The old man nod his head approvingly as Tehr spoke in defense of his house. There seemed to be a smirk playing on his lips after a moment as he let out a short chuckle, nodding his head calmly. "You have pride in your heritage, and while you recognise history for what it is you are standing on your own merits. Most promising, I have to admit it has been a while. A lot of people these days are either grovelling boot-lickers or arrogant asses who selectively forget their past and so damn themselves to repeating mistakes, and others have pride in excess to ability." He cast a brief, pained look at the younger man still gambling at the table at this before returning his attention to Tehr.<br/><br/>"Now, you are humble enough to learn, and yet proud enough to not grovel at anyone for scraps. Very good. I think I could teach you a fair bit, but it might backfire if you were to stand against our house one day. So perhaps we can establish a more peaceful, brotherly relation between our houses before I delve too far into these lessons." He flashed a faint smile, but then looked more serious. "Nonetheless, you have already taken a few steps. Working with the House Saari you took a rook from the House Dale. You stole a solid line of support from them, leaving them open. The strike against you by assassin? You removed a pawn, but it also weakened them showing to those in the know they are hardly as capable as they would like to think. The emergence of the halfling miss in the ball? You have thrown a knight into play that leaves the House Dale confused and uncertain what to think. Lastly, the relation with the Queen has a suitably named piece poised to crush their king if they don't play a defensive game for now. I would say you are a pawn still, but you have advanced far and are due to being promoted for reaching the end of the board." He leaned a bit over.<br/><br/>"So my question is, what will you become? A rook that fortifies his position of power? A knight that strikes chaos in the enemies of the kingdom? A bishop that moves swiftly but bound by the limits of where and how one can act? Or perhaps you become as if a Queen, able to reach far and becoming a powerful piece worth fearing and respecting by all the others?" He chuckled slightly. "I would say that the House Dale has a lot to worry about, and the uncertainty of how you are going to act will bother them. As for me, I would rather see peaceful times, old ways, and prosperous trade rather than these foreign bastards, attempts to convert people by the sword, and the threat of civil war."