Nille of Abecean

[Violet]

Nille of Abecean

by Anita Benirus

The prevailing winds crashed into the Bold Baroness, ripping part of her sail as if it were paper. The ocean bowled around the ship unevenly and seemingly at random. Captain Cilrasian Ordexen had ordered the crew to jump ship, leaving himself to die while steering the vessel to calmer waters. The cargo must be salvaged if at all possible. The Captain knew it was a fool's gambit, but his life came second to the job. He pleaded to Kynareth and the other Cyrod Divines of which he and the rest of Colovia owed his life to, then to Kyne and the gods of his forefathers of old, and even to Riana and the gods of the woods and the isles of whom he's known of in passing remarks only. He prayed to all, that he might see his daughter again, yet none answered him. A divine never descended from aetherius, or rose up out of the sea, and all he saw was the blue vision of the sun fading as his lungs filled with the Abecean.

Ten years had passed, and Nille Ordexen was hired as a crewman for her first voyage. It was to be a simple supply run, dropping off goods to the isle of Stirk, and returning to the great port of Anvil within the week. "The Hopeful Harpie, isn't she a beauty?" the Redguard captain shouted to his green crew as he stepped aboard. "The names' Captain Fhaje, and I gave my word to our fine employer that I would be there and back by the week's end. As I intend to keep my word. I have only one rule. If you go overboard, we will not look for you. That is all." As the Hopeful Harpie set sail to Stirk, Captain Fhaje retreated to his private quarters. Nille looked out to the sea, hoping that by some miracle she may find her father alive, waiting for her on some raft or island.

She had never left the mainland, so when she stepped off the ship it was quite a shock. "Everything's so big, yet so small." She thought. Before she had a chance to take in the town, she was already called back to port. As she stepped back on the ship, she overheard some Colo-Redguard crew members talking about having to reroute the ship to avoid a storm coming in from the south. As they set sail, they headed north-east, hoping to hug Hammerfell's waters before sailing down across the Gilded Hills and towards the city of Anvil.. Her Captain noted that this area of the Abecean is known by sailors as the Burial Waters, a small portion of the sea known for the countless ships on the seafloor that had fallen due to piracy and nature herself. One of her fellow crewmen, an Altmer, was lured overboard by a lamia early in the morning; another, a Colovian this time, had fled into a fit of madness and jumped ship later that night. As they left that cursed corner of the Abecean Sea, those remaining undoubtedly began to regain their composer.

As predicted, the storm moved into the Strid River, missing the Hopeful Harpie by little more than a day. As the weekend began to close Captain Fhaje kept his promise. They were docking at Anvil, and the crew members were given their pay. Nille had never experienced anything like this, she had always preferred trapping herself in her books, reading of the world as it was and could be rather than experience the world as it is. The experience changed her, the following night, she could sleep. Her mind locked at sea. She spent the next few years working as a crewman for Fhaje, as well as any other Captain in need of a few able bodies. Eventually, she had earned enough gold to purchase her own ship, "The Calming Cutlass" was her name, and Nille Ordexen was her captain.

It was the 21st of Hearthfire, she had brokered a deal with a local noble to ferry him from Anvil to Firsthold by the end of Sun's Dusk the week earlier. The streets of Anvil were packed with merchants and tourists alike, in celebration of Ladies of the Sky; a celebration of Kynareth and The Lady Constellation held across the county. When she was a child, her father would take her throughout the city during the festivities, merchants coming in from all over Tamriel would gather in the cities to sell trinkets and jewels, she would spend hours looking at all the glittering wares for sale, and even longer watching the West Navy ships conduct the annual dance of stars. This year, however, all she could see from her home was a lonely crowd, trapped within the confines of the land. She had no time to stare, she had to finish making preparations. After gathering the rest of her crew within the taverns full of half conscious drunkards and moving some of the nobleman's gifts he planned on giving to the King of Firsthold, she made her way to her home for one last quiet meal.

The Calming Cutlass set sail the next day. The nobleman, Darius, had been quite apprehensive to get on board the ship given the rough nature of some of the crew members, though with enough encouragement Captain Nille was able to convince him otherwise. They began by sailing south to Virimoor, then across to Firsthold. This was her first voyage as captain, and Nille had no intention of being reckless. The stop at Virimoor in Valenwood was a quick one, simply taking inventory of supplies they still had and stocking back up on them. The Census and Excise office there hadn't given them any trouble, though Darius had been a bit worried on arrival, as out of the corner of his view he had seen a massive tree the size of the White-Gold Tower waltzing towards them. An occurrence the officers stationed there had assured his it was a common sighting in Virimoor that time of the year.

The Calm Cutlass had arrived in Firsthold by the beginning of Sun's Dusk. Despite the additional stop, the trip was a quick one thanks to the calm waters within the Blue Divide. Darius thanked Nille, paying her well and asking her to take him back to Anvil within the week. Willing to spend her days taking in the cultural doorway to the High Elves of the Summerset Isles, Captain Nille agreed under the condition of Darius doubling his price for the ride back. Nille stood in awe of the crystalline spires that had shimmered throughout the city. A sight that exists throughout the province according to her old books. The swirling colors nearly blinded her to the much stricter bureaucracy within the province as opposed to Valenwood or even Cyrodiil. Most of her time in that city took place not exploring the scenery, but instead it was spent filling out paper work, paying docking fees, or buying supplies, which also required additional paper work. It hadn't been long since the Tiber Wars had ended, and so the cultural walls of the Altmer were still largely intact. The week came to a close and she couldn't wait to be released back into the ocean.

The meeting between Darius and the King had not been as fruitful as he had hoped, Darius avoided giving the details, but he implied that in his nervousness when face to face with a king, he had inadvertently offended him deeply. In his irritable state, Darius demanded they return more swiftly to Anvil than they had towards Firsthold. With apprehension, Captain Nille agreed and they headed straight for the Gold Coast. The waters had been much rougher on their return trip than they had been towards Moridunon, the clouds were much thicker as well. By the time they entered the Abecean, Nille knew that the storm was upon them. The Calming Cutlass bounced within the bowling waves, the black sky howled with ravenous thunder as Darius huddled inside captain's quarters, not daring to some much as open his eyes. Water smacking across the faces of the crew members, Nille knew that each breath she took might be her last.

"Pray to your gods as I pray to mine, let the storm take us if she so wills it!" She shouted at her men, hoping to corral any remaining shred of courage they may have. Suddenly, a tidal wave rose up from behind the ship, with water as black as the abyss. Moments before it would swallow the ship whole, Captain Nille gave one final prayer to Kynareth, thanking her for her time. She thought of her father, Cilrasian, how she would be reunited with him. She thought of Captain Fhaje, of whom gave her her first taste of the sea. She thought of the nobleman Darius, of whom was too worried to even look at his fate and see if his time had passed or not. The wave crashed into the ship and crew members, but none were harmed. They looked up to the skies, and saw that they were clear, they stared at the calm waves frolicking around them. They turned to the bow and saw the lighthouse within the great bay of Anvil, knowing that they were nearly home. As Darius left the captain's quarters to gaze at the safety of civilization, the crew looking towards the stern of the ship, to see Nille had been taken by the sea.

Upon docking in Anvil, Darius refused to pay, claiming the deal was with the captain who was no longer with them. However, after a more than a few threats, Darius agreed to give them a very valuable bowl made of ebony the king of Firsthold rejected, and the crew members begrudgingly accepted. Later on, Captain Nille became a saint to sailors across Cyrodiil, claiming she gave her life to Kynareth in exchange for her crew members. Being adopted into the Great Faiths officially in 3E 215.

[Violet]

This is meant to be a historical fiction/religious fiction novel. I won't be doing this for every saint. A cheap, non-Skill book. usable in any County Anvil, temple, historian, or sailor home. It's designed to have been written pretty much anytime during a 3E 250-400 year timespan.