ammunition for the ballistae, catapults, archers, and general provisions. They were also used to carry Alliance army legions to reinforce an operation or to transport troops for an invasion. The naval reserve of fifty supply ships could transport up to five legions if necessary. They had good speed and were able to keep up with galleys and warships most of the time. They could also tow a barge for a bronze dragon or a wing of hippogriffs.
Each ship was commanded by a captain with a commodore or junior admiral in charge of a particular fleet. A senior admiral oversaw two or three fleets with the master admiral and his staff located at the capital. An experienced wizard was usually assigned to each fleet for magical firepower and protection.
Ice Bay Weir had a contingent of twenty-five dragons under Vermax’s and Tyrenth’s lead; the complement included Tyrenth’s silver dragon mate as well as seven bronze, eight copper, and eight brass dragons. Both Vermax and his dragon led from the front, always stressing courage in battle and honor in life, almost to a fault. They personally sent many a chromatic to its death during the Great War and were credited with stopping a small Morgathian fleet from slipping past to the High Mountain inlet.
“Tyrenth, give Nemareth and Livoth my congratulations, and we will welcome our latest brother to our fold here at the capital and ensure his skills and powers are honed,” Michenth answered in his powerful tone.
“Yes, Vermax, congratulations, and we also understand your circumstances in the sea lanes. This seems to be a common occurrence in our coastal weirs, but keep us informed of the white dragon activity,” Becknor added. “Ferranor Weir, Scimenth, Hardren, what do you have to report?” he asked.
Hardren was a thin, wiry man with short brown hair. He was of modest height and had sharp, almost elvish features. His serious demeanor was offset by a rare show of humor. He did have a definitive sense of purpose that reflected the basic mood of most bronze dragons. The Ferranor Weirleader was a dedicated but calculating fighter, who wielded a javelin dragonstone weapon, similar to Lupek’s in that it could be thrown like a lightning bolt and struck with incredible power. However, his hit with a sonic burst upon impact and was able to inflict severe damage upon anyone within up to thirty yards of the strike. This weapon was also very effective underwater, especially in conjunction with his mithril-lined buckler for close defense.
“General Becknor, Ferranor has also experienced an increased number of attacks to shipping in our assigned seas, but not to the degree that the other coastal weirs have seen. It must be the pirates’ and saragwins’ fear of the dwarves,” he said with his sharp northwestern accent and a slightly mischievous smile as he nodded to King Drekar. Hardren was a staunch friend of the dwarves even though the Enlightened had somewhat of a strong support base in the Ferranor and Denar regions. This was mostly due to the influence of the Tekend family that resided in the area. While it was known that dwarves did not like the water, King Drekar tried to place dwarf contingents on the merchant ships that were hauling their products and especially those with quality gemstones coming in or out of the dwarf mountain city. This had been effective at surprising many saragwin boarding parties attacking these ships; however, the Tekend-owned merchant ships had refused such aid.
Ferranor itself was located in the heavily mountainous region on the northwest coastal part of the Alliance, which the dwarves had almost hollowed out. This was home to their largest population of several hundred thousand. They originally started in Ferranor Mountain Weir, mining it for its large iron ore deposits, and spread out from there. They had either hollowed out or tunneled into almost the whole northern quarter of the Ferran Mountain chain. The industrious dwarves had even made a large
Each ship was commanded by a captain with a commodore or junior admiral in charge of a particular fleet. A senior admiral oversaw two or three fleets with the master admiral and his staff located at the capital. An experienced wizard was usually assigned to each fleet for magical firepower and protection.
Ice Bay Weir had a contingent of twenty-five dragons under Vermax’s and Tyrenth’s lead; the complement included Tyrenth’s silver dragon mate as well as seven bronze, eight copper, and eight brass dragons. Both Vermax and his dragon led from the front, always stressing courage in battle and honor in life, almost to a fault. They personally sent many a chromatic to its death during the Great War and were credited with stopping a small Morgathian fleet from slipping past to the High Mountain inlet.
“Tyrenth, give Nemareth and Livoth my congratulations, and we will welcome our latest brother to our fold here at the capital and ensure his skills and powers are honed,” Michenth answered in his powerful tone.
“Yes, Vermax, congratulations, and we also understand your circumstances in the sea lanes. This seems to be a common occurrence in our coastal weirs, but keep us informed of the white dragon activity,” Becknor added. “Ferranor Weir, Scimenth, Hardren, what do you have to report?” he asked.
Hardren was a thin, wiry man with short brown hair. He was of modest height and had sharp, almost elvish features. His serious demeanor was offset by a rare show of humor. He did have a definitive sense of purpose that reflected the basic mood of most bronze dragons. The Ferranor Weirleader was a dedicated but calculating fighter, who wielded a javelin dragonstone weapon, similar to Lupek’s in that it could be thrown like a lightning bolt and struck with incredible power. However, his hit with a sonic burst upon impact and was able to inflict severe damage upon anyone within up to thirty yards of the strike. This weapon was also very effective underwater, especially in conjunction with his mithril-lined buckler for close defense.
“General Becknor, Ferranor has also experienced an increased number of attacks to shipping in our assigned seas, but not to the degree that the other coastal weirs have seen. It must be the pirates’ and saragwins’ fear of the dwarves,” he said with his sharp northwestern accent and a slightly mischievous smile as he nodded to King Drekar. Hardren was a staunch friend of the dwarves even though the Enlightened had somewhat of a strong support base in the Ferranor and Denar regions. This was mostly due to the influence of the Tekend family that resided in the area. While it was known that dwarves did not like the water, King Drekar tried to place dwarf contingents on the merchant ships that were hauling their products and especially those with quality gemstones coming in or out of the dwarf mountain city. This had been effective at surprising many saragwin boarding parties attacking these ships; however, the Tekend-owned merchant ships had refused such aid.
Ferranor itself was located in the heavily mountainous region on the northwest coastal part of the Alliance, which the dwarves had almost hollowed out. This was home to their largest population of several hundred thousand. They originally started in Ferranor Mountain Weir, mining it for its large iron ore deposits, and spread out from there. They had either hollowed out or tunneled into almost the whole northern quarter of the Ferran Mountain chain. The industrious dwarves had even made a large
Similar Books
