An Account of the Circumnavigation of Mizahar

From Mizahar Lore

Revision as of 00:07, 3 March 2010

An Account of the Circumnavigation of Mizahar is a book written by the Zeltivan navigator Kenabelle Wright. It contains a narrative of the 450-451 voyage of Wright and her crew aboard the Seafarer, which, as the book's title indicates, ended in the first -- and thus far, only -- circumnavigation of the continent of Mizahar.

The book draws extensively from Wright's journals, notes, and maps of her expedition. It was published in 457, and became an instant classic. Wright's book is still the most detailed, and in many cases the sole, source of information regarding Mizahar's far northern and western shores, and her obsessively detailed maps remain the definitive charts of Mizahar's coastline.

It is widely available, and any library or center of learning in Sylira, Cyphrus, Akvatar, or Konti will almost certainly have a copy. For many subjects concerning the western reaches of Mizahar, the book is the only available source of information in the east.

Preface

An Account of the Circumnavigation of Mizahar

by Captain Kenabelle Wright

Third Edition published by the University of Zeltiva, 486 AV

Preface to the Third Edition We are delighted to have the opportunity to reprint Captain Kenabelle Wright's classic narrative, An Account of the Circumnavigation of Mizahar. Since its first publication in 457 AV, this work has become a classic of post-Valterrian literature, as well as an invaluable record of the places where Captain Wright journeyed, some of which have never been visited since. This edition has been checked carefully against Captain Wright's original manuscripts. It corrects certain spelling and textual errors that had crept into previous editions of this work. Additionally, the monographs Vani Grammar and A Denvali Lexicography by Bethany Edgetower, A.M., which originally appeared as appendices to Wright's work, have been published as a separate volume by the University, and so do not appear here. We appreciate the aid of the Wright Memorial Library, who generously loaned us Wright's original galley; Captain Charm Wright, who shared with us some of Wright's earlier manuscript drafts; and the Sailors' Guild, for contributing to the funding of this printing.

Edgar Workstone, Editor Zeltiva, 486 AV

Chapter 1

       Who can say where a story really begins or ends? Everything that happens is inextricably interlaced with what has happened before it, and perhaps only the gods can assign a true point of beginning. 
           But, when one has decided to accept the responsibility of chronicling certain events, one is obliged to start somewhere. This document represents my attempt to record the details of the voyage of the Seafarer and its circumnavigation of Mizahar, and so perhaps the best place to begin is with the decision that led to the ship's construction.
           By the mid-440s, the Zeltivan trading routes stretched as far as Novallas to the north, and around the southern coast of Eyktol to the shores of Syliras at the edge of the Suvan Sea. However, beyond these boundaries, the world was much less well-known. Visits had been made to the western shores of the Suvan Sea, and travelers from beyond occasionally arrived, but information regarding most parts beyond was sketchy at best, and no voyage had touched vast parts of the former realms of Suva since before the Valterrian. Curiosity about the remainder of the continent had been steadily increasing, and in the middle of 445, the Board of Regents of the University of Zeltiva authorized the College of Navigation to begin preparations for an expedition that would attempt to circumnavigate the entirety of Mizahar, map the coastline of the continent, and record as much information about the western regions as possible.
           For days, the announcement was the talk of the city. I was fourteen at the time, and beginning to take an intense interest in the sea. Sailing ran in my family; my father, Edgar Wright, was a sailmaker by occupation, and my mother, Irina Wright (nee Rivers), was a shipwright with twenty years' service in the shipyards. Indeed, it was my mother who first brought the news of the forthcoming voyage home, breaking it to us as we sat down to our evening meal.
           "What kind of ship are they going to use?" I asked between bites of warm bread.
           "It's caravel-style, but larger even than the ones that they use on the run up to Syliras," mother said. "It's a triple-master, and they're planning on a crew of a hundred. Kind of excessive, I think, but they don't know how far the voyage will be."
           "Don't they have maps?" It was my sister, Charm, who was barely eight, but was keenly following the conversation.
           "Well, they do, but they're all from before the Valterrian," mother replied. "And, given that the maps of the eastern seaboard from back then hardly have anything to do with the way the coastline looks now, there's no telling how different things are now."
           "Especially since Suva was damaged even more than Alahea was during the Valterrian." I probably shouldn't have broken in, but I couldn't help myself. "There's not so much as a puddle on the old maps where the Suvan Sea is now."
           Mother gave me a stern look, but nodded in agreement. "That's right."
   	Charm tilted her head, an oddly solemn expression on her face. "Someone should draw some maps." It wasn't a comment directed to anyone in particular, and she immediately went back to her supper.
   	"I'd like to draw them," I said. "Or at least help the person who draws them." Cartography was already a serious interest of mine; I'd spent the previous summer mapping my uncle Joseph's farm, and poring over my father's collection of sailing maps. It was perhaps not the usual occupation for a girl of my age, but it was a subject that had seized upon me with nearly the force of an obsession. 
 	Mother half-smiled. "You never know, Kena. The timetable for the beginning of the expedition is four to five years -- you might well be an apprentice cartographer by then."
   	I said something in agreement, but I wasn't really listening. I knew that the ocean was my future, and I knew that I would do everything I could to take some small part in this expedition. There was only one small obstacle. The University and the Sailors' Guild owned the city between them, and anyone who would be sent on a voyage of this scale would naturally be either a full member of the Sailors' Guild or a special representative of the University. My mother was a full member, but my father was only an associate, one certified in his shipyard trade, but not as a sailor. And I, young as I was, had no credentials at all. Most guild members began by working an apprenticeship at age eighteen or nineteen, sometimes as a deckhand or stevedore, but no mere apprentice would be permitted to sail past the end of the known world, and almost no apprenticeships lasted fewer than five years. I simply didn't have enough time.
   	But dreams die hard, and some dreams won't die at all.

Chapter 2

    	My mother owned a small boat; she had built it herself several years earlier. It was a single-sail design, and two sailors could handle it with ease. A few weeks after the conversation at the dinner table, I asked mother if she would begin training me to sail. She seemed flattered, and readily agreed.
   	She and father took me in the evenings, long summer evenings that seemed to last almost until the morning. They taught me to tack, to jibe, to work against the wind and to run with it, to manage the sails and maintain the rigging. I greedily sucked the information in, asking question after question until I thought my parents might lose patience and toss me over the side. Days and days passed, and summer slipped into autumn in this manner.
   	Autumn in turn gave way to winter, and my fifteenth birthday passed. The days had grown shorter, and my parents were busier; our trips in the boat had become more and more infrequent. But I felt confident that I had a firm grasp on the basics of sailing -- confident enough to have concocted what in retrospect seems an overbold plan. 
   	I didn't think that my parents would be willing to let me take the boat on my own. But I wanted to show that I was a true sailor, that I had talent, and that I should be allowed to begin my apprenticeship early. It was the only way that I could think of to put myself in a position to become involved with the circumnavigation.
   	I waited until everyone in the house was asleep, and then got out of bed. I left a note, telling my parents that I had gone to Sunberth, and to meet me there.
   	Sunberth didn't have the best reputation, but it was hard for me to imagine that  anything truly terrible would happen, especially if my parents had been apprised of the situation beforehand. From where I stand now, it sounds ridiculous, but it seemed perfectly logical to me at the time.

I made my way down to the docks. The night patrolman recognized me, but didn’t think anything was amiss, because I was such a frequent visitor. I told him I had left something on the boat, and he smiled and nodded. Once he was out of sight again, I crept aboard, cast off the moorings, and raised the sail. The journey to the mouth of Mathews Bay was easy enough. It was early in the season, and the Bonesnapper had not yet come to replace summer’s prevailing westerly winds. Essentially, I was able to set the rigging, and then leave it alone so that I could work the helm. It was not yet mid-day by the time I sailed through the straits and out into the ocean itself. I had never been on the ocean before; my training voyages were confined to the bay. I knew that the wind would pick up, but even so, its force surprised me. Quickly, I trimmed the sails, and began tacking northward, following the coast. Here in the open water, it was much harder work than anything I had done with my parents. Without a second person to assist with the rigging, I had scarcely a moment to rest. Trying to navigate and manage the sails at the same time seemed an impossible task, but I was stubborn enough that I wouldn’t let myself pay attention to the difficulty. To this day, I can’t tell how long the trip took. I slept in brief snatches, one or two hours at a time, when I was close enough to shore to drop the anchor. Every other moment was occupied with managing the vessel. The wind burned my cheeks, and the rigging cut my hands, but I continued like a girl possessed. Perhaps I was – the lure of the circumnavigation consumed me, and I felt powerless to resist. At length, I recognized that I was near Sunberth, and turned the ship toward shore for the last time. The harbor was nothing like the one in Zeltiva – there was scarcely room for two ships, and the piers and posts were in a terrible state of disrepair. Fortunately, there were no other vessels docked, and I was able to bring the ship in. As I finished securing the mooring, I looked up, and saw both my mother and father standing in front of me. I’m sure I was a sight to behold: filthy, covered in rope burns and abrasions, and bleary-eyed as a Nuit. I didn’t know what to say to them, and indeed, given the length of time that had passed since I had spoken to another person, it took me a while to find my voice. Their expressions were stern, my father’s even verging on angry, but they stepped forward and embraced me as I sank into their arms. I had expected a sterner rebuff, but their surprise at seeing me alive seemed to outweigh their natural anger. I remember little of the voyage back – I slept for most of it, as my parents and a third sailor helmed our ship to Zeltiva. My parents were upset, as well they had a right to be -- and as they continued to remind me during most of my waking moments -- but there was also a certain respect for what I had accomplished. I accepted their chastisements without protest, but inside, a part of me was thrilled. As soon as my foot touched the pier, one of the dockworkers spoke to me, and told me that I was wanted in the office of Josephine Helm. My heart caught in my throat – Ms. Helm was the senior member of the Administrative Committee of the Sailors’ Guild. I was conscious of my appearance, and asked if I had time to return home and change my clothes, but was informed that I did not have such a luxury. It was a short trip to the Guild Hall, and I was ushered into Ms. Helm’s office. It was a luxurious room, with soft red carpet, oak furniture, and shelves with actual books on them. Even on the few occasions when I had visited the university, I had not seen such opulence. Ms. Helm herself was seated behind a massive writing desk. She was wiry, and her features were almost feline; although her hair was gray, she had the look of a person not to be trifled with. I lowered my head in respect, then took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. “You are Kenabelle Wright, yes?” Her voice sounded of salt air and dry rations. “Yes, ma’am.” “You have recently returned from a voyage to Sunberth?” “I have, ma’am.” “You completed this voyage in your parents’ boat?” “I did, ma’am.” I wondered whether I was going to be charged with theft, as I hadn’t exactly gotten permission before I left. “And you did so alone?” “Yes, ma’am.” Ms. Helm stood up. She was taller than me by a good four or five inches, and I was exceptionally conscious of my own unimportance. She regarded me like a specimen in one of the University’s museums for what felt like hours before she spoke again. “Ms. Wright, as far as I know, no one else has been suicidal enough to attempt a solo voyage of that length in that type of ship. I can’t truthfully say much for your judgment in doing so, but what I can say is that you are either a personal favorite of Laviku, or you are exceptionally skilled. In either case, the Sailors’ Guild has taken an interest in you, and on behalf of the Guild, I should like to make you an offer.” I felt an indescribable combination of nerves and excitement. Perhaps I would be allowed to begin my apprenticeship early! It might even be that I would be allowed to select a job of my choice. My mind whirled with the possibilities, so much so that I almost didn’t hear Ms. Helm. “We wish to offer to you, Ms. Wright, full membership in the Sailors’ Guild. Are you agreeable?” I’m sure my mouth opened, and I know it was several seconds before I composed myself enough to say anything. “Full membership, ma’am? Me?” “Yes, you,” she said dryly. “Unless you’re hiding another Ms. Wright behind your back.” I glanced over my shoulder without thinking about it, and thought I heard a brief chuckle from Ms. Helm. I looked back at her, and couldn’t keep from smiling. “Yes! Yes ma’am. And thank you, ma’am. I’ll do everything I can to keep you from regretting this.” "Excellent," she said. "To begin with, I regret to inform you that you're being docked your first three months' pay for unauthorized use of a Guild member's vessel. We can't tolerate that sort of thing, and I warn you that a repeat offense will not be tolerated." My face caught in an awkward transition. I could feel my face flush, and I started to stammer some sort of apology. "I don't need your words, Ms. Wright -- which seems to be a good thing, given the way you're tripping over them. I need your actions, and I trust that through those actions, you will show me that my trust is not misplaced. Now go home and change out of those awful clothes."

Six days later, I was formally initiated into the Sailors’ Guild. I was, or so I was told, the youngest full member of the Guild in more than a hundred years.