Greyton

Tabitha sat atop the recently completed castle gatehouse and watched the activity unfolding in front of her. From her vantage point, she could see just over 2000 people scurrying around Greyton like ants - hauling, digging and building. The construction of Greyton was a task she had delegated to subordinates. She was nominally in charge and had provided some input, but ultimately her small team of city planners were responsible for this project. Since she had allocated all of the Castle labour to the job, she had about a month of free time on her hands. It was a rare treat, so she was quite happy to just sit back and keep half an eye on things.

The castle itself was set a hundred feet back east of the crossroads. It was still mostly mud, but was slowly taking shape. The sight dominating the scene is the massive hole in the center. The excavated dirt was being used to form the core of both the inner and outer walls, with the stone shells of the wall slowly being constructed around them. The hole itself was being shored up with masonry, forming the bottom two levels of the Castle.

East of the castle a large area was being cleared and cobblestoned. The existing temporary and semi-permanent housing was being reconstructed and relocated out of the area, ready for the new commercial district. String and stakes delineate the various plots in the areas surrounding the market square, with some small privately hired teams already starting to lay foundations and put up storefronts. 

She lifted her gaze slightly further to the north and she could see even more roads being cut. These were spaced further apart and were generally wider, more suited to a sprawling warehouse district. The area to become the warehouse district was unoccupied, so teams were going through removing the last of the tree stumps and other major obstacles before construction could begin.

Finally, she turned her gaze on the residential district running along the southern edge of the town. Large dormitories were being constructed in the eastern half in order to house all of the construction workers, while the western half was freely available for other residents to build their homes.

Tabitha shaded her eyes and squinted against the sun. She thought she can just make out the rivers edge from where she sat. It was mostly empty, but she knew Mirrax's engineering team was busy surveying the shore and drawing up plans for the docks.

The overall impression of the town however is not quite what you'd expect. Knowing Tabitha, you would expect to see a town laid out in a grid, where wide long straight roads would be the best and most obvious solution. Instead you have wide roads that suddenly narrow and wind through a sharp set of S bends, almost like a God has reached down, stuck his fingers in the earth in the middle of the town and has done a series of twists. Closer examination also shows all of the newly constructed buildings have flat top roofs edged with a low wall. Further more, occasionally rectangle pits can be spotted dug into roadways. 

The purpose quickly becomes apparent - there are no long roads cavalry can easily charge down, every roof serves as an archers post, deadfalls and blockades can be organised quickly and deployed easily, and all roads lead to the Castle with the stained glass Holy Symbol of the cathedral, visible through the invisible sections of the wall, acting as a rallying beacon. Greyton might be a merchant town, but it is also a military town run by Hellknights.

Tabitha sighed and stood up as she saw Mortimer approaching.

"Taaaaaabitha! Shades will be here soon, I'm off to get more doors and loot and stuff"

"Hold up a sec Mort, I'll come with."

"We shouldn't be long, its only a temple... Wait, what?" Mort did a double take

"You heard me"

Snookums and the Dominion Army 2

Snookums was seated at the table in his field command tent when Captain Irrie was announced by the guard and ushered in.

Not one to be towered over, Snookums waved her to sit on a cushion which usually put people on the same elevation as him. Unfortunately the elvish arcanist still had a good half a foot on him once she had sat down.

The General harrumphed and rose to his feet, not really changing the situation but at least feeling better about it.

“So, Captain Irrie. Ah’ve been watching you and yer unit trainin’ and I must say Ah’m impressed. Ah think the Lights have become a critical unit in tha Army, do ye agree?”

Irrie nodded, unsure what was even going on except that nice words were coming from a terminally grumpy dwarf.

“Good, good. So t’that end, ah’ve decided we need t’make a few changes. Tell me, who d’ye think would be yer best replacement, if something were t’happen t’ye?”

Irrie gulped and thought quickly, something she’d always been good at. “Uh, Makaquaran, uh, Sir.” Probably not as good at talking quickly, however.

“Maka… quaran... Maka…” Snookums mumbled to himself as he leafed through a stack of papers, “Ahah, the Dalish lass? Former bandit gang leader.. ah remember her, showed initiative in tha Forest War… ah, you actually wrote ‘er up for a commendation after tha Daemon War.. Ah should really make time t’read those things.”

Irrie winced briefly at that, but maintained her cool. Those weeks in the Jungle with Boko throwing mud at them while shouting “Fireball!” were still paying dividends. She noticed the General was still talking and tuned back in...

“Okay, So here’s how it is: Ah’ve got t’get some fresh perspective in mah command unit, and Ah think ye’ll do fine. Makaquaran will be taking over command of tha arcanists. D’ye think ye can manage t’teach her anything she needs t’know by this afternoon?”

Irrie nodded again, this time completely out of her element but batting back a tear of pride.

“Perfect. Dismissed, Captain. Talk t’th’ quartermaster on yer way out if yer needing any new gear.”

====================================================================

Tugging at a fraying thread on her “new” uniform, Irrie hurried to the parade grounds where the Army had been instructed to gather. She had spent the better part of the day talking to Maka and explaining why this promotion was a good thing for both of them. Maka was sure that she was going to forget everyone in the unit behind but eventually came around to the idea that the Lights of Zelkor needed representation in the Command Squad. She had also managed to confirm that Maka was paying enough attention during the drills and training to be able to lead the unit effectively. There would still be more to do to ensure the future success of their unit and Irrie was certain the General would want her to keep training with them.

Irrie reached the grounds just after the General and fell in step beside him, careful not to give any appearance of looming over him. Together they walked up to the small platform at the edge of the green where Makaquaran waited, nervousness writ large across her hardy features.

Captain Hammerbreaker, the cleric, her new colleague, banged his shield loudly and shouted the assembled troops to attention. He then stepped smartly to the rear of the platform with Irrie and Makaquaran and let Lord Shades take his place beside General Snookums.

Irrie didn’t exactly have the best view for the ensuing speech, but she could see her comrades and the glowing pride on her units’ faces was the new favourite moment of her life. She stared intently at her friends, her unit, her town, her home and did her best to fix the moment in her memory so she could savour it forever. The memory, crystallised and perfect, sat on a tiny shelf in her mind, next to two other small crystals: One; a white moment of childhood innocence playing in the snow with her mamma, and the other; a dense red ball of anger that she no longer needed to look at.

The General stopped speaking and applause broke out. Irrie smiled and waved before she realised that none of the troops were looking at her, rather Lord Shades was getting the attention and cheers.

As it turned out, the General had also announced that every soldier was getting a 5 gold bonus for the end of the year.