Editing Morglin Ironfist (section)

=== Letter 2 ===
4th Day of the Month of the Dragonfly, Common Year 632

My dear lord, King Ragnar,

:It has been more than a month since my last missive was sent up to where the mysterious gate was located. There, my most trusted servant waits in hope that the barrier preventing our return dissipates and he may deliver my pronouncements of fidelity and news of your growing estates here personally. I have moved my headquarters a dozen leagues down out of the hills and into a fair valley filled with game, great trees and swift running streams.

:It is a curious place and at first I thought the lands were devoid of all those who walk upright and can speak. For days I pondered what next to do. I wondered if all around me was thus. And then on the seventh day after arriving in the valley, a wandering peasant came through the woods and I thought, here at last is your first new minion. I tried to put him to work chopping down trees so that he might plant grain to make my bread for me, but he was recalcitrant, as are most peasants. Finally I deemed it necessary to lower myself to speak to him at length. We had here a great problem. My retainers, being men of arms, of course could not be asked to work and our one peasant refused to labor. Though tempted to kill him I realized we would starve next winter, if there is a winter here, if we did not reason with him.

:I asked him where were the people and creatures I needed to serve me. He bargained long and hard for the secret, something I found distasteful. Finally I agreed to pay him if he would tell me the secrets of this place and reveal a way to bring in those who would serve me. He then gave me this cryptic answer:

:“If you build it, they will come.”

:I was angry at such a stupid saying and prepared to slay him and then he explained.

:The following day I set the peasant and my men to building huts. It took some reasoning with my men to convince them that this was not peasant labor, but rather was the simple building of shelters in the same way that they would prepare an encampment. Even with this logical explanation, many were reluctant to work beneath their station. I was forced at last to bribe them with some of my jewels to convince them of the dignity of what they had to do.

:Lo and behold, on the morning after the huts were completed I awoke to find a deputation of peasants outside my tent, begging me for the right to occupy the homes that had been created.

:I thought long and hard upon this before lowering myself to speak to them. I explained to them that by living upon the land I had claimed and living in the huts I had made for them, that they owed me the obligation of their liege lord. They were to cultivate the ground, offer a tithe to me and that the men were to serve in time of war. In exchange I would offer them the protection of my sword. They willingly accepted. Marks were made upon a piece of parchment and the agreement was struck. The peasants moved in that same day and began to work.

:This set my mind to thinking and I asked the crafty peasant for more advice.

:Heeding him, the next day I set my men to building huts of straw and huts of sticks. This cost me more money in payments, but that was offset in a small amount when I demanded of the peasants and received rent payments, even if it was but a few coppers. The huts of straw and sticks were finally completed and to my utter amazement goblins and orcs appeared from out of the woods, willing to serve me in exchange for the places of dwelling. We struck the same agreement as I had made with the peasants.

:Frankly my lord cousin, these seem to be foolish creatures who are in need of a leader and hero to provide them with places to live. They seem not self-reliant at all but expect some form of liege to provide everything for them. I heard them exclaim that such a thing was their right and their ruler should provide to them all things. I gladly gave it to them and easily convinced them that I am their all-knowing leader. Now they are mine to use as I see fit, for they are fearful of losing what I have given them.

:Thus I have started the building of a town, which we are considering naming after you. My only fear is that it will not become great enough to be worthy of the name. To ensure you would not lose faith we have chosen our family name, so that should the town fail all will think it was named for your humble servant. It cost much to begin, but even now a small but steady amount of money is starting to trickle back, for these creatures do have pieces of copper in their pockets, though I wonder who out there is minting the coins.

:I will keep building all sorts of structures and I will see what else will come.

:Please extend to Lady Ewine my warmest thoughts and tell her I have many fond memories of times I spent with her. She’ll know what I mean.