A tough looking bewhiskered oldster takes you to a younger man with a muttonchop beard and a trim blue jacket.

"First mate Alderson" he peers at you. "Skills?"

Seagulls cry overhead as the wood two master jostles by the dock making t he rope creak.

"My name is Eli Bumbalough... I've never been a sailor before. But I am strong and willing to learn. I'm also good with math. What skills are you looking for?"

"Its hard and dangerous work.  You look fit enough, but how is your head for heights."  He nods toward the  addingrest fifty foot tall mast.  "If you can  gettto thecrows nest, i will check your addition angGeo'm etry."

"I don't care for heights. But as long as there is hand holds I should be fine."

There should be some rigging with cross bars of rope. Hopefully that will get me up to the crow's nest.
As I climb I do what I usually do when I am faced with heights. I put it out of my mind and do what I am up here to do so that I don't get too scared. I've used this method for years to deal with my fear of hights while I did my job on a ladder.

The wooden crossbars are not up to US safety regulations, and the mast sways back and forth, but with focus and cautien you get it done.  Up top, the clear blue of the harbor, the crashing waves far off at the breakline, the rainbow glimmers of fish in the waters, and the rim of beach backed by darker green jungle is astonishingly beautiful.

Getting down is a bit easier, and First Mate Alders nods.

"You're now an able-bodied sailor in training.  Pay is ten silver a month."  He turns to the older man.  "Johnny, get him a set of clothes, and assign him a hammock."

This is done, and you're told that the ship leaves early tommorrow morning on the tide.

Well at least I have a job and presumably food.

I'll follow johnny to get some new cloths. After that I'll ask him
"Can I get some food? I just walked out of the jungle."

"We will get you fixed up." He takes you to a nearby tavern that has a sign that says 'no fish', and inside it grows quiet, until Johnny introduces you as a new sailor.  Then you're welcomed by crowd of Men and Catfolk.

"You will be tired of fish, so..." He orders from the landlord a 'large bowl of stew, hot biscuits with jam, a smallbeer for the youngun, and a red wine for meself. Put it on the ship tab.'

Its roastbeef and dark gravy and veggie stew, and buttermilk biscuits fresh from the oven with a tart yellow jam.  While you eat, he nurses his wine.  "Eat hardy, but eat slow.  Let yer stomach get accustomed."

Off in the corner, a man starts playing the flute which gets feet stomping, and lines about all the different ways a sailor dies, including getting a 'hug from a kraken'.  Its morbid, but sang with laughter and gusto.

I'll follow his direction about eating slow, Enjoying the food at I go. I'll also listen to the song.

Afterward, I'll go to the hammock on the ship.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:12, Fri 20 Jan 2017.

The next day is full of new experiences, many of them bewildering as you get alternately cursed at for being in the way, or not doing something some sailor thought was obvious, and having the first and second mate patiently explain things.  You fall into your hammock way too late, and rise aching.

I'll endure through the training and learn what I need to know to be a sailor..

The days pass, and your sea legs.  Your hands get blistered, and then calloused.  You find yourself being pushed hard, and after a month, you end the day, and you're not that tired.

By now, you can climb a rigging quickly, spot a crying seagull in seconds, and tie four different knots in the middle of the night with no sleep in the rain.  You're lighter on your feet, your muscles are more sound, and your skin is tanned.

First Mate Alderson comes to you.
o
He hands you a bright green seashell on a necklace of leather as you've seen other sailors wear.

The crew gathers around.

I'll accept the sea shell and smile. Putting it on.

I would guess there is a ceremony or something. But I don't know or do I?

Anyway for now I'll go with the flow.

In reply to Magnus (msg # 68):

You don't.

They want you to climb the mast with a rope, and jump for the water.

I see. A test of bravery. Assuming that the rope is long enough this probably wont kill me. And assuming that I make the dive out to the water. Because hitting the wood deck would kill me. Hitting the water wrong might also kill me. Heh I've always craved adventure and excitement. Let's get used to it.

I'll climb up the mast with an appropriate amount of rope. Then I'll dive into the ocean. Making sure I jump out enough to miss the deck.

Your stomach churns as you climb, and your hands tremble as you stand, and the world spins as you stiffly clamber out to outside of the low wall of the crow's nest.  Once here, you see the  helmsman has put the ship sideways to the waves so that the mast goes back and forth quite a bit, and out over the water.

Not thinking, you jump, and take a deep breath.  The water smacks you hard, driving the air from your lu,ngs, and stinging despite your clothes.  You startTto swim up,pulling on the rope, when  two sailors come alongside you to carry you up, and to the ship.

nd The Captain gives you a new set of clothing, and the first mate a small knife.   The rest of the crew gives you small gifts or carved trinkets of wood, or fish hooks made of fish bone and such.

Plus @1 to Willpower.

I'll celebrate with them and go with the flow. I am a bit proud of myself for doing that jump. I'll be listening for stories about the world I am in.

Most of the stories start as tales of their own Monthjumps, with many like yours, but you hear of one man who as he dove, saw a kraken surfacing.

"Luckily, he thought of me as too small a bite for him, and e'en more, that he didna seize on the ship, which was the Marie of Yonder Island."  This brings up talk of good ships, unlucky ships, and harsh masters, and fair and generous captains.

There is talk of pirates, and of kraken and sea snakes, and the Mages of the Ancient Times who could do most anything, and that brings up the Mage of the Southern Seas which the men swear has a mobile island hidden in the fogs.

"He's the last of his kind, not elf, not dwarf, not Man, nor catfolk, nor orc, nor troll.  He can call up a typhoon by snapping his fingers, and ride the lightning.  But I've never seen him, few do these days."

"I wonder what it would be like to meet the Mage of the Southern Seas... Are there other mages that you know about?

In reply to Magnus (msg # 74):

There araest  stories.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 75):

??? Was there meant to be more?
Do I need to add more to my previous post?

My old computer is dead-ish, and my Kindle is malfing.  Happily, late this week, I get another computer.  Right now, I'm using a son's computer, which is a bit finicky for typing.

So....

There are stories, but they are vague legends of the Ancient Times of the High Age of Magic when Humans clustered in coastal villages, and tried not to offend the Elflords, or the Earthmasters, whether Orc or Dwarf.  But the Scholars in the College of Magic might know more, and since you were headed there, to the Guild of Mages, the Wand Tower, its something you might want to check out.

Three days later, and you arrive in Ourian, a large, and old, stone city thyt has been ruled by several different empires over the past two millenia.  The stone pier you stand on has the faces of its statues worn off by wind and rain.

OOC: Sorry to hear about your computer. It sucks when your computer dies on you.

Was this the city they where referring to woth the Guild of Mages and the College of Magic?

If so, I would go and explore the city ato see if I can find the College of Magic. As I explore I would keep an eye out for Mages doing their thing. If I found the College, I would check to see if there is a Public Library. Of there is I would look through the books to see if there is are history books or books on basic magic.

Near the city center, you see a ten story circular tower of stone piercing a five acre span grass with flower beds and benches.  Walking past the relaxing people you get close to the Wand Tower, and see a low wall with a gate, and a pair of guards with halberds crossed barring the way into the inner court of paved marble, dotted with dark cloaked figures.

I'll walk up to the guards and ask.
"How does one join the Mages Guild and get into the College? "

With a bored look one of opens a case, hands you a thick pencil and a paper full of questions, and directs you to a nearby bench.  You take it, a bit worried, and sit down.  But the problems are easy for you, and you quickly finish.

The first guard smirks slightly when you come back.  He checks your responses, and his eyebrows start rising as he keeps marking them correct.

"Um, wait right here, sir."  The other guard gives him a weird look.  Five minutes later, he comes back with a young mage with a harrassed look.

The mage asks you some similar questions, and you them.

"Sorry, I had to check if you were cheating some how.  Every year or so, some clever thief thinks to get himself invited in. Come in."  And it feels as if a pressure you had not noticed is gone from in front of you, and you walk into the paved area around the Wand Tower.

"My name is Sid."

"We need to test you for magic potential."