At the shores of the Calaro Sea
A long armed, silvery haired and dark eyed finefolk known as Cahakrii with his short, stumpy legs walks on the dirty beaches of the Calaro sea. He looks outward with complete and utter nervousness. Just looking at the endless horizons creeps him out, the dark seas of sunset giving only the most minor of comfort. There are all too many stories told by his fellow folk in the jungles and forts that go into elaborate detail of what exists out there. Giant flying birds that set entire towns on fire, monsters in the ocean that swallow entire ships whole for a snack, giant men who rule giant empires and whole civilizations of tiny people with little fear. These tales and more seep in from the other realms of the world all too often. The price of these tales are great, as is the price of goods from the western lands in their vastness.
Cahakrii suddenly is tapped on his back by Dusif, his superior.
Craning his long head towards Dusif in surprise, Cahakrii asks submissively “What is it you want me to do?”
Dusif in his towering figure and light purple hair looks down on Cahakrii and says “Tonight we are going to the seas. Chawa the fearless will lead us across these seas on the first trade mission to these outside kingdoms. The Great Alpha’s hand is upon us. We must go now. If you do not, you will be thrown into the ocean with rocks tethered to your feet.”
Cahakrii only has trepidation in his bleak eyes as he looks back out to the Calaro
sea before letting his long arms rest in the sandy beaches in dismay. Dusif immediately smacks Cahakrii’s head with the back of his right hand and tells Cahakrii “Do not show weakness. As your superior and as inferior to Chawa, that is mandatory. Weakness makes us all look weak; one weak branch can collapse the whole tree house. Do not be that branch Cahakrii, or I will personally be the one that throws you into the sea.”
“I will not be weak”, Cahakrii weakly says to Dusif before lifting his arms off the beach and wrapping them around his body. The winds from the sea roll in and Dusif looks back into the nearby forest. Dusif tells Cahakrii “Follow me back. The time is coming.”
Dusif walks back into the forests and Cahakrii follows. The dirt trails of the forest are all the guide them, but there is a sense of comfort these forests provide that those vast, open seas just do not. Cahakrii however, must hide his fear just like all the other finefolk who are Chawa’s inferiors must. Dusif heads towards his personal horse and pulls himself up onto it without much in the way of a saddle beyond a leathery wooden block with ropes. Cahakrii walks near this horse, but Dusif tells Cahakrii “You walk.”
On the horizon off the strait of Charo the sunken mountains are in full view. Chawa the fearless with his stripped, but lacking hair and large forehead tattooed with the right hand of god looks in awe at the Sunken mountains which are in full view from this trade ship. It is a fine ship named “The Woodthumb”. The Woodthumb has a covered top and three decks worth of oars and armed with dozens of bow men and a hull made from the best wood on the Jade Islands. Chawa walks under the top deck and looks at the conscripted men at work for him. They are studiously at work on the deck, carrying in the much needed share of armaments and trade goods for this trip to the large storage room in the frontal cavity of the ship while nets full of food and drink are tied into the roof of the top deck.
Chawa walks out to the back of the ship and views the somewhat mediocre port town of Patton. There are three ports on the strait of Charo and of those three this one has to be the least developed of them. It’s a Stoney town with little in the way of the vast wealth that outsiders keep claiming exists in the West, there is little activity outside the large workshop where this vessel and many others have been made. Many other small ships ranging from trireme-like vessels to small fishing boats are docked across the bay. None of them are as massive a craft as this ship the Great Alpha himself wanted to be built. Chawa fiddles a bit with the frontal ornament as he awaits the rise of the moon. He already misses his dozens of wives. Oh well, he shall find more on this grand trade mission.
Chawa notices a horse galloping in, riding none other than right-hand mate Dusif himself and one of his inferiors trailing behind him on his short, stumpy legs. Even by the standards of fine folk this silvery fellow's legs are short and stumpy. After stopping at the local stable to get rid of his horse, Dusif climbs onto the ship’s side from a ladder and Chawa is pleased to see his cohorts finally here. Cahakrii, fatigued from having to walk on his short, stumpy legs for hours now only can show relief on getting to the top of the deck and to the side of his superior. Chawa turns his attention from the ship ramparts to Dusif, who doesn’t seem to question Chawa’s behavior at all. Dusif and Chawa greet each other with a sway of hands and a double handshake. Chawa locks his eyes to Dustin’s before asking “The trip wasn’t too bad was it?”
Dusif replies “No, the only issue was making sure I had all my inferiors in line. They should all be here now, I rounded up the last one a couple hours ago all the way down at the beaches.”
“Good. The legends of wealth outside our empire are great. The Great Alpha in his old age is starting to finally humble and he sees this trade mission as a way to spread all the handyworks around the world before he dies. This trade mission will be a great opportunity for all of us, as by going to them instead of them coming to us we will be making wealth far beyond the norm. Not just in women, mind you, I have plenty of those, but also in bugs, silk & wax. The wealth of the west in our hands, imagine it. Our status in the empire will grow greatly, even the lowliest will be living in tree houses when this is over. The wealth of Fenea, Kashar and far more will be all ours when this is all over.”
Cahakrii smiles a bit.
Dusif however, shows some concern while nervously twiddling his large fingers at his side and says “The ones that survive anyways. This sort of ship hasn't been built for centuries, there is no telling what may happen out there. Your confidence of assured wealth worries me.”
“There is nothing to be worried about!" Chawa the fearless snaps. For he is amazed, simply amazed that a inferior would be worried in his prescence. For he is with Chawa the fearless, who has braved these seas before just fine multiple times before. Chawa than says "I have maps from outsiders that I have gained from my own personal journeys to the western continent. There is nothing to fear but your own delusions of what imaginary monsters exist out there. I expect all aboard to overcome their delusion of the great open and to not cower in the sight of the unknown simply because they would rather huddle about in a tree all night. You will not show weakness and not show any concerns that come from fear. There shall be no fear on the Woodthumb as long as even a few members of this ship live.”
Cahakrii’s smile starts to fade again as he is hurried into the lower decks by Dusif and the voyage begins.