Lay of the sea

Timestamp: East of Ostiarium, nearby beach

It had been touch and go for Till. Stay behind in Arcadia and see what it had to offer someone like him or go back with the departing ships. Leaving also meant he would miss the Fall Festival and after almost two months at sea, he could use a wild night of drinking and coupling.

Till had already secured work with the fishing vessels and lodging in the Barracks district. The meagre wage was not much of 1sp a day, but with free food, lodging and the reward the Arbiter gave you for recovering her stolen belongings, he was not pressed for coin. It would do for now. Until he could think of a way to make more coin. Opportunities were everywhere in a settlement like Ostiarium. And he had already decided he was going to keep a close eye on that young noble. Although he had come worse off against those thugs Till could see the benefits of having someone of his standing along for business. The veteran sailor quickly saw the rising tensions between groups of fishermen and lumberjacks. And how some elements in both groups were vying for control of a small number of criminal activities in the settlement. Where there is coin, there is crime, the saying went.

He decided to join some of the other fishermen and their families, after the noon sermon, in a beach east of the city. A small cove not too far away but secluded enough where those that lived and died by the sea could honour the one that truly fed them and their loved ones. Cambena, Goddess of the Seas and Mother of Storms. Terrible and generous in equal measures. She who brought life to the world.

When the moon reached its zenith, men, women and children would shed their clothes and dive into the freezing waters of the bay, shouting and screaming at the dark night and the surf. Afterwards they would huddle together around bonfires and share each others body heat to warm one another. A profound reminder of the cold days and hardships ahead and that men needed one another to survive. Much more than a ritual of cleansing for the body and soul. A profound lesson, by Cambena, Goddess of the Seas and Mother of Storms.