Byrding

We pulled long and we pulled hard, rowing with all our might through storm and night.

We sailed for three days when the wind cut out and we had to use the oars. Laden as the ship was with ice, we were sitting low in the water, cutting deep with each stroke.

My back was killing me, and my hands felt frozen to the oar.

With each stroke I longed for the call of land sighted, but with each stroke it didn't come. Ever since the moon had left us, we'd started to regret cutting away from the coast.

It seemed to me like the comul was thicker than ever, so I shut my eyes and focused on rowing. Let the skipper worry about whether or not we're all doomed.

~ account of an ice trader, uncovered in Kena Lanu

Before the Time of Darkness, true ice was often shipped along the coast of the Great Northern Sea in light freight ships called byrding capable of traveling up small rivers and being pulled ashore. Ice would be loaded up in the bottom of the ship and then covered, at which point the crew could load up personal belongings before setting out themselves.

Due to comul, shipping using deep sea routes was and continues to be incredibly rare. Comul is a thick fog that sets in on ships when they travel away from the coastline. It grows thicker and thicker the further out from shore vessels get. The only saving grace for sea travel before the Time of Darkness was the moon, piercing through the mist, but the moon has long since fallen out of any regular pattern.

Because of comul, longships are generally the preferred vessel of foundlings, as being able to travel on rivers is nearly essential for ships to be useful for most foundlings.

Length

12 to 17 meters