"It feels so good to be out of that room!" Katla exclaimed as the trio exited through the iron doors of the smith's guild headquarters and began the long walk to the western edge of the city. "Much longer in there and I would have gone as mad as a rabid dog. Poor Einar would have had to put me down or risk losing his hearing to my ravings."

"So, how far is this inn?" Katla asked after a few moments of silent walking.

"It's about a five hour walk." Alexander replied.

"Five hours? And the entire journey will be within the city itself?"

"Yes."

"This city must be massive! Stoklavik is the largest city in Starklund, a man could cross it on foot in an hour if he hurries. Oh well, after being locked away in that prison they call a dormitory my legs could use a good stretch."

"If you were so unhappy there, why did you stay?"

"We had nowhere else to go. We spent the last of our money securing passage, expecting that we could find work in the city quickly, if not as smiths then perhaps as day laborers until we could find a forge to work. Instead we are confined, alone, and told we risk being jailed if we wander the streets without permission. I knew you Tarids were cautious about strangers but I didn't think it would be this bad."

"It used to be worse."

"Worse?" Katla exclaimed. Alexander could see heads turning at the sound, eyeing the tall blonde woman with suspicion but looking away when they saw she was escorted by an Inquisitor. "How could it have been worse? Did you greet newcomers with a spear to their arses?"

"Not quite," Alexander said, suppressing a startled laugh at the woman's bluntness, glad his helmet could hide the smile that crept onto his lips. "The laws made it very difficult for non-citizens to enter the island beyond the trade ports, even then confined to the area immediately adjacent to the docks. Fear of outsiders spreading disease or foreign ideas. Emperor Philolaus has been reforming the laws to make it easier for outsiders with skills that benefit the Empire to settle here but it's a slow process."

"Ah. Well, as long as we can work and eat and have a place to sleep out of the rain I'll be happy."

A few moments of silence passed as the trio walked up the broad street. Einar mostly looked at the ground, Katla's head was in constant motion, looking up at the tall stone buildings or the crowd of people and wagons on the road. Alexander could see heads turning to gawk. Katla stood as tall as most men in the city but her brother Einar towered over her, the top of Katla's head only coming up to his shoulders. Alexander was shocked when the man first stood up from his place on the bed in the dormitory. He had heard stories about the great height of Starklunders and while they had been exaggerated their true height was still impressive.

"The guildsman called you Inquisitor, is that like a constable?" Katla asked after a pause.

"Not quite." Alexander replied. "The Inquisition is charged with defending and promoting the values of the Empire, making sure that people uphold the Ethics and that no subversive philosophies or religions take hold in the populace."

"Ah." Katla replied, nodding.

"Actually, I should have mentioned this sooner. I know people in Starklund tend to be very religious, you cannot, under any circumstances, talk about your people's gods or goddesses. Don't talk about the stories of their deeds or how they're worshipped or anything like that."

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"Yes, we have heard that you Tarids do not believe in any gods. We will be sure not to bring such things up, right Nar?"

"Don't even speak about them if asked." Alexander added. "I cannot state this enough. You cannot say a word, not even simply giving their names, even if someone asks you about them. If someone so much as asks you what your people call your deities, reply that such matters are not appropriate to speak of. Then, report the question and the questioner to myself or the other Inquisitor, Marcus. It's possible the person asking you did so as a trap and if you don't report someone for showing interest in a foreign religion then you could get in trouble as a sympathizer."

"Understood, we will be sure to say nothing, right Nar?" Katla said. Einar replied with a word Alexander didn't understand.

"That's another thing, do not speak Starklund where anyone can hear you," Alexander added. "and to be safe you shouldn't speak it at all. By law only the common tongue can be spoken throughout the Empire."

"Even between ourselves?" Katla asked.

"Yes, part of the duties of the Inquisition is to stamp out anything that could divide and therefore weaken the Empire. When Tario the First unified the island and put an end to the Three Kingdoms period, he feared that his people speaking many languages would divide them and pull apart what he built. Since most places could speak some Wolleman for trade he declared all his subjects would learn to speak it and it alone. Anyone caught teaching the old tongues could be flogged, imprisoned, or executed at the Inquisition's discretion."

"So many rules in this place! How does anyone get anything done? It seems like I have to spend an hour deliberating each word I speak before I open my mouth!"

"That could be a good thing." Einar said quietly. Katla made a face and growled at her brother while shaking her fist at him but smiled when Einar leaned away from her.

"It's not actually that hard." Alexander said. "There's many small details in our customs but they can all be summed up in a few principles. The most important is to never speak of any gods or spirits or afterlives of any sort. Second, only speak the common tongue. Everything else that would get you in immediate trouble are things I think are common to every nation: Don't steal, don't murder, don't harm a man or his property, things like that. The majority of our Ethics are focused on finding the balance between excess and deficiency in all things. Failures in these matters only become a problem if you persist in them despite correction or if you attempt to encourage others to do the same."

"Will you teach us these rules? Or are we expected to learn them on our own?"

"Croton has several ethics tutors, they tend to instruct youths but I'm sure they will be able to teach you."

"I suppose we can humble ourselves and learn like children if it means we have a home and work, right Einar?"

"Yeah." the man replied. Alexander could see the Starklund man's eyes focused on a steam wagon that puffed out great clouds as it struggled up the road. "There are lots of horses here." he said, eyes still on the vehicle.

"There's a lot of cargo that needs to be moved, most of the Empire's wealth passes through this city at some point."

"Steam wagons are faster and stronger than horses. I've only seen four since we left."

"I imagine steam wagons are harder and more difficult to manufacture." Alexander replied. "To get more horses you just need to keep a mare fed and provide her with a stallion at the right times and then raise and train the foal."

"Maybe. There's a lot more steam wagons in Starklund, I think."

"That's a good thing, though, Einar." Katla said. Alexander noticed she moved her hands a lot when she spoke but was careful not to make contact with her brother. "More horses means more work for us! It's much hard to shoe a machine like this."

"There will be plenty of work for you, I promise you that." Alexander said. "The north has remained relatively untouched by all these machines, everything is still done the old way."

"That suits us just fine! We want to be able to put the skills our father taught us to use for as long as we can."