Passing Muster

Writers: Chelle, Heather
Date Posted: 6th February 2016

Characters: Endarin, Relik
Description: The old seadog meets the new Tillek.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 4, day 1 of Turn 8

He hadn't had a chance to come before then. So many things had been
happening. They'd completed another steamship and it was promising to
revolutionize Crossings for sure. Besides that, Relik had been working on
filling the hall with apprentices, strengthening relationships with the
seaholders, and attracting crafters to fill the needs of his growing hall.
With seacrafters being such a transient lot, the population always changed,
but it didn't matter. So finally, the seacrafter had managed to get himself
time to get over to meet with the dolphineers. Much to his chagrin, he had
heard that Famell had gone somewhere else. Now was as good a time as any to
introduce himself to the new hallmaster anyhow.

Stepping onto the dock, he stopped and surveyed the surroundings. Some of
the aspects were the same since this craft dealt with the water too. Some
were different. Turning, he made his way along the wooden planks, listening
to the noises and smelling the humidity in the air. It was going to rain
soon. Entering the hall, he decided to find some water first before he
worked on finding the man he wanted.

"Master Relik?"a young apprentice stood waiting. Oberan knew everyone at the
Hall and he did not recognize this man, but he could read his rank knots.
"Master Endarin sent me to bring you to his parlor. He sent for refreshments
when your ship was spotted in the water."

The Master turned and took in the apprentice's appearance. Endarin had
chosen well by sending a boy. Clearly he had read Famell's notes. Nodding,
the seacrafter followed the apprentice, watching the people they passed by
and making silent observations. **I wonder if the change in leadership here
will be a smooth one.** When they reached the hall and came inside, he
mapped the directions in his mind so he'd remember-a habit of an old
chartmaker.

"Master Relik," Endarin rose from his chair to greet the seacrafter as he
was brought in by Oberan. "How was the voyage?" he asked as he indicated for
the man to sit.

"Well enough. Calm waters and steady wind." Relik walked inside and looked
around the office, mentally making comparisons before his eyes settled on
the man. The older seacrafter sized up the younger Master. Still quite
solid, Relik made his way toward a seat and hunkered into it without being
asked. He didn't quite have his land legs yet. And the lack of liquor
rolling into his stomach at the moment was not helping matters. "So you're
not Famell. I'd heard something about him leaving through letters but I
hadn't heard what was to be done about the place."

"I am not, Famell." Endarin agreed, studying the older crafter. "Help
yourself to the wine and sandwiches." His blue eyes looked pointedly at the
things laid out on the low table that was situated between the two chairs
that Endarin kept for guests.

Relik was usually for scotch or other harder liquor if he could get it when
on land. At sea it was always water to battle the dehydration. He did take a
few sandwiches though, before stretching his legs. "Thanks." Changing his
mind and deciding anything would do at the moment, he poured himself some
wine. At least it was a white. "So who are you then? I know you're from
Topaz cause it's easy to hear." He was from there as well but had been on
the water and gone by the time Endarin had been born.

Endarin didn't really see why it mattered who his parents were, but it was
clear that it was important to the old man. "My father is a sailor at Topaz,
name's Gendaryn, my mother was a drudge of no standing." If the other
Hallmaster was looking for a fancy pedigree he certainly wasn't going to
find it in Endarin's ancestry.

"My parents were from Topaz. Both passed now, though. I think I knew your
father." Relik himself had come from humble beginnings. A sailor was a
sailor though. "Are you going to stay here then or is Famell coming back?
What's the plan?"

"Famell may return, but it will not be as Hallmaster. He foolishly gave up
his position to follow his wife to Jade Harbor so she could work on her
Master rank." Endarin shook his head, he still thought the entire thing
nonsense. Why would a man give up his hard earned position so that his wife
could continue working, especially when they'd just had a young one to look
after as well.

**A woman earning Master?** Relik himself thought it quite foolish though
perhaps for other reasons. Discerning that he was going to start over at
this point, he finished off the first sandwich. "Well as you might have read
in his records, he and I had discussed a mutual arrangement between our two
crafts. Naturally several functions of your dolphineers, such as search and
rescue, escorting, and other things greatly benefit my crafters in
particular."

"I agree, my dolphineers are very beneficial to the seacraft, so what do we
get in return besides passage on a boat?" he asked.

"What would you want?" He and Famell had made negotiations and contracts
already but this man might not abide by them. Then again, Relik might also
be able to get a better deal. On the realistic side, he didn't know what
would seem beneficial to a dolphineer so better to let Endarin tell him.

"Make me an offer. My dolphineers in exchange for....?" He trailed off,
leaving room for Relik to fill in what the Seacraft might be able to offer
the Dolphin Hall.

"Not only do we allow for a realistic on the job training environment that
you cannot, but there is the matter of passage. There is also the matter of
cargo delivery. And from time to time, I've been known to trade for things that
you have invented like the lights," Relik didn't go into details just yet, but
it was the truth. His seacrafters provided people for the dolphineers to rescue. His
ships provided them a way for faster travel as well besides other things.

Endarin wasn't sure why Relik held the belief that the Seacraft could
provide job training that the Dolphin Hall could not. The Hall did have its own ships,
otherwise, rescues would be nigh impossible to reach. But he refrained from commenting
on the matter, mostly because a relationship between the Seacraft and Dolphin Hall
was too logical to muck up. "Sounds reasonable to me."

"Hmm well we can discuss specifics later. I'll have my Second draw up a
contract because he's better at things like that and you can look it over." Kaphrad
was the numbers man. He was the designer, the planner, and engineer. Relik depended
on him for those sorts of matters. "I had copies of the dolphineers assigned to
duty with my vessels and hall up until two months from now. Will those be changing?"

"You will still receive dolphineers but it may not be the same individuals
you had before. I am still assessing the crafters here and what positions
they might be best in." Endarin said.

"When should I expect to see substitutions made?" Relik needed to know
because he had shipping schedules to keep and those were predicated upon
pre-timed escorts. A day late meant hundreds of marks lost.

Endarin arched an eyebrow. "As I see the need to change them. Would that be
a problem? You will know that you have a dolphineer, I don't see how knowing
specifically which person you have will change anything."

"As long as they are in their post at the scheduled time it would not," he
replied easily, finishing off the last sandwich he'd taken. That followed by
a drink of the wine. "The when is my concern-not the who."

"Then you have nothing to worry about, the schedule won't change from what
you already have. A fortnight before the current schedule ends I'll send you
a new one."

Nodding, the hallmaster stood up as he'd finished all of the refreshments
he'd chosen. "In the meantime, I do have several of my men posted here. Time
for an inspection."

"Of course. It was nice meeting you, Master Relik."

Last updated on the February 9th 2016

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Passing Muster