"Let me go!" Emmaline snapped, attempting to bring her magic to bear. Unfortunately, whether by accident or design, his powerful grip kept her from moving her hands enough to work the kind of spell she would need. He twisted her arms back, thrusting out her chest like the figurehead of a ship and marched her along the cordory road which served as a street in this part of town. Four more men emerged to join their companion and his captive, all equally impressive physical specimens and all well armed with crude but brutal looking steel swords. If any of the locals were inclined to help a woman in distress, the muscular phalanx surrounding her dissuaded them immediately. The snake bracelet at her wrist began to stir and Emmaline willed it to be still. For a wonder it seemed to actually work, the creature couldn't be said to take orders from her, but perhaps it was willing to wait and see on this occasion. The fact that the thugs seemed to be taking her to Marcus seemed a good sign, and it made sense to wait until she was closer to allies before she attempted anything.

It took only a few minutes to reach the shipping house, which seemed to form a natural blockhouse between the harbor district and the more inland area where the majority of houses stood. Smoke from cook fires and forges floated on the sluggish tropical air beyond and stocky Norscan women hurried back and forth with baskets woven of reeds and what looked to be strips of bamboo. Several wagons were hitched to miserable looking donkies just beyond the shipping house and shirtless man were loading barrels of ale from the back of the shipping house into the carts. Emmaline hadn't seen horses or carts closer to the docks, either because the surfaces couldn't take the weight, or more likely, whoever ran the local stevedores wanted to keep cheaper options out of the area.

"I think we found something of yours Mister Imperial," the leader of the pack called in badly accented Riekspiel, swatting Emmaline's bottom in emphasis. 

"Which is good, because the iron that you brought is ours. We will pay you for it, but it wont go to these whoresons!" the leader bawled, making a rude gesture at several of the staff off the shipping house.