[Regin Hardhammer]

Marreth awoke by mid-morning in better spirits than he had been before, considerably refreshed from a good night’s sleep. Next time they were forced to camp away from the ship, he vowed to bring tents. The biting frigid winds had assaulted the crew all the way back to the ship. The storm had evidently died out overnight, or had not stretched this far south: the day looked to be clear and calm. The hours spun by quickly as Marreth and those of his crew who were healthy put in a full day's work tending to the ship and its rigging. By late afternoon, all the Elves and their band had returned to their ship. As evening approached, Marreth resolved to take a walk by himself out on deck so he could contemplate what he might try next.

His sabotage had worked, but the Elves had nevertheless managed to organize themselves and put up a good fight. The Corsairs did not score a decisive victory against their adversaries, but then again they had not lost mightily either. As Marreth considered what to do next, he saw three flashes of light coming from a patch of bushes on the nearby shore. He looked out and saw a red lantern, and crouched beside it a hooded figure. Of course, thought Marreth, our Lossoth friend may have some ideas what we should do next.

Hastily leaving the ship, he approached the agreed upon meeting place. Marreth trailed the Lossoth into a secluded clearing, a few feet away from the edge of the Bay; they were wholly surrounded by bushes.

Before Marreth could ask the Snowman about the Elves’ plans, the hooded figure spoke in a shaky voice, “The Elves know there is a Corsair spy. Rumors are flying around the Elven ship. I arranged a little accident on shore for one of their party, and made it look as if Alahseey was the one who did it. Still I am not comfortable. Too many people are asking questions. One minute they may blame Alahseey, and the next start looking for another to blame. I fear they will catch me and put me in chains. Yet I do not waver in my mission; I will continue to relay information to you as best I can. Even if I am found out, I can still be of great use to your cause. I know the Bay like the back of my hand, and can show you likely spots for your treasure hunting. I only ask that you send some men onto the nearby shore to keep an eye on the Elven ship. They can alert you if something happens to me and I am in need of aid or rescue.”

The Captain replied, “I will grant you this aid; it is no fault of your own that our plans to exterminate the Elves have failed. But I send you fair warning Lossoth that this is not some kind of trap laid by the Elves who have sent you here. If you plan to deceive us, I will bring down vengeance upon your head stronger than a raging blizzard. Very well then, you may go.” Marreth did not completely trust this stranger, but if the Lossoth was discovered, he would have no way of knowing the plans of the Elves. Worse yet, the spy might disclose something to them of his own plans and strategies. Better that the Lossoth should be with him, where he could monitor things. He concluded it was best to lend aid to this stranger but do so cautiously. Marreth would not have his men lured into an ambush.

"Return now to the Spirit," the Corsair captain continued, "and here is a coin or two for your pains. But see that you carry yourself carefully, and do not say a word to anyone of my plans..."

Mareth dropped two gold coins in the spy's hand and was about to turn away, when he glanced back and asked one more question. "The Elven ship must be low on supplies. Except for the special things they needed for the trek north, I've not seen them bring in large barrels with ale or herring or other needed foodstuffs."

"That is right," the Snowman nodded. "Not since the first day have they restocked their larders. I heard Luindal say that he has sent several large orders to Igal, a local merchant and procurer of goods, and that many items and workmen will be coming onto the ship in the next few days while they rest up and make their future plans."

Marreth nodded but said nothing more, although his mind was spinning very fast. He quickly returned to his ship, and summoned Jynne and Diera to be brought to him, since Jarlyn was resting as he had ordered. When the two arrived, he began “I must reveal to the two of you something. Since the arrival of the Elves, I have had a Lossoth spy on board the Elven ship to relay their plans to me. That is how we were always one step ahead of them. But now I have reason to believe that this spy, a valuable information source to me, may fall in jeopardy. At the very least, the Elves are suspicious of us so it will be harder to get information."

"Therefore, I am asking you to go and hide on the shore behind the rocks and the snow bluffs in one of the secluded groves. Take some trusted helpers with you and see if you can pick up any news. I understand that they will be having an inquiry tomorrow morning out on deck. One of the Elders is to be tried, although she has nothing to do with us. Possibly, some of our Lossoth friends may even care to pose as local traders bearing goods from Igal and offering to take these provisions onto the ship and store them away. That way they can get up close. You can't get away with showing your faces, but our Lossoth allies can probably do so."

Then he told them who the spy was and added, "Alert me if you see that the Elves have captured this Snowman or anything unusual is taking place. You are to leave immediately and take the seal skin tent with you. If the snow flares up like it did last night you will need it.” Marreth was exceedingly glad that he did not have to go camping outdoors again. He turned back to his cabin wondering how Jynne would react to the order that he again go camp out in the snow.