Fenrir is made up of many different continents, some of which feel as if they are ever expanding and growing. It feels like every year we find a new continent and more world to explore. But interlocking these continents are very large bodies of water that we have learned to generalize as the Fen Seas. Sure, there are sub sections of the seas, but the generalization is necessary for simplicity’s sake on our ever-expanding world.

Some waters are cleaner and fresher than others, some are full of fish like the waters around Vorpal and some areas of the Fen Seas are best left alone. Most particularly the water around the bog to the south. Mucky black water that oozes into the harsh swamp-like texture of the bog and is surrounded by smoke and smog makes for much less ideal traversing.

Then you have the complications that come with navigating some of the cleaner parts of the Fen Seas. The waters to the West just outside King Ingvar’s territories are often violent and raging, much like their ruler. In other parts both North and East you have what many claim is the biggest problem of all… Pirates. As I mentioned this world is ever growing and expanding in ways no one can really explain and often sea trade and exploration is the only way to find out about these new areas.

Commonfolk aren’t the only ones who know about this and pirates wait for these new territories to emerge so they can take advantage of the weak. One of the lesser-known pirates is Sharlemagne who is often found near Vesuva. Compared to the other pirates roaming the Fen Seas, Sharlemagne does things her own way and doesn’t care too much about endless riches, but instead values the quality of them.

Actually, if we’re being technical, Sharlemagne is quite obsessed with beautiful things and pretty picky on what she tries to hunt for. This makes it hard for her to recruit pirates to her fleet, but she does have quite a few loyal followers that probably just follow her because of how she presents herself. Sharlemagne isn’t what you would expect from her kind. She’s rather clean, presents herself in an orderly fashion and has rather high values and standards for a pirate.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Sure, she wears an eyepatch and a fancy hat, but I’m convinced it’s just for show. I’ve actually had the privilege of talking to Sharlemagne on occasion in a bar here in Vesuva. The last time we spoke though, things seemed a bit off. Sharlemagne wouldn’t stop talking about her latest heist, a cave just outside Vesuva filled with treasure. She didn’t go into the details of who’s treasure it was or what happened to them, but she constantly spoke of a woman she met along the way.

“She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen!” Sharlemagne exclaimed and proceeded to describe this woman in fine detail to me. Tall and skinny with long silk-like dirty blonde hair. Her eyes a fusion of the green on a summer field, the softest brown and the type of gold these pirates loved so much. If you’ve lived in Vesuva, then you know the beauty Sharlemagne is referring to, her name was Eliana.

I explained the stories of this beauty to Sharlemagne and asked when they looted this cave. To which Sharlemagne replied that it had been some months prior and Sharlemagne was looking for this woman ever since. I regretfully had to inform her that Eliana had not been seen in the Port for quite some time. That Eliana’s story was one of wanting more than life had to offer - a woman with a true yearning for adventure beyond the sea of Vesuva. In actuality, Eliana could be anywhere on Fenrir or beyond by now.

“A lost beauty,” Sharlemagne said. It was almost as if I wasn’t even sitting in front of her. Like she was talking to herself. “Wandering adrift on a distant shore.” Sharlemagne sighed and finally looked up at me.

“Very poetic,” I replied.

“Whether she’s right here on Fenrir or lost out there on the Fen Seas, I will find this beauty, Eliana,” Sharlemagne stood up with renewed purpose. She raised her hand and I noticed she had a small pendant with a chain attached to it clutched within. “I will find her!”

This conversation I had with Sharlemagne was months ago, which puts Eliana’s disappearance at almost a year. Sharlemagne never returned to Vesuva, at least not while I was at the bar and I never found out if she found our sweet, dear, Eliana. Maybe she did - Sharlemagne added that beauty to her ever-growing collection or maybe they lived happily ever after. I do miss the tales of the Beauty of Vesuva and the stories Sharlemagne would tell me of her voyages… Someday, perhaps I’ll learn what happened to them both.