Nilsar reaches the second Harris office with Perrin Bale still stationed beside the desk. The clerk keeps one hand over his signed statement, guarding it from any attempt to remove or alter it.
Perrin Bale
There is the account, Sergeant. I signed it before witnesses, and it has remained here under my watch. No Harris hand has taken it.
Perrin places the folded statement openly before Nilsar, its signature and Harris office seal visible. Footsteps then sound outside, followed by Beran Holt entering from the direction of the cottage.
Beran Holt
Sergeant, I left your cottage secured. I found the old charcoal track beyond the rear lanes, and it leads toward a concealed approach to the northern road.
Beran unrolls a rough route sketch beside Perrin’s statement. The neglected track avoids the main lanes, bends toward the harbour road, and offers a practical northern departure without retracing Nilsar’s route.
Beran Holt
From there, you can reach the harbour with less notice. If your papers for Nordland are accepted, the track gives you a quieter way north.
Perrin Bale
Take the statement with the proper custody record, Sergeant. I will remain here until you decide what must happen to this office.
The signed account lies secure before Nilsar, while Beran’s route opens a choice between the exposed road and the concealed charcoal track. Perrin remains behind, and Beran waits for Nilsar’s response.
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the harbour
Nilsar Yarb leaves second Harris office behind and arrives at Harbour.
“Travel the roads towards the north with my hand always on my swords hilt in case of attack and make my way to the Harbour with my papers secured.”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)
Harbour opens before Nilsar in salt wind and shouting stevedores. Masts crowd the piers, gulls wheel overhead, and northern vessels strain against their moorings. A small group of dockworkers unloads wrapped cargo beneath watchful eyes.
A young adult woman, Elira Voss, with freckled light-brown skin and a small scar at her chin, stands beside the harbor office, lean and sharp-faced, with dark braided hair, a blue wool coat, and a brass tally board tucked beneath one arm. She watches Nilsar’s secured papers and sword hand.
Elira Voss
Traveler, keep your papers ready. The northern berths are being checked before any passenger or cargo boards.
Nilsar reaches the harbor office without challenge, hand resting on his sword hilt while his papers remain dry and secure beneath his clothing. The route sketch has brought him directly to the proper checkpoint.
Elira Voss
I am Elira Voss, harbor clerk. Show me your leave, destination, and any introduction for a northern ship, and I will tell you which master may hear your request.
Behind her, a blue-painted split oar hangs above one berth, matching the harbor sign Gravam gave for Hakon Reed. A northbound vessel is preparing to cast off there.
Quest Complete
Reach the harbour
Nilsar Yarb leaves Harbour behind and arrives at Nordland.
“Here are my papers and my letters of introduction shouldve been delivered by courier, the name is Rognvald Blackmule.”
SUCCESS (Good Agility, rolled +0)
Nordland rises around Nilsar in iron-gray smoke and cold sea mist. Broad piers, tarred warehouses, and black-painted longships crowd the harbor, while dockworkers haul cargo beneath stern imperial banners.
Nilsar Yarb
Here are my papers and letters of introduction. They should have been delivered by courier. The name is Rognvald Blackmule.
A lean older man steps from a warehouse, his weathered face framed by gray hair and a short beard. He wears a heavy blue coat and a split-oar brooch, and his eyes settle on the alias.
Hakon Reed
Rognvald Blackmule. I am Hakon Reed, and your father’s courier reached me before dawn. The letter describes a blacksmith seeking honest knowledge of profit-raiding crews.
Hakon produces Nilsar's father’s sealed letter and a second packet bearing the harbor mark. The seals are unbroken, and the packet contains a berth token, a crew introduction, and directions to a shipmaster’s tavern.
Hakon Reed
Your papers are in order. Come inside, Rognvald. I will introduce you to a crew that raids for profit, though their captain will decide whether your hands and purpose suit them.
He turns toward the warehouse passage, where a blue-marked door opens onto a warmer hall. Beyond it, unfamiliar northern voices rise around the promised meeting, and Hakon leaves the way clear for Nilsar to follow.
✓ Quest Accepted
Meet the captain of a profitable raiding crew
“Follow Hakon and remember everything father told me about the old ways and lands in the north.”
SUCCESS (Superb Lore (Local), rolled -1)
Nilsar follows Hakon through the blue-marked door into a warm timber hall. He keeps the split-oar brooch in sight and matches his pace to the older man’s deliberate stride.
Nilsar Yarb
Father taught me that northern hosts value useful work, plain speech, and a guest who knows when to listen.
At the hall’s end, Hakon pauses beside a scarred table. Nilsar unfolds his damp map, smoothing its curled edges and using the table knife to hold the paper flat.
Records Research links the coast marks, berth notes, and old routes to Gravam’s lessons. Skilled Craftsman notices the map’s hand-cut scale and reads its wear as evidence of repeated coastal use.
Hakon Reed
Your father was right to send a working man. Here, kinship opens the door, but skill keeps it open. Remember that before you meet the captain.
The recalled customs settle into place: salt debts are paid promptly, spoils are counted openly, and a crew’s profit depends on trust between shipmates. Nilsar understands the northern logic clearly.
Hakon Reed
This is the shipmaster’s tavern. You know where you stand now, Rognvald. Come, and speak for yourself before the crew decides whether to hear you.
“Introduce myself to the Captain that Hakon was speaking of and ask his name as well as the names of his crew and ship. Nilsar wont boast but will show his armour and the skill of the craftsmanship allowing the captain to decide for himself if I am worth it.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Hakon leads Nilsar into the tavern’s crowded rear hall. A broad-shouldered middle-aged man with iron-gray hair, a scarred cheek, and a dark red wool coat rises beside the largest table, while five sailors watch from the benches.
Nilsar Yarb
Hakon has spoken of your crew and ship. I am Rognvald Blackmule, a trained blacksmith seeking honest knowledge of profitable raiding. What is your name, and what are the names of your crew and ship?
Soren Vask
I am Captain Soren Vask. This is the crew of the Sea Wolf, and I will name each sailor after I know whether you belong aboard.
Nilsar opens his coat enough to show the chainmail Gravam forged for him beneath his daily clothes. He explains its linked protection against piercing and slicing blows, then displays the precise rings and finished joins without boasting.
Soren Vask
A smith who understands protection is worth more than a loud man promising gold. You may sail with the Sea Wolf, and I will introduce the crew as shipmates rather than strangers.
The sailors make room at the table, and Hakon places the berth token before the captain. Soren acceptsSoren, a human man with a weathered square face and callused hands, accepts Nilsar’s skill, but the approval costs him leverage: his first share will be held until the captain judges his work at sea.
Soren Vask
You have a berth, Rognvald, but no full share yet. Mend what the voyage damages, prove your hands useful, and I will name your portion before we divide the first profit.
the Sea Wolf crew
A fair bargain, Captain.
Quest Complete
Meet the captain of a profitable raiding crew
Skill Upgrade: Lore (Local) Superb→Legendary