The procession of citizens continued into the late hours, their concerns as varied as their faces.
Some spoke of farms ravaged by pests, pleading for aid to save their dying crops. Others recounted horror stories of monsters prowling their lands, tearing apart livestock and endangering their families.
Disputes between landowners over boundaries and rights were presented, their tones bitter and accusatory.
But now, to Aeric, each case was a piece of the larger puzzle that he now saw more clearly: Starlight was under immense strain, and even though the Region seemed to be at one of its greatest times in terms of achievement, its people fraying at the edges.
Aeric listened carefully to each plea, his responses measured, though his heart grew heavier with each passing story.
