"It's beautiful," I couldn't help but whisper, mist gracing my eyes. "Providence made manifest…"
"It's… just a hut?" Todone asked.
"It's more than a hut," I replied, "It's a shelter".
"But… they're basically the same thing?"
We did it. We finally fucking did it. And in the nick of time as well, I could smell rain clouds in the distance, something this wetland was in dire need of. The bricks were just high enough to clear Zarusosa's head should he stand upright, with the roof itself thatching in the shape of a gable. And by all that is holy was I thrilled. Now that that was done I could actually afford to relax for a moment, and a good thing too because come midnight tomorrow night I'll actually have my first batch of 'Data Crystals'. I may very well not even get enough to enchant everything, or even at all, but at least I should have the opportunity to do so in the future.
I pull up the thatch hatch, each one of us holding it in place until all three of us stepped inside and let it fall to its place, thunder rumbling in the distance. I took the time to drink the room in. A baked mud slab, flat and simple acted as a table with a deer hide draped over it. Three piles of straw bedding, draped over by additional hides and slightly raised from the ground on a clay slab themselves. The fire itself crackled and glowed softly, providing just enough light for us to see everything inside, with a stack of logs if needed as well as a shelf above the clay cooking range stacked with smoked and dried herbs the two demihumans had helped gather.
Overall, it was suitable enough that we'd be able to last until winter. Or at least until whatever they are come around. I'd tried going over with it every single time, but nothing came of it other than the mention that they weaved like reeds in the wind. That problem is for us tomorrow, today we rest. Sure, I know what I said about keeping pace to make sure we can handle whatever this thing is, but it'll do us no good if we're stressed out to high heavens. So, in celebration of our huts completion, I believed a feast was in order.
Reaching into a side pot for filets of fish, I shook out and began rubbing and kneading a blend of herbs into the fish meat, preparing the main course. This swamp monster didn't go easy either, even when speared by Todone on a whim. Still, it had fought no more and was now serving as a dish for tonight's occasion alongside a side of root vegetables I'd planned on baking. As I worked my magic, memories of riverside cooking with my pop guiding my hands, I couldn't help but dwell on other things, mostly of the idle variety as I'd intended until my two acquaintances started prodding me with questions.
"So, h-... Nolan… what was your homeland like? The part you came from, I mean?" Todone asked.
Hmm, the fact that he still almost calls me human sometimes is odd. I'll have to ask him about that sometime, but that seems like a delicate question almost.
"Well, unfortunately that's a bit of a question," I began slowly. "We moved around a lot so I never could say I stayed in one area for too long. A lot of those moves were in the city for a good while though, but eventually my mom brought us out to farmlands for money purposes. It was an okay place to be I guess as long as you didn't mind the constant sight of trash, whether it be beer bottles in farmfield ditches or urban tumbleweed grocery bags in the suburbs. Only parts I could say that Ohio had going for it was Lake Erie and the various nature preserves that dotted the state".
"Nature preserves?" Zaru asked.
"Right, you guys are probably unfamiliar with the term, and for good reason. Uh… a nature preserve is a segment of land squared away and protected from any form of development, whether it be the sake of species preservation or tourism. Ohio's a glorified turnpike, so lot's of people passing through might drop by one every now and then".
"You have designated sections of land entirely for untapped forests? Fascinating… for what purpose do your people continue to maintain these 'Nature Preserves'?"
"Well… I guess it's to help remind us of what our land was like before modern industrialization… before we developed the means to level entire forests and drain mountains dry of their every mineral. It shows us our roots in a way, the roots of all our forefathers that roamed the land before we discovered that certain shiny rocks banging against other certain shiny rocks made tools, fire, and art".
"Hmmm… thank you for the insight," The lizard said, content with my answer.
The sizzling scent of spiced fish greeted my nose, now placed upon the pan sitting on our cooking range. As far as meals go, it'll be nice to have as opposed to bug or crayfish for a change. With those cooking, I take the wrapped tubers and place them in the pot wrapped up in leaves, and place the pot itself in the fire to bake them. Food in the process of cooking, I take a moment to ask a question of my own.
"I have a question for the both of you actually. How many people live in your tribes?"
They take a moment to deliberate on the question, contemplating number. It'd be nice to know how many they have for a multitude of reasons. Manpower, how well they could defend themselves against outside threats, and most importantly how many they could spare off to the side to help advance and study things.
"I cannot speak for all Toadman tribes, but I know that we of the Woodwart tribe are nine-hundred strong. My… chieftan would know those numbers better than I," Todone admitted.
"The same can be said for our tribes, though the reason for not knowing is more a matter of us being incapable of asking one another due to the recent… strains on relationships," Zarusosa began. "The Green Claws at the very least stand with six-hundred, though our allies of the Razor Tails and Small Fangs are of a roughly similar number to us. With that said though… things may change"
The old lizardman seemed sullen at that, and I couldn't help but poke this topic.
"Why is that?" I asked.
He seemed hesitant, his eyes on Todone, but he shook his head and sighed. "The wetlands, though they are expansive taking up the majority of the Great Lakes southern shores, simply cannot provide a large enough bounty of fish for tribes of our size and number. It is the reason I was hunting with my kinsmen in the forest in fact, to attempt to at least temporarily alleviate our problems. Unfortunately, it seems as though starvation may soon come, and with that a war may ensue to ensure that either side will have enough to eat… even if it means complete annihilation".
The toad boy looked at Zaru with… pity? Huh, maybe he's starting to come around to seeing others as more than an 'Us vs. Them' mentality. Good for you kid, good for you.
"Thankfully however, that may be a problem of the past thanks to you," The lizardman continued. "To think that we could simply 'farm' fish, I'm honestly in disbelief that it hadn't been considered before".
"Eh," I started off simply, giving a shrug. "It won't be sunshine and rainbows though, you need to keep that in mind. I know there's a lot of intricacies to fish farming, so a lot of it will be trial and error before you guy can make anything that actually works".
He seemed to be slightly disheartened by that, but nodded. "I understand. At the very least, you've given us a chance. Once this is over with, I plan on sharing this knowledge with our village elders and allies".
"And as for those not aligned with yourself?" I asked.
"Whatever do you mean?" He asked curiously, and I could tell he didn't like the question all that much but was at least giving me the benefit of the doubt.
"If you keep this to yourselves, it would no doubt upset any other tribes… tribes that would do whatever it takes to strike at your growing bellies for a taste of what's within if they cannot feed themselves, even after you relieve pressure off of the environment with your farms. With newfound knowledge and resources, the tribes you don't offer this to would see it as leaving them in the dust to wither and suffer. Resent would grow as you grow, and eventually…"
"Wars between us would break out regardless," He finished. The old lizard sighed, shaking his head. "That is a risk I must take. It is better to act with hope than to rest with pity. And at the very least our tribesman will hopefully be well fed by the time it comes".
I take a moment to glance at my cooking, seeing it's almost done, before looking back at him and nodding. "As long as you're aware. If I'm going to share what knowledge I can with you, at the very least I want you to know both the pros and cons before acting".
"Which I am grateful for, Nolan," Zaru complimented, finally sitting down at the table to rest while Todone was content to lean against the wall.
Speaking of, I feel as though I've been leaving Todone's people out of a conversation like this. Can't have these two thinking I'm leaving gifts and favors only for one side.
"Todone, as for your people, are there any major issues you can think of that are happening?"
He blinked, taking a moment of thought for himself. "I'd say… space? Our lilypads and our islands suffice after the conflict with the lizardmen, but my mother mentioned how that won't last forever. She believes that eventually, many of our own may end up traveling to the northern shores to resettle away from our cramped conditions and leave our tribe divided by the lake monsters".
Hmmm, that does seem like a pretty big issue. With a simple answer if I'm looking at this right. Modern living for the win, though I think I'll have to put a twist on this one.
"That actually sounds like something that can be fixed, though I have a few solutions that each require their own little set of work".
The toadboy was intrigued, standing up from against the wall. "Oh? You have an answer?"
I shrugged. "It really depends on a few things but… Are your huts single-story?"
"Single-story?"
"Er, right. Have your people tried building huts that stand so tall that you could fit another room on top of it?"
The toadboy seemed rather thrown off by the idea, but the more he spent thinking about it the more he seemed leaning towards it. At least, that's what I could gather based off of his facial expressions.
"This is doable?" He questioned.
"I can confirm this one actually," Zarusosa interjected. "While fleeing in search of a new home, a sympathetic village took some of our people in after a chance encounter where we clashed with bandits. I was but a hatchling at the time, but I still remember the towering sight of what humans called an 'Inn'. Apparently it's a form of communal housing humans use".
"But then… that would basically double how much space we have!" Todone excitedly exclaimed.
"So it would, but that's not the only idea to increase what you have to work with," I spoke, continuing on with my methods. "Option two is dependent on a couple of factors as well as a lot of creativity. Even this would normally be considered out of bounds by humans, but… how well can your people hold their breath or handle frequently wet environments?"
The toad took a moment of consideration before opening his mouth. "We can usually go for hours at a time, sometimes more, but our tadpoles are actually entirely reliant upon the water in early stages. Why?"
I pulled the food off of the fire and onto the table, carefully using a thickly wrap wad of plant fibers to grab both the pot and the pan. The only thing left for the foods now was to let them cool off before we ate.
"Well," I began, grabbing a piece of charcoal and motioning a 'come here' as I began to draw my idea out on a sheet of bark. "What I have an idea of is making homes under the lake surface".
Even Zarusosa was amazed at the idea, though I could certainly see the gears turning against it. "How would that even work? They would still need to come up for breath, nevermind needing to be able to sleep in peace".
"Well for starters, we'd design them almost like a beaver dam, though this will be made to be airtight. The 'hut' itself will stand on some form of stilts, with the entrance itself being under the hut for someone to enter through. When the hut itself is used, we'll use a form of piping to connect it to the surface, allowing for air to breach it deep beneath the surface of the lake, after which point we can, well, suckthe water out. We'd have to develop some form of mechanical device to automate the process in such a way, but it seems doable. Alternatively we could just build out stonework paths and bridge through the lake instead, but that would be much more resource intensive. The only way I could see that working is if we had access to something like a stone quarry, which being in a wetland is pretty much impossible. Hell, this idea is pretty far out there with a few flaws, but magic may very well help make this feasible".
"Three problems I can think of most certainly need an answer. First, when the lake freezes over. What would your answer to this be?"
I rubbed my chin as I sat at my place, taking comfort in the scent of slowly cooling food. "Well, we could have a 'Spire' of sorts, a designate structure from the surface of the lake to beneath it for the purpose of traffic, either with dedicated ice breakers to keep it clear or perhaps some method of heating the water. In fact, if we can get our hands on at least some copper or even better, some brass, I know of a spell called {Heat Metal} I could teach your druids that would help with this, maybe even enchant the metals in such a way that it would last for hours before needing to cast it again".
Never mind the fact that I neither knew how to cast it or how long I could actually make it last, but they didn't need to know that. Worst case scenario I'd bullshit my way through with experimentation before admitting defeat. Whatever the case, they seemed to have grabbed onto the information with incredible interest. The old lizardman meanwhile, seemed a little surprised.
"That… would actually solve problem two. Being under the lake during the winter would be incredibly cold, to the point where more than a few minutes in such cold water would be dangerous. But if this is feasible enough to worth mentioning, then… heating the water of the lake would allow them to flow freely underwater".
I chuckle, shrugging. "What can I say? I ain't a bright man, but I know enough about a thing or two to be able to do a thing or two. So, what's problem three?"
"Lighting," He stated. "Us lizardmen have darkvision, but toadmen are not so lucky on that front. How would the toadmen be capable of making their way through their waters and homes, especially at night or during the winter?"
That… was actually a fair point. Lightning bugs would probably be a decent answer, but they're a seasonal thing. Unless… no, they'd be too dim anyways. Is there a spell I could learn that would help with this, maybe something I could teach the tribe? I imagine there'd already be quite a bit of pressure on maintaining the {Heat Metal} spell though, damn. I can't think of anything.
"Alright, I'll admit, I can't think of a solution to that at the moment," I relented. "Still, it feels like something that should be kept on the proverbial back burner for the time being. For now though…"
I took a pair of wooden tongs and started divvying food up among the plates.
"... I'm starving. Let's eat".
Both of them slept soundly, and I couldn't help but stare at the softly crackling fire as rain pitter-pattered on the roof. Thankfully, it seems as though it will hold, only a small leak dripping off into the corner. Thankfully, that was easily remedied with a simple clay pot. Overall, this shelter seemed like it would last us long enough til the winter, though at the mention of cold affecting the cold blooded creatures I realize now that I should probably make something that would hold against the weather and be a non-issue for him. Furs would be a decent enough idea, but an actual enchantment on his armor would actually seem like a decent choice as well permitting I can accomplish that.
Speaking of enchantments, I'm still curious about how well that would be accomplished. Judging by the text of the altar, it sounds like putting a level in this 'Translucer' class would probably allow me to accomplish such feats, but on the same note that would pull away from my planned build for myself. If there were a guaranteed way I could respec myself then that would be grand, but unfortunately I can't hold my breath on that being a possibility.
On the subject of levels, I'm curious about the others. There's no way I can simply ask whether or not they see little black text boxes in passing, not without complications, so that leaves me in a position where I'm left in the dark. Maybe my insight check could be improved or upgraded somehow, maybe even leading to a more advanced version that would give me more data? Would be nice to know where these guys stand aside from their simple two-digit numbers. Would be nice to know where I stand on an average level compared to their villages and humans outside of the forest as well.
Ah, my own race. While they sound like dickbags, they also sound a little justified considering the snippets I've been able to grab from these two recently. Apparently, a long time ago, the majority of humans were enslaved under demihumans and heteromorphs, even being treated like cattle by the more morally detached of the bunch. Not saying two wrongs make a right, but it does explain the constant discrimination now that other humans have ground to stand on.
I'm curious just how much stronger demihumans and heteromorphs are compared to humans, especially the latter. I'm also curious as to what classifies a demihuman and what classifies a heteromorph. I've yet to meet a 'heteromorph', but the lizardmen and toadmen being classified as 'demihumans' lead me to believe that it may be a matter of body plan. A simple resemblance between having a pair of arms, legs, and walking upright perhaps? If so, I can only imagine how alien the heteromorphs look.
Enough of that though, I'm starting to feel a little tired. It's been quite some time of being left alone to my thoughts, so I toss a log onto the fire and lay down on my straw bedding. Hopefully come tomorrow I'll be able to start making progress on their armor, weather permitting.
Nolan Potts, Human (Karma: 50 [Neutral]) [14/15 Spell slots used]
Classes: Brawler (4), Ranger (3), Druid (2), Clothier (3). Total Level (12).
Spells (Druid): Frostbite, Entangle, Create or Destroy Water, Guidance, Jump, Cure Wounds, Dust Devil, Protect from Poison, Hold Person, Spike Growth, Lesser Restoration
Spells (Ranger): Animal Friendship, Speak to Animals, Ensnaring Strike
Gear: Canvas Clothes (Sturdy, Weathered), Oak-Handled Brush-hook, Canvas Coyote Pack of Holding, Bundles of Herbs (Medicinal), Bundles of Chitin, Pot of Tannin, Bundles of Smoked Bug Meat, Dried Deer Hide, Bones, Bone toolkit
Items of Note: {Humble Beginnings}.
Party Members are as follows…
Member One: Todone, Son of Kodrotti, Toadman (Karma: -30 [Neutral])
Classes: Toadman Warrior (8), Brawler (7), Total Level (15).
Member Two: Zarusosa Shaha of the Greenclaws, Lizardman. (Karma: 110 [Neutral-Good])
Classes: Lizardman Hunter (10), Warrior (9), Ranger (5), Total Level (24).
AN: Y'know, funny thing. The only reason I didn't go at the pace I was earlier was because my AC went out, and that left me a little too mentally drained to keep up the pace. Back at it though, enjoy yet another 3000-ish chapter