Trade and Tradition

Writers: Estelle, Paula
Date Posted: 17th August 2018

Characters: Tasni, Nothun, Rystan
Description: Tasni overhears a holder and a trader discussing Lord Corowal's leadership
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 6, day 1 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: current and previous Lord Holders of Emerald Falls.

The riverboat that Tasni was travelling with stopped at several minor
Holds along the way, to unload trade goods, collect tithes, allow
passengers to embark and disembark, and give the crew a chance to rest
and enjoy the hospitality of the taverns which had been established
nearby to take advantage of the river custom.

After several days of travel, with not much to do except practice her
gitar and entertain the children on board with songs and stories, the
journeywoman was eager to meet some Southern holders and start finding
out what the mood was here in Emerald Falls. She'd heard a bit from the
other passengers, but there was nothing like a few drinks - or a young
woman like her, listening and nodding sympathetically - to loosen tongues.

So, after a stern warning from the captain to be back by daybreak, as
they wouldn't wait for her, she left her gitar and her harper knots
behind and headed for the bright lights of the tavern. Since it was a
warm evening and she wanted to keep her wits about her, she ordered a
cool glass of fruit juice and leaned against the bar, looking around for
a likely source of gossip.

Nothun leaned backwards in his chair after a very good meal and eyed his
table partner with dismay. "You can't possibly say that!" he declared,
"Lord Corowal is best thing that had happened to Emerald Falls Hold
since the Plagues. His predecessors were choking all life out of trade,
now, Lord Corowal, he understands trade and the wealth it brings."

"He may understand trade, but he has no respect for tradition," his
companion retorted. Rystan had been discontented with Lord Corowal's
policies for a long while, and the effects of several glasses of ale
were doing nothing for his discretion. "Every harper and trader who
comes to my cothold tells how he's encouraging women to take up crafts
and making alliances with the Weyr. Now my youngest says she wants to be
a healer, and my eldest won't agree to the marriage I've arranged for
her with a good, solid man. She thinks a dragonrider is going to come
and sweep her off her feet! What's the point of trade if our children
aren't there to carry on the family line?"

"That tradition is only 50 turns old," Nothun said and gestured for more
drinks. "Besides, he just allows women to craft into those halls that
take them. Most of them don't. Just harpers, those dolphineers and the
technicians. Not anyone can walk in and join, you know. You need to have
a talent," Nothun continued. He was blessed that his daughters never had
any aspirations to join a craft. "As for the Weyr," he shrugged. "Do
you want a Thread burrow on your backyard? Just tell your daughter that
healers still don't take women as apprentices and as for the one
dreaming of dragonrider...well, girl's been doing that as long as
there's been dragonriders. Young girls can be such romantic fools!"

"Isn't that the truth," Rystan grumbled. "Don't think I haven't tried to
reason with them, but they won't listen. The trouble with letting women
join the Harper craft is that harpers tell stories, and our daughters
start to get ideas. Maybe the other crafts will have them too, one day.
It's a slippery slope. The former Lord was weak and unstable, I'll grant
you that, but his father, Lord Ziadriel, now he was a proper Lord
Holder. His laws brought Emerald Falls back from the brink after the
plagues. He would never have let those harpers defy him in his own Hold!"

Tasni managed to keep a straight face, although she was mentally rolling
her eyes. What a pair of old fogeys! They were both as bad as each
other. Still, she knew better than to ignore a conversation because she
didn't agree with it. This would be useful information for her Masters
back in the North.

"Ziadriel was bit heavy handed time to time but perhaps that was needed,
back then. Times are different now," Nothun said. "At least Corowal is
trying to attract new people and fill in all those Holds left empty
after the Plague. Those hidebound idiots slandering dragonriders or
families with weyr-connection aren't making it easy for him," the trader
shook his head at the stupidity of some people. "More people, more
trade, more wealth to all."

"More wealth, more thieves," the other man retorted, clearly unwilling
to give up his side of the argument. "That gang that robbed the
riverboat is still out there, and I've been hearing rumours of traders
being attacked. When is your precious Lord Corowal going to do something
about them? Instead of bringing in outsiders, he should look after those
of us who have been loyal holders of Emerald Falls for generations."

"Thieves are eternal problem and bane to an honest trader," Nothun
agreed. "If only Lord Corowal hadn't tied so much of his forces to
protect the Harper Hall, then perhaps he could do something."

"Ha, and if he hadn't allowed the harpers to admit women to their craft,
they wouldn't need protection!" Rystan said, with the satisfaction of
one who has just triumphed in an argument. "It seems they haven't
learned any lessons from having their Hall burned down. Lord Corowal
should reassign his guards to deal with these holdless bandits. Then
we'd see some changes."

Tasni listened with astonishment and a growing sense of excitement. Was
this just drunken bluster, or did the Hall really need protection from
those who would attack it? This assignment could turn out to be her most
thrilling one yet...and she had her own reasons for being interested in
the fire.

"They whisper that the Hall's fire was ordered by Enrizial himself,"
Nothun said with low voice and realized his glass was running empty
again. "Compared to that, Corowal is improvement."

"Wasn't it one of his guards that did it?" Rystan shook his head. "Not
very subtle. I suppose anyone would be an improvement on a madman," he
admitted. "But folk won't just accept the harpers defying tradition. If
the Lord Holder goes on as if nothing is wrong with women crafting,
there might be another accident at that Hall."

Tasni had spotted the bartender pouring two more drinks for his
customers, and before the serving girl could return, she leaned over and
picked them up.

"Let me take these - I can see you're busy." Before he could object, she
had carried them over to the holders, hoping to catch what they were
muttering to each other. It was bound to be interesting! With a cheerful
smile, she set the drinks down on their table. "Here you are, gentlemen."

"Thank you, lass," Nothun didn't even glance at her direction. "It's
still better have the Hall here, than anywhere else. Prestige, you know.
And Hall business is Hall business," he said.

"But what about when one of us holders needs a harper, and they send us
a woman?" Rystan protested. "All right, some of them have pleasant
voices, and I'm sure they can be taught to play the gitar and other
instruments. But can you imagine if you need a contract drawn up, or
have to settle a dispute with your neighbour, and the Hall sends you
some silly girl? Think of what they'll teach our children! A lot of
soppy romantic ballads instead of good, useful Teaching songs, if my
daughters are anything to go by. I tell you," he said, lowering his
voice, "there are people in this Hold who won't put up with it."

"Well, if I were a hallmaster, I wouldn't be that stupid. Besides,
wouldn't most of those female harpers still be apprentices. Or barely
out of apprenticeship? It's only been few Turns since they started
officially apprenticing girls. They would send someone more experienced
to negotiate a deal," Nothun said. "Even before that, you were able to
send your daughter there as a student, to learn music and art."

"Yes, and I don't see why it couldn't have stayed that way," the holder
complained. "If people want to waste their marks on having a girl taught
to play a few tunes, that's their affair. But I won't have women coming
into my hold and telling me what to do. There may not be many yet, but
what happens five, or ten Turns from now?"

"There were women harpers before and still is, up there in north,"
Nothun pointed out. He was more widely travelled than your average
pernese. "People get used to it, eventually."

"Up in the North! They'll do anything up there." Rystan rolled his eyes.
"It's no coincidence they allowed Search there before we did. Probably
where they get all those greenrider boys from, if you know what I mean.
Still, I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree on this subject,"
he said, sensing he was not making any progress with his argument. "How
is that new draft beast of yours working out?"

"It's working out just fine," Nothun grinned. "Solid beast and well
trained."

As the conversation turned to a detailed discussion of the merits of
various animals, Tasni left off pretending to clean a nearby table and
wandered back to the bar, pleased with the information she'd gathered.
It sounded like the situation in Emerald Falls was complex. Some
supported the Lord Holder and his policies, others were wary or even
hostile. She would have a lot to write about in her first report back to
the North...

Last updated on the August 21st 2018

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Trade and Tradition