Changes and Construction
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_With Dentin among the living again, he quickly rejoins the war effort, overseeing the near constant construction and repair efforts for the ballistas and catapults, along with Sudoc and Alvah.
One day, a few new things are rolled out of the legion hall. Specially made ballistas and heavy bolts. Not long after, a group of armored men and women arrived, wearing the same colours as the Sentinels already working in Jiyyds. They bring a number of strange carts, which are placed outside of the Legion hall for the time being, and guarded zealously by the armored men and women against any overactive tinkerers. Dentin then pulls the engineering team aside and starts explaining. The ballistas are apparantly meant to carry up chains, to snare the dragon when it passes overhead and hopefully cause it to crash to the ground, where it would at least be withing sword and hammer-reach. He also mentions that Spellweaver may still add enchantments to the bolts, though that Elredith is the one to talk to about that.
The carts, are loaded with the same system of metal pipes that many could recognize is used to launch gnomish fireworks. Though there's at least a few dozen pipes in each of the three carts, and it seems the group has brought crates full of rockets to match. A preperation for the victory feast.. or something else?_
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Genzir walks along the defensive walls with the engineers and Peltarch Defenders. Earth elementals pile stones higher, raising the walls' height beyond the reach of giants. Shortsword blades and spearheads, many of them taken from the fallen orcs, are planted in the corners of the cliff, where giants would have to put their hands if they wish to pull themselves up. Earth elementals shift about the stones and dirt of the ledges, holding the sword blades and spearheads fast in a hardy grip. Any giants trying to climb the walls now will get a nasty surprise, if they can even get a grip on the ledge.
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_After the oak gates were shattered by the white dragon and frost giants, a grumbling hin master blacksmith has been seen around the trade hall hammering brass reinforcements and steel hinges for the new gates. Using a copy of the current key, she forges new locks if the old ones can't be salvaged.
The hin is rumoured to be looking for the aid of a spellcaster who can ward the gates against giants and full-blooded orcs._
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Following a devastating flank attack by orcs and giants who climbed the hill on the western front of the defenses, a number of the earth elementals are sent there, swimming through the rock, to dig out another trench and wall.
Other elementals may be seen around the east road, helping to dig there.
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The union trade hall has been humming with activity lately as master woodcrafter Ginger Tealeaf works on crafting sets of large gates out of oak. Donations of oak logs and boards are stacked under a tarp outside the hall, but the resources have been depleting quickly as the gates take shape. Master Tealeaf has been heard to remark that they'll need more oak soon, and perhaps steel for banding.
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Dentin is often seen around Jiyyd, though leaves most of the construction to others. Instead he talks with Lyte, Elridith and Sudoc, assessing the work on the catapults and discussing schematics and designs. He also spends some time studying the inactive portal near the bat cave, for some reason.
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Following a night of skirmishing with the orcs, in which most of the outer wall was destroyed by catapult fire, Mecizq can be seen leading several priests of the Divine Shield in the creation of a replacement wall of stone, magically summoning the stone from the ground itself to form a new foundation for the outer wall.
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_Wolf is seen less often around the work sight, seeing that everyone there has plenty of help from the mages. When he does come, he usually creates vines in front of the makeshift wall, to slow and warn of anything that may be coming.
Of course, if no mages are there, he is seen changing into a great bear and helping move heavy stuff._
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Horbag or Radnack can be seen offering all sorts of stews and delicious rat and bat dishes to the workers, even a hearty wink to encourage the men to keep up the good work is often delievered.
Rats and Bats, because hungry men will eat anything
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Though little noise is heard coming from the Sisterhood, the kids having been moved to camp for the time being, there is still ladies in thick robes of crimson and black moving about that farm. The ladies are constantly saw hauling food and drink to the workers, and helping out wherever they can, from light construction work and scouting, to healing cuts and scrapes.
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Laucian watches the massive undertaking from afar, feeling unable to help the construction in any meaningful way. Occasionally, he works up the nerve to stumble over towards the proposed positions of the archer towers, and give some quiet advice to the workers regarding their exact positioning.
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Jerr spends a lot of time moving among the workers from other towns during the breaks and cheering them up. He takes packges to and from the workers to their homes. Only cookie packages are a little lighter upon delivery.
oh, and pies
His long loping strides take him along the road to the wall and back again. He tries to make sure to sing sun up or sun down at least once a day at the worksite.
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General Lyte and Corporal Calendel were seen in Jiyyd having discussions with an Anaxian and Meciqz regarding possible areas in town that need to be strengthened. Some concerns were brought up surrounding the forest at Silver Valley where Hobgoblins had earlier attacked the town from while the Orc tribes were fighting and also the forest wall above the rat and bat cave. Although defensive barricades are in place, it was evident that futher thought needs to be put into these areas to ensure a safer Jiyyd.
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((Great stuff, gang, keep up the good work!))
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Lyte is usually found at the construction site near to the plains these days, offering encouraging words, smiles and seemingly dealing with a constant barrage of requests, questions, problems and free advice.
Over the next week, the new hillocks formed by the wierd creatures of the wizards are soon packed down by their gigantic feet, and masons swarm over them, with spikey wooden projections atop rough hewn walls of nickel veined stone rising up here in what at first appears to be wide ranging chaotic piles of rock and timber surrounded by workers ….but soon, a pattern forms, and a sense of confidence in these new barriers seem to brighten the moods of those working therein, as even untested walls brace the hearts of men now seperated from the wicked giants and orcs and things without.
Trenches are dug, large stone barriers are set into place in key positions on the new mounds of earth that rise up from the plain. New wooden archer towers rise up, transforming the long road into a now serious and militant looking place, and always, guards wearing the colors of the gypsys, the Helmite Temple, the Legion, mixed with various other noble adventurers look warily south, ever south, towards the windy plains, where evil schemes are whispered, in the undertunnels beneath the fabled Orc Fortress.
In Jiyyd, the legion patrols eastward are as vigilant as ever. At the old abandoned well, an amazing, shiny steel edifice sits atop the stone well itself, entirely hiding the stone beneath.
The thing is massively built, and six thick taut steel chains emanate from it, which end in massive wooden pegs driven many feet into the ground, at a goodly distance away from the steel covering.
Whatever this thing is supposed to do, it's big, it's heavy, and the dwarves around town like to lean on it, polish it, inspect it, and several are seen asking if they can haul it off, "once things ha' settled back to normal like."
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As the construction goes on Dentin and Elridith can be seen near the site going over several sets of blueprints. The mess of plans attempted to be organized on their worktable. All various plans for dealing with the various enemies which will appear, one of which seems a big concern. Plans for magically imbued rockets as well as a slew of other ideas may be overheard by keen ears.
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As the first day passes, the number of elementals grows rapidly, and by the end of the first day, the engineers have over a dozen earth elementals at their beck and call. The next day, a dozen more join the crew…
The great stony walls begin to rise from the earth...
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Laborers toil with supernatural strength and endurance, aided by a dozen or more wizards at a time, and priests and druids.
Some of them, students and less experienced mages, cast spells to enhance the abilities of the workers, and to help move materials and communications around the construction site and the town. Invisible hands manipulate small tools and objects in awkward, out-of-reach places, saving the workers a bit of running around.
Others, Initiates and mages of greater ability, gather at a distance. There, away from the site, several denizens of the elemental plane of earth rise amid clouds of smoke and ash, from circles of sulfur and gems, and after brief conversations with their wizard masters, wend their way though the teams of workmen to the walls and towers. Following the orders of a few engineers who are now, somehow, proficient in the rumbling Terran speech, they work their will upon the great stones. Beguiled by their touch, pebbles, sand and boulders shift and adjust themselves harmoniously, shoring up the walls and towers, and holding the spiky barricades fast in a stony grip.
((Assuming use of Lesser Planar Binding here, which at least 7 of us can cast, (edit: up to 8 now) to summon medium earth elementals; also casting Tongues on the engineers; will spend gold from the Keep treasury on gems and stuff to reward the elementals if they care for that))
Some of the experienced wizards then take the form of great hulking beasts, digging foundation trenches with incredible speed that no humanoid could match. Massive boulders that would take a dozen strong men to lift are carried by pairs of hulks and set into place at the direction of experienced craftsmen and engineers. Their huge, insectoid feet pound the earth around the foundations of the walls and towers, hardening it into an impermeable mass.
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Threaded through all this activity, quiet men and women in dark clothes drift into town and make reports to various of the command staff. They stay for a meal and some rest, usually silent and with haunted eyes.
Then they're gone again, like ghosts, to the South. Watching.
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*Wagons, some filled with timber, some with stone, and some with large, formidable, pointy spiked constructions are seen to pour out of the legion hall in a mighty, prearranged caravan of quite considerable proportions.
More wagons of tools, barrels, bags and rope follow. It's a virtual parade of materials, pushing up great clouds of dust along the road west out of town in the direction of the Helmite camp….and, not long after the clouds settle, then the dozens of wagons return, to be refilled and taken forth towards the plains once again.
Teamsters dressed in Legion colors lead the mules, oxen and horses pulling the wagons.
Great terrible beasts seen out on the road near to the plains, with awful huge claws, towering over the trees, are seen by citizens following the proceedings, sendin them flying back to Jiyyd in fear.
The clicking creatures though, seem to be allies, carrying huge rocks and more or less settling them into place, following the prearranged plans laid out orderly on some rocks by legion Officers in the company of a very short man in officious attire. He points here and there, skiddling amongst workers from Norwick, Jiyyd and Peltarch, who are setting up these pointed baracades, while skilled masons led by Z begin the precise task of wallbuilding out of the growing supply of stone. Eventually 2 stout archery towers seem to be taking form there, under the watcful eye of the hin Ginger, of the Silver Valley.
Rumors fly of various heroes, Legion members, wizards in strange forms, Norwickians, Gypsys, Druids, and Peltarchians among them, holding back scores of terrible creatures. Wolf and Raisa are reputed to be there, and the lizardperson Steelfin, and many of the Spellkeepers very best wizards.
Citizens with eyes filled with wild fear swear they saw bugbear assassins, massive elite orc troopers, gargantuan giants, goblins, stoney chickens, bird like demons and horrid spiders attack those guarding the workers.
Several times, screaming onlookers run into town bellowing that the defensive plan had failed, and that orcs were about to rampage through the town....but none came.
Instead, messengers returned to town requesting huge orders of food and drink at the local tavern, and a wagon is used to cart it out to the workers on the road.
Eventually, their shifts finished, weary workers trudge into town, looking tired but satisifed.
Apparently, Jiyyd lives for another day.*
