Noble Arcana

The orcs are savages they tell us. As if that is sufficient in motivating us to fight and die in battle against them. Personally I hear of a group being savage and my first instinct is to move in the opposite direction

Jude Morrow in a letter to Vaughn Morrow

The morning of his trip into the woods to survey the old sites of the lumber mills and the mine Solomon ate a hearty breakfast of steak and eggs along with a small bowl of fruit. He opted for water rather than his usual tea. Solomon had always had a weak physical constitution and knew he’d need to prepare his body as well as he could for the hike. After he was done eating, he dressed in his uncle’s old hunting coat that Felicity had taken in for him and a pair of well worn brown boots.

Since he still had some time before he’d need to head for the edge of the woods, he decided to finally work his way through his correspondence. He started with a letter from Bernice.

Brother,

I have heard of what has occurred at your estate. I was grateful to read that you are safe and unharmed, but would like to hear directly from you. Please write me as soon as you are able, I cannot think of anything else to write until I know you are safe. Aside from mentioning that your survival has gained you a lot of notoriety here and it seems to be driving our dear brother Jude quite mad.

Your sister, Bernice

Solomon chuckled and quickly wrote a reply so that it could be sent immediately to her. He didn’t like the idea of causing her more concern than he should. He clipped the small article about his survival from the Etling Gazette and slipped it inside as well, thinking it may provide her some amusement. Once he was done he started through the letters from the rest of the family. His mother skipped past concern and relief and directly into a lecture on how a frontier estate such as that was no place for a Morrow, least of all him. He laughed internally at the idea of it being a frontier estate. It was certainly far from the capital, but it wasn’t as if there were angry orcs just over the next hill, or elves laying in wait within the forest. To her though, there may as well be.

He opened the final family letter from Chorde.

Solomon,

I was glad to hear that you rightly represented the Morrow name in your defense of your property and person. We have received a number of betrothal requests from more minor families that may be unaware of your history. As none of them are worthy of a son of Morrow these requests have been dealt with.

He nearly laughed aloud at that. He had no intention of marrying at the moment, as there were no advantages, but the idea of Chorde personally answering a number of betrothal requests was quite amusing to him. He continued reading.

I had originally intended to ask our brother, Jude, to hand deliver Crimson Command, our family’s ancestral blade, and father’s stallion to Vaughn, but given your recent show of bravery I wished to ask you first. The delivery won’t be possible until later in the year due to the stormy season, but please let me know if you can address this task for the family as soon as you are able.

Duke Chorde Morrow

Solomon carefully folded the letter. Heading to the orcish front wasn’t the most ideal situation, but it definitely provided him with a number of interesting opportunities. Crimson Command was a magical blade tied to the Morrow bloodline. Only a Morrow could safely transport it, which was why Chorde needed to ask either him or Jude. Having the opportunity to study the blade himself could help him learn more about magic. Aside from Vaughn, Bernice’s betrothed was also at the orcish front. Perhaps he could convince him to break the engagement, or find a spell that could convince him. He was hesitant to leave Moonfallow, but given that the travel would be later in the year he felt safe to agree to it for now. He had no qualms about changing his mind later and disappointing Chorde.

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He wrote his response letter and then went through the remaining letters. Some of the companies he’d been speaking with seemed suddenly keen on meeting him. He imagined it had more to do with his sudden celebrity than any interest in business prospects, but he politely answered each of them and even asked what dates may be appropriate to meet with some of them that were in Etling. Aside from them he’d gotten another letter from Viscount Byar, who expressed relief that Solomon was alive and well after his incident and repeated his offer for him to stay with him anytime. This time Solomon said he would be interested, but needed to determine dates. It couldn’t hurt to have a local ally in the nearest city, and he needed a place to stay when he met the businesses in Etling anyway.

Once he was done he neatly sealed each letter in wax with the Morrow seal of the stag.

When he was done he left the room to find Melissa approaching the door.

“The carriage is ready, lord.”

“Thank you, Melissa.” He handed her the letters. “Please ensure these reach the Couriers before this afternoon.”

She nodded at him, before looking concerned for a moment. “Are you sure you don’t want someone to accompany you?”

He shook his head. “No. I’ll be on established trails with a knowledgeable trapper. I’m sure I’ll be fine.” In truth, he was concerned. The rumors about the woods had him concerned, but he didn’t want to risk any of his servants and if they did accompany him he might hesitate to use his magic to defend himself at a crucial time. Not that he anticipated any real trouble. A mining accident, dark forest, and rumors of a curse within a small town didn’t necessarily mean there was any kind of real threat.

Solomon made his way to the carriage, exchanging nods and with his servants and the temporary workers that were with them. In return he received a number of smiles and just as many averted and uncomfortable eyes.

He stepped into the carriage and tapped on the far wall of it twice with his walking stick to indicate to Duncan that it was time to get moving. The carriage rolled gently forward and he was on his way. The ride to the entrance to the woods took him all the way through the town, and he took in the sights. It seemed to be a bit more lively than usual. He saw a number of men and women walking about the town, and some children actually ran alongside the carriage for a short time. As they neared the outskirts he saw a pair of freshly hired watchmen doing a patrol, looking sharp in crisp gray uniforms.

The carriage came to a stop just before the road they were on turned into a path. Solomon carefully let himself out and looked toward the entrance to the wood. The path was wide and well travelled, but the edges of it were showing signs of being overgrown. The trees themselves had trunks that were dark, nearly black, and the leaves were a dark green the same color as the Drakthiss military uniforms.

Colm Brightly stood at the edge of the woods. As before he was wearing the same soft leather jacket and fur cap, along with some heavy hiking boots. He had a heavy pack with him as well.

“Are you ready, lord?” asked Colm, his tone implying genuine uncertainty as he looked Solomon up and down.

“As ready as I can be. Anything I need to know before we enter?”

Colm nodded. “The most important thing is that you stay close. We’ll mostly be on the widest of the old paths, but some areas ain’t passable no more so we’ll need to divert. If you lose me, just stay where you are. I’ll be able to find you. I’m going to set a quick pace; it’s not safe to wander the woods in the dark.”

“Should we break up the visits to each site? Make it easier to get back before nightfall?”

He shook his head. “No. They’re close together and it’ll be best to get through it once. The more you travel these woods the more they see you. I’ve got the trail lord’s blessing, but for you it’s different.”

“It sounds like you’re worried about something beyond me just twisting my ankle.”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, lord. I’ve not ever actually seen anything, but being in the woods alone can make one paranoid. I didn’t mean to make you afeared.”

“It’s quite alright. Best to stay wary.”

“Would it be alright if I checked a few of my traps along the way?”

“That’s fine.”

Solomon turned to Duncan. “You don’t have to wait here the whole time. Feel free to go into town for a while.”

The stablemaster shook his head and pulled a pipe and a small tin of tobacco from his jacket.

“I’ll be here, lord.”

Solomon nodded and turned back to Colm. “Lead the way.”