Chapter 23: Chapter 23 A Dwarf Barber

Chapter 23

I wasn’t quite what you would call inspired when I drafted the barracks. It was a building I had no background in so I was drafting from my imagination. I decided to make the barracks more of an extension to a gatehouse. Currently the only road into town was the Southern Road so this barracks would be positioned there. Sanso’s golems had constructed a long earthen wall that was 10 feet in height and stretched a two mile arc around the town to the river, containing the entirety of our small village with the exception of a few livestock farms falling outside the wall.

My gate house barracks would be two large towers straddling the Southern Road. A bridge would connect the two towers. Two long rectangular buildings would be perpendicular to the earthen wall and connect to each tower. I didn’t plan to build an actual gate at this time but it wouldn’t be difficult to add later. The towers would be round and fifty feet in height and have four floors. The rectangular buildings would be the actual barracks and be forty feet in height with three floors each.

The towers would be identical. The first floor would be administration offices. The second floor would be the armory. The third floor would be officer’s rooms. The fourth floor would be for defensive material storage and access the bridge connecting the towers. It took two draft attempts to finish the tower plans and the bridge connecting them. There were six officer’s room in each tower, giving me a total of twelve. So the barracks buildings needed to house at least 240 to meet Tanguin’s requirements.

The square buildings both had large storage basements. The first floor of one of the buildings would have the dining hall with seating for 300 and kitchens to match. The other building across the way would be a large training hall for the soldiers. The second floor of both buildings would be the barracks. Rather than one large bunk room I set a long hallway in the center with open arch doorways into small barracks rooms. Each bunk room had seven beds, small desks and chairs, small armoires and large chests. There were eight rooms on each side of the hallway. Between the two buildings and towers I had room for 224 soldiers and 12 officers, I just needed 14 more beds.

The third floor of one of the buildings would serve as my rangers and scouts housing. I thought the scouts were going to be a very important part of my military forces so each one would have their own suite. This added 16 large apartments, housing one scout each. The opposite building would be for the heavy cavalry, once again 16 large apartments. So my total was 268. It took some time to adjust my vision for the interior spaces and I did my best to make the structure as defensible as possible. It was a very large structure once you looked at it, a massive U embedded in the earthen wall.

I thought 16 cavalry and 16 scouts was probably too small a number but in relation to the unit total size of 268 it felt right. I could also build another barracks in the future for just a cavalry unit.

It was mid morning of the next day when I finalized the drafting plans. I identified them.

Rare Barracks Gatehouse, Health 250,000, Requires Masonry Foundations 23, Masonry Structures 43, Woodcraft: Carpentry 23 (Bonus: +15% skill advancement for martial skills, +4% health and stamina recovery during sleep)

I was surprised the building was rare as I hadn’t been feeling inspired. The problem once again was I was missing Masonry Structures skill. I could build it anyway but there would be a penalty and I wouldn’t get the bonuses for the troops stationed there. My goal was once again to get my Masonry Structures to 43. I went and found Sanso and Jaesmin. We were going to work hard on excavating the locations for the townhall and barracks all day. I met the requirements for Masonry Foundations for both buildings so we could at least start both and hopefully I could level up my skills.

After a hard workday I anxiously checked my skills.

 

Excellent gains, +1 to masonry and +3 to foundations and +1 to structures for just a day’s work. Foundations was probably stuck since it was two levels above the primary skill. I had 6 skill points to allocate and dropped 4 into Masonry, bringing it to level 35. Even with all three of us working and all of Sanso’s golems helping I was estimating the foundations of the buildings was going to take around 10 more days. They were just very big buildings. I had probably overdone it. I thought about making a smaller town hall but that was not my style. Go big or go home!

We were heading to the inn for a quick meal and drink when the announcement hit me.

Attention all players! An incursion event has begun! The realm of the Insectoids has established portal rifts near large population centers! Defend your realm for loot and rewards!

That was my signal to leave. I wanted to make my way to the town of Barrington and see if I could recruit a barber and fine tailor. I wasn’t going to get close enough to the incursion rift but if anything came this way I would have time to warm my village. I excused myself and went to the stables and had the elven girls saddle Titan who seemed anxious for some action. I rode south past our efforts of the day. I mentally pictured the gate house and the barracks buildings. It would be intimidating for new arrivals…walking between the tall towers and long barracks when entering the city.

Roads in the game were monster free if there were established trade routes. We had a trade route with Barrington so it should be safe, just NPCs and players could obstruct me during my travels. I reached the village in thirty minutes at a full gallop without any hindrance and the sun setting. Apparently the fast speed of travel on horseback was around 30 mph.

Barrington was surrounded by a wooden palisade and farms dotted the country side, stretching into the distance. I was allowed to enter as two guards in chain mail made no effort to hinder me. The town was a quarter mile across and had dozens of wooden buildings one to two stories in height. Barrington was also on the river but a large wooden bridge spanned the river to a logging camp on the other size. The village of Barrington had 280 human inhabitants when I analyzed it. Larger than my village and all of them were human from what I was seeing. The game had hinted at the possibility of racism and with the wide array of playable races in the game it seemed like I might have issues in the future.

It only took a few minutes to find the local tavern and I entered and ordered a meal. The food was terrible when I compared it Fareth’s fare and added no buffs. I ate it anyway and started talking to the locals who responded openly to me. Barrington was an agricultural town. They had exports of grain, lumber and ale. Usually they sent a cavern south every four weeks. Being in a VR setting it was possible to plant, harvest and thresh a crop in a game month. Their logging camp was mainly used to supply the growth of their own village and they exported surplus planks. Besides minor roaming monsters nothing interested had happened here recently.

I was offered six small fetch quests while I talked to the locals. They did not have a fine tailer but did have a barber. The ale was ok, not great but ok. I got directions to the barber and went to see him. It was actually a her. Yianna was her name. She was middle aged and had two daughters in their early teens. She sat me down for a haircut. We talked as she cut and I learned her husband was in the kingdom guard. He spent 9 months in the city of Stillwater and three months home.

Barber has completed your haircut, +4 to Charisma for 48 hours

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I did look much better in the mirror. I asked Yianna if she would consider moving to Malcum. She didn’t seem interested so I promised her a new house and double what she made currently. She still didn’t seem interested and I asked what her perception of Malcum was. “Malcum? That town has been overrun with giantkin. All sorts of races have been heading there, it is a haven for the downtrodden and probably overrun with crime.”

So, Malcum was getting a very bad rap. I was glad I had not announced that I was the lord of Malcum to the locals here. I might have been met with a very different reception. “Yianna, do you know of any barbers that might want to head to Malcum?”

The woman gave it some serious thought. I waited patiently and she finally said, “Old man Zion. He lives on a farm about six miles west of here. He has a sheep farm, brings wool and sheep’s cheese to town every month. He doesn’t have a family. His wife passed and his sons moved far to the east I think. He is a bit grumpy though.” Well at least I had a lead. I checked my map and a new location called ‘Zion’s farm’ was on it. I thanked Yianna and went to get Titan.

Titan was being admired by a cluster of local boys. “Impressive mount isn’t he?” I asked the boys who nodded emphatically. “They are raising these horses up in Malcum. Should be exporting them soon.” It was a total bluff but I hoped to start my own rumors of Malcum’s own prosperity. We did have a surplus of horses currently so we could afford to sell a few if anyone came asking.

I went to the general store in town and had to knock loudly as it had closed. The couple who ran the store were happy to deal with me though. I bartered my stock of meat in my bag of holding and then used my copper coins made by Sanso to buy a dozen casks of ale. The coins would promote Malcum and the casks were needed for the inn. That completed I mounted up and rode to Zion’s sheep farm. It was dark and a wild wolf attacked us on the way.

Cleardusk plain wolf, Level 5

It was almost humorous to find such a low-level monster. Of course, wolves hunted in packs but the half dozen low level wolves didn’t hold any challenge for me and Titan. I harvested the pelts under the moonlight and then continued to the farm.

A small fenced in pasture with forty some odd sheep abutted a small cottage. I was loud riding in and heard a dog barking. I dismounted and knocked. A voice bellowed from behind the door.

“Who the fuck visits at this late hour!” A raging dwarf whipped the door open to see who intruded on his peace. A grumpy dwarf…how generic.

“Zion? The barber? I am Lord Tannis in search of a barber for my growing village.” He looked me over for a brief moment before replying.

“That be my name. I have the skills you seek but no interest in plying my trade for you human.” It seemed racism wasn’t just the province of humans. He made to close the door so I made an attempt to persuade him.

“Good dwarf Zion. If I may? I have a proposal for you.” He paused. “My village is growing rapidly and your services are greatly needed. Would you be open to moving your farm near my village. I would pay twice what you normally get for your wool and cheese. All you have to do is come to the village three days a week to ply your trade as a barber.” My voice sounded pleading but I didn’t care. I needed a barber to satisfy one of Manto’s demands. If he agreed then I would just need a fine tailor to complete the quest.

Zion seemed to be considering. “What town?” He asked.

Relief flooded me, “Malcum, just about 18 miles north of here. You can select your sheep pastures from the surrounding plains and I will build you a house there as part of your compensation.” I added. I took a second to analyze him.

Zion, Male Dwarf, Level ???

Umm, Zion was at least level 100? Thoughts raced in my mind that maybe I didn’t want such a powerful unknown in my midst. He spoke, “I will come if you promise to get me four things. I want a breeding pair of gray merino sheep, a breeding pair of black merino sheep, a breeding pair of white Lincoln sheep and a breeding pair of dorset sheep.” I had no idea what any of that meant. And wasn’t that eight things? Don’t make him upset Tallis I chided myself.

“That sounds exceedingly fair Zion.” It was all I could say.

“Come in then!” He was now jovial and smiling. I was a little spooked about the sudden change. He opened a bottle of whisky and we soon toasted to a new partnership. I learned that Zion was a nomad dwarf. His subrace were wanderers. His wife though had been a mountain dwarf in the range past the mountains to the north. They had settled here fifty years ago and been a bit isolated by the humans. The humans were not hostile but not welcoming either.

His wife and him had two sons who left to seek adventure some twenty years ago and he waited for their return and tales of glory. He would leave etchings in the stone to let the boys know where he moved to. The sheep…well his wife had been a seamstress and he turned the wool fine string for her weaving and sewing. I silently swore. If his wife had still been alive I might have finished the quest tonight. The new sheep he wanted were to expand his offerings and improve his cheeses. I didn’t know how hard it would be to obtain them but the quest that dropped into my inbox didn’t have a timeline thankfully.

A little tipsy I rode Titan home late in the night. Excitedly I hugged Jaesmin and told her of my minor success of getting a barber. We kissed for a bit and she nervously revealed that she was pregnant. I showed an abundance of enthusiasm and excitement for the news and we made passionate love till the sun’s rays invaded the bedroom.

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