2 The Master of the Manor

"Ahahahaha"

A sudden burst of hysterical laughter reverberated around the halls of the manor, nearly causing one of the many maids within to drop the vase she had been cleaning.

"Be careful, Henrietta" came to the sharp voice of her one of her companions "That vase is worth more than your life."

The maid called Henrietta shivered. Though the other woman's words were harsh, Henrietta knew them to be all too true.

Only two weeks ago one of Henrietta's friends had been dusting in the library when her arm had bumped a glass paperweight meant to hold down larger books when they were being read. The master had received it not too long ago, purchasing it from a ship that had arrived from a distant country known for their impeccable glasswork. It was small but heavy, morphed and twisted into the shape of a nesting bird, even the feathers had been sculpted to perfection. To her horror, it had fallen off of the table and hit the floor. She was relieved when it had not broken and had quickly picked it up, placed it back on the table and continued with her work. The master had entered the library not long after. When he had sat down to read he stopped to admire the paperweight, but soon began to rage. Apparently, while the paperweight had not broken, the smallest of cracks had appeared on its once flawless surface. When the details of what occurred were discovered, the master punished Henrietta's friend with fifty lashes. She hadn't even made it to thirty.

The fate of her friend still fresh in her mind, Henrietta shivered once again at the thought of what could have happened had the vase actually slipped from her fingers. A crack was nothing compared to a completely shattered antique masterpiece. She was confident she would not survive the punishment, but she truly terrified her was how the master would choose for her to meet her maker. You may be wondering why anyone would work for such a man. Like everything else in his life, the master of the manor bought his staff with money, literally. Many of the men and woman working within the manor were slaves he had smuggled in from various kingdoms. While slavery was not legal in this kingdom, with the master's position, few would risk questioning him.

The master in question is named Darius Malor Worik. He is the current governor of Tanmar, the largest port city in the kingdom of Minora and second overall after the Capital. The position of the city meant it was a prime entry point to the kingdom for anyone arriving by sea, with the port allowing for vessels of all kinds to dock easily. Furthermore, the large variety of people converging in one spot meant that the town was a hub of trade and commerce.

Thanks to the important role that Tanmar played for Minora, Governor Worik has been able to build up his position within the kingdom. The high taxes he levies from the busy port, as well as, those collected from businesses and residents, have also allowed him to line his pockets and develop a substantial fortune, a fact which he makes no attempt to hide. On the contrary, he is a man who takes great pleasure in flaunting his wealth and status and will take every opportunity to do so, as evident with his home and personal vessel.

He is also a great lover of treasure who prizes everything rare and valuable and spends vast amounts of money funding expeditions to scour the world for anything he could add to his personal collections. The only thing he prized more than his possessions was his own life, which is why he also spent his wealth to employ a large number of guards for himself and his belongings. While there are some exceptionally talented fighters within Tanmar, a majority of them are soldiers assigned to the city by the king.

The number of men contracted by the governor was almost enough to be considered a personal army, but one which lacks training and discipline. As Worik was only interested in strength and numbers he was not particular about who he had guarding him, only that they did a good job. As a result, many of his guards were ruffians and former bandits lured by the promise of wealth and the status of being the governers man, with all the benefits that provided. There was no regret about giving up their lives of thieving and murdering, as they were able to do plenty of the same working under Worik

While the governor added to his ever-growing collection, the people of Tanmar had to deal with his high taxes and the constant abuse from his guards. They would drink at all hours of the day and break and steal whatever they wanted. Needless to say, the residence of the town held strong resentments against the guards as well as the man who paid their salaries. One of the largest jobs of the kingdoms actual soldiers were trying to keep the guards in check. Even this was done to a lesser degree then it should as a lot of the soldiers within the town had been bribed by Worik.

---

The laugh that almost caused Henrietta to drop the vase originated from the very same master who the staff all feared.

Governor Worik had been sitting in his office, His impatience had been steadily building since the news came to him that his ship had been seen returning to port after more than a year. Impatience combined with excitement when a servant entered to inform him that the ship's crew were on their way to the manor with their cargo.

"Good," he said, standing up from his chair. "Tell Laurence to bring the captain to me as soon as he arrives."

"Yes, my lord," the boy said giving a bow and hurrying out.

Soon after the door opened yet again but this time the ones who entered were a tall man who looked to be in his forties, dressed in an expensive looking suit, closely followed by a man wearing clothing which looked worn out but still excellently made. The second man was shorter than the first and looked maybe ten years younger. His well-muscled body, evident even fully clothed, along with his heavily callused hands suggest he lived a life doing a great deal of manual labor and was well trained with weapons. These men were the aforementioned Laurence, Worik's closest and most trusted aid who shared his love of power and lack of morals, and the Captain of Worik's personal sea vessel, The Flaxen Maiden, named for the carving on its front, his name was Captain Roland Burgus

Before either man had time to say a word Worik ran towards them and began bombarding the captain with questions, his voice holding a mixture of excitement and trepidation. "Was your mission this time successful? Was the information we received reliable? Did you actually find it?"

"Yes your excellency," The captain said beaming a proud smile and giving the governor a deep bow "We have found it at last"

There was a moment of silence, as Worik allowed the words of the captain to sink in, hardly daring to believe that the thing he had wanted for more than fifty years, since he read about it in an old book of legends, the thing that many people said had long been lost, was finally, finally in his hands.

"Ahahahaha"