Franz Lohner’s Chronicle – A Shieldmaiden of the Seas

An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.

Had a bit of good news recently. I mean, that shouldn’t be a surprise really should it, good news being relative and all? The way I see it, things are generally so bad around here that almost any news should have the effect of raising spirits a little. No, strike that. We don’t want any talk of raising spirits, what with Sofia Fuegonasus up to some kind of necromantic mischief to be confirmed by yours truly.

But anyway, you take my point. Things are bad, and when things are bad almost anything seems good.

Then again, that reads like a jinx as well, don’t it? Best that I get my news out of the way before some passing god decides to have a bit of fun with old Franz.

Goodness knows everyone else does.

Anyway, said news concerns the wandering Hedda Bardinsdottir, last seen taking ship out of Barak Varr to an uncertain fate. The nautilus she was captaining - Grungni’s Whisper - just upped and vanished, and while I don’t know where it is, I do know where it’s been.

Seems they had a bit of a run-in with one Nyklaus von Carstein, or at least a part of his fleet. Nyklaus is, of course, the self-styled Count Noctilus – a pirate of some note. A vampirate, I suppose, thought that makes me feel like I’m trying too hard. Pretty sure I’ve had reports of his death, but that ain’t exactly a surprise with those bloodsuckers. Hard bunch to keep down, as a rule.

Regardless of whether or not Nyklaus is still undead and kicking, bits of his fleet are … or at least, were. My sources tell me that Hedda and the Grungni’s Whisper waged a brutal one-ship-and-cogwork-torpedo vendetta, and sailed away bloody but unbowed. Which is, of course, the dwarf way.

How do I know this? Well, a man in my line of work doesn’t just deal with folk you’d want to share a drink with. Sometimes you have to deal with some real black hearted bobbers, and it just so happens one such fellow was captain on one of the downed ships. Owed me a favour on account of me not staking him after the Battle of Bozmin Spit. Volunteered the information like a good ‘un, on the condition I didn’t tell Hedda Bardinsdottir that he’d not gone to the briney deep like she presumably thought.

It’s a promise easily kept, because I still don’t know where Hedda can be found … but I’m getting closer. Seems she waged her little war in hopes of recovering some kind of family heirloom plundered in ages past. Noctilus’ lot didn’t have it. Seems a seafaring greenskin warboss by the name of the Gangplank Git - you can’t make it up, can you? - sneaked aboard and snuck off with the artefact in question. Only fair, as it had already been stolen about six times prior.

That being the case, My fangy informant seems to think Hedda’s heading towards Ekrund, that being where the Gangplank Git is currently plying his trade after running his stolen galleon aground in the Black Gulf. Guess I’d better keep my ear to the ground. No sense telling Bardin about it, not yet. Still plenty of time for this tale to go sour.