02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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to keep the company largely intact, but it became
apparent that many of the captains and some of the
navigators were sympathetic to the castellans’ beliefs
that Berck Imports belonged under Ordic ownership.
Even after a decade, this takeover remains a matter of
great resentment among the castellans whose families
founded Berck Imports, and relations between the
founders and Mercarian envoys are tense and bitter.
Apparently it is just not enough to satisfy the castellans
that the League funds the trade house’s shipbuilding,
has provided a steady supply of trade through some
difficult economic times, and provided the finances
necessary for Captain Wexbourne’s initial expedition.
rumor has it…
sinCe the disappearanCe of Captain Wexbourne aboard
the seaCuTTer, disturbing rumors have begun to surfaCe.
aCCording to reliable sourCes, a number of irreplaCeable
ship’s rutters belonging to berCk imports have disappeared.
the league supervisors of the import house are reportedly
furious and suspeCt that they Were stolen by sailors loyal
to the ordiC Castellans. of Course When Confronted, the
Castellans and all of the Captains and navigators maintain
that they knoW nothing about these thefts, so it Would seem
that relations Within the import house have met something
of an impasse at last.
While the rutters have yet to surfaCe, Certain interests
Within the imports house have made it Clear that they hope
to divorCe themselves from the merCarian league, even
though league funding has been CruCial to maintaining
berCk imports’ fleet of ships. further investigations of the
import house have revealed that some outside sourCe has
funded a number of “off the books” trade expeditions to zu
not approved by the league. other disCoveries indiCate that
expeditions Were being planned to loCate other Continents
suCh as the orgoth homeland. Whoever is funding these
explorations seems to believe that after four-hundred
years Without ContaCt, the orgoth empire may Well have
Collapsed by noW and its remnants are possibly eager for
foreign trade. While the investigations Continue, there is
still no sign of Captain Wexbourne. many sailors loyal to
the league fear that the Castellans Were somehoW involved
and may Cause further problems, but no evidenCe has been
found to support these ConCerns.
Dragon’s Tongue Trade
Some say one should never turn his back on a
merchant. Of course, this saying goes double for any
dealings one might have in Five Fingers, and this is
no less true when dealing with Dragon’s Tongue
Trade. Their reputation as escorts of valuable goods,
hidden wares, and kidnap victims is the subject of
much speculation. Whether or not Dragon’s Tongue
Trade deserves this reputation, they have done little to
discourage the rumors.
Based out of Five Fingers, the trading house is old
and has been mentioned in trade papers and ledgers
going as far back as three hundred years. Known for
their ability to get important cargo to where it needs
Some nations just aren’t as lucky as the others,
and Ord seems to have gotten the wrong end of
the pike in this sense. Their largest resources are
fabrics, livestock, and fish, and while this keeps the
populace somewhat fed, the taxes gathered by the
Ordic throne aren’t enough to keep up a well-trained
fighting force or extravagant palaces.
The Baird seems to have gone a bit boxy from
boredom sittin’ his tush on the throne, so these days he
spends a lot of time abroad. Since he’s not interested
in goods and prices and what-have-you, he lets the
powerful merchant families dictate them. These
castellans are all too self-important and independent
of each other, so unification at any level is bloody
unlikely in our lifetime even though that’s Ord’s best
chance at long term survival. If you ask old Gunner,
especially with the war on and all, they should be
pulling together and gearing up for something big,
‘cuz now it’s only a matter of time….
—Gunner Wadock, Cygnaran tradesman
to be, the Tongue Traders—as they are called—are
mercenary, vicious, and incredibly good at whatever
they do. On occasion, the trade house has also
been hired to handle “disputes” with privateers and
uncooperative merchantmen. Dragon’s Tongue Trade
lives and dies on the water.
Originally a riverboat-trading guild, its operations
out of Five Fingers were taken over many years ago by
the famed privateer, Jack “Blackbarrels” Grimgrave
(male Scharde Ftr8/Wiz6). A Scharde by birth but
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