Chapter 2. Part 5.

Selecting a Steward.

“Now that its official, your lordship will be wanting to select a steward, I expect.” The Innkeeper said. He really did not want any more work on his plate.

“Got anyone in mind?” Mark asked.

“You may want to hire Miss Brown.” the retired adventured suggested.

“Who is she?” the lord of Ravensend inquires.

“Miss Brown was the daughter of some lord. She was educated in estate management, as most noble ladies are. Quite the talented and beautiful woman, back in her day. Anyhow, she married an adventurer. They settled down here and raised a few kids. The Brown family farm is the best in the village, so most folks say. Her husband died about four years back. Her son and his wife run the place now and she aint got much to do other than look after the grand kids.” The Innkeeper explained.

Mark turn to Gwen, “Would you like to interview Miss Brown for the job?”

“Sounds like women's work, but ok.” she joked, then went off, without even asking where the Brown farm was. In a small village like this it was easy to get directions.

While she was off doing that, Mark walked around the village, looking at its meagre defences. These would have to be improved eventually. Most of the wooden wall was 8ft tall and didnt even have anything amounting to battlements. It was just a fence. The gate towers were the only things close to real fortifications, and they were also wooden.

Eventually Gwen brought Miss Brown to see the new lord of Ravensend.

“My lord, I wish to formally accept your offer.” the old woman says politely. “But I need to know what you expect of me.” Miss Brown was dressed well for a farmer and held herself with dignity.

“For now, not a lot. The village can run as it has. I dont have any new laws or taxes to impose. What I need is someone who can manage general affairs while Im out of town. Serious matters should be put on hold till I return.” Mark explained.

She nodded, “I understand you are an adventurer. So how often will you be away?”

He did some quick mental math, “A lot.” he said then seeing her discontent, elaborated “We shall be away for about one month at a time.”

Miss Brown accepted that info. “So I will have your authority to deal with small matters but not the serious ones?” she asked to make her position perfectly clear.

Mark hesitated, wanting to say something so he didnt sound like a horrible boss, but could not think of anything relevant, so he said. “Yes you are exactly right.”

She smiled a more friendly grandma sort of look. “Now that business is done, would you like to come round for lunch?”

Ranger Rally returns just before sunset to make his report.

Mark and Gwen are in the Inn talking with a few adventurers about how to defend the village.

“Lord Asat is a very rude man. But he agrees to meet with you, at his castle.” the messenger takes a drink from the mug of beer someone handed him. “ I suspect he is planning something. At the lest, a show of force to intimidate you. His castle isnt much, but it is more than you have.”

Mark thanks him for the report and asks a few questions about the number of people at the castle.

The other adventurers chime in with comments about lord Asat's miserliness when it comes to paying quest rewards. And the poor quality of his troops.

Mark listened for few minutes, keeping quiet as he thought. Then suddenly he stands up and says to Gwen, “Iv got to ask Bob about something. I may have a really good plan.”

“Its night and you know the forest is twice as dangerous at night.” she points out.

“Its a very important question.” he answers.

The walk from the village to the cabin normally took an hour, not including time to fight monsters. Tonight the trip took them two hours and several fights. But eventually the reached the cabin.

The knockout plan.

“Is it possible to put everyone in a castle to sleep with one spell?” Mark asked his magical mentor.

Bob considered the question for a few moments then said “Possible but difficult. It would normally take a half dozen mages, performing a ritual several hours long to gather and focus the mana for a spell on that scale.” Bob paced back and forth as he considered the task. “I think the two of you could do it, but it would still take a lot of time and you would need to see the target, if you dont know it like the back of your hand. And even if it does work, there is no guarantee that everyone will fall asleep. Some people have a natural resistance, others just get lucky. And some castles have rooms that are protected from magic, usually to prevent scrying or exactly this sort of thing.”

“Id say we have nothing to lose by trying. If it works we gain a victory without a fight.” Mark voiced his thoughts. Gwen nodded agreement.

“Well then, let me instruct you in the details,” Bob began in his best teacher's voice.

Up to now they had mostly used simple 'cast and effect' spells. The alarm spell being one of the more complex. Although one might not say controlling the wind or electricity is simple, those spells do not involve what amounts to variable parameters. The alarm spell did. The caster had to set an area of effect and select what would trigger the alarm and select what sort of alarm it would be. Typically an area 30ft in radius around the caster was used, with anything larger than a rabbit triggering the alarm, which was set to be heard only by the caster. The first time Mark had tried to use it, the spell activated when any thing moved into the area, including bugs. Needless to say he was not happy with his work.

For a basic sleep spell, the target must be in line of sight and will fall into a deep sleep for a few minutes, after which they can be awoken normally. But for this sort of mass sleep spell, the individual people would not all be visible, and just a few minutes of unconsciousness would not be enough. Mark would need to effect every room in the castle and would want to put people asleep for at lest an hour. Also he did not want the spell to start until he was at the castle gates.

“With ritual magic this sort of complicated spell is possible.” Bob assured him. “Although success is not guaranteed.”

So they spent most of the next day practicing ritual magic. Before their night time walk to a small hill near lord Asat's castle. The Innkeeper suggested they should ride to the meeting. However neither of them had any experience on horse back. Walking was a little less dignified, but it offered zero chance of looking the total fool for falling off the mount.

They camped on the hill top and set up the ritual circle. Two adventurers from the village guild were with them, to guard the camp. Murut the tall, a very big wolf-man warrior and Jeffen the swift, a small human rogue. They would stay at the camp during the meeting. Both Mark and Gwen had packed fancy clothes, but for the night's activity wore their combat kit.

Sleeping Ugly.

Lord Asat woke suddenly. He was in the main hall. Why was he asleep in the main hall? He had just been told that the visitor, the so-called lord Crane, was approaching. He ordered his men to their places and he sad down to wait. Then everything was fuzzy.

“May I have your attention, neighbour?” the young man in front of him demanded.

“Demand of me? In my own castle?” Asat's growing anger banishing the confusion. He stood up, about to put this boy in his place. Then he noticed, all the guards he had stationed around the hall, they were all on the floor. Dead or just unconscious? “Get up, you fools!” he ordered.

No one did.

Worry replaced anger. “What is going on?” he muttered.

“You showed me a display of power. All your men so well armed and so orderly. Then I showed you a little of my power.” Mark says in his best ominous villain voice. It really was hard not to treat all this as a game. “I am lord Crane of the frightful forest. Your new neighbour. Here today to extract payment from you, for the lumber and labour, your men took from me without permission.”

Asat looked around, still confused. With the realization only slowly sinking in. Crane the hero of 100 years ago was legendary as warrior and wizard. Could this boy really be a descendant? That would certainly explain the guards on the floor.

Mark took some pity on the distressed looking man, “They are not dead. I just made then unconscious. So we can talk privately, man to man.”

Lord Asat wanted to laugh and snarl at the arrogant boy. “Man to man' as if you was my equal. Ha!” He wanted to say that, but all he could manage was a whispered “How dare you?”

Which Lord Crane answered in a rather matter of fact tone. “I dare because I can. I dare because you are in the wrong.”

Falling back on a life time of bluster Asat faked confidence and said “Mind your manners, boy. This is my house. A guest must show respect.”

“And if you want your house to keep standing, you will sit down and accept my terms.” Mark said as sternly as he could. His hands clenched to stop them from shaking.

Gwen took this moment to flicker electricity between her fingers, in her own display of boredom.

“You will pay me for the lumber. You will pay my people for their labour. And you will pay a penalty fee for your arrogance.” Lord Crane said flatly.

Asat was turning bright red now. “Guards, Guards!” he yelled.

“No one is coming to save you. Gwen spoke for the first time in the meeting. Trying to be as intimidating as she could. “Agree to the terms or face the music.”

Normally Asat would laugh and ask “What can you do?” But it was quite clear what they could do. Both were armed and capable of magic. So he reluctantly gave in. “Very Well, I agree.”

“Excellent choice. Im sure we will be good neighbours from here. “ Mark said with a smile.

But if movies had taught him anything, it was that the bad guy would not give up and keep his word. Mark had no doubt that Asat would try some sort of trick.

“My partner will accompany you to fetch the funds. Feel free to try and take her hostage or something. She will of course defend herself. And when she kills you, I will ask the king for your lands.” he said it without much emotion. He wanted to drive home a point, but he was starting to feel like he was being the bad guy.

As often as this world imitated fiction, it was not bound to follow it. Lord Asat didn't try anything shifty.  He got the coins and quickly counted out the amount. He kept his mouth shut. Not wanting to give any cause for things to get worse than they already were.

When they returned to the main hall, Mark said “Thank you sir." He was much relieved that the plan had worked out so smoothly. Yet his stomach was in knots, expecting some disastrous turn of events any second. 

Asat hardly even blinks at that. Instead he asks, “Will my men recover?”

“They should be fine in a few hours.” Gwen assures him.