Eruin News Episode 1 | The Challenger Arrives Transcript

For the full audio drama, follow this link:

https://youtu.be/mgo7II0wx0E

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In the wake of Eruin's rebirth, when the continent was torn in half, much of its history was lost. The dwarves and fae-kind that once tamed the land vanished from the surface world. They had no records from scholars, yet traces of their existence could be found in the ruins that still scattered the country. To us, this unknown moment in history was known as The Lost Era.

To the dwarves and the fae of old, it was simply known as the Discovery, when ships traveled from the Old World to the newly established colonies on Eruin. It was a time of hope. Of promises. Of opportunity.

They could not yet know the evil they would unleash.

The following story explores the life of one such dwarf in this time before the rebirth, when Eruin was first discovered, and the only dangers were not just the untamed wilds.

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Discovery Era, Greenborn 72nd, Year 1

The winds were in their favor as The Challenger neared the coast. Nearly seventy days of seemingly endless ocean brought to a close as the ship and crew arrived, at last, in Eruin. Heat from the sun was tempered by a cool breeze and the splash of water over the rail. A lanky dwarf leaned against that rail. Not the stocky kind of most of his race, though he could blame the malnutrition of his childhood on that.

Tadhg, his name. Not part of the crew, but a traveler coming in from the Old World. Articles in the paper back home had promised riches like no other here in Eruin. In big, bold letters, they’d described the free land, the high pay, and the need for workers of all kinds. And Tadhg desperately needed work.

“Be to the docks soon, lad.”

Tadhg glanced over his shoulder as Captain Bosk, a portly dwarf with a thick, red beard and kind eyes, walked up. He leaned against the rail beside Tadhg.

“I can’t believe we’re actually here,” Tadhg replied. He’d be lying if he said there wasn’t amusement in his voice. A new land only recently discovered. Untamed, untouched, and ripe with opportunity.

Bosk grunted. “Stenvik. The ol’ rock bay.”

“We’re making history, Captain. The first settlers on Eruin. The first city. First mines, first--”

“Aye. But it ain’t easy, being the first o’ civilization out ‘en the middle of nowhere.” Bosk glanced sideways at Tadhg, his gaze lingering on the other’s leg. “Ya up for it?”

Tadhg shifted his weight. “I am.”

“They won’t let ya work the mines. Nor build, nor lumber. Not with that gimp leg ‘o yers. Can’t be hired for any sorts of labor. Be mighty hard for a fine lad like ya.”

“I’m not here for that kind of work. Didn’t have you hauling that press below deck for no reason.”

Bosk grumbled, “Suppose not. But folk out here don’t have need for the paper.”

“You’d be surprised.”

The Captain hummed his response but said nothing else on the matter. Tadhg clearly wasn’t going to listen to his words of warning. Stubborn lad was determined to carve his own way. Maybe even make a name for himself.

With a nod that Tadhg didn’t catch, the Captain returned to the helm to prepare for port. Tadhg stayed at the rail, watching as the coast grew closer and there, just along the rocky bay, the city of Stenvik. Well, at least the start of a city. It wasn’t much now. Framings of houses and stores were being built, with only around a dozen having been completed. Even those looked temporary.

The castle on the cliff above the port caught Tadhg’s eye. The massive stone walls stood like a fortress looming over the budding city below, casting much of it in its shadow. Stenvik had no kings to rule it quite yet, but Tadhg already knew who must live in such an unsightly place. Mormir Mineowner. His company had been the first to make its way across the vast ocean and settle in this land. The promise of riches beneath the soil was far too tempting for a dwarf like Mormir to ignore.

When The Challenger made port, Tadhg was the first off the ramp and onto the dock. His offer to help unload was dismissed, he’d only slow them down, so Tadhg instead ventured into the city as he waited for his own possessions to be brought off the ship.

His first order of business was to find a place to settle down. Without the coin for one of the new homes being built, he had resigned himself to settling on an empty plot of land not far from the main city market. Plots of land were said to be free, after all.

As Tadhg passed through the market to make his way toward the open land beyond, he heard a woman yelling from across the street.

“Room for let!”

Tadhg paused and turned to the voice.

The she-dwarf stood before a home, half-built with wood and stone. She wore a tattered dress and apron, and her hair a wild curl atop her head. The roof of the home was unfinished, the framing exposed on the eastern wall. Windows without glass were covered with cloth.

“Cheap price. Home to be finished before Harvestfall!” She reached out toward a passing dwarf. “Sir, won’t you see inside? Your own room with plenty of space. Please, sir!”

The dwarf shouldered past her with a scowl.

“Merely five silver a season.”

Tadhg shook his head slowly and continued on his way. What a shame, it was, that even in this new land, desperation still plagued the air. Tadhg thought he’d seen the last of that when he left the Old World.

Outside the main city, open land stretched out toward the dark treeline in the distance. Shacks of various sizes dotted the open space and signs staked into the ground sectioned out the land. The first available one was a five-minute walk from the market. The plots were smaller than Tadhg had been hoping. It was enough space for a one-room cabin, but not much else.

He bent to examine the writing scribbled onto the wood in black coal.

“Speak with Mormir Mineowner in First Keep for acquisition. Mine workers only,” Tadhg muttered. His brow furrowed. “Only available for the miners?”

He moved on.

The next plot said the same thing. And the next. Tadhg spent the hour walking down the road to every empty plot of land, until his leg began to ache and he didn’t dare go further toward the forest. One condition accompanied every empty plot. Only those who worked in the mines could settle.

Tadhg ventured back to the city, but he didn’t go to the inn. He headed straight to First Keep. Or what he assumed First Keep to be, the massive castle atop the cliff overlooking the coast. By the time he’d climbed the hill, his limp had worsened. He rubbed his thigh as he looked up at the castle.

Not as large as the ones in the Old World, but fortified at every entrance and window. Bars were in the place of where glass should be and a heavy portcullis sat in front of the massive oak doors that would, no doubt, lead into a courtyard.

Tadhg counted five guards on either side of the portcullis, standing at attention. More up on the wall above. The amount of protection was concerning.

As far as Tadhg knew, there were no other inhabitants in Eruin. Some fortification he could understand, but this? It seemed excessive.

He approached the portcullis.

“Halt,” said one of the guards as he stepped forward. “What business have you?”

“I’d like to speak with Mormir,” Tadhg replied. “I’ve seen the land outside the city and--”

“You look like a scrawl,” the guard grunted.

Tadhg stared at him for half a second before trying for a faint smile and shaking his head. “Well, no, but that’s not why I am here--”

“Land outside the city is for mine workers only.”

Tadhg nodded. “I understand, but I would still like to speak with Mor--”

“He is not seeing scrawls.”

“I’m not a scrawl!”

The guard rested a hand atop the hilt of his sword. “And I’m not a dwarf.”

Tadhg’s eye twitched.

“You will have to find accommodations within the city. Land is not for those like you.” The guard’s eyes flickered toward Tadhg’s leg, which he was trying to keep weight off.

Tadhg glared at that. He stood a little straighter, all too conscious of his off-center posture. With a curt nod and a low, “Fine,” he turned and left. It pained him, but he tried not to limp back down the hill leading away from the castle.

As he reached the market once more, he cast a look back toward that half-finished home he’d passed by earlier. The woman was still standing before the house and begging any passerby who would give her even a glance to rent the spare room. Tadhg knew his belongings at the port would be unloaded soon, and he didn’t trust leaving them at the dock. If he hurried, Bosk might be willing to move his press for him before setting about his own business.

With a sigh, Tadhg stepped toward the house. The woman caught his eye, saw his limp, and eagerly stepped forward.

“You, sir! Are you looking for room? I’ve got a spare. Five silver a season. Real cheap compared to the inn or building your own lot!”

“I am. Mind if I take a look?”

Her features lit up and she nodded eagerly, stepping aside with a sweep of her hand to usher him into the home. “Yes, yes! Of course. Plenty of space. Please, look inside.”

Tadhg did.

The main room of the home was filled with the chill of the outside air, and the cloth windows fluttered with the wind, with the threat to tear the fabric from its nails. A ragged iron stove was against the back wall, currently lit but providing meager warmth. Something in a pot bubbled atop the stove, filling the space with a soft, earthy smell that reached Tadhg as soon as he stepped farther in. Two chairs flanked the start of a fireplace, a stone chimney reaching up to where a hole was in the roof, currently covered by thick layers of fabric.

To his left, a door and beside it a cushioned bench with a pillow and blanket.

“Yours is just here,” she said and moved to the door, turning the knob to let him inside the only bedroom.

Spacious enough, Tadhg thought. The room was simple with a bed on the far wall, and a nightstand beside, a chest for belongings was at its foot.

This room had shutters at the windows and no holes in the floor, walls, or ceiling. The wind did not grace this room but it was still chilled from the outside air. Tadhg counted four blankets stacked on the bed itself. At least night wouldn’t be too cold with all that, he mused.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Five silver a season?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The house is to be finished by Harvestfall?” Tadhg strode out the door back into the main room.

“Before. That is the plan,” she replied, coming around to his front to meet his gaze. Her hands rubbed together.

Tadhg noted the anxious gesture. Questions bubbled to the surface of his mind. Why was she living here alone? Why were her clothes tattered? Did she have a job? Despite his curiosity, it was tempered by the weary look in her eye.

“I’ll take it.”

Her expression relaxed.

“What’s your name?” he asked and extended his hand.

The woman took his, giving a weak grip. “Oda Arranswife.”

Married, then, Tadhg realized. Where was her husband? He nodded. “Nice to meet you. I’m Tadhg.”

“Just Tadhg?”

He opened his mouth to respond before closing it once more. He hadn’t thought of giving himself a last name before. He wasn’t a mine worker, not a sailor, nor a captain or mine owner. He was a writer. But Tadhg Writer didn’t exactly have a good ring to it.

“Just Tadhg,” he confirmed.

“Well then, Tadhg No-Name, I’ll take that five silver up front.”

A tense smile creased Tadhg’s features. Last he counted, he’d had five copper pennies and one silver piece. 

“Oh, uh, of course. It’ll be with my belongings at the dock. I shall retrieve them and return within the hour.”

She frowned but didn’t question. “Alright. But no money, no room.”

“It’s only fair.” 

With a nod, he walked back outside and through the market toward the dock. His mind should have been on how he’d secure enough coin to pay for the room. Instead, he was more focused on planning his first issue.