The journey into the Vulcan Empire was a contentious one to say the least. Even though Ves had made an agreement with the Glory Seekers and the Cross Clan, his allies didn't want to fly straight into a black hole!
It took a lot of effort to assure both his allies and his own clansmen that Smiling Samuel was not as dangerous as a black hole. Too many people had read or heard all kinds of awful stories about the dwarves while the fleet was parked in Amswick.
The locals constantly exaggerated the menace of their archenemies whenever they interacted with outsiders. The Empire of the Lost was filled by traumatized survivors and descendents who inherited the hate and fear of their parents towards the dwarves.
Ves personally thought that the mania towards the Vulcanites had reached an excessive degree. Though the Lost were justified in demonizing their threatening neighbors, the Golden Skull Alliance did not play any part in this local turf war.
