Chapter 3, Captain Talen:
The audience chamber of the council hall had been emptied. The torches around the outer wall sat unlit, the only light coming from the candles suspended over the center table. Gone were all the magical lighting effects of the final meeting held in the auditorium. Xorbis had deserted the city and took his magic with him.
Great men and women once ruled Freeport from this table. Now only a few captains remained. The rest had deserted the city with their men and ships. The dream that was Freeport died a slow death. Those who stayed picked over the remains left behind.
Talen spent the majority of his adult life dreaming of gaining a seat at this table, even spending a good deal of time scheming on who he needed to send to meet the goddess of death to obtain his goal
