Once you have returned from your exhausting work and trip back, you are determined to do something you will actually enjoy. Since there is no one even remotely comparable to you with a blade the best thing to both engage you and be useful is organising your base some more. You have two objectives you want to meet. Firstly, you want to get the trade route you were planning started. This irregular quadrilateral of trade is going to be the foundation of the daily lives of those who dwell within Endataurëo, and it is important to get it set up as soon as possible. You do not yet have the products of your orchard to sell, but you have samples left over from planting to see who would be interested. Secondly, you want to have more people. It is a delicate balancing act between people to do work and the numbers your trade can support. You do want people who can do the trading on your behalf, so you do not have to do it yourself or take someone away from the role they are already playing.
You spend some time talking to Merrill about whether or not it is worth including the Sabrae clan in your trade route. She raises the very real concern that the clans, being nomadic, will simply move. You spend some time brainstorming ideas to deal with it. You eventually settle on creating a station where your 'caravan', such as it is, will stop. Any Dalish can then choose to meet you there. It neatly sidesteps their suspicions of humans and prevents you from becoming reliant on any one particular clan. You intend the station to be a relatively simple construct, a small roof on stilts. In future it may expand if you get more people to man and build it.
Once you have finished your conversation with Merrill you sketch out a rough map from memory to plan your route. You will be making this trip alone, carrying samples and establishing an expectation of others following in your footsteps. While you are among the various local population centres you will also be trying to find more people to flesh out your staff. You think that you can currently support two more people, since the Dalish hunters support themselves.
You could use more housekeepers; you have enough work for fifteen and you currently have one. You could also use more labourers; the numbers will change depending on how large your orchards grow. You do need to keep in mind that there will be seasonal increases and decreases in the amount of work you do. You currently do not want more guards. You have the room for more but six people guarding two is a little excessive already. You do want people to maintain the trade route though. In fact, the longer you think about it the more certain you are that they are what you need the most right now. You could hire more labourers but that can wait until you decide to expand the orchards. You can live with a cook who sometimes cleans, you do not need a dedicated cleaning or serving staff right now.
You put together the list of which areas you want to visit with very little difficulty or internal disagreement. Glensville, the Dalish trading post you will build, and the local villages will provide everything you need. With the decision of where to go settled you have only two tasks before you. Find an optimal route and build the trading post for the Dalish
You talk to your guards about the various routes through the forest. They have some good advice about good places to build the trading post so that all the Dalish clans will be able to find it and feel safe in using it. You give one of them a pin and send them as a messenger to the Sabrae clan, to let them know of your plans if they want to join in the trading. You then take Orundómë out to try and scout the best ways. You bring the samples along to kill two birds with a single shaft.
The route you have planned proves to be more than serviceable, Orundómë flies along the animal trails without any difficulty. You cover far more ground in an hour than any other rider could, as a result you have time to build the beginnings of the trade outpost. The construction is very simple, due to your lack of skill and tools, but you have an impromptu tent near to where you expect the traders to pass. You also take care to signpost the trail to the best of your abilities, others should be able to use it as well as you will.
When you consult with the various people of authority in the places you plan to trade with. You manage to speak to them all all within the same day on the back of the fastest horse alive. They are all incredibly enthusiastic about your proposal. Most if not all of them are keenly aware that their people need things they cannot make, but the lack of roads in the forest mean there are relatively few traders. You do have to do some fast talking to convince both the humans and the Dalish that the other can be trusted, but the result is worth it. The Dalish and the villagers of Glensville and the nearest town agree to take up the hard work of doing the actual trading. Rather than having to find and employ staff to do the trading for you, you can simply sell to those merchants who visit you. The only thing you have to decide is what you want to trade for and how much you are willing to trade for.
You ride Orundómë back to Endataurëo with all the haste you can muster. You need to oversee the harvesting of your orchards if you are to be able to trade with those you saw preparing to leave when you did so yourself. They will be moving to other places to trade with them, so you have just enough time for your first harvest to come in. You clatter through the walls of your base, springing from the saddle to seek Wesley. Orundómë wanders off, proud of showing his strength and desiring an apple. You make a mental note to give him one if you have any spare.
Wesley is in the orchards, making a careful inspection of the rapidly ripening fruits. You take a moment to idly wonder if they should be ready so quickly, but quickly dismiss that thought. You have more pressing concerns. After a hurried consultation on the best times for harvests and how many hands you might press into service for this particular one, you and he have a plan to put in action. You gather up a pair of the guards and set them to aid in the harvest, then you brief the other two on the coming traders and revise security plans. You did not fill your base with elegant furniture and tapestries to have them stolen by some wandering trader.
Finally the day arrives. The first to show are the men of Gladesville. It is a rather soothing interaction if you are telling the truth. They trust you and you they so there is no haggling only an exchange of fruit for leather and meat. You also pick up a number of herbs with medicinal value that have been grown in a small field. You tell them that the Dalish will be stopping by with various pieces of woodwork if they wish to return after their trip to the local villages. As they depart, they shout promises to return, japing about being repaid for the times they have hosted you.
Sometime after the men had departed the Dalish arrive. To your surprise you see the guard you had sent as a messenger and the various traders of the Sabrae clan. Your pin is returned to you and you are thanked for including the clan in your plans. Then the traders of Lanaya's clan also arrive and the trading begins. They are surprisingly keen hagglers and it is only your long experience with outfitting large expeditions, as well as Balarika's advice, that ensures that you get a fair exchange. You give them the herbs and some more fruit in exchange for meat and some of the Sabrae's furniture. They have taken to calling it flat-packed, which is a descriptive name if not an imaginative one.
The Sabrae are still present when the traders from the local human villagers arrive, they have travelled a long way and are trying to find out what Merrill has been up to. Based on her stuttering and the fact that her blush has reached the tip of her ears, you suspect she is struggling with the conversation. There is relatively little friction between Dalish traders and human ones, you suppose the locals are used to trading with each other. Unlike the other participants in this trade the humans pay in silver. You get a good price for some of your meat, high demand helps despite competition from the other members of the, irregular pentagon trade? Yes, that amuses you, it shall be the name of this scheme.
One thing that surprises you at first is the high price you get for your leather.
You are not the only one who is surprised, Merrill says, "Why do they need so much leather? They paid double the amount as they did for food."
You had noticed the tabard of the local authorities on one of the traders and realised what was happening at this point.
You tell Merrill, "Ferelden is mobilising for war. One thing people often forget about armies is that they need thousands of boots. Most of which will be made of leather."
The various members of the Sabrae clan turn to you.
"Ferelden is mobilising for war? Since when?" Merrill's voice has taken on a note of fear.
You stroke your chin as you consider. When you had been in town people were still surprised by the requisitions, so they had to be relatively new.
"I would say they began sometime early this year, perhaps around the third or fourth week after my arrival." You muse.
"Why? How long until they attack." Merrill's responses seem to indicate that she fears a war on her people.
You wish you could give more comforting news. "I do not know why. As for how long, depends on how many men they are calling up. Between a month and a year, I would guess."
As a partial apology for the ill news you have given them you invite the Dalish to stay the night at your base. You have the spare food for them, and it would be rude to do otherwise.
"Please take me as your student." The young elf has bent double in a bow as he makes his request.
You sigh and massage the bridge of your nose. When you had heard from your guards that Lanaya's clan had been having difficulties you had not realised they were apparently the kind of mundane problems you do not care about. You gave up investigating that witch, who has started to leave dead birds on your doorstep, for this.
"I am not helping you become a hunter to woo your sweetheart. You are a fully grown adult, do it yourself. Even better you could consider pursuing someone who values you as a person rather than demanding you fill a role." You tell the elf.
He does not take your response particularly well, but frankly you could not care less about his woes.
After extricating yourself from the worst love related incident you have experienced. Well second worst, you still catch yourself humming some of Kano's love songs because you literally cannot forget them. You finally get to something you actually consider a problem. One of the halla has been injured and there is concern that it might have been a werewolf. Everyone who has tried to examine it so far has been driven off by hoof and antler. You are hardly Turko but you are confident that you can manage to calm it down.
The animal takes one look at you and goes still. Its muscles tremble and it is clearly still afraid, but it allows you to approach unmolested. You extend your thoughts towards it, radiating calm and confidence. As the creature relaxes you discover the source of its fear. While there is concern for the injury it has suffered, it is far more concerned for its mate who has disappeared. When you ask about the creature's mate you are told that it fell ill and has been quarantined. It is too complex a concept to explain to an animal, so you project an image of the mate returning with a sense of promise. You make sure to check on the mate to find it well on the way to healing. The original Halla turns out to have been hit by a stray arrow by a certain idiot hunter, so there was no need for concern.
When you finally meet with Lanaya herself she seems confused.
"Do you solve every problem you come across?" She asks you.
"No. In fact I only solve those I consider problems. I did not help the lovestruck fool for example." You reply.
"Why?" She says in confusion.
You raise an eyebrow. "Did you miss a lesson during your training? Surely you were told that to be in a position of power comes with responsibility to use that power in such a way as your gods would approve of."
"I was! Well, it wasn't put like that, but the point was the same. Unlike me you aren't in a position of power, you're just passing by." Lanaya continues to be confused.
"I am a Noldo, the eldest son of Fëanáro. I am always in a position of power; it is part of who I am." You inform her.
She acts as though she understands, but you suspect that she does not.
"I have heard that you are having problems." You state, after you have gotten the various pleasantries out of the way. "How may I be of assistance?"
"Oh, it is a Dalish matter. You probably shouldn't be interfering too much." Lanaya is quick to reply.
You look the new keeper in the eyes and say, in uttermost seriousness, "I am a friend to the Sabrae clan; therefore I consider Dalish concerns relevant to myself. Further I feel that I owe this clan a debt for my part in Zathrien's death. I will not force my aid where it is not wanted, but I will do all that I can if asked."
Lanaya fidgets awkwardly beneath your gaze for a few moments, then she seems to slump somewhat and speaks. "What we've found out about Zathrien has the clan falling apart. More than a few people want to leave, they feel like the clan's been tainted by his lies. Others want to hide what happened from other clans to preserve his memory. I wasn't prepared for this; I don't think anything like this has ever happened before. I'm not asking you to do anything, but do you have any good ideas?"
There is only one thing to say, it is what you would do. It is also what every leader of the Noldor would do. You are genuinely amazed that this is even a question, the answer seems so obvious.
"I would rally them around myself, focusing on my own leadership and how that which has happened in the past need not define the future." You inform her.
She bursts out laughing. You take the time in which she is doing so to idly wonder how many people Moryo would have killed if he had ended up here instead of you. You seem to be laughed at a lot, and he had never liked people laughing at him. Eventually Lanaya's laughter subsides and, wiping a tear from her eye, she says, "That's not exactly what I was looking for, but it was worth it. So, your answer to my problems is basically 'be a better leader?'"
You look at her flatly. "My suggestion is to BE a leader, make a decision, set a course. If people do not follow you, they are free to do so. You need to stop worrying about what might happen if you make the wrong decision and simply make a decision. Perhaps the clan will dimmish, perhaps it will dissolve, or become something new. This is simply the way of the world; things pass and are replaced by other things. Nothing is eternal, not even the world itself."
The new Keeper's lips twist uncomfortably. "But I feel like I'm failing. Like I'm not good enough."
You shrug. "Give someone an impossible task and they will always fail. Nothing lasts forever, to live is to change. Your teacher forgot that when his life stretched on and on, seemingly unchanging. Now he is gone, and the clan was not ready for that change."
"So it's not my fault? Is that what you're saying?" She asks.
"I am saying that you should not judge yourself too harshly, do what you think is best and if it fails learn from it." You tell the nervous leader.
Lanaya takes several deep breaths and then heads off to gather the clan and discuss what the future holds for them. More out of curiosity than anything else you watch the meeting, wondering what it is that Lanaya has decided to do.
Lanaya steps out in front of the gathered clan members with a disappointed expression that would have made mother jealous. She allows a few moments to pass, to ensure everyone is listening and put them on edge.
Then she say, "It saddens me that it has come to this. I had hoped that the clan I have grown up in, that I am proud to be the leader of, would be better than this. But no, it seems that we are not. I am, of course, standing here to talk to you about the recent revelations regarding the former administration."
It is as she says that last line that you realise she is trying to copy the way you talk. It makes you fight down a smile.
"We have recently discovered that Zathrien was not the man we though he was. This has shocked us all, and I have tired to be understanding of the need to take some time to adjust, for I shared your pain. You have instead used this time to speak of dissolving the clan, or outright leaving it. What is this? I am staggered by disbelief. This clan is not one man. Does Zathrien care for the halla? Did he personally attend to every task? NO! Then why can the clan not continue without him?"
Her eyes narrow and her tone goes from gentle chastisement to open challenge. "Or is it me? Do you whisper of an end to the clan because you believe I am no keeper of worth?"
There is a general rumbling among the crowd, who seem to be rushing to disagree with her claim. She speaks over them, which is not an easy thing to do.
"Let me tell you that I am as ready to take the clan as any First. If I have been misled by my teacher then I will ask the other keepers, or perhaps my good friend Merrill who is not even a days ride away. For Mythal's sake her teacher is standing right there."
You smirk and wave as the eyes of the clan turn to you, obvious in your bright red cloak.
"I will not give up on this clan, on my home. If you have, then go. I have no use for people who cannot continue to live our lives without an immortal monster to whisper sweet lies in their ears."
Well you do not lie, so she has not said anything strictly wrong yet. Unfortunately, it seems that is the end of the speech, which is a shame as you were enjoying it. You manage to find Lanaya, mostly intending to ask if there is anything else she needs, and are greeted with a broad grin.
"How did I do? I tried to channel that 'your problems are stupid and so are you' energy you've got going on." She asks you, panting slightly.
You look around the suddenly galvanised camp. "I would say that it was a success, I also found it very amusing. Why did you feel the need to 'channel' anything of mine?"
She chuckles. "Yeah, sometimes you just need a kick in the pants to get you moving."
She casts her eyes up to the sky and then back down to you again. "I went with what copying you cause it's what you did for me. Your advice was mostly garbage, but you were right. I needed to do something instead of agonising about what to do. So thanks, you jerk."
"That was unnecessarily hurtful, but you are welcome." You tell her. "I believe that you have potential to be an excellent Keeper. You brat."
You are not sure where exactly you stand with Lanaya, but there is a lightness to the following exchange of insults that you find enjoyable.
You do not let her win though, some things are more important than good relationships.