The Great Hall of Blackwell Manor wore its age like a comfortable pair of boots with a fresh pair of socks.
The foundations of the hall had been laid nearly three hundred years ago when Phylip Blackwell laid claim to what had become Blackwell Bay as the seat of his power. Prior to his arrival, the Eldritch High Lord who ruled over these isles saw little value in a sheltered harbor. Many of the Eldritch who lived on the isles had strong bodies that were capable of swimming from one island to another, and others, like Phylip's predecessor, possessed wings to fly wherever they wished so long as the wind was fair.
The Eldritch weren't savages. According to Phylip's journals, they had plenty of smaller boats for the landbound clans in their midst. But it wasn't until Phylip arrived that they learned the value of sailing ships that combined the power of dozens or even hundreds of rowers with vast, billowing sails.
