The ritual to accept a member as a retainer of a House was very similar to that when accepting a Va.s.sal. Irvin was already in human form, so it was easy for him to kneel, bow his head, and cross his arms over his chest.Extending his hands to clasp mine, he gave his oath.
"This day, I, Irvin A"Blayney do forswear all allegiance
And pledge my duty to Prince Teigh Mac de Beleros y Cyronax,
As my Liege Lord. I will repay honor with honor,
Respect with respect.
Remaining true in all ways,
Serving you faithfully,
Asking that you accept my pledge,
As a member of House Beleros y Cyronax
This I swear on my name.
Let System judge if faith is broken."
Bowing my head to acknowledge his pledge, I responded.
"I, Teigh Mac de Belenos y Cyronax, accept your pledge of service and loyalty,
Arise, Irvin R"Teigh, retainer of my House.
I return your pledge with my own vow.
I will cherish your honor as my own.
And will return faith with faith.
This I swear on my name.
Let System judge if faith is broken."
[House Announcement: Irvin R"Teigh has been accepted and included and is now a member of House Teigh]
Irvin and I discussed his duties and my expectations for the next half an hour. I was pleased that he wished to continue his education into statecraft and agreed to support those endeavors financially. House members weren"t employees. Like Va.s.sals, they didn"t work for me, so much as with me. His talents would supplement my own.
The fact that we were heading to the capital was advantageous, it was there that he might someone that would help him further his goals. While true, the most corrupt, insidious politicians of any world made the Capital their home, there were also Elder Statesmen that were respected even lionized for their abilities to broker deals.
There was no guarantee that we could find a mentor for him, but as a member of a new Royal House, the chances were considerable. My biggest concern would be finding someone to mentor him that wasn"t steeped in tradition, so hidebound they were unable to embrace new techniques and advantages.
Eventually, when I formed my court, he would earn a salary commensurate with duties. If he became part of that court. But as a House member, he was more of an investment. Money spent to nurture him and his talents. He was free to pursue his own agenda, confidant that his House would protect his interests and stand his shield if necessary.
He wasn"t adopted as an heir of the line, but he was family. A cousin that is valued.
After our discussion, I left Cedric and Irvin to get better acquainted, they each had a unique status, one as first amongst va.s.sals, one as the first member of House Teigh. There was the normal male banter and bl.u.s.ter that you would expect from young men, and for all their age, they were really just stepping out of childhood and onto the path of adulthood.
It was amusing to watch them begin forming the first true bonds of friendship, sadly, it hadn"t been a process that had been begun when from the first. Something, perhaps status, had kept the two young men from any meaningful discourse. As young men do, their conversation segued into s.e.xual intimacy.
Not surprising. What was surprising, was their willingness to appreciate the beauty found in either s.e.x. Sidhe were bis.e.xual, and polygamists, for the most part, monogamy exists, but it is rare. I wouldn"t be surprised if they formed an intimate relationship at some point.
We, rather I was interrupted by Blayney, the two young men couldn"t be bothered for something as inconsequential as real-world problems, it seemed s.e.x made morons of male no matter what the species.
I hadn"t really expected to talk to Blayney again before we were ready to depart. He had his hands full, gathering the reins of power to a.s.sume his position as Herd Lord. My party and I were incidental at this point, acquaintances that were pa.s.sing through, and unless fate intervened, the chances of us encountering each other again were slim.
He would remain to govern his new lands, and I would move on, to find mine. We would stay in contact, our experiences demanded that. And if I ever needed to call on him, I could. We had shared blood, I was kin for him and his.
I could tell he was frustrated but more than that he was worried and afraid. Uncertain how to approach whatever topic was creating such tension, he equivocated, almost dancing in place as he tried to work up the courage to explain the problem.
"Lord Blayney," I began, "you would entrust your family to my protection, that would suggest that there is a trust between us that is not easily broken. Tell me. Whatever it is, I promise not to hold you responsible and will give what aid I can."
My words comforted him, and he was able to breathe a sigh of relief as he responded, "There was more going on here than Haygan"s betrayal of a few Kelpie.
"A crystal mine was discovered in one of the tributaries that feed the lake. That in itself isn"t really an issue, except for two related issues.
"Haygan and the Elders neglected to inform Duke A"Daoine about this mine, so no taxes or t.i.thes have been forwarded, crystals that are owed as part of the contract the Kelpie agreed to for the right to settle these lands.
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"And the mine opens into an underground dungeon. That dungeon was also not reported. This is even a more egregious breach of faith because, in this instance, all dungeons must be reported and examined by representatives of the Seelie Monarchs.
"The decision not to report the dungeon is idiotic, perhaps catastrophic. Our people would have received a finder"s fee and a percentage of the profits from the management of the dungeon, but now?
"Industrial production and capabilities for our people rely on dungeons. The combination of a crystal mine and a dungeon environment would have made for a profitable and significant manufacturing opportunity.
"If the stupidity had stopped there, that would have been bad enough. Some fines, an increase in taxes, and Crown oversight would have been levied but the Herd would have survived since Haygan was defeated in challenge, and I discovered and reported the graft immediately.
"But the idiots have trapped a colony of Knockers within the dungeon. Residents governed by a d.u.c.h.ess, and forced them to hunt for meat and skins, and mine for rare metals. Metals that include Silinium.
"Caraid, what are Knockers and what makes Silinium unique?"
[Knockers are tinkers of legend. They have the ability to make wondrous inventions crafted wholesale from the stuff of dreams. They are related to Goblins and get their name from certain deformities that give them a gangly, k.n.o.bby appearance.]
[They are considered as powerful as the Seelie because of their ability to weave dreams and create Chimeras, monsters they freed as a prank on the Greek G.o.ds for some slight they had incurred.]
[They are foul-tempered and perfectionist. Although they are capable of creating and fashioning metal marvels, they are never satisfied with what they create, always finding some small flaw that detracts from the creations that only their exacting nature can craft.]
[Silinium, on the other hand, is a metal. Rare and unique. It has the high magical conductive qualities of silver as well as the corrosive resistance of aluminum. Further, it has the ability to retain flexibility and malleability that allows the metal to be repeatedly shaped until a magic charge is introduced. Then it becomes stronger than Mithril.]
[It is the metal that allows Armor to expand when needed and retract and store into trinkets or jewelry when not. The metal is tightly regulated because it makes Inter-world teleportation array"s more flexible and far-reaching.]
[And if that isn"t problem enough, Haygan has somehow gained control of a Knocker d.u.c.h.ess. When I said they were as powerful as the Seelie, that included their tempers. Her wrath at this point will be prodigious. Blayney"s concern is not for monies or fines. He is worried that she will unleash her anger and destroy the entire Kelpie herd.]