The farms the local townlands encompassed had gone back to nature, but one could still roughly see the area they’d encompassed, an area of grassy meadows. It was past the fall Harvest season, and we’d made sure to bring a store of food with us to get us through the winter, so when the spring harvest came, we should be able to have food grown from our townlands. Looking over to Lexichan, I said, “Organize the farmers, and have them start clearing lands. Tell them that they are to work together for this first harvest to ensure we have enough food, but after the planting enough to ensure our survival, we will begin dividing the claims, and everyone will help clear the land. The hunters and woodsmen are to go into the forest, and gather game and wood so we can begin repairing the buildings we can, and building new ones. Make the smithy and a workshop the first priorities behind shelter. Tell the hunters to send word if they see any bandits or other potential problem creatures.”
Turning to Raunaeril as Lexichan moved off, I said, “Take your group, and explore the dungeons. I’ve sent you the map data we had from last time, but I want to know if there are any changes, or things I’ve missed. If anyone’s moved in, or if traps have reset themselves, that would be an unfortunate situation that we need to know about ahead of time.”
Next, I looked at my girls, Hrozne, and the drow slaves behind them. “Follow me. It is time we explored the keep in earnest. Iqnora, stay by my side. I’ll want to know your impressions of the building, and if anything has been changed since your time.”
As we approached the moat, Iqnora gasped, seeing the holes in the towers and walls encircling the keep. “These walls were made by the best craftsmen of the day. I’ve seen dragons fail to break them before.”
“Can they be repaired?”
“There was a quarry nearby, where the Greenstone came from. It has properties that make it resist magic and magical attacks, making it very useful for defensive measures.”
“I will see to getting the walls repaired once shelters are built for the people. What about this moat? I can feel a sense of unease just looking at it.”
“The water comes from the nearby lake, and the waterway is enchanted to be hostile to those not recognized by the artifact at the keep’s core. Once attuned to the artifact, the water is harmless, clear, and safe to drink, for you. Until then, it will act as a potent acid, or worse.”
“So the artifact will allow those I designate to cross freely, but keep enemies at bay. An incredible piece of work.”
“Much has been lost over the years. The ‘legendary’ or ‘artifact’ items of this day were merely masterworks of a bygone age.”
Nodding thoughtfully, I take a good look at the remains of the keep for the first time. For having been neglected as long as it was, the condition isn’t that bad. Most of the walls look to be standing, though it seems damage from a catapult or spell took out part of the upper floors. “
Together, we made our way into the heart of the keep. The place held little of its former glory, but sometimes you could see hints of the elven architecture, bits of stonework that hadn’t fallen into disrepair. But everywhere, there were signs of delicate carvings being chiseled away and defaced, formerly exquisite tapestries either burnt or allowed to molder and rot, and furniture that was all broken and rotten, if not missing entirely. The centuries had not been kind.
Trying to keep her eyes off the sad sight, Iqnora led us into the main hall. A huge hole at the far end marked where a catapult had made short work of a massive stained glass window. The stone still lay on a stone dais, now cracked and broken with the impact, the remains of whatever throne may have sat here crushed beneath it.
We moved behind the dais, and here Iqnora reached out to touch a stone emblazoned with a black rune. The stone glowed as her magic touched it. “I knew my time in the mortal realm was limited, so before the Terror came for me, I sealed away the castle’s treasuries and armory, to keep the artifacts out of the hands of those not worthy of them. The magic of this place is such that it hid the sealed areas from even magical searches. The control artifact was kept in the most secure vault.” As she spoke, stone shifted, dropping down to become a set of stairs leading beneath the floor. A hidden basement!
Iqnora led the way now, deactivating traps and other defenses as we passed through the stone corridors. I noted two large armories, and six lesser treasuries, running the length of the castle. If my internal map was correct, we were now almost directly underneath the entrance hall, and before us was a massive adamantine vault door. Iqnora uttered words of power, and a ward flashed in front of the door, before deactivating, and then the door slid open.
Inside was a storehouse of magic items, all of rare or higher grades, I was certain, but in the center was what to anyone from my world was immediately recognizable as desk-sized console, with a luxurious chair behind it. This would be the master interface for this castle, maybe even the whole territory!
Iqnora motioned me forward, and said, “Only the Master of the Castle, or those he dictates may use the console. I am no longer the Mistress of Lithaes Castle, and the magic knows this. Take your rightful seat, and we will have some idea about how much work there is left to do.”
I sat at the console, and placed one hand upon a marking that was clearly supposed to be a hand scanner.
Initializing…
New Owner detected!
Default parameters loaded.
It has been 1562 years, 6 months, 23 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes, and 54 seconds since last update.
Updating Status…
Building Interface
Lithaes Castle
HP
1233608/8500000
MP
900000/900000
HP Regen
0 per min
MP Regen
1 per min
Defense
345690/500000
Shield
0/1000000
24543 PP
303450 GP
15600 SP
125032 CP
Statistics
See building statistics by section or type.
Upgrades
Choose available upgrades to castle.
Settings
Current display and power management settings.
Status
View damaged areas, prioritize repairs.
Huh. So there was more to this than simply throwing rocks together, it seemed. Still, considering it had been over fifteen hundred years since the last time someone played with the interface, this place has held up nicely. Still had most of its defense (I guess that’s what the walls being mostly intact meant), but it was in bad shape, with around an eighth of its total HP remaining. The fact that this place had mana, and a shield, was very interesting, as well. But before I got into upgrades or repairs, I decided to check the settings.
Settings
Command Method
Voice Command
Mental Command
Display Method
Audio Relay
Mental Display
Access Settings
Access List
Edit Access
Remove Access
Shield Charge
ON
Auto-Repair
ON
Physical Defenses
Upgrade Required
Magical Defenses
Upgrade Required
I quickly changed the settings to allow Mental Commands and Mental Display. Those were a no-brainer. I was pleasantly surprised, though, that I could now access the building menu anywhere in the castle so long as I gave a mental prompt to bring it up. Looking at the shield charge and auto-repair, I wondered why they were turned off. Upon inspecting them, I found out:
Shield Charge – Recharges the Castle’s magical shield, to help protect it from attacks. The shield absorbs damage instead of the castle walls, providing an extra layer of defense. It als
o prevents some harmful spells and effects from entering the castle. It does not prevent enemies from entering the castle. Turning this option on reserves 100000 MP from the castle’s supply, and charges the shield at a rate of 1000 points per hour. Shield recharge is suppressed whenever the Owner or a designated representative is not present within castle boundaries.
Auto-Repair – Uses available materials to repair the physical structure of the castle, restoring lost HP and Defense. Must have a supply of the correct materials to begin repairs. Rate of repair is 1000 HP and 250 Defense per hour. Repair If used in conjunction with someone using an appropriate skill (Construction, Woodworking, Architecture), repair speed increases based on user’s skill rank. Turning this option on reserves 200000 MP from the castle’s supply. Auto-Repair is suppressed whenever the Owner or a designated representative is not present within castle boundaries, or when there is no available material to use for repairs.
That explained it. Since no owner was around to provide the commands to the console, the functions shut off. They used an ungodly amount of MP, and would take over a month for the shields to charge, and a helluvalot longer for the castle, if I didn’t find a way to speed it along. I might be able to upgrade that Auto-Repair function. Anyways, I turned them both on, reserving a full third of the castle’s mana supply. Best start things charging up early. While I was at it, I went ahead and added Lexichan and Iqnora as authorized users, though their permissions didn’t match mine. I designated Iqnora my Seneschal and Lexichan my ‘Heir-Designate’. Basically, if I got kicked out of the game somehow, Lexichan became the new owner.
Looking up at the others, I said, “We’re in business. There’s a lot of work to do, but I’ve started charging the defense shields and the auto-repair functions. If we can get proper materials to the castle, and craftsmen to speed the process, the castle will repair itself. I’ll have to play around with upgrades to see if there’s anything to speed that up.”
I looked around, and said, “For now, Della, you take the girls and find rooms for us to set up in until the residential areas of the castle are rebuilt. Then you may all pursue your own ends until dinner.”
When they left, I went back to the interface, and called up the Upgrades page.
Facility Upgrades
Name
Cost
Description
Advanced Auto-Repair
100000 GP
Auto-Repair increases speed to restore 1% of castle HP and Defense each hour, provided appropriate material is present, but eliminates worker bonus to speed.
Mist Workers
50000 GP
Unlocks Mist Worker ability. Registered users may summon Mist Workers to do physical, unskilled tasks around castle. Mist Workers cost 100 MP and last for 24 hours.
Mystic Forge
N/A
Upgrades the current Forge and Smithy to a Mystic Forge, allowing the processing of magical metals and materials. Allows advanced smithing techniques.
(Locked until Forge repaired.)
Alchemy Lab
2000 GP
Creates a basic Alchemy Lab, allowing the creation of potions and other alchemic works.
Magic Research Lab
N/A
Creates a lab suitable for magical research. Is an upgrade of the Enchanter’s Lab.
(Locked until Enchanter’s Lab repaired.)
Craftsman’s Workshop
N/A
Upgrades the Workshop to a Craftsman’s Workshop, giving +20% bonus to all general crafting skills (Woodworking, Sculpture, Painting, and so on).
(Locked until Workshop repaired.)
Library
500 GP
Creates a basic Library. Additional levels increases space. Books purchased separately.
Tailor/Leatherworker
1000 GP
Creates a Tailor/Leatherworker’s Shop. Allows crafting of Cloth and Leather goods.
Stables
1000 GP
Creates basic stables for up to 20 mounts.
Throne Room, Lv 3
N/A
Upgrades Throne Room to Level 3.
(Locked until Throne Room repaired.)
Living Quarters
Special
Creates residences, kitchens, dining halls, baths, and so on for castle residents and staff. Price depends on options selected.
Dungeons
Special
Creates a dungeon to keep prisoners secure. Price depends on options selected.
Training Hall
1000 GP
Constructs a Training Hall, suitable for weapons and magic training. Allows Class Trainer upgrade.
Dark Temple
20000 GP
Upgrades Dark Shrine to Dark Temple. +20% to all divine spells cast by Evil or Neutral characters. Additional +20% to all divine spells cast by worshipers of the Goddess venerated at the Temple (Currently: Sharess).
Area Upgrades
Locked until new features explored.
Townland Upgrades
Locked until townlands settled.
Defensive Upgrades
Area Scan
N/A
Provides detailed map of area, including enemy troop movements.
(Locked until Astrogatorium built.)
Veil
100000 GP
Creates a magical veil that hides the castle from view to anyone hostile to the Owner or the residents. Reserves 50000 MP from Castle stores.
Everfilling Well
100000 GP
Creates a magical well and cistern that constantly refills itself with clean, pure water.
Deathwater Moat
50000 GP
Moat becomes filled with Deathwater Poison, killing enemies that touch it. Useless against Undead or Constructs.
(Current Moat: Cursed Moat)
Acid Moat
5000 GP
Moat becomes filled with potent acid, dissolving everything except for earth (will affect allies as well). No effect on Earth-type creatures.
(Current Moat: Cursed Moat)
Flaming Moat
10000 GP
Moat becomes perpetually filled with flaming oil, doing damage to all who try to cross it. Smoke may impair vision.
(Current Moat: Cursed Moat)
Augmented Walls
N/A
Augments castle walls with various effects. Price based on options selected.
(Locked until Magical Research Lab built.)
Weapons Upgrades
Magic Ballista
1000 GP
Creates a magical ballista. Can be upgraded or enchanted for further effects. Ammunition costs 1 MP per shot from castle stores.
Magic Trebuchet
10000 GP
Creates a magical trebuchet. Can be upgraded or enchanted for further effects. Ammunition costs 10 MP per shot from castle stores.
“Well, fuck. What am I going to do first?”
Chapter 55 – Basebuilding for Beginners
Well, there were a few no-brainers. We had a shortage of skilled craftsmen, and their talents could be better served rebuilding the town and the surrounding area. So ‘Advanced Auto-Repair’ was a given. Plus, I liked the idea of being able to stockpile material and have my castle repair itself. 1% per hour wasn’t much, but it changed the repair time from months to days, and that wasn’t bad.
Next on the list was the Mist Workers. While the description suggested that they’d be useless in a fight, being able to summon manual laborers was always good. I wouldn’t trust them for something that required a degree of fine motor skills, like picking fruit. Even basic things like cutting trees or mining would best be left to those who had the skills. But hauling the trees, stone, and ore around? Or preparing ground for building? Or plowing a field? Or clearing debris? That was all possible. Maybe more, once I figured out their limits. So they were purchased, too.
That cost me 15000 PP, but since I paid for it from the castle treasury, I didn’t mind as much. The
next thing I really, really wanted was that ‘Area Scan’ upgrade, but it was missing a prereq, and that ‘Astrogatorium’ wasn’t on the list of things I could build. Which probably meant that it was something that you had to build after one or two other things were up, like in those RTS games, where certain units or buildings couldn’t be bought until a couple other things had been built. In my case, that probably meant the Magic Lab needed to happen first, which was one more reason to get that repair work done soon.
I wanted to wait until the walls and towers were repaired before deciding on defensive weapons and emplacements, so I left that for the moment. I did, however, get the Everfilling Well, Alchemy Lab, Tailor/Leatherworker Workshop, Training Hall, and the Library (which held 5 book lots). The result was that a new section opened on the Upgrades list, called ‘Extras’. I’d look at that in a sec. First, I needed to make this place livable. So I opened the Living Quarters upgrade section.
Rules-Free VRMMO Life_Volume V_Power Base Page 5
