From the Diary of Vin IceMark

Dearest Lavinia,

On our long journey to, and in my time here at Farshore, I have seen a great many things never I have seen before. As a follower of the Traveling God, I thirst truly, for these new things and I have enjoyed the many wonders and blessings this journey has shown us.

However, as is the way with any journey, many sad and troubling things are also laid out before us. Fharlanghn teaches us that in travel toward the horizon, all things will be revealed to us, and so my faith has spoken to me. I am inspired, nay, compelled to act.

It is the plight of the indigenous peoples of these lands which beckons me to act in some way. After the attack on Farshore and the destruction of the Crimson Fleet, I began searching for a way to put the resources deposited here by evil to use for good. I have pondered and searched for some benefit that I, a lowly Paladin, might be, but should have known that Fharlanghn would provide. Thus, I have proceeded down a path laid out to me in a dream and I believe it will be most helpful in the long term prosperity of the Olman peoples, the Sasserine colonies, and even the native tribes such as the Phanatons. I present this plan and the actions taken according to it as a gift to you, my Lavinia.

My dream laid it out thus. In the harbor, two remaining pirate ships lay wrecked. Discussions amongst our party members, left me with the firmest understanding that the party did not feel it appropriate to waste precious resources on the wrecks nor should the party tie itself to any mercantile activities in any way. This was seen as a distraction to our primary mission. I take this as a comfort that the party seems so single minded to continue in service of House Vanderboren. The eagerness and enthusiasm so strongly expressed by some of the more boisterous party members would give pause to any enemy of Farshore.

With it determined that the wrecks were not considered party property, I set about establishing the team with which the plan would be enacted. Gwendelyn and Z happily agreed to help. Z and the Olman wizard Miahuaxochitl have been training a small number of apprentices and of that small group, two were selected for our team. One for each ship, these apprentices have undergone training from Z in specific repair spells and shipboard combat magics. With these repair spells, and repair damage wands provided by Miahuaxochitl and Z, each of the ships have been refloated and returned to seaworthy condition. Gwendelyn, using the resources of Jeran Emrikad and Farshore records, has recreated a fine set of charts, logbooks and manifests for each ship.

Now with the ships in pristine condition, I turned to the Olman for the next part of the plan. Once I explained the ships purpose, the Olman were most enthusiastic about the venture. From the Olman comes crew, pilots and marine guard for each vessel. Admittedly, much of this crew lacks large ship experience, however arrangements for additional crew and permanent masters were made on our last trip to Sasserine.

The ships will be registered as property of the Order of the Islands Charity and will be based in one of the larger Olman ports. The ships have been painted in neutral colors, but will carry letters of mark and fly flags of House Vanderboren and Clan IceMark. They each will also carry letters of protection from the Gnomish House Andantino, and the Temple of Fharlanghn. In addition, each also carry open contracts from the Bards' guild as couriers.

The purpose of all this is simply to aid the Olman. This will give the Olman a market for their goods, mostly raw materials, and will provide needed income to boost the conditions of the villages contributing the resources. The Olman will organize the cargo's and distribute the returning resources as they see fit. Gwendelyn and Z will visit occasionally to verify cargo and goods are moving as we hope. All funds will be used to advance the indigenous Olman peoples of this region.

The ships bear new names too, my Lavinia. Long may the Paladins Faith and Lavinia's Grace ply the seas. May their crews sail them confidently, defend them vigorously and may Fharlanghn guide them to the horizon and back safely to the comfort of their families.

Your humble and devoted servant
Vin IceMark
Paladin in Fharlanghns service