The Path toward Lordship

This flow traces William Oh’s evolving conception of Lordship from childish fantasy to a dangerous political project shaped by survival and resistance.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Child’s Lordship

A Child’s Lordship The Fantasy of Wealth William Oh imagines becoming a Lord who sends money and supplies to Saint Gertrude’s Orphanage. Lordship begins as a child’s vision of financial rescue. Family in the Dream His imagined Demesne would compensate for the absence of Mary Oh and Thomas Oh. Power promises to repair both economic and emotional abandonment. An Unexamined System Will does not yet understand Vassals, politics, or rival Lords. He sees only the freedom that ownership seems to promise.

The Tenth-Floor Goal

The Tenth-Floor Goal A Revised Ambition William Oh chooses the Tenth Floor as a concrete milestone. The goal gives shape to his desire to find his parents and understand The Tower. Conquest as Method He imagines pacifying a Floor, funneling wealth downward, and repeating the process upward. His plan combines governance with systematic expansion. A Dangerous Scale The dream is still naïve, but no longer merely personal. Will begins imagining himself responsible for populations, routes, and resources.

The Talent Threat

The Talent Threat Exceptional Growth Steve identifies William Oh’s high stat growth as evidence that he could become a Lord. The compliment functions as a warning. Predatory Recruitment Existing Lords may abduct talented Climbers and force them into Vassalage. Lordship protects power by preventing rivals from emerging. Freedom at Risk Will learns that reaching the top requires surviving not only monsters but people who fear independent success. His path becomes politically dangerous before he owns anything.

The Oilton Claim

The Oilton Claim A Lordship in Waiting Mark Wyrd arrives with Vassals and expects to claim Oilton. His status depends on satisfying formal conditions, not restoring the dead. Will’s Interference William Oh’s coalition destroys the city’s infrastructure before Mark can establish control. The act prevents an easy Lordship but creates a direct enemy. Power Revealed Will sees that Lordship is a contest over prepared territory. The Tower rewards those who arrive with people, timing, and a claim.

A Political Future

A Political Future No Longer Naive William Oh understands that Lordship means attracting enemies, controlling infrastructure, and protecting people who depend on him. It is no longer a simple reward. A Chosen Risk He still intends to conquer The Tower because submission to existing Lords is worse than danger. His ambition survives its loss of innocence. The Next Horizon The plan to kill the Wyrd family marks the beginning of Will’s political career. Whether he becomes a liberator or another ruler remains unresolved.

before William Oh begins The Hunt

after Gertrude describes the upper Floors

during Steve Holland’s warning about promising Climbers

during Mark Wyrd’s arrival at Oilton

at the ending of the novel