Crassus chuckled lightly at Penny and Lynn’s admission of inexperience in ruling roles.<strong>”I dare go out on a limb and suspect that none of you have governing experience; that is why I am here.  Your father had a knack when it came to logistics and managed to give this place a sturdy foundation to build upon before he passed.  Renrir is stable and self-sufficient in all of its basic needs, the only issue we have at the moment is that there is no ruling body until any or all of you fill the role.  You see, my authority is limited to oversight and advisor, but only those of house Talonius are able to enact laws, trade agreements, and other such policies.  I will provide whatever guidance I can to help you make informed decisions on all matters regarding this village.  And yes,”</strong>he said looking to Penny reassuringly,<strong>”all who wish to take on this legacy will form a council where each will have equal voice and equal vote, regardless of being Talonius by birth or adoption.  Gaius was adamant on that particular point, likely as a result of his time in the capital seeing how many noble families fought internally for power.  As of now, there are no divisions of authority set in place; if that is something you wish to do, then it is solely in your power to create such positions.”</strong><br/><br/>Largo spoke once there was a lull in the conversation.<strong>”While I can see the ease with compartmentalizing authority over specializations, I feel there is risk in doing so. Being in a position of governance isn’t meant to be easy.  Taking on that mantle means you are taking on the responsibility of not only the land and laws, but the people as well.  Those of us who wish to accept this inheritance should do so as a collective where there is complete transparency and equality, just as father seems to have envisioned.  We are a family after all; so we should learn to work together sooner rather than later.”</strong><br/><br/>The elder man drew in a slow breath with the shift in conversation towards their father’s demise.<strong>”As his progeny, it is only fitting that you know the truth.  As you surely know, your father led the United Viemeran Army to the Great Gateway.  The heart of the abyssal presence on our realm at the time; a place where its profane demonic presence was enough to shape twist the land itself.  This affliction was best known by the Blight and it took many forms.  It was only after his death that it was discovered that one such manifestation that had either been dormant or subtle for all these years.  An ailment that rapidly attacked his heart and ultimately claimed his life over the course of a few hours. Upon discovering this, our resident healer checked everybody else in this village, myself included, for signs of this affliction know that she knew what to look for, but nobody else shown the affliction.  Now only you, the village healer, and myself know of this; everybody else was led to believe that his heart gave out through natural causes…”</strong>Crassus turned his head, biting his lip in an effort to stifle his frustration or some similar emotion.<strong>”After all that he had accomplished, I couldn’t bring myself to let it be known that those monsters had been the ones to take his life even after all these years since his victory.”</strong><br/><br/>With another breath, Crassus took a moment to compose himself before addressing Tragon’s question.<strong>”Your father was laid to rest in the family catacomb, which is approximately a day and a half of travelling through the thick wilderness.  I will see to it that Ehren will take you there once you all have had some time to get settled in Renrir should you intend to stay.”</strong><br/><br/>Crassus paused for a moment before speaking once more, this time his voice quieter than before but still easily enough for the heirs to hear.<strong>”There is one more secret that has been kept from the masses.  Your father did not choose this location by happenstance; it was a place he encountered in the campaign to the south where his scouts spotted the signs of a collapsed dwarven mine.  It had since become a pastime obsession of his to find out as much as he could about it given what little information he had.  After years of hunting, Gaius had managed to piece together enough information from the ruins of civilization to confidently identify the ruined mine to the north of here was once known as Farar-Gorddal and that before the war… it was one of the richest mithral mines in Viemera.”</strong>The man gave them a moment to register that fact before continuing.<strong>”At present, the mine to the north is sealed off by what appears to be a vast collapse and it will take some time yet for it to be cleared.  Until now, our focus has been upon establishing the town, so we hadn’t allocated much manpower to that particular project.  In the meantime, we are keeping that resource a secret to give us time to prepare for all the attention that would surely attract; both good and bad.”</strong>