[b][u]Lord Captain Leofric[/u][/b]

The walls and towers of Syrome soon came into view, as the [i]Storm's Herald[/i] glided toward the harbour. They had made a brief stop at an island to the north, to rendezvous with six of their ships. Thankfully, they had not been delayed for long, and could continue onward to their destination. The rest of the fleet was to meet them at Syrome, and Leofric could already make out at least three more of his own ships moored next to each other.

They had taken another vessel on their way south, a trading ship which contained salt and spices. They would be able to sell its cargo here for a hefty profit. Unfortunately, it had not been Eodaen. the entire reason Leofric had gone so far north in the first place was to try and get an update on his homeland's political situation. Sadly, neither vessel had a clue.

The ship slid into an empty space at the dock, and the gangplank was lowered. A custom official was waiting. Leofric crossed over to meet him, cursing internally. Damn these Syromeans and their draconian security measures. Why couldn't they be more like Eodaeland?

And then he remembered the state his homeland had come to, and begrudgingly retracted that thought. Belisar may be just as sleazy as Badastan, but at least he wasn't filling his people's heads with nonsense.

Fortunately, Leofric had an arrangement with this particular official. They exchanged a few words, and Leofric handed him a pouch that was perhaps a bit too heavy to simply cover the standard docking fee. And with that, Leofric walked back onto his ship, pleased to have avoided the usual inspection and series of questions.

"Alicia," Leofric gestured to two of his officers, "see to it that our recently acquired goods are sold."

"Yes, my lord," Alicia said with a quick bow and a slight smile. With that, she began gathering crewmembers and sending them below deck.

"Aella," Leofric turned to his first mate. "Go pay a visit to those three ships. I want an update on their crew sizes, cargo, how many ships they have taken, and anything they've learned."

Aella nodded wordlessly, and saw to her duty.

"Aewick and Ecbert, with me," Leofric said, pointing to two of his more loyal crew members who were currently armed. Both men nodded, and came to his side.

Then, he turned to his Oarmaster. "Peric, keep order on the ship until I get back."

Peric nodded seriously. "Yes sir." Then, there was a moment of hesitation, before he added, "might I ask where you are going?"

Leofric forced a smile. "To pay a visit to our good friend in the palace, of course."