Silbermine returned to his camp with mixed emotions. So caught up in his own thoughts was he, that the Lord didn’t even notice Subira approaching his group. It was one of his retinue who greeted her and invited her to join them.

On the one hand, Silbermine was jubilant that he’d met with these strange new people and managed to make his proposal. They were clearly in need of help, and their ‘commander’ had been open to the idea of participating in The Running, so he counted that as a win. All this talk of rare metals was a big bonus that he fully intended to exploit at a time of his choosing.

On the other hand, he was furious with the rabble that had seemed intent on insulting him and his station. Silbermine realised the Humans had even contributed in some ways to the assaults, now he’d had a chance to go back through the events in his head. He would need to assess whether these Humans could be loyal to him or fickle, playing both sides.

It was only after they’d arrived at camp and Silbermine had changed into something a little more practical that he was informed that a stoneworker and surveyor had arrived. He was getting a little agitated that all the reinforcements he’d ordered hadn’t arrived yet, but at least this was a start.

Silbermine had Subira approach him in his tent. It was spacious inside but sparsely furnished, with only a few large cushions and low tables. Silbermine was kneeling on one such large cushion, eating from a bowl of fruit.

“My Glen tell me you’re a stoneworker. What do you make of the Humans’ temple? Have you seen anything like it before? I promised the Humans engineers who could buttress their temple, stop it falling apart. Tomorrow you will make your services available to them in the name of House Silbermine. See if you can gain access to the inside - I wish to know more about this thing.”

[hr]
More soldiers and artisans loyal to Silbermine began arriving shortly after, trickling in from the countryside all around Keraknúr as word spread of their Lord’s great campaign. In all they numbered forty by the end of the day. These Mythadians set up a separate camp at the bottom of the slope, near the edge of the marsh where they could marvel at the Jotunheim with uninterrupted views. 

This trickle of Glen and Tekeri continued in the early morning. They chattered excitedly - there had been strange sounds drifting across the marshes all night. Could the Warden of the Northern Passage really be nearby?