It didn’t take Chris long to reach Arnveld, since he was learning his way around and didn’t have to reference his map as much. By the time he reached home, the sun was setting, and he gladly settled in to his new abode for the night. Thankful that he didn’t have to furnish the house, due to the completion of the quest, he looked around the manor. It was a classic “H” shaped building with two short staircases on either side of a columned porch and entry way. The front door opened into a hallway with a staircase leading up the right wall and onto an upper balcony and one could walk through into the billiard room. A door under the staircase to the right led to the library and adjoining drawing room. A door to the left led into the study and adjoining dining room, which had a separate exit leading to the detached kitchens.

Heading upstairs, Chris took in the four bedrooms, each of which had their own dressing room and bath. He was relieved to find that the game designers had deigned to include indoor plumbing. The bedrooms were furnished, but not extravagantly. The whole house, while large, seemed suited to a country squire which Chris didn’t mind at all. He picked one of the bedrooms, depositing items he no longer needed to carry around with him, before heading back down the stairs into the entryway and further down a flight of stairs into the basement.

Now that there were no rats attacking at every corner, Chris took his time examining the large space beneath the house. There were furnished servant’s quarters, a larder, a communal servant’s hall, a couple cellars, and a smaller staircase leading further underground to a moderately sized wine cellar. The basement was not completely underground and small windows just above head height let in light from the outside. Chris observed that the damage from the rats had been repaired and cleaned and was glad he would not have to take care of what most likely would be an enormous undertaking.

Chris headed back upstairs to the study where a large book lay open on the desk. Looking at it, he noticed that it was a physical copy of the house ledger which he’d been presented with upon clearing the quest. A digital overlay appeared as he looked through the ledger more closely than he had before. He turned past the page listing the barony’s basic information and stopped on the page listing all the buildings on the property. The main house was listed, as well as the kitchens, but below that were listings for several tenant farms, barns, and other storage buildings. He selected the first tenant farm, closest to the manor, and read through its details.

Tenant Farm 01

A small, two-bedroom farmhouse and several outbuildings.

Residents: 0

Size: 20 Acres

Land: Fertile

Crop: None

Open For Tenancy? Yes/No

Chris thought for a moment before making the selection to open the farm for tenancy. A pop-up asked him to confirm that he wished to open the property and he did so. The next pop-up informed him that he would be responsible for setting a contract with any tenant interested in farming the property and that he should hear form applicants in short order.

Leafing through the book, he came to the staff page for the manor itself. He was amazed at the number of people it would take to run a full household the size of Arnveld. There was an entry for a butler, housekeeper, cook, lady’s maids and valets, footmen, maids, groundskeepers, game keepers, stable keepers and stable boys, as well as a gatekeeper. All told, a full staff for Arnveld would consist of almost 25 people!

Thankfully, he believed he could do without a lot of those positions since he would be living by himself. He selected the positions of butler, housekeeper, and cook and made them open to applications. Again, the notification appeared alerting him that he should hear form applicants shortly.

After a bit more perusal of the house ledger, Chris closed the book and headed into the library. The sun was setting, and he quickly lit a couple of the lamps before browsing through the titles available on the shelves. Finding one labeled “Cantrips, A Complete Study on the Basic Magical Arts”, he grabbed it and one of the lamps before heading upstairs to the bedroom he had claimed as his own. He read through the first section of the book, which focused on the “Ignite” cantrip and was as dry as cracker juice, before finally blowing out the lamp and falling into a pleasant slumber.

Cantrip Learned: Ignite

You have learned the basic cantrip enabling you to light lamps, torches, and small fires without the use of flint and steel.

Not long after he had awoken and breakfasted, there was a knock on the door.Chris opened it to find a man holding a paper notice with the information about the open tenant farm and he could see several more people coming up the road leading to the manor. Quickly, he ushered the man in and, with his assistance, pulled a few extra chairs from the surrounding room into the entryway. That done, he invited the others in as they came up the walk and began what turned out to be an entire day of interviews.

The first man turned out to be the first tenant farmer he hired on. George Abernathy was a tall, swarthy human who had obviously seen his fair share of outdoor labor. From the moment he had helped him set out the extra chairs, Chris knew he liked the man, and further conversation and easygoing company convinced him that this man would be the perfect fit. After negotiating the man’s contract - which amounted to little more than planting and caring for the arthest plants Chris was interested in cultivating and a small portion of whatever other crop the man chose to grow to help fill the manor’s larder - Abernathy said that he, his wife, and young daughter would move in the following day. Shaking the man’s hand as he left, Chris motioned the next candidate into his study.

Hours passed as he conducted interviews. Some prospects were hopeful, but many of the butler and housekeeper candidates left when informed that he would not be hiring a staff of footmen and maids with just himself in the house. The cook, on the other hand, was quite easy to find. A larger Dwarven woman bustled her way into his office and without a word placed a large dish on his desk. Lifting the lid, Chris could almost feel his eyes glaze over as the scents of roast chicken and delicious vegetable filled the room. He came to when she handed him a fork and knife and laid a napkin in his lap.

He tucked into the meal with gusto, quickly finishing up a large portion of the dish but not being able to eat it all. The Dwarven woman, who he could only assume was the cook, stood quietly by, observing him eat. As he wiped his face with the napkin, he turned to the woman, holding out his hand.

“If fifteen gold pieces would be an acceptable salary, I believe I’ve found my cook.”

She nodded her head, taking his hand in her own and turning away.

“Do you mind if I ask your name?”

Turning back to face him, she walked to the desk and motioned for a sheet of paper and something to write with. In neat handwriting she spelled out “Eara Amberhand.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Eara. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I assume you are a mute?”

She nodded her assent, looking slightly abashed.

“As long as you can communicate with the other staff and can continue cooking meals like that,” he motioned to the mostly empty dish on the desk, “you are more than welcome in my home! Feel free to head downstairs and pick a room for your own, or head out to the kitchens and see if everything is satisfactory there.”

With that, Eara left him and he called in the next interviewee.

The hours passed slowly, but the number of applicants decreased and soon he was down to the last couple. To his surprise, he had found tenants for two other farms which he had immediately opened up, and the only positions left were for the butler and housekeeper. Chris’ hopes of finding two people willing to work below their “station” were falling as each applicant turned their nose up at the idea of doing menial work more suited to footmen or maids.

He sighed as he stepped into the entryway and called in the last two applicants, a husband and wife whom he could not, at first glance, tell if they were human or dwarf. The pair followed him into the study, taking seats across the desk from him.

“M’Lord,” the man spoke up, “we are the Angreds. My name is Tobias and my wife’s is Agatha. We were interested in more information about the butler and housekeeper positions here at Arnveld Manor.”

“Both positions are still open,” their eyes opened wider and Agatha sat forward a bit in her chair, “but you had best let me explain the caveat before you jump to accept.” Chris continued, “I currently do not have the funds to employ a full house staff. I am the only occupant, other than the cook I hired earlier today, and therefore have little need for valets, maids, or footmen. As such, your duties will consist of more than is usually expected of your positions. Will that be a problem?”

“No sir, not at all! Both of us would be glad of the work!”

“Excellent!” Chris exclaimed, “I’m willing to offer you a combined salary of forty-five gold pieces per year, as well as room and board.”

“That is more than acceptable m’lord,” Agatha spoke before her husband. “When can we start?”

“You’re more than welcome to head downstairs and look at your new quarters, if you wish. Take whatever time you need to move your things in and let me know when you’re ready to begin work. Before you go, and if the question is not too insensitive, might I inquire as to your heritage?”

Both husband and wife looked slightly abashed, but Tobias finally spoke up. “We’re half-dwarves, m’lord. Not quite accepted by human or dwarven-kind alike. That’s one reason we were more than happy...”

Chris cut the man off with a wave of his hand, “I’m not worried about that at all, Tobias. Such prejudices bring nothing but shame to those who hold them. I’m sure you and Agatha will be fine workers and an excellent addition to this household. I merely asked to satisfy my curiosity, nothing more.”

In several moments, their contract was signed and sealed and they both took their leave to explore their new domain. Chris settled back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head and yawned. It had been a long day, and he felt every minute of it. He took a bit of time and replaced the chairs to their rightful rooms before heading upstairs and falling into bed once more.