Thalia was surrounded by water and bubbles of air as she plunged into the lake. The water was pleasant and warm, and the looming figure of the ship she'd just abandoned hung overhead until she surfaced. As she burst through the surface of the Mer, and she tread to stay afloat, a cool breeze met her wet face and hair, sending a chill through her body. The water was like a haven of warmth, to escape it would be to accept the frigidity of cool morning air against wet clothes.
"Pull up the anchor! Man the sails!" The captain's voice barked and as the ship so familiar to Thalia made it's way off, the docks of the Waterworks were all that Thalia could see before her. Her past was behind her, sailing away, and now all there was left, was her future, which sounded distinctly like a mesh of ringing buoys and tolling bells, harmonized with the cry of greedy seagulls, and the pounding of hammers against wood in the Waterworks yard.
A dense forest of masts is the first signal that something is up. Masts of different woods, sizes and diameters, sporting the flags of the known countries of Tazlure, announce the site of the Waterworks Yard. They reach out above the granaries and warehouses cramming the docks and thus grace the port-area with grandeur uncommon to the skyline of an average harbour. A heavy oak gate bars the path of any people searching for the roots of those tall poles. Beside it there is a small but sturdy cabin housing three beefy guards. Passage is only granted to those capable of handing over a written permission from a trusted supplier or from an employee of the shipyard itself.
Inside the well-guarded gate the atmosphere is dominated by a hive of activity. Shipbuilding is divided into clearly defined segments. Although ship parts seem to dot the complete area at random the opposite is true. Every single piece of building material is at its rightful place and being prepared for further processing. Workmen of all ages, races and trades work together in a united camaraderie. They shine with a pride born from the knowledge that a ship from their workshop, when completed, will be recognized and honoured as one of the best vessels braving the high seas.
In the middle of all the hustle and bustle a building emerges between the squat, low, slate roofed workshops. This, the only stone build structure on the premises, houses the office of the owner of the Waterworks. The ground floor is used as a design studio. Here ideas bloom and models are built to test them. Littering almost every surface available are prototypes of almost every ship commissioned in the yard. Some new, more advanced vessels can also be spotted, providing you know your goat from your sheep within the shipbuilding trade. During the ascent of the stairs, propped in the far corner of the building, another room reveals itself. Taking up the whole of the second floor and filled with files and documents is the Waterworks’ archive. This dusty space contains the written briefs and contracts of the ever growing clientele.
Reaching the top of the creaky staircase one is presented with a room clearly in strife with itself. Signs of lowly savagery and elements of highest sophistication battle for attention in this the office of the yardmaster. Fierce and dangerous weapons line one wall while dotted around the room fine sculptures and detailed drawings can be spotted. The room expresses the roots and drives of an interesting personality.
The improbable owner of all this is an Orc. Well, not your average Orc, no, a vertically challenged one at that. However, his vision and shipbuilding skills make up for the slight deficiency with ease. Master Navirez is the proud mind that created this, one of the largest shipyards on Tazlure. Accustomed to working alongside humans and other races, this 2.4 paces tall former member of the Targri-orcs has covered his fierce personality with a thin layer of civility. He finds this makes his dealings with non-orcs less stressful and sometimes even enjoyable. The moment he came to this new insight his enterprise started to bloom as none before. Now some ten years down the line his knowledge and vision is beyond doubt and everyone keeps wondering about his next revelation.
Ahead of her and past the docks she could see ten strong humans carrying a fifty foot mast toward what was most likely their latest project. To her right there was a dinghy that was tied off to a dock, with a metal ladder next to it. To her left there was a hulking ship with a rope ladder hanging down beside her.