Port Ealar was built upon an elevated piece of coast, on one end lay the steep and treacherous cliffs common along Kyrnos’s coast, on the other was a wide bay, hemmed in by cliffs which created a natural barrier against strong winds and storms. The walls of the city only covered the western and northern approaches, to defend against invasion from land. Whereas the southern and eastern portions were protected by the steep cliffsides which were perched atop the roiling seas.
Down below the city a secondary wooden palisade surrounded the beach, encompassing the port and shipyards. Piers stretched out into the bay, with many ships at anchor, unloading their cargo for the markets within the city. Kyrnos due to its mountainous terrain was rich in mineral resources, with the Balearii clan being one of the providers of smelted ore in the region. This reality was reflected in the ships sitting at anchor, large Kurtian merchant vessels could be seen alongside those from colonies in Demacia or Southern Galia, all of whom were busy unloading goods or loading up on much needed resources before departing.
In another section of the port lay the smaller vessels, the fishing boats of the common citizens, and at times the Balearii raiding vessels. Today would be different as a small naval squadron escorted a larger fleet through the mouth of the bay. The atmosphere was tense, especially among the merchants as they noticed the symbol emblazoned upon many of the vessels, leading to those present believing that the Balearii were funding these notorious pirates.
A rumor that thankfully did not survive long, mainly due to the appearance of the crew. Most were female, malnourished or injured, dressed in rags, it appeared more a fleet of refugees fleeing their ravaged homeland than a pirate fleet. The reality caused the merchants to lose interest and return to their work, leaving the refugees to their own devices.
“What do you intend to do with all these people now Admiral?” Cauaria stood before Bienra, his and her men going through the procedures, unloading the holds, furling the sails, and clearing the decks. The had work proved to be worth it, the merchant vessel Cauaria retrieved had its hold full of all manner of linens, dyes, and furs, luxury goods from the Etruski city states and southern Galia. An adequate haul, when combined with the meagre goods found aboard the pirate vessels, but nothing compared to the wealth being unloaded by Bienra and his men.
“Your father gave me orders to look after them. We collected quite a bit of wealth from the Leviathan’s stronghold, it appears they had been hoarding a small mountain of gold and jewels. The soldiers will get their share, the officer’s as well, the majority will be added to the public coffers and a percentage of that will go to these men and women, either to go home or find a place here. That decision will be up to them.” As Bienra’s men left the ships with crates overflowing with wealth some of the nearby crews could be seen hungrily eying the spoils. However, any idea of action was quickly dismissed at the sight of the escort soldiers, as well as the approaching guard escort from the city that could be seen approaching towards the port.
“Where is my father by the way, you have mentioned him multiple times so I can only assume he had been in command of your raid… Yet I do not seem him anywhere? Cauaria’s father was a giant of a man, clearly visible from a distance and possessing unique facial features, specifically his fiery red beard. Had he been present anywhere within the fleet she would have long since met with him, especially now that she had to make arrangements for Ianessa.
“I believe I can answer that question for you princess.” Bienra had not even had the chance to formulate his response before an elderly gentleman in elegant attire appeared on the deck of the ship. Neither had noticed the man’s approach, he was unremarkable, appearing as a common elder, if not in slightly better shape than most. Yet both individuals opposite him knew that the man was more than he appeared.
“Tritus, it is good to see you again. I see father has you running operations in the port as always. I can already imagine he is up in Grenne working on some new project of his, him and my siblings are infatuated with their toys.” Cauaria showed reverence to the elderly man, even more so than that she had showed to Admiral Bienra.
“My dear girl, your father is a busy man. You know exactly who it is that requests those ‘toys’ as you say. I’m pretty sure he would not agree with your view on things. But I must say, it appears that your skills have slipped somewhat. I thought I trained you better than to let a pickpocket pilfer your purse.” The smaller man held in his hands a pouch, the outside emblazoned with the image of a red bear, its fur encapsulated by stone.
Cauaria immediately reached down to check her belt, only to realize that her pouch was gone. When had the old man snuck close enough to nab her valuables and slink away without being noticed was unknown. “Uncle you have your skills and I have mine. We simply vary in our approach to the situation, there is no way you would claim victory over me in a proper fight.”
“You are right about that girl; I wouldn’t be able to defeat you in a straight one on one fight.” Cauaria was just as surprised as Bienra from Tritus’s words, her expression brightening as the man had acknowledged her prowess. Yet that high proved to be short-lived, “But you my dear child, I would never have fought in such a battle. Battlefields seldom contain such scenarios, and in the chaos of such a place a dagger is just as deadly as any blade. However, personally I would prefer to avoid all that nonsense, a drop of poison is better than any steel.”
Tritus glanced down at his hand, they were pockmarked, showing signs of discoloration, “There are many ways to kill an individual, if only you held interest in such techniques. In the same way you had with those blades. You could have dealt with your past problems much sooner. In fact, you could have allowed me to deal with it on your behalf.” It was not obvious to the casual observer, but below the gentleman’s calm smiling façade lay a much deeper darkness. Cauaria’s own desires to deal with her problems had held the man back, as the situation in her childhood had happened the one time he had been away upon a vital task. A failure he had yet to put to rest, almost a decade later.
“It is fine uncle; your mission was vital to the clan. My father and I trust you, and I need to deal with my demons to free myself. That is my responsibility.” Tritus nodded his head in acceptance, that was when he noticed the frail little girl charging toward Cauaria with her arms open wide.
“I was unaware that you were with child my dear girl? Here I was half expecting you to take up knitting before this point.” Cauaria’s skin grew hot in a mix of embarrassment and rage. That only lasted a moment however, as she couldn’t help but sigh at the joke. Her hate for men and aversion to marriage an established fact among the clan and tribes.
“The girl will be taken under my wing; I will be training her in the ways of combat. She possesses the proper resolve and dedication I believe to attend me in battle. Just as I did for my father. However enough about that uncle, as much as I enjoy our conversations, I doubt that you are simply here to ask about my health and that of my apprentice.” Bienra who had been silent the entire time took his leave, understanding that his task was still incomplete, and he would need to attend to that.
“Guards, assist the Admiral in his task. Consider his words as my own and that of the chieftains… now leave us.” The city guard acknowledged the order and dispersed towards the ships in the fleet, assisting where they could. This left only Cauaria, Tritus, and Ianessa on board the deck of the flagship.
“My child I have a message, my agents in Myrmien dispatched this two weeks ago according to the date labeled. I received this today. Our, and by our, I mean the Balearii clan’s response has already been delayed due to all the issues in the Adrite because of the increased pirate activity. It is one of the reasons your father has been so insistent on eliminating them. I do agree it is the proper course of action, but there are worrying signs from the other clans and the Aletrian’s in the north. I was on my way to see your father and noticed the arrival of your squadron; my purpose was to see if you would care to accompany me to Grenne. As well as to be aware of the situation as the Chieftain’s daughter.” Tritus spoke quietly, enough that they could barely hear one another over the cacophony of sounds encompassing the busy port.
Cauaria did not dwell upon the question for even a second, her reply almost instantaneous. “I understand, lead the way uncle. My men can take over from here, I hope it will be fine if I bring Ianessa along. I will need to introduce her to father and arrange her lodging and supply situation anyway, it would be preferable to deal with it earlier rather than later.” Tritus looked at the girl and woman before nodding.
“Understood, let us depart immediately, extra horses can be prepared, and we can make it to Grenne long before nightfall. A carriage would only delay our arrival, I hope these accommodations are acceptable.” Neither had any issue, Ianessa would ride while clinging to Cauaria, thus there were no further concerns. The two followed Tritus closely as he made for the city, from where they would depart immediately for Grenne which lay a half day wagon ride from Port Ealar.
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TFTC!