1st of Frost, Year 119 of the Sixth Age
Darius winced and raised his hand to cover his face as he stepped from the train carriage. The stench of sewage and coal smoke from the factories and furnaces that burned to keep the homes of the cities residents warm overwhelming his senses and caused him to stiffle a cough. Darius rarely forgot the state of decline Drakenraid had fallen into nor the effects of its slowed advancement since the vast growth of Westfalen and Nivenhain. The city was old and had been built quickly and without much thought for the future, thus it corners had been cut and substantial design flaws managed to find their way into the cities construction and design. While he knew his father wished to make changes to the city the growing tension and demand for greater output due to the conflicts with Ravenlow and foreign tribal raiding meant that the money could not be spared. It was unfortunate really as it was truly limiting the ancient cities potential.
A well dressed man approached the nobleman in a black suit with white gloves he bowed before Darius. "Might I take your bag my Lord?" The chauffeur held out a hand ready to recieve the item from the noble. "Of course, thank you." Darius didn't recognise the man, perhaps his father had hired someone new, it wasn't uncommon for the serving staff to change for this reason or that. "Right this way my Lord." The chauffeur gestured towards some stairs down to the filthy narrow streets bellow the raised station platforms.
Descending the stairs the Lord was careful not to slip on any of the dirt and grime that clung to the surface from the many boots and shoes that contacted it each day. It wasn't a surprise to Darius anymore that people around Lorien thought of his home as a drity and downtrodden place, there was more of enough reason to think so. Still the heir saw some potential for the place if only the situation would better allow for it. Passing a man sat at the bottom of the stairs holding out an empty hat with a sad look on his face Darius scowled. It wasn't so much that he lacked empathy for those worse off than himself it was more that he struggled to understand how they ended up there. To him Lorien was not an oppressive society, all people had their place and the system allowed for people to more often than not live comfortably. For this reason Darius often thought these people must have ended up where they were due to their own actions or often innaction.
Tossing the man a coin that landed in the muck before the man he watched as the beggar gleefully grabbed it from the dirt and wiped it on his filthy jacket. "Thank you sir." He croaked as he scurried off down the street. Darius hoped he was rushing off to find himself some food but would not be surprised if he was simply in a rush to get his next dose. The Lord nodded to the chauffeur as he climbed through the open gate of the single horse drawn cab and took his seat on the clean leather seat.
The sound of a whip cracking announced the abrupt launch of the carriage as the horse whinnied and began to move along the cobbled street. It was an bumpy ride as it often was on the uneven stones that were meant to be a road surface, fortunately the seat was well padded for Darius pretecting him when he was bounced enough to break contact with the surface and bump back down. The hansome cab meant that the driver stood behind the passenger meaning that communication tended to entail a fair amount of shouting should you wish to be heard over the sound of the wheels on the cobble and the general bustle of city life.
"Are we near?" Darius called out to his chauffeur awaiting his response. "Not long now my Lord!" He called back as they rounded a corner that revealed a large square with old and extravegant statues and fountains at its centre. The white stone weathered and stained by the dust and smoke that floated in the city air. On the opposite side of the square was a large walled off City Manor House, it stood 5 stories tall at its middle and had two 3 story tall wings that had been added at a later date coming from either side of the original central structure.
This was the home of his family and at one point his ancestors although the Alderset family now had its main family branch home in Westfalen. The gates were opened by two men with halberds wearing black and white uniforms underneath breastplates with the family crest emblazoned on the polished steel. The hansome cab came to a halt at the bottom of a set of wide stairs leading up to the main doors of the house. A butler awaited him at the bottom and opened the gate that kept Darius in, the noble climbing from the cab and following the butler up the stairs where the servant opened the door for him to enter.
Standing in a large hallway Darius heald out his hat and cloak to the butler, the servant taking them from him with a pleasent expression. "Shall I inform your father that you have returned my Lord?" The butler asked hat and cloak still in hand as he waited to be dismissed so he could hang the items in their approapriate place. "That won't be necessary, I would like to get cleaned up before distrubing any of the family, if you could send my valet to meet me in my room that would be perfect." Leaving the Butler to complete his tasks Darius went off towards his room, removing his leather gloves as he went.
Opening the heavy wooden door and entering his room he was comforted to find a fire already burning in the hearth against the far wall of the room. Placing his gloves on a small table by his door he moved over and took a seat in one of the two large leather armchairs that faced the fireplace. With a heavy sigh the nobleman noticed a small pile of letters that were on the sidetable next to him. A small silver letter opener sat atop the envelops, ready to allow for more easy opening of the pile.
Taking the top letter Darius slid the edge of the blade under the seam and in a quick movement cut open the sealed envelope. Sliding the letter out from within, he leaned forward resting his elbows on his thighs as he began to study the text. It was fairly uninteresting, a breif outline of the production from one of his fathers factories in the city. Something about a couple of damaged hollows and a slight delay in the production-line until they can be replaced.
Returning the letter to the pile he collected up the next one, again opening it and sliding out the folded paper inside he studied the text with a raised eyebrow. It was a petition from the residents of Drakenraid living around the town centre, they were requesting the installation of an underground sewage system. Even as he read the letter the memories of the foul stench that had filled his nostrils when he left the train carriage returned as if it were being reactivated in the hairs of his airway. He briefly considered ignoring the request but then thought a little deaper on the matter.
Standing up he moved over and leaned against the mantelpiece, the roaring fire warming his legs as he thought about the potential gains of a cleaner town centre. It would certainly improve the citizens morale, likely improve economic output in doing so. He couldn't ignore the fact that people getting off the train might be less likely to simply turn right back around if they weren't met with such a foul scent upon arrival. In truth the potential gains were extensive, not even including the fact that he might even consider walking down the highstreet rather than racing straight through it in a carriage or on horseback.
He folded the letter back up and walked across the room and through another large wooden door into his study, bookcases lined the walls and a large desk was against the far wall. The nobleman placed the letter he had recieved in one of the draws on the desk and took out a quill, ink and some paper. Sitting down in the comfortable leather chair he pulled himself under the desk and began to write a response to the original petition.
Dear Citizens of Drakenraid central,
I have read over your petition and request for action to combat the unsanitary living conditions within which you find yourselves and I find sense in looking into a solution for your predicament. I have not yet decided on a certain course of action to resolve this issue, however, I will consult with the Count, my Father, and attempt to find a suitable and effective answer to your petition. I request that you all enact patience in this matter as making large alterations to the centre of this old and historic city will be a slow and long process but I will do my best to reolve this matter in due course.
For Lorien Alone,
Lord Darius Maxamilian Alderset
Stamping a wax family seal to hold the envelop closed he adressed the front and then placed the letter into the outbound tray on his desk. His Valet would make sure that the letter was sent and that left Darius to attempt to find a reasonable and cost effective solution to the problem presented. After all he had written his response informing the people that he understood their needs when in reality there were far more benefits to making such changes than just appeasing the wishes of his family's subjects. This change offered great potential to Drakenraid as a whole and he was not about to waste that due to a small amount of money from the family coffers.
