Chapter Two-Hundred Forty


    <strong>Rer</strong>


    Winter is a strangely-busy time for the lord mayor of Fourdock, especially now hes decided to actually step up and do his job, rather than just let the guild leaders do it for him. Winter is usually a time of rxation for the citizenry, as the cold and snow make it difficult for them to do much work. But for the people at the top, the ones who are supposed to direct that work, it is a vital time for nning.


    The first phase of any n is to make sure you understand where you stand, what your resources are, how full your coffers are, who will properly do the job you need them to do, and who is looking for a chance to drain you.


    Thankfully, none of the local guild heads seem to bepletely in thetter category. The head of the merchants guildes closest, but she seems to just be trying to wring everyst coin out of every deal as she can, rather than actually trying to swindle any business partners. Her costs are high, but contracts are clear, even if Rer sometimes suspects its because Karn somehow abused a loophole or two to teach her a lesson.


    Whatever the reason, her people have proven to be worth the high price, with the carts and wagons usually used for caravans showing they can easily move goods around inside the city, too. Ms Silverwheats people are punctual and professional, and the miners and masons guilds speak well of them. The adventures dont have much to say about them, which is a good sign. They dont meet often, but being able to remain professionally courteous is an excellent way to keep things running smoothly.


    And smooth they have been. The limestone quarry in Thedeim has been averaging close to tenrge blocks of limestone a day. Once the lighthouse for Hullbreak is finished, that number could double! The numbers for thebyrinth are less rosy, and Rer should try to talk with Thedeim about creating a proper iron vein once hes done with that business to the north. A more exotic vein would be even better, but Rer has no idea what that would actually entail for the friendly dungeon. Hes been pretty happy to scale up the more mundane resources like the limestone and timber, but keeps the more interesting things behind challenges for the adventurers.


    As much as hed love to have a massive orichalcum mine for Fourdock, even Ms Silverwheat has cautioned against upsetting the market for rare materials. Still, he can ask. If he says no, it should be within his budget to ship iron, ore or ingots, as reinforcement for the hold he and Thedeim promised the town before winter set in. Hullbreak might be able to use the transmuted spider silk, but a hold for the entire town will require more than the denizens can produce, both in silk and the actual transmutation potion.


    The rough design Coda produced for the hold is very interesting to Rer, and he often looks over it again, thinking of improvements. The basic concept is very simple: lots of arches and domes. Theyre hardly new concepts, but the concrete makes it so much easier to aplish the rounded shapes! And the efficiency of volume to surface area lets them get the most room out of the least material. The actual living spaces will be simple enough to make, but the utility space will be a bit more difficult.


    Rer hopes he can just get Teemo to create awork of shortcuts for things like plumbing, but hes not holding his breath. He had originally hoped to use Thedeims smaller ants to just dig the pipes for that sort of thing, but the first time something clogs, itd be a disaster if theres no ess path to the plumbing. Smaller tunnels would be best for something like that the local dwarves and halflings might end up cornering the career market for plumbers.


    Air venttion will also be important, which lead him down an interesting path of research. The obvious solution would be bellows to force airflow, but that just isnt tenable for a hold of the nned size. Theres two potential solutions, and Rer suspects it will end up having both, if they each work. When ites to air, theres no such thing as too much ess. The first solution is one the dwarven holds seem to use.


    Heat rises, and brings air with it. If you want fresh air, heat the old and let it vent, making room for new. The ductwork is a bit beyond him, but the theory is pretty understandable: put the forges, smiths, and other crafting professions that need heat near the bottom of the hold, and provide chimneys for the fires they use. Put air vents all around the hold, with a few clever fluid traps to keep siegers from being able to pour anything nasty down them, and you have fresh air circting! Not as fresh as actually on the surface, but better than nothing.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been uwfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The other solution is one included in the concept designs from Coda, the bat artificer having a lot of interesting ideas to use old things in new ways, like water wheels. Grain has been milled via water power for ages, but Rer hasnt seen anyone try to use it for anything else, at least until he saw these designs. Theyll need a lot of refinement, and Rer isnt sure theyll be viable for the entire hold, but much like the dwarven solution, the concept is pretty simple: use the rotation to turn fans to distribute fresh air. The ducting is just asplex as the dwarven version, so theyll probably be able to use the same system, which makes each a good back-up for the other.


    If neither works quite well enough, Rer is confident theres enough citizens with wind affinity to keep everyone from suffocating.


    The next major obstacle will be lighting. The only real solution to that is either enchanting, or somehow cultivating the disparate glowing nts, lichens, fungi and whatnot from Thedeims underground segments. That will probably be something else to discuss with Coda, once Teemo is free to trante. It will be simple enough to line the public spaces with the glowing flora and let them stay lit, but living spaces will need a way to dim the lights so people can sleep. The only thing Rer can think of for that is some kind of curtains to cover the glowing things. Shutters might be cheaper, or at least easier to source at the needed scale. He cant help but smile at the idea of people needing to close their windows even when deep under the ground.


    Thest major obstacle will be making sure everyone can eat. Thankfully, the enves seem to have the solution to that. The ratkin have their sporeflour to take the ce of a staple grain. Its strange, but not bad. Theyre still working out the best way to use it, the best recipes and methods of cooking. Miller even tells Rer that the owner of Cobble Bread, just across the street from Thedeims manor, is working on making a version of the signature bread that only uses subterranean ingredients!


    He wishes her luck, as a treat like that would definitely help with morale if everyone is stuck in the hold. For meat, the Spiderkin enve is to the rescue with their cave lobsters. The crustaceans dont look like much, but they have a lot of meat in their tails and ws. Their innards can also somehow be made into a delicious and nutritious broth. He knows offal can be healthy to eat, but its always been disgusting to him. Some people really like it, but hes never acquired the taste.


    Other food needs should be able to be sourced from Thedeim directly, especially if he expands towards the hold. Hes talked with Tarl of the Dungeoneers to try to figure out Thedeims next expansion, and after having augh at the idea of predicting what the dungeon might do, the most likely surface expansion is probably out past the cemetery. Tarl says it would probably take a couple expansions to actually get to the hold, but with Teemos shortcuts, it shouldnt be too difficult to get some kind of secret passage from the hold into the dungeon.


    Itd be a good n for him and the city both, after all. The city would continue to get ess to his resources, and hed continue to get ess to plenty of delvers. The only thing stopping Teemo from doing it now is that they havent surveyed to find the location for the entrance to the hold and the fact that Teemo is off to the Southwood again.


    Rer hopes hees back soon, just as he hopes hees back with good news. Hes seen the anatomical sketches of the strange invader, and thats definitely the kind of thing he doesnt want anywhere near his town. If hes lucky, the hostiles will be dealt with before they can be even more of a threat. It shouldnte to that probably.


    While he saw the sketch and wanted no part of it, Karn looked eager to fight something like that. The adventurers can have it with Rers blessing. He might be getting better with his rapier, but he just doesnt have the kind of adventuring drive as most of them. Hes d his friends and teammates have a simr attitude towards delving: its fun, its a good way to get stronger, but its not the highest priority. Rhonda wants to learn, Freddie wants to grow in his faith and inspire others, and Rer just wants to


    He pauses going over the reports and ns as he realizes he actually has something he wants. For the longest time, he just wanted to be left alone, to not create any waves, to not gain any attention. But those were mostly things he <em>didn''t</em> want. But now... he wants to build Fourdock to be prosperous and safe. It wasnt exactly poor and dangerous before, but it can be so much more. He likes the people, even though their attention makes him ufortable. The thought of walking down the street with everyone waving at him still makes his stomach twinge, but the idea of walking down the street as his adventurer identity, with people just talking,ughing, being loud and living happily thats the kind of thing that he could strive for.