A trip of copper and gold
A trip of copper and gold is an adventure story written by the Imerian author Frida softfur that saw widespread success on release. The story focuses on a trio of heroes, the protagonist Bjorn Baerssen a strong but poor Imerian lad that grew up in Imerbürg with his mother at their tavern. Sholishi sho’shali is his sidekick and a young Izunzhal woman that he originally teams up with. The third person in the group is the Leopodottir Sweet honeysmile, a member of the esteemed honysmile family and the eldest daughter of that family line, she at times serves as an unintended antagonist but tries to help out as much as she can but generally seems oblivious to the harder lifestyles that her commoner compatriots faces. The story revolves around Bjorn finding a willing gambling tickets from a dying sailor that he realise is worth a fortune but the bet was made all the way down in Sydvinland so to get the money must Bjorn set out on his own and travel down the federation proper all the way to the edge of the federal world.
Author
The daughter of a Leopodottir aristocrat by a junior husband which has sadly removed her from the succession of the family assets. However, being a bookish person she was able to focus on reading and spent most of her childhood in the family library. It is said with the successful publishing of a best seller has she at least secured her place in the family as that would secure a lot of prestige for the household.
Plot
The story starts following Bjorn living in Imerbürg helping his mother and sister running a tavern down in the Imerbürg harbour district. He also earns money by being a “meatboy”, a profession for younger men in the federation where they hunt smaller animals, often with slings, in the commons or the city alleys in the federation, either to sell to less well off restaurants but also to more impoverished households on their own.
One day however does a sailor come in and rents a room, he is a loud drunken man, his cheeks turned blue through and through from a life chewing blagren and he is displaying the signs of advanced stages of gutrot that comes with using the chewing sticks. He stays for a few days loudly and proudly bragging about getting rich but he just needs to find a ship to sign up with that will sail to Vinland.
However one day after having been out and about trying to sign up for a ship does he return wounded, having been stabbed from the looks of things. He barricades the door and demands that Bjorn and his family protect him. They take him to the backroom and give him alcohol as he demands and call for the local cleric to help him.
The cleric arrives and concludes there is not much to be done and that the man is about to face the Gods, and that he ought to pay his debts to the family. The sailor curses loudly and gets aggressive but he is knocked out by the cleric that takes Bjorns mother aside to see what can be done to ensure that the body is given to the sea given the sailors profession to serve Arv, the lord of the sea.
However when Bjorn tends to the old man he wakes up and slips bjorn a gambling token made from copper, he curses the men that did this to him and makes Bjorn swear that the money would never be given to his old crewmen that attacked him for it. He instead tells Bjorn how much money is to be made.
Bjorn is bewildered and puts the token into his pouches before the sailor dies. The cleric and his mother return and the body is removed to be taken out to sea. That night Bjorn explains to his mother what happened and tells her that he intends to gather what money they had and take the train south, and that they should have enough money for him to get there if he worked some odd jobs on the way. His mother is first opposed to the idea but she finally gives in and gives Bjorn enough money for a ticket and some food.
However during the night the tavern is attacked, a large foreigner and some rough men break in and start to scream about wanting what is owed to them, Bjorn and his mother and sister escape through a backdoor but they see that their tavern is lit on fire. Hunted, they are still able to reach the local Royal Merchant Guildhall and as Bjorns mother is a member they are let in and the guild guards drive off their pursuers.
Early that morning with the money gathered does Bjorn sneak onto the train station that will take them down the grand federal Railway from Imerburg all the way down to sydvinland.However when he has boarded does he notice the rough foreigner from earlier and some of his goons also boarding the train. He does his best to hide for the first part of the trip and is eventually able to disembark in Shtalinge. However, to his horror, he hears that the foreigner sports him and starts to run after him.
A chase occurs and only ends when he runs into an izunzhal streetrat, they hear that the pursuers close in and she gives him a place to hide. She demands an explanation and when Bjorn tells her his story does she declare that she is Sholishi sho’shali and that she will accompany him to make sure he gets his money, and that she has certainly earned a cut. They return to the trainstation to see if they can sneak on board with the next train but they find out that there are still people standing guard, most likely waiting for him as the grim foreigner is talking to a few of them. Sholishi has an idea and suddenly screams that the boy is here attracting everyone’s attention again and Bjorn thinks that she sold him out, they start to charge them and she tells him to follow her.
Hesitating for a moment does Bjorn ultimately not see much of a choice and follows her as she leads him and their pursuers down the twisting city roads, They finally get to a narrow street where a few Jungkarlar sits, swords in hands and demand that everyone that passes by swear that their leader’s lady is the most fairest maiden in all the land. Being very young they do not really trouble Bjorn and Sholishi as both agree that the painting of his maiden is a very fair lady. However their pursuers are halted. The leader of the jungkarls demand smugly that they all have to kiss the shield that he had hung up and that the sailors all have to individually proclaim the maiden’s fairness. A brawl breaks out as Sholishi leads bjorn into a hidden area where they can watch. The Jungkarl gang is quickly beaten up but puts up a rough resistance and the sailors and grim foreigner have to continue clearly wounded.
Sholishi takes bjorn home to her small shed that she is allowed to sleep in from her landlady in return for various tasks around the apartment complex where she tells him to spend the night and they will have to wait for the next train anyway. She makes a pass at Bjorn jokingly saying that he at least owes her a kiss for her troubles, something he is annoyed about but he gives her one.
As dawn comes they once again try to board the train but the pursuers still stand guard and Bjorn asks Sholishi frustratedly what her plan was if this is all that they got out of it. She smugly tells him to tag along and she returns to the road where the jungkarls stood, telling them that she knows where the people that attacked them are. The leader tells them to show him and gather up his gang, he gets 27 more young men and their ponies, proudly proclaiming “A good number, three three times over thrice and three more!” They ride to the train station and Bjorn points out the sailors that hunted him.
The jungkarls ride into the station cheering and screaming, catching a few of the surprised sailors with lassos tied to their ponies do they ride off and starts to brawl with the rest, Bjorn sees the Grim foreigner looking very shocked as he tries to save the situation but the leader of the Jungkarls charges him. “That was my plan!” Sholishi explains and the two sneak on board watching the sailors routed as the foreigner falls over screaming that he surrenders and the jungkarls shout proudly that victory is theirs. However the appearance of peacekeeper constables forces the jungkarls to ride off. Some are still dragging sailors after their poneis while shouting at the constables that honour demanded vengeance. While annoyed at the disturbance of the peace, the peacekeepers seem to consider this a matter settled and a matter of honour as the foreigner screams at them. However Sholishi and Bjorn are unable to hear more as they are moving further into the train.
For a few days Bjorn and Sholishi are able to hide and only emerges out to get food but their luck runs out one day when getting food as Bjorn is grabbed by one of the sailors. He tries to get out but cannot get out of the hard grip, Sholishi tries to intercept but is smacked for her troubles. More sailors approach and Bjorn can see the grim foreigner approach from the rear. However a conductor and a guard also come in demanding to know what is going on, before Bjorn can say anything the sailor claims that he caught Bjorn and Sholishi stealing from them and that the boy has a brick that belongs to him. Bjorn tries to protest but the guard does not want anything to hear about it. Demanding the stolen objects to be returned.
However the situation is once more interrupted as an old man in finely embroidered clothes approaches. The Sailors and the conductor all bow deeply as they all realise that the man is a nobleman. The only exception is the grim foreigner that seems to be surprised by this turn of events. The conductor explains what happens but the nobleman says that it is humbug, that bjorn and Sholishi are both his servants and he want to hear nothing of this nonsense, instead does he want to know why people under his protection are being harassed by an official, this turn the conductor entirely around and he lets Bjorn and Sholishi goes and arrest the sailor that grabbed bjorn telling the rest to disperse or he would throw the lot of them off at the next station. Annoyed they all slink away as the nobleman leads Bjorn and Sholishi forward in the train, Bjorn notices that the grim foreigner starts to follow them to the surprise of both him and Sholishi, he does not get far though as the conductor smacks him with a batoon screaming at him to also get back to his seat and that the forward section of the train is reserved for noblemen and their entourage. The foreigner is taken aback and Bjorn realises that the man maybe did not know about the class distinctions in the federation.
However when they ask why the nobleman helped them does the man explain that he can tell when someone is lying and Bjorn told the truth when he protested the accusations.. However if they don’t want to make him a liar they are officially his servants until the end of the railroad. He explains that while he does not intend to travel to the end of the line as an unfortunate situation forced him to depart earlier, he still has a young lady travelling with him that needs someone to look after her.
Bjorn and Sholishi are then introduced to Sweet honeysmile, an aristocratic Leopodottir that they must act as servants as. The book takes on a bit more of an episodic adventure nature for several chapters as the kind nobleman depart and Bjorn and Sholishi has to serve under Sweet, most of the adventures are either them being forced to avoid the sailors and the grim foreigner or other situations that Sweets rather spoiled attitude puts them into. However one situation where the grim foreigner is able to separate the trio from the rest of the train results in Sweet not only getting struck by him but also forced to sleep outside for the night in the rainy jungle makes her mellow out a bit.
The story ends as the railway is replaced with a ship for the last trip of the journey and they finally arrive in Sydvinland. However as they depart, Sholishi is grabbed by the foreigner and the sailors and before anything can be done they run off telling Bjorn to meet them. Bjorn debates what to do for a bit but ultimately decides to trade the gambling token for Sholishi. Sweet tries to interject and tell him to wait an hour or so and she can solve it, Bjorn screams at her that they don’t have that time and that he will do what is right. Sweet scoffs and tells him that she will be at the central square anyway in two hours or where he can find her otherwise to apologise. Bjorn calls her heartless and storms off.
Ultimately he goes to the grim foreigner that tells him to give him the token or he is going to twist Sholishi’s arm off. Bjorn starts to hand it over but sees a terror bird digging through the garbage and instead throws it to the bird screaming that they can bloody have it but he is not going to hand it over. The foreigner laughs and throws Sholishi to the ground causing her to rip her skin and bleed. The mood of the groups however changes as the terror bird eats the bronze token and starts to run off. Bjorn grabs Sholishi and the two take off as they hear the grim foreigner start to scream to get the damned bird. Sholishi asks what they are going to do and Bjorn cheerfully says that he knows how to catch a bird as he is a meatboy by trade. It takes them an hour but they are able to capture the terror bird that got away from the foreigner and his crew as the two stats to optimistically make their way back to the gambling house and their winnings. However they once more spot the foreigner and his gang when they attempt to cross the public square to the gambling house and Bjorn and Sholishi start to flee again. They make a bad decision though and realise that their escape is a dead end as the foreigner and his gang block off their escape. Finally at the end of their rope is Bjorn about to hand over the bird to protect Sholishi as the foreigner threatens to cut them both up if they don’t do what he says. However the situation turns again as a group of large men wearing fine livery approaches the group demanding that the foreigner and his gang surrender, the foreigner points out that they are not policemen and have no authority over him, The large leader of the new group says that correct, they are not policemen but they are sworn men in the service of the house of Honeysmle and they can either do what the lady says or he will beat them law or no. Sweet then reveals herself and says that the rest of the sailors can go but she wants the foreigner beaten up. The sailors hesitates for a moment but gives up leaving their leader as they all fall back, Sweet then takes Bjorn and Sholishi with her to her estate, being horrified about realising where the winning token is. She tells them that she wants nothing to do with such things and they can pick it up whenever the bird has returned the token but that has to be when they leave as she finds it disgusting and no amount of money would ever get her to be involved with such things.
Bjorn asks what he can do to repay her and if she also wants a cut, she dismisses the offer saying that he has to swear fealty to her as a sworn vassal but as an aristocrat the money he won is not that much and she could not care. He swears fealty and the trio spends the day at the impressive Honeysmile estates. Where Sweets mother and fathers all greet them. The day after is Bjorn and Sholishi escorted to the gambling house and is finally able to get their winnings and take the train back to Imerbürg, they say farewell to Sweet that dismissively says that she will summon them when she has need of them attempting to play more composed than she is, ultimately does the aristocrat break down and hugs both and bids them a tearful farewell before Bjorn and Sholishi once more board the boat that will take them to back onto the Grand Federal Railroad and ultimately back to Imerbürg.
Characters
Old blue cheeks
Old blue cheeks is a sailor that came to Bjorns mother’s tavern one day, he was wounded and they cared for him, in gratitude did they for him did he gift Bjorn the ticket he made for a large jousting bet that not only turned out to be winning against huge odds but also involved a substantial large bet too, causing the earnings to be astronomical and enough for any federal subject to live a good and comfortable life. His true name is never revealed.
Bjorn Baerssen
Bjorn Baerssen is the main protagonist and is a youth of 15 springs, described to be one turning of the seasons away from manhood, he is depicted as good humoured and optimistic jet stoic as is appropriate for any Scadneran with deep blue eyes and black long hair. He is also described as having an aristocratic appearance and bearing and only his poor clothes and the manner of his speech could make people doubt he is highborn.
Sholishi sho’shali
Sholishi is a young girl about of age with Bjorn and has a playful and flirty behaviour, she is described as somewhat homely with thick eyebrows and a far too flat face. However despite that she is loyal to her friends and was described by Bjorn as “Having a frighteningly quick mind that would serve people well in thievery and merchantry!”
Sweet Honyesmile
Sweet Honeysmile is the daughter of the Honeysmile family and as such a rich and somewhat spoiled person, a year younger than both Bjorn and Sholishi. Generally she is good at conversation and good looking but she was mostly focused on embroidery and gallas and tended not to be too focused on the rest of the world around her. However despite her flaws was she mostly a good friend and ally to both Bjorn and Sholishi but at times did she cause the pair trouble with her attitude and some chapters feature her in a more antagonistic light.
Harald auf Vinbarsa
Harald is a good humoured aristocrat and the person that Saved Bjorn and Sholishi at the train by claiming that they were his servants, he also arranged for them to be placed as the servants of sweet as he had been her original travel companion but had to deal with an emergency. His household and that of the Honeysmile family seems to be well connected but it is not explained in what manner in the book. In personal letters though did Frida Softfur reveal that it was because his son served as a page in Sydvinland with the honeysmiles and they both had several business dealings with one another. Smile had been allowed to spend the summer with him in Imeriata proper to experience a more refined life and introduce her to the high culture’s aristocracy. Something that according to the same letter went very well and it’s something that sweet would continue to do each year.
The Grim Foreigner.
The main antagonist of the story, it is never revealed where he comes from but he is a sailor and sailed with Old blue cheeks and is most likely the man that killed him. It is not revealed which nation he is from but he is depicted as a grim looking elf with pale skin and dark hair and evil looking green eyes. And according to Bjorn has “A queer accent and he seems more used to speaking some harsh barbaric tongue”. Sholishi remarks that “no wonder that scoundrel has such a foul mood if his kinfolk are used to speaking in such a vile manner”. While he relies on Imerian weapons like daggers and such most of the time he has some rather technologically advanced tools with him that are said to be from his homeland and he looks at an odd square plate that “shines with a vile green light” at times to get information. He tends to be defeated by overlooking obvious Imerian social clues and miss things like most natives would know which causes him some issues over the story.
International reception and criticism
The book, while generally positively received, still caused some concern due to the original driving conflict in the book is based on a well known scam where people sell so-called “gambling winnings” on the other side of the federation to gullible people that they cannot collect. Frida claimed to be unaware about this being a known scam and later editions of the book included warnings about the scam and one should not buy betting winnings and try to collect them.
