The captain's tea
On a cold arvo, rain pouring down, the waters chop lazily as two ships come aside. Ropes are passes between as a shout begins
"Do you have the board?"
"Ey, do you have the tea?"
Hands are washed by 2ICs (Callmasters they translate to in Eastern Oceanic). In old times this was to wash away the circuit tattoos to force a trust between captains.
The Tile game. keeps the mind busy while the pouring of the tea keeps the hands constantly in show. You pour for your guest and then they pour for you, each of you taking a singe sip from the other's cup.
News is shared at this time, and time is set aside for the crews to trade while the captains gossip. It is a wonder that anything gets done when two captains meet on the open ocean, even when history is involves. especially when the history is juicy.
A ship's store must have at least a box of tea for this purpose, for it would be rude to have neither tiles nor tea, and it is too easy for a tile set to go overboard.
Recently, with the bringing of steel to the seas, the captain's tea has had all weapons loaded into a box that is tied to the ropes between the ships, able to be retrieved after the kindness is done but not before. For while neither ship wants trouble, trust is the reason the tea started and is in short supply on the open seas."Ey, do you have the tea?"
Observance
The ritual is for passing vessels that do not wish to engage in outright hostilities on the open seas. Information is mutually traded in exchange for a 'nope' energy to any aggression.
While initially a Troll thing, those on the seas adopted the ritual as a long-standing cultural handshake - even the usually straightforward demons stick to the teatime with strange vessels - the implications of community and connection too much for those of iron to pass up.
Important Locations
Thank you for reading, feel free to give feedback.
This is a lovely little ritual. Tea makes everything better. :)
Explore Etrea | Summer Camp 2025
It really does