by C. J. Carella
“How many Woodlings can there be?” Hawke asked. “On the way to Akila, you mentioned most bands didn’t have more than twenty, maybe thirty warriors at most. The Event we ran into on our way back must have killed a bunch of them, and that was just a few days ago.”
“The Foothills have been quiet for decades,” the Hunter said, looking old and tired. Hawke had the solution to those problems, but wanted a private moment for it. “But it is said that their forests were the last bastion of the Fae after their downfall during Second Ragnarök, when the Great Dragons were expelled from the First Realm. No one knows how many Wildings have bred there over the centuries, how many tribes wait in the hills. Only fragments of old songs survive that ancient time.”
Saturnyx confirmed.
“Moe’s team saw over a hundred. There could be a lot more by now” Hawke said. “We’ve got thirty guards in Orom, ten in the Stronghold, plus officers. Forty-three Eternals, mostly second to third level. I have a whole bunch of summoned critters watching the Stronghold, but they cannot exist beyond its borders. Anything else?”
“We can call up another forty, fifty townsfolk, men and women fit to fight in the open,” Kinto said. “And about the same number that I would trust atop the town walls. Call it a hundred, and a few dozen more that can help load crossbows and man bucket brigades when the fires start.”
What fires? Hawke wondered.
“Great. I can make a ton of summoned creatures. The only problem is bringing them outside the mountains.”
“Make a Domain,” Kinto told him. “Many will not be happy to owe fealty to the Lord of the Death Spire, but the people of Orom and the outlying villages know of your deeds. They will trust you.”
Saturnyx? Hawke asked the sword while he pretended to be deep in thought. He had thought about doing that, but was hoping to have time to talk people into it first.
Yeah, it’s not a great choice. But better than all the others, I suppose.
“Any thoughts?”
“Such a move can only strengthen Orom, I would say,” Town Clerk Markello said. “As the ruler of the Town and Stronghold, you could even petition the Empire for the title of Count of the Sunset Valley.”
“And the petition could be answered by a Legion marching to the Valley to oust the upstart. And incidentally put one of the Emperor’s sycophants on the County’s Seat,” Magistrate Oras countered angrily.
“Let’s save Imperial politics for a day when we don’t have a Fae army on our doorstep,” Kinto said, stilling the argument before it could get going. “Doing this will solve today’s problem and create gods know how many more tomorrow. But that can be said of most solutions.”
“Good point, as always.”
“I would like to bring out the possibility of a diplomatic solution?” Nadia said. “Since, you know, nobody seems to be doing that? As part Fae ourselves, Hawke and I might be able to, you know, talk to them.”
“I was going to try that. But before we talk peace, we need to be prepared for war.”
“Truer words are seldom spoken,” Tava said. “And blood has been spilled already, on both sides, so it may be too late to make parley. But if it isn’t, your being Lord of the Valley will strengthen your position, in war or peace.”
“There is that,” Nadia conceded. “And I would like to remind you that there is a loose federation of tribes in the Sunset Mountains, and that I’m sort of their titular head. As long as your Domain doesn’t plan to take their lands away or threaten them, I think you should go for it.”
“Of course. I think the Arachnoids might make good allies,” he said. “And maybe you can convince them to help us against the Fae. I would be willing to hire mercenaries or form a military alliance.”
“I will go speak to them first thing in the morning.”
“Perfect. Anyone against me doing this?”
“People will grumble,” Oras said. “They will claim you overthrew Prefect Felix and the Necromancer to set yourself up in their places. And then they will go on with their lives, so long as you don’t disturb them. Only the most foolish will even consider going against someone like you, and if they do, they will fare poorly, as fools always do.”
“You’ve helped us out a lot, Hawke,” Moe said. “You ain’t perfect, but who the hell is? Do what you gotta do. I can’t speak for all the other players, but I will back you up, man.”
“Thank you.”
“Same here,” Olaf said. “And I was a Medieval History major, so if you need any assistance in maneuvering through the politics of this mess, I’ll be happy to help out any way I can.”
“Thanks. I will take you up on that. All right, then. I’ll set up the Domain. Meanwhile, Moe, I’m deputizing you into the guard as a Sergeant.”
The Orc looked a little dubious but nodded. “Okay.”
“You and Olaf, help get the Eternals organized. Kinto, I need you for a moment, but after that, I’ll leave you to organize the town guard and raise a militia.”
“And why is that?” the Hunter asked.
“I want to have a word with you and your family. If we can have the room, I’d be grateful.”
Everyone but Kinto, Tava and Gosto filed out of the meeting room, including Nadia, who sent a question via their psychic link.
Everything okay?
Just a bit of personal business, Hawke replied. But it’s good stuff, nothing to worry about. Saturnyx can keep you in the loop.
As soon as the door closed, Hawke spoke up.
“I have something for you.”
Sixty-Two
Quest Completed: Bring Youth to an Old Hunter.
You have earned 1,152 Experience (+20% from Triune Goddess bonus, 144 diverted towards Leadership; 144 diverted towards Node Mastery).
Current XP/Next Level: 6,928/30,000. Leadership XP: 14,393/15,000
Current Node Mastery XP/Next Level: 4,120/5,000
The physical change was immediate and noticeable. Within seconds of drinking the vial, Kinto straightened up and seemed to grow half an inch before their eyes. The wrinkles around his face didn’t disappear – years spent outdoors had carved them too deeply for that – but they retreated somewhat, and the white in his hair and beard became black, with a few gray patches. His eyes didn’t change much, but his body filled up as lost muscle and bone mass were magically restored.
Hawke glanced at Gosto and Tava. There were tears in their eyes. Even Kinto looked more emotional than at any time since Hawke had known him.
“Thank you, Hawke Lightseeker. The words are not enough. No words are.”
“Hey, in all honesty, I found the potions in the Necromancer’s stash. I was prepared to go on some great quest to help you out, but I just looted the bastard. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“You have given me something I never expected to have back. I can never repay you.”
“Glad to do it, man. You guys helped keep me alive. Kept me sane, too. And,” he took Tava’s hand. “Soon we will be family, right?”
“You already are.�
��
“Cool. I think that’s enough mushy stuff. I got everyone some stuff, too. Looting can be fun.”
* * *
Hawke stood in front of Orom’s Interface and looked through the options menus until he found what he needed.
You are attempting to form a Domain: Sunset Valley.
Prerequisites: Rulership over any two of the following Core Types: City, Dungeon, Fortress, Labyrinth, Stronghold, or Town. Prerequisites Met.
You will add the following sites to the Domain:
Orom Settlement (Level 2 Town)
Death Spire (Level 12 Stronghold)
Mana Node (Fae/Nature)
Mana Node (Darkness)
Mana Node (Death)
Proceed? Y/N
Hawke selected ‘Yes.’ After a few uneventful seconds that made him wonder if that was all there was to the process, he went flying into the air as if someone had strapped a rocket pack to his back. Except his body stayed right where it was. His point of view flew up into the clouds, high enough to see the entire valley and the surrounding mountain ranges. He saw that the mountains in the north and northwest were covered by massive glaciers, and that they were the source of the waterfalls that became the Auric River, as well as another large river to the north that cut through the thick forests covering the Foothills. Far to the south, a much smaller mountain range separated the valley from a grasslands-covered plain that spread out of sight.
As he watched the valley, an overlay of purple light, shaped like a rough square, appeared to cover the valley, including the portion of the Sunset Range where the Stronghold was located, stopping at the territory claimed by the Arachnoids. The borders of the Domain ran up to the edge of the Foothills on the north and the lesser mountains to the south and west. Hawke realized that the purple square was the political map of the Sunset Valley, as it had been named by colonists from the Onyx Empire, some fifteen hundred years ago.
Before that, it had been called the Green Cauldron by the Fae clans that lived there, building no cities but dwelling in the forests and building Faery Rings to mark their lands. And before them, it had been settled by long-forgotten tribes of Humans and Goblinoids who migrated from different parts of the continents and turned the valley and the mountains around it into a battleground, dotting the landscape with hill forts and mountain castles that were all gone and forgotten, erased during an apocalyptic Ragnarök that not even Saturnyx had heard of. All that information flowed through Hawke’s mind, too much for him to assimilate. He forgot most of it, other than the most notable events and a general knowledge of the land he was claiming for his own.
After the history lesson was over, he saw a network of ley lines, energy ‘rivers’ where the flow of Mana was higher and denser than normal; they were very similar to the Mana channels coursing through living bodies. When two or more met in one spot, they created Confluences that had the potential to create Mana Nodes. Hawke saw the Places of Power that he controlled, the two Cores and the three Nodes. There had been ley lines that linked them all together, but as he watched, new ones formed and reinforced that connection as all the sites became part of a larger whole.
He also saw places that were within his borders but not under his control. The Labyrinth was one: the Domain included the Gates of Tartarus. Fun. There were also two Dungeons he hadn’t known of, one up by the Foothills border, the other in the west. They showed up in the mark as two glowing spheres, one red, one deep black. He wasn’t sure what those meant, but he would figure it out eventually. And there were two unclaimed Mana Nodes, as well as three ley line conjunctions that might become Mana Nodes, if he figured out how to do create them.
Domain Established
Hawke returned to his body. The sudden shift in perspective made him lose his balance and he fell on his ass. Nobody laughed, however; his friends and the Town Officers were looking at Orom’s Map, which had been transformed into something else. The tapestry was gone. In its place was a holographic, 3-D projection of the Domain, with glowing entries for Orom, the Death Spires, and the twelve villages dotting the valley. Brown lines of varying thickness marked all the main and country roads linking the settlements together, with rivers and forests depicted in vivid colors; he could even see water flowing through the Auric and the unnamed northern stream.
“All hail Hawke Lightseeker, Lord of the Sunset Valley,” Gosto said.
“Hail!” Tava and Kinto said together.
“Yay. You go, dude,” Nadia added, rather less convincingly. Hawke smiled. Having people to keep him grounded was going to be even more of a necessity, now that he controlled a whole chunk of territory.
Saturnyx reminded him, doing her part to humble him.
“I’m okay, by the way,” he said, getting up.
“We figured as much,” Nadia told him.
Hawke shrugged. He had a bunch of notifications clamoring for his attention, but he ignored them for now. “All right, let’s take this Interface for a ride.”
Sunset Valley (Level 4 Domain)
Current Population/Maximum Pop.: 4,489/15,000
Warning: If its population decreases below 4,000, the Domain’s Level will be reduced to 3.
Available Mana/Mana Pool: 6,643/17,159
Mana Recharge/Day: 1,500
Mana Sources:
Orom: Level 1 Keep: 100. Level 1 Temple of Shining Father: 100. Total: 200
Death Spire: Level 5 Mage’s Tower (500), Level 10 Mana Node (Death) (200), Level 1 Death Temple (100), Level 2 Darkness Temple 200. Total: 1,000
Other: Level 10 Mana Node (Darkness): 200, Level 5 Mana Node (Nature): 100. Total: 300
Current Mana Expenditures: 510/day. Minions: 360 (Death Spire). Processes: 0 Enchantments: 150 (Orom: Undead, Demonic and Fae Wards)
Enchantments Available: Arcane Appointment, Call to Arms, Demonic Ward, Empower Champions, Empower Defenders, Fae Ward, Undead Ward.
“Not bad at all,” Hawke said.
He had a lot more Mana to play with, but a ton more things to spend it on. His main concern was handling the invasion. Orom’s defensive wards included one against the Fae. Could he extend them through the entire Domain? He went to the menu and looked for such an option.
Prerequisites Not Met: Ward Stones not placed.
Hawke soon discovered that the magic that protected Orom covered an area defined by inscribed ward stones that had been added to the town walls and to a rough circle that extended a bit under a mile around the town proper. There were ward stones scattered along the countryside, filling that area. And even though the option to extend the wards was greyed out, he could see that the Mana cost to increase the area, even with ward stones in place, went up at a high rate. Increasing the radius of the Enchantment to two miles would cost 450 Mana per day. Four miles would raise that to 1,350 per day, which would spend almost his entire Mana ‘budget.’ And to reach the border with the Shadowy Foothills would require extending that radius to ten miles. It wasn’t going to happen, not until he could increase his Domain’s Mana production by a lot.
Troops, then. Any summoned creatures the Spire produced could now travel anywhere within the Domain’s borders. He then figured out how many he could make. Burning through the Valley’s combined Mana reserves was a possibility, but he decided to save it for an emergency. He ended up summoning two Darkness Guardians for 360, 30 Nature Guardians (10 of each kind) for 360 Mana, and 10 Animated Shadows for 60. And, reluctantly, he used the last 210 daily Mana production to create 30 Undead Harpies as well. That was the only type of Undead that didn’t need a corpse to desecrate, and their flying and spell capabilities would come in handy for the battle to come. They weren’t very sturdy or high-level, but having seventy flying monsters could make a huge difference.
After he finished shopping, he checked his notifications, just in case there was something important among them.
Congratulations! You have earned a new title: Lord of the Sunset Valley.
You are now a Level
Three Steward! You can improve any Structure under your care up to Level Three.
By linking all the Nodes under your control into a Domain, you have earned 2,400 Experience towards your Node Mastery.
You are now a Level Three Node Master! New Node Mastery Abilities available!
You have earned 480 Experience (60 diverted towards Leadership; 60 diverted towards Node Mastery).
Current XP/Next Level:7,408/30,000. Leadership XP: 14,453/15,000
Current Node Mastery XP/Next Level: 6,580/8,000
“Let’s see what I can get for Node Mastery.”
Advanced Node Travel: You can transport up to three people per Node Mastery level when you use Node Travel. Advanced Node Travel costs 100 Mana plus 50 per passenger (Maximum nine people). Current travel routes available: Death Spire City Core, Node of Darkness, Node of Death, Node of Nature, Orom City Core.
Ley Line Tapping: Once per day, you can draw power from any Ley Line within a hundred feet of you, to a maximum of 125 Mana per Node Mastery level. This is increased to 250 per Node Mastery level if near a ley line confluence.
Node Empowerment: Once per day, you can draw power from your Nodes, increasing your Mana Pool by twenty Mana per level of the Node. The range of this ability is one mile per Node Mastery level.
Hawke picked Advanced Node Travel. He was going to need it.
“Nadia, we’re going on a trip.”
Sixty-Three
Hawke, Nadia and Calvus teleported to the Death Spire in a flash of light.
“That’s a nice ride,” she said when they arrived at the Stronghold Core.
“Only the best for the wives and mistresses,” he said, noticing the Stronghold Interface had changed to match the one in Orom. Both places had a Domain Map instead of the original, although he would be able to access the Stronghold’s menu as well. He had been able to summon his small army from Orom, after all.