Zavros Tellson sighed as he saw the caravan slowly winding its way towards the family farm. It should have been a sigh of contentment. The harvest had been phenomenally good - even enough extra for the Tellsons to live off of until the next planting season. All of their neighbors had pitched in to ensure that the tribute would be sufficient enough to tame even the deep hunger of the Guild and their masters with the courts of the Good Kings. Even his own efforts were bearing fruit as well!<br/><br/>The tall, broadly muscled youth leaned against one of the carts as they waited for the leg breakers to arrive. Fair brown hair rustled from the breeze flowing through the lands, and fair sunlight warmed the toughened skin that the smith's coveralls didn't obscure. There was no mistaking him, even from a distance - Zavros was a tall, broad young man. Even from a distance, the Guild merchants no doubt could see the muscular giant leaning casually along the tribute.<br/><br/>But almost everyone knew about Zavros anyway. Who could mistake the gentle giant for anyone else?<br/><br/>On his side was a simple smith's hammer. There were no details or inscriptions on it yet, but that was by purpose. It was a gift from his master, the local smith who had recognized the talent that the young man would not have come across himself. When he'd finally gained some renown of his own, when he'd fully graduated to a journeyman, perhaps he would then start to make his own marks - literally - on the hammer. But it was a gift, from master to apprentice. To mark it now would be disrespectful. And Zavros was anything but disrespectful.<br/><br/>What would be of more interest was the gleaming dagger that sat atop the pile. The community had all contributed to the pile, and his master was no different. Together, master and student had crafted a simple, yet beautiful dagger. Of keen edge, it was of good quality steel. The pommel was a small spherical sapphire, and the hilt was covered by soft, smooth leather.<br/><br/>Zavros had faith that this would be the last of it. But as his master always said, it was always better to have a little extra in case 'enough wasn't enough' anymore.<br/><br/>Oh how ironic that would turn out to be...