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[bsnott]

1572, New Spain, the small Spanish village of Lororay. Spanish settlers hold fast in the New World, exploring the great unknown and defending themselves from the many threats. Luckily for the small boy sitting at the dock, you live on the coast. Savages dare not reach this far into Spanish territory, and no war has raged near your village since the land was first conquered by the great Hernán Cortés. Life is an easy thing for you, coming from a simple family and having no real job other than wandering around your village.

You throw another rock into the water, and watch as a ship slowly fades into the distance until it is no longer visible. You are one of the few people at the docks, most are still sleeping. The sun is just rising, and your mother will be looking for you to do your chores soon. Actually, you think you can hear her calling you off in the distance.

[~Neri]

Remember what the crap we were doing.

[bsnott]

You woke up this morning and came down to the docks to waste time like usual. Your friend Mateo hasn't showed up yet, but he's probably doing his chores, much like you should. You're sixteen years old and your mother still forces you to clean the home...you only wish she'd let you run off and find something more exciting to do. You hear her call your name again in the distance.

[Mlamlah]

Daydream about Swashbuckling while lazily answering our mother's call.

[SaberToothTiger]

"Yes, Mother dear?"

[bsnott]

You imagine yourself out on one of the ships out on the seas...and don't quite like the idea. No, you prefer the earth. Running is one of your favorite activities, and you always like to draw maps of little places around the village. You dream of one day acquiring yourself a horse and going off to chart the great unknown that is the New World. One day, you sigh.

"Yes mother?" you ask as you push open the creaky door to your family's small, one room home.

"I went out and bought you some more parchment and ink like you asked, now I want you to go and find your father at the mine. He forgot his lunch." she says as she hands you a basket with a loaf of bread and some fruit inside. "I still don't know what you use all this parchment for, but I'd hope it is of some use." You put the parchment and the ink cartridge inside your bag, which contains a quill, even more parchment, more ink, and a few coins you've saved up from doing small tasks around the village.

[SaberToothTiger]

"Where is Father, Mother dear?"

[Shadestyle]

Design Land boat using ink and parchment, Dreaming of going along the ground in a land-ship the size of an empire.

[SaberToothTiger]

Write a poem about the sea and the New World.

[bsnott]

*he plans to be a damn cartographer, not a designer*

[TCM]

Go off and speak to any Conquistadors and Explorers that are hanging around. Ask them how they started off on their journeys, to get inspired.

[Kaferian]

Go off and speak to any Conquistadors and Explorers that are hanging around. Ask them how they started off on their journeys, to get inspired.

Offer to sketch their personages in return for some more pocket change.

[bsnott]

You remember that Señor Perozo, an elderly cartographer residing in your village, is usually awake at this hour, despite having nothing to really do. You've only spoken to him a few times, but he does know that you wish to become a cartographer when you grow older. You take a stroll over to his abode, but a short walk from your home, and find him sitting at a table just outside of his front door, drinking coffee. He sees you coming, and gestures to an open chair across from the table with a friendly smile.

"Samuel, what brings you to my home this early in the morning?" he asks, and takes a sip of his coffee.

"Well, Señor, I was hoping that you could tell me about how you first started out exploring."

He looks surprised and says, "I didn't think anyone in Lororay would care to hear any stories from me." he laughs. "I've plenty to share, however...but for now I'll tell you of how I started. I was born into a lower class family back in España, but had dreamed of coming to the New World since a young age. When I came of age, I signed onto the crew of a merchant ship just coming back from a run across the Ocean. They'd lost a few men in the horrible storms, and needed some fresh men to make another voyage. It was in that time as a crewman that I got my first taste of adventure, and there was no going back after that. I resigned as soon as we arrived in the New World, and received a handsome pay just for the ride over. A clever lad I was, hah. The first thing I did was head to the nearest capital building to see what I could do. They told me of how they had no real knowledge of the area around the town, and all that they did know was based on what traders and hunters told. They wanted solid information, in the form of maps! I started off by mapping out the forests and hills around the town, on to those of the next town over, and then the one after that. But I wasn't satisfied, because I was not truly exploring the unknown, I was simply mapping the known. I used the money I'd gathered from those maps I'd made to travel to the Audiencia in Mexico City, to look for some real cartography work. I was sent on numerous journeys, commanding my own group of explorers, into the unknown, encountering danger, marvels, and adventure. I'd suggest you keep a journal, that's the only thing that's keeping the memories intact now." he laughs.

[SaberToothTiger]

"Thank you for your story. I will be back in a minute, Señor."
Deliver the food to our father, then go to the docks and look for ships that are leaving soon.

[bsnott]

"Thank you for your story. I will be back in a minute, Señor." you say with a smile, and walk out onto the street. The mines are only a short walk away, on the other side of the village, and you make the trip almost every day to see your father after he is finished working. Except for the bit of money that your mother makes from weaving, your father supports your family all by himself, earning great respect in the eyes of you and your mother.

You find him standing outside of the mine, he'd been expecting you. "Thank you, Samuel. Now I must be getting to work. Have a good day, son." he says as you give him the basket.

Instead of going straight home you head down to the docks to take a look at the ships that are leaving soon. There is only one, a small trading vessel bearing a Spanish flag. You are inspecting it from a distance when someone jumps on your back and takes you down by surprise. You are stunned, but you manage to wrestle them off of yourself. When you finally stand up and get a look at your attacker, you realize that it is just your good friend Mateo, with his usual grin.

"Samuel, I have good news. I finally found us a way to make some coin!" he says. You ask how. "Well, one of the local farmers has decided that he'd rather sell his produce in Santa Rosa because of Indian raids destroying many of their crops. It's higher risk to sell there, but higher pay. He said that he'd pay us handsomely if we offered protection on the journey to Santa Rosa. What do you say?"