The sea hardened just about anyone that called it home - it was a whole other world out there on the waters and it was part of the reason why a sailor was so hard to surprise by the affairs of the land-dwellers; void beasts? Try sea monsters! Elections? Try running for captain for a bunch of unhappy sailors! They had their own tales to tell to one another, their own rumors to murmur over pints of rum.
"Who are these... Dozen? And why there be twelve of 'em?"
"Tch! Ya must be new 'round these waters if ya ain't heard of the Dozen - 'tis the name of the alliance holdin' the southern trade routes from Etla."
"Ain't those ones goin' to Valsheim?"
"Ya bet yer arse they are, ya got big trades comin' from both Olde World an' Guildereim, ya can believe that they ain't wanna let go o' that gold comin' in from shippin' -cargo- between 'em places..."
"Sounds like a nice an' juicy prize, if ya ask me..."
"HA! Good luck to any soul that tries... they got backin' from some big wigs in Guildereim... those bastards can fire cannon shot made outta gold they got so much o' the stuff."
"Ain't Curzon dead?"
"Dead? Nah... bloodied nose, broken teeth... he ain't the big shot no more around these waters..."
"Heard them Dozen gave him a thrashin'."
"Aye, came in hard an' he ain't the type to give up what he had. Used to call the shots all 'bout Etla 'til they came an' sunk half a dozen o' his ships - why else ya think they now be called Curzon's Few?"
"Hey, don'tcha let that name fool ya... ain't just a few of 'em still around, force to be reckoned with still, I tell ya. Heard he took them ol' Stronghold ruins an' controls the north waters now."
"Didja hear Barbo? Sayin' that 'e heard 'bout them Harbinger crew talkin' 'bout somethin' big..."
"Oh yea? The blazes that drunk fool be talkin' 'bout now?"
"Aye, heard 'em talkin' 'bout makin' big moves... 'e says they be plannin' on makin' a move on Etla... even got some ol' Terzo names comin' outta the dust to join 'im..."
"Hahahaha! What he plannin' on doin' witha buncha forgotten folk? Plannin' on rammin' 'nother dock? Good fuckin' move!"
"Haha! Is wut I said to 'im! Be he jus' kept goin' on an' on... sayin' that cap'n o' theirs be plannin' to make it his own."
"HAWHAWHAWHAWHAW! Are ya fuckin' serious? An' wut? They jus' gonna go an' smash all o' 'em docks 'til them big Dozen turn an' blow 'em to smithereens? They got that Guildereim backin' them up and ya heard wut 'appened last time 'e went after a ship backed by Guildereim, them Balestras took a piece right outta their asses!"
"Aye! Ya right, damn mad to be sayin' shit like that 'specially when Curzon jus' finished takin' back his piece o' the trade routes... ya know there hadn't been a single trade ship goin' through the north waters for some time since 'e got back that ol' Stronghold island..."
"Ya mean 'til the Wolfhound island jus' popped outta nowhere! Kinda tense between them ol' crew an' the Wolfhounds last I hearin' of things there... least it keeps the city 'ere kinda alright, ya know?"
"Them Dozen, Curzon's Few, Wolfhounds... an' they ain't even the only ones out there! Betcha five golden ones the next one we 'ear 'bout them is when the wreckage be floatin' by..."
"Who are these... Dozen? And why there be twelve of 'em?"
"Tch! Ya must be new 'round these waters if ya ain't heard of the Dozen - 'tis the name of the alliance holdin' the southern trade routes from Etla."
"Ain't those ones goin' to Valsheim?"
"Ya bet yer arse they are, ya got big trades comin' from both Olde World an' Guildereim, ya can believe that they ain't wanna let go o' that gold comin' in from shippin' -cargo- between 'em places..."
"Sounds like a nice an' juicy prize, if ya ask me..."
"HA! Good luck to any soul that tries... they got backin' from some big wigs in Guildereim... those bastards can fire cannon shot made outta gold they got so much o' the stuff."
"Ain't Curzon dead?"
"Dead? Nah... bloodied nose, broken teeth... he ain't the big shot no more around these waters..."
"Heard them Dozen gave him a thrashin'."
"Aye, came in hard an' he ain't the type to give up what he had. Used to call the shots all 'bout Etla 'til they came an' sunk half a dozen o' his ships - why else ya think they now be called Curzon's Few?"
"Hey, don'tcha let that name fool ya... ain't just a few of 'em still around, force to be reckoned with still, I tell ya. Heard he took them ol' Stronghold ruins an' controls the north waters now."
"Didja hear Barbo? Sayin' that 'e heard 'bout them Harbinger crew talkin' 'bout somethin' big..."
"Oh yea? The blazes that drunk fool be talkin' 'bout now?"
"Aye, heard 'em talkin' 'bout makin' big moves... 'e says they be plannin' on makin' a move on Etla... even got some ol' Terzo names comin' outta the dust to join 'im..."
"Hahahaha! What he plannin' on doin' witha buncha forgotten folk? Plannin' on rammin' 'nother dock? Good fuckin' move!"
"Haha! Is wut I said to 'im! Be he jus' kept goin' on an' on... sayin' that cap'n o' theirs be plannin' to make it his own."
"HAWHAWHAWHAWHAW! Are ya fuckin' serious? An' wut? They jus' gonna go an' smash all o' 'em docks 'til them big Dozen turn an' blow 'em to smithereens? They got that Guildereim backin' them up and ya heard wut 'appened last time 'e went after a ship backed by Guildereim, them Balestras took a piece right outta their asses!"
"Aye! Ya right, damn mad to be sayin' shit like that 'specially when Curzon jus' finished takin' back his piece o' the trade routes... ya know there hadn't been a single trade ship goin' through the north waters for some time since 'e got back that ol' Stronghold island..."
"Ya mean 'til the Wolfhound island jus' popped outta nowhere! Kinda tense between them ol' crew an' the Wolfhounds last I hearin' of things there... least it keeps the city 'ere kinda alright, ya know?"
"Them Dozen, Curzon's Few, Wolfhounds... an' they ain't even the only ones out there! Betcha five golden ones the next one we 'ear 'bout them is when the wreckage be floatin' by..."
Moderators: Nocturnal Aymen (played by PaganSpirit) Sofey Eristis (played by Lionheart) Nykita Aymen (played by Nykita)