The Tradersman

They are few and daring, but the Tradersmen speed down Vieavon in hast for profit and survival.

— Everam, Teller of Nimenra

Only the most daring try to sail up and down Vieavon due to the dangers around the river, and according to some, inside it. The brave traders and merchants that attempt these endeavours are called foolish and brave, insane and accomplished. Beyond their own abilities to survive, their vessels do the strongest task of travelling down and up the river with the cargo, whether it is stone from the east, fine cloth or woods from the west or people who don't want to travel the harsh Grey Road.

The Tradesmen are not common as people want them to be. The demand for trading and fast transportation to The Theocracy, Orfordwhelm and the Kingdom of Ravero is high with a equally high, if not higher, cost. While they do their job with excellence and better than many other vessels many still can be found wreaked by the river or stranded with large holes in the side with their crew nowhere to be seen.

History

While many traders and transports did go down the river Vieavon before the Tradersman was ever thought of many lost their lives or disappeared in the Forest of Telamirein as they travelled. The forest is one of the most dangerous places in Telamirein and has remained so for many years.

When Reeling Svard Toresson created the vessel his thoughts were first and foremost safe travel down the river to secure his profit. One of the biggest problems was the varied dangers that were reported: from plants lashing out and holding the ship stranded after a night on the shore to wildlife jumping onboard and attacking ship crews. The biggest problem he faced was the dangers the waters presented since reefs do exist in the wide river and if he understood correctly, monsters under the waters not only made holes in the ship's bottom but also attacked it by climbing.

The best solution to the river problems was to make a metal hull but making it fully metal, according to the shipbuilders he talked to in Ravero, would just sink it faster. He then came up with the idea of making a thin sheet of metal, one of copper for it was not too heavy and was easily constructed. This also, in turn, prevented riverlife to develop on the bottom of the hull, keeping a high speed. Reeling also decided that keeping the profile low was key not only to keep creatures away but also for the ship to maintain a high speed. Since copper eroded with the water, in a later design Reeling asked for a way to prevent it with a magic-infused sacrificial node.

The first time Reeling and a crew of twenty sailed up river many thought they would not see him or the crew ever again. The vessel was very low to the water and did at first not go fast at all, being limited to oars at the start of the adventure. Sailing and rowing upstream took one and a half weeks from the coast of the renvaren capital where it had been built until Reeling and crew emerged in Orfordwhelm unscathed. Reeling's design had saved them from creatures that attempted to attack through the use of a secondary roof (later removed from the design in favour of high chest walls) that they used to hide and fight from. While not a true test, the vessel and Reeling made trips through the Great Forest 20 more times before he retired it for a newer version. The Tradersman, as he called it after his profession, had been born ad is still the prefered vessel type for the river.

Type
Ship
Inventor/Originator
Reeling Svard Toresson (Commissioner and original blueprint)
First completed
2012

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Statistics
Length
20 meters
Height above water
3 meters
Total Height
8 meters
Crew
5-10
Capacity
Ca 10-15 Tons
Passenger Capacity
20-40
Propoltion
Oars and one collapsible mast
Protection
Copper sheeting and chest high walls

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