Silvertree Chronicles Bk. 12

I will need 7 on the Council, counting myself as I will be of age in 4 days, to go with this scouting party. We need 60 fighters, 20 arcane, and 20 divine casters. We can take 2 bards, and 2 Psions with us. That comes out to a 111 in this scouting party."

The King took a seat and motioned for them to do the same. He looked at Brycen, "What kind of devastation are we talking about?"

Brycen looked at him, "In regards to population loss? We might be able to save over half of them to this new world and expect to lose half of that before we have a city; depends on how well we plan.

The better we plan and the faster we find a new world, will correlate into how many lives we can save. We stay and we die. That rot does not help us. Based upon the design notes I have glanced over; the swords are the key to this plan. It will take 14 of them to power the gate.

That gives us a margin of one blade, 7 blades on each side. The scouting party is a one-way trip most likely. At least until the bridge is built. We could be jumping from world to world for a century or more before finding one that is right for us. We would take two-thirds of Gods' Eyes with us, we have a second uplink and a complete set of diamonds for it already built by Lerian Silvertree.

We could end up on a world or pass through one that contains other elven colonies or cities. If so, the Gods' connections could be stronger there. We could also be advised to move along because they are more or less advanced than we are in magic. Hard to say until we do this as we do as instructed and take this on faith.

Then there are our allies and the Eternal Forge which means a small collection of humans. IF we can find a royal who stayed behind. That 115 would be our elven contingent.

We can go as high as 240. We cannot do anything about our allies Gods. Every elven caster going would be restricted to tier six spells except for me. I will need access to mythic magic to move us."

The King looked at Brycen, "Why two-thirds of Gods' Eyes?"

Brycen looked across, "When I say fighters, I mean fighters, rangers, and paladins. Even Magus and Blade Singers. Moon Blade would have to be one of the ones to go. Gods' Eyes can be used to check for raw materials like mithril or adamantium. Things Alliance overwatch cannot do were built into that system by Lerian Silvertree.

One-third of it does not have a portable display and is wasted at the moment as it is not physically manned. That does not mean we cannot use it for the physical display and as a backup to the other. We will be trying to survey worlds in short periods to find this new home. The more we take with us, the faster we can be done in each world.

It takes nothing away from here because I would have to turn over control of what is left behind. Your capability actually increases after we depart. It feeds what was Alliance Overwatch so we have to leave part of it behind or blind you."

King Goldeagle asked, "What becomes of the swords?"

Brycen looked at him, "Destroyed in the process. Most likely, it does not say but that would be the educated guess. It does explain why these relics continue to grow in power. To be able to do this task. Contact your dwarven counterpart.

They may have received instructions and a champion as well. I suspect we might have a second champion, but that is not guaranteed. If it is a blade holder then we can expect to lose our margin of error of one Blade back here."

He shook his head, "You got this from the Gods directly?"

Brycen shook his head, "I got it from the last champions journal and the prophecy from the grand cleric. I do think it is telling that she is now the spirit of the sword. Carrying this message forward, yet again."

He sighed, "I would like more information."

Brycen looked at him and handed him the prophecy, "No divination will function here. Except for the cantrips to check for pregnancy or fertility. Possibly poison, magic, and disease detection. Nothing major. Communication with the Gods directly is cut off.

Ask the Grand Clerics. I just left them and they were in a stupor. That is why we could be jumping for a century or more. They are conserving their power in order to aid the people while they are weakened after our departure."

He looked at Brycen, "Why the limit on the size?"

Brycen sighed, "We could take family members and a few spares. It means more dedicated spells for secure shelters. We do have a time and size limit for the jump itself as we will be jumping to worlds with few parameters defined. That is why we will need a flying and shielded platform to operate from."

King Goldeagle looked at Brycen, "She just destroyed one!"

Brycen nodded, "Because the shields were soul sealed you could not add any enchantments to them. We have to enchant it to be able to make the jumps. That ship was too small as well. Else we would be limited on the size even further.

It was tied to the sword and the sword was going away from this world. Keeping it out of enemy hands and getting us an additional 4 or more decades of life from the sun is what that decision bought us. Given our shortsightedness in not listening to Nova's call to deal with necromancy after she passed. That was a good call."

He walked out and got on a crystal. Brycen looked at the Council. "I would like a preliminary vote on this to see where we stand."

He sighed as he saw a 7 to 6 in favor or against. The only good news was that Moon Blade voted in favor.

The King came back in, "The dwarves had no other insight; their clerics cannot perform any significant divination. Same with our own."

Brycen nodded, "The prophecy said we would have to take it on faith. They made the champion a cleric who is also a Master Enchanter, to me that is just as telling when the God of Elven Magic is also the God and church I serve. I asked for a preliminary vote and it came up 7 to 6. Given this do any of you wish to change your vote?"

Everyone shook their heads. Brycen nodded, "Change the question. We wish to continue to build and take the scouting party if they volunteer to go. As it does not require an expenditure of funds the Council does not have to vote on the issue at all. It falls to the King."

He looked at Brycen, "You are going to continue to build regardless. The scouting party we would take up when you have it built."

Brycen nodded, "We will build on Silvertree estates. Would like the old Keep in Quatarsia. With the southern fort and the trading outpost with the new fort that one is no longer in use. At least not in any real sense of the word."

He looked at Brycen, "Any other options?"

Brycen nodded, "One of the Arcane Academies."

He chuckled and saw Brycen was not joking. He sighed, "Your family worked to build Quatarsia. The wood elves have been petitioning to have the 'eyesore' taken down. You can get them off of my back by taking it away. How much land would you have to take with it?"

Brycen sighed. He pulled up the Keep and checked densities, "Twice the size of the Keep on these three sides. A full six Keep widths on this side and you are talking a 40-foot hole."

He looked at Brycen, "Why so deep? Why that big?"

Brycen looked at him, "That Keep sits on two slabs of Granite we will have to meld together. The reason so deep is we have so much Mass on top. With people, which we have not agreed upon yet. It is going to be heavy. That means more blocks or sections if you will that have to be enchanted to handle the weight and fly it."

The Master Enchanter chimed in, "There is a mythic that we could god lock into place, we need only 20 feet instead of 40."

Brycen nodded, "Yes, that is good to know. But 15 feet of dirt is on top of this granite. The extra 5 feet will be stone shaped up and transmuted to a harder substance to keep the dirt from shifting under the Keep.

Also the pasture we build to take Elven War Horses with us. I may work to lower the Keep and fuse it into the rock below to make it stronger. It would be safer in the long run. It would take more time to do."

Hellina nodded, "Then he has the numbers right. It would have to be at least that deep."

King Goldeagle looked at Brycen, "They are going to want compensation."

Brycen groaned, "Get me a number; I have yet to go to the bank."

He nodded, "Alright. Here is a crystal. Contact me if something major occurs. A secret of the Kingdom as to what is coming and why you are building it. Tell them it is to do surveys of the world."

Brycen nodded. "For now, it gets closer to being done and I may have to make a call in order to get those I need. That is not a threat, but I do take this on faith. Every prophecy from that Cleric has come to pass...except this one."

The King sighed, "I will consider that when we talk about the scouting party. I would still like more insight."

Brycen handed the King one of the Pads, "You will want this here for every war that is coming to see how bad it is getting. From every direction eventually. You will get swarmed constantly from all directions. Your job just became much harder now."

Brycen got up to walk out and he got a message mentally, "Jasonus wanted me to pass a message to Nova. He was glad she got a full measure of life but wished she had found someone."

Brycen heard from his sword, "Tell him I came close once but then he died and went into a sword. That is what gave me the idea."

Brycen passed the message and the guy nodded, "Apparently he pursued her before she was revealed. He then died in battle."

Brycen sighed, "I gathered it was something like that."

He smiled, "We are distant cousins because of her. I am 7 generations away from her and the youngest on the council until you join us in a few days."

Brycen chuckled, "That seems to be true for every blade wielder house. To get gestalts into all of the houses, they came from wives of a champion to children of a champion that followed over 1,200 years ago. More mixing since then."

He laughed at Brycen and nodded. He looked at Brycen, "You found a bride yet?"

Brycen shook his head, "Not yet. Not many marry a cleric."

Moon Eye chuckled, "Quite a few have married a champion."

---

King Goldeagle thought to his sword, "You stayed quiet during that entire exchange. He called us out as short-sighted. Said our job will be that much harder. He sounds young and arrogant. What are your thoughts?"

King Goldeagle heard back, "I advised your Grandfather to listen to a champion. Especially her! He refused my counsel on the matter. He did not believe we had the resources to work that or worry about the rest of the world. I would say this champion is disappointed and frustrated because her warning was not heeded.

He feels the weight of it pushing down on him at his 'age.' He is not an adult, but only by a few days and you held it against him in that meeting. There is a history of those who are not an adult, him by mere days, but other by years. They were often ignored by the King or Queen of their day.

That bit them in the ass every single time they refused to listen. Her being in that sword is also very telling. You have a prophecy from the one who gave 20 that came to pass, Her return, and the rot you thought about as you looked at those displays. Yet you want more as you cannot fathom taking it on faith from a champion.

Your grandfather was shortsighted in this regard as he ignored my advice and hers. He could have helped to keep that cancer from growing and eased your burden. That would have been a better solution, to get the gold-elf people more involved instead of sitting complacently with others doing the work.

Now the burden will fall to you to keep the Elven people as a whole alive when the Champion leaves to do this. Do not think you really have a choice. The champion will go regardless. They are following higher orders and will go against your ruling if you try to stop him. I think this world is doomed as he said it will be.

He is following his faith and Nova being here to make sure he gets it right should be proof enough. She was a wickedly smart woman in life who dealt with a lot of issues, including getting us our dwarven allies back. An action she took alone and your Great Grandfather backed her before his passing.

Nothing she could do to watch the world when she passed. She gave us the tools to watch over the world, the warning, and we ignored her. Again due to age but this time old age. Our family has a history of having to learn things all over again, including when Charlus passed and he cautioned about expanding Overwatch and the King refused to consider it before he passed.

Learn to accept what he is telling you is coming or all the people are likely to be lost. Your Great Grandfather knew her intimately but passed younger that some would have expected him to go. He did not fight for the crown on his head, which was done by Nova. It saved the people from an attack from the abyss.

It has been centuries since Goldeagles were actively involved in planning defenses and working from the front lines in wars. The same goes for many Gold-elf houses. The gold-elves have become more and more decadent and the numbers have decreased significantly.

Mainly because of inbreeding to remove 'impurities' as some have come to call it by mixing with other elves and humans. Our house is an exception because of your great-grandfather and his wife the Queen from House Silvertree. That needs to change if they are to survive.

They pay for things, have servants to address their needs, and scarcely lift a sword except when they are in the Academy to train. You need to get them ready and hardened for the battles that are to come. You need to start having heirs. Else they will likely die, regardless if a new world is found or not.

I tell you this now because if he is right and the blades are destroyed, it will be chaos. You will likely have to address a world with no cites, markets, or banks. Better to support him in this and work the challenges ahead of us until that time.

It is likely the Gold-elves that survive will not thrive in that new world without getting those skills back. Skills to live in the wilds they gave up upon long ago. Things to teach your non-existent heirs when they come of age."

King Goldeagle had to start seriously looking for a wife or 2, else his sword would never let him hear the end of this.

---

Brycen walked out, "Time to go to the bank."

He teleported them to the bank. He heard from the sword, "The account is a decoy. I did not trust a bank employee. Use the vault key."

He walked up to a counter, "I inherited a vault key."

He nodded, "Big vault paid for another 800 years."

He walked back and looked at the contents.

He sighed, "Scroll tubes."

Brycen heard the sword chuck. Brycen went up and looked at the seals, "Bank seals. That means they counted whatever is in here."

Brycen looked at the note on top:

"In case they deny my request. Each of these is tagged and numbered, each one contains an expanded draconic portable hole. Five million in gold and jewels in each one. One has more. It contains gems in ten to a hundred thousand gold piece value. That one is worth 100 million but it is also all of the gems you would need for crafting and more.

There are two large matched 100,000 gold piece diamonds to handle just about anything you wish to enchant into them. Such as massive relic level shields. The Blue tube. Get rid of all bags of holding or like items."

Nova

He looked at the Enchanter, "100 million in jewels in that one, for doing the enchanting. The others have 5 million associated with them."

Brycen looked and thought, "How many tubes?"

He heard back, "Not counting the blue one it is 860. That does not count the holes you pulled from storage. Those were not bank counted or expanded. Do not break the seal on these. Just deposit where needed."

He stored the one tube. He handed the Master Enchanter 5 of them and pulled another 5. He left a note. "A lot, 850 tubes to go."

He walked out and sealed the vault. Brycen thought, "What you kept off of the floating keep; in case we went it alone?"

Brycen heard her chuckle, "If you get blade holders then you will have what you need. I never counted on the ruler of the day backing this plan, even a blade wielder. It is a tough sell and because of your age, they tend to ignore those who are not adults yet."

Brycen thought, "Your boyfriend and Moon Blade were part of the 7 who voted in favor."

She chuckled, "I know. I saw them remember?"

He rolled his eyes and she chuckled.

Brycen walked up the counter, "I would like to make a deposit into my account."

She looked it up, "You have 4 days until you can access it."

Brycen sighed, "I want to put money in. You are saying I cannot put money into the bank?"

She walked over and spoke to a manager. She came back, "It would have to be significant."

Brycen sighed, "Check this account number."

She looked at it, "You can access it but it has one gold piece in it.

Brycen handed her the tubes, "Five million in each, bank sealed. I want the portable holes as they are expanded versions."

She walked over to the manager and he came over, "I am sorry for the trouble but that account is flagged for monitoring by a bank officer."

Brycen nodded, "Will this be significant enough to add to my own account?"

He nodded, "Yes, by a factor of 50."

Brycen nodded, "I still want the expanded portable holes from those."

She nodded, "I did not know there was such a thing."

Brycen nodded, "Draconic Mythic magic. The same goes for the ones she will be depositing. Why warn me about the monitoring?"

He looked at Brycen, "He is an asshole. House Gold Coin; a small house but one of 30 that run the banks since the theft by a former King."

Brycen nodded, "Still 25 Moon elf houses?"

He nodded. Brycen asked, "Does it say why it is flagged?"

He shook his head. Nolla'Vasi responded, "Gold Coin was the one they kept sending up to the Keep to count coins. The one I did not trust. He has no business monitoring that account."

It took a couple of hours to get the holes. They were brought out by a gold elf. He looked at Brycen, "Yarlif Gold Coin. Do you mind if I ask you where you got these portable holes?"

Brycen looked at him, "You know exactly where they came from. What is your interest in them?"

He looked put out, "IT was just mere curiosity."

Brycen held up a crystal with the King's seal on it, "Come up with a better answer. Also, tell me why you are monitoring an account with one gold piece in it?"

He looked at the girl and Brycen glared at him, "She did not tell me. Another in the bank told me. I think some psionic interrogation might be in order."

He sighed, "I wanted some of those holes. I wanted to know when they would get put into the bank."

Brycen looked at him, "They are not for sale. At least not right now. I have long-term plans for them. Not that you were looking to buy them. You were hoping they would be deposited and the holes would be forgotten about."

He walked off after handing Brycen the 10 portable holes. Brycen looked at her, "Close the account with one gold piece in it."

She chuckled and gave him the one gold piece.

He walked out and teleported them to Moon Blade's shop. They went inside and he nodded to the woman at the counter, "Need to see Moon Blade."

She sighed, "I was told not to disturb him unless it was a repeat customer."

Brycen thought, "Send his sword a danger alert."

Nolla'Vasi chuckled, "Sent."

Brycen smiled, "I sent for him."