After the Dr O Raid, Yspadadden completes his business in Chittagong. He has need of a river boat. There are various bulk supplies he needs from the city that he cannoit transport upon the Night Wind. He also has a bulk cargo for the return trip. He has been trading for years with the Picts (shh, don’t tell William the Marshall) and has amassed nearly fifty bales of high quality winter furs from the exchange. It is now the coldest part of the cycle and it seems an excellent time to sell into the biggest market in the northern world. He engages with a fellow called Adjir who, for a consideration (1400 gold pieces) is willing to carry a full cargo in his river trader up the Northern Otanga to Dingradur and return with the furs – in exchange for two bales. Yspadadden oversees the purchase and loading of his supplies. He summons the Night Wind and he and Ranulf return to Dingradur to await the arrival of the boat. It duly arrives about a week later and dwarves and crew portage the cargo and the furs the few miles from the river to Dingradur.
Yspadadden doesn’t much like travelling by boat – he can’t swim and all that water makes him nervous. However, he decides to accompany the boat downstream. This is mainly to ensure that there are no awkward questions about the furs at William the Marshall’s stronghold. He parts with a gold decorated magic helmet and indeed William clearly decides that he would rather not know what was in the holds of the ship. The Marshall even furnishes him with a passport, allowing him to come and go as he pleases. There is no end date upon it.
The journey is not without incident. Yspadadden’s unwillingness to sleep aboard the boat, means that there are two encounters at night with draugrs. The first is easily dispatched. The second sinks back into the ground, but not before Yspadadden lops its right arm from it. A Hand of Glory – that could be …. handy, thinks the Dwarf. There is a larger fight, involving the crew as well against a band of ogres. Although the main protagonist in all these encounters, Yspadadden shares the spoils fairly with the crew, who are a happy bunch when they reach Chittagong.
Yspadadden is delighted with the sale price for the furs in Chittagong which net him over 40 talents.
F-27
OE Date: May 694
Characters: Yspadadden NPCs:
Real World: March 2003 ; Where: Surbiton?