“Unlike humans and other short-lived races, people in power amongst the long-lived rarely held onto their thrones until death or it was pried out from beneath them. The vast majority abdicated and passed the responsibilities down to the next in line when they grew older, often to retire and enjoy their old age relaxedly.

Perhaps it was the difference in viewpoints, but I often wondered why those shorter-lived ones often fought tooth and nail to remain in power even when they had become clearly unsuited for it. Was it greed and pride that clouded their minds and rational judgement? Or was it just part of their nature?” - Hans-Oleg Strumzug, Historian and Royal Librarian of Knallgant, circa 534 VA.

From Dvergarder, Aideen retraced her footsteps and crossed the wastelands that separated Posuin and Knallzog once more. To her surprise, she saw signs of development on the eastern end of the wastelands already, the plan to reclaim the wastelands as living space that Ginnie told her clearly already underway, sooner than what she had expected.

While there were only sparsely populated small villages on the surface, the dwarves built mostly underground. There Aideen found larger, sprawling towns built beneath the earth, where it turned out that fertile ground was aplenty deeper in. The dwarves farmed mushrooms and other crops that grew well underground to keep the city mostly self-sufficient, though in the early stages of their pioneering they still relied on food trucked over from the mainland.

During the trip from the border to Knallgant, Aideen noticed a change compared to the last time she was in Knallzog. Healers seemed more readily available than before, and she saw no signs of the Guild around. It was prominently so nearer the western border, but also noticeable further east, closer to the capital city itself.

Once in Knallgant, Aideen sought out Ginnie once more, and learned that the old Markgraf had since abdicated her position to her son and heir. She had retired to a summer home a bit north of the capital, so Aideen made her way there instead.

Three days northwards of the capital, she found Ginnie’s residence, a smallish mansion built on top of a hill that oversaw a medium-sized town nearby. The landscape it was built on was rather idyllic, with the mansion built beside a small lake with crystal-clear water at the flat hilltop. Aideen climbed the hill and was soon before the gates of the mansion, which was guarded by a couple younger dwarves in armor.

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The guards had never met her and stopped her at the gate, though after she asked them to tell Ginnie of her arrival, one of them went in even if he looked skeptical about it. That look of skepticism vanished when Ginnie herself came out from the mansion to greet her, the old dwarf looking more relaxed than before as she greeted Aideen with a wide smile and brought her into a bone-crushing hug.

“Haven’t seen ye in decades, lass,” said Ginnie with a wide, bright smile that brought some of the wrinkles on her face together. “Where have ye been all these years?”

“A little jaunt in Posuin, then mostly in the Forest,” replied Aideen nonchalantly as she accepted the large flagon of ale Ginnie pushed into her hand. She took a deep drink from the flagon and found the ale crisp and chilled. Leave it to a dwarf to serve up good booze, as expected. “Noticed some changes on my way back, what’s up?”

“Well, in the couple of years after you left we pretty much scoured those nobles who were connected to the guild’s case back then and found proof of corruption and embezzlement all over,” said Ginnie with a wistful smile on her face. “My good nephew got so angry he also wanted the whole lot de-bearded over it, though eventually they talked him down from doing something that drastic.”

“What happened then?”

“He only executed most of them instead, and dropped the rest down to penniless commoners,” replied Ginnie, clearly in a good mood over the incident. “They pretty much dismantled any presence the Guild had in the country along with it. And then in the past decade or so we started getting these new proselytizers from Posuin, ones that pretty much preached the opposite of the guild. Were they your doing?”

“Kind of,” said Aideen with a hint of embarrassment in her voice. “I sort of planted the seed before I left to the Forests back then, but never expected they’d grow so influential and popular over time. It’s a good thing as long as they stay the course, I guess.”

“We were might suspicious of them at first, but after a while, it became pretty clear that they were actually too-good idealistic sorts who really came to help others out of good will,” said Ginnie as she explained. “After we realized that we pretty much allowed them to do their thing, since there was nothing to lose and a lot to gain from it. Got to say those who used to be part of the guild cried out a lot about them, not that we care.”

“Why? Their overpriced services becoming unpopular?” asked Aideen with a smirk.

“That’s one reason. Things always hurt way more when you have something to compare to, and when you get healing that was freely given for whatever you felt like paying as comparison… makes the lot of them look like the bastardly money grubbers they were,” said the old dwarf. “Many went bankrupt and had to move away, while a few actually joined the new group and turned a leaf, surprisingly.”

“Surprised things change so much after just a few decades,” said Aideen as she pondered. “That said, did you ever suggest adopting a system like what we had in the Lichdom to your nephew? Might help deal with any healer issues you still have.”

“I did indeed, and he was pretty interested in it,” replied Ginnie. “Just that the logistics of the matter was still a bit hard to handle, so if he was to implement it, it won’t be anytime soon.”

“But enough of that. Tell me more on what you’ve been doing, will ya?”