• Graded • Unto The Breach I: The Lie Of The Land

[Darius Baer]

Unto The BreachThe Lie Of The Land

Arc 720, 40th of Ashan

Darius had been to the Order of the Adunih Outpost in Scalvoris Town once before, but these circumstances were very different. Whereas his previous visit had been with the intention of meeting Faith Augustin, he now approached the small building with her authority, the contents of her missive committed to memory.

He had watched as the letter appeared to write itself, the echo scroll she had given him forming a message in the same moments that Faith herself, in distant Storm's Edge, was putting quill to parchment. The ink had barely dried when he stepped through the open door and approached the reception area.

The young man behind the desk had kind eyes, Darius noted, and he couldn't help but wonder if that was a common trait of Order members, given their desire to help and to heal. But his focus quickly returned to the task at hand. He took a deep breath and swallowed the nerves he felt, for he felt the weight of responsibility upon his broad shoulders, but he could not let the immensity of the situation overcome him. He knew that if he wished to turn away, this was his last opportunity to do so.

As he approached the desk, the receptionist greeted him, and the seafarer resolved that he would not fall at the first hurdle.

"Good trial to you," Darius responded politely, fighting to keep the excitement from creeping into his deep, gravelly voice. "My name is Darius Baer. I have been sent here by Faith Augustin. We met on Ishallr, searching for Captain Kale."

The young man's kind eyes widened at this, and he nodded quickly, before stammering something incomprehensible and rushing away from the desk. After a few short moments, he returned with a brunette woman who carried a stern expression and walked with purpose. Her cloak, gold in colour, rested comfortably on her form, suggesting that she had worn it and held her position for some time.

"You are Mr Baer?" she asked in a firm tone, and when the seafarer nodded, she turned and beckoned for him to follow. "This way."

Darius wasted no time in accepting the invitation, and he felt a surge of adrenaline as he moved past the reception area. He had crossed the threshold and made his first step towards the breach.

[Darius Baer]

The heels of a pair of dark shoes peeked out intermittently from beneath the hem of the golden cloak as it swished back and forth, in time with the woman's brisk but steady pace as she led Darius down a corridor. She identified herself as Galena Valed, but initially said little else. Darius immediately took her to be someone who took her role very seriously and knew how to get things done.

When the brunette led him into an office, Darius recognised it as the room from which he had considered leaping out the window when Yeva had met Faith Augustin for the first time. Faith herself was not there this time, of course, but in Rharne, and it had fallen to Darius to provide her with the supplies she had requested. Some of those supplies were piled onto the desk and the floor of the office. Beside them rested a chest with more nels than the seafarer had ever laid eyes on.

"We received a message from Faith," Galena said, "requesting us to provide medical supplies."

Darius nodded, looking at the assortment of bandages and medicines, and wondering just how many he could make use of. The Lady Jean was only a rowboat, after all, and he had other supplies to arrange as well.

"We can provide more," Galena volunteered,as if she had somehow read the blond's train of thought, "but it will take some time. We can't deplete our own supplies too much - we have to think of the people of Scalvoris Town."

"This is a good quantity for now," Darius nodded. "Thank you for your generosity. I have other supplies to arrange, but this is a good start. I will need more, of course, and I will make good use of whatever you can provide."

It seemed a hopeful claim at best. The piled up medical supplies filled much of the room, and they would easily capsize the Lady Jean - and that was before he had sourced any food supplies, or the sand Faith had requested. There had to be a better solution than making dozens of trips to Ishallr, and he would work on finding one.

Galena, meanwhile, managed to crack a sympathetic smile. She seemed quite content to follow Faith's instructions, but it would take time to gett enough supplies ready.

"Well met, Darius Baer," she offered politely, "and good fortune in your endeavours. If you have any other needs of the Order of the Adunih, I will see to it that they are met."

Darius contemplated how beneficial it was to have Faith Augustin in his corner. Her name carried a lot of weight, especially in a place like this one.

Short friends in high places, he mused.

"May Moseke be with you," the brunette added, and, once Darius echoed her farewell, she left the room at the same pace she'd entered it, no doubt to deal with some other pressing issue.

[Darius Baer]

Darius' muscles ached as he set down the last of the medical supplies. He stood up, arching his back and rolling his shoulders. The supplies were not particularly heavy in and of themselves, but there had been so many.

It had taken most of the trial, but he had managed to collect the last of the medical supplies that Galena had been able to provide at such short notice. It was an impressive haul, and seafarer wagered that it was almost enough on its own to fill his rowing boat. He still had to arrange for food, sand, and other supplies to be taken to Ishallr.

Clearly, he would need to make more than one trip, lest he find himself anchored to the bottom of the Hollow Sea under a pile of supplies.

But that wasn't going to happen to him, he swore. He had fallen into the water once before as a teenager, and that had been a terrifying experience, but that had happened during Ymiden. The season of Ashan was a much colder prospect, and he had no intention of repeating his overboard escapade.

Aside from the freezing water, which could set a man in ice before he even knew he was drowning, there were creatures that enjoyed a seafarer diet.

But the challenge before Darius had to be met. It was too important to be ignored. It was possible that it would all be in vain. Storm's Edge could succumb to its besiegers. Or perhaps the siege would be broken before the bearded blond ever got any supplies there.

In a sense, that was irrelevant. He had been set a a task, and he would complete it. Faith Augustin had...faith in him, and he was determined to ensure that it would not prove to be misplaced.

Darius looked at the piles of supplies before him as he wiped sweat away from his brow and took a swig from his waterskin. He was standing in the doorway of the workshop at the back of his house, and he had quickly reached the conclusion that he would need to find another storage location.

That wasn't solely because the small building , but also because his home was at the top of a hill behind Scalvoris Town, and hauling supplies that far was exhausting work. Even if he had been able to use a wagon, he'd be storing supplies at the opposite side of town from the docks. He would need to find a warehouse closer to the water, and eventually, a ship that could fit all of the goods. His rowboat wouldn't cut it. He could use it to ferry small amounts of supplies to the Eclipse Portals on Ishallr, but if he was going to get a bulk quantity to Rharne, he was going to need a bigger boat. Perhaps he could spend some of the nels he'd been gifted to purchase passage aboard a larger vessel.

Until then, however, he would have to make do with what he had. His woodworking tools and incomplete projects - and the money chest filled with nels - had been moved into his house, with every spare inch of workbench and shelving in his workshop blocked from view by the medical supplies. As Darius surveyed the cramped space, he doubted the small building could have contained anything else if he'd tried to put it there by force. As he stepped out of the workshop and closed the door, he slid the bolt across and sealed it with a warded lock.

Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out Faith's letter once more. Perhaps the members of Isonomia would be able to provide some storage space. Either way, he would find out on the morrow when he visited Cally's.

[Doran]

Darius:

Knowledge:
Endurance: Even small weights can feel heavy if you carry them far enough.
Leadership: Show initiative.
Leadership: Lead by example.
Logistics: Small rooms have limited capacity.
Logistics: Doing everything by hand is slow and laborious.
Negotiation: Sometimes it's not what you know but who you know.

Loot: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: 5, for performing tasks on Faith's behalf.
Magic XP: -
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.

Points: 10

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Comments: I appreciate that you provided a bit of background information at the beginning of this solo and included links to various relevant threads. There is something about your writing style that makes you posts very easy to read, and the interaction with Galena at the Order of the Adunih was enjoyable. I agree with Darius. Knowing Faith is definitely useful. Short friends in high places, indeed! I loved when he thought that! Enjoy your rewards!

P.S.: I would have added “Discipline” to the list of skills used as Darius swallowed the nerves that he felt in the first post, for example.