The next morning, the air around Vaal'kor felt different from anything Ka'z had experienced since the village began taking shape. The previous night's gathering had left a tension hanging over the settlement, and even though the arguments had ended without bloodshed, everyone seemed to be moving with greater caution.
Conversations became quieter whenever members of the older generation passed by, while the younger kobolds gathered in small groups and spoke openly about what had happened.
Lan'ka had still been chosen as Chieftain according to tradition, but the position no longer carried the same unquestioned weight it once had.
With much of the village's military strength now operating directly under Tu'ka and the most powerful magic beasts treating Ka'z's group as their own, Lan'ka's authority existed more through tradition than through the forces that actually protected Vaal'kor.
