"The Windrider's New Second Mate"

Log Date:
	12/29/01, 1/15/02, 2/1/02

Log Cast:
	Kephissa (PC, emitted by Vardeus), Virdi (NPC), Tiana, Vardeus

Log Intro:
	Down in the southern stretches of Abode, on the continent that will in 
millenia to come be known as Sunholt, there has sprung up a land called Vrae 
where the humans have never heard of the strange point-eared Others that dwell 
in the lands to the north. In Vrae, the humans have begun to learn skills and 
lore as of yet unmatched by their northern cousins -- and among them, the lore 
of making and sailing ships that can cross the ocean by which they dwell. 
	And in Vrae, there are few ships as swift and as sleek as the 
_Windrider_, under the command of the young Captain Vardeus Alirreus of the
city-state of Shalros. Though she is not a large vessel, nor necessarily the
richest, such is her reputation that she is often commissioned by the queen of 
Shalros to go on important journeys. Vardeus and his crew have in fact just 
been awarded just such a journey from the queen of Shalros, and today, the 
_Windrider_'s compliment are eagerly preparing to set out on their new voyage.
	In the meantime, the spirits of Vardeus are high for another reason
entirely... for he is a man enamored. One of his crewwomen, Kephissa Yfantis, 
has told him many a tale of her cousin Tyra -- and so vividly has she portrayed 
the spirit and beauty of her cousin that Vardeus has grown increasingly 
intrigued by a woman he's had yet to meet. Intrigued enough, in fact, that his 
family has arranged with the family Yfantis for Vardeus and Tyra to be wed. The 
journey his vessel is about to undertake, Vardeus has told himself, should 
insure that he can bring a solid offer of wealth to Tyra's noble-blooded kin.
	Little does he know, however, that Tyra Yfantis has other plans 
entirely. That, horrified by the prospect of being married to a man she has 
never met, she has fled her home, with the help of her cousin Kephissa--
	But little do either Vardeus _or_ Tyra know that Kephissa, anxious to 
further the wishes of their family, has arranged to have Tyra flee under an 
assumed name right into the crew of the man to whom she has been betrothed, in 
the hope that the two of them will take to one another and the marriage will 
proceed as planned. And so, all unknowing, the woman calling herself 'Tiana 
Pagonis' seeks a position as second officer to the captain of the 
_Windrider_... letting Kephissa's devious scheme begin to bloom.

----------
The _Windrider_ isn't exactly large -- but Kephissa can't be accused of 
  unjustifiable pride in her vessel. What it lacks in size it makes up for in 
  sleekness of line, the proportions of her masts and sails, and the care that 
  can be seen to have gone into every nail and board that built her. As she 
  sits docked in the bright morning sunlight, she shines with affectionate 
  tending; the deckhands that swarm over every portion of her, polishing this, 
  mending that, and in general preparing the vessel for sea call out to one 
  another with enthusiasm. These are sailors that like one another and the 
  craft upon which they're bound to sail, and the merry ringing of their 
  voices show it.

"Hoi there, Virdi!" hollers Kephissa as she brings her kinswoman aboard, 
  unable to keep from grinning. "Where's the captain?"

"Up there!" carols the lithesome lad who scampers by, a barrel hoisted on his 
  shoulder, on his way to the hold. Somehow he manages to gesture with a free 
  hand to the rigging overhead.

Tiana follows along after her cousin taking in the sights and sounds of the 
  docks with a look on her face of one that has been too long away from home. 
  Her gaze settles on the small ship as she walks taking in the clean lines 
  and excellent workmanship with a knowledgable eye. At the calls between her 
  cousin and the sailor called Virdi, she shifts her attention, following the 
  direction that he's pointing, hoping for a glimpse of this captain that 
  Kephissa has spoken so well of.

There's someone up on the rigging all right, and as Kephissa bellows skyward, 
  "HOI THERE, CAPTAIN!", what can be spotted of him is a tall, muscled figure 
  in nothing but short breeches and hanging on the rigging with an easy, 
  casual placement of hands and bare feet. A shaggy sun-bleached head cranes 
  over to look down; eyes whose hue is indeterminate from that height show 
  themselves in a tanned face, and while the color of his eyes might not be 
  glimpsable, the crooked grin that flashes across his features is difficult 
  indeed to miss.
So is the baritone voice that rolls down teasingly from above: "About time you 
  got back, wench, I thought we were going to set sail without you! Who's that 
  with you?"

Tiana chuckles softly at the friendly banter between the two as she moves 
  across the gangplank with her cousin. Instead of letting Kephissa answer 
  that, she calls out, in a voice that rings across the ship as clearly as any 
  bell might, "Tiana Pagonis! I hear you're in need of a Second officer." That 
  said, she stands calmly beside her cousin. Judging by the way she stands 
  she's seen the deck of a ship before, and possibly spent a bit of time in 
  the military as well.

"Aye, that's true," calls down the man on the rigging, as several heads of the 
  nearest sailors in earshot turn curiously Tiana's way at the captain's voice 
  from above and her shouted reply. "Come on up and we'll have a word about 
  it!"

Tiana gives a little nod of her head as a wry grin tugs at the corners of her 
  mouth and she moves toward the ropes with quick steps. Once there, she takes 
  hold of the rigging and skitters up it like one well accustomed to such. In 
  mere moments, she is on a level with the captain. She takes a second to 
  glance about scanning the horizon as if it is second nature, "It seems to be 
  a good day for sailing," she comments as her startlingly green gaze settles 
  back on the captain's features.

Laughter wafts up from the deck; apparently, this unorthodox selection of 
  interview locale meets with the approval of more than one member of the 
  crew. Including Tiana's kinswoman, who strides off to check on her bunk 
  space in confidence that certain Purposes which shall remain unspoken will 
  be served...
And the captain, as the young woman scrambles up easily and quickly to join 
  him on his lofty perch, grins rather more broadly. "Aye, that it is. Up then 
  to my office, Mistress Pagonis?" At close range, he remains tall and 
  well-muscled and tan; at close range, however, the addition of eyes as blue 
  as the sky overhead might be noted, along with a comparative youth still 
  lingering somewhere about features otherwise seasoned and experienced. He 
  has some maturity on him, this one, but he's come recently into it. And he 
  cants an inviting glance up to the lookout nest, towards which he now 
  ascends and swings himself up with all the grace of a man born to make that 
  very climb.

Tiana looks slightly startled for just a second as her eyes settle on that 
  rather dangerous combination of features but, it's quickly replaced by the 
  former wry grin.oO(Great mother she could have warned me about those looks!) 
  She nods her head in agreement with his choice of 'office' then skitters up 
  the ropes after him, lightly swinging herself into the crow's nest 
  afterward. Once there, she leans against the side with the air of one that 
  has spent many a day scanning the horizons from a similar vantage.

_Her eyes are green..._ The thought slants across Vardeus' thoughts for a 
  moment, not quite making him catch his breath, but halting it for a fraction 
  of a second regardless. Then he gives himself a mental shake. _Pay 
  attention. She's not here for you to gawk at her, she wants a place on your 
  crew--_ Refocused, the young captain leans back comfortably against the 
  mast. With two people on the crow's nest there isn't much room left over, 
  and indeed, this man fills a great deal of that room, large as he is. But he 
  somehow manages to avoid crowding the woman beside him, even as he gives her 
  an appraising sidelong glance. A head for heights, and balance. Good for a 
  sailor. "You're clearly at ease with the rigging," he says then. There's a 
  touch of the docks in his accent -- but only a touch. Not well-born, this 
  one. But not quite low-born, either. "Kephissa said she was bringing you -- 
  but she's not been after tellin' me why I should make you my second officer. 
  Suppose you fill me in on that?"

Tiana chuckles softly at the reference to Kephissa's lack of information and 
  the sound has an almost musical quality to it. She casts her own sidelong 
  glance, taking her measure of the captain and purses her lips thoughtfully 
  before speaking in a softly husky voice that has the inflections of one well 
  educated, "Well captain.. I have been around ships near as long as I can 
  recall... then learned the finer points of navigation and seamanship while 
  in the military..." She starts to say more but stops there for the time 
  being choosing instead to fix a steady gaze upon the captain's face.

High-born, he muses, or at the very least wealthy. That provides a likely 
  explanation for her speech and the confidence of her bearing -- and as 
  Vardeus trusts his crewmate Kephissa, so far he has no reason to believe 
  there could be other explanations. But still, with all the forthright 
  curiosity of one accustomed to making his own observations to supplant what 
  he learns from others, he easily returns the gaze upon him. "Go on," he 
  patiently encourages. "Standard term of service? Or did you serve longer?"

Tiana smiles at that one, "Standard term.. and I made it to First Mate.." she 
  replies with a bit of a glint in those green eyes. There is pride in her 
  words but just a touch.. and indeed, making it to that status after a 
  standard term of service is something to be proud of.

A dip of his tousled head acknowledges that, too. "What ship were you with, 
  then? Can't have been too long ago, aye?" The _Windrider_ gently bobs upon 
  the water that bears her up, and Vardeus, her captain, lightly holds his 
  balance against the mast as she does. He seems to require not the slightest 
  bit of concentration; rather, his big frame subtly shifts, entirely 
  unconsciously, to let him keep that comfortable slouch.

Tiana seems to be taking the dip and sway of the docked ship's motion as 
  naturally as most people would dry land. She lifts a hand to smooth away a 
  stray wisp of copper colored hair as she replies, "No, it wasn't that long 
  ago.. " She pauses for a moment and sighs wistfully, "I was assigned to the 
  _Sea Siren_," she adds. The Siren is a good ship but, not one that most 
  people have heard of often, only those familiar with the military or docks 
  would recognize the name.

That's not surprise in the eyes of Vardeus Alirreus -- or, rather, not much 
  surprise. There _is_ a touch of it, but it is intermingled with a gleam of 
  approval in this Shalrotian captain's sea-blue gaze. "A stout vessel," says 
  he, quite readily. And now, the surprise and approval are joined by a 
  sparkle of something that might be boyish mischief, along with a distinct 
  lopsided grin. "The _Windrider_ has raced her, though that was before I took 
  over. Miss 'er?"

Tiana chuckles, "AT times, though I don't often miss the first mate," comes 
  the ready reply. She smiles merrily as she querries, "And which vessel won?" 
  with no small amount of interest in her voice.

Her smile -- that catches his eye as well, and Vardeus finds himself abruptly 
  thinking of the sparkle of sunlight upon the bay that stretches out from the 
  docks and on out into the open ocean... and hoping, with a strange giddy 
  excitement he's come to recognize within himself ever since Kephissa told 
  him of her kinswoman, that Tyra Yfantis has a smile such as this. _A smile 
  like this to greet me when I come in from the sea, and I could almost bid 
  the Skyfather a farewell...!_
But. Business is at hand, and he keeps his attention on it. And at any rate, 
  honor as well as his own good humor dictates that he allow, ruefully, "The 
  _Siren_ did, fair and square." He waggles those dark sandy brows of his, 
  though, as he adds, "I owe Captain Kyllene a rematch."

Tiana notices the momentary waver in the captain's attention but does not 
  question it. She does chuckle that The_Siren_ won the match, "There aren't 
  many ships that can best 'er, sir," she says with a note of pride coloring 
  her melodic voice. When the captain gives that rougish waggle of the brows, 
  she has to look away for fear of allowing too much to show in her eyes and 
  she can't let that happen because she /needs/ this position before her 
  family catches up with her.

"So why my ship, eh?" comes the point-blank question, then. "I mean, aye, I 
  need a second mate; Gellor and I can't oversee everything by ourselves. But 
  I'm not the only captain on the docks looking for crew. And there's richer 
  ships than _Windrider_ sailing out of Shalros." Odd words, perhaps, to go 
  with this man's ease and unconscious air of affection for the vessel on 
  whose lookout he now perches, with no other eyes than the gods' with a 
  better view of the city before him and the ocean behind.

Tiana purses her lips for just an instant before her gaze moves back to meet 
  the captain's and she replies with an expression and tone of voice that is 
  as serious as death itself, "Because _Windrider_ is highly recommended by 
  someone I trust, I've either met or heard too much about most of the 
  captains of the ships in dock right now and none seem to carry the same 
  reputation for fairness."

_She'll tell it to you straight,_ Kephissa had told him. _Tiana Pagonis won't 
  steer you wrong for crew, sir!_ The recollection of the notice he'd been 
  given of the coming of this woman before him now blossoms forth in Vardeus' 
  thoughts, and as it does he finds his trust in his crewwoman affirmed. Truth 
  is what he reads in her expression and her eyes; truth and utmost 
  earnestness. In reply, his own countenance turns more serious. He even dips 
  his head again, an incongruously courtly sort of nod given his ruffianish 
  appearance, but it is done with all of the casual grace he displays here on 
  the very top height of his ship. "Thank you," he says simply, before he 
  confirms, "We're not the richest of crews. But if you sail with us, and put 
  in your fair share of the work, aye, you'll get your fair share of the pay 
  we do get. And you'll get a good ship to sail on." Now he looks away, gazing 
  down with a broadening smile and a shine to his eyes upon the activity on 
  the deck below. "We take care o' _Windrider_; she takes care of us." And 
  then his attention comes back up again. With the broad smile still firmly in 
  place, he now thrusts forth a leanly muscled sun-bronzed hand, big and rough 
  and work-worn. "Kephissa speaks for you, we'll take you on. Welcome aboard."

Tiana's smile brighten immediately as she accepts her new captain's hand, 
  giving it a firm shake, "Thank you, sir. I'll do my utmost to see that you 
  don't regret your decision." Her thoughts are filled with the mixture of 
  elation at being able to elude her family's hounds and a giddy sensation in 
  the pit of her stomach due to that disarming smile and the pair of eyes that 
  give the impression of bottomless depths. .oO(Skyfather help me not to make 
  a fool of myself...) she thinks to herself.

"Get prepared quickly," is Vardeus Alirreus' wry reply. "We sail in two more 
  dawns, as soon as our passengers and their cargo get on board. But even as 
  he shakes that small hand that's taken his, even as that winsome smile draws 
  his eyes again, the _Windrider_'s captain must steel his will against it. 
  _Tyra Yfantis_ rings like a prayer somewhere in the heart of him, the 
  brilliance of the picture of her her cousin has crafted in his head 
  undimmed... but now he can't help but wonder, in the light of that smile, 
  whether the inner vision he's been carrying has found a rival, whether he is 
  about to be haunted by two women instead of one. Kephissa may have vouched 
  for Tiana Pagonis...
But Kephissa's captain now wings a prayer of his own to the Skyfather Andros, 
  the fervent hope that he isn't about to make an idiot of himself... and that 
  this isn't about to be a _very_ _long_ trip.

[End log.]