"Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”

John C. Maxwell

Day of departure - Clergy

“Are you sure you will be alright with only Sir Manil to guard you?” Bishop Bailie worried as he said farewell to Archbishop Grigori.

“Yes, we will be fine. It is the last stretch now of our circumnavigation.” He declined taking the last compass knight. “You will need him far more than I will.” He added.

“Thank you, your eminence.” Bishop Bailie bowed in relief at holding onto a line of defence when the Lodestone depths were suddenly so much closer than he had been expecting.

“Come now it’s our final farewell for who knows how long I think you can give me an embrace after all we have been through.” The archbishop said as he raised his companion for the last couple of years and drew him close for a tight hug that was returned equally strongly.

“I will miss your counsel.” The bishop smiled as they parted.

“Then this shall be your last. Remember I expect great things. Teach this young lord as much as they will let you. He will make waves when he is older and anything you can do to repair the damage between the Silversea family and the church is worth doing. With Sir Jacques agreement, offer his services to the town to train their town guards and their sentinels as well as to the Silversea family to tutor their scions. Everything else I leave up to you. I will endeavour to get a delegation of compass knights to man the tower but who knows how long that will take. Let the light of the lodestar guide you.” The archbishop said his final words before he stepped away onto the plank to walk up to the ship.

“Farewell.” They waved to one another.

The clergy stood side by side at the boat's railing watching the dock as they departed. Priest Aravan had packed up and accompanied them. It was difficult to tell whether he was happy to be returning to the continent or embarrassed that it was happening at the request of the local noble family. It was clear at least that his feelings were conflicted.

Either way, the Silversea family were not there to watch them depart. The entire town was buzzing like an anthill in preparation for whatever might come forth from below. A few beasts had appeared but they had been easily repulsed so far. But it was enough to keep everyone tense and worried about what might appear next. A surprise visit from the Diver’s daughters were one of the few families to come and see them off but under the circumstances, it was to be expected and they had made their farewells in the town to the people of importance. It was time to turn around and head back to his new home.

. . .

Day of Departure – Arawn Silversword (Grandfather)

Leaving the infuriating little monster behind he headed for the northern entrance into the Lodestone Depths. It was as always impossible for him to quite make up his mind about his ‘grandson’. He had had in a single morning smoothed out some of the betrayal between him and his ‘daughter’ yet this was then followed by him breaking his promise over such a small matter. It was both infuriating and perplexing.

The child seemed to oscillate between making leaps of genius one moment and then ridiculously childish mistakes the next. It had not mattered when he was only affecting himself but as he grew up and into the role of the local lord it would become more and more important for him to become a little more consistent and reliable.

Out of sight of anyone that he could sense having sailed north across the lagoon, he tied up his boat in a fold of the cliff leaving it out of sight from both the town and the island before climbing the cliff. It was a short run along the river to the plateau the goblins had once defended years ago. There was nothing left of their defences or huts having been pulled down and burnt decades ago. He just needed to check that the traps, pitfalls, spikes and other measures that he had filled the entrance with were still in place and that they had not been overwhelmed by any changes in the depths after the Mosau eels surprising eruption.

Crossing the plateau and the stream that crossed it he approached the base of the mountains. Having planted bushes and plants across the cave entrance he lowered the netting that held the climbing vines that made it invisible to any who approached. Everything looked quiet so far, nothing had been disturbed. Or if it had they had put it back just how he had left it.

Stepping to the left of the tunnel he carefully made his way along the edge of a pitfall with spikes he had concealed in the floor. Another reason he had attempted to conceal the entrance so well was the possibility of the townspeople killing themselves on the way in had they ever discovered it. Though the majority of the spikes had been further into the tunnel in the hopes that even if they had tripped the trap they would not have been immediately impaled on them. Unlike if a goblin or monster had emerged in the opposite direction.

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Next were a set of spikes that would suddenly rip out of the wall on the left of the tunnel had he remained walking deeper along that wall. With each untripped trap that he passed, he grew more confident in the hopes that despite the Archbishop awakening the Mosau eels who created a new entrance to the Lodestone depths that the original one that he had found all those years ago was undiscovered and undisturbed.

He started to make his way deeper. Into the earth, the entrance was no longer a cave or tunnel but a crack and chasm disappearing deep into the earth. No longer with an easy path or simple walls and floor to trap he had created a deadfall of rocks perilously positioned to fall on any carelessly ascending monsters. Still, no new monsters littered his path down into the labyrinth so it had not been discovered yet. The chasm changed into empty lava tubes that he continued to explore outwards from his entrance each one trapped as best he could to halt or hinder any upward movement.

It would take him a while to check all the methods of death-dealing he had made. Silently he slipped through the darkness checking each one and delving ever wider and deeper.

. . .

Day of Departure – Adal Smit Silvertongue

Life was suddenly moving so much quicker. Ever since the Silversea games when his grandson and granddaughter had been officially presented as Wester Ponente’s Lord and Lady things had seemed to move so much faster. First communication with the other isles had brought them a little closer, then the archbishop’s arrival, now an entrance to the depths had been revealed. The risk and reward of the Lodestone’s monsters and base races was a sudden shock to the quiet town that had been the town of Wester.

People were looking to the church for answers and they were looking to the Silversea clan to lead them. As the patriarch of the clan even though he was not the leader of the noble branch they had come to him for answers. Some things had been relatively simple in setting up a town guard, the old guard remembered and though they had let things slip without any recent threats to keep them sharp they easily stepped back into the role. The stronger of them were equally interested in becoming part of the sentinels. It had not hurt that the very first group of sentinels had returned triumphant from guarding the depths without injury and a wealth of monster parts. It would not be long before people started to push to delve into the depths for more, though that could go either way.

With the departure of the Archbishop, the news would soon spread. But he had sent an early warning to the Town Mayor of Wester Levante to give him some warning. This was the only entrance on the three isles and he would be unsurprised if a few individuals hoping for either wealth, skills or levels turned up to test themselves. Foreknown was forearmed. There was little he could do to stop them but they could get as many things into place as possible before anyone new arrived.

They were exempt from Royal Taxes to Ponente but perhaps now was the time to instil a few subtle taxes. It was something to discuss with Grandaughter and Lady Acacia. Not necessarily the locals which would probably not go down well but certainly any visitors. Something to think about. He stopped daydreaming to focus on the most recent petitioner.

“We need a wall on the lakeside of the town!” the woman insisted.

“I’m not sure that is a priority right now.” He returned thinking about firstly the cost but also the space required on the edge of the town.

“If the eels had got into the lagoon where would they have come for us from, eh?” she argued back undaunted. “There is not much point to the town wall is there then?”

“I will take your suggestion under advisement but are you prepared to relocate as any wall would require a few homes to be knocked down to have it all the way around the town.” He pointed out.

“I’m not expecting it to be built on the land. We need it in the water to protect the boats as much as it is to protect ourselves.” She argued back.

“But surely you see that would be twice as expensive.” He pointed out. It was not necessarily that he disagreed but it would certainly take twice as long and require them to work underwater as well.

“Well, that is what Nobles are for isn’t it? To foot the bill when it is required. Besides I heard that the Silversea family have magic don’t they between you and the church there should be a way. Regardless of how you do it, we need a fourth wall.” She continued undaunted by the depth of her demands and possibly a bit delusional as to how the world generally worked having lived free from lords and ladies for so long.

“We will see what can be done.” He said adding it to a lengthening list of concerns the townspeople were presenting him with.

. . .

Day of departure - Back on the inner island

“Right, what’s for dinner then?”