#brightwindsbarony

the fortress assembles with the speed of ...well, okay, it's actually something of a klunky mess at first. Ryder just laid down some 'blue prints' which are way over most kids' heads. Catir and Felicity are arguing over whether it should be focusing more on defense or hiding it. Ashlee seems okay with either as she guards. Grete and Irene? Well...

that's up to them

Grete helps out! She may not be as strong as Ashlee or as technically brilliant as Ryder, but she is tough and hardworking. Once set to a task, she will work through, and doesn't mind getting dirty. If Irene looks lost for some way to help, Grete suggests she can help collect the smaller bits and pieces, the slag and bolts and scraps. "You have a good eye. And the more we gather now, the more material we have.. and the less likely someone will step on something sharp later."

Irene agrees and soon puts her clever hands and keen eyes to work. Perhaps her minecraft skills AND this will be more than enough to contribute

Material is gathered, and Catir and Felicty finally stop arguing and start working together.

Grete feels...something else under her feet. Nothing as special as the shard . No, but sections of the rock changed by the shard, purely chimerical stone work next to the regular clay anddirt and rock

Hello - what's this? She thinks, and pauses her work to kneel and lay a hand on the ground. Something new. Something interesting!

Ryder says "And we'll put the supports there see..." Ashlee nods

And Grete finds Felicity has pretty keen eyes herself "What are you doing, Grete?"

Grete can feel the altered wrong about a foot deeper, give or take an inch.

Definitely near where the shard was. But now the stone has changed.

She starts to dig. Using a shovel if she has one, or a piece of scrap that is scrape-n-scoop worthy... or just her hands.

A glance over to Felicity, not pausing. "Something different is here. I want to see it!"

Oh she brought a shovel, she knnew they'd be setting things up. It's a bit on the short side, but then, she's a childling so so is she

Felicty looks torn between saying something 'smarter than thou' and letting Eiluned Curiosity guide her. Curiosity wins and she says "Ashlee, Grete could use some help"

And the troll girl joins in. What they discover is just odd. If Amber and Basalt had a basard daughter, that's what this stone would look like.. DOES look like.

"This is weird, Amber is from trees, but it doesn't normally stick to other rocks like this... and how did Lava rock even get here? It's like it got mooshed together." Running her fingers over it curiously. "I didn't mean weird bad, you're interesting." She murmurs to the ground, lest the rock feel upset.

The rock seems mollified

Ryder snaps his finngers "This golden trod has ... had sunlight properties? Maybe it was furking volcanic, not litterally, but this is chimerical material, metaphorically would do the trick"

She carefully pries with her fingers (completely ignoring any damage to the already stubby and dirty nails) to see if a piece may want to come off for her.

Oooh it's strong!

"Come on now, wouldn't you like to come up and see what the surface looks like? I bet you'll shine under the sunlight." She coaxes gently. She COULD chip and prize at it to break off a piece, but that seems rude.

Checking for any loose bits, or to get a sense of how big the seam is.

It will take effort, but she might be able to yank out a dish sized chunk

She has effort and time! And eventually pulls it free, and uses the edge of her shirt to dust off the sand and grit from the surrounding rocks.

Ashlee helps then stares "It's acuall rather pretty"

Andn strong! Pure Chimera to be sure, but the material could make for strong walls , and the faint luminscence means a changeling would have at least the equal to candle ligh in a window less room of this stuff

Felicity agrees with Ryder "The shard itself must have influenced the stone here . There must be a near ton of the stuff"

"I'm not sure if there is enough to mill out an entire wall, but if we embedded it in the walls we are putting up now, maybe some mortar? It would look REAL pretty."

"Do you think you have enough of a slit for more to come out?" Catir ponders

"If I had a good shovel, maybe some picks and brushes? This would go faster. But I have lots of time."

"I wouldn't want someone to come in with a jackhammer or something. They would bust it all into little bits." But a curious look on her face as she thinks about that.

Catir says "No need for that. " She lays down some chalk on the outside of things and marks down numbers 'one, two, three, four, five , six, seven, eight'

Grete watches, curious. A whisper to Felicity. "What's she doing?"

"A protocal, but I think it's just part of the magic to be cast" Felicty says

"Now, your attention," Catir says, but not to them but the stones "There will be no splintering or fracturing. When you are called you shall come up in an orderly fashion and que properly. We are a MANNERLY stone, we are not slobs" the litttle Gwydion insists

That magic in place, the little Gwydion says "Hop Hop hop! Kindly if you please" And hopscotching, the chunks of the Chimerical stone end up launching, and landing into proper piles! Hours of work done in a minute

Grete looks conflicted. On one hand, it's efficient. On the other... it seems like cheating!

Ashlee makes a face. It's obvious the ugly girl isn't sure about this either. "That kind of seems... disrespectful to the Dreaming's gift?"

"It's stone," Catir says "How can I disrespect it?"

Felicty nods "Catir is right. Magic is a perfectly legit way to solve problems"

Ryder frowns "Should have made an elaborate drilling machine with magic and then used THAT to get it"

"Just because it doesn't think the way you do doesn't mean that it doesn't have feelings, or opinions." Grete reasons. "Some rock may like getting busted up, but maybe not."

"It was efficient though." She is forced to admit, admiring the piles of stone.

Catir looks at the Wichtel like she might be justt a bit crazy, just a bit "Well, it's out now and you can do what you like with it"

"I had an idea." She picks up a small chunk - a pebble really, and rubs it against a harder bit of rock until a little grit has come off the chimerical stone. Wetting her finger in her mouth, she swipes it through the grit, and then smudges it onto a bit of wall. Looking to see if the lum... lumin... the glow stays when the stone is broken down.

It.. it does!

A grin! "Does anyone mind if I take the smaller bits and crumbles? I want to show it to Lady Sparrowwydd."

At that, Catir DOES smile "I think the Baroness would like that. Good idea"

"Uhm, aren't we hiding the fact we're building a fort from her?" Ryder says