Another day of work for the Guldani Empire, Setsua thought to himself as he descended from one of the many mountain passes to the forests below. The king declared that farmland be prepared to better feed the people, so it fell upon him, the prince, to insure that things went smoothly. While not as exciting as going out and conquering, Setsua did enjoy the possibility of seeing new places, and perhaps even meeting new people to speak with, maybe even swap stories with. 

"Are you excited to explore these new lands?" He asked one of the loggers traveling with him.

The Goliath merely shrugged. "Just wanna pay my tax and go back to my village. My wife is heavy with child, and I want to be there to greet the newborn." 

Fair enough, Setsua figured, though he hoped their lack of enthusiasm didn't mean their work was going to suffer. Family was well and good, but if this job didn't get done, then the Empire as a whole would suffer, and his father would be without the resources he needed to make an effective attempt at waging war, should it be required. Honestly he wasn't certain they needed it though, since they would already have the war machines to make their forces something to be feared. Even thinking about such things brought a shiver down his spine, and he wondered just how much death would come in their wake. Would the gods be pleased with such a large amount of destruction? Setsua made a note of it so he would remember to speak to a priest about it later. 

Half a day was spent before they arrived at the forest, the sun making its way to the horizon, ever closer by the moment. There wasn't another minute to lose, so the laborers went to work at tearing down the trees, which would then be stripped of branches and placed into a cart, pulled by oxen back up to the mountains. It was difficult work, suited to the muscular hands of the Guldani people, and it would serve them well in projects to come. Houses, bridges, whatever is required will be satisfied by the resources they were gathering today. 

Axes met wood, and before night came, the first trees will fall to their efforts. Setsua met with the foreman of the project, a balding Goliath with scars over his right bicep, in order to get an understanding of what is to come. 

"Will it be possible to begin building a community in this place?" He asked.

Nodding, he answered. "Yes, my prince, though I worry about what may be beyond the trees." 

"What do you mean?"

"Legend tells of other Goliath tribes, scattered through these lands. They too had suffered under the hands of the elves, but were unable to escape into the mountains as our people had done." He shifted his footing, unsure of whether or not to continue. "The legends also tell of how these other tribes would...sacrifice people to their strange gods." 

Souring at this news, Setsua decided it might be best to have a little security here, to insure everyone was safe. Whether or not there were indeed other tribes of Goliaths around, he still felt it best to have some warriors nearby should they need to mount a defense. Sending a runner to the nearest city, he knew it might be some time before they got here, but it would be fine. All they needed to do was harvest the lumber, establish a camp, and return to the mountains that they called home. 

At least he hoped it went so smoothly.