Precious Cargo

Writers: Eimi, Suzee
Date Posted: 4th July 2011

Characters: Morin, Bryvin
Description: Morin receives a gift from an old "friend"...
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 2, day 10 of Turn 6

Bryvin

Morin stood with his hands braced on the edge of the table in a posture
that is so common the oils from his hands have left a permanent smudge
on the wood. His eyes were scanning a map of the area covered in so
many squiggles and symbols that only he knew what they meant. But he
knew each dot, each cross, each name scribbled on, each number, each
note written in the margin. It was a wonder that he still felt the need
to study it as when he closed his eyes at night, often that image was
burned into his mind in such detail that it was the last thing he saw in
his minds eye before drifting off to sleep. And yet, there he was, his
eyes running lovingly over each mountain and valley, cot and plot of
land. He didn't even take his eyes off of as his steward came into the
room.

"I'm thinking we could put terraces on the side of this mountain," he
said, his finger touching upon the spot he had in mind. "It has the
perfect amount of sun for citrons or tea. What do you think, Bryvin?"

He was familiar with the hillside in question and thought along the
same lines. "Hmm well I've been thinking about that and perhaps if the
citron were at the upper reaches since it doesn't need as much tending
and the tea on the lower." He was going over a mental inventory. "We
have a reasonable number of citron seedlings and could supplement with
some cuttings. I could check with the farm crafters."

"Don't say anything just yet. There are a couple Master Farmers I want
to tempt into the area. Let me see if I can land them before saying
anything. You know how territorial crafters can get." Politics could
be so annoying sometimes.

"Of course sir," he said and bent over the map bringing his head
closer. "We have a special delivery. I heard from Pasha."

"Oh?" That was odd. He hadn't called her.

"Yes," he smiled. "An unscheduled gift. Something from one of our
friends it seems." He pulled two bottles from behind his back and set
them beside the map. Their suite of 'friends' included some rather
unsavory characters. "A rare find I must say."

"What's this," Morin asked, picking up one of the bottles to examine it
more closely. "Amethyst Cliff Vinter Hall? Who is this from?"

"Retel's team picked them out of the ruins, he though they might prove
to be a small token of his good wishes for your upcoming
confirmation." A small smirk tilted Bryvin's lips.

"Hmph," the Holder snorted, one corner of his lips curling into a smile.
He knew what that meant. Retel had been illegally salvaging again.
These bottles were probably worth a small fortune. And why not? Those
things did no one any good buried under the ground. "Good of him to
share. I wonder if that means he'll be paying us a visit soon."

"I'd imagine so," Bryvin chuckled. "It's his normal way of operation.
First the gift and then he shows up."

"He shows up with trouble in his cargo hold," Morin corrected. "We'll
need to find out when he'll be coming so we can save him a spot right in
the middle of the dock."

"True," he said. "I'll handle it. I'd imagine he's not that far away.
We'll get him into the appropriate berth. Will there be anything in
this shipment that might require special handling?" Bryvin had a few
trusted staff and other assorted associates to handle various types of
items.

"We won't know until he arrives, will we. But we better let the Dock
Master know that we're expecting a ship with precious cargo and will
need an armed guard posted on the dock when it arrives." 'Precious
cargo' was something every Seahold had to be prepared to protect while
it was berthed in it's harbor, though not every Lord Holder could
stomach the exact nature of the cargo Morin labeled such.

Bryvin smiled and his eyes slid to his notes. "Precious cargo," he
said as he made the note. "I'll make sure the appropriate guards are
assigned." He waited a moment longer. "If there's nothing else..." he
left the sentence hanging.

Morin's mind had already turned back to the line of thought the Steward
had first interrupted. "I want you to speak to some people about
terracing that hillside. I need to know if there's a danger of
landslide, so find the geologist, check with the excavators to find out
how long it would take and how many people they'd need, and a technician
to see what it would take to pump water up that high if needs be."

Bryvin nodded as Morin spoke and he scribbled a few notes. Morin was
very involved with the management of his Hold and as his steward he
saw it every day. No matter his methods, his Hold was profitable and
it was in Bryvin's own interests to support whatever their soon to be
confirmed Lord had planned. "Very good sir," he said. "I'll get
started on this right away."

According his defacto Lord his rank prerogatives he waited to be
dismissed.

The Holder's eyes were already wandering to another portion of the map.
It took a moment for Morin to realize his Steward was still hovering
about. "That's all, Bryvin," he said in a rather absent tone as he
reached for his pencil to make another note.

"Thank you sir," he murmured as he turned and left.

Last updated on the August 3rd 2011

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Precious Cargo