The Greystone Chronicles Book Two: The Dire Lands

by Dave Willmarth

  Fitz was fondling the baby worm like starving man handed a coconut, trying to get inside. “Fitz, it’s not food. And don’t lick it. A kobold chief’s been sitting on it.”

  “There were kobolds in the mine?” The wizard looked up.

  “Yep. They were mining. Piles of loose gems and carts full of iron and silver ore down there.” He pointed below to the stone box full of gems. “And Grimble found some big troll footprints too. Though he said they were older.”

  “Interesting neighbors you have around here. Trolls, kobolds, rockworms, a dungeon full of demons,” the wizard observed.

  “So, how did the discussion go with the farmers and mason?” Alexander asked. Did they decided where best to place the wall?”

  “They’ve gone out to examine the soil and the stone beneath.” Kai pointed out toward the meadow where several figures were moving about. “But they think your idea is a good one. Two hundred yards gives enough space for crops and animals. The farmers say they’ll want additional fields outside the wall as well, but that having some crops secured inside the keep will enable them to feed us during a long siege.”

  “Speaking of sieges, Fitz, can you put wards on the gate like you did at the compound? Either teleport or kill wards? Tie them to the dragon pins I’ve given everyone? Or our medallions?” Alexander asked.

  “That’s what I was doing when Kai summoned me. I’ll get back to it. Oh, and I’ll be raising a proper wizard’s tower shortly. Might want to warn everyone.” The wizard handed the worm back to Kai before disappearing.

  “Jeeves, loudspeaker, please.”

  “Of course, master. Go ahead,” Jeeves said.

  “Attention everyone. If you see a large tower burst from the ground in the next little while, do not worry. It’s just our favorite wizard making himself comfortable. And wards have been set that will kill, or teleport to the dungeon, anyone not wearing a dragon pin. So, if you don’t have one, see Master Silverbeard. Also, the mine has been cleared, and a tribe of kobolds removed from our lands. If you see Beatrix, Lugs, Grimble, Fibble, Sasha, Jules, or Helga, buy them a drink. Maybe two for Lugs. And half for Fibble! They did good work today! Lastly, I expect a visit within the hour from King Thalgrin of Broken Mountain. So, everybody, try to look pretty.”

  There was some scattered laughter down below. His people were getting used to his weak humor.

  Alexander left the worm with Kai, as it was too heavy for him to carry. He decided to call a guild officer’s meeting to discuss the happenings of the day, and opened up guild chat.

  “Max, Lainey, time to come in for a meeting. Lorian, bring your group in too. Any update on the adventurers?”

  “We are already on our way. The adventurers are still moving toward the keep. They should arrive before dark.” Lorian answered. “They’ve stopped fighting beasts, though that may be because the local animals are a higher level.”

  “Okay, please follow them in, Lorian. Officers, please meet me at the gate. We’ve got some business to discuss before Thalgrin arrives.” Alexander said.

  Walking out the gate, Alexander began to wave at the farmers and masons in the field, motioning them to come in. He didn’t want them outside the walls with a potentially hostile group of players approaching.

  As they gathered around, he asked, “Who’s speaking for the farmers? And for the masons?”

  A human farmer named Shelton raised his hand. And a dwarf named Brogin did so for the masons. “Okay, good. Let’s start with the soil. Is this land we’re standing on good for farming?” he asked Shelton.

  “Aye, sir. It’ll do fine. A bit of a slope, but if we can irrigate, we can have crops growing here in no time. Should be able to grow enough to feed a couple of hundred people with corn, wheat, and vegetables. We’ll want to plow more fields outside in order to grow enough to trade though,” Shelton said.

  “Thank you, Shelton. Now, Brogin. What about placement of an outer wall?”

  “There be plenty of stone below. Solid bedrock three hundred feet down. Ye can raise walls as high as ye like. We been talking ‘bout an alternative to high walls, though. High walls block the wind, and the sun. Maybe not so good for the crops?” He looked at Shelton, who agreed. “The wizard mentioned a moat. Ye could make the wall ten feet high on the inside, and dig a wide moat on the outside. Make the wall wide, with a road on top fer moving troops and weapons about. Fill the moat with spikes fer any foolish enough to jump in. No enemy will be able to bridge it with a siege tower.”

  “I’m afraid spikes won’t work.” Alexander grinned at the dwarf. “Fitz wants to put a moat monster in there. I’m going to have a contest to name it. Winner gets to feed it!” The group chuckled.

  “Aye, a moat monster’d work too. Once it’s growed, at least. In that case, we’ll need to make the moat deeper. At least forty feet. And keep the water flowing,” Brogin said.

  “Thank you, gentlemen. We’ll begin work on the wall in the morning. You should be able to start plowing the next day, Shelton. If you need anything in the way of tools or equipment, let Master Silverbeard or Lola know. For now, please head back inside. There is a group of adventurers approaching, and they may be hostile.”

  Walking back toward the gate with the group of citizens, he said, “Brogin, where are we with the repairs? Do you have an estimate on how long it will take?”

  The dwarf replied, “The wall already be repaired. The wizard see’d to it. The keep and the tower be more complicated. We’ll need to erect scaffolds and cranes to lift the stones. Then there be some damage to internal walls where the wizard got rambunctious.” He grinned.

  “The mages and I will be focusing on the outer wall for the next few days,” Alexander said. “After that we can lend our efforts to help with the repairs. Please focus on the main structure’s lower levels. We need to be able to secure the building in case an enemy breaches the wall. And we need to make as much residential space as we can available, to get folks moved indoors. Again, let Silverbeard or Lola know if you need anything.”

  Turning to look toward the forest, Alexander saw Lainey and her hunters jogging in from the direction of the falls. Before long, Max and his group cleared the forest directly ahead of the gate. He waved at both groups, and waited for them to arrive.

  Max and Lainey sent their hunters in to deliver the meat they’d gathered to the kitchen. The three of them were soon joined by Brick and Sasha.

  “Let’s move inside the bailey gate tunnel, to make sure we’re not overheard,” Alexander said quietly. He had no way to know if there were stealthed enemies nearby.

  “So, the first thing you should know is that we mostly cleared the mine, and we’re incredibly rich. More so than before. There were hundreds of thousands in gems and ore just laying around in the mine. And there’s maybe a thousand pounds of refined mithril that was pooped out by a giant rockworm.”

  Hearing that, Brick grabbed Max’s arm to steady himself. “Sweet Durin,” he mumbled.

  “It gets better,” Alexander continued. “We found two baby rockworms. Mithril rockworms. Grimble says King Thalgrin would practically sell his left nut for them. We’re going to make a deal with him this evening. He’ll train both worms, and give one back to us. It’ll as much as double our mine production a year or so from now. Plus, the skin is an ultra-rare spell component, which has Fitz making googly-eyes. And Grimble says we’ll get a couple of diamond-tipped picks enchanted to work mithril.”

  Brick moaned like he’d just eaten a really good thanksgiving meal. Max laughed. “Brick’s gonna have his house paid off by the end of the year.”

  “Max, Lainey, how much meat did you bring in?” Alexander asked.

  Lainey said, “We took down eight boars, two bears, and six wolves.” Max followed with, “Four boars, eight wolves, two deer the size of a moose, and a snake that’s gonna give me nightmares. Damned thing was twenty-four feet long.”

  “Ooh! Tell me you brought me its skin!” Lainey grabbed his arm.

  �
��Of course. Actually, two of them. We looted a snakeskin, then skinned it. You can make about thirty pairs of snakeskin boots, I think!”

  Looking to Sasha, Alexander said, “So, with that much meat, we can feed our gang for…?”

  “Combined with the supplies we already have, I’d say four weeks with our current population. Master Silverbeard could tell you better. And don’t forget Lorian’s party is still out there. They were hunting as well, and maybe collecting the meat those adventurers left behind,” Sasha replied.

  “Good! So even if we’re cut off, and can’t use the portals to supply, we can feed ourselves for at least a month. Which reminds me, anybody checked on the water supply? Do we have wells? Or is there working plumbing somewhere?”

  They all had blank looks. Nobody had thought to check. “Right, then. Need to get with Silverbeard and check that ASAP.” Alexander made a note.

  “We’re going to be starting on a second wall in the morning. About two hundreed yards out. It will allow farmers to work in safety, and give us a protected area for livestock. Max, Lainey, I’d like the hunters to stand guard over the wall construction for the next few days. Keep watch on the forest,” he said. “There’s going to a moat on the other side. And Fitz says he’s bringing a moat monster!”

  Sasha giggled at this. “You always dreamed of having a castle with a moat.”

  Max added, “Didn’t everyone?”

  “For Max and Lainey, who were too far away to hear my awesome announcement-” Sasha snorted at this. “Fitz is about to raise himself a wizard’s tower. The wall repairs are complete, and the masons are starting on the main donjon building. Max, I’d like you to organize the carpenters. We need a few things quickly. Doors, and furniture. We can move people inside more quickly if we focus on those. Oh, and more long tables for meals. Nothing fancy, just long smooth planks on saw-horses would do.”

  “Easy enough. We’ve got eight carpenters besides myself, that I know of. We’ll get started after dinner,” Max said.

  “There are eighteen miners with nothing to do for a few days, so grab some if you need heavy things moved,” Alexander offered. “They’re good at swinging picks, maybe they’re good at swinging axes, too? And we need to clear the forest back to leave more clear ground outside the new wall.”

  “Brick, how are you doing setting up the smithy?” he asked.

  “Fine. The smiths be making swords and axes, arrowheads and spear heads. It be a mite small for all of us to work in, though. I be thinkin’ maybe we could raise some more obsidian and make another forge. It need not be a dragon forge. The magic that gets absorbed in the stone will help all the smiths make better weapons, and level up our skills faster, even without the dragon magic.”

  “Okay, I’ll raise the obsidian for you in a minute. It should get a laugh from Thalgrin.” He grinned. “As for crafting, there were…” he looked at Sasha, “maybe nine or ten mining carts of iron ore ready to be pulled up?”

  Sasha nodded, and added, “And two carts of silver ore.”

  “Aye, that’ll be a big help. There be a good size smelting rig set up outside the smithy. We’ll be havin’ refined metals in no time.” Brick smiled.

  “Also, keep in mind we need to replace the portcullis,” Alexander said. “Actually, we might need one for the outer wall as well. And, Max, we’ll need to craft a bridge for the moat. Ironwood.” Both men nodded.

  “Lainey, it sounds like you’ll have several dozen hides to work with. At least one of the men, a guy named Claude, is a tanner. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether to trade the dire wolf pelts to the dwarves, or work with them yourself. And I think we should lay off the dire wolves until our hunters can give us an accurate feeling of the population. We need to leave some for players to kill, so that the king can have his pelts to trade with Broken Mountain.” He grinned. It wouldn’t do to take away the king’s source of dwarven spirits.

  The mechanics of Io allowed for mobs like the dire wolves, who were the objects of a standing bounty quest, to respawn in a matter of days. Faster if a large number of players were harvesting them. Other beasts, like bears, generally respawned after a week. Part of managing the dire lands was going to be managing its resources. Including the wildlife.

  “Alright, then. Anybody have anything else?”

  “The two priests been workin’ in the chapel inside the keep. They be wantin’ ye to raise a block o’ stone like ye did in Whitehall. To be a power source fer the consecration,” Brick said.

  “Okay, let’s go now. I’ll raise the altar stone first. Then your smithy. We’ve got maybe thirty minutes before the king arrives. Are the priests ready for the consecration otherwise?” he asked.

  “Aye. Been workin’ on it all day. Just need ye to pull the stone, and me to shape it.”

  Chapter Ten A Wizard, A Blacksmith, And Two Priests Walk Into a Bar…

  Ending the meeting, Brick led Alexander to the chapel. It was a long, narrow room on the ground floor of the keep’s main structure. There was an empty area where the priests had evidently cleared away a wooden altar. Greeting the two priests, Alexander went right to work. They were pressed for time.

  Reaching down into the earth with his magic, he located a large obsidian deposit. It was not as prevalent here as it was in Stormforge, as they were further from the volcano’s crater, but there was more than enough for his needs.

  Cutting out a block roughly four feet square, he began to raise it up. This was a more difficult challenge, as he had several levels of dungeons below him. He would have to carefully soften the rock at each level to allow the block to pass through, then harden it again. It took him ten minutes, but finally he wrangled the black stone up into the chapel.

  Leaving Brick to shape the altar, Alexander ran outside to the smithy, which was just past the kitchen’s side entrance where everyone ate. He’d just thought of another thing he needed to accomplish immediately.

  Being outside the keep’s main structure, raising the stone was not as difficult. He didn’t have the lower levels to avoid. He grabbed hold of as large a block as he thought he could handle, and began to lift. After three minutes, he needed to stop and replenish his mana and stamina. The stone block was about halfway up. He downed a mana potion and a stamina potion, munched on a piece of jerky, then got back to work. Two minutes later, there was a twelve-foot cube of obsidian standing next to the smithy.

  Not having the time or energy to run, Alexander teleported himself outside the gate, to roughly the spot where the new wall would be. He quickly raised a slender six-foot stone post, enchanted it with the light spell, and tied it into the earth as a power source. He’d done this process dozens of times around Whitehall, and the process was second nature at this point. While pulling up the altar, he had remembered that the consecration in Whitehall had extended out as far as the light posts he and Brick had set up. He wanted the entire area within his walls to be consecrated as well. So he needed to rush and get some posts up before the king arrived, and he was needed there.

  There was no time to a do a full ring. So, he placed one in the middle of the arc that would be the new wall. Then he teleported to the west end of the meadow, and placed another where the new wall would connect to the ridge. Then he teleported himself to the opposite side, and placed a light post where the wall would connect at that end. Finding himself with just under ten minutes left, he placed three more posts between the east end and the center, and three more on the west side. Nine posts, all drawing power from the earth, set in a rough arc around the keep. He hoped it would be enough to extend the blessing of the two gods.

  Teleporting back to the portal area, he had a minute or so to collect himself. After several deep breaths, he opened the portal.

  King Thalgrin and Grimble were accompanied by half a dozen dwarven guards, and what looked like half the dwarven council. Master Stonehand was there, as was Master Tomebinder. There were other council members that Alexander had met, but whose names he did not remember.
/>   As they stepped through the portal, Alexander began to say, “Welcome to Dire Ke-”

  He was cut off as Thalgrin grabbed him in a crushing bear hug, lifting him from his feet. “Alexander, me boy! Tis another miracle ye be workin!” the king roared. “I never thought ta see a mithril worm in me life. And here ye went n finded TWO!”

  Once the king had set him down, and he could breathe again, he said, “I’m glad you approve, Majesty. I do my best not to let my friends grow bored with me.” He grinned at the dwarf.

  “BWAHAHA!” Thalgrin’s laugh echoed around the courtyard. “This be a historic day. I bring’d Master Tomebinder to record it. The others be here just out of curiosity.” Looking around, he said, “Bah! All of ye on yer feet.

  The dwarves of the keep had begun to gather round as the portal opened, and all had dropped to a knee in deference to the king.