• Solo • Against the Current

[Rorom]

The flames from the jungle fire wafted into the air, uplifting the scent of fish seasoned with citrus juice and spices Rorom had traded for with a merchant in Ne'Haer. A side of root vegetables were roasting alongside with them, having traded some of his catch with the local farmers for just that. He usually gave more than he got in such trades, but sometimes when he told the story of the catch well enough they'd give him a little extra, this was one of those times.

He wasn't here on some idle camping trip, however. He knew well enough from the bounty correspondence (for which he needed a local scribe to read it for him.) that mer were washing up along these shores, due to a large current that apparently the tribe was unable to navigate.

In truth, while he'd ruminated on just how he was going to help these mer, he didn't know exactly how that was going to work. Especially knowing that mer were expert swimmers, and would have to know to swim parallel to the current to avoid being swept along by it. So this current was too strong, and/or too wide to avoid being swept along.

As he thought about it, he sighed, looking at the net he'd left a few yards away from the fire. He couldn't just net the poor blighters. That would be exceptionally rude, contrary to some tales about mer giving blessings if you caught them and then let them go, it was no surprise to Rorom to learn that many tribes took great offense at being caught in fishermen nets. Which was one of the reasons why he preferred to stay away from the migration lanes he was aware of.

But now he would have to find this lane, and help these poor mer, as they'd helped his kind time after time. He would have to ruin his net, and subsequently get a new one. Perhaps be without income for a while with no fish to barter, but he had some smoked and salted fish aboard the Crag Dodger, so at least he wouldn't starve.

So without further rumination, the mariner began cutting into his net, forming long strands that would serve as handholds mer could grab a hold of.

He sent out word that he wanted to speak with a messenger of one of the mer to arrange transport through the dangerous current. Rorom didn't know when to expect the fellow, and so continued his work on the net.

[Rorom]

Of course, Rorom wasn't going to expect the envoy to meet him on land. The transformation would take too much out of them and there were many among the mer, especially the younger ones, who couldn't or wouldn't. It was more proper to meet them on their own territory. Rorom knew some things about the Mer being close among them and brought up to respect the creatures, but still not everything. They were a tempestuous people who were as liable to help as harm passengers on the seas who failed to respect their customs and territory.

So after putting out his fire, and eating his fill, he began to wade and then swim back to his ship. Once there, he climbed aboard, and did with his net what he could. It wouldn't be used to fish anymore (he'd have to get a new one somehow.) but using it to gain favor with the mer was more than worth it.

The net became five ropes in the end, each about twenty feet in length, which he tied to the rigging at various points astern. These he intended on letting the little ones catch on first, while the larger mer would catch at the back, where they would use their combined swimming prowess to keep themselves on a straight path while the Crag Dodger caught the wind in an alternate direction of the current.

This done, he sighed in resigned satisfaction. He would hold anchor here until the Mer envoy met with him.

[Rorom]

Rorom waited until it was dusk. He nearly began to nod off, before he noticed blue skies on the horizon. It wasn't necessarily a bad sign, but neither was it a good sign. He shook his head, wondering what the rest of this trial would hold for him.

No warning came when the Mer Envoy sprung from the water, startling Rorom out of his reverie. He kneeled beside the railing of his ship, keeping his head visible over it so he could effectively communicate with the creature. It’s skin was like that of a fish, scaled, but with a beautiful array of different colors and patterns, red bordering a white belly, and turquoise on the back. It’s lower extremities were barely visible in the early dusk, but he could see it had a long, tentacled tail portion, that were colored red and purple alternatively. It had too many tail ends to count at the moment. Truly a marvelous but dangerous-looking creature.

“Welcome, great Mer.” He said, hoping it could understand his native language. “I trust your kin has told you that I’ve heard of your plight, and wish to help.”

The Mer didn’t seem impressed, “You are Rorom Nji’Ihai? No doubt to help us like a pirate can help wreckage.”

Rorom rose his hands over his head at that, “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. As you can see, I’ve set up rope ladders along the aft, tied tightly to these belaying pins.”

The Mer said nothing, but looked at the ladder-knotted ropes indicated with apathy.

“I’m not familiar with the heirarchy of your kind. I thought perhaps the youngest could catch closer to the ship, while the strongest could hold up the middle, swimming to keep a straightened arc as we sail against the current. And if you wish, the weaker swimmers among you could take up place at the rear, where they will not have to hold up the bulk of your tribe. We’ll have to make several runs through the next few trials, but I’ve tested the winds, and if they hold up we should be able to beat the current.”

Rorom, extended his hands downward of the railing, toward the Mer envoy, “What say you?”

[Rorom]

OOC

Old bounty that I lost the information for. Not sure if I can claim it but I can finish it for grading, eventually.

What followed was what could only be described as weird. The mer actually spoke inside of Rorom's head! In a few trills, he imparted his consent and detailed the way they were going to conduct themselves on his ship. Without making a sound he taught Rorom so much about his people's hierarchy. It wasn't all that different from what Rorom had suggested. The pod did value their young, but suggested that Rorom seat them on the ship itself, while the adults swam along the rudder, to give extra steering power through the strong current that was washing them ashore.

The mer told Rorom of a place where the Pod was holed up, no far from a great rock off the shore of Ne'haer. This gave Rorom pause. Any other mariner would've assumed this to be a trap. Mer were known for their capricious violence toward mariners like him. There was a history of acrimonious dealings between mariners and Mer. Some ignorant mariners thought that by catching the Mer, they could be granted wishes. Others shot them with javelins and harpoons on sight. Rorom knew better. While they might be rough around the edges, and a few were downright rotten and attacked mariners without provocation, Rorom had a different view of the Mer, given they'd aided him from time to time. The first time being when he was born, and his parents ship went out to sea...

So he took the Mer's telepathic word on his honor, and set his rigging. The mariner then took his place at the steering lever that drove his ship to port or starboard.

[Rorom]

Rorom nodded to the mer, who swam under and away from the Crag Dodger with all haste after their meeting. He knew time was of the essence here, and so wasted no time in dropping the sails, which caught wind within a few moments. His boat swam forth as he walked over toward the rudder, and steered it's coarse. This operation was going to take a great deal of concentration as well as timing. He might need to raise sails and use the oars for a time. Rorom wasn't sure if the current was strong enough to be overcome by the force of his own arms and the oars.

It was a gamble. The risk far outweighed the cost of failure, as this was a mer tribe not to trifle with.

He came around, and spotted in the summer horizon a distant rock, which he knew to be the one they referred to. Many sailors had met their end at the bottom of that distant crag, having run along it during a dark night at sea. Else the wind threw them into it's jagged sides through some fluke of the weather.

Before too long he arrived by the side of it, and he could feel the current pushing his boat with powerful force. It was pushing it towards the rock!

The wind was still on his side, and he gave silent thanks to Chrien for that much. In the same breath, he saluted Uf'Rek as he cast his net into the water for the beleaguered mer to grasp onto. He held onto it with his own hands as he set up near the oars, and let go when it tightened. It was the signal that they'd gotten a hold of the ropes.

Rorom readied his oars, and pulled with all his might and agility. The ship had been in stasis, between the force of the current and the sails. Now, it plodded toward the side. He resisted it's natural pull, and with one of the oars, pulled for the opposite direction. The maneuver worked, and soon he was sailing at a very slow clip in the opposite direction, portside.

For about a dozen yards he made it, almost out of the pull of the current, when a sudden gale ripped through his sail. The power of the wind tore a foot-long gash in the linen of his sail. "Curse it." He muttered, but kept his pace with the oar. Yet, the damage done pulled his ship backward into the current.

Rorom could see now the consequences of such furious weather. All around him, whirlpools had cropped up along the port side of his ship. Not yet touching, but a league or two off his hull. He resisted the instinctual desire to pull to starboard, and kept his current coarse. Yet the current continued to pull him backward.

Then, at present he felt a sudden jerking from beneath the ship, disturbing it's axis. As he rowed to portside, he slid to the side inch by inch, until he was able to peer into the waters beneath him. There he saw something that astounded him.

The pod of mer that had gathered along his net, extended into neat formation. Each grasping the other elbow to elbow in a latticework that resembled a whale's fin. With this mechanism, they were able to propell his ship forward at a slow but sure clip, combined with his rowing. His ship's sail even managed to contribute to the speed they were making. Within the space of a break, they made distance between the ship and the lonely crag. Finally, after almost half a break, they made headway toward the shoreline of Ne'Haer. When at last Rorom found a place to settle along the beach, he greeted the emissary of the mer. Rorom approached him, excitement evident in his eyes and every fiber of him. "I've never seen such a thing!" He blurted out.

The mer's face was inscrutable, but gave a mere nod. Then dropped what he was carrying, which happened to be the bounty for this job. "These treasures we found along the Lonely Crag, we thought you ought to have some of them. Many ships carry such things that we value, metal work, nels, and other goods." So saying, the mer departed.

He left Rorom dumbstruck, and marveling at the fortune that they left at his feet.

[Pegasus]

Rorom

Overview

I think you did really well picking this thread back up after quite a gap between posting, it was well done and flowed really well - good work there! I like Rorom's thought process, and how he doesn't rush to the same judgements that others might. It's nice to see him in this thread, he comes across as someone who considers, and plays, the odds. Nicely written - enjoy your rewards and let me know if I've missed anything!

Points

XP: 10

Renown: 5

Loot

+25gn

Knowledge

Seafaring: Moving into and out of proximity to whirlpools.
Negotiation: Establishing trust with mer.
Strength: Rowing against a current isn't the best for resistance training.

Non-Skill:
Mer: Can swim in elbow-locking formation
Mer: Can speak in your mind.