Blood on the Still Tides

Diplomatic action

In the storm-lashed Blood Isles, a Bloodman named Brogan Stilltide returns to the rugged coastal village of Sverd. He has just completed a contract escorting a merchant vessel across the perilous Bloodman’s Sea to the distant city of Dragongrove. Though the world knows Bloodmen as savage raiders and pirates, they are equally feared and respected as master navigators, shrewd traders, and unmatched seafarers. No one knows the ocean's temperament like a Bloodman.

Ironically, many merchants hire Bloodmen to guard their ships from other Bloodmen. Brogan is one such guardian. Choosing a quieter path than his kin, he has turned away from the bloody legacy of raiders and fishermen that defines his lineage. Instead, he lives as a druid and a defender of those who pay for his shield—not his blade.

As he walks into town, Brogan is greeted warmly by his fellow Sverdi. Friendly jests, broad smiles, and hearty slaps on the back welcome him home. He makes his way to his family home where his father, Rathan, awaits. Gruff and sharp-tongued as ever, Rathan greets his son with a curt nod and sets aside the fishing pole he’s been whittling.

To Brogan, the clipped words are familiar comfort.

They catch up briefly before Rathan mentions that Jarl Bjorn, Lord Reaver of Sverd, is holding a feast in the Great Hall. Two elven dignitaries from Vandor have arrived, seeking to strike a deal for Bloodman protection. Brogan, always curious about the tides of politics—and strangers bearing gifts—decides to see these elves for himself.

By the time Brogan arrives, the feast is in full swing. Meat sizzles on spits, mugs are overflowing, and laughter rolls like thunder through the smoke-filled hall. Both long tables are packed with revelers. At the head, on the Jarl’s dais, sits Bjorn in deep conversation with two finely-dressed elves.

Brogan’s eyes scan the hall. Among the unfamiliar faces, two stand out:
 

• A hooded elf, seated beside a snoring dwarf and doing his best to appear invisible.

 
• And a half-elf man, alone with a drink in hand, staring daggers at the elves beside Bjorn.

  With the spirit of kinship burning in his chest, Brogan strides over to the half-elf and delivers a friendly—but jarring—slap on the back.

The half-elf is Dwink Bekson, a twilight cleric and exile from Vandor. He had trailed the emissaries to Sverd, hoping to uncover why his homeland was negotiating with pirates. More pressingly, one of the emissaries—Elel Dlarraithar—was once a colleague of Dwink’s late wife. Dwink suspects Elel may know something about her death.

Startled out of his brooding, Dwink exchanges words with Brogan, and the two strike up an unexpected camaraderie. As they speak, a challenge is thrown across the hall: a drinking contest. Dwink accepts and he loses spectacularly and the cleric slumps over the table to raucous laughter.

Nearby, the hooded elf—known only as Bael—sits rigidly beside the dwarf, Duergath, a slurring diplomat from Rrinnoroth who stirs intermittently to initiate half-conscious conversations. Bael avoids eye contact and keeps a trained eye on the heaps of tribute laid before the Jarl, scanning for magical items of interest.

Eventually, Elel approaches Dwink, who has been shaken awake by Brogan. The elf acknowledges him and requests a private conversation. Dwink asks for time to consider, and Elel, patient and calculating, agrees.

Soon after, the second emissary, Dorophil Dlarraithar—younger cousin to Elel—recognizes Bael. They once studied together in Vandor. With forced joviality, Dorophil challenges Bael to a game of darts. Bael accepts—and utterly humiliates him. Dorophil storms away, red-faced.

Shortly after, the dwarf Duergath stumbles out of the hall. Brogan, Dwink, and Bael notice Dorophil quietly slipping out behind him. They exchange glances, rise from the table, and follow. As they step outside, a thick magical fog rolls in from the coast. Visibility drops to nothing. The trail vanishes. Dorophil disappears into the mist.

It’s Brogan who finds a way forward—by speaking to a squirrel perched atop a fencepost. The trail leads them to Duergath’s guest shack, where the fog swirls thickest. Just as they approach the door, Duergath himself stumbles out. When questioned, the dwarf denies seeing anyone—but his answers are evasive. Brogan asks to look inside. Duergath agrees, and the trio finds the room in disarray. Searched. Sacked. But there’s nothing conclusive. Then, without warning, Duergath flees back into the shack and slams the door.

While the trio debates what to do next, the fog abruptly clears. Bael confirms—it was conjured. Moments later, Elel arrives claiming he also wished to speak with Duergath, citing diplomatic business. But when Dorophil reappears, Elel drops the pretense and the two elves return to the feast, leaving Brogan, Dwink, and Bael alone once more.

Suspicious, the three continue to investigate the hut. Bael sneaks in through the roof—but Duergath is gone.

They return to the Great Hall to find Elel and Dorophil chatting with Bjorn as if nothing happened. Yet Dorophil’s boots are caked in fresh dirt.

As night falls, the trio decides to search the area again. Near the back of the hut, Bael discovers a thatched patch of illusionary grass, which he dispels to reveal the corpse of Duergath, stabbed cleanly in the heart.

They take the news to Jarl Bjorn.

At the hall, Brogan cleverly distracts the Jarl with a game of darts. While Bjorn rants about his distaste for elvish politics, Brogan reveals the discovery of Duergath’s body. Bjorn calls out Dorophil immediately. Dorophil claims innocence, insisting he put the dwarf to bed and later saw Brogan speaking with him. Bjorn is left unsure whom to believe.

Meanwhile, Dwink and Elel have their long-awaited talk. Elel reveals his intent to bring Dwink back to Vandor, where he would be pardoned—if he swore allegiance to the Keeper’s new cause. Intrigued, Dwink plays along. Elel takes the bait. He reveals that the Keeper has agents scattered across Vestri, gathering strength for a bold purpose: to revive the Demon Emperor and claim his power. Elel wants Dwink to be one of her new agents. Dwink pretends to accept, and they return to the feast.

As they enter, silence grips the room. Bjorn coldly asks about Duergath’s death. Elel denies involvement. When pressed, he conjures a story about a satyr spotted near the scene. Bjorn, skeptical but intrigued, allows the elves to go and hunt the satyr. After they leave, Dwink reveals everything to Bjorn. The Jarl, furious but cautious, commands Brogan to take Dwink and Bael and trail the elves discreetly.

The trio spends a week shadowing the emissaries through forest and fen. Each night, they camp in tense silence. Brogan and Dwink grow close. Bael remains a cold shadow at the edge of the firelight.

At the end of the seventh day, the elves finally corner the satyr, binding him in enchanted ropes.

Believing themselves unobserved, Elel and Dorophil confess to Duergath’s murder—committed to stop him from striking a deal that would rival theirs. They plan to charm the satyr into falsely confessing the murder, hoping to curry favor with Bjorn.

The group confronts them and a battle erupts. Magic flares. Spells crack the trees and light the glade. After a brutal struggle, the elves are defeated and captured. The satyr is freed and thankful.

A week later, they return to Sverd, prisoners in tow. The satyr provides his testimony: he witnessed Dorophil stabbing Duergath.

Bjorn demands the truth. Under pressure, Dorophil crumbles. He confesses everything—how the Keeper of Vandor seeks to use the Bloodmen as pawns in her plot to revive the Demon Emperor.
  Bjorn passes swift judgment:
 

• Dorophil is executed on the spot—his skull caved in by Brogan’s staff.

 
• Elel is maimed and banished—his hand severed as a message to Vandor.

  The Keeper’s offer has its answer.

The celebration is short-lived when a trusted raider bursts into the Great Hall, gasping for breath. He brings grim news: Vandor’s agents already paid Bloodman mercenaries to begin raiding the shores of Rrinnoroth. Bjorn is incensed. None had his permission. He turns to Brogan and commands him to find the traitor: Skagi Worldstealer, a local who took Vandor’s coin. Dwink and Bael, bound by duty and kinship, volunteer to join the hunt and they set sail that evening.

Seven days later, with the winds behind them and vengeance in their sails, the shadow of a longship crests the horizon—Skagi’s sails on the waters of Rrinnoroth.

---