They accept him, but remain wary

First Moon
1254 AC (Aclian Calendar)

Iozunk taking an Elven retainer was nothing new, since in light of the Horde's conquests many were **** to serve the new regime in order to keep their heads. Many of the menfolk - especially craftsmen, clerks and planners - were in high demand, outside of serving as breeding studs for women.

Kelvhan, on the other hand, quickly distinguished himself as a master architect and engineer, redesigning and renovating the entirety of the Horde's occupied territory from the ground up.

He took the better part of last year to conduct extensive surveys, mapping entire regions and examining the state of the infrastructure. Suffice to say, he was more than pissed and threw himself into his work with the zeal of a religious fanatic. Several weeks later, he and his team of engineers finalised the development plan for the next ten years.

At a war room in the Oxmaw Royal Palace, Kelvhan showed the map to Iozunk, Ferdinand and Kassandra, who were astonished at the sheer detail shown and the projected expansion of several cities.

"I must admit, I did not expect you to be so skilled in your work," Iozunk smiled, "Do forgive me for doubting you."

"There's nothing to forgive, Your Majesty," Kelvhan reassured.

"I have to say though, never did I imagine meeting an Elf who would so willingly aid us," Ferdinand remarked, his eyes filled with suspicion, "You said you hailed from the Kingdom of Torfun?"

"I did. I lived there my entire life, born to Elven parents who deserted the City-State of Inkalmair," Kelvhan answered.

"Is it normal for Elves to leave their homes?" Asked Diepkutter, "I thought they'd prefer the relative comfort of their homes, to be honest."

"There are cases, though very few due to the reason Diepkutter mentioned," Kelvhan nodded.

"I came from Torfun, and I've heard tales of a legendary engineer who built the fortress of Dornham Citadel," Kassandra put forth, "Yet they claimed it was a Human Engineer who built it, and from what I heard later on during the war, it was all a hoax, and the real engineer had been banished. I take it that was you?"

Kelvhan nodded with a tight smile, "They were too jealous of my skill and talent and accused me of slandering the King. Since I didn't have any friends there, I was exiled."

"No surprise, with your attitude," Ferdinand remarked.

"Yeah, you sound like a snob sometimes," Diepkutter remarked, "If you weren't hired by Iozunk, I might have gobbed you here and there."

Kelvhan was unmoved, though he did eye Ferdinand through slightly narrowed eyes. Iozunk harrumphed, and all eyes were on him.

"Kelvhan, if I were to put you fully in charge of rebuilding our Empire, could you start immediately?" The Goblin Emperor asked.

"I certainly can," Kelvhan answered smilingly, "Give me an army of workers, and I can start immediately."

"Excellent," Iozunk smiled back, "Could you also build a fortification as legendary as Dornham Citadel?"

"I could, but... I would need to take years to train engineers and architects to my desired skill level, and all of them were seized by the Kingdom of Torfun. Furthermore, neither Elven nor Human architecture is not built to withstand sustained cannon fire, and we need to not only imbue the stones with powerful runes, but also secure a steady supply of high-quality stone, and unless we get the aid of the Dwarves of Virnfaldur, we'll have to make do with subpar material."

"You truly don't settle for half-measures, do you?" Kassandra asked with a smirk.

"There's a reason why the best engineers often demand the highest prices," Kelvhan shrugged.

Iozunk then asked, "And what can you tell me of Virnfaldur and Torfun?"

"As far as I know, Virnfaldur maintains a staunch policy of neutrality and refuses to get involved with other political affairs, but a growing number of younger Dwarves are increasingly discontent with the conservatives' pig-headed refusal to adapt modern technologies and inventing new ones, and they face a declining population due to declining births. As for Torfun, they are under the iron heel of a tyrannical and corrupt Prime Minister, who wields a sleazeball King like his chess piece."

"Then I believe we know our next move," Iozunk declared, "Ferdinand, Kassandra, organise strategic alliances with interested parties in both Virnfaldur and Torfun, and orchestrate a rebellion while swaying the people to our side. Kelvhan, I want you to organise the most crucial infrastructural repairs and get our food production up to speed. Diepkutter, train the troops. When Summer starts, we wage our war."

It was the first time the Empire of Aclia would attempt to wage war from a righteous stance, and it filled Ferdinand and Kassandra with a sense of appreciable irony. Kelvhan smiled, eager to get back at those who wronged him.

"Then let's get to work."