Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm by J. Michael Fluck Page A

tunnel that connected the southern border of the port city of Ferranor, which the weir overlooked, to the southern tip of Kestal Lake, which lay east of the mountains, and the large expanses of forests that surround it. The tunnel was a wonder of dwarven mining and construction ability. There were even inns and keeps within the tunnel for travelers and the wagon train passengers to rest. Most were run by halflings, whom the dwarves employed; the smaller cousins to the dwarves had dispositions that were more suited to inn keeping than the dwarves with their moody temperamental tendencies.
    Ferranor Weir, while slightly smaller than Draden, sat on a jagged rock outcropping on a curved mini peninsula, well positioned to defend the city from a naval attack. The mostly human city of Ferranor surrounded the port and the narrow jagged valley that led to the north shore of Lake Kestal. It mainly supported the fishing industry and the dwarves in importing and exporting goods and products, including metal works, stone items of all kinds, and jewelry of their expert make. This uneasy partnership made Ferranor the center of trade in the extreme northwest of the Alliance.
    The legion assigned to Ferranor Weir was slightly smaller than the standard Alliance army legion with only two infantry battalions; a catapult battalion; a cavalry company; a reinforced land dragon platoon; a sapper company; a ranger company mounted on a combination of s, giant eagles, and latoucs; and an aerial company of mounted hippogriffs. Ferranor Weir had a complement of six bronze, seven copper, and seven brass dragons. A dwarf battalion was directly attached to Ferranor and fought directly for the weir. The dwarf city of Minara, located all around the weir and under the adjacent mountains, could muster several legions on a relatively short notice and generally worked with Ferranor Weir. These dwarf legions had formed the center of the combined Alliance Army during the last battle of the Great War decades earlier in Battle Point. While at less strength than they had then, the dwarves could still muster a significant army if the need arose, for every dwarf, no matter the trade he or she engaged in, was trained as a fierce warrior. The elves in the Allghen Forest situated between Ferranor and Ice Bay Weirs and slightly to the south could muster a single legion on a moment’s notice, but with half of them being master archers and with dozens of elvish wizards, that legion was the most feared in the Alliance.
    “Otherwise, sir, our next biggest problem is the constant harassment from the Enlightened and their arbitrator friends,” Hardren quipped.
    “Our fights at sea have also involved engagements with several kraken and pirates. Even the Shidanese have been employing more apprentice sorcerers and dark-crystal weapons. This development is a growing threat and predicates stronger action on our part, as well as the training of more wizards for the Alliance Navy,” Scimenth added.
    “Thank you, Hardren, yours and Scimenth’s efforts and dependability are a credit to your weir. We know that you all will stem the tide of the threat at sea and the threat at home from the Enlightened. Denar Weir, Tridenth, Bristurm, please state your concerns,” Becknor stated in a slightly heavy tone, for he knew what was to follow.
    “General Becknor, Michenth, my fellow dragonriders, noble dragons, and friends, like always, we shadow Ferranor’s concerns and issues. We at Denar Weir have pursued the saragwin and the pirates out to the deep seas when they attacked our shipping. The dwarves and the sea elves have also been a tremendous aid in this. We strive to help them bring the fight to the enemy, sending those devils back to the abyss of the deep,” Bristurm stated in his usual brisk but reverent manner.
    Bristurm was a strong, dedicated, and resolute fighter and proficient monk. He was heavily muscled and physically powerful as well as an extremely strong-willed and intense