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Background to The Great Mariner

Feftin’s Life Thus Far

Feftin is more than three hundred years old, and dwarves often live to be four hundred plus. He was born under the reign of Lower Dwarf Emporer Odan III, who spearheaded the move above ground, and to the coast. Feftin’s father, Uftin, decided to move the family to the new coastal trading village of Kelnian. There Feftin first fell in love with the sea.

Odan never intended for dwarves to become a seafaring race, he only saw beyond the idea of miners living deep within the earth. But the decision to move into the Archipelago was made not by the Emporer, but by the Empire’s enemies. The Shoeli Orc tribe created the Great Orc Alliance with the desire to beat the dwarves back into mountains. While the Lower Dwarves were always able to beat the Orcs once they landed, they could hardly defend their many miles of coastline. The dwarves faced a serious decision, either retreat back into the mines, or persevere into the black waters of the Archipelago.

Feftin caught the ear of the new Emporer, Utodan IV. Feftin had drawn plans for mighty fleets of strong dwarf ships to carry the war to the Shoeli homelands. At first Utodan wavered, but seeing Feftin’s prototype ships (utilizing distinctive Dwarvish design, rather than Human, Orc, or Sea Elf), agreed. Feftin was made Grand Admiral of the Lower Dwarf Navy, and spearheaded the move into the Archipelago.

Feftin also led the Lower Dwarves into alliances with the other enemies of the Shoeli, including many Human and Sea Elf groups, but mainly the rival Orc tribes Sigeru and Ton’da. It was Feftin who commanded the Dwarf Fleet that beat the Shoeli Orcs at the Battle of Seyahna Harbor. It was the height of Feftin’s career, and the Lower Dwarves’ greatest victory.

But Utodan IV died shortly after and was succeeded by his younger brother Meitydan II. Meitydan did not share his brother’s enthusiasm for the sea, and listened to intrigues against Feftin. Utodan’s wife convinced Feftin to retire before the intrigues damaged his honor and his clan. Feftin agreed, and less than ten years after the Battle of Seyahna Harbor, Feftin was scraping together money to build a single ship.

That ship he built was the Nameless, and he turned it into a commercial trading ship. He would travel yearly from Kelnian to ports accross the Archipelago, ending in Seyahna and then sailing back. The whole trip would take five months, and provide for Feftin for the rest of the year. Feftin carried mainly cargo for other traders and passengers. After many long years of running the Nameless, Feftin decided it was time to retire and to make his last run to Seyahna.

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