I know that you interested in the wider world of the game, that is why you are the furthest away from the Duchy of Greysteel. The Duke has guessed that the King of Jarda has not been sending tax collectors his way for decades because the kingdom has weakened as such he is betting that if he sends you as his representative half way to the kingdom, and get you to establish a permanent foothold in the area, he can usurp a large swath of land.
The kingdom of Jarda seems to be Aquaphobic, as the kingdom is set up far from the major rivers. He wants you to take control of the navigable section of a river near to Jarda. He wants you to build a bridge across the river near where there is a ford. He would like the bridge to be fortified too. There is a quarry near by, and you can create stone with your spells, so you have no shortage. He says that if you build this bridge he will reward you with a chunk of the revenue from all the lands between Greysteel and your bridge, but he will help you build a grand temple to Xeric too.
You could build just a bridge, or a Fort at the ford. You could also build a bridge and a fort, (like the Twins from Fame of Thrones) the Fort on an island in the middle of the bridge. Al you have to huger is the know how to build the fort or the bridge. You can build a Temple to Xeric for Cerasa and a Druid’s Grove to Xeric for yourself too.
What you choose will affect what happens next.
Oh, there are two small villages on either side of the river along the road.
Hey Io,
The Duke sends a representative with you to the land granted to you. It is half way to Jarda, literally. He lets you know the terms of his grant on the way. Build the bridge and the Duke will help you build a grand temple to Xeric. Just one measly little bridge. You think you remember one of your party members talking about the trip to Greysteel, you took the Teleport circle, because you had money and your family wanted to send you off with style. You had wanted to go yourself but it had made sense, one gold for a two week trip to be over in a second vs 18 days on the road without a bath and inns that cost 2 gold coins. It made sense. Still you were expecting a river like the bridge at Greysteel. You know 25’ across. After nine days on the road you stopped with the guide at the edge of the River. The guide called it The River, but he told Ceraza that it was called the Mastekeena river to some. He said it was ten times as wide at the mouth. 25’, so 250’— that’s a laugh, no river could be 250’ wide. Your mouth must have been ajar because the river before you was not 50’ wide, it was 200’ wide at least.
The Duke wanted a bridge. A bridge 200’ long. It was clear, the Duke did not like you.
The ferry trip took the better part of the day; there was a breeze that was going the same direction as the current, so you could not just sail right across and the barges only worked well in the winter and the late autumn, when the source waters were covered with snow or if there was a summer drought. A bridge made sense for this area, but it might bankrupt you.
You headed to Jarda on your own, as a hawk for most of it. The Duke asked you to send workers to Greysteel First so the Jardanese Government was not clued in on his enterprise. You agreed because you were going to get a temple, and a Grove out of this. Ceraza went back with the official so that she could beg some concessions from the Duke and you went to hire an expert to see if it were possible. You hired one and was able to check up on some family while you were in the city. They did not even know that you were gone, and they thought that you had better get going before the adventure you were seeking got solved be someone else. Elves! So spacey sometimes. You got back to the city with a dwarves engineer who said no problem was too great for him to solve. Silly boastful dwarf.
A day to Greysteel, by Teleport Circle, and a week to the river with a troop of workers, about 100 of them, to begin work on the impossible. When you arrived Caeladrim was waiting for you and he began begging you to come back with him so that you can cast wall of stone a thousand times and build his town for free, he has ideas and wants you to for fill them for free!—he is such a cheapskate. Denied of his request he takes out his ghastly golden skull and goes invisible and a rush of wind takes him away. Your dwarves engineer, come up to you, “Not a bad idea that is. I see this is a bigger job than I first thought, but if I make the soundings and there is a good base of rock round here it may get be possible.”
The next few weeks he takes time making a detailed plan around the river. He notices that at one time the island in the middle had a fortification, perhaps a thousand years ago. “Makes you wonder, Eh?” He thinks that it might make a good base to start the casting of the spells. He just has to figure out how deep and how larger the pylons need to be.
You spend that time as a river dolphin exploring the area underwater. One thing you notice is that the water downriver of the island is very deep, over 100’ deep, it is littered with the wrecks of decaying ships. Turning into yourself and casting breathe water you then spend some time casting Light to illuminate the area. The beauty of the area is stunning. The third time there you are greeted by two ambassadors one is a large crocodile like humanoid and the other is an elf with gill slits. The lizard man appears to understand both of you and translates. The one is a river Elf and he and his pod have traveled long and far for over several years seeking a new home. There had legends of this place and were hoping to settle here. The lizard man says that he has no problem with this but is wary of his passage as an omen of poor tidings. He says that if you will take them under your protection he will allow the refugees through this section of the river. You agree. Besides his family could help you build and tell you about far off places from where he is from. He is a River Elf and speaks a dialect of River Speech the lizard man calls Warm River Speak. He says the river is always warm there, and his tribe was from there long ago, and only she the Shaman knows it’s sounds.
The shaman shows you a part of the ruin you had not investigated yet. There is a set of stairs that climbs inside the island and up. You emerge into a chamber and move a stone startling Ceraza. You decide that you can build the stone parts of the temple here and divert some of the production the Duke is going to send for the temple, below to the grotto; you will make him build two temples!
The best part about meeting the River Elf was being able to become a River Elf as one of your forms, and that meant you could breathe water and cast spells too. Same for the Lizardman. That meant that you could build the supports from the last part of the bridge. The dwarf was also insistent that as many of the bridge’s supports were deep in the mud as they could go, “Better Lassy, that they rest on good living rock.” This was the way he talked, very patronizing in some way—sure you looked like a human child in age, but you were at least as old as he was. Taking the time to direct the river to stir up the mud you were able to find more solid ground for the walls of stone to rest on, and in some cases actual stone. Learning about the river was another fascinating thing, to you it was fascinating, to Korrin, it was probably boring because he could not shoot it. To you though it was fascinating because of the way the water worked in the river. The current was strongest closest to the island and there the water was deepest.
Your engineer first brought it to your attention early one morning before the casting of the spells. “Lassy, I’ve ben thinkn, you ken the way the bridge has ben designed no boat will be able to go beneath it. Is that what you want? If not I might be able to change the plans to allow for boat travel underneath it. But for ease it will have to be made of wood, so that we can move the bridge up an down.”
The river is pretty shallow everywhere except at the island, small boats will be able to pass easily enough, but anything with a decent draft will have to go close to the island. Placing a stone pier on the upriver portion of the river is easy, but a wood dock would be necessary to avoid altering the underwater grove.
It takes a lot longer to build the bridge than merely the 200’ would suggest. 200’ is not just two castings of the spell. Your spell creates 1000 square feet of stone, 6” thick, but it requires some pretty tricky designs to support sections 20 feet wide and long. With the direction of your engineer you manage to create a stone scaffolding and build thick stone pylons to support the bridge. You can cast the spell three times per day and an average of two days casting is necessary to create each 10’ section. The places where the bridge joins up with the shore on either side are easy to build, but the dwarf points out that to secure the end to erosion and spring flooding they will need to make the bridge longer and more substantial. The locals are good for that, they point at their homes that are far from the edge of the river and just beyond the high river point. The point is that casting everyday three times a day it takes about three months to build the bridge. In comparison, the temple takes no time.
The temple of Xeric is traditionally built on a body of water, or around a large pond that will reflect the light of Xeric at night, but situated on an island allows you to make a more traditional design—an elaborate lighthouse! There is a tall tower with a focusing mirror and a large crystal focus in the centre with a permanent light spell cast upon it, blue light, the light of Xeric and a light that penetrates the darkness to bring the faithful into harbour. Like the urban temples this one also contains a reflecting pool in the centre, open to the air. The travellers that will cross the bridge will pay their respects to Xeric on their way across the bridge, and any who dock on the stone pier on the upriver side will pay homage as well, before continuing on.
The grove on the downriver side of the island, is deep below the surface. The current carries the silt and mud over its surface and blocks out the suns. The algae below the surface here illuminate the surroundings in a phosphorescent blue light. The fish that are attracted to this area reflect colours not present in the light magically. Ancient wrecks litter the space and provide homes for aquatic fauna. Skeletons of men lie where they fell, a reminder of mortality. There is a stone dais rising in shallow broad steps from the murk to the base of the island and a broken stone column sits on a lower step. Objects the Duke helped buy are littered as offerings to Xeric—tarnished metals, clear gems, and freshwater pearls.
When your bridge neared completion, after the Temple light was lit and provided a light to guide the lost at sea home, the first travellers arrived. They were not from Jarda seeking information on who was building on the verge of their lands. They were not from upriver and they were not from Greysteel; they were from down river.
The first few were traveling up the river. They spoke of chilling tales of war downriver. They were not like the folk of Jarda. They had a darker complexion and they spoke with a thick accent. They are men, women and children. They come in boats and tell of tales of men fighting men. When questioned more closely, they admit that they have seen no war but the rumour of it had pressed upon them to flee. It is a few weeks after this that the true refugees begin to trickle in.
First, there are crowded sailing ships, skiffs really. Meant to hold five men and a ton of trade goods but now loaded with people. One day there was one sail, and then a few days later four, a day later a dozen then again they trickled down to a one or two a day. These people bring stories. There is War coming. A great empire from far down river sees it as a divine quest to conquer the river from Mouth to source. These are the traders that could easily flee and bring the people that could afford passage here. Many of the people do not speak Jardanese.
Tales that the river is not one bit inhabited further up the river have stopped their progress that way. Some have heard of the might of Jarda, others just here that it is a place they can hide. The rest stay close to the river.
A welcome respite arrives from an unexpected quarter, a lone boat heading down river towards you from the uncivilized wilds. The ship lands at the stone pier and another dwarf gets out. It is Vistra, she says that she has set up her seat of power a week’s journey up river from you. She says only small boats can make the journey easily, but she is hoping to open her lands for trade. She tells you that she has opened up her land to resettle and train the orphans from Neloar and the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Next month things get worse. Barges, rowing and sailing when they can emerge from around the bend in the river. They carry wounded and disease infected victims of war. These people will survive, their wounds are not as severe, but they tell you that there are less here than they left with. Also there are many children that were pushed aboard the boats so they would not be captured.
The most able bodied journeyed here beside the river traveling twelve hours a day for over a month, just to keep up with the barges.
The tales they tell, the ones that you can get a clear translation, on tell you that The Gutral Mastekeena Empire is the aggressor. They are seeking to control all the waters of the Mastekeena River. Their attacks are ruthless and what towns they do not burn to the ground with their inhabitants locked in, they enslave and cart away.
A collaborating story is told as the River Elves that you gave sanctuary to a few months ago, have arrived. They claim that they passed through these disputed lands on their way here. The waters stank of blood and ashes, there were bodies in the river, and many of the fighters were moving up river this way. They also refer to this river as Mastekeena.
A charter of the Knights of Jarda has heard of the refugees at Calisto and has joined the town as defenders.
Dworic Duegarbane captain of the catapults/engineer.
Swaravan Greenwater leader of the River Elves
Ssskasszzwick. Leader of the Lizardman infantry
Ceraza Priest of the Xeric’s Temple
Regular light Lizardman Infantry
Regular medium Cavalry the Gray Knights of Jarda
Light River Elf Infantry seasoned
The Trebuchet of Callisto
You have two medium sized temples and the construction of the bridge had attracted artisans and people to the village of Callisto.
13 artisans, 52 families of farmers, fishermen, and woodsmen.
The artisans make 2000gp per year, the others make 400, for a total income of 46,800. The Duke collects taxes, you get 40% and that is 4,680gp/year. The population of Callisto has grown to 260 people and there are eleven artisan shops built alongside the Temple:
Alchemist
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Allows potion making
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Blacksmith
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Allows magic weapons
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Captain
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Trains troops
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Carpenter
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5% bonus/level shop
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Chef
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Con bonus
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Mason
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5% bonus/level shop
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Priest
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Wis bonus
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Sage
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Int bonus
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Scribe
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Allows scroll making
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Spy
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Information gathering
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Tailor
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Cha bonus
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