The Travels of a Hairy Hermit

Before the forge cools, Corvin Hale arrives at the cottage door with travel dust on his cloak and a fresh writ sealed in the king’s name. Gravam stands beside the renewed Longsword, while Tomas keeps the copied warrant wording open beneath his hand.

He places the document on the table without opening the older warrant. Its royal device is clear, and no line names Lord Athel Vey as the issuing authority.

Gravam’s fingers rest near the renewed Longsword, whose bright steel and black waves catch the forge light. The surviving marks remain beside the legal copies, evidence waiting to be weighed.

Nilsar opens the Coastmere ledgers, Harbor Ledgers, and Rell Family Papers before Corvin. Identifies Authority separates Ivar Sorn’s commission from Merrow’s acts, while Keeps Reliable Accounts aligns quantities, routes, and diverted shipments.

Reads Legal Records traces the warrant language and seal sequence. The Coastmere ledgers show Merrow directing protected cargo, the Harbor Ledgers preserve the copied routes, and the Rell papers connect those orders to Sorn’s authority.

Corvin writes the denial into the writ’s margin, then copies the linked names, routes, seals, and quantities into his field record. He marks the royal demand as contested rather than accepted.

Nilsar’s Diplomacy turns the refusal into a friendly invitation without surrendering his position. Identifies Authority makes the distinction plain: Corvin carries the king’s demand, but Nilsar commands his own ship and chooses his company.

Corvin’s stern expression eases into a genuine smile. He folds the contested writ beneath his arm, leaving the friendship separate from the royal examination he must still report.

The agreement is settled without changing either man’s duty. Corvin departs as a royal agent and possible companion, while Nilsar’s future passage aboard Scarred Dragon remains his own command.

Nilsar brings the Scarred Dragon’s plans to the village green, where five young men gather, the eldest a broad-shouldered young man with sun-browned skin, close-cropped brown hair, a square face, and a coarse blue wool tunic: lean, strong, and eager for distant waters. Edda and Tomas stand ready to teach them.

He explains the ship’s command, the work expected, and the profits available. Rally Local Defenders turns village loyalty toward a common crew, while Identifies Authority makes his captaincy unmistakable.

The young men step forward together and state their names, ages, and trades. Their answers show strong backs, quick feet, and enough sense to follow orders without surrendering their ambition.

Nilsar accepts all five as recruits under his command. Edda begins practical lessons at the riverside, Tomas opens a training account, and the new crew starts learning the discipline that will carry them toward the sea.

The other four Village Recruits return to their knots and borrowed lines. The eldest remains before Nilsar, shoulders squared, while Edda watches his answer and Tomas pauses over the training account.

His answer gives Nilsar a useful measure: Harl brings river work, practical hands, and honest limits rather than empty boasting. Rally Local Defenders has made the village listen, but the recruit’s bluntness also earns wary respect.

Identifies Authority makes the test public and clear: Nilsar alone will judge the crew’s worth aboard Scarred Dragon. Harl accepts that burden, though the other recruits now measure Nilsar more carefully than before.

Rally Local Defenders turns the village’s attention toward a shared ship and livelihood. Identifies Authority places Edda and Tomas plainly beneath Nilsar’s command, while the recruits hear who speaks for Scarred Dragon in his absence.

Tomas retrieves a coin pouch from the secured ship’s accounts and places it in Nilsar’s hand. The funds are now available, with the withdrawal entered for later reckoning.

Harl takes the pouch and accepts the public weight of the errand. His request makes the cost concrete: the village will now measure his standing by whether he returns with sound equipment and an honest account.

Edda marks a daily schedule on a board: dawn knots and sail drills, midday swimming and rowing, afternoon fishing, evening watches, and lessons in choosing when to fight or withdraw. Harl and the other recruits listen closely.

At the cottage, the dyed wool is spread across the worktable in green and brown lengths. Skilled Craftsman guides the cutting, while the dense wool is worked tight enough to shed spray and trap air if a sailor falls overboard.

The sewing and heated pressing succeed cleanly. Coats, trousers, hoods, and wrapped oversleeves emerge in matching colors, durable against cold water and buoyant enough to protect the crew during rough practice.

Edda inspects the finished outfits, then assigns each recruit a place in the schedule. The practice voyage now has trained hands, protective clothing, and a crew learning a purpose distinct from northern raiding.

At the riverside, Nilsar gives Harl the tiller while Edda keeps the other recruits at their stations. Identifies Authority makes the command unmistakable: Harl steers only under Nilsar’s order.

Harl eases the practice boat from the bank, reading the current by its ripples. He keeps the bow aligned through the first turn, then shifts early as a crosscurrent presses against the hull.

Harl corrects sharply and brings the boat through the bend, but the tiller kicks hard. He loses footing, scrapes his palm across the worn rail, and catches himself without releasing the helm.

Harl finishes the passage and brings the boat alongside under Nilsar’s command. His river experience makes him worthy of the helmsman’s station, though the bruised palm will need cleaning before the next drill.

Scarred Dragon leaves the riverside and reaches open ocean beneath a steady western wind. Harl takes the helm, while Edda stations the recruits along the rigging and Tomas watches their readiness.

Nilsar checks the mast supports, braces, and steering lines with his Skilled Craftsman eye, tightening one fitting before the swell can test it. Scarred Dragon answers cleanly, her reinforced hull climbing the first broad waves.

Harl eases the tiller through a rolling cross swell instead of fighting it. Scarred Dragon heels, gathers speed, and rises squarely over the next wave as the young crew follows Edda’s shouted commands.

By afternoon Scarred Dragon is fully in open water, making a firm course under Harl’s control. The recruits hold their stations, Tomas records the drill, and the new crew has passed its first sea test.