[BigJMoney]

Month 10 – The Year Of THE HAG

It is a wonder what prosperity can do for a people. Those who once barely survived in the desert wastes of Linshire were now becoming an educated populace of goods and commerce. With the speed of a spreading fire or a quaking tremor, those who lived in that land were becoming strong believers in this ageless lady Yohlla. For the first time ever, Erkeborn was struck with a thought he would regret and despise for the rest of his life. Was this a self-fulfilling prophesy? Were his people merely so inspired that they were finally living up to their potential and creating their own prosperous world? But that would mean all of Yohlla’s miracles were cheap magician’s tricks, and her prophesies untrue. He quickly cast all such notions from his mind. No, Yohlla was the savior of his people, he was sure of it. No, Erkeborn did not have the luxury of time to fill his head with philosophy and conjecture; especially not with the recent news. So far, reports from the home city had been positive. Despite the loss of the Keepers of Ulm to a mighty earthquake, the man Yohlla had recently enlisted to work within the great city had been in prime position to take the mantle of leadership and had been doing a good job – until now. He had pushed the people too far. Their recent loss was too great, and they had been worked too hard to support the wagons of war. Over the past month, massive rioting and rebellion had seized the lower class population of the city. Even some of the Ulmish nobles were grasping the opportunity to make capital gains on the unrest. Things had gotten so bad that the only solution would be to eventually send an army in to remind the people that their freedom and prosperity had a price. The people of Ulm had always been a great people, and now would have to be the least time such non-productive behavior could be tolerated. And, Ruprecht would have to be talked to. If the people were rioting so much, there was a reason for it. Erkeborn did not know the man, but from what Yohlla had told him, he was suspicion the man had the tendency to be over zealous at times. Fortunately, Yohlla herself volunteered to visit, for there was business she felt she needed to personally attend in the city anyway. Erkeborn was confident that her mere presence would help to solve problems immediately. Hopefully the job would not fall squarely on the backs of his fighting men who were needed for war. However, a lesson he learned came to mind. When there was a surplus of work for a man’s laborers to do, and gold sitting in the coffers yet to be used, a man should ask the gold to do his work for him.