“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are you need one.”

Jane Howard.

Operation Silversea had formally started. We had gathered the whole family. They all came across in various boats to our island. Our family stood on the steps to our Parthenon entrance as we watched them arrive and walk along the black eastern radial path through the white salterns before we welcomed them in our hall. For many of them, it was their first visit, and our hall was visually intimidating in more ways than one. The carved face that formed the entrance into our mountain was easily as large as the Lodestar Church within the town and would form the first impression of our house for any who visited. A monument to the power of our house as much as the magic that had carved it.

On our side to welcome them were my Father and Mother bracketed by Lady Acacia and Grandfather. I was on my father’s knee while Aleera stood at my Mother’s side. We were all in our formal purple togas with pearl jewellery adorning our ears and necks we were coordinated in making a statement of strength and power.

Grandpa Smit came first accompanied by Grandma who seemed amazed at the progress we had made in the short year we had hidden on our isle. Grandpa Smit had probably told her in advance having already visited us many times before, but it was one thing to hear about our progress and another to see it with your own eyes. Their home in the centre of the town was one of the largest but it was not as big as the palace we were building. They knew what we were hoping to achieve with this meeting and fully supported it.

Next came Uncle Aaron the Blacksmith, his wife Alana, and our cousins, Farhoni, Fabrianna and Fabrienne who were equally astounded by the patterned stonework beneath their feet. They lived outside of the old town’s walls on the eastern side. Although there were plans to extend the walls to encompass the relatively new buildings of our extended family, they had not been built yet and they lived just outside the Eastern Walls' southern exit. The sole blacksmith for the town he was training his children Farhoni, Fabrianna and Fabrienne to join him in the family business. While a sweeping generalisation it was true that most men favoured brawn over brain and the majority of women favoured brain over brawn, that was not the case for this family. All three of his children worked in the smithery to some extent and from the outside, it seemed that they had followed their father in investing in their strength judging by their size and musculature. They arrived wearing their finest clothes and metal jewellery showcasing their skill with metal.

After Uncle Aaron and his family came Uncle Karl the Carpenter, his wife Katrina and our cousins, Joyner, Sayer, and Tesi. Karl at least had some idea as to what we had been working on as we had ordered a fair few doors for our home. But he had never visited to see them installed. So while he had an idea about the number of rooms we might have due to the number of doors ordered everything else had been a mystery to him. They lived just outside the walls on the southern exit from Wester Town. Karl was a lumberjack as much as a carpenter. His family and workers continued to fell the trees south of the town opening more space for fields to be formed by the town’s few farmers. Each week they would fell another tree before turning it into usable planks or beams of wood for construction or in our case doors. While not quite as big as Aaron and his family they had also clearly focused on their physical attributes.

Next came Uncle Cephas the Stone mason his wife, Cela and our cousins, Alaina, Gemma, Ferris and Sela. Our magic had made our life a lot easier in carving our home out of the mountain, but I wondered how well skills could keep up with magic. The family were all stone workers to a certain extent. They had lived the closest to our old home and they were the reason why the new town wall had been built up at the northern end of town. Firstly, it was the closer side to the town’s quarry. Secondly, he had three daughters so had made making the new wall a priority for his side of the town first. Cephas and Ferris worked hard mining and cutting the stone for the wall while his daughters and wife would carve the more ornamental pieces and polish them when required. Each house of the stone paid for a stone to be added before paying for their second stone. They were also in charge of any gemstones found on the island and all of them wore a sapphire of some sort as they too approached in their best clothes.

Then Uncle Romeo the Roofer and his children, Rand, Rolf, and Raina. I was unsure about where or who his wife was but some things even an infant knew not to ask, directly at least. Judging by their clothing, despite working mainly with clay they were just as rich as the brothers who worked in metal, stone, and wood. It sounded like they spent most of their time making replacement tiles for the houses within the town and new tiles for any new houses going up outside the walls. When they weren’t busy doing that, they were dabbling in pottery and jewellery but that seemed to be a part-time addition to their main work. Still, they wore finely glazed bracelets made from coloured clay. The family lived nearly next door to Aaron at the middle exit on the eastern wall. The clay pits were to the east of the town before the land rose to become the cliffs that circled the island.

The next brother Barric the farmer lived nearly next door to Aaron at the southern exit on the eastern wall. The town's fields lay to the south and the east of the town before the land rose to become the cliffs that circled the island. His wife Georgiana and their six children followed, Ashby, Busby, Kelby, Rigby, Selby and Welby. Not being craftsmen of one kind or another they had less ornate clothing and accoutrements. But were never the less well off. If there was one human need that had to be supplied daily it was food and they supplied it.

The final uncle was the butcher brother although more of a huntsman Hunter and his wife Brielle entered next followed by their children Chase, Diane, Fianna, Huntley and Rigel. They too lived outside the walls at the northern exit on the eastern wall. They would hunt north or south depending on wherever the animals roamed as well as keeping back any of the more threatening creatures on the island from the farmer's fields whenever they showed their heads. They would also use their skills to butcher any goats, sheep or pigs they were brought but most owners would do it themselves for the experience and the skill gained rather than take it to them. Still, they would skin all their hunts before providing them to their sister our auntie who would tan them for them. Their ornaments consisted of bones, claws or fur but looked very fine on all of them.

Dushnah our Auntie was the oldest of our two Aunties and married to the town’s tanner Tim. Their house was just north of our old home and their workshop the northernmost building in the town was still close to the water. Their son Blayde followed after all wearing finely dyed leather clothing displaying their wares for all to see.

Last but not least was our youngest Auntie Sharina, who was married to our town’s glass blower, Glasson. It seemed like they only had access to slab glass for lead windows in general but were able to blow and spin bottles for the town. We had not ordered any windows for our home as I was waiting to one day improve the process with drawn or float glass but that would be a few years down the line when we were ready for it and I had more influence on the direction of not only my immediate family but those around us as well. They were accompanied by their daughter Cristal.

“Welcome everyone, to our humble home,” Kaius announced to his family. His brothers laughed at the audacity of his statement, while his sister’s raised an eyebrow. “We have a proposition.” The seven sons of Smit and his two daughters stood in a circle in our hall with their families. How had we got here? It had all started with a simple conversation

. . .

“You don’t collect taxes?” Lady Acacia seemed confused by this point.

“No, we don’t.” Grandpa Smit replied.

“A tithe?” she questioned.

“Nope.” He bluntly answered.

“Some other form of donation or time in lieu.” She asked puzzled.

She seemed to be having difficulty in understanding just how our town of Wester worked and illustrated that with her next question.

“Then how does this town work?” she asked. “How was the wall built? The docks?”

“We all chip in when and where it’s required. We needed a wall we built a wall. People bought the stone from our quarry and paid our mason to carve it into blocks for the wall that they then added to.”

“And this works?”

“More or less. It helps of course that the quarryman is one of Kaius’sbrothers, Cephas and his family are both the quarrymen and the stone masons.”

“How many sons do you have?”

“Just the seven.” Smit proudly boasted. “Plus the two daughters.”

Lady Acacia, tilted her head as if looking at something only she could see before she asked her final question. “And what pray tell are their professions?”

. . .

That conversation and the professions revealed had all led to today.

Lady Acacia opened the discussion by explaining our proposition. “The Silversea family cannot raise you to nobility but as part of their extended family, their clan if you will, you could be recognised as Adal, a half noble. Typically, it is a status awarded to the bastards of nobility or legally unrecognised descendants. It is a half-step status between that of a commoner and that of a noble. It would afford you no particular protection when interacting with the nobility, but it would allow you all a second name. A surname, not Silversea but a branch removed from it. Furthermore, many of the nobility’s servants rather than slaves are drawn from this middle class. This larger clan, seen as a loyal workforce, are entrusted with some of the secrets of the house.”

“That all sounds very nice, Lady Acacia.” Aaron held up a hand forestalling any interruptions, “But, Kaius . . . we can see what you get out of this . . . what’s the benefit to us.” He asked Kaius directly.

“First off, Lady Acacia has agreed to teach the children of any adult who pledges to our family. Judging by what Aleera has learned over the last month her knowledge is the map to smooth sailing through the progression of stronger stats and skills. Second, it isn’t as if we wouldn’t pay them a wage for their work and that alone is better than most apprenticeships right there where it is usually the other way round.”

“Yes but, . .”

“Third, as it has been explained to me. By pledging to Cal and Aleera on a Truthstone it sounds as if that alone will be beneficial to your stats much like a dedication or benediction at the Church of the Lodestar would be. What’s not to like?” Kaius shrugged off the objection.

“The hidden cost. If Farhoni is having lessons from this Lady, he is not learning his trade with me. He won’t be gaining his skills in the right things and if he is spending all his time learning his elocution and table manners he won’t be strengthening the stats he will need later when he takes over my trade. He has learnt more than enough numbers and letters to get the basic skills at the Luminary. He doesn’t need any more.” He argued against the idea.

“We are not saying that Farhoni has to give up blacksmithing, Aaron. Just giving him a second hammer to his trade for a few hours of his time each day.” Father offered.

“It’s a good bargain, Aaron.” Grandpa Smit stepped forward. “This was our family's forefather’s aim all those years ago. To build a house of our own and we are finally nearly there. We are stronger together. Yes, they are young, but they are our family and they have done far better than you could know in their short time with us. I am willing to put my foot first in this and set the example I hope you will all follow, my sons and daughters.”

He kneeled in front of Aleera and me. Father and Mother stepped out of the way, leaving us alone in front of our kneeling Grandpa. He placed his hand over the truth stone Lady Acacia had provided us with which we held in our palms between us.

“I, Smit of Wester Isle, the Westernmost Island of the Western Kingdom of Ponente, swear by the guiding light of the Lodestar and growing horizon of the Compass Kingdoms that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Scions of the noble house Silversea, Callen Kai Silversea and Aleera Silversea. May my strongest stats strengthen yours.” He paused between the oath and the pledge, “I will give my loyalty to the Silversea Clan and respect their requests above my own. I will uphold the Silversea values of progress and freedom. I will observe their laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a citizen of the Wester Isles Barony.”

The sons were left shocked still by his pronouncement. And into the silence, we spoke in unison to accept the pledge.

“Arise Smit Silvertongue, Adal of House Silversea. We promise to protect and guide your progress, may you serve us well as Seneschal of our house and part of our growing clan. Your strength is ours and ours yours, may we find balance through our union, in the light of the Lodestar and the growing horizon of the Compass Kingdoms.”

Aleera may have said the words loudly as she uttered them clearly into the hall for all to hear. But I said them too and as I did, I felt both an inflowing and outgoing of energy as if the words bound more than merely our intentions.

Indeed, looking inwards at my stats I noticed the most interesting thing. It appeared that I currently had a (-1) next to my vitality but I also now had a (+5) next to my mind. Our oath and pledge had changed us in more ways than one. While Smit had taken from my strongest stat he had also returned what he had taken fivefold in a different stat, his strongest stat, mind.

In the silence that followed Grandfather too knelt in front of us, stating “I, Arawn of Wester Isle, the Westernmost Island of the Western Kingdom of Ponente, swear by the guiding light of the Lodestar and the growing horizon of the Compass Continent that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Scions of the noble Silversea family, Callen Kai Silversea and Aleera Silversea. May my strongest stats strengthen yours.” He paused between the oath and the pledge, “I will give my loyalty to the Silversea Clan and respect their requests above my own. I will uphold the Silversea values of progress and freedom. I will observe their laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a citizen of the Wester Isles Barony.”

“Arise Arawn Silversword, Adal of House Silversea. We promise to protect and guide your progress, may you serve us well as Guardian of our house and part of our growing clan. Your strength is ours and ours yours, may we find balance through our union, in the light of the Lodestar and the growing horizon of the Compass Kingdoms.”

Just as with the first oath, I felt a tug at my body, mind and soul before I then felt an influx of . . . I checked within I was down 1 more for my vitality but I was up 5 for my Dexterity.

What was the most shocking was not that the stats had repeated their rise and fall but that I had finally learned my Grandfather’s name. The exchange had also confirmed that Dexterity was his strongest stat despite his superlative strength and endurance.

It was into this stunned silence that Grandma stepped forward. “I believe in you young lady don’t let me down.” Before she too recited the oath of allegiance to our house and pledge of loyalty. While we too offered protection, progress and freedom. Losing a little part of ourselves but gaining so much more. Losing -1 Vitality then gaining + 5 in Vitality I’d always wondered if that was why she looked so good despite being so old.

On arising from the floor, she turned to her children and said. “Boys.” To which they each lined up to step forward.

From Aaron, I gained 5 strength from his wife Alana 5 vitality. They rose Aaron and Alana Silverkin Adal of House Silversea.

From Karl, I gained 5 strength from his wife 5 vitality. They rose Carl Silverwood Adal of House Silversea.

From Cephas, I gained 5 strength from his wife 5 endurance. They rose Cephas Silverstone Adal of House Silversea.

From Barric I gained 5 endurance from his wife 5 endurance. They rose Barric Silverseed Adal of House Silversea.

From Romeo, I gained 5 endurance from his wife 5 endurance. They rose Romeo Silversoil Adal of House Silversea.

From Hunter, I gained 5 endurance from his wife 5 dexterity. They rose Hunter Silverstag Adal of House Silversea.

From Auntie Dushnah, I gained 5 dexterity and her husband 5 endurance. They rose Dushnah Silverskin Adal of House Silversea.

From Auntie Sharina, I gained 5 dexterity and her husband 5 senses. They rose Sharina Silverglass Adal of House Silversea.

Bar the moment of my birth when my Mother had used my stats to save my life I had never received such a significant number of stats in such a short time. Yet neither had I ever lost any before either. The ebbs and surges on my soul and stats had felt beyond uncomfortable. Both Aleera and I were left nearly unable to stand and afraid to move under the power of our new attributes.

I had lost 19 points of vitality but in exchange, I had received 15 vitality 15 strength 35 endurance 20 dexterity 5 senses and 5 mind.

After contemplating my inner world, I now stood at

Level: 12

Title: Lord

Name: Callen Kai Silversea

Experience: 397,000/ 819,200

Age: 2 years 5 months, 1 week, 1 day, 10 hours, 1 minute

Health: 1420/1420 Stamina: 1083/1083 Mana: 1390/1390 Psi: 1390/1390

Trait: Long-Lived, Fast Learner, Super Senses, Source of Mana, Quick Witted

Attribute: Celerity, Durability,

Vitality: 142 -4

Endurance: 114 +35

Strength: 69 +15

Dexterity: 128 +20

Senses: 143 +5

Mind: 144 +5

Clarity: 119 +1

Magic: 139 +1

Charisma: 59 +19

Luck: 6 +1

I had come closer to balancing my stats, balancing my mind, body and soul in a single day than I had in an entire year.

I had also heard the infamous.

Ding! Endurance reached 100 before the age of 5 you have been awarded the attribute . . .

Durability

Then our cousins lined up.

. . .