Salt to Stern

Annual autumnal adventure across the Astrensea.

"Don't let go! It's just some rain, you're all sailors for Astrenza's sake! Keep her movin'!"

A Friendly Competition

Once every year, come autumn, many sailors gather on the shores of the Salt Flats to eat and to drink, to sing and to dance, and finally to rest before the big event. When they wake, it is time to perform the final checks on their ships before the announcer - called a hornbearer - signals the beginning of the race. From the shores of the Salt Flats the vessels depart for the far side of the Astrensea where they reach port at the village of Seaside.
There is no required route to travel between the start and end points which leads some to risk travel in shallow or dangerous waters to save time. While the first iterations of the race included no official rules, there have since been some added due to bad actors in previous years. It is forbidden to harm other participants, threaten them, or to interfere with their ships, supplies, or sailing.

The First Challenge

The story of the first Salt to Stern has been passed down through the generations. Two ship captains were arguing over which one of them should be allowed to fish a specific area. It almost came to blows when the owner of the tavern they were in told them to resolve it another way. Another patron told them they should race to the fishing grounds but the captains escalated it to the length of the Astrensea.
The ships were neck-in-neck for most of the race, switching places a few times, until the final stretch when a huge storm rolled in; thunder roared and lightning flashed. One ship took the lead and the crew cheered through the rain and thunder. The captain of the lead ship looked back to gloat and saw the other ship in distress, it had been struck by lightning. Looking forward to the town ahead - to the finish line - he saw victory. Looking back he saw people in distress, they might have fought over fishing grounds but never would have wished his opposite to drown in stormy waters.
In the end, one ship sailed into port but two crews arrived. They ate, they drank, they sang, and they danced. The captain who turned back was declared the winner and the rest is history.

The Reward

There is no monetary reward for the challenge, the winning ship and crew are recorded each year and they are celebrated at the end of the race. People who belong to winning teams also tend to become well-known and have no trouble finding friends and acceptance among the islands that make up Tamazee.

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Good Omens

During one year's Salt to Stern the crew in last place managed to rocket to first place. At the big party after the event they said that good luck was granted to them. They claim that they saw an entire school of wingfish leap from the water and glide in the direction the ship was heading - opposite the usual direction that the flying fish fly. They pulled in behind the school and found an unexpected current and a powerful tailwind.
The crew thanked Astrenza for giving them a sign and restoring their depleted morale. Since that race sightings of wingfish have been considered incredibly good luck during the Salt to Stern - moreso than they already were in the everyday life of those who inhabit the Geetan Archipelago.

"May the best crew win."

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