Snippet #2465204

The last time Requinn Voss visited the port of Saridur, he went by a different name: Thanare'Quinn Voss'Eht'Ahn. He was an Imperator in the Pax Alma, a general in the Rexian Imperial Legion, and he was laying siege to the port with 20,000 elves at his back. But that was nearly 600 years ago, and he was a young man then. So much has changed over the centuries, the city was barely recognizable. Standing atop the hill on which he pitched his command tent so long ago, he found himself inside the city walls, in front of a tailor's shop, gazing down at the city he once besieged.

The citizenry paid him no mind, and why should they? While high elves were a rare sight outside of Rexia, Requinn's black hair gave him the appearance of a sea elf, if one did not take the time to examine him closely. His golden eyes were a dead giveaway, but he had allowed his hair to obscure his face, and he drew his cloak close and his hood up. Leaning slightly on a cane he purchased not but an hour ago from an elderly man outside the walls, Requinn started the descent through the crowded streets to the docks.

The ship he was looking for bore the name Anya, no doubt named for a past "conquest." It mattered little. The captain, a native of Nàsk named Adrian Ronuad, was a well known explorer and had, in years past, recovered a lodestone for the queen of Nàsk. Going over the few things he knew about the captain in his head, Requinn nearly passed the ship by entirely, a crime for which he mentally berated himself, as the ship was nothing short of magnificent.

Requinn had heard stories about Nàsk warships, but he had never seen one himself. It was larger than he had expected, given that the ships of his day rarely had more than two masts, and it was bristling with cannons engraved with magic runes. The cannon was a human invention, the product of a shorter, yet far more inventive, life. Despite Requinn's grudge against humanity for bringing down his empire, he could not deny the abundance of creativity they possessed.

Requinn started up the ramp, still leaning on his new cane. He didn't actually need it, but he saw no harm in presenting himself as less capable than he really was. He dropped his hood and stepped onto the deck of the ship, finding now that he did need the cane to balance himself properly on the rocking ship.

"It's certainly been a long time since I last stepped foot on a ship. I'm not quite used to it yet." Requinn spoke casually to the first crewman that approached him, followed by a slight chuckle. The sea elf gave him a look of curiosity. "Ah! Forgive me for so rudely waltzing onto your ship without introducing myself! Requinn Voss, scholar, author, and archaeologist, at your service, lady...?" He smiled, but didn't spare her the time to respond before he continued, "If possible, I'd very much like to meet the captain. I seek passage and I'll deal with none below him."

The sea elf nodded, clearly both surprised and confused, and tucked the coinpurse in one of her belts. She led Requinn between the other crew members, going slower than she normally would so that Requinn, with his cane, could keep up. He almost felt bad for inconveniencing her, but he invested himself in the ruse, so he figured that he might as well keep it up, at least until it became inconvenient for him. Making their way down the length of the ship, the girl glanced back at him, and her eyes met his, noticing for the first time that he was a high elf rather than a sea elf.

"Damaya," She spoke rather abruptly, still wary of Requinn, "My name is Damaya. I'm Captain Ronuad's first mate." Loyal. Respectful. Efficient. She had barely said a single sentence to him, but Requinn had already begun to profile her in his head. It was a practice he made a habit of doing with anyone he interacted with or planned to interact with more than once.

"A very beautiful name, my lady, and certainly befitting one such as you." Requinn laced his words with a hint of charm, not being one to miss an opportunity to give compliments, especially to someone as influential as the first mate. After all, it is far better to be loved than hated. He didn't pay attention to her reaction, but it no longer mattered. They had reached the captain and Damaya started to introduce him, but he cut her off.

"Requinn Voss," he interjected, switching his cane to his off hand and reaching for a handshake, "renowned author and archaeologist. You may have read one of my books?" He paused for a second, but not long enough to merit a response. "It doesn't matter, I heard that you plan to set sail for Naua Te, and I'd like to book passage, if it isn't too much trouble. I can pay my way, just name your price." Requinn kept his eyes on the captain, a friendly smile on his face. He needed the captain to take him on, so it couldn't hurt to be nice.