Ember snaps his mouth shut, “It seems that we’ll all be headed down this road with her. Let’s talk to Davilla about where best to spend the money they’ve generated with these potions to expand her operations.”
Nodding, Benduri excuses himself to fetch her from Emlyn’s induction party and returns shortly with Davilla.
“What did you want to discuss?” Davilla asks, seating herself, “This looks like quite the conclave.”
“Emlyn has some ideas about expanding into metal production to support something that the Goddess wants, but the expenses will be… staggering,” Gethin explains. “However, it seems that your venture into potion sales might create sufficient income to offset quite a lot, if not all, of the initial expenses. We would like to renegotiate our agreement with you for a longer-term arrangement and to expand your operations to support her proposal. Perhaps if we were to grow some of the more expensive or more common ingredients ourselves, we could increase the profits while expanding the production.”
“That’s an interesting offer, but if I’m to consider it seriously, I have some conditions.”
Nodding, Ember gestures for her to continue, so Davilla launches into them, “The most practical concerns are my store and my house in Draycott. I’d have to move myself and my store from Draycott to Harito along with my apprentices. Halisar is my chief apprentice, and he's been running the store while I’ve been here. This will go one of three ways. Halisar will buy out my store and retain everyone, which means I’ll have to find new apprentices here and start training them. Halisar will buy out my store and won’t keep everyone on. If they don’t want to move to Harito, I’m required to pay them a severance of one year’s wages instead of finding them a new apprenticeship. If they want to move to Harito, we’ll all need assistance in relocating. I certainly need a more permanent place to live than the acolyte barracks or my sister’s guest room.”
“I think we can see our way to do that,” Gethin nods, “The temple owns several houses here in town that were willed to us by devotees when they passed. You can look at those and see if any are suitable. If not, we can try to find something else for you. As for a store, we’d prefer to buy something if you can find a suitable location. Failing that, we have several lots here in both residential and commercial areas of the city that we could build on.”
“That would seem to be acceptable,” Davilla nods, “but my apprentices will need help finding living accommodation and employment for their spouses if they decide to move here.”
“Get us a list of what kinds of jobs they can do,” Ember advises, “We should be able to accommodate them here at the temple or as part of one of Emlyn’s expansions. We’ll need to know how big their families are to see what kind of housing is appropriate.”
“I doubt Halisar will want to move here,” Davilla sighs, “I think he’ll want to buy the store, since he’s been running it quite successfully. I think he’ll be reasonable about the price. If he is, then I won’t need to pack it up and move it, but I’ll still lose my head apprentice. Fortunately, Vanya is a fine replacement for him. Even if all my other apprentices decide to move here, we’ll still need both more space and more staff. We can’t ramp up production from our tiny workroom, and we’ll need more than a handful of staff to operate it.”
“Staffing is something we can help with,” Ember nods, “We can get acolytes and clerics to help with that. We have many of our acolytes doing menial tasks because we don’t have anything else for them, so that won’t be a problem. What else do you think you need?”
“We’ll need lots of space,” Davilla says thoughtfully, “We’ll need lab space to experiment in so that we can create new potions. We’ll need space to set up stations to create our existing potions. If we have set stations that we can leave in place, we’ll break less glassware and save a ton of time in setting up and tearing down when it’s time to make something else. If we’re going to grow ingredients, we’ll need land for greenhouses, farm plots, and groves. We’ll need drying houses and storage facilities for both the ingredients and the finished potions. Some potions need to sit for a time before they’re ready for use. Other potions require special processing, such as fermentation, before they’re ready for use. That means we’ll need specialized facilities where we can store them under optimal conditions to maximize the potency of the formulation. For those that must ferment, we’ll need caves that can maintain a constant temperature throughout the year. We’ll need to establish an effective inventory management system to ensure that we rotate the ingredients regularly, keeping them fresh and at full potency. I feel like I’m probably overlooking some things that we should consider, but that should be enough to get this started. I’ll need to conduct a thorough review of all the ingredients our new formulas use to determine what we should grow, what we should contract out to farmers, and what we’ll need in terms of greenhouses and processing facilities. I’m headed home for the Mid-Winter break, so I’ll talk to Halisar and my other apprentices while I’m there. When I come back, I should have a better idea of whether and how this will work.”
“I think that’s as far as we can go for now,” Ember says, “Thank you all for taking the time before you leave to help sort this out. Gethin, if you’d stay for a moment, the rest of you should probably get back to her induction party. There should be enough time for you to say your goodbyes in case you miss her before she leaves. She’s leaving fairly early with Benger.”
Gethin unseals the room, and everyone else leaves before Gethin reseals it.
“I think we have to take this up with the Goddess,” Ember says slowly, “When she first mentioned it, I thought it was borderline insane.”
“And now,” Gethin grins, “what do you think of it?”
“It seems like it might be feasible,” Ember sighs, “It also seems like even more for me to do.”
“I don’t think she means to have you do it,” Gethin says, “She said she means to start taking over from you, and this seems like something she wants to be heavily involved in. If that’s the case, she’ll be needing some assistants of her own. Perhaps some of the husbands and wives that Davilla mentioned can step into that role. I doubt she’s an expert in mining, refining, smelting, or casting. If they can’t, then we’ll be on the hunt for some experts to advise her.”
Emlyn sails up to Jessop and Dru with a beaming smile, “I have a favor to ask of you two. We’re to be tasked with dealing with this dragon, Divaros. I suspect that Lords Whitehall, Coventail, and Highglade know rather more than what we got in that letter. I am hoping that you or your other brothers can find out why all of them have been so reluctant to intervene in the situation.”
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Chuckling, Dru nods, “That’s a tasty bit of gossip, and you’ll have to accompany me to an event if I share it.” He waits for a moment while Emlyn nods and flicks her fan at him.
Grinning even bigger at her agreement, Dru goes on, “It’s all gossip, but it’s gossip from some excellent sources. I heard all about it from our guard captain, who’s friends with Lord Highglade’s guard captain. Word is that Monkford ordered the attack and then refused to send enough men to see it through. Highglade is said to have questioned the men-at-arms that Monkford sent, and then washed his hands of the whole matter. When Lord Whitehall questioned Lord Highglade about refusing to intervene, Lord Highglade had his scribe read back the testimony of Lord Monkford’s men, and that seems to have ended Whitehall’s interest in the matter. Monkford is said to have been bankrupted by the dragon, and if he can’t pay his men and provide the service he swore to, he’ll be stripped of his title. If that happens, it will be awarded to someone else. There’s already a lot of jockeying by younger sons who are hoping to get considered for it.”
“Who do you think it will be awarded to?” Emlyn asks.
Dru’s grin only widens, “Dranor will inherit. Garret wants to become a monk or priest. We’re hoping that it will be one of the three of us who are still interested in worldly concerns and still must find a way to support ourselves.”
“If that’s the case,” Emlyn shrugs, “shouldn’t you be out heiress hunting?”
“Oh, we have been,” Jessop chimes in, “but until Dranor is married off, I’m afraid no one is much interested in his younger brothers when there’s a Duchy up for grabs.”
“Their loss,” Emlyn shrugs.
“What of you?” Jessop asks, “Are you hunting for an heir?”
“If I marry, it will most likely be among my people,” Emlyn says slowly, “With my family and my dowry both gone, I have little to offer aside from my skills and my lineage.”
“Not even a military or trade alliance?” Dru asks cautiously.
“No. Not even that,” Emlyn shakes her head.
“That explains why you’re here,” Jessop nods with a sympathetic look, “We had wondered why such a well-born lady would become a paladin.”
“I was before everything happened,” Emlyn grins, “My family was quite supportive, especially my mother and grandfather. Becoming one again only seemed… a natural choice.”
“In any event,” Dru grins, “This discussion has become entirely too serious. We’re glad you're here now and that we can help you. If we hear anything else, we’ll send word. I’ll also be sending an invitation to one of the more boring balls. We’re obligated to attend, but it’s normally a stuffy affair.”
“Everyone there is Father’s age or even older,” Jessop breaks in. “If we bring you, perhaps some of the younger set will turn out,” Dru continues, “And we can go heiress hunting. Lots of widows there, you know.”
“The prince said he’d come along with us,” Jessop adds, “if we could talk you into putting in an appearance so that he’s got a shield from all the title hunters.”
Dropping a curtsey, Emlyn bobs, “I am at His Highness’s disposal as a companion for the ball.”
Laughing, Jessop and Dru wander off, saying their goodbyes to the crowd. One by one, her well-wishers take their leave, and the party winds down. Emlyn heads back to her room to carefully remove the dress. She fishes out the note and the amulet. Prince Armeniel sends his best wishes for her new career and offers the amulet as a means to contact him discreetly, should there be anything he can assist her with now that he’s able to visit the privy in peace. Chuckling, she checks her packed gear one last time before going in search of Ember.
She finds him in his office conferring with Gethin and coughs politely to let them know she’s arrived.
“Come in, come in,” Gethin gestures to a chair, so she enters and closes the door behind her.
“I need to make a report,” she says, “I spoke to Jessop and Dru. It’s all secondhand, but according to Dru, the source is quite good. The Duke’s guard captain is friends with Lord Highglade’s guard captain. It seems that Highglade has already questioned Monkford’s men, and this is why he’s refusing to intervene. When Lord Whitehall showed up unexpectedly and inquired about the matter, Highglade had his scribe read the testimony back, and that alone was sufficient to get Whitehall to drop the matter, too. Monkford’s been bankrupted by this dragon and may lose his title if he can’t pay the men he’s supposed to contribute to the Duchy’s defense.”
“What do you make of all that?” Ember frowns.
“It’s possible that this dragon isn’t attacking the village but using the village to get to Monkford. It makes me wonder if Monkford’s been involved in something that somehow harmed a dragon. That ought to be looked into before we attempt to parley with this dragon. If he’s truly out for revenge, the only settlement he’d accept would be us offering up Monkford and his men. I doubt that’s a resolution acceptable to the duke. If he is out for revenge, we’ll be needing these.”
Emlyn hands him some hastily drawn sketches depicting weapons that look like a cross between a siege engine and a crossbow.
She also hands him a list of supplies. “If we do have to hunt him, I’d rather be prepared for it. Since I’ve been told that the region is quite rugged, finding something similar but more portable might also be a wise choice. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get some sleep.”
Yawning, she makes her way back to her room and quickly crawls into bed.
Ember looks at Gethin, “She’s certainly got her work cut out for her. All these mines, mills, and breeding programs. Where are we going to find all the money and the land to do it?”
“I’m certain that something will present itself,” Gethin shrugs, “Besides, whom are you referring to? Our girl or the Goddess? Let’s just let them both have a nice rest and see how our girl is doing when she’s back from her trip.”
“Perhaps so,” Ember nods, “Benger might have some more insight when they return. I can put out the call for ore samples from every mine in Tassatung. We can start with that. It might not be the ore, but the refining process. I’m no smith or foundryman, but even I know that there’s more than one place where making metal can go wrong.”
“Why do we have to be limited to Tassatung?” Gethin asks, “Why not investigate around all of our temples?”
“But the main Temple is here,” Ember counters.
“We can move goods between our temples easily and inexpensively,” Gethin responds, “That shouldn’t be a limit for this. I think her goal is to find the best ore to produce the highest-quality steel available. Not just the best steel in Tassatung. We’ve already got the best steel in Tassatung, and she said she’d scraped better off the bottom of her boot. Have you seen her blades yet?”
“No,” Ember replies, “I haven’t, but I’m dying to get a look at them.”
“You should take a very close look at them,” Gethin advises, “They’re remarkable. I can’t fault her assessment of our steel, given that her blades are a benchmark for excellence. Nothing we have, nothing Lokrag’s been able to make even comes close.”
“What do you think we should do?” Ember shrugs, “I’m open to ideas.”
“I don’t think we should put out the call just yet,” Gethin advises, “We’ve got the perfect excuse to go poking around. We’re going to need a lot of land in a lot of different places for all sorts of different purposes.”
“What are you thinking?” Ember frowns. “We’ll need to have our storage somewhere cold and dry. We’ll need caves for the items that require fermentation, but likely a somewhat warmer climate than our cold, dry storage. We’ll need farms, orchards, and greenhouses, but not all plants grow well in the same soil, water, and climate, so multiple locations will be required. If we happen to find any of the other things she’s looking for during the process of acquiring these locations, we can quietly purchase those locations as well. We’ll need to have teams of surveyors and assayers sent out to poke around.”
“We could send out some map makers, too, “Ember says, “It wouldn’t hurt to create maps that show us where to find other things we’ll need like water and timber while we’re doing all this.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Gethin nods, “That might be very helpful in deciding between locations if there are multiple choices. Maps will be useful when we start trying to build, too.”
“We still need to bring this up with the Goddess,” Ember sighs, “No matter how good Davilla’s potions sell, the expenses are going to be staggering. We need her approval to pursue it. I think it could work if we don’t do it all at once.”
Would you go to the ball with the prince? Let me know in the comments.