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| - A Riverman "port" on the Brandywine, at the mouth of the River Reedly. Not the most pleasant location on the river, it provided a home to swarms of mosquitoes, gnats, and neeker-breekers. Most of the village's population lived on barges and boats anchored inshore of the mud bar at the mouth or "nape " of the Reedly, where it entered the Brandywine. The Calamity was the oldest of the barges anchored in the Nape. Its actual age was a matter of some dispute, as the vessel had outlasted any number of owners. It was reputed to have once had a charm placed on it to ward off worms, rot, and leaks. Vengaree, the last owner, dealt in smuggling , gambling, slave-trading, and any number of other vices. Attempts to raid the Calamity invariable failed, as the Rivermen hired by the Cardolandren or Artha
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| abstract
| - A Riverman "port" on the Brandywine, at the mouth of the River Reedly. Not the most pleasant location on the river, it provided a home to swarms of mosquitoes, gnats, and neeker-breekers. Most of the village's population lived on barges and boats anchored inshore of the mud bar at the mouth or "nape " of the Reedly, where it entered the Brandywine. The Calamity was the oldest of the barges anchored in the Nape. Its actual age was a matter of some dispute, as the vessel had outlasted any number of owners. It was reputed to have once had a charm placed on it to ward off worms, rot, and leaks. Vengaree, the last owner, dealt in smuggling , gambling, slave-trading, and any number of other vices. Attempts to raid the Calamity invariable failed, as the Rivermen hired by the Cardolandren or Arthadan authorities to guide and row their boats routinely tipped off Vengaree. This allowed him to hide evidence, and , if necessary , disappear into the marshes for a time. Unknown to anyone living, the hull of the Calamity was made of magical dirwood cut in Beleriand during the Elder Days. Part of the spoils from the sack of Menegroth, it was salvaged from the ancient battlefield of Sarn Athrad by Sinda refugees and carried east to build the doors of an Elvish frontier keep in the early Second Age. Just how the wood came to be used for hull timbers on an eriadoran river barge was obscure, but the decisive events occurred in S.A.1694 during the war between the Elves and Sauron. What remained was a virtually unsinkable watercraft with a curious escape hatch. The existence of this "Elf-door " was masked by the filth and debris that littered the floor of the barge's hold. Picking up the door by one of its two carved handles caused the debris to recede from its edges; it returned when the door closed. Vengaree and Idris, his wife, both knew of the portal's existence, although they understood few details of its varied functions or its past. They used it to cross to other boats in the area and occasionally to escape to land when legal harassment got too intense. Anyone in the hold of the Calamity who had sailing or similar skill could notice that there was almost no seepage in this hold. The debris on the floor was dampened by condensation alone. If the Elf-door was located, a similar perception should note that the uncovered hatchway was in the bottommost hull of the barge. It should, therefore, open directly into the river and sink the boat. The Elf-door was quite invisible from beneath the barge; the bottom of the Calamity's hull was draped with mold, scum, and barnacles just like the other vessels anchored here. There were actually two ways to open the 3'x 3'Elf-door, since two of its sides each had a handle formed by notches carved into the wood. Which passage one opened depended on which handle one pulled. Neither of the two passages existed on the natural plane; both led through realms of spirit and shadow. Northern Handle—(Forden ) The door opened into a damp earthen tunnel. It led, with each new opening, to different locations roughly 400-4000 yards away on the east bank of the Brandywine. If the tunnel walls were chopped at, the digger would discover only saturated mud no matter how far he got. At its far end, the escape tunnel opened under a rock slab, a matted mass of roots, or a section of sod. When the last person left the tunnel and closed the escape door, it disappeared. If it was left open more than 10-100 minutes, it collapsed and resealed itself. No bodies of anyone thusly trapped would ever be recovered. Southern Handle—(Harden) Opened on a constructed passage of leather supported by hardwood slats. The lattice of slats appeared to be holding back considerable water pressure. If anyone pierced the leather of this passage, all within IO' feet would be struck with a water bolt in time it took the passage to reseal. This leather passage led into the neighboring boat of the opener's choice. Idris , Vengaree's wife, ran the family business whenever he was away, particularly when he believed, rightly or wrongly, that he was in trouble with the law. She had such a docile, domestic nature, that no one had the nerve to confiscate the barge with her on board. Idris was, of course, tough as nails under her tame, motherly exterior; she would not have survived long on the Calamity, if she were as fragile as she seemed.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)