The

Ahah Greetings. My name is Holly Bellinghurst. I'm a teacher, a private tutor, author of some truly exciting computer science textbooks, a mom of two teens, and also an

advocate for fellow disabled, neurodiverse and daring adventurers in my home country of the UK.

When I'm not on adventures in the real world, I get to tell stories. So tonight, I'm going to share

the legend of Gail of Vogelberg.

Gail is a woman who is few things to a great many people.

A scourge, a pirate, a slaver.

But like all proper stories, we should begin with some context.

Gail comes from a long line of successful nobles from the realm state of Vinalhaven.

For those of you who haven't been to Vinalhaven, it's an ocean realm of seafarers who live on

bleak little islands, soddy wooden slum ports, massive fleet cities like Nellwog, or the dreary,

swampish coastal ports that they either took by force or that were

handed over by Helandria to keep them from burning everything to the ground every fourth year or so.

The people of Vinalhaven descend from the same dwarf allied humans as the rest of Leonhardt,

but they were cheated. They were given the worst land to settle upon, so they set off for the

seas. They became fishermen and warriors who, like barnacles against the tide, grew accustomed

to attacks from elves, fish folk, sirens, and every other imaginable hell that the aquatic

depths had to offer. Worshiping the tit twin gods of the seas and storm Neldeach

and Eald each. Under the guidance of the storm god, we learned to harness the wind and through

offerings to the sunken god, we avoided the wrath of the divine Leviathans and grew into our only

seafaring people. Thinnellhaven became synonymous with trusted wooden ships of all sizes,

from fishing vassals to the aforementioned floating cities comprised of countless tall ships

...