Due to our speed, we had a lot of opportunities for them to pull their weight for the cause. We were looking for men to lead us all there safely. That meant a decent sized mercenary company. We needed workers. That meant a fair bit of advertising to the poor quarters of the capital. We needed some level of raw supplies and tools. That was taken care of from the Whites. They were merchants and could send caravans of goods over. Getting all the numbers was our focus right now. This not a priority of the king. He was under no obligation to help. Lord Swiftheart was going to be promoted on whether he could deliver on this in less than 10 years. That was when some men came to us. A trio of brothers had a mercenary band that needed some work. They had 60 fighters and a train of about 35. Another young man with a company of 50 fighters also came. Lord Swiftheart saw fit to hire both. That was good for us. Anthony and Fabien were doing their best to recruit builders and carpenters from the guild district. They were not having luck. I went out and recruited about 5 each.
Rolft, Fulk and Anselm Hanekin
Wilhelm Tome
Even though they were putting in good effort, they were overlooking something very important. They were nobles, so they wanted the best. The best of the best were the masters and grandmasters. Why the hell would they just give up their cushy and prominent positions for a long trip to nowhere for some minor lord's son? That made no sense for them. I went for the journeymen. They were good enough to start their own practices and sell wares. All of them had apprenticed under the masters. They just needed the chance and space to prove themselves and show what they could do. The forest was not a luxurious shopping district. But, if they did well enough, the fame of building a hunting resort for the king would make them masters in their own right with students begging to learn from them. They were hungry to seek their fortunes. All of us were hungry to use their talents for our gain. We had an agreement on needing this to be a great success. When the rest of the preparations had completed, 3 long months had gone by. We were ready to go. Lord Swiftheart had the map.
