[Job Thread] Digging Holes

[Tallis]

37th Day of Summer Recently, extreme temperatures and humidity had caused major food spoilages across Zeltiva. And to top it all off, it seemed that an unholy amount of rats had seemingly popped out of the ground to ravage the spoiled food supplies. In light of these events, Tallis had found an opportunity for employment dropped right into his lap. Much of the city’s food supplies had gone aboard ships out in the harbor. The cooler temperatures inside the holds of the ships served to preserve supplies for a bit longer. And by floating out at sea, it was harder for the rats to get to the food. However, it was only a temporary solution, and not a very satisfying one at that. There simply wasn’t enough room for all the food. Even worse was that the rats were tenacious and had somehow managed to find a way to swim aboard. There had to be a better solution. That was where Tallis came in. Many of the richer citizens of Zeltiva had requested that cellars be built. This way, they wouldn’t have to travel to get food and could simply have it stored safely underneath their homes and fetched when needed. Tallis, a competent geomancer, was perfectly suited for the job. With his arcane abilities, he could dig out cellars with less man-power and with less time. However, simply knowing how to dig out holes wasn’t enough. That was where Foreman Graham came in. Benjamin Graham of the Sailor’s Guild was a renowned construction foreman down at the shipyard. His technical knowledge was absolutely critical, and as he put it, “There ain’t much of a difference between a ship’s hold and a cellar.” With the Foreman’s guidance, the cellars could begin construction without a hitch. Fortunately for Tallis, his father was a respected sailor down at the docks and he had put in a good word on behalf of his son. Foreman Graham was reluctant to accept a geomancer into his crew, but a small demonstration and much convincing had allowed Tallis to join. Of course, this had come with the compromise that he would be under close surveillance at all times and would be knocked across the head with a shovel should he begin to act up. For the amount of money he would be making, it was a compromise that Tallis was more than willing to give into. And so it was that, bright and early on the thirty-seventh day of summer, Tallis stood outside one of the larger estates in Zeltiva and awaited instructions. His father had warned him not to question Foreman Graham’s instructions and to simply follow them to the word. Tallis didn’t really need the warning. He was sure that, as long as he shut up, listened, and paid attention, he would not only get the job done quickly but also learn quite a bit. Tallis and the other workers gathered in front of the foreman and listened as he laid out his plan. First, they would have to excavate the space underneath the home. This would take the longest time as they needed to move carefully, making sure to put in temporary support beams to prevent the house from collapsing. The second step would be putting in the permanent support beams. There would be four major pillars and several beams across the ceiling. They would then have to clear out the dirt and even out the walls and the floor. The final step would be putting in the shelves and stairs. And so, with their jobs give to them, everyone set to work. Half of the workers were tasked with crafting the temporary support beams while the other half, including Tallis, began digging out the cellar foot by foot. Tallis’ job was quite simple, he would use his reimancy to break apart any of the rocks that were in the foundation of the building. The workers could use their shovels to clear out the surrounding dirt, but when they hit rock, it was Tallis’ job to get it out of the way. And it wasn’t long before he was called over to help. The first rock was about twice the size of his head. Leaning down, Tallis placed his hand over the stone and let his res wrap around it. Manipulating the ethereal substance, he sent it pouring into the tiny dents, cracks, and crevices that covered the rock. Like all things, the rock was made of djed. Strands of tightly compacted and twisted djed connected to give the rock its solid and sturdy form. All Tallis had to do was weaken those bonds. As his res poured into the rock, he forced it to worm its way into the pre-existing structures of djed. Slowly, his web of res forced the bonds to loosen and weaken. When he was satisfied, he transmuted the res to air, causing the rock to suddenly collapse outward and crumble in a pile of rubble. oocJust in case you were wondering if this would work or not, I’ve actually had Tallis use this technique to break rock before and it received Echelon’s approval. The worker who had directed Tallis to the rock had a look of utter surprise on his face. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that someone could break through rock by simply touching it. “Anything else?” Tallis asked, wondering if the worker had any other stones that needed breaking. The worker could only shake his head in amazement. And so it continued for the next bell. Every so often a rock would be found, and he’d turn it to rubble. Supports were put in, and they excavated further. Finally, they had cleared out a space measuring twenty feet by twenty feet. Step one was finished. The workers stopped for a quick lunch, provided generously by the hosts for whom they were creating the cellar. Then it was back to work. The next step was crucial to the success of the project. They had to install the permanent support beams and Tallis would be playing a large part. There were four main support beams spread out evenly within the cellar. Although the cellar was only ten feet in height, the support beams were thirteen feet long. The extra three feet went deep into the ground for extra support. Tallis would be the one clearing the holes where the support beams went in. He’d also be the one making sure they got packed in tightly. Foreman Graham took charge of supervising Tallis for the task. The placement of the beams was far too important and required his direct attention. Placing his palm against the spot that the foreman pointed too, Tallis forced his res into the ground. The ground here wasn’t as hard as rock, but it was compacted and would take the workers some time to get into. Tendrils of his res ran deep into the floor, branching out and spreading like invisible roots. As he felt his res reach what felt like the three foot mark, Tallis transmuted the res to air. There was a small explosion as the earth beneath Tallis’ hand erupted outwards. The air that suddenly appeared in the ground displaced chunks of earth, some of which was sent flying. As the dust settled, there was a clear mound of loose soil where Tallis had only moments ago been kneeling. The workers weren’t quite as amazed by the feat of magic this time around. They had all seen how he could break through rock. Having him loosen the earth wasn’t quite as impressive. They quickly moved in and began clearing out the debris and setting the support beams in place while Tallis followed the foreman to the next area and set about loosening the earth again. With the four posts resting in their holes, all that had to be done now was to make sure they were strong enough to support the weight of the house above them on their own. Under the foreman’s guidance, a group of workers adjusted the beam and held it in place while Tallis got to work. Kneeling down once again, Tallis guided his res into the space between the hole and the pole. As the magical substance filled the gap, Tallis transmuted it into solid rock. The workers holding the support beam gave it a strong shake and, satisfied with the results, they moved onto the next three. As he stood up from putting in the last support beam, Tallis surveyed his work. He was quite surprised at how fast everything had gone. What had started out as a regular piece of land was now looking like an actual cellar. “You’ve done enough for today,” announced the foreman, coming up behind Tallis and patting his shoulder, “I’ll admit, we couldn’t have gotten things done this quickly without yer help. We’ll take over from here so you can go and rest up. I’ll be needing your help again tomorrow!” Giving the foreman a tired grin, Tallis thanked him and started on his way back home. It was extremely satisfying, being able to build something from scratch. And he was proud to have been such an important part of the process. He had been nervous at first, but now he looked forward to working with Foreman Graham and the team. oocSorry for the abrupt ending. It was just getting so technical and boring and I couldn’t keep up with it. I tried my best to make manual labor seem as interesting as I could. I also tried to keep Tallis from overgiving since, although he performed a lot of reimancy, he used rather simple moves. He broke apart rocks and loosened the ground instead of clearing out chunks of earth. For a reimancer nearing expert, I think that the amount of djed expended should be quite manageable. He’ll definitely be exhausted though!

[Taylani]

XP Award!

Tallis:

XP Award:

• +3 Earth Reimancy
• +1 construction
• +3 Auristics

Lore:

• Finding a better solution to the rat problem.
• Shut up and listen
• Construction: Following directions

Comments :

I only gave you 1 point of construction because your character was following instruction rather than demonstrating that he was also paying attention to remember.. If you break up your RP into different posts per thread you can get more skill points that way. Well Written. Feel free to PM me with any thoughts or concerns. Don’t forget to edit/delete the grade request..

TAYLANI