I whistled Edvard Grieg’s Morning Mood as I made my way down the central spiral stairs. Today I’d decided against going the whole noble route for clothing, instead I’d simply gone with simple dress pants, shirt and a vest over that. The pants and vest were black with the shirt a soft green colour and I was already rolling up my sleeves as I left the keep. Before me were the green skins capable of starting out right away with Abhorahs and Vashanesh already sorting out those that wished to find some task to do for the tribe or another.

I headed past them and smiled and waved at the few kids running around as I headed towards a building we’d intended for large gatherings which now held those requiring healing or fixing their skeletons. I wasn’t looking forward to the work ahead of me but I guessed it was the same as when all you had was the forge, hammer and anvil to forge your material with.

I ran a hands down my face a little as I rubbed at my eyes a bit before running my fingers through my much shorter hair now. It wasn’t reaching all the way down to my calves now but I’d cut it so that it would just fall over my shoulders, I tied the top of my hair that would eventually get in the way into a top knot.

As I entered the building and saw the many deformed or misaligned green skins I sighed internally. I was glad I’d managed to siphon mana from a crystal in my sleepy haze in the morning I’d be unable to do even half of these without that. I had developed a passive cycling technique that would continually gather and purify the mana you gathered through meditation while simply walking around. It took a bit of more concentration that it took to hold back my aura but it was manageable.

I noticed that Mozû and Karzâg were already there with their people. Many of the women and children crowding around them as they spoke to them about what to expect from my “blessing” in terms of pain or the like that they might experience.

Thankfully no one had noticed me and I kept it like that by blending into the deep shadows of the building. Above, hanging off the ceiling was a chandelier holding three of the orbs I’d created for the children and reincarnators to further their mana control to a point above the advanced stage if they learned the lessons contained within properly. These however were a slightly different version as their failure state continued ongoing using small pieces of mana in the air.

These I’d decided to use as light sources as I’d managed to steal one of the lamps in the city to learn their functions and adapted what I’d learned to these orbs that now dotted Starlight.

I moved from green skin to green skin unnoticed, my light touch and mental querying for permission allowing me to work near undisturbed. When I was done with the males that had been in the periphery still looking around like guards which made me realize something about the Zabrûm tribe.

They were a lot more closely knit than the others, having had to rely on one another so heavily to survive as a group made it so that they always looked out for one another. That brought a smile to my face as it reminded me that humans were so rarely like this.

No they’d rather increase their own wealth or status despite some really not needing any more of either and frankly a few back on earth I’d really want to rip to shreds. I shook my head as those thoughts came back to me. I’d realized I’d grown to hate earth more and more as I thought of how fucked up a civilization humans had made for themselves there. At least Imerith had a slight solution since things actually did get done when one person was in charge instead of a group that disagreed and tried everything to discredit their opponents. I wouldn’t say it was really a good thing as sometimes the one in charge could be a real dickhead.

Augustus Alocia was a competent ruler in my opinion. He focused beyond just his nobles and quite frankly I’d seen in his eyes what he thought of a few of them. I’d even tried to tempt him to leave them in my tender care but he’d seen what I’d do to them in my eye I believe and had denied the idea.

Again I shook my head to get rid of my thoughts as I allowed the shadows to slide off my form as I walked towards Mozû and Karzâg with a slight smile as the males I’d been silently treating all stood and walked to the middle of the room. Most of which already were healed but had felt like it had been a day dream thanks to my little tricks. “Good morning.” I said with a smile as I approached them.

I noticed some of the children did back off and move behind their mothers to look over at me from behind them. Some had curiosity and others had fear in their eyes, a fear I couldn't really blame them for. To them I was not only a physically manifested greater spirit but a dragon of a type no one had even heard of before.

“Ah, Totem.” Karzûg said as she bowed her head a little at me which made me chuckle a little. They clearly still didn’t really know how to address me. I simply smiled and with a little teasing wiggle of my fingers at the children hiding behind their mothers I teased them with a few butterflies, birds and tiny dragons manifesting and flying around them.

Karzûg, Mozû and the mothers all gasped in surprise as some of the kids ran away from the tiny dragons trying to let their snake like tongues tickle their necks or ears. Many squealing in either fright or from being tickled by the tiny creatures. The women on the other hand smiled as they saw I wasn’t trying to hurt their children but teasing them a little.

I smiled a little as I began to mingle a little with them all as I slowly and gently healed those that were around me. By the time I’d already been there for two hours Lady Weaver entered the hall. I’d started with the children after going around the periphery and all of them looked uneasily at her before she simply moved to be on the other end of the centre of the hall and began to set up a board and the like.

While I continued my gentle ministrations Lady Weaver was teaching the children how to read and write their own language. Many of those already healed joined in on the lesson while I simply chatted and mingled with those around me while I finished healing those that needed it. By the end I’d spent almost four hours healing and fixing those that needed it and I already felt drained.

Mozû moved along with me as I stood up and I had to raise an eyebrow as she and Karzûg moved along with me as I left the hall. Once out and seeing the warriors being trained by not only Abhorash but with Ar-kaius as well while a few interested in helping keep law and order upheld in the tribe were surrounding Ur-Edin. I continued to draw my eyes over the square and noted that Gûnd Hoglick was training his own squad of rangers and hunters.

“We didn’t have enough time to fully train up any warriors or hunters. Those already had their hands full doing their duty in protecting and providing for the tribe.” I heard Karzâg almost whisper as if in shame over their struggles in the mire. I turned to look at her and narrowed my eyes just slightly which made her tense up a little.

I noticed and sighed slightly as I reached out and gently gripped her shoulder. “You did the best you could with what you had. There is no shame in that, as I said I’ve observed the clans for over a month now since I became a greater spirit. Your tenacity and unwillingness to let the unfairness of the situation get to you was what decided who I’d pick after all.” I said with a slight smile and both women smiled back at me.

Then I noticed Mozû’s face properly, I hadn’t gotten a good look while treating the others and with the hood she now had on instead of her raven likeness sallet helm. Her face had been bisected in a way, with the lower half of her face unpainted skin but the upper was painted black instead of the green grey of her race. I noted other colours in there as well, a painted ridge of white motifs of tribal face paint were the distance between skin and bone was thinnest. It granted her an almost raven skull like idea with the black surrounding these small white lines.

“Did you paint your face?” I asked a bit curiously as I leaned in to get a better look. My eyes turning red as I increased my ability to see in the dark through mana so that it was in stark contrast.

Both women held their breath as my eyes changed and then as they faded back and I nodded approvingly at the face paint did Mozû breath and respond to my question. “I-I did Void Dragon it is the tribal markings of my old tribe adapted from the skull of a tiger to that of a raven. My original tribe was the Phantom Lions and they were great hunters in the Vast Peaks before one of the Jotnar tribes moved into our territory and wiped most of us out.” She said as she looked down using the hood to hide most of her face.

I decided not to pry any further until she was ready, it didn’t all that matter to me at the moment but it might be some interesting information on the situations developing in the north. Knowing more about and being able to predict its possible developments and/or influence it as I wish would be good. Filling that away I moved to her and gently tilted her head up to me. “You do not owe me any explanation lest you wish it.” I said while smiling ever so gently at her.

Taking a step back after that I took another look around and then closed my eyes. Following the tethers I had to all of my minions and worshippers as it where I began to follow them. I could know the general direction of a worshipper but not much more than that and their general state of health while my link with my minions allowed me to look through their eyes and communicate with them mind to mind within a radius that had naturally grown to twenty kilometres.

I found Bûth in the forge with Seker and a little more searching found Ptah within the area I’d dubbed the raven nest. Situated within the large store house district was the other area where the living dwelled within Starlight, hiding them from the unintelligent undead as it was surrounded by wards that would prevent any who wasn’t invited from trespassing.

Within were the homeless orphans that Ashes and Dust had picked out of the homeless population. Once both had become capable of splitting themselves into multiple clones of themselves they’d approached them across the city which happened to be the range of separation they were capable of now. However they had to be supplied with mana from myself to manage that range and we had only been able to do this for three days as each could only split themselves into three different ravens at this time. This had left me with a small group of around twenty two children all talented for different things.

None of them had reached adult hood which was one of the requirements on seeing if training in some specific manner might influence their class selection or the class they’d be stuck with. Thankfully that training would at most only take around three years before they reached the age of adulthood. I’d put in rather specifically for those of my forces I’d stationed there to guard and teach them while the others were away to treat them humanely and only push them as hard as they could be.

I penned a visit to my little roost of raven chicks in making for today when they’d be out of training. I’d structured their training to be similar to a school day with morning exercises to work on the over all fitness of their bodies, then studies in a vast array of topics and then combat and magic training. I made sure they were all well fed with everything they’d need to grow properly and I’d even gone so far as to see if there had been anything the matter with their bodies and fixed what little I’d found.

Granted I would use them almost like pawns and I certainly could be classified as evil now that I was literally harvesting the homeless of the city for parts and even writing a magical tome bound in human skin. However I’d still treat my people right, I’d make sure they had a roof over their heads, a safe place to rest and better themselves, with food and vast libraries on offer to them.

They would be provided for, I wasn’t going to be some two bit evil overlord that kill someone the first time they’d fail. I’d give them a chance to prove themselves once more and if they prove incompetent at one task I’d try to find some place for them before killing them at least. I liked to think that, that was what made me a bit less of a monster than I could otherwise be.

I would show outsiders my fangs, claws, breath and magic but those in my care? I’d care for them and at least see to it that they would be provided for. I would do some horrific shit in the future I was sure of that but I’d at least stick to some code of personal honour that I can’t stray from. A guiding philosophy to temper myself with so that I do what I set out to do and don’t burn the world around me doing it. My beef was with Wolfsguard and Aiona, not with the other kingdoms of the continent of Imerith. I shouldn’t drag them into anything unless they, themselves of their own free will decided to act against me first. A sort of you get as many chances with me as you have for life type of thing I guessed.

My face darkened as my thoughts went down the deeds I’d do to those that betrayed their oaths or promises to me. To those that would prove unworthy of even the first common courtesy of trust I’d extend to them. The simple courtesy of expecting them not to stab in the back the first chance they got, failing that however.

I noticed the dark chuckle I’d begun to let out in low tones as I just stared up at the keep, well more like I noticed the strange looks I was getting from Mozû and Karzâg. Clearing my throat I took a closer look at the two women and suddenly noted that they wore the armours I’d given them the night before. Mozû’s raven styled sallet helmet hung off her hip while she’d opted for the hood her small poncho provided.

It had been something a little extra I’d asked for to help spare her from water leaking in through the slits of her helmet in case she was out in the field and it rained. The poncho also held an enchantment to help in fighting off the elements in a minor way, allowing for more time to get to shelter if the weather demanded it.

Karzâg’s helmet was also on her hip, the visored Barbuta helmet styled after an approximation of my draconic visage though with only two eyes which served as the way for her to see. The armours showed off their warrior physiques yet didn’t look like those fantasy armours that looked almost moulded onto women. This was form fitting yes but it was clearly there for a reason and function, no obvious signs of their femininity at a glance save their hips and slight hour glass like mould of their armours.

I smiled gently at the two and spoke up. “I want to ask you Karzâg to go and fetch Seker and Bûth from the forge. I want you to then follow Seker as he will guide you up into the keep and to my personal forge on the second top most floor of the keep.” I spoke and I saw the eagerness to follow my will in her eyes and got a bit sceptical inside. I felt a bit off receiving such a look from her, that was only considering what I’d done in this life let alone my last one as a human. Like I was undeserving off it but then I figured that if she wanted to do so then it was her choice.

“I wish to speak to all four of you.” I continued looking over at Mozû. “You will come with me as I’ll speak to you about a specific project I wish to try out with your help if you are willing once you’ve heard it.” I finished and I watched as Karzâg sped off towards the gates in the walls that separated each sectioned off district.

I turned to walk into the keep once more with Mozû by my side. “I wish to ask you to help me manage a small orphanage I have set up down here.” I said as I looked at her, noting the look on her face. She was intrigued and it made me smile inwardly as we stepped through the doors of the keep.

“I offered them safety and food in return for them being trained to my service as spy’s, mages, warriors or any other specific talent that they have that I intend to nurture in them. I require a Raven to watch over the chicks as it were.” I said looking at her.

I saw the look of unwillingness, I’d seen how bad she was with children while looking over the tribes and I smiled at her. “I need you to train them. I need them capable of surviving in the wild and anything else you can teach them so that they can always save themselves with their own strength in the future. I don’t intend to take them into service until they’ve at least reached level fifty.” I explained.

I continued speaking with her on the topic, telling her how I wanted to teach them to become my agents and how I wished for them to be powerhouses among those the same level as them with just the sheer amount of preparation and training they’d gone through that would make them even the cream of the crop would envy. I saw her grin turn almost feral as the idea of such a force as I had laid out for her would be capable of.

Then she surprised me with a question of her own. “What about the few orphans of the tribe? How about offering them the option of joining your ravens or be cared for by the tribe as we have done?” She asked and I stopped at the last step on the stairs as we’d reached the second top floor.

“Huh...” I grunted as I thought it over. “Well if its of their own free will then I would welcome them but they wouldn’t belong to the tribe if they did that. They’d belong to me and I’d care for them as such.” I said as I headed first into the library both to write up the next few pages in the Liber Mortuorum while also pointing Mozû to pick out a few of the books I’d stocked down here. Most of which were crafting manuals intended to teach the old fashioned way with a few tools you could make that were rarely used but good to have around, not something I would need to have as my personal forging equipment but something I might need from time to time.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“What is that book you are hovering over?” She asked me as she took the fifth book off the shelf's and placed them down on in a stack on the table next to me while I was waving my fingers in the mystical gestures I used to help focus my mind just that tiny little bit more with such delicate work.

“It is a spell book or grimoire as it were. It’ll help teach future necromancers three different paths to follow.” I began to explain as I pulled the excess ink off the pages and deposited it back into it’s vial. “It will teach the manner in which every culture of this continent cares for their dead, with funeral rites and embalming techniques detailed within that will also explain what it will do to the body but also what it would do to the body should it be raised by a necromancer. I did add way’s to prevent all but the strongest of necromancers from raising the dead as well as how to care for the dead body and soul with one of the paths as a Tomb steward.”

I watched her eyes widen slightly as I continued with the other two paths that the Liber Mortuorum would allow a basic necromancer to strive for, even if Spirit doctor and Tomb steward only became a way of conducting themselves as necromancers. “There is also details on the bodies of the sentient races, how their bones should more or less look, how their muscles and bodies work and how to use spiritual energy to heal the body. This way they can turn from those associated with death to those associated with easing death and helping the living live a bit longer.

This treaty also teaches how to communicate and allow the spirits of the departed to manifest shortly after their deaths to say their goodbyes to their loved ones. Then finally the last path is that of the necromancer with the rest of the tome filled with what any necromancer of the apprentice level needs to know.” I finished and I saw a strange gleam in Mozû’s eyes.

“I see.” She only said and I looked from her with a bit of wariness growing within me as I moved to pick up the books and the two of us moved into my personal forge. I moved over and began to heat up the forge with a few choice spells as I took a few good steel ingots I could enchant while I made them to give even rarely used tools a quality I wished to have as my basic standard.

Mozû had taken two books for herself to read while she sat on one of the worktables in the forging area that all served different functions, she sitting at the one that would be dedicated to carving and etching once I’d made the tools for it. Slowly I grew slightly to a full height of two meters and around thirty centimetres with my more dragonic form coming more to light.

I felt less constrained like I’d undone a notch or two on a much too tight belt only over my entire body. It was among the simple pleasures I could allow myself in starlight, I couldn’t just expand or change my form to be more comfortable in my own skin as a well over two meter dragon man might cause a panic.

I noted how Mozû’s gaze turned up towards myself as I got comfortable and began to breathe black and blue fire into the forge to start heating it up. I’d found I could breathe bale and black fire only when I was in a semi or more draconic form, it was like the ability to breathe fire was locked to it. I smirked a little as I watched the blue and black fire slowly mingle before the coals in the forge grew hot and the orange of natural flames suffused it. I did note the small licking fires coloured blue and black leaving the coals every so often but I simply smiled as I moved back to the anvil.

I looked from the ingots and handle I’d already gotten ready last night before moving back into the other part of the area and began to look through the differing sizes of small thin plates of metal we’d also done. I picked out around six that fit with what I was going for and as I returned I had already slowly begun to grow out two more similar plates out of my own scales.

I had stumbled upon a set of words that applied to forging while walking past the Dwarven ambassador during one of those days I spend at the palace now. Augustus, Sabirah, Nafir and Tibut had decided on holding much of our preparation meetings in the palace for the closing in new semester of the academy.

The words were dragon forged and dragon treated. Apparently they’d found out how to incorporate draconic scales into the base of the forged material, sort of like how they did with pattern welded Damascus steel, while the other was somehow involving both draconic blood and fire to quench and finish the tempering and hardening of the finished product. I’d decided to try out my own scales in this experiment with a bit of mana I kept the plates in their place before placing it in the hot forge while using the simple foot worked bellows.

I felt time slip through my fingers as I watched the metal in the forge. I heard when Bûth and Karzâg walked into the forge being shown the way by Kvasir. I turned to look at them before hearing the quick steps of someone small running and before I knew it I felt Tûhorn almost slam into my side. I quickly looked down a bit surprised she’d been so quick and that I hadn’t sensed her until she was ten meters from me. A distance she’d covered rather quickly actually, the sheer look of utter panic on her face did give me an idea of the impetus for that speed. “What is the matter little one?” I asked before I heard it.

I sighed with a tired tone as I looked from Tûhorn to the annoying little thing that had scared her. A small Voidling was crawling along the ground towards me, the other living around me did gasp and back away as far as they could while myself and Kvasir just seemed tired. I moved my tail over to dangle the tip of it above the voidling. I still found the skinless, eyeless rabbit like humanoid with the lower body of an octopus or squid a bit disturbing to look at. It let out it’s slightly annoying chittering call and I responded in the rough and deep shaking tones that my voice naturally took when trying to communicate with other voidborn. The sound reminded a little of those creatures that Godzilla had fought in one of its movies that happened in San Francisco if I remembered correctly.

Tûhorn looked up at me as I leaned down as the voidling took hold of my tail and was lifted up as I brought it up to my face, growling a little at it. How had this one gotten out again?

I had summoned four voidlings and essentially kept them in jars with the exact same food and living conditions as I tried to understand that part of myself. This particular one was number four, I’d marked all four with numbers via an arcane mark on their forehead. Number four was smarter than the other three, they were rather content in their personal jars while number four was a curious little bastard that somehow managed to get out of his jar. I was beginning to think that my lie might be true of there being more animalistic voidborn and the sentient ones over them with number four being a future sentient one while the other three were animals. What I had figured out was that most voidborn appeared to grow from one of these voidlings which was why I was trying more long-term experiments with the four I had. “You aren’t supposed to be outside your jar.” I said in Icelandic growling a little at number four who proceeded to stare at me with a puzzled cock to its near faceless head.

I sighed and with a muttered spell had the voidling imprisoned in a small bird cage like contraption.

I handed it over to Kvasir who took the cage without complaint. “Could you make sure this one doesn’t get out of it’s container again.” I grumbled eyeing number four like I’d eat it if this happened again, somehow I felt like it could understand my look. Thinking I’d have to get a closer look at number four to make sure it was actually more intelligent than the others rather than just more active given the other three were more docile.

I looked from Kvasir nodding his head and walking out to the four pairs of eyes staring at me. “What was that… creature?” Mozû asked narrowing her eyes a little at Kvasir’s back as he left the forge.

“A voidborn, creatures not of this realm and some are ancient beyond our imagining.” I replied as I gently picked up Tûhorn to place her on top of the anvil to sit down while the metal continued to heat up. I noted the looks asking for more information and sighed as I sat down on the anvil next to Tûhorn while Bûth, Mozû and Karzâg moved to stand in front to listen as I gestured for them to come to closer.

“When I became a greater spirit I inherited aspects of other creatures beyond just that of a dragon.” I began with another sigh as I let my fingers tease at Tûhorn’s hair which she seemed to enjoy. “I have within me aspects or abilities akin to vampires, a god of death, voidborn and a dragon. It is the reason I call myself the Void dragon, I am essentially a draconic voidborn so entwined with death that I stand at the crossroads between life and death.” I explained while keeping one of my eyes on the metal heating in the forge.

“And it is due to this one foot in one realm while the other is in another realm that I have the distinct opportunity as a greater spirit to have a physical body unlike the other spirits who must shed their bodies to become greater spirits. However due to this twisted manner of being pulled with different instincts in different directions while also reconciling the fact only a few weeks ago I was semi-mortal with memories of three other lives. As a greater spirit I am merely an infant, a child needing as much guidance from my tribe as I can provide the tribe in turn.”I said as I then felt a tug from Ashes on my mind.

The green skins were silent for a long while, allowing me to have a short conversation with Ashes in my mind and knowing what the mental nudge was for. Deciding to allow the green skins more time to think I looked down at Tûhorn and smiled at her. “Would you like to meet your elder siblings?” I asked which made her eyes widened out with glee and she nodded quickly. I chuckled and raised my hand up to the wall and created a shadow gate which connected to the patio at the manor.

Stepping through came Morice with a slight uneasy look but he was much more used to travelling like this than Akasha who held tightly onto his hand while keeping her eyes closed. Morice did stop in his tracks once out of the gate as he was also rather unused to and felt uneasy about my dragonic forms.

Akasha on the other hand smiled wide and ran up to my leg and hugged it tightly as I leaned down to stroke the top of her head. “Hello Akasha.” I said before pushing Tûhorn gently forwards to get a little closer to Akasha. “I want you to meet your sister, Tûhorn. Tûhorn can you be so kind as to take your siblings with you on a tour of the rooms here at the top of the keep?” I asked with a smile to the shy looking girl who looked a bit uneasy but when Akasha took her hand and smiled I saw the little ice-troll blooded orcess move with the dökk/snow elf girl.

Once they had left with Morice giving the look he usually did when he wanted me to know we’d talk later as he left. I moved over to the forge and took out the glowing hot lump and moved it over to the anvil. The green-skins now talking amongst themselves in the corner of the room. I’d noted the curious yet careful look Morice had given them but me must have known they weren’t a direct threat given that I was in my near draconic form.

Slowly I began to hammer the ingot of hopefully welded steel and scale but soon I saw how it had only welded the metals not my scales.

I frowned as I saw that at least steel wasn’t compatible to be forged with my scales. I wouldn’t give up though and keep trying but for now I placed the steel together back into the forge. I watched it begin to slowly glow with heat before turning back to the green skins noting they had finally finished deliberating between one another. I watched as Bûth, Mozû and Karzâg approached me again and to my surprise it was Mozû who stepped forth to speak first.

“You won’t just stop at being a greater spirit will you?” She asked me and I couldn’t help the draconic smile that crept upon my lips as I towered over the black orc. I leaned down and I saw her forcibly hold back her natural reaction to take a step back from my maw of sharp teeth smiling at her.

“I’m only level seventy right now.” I said as if I was being a little bashful to her and I couldn’t help the boisterous laugh that escaped my lips as I saw the faces of all three drop.

Mozû again showed herself the most composed of the three and spluttered before starting again. “What?” She then asked almost tersely and narrowed her eyes at me. “You are telling me you are capable of feats the magos of old could pull of and you are only level seventy?” She then continued as I shrunk down to my elven form once more to lean against the anvil while smiling at the three in high amusement at their reaction.

“Yes.” I answered bluntly though still with a smile.

“Then what are you? Truly?” Karzâg asked and the look in her eyes showed her she wanted a straight answer. I couldn’t really blame her for it, they had taken quite the chance on accepting me as their totem and a part of me felt a little insulted. Hadn’t I already given them more than enough reason to see I had only their best interests at heart? Well their best interests while in my service when I thought about it.

I sighed and answered. “I am the last living descendant of voidstrider, the god of death and he who walks the void, he kept the peace between this realm and the realm of the voidborn. I am also apparently the heir of the void sovereign which I have never even met. I have also awoken as a demigod which in essence is as similar to your greater spirits in nature that I can act as one for your tribe.” I saw her face scrunch up in what I figured was incredulous fury.

“You want us to worship you?” She almost hissed angrily and I looked at her with a deadpan look.

“That isn’t it... is it?” Mozû asked me with an almost pleading look in her eyes, I felt her belief in me like a tether and sighed again.

“I don’t need faith.” I said as I looked at Karzâg almost angrily for a second before I schooled my features to patient calm once more. “I only require you to believe in me, there is a difference.” I said and at her confused expression I decided to elaborate.

“Worship implies subservience, I don’t need nor do I want you to be subservient to me. I embody the concept of death after all, I am inevitable. No what I need is that you know and believe that when your time comes I will judge you fairly for all your deeds, good or ill. I am a guiding hand to allow life to flourish in your tribe because to me life is sacred it is a fleeting candle so easily snuffed out.” I continued and noted the step back each of the green skins took from me.

“If I so desired I could have flooded your lands with the hungry dead.” I said almost with a growl. “The dead serve me until they are ready to begin life once more, it is the reason I do not require your subservience through worship. Instead I have simple tenets to help guide your lives.” I said and at the look the three gave me I decided to tell them.

I held up one hand and raised a finger in turn with each tenet as I spoke. “Take care that the evil you put into the world is less than the good you put into it. There is no need to honour those that do not honour you. The tribe is family take care of one another.” I finished as I raised the third finger and stared them down like I was challenging three wild dogs growling at me.

“What do you mean by those last two?“Bûth asked first, looking more contemplative than the others.

“I mean that if you face someone who doesn’t honour you in any way, be it showing common curtsey or the basic amount of respect one hands strangers to see if they are worthy of more, you don’t have to show them any of the same curtsies. As for the second well there should be no orphans in the tribe.” I answered while moving the hand I’d raised my fingers with to rub a little at my shaved chin.

Akasha had asked me to shave and it had been an easy decision to make given the inherent hassles of proper beard management in this world. Near daily trimming and specially washing outside a normal one or two day period between bathing I already had as a habit.

“What do you mean by that? No orphans in the tribe?” Karzâg continued no looking a bit intrigued after Bûth had made the first move in a calm manner allowing her to think things through a bit. Her voice snapped me back from thinking of my daily routines as my mind had drifted.

“If the child is part of the tribe and without blood parents then the tribe is their parent.” I answered and to pre-empt her follow up I answered that as well. “Yes I have a soft spot for children and I’ll tell you why. The reason is two fold really. A child is the greatest representation of untapped potential you can ever find. They are capable of becoming almost anything and secondly is really just their outlook on the world around them.” I said with a slightly fond smile.

“Outlook?” Mozû asked and I chuckled a little.

“You don’t remember when you were a child? When everything was new and exciting, your eyes fresh and well children are often the most honest creatures you can ever really meet. Brutally honest at times.” I said chuckling a little at remembering a few times children had be really blunt with me or those around me in the past.

“And that is why you have a soft spot for children?” Bûth asked cocking his head a little to the side.

“Did you listen at all? I find life in general as something sacred and children are those who have yet to experience it, I want them to at least have a greater chance of that than not.” I said rubbing at my forehead now I was growing tired at this manner of interaction and soon had all of them save Bûth back out to think things through and find themselves something to do.

Bûth I kept around to show him a little more about the enchanted machinery we’d made to make things easier on us as well as forging a pair of tongs with him. The steel had been enough for two simple tongs and I felt he should forge one on his own with his new hammer.

I spent the time to help him understand things as I’d be considered proficient with all I’d learned from the council regarding smithing though they taught it with the mind set of artificers and enchanters. It granted them a better idea of how to prepare the item being forged to being enchanted or used for some other artifice while forging it. I only taught him the most basic of that simply as a guide to show him that how you forged was partly how you came at the item you wished to forge and the mindset behind it.

Once done I placed the newly forged tongs into one of the holders for tools I still needed to finish forging before I’d ever start playing around with the forge first. Bûth left with his own pair and a slight spring in his step as Morice came into the forge with his look still on his face. I narrowed one eye at him when he handed me a piece of paper and I looked down at it. A notice for our team of adventurers that I used to train them,a job for tomorrow. “Ah crap.” I groaned once I’d finished reading through it.