[GST] All Roads Lead to Ravok (Loken, Clyde, Rohka, Elias)

by **Sayana** on October 21st, 2017, 11:17 pm

OOC Info :

There are a few things I’d like to bring to your attention in terms of my personal rules, stylistic guidelines, and posting order.

Rules:
1) Please post within 7 days or PM me for an extension or to skip you. I don’t think this will be a problem, but I don’t want the thread to lag especially with so many people. After 7 days I’ll skip you and send you a polite PM. There may be opportunities to jump in again later if that happens.
2) Most NPCs can be roleplayed by the players. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, for example the NPC’s motivation or certain technical expertise, feel free to PM me with questions.

Stylistic Guidelines:
1) Since this thread will cover a large amount of scope, we will be jumping from day to day. Please think in terms of ‘macro’ plots rather than ‘micro’ plots, and consider making each post cover at least a couple of hours, if not a full day.
2) On a similar note, when interacting with other players, try to stay away from ‘binding’ dialogue and instead keep things open. I’d like to avoid situations where players need to go back and forth several times with dialogue to resolve something, and instead think about actions on a greater level.
3) I’m trying to set up situations in which players can have more involvement and input into the story. I’ve got a framework in terms of dates/schedule and general progress, but I’d love to see you all create and flesh out details, rather than waiting to see what details I might have so you can merely respond.

Posting Order Notes:
1) For the most part, I will aim to keep the posting order relatively fluid. Meaning that I’ll post, and then you all post (order doesn’t matter), then I post, and you all post (potentially a different order).
2) I may indicate a ‘preferred’ order for PCs. It might make more chronological sense, or something, but it won’t be mandatory.
3) I might indicate a mandatory post order.
4) I will try to keep things organized and people updated by sending PMs, especially if things change with the post order.

Pre-Construction Timeline :

Intro:

When it was announced that the Black Sun would be building a road between Ravok and Nyka, co-funded by the Lark family, word spread like wildfire. It was only five days since the turning of the watchtowers, and the massive project would lead to hundreds of jobs and opportunities. Over the next ten days, there was a great mobilization of laborers, scouts, cooks, builders, skilled craftsmen, lumberjacks, mercenaries, guards, Black Sun, and Ebonstryfe alike. A great swath of tents were erected along the southern lakeshore. Businesses like Thorin’s Forge and Trigol’s Tools and Trade were in extra demand as various tools were gathered and organized for the construction. The best horses were selected from Elderbay Stables to be used throughout the project and new carts and wagons were assembled to haul materials. Needless to say, it was an industrious time to be in Ravok.

As more people made their way from the city proper to the lakeshore, the camps had to be organized, not to mention getting enough supplies to everyone. The lakeshore tavern and inn were bustling, but even they wouldn’t be able to feed all the people coming to shore. By the time construction began in earnest, there would be close to three hundred people working on it. Most would be laborers, but about fifty would have specialized trade skills, be in positions of leadership, or have supporting skills such as cooking or tending to the animals. Additionally, the Ebonstryfe had provided ten reimancers who had some skill in earth reimancy. Two had expert skills, while the rest were competent in their craft. Not to mention two individuals by the names of Clyde Sullins and Elias Caldera. The Calico Lumber Company was also playing a large role in the construction, headed by Mattias Calico himself. But there were whispers of another Calico getting mixed in where she didn’t belong. Lastly, just like there were many Ebonstryfe who would double as laborers and mercenaries, there were city guards like Loken who were shipped to the lakeshore to help out on the project.

However, before any work could begin on the road or even felling trees, the land to the south of Lake Ravok needed to be surveyed to determine the best route for the new road. Thus, as early as the 10th of Fall, scouts and cartographers were sent out to create a detailed map of the landscape.

Fall 10th – 15th (Loken):

“It’s your lucky day, boys. Our patrol has been selected to scout out the land to the south. Seems like they don’t have enough birds to do it.” Loken’s patrol commandant was obviously poking fun at the various kelvic slaves that may have been able to assist. In fact, many were already scheduled to do just that, but the area was so vast that a thorough assessment of the land would be needed from both the air and by ground. And Loken’s team would by no means be the only ones there.

“Pack your bags. I’ve got two tents for the lot of us. Be ready to make the trip across the lake and set up camp tonight so we can start first thing on the 10th. Be it rain or shine, right boys?” There were a few groans from the guardsmen. It had rained quite hard over the last couple of days. Yet at the same time, many seemed interested in a change of pace from their normal routine, even if it meant spending nights in a tent rather than a proper home.

At dawn, the morning light sparkled upon the dew covered leaves. The trees had only just begun to change colour and the air was brisk and fresh.

“Let’s get some breakfast going and take down them tents.”

“You mean, we’re not staying here?” Asked one of the Cherries.

“They say it takes a whole day’s walk to get to the marshland to the south. That’s where we’ll be scouting to. Do you plan to walk back in the dark?”

There were some sniggers and the Cherry’s cheeks flushed to match his skullcap.

“We split into two groups. Three and three. We carry our supplies. And if anyone has the heavy bag, then make sure you rotate it between you. Don’t forget to take good notes. Otherwise you’ll be standing in front of an Ebonstryfe trying to justify why you included some rock next to a tree.”

As the groups set off a lone Kriital circled the growing lakeshore camp. There were too many people gathered for it to be actively seeking prey, but if it spied an easy target on its own… That would be another story.

Throughout the five days of the scouting expedition, the guardsmen would see the beauties and wonder of the land yet would also be reminded of its dangers.

Loken's Tasks :

Fall 21st (Clyde):

“He just wants to cut down a bunch of trees to use for this new platform and theatre.”

“At least he’s not suggesting we cross the river twice instead of just once.”

“I just want the most direct route. We’re building a road, aren’t we? Why shouldn’t it be direct?”

“Enough!”

Vernon Lark was not having any more of this bickering. The three men, Mattias Calico, Kelvin Gyatt, and Old Al had been at it for several bells already. They were seated around a table with a large map in the centre which was now covered with faint markings of proposed routes. Each of them had their own preferences and the head of the Lark family no longer had the patience for them. He just wanted the road built.

“I’ve asked an unbiased member of the Ebonstryfe to assess the map,” the Lark explained. “You may point out difficulties in the terrain or ways to make the construction easier, but for the love of Rhysol do not bombard him with your proposed schemes. Now rub out what you can.”

With a wave of his hand, he turned his back the advisors and strode over to the large flap which made up the door to the pavilion-like tent. It was one of the largest tents within the sea of canvas that now sprawled along the lakeshore and was typically used for meetings. Albeit, more productive ones.

Two Ebonstryfe soldiers stood on either side of the tent flap, but neither were the point of interest for Vernon Lark.

“Ahh, Mr. Sullins. It is good of you to come. Please step inside.” The Lark spoke as he caught sight of the Commander and gestured into the tent. “I have a conundrum. We have pieced together a map of the area but each of my advisors have very different ideas of how to proceed with the road. It would be most helpful if you could provide a rational and unbiased route based on input from these three gentlemen. Mattias Calico of the Calico Lumber Company, Kelvin Gyatt teacher of architecture in the Institute of Higher Learning, and, um, ‘Old Al’ general workman with many years of experience.”

The Lark pointed to each of the men in turn and at last introduced Clyde. “This is Mr. Clyde Sullins, Commander in the Ebonstryfe and Master Mage. I’ll leave you to it.”

As Vernon Lark left the tent, discussion arose almost immediately.

“At some point, we’ll have to cross the river. We can either do this with one bridge, or two.” Kelvin advised.
Old Al, however, pointed to the smaller fork to the northwest. “This crossing might not even need a full bridge and there are a couple of fords where the water is low. These outlines of trees indicate where the trees are particularly dense.”
“But it also means there are good hardwoods where it is dense, and that lumber can be used for the new building in the city.” Mattias countered. “Besides, you’ll be chopping trees almost everywhere. It’s not like there are places completely devoid of trees.”
“Except around the marsh.” Kelvin replied.
Mattias nodded slowly. “That’s going to be a pain to cross.”
“We could go around…” Al began.
“No!” Shouted both Mattias and Kelvin.
“The point is to build a road, and it’s much too far to swing all the way around that marsh.”

Clyde's Tasks :

Fall 26th (Rohka/Elias):

“So you understand what you’ve got to do, Roh?” Mattias said as he handed her a bag of supplies and a simple map with the path of the road sketched out.

“Mark the trees on either side of the planned road, enough for two carriages wide. No need to mark all the ones in the middle, that’s a given. Just make sure it’s obvious how the path will run. Also, if there are any trees that look especially good as lumber. Tall, straight, you know the ones. Make sure our road runs through that.”

Behind their little gathering on the lakeshore, there was the cracking of wood as a tree fell with a thud to the ground. “Timber!” Another one came down shortly after it.

There was a brief moment in which he looked anxious that he wasn’t supervising the clearing, but the moment passed and he returned to his authoritative voice.

“You boy! You’re one of the Ebonstryfe assigned to the road?” He called, beckoning Elias Caldera over. “You’re to help Rohka with the tasks I’ve assigned her.” Then taking the Stryfer aside for a moment, Mattias added, “And you better damn keep her safe.” He was curt, seemingly used to having his orders obeyed, and soon the active representative of Calico’s Lumber Company was off to oversee the felling of trees.

“Oi! You two! Going off to do some trailblazing?” A man in his forties or fifties was pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt and roots. As he approached Rohka and Elias he glanced at the ground and noticed an indent in the ground making it uneven. He dumped the mess of roots and dirt into the small hole and stamped down to flatten it out.

“There’s something they always forget. Just because you can climb a hill, doesn’t mean you can get your horse to pull a heavy wagon up a hill. And it doesn’t matter if it’s downhill, same deal. The road goes both ways, doesn’t it? You don’t look like you’ve done much backbreaking labor, but it’ll save us a lot of work if you do it properly. Ain’t that right? So no steeper than this. Else we be digging up your hills to fill in your valleys.”

Old Al used his forearms to show the angle that he wanted for the slopes. It was surprisingly flat but the man gave an extra nod or two as if to tell them he was serious.

The rest of the day would involve a lot of hiking and marking of trees, be it with string, charcoal or swinging an axe to it to mark up the bark. Today they would go as far as the first river crossing while Mattias focused on the clearing operation. Some places might be dense with trees, others sparse, but regardless, the trail needed to be made.

Rohka and Elias's Tasks :

Map - Simple :

Map - Grid :

Post Order :

by **Clyde Sullins** on October 22nd, 2017, 11:56 pm

OOC note: Will put OOC references in parenthesis() when making reference to the map points.

IC:

21 Fall 517

Clyde did his best to listen quietly as the non-mages argued, their petty squabbling and words passing over him like a gentle wind. He inhaled, exhaled, and on the exhale imagined their wind parting and passing over him.

Instead, he did his best to listen and to consider everything said, not making any decisions at first and listening to both sides and their "reasoning." It was soon clear however that both sides firmly believed they were right, and had little to no interest in listening to the other unless they were agreeing. A foolish thing in Clyde's mind, as he generally tried to be open to new ideas and things he didn't know.

He didn't cobble his own shoes, and didn't argue with the shoe maker when they did it, instead focusing on his own area of expertise. One small bit of that was planning and organization, along with various more "social" or deal" skills as he liked to call them. Skills used to make a deal, to persuade, negotiate, find a settlement and middle ground. Or to intimidate someone into the correct path if they were too bull headed.

He was still outside of the tent, but it being a tent he could hear most of what was being said for the last few chimes while he waited a short while upon arriving before being noticed and invited in.

Clyde nodded as he entered, the man introducing him to the members of the argument. He'd ordered Rye to "sit" outside, the hound currently taking up a spot of ground next to one of the guards at the entrance. He of course had Cha in his hand, the length of blue wood never leaving his side.

“I will do my best, though bear in mind my knowledge of building is rather limited. Though my skill pulling out a solution from the chaos of many voices is much better, so perhaps I'm well suited for arbitrating.”

Each person present, Clyde reminded himself, had a specific area of knowledge. Likewise, each had their own particular vested interested in the endeavor, along with various predilections and habits or prejudices they'd be likely to fall back upon.

Tying in the information he'd gained so far, along with their earlier arguments, Clyde considered this.

The lumber man knew about wood, and he supposed would be liable to point them in the direction that involved cutting the most trees. The professor would likely know more about the rules of the building of a road, but would perhaps be weighted down by too little practicality. The third, the workman would likely be the opposite, very practical and trying to do what was easiest, but wouldn't want to do anything fancy.

Clyde considered all this, and then pushed it all a half step away from him to the right. Within easy reach and examination for, but not so much as his own pre-assessment and prejudice would weight his words and decision.

Clyde spent a few chimes inspecting the map, while also listening to their back and forth discussion. Before they had the chance to continue he coughed once loudly and held up one finger, pointedly showing he wanted their attention and silence. Once done examining the map he looked at them, taking in each of their eyes in turn before speaking.

“Now, it seems their are various points on this. Yes, we can in the short term make the road in a method that is easier. However, if in the longer term that makes the road less useful, more difficult to maintain, less defensible, or less well made, then it isn't worth it. I myself prefer in my own work to do what must be done with the minimum amount of energy and effort, but I also believe in getting something done right. Any detour therefore which would make the road easier, but would add length and complexity in the long term, seems like it would be bad.”

“Better we take longer to complete the road, and have a better road, than to rush and have to deal with its deficits in the long term.”

“Now this way here (row C) would be the clearest route. It has the least trees, but also requires two crossings. But as was said, it requires a large detour, and two bridges. Even if they aren't full ones but fords, surely there would be times of high water or such which might require more. We'll need to make it to prepare for all eventualities, which includes high water.”

“This route here, more or less directly south from the trading post, (row E) is more direct, but takes us right through the deep trees. But it also only requires one water crossing, one bridge. Which means one bridge to maintain, one crossing to guard and watch, to defend.”

Trailing his finger downward, Clyde motioned south from the trading post, just east of the fork, and across the water. He then began to sweep his finger further west, along the edges of the large woods just south of the water, moving along with the woods edge on its east side and the banks of the water on its west side.

Once he got to the end of the curve (row C) he turned and began to trace southward toward the marsh.

“Now, Nyka being not just south but also west, eventually we'll need to begin to head west as well, not just directly south. Mainly we are going south, but also a bit west. So moving west here and there and such to ease passage, seems reasonable. Within reason.”

“Here is my thought, mixing each of what you've said. We head south from the trading post, here (row E) and cut through these woods. To be honest, one length of woods isn't impossible. If I need to I can level all the trees myself or with help, leaving your men Mr. Calico to cut them up and haul them off. I've done it before on a smaller scale, with help I can do it again on a larger. Help and or time. Basically... Mmm... Best way to explain it, we churn the earth beneath the trees till the ground spits out the tree, and it just sort of falls over unsupported. I wouldn't do it for too far, but this one bit of deep woods should be doable.”

“Then one bridge to cross, getting us on the other side of the water. One bridge, perhaps a bit bigger, but also safer and perhaps easier to manage than several smaller bridges and fords and dangerous flood zones.”

“We then follow along west once we've crossed, moving along the western edge of those dense woods, but east of these waters here. That'll take us slightly west as we'll need to do at some point, though not too far if we can help it, till we get here (row C). Then we cut directly south more or less for awhile, right at the marsh. Now, the marsh, being a marsh, isn't the best place for a road.”

Pausing here Clyde pondered for a moment, glancing at the men and back to the map.

“I imagine there won't be a good place to cross. I think on that bit, the Reimancers would do better work to... Firm up, the ground so to speak. Collate and press together, harden, and build upon the ground and soil, giving a better place to lay the road. Compress what is there, move it into place, press and harden the soil, to give a good support. Might destabalize and worsen some other spots nearby, but we've got to get the ground from somewhere. And with the road here, we won't need to go about in the worse spots. With them working on that they won't be able to work on the road itself, but that can more easily be done mundanely I"d imagine. ”

“With the marsh, nothing too it but to cross, and do the best we can. Might also help if we get some men hauling soil and dirt from denser areas, for the Reimancers to use in the marsh, rather than making the dirt with magic. Leave there energy and focus on building up the ground, for a nice firm high spot among the marsh.”

“It'll mean somewhat more work up front, and some reliance on the Reimancers more so at some points, but in the long term I think it'd be easier, and make for both a better road and one more easy to maintain and secure.”

Here Clyde paused, looking at each of the men in turn.

“So... Thoughts? Questions? Advice?”

He'd offered a plan which was not what any had said, but took elements from each. It also seemed the most feasible, combining their knowledge and his own. Plus, it seemed the best in the long term, once the road was built. Clyde didn't doubt what would follow would be quite a few questions, perhaps some arguing and such, but he hoped the logic of his words and his working in a bit of each of their thoughts if not plans would aid in them finding a final solution.

by **Loken** on October 23rd, 2017, 5:17 am

Fall 10th, 517 A.V.

Unlike many of the men who'd expressed their interest or displeasure about the fact that they would be traversing the wilderness, Loken withheld any thoughts on the matter from any degree of outward expression, remaining entirely silent. Besides, it wasn't his expression that would catch anyone attention. It was the cracked, dehydrated way his lips looked that acted as his current most notable features, bleeding from pure dryness every so often.

If Ravok needed help to build a road, then he'd help the city make one. Yet again, unlike many of his fellow guardsmen, Loken had recently made the long trip from Zeltiva to Ravok; only just arriving ten days prior. That meant the dangers of land travel were still very fresh in his mind despite spending most of that trip on a ship.

As the group broke into two parties, Loken remained sitting cross legged on the ground. If he was to scout, then he made sure to do it properly. He made sure stop by a local shop to buy the traveler's toolkit version of a Mapmaker's kit before coming to the Lakeshore.

"First things first, then."

He spoke aloud, using his tone as a gesture for his two companions to join him. Loken held a piece of red colored charcoal in hand then began to make a heavy dot on the top of a blank parchment with pre-drawn grid lines. "This marker represents the general area of Calico's Lumber..." His hand shifted to the cross grid section to the left of it to draw another marker. "Making this the Southern Trading Post." As he continued to talk, he glanced up at his fellow guardsmen to gauge what there personalities were like.

Did they smile? Were they nervous? Did they look scared? As an Ano Cultist, they were things he'd been trained to keep an eye out for. Because emotions could ruin the best laid plans. The only thing he took note of at the moment were that they were Cherries just like himself. Although, they seemed to be younger in age then him, about mid twenties if he had to guess.

"Apparently, there is a river leading off of Calico's Lumber. I suggest we use this day to follow it rather than walk aimlessly through the woods. Once we know where the river leads, we can then always back track to the river if we get lost. It will also allow us to section off areas to effectively keep us from doubling back unexpectedly. We can then focus on heading towards the Marsh in about two or three days once we know what is around us?"

The two guardsmen with him shrugged, having no reason to go against the proposed plan. Loken also spoke with enough confidence in himself that they assumed that he knew what he was doing. They also didn't feel like messing with the man who's mouth looked like it had been bleeding for several days. His lips still cursed by events still unknown to him...

Before setting off, he took inventory of his body to make sure that all of his weapons were in order. He had the normal shortsword and hand crossbow rented to him by the guard, but he made sure to bring his preferred tiger hook sword with him on this adventure. The wickedly sharp blade hung from the harness on his back, softly patting against the back of his leather armor as he walked.

As they followed the river Loken had come to notice that one of the guardsmen he traveled with was a woman, only now just noticing the woman’s makeup on her androgynous features. He had his own personal backpack slung over one shoulder, filled with only his waterskin, inkwell, and personal journal that he'd use to take important notes.

Loken kept a keen eye out as he slowly counted in his head, "two hundred fifty, two hundred fifty one..." Always a perfectionist, he needed someway of measuring the river. His way of doing that was to add lines to the folded parchment he held for every two thousand paces he walked.

It took the trio several bells to reach the first fork in the river (G-9). And upon reaching it, Loken waved his hand. "Looks like the river runs to the south west & east. Given what we were told, we can just ignore the eastern fork and follow the western riverbend. Take a five chime break, then we press on." He shared a nod of acknowledgment with the others, then proceeded to move as directed after they others took drinks from their waterskins. Loken refrained, having notied that his mouth always felt worse upon drinking. He would save his water for when they set up camp.

"What time do you think it is?" A voice from behind Loken spoke out. Loken had been so focused on counting that he let the tedious process distract him from taking notes of his surroundings. He looked up at the sky to try to gauge the suns position. "Thirteenth bell. Maybe fourteenth. If what the commandant said is correct, If we'd walked straight, we would be near the marshlands by now."

As he stood along the side of the river, Loken used the same colored charcoal to add a new fork to the river (D-8). "This key section looks too deep to cross and it looks like the stream is picking up in strength down stream to the south. We can look for ways to cross along the narrower northern river fork, then set up camp at sundown. I don't feel like wandering around in the dark."

The unnerving idea of spending the walking through the dark was enough to spur the group onward. It also meant that they could finally rest their legs after walking all day. As they ventured further up the northern river, Loken watched the river for water shallow enough to cross, but specifically trying to find areas where the submerged riverbed had raised up near the surface. The further they went from the forked section, he noticed that the river seemed to lose most of its strength (Middle of D9).

"This seems like a good place to cross, but lets press on. We still have light and I don't wish to waste it." It hadn't escaped Loken's attention that the two guardsmen he traveled with were constantly passing the heavy bag of supplies back and forth with each other all day. As the male guards started to hand the female guard the pack, Loken grabbed the heavy pack after storing his map into his own backpack. "I'll carry it, but you two should keep an eye out for that crossing."

Loken had been counting in his head all day. So much so, that he'd come to understand the pattern in his routine. He didn't need to mark the map, all he needed to do was count to two thousand, and keep track of how many times he'd reached the number then add that many dashes to the map parchment. As he held the pack, the others took the lead. Loken didn't wish to seem incapable, but he was dwindling since he'd not had a fresh drink of water since they started. His stride slowed with every step as his eyes focused on the ground in a systematic need to keep moving forward.

"Loken, look."

The sound of his name being called was enough to shake him out of his stupor. The female guard picked up a stone to lob it into the water. "Seems about ankle high." The river had tapered out into a shallow pool, making it the perfect place to cross. "Alright, lets move away from the river and set up camp for the night. I'll take first watch." It wasn't because Loken wanted to keep up group moral, but because he'd need to focus on activating his gnosis to dull the pain around his mouth once he decided to drink water to hydrate himself... It was going to be a painful night.

LedgerWill deduct 11gm for Travel Mapmakers kit

by **Loken** on October 25th, 2017, 7:06 am

Fall 11th, 517 A.V.

The darkened sky became painted with silken ribbons of purple and orange as the dawn chased away the night. Loken and his two companions had long since broken down their camp even before the sun had peeked over the horizon. The group seemed to be in high spirits as they crossed the river to explore the areas on the other side of the river.

Loken had come to learn a bit about his companions, mainly that the woman had bright red hair; to which the group quickly gave her the nick name of 'Red'. And that the other male in the group enjoyed whittling sticks with a sword; so was aptly nicknamed 'Woody' by Red.

"I know you both wanted to sleep until sun up, but I wanted to get a jump on the day." They walked and talked as he showed each of them the rough concept of a map which just looked like a ragged Idea of how the river ran though the area. "We should be here (C9) opposite the river, I want to fill out as much of the river as possible then move away from it to circle back to this exact point where we are now. I want to get this done before the sun reaches its peak, so we can spend half the day getting there, then half to explore on our way back. I expect the latter half of the day to be far more dangerous, so keep your guards up."

He ended on a serious note which cause the Cherries to make various stern expressions, clearly wanting to reminded to stay focused on the tasks ahead.

Loken was at the head of the column as they went marching along side the river. He continued to keep a count in his head as they went. "One thousand nine hundred ninety nine, two thousand. Three. One, two, three..." On the third mile as he repeated the count. After walking for sometime, the land started to grow more steep, sloping downward as he noticed the sounds of water growing louder.

"Be careful." He said aloud, stopping exactly in place for a moment to remember what number he was on. "The rivers current is far too strong to cross." It was at that moment that Loken set his map aside to retrieve his journal from his backpack. He used one of the colored charcoals to take notes.

"Rapids prove to be a significant hazard to lives (C7)." As he walked down the river, he kept an eye on the rapids while still writing in his notes. "The rapids themselves seem extremely difficult, long, and extremely violent with highly congested stone jutted routes. If someone fell in then rescue conditions would be very difficult."

With those notes taken, he then continued to follow the river as planned until they reached a far enough point to start heading back. Loken added the remaining section of the river to his map before they began their trip back. However, before doing so Loken stared across the river to take note of the landscape on the other side.

Replacing the map for his journal, he used the same charcoal piece to quickly jot down the thought. "A dense formation of rock and stone are located on the eastern side of the southern river (C6); given the rapids, past flooding or expanded riverbed are the most likely cause of exposed bedrock. (Note: Watch for river flooding.)"

Loken had no compass, but had the idea to keep an eye on the way the sun waned along with the location of the river to keep his land and time orientation. It wasn't perfect, but he managed to keep the group going as they circled around. Only stopping at interesting points on the way back towards Ravok.

The most interesting hindrance to the journey came in the the form of rolling hills (B6,A6,A7). As the group of Guardsmen all stood atop a small hill, they each stared up at a supremely steep hill in the distance. "Semele's tits, I think we should go'round that one." Woody said with a slight chuckle. "Yes. I agree." Loken didn't know at which point a hill became a small mountain, but he was sure that it was pushing it.

As he noted it down, Loken wasn't going to call the hill Semele's tits, so simply listed the landmark (A7) on the way to Ravok as "Earth Crest Hill." He then made a small upside down 'U' on his map to show the location of the hill. Walking up and down the hilly area put far more strain on the group than expected, so they camped for the night in the area before starting again the next day. To Loken's shock, he found that he could actually drink water again without his lips bleeding, so slept in relative comfort for the first time in ages.

Fall 12th, 517 A.V.

An early morning fog filled the air as the trio of scouts departed the hills to head towards Ravok. All in all a uniformly collective bunch. As they approached the dense treeline ahead, Loken for the first time in a long time had stopped counting in his head. He was only doing it to measure the river, so now focused on studying his surroundings.

Loken had no interest in beautiful flowers or the lush allure of nature in autumn, but he did know an intriguing sight when he found one. It was hard to miss. There stood a single tree in a small clearing within the area that had a feminine human like silhouette. What made it even more special was that it looked like it was in the middle of a magical dance (B8).

The Graceful Dancer :

Its danced ever so slightly as the trees branches shifted in the wind. Its colorful leaves falling from it causing shadows to move around it as if it were dancing through a crowd. Red and Woody couldn't stop looking at it as Loken took note of it, then kept on moving. "A tree is a tree. Its unique appearance will make for a good marker. Lets keep moving." As night approached, the group had met up with another scouting party of in another area (E9), and set up camp with them because their was safety in numbers.

Fall 13th, 517 A.V.

The twilight hours had passed as the trio ventured south east of the southern most river fork, it was the only area they'd yet to physically explore. The cool crisp morning air was refreshing as they listened to the early birds sing. As they made their way through the forest (E7), the morning beauty was marred by the visage of an corpse that had long since rotted away. "GHah" Red started to gag once the smell had hit her nose. Woody had the same reaction moments later. All Loken did was reach back to draw the hook sword from the harness on his back.

"Keep an eye out for what might have killed it." He said as he approached the corpse. The smell was wretch inducing, but Loken simply did his best to avoid breathing it in. As he stood near the body, he noticed that their were noticeable bite marks. "Scavengers have been picking at it. I can't tell how the person died. But it was an adult male. I've no knowledge of how to gauge how long its been here, but an estimated guess is within the last thirty days out in the open." The corpse was a surprise, but as Loken looked to his left. The Cultist suddenly notice that there was s small pond not too far from him. He pulled out his map and a blue piece of color charcoal to add a blue dot to the area he was in. As he pulled out his journal, he simply pressed the charcoal to the page and named the pond "Dira's Morning."

The smell of death was a grim way to start the morning, but it served to motivate the group to walk around with their weapons drawn for several bells.

Fall 14th, 517 A.V.

As the morning sun set in, and the chirping of the early birds began to swell, the three scouts sat along a scattering of small boulders in the area. The team of fledgling scouts had made it to the area where Loken had observed the previous boulders and bedrock (C6) and set up camp on the boarder of it. "Marsh shouldn't be too far from here, right?" Woody absently asked while chomping down on a piece of jerky. Loken had his own set of rations too, which he needed to stock up on later.

"If it takes a day to get from their to Ravok? I'd logically take us a quarter of a day to reach it." Loken said as he took a hefty drink of water from his waterskin, his lips still sore from the unsuspected curse, but able to be hydrated again. Red nodded as she looked over the map Loken had been making. "I believe that was where the commandant and the others were scouting. We heading there?"

Loken shook his head as he put his things away. "We'll take what we've learned back to the people in charge, we split up to cover more ground. So they are searching the ground we've not covered. Besides, we need to resupply. You can both rest up for two more bells if you wish, then we head back. I'll be up to stay on guard." While the offer was appreciated, the two decided to brake down the tent after Red returned Loken's map to him.

Rather than head back the way they came, the group traveled east in hopes of scouting out the rest of the area (F7) on their return to the Lakeshore. Other than being a rather scenic trip, they group returned to the Lakeshore by evening.

by **Rohka** on November 1st, 2017, 1:26 am

There was a time when Rohka used to feel like she belonged here, amongst the mills and the camps and the yards. It didn’t seem to be too long ago. She remembered calling this her home—this woodland, this sprawling empire. Hers, purely because she was born into it, because the Calicos were her blood. Nature had insisted that this was where she would be nurtured, and there was no denying the fact that she was indeed cared for dearly, as the first daughter of the first daughter of Cyrus, the patriarch of their clan. Mattias had never had any children, despite the nameless women he’d often held in his life, so Roh had been the one to begin her generation.

The first grandchild of Cyrus Calico.

It was a title she’d held proudly during her childhood. Growing up, a part of her knew that there was some significance to it. She’d been told the stories of her mother’s past, of the trials and tribulations that the clan had gone through to get to this point in their lives. Her great grandmother, Leonara Calico, had been the last of the matriarchs. Leonara ruled their family with an iron fist and stayed alive to see both Roh and her sister Jaide come of age before finally passing on during the rains of a winter night in 512 AV. The grief of his mother’s death caused Cyrus to slack off and all eighteen of his children began to worry. It was then that Mattias took on the mantle, and it was then that Vida allowed her daughter, Rohka Calico, to leave her childhood home.

Home hadn’t felt the same without Nara. A flaming vitality had been snuffed out the moment her spirit left the earth. Every time the sibyl returned to the lakeshore, she’d be reminded of the old woman’s mocking, youthful smile, and her unrelenting capacity to turn lumber into gold, purely through the power of both her rational mind and her devotion to Rhysol. Nara had infused all of her grandchildren with her belief in both ability and piety. Mattias ended up valuing ability more than piety, just as his father did. Vida, however, took her grandmother’s advice to heart, encouraging all seven of her sisters to believe in the greatness and benevolence of their God, seeking the ways of servitude and reverence that would best meet their ends. She’d learned the art of fortune telling and taught it to her daughters, in the hopes that all the Gods under Rhysol had their best interests at heart, and would provide the magical guidance necessary for the success of their clan. Such guidance left Vida at odds when every holy sign pointed to letting her eldest daughter go free. The decision had been the hardest one she’d ever made in her life, but she made it anyways, trusting that Rhysol would keep Rohka safe.

And he did.

The sibyl now stood before a stretch of trees with a pack of supplies on her back and the sketch of a map in her hands. She reminded herself that she was safe. That she was back ‘home’, a place that she had known for at least seventeen years of her life. That she was here to aid her family in the construction of a road, nothing more, and would leave as soon as the task was completed. She couldn’t stay here. She wouldn’t stay here. Not while Mattias led the family so blandly, as if every breath he took was a failed attempt at sparking his soul. He was nothing in comparison to Nara, and she knew that he knew it too. She also knew that her mother wanted her to stay—though for what reasons, she couldn’t understand. Jaide was still here, so she was sure that Vida’s needs could be fulfilled by her sister, if anything. What purpose could she serve here anymore? Rohka had lost touch with the family. It had been almost five years of coming over once or twice a season for a holiday, to catch up, to be pleasant, to bond a bit with her cousins, and to then go back to her simpler life in the city, where she didn’t have to uphold any of the straining Calico responsibilities.

Today, however, she bore the duty to serve her clan and by extension her God in marking the bark between herself and her lumber. At no point would she own the lumber—she didn’t even own the vine black ink and cotton fabric in her pack, but the lumber was hers so long as she made contact with it. She claimed their death, their product, their use. It was her choice, and in that choice she held a sense of satisfaction. Rohka breathed a sigh of contentment and turned to the Ebonstryfe that she’d met before, the scarred man who’d been kind enough to volunteer for her family’s undertaking.

“Lord,” she began, giving him the respect that her uncle had stripped earlier. Typical Mattias, reducing the men who work for him to boys, in an effort to make their place clear. It was hard to tell by the look in his dark eyes if he really did care that she was safe. He cared to make it look like he cared, that’s for sure. To have it seem like the Calicos were stronger together than they were if they’re apart. Roh simply obeyed and carried on, eager to complete the job for today.

She handed Elias the second pack within her supplies. “In here you’ve got a tin of vine ink, a vair brush, a rope that’s about two carriages long, and a ton of bright, thin cotton strips. We can get this done quicker if we do this together,” she smiled up at him, hoping he wouldn’t mind doing more than just babysitting her and flattening the ground. Vida had packed her supplies before giving it to Mattias to carry for her, and she knew that her mother had wanted her to have help. In her own pack were the same items, plus a kit of survival13 GM, half of survivor's toolkit for travelling, which included simple first aid, a snare, a simple tent, a small compass, a small roll of fishing line and 3 basic fishhooks, in addition to her personal belongings. She sketched out her planI'm yellow, you're blue! We meet at the pink circles, and we repeat this cycle tons of times until we get to the river. Figured I'd draw this out in case the explanation below is confusing

on the back of the map and began to talk through what she thought,

“So we’re just heading to the first river crossing, which is straight ahead. You and I can split up, using the rope as our guide for how far we should go. I’ll start going across, and you can go ahead. Once we run out of rope, we turn, pull back our rope, and use it to meet each other—I’d go ahead, and you’d go across. We keep doing that cycle a bunch of times until we get to the river, and we'd always be about five chimes away from each other, so I'm pretty sure we could hear each other's screams if anything happened to either of us," Rohka chuckled at the thought and looked at the stryfer with teasing eyes, clearly amused by any chance that the man would need to be rescued. "This just helps us keep the width constant and cover more ground in less time. We’re not marking trees when we walk across of course, because like Mattias said, they’ll be cut down as a given. We mark as we walk forward, brushing the ink in a thick ring around the trunks. We tie a piece of fabric around the trunk or the most visible branch of the tree at the end of our rope before we turn. This is just in case it rains and washes away the ink—at least the men will know that the trees between the fabric ties would be good to go. Don’t mark around young trees with trunks smaller than this width,“ she held up her hands to show a space a little bigger than the size of her head. “Big trunks are yay. Also, if you can, mark the trees that allow the men to pull out the logs in the straightest line possible, so make sure that the fall of the tree won’t take out any saplings, or that the path doesn’t have hang ups that would be trouble for the horses. I hope that makes sense. We’ll start and then meet and I think you’ll get the hang of it. Ask me anything,” she grinned again and began to paint a ring around the oak before her, with the ink that she helped her mother make before she arrived at the site.

They’d taken all the dying, dry grapevine twigs they could find and charred them for the pigment, then ground one part gum for two parts of pigment until they were equally blended, added a bit of honey, and finally added rainwater until the mixture reached an even, smooth consistency. Rohka dipped her brush into the ink to deepen the dark line on the bark before turning back to the stryfer.

“That’s it! I’m off. Meet you in the middle!”

——

The two of them managed to find time to enjoy a bit of light conversation in between tripping over rocks and fallen branches. She’d told Elias that she was indeed the niece of Mattias Calico, and that she was a fortune teller in the city who wanted nothing more than to go back to doing just that. This task was far from what she was passionate about, despite the joy he’d surely notice in her face as she talked about painting silly symbols on the trees for the workers to find later: circles, smiles, hearts, butts, cats. She’d asked the stryfer for a suggestion once, too.

They got to the first river crossing as they were told and noticed how calm it seemed. The gently flowing water served as a lovely melodic accompaniment to their half bell of repose, sitting by the bank to eat and refresh for the trek back. It was here that she’d told Elias that she was worried about her uncle; that it didn’t seem like he was truly working for their family and their God. The man had no legacy, and barely cared to consider God’s plan. She confessed that she didn’t have the ability to read the cards she’d brought along for Rhysol’s intentions and wishes, but she’d had the unsettling feeling about this entire ordeal, having drawn the solid black card multiple times in the last twenty or so days.

The sibyl actively listened to anything Elias had to say, nodding and agreeing when he’d made good points, and keeping her wispy thoughts to herself. They’d then returned to the base amicably to await their next task.

by **Sayana** on November 25th, 2017, 5:26 pm

Fall 13th

On the evening of the 13th as Syna set and darkness settled in, the call of wolves could be heard. Barking and howling to moon, the pack seemed to be out on the hunt, although centered around the lake in which Loken had discovered. Trees swayed and branches scraped against each other, almost as if they were alive, except for the presence of a chill breeze.

Fall 21st

For the most part, there were nods all around. Of the three men, each interested in their own opportunities and constraints, they saw elements of their own ideas in Clyde’s chosen route yet few of the challenges posed by the rival plans.

“If you’ve got a more effective way to fell trees using magic, I’d like to see it.” Mr. Calico said with obvious interest. “You might not have enough mages to fell all the trees this way, trust me there are a lot of trees out there, but for the really big ones especially with shallow roots, we could really use your help. It’ll save us loads of time rather than chopping through all that wood.”

“Mr. Sullins, if you will,” piped up Ol’ Al. He was pointing at the place where the road was planned to cross the marsh. “Here where it’s drawn is nearly a mile and a half. If we bent the road just slightly to the east, we might cross where it’s less than a mile wide and hardly a diversion at all.” The old man traced a route crossing the bottleneck of the marsh (D4) and then along the banks to Clyde’s original ending point (C2).

Kelvin gave a nod. “I like the idea of compacting the earth but who knows how firm it will stay once it’s submerged in water. Like sand on a beach. You never know how the waves might wash it away. A mix of earth and rock might help. And if all else fails, we could build a floating bridge of rafts. After all, Ravok at its most basic form is one big set of wooden platforms.”

Fall 26th

While Elias Caldera may have been present for the first few laps of the trailblazing, he was soon called away by a superior for work needed elsewhere. Apparently his skills as a reimancer had been recognized, and although he wasn’t talented in earth reimancy, it was found that saturating the ground with enough water beneath a large tree had a net positive effect when bringing it down magically.

As such, Rohka soon found herself accompanied by a much younger Ebonstryfe, merely an Ebonstryfe apprentice, by the name of Malcolm Lazarin.

“Now what would a fine lady like yourself be doing around the likes of him? Good riddance, I’d say. I’ve heard many… rumors about the Calderas. None of them too flattering…”

Despite being only sixteen, Malcolm helped with vigor and a large battle axe strapped to his back. For the most part, he played along with Rohka’s games and eccentricities although partway through the day he began to lag and complain about the work being beneath him. Yet it was almost like a game as to what questions he could get her to answer, some being rather personal. Most of the time it seemed like genuine interest, but once or twice it seemed as though he was overstepping his bounds.

The work got done regardless, and it was into the evening when they were finally able to return to the campsites on the lakeshore.

---

Meanwhile, Loken’s patrol had been assigned for further investigation on the 26th. Now that the plans had been made for the route in which the road would run, and that people such as Rohka were marking out the path, there were still the challenges at the river.

Kelvin, the Ravokian architect, had been doing up some plans and sketches of potential bridges. He had three drawings prepared, all made of stone with circular arches but each with a different number of spans. Each span could cross about 20-30 feet of water and the bridge would need to be about 10 feet wide for a single cart or caravan to cross. However, the question was, how many spans would be needed? Despite being hopeful, Kelvin doubted that the river was small enough to manage a single span. But whether it needed 2 or 3 spans, was up for debate.

Sketches :

Thus, Loken and his patrol were to take detailed measurements at the bridge site. Most importantly was the distance from bank to bank. If there was fluctuation of the river width in the nearby vicinity, it would be better to build the bridge at the narrowest point. The depth of the river would also need to be measured to design an appropriate height for the pier(s) in the middle.

Mattias Calico had arranged for a raft to be constructed at his main lumber mill. Loken and his team were to board at the Lakeshore and to pole their way up the river until they reached the second fork, where the bridge was to be constructed. While the river wasn’t flowing too swiftly, it was certainly deep. Mr. Calico also supplied long rods with ticks identifying the number of feet.

Once Loken and his patrol arrived, they would set about the tasks of measuring how long the bridge needed to be, and how deep the riverbed was. Ideally they would also stake out potential locations for the large rectangular piers. Long lengths of rope were provided for measuring purposes or to keep a straight line when doing the depth measurements. They were also told to look out for signs of high water level marks, such as horizontal lines on rocks where the river would have been at its highest.

The final question that Loken was left with, was how were the builders going to get supplies (including animals, people, and carts) from one side of the river to the other, during the construction of the bridge. If he had any ideas, he was to report to a representative of the Calico Lumber Company.

Fall 27th

On the morning of the 27th, Mattias Calico fell ill. At first he tried to shrug it off as a simple cold, but his voice was so hoarse that he could hardly speak let alone give proper direction. With the lumber company already tight for people, Rohka was asked to represent the company for the planning of the bridge. It was mostly going to be made of stone, but wooden scaffolding and other falsework would be required.

Hence, by noon there would be four key people at the bridge site: Rohka of the Calico Company, Clyde Sullins, Kelvin Gyatt, and Ol’ Al. Of course, Kelvin had brought along a set of plans he had been working on the previous night after gaining measurements from Loken. But it was here that they were going to start working out the logistics and marking out the details of the bridge.

“There’s a method call the ‘cofferdam’ for building things in water.” Old Al began. “If you can stake upright wooden boards into the water and then get a good seal of the enclosed area, you can then remove the water on the inside and have a reasonably dry area to work in. It hasn’t been done very much in Ravok, but I’ve heard accounts of it working.”

“That might work for the bridge piers,” Kelvin mused. “There’s also the issue of getting supplies and people from one side of the river to the other, before the bridge is fully built for use.” He seemed to turn expectantly to Rohka, as if she was as reasonably competent with logistics as Mattias.

“Plus, we have to get the stone from somewhere,” Old Al added. “There’s some good quality rock to the south, and it happens to be along the river and also on the route of the road.” He pulled out a small sketch of the landscape and pointed to the rocky area further down the map.

“And Clyde Sullins, do you have any magical insight or input? Is there something that we’re missing that you and the other mages could help with?” The architect asked, turning to the Ebonstryfe mage.

Labeled Sketch from Kelvin :

by **Loken** on November 27th, 2017, 6:45 am

Fall 26th, 517 A.V.

"Any of you ever pilot a raft?"

The open ended question lingered in the air as Loken and two Cherries he had partnered with in the past all stood along the side of the front of the Calico sawmill close to the river leading away from Lake Ravok. A simple log raft bobbed up and down as it was tied down to keep from floating away. The supplies that they needed for the expidtion were already on board in crates marked 'property of Calico'. "Woody?" He spoke as he glanced to his left at the City Guard who had a whittling knife tucked into the front of their belt. Woody just shrugged as Loken turned his attention towards the red headed woman that flanked him on the opposite side. "Red?" One of her brows rose as she shook her head. "Do I look like a Ravosalawoman?" Loken turned forward to examine the craft he was apparently going to drive.

Loken was curious about how the raft was constructed. It looked like something he could build for himself if he needed too. He pointed a finger out to count each of the logs that made up the vertical base that lingered just below the surface, then counted each piece of top deck logging that was laid horizontal atop the vertical base. The whole construction appeared to be tied together at the cross sections where each of the logs met.

"Lets board, we'll figure out the rest from there." They all managed to get onto the floating craft without trouble. He went through the supplies to find several bundles of rope. "You all known the plan. We all know the length of the river. This time we can get to the second bend faster." There were several long poles near the boxes, but one stood out as the most sturdy. "Its like a ravosala" He said as he guided the far end of the pole into the water. The end of it touched against the muddy river bed as he pushed against it, causing the raft to move away from the shore.

"Woody, untie the mooring line. Red, the you have a hand crossbow for a reason. Keep an eye out for any trouble."

Red smirked as she set a bolt into her crossbow. "Aye aye, captain." She spoke emulating the things said by the sailors who drove the ferry that went from Ravok to the Lakeshore. "This that she is the first mate?" Woody responded with a chuckle. Loken chuckled at the comment as he stood at the back of the raft, letting the end of the pole fall gently until it touched muddy soil, and then shoved the pole gently to guide the craft forward.

"Hey, you think we could set up the tent they gave us on this thing?" Woody commented as he sat on top of one of the rope boxes. "If you want to waste man power doing it. You can try. Just set it up so that the entrance is facing me. And also short enough for me to look over it."

He left Woody to his own devices as Loken put all of his focus into piloting the raft. It was certainly faster than walking as they made good speed down the river to the first bend. The early morning fog of autumn was still rolling off the river as everything in the area became damp with condensation.

One Bell, thirty chimes Later...

Loken was visibly sweating the close the raft approached the second bend. He was fighting to push the raft against the mild current. Loken knew that they rapids were further up stream which meant that was a danger zone. "Woody. Red. We're here." Woody appeared to be proud of himself after managing to attach the tent to it. "Woody. Since you appear to be good with knot work, get one of those long lengths of ropes to use as a mooring line. Tie the raft to dry land, then I'll guide the raft to the other bank to measure its distance.

Loken moved to one side of the raft, then pressed the pole down against the riverbed. The pole went noticeably deeper into the mud as he recovered the pole hand over hand. He then threw it back it down to push the raft sideways until it was parked along the bank (E-8). As Woody worked on the mooring lines, he shifted the pole towards the front of the raft then pressed it down to keep the raft from moving forward.

"Loken, look?" Red spoke out as she pointed to the furthest bank. He looked up just in time to see a lone wolf walking towards the edge of the river to take a drink of water. "Nice work. Keep your eyes out for other wolves. Given the nature of our job, I do see us spending much time off of the raft. I do not think it will go through the effort to engage us. But If it did managed to try to engage us, we will move further out into the river then cut it down as it attempts to board."

Woody used a wooden stake and hammer that came in the supplies to slam it into the river bank. The Cherry then tied one of the ropes to the tip of it then connected the other to the side of the raft. "Done, captain." The man said as he got back onto the raft. "Come here and hold the pole." Loken traded places with Woody as he hopped off the raft.

The Ano Cultst started to walk along the river keeping an eye out for water stains on rocky outcroppings, along with debris lines of past foliage pushed away by flooding. He found a rock that looked like its bottom half had been eroded by high water. "Looks like the water get a good foot higher than it is now during rainy seasons before it the runoff floods the banks." As he looked along the river itself, he noticed that the river stayed at a consistent length, not offering him a better place to measure its distance.

He returned to the raft, patting Woody on the shoulder for the Cherry to trade places with him again. Loken pressed off of the embankment with the pole to shove the raft sideways out towards the center of the river. The river naturally forced the raft to move a little down stream, but Loken moved the pole to the other side of the raft to keep it at a sideways angle, and kept it from going to far.

"Woody. Keep a hand on the rope so you don't lose it, then remove it from where its connected to the raft, and stake that end into the ground. Red, come here." Loken pressed the pole into the deep mud. "Hold this, you'll keep the raft from moving."

Loken grabbed onto the rope as Woody unbidden the knot. In the same way as before, he made his way onto dry land then turned around to look at the other side. He walked along the river until the rope formed a perfect rope bridge across to the other side. "Posts in the ground." Woody said to gain Loken's attention. The Ano Cultist walked over to where it was and knelt down by it. Loken remember the type of knot that the Cult use to moor rafts to the Librium so they didn't crash into the rocks as children slept on them. He looped the rope around the base of the stake, then wrapped the end of the rope over and under the longer part of the rope leading out towards the other side.

He then passed the end of the rope down the loop and pulled it tight into a half hatch knot. Loken then did it again until the slack was gone, made into knots that held the ripe firmly into place. As a result, the rope was also the perfect length the bridge needed to be from bank to bank. "One job done, now we just need to see how deep this water goes. Red, you think you can be a Ravosalawoman and guide the raft to the center of the river?" She laughed as the two other Cherries got back onto the raft. "Yeah, I think can mange it."

Loken felt like she could be left in charge of it as he turned to look through the supplies. There was one specific long length of rope in one box with a heavy piece of led tied to one end. "I think we use this to measure how deep it goes?" He tried to pick up the piece of metal but found it too heavy to lift with one hand. "Woody, bring the wound bundle of rope over to the edge, then hold onto the end of it. Once I drop it we'll have to weight until it either goes taut... you know what," He said looking at a third piece of rope in their supplies. "Tie that one to the end, then hold onto the end of that. Its better to be safe then sorry."

Loken waited a few chimes for Woody to get ready, then reached down to grab the piece of metal, and tossed it over the side of the raft into the center of the river. They all watched as the rope fed into the water like a fishing line. The anchored end falling deeper into its depths. It took them several chimes, but they managed to find the true depth of the river. Loken used his short sword to cut the slack from the rope, then they pulled the muddy anchor out of the ground. When they did, they all noticed that five feet on the end of the rope ws covered in mud. It meant that the pole they used to guide the raft had never even touched the riverbed.

"I want to keep the rope that's staked to the embankment there. Lets measure out a fourth rope to that exact measurement." It took them ten chimes to do that, but it was worth it in Loken's opinion. "Why did we do that?" Red asked as she traded places with Woody who wanted to drive the raft back.

"Because, when we get back I'm going to ask Calico to build various larger, better, rafts. They'll have to be large enough for a wagon to cross them. Flat planks nailed onto the top of them will help the wheels roll efficiently. My idea is to use wooden rafts to make a temporary bridge to the side of whee left the rope; where the bridge will be built. It will be a good way to start the supply chain. The perfect place for the piers to be built are along either sides nearest to the rope bridge."

As the raft was slowly guided back towards Ravok, this time made faster due to following the current. Loken glanced back towards two more wolves in the area. "I shall report that to the Ebonstryfe." He said as he sat down on top of one of the supply boxes.

Nano WC: 1867

by **Prophet** on December 11th, 2017, 10:26 pm

.

Intervention

The soil was black, dense and smelled richly of lake and leaf. The texture was soft and moist but stained the dried skin on his hands. The middle-aged man smashed the earth between his fingers and palms while he watched it fall away and leave behind streaks. It was fascinating to him how the substance seemed to fill in the lines of his skin; all of the swirls and loops jumped out now that they’ve been highlighted with the heavy dirt.

The hooded face snapped in the direction of course shouting as the taskmasters came down the line to make sure everyone was on task. The crisp bark of a whip drew the bright eyes towards the sound’s origin. While his skin was somewhat leathered and crinkling in the corners of his eyes, the man’s gaze was as intense as a vast ocean –serene almost to the point of being intimidating. The blue orbs followed the men as they worked through the ‘help’ and motivated or redirected one laborer after another. A sigh escaped his lips but he could not give himself away and went back to the task he’d been given; digging.

Muscles tensed and knotted against the strain of each load which was scooped up and tossed into the wheelbarrow. His took was little more than a semi-round piece of pot metal tied to a roughly hewn shaft made from a thick tree branch. Burying the head into the soil took a great deal of effort as well as finesse since a poorly chosen angle was akin to throwing one’s body against a stone wall. Despite these adversities, the man worked steadily and maintained a decent pace all the while softly whistling a marching tune from an era long since passed. His mannerism seemed to spark life into the men and women around him and the few people within earshot and line of sight soon picked up their pace to match his. When the foremen eventually found themselves at the place where the whistling man worked, they paused in silence to admire the efficiency being displayed by this bunch. No compliments or words of affirmation were used but the duo moved on to the next group and resumed their oppressive style of management.

The bright eyes lifted once more to witness the lashing of a slave who had dropped to his knees in exhaustion. The weak being was too tired to even attempt to care about his black being laid open for all to see. “This is the work of deception and chaos.” The hooded figure spoke to himself. A scholar and student of many things, the man resumed his duties as he went into a soliloquy. “How can I sit by while this madness is being fed to the ignorant as a blessing? As progress? All a person has to do is look into the eyes of these defeated and broken people to see that there is no hope here, no peace.” He shook his head as he heaved another load over his shoulder. The thump of the dirt into the wheelbarrow was different so the laborer turned to face the new worker who had brought an empty container to be filled. A soft smile was offered then the digging and quiet, one-sided conversation resumed. “This cannot be allowed. This mustn’t be permitted!” The whispers grew more fervent and a look from one of his fellow workers reminded the man to quiet himself. “I must take this to the others. Together, through our combined faith in one another and for the peace of the realm, we will prevail.” He slammed the shovel into the dirt again. “We must prevail.”

A strong breeze stirred through the project and the man was gone. Those nearby instantly felt the strange calm leave them and looked around in dismay. Nervously and with sidelong glances to one another, the laborers set back into their tasks but with much less fervor than before. It was some time later when a women, older by the looks of her walk, hobbled near them and the area where the peculiar man with bright eyes had been standing. She sniffed the air and poked the dirt with her slippered toe. Without warning, she flung herself to the ground and began to claw at the soil. This went on for a few chimes while a small crowd gathered around her and watched in a variety of states; some confused, others amused and some showed pity. The woman rose from her knees and walked over to the onlookers with a slight twist of pain on her weathered face. “Pity doesn’t suit me, ye young sprouts.” Her voice, much like the skin on her hands was dry and crackly like paper. “The mighty Rhysol sustains me!!” She shouted hoarsely to the sky.

A few of the spectators witness the flash of white momentarily fill her eyes and were instantly cursed. One man could not speak and began gagging on his tongue as he tried. A woman who had been near the man who vanished became violent and started clawing at the eyes of any who looked upon her. A third man wept tears of blood as his fingernails began to visibly grow and curl back into his fingertips. The insanity of the scene was so hectic that the woman slipped away without anyone to heed her departure. For a moment, her gaze turned towards the west; the lowering sun and the far away city of peace. In a very different voice, one wrought with power, she spoke so that no one would hear. “Run to your allies, boy. You’ll find them as useless as your father.” Then she, too, vanished into a wind that howled in mockery of the painful screams that filled the area.

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