The Travels of a Hairy Hermit

Scarred Dragon holds a steady western course on open water. Harl keeps the helm, Edda directs the four recruits through sail drills, and Tomas records each correction beneath the bright afternoon sky.

A fast coastal boat rises over the swell behind them, flying the baron’s colors. Its single mast leans forward under full sail, closing the distance without any sign of attack.

The coastal boat comes alongside under a controlled approach. A lean young adult man with wind-reddened cheeks, sandy hair, and a green wool cloak stands at its bow, his narrow face and gray eyes visible, brown trousers and worn leather boots showing, holding a sealed packet above the rail.

Nilsar Yarb leaves Open Ocean behind and arrives at Anuncagra.

Anuncagra’s harbor receives Scarred Dragon beneath a pale coastal wind. The familiar palisade, timber piers, and tower bells rise beyond the crowded waterfront, while the green and brown wool crew haul the vessel neatly toward its berth.

Harl brings the ship alongside without striking the pilings. Edda directs the lines, Tomas secures the accounts, and the four Village Recruits pull together until Scarred Dragon settles safely against the dock.

Yrsa Kett waits at the end of the pier in a soot-darkened wool coat, her blacksmith’s hands folded over a travel hammer. She watches the crew leave the lines before meeting Nilsar’s gaze.

Nilsar leaves Scarred Dragon under Harl’s command and steps onto Anuncagra’s pier beside Yrsa. Behind them, the new sailors remain in their matching wool outfits, already learning the discipline of an independent crew.

As Nilsar and Yrsa take the road toward the keep, a bell rings from the tower. Baron Edric Vale’s summons is waiting, and a mounted guard is already posted at the gate to receive him.

Yrsa keeps pace beside Nilsar, travel hammer tucked beneath her arm. Identifies Authority separates the baron's summons from Yrsa's voluntary attendance: he called his sergeant, not the blacksmith who prepared the ship.

Her answer is direct, and Nilsar's Legendary Diplomacy wins the truth without pressure. The cost lands with it: Yrsa now expects him to name her publicly as Scarred Dragon's lawful broker before the baron.

Nilsar turns his question toward the harbor road. Identifies Authority distinguishes Merrow’s former office from Yrsa’s brokerage, while the Harbor Ledgers supply the wagon marks and shipment routes for comparison.

Yrsa points toward the waterfront. Nilsar matches her description against the Harbor Ledgers: the red-hub wagons carried shipments routed through Merrow’s protected collection schedule.

The distinction is clear: two wagons preserve a direct harbor link to Merrow’s operation, while the third belongs to Nilsar’s newer arrangements and is not falsely folded into the old scheme.

Nilsar enters the baron’s tower with Yrsa Kett beside him. He bows before Baron Edric Vale, whose council table holds the summons and several open harbor records.

Commands Respect makes the announcement carry across the chamber without shouting. Identifies Authority leaves no uncertainty: Nilsar presents himself as the returned sergeant and names Yrsa as his lawful associate, not a harbor suspect.

The cost settles immediately: Nilsar’s introduction shields Yrsa from being treated as an unclaimed intermediary, but binds his standing to the accuracy of her testimony and accounts before the baron.

Nilsar lays the Coastmere ledgers, Harbor Ledgers, and Rell Family Papers across the council table. Identifies Authority separates Sorn’s commission from Merrow’s acts, while Keeps Reliable Accounts aligns shipments, routes, quantities, and collection marks.

Reads Legal Records follows the warrant language and seal sequence through each entry. The Coastmere ledgers name the diverted goods, the Harbor Ledgers trace their routing, and the Rell Family Papers connect the orders to Sorn’s authority.

Commands Respect gives the presentation the force of sworn testimony. The baron compares the repeated names, seals, and routes himself, then draws a firm line beneath both suspects in the open register.

Nilsar’s Commands Respect gives the request the weight of a proven officer’s claim, while Identifies Authority makes clear he seeks compensation from the baron’s lawful office, not an uncertain promise from the crown.

The baron opens the register and records the award before witnesses: one hundred weighed silver pieces from the town’s recovered seizure funds, plus a signed commendation naming Nilsar’s service.

He counts the silver onto the table and presses his seal into warm wax beneath the commendation. The reward is immediate, recorded, and separate from the disputed goods and crown oversight.

Nilsar pushes the one hundred weighed silver pieces toward Yrsa. Keeps Reliable Accounts makes the ship’s refit a distinct expense, while Weighed Silver gives the promised work an exact value.

Yrsa seals the agreement in her ledger and takes custody of the silver. The baron keeps the signed commendation beside his register, its seal and wording ready for Karosh.

Identifies Authority separates the baron’s endorsement from the academy’s office, while the signed commendation carries Nilsar’s service record. The baron drafts the dispatch and orders it sent by the next royal courier.

Commands Respect makes the offer credible, but the cost is concrete: Nilsar’s new rank will carry a three-year service obligation and place Scarred Dragon under the baron’s lawful summons.

Nilsar’s Commands Respect makes the declaration sound like settled service rather than a negotiation. Identifies Authority places leave clearly in the baron’s hands while preserving Nilsar’s duty aboard Scarred Dragon.

The baron turns toward the chamber entrance and summons the road watchman nearest the table, a seasoned guard who has kept the northern approach through several alarms.

Commands Respect carries Nilsar’s order through the chamber as a settled military assignment. Identifies Authority makes Teren’s duty precise: he recruits for Scarred Dragon under Nilsar, not for an independent watch or private venture.

Teren moves through the guard posts, speaking with those who have sea experience, steady conduct, or useful strength. Three town guards accept the voyage and assemble under his direction before the keep.

Teren leads the three willing guards down the harbor road and onward to Anuncagra’s northern port. They reach Scarred Dragon together, where Edda can receive them while Nilsar remains free to gather his other goods.

Commands Respect turns the request into a firm assignment, while Rally Local Defenders gives Teren a cause the town can recognize: reunited companions serving Anuncagra aboard Scarred Dragon.

Teren finds Beran Holt near the old store sheds, broad-shouldered beneath a weathered brown cloak, and Sella Marr by the watch yard, a lean young woman with cropped dark hair and a green riding coat.

Nilsar returns to his forest cottage and gathers his personal clothes, papers, tools, and travel necessities into secure bundles. Mara waits near the hearth, listening.

Commands Respect gives the offer the force of a settled arrangement, while Nilsar’s personal authority makes clear that Mara owes him neither rent nor service during his absence.

Mara takes the spare key and begins arranging her few belongings in the empty room. The cottage becomes her lawful shelter, with Nilsar’s permission plainly given.

Nilsar checks the hearth, shutters, roofline, and stores before closing his travel bundles. Nothing essential is left behind, and Mara knows exactly what she may use.

The cottage yard fills with Nilsar’s departing party: Bram, Beran, Sella, Teren, Edda, Tomas, Harl, and Kazej wait beside Scarred Dragon’s travel gear, while Gravam, Eiluj, and Aritik stand with Mara by the door.

Nilsar kisses Mara’s cheek, then embraces his family in turn. Her guarded smile steadies as the farewell becomes real, while Eiluj presses a blessing into his hand.

Commands Respect makes the assignment settle over Bram like an officer’s order, while Nilsar’s Legendary Diplomacy makes the secret portion sound like entrusted confidence rather than suspicion.

Bram takes position near the women, already measuring the road and the cottage windows. Nilsar’s family accepts the protection, Mara keeps the secret, and the assembled party prepares to depart for Scarred Dragon.

Beside Scarred Dragon’s docking space, Beran, Sella, Teren, Edda, Tomas, Harl, and Kazej divide the cargo into manageable loads. The four Village Recruits carry sacks and secured bundles toward the hold.

Edda directs the stowage, keeping heavy goods low and centered. Tomas checks each bundle against the accounts, while Beran and Sella pass the loads hand to hand without breaking the steady rhythm.

Teren organizes the guards and recruits along the dock, preventing gaps between shore and deck. Harl guides each load aboard, while Kazej checks the lashings and wedges loose spaces tight.

Nilsar runs his hands along the reinforced planks, tapping across every new section and examining the grain, fastenings, and joins. The timber answers evenly beneath his practiced inspection.

With Skilled Craftsman judgment, Nilsar tests the hull under shifting weight as the cargo comes aboard. Scarred Dragon’s reinforced sides flex together without gaps, strain, or troubling movement.

The final bundles are secured, the cargo is recorded, and every reinforced plank passes Nilsar’s inspection. Scarred Dragon is loaded and ready for the next orders.

Nilsar distributes the green and brown wool outfits across Scarred Dragon. Beran, Sella, Teren, a young adult man with a lean build, fair skin, short brown hair, and a green wool tunic over brown trousers, Edda, Tomas, Harl, Kazej, the guards, and the recruits change until one disciplined crew stands together.

Commands Respect fixes the hierarchy without argument. Identifies Authority makes each duty plain, while the matching wool turns the arrangement into a visible standard aboard ship.

Tomas opens the ship’s account book and records the uniforms, command order, helm restriction, and declaration rule. The crew repeats the terms together, then returns to their stations in green and brown.