Chronicles of Ilandri - Volume 1

Out of the Depths (Pt.1)

Ten days had passed since they set sail with Bortak from Yarbok Port. It had been ten days of open ocean with not so much as a whiff of land or sight of another sail. A day after they had left port there were not even sightings of sea birds. Everyday had been scorching sunshine, with barely any clouds in the sky. Life as a seafarer did not really agree with Nathaniel. He had not been sick yet despite the stench, but the seas had been relatively calm so far. It was the salt laden wind that he found disagreeable. His face would be chapped and battered all day long and somehow the salt even made its way into his clothes and chafed between the creases of his body. How anyone could spend a lifetime doing this was beyond him. Ten days had already been long enough and yet he still had a full month of service to Bortak to endure before he could even start the voyage east to find the elves.

It was already looking like it would be another scorching hot day as the sun flooded the morning sky with the customary gentle pale blue. Nathaniel's skin was already getting a bronze tan, as he was forced to walk around bare chested to cope with the heat. The actual operation of the ship he found fairly simple and perhaps a little enjoyable, if only as a distraction to the conditions. He mostly climbed up the mast to shorten and extend the sails. He knew this was dictated by the wind conditions but sometimes he felt Bortak gave the orders on a whim. He had on one occasion steered the ship, under instruction from the first mate. Most of the crew stayed clear of Nathaniel and his companions, treating them very much as outsiders. Only Bortak would interact with them and usually only to gloat at the discomfort he was making them endure. Some days it was truly hard to stay true to the cause.

Twenty more days was all he had to endure of this then he could be on his way. Though they had not made landfall yet or taken any slaves, so the worst was most definately still to come. Being stuck in the middle of what looked like an endless expanse of ocean was a peculiar experience. He had no choice other than to put his trust in the slimy man calling himself captain of the ship. Nathaniel could track through forests and across rough terrain for miles and miles, but he had no knowledge whatsoever of navigating at sea. There were no landmarks and the waves and tides moved everything constantly. The only objects to follow were in the sky. Using the position of the sun, moon and stars seemed the only way to possibly know which way you were going. That did not however tell you where you'd come or where you currently were. Trusting Bortak on that front was far more difficult.

As the daily ration of grog was distributed by the first mate, Bortak announced to everyone they would be making landfall in the morning at the Isle of Benthor. There, they would find villages of native people to round up and capture. Most of the crew were quite seasoned and all of them had sailed with Bortak on at least two previous voyages. They knew the routine and seemed eager to set foot ashore and have their vile sport. Bortak approached Nathaniel and his companions separately, explaining that serving on his crew did not just involve manning the ship. He also expected them to contribute to acquiring captives. A prospect which Nathaniel was distinctly uncomfortable with. Just as Bortak predicted, land was sighted the following day. At first Nathaniel wasn't sure if it was truly land, but the presence of seagulls confirmed it to be true.

Despite the moniker of Isle, Benthor was in fact a large land mass, just not part of the continent. The coast disappeared over the horizon on either side and clearly stretched on for many miles. When they were close to land, Bortak guided the ship into a bay which looked to have a good landing. It was even possible to see a small village, not far from the sea where they had anchored. The ship's boats were lowered into the water and rowed across to land on the beach. Only Mutt remained aboard as he was too large to really fit in the small boats. The sand was almost white and extremely soft underfoot. The waves gently sucked at the beach and there was a slight heat haze where the sand was being cooked under the hot sun. It was a calm and serene setting, which made it quite surreal that it was all about to change. The small village of people had noticed their arrival and seemed to be showing an interest. Bortak raised his cutlass above his head and charged headlong at them, screaming, with the rest of the crew not far behind.