Rift Plate 013 · River Veins
Deluge Ferryman
A spectral ferryman arrives before the floodwater, raising the river until someone pays an old debt.
- Plate group
- River Veins
- Classification
- Spectral
- Field account
- Recovered
Recovered natural history
Field record
Levee account
The skiff scraped across a dry levee. Water held around its hull where none had reached the stone. With every stroke of the oar, the river rose. Another landmark disappeared.
The Ferryman offered passage. A name might pay for it. A promise, perhaps, or the weight of one living passenger.
An older unpaid crossing was entered into his account. He stopped the flood to reckon with it. The old debt hadn't been paid.
Bargain pattern
He sets the price, then raises the water until you have reason to accept. Be exact. He honors a precise bargain and takes advantage of a vague one. Breaking the skiff puts him in the river, where he is stronger. Proof of a prior debt can interrupt the collection already under way.
Record condition
Notes on the account
- Location
- Dry levee above the flood line
Read the environment
Signs of its presence
A wet skiff scrape crosses dry levee stone toward the river.
Brass ferry tallies surface in fields before floodwater arrives.
Survival doctrine
Field precautions
01
Present the older account
Bring authentic evidence of an unresolved crossing. He must suspend the present price while reconciling that debt.
02
Make every word exact
Have the bargain witnessed precisely. After accepting it, he cannot quietly increase the price.
Recovered Field Plate
01
Primary form
A robed ferryman rises behind a broken prow, the body tapering into cloth, spray, or shadow.
02
Detail studies
A long staff and sharply folded hood carry most of the figure’s vertical weight.
Continue through the folio
013 of 100 recovered plates