Chương 17: Chapter 16

Selessa forcefully slammed her golden helmet on the tent's foldable table, almost causing the table to buckle and collapse from the sudden force of the impact. Her hands were squeezing into fists hard enough that if she hadn't been wearing gauntlets, she might've drawn blood. The only reason she wasn't punching the table was because she knew that wouldn't do any good.

"You don't seem too pleased despite us winning a great victory. Greatest since our arrival in these lands after the war against the demons. Might also want to have your armor cleaned. It's covered in troll blood." Anasterian commented, as he too pushed into the rather spacious tent. Anasterian had been leading the main forces in the battle, although the forces had mostly operated under the instructions she'd given. He was there mostly to react to any unexpected changes while she had led the mounted forces.

Selessa knew you had to fight with your troops to really gain their respect, especially when there was something as important as this on the line. And being the spear to strike into the heart of the enemy was too important to fumble.

"We won, but ten thousand Quel'dorei aren't returning home. Even with all our advantages and healing." She reminded grimly.

"Ten thousand out of almost one hundred and sixty thousand, against an enemy more than twice that, in a battle that the trolls fought to the last man." Mostly because she hadn't given them any choice. No surrender was granted. No mercy given.

"By anyone's standard, that's a grand victory!" Anasterian was personally feeling quite jubilant.

"We broke the backs of our ancient enemy, an enemy that has been a thorn in our side for several thousand years."

"I know. Yet, I can't help but feel I should've done better." She growled. She felt that with all her advantages, she should've been able to do much better. Had she asked too much of the borderline militia that their infantry was by having them use such complicated tactics and formations? Could she have handled the encounter better? Maybe draw things out? Let the Mon'keigh die just to distract part of the troll forces and take them piecemeal? She wasn't sure.

As if reading her thoughts, he was caught slightly by surprise by what Anasterian said next.

"Most importantly, you saved the human king. Having their ruler owe you his life will be a real boon in the negotiations and beyond." He got closer, standing behind her, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You did what you could. You certainly did better than I or Talanas would've done."

"Yes, but neither of you have lived through thousands of years of war, have you?" She hissed.

"I should be able to utilize that experience better."

"Perhaps now you can." Anasterian seemed to be thoughtfully silent for a moment.

"I was meaning to ask you earlier. What are your plans now that the war is all but over? I know we still need to deal with the Amani settlements that remain, but…"

"I think we should leave the ones in the area the Mon'keigh call Hinterlands. As much as I'd like to wipe out their entire race and not leave a potential threat alive, digging them out will take too many lives and we can use them to train our forces in the future. Cull their numbers while allowing our new warriors to bloody themselves." She argued, having given this some thought. Digging the troll out of their hole would be much more arduous than the battles so far, for a very limited benefit.

The only risk was the trolls coming up with some grand revenge plan, and she didn't plan on giving them that much time.

"Without someone to fight, any warriors we train will grow complacent. We'll just have to make sure they never get the opportunity to become a threat."

"Sounds reasonable enough, even if I would feel better if we removed the threat entirely." Anasterian conceded, mirroring her thoughts.

"In answer to your question, I'll likely make sure we have proper troops the next time we have to go to war. We talked about mandatory military training before. Aside from a standing army, I'll take those with will and talent and turn them into something special. Something real. I also have the Light and the religion to deal with. I'm a religious leader after all. Or at least I'm supposed to be." She answered, finally unclenching her hands and turning around to face Anasterian.

"Besides, I still have my own training to do. Now it should be easier since I have an adult body to train with and time to do it properly. I owe Thelion several ass-kickings from the shield training he forced me through, and we can combine it with training the new warriors." Anasterian nodded.

"Sounds good. You'll still be the Autarch until this thing is over, but the Convocation will want its authority back soon after. They'll be nervous if you retain control too long." He hummed a bit.

"I get your training plans and I agree, though it might also be good for you to take some distance as well in the near future. Your current fame and influence make the nobles nervous. Not most of the Convocation perhaps, but the rest of the nobility that don't know better. How would you feel like becoming an ambassador? Would let you see more of the world and assuage the nobility at the same time."

"If you're talking about the Mon'keigh, then my answer is an emphatic no." She frowned at the mere idea. Anasterian laughed.

"Yes, you've made your opinion on them quite clear. Despite the advantage of having saved their king, I don't think you'd make a good ambassador with them. I was thinking about the Kaldorei, and the humans have hinted at seeing some signs of there being other races further south. We'll see. It's just an idea I was pondering on. Like you said, you have quite a bit to do even without new work. I do need you to take part in the talks with the humans once we've dealt with all the corpses and the wounded.

Your presence is necessary."

Thoradin leaned a bit towards Catherine Wildwood, his diplomatic advisor and one of the nobles from his homeland.

"What can we expect from these negotiations?" Catherine's hand stopped mid writing as she pondered for a moment.

"Division of lands. Terms of future cooperation. Trade. An extension of the discussion you had about allying with the Quel'dorei in the first place, only now you'll be dealing with the King and the Autarch, not just some noble emissaries." Catherine also happened to be one of the few people able to speak Thalassian among the humans. It was always useful to know what the other side was saying while they thought you couldn't understand. It didn't hurt that she was also easy on the eyes.

They were inside the keep of the fortress, which had been designated as the negotiation spot, as nominally that was what the battle had been about. The civilians, now acting as servants, had made a feast to commemorate the victory, and to remember the dead. A slightly macabre thought when giant pyres of troll corpses were burning brightly just outside. The elves had not wanted any trolls to survive, and Thoradin wasn't about to argue in favor of his enemies.

In any case, there were rather enticing scents wafting from the kitchen below, and he'd already had one cup of wine, while determined to not have another to keep his head clear. Ignaeus was nodding off due to boredom at a side table. He was here as a representative of his people, but the man was not cut out for negotiations. Thoradin couldn't claim to be an expert either. He'd won the other human tribes over with actions, not with clever political maneuvering.

Yes, he'd arranged some marriages to cement alliances, and had negotiated with the other tribes, but his success mostly relied on his charisma and the fact that he was a rather genuine person. He truly meant the best for all humanity, and it showed. He'd won the Alteraci over by dueling Ignaeus and using strategy to beat the much bigger man. He'd won the tribes of Tirisfal by taking part in their religious traditions and swearing that they'd be upheld. Lordain had seen his sincerity.

The blood oath he'd sworn had also helped. He already missed his friend. He heard the clink of metal boots on the floor approaching, and could easily determine that was the elves. His people preferred leather boots, even with armor, and he'd seen the plate greaves of the elven warriors. The hastily chosen master of ceremonies banged a randomly selected staff against the ground to announce the new arrivals. He'd been informed beforehand apparently.

"The High King of Quel'thalas, Anasterian Sunstrider! The Autarch and Saint Selessa Sunstrider! The Grand Magister Azur Spellmyst! The honored High Magister and member of the Convocation, Ron'vith Salonar!" The man announced loudly, as if they were at home at his home hold.

'On that note, I need to build a proper capital city. Also, saint? What?' Thoradin's thoughts were running wildly. The elves had come in force. The elven king was obviously a very impressive man, though his youth caught Thoradin by surprise. He'd heard Anasterian wasn't very old by elven standards, even if he was older than any human. Thoradin had still expected someone who at least looked venerable. Still, the king had an aura of sophistication and authority.

He was wearing some armor, but mostly he was clad in the red and gold robes of a magister. In fact, all three of the men were wearing the same robes, even if the Grand Magister exchanged the red for blue, explained by the stripes of blue in his hair. All three seemed to radiate magical power. A rather telling feature of their culture to send three magisters and a single warrior. Despite their presence, it wasn't the king's aura that filled the room, but the Autarch's.

Her presence filled the room like a heavy blanket, and it felt like her very being represented a predator, ready to pounce at any moment if they spoke the wrong words. It was as if she could order their deaths at any moment, and Thoradin knew that the elves had a much better chance of succeeding at that than the trolls ever did. He also noted that even the elves, including the king, seemed to almost unconsciously defer to her, leaving the seat at the center open for her.

Odd with the king present The Autarch was also the one with the armored boots, as she was still clad in the golden armor that covered her from head to toe. In fact, just like last time he saw her, the only thing he could see beneath were her eyes that seemed to almost demand attention. This time he also had the awareness to note that even the heavy armor couldn't hide the fact that she was a rather voluptuous woman with her hips especially emphasized by the armor.

At least she'd cleaned the troll blood off her armor, as last time he'd seen her, she'd been absolutely drenched in blood splatter. And then she took off the plumed helmet. Everyone in the room froze as her pale, almost white, locks suddenly cascaded down her shoulders, previously being bunched inside the helmet. Her features were absolutely stunning, driving the breath from everyone like a punch to the gut. He'd never seen a woman of this level, and he suddenly understood more why she was called the Saint.

There was a sort of sacred presence around her, though somewhat tempered by sharpness like a half-drawn blade. She moved with casual grace, even when just placing her helmet on the table, and it seemed every move was perfectly measured and calculated. The king cleared his throat, bringing everyone back to the present, and Thoradin was able to notice that the humans had not been the only ones caught in the armored woman's presence.

Both of the magisters had to shake their heads a bit, even if the Grand Magister seemed to be affected differently.

"Maybe you should've kept the helmet." The king quite obviously joked in a half-whisper that everyone present heard, causing Catherine to blush furiously and cover her face with a fan she'd pulled out of who-knows-where.

'Didn't know Catherine had those sorts of interests.' He remarked idly before speaking.

"Welcome to Alterac Fortress esteemed guests. Be seated and we shall be served some food and drink shortly. My apologies if the fare isn't quite up to your standards, but in my defense, we were under siege until now."

"Don't mind it." King Anasterian first pulled a seat for the Autarch before sitting himself.

"We're all used to war camp rations, so we'll be fine. The main thing is we won a great victory, and now we must deal with the aftermath." He paused for a moment.

"On that note, I should point something out for clarity. As we're still officially in wartime, the Autarch is in charge despite my position as the king. She's the one you'll have to come to terms with." He seemed highly amused for some reason. Thoradin turned towards the Autarch, who looked even younger than the king. He'd heard that the war leader of the elves was young, just like their king, but he hadn't realized how young. Though for some reason her eyes told another story.

"We'll be in your care then." He nodded towards her. She pursed her lips. Even her slight pout looked adorable.

"We'll keep things simple in these initial negotiations. You have a map of the continent, I presume?" She spoke in perfect human, or what they liked to call Common, though it seemed she didn't enjoy speaking the language.

"We do." Catherine waved towards one of the aides present, who pulled out a large map and spread it on the table.

"This is the best one we have, although it is still incomplete." Thoradin could see all the areas outlined and labeled clearly.

"I think the most pressing issue is the division of spoils, which mostly means land, as that determines many of our next actions." The Autarch explained, leaning over the map, studying the details. Thoradin knew at least the part about Quel'thalas was likely wrong.

"Could you clarify that statement a bit?" Catherine asked.

"What do you mean by next actions?"

"Well. We may have destroyed the Amani armies, and two of their temple cities are gone including Zul'Aman, but the troll villages are not entirely gone, and some of their other holdings remain, even if relatively undefended for now. I propose that if a party wants a particular piece of land, the new owners will be in charge of clearing that land of remaining trolls." She proposed, looking towards Thoradin.

"Seems fair enough." He nodded in agreement.

"What did you have in mind for the division of land?" He could feel the sudden ire radiating from Catherine who'd tried teaching him negotiations and letting the opposing side dictate terms was a bad idea. The problem was, he knew the humans were not in a position to dictate anything. They were harder hit by the trolls, and the elves could easily kill him and what remained of their army if they wanted to. And he had a sneaking suspicion this Autarch might not hate that option, even if it wasn't her first choice.

He could simply tell she had the requisite ruthlessness and practicality.

"Some of this seems obvious. I'm assuming the human tribes now part of your new empire want to keep their original lands. The areas marked on the map as Alterac and Tirisfal in particular being relevant to this discussion. We'll obviously take the entirety of Eversong, as it's part of greater Quel'Thalas, and we conquered the area you call Eastweald with our own strength. It offers us the perfect opportunity to expand.

Our pioneers have already spotted several sites for future cities and we've already cleared the troll presence in the area. The real point of contention is this." She tapped the area known as Westweald with a gauntleted finger. Thoradin glanced at Catherine. This was the point they had known would be a sticking point.

"I would like to request that land be considered our territory." He made his bid. The Autarch glanced at the king in a wordless conversation before responding.

"We're not entirely averse to this, though we'll need some concession in return." She finally said. He nodded. They had expected as much.

"I would like to hear what you have in mind."

"First, we'd like the island on the lake. It controls the rivers in the area, as well as watches over the pass to the area you call Hinterlands. We'd like to fortify that position, maybe place a port there. It would make for an ideal training center for us, as well as providing a nearby source of forces should you require assistance at some point in the future." She explained, and Thoradin could sense there was more to it.

"Secondly, you'd owe us one."

"I think that is acceptable. The lake is partially in Eastweald anyway, so it's an extension of your earlier claim." Catherine seemed pleased.

"Though that brings up another point. There's an area in the Eastweald known as Tyr's Hand. It's a rather sacred location for our northern allies, named after the Titan Tyr that they worship." She pointed at the very eastern edge of Eastweald. The Autarch was shaking her head before Catherine even finished.

"We'll allow your people to retrieve any artifacts or possessions still there, but we cannot allow a separate enclave of your people in our lands. That site is also one of the most promising ones scouted out for a settlement. We can allow occasional pilgrims to visit if you so desire, but no permanent settlements." That wasn't great news, but that had been a very long shot anyway. And he understood.

"I'll pass on the word, though I will mention the northerners will not be happy about it. They are generally our most spiritual people though, so I doubt they'll react too badly. The trolls kept them out as well, so in that sense even being able to visit is an improvement."

"What about the Hinterlands? The trolls still hold power there." Catherine asked.

"If you want to go in to exterminate the trolls, by all means. You can keep the land too if you clear them." The Autarch shrugged.

"However, I had some plans. Before this war, our people didn't have much in the way of dedicated military. I intend to change that. I'll be spending a lot of time in the future training up that military, and it would be useful to have some enemies to get our new warriors bloodied and honed. The trolls there offer a pretty good opportunity. It's one of the reasons we want the island.

We'll more than likely use that as a base to launch assaults into the Hinterlands, to get our warriors experience and to cull the troll numbers. They'll be surrounded on all sides, and we'll be keeping their power in check until we'll eventually wipe them out."

"That's…not a bad thought." Thoradin had to admit. It was hard to believe the elves were not really a warlike people before this, but that was the truth. His own people had more military experience than them, which made the recent accomplishments of the elves and their tactics even more remarkable. Just proved how important the Autarch had been to the war effort.

"I think we can agree, and if you don't mind, we might even suggest joint exercises."

"We'll see to such details later." She replied non-committaly.

"Now, about trade and a possible alliance…" Catherine moved on, but was interrupted by a raised hand by the Autarch.

"I believe those are things best negotiated in peacetime, and that means when I'm no longer in charge. We'll have other discussions for such things later on once I've returned the power to King Anasterian officially." She explained, and it seemed reasonable enough.

"Besides, there's no need to rush. Better we all take stock of things before agreeing to anything that might turn out to be unnecessary later." Thoradin couldn't help but lament again that the Autarch wasn't interested in a political marriage to cement the alliance between their peoples. He would've given his left nut for a single night with a woman like that, but he also realized that if he tried, he'd likely lose a lot more.

And this deal with the elves might've been more important than the entire war with the trolls. Having the Autarch on their side instead of against them would be preferred.

"I have to say, it's always a great feeling when a plan comes together." Queen Elessine said smugly as the Quel'dorei delegation entered the command tent where she'd been waiting.

"Why am I not surprised that you already know what was agreed upon. Were you present the whole time?" Anasterian asked, with his own face cracking into a smile.

"She was." Selessa confirmed in the Queen's stead. She'd spotted Elessine's presence, even if she wasn't capable of seeing the Queen.

"Her method of achieving invisibility is quite interesting. It's not exactly magical, but at the same time it is."

"Nuh-uh! No revealing trade secrets!" Elessine protested right away.

"Have it your way." Selessa acceded, taking a seat on one of the camping chairs around the foldable table.

"The Queen was right, however. That worked better than I expected." Ron'vith sat next to her.

"Although taking your helmet off was almost too distracting. Nearly derailed the whole thing." Selessa made a frustrated sound.

"It's hardly my fault everyone gets so easily distracted by a pretty face."

"That's the understatement of the century." Anasterian muttered, though not quietly enough to not be overheard.

"Aww, was my husband distracted as well?" Elessine teased.

"Not that I can blame you. Main thing is that it worked. They didn't have the focus to notice when they were being had."

"I have to say, as much as you claim to hate it, you seem quite suited for negotiations." Anasterian commended Selessa, while studiously ignoring his wife.

"You traded something we didn't want anyway for something critically important and even managed to squeeze a future favor out of it as well." Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"Well, to be fair, the Mon'keigh have no way of knowing that it's going to take us thousands of years to fully utilize the area we claimed, so taking the area of Westweald would've mostly been extra work for us. Now they need to deal with the remaining trolls, and by the time we've fully colonized our new land, any agreements we make will be so ancient that they no longer matter. And without knowing the results of this negotiation, the strategic importance of the island isn't obvious."

Selessa reluctantly admitted, as doing so gave the humans an excuse for their poor performance. The island the humans called Caer Darrow was of vital strategic importance with the current lay of the land. It was one of the most defensible locations on the entire continent, and once they built proper docks on the island, their ships could dominate the lake and the rivers. The rivers connected to the lake were the largest on the continent as well.

Thondroril River running north from the lake all the way to the northern sea was wide enough for dozen ships to sail side by side, and the river only had a single spot where it could be crossed easily. It marked the new border between the elven and human lands, and if they put ships on the lake and river, any crossings could be prevented entirely. The new land they'd acquired was bordered in the south by a perilous mountain range pretty much impossible to cross by foot.

In the north was Quel'thalas, and in the east was the ocean with only a few places where landings were possible due to the way the entire continent was formed. Almost all the lands south of Quel'thalas were on a continental shelf that meant the land rose quickly and high and left very few natural harbors. Now that the western border of the new area could be secured from the river, their new lands were protected from all directions, and the island was the key.

In addition, the lake was connected to most of the continent by similarly large rivers, which made control of the lake vital for both trade and defense. Selessa expected the island to become one of the most important centers of trade and military training in the future, maybe even eventually rivaling Silvermoon in importance, due to Silvermoon being so isolated in the North.

The island also overlooked the narrow passages to the Hinterlands, the remaining stronghold of the forest trolls, another reason why control of the island was so important. From the lake, they had easy access to the rest of the continent, and rivers were a perfect way to move goods and people should it become necessary.

"It was also good we resolved the Tyr's Hand issue. That area is a great magical nexus, and an ideal position for a city that has a natural harbor on the eastern coast." Anasterian hummed thoughtfully. They'd of course spotted the remains of human settlement in the area and had suspected it might become pertinent.

"What's going to be our first step in utilizing our new lands?"

"We'll need to set up warding runestones to hide our magic usage." Sapphiron explained.

"We'll need to chart the magical leylines and perhaps plant a few of the great trees before we can extend our climate control magic into the area. I sensed a world tree south in the Hinterlands, though a young one. We could borrow its power as well."

"That does leave a problem though. The power of the Sunwell does not extend that far south. Our people need a way to deal with that." Ron'vith pointed out.

"I believe we can create lesser Sunwells by utilizing the waters of the real one. If my history is correct, the Sunwell was created by using a vial of water from the Well of Eternity. With some magical help, we should be able to create lesser replicas with the same method. Instead of a single font of power that covers the entire land, imagine a lesser font of power in every city." Selessa suggested. This was something she had been considering as well.

"That could be doable. Especially if you use that new material of yours as the frame and container. Maybe we could even use the material to amplify the effect." Sapphiron speculated while looking at Selessa meaningfully.

"What's this about a new material." Elessine interjected, happily leaning forward in curiosity.

"Selessa here conjured something new. A material more magically conductive than I've ever seen before. One that can store and conduct vast amounts of power. It also has great amplifying effects, and it's probably the best material for a base in enchanting I've ever seen. If we use that material and the ley-lines of the land, I'm quite certain that what she's suggesting can be achieved. Even improved upon.

Those new fonts of power might not be able to match the Sunwell, but they would more than do the trick for a city and its surroundings." Sapphiron took some glee in throwing her under the scrutiny of the others.

"How come this is the first time I've heard of it?" Anasterian asked, smiling widely.

"Because creating the material isn't a simple process. And only I can do it." Selessa explained curtly.

"It was mostly an experiment. At first just to see if I could do it, and then because father insisted. We'll see if I can manage something appropriate."

"In the meantime, how much do we wish to cooperate with the humans now that the war is over?" Ron'vith asked something they'd all been ignoring. Selessa had to concede that the Mon'keigh of this world were a little different from her previous life, mostly in this world's advantage. They were primitive, yes, but that was likely to change at least somewhat with time and experience.

They wouldn't be able to match the Quel'dorei of course, especially with her pushing the elven people forward, but at least they weren't the same xenophobic techno-barbarians of her past life. They were still barbarians, but they were slightly more tolerable about the whole thing. Physically the differences were mildly fascinating. She could tell these Mon'keigh had come about in a different way. They were uniformly taller and sturdier than the ones she was familiar with.

They had more fortitude, and possessed a sort of calm stubbornness in spirit as well. They weren't as large as the so-called Astartes of her old life, not even close, but considering the Mon'keigh of this world were not genetically engineered super-barbarians, that was only fair. They were still larger and more physically capable than the baseline citizen of the Imperium of Man.

The men of the Mon'keigh of this world were almost as a rule tall and broad in shoulder, their arms much thicker than their Quel'dorei counterparts. It was like the average human of this world was built different. Like they equaled those in her old life that had trained their whole lives, while the actual warriors were even stronger and broader still. The women were not veering from the mold too much.

While they were not as muscled or broad as their menfolk, with some exceptions, they were still sturdier and stronger than their Imperial counterparts. They seemed to have this odd sort of wiry and tenacious strength that served them well. Some of the differences were likely due to diet, as the food here was much healthier and more plentiful than what was available to most Mon'keigh in her old life.

However, she was pretty sure there were some magical shenanigans in the past of these 'humans' as they hadn't existed as a race when the Quel'dorei had moved into these lands. Where had they come from? They didn't just evolve from monkeys in a couple thousand years, that's for sure. Additionally, the Mon'keigh of this world seemed to be technologically and culturally very much behind the curve.

That was nothing new to her, as her people had a similar advantage in her previous life, but the Mon'keigh of this world were at the start of their journey. Barely out of huts made of sticks and stones. Concepts like the wheel and fire seemed like modern inventions to them, although, just like their counterparts in her old life, their technology when it came to war was ahead of the curve.

Not by a lot, mind you, but enough that they'd at least figured out metal armor and crossbows, which was more than the trolls had managed despite being older as a people than the elves. They were likely to advance quickly though, especially when trade with the Quel'dorei was taken into consideration.

"I believe maintaining friendly relations with them should be wise. No need to make enemies when we don't need to. And if we face new threats in the future, it would be useful to have potential allies to throw at the enemy while we come up with a real solution. Now that said, I do think we should maintain a healthy bit of distance, as we have so far. Theirs is a short-lived race, and their memories of our cooperation against the trolls might be short as well. Let's not give them a reason to covet our lands.

Some healthy trade should smooth things over, but let's not go overboard." Anasterian speculated. Selessa suddenly remembered something.

"Uncle, we should get some new soldiers from Silvermoon to take over duties at the new border. I want to give everyone who took part in the fighting the chance to take part in the glory involved in our return to the city. Besides, now that things are calming down, they deserve to see their families."

Every voice hushed as she walked up the rickety steps of the makeshift stage set up for her in front of the entire army. There was no announcement of her arrival, and no one called for silence. There was no need to. Everyone present had been waiting for her, keeping an eye out. Her presence also swept over everyone gathered, naturally quieting even those at the back that wouldn't have otherwise seen her arrival.

"Soldiers. Knights. Rangers. Farstriders. Magisters. Brothers and sisters." She began, her voice carrying over the entire field. It wasn't amplified with magic either. Apparently, one of the fringe benefits from the Politics skill was that her voice could now be heard by everyone she wanted to hear. And incidentally, no one else, as she could control into the other direction as well.

"We have won a great victory." Her words were followed by everyone present slamming their fist into their chest armor, whether metal, leather, or cloth. The gesture had been started by the paladins, and now it was adopted by everyone.

"Tomorrow we shall return to our glorious city of Silvermoon, and we shall all return in well-deserved glory!" Another synchronized hammering of fists to chests, the sound booming like a cannon, echoing off the surrounding trees.

"We have destroyed our ancient enemy, the Amani, and soon enough, they shall be eradicated entirely. This is a momentous achievement, and all of you played a part in bringing it into reality!" More slamming of fist, this time a double tap.

"Your bravery and sacrifice will be eternalized in the annals of history, songs, and legends. But never forget, this victory, this glory, did not come without sacrifices." This time there was no celebratory strike, just solemn silence.

"Because of your skill and our tactical superiority, our losses we smaller than they could've been, but many of our brothers and sisters will not be alive to celebrate this victory. They too shall be immortalized in our legends. Glory to the fallen, always! Their sacrifices were not in vain, as it is the blood of the heroes that allowed us to reach this point. It's not just the defeat of the Amani either. Quel'thalas has gained a lot from this victory. We are now more than we were before!

The Kingdom of Quel'thalas will soon be known as an empire!" Now some soldiers added cheers into their bangs, a slight break in discipline, especially considering how well they'd kept until now.

"Our victory has granted us an opportunity. Tomorrow you will be celebrated as heroes. After tomorrow, you will be released from service, and those who wish shall be able to return to their old lives. We have a lot of work to do. The empire might theoretically exist on a map, but it needs to be built first.

Now is the time of the craftsmen and the artisans to build our cities, to make use of the new resources we've gained, to make our new empire not only livable, but a fit reflection of the glory befitting Quel'dorei. For farmers to till the fertile land we've acquired and make sure our future generations are fed. For magisters to bring the eternal spring to the new lands, and to hide our magic behind protective runestones.

For the artists, sculptors, painters, weavers, and many others to make our cities not only functional, but beautiful enough to reflect our people."

"That said, the need for soldiers hasn't passed. Dangers still lurk within and without. And the sad truth is that peace is born of conflict. Only those who are willing to fight and have the strength to defend their peace shall have it. This war has changed our people. I'd see our people take the change further. This garden of ours will need to be watered with the blood of those willing to defend it, just like the glorious fallen of this war. However, I'd like to see those losses minimized.

It is true that before this war, we didn't have an army, nor much skill in fielding one. I would change that. And you're among the first to find out, but our wise king agrees." This time the bang was a show of respect for Anasterian, who was standing nearby, watching her speech.

"As I said, the day after tomorrow you are allowed to go home, but none of you have to. The Quel'dorei will have the strongest army and the most powerful warriors in this world, even if I have to drag our people there kicking and screaming!" This caused some chuckles, as even the rank-and-file soldiers knew she would do it.

"The new standard will involve training everyone as soldiers, and for that we'll need more trainers and experienced soldiers than just myself and the Ranger-General. So, I will extend an offer to you, who already have the experience, to become those trainers. I will also build a more hardened core of professional warriors. Not soldiers, and not militia, people who have other professions but are forced to pick up arms. No, I mean people who will dedicate their lives to mastering the art of warfare.

I will turn these people into the hardest and strongest people ever known. It will not be easy, and only some people will have what it takes, but I would be foolish to not at least make the offer to those that have already bled for our nation. In time, these people will be revered the same as our magisters."

"So, if my words aroused interest, keep an ear for when the call comes. We have much to do before we can put my plans into practice, but the call will come, and I hope to see many of you answer that call. For Quel'thalas and the Light!" She raised a fist above her head just to play up the crowd even more.

"For Quel'thalas and the Light!" Almost two hundred thousand voices responded, before they started to bang their chest in a steady thrum that could likely be heard all the way in Silvermoon, still a half a day's travel away.

"Nice speech." Anasterian complimented as she stepped down from the stage.

"Hit all the important points and you got a great response."

"I'm certain at least all the people that were with you from the start will be 'answering the call' as you put it." Queen Elessine, who'd traveled with the army, added.

"Fair number of the others as well judging by the response." The acting Ranger-General Alleria joined in. Talanas was still not at hundred percent, and he'd been implying that he would leave the job to Alleria after the whole thing was over and maybe dedicate himself to the training effort Selessa had mentioned.

"Well, this won't be a quick process. We'll have an influx of aspirants once things get started, but many will not have the right qualities. We'll recruit and train more over the years. We also have other matters to deal with first." Selessa intended to forge some of the Quel'dorei into a force that matched the Aspect Warriors of her old life, if not even beyond that since what she was training was essentially a cadre of what amounted to Exarchs in her old life.

Aeldari had a system called Paths, and it was frowned upon to dedicate your entire life to a single Path, as that led to excess and eventually Chaos. Exarchs were those people who were lost on the Path of the Warrior, dedicating their entire lives to fighting the enemies of their people. They were also usually their greatest warriors. Here, she didn't have the problem of people getting lost on the Path, because the Quel'dorei didn't share the fundamental weakness of her previous people.

They didn't have the issue of heightened senses and emotions. Yes, they had sharper senses than the bumbling and half deaf Mon'keigh, but that was hardly a high bar. The Quel'dorei were not a perfect people, but they were not falling into complete excess and debauchery driven by their senses and emotions either. And if they started showing signs, she'd make sure to stamp such ideas out, by force if necessary. She'd seen the beget of the pleasure cults. Never again.

The parade was just as pompous and festive as expected. The victorious army marched down the large main street of Silvermoon, with the citizens lining the street and the side streets, cheering and throwing flowers at the marching soldiers. Some magisters had created a constant magical rain of flower petals that disappeared soon after landing on the ground. Musicians were playing, children were running all over, and many called out to their marching family members from the crowd.

There would be a celebration after the parade was over, and Anasterian and the Convocation had arranged free food and drink to be served all over the city. There were speeches planned as well, with Anasterian giving one from the palace balcony, and Selessa was supposed to give one in the new temple of Light, although she'd only just heard about the whole thing.

She could quickly come up with one, her high Charisma helping her compose one on the fly while riding into the city at the head of the parade on her trusty hawkstrider, Onyx. Crafting the speech and pandering to the citizens took some of her attention, but not enough for her to miss the sudden spike of murderous intent she felt as she arrived at the plaza between the new temple and the palace. Her eyes shot up to the roof of a building at the same time as her arm rose to both point at the danger and to counter it.

She spotted the danger just in time for the archer to loose an arrow from an ornate and highly magical bow, directly at her. The whole world seemed to slow down as adrenaline flooded her system.

"Barrier!" She shouted, and a golden bubble of protective energy sprung around her, while another field of frozen Arcane energy sprung from her hand, just in time to meet the arrow. The Arcane energy disappeared almost instantly, as if canceled out by the arrow, and the golden barrier didn't last much longer.

She could see the arrow's approach through the Keen Eyes perk, and even felt the feathers of the arrow brush against her skin as it slipped between her fingers, but she didn't have high enough Reflexes attribute to catch it. The two barriers did barely buy her enough time to move her head out of the path of the arrow however. At least mostly.

She kept forgetting that the Quel'dorei had a lot longer ears than Aeldari, and they were extremely sensitive, so the feeling of having her right ear nicked by the arrow caused her to grimace in pain, even if no one could clearly see it behind the veil she was still wearing. She could also feel the poison from the arrow try and affect her almost right away, showing how potent the poison must have been.

Only, her body was twice baptized by the Light and practically immune to all poisons, so there was little effect aside from additional burning in her already sensitive ear. The Light flooded her system straight after, cleansing the ineffective poison and closing the minor wound without leaving a mark. Her actions had been noted, and the risk of trying to assassinate someone that was marching with thousands of Farstriders was a lightning-fast retaliation.

The would-be assassin was turned into a pincushion in seconds, as the soldiers, whose reactions had been honed to perfection due to the constant fighting, returned fire before anyone else even noticed what was going on, and a pair of dragonhawks that had been flying above landed on the roof to recover the assassin's remains only moments later.

"Are you alright Autarch!?" Ranger-General Alleria asked hastily, looking over her while the Paladins closed ranks around both of them, lifting large shields to protect them from any follow-up attacks.

"I'm fine." Selessa replied, and with an imperious gesture the arrow that had nicked her magically floated to her, staying in the air just above her hand.

"Check for other attackers! Make sure the crowds are safe, and make sure there's no panic. We don't want anyone to get hurt if people get scared." The paladins didn't move from their protective circle but relayed her orders to the others, and the thousands of Farstriders that had just responded silently spread across the area, looking through every building and roof with methodical precision.

Selessa raised her voice to address the civilians that were only just now starting to get antsy as they realized something had gone wrong.

"There's no need to panic good people of Silvermoon. A miscreant sought to dampen this day of victory and glory with their sneaky and cowardly actions, but we shall not give them the satisfaction! This is a day of celebration, and will remain as such! Eat and make merry! Let not this singular moment mar the glory of our heroes, and the memory of those we lost! Deny them even that minor victory!" She shouted her last words with a raised fist, and the crowds responded with cheers and chants, caught up in her words.

"That arrow is heavily enchanted. Extremely powerful work. It's much better than most of the arrows I or even Talanas use in normal battles. Specifically designed to target magisters I believe." Alleria analyzed the magical runes on the arrow.

"I'm a bit surprised it didn't explode on contact."

"That's probably because it would've exploded prematurely when hitting my ice barrier, which they were trying to counter. It also has powerful poison on it, which would've been useless if the thing exploded." She explained.

"Doesn't seem to have done much." Alleria pointed out.

"The poison I mean."

"Most people don't know this, but the martial servants of the Light are all but immune to poisons." Sister Ophelia said quietly.

"It's a handy thing, though not something that often comes up." One of the dragonhawks, ridden by Rathuron Brightwing landed just outside the ring of paladins, while the others carried the assassin's body towards the back pf the palace. Selessa hadn't been much in contact with the man as he'd been busy leading their flying forces.

"I recognized the body." He announced right away, before his mount had even fully landed.

"He was a retainer of House Luminaris, serving under Brightheart Luminaris."

"Seems rather straightforward." Alleria pointed out.

"Perhaps even a bit too obvious. We'll have it looked into. Can't make too hasty judgements." Selessa kept her mind open to other possibilities, as this could've been a setup. As it turned out, such carefulness was not necessary. The parade wasn't even over before Queen Elessine's men had captured and interrogated the offending member of House Luminaris, and he not only admitted but bragged about his misdeed, thinking his assassination had succeeded.

He also happily implicated many other members of his family involved in the planning and arranging of the attempt, all of whom were in irons even before they realized what was going on. The Queen's men spent most of the day and evening kicking down doors and arresting people. In the meantime, Selessa ceremonially handed in her sword to Anasterian, symbolizing her relinquishing the position of Autarch in official capacity, all of which happened in front of the entire court and gathered noble houses.

House Luminaris was conspicuously absent, as most of their members were rounded up and in the cells beneath the palace by that time. After the ceremony and speeches, Anasterian gathered the members of the Convocation, the Queen, Alleria in the role as the Ranger-General, Selessa, and Sapphiron for an emergency session, while most of the nobility were still celebrating in other parts of the palace.

"I'll cut right to the point. Some of you are already aware, but House Luminaris made a blatant assassination attempt against then still Autarch Selessa Sunstrider during the parade." Anasterian didn't bother mincing words and emphasized her last time just to drive home the point.

"We're aware. Stupid bastards. Even if they were to make the attempt, doing so during the parade was just…" Noraeen Drathir shook her head in disappointment.

"We kind of expected them to do some final silly attempt, but this was even worse than we expected."

"I'm assuming this meeting is about punishment?" Ron'vith Salonar guessed.

"Indeed. I threatened this before, and now it has come to pass. House Luminaris has been stripped of their position in the Convocation and as a noble house. Their possessions will be confiscated and sold off, and used for the betterment of Quel'thalas. Most of their influential members were either involved or at least implicated, so are currently detained, while others will be stripped of their name and banished from the city. I will no longer tolerate this kind of active sabotage against our nation!"

Anasterian declared. Melevedon Solaris grimaced a bit.

"I'm not one to suggest wanton executions, but the remaining members of the house may become a problem eventually. Some of them will want revenge, even if they are at fault."

"We're having them under observation. If they're stupid enough to try something, we'll deal with them." Queen Elessine assured everyone. Secretly she planned on most of the members of the house to run into 'accidents' in the next decade or two. Luckily the house wasn't too large when it came to members of the family. Retainers could likely be spared.

"That leaves an open spot on the Convocation." Anasterian stated imperiously.

"House Luminaris gained theirs by being religious and spiritual leaders, but I think we all realize that role has moved elsewhere by now. I propose two permanent additions to the Convocation. A permanent seat to the head of the new religion of Light to replace the seat of House Luminaris, and an advisory seat to the head of the military, which currently means the Ranger-General."

"Currently?" Alleria, asked, caught by surprise by the whole thing.

"I believe there will be a lot of changes in the future thanks to the fact that our kingdom has suddenly more than quadrupled in usable land. Now, it's going to take time for all the changes to fully come to pass, so this arrangement is just for the time being. Any objections?" Anasterian asked, allowing his gaze to lock with everyone in turn.

"I have a slight principled objection." Melevedon raised a hand.

"The Convocation is supposed to be both an advisory body, as well as a check on the king's power. Now, these changes make sense in theory when considering the advisory role, but if one seat is to be filled by the Ranger-General, appointed at the will of the King, and another by the king's niece, the king theoretically doesn't need to get too many other allies to get a majority, which means the Convocation doesn't really serve as much of a check on the king's power.

Now, I don't think you particularly need too much checking in the current situation, but that might change a thousand years from now, or even with the next king. Just something to keep in mind."

"There's also a good chance that I will no longer be the leader of the faith by that time." Selessa pointed out.

"I also have other duties that keep me away from politicking so I would miss most of the sessions anyway, so my position would be mostly ceremonial."

"Realistically, you will also be the head of the military in fact, if not in name." Alleria pointed out cheerily.

"I may currently hold the title, but if even half of what you're planning will come true…"

"There's also that." Selessa admitted openly.

"As I said, this is only a change for the time being, as things will change rather rapidly in the near future. We can re-evaluate the whole thing as the changes start solidifying. This is just to tide things over. We can't worry about a thousand years from now when our entire kingdom might be different in a hundred years." Anasterian suggested. Melevedon nodded.

"My objection was only a principled one, and on the long term, just so we're clear. We can go with the arrangement for now. Which does bring in another topic. How will we deal with the new land we've acquired? I'm already aware that we need to do a lot of magical preparation to make things work, but do we have any plans beyond that?" Selessa leaned forward and placed a large map of the area formerly known as Eastweald on the table.

"I think the Outer Quel'thalas will sort itself out largely similar to how we've dealt with the land for now, but this area is quite different. The land is very empty for now, but even from our initial surveys and scouting reports, the land is very rich in resources and very fertile." She tapped her lip in thought.

"In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's even more fertile than current Quel'thalas, thanks to there being less forests. It's going to take a long time, but I would not be surprised if the population of this area will overshadow current Quel'thalas a few thousand years from now."

"That's a bold assumption." Melevedon commented with an impressed look.

"Though not without merit. I've had my own people look into the matter, and you're more right than you might realize. The Outer Quel'thalas will take a while to recover from everything the trolls have done to it, and the otherwise great location of where Zul'Aman used to reside will doubtfully ever really attract a lot of people. I've charted four obvious places that will likely have large cities in the future, and all four of them are in this area." He pointed at the map.

He pulled out four little models depicting houses and placed them on the map.

"These will be the likeliest locations." He continued.

"In the south-east we have the area the humans called Tyr's Hand, which is a great defensible area with a natural harbor, something relatively rare on the east coast. The land is ideal for construction and the mountain range to the south is ideal for mines, and the ground is great for farms. In the central area we'll likely have a city just because that's where all the roads cross, and the lake is great for fishing.

In the north-western area we have another defensible location surrounded by a river that connects with the Thondroril river and lets into the sea in the north. Another place perfect in resources and with natural connections. Finally, we have the crossing between our land and that of the humans.

We'll obviously fortify the area, but it is inevitable that this will develop into a trade city, as well as the most likely place where our people can interact with the humans, assuming we're not going to allow them free access to our lands."

"Most certainly not." Anasterian decided right away, to the enthusiastic agreement of Selessa.

"Right. So inevitably most trade will have to run through this area then, so a city will develop there, whether we want it to or not, and the humans will likely have one on their side of the river as well." Melevedon concluded.

"The island the Mon'keigh named Caer Darrow." Selessa added, pointing at the edge of the map where the lake and the island were barely visible.

"Oh yes, I believe you wanted it for strategic reasons. Though I suspect that's going to be more of a military base and less of a city." Melevedon agreed.

"We'll have to see how they develop, but I believe the city on the border between us and the humans should be the priority. We'll need to fortify the border anyway, and the sooner we get it done, the better."

"Agreed." Anasterian leaned over the desk.

"Which brings me to another matter. The Inner Quel'thalas is currently vastly overpopulated, and we have discouraged having too many children without putting too much pressure on anyone, just to keep things in check. I think we'll need to change that and openly support the opposite. We now have a lot of new land to utilize, and not enough people to do it. If we give a focused effort to encourage larger families, then we can have a decent population that could inhabit these cities you're planning eventually."

"You know what's the best way to encourage that?" Queen Elessine asked with a slight playful smile.

"Leading by example!" Anasterian blushed a little and cleared his throat.

"The thought had occurred to me, and I believe you are correct. I think we should lead by example, and start emphasizing a sort of civic duty mentality on the matter." Some eyes surreptitiously turned towards Selessa.

"What?" She asked with a rather hostile voice.

"I'm eighteen. Barely old enough to be considered an adult, if that. Most of our kind don't have children until they're way into their hundreds, so keep your eyes to yourselves. I'm not going to even entertain the idea for hundreds of years. The first one of you to make the suggestion out loud will have to deal with Sister Seraphina." That got everyone to forget the idea rather quickly. They'd all heard of the zealous paladin, even if they'd not personally met.

STATUS: Level: 10 5000/10000 EXP 9 Base Points/2 Advanced Points/1 Mastery Points Body: 5/11 (2 Unspent Perk Points) Athletics 5 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Iron Lungs Heavy Weapons 4 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Cleaving Strikes Durability 3 Immovable object Reflexes: 5/12 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Light Weapons 5 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Swift Strikes Nervous System 5 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Keen Eye for Hidden Subtlety 3 Arcane Shots Charisma: 17/17 (+2 Max due to Eyes) (8 Unspent Perk Points) Politics 17 Competent Underlings Superior Subordinates Shared Vision Intelligent Improvisation Unleased Potential Unlimited Potential Above and Beyond Inspiring Loyalty Social 5 (2 Unspent Perk Points) Pleasure 1 Crafting: 2/12 Magical 1 Creation 1 Nature 2 Eye for Errors Eye for Improvement Bonesinging 2 Discipline: 6/12 (+2 Max due to Past Experiences) (1 Unspent Perk Point) Commander 6 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Battlefield Awareness Ambush Expert Cavalry Tactics Squad Leader 2 Sensei Soldier 3 One With Your Steed One With Your Steed II Magic: 6/13 (2 Unspent Perk Points) Light 6 Severe healing Baptism of Light I Baptism of Light II Arcane 6 (1 Unspent Perk Point) Massive Spells Master Conjurer Spellbreaker 5 Magic Sight Anti-Magic Zone Projected AMZ