205, 1/2

“We have two duties to discuss today, which is why I have called you all here,” Erick said, while seated on his chair in his throne room.

He wasn’t on his throne. His chair was one of many others exactly like it, which circled a round table in the middle of the room. Up above, the roof was a tessellation of glass triangles and cloudy blue sky higher still, while the walls of the room were carvings of trees, and decorative lightning.

Zolan, Mox, Raingorl, Aisha, Volaro, and Burhendurur sat around the table with Erick. Each of them had a copy of the paperwork Zolan and Mox and Erick had finalized this morning. The other four Overseers had read it already, for Erick had given them hours to do so, and now they were here.

Erick said, “One of the duties is much easier to finish with than the other, so we’ll do that first. The end of the year is approaching and this means Shadow’s Feast. Hopefully nothing happens, but I want assurances that nothing will happen, so… Goldie? Are you here?”

Zolan gave a little sigh; he was hoping that this would not happen, that Erick would not call out to the Darkness. Most others at the table shared his sentiment, but Burhendurur and Volaro, the dragons, were ready for a fight if it came to that. Goldie had been spotted here and there over the last few months so Erick had hoped that an actual talk with her wouldn’t lead to this, but now they were here and Erick was not backing down.

The Shade of Assassination stepped out of the air to Erick’s right, going down to one knee. Her black armor and her large floating, plank of a sword gleamed in the cloudy sunshine. “My king. The Darkness has no plans for endangering the world this Shadow’s Feast. But since we are on this topic, he would not be angry if you decided to throw your own party.”

Ah…

This was going one of the ways that Erick did not want it to go, but it was better to confront these problems than to ignore them.

Erick asked, “Should I consult Melemizargo directly for his wants?”

“That would be for the best, in this one’s humble opinion.”

“Then that is what I will do. Later. Thank you, Goldie.”

Goldie stood up and vanished into the air, like she was never here.

Erick turned back to the table and saw sudden fear in almost everyone’s eyes. He rapidly decided, “I’ll talk to him later and on my own, if you all want. Or I could try to call him now. A show of hands who wants me to call him now, please.”

Every hand remained on the table.

“Moving on to the main topic, then.” Erick continued, “Kiri, Mox and the Office of the Exterior, and Burhendurur and the Office of Enforcement, are about 90% done with securing the 100 kilometer ring surrounding the lake. Beyond that land lies a triple set of ringed walls which Burhendurur’s skeletal forces continue to prowl and empty of mimics, though we haven’t had an incident of a mimic in the last few days. Burhendurur, Mox, and my own [Cascade Imaging] assures me that we’re ready to accept settlements. Which is the main topic for today.

“We have three groups of people seeking primarily asylum, refuge, or opportunity, here under the aegis of Candlepoint. All of you have read the proposals and the reports collected and organized by the House, and now, we will decide who gets to live here.”

Burhendurur and Volaro looked across the table at their equals, worry and brief flashes of hate swirling behind their eyes. Zolan, Mox, Aisha, and Raingorl, stared back. The people from Ar’Cosmos wanted their own proposed city to happen. The people from everywhere else did not.

“Let us start with Ar’Cosmos’ offer.” Erick sided with Ar’Cosmos on this one, saying, “Ar’Cosmos is getting a proper settlement, and it won’t be a punitive one. Though it will be far away from everyone else in order to stave off any potential dragon fights. Pick a spot on the map, Burhendurur and Volaro, and explain how you will be using that land.”

Burhendurur spoke for both of them, saying, “Ar’Cosmos chooses the southwest corner of the lake, including the southern side and the western side. A full 3/8ths of the lakeside. We have a hundred thousand people willing to move here within the month, and so we need all of the space we have suggested. We also desire a Gate from here to the northern edge of the Forest of Glaquin, and one to the beaches of Quintlan, specifically at the Ar’Civ Delta. We do not require an embassy on Gate Road. We would prefer these Gates to be at our new city, but if we have to do it, then we could accept Gates on the Financial District road.”

Erick had expected them to try and take more than they should, and to include some odd parts that were not in the proposal. The Gate to the Forest had been in the proposal, but the Gate to Quintlan was new. Taking up a full 3/8ths of available lakeside was unexpected, too. So Erick pushed back, “The southwest eighth of the map is acceptable. You may have the lakeside land north or east of you as well, but not both, for these other proposals will likely be granted in those spaces, and you cannot have all that land. Choose which area of land matters more.”

Burhendurur and Volaro had expected some pushback.

Volaro answered, “The southwestern side, the southern side, and all of the lakeside between, including another ten kilometer area between those two areas, and permission to expand the coast outward.”

Erick nodded, then looked to everyone else. “Problems?”

Erick had already seen a lot of problems with Ar’Cosmos’ proposal, but he wanted other opinions before he unilaterally decided what would happen.

And a lot was happening there in that room that had nothing to do with Erick; in the silences of looks and in the worries behind narrowed eyes. Violence was not in the cards, but violence could happen later, which is why Erick called this meeting to have this discussion. He wanted everyone to be on the same page, and for House Benevolence to weather this storm as a united force.

But with the addition of an Ar’Cosmos city on the lake, House Benevolence’s ‘united force’ could fracture.

Zolan spoke first, “What need is there for a Gate to Quintlan?”

Zolan’s tactic was to go after the most obvious problem, and not the insidious one, to see how Burhendurur and Volaro would react.

Burhendurur noticed this too, but he answered anyway, for that is what he had to do, “House Death has interests in the Fractured Citadels, as you very well know Zolan, and while that land is innately harmful to life, House Death can ensure that benevolent trade develops between the Fractured Citadels and Candlepoint. I, personally, can ensure that the dangers of that land never spill into this one.”

Zolan said, “Deathsoul shrooms originally came from Quintlan, as did the whole subset of monstrous mushroom people and spore magics. Those tragedies have always been blamed on adventurers and on the Shades, but you very well know, Burhendurur, that the only people who routinely travel between there and everywhere else are stupid adventurers that never have time to escape those types of monsters, to spread those spores, or dragons.”

Burhendurur glared at Zolan, saying, “That is slander.”

“You used those deathsoul shrooms to protect Ar’Cosmos for centuries.” Zolan said, “You purposefully spread them, because you were capable of subduing them and using them without suffering the side effects. All the rest of the Forest of Glaquin suffered, though. It wasn’t until our King’s undertaking with Treehome that the menace of the shrooms has been handed down the road to next century’s problem.”

Burhendurur opened his mouth—

But Erick was the one to speak next. “Ar’Cosmos is getting property by the lake. Let us focus on solving future problems instead of dragging up speculative history, no matter how true it might be. In that spirit, I have a suggestion for Ar’Cosmos’ new city, to better integrate the incoming people with what we have already built, and also to break the power block that would arise from the introduction of a hundred thousand more people to this land.”

Burhendurur held his tongue, though he was ready to argue against whatever foolishness Erick was about to spout. Others were more reserved, though Zolan was glad that Erick was tackling the issue of a hundred thousand more people suddenly making a city in these lands; that many people was a central problem to Ar’Cosmos’ request.

When no one interrupted, Erick continued, “Ar’Cosmos will not get the three lands they desire, of the southern edge, the southwestern edge, and the lands between. Instead, the people who were going to settle in the lands between now settle in Candlepoint.” A few people around the table gave a quick intake of breath, though none were too loud about that. “These people will fall under Candlepoint’s purview, and Candlepoint will continue to grow, which is to the benefit of us all.”

Erick let that percolate.

Volaro spoke up, “This is a highly unorthodox measure to take, my king.”

“You would split our people?” Burhendurur asked, rhetorically.

Zolan rhetorically asked, “How else are we to break up the power of a sudden influx of a hundred thousand people into these lands?”

Burhendurur pounced on that, saying, “We can control our own.”

“Which is the problem,” Mox said, choosing to speak for the first time. “You will control your own and thus control everything eventually. Even Erick’s measure of splitting your power is not enough. Half of your people should go to Candlepoint instead of a new city, and they should be under the rules and laws of Candlepoint, not your own. Even this much is likely not enough, for inviting a hundred thousand people into this land is like inviting a foreign army to make a city right beside your borders.” She looked to Erick. “You should deny half of these people, and preferably a lot more. 10,000 people would be an easier number to handle, but even that is double the size of Candlepoint.”

Candlepoint had regained a few people since Erick’s declaration of Wizardry months ago, but they were still a fraction of their former size. Erick did not feel that Mox’s complaint was that valid, for he was still in power here, but he certainly could use her words to force Ar’Cosmos into something more reasonable.

Erick said, “If Ar’Cosmos needs to vent a hundred thousand people, then they need to vent a hundred thousand people. What would the rest of the world like to see out of Ar’Cosmos’ new, open cities?”

A bit of silence. A lot of staring.

Aisha spoke up, “Quarantine zones around the Gates, and the Gates go onto the Financial Road and not in the city itself. A political structure more standard, like in Candlepoint, so that we can address problems through one governing power instead of going through three individual houses. If the Houses of Ar’Cosmos are to come here in full or in part, which I am sure they will, then they will be subject to that political structure. Your city will be subject to the rule of House Benevolence, and your rulers will swear fealty to our Apparent King and Wizard of Benevolence. Furthermore, you will be allowed 30,000 people maximum, with 5,000 of those people headed off to Candlepoint, to live there.”

Volaro eyed Aisha. “You would have us beg for scraps and our people starve! We have a need to vent 100,000, and so we have asked for 100,000.”

Before anyone else could speak, Erick said, “Let us table this offer for now, and move onto the other two, for the words we have over those might influence the words we have about Ar’Cosmos’ new city.”

The anger in the room pulled back.

Erick moved on to the next packet. “We have a collective request from Stratagold and Oceanside to accept refugees from Portal and the Tribulations of Nelboor. This second group originally began as Cultists of Melemizargo from Nelboor, in those Tribulations, but after my [Blessing of Empathy] and after the Church of Koyabez helped them to solidify under a more productive banner, they have been gathering others from around the world. Mostly people from monster disaster areas, but a lot of people from the lands around Songli, as well. They want to move here, and there’s about 38,000 of them. All they want is to make some homes in a safe land. The details will be worked out later, but are there any general objections to this request?”

No one seemed to feel the need to say anything.

Aisha spoke just because someone needed to. “As long as they swear fealty to you, then Stratagold has no problem with Empathy-blessed Cultists forming a city. I would ask that whatever governing structure they create is as easy to work with as the current structure of Candlepoint.”

Erick said, “Then we’ll begin talks with them soon.

“Moving on.

“The third group wishing to create a city here at Candlepoint is the Dicers, out of the Sovereign Cities. According to them their leadership is in tatters after a failed peace talk where Charme brought bombs instead of words, and no one brought a [Zone of Peace] from Koyabez. They are 5,000 people, and they are tired of fighting a war that never gained the overall support of the people. They seek asylum.” Erick said, “I would have told them to move into Candlepoint, but they will likely be targeted by the Sovereign Cities, and especially by Charme, so I want them away from our main areas of commerce and other people.”

Aisha spoke first, “I believe with the nature of this petitioner, and with the vast increase in local populations of people, that we should now discuss the deployment of your Denial Spheres; what sort of Denials you will be putting out there, and where you will be placing them. And also: are they necessary? Most cities in the Crystal Forest do not have Denial Magics of any sort, though all the rest of the world usually has some sort of control on the power of the local population in order to prevent tragedies.”

About a week ago Erick had managed to make iron work as well as platinum for large runic webs. He was still in the process of turning a spherical prototype into a square Gate, but Denial Spheres were easy to make. Erick had planned on putting them all over the place, using them like Songli used the Void Song to prevent destructive things like [Stoneshape] or [Fireball] from being used in public places. Those Void Songs only covered the main cities of Eralis, Alaralti, and Holorulo. Those were the most populated parts of the Highlands, though, because all that denial magic made trusting your neighbors a lot easier.

For the Greensoil Republic, they used archmages who had spent points in order to purchase the spell [Weaken Monsters], to then use that spell across that entire country. When used properly, [Weaken Monsters] inhibited all monsters from gaining levels past 10, meaning most people in the Greensoil Republic only gained levels to the natural maximum of around 13-16, depending on spell and skill choices. But the problem with [Weaken Monsters] was that if the gridwork casting of that spell somehow missed a monster, and the month-long spell duration lapsed, those missed monsters would enter a Rage-like state and rapidly begin to gain levels, and tear through a countryside full of low level people.

The Wasteland Kingdoms had a different way to control their population. They shackled mages with regulations and used routine checks where people displayed their Statuses and accumulated fines or soul debts with demons if they were caught having a restricted spell without having the corresponding paperwork and clearances from the Magisterium or a kingdom.

Treehome didn’t have any regulations at all, which is one of the reasons Erick liked them more than most other places. But Treehome was also filled with orcols who healed from almost all damage through simple Health-restoration spells, and they had Arbors to look over everyone. The Arbors were a pretty big part of why Treehome was such a good place to live.

People couldn’t use Spatial Magic in the Underworld because of Melemizargo’s influence. While that restriction cut down on a lot of utility magic down there, and had cost many, many people their lives as monster hordes overflowed their defenses, the absence of Spatial Magic made it easy to defend locations. Across almost the entire Surface world, places used anti-[Teleport] enchantments in order to protect their more vulnerable locations. There was no need to do that in the Underworld.

And the Sovereign Cities just prevented all Registrars from entering their lands without working under a local lord. No one was allowed to Matriculate outside of the control of the governments, or without a soldiering contract with the local lords. That lack of magical power and Script-enabled people was why that whole part of the world was a shithole, in Erick’s opinion. If that nobility ever gave Erick too much of a reason to turn their world upside down, then he might just do that. But for now, taking in the Dicers and ending that civil war over there seemed like a decent thing to do, which is why Erick was considering this Dicer request for asylum.

Erick still wasn’t sure exactly how he was going to distribute the Denial Spheres around Candlepoint in order to achieve the same effects as the Void Song, or [Weaken Monsters], or all the other various magic control spellwork that existed here and there in most of the world, but he knew where to start.

“Burhendurur,” Erick asked, “Where would you place Denial Spheres, to enable easier trusting of neighbor and neighbor, here in Candlepoint? What would you put in them? Each sphere has about a kilometer radius and can be imbued with any sort of Denial magics.”

Burhendurur frowned a little, but he didn’t have to think long to have an answer, “Put them everywhere that there are people, and with a [Zone of Peace] inside, if you can do that. Maybe [Spatial Denial], too, but that is rather itchy, and people would need to quickly evacuate if something terrible should happen, so blocking Spatial Magic is a bad idea. Maybe smaller [Spatial Denial] spheres in certain locations, to be decided.”

Zolan, Mox, Aisha, and Raingorl were surprised by that answer. Volaro was not surprised. He and Burhendurur had probably discussed this exact question before, because it was open knowledge what Erick wanted to do with these Denial Spheres, but here the dragons were, talking about inhibiting their own planned city beside the lake.

Erick was only a little bit surprised, but not because of Burhendurur and Volaro making a concession before they had to. He was surprised at their actual suggestion. Erick said, “I had considered [Zone of Peace], but [Zone of Peace] is not very smart when imbued inside a runic web.”

Volaro narrowed his eyes a little. “It still transforms harmful magic into a [Cleanse]s, yes?”

“The definition of ‘harmful’ is less nuanced when the spell is inside a sphere.” Erick said, “Inside a normal [Zone of Peace], if I cast a [Fireball] at you, it would turn into nothing. Inside a runic web [Zone of Peace], the same [Fireball] will become a gust of weak Force and Fire and a lot of a [Cleanse], but the [Cleanse] will be as weak as [Cleanse] inside Ar’Cosmos; only able to really clean up water and surface dirt. The Fire and Force might brush your hair or set small papers on fire. But what is worse, is that a [Fireball] cast near someone, without the intent to harm a person standing beside the impact, will retain full power. [Zone of Peace] in a sphere is not smart at all.”

Burhendurur frowned a little.

Volaro said, “Add in a Stone Denial, and put them absolutely everywhere that there are people, and include an Undertow drain to power them, same as you have the Gates. This will be more than enough general security. Even the Void Songs of Songli are not perfect.”

“Perfection is the enemy of good,” Burhendurur said, nodding.

Erick sat a bit straighter. “Ah. We have that saying back on Earth, too.”

“Not surprising. It is a good saying.” Burhendurur said, “And I agree with Volaro’s suggestion. Excising the ability for the populace to do direct damage toward each other will be a great boon for our rapidly growing population.” He added, “For Ar’Cosmos does need to ‘vent’ 100,000 people. We were originally going to request a grant for 150,000 people, but that would have met with too much skepticism.”

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Zolan scoffed, “Like 100,000 is any more reasonable.”

Mox said, “I would like to return to this Dicer request…”

They spoke for a few hours.

– – – –

In a Private space, in House Benevolence, Erick sat across from someone he hadn’t seen in a while; Illustrious Moon. The Head of House Fae looked exactly as he remembered; tall, almost incani, with amethyst-like horns done in deep purple and all the rest of her a study in violet. She had taken a day to get here after the meeting with the Overseers about new cities yesterday, but here she was, ready to talk turkey.

She smiled softly, saying, “It’s good to see you again, Erick. I love the House.”

… They were still in the pleasantries part of the meeting, apparently. Erick wanted to get right down to it, though, for he had even more meetings and magic to make after this. He couldn’t just blow off Illustrious’s attempts at pleasantries, though. This meeting would determine the entire future of Ar’Cosmos’ direct presence here at Candlepoint.

Erick decided to go with, “It’s good to see you, too, Illustrious, now that I’m not under mental restraints and able to make my own decisions about life.”

Illustrious pulled back her joy, letting her true draconic self appear in the deep purple of her eyes. “How long will it take for you to get over that? Realistically?”

“As soon as I can no longer be worried of such hostile actions.”

Illustrious smiled brightly this time. “Then I will ignore the hostility of your words and trust the truth of your benevolence that this meeting will be productive for all of Ar’Cosmos. Who are your allies, I might add.”

“You are my allies,” Erick agreed. “And so are the wrought, and Oceanside. I hope the wrought now living in Ar’Cosmos are working out for everyone involved. No one has been ensorcelled yet, nor have they given you cause to do so, correct?”

“Correct!” Illustrious Moon asked, “Now, shall we talk of the ensorcellments you plan to place upon the future cityspaces of our land around your lake?”

“The Denial Spheres will happen to Candlepoint, too, and for now those Spheres will just have [Zone of Peace]. No anti-[Stoneshape] or [Spatial Denial]s, or anything like that; just [Zone of Peace]. It’s not a full-block on all magic, but it will prevent the most egregious and directly harmful uses of magic; mostly targeted spells and other things made with the intention of harming. There will be a lot of nuances for people to work out, but a Denial Sphere will likely be a hard counter to magics like the Red Dot that almost struck Spur, for I have done some testing with the spheres and [Fireball] and my words to Burhendurur and Volaro yesterday were mistaken.