The party is forced to make camp about halfway through and as the sun sets and the stars start to shine it is hard not to think about the impact they have had on the region in just a few short months. Not just one bandit group but many bandit clans defeated or turned back into the path of light. A foul curse upon the very lands lifted returning sun to miles of mist choked lands. A dastardly traitor possibly employed by the rival nation of Pitax thwarted and defeated. An alliance with kobolds and a routing of mites. A small but growing group of allies taking refuge at a remote outpost. And, most importantly, a charter fulfilled.

There was a sense in the air that everything was about to change. Once they returned to Oleg's and sent word to Rostland that the Stag Lord had been crushed and the bandits routed things would be set into motion that would change the course of their lives. The Swordlords had promised them their very own land! Sure it might be little more than a barony at this point but there was plenty of room to grow. That thought is soured by the thought of the many enemies they might make in the process. One bandit clan, the Dark Pipers, had escaped their notice completely. Both Pitax and the Brevoy Regent would be furious about an ally to Rostland claiming this land, and how would the surrounding nations of Numeria or Mivon react to a new neighbor?

All these questions and more buzzed around like fireflies in the night sky.

OOC: Pausing here to give you time to just process everything. The next big update I do is going to advance the storyline by months so now's your chance to finalize your thoughts on the first chapter.

Shortly after the party sends the report of mission accomplished, Saira will approach Borric.

The redhead was a bit fidgety, shrunken, she wanted to show an air of confidence but her generally withdrawn and quiet demeanor just lacked the experience to display such. She would approach him, face tilted down and eyes shifting to the left and to borric. "Umm, I have a request." as she stopped, she would unconsciously reach for her right arm but catch herself with just a grasp.

"It is not clear to me how I may best serve your new barony, we've struggled and fought together but I've been little more than a bow in the cause as of yet. If there is no other purpose to you, then with your permission, would you have me gather bows and form a lodge? To serve as scouts, heralds, so that I may be a greater bow for the lands? Speak it, and I will see to it."

Though she spoke with certain conviction, her voice was still demure and quiet.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 16:43, Fri 21 May 2021.

Caramip was happy with their journey so far they had used diplomacy to affect a good many of the bandits and turn them to a new path. Akiros in particular had shown a great turn around. That warmed the little halflings heart. There was still much to do.

Caramip would speak up during the camping, "We should occupy the Stag Lord's Fortress. We need to give it a name though. It has been the center of this area for a while and thus people of the region are used to having it be the seat of government. It also would alleviate any danger to Oleg's Trading Post such as the attacks in the last month that threatened to destroy it if we can imprison people elsewhere.

We'll need to invest in building up the area around the fort into small frontier town. One that can act as a seat of government. In particular we need to send out and request representatives from the Kobolds to be sent to court. We should also reach out to the religious leaders of the area.

We'll need to send diplomatic messages to the nearby lords and kingdoms. A sort of feeling out. We know that Tartucchio in particular was most likely an agent of Pitax. As such we can assume that they will also be making a claim to this area. It depends what exactly his mission from them was. If it was to collect whatever he was searching for he may have fulfilled that.

There is much to do really, we'll need to lay out the city and make sure we can recruit important businesses and people to it. This really is just the beginning not the end of the journey. I want to build a college someday, though that will have to wait a bit til I have more resources."

Kael still thinks others are being far too optimistic about this place, and feels the need to warn them of this. "I hate to rain on everyone's parade again, but what you have here is not a kingdom or a barony. For that you would need farms, roads, ports, villages, towns, cities, and most importantly, people. And this place is woefully short of all of those. Seriously, your owlbear-to-farmer ratio is all wrong. No, what you may have here, one day, just maybe, is a colony of whoever ends up financing and providing colonists for it, whether that is Restov or Brevoy. And only with their blessing do you have any hope at all of ending up in charge of this place."

He sighs wearily, and a hint of admonition enters his voice. "I hope things work out for you, I really do. But make no mistake, that new Charter you signed is a slap in the face of the regent, and I doubt he will just let that slide. And to be frank, Brevoy is too close to a civil war as it is, without throwing more fuel to the fire in this way."

Wait, is Cara halfling or gnome?

"Restov is a free city, to an extent," Dominque reminds Kael, "the Swordlords aren't vassals holding land under tenure like the Houses of Brevoy. They bend the knee and pay taxes, but who they recognize or support diplomatically is the King-Regent's concern only insofar as he is willing to go to war to contest it." The inquisitor strokes the dark red stubble sprouting on his chin and jaw after days of travel as he considers the politics of the region for a time before sharing his thoughts, "Lady Jamarka suggested Mivon would also support the claim, and, claim or no, the River Kingdoms wouldn't likely take kindly to Brevoy marching into the Stolen Lands. The claim would be precarious and reliant on Brevoy not falling into war, but it also raises the stakes against war..."

He shrugs, admitting to himself that the complexity of international diplomacy in the River Kingdoms is likely beyond what he could ever reason through, but then notes to Kael's other point, "The Stag Lord and the bandit gangs weren't getting by just on robbing Oleg and Owlbears. I'm sure there are plenty of foresters and fishermen living off the beaten paths and trade between Brevoy and the River Kingdoms passing through. With fertile lands and the assurance of Law and Order many more will surely come."

The Inquisitor then offers a rare smile as he shares, "However it all turns out, it is a rare treasure to be able to bring civilization and law to lands that have suffered for so long without it. Whether Surtova claims the lands or Mister d'Tor can hold them, we've made a real difference in the lives here." He can't help but glance towards Caramip before tempering his hopefulness, "So long as the bandits we failed to bring to justice don't continue to plague them."

Kael shrugs back at Dominque's words. "We've been riding up and down these lands for what, a month by now? And during this time we have seen exactly six people that were not either bandits or part of our expedition, all of them right by the border with Brevoy. Six. And one of them is already dead."

"I'm not saying there are not more hermits, trappers, hunters or what have you around, at least up north near Brevoy. They are probably really good at avoiding groups of armed men as well. But a handful or two of those are not something to build a civilization on. Only Restov and Brevoy can provide settlers for these lands in any meaningful number, as well as the resources to house and feed them all until they can sustain themselves. And with a war brewing, you can bet that both sides will seek to use these lands and whoever is running them to their advantage. Tread carefully around them, is what I advise."

From what I gather, bandits sustained themselves mostly by raiding farms and preying on the caravans around the border in Brevoy. Hence the need for this expedition in the first place. I think.

Dominique does make an astute observation that the land is incredibly fertile and bountiful. The woods are thick with top notch wood, exotic herbs and berries and game is practically bursting out every step the party has take.

The rolling hills might not be the best farmland but it isn't bad and with the abundant waterways in the area irrigation wouldn't be a chore. The weather is rough and the lands untamed with danger all around but it might not be that difficult to get settlers from all over. The River Kingdoms are always in turmoil, there are seemingly endless refugees coming out of the constant revolutions and counter-revolutions in Galt and nearby Numeria is experiencing some kind of turmoil as well. Pristine forests, untouched farmlands and bandit free surroundings might just be what is needed to grow a new country from nothing into something.