Closed Land Ho

[Abhi Steelforge]

5 Summer 519 AV
Syka - Morning

Abhi knew Syka was out of the way. She knew it was going to take a while to get to the secluded settlement. But no matter how much she prepared ahead of time, she didn’t expect the trip to take over a season’s time. She originally left Sultros early Spring, traveling with merchants who knew their way around outside the kingdom. When she got to Alvadas, she took the Syliras-Zeltiva sea route to Riverfall. There was one stop between the two: Kenash. With both Kenash and Riverfall, though, Abhi hardly got to enjoy the city. Her trip had taken so long, she just wanted it to be over with. Especially in Riverfall, where Syka was only two days away by boat. Abhi was getting impatient. She was traveling to Syka in the first place because she heard they didn’t have a blacksmith. Would they have one by the time she arrived? Hopefully even if they did, she could still work. Smithing was most she knew, aside from research on what was known about Syka in preparation to live there.

She felt out of place the entire trip. She had nothing to do with her hands. Nothing important, at least, meaning smithing. She felt lost and disconnected from Izurdin, which probably was the worst part. She constantly fiddled with her hands, found herself reminiscing and feeling homesick and thinking ahead to her life on Syka. She was eager to make things for the people of Syka. Of course, she didn’t think much about the fact that it would require her to be more social with them even if they weren’t of her people. It was going to bite her in the arse.

She awoke in the morning to the sounds of bells signaling land. It took her a moment to realize that’s what the bells meant, having only only heard it twice before, days apart. But then she shot out of bed, eager to see the land for herself. They were still yet to dock, but already Abhi could see the beauty of the jungle beyond the beach. Buildings scattered the beach, spaced out enough for everyone to have more than enough room for anything they could want. There was also a cluster of small cabins along the beach in one area, and Abhi noted that that seemed more like her style. She didn’t need a lot of space.

When the ship docked and Abhi was able to step on land once more, she held back the urge to immediately run around to explore. First, she needed to get rid of her sea legs. Hopefully this would be the last time she’d have them for a while, as in she wouldn’t have to leave Syka for any reason. She was planning on staying for as long as possible. Once her sea legs issue was fixed, she needed to find one of the leaders of Syka. The Triad, if she remembered correctly. She was told who to talk to when she arrived, a choice from three. With a calm head, steady legs and a set motive, Abhi began to head towards the settlement proper, hoping to find one of the Triad.

[Gossamer]

All three of the Founders were kicked back in the Tidepool with Stu, its owner. It was rare that Captain James was in the area and relaxed to visit with everyone else. He was a man that never stopped moving, and though he hadn’t spoken much about his disappearance, he’d been staying closer to home in the last season. It might have been due to the fact that Syka now had a sawmill and word had gotten out that the settlement existed. Trade was brisk due to the exports the Syka residents had managed to utilize to trad and the growing Isuas trade that Tony Swiftwater got started. The fabric was catching hold and wildly popular. They couldn’t truthfully produce fabric enough, and now Tony was expecting a few more helpers to come on board to expand the trade.

Stu was providing the booze. It was a new fermented pineapple mix while Mathias and Randal were happily sampling it and giving him their honest opinion on how the brew had turned out. It wasn’t half bad, and while they were not drunk, the atmosphere was relaxed and jovial. It always was with a Priest of Sivah around. The three were debating an expansion northward of the settlement, extending the cobbled path and putting up some more structures to encourage immigration. No one wanted to move south past Treasure Point since the terrain got more dubious there and some of the coast turned to cliffs.

There were other denizens in the Tidepool as well. It was the heat of the day and no one did much of anything around Syka at noon. All activity was restricted to mornings and evenings, while the social hour was while the sun was high. The Commons were fairly full of people as well, and Abhi wouldn’t have any problems wandering around asking after Founders and being pointed towards the Tidepool with instructions. She’d run into all three of them the moment she stepped into the bar.

Stu, of course, wouldn’t let her sit down without buying some food or drink. Onlookers would be amused at the sight, though everyone else was sitting around eating, drinking, and doing a bit of gambling or card playing. There was even a little trading going on.

United the trio would glance at Abhi as she walked in, halting their previous debate to offer various smiles of welcome. One of them would kick out a chair if she got by Stu via ordering something refreshing or nourishing.

[Abhi Steelforge]

Syka was hotter than Sultros ever was, even when Abhi was above ground. As she wandered the immediate area, asking where to find the Founders, she could feel the sun blaze upon her. Many denizens had minimal clothing, some completely bare. But feeling the heat for herself, Abhi didn't blame them. She'd probably end up like them; no one seemed to mind one way or another.

By the time she made her way onto the dock leading to the Tidepool Bar, where she was told the men would be found, her forehead was damp with sweat and her clothes felt stick around the joints. Her Sultros clothes were definitely useless here. At the bar, she was immediately approached by who she assumed was the bartender. He insisted she had a drink. It was far too hot for her to decline, so after a quick rundown on what he offered she decided on a mango smoothie. She had never had mango before, and she knew there would be countless other things she'll try for the first time here. She also ordered a snack, buying the platter with shrimp for a gold miza.

As he went to fix up her order, she approached the Founders who were offering her a seat. Sitting down felt wonderful after walking around in the heat. Abhi felt like she was going to melt into the chair. She nodded her greeting at the men, feeling like a fool compared to them. They knew how Syka was, and they probably found her ignorance mildly entertaining.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, finally. I assume you're the Founders I've heard so much about?" Stu quickly came by the drop off her order, and she took a hesitant sip of the smoothie. It was such an interesting flavor, but delicious and Abhi forced herself to take a breath after gulping down a portion of the drink. She had people to talk to. She needed to make a good first impression for them.

"Syka is so much more beautiful than I expected. Nothing could've prepared me for it... especially the heat." She cracked a smile at her joke. "It's much different than my home, but I'm sure I'll grow used to it. My name is Abhi Steelforge, by the way." She felt strange just sitting there, so she held out her hands to shake theirs, having to stand up and stretch to reach across the table.


Ledger Update
Mug: 1 sm
Bar Snack Platter: 1 gm

[Gossamer]

It was interesting that the weather bothered the Isur. They ran hot blooded by nature and in Sultros where the weather ran the gauntlet even underground, the women rarely wore tops but instead wore elaborate necklaces that draped across their chests and matched belts that often held flowing thin pants or billowy skirts. Syka’s clothing style was in line with Abhi’s home for certain, so in fact her Sultros clothing should have been perfect for Syka.

The shrimp were crunchy and well made, much like the blind cave shrimp the Isur of Sultros often enjoyed. The industry thrived among the people of Izurdin and they claimed it was their people that had first taught the humans to harvest and eat the little denizens of the sea. The only true difference between Syka’s shrimp and Sultros’ shrimp was that the blind cave shrimp never grew nearly as large as the bountiful Suvan Shrimp did.

Mathias stepped up to the plate and introduced them all. “I’m Mathias, this is Randal, and that scruffy guy over there is James. We are indeed the Settlement’s founders. Nice to meet you, Abhi.” He said. Randal and James nodded as well, offering her greetings and pleasantries. Randal even glanced over at Stu, raised an eyebrow and gestured at Abhi’s plate. A refill of shrimp was forthcoming even if she hadn’t eaten all of the first serving, and he topped up her drink before she could ask. He charged her no additional coin under Randal’s glare. James elbowed Randal and gave him a look, to which Randal just smiled at the captain and shrugged. “She’s an Isur. You don’t short them food.” He said with a mutter and winked at Abhai.

“I’ve been to The Southern Trading Post. It’s not really hotter here than Sultros is in the Summer. It’s just the humidity. Your mountains don’t have the moisture we do here. We rain morning and night, which don’t get me wrong – we love – but it does tend to drench everything and nothing really dries out.” James said. The other two men nodded in agreement. There was general grumbling about the humidity throughout the bar.

“Nice to meet you Abhi. You just passing through with a ship or are you planning on staying?” Mathias asked. The other two looked curious as well. “We have programs for settlers. We gift people that come here to settle and make a commitment to stay five acres of land. We assist in building homes and businesses and can offer up to a fifteen hundred dollar loan to get you started if you need funding. But we only accept skilled people that are committed to stay and help benefit the settlement. We need all kinds of craftsman at this point. We’re pretty full up on hunters, fisherman, and those that can forage. A farmer type or blacksmith would be nice though.” He added, smiling at her. He hadn’t wanted to mention the blacksmithing, because it was cliché on the Isur… but one could hope.

“Syka is laid back. You won’t find any crime here… at least not at this stage. Everyone knows everyone else. We’re a small settlement. There’s less than a hundred people here. Everyone matters. We have relaxed views on quite a few things like clothing, drinking, and religion. But we can’t be a settlement of consumers. We need producers.” Randal explained, adding to the conversation.

All three of them then carefully watched her reaction, curious if she was a tourist or was indeed here to stay.

[Abhi Steelforge]

Yes. It was the humidity that made it seem so much more hotter than it really was. It was strange to realize it was actually the same temperature here. Abhi wondered how long it would take her to get used to being perpetually damp.

The food was delicious, and Abhi was pleased to see the shrimp was much like the ones back home. When Stu refilled her plate and drink without an extra charge, she was even more pleased. The drink helped cool her down and she felt like she could drink gallons of it.

When Mathias began to talk business, Abhi listened intently. She was glad to hear they had programs for settlers, and they didn't just have them do their own thing. Five acres of land, that seemed more than Abhi would need but only Izurdin knew what she would really need here in Syka. When he finished talking, warning her that if she was going to stay here she needed to be the best she could be, she nodded in understanding.

"I do plan on living here," She explained. "I came here because I heard through word of mouth that Syka needed craftsmen. I'm sure an Isur is exactly what you need." Though she couldn't do much now, she knew being here would help her work towards being a master smith.

"I won't need much, mainly my own forge and the basics for a home. I think I saw something that looked like a public forge, on my way here, though I'd be much more... comfortable with my own. Though of course I won't have much choice to use the public one until then, eh? No matter. I appreciate it all anyway." She would be patient. They were willing to do so much to help her get started, the last thing she wanted was to disrespect their hospitality.

The only thing that concerned her, though she wouldn't admit it, was that because the community was still in its early stages and it had such a small number of citizens, everyone knew each other... and that would include her. She'd have to be more social than she'd like, considering most if not all residents here were not her people. It was something she'd have to get over, she figured.

[Gossamer]

It was interesting that she said ‘word of mouth’. The three Fp[ounders glanced at each other, curious about how far the stories of their new settlement had traveled. It would be something to question the Svefra about later, when they got to gossiping and exchanging news. But the truth was, the problem before them was this woman. Her attitude was interesting, saying they needed Isur. The three men certainly weren’t sure why that was. They needed people, not racial superiority.

“Forges are expensive. We have a perfectly good one in the Commons that anyone can use. Is it not up to your standards?” James asked, pipping up slightly, knowing there was no way the newcomer had missed the fact they had a very nice one in the center of the city. Her words were not endearing… her comfort, not having a choice… the three glanced at each other one raising an eyebrow. Her words actually were haughty, entitled, and that was something that threw warning flags at the Founders.

“I’m the main builder here.” Randal said abruptly. “I honestly can’t get to a house for you until next season, perhaps midway or the end. Until then, you’d have to use The Public Forge. And anyhow, we’d want to make sure your skills are what they claim. We’d not be interested, for example, fully outfitting just a novice blacksmith. But if you are an expert, we’d be more inclined to boost up your priority on the building list. Until then, we have bungalows and ranchos for rent until your own home is built. You can also camp on your land. But I have to warn you…. you strike me as someone somewhat used to civilization. There’s very little in the way of creature comforts here. There’s a public bath. You have to share. There’s a mercantile, but its very limited in what it stocks. James here can bring you special orders, but they are required to be paid in advance before he sails for Riverfall. We can build you structures, loan you money, but we don’t do it on blind faith. We do it through cooperation. That means you can work for us as a Blacksmith. And when you’ve shown us what you can do, we’ll talk about the Public Forge, what it lacks, and why you really need your own.” The Founder staid, offering her a smile.

He hated laying down the law, but Syka wasn’t for the privileged and elite. He didn’t like racial superiorities. He had enough problems with the Myrian and Dhani situation. And while the Founders were human and not nearly as long lived as the Isur, they had been around enough to spot someone who perhaps wasn’t as much of a team player as they needed.

“Do you have any questions about the settlement?” Mathias asked curiously. He’d noted she’d just talked about herself, and her needs, not about the settlement and perhaps what it needed from a blacksmith.