The good news is that none of the scouts (all of who were armed with what seemed to be crossbows, axes and ice picks) reacted poorly to Alexstrasza taking on her visage form. Oh yes, there was more than a little flinching and murmuring, but given how none of them tried to shoot at her or take a swing? They seemed to have reached the conclusion that it didn't matter what she looked like at the moment, she was still a dragon and so they did not want to trigger an attack. The next best thing? There were actual dog sleds.

Drawn by teams of huskies, which made a great deal of sense, given the temperatures that huskies are comfortable in and their use as sled dogs. It would mean more food was needed for the trips, but made more sense than coal powered sleds, or sleds with booster engines on them. Of course, when I mentioned that? That got some chuckles. "Oh, the idiots tried that for a while." The man patted one of the dogs on their head, who huffed and nuzzled into him. "But as it turns out? They needed the coal for their generator. Sure, sometimes food can be harder to get a hold of, but..."

The man shrugged. "Frost turns the steel brittle, makes it break. Relying on technological tricks?" The men around us shook their heads. "Plenty of cities built around generators thought they would survive, that they could defy The Frost." There was some trace of... veneration in his tone, or at least acknowledgement of a greater power. "In the end, the cold claimed them as their machines failed in the face of nature, when they couldn't keep their people together or enough supplies on hand as the storms raged."

He snorted and shook his head. "Still, the city is a place of warmth during the worst of the storms, for as long as it lasts." There was some fatalism there, even as he shrugged. "We will take the herds to a new safe place when they tear each other apart like the others."

All said, it was fascinating listening and learning on the five hour trip to the city. Because yes, it seems that there was a LOT more biodiversity than in the games. Or rather, it likely would have clashed with the Victorian Steampunk themes. Because it just wasn't huskies, but yaks, goats and a few breeds of chicken. Yes, goats and chickens needed dry and windproof shelters... but several breeds could withstand it going fifteen or twenty below before that so long as they had fresh and non-frozen water. Yaks were comfortable all the way down to forty below, while huskies were fine with it going down to sixty or seventy five degrees below zero.

And given how they had time to prepare the generators, even if some of them had clearly not been done as well as they could have? It did not surprise me that they had also scoured the world for animal breeds that would be useful and that could survive the cold climes to maximize the chances of survival. Yes, they required some of the food to go to the animals, but it seems to have paid off in the long run, given how New London was still standing.

Sir William Weatherby

Once, his family had been wealthy and respected. In many respects, they still were. He had been a youth of fourteen when he and his family had fled to New London, and he still recalled the old world with some fondness some thirty eight years later. As it is however, his family no longer had the official wealth and power that it used to possess, their holdings long lost, the writs of nobility and class lost to the frost along with the empire. Which had caused some of his peers in those early days to have... unwise ideas.

Truthfully, he had no ill will to the Captain or his enforcers, The Stalwarts these days, for rather forcibly educating those who wanted to assume that nothing at all had changed and refused to acknowledge the reality of the great storms and creeping ice. Frankly, the world changed, even if the people did not. And so, trying to hold onto power at that time would see it all be lost. No, as the surviving families of that particular time of unpleasantness knew, it was best to simply... slot into the positions of power and influence. To make suggestions and polite requests backed by said influence rather than demands and appeals to station and authority that was no longer there to be appealed to.

Which is why as Henry and the other scouts came back in with the rather odd guests? He was there to meet them. Or rather, he came down after one of the clerks who assisted with taking in the information of newcomers to the city informed him of the oddities and visibly inhuman nature of two of the new arrivals. Which was both a cause for concern... and something to look into. Not least due to a title one of them claimed. Not least, as he entered the room, as it raised some questions. "Good day. Now, before we begin, I will apologies for the inconvenience, but given your stated title," his eyes turned to the striking horned woman, "my subordinate requested that I take over the next part of your processing, under the assumption that you are staying?"

Now, even as he sat down, there was every chance that they would say otherwise. The Icebloods made no secret that they were going to leave any day now for years, merely waiting for 'the soft city dwellers tore each other apart' after all. Not so surprisingly, few actually left the warmth and safety of the generator and even among those? Most returned after a few months. But they nodded, as the woman in question sighed. "I likely should stop referring to myself as the dragon queen. This is not my home world after all."

Which, even as he nodded, did raise some important questions. "Quite. As it is however, you are at the very least royalty in exile." A faint twitch of her lips. "And so, as one of those who trace my family to the nobility of the old empire, I thought perhaps it was important to settle things personally. A personal touch such as it was, and a nod to your status." He smiled, as he looked at her and the other two. "I will ask, are this young man and lady part of your household?"

Now, the young lady in question, who was a deep rich blue color and not frostbitten along with her tendrils on her head, opened her mouth to say something, the young man reaching out to her shoulder and gently squeezing as she closed her mouth. But, the dragon spoke, her tone measured. "Yes they are. I would assume that there is a reason for that particular question?"

Now, he inclined his head. "Quite so. You see, while I am rather sure, as you claim to be from another world and all, that you cannot trace your line to its nobility. But..." Now, he shook his head. "Well, it would be churlish of me not to offer at least some of the benefits to a queen in exile. They are small benefits to be sure, as the city must survive and that is above the old rights and privileges, but there are some. For example, as they are part of your household?" He looked the three over. "Well, I will ask if you plan on expanding your household to a great extent or keeping it to roughly the same numbers along side a natural increase?"

The blue woman, Aayla Secura from the paperwork, shifted in color as her head tentacles swayed and shifted. Still, there was that knowing smile on Alexstrasza's face. "For the moment, I do not seek to expand my household to a large extent outside of the natural increases. Though, there could be room for recruitment later depending on how some of our... efforts go."

Ah yes. The fact that they planned on teaching actual magic. A part of him wanted to scoff and claim that it was absurd. On the other hand, there was an alien woman and a dragon in human form in front of him. But... he looked at the papers. "Ah yes. Your plans." He paused a moment. "Now, under the normal state of affairs, I would be rather unsure of things. However, you claim that your flames can renew the fertility of the soil?"

A rather extraordinary claim, but one that made him consider opening his treasuring and making a small request of the steward, if it panned out. "Indeed." And then her eyes closed and she spoke, voice pained. "And while it pains me to use my power for logging." She hissed like a steam engine, eyes closed and hands, almost more claws than fingers biting into the desk. Ah, he could understand why a being of the wild may be upset if she was suggesting what she was. "I can also restore the woodlands. Though for that, I would have some conditions."

Her tone as firm, and yet? The simple truth was that given the cold and the ice? They were harvesting the frozen trees from before all of this, and once they ran out... there was the new growth around the hot springs if they could reach them, the whiteouts having scoured the exact locations from the maps. Still, he nodded, and decided to make the offer. To be entirely honest, he would have to go around to the other families to ask them to contribute. "More than understandable, and if you can do it," he raises a hand to forestall any claims of offense, "and I word it so as I am required to be skeptical for the sake of New London, then such would be worth a great deal."

Now, he paused half a moment, and continued. "Which does bring me to an offer. I would request that you demonstrate the ability to renew the soil. After this has been proven, I will speak to the steward about the construction of a food district with a workers village nestled inside." He smiled. "Said district would of course, officially be paid for by you and you would be required to maintain the fertility of the soil, but the district would be under your authority." He paused. "With the understanding that the Steward has a great deal to say when it comes to the workforce as required for the vital functions of the city. Of course, I would be more than willing to host you and your household while it is under construction."

Now, the gaze from the dragon was distinctly curious and evaluating. "And what exactly are you getting from the arrangement?"

There was no condemnation in her tone, which boded well. "While you would officially be paying for it, all would be aware that the heatstamps would have come from from the Noble Families. Thus, the public is aware that we would have increased our food security while also appeasing and making a deal with a legendary dragon, reducing the chances of suddenly finding the city on fire, and potentially deterring any hostile action against the city."

All three of the newcomers nodded, seeming to understand. Perhaps the only downside was the mystical nature of it all, but he would have to consult the records for the wisdom of old world in the matter, as paperwork was signed and agreements made. Arrangements to ready letters of introduction among the various well to do families and merchant leaders... and with some of the Thinkers.

He internally sighed, as the three left. Truthfully, he preferred the Icebloods to the Thinkers and Technocrats at times, and the Icebloods were proud of being near savages who saw civilization as ultimately doomed in the face of natural forces. But at the very least they respected tradition, instead of wanting to throw it out, to test new and radical forms of social orders when such could very well lead to the sort of chaos that sees the city fall.

And yet, the Thinkers were many of the tutors and teachers educating the youth in mathematics and the sciences. And since they desired to teach the mystic arts... they would likely need to strike a deal with them to have it entered into the curriculum. Or, as he snorted, perhaps they could bring up the idea of a new school and college in the council? The idea had merit.

One project at a time however, as he would have to arrange for the testing and evaluation of the soil and then for the construction of the new district through the stewards office. Though as they would be paying for it? A very good chance Connell would agree to it. Now, to draft the proposal...