《The Rise of a Noble》 -1 Special thanks Sorry, content is lost, You are reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you 1 Going Home. In an opulent throne room, a ceremony was taking place. A stout grey-haired man in his forties said with gravitas. "Squire Galahad von Highkeep.Through your valorous efforts in the extermination of the red hood bandit group and the show of unusual bravery at the face of danger. Thanks to putting your life in peril you managed to save Sir Mathews Hills life. For that, you shall be given the chance to take the Knight''s oath. Do you accept?" A black-haired youth barely eighteen knelt his chain mail shining and uttered grievously. "I squire Galahad von Highkeep. Vow to protect the meek and strike the wicked. I squire Galahad von Highkeep. Vow to enforce the Law of the King and the Law Of Gods. I squireGalahad von Highkeep. Vow to safeguard the realm and my liege. I squire Galahad von Highkeep. Vow to defend my subjects and my fief. I squire Galahad von Highkeep. Vow to uphold the knight''s honor and all that it entails. So that is why I squire Galahad von Highkeep ask his Highness Baron Monver von Gragon to grand me knighthood so I may fulfill my oath." Baron Monver von Gragon then unsheathed his bastard sword and lightly tapped the youth with it first over his right shoulder and then the left one. He then said solemnly. "I Baron Monvar von Gragon with the power vested to me by the supreme ruler the king and the divine gods officially declare you a knight Sir Galahad you may now rise. You have been officially knighted. Filling the prerequisites for you to inherit the title of Knight protector of the eastern fringe. May the gods bless you and lead you safely back to your fief coming tomorrow at the first light. But first, we shall have a banquetto celebrate the joyous occasion" The banquet was short and unremarkable The Baron his family the two knights and the important figures of the barony gathered and ate. The Baron gifted Galahad a banner and a squire. The banner was beautifully sown with a black crow in a red background. While the squire was a strong and tall lad no older than thirteen, son of the current captain of the guard. The young lad was called Jack Capson. As the night grew long, everyone steadily retired to the rooms, and the night gave way today. At the first crack of dawn two riders were seen slowly journeying towards Highkeep. At about an hour away from the town, the older youth said "Hey, Jack. How do you feel leaving home for the first time and for such a long time? To be honest, I haven''t been home for more than a decade and I don''t remember much from my early childhood in the fief. Jack then simply said "Excited and afraid Sir Galahad" Galahad looked deep in thought "I am still shocked that I was the one to inherit the fief. After all, I do have an alive older brother. Which I have heard many praises about. As such it has been ten years since father died and anyone from our family managed the fief. Are there any peasants still watching over the land or would it be an empty village? Jack then said. "Sir if I may I say most people tend to stay in their villages for their entire life if nothing life-changing happens. As for your brother, I am sure you will one day meet him. Furthermore, I asked my father on what happens when a fief remains without a ruler. He told me that the fief falls under the control of a regent and most of the time they do a decent job." As the knight and squire continued there idle talk time passed, and the farmlands were replaced with managed woods. Then, the managed woods gave way to Galahad''s own farmlands. As time slowly passed early midday set in a small wooden Keep appeared on the horizon. It was placed on the top of a small hill with a wooden palisade wall protecting the village resting at its foot. As we reached the gatehouse. We were greeted by a priest, ten men at arms and a tall hardy man wearing chain mail and breastplate riding a black horse as well as a slew of onlookers looking at their new lord for their first time. The man rode up to Galahad and Jack and gave a small nod. "Greetings Sir Galahad. I am Sir Mathew the Tall and I officially return the fiefdom under your jurisdiction. I shall leave now for my count requires my services. But before I do, I would like to inform you that Nikolas von Highkeep your older brother will arrive at this week with his entourage. We learned that through a crow letter about two turns of the hourglass ago. Goodbye Sir Galahad nice meeting you and may you have a prosperous reign." After that, a middle-aged priest introduced himself calmly. "I am Markos the priest of the temple of Lados. I am here to bless your child and pray for your reign to be peaceful and prosperous." Finally, the leader of the men at arms walked forward a short greying man with a stout build. An old veteran with a worn but well-kept kettle helmet and chain mail the only man at arms with any metal armor pieces. The man then did a quick bow and then spoke steadily but with all the hallmarks of a commoner. "I am Captain Hank of the Men at Arms at your service me lord" Looking at the decent state of his fief and the news of his brother''s arrival. Sir Galahad ordained that a feast shall take place in the keep. Soon him the priest the men at arms and his squire were eating and drinking joyously. But good things don''t last forever and on the fifth day of banqueting. In the first crack of dawn, a small entourage reached the small hold with both the knight, the priest and the men at arms in a comatose state from the constant banqueting none was there to greet Nikolas. At the late afternoon, Nikolas woke up his useless excuse for a brother by kicking him. As Galahad woke up the first thing he shew was a blonde haired thin and frail man of average height with deep black circles under his eyes wearing a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles and a long red silk robe with the only detail a small badge with a crow reading a book sown on it. The man was holding a thick leather-bound book With the title the Geography and History of the County of Lajon. The man then said with a calm but irritated voice. "You useless excuse of a brother. Which your only redeeming feature is your strength. It took you eighteen whole years to become a knight and inherit our family holdings and the first thing you did when you got this massive responsibility from our ancestors was to hold a banquet and drink yourself to a coma for five days in a row no less. To be honest, Galahad was shocked when he met his brother he imagined him as a strong tall stout and warrior like himself. A man too rugged to be a knight, not a proper scholar. Furthermore, it wasn''t uncommon of a new ruler to banquet for a couple of weeks before properly assuming his tasks. Galahad coughed and responded a bit confused. "Mister you said you are my brother but you are not a warrior and you speak all proper like. Furthermore, how can you afford such a fine silk robe?" Nikolas scoffed and responded. "Your older brother is a well-known scholar and a successful businessman as well as one of the few men in the kingdom with a minor level of understanding of the occult," Galahad just nodded and said. "Well I do care about the fief but I was waiting for the treasurer to appear and make a report. It is infuriating the fact that he still hasn''t appeared ," Nikolas looked at his brother like he was a buffoon "Dear brother your title is only one of a landed knight why in the seven hells. Would you have a treasurer your realm barely has two hundred souls for you to manage?" He then sighed and said "Don''t worry it doesn''t matter. Your older brother came here with a Ducal decree putting me in charge of the daily running of the fiefdom you can train the men and kill monsters if you want or laze around, I don''t care. But as I am not technically the owner of the fiefdom and I still am your older brother I shall inform you about the happenings in the small chance that you learn one or two things." Galahad was shocked, pleased and angry all at the same time. He was shocked because it was decreed that his brother will actually manage and in reality all but own his fief. He was angry his brother would do something like that and the fact that was a snotty uppity bastard(His brother is not actually a bastard it is used as an insult in this context) and finally he was pleased because he didn''t look forward on managing the fief and was planning to just give the task to the treasurer. The one he just learned doesn''t exist. Before Galahad could say anything Nikolas continued. "I looked through the treasury, I assessed the development level of the fief and sent my men to do a census as well as a thorough check of the warehouses and granaries. Have you done anything? " The Treasury has 0 Gold Coins 189 silver coins and 1023 bronze ones. Specifically 2 Grand Silvers (Half Gold) 7 Quarter Silvers and 180 whole silvers(1/100 of a gold) you also have 10 Grand Bronzes and 123 Quarter Bronzes and 900 whole bronzes. Some minor jewelry and a bit of steel and our familial steel Armour. Overall the value is about 10 whole Golds. Thanks to the bookkeeping of the series of knights holding the fief for the past twelve years. I know that your realm has slowly and steadily lost our fathers accumulated treasury. Specifically, we had 100 whole golds in the treasury but through disasters, famines and the slow and steady decrease of all of your sectors of the economy led the fief to run a growing deficit year after year transforming your treasury to its current pitiful form. The average running cost of the realm has decreased from a net gain of 10 whole gold a year to losing 10 whole golds a year. In other words, you are almost bankrupt. Specifically, our economy has decreased thanks to a series of minor disasters such as warehouse fires droughts the wages of the temporary lords. The poaching of almost all our capable craftsmen.the decrease in trade. The decrease in population and as a follow up your taxes. Furthermore, Baron Monver your direct liege has increased your taxes three times. Finally, the loss of skilled personnel has increased the number of products the realm imports and decreased the number of products the fief exports. Specifically, the fief exports Furs, Lumber, Herbs, and Clothes. The realm is mostly sufficient in Grains and meat but it needs to import everything else such as wine and craft goods. About ten years ago before father died the realm had a blacksmith which could produce some basic farming tools and maintain the men at arms equipment as well as a woodworker and a tanner. Speaking of population the current population of your holding is 212 people. Made up of fifty-six working-age men specifically two craftsmen a tailor and a miller. Forty-one peasants split into three occupations farmers, hunters and lumberjacks to be exactly twenty-nine farmers eight hunters and four lumberjacks. The fief employs eleven, ten men at arms and a cook. There is also a priest and an innkeeper. There is also sixty women with only eight of them being actively employed. Four of them are employed by the aforementioned innkeeper two barmaids and two prostitutes and two nuns which work in the temple and we also employ two castle maids. The rest of them tend to their kids and help a bit with farming. Speaking of kids there is ninety-five of them forty-five boys and fifty girls. There is also one elderly man. As for your infrastructure, it is as a matter of fact falling apart. Your roads haven''t been paved with fresh gravel in a while the walls of the keep and the village are rotten at places. The regent has abandoned your observation towers which have since first fallen to a state of disrepair and finally completely rotted away. On the topic of your Granaries you have enough food for the winter if nothing unexpected happens but if you don''t fix your income situation, you might need to decrease the number of festivals which will make the peasants uneasy. Your men at arms are severely under-equipped and untrained and you will be easily wiped out if a goblin horde attacked. But there is some new good news. First, you are a frontier knight and as such if you manage to colonize more nearby lands you should be able to petition the count to make you a baron. That is if you expand your realm about five times. But that will require both money and men. Hearing the constant barrage of information from his older brother. Galahad thought why the fuck am I treated as a child. I am a man and most importantly. This frail man isn''t my lord or even a landed noble. How dare he talk down to me? Galahad then stood up towering over his brother by a whole head and said "How dare you to talk to me like a child? You are not my lord and frankly, you are not welcome here if you don''t respect me you and your whole entourage can fuck off or I will make you." Nikolas just looked at his brother and disdain appeared in his face. "How dare you a man with nothing but muscles for brains which has been drinking and eating away the money you inherited talk to me like that? And I wanted to take off some of my precious time to help you manage your realm. I had some hopes for you, kid being my brother and all. But all knights are the same as such I am leaving good luck at managing your realm, Sir Knight." Galahad hearing his brothers words became red with anger and reached towards his sword but before he could do anything. Nikolas said with an ethereal tone. "Fush," Galahad was then knocked off his feet. Falling head first to the floor and promptly falling unconscious. 2 What now? Galahad woke up feeling groggy and lightheaded laying on his bed. Opening his eyes the first thing he saw was his squire looking over him. Jack then asked curiously. "Sir why were you passed out on the floor and why did your brother and his entourage leave with such haste?" Galahad then remembered what happened yesterday and became livid. "Where did my fucking brother go? I will take his skull and make it into a mug. How dare he humiliate me like that. I am a Knight he is just an unlanded noble." Jack looked at him and responded wearily "Sir your brother left with his entourage about a day ago leaving no indication of where he was going. But I am sure with the power of your liege lord we can find him and bring him to justice." When Galahad heard his squires plan his eyes light up. "That is it I will write a letter to Baron Monver and he will bring my stupid brother to justice. Well done squire I am sure we can make him a wanted man all across the kingdom." John the nodded and simply said. "I shall bring parchment, ink, and quill Sir." Galahad then nodded and after a moment of contemplation he smiled with a self-congratulatory grin and said proudly. "Ah and bring me the best merchant the village has. ¦© have a proposition for him." Jack then bowed and said solemnly. "My liege your wish is my command. I shall bring the task to finish" Galahad just nodded and dismissed him. After less than ten minutes John came back with a couple pages of parchment and a bottle of ink as well as a duck feathered quill. After he placed the items on the wooden desk. He bowed and left. Galahad then left his bed and sat on the velvet chair. He then dipped his quill in the ink and wrote. "To my dear friend Baron Monver von Gragon.I am deeply saddened to inform you that my dear brother''s visit didn''t go as expected. His first move when he met me was to insult me and my honor as a knight. When I politely asked him to leave as to not cause a deeper schism between us. His response was to attack me incapacitating in the process for a whole day. As you understand I was deeply infuriated. Since my only goal when meeting my older brother was to have a banquet in his honor and exchange stories over a cup of beer. But thanks to his horrible actions. I am forced to ask you for a favor. So you may restore my honor and in turn your honor. My request is rather simple. Dear friend, I ask that you declare my brother a criminal and offer a reward for his capture in the hope that we will be able to bring him to justice and thus get back our honor. Signed Your friend and loyal knight Sir Galahad von Highkeep" After that Sir Galahad left the ink dry for a bit. When the ink was sufficiently dry, he carefully rolled the parchment into a roll and took out of the cupboard a long piece of blue wax. He then took off his signet ring and put it over a candle fire. When the ring was sufficiently heated up. He carefully cut a coin-sized piece of wax and laid it at the end of the scroll. Next, he pressed the head of the ring over the piece of wax melting it and ascribing his personal symbol over it. He subsequently, steadily and methodically cleaned the ring before putting it back on. After the whole ordeal was over. He stretched his arms and stood up. He then laid in his chair deep in thought. Before deciding to head to the main hall to get some food. As he arrived a young voluptuous blonde maid bowed and said sweetly. "My lord what would you like for your meal we have fresh bread, cheese, wine, beer, and sausages. As for the main course the hunters caught some wild rabbits as such we could make rabbit stew or we could make some grilled chicken as one hen doesn''t lay eggs anymore. Galahad then smiled and said happily. "I would like some red wine as well as some yellow cheese and bread. As for sausages, I will prefer the ones with pepper. For my main course, I would prefer the grilled chicken.." The maid the bowed again smiled and said "My lord your wish my command. But sadly we are out of pepper sausages" Galahad then said dismissively. "Then go get some from the market." The maid then forced a smile and responded weakly. "Em...my liege the market doesn''t sell pepper sausages as they are quite an expensive good and none but you can afford them. But we should have some by tomorrow if we send someone today to buy some from the town of Grangar." Galahad with a slightly annoyed tone said. "What an underdeveloped place "sigh". Fine don''t bother with other sausages then. Just prepare the main meal with at most haste. A knight cannot dine without meat on the table. Oh and as a punishment for disappointing me. I would like you as a dessert" At the last remark, Galahad smiled lecherously. After that, the maid bowed deeply and headed to the kitchen. Soon the squire came inside the great hall followed by a short grey-haired man in his late fifties. The man seemed relatively clean and was wearing slightly better clothes than the average peasant. But his callous filled hands showed that he was, in fact, a farmer." Both the man and squire bowed. After Galahad gestured for him to talk, the peasant asked with a hint of excitement. "Your squire told me that you called for me my lord. How may I be of use to your excellency?" Galahad then thought proudly. I will show my stupid brother who is the smart one. Not only I won''t work hard managing the realm. I will even have all the booze food and women I ever wanted. He continued on to imagine the scene of his brother on his knees begging for his life while he was looking down upon him. After all, I am a lord and he is just an unlanded noble. Soon after he said solemnly. "Oh yes you see my loyal subject I have a need for a man such as yourself to manage the treasury. As my time is far too valuable for me to spend time on such menial tasks. Your job is to balance the budget to cover the various expenses of the fief and fix any issues that come up. I also give you permission to manage the taxes." The old peasant then smiled and responded happily. "Indeed my lord such tasks are definitely beneath you. I Markos will do as you command" Galahad nodded and said to his squire. "Go to the kitchen and tell the maid to bring more wine and food for our new treasurer." Soon after the maid came back bringing cheese and bread as well as wooden mugs and two large jugs of red wine. As he was about to enjoy his meal Galahad remembered the letter and looked at his squire. "Squire go to my quarters and take the letter i wrote and find a messenger to deliver it to lord Monver von Gragon. After that, you may come back and get some food" After a while, the squire came back and started silently eating while Galahad was excitingly telling stories to Marko. After the meal was over Galahad took the beautiful maid and retired to his quarter. At midday when Galahad woke up the maid was already gone. He smiled in self-satisfaction and looked at his desk were a still closed scroll laid with the seal of Baron Monver. As he broke the seal of the scroll and red. He became paler and paler. "To my friend Sir Galahad von Highkeep.I am afraid I am not able to grant your request. First of all, sadly there isn''t any proof of such transgressions. Secondly, I am afraid to inform you that your older brother is much more powerful than me or you. As a matter of fact, he might even be as powerful as a count. So I will consider it wise for mine and your sake if you could apologize to your brother or at least stop antagonizing him. After all, it is well known that he is quite a terrifying man. If you want to know more, we can talk in person in my Keep. Signed your friend and liege Baron Monvar von Grangar ," After a moment of contemplation, Galahad realized that if his brother really wanted, he could have already killed him. As such he wasn''t in any danger. Either way, he could still prove to his brother that the idea of getting a treasurer was a good one. As the days passed by Galahad got into a routine joyously drinking and eating while occasionally visiting baron Monver.Rarely his treasurer would come by and ask him to seal different documents. While in the start he read them carefully eventually he didn''t even bother to look at the first paragraph. Becoming a glorified rubber stamp. After all, as long as he had money to continue his lifestyle he didn''t care. Soon though he got bored with the constant banqueting and as such he started spending more time with his men at arms training and going hunting with other nobles. But good things don''t last forever. Half a year later one of the hunter parties didn''t return. Nothing too worrisome after all hunters could be missing for up to several weeks especially if they chased some good prey. The next day the other hunting party left. At about noon the same day, one lone hunter from the second party returned. He was bloodied from head to toe and he collapsed as soon as he reached the northern outskirts. One of the farmers found him took him in and treated his wounds. While the hunter was unconscious lumberjacks and women searching for herbs or wild greens kept going missing and the villagers felt like they were being watched. A day later when the hunter woke up. His first action when he regained his senses was to shout at the farmer next to him with a gruff voice and a tone implying urgency. "Tell the lord a Goblin Horde is nearby and he needs to call reinforcements as quickly as possible otherwise the Hamlet is doomed." He then stopped and realizing how gruff his voice was said. "Ah, and I need some food and water. If you are so kind I will pay you back later" Jerald was shocked. He remained stunned for a second before his mind churned. He could go to inform the lord and get drafted into the militia. Putting himself and his family lives in the line to defend the Hamlet and his current livelihood or he could take his family and his savings and escape with his life and most importantly with his family alive. After all putting his hopes on this new lord was simple suicidal, his lord might be a decent fighter, but he was also a drunkard as such finding him sober is rather unlikely. He would simply do his family and himself a disservice by leading all of them to death. And even if they won, they were no guarantees that him and or his family would survive the ordeal. Or that his life would improve if they won. Jerald having already decided on his course of action then forced a smile and gave the man some cold stew while responding. "I will do so just rest for now." The Hunter nodded and after finishing the bowl of stew and drinking some water closed his eyes quickly falling back to a state of unconsciousness. After Jerald made sure that the Hunter was asleep he quickly gathered his family and their valuables on his cart. He also borrowed one of his neighbor''s donkeys with the excuse that he was going to Gragon to sell some rare mushrooms. Furthermore, he also asked his neighbor to watch over the farm while he was missing. His neighbor smiled and said he will do so. When the Hunter woke up Jerald and his family were already past Gragon heading towards the capital where hopefully they could make a better life for themselves. The next day when the Hunter woke up he noticed that the house was abnormally empty. After all, no one in the right mind would allow a complete stranger to stay in their house unattended. After trying repeatedly and finally getting up he swiftly realized that everything valuable was gone. Still lightheaded from the long sleep and losing all that blood it took him about a minute to realize his folly by trusting Jerald with the information. He then stood up and limped towards the keep. In the hope, he could inform the lord before it was too late. But barely a meter away from the house the sound of bows firing was heard. He smiled bitterly as the arrows stroke true and he closed his eyes for the last time. 3 One for ten. As the goblin horde marched the sound of drums filled the air. Most of the villagers working in the northern outskirts were quickly slaughtered by the advancing horde. The treasurer was missing on a business trip and Sir Galahad was wasted. Leaving as the only capable people left the priest and the captain of the men at arms which quickly organized a meeting about how to mount a defense. As the most experienced in the matters of war. Captain Hank was the first to speak, and he spoke with a solemn voice. "Markos we only have ten peasant men inside the walls. Together with the ten men at arms, we have a force of twenty men. If we add our lord when he sobers up we have twenty-one. There are over five hundred goblins outside the walls. Our only chance is that some fleeing farmers inform the baron, and he hopefully sends relief force quick enough to break the siege before we have been overrun otherwise we are doomed," The Priest Markos nodded and said calmly. "Indeed, Let''s hope that we can last long enough and that the baron will, in fact, sent reinforcements rather than just hold in Gragon. It is not like we have any other choice. But what do we do with the women and children?" Captain hank then said with a hint of desperation. "The women and the girls will hide inside the keep as for the boys older than ten they will join the defense that should give us five more fighters give or take we can arm them with slings. As for the peasants we are gonna give the good shots bows and arrows and the bad ones spears to defend the walls lets hope we can survive this for long enough." Markos then said. "I will pray for our salvation. Send anyone moderately wounded to the temple I should be able to heal them back up to fighting shape. Tomorrow will be a hard day prepare for the worst." After that Markos walked away Captain Hank sighed and went to organize an effective defense. First, he grouped everyone together and split them into five groups one for each side of the wall and one as reinforcements and or replacements. Each group had two men at arms, one peasant archer, one peasant"spearman", and one kid slinger. He also organized the women and children to gather rocks, pottery and other miscellaneous items and stack them close to the staircases in each side of the wall and also prepare fires to boil oil or water. Finally, he gathered everything and anything he could to reinforce the wooden gate from furniture to carts, to even kitchenware. While this was happening the goblins were happily pillaging the farmlands surrounding the Hamlet Highkeep. At about noon the goblins stopped ravaging the land and set camp outside the range of the hamlets'' archers. Soon after goblin wolf riders patrolled around the camp changing shifts every two hours for the rest of day and the following night. When the set up of the camp was done the sound of song and laughter reached as far as the hamlet. Meanwhile, the first survivors reached Gragon informing the Baron about the incoming goblin horde. With that information in mind, the baron declared martial law and everyone quickly gathered inside the Town of Gragon. The baron then prepared a militia of about two hundred men. He also sent five messengers to request the rest of his knights to raise their banners and meet up with him at the town of Gragon hopefully in less than two days at which point they will then march to save or liberate the hamlet of Highkeep from the goblins. In the morning when Galahad woke up and went down to have "breakfast", he was quickly informed of what transpired yesterday. Furious that those subhumans would attack his fief he had his squire help him don his ancestral plate armor and grabbed his two-handed battle hammer storming out.But not before giving permission to his squire to don his old armor and arm himself. The duo then headed for the barracks As the knight went inside everyone stood up and bowed. After Galahad signaled for them to rest, he asked in a heavy tone. "Where is the captain of my men at arms Hank?" A young brown-haired woman said. "My liege he is organizing the defense on the northern walls." Galahad smiled nodded and said. "Thanks, fair lady. I would love to stay in your company but I need to go." The girl bowed and said. "I am thankful to be of use to my liege". After that Galahad left the barracks and headed towards to the northern wall were Captain Hank was sternly looking over the goblin camp. When he reached the base of the walls he shouted. "Captain Hank why didn''t you wake me up. Ah, and how is the situation I am ready to exterminate these green-skinned vermin. Also, my squire joined me I hope he may prove useful and get some experience." Captain Hank looked towards Galahad and responded calmly but loudly. "My lord I didn''t want to wake you up from your slumber. As for your squire, he is more than welcome after all we are severely under-manned. On the "Green skinned vermin," they number is about five hundred. About a hundred of them are riders. The rest of them are a mishmash of half-assed archers, barely passable swordsmen and spear "men".An average peasant is better than most. But overall thanks to the terrible state of the walls and the lack of a moat we are in quite the situation. Let''s hope the gods bless us with a victory." Galahad nodded and shouted "Gather the men I have something to say." In about half an hour all the men taking part in the city''s defense gathered at the town square. As the last group reached the town square. Galahad looked at them with a stern look and said calmly but energetically. "These men, is our finest hour. These vermin have reached our walls. We are the front line of civilization. The bastion of hope for the expansion of humankind. I might not be a great ruler. But I will be damned if I can''t slaughter every last one for encroaching to our kingdoms and specifically my land and subsequently raiding and pillaging it. Our names shall be echoed for generations as the ones which defended the integrity of the kingdom outnumbered twenty-five to one. We shall take revenge for our lost possessions, friends and family members. But that is only our revenge. We have even more important reasons to fight. We need to defend our families, our friends and we have a duty to ensure our own survival and future and the ones of our loved ones. We shall fight brothers. after all remember our Hamlets motto, "Prosperity through adversity." After the rousing speech, the small crowd shouted. "Prosperity through adversity" Prosperity through adversity" "Prosperity through adversity" "Prosperity through adversity". After everyone calmed down Galahad gave a gesture to bring out freshly cooked spiced sausages, white bread, yellow cheese and a cup of expensive wine for each combatant. As the food arrived Galahad raised his goblet and said solemnly. "This might be our last supper But if we fight bravely even if we die we shall join the hall of heroes." After the meal, the priest walked up the stage and first gave a short sermon. Subsequently, he blessed the defenders claiming the gods look favorably upon them for fighting a just war and for defending their families and their honor. As the sermon came to a close. The men felt a burst of energy. With their moral high and their head standing tall they took their positions on the walls. Galahad was manning the west gatehouse together with his squire and the west defense squad the same direction the goblin camp laid. The south wall was manned by the least experienced group. Made up of the youngest kid, the least competent archer, a rookie guard, and a first time levy. Their saving grace was the veteran guard named Alfred leading them and the hilly terrain it rested upon. On the east laid arguably the weakest point. The wall was slightly shorter in relation to the ground and it was in a horrible state with holes as big as spearheads littering it. On the positive side, it was lead by Hank the captain of the men at arms and the squad guarding it consisted of the most experienced men. Finally, the west wall was simply average the wall itself was in a decent state but not stellar it had decent troops but not stellar and it was lead by a decent veteran called Mathew. Goblins weren''t the brightest folks. Deciding to take the "easy" way in by storming the northern wall their attack was quick and fierce. The first clue of the impending battle was the sound of war drums filling the air and the goblins massing after finishing their stolen meal they sacrificed some captured men to their barbarous gods. The first war action of the green tide more accurately the goblin spearmen and goblin swordsmen was to rush the wall with their ladders and Subsequently overwhelm the defenders with sheer numbers. At the same time, the goblin archers moved forward with the goal of bombarding the defenders with arrow fire. The Northern wall defenders first used long-range projectiles but soon resorted to using stones and pottery to kill and slow down the horde with the power of gravity. But like fighting a sea by throwing rocks it had no real effect. As the enemies reached the walls, ladders were put up. The green tide finally able to strike at them. The defenders fought valiantly selling their lives for more than they ever hoped to bargain for. The first to fall was a kid about ten years old the boy killed by a lucky goblin shot penetrating his neck killing him instantly. The kid''s father then flew into a mad rage slaughtering ten goblins and toppling two ladders. But he broke away from the formation and was soon overwhelmed. Finally falling dead like a wounded bear after a myriad of wounds. All the while tears of anger mixed with his blood staining the wooden walls. Soon the blue flag rose the signal for the reinforcement unit to reinforce the wall. As they reached the wall, the battle on the walls reached a stalemate. That was when the goblin cavalry made its move. A large cart pulled by ten wolf riders with a large log tied on it quickly reached the gate. When the riders were about a meter away from the gate, they cut the ropes freeing the wolfs. Subsequently, the riders jumped off their wolfs next the wolfs dispersed either towards the northeast or northwest. Away from the battle lines. With the fight reaching a climax nobody had time to pour the pot gifting hot death upon them. With that, the goblins reached the gate relatively easy and started ramming Luckily a goblin swordsman mis-stepped falling back first on top of the pot dying brutally from the intense heat and also toppling the pot dooming his friends below to a fiery death. But luck can''t always change the inevitable. A new set of riders soon rode up to the gate and took up the mantle of cracking it open. Realizing that the gate would be breached sooner rather than later Galahad ordered a full retreat. Retreating was easier said than done though. Galahad first raised A yellow flag informing the other wall sections of the impending fall of the first defense line. The order was simple. Retreat and gather at the keep and for that was executed without a hiccup. While retreat for the other wall sections was relatively simple. The retreat for the ones involved into a deadly melee was a completely different beast. The first to retreat were the archers and the slinger. Then the squire fell back. Last, Sir Galahad and another wounded man at arms managed to disengage. The rest died upon the walls defending their homes to their dying breaths and dyeing the walls crimson. The losses were also heavy for the goblins. About forty of them didn''t even reach the walls. Fifty of them were killed on those very own walls and ten were burned to a crisp before the gate. Overall for every defender that fell ten goblins followed. But with a casualty rate like that the future looked bleak for the defenders. As the survivors reached the safety of the keep. The outer town was already a blazing inferno. The men were heartbroken watching their hard work, property, and sweat all destroyed in less than a day. All the while the goblins sang and shouted with their shrieking voices. The rest of the day flowed just like that. With the goblins pillaging away. After the pillaging was over, they moved their camp inside the walls. When the night came. The men finally relaxed they were first fed and then had their injuries tended to by Markos and the nuns, Galahad tried the best he could to encourage the men and comfort the women by recounting their loved ones heroic sacrifices. To hopefully blunt the pain. Soon almost everyone was sleeping. With the only things disturbing the quiet of the night. The changing shifts and the flickering of the torches. 4 Last stand As morning came another dreadful day was upon the defenders. They dined well Galahad opened the keeps food stores to feed his people. The men prepared gathering arrows and sling stones. While things might look bleak at a first glance, the reality is that. The keeps walls were always better maintained and the keep itself is in a much more defensible position in comparison to the wall. As the keep itself has only one real entrance point. A relief force will be there in about a week at most and the stores of food inside the keep will definitely hold that long. While hygiene might be an issue, it is not to the degree of a catastrophe. Furthermore, since the keep is a much more compact, it allows the forces to be less spread out. Surprisingly, The goblins didn''t seem to be in any rush instead most of them searched the burned buildings for anything useful. If anything, they were a bit too quiet. Either way, at about midday they tried to smoke the defenders out. While such tactics might have worked against them in a different day lady luck blessed them by having the wind run northwards away from the keep.Slowly but surely the morale of the men increased their limbs now full of energy and the inferno of hope was now burning in their hearts. Look even the usually rash goblins aren''t attacking us they thought. Living in such a small space leads to quite squalid conditions and as a result, several kids fell sick. One of the young girls complained that she felt tremors. Her mother gave a reassuring smile hugged her and told her with a mellow tone. "Don''t worry sweety. I am sure it is just someone that gave you the bad eye. After all, you are my pretty little rose and everyone says how pretty and delicate my little girl is. I will get nan to cast out the bad eye." In the meantime, Baron Monver had just gathered his forces outside Grangar and would march out tomorrow at the first light. His Personal forces amounted to a hundred men at arms well trained and well equipped with shields swords spears and mail armor. The rest were levies with minimal training about a hundred archers using their own bows and arrows and about a hundred spearman armed with long spears and long elongated oval shields. The Landed knights brought themselves and about twenty men at arms each and twenty levies either spearmen or archers. An important distinction needs to be made for Sir Jeroic von Heria his men at arms rather than having spears or swords were armed with two-handed axes their mail armor also had several integrated steel plates. The total amount of knights Baron Monver gathered were fifteen out of sixteen From which ten were unlanded knights wearing low-quality plate armor and five were landed and as such, they were wearing middling tier plate armor. As for the Baron, he had a top-tier set of plate armor. The only knight missing was Galahad which was currently embroiled in a battle for survival. As the final preparations for tomorrows operation were finished, another day came to an end. The day differed greatly from the last this time the goblins seemed much tenser some small-scale fights even broke out. At some point, fifty riders just took their part of the loot and left. The rest became even tenser. Soon another group of goblins disappeared. "Took Took Took Took Crah" A small hole smaller than the size of a child appeared in the keeps cellar and from there two hundred goblins poured through.In the start slowly similar to a slow stream but soon the speed resembled more one of a torrent. The defenders weren''t completely oblivious the lower castle rooms were already emptied of the kids the women and the elderly which now stood on the top of the keep on the south side. Soon a bloody melee ensued Galahad was center stage gifting death to the barely armored goblins. Humans not only had a strength advantage an equipment advantage and even a larger range but they were also fighting for their families and homes. Furthermore they were fighting in an enclosed space. With the humans holding a defensive position in the corridor limiting the number advantage of the goblins. But there was a relatively small amount of humans compared to goblins and a lot of them were untrained and as such, they got tired rather quickly novice warriors are more prone to mistakes, as a result, they accumulated injuries and soon the green tide started pushing them back. Half an hour later half of the remaining men were dead but a hundred and fifty goblins will rest with them. The defenders then retreated off the corridor and barricaded the door to the main hall so they can catch their breath the goblins started pounding at the door. Markos came up with an idea. At that point barely any goblins remained in their camp. Most of them were currently flooding the keep, and the freshly dug tunnels beneath it. As such it is a good chance to break out and successfully group up with Baron Monver. Galahad begrudgingly approved Markos''s plan but Captain Hank, Veteran Alfred, and some older peasants both men and women disagreed. Hank looked Galahad in the eye and said with a slightly depressed tone. "Your lordship when I pledged myself to the service of your father a decade ago. I promised that I shall defend his fief with my life. There is no worst punishment for me than staying alive as an oath-breaker. As such allow me this last honor to slow down the enemy as much as I can so your Lordshipmy family and everyone else may have a better chance of retreat." Alfred then added with a bitter smile on his lips and a melancholic tone. "Your lordship I have lived in this small village my entire life I remember when this place didn''t have even twelve families. I was but a young lad then.Now, look at this place a small thriving village in the frontier. The young are the future of this place I am far too old to be running around I will just slow you down As such I shall live my last day and breathe my last breath ensuring the continuation of my home." Galahad lifted his visor his eyes cloudy, a tear forming in his eye. His voice gruff and charged with emotion as he said. "I might be a Knight but the ones that acted as such are those elders which are sacrificing their lives. They acted as true paragons of knightly virtue. Valiants subjects of the Kingdom. Truly just heroic. Today they have acted more according to the Knightly code than even I have. As such I wish them a farewell and I hope I will become half of the Knight they embodied." Subsequently, the elders held down the passage while the young escaped. Fleeing north towards the hope of a better tomorrow away from this conflict and bloodshed. The old were sacrificed so the young may have a chance to taste the fruits of their labor. As the survivors moved north, the wounded children and women slowly but surely fell behind. Inside that group was also the Squire a goblin had broken his leg. Behind them, the sounds of battle had faded as they continued to walk Gragon was only two hours away. At this point, only the keep was still visible. While walking the survivors took in the full scale of the disaster. The surrounding farms were burned rotting corpses littered the ground broken carts and burned animals were also occosianally sighted. The smell of smoke still hanged in the air but it slowly but noticeably grew thicker. Soon a four-year-old child carried in his mother''s shoulders shouted SMOKE. Everyone tensed was it their allies or more goblins or even bandits they thought as they checked their surroundings. But it was soon obvious where it was coming from the Keep. Again the sound of drums became audible they were still an hour and a half away. Should they leave behind the women and children or would they continue hoping they will all escape? Markos said simply and drily. "If we all die, they were be none to take vengeance and if none takes vengeance justice will not be served and that will displease the god of Justice the one that judges the souls of men." Galahad took a big breath and said with conviction "I already gave up our past in the future''s sake I will not sacrifice our future in the sake of vengeance for I am a knight and if death has come knocking for our future, I will try to stop him even if it is futile. Markos then calmly responded. "My God will not be pleased with me if I act as you require. I am afraid I will be going, see you. Hopefully not on the other side," After those words, Markos sped up quickly moving further and further away from the group. The drums grew louder and louder tension rose. The rearguard had been changed up from women and children to the able-bodied men.Then the goblin riders came into eye distance about eighty of them the last twenty men prepared for their charge as the women and children fled as quickly as they could. Time slowed down each second feeling like a centrury. Then they charged the impact was instantaneous our line was in tatters in seconds men were dropping dead all around. Galahad himself was pierced in the leg by a spear. The combined force of man and riders managing to pierce the ancient plate. As he fell down the sound of arrows was heard. Soon The Fifteen knights and the baron were counter charging the goblin riders. They were less in numbers but they were better armed stronger and better trained they brought death and destruction in the goblin ranks. Still a couple unlucky knights perished but the surviving goblins soon routed. The wounded, and the survivors were taken by some levies to Gragon while the rest of the force advanced. The goblins when informed of the news quickly retreated. The the army caught nothing but a few small groups of strugglers here and there with about a hundred of them still able to escape back to the forest. Now armed with new arms and plenty of food for the winter. Soon Galahad woke up feeling weak and drained resting in a familiar room. It was his quarters when he was still a Squire in Gragon next to him a familiar old lady was taking care of him Madam Etheria the kindest soul in the kingdom her brown eyes filled with worry. Madam Etheria said with a voice full of kindness but with a gruff undertone thanks to her age. Her smile bitter and her eyes red from worry. "Galahi how do you feel, we needed to amputate your leg. I am deeply sorry I have to tell you that your fighting days are behind you. On the bright side, your squire is still alive and his leg will heal with time the Magos said. But I have been rambling again you must be thirsty and hungry. After you finish eating, I will call Little Monver over." Before Galahad could even react he was given some cold soup by Etheria. Galahad after the first spoonful realized how ravenously hungry he was and started eating quickly. Momentarily forgetting the fact he was now maimed. After he finished eating the simple meal, he tried to move his leg. It felt missing gone lost. Galahad remained silent contemplating. In the meantime, Madam Etheria left the room. Half an hour later while Galahad was still deep in thought. Baron Monver arrived he looked at Galahad with a look of pity, sighed and the said. "My condolences for losing your people, your ancestral home, your family armor, and your leg. But I can''t do much both Sir Mark Light and Sir Theodor Strong died two of my knights'' such shame. At least you have some survivors seventy to eighty if I recall correctly most are young kids and women though. I would love to help you but you need to stand back up on your own. But for the next two years i am not gonna levy you any taxes. While you might have lost your martial prowess, you got an important thing for a ruler experience. So what are you gonna do now retire on the basic income a knight gets?" Galahad lifted his head a bitter smile in his face but his green eyes sparkling with energy. "I will do as I promised to Sir Alfred and Sir Hank and the other eight knights that gave their life so I can be alive today. I will rebuild and I will rule. For I am a knight and a knight shall keep his oath." The Baron looked at Galahad straight in the eyes and said with a smile on his lips. "You grew up. A shame that you need something so drastic to do so. But in the end, you did maybe you will prove a capable vassal in the end. Who is Sir Alfred and Sir Hank and the other eight Knights?" Galahad stopped and thought for a moment before he said. "Not official Knights but Knights none the less." Baron nodded but before exiting the room said. "I saw the tunnels and I hear about their tactics from your men. They even blocked the roads with logs slowing us down. Watch out they are smarter than they look." Galahad sighed and thought to himself tomorrow I will go and get a wooden leg after that I will go back to my territory and survey the damage done maybe I can salvage something. I also need to visit my squire. Ah, so much work it is hard becoming a good ruler. 5 A new star While Galahad expected to start moving about tomorrow he was forced to remain in bed for three more weeks. All the while a Magos kept checking on him and Baron Monver conversed with him about governance, economics, and warfare. Meanwhile, Madam Etheria kept taking care of him. Furthermore, a woodworker in collaboration with local smith and a watchmaker took several measurements of Galahads leg. By the time the three weeks were over, they brought in a prosthetic leg. While not great it was still decent for walking and could be even used for riding. When Galahad left bed, his first thought was to go check up on his squire. With the help of a couple of servants, he reached the home of Baron''s Captain of the Guard Sir William Capson. After reaching outside the building he politely knocked. A minute later a relatively attractive young servant girl opened the door. She bowed and said politely. "How may I help you, my lord?" Sir Galahad looked at her and said politely. "You may rise. I have come to see my squire Jack Capson." The servant nodded and said meekly. "The young master is currently resting. But I shall ask Lady Klarin, your Lordship. " Sir Galahad nodded. The Servant quickly scurried away to inform Lady Klarin. About an eighth of an hourglass later the servant returned together with Lady Klarin. While Lady Klarin wasn''t stunning, she was still a relatively attractive middle-aged woman with piercing cold blue eyes. Sir Galahad gave a traditional bow and said softly "Lady Klarin I see you are as beautiful as ever. If I may, I would like your permission to enter your household so I may see my squire" Lady Klarin Gave a vacant smile and responded with a quite dry tone. "Sir Galahad I am afraid my young boy has some quite grievous wounds, and he is currently resting.and as you are well aware such injuries need a peaceful and quiet environment. But I am hopeful that he will be able to return to being a squire of an active duty knight in about three months. Sir Galahad raised his right eyebrow and said with a neutral tone. "Oh does that imply by any chance that you intend to change the knight your son serves?" Lady Klarin''s vacant smile morphed into a sneer and responded haughtily. "Well isn''t it quite obvious that after your injury that would be the only logical solution? Since a core part of being a Knight is the COMBAT. It is only reasonable for him to follow someone that can actually fight." Sir Galahad nodded and promptly responded coldly. "That is indeed true. My only goal today is to meet my "squire" just to check his condition. As I feel partially responsible for his grievous wounds by putting him in the line of danger." Lady Klarin nodded and responded simply and signaled for Galahad to follow her. "If that is all you may meet him." As Galahad went inside, he saw a relatively well-furnished house with a decently sized hall. Soon he arrived at the solar where the family slept. There Jack laid on his bed reading a book about monstrous enemies and how to deal with them. Galahad went inside and said softly. "Hello, How are you?" When Jack heard the voice, he responded excitedly his voice in a higher than normal pitch. "Hello Galahad, I didn''t hear any news are you alright? So what are we gonna do next?" Galahad smiled and responded naturally. "Em, I feel alright although I do miss my leg. But I came here to check on your condition and to say goodbye I was just informed that you would be under a different Knight since I am now unable to fight" As he finished talking Galahad pointed to his leg while smiling bitterly After a moment Jack realized what Galahads words entailed, and he responded. "Oh so... I guess... Goodbye for now?" Galahad looked at him and said discontentedly. "Yeah, that is it we had a good run though. Hunting, banqueting, training. We even fought a horde. After you recover if you get a small number of merits or even just become a little older you will probably be knighted. At that point you should come over to Highkeep hopefully it will be rebuilt by then." Jack nodded his head vigorously and said seriously. "I promise my lord in the spirit of our dead comrades." Galahad nodded he then said goodbye and exited the room. On the way, he informed lady Klarin that he was leaving. She nodded and escorted him out the door. After he left the noble estate, he looked to find his surviving peasants he found two surviving men at arms and about ten other peasant men plus about twenty women most widows the rest had either remarried or forced to sell their body to survive and as such, they couldn''t return back. About forty young children fifteen boys and twenty-five girls. Galahads first move after grouping everyone up was to get some funding. With that goal in mind, he went to the local merchant guild, after all, a lot of merchants were also part-time bankers. As soon as he requested a meeting and presented his noble seal to the attendant. He was led to a spacious well-furnished office were A thin brown-haired white man in his thirties looked over a pile of papers. His clothes were such as it was befitting of his social class. The only standout feature was a gold-chained necklace with a shiny silvery coin. Overall he looked very ordinary. The thin man smiled insincerely and said politely. "My name is Veron Xrisia, my lord. For what reason do we have the honor to meet the great lord of Highkeep. Until recently we were dealing with your dear treasurer. Which from what I am aware as of today he has already left the kingdom." Galahad was shocked and for a good half, a minute laid still. With questions feeling his mind such as. Wait where is my treasurer and why didn''t he visit me. Furthermore, what does this Veron mean by he left the kingdom? After Galahad calmed down, he asked angrily. "What do you mean by the left the Kingdom?" Veron smiled and took out a piece parchment with Galahads seal on the bottom of it. "As you can see here in this latest contract, you made Mister Michael officially a free man you paid him a total of three gold royals and gave him the right to travel uninhibited." After stopping for a second he took out a ledger "Your lordship I also need to inform you that you owe thirty whole gold coins loans for various reasons as for the collateral it is currently well your land. If I may, I will assume that you cannot pay the loan and furthermore you probably want to ask for further loans. As for any ideas of defaulting on the loan without giving up your land, I need to inform you that we do have the protection of the King himself and more than enough mercenaries to take care of non paying customers. But all problems have their solutions I can give you a personal loan if you agree to one condition." Galahad collapsed to a nearby chair for a solid half minute as he tried to process all this new information. after that, he said desperately. "What is the condition? " Veron smiled cunningly and said with a cheery tone. "Well the matter is simple you need to have a matrilineal marriage with my daughter Amarilla as a dowry I will give you ten whole gold coins. The cost of your next payment for the loan is due in a month. It is a whole gold coin. The marriage will be organized by me at my expense you only need to show up and marry my daughter. Plus taking the oath of matrilineally before the marriage ceremony. Another minor thing is your first born will be named after me instead of your father. I am looking forward to the day I will meet my grandson Veron Xrisia von Highkeep" Galahad was half expecting such conditions and smiled with the same cunning smile. "Do you think I was born yesterday? While it might be true that I am in dire financial straits. It is also true that a lot of nobles will jump into the chance of marrying matrilineally into even the lowliest of landed nobility. The dowry needs at a minimum to be fifty." Veron''s smile froze in his face and responded coldly. "Don''t get too uppity don''t forget you virtually own no land and the only value you have is that title. The best you are getting is thirty-five take it or leave it. In the bright side, you are sharper than the rumors say" Galahad sighed heavily and nodded before saying simply "Alright, you have a deal. You can have five months loan repayment in advance the rest is needed for me to buy necessities and supplies to rebuilt Highkeep. By the way, do you know any merchants with decent prices " Veron visually relaxed back to his chair and said "Don''t worry about it after you marry my daughter I will provide your basic supplies in supplier price. After all, I want my grandson to inherit a decent fief, not some garbage. The wedding will be conducted in a week in the temple of Lados. Until then I will feed your rabble. After all, you do need some peasants to get your hamlet back in working condition." Galahad nodded helplessly Veron smiled and responded cheerily. "Good Good. We have an agreement. Now if you may I have some other matters to oversee. My attendant will take care of your rabble you may leave now." Galahad nodded and left the building followed by an attendant. Then he quickly explained the situation to his peasants. He took with him the two men at arms and headed back to the barons keep. There he requested an audience with the Baron. After about an hour he went inside the Great hall. He hadn''t been here since the day he was Knighted. How things change he thought. Inside the small hall, Baron Monver sat on his throne. Galahad bowed and simply said. "Your lordship I came to inform you that I am getting married in a week in the temple of Lados. Baron Monver raised his eyebrow and responded curiously. "Congratulations I wish you a long and prosperous family life. But how did you meet your future wife? As far as I know, you don''t have many connections within nobility. Is it just a random peasant beauty? If that is the case I would suggest against such a marriage." Galahad smiled awkwardly and responded. "Oh yeah about that. I am kinda forced to marry her thanks to my previous decisions. My previous treasurer pulled the wool over my eyes and I ended up highly indebted and he got away he has currently left the kingdom. Either way, the debt is big enough for me to accept a matrilineal marriage request by Veron." The baron froze and responded loudly. "You know that by doing that your family pretty much loses their claim to the fief. Your heir isn''t even really your heir it is Veron''s grand heir." Galahad nodded and said weakly. " I know it is truly a mark against my honor but I really don''t have a choice. At least he will still be my kin at the end of the day. I can''t do much, after all, I did promise to rebuild the Hamlet and by the gods, I will do so." The Baron nodded and asked simply. "So how much is the dowry? I hope you didn''t get tricked after all both a title and land are a part of the deal." Galahad nodded and responded calmly " The dowry is decent thirty-five whole golds. What I am really curious about. Is why is the wedding conducted in the temple of Lados? The necklace on Veron was of the goddess of Wealth Ploutia as such I expected to have the wedding on her temple. Such a necklace is normally a symbol of quite a fervent believer. Since he is the one organizing the wedding, it seemed obvious that he would hold the wedding in the temple of Ploutia instead." Baron Monver responded simply. "Oh, that is quite simple. Well, Veron wants to show to the wider society. That by holding the matrilineal wedding his family is moving from the social class of the merchants. Where the worship of Ploutia is commonplace. To the one of the nobility were the worship of Lados is the prevalent patron. Galahad nodded in acknowledgment and said simply. "Well, your lordship. I wish to ask for my leave. As I need some time to organize my thoughts" Baron Monver signaled that he may leave. Galahad bowed and left the main hall. The rest of the week went past rather quickly. Galahad spent most of his time reading a couple books from Baron Monver''s personal collection and doing some marriage preparations. 6 Marriage The big day was near and many important roles needed filling. First and foremost Galahad went to meet Ms. Etheria. He found her in the kitchen area of the keep. As he stumbled through the door. Lady Etheria rushed at him pinching his cheeks as she said cheerily. "If it isn''t little Galahi did you come to remember your good Aunt. You know since you became a big knight you haven''t come to see your Auntie much" Galahad became red with embarrassment and said smiling "Don''t call me Galahi it is Galahad and I am sorry Ms. Etheria but I have been busy " Averting his guilty gaze at the end. "I see little Galahi is all grown up now, and he doesn''t have time for his Auntie. Also, I have told you to not call me Ms. Etheria call me Auntie." Galahad sighed heavily and said still with a genuine smile on his lips. "Okay, Auntie I came here to ask if you are gonna be my spiritual mother for the marriage." Etheria remained still for a moment a big smile filling her face while a tear of happiness rolled down her cheeks. As she rushed up and hugged Galahad, she said with a voice charged with emotion. "I would love too Galahi. I am so honored. You know it''s weird seeing that little boy which used to come to the keep battered and bruised shouting Auntie Auntie I found a pebble in the shape of a heart and then gave it to me." Etheria finished raising her right hand to shuffle Galahad hair. Galahad now red like beet.responded emotionally. "It would be my honor if you took the mantle of the Spiritual mother in this momentous life moment." Etheria nodded and then she raised the question. "But Galahi I am not a noble I am of peasant birth. Wouldn''t it look bad on you" Galahad smiled and said simply. "How can you be of peasant birth if you are my Spiritual mother?" She nodded she stopped hugging him and asked him "So who will be your spiritual father?" Galahad smiled and said. "Well Sir Mathew Hills is in all but blood my father." Etheria nodded and said. "Go then I am sure his in the sparring yard. This man can''t go a day without training." Galahad nodded and left the room. When the door was closed. Etheria couldn''t hold back her tears and she cried with a mix of joy and sadness. She took the stone out of her pocket and gazed at it. They grow so quick she thought with a big smile. Galahad then went towards the training grounds. There a black haired man build like an oak stood. Bellowing orders loudly. As Galahad approached, the fellow noticed him and went towards him his eyes red with fury. The Large man bellowed. "It isn''t my unfilial squire since you became a big fish you have no time for your benefactor brat. Look at you in less than a year you ended up maimed. MAIMED I say." As the fellow reached him he grabbed Galahad in a bear-like hug. "Oi brat you know you should come by more often. Without proper training partners, you will lose that little bit of skill I forced into you." Galahad got a big smile on his face and bellowed "Aye old man, You haven''t changed one a bit I see. How dare you call me a little skilled I saved your life?" The fellow smiled and faked anger bellowing "That you did and less than a year later I needed to save your sorry ass from a bunch of green rats." Galahad laughed and then said seriously. "Sir Mathew Hills will you do me the honor of becoming my spiritual father. As you are the only man fit for such a responsibility." Mathew thumped his chest and said seriously "It will be my honor to do so. After all in a but name you are my son." Mathew then continued bellowing "This is grounds for a drink my treat. Is not every time a useless brat like you gets married." Galahad nodded and then said. "Aye a drink would be great. You also need to know that the wedding will be matrilinear" Mathew then quietened down and said "Oh, your economic state is that bad, eh. In that case I will get you hammered tonight." And just like that, all the preparations he needed to do were complete and soon the day of the wedding was upon them. Galahad together with Mathew left from the keep three hours before the start of the wedding. At which point they rode around Gragon. As it was the tradition, the father imparted his son with knowledge about women, family life, some life advice and in their case some stories from their past. As their ride came to an end they arrived at the temple there some servants helped Galahad dismount. As the bride came in Sir Galahad gave a deep bow. Katarina was a woman with an attractive body but a rather plain face. As she arrived before him Sir Galahad said. "Oh, Great beauty I came to ask your hand in marriage. Will you make me the happiest man ever and join my household? So we may father children with the grace of god Lados" Katarina grasped her heart and said with a dramatic tone. "Oh, great knight. I am afraid my household is old and grand and I couldn''t bear to leave it. As such our marriage is not willed by the gods." Galahad then fell to his knees and said. "But oh great beauty my heart aches without you. For I am in love. I ask before the gods for you to marry me. For that grant gift, I would even abandon my household." Katarina took sir Galahads hand and said melodramatically. "Then oh great knight we shall join together. Let''s not wait anymore. Let''s rush to the temple and get married with the blessing of the gods." With that, the small ceremony ended. Then the bride and the Groom walked the aisle. In the left stood the groom with his mother on his left and on the right the bride with her father on her right. As the reached before the priest the father and mother stepped away from them maintaining a distance of about two meters. Then the priest started the ceremony psalming. "Heavenly Father Lados we are here on this day to give thanks for the love you have shared with these two individuals. We ask that you bless them with healthy children and stable family life. That they will be healthy and long-lived so they may not deprive their children and each other from one another. " The priest paused for a moment and the continued. "Katarina Xrisia do you take Sir Galahad von Highkeep to be your husband and other half, to take care of him and cherish your relationship? To love him today, tomorrow, and forever? To always be open, honest, and faithful to him. Do you take him to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto him for as long as you both shall live? Katerina simply said. "Yes, I do." "Sir Galahad von Highkeep, do you take Katarina Xrisia to be your wife and better half, to take care of her and cherish your relationship? To love her today, tomorrow, and forever? To always be open, honest, and faithful to her. Do you take her to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto her for as long as you both shall live?" Sir Galahad said loudly. "Yes, I do." The priest nodded and said "By the power vested in me by the God Lados, I pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride" At that point, Galahad and Katerina had a short kiss. Cheering and Clapping erupted in the crowd. The first person to congratulate them was Baron Monver then different knights finally the merchants and other business acquaintances Veron had. As that part of the ceremony finished the group headed to the keep were they feasted. Soon it was time for the bride and groom to have their first night and so they did. In the morning. Katerina and Galahad looked at each other awkwardly. Galahad awkwardly asked. "So what do you enjoy?" Katerina answered awkwardly. "Em... reading, having tea and knitting. How about you?" Galahad awkwardly answered. "Em hunting, drinking and feasting" Katarina nodded awkwardly. for a solid minute, awkward silence filled the room. Em, I have some work to do. Em, see you later. As Galahad was about to leave, he heard a laugh. He turned his head and asked. "Why are you laughing?" She replied while trying to hold back her laughter. "You forgot to get dressed." Galahad became red like a beet and said awkwardly. "Em no, I was just about to get dressed." After that small event Galahad got dressed had breakfast and headed to the merchant guild were his father-in-law conducted business. As Galahad showed his seal to the Attendant, he was quickly led in. After he reached Veron''s office he was immediately let in. Veron quickly bowed and said cunningly "Your lordship for what reason do I have the honor to have you visit me? Oh, wait where are my manners I almost forgot to offer you a drink. Would you like coffee, tea, ale or wine. I have you know I have some great red wine from the kingdom of Frankia." Galahad simply responded. "You are well aware Veron why I am here. Where is the dowry you promised?" Veron smiled and took a small bag from under his desk inside rested thirty whole golds. He then continued by stating. "The rest of your dowry is in goods specifically. Wheat one thousand two hundred and two Bushels of wheat. The price was one whole gold coin twenty-four whole silvers coins and two whole bronze coins. Twenty sets of iron tools compromised of a Shovel, Axe, Hammer and fifty nails the cost is one silver coin. Fourteen chickens and one rooster two whole silver coins and eight whole bronze coins Two sets of full mail armor two whole gold coins. Four carts and four work horses one whole gold coin and twenty whole silver coins. Twenty sheep forty silver coins and six pigs thirteen silver coins." Galahad nodded and simply asked. "This is good. But where are those goods and my "rabble"?" Veron smiled and just said. "They are at the Drunken Fox inn west side of the city together with some of my men." Galahad grabbed the pouch and said. "I will take my leave if you don''t mind." Veron smiled stood up and said. "Allow me to escort you out of the building is only proper." Galahad nodded and soon he was on his way to the Drunken Fox inn. There an old acquaintance was waiting. Markos simply said. "Hello, your grace. I learned that you are gonna reestablish the Hamlet as such I came as quickly as I could. After all both you and the peasants require spiritual guidance. It is only proper for this old priest to continue his duty." Galahad gave him a big smile. "But of course I would be more than happy to accept your request. But my land is sadly very crowded. As such you would need to pay an insignificant amount of money to establish your temple. It is but a pittance for a grand god such as your own." Markos narrowed his eyes and said. "Oh is that may very well be true. But as far as I am aware there was already a temple in the hamlet previously." Galahad feigned innocenceand said "Oh was there. I haven''t personally seen it. Do you perhaps have proof of such a temple existing?" Markos sighed and responded frankly. "So how much money is needed for me to acquire land to build a temple." Galahad responded innocently. "Well since it is acquiring and not renting the price is two whole gold coins." Markos looked at him and grumbled. "Alright alright but I want a contract." Galahad nodded intensely "I strongly agree let''s go to the scribes guild and get one." And just like that Galahad and Markos finalized their contract at the scribes guild netting Galahad another two whole golds. The cost of the license was covered by the party acquiring the property. After they separated. Galahad once again went to the Drunken Fox Inn. There he met with his peasants. With their help, he then inspected the supplies and livestock. Especially the horse''s teeth to find how healthy they were and their average age. Their health was decent and on average they were about nine years old. He also bought two lesser war horses for one whole gold one medium tier warhorse for two whole gold. He also repaired his broken steel armor for one whole gold. Equipped his two surviving men at arms with the chain mail armor he got from Veron and went to inform his wife to stay with her father for the time being. Since there are no quarters set up yet for a lady of her stature back in the hamlet. After that was done he kissed her goodbye and set off with his peasants to rebuilt HighKeep. 7 Time for some Hamlet building After everything was in order Galahad asked the peasants for any other supplies that should be procured. They pointed out that they needed at least some basic tents. After all, it was the middle of spring and as such the nights were still quite chilly. Plus the occasional rain would make their lives hellish. Additionally, they needed to procure a large store of Ale since the previous siege meant that the goblins most likely poisoned the well. Someone else pointed out that a large amount of the wheat will rot if left to the elements and as such it would be most wise if they rented a storeroom in Gragon and moved shipments every couple of weeks. Galahad noted quickly got in contract with Veron through him he found a decently sized storehouse outside the northern walls of Gragon. The cost of the rent for a year was twenty whole silver coins. Soon the contract was signed, and the storeroom was quickly filled with ninety-four percent of their grain. Ale thankfully was quite cheap one bronze a gallon. As such Galahad decided to buy enough to last them for a year with some months to spare as such he bought twenty-six thousand gallons together with the costs of the five hundred and twenty barrels it added to a total of two whole gold coins and eighty whole silver coins. Most of the newly acquired ale was also stored at the storehouse. Outside of twenty-one barrels which will be taken with them. It was decided that they would resupply every three weeks. He also left behind one of his men at arms to guard the storehouse giving him one whole gold for his expenditures. For their small cloth tents, they paid a grand total of fourteen whole silvers. Another minor expense was basic cooking utensils such as a pot some knifes a bunch of wooden spoons, plates, and tankards costing an additional ten whole silver coins. With all of this spending, his finances had taken quite the hit. He also paid in advanced eleven months of his debt pushing it back a year and putting the remaining loan at nineteen whole gold coins. With all of that spending, his remaining coin was ten whole gold coins and seventy whole silver coins. When everything was done it was already late as such they decided to postpone their leave. While most of the peasants decided to stay in the tents Galahad just bought since it was better than living on the streets. Exceptions do exist some of them had family in Gragon as such they could stay with them for an extra day. Others wanted to have a last night out before returning to work and as such, they decided to spend their last coin drinking and eating merrily. Galahad similarly to the last group decided that the best course of action was to meet with Markos and go out for some light drinking before leaving tomorrow at the first light. The night left and quickly the small group left Gragon soon they reached the previously burned fields. Which were now lush and full of life? The corpses littering the road and the hamlet had been buried by the soldiers as it was customary. The destroyed carts have been moved aside so the army can march effectively. As they reached the semi-destroyed palisade walls. They were greeted by a mixture of green grass and flowers growing inside the ruins of the previously lively settlement. With their emotions running high Galahad ordered the last surviving hunter to act as a scout to check the ruins for any remaining greenskins. After an hour he returned back reporting that no greenskins have been sighted and there weren''t any trails ascertaining to their existence. The group then slowly headed inside the ruins and soon they reached the destroyed keep. The first job of the day was to set up camp. The most advantageous position was at the top of the hill where the old keep laid in ruins. The position was advantageous because firstly they could see further away and they also had the high ground in the case of a sudden attack. Plus there was a bunch of half standing fortifications increasing the security level of the camp. After picking their camps location. Their first action was to clear a decent percentage of the charred remains of the keep. Not too much just enough to effectively set up camp with the charred logs used to decrease the number of holes in the ruined wall. By midday, groups have been sent out to start gathering dry lumber. When the first day was over they had gathered enough fallen lumber for the camp fires to run for a week. From, tomorrow onward the small camp fell to a routine. First-morning porridge from wheat and the occasional egg for the lord. Then the group of the men will exit the camp and start chopping logs to build a wooden barricade while the children and women would prepare their lunch and dinner. Outside of camp activities, they also foraged around the forest for supplementary herbs and berries. Additionally, they searched the ruined hamlet for anything useful with some occasionally finding some surviving kitchenware or other miscellaneous items. Day by day a small mountain of secondary goods was amassed. They were all given to the lord. After all, they needed to repay their lord for the help he had given them. As he had gone beyond his duty of just protecting them. Most of the newly refound goods were used to feel necessities Some were sent to the storehouse for now. The new wooden barricade was done by the end of the first week and from there on out the group of peasants worked to build new houses. With their current population, they needed to build fifteen hovels. Their construction took the entirety of spring and the first month of summer. The men chopped the logs and put together the houses while the kids and women made wattle and daub. Another which came up was the lack of straw for the construction of the roofs. As such, they were forced to import it from Gragon. While the material was dirt cheap as it was a waste byproduct from the cultivation of wheat. The huge amount required costed another whole silver coin. But thanks to the sales of salvaged goods they had actually gained five whole silver coins. As for Galahad in the past mount outside of managing the construction and the finances he mostly spent his time going back and forth between Highkeep and Gragon. In Gragon he visited his wife, Lady Etheria and Sir Matthew he also occasionally spoke with baron Monver and the other knights. He also took care of some minor trade deals with the help of Veron. Mostly selling foraged medicinal herbs with their sale eventually netting him a whole gold coin. Verons help advice and help caused him to grew slightly closer to him. After all, Veron was now his father-in-law.Lastly, he occasionally checked the storehouse. When the last needed house was built Galahad called a meeting. The time spent managing the reconstruction effort and the day-to-day management had led him to become better at evaluating his men. As such when he called the meeting. He only invited the two men he found most useful and skilled. When both men arrived in Galahad''s tent he seriously said. "I have gathered you here since you are my most capable subordinates. Now that we have reestablished the skeleton of the settlement. I have a plan since our population is severely lacking I was considering taking in all the half breeds from this years Exoria as well as any decently cheap folk I can find in the list as well" Martin Hankson a young black-haired man of average stature and average build angrily said. "Half-breeds are inherently destructive. We don''t have the manpower to police two hundred to three hundred of them. I know it seems tempting to get them since they cost minimal points and you can still control them through the ring but it will be chaos. I can ascertain that your peasants and the half breeds will eventually clash. If you want to take half breeds pick herbivore beast men half dwarfs and half-elves. While they are a bit more pricey than other half breeds, they are still cheaper than war prisoners and minor criminals." Ludwig Ergon is a swarthy man in his forties with whitening hair. He is dressed with animal hides and always has a knife in his belt and his bow close by. He simply said. "Your lordship as you know I am just a simple hunter. So I don''t have too much experience with polite society, But even I know that Getting Half goblins or Half-orcs will go badly. Just give up on that plan for now" Galahad nodded and simply said. "Alright alright maybe I was a bit excessive. So do you think my gathered points would be enough for a hundred unskilled people give or take" Martin and Ludwig both nodded before Martin stating. "You lordship you should have about a thousand points after all nobody has claimed anything for the past eleven years as such you should have five hundred and fifty points from the passive point generation of a frontier landed knight. That is just the base generation additionally the minor calamities that plagued the fief for the past eleven years should be another two hundred points. Additionally, you should get even more bonus points since your realm was razed by goblins. It should be at least a hundred points. All together you should have about one thousand points give or take two hundred." Galahad was quite shocked as this was simply a monstrous amount of points. "Alright, the second matter of the day is what to do from now on? Start some vegetable farming or Build more houses and some storage areas." Ludwig Ergon responded simply. "Your lordship planting now will only yield a small number of vegetables before the autumn sowing season. I would suggest we just wait for the migrants and in the meantime, we just build some more houses." A week later it was the day of Exoria as such all the landed knights gathered to the barony. There Baron Monver gave each knight their personal letter detailing how many points they had. As it was customary none was allowed to open the letter outside of the knight in question. When Galahad opened his sealed letter, he read the first line ascertaining the number of points. The sheer number of them shook him to his core. His fief had amassed a total of two thousand and a hundred points. From there on out there was a detailed breakdown of the origin of the points. First of all the Hamlets, total points compensated for past calamitous events were six hundred. As for the passively gathered points, it was the grand total of one thousand five hundred points. That was equal to the accumulation of thirty years without anyone claiming anything. That was simply insane but also explained the disparagement between his and the other knight''s territories. As for Baron Monver''s territory, it gained passively two hundred points plus five percent of all the points from the calamities that befall his vassals. Either way that year their territory was in the middle of the pack when it came to picking Exoristous. As it was customary the ordered of picking was from the person with the least points to the one with the most points. Obviously Galahad was last. As he was the last to pick the anticipation was simply torturous. Eventually, it was his turn. Inside the room on top of a wooden table rested an extremely thick book. Each pair of pages had a detailed analysis of each person from their sex, age, name, characteristics, to the time until the end of the sentence, crime, known skills, and an ascribed point cost. After someone would select a person, the taker would write his whole name and title and seal the page with wax. Galahad started looking through the book from the first unsealed page. Some Exoristoi would come together with their families those were called family workers. Number four thousand five hundred and sixty-seven: Yeriola Emeratha, Age: thirty, Sex: Male, Abilities: Unskilled labor, Crime: Half Breed, Stealing some clothes, Begging without a permit, Public eyesore Price: five points, Total sentence: twenty years. Soon he had picked about seventy family workers and eight unmarried men having spent a total of five hundred points. For the rest of his points, he decided to pick some quality personnel. Number seven hundred sixty-seven: Boris O Prasinoktonos, Age: fifty, Sex: Male, Abilities: Green Skin extermination, Crime: Enemy war combatant, Special trait: Hard to control, Price: fifty points., Total sentence: lifetime. Number five hundred fifty-four: Emaria Olia, Age: twenty, Sex: Female, Abilities: Expert Herbalist, Journeyman Alchemist, Crime: Public Humiliation of a noble heir, Price: a hundred and fifty points, Total sentence: five years. Number three hundred thirty-three: Eledor Gragin + Family, Age: forty-three, Sex: Male, Abilities: Expert Smith, Crime: Fighting with a court official, Price: three hundred points, Total sentence: five years. Number sixty-seven: George Derkan, Age: twenty-six, Sex: Male, Abilities: Earth Elemental Manipulation, Expert Mason, Crime: Sleeping with a count''s daughter, Price: nine hundred Points, Total sentence: forty years. After he left the room two knights wearing exquisite quality plate armor went inside the room soon they exited the room then the building then the barony. Galahad was simply ecstatic when he went to meet his old mentor Sir Matthew hills. He found him as always at the training grounds giving orders as usual. When Matthew noticed Galahad he bellowed. "Oi, brat how did the pick go did you get any half decent Exoristous. Or did you just get a big group to cover your loses? You should have had a big bundle of points. Perhaps even touching a thousand. Did you perhaps get an armorsmith? That would be great perhaps If your old friend here could get a discount." Galahad excitedly said. "I had two thousand points. Not only I replaced my manpower I even managed to get a Masorian, a smith, a herbalist, and an anti-goblin specialist. I can''t wait for next week." Matthew stood there shocked, and he asked quietly. "Two two two thousand?" Soon though he returned to his normal self and continued bellowing. "This is insane with a Masorian in your territory it will grow by leaps and bounds. You are not joking, right? The caravan isn''t gonna come next week and say ten half dead farmers for Galahad right?" Galahad smiled and said cheerily "Indeed everything is true and as a celebration, I will be the one which will pay for drinks tonight." Mathew patted Galahad heavily on the back and bellowed. "Good after a hard day of training a drink is exactly what I need." Galahad spent the rest of his week socializing in Gragon after all he wasn''t really needed back at the settlement right now. He also needed to buy more wheat, ale, tools, kitchen supplies, and even some tents. He ended up spending an additional five whole gold coins to buy five thousand bushels of wheat. Which barely fitted in the storage house. He also made a deal with a local brewery buying up front another one hundred and forty-six thousand gallons of ale for one whole gold coin and forty-six silver coins. As well as a two hundred new sets of tools for another whole gold. Finally, he spent another gold on buying more kitchen supplies and tents. With these matters done for the rest of his time was spent with the other knights which were also expecting their cargo. 8 Organizing the new Arrivals. A week later, early in the morning, a big caravan arrived at Gragon. The caravan set up camp in an already harvested field. Soon all the landed knights and baron Monver arrived outside the central tent. The tent was large in size but not too big. It was made of silk and dyed crimson and. Next to the closed entrance stood two proud banners both also made of silk and dyed crimson with a black griffin embroiled in the middle. While red dye was somewhat expensive and silk was extremely expensive. The most striking feature was the guard''s armor. They were both clad in high-quality full plate from head to toe.While the quality of the armor sets one there selfs was extraordinary. Both sets were actually products of an enchanter and as such, they were full with rune carvings which occasionally flickered with powerful arcane energies. The entrance order was the same order as the order with which they picked their Exoristous. The ones waiting engaged into some casual conversation. Conversing from their Exoristous picks to the guard''s armor to even the weather and the chance of rain. About an hour later it was Galahads turn. The insides of the tent were rather stark. Two bookcases, three chairs, a simple wooden bed, a wooden desk, and a small chest. Behind the desk, a middle-aged scholarly man was slowly writing. Galahad went inside the tent remained silent and bowed. The sound of writing was the only noise in the room for ten whole minutes after that the man took out a thick folder and gave Galahad a piercing glare and spoke. "You must be Sir Galahad. You may sit." Galahad nodded and sat on the chair. The man then continued. "I am the Logistics Centurion Daric von Margar. You may speak if I ask you a question. Am I understood?" Galahad nodded. Daric continued on. "Good. Now please give me your ring and tell me your family motto." Galahad took off his silver signet ring and simply responded. "Prosperity through adversity." Daric nodded he took the ring and said "Do not disturb me until I give you permission." Daric then took out a golden signet ring with a red gemstone. He made the two signets touch and he seriously said. "For the King" He then continued "Prosperity through adversity." After that, he remained motionless for five minutes looking mindlessly at the rings. Five minutes later Daric stopped spacing out he lifted his head took out a piece of silver-colored wax and a piece of paper. Daric then simply said. "Your requests have been approved you just need to sign here." He pointed in an empty spot in the bottom of the paper. He then returned the silver signet ring. Galahad nodded as soon as the wax was melted Galahad used it to sign the paper. He then methodically cleaned his signet ring once again. Daric then simply explained. "Since this the first time you own Exoristous you should know that. Firstly Mistreating them is a crime as they are for the duration of their crime the rented property of the king. The fine depends on the severity of the mistreatment and the point value of the individual subject. Secondly, you may order them around as you see fit. As long as your orders are not idiotic. All the orders you give get transcribed through the medium of your ring and checked three months before the next evaluation. In the case they attempt to escape at the point they leave the range of a hundred kilometers they will automatically die. You can also inform us of any escapes and we will manually activate the instant kill mechanism. In the case, you get murdered by an Exoristos negligence. The Exoristous which have been deemed as guards will immediately die. Only two Exoristos can be assigned as guards at your rank. In the case, you get murdered by an Exoristos every Exoristos under you will die. Other minor crimes will increase their sentence time. If a prisoner reaches a certain level of criminality it will be taken off your hands and your points will be returned in full. In the case of your death, the controller becomes the next person in the line for the fief. That is all. Any questions?" Galahad though about it for a while and then he asked. "What if they die?" Daric simply responded. "It depends on the reason for their death. In the case of natural causes, you don''t need to do anything. In the case of death in combat if it is against external elements you don''t need to worry about it. But if the reason is internal conflicts, you shall repay the king through either point reductions or through monetary means. Where one point equals to ten whole silver coins. With an important caveat, the last rule is only true if you are the aggressor. Or you are the one counter invading another lords territory. If that is all you have to ask you may leave. Exit through the back of the tent your Exoristoi have already been gathered." Galahad nodded and exited the tent through the back. There a foot soldier waited for him. The soldier gave a military salute and said. "Decan Man at Arms Roland Smith in your orders Sir." Galahad nodded and said "Take me to my Exoristous." The soldier nodded and said. "Yes, Sir. Follow me, Sir." Soon the soldier led Galahad at the south side of the camp. There gathered a crowd of about three hundred people. Mostly children, some women, and some adult men. Galahad looked at the soldier and asked. "So mister Roland how many people are there and what is there numbers?" Roland gave a military salute and said. "Sir there is eighty-one men, seventy-two women, and two hundred and two children. From which ninety-three are boys and a hundred and nine are girls." Galahad nodded and then Bellowed. "Alright listen up. From today onwards you are my subjects. I have great plans for you and we shall leave in an hour but first, I want to know which ones among you are Boris O Prasinoktonos, Emaria Olia, Eledor Gragin, and George Derkan. The crowd quickly split up and the middle and threw it came four people. A young dashing fellow, An old muscular man, a beautiful young lady, and a short grizzled man. Galahad simply said. "Please introduce yourselves from oldest too younger." The short grizzled man said "I am Boris they call me Prasinoktono I am pretty vood at kill voblins." Galahad nodded and said. "You definitely look the part. I hope you are ready to exterminate some goblins. I am planning to have you create a squad and start hunting them." Boris smiled from ear to ear and said seriously. "Understood Boris will definitely do a vood job." Galahad then just said. "We will set this up when we are back at my fief. Next one please." The muscular fellow nodded and said. "I am Eledor Gragin. I am a simple family man and a blacksmith. I hope you will be able to provide me with a place to hone my craft, my lord." Galahad nodded and said. "Well met Eledor. I do indeed plan to do so. But I would like to ask how much will it cost. You know the whole supplies tools and all." Eledor looked at Galahad and said. "Well my liege we Exoristoi can take any possessions not used to pay any fines as such I have all of my blacksmithing equipment with me. As such, I only need a house for my family, a workshop, and some starting supplies such as Iron and coal. After that, I should be able to make both enough money to pay for my own livelihood and enough to pay taxes." Galahad nodded, and he stated. "This will be done it may take some time though until the buildings are set up. Next one" Eledor just nodded. The dashing fellow then said. "I am George Derkan. I am a master Masorian I only need some decent food and maybe a woman here and there." George said while grinning and stealing a glance of the woman next to him. Galahad nodded and said. "Duly noted. You should be lady Emaria Olia. So what do you need?" The lady nodded and simply said. "I am indeed Emelia Olia. As for what I need a house and a workshop would be nice. A steady supply of herbs is a must and some new glassware would be nice. I also have most of my equipment with me. But some of it was destroyed on the bumpy road. I hope we will be able to get it replaced as soon as possible." Galahad nodded and said. "It seems a lot of you have personal items I would like to know what items each and every one of you took with them. Please come one by one and report your items." Galahad then looked at the soldier and asked. "Can you write it down?" The soldier simply nodded. Soon everything was written down. Outside of the smiths and herbalists equipment every person had between two and ten cloth sets about ten of them had peasant swords with one of them even having a decently maintained chain mail. About thirty various tools and quite a bit of kitchenware. The total money they had was six gold whole coins eleven whole silver coins and ten bronze whole coins. Additionally, they had a set sleeping ware. Galahad nodded and said. "Alright, then it is already midday if we start now we should be able back to Highkeep without too much trouble." Thankfully with only the need to hire two extra carriages for five silver coins they managed to transport the peasants'' belongings. The group soon left the camp. Four hours later they arrived at the newly rebuild hamlet of Highkeep. As he arrived, he was quickly informed about the arrival of the church building group which started rebuilding their temple in their already prepurchased land and secondly two more hovels have been finished. Firstly Galahad went to meet up with his old friend Markos. He found him overseeing the construction of the temple. Galahad simply asked. "Hello, Markos how is the construction going? I would like the spiritual needs of my peasants to be satiated soon." Markos smiled at Galahad and said half ironically. "Well building a temple takes time and money. Speaking of which Sir Galahad would you be so kind as to offer some donations to the temple." Galahad smiled and responded with the same tone. "Well, father as you are well aware. I am sadly unable to procure any money. As I am knee deep in debt. But I will be sure to donate at the first chance." Markos smiled and nodded adding. "I hope so for the salvation of your soul." The purchased tents had already been set up together with the old ones. The houses were given out with point priority as such George and Elegor were first given houses. With all of this new manpower, Galahad needed to specialize his workforce. Firstly he took the eight unmarried men and formed a militia with Boris as the captain and Martin as the lieutenant.Ludwig and four others officially started hunting again. Four other men were put into transport duty their job was to bring back ale and wheat daily and take any useful products they can and sell them. Ninety-five percent of the exports were either furs, horns, or antlers. Galahad also appropriated the peasants'' money and claimed they were going to be used to buy extra food and ale so their stores can last until the end of next year. What he actually used the funds for was to buy both iron and coal and boost his treasuries finances. The children were added to the wattle team, and the women were tasked with mostly cooking and taking care of the camp. Additionally, George and ten others were in charge of rebuilding the keep and the walls but with stone this time. To rebuild the keep, they needed two thousand and two hundred and eighty square meters of stone. The job of the ten guys was to first mine rocks from the rocky outcroppings and after those were mined out directly mine from the hill. Then take the quarried stones and move them at the top of the hill where the new keep is being built. Then George would use his control of the earth elemental to meld the rocks together. An average days'' progress was ten square meters as such the project should be finished in nine months give or take. The rest of the men were added to the logging and house building teams. With all of this extra manpower, they finally had time to build a proper chicken coup, sheep and pig enclosers, and even a stable. Three months later it was the start of the sowing season using as such Galahad used a whole gold coin to buy enough seeds to sow the fields. He also bought Four oxen have been as well as two plowers for another whole gold coin. In other news the militia was slowly shaping up there were seventy new houses, a smithy, and a herbalist workshop and even a small "barracks". Thankfully most of the men were now free and as such, they could now officially start sowing. At the same day, George asked for a meeting with Galahad. When George arrived before Galahad he had a self-congratulating smile plastered on his face. Galahad looked baffled and asked. "What is it?" George continued smiling and said cheerily. "Well, I have some great news. But as a reward, I would like three whole silver coins for a night out in Gragon" Galahad said impatiently. "Alright if your news is that great I shall grant your request." George smiled even brightly and with the news of the confirmation he said. "Well you know the granite quarry we created under the hill we actually struck ore." Galahad smiled and asked happily. "Ore, what type of ore?" George smiled and simply said. "Copper." 9 We struck gold i mean copper. Galahad looked at George and simply said. "COPPER. But how do you know it is copper? Also, do you have any proof of its existence? George nodded and said. "Sir, as you are well aware I am able too, to manipulate the element of earth. As such, I can feel the composition of rocks." George then took out of his pocket an opaque dark grey rock with a metallic luster and simply said. "This piece of rock was recently found in the mine and it has a composition of about sixty-five percent copper. It is high yield copper ore." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright, I believe you. But what about the stone for the keep?" George simply said. "Not everything inside the mine is copper most of it is still granite. We only just struck copper On the western side both the south and the east sides are still mostly granite" Galahad nodded and said. "Okay then, in that case. What is the best way to exploit the mine?" George smiled and simply said. "Well, I would like two more whole silver coins for this information, Sire." Galahad grumbled while smiling. "Fine, fine you can have five whole silver coins. What do you suggest then?" George simply said. "Well, that is rather simple. Do you know the church of the goddess Ploutia?" Galahad nodded George then added. "Well, one of its core missions is the increase of wealth. As such their temples tend to operate banks, chambers of commerce and even minting facilities. Generally speaking, they are quite the money grabbers. Anyhow bronze coins are made from tin and copper. Where copper is A) the more important metal and B) copper is what is called a noble metal. As such a new copper mine means an increase in the number of coins and a substantial increase in income. Our mine should be able to produce at least a ton or so of copper. You must have in mind that one bronze whole coin is one gram. While one whole silver coin is six point five grams and one whole gold coin is thirty grams. Either way, a ton of copper is about equal to a hundred whole gold coins. Before any of the fees and costs have been added. Anyhow you can probably lease out the mine to the church of Ploutia for fifty gold coins per tone of copper produced." Galahad nodded took out five silver coins and gave them to George. Galahad then said. "You earned them. We are leaving in an hour sharp get ready. Ah, I also need the ore you found in the mine as proof." George nodded he then left the stone on the desk and exited the tent. Four hours later. Galahad and George arrived at Gragon. George laughed and said "Cheers Sire I will have a great night thanks to you. Also good luck." Galaha nodded and said "Aye have a good night you earned it." Galahad then went to meet his father-in-law he soon arrived at the merchant guild. Where he was quickly let in and informed by the attendant that Veron was out with a client and he would be back in about an hour. One hour later Veron had returned. He met Galahad at the waiting room before his office. Veron smiled and said politely. "Oh, greeting son-in-law. How have you been and would you like a drink? We have excellent red Frankian wine and some lovely coffee from Erimos." Galahad smiled politely and said. "Greeting father-in-law, I have been well. Also, I would love some black coffee." Veron made a hand gesture towards the attendant and said to Galahad. "Let''s head to my office." As they went inside Veron said. "Please, dear take a sit." After they both sat Veron asked curiously. "So for what reason have you come here?" Galahad smiled and said. "Dear father-in-law must there be a reason for my visit? Can''t I just be a here to check of your well being?" Veron smiled and said. "Of course not my dear son-in-law. But it is simply rare that you would wait a whole hour for my return without a truly important matter plaguing you. After all, you are a busy man you have a fief to oversee and even my daughter and your spiritual parents don''t see you often." Galahad nodded and said. "Well, it is indeed true that I have come today with a reason in mind. I would like you to make me an acquaintance with the priest or priestess of Ploutia." Veron raised his eyebrow and said. "If you need money, I can always give you a friendly loan. There is no reason to get in debt with the church. Those people are even worse money-grubbers than us." Galahad smiled and shook his head before saying. "I don''t actually need to take a loan. Instead, I am planning to set up a trade agreement with the church. I found a copper vein in my land and I am planning to exploit it." Veron smiled and then asked. "Oh, how big is it? I mean we could probably set up something up with the guild." Galahad smiled and said. "Well, you would need quite some money, after all, you would need to hire a bunch of miners. At least ten in the minimum. Additionally, I heard their church had minting facilities and they could even provide a local banking service. Outside of that, I would like quite a big cut. Are you certain you can give me a big enough cut for me not to go with the church?" Veron sighed and said. "I guess you are right. I really can''t guarantee a bigger cut and they do come with a bunch of other services. I would take you to meet her after we have our coffee." Galahad nodded soon the attendant came with two cups of hot coffee and about an hour later they left to go to the temple of Ploutia. Five minutes later they reached the temple. The differences between the temple of Ploutia and the temple of Lados were quite shocking. The temple of Ploutia was near the market and full of people and bustling with activity. While the temple of Lados was near the keep and almost empty with a serene atmosphere. Furthermore, the temple of Lados was stark and elegant. While the temple of Ploutia was rather opulent and even a bit tacky. Soon Galahad arrived before the priestess. The priestess was a plain blond middle-aged woman with calm brown eyes. As they arrived before her Both Galahad and Veron bowed. Then the priestess smiled faintly and said. "Bless you children with prosperity and abundance. Oh is that Dear Veron I almost forgot how you looked like you haven''t been here in a while.So Dear Veron, I am curious why did you come here today? Ah, and who is this?" Cold sweat started going down Verons back before he said. "Em, your holiness. I have come here today to make you an acquaintance of Sir Galahad my son-in-law." The priestess smiled coldly and said feigning happiness. "Oh is that so? Son in law but I haven''t conducted any marriages. Did sweet little Katarina perhaps get married in another temple?" Veron trembled slightly and said, "Your holiness. As Sir Galahad is a noble I wasn''t the one that picked where the marriage ceremony would take place." The priestess sighed and averted her gaze from Veron focusing on Galahad instead she then said. "So Sir Galahad it is a pleasure to make you my acquaintance. I am the priestess of Ploutia Marilena Asimi. But for what reason have you come to seek me out?" Galahad smiled warmly and said. "Your holiness it is pertinent that I would make you my acquaintance. As for the reasons for that, there is several. Firstly you have a deep connection with people and one of the true gods. As such your council would be invaluable to a noble such as myself. Secondly, I have a business proposal to make." The Priestess raised her eyebrow and said. "A proposal you say? Tell me more I am sure we can figure something out." Galahad nodded and said. "Well I found an ore vein in my territory and I really don''t have the resources currently to excavate and process the ore." The priestess nodded and said. "An ore vein what type? How big? How far from your territory? Is it close to any major roads? and what type of investment are you looking for? Perhaps a loan to start mining? Or do you plan to lease it to us? We could even buy it if it''s worth it." Galahad smiled and simply said. "It is copper ore vein. It should at minimum produce about a ton of copper give or take. It is below the hill were my keep rests upon. As such it is quite close to the road leading from Highkeep to Gragon. I am currently planning to lease the mine." The priestess smiled and said. "Copper you say. The church is quite intrigued indeed. But first, I would like some proof of the existence of the said ore vein. Additionally, we need to discuss how we split the profit." Galahad took out the stone George gave him earlier and said. "This stone was found in my mine. You can test how much copper is in it. Additionally, you can send a prospector if you so choose. On the matter of the split, I would suggest a seventy percent for the fief and thirty percent for the church. As at the end of the day, I own the land in which the mine is located." The priestess smiled and responded. "Firstly can I have that stone? I would like to get it checked later. Outside of that, you are surely confused you mean seventy percent of the profits are gonna be taken by the church and thirty percent by the fief. After all, you don''t have the means to either extract or process the copper ore." After about half an hour of bartering back and forth, they reached a settlement. They would split the profits half and half if the mine does exist. Galahad would also provide them with land to build a temple and quarters for the miners. The church would also bring a fresh set of miners from another settlement to settle down in Highkeep. As for the quarry, it will remain under the ownership of Sir Galahad. After that, both parties retired. Galahad went to spent some time with his wife. While the priestess sent the stone to be checked. Two hours later she was informed that the stone. Was actually a piece of high yield copper ore. With a copper percentage of about sixty-five percent. The next day both Galahad and George returned to Highkeep. At the moment of arrival Boris immediately asked for a meeting with Galahad. Galahad agreed, and they quickly arrived at the tent. After they sat down inside. Galahad asked curiously. "So what''s the matter, Boris" Boris smiled and said happily "The Vreenskins seem to be vrouping up avain." Galahad instantly became worried and asked. "Firstly how do you know this? and Secondly, do you have any idea of how much time we have before they attack? Boris said calmly. "It is not a biv problem they number about fifty. We vot the first clues one-week avo. I was informed by the leader of the hunters that most of the animals were vone. As such, I tasked the hunters to carefully scout out the forest for voblin activity. Yesterday one of the hunters found a voblin. He then followed it back from a distance. Eventually, he was led back to their a small camp. He then carefully came back. Unfortunately by the time he had returned you had already left. I suvgest we arm the peasants with bows and spears we plan an encircling ambush. The voblins sleep from twelve to eight. As such we need to leave from here at the early afternoon and wait out the night around their camp. Then we will attack at the first light. They will be confused and still sleepy and we should be able to exterminate them with minimum casualties. After the deed is done we will have a scout keep an eye at the destroyed camp. Just in case another group arrives. Additionally, we will have the hunters search around for any other camps." Galahad thought for a moment and said. "Rather than use a big army of peasants. I will request from Baron Monver twenty or so men at arms armed with either bows or crossbows. Baron Monvers men together with your men and the hunters should be enough to ambush and exterminate them." Boris nodded and said "Alright." And just like that Galahad once again traveled to Gragon. On the road there. He met up with the prospector. After a polite greeting, Galahad told the prospector to look for George when he arrived at Highkeep. The man thanked Galahad profusely before the two men split up and went on their merry ways. An hour later he arrived at Baron Monver''s keep. There he waited for another hour before given an audience. Galahad went into the throne room and bowed. The Baron simply said. "Rise Galahad, Why have you come to seek my audience today." Galahad said with sobriety. "Sire I have come to inform you that one of my hunters found a goblin encampment inside the forest about fifty strong. As such, I came to request twenty men at arms preferably either archers or crossbowmen so we can ambush the vile greenskins and exterminate this threat before it germinates." The Baron sighed and said. "Request granted." The Baron then made a gesture towards scribe. which quickly wrote down the order. He then used his signet ring to sign the order. After all the technical aspects were done and dusted with. The Baron then continued. "Go meet my captain of the guards he should be at the training ground together with your spiritual father. I assigned you fifteen archer and five crossbowmen additionally your spiritual father will lead them. You may leave." Galahad was presented with the order by the scribe he took it and quickly exited the throne room. Fifteen minutes later he arrived at the training grounds where both Sir Matthew and Sir William trained. When Matthew noticed Galahad he bellowed. "Oy brat what are you doing here? Have you come to test your mettle. " Galahad smiled and said. "Oi old man I haven''t come to kick yar ass today. But it does seem like you are gonna come and see my fief today." Matthew raised one eyebrow and said "Is that so? Why? Galahad nodded and then said. " Sir William can you do me the honor of reading this order by the Baron." Galahad then handed the order to a tall and armored middle-aged man. The man looked silently read the order and then said. "Indeed Sir Matthew it seems like you need to go to Highkeep with Sir Galahad. Take with you fifteen archers and five crossbowmen as well." Sir Matthew nodded and simply asked. "Alright but Why?" Sir William simply answered. "You are going goblin slaying." 10 Gobo Hunting and Royal Decrees Matthew raised his eyebrow and bellowed. "Sounds good." Just like that Matthew went inside the barrage and picked fifteen archers and five crossbowmen. The group then marched to Highkeep. When they reached Highkeep, it was already dark. As such the newly arrived troops used the tents stored up to set up a camp. The next day Matthew, Boris, Martin, and Ludwig set up a meeting. The first person to speak was Matthew. Sir Matthew stood proudly and said. "Alright Boys I am Sir Matthew and I will lead the Barons Men. So what is the plan?" Boris Nodded and said "The plan can wait I think we should first get acquainted and understand what resources each of brings to the table. I am Boris o Prasinoktonos and I will lead Sir Galahads militia and This is Martin my second in command and a local in the area." Ludwig then said. "I am Ludwig Ergon I am also a local and the leader of the hunting party." Boris nodded and said. "Now that we have finished the introductions I shall explain the current plan. We will leave from Highkeep early in the afternoon. Mister Ludwiv and his men will show us the way to the camp. After that, we will surround the voblin camp and wait out the night. When the first light breaks we will use our superior firepower to take them all down nice and easily exterminatinv the whole of them. If any survivors manave to survive the onslaught and reach the encirclement, we will take them down in melee combat. Every man should be able to best a voblin in single combat after all. After that, we shall withdraw leaving behind a sinvle hunter to keep watch. From that point on we shall rotate the watcher every two days. And at the same time, scout the other areas close by were other such camps might exist." Sir Matthew nodded and said. "This seems like a good plan and the rest of you should have already agreed to it. Then let''s not delay further this afternoon we shall start the operation Daybreak. Martin then said "Your lordship we haven''t named the op..." Sir Mathew gave Martin a "friendly smack" in the back leaving the poor fellow breathless before bellowing. "Every operation needs a name. It would not be proper any other way." As such the men gathered up their forces. In total, they were ten militia five hunters and twenty-one of the baron''s men. They decided to split the men into four groups two militia groups led by Martin and Boris and two army groups led by Sir Mathew and Ludwig. Each group had a Hunter. the militia was split half and half while the army groups were split unevenly where Ludwig will lead the archers and Matthew the crossbowmen. The reason for such a split is that the crossbowmen generally were less mobile than the archers and Matthew could act as a shield of sorts if the goblins survived the initial volleys. While Ludwig knew the area better and as such would be better at commanding a more mobile force. The commander role fell to Boris as he was the Eldest and the most experienced in dealing with goblins. Meanwhile, Sir Galahad was holding another meeting with a short thin middle-aged man wearing decent clothing. Sir Galahad smiled and simply asked. "Mister Aristiadi, How do you feel about the mine''s prospects." Mister Aristiadi put his hand over his heart and said with a calm and deep voice. "Honestly Sir Galahad you were quite lucky to find the mine since it is not a surface deposit. In other news, the vein is quite small but it should produce at least a ton or two of copper before it is exhausted. My plan is to return to inform my client her holiness. From there on out it is yours and my clients business on how you plan to exploit the asset." Galahad simply nodded and said. "Alright, then you can use one of my carriages to get back to Gragon." With that matter over Galahad retired for the day. While operation Daybreak was in full throttle. When the troops arrived nearby their first moves was to carefully slowly and methodically encircled the camp. From there on out it was a waiting game until daylight. The midnight hours were rather tense but nothing went seriously wrong. They were a couple of close calls though. One man struck his leg on an exposed root and almost screamed in agony. But thankfully his companion was quick enough to muffle his scream alerting only some sleeping birds nearby.Later at the early hours of the morning, an ophidiophobic man almost screamed in fear when he saw a snake. But thankfully he managed to hold himself together. Before a nearby hunter quickly dispatched it. When the first light broke through the canopy, the men became active once again. Five minutes later the signal arrow was fired by Ludwig and then all hell broke loose. Most of the goblins were confused and still half asleep. Some of them woke up from the pain of getting shot, others didn''t wake up at all having their life harvested while sound asleep. Others woke up from the agony filled screams of their compatriots only for them to stand up and immediately get turned into a porcupine. Some lucky green rats actually managed to survive the initial volleys and quickly organized into small groups with one goal in mind. To break through the encirclement alive. While Goblins are relatively weak, they are also small and agile and as such, they proved surprisingly hard to hit after they exited the designated kill zone. Those severely diminished groups when they reached the perimeter of the encirclement. Were quickly dispatched by the better trained, rested and equipped humans with minimum loses. After the battle concluded a post-battle meeting was called. The overall general commander Boris asked. "Any casualties?" Matthew smiled and said. "No wounds for the men under my direct command commander." Ludwig added. "Only some minor injuries for the men under my command." Martin nodded and said "The same applies for me too. Only two of my men had any wounds, and those were superficial." Boris nodded and said "That is vood. Then Ventlemen we shall loot their camp and take our leave. Our men do need sleep after all and staying deep in the forest for longer than it is required is a bad idea." Matthew nodded and said. "Aye it is time to head back, and it does seem like operation Daylight was a roaring success." Boris gave a big smile and said. "Yes, I vuess so." The looting was split into three parts. The personal looting mostly coins and jewelry taken by the individual troops as war loot. Equipment which is technically owned by Sir Galahad but in reality is owned by the troops. And miscellaneous items of little value which can be sold in bulk such as the tents, rusty metal equipment, wooden kitchenware and so on. After the looting, a short celebration and a quick rest took place. Before the affiliated forces took the long trek back home. When they arrived home Boris quickly informed Sir Galahad of their glorious victory. With the territory safe and with Galahads fears of an imminent invasion subsiding. He went to Gragon to officialize the deal with the church. When he arrived at the temple, he quickly met with the priestess. After a quick greeting, they headed to the scribes guild to finalize the deal. Again the cost of the contract was taken by the "acquiring party" The rest of the day was allocated to spending time with his wife. The following day just before leaving for Highkeep he got a letter. The writer surprisingly enough was his elder brother. As he unsealed the letter he read. "To my slowly wising up younger brother. I shall first congratulate you on successfully rebuilding our ancestral territory. I am well aware that such a task is quite arduous. I am also quite pleased to see you take a much more active role in managing your territory. Like a good older brother, I shall inform you that war is on the horizon. The neighboring dukedom of Ribertan has been without a ruler for the past year. Naturally, all of the major powers are scheming to put one of their men in the throne. Since you are maimed you would probably not be expected to take an active part in combat. But luckily for you are exempt. For one reason the high percentage of Exoristoi in comparison to serfs. This letter''s goal is instead to prepare you to take advantage of the situation. Firstly a large wave of refugees are likely to flee northwards away from the fighting and some may even end up in your territory. Such a situation is highly advantageous as you can gain some more surfs boosting your numbers. In the other hand the decrease in the number of men at arms stationed in their fiefs and the absence of their lords. This means decreased support in the case of an attack. The war will also increase the price of iron, coal, wheat, ale, armors, and swords. Additionally, a lot of men would prefer to stay far away from combat and if called upon a number of them are likely to turn fugitive and some even resort to banditry to survive. In any case, good luck and remember wars come hand in hand with both challenges and chances. With newfound respect your elder brother." Galahad wrote a simple reply thanking his brother for his help and his positive comments. In the next two days, about fifty men arrived as well as well the first of the many shipments of building materials. Of the men, forty of them were laborer''s, and the rest were miners. The laborer''s job was to build houses for the miners and when they were done to build a temple to Ploutia. While those men were settling in Galahad got an invitation for dinner from Eledor with him and his Family. When he arrived outside the small house he was greeted by a waiting Eledor. He gave a quick bow and said. "Ah, Sire please come in. We have been expecting you." As Galahad went inside he was greeted by the rest of the family bowing. Eledor smiled and said. "This is my beautiful wife Liza. We have been married for the past ten years." The blond middle-aged woman with grey intelligent eyes of average stature said nervously. "Greetings your lordship." Then Eledor continued. "This girl is my little princess. Her name is Emelia." A small girl of about eleven with rosy red cheeks and brown hair with blue eyes said simply. "Greetings your lordship." Eledor then nodded and continued. "This is my first-born son Eric. He shall follow onto my footsteps and become a blacksmith. From as old as five I started slowly teaching him." An eight-year-old boy simple looking boy with brown hair. Stood there motionlessly before calmly saying. "Greeting Sire." Eledor then continued. "This is my youngest boy Arnold. He''s a lot more mischievous than his older siblings." A small brown haired five-year-old with a wide smile said happily. "Greetings my lrod" After the introductions were done they sat into the table. Galahad engaged in some idle talk with Eledor. Before his wife returned with some expertly cooked deer with even some herbs, some almost white bread, and some red wine. Of course, the guest of honor got the biggest portion and the prime cut. After about half an hour they finished eating. Eledor grabbed something wrapped in cloth and said. "Sire to thank you for the wheat provided and the first supplies. I shall gift you my first proper craft in a while." As Galahad opened the wrapped gifted inside laid a brand new and most importantly well-crafted chain mail. Galahad smiled as one of his problems was the lack of decent arms for his men and the fact his current captain used just gambeson for protection. Galahad nodded and said "Thank you Eledor, I also have a gift for you a piece of advice. The price of iron and coal is going to increase in two to three months I would suggest stocking up now while it is still relatively cheap." Eledor nodded and simply thanked Galahad. After that, the dinner was pretty much over and Galahad retired for the day. The next day Galahad organized a small award ceremony. Where the newly acquired chain mail was awarded to Boris for his meritorious service. Galahad also acquired the first tax money. Emaria paid Galahad one whole gold coin as both payment for the herbs and the tax for the month and the looted items were either sold or stored netting an additional twelve whole silver coins. One month later the laborers were already done with the houses and they were now working on the temple of Ploutia. The sowing was also done, and the men were now tasked with building. First and foremost a new palisade wall and secondly even more houses. He also increased his hunters from five to six and his militia from ten to twelve. With his men at arms finally officially merged with the militia. One month later everything was coming along nicely the wall was half finished they hadn''t found any other goblin camps and the first floor of the keep was finally completed allowing Galahad to finally bring his wife to Highkeep. But as Galahad was preparing for the joyous occasion he was summoned by the Baron. Soon Galahad was inside the throne room two hours waiting. Meanwhile engaging in idle talk with rest of the knights. Two hours later every single knight was inside the throne room.Soon After the Baron entered the room, he ceremoniously sat on his throne and unsealed the scroll. Even by just taking a glimpse of the contents. The Baron stood up before slowly loudly and clearly reading the contents. His very tone infused with the proper amount of grandiloquence. "This is the mandate of his Majesties King Fredarion the second of house Arxipolias. As some of you are aware Count Edgar von Otheria has the most legitimate claim to the dukedom of Ribertan. As such we shall support count Edgar on inheriting his rightful land and title. With this in mind, we shall first amass our forces locally before properly consolidating the armies in a later date. On the matter of the number of troops required by each feudal lord, it is fifty percent of their forces in the case they are a not a borderland''s feudal or a wild lord. The wild lords and the borderlanders shall instead bring twenty-five percent of their forces. Exempt are all the lords that have more than twenty percent Exoristous in their ranks. The official exemption will happen after the fief holders gather to their liege counts territory. From there the nonexempt fief holders. Shall receive their next orders ascertaining to the coming storm. The Barons and their knight entourage have thirty days to arrive before their direct lieges. Otherwise, it will be considered treason and the sentence for such a crime is always death. " 11 The meeting and the trip. When the baron finished reading the king''s proclamation, he asked the knights present. "So what do you think about his majestie''s proclamation and does anyone among have any information ascertaining to the coming conflict or any interesting viewpoints?" Sir Jeroic smiled his eyes shining with a savage glint while he said. "War is a good thing After all my boys didn''t manage to see much fighting at the Goblin conflict and I don''t want them to grow soft. Additionally, war is first and foremost an opportunity for all of us low ranking nobles to advance to Barons or even Counts." A more refined looking gentleman wearing beautifully weaved silk outfit rather than armor said patronizingly. "You muscle head. While for wastrels which are unable to manage the economic side of their fief and decided to pour all of their money into the army, this might seem like a "golden opportunity". For the nominally intelligent of us, it seems like suicide. First, you will need to win the war. Second, you will need to make a significant and recognized contribution. Finally, you will need to be alive to enjoy your, "promotion". By "promotion", I mean a devastated fief on the other side of the country. Which you will need to both manage and pay taxes. I would much rather slowly develop my ancestral lands rather than lead a bunch of my men to their death." Sir Jeroic clearly infuriated bellowed angrily in response. " "Sir" Monert I know you are a spineless worm. But the fact your territory is doing well is not thanks to your management but your bastard ancestors. Which not only stole my family''s iron mine crippling my territory''s income. But they even forced my ancestors to pay you reparations for, "unlawful possession". Either way my lady, we are going to war. I hope your precious Erfia will survive without your care." Sir Monert replied calmly. With a wide smile adorning his face. "Oh, you mean my family''s mine and the rightful reparations for your family''s unlawful seizure of my families lands. As far as I am aware Baron Konder von Gragon adjudicated. You wouldn''t dare to question the late Barons decision, would you now? Perhaps you are questioning the Baron''s authority too and through that even the King''s divine authority. You are not that far away from an outright rebel. Perhaps the kingdom would be better off if we disposed of you at this very moment. On the topic of your family''s, finances don''t play dumb with me. I am well aware that when you inherited your fief, it had both a decent amount of gold in the treasury and a positive annual balance. Your reckless decisions squandered everything your family built not your ancestor''s crimes." The baron sighed raised his hand and tiredly said. "Stop squabbling like children. This matter is well in the past. Does anyone else has anything to say about the current matter?" After ten seconds of silence, the Baron sighed and said to a servant. "Call my Magos. We require his expertise." After, five minutes a slender man dressed in a long black cloak. Entered the room. He bowed before the Baron and said. "Sire I heard you called for me." The Baron nodded and simply said "Erfiadi I require your expertise on the matters of geography. I would like to know where is that Dukedom of Ribertan? How far away it is? Additionally, what other powers we might face? For those powers, I would like to know if they have any famous Generals or noteworthy troops?" Erfiadis nodded and responded. "The Dukedom of Ribertan lies into the central passage of the Erineas mountain range. It is the largest and shortest passage through the mountain range. The Dukedom has only managed to remain independent, thus far through their leader''s diplomatic prowess. As both of the Dukedom''s northern and southern flanks are virtually open. The Dukedom is bordering the Kingdom of Arxia in the north, the Kingdom of Frankia in the southwest, and the Archdukedom of Karellia in the southeast. It would take ten days with a normal infantry marching speed to go from here to the duchy of Ribertan. The Major players are obviously the Frankians and the Karellians. The Frankians are famed for their powerful heavy cavalry. While the Karelians have excellent pikemen, and spear and shield infantrymen. As for their Generals, Joachim Murat for the Frankians is an excellent cavalry commander. During the battle at Kareandia, he led his cavalry in breaking through all three lines of Erimian forces in a swift and ferocious attack. While the Karellians have Vlas Begrolov quite the capable infantry commander. At the battle of the Erber plains, he led his pikemen into collapsing the Frankian left flank while also successfully halting a heavy cavalry charge using his axillary spearmen." The Baron nodded and asked. "Is there any other locations where we might be stationed in the upcoming war." Erfiadis stopped for a moment and then said. "Well, the answer depends on the farsightedness of his Majesty. Our kingdom lies in the Northwest of the continent. Further north lies the region known as Hyperborea. Currently mostly inhibited with semi-civilized green skin tribes. It is famed for its large powerful beasts and its harsh and early winters. As such an attack from the north is rather unlikely thanks to the lack of infrastructure, hostile environment, and natives. All across the west, the kingdom borders the Megalo ocean famed for its abundant fish and harsh storms. While it might seem tempting to attempt a naval invasion, A harsh storm might lay waste to a whole army. Continuing on the southwest, the continent buckles in creating the Verban gulf. The gulf''s storms are much milder. As such a naval invasion could be launched from there with enough preparation. For this reason, it would be wise if the king kept an army on standby. At, the westernmost point of the gulf lies the delta of the river Mers. Mers thanks to its relatively large size, depth, and lack of crossing points. Acts as the De facto border between us and the Kingdom of Frankia. While it might seem a tempting prospect to attack by crossing the river. Both sides of the river are heavily fortified and an army would need to take each and every fort. It would be both extremely expensive and time-consuming it''s simply untenable. Following the river northwards we reach the valley of a hundred rivers and the Erineas mountain range. Again the valley would seem like a decent avenue for invasion. The problem is that term valley is not really accurate a much better term is a marsh as such any man foolish enough to march his army through there would see massive losses in both troops and supplies. The mountain range continues from that point onwards towards the northeast acting as the natural eastern border of the kingdom. The Erineas have three major passages and several minor ones. The major ones are aptly named the southern passage the central passage and the northern passage. We have already talked about the central passage. On the other hand, the southern passage is currently controlled by the Vansiatic league. A league of small Baronies laying inside the Vansiatic Basin. To protect their independence from the major powers they have constructed the northern and southern bastions. The Vansiatic league is highly unlikely to take part in the conflict. As, such the most likely scenario is that it will remain completely neutral. As a consequence, they will not allow any armies to pass through their territory. As for the northern passage, it is the smallest it is far away and is closed for most of the year thanks to the snow." The Baron nodded and simply said. "Thanks, Erfiadis dismissed." Erfiadis simply bowed and left the throne room. The Baron then asked. "Does anyone here have anything additional to contribute?" After a minute of silence, the Baron continued. "Alright then. Tomorrow morning we are leaving for Apothia we should be there in about half a day. You are all dismissed." The knights slowly made their way out of the hall. Most of the landed knights needed to either rent rooms or sleep in the common area of the keep. Galahad instead opted to stay with his father-in-law. After a quick dinner, they spent some time idly conversing. Galahad towards the end of the conversation informed Veron of the up-and-coming war. He looked mildly surprised. After a while, Veron excused himself as he had some important matters to attend to. Galahad smiled and reassured Veron that he takes no issue with his departure. After Veron left the house Galahad retired to the guest room. The next day early in the morning, the knights had already gathered in the southern gatehouse. After five minutes the Baron joined them. He simply nodded and started riding southwards. At about midday, they reached a crossroads Inn called the traveler''s lodge. As they reached the Inn, a thin, brown-haired child of about eleven years of age arrived before them. The child bowed and said. "Greetings good lords, Would you care for some proper horse care while you dine?It will only cost you a whole bronze coin a horse." The Baron nodded and said. "All right young lad we will go inside for a quick meal. In the meantime, water and feed the horses. If you do a good job I will even pay you double?" The boy smiled from ear to ear and said "Of course good lords." The Baron nodded and then led the group inside. The Inn was relatively spacious with ten or so tables none currently occupied. The group sat to the table closest to the fireplace as it was rather chilly. With the Baron sitting at the prime seat of the table his left seat was occupied by Sir Jeroic while his right seat was occupied by Sir Monert. Then it was Galahad, the rest of the landed knights, and Sir William the captain. From that point onwards it was the Unlanded knights ranked by seniority. After they sat down the Innkeeper walked over, he was rounder than the average peasant, balding, and middle-aged. The Innkeeper bowed and then said. "Good middle-day lords what would you like to order today?" The Baron responded. "Five loaves of white bread, half a wheel of cheese, five pies, and a generous amount of today''s roast. For drinking, six gallons of your best ale shall suffice." The Innkeeper nodded and with a big "toothy" smile on his face and said. "Alright, good lords it is coming right up." The Innkeeper went to the kitchen and immediately returned with a small barrel of ale, five loaves of bread, half a wheel of cheese, and a decent amount of roasted pork marinated with salt, parsley, and garlic. About three-quarters of an hour, later the Innkeeper returned with the five pies. They were stuffed with garlic, onion, carrot, and pork. After the group finished eating. The Baron paid the Innkeeper seven whole silver coins and fifty-seven whole bronze coins. As the group exited the Inn they were greeted by the little boy. Which led them back to their horse. At first sight, all the horses looked well fed and watered. While the Baron''s horse was also washed and brushed. The Baron threw a whole silver coin at the young boy he winked and said. "Well done young fellow you earned this." The group then took the road southwards and by the evening they reached the city of Apothia. The city of Apothia was several times larger than Gragon. But as the size of the city grows so do the differences between the social classes. For example, the outside of the walls was overrun with a sprawling slum. While even inside the walls the city itself was separated into six districts. As the group arrived before the gates. The gatekeeper politely said. "Greetings gentlemen, I am sorry to inconvenience you but what business do you have in our great city?" The Baron simply took out the mandate from the king and simply pointed to the seal. The gatekeeper bowed and said. "Ah I see come right in milords" As they were let in the city they immediately set course for the count''s castle. They quickly went through the relatively wealthy central district. Before finally arriving before the gates of the count''s castle. When they were about two meters away from the gate. The gatekeeper politely said. "Greeting your lordships, what business do you have with milord?" The Baron smiled and simply responded. "Inform his lordship that his vassal Baron Monver von Gragon is here. The gatekeeper made a gesture and one of his subordinates went to report the news of their arrival to the count. About half an hour later the man returned with the counts order. The gatekeeper then said. "Sorry for the waiting your lordships but we must do our jobs properly." The castle'' gate was then opened allowing the group to head inside. One young man at arms then led the group to the keep. Soon the group arrived before the doors of the great hall. There an attendant informed the Baron that only landed knights and above could take part in the gathering. 12 Arriving Before the Count and Recovering the Past. The Baron nodded and said. "Alright, but where should my unlanded knights go to?" The Attendant smiled and said. "We have prepared a feast for them outside." The attendant then looked towards the knights and said. "Please follow me, Gentlemen." The Group of Knights then split in two the Unlanded knights left the room following the attendant. While the rest of them went inside the Great Hall. As the group went inside, the younger knights were aghast with the opulence of the room. Starting from the bottom up the floor was covered by a thick woolen carpet with its weave retelling the story of the rise of House Apothia. The walls were covered by extensive tapestries depicting the great feats of local heroes. Four great marble columns were holding the roof, each thicker than a two hundred year oak tree and beautifully sculpted they were then further embellished with gold to show its owner''s vast wealth. Even the tables where the nobles sat were made out of imported ebony wood. While each of the chairs was a beautifully carved piece of art. But the grandest item in the room was the Count''s seat. A beautifully carved throne made of gold and gems. Upon the seat rested a greying middle-aged man his clothes as opulent and grant as anything else in his grand hall. As the Count stood up, they all bowed deeply. The Count then stood up and walked before the Baron and said with a hint of annoyance. "Rise. You are a bit late Baron Monver. But the fact your Barony is the furthest one away somewhat excuses you." The count then walked back to his seat and sat down before saying with dignity. "I officially declare this council meeting to have begun. I shall first name my noble vassals which will not be required to take part in the war. Sir Alexander von GroyCastle, Sir Remington von Xoria, Baron Emanuel von Kompoli, and Sir Galahad von Highkeep. Firstly I would like all of you to remain in the room. Secondly, only Baron Emanuel will not be forced to take part in the campaign his landed knights will." The count then continued "Now that we took that out of the way. I would first like to know how many troops will each Baron and Knight taking part in the campaign would provide. Give me your max amount of troops and my scribe in the corner will do the math. I am sure the barons are aware of their knight''s forces. As such, I would like if Baron Monver, Baron Emanuel, Baron Victor, Baron Oliver, and Baron Charles to give me their numbers so I can properly formulate a plan." Baron Monver then responded. "The total amount of men at arms my realm can provide is one hundred plus the men at arms from the realms of my four landed knights taking part in the campaign is one hundred and eighty. As for the levies, my realm can provide two hundred and as for my knights fifty each. A total of about four hundred levies. Overall we can provide five hundred and eighty men." Baron Emanuel then added. "Four of my knights are taking part they have about twenty men at arms each and fifty peasants. A total of about two hundred and eighty men." Baron Charles smiled and then awkwardly said. "My Liege Felix I don''t know those numbers as my hand of the lord handles those. But he is currently waiting outside." The Count sighed and gestured towards an attendant before responding. "Fine fine he can come inside." The attendant went outside before returning with a well dressed scholarly looking youngster. The youngster bowed deeply before the count. The Count then said. "Rise, please can you give me the report on the numbers of troops your baron''s fief and his knight''s fiefs can provide" The Youngster simply responded "Well, your lordship. As I don''t know the knights which have been exempt. I shall instead give a more wide run down. My lord has eighty men at arms and about three hundred possible levies. As for the knights, there is six. Each with about twenty men at arms and fifty levies." The count nodded and said. "Thank you As for the knights exempt they are the following Sir Alexander von GroyCastle, Sir Remington von Xoria, and Sir Galahad von Highkeep." The youngster nodded and responded. "Then all of our knights will take part in the campaign." The count nodded and simply said. "Dismissed." The youngster bowed and exited the Great Hall. Baron Oliver simply said. "I and the knights taking part have in total two hundred men at arms and four hundred and forty levies give or take a few." Baron Victor simply added "A hundred and twenty men at arms and two hundred levies for me and my knights your lordship." The count nodded and said. "Scribe give us the troop count please" The scribe nodded and said. "Baron Monver and his knights need to bring a hundred and forty-five men. Baron Emanuel''s men need to send seventy men. Baron Oliver need''s to send a hundred and sixty men. Baron Victor eighty men. Finally Baron Charles another two hundred men. In total adding up the three hundred and forty men, the king mandated your lordship must send. The grand total is nine hundred and ninety-five men or about one thousand men give or take a few." The Count nodded and said. "With this matter over. I need to inform you that the campaign will take at least a year to conclude. As such I am expecting you to have prepared your levies, supplies, and your Regent picks by early spring. That is all from me. Does anyone else have any news, opinions or facts that they would like to bring up?" Baron Emanuel then responded. " I heard the local nobles of the Dukedom of Ribertan are split into four factions. The Edgarians supporting Edgar''s right to the Dukedom. They are Mostly the northern lords of the dukedom among them there is one count. The Loyalists wanting the Dukedom to remain independent mostly court nobles and the nobles close to the Dukedoms capital While they might seem weak at first glance they control most of the forces of the late Duke and a Count is among their ranks. The Bastienians supporting Bastien''s right to the Dukedom. They are mostly southerner''s and among their, ranks are three Counts. While the Karellians only have a small group of supporters calling themselves the Dimitrians supporting the claim of Arch Duke Dimitrios. The count nodded and said. "Thank you, a slightly better understanding of the situation is greatly appreciated. Anyone else?" After a solid minute of silence. The count simply ordered. "I declare this meeting over please sit and enjoy the feast attendant please prepare the meals." Immediately after a small army of servants enter the Great hall bringing red wine, white bread, cheese, sausages, soups, tarts, and big plates of beautifully roasted beef dressed with salt, parsley, butter, pepper, and garlic the meat was tender and medium well done. Half an hour later big pies where introduced some sweet such as honey apple pies, fig pies, and damson pies others were meat based such as pork and cheese pie, a beef and onion pie and finally some vegetable pies such as the wild mushroom pie. As the meal was coming to an end, the Barons were offered a room in the keep while the knights were offered a room in the barracks. Before the baron and his men retired for the night. The Baron told them "We were leaving in two days from now. Firstly because there is a meeting tomorrow between only the Barons and the Count. As for the day after I have some business to attend here. You are welcome, thought to leave earlier if you so choose." The next day the Knights split up each going on his merry way. Galahad explored the market it was mostly selling spices, vegetables, meats, cooked foods, and cheap clothes. As he continued to wander aimlessly he spotted an antique shop. As he was taking a look around an elderly man came before him and said. "Greetings young lord does anything in my humble shop tickle your fancy." Galahad simply responded. "For now I am just looking." Inside the shop, there was a mixture of old family crests, half rusted Armaments, furniture, and even clothes as Galahad was looking around he spotted a shield weathered by time but still clearly painted with a black crow in a red background. Galahad then asked the shop owner. "What do you know about this shield." The Elderly man smiled and said. "Oh, this the shield of Sir Volder the Black. A proud knight of our Kingdom he dispatched about a hundred men before he was overrun in the battle of the Jaro." Galahad simply said. "I will buy the shield but I want to know the full story of the battle of Jaro." The elderly merchant got a big smile before saying. "Well, I will tell you the story if you also buy Volder''s signet ring" He then took out from a compartment a simple looking signet ring. The signet ring was made out of steel with a black gemstone in the middle carved into the shape of a crow. Galahad nodded and said "Alright now tell me the story, old man." The old man said. "Volder was born a peasant more than a three centuries ago in one of the border villages of the kingdom. When he was about twelve years old a knight errant passed through the village. Noticing that the boy was strong and of a pure heart, he took him in as his squire. From there on out they had several adventures, they went on to exterminate several bandit camps, a goblin tribe and even saved a village from a powerful ogre. In one such adventure, the knight errant was wounded by a poisoned arrow. As he was taking in his last breaths he ordained Volder a knight. From there on Volder himself wandered the countryside saving the small folk from bandits and monsters alike. One day he happened upon a tourney as he was poor and he needed the prize money to continue his roaming he took part in it. He beat several opponents until he reached the finals Where he bested King Arron the Wise. As a reward for his strength, he was officialized as a knight of the realm. He then married Lady Teronia and rumors said he had a short-lived sedentary life and that he even got a son or two. Just as he was enjoying the fruits of his labor. He was called upon by the king in protection the realm against the Northern barbarians coming through the northern passage he together with the other nine knights of the realm when the left flank started collapsing charged upon the barbarian horde each besting a hundred of them before each and everyone was fallen. Their sacrifice bought enough time for the kingdoms right flank to overpower theirs as such the barbarians were caught between a rock and hard place and were either routed or captured. In honor of the fallen knights, the order remained empty and a monument was built in the royal capital." Galahad nodded and said. "This is grant story worthy of legends. So how much will the two items cost me." The shopkeeper smiled and said. "Two whole gold coins." Galahad was simply shocked. "How about one whole gold coin" The shop keeper sighed and said. "Look the least I can do is one whole gold coin and fifty whole silver coins." Galahad nodded and took out the money before taking the shield and the ring and exiting the shop. He then continued to wander about the place before happening upon a bookshop. Inside the shop where a series of long streaks of bookcases. Each slightly warped from the heavy weight of the books. A scholarly young man was sitting at the front desk. As he noticed Galahad closing in he asked. "How can I help the exquisite gentleman would you perhaps like to read the latest battle tactics by General Joachin Monett or perhaps about the history or the geography of the kingdom perhaps you are searching for something completely different." Galahad nodded and said. "I would like a book about the legends of Sir Volder and the Knights of the realm, A book about managing the realm and finally a book about the major religions in the Kingdom of Boreia" The clerk''s eyes shined and he said. "Right away sir it will cost only three whole gold coins." Galahad took a look at his pocket inside they were only five whole gold coins and only fifty whole silver coins left. Galahad deeply sighed and said. "Alright" The attendant went at the back of the bookstore and quickly returned with three books. Stories and legends of the Knights of the Realm, The Duke and finally a survey of the peoples their cultures, religions, and languages of the kingdom of Boreia. After he paid the money the rest of the day flowed rather calmly. he returned to the keep were he had a decent meal and he then retired for the day. The next day He spent most of his time walking around aimlessly. When he happened upon a whole silver coin he picked it up and blessed the heavens for his good luck before returning to the keep. A feast was organized once again by the count. This time slightly less lavish though. Early in the next day the baron and his knights took the long road back home. 13 News from his Absence and a Discovery. When they arrived back at Gragon, the Baron simply said. "We shall disperse anything any of you have to ask?" Galahad nodded and said. "Well, Sire I was always wondering now with the whole war think the distance between you and your Exoristoi will be larger than a hundred kilometers. As such how can you go to war? Wouldn''t all of them automatically die?" The Baron smiled and simply said. "Well, actually it is quite simple we are going to leave our rings with our regents as such even if we and our armies are thousands of kilometers away the Exoristoi will still be fine." Galahad nodded and then asked. "What if someone kills the ring bearer and steals the ring?" The Baron shrugged and simply said. "Every person that wears the ring is cataloged. If it is one of the Exoristoi, he will immediately die. Otherwise, the person will become a wanted criminal with his location known to the authorities thanks to the ring. While the Exoristoi remain unharmed until the ring is returned in the control of the authorities and put back into use." Galahad nodded and simply said. "Alright, thanks, Sire." The Baron then asked again. "Does anyone else have any queries?" A tall stout man in his sixties simply said. "Sire, You know I don''t tend to speak a lot. But when I do I always try to say something important. What are your goals for the war? Do you want to get a lot of merits so you can be awarded a piece of the new land or do you want to get out with minimal casualties?" The Baron thought for a moment before saying. "Sir Adam I would prefer to get out with minimal casualties as my fief currently is doing rather well and I have no need for another one in the middle passage." Adam Nodded. The Baron looked at them one by one and said. "This seems to be it. I will call you all in three months. You may take your leaves now." At that note the knights split into groups the non landed ones followed Baron Monver back to Gragon while the landed ones split up with each going to their fief. When Galahad arrived in the afternoon. He was quickly informed by his wife Katarina which was left managing the fief in his absence that a merchant was seeking an audience with him. Galahad simply smiled and said. "My lovely wife I am rather tired currently and I am not in a state to make policy. I would prefer if we just spent some quality time together creating an heir." And with that, the couple retired early for the night deciding to better spend the time discovering each other''s every inch. In the next day, Galahad gave the merchant an audience. Soon a short round man in his thirties walked inside the still rather bare bones throne room. As he arrived before Galahad the merchant deeply bowed. Galahad then said with an authoritative tone. "Rise mister I heard you requested an audience so what would like to ask of me." The merchant stood straight up and said. "Your lordship I am the owner of the Drunken Fox Inn and would like to purchase land here to open another Inn and a brewery. I plan to bring in the people from another settlement as you don''t currently have any freemen only Exoristoi and Serfs." Galahad eyed the man up and down before saying. "Alright so how big is the space you want and where do you want it?" The merchant said. "A decently sized space close to your gates." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright, I would require one whole gold coin and fifty whole silver coins for the space. You will be taxed according to the number of patrons you are getting. With each patron counting for half a whole bronze coin in the case we end up with a half we will just round down. By the way, how do you plan to get it built? My men won''t work in the construction effort since they have other tasks. Will you bring in outside help?" The merchant simply responded. "I will just hire the men when they finish constructing the temple of Ploutia." Galahad nodded and said. "Then shall we officialize the contract?" The merchant nodded and just like that they wrote down the contract for the land acquisition. They then send it to the scribe''s guild to officialize the purchase. The purchaser once again paid the costs for the use of the scribe guild. After the meeting concluded. Galahad spent the rest of the day leisurely reading The Duke. At about afternoon George requested an audience Galahad quickly obliged and moments later George was before him. George said excitedly. "Sire while I and the boys were working on constructing the keep. Some of my miners had stacked the stones on a still rather flat piece of the previous keeps foundation. When I went to inspect the remaining stones I noticed a long groove. Taking my time inspecting it. I found the grooves would create two rectangles next to each other. In the dichotomy''s middle was a crease in the shape of a crow. I used my earth magic to create a granite version and push it in but nothing happened. After that, I called over the miners in the hope we could use brute force to break in. However, hard they struck it with their picks they didn''t manage even a small dent. After that discovery, I came rushing back to ask if you have an idea on how to open that passage?" Galahad thought for a while before saying. "I never spotted it before, You said it was in the foundations what do you mean by that?" George quickly replied. "It is completely reasonable that you never found out about this. As it was built over by one of the old wooden keep''s walls." Galahad thought back to any objects he might have that could act as a key. After a while, he thought of his newly bought signet ring. Galahad then said to George. "I have an idea. So where is it exactly?" George simply responded. "Follow me." As they arrived before the two one-meter long half a meter wide rectangles. Galahad said to the miners. "You are dismissed." He then pointed to one of them and said. "Henry go fetch me, Boris and Martin." Fifteen minutes later both Boris and Martin stood before him. Galahad then quickly explained the situation to them. After that was done and dusted with he took out his new signet ring and tried to fit it into the crease. Nothing happened for the first five seconds. When Galahad looked towards his men ready to say something the twin rectangles collapsed downwards. As it was natural Galahad followed shortly after them falling legs first straight down into the darkness. Mere moments later a loud thud was heard as Galahad crushed into the ground. His men looked towards the hole worryingly. Before sighing in relief at the sound of a loud grunt followed by a torrent of swearing. Galahad looking up said. "You lot stop looking at me and do something. I am not paying you to stare." Boris responded with worry written all over his face. "Sire first and foremost you aren''t paying us. Secondly, are you wounded? Galahad bellowed angrily. "Do I look fine to you? How would you feel if you fell unexpectantly from a height of two meters? Eh Eh but I think I am mostly fine nothing feels broken at the very least." Boris visibly relaxed and said. " We can''t really see any blood Sire from up here either and it is good that you are fine. But how is the prosthetic?" As Galahad wearily stood back up, he said while knocking the dust off his coat. "I can see a couple minor scratches and dents but not any major issues." Galahad then looked around and said. "You know you can come down here there is a steel wall ladder, Additionally there is a large stone door before me." Boris nodded and simply said. "Alright, Sire." Soon the rest of the group was down the shaft. Before them laid a thick stone door. At first glance, it looked just like a wall. Outside the intricate carvings depicting the story of a male peasant''s tribulations until he finally reached its zenith with him battling with a dragon. In the middle of the door a small and simple cupular(cup-like) protuberance(protrusion) with a small hole at the point where the protrusion meets the door. Above them it says. "All I ask from thou inheritor is a crimson testament" Galahad thought for a while and then said. "The inheritor should be my family line. Crimson generally refers to blood red and testament means proof. So I will need to give blood to the door to prove my identity. At least I think so any other opinions?" Everyone else agreed it really was something rather simple. Galahad then put his left hand over the protrusion and made a light cut. As the blood slowly flowed into the door, a slow rumbling sound followed. As the stone door disappeared into the ground. Behind the door was a small fortune of about a hundred whole gold coins, a small library with twenty or so books, an ebony desk with a bunch of reports and a sheathed sword. As Galahad quickly covered the wound he looked around before saying to his followers. "It seems safe you can all disperse now. It will take some to look around" The men nodded and quickly left the chamber. Galahad then looked around. On top of the desk, there was a small pile of paper sheets. The ink was black and semi-faded. "Greetings Inheritor I am Sir Volder the Black. I don''t know how many years have passed since my death. But I hope the little treasure I left behind will be of some help. On top of the desk is my old sword Judgment. While for the most part is just a high-quality steel sword, it does have one special ability. What special ability you might ask? Well, it is extremely powerful against the undead. With even a single scratch, able to send them back below the ground where they belong. As for my book collection, it is rather average. Nothing fancy like wizard books or any martial techniques. But there are several books about history, geography, strategy, and even about some about myths. Finally, you should know that this the first part of my inheritance to find the rest you will need dedication and good luck. I wish fortune upon you my inheritor and remember prosperity through adversity. " After Galahad finished reading the papers, he took a look at the sword on the desk. The guard was a full guard of plain steel the leather handle was weathered but it was still holding fine and as for the pommel it was shaped into a crow head. The sword was one handed and quite well balanced. It was about a meter long with the blade taking eighty centimeters of that. After that, he re-sheathed the sword and went to get a sack to move all this gold out of the chamber. After he moved the gold, he got some Exoristoi to move the furniture into the keep. As for the sword he had already taken it. With his newfound wealth first and foremost he repaid the rest of his debt amounting to nineteen whole gold coins. Ordered nine sets of mail armor from Eledor for another eight whole gold coins. He spent an additional sixteen whole gold coins and twenty whole silver coins to buy a hundred and sixty-two thousand bushels of wheat enough for six hundred people for a year. He also bought fifty sets of gambeson armor in the case of an invasion for thirty whole silver coins and fifty sets of spears and shields for fifteen whole silver coins. Additionally, he bought fifty sets of bows for fifteen silver and twenty-five thousand arrows for five whole gold coins. Finally, he bought two hundred more sets of tools for another one whole gold and twenty whole silver coins. Before he ordered the wheat, he first commissioned the creation of four large silos. Finally, he ordered about ten more low tier war horses for his guards costing him an additional ten whole gold coins. As for Ale, he added to his order another one hundred and forty-six thousand gallons of ale for one whole gold and fifty silver coins. For now, he decided to keep the rest of gold into the treasury in the case any issues come up. Three months later. Most of the projects were over the Silos were rebuilt the keep was now more than half completed. The temple of Ploutia and the Inn were finished. Additionally, five of the laborers decided to stay accepting Galahad''s offer to become serfs. He expanded the farms northwards shrinking the forest by quite a bit and the extra lumber was used to finish several houses and complete palisade wall. As for money he got eight whole gold coins from taxes. One whole gold coin from selling the loot from the goblin extermination, furs, and antlers and four whole gold coins from his mine. He also asked both Miss Emaria and Eledor to take some more apprentices. A couple of the militia members got married. Strangely enough no more goblin sightings weird. Either way, as it was now March the Baron called for a meeting about the up-and-coming conflict. 14 War Meeting and Trade As Galahad once again entered the opulent throne room and gave a deep bow. The Baron simply said. "Rise. Sir Galahad you are slightly late but it is fine in regards to your condition." As Galahad stood up the baron continued now, his voice entwined with dignity. "We have gathered here to prepare for the war. Sir Galahad would be the last remaining noble in my realm as such I called him here as well. Now I would like Sir Adam von Sinor, Sir Jeroic von Heria, Sir Monert von Erfia and finally, Sir John von Ienia to tell me how many troops they will commit to the war effort, what type of equipment they have how many are horsemen how many logistics carts they have prepared and how much grain. Sir Adam as the eldest you may go first." The elderly knight gave a quick bow and responded slowly and calmly. "Sire I will contribute six men at arms and twelve levies. My men at arms are armed with chain mail armor swords and shields and they are decent cavalrymen. As for my levies, four will be in charge of the supply carts and my camps needs and the rest of them are six hunters made archers they were gambeson and they are all decent shots and a couple of them are veterans. As for food, we will take enough for thirty days a mix of grains and salted meats and the rest of the basic camp supplies such as tents and so on." The Baron nodded and said. "That is enough. Sir John what about you?" A thin man in his early thirties walked up bowed and said. "Sire rather than take both men at arms and levies. I will contribute ten men at arms and four levies for the camps needs. My ten men at arms are armed with gambeson, kettle helmets and crossbows. As for supplies we have a similar plan to Sir Adam." The Baron nodded and said "Thanks, Sir John. Now sir Jeroic you talk the talk but do you walk the walk?" The proud man walked before the baron gave a quick bow and said boisterously. "Aye, I do Sire I will take with me fifteen of my men at arms and thirty-eight of my serfs with me. Eight of the serfs will serve as camp attendants while the rest of my serfs are armed with spears, shields, gambeson armor, and nasal helmets. As for my men at arms, they are armed with two-handed axes, mail armor with several integrated steel plates and Barbuta helmets. As for supplies, I have secured enough for two months" The Baron scratched his beard and said. "I see while this great contribution to the realm Jeroic. Are you sure it is wise to not leave more troops to defend your fief?" Jeroic nodded and said. "Yes, Sire this is my final decision." The Baron gave a quick nod and looked towards Sir Monert. He quickly said. "As for me sire, I have employed a company of sixteen mercenaries and six levies for my camps needs. The mercenaries are armed full chain mail armor and pikes. As for supplies I have enough for thirty days." The baron nodded and said. "I will also send my knights, twenty-five men at arms fifteen archers and ten crossbowmen and thirty levied archers and ten camp attendants. All of them are armed with gambeson armor and nasal helmets. As for supplies I have enough for forty days. Now that this is done and dusted with you have a week to prepare your men. We are marching to the count''s city next week. In other news, I decided to leave my Magos Erfiadi as the regent." That proposition shocked everyone inside the room. The first to respond to this bombastic announcement was Sir Monert. "But Sire you know full well that leaving a Magos in charge is taboo. I mean they did try to dethrone the nobility in the fight for power two hundred and fifty years ago. It is simply not wise to leave a Magos a regent." The Baron looked towards Monert and simply asked. "Do you know why they Revolted?" Monert simply said. "No, but it is not impo.r" The Baron cut him off and said seriously. "Of course it is important. Does anyone of you know who are the Knights of the Realm." Galahad quickly responded "I do yes." The Baron looked towards Galahad and then continued "Do you know what happened before they disappeared. Why did they disappear and what role they had inside the kingdom?" Galahad thought for a moment and said. "Well, I thought they all died at the battle of Northern Passage after that the king to honor them didn''t allow any new knights to join the order as they would be inferior to those great heroes. They used to be traveling warriors destroying the enemies of the kingdom and mankind wherever they found them. But still loyal to the kingdom the point of death." The Baron sighed and said softly. "While those events are partially true, that is only half of the story. Three hundred years ago the kingdom had a different system of governance called the diarchy. Where the king wasn''t the sole ruler of the kingdom, he had control only over the military, the guards, the judiciary and the external matters. He had a coruler an ArchMagos which had control over taxation, lawmaking and budget allocation as well as any other internal matters. The same applied for the Counts, Barons, and Dukes. What about the landed knights? You might ask? Almost all of them were Nobles which had full control of their realms without a coruler. In the other hand, the Knights of the realm was an elite force made out of Magoi. They were tasked with investigating the murders of Magoi all across the realm in addition to their normal knightly duties. They were the only military power the Magoi had. As such when the king stopped the order from getting new members it, later on, sparked a bloody civil war. The Magoi lost their position as equals, but they were spared thanks to their abilities. But from now rather than corulers, they became just advisors. A fief was granted to the new ArchMagos where he would train his Magoi and the rest, as they say, is history. On the topic of them gaining power I am not very worried that Erfiadis will do anything bad. After all, he is the one behind most of my economic and internal policies. " Jeroic then bellowed. "First and foremost the fact that they lost the civil war proves they are inferior rulers to us nobles. Second, where did you get that history from? If it is from one of those Magos it can hardly be trustworthy and Third isn''t it irresponsible to give power to the group that lost through war and might some grievances about it?" The Baron simply said. "Relax Jeroic. Inferior or not as a whole he is good at his job. As for where I learned the history from it is written in my house''s chronicles. As for the last point, I am not particularly worried that they will stage a revolt with the control of one Barony." After a solid minute of silence, Sir Adam spoke up. "Sire while this is true. A regent is not the only matter that the war has created. Have you picked an heir?" The Baron sighed deeply and said. "I did it is written in my will which is currently safely guarded in the vaults of the scribe guild. If anything happens it will inform you of who is the new ruler. Now that we solved that matter on hand. Galahad I will require your services while I am away." Galahad gave a quick bow and said with gravitas. "What you will Sire?" The Baron simply said. "While I am away you are the only Noble left behind in the barony. As such in the case of an attack you have my permission to lead my men at arms. As for levies you will need to ask my regent though. Do you accept the task?" Galahad simply responded. "Yes, Sire." Sir Adam then added. "The same applies to my men boy." Galahad gave a quick nod. The Baron then clapped his hands once and said. "Good now that this matter is over it is time for a banquet. Servant go fetch Magos Erfiadis and the rest of my knights." The night was spent peacefully eating and drinking merrily. The baron offered them a stay in his keep. The next day the Knights split in their merry ways. But before returning to his fief Galahad went over to see his father-in-law after all their relation has slowly improved over time. As he arrived before the merchant guild he was quickly led inside by the attendant. When he entered the office, he found Veron conversing with Magos Erfiadis. At the moment he went inside their conversation came to an abrupt halt. The first to respond was Veron he smiled and said. "Oh, dear son-in-law. Hello. How are you doing? But where are my manners? First and foremost let me present you Magos Erfiadis he works with the baron. Now would you like a cup of Erimian black coffee or would you prefer some Velorian wine or perhaps some Bandebargian Brandy? lastly, have you come here to request something or are you just visiting? Galahad smiled and simply responded. "Dear father-in-law in am doing well. Yes, I had the honor to meet Magos Erfiadis rather briefly. I would appreciate some Bandebargian Brandy. As for the reason for my visit nothing particular just passing by." Veron nodded and said. "You see me and Magos Erfiadis were talking about the slave trade. We were considering setting up a trade route. The issue is transferring goods through caravans from the coast to us is rather expensive. But north of your territory, there is a rather large river which stems from the Erinea and goes all the way to the Megalos ocean. Since it is adjacent to your territory. You could claim that it is yours. Especially now with the war raging on they would be no contenders. Slaves will become a rather cheap good perfect for manpower for a growing realm. So I was talking to Magos Erfiadis to get him to agree to my proposal. I was going to inform you after i had finished my dealings with him by going to your fief. But since you are here that just makes it easier." The Magos nodded and simply responded. "What he is saying is true. The issue is for someone to properly expand to the northern frontier he needs permission from the kingdom. While only a formality it could save someone troubles in the future. As such I will ask for you to give me twenty whole gold coins as a payment for the new land. Since you are buying the land it will become a part of your inheritable realm." Galahad then responded. "That is good and all but three things. First and foremost who will construct the trading post and the road leading to my fief? Second How will the profits be spread will I get a tax for each slave coming in? Thirdly who will defend the trading post?" Veron quickly responded. "My son in law the trading post isn''t just for slaves it will also bring other goods. My current suggestions are that we will pay a tax of one whole gold coin a year. We will construct the trading post and send troops there. The Magos promised to hire some. In the case, the trading post is under attack. You will attempt to support if it is feasible. As for benefits, you gain a twenty-five percent discount for any purchases." Galahad then smiled and responded. "The terms seem good enough. But why haven''t we pushed up to the river already it would act as a natural barrier? Additionally, what does Magos Erfiadis get out of this?" The Magos responded. "Your fief was established three hundred years ago and has been destroyed no less than six times from goblin and beast hordes. As such it never quite managed to colonize all the land up to the river. If anything this is the largest it has ever been. Additionally, the river becomes frozen in deep winter as such is not that good of a natural barrier. As for my own benefits, I have a stake in a bunch of trade companies which will start selling supplies." Galahad nodded and said. "That is all then. Shall we get it into a contract?" The two men nodded and after the contract was written. The group left for the scribes guild. Soon the group reached its destination. This time Galahad paid fifty whole silver coins for the officialization of the contract and twenty gold coins for the officialization of the new frontier land. Finalizing the contract the men went over to the inn to celebrate their new partnership this time Veron paid for the food and drinks. The first to leave was Magos Erfiadis claiming he had early work tomorrow. When he left Veron said. "I will leave Gragon for about three months. As I need to establish trade links with merchant guilds of the coastal cities of Angon, Elbon, Etgon, and Ion. Galahad please take good care of my daughter while I am missing. This is a big chance to enrich both myself and yourself. Don''t let it go to waste." Galahad then responded. "I mean outside of defending the trading post from some goblins and beasts is there anything else?" Veron shrugged and said. "Just rumors please keep an eye out for any suspicious activities. Magos Erfiadis is not as trustworthy as he seems. He has his own motives I am sure I just don''t what they are." After that, they continued drinking and eating for a while. When the night grew old Galahad retired over to Veron house for the night. The next he left for Highkeep at the first light. 15 Brotherly Visit. When he returned to his fief, he was informed by Katarina that a messenger was waiting for him. As Galahad entered his throne room and sat on his simple throne. He thought I need to get a steward. How would I ever look dignified if I am bellowing to the audience seekers for them to come in? He sighed and continued with his trail of thought. Either way, that is a matter for another time. Galahad then bellowed with a hefty voice. "You may enter my hall messenger." A thin young fellow walking in a brisk pace went inside he gave a quick bow and stood straight up before saying. "Your lordship I have come to deliver a message from the Gentleman Nikolas von Highkeep." Galahad nodded and said. "Good, now please deliver me his message." The messenger nodded walked in front of Galahad and handed him a letter. Galahad gestured him to leave. The messenger bowed and exited the keep. After the messenger had left. Galahad broke open the seal and started reading. "To my younger brother. I am rather pleased to see the progress you have been making on improving our families ancestral holding. You have done well. I shall visit you in about a week''s time. Bringing with me a couple capable subordinates for your realm. I am also planning to start building a tower northeast of your territory about a kilometer away from the trading post you are currently planning to build. Since I don''t technically have a noble title and at some point, I am going to die. I would prefer if the land deed for the territory was under your direct control. With the hope that it will be inherited by future generations. Since the cost for building the towers is rather large, I will provide you the money for the deed in a later date cheers." Galahad looked at the letter and sighed heavily while thinking. Why is it so expensive to run my fief aren''t fiefs supposed to generate money not eat them? After a while longer brooding about his financial situation. He decided to go outside and take a long walk around his fief before returning to have his lunch. As he was taking a stroll he was greeted by his subjects at every corner. As he reached the center where a slowly developing commercial district was taking center stage. He was hit by the realization of the sheer amount of change that has befallen his smallholding. Where there was once only an old wooden keep now a semi-complete and rather intimidating looking stone keep is established, The new palisade wall is both sturdier and less fire-prone to the last one, The houses are more numerous and even the guard is better trained and equipped than before. Feeling rather thirsty he went inside the copper Inn. Inside Ludwig and, three more men were playing cards. Before Galahad did anything Ludwig slammed his fist on the table and bellowed "Fooking Fold. I can''t believe my luck this month first I haven''t found a single deer to hunt. Scratch that not a single hunter has found a pray. Not even one and now I fooking lose on cards." A young man dressed in an attire typical for a peasant smiled and said. "You know what they say whoever loses in cards wins in love" He then winked at Ludwig and continued. "I personally I am rather young for love so winning in cards is good enough. I have a Royal line pay up boys" The rest of the men grumbled but in the end, the bronze coins changed hands. The young farmer then spotted Galahad and said. "Good evening Sire. Would you care for a game of cards? I promise to be gentle." Galahad smiled and said. "Well, I have a bunch of rather costly future projects in my plate right now and as such, I can''t spend any money. But I spotted that Xyoria blessed you with great luck. It would only be proper for you to order everyone a round. After all, the goddess of luck preaches sharing her favor with the people around you." The youngster''s eyes lost all luster his shoulders slumped. He sighed and then said defeatedly. "Innkeeper a round for everyone it is on me." Ludwig then smiled and said. "Sire I was planning to talk to you about the disappearance of all major prey. It happened gradually over the last three months. We originally attributed it to the winter. But now it is spring and we should at least have found some prey. Even our best hunter an elfin hasn''t managed to find anything of note." Galahad raised his eyebrow and asked. "If that is the case. Do you have any ideas ascertaining to the reason for their disappearance?" Ludwig shrugged and responded. "It hasn''t happened before but perhaps it has something to do with the goblins? But then again we haven''t found any signs of them either." Galahad sighed and said. "Alright if you find anything new, inform me about it. Now I have a different question do you know anything about the river north of my territory." Ludwig thought for a while and then responded. "You must mean river Ptomar. It is about a kilometer away from the start of the Tolos forest. Eh, it is a rather large river aaa about a couple hundred meters wide give or take a few.What else Em at autumn we have a large salmon migration and we the hunters tend to grab some if we can. It freezes on the winter and looks deep we haven''t any swallows nearby either way." Galahad nodded and then asked. "Alright thanks, What is forest Tolos and are there any major Hills nearby?" Ludwig scratched his chin in thought and then said. "I can''t remember anything major. But as for Tolos, it is just how we named the nearby forest." Galahad nodded he then grabbed the free tankard of Ale and downed it in in one gulp. Before returning to the keep to have lunch with his wife. The rest of the week went by peacefully nothing major really happened. Galahad spent his time reading the small number of books he had amassed he had already gone through the ones he bought and he was currently reading through the books his ancestor left for him. He was currently reading the book "Diarchy a System in Decline". He had his concentration broken when Boris''s voice echoed. "Sire your Brother has arrived." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright then go inform the Priests and George to come over. Boris nodded and sprinted off. Galahad went over to get his wife to follow him before exiting the keep George joined in the way. As Galahad reached the front gate both Markos and Martin were already waiting there. Nikolas nodded and said when seeing his brother. "Greetings Brother. I first and foremost need to give you my condolences for the loss of men and your limb and my congratulations for getting married and rebuilding the fief greater than ever. I have come bearing gifts. First and foremost this a ring for your wife and as for you my gift is my two trusted subordinates" He then gave the ring to Katarina and then returned to his previous position. Before gestured towards his right. Where a well dressed short young brown haired man was standing. But his most memorable characteristic was the sheer amount of ink all over his clothes, fingers, and face. "This Karlos Sofos he is a capable subordinate and great friend of mine. He is not much for talking but he could serve as a great steward and advisor on civic matters. But he is a bit idealistic so take his advice with a hint of caution." Karlos gave a quick bow and said. "I am in your command Sire." Galahad nodded and looked back towards Nikolas. Nicolas then gestured towards his left. Where a well-dressed, black-haired, middle-aged and rather charming man was standing. "This is Mister Theodore Koris he acted more as my diplomat and manager of internal conflicts." Theodore bowed deeply and said with a deep mellow voice. "Greetings Sire I am in your command" Galahad nodded towards Theodore and then looked at his brother before saying. "That is good and all but why are you are entrusting me with your subordinates don''t you need them." Nikolas shrugged and said. "I am going to start building my tower and after that doing a lot of research. It is a rather solitary task. As such I don''t need any assistance. At least not any those two could provide. They will be more useful to you anyway" Galahad nodded and then said "Now let me introduce to the rest of the people here." He then pointed to the two priests before continuing. "The fellow attempting to look dignified is Markos you probably already know him. As for the red-faced fellow, he is Ethan the priest of the new temple of Ploutia." Nikolas nodded and responded. "Greetings Markos long time no see and well met Ethan." Ethan responded. "Well met Mister Nikolas" Markos then added. "Greetings Sire." Nikolas smiled and said. "Markos you are well aware that your Sire is Galahad, not me." While Marko''s face was contorting Galahad continued. "This is George his an Earth Elementalist and This is Martin my Militia Captain''s lietenant" Nikolas nodded and said. "Well met both of you." George responded with interest. "Well met Mister." Martin gave a quick bow and said with respect. "Well met Mister." Nikolas nodded and then asked George. "So what tier of earth elementalist are you?" George smiled and said proudly. "It is good to see a man educated to the ways of the arcane. I am tier a tier four earth elementalist" Nikolas simply responded. "I see, that is good. If you ever need help with advancing. Just ask me." George looked curiously and asked. "Mister Nikolas what tier are you?" Nikolas simply responded. "I have already broken through tier seven of fire magic and I am half finished establishing my bridge." George gasped and added. "But But but you are so young. This is already in the high echelons of the kingdoms magic. Why are you moving in the wilderness?" Nikolas then smiled and simply responded. "While my growth rate is impressive for our modern standards. It is nothing compared to the elementalists of old." George visibly became depressed for a second before cheering back up and saying. "That may be true. But right now you are one of the most powerful elementalists. Your help is more than great in helping me advance." Nikolas nodded and then added. "Good I am sure I will eventually need a couple apprentices. Speaking of which Brother do you have any herbs stored or did you sell most of them." Galahad nodded and said. "I do sell most of them to Emaria. We can go over there and check if she has any of the herbs you need to buy." Nikolas nodded and responded. "That would before the best. Finding herbs is such an arduous task and those I require are rather rare and expensive. I can''t believe she would have the heart to use them if she has any. Either way, this is a matter for another time. Anyone else I need to meet." Galahad quickly responded. "My captain of the Guards Boris he is from Karellia he is currently with the troops. Em and Ludwig but I am sure he is out hunting and scouting." Nikolas nodded and added. "That is good to know. Ludwig is a good man. When I was a child he tried to teach me how to use a bow. To say the very least, I was completely terrible at it." Galahad then suggested. "Perhaps you can meet him later?" Nikolas nodded and said. "Perhaps. Either way, let''s go over to the Herbalists hut." Galahad nodded and said. "I will lead the way." After the brothers and Katarina left the rest of the men broke up each going away to attend to their duties. When the men reached the store they were greeted by a young boy not older than eleven years of age. When the boy spotted Galahad he gave a deep bow and said. "Sire to what we have the honor. To have you visit Miss Emaria''s Humble store. Perhaps an ailment that needs curing? Or you are in need of a special potion to help with something?" Galahad smiled and pointed to his leg. Before saying. "Except if you have a potion to regrow limbs. I don''t think so. We are here to ask for some herbs from Miss Emaria. Can you go over and fetch her?" The boy''s smile froze on his face and said quivering. "Missss Emaria doesn''t liiike to get disturbed when she researching new potions." Galahad sighed and asked. "When will she come out?" The boy smiled bitterly. "I don''t know. She has been in there for the past week and a half. She hasn''t come out to even sleep or have food. I bring food to her three times a day and I just leave it on the top of the win" *CRAXX* A mad, loud female laugh filled the air. After a solid minute of the weird laugh, the door separating the store from the workshop was kicked wide open. Emaria he hair all over the place and with her clothes dirty, smoky and wrinkled. She then proceeded to grab the poor boy and struggle-hug him in joy while bellowing. "WE DID JIMMY WE DID" The boy tried to say. "My name isn''t Jimmy. It is " The maddened Emaria put her finger over his mouth and hushed him. "Stop being silly Jimmy. Today we became filthy rich." At that point, Galahad coughed loudly. Emaria looked towards the visitors in shock. Before madly trying to make her self semi-presentable before giving a quick bow. "My liege I didn''t expect you to come over. Is there an issue, an ailment perhaps?" Galahad smiled and responded. "Except if your new discovery can generate me a new leg I don''t think I have any issues. But I am curious about what exactly you invented." The woman nodded heavily and said. "I created a potion which aids the healing of wounds." Galahad was shocked. He then asked "What do you mean by helping to heal the wounds and how does it work?" The Emeria then took out a small knife and slightly cut her hand just enough for blood to appear. She then poured a red liquid over the wound. When the blood came in contact with the liquid it almost instantaneously scabbed. Emeria then added. "While the wound, especially in the case of deep wounds, isn''t fully healed. The potion will rapidly create a scab over the wound aiding the healing progress and stopping infections and blood loss." Galahad nodded and said. "Oh, it is not as magical as I thought it will be. But I have a question how expensive is it to create such a potion?" Emeria thought for a second before saying. "The ingredients cost about one whole gold coin and together with my other costs it puts the price for each at one whole gold coins and seventy-five whole silver coins" Nikolas the intervened and said. "That is good and all but I would like to ask if you have any red Koliandr, blue Aspir or some wild Gorvon." Emeria smiled and said. "Well, i have never heard of blue Aspir or wild Gorvon. But I used plenty of red Koliandr to make this potion ergo the red color. Ten grams of the solution for this potion is red Koliandr. I mean before I discovered its decent healing properties. It was a rather useless plant you know. I bought a lot of them from the hunters but I did just run out. You know I used a lot to get this potion right at least a kilo in just trial and error alone." At the uttering of those words, Nikolas fainted. 16 Future planning. Nicolas sudden fainting caused the group to quickly excuse themselves. After they returned to the keep and put Nicolas to lie down. Galahad called a meeting with his two new subordinates. Galahad first looked towards Karlos and asked. "So how did you meet my brother, what are your skills and what did you do for him?" Karlos gave a quick bow and said. "Well, Sire I met your Brother through a common acquaintance. After I finished my apprenticeship with the scribe''s guild, he gave me a job as one of his copier scribes. After a while, he noticed that I am semi-capable in long-term planning and finances. After a while, I rose through the ranks and eventually, I ended up managing your brother''s numerous investments and his house''s income in general. As for my skills specifically, I can read and write in Boreian, Frankian, and Ociton. I have experience in management and stewardship and finally, I have a good understanding of mathematics." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright and how about you Theodore?" Theodore gave a deep bow and said honestly. "Well, Your lordship me and your brother had the same tutor for magic. He was rather gifted, and I was not. But he tried to help me out, and we became fast friends. I was frankly a much better talker than anything else and after we both finished our apprenticeship, he took me under his wing. I ended up dealing with most of the house''s matters. While he focused on research and deepening his understanding of magic. Since becoming an elemental manipulator rather surprisingly but at the same time unsurprisingly enough involves one with the realms politics, my workload was surprisingly heavy and I needed an assistant to manage the internal matters. Don''t let Karlos fool you he is way more competent than he claims to be. But I am getting sidetracked. As for my personal skills, I can read and write in Boreian, Frankian, Occitan, Karelian and Eriminian I am half-decent in math. But I am much better at striking deals and socializing in general. In terms of fighting, I am better than the average man. But that is thanks to mostly my vast tavern brawl experience rather than any real fighting. Additionally, I am a tier one Generalizer mage." Galahad raised an eyebrow and asked "Generalizer mage?" Theodore quickly responded. "Wait before I explain Sire. What do you know about the magic systems?" Galahad shrugged and responded. "First and foremost systems? additionally, I don''t know much. It never really occurred to me to ask George. After all, it didn''t really matter much at the time I knew he would be useful in creating a more permanent keep and that is why I picked him. I just assumed people are born with magic and then they are trained by an older and wiser wizard similarly to how craftsmen pass on their experience to the next generation." Theodore nodded and responded. "I see, While your assessment is partially correct Sire it has several glaring holes." He then sighed heavily before lamenting. "I just expected your brother to have informed you of such matters.Then let me be the one." Theodore then smiled and started explaining slowly. "First and foremost you need to understand that there are several "systems" of magic. The standard one is the four elemental system. Where the four primordial elements are earth, fire, air, and water as defined by Lucien Terans. Most scholars split them into seven tiers. Even though such tiers are to say the very least inaccurate, poorly defined, and lacking any real connection to reality. But they are useful in quickly identify the status of a fellow mage. Even within the mainstream system, there are several approaches to increasing one''s tier.The classic one is the elemental focus. Where the magic user focuses on one element such as fire or water. After reaching the seventh tier he picks one of the close elements in the case of water either air or earth. The elementalist then will either start building a foundation from the grounds up or he may attempt to connect a bridge and then build from there. Building a bridge has as a goal to better control composite elements. For example in the case of fire and earth lava. Other schools of thought consider each composite element unique and a separate mastery subject. Others consider that the elemental idea is rather silly and instead believe that there is a fundamental force of nature used to manipulate other secondary fundamental forces of nature so they can, in turn, manipulate smallest building blocks of nature the atoms. Others take the rather simplistic view that there is only one force called mana. With this faction''s members fighting about mana''s nature. is mana pure? is it elemental? or do both exist? A lot of people tend to mix and match. Your brother, for example, believes in the four element system but he also believes that elemental mana does exist and it is a fundamental force of nature. I personally wasn''t much of a ponderer but I managed to get a shallow mastery of several different types of magic and since I never focused into one element I am called a Generalist." Galahad nodded and said. "This does seem rather complicated and not something I need to know all of the details about. But I have a serious question. How do people even improve at magic and what defines the tiers?" Theodore quickly replied. "Well, a tier is a very very general term. Each school of magic has a different understanding of what a tier is. But generally speaking, magic is connected with two things how much elemental force a mage can use in a given amount of time and the level of control of the force. The improvement in the elemental force and the level of control is mostly through practice or sudden enlightenment additionally there are certain rare materials that can expedite the process. All in all a tier in itself is fluid but there are some general classifications. Tier zero or The Unawakened one is someone with some magical ability but he hasn''t unearthed it yet. Tier one or The Newcomer is someone mostly unable to do much more than party tricks, example''s of magic use in that tier is, changing the color of a flame, slightly increasing the speed of the wind, minimal change in temperature and so on. Tier two or the Novice is someone reaching the point where magic becomes slightly useful a blacksmith could use air magic to feed more air to the flames or better unify the temperature through fire magic. Tier three or the Apprentice is an elementalist with enough control over an element to the point where they can launch an efficient attack but after that, they are pretty much spent and virtually defenseless. Tier four or the Journeyman is the last point where sheer practice can and will improve one''s tier. From that point onwards a deeper understanding of how elements work is needed to advance. Generally speaking at tier four an elementalist can use their elemental power for an extended amount of time. While ones elemental capacity can increase indefinitely through sheer practice. For a further improvement in finesse, only a deeper understanding will do. Elementalists between Tier Five to Tier Seven are the true powerhouses and to us normal folk all of them seem insanely powerful it is just a comparison between them at that point one. Roughly magical Tiers can be split into three categories tier zero to one candidates, tier two to four trainees, tier five to seven researchers." Galahad raised his eyebrow and asked. "So how can people tell if someone is magically gifted?" Theodore responded. "Well, there are some common traits most of the time magically gifted kids are slightly more cunning, more inquisitive and slightly stronger than their build would suggest. Additionally, someone can get magical attunement through exposure to certain extremely rare materials. But to make sure if someone another Elementalist is required. But after that, it is rather easy. Let me make a presentation." Theodore then released a small wisp of blue energy from the end of his finger which then proceeded to fly on the top of the roof of the room and disperse shortly after. Theodore then added. "This is how we do it. After the "wizard" finds a prospective candidate he releases a small amount of pure elemental power in the air. Which then gets drawn into someone which is magically gifted. Since neither you nor Karlos are gifted. The magical energy will just fade into the air." Galahad nodded and said. "So what Tier of Generalist are you." Theodore smiled and said. "I am tier two across the board" Galahad nodded and said. "I see I will keep this information in mind. Outside of that, I would like to officialize your positions mister Karlos as my Steward and mister Theodore as my Adviser and Diplomat. Mister Theodore currently your workload will be quite light. But after the completion of the trading post, you will be stationed there. Now that this discussion is over I would like to know your opinions on what future projects we need to focus next." Karlos bowed and said. "Sire I thank you for showing trust in my abilities. As for my advice repairing the current roads and improving them would be rather wise. For that, we could use the mason''s official road construction technique." Galahad raised his eyebrow and asked. "What is the difference to the current way we are building our roads?" Karlos nodded and quickly explained. "Well, most of the roads out here in the frontier are made up from either just packed dirt or packed dirt mixed with packed gravel. While the mason''s roads are constructed out of several distinct layers. First, they lay sand or lime mortar to create a level base. The next layer up is made out of lime concrete mixed with broken stones. On top of that, they lay another similar layer made with lime concrete mixed and pebbles instead of stones. The final layer is the paving of the road with large stone rocks connected with lime concrete. The road is generally slightly taller than the surrounding terrain. With one meter ditches dug in either side of the road to prevent flooding. This type of road rarely needs any repairs and is a great investment for the future of the fief." Galahad nodded and asked. "So what would be the cost for the construction of such a road between Highkeep and Gragon." Karlos smiled and responded. "The distance between the two settlements should be about eight miles give or take. The cost for paving a mile of road is forty-five whole gold coins. So the cost should be three hundred and sixty whole gold coins. Now if we used stones from the mines the cost should drop to about a hundred and eighty whole gold coins. If the laborers are unpaid it should drop a hundred more. We can get sand from the river but we will need to import lime so the cost will at minimum be eighty whole gold coins. If you have twenty men working you should be able to build ten meters of the road a day with the whole road''s completion in about four years. The cost of the project each year would be twenty whole gold coins a year. Additionally, your keep is still rather barren you will need to buy some more furniture that should cost you five more whole gold coins. Mine and Theodore''s wages is a rather modest one whole gold a year each and the cost to buy the land where your brother will build his keep should be an additional ten whole gold coins." Galahad paled when hearing of the monumental amount of money he will need to fork out to finish the construction project and pay for his two new advisors." Galahad then said while trembling. "I seeeee emmmm soo I will need thirty-one whole gold coins just to keep everything moving for a year. Thankfully with the harvest, I will not need to buy more wheat. But then again refugees will very soonly start flooding my lands looking for safety. Any ideas on how I could raise some money?" Karlos smiled and asked. "So my Liege how much gold are you getting each month my liege?" Galahad sighed and answered. "Four whole gold coins a month give or take. Three from taxes and one from the mine." Karlos then smiled and added. "Then you should be fine. After all, you should start getting some extra money from the traders coming through the trading post." Galahad sighed and said. "While this might be true. I need to remind you that I am not currently taxed for a year or so after that, I will need to pay twelve whole gold coins a month as a tax. Outside of that, it is very likely I will need to fight a goblin horde or some other type of natural disaster. After all, this village has been destroyed several times in the past. Diseases and other natural disasters are also likely. The frontier is a harsh place and can''t be judged through normal lenses." Theodore nodded and said heavily. "Well, sadly those things are part of life. But at the bright side at least you didn''t need to go to war. Additionally, your brother''s presence will eventually prove a huge net positive for your realm." Galahad raised an eyebrow and asked "How so?" Theodore then smiled and answered the question. "Well, you see your brother is one of the most powerful elemental users in the realm and you are his brother. Many Nobles and Merchants would like to send their children to become his apprentices. After all, being even a mid-tier elementalist allows someone to protect themselves or improve their skill''s set value. If a mid-tier elementalist joins the army he will start his career as a captain''s second lietenant. Furthermore, there are several powerful institutions where even novice elementalists can become a member. Such connections, in turn, can provide them with several benefits. The presence of those nobles, merchants and their retinues will prove invaluable for the economy of this fledgling fief. Additionally several of them might attempt to curry favor with you. After all, you are the brother of that said elementalist." Galahad tried to process all this new information for a minute before asking. "Then sorry to be blunt. But why did my brother come all the way out here in the frontier to build his tower when he could get much more benefits in the capital?" Theodore shrugged and said. "Your brother is a true scholar and as such he prefers to focus on his research and doesn''t care about titles, petty power, and the noble''s squabbles. To be frank I am sure that when his tower is still half finished several of his old colleagues will suddenly disappear. Hell, I wouldn''t be surprised if your fief ends up becoming a city connected with a new elemental college." Galahad then asked curiously. "What is an elemental college." Theodore smiled and answered. "It is a place where elementalists gather to pool together their resources. Most such colleges have abias towards a magical model. There are several colleges even inside this Kingdom the capital has the second biggest one, while the biggest one is in Mertinia the capital of the ArchMagos''s fief. There are several smaller ones peppered across the landscape but most of the time those "colleges" are just some mid-tier elementalist with half a dozen apprentices." Galahad nodded and asked. "Any other glaring absences" Karlos quickly responded. "Well, there is several. First and foremost your territory barely has any craftsmen you have one blacksmith, an alchemist slash botanist, and a mason. You should try to acquire at least a potter, a tanner, a shoemaker, a tailor, a bowyer, a fletcher, a woodworker, a miller, and a ropemaker. Constructing a mill should be your top priority as well." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright, this is good enough for now. Karlos start construction on the road and do a thorough analysis of other needs my fief may have. Theodore try to get some craftsmen to move over by promising them no taxation for a year and a free workshop also try to create some more connections perhaps some of the guilds might be willing to create a branch in my territory soon. Tomorrow I will go over to Gragon to get the land deed for the territory my brother needs. ." Both Karlos and Theodore responded in synchrony. "As you will my liege" Galahad nodded and said. "Good meeting over you are dismissed. I will see you in two hours when we will be having our banquet my brother should be awake by then." 17 The Calm before the Storm Nicolas woke up feeling drained. The long trip tired him out and the sheer shock from the botanist''s words was the stick that broke the camel''s back resulting in his current unfortunate situation. He quickly walked out of bed and looked around. The room''s decoration was rather stark but the thick stone walls gave him a primal feeling of safety. My brother did really do a lot. It really is a shame that so many people needed to die for him to realize the error of his ways. Perhaps I too was at fault for the current situation. No, that is not true I was more than willing to help him out even if it is for my own selfish reasons. After those short thoughts he exited the room and looked around soon enough he found the way to the Great Hall. When Galahad spotted him he said happily. "Greetings brother I see that you have recovered rather quickly. You had me worried there for a second. But it is good that you are alright I was planning to host a small feast in your honor. Don''t worry nothing too fancy just some game, white bread, and Ale." Nicolas nodded and responded. "I see. Anyhow, can you arrange a meeting with that woman?" Galahad nodded and said with a cheeky smile. "Are you perhaps in love brother? That would explain your reaction when seeing that women you literally fell head over hills for her." Nicolas audibly scoffed and responded ironically. "I was just shocked by her weird looks. But for you to insinuate that my brother perhaps your taste in women is broken. After all, you were kinda forced to marry your current wife maybe that is the source of some weird psychological trauma?" Galahad continued to smile and said. "I see that you are trying to deflect your weird fetishes on me brother." Nicolas sighed and responded seriously. "It seems that you have become much wittier since your accident. Anyhow, I am curious about your opinion of my old assistants." Galahad dropped the smile and responded in kind. "Yeah, I need to start using my brain now that I can''t use my brawl. As for your old assistants, they look rather capable to say the very least. Karlos seems to be the most useful for the time being. But Theodore would also be in due time of great use." Nicolas nodded and said. "Good to hear. If that is all I would like to have the meeting right now." Galahad nodded and said. "I will establish this meeting after you answer a question of mine. Why did you decide to create your mage tower out here?" Nicolas sighed and said. "Several reasons, Number one it is much cheaper to create a mage tower out here, Number two I want to help my families fief develop and number three I find something romantic with taming the frontier. Bringing the light of civilization upon those savage lands. Our world is huge We humans barely control any significant territories in this continent. The north is controlled by orcs, goblins and other beasts. The west ocean is vast and we haven''t managed to even reach the other side yet. But the few expeditions out there found several small islands. As for southwards, the southernmost human kingdom is Erimia. Below them lay a vast desert. Most of which is controlled by the Soands. I am sure you are well aware of the other famous races such as the Elves and Dwarfs. While the Dwarfs are the same as in many stories you know living in mountains and gathering wealth. Elves are different... They where humans twisted by magic there bodies now half ethereal. Hard to kill and even harder to reason with. They don''t live in forests like it is commonly believed this is the home of other much friendlier beings. Instead, they live in places blasted with magical pollution. The goal of most of them is to convert all humans to elves."To show them the true nature of things as they say."" Galahad was shocked for a second before asking two questions. " First and foremost. What are elfkin then and secondly what are the Soands." Nicolas smiled and quickly answered. "Elfkin most of the time are people kidnapped by fairies or dryads or rarely the result of breading between a human and a fairy or dryad. As for Soands the best way to describe them is sand elementals. All elementals have as a goal to expand their habitat. But Soands are different they found out that they can twist captured humans through the use of the sands creating a kind of hybrid. Those hybrids are similar to someone ill but actively trying to spread their disease they are human-like in appearance but with an extremely fragile body, with a single good hit able to collapse them into a pile of sand they will then attempt to reform. The only way to kill them is to destroy their two gem-like eyes. Anyhow where their left or right thumb is supposed to be they have a needle-like protrusion. This is used to stab an unsuspecting victim. The victim then will fall ill. After death claims about a day after their, body will be twisted and recreated using the earthen material nearby creating variants such as dirt, mud, bone, flesh, and stone Vouls. Entire cities have been destroyed by those creatures. Thankfully, the different variants hate each other and they can''t speak. In the bright side if the illness is found quickly enough it is reversible rather easily. The person will need to be purged from the corrupting essence inside their body even a tier two elementalist will be able to help out if the disease is caught early enough." Galahad nodded and said. "Well, this is terrifying. Anyways, I always thought that the undead where a myth. It seems like there is more to it than that." Nicolas raised his eyebrow and responded. "Those are not undead those are half elementals. Undead are such thinks as the sleepless, wraiths,and corpsemen." Galahad sighed and responded. "And here I was hoping that those where just the creatures of legend. Well, to be fair corpsemen are not really a threat." Nicolas and nodded and said "You are right only in extremely high numbers they will be even mildly terrifying. Anyhow, if your curiosity is saturated I would require for you to set up the meeting now." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright." About half an hour later a clean and well-dressed alchemist entered the throne room. Galahad quickly took his leave and let them discuss their private matters in peace. An hour after Nicolas finished his meeting. Galahad organized a minor feast. The feast was the last significant event for the rest of the month with only a couple of minor incidents breaking the peace. The road construction hadn''t started yet as it was currently the harvest season and after that planting season and As such all of the laborers where busy tending to the fields. Nicolas had already moved northwards and together with a small army of laborers and had started construction on his magic tower. Thanks to the war and the fact that it wasn''t widely known yet that Nicolas was building his mage tower out here. No nobles or rich merchants had arrived yet in Highkeep with the goal to curry favor or threaten him into allowing them to meet his brother. But the rest of the realm wasn''t fearing that well. News from the few travelers coming to these parts where rather disheartening, to say the least.The Boreans were losing and losing badly first the independent faction decided to join the Frankish side and then the Karellinians reached a settlement with the franks gaining ten border baronies. The news about other settlements across the frontier where also rather dire about seven hamlets had been destroyed thus far. Additionally, Three had been taken over by bandits and a dozen were raided. The roads were now much more dangerous than they had ever been while the realm was at peace, the sheer amount of bandits bands and dangerous beasts was simply mind-boggling. As Galahad was having his lunch Karlos entered the Throne Room and bowed deeply. After Galahad swallowed his last bite he motioned Karlos to speak. Karlos nodded and said Seriously. "Sire, Magos Erfiadis has arrived outside and he seeks an audience with your lordship." Galahad nodded and responded quickly. "Alright, I will finish my meal later. Please call over a servant to take away the plates." Karlos nodded and quickly left the chamber after about five minutes everything was in order. As Erfiadis entered into the chamber. Karlos said with Gravitas. "Greetings dignified Magos Erfiaids. You are in the presence of Sir Galahad Von Highkeep Knight Protector of the eastern fringe and Marshal of Gragon." Galahad waited for Karlos to complete his introduction and then asked curiously. "So Magos Erfiadis what brings you to my humble abode?" Erfiadis gave a quick bow before smiling and responding in turn. "Humble is a bit of an understatement your lordship. I have seen plenty of Barons with less impressive seats of power. You should almost qualify to request your rank to be upgraded to a Baronet and gain your own vassal. But I didn''t come over to congratulate you on your achievements or bestow any rewards from the crown. But arguably the news I bring will be equally worthwhile to you." Galahad raised an eyebrow and asked. "Is it about the trading post?" Erfiadis nodded and responded. "Indeed we shall start construction by tomorrow." Galahad nodded and asked. "Any news from the conflict. How are our men faring?" Erfiadis sighed and responded. "Not well, while they haven''t really made any large scale offenses yet but the war isn''t looking good. At least twenty nobles have either been killed or captured. While the casualties are still quite low. They are steadily increasing and their side has much more men than ours. Also, I want you to be extra vigilant as it looks like we might be hit by a beast wave." Galahad raised his head in interest and said. "A beast wave you say. What does that have to do with the dissaperance of most herbivores." Erfiadis smiled and said. "Well, their disappearance is what normally causes beast waves. Well the term beast wave might be slightly wrong. Wolf waves are a better name. They tend to migrate at the same time as the bigger solitary carnivores but they don''t tend to mingle. While most of the time they don''t migrate southwards. Some of them do try their luck. Most of those beasts are starving and their swollen numbers together with their hunger drives them to attack relatively unprotected settlements. Most of the time they aren''t that dangerous but they occasionally manage to break through a badly made or maintained palisade wall. Your fief should be fine though. But you might be called upon to defend Heria. Sir Jeroic''s territory. Galahad nodded and then asked. "Are the beast waves induced by something more dangerous ?" Erfiadis shook his head and responded. "Most likely not. But it is a narrow possibility that they are being chased by a horde of corpsemen. But I find that rather unlikely. Corpsemen invasions almost always come from the south and rarely if ever from the north. Since for a primogenitor corpseman to be created fool magic or a large number of unpaid grudges are required. In both cases, those are most common far south rather than the barely inhibited frontier, the populous south is a much better place for both of those than the barely inhabited frontier." Galahad nodded and responded. "Alright But what about the safety of the trading post." Erfiadis smiled and said. "The trading post will be a solid structure made from granite, no mere beast wave will be able to break through the defenses." Galahad nodded and stated. "If that is all. I shall end our meeting here." Erfiadis nodded and responded. "That is all. I will take my leave then." After Erfiadis left the next two days passed by rather peacefully. little did they know that this was just the calm before the storm. At the morning of the third day, a messenger arrived at Highkeep. As soon as he reached the keep It burst through the throne room and shouted. "IS THE MARSHAL HERE? I HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS." Karlos quickly responded calmly "Calm down my friend I am sure the news can''t be that important right? I am sure i can help with any problems." The messenger continued to shout. "HERIA FELL THE CITIZENS WERE ALL SLAUGHTERED AND A BEAST HORDE IS MARCHING TOWARDS ERFIA." Karlos nodded and said solemnly. "Alright, that might be a slightly bigger issue. I will get Sir Galahad here as quickly as I can. Elena, please give the quickwitted gentleman a glass of water." After five minutes a messily dressed Galahad was before the messenger. Galahad then asked with sobriety. "I want all of the information you have in regards to the attack." The messenger nodded and said calmly. "Yesterday when a merchant from Erfia had yet to return from Heria after two whole days. A small militia unit was sent out to investigate. After all those two hamlets have quite a bloody common history and revenge murders are rare but still occur. Upon entering through the collapsed gate of Heria they were greeted by a scene of utter devastation. Even some of the well-built houses had been reduced to nothing more than rabble. With two families left as the only survivors, one was found hiding in a cellar and the other was hiding in Jeroic''s vault room. The survivors explained that the beast wave this time wasn''t compromised by wolfs but by Borean lions instead." Galahads face immediately lost all color and stood frozen for a solid minute before sighing heavily and steadily asking. "How many of them." The messenger sighed and said bitterly. "At least fifty with about four Alphas." Galahad sighed he looked at Karlos and asked. "Any suggestions on how to deal with them?" Karlos looked at Galahad and responded calmly. "Aren''t they just animals? Can''t we just dig a deep pit camouflaged it and place our troops as bait causing them to all fall to their deaths." Galahad sighed and shook his head. "No, we can''t. They are smart enough to send the Omegas as probes. So they will most likely be able to find the pits before they do any serious damage additionally they are strong enough to just go the palisade walls and surround as from all sides. A single of those bastards needs a dozen spearmen to take down safely. If we get charged by even forty of them it will be worst than being charged by heavy cavalry. Archers can barely do any serious damage. While crossbows could be rather efficient the reload time is extremely slow and the targets move rather fast. We can''t use large scale magic as my brother has just managed to finish the first floor of his tower and he has cast several wards blocking all access to as mear mortals for at least six months. Since he needs to focus on his research. Our best chance is to try out an old tactic but it is rather risky and it might not be successful. But it is the only thing we currently have. Karlos go and Inform everyone outside of my militia to gather at the keep. I can''t afford to throw away more of my serfs lives. I will lead my militia at Gragon from there we will raise the levies of Gragon and then head to Sinor before raising their levies as well. We will also grab whatever remains from those settlements guard forces. Before we head for Erfia. My last question is how many days do we have before the horde overruns Erfia." The messenger filling slightly more confidence in their chances explained calmly. "While they hadn''t made a move yet when I left the people from Heria were probably far from enough to satiate the lions especially after winter. Additionally, the ease with which they destroyed Heria will most likely make them more reckless. As such we should have a week or less before they attack. After all, Erfia is well managed and is much better defended making it a more intimidating target. But even with all of those troops do we have a tactic to beat them?" Galahad nodded and said. "Yeah, we will use an old tactic. We will just mass spear men creating a square formation with spears protruding from all sides. We will then hopefully make the lions charge us by constantly harassing them with arrow fire. In the meanwhile, we will move all of their citizens of the surrounding villages in the keep of Gragon. It might be a bit crowded for a while but it will save many lives." Karlos then looked at his lord and said thoughtfully. "It seems like a decent idea what are we going to do if they never attack? Galahad shrugged and said "We will them harass until they do, they die, or they exit the fiefs which I am responsible for. But I do plan to talk to Boris, Ludwig, and Martin to finalize the details of the plan." 18 An Easy Battle. The orders where given and soon a flurry of action overtook Highkeep. For the survivors, it was reminiscent of the time when the Goblins attacked. But yet different, the danger wasn''t that close, they had an early warning, the militia was much better armed, and they were ready to fight.While this was happening Galahad was holding a meeting with his subordinates. When all of his subordinates arrived Galahad looked at Ludwig and said calmly. "I want a clear and concise description of the Borean lion. While I have a general idea, I would like more information. " Ludwig nodded and responded. "The Borean lion is well a lion. They are slightly larger than there more temperate counterparts. Most herds have only one male lion per ten females. With the size of that group, they should have five or six. Normally the size of a Borean lion group is thirty at this case we have what we call a union between two packs. While rare it happens the Alpha or King is the dominant lion, in this case, I am imagining there is just one. He probably beat the other King killing him. After that lions don''t really have rankings but there are cases where lone Male lions might join the herd as omegas without breeding rights. Either way In the attack in Heria it was probably led by male lions as humans are not generally seen as prey. But with their easy victory, I am imagining that the new main attack force will be the females. I am sure that no animal wants to run into spears. But we humans are endurance hunters. As such your plan is rather brilliant.We might even make a decent amount of money and garner a large number of contributions. What I would suggest is that we literally run lions into exhaustion." Galahad nodded and asked "Any other opinions." After a minute of silence, Galahad continued. "Boris I have trust in your commanding abilities especially in the case of a monster attack and I am confident in your ability to successfully defend against it. Ludwig, I want you to also stay behind and focus on carefully scouting but don''t put our hunters in any serious danger. I want info with minimal casualties. Martin, you will come with me. You will be my second in command. Prepare the men for immediate departure" The men nodded and went their separate ways. Galahad said goodbye to his wife and an hour later departed. By the evening he reached Gragon where he quickly ordered for the levies to be gathered. Early in the morning of the next day, the band headed to Sinor. Where a similar order was given. After the group was armed and gathered, they reached Erfia by the Evening. While the Guards were quite tense, and the wall had obvious signs of battle the men were still holding strong with minimum casualties. A skinned lion''s corpse was being roasted over a fire. The troops entered the hamlet and were split into three shifts and were stationed upon the walls. While Galahad stayed to the Wooden keep for the night. The lions noticing the vast increase in the number of humans inside the keep decided not to attack.The next day the children and women were ordered to remain inside the keep leaving behind half of the Erfians to defend the walls and the keep just in case. While the rest of the army got back into the square formation with five carts in the middle whereupon twenty archers and twenty crossbowmen. Where stationed. The formation was moving rather slowly following the trail of the Boreian Lions. Soon the Pride was found at which point the men properly formed up and the archers and crossbowmen started volley fire. The lions in the start faked a charge. With a couple of them not being able to curb their speed quickly enough before self impaling upon the spear lines. Day by day the lions were whittled down.Every day the army would advance slowly for hours on end always in formation with the range units sending volley after volley of fire. A week a later all of the lions where now pelts. The only battle of not is at the last day ten or so lions did a heroic, but rather futile charge. With ten men getting overrun. After the men tired from exhaustion took some half earned rest in the camp. They returned to Erfia where a huge feast was held. The dead were properly honored and each of the deceased''s families got a lion''s pelt as compensation for their loved one''s death. a lion pelt was gifted to each of the major settlements. Specifically the hamlet of Erfia, the hamlet of Sinor and the town of Gragon. When they returned at Highkeep proper. The most impressive lion mane was used as a carpet at the Great hall. While another pelt was sent to the Count of Apothia and one more to Nicolas. The rest were sold through Theodore''s business connections netting him seventy whole gold coins. After a rather grand feast life returned to relative normalcy.A week latter Galahad had a rather hectic day he was adjudicating a small civil case. A miner named Paul claimed that Max a foreign laborer raped his wife. The evidence was rather lacking, to say the least. But the local''s firmly believed Paul and were rather outraged. In the other hand the foreign laborers were looking out for each other and as such they obviously supported their own. Especially when the evidence of the truth of the matter was rather circumstantial indeed. In regards to these facts Galahad had reached a rather irritating impasse.He first ordered for the peasants to be kept outside as their constant fighting was rather distracting, After being in deep thought for five minutes a horrible headache sprouted. But after a short while silently massaging his temples the solution suddenly hit him. He then called for Max, Paul and his wife Fiona to come before him once again. Galahad looked each and every one of them straight at their eyes. Galahad then sighed heavily before saying sternly. "The one of you lying should come before me now and confess. Otherwise, I will call the Adjudicators." The plebeians jaws dropped in shock. After a minute of silence, Max had composed himself enough to respond rather nervously. "Sire I can''t believe that you would call the Adjudicators. Have you never heard the story of Terans City." Galahad smiled ear to ear and said mockingly. "Obviously I have never heard the City. Why would I? It is obviously not the first story every noble child hears before they can walk. With the protagonists most famous quote being "To never call the Adjudicators."." Max said in horror. "You are serious. But why... You have done so much work. What if the Adjudicators deem that your fief is a hotbed of sin and cleanse it." Galahad smiled and responded rather candidly. "I for one know I am clean and if my fief is truly dirty enough to be cleansed so be it. Most of the people living here if you have forgotten are Exoristoi. As such at worst their sentence will become life long and sent back to the king. After all, it is his property. The only people that could commit a crime is either. Me, The survivors, The few recent settlers and finally the foreign laborers. None of you is a survivor so who will it be The settlers or the Laborers answer me? Now if and only if you come forward now and say the truth you will just become Exoristoi for twenty years. Now if you lie you and most likely your close friends and family will die." Fiora sighed and said. "Sire I am sorry. Neither of those two is lying. The fact of the matter is that I worked in the Happy Harpies. I constantly lied to my husband telling him I was going to meet my cousin Chloe. Originally that was the reason for my visits. But when her husband died. She started working she had no other choice. Originaly i was repulsed by it. But seeing my cousin go from barely scraping by to being relative well of. Made me realize how well such a job payed. I then spoke to Chloe about giving it a try. She originally declined to even entertain the idea but after my constant pestering she complied. After tasting the good life I planned to eventually leave this grim living behind and move to the capital. To wear velvet,drink fine wine and have gourmet food. Perhaps I could land a merchant or even a noble husband and finally live a pampered life. A week ago I noticed that I hadn''t had my blood calling for over a month. As such, I needed to take action. After all I wasn''t ready to yet to leave for the capital." Galahad nodded and said. "I see. As you told the truth I shall not change my punishment. But the money you made shall be split between Paul and Max It is the least you can do. Additionally, since you enjoyed partaking in such pleasures behind your husbands back. I shall call over a priest to annual the marriage. Finally i shall sentence you to twenty years as an Exoristoi. With the suggested occupation of army relief. Karlos prepare the scroll. Guards lock her in one of the keeps empty rooms and tomorrow transfer her to Gragon." Paul then said. "Thanks, sire I never knew that I wasn''t sleeping with a woman. But a rotten milk bucket. Ah and Max I owe you an apology I was blind. Let''s go to the Inn drinks are on me." After the two peasants where dismissed. He read carefully through the scroll detailingFiona''s confession before sealing it and returning it to Karlos. But before Galahad could relax for even a moment there was another knock. Karlos then shouted. "Who wishes to have an audience with Sir Galahad protector of the Northern Fringe and for what reason." Ludwig then responded. "It is I, Ludwig. I have something to report." Galahad slumped at his throne for a second before standing back up straight and nodding towards Karlos. Karlos then said in a more moderate and softer tone. "You may come in." Ludwig quickly entered the room and gave a quick bow. Galahad gave a short nod and Ludwig said. "Sire I found foreign beast tracks in the forest" Galahad then asked. "What do you exactly mean by foreign beasts. " Ludwig responded. "Beasts tracks of Beasts that don''t normally come to these parts similarly to the Borean Lion pride. Such as the Hyperborean Wolfs, the HyperBorean Foxes, and the HyperBorean hares as well as some ratherrare and much more dangerous beasties such as the Penloth. Thankfully the lions diverted those other dangerous predators away from our territory." Galahad nodded and then asked. "What do you think is the reason for such a large migration?" Ludwig shrugged and said. "Honestly, Sir i have no idea but the fact that most of them seem to not have moved much more south than our territory whatever it is will probably not arrive here any time soon. Additionally, it could be some type of god act or a long term migration thanks to overpopulation." Galahad sighed and responded. "I see, alright if you don''t have anything else of importance to report you are officialy dismissed. But please keep your eyes open." Ludwig gave a short nod, bowed and left the room. Soon another knock was heard. Galahad nodded towards Karlos but secretly rolled his eyes. Karlos then shouted. "Who wishes to have an audience with Sir Galahad protector of the Northern Fringe and for what reason." A tall lanky blonde man entered the room and a gave a clumsy bow. Galahad then gave a quick nod and the man started speaking with a surprising high but calm voice. "I Horf have come to inform your lordship that your brother has exited his isolation. He is thankful for the pelt as it will cover some of the rather bare floor. He also requested that you summon your exorist alchemist and sent her to his tower. Nicolas is planning to take her in as his alchemical disciple since she shows some promise for the art even though she has some minor personality quirks." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright, mister messenger if it wouldn''t be too hard for you. I would require you to do this me the minor favor of going out and informing her she is in the market district." The tall fellow nodded and said "Of course your lordship." The man then bowed and exited the room. Galahad looked around and waited for a second before saying to Karlos. "That was a rather full day. By the way Karlos I would like to ask you if you know any good artists. I would like to commission a human-sized statue as a monument for the center of the market district to honor my fallen subjects." Karlos nodded and said. "I do now as a matter of fact know an excellent artist. But it will cost the realm about twenty five whole gold. But in the bright side it will take only about a year to be finished. But who will the statue be of." Galahad smiled softly and responded. "I want a general looking peasant armed with simple levy equipment at his last moments. With an epigraph in the bottom ascribed by these words. Valor is not only the domain of nobles. Even the meekest of men can die and live chivalrously. And at different seems of the fabric the names of all the people that gave their lives.To buy us enough time so I and the rest of the survivors could succesfully escape." Karlos nodded and said. "I will send him a letter. But I can''t promise much. While we do have a good relation. He has quite a few orders. So he mostly works for either great nobles or ideas that he truly finds intriguing. " Galahad nodded and said. " Let''s hope he is interested then. For now Karlos you are dismissed. I shall see you tomorrow." Karlos gave a deep bow and responded. "Good night Sir." After that short conversation Galahad retired to his bedroom while Karlos left the keep. 19 People of Note and Noteable events After doing his marital duty. Galahad embraced the last and first lover of everyman, oblivion. Unfortunately, he was awakened before he could fully satiate his thirst. *knock knock* Katerina mumbled something before falling back into deep sleep. She was a heavy sleeper. Galahad stood up and silently opened the door. He looked at the man and asked quietly. "What is the matter?" The man looking slightly worried responded. "Sire about two hours ago a noble arrived before the outer gates of Highkeep. As it was late at night, we didn''t open the gates. We assumed he will be someone of similar standing to you. Especially since he didn''t make a fuss about the whole waiting outside until the morning thing. When Karlos was doing his early rounds. He struck a conversation with the gate guard. When he asked about the heraldry of the nobles banners. The guard described a black wave in a green background. He then ordered the fastest runner. Me" He pointed to himself. "To come over as quickly as I could and spread the news." Galahads jaw dropped, and he muttered. "What in the name of all that is holy does the Duke of Norvik doing here. I need to leave immediately to meet him." As Galahad started walking off. The guard grabbed him by the shoulder and said. "Sire I understand that this man is a big Hog. But you should probably put on something more presentable. He has been waiting for two hours already. I am sure ten minutes won''t change much." Galahad nodded and responded. "Yeah, you are right. But it is not every day the Hero of Boreia, the Duke of Norvik appears before your gates, is it? After that Galahad went back inside his room he quickly washed up and wore his finest silk clothes his only silk clothes. After that, he followed the guard towards the gatehouse. The early morning was rather chilly even though it was almost late spring. After a while, Galahad asked the guard. "Is it just me or is it surprisingly chilly for this time of year?" The guard nodded and responded. "No worries my lord it is actually quite common here. We get the Siv wind from the northern wastes even in the mid-summer. But I heard that it isn''t quite so common further south and apparently Gragon almost never gets it. There is some smart people reason for that I am sure. " Galahad nodded, and the duo kept walking in silence before finally reaching the gatehouse. When they came within viewing distance of the walls a rather nervous Karlos rushed down as his life depended on it. After a rather long moment of him trying to catch his breath, he said. "Sire the Duke of Norvik is outside, and we had him waiting for the past three hours?" Galahad sighed heavily and responded. "Well, of course, we are going to speak truthfully. Deception only works against lesser men additionally is unchivalrous," Karlos nodded and the group continued up to the gate.In front of the gate stood three men in the center a rather unimpressive but stoic looking lone man in his early sixties with the only defining feature his completely greyed hair with a moderately sized baggage train behind him.And two knights holding up the house''s banner a black wave in a green background. Galahad smiled and said. "Greetings Duke Elbert. I am Sir Galahad the dutiful servant of the crown on the frontier. To what do I have the honor of your illustrious company. After all, I am the lowliest of nobles." The man looked at Galahad for a minute before he spoke slowly and calmly.His voice just loud enough but imbued with a coldness. "Sir Galahad calling yourself a dutiful servant may well be true. After all, you did develop this land to the greatest extent it has ever been and there are no real foreign adversaries you can pledge your allegiance to except perhaps to some type of accursed chief deep in the wastes. On your second point, your title isn''t hedge knight is landed knight but by the look of it Baronet is more accurate and when I return to the capital I will official upgrade your title. To the Baronet of Highkeep not that it changes much but at least your heir won''t need to become a knight first before he can inherit your fief. But if you are lucky and with the good graces of your brother, you will probably be a count or a duke by the time you die. As for your question, I am here to deliver my grandson into the hands of your brother. I am well aware that such dealings would normally bring to you some benefit as such I brought three gifts one for each brother and one for your Lados willing heir. But such matters should be discussed over a hearty meal rather than out here in the cold. " Galahad nodded and looked towards one of his guards before saying. "Open the gates and escort our guests inside." He then looked back towards the olden Duke "Alright, it shall be done. But you will need to excuse me I will need to set up the feast and send a messenger over to my brother. After all your visit was rather unexpected. As for your men, they are invited over to the barracks or they could also head over to the Inn." The Duke nodded and responded. "A feast would be too much how about we allow our men to fraternize outside while we talk inside." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright." After that Galahad and the Duke headed inside the keep. After Galahad sat on his throne and the duke took one of the chairs a slow silence filled the room before Galahad eventually broke it. He then asked with evident curiosity. "To what do I owe the visit. As far as I know, we are not acquainted and with your power and influence, you could probably just sent over a messenger if you were planning to place a family member under the tutelage of my brother. The duke smiled and responded calmly. "Those are some rather key observations but it also shows the lack of information you hold. First and foremost you underestimate the importance of a high tier magi. While I could probably get a family member under his tutelage without coming all the way here it shows respect and is relatively more useful than fraternizing with other noble families. Additionally, I get to visit a part of the country which will soon receive increased trading activity. You are right though that the main reason isn''t that I want to place a family member under your brother tutelage. Instead, I wanted you to help me with a couple of requests. First and foremost I would like if you kept an eye on George he is a good fellow even though he can be a bit of a handful at times. Additionally, I want you to organize a meeting with Miss Emaria." Galahad raised an eyebrow and said. "May I ask why do you want me to keep an Eye on George and organize a meeting with Emaria." The duke smiled and said flatly "You may not. But I am sure you already have plenty of ideas on why. Now let''s talk about the final matter soon refugees will flock from the Dukedom of Ribertan and a rather large amount of them will end up in my duchy. While it might seem reasonable that I will not be against an increase in my number of subjects this is in fact incorrect. My lands are already brimming with men and my Duchy is as far away from the conflict as humanly possible. As such more mouths to feed will just lead to an increase in the amount of banditry in my realm.The frontier on the other hand still has plenty of space and more subjects is a net benefit for you. So my deal is as follows I will provide transport but after they get off the shipthey are your responsibility." Galahad nodded and said. "I agree this deal is a win-win." The Duke nodded and continued. "Now that we conversed about those matters while your judgment was still clear I am sorry to inform you but I brought some rather distressing news. We probably lost the war. Which means the Dukedom of Ribertan will fall under Frankian control. On the regards of who is dead and who is alive, we haven''t yet been sent a full list of the captured nobles. But in the bright side our fort still blocks access so we are mostly fine at worst we will lose the duchy and pay some reparations. The real issue will be with all of the mini succession wars that will happen all across the realm. " Galahad raised his eyebrow and asked. "But how did you know that this happened? The war hasn''t even been going on for that long how did such an important battle happen and how did we lose?" The Duke nodded and responded. "We got the news about two weeks ago that there was a lost battle through the medium of the fire towers. But I just got the details last week after I received a pigeon from one of my men. He was present on the fight. We lost when doing a deep strike operation to take the capital of the dukedom Yorgen. While the town had strong defenses their garrison had been depleted thanks to infighting and their food storage had caught on fire. Additionally, they had a rather large amount of refugees in the city and the commander was a compassionate man. It looked like the city would fall within a month. Since there was such a large force he tasked ten percent of the soldiers to go out and forage supplies. Soon whole squads went missing. But eventually a survivor explained that his squad got attacked and destroyed by cavalry archer bandits. At those news the commander Duke Gorion von Telaston wanted to keep his forces together fearing enemy action. But the second prince Timothy wanted to prove himself to increase his support for the race for the throne as such he requested thirty percent of the forces. While the Duke stood in opposition at the end of the day Timothy was a prince. Overcome with zeal and the need to prove himself he marched with haste. Quickly some of his local guides quickly found traces and he together with his army marched to find their hideout. It was in a small valley with the forest in the back a river in the east and three large hills closing of the west and north the perfect place for an ambush. The proud prince quickly rushed in to find a few cavalrymen quickly retreating across the river. Timothy got out of the forest and gave chase.When he reached a river he heard a trumpet quickly his vanguard made up of the local nobility had closed off his retreat back to the forest and on the hills, a large cavalry contingent appeared. At the sudden attack and betrayal, his forces panicked. But while brash and rather thoughtless the prince was a quick thinker he quickly assembled the infantry to cut off the charge of the enemy heavy cavalry while he amassed his cavalry and charged through the lines of the traitorous nobles. It is frankly a miracle that he broke through together with about a hundred armored nobles. When he returned to the base camp. He was angrily reprimanded by theDuke. But what was done was done.Shortly after the main camp was attacked by a much larger force coupled with the siege garrison sallying out. It was a complete defeat with the majority of the nobles getting either killed or captured." Galahad sighed heavily and asked. "So what is going to happen now?" The Duke shrugged and said. "We will see it depends on how wise is our King. But on the bright side, it looks like the chance for a civil war between the princes has sharply decreased. " Galahad nodded and asked. "Anything else that you want to ask me or inform me about?" The Duke responded. "No, but I would appreciate if you organized a meeting with your brother and with miss Emaria. Ah I almost forgot the gifts." He then handed Galahad two scrolls. Galahad didn''t recognize the seal on the first one. After he broke it he read. "Proof of ownership of the Black grape Vineyard." Galahad raised his eyebrow and said "A vineyard this is rather nice. It will provide a good source of wine for my daily needs as well as a small profit." The Duke smiled and responded cordially. "It is not as simple as it seems. This Vineyard contains within it a rather nice villa and is half a day away from the capital close to the town of Uspek. As for the profit, I didn''t say it is a small Vineyard it is about fifty royal stremmata(five hectares) and brings a profit of about five whole gold coins a year." Galahad eyes shined and he responded. "I see this is truly a valuable gift and I am deeply thankful." He then proceeded to look at the second one. This seal was familiar it was the seal from the smiths guild but it had a small crown over the hammer and anvil. He then broke open the seal and read. "This is a promissory note from the royal smiths. a custom made steel armor of the finest order. signed master Holmos." The Duke then smiled and responded. " I think this is a fitting gift for your heir. I don''t need your thanks. Right now I would prefer if you would show me to my room. So I may rest those old bones for some time. In the meantime please arrange for a meeting close at sundown." Galahad nodded and said "This is the least I can do." 20 A Plot Uncovered and a Census. The following events unfolded in quick succession the duke had his meetings, after that there was a small feast. Where Galahad gifted the Duke a copy of one of his ancestor''s books called The Occitan Invasion of Boreia and its demographic changes. The next morning the Duke and most of his men left. But he left behind a "small group" of servants to take care of his grandson. A week later Galahad was having a walk around the town before his steward Karlos appeared and said with a smile. "Sire, great news. The harvest is finished. While I wouldn''t suggest organizing a Harvest festival quite yet. I do think it would be a great idea for the autumn season. Also, I did an inventory check on our wheat and ale. Thanks to the plentiful harvest we have more than enough wheat for our needs and our brewery can produce more than enough ale in exchange for wheat so our water issues are also solved for now. But I would still ask your brother to come up with a solution the buying of Ale is a constant drain on our finances." Galahad nodded and responded. "This is great news and I do agree to host a harvest festival in autumn. As for the water idea, I will ask my brother what he can do. In the other hand I am getting slightly worried about the lessening yields in the inner farms any idea on why is it happening?" Karlos looked towards Galahad and asked. "Em, what did you plant in the last year''s spring season?" Galahad looked at him and responded. "Well, nothing there was the whole recovery thing but the season before I took over we had wheat." Karlos nodded and then asked. "So you have been planting only wheat here?" Galahad shrugged and said. "I don''t know." Karlos looked slightly worried and then asked. "What about the livestock?" Galahad looked and responded "Oh, we have mostly located them near Gragon where they are safer. I don''t think there was much livestock before the rebuilding but we never did a census or anything." Karlos sighed heavily and asked. "So you are telling me that this land has only had one crop farmed for how long? and barely any pastures for the longest time." Galahad shrugged and said. "Well I don''t know but maybe we can ask a long time serf." Karlos nodded and asked. "What about Martin or Ludwig?" Galahad shook his head and said. "Martin is far too young and Ludwig is a hunter so he probably wouldn''t notice any irregularities. So hm... how about Henry the guy in his forties which goes to the church of Lados every day?" Karlos raised his eyebrow and asked. "How do you even, know him?" Galahad shrugged and said. "There were only twelve guys alive after the goblin ordeal I got acquainted pretty well with all of them. He is the oldest of the survivors, he was born here, and was a farmer. I don''t think there is a man better equipped to answer your queries." Karlos nodded and said. "Do you know where he lives?" Galahad thought for a moment and said. "No, but I am sure that Martin does and he should be at the barracks." Karlos nodded, and they quickly headed off. Five minutes later they were in front of a really long peasant house. A more apt description is six slightly better-made peasant houses all stuck together. In front of the Barracks, there was a small courtyard with training dummies. After they headed inside. A tall man stood up and said with respect. "Greetings my lord, If I may ask why are you here?" Galahad looked at him and said. "I am looking for Sergeant Martin any idea of where he is?" The man nodded and said. "Yes, he is in patrol duty he should be back in half an hour." Galahad nodded and said "We shall wait then" Half an hour later Martin together with another fellow returned when noticing Galahad they both gave a small bow. Galahad nodded and asked. "Martin do you know where Henry is from the Survivors?" Martin nodded and said. "It is the second house in the left of the Temple of Lados. You can''t miss it. There is a small religious Icon of Lados above his door frame. Making it stand out from the rest of the houses nearby." Galahad nodded and said. "Thanks, I will be in my way then. Ah, and can you send me a list of your patrol routes?" Martin nodded and said. "Yes, My Liege." Galahad nodded and said. "I will take my leave now." After another five minutes, they reached the small house. Karlos knocked and quickly after a plain chubby woman in her thirties opened the door. She bowed and said. "Greetings Sire and Mister Karlos how may I be of use?" Galahad said softly. "Miss, we are looking for your husband do you know where he is?" The woman nodded and said. "Oh, he is in the back doing some repairs. Give me a second." The woman then headed to the back of the house and shouted. "HENRY WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW? WHY IS THE LIEGE HERE? WHERE YOU DRUNK AGAIN? TELL ME DID YOU DO SOMETHING ILLEGAL? IF NOT WHY WOULD THE LIEGE LOOK FOR YOU?" A meek male voice was heard. "Martha I haven''t done anything wrong okay just let me go speak with his lordship okay." Martha harrumphed loudly and said. "Alright, I can always remarry if things go badly and you get killed." Galahad''s facial muscles twitched. While he thought ~Poor fellow, at least my wife is not like that. She is so sweet and kind.~ He then shuddered as a new thought popped up in his mind.~ I need to keep this woman as far away from my wife as it is humanly possible. I can''t let this monster in female form pollute poor innocent Katerina.~ While Galahad was having those thoughts a rather plain, greying, and thin man came over he gave a deep bow and said quietly. "Greetings my liege, To what do I owe the honor to have you visit?" Galahad shook his head to push away his childish thought before responding. "Ah, Henry Karlos wanted to ask you about something." Karlos nodded and asked. "I would like to ask. What did you plant when Sir Evanor von Highkeep ruled and if any changes happened after the fief regents took over?" Henry though for a while before responding. "Well, we used to planet based on the system of the three fields under Evanor. One field was beans one was wheat and one was fallow. We didn''t have enough animals to properly use the fallow ones. So most of the time we allowed the herders from Gragon to come over and graze their animals for a minor amount of compensation. After the first regent took over he made a bunch of new laws. He first increased the taxes for craftsmen from ten to fifty percent of their income. He also put a signing tax for signing new apprentices. He limited hunting to only the spring months and also mandated that all the fields should produce wheat to maximize production. After that, all the subsequent regents upheld them. Ah, they also deemed Michael the only one allowed to trade with outsiders. Em after you took over my liege, the laws remained unchanged. Michael showed us all signed documents where you upheld the previous laws as the birthright ruler. So we continued to plant wheat and pay our taxes. The only reason your hunters hunt all year round. Is because almost all of them are Exoristoi so they are not aware of the law. But we the survivors are gracious for the improvement of the living conditions so quickly. We could have asked for more. Even though some folks grumble quite a bit about the mandatory donations to the shrine of Lados nobody is too mad." Galahads face fell before asking. "So you have been following all those laws?" Henry nodded and said with pride and a hint of anger. "Yeah although the Exoristoi didn''t us believe when we told them about those laws. The church of Lados has a copy of the church tax decree and I was the one that led the field replanting so I continued following the law about planting all the fields with just wheat. But sadly I have no control over the craftsmen so I can''t uphold the law there." Galahad shouted in anger. "Michael is a fucking bastard, a son of a whore, and a traitor and this fucker Markos told me nothing about the whole tax. GRRRRRRR" Henry slightly horrified said tremblingly. "Sire, it is best if you don''t insult a priest, Lados might smite you." Galahad sighed heavily to calm down before saying. "Thanks for the info Henry any other such laws I confirmed?" Henry thought for a while before saying. "Well there is a law about how many kids you are allowed to have three at most for each family otherwise there is a tax." Galahad gave a quick nod and responded. "Thanks for the help Henry me and Karlos will now take our leave." After they returned to the castle Galahad started walking from and back to his throne while stewing. All the while hurling insults to Michael, to the Regents, to Markos, and to his past self for a solid twenty minutes. After he stopped he collapsed on his thone and looked towards Karlos before asking softly. "What now?" Karlos quickly responded. "Well, Sire it seems like your old steward Michael, Markos, and the Regent and perhaps the one that appointed him where all in cahoots. So I would suggest to officially repeal all of those terrible laws reinstate the three field farming and finally do a census to truly understand our people''s skillsets numbers, races, and nationalities plus I am sure your brother will want some more apprentices around so we can always check the kids for the gift and even adults you never know. Afterall we are about to get a big influx of migrants and slaves when this trading post is done." Galahad nodded and said. "Gather the people I will give a speech in an hour. In all honesty, I should have mandated the laws way earlier. Ah, and Karlos why is the three field method better?" Karlos nodded and said. "Because it reinvigorates the ground leading to more bountiful harvests. As you will my Liege." One hour later Galahad stood in the center of the town wearing his armor while his men at arms were guarding him. Galahad spoke slowly calmly and loudly he said. "Survivors, Exoristoi and New settlers men and women humans and not. I Galahad your Sire has an announcement to make in regards to laws. First and foremost the official repeal of the rumored kid tax. Secondly the official repeal of the Lados church tax. Thirdly the official repeal of the special status of Michael as a merchant and the creation of a special permit which will be provided by Karlos for free that allows you to trade. The status will be free and can be revoked by committing the crimes of tax evasion, malpractice, and or scamming at my and only my discretion. The reintroduction of the superior three field farming method. The repeal of the apprentice tax. The repeal of the hunting act disallowing hunting in all months except spring. Hunting will be disallowed only in spring to maximize prey. Officialization of the craftsmen tax at eight percent. In regards to crimes, in general, the standard rules of the kingdom apply for more information ask Karlos." Galahad then stopped for a minute and let everyone take in what he just said before continuing. "When I first took control of the fief. I will be honest and say I was very green on the whole ruling thing at the time the only thing I knew well is how to swing a sword. So I decided to allow a prominent member of the fief to help me rule. Michael, the same Michael that suddenly disappeared when the goblins attacked, the same Michael which was the sole owner of the privilege of trading, The same Michael which stole countless whole gold coins from me. He was the one that put the laws on the table and I barely read them before I just signed them. I was foolish and green trusting on peoples better natures and the fact I wanted to enjoy life with my newly taken power without thinking of the consequences and responsibilities. Once again I am sorry but I promise to make things better as I have strived every day after the invasion. That is all I want to say. Now please line up. Karlos will make a census of everyone in the Hamlet." At the last remark, the people cheered and clapped things might be hard in the frontier. But Galahad had proven a generous and good lord. After the cheering subsided the men women and children stood in a line and reported their house, rough age, gender, race, job, culture, and religion. After three hours the survey was finished and Karlos returned to the keep where Galahad was waiting he bowed and said. "Sire the results are in. Total permanent population four hundred and sixty-two. a hundred and nine men and ninety-nine women the rest are children. The oldest group. That we have are the Survivors seventy of them fifteen men and twenty-one women with the rest being kids twelve boys and twenty-two girls. All are Boreian culture and of the human race as for religion, all of them are Lados worshippers. On jobs, all the men are serfs except for your two men at arms and the hunter. The biggest group The Exoristoi are counted up to three hundred and forty-nine they have eighty-four men, seventy-five women, ninety-nine girls, and eighty-one boys. One hundred and ninety-two are Boreian, ninety-four are Occitan, forty are Frankian, twenty are Karelian and three are from Erimos. On race three hundred and thirty are Human, ten are half dwarfs, six are elfkin, and three are self characterized as Half Swars. On religions, a hundred and twenty-four believe in Herva the goddess of harvest and merriness, eighty-four believe in Omra the goddess of beauty and family,fifty believe in Ploutia goddess of wealth, thirty-four believe in Thalasos god of the waves and seas, twenty believe in Emas the god of war and combat, fourteen believe in Sfairos god of crafts, ten believe in Lados god of nobility,six believe in Fis the god of nature, four believe in Gnos the god of magic and knowledge, three believe in Libania goddess of oasis and travel. As for jobs fifty-nine laborers, a mason, a smith, ten men at arms, five hunters, an alchemist, seven apprentices, three maids, and a cook. The Duke''s people are counted at twenty-three. Specifically fourteen men and nine women. Fifteen Boreian, Seven Occitan, and one Frankian all Humans. They all believe in Lados. Their occupations are a butler, educator, two knights, eight men at arms, a noble(magic apprentice), a cook, and nine maids. The new settlers. The nonpermanent and permanent ones. The nonpermanent settlers are fifty-three men and are all boreian laborers. Thirty believe in Herva and twenty-three in Ploutia. The permanent settlers are twelve in total, ten men and three women. The innkeeper, five serfs, your wife, Ethan the priest, and his two nuns, me, Theodore, and your brother. Almost all the permanent settlers believe in Ploutia. With the exception of your brother, and Theodore they believe in Gnos. Everyone is Boreian except for me and Theodore we are Occitan and everyone is human. Finally the natural born babies eighteen girls and twelve boys all in all thirty all human, culture none, religion none, job none. On the topic of magic currently we have Nicolas,Theodore, The Duke''s grandson and George That is as far as it comes to people my liege I also took the liberty to do an account of our current animals and housing." Galahad nodded and Karlos continued. "We also have sixty sheep, nineteen adult females and one male. twenty-three female lambs and seventeen male lambs. fifty chickens, fourteen hens, and one rooster the rest are chicks. forty pigs, five female adults one male adult. fourteen male piglets and twenty female piglets. seventeen horses eleven females and six males. Four oxen We also have a housing shortage we currently have one hundred and ten houses and we need one hundred twenty to accommodate and the duke''s men, But for now, we make do with the inn and our barracks but I don''t know for how long we can manage and we will soon start receiving refugees and while we do have tents they are not a permanent solution." Galahad nodded and said. "Alright, we will do this census again in four years. Just add new arrivals to the list and update it for any deaths and births and we should be mostly right in the future. We will also need to consider new shrines but not yet. As for the housing make it a priority above the road get it up to one hundred and fifty. Dismissed I need to lie down and rest." 21 Setting Goals. Karlos bowed and said. "Good morning, Sire." Galahad nodded and responded "Good morning Karlos. On the topics discussed yesterday, I have considered the fact that we need to plan further ahead and have a way to distinguish between more and less important issues. As such, I decided to plan out or fiefs course for at least the next trimester. After all, it is best to be prepared. Additionally, I spend quite a long time last night contemplating on how to distinguish between issues. I believe that the best way to improve our fief is to separate our goals into long term, middle term, and short term. Additionally, we should color code them based on importance. With purple for extremely important matters, red for important matters, yellow for issues that might cause trouble if not addressed properly, and green for improvements." Karlos thought for a second and responded. "Hmm yes, it does seem like a good system. What color and length would you suggest we set our current issues as. Additionally, some issues should be termed as recurring. After all, some are about repeating tasks or maintenance." Galahad nodded and responded. " That is indeed a good idea. Long Term: General Census every four years, Recurring. New Shrines Yellow. Road construction Green. Mid Term: Housing shortage Red. Planting Red Recurring. Diversify our Food sources Yellow. Safe Water source Yellow. Expansion of the Guard Yellow. Diversify our Craftsmen Yellow. Harvest Festival Recurring.The statue commemorating the invasion Green, Market district growth green. Short Term: Implementation of the three field system Red, Monthly tax collection Red Recurring.Monthly income from mine red Recurring. Some of those are quite general so I would like to set up the goals for the next Three Months " Karlos agreed and said. "Currently it is May we should start expecting the refugees in the next two to three weeks. It won''t be a long term tide and should be over in autumn. Their numbers are currently inconclusive. I would suggest we first finish planting and then focus your laborers on building houses. Additionally, the Day of Exoristoi is drawing ever closer. My suggestion is not to buy anything with merits. While you did earn a fair amount of merits by dealing with the Borean Lions. This year Exoristoi cost will be inflated thanks to the catastrophic loses at the war. It will be wiser if you abstained from the whole thing and waited to after the lords to cleaned up the bandits and rogue peasants infesting their fiefs. If everything goes well, this should lower the merit cost by quite a bit. Additionally, you will have two years of merits instead of one. On the topic of food diversification. We shall check if the refugees have any skill in fishing, aquaculture, and orchard management. Hopefully, we will also get some of the craftsmen we require. But it is more a hope than a reality. Since the refugees passed through several realms before reaching Duke Elbert''s territory and most semi-wise rulers would want more skilled craftsmen. On another note, Sire, you should seek the advice of your brother on the clean water issue. If there is an easy solution, it could severely decrease our running costs. As for expanding the guard, I would suggest we wait until after we have gained a good sense of how many refugees are coming and what is their skill set." Galahad nodded and said. "Seems good. Anything else you want to bring up?" Karlos shook his head and responded. "No, my liege" Galahad nodded and said. "Alright dismissed." Later in the day, Galahad head over towards Nickolas''s tower. After a small boat trip, he reached the one and a half floors tower. Even half built it had a majesty missing from his keep. First and foremost Nickolas was using pure white marble imported from the independent county of Atisa. The tower was circular with seven circular pillars also made out of white marble reaching all the way up to the start of the second floor. They were decorated with vertical fluting, while their helms were styled with a volute and an ornamental place between the volutes. The ornamental places were depicting a flame growing from the first pillar to the seventh pillar. The pillars were connected by a giant circular band of marble which rested on the top of their helms with the exception of the gateway. The gateway proper instead had six semi-circles with the first starting at the minimal distance between the helms and the last at the middle. The rest was covered with a square slab of marble reaching the same height as the band finally connecting the gate proper with the rest of the pillars. On top of the two furthest points of the two connecting slabs rested a triangulated roof. The band was decorated with carvings of different alchemical and magical symbols. While the space between the last circular band and the triangulated roof from left to right was depicting the rise of the god of magic from a mere mortal to godhood and him then returning the favor to the descendants of his friends and helpers by gifting them the ability to use magic and how the more magical knowledge and ability someone had the closer he was to the god. Finally, the band and the roof were covered with orange tiles. Blocking the view inside was a pair of reinforced dark oak doors. When he reached the doors Galahad grabbed the door knocker and knocked. After about five minutes give or take not-Jimmy appeared. He bowed deeply and then said softly. "Greetings Sire, How may I be of service?" Galahad looked at him and said. "I would like to have a meeting with my brother is he available?" The boy nodded and said. "Yes follow me inside, Sire" The inside of the first floor in stark contrast with the exterior had only one defining characteristic it was rather cramped filled to the brim with vials containing all manners of things,tightly packed bookshelves, a rather large cauldron, several brewing stands, different minerals, and even a crystal ball. The only other person in the hall outside not-jimmy was Emaria which was currently reading a book. After a while looking around Not-Jimmy help Galahad navigate through the labyrinth of stacked shelves. Eventually being led to a simple wooden door. After knocking the door Nicolas was heard saying. "Yes, come inside." As Galahad headed inside the barely navigable room Nickolas looked at him and said. "Ah, Brother long time no see. What are you doing here?" Galahad smiled and said. "Ah I came to wish a happy marriage it seems like you really took a liking of miss Emaria." Nickolas scoffed and responded. "This woman is definitely not marriage material. But she is very talented when it comes to Alchemy it is quite disappointing that she has no talent for magic. If she was even half as talent at magic as she was with alchemy she could make an excellent assistant." Galahad smiled and said. "I am only jesting, Honestly I wanted to ask your expert opinion about the clean water issue?" Nicolas raised an eyebrow and asked. "What is exactly the issue? Is the river polluted? Or something else?" Galahad shook his head and responded. "No, we just don''t have truly clean drinking water. I mean drinking from the river most likely won''t kill you but you might fall ill." Nickolas thought for a while and responded. "Well in the capital they take water from the river and store it into a big copper tank and then boil it before use. I can''t think of a much better method but this should minimize the harm. Alternatively, you could try to find the spring up in the mountains and use an aqueduct instead.Both options would be great but the first one is at least possible. Honestly for now small beers are the best option when it comes to drinking water." Galahad nodded and then asked. "Any new discoveries you made? Or any suggestions for the Hamlet?" Nikolas thought for a while and responded. "What about runes? Have you considered those?" Galahad looked intrigued "Runes? What can they do?" Nikolas gave a big toothy smile and responded. "Well, the best way to describe runes is as a closed system using the energy inherent in some materials to power them. Hm, let me show you an example" He then picked up two normal looking pieces of armor. He then pointed to the first gauntlet and said. "This is a steel gauntlet plated with Dio. In this case, the runes are between the layers but normally they are inside the armor. Dio is the only metal which can be used to power a gauntlet each one of those beauties can cast a projectile 0.33cm^2 cube of flame ten times before they can''t be used again run out. The user doesn''t even need to know magic he just needs to wear it and say Ignis. But most rune bearing objects are like this helmet" He then pointed towards the rather opulent looking helmet with the black gems. "This is a common enchanted helmet it is made out of steel the black gems are actually purified carbon. This is generally superior to Dio enchanted armor in the sense that if you replace the carbon you can reuse it. This piece will generate a powerful force enough to repel any attack in the head for about four seconds. You just need to say Aer to activate it." Galahad raised his eyebrow and said. "Those seem extremely useful why haven''t I seen them more commonly." Nickolas shook his head and responded. "First and foremost in the case of the reusable ones the black gems cost their weight in gold. Secondly to even get an armor piece enchanted you will need to pay at least three hundred gold and finally, the enchanter will need to be at least tier four and quite elegant. In short, demand exceeds supply by far. Finally, to draw the runes you need magically imbued blood and nobody is keen on cutting himself." Galahad sighed and said "But what if we used runes to purify water?" Nickolas shook his head and responded. "The best you can do is minimize the impurities in the water through runes. But tell you what you could get George to enchant your copper basin to concentrate all earth elements into the bottom. But for such a runic system it will be preferable to create a system that gathers mana from the surrounding area. Such a system would take a long while to set up even for me and I will need at least seven litters of magical blood. After I am done with the second floor I could come over start setting it up. But it will take at least a month for the floor to be done and two weeks to set up the system." Galahad thought for a while and responded. "Well, that would hopefully vastly improve the quality of the water, thanks." Nickolas then grinned and said. "Will you stay for dinner? I have something special planned." Galahad nodded and said. "Count me in." After that Nickolas led Galahad to a small kitchen with a cellar. After going inside the cellar he quickly returned with some already butchered meat. Nickolas then proceded to quickly cook it using fire magic to a point close to perfection. After quickly setting up a table. They started eating. The meat was delicious and oddly filling after finishing his meal he felt weird but not in a negative sense. Galahad then said with a hint of curiosity. "I haven''t had meat quite like that before. What is it? It gave me a unique feeling of fulfillment?" Nickolas smiled and responded. "That is because the meat you just had came from a red wyvern. It is known for having positive effects on the human body. Have you never heard of the story of the hero which killed the dragon and then bathed in the dragon''s blood? While terribly wasteful as there much better uses in alchemy for dragon blood. It is true that bathing and drinking dragon blood is one of the best ways for a warrior to increase his strength. It seems like most magical creatures can strengthen their very bodies with magic and blood, in general blood tends to have quite strange properties. An apt example is the fact that blood while mostly water can''t be controlled by water mages to kill people. Additionally, the blood of almost all magical beasts tends to change the humans that get in contact with it. The humans will become stronger, faster, some of them will even develop visible features of their received bloodline or receive memories and character traits. Galahad smiled and said. "Does that mean I am now zero point one percent red wyvern." Nickolas shook his head and said. "No, not really but magical beast meat really does have positive effects on us humans. Wyvern is in the low end of the spectrum." After that, they made some more small talk and just before nightfall Galahad was back to his keep. Outside commissioning the copper basin the next two weeks went by at a fast pace with the planting and house construction underway. The first refugee arrival was a single cog with about twenty sailors and a hundred refugees. Most of them were women and children with a few men. Sadly none of them were skilled craftsmen or aquafarmers. But one of the men had a long career working in an orchard. Definitely long enough to know how to set on up. Soon after his discovery the middle-aged farmer was ushered to the keep and was currently bowing deeply before Galahad. Galahad looked at him and said. "Rise, I have a query for you. Is it true that you have experience working in orchards? And are you confident with being able to set one up?" The man nodded and said. "Aye, Sire I have worked in an orchard as far I can remember myself. I have seen it all the buying of new saplings, the planting, the harvesting and even how to treat an ill tree." Galahad nodded and then asked so I would like to set up an orchard can you help me with that? The man stroked his beardless chin for a while before responding. "I can and will. But I don''t know how well it will go. While the climate should be good enough for apple trees. It will still take a decade before they start growing fruit. Additionally, the planting season is already past us." Galahad sighed and said. "Is there no way to quicken it?" The man sighed and shook his head. "No sire sadly there is no way. But in the bright side trees don''t need as much care as crops and they don''t fall, victim, to the same diseases." Galahad sighed and responded. "I see, Still in the meantime I want you to find a good place for an orchard." The man nodded and said. "I will do so my liege." Galahad nodded and said. "Dismissed." After the farmer left Galahad looked towards Karlos and said. "Any ideas on how to increase their growth speed. " Karlos shook his head and responded. "Sadly Sire, there is no easy way to do that. There is a reason after all that even Gragon doesn''t have an apple orchard. Orchards are significant investments that take a long time to mature." Galahad nodded and responded. "Alright, either way, I hope we will find a way to speed up their growth if not let it be as it is. Anyways we are adding this to the list as a yellow issue for next late winter." Karlos nodded and said. "Noted. Now if you will excuse me, Sire.I have to settle in the newly arrived refugees." Galahad nodded and said. "Dismissed." 22 News and a Meeting A young fellow arrived at Highkeep the next day. After being led to the keep''s throne room the fellow bowed deeply before saying. "Greetings Sir Galahad I have come bearing news. First and foremost your fief has been officially been designated a Baronetcy. As such certain privileges are granted first and foremost a Baronet shall be granted instead of fifty points one hundred points a year when it comes to the Exoristoi event. Secondly, a Baronet may grant knighthood to one man. Thirdly, a Baronet doesn''t need to be a knight to inherit the title of Baronet and the lands that come with it. Fourthly as a Baronet, you shall be addressed as Sir. But in an official setting, you shall be greeted before landed knights and after Barons. " Galahad nodded and said. "These are good news anything else?" The man nodded and said. "In the conflict of Ribertan Baron Monver was slain by the vile ambush as such his title as Baron of Gragon will pass to his closest relative Baron Emanuel von Kompoli, the Baron of Kompoli. Sir Jeroic has been stripped of his title as Landed Knight of Heria for mismanagement of his majestie''s assets and dereliction of duty and the fief has been granted to Sir Donathan the Tall. Sir Adam von Sinor died in combat and the fief has been inherited by his firstborn Sir Konder von Sinor." Galahad nodded and said. "Gods rest their souls both the Baron''s and Sir Adam''s. I shall pay my respects at the earliest possible date" The man nodded and continued after Galahad finished. "Sir Galahad of Highkeep is required to come in a weeks time from now to Gragon to swear fealty to the new Baron." Galahad nodded and said. "I will be there. Are there any other news?" The man nodded and continued "By decree of the King, all landed nobles that didn''t directly take part in the war shall pay a special tax to help with the war effort. Landed Knights ten whole gold coins, Baronets twenty whole gold coins, Barons fifty whole gold coins, Viscounts five hundred whole gold coins, Counts one thousand whole gold coins, and Dukes five thousand whole gold coins. As Sir Galahad didn''t take part in the conflict it is only reasonable that he will help alleviate some of the expenses garnered from it. As such he shall pay a special tax of twenty whole gold coins to his majesty. Sir Galahad has a year to pay the tax or there will be consequences." Galahad nodded and asked. "Anything else?" The man gave a deep bow and responded. "No, Sir, that is all." Galahad nodded and responded. "Dismissed." After a moment the messenger exited the hall. After about a minute Galahad looked towards Karlos and said. "Well, these newses are rather shocking. Thankfully the tax isn''t too big and we should be able to cover it with relative ease. Instead, I am more worried about this Emanuel fellow. Any information about him?" Karlos then responded. "To be totally honest, I still don''t really know much about the local political scene. For such a thing the best man to ask is Theodore. But it would be prudent to expect him to try to push his weight around. While he can''t just replace you. It is quite likely he will impose a tax and attempt to wrestle some benefits away from you.That could explain why Jeroic got ousted. He might want to strengthen his hand. I haven''t heard much about Sir Konder but he at least has local origins apparently he is a middle-aged knight that has been living in the capital for some time. In short, he is a wild card." Galahad sighed heavily and responded. "The problem is that Sir Donathan is the count''s man, not Emanuel''s." Karlos thought for a moment before asking. "Sire, it might be the fact that the Count wants to minimize the amount of strength Baron Emanuel has. After all, the only thing separating the Barony of Gragon from the Barony of Kompoli is the Barony of Lernar and I haven''t heard the kindest words about the competency of Lord Charles. Having a vassal controlling half of your baronies makes him a de facto viscount and we all know that with the right amount of money he can be recognized as such." Galahad nodded and responded. "It would seem reasonable for the count to try to minimize the influence of Emanuel but in that case why did he replace Jeroic and why didn''t he try to contact me with an offer of cooperation something is off." Karlos shrugged and responded. "I honestly don''t know and I can''t make any assumptions from the few bits and bobs of information I have. But I am sure that with the help of Theodore we might be able to get a clearer picture." Galahad nodded and said. "We need to send an attendant to call for him." Karlos sighed and responded. "Yes, Sire as long as his in the fief we should be able to find him." After a fruitless search around the fief, Galahad found out that Theodore had left for Apothia yesterday and was planning to stay there for a week. After cursing the man for not informing him Galahad sent a Messenger to find him and inform him that his counsel is needed. Meanwhile... In the Flowery Inn, a man suddenly felt a mild headache. *Is somebody giving me the evil eye he thought.* He then looked towards the pair of girls laying his bed he shook his head and with a lecherous smile, he said. "It''s show time." Two days later Theodore stood in the throne room together with Karlos, Martin, and Boris. Galahad coughed and quickly reiterated what the messenger told him. After he finished he looked towards Theodore and added. "Now, as you are the most well-versed man here in the local politics. I would like to ask your opinion when it comes to the change in the political landscape." Theodore nodded and responded. "The premier issue Sire. Is to understand the motives and personality of your new liege Emanuel and what he might be planning. First and foremost Emanuel seems to be on the productive side of the decadent to productive noble spectrum. He has a large number of Exoristoi and was an unlikely Baron, as a fourth son. His oldest brother was killed in a hunt his second brother was exiled for **** and his third brother had already left and joined a mercenary company he died in one of the many skirmishes inside the Carglanian <>. His father was rather incapable and cared more about the embrace of women rather than ruling. Emanuel quickly reformed the family fief and strengthened his position by ruthlessly killing Lord Vargon von Lernar in a duel. Rumors say that he also assassinated all the capable heirs of Vargon and made sure Lord Charles took control. After that, he earned Exoristoi points by exterminating small bandit groups and acquired additional points by trading anthracite for gold and then gold for points. With the simple goal of getting a ton of relatively loyal followers which if they are above a certain percentage of the total population will give the added boost of not forcing you to fight in the wars that the Kingdom gets involved in. In short, he seems to care more about furthering his own power and strengthening his base. The question is does he see you as a threat? Because if that is the case you might be in trouble. Thankfully you are now Baronet which means that he can''t just confiscate your land. But you should remain vigilant expanding your personal forces and armory could also be wise. After all, while there is a lot of social conventions in place to some degree might still makes right. The rest of the Barons are on the battlefield. The same applies for the count but his heir has been ruling in his stead and they seem to be close. As such his actions will most likely be similar to his father and his father is well known for emulating his grandfather. From rumors, I have heard here and there the count doesn''t seem especially fond of Baron Monver and his vassals. So keep an open eye for any challenges from there as well." Galahad nodded and responded. "That seems like a wise idea indeed so Boris and Martin have you noticed any men among the laborers or the refugees which seem like they would make a good fit for the force?" Boris nodded and responded. "Sire there is several strong men in the fief some of them are vood enough for the force. But to be honest I am not the best commander when it comes to fighting men. Additionally, in my respect of you and the little time, you had been controlling the fief I have held back from mentioning that there is a need for a Shrine of Emas. But with the expansion of the fief and the stabilization of your income sire. I can''t justify having my men die for you without them having a chance to go to the afterlife. Before we expand the militia we need to first secure our path to the afterlife." Galahad raised his eyebrow and looked Boris straight at his eyes before asking. "Are you disobeying orders." Boris didn''t flinch even for a split second before responding flatly. "I have a duty towards my men to secure their welfare by minimizing the deaths and securing a path to the afterlife. I have no fear of death or war myself but I am duty-bound to act in the best interest of my men." Galahad sighed heavily and responded. "Boris you are the best commander I currently have. As such you do need to lead the men otherwise their life is in greater danger. I will also commission shrines to all the gods currently without shrines. I will need to first contact their churches but I should be able to set it up. Karlos how much would such an endeavor cost?" Boris stood thinking while Karlos spoke up with his usual simultaneously calm and frantic demeanor. "Em Sire while some churches shouldn''t be too hard some might be quite problematic. Herva and Omra should be relatively easy there are churches of them in Gragon. Sfairos would be much harder but normally the priests are also craftsmen so if we are careful we might cover some of the production holes we have in our fief. Emas is more prevalent in Karelia getting a priest here would cost at least ten whole gold. As for Thalassos it is lucky we have the river otherwise it will be close to impossible to get a church here but again the cost would be relatively high. For Gnos we will require a library school complex and it will be relatively expensive. Libanian priests only really exist in Erimos getting one of them here is close to impossible. As for Fis, their priests are quite radical and it would be best if they weren''t invited to the fief." Galahad shook his head and said. "Don''t describe me the churches give a rundown of the cost of establishing each church. Additionally, after you are done with that explain to me the issues with the Fis church." Karlos nodded and responded. "Herva and Omra one whole gold each outside each church''s construction cost. Each church should cost about five whole gold. Twelve whole gold in total for both churches. Sfairos would cost about ten for the priest''s workshop and another five for the church proper. For Emas ten to get the priest here and another five for the church to be compl.." But before Karlos could continue Boris piped in. "The church of Emas needs to be the grandest church. Because we need to make it as likely as possible for the men to go to the afterlife." Galahad''s face became red with anger as he slammed his fist on his throne''s armrest. Before saying loudly but calmly. "You will not speak out of order UNDERSTOOD. Now on the topic of your church being the greatest, it has fewer believers than most other churches in the fief. But I will allow the barracks and the training grounds to be converted to a part of the church.As such it will be the <>. But they will continue to operate as normal." Boris bowed and said. "Indeed I did act out of order and it is unacceptable. Additionally, this is a reasonable solution." Galahad nodded and motioned to Karlos to continue. Karlos was dizzy for a second but before he was about to continue. Martin stepped up and bowed before Galahad motioning that he wanted to speak. Galahad sighed feeling a headache coming up and allowed Martin to speak. Martin nodded and said. "Sire, While I don''t mind the fact that Boris and some of the Exoristoi have different faiths from myself.I find it unacceptable that the barracks will be converted to a part of the Church of Emas." Galahad nodded and said. "This is indeed a reasonable position. Then how about starting to plan for the future now. Martin, you shall be promoted to Captain you will also need to recruit ten more men and you will have ten men under your command the same applies for you, Boris. I will build a second barracks for the non-Emas followers which will be under Martin''s control. Anything else?" Martin bowed and responded. "I am honored Sire and my queries have been successfully answered." Galahad looked towards Karlos and motioned him once again to continue. Karlos tried to get back his bearing for a moment before continuing. "Em for Thalasos we would again require to transport the priest and to build a church in total another twelve whole gold. For Gnos we would require a library and a school. The library is the most costly building. For a library to be even close to sufficient for the priest''s standards it would need to have at least one hundred books. The church would cost about as much. As for the school, it can just be a simple building. Finally, the problem with Fis is the fact the priests em are kinda barbaric. Most of the time they will either walk in the public naked or the less extreme ones will wear animal hides. Most of them are against the idea of civilization, farming, smithing, and even magic." Galahad thought for a moment before responding. "Let''s put off the church of Gnos and Fis, for now, how much will the rest cost." Karlos did a quick calculation before responding. "sixty-one whole gold coins. I also got news from my sculpture friend he said he will start construction of the statue now it would cost about twenty whole gold too. Galahad paled for a second before asking "How much money do we have? Karlos smile trembled for a second before responding. "If we add to our cost em the new equipment for the men. We would be left with twenty whole gold and fifty whole silver. After we pay the tax we would be left with fifty whole silver." Galahad sighed and responded. "The meeting is over. You are all dismissed." After that, the hall emptied. Soon after Katerina appeared and said sweetly. "You look exhausted. " Galahad smiled bitterly and said. "Because I am. I just had my first insubordination, I need to empty my coffers to sponsor the churches a net drain for my fief, the whole situation in the county has changed and I was never great when it came to politics." His wife caressed his hair and responded softly. "If you need anything you know i am always there for you." Galahad smiled and said. "Thanks, Hey in four days we are going to Gragon I have ordered you a new dress." Katerina smiled and said sweetly. "I see I am excited." Galahad sighed and said. "I will go over and see Etheria as well. She must be devastated with the death of Monver." Katerina nodded and said. "I will head to the bedroom. Come over when you want." Galahad nodded and after his wife left the room he took out some of the Brandebergian brandy his father in law gave him and poured himself a glass. He then whispered to himself. "Big elderly oak, I hope you are still alive." He then drained his glass. Most of the subsequent night was spent contemplating his life''s journey, with only a few moments of respite from the splendid isolation of his mind. The handful of precious minutes taken to refill his glass. This rather twisted ritual repeated itself until the brazier grew dim and sweet oblivion overtook him. 23 Intrigue The rest of the week went by without a hitch. Another one hundred refugees arrived with similarly sized demographics and not craftsmen or aqua-farmers. But those matters were left for Karlos. Sir Galahad and Dame Katerina instead went to Gragon to swear loyalty. The city was much the same but more stifled filled with an air of uncertainty. They were obvious signs of the fear of change. The streets where slightly emptier, the people slightly less jovial and slightly different banners adorned the gates. Everything was slightly off the news of the defeat didn''t make the atmosphere any more jubilant since nobody yet knew what would happen to their loved ones. After, reaching the keep they were quickly led inside and left to wait in the hall room. Outside Galahad, Katerina, and a couple of attendants. Only one other person was inside the throne room. A middle-aged overweight man wearing clothes fit for a Baron. The time passed away slowly the room steeped in awkward silence. Half an hour later three men entered the hall Baron Emanuel, a man in his mid-twenties looking and dressed like the archetypical knight, and a man wearing gold-rimmed spectacles and a priestly gown. When he entered the room Galahad, Katarina, and the richly dressed fellow bowed deeply. After sitting on the throne he said. "Greetings Sir Konder, Sir Galahad and Dame Katerina. As I am sure you are aware, you have come here to share fealty. Now priest Gregor will help with this endeavor. If you will your holiness can you explain to them how to pledge the oath? " Gregor nodded and said. "It is my honor to support the Baron in such an effort." Gregor then turned back and looked towards the couple knights he then nodded and said. "Now kneel and repeat after me." Both knights knelt while Katarina looked from the sideways. Gregor then said. "I swear under the Light of Gnos and the eyes of the other deities. That I shall remain always faithful to his lineage, Baron Emanuel,and the realm. I shall pay my taxes and defends his lands. Every day and every night until my death." Both men then repeated the oath. After Emanuel nodded happily he said. "As it is sadly the case neither Sir John nor Sir Monert are currently here. As such their loyalty is currently questionable; but as they are away campaigning, it is excusable. Since that is the case until they return and swear fealty their fiefs will be controlled by the barony. But enough about those matters now it''s time to start the feast. Attendant, inform the kitchen." The feast was rather grand having a whole hog, several pies, white bread, sausages and a lot of Bandebargian brandy; but no beer or wine. Galahad in the start of the night barely drunk any alcohol and ate moderately; but even with that small amount, he drank he felt disproportionally light headed. The knightly looking fellow stood up and walked towards Katerina inviting her for a dance. She declined after the song changed he asked her again and again. At the fourth, attempt Galahad stood up and walked towards that peacocking fellow and said "Good fellow can you please stop pestering my wife. Is it not obvious that you will get declined? Is it perhaps that this honorable fellow has memory issues and forgot the three previous exchanges?" The man looked towards Galahad and said with a cold smile. "This right honorable gentleman is just being polite good Sir. After all, it is not dame''s Katerina''s fault for you being unable to dance with her." Galahad smiled sharply and responded. "I see the good honorable fellow indeed suffers from an affliction on the realm of memory. After all, he didn''t address the fact that he was respectfully declined four times nor did he even remember to reply to me in regards to the said affliction." The man nodded and responded cheerfully. "This right honorable gentleman didn''t answer the question in regards to his memory because he deemed it a mere ill-considered joke. As for dame Katerina''s serial declines is just proper form for a lady to decline a man''s advances to spark on the hunt." Galahad nodded and responded. "Oh is that so? I think the right honorable gentleman is forgetting the fact the dame Katerina is my wife. As such the hunt is in poor taste no?" The man smiled and responded. "That is indeed a great point. You are interesting Sir Galahad. I hope we meet again." He then turned towards bowed towards Katerina and said. "Until we meet again The Baronet''s treasure" At those words, the man exited the hall. The overtop strength of the alcohol and his bad mood from the earlier slight. Made him barely drink for the rest of the night. His wife in the other hand while still trying to drink in moderation she still ended up heavily intoxicated. When the feast was over Galahad opted to stay over in his father-in-law''s house for the night rather than the keep. He requested a couple of the Baron''s men to help him carry his wife and his request was granted. Galahad didn''t manage to fall in deep sleep the alcohol and today''s events kept him up in a state of grogginess. The sound of a crash broke him away from his thoughts. He looked through the window, it was still dark outside. As he was about to lay back in bed and rest he heard loud steps. He grabbed his sword that was resting by his beside and prepared an ambush. *Grah* his room''s door was kicked open and a man wearing gambeson and holding a simple mace entered the room. At the moment of entrance, he attempted to lunge towards the bed. Galahad expecting him leaped from the shadows and stabbed the man in his large intestine. A smell of excrement filled the room and vile liquid came out of the wound. The man collapsed surprisingly quickly for such a lethal but noncritical hit. Now that things had calmed down Galahad took care to take a proper look at the man. The man looked like a normal drunkard slightly yellowish skin rotten teeth and a shrinking hairline. After observing, he attempted to wake up his wife; but she was in a deep slumber and probably still heavily intoxicated. After the third failed attempt, he just let her be. He then started to put on his armor. Which was rather difficult when you are maimed and in a dark room. Either way after ten minutes he somehow managed. He then removed the corpses gambeson and placed it on to the bed. He then waited for a further attack or perhaps an attempt at arson. But nothing happened and the rest of the night flew by. When morning broke Galahad moved his wife over to another room and locked the door. He then went over to the barracks to fetch a couple guards to help him get rid of the body. The barracks was a simple stone building. After entering he followed a familiar route before finally reached the captain''s quarters after a knocking and waiting for a while a male voice was heard. "Please enter." The room had a much starker appearance in comparison to when Sir William was in charge. The moment when the door opened the man made a grimace of disgust for a second before correcting himself. He then looked up and said. "Ah hello, Sir knight why are you here in such an early hour?" Galahad responded with a smile. "I am sorry for my current appearance and fetor. But last night a fellow broke into my house and attacked me. I have successfully dispatched him but sadly his deathly smell rubbed on me." The man''s face grew serious and he responded. "A man attacked one of the Baron''s guests unacceptable. Sir Knight please show the way." Galahad nodded and responded with a genuine smile. "Ah yes right away. By the way, my name is Sir Galahad von Highkeep who are you?" The man nodded and responded. "I am Thaddeus von Blackwood it is good to make myself your acquaintance Sir Galahad." As they exited the barracks Thaddeus motioned a couple of guards to follow him. After about five minutes they reached the house. The stench wafting outside was surreal. After that, the group headed inside while breathing through their mouths. They managed to retrieve the man''s body and take it outside. Under the morning light, the man looked even worse than Galahad thought. His face was a disgusting yellowish color, his scleras were also dyed yellow and filled with broken blood vessels, whatever hair he had remaining had their natural color obscured by a layer of grime, even his fingernails were long, uneven, and full of dirt. After a long moment, Thaddeus said. "Yeah, he looks like a Vagrant alright. But before letting you at your own devices we will need you to wait here. Until we find out about the man''s identity. You can rest at our barracks until then." Galahad nodded and responded. "As you wish." By about midday, Thaddeus came back and said. "Sir Galahad the case is slightly weird. This man is supposed to have already died from the drunkard''s ailment. As such it is rather odd to find him attacking you. By your statements you had no dealings with the man as such the chance of him being a wraith is zero. As for a corpsman, it makes some sense but you dispatched him by stabbing him in the bowels and your house is not very close to the graveyard. Honestly, I don''t know did you perhaps open the grave yourself to garner favor from the new Baron? " Galahad sighed and shook his head. "No, I did not. First of all, I am not physically able to carry the corpse. Secondly, everyone knows where I was and what I did when I entered the city." Thaddeus sighed and responded. "Those are good points. You may leave Sir Galahad, sorry for the inconvenience. But I will keep my eye on you just in case and if I find foul game I will bring you to justice" Galahad nodded and responded with a warm smile. "Until the next time mister Thaddeus." Galahad then exited the barracks and went to wake up his wife. After managing to wake her up she was still rather groggy. They quickly left and at about midday they reached Highkeep. After he put his wife at rest Galahad requested Karlos to the throne room. After about half an hour he arrived. Karlos bowed and said. "Greetings Sire, how did the swearing of fealty go? Additionally, I would like to ask why did you call upon me?" Galahad smiled and responded. "It went as expected a slightly awkward atmosphere. Emanuel did disrespect me by first greeting Konder. But I can''t hold it against him since I am not sure if he knows I am now a Baronet. In the other hand, a drunkard broke into my father in law''s house and attempted to murder me. Karlos looked horrified for a moment and then asked. "And what did you do Sire?" Galahad shrugged and responded. "I killed him." Karlos looked skeptical and asked. "Did you then immediately escape Gragon?" Galahad shook his head and responded. "No, I waited until daybreak to deal with any subsequent attacks or attempts at arson and to protected my rather intoxicated wife. After that in the morning, I went over to the barracks and reported the attack to the new captain Thaddeus. He looked like a rather straight forward and proper lad and did a proper investigation." Karlos then responded. "Sire it was lucky that Baron Emanuel wasn''t behind the attack. You know even nobles can be charged with murder especially when it is politically convenient to do so. Secondly, you are lucky that Thaddeus is an upstanding and proper chap. Otherwise, he could have jumped to the chance of getting rid of an unknown element and secured himself a promotion." Galahad sighed heavily and said. "Yeah, you are right. I should have been more thoughtful at the time. But at that moment I was rather tense. There are several weird aspects to the whole thing." Karlos raised an eyebrow and asked. "Such as?" Galahad then responded. "Well for starters the man was apparently already dead. So the whole attack could perhaps be a work of some necromancer. But I never had any dealings with them. Did my brother perhaps have a prior conflict with them?" Karlos thought for a while and responded. "No, not really. Perhaps we are missing certain pieces of the puzzle. Either way, anything else Sire?" Galahad nodded and responded. "Any interesting new arrivals?" Karlos shook his head and responded. "No, not really. Speaking of Hamlet work though you need to start your religious tour." Galahad raised his eyebrow and asked. "Religious tour?" Karlos nodded and said. "Indeed the religious tour you will need to personally speak with the leaders of various churches over opening branches here." Galahad sighed and responded. "But isn''t there another way we can go about it?" Karlos shook his head and responded "First and foremost you are a low ranking noble as such no. Secondly and most importantly you already have several churches present in your fief. As such you will need to make it desirable for those churches to move over and none is more capable in fulfilling promises than you. Additionally, it shows sincerity and it is a rare chance for you to explore a large part of the country. I mean thus far you have only been to the county''s capital and that''s about it. If you want to be a capable ruler and keep your subjects safe, a trip to expand your horizon would be wise. Additionally, a ruler needs to be capable of administrative, military and diplomatic manners. While you have developed on the first and were pretty skilled on the second your third is still severely lacking. Finally, court intrigue is important if you ever hope to rise to the rank of Baron." Galahad sighed and said. "Alright, I will do so. Who do you think I should bring along?" Karlos responded. "Theodore is a must, Ludwig would be decent and how about Martin''s detachment of guards and martin? Boris might be a bit of a fanatic but I understand where he is coming from and he will defend the fief with everything he has if the end result is the spread of his religion so far north. Additionally, Boris is great with dealing with beast and goblin incursions. Martin in the other hand is still young this experience could prove invaluable in shaping him as a commander. In short, Boris is a frontier general and Martin is a great seedling. " Galahad nodded and responded. "Alright, Those are good picks when do you think I should head off?" Karlos thought for a moment and responded. "In two months after both your Keep and the Trading post would have finished construction." Galahad nodded and asked "Anything else?" Karlos nodded and asked. "Who will control the fief in your stead?" Galahad smiled and simply said. "Well, my wife obviously." Karlos nodded and said. "Good you will also need to go to the capital to speak with my sculptor friend. He wants to meet you personally before starting the commission." Galahad nodded and said. "I will do so. Anything else?" Karlos shook his head and said. "No nothing." Galahad nodded and then said. "Dismissed then. I need to go and lie down it was a rough day." 24 Bubbling troubles and unexpected solutions. The rest of the week went by rather quickly. After all, managing and sorting all the new arrivals was a rather hard job. The day the next batch of refugees arrived Karlos requested entrance. Galahad quickly granted him entrance to the great hall. Karlos then bowed and said. "Sire, someone referring to themselves by the title Magos and the name Erfiadis has come here looking for an audience." Galahad nodded and said. "Allow him entrance. I am curious why is here." Soon after Magos Erfiadis scurried in and bowed deeply. he took down his hood revealing his face for the first time. He looked rather unimpressive his face was rather thin and pale with even his eyes being small, dark and sunken in his face adorned with large black circles. Even his poor hairline was rapidly receding hairline. After standing up he said. "Greetings Sir Galahad I have come over to your warm home asking for work and a place to stay." Galahad looked thoughtful for a second before looking towards Karlos and asking. "Karlos what happens when a Magos loses his position below his lord?" Karlos responded after a mere moment of contemplation. "Well, it depends on their skill set but generally they are recalled to Mertinia. After returning there they reassessed and send to a different settlement depending on their current skill set or they are kept in Mertinia as administrators if they are senior and capable enough." Galahad then looked back at Erfiadis and asked. "I assume that Emanuel purged you. So why should I allow you to stay here and get embroiled into direct conflict with him? Additionally, why didn''t you return back to Mertinia? I am sure you are both old enough and capable enough to get a position in a fief larger than a Baronetcy." Erfiadis nodded and responded. "Sir Galahad is indeed wise beyond his years, the reason I decided to remain is to offer my services to an exceptional individual such as yourself." Galahad narrowed his eyes and responded. "We both know that this is empty flattery. You have one more chance, to be honest with me before I order two guards to come and act as a friendly escort back to Gragon to whatever fate Emanuel is planning for you." Erfiadis sighed deeply and responded. "Alright alright, I shall be honest with your Lordship. You see Sir Galahad, I have already created a series of connections in the last decade on the frontier. Connections which will not be especially useful if I am relocated to a town near Mers for example." Galahad nodded and responded. "That is indeed true but on the other hand in this deal, I need to get something. I don''t need a steward I have one the same applies for a diplomat. What is my gain by getting you under my employment?" Erfiadis responded simply. "The aforementioned connections and my advisory abilities." Galahad shook his head and responded. "I don''t trust you enough to make use of your connections and I don''t how valuable they are. As for advising the previous issue rise up. Additionally, I am already well advised. I need something concrete that will make this worthwhile." Erfiadis shook his head and responded. "I have nothing else that can be of use." Galahad nodded and responded. "Then I am sorry but I need to decline your offer. Karlos please escort Magos Erfiadis out." Karlos nodded and quickly both Karlos and Erfiadis had left the hall. After about half an hour Karlos returned. Galahad then asked. "Do you think my decision was correct?" Karlos thought for a moment before responding. "In one hand he was a liability but on the other hand, he had significant connections and owns a percentage of the trade post. In short, he would be useful to have under your employ but also a hidden dagger in our midst." Galahad nodded and responded. "Indeed I think the same thing and this time I decided to be cautious. Especially now that I would be away for such a long time a man like him would be too much of a risk." Karlos nodded. Galahad then looked back at him and asked. "So how many refugees this time?" Karlos made an akward smile and responded. "Another hundred." Galahad sighed and said. "This is getting out of hand. Any ideas?" Karlos nodded and said. "Well, sire the bad news is that if the numbers continue like that with the batch of the next week our wheat supply will only last for ten months. While our Ale supply for five. At this point, our population has a lot of women and children and much fewer men. In two months time, we will have even less." Galahad sighed and asked. "Is the copper tank ready?" Karlos nodded and said. "It is Sire, Nicolas and George will start the enchanting process tomorrow." Galahad nodded and said. "Good, When they are finished, We will have the two priests do a ceremony wishing for healthy water. I will also have the first drink. On the other hand, we will need more farmland and my fief is reaching it is limits soon the forest around it will technically belong to the crown. Which means I will need to purchase more land." Karlos nodded and said "Sire if you will. Why don''t you make Galahads tower the center of a village? You can make your first knight that way. It is an easy solution." Galahad nodded and responded. "While this could be a solution we need someone to become a knight. Honestly, I can''t think of anyone Boris and Martin are needed. George is technically a criminal. All the other major figures here are either criminals or workmen. And I require Theodore to be by my side and the same applies to you Karlos. Nickolas would be the easy solution but Nickolas can''t be knighted. Because he has honorable deeds under his name. Only the king could do such a thing. Who then ?" Karlos thought for a moment and responded. "I do actually have someone in mind. The most capable member of your entourage. When it comes to forests. Mister Ludwig." Galahad thought for a while and said. "Hm yeah, Ludwig could do he can technically have a heroic deed in the shape of the battle for Highkeep and is physically fit. But he would never wear armor and go into battle on horseback." Karlos nodded and said. "The fact that this region is so far away from conflict must have helped you create this false image of knights. Not all knights are front line fighter. While yes it is true most of them are especially those from knightly families. But occasionally gifted commoners get knighted and some are raised from the ranks of bowmen. As such most of them continue to use the weapon which they are skilled in using." Galahad nodded and said. "I understand your point. But that means that I can''t take him with me. On the trip" Karlos nodded and said. "This is indeed unfortunate but he could perhaps suggest another skilled hunter that could come with you. Maybe one of the Exoristoi? I mean from what I have heard you still haven''t picked your bodyguards." Galahad nodded and said. "Hmm, indeed this could be a good idea. I will probably end up picking the scout and one of the guards. It is about time. Then it is decided, summon Ludwig we will need to talk about his ascension to knighthood." After about half an hour Ludwig reached the great hall. He entered the hall and bowed deeply. Galahad motioned for him to stand back up Ludwig stood back up and said. "Greetings, Sire I would like to ask why did you call for me. Is it perhaps to report the current sightings in the forest?" Galahad thought for a moment and responded. "Yes, indeed please report anything of importance " Ludwig nodded and said. "In terms of hunting grounds, we need to always move outwards. Since the forest is shrinking so fast. Thanks to the quick expansion of the settlement. But at least the forest has come to relative stability after the migration but as it is not hunting season yet we don''t need to worry about prey. So we are mostly acting as scouts and vermin killers thus far. No major goblin activity has been sighted but there are some strugglers here and there." Galahad nodded and said. "I see well done. Now I would like to ask you about any capable scouts besides yourself of course preferably an Exoristo or Exoristi?" Ludwig thought for a while and said. "Talenia Dentrathil she is one of our best hunters and scouts. For her, the forest is her second home. The only things she is lacking is a true killer instinct and truly great bow skills. But when it comes to tracking and scouting in rough terrain she is the best she is the elfkin after all." Galahad nodded and said with a hint of skepticism. "But she is a woman even if she is an elfkin and as we all know a woman''s place is not the frontline." Ludwig shrugged and responded. "There is plenty of capable scouts Sire but none is as good as her. Additionally, a scout like her isn''t normally in the frontline." Galahad sighed and said. "You know best, But I would also like to offer you a reward." Ludwig raised his eyebrow and said. "A reward you say? Sire, is it perhaps a new bow made from Macosalen wood?" Galahad shook his head and responded "I want to make you knight and have you take most of the refugees across to the other shore and establish a new settlement around the fire tower. So what do you have to say about my offer." Ludwig was quite shocked and he responded. "Sure Sire, I can do that, but why me?" Galahad smiled and responded. "Honestly you are the only man for the job. Your skillset makes you the perfect person to establish a truly frontier settlement." Ludwig was deeply in thought and after about half a minute, he responded. "I understand the reasons for having me be the one that establishes the new settlement. But why knight me? I mean I could just rule as your subordinate rather than a have the new settlement become my personal fief." Galahad nodded and responded. "Indeed that is a fair point. The reason is that the kingdom''s bureaucracy requires every new settlement being newly established to be controlled by a knight. Knighting you is the obvious solution. After all, to become a knight there are just two requirements you must have done at least one heroic deed which you have and you need to be knighted by someone with the authority to do so and I do have the authority to knight one person as my subordinate" Ludwig nodded and responded. "I see. Then Sire then what am I supposed to do?" Galahad smiled and said. "In reality, you just need to decide three things. First, pick a name for the new settlement, choose wisely since your surname will be changed from your current one to von settlement name. Secondly, decide on your house''s coat of arms. Thirdly you will need to pick your house''s motto. That is about it. I would like you to inform me about your decisions tomorrow. After that, I will teach you the oath and then I will go and hire a scribe from Gragon to do the paperwork. After that, we will do the ceremony and order a signet ring. " Ludwig nodded and said. "Aye Sire. I will do so." Galahad nodded and said. "Dismissed I will wait for you tomorrow. Also, bring the elfkin over after I have officially knighted you I would prefer if I met her before I decided anything." Ludwig nodded and then bowed before he exited the hall. Galahad the turned back to Karlos "I think he will make a decent vassal. He has led men before. But the issue is we really don''t have the money to pay for anything I will buy him a signet ring it will cost about three whole gold coins and a new chain mail set from Eledor as it is customary. I will also need to think about buying more grain and ale." Karlos smiled and responded. "You know sire you can always trade when traveling to accrue some extra income and minimize your expenses." Galahad shook his head and responded. "You are well aware that it will reflect badly to me to trade like a common merchant." Karlos smiled warmly and said. "Indeed Sire I was aware. I was just trying to ascertain if you have knowledge about how to properly act. No offense but some of your beliefs are a bit out of fashion." Galahad nodded his head and responded. "I might not have great knowledge of the current way of thinking in the heartland but even I am aware of the big don''ts." Karlos nodded and said. "Indeed Sire, but I do have a solution. Just have Theodore do all of the trading." Galahad nodded and said. "Yeah that is a good solution and it should at least cover the costs of the trip. We might even make some profit. Any other news which you wish to discuss Karlos?" Karlos shook his head and said. "No, not really Sire. we are almost done with planting as well. Soon we should be able to focusall of our attention in properly building the fishermen''s houses." Galahad nodded and said. "Those are good news. Soon we will make this fief unrecognizable. Karlos you are dismissed we will talk again tomorrow." The next day Karlos and Ludwig stood before him. Galahad looked at Ludwig and said. "So have you decided?" Ludwig nodded and said. "I thought for a while and decided to name the settlement Ergon. After all, this has been my families name for generations. As for the crest, I decided on a bow and arrow in a green background. The families motto is we step first." Galahad nodded and said. "This is indeed good, I like how you decided to honor yourself and your family. Now let''s talk about the oath remember those words and practice them. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to protect the meek and strike the wicked. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to enforce the Law of the King and the Law Of Gods. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to safeguard the realm and my liege. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to defend my subjects and my fief. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to uphold the knight''s honor and all that it entails. So that is why I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon ask his Highness Baronetcy Galahad von Highkeep to grand me knighthood so I may fulfill my oath." " Galahad then looked towards Karlos and said. "Send a rider to request for a scribe from the guild. Tell them that their most senior scribe is required also inform Desmond the goldsmith about the signet ring''s seal." Karlos bowed and said. "As you wish your lordship." Karlos then exited the room. Galahad then returned back toLudwig and said. "This is the main part of the oath but since you are establishing a new settlement there is a second part. This part will be spoken towards the scribe rather than me. Please memorize it too. I Sir Ludwig Ergon has come to petition thy king to grant me thy honor. Of the establishment of the settlement of Ergon across the river Ptomar around the tower of fire. So I may expand the realm. That is it, practice well. Tomorrow we shall hold the ceremony." Ludwig bowed and said. "I will do so Sire." The next day inside the great hall. A black-haired maimed man in his early twenties stood and said with gravitas. "Honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Through your valorous efforts in the siege of Highkeep and the battle of Tolos and the show of unusual resolve at the face of danger. Thanks to your stout resolve you managed to help the survivors escape Highkeep and Led wisely in the battle of Tolos. For that, you shall be given the chance to take the Knight''s oath. Do you accept?" A swarthy man in his forties knelt his newly minted chain mail shining and clinging loudly at the movement. He then uttered grievously. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to protect the meek and strike the wicked. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to enforce the Law of the King and the Law Of Gods. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to safeguard the realm and my liege. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to defend my subjects and my fief. I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon. Vow to uphold the knight''s honor and all that it entails. So that is why I the honorable subject Ludwig Ergon ask his Highness Baronetcy Galahad von Highkeep to grand me knighthood so I may fulfill my oath." " Baronetcy Galahad von Highkeep then unsheathed his one-handed sword Volderion and lightly tapped the almost elderly hunter with it first over his right shoulder and then the left one. He then said solemnly. "I Baronetcy Galahad von Highkeep with the power vested to me by the supreme ruler the king and the divine gods officially declare you a knight, Sir Ludwig you may now rise. You have been officially knighted." Galahad then took a step backward and motioned to the elderly scribe to stand in front Ludwig. Ludwig then knelt again and placed his hands on the floor before saying "I Sir Ludwig Ergon has come to petition thy king to grant me the honor. Of the establishment of the settlement of Ergon across the river Ptomar around the tower of fire. So I may expand the realm." The elderly scribe nodded deeply and motioned for Ludwig to rise. He then said with a gruff voice. "I shall use thy pen and write to thy Realmer about thy request." Sir Ludwig Ergon stood back up and the Elderly scribe left the room to go write down the knighting and Ludwig''s request. After the door closed Galahad stepped back in the front and said. "Now we shall start the banquet to celebrate this joyous occasion" 25 A Banquet and an Inauguration. The banquet was rather stark in terms of food and drink. But most of the important people of the fief were there. Including a few new faces, Galahad spent most of the early banquet making small talk and relaxing. An hour after the banquet had started, Ludwig arrived before Galahad followed in tow by a taller than average thin and muscular woman, her hair was long and messy while simultaneously glossy and dirty. She had a strong odor carrying a mix of several scents with the ones standing out being the smell of flowers, rain, and earth. Both of them bowed. Galahad smiled and motioned for them to stand up. After they stood up Ludwig said. "Greetings Sire I have come to make you an acquaintance to miss Telenia Dentrathil. Our sharpest tracker." Telenia then said in a feminine but steely voice. "It is good to finally meet you, Sire." Galahad nodded and responded neutrally. "It is good to meet you Telenia. How have the locals been treating you?" Telenia smiled softly and responded with a slightly warmer tone. "It was rough at first. But when they realized I brought food to the table the quickly accepted my presence. After all, I don''t look that different to them." Galahad nodded and responded. "Tell me Telenia how do you feel about the fief''s expansion into the forest and the rest of the virtually unoccupied lands." Telenia locked eyes with Galahad and said. "I understand why you decided to do so. But nature strikes back, nature always strikes back." Galahad looked down at his goblet and started slowly revolving it. While in thought, the precious crimson liquid making a small vortex in the goblet. Galahad then looked back at her and said. "Humanity has been fighting nature since the time of Argon the Builder. There was a time in the common story of humanity when the whole region that is today Boreia was nothing but a faraway myth. Nature is the most dangerous when it hasn''t been quelled yet. Tell me how many goblin attacks has the capital endured in the past five hundred years? The answer is zero, a hundred years before that? It was ten, a hundred years before that? it was thirty." Telenia shook her head and said. "That is a narrow frame of mind. It might take a thousand years but nature will take its revenge." Galahad smiled and responded. "The first human city has been destroyed and rebuilt who knows how many times. Sometimes it was damaged thanks to an earthquake or a famine, but the city was only been truly destroyed and left abandoned when we humanity laid it to waste. We humanity through the means of magic, technology, and sheer grit we will tame every damn inch of this world." Telenia smiled and said. "Only time will tell." Galahad nodded and agreed. "Indeed, only time will tell." Galahad then looked at Telenia inquisitively before saying. "I plan to make you my personal scout and bodyguard. If you have any concerns, please voice them now. Additionally, I will not force you if you are unwilling." Telenia thought for a moment and responded. "I really don''t care if I will be stationed here or follow you around. But either way, it is theoretically a position of honor and pretty much an order. So I will graciously accept." Galahad nodded and said. "Kneel." Telenia kneeled, Galahad stood up and placed his signet ring upon her forehead and then softly said. "Prosperity through adversity." For a moment nothing happened then a smell of burned flesh filled the room. As Galahad removed the ring from her forehead he revealed a mark looking like a black crow. Galahad nodded in satisfaction and said. "Rise, from now on you will be my second pair of eyes and my most deadly arrow. But for now, go rest." Telenia nodded and left the hall. Most of the night was spent in mild drinking and idle chatter. After the crowd had whittled down to Galahad, Katerina, and Ludwig. Galahad looked at Ludwig and asked. "So do you have any ideas on how to develop your fief?" Ludwig scratched his head and said. "I was planning to first build some houses then make some farms and mostly rely on hunting for food." Galahad looked at Ludwig and shook his head before saying. "The refugees will be your own subjects and as such your own responsibility. But you need to remember that most of them are women and children. In short, they are not especially fit for hunting. Instead, I would suggest you first cut down the nearby trees to create some farmland and build a palisade wall. By starting the land cleaning so early you can hopefully manage to plant root vegetables in June. Then towards the end of summer, you should start building houses. Perhaps as a winter industry, maybe you could expand westwards towards the semi bay area and start constructing some small fishing vessels. Also, try to keep your people at bay and minimize their confrontations with my brother''s workers." Ludwig nodded and said. "Fair points I will do as you suggest." Galahad nodded and said. "Remember you are the lord of that fief right now in all but name. For now, I am not planning to tax you. As for your serfs, I will give you two hundred most of them widowed women and orphaned children and most are farmers by trade. Secondly, you should probably get hitched soon. Preferably to some rich merchant girl. You will need money to see your fief expand and prosper after all." Ludwig bowed and said. "I will keep your advice in mind my Liege and don''t worry it is to my own benefit to not antagonize your brother''s workers." Galahad nodded and said. "Good, tomorrow we have the new water tank ceremony. I will see you there, after that, with the help of the worker''s boats, we will get you and your serfs on the other side of the river. But for now, you are dismissed have a good night." Soon after only Galahad and his wife were left in the great hall. After Katerina made sure that none was in the immediate facility. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. She looked at Galahad and smiled coldly before saying. "Dear husband, who is she?" Galahad looked at her and scratched his head before asking. "You mean Telenia? Ludwig told me she is the best scout in the fief and since I am going to the religion tour I need to make sure I return in one piece. Additionally, since she is an Exoristoi I can make her a personal guard. Which will deem her more loyal." Katerina harrumphed and said. "Did it need to be a woman? Couldn''t it be a man instead?" Galahad shrugged and said. "She is only my scout it is fine." Katerina looked at him and shouted. "NO, IT IS NOT FINE, MY HUSBAND IS LEAVING ME FOR AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF TIME TOGETHER WITH HIS ENTOURAGE AND JUST ONE WOMAN. DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT I WILL BE SHAMED BY YOUR ACTIONS? THE PEOPLE WILL THINK THAT SHE IS YOUR MISTRESSES AND THAT SHE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME!!" Galahad looked at her straight in the eyes and said. "This mission is bigger and more important than me or you. Do you think I want to leave the fief? Telenia is needed to ensure a safer and speedier journey. I promised to the men which upon their bones you are standing now. That I will make this place great." Katerina grabbed him by the shirt and shook him while saying. "I DON''T CARE ABOUT THOSE OTHER PEOPLE. I CARE ABOUT THE WAY PEOPLE SEE ME. BUT I UNDERSTAND AFTER ALL YOU JUST MARRIED ME FOR MY WEALTH IN THE HOPE OF REBUILDING THIS DAMNED PLACE." Galahad looked at her and said coldly. "Yes, I did originally just marry you for your wealth. It was an arranged marriage after all. I have given an oath and if there is one thing I do is keep my damn oaths. Even if it will cost my happiness, well being and even my life." Katerina''s eyes narrowed into slits and her voice''s tone was lowered and she said coldly. "I know why you did what you did, I don''t care. Those people are dead, we are living here and now. Shouldn''t you be trying to improve your family''s life first? Rather than chase after a hopeless ideal? You are not that great. You are just a border noble, you can''t change the world. I married you for the prestige that came with the title and to show all the other ladies in Gragon that I am better than them, to show them they were wrong about the things they said behind my back." At the last remark, Katerina''s expression changed from cold to teary. Galahad shrugged and said. "I am sure you had your own reasons for marrying me and frankly I don''t care what they were. After all, It was rather obvious you didn''t marry for my dashing good looks or my excellent personality. But you are right, I am just a small-time noble in the frontier. Indeed I can''t change the whole world nor I was planning too. I just want to improve the lives of the people entrusted to me by those that selflessly sacrificed themselves for me." Katerina sighed and said. "You are as thick-headed as a castle wall and as stubborn as a donkey." She then looked Galahad straight in his eyes and said. "FINE, you can take Telenia with you. But I want an allowance. I need to look like a proper lady, I hadn''t asked for anything like that thus far because I knew the fief was in dire straights. But now I want at least one female attendant and some more fine silk dresses and jewelry. It is only proper for a Dame to have such items. Especially now that everything is stabilized." Galahad shook his head and smiled bitterly. "The fief''s financial situation has been almost the worst it has ever been. We have too many projects and too many mouths to feed. In reality, it is only slightly better than when we started the rebuilding process. Also, when I leave I am planning to leave my brother as regent in my stead." Katerina shook her head and said. "That won''t do it is the wife''s role to control the fief when her husband is missing. If I don''t it will completely ruin my image. Galahad shrugged and said. "As I said before, I don''t care about your image. Additionally, it is not out of the ordinary to leave your brother in charge rather than your wife. So it wouldn''t even impact your image. Just wait for your father''s return. I am sure he will bring you some gifts, most likely the dresses and jewelry you crave. However, you can have a female attendant. You can pick one of the widows or one of the orphaned girls. Now we should both go rest because tomorrow we have an early day." Katerina made an ugly grimace and said. "FINE! but this is not over." With their fight over they both retired to the bedroom. The next day at midday a small group stood in a platform next to the copper tank. Glistering red symbols shined across its orange surface. A four-foot-long and two-foot-wide canal connected the tank with the river. The canals top was covered with stone pavement and a Large stone slab was blocking the water from flowing down." Galahad then looked at the crowd and said with gravitas. "We have been for a long time forced to drink unclean water or buy small beers." Galahad then paused for a moment before adding. "But today I shall improve the situation with the help of George, Nickolas, and Eledor." The crowd politely clapped. Galahad then looked towards his brother and said. "Brother, could you give us an explanation of how the system works?" Nickolas nodded and said. "Indeed, The canal is not empty but acts as both the medium for transferring the water as well as filtering it. The first layer is made of large stones, the second layer is made up of packed hay, the third layer is made of gravel, the fourth is layer is made of charcoal dust, the fifth layer is made of sand, the sixth layer is made of large pieces of charcoal and the final layer is just some wool to keep back the charcoal from falling into the water. Finally whatever impurities are left will be dragged to the bottom through the enchantments embedded on the copper magic tank with the final result being filtered and mostly purified water. The whole system works by using the kinetic energy from the water moving downstream. Now before drinking, you just need to boil it." Galahad nodded and then looked towards Ethan and Markos before saying. "Now it is time for the blessing ceremony." Markos raised a jewel-encrusted scepter towards the sky and said. "Oh most honorable god Lados. Protector of the valours and the brave. We ask your blessing today so our people may grow healthier and stronger to protect the meak. Lanin" Ethan then raised an oversized bronze coin towards the sky and said. "Oh, most honorable goddess Ploutia. Protector of the merchants and the thrifty. We ask your blessing today so our people may grow wealthier and more prosperous so they contribute to your glory. Ploutin" Galahad then looked towards George and said. "If you will do the honors, George." Geroge nodded and slowly the slab of stone holding back the water changed shape. Allowing the two men standing in either side to remove it with ease. As the slab was removed water started flowing through the canal and within a minute clear water started flowing into the tank. Galahad then said. "The water needs to rest for a fortnight. So for now, let the tank fill up." After most of the people disappeared Galahad looked at Ludwig and said. "Good luck out there. I will send your signet ring and Banner in two days." Ludwig nodded and said. "We will meet again my liege." After that Ludwig left towards the crossing together with a large group mostly comprised of women and children. After a moment gazing towards the departing crowd, Galahad headed back to his keep. 26 Planning for the future. The next morning Katerina brought before Galahad a young, pale, black-haired girl no older than twelve summers. With her only defining feature, a heavy dose of freckles. The girl bowed and said. "Dame Katerina''s attendant Maise Estar greets Sir Galahad" Galahad first smiled and nodded, before he leaned over and whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Well met Maise, I hope you take good care of my wife, she can have a bit of an explosive personality at times." Galahad then winked at Maise and gave her a cheeky smile. Maise laughed. Galahad then said. "Now Maise will you please leave the room for a minute? I need to tell a secret to my wife." Maise nodded and skirted out of the room. After Miase left, Galahad sighed and said. "So Katerina why did you pick such a young girl as your attendant?" Katerina said in a factual tone. "Well, for starters she is young enough to be moldable and as such, I can transform her into the perfect attendant. Secondly, she was one of the refugees by taking her in I show myself as a gracious woman that helps the downtrodden. Thirdly, she is a natural beauty as such when she grows up we can use her as a trading chip to secure an alliance or the loyalty of one of the big men in the fief." Galahad nodded and said. "This is indeed true in that case I have no objections." Katerina gave a quick bow and said. "Well, In that case, I will take my leave. I still have a long road before I get this girl trained up to my standards." About an hour later Karlos entered the hall and gave a deep bow before saying. "Good day Sire, I have come to ask you about your replacement leader for the Hunters. As you are well aware, Sir Ludwig now has other duties and his most trusted hunter Miss Telenia will soon accompany you in your task. As such we need a nonobvious replacement ." Galahad nodded and said in agreement. "Well yes, Karlos this is indeed true. So do you have anyone in mind?" Karlos nodded and responded. "Indeed I do. After consulting Ludwig he suggested three candidates Mister Jaron, Mister Iason, and Mister Velos. After privately meeting each of them I decided on Mister Velos. While he is of middling skill when it comes to hunting he has more leadership qualities than most of them and he seems to have a slightly better upbringing. But he is a recent arrival and as such is not as trustworthy as the others. " Galahad nodded and said. "Well, that is interesting, seems like an interesting fellow. But I would need to meet the man first before I decide on a course of action." Karlos nodded and responded. "Indeed Sire it is obviously a wise choice to first meet the person in question before you assign him such an important role. As such, I took the liberty to have him wait outside Sire." Galahad gave an honest smile and said. "Good job Karlos this is the exact type of time-saving measures I want to see. Please bring him inside." Karlos bowed and said. "I will do as you desire Sire." After a couple of minutes give or take Karlos returned. He was accompanied by a man in his early thirties of average stature and a rather lanky build with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. His most striking feature was his rather ostentatious outfit. Quite dissimilar to most peasant hunters whose outfits were rather drab and dominated by browns. He''s had some rather peculiar notes for starters he was wearing rather warm clothes for summer with the most impressive item a thick black horse leather jerkin with copper buttons purposely left open to show off the white fur adorning it''s inside, Below the jerkin he had a beige Boreian tunic with flat brown shoulder guards to perhaps appear more stylish. Outside of that, he wore a green pair of trousers and a brown pair of shoes. The man bowed deeply and said. "It is a great honor to make acquaintance with the most honorable Sir Galahad. Your deeds have been known far and wide across the community." Galahad gave a nod and said. "Well met mister Velos I heard that you are rather good with managerial tasks and the way you talk and dress shows an element of higher upbringing. Have you perhaps ever served under other nobles or even wealthy bourgeois?" Velos bowed deeply before responding. "Indeed Sire as you might know I am one of the more recent arrives. I used to be from Persos a town in the duchy of Ribertan. I originally hail from an illustrious family of merchants. When the old duke died as we had more robust trade links with Boreia, as such, we supported Boreia on the matter of succession. Sadly my dear friend the lord of Persos Ipot Basol Argia was in the capital to take part in the council of lords. His wife which rather destained that her husband would stay in the company of low borns such as myself. She decided that they would side with Frankians and as I and my family publicly sided with the Boreians we were banished. Originally I had the vain hope that when Basol learned of the matter he would reverse the decision, but after the battle of Yargon, it became politically infeasible. At the time we still stayed relatively close to the border, but after the news reached us we traveled northwards trying to get in contact with our business partners. But most of them denied us even the faintest hint of hospitality as our relationships were based on mutual benefit and we provided them with none at this point. Eventually, I arrived in the dukedom of Norvick and from there we were gathered and send north to start a new life. At this point, most of my family were either kidnapped, dead or had settled down along the way." Galahad nodded and said. "While this makes sense in regards to your ability to speak Boreian like a native and your good manners and managerial ability. It makes me wonder on how exactly you became a Hunter and why you didn''t reveal your skillset earlier." Velos smiled bitterly and said. "Well, some lords when they hear the word merchant they think free gold. As such their first action would be to levy me taxes on goods I don''t have. In regards to my hunting ability, I was a close friend to Basol as such I would sometimes accompany him on his hunting excursions. This was enough for me to learn the basics. But I became a passable hunter after my recent odyssey where I was routinely forced to hunt for food for my and my family''s survival." Galahad sighed and said. "Well, that makes sense, but your abilities make me conflicted, as I don''t want to waste a man of your caliber in leading ten or so hunters. But alas my fief needs hunters and not traders right now." Velos nodded and said. "I feel deeply honored Sire, but I might have a solution to your quandary." Galahad raised his eyebrow and said with interest. "Go on." Velos nodded and said. "You see Sire in the south hunting is more of a sport rather than a means to procure food. As such the only people that really hunt are nobles. But many of said nobles like to have some fine archers in their retinues. As such, they needed a way to procure them. That was the birth of a class called Toxa, they are something between hunters and a proper warrior class and have a fair amount of prestige. Every year a set number of positions open, the number is mandated by the lord then any eligible man may enter the competition. Normally at least the top five contestants become hunters with the first and second becoming the units Dikitis and Voithos in that order. Perhaps it would be a wise idea to transform the Hunters into a similar body. That way the first new Dikitis coming the next year could become the new Huntmaster." Galahad nodded and said. "This is indeed a great idea. When do you think it would be the best time to have such a competition, and how do you suggest to compete?" Velos expecting the subsequent questions answered straight away with glee. "Middle Autumn will give the fief the biggest benefit since the animals are relatively harder to find and rather fat as they are preparing for winter. I would suggest that you judge them on four main axis and a supporting axis. Marksmanship through the medium of standing targets. Reflexes, and short term speed by having soldiers throw nondangerous projectiles and having them dodge them. Endurance and Survival skill by having them survive a week in the forest and finally Huntsmanship by ranking them based on the spoils they bring back from the previously mentioned expedition. The final axis is breeding the goal is to check their mannerism and knowledge. That last one is only important in separating the Doikitis and Voithos from the already accepted hunters or as a tie-breaker. Additionally, an oath similar to knights oath would be advisable. As those men are not quite nobles but not quite freemen either." Galahad nodded and said. "Indeed I like this idea. But I would like to expand upon it. By having each new huntsman take a young willing apprentice under his tutelage that way we can gain more skilled hunters or at least decent militia from the ones that fail the examination. For now, you will be the Leader of the Hunters as for your idea I will consider it carefully." Velos bowed and said. "I am in your debt my Liege." Galahad nodded and said. "Dismissed." After Velos exited the hall Galahad looked towards Karlos and asked. "What is your opinion in regard to his suggestion?" Karlos sighed and responded. "While it will definitely improve the fief''s economic might short term and its military might long and short term I am rather reluctant on creating a new estate just like that." Galahad raised his eyebrow and asked. "What do you mean by estate?" Karlos thought for a moment and said. "It makes sense you don''t really understand the term. After all, you grew up out here in the frontier. The term estate refers to a group of individuals or smaller groups that have similar goals. Most high ranking nobles will split them into three the nobility, the plebians, and the priests. But that is rather naive. The number of estates is actually nine. There are the merchants, the plebians, the craftsmen, the lower nobility, the upper nobility, the churches, the magoi, the mages, and the adjudicators. While your huntsmen might not be a true estate in regard to your fief they will act like one." Galahad thought for a moment and responded. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I think improving my army takes precedence over the complication of the fief''s internal politics, after all with the way things are progressing it is frankly unavoidable. Speaking of unavoidable we shall add the management of human waste in the list of issues. While for now, nature is taking care of it I don''t want this city to by mired in human waste. Since I am building this settlement from the ground up we could perhaps start setting up an infrastructure structure to manage the waste?" Karlos shook his head and responded. "I am sorry Sire but such a thing can only be achieved in one way. The creation of a sewer system, Like in some olden cities in southern Frankia. In short, it is rather impractical for such a system to be set up." Galahad thought for a moment and responded. "What if we use carts to take away the night soil and use it in farms?" Karlos smiled bitterly and responded. "We have already tried that before in some of the southern counties in the hundred river valley. Since such counties are rather old they have a much more robust system of bureaucracy. Every time such an idea was tried it led to an increase in crop yield but it was coupled with an outbreak of disease. Eventually, the Magoi came to the conclusion that such a tactic could only be damaging for a fief long term." Galahad nodded and said. "Well that kinda ruins that plan but what if we first heated up the night soil as we do with water before using it?" Karlos thought for a second and said. "Well, it is such a weird idea, but it sort of makes sense. We could try it in a test field but how exactly do we do it?" Galahad added. "We take the night soil and heat it up below the point of burning and after we treat it we just use it." Karlos thought for a while and said. "Well, it is worth try and it will help us manage excrement. Do you have any other plans?" Galahad thought for a while and said. "Well, we could also after cooking it add the wood ash from the households in the mixture. As far as I know, wood ash in small quantities can be positive for crops so if we mixed it with the cleansed night soil it will be in an overall smaller percentage. Similar to how drinking wine mixed with water makes you less drunk" Karlos nodded and said. "Indeed sounds like a good idea. We can try it in a test field. But what about the rest of the excrement? Since for now, we are not going to use all of it." Galahad smiled and simply said. "Dump it in the forest." Karlos nodded and added a subsequent question. "My liege while it is true that if this works it will become a mainstay in the Kingdom don''t you think all of these reforms are a bit radical?" Galahad shook his head and responded. "For a small realm like mine to grow only truly radical ideas can help me." Karlos nodded and said. "If that is all Sire I shall request my leave, I have a lot of work to take care off." Galahad nodded and said. "Dismissed." 27 Books and Swords. The new system to manage waste quickly went into effect and a quiet calm overtook the fief with the last batch of refugees arriving and dealt with in an efficient manner thanks to the previous weeks'' experience. While Galahad was adjudicating a minor theft case. Karlos asked for an audience. Galahad looked at the two men and said. "As there isn''t enough proof to prove that Aelwin is a criminal but the clues we do have point in that direction. My judgment shall be the following, Aelwin will provide ten copper coins worth of services or goods or currency to Veragon. You are both dismissed." After the two men left Galahad allowed Karlos entrance and said. "So Karlos what matters require my attention?" Karlos bowed and said. "My good Sire, One of the men that has arrived together with the refugees is a man going by the name Marius Cementarius. He claimed that he has abilities that might prove worthwhile to you." Galahad nodded and said. "Well, indeed I do need more capable subordinates. But if it is worthwhile, it is for me to judge. For now, let''s just see what he wants and is capable of. Karlos, would you please bring this man to me." Karlos bowed and said. "I shall oblige my liege." Soon after Karlos returned followed in tow by a man in his mid-forties. The man was of average height and built and was both bald and clean-shaven and walked with a measured and methodical step. He was wearing a rather foreign-looking armor a mixture of scale and chain mail. With scales covering the torso area and upper arm and chain mail covering the underarm and neck, he was also wearing red linen pants. Just before he reached five paces from Galahad he bowed in a rather awkward manner in stark contrast to his previous measured actions before saying. "Greetings Prepositus, I am Marius Cementarius Arabicus ex centurion of the mercenarius Legio Ist Arabicus and son of Gaius Cementarius Barcarius the builder of Barcaria. I have come here looking for employment." Galahad raised his left eyebrow and asked. "So mister Marius from my understanding of Umbrian society you must be a rather skilled commander. So how did you end up at my court?" The man responded and said. "Well, Prepositus the reason is rather simple. After the battle of Yargon took place as the leader of the first century of the second cohort the highest-ranking member of the army alive. I decided that rather than taking the long trek back to Umbria without any supplies. It would be better to surrender my Legio to the Frankians. Since I knew the Dekarxi would have my head for not bringing glory and treasure back to Umbria but instead costing them it. I was prepared to accept my fate and lose my head. But a good knight named Sir Varolin von Barquis which had a good enough understanding of Umbrian politics to realize what my fate would be if I returned and believing that I did the honorable thing by surrendering. Implored the king of the Frankians to allow me to go to voluntary exile rather than return to Umbria and face certain death. I was accompanied by five other men my old contubernium mates. Those five were the Decanoi of their own troops but decided to follow me since as my associates their careers were pretty much over. So we headed north in the hope that we will manage to amass enough wealth in this Barbarian land to return to Umbria as Equites. But after we reached the Temple of Diater the northernmost oracle. We were given a divine mission to come to the northernmost point and serve for ten years before returning to Umbria. After heading straight north we reached the Dukedom of Novick where we were ordered to take the ship and head to here. As such we will be in your command for ten years and then we will return to Umbria as Servi Dei." Galahad nodded and said. "I assume you would want to establish a temple to your god? ." Cemantarius shook his head and said. "No there is no need Diater and the local god Emas are the same god under different names. As long as you have a shrine to him and we are allowed to worship in the temple as we wish at certain times of day we would be most content." Galahad nodded and said. "Currently there is no such shrine, But I do plan to go on a pilgrim to get the authority to build one." Cemantarius''s eyes shined and he bowed deeply before saying. "I now understand why Diater sent me here. Please allow me to come with you on the holy pilgrimage. Diater must have wanted me to come to spread his worship and cement it." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Galahad nodded and said. "We will do so then. For now please make yourself acquainted with both Boris and Martin at the barracks. Nickolas, please give the man a permit allowing him and his men access." Karlos quickly wrote down a permit. Galahad took it and carefully read it before sealing it. Then Cemantarius said. "Thank you very much my Prepositus. As a token of my appreciation, I have decided to gift to you these two books as a means to show my gratitude for hearing me out." Galahad took those two books and looked at the titles. While the script seemed similar to the ritualistic Occitan script. There were some unknown letters. Galahad then smiled towards Cemantarius and said. "I am in your debt for such great gifts." Cemantarius bowed and left the room. "I am happy your pleased Prepositus." After Cemantarius left the room. Karlos said "Sire, Why did you allow this man to come here and straight away stay with the troops? He could be a spy or something worse." Galahad looked at Karlos and said. "Boris can''t really act against me. While Martin is rather trustworthy. Additionally, he claimed that his father was a great architect and I hope that he has inherited some of his abilities. The fact he gifted me books is also a good sign. Showing that he values knowledge or at least that his backer thinks I value knowledge. If there is such a backer it is most likely the Duke. But Cemantarius like every other man has his own ambitions and I think I saw a hint of fervor in his eyes when I mentioned the pilgrimage. Finally, all the men traveling with him are at least seasoned soldiers and at best would make decent sub-commanders." Karlos nodded and said. "That is indeed true Sire, But if he is just a fanatic. Isn''t the number of extremists we are getting rather worrisome though? Boris and his men are rather extreme and now with Cemantarius, most of the army will be made up of fanatics. The general public is also much more religiously minded after your last public event." Galahad nodded and said. "While this is true the fact that there is more than one faiths should help me keep the balance. But yes, I am also somewhat worried. On the other hand could you please tell me what the books are about, I can''t read that language." Karlos took the books and looked at the titles for a whole minute before saying. "Those books are indeed something special. The language is somewhat similar to Frankian. But it does have some stark differences. Most likely it is Umbrian but it must be an older version. As I do have some minor understanding of the modern Umbrian language. My suggestion would be to seek out your brother to help you decipher the contents of those books. But if the books contain illustrations they could give us a hint of their contents." After opening the first book he was greeted by an illustration of a simple man wearing rather odd clothes. This illustration also shows a bountiful harvest surrounding the man and some small bees flying around him. In the next illustration, it shows a box-like thing with the height, width, and length of an arm. The next illustration show''s a frame with a honeycomb structure being placed in the box, the frame has almost the same height and length as the box but is only one-tenth as wide. In the next illustration, it shows the man placing those boxes filled with frames on top of each other, additionally, there seems to be an exaggerated metal latch to secure those boxes together. In the next illustration, it shows the man placing a small metal mesh on top of the second box for no obvious reason. In the next illustration, it shows that the tower had grown to five boxes in height. The next illustration shows the tower surrounded by four logs with a simple gable roof (Triangle roof) on top of them. In the final illustration, we see the man holding a pot. From inside the pot, a golden viscous looking liquid is dropping on to the earth. Galahad furrowed his eyebrows and said. "This seems to be a technical manual for beekeeping. But those apiaries are rather odd. Do you have any idea, on why they would create such an odd apiary?" Karlos shrugged and said. "Perhaps in the middle continent where the summers are long and the lands are prosperous were winter is but a rarity bees are so common such big apiaries can be sustained. What about the second book?" Galahad opened it and inside it, they were some complex looking mechanisms, more sketched rather than illustrated. Galahad shrugged and said "Most likely, just a series of magical devices we can let my brother deal with it." Karlos bowed and said. "As you wish sire." Galahad nodded and said. "Anything else?" Karlos shook his head and said. "No sire, Do you need me for anything else?" Galahad shook his head and responded. "No, You are dismissed. But take those books to my brother." An hour later a messenger arrived, After entering the hall he bowed deeply and as soon as Galahad motioned him to speak he stood up and said. "Baron Emanuel von Kompoli calls Sir Galahad to attend a meeting in two days'' time in regard to a newly sprang bandit group. The Bandit group has thus far only terrorized the Hamlet of Erfia. Baron Emanuel, on the request of the recently returned Sir Monert, requests the assistance of any virtuous Knight in solving such a grievous matter which puts the stability of the barony and the nearby region at stake. Such assistance shall be in the form of both council and manpower. To test the skill of the brave men ready to lay down their lives to eliminate the threat. A small, joined, and melee tournament shall take place. Where all the vassals which have sworn fealty to Baron Emanuel shall take part. The tournament shall take place in Gragon at the same time as the meeting. With at least four men participating to represent each vassal. The top three competitors will be granted an enviable honor. Additionally, the top three shall be given one whole gold coin, half a whole gold coin, and thirty whole silver coins respectively from each vassal whose team failed to qualify to the top three. Finally, this meeting is to celebrate the return of Sir Monert, Sir John, Sir Kellor and Sir Norodon and to morn the disgrace or death or slavery of the rest of the unfortunate Knights. Specifically, Sir William has been sold to slavery as he didn''t have enough funds to pay his ransom, Sir Mathew has died in glorious combat, Sir Bardeon died in glorious combat, Sir Derrick died in glorious combat, Sir Verkion has been sold to slavery as he didn''t have enough funds to pay his ransom, Sir Halderon is still missing, Sir Hedrion was found running a bandit group and has been declared an outlaw and as such has been stripped of his pedigree and a bounty has been placed on his head. The bounty is worth ten whole gold coins and shall be paid to the man or men who shall bring him to justice either dead or alive." Galahad nodded and said with a neutral tone while seeming a bit disconnected. "I will be there. But I would like to enquire about the specifics in regards to the competition." The messenger bowed and said. "Each lord shall either personally lead or adjudicate the leadership to one of his subordinates. Each lord will fight every other lord. The minimum amount of men a lord can have is four but the maximum is eight. For every man that they knock out or force to surrender the team will be rewarded with one point, while the enemy team will lose one point. The top three will be decided based on the highest amount of points. In the case of a tie. The tie-breaker shall be a priest of Lados which will decide which team fought the most honorably and valiantly." Galahad nodded and said absentmindedly. "Dismissed I shall be there." The messenger bowed deeply and left the room. After the messenger exited the room Galahad continued to stare at the sealing before snapping out of it and ordering an attendant to call for Karlos. After a short while, the attendant was back followed in tow by Karlos. After the attendant left the hall Karlos bowed deeply and said. "Why did you request my presence Sire? Is something the matter? Or do you want my report on the books?" Galahad thought for a moment before saying. "What about the books?" Karlos nodded and said. "Your brother said it will take some time to decipher them. But he does own a lexicon of Old Umbrian. Additionally, he suspects that those books were given as a gift because the man either couldn''t read them or those books are terribly out of date. In regards to the illustrations, he suggested we make an example apiary. He believes that by the time he would have finished the book it shouldn''t be too full. As such it would be prudent to start the project now" Galahad nodded and said. "Then after I dismiss you go to Nickolas and request a copy of the schematics and then send them to a skilled woodcutter. Promise him half of the honey from the first apiary." Karlos nodded and said. "It shall be done. So do you need me for anything else?" Galahad nodded and said. "I want you to prepare the Umbrians we shall test their mettle in two days'' time in a tournament in Gragon." Karlos bowed and said "It shall be done. Anything else?" Galahad nodded and said. "Additionally I would like it if you could get about twenty logs in the central square in the form of a funeral pyre. Additionally, I want you to inform everyone not to disturb me for the rest of the day under any but the direst circumstances. Is that understood?" Karlos bowed and said. "Yes, Sire." Galahad nodded and said. "Additionally, Please also inform my wife that this rule applies to her as well." Karlos nodded. Galahad sighed and said. "Dismissed." After Karlos left the room and Galahad was left alone his working leg buckled and knelt towards the floor his eyes teared up and he started crying. At the start, it was just a couple of tears but then it grew ever violent. It wasn''t long before He started to violently beat the floor and shout. "Why gods have you forsaken me? First, you took my Biological father before I ever truly met him and now while he is still in his prime years my Spiritual one. How is this fair? How am I supposed to be virtuous when all I see is the virtuous dying and the wicked living? Why are such dregs as Hedrion allowed to live while good men must die from either beasts, disease, or swords? Why have you forsaken us gods and given us such an incapable prince that his only accomplishment is to be born? A man which threw the lives of his subjects to the wind with reckless abandon, not for honor but prestige? Are our sacrifices not enough? Indeed I am but a terrible man not pious in the least. But Sir Mathew was an honorable and pious man. There was no man like him." But the gods didn''t answer his quarries and fear overtook his heart. *Are there gods?* He thought. *Is there an afterlife? Was it all for not? After all, didn''t the very existence of his castle prove how short-lived everything was? Perhaps he could have done something if he joined the war and spoke with the prince and advised him to retreat? But what if he killed the prince? What if he had convinced Mathew to desert? * The philosophical questions remained unanswered. But the practical ones had a lot of simple ones. *He couldn''t meet the prince let alone kill him and Sir Mathew would never discard his honor.* The rest of the night was filled with a mixture of more philosophical questions, memories, what-ifs and the fear of one''s own mortality, the one of his loved ones, and the one of his achievements. That circle of pain continued until he exhausted himself and he slept upon the same floor where he mourned. 28 No time for mourning As Galahad exited the room. His face was serene but darkened, his first action was to task one of the guards with gathering the people around the pyre and another one with preparing the sacrifices. In the meantime, he had a short talk with his brother. About, an hour later every man, woman, and child stood below a hastily erected funeral pyre. The weather was rather pleasant sunny with only a few lazy clouds dampening the mid-day warmth. A rather odd combination with the gloomy atmosphere. Galahad then stood up atop a small platform in front of the pyre and said. "My people, I have gathered you here today to mourn the passing of my spiritual father. A great man, who died in service of the King and Us. So as a means to honor such a martial man. I am announcing that soon I will depart on a pilgrimage. The journey will be long and arduous but at my return, we will have curried the favor of several patron gods including Emas the god of war and assured the passing of Sir Matthew to Emas''s Divine realm. I request that Priest Markos and Priest Ethan give a short sermon to ease his passing to the afterlife." After the speech, both Priest Markos and Priest Ethan after a few awkward seconds of standing around started slowly walking up to the platform perhaps in an attempt to get time to recollect their thoughts. For a few seconds, they just stood there slightly dazed. In a surprising turn the first one to speak was Ethan he cleared his throat and said. "We are gathered here today to mourn and request the aid of the goddess Ploutia in helping Sir Mathew in his journey to Emas''s Divine realm." He then opened a dazzlingly embezzled book and psalmed. "Oh, Goddess Ploutia protector of Merchants, Bankers, and Traders. I am sincerely requesting your help in aiding the mortal man named Mathew in his journey towards the afterlife. For he was a man worthy of the help of thy. For he defended the caravans and traders and spent his life fighting the bandits and abominations attempting to pray upon your flock. So we are humbly requesting your assistance in aiding him in his journey towards salvation as he once aided your followers. For his life was given to protect trade and prosperity." After this personalized part of the ceremony was over he continued with more generic prayers. After thirty more minutes. He concluded his ceremony and stood back. Galahad smiled genuinely and said. "I thank you, priest Ethan for your aid. I shall sleep easier knowing the well-traveled and cunning Ploutia is aiding my spiritual father." Ethan just gave a small smile and nodded. After silence took over for about a minute Markos walked forward. "We are gathered here today to mourn and request the aid of the god Lados in helping Sir Mathew in his journey to Emas''s Divine realm." He then opened a much less dashing but rather elegant looking book and psalmed. "Oh, God Lados protector of Nobles, Knights, and Honorable Men. I am sincerely requesting your help in aiding the mortal man named Mathew in his journey towards the afterlife. For he was a man worthy of the Help of thy. For he defended the weak and vanquished the wicked. Slaying the enemies of the righteous of Human and Beast form. So we are humbly requesting your assistance in aiding him in his journey towards salvation, as he once aided astray souls towards the path of chivalry by providing a crimson testament for them to imitate." After this personalized part of the ceremony was over he also continued with more generic prayers. After thirty more minutes. He concluded his ceremony and stood back. Galahad smiled and said. "I thank you, priest Markos for your aid. I shall sleep easier knowing the Honest and Honorable Lados is aiding my spiritual father." Markos looked intently towards Galahad for a moment and nodded. Galahad then looked towards the crowd and said. "With this ceremony now over. I feel that I and more importantly my spiritual father had closer. But I request that you all stand as witness to my oath." Galahad then kneeled down closed his eyes and said. "Oh, Powerful Emas, god of war and bloodshed. I pledge that I shall bring the light of your faith upon my home and if I shall fail. I pledge to cast out my right eye for I will be unworthy of viewing the full range of the gods'' light. But I do have to request that you grant my spiritual father a prideful abode." Galahad then stood up and said to the crowd. "You may now set fire to the pyre. After the priests and Galahad left the platform a lighting strike struck upon the funeral pyre and set it on fire." Indeed a sign of the gods murmured Markos and Ethan. The crowd was in awe but soon after started cheering. Galahad nodded and then said. "This clearly a sign that the gods view this favorably. Now bring the sacrifices. Soon one by one they sacrificed two hogs, four rams, and two roosters. May we feast upon the god touched remains so we may live a long and fruitful life." After a couple of hours of eating and socializing. Galahad took his leave and headed to his keep in a rather odd mood. As he reached his gate his brother and wife were waiting for him there. His wife seemed rather worried and attempted to support him but Galahad gave her a cold smile and said. "We can talk about this in a bit. It is important that I speak to my brother first." Nickolas gave a weary smile and said. "Shall we head to the under-croft?" Galahad nodded. Soon after they were in the under-croft below the keep. Galahad looked exhausted and said. "This was rather strenuous. I am rather ashamed of using my spiritual father''s death as a front for my pilgrimage to solve the theological issues that plague my fief." Nickolas shrugged and simply said. "It was your idea, and if anything you might have gone a bit too far with offering your eye as a sacrifice if you failed at the task at hand." Galahad shook his head and responded. "The gods require respect. I am not gonna just make an empty gesture to gather support. All the words I said earlier were true. I do intend to keep my word to the gods. Plus the fact my eye is on the line should push me to work harder." Nickolas sneered and said. "At this rate, you will run out of body parts to lose. From a Halfman you will end being a Deadman." Galahad shrugged and simply said. "The old me died when my ignorance cost me an arm and a leg. The current me lives on borrowed time from the ones that departed. If anything what is an eye in the pursuit of serving the people." Then Galahad smiled cheekily and added. "Plus thus far I have only lost a leg. So I still have some leeway." Nickolas scoffed and said. "Yes, an Eye an Ear, an Arm, and a testicle to be exact. After that, you probably will run out of luck." Nickolas then stopped for a moment and said with a more serious note. "Although I must say, I was pleasantly surprised on the level maturity you showed when asking for my help, and in all honesty the simple straight forward cunning of your idea was ingenious. In regard to maturity, forward planning and ingenuity you have grown a lot." Galahad shrugged and said. "I was forced to grow. But while I did expect the lighting strike to create such an atmosphere, I was still taken aback from their reactions." Nickolas nodded and said. "Indeed you did inspire some zeal in some of them and the more zealous ones will be emboldened after such a clear omen you should watch out. I haven''t seen such zeal from the time I was in the capital during the divine festival of Omra." Galahad nodded and said. "I will keep it in mind. Do you think I should tell my wife?" Nickolas shook his head and said. "The fewer people that know the better. Additionally, I don''t trust your wife fully." Galahad gave a simple nod and said. "It is about time I head back out. See you later brother." Nickolas nodded and simply said. "See you later brother." After that, the two men awkwardly exited the under-croft together. Before going their separate ways they halfheartedly signed each other goodbye. As Galahad went inside the throne room he saw all the upper rungs of his fief''s society waiting for him together with some visitors from all over the Barony of Gragon. Then each person walked up to him and gave their condolences. After about half an hour when the last person offered him his condolences. Galahad simply asked Karlos. "Are the Umbrians ready?" Karlos nodded. Galahad nodded and then asked Ludwig. "How is the settlement going?" Ludwig gave a weary smile and said. "It is difficult but your brother has been a big help." Galahad nodded and said. "If you need anything please inform me." Ludwig nodded and said. "It will take us at least a couple of years to be self-sufficient. But thank the gods it seems like we will clean up enough land to sow something before winter. This should alleviate some of the pressure on the food supply." Galahad nodded and then said "That would be for the best." The rest of the night was filled with idle talk and not much more until the couple was finally left alone. Katerina looked at Galahad sighed and said. "What has gotten into you? You seem a bit off and you have an air of guilt surrounding you. What is going on?" Galahad smiled and awkwardly said. "My spiritual father just died. I just need some time to process my emotions." Katerina sighed looked back and said. "If you need to talk about it, I am here for you." Galahad gave her a small nod and said. "I know you are." Soon after the couple retired to their bedroom. Before even the first crack of dawn, Galahad was already dressed up and standing outside the keep, whatever grogginess remained from the few hours of sleep was taken away by the morning chill. He then looked towards Marius and said. "Are you and your men ready?" Marius bowed and said. "Yes, my prep, I mean lord. Both I and my men are ready to fight for you." Galahad nodded and said. "Good, finish the last preparations, we shall leave in a few minutes." Galahad then turned away from Markos and admired the golden and orange hues of the sunrise. After a few minutes lost in the marvel of nature, he looked back and said. "Let''s go." A few hours later they reached Gragon. The town had recovered somewhat, more people were out and about and the town''s vibe was much more positive, the streets filled with laughter and hopeful chatter in stark contrast to the previous visit. However, the underlying issues were apparent by the more somber tones with which people dressed. Soon Galahad and his men reached the Keep but before they headed inside. A young attendant stood before them and gave a quick bow to Galahad. Before he said. "Greetings Sir, Galahad I would like to inform you that only non-combatants and Knights are allowed into the keep." Galahad nodded and then asked. "Then where are the men supposed to go?" The attendant simply said. "Don''t worry Sir, I shall lead the attendants to the training field." After that Markos and the five other Umbrians followed the attendant. Galahad headed to the great hall there most of the Local Knights had gathered and quite a few new faces. The first person to greet him was surprisingly enough, Sir Monert. He came before him and said. "Sir Galahad greetings, first I wish to give you my condolences. Secondly, I would request that you follow me in a side room, I have something to discuss with you." Galahad nodded and said. "I shall oblige you." Soon after the two men moved from the main hall to a side room. There Monert said. "First and foremost I need to thank you for defending my fief. As thanks, I need to inform you that the other reward for today''s competition is that the top three knights and the victorious men shall lead the expedition to exterminate that bandit group. But be careful they are not simple bandits." Galahad furrowed his eyebrows and asked. "What do you mean they are not simple bandits?" Monert simply shrugged and said. "Normal bandits do not have crossbows and chainmail armor nor do they have their team leaders equipped with half-plate." Galahad then said. "Do you think it is a trap?" Monert shrugged and said. "All I know is that someone is behind them and I don''t know who." Galahad nodded and said. "I am thankful for the help." Monert nodded and said. "It is nothing." Galahad then asked. "Sir Monert, do you know how Sir Matthew died?" Monert gave a simple nod and responded. "Yes, while I wasn''t present I know he was one of the people sent together with the prince. Apparently he died in the breakthrough charge." Galahad then simply nodded and said with a grey tone. "Thanks for the information." After that, the two men returned to the hall. As soon as the split up. Sir john grabbed Galahad from the shoulder and whispered to him with a threatening tone. "Do not ever again take command of my troops without my explicit permission understood." Galahad gave a simple nod. Sir John nodded and left to speak with an unknown knight. This was then followed by a short series of introductions between the different knights. After all, the majority of them were from the Barony of Kompoli. After about half an hour Baron Emanuel entered the hall followed by the priest and the "Honourable fellah" The Baron then cleared his throat with a cough and then simply said. " My good knights together we celebrate your return from the battlefield. As I was aware of your imminent return I asked priest Gregor on how to honor you. He suggested a martial tournament, but I decided to not only just test your physical mettle but your full might. For a man at arms is but an extension of the knight''s arms. As such a unit of excellent men at arms proves that their leader must be an excellent knight for being able to instill them with such martial prowess." He then stopped for a second looked at the gathered knights and added. "The Knights taking part are Monert von Erfia, John von Ienia, Galahad von Highkeep, Donathan von Psiltin, Konder von Sinor, Alexander von GroyCastle, Vann von Blackwood, Jillsive von Opulus, Morteger von Balgon and finally Ratius von Ropentil. But before the start of the competition, we shall first have the swearing of fealty by Sir Monert, Sir John, Sir Kellor and Sir Norodon." The fealty ceremony was the exact same as before. After that, a small feast took place lasting about an hour. As Galahad was eating the "Honourable gentleman" came over and said. "I see you have not brought with you your better half." Galahad nodded and said. "Indeed most Honourable Gentleman I have not. Why are you asking?" The man gave a painfully obvious fake smile and said. "Well my good Sir, I am but curious about Dame Katerina. I mean why wouldn''t you bring her to spectate the spectacle after all her presence immediately illuminates the room. Except if perhaps "gasp" she is not presentable right now?" Galahad gave a similar insincere smile and said. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Dame Katerina prefers the finer things in life as such bloodshed isn''t to her liking." The man smiled with a genuine smile and said. "But dead drunkards are? Hmm, how interesting. We shall converse later I have a task to complete for Baron Emanuel." The man then turned his back and quickly left the room. Before Galahad could respond. The Baron stoop up and decreed. "Now that you have eaten and drunk merrily brave knights. Let us gather to the training field where you shall prove your martial prowess." A few minutes after those words were uttered, the knights had gathered at the training field. 29 Tournament and Court politics After they reached the training field and the knights stood on the balcony. Baron Emanuel said. \"As I said earlier this competition is to honor the knights which fought in the war. As such they shall not pay into the prize pool, and additionally, if they are tired from the bloodshed and do not wish to partake in the competition they may forfeit.\" Emanuel then stopped talking, letting the knights take in what he just said. He then added. \"Which among you wish to forfeit the competition.\" Most of the landed knights of Kompoli motioned their withdraw with the exception of Alexander and Vann, while in stark contrast from the landed knights of Gragon Sir Monert was the only one to withdraw. Emanuel nodded and said \"The first round will be between John and Alexander let the games begin.\" Soon in the training field two \"groups\" appeared, on one side there were four relatively fit peasants of average height armed with wooden spears without the tip and on the other seven tall brawny men wearing half-plate armor and Sir John. Five of the men were armed with wooden pikes and two with simple wooden swords and shields. While John wore High-quality plate armor and used a wooden Warhammer. The fight went as expected the pikemen pushed the peasants in a corner and the swordsmen acted as flanking troops all the while John barked orders. The fight was uneventful a simple -4 to 4. Emanuel seemed unhappy very unhappy, he looked at Alexander and said. \"Sir, Alexander why aren''t you leading your men in the field after all aren''t you here to prove your martial valor.\" Alexander gave a weak smile and said. \"My men are meek from peace my Lord it is no wonder they can''t fight the hardened veterans of Sir John, As for me I have severe back pain.\" Emanuel reciprocated the smile and responded. \"Oh surely from all the feasting, after all, sitting all day tends to cause back pain. But I have a question why are then just four men representing you. After all, I am sure thanks to the long peace men must be plentiful.\" Alexander struck an over theatrical lamenting pose and said. \"Alas, the long peace has made my men barely even worthy of the title. Those are the ones that cause me the least amount of shame to bring before you, oh, gracious lord.\" Emanuel shook his head and signaled the end of the conversation, he then said. \"The Second round will be between Vann and Donathan let the fight begin.\" Soon in the training field, two groups drew near each other. In some ways, the distorted mirror image of each other. Both groups were made up of a knight and seven veteran men at arms. The men at arms in both groups were armed with wooden spears without the tip, shields, and with wooden swords as sidearms. Both also wore gambeson and kettle helmets. They were only two real differences in the armament. In the armament of the Knights Donathan wore middling-quality plate armor while Vann wore lower-quality plate armor, additionally, Donathan was armed with a wooden Greatsword while Vann was armed with a wooden poleaxe. Secondly, Vann''s men at arms also wore a steel cuirass over their gambeson. The battle was oddly one-sided. At the start, the aggressive maneuvers of Donathan seemed like they would win the day, as he used his men at arms to lock the enemy in position and then attempted to flank the spearmen. However, Vann''s superior reach allowed him to keep him at bay. While his men slowly gained the upper hand thanks to their superior equipment and more cohesive attack patterns. Eventually, Donathan managed to beat Vann but it was already too late with most of his men already defeated he was eventually overrun with the fight ending in a -3 to 3. Emanuel seemed pleased but didn''t comment and simply said. \"The Third round will be between Konder and Galahad let the fight begin.\" The battle was odd since neither knight led their troop. Konder had an archetypical force of eight men at arms armed with kettle helmets, gambesons, and wooden spears without the tip. While Galahad''s men wore the same exotic armor with only one rather minor difference between them on the crest of their helmets. Marius''s one had a crest holder transversely while the Decanoi''s one had it diagonally. The Umbrians were armed each with two smaller wooden spears and a wooden sword as a sidearm additionally the used long rectangular shields in stark comparison to the normal kite-shaped ones. Both sides got into position as they neared each other at about a distance of two meters the Umbrians suddenly threw their spears and then charged the unprepared men at arms. Scoring a quick victory of -8 to 5. After the starting rounds, they were a few more interesting battles. The battle between Galahad and John was the highlight of the day with the Umbrians starting by throwing their spears and charging at the defending Armsmen in a bullhead formation in an attempt to quickly break their flanks and overrun them. However, John''s men stood their ground and their swordsmen managed to push back the flanking maneuver. The battle was then turned into a slow grind with John proving victorious thanks to his numerical superiority. Netting a victory of -1 to 1. Another Interesting fight was between Galahad and Vann. The fight started with the Umbrians throwing their spears and charging. However, in stark contrast with the other fights, Vann decided to have his men spread out in the shape of an empty trapezium and then counter charge. The counter-charge took the Umbrians by surprise leading to them getting beaten. Netting a phyric victory of 0 to 0 for Vann. The rest of the battles went out how you would expect Alexander lost all of them without any funfair. Getting him -20 points, while Konder''s unit did decently but thanks to their high number he almost did worse than Alexander points-wise and ended up with a score of -19 points, Donathan did okay and Earned -1 points, While Vann Earned 8 points winning the third position, Galahad Earned 12 points winning the second position, and John finally Earned 20 points coming first. With the games ending Emanuel had the three knights stand in front of him. With John in the right, Galahad on the center, and Vann on the left. He first centered his attention on Vann and said. \"Sir Vann, you and your men fought valiantly. You personally showed exceptional leadership and your unit was perhaps the most disciplined in comparison to others. But the equipment gap proved fateful in the end.\" He then placed his right hand over Vann''s right shoulder and offered him a pouch filled with coins with his left. Sir Vann then gave a small bow and took the pouch. Emanuel then moved his attention to Galahad and said. \" Sir Galahad, despite you not leading your men and their inferior number in comparison to other contestants you managed to come second. That is proof that a sharp enough arrow can fall even the most valorous of knights. But at the end of the day, an archer out of arrows is a dead one.\" He then placed his right hand over Galahad''s right shoulder and then offered him a pouch filled with coins with his left. Sir Galahad then gave a small bow and took the pouch. Emanuel then moved his attention to John and said. \"Sir John, the mixture of personal leadership, excellent equipment, and outstanding discipline lead to a crushing victory. The kingdom and I as your direct liege are lucky to have you on our side. May you always fight with honor.\" He then placed his right hand over John''s right shoulder and then offered him a pouch filled with coins with his left. Sir John then gave a small bow and took the pouch. Emanuel then smiled and looked back at the gathered Knights, before he said. \"To honor the three winners and their brave men, they shall have the honor of exterminating the bandit menace. For there is no greater gift to a chivalrous man than a chance for more glory. The three of you shall leave at the morn to exterminate the bandit threat. May you prove victorious.\" The men nodded. After that, a short feast took place with Galahad, John, and Vann being the honored guests. As things started to wind down a familiar face made its appearance. The woman gave a short bow and said. \"Sir Galahad, may I have a moment of your time?\" Galahad raised his left eyebrow and had a mildly mocking smile adorning his face as he spoke. \"Lady Klarin, to what do I owe the honor? Is perhaps anything the matter?\" Lady Klarin stood back up, a fierce look adorning her face as she said. \"I will tell you in a more private setting If you would entertain me.\" Galahad thought for a second and responded. \"I prefer if we would stay in a public place. How about we talk outside a few meters away from the noise of the feast.\" Lady Klarin nodded and said. \"As you wish.\" After that, the two of them moved a few meters away still in viewing distance of everyone taking part in the feast but not on hearing distance. Lady Klarin then wishperd. \"Now that we are a fair distance away, I am requesting your help so I may get back my son and my husband.\" She then took a deep breath and added. \"I will do anything.\" Galahad raised his eyebrow and whispered. \"Anything?\" Lady Klarin nodded and whispered. \"Anything.\" Galahad then wispered to her ear. \"Then why aren''t you offering your body in a whorehouse to get the money to get your son and your husband out of trouble. I am sure there are many merchants which savor the idea of taking a noblewoman.\" Lady Klarin''s face looked horrified but she responded calmly but with an undertone of outrage. \"I would never demean myself into becoming a woman of such low ethics.\" Galahad gave a cunning smile and whispered. \"Then you wouldn''t do anything.\" Lady Klarin then gave a half-assed smile and attempted half-heartedly to be seductive as she responded. \"I would do it for a single night if that is what it took.\" Galahad gave an insincere smile and responded. \"I am not interested. However, there is something you can do for me.\" Lady Klarin''s eyes light up and she nodded strongly as said. \"I would do anything.\" Galahad gave her a mocking smile and said. \"We both know that is not true. However, the price of your husband''s and son''s freedom is information. Anything and everything. After a year of you feeding me info, if the info is real and useful. I will pay for their return. If even a single piece of info is fake or you simply don''t gather enough the deal is off the table. \" She thought for a moment and nodded. Galahad smiled sincerely and said. \"Good, we have a deal then.\" After the conversation was over and they both returned the feast the hall was filled with small talk. Eventually, Donathan came over and said. \"Greetings, Sir Galahad long time no see.\" Galahad gave an honest looking smile and responded. \"Indeed, Sir Donathan long time no see. So I learned you got a fief.\" Donathan smiled bitterly and responded. \"I got a ruin. But the count helped me to start getting it back together. I even inherited the previous owners Exoristoi points.\" Galahad then raised an eyebrow and asked. \"Don''t you get harassed by the bandits? I heard Sir Monert was the one to raise the alarm.\" Donathan shook his head and responded. \"Not, as much as Monert. I have been mostly left alone bar the occasional raid. Then again there isn''t that much to steal.\" Galahad nodded and said. \"I see, that makes some sense. Speaking of bandits do you have info, you wish to share.\" Donathan thought for a moment and responded. \" Well, they were well armored, the one guy we caught said that their Leaders were a bit odd?\" Galahad raised his eyebrow and asked. \"In what way?\" Donathan simply answered. \"Apparently none of them speaks and they only write their orders, additionally the smell really badly and never bathe. He also said he had never seen them taking off their armor and they even eat and drink through the visor.\" Galahad then looked curiously and asked. \"How did they even group up with them?\" Donathan gave a nod and said. \"I too found it weird. So I asked and apparently they were bandits based on the Valley of a hundred rivers. But the big boss allegedly sent them out to expand his influence under the three-team leaders.\" Galahad nodded and said. \"Thanks for the information, so is there anything else you want to talk about?\" Donathan awkwardly scratched the back of his head and responded. \"To be honest, I mostly wanted to congratulate you on pulling yourself and your fief back together. I am sorry I left so abruptly but duty is duty. \" Galahad nodded and said. \"Don''t worry I don''t hold a grudge over your departure. However, I would like to know how did those weird laws get passed in the first place?\" Donathan simply responded. \"I don''t know I just affirmed them. I didn''t think it was my place to change any of them. I enforced them to the letter and that is about it.\" Galahad nodded and said. \"I am thankful for your honesty, may your fief grow rich and prosperous.\" Donathan smiled and said. \"I wish you the same, good Sir.\" After the feast was over. Galahad headed towards the room of miss Etheria and knocked. Miss Etheria opened the door and her first reaction when she saw Galahad was to smile and say. \"Galahi how are you? What are you doing here at this time of night? Do you want me to tell you a fairy tale to put you to sleep? Are you having nightmares again?\" Galahad gave a smile and said. \"Well, I wanted to visit you last time. But something came up. Anyhow, I wanted to ask you if anything changed since Emanuel took over?\" Etheria gave a half-smile and responded. \"Oh you know he just doesn''t trust us the old servants quite yet.\" Galahad looked worried and said. \"You know if you ever lose your work you can are always welcome over to my fief.\" Etheria gave Galahad a big smile and said. \"Don''t worry since it was in the will of Baron Monver that we continue to be employed. He has let us continue working here, but he keeps away from any important meetings and he has even brought his own servants. However, on the bright side, that means less work for me and you know these old bones have started getting frail.\" Galahad smiled and said. \"Just so you know if you need anything or need a place to stay I am here for you.\" Etheria gave a big smile and ruffled Galahad''s hair before saying. \"Don''t worry little Galahi everything will be alright. Now go to sleep I heard you have a big day in front of you.\" Galahad smiled and said. \"Alright, Good night.\" Etheria smiled compassionately and said. \"Good night, Galahi.\" After that conversation, Galahad headed back to Veron''s house to stay for the night. As for his men they spent the night on the Barracks. 30 Announcemen @@Hello, everyone, people reading this in webnovel and on other websites where this book is pirated. First of all, I hope you have enjoyed my book this far! I loved every single of your comments and advise! Now, let me add a few things about myself. My name is Vlassis Behrakis I am 21 and I am from Greece. I hope that when the book comes out on Amazon or is traditionally published you will support me! But, if you don''t have the money to do so word of mouth is all I am asking! If you can''t do either, I still hope I brought you some semblance of joy with my irregular publishing schedule!