Chapter 1: Arrival

"It is not the walls that make a city, but it's people" George VI

I awoke in the morning, feeling the slow rock of the ship as it gently moved in unison with the water it floated over. I rolled over onto my side and kept my eyes shut. Just as I was beginning to fade back into a dreamlike state where logic and the laws of time, physics, and thermodynamics need not apply, I heard a commotion. At first my half asleep brain produced children running around laughing, then all of a sudden I was surrounded by men shouting. After a moment I realized that this was no dream, I opened my eyes and my ears were immediately assaulted by the sounds of the men working on deck, calling commands back and forth to one another which is accompanied by the sounds of the captain's small dog barking at something which has caught his interest. I sat up in my hammock and looked around. The smells of the ship, and the sailors aboard it, started to grow as my senses began to activate. When I first embarked on this voyage the smells were nearly unbearable, but after the last few months at sea my ability to shrug it off has grown, to the point where now I barely notice it at all. I was awake and knew I had to get up, so I swung my legs down and slid off the hammock. My feet landed on the wooden deck with a dull thud. I opened up my storage locker and pulled my clothes out. Over the months I myself had taken on an order, so I decided that my very first order of business upon disembarking would be to find an isolated stream someplace and wash both my clothes, and myself. Even if most of the population of this world did not bathe regularly I still had come to the conclusion that I wanted to retain at least some measure of civility. I pulled my clothes on and slid my feet into my old worn boots. I stood fully, stretched, stood there for a moment as my vision clouded and the blood pumped around my body, then looked over at the steps leading to the deck to try and determine the approximate time. It looked to be rather early in the morning, so I bent down and began to clear my belongings, what little of them they were, out of the trunk and into a sack. I looked into the trunk and into the bag several times to make sure that I had not forgotten anything. This would be my last day on this ship, and the last thing I needed was to leave something where I could not retrieve it. I took one last look around, knowing I would likely never see this ship again, before turning towards the stairs, and ascending to the main deck. I looked around the ship and watched the sailors I had got to know over the past few months toiling away at their regular tasks. Over the starboard bow I saw the city approaching, and the land around it seeming to rise out of the sea. At the rate we were approaching I guessed that we may arrive within the hour, in reality it ended up being about 40 minutes, but i was close. I then made my way to the quarterdeck where the captain stood overseeing the operations of the ship.

"Ah, mister Taylor, I understand that you are to be disembarking here?" he said as I approached, he added after a moment "You will be missed lad, you've become popular with the crew."

"Thank you sir, over the course of this voyage i have come to think of you all as my friends" I reached down and gave the captain's dog a gentle pat "Even you boxer"

The captain chuckled "Aye, I think he will miss you the most. I have something for you" the captain then produced a small pouch of coins which he held out for Jason "For your help during this voyage. I know that you paid us to transport you, but you certainly have been pulling your weight on deck, and besides, a little bit of coin goes a long way when your just starting out in a new land"

I nodded and took the pouch after a moment's hesitation, saying to him "Thank you Captain, your too kind"

The captain chuckled "Don't you worry about it lad, just pay it forward someday when your ship comes in. A little generosity can go a long way to the improvement of society, you know."

I had heard similar phrases before i ended up here, I nodded to him and said "I can't promise success, but I'll try"

The captain chuckled at this statement and said "Nonsense lad. You have that look about you, I know that you will do great things someday" He was giving, or at least trying to give, a similar pep talk that anybody who works in the Maine educational system gives to every one of their pupils. I have heard that same peptalk, or at least some variation of it, a hundred times in the past. By now it had little effect on me, but it would have been ingracious to not thank him.

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment captain" I offered him a nautical salute, a gesture that i noticed he seemed to appreciate, which he then returned

After a moment he said"You should go around and say your goodbyes, I'm sure the crew will appreciate it"

The next hour was spent walking around the ship, talking to all the men and women that I had gotten to know over the voyage. I did eventually have to depart however, I didn't want to get underfoot of those that had proper work to do. So I walked down the plank and along the dock. This town ended up being larger than I had anticipated, I still wanted to get a bath of some kind. So I made my way in the general direction of where I thought a gate leading out of town should be. I made my way through the maze of cobblestone streets that made up this city, feeling surrounded by the sounds of carts rattling along cobblestone streets, merchants peddling their wares, and armed folks browsing what those peddlers had to sell. I found the gate handily enough. Generally speaking, when in a city of this world if you walk in more or less the same direction you will eventually find the outer walls, if you walk along one of those you will eventually find a gate. Having found my gate I wondered if I could get a bath at the inn I had walked past on my way here. By the time it occurred to me however I had already passed by the gate and was looking out over the countryside. I wondered in the back of my mind about getting hit by bandits or other ne'er-do-wells. This gave me pause, I decided then to speak with the guard on duty outside the gate.

"Hello good sir, How goes your day?" I asked of him as I approached

"All is well, the breeze is stiff and the weather is fair. Is there something you need?

"Actually yes, I just arrived in town on a ship, and I'd like to take a look around outside the city here but i don't know the area all that well, can you tell me if there are any brigands or bandits in the area that may cause me some trouble should i venture out alone?"

"Not as far as I know, I have heard of some trouble on the roads in neighboring regions but at the moment all of ours are secure."

This guard seemed to perk up a bit as i spoke to him, poor guy probably hadn't had a decent conversation in hours.

I nodded to him and then gestured to the north away from the gate which I had just exited. "What of that forest over yonder?" the forest itself was not all that far away from where we stood and i noticed it as soon as i rounded the corner "What might one find within?

"Ah, Laethren's woods. I assure you that no criminals will be hiding out there. It is watched over by the local forester guild and the local forest witches. They are a friendly bunch if slightly eccentric.

"what of the land off east?" I asked him. The tree line visibly turned more northward and the area to hte east of the city from the shore inland was relatively free of trees. Not to say none were present, but it was certainly no forest. I could not tell too well from here and resolved to go and get a look should i have time.

"Oh that's mostly farmland, around here mostly sheep, cows, and assorted grains. Though there is an occasional orchard or mill. I understand your concern having just got off a boat in a strange land and among strange people, but The most we get around here is the occasional pick pocket or petty theft. nothing organised and certainly no roving bands of brigands.but i promise you that if there are criminals hiding out around here they are so well hidden that even the king's best dogs could not find him."

he and I both had a chuckle at that

"Thank you for your time, Think i'll go explore around a bit" i told him

"Be well, stay out of trouble" he offered cheerfully as i began to wander off

Based upon his advice I decided to spend the rest of my day exploring the immediate area based on his directions. I wandered around the gentle hills, finding high points from which to look around and get a view of the landscape. The first thing I did was search for a stream where I could wash up. I found a shallow creek and followed it up stream until I found a deep spot. I washed my clothes in it, then took a bath myself. I hung my clothes up on some nearby bushes to dry while I soaked in the cool water. It took a bit for them to dry, but I had wrung them out pretty well. Once they had dried I got out, packed up again, and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring around the area. The forest to the north somewhat reminded me of maine. The trees swayed in the breeze and the chipmunks and little squirrels hopped about in the brush. I followed the forest trail observing all the local wildlife, I watched the deer run between the trees, watched the foxes prowl around the forest floor, I paid particular attention to the birds fluttering about in the trees. Many of the birds I saw were very similar to those back home, and some others were completely different. It occurred to me that I might not be the only transplant from one place to another. Eventually I turned around and went out the way I had come in, I turned to my left, heading eastward towards the farmland. I didn't really know all that much about it but I still wanted to get to know the area. It did not take long for me to get there. There were many fields of assorted plants, grasses swaying in the breeze, and pastures where herdsmen tended to their livestock. It was not as heavily populated as the town but still just as lively. Bees buzzed around the plants, insects followed the animals and the people, Occasionally a farmer would swing a broom or a shovel at a wild animal trying to steal from his barn. When the sun began to set I made my way back to the city and went directly to the inn. I was tired from my wanderings and wanted to get some sleep. I paid for a room for the night and a hot meal, which ran me 10 gold pieces. The captain had given me 50. He was right when he said a little went a long way, had I had nothing i'd be sleeping hungry outside in the cold. What he gave me would not last forever though. I knew that I would have to get a job of some sort. I decided I would spend tomorrow exploring the city to get the lay of the land, and see what was available. When my meal was gone I made my way to the counter and had a chat with the bartender. I wanted to get some information to sleep on, something to start out with in the morning. I told him that I was new in the area and needed a way to make some money. He looked me over and suggested that I might find some work for a merchant, or perhaps a fisherman. I was tired and so headed up the stairs to my room. Unbenounced to me My conversation with the Innkeeper had been observed by another. A woman with nut brown hair tied back in a ponytail, lightly tanned skin, eyes with an almost anime color cobalt blue and pointed ears had been sitting just a couple seats away from me, listening to every word that had been said.

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