From sea-going merchantman to lowly riverboat master. How did Trant - Captain, merchant, adventurer - lose his vessel, his friends and his livelihood? Trant's Tale is the story of one captain's life, explaining how he lost everything and ended up on a broken-down boat carrying goods down the river. This short story falls within the world of the Vensille Saga, extending the background to a character who appears in A Gathering of Fools .