The majority of a house’s power is in the strength of its magi. Strong affinity represents strong bloodlines, high levels represent excellent leadership, and quality spell forms represent capable management of the resources of the house.

  All other aspects of a house are looked at in reference to how they can support the growth of the magi in the house. More money from businesses means more resources to level and train. More knights mean more security and will support magi to dive deeper into dungeons. Connections can be utilized to get the resources needed to support the specific affinity for the magi of the house. Any house that is shown to fail in supporting the magi or adversely affects the magi of an estate will be relegated.

  Adversely affecting the magi of an estate is difficult to interpret, but almost never happens. If an estate monopolizes the use of resources to benefit a few, causing others to suffer, then the lord or lady will not be considered for relegation. The most likely outcome is that the nobles that gain power will be promoted and may absorb resources of those who fail to advance.

  The rules inside a house are often more flexible than those between houses. The punishment of major crimes is still enforced, but how that breach of the law is enforced is flexible. In some cases, relegated houses may be ordered to do menial labor, and when questioned, the estate will say they are training. If a complaint is filed, then the estate will need to show that the mage has grown in their care, but it is next to impossible to make such a complaint from within the house.

  Complaints will need to come from the lord or lady of the house to their liege lord. Complaints should be made within the house to the lord or lady, who will then report it if they themselves cannot address it.

  Complaints from other houses are considered noble on paper, but behind closed doors, such complaints diminish the reputation of those who file the complaint. The noble peerage knows that relegation is one of the worst fates, but most will use it as a prod to help motivate houses from failing in their intended purpose.

  Elevation is far rarer. While most houses will grow or shrink in power or size, the Earldom, Dukedoms, and Kingdoms do not like the idea of being usurped. Most will step in to reduce the power of a rival house before it can usurp control.

  Again, on paper, this is bad and straightforward, but most houses have several subtle tools to undercut any adversary. Price gouging, dungeon visit limitations, and reduced quest loads are a few resources that can be tweaked to manage the noble houses.

  If a noble house is strong enough, a formal declaration can be made. The liege lord will come to make a determination of whether the control of the estate should be transferred. This is very dangerous and seldom done because it almost always ends with the relegation of the losing house.

  There is one final way to have a house undergo elevation. The conquered lands between the human and elven empire often exchange hands, and when they come into the hands of the humans, many houses will be offered elevation should they hold it. Even if they can’t hold it, an effort should be made. If an earldom or dukedom is unable to contribute to the reclamation of the lands between the elven empire and the human kingdom, then it will be grounds for relegation.

  -Notes taken by Jason Kelley from lessons on the noble peerage by Steward Alyssa of the house Kelley of the Heartbran Earldom

  “If houses are always under threat of relegation, and those relegated houses are absorbed, why are new houses created? A new house would quickly be inefficient in comparison. Look at my house, I have next to nothing. Will I be relegated?” Talk of relegation is not very comforting. I don’t plan to go down silently if someone does try to tuck me away in a corner somewhere.

  “Relegation is always a threat, but there are also a few considerations. You are new and have not even received all the resources from the Heartbran estate. It would be difficult to argue, especially considering you are in a state where you have an excuse from court. How can you be properly assessed when you have not even executed your mandate as a noble?” Alyssa answers.

  “Ok, so once the month is up, I need to show growth, or I will be relegated,” I ask.

  “It is not so simple. You need to show that you are a productive house within the estate. It will be difficult to explain the advantage of washing chicken poop, but considering you have already done a dungeon run successfully and aided another house, it would be difficult to find grounds for relegation. I am not a magistrate or mage aid, so I’m not as well versed in the exact laws, but I would advise you not worry about it.”

  Her words bring me no comfort. Does she want me to no worry about it because it will make me easier to blackmail and manipulate?

  “Let me try a different question. Do you think the Razorleafs will be relegated? They look like they are stretched thin with their child and gave up their last spot on the dungeon run.”

  I don’t like the idea that having children will lead to relegation, but they are in a small house like mine. If they are avoiding relegation, I want to know how.

  Alyssa waffles her head back and forth in consideration. “It could be considered a prudent move to sell the spot to aid in the development of their child. It also does not hurt their case that the Sandridge house had a total wipe. If all the other houses completed the run, then it would put pressure on them. I would also point out they are on good terms with house Heartbran and house Sandridge, so it will be unlikely that they would be relegated anytime soon.

  “If a case were brought up, Earl Heartbran could stall until he found a reason to rule in favor of the house. It would take a Duke or royalty pressuring the Earl to relegate House Razorleaf.”

  I frown, “So I am at a greater risk because I am not on as good of terms.”

  She gives me a pointed look as though to say, I told you, you should have groveled at their feet. I ignore it, still thinking about the political implications of the new dungeon floor.

  “So Sandridge has lost a dungeon run, I have completed a dungeon run, and Ashmoore has completed a dungeon run. What does the schedule look like over the next couple of days?”

  “I’m not sure. I did not check since our next spot is still weeks away. I will find out and let you know when I go to recruit the farming trainer.”

  I nod and ask a few more questions on the specifics of relegation and elevation. I don’t ask about the Ashmoores and the potential for them to go for elevation to take over the earldom. She tells me some boring details about the announcements and court proceedings needed to initiate the process of relegation. Her explanation goes on for an hour and my head starts to hurt.

  A knock at the door cuts off our discussion. It is Reagan again, but since we knew merchant Evergreen would be coming over, he stood out front to make it look like we had at least one guard.

  Reagan opens the door and announces, “Lord Kelley, merchant Evergreen is here to see you.”

  “Thank you, Alyssa, that will be all for now.” She bows at the dismissal before scurrying off to the kitchen.

  I reply in as formal a tone as I can manage, “Send him in.”

  Merchant Evergreen walks in, chagrinned even while thanking me. “I appreciate accepting the invitation to meet with me. I know last time our deal ended before we could reach a conclusion. I hope today we can begin the work of many new contracts in the future.” He says, smiling like a shark.

  “I hope so, too,” I say with significantly less teeth.

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  “Tell me how I may aid your great house in its rise.” He says, opening his arms wide.

  “Lord Kelley is considering getting into farming.” Alyssa cuts in, and I frown to keep from cursing.

  The greatest advantage I had was that he had no idea what I was interested in, and she gave it away freely. Her eyes go wide as she sees my glare.

  “Apologies lord Kelley, I wanted to let you know the cakes will be coming along shortly.” She bows and leaves the room in a hurry.

  “Farming is quite common in Silverward. What crops were you looking to buy?” He prompts.

  I want to get control of the conversation back. I know telling him what I want will be exposing my hand too soon. I want him to guess which of the options I might pursue so he has to offer incentives to get me to bite. Without committing, my options are practically limitless. While the magical herbs are my goal, I could always change my mind.

  “I am quite new to these lands; tell me what you might recommend.”

  “All food crops are relatively expensive with the ongoing war to the north, but what kind of merchant would I be if I could not find you a few seeds?” The merchant starts to list several crops that he can acquire, and none of them I know.

  Deciding I want to take a different tact, I change the subject. “What of the cost of potions?”

  Assessing the price of a potion should give me a good price on the herbs, but I don’t expect what he said next.

  “It will cost about one hundred and fifty for a health potion and two hundred and fifty for a mana potion.”

  “There is no way it’s that much,” I say aghast.

  He shrugs, “For a single potion it is. Buying in bulk is cheaper, but you are one mage, and the potions will expire after a time.”

  “So what kind of bulk prices would you offer?”

  “A hundred health potions for ten thousand gold or a hundred mana potions for twenty thousand.” That is far outside my current budget, and the merchant is smug when he tells me the numbers. It’s hard to get a read with my empathy because of how much smugness I need to cut through.

  “How much for the mana herbs that make up the potion?” I say fishing.

  “For one about five hundred. Buying in bulk would be more involved and depend on whether you want preserved or live plants. In either case, it will be difficult to get them to you without some loss of mana.”

  “Five hundred for the plant? The potions only cost a fraction of that.”

  He nods, “The plants are harvested on site. If you want to transfer them, you will need to keep them in dirt for transport and hire a farmer to care for them during the journey. If you harvest them, preserving them is a nightmare and would require at least an enchanted holding box. That box also will be unusable for anything else.”

  That puts a damper on my plan to grow the magical plants, but it’s still not impossible. I have no doubt I will be able to buy the plant; the problem will be scaling production. One plant will take a while to grow to maturity; on the other hand, it will take far too long to get the gold needed to buy a field of the crop.

  Then he makes his play. “I understand these prices might seem excessive, but you are a new house at the beginning of your journey. I can lend you gold on credit. I know you will be good for it once your estate grows.”

  A day or two ago, I would have accepted the offer without a second thought. I, too, had no doubt I would have the gold soon, if not in the week.

  Still, the recent talk of relegation and knowledge of how even a little debt can be used to put me into slavery without warning is too much of a threat.

  “A kind offer that I will give its due consideration,” I say neutrally.

  He leans in conspiratorially. “I know you don’t trust me, but between the two of us, the houses do it all the time. Borrow some money, and before a merchant can blink, it is paid back. If you did borrow from me, I am sure you would have the gold before anyone would be the wiser.”

  I don’t believe his words for a second, but I pretend to consider.

  “Maybe I can sweeten the deal. I can offer base rates for the first purchase. Tell me what you need and let me be your man.” He says, winking before leaning back.

  “I will consider it and have an order in a week.”

  He smiles. “I look forward to it.”

  Alyssa comes back in and lays a plate of mini cakes on the table. I nibble on one as I ask him about the price and cost of various products.

  “While I consider, Alyssa has prompted me to make some investments. What do the other estates sell to you?”

  He shrugs, “I cannot get into the specifics, but I can give you an overview. House Ashmoore has a smelting forge to produce iron, and the estate’s smith resides with them. Aside from iron, their estate works with wood, has a mill, a bakery, a quality set of weavers, and has a few sizable farms.

  “House Razorleaf is small but has a farm and a tanner. Their house may be small, but they sell some of the best quality leather shoes.

  “The Sandridge estate produces clay, has some of the best masons and potters, and now they have a solid production of iron. The main estate has a plethora of services available, but most of their services are clerical in nature.”

  “Wait, I am confused. How does House Heartbran make money if they buy services on retainer and have a host of clerks?”

  “First, House Heartbran is the heart of the city, and most of the population lives and thus rents from them. Second, the clerical and other services are steeply discounted.”

  I start to piece it together. They can afford so many services because they negotiate for themselves and not all the houses.

  “If I want a custom order of a dozen quivers of arrows?” I think of how Knight Reagan has no ranged weapons. A solid crossbow might be useful in the future.

  “I would advise you would procure the wood from house Ashmoore and then the services of a fletcher from the clerks at house Heartbran.”

  “-and a new house?”

  “Depending on how you would make the house, you may use Ashmoore, Sandridge, and Hearbtran’s services. Depends, I am not a builder.”

  I nod along, thinking of what I could do. I can animate the dead to create bodies for work, use water to heal or freeze, and that is about it. Maybe I can create aqueducts to edge out the competition for farming. I don’t have a clear idea of what to do next, but I also don’t have money to put forward to the project yet either. I ask him a few more questions before ending the meeting.

  As he is being escorted out, one of my rats picks up an out-of-the-way conversation. I see Alyssa and merchant Evergreen speaking. I close my eyes and concentrate on the scene.

  “You need to give me something to use.” Merchant Evergreen demands.

  “I told you what he wanted; all he asked me about is the plants. He even has me going to get a farmer.” She says, glaring back.

  “If we don’t have something soon, then we will both be in hot water.” He says back.

  “Do not blame me for your mistake. You are the merchant, I am just the steward. Surely you have something a barbarian would want.” She glares at him. I dampen the mental connection, irritated at Alyssa. I continue to listen, but nothing else productive is said. I find Reagan and spend the next few hours working out my frustration in sword forms.

  When I arrive back, the farming instructor is waiting for me. An old man with plain clothes and a straw hat stands when I approach. In a rough accent, he mumbles. “Lord.”

  I give him a smile and stick out my hand. He looks down at it and shakes it. I like him already. He does look taken aback when I give it a firm shake, but then just waits. “I hear you are a farming instructor.”

  “Aye, ain’t never trained no lord before though.” It’s kind of difficult to work out what he says, but in the end, I get it.

  “Well, I have only been a lord for less than a week. You can call me Jason. What is your name?”

  “Jim.” He says.

  “I hear the Silverward domain has some of the best farmers.”

  “Aye, I know my way around.” He says, nodding with a stoic face.

  “That is great. I want you to tell me all about farming.” I say.

  “Well, I don’t do much talking normally. Usually, I just show. Ain’t much of a talker.” He grumbles.

  I shrug. “I do not have a farm for you to show me, but maybe we can meet in the middle. Come take a look and tell me what you think about where and how a farm should be built on my land.”

  “I can do that.” He says, and we walk into the back yard as Knight Reagan trails behind us.

  In his gruff tone, he leads me around the state talking about how some crops would do better in the shade, and others would do well with more sun. A few times, he stops to taste the dirt and would make a few comments about how good or bad the dirt would be. After the third time, I realized he was checking the acidity of the soil. It was strange and exciting to see an expert at their craft.

  I only pick up bits and pieces, finding parallels to tidbits I have heard in passing while on Earth. I was not concerned; most of the minutiae of farming would be handled by actual farmers, but I learned some of the broad strokes. What I really wanted to know about was the magical herbs.

  “Have you ever grown magical herbs?” I ask in a lull between conversations.

  He spits. “Aye, worst crop there is. Eats the land barren but worth a shiny coin if you are desperate.”

  “So, what do you do to grow it?” I ask.

  “Find a fertile patch of land you want to be dead, then plant the herbs.”

  “Why does the herb kill the land?”

  “Eats all the mana. You can speed up the process of recovery a few years by changing the topsoil, but the mana gets pulled from deep, so nothin’ will grow for at least five years.”

  “Wait, so you can add mana back?”

  “Yeah, but it ain’t sustainable. Mana-rich ingredients are just as expensive as the crop, or nearly so. Mana-rich soil, water, or anything else is not as useful or expensive, but by the time you transport it, you lose any profit.”

  I felt the gears in my head start spinning. When I first arrived at the estate, I tried to concentrate my mana and been unable to. Now he is talking about mana-rich water and soil. Was there something I was missing?

  “Wait, you mentioned mana-rich water?”

  “Aye, I saw it once. Some lord thought he would use ‘Training water’ to revitalize his land. Worked a bit, but he only had about half a gallon. If he had done it a hundred more times he mighta got it done.”

  “Do you know how it is made or where it comes from?”

  He shakes his head. “Nah, you would need to talk to a mage for that.”

  Despite his rough, quiet manner and stoic demeanor, if he were a knight or steward I would hire him on the spot. He is honest and straightforward, which is refreshing after trying to navigate noble politics. I take him back to the house, have dinner, and offer him a beer before he heads off.