You have plans to recruit people for Gladesville and Endataurëo. You were making your preparations to leave when one of your guards entered the room.
"Hey, there's a large pack of dogs moving about out there." He tells you.
You pause in what you are doing to look at him. "Why exactly did you think I needed to know that?"
The guard shrugs "Karl reckons they're Mabari war dogs. Some kind of Fereldan mercenary company uses a bunch of them. They're meant to be clever and dangerous, figured you might not want to get eaten."
You feel the urge to rest your forehead against the cool stone of the wall. This feels like something Turko would do, raise a pack of war dogs and then just leave them somewhere.
"Thank you. I will deal with this pack." You tell your guard.
"You ever heard of just letting things be?" The guard asks.
You glare at him until he leaves.

You set out alone. A pack of dogs is more dangerous than many would give them credit for, but nothing you cannot handle alone. You also want to have some time to think about the situation without needing to babysit anyone. You walk along your newly made road in the direction that your guards reported the pack was headed. When you reach the forest, you start to find signs of their passage, and begin to track them.

You manage to follow the tracks despite the terrain making it difficult. You also are not distracted by the wolf tracks that temporarily overlap with the dogs'. You manage to find the pack, about twenty strong, after only a few hours of searching. These Mabari do not look like the kinds of dogs you are used to. They have very large shoulders and short squat necks; it makes them look almost hunchbacked. Their faces are also quite short, with heave jaws. If you had to compare them to something it would be those humans who fight with their fists, massive torsos and squashed faces.

The dogs notice you at roughly the same time you notice them. They begin to growl at you, their hackles rising. You are relieved to see that none of them seem to be foaming at the mouth or obviously diseased. That they are hesitating to attack you is further good news, whether that is because of your height or that you appear human. As the pack starts to fan out to surround you, you consider your options.

You look at the pack of around a dozen dogs and you have only one desire in your heart. To tame them once more and give them a home. It is hardly their fault that they have been abandoned, and dogs are loyal companions, useful in hunting and these one are bred and trained for war. You have seen what Huan could do, and while these may not be he, there are twelve of them instead of one. You move your hand away from your sword hilt and walk towards the dog.
"Rainë, sarta hú, ua téle nahta lyé" You say gently, extending your hand.

As you had done with Orundómë, you extend your thoughts towards the animals. The moment your thoughts touch, they understand your thoughts. Once again, you are recognised. The dogs go from defensive to ecstatic. You are bowled off your feet by a rush of dogs, licking you and angling for pets. Among the thoughts you pick up during the brief contact is the idea that they had been searching for you. As you extract yourself from the animals, covered in fur and saliva, you swear you hear a sound like a woman's laugh in the wind.

You lead the pack back to Endataurëo. Your guards give you a long suffering look when you return.
"Are you going to pick up every stray you meet?" Their leader asks you.
"If it pleases me, yes." You reply, caring nothing for his opinion.
That one of the dogs urinates on his shoe is entirely a coincidence.
Merrill and Xandar are much more welcoming.
"Who's a good boy. You are. You are." Merrill coos as she rubs the belly of one.
"They're so cute." Xandar says as he throws a stick, which is promptly shattered in the struggle for which dog gets to retrieve it.

Karla keeps away from the dogs, and tries to keep her son away, though he does nearly end up wrestling one until you intervene.
"These dogs are trained to fight. If you wrestle them, they will hurt you, even if it is by accident. Do you understand?" You ask the child.
"Yes sir." He says, kicking at the ground.
"Now I will call one over and you can pet it, just do not be too vigorous. It is much bigger than you." You do as you have said.
The child is fascinated by the dog, enjoying petting it immensely. Karla is at least comforted to know that you are looking out for him.

Wesley asks a sensible question. "Who's goin' to look after this lot? I can do it, but I don't think I'll have time to handle the orchard if I do."
It is a question worth considering, you intend to get more people who could look after the dogs, or you could trust Wesley who is skilled in such matters. You look over to where Merrill and Xandar are still playing with the animals. You could make it their responsibility; it is not a good use of their skills, but it is a use.

"That will not be necessary Wesley. I am going into town to recruit more workers for the base, I will make sure that I assign some to look after the dogs." You tell your follower.
Wesley shrugs. "Works for me boss. You goin' now?"
You nod. "Yes, I was about to leave when I heard about these poor animals."
Wesley lets out an amused snort. "Cool. You goin' to take them with you."
You give him a flat look. "Yes Wesley, I am going to take the pack of almost feral war dogs into a village full of paranoid humans. I see no way this could backfire."
"Alright, alright. Just asking. I'll babysit them 'till you get back."
You thank him and head to the stables to fetch Orundómë. You have work to do.

Your base has a skeleton staff. You have multiple concerns about this. You want to increase the amount of food you are generating; you could have four more people working on your farm with a corresponding increase in production. You are also uncomfortable with the fact that your guards owe no loyalty to you and are likely to leave any day now. You need more people to do the jobs that you want to do, and now that you are making money from trade you can afford to hire them. You set out on your loyal mount to search the local area for the people you need.

You start your search for staff to join you at your base among the Dalish. You are not particularly surprised to discover that by and large that Lanaya's clan are loyal to her. You actually get several accusations of trying to steal people from the clan and destroy their way of life. Fortunately, while you are not loved you are not despised either, none of the accusations turn into violence or action against you.
"Your people are very dedicated to you. You should be very proud." You tell Lanaya.
She gives you a flat stare. "You can't hide from the others behind me, you're too tall."
"I am not trying to hide." You say, offended. "I am merely complimenting you on the turnaround of the clan."
"Speaking of which. When are you giving me back my warriors?" Lanaya asks pointedly.

The Sabrae clan is still three days journey away. You ask Lanaya to send a message to them, letting them know you are looking for people who were interested in leaving the Dalish lifestyle behind. She grumbles about breaking tradition but agrees.
"You're going to be disappointed. To be Dalish, is to be Dalish for life." She says.
You don't see any harm in sending the message anyway. You never know when someone might tire of their life and desire a change. With as much done to try to secure Dalish elfpower as you are willing to at this juncture, you mount Orundómë once more and ride for the villages of the humans.

The villages you visit, and you take the time to visit several, are hives of activity but not without idle workers. Spring is upon the land and there are a number of iterant workers who need something to do between harvests. There is also the usual underbelly of those who cannot or do not work for one reason or another. There towns are also rich enough to attract journeyman tradesmen, though not in the numbers a city might. You have no reputation with the locals, so you are going to have to rely on your persuasive powers to find workers here. The upside of the number of villages is that there is no shortage of manpower, and the fact that most of it travels means a failure is not necessarily permanent.

You need numbers but you do not trust the desperate. Both because some are desperate for reasons that impede the work you want them to do, and because that desperation is easily leveraged by those who want them to work against you. Instead, you look around for the same kinds of people you have already recruited staff from. Those with work who are looking for a better life, or those without work but are looking for some. You ride through the various towns, speaking to labourers and iterant workers, with the same offer. Work for me, get a free place to sleep, food and ten copper a day.

You get a significant response from the various villages. No shortage of people are looking for work, though not everyone is willing to work for you. In the first village you try, Brynwich, you find half a dozen people willing to work, but most are either unwilling to go into the forest or unwilling to stay indefinitely. Still you do manage to pick up two people. Daniel and Leeanna. They have no notable experience but were interested in making a home together. You did not realise this at the time, but it would be something of a pattern as you travel through the villages.

In the large central village of Lannerch, the same story plays out, but this time you get a family of six. They have apparently fallen behind on the rent on their farm and Jonathon, the father, wants to move to somewhere with cheaper rent. You learn the names of his wife and children. The wife and eldest daughter are both named Angela, the youngest daughter is named Natalia. The sons are named Nikolas and Philip. You are pleased to see that they are all old enough to work.

In the last village you pick up a family of four people at working age. Martin, Eve and their children Faith and Hope. They are apparently a pious family. You lead the group of all of them back to Endataurëo, answering their questions about who lives there and why it is called that. You are pleased to see everyone is getting on for now. When you arrive, and finish soothing the tensions between Dalish and Human, you assign those jobs that need to be done, such as filling the orchard with workers, then must decide what the rest should be doing.

You want to be as self-sufficient as possible; this means you need people to make cloth, clothes, shoe and other necessities. You will need to start purchasing leather every week for the shoes, but other than that there is relatively little input needed. Leeanna and Eve both have experience in making clothes and cloth, they agree to share those jobs between themselves. You are surprised when it turns out that Daniel was an apprentice shoemaker at some point in his life, he is confident that with some practice he will be able to make good quality shoes. You also manage to get Wesley to agree to teach the farmers, Jonathon, the Angelas and Natalia. That leaves you with the role of teaching the kennel hands and the merchant and steward.

You are the greatest teacher who ever lived. Nikolas and Philip settle quickly into their roles as the people in charge of the hounds. It helps that their job is more about feeding, exercising and cleaning up after the hounds than the roles more commonly performed by hound masters. They take to their roles without too much trouble, and you move on to the other two. Martin has some experience selling goods, so he becomes your merchant. You spend your time running through the products in the area and the way the Irregular Pentagon of Trade functions. You assign him to watch you as you run the trade of the area.

The role of steward is one you do not assign lightly. Faith has a certain natural charisma and a keen intelligence shared by her sister, but you wish to know them better before you decide. After everyone else is dismissed to their lessons or study you face the two sisters alone.
"Can either of you read or write? Do you know your numbers?" You ask them.
They shake their heads looking down.
"Do you want to learn?" You continue.
They nod.
You grin. "Then let us begin."

"I just can't sir. The letters keep mixing up, and my hand cramps. Please do you have something else for me to do?" Hope asks you after the first lesson.
You look at her. "It can be hard to start with, but with practice you will learn. I will help you with the mixing letters, you do not need to worry about it."
Hope scuffs her feet a few times before she replies. "I don't mean nothing by this, sir. But I'd really rather be doing something practical. Mebbe I could work the fields."
"Are you perhaps worries about the pay? I said that all would be paid, and I am not one to go back on my word." You reassure her.
"No. No, I weren't worried about that." Hope lies. "I just, this reading isn't much use really."

You give her a searching look, then you say, "If you would prefer Karla is in dire need of assistance in the kitchens and with the sweeping."
"Yes! I mean, thank you sir. That would be great." Hope bows.
When she is gone, you turn to where Faith is unsubtly eavesdropping. "Do you share her feelings?"
There is no answer, save that of running feet. Faith continues your reading and writing lessons, which is answer enough you suppose. She takes to your further lessons on managing and leading with a natural talent that reminds you of yourself.

While you are riding along the dirt roads within and between the villages, Orundómë eating up the distance at a pace you envy, you realise something. Two somethings actually, because a lot of people are staring at you. You have an idea as to why, but you do not think it is polite to stare at someone just because they are handsome. Your original realisation is that while you are out recruiting for your base you could also recruit for Gladesville. They have the numbers now, but there are many things that require specialist training that you do not know how to do.

While you plan to keep an eye out for people willing to work for Gladesville while you search, you are going to be focusing on what you need rather than on what Galdesvill needs. You vaguely remember there being some kind of job board where you can post notices for workers. It would be best to avail yourself of it while you search for your own base, you will check back to see if anyone is interested tomorrow. Perhaps you will search further if no one responds.

Daniel Danielson was the man who cared for the job board. He had been to a Chantry school and learned to write but failed out and had no other useful skills. That he had managed to find something he could be paid for doing was something he would always be grateful for. That it meant he could spend most of the day napping during winter was another nice benefit. The sound of hooves drew him from his contemplation. He looked up to see who it was and stared.

The impossibly tall elf rode a horse that was as tall to horses as the rider was to men. The result of this combination meant that the rider towered over everyone he passed. The bright red cloak and gleaming mail seemed out of place on an elf, as did the way he carried himself. When combined with a face more at home on an artwork than a person he seemed a vision of the distant past come from the Fade.

The horse stopped and the elf leapt from his horse. It was only now that Daniel realised that the horse had no saddle, or reigns. He swallowed, looking up at this vision of an elf king from the distant past. Then the elf spoke.
"The village of Gladesville is in need of specialist workers." His words carried an accent like nothing Daniel had heard before.
"I. I. I'm sorry m'lord. What do ye mean, beggin' yer pardon." Daniel stuttered out.
The elf reached out to grab Daniel's pen and some paper. "I am posting and advertisement. Gladesville needs builders or craftsmen of that nature."
Daniel clutched the notice to his chest. "Yes! I'll post it today m'lord."
The elf had nodded, then leapt onto his horse and rode away.

After you had gotten your new hires settled, you mounted Orundómë once more and rode to see what kind of response you have gotten from your notices. You were worried, as you are not quite so persuasive in writing as you are in person. Assuming that poor human running the board in Brynwich even remembered to post your notice, he seemed rather overwhelmed. Perhaps you need to work on reigning in your natural majesty now that you are once more whole.

Your notices have paid off. There is a pair of builders from Brynwich who are interested. There is also a team of approximately four people in Lannerch who are willing to move in to start up a carpentry workshop. There is also a wandering journeyman mason, you are not quite sure how easy it is for Gladesville to get stone, but he is an option. You cannot take all of them in, partly because they seem like they would hate each other, but mostly because Gladesville is already struggling to feed everyone, you will have to choose one of them.

The two builders are name Maron and Lauron. They have long thick beards and similar stocky builds.
"It is a pleasure to meet you gentlemen. I believe you are interested in moving to Gladesville." You say to them.
"Sweet Maker you talk like a ponce." Lauron says to your annoyance.
Maron strikes his brother in the arm. "Sorry 'bout my brother. We're interested but we ain't in this to become some kind o' serf. We're lookin' to buy some land."
You smile your best smile and resist the urge to plot vengeance on Lauron. "There appears to be some misunderstanding, we are not selling land nor are we looking for serfs. If you will be provided with a dwelling and will trade your services with the others in the village."

Your words cause the two brothers to look at each other, then Lauron says, "And we pay you for the privilege I assume?"
You shake your head. "I am merely a facilitator; I am not paid. I can offer no protection beyond my blade when I am in the area. I only do what I can to help those I consider my responsibility."
"So you're not a lord then. What's the Teyrn think about all this?" Maron asks suspiciously.
"Why should you or I care what the Teyrn thinks? Are you slaves that he may dictate where you go and what you do?" You reply.
"The forest belongs to him it does, ya daft fool." Lauron snaps at you.
You are reminded of another lord whose ambitions exceeded his influence; and you laugh more at the memory than at what has been said. "He may claim the forest all he likes. Until I see his soldiers marching within its borders, he is less the owner than the Dalish who pass through it."

Your words seem to strike a chord with the two builders, and they agree to join up with Gladesville. You lead them to the location of the village. They fit in without too much trouble, especially when they find out how in demand their skills are. They come in expecting to fiercely negotiate for their services but end up swept away in the communal enthusiasm you have infected the village with. When you leave the village in the evening light, they are planning out the housing situation. What shall be built and how much input everybody should have in the design.

Wesley has settled into his new role and is now producing slightly more food every week. With this in mind you have been studying the prices that are being asked and paid for your goods. The flurry of leather buying is settling down now, it seems the wild price fluctuations of the last two weeks were caused by the war preparations. With Balarika's advice and tips in mind you are now confident that you have pinned down the actual prices of the various goods produced by the Irregular Pentagon of Trade. The only question is how much you want to share this information. The Dalish do not, as a rule, seem to have a firm grasp on money, and Gladesville have no merchants. It would feel dishonest to take advantage of their lack of knowledge, but it would be no problem to continue exchanging things at their current value. Or you could start trading based on the value.

You decide to inform the other members of the prices. The Dalish are happy to trade on whatever terms you offer.
As one of them says. "If we don't want what you offer, we won't trade."
The people of Gladesville have a slightly less pleasant response.
"We don't really make enough food with the new people. We need to get what you're selling whatever it costs." Their representative confides in you. "We're really grateful you're dealing with us straight. You've always had our back."
With the new system established it is time to get down to the brass tacks of what you are doing.

You sell your fruits to everyone who has shown up. Gladesville buys a third of them to make up for their food shortfall, though they have to exchange them for leather. Leather you sell to the villages when they arrive, in addition to some of your fruit, since they actually pay in money. You end up trading for some of the Dalish wood products which you send your new merchant out to trade for some hides at Gladesville. He figures out that he is supposed to sell them in the villages without instruction and you are pleased with his initiative.