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Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2016 23:44:57 GMT
There are 4 men willing to join in Albesport, not enough to crew the longship... Perhaps he will be able to find more men in Godenburgh?
The winds are NNE favourable for Saewine to get to Little Horney or Godenburgh... They are not ideal for getting from Little Horney to Godenburgh. He has five bushels of victuals that he can get rid of at cost, or sell for profit on Little Horney.
To get back to Portchester, he will need to sail around the Horneys to tack safely, there not being enough sea-room between Big Horney and Godenland for a boat of his leeway.
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Post by ArtoriusRex on Mar 13, 2016 23:47:51 GMT
Saewine will keep the food on the boat. He sets sail for Godenburgh, intending to hire sixteen men there and transport them back to Albesport.
On arrival in Godenburgh, he will sell what cargo he has remaining, including the bales of wool.
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Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2016 23:57:21 GMT
Godenburgh is an impressive town. Stone warehouses line the jetties, and many of the alehouses and inns have stone cellars. The King's Keep (for it is indeed worthy of the name) is an old Reman fort, stone foundations with high wooden towers.
You are called over by guards at the jetty, "You need to head to the Customs Office before you can enter the city, follow me"
"Ah yeees, we need to do the paperwork before you're officially released", says the customs officer,
Name, vessel, nationality, religion, cargo, crew.
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Post by ArtoriusRex on Mar 14, 2016 0:00:40 GMT
"Saewine, Gwenhwyfar, Angle, I worship as my lord wills me to, wool and some little food, six men. I can read."
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2016 0:12:35 GMT
"I'll put that down as pagan. You will have to pay the tax, a tithe of the cargo, plus another 4 crowns for paganry".
"What is your business in Godenburgh?"
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2016 0:15:20 GMT
OOC: I've been really dumb. I've confused hours with days. Your journeys were much shorter, and as such, much cheaper.
I will recalculate this tomorrow! Soz bout that lol.
Update: Recalculated... Total journey from Portchester to Godenburgh including stop - 8 days. Cost: 4 victuals and 3 crowns
I have updated your overview accordingly.
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Post by ArtoriusRex on Mar 15, 2016 8:50:52 GMT
OoC: No bother, thanks.
IC: "My Lord bids me be a pagan? Oh dear. How sad. Never mind." Having been parted with some of his wealth, Saewine considered his answer.
"I have been given an opportunity on the Horneys to ferry food to the starving people there. Thus, I've come to buy food here, and hire men."
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Post by Admin on Mar 15, 2016 10:26:12 GMT
The censor eyes Saewine beedily at the mention of the horneys, before putting a very official looking seal to a very official looking slip of fabric, "take this, and keep it with you at all times. It states that you are captain of your vessel, and you leave within the city. You are respnsible for the behaviour of your crew. If you exit the city, you are to hand that slip to the guards. It will be some time before the men are done with your vessel and cargo. I advise you find somewhere quiet and stay there. Is this clear?"
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Post by ArtoriusRex on Mar 15, 2016 13:43:59 GMT
Saewine reads the slip.
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Post by Admin on Mar 15, 2016 13:50:41 GMT
Fortunately for Saewine, who can't read, it is a blank strip of blue cloth with the red seal of Godspende III, Argent, a wheel (the mark of the Theist) jules, stamped into it.
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Post by ArtoriusRex on Mar 15, 2016 15:15:13 GMT
OoC: Theos damn it, I thought I could read. Something for the future.
"My Lord is decent."
Saewine takes his leave from the bureaucrat. He takes care to pick his nose and wipe the product on the doorpost as he leaves. He buries the cloth marker in his clothing, and heads to the harbour, there to lecture his crew.
"I'd keep an eye out, lads," he says, "I think there's trouble brewing. Don't do anything stupid unless you want to end up like Theos on a stick. I'm going to town for stock. Someone come help me."
Saewine runs a few errands while he's in Goddesburgh. He announces his voyage to the Horneys at a tavern, and declares his want of twenty men, to leave as soon as the King's men are done with his boat. What space remains in the boat, Saewine arranges to have it filled with victuals. He barters for the sale of the wool.
Finally, he heads to a smithy, with the intent to buy himself a nasty-looking long dagger.
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Post by Admin on Mar 15, 2016 16:54:24 GMT
As Saewine makes his way to the nearest alehouse, an armoured man stops him in the street "do you accept Theos as your lord and saviour?", Saewine, brought up short doesn't respond for a split second, and the other man spits, crying "pagan scum. God is good and David is his prophet"
"God is? David is?! What in heaven's name are you spouting Jendrick?!", befrocked man with a tonsure bustles over to them, a look of consternation and frustrstion etched in his face. "What is this nonsense? God is good and David is his prophet? Who on earth told you to say such a thing?"
"Egbehrt says that a pious man is inafraid of praising the Lord, and David, blessed be his name", replies the guard, with a horrendous, sancimonious, petulance.
The newcomers face reddened, making it hard to tell where his startling scarlet robes ended, and his indignant face began. "Blessed be his? The "pious man", what hogwash has Eg been filling you with? Last time I heard, a pious man doesn't bed with whores and buy his ale with fake coin!", he was in his stride now, "Piety isn't repeating idiotic phrases! Any halfwit knows the God is great, even a pagan knows it! Piety is about living one's life in harmony with Theos' teachings. If you knew anything about your great "prophet" you would know that"...
The red man continued on, getting shriller and shriller against the guards obstinate and disdainful look, until another man, a darker, cynical looking man, approached the now screaming priest...
"What is this then? Breaking the King's peace?", chides the newcomer, softly, a cruel smile hiding behind yellow whiskers. The guard laughs dirisively. "Silence, dolt." He hisses out of the side of his mouth, " get back to your barracks. Now."
The guard's laughter cut short, he mumbles "Aye, sir", and heads off at a trot up the street.
"You'd better watch yourself, Deacon... the defender of a pagan is as good as a pagan, in my book", he says, with a silky, dirisive edge.
"Last time I checked, you couldn't read" retorts the Deacon, the colour drained from his face, "and neither of those things were crimes".
The newcomers coolness was broken, "For now! Just you wait... with the Bishop on charge, things are going to change around here"
"The King you mean..."
"Get out of here"
"You can't order me...", but before the Deacon could say 'out of anywhere', the wiskered man bellowed "WATCH ME!", and the Deacon fled, frog marching Saewine with him, round a corner, and into a dark, smelly, alehouse...
"What on earth posessed you to come to Godenburgh!?"
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Post by ArtoriusRex on Mar 15, 2016 18:43:07 GMT
"Uh... Good winds and the smell of fortune..." Saewine answered, "Though I'm afraid I may well have made a huge mistake."
He looks around, checking that none of his surroundings are hostile, before continuing.
"What the bloody fuck is going on? Who's this Bishop? What's the king about? Why am I being treated like a bloody Khazar?"
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Post by Admin on Mar 15, 2016 19:39:25 GMT
"What's a Khazar? Well, whoever you are, you picked a damn fool time to come to Godenburgh, a pagan and all, no offence meant. It's a fine old story, the goings on here, I'll get you an ale."
He comes back with two large mugs of "ale" or what passes for it in the dunghill establishment he has pulled you into and he tells you his name, Wolfhild the Deacon, and explains the situation in Godenburgh.
"As you well know, Godenland is the oldest Saxeish Kingdom. Well, he only Saxeish Kingdom. But it was around long before the Anglians, Friedlanders, and other Saxeish came along. It was founded by Godspende I around a century ago, who sailed off with a host from Saxenia to discover what had become of the 'Great Armament', which had vanished without trace..."
He explains that Godspende I was originally called Wolfric, and that on his journey over he began having visions. He attributed them to 'God' and became a Theist. He landed at what he named Godenburg, and a series of bloody campaigns carved out his Kingdom.
For the most part pagans and Theists coexisted perfectly amicably. The immemorial customs of the people was to live and let live, and Godenburgh prospered through the rule of his son, Godspende II, and for most of the rule of Godspende III.
Godspende III had been an unremarkable ruler, he tended towards greedy behaviour, and corruption allowed ill sorts to seep into the Kingdom's administration. This had little impact on the lives of most Godenlanders, as the Earls, fairly evenly split between pagans and Theists, ruled their lands almost autonomously.
However, with the death of Godspende's two sons at sea, the King began to lose touch with reality. The Bishop of Godenburgh, a firebrand named Edward, effectively usurped power, ruling in the King's name. He began to institute laws against pagans, dismissing them from the guard, and denying their rights to land and title.
Earl Osmund of York petitioned the King to convene the Witan, to allow the Earls their right to revoke those laws, and he was hanged by the Bishop, allegedly for blasphemy...
"Which isn't even a crime in the common law! All with King's seal, of course, but there is no doubt of who holds the power here. What is more, he holds the King's grandson, Godspende, hostage. A lad of only 6 winters... The Earls are restless, even the Theists hate the Bishop, and his tyrrany. But you see, they daren't act, for they have been made to believe the pagan Earls will overthrow our Godly Kingdom. You see our problem? And this is why you must leave. The Bishop is raising forces, he has had a new barracks built, to house the grown guard, and has built ten longboats. He is expecting a war, you see. And if it comes, he will kill every last pagan he can find."
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Post by ArtoriusRex on Mar 15, 2016 22:21:12 GMT
Saewine goes pale.
"I think, Deacon..." He begins, "... That the sooner you make myself and any of my crewmen who value their lives Theists, the better. The more public the ceremony, the better also. Here..."
He gives the Deacon the cloth slip.
"I was given this by the taxman. Does it mark me for death?"
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