Elf Maidens of Thurn

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Chapter 36: The estuary

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Our two narrow wakawaka follow a more direct route downriver than the broader sail-boat crewed by the Tribu. The direction of the wind forces them to tack regularly, charting a zigzag course. Even with only three of us paddling in each wakawaka, we can comfortably keep pace with the larger craft.

The river merges with the river we travelled along from Atene, which gradually becomes wider as other streams and rivers join it. The low hills around us give way to a flat expanse of marshy land. Vegetation along the riverbank changes from trees and grasses to rushes and marsh plants. Evidence of recent flooding is everywhere, and it's easy to imagine how the whole area around us had been a huge lake not many weeks ago.

Adelita guides us to a suitable place to rest for the night. The large river beasts we encountered on our journey from Atene are few in number and they leave us alone. Nevertheless, we post a guard throughout the night as a precaution.

We resume our journey early the next morning. The wide marshes around us give way to a broad river estuary that veers to the west. The estuary widens as we travel although hills on both the north and south banks define its course. By the time I notice the familiar scent of the sea, I suspect we have been travelling in salt water for some time. The sea is visible in the distance although that isn't our destination. We follow the Tribu boat into a bay on the north bank of the estuary before we reach open water.

Before us is a town rising into the slope of hill beyond. I marvel at the harbour and the two large sailing ships moored against a stone jetty. The ships dwarf even the biggest of Thurn's sea going vessels. Each ship has two masts carrying two or three sails apiece. While Thurnian vessels of old sometimes boasted multiple sails, these days Thurnian ships always have just a single sail. However, the harbour isn't the only marvel that we can see.

The buildings spread back up the slopes of the hill. The settlement is set far enough back from the sea so as to be invisible from the seaward side without first entering the bay. The architecture and weathered appearance of the buildings hint at the settlement's age.

"Those buildings look as though they are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old," muses Cassandra.

Despite all our research in Thurn, and at the Atene and Merope Potiora, we are unsure of the time-line of our collective history. The Atene and Merope Potiora both record that our ancient ancestors activated the seven Potiora about a thousand years ago, putting their client races into hibernation for an unspecified length of time. There are inconsistencies in determining the date our forebears emerged from hibernation. Perhaps they didn't all emerge at the same time. Cassandra's and my own research into Thurnian history, suggests that Thur was founded around six or seven hundred years ago, but that seems inconsistent with what we've learned since.

Placing the history of the settlement we see before us into our collective history is going to add more uncertainty about our past. The weathered buildings look to be far too old to have been built by any of the races emerging from a Potiora. Were they built by our ancient ancestors?

Our destination is a small jetty that is obviously designed for river craft. A man in a uniform is standing on the jetty as we approach. He has the universal appearance of being the harbour-master. Adelita returns his wave and shouts something in a language I don't know. A couple of children come onto the jetty to help us to secure our three boats. We disembark at the jetty and I guide Cassandra and the pregnant elves onto dry land.

Adelita introduces us to harbour-master, and she acts as an interpreter while we answer his questions. To my surprise, he switches to talking in passable Thurnian when he addresses Cassandra and me. Clearly this isn't the first time he's encountered Thurnians. The harbour-master instructs one of his assistants to take us to a nearby tavern that can offer us accommodation for the duration of our stay. Meanwhile, Adelita, Elodia, Whina and Emere make arrangements to sell the metals they have transported here.

The tavern-keeper is a woman in her mid-thirties who goes by the name of Fleur. In common with many in her profession, Fleur is talkative and provides us with a wealth of information. Like the harbour-master, she speaks a slightly archaic form of Thurnian. Makareta translates our conversation into Atenex for the benefit of those in our party who don't speak good enough Thurnian to understand what Fleur is saying.

I'm not sure that the residents of the settlement are all from the same race. The physical features of those we have encountered so far are widely different from each other.

"The Tribu call us Mariners, which I suppose is what we are at heart," says Fleur. "Most of us travel the seas in our ships. In a few places, like here in Tewhanga, we set up trading posts to buy and sell goods. The Tribu are particularly good customers, providing us with metals we can trade on the other side of the ocean. In exchange we provide them with a variety of manufactured goods from those same far-off markets."

"From which Potiora did the Mariners emerge?" I ask, trying to place how such a racially diverse group of people fit into our history.

"Ah! That's a question only someone belonging to a race that emerged from a Potiora would ask," replies Fleur. "Would it shock you to learn that not everyone on this planet can trace their ancestry back to emerging from a hibernation chamber?"

Fleur's statement attracts Cassandra's and my immediate attention. Unfortunately, Fleur has other customers demanding drinks and our conversation must be put on hold for the time being.

The next day, Adelita tells us that her group have completed their trading and that they will be leaving us tomorrow. I would have preferred them to stay a few more days to help us with translations, but I know we have no right to delay them. Their help has been invaluable. Fortunately, we've met several Mariners who speak some archaic Thurnian.

We still haven't been able to establish how the Mariners know our language, although logic suggests that they have traded with Thurn in the distant past. However, there's no record of such encounters in the Thurnian histories that Cassandra and I have studied. Some of the Thurnian words the Mariners use fell out of common usage a hundred or more years ago. Cassandra and I only know such words from our study of Thurnian history.

Fleur introduces us to Marianne, a local resident who seems to be a cross between a librarian and a doctor. Marianne is eighteen years old, and she looks far too young to be proficient at either of her jobs. However Fleur implies that she is an expert on Mariner history, so I keep an open mind. Marianne's knowledge of midwifery certainly meets with Cassandra's approval.

"What you've learned isn't wrong," says Marianne when I summarise what Cassandra and I have learned from our research. "However, it's not the whole story."

"We are eager to learn more so that we can decide how best to help our races survive the threats we face," says Cassandra.

"You are fortunate that the Atene Potiora has never roused the rest of the race that it has in its care. Had it done so, then you would never have come here asking such questions."

"Fortunate?" I query. "We are under the impression that the failure of the Atenex to awaken their whole race has contributed to their struggle for survival."

"In terms of numbers, that may be so," replies Marianne. "In terms of exercising your own free will, and seeking allies and friends, then that is less certain. Those each Potiora roused first were specially trained as hunters, builders and explorers. They had very different traits from those who were to be awoken later. Those Potiora that roused all of their chosen race are now governed by isolationist regimes run by a privileged minority. Without exception, those ruling minorities trace their ancestry back to the chosen elite who were awoken after their race's pioneers had built settlements, and secured sources of food."

I realise that current rulers of Thurn and Merope fit Marianne's description. Perhaps the Phebes as well, although their struggle for survival may have made such elitism untenable.

"Surely the builders of the Potiora would have considered such a problem when they selected those who entered the hibernation chambers," says Cassandra.

"It's very likely that they did," replies Marianne. "The Potiora project would have been very expensive, and each Potiora will have taken many decades to build and put into operation. Prospective mothers of the new races would have received some form of treatment to create modified babies. It's more than likely that a disproportionate number of them were from influential and wealthy families eager to preserve their lineage."

"But why modify their offspring in the first place?" asks Ikaroa, who has joined Cassandra and me for this discussion.

"We can only guess at the reason," replies Marianne. "Perhaps there were several reasons. Civilisation was falling into chaos. The climate was changing rapidly, destroying crops and bringing devastating storms. Wars were constantly being fought for control of dwindling resources. Maybe your creators thought they were building a better form of human, capable of surviving whatever climate existed upon your awakening. That seems consistent with giving you the overwhelming desire to breed. However, not every modification has been a success. The Phebes have been experimenting for years to provide potions and treatments that overcome the undesirable consequences of those modifications."

"Adelita told us the Phebe's took potions that altered their race into what they now call the Tribu," I add.

"Yes. A new race with a disproportionate number of male babies," says Marianne. "Unfortunately that's an example of insufficient research being undertaken into the side effects of the Phebes' tinkering. I think the Phebes mean well, but they live in a very rigid society. Their leaders won't accept criticism of any kind. As for the Tribu; desperate people will do desperate things. It's still too early to say whether the Tribu will survive beyond a few more generations."

"How does your own ancestry fit into all this?" I ask.

"Creation of the Potiora wasn't the only grand survival project designed to provide a future for the elite of the human race. Cities under the ocean, orbiting space stations, and domed cities were all built at huge expense. Unfortunately, the technology broke down over the years, forcing the inhabitants to survive as best they could. It's possible that Mariners are the outpouring of one or more of those failed schemes, but our histories suggest otherwise. Despite the many flaws of your combined races, the seven Potiora represent the only success among our ancestors' grand survival projects. However, not all those alive today welcome that achievement."

"Why?" asks Cassandra and Ikaroa together.

"The grand survival projects were only ever intended to save the powerful elite. No prospect of salvation was ever contemplated for the bulk of the world's population alive at the time. The legions of workers who built the Potiora, underwater cities and space stations were all expendable and abandoned to their fate. Their labours were bought by the offer of an entry into a one-in-a-million lottery. A few lucky ones who won a lottery were allowed to join the numerous wealthy and influential people who populated the artificial habitats. That would have been the end of the story for ninety-nine percent of the population had they not refused to simply lie down and die. Of course, most did die before long, but some communities survived the cataclysms and wars that raged on for decades afterwards. Eventually the survivors formed the nucleus of people like the Mariners."

"So everyone here is descended from an original human race," says Cassandra.

"In the case of the Mariners, yes," replies Marianne. "The desire for particular biological traits meant that many of the modified children bred to populate a Potiora were rejected. They became surplus to requirements, and like the rest of Earth's population, they were abandoned when the Potiora were commissioned. Many of their races survived for generations, although their inability to breed with unmodified humans limited their population size. A few of their descendants may still survive to this day."

"How have you learned all this history?" asks Cassandra.

"Your Potiora will reveal their knowledge to anyone who seeks their wisdom," replies Marianne. "However, you need to know the right questions to ask, and be aware of the bias in the Potiora's answers."

"Bias?" I query.

"Certainly. The Potiora store vast amounts of knowledge and advice, but what they hold is designed to influence and guide their client race towards the political goals their ancestors desired. In many cases that means overall supremacy of the world you occupy. Your ancient ancestors may have cooperated in building and populating the Potiora, but there was bitter rivalry between each race. It's disappointing, but no great surprise, that each race that has emerged from a Potiora seeks to make itself superior to the others."

I detect a hint of frustration and anger in Marianne's words. The Mariners must have lived in these parts for many centuries. Now they witness the intrusion of new races who have been taught to regard themselves as rightful owners of all that they see. Are we all in danger of recreating the conflicts of old?

"The Tribu don't seek to be overlords of the races around them," I observe.

"That's only because they are more focussed on their own survival. The same could be said for the Atenex. The Tribu possess considerable knowledge in metallurgy. The metals they trade are not easy to refine from the ores that they mine. Knowledge like that gives them a degree of power. Enough, for example, to buy the manufactured goods they desire. That power could eventually enable them to challenge even the Merope for dominance."

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Chapter 37: More babies

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The next morning we say farewell to Adelita, Elodia, Whina and Emere as they set off upriver to the Tribu settlement. Their craft is laden with a variety of goods that they have traded for the metal they brought here. Ikaroa had spent nearly an hour with Whina and Emere, ensuring they both understand the consequences of their choice to stay with the Tribu. They will effectively become outcasts from the Atenex race, making a return to Atene almost impossible should they change their minds. However they were already banished from their home village, so in practise that transition had already occurred before we left Atene.

Once they have gone, Cassandra and I meet with Ikaroa, Ihapera, Makareta and Defina35 to discuss our own situation. Cassandra and Ihapera are due to give birth any day now, and Marianne has already offered her services as midwife when the time comes. Any further travel must wait until both Cassandra and Ihapera have given birth and are fit to travel again. What is less certain is whether we wait here for longer until after Makareta and Defina35 give birth. So far, the Mariners have been helpful, but whether their hospitality will extend for another two or three months remains to be seen. Besides, given the perceived threat from Merope expansion, time is not on our side.

Rawiri is now starting to walk, so he is in need of almost constant supervision. Fortunately, Marianne has a younger sister called Coral who has been co-opted as our child minder for the duration of our stay. Coral is ten years old and she has the same wavy brown hair, round face and wide grey eyes as her sister. She knows a few words of Thurnian, but not enough for a lengthy conversation. Fortunately she seems well versed in child-minding and Rawiri responds well to her.

"I still don't understand how so many young Mariners know our language, albeit an outdated version of it," says Cassandra to me.

"Nor do I," I reply. "But if we decide to stay here until after Makareta and Defina35 give birth, then we may get the opportunity to find out more."

The next few days are relatively uneventful. I watch the two ships in the harbour loading supplies. The harbour-master is patient with my numerous questions. He confirms Marianne's statement that this settlement was originally built as a port linking sea going trade with the long navigable rivers stretching inland. These days the settlement is called Tewhanga, but that may not have been its original name. The volume of trade has varied over the years, particularly once the Potiora races started gaining ascendency, and the previous inhabitants of the region moved elsewhere. Now the settlement earns more as a neutral transshipment point for trade between distant peoples who aren't on the friendliest of terms with each other.

I ask the harbour-master about the source of his knowledge of the Thurnian language. He simply replies that it his duty to be able to speak all of the languages used by sea going peoples. Although no Thurnian vessel has ventured this far south in decades, the invitation to trade remains open. However, I strongly suspect that there are few Thurnian sea captains with the necessary skills to navigate this far south. Besides, unless you know where Tewhanga is located, you could sail past without noticing anything.

Cassandra and Ihapera are under orders from Marianne to rest as much as possible. For once, Cassandra doesn't object. Consequently Ikaroa takes the lead in exploring the settlement. Many of the buildings we could see from the harbour are no longer occupied. The Mariners never bother with a census as their population varies by season. Many sailors spend winter in the settlement while savage storms rage out at sea. Even during spring and summer, arriving ships invariably discharge some of their crew and take on new sailors. Mariner children spend two or more years at sea as part of their education, and some ships are crewed by whole families. Consequently, relatively few Mariners regard Tewhanga as their permanent home.

Governance of the settlement is a strangely informal affair that follows Mariner customs and traditions. The harbour-master and the local watch commander are the only two people who could be regarded as civic officials. The quayside is home to a range of warehouses and chandlers, each run by their own cooperative of workers. Trading is generally conducted in the market square by independent merchants and stallholders. Despite the chaotic appearance of their daily lives, the Mariners somehow make it all work.

Cassandra and Ihapera both give birth to healthy baby girls within a few hours of each other. Although it won't be obvious for another few years, Ihapera's girl is a clone of her mother. I'm almost certainly the father of her child, but nothing of me has contributed towards the child's make-up. Even now, you can see the slightly elongated ears that label the child as Atenex.

That's not so in the case of Cassandra's and my as-yet-unnamed child. She's a pure-blood Thurnian conceived by parents of the same race. When Rawiri was born, we agreed to follow the elven custom of allowing the community to decide on a name for our child. However, that was when we were in the company of Makareta's tribe. With only six adults in our party, a traditional Atenex naming ceremony is going to be problematic. Perhaps it's an issue we should have considered before. Ikaroa is keen for her sister to follow the Atenex custom, but I think Ihapera is more realistic about the practical difficulties that organising a formal ceremony will present.