Dominic finished with the village and chuckled at the procession behind him, all emulating Cutter’s actions.
From the look of it, the hunting dog had done her best to train her offspring what she knew. So, as Dominic headed for the woods, they spread out around him, looking for game.
The first few hunters houses were abandoned, shut tight against the elements, as the residents were working at the time of the attack.
But at the first of the woodcutter’s houses, Dominic saw his first signs of inhabitants.
Not human, he realized as he got closer.
The scent that he got was that of troll mixed with humans.
There was a hunting dog in the yard, lounging in the sun. But it perked up when it saw Cutter, and came running over to playfully bump against her and give Dominic a curious sniff.
Dominic ruffled the fur on its head and heard grumbling from inside.
"Worst guard dog ever, that one." A man’s voice complained.
Dominic laughed. "Not necessarily. I am Dominic Wavemates, the Duke of Wistover. I’ve just moved back into the Manor with my wife and staff, and I grew up a few kilometres south of here in the woods. The Techno Wizard’s place, if you know it."
An ugly young man came outside with a lumber axe in his hand, and Dominic nodded politely.
"Dragonkin? Well, I can’t say that I expected that. What are your intentions with this place?" The half-Trollish man asked.
"To bring residents back and revive the estate. If you want to stay right where you are, I don’t object. What is it that you do for work? Or have you just been surviving?" Dominic asked.
The man laughed. "I hate to be the one to tell you, but simply surviving is more than most Trollish Sorcerers manage. It’s not like we’ve got a Noble lineage, or plentiful magic. My dad was a Forest Troll, though.
I’ve been here with my wife for almost a year now, and we’re expecting our first. Though, with the Dagos occupation, I didn’t dare to do anything but enchant the garden at the house.
That village is cursed.
The aura of death is so strong on it that nothing dares to approach. Even when I come close, it gives me the creeps, like the lingering magic might strip my very soul."
From the house, a heavily pregnant, apparently human, woman emerged.
"You said you’re the new Duke of Wistover? And your name is Wavemates?" She asked.
"That’s right. The nephew of the former Earl of Wistover, who ran the manor. This land was ceded to Cygnia after the recent battles with Dagos, and the King allowed me to take over my old home." Dominic explained.
The woman smiled. "In that case, my husband has the healing magic of the Forest Trolls, and I’m a skilled midwife. We used to live outside of Causter, but a little over a year ago, the Dagos Nobles started purging the nonhumans living in the slums, and we decided it was better to move on.
Before that, I had been a midwife for five years."
Dominic nodded. "That’s a valuable skill for any village.
I see that you’re capable of taking care of your own garden, and you’ve made the house a home, so it’s yours. If you need repairs, just ask. I have magic for many situations, and I’m planning to renovate the village after I bury the dead properly.
Is there anyone else living nearby that I should know of?"
The woman shook her head, but the troll tapped at his chin.
"There is the blink cat in the barn at the manor, and her goats. You’ve met the dogs, and they seem to like you. But without magic, no human would dare to get this close to the village.
It might just be because you are present that your people aren’t bothered. Like, you belong here, and so do they because you said so?" He suggested.
The way that curses worked, it was quite possible that he was right.
"Alright. I will check the other outlying houses to see which ones are still suitable to have woodcutters or hunters move into them. Then I will check the farm houses." Dominic explained.
"I would come with you, but June is close to her due date, and I will be needed. You can call me Larry, My Lord. Never got a family name, not once mother saw my face for the first time." He replied.
"Good to meet you, Larry, June. If there are issues, come to the Manor. I’ve got a whole group of Royal Paladins with me, and they’ve got healing magic plus first aid training. I don’t know that any of them are trained to birth children, but they are good with healing wounds."
Dominic was about to leave when the woman gave a nervous cough. "My Lord, if you’re taking over the estate, does that mean we owe taxes?"
Dominic chuckled. "The King of Cygnia has granted a general amnesty to my estate for two years. So, you won’t have any outstanding tax debts for at least that long. If the village grows well, there won’t be much owing at all.
I intend to hire some craftsmen to produce goods under my employment. The intention is that the sale of those goods will be enough to fund the estate, with only a minimal amount of taxation going from the residents to the crown every year.
Certainly, not more than a standard Wavemates Empire tithe."
The pair smiled at that. The tax rate under the Wavemates was simple, for the most part. The land all belonged to the lord, so a quarter of the production did as well. A quarter of the chopped wood, a quarter of the crop.
But for the residents of the town, their actual tax payment was usually in the form of free services for the manor. A quarter of their time, while the Lord paid for materials for their orders.
It worked out very well, and the wealthier merchants or businessmen would make a direct deal to pay cash taxes instead of dedicating time to the Nobility.