• Graded • Meals On Keels

[Darius Baer]

Arc 721, 79th of Ashan

Bending his knees, Darius carefully set the barrel down into the hold of the Libertalia. He let out a sigh of exertion, his muscles warmed by the exercise. He looked at the gathered supplies, and even in the darkened space, he could see enough to feel proud of what his Hopetoun people had achieved. A few barrels of salted fish and a handful of sacks filled with potatoes was hardly going to feed the world, but he hoped that it would go some way to helping those on Scalvoris who were struggling in the wake of a crop crisis that had struck the main island.

"It's not a lot," he spoke quietly to himself, his gravelly voice echoing in the enclosed space, "but it's better than nothing."

"It's a good start," came the familiar voice of Astra, and the captain turned to see the half-biqaj stepping into the hold.

Darius offered a weary smile in the darkness and reached out his hand, which the brunette took hold of. He could see little of the woman's features, focusing instead on the outline of the feathers in her hair against the light of the doorway.

"I just hope it's enough," the bearded blond sighed, but he felt Astra's hand squeeze his.

"You're a good man, Darius Baer," she spoke quietly, her reassuring tone seemingly more powerful in the relative absence of light.

Darius nodded, attempting to take the compliment to heart, which was something he never found easy. He paused for a moment, then began to move.

"Okay, let's finish our preparations," he eventually said, giving his first mate's hand a parting squeeze before letting it go, their fingtertips briefly lingering as he made his way back towards the doorway. "This food won't deliver itself."

[Darius Baer]

Darius was used to sea travel being a lonely endeavour. That wasn't to suggest he actually travelled alone - only the brave and foolish would actually try to cross giant bodies of water without a crew - but he didn't usually have passengers on his ship.

This time was different.

He had Astra, of course, his ever loyal first mate who had slowly become something more. But he also had a pair of Hopetoun settlers who had joined him on this brief journey to Scalvoris Town. Kester and Brigitte were a married couple in their twenties who loved Faldrass almost as much as they loved each other. They were fisherfolk who had made themselves particularly useful to Hopetoun, making catches each trial so that the community had plenty of food to eat.

Darius had many hopes and plans for Hopetoun, one of which involved getting one or more fishing boats for the settlement, so that Kester and Brigitte, and other people who wished to receive from the sea's bounty, might be able to catch fish from deeper water, and not be kept at the water's edge. And if taking a trip aboard the Libertalia to Scalvoris Town and back, observing how the sailors went about their business, might assist them in their ability to commandeer a fishing boat, then Darius was more than willing to take that chance.

And so, as the brig crossed the Hollow Sea, the two fisherfolk were treated as honoured guests, and they were invited to walk the deck and talk to the sailors. The crew of the Libertalia obliged, content to take advantage of the fine conditions to teach the pair about how they used the sails and the knots they used to tied the ropes. Darius set aside a break to explain how to read the weather - something that Kester discovered he had quite a talent for. When night fell, Brigitte requested a crash course in how to navigate by the stars, and Astra was more than happy to provide one, even though there was no expectation that they would be required to catch fish after dark.

All in all, the journey provided the young married couple with an education, and Hopetoun with a potential future means of catching more fish - assuming, of course, Darius was able to provide the settlement with a fishing boat.

[Darius Baer]

Arc 721, 80th of Ashan

The Libertalia pulled alongside the very same dock where Darius had first boarded her. That seemed like it had been a lifetime ago, but it had actually been a little less than an arc. Darius Baer, rookie mariner and fortuitous prize winner, had been rewarded with the brig as part of a local competition. His friend, Yeva of Rharne, had received a fine home as a prize.

The following morning, a sober Darius and a partly hungover Yeva had visited the ship, and they had not exactly made the best of impressions in the eyes of the sailors. But much had happened in the following seasons, and now the captain of the Libertalia had a loyal crew who were proud to follow their leader, a first mate who was becoming increasingly significant in his life, and a familiarity with the seas that could only come from experience.

It was with precisely this experience that Darius was able to order the crew to carry out their duties, instructing them to throw down mooring lines so that the vessel could be tied in place and not drift back out to sea. Astra echoed the cries, never shy of telling the sailors what to do or to remind them of their place. Rather than cause resentment, the crew had appeared over time to respect the half-biqaj's disciplined manner.

As the vessel settled into its mooring, the gangplank was lowered and Darius descended to the dock as the goods they'd brought from Hopetoun were slowly lowered by cranes onto a wagon. Kester and Brigitte remained on board, seizing the opportunity to learn what they could, and Astra waved him farewell as he climbed up and onto the seat alongside the driver, who tugged on the reigns. The horse pushed itself forward and the wagon lurched into motion, wooden wheels creaking over the wooden boards of the dock.

It took barely a quarter of a break to reach Cally's Fine Dining Restaurant, and Darius wasted no time in jumping down onto the cobblestones. With the driver's help, he began to haul the sacks of Faldrass potatoes and barrels of veil fish from the back of the wagon, and was soon joined by Taylor, the kitchen hand from Cally's. Between the three of them, they were able to carry the sacks - and roll the barrels - into the kitchen via the rear entrance. A few nels were handed to the driver when he departed, and as Darius set the last barrel to an upright position, he looked up to see Jo'get.

"Mr Baer," the sous chef spoke, a warm smile of greeting stretching across her lips. "It's been a while."

"Aye," came the reply, "a little more than an arc."

It was true. The last time Darius had been in the kitchen at Cally's - having navigated the precarious path of Trudi's flirtations - he had been providing supplies from Scalvoris to the people of Rharne. Now, he was bringing food to Scalvoris itself, and to its most needy.

"I heard about the crops failing," Darius offered, a grim expression across his features.

"Yes, it's quite the dilemma," Jo'get nodded. "Swarms of insects have ravaged the crops, I hear. We've been rationing the supplies we currently have, but that won't last us forever. Scalv-Town will have plenty of hungry mouths, soon. All across the island, I dare say."

The brunette wiped her hands on her apron as she approached one of the sacks.

"What do we have here?" she asked as she peered in.

"It's a potato that's unique to Faldrass," Darius replied. "We're calling it the Faldrass potato."

The sous chef nodded, pulling out one of the potatoes and turning it over in her hand.

"They're warm," she exclaimed, seemingly impressed, passing it over to Taylor.

"Aye, we noticed that, too," Darius grinned.

"What's in the barrels?" Jo'get asked.

"Veil fish. Another Faldrass special."

Darius opened one of the barrels so that the brunette could see. Curious, Taylor craned his neck to get a view, too.

"We've salted the meat," Darius added. "I know it isn't much..."

"Every bit helps," Jo'get quickly concluded, before turning to the kitchen hand. "Can you put these with our other supplies?"

Taylor nodded, and began the process of moving the food into the ice house at the back of the restaurant.

"Thank you, Darius," the brunette smiled. "When I heard that you'd joined Isonomia, I knew Faith had made the right decision."

A slight blush teased at the bearded blond's cheeks at the compliment, and he nodded, before turning to leave. He had done what little he could, even if it felt like a drop in the ocean.

[Jackalope]

Experience: 10 no magic xp

Knowledge:
Etiquette: A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Field Craft: Salting meat will increase its shelf life.
Leadership: Train the people around you.
Logistics: Delivering goods before they depreciate in value.
Tactics: Fail to plan; plan to fail.
Teaching: Pass on knowledge to others

Renown: +15 Darius may not have saved Scalvoris, but he may well have saved Cally’s, and with never-before-seen foods, to boot! And he will have boosted the profile and reputation of Hopetoun in the process.

Loot/Losses:
Injuries/Conditions: none
Consequences:

Comments

It’s been fun watching Darius emerge as a leader and a locally renowned (literally!) adventurer. He’s really matured and acquired substance as a character. Seeing Astra work as his partner in every sense is a joy, as well.

I would consider the “Fail to plan, plan to fail” item more as Logistics than Tactics unless there is some sort of contention or conflict involved. But that’s me.

Enjoy your rewards. Let me know if you have any questions about them.