by Seth Ring
Title Amended: Lord Greymane, the Moon Wolf [Baron]
As the ruler of Fang Valley, your position has been recognized by the Northern Empire. You have gained the landholding rank of Baron and the responsibilities associated. For a complete list of the privileges and responsibilities associated with your rank please refer to the Imperial Codex of Law.
“Wait a moment, you did not have the title yet when you sent Oberlin to the capital. How did he apply for citizenship?” Velin pointed out the hole in Thorn’s explanation.
“Haha, let's just say I’m a very talented individual.” Oberlin grinned smugly from his seat.
“Ah. I see.” Velin nodded.
“I don’t see.” Mina exclaimed, her pouting expression causing everyone around the table to laugh.
“He probably wrote the documents before Thorn arrived here. By the time Thorn cleared Greymane Keep, the documents he forged were no longer forgeries, which allowed Oberlin to file them immediately after getting them checked.”
“Exactly.” Thorn nodded, taking over the explanation from Velin. “At the end of the day, the empire wants taxes and so long as we pay them, they are not too concerned with a small baronage. We agreed to pay a higher than normal tax rate for the first two years as well as a special tax to the Ironhold Duke. While the empire is not concerned with us, our new position means that a player guild like Ragnarok will have to be cautious about attacking us since we are vassals of the Ironhold Duke and any challenge to us is a challenge to him.”
“Leave contacting Ragnarok to me.” Sitting next to Thorn, Athena looked up from feeding tidbits of fruit to Akira. “I’ll let them know what the situation is and negotiate a settlement.”
“I don’t mind handling it.”
“No, I insist.” Athena smiled, though her eyes carried a cold look. “You focus on what you are good at, like punching people. Let me take care of the things I am good at.”
“Like taking a layer of skin off business rivals at the negotiation table,” cackled Bluefire from the other side of the table before ducking a piece of fruit that Athena threw across the table.
“Trust me Thorn, I’ll handle it appropriately.” Athena shot a warning glance at her chuckling guild mates.
“Thank you, aunt. I know you’ll do a great job.” The look in his eyes was soft and full of love as he watched Athena fool around. She had always taken wonderful care of him and it seemed that nothing had changed now that they were in this new world. Standing to his feet, Thorn looked around at the gathered players and natives. He could read many thoughts and feelings in their faces. Some looked to him for security and stability, some looked to him with their ambition. A few even looked at him with a burning flame in their eyes that he could not quite place. Regardless, their eyes were fixed on him, and for the first time in his life, it was not because of his abnormal size.
“Thank you all for celebrating this victory with me. We have much to do in the coming days so I want to thank you now for your hard work. A few things to note. Per our agreement with the Society of Roses, a branch of their guild will be established here as a mark of the alliance between Nova Luna and the Society of Roses. Additionally, Elder Havva has agreed to open the Temple of the Moon to those who want to walk the path of the disciple. He will be responsible for overseeing the temple and the training of new disciples. We expect a large influx of new players.
“Velin has been tasked with negotiating with the merchants who are interested in establishing themselves in Moon Wolf Citadel, so if you hear anyone asking around, please refer them to her. Diplomatic questions go to Oberlin, who will be assisted by the disciples of the Dawn Court. He will be handling our representation as part of the Ironhold Duchy. Mina has kindly agreed to work with Horvir and the Freemen to explore the surrounding mountains and categorize the different resources the valley possesses. She will also help train our soldiers and will be assuming command of the magical combat squad we hope to build.
“If you have questions or concerns regarding security, please see Captain Del’har. For any guild business regarding Nova Luna, please come and see me. We will be opening guild membership to players and natives alike and the ladies of the Society of Roses have agreed to assist us in setting up the guild structure and helping us process applicants. I know you all probably have a lot of questions, but it has been a long day. Tomorrow morning we will have a meeting at eight o’clock. You can raise your questions then.”
As he finished, Captain Del’har and Horvir, the leader of the Freemen both stood to salute. Following them, Velin rose to her feet. Oberlin joined the elven War Priestess in giving Thorn a half bow. Mina, seeing the others do it, bounced up as well.
Taken aback, Thorn looked around in surprise as those around the table stood and bowed to him. Unsure how he was supposed to respond, he fumbled around for a moment until he felt a pinch at his side. Looking down, he saw his aunt poking him.
“Stand up straight, Baron Thorn. They are simply giving you the respect you are due.” She whispered, fighting to keep the smile off her face.
After everyone else had gone to bed or logged out, Thorn climbed to the top of the fortress and walked out on the protruding wolf head, sitting on the nose as he watched the water running from the mouth fall, unbroken, down to the pool below. The stars had come out in full effect and gazing across the dark valley brought peace to Thorn’s heart. The last couple months had been full of ups and downs, full of pain, betrayal, and suffering. But for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel trapped in his own skin. He felt free.
Tomorrow, more people would come and more problems would have to be addressed. Conflict loomed on the horizon, and Thorn knew without a doubt that it would dominate the coming years. Others would come to this place and try to take this land from him. And beyond the mountains that ringed the forest before him were countless other mysteries and problems waiting to challenge him. Yet for all that, for the first time ever, true contentment reigned in his heart.
Here, now, in this quiet, peaceful moment, he was free.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Growing up traveling between the USA and Ghana, West Africa, books were Seth's constant companions. As he grew, so too did his imagination. To vent his thoughts and ideas, Seth would spend hours telling his younger brother fantastical tales of heroes and villains, of magic, technology, and skill. This eventually morphed into a love of games and story-telling that has continued to this day. Eventually, Seth thought it would be a good idea to write some of his stories down since he was running out of room in his head. Seth Ring currently lives with his wife and kids in the United States of America.
Seth funds his stories through Patreon, a crowdfunding website that allows fans to get new work as quickly as possible while supporting his world creation process. As Seth writes, he posts his work to Patreon for members of the Nova Terra community to read and give feedback on. What happens to the characters who live in Nova Terra is, in part, driven by the discussion and poll outcomes of the community.
To join the vibrant, growing community of fans exploring and directing Nova Terra, head to Patreon and become a patron.
www.patreon.com/SethRing
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Acknowledgments
A huge thank you to my friends and family who encouraged and supported me on this wonderful journey.
Thank you to my Patrons, who make my writing possible. A special thank you to the following Patrons who have been especially generous in funding this story:
Barry Rucker
Jermey Anselmi
Berzerker
Joshua Knapp
Brandon Nichols
Kyle Gravelle
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Matthew Bennett
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Max Lambon
David Moran
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s A Ring
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