Plans For The Future

-Alexis Lycan, 18 years old-

Alexis eyes his assembled vassals, only one of which actually owns land, and sighs inwardly. Ryan Tymer is the landed lord under his rule. The other two are peasants who were elevated by their jobs and barely qualified as proper vassals.

The lands that were given to Ryan's family were small and unimportant, but it is land, nonetheless. And once given, the greedy and desperate Lycan's that came after could not revoke said lands. Under the laws of the Dragonair Empire only the Emperor or his council could revoke a lands title. And this was only possible after a grave crime was committed, such as treason or the murder of a fellow lord. This particular law was put into place to prevent power mad individuals from sowing chaos and destabilizing the realm.

Therefore, when the Lycan's fell from grace and lost much of their power and influence, most of the ancient vassals disregarded their vows and broke away with their lands intact. The miniscule Lycan territory that remained is now surrounded by their old vassals and bannermen. Only the Tymer family remains, ever loyal till the end.

Alexis glances down at the papers on the desk and takes a deep breath. He had grown up exploring the ancient Lycan castle and spent much of his miserable childhood cooped up in the ancient library within. Surprisingly, most of the library is still relatively intact, owing to the fact that the corrupt lords only sold off all the valuable treasures and trinkets of the old castle. For they did not know the value of such books, but Alexis did, and he had accrued vast amounts of knowledge over the years.

Though he has never led before, he has poured over the ancient journals and diaries of his predecessors, of which were chalk full of tips and helpful advice on leading. Subsequently, he is confident in his ability to at least not run his lands further into the ground. If that is even possible.

Alexis glances up from the maps on the table and asks Vanessa, the current village chief, a question.

"Are the boundaries and borders of the land clearly marked?"

Vanessa ponders his question for a few seconds before answering, "For the most part, my Lord. Only the northern border remains unmarked."

Alexis nods his head a few times. "Good. Put together a team to travel to our borders and set landmarks down. I want a clear, distinct division between my lands and the others." He replies while folding his hands together on the table. "I want no border disputes. This is a critical time, and our neighbors will be eyeing us most cautiously."

Ryan frowns deeply as he mutters loudly. "Fucking traitors." He turns his head to the side and spits as he says this. He is of course referring to the lands upon which sit Lycan's old vassals.

Alexis smile sadly at Ryan's words. While he understands the man's anger, he does not blame them for leaving. He would have done the same.

"Who could blame them, Ryan? The past Lords bled them bone dry and abused them for decades." Alexis says firmly, but with sympathy in his voice. "It was only a matter of time."

Ryan's eyes widen at his lord's words. The past Dukes would have ranted and raved for hours on end upon hearing of the old vassals, leading to no progress in their so-called meeting. Only angry words and empty threats. Ryan is again reminded that the current Duke is nothing at all like his father. Thank the Gods for that.

Alexis clears his throat and continues, trying to dispel the awkwardness in the air. "Ryan, exactly how large is the domain?"

"Roughly 100,000 acres, my Lord. Almost all of it is undeveloped and untamed." Ryan answers almost immediately. He came prepared it seemed.

Alexis leans forward when he hears the answer. He runs a finger along the old map before him, tracing a rough outline of his land's border. A small dot is situated in the middle of the map, representing Starfall village. As Ryan said, most of the vast land surrounding the village is untouched.

"Angelica, what is most of the land covered by?" Alexis asks the older maid. She seems surprised to have been asked a question, but answers after thinking it over.

"Why, forests, my Lord." Angelica replies. The other two nod their heads in agreement.

"Did you know that the prosperous city of Riven is expanding outwards, almost doubling the size of the city proper." Alexis suddenly asks, seemingly completely changing the subject out of nowhere. His vassals look upon him in bewilderment, wondering what he is talking about.

Riven City is a massive town in the nearby Anaxia Dukedom, which resides to the east. It is a truly expansive city full of exotic trade goods and wares. It is also often referred to as the Adventurers Capital, for it is the home base of many highly ranked adventurers. Recently, it had been announced that they would be expanding the city greatly to make sufficient room for more homes and businesses.

Alexis grins at his baffled vassals. They say nothing outwardly, but they shoot each other confused looks. He raps the table with his knuckles to draw their attention before continuing.

"What does a city need to especially be in supply of to expand?" Alexis prompts after a few seconds.

"Stone." Ryan replies automatically. Alexis nods and looks at Vanessa.

"Food and manual labor." She replies tallying both with her fingers. Alexis nods again and smiles at Vanessa.

"Good answers, what else?" He finally turns to Angelica. She sits in silence, trying to connect their earlier discussion to this seemingly random topic. She sits upright suddenly as if something clicked in her mind.

"Lumber." She says hesitantly. "They'll need plenty of lumber." The other two gasp softly, finally realizing why Alexis had started talking about Raven City. It is fairly obvious now that they think about it. 

Alexis grins wildly before leaning back in his chair. "Precisely. They will need a constant supply of fresh lumber for a building project of that scale." He looks each vassal in their eyes before continuing. "And we so happen to have nothing but ripe forests throughout our land."

Ryan leans forward excitedly, "We could become their sole supplier!" he exclaims loudly.

"That is the goal, yes. But let us temper our expectations a bit." Alexis says while chuckling. "For we must meet with the governor first to discuss such things."

Vanessa tilts her head to the side with a troubled look. "But we only have a few skilled lumberjacks in the village. How will we even acquire enough lumber to sell?" Vanessa's words sober up Ryan quickly. Angelica has stayed silent throughout.

Alexis smiles at Vanessa's words, her question is one he has been waiting for, so he's glad she asked it.

"We will have the lumberjacks teach the basics to any man and woman who volunteers for it. Those who participate will be free from all taxes for a year and receive coin for each tree that they fell. After they are sold, of course." Alexis explains.

The loss of taxes and the coin payments to the citizenry would hurt their profits a bit, but the long-term gains far outweigh the immediate loss. A contract for lumber would bring much needed wealth back to the land and revitalize the near dead village of Starfall.

The three vassals look at each other and smile brightly, hope shining in their eyes once again. After such a long time, they are excited for the future.

-

Alexis stands on the side of the road that lead towards Riven City. He looks up at the man seated upon a weather-beaten horse. The man, Ryan, sits proudly and tall. He has been given an important mission and will see it through no matter what.

"Do not fail me, Ryan." Alexis says firmly "All of our fates are riding on this deal with the governor."

Ryan bows his head towards his Lord. "I will secure our future, my Lord." He says confidently.

After a few more words, Ryan gallops off towards the Dukedom of Anaxia. Alexis watches the man for a while until he is nothing but a spec in the distance before finally turning to leave. In the man's saddle bag, he carries an official correspondence from the Duke of Lycan.

The contents of which outline an exclusive deal for Lycanian lumber, sourced from the forests surrounding Starfall.