Freidheim and Farenda's Campaign: Choice of Clear Crystal: Freidheim and Farenda's Campaign, #3

By S. C. Coleman

Following the events of the Glass Empires, Age of the Third Arcon, and Populla's Shadow, Dawn of the Sun Panther, and the Pinnacle of the Winged Serpent, this book charts the course of familiar champions; thoughout their struggles across the Greater Continent, and beyond. Here, they will compete against many rival forces, all while attempting to keep the shadows at bay. This book charts a continuation of the stories of the Molinese General Farenda, the Crown Prince of the Hohen, the crystal ship from the Pinnacle of the Winged Serpent, and another special guest to join in their combined cause. Who will prevail, and who will succumb? Read further to find out…

• Language: English
• Publisher: S. C. Coleman
• Release date: Jun 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223342748

Book preview

Summary:

Following the events of the Glass Empires, Age of the Third Arcon, and Populla’s Shadow, Dawn of the Sun Panther, and the Pinnacle of the Winged Serpent, this book charts the course of familiar champions; thoughout their struggles across the Greater Continent, and beyond. Here, they will compete against many rival forces, all while attempting to keep the shadows at bay. This book charts a continuation of the stories of the Molinese General Farenda, the Crown Prince of the Hohen, the crystal ship from the Pinnacle of the Winged Serpent, and another special guest to join in their combined cause. Who will prevail, and who will succumb? Read further to find out...

Chapter One

Changing Tides at the Cliffs

Finen had been many things throughout his life, which had taken him to many distant places. Originally, he was from Ravenno. As customary naming conventions went, he was called Finen of Ravenno; or, just Finen Ravenno. However, he was now nothing like had been before, while growing up in that distant and quaint mountain village. Ravenno was deeply tucked away within the mountains of the Stone Forest, and under the watchful domain of Hawk’s Peak. At first, Finen had become one of the esteemed Mountain Hawk farshooters, where most others failed during the initial testing phase. The Mountain Hawk farshooters were a well-known and respected caste of warriors, which used animal mountain hawk companions for spotting enemies. Then, they dealt their brand of martial justice from a distance, using the accurate projectiles of the farshooter rifles. After an unexpected turn, Finen was given the distant assignment to the Molinese Protectorate, now the domain of the Bandit King Ardel. However, Finen was not there long, as he had been forced to flee to the even more distant fortress of Lluwaire; along with the other warriors of the Protectorate.

In keeping with his life’s theme, Finen was then compelled into becoming a warrior of the famous island realm of the Lumainese pirates. There, he donned the colors of Purple and Scarlet, but under the auspices of the original way. He learned to become one of the islanders, as though he had been born there. That particular path was to set him on an even stranger one; becoming the guardian of a strange boy, and the captain of an even stranger vessel. He headed up one of the most spectacular ships ever built; the famous Omobuay, or Crystal Ship. This resplendent boat was comprised of three wooden vessels, which were all formed together by a long sheet of hard crystal. Their blue sails were an anomaly for most other parts, and the reflective nature of the crystal sheet always turned heads when the vessel was brought into harbor.

This time, Finen was to embark on yet another adventure, to still yet another distant and little traveled place. He was going to the far away Lesser Continent, and was being escorted by a pack of Sea Hunters. These Sea Hunters had vessel with similar coverings to those of the Omobuay’s three boats. In fact, Finen was surprised when he had first seen the Sea Hunter boats, since, in even more ways, they resembled the covered boats of his own vessel. The structure of the Omobuay and the Sea Hunter sea crafts seemed like distant relations, reunited after a longtime spent apart. Conversely, the people of the Lesser Continent, the Sea Hunters themselves, seemed in no way similar to the Islanders from the Pinnacle of the Winged Serpent; from where Finen and his crew sailed. The islanders could not look more different from the Sea Hunters of the Lesser Continent; in both dress, manner, and stature.

The Sea Hunters were exceedingly tall, on average, save for the practical leader of this Sea Hunter pack; an older and rotund warrior that went by the name of Gaaham. Where the islanders wore chest armor of hardened snake skin, the Sea Hunters wore no armor. Also, the islanders carried their blinding light weapons, which they used to ambush enemies at sea, but such weapons the Sea Hunters did not possess. Contrary to the tactics of surprise, it was unlikely that the Omobuay would be able to mount any ambush. However, out of habit, the warriors of three boats always carried their light burst weapons with them. Stranger still, in the Sea Hunters, Finen recognized a similarity in ambush tactics, by which Lumainese pirates were known. On the other hand, this crystal vessel had no need to mount any ambush against their foes, as they brought an even more potent weapon aboard. Surprise was not a necessity, for the Omobuay contained within it the power to incinerate entire enemy fleets; within the space of a breath.

After many moons at sea, crossing the wild Serpent’s Straight, the Omobuay and Figkaham, with their escorting ships, had finally arrived. However, the journey had not yet ended. Upon their crossing of the straight, a harrowing trip was navigated around most of the southern and western coasts of the continent. Their destination, Reighaven, lay directly to the north of the Lesser Continent. It was a sea port that was a home of these particular Sea Hunters, and apparently not well traveled by others from the continent. An odd sea port, Finen had not entirely believed what Gaaham had told him. Apparently situated among a collection of islands, just off the northern coast, Reighaven was built into the side of a sea cliff. While Finen did not entirely believe this story, he came to see the port for himself. On first sighting, Finen and his crew had to adjust their perception to even view the island.

Newcomers would initially be treated to a thin wall of fog, and might even sail past the island. Fortunately, the Sea Hunters were accustomed to this and remained just off the shore. After peering for awhile, a shape seemed to mold itself out of the fog. As the Omobuay drew closer, Finen was able to just make out the shapes of buildings, placed along the high degree of an angle. The cliff slopped down from the peak, and the port was visibly situated along the steep angle of the rock face. This place struck Finen very eerily, as he could not ascertain how one would travel between the upper and lower levels. The incline was far to steep for any foot paths, and the boats would only be able to arrive at the base of the island. Unfortunately, it seemed that Finen would be left in this state of confusion for awhile, as the party of boats would need to wait for low tide.

Once the time for low tide arrived, the Omobuay followed the Figkaham toward the mist cloaked island. Somehow, the Sea Hunters knew when the water was low enough, without any obvious indication of such a thing. Strangely, during the many delays, most of the sailors remained on their own vessels. Few were the exchanges of visitors among different boats, what would be commonly seen among the habits of their Greater Continent counter-parts. Instead, the Sea Hunters of the Lesser Continent preferred to remain on their own vessels, while waiting out some obstacle, set-back, or routine delay. Somehow, all of the vessels stayed together, operated in unison, and conducted themselves together, despite no apparent signals of communication.

It was as though the vessels of the Sea Hunters were single entities, creatures that ran in a pack and communicated through instinct alone. The smooth operation of these seafarers impressed Finen Ravenno, and reminded him of how he had seen the islanders from the Pinnacle; at the moment that he had first laid eyes on those infamous Lumainese pirates, of which he was now one. In this case, the Sea Hunters demonstrated their usual abilities in communicationless navigation, as the Figkaham was the first to approach the docks at the island of Reighaven. Finen had come to understand that Reighaven was not so much one place, but was the word used to describe any of the docks that were dispersed among these islands of the northern coast; at least, those friendly to these particular Sea Hunters.

While waiting to approach the island, Gaaham had gone aboard the Omobuay to explain how the docks at Reighaven worked. Previously, Finen had a difficult time of imagining what Gaaham had described, but now Finen saw what he had been told in the full color of reality. No words could have properly described what Finen witnessed. At the base of the steep slope of the island cliff, Finen beheld a row of large dome topped