Devaguea just shrugged. "Just a suggestion about the advisor. The dozen advisors are simply because we have expanded to the point that other countries are starting to send ambassadors. In fact, I had an ambassador from Mivon come north the same week your letter arrived. Telling us to be careful to not claim their land, else they would be very regretful, but their armies would be happy to show me exactly where my territory ended.<br/><br/>But one more advisor, especially one that is in charge of suggesting long term planning, can only help. It took me nearly sixteen months before I realized that Brevoy is hurting for good stone and lumber. Sadly, we already are shipping what little extra lumber we produce for them, but there are tons of stone heading north every month, and they are desperate for more.<br/><br/>And the difference is that yours isn't here because of... a..."<br/><br/>He paused as he remembered something she had mentioned all the way back when they had first met, and he had never really followed up on. After a moment, he shook his head. "Sorry, distracted myself. As I was saying, your paladin isn't here because of some holy order. Mine apparently is, and also thinks that any time off is an affront to her gods, ancestors, and kyn. She thinks guarding me is her only duty, and I am ready to start setting my desk on fire after the third hour at it. I had to order her to train up some more guards so that she has some kind of help, and I suspect she will put that off until I force her to produce the recruits. i just want to know how she thinks, so if she gets enspelled, we have a chance of catching it before she does something that causes her goddess to repudiate her."