Several days had passed since the battle with the pirates.
The crew of the Advance had suffered almost no casualties in the battle, with only two sailors sustaining minor injuries... As for the pirate ship, it had fled in panic after leaving behind more than thirty corpses.
The crew had not forgotten who had led them to victory. There was now a measure of awe in the way they looked at Karin!
Only that foolish lad Nathanos was an exception. Just as before, he pestered Karin every day with endless questions!
Azeroth had originally consisted of a single vast landmass surrounded by a boundless ocean. Its name was Kalimdor. Roughly ten thousand years ago, the Well of Eternity at the continent's center had exploded. The violent earthquakes it unleashed shattered the foundations of the world, and seawater roared into the cracks in the land. Nearly eighty percent of Ancient Kalimdor had been torn apart, leaving only a few fragmented continents surrounding the newly formed ocean.
The frozen land of Northrend was one of the remnants of that cataclysm, formed when Ancient Kalimdor broke apart. It was the highest continent in Azeroth and was commonly called the "roof of the world"! In the past, however, even the renowned Explorer's League of Ironforge had known little about Northrend.
Almost no one knew when humans had first begun settling on this frozen continent, or how many people actually lived there! Investigations by the Explorer's League offered a vague picture: the earliest humans in Northrend had mostly come from Kul Tiras and Lordaeron. Most had been fishermen and sailors shipwrecked during deep-sea fishing voyages... Later, it had become a place where Lordaeron and other nations exiled their prisoners.
Even in the darkest places, the Holy Light was everywhere-or so the followers of the Church of the Holy Light believed. Following in the footsteps of those who had come before them, missionaries of the Church of the Holy Light had spent the next few centuries bringing their faith to this continent, which seemed utterly desolate to outsiders.
The opening of new sea routes had brought wave after wave of pioneers, hunters, and even merchants to these shores! During this period, many colonial towns with a distinctly Northrend character had sprung up. These human settlements were concentrated along the shores of the Great Sea, where the climate was mild and the soil relatively fertile.
Northrend's inhabitants lived mainly by fishing and hunting. Several enormous mineral deposits also awaited human development, while scattered farms dotted the gentler hills. Each summer, the locals sold their grain, ore, and a year's stockpile of northern hides to merchants in exchange for everyday supplies and curiosities from the south.
Northern hides usually came from mammoths, rhinoceroses, polar bears, elk, arctic foxes, and the enormous ice worms that roamed the frozen plains. Compared with the hides of southern creatures, some were tough, while others were glossy and beautiful. They made excellent material for soldiers' leather armor!
For that very reason, merchant ships continued to flock to Northrend, despite the difficulty of the round trip and the risk of attacks by Murlocs, Naga, and even pirates!
The northern continent was now close at hand. For the past two days, the Advance had been sailing along Northrend's continental shelf. Only when a bay appeared ahead did First Mate Hana direct the Advance to change course.
"We've entered Howling Fjord. This is Daggercap Bay. Its natural shape makes it an ideal starting point for traveling across the continent!" Nathanos explained to Karin. "Valgarde is inside the bay-the largest port and city in all of Northrend!"
Daggercap Bay? Valgarde? Isn't this where Arthas, and later the Alliance Expedition, chose to land in Northrend? Karin remarked inwardly.
Back in his previous life, when WLK had first launched, Karin had deliberately chosen to begin his quest line here to avoid the crowds competing for monsters in Borean Tundra!
The Advance continued slowly forward. Daggercap Bay was narrow, and ships could be seen coming and going from time to time. It seemed Valgarde had already begun to take shape!
The sea wind blew constantly around Karin, and he could even hear what sounded like the howls of a maddened beast-that was where Howling Fjord got its name! Aside from that, however, Howling Fjord was quite a pleasant place. The temperature was mild, without the bitter cold found elsewhere in Northrend, and the seemingly level ground nearby looked well suited to growing crops...
Daggercap Bay was tightly enclosed by rock, with mountains on almost three sides and an opening to the sea on the fourth... After the Advance sailed onward for another half hour or so, Karin saw the end of the bay-Valgarde!
The port was somewhat rudimentary, nowhere near as lavish as Sunsail Anchorage had been... More than a dozen vessels of all kinds were moored there, while sailors and laborers busily unloaded cargo. It was clear that Valgarde did not yet have many inhabitants.
"Well, Mr. Karin, thank you for your efforts throughout the voyage. We've reached our destination!" Captain Leguli had come over without Karin noticing. "Now we'll need a week to deliver our cargo to the merchants here and buy enough ore, hides, and grain..."
"Is there anything I can help with?" Karin asked sincerely.
"No, no, no. We couldn't possibly trouble you with such trivial matters!" Captain Leguli hastily declined. "You can spend the next month exploring the area around Howling Fjord!"
"A group of strange Tuskarr live on Kamagua Island to the southwest. They're very gentle and sometimes trade with us. Around the eastern side of Daggercap Bay, there's a group of Dwarves from the Explorer's League who seem to be excavating something. The forests to the north have plenty of wild animals, including wolves and bears. If you'd like to hunt, Mr. Karin, you can take a look there, but don't go any farther north. I've heard there have been signs of Trolls there. Stay away from Scalawag Point over there, too. It's the headquarters of the North Sea Pirates. Still, Valgarde has a volunteer militia, so the pirates don't dare come here!" Captain Leguli explained the local conditions and customs of Howling Fjord to Karin, one detail at a time.
Karin listened closely, committing his words to memory.
"Oh, Nathanos, I have a task for you!" Captain Leguli suddenly looked up at the longbowman beside Karin.
"What is it, Captain?"
"You won't need to help us unload this week. Just focus on protecting Mr. Karin!" Captain Leguli said with a smile.
"Protecting Mr. Karin... Oh, that's wonderful!" Nathanos cried excitedly.