"It's quite far actually," The sage's eyes roll upward as if performing a calculation, "Sailing, one can reach the port in six days, but Hankel didn't leave by ship," he gestures off across town, "He and Lord Hallmaster chartered a coach, making the trip the better part of a month. You see Hankel can't stand ships or the open water for that matter," he chuckles, "No one knows why but he's extremely afraid of drowning. It's curious. Historically dwarves had hated water until the steel trade picked up about two hundred years ago. Since then, they've been as sea faring as any other race, even after the trade abruptly ceased," he laughs again, "I suppose Hankel is stuck in the past - not unlikely for a man of more than sixty years.
The ironic thing is that his father and mother arrived here by boat. They were actually found adrift of the western coast, sunbleached and near death. Given the currents, it was amazing they made to the spot at which they were found. Maybe that story has somehow affected Hankel's attitude toward the water." He sits down and touches his fingers together in a contemplative, tentlike fashion, "You see, Hankel's had a rough go of it. His mother died of a fever when he was young, and only ten years ago, his father was murdered. The sad thing was that the murderer was a childhood friend of Hankel's named Bradon Hammermill. In the struggle that took Bard's life (Bard, was Hankel's father), Hankel managed to slay Bradon. It had all the markings of a burglary, but nothing was taken from the house. In fact, Hankel and Bard were bachelor father and son. They had practically no possessions in their house. It was common knowledge that their wealth was all in store down at the forge. Most curious that Bradon would break into a place with nothing to offer, only to kill the master blacksmith of Rioc Alair. To this day, the motive has been unsure, and since then, Hankel has been a shell of the man he used to be. In fact, it wasn't until Firebyrne arrived and apprenticed himself to the dwarf that he began smiling regularly again."
Again, the man snaps back to reality, "Ah yes. You asked why they went to Efil. Word came to Lars of a curious metal in Efil that was stronger than steel, yet considerably lighter. You see, Efil is a mining communitiy, established about forty years ago at the mouth of a river of the same name. They came in search of gold, but they found only iron and salt...that is, until now I suppose," he shakes his head, "Anyway, Lars figured that this was a business opportunity, so he commissioned Hankel to go with him. You see, the Hallmasters are an influential family here in Rioc Alair. They're responsible for the glass trade that has made this city great, and they are the ones responsible for the ascension of Lord Ekton to the office of City Steward."
