? Perhaps it was somebody else’s job? “If you’re looking for land dwellers, not much inhabited places ‘round here… but if you’re looking to trade with our kind, you’ll find several pods out by Tova Bay. I can introduce you to some later on, alright? If it’s miza you want in exchange for your fish, some might be willing. Don’t matter, we’ll find out when—” “Cheska!” The old man’s startled voice cut her off. He was pointing to the horizon, to the north, where another ship was. It was wide as a palivar, but it didn’t seem to be a Svefra ship. There were no flags on its poles, nor markings on its sides. It went at full speed, directly towards Drakn and company. At the rate it was going, it would take no more than five chimes to get to where they were. “Are those… are those the…?” started Cheska. She never got it out, but it was evident that she was speaking about the rumored non-Svefra pirates. It was difficult to see the ship clearly, but there seemed to be five men onboard. Cheska looked back at Drakn with worry in her eyes. “We don’t have any weapons on board…! Do we run? Drakn! What do we do?” “Oh, silly child!” her grandfather hissed, irritated. “You think about what you are saying. If you cannot protect your own ship, you do not deserve to own it.” The girl spun around to her grandfather. “Well, what do you want me to do!?” As they argued, it was apparent that amidst the panic, Drakn had to step up and take the lead.

[Drakn]

Drakn listened to Cheska and was about to answer her as her grandfather said her cut her off, there was worry in his voice. The older man was pointing at a ship that was not of their people and larger than the small boats they had, it was coming toward them at full sail. As Cheska began her question she did not need to finish it he knew who it was she thought it was, she thought it was the infamous pirates not of their kind. This upset the young man as they were the only ones allowed to have that kind of fun.

Cheska and her grandfather began to bicker, in a moment like this though that was the worst thing to do. What was needed was a level head, Drakn knew that if they were to live it was up to him to do something. His face grew sober and cold in contrast to his normal carefree attitude. "We must pull together and not fight amung our own. First we must ask for favor from Laviku." He took his knife and made a small cut on his palm, he let some of the blood spill into the sea and continued to say, "Laviku, father of our people and ruler of the sea help us, your lowly servants. Protect us and let us be victorious in what we do, if you grant this to me then I swear an oath to you."

After he had finished his prayer and oath he then turned and pointed toward the north east if he remembered right there was a coral reef with water deep enough for their small ships but the larger ship that was getting closer would be wrecked if it followed. And Drakn had just the plan to make sure they followed. I think I remember a reef or some shallows not far we will have to do something that seems a bit crazy though. I want us to sail close to them as if we think nothing to be wrong, but not to close though. We need some jars oil and rags, we can cork oil inside some jars with rags or cloth. When we get close then we thorw the jars. If we hit their sails very good if not then at least we made them angry enough to give us chase into the reef, where we will have the upper hand. Cheska I need you to find the materials for those fire bombs."

Drakn then would get ready for the charge telling them that if needed to throw nets on the raiders. If Cheska got the things for the fire bombs Drakn would tell her to take his wheel and he would go about making the bombs. He would cut the rope holding the ships together and hand Cheska his knife, just in case. "Keep her steady and remember we only need to be close enough to hit them with the jars. They will have to turn around to give chase and we will gain a little distance." Drakn would put fire to the rags that were the corks to the bombs, as they drew closer and closer Drakn would throw the jars at the larger ship. He hoped his plan would work and when he was done throwing the fire bombs he would relieve Cheska of the wheel.

If his plan worked then the ship would turn and give chase, being that the pirates were not Sevfra they would likely not know about the reef Drakn led them to.

[Cascade]

OOCRemember that you actually need to have purchased the items for you to use them, but in this case we’ll use it as a plot device and assume that the NPCs had it. Just a note for the future. Also, good work so far. “Why would a jar filled with rags and oil explode? Are you missing a step, Drakn?” asked the girl. It seemed like he forgot an important step – which was how to ignite the oiled rags themselves. Nevertheless, while she left him thinking, she jumped back to her own casinor to quickly search for the materials. She knew she had some of it around. Cheska and her grandfather both looked skeptical, but they followed his orders. The girl soon emerged with three empty jars, rags, and a bottle of oil. “These cost me a lot! Don’t waste them!” she told him as she took charge of the wheel. Cheska was adept at sailing, and thus it wasn’t difficult for her to steer towards the more shallow oceans just as Drakn had said. As she did so, she kept an eye on Drakn as he readied the jars. She watched he lit the corks on fire, and her previous questions were answered instantly. The pirates on the other ship were yelling and raising their weapons in the air. They sneered at Drakn and his companions as they went straight after their ships. As soon as Drakn threw the ignited jars into the air, two of them fell short and into the ocean. At that point, Cheska cursed him. However, the third jar went rolling across their deck, and it shattered against crates, causing it to go aflame. The explosion was not massive, if it could have been called an explosion at all. The reason for this was because Drakn didn’t know anything about alchemy and the mixture of chemicals, and thus his mixture had been a failure. However, it at least angered the pirates. Panicking, some of them quickly put it out, their expressions angrier than ever. “Get that petching kid!” yelled the man who appeared to be their leader. He spoke in common. “Straight ahead! The fool may have gotten a distance on us, but he’s curving his ship around!” “Boss, no! It’s a trap!” Upon realizing this, the leader became even more furious. He abruptly maneuvered the ship to avoid the reef, and proceeded to race towards Drakn. Cheska’s grandfather seemed horrified as he said to Drakn and Cheska, “That was a good plan, but you have to think of another one quick.”