From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 475 Refugees Find a Place to Stay

The allied forces and adventurers returned to the End of Light Inn, where they reunited with the Typhoon refugees who remained there.

Celebration was naturally an essential part of the event, but the soldiers, exhausted from a full day of fighting, simply didn't have the energy to stand up, drink, and laugh, not to mention that many warriors had fallen on this land. Properly handling their remains and comforting their souls was a shared plan of the high-ranking harpist and the Flame Fist commander.

That night, Minsara, along with his drow mage advisor Dawn and Ivy, found the leader of the Typhoon refugees, the Hell Knight Seflu.

In the battle against the army of the Supreme God, the few Hell Knights and Tifflin militiamen who were left behind also contributed a great deal. Although direct combat was not their responsibility, logistical support and battlefield cleanup were equally important tasks, not to mention that they were also responsible for the temporary defense of the End of Light Inn.

“We have won the battle, and this land has been reborn… but…” Sefro’s face was full of wrinkles. The hardships of life and the efforts he had made for the refugee team made him look much older than he appeared. Facing Ivy and Minsala, he seemed hesitant to speak, full of suspicion.

“Speak your concerns frankly, Hell Knight.” Minsara proudly raised his head. “As your future lord, it is my duty to answer the questions of my people.”

As Minsara, who called himself lord, mentioned, Ivy's trip to find these Tyflin refugees was to persuade them to stay in Rasven.

The adamantite furnace hidden beneath this land is something Ivy cannot give up, not to mention the mithril veins that may exist in the mountains.

But it's impossible for Ivy to control such a large forge by himself alone. Even if he uses golems to rule, it's impossible to achieve a sufficient number of them in a short time.

Minsala is right; that burgeoning city needs people, a large population.

During the reign of the Somme family, Rasven gained numerous trade opportunities due to its advantageous geographical location.

Here, straddling a tributary of the Chongza River, one can easily profit from the waterway trade. Moreover, the trade route heading north from Baldur's Gate is only a short distance from Resven, and there are no supply points to rely on nearby.

If this town can be revitalized, the vast tracts of land waiting to be cultivated can provide food, and the water and land trade routes can bring about prosperous commercial activities, so there will be no shortage of settlers looking for opportunities.

However, all of this required a good start, and the displaced Tiflin naturally became the primary targets for recruitment. They were hardworking and had good relationships with Ivy. For these people driven from their homes, their connection to Hell meant chaos and evil in the eyes of most Faerûn races. Therefore, once treated well, they often had the potential to become loyal hounds.

“It’s not that I don’t see the potential of this land…” Sevlo sighed, “but it lacks everything: seeds, roofs to shelter from the wind and rain, even fertile land… I can’t make decisions for everyone.”

"The Supreme God has gone to Baldur's Gate, and your route overlaps significantly with that of the cultists. Moreover, you should all have heard that the Supreme God's order is backed by the Three Death Gods and their chosen people. Although Melkor's chosen people have been killed by us, Baal and Bane's orders still exist within Baldur's Gate, and even the High Duke of Baldur's Gate is being replaced by cultists. Going to Baldur's Gate now is tantamount to lambs to the slaughter." Minsara was always adept at threatening others, and this time was no exception.

“I’m afraid we don’t have many options…” Sevlo sighed. “We’ll try our best to find supplies along the way and feed every mouth. If we stay in this wilderness, it won’t be long before all my men starve to death.”

“I can offer you other options,” Ivy, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. “This land has great potential, I dare say all of you can see it. However, its current state is terrible, and you are just a group of refugees, not a well-equipped settler group. But my magic can provide you with everything you need for settlement. If you are willing to stay, I will provide all of these things. And you will become my first subjects—after saving this land and killing the original lord, I believe no one will question my claims about Rasven.”

"You're planning to build a mage tower here?" Sevlo opened his mouth, Ivy's magic was also very convincing, and the battlefield left behind today made this impression even more profound.

"Will you stay here?" Sefro asked impatiently. "If it's Master Doom, I can guarantee everyone will stay. Uh... maybe except Roland, who's always wanted to go to Baldur's Gate to see his master."

“I can’t guarantee I’ll stay here forever. After all, my main job is as a professor at the magic academy, not as the lord of Reisven,” Ivy shook her head. “But of course I’ll come back to visit often. For a spellcaster like me, distance is never a problem.”

“Please give me some time to persuade the others.” Sefro was not surprised; he fully believed that Ivy truly had the ability to provide them with tools and shelter through magic. “I will give you an answer by tomorrow morning at the latest. If Flame Fist and Harpist are willing to take the refugees who do not wish to stay, then I will follow in your footsteps with the other Hell Knights. We are truly yearning for a land where we can live in peace and prosperity.”

After giving Ivy one last nod, Sefolo hurried off, seemingly off to persuade his other companions.

“I thought our base would be underground.” Minsara turned her head, squinting as she examined Ivy’s face. “Don’t forget the Adamantite Forge.”

“I plan to build a city that shines both on the surface and underground. Even Menzoberranzan can’t do that, can it?” Ivy smiled slightly at her.

Minsara was silent for a moment, as if gazing into the image of that city the world longed for: "Your ambition far exceeds my comprehension... I thought my ambition was limitless, but you have frustrated me... in many ways."

"I thought you were someone who never gave up," Ivy teased, looking at the hotel lobby littered with wounded soldiers.

"Painting off failure won't bring me victory." Minsara raised her chin haughtily. "Besides, you're still my ally, and acknowledging your strength won't cost me anything. Ah, someone's come looking for you again, Ironhand Gnome. Although these noisy gnomes are just as annoying as their cousins, I won't underestimate their skill because of it. Besides, the Adamantite Forge was originally Ironhand Gnome's creation."

Two Iron Hand gnomes walked through the wounded towards Ivy: Bacchus and his good friend Ulbrun. The Iron Hand gnomes had also participated in the battle against the Order of the Supreme God. Although they were mainly responsible for throwing various bombs and alchemical artifacts, some of them still suffered serious injuries.

Ivy even noticed that Ulbrun was missing an ear, and blood was seeping from the linen bandage beside it. "How are the wounded?" Ivy asked. "Ulbrun, Bacchus?"

“Oh. They’re just minor injuries.” Urbren waved his hand. “Those lads will be fine. We can even set off tomorrow.”

"Go to Baldur's Gate? It's best to wait until the wounded are in stable condition." Ivy shook her head. "Unhealed wounds will flare up with sweat."

“We’re not here to say goodbye, Master Doom,” Bacchus gestured to Urbren before continuing, “We’re here to ask for your help, for the sake of our shared comradeship.”

“No one will remain arrogant after witnessing your magical prowess,” Ulbrun added. “We heard you’re planning to establish a city here?”

“If the Ironhanded Dwarfs want to join, I will make sure you have a place in the future city.” Ivy nodded in affirmation of Ulbrun’s statement.

“No, no, no.” The two Ironhanded Dwarves quickly waved their hands. “Unlike those homeless Tifflin refugees, no offense intended. But Baldur’s Gate is our home after all, just like you can never abandon your mother. Even if that city has been too unfair to the Ironhanded Dwarves, we cannot sever ties with her.”

"So what you're asking me for help with..." Ivy asked tentatively. He really didn't know what these Ironhand Dwarfs were planning to do. Surely they weren't planning to get rid of Gotash?
“It’s related to one person, Envir Gortash,” Urbren said. “Gortash was already very powerful in Baldur’s Gate before we went to the Underdark. Not only that, he also gathered a large number of Gond followers to serve him and created a very terrible war machine.”

Speaking of war machines, Urbren and Bacchus both looked out the window, where the Shadow Destroyer, radiating a faint golden light, stood outside, tilting its head towards the flowering tree in front of the inn.

"Of course, they can't compare to your work, but those Iron Soldiers still have one absolute advantage—production." Urbren's voice began to grow angry. "Gortash keeps saying that the Iron Soldiers will strengthen the city's defenses and serve all the residents of Baldur's Gate, but that's an absolute lie!"

“He is Bane’s chosen one! Things will get even worse once he becomes the High Duke of Baldur’s Gate!” Although Ulbrun appeared indignant, Ivy, who was skilled in Legilimency, still sensed a hint of theatrics in his mind. “He will arbitrarily change the laws, the freedom of the entire city will disappear, and soon the freest city in all of Faerûn will fall into an abyss of destruction, with even the innocent being accused and sentenced!”

"And the culprits behind all this are those damned Gonde followers!" Urbren concluded.

“Ha.” Minsara let out a disdainful sneer. “I thought you shorty guys had the courage to rebel against Gotash. But I must say, your performance is as expected.”

“It doesn’t seem right to blame the current situation on the Gond followers, does it?” Ivy roughly understood what Ulbrun meant. It was probably because the Gond followers and the Ironhand dwarves had the same ecological niche in Baldur’s Gate, so there was a natural competitive relationship between them.

Now that the Gond followers are serving the Bann elect, the Iron Hand Dwarf naturally has the opportunity to seize the ecological niche by claiming to be righteous.

Even Ivy, who had never been to Baldur's Gate (whether in the game or in reality), enriched her understanding of the Pearl of the Sword Coast by collecting various books along the way.

The Gond followers wield considerable power in Baldur's Gate, possessing two magnificent buildings in the Upper City: the High Temple of Miracles and the Hall of Miracles.

The former is the temple of Gonde and the workshop of the Gonde believers, while the latter is a museum showcasing the products and beliefs of the Gonde believers.

The fact that two such large buildings could be placed in the Upper City, a restricted area off-limits to unauthorized personnel, is enough to prove how popular the Gond faith is in Baldur's Gate.

Therefore, merely overthrowing Gortash's rule is not enough for the Iron Hand Gnome to replace the Gond followers in their ecological niche. The Iron Hand Gnome must physically destroy these people who have long occupied the Baldur's Gate craftsmen's territory before they can have their day in the sun.

The leader of the Ironhanded Dwarfs glared at Minsala under Bacchus's uneasy gaze: "For the allowance and the freedom to work quietly, they'd sell their skills to a tyrant. If they had the chance, they'd be groveling to Sarovok, who ruled the city a hundred years ago. I don't even need to think to know how they fawned over Gotash!"

“Most importantly, the steel soldiers created by the Gondar followers are not only an obstacle for us, but also for you.” Urbren lowered his voice, intending to use this method to enhance his persuasiveness. “If you want to destroy Gortash’s brutal rule in Baldur’s Gate, you must destroy the foundry that produces the steel soldiers! You have already witnessed the power of runic gunpowder! But I can make it even more devastating! Enough to destroy the entire Iron Guardian Foundry!”

“This is not what we said before, Urbren!” Bacchus objected. “Everyone in the foundry will die! Those Gond followers may not have served Gotash willingly!”

"Quiet down, Bacchus," Urbren waved his hand impatiently. "The adults are talking."

“Since the Gond followers can serve Gotash, they can also be used by us.” Minsara smiled with interest. “We should destroy what the Gond followers rely on with our own hands, but leave the people behind. They sound like good slaves. And our city needs a lot of manpower to build.”

Urbren clearly hadn't expected Minsara to propose a solution that sounded better: killing the Gondar followers or forcing them to leave Baldur's Gate would be an acceptable outcome for the Ironhand Gnome.

“If they had the courage to resist, they would have rejected Gotash long ago, spat in his face, and died like heroes.” Urbren looked at Ivy again, knowing full well that the mage in front of him was the one who could make the decisions. “However, it sounds like they would create greater value by living like dogs and serving you.”

“Keep your bombs as a backup plan.” Ivy had his own considerations, of course; he was never easily swayed by others. “Once we reach Baldur’s Gate, we’ll try to make contact with the Gond followers.”

(End of this chapter)