Faresia was counted as one of the edge islands, as the bits of land nearest to Terminus… the great rim of the world… were known. Had the Horizon Chaser kept sailing straight out from the “back” side of the island, it would have encountered the edge just before a second day out had dawned.
Montport was east of Faresia, and more southerly… further from the edge, approximately halfway between Terminus and the continent of Dahrun, which bounded the Inner Sea to the northeast. It was, however, outside the slice of ocean ruled over by Elakebassis, the great sea power that had established the fortress and garrison at Keeper’s Cove to assert at least nominal control over ships passing through it.
While Elakebassis had long since been unified under a single crown, Dahrun was a patchwork of petty fiefdoms ruled over by feuding nobles. The coastal states had fleets of fishing ships and merchantmen that could be pressed into service in times of need, and perhaps a few galleys for transporting soldiers, but the individual nobles could raise nothing like the great navies of their neighbor to the west.
Thus Montport was a free port, held under local control. It had been founded as a colony by a Dahruni princeling who’d spent too much of his money and attention on the island holding and lost control of his demesnes on the mainland. Legitimate merchants came to Montport to sell their cargoes to smugglers who would run the goods through Elakebassian waters, to be sold through friendly contacts at the less controlled ports found there or else carried straight on through to the western Outer Sea.
There was quite a bit of traffic between Montport and islands like Faresia, where the crown’s influence was reduced and the governor’s resources were limited. Crown Governor Memnur was loyal to the king and to great Elakebassis in an abstract sort of way, but he felt he could better protect the national interests by not wasting time and manpower stopping every petty criminal and every untaxed shipment of rum or port wine that passed through the cove. He believed it was more efficient to levy smaller fees paid directly into his coffers than it would have been to scrupulously apply all applicable taxes, send the funds to the Lord High Governor, and then wait for a disbursement of funds to pay his operating expenses.
There were fewer opportunities for pirates his way, and less risk of corruption and graft, and he would always have the resources on hand to deal with a genuine threat to the crown’s interests.
There were limits to how far the governor’s tolerance could be stretched. Keeper’s Cove was an attractive retiremet spot for old pirates, being under the protection of law but not so much under its scrutiny. It was also a friendly destination for pirate ships that plied their trade outside of Elakebassian waters, ships that lacked the king’s official indulgence but which had never invited his ire. Pirates who had sacked Elakebassian ports or plundered Elakebassian ships, on the other hand, would receive an entirely different welcome, as would those who had been found guilty of crimes against the crown.
Montport’s rulers had no such entanglements, so there were no crimes that would result in one being turned away except for crimes against Montport itself, and few were foolish enough to commit these. The first Crown Prince of Montport had given his permission for a council of wizards to establish a scholarly retreat on the conical mountain that gave the island its name, and through each successive generation the wizards had quietly grown in power to a degree impossible for most of their brethren, who largely had to choose between accepting the restrictions civilization placed upon their arts or doing without the tools civilization provided for advancing the same.
There were meek and tamed mage-scholars in the cities of Elakebassis and the courts of Dahrun and there were wild and crazed mage-hermits in the wilds, but the mages of the Archtower of Montport were unique in the northern hemicircle, and their power was a strong dissuader to anyone who sought to disturb their haven.
Additionally, the Montport Compact, signed by all ships that wished to shelter in the island’s waters as the sole condition for doing so, required them to aid in the common defense if it proved necessary. Montport’s standing navy was exemplary for a nation of its size, but at any given time it represented a fraction of the island’s actual naval power.
All of this was why Katryn had decided to make for Montport. The Horizon Chaser would be marked wherever she sailed, and word would get around, but if she had to abandon her hidden harbor, if she had to put in somewhere for supplies, if she had to possibly remain ashore somewhere that had libraries and scholars, Montport was the best option. Word would travel out from it all the faster, but Memnur would not send his ships after hers if she was docked at Montport, and neither would anybody else.
Ongoing support is especially appreciated.
Note: I'm trying out a new comment system. It's new and subject to jiggerypokery. It's moderated. Detailed guidelines to come but follow the general rule: be excellent to each other.
If you enjoy reading, please consider a financial contribution.
« « 31: Parting Water 33: Faded Glory » »