Lud was a prosperous, bustling little country port, situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Dapple and the Dawl. But the Dapple had its roots in the land of Faerie, beyond the Elfin Marches and the Debatable lands to the West, which was a great trial to Lud, a town that had long ago rejected any such fanciful nonsense as "fairies" and "elves" and the like. But when a plague of faerie influences hits the town, steps must be taken. Fortunately for Lud its Mayor Master Nathaniel Chanticleer, is a man with his head firmly in the clouds.