Thread #6395809
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In the closing decades of the thirteenth century, a new power had arisen and proved to be able to assert itself in northeastern Argalis. Greifswald would presumably end the century very differently than it began. From a semi-backwater to a kingdom more than able to stand up to and defeat both greater and lesser powers. This rise was enabled in large part due to the family, which had been able to grow their fortunes from the beginning of the century.
Were one to ask an informed nobleman at the start of the thirteenth century about the house of Adlershorst, he would, if he weren't a Tauten, look at you with confusion, and, even if he were a Tauten, there was no guarantee that he would be aware of this obscure family, whose fate it would be to dwell in their swamp fief as the years dragged by.
Halfway through the century, such sentiment would still be common, though the closer one got to the then-incomplete Greifswald, the more one would hear of them. A count turned warlord turned duke, with the aid of his great-uncle, a crusader who became a bishop. They changed the course of history, for with them the north of Greifswald was torn away from the monastic orderstate, and turned into a monarchy.
It would take another twenty years or so before the rest of Greifswald came under Good King Dietrich's sceptre, and he was crowned as king.
Another twenty years later, and the young kingdom doesn't seem so young any more. After Dietrich came Albrecht, known to the Greifswalder history books as the crusader king. (even if he wasn't actually a king at the time.)
Good King Albrecht likewise had overseen an even greater expansion. Wresting control over three great islands, thereby tilting the balance of power in favour of a kingdom which hadn't existed at the beginning of the century.
It is King Albrecht, perhaps more so than King Dietrich, who built the foundations for what was to come. All across the continent, the crowned heads turned their gaze towards the future, which seemed bright and full of promise.
Dissenting opinion, coming from those who attempted to piece together that which may yet come to pass, warned of ill omens lurking just beyond the horizon. These were easily dismissed, for none could give an accurate timetable for when these supposed calamities would occur.
All in all, the world turned; men worked their trade, and life carried on as it always had. But such times must end eventually.
General links of varying importance.
Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/u/Adlershorst
DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/adlershorst
Archive: https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Settler%20 Lord%20Quest
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>>6395809
It had proven to be a quiet year. The return of the Crown Prince from over the flowing sea before the end of summer and the coming of the autumn storms would make travel northward much more perilous.
His new bride, the fair Princess Astrid, had gone with him over the sea; officially, the isles the king had conquered off the Svengalians were part of the dowry. In practice Greifswalder tax collectors, jurists, and other officials could act without impunity. With due reference to both the local nobility and the elven aristocracy, which still dwelt upon these isles, remnants of a patrimony long since waned and withered.
The autumn came, howling and battering on the coasts, and tore off the beloved verdant cloak which so richly endowed Greifswald's many forests and woodlands. After the autumn came the winter, unusually harsh, with a minor famine plaguing the northeast until milder weather eased conditions.
With the coming of the spring, the first signs that the royal line had been perpetuated for at least another generation. As the princess' womb swelled with a child, whispers of hope and renewal spread throughout the kingdom; come the time, come the season.
By the early summer, the wails of birth reverberated through the halls of Albrechtsburg; all of note were in attendance: the king, the queen, the crown prince, the princess, and the most prominent of the courtiers for the birth of a new royal child, especially one so high in the line of succession. The cries of the new filled the air, for it was:
1: A boy
2: A girl
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>>6395811
A boy it was, and healthy too! The babe rested easily within his mother arms, while the Father and Grandfather tried to come up with a suitable name
Select a name
Familial names
>Albrecht
>Dietrich
Tauten names
>Heinrich
>Ludwig
>Wilhelm
>Friedrich
Mithradian names
>Phillip
>Johannes
>Nikolaus
>Alexander
Svengalian/Nordic names
>Erich
>Waldemar
>Magnus
>Gustav
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The new princeling would be known as Gustav, a break from tradition in some form and a symbol of the newfound friendship between the two kingdoms in another. A powerful name for a boy who would hopefully one day ascend the throne when the time was right.
But such times had not yet come; the newborn, in the days that followed thereafter, alternated between the care of the mother, grandmother, aunts, and wet nurses.
"Has anything happened then?" The crown prince Dietrich asked his father.
"Not within the kingdom, for which I am glad, but in the west, a new king sits on the throne of Angenland, not that relevant to us, but it is the last news the chancery has received." King Albrecht said in a calm tone that since the crown prince had returned from his honeymoon, Albrecht had tried to include Dietrich more in the day-to-day governance of the kingdom.
The two stopped by a window; looking from it, they peered out over the water to the capital, Rittersbach. She had grown much since her first change of name, growing over the course of a rough forty to fifty years from a minute hamlet home of but a few hundred souls into a one of the greatest cities this far north and east.
Contrary to this, however, it wasn't the largest city in Greifswald. That honour belonged to Tanzing, the great harbour in the south, and the central export hub for Mozolavian grain.
"Look at her." Albrecht said, "When I was your age, you could still peer over the houses into forests; she certainly has grown." He glanced over his city once again, the shingles sometimes shinging, the thatch roofs long since gone in favour of a mix of dull red and grey.
At the centre of it all rose three great buildings; the smallest of these was the city hall, where the council convened with the mayor. Compared to the other two, it had a civil touch to it, plain and functional. Crossing the central square, there stood a building now known as the old palace, built by King Dietrich when he was but a duke and where the queen dowager lived until her last breath. Now it stood empty, a building that perhaps best reminded some of the previous generation. Though it was always small, getting cramped and leaking.
Last, and perhaps greatest of all, there stood the cathedral. Tall spires and buttresses reaching into the air, holding great stained-glass windows from falling over. Delayed again after the untimely death of the chief mason, they had at least finished it enough for the bishop to be able to perform his duties in it, and the catacombs beneath had been finished as well.
"Indeed, she has grown, grown too much, methinks." You denoted "it's getting too big for its britches." Halftimbered houses were being stacked upon each other; the streets were getting narrow. Even in spite of the council's laws against such reckless building, out of fear for fire and disease.
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>>6396139
"Hmmm, you do have a point; things are beginning to get crowded. Those walls are old, built in the time of my father." All in all, space was getting tight in Rittersbach; there were two bridges. But one merely led into the castle and the woods, and the other led into your father's palace, not a new city.
>I say we build a new part of the city on the north bank.
>Is it then not time for us to demolish and extend the walls even further southward?
>Then we should redesign the city from the ground up to effectively use all the space available.
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>>6396142
>build a new wall to the south--east running roughly north-south across the penisula. Allow current inhabitants to build there
>clear forest in the West (light green hash area) and permit burghers from other places to come and settle, for a fee, while also granting them tax privileges (yellow hash area)
>build another section of wall in the West, also running from South to North, from the current westernmost tip of the fortification to the river; build a weapons manufacture there with the proceeds from the new settlers
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The intent was set, the plan was to be made. But the king and crown prince were in unison. Rittersbach would need to be expanded, and greatly so, so it might enter the next century as a city capable of even greater growth, without the squalor and overcrowding plaguing it at present.
The first meeting concerning this planning would obviously involve the treasurer and the mayor so that the financial implications and logistics could be thoroughly discussed and strategised. The meeting took place in the meeting room of your father's palace, with nearly all members of the council, the bishop, as well as the mayor and two guild masters, in attendance.
On the table there lay the map detailing the exact areas of expansion, as well as the new limits of the city.
"The plan at present is to build the new city walls on the peninsula first, to alleviate the problems currently mounting in the centre of Ritterbach. Citizens may purchase a new plot of land to build their house on, with more room. I hope that we can keep this city from becoming truly overcrowded." Your father had taken a step back to allow you the freedom to pitch this plan. He looked at you with fond patience, while the mayor peered over the map with close eyes.
"It is an interesting proposal. I take it we're still discussing matters on the peninsula, yes?" You nodded. "Good, yes, fire safety is becoming a concern within the council; these dense buildings are a tinderbox away from burning up during a hot summer, and safety in general is decreasing. The watch is stretched thin as it is." The mayor nodded in agreement.
"I do, however, have a question: how will you fund this? It is ambitious, but at the same time."
"Our treasurer has assured us that there is enough to begin initial construction. Furthermore, if our funds should prove insufficient, we can always try to attract investors from elsewhere. We do intend for others to be able to invest in housing while we focus on the infrastructure and defences. As well as what is to be built on the left bank." Your father explained.
"Furthermore, we intend to support this growth with the building of new hospitals, fire watches, and other such amenities." You have read about the great fora of the ancient Isidorian cities and the agora of the Mithradian city-states before that, and while the market square had been able to take that over in many ways, in many other ways the modern cities were but pale shadows of the glorious metropoles. Elisonikon, the capital of Mithras, was still the finest city remaining on the continent. You had never been there, but from what your mother brought along and told you about, it is the pinnacle of all that civilisation could be. Great forums and palaces, along ordered and diametrical streets, with monuments placed in strategic locations to honour the gods and heroes of old.
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>>6396441
"Indeed so, the church would be happy to help with the construction of new hospitals. I have been in contact with the archbishop in Libau, and we have concluded that the distribution of alms to the sick has been a neglected aspect of our charitable work," the bishop of Rittersbach remarked.
The attending men all nodded in agreement before attention went over to the plans for the west bank, where the Albrechtsburg stood. For now still surrounded by forest on its south and west, but that would change as well. Your design behind this district was that here good and wealthy burghers, both from within and without, would settle here. Merchants and master craftsmen. Men with skill and expertise, who would contribute to the city's wealth by their craft and trade.
"We shall ask for a fee, but in exchange they shall have a few years' worth of privilege when it comes to taxation. Whether it comes through rebates, breaks, or exemptions, the point is that on the western bank there shall come a place for the meritorious, where their contributions will be recognised and rewarded."
As this step in the general plan would come later, and the wood from the clearance would be used for the building of houses on the peninsula, most didn't object. The meeting ended on high spirits as the scribes began to pen down the documents to undertake such a project.
There would be several more meetings in the week thereafter, both concerning what kind of talent you wished to attract and your planned extension of the castle.
"A manufactory of weapons? You would make the guilds very grumpy if they found out." Your father lightly teased you.
"No, not in that sense; you know how, ordinarily, knights and troops are expected to purchase their own equipment?" You asked.
"Yes, if I wanted a new set of armour, I would need to commission a set with a master armourer. And that is made to match." King Albrecht said.
"The point of the manufactory isn't to make masterful pieces but to produce standard-issue equipment for the troops. It would save time and resources in the long run," you explained.
"So you wish to create an arsenal of sorts and an armoury to store it in, I take it. I like it; I myself built a set of wharves for the navy with similar intent." If your elder sister's predictions did ring true, which you were certain about, then being stocked up on both weapons and armour would be very handy.
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>>6396442
Lastly, there were the men you wished to attract to this city. Since the crusade subjugated these lands, immigration into Greifswald has been open to most. The ones that came in droves were the Tautens, obviously, with the combined Nordic kingdoms forming a distant second. After your father seized power, there had been other groups attracted, a small group of Castanan bankers and accountants brought in to help set up a bank for Rittersbach. Non-humans, like elves, dwarves and halflings, also had some presence, though it usually doesn't extend beyond some insular households.
The last group of any real distinction to come here were the Mithradians your father had brought with him from the crusade, mostly the families of your mother's servants and various experts. But they had come in too few in number to form a distinct group, not helped by the distance between the realms.
But you had an idea, or perhaps it was better to say a dream, to create a small but able colony of Mithradians, for you believed their skills and knowledge would be of great use in the years to come. Thankfully, getting them would be rather easy; your father had saved the empire from the brink, and your mother was a literal princess, a relation to the current dynasty. Transporting them from Mithras to Greifswald might be more complicated, but you would make it happen.
The only question is for what kind of people you would ask for.
>Military men, not necessarily great warriors, but men of strategy and tactics.
>Accountants, bureaucrats, and engineers to help develop the administration and the bureaucratic apparatus.
>Learned men, who know about philosophy, literature, and the sciences, to help advance knowledge and culture.
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>>6396441
>tinderbox
oh, and if it's not too much detail/expense
>dig a canal along the old south-eastern wall
>dismantle the old wall, keeping three of the old bastions
>build a bridge across the canal at each bastion, high enough that barges can be towed underneath
>the three bastions can now serve as firewatch towers (perhaps with some light timber structure on top to give the watchman an elevated pov), toll houses for incoming commerce and guardhouses for the three bridges
the canal itself will be a good source of water in case of any fires and a firebreak
>set aside room for a marketplace and a wharf on the southeastern bank, next to the central bridge
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like so
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>>6396443
>>Accountants, bureaucrats, and engineers to help develop the administration and the bureaucratic apparatus.
Rome and by extension, the Byzantine Empire, worked for as long as it did because it was a heavily sophisticated centralized power ruled by the Emperor. There is a good reason why it serves as a model for modern nation states.
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>The last group of any real distinction to come here were the Mithradians your father had brought with him from the crusade, mostly the families of your mother's servants and various experts. But they had come in too few in number to form a distinct group, not helped by the distance between the realms.
I can't find it, but I remember reading that several soldiers married Mithradian women, who then joined them back to Greifswald.
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Since the fall of the old empire and the rise of feudal kingdoms in its place, there have been but a few places where bureaucratic apparatuses held out against the rise of feudalism. Mithras chief among them, there power was held by office, not through enfeoffment.
Greifswald was partially built upon the semi-bureaucratic, semi-monastic framework of the old order state; it never went through the periods of weak central leadership in the same way the early feudal states did. Though Dietrich had to weaken it as a compromise with the rest of the nobility, the kings of Greifswald could enact and dictate policy in a more autocratic manner than elsewhere.
Your father had never bothered convening the Landtag, the diet of the land, for example. Through a complicated set of agreements for the levying of money, it was a wartime measure, which never had to be renewed and could be extended and raised. It has been in place for over forty years, and most had learned to accept it as a necessity to fund the kingdom.
To man this system, there had been a small cadre of men from the lower nobility who worked for a stipend and a chance to climb the slippery pole upwards. But they were amateurs compared to the professional pencil-pushers of Mithras. Educated bureaucrats who spend their lives drafting papers and using the abacus. These were the kind of men you would like to attract, for they would help further improve the efficiency of the government.
Your father had reformed the kingdom more along the Mithradian lines, creating regional militias based on the themata and separating military and civil responsibilities.
Thus, you wrote to the Mithradian Emperor, by now a cousin of yours, via your mother's elder sister, who wed the man who became emperor in the aftermath of the Crusades. After Emperor Ioannes IV came Emperor Anastasios VI, your cousin, even though he was a decade older than you. A letter in which you formally introduced yourself, wished him well, and asked for permission to recruit some talented bureaucrats to help administer your kingdom.
But the planning was done; now was the time to begin. It would take a few years and a lot of coin. But Ariolos wasn't built in one day. The first thing the labourers did was place the new boundary stones where the walls would arise. Next they tore down the farmsteads and cleared the land for construction. They also began clearing out the forest on the western bank.
For convenience, an extra pontoon bridge had been laid down to allow for ease of transport. Summer was here, and sweat drenched and parched, the labourers laid down the first outlines for the walls and roads.
"And your fey friends don't object to this wood chopping?" You asked your father.
"Not in the slightest; it's too close to civilisation anyhow, and this woodland isn't all that ancient, and between you and me, it also wasn't suited for hunting at any rate."
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>>6396959
The two of you rode along over the old road as the labourers removed the thatch from a farmhouse and barn. Most of the peasants near the capital who were in the clearing zone were easily bought out or moved over if they were serfs.
The ground was broken open, along banks new quays would have to be raised, but labour was there plenty, as enough made it over in search of work in the big city.
"It is good that this city is growing once again. If only my father was here to see it." King Albrecht bemoaned.
"Isn't he still here?" you asked, referring to the statue of him before the old palace.
"Aye, but I would much rather have him in flesh than in copper. Do promise me this: that if you'll make a statue of me after I'm gone, it'll be an equestrian one; I find your grandfather's statue so horridly stiff." Your father half-jokingly murmured.
"If that is what makes you sleep easy at night." You replied with a chuckle.
>But tell me, Father, what is the fae-realm even like? You have never really explained.
>You have been to Mithras before; you even married one, so I would like to know, what is it like? And don't say I should ask Mother. I want your opinion.
>What shall come next? You have told me about your plans. What is to come next? More centralisation, a standing army? What about foreign policy?
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>>6396961
>You have been to Mithras before; you even married one, so I would like to know, what is it like? And don't say I should ask Mother. I want your opinion.
>What shall come next? You have told me about your plans. What is to come next? More centralisation, a standing army? What about foreign policy?
How often do you think about the Isidorian Empire? Who did his older sisters marry? And finally, when are we going to conquer Viskara so the qm can update the world map?(jk)
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"But tell me, Father, what is the fae realm even like? You have never really explained." You knew of them and how your father allied with a faerie king known as Aran-Arasso, also known as the white stag, because of the form which he takes, though according to your father, he can shift into any shape he desires. It is said to be hidden deep in the forest, deeper than deep, beyond the patrol routes the rangers of Greifswald hold themselves to to keep wanderers on the road safe and prevent someone from wandering into the deepwood without safe passage.
Your sister would know; as a sorceress, it was she who was trusted with such affairs. There was also your father's horse, Wittekind, who, by the blessing of the White Stag, had been blessed with the ability to talk and with more. He had the charge of a drestier, the endurance of a palfrey, and the strength of a draughthorse. And as per usual, he wasn't afraid to share his opinion, provided the riff-raff was out of earshot.
"Why would you want to know about that? I tell you, nothing good lives there; the grass tastes weird, and the trees move. Trust me, Dietrich, it is better to stay in an open field with grass that actually tastes good." The white stallion grumbled.
"Yes, yes, we know you don't like forests." Your father bemoaned.
"What about it? Don't you know how dangerous the underbrush is for your ankles?" Wittekind continued on with his grumbling, but you decided to get things back on track.
"But seriously, father, what is the fae-realm like?" You asked.
"I cannot say, now, before you object, no, I have met the White Stag at a few select places, but I know not where he dwells. But I have passed through; it is a place of both awe and mystery, deeper than deep, with a canopy which truly blots out the sky and roots big enough to ride under and trees the size of mountains. As for the inhabitants, they can be mischievous, the smaller ones that is; the treemen tend to be easygoing and drowsy. But I never went into the heart of all faedom, though; you have given me an idea." With a certain smug cleverness that suited him ever so well, your father the king took the reins of his horse, which automatically began to walk.
You rode after him, trying to figure out what this idea of his was. But he wouldn't budge, only giving you vague platitudes like 'it will be fun', 'I won't spoil the surprise', and 'you'll see soon enough'. For the rest of the week, you were torn between excitement and dread. You didn't know what was to come. But as you came into the throne room, both your father and sister were already there. Your father stood in front of his throne, hands behind his back.
"I have good news for you, since you asked about it, the White Stag has agreed to allow you to visit his court in the depths of woodland realm."
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"Furthermore, I would deign that you take your sister with you as well." Your father decided.
"Why?" You blurted out. Which made the dark tresses of your sister cascade over her shoulders as she turned to face you.
"Because I want the two of you to learn to work together for the common weal. And because I think the two of you should spend some time with each other." Your father's words carried a tone of finality, leaving little room for argument.
You looked once more at your elder sister; she was tall for a woman, coming near both you and your father, though there was a more invisible stature to her on account of her magical abilities, no doubt. There was always something wintry about her, not cold of personality, but a countenance that never seemed to darken even on the sunniest days in the summer, ice-blue eyes and an ethereal elegance that reminded you more of an elf than of humans.
The rest went by in a blur; your sister announced that she had no objections to the plan and that she would gather her travelling belongings. You did likewise, and before you knew it the two of you were heading southward, a small escort in tow, to meet the monarch of the woodland realm.
For now the fields and farms that surrounded Rittersbach dominated the surroundings, the occasional village church or lord's manor breaking up the flat landscape.
"So," You began as the two of you rode alongside each other.
"So what?" She deadpanned.
"I don't know; I was thinking about what to ask you about." You pondered it for a moment before asking anyway, with a bluntness with which only siblings could get away.
"How's the magical study coming along? Found the secret to eternal life yet?" She smiled at this, though she also shot you a look which practically spelt the word 'idiot'.
"If you must know, it is coming along well; artificery is a complicated thing, though I have been able to make much progress on it. As for biomancy, the oak tree has been growing well, and I have been able to heal it from some diseases and mould."
She paused, waiting for your reaction before continuing, "Eternal life? Better mages than I have tried, and while longer life is on the table, you might as well try to build a second sun if you were after eternal life."
"And what about vampires, or liches? Oh, I get it. They are by definition already dead, but it is not like they are barred from the material world around them" You said.
"If you wish to never sit in the sun or be some skeleton who can never eat, drink, sleep or feel warmth again or have to sustain yourself on the blood of others because your heart is so black it rots even in the most pristine vampires, then I suppose that is immortality, with a few caveats." She lectured, her words dripping with cold disdain.
"Oh well, forget I asked." You murmured.
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>At any rate, what do you expect that we'll do there, dance about in the meadow?
>So, Fae, I don't think I have properly met a fae; you have, haven't you?
>We know when the darkness you foresaw will come; do you know where it shall come?
>Write-in.
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You may not look upon the spoiler image unless you possess magical powers.
"We know when the darkness you foresaw will come; do you know where it shall come?" For all the talk about the coming of a nocturnal monarch, who shall unleash the vampires and their undead armies? When they shall come is known, after a plague which shall devastate the continent. According to your sister, in about a year or fifty to sixty years. A long time, which is why you had included the construction of new hospitals in your expansion plans.
As a youth, you had once been sceptical, even dismissive of your sister's vision. But after an encounter you'd rather not recollect, you had been more open to the idea. Though your sister had kept you from directly trying to go after the source of this future evil, you had been planning with her.
Truth be told, you had been in favour of direct action, riding into and burning down their fell castles and their evil masters at the stake. Your sister favoured a more preparatory approach. She had poured her heart into the study of the arcane, with devotion that was admired even by senior mages. Piling research notes and ancient texts, she had learnt much, even procuring a vampiric skull for further study.
But she looked at you with great concentration. Before answering your question
"Where, oh Dietrich, if it were as simple as that, I would have known, but visions of the future can be vague. I sought and saw, but the details were unclear; there were mountains and forests, but it was night, and I could not see beyond that." She paused, looking past you and into the distance, her eyes turned translucent, talking more to herself than to you.
"But there was something else, something far, far worse, like two rubies shining in the moonlight, glowing with malevolence. Hunger, desire, and power emanated from them, so lively, yet so dead." Her words then died off, and she fell silent, lost in her own thoughts.
You did not bring up the topic again, for you found it to be a bit taboo, while she mostly kept to herself afterwards.
Still, nightfall would come late in the summer, but the hour still grew late. Soon enough, you would need to retire for the night. But where?
There is an inn a few metres down the road, but at the same time, you could make camp and set up a few tents, but when dealing with the fae, it might be better to learn to sleep under the stars for a bit.
>Now now, let's make it to inn for a mug and some food.
>Let's make camp, nicely around the campfire.
>Make camp, but I shall sleep outside.
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"Let us make camp; don't bother with my tent. I shall sleep outside, to sleep under the stars." You announced to your head servant, who looked at you with surprise.
"Not to worry; it is to accommodate the ways of the fae-forest, a temporary measure."
Before sundown, you and some of the others went hunting for a bit, snatching a few wild hares and gathering some berries for dinner. The pot over the fire soon filled with a savoury stew, and the dinner was nice. Your sister had returned to a semblance of normality, and soon enough was engaged in conversation with one of her handmaidens.
As the night fell, you settled in on a small slope. Nothing under you but the grass and nothing above you, but the heavens sprinkled and spattered with stars upon stars. Summer warmth wouldn't leave in the night, so you could sleep without the need for a blanket. The sound of crickets and the dying of the fire lulled you into a peaceful slumber under the vast night sky.
And so you dreamt of things in the past, great hosts of knights under the command of your father, riding forth under glorious, glaring banners as they went. Dreams sift, and they come and go as they please. Your beloved wife, your newborn son, and your long-dead grandfather face those that came and went. A funny thing that, for you were too young to have ever met your grandfather, so he always looked more like his statues and portraits.
Yet you dreamt of what was to come as well, for you to walk in the halls of the fairy king, who surely would live somewhere grand, an elegant palace, with vines on the pillars. As great waterfalls flowed gently in the meadow, you sat and watched the otherworldly fae dance and sing in the moonlight. The beauty, the timelessness, you couldn't wait to see it for yourself.
Yet your dreams shifted once more, becoming more abstract, more surreal. Seas of colours taking on shapes before collapsing into shapelessness. Swirling and merging, then diverging. As you tried to make sense of what was in front of you, it collapsed into a new form, a tunnel. At the end of which a figure began to form, a silhouette, though colour soon seeped in. You squinted, trying to make out the features of the mysterious figure, before seeing.
>Upon a ridge, before the rich greens of the woods, a great stag with white fur
>Sleeping, but stirring, ever so gently, a tree with a face and what seemed to be arms in its branches
>A small sort of bipedal creature, with a beard, but wearing a strange sort of pointy headgear
>As graceful as the morning breeze, long flowing hair kept by two wings like butterflies
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