AN: You might have noticed there was a break in updtaes. Unfortunately I have gone back to uni and will only be updating the quest once a week. That means you're going to be getting these updates much less frequently. I'll space them out over several weeks so that it isn't a matter of getting three updates and then silence for a month
At long last the time has come. After nearly four months, you have taken a small group of bandits to a walled village producing enough medicinal herbs to support two Dalish tribes. You have so many further ideas. You want to expand the fields, you want to move towards the leatherworking project you have considered for a very long time. None of these ideas are what you are going to do. Instead, this is going to be a week where you do nothing. If you wait until you feel the village will function without you, you will be waiting until the end of the world. The time has come to let Gladesville stand on its own.
It would be nice if after making that decision you could just go about your week without even thinking about Gladesville, but you cannot. You have set an extensive precedent of visiting every week, and it would be concerning for them if you suddenly stopped showing up. There is another good reason to go, Merrill and Xandar have volunteered to see if they can help Gladesville's hunters. Travelling with them will allow you to smooth over any troubles that may arise and keep them safe if they should be attacked. You do not expect to need to help but being there if you do is another reason beyond peace of mind to visit Gladesville.
You and your companions ride along your road, undisturbed by the creatures of the forest. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and there is a song in your heart. Merrill and Xandar are happily chatting about potential improvements.
"I wonder if they're using snares. I always found those much more useful than active hunting." Xandar speculates.
"They might be wanting to catch something larger for leather production. I'm not sure if snares are a good idea." Merrill frets. "I don't know if we can do anything Ranger isn't already doing."
"There's only one way to find out!" Xandar comments cheerfully.
You hum contentedly to yourself.
You catch sight of Gladesville before you draw within view of its walls. There is a slight haze of smoke rising from the village fires now. When you do see the village itself you are taken aback by the sight. The wooden wall and towers you have made stand proudly, missing only a banner or some pennants. As you ride through the gate you see the dirt road, lined with lanterns, dividing the town into four with houses in each section. In the time you were teaching Ophelia the builders finished all the houses, and the village now looks like one instead of a refugee camp.
"Oh my!" Merrill gasps. "It's changed so much. I hardly recognise it."
"It has been three months since you visited." You observe.
"Still…" Merrill trails off.
You do not have time for further comments. The villagers of Gladesville start calling out to you in greeting, pointing you to Ophelia. You respond to them, gesturing for your companions to dismount. You ask someone to direct Merrill and Xandar to where the hunters are. While they are doing their tasks, you need to inform Ophelia of your break from constant supervision.
Your strides carry you to your latest pupil. Ironically, one who will likely be the first to graduate from your care, at least among those in Thedas. Ophelia is busy talking to a number of farmers regarding, if your ears do not deceive you, a rabbit problem they are having. You politely wait for her to finish her discussion. She notes your presence, but you are pleased to note that she focuses on her conversation. She does not rush through to get to talk to you or prioritise you over her own people in any way. Her decision is a perfectly adequate one as well, she seems ready for her new role at last.
"Hi Ara…Ar… Ar á to. What's on the agenda this week? More lessons, or are you here for something else?" Ophelia cheerfully inquires when the farmers have left.
You smile at her enthusiasm. "I am afraid not. In truth I am only here to escort my other students as they address your hunters."
"Really? Are you coming back later?" Ophelia tilts her head in confusion.
"No. In fact this is going to be the last time you see me for a while. I have said that I believe that people should rule themselves. Now that you are as skilled as I can get you in a short time, it is time to allow your village to stand on its own." As you speak, Ophelia's eyes widen, and you see fear begin to cast a shadow over her.
"You're leaving?" Her voice is small, and she sounds hurt in a way you would not have expected.
"Just for now." You attempt to reassure her. "I want your village to be able to stand on its own, but I am not so naïve as to believe you will never need help again. I will return in four months to see how you have fared."
"But why do you have to leave at all?" She demands, sorrow and hurt mixing into a pained anger. "What am I supposed to do if you just turn your back on us? You can't just abandon us!"
You speak as gently as you can, trying to assuage her fear. "Who said anything about abandoning you? I am not going to bar my gates and leave you in the cold. We are still going to trade; my doors will remain open to any who wish to visit. I am simply not going to be coming by every week to help expand the village. As for why, because I will not always be here. I have things I need to do, places I must go. If you cannot survive without me, you will not survive."
Ophelia stares at you, eyes desperately searching your face for several moments. Slowly the anger and fear drain away. Her sorrow does not depart, but it is always a sad affair when one must part with their teacher.
"I'm not ready. I can't do this alone." She says, quietly.
"I have already told you no one is ever ready. As for being unable to lead alone? You are simply wrong. I know you can, I have seen you do so." You state.
Ophelia give weak chuckle. "Aren't you supposed to say you believe in me?"
You scoff. "Belief is for those who lack certainty. Since I am certain you are capable, I have none."
Your conversation is interrupted by a loud cry from nearby. The two of you are moving to investigate before either realises you should consult with each other. You arrive to find Merrill and Xandar being yelled at by the hunters. You allow Ophelia to take the lead, she is the one who rules here. You remain silent when she seeks your support, seeing this as a good chance to prove yourself correct. When she turns back to face you, she finds your expression blank. You do not think letting the smug satisfaction at being proven right show would help with your conversation.
The incident seems to have shaken Ophelia from whatever negative emotions were clouding her thoughts.
"There's one thing I want to cover if you're going to be leaving." She says. "I'm not really sure what to do about guarding the walls. The hunters kind of do it, but they're not here for significant swathes of time. I was hoping you might be able to help me with that."
It would be wrong to leave the village you had helped found and steered away from military ventures undefended. It is something you consider, you had said you would leave them to their own devices, but not for long. You are tempted to recruit some warriors on Gladesville's behalf. It would be the cheaper option, even if you paid for their weapons. You are hesitant to do so, for many reasons. Ophelia could use them against her own people, they could become lazy and corrupt without your watchful eye. In the end it all comes back to your suspicion towards human nature. As a result, the only option you are willing to follow through with is to have your own warriors stationed here.
"I will not leave you without any defences. I am willing to station some of my own guards here to defend you." You inform Gladesville's leader.
The young redhaired woman gives you a smile that is trying a little too hard to be confident. "That was quick. You've been planning this?"
You shake your head. "I recruited my warriors for the express purpose of defending what we are building here. Loaning them to you to defend this village was always something that might have happened."
"So you're giving them to us? They obey me and we pay for them?" Ophelia asks.
You correct her. "No. I will continue to pay them, and I will send my lieutenant, Anneth, to lead them."
Ophelia has some doubts lurking in her eyes, for all that she tries to conceal them. "Well I guess the question is how many you're going to send."
You pause to consider. You do not want to send everyone you have, but Gladesville's wall is significant. Four is probably the minimum and to be cautious you will send twice that.
"Eight, I think. They are not yet all fully equipped but they can take shifts and trade armour." You inform Ophelia.
"Oh no, that's far too many. I don't think we could feed all of them." The leader replies nervously.
"I suppose I could supply them out of Endataurëo, I am paying them so I may as well feed them." It is a fair concern, and you are more than willing to grant her this concession.
Ophelia fidgets in place. "That would be a help, but still there is housing and other concerns…"
You resist the urge to pinch the bridge of your nose or in any other way express your mounting irritation. "Ophelia, you wanted these warriors. Why are you now trying to find reasons not to send them?"
Your former student shifts her weight awkwardly. "It's not that I don't want them, exactly. I just worry about the logistical weight put on Gladesville."
You sigh. "You are clearly nervous and finding reasons not to have the warriors you want. Why?"
Ophelia glances around for a few moments then slumps. "I get that I asked for this, and you're just trying to help, but I worry about having that many soldiers that answer to someone else in my village."
"I see." You say calmly. "Then I shall send fewer. Four is the minimum, but I would prefer to have Anneth available to help you if there are problems, so five it is."
The human girl looks at you in confusion. "What?"
"If you are concerned about the numbers of soldiers, then I will send fewer. We are allies not foes." You remind her.
Ophelia stares for a few moments and then starts laughing quietly. "I was being a bit silly, wasn't I?"
"Yes you were. If you ever have a problem with my actions, I would have you speak to me about it, not work around me." You tell her.
Once you have extracted a promise to do just that, you spend the rest of the day in idle conversation with the various villagers you know.
One of the villagers leads Merrill and Xandar to the hunters. They have been leaving later in the day recently, staying out during the evening to try and catch the more skittish prey. As a result, they sleep quite late. The two mages have to rouse them from their slumber, which gets no small number of curses flung their way. Fortunately, the hunters also serve as the village's impromptu militia, so they are not overly hostile about being awoken. The five hunters assemble in various states of dishevelment, Merrill recognises a few of them. Most of the hunters are members of the former bandits she had helped Nelyafinwë convince to found the village.
"Ah, Hi everyone." Merrill has made a mistake. Xandar does not know how to talk to people, so she has to do it.
She swallows nervously. "You're probably wondering why we got you out of bed so early."
"Get to the point!" A man with a thick beard and dark bags under his eyes yells.
Merrill grows flustered at the interruption. "Ah. Uh. We're here to. Um."
Xandar speaks up, seeking to help his teacher. "We want to help you with your hunting problem."
Unfortunately, Xandar's attempt has the opposite effect to his intentions.
"You two as well? We'd like to see you do a better job." A second hunter growls.
"We're not saying anything…" Merrill attempts to soothe their egos, but her words are drowned out by the hunters.
"Yeah! We do good work, we bring in hides to make leather!" One cries.
"It's not like the farmers are covering their own either!" Another echoes.
Xandar tries to get a word in, but the yells and cries drown him out also. Merrill is worried that things are going to go poorly when a voice cuts through the chaos.
"What is going on here?" The group turns to see Ophelia staring at them, hands on her hips and Nelyafinwë standing behind her looking amused.
"These two were complaining about our hunting." The dark bearded man claims.
"No we weren't!" Merrill protests hotly. "We just want to help you!"
Ophelia glances back at Nelyafinwë, but he is in no hurry to step forward and take over.
She turns to the dark bearded hunter and asks, "What exactly did they say?"
"They said they were here to talk about our hunting problem." The man grumbles.
"Is that everything they said?" Ophelia presses.
The hunters collectively shuffle back and forth guiltily.
Ophelia looks over them for a long moment then sighs. "Just hear them out, if it's a problem you can come to me later."
She turns back to her teacher, whose face has gone still in the way it does when he is hiding his thoughts.
"Sorry we leapt down your throats." A thin hunter says to Merrill and Xandar.
"It's alright. We just want to help." Merrill assures him.
"How're you going to do that? We're already doing what Ranger tells us to." One of the hunters asks.
"Well I thought that there might be some kind of magical assistance that could make your lives easier." Merrill explains.
"I don't think that's a very good idea." Xandar counters. "I used to hunt to keep myself alive and I reckon I could show them a few tricks."
Merrill huffs a sigh. "I still think magic is the solution. But I'll bow to your experience Xandar."
Her human student beams at her. "Thanks Merrill. I won't let you down."
"Hold on." One of the hunters says. "I don't mean to sound like I'm dismissing your help, especially after what just happened. But shouldn't we be looking at those Dalish fellows? They're really good at hunting, they feed like a hundred people."
Merrill's twin desires, to keep knowledge of her people secret and to correct wrong information, rage within her for a moment. The decision is taken out of her hands when Xandar speaks.
"The Dalish have a long tradition of living by hunting. Unless they volunteer to teach us we can't get anything from them." The group turns to Merrill expectantly.
She shakes her head. "I'm not a hunter. I don't know it."
She is not certain she would tell them even if she did, but as she does not there is no need to concern herself with that question.
"Nelyafinwë did something organisational that made our hunters more efficient, we could try that?" She offers instead.
The others all shake their heads.
"We don't want to disturb teacher while he's talking about important business." Xandar claims.
"We could probably figure it out ourselves? If we work together?" Merrill tries one last time.
The bearded hunter speaks up. "With respect, don't think any of us are quite as good at plannin' as he is."
"Sorry, Merrill. We'll just have to try things I know and see how that goes for us." Xandar says apologetically.
Xandar as it turns out has a great deal of useful advice to pass on.
"The thing I always needed, since I only had myself, was something that could work even when I wasn't around to do anything with it. That's the beauty of these." He said, holding up the snare he had fashioned.
"Don't those need metal wire?" One of the hunters ask.
"Metal's more reliable, but you only need something rope like. You can use vines, creepers, anything you can tie into a knot really." Xandar explains.
He demonstrates several different kinds of snares, but there is a concern growing among the hunters.
"All of these are for small game." One of the hunters points out. "We hunt for more than just meat, we also want leather."
Xandar nods understandingly. "Well these snares aren't like those spring traps you can buy. They shouldn't ruin the pelts any more than an arrow would."
"And what about the size thing?" Another hunter asks.
"Well I think you might be surprised. It will depend a bit on what you catch, but small bits of leather are used in shoes and books and stuff, so it should still be sellable."
There's some muttering and grumbling, so Merrill speaks up. "You could also just use these supplementarily. Put a few out in case you catch something during the night. Just for the additional food."
"There's also some larger traps I designed to keep bears away. They take a lot more to set up and you still need to kill things but I can show you those if you want." Xandar offers.
"Are those our only two options?" The bearded hunter asks.
Xandar shrugs. "Well I can show you how to find animal trails, it's part of setting a snare and it should help with your normal hunting."
The assembled hunters confer with each other for a few minutes before they come to an agreement.
Agreement is probably the wrong word. The five are divided into two groups of three, an impressive feat that required one of their number to support both sides at once. Merrill and Xandar watch in a combination of amazement and horror as the two sides tear into each other.
"We can't just abandon everything we've ever done before! Adding to our repertoire makes sense." A hunter who has clearly been to Orlais says.
"Yeah! It's so obvious." The one supporting both sides chimes in.
"Don't be ridiculous. We fail as often as we succeed. With these traps we can cover more area more effectively. A complete switch makes sense." The bearded hunter replies.
"Oh yeah! That's right." The vacillator switches sides immediately.
Merrill is holding her head in her hands, wondering what great crime she has committed that the gods punish her so. Xandar blames himself for this result. He had heard his teacher complain of the factious nature of the people of Gladesville. He had heard his warnings to Ophelia not to be drawn into the arguments they tend to have. Prompted as much by guilt as by responsibility, he thinks on what his teacher would do in this situation.
"Enough!" Unlike his teacher, Xandar cannot make his words cut through noise with ease.
He substitutes for this lack by yelling loudly and repeatedly. "Enough! Enough!"
Finally, his yells reach through to the arguing hunters, aided by the loud sound he makes with his staff. Magic is so cool!
"You need to pick a side." He says, pointing at the root of the problem. "Focus on traps or use them supplementarily. We can't do both."
The man fidgets indecisively. "They're both such good options. I think it would be best to focus on traps, no wait we should just use them as well a what we already do. No wait…"
"Pick one." Xandar attempts to growl; it is not a sound that comes naturally to him.
"I can't! They're both good!" The man wail in distress.
"Focus on traps! Yes or no!" Xandar yells, making up for his lack of looming height but getting close to his victim.
"I don't…" The man attempts.
"Yes or no!" Xandar yells again, leaning in until their faces all but touch.
"Yes!" The man yelps flinching away.
"Great, that's what we'll do then." Xandar chirps as he walks away.
The man who had been so torn looks around, bemused. "What just happened?"
It would be nice if that had been the end of Xandar and Merrill's problems. It was not. Such behaviour is dangerous to use, as it can alienate those you speak to. Xandar and Merrill would struggle with teaching the hunters for the rest of the day. There would be more arguments and both sides would return feeling irritated and exhausted. That was not to say that there was no success. Xandar demonstrated the traps successfully and the hunters have successfully taken on their new roles as trappers. They are not any better at trapping then they were at hunting, but they are at least no longer going to be an active burden on the village.
Your new farmers are starting to hit their stride. They are almost up to full capacity on herbs and their fruit trees are producing more than the famers require. You are pleased with their progress. The various merchants form the hexagon of trade congregate once more and Martin stands ready to take your wine to his ever growing list of customers. Your herd also adds another horse to its ranks.
You sell slightly more than half of your weekly product. Increasing your food stocks is something you consider of vital importance. The Dalish are pleased by the increased amount of fruit available, your people are in turn glad to have the extra meat. Gladesville continues to buy as much of your surplus as it can, the local merchants too. Keeping a stock of wine will both allow it to mature and give you an extra source of water. Wine is also used in medicine, a topic which fascinates you when Xandar brings it up. It can be both an anaesthetic and can clean wounds apparently. Martin departs with ten barrels of wine, which he has apparently already sold.
Martin returns from his travels with four suits of armour and a list of people who have already reserved wine the next time he rides out. To help keep costs down it is a mixture of thickly padded gambeson and iron plates. You examine the equipment in detail and are satisfied. The warriors have also spent part of their own money on red cloaks, though perhaps due to their lower wages they have bought more muted ones dyed with cheaper dye. You are still touched to see a full group of five mounted warriors wearing the colours of your house. When Anneth leads the four of them to guard Gladesville you smile to yourself.