You are Grakeln a shipmaster whose father Grake does not like you to mention his name. You are in the employ of your Uncle Grittwey and have command of two of his cogs the Mahaut and the Lettys. Originally you were a Kavenkazid a cave dwarf from Hakhul. However 27 years ago you were found guilty of running a dicing den and banished from the Kavenerth for fifty years. Your Uncle Grittwey gave you employment as a crewman on his ships. Sailing up and down the waterways from the Nymphwater to the Sundering Sea you have worked your way up to your present position. Currently King Dearth of Varadh has committed his realm to assist the Lawic Host fighting the Chaotics in the North. Even in alliance with the haughty elves! With money to be made shipping supplies up to the host, justified racial resentments have had to take a back seat. Now however, shocking new developments appear to be taking place!
Your current mission is to bring supplies from Grossflusschaukelnundholzbruck and other places en route to Chogard. This is your seventh such trip and you know that that city must be very well stocked by now, even though it is supplying the large Lawic Host. What has upset you and most of the dwarves of Grossflusschaukelnundholzbruck, is the insults thrown at Margraff Imlarden, Kreig Marshal of King Dearth’s forces operating with the Lawic Host. He and his entourage were attending a feast in Chogard, when an Elfess, Princess Voluptia, insulted the whole of Kazidom! By Kazid Varadh standards allowing females to be present at a political event, even a social one is unthinkable. However the humans as well as the elves do so for feasts and balls, the latter being an immoral entertainment no dwarf has ever attended. This elfess is the daughter of King Pinical of Regalia, Varadh’s enemy in many past wars. Still single she has a terribly shocking reputation even by the lax elf standards. Having seen her once at Tegalon you believe everything they say about her! At this feast, she had the gall to ask if there were no female dwarves present, because none were respectable enough to be seen in decent company! She said that whilst every dwarf could name his forefathers back a dozen generations, none knew the name of their own grandmothers! Patently wrong as you knew the name off and actually have seen, your paternal grandmother! She also repeated the Elf slander that Polymorphia created the dwarves from toads! Margraff Imlarden walked out with all his party and has written to King Dearth suggesting that they might leave the alliance. The King is still debating the possibility. The autumn is now here, so fewer supplies will be available to transport. Perhaps it may be that even if the Krieg army comes home, supplies can still be sold to the rest of the Lawic host. That is assuming that the fighting remains in balance, as it has for so many years. Recent rumours have been that the forces on both sides have been growing so much that they must have a deciding battle or starve!
You arrived here at Tegliff’s landings mid morning. Usually Tegliff would be here to meet you with a load of supplies ready on the quay but it was deserted. Perhaps he was having some problem transporting them to the landings? Tegliff owns most of the land hereabouts as he bought it from the Amelian elves. He has hired human farmers to raise crops and cattle. He has a cart and some pack mules for carrying the supplies.
You are in no hurry and decided to sit and wait. You blew a horn to call Tegliff and mounted the timber watchtower to scan the surrounding area. Whilst up there two Elf skyffs sped past downriver. Naturally your crews jeered at them whilst they did not so much as look in your direction. Later you saw many sails and seven vessels came from the north. One of them, the lymphad Fabiola moored alongside your cog. Skippered by Captain Greyne it had Baggage Captain Quicksand in it, both of whom you knew from past times. “Greeting Master Grakeln, you go on a wasted errand I think.” Said Quicksand. “The Lawic Host is lost and I think the Krieg army destroyed with the rest! These ships are filled with women refugees fleeing to beyond the Cleve! We fought them near Narnienor but the foes encircled us and the baggage was attacked. I and some others escaped and were picked up by these ships. We saw the enemy ashore who impeded us at Catena where we had some losses. There we took the villagers aboard but they later left us to go to Gwidior.”
“These are very sore tidings! I have cargoes destined for Chogard!”
“I tell you that your way will be perilous an you go north. I doubt that there will be a need for your goods if you do get to the city. However it is an ill wind, I expect it will give you pleasure to hear that Prince Imvain and most of the Elvish forces were slain early on.”
“That is as you say, Morval Earth can do better with fewer elves. I hope that that witch Voluptia perished with them?”
“Nay I know not. I stopped just to give you the tidings and we will be on our way. Farewell and Bikon assist you!”
You bade them farewell waving from the lookout tower. After an hour of thinking you called up Wodengaff , Captain of the Lettys to discuss what to do next. “Can Quicksand’s tidings be fully to be trusted think you?” you asked him.
“I would not trust him beyond reach of my axe!”
“Yes nor would I in a town but what profit can there be for him in this? As Baggage Captain he had a good job and good status in human terms. If he has fled that, things must be bad up north.”
“He might have fled to escape his share of hard knocks. Likely a charge of cowardice against him?”
“Yet those ships were filled with human women, all fleeing from something! I like it not! At the least the Host has lost a battle.”
“Perhaps. Here cometh another vessel, perchance we may get more sure tidings from it?”
“Not so likely! That is an elf hanoe! We shall get little but lies and deceit from them!”
“Yet those may be sifted to learn the truth. I think we must hold counsel with them. The King hath not ordered us to quit the alliance as yet.”
You stared at the small vessel being paddled downstream. Then you gasped in disbelief! At the stern of it stood the scantily clad figure of Voluptia the evil Elfess witch!
“Wodengaff we must ready to sail! See yonder large elf woman, that is Voluptia accursed by all dwarfdom! Here is a chance to capture her and take her to the King to answer for her crimes!”
“Capture an Elf Princess? And thus cause a war! I would I had stayed at home!”
“Come there was like to be war in any case because of her! Perchance an she be prisoner we may have already won it. Think Wodengaff, our names will be sung for centuries to come an we succeed!”
“More like to be expunged from the family records! Think you, we are in Amelia an elf kingdom and Regalia controls much of the Deepwater beyond! How could we hope to sail back all that way with her aboard?”
“We shall not try. You shall stay with the ships. I will take her to Tegliff to get an escort to take her to Grossflusschaukelnundholzbruck over land. Tegliff hath ever two hands of dwarves escort. If I skirt the northern eves of the Laiven Forest I should win through safely. In fact wolves are like to be more of a problem than the Amelian elves, for one hardly ever sees them! Come, do as you are bid, Grittwey gave me the Command!”
“I misdoubt me but that he will regret that but I will do as you say! Raise the sail lads and stand to arms!”
“Crossbows at the ready for those elves lads! Aim to hit any but the monstrous large woman at the stern. Her we want taken prisoner!”
Cog Mahaut Grakeln & 4 crossbow dwarves = 5
Grakeln Lea Mo 6", Fa 7/14, TR 5, SR + 5, D-5, C-4, W -3, A +1, Ob 1.0, Me +2 –0 = 0 sword st 0
Shield parry 7+ St 4, Speaks Kazid, Simnith, Reads Runes Tengthin. Tinderbox
Crossbow dwarf Fol Mo 5", Fa 6/12, TR 3, SR + 3, D-5, C-4, W -3, A +1, Ob 0.8, Me +0 –0 = 0 st 0
Latch Crossbow 5" 5+, 10" 6+, 15" 7+, 20" 8+, St -4 +1 to hit if rested. 12 quarrels Fires alternate moves.
Speaks Kazid, Simnith Reads Runes. Tinderbox.
Cog Lettys Wodengaff & 4 crossbow dwarves = 5
Wodengaff Off, Mo 5", Fa 6/12, TR 4, SR + 4, D-5, C-4, W -3, A +1, Ob 0.8, Me +1 –1 = 0 axe st +2
Speaks Kazid, Simnith, Kharsh, Reads Runes. Tinderbox
Crossbow dwarf Fol Mo 5", Fa 6/12, TR 3, SR + 3, D-5, C-4, W -3, A +1, Ob 0.8, Me +0 –0 = 0 st 0
Latch Crossbow 5" 5+, 10" 6+, 15" 7+, 20" 8+, St -4 +1 to hit if rested. 12 quarrels Fires alternate moves.
Speaks Kazid, Simnith Reads Runes. Tinderbox