Chapter 60: Organizing The Keep
Nimbrethil was sitting on the floor of the main hall of the keep half listening to Kana's report on what had been done on the keep and what remained to be done. She had her tools out and was carefully going over her bow and other equipment, making sure they were in top condition. In the two months since she had arrived much had been done to improve the conditon of the keep. The main area of the keep was already finished by the time she had gotten there and she had set Veedle to restoring the west wing first, despite protests from Sand and Aldanon. The west wing included the kitchens and storage areas, both of which were vital to the livelihood of the people living at the keep. Then she had Veedle and his workers widen and cobble the road to the keep. Merchants would not come to the keep if the roads were unpassable for wagons and it was critical that she get trade going as soon as possible. Then she had rebuilt the library thus getting the sage and the wizard off her back. The last things completed had been the smithy and the merchant shop, and now she was planning on traveling to Highcliff and Fort Locke to see if she could get Edario and Jacoby to come to the keep. The men would need good armor and weapons and they were the only armorer and blacksmith she knew off that were available. As for the merchant shop, she remembered that funny kobold in Neverwinter. While she wasn't sure if he'd want to come out here, she figured it couldn't hurt to ask, even though it meant setting foot in that blasted city again. Still, she wouldn't be there long and she figured if they got a decent merchant out of it for the keep, then it would be worth it. Who could say what people who visited the keep would want? It was best to have a wide array of services to offer. Maybe she could make the keep a place people would want to go to instead of Neverwinter. She couldn't keep a slight smile from her lips at the thought of getting the upper hand on Nasher. After all, he had forced her into this and what better way to get revenge than by getting all the best merchants to come to Crossroad Keep first.
She had talked with her companions about their assignments, and the only one who had seemed to not be interested in helping was Qara. Then again, the girl had annoyed her no end on the journey to the keep with her whining and complaining. So she was happy to leave the brat to her own devices, as long as she stayed out of trouble. Casavir was more than happy to act as her go between with Kana and she had given him free reign to make decisions regarding the men's duty schedules and how their funds were spent. She had made sure that Kana knew that he was the one to see first and that if Casavir wasn't sure of something then they were to bother her, not before. Elanee would oversee everything having to do with the landscaping and gardens. Shandra would oversee the farming and kitchens, but she would need help with it. The only other farmer she knew was Orlen and so she had decided to go back to West Harbor to talk with him. She had to admit she wasn't keen on the idea but it was necessary.
Khelgar happily agreed to devising and implementing battle training for the men. There was no one better qualified for that job than the battle hardened dwarf. They had no archers yet, but she had made sure that everyone knew that Bishop would be the one in charge of training them when they did. This had not sat well with the others, but they knew better than to argue with her about it. Sand had set up his equipment in a small room off the library and would be responsible for supplying any potions that would be required.
She had tested the men and found six that had good reflexes and sharp eyes. Neeshka had happily agreed to help her with training those six to hone their skills. As the tiefling had put it, who better than the best thief in all Neverwinter to test them. Between the two of them they had managed to get the men up to par and they had been assigned to patrol the walls. As more men were recruited for the keep, Neeshka would work with the new ones who showed the most promise. Grobnar had set up shop in the basement and was working on restoring the Blade Golem they had found in the githyanki base. She was eager to see if he could do it because the machine would be a formidable asset in any battle. To her suprise, the giant spider Kestrel had suddenly shown up at the keep and taken up residence in the basement as well. She had wondered if she would ever see it again and so was pleasantly surprised. Of course there was no question that Kestrel would be staying, even though she wasn't sure what the creature would be able to help with. Of course, if there was an attack on the keep, a venomous giant spider was a good ally to have on your side. Still, Kestrel needed a home and Nim was more than happy to provide it.
She had kept her promise and taken Grobnar out to teach him about tracking and hunting. To everyone's surprise but hers, the gnome had proven to be a quick study and even Bishop had to admit that he showed a knack for it. Now she would have Grobnar's help as well as Bishop's on their journeys. The only problem she saw with having him along was that Grobnar tended to let his curiosity overwhelm his limited sense of self preservation. The little guy seemed to have no fear of the unknown or dangerous places they had visited and, if not careful, could easily find himself in hot water. She would have to work on that she figured.
Now as Kana finished her report, she got to her feet and asked Casavir if he had any last questions for her. She would be leaving in the morning for Highcliff and would be gone for a few weeks. Only him, Sand and Qara were staying behind, for everyone else was just as eager to get away from the keep for a while as she was.
"As a matter of fact I do have questions about the personal quarters inside the keep," Casavir replied. "As the roads are improved, traffic to the keep will increase and the rooms at the inn will be needed. There are plenty of rooms available in the east wing, they just need to be restored. While you are gone, it would be a good idea to get them ready for use when you return."
"There is also your personal suite Captain," Kana spoke up.
"My personal suite?" Nimbrethil blinked in surprise. "Surely you don't expect me to sleep inside this place?" She couldn't keep a look of distaste from her face.
"You are the captain and it wouldn't really look right if you slept anywhere else," Casavir said quietly.
"No way! I'd rather string my hammock up in the trees than sleep inside these walls," Nimbrethil growled.
Casavir saw Kana about to protest and motioned at her to keep quiet. "It is your choice of course," he said soothingly. "It just seems a shame to restore it if no one is going to use it."
"Then you take it," Nimbrethil shrugged and saw an aghast expression cross Kana's face. "What?" she scowled.
"Casavir is not the captain, you are," the woman stammered as the elf's eyes narrowed. "What would the men think?"
Casavir saw a look of disdain cross Nim's face as she opened her mouth to make some kind of comment. Knowing that it would most likely be unfavorable, he quickly intervened. "There is no need to decide now what to do with it. I will have Veedle make the repairs and you can think about it while you are gone."
Nimbrethil nodded at him and then turned and left the keep to go to the inn. She hated the closed in feeling the stone walls gave her and would never be comfortable inside them. No way would she be able to sleep inside for months on end, at least not without going insane.
Bishop watched her walk off and couldn't keep from chuckling, garnering glares from Casavir and Kana. "You should have known that she'd react that way paladin," he sneered. "You've traveled with her long enough to know she much prefers the outdoors. She's under enough pressure as it is, so don't add more or you'll make her bolt for the ends of Faerun. I don't think Nasher or his lapdog would be too pleased with you two if that happened," he finished with a dark chuckle.
Casavir glared at the ranger but held his tongue and his temper, barely. The man was unfortunately right about Nim, as much as he hated to admit it. Kana was a good soldier but held too much to protocol and procedure. She didn't have the flexibility to deal with such an unorthodox captain as the elf. That thought surprised him, for before he had met Nim, he had been much like Kana in that regard. Traveling with Nim and the others had opened his eyes and softened his stance on what was proper. Still, the problem remained that it seemed a waste of resources to restore the captain's suite if Nim wasn't going to use it. Yet, if they didn't, it might send the wrong kind of message to the men.
"There is a solution to the problem," Bishop drawled out and saw them both look at him suspiciously. He had to fight to keep from snickering at that. "Rebuild it in such a way that Nim doesn't notice the stone walls. In other words, disguise it." He saw both of them frown in confusion and, remembering his promise to Nim, bit back a nasty and derogetory remark.
"What do you mean by disguising it?" Casavir asked, suspicion once again in his eyes and voice.
"It's simple, paladin," Bishop snorted. "Bring the outdoors inside." He could see that neither of them had a clue as to what he was talking about. "Hells, paladin, haven't you ever heard of indoor gardens? Bring in trees and plants, build a small pond and fill it with some kind of fish. Make the captain's suite look, feel and sound like the woods and Nim will be a happy little camper. Do it right and she won't be aware of the stone walls when she sleeps."
Casavir felt a grudging respect towards the ranger for being able to come up with a good solution. He hadn't thought the man capable of considering what might be best for others, but apparently Sand and Zhjaeve were right. He must have some very deep feelings for Nim if he could give thought to what would make her happy. Of course, the solution he had come up with would please him as well, so Casavir couldn't say for certain that he wasn't motivated by what was in his own best interests. Still, he apparently did feel more than a passing interest in Nim, if he was as willing to help make life at the keep easier on her as he appeared. Bishop could easily have convinced the elf to run away, of that Casavir was positive, yet he didn't. Maybe the ranger had changed since meeting Nim, just as Nim had changed in the past few months.
"I know that Elanee was planning on going with Nim, but I think we'll need her help here if we are to implement what you suggested," Casavir finally said. "I'm sure Master Veedle has done similar things in the past, but what is right for a noble lady would not work for Nim. You and Elanee are the only two who have spent as much time in the woods and forests as Nim."
"Yeah, get the druid to help you with the design," Bishop smirked. "No way in the hells does Nim go anywhere without me, count on it." He resisted the urge to rub the paladin's nose in the fact that Nim liked having him at her side and in her bed. A wolfish smile crossed his face at the picture that thought brought to mind.
Seeing the smirk, Casavir once again found himself struggling to hold back a nasty comment. Nim had made her choice and he had to accept it, no matter how much it galled him. He still found it difficult to understand what it was she saw in the ranger. He had heard that love was blind, but Nim wasn't the type to let emotions cloud her judgement, so there had to be some other reason. She trusted Bishop and he could only pray that the ranger never abused that trust, for it would only confirm her worst opinions of humans and make her retreat once more. He watched as the ranger sauntered out of the keep whistling and shook his head to clear it. Rethinking the situation, he decided it would be better if Elanee did go with them. Of all of them, the druid was the one person who had as much influence over Nim as Bishop. They would be gone for weeks and anything could happen.
"Kana, I believe that Elanee is out back behind the keep," Casavir turned to the lieutenant. "Would you go find her and tell her I'd like to talk with her as soon as possible? I want to get her thoughts and ideas written down before she leaves with Nim and the others. I also don't want Nim to get wind of what we are planning, so have her meet me in the war room."
"Of course, Sir Casavir," Kana saluted him and hurried off.
With Elanee's help he should be able to come up with a good design for Veedle to implement, Casavir thought as he walked down to the war room in the west wing. He hoped that they could, for it would be a huge expense. Nim might have given him free reign with the keep funds, but she wasn't one to spend more than was necessary, and if she didn't like it, then she would be very angry with them. But if she did, then she would be more comfortable inside the keep and appearances could be maintained. Hopefully they would be successful.