by Kyle Johnson
That’s probably because I have higher reputation with Twilight and Sickle than Blades, Aranos realized silently. I’m only Amiable with the Guards, while I’m Friendly with the Keepers and Admired by the Druids. “And how did you get the training crystals from Jhaeros?”
“That was much harder,” she grimaced. “First, he demanded that I train with the crystals until I was exhausted. Repeatedly. For a full hour.” She glanced meaningfully at him. “You may not experience Stamina deprivation now, but I can assure you: I certainly do, and that man took far too much delight in watching me collapse, helpless, upon the ground, multiple times. I believe he even laughed at my attempts to continue once I had reached my limit.
“Once that happened, he allowed me to take the crystals, as he has no other students he feels worthy of them – yet, he requested that I use them to do to you as he did to me, and to record the moments in a memory stone for later viewing.” She shuddered as she finished.
“Yeah, he’s a sadist,” Aranos winced. “Thank you so much for doing all of this, Geltheriel. I can’t believe you got all this done…”
“In addition,” she went on, interrupting him, “I asked Lorsan to be sure you were prepared for our journey. You are fortunate to have that one, Oathbinder; he is quite competent and effective. He procured all of the water, rations, and supplies we would need. He even reached out to my family and, using your ties to me, brokered an excellent deal for a good supply of elixirs. All is ready for our departure, save that you must Enchant some items for Lorsan to sell. I placed much of our wealth in his hands, so the House has significant credit, now, but there will be a need for more.”
Aranos stared at the woman in amazement. He’d thought earlier about how Geltheriel had been groomed to take over her House one day, and now he was seeing her skills in action. She was talented at this sort of planning and at delegation, two things he was weak in. He may have been lucky to have Lorsan, but he was incredibly fortunate to have her as a Follower.
“Wait, are you a member of my House?” he asked suddenly. “Aren’t you a member of House Meluiben?”
“No longer,” she said simply, her eyes distant for a moment. “I sent a message to my sister letting her know of my intent to join your House, and she replied with her best wishes. I am now Geltheriel of Evenshade, at least, so long as you agree.”
“Of course, I do!” he exclaimed quickly. “I’m just…are you okay with doing that?”
“I am both happy and relieved to do it,” she admitted. “It is best for my sister and I both. So long as I was Geltheriel of Meluiben, I was a danger for my family. I was still eldest, and while I surrendered my claim, others might have attempted to use me to discredit my sister or weaken her position. With the fall of Exxidor, this was a greater threat, as their former allies know that a daughter of Meluiben was instrumental in the House’s destruction.
“Now, as a member of House Evenshade, I can never present such a threat again. This also means that my family need not hold me at arms’ length any longer, and in fact, my mother has asked to meet you, now that it is safe to do so.”
“Do you want to?” he asked her cautiously. Aranos knew that Geltheriel’s split with her family hadn’t been entirely amicable and had led to her being all but disowned by them. He also knew she harbored some resentments over that; he wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d never wanted to speak to them again.
“I do,” she said simply. “Things will not be the same between my mother and I, of course, but…I have not spoken directly to her in many years, Oathbinder. Even if our only words are ones of regret and farewell, it would please me to be able to say them.”
Aranos nodded; he understood that. He and his mom weren’t close, but they weren’t distant, either. She and his dad came to town every so often, and he took time off work to spend with them when they did. His mom was a teacher and had always hoped he’d use his talents in math and science to teach one day, as well. He hadn’t had any interest in that, though, and it had been a minor point of contention between them for a while. She’d come to terms with his choices, eventually, and now she rarely mentioned the job openings in her local school system to him, at least.
Even so, to not be able to speak to his mom, not knowing how she felt about him, what was going on in her life, even how her health was, for years on end? That would eat at him, he knew. “Okay, I’ll speak to Lorsan, and he can make the arrangements,” he nodded. “It’ll have to be when we return, though, if that’s okay.”
“I did so inform her, as I, too, would like to see this Cleansing Quest started, Oathbinder. She understands and is willing to wait.
“And still, that is not all that has been accomplished,” she finished. “Lady Wynathra was true to her word, as of course she would be, and has given us maps that will guide us from Eredain to the nearest point on the High Roads, and from there to Antas. It is, I believe, a journey of two days, no more.”
She gestured, and a map appeared before them, showing the Stronghold of Eredain glowing at the southern edge of the elven forests, in the center of a peninsula of green that jutted out into the Blightlands. A line of black wound through the Blighted areas to the south of the city, weaving into the hills to the east and stopping at a glowing spot that rested at the opening to a pass between a pair of mountain ranges.
“That is Antas,” Geltheriel told him, pointing to the glowing dot in the mountain pass. “It is easy to see why it was considered one of the most defensible places in the Kingdoms of Light. It rests on a border where once the lands of elves, humans, and dwarves met. It is protected from assault on the west by the Istaruin, the River of Wisdom. To the north and south lie the peaks of the Eredrasse, which humans call the Horned Mountains.
“To conquer it, the Darkness had to fell four kingdoms and besiege the city; yet, now that it is held by the Shadow, those same defenses work against us, as we must cross the Blightlands and make our way down the High Road to assault that fortress.”
“We’ll figure something out,” he shrugged. “We don’t have to conquer the whole place; we just have to get into the Vault, after all.”
“True,” she nodded. “Yet, could we retake the city, it would serve as a Stronghold along the High Roads and perhaps allow passage between the Human and Elven lands once more.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he decided. “No point in worrying about it until we see how strongly the city is held. I mean, if there’s a fricking dragon sitting on top of it, we might be sneaking in and hitting the Vault before running the heck away from the city, you know?”
“That seems a wise course of action,” she agreed. “Although I would honestly be disappointed that you could not create a Spell that could turn said dragon into a small lizard, perhaps, or give it a fear of elves. I might lose my utter and complete faith in you.”
Aranos snorted derisively. “Yeah, if you ever have that, I’m probably gonna have to smack you. Or maybe have Saphielle do it. I need you to keep telling me when I’m about to be an idiot, so I really don’t want to hear, ‘Whatever you say, Oathbinder’ come out of your mouth, alright?”
She laughed at his imitation of her. “Well played,” she congratulated him. “It is a bargain. If I ever begin to have utter confidence in you and stop questioning your plans, you are welcome to strike me for it.”
Once they’d arrived back at his estate, Aranos had immediately been approached by two individuals. One, of course, was Lorsan, who Aranos felt he owed an apology. The man had been nothing but calm, efficient, and effective, and Aranos had been kind of dismissive of him. First, though, he had to deal with the other man.
The player who called himself Mathias the Lancer stopped a few feet in front of Aranos and gave a low, sweeping bow. “My Lord Evenshade,” he said grandly. “I hope your day has been fruitful.”
Aranos kept from rolling his eyes, but only barely. Mathias was one of those players who gave his character a personality and back-story and role-played tha
t to the hilt. His chosen persona had a decided flair for the dramatic, something Aranos could honestly do without, but the man himself was pretty likeable.
“Mathias,” the Sorcerer inclined his head in return. “I managed to complete a Quest, so that’s a good thing, at least. Was your party one of the ones that got attacked last night?”
Mathias rose from his bow, and his face took on a sorrowful expression. “Indeed, my Lord. At least we managed to complete our bounty before the craven Shadowborn assault, and we took some with us when we fell.”
“Well, I heard you got some Quests to resolve that. I can add one more for you.” Aranos pulled up his shareable Quest and thought about sending it to Mathias. The Warrior’s eyes glazed over for a moment before a grin spread across his face.
“Thank you, my Lord,” he almost crooned. “Our Wizards were distraught that there was no Quest for them, but I told them to be patient, and Lord Evenshade would provide.”
“They’ve also been granted access to the House of Stars Library,” Aranos added. Seeing the excitement in the man’s eyes, he held up a cautioning hand. “For the purposes of researching this Quest only. Grandmaster Ruehnar will know if they so much as touch a book that isn’t one they need for this Quest. Oh, and they don’t stock Spell books; those have to be bought from the House Store.”
“I’ll make sure they know, my Lord.”
“Make sure they also know that Grandmaster Ruehnar is not someone they want to cross. That man scares me when he’s upset, Mathias. If they aren’t incredibly respectful of everyone in the House; if they don’t follow every rule exactly, they’ll be lucky if all he does is banish them.” Aranos leaned closer to the man. “And that’s before I get hold of them for making me look bad in front of the Grandmaster. If something like that happens, Mathias, I will be. Very. Upset.”
Mathias swallowed and nodded. “I will make sure they know, my Lord,” he assured the Sorcerer before bowing and walking away. Aranos was certain the man got his point; the first time he’d met the Travelers, they’d tried to kill him and had all ended up going for respawn, instead. They’d grown since then, but he was pretty sure he could still take them all if he had to. The difference between a regular Class and an Advanced Class was huge, and his Advanced Class was a powerful one.
“Welcome home, my Lord,” Lorsan bowed. “Congratulations on completing your Quest.”
“Thanks, Lorsan,” Aranos smiled at the man. He glanced at Geltheriel, who nodded minutely.
“I must go see how the training progresses,” she told the two. “As well, I will be sure that Mathias’ warning is doubly heard, as I believe that you have perhaps underestimated Grandmaster Ruehnar’s wrath, Oathbinder.” She turned and walked off, following the lancer.
“Lorsan, I owe you an apology and my thanks,” Aranos sighed, turning to the blank-faced elf. “You’ve been nothing but helpful, and I…I haven’t, to be honest.
“However, this House is my responsibility, and I do want it to be successful. So, let’s get this Path thing worked out, and then I’ll spend some time Enchanting for you. What do we need to do?”
“My thanks, my Lord,” the elf murmured. “And please thank your Oathbound for me when you get a chance.” The elf turned and began walking toward the manor, beckoning for Aranos to follow. A few minutes later, the pair found themselves ensconced in Aranos’ new study, Aranos sitting in a comfortable if worn and faded chair while Lorsan perched on a high-backed wooden seat next to a table, his ever-present sheaf of papers in hand.
Following Lorsan’s instructions, Aranos was glancing through his House Status screen. As before, he was surprised at just how much had been left for him by the departing elves of the previous House. After all, surely the various members of the now-defunct House Exxidor wouldn’t leave behind valuable Enchanted items and significant wealth just because they were told to. Lorsan explained that simply enough, though.
“You must understand, my Lord, they had no choice in the matter. Elder Golloron dissolved the House and commanded it to disperse through the agency of the Tree-heart. Lacking Elders or a Patriarch, there were none to gainsay that command, and the Tree-heart compelled all of Exxidor to follow the Elder’s order. The only way for them to go against that is to sever their connection to the Tree-heart, which would also expel them from the Elven Realms and force them to seek sanctuary…elsewhere.”
And elsewhere meant the Human or Dwarven lands, which meant traveling the Corrupted High Roads through the Blightlands…essentially a death sentence, for most of them. Aranos hadn’t realized that the Elder’s authority was so deeply rooted in the Tree-heart; if that was the case, he wondered why Golloron hadn’t been able to stop Keryth from trying to enslave the Tree-heart and Corrupt the entire city. Perhaps the slave brands that Keryth used had affected Golloron or weakened him; Aranos wanted to ask, but he and the Elder had never gotten along that well, and he wasn’t sure how to phrase a question like that diplomatically.
Aranos glanced around his study. It was a medium-sized room, big enough for a few people to sit in comfortably. One wall held rows of books, none of which Aranos had examined, yet, while another was lined with cabinets that he hadn’t glanced into. He’d expected the room to be some sort of dark brown, but the walls and wooden items were a deep golden color that actually brightened the whole place a bit; dark brown probably would have been a bit oppressive and might even have made it harder to read and study in here. Of course, that might not have been the case, since one entire wall sported large windows that looked onto the estate that stretched below him.
It wasn’t what he would have considered a noble estate on Earth – Eredain was a city built across the crowns of giant trees, and things like open fields, stables of horses, and fishing ponds simply weren’t possible here. It was still a decent-sized piece of property, though, stretching up two levels of the city, with one central manor house and multiple smaller homes across the estate. There was a large, apartment-like building that housed the servants – at least, those that didn’t live in the manor house. The Travelers now occupied a few of the smaller houses, while Aranos and his Avowed Follower Geltheriel stayed in the main building with Lorsan and three other servants who he guessed were tasked to maintain the manor and provide for the Patriarch and his Follower.
Aranos sighed. “Okay, so how does all this work?” he asked. “I’ve got a Quest to get us to the next Rank, and I really don’t know how to do that. What would we need, and what benefits do we gain from doing so?”
“If you concentrate on your current Rank, my Lord, you will see what steps must be taken to reach the next Rank,” Lorsan answered in the same calm voice.
Aranos obligingly did so, and a new screen opened up:
Current House Rank: Fledgling
Next Rank: Young
Base Reputation: Disliked (Current Reputation: Suspicious)
Path Bonus: 0% (No Path Chosen)
Highest Rank Structure Allowed: Uncommon
Requirements:
50 or more members (Currently 22)
8 Common-ranked Structures (Currently 12)
4 Uncommon-ranked Structures (Currently 6)
4 Elders (Currently 0)
House Path must be chosen
“Wait, what’s this about Elders?” Aranos asked as he read through the screen. “Do I need to be recruiting older elves? How do I name an Elder?”
“Elders need not necessarily be advanced in age, my Lord,” Lorsan explained. “However, they must have been members of the House longer than any others in their location, which means that for more established Houses, only those of great age will qualify. Any of your House’s holdings can have one Elder present per House Rank; your House is rank two, so you can have two Elders at this location, for example, and those two must have been with your House longer than all other members, even if it is by mere minutes.”
Aranos glanced through his screen again, curious. His screen said that he had three unique holdings; when he concent
rated on that, he saw that one was here in Eredain, while the other two were in cities that he didn’t recognize: Ulethelas and Elren Aethel. “So, I could theoretically have six Elders in total,” he noted.
“You could, my Lord, except that you have no members of your House at your holdings outside of Eredain. Your holdings in far northern Elren Aethel and the capital city of Ulethelas are manned solely by servants and hirelings. You will need more House members, and you will need to send those members to your holdings elsewhere if you wish to name them as Elders in those locations.”
“Okay, so what’s the point of increasing my Rank? How does it help my House?”
“There are many benefits to increasing your Rank, my Lord. The first is that, once you choose a Path, you will receive bonuses to that Path based on your House Rank. They start small, at first, but they can grow quite large.
“The next is that increasing your Rank also improves your Reputation with other Houses. As you can see, as a Fledgling House, you are starting with the Reputation of Disliked, although your existing Reputation in the Elven Realms has boosted that to Suspicious. This means that while other Houses will generally be wary of you, they will not actively work against you, at least not unless you do something to harm your relationship with them. Improved Reputation means that your House will attract more followers, you can develop allies among the other Houses, and all elves will be more predisposed to take advantage of whatever goods or services you choose to offer through your Path.”
Aranos sighed. “So, I guess the next step is to pick a Path, huh?” He frowned. “You know, I think I got offered the opportunity to choose a Path Perk when I was granted the House. Let me take a look…” He quickly pulled up the notification he’d received when Golloron had first granted him his House, before he’d realized what a headache it would become: