Inheriting a Lost Bloodline, My First Task is to have heirs?!

At the meeting in the territory's main hall, the 55 people were surprisingly little less shy and more vocal about their situation and what their needs are based on their race. I invited all of them regardless if they were young or old, male or female. I called all of them since I want them to feel that their opinions and needs matter in this territory.

Since most of them are herbivores (all the beast \\men were either from the cow, sheep or deer family), most of their professions revolve around farming, cooking and handicrafts like weaving, cloth making or woodwork. Those who were used to doing farm work take care of fruits, vegetables, root crops, wheat and rice which are their staple foods. They also take care of planting grass that is used to feed farm animals. In connection to these things, they asked for saplings, seeds, more farming tools and natural fertilizers.

For those that are used to taking care of animals, they asked for cubs and chicks of animals but they reiterated that I have to make sure that the ones I get are those with very little intelligence and sentience or no ability to transform to a humanly form. They do not mind rearing animals similar to their race since they are kept for meat and other products. Finally, they also asked for coops, barns and stables as well as a steady source of food for the animals.

The handicraft workers simply asked for weaving, sewing and woodwork tools. They said that it was quite lucky that the sanctuary is surrounded by forests which are rich in raw materials that they could use. I suggested teaching them more modern methods and the use of appropriate machinery and tools to increase the quantity of their products. We can use it for the needs of the territory and if there is surplus, we could possibly sell them in the future too.

The next agenda we covered was about getting everybody proper housing. Most of the people here are still living in temporary shelters. Though they said that giving them their own space is enough, I have to be fair to everyone so they should be assisted in getting homes that are of better material and have a sense of permanence in them.

I asked them if they had any preferred specifications about their future permanent homes so that we can help them build one. I let the territory committee list down all the details on the materials, land sizes or any special specifications that each race wanted. Some wanted soft beds, personal food storage, small kitchen, good ventilation and higher ceilings for the taller ones. They are all reasonable demands so I don't see any problems giving them what they want.

Some of the elderly folks added that they can still work though they may not be able to contribute as much as the younger working people. They simply asked if it was possible to live next to the fields that they will tend to which I think is very doable. I gave instructions to give the elderly a plot of land right in front of their houses so it would be very accessible to them.

The last topic we talked about is other abilities or skills that they are willing to share for the territory since we need all the talents and skills we can get to make this fairly new territory more prosperous. Some of the farmers proudly said that they have the ability to procure seeds from plants that are at least good quality or higher for replanting. Though not much, it will be useful in supplementing the seeds needed for all the farms so I do not have to buy everything.

Some also shared their abilities to correctly appraise and process the raw materials to ensure high quality products. They were pertaining to identifying the perfect plant fibers to use for weaving, identify the appropriate type of wood for specific handicrafts or projects as well as how to tan, dye and process animal skin to make clothes, leather armor and other clothing options.

The meeting lasted for about three hours. Though it was noisy, it was also very productive and everybody was excited to contribute something. I was glad that the new citizens were brave enough to share their thoughts and their needs to me. I do not want to waste my people's efforts in bringing them over just for them to leave because I could not give them things that I can easily procure outside the territory with money.

After the general meeting, I also helped out in cooking lunch for everybody and ate another meal with them. This time, everyone felt much more relaxed since I have already talked with everyone.

After the meal, I asked for another meeting, this time with only selected members of the territory. This time, I only asked the elder representatives, all the abled bodied men and women as well as the three deer brothers back into the hall. I have some questions that I do not want the injured and the young children to hear. It might be a difficult topic for them to discuss but it is something that we have to talk about as soon as possible so I can plan my next steps. I am planning to expand the territory and bring in more beast men if possible.

Once everybody is accounted for including the representatives of the elves, giants and heralds and Makisig of course, we all went back inside the meeting hall. The first thing I did was cast a soundproofing barrier so nobody from the outside could hear what we will talk about. We kept the windows open and the door ajar so that they won't feel like we are keeping them detained in anyway.

Once we are all seated, I asked, "I understand that herbivores have very little way of defending themselves against carnivores which makes up the majority of the number of beast men. Even omnivores seem to be stronger in physique. I also understand when the elderly, very young ones who couldn't work yet and those that are disabled to be casted out from your territory but you lot here should be part of the labor force and you look healthy and strong. What brings you here then?"

Surprisingly, the eldest of the three deer brothers stepped forward and spoke first, "My name is Payton. Me and my two brothers, Pauly and Pelle were sold by our own relatives to human slave traders since they do not want to support the three of us till we come of age. We are just three extra mouths to feed with no parents. At least if they sold us, they will get money and resources worth at least a few months. I heard that collectors from the outside buy young beast men as pets and sex slaves for a huge sum of money. We will never go back there or else we will just be sold again."

I nodded my head as acknowledgment of his story and gave a smile to the young child. His eyes widened and he immediately broke eye contact and looked down. He then stepped back to give way to others that also want to speak.

The elder from the cow beast men spoke next with obvious sadness and anger in his eyes. He shared, "My name is Meric and the voted elder for the cow beast men tribe. I think we need to explain first the laws inside our territory, Lyartaim so you can understand better." He sighed and continued, "Beast men is a race that come of age earlier than most of the other mystiques. We come of age at 14."

I couldn't help but raise one of my eyebrows at what he said. I looked around the meeting hall and they all looked at me as if it was something I was supposed to know from the get go. Excuse me. I am not from the beast men race and it was not in any of the books in the Academe of Gnosis or in Eieneos.

I nodded for him to continue what he was saying and he looked down sadly, "Lyartaim has a strict rule that men have to be married and bear a child within 5 years from the time they come of age. For men that are not able to get married or have children within 5 years from marriage, they are tagged as a property of the territory. They are treated as undesirable so they will be free to be used as breeding tools by any woman in the territory. They will no longer have the chance to be taken in as a partner of anybody."

The elderly man paused to catch his breath for a bit but he continued with a voice that sounded increasingly angered as his story went on, "If they luckily get pregnant, their child will be taken from them if it was a female. Male children will be sent to the man's family for care. These men all stay in a small village but it was more like a prison I should say. It is separate from the main territory, guarded by soldiers so none of the men inside can escape the hell they are in."

I looked at them in confusion not only with the rule but with how the territory even thought about such a cruel rule. I can't imagine the life of the men living in that separate village. I couldn't help but ask a clarifying question, "Does this rule apply to all types of beast men whether they are carnivore, omnivore or herbivore? So these men are..."

The elder of the sheep beast men group answered, "My name is Enzi, the voted leader of the sheep beast men tribe. These men that we brought here are considered lucky. We are all family members. We are casted out together since we don't want our young men to be brought to that separate village to be treated as a breeding tool. They threw us out of the territory with nothing but the clothes on our backs, expecting us to die of starvation. We'd rather die than see our sons be treated like that."