Telli arrives in Oscura for an extended stay.
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Big stone walls are a little impractical, don't you think? You'd need to use powerful magics to put them in place, they're impossible to move should you choose to expand or shrink a field, and they don't really keep heat in, instead they absorb it to warm themselves slowly.
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Coin wanders over after listening in on the conversation
Or we could just have large stone walls constructed around the farm from floor to ceiling, light up the whole aria within and equip the farmers who ain't used to the light, tinted lenses so the light ain't so bright for them.
The pros are
A) It will make it harder for the bugs and such to get inB) It will fix the light blinding those not on the farm problem
C) it might help keep out that peg legged dwarf
The cons are
A) no to little room for expansion
And we could get some chickens, they are good for gardens, however they need sunlight too or they get bone diseases and there eggs would be soft, also they would sleep all day.
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Scuttle thinks for a second, and bites her thumbnail.
Hmmm…
What about a really simply solution?
I've seen some interesting things on my travels, and one of them was a garden in the foothills of Waterdeep. Where it was, there wasn't a lot of sun. So, the man who owned it commissioned glass panels made to amplify the sun's light, to keep the plants warm and give them the light they needed.
You could do something similar, but with a different idea.
Why not just talk to Mister Z about getting the crafters to make a pavillion out of skins to put over the top of the farm? Then you can light up the inside as much as you want, keep bugs out, and have a little privacy if you need it.
You don't need an open garden like on the surface, because there's nothing above that you want the garden to have. I mean, rock isn't known for it's ability to aid plant growth.
And the garden is being watered by hand...
So without sunlight, and without rain, why worry about keeping the top of the garden open?
Just make sure that the light you put in place is above the plants, or they'll grow all funnny.
I know it'll probably be a huge pavillion, but asides from that, you're relying on magic, which whilst good and useful, is pretty easy to disrupt.
You could even do a series of smaller pavillions if you'd prefer, to cover the different fields.
If you want to use the darkness on the edges of it, that COULD work, but don't light and dark spells counter each other? It might just end up turning off the light altogether.
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Telli sits near her altar with scuttle drinking some of her damaran brew one morning muttering.
"Danks miss Scuttle… dis a lot nicer presents den whoeva wokes Telli wid dat crud bucket."
She glowers thumbing behind her at the bucket in the corner that stinks a vile stench despite Telli's most stalwart efforts to scrub it clean.
"So Telli been tinkings... trying ta figure outs how ta gits light down here.....and wid Chauntea's grace backs... Telli gots an idear... and danks ta Mr Mord too. Telli gonna pray abouts its... buh Mr Mord said....why don'tcha juss cover the area around a farm in darkness. Den da light won't gets outs.... Whatcha tink?"
blows on her mug sipping some of the damaran brew.
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Coming down for a visit, Scuttle is pleasantly surprised by the results, and giggles with glee at the sight of her plants blooming beyond all expectations. She finds Telli, and settles in for a long chat over some freshly brewed damaran coffee.
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Oscuran farmhands are in awe as Telli's prayers to Chauntea are answered. Her erstwhile black thumb has suddenly turned green. In less than a tenday, the blessed garden patch is thriving. The usual garden pests (except a peg-legged dwarf) are manageable once more, and the size of the root vegetables has doubled. The mushroom crop has never looked better. Manure that once seemed to sprout only flies now sprouts delicious mushrooms.
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_Soon after the goodly doyenne of fecundity's head hits her rocky pillow and begins to snore, Mercy pegs up, carrying a bucket with a rag over the top, conspiring to peg as quietly as possible. Edging up near the slumped form of Telli, Mercy carefully puts the bucket down, whips off the rag and hurriedly swaggers off, leaving the container by the sleeping dame.
Rapidly, the scent of effluvia creeps from the odious, muck-stained bucket…
_
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Telli's seen in the fields the following weeks with a fervent vigor as she prays at the altar and goes about the fields checking conditions. A small child like list is made and then set atop the altar for review.
Step 1: Get ridda flies…
Step 2: Make Scuttles crops grow betta and dens heal ems.
Step 3: Comes ups wid plan fer Mr Justicar ta approves.
Step 4: Takes nap...usings Chauntea's grace is a lots harder den Telli
Members.Telli waddles over to the mushroom patch looking over the fly infestation. After calculating its girth she pulls out odd canine statuettes with a bar between them. Ones the color of black while the others white. Whispering to herself an aura engulfs around her causing the flies that fail their will checks to freeze motionless and fall to the ground.
@9da4141302:
Repulsion
Abjuration
Level: Clr 7, Protection 7, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, F/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Up to 10 ft./level
Area: Up to 10-ft.-radius/level emanation centered on you
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will negates
Spell Resistance: YesAn invisible, mobile field surrounds you and prevents creatures from approaching you. You decide how big the field is at the time of casting (to the limit your level allows). Any creature within or entering the field must attempt a save. If it fails, it becomes unable to move toward you for the duration of the spell. Repelled creatures’ actions are not otherwise restricted.
They can fight other creatures and can cast spells and attack you with ranged weapons. If you move closer to an affected creature, nothing happens. (The creature is not forced back.) The creature is free to make melee attacks against you if you come within reach. If a repelled creature moves away from you and then tries to turn back toward you, it cannot move any closer if it is still within the spell’s area.
Arcane FocusA pair of small iron bars attached to two small canine statuettes, one black and one white, the whole array worth 50 gp.
Next closing her eyes Telli whispers asking for a blessing of Creeping Doom as centipedes erupt from the ground below feasting on the immobile flies. If the centipedes begin to feast on the mushroom due to lack of flies in the area she's quick to dispell the blessing.
"Dat should takedededs care a dems…"
Telli pants leaning over resting on her knees as she catches her breath...
"Don't members....dat being so hard ta do....."
Sipping on water and pausing for a brief snack Telli waddles over to Scuttles positively charged plants. Sitting down in the dirt she rests her hands on the soil before whispering softly...
@9da4141302:
Plant Domain Spells
3. Plant Growth: Grows vegetation, improves crops.Plant Growth
Transmutation
Level: Drd 3, Plant 3, Rgr 3
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: See text
Target or Area: See text
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: NoPlant growth has different effects depending on the version chosen.
OvergrowthThis effect causes normal vegetation (grasses, briars, bushes, creepers, thistles, trees, vines) within long range (400 feet + 40 feet per caster level) to become thick and overgrown. The plants entwine to form a thicket or jungle that creatures must hack or force a way through. Speed drops to 5 feet, or 10 feet for Large or larger creatures. The area must have brush and trees in it for this spell to take effect.
At your option, the area can be a 100-foot-radius circle, a 150-foot-radius semicircle, or a 200-foot-radius quarter circle.
You may designate places within the area that are not affected.
EnrichmentThis effect targets plants within a range of one-half mile, raising their potential productivity over the course of the next year to one-third above normal.
Plant growth counters diminish plants.
This spell has no effect on plant creatures.
sweat begins to drip down her forehead some more and she finishes with waves of full healing blessings through the soil. Sighing heavily she lays back in the dirt near the positive energy plants exhausted. When someone wanders by to ask how she's doing she simply replies.
"Tireds…..very tiredededs....Telli juss....gonna take a naps here.....den....get workings on dose plans fer Mr Justi....-.....Zzzzzzzzz"
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"Its yer city Miste-…Justicar...If yuh tinks da citizens will be more welcomes ta light after success dens… mebbe we shoulds keep below ta mushrooms, lettuce and fungi dats nots needededs much lights ta survives. And wull work on fresher betters fruits and vegetables topsidededs.
Maythor was talkings wids me da oder days too... he saids he woulds be willings ta helpedededs wids a fish farm a sorts toos if yuh tinks da city could prospers froms its...
Chauntea usually looks over da veggies and da fruits...buh... she likedededs animals toos... so a fish farm mights be good toos...
He said a few good charges... and smarts dwarves on dem could blast a small water source inta da area we currently workings ats... could fill pools a water and make some fish farms fer food fer da city too...
Whatcha tink a dat?"
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Justicar arrives and reviews how things are proceeding.
Very interesting Lady Telli. Perhaps an interim method would work? We have a way station being built on the surface as we speak. If you wish, we could clear a few acres around said way station for you to plant crops. Once the children of Oscura have access to fresh food from these farms, they may be more willing to accept constructing some sun rooms off of the main caverns to do as you wish?
Your thoughts?
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Z takes Telli aside and has a quiet conversation with her.
((PM on the way))
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*Z drops by to see how Telli's cave crops are coming along.
He takes out a quill pen, some parchment, and begins to jots some notes as he looks over the fields.*
Hmmm…
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Marie looks around, and shrugs
Undead down here are supposed to be under the control of whoever created them. If one of them destroys the crops, their owner has to pay for the damage.
It's no different to having grain that a cow would want to eat.
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Telli nods mulling over what was said before responding…
"Dey draw undeaders ta em... we gonna...."
Looks around the farming area lowering her voice
"...have prollems wid undeaders if we keep dese'uns arounds?"
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@c24337e0c9=Tigrelily:
As she sighs further reports trickle in of the recently planted vegetables progress. Telli seeks out Scuttle to learn more of these plants she brought and whether they'll help for long term growing or if their more work on the farmers then their output.
Still working in the fields with the other farmers, Scuttle puts down her tools and comes over to Telli.
They're pretty hardy plants, actually. The reason why they're so hard to find is that undead don't like them, so down near Norwick the skeletons and zombies get drawn to them, to try and kill them.
As long as you keep the undead away, they're about as easy to look after as lettuce. Keep them wet, a little bit of light, and they'll be fine. No pruning needed, although you can prune them when they get bigger to use the shoots and make more plants, or sell the shoots to alchemists and potion makers.
These ones were actually growing at the foot of a copse of trees, out of the sun. So I think they'll do just fine down here.
If you think they're looking a little down, just get someone to use a curing blessing on them, they'll perk right back up. Even a minor one would do the job, or the energy that gets used to repulse undead will work for a heap of them at once.
I'm sure that if you ask around, you'll be able to find a priest who's happy to help, in exchange for the occassional shoot from them.
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Telli watches Mercy peg along with a flat unappreciative expression until she's well out of sight.
"Telli wants ta hear if dat jerks in dis area or around Chautnea's altar if Telli ain't arounds… yuh hear?"
Telli turns to some of the farmers with a stern look before going back to inspecting some of the more fruitful crop growth.
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Being the charitable and well-meaning soul she is, Mercy pegs by when Telli is slaving to stave off the swarmy flyblowing to cackle and gloat, leerily offering the send her own turds to Chauntea's dwarven finest - gratis - to assist with her underground and undergrowing campaign towards fruitful foliage. Either that or - quoth Umberlee's handmaiden - Mercy could squat down directly over the affected little seedlings, loosening her slack bowel without a middleman…
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After news of the flies annoyance increasing Telli stands in the middle of the farming area contemplating kicking the bucket near her foot as far as she can. Instead she balls her fists and stands there gritting her teeth for a solid thirty seconds until she exhales audibly turning to the workers.
"Ooooookeee….first tings firsts... lets make sure we gits dems jars emtpied and exchanged as quick as we kin okee. Lets keep up on ems till dems flies is gone. I wants a report on dems frogs and snakes toos... if der poisonous wull gets ems outta dis mushroom patch. Last ting we need is somes farmers poisonededs. If der not poisonous....along wid da beetles... dey'll helps da flies prollem."
As she sighs further reports trickle in of the recently planted vegetables progress. Telli seeks out Scuttle to learn more of these plants she brought and whether they'll help for long term growing or if their more work on the farmers then their output.
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_A rather short hin dressed in a grasstained robe walks slowly to the garden and looks it over with his skilled eyes. He looks at each plant, nodding slowly before he walks to the next. Occasionally he'll pick a weed or straighten a stem.
Then, as soon as he's done, he walks off slowly, his hood over his head._
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_The halfling's plants are sturdy and resilient to the beetles and flies. The veggie patch looks better than it has in tendays.
The mushrooms are not so lucky. The bottles intended to catch the swarms of manure flies quickly become choked with the bodies of trapped flies. More quickly fill their place. As the flies continue to breed, the gardeners notice the subtle appearance of the occasional toad and snake in the garden. They seem to be feeding on the flies._
