Chandler stood before the small estate at the top of a hill surrounded by a small village. Beyond the village is a marsh spanning further than the eye can see, and to the west is a vast forest, behind which is a great chain of mountains. This wasteland is the place where Chandler has been exiled for all intents and purposes. This is the land that Prince, no, King Benedict has made Chandler the Baron of. Just thinking about that bastard was enough to bring blood to Chandler's face. 

    Though Chandler may have been the third son of a baron with no prospects, he was doing well back at the academy. He had grades nearing the top of his class and was pretty good with a great sword. All in all, he was shaping up to become a decent knight, among the best outcomes for someone who just barely qualified as a noble. However, it was his success that brought attention to him and marked the beginning of his decline. Chandler shook himself. Enough dwelling on the past, there is work to be done he thought.

    Walking up to the front door Chandler was greeted by a guard just a touch younger than himself.

"Ello! Can I help you?" the boy said.

    Chandler produced a letter with a wax stamp bearing the crest of the Royal Office of Administration of Imperial Land.

"Please deliver this to the mayor and let him know that I need to speak with him" Chandler replied

"Ah see, clearly you've got important stuff to talk about. Never mind waiting, just follow me," the boy answered as he held the door open for Chandler.

    Chandler was surprised by the lax security of this place. Though on second thought, maybe a greater amount of protection was unnecessary in a land of such little value. After all, even pickpockets ignore those with ripped pockets. As he made his way through the estate, Chandler was pleasantly surprised at the condition of the building. Although it may be dusty in the low traffic areas, maintenance has not been skipped out as the floorboards were sturdy and the interior was relatively clean. Finally, the guard stopped in front of a door near the top of the stairs on the second floor. Knocking on the door, the guard spoke,

"Mayor Winfield, you've got a visitor, some messenger or something"

"All right all right, send them in," spoke an exhausted-sounding voice.

    Upon entering the room, Chandler could see a tall thin man sitting at a desk surrounded by papers. The man, seemingly in his sixties or even seventies, gestured towards a seat in front of the desk.

"By all means, please sit down, who do I have the pleasure of meeting today?"

    Sitting down, Chandler held out the envelope to the overworked man.

"My name is Chandler. Before we discuss, please read this," Chandler replied as Mayor Winfield took the envelope.

"Alright, will do," Mayor Winfield said, accepting the envelope and opening it with a small knife.

    As Mayor Winfield read the letter, his eyes went wide before he let out a sigh of relief, dropping the letter onto the table.

"Mayor Winfield?" Chandler inquired.

"Not Mayor anymore my lord, and thank heavens you're here," Elder Winfield responded.

    Elder Winfield looked as if a visible weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he started taking all the papers around him and putting them into various folders, all labeled clearly. Chandler was not surprised by this reaction as the letter he read was the authorization to transfer duties of the Mayor to Chandler, the new Baron of this province. However, before Elder Winfield could bolt, Chandler started asking some questions,

"So, I take it you didn't enjoy being Mayor all too much."

"Not at all my lord, do I look like a man fit for the stresses of governing a land of any size?" Elder Winfield replied.

"Mayhaps not, but before you leave, I have a proposition for you," Chandler countered.

"... What kind of proposition?" Elder Winfield replied cautiously, he did not want to get dragged into any more politics.

"Look, I know that you are tired of doing the work here, I get it, but I still need your help-" Chandler started.

"Not interested," Elder Winfield interrupted, cutting him off.

"Listen to me, If you turn your back on me, life around he is going to get a lot worse," Chandler stated.

"Don't care, I've got the funds to move out of this dump," Elder Winfield countered.

"But in what state? What if I told you I could make you richer here than you would ever be anywhere else?" Chandler spoke.

    With the mention of riches, Elder Winfield could not help but listen to the proposition and turned his head towards Chandler. Though showing no outward expressions, Chandler was grinning on the inside. With this, I've got him Chandler thought, reflecting on his lessons in negotiation back in the academy.

"I have a real chance at bringing prosperity to this territory, contrary to what others think," Chandler stated.

"On what basis do you say this? You could be making it up for all I know," Elder Winfield protested.

"You know, I did graduate in the top ten from the academy," Chandler responded, pulling a medallion out of his pocket and placing it on the table.

    Elder Winfield's eyes popped out of their sockets. This medallion was proof of what Chandler was saying. Could it be true? Could this guy really pull this off? he thought considering the offer before him. Before he decided, Elder Winfield narrowed his eyes and asked one last question,

"What is someone as distinguished as you doing all the way out here?" the Elder asked.

"Politics, but I left those petty issues back in the capital," Chandler responded.

    Hmmm... This could be an issue but screw it, let's give it a shot. Besides, I can always bail if I need to. With these thoughts, Elder Winfield sat down once again to discuss the specifics of what the new Baron needed from him.