Editing Black Heath (section)

=== A Lord's Burden ===
The lordship of Black Heath is not a reward — it is a shelf [1]. It is the fief granted to the family the crown wants out of the way, or the loyal-but-unremarkable house that does not merit a better posting, or perhaps a quiet punishment dressed in the language of honor [1]. The lord of Black Heath governs a world of mud and trees where the locals will not permit a single beam of timber to be cut, where every attempt at conventional construction is undermined by the ground itself, and where the most respected members of the population are old men and women who stand motionless in the woods for days at a time [1].

The Canmore court sends resources and attention to its great fortress-worlds — to '''[[Domnall]]''', to '''[[Moaranis]]''' — and gives Black Heath whatever is left over, which is rarely much [1]. Reports from the sphere are skimmed and filed [1]. Requests for investment are politely declined [1]. The people of Black Heath are regarded, when they are regarded at all, as rustic oddities — harmless, backward, and not worth the effort of understanding [1].