“In other news, we will soon be starting our experiments with cattle domestication as our meat stores are diminishing quickly. From what the moles have shared, their children have been born at a variety of Grades, seemingly at random. While the parents are unable to determine the exact Grade, they believe the low end matches the one they started with, and the high end matches their current Grade. Judging by the level of sentience observed, Path and Gate are not passed along,” the woman representing the farmers shared. Noah raised his eyebrows but was unable to ask the question that came to mind.
“And what of the Copper Caste requirement for this plain? Wouldn’t the children need to be born at a lower realm?” another asked. The woman nodded, clearly having expected this line of questioning.
“Our current hypothesis is that the System provides some kind of protection for children born in the higher realms. We also believe that should a child enter a lower realm, they may lose their ability to reenter. So far, the moles have not been willing to test this theory.” She paused for further questions but continued when none were raised.
“There have been some ethical concerns about using the offspring of sentient creatures for cattle, but the ideologies among our beast allies are different than our own. While the mole people are not interested in this idea, the bulls have expressed openness to the possibility. Their only stipulation was that any beast that managed to reach Iron would be immediately released back into their care. From their perspective, a beast below Iron is a base animal with no real relation to them.” she explained. Noah sat back, unsure of what to think. His initial response was repulsion, but he didn’t truly understand the bulls’ position or experience. Judging by the others’ responses, they had already spoken about this potential, and he determined to let them make the decision. Julie stepped forward to speak next.
“The Harvest celebration will take place a week from tomorrow, and preparations are well underway for the feast and festivities. There will be games, decorations, food, drink, and dance. The orcs and the elves have both agreed to provide musical entertainment and to teach traditional dances to any who wish to participate. We have also invited leaders from the bulls and the moles to join us. Each faction, us included, will post a rotating sentry along the perimeter of the town to prevent ambush.I want to see a big turnout, so I expect each of you to communicate the details to your people and to encourage their attendance.” She finished. Noah frowned, both at the idea of having a celebration under their current circumstances as well as Julie's perception of her level of authority in his kingdom. He looked to Ne’Ja and found that she was already looking at him, but to his surprise, she shook her head as if to tell him it wasn't the right moment. he nodded in understanding and decided to let it drop for now. After each of the leaders had agreed to invite the people they represented to the festivities, Julie sat down and Ne’Ja stood to share her bit.
“As we discussed in prior weeks, stat imbalances are a pressing concern for many of our citizens. we also need to ensure that the right people are doing the right jobs. more than ever we have become aware of the downfalls of those in leadership possessing too great of an imbalance, particularly deficiencies in wisdom.While the impacts of physical stat deficiencies are less observable at this point, we have every reason to believe that they are just as impactful. while we work on long-term Solutions to combat this issue, we have decided that important decisions need to be weighed in on by people possessing stats in both extremes. many of the orcs have physical stat imbalances, while the opposite is true of Many Of The Elves and humans. there are some notable exceptions, but if any of you are looking for an appropriate counterpart these distinctions will serve as helpful guides for you and your people. we don't want to cause unrest by telling people that their judgment has been compromised, but we believe that the risk is high enough that they need to know. does anyone have any new information to add regarding this topic?” Ne’Ja asked. Noah stood.
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“Earlier, I mentioned some of the benefits of reaching level 300. one of those benefits is the opportunity to choose a secondary stat. similar to our choice of primary stats, this allows one to select a stat that will be raised with each level. I was given three choices, two areas of deficiency and the option to choose one of my primary stats. the fact that this exists, leads me to believe that there may be other ways to temper the imbalance in the future. while balanced distribution may have short-term benefits, I would also like to bring up the point that we are working with limited information and may have access to very real solutions in the future.” Noah added.
There was some stirring at the new information, and he could see the hope that came to many of their eyes. The prospect of losing yourself further and further with each level was terrifying, and he knew that more than one had ceased leveling once they noticed the changes. Noah couldn’t believe that there was no way to fix the imbalances, otherwise, the world would be filled with stat-crazed lunatics with no sense of reality. The System clearly had a way to govern the issue, and they were simply yet to discover it.
The meeting continued on for some time, covering a host of topics, including the flourishing vegetable farms and subsequent consideration of vegetarianism and its moral superiority. Noah had never been quite so happy to be among Orcs as when he heard their loud and decisive rebuttals to that particular point. Additionally, the Crafters had been successful in completing the water and sewer systems connecting to each house. They used a similar system to the one that the humans had used in the town below, involving complex filtration enchantments that went beyond Noah's understanding. What this meant for him was that the bathhouse would be empty for his enjoyment, and if he needed a quick shower or drink of water, he could catch it at home.
Well over an hour later, the meeting finally ended, and the leaders dispersed to join in with the dancing and mingling or to refill their cups with the pleasant jon’go. Several people stayed behind to make introductions though, the first of which was the largest of the orcs.
“Hello, High-Chief No’Ah. I am Ke’Tal, the chief of my tribe. It is an honor to meet you. Your Dan’Kar speaks very highly of you, not to mention the other warriors and the rankings themself,” Ke’Tal said, while exchanging a firm forearm grasp with Noah.
“The honor is mine, Ke’Tal. Thank you for coming, I imagine it was not an easy decision to trust a foreigner with your people’s lives,” Noah said. The orc nodded.
“From what I hear, you are hardly a foreigner to us. If anything, you have become a stranger to your own people and have embraced our ways instead. I knew Ro’Kar from before as well, I faced him in skirmishes and knew his honor. If he acknowledged you, then that is enough for me. Not to mention that you have made his legend known to all peoples by naming your kingdom after him. I am not sure if you understand how significant that choice was to our people, but no orc will take arms against you in this new world. Your people are my people and my people are yours. Feel free to call on me at any time,” Ke’Tal finished. Noah grasped his arm again and thanked him for his words before moving to the next new face.
The woman representing the farmers was named Katie Shaw, and both she and her husband had chosen to become non-combatants and eventually farmers. She was well liked amongst her peers and had been asked by Julie personally to travel up the mountain. Noah's first impression was that she was a hard-working and respectable person, and it made him feel more secure knowing that people like her would be taking care of his people's needs. Then, he met the elf in charge of the crafters. He was a thin fellow with a wild look in his eyes, and Noah couldn't help but wonder how imbalanced his stats were. Nevertheless, they had a pleasant exchange, and the elf assured him that his people would be on top of Noah's new ideas the following day. The rest of the introductions went quickly, but Noah felt his social energy start to flag. Before any further conversation could start, he found his way to the bar and had his cup filled before moving closer to the dance floor. The orcs were chanting loudly, and elves and orcs alike danced merrily in the center floor. Noah took a long swig of his jon’go and stepped through the crowd. He hadn’t danced since his time with the elves, but at the moment, it felt like exactly what he needed.
