Chapter 170: Town Planning

Chapter 170: Town Planning

A list of all of the announcements Suzette has recieved with Building Points

Total: 6600 for Sedgewick and 2200 to Gadobhra

Congratulations! Your town has gained a center for Higher Education!

With the addition of The College of Practical Alchemy and Experimental Magics your town has gained new upgrade options and is well on the way to achieving status as a Level 3 Village.

-Cost for a Level 1 Mage Guild has decreased.

-Chance of the Inquisition randomly stopping by for no reason has increased.

-Cost of liability insurance on your tavern has greatly increased. Not even Crazy Eddie will do business with you.

-Sedgewick gains 750 building points and has sent a tithe of 250 points to Gadobhra.

A Pit Master in your town has upgraded his Charnel Pit to Tier 4. This is a significant upgrade for your town!

The improved structure will have these benefits when done:

-Your Pit Master may advance to Tier 4 when ready to do so.

-Additional tasty recipes are available to your Pit Master.

-Impressive Size! Tourists love a big, smoke belching building! The Charnel Pit will be housed in a four-story smokehouse, with a very deep fire pit beneath it.

-Mana Storing Building. This building stores mana, and excess may be used at your discretion for the needs of the town. One million mana is recommended for day to day operations of the Pit. Max storage capacity is Ten Million. The Pit will accept donations of either Mana or Stamina. It's not picky.

-VERY DANGEROUS! Your Butcher chose to use the screams of a Star-Spawn, and over two tons of cursed metal in the upgrade. The Pit gains the modifier 'Very Dangerous' to all food. Damage enhancing buffs are +20% more powerful. You may want to emphasize "Very Dangerous" to the Tourists wanting a look at the giant, smoke-belching building.

Sedgewick gains 2250 Building points. You have tithed 750 Building points to Gadobhra

Sedgewick has added '40-acre pepper farm' to its boundaries.

Sedgewick has added 'coal mine' to its boundaries.

Sedgewick has added 5 gold pieces per year to its income.

Sedgewick has earned 150 building points. (200-50.)

Gadobhra has earned 50 building points.

The Apple Dryads have approved the Treety that you presented to them.

In exchange for protection from the oaks and the axes of the townsfolk, the Orchard will tithe 500 bushels of apples per growing season to the town of Sedgewick, and an additional 200 bushels per acre of orchard that you plant and protect.

Sedgewick recieves 150 Building points and tithes 50 to Gadobhra.

Sedgewick has constructed 10 miles of Imperial Road that meets the highest Legion standars.

The village recieves 75 Building points and tithes 25 points to Gadobhra.

Your town has found and claimed an abandoned Poison Factory.

Sedgewick recieves 150 Building points and tithes 50 points to Gadobhra

Your town has constructed a Large Brewery

The village recieves 375 Building points and tithes 125 to Gadobhra.

Your innocent town has survived an attack by horrible tree monsters, and diseased squirrels. Brave heroes stood side by side with the citizens of Sedgewick in defiance of nature gone bad.

(You won, so you get to write what actually happened. Isn't that handy? We won't mention your towns insatiable need for timber.)

Sedgewick receives a large number of resources that have been added to your stock pile in the barracks. You have earned 75 (100-25) Building points

The Glade of the Ironwoods requests a Treety with your town. In exchange for your protection of the young trees, you may gather bog iron from the glade, and harvest any dead wood from the Ironwood Trees. Other benefits my become available to your town. The workers Cham and Jon have been declared 'Friends of the Glade'. Other townsfolk are upgraded to 'Tolerated'.

Sedgewick has gained 300(400-100) Building points.

Your town has a source of bog iron, Dark Iron, and Rustblight Ore. Dark Iron is a tier 2 material. Rustblight Ore is a magical component in Corrupted Weapons, Ironblight curses, and the creations of Rustblight Beetles. Iron Wood is a strong, tier 2 wood.

Warning: Your town has gained a NEMESIS! An ongoing quest has begun.

Your town has gained a source of Iron Wood.

The threat of the Oaks and build-up of rabid squirrels has been eliminated. Sedgewick has gained 75 (100-25) Building points.

The Town of Sedgewick receives 2250 Building points for countering what should have been a 'Scorched Earth' event. A tithe of 750 Building points was sent to Gadobhra, which would really benefit from some good 'Scorched Earth'.

Finally arriving back in Sedgewick near midnight, Suzette was mentally exhausted from the day’s events. Zephyr waved to her as she entered the tavern. The young alchemist was showing off her mixology skills to three astounded new players. All three drinks showed distinct layers of different colored alcohols, and were exactly the same. They eagerly paid for them, along with a tip, and made a toast to 'Adventure' before downing their drinks and heading to the Bunny Barrow.

Suzette slunk upstairs quickly, avoiding the third floor and continuing to her rooms on the fourth. She needed to wash the dust, horse sweat, and apple juice off of herself, and get a new skirt and top. Not much she could do quickly with her hair other than remove the twigs and leaves and tie it into a ponytail. She wondered idly if there were cantrips or spells for doing your hair? Probably, but for baronesses and not barmaids.

Somewhat refreshed she grabbed a notebook and headed down to the meeting room on the third floor. The smell of dinner hit her as she was walking in. She hadn't had anything but apple juice since morning. She looked to see what was on the table, and saw Betty putting out four large pans of chicken and dumplings.

Dammit. She knew she forgot something. Betty saw her entering the room and got a plate of food for her. "You look famished dear, just sit down and get some food in you before we start."

Suzette felt guilty. "I am so, so sorry! I meant to come back and do the cooking, I really did, but there was the building, and the college, and then the apple problems...dammit."

Betty sat her down. "Don't worry about it. You got it started, Runt plucked them for me, and Aliester wanted to help cook and learn how to make gravy. He can concoct potions, but the man still hasn't figured out the trick to good gravy. Put some food in you, you'll feel better. And if you still feel guilty, you can get me some cows."

"Cows?"

Betty nodded. "Yes, cows. Regular milk cows. Not those sedge critters. I tried making cheese and butter with their milk. It starts out brown and stays that way. Most stinky cheese I've ever made. I've got a big barrel of it aging down in the basement, but I don't think even a century is going to make it any better.”

“I want to make good cheese and dairy products, and for that I need a small herd of regular cows for regular milk."

It only took another bite of dumplings for Suzette to see the advantages of getting some regular cows. The little bit of milk they got now came from one farmer who brought in a couple of gallons ever two days from his one old cow. Cooking for this many people meant Betty was spending money buying things they could make themselves. "How many? Six and a bull? You do need a bull? Right?"

Betty nodded. "That will do, and we'll slowly grow a bigger heard. I'll have a talk with Rolly about keeping those Sedge Bulls away from my cows. I'd hate for him to lose all his bulls through a mis-understanding."

Suzette made a note to also talk to Rolly. Betty hadn't been joking at all about that.

She finished her dinner, felt much better, and looked around at the other people eating. Johannes and the faculty were here, as were all four adults of the Kallvek clan. She heard Ozzy and Ben's voices coming up the stairs. Rolly was in the corner eating a plate of dumplings minus the chicken. Jorges was discussing something involving steam with Tommasso. One of the Tommassos. Suzette couldn't tell them apart. The other seemed to be having a serious discussion with Runt. Aliester and Adrianna were laughing at some story Makken was telling.

Suzette rapped a knife on her glass a few times to get everyone’s attention. "Thanks for coming, everyone. This job is getting more complex and the town is growing quickly, so I appreciate any advice you can offer. In fact, just today we had a lot happen. The college has decided to open up in a limited fashion here in Sedgewick while they rebuild in Gadobhra. They will be helping anyone willing to wash test tubes and risk their life as a lab assistant with learning alchemy and a whole bunch of other strange knowledges."

"We also have our first permanent merchant. Roderick Kallvek will be buying the large building on the village square and setting up shop. Don't be surprised when you see their children running around exploring. We'll go see the Baron tomorrow to finish the deal."

"Lastly, we signed another Treety. It's a long story, but the town will be helping to expand the orchards around the dryads' glade, and reaping the benefits of apples, cider, and vinegar. The less we have to buy, the stronger the town will be."

Emilio raised an eyebrow and looked at his son. Roderick nodded back. Dryad apples fetched ten times the value of regular apples, and kept for several years if stored in dry barrels. No bugs or worms spoiled them and they made excellent cider. He'd already overheard Volminous discuss the potions the college would be supplying the town with. Business seemed to be booming.

Suzette shared a table with everyone. "Of course, this also adds to the towns monthly upkeep, as you can see."

Tier 2 Town Monthly Upkeep Costs

Upkeep Task

Hours

Normal Man Hours Labor

Quest

ConsequencePlunge into the depths of Nøv€lß¡n, where information dwells.

Time Owed

Cost: Gold

Cost: Build Points

City Streets

20

Fill potholes, haul cobblestones, cleaning

Yes

Broken wagons, loss of status

30 Hours

-20

-2

City Sewers

20

Empty Cisterns with buckets, haul to compost.

No

Disease

80 Hours

-80

-8

Vermin Control

10

Kill rats in basements.

Yes

Disease, rat-kin

0

Wolf Killing

20

Protect local farms

Yes

Bigger Wolves

0

Roof Repair

20

750

Adventurers Guild Level 1

A building of any sort. A shack or barn.

500

Adventurers Guild Level 2

Level 1 Adventurers Guild

1000

Hag Hollow

Three Hags (Requirements not met. 1/3)

3

Circle of White Witches

Requirement met 7/7

7

Monthly Merchants Fair (small)

Town Square

5 per month

Monthly Merchants Fair (medium)

Town Square

50 per month

News of Monthly Fair spread by bards and couriers

Monthly Fair

5 per month

Harvest Festival, large fair and festival

At least 12 local farms, Harvest Shrine

50

Spring Festival, large fair and festival

Festival tree or shrine

50

Fae Caravan

Merchants Fair, any

100

Enchanted Glade

A Witch, Green Hag, Unicorn, or Fairy Mound (Requirement met)

50

Fairy Mushroom Circle

Enchanted Glade, Fae Portal, or Fairy Mound

100

Fairy Mound

A bard, A fae, A hero, A strange happening, A curious tale, a handsome prince. (Requirements met).

1000

Teleportation Pad

Requirements not met.

*****

Gnomish Bank (Includes Banker)

2500 Gold

100

Lightning Rods

requirements met

200

Infirmary (add on to Adv. Guild)

requirements met

200

Bound Water Elemental (small)

requirements met

200

Signal to the Stars

requirements met

100

There were several exclamations at once, in languages that Suzette didn't know. The Kallveks were all gesturing and speaking in an unknown language that seemed to involve a lot of hand waving. Johannes was wringing his hands and exclaiming "Oh, dear, is that about us?" Titania was laughing, Volminous looked serious, and the Tommaso twins just agreed with all of them.

Suzette noticed the new items at the bottom of the list. "The last option is just right out. I don't think anyone wants to go through that again."

Jorges disagreed. "Well, we did get a lot of really nice metal out of the fight. I'll have a forge hot enough to melt another star spawn down easy, once I hit Tier 4. Maybe we should keep it as an option?"

Suzette and Titania both said, "NO!" at the same time.

Jorges just nodded. "Good, we'll talk about it later then. There are things on that list we really don't need. If we need walls and watch towers, we can build our own. We can plan it all out and start after we're done with the keep. Sure, if an army of orcs is coming over the hill, having a wall appear would be good. But just a waste of points otherwise."

Everyone agreed with Jorges on the walls. Surprisingly, everyone also agreed that the precautions such as Lightning Rods, Water Elemental fire brigade, and an infirmary were worth getting. Johannes and the other faculty looked guilty at forcing the town to spend points, but Suzette waved them down. "We have the points to spend, and the town got more than that from adding the college. With all the weird shit that happens, I think we'd have bought those even without the college. You just forced the options."

She looked around the room. “What’s next? You mentioned merchant fairs Emilio? Which of these options is the best?"

The Great Kallvek stood up and moved to the front of the room. "Merchant fairs can be the lifeblood of an area. Traders will travel quite far to attend a fair, and either buy goods from others or sell their own goods. Many towns and cities promote them. The options you see here will make them happen. The price is too much to keep paying, but you won't have to. Once they get started, word will spread on its own. The option for bards and couriers to spread the news is never bad though. But only if you have points to spare, as you can do the same with just gold."

"But let me diverge a bit and talk about the Fae options. I was surprised, all of my family was surprised, to see such a list. Getting the attention of the Fae is generally very difficult. And if they make an offer one season, it might never be offered again if you don't take it. They consider these offers to be something you should want. Not taking them makes them disgruntled."

"But there is also a danger in dealing with them. You have to be very careful. The fact that they are giving you several offers means you've been noticed, or that they want something. Maybe what they want is in the city, or maybe nearby. Or maybe they want nothing. They are difficult to deal with."

"But there are benefits in doing so. Fairy lights (which you are getting for a very cheap price) will keep many evil things at bay. They are also quite beautiful and change with the seasons. A Fae caravan will bring strange and wonderful things to your town, and enhance your reputation with normal merchants. The fairy mound is a sort of embassy. That is where they will send an emissary to meet with you. It can lead to many things.

Just remember the rules of dealing with the fae: They will not lie to mortals, but they never tell all of the truth. Much care must be taken in asking each question to gain the information you need, and yet not offer insult to them.”

“They take deals seriously. It is far better to not be born than to casually break a deal with them.”

“They are not human, and don’t have the same goals we do. You are dealing with immortals that think faster than you and have centuries of experience. Don’t underestimate them.”

“And lastly, never offer insult or suffer them to lose face. Pride rules many of them. It is a terrible thing to behold the lengths a Fae Lord will go if you injure their pride.”

Suzette pondered those rules for a minute, memorizing them, before she asked, “So you yourself would deal, or not deal, with the fae?”

The Great Kallvek laughed. “Oh, I would deal! There is much to gain from them. Rare items that other merchants cannot match.”

Suzette nodded slowly, still thinking. “What about the bank?”

"Ah, yes, the Gnomish Bank, I can't even conceive of what you did to get the attention of a clan of gnomes. I suggest strongly that if you have the money to pay the fee, that you do so. If you don't have the money, I will lend it to you."

Ben saw the cost and swore. "Hell, that's a steep price. Do you even need a bank if you give all your gold to the gnomes?"

Emilio conceded the point. "Yes, it is steep. But it provides much safety for gold and treasures. Merchants can store gold in the bank for a modest fee, and have it available for doing business at your fairs. Your own money will be safe from thieves. They will even transfer your riches to another bank for a small fee, and no danger of bandits or monsters as is normally the problem with caravans."

He sighed heavily. "I sometimes think that for every strongbox of gold I ship, it generates two quests for bandits and thieves to steal it."

“I have similar thoughts myself.” Ben couldn’t seem to ever just deliver money or valuable objects. Someone was always ambushing him.

Suzette looked at Ozzy, Ben, and Rolly. All three nodded yes. “We have the money, just barely. But the town will also get some of the proceeds from tomorrows sale of the building. We'll invest in the Gnomish Bank. I'll also spend the points for the medium fair, Fae Caravan, and Bardic Advertising.”

She turned to the black-robed witch. “Titania, we already formed a witches circle, so why is the option still here?"

The red-head grinned evilly. "Buy that! It makes it official. If you get town gates there will be a little plaque proclaiming the town is protected by, and home to, a circle of white witches."

Suzette allocated points. "I like that, and it's cheap. Consider it done. I'm leaning towards the Mages Guild and Adventurers Guild. Those seem like basics we need to grow. Is there any reason not to buy them? I'm really hoping they will let us buy some new skills. Makken? Johannes? Any ideas."

Johannes motioned for the dwarf to speak first. "Well, I don't have a good insight into how humans do things. In a dwarf hold any likely beardling is tested to see what affinity they might have. That alone won't make an Earth mage or Metal Master, but it helps. Intelligence and work ethic go a long way too. But the holds need mages desperately, and dwarves don't tend toward magic. I've heard that the human guilds have to beat them back with sticks, so many try to apply, and because of that, they are quite picky."

Johannes stood as Makken sat down. "What our esteemed Peppermancer says is accurate. Humans produce many potential mages, and the colleges can take their pick of applicants. The rest must content themselves to using their mana for crafting or try to learn spells outside the normal system. The Colleges frown upon this of course."

Volminous laughed ruefully. "They frown on a lot of things. So what if a small experiment gets out of hand? I'm sure everyone has let a rogue elemental into the universe during their younger years."

Tommasso whispered to each other before one said "Or even 57, depending on how you count that one made out of chocolate pudding."

Suzette tried to bring the conversation back to the options under discussion. "So, is a Level 1 Mage Guild worth the points?"

"It certainly is, even if only for the prestige it brings." Aliester said. "And it allows for growth. A level 2 guild is certainly going to be able to teach spells. From what I've seen, you have many workers that will be able to make use of them. Buy it, then make use of whatever skills or quests it brings."

Mage Guild went on the list. Suzette looked at what was left. “Besides all the Fae stuff, anything else look good for now?"

Melissa spoke up. "Storehouses. Buy several. They are dry stone rooms, proof against fire, insects, rodents, and mold. They will save you in a situation where food is scarce, and keep you from wasting resources. We have paid the gold for over a dozen in our compound in Wolfsburg. You won't regret it.”

“As to the rest, you don't need a siege well if you aren't ready for a siege. Your man, Jorges has the right of it. Why spend points if you can build it yourself? If you are hit by a plague, buy the healing well. Otherwise, horde your points.”

“If you deal with the Fae, take precautions with your children. All mine wear an iron ring just in case some of the old tales are true."

That sounded very good to Suzette. She allocated points for six storehouses. She still had a good number of points saved up and could make some decisions on the Fae. The talk went on for another half hour and then with the late hour and the food gone, most everyone went off to their beds. Rolly, Ben, and Ozzy remained.

Time for the real meeting to start.