Durgan responds to the inquiries from the villagers about the world beyond. But rather than great battles or exotic encounters, he explains the day-to-day nature of life in the Stolen Lands.
"Well, they don't have many mills, because an expensive investment like that is at risk of being seized by neighbors who were too lazy to build their own, or destroyed out of spite. The settlers spend much time and effort grinding grains and planing boards by hand.
There aren't many grain silos, for similar reasons. Some folks have cleverly hidden root cellars, but you have to know where you are digging, and be wary of groundwater.
Forges are fairly scarce - again, not something you can bring with you if trouble comes. Some of the larger and more-established settlements have them, but nails and pots and so on tend to be more expensive than they are here in Brevoy. There are some traveling merchants who have such goods.
So the ordinary daily life is a bit rougher than you have here. But those are all things that Zokon and I hope to change in our new nation of Avalon. Making it safer for a person to build a mill, or a silo, or a forge, without the fear that it will be taken from them.
With the population as sparse as it is, the fishing is quite good. The hunting, too. Land is abundant if you are willing to endure the hardships."He is just spreading the word about Avalon without looking for any firm commitments at this time - just getting it in people's heads. Preparing to move to the Stolen Lands requires months of preparation, making arrangements and saving up the necessary supplies. Hopefully by the time any of these locals are ready to move, we'll have more of a realm established.
"You don't say." says one man near toothless man sitting next to Lugo the fisherman from earlier.
Lugo elbows him in a humorous manner and says "Sounds a good deal aye, Lyle? They might even draw a barber there to help you with those teeth."