We stopped at another town for the next two days while the ship gets repairs and takes on supplies before we brave crossing the entrance to the Bay of Ivil. Although we’ve passed a number of towns along the coast of Etnyben, Perduva is only the second we’ve stopped at, with Roba being the first. I overheard someone mention this is a good idea because sailors often get rowdy during shore leave. By staying away from as many towns as possible, unwanted behavior stays at a minimum.
At first glance, there is nothing special about Perduva. However, once a person learns more about the town, it is far from normal. The town considers itself to exist across the entire entrance to the Bay of Ivil. Right now we’re at the northern edge of Perduva. After we travel south about 160 nura, we’ll reach the southern edge of Perduva at the other side of the entrance to the Bay of Ivil. Along that entire distance, we’ll be anchoring at small island sections of Perduva each night, designed to assist in the navigation of these treacherous waters.
The only real reason we absolutely need to stop at Perduva is these waters are so treacherous that the only people who dare to take a ship through the region spent their entire lives training to do it. It’s a system started centuries ago, where each ship will have a man from Perduva to guide it through to the next island. Apparently, it’s a lucrative career in Perduva. Captain Hegherg will remain in charge, but he agrees there is no way he could safely navigate this area.
Because we’ll be docking the ship each night, we’ll be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of each section of Perduva. Captain Hegherg said there’s good fishing and bird hunting. Ervah mentioned several good taverns he thought I might like to visit. Some of the soldiers said I might be interested in the local women. Tora’Sor expects I’ll want to enjoy some of the other cultural diversions like music and art. I might end up just staying on the ship each night to get away from them all for a short while!