Verdan’s smile turned strained as he felt the mood of the Kranjir behind the Thane turn ugly. This wasn’t a good situation, and while Verdan was confident he could protect them if it came to it, that was hardly the issue.

The Thane was the Clan's leader, the region's highest authority and precisely the person for Verdan to avoid.

“They are guests of my Father, Thane,” Ciaran’s voice cut through the thickening tension, dissipating the air of violence that had been building.

“I see. Are they your guests as well?” The Thane turned to Ciaran with an impassive expression, but Verdan could almost feel the subtext that came with the question.

“I stood beside all three of them against a Gormagyr on the journey here,” Ciaran said, projecting his voice without shouting so it reached the growing number of onlookers who were watching the confrontation. “I am proud to call them my guests, as well as my comrades in arms.”

“Then who am I to question their presence,” the Thane said with a forced smile, his blue eyes cold and hard as they bored into Verdan. “I am sure your father has his reasons to bring outsiders into our territory and feed them from his table at such a time as this.”

“As you say, Thane. I’m sure he has his reasons,” Ciaran said, his chin lifting a little as the Thane turned his gaze to him.

Nothing was said for several seconds before the Thane gave a sharp nod and turned on his heel, the rest of his entourage following behind him.

“Thank you for that, Ciaran,” Verdan said softly as the three of them followed the Chosen inside.

“I meant what I said. You fought beside us when it would have been easy to stand aside.” Ciaran shut the door and let out a heavy sigh before smiling sadly. “I wish things were different, but we are committed to this path now.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Kai asked, his eyes narrowing as Ciaran grimaced.

“I’ll let my father explain,” Ciaran said before gesturing for them to follow him. When Kai and Verdan both glanced at the weapons they were holding, the Chosen made a throwaway gesture. “Please feel free to keep your weapons. It is traditional to be armed wherever you go within our culture.”

Verdan shared a surprised look with Kai before following the Chosen. It was an interesting tradition, but Verdan definitely felt a lot more comfortable with his staff close by, so it worked for him.

From the look on Kai’s face, he seemed to feel the same about his spear.

The interior of the building was reasonably similar to those that Verdan had seen around Hobson’s Point, though there was still more wood on show than he’d seen back there.

Sadly, they didn’t get to see much of everything, as Ciaran led them straight to his father’s study.

Sebastian’s office was a decent size but was dominated by an entire wall of bookshelves, all of which were filled to the brim. The Keeper was sitting at a large and well-made wooden desk, reading through a bundle of reports when they walked in.

The mere fact that Sebastian had written reports to come back to, never mind how many there were, counted as another point against the strange view those in the South had of the Kranjir.

Part of Verdan wanted to see what Kai felt on the matter, but now wasn’t the time, and the Sorcerer was hard to read, even under normal circumstances.

“Ah, you’re here,” Sebastian said, putting what he was reading aside and looking up with a smile that quickly faded. “Has something happened?”

“The Thane was about to accost the Wizard and his companions outside our doors,” Ciaran said firmly, folding his arms as Sebastian sat back in his chair with a grimace.

“Ciaran…” Sebastian started to say something before trailing off and shaking his head. The Keeper pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before turning to face Verdan and addressing him in an official tone. “My sincere apologies, Wizard Blacke. I had no idea that such an….unfortunate meeting might happen.”

“No harm was done, consider it settled,” Verdan said with a nod. “It does bring certain questions to the forefront, though.”

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"Yes, I can imagine that it does,” Sebastian said before gesturing to a pair of chairs off to one side. “Dinner will be served shortly. Take a seat, and let us discuss a few things.”

Verdan was caught slightly off guard by the change in approach, having expected Sebastian to try to put him off or delay answering anything.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Verdan pulled a chair over and sat down while Kai posted up against the wall to watch and listen, and Barb lingered in the background.

“So,” Sebastian said once Verdan had sat down. “Where would you like to begin.”

“The general opinion that I got from Hobson’s Point was that your caravans purchase a lot of metals as your settlements are less developed. Unless Glarn is the outlier, that’s clearly not the case, so why buy so much?”

“An odd place to start,” Sebastian remarked with a touch of surprise. “Viewing the Clans as more barbaric started with some of the less open Sects, and we’ve done little to try to counteract it, which I would ask you respect when you return.”

“Why not correct them?”

“Viewing us as some barbaric civilisation in the far north reduces our worth and keeps us safe from the wandering eyes of Sects. A benefit that I’m sure you can appreciate given past events.”

“True,” Verdan said with a nod, thinking back to the issues with the Weeping Death Sect. “Is the metal shortage fabricated then?”

“Oh no, we do struggle with acquiring enough metal; that much is real. The issue stems from the Druinn.”

“Is it really that extensive?” Kai asked in an interested tone.

“You saw the edge of it with the Gormagyr,” Ciaran said, Kai, nodding his understanding a moment later.

“Exactly,” Sebastian said, bringing their attention back around to him. “Any mine we dig has the risk of running into existing sections of it, and it happens often enough that we have to be exceedingly careful with the few we operate.”

“As an outsider, do you mind explaining more?” Verdan asked, feeling a little lost. “What is this Druinn?”

“The Druinn is the name we have for the vast network of interconnected underground caverns and passages that sit below us. We believe it extends to the South, but if so, it is far less prevalent once you pass the Grey Peaks.”

“I see, and what would happen if you dug a new mine and it connected to the Druinn?”

“Almost anything, that’s the problem,” Sebastian said with a sigh, spreading his hands palms up. “The question of how to deal with the Druinn has been one that has plagued my people for as long as we can remember. Its dark depths act as a shelter to all manner of foul creatures, and a mine shaft gives them easy access to one of our settlements.”

“I see,” Verdan nodded, thinking of the cavern the Gormagyr had been living in and how the creature had fled deeper into it to avoid them. “How did all of this come around? Is it a natural formation?”

Sebastian frowned, a brief shadow flashing over his face. “As far as I know, it is natural, but our recorded history becomes fragmented past the last Rising. The journals of previous Keepers speak of large numbers of creatures coming from the Druinn.”

“Interesting, perhaps we will find out one day,” Verdan said, wracking his mind for any mention of such an extensive underground series of caverns.

Verdan’s home was near the area that was now Hobson’s Point, so he would have thought he’d have heard of anything like this. Could it have been formed in the years he was stuck in stasis?

“I’m sure you wanted to talk about more than the history of my people and the origins of the Druinn,” Sebastian said after a few moments, quirking a brow in Verdan’s direction.

“Of course.” Verdan took a moment to gather his thoughts before going back to the questions he’d had earlier. “I suppose the first one would be why the Darjee are a problem. This city must be able to support enough able-bodied fighters to deal with them?”

“Yes and no,” the Keeper said, leaning back in his chair. “The reason we needed your services was exactly for this reason. As Keeper, I have no control over the forces of the Clan or the city.”

“And I have only a small force of Thearns to call on,” Ciaran said with a growing frown.

“I see, but why is this falling to you?” Verdan asked, looking between the two of them. “Surely there is someone with the authority to raise a force to deal with the war party you told me about?”

“There is…” Sebastian paused, seemingly searching for the right words. “…a political situation that has left matters in a bad spot for those in the way of the Darjee.”

Verdan couldn’t quite hold back the frown that slipped onto his face at Sebastian’s words, but he saw it mirrored in the Keeper’s expression.

“I see you share the same distaste for it that I do,” Sebastian said with a sad smile.

“So, what resources do you have to bear on this?” Verdan asked with a sinking feeling in his gut.

“I can bring fifty Thearns as my personal force,” Ciaran said uncomfortably. “The local Holders of the larger settlements will have their shieldguards, but they are more of a defensive force.”

“I see,” Verdan shared a look with Kai before turning back to Sebastian. “I notice you’ve not mentioned other Chosen joining you with their own groups.”

“More politics,” Sebastian said with a sigh. “Some will help us unofficially, whereas others don’t realise the scale of the problem. There is more to all of this than I’m explaining, but those are the bare basics.”

“So, why not make sure that word of how poorly this is going reaches the ears of those other Chosen?”

“Because if he does, it will begin a schism within the Clan,” Ciaran said angrily, his hand subconsciously clutching the haft of his weapon. “I believe we would win, but it would cause far more death than it prevented.”

“A last resort, one that I will fall back on if all else fails,” Sebastian said wearily before chuckling mirthlessly. “Do you see now why I warned you not to come?”

“Why tell us all this? Why be so open with a pair of outsiders?” Kai asked with a touch of suspicion.

“Because I see the desire to help in both of you,” Sebastian said simply. “I was loathe to involve you at first, as it would have complicated your search for knowledge. With the Thane now being aware of your presence, though, it’s too late for that. So, will you aid us?”