by Matt » Wed Aug 17, 2005 11:25 am
Bjan refilled his horn from a passing servant, and waiting for her to be out of earshot, savored the sweet honeyed drink. His piercing gray eyes lingered for but a moment more, and he turned back to the table.
"Your daring is admirable young Seld. I tell you in confidence the other two warboats go to gather strength and retake Lorkin before the winter! It is but lightly held by Jarin scum, and they shall melt before us as they have in the past. These Southrons, though, are another matter. They are not so easily cowed, and it will take both boldness and cunning to defeat them."
He looked about the hall once again. "I do not see Erdrick at the moment, although I'm sure he was here. Well, if he appears I shall call him over - and to answer your question, Ulauf, I know he is as skilled with the bow as any of our militia. Meanwhile, let us discuss Tandir."
"Tandir is one of the strongest fortifications in Orbaal. I'm shocked that the Southrons could take it, and can only surmise that it was lightly defended when the Verakaars raided Geldeheim. There may also have been treachery involved," he mused, lightly stroking his well-kept beard. "The town is at the bottom of a sheltered bay, a very safe harbor even in the fiercest storms. Like all places in Orbaal, it has too many Jarin - more than a hundred households. Now, as you know, the Valhakar of the Verakaars - named Bjan like me - is a fiery, ill-tempered bear of a man. He and King Alegar have hated each other for years, and it's never pleasant when the two of them are in the same hall. If rumors are true, Bjan Verakaar is dead, and most of his men perished with him when they returned to Tandir and found the castle held against them."
"The caer itself is imposing. It sits on a rocky outcrop nearly two hundred feet above the town. Sheer cliffs protect it from the seaward side, and a long winding trail open to archers from the castle protect the landward side. The outer walls are not especially strong, but even should an attacker gain the outer bailey, the inner still remains and the approach to the keep - on the highest point of the crag - is a bridge across a narrow gorge protected by two gatehouses in the shadow of a stout tower. With the Southrons installed there, they have a firm foothold indeed. If King Alegar is there, you can be sure he's being held in the keep."