40 Ash, 122
The Windworks had been the obvious choice, both due to its location, strategic value, and the fact that all the parts needed to lift it off the ground were already located within. White Knight Hall had been obvious on a personal level, and the neighborhoods surrounding the Windworks had been taken along for logistic purposes. People needed places to live, to work on things outside the airship factory, to have a sense of something that belonged to them. The idea of belonging was now a rather complicated one. Did Stefan, as the only surviving adult member of House Dornkirk own the factory? Legally speaking, yes, he did, but what good were the laws of a State that no longer stood? Zaichaer was still a concept, it still held power in the minds of its people, but as a working government, it was no more.
The land surrounding the factory was under even more dubious ownership as the men who had likely owned and rented out the apartment buildings and shops were now dead or worse. Everyone seemed to accept Stefan's leadership, both as a high ranking member of what had been the government as as the man who had stepped in to organize the people in a time of disaster, to save their lives. For the moment he was still in that role, and, though people were beginning to get settled into something resembling normalcy, there was no telling how long people would continue to follow him once the reality of their new lives had set in. He would not force anyone to stay who did not wish to, and he could not take aboard the giant airships all those who needed a safe haven.
The lodge, which was now becoming something like a small town, and seemed like it would end up being a large town before all was said and done, was set up to accommodate some additional people, but with only the season to prepare the place for Frost it wouldn't be able to hold a great deal of refugees either. Eitan spoke of being able to ward the whole area against the extremes of weather, so people could stay in tents and shelters that were less well insulated. There was promise in the idea, but it was still not infinite. Stefan still found himself hoping that enough of the population of the city had survived that sheltering and feeding them all would be his problem. If he had no issues finding succor for all survivors who came to him then their number would be few indeed and the prospect frightened him.
More than the prospect of a greatly diminished population, what frightened Stefan most was the likelihood of greatly diminishing the hard won knowledge Zaichaer had spent its lifetime building. What that said about his character, he did not dwell on. Discoveries could save more lives, over time, then he could if he spent his time scouring the ruined city streets for each possible survivor. During the dinner he'd held to welcome Reiner Dornkirk to his family it had been suggested that he could use the same technique on The Greater Institute that he had on the Windworks. Without the head start he'd had with the factory already having the underground frame work set in place it was likely to take the rest of the season before he could accomplish such a feat, not to mention he would need more airship parts then he currently had available, but the idea of saving all the research and accumulated knowledge of the State at once was too great not to pursue. So he'd sent down soldiers' aided by Stefan and Eitan in the armored suits he'd made for them, to investigate and clear out any nests of Mist creatures or anything else. They had managed to rescue a fair number of scientists and teachers who had been holed up in the buildings. These men and women were now being housed in the best the two islands had to offer them. Some had needed the magical healing of the covens, others were being slowly fed back up to weight after prolonged starvation. Others still were... changed; mentally broken in ways Stefan could understand but had nothing of use to offer, so he left them to healers and hoped they would recover enough to take back up their work in time.
Many of the men and women who had learned the trade of tunnel building during the latter half of Searing to get the Windworks into the air volunteered to do more of the same work for the Institute, so the work was beginning well. Soldiers were with the work crews at all times, ensuring that nothing would break through the barriers that had been set up. It was a strain on their tiny military, but everyone saw the value of the work. Stefan had wanted to go down and assist with the work himself but had been convinced (partly by Delia and partly be Dienerin) that having him there would only distract the workers, particularly when he was legitimately now needed in a leadership capacity. There was always more to do, always more to organize and figure out. The small ships he had sent out scouting were now beginning to return with basic information about the state of the army, the towns that had been far enough away to escape Zaichaer city's down fall, and the supply depots located throughout the country, but particularly the Riverland Forts. There was now a large map taking up one of the walls in Stefan's office that was updated any time a scout returned. A picture was beginning to emerge which was, in some ways, more hopeful than he had feared. The notion that the nation could not exist without the oversight of the capitol was now showing to be false, yet, how long would the various factions hold together? It was also now becoming obvious that Kalzasi believed them to have been defeated, which, while it galled, also meant that they would not suffer from additional attacks. At least, for the time being, it did not seem as though they would.
How long the breathing room they were being afforded would last would likely be determined by how well, and how quickly, they appeared to recover. It was yet another thing that would require careful balance on the part of himself and the other leaders that emerged in this time of tragedy. Showing strength and solidarity would give hope to the people. Moral was absolutely vital in the face of possible annihilation, yet, if they appeared to bounce back it would evoke their enemies to see them again as a threat.
For the moment, all they could do was hope and plan to survive the coming season with as little starvation as he could manage. His plans concerning the food and other supplies stored in bulk at the forts was intended to see to that. If it should fail...
He had plans in place for such a dire outcome, but they were not things he wanted to dwell on. His family would survive, he would allow nothing less, but choices to awful to think about until they must be made might need to be made. If such a time came he wanted to do it himself without burdening Delia. While he would have liked to spare Eitan as well he would certainly need him, and the army, to make his awful choices reality, should he ever have to make them. Unless the fort commanders had already gone rogue, or the forts had been taken by army leaders who had realized similar things to what Stefan had, he did not believe anyone would need to starve or freeze. Even if the supplies were now held by different commanders it seemed likely they would have taken over to ensure the survival of the nation just as much as Stefan intended to. Fear did things to people though, as did desperation. If the losses had driven leaders to hole up with the intention to protect themselves and their own men only...
Stefan sighed, looking over the map yet again, trying to build a solid picture in his head. He would not want to fight any of his own people, and, in reality, he did not have enough of a military to do so on the ground. If worse came to worst, he could bombard the forts with his fleet of ships until they surrendered. Having plans in place for every options when lives were at stake was vital, but he still hated laying any that meant spilling more of his own peoples' blood.
Dienerin stepped into the office quietly, placing a tea tray with a few sandwiches along side the steaming drink on a side table for the purpose. Stefan thanked him, feeling more grateful than ever for the quiet, non-intrusive presence of his man servant. They had been together for more of Stefan's life now than he'd lived without the man and, which he seemed to wear the title of 'servant' with pride he was capable of so much more. His knowledge of airships and engineering was good enough he could have made a career of that alone, not to mention he was a better pilot than his master. Dienerin understood people too, in many ways, and had helped Stefan more than his parents had in learning to navigate every setting from military training to ballrooms, to boardrooms. After his immediate family Stefan would have felt Dienerin's loss most keenly and was doubly pleased the man's own family had also survived.
He had seen that they'd been given a house near to the Windworks, one of the nicer ones available. It would not replace the lovely little home they'd created together, but it was the best he could offer them given the circumstances. Mrs. Dienerin seemed to be a capable sort of woman who had the spirit to dust herself off and get on with life regardless of what it threw at her. Stefan could admire the attitude and was wholly grateful that it was one that seemed to pervade most of the lower and middle class folk who had survived long enough to make it to the Windworks and safety.
Now, if only he could continue to provide that safety, and, with the addition of the Institute to the airships, hope for a brighter future.
The Windworks had been the obvious choice, both due to its location, strategic value, and the fact that all the parts needed to lift it off the ground were already located within. White Knight Hall had been obvious on a personal level, and the neighborhoods surrounding the Windworks had been taken along for logistic purposes. People needed places to live, to work on things outside the airship factory, to have a sense of something that belonged to them. The idea of belonging was now a rather complicated one. Did Stefan, as the only surviving adult member of House Dornkirk own the factory? Legally speaking, yes, he did, but what good were the laws of a State that no longer stood? Zaichaer was still a concept, it still held power in the minds of its people, but as a working government, it was no more.
The land surrounding the factory was under even more dubious ownership as the men who had likely owned and rented out the apartment buildings and shops were now dead or worse. Everyone seemed to accept Stefan's leadership, both as a high ranking member of what had been the government as as the man who had stepped in to organize the people in a time of disaster, to save their lives. For the moment he was still in that role, and, though people were beginning to get settled into something resembling normalcy, there was no telling how long people would continue to follow him once the reality of their new lives had set in. He would not force anyone to stay who did not wish to, and he could not take aboard the giant airships all those who needed a safe haven.
The lodge, which was now becoming something like a small town, and seemed like it would end up being a large town before all was said and done, was set up to accommodate some additional people, but with only the season to prepare the place for Frost it wouldn't be able to hold a great deal of refugees either. Eitan spoke of being able to ward the whole area against the extremes of weather, so people could stay in tents and shelters that were less well insulated. There was promise in the idea, but it was still not infinite. Stefan still found himself hoping that enough of the population of the city had survived that sheltering and feeding them all would be his problem. If he had no issues finding succor for all survivors who came to him then their number would be few indeed and the prospect frightened him.
More than the prospect of a greatly diminished population, what frightened Stefan most was the likelihood of greatly diminishing the hard won knowledge Zaichaer had spent its lifetime building. What that said about his character, he did not dwell on. Discoveries could save more lives, over time, then he could if he spent his time scouring the ruined city streets for each possible survivor. During the dinner he'd held to welcome Reiner Dornkirk to his family it had been suggested that he could use the same technique on The Greater Institute that he had on the Windworks. Without the head start he'd had with the factory already having the underground frame work set in place it was likely to take the rest of the season before he could accomplish such a feat, not to mention he would need more airship parts then he currently had available, but the idea of saving all the research and accumulated knowledge of the State at once was too great not to pursue. So he'd sent down soldiers' aided by Stefan and Eitan in the armored suits he'd made for them, to investigate and clear out any nests of Mist creatures or anything else. They had managed to rescue a fair number of scientists and teachers who had been holed up in the buildings. These men and women were now being housed in the best the two islands had to offer them. Some had needed the magical healing of the covens, others were being slowly fed back up to weight after prolonged starvation. Others still were... changed; mentally broken in ways Stefan could understand but had nothing of use to offer, so he left them to healers and hoped they would recover enough to take back up their work in time.
Many of the men and women who had learned the trade of tunnel building during the latter half of Searing to get the Windworks into the air volunteered to do more of the same work for the Institute, so the work was beginning well. Soldiers were with the work crews at all times, ensuring that nothing would break through the barriers that had been set up. It was a strain on their tiny military, but everyone saw the value of the work. Stefan had wanted to go down and assist with the work himself but had been convinced (partly by Delia and partly be Dienerin) that having him there would only distract the workers, particularly when he was legitimately now needed in a leadership capacity. There was always more to do, always more to organize and figure out. The small ships he had sent out scouting were now beginning to return with basic information about the state of the army, the towns that had been far enough away to escape Zaichaer city's down fall, and the supply depots located throughout the country, but particularly the Riverland Forts. There was now a large map taking up one of the walls in Stefan's office that was updated any time a scout returned. A picture was beginning to emerge which was, in some ways, more hopeful than he had feared. The notion that the nation could not exist without the oversight of the capitol was now showing to be false, yet, how long would the various factions hold together? It was also now becoming obvious that Kalzasi believed them to have been defeated, which, while it galled, also meant that they would not suffer from additional attacks. At least, for the time being, it did not seem as though they would.
How long the breathing room they were being afforded would last would likely be determined by how well, and how quickly, they appeared to recover. It was yet another thing that would require careful balance on the part of himself and the other leaders that emerged in this time of tragedy. Showing strength and solidarity would give hope to the people. Moral was absolutely vital in the face of possible annihilation, yet, if they appeared to bounce back it would evoke their enemies to see them again as a threat.
For the moment, all they could do was hope and plan to survive the coming season with as little starvation as he could manage. His plans concerning the food and other supplies stored in bulk at the forts was intended to see to that. If it should fail...
He had plans in place for such a dire outcome, but they were not things he wanted to dwell on. His family would survive, he would allow nothing less, but choices to awful to think about until they must be made might need to be made. If such a time came he wanted to do it himself without burdening Delia. While he would have liked to spare Eitan as well he would certainly need him, and the army, to make his awful choices reality, should he ever have to make them. Unless the fort commanders had already gone rogue, or the forts had been taken by army leaders who had realized similar things to what Stefan had, he did not believe anyone would need to starve or freeze. Even if the supplies were now held by different commanders it seemed likely they would have taken over to ensure the survival of the nation just as much as Stefan intended to. Fear did things to people though, as did desperation. If the losses had driven leaders to hole up with the intention to protect themselves and their own men only...
Stefan sighed, looking over the map yet again, trying to build a solid picture in his head. He would not want to fight any of his own people, and, in reality, he did not have enough of a military to do so on the ground. If worse came to worst, he could bombard the forts with his fleet of ships until they surrendered. Having plans in place for every options when lives were at stake was vital, but he still hated laying any that meant spilling more of his own peoples' blood.
Dienerin stepped into the office quietly, placing a tea tray with a few sandwiches along side the steaming drink on a side table for the purpose. Stefan thanked him, feeling more grateful than ever for the quiet, non-intrusive presence of his man servant. They had been together for more of Stefan's life now than he'd lived without the man and, which he seemed to wear the title of 'servant' with pride he was capable of so much more. His knowledge of airships and engineering was good enough he could have made a career of that alone, not to mention he was a better pilot than his master. Dienerin understood people too, in many ways, and had helped Stefan more than his parents had in learning to navigate every setting from military training to ballrooms, to boardrooms. After his immediate family Stefan would have felt Dienerin's loss most keenly and was doubly pleased the man's own family had also survived.
He had seen that they'd been given a house near to the Windworks, one of the nicer ones available. It would not replace the lovely little home they'd created together, but it was the best he could offer them given the circumstances. Mrs. Dienerin seemed to be a capable sort of woman who had the spirit to dust herself off and get on with life regardless of what it threw at her. Stefan could admire the attitude and was wholly grateful that it was one that seemed to pervade most of the lower and middle class folk who had survived long enough to make it to the Windworks and safety.
Now, if only he could continue to provide that safety, and, with the addition of the Institute to the airships, hope for a brighter future.
