Chapter #1197
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+ THE ADVENTURERS +
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+ Epic VI +
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+ Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and other +
+ terms used in these stories are the property of Wizards of the Coast +
+ which has in no way endorsed or authorized their use. Any such +
+ property contained within these stories are not representative of +
+ Wizards of the Coast in any fashion. +
+ The player characters depicted in these stories are copyright +
+ 1991-2026 by Thomas A. Miller. Any resemblance to any persons +
+ or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. +
+ Copying and/or distribution of these stories is permissible under +
+ the sole condition that no money is made in the process. In that +
+ case, I hope you enjoy them! +
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+ Alindyar 18th level dark elven wizard +
+ Daffodil 11th level human druidess of Obad-Hai +
+ Peyote 12th/13th level half-elven fighter/Archdruid +
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+ Date: 1/5/587 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: morning +
+ Place: the Brass Hills, within the Bright Desert +
+ Climate: warm and dry +
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+ "Obviously, my work has been more successful than I thought." +
+ - from _Deep Blue Sea 2_ +
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MCXCVII. Terraforming
While other members of the Bright Alliance deal with other matters, the
primary concern of Alindyar has been helping Peyote and the other druids
remake a portion of the desert into something more fertile...
Peyote: Man, waking up this early sucks. I need my sleep.
Alindyar: And Lyra needs me out in the desert later. The work we are
doing here is better suited to the early hours, before the heat of the
day makes the painting more difficult.
Peyote: (yawns) I'm not so sure.
Daffodil: (grins) Stop griping. Waking up early is good for you.
Peyote: Pffffft...whatever.
Grumbling and fatigue aside, they had made excellent progress over the
last few months. The flat land at the base of the northeastern edge of
the Brass Hills, below the great fortress-city, would soon hold hundreds
of buildings for tradespeople, taverns, and such...and beyond these would
stretch great expanses of newly-fertile land for farming and livestock.
CLOSE-UP VIEW OF THE NORTHEASTERN BRASS HILLS
(features and sites are not to scale)
1 hex = 10 leagues = 30 miles across ____
/
^^^^^ = hills /
= desert (empty) /
** = Bright Alliance's fortress /
(atop large flat plateau) /
## = new buildings/city/wall /
..... = new plains/farmland /
%% = ruins of Rary's tower /
_k_ = village/valley of Kalundi /
/
_________________________/
/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ \
/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ \ ...
/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\___ ...
/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ \##\ ...
/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ **\##\ ...
/ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ **\#/ ...
/^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ \
/^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\ _k_
/^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\ /
_/^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ \_________________________/
^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /
^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /
^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ %% ^ /
^^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /
^^^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /
^^^^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /
^^^^^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /
^^^^^^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /
^^^^^^^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ /
^^^^^^^^^^\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^__/
^^^^^^^^^^/^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ \
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The great fortress of the archmagi was a city unto itself, and its
construction was being overseen and driven by Pallin, with no little
amount of help from the elven architect Talathion Undiviel and the
dwarven builder Vogric Stoneshaper. It was constructed upon a wide,
flat plateau that formed the top of a massive natural rock formation,
one of hundreds that made up the Brass Hills. This fortress would hold
the towers of the individual wizards of the Bright Alliance, and the
whole was surrounded by the high, thick wall whose foundation Cespedes
had laid before his demise. This wall, where it faced the burgeoning
grasslands to the northeast, had a massive gate flanked by two stout
towers. Outside this gate would one day (for like everything else, it
was still being built) be a wide curving roadway of stone that led down
into the lower city that rested at ground level in the desert proper.
The various buildings and connecting structures there were laid out
within a simple, orderly grid of wide streets that ran north and south,
without exception. The entire thing had been planned out ahead of time
for maximum simplicity and efficiency, and this vision extended to the
great swaths of fields beyond the vast but practical network of streets
and buildings. These fields - which had not been there a few months
before, and which would never have been possible a year ago - were the
result of sustained, substantial, focused effort on the part of not only
Alindyar and Peyote but also the entire team of druids who served the
latter. About a score in number, this group included three powerful
Druid Initiates as well as a variety of other less-learned priests and
priestesses of Obad-Hai. These druids varied in gender, appearance, and
background...but fortunately did not take after the oddly unique Peyote
when it came their behavior. When the massive undertaking of creating
viable farmland was completed, they would not only continue to maintain
and care for those areas but would also staff the new temple of Obad-Hai
once it was complete. Like the other two temples being built for those
deities chosen by the archmagi for this region, this one would rest in
the city beneath the fortress; this location would ensure that all the
people of the city and the farmlands would have ready access for all of
their religious and medical needs.
Alindyar: (setting up his easel and special paints, he surveys all of
the work they've done so far, and nods to himself)
Through a combination of the dark elf's magical paintbrush, the druids'
nature-magic and knowledge of crops and fertility, and the persistent,
hard work of the numerous farmers who had come to the region...there
were now dozens of workable farming plots. That number increased a bit
every day, and there was a good chance that this year's planting season
would yield viable crops. Normally, the desert climate's lack of rain
would have posed an insurmountable problem to these efforts...but thanks
to the massive artificial lake the wizards had built atop the plateau
(and the system of pipes and channels that diverted and circulated that
water to every corner of the city and farmland) everyone had all the
water they needed. While most of these new, fresh grasslands would be
dedicated to planting and harvesting crops, some of them were destined
for livestock. This included cows, goats, and horses; some had arrived
here with the new settlers, while others had been magically imported by
one or another of the archmagi. Smaller farm animals that wouldn't need
as much space to roam, such as chickens and pigs, would reside in pens
attached to the small but comfortable homes that were springing up with
every passing day. Whether a new resident of this new land farmed crops
or bred and raised animals, each roughly-square parcel of land held or
would hold such a home. Some of the labor to build these often came
from the same people who would eventually inhabit them; for now, they
pulled double duty as both farmers and laborers. Typically, building
materials would arrive to a site on large wagons and a foundation would
be laid quickly, the stonemasons would start the structural work, and
the families would help as they were able. It was a lot of effort, but
many of these people had experienced far worse during the wars and then
as refugees afterward. This was a chance to do hard work and have it
pay off, and anyone who could see the long-term vision realized that the
long-term outcome would be worth it. This had been explained to every
single person or family when they first came to this region, and it went
without saying that the Bright Lands were no place for the lazy or the
unmotivated. There would be no charity here, no handouts - every single
resident who could work would work, and when the initial burst of labor
was over, every single resident would also have a piece of land and a
house to call their own, and a way to produce something of use to not
only themselves but also to everyone else.
The objective here was to have all of these farmlands and herds close
to the buildings that housed the various tradespeople - tanners, bakers,
blacksmiths, and so on - which were in turn also close to the massive
fortress. Since the food production would be as close as possible to
the places the food was eaten, the complexities of transporting it - and
the chance of it going bad before it could be consumed - were minimized.
Only things that would be eaten that same day needed to be harvested,
and thus they could be selected for their quality, not their ability to
survive transportation. Concepts like this were key to a truly self-
sufficient entity, whether it was a small town or a large city.
Peyote: (crosses his arms, smiling as he studies all of the farmland
they've worked so hard to create and nurture, and the people working
on it and other things despite the early hour) This is it, man.
Alindyar: Pardon?
Peyote: Agriculture is key here. It'll never get driven out by other
industries, like in the biggest cities.
Alindyar: That actually happens?
Daffodil: It surely does. (matter-of-factly) I mean, that's why we
live in the forest.
Alindyar: Oh. (he frowns) I assumed it was due to your deity needing
you to.
Daffodil: Well, that too.
Alindyar: What are these agricultural problems you speak of?
Peyote: Dude. Think about Greyhawk. Did you know that it takes up to
a whole day...between the time fresh fruit is picked and when it shows
up on the table in some nobleman's manor? (he shakes his head sadly)
It's not fresh anymore. Same goes for vegetables, milk, whatever.
Alindyar: (having typically used magic to move and preserve food, he
realizes that he never really saw or thought about these problems)
Peyote: But not here, man. Not here. (he grins) It'll be fresh food
for all, and all the time.
Alindyar: I can see how this would be...most beneficial for the most
people.
Peyote: And that's not all. I've got some groovy new ideas for crops,
and how to grow them faster and more efficiently. (he takes some pale
mushrooms from a belt pouch and munches on them)
Alindyar: (paintbrush in hand) Are you sure you should be eating that?
Peyote: (happily) Oh, yeah. (he stares at the farmlands again, chewing
his mushrooms and dreaming of great things)
Alindyar: (mentally sighs, and gets to work with today's painting)
All of the various workers and their output (whether that was food,
raw materials, or refined products) now fell under the shadow and the
protection of the fortress and its wizards. In the very near future,
additional guards and defenses would be placed further out, between all
this development and the barren desert beyond...for there was still the
very real possibility of danger, not just here but all across the desert.
The first thing Belphanior would need to do, once he returned from the
Lost Lands far to the west and south, was visit the various groups out
in the desert and in the hills to the north. These diplomatic missions
would be crucial to securing the goodwill and cooperation of the folk
of the desert...folk who had been here long before the Bright Alliance.
In fact, the wizards had already realized that they could not and should
not transform the entire desert into fertile land. Aside from being an
impossibly large task, it was also one that would not be well-received
by some denizens of the region. Working to change a wasteland into a
normal desert, and to change a small portion of it into a grassy plain,
were acceptable. Radical and total transformation of the entire place
was not. The likely compromise would be that only the area near the
Brass Hills - specifically the fortress and city - was fair game, while
the remainder of the desert was off-limits. Whatever the agreement and
final outcome, it wasn't going to be decided until the elf went out to
the various desert- and hill-folk and continued his prior negotiations.
Peyote: Crops, man. It's all about the crops.
Daffodil: (nods) And this is amazing. Who would have ever believed
that a place like the Bright Desert would one day have the ability to
yield actual crops?
Alindyar: (thinks about everything they've been through, including the
assault on Rary, the elimination of various evils small and great in
and under the desert sands, the destruction of the Scorpion Crown, the
persistent diplomatic efforts with not just the desert's inhabitants
but also other regions, the ongoing construction of the fortress and
its walls and the city below, the massive physical and magical labor
needed to bring in supplies and food to support all of that work, and
other such things) Aye. Who, indeed?
next: updates on both the military and the construction efforts
map: http://www.peldor.com/world/atlas/Bright-Desert_1194.jpg
www: http://www.peldor.com/download.html
homepage: http://www.peldor.com/
email: tmiller@peldor.com
released: 2/20/2026
notes: This one was supposed to just be an update on the ongoing
agricultural efforts, but at some point I went down two rabbit holes
(first was a maniacal foray into the intricacies of ASCII maps, second
was some musing about the general layout of things and how the populace
would live/work/interact.) The second thing I'll continue in the near
future within the next few episodes. As to the first thing, the ASCII
hex map in this episode was necessary, and (unexpectedly) a lot of fun
to create and fill in. I hope it helped. As for mapping efforts in
general...I know that I need to create a real map of the city-fortress
and the area around it, showing everything I've been detailing in this
and past stories. In fact, as I sit here thinking about it, there's a
lot of map work needed:
1 - Overall map of the entire area around the Bright Desert, including
the surrounding lands and cities. I have this chopped directly out
of the classic 1983 Greyhawk world map, but it's only current to
576 C.Y. and I need to update it for 587 C.Y. Ideally it would
have the same hex-grid overlay as the classic old map. And the
center section would be more detailed in...
2 - Close-up map of the Bright Desert and everything within. Right now
I've got this up on the website, in the URL a dozen lines above,
but that's just the map from the _Rary the Traitor_ accessory with
updates per the events of episodes 1125-present. The problem is,
that map doesn't exactly match what's on the classic Greyhawk map
mentioned above...I'm not sure if the Rary accessory map was hand-
drawn or whatever, but its author took some minor liberties with
the Bright Desert's terrain, for example adding a small section of
hills all by itself in the eastern part of the desert. What I'd
really like is a Bright Desert map that looks and feels like the
classic Greyhawk map, and fits right into it, hexes and all. And
a small slice of this region would be even more detailed in...
3 - Extreme close-up of the city-fortress and surrounding environs.
For this I have an exact idea of the area I want to detail: look
at the old classic map and in the center of the desert are three
light brown "hill" hexes...the one at the top of those tiny hills
(jutting out to the north and east) and the one desert hex beyond
it...THOSE TWO HEXES, I want to blow up (zoom in) and show all the
things that the Bright Alliance is building. Since smaller hexes
(sub-hexes?) don't fit perfectly into larger hexes, this highest-
zoomed map will likely end up being a standard square grid...not
sure yet. For now, you have the ASCII version in this episode.
So all of the above is an awful lot of non-writing mapping work that
will be necessary to easily/accurately/neatly convey everything that's
going on in the region. While I have very ready access to a graphic
designer / artist (as I married one) the above might best be done with
an actual mapping program designed for that purpose. I'm still working
it all out.
I'll leave you with this teaser: those three detail maps could well
be just one component of a future non-official-but-still-pretty-cool
Greyhawk accessory that might be called WGADV6: The Bright Alliance.
(Accessories WGADV1-5 would then have been, in no particular order,
The Crypt of the Undead King, The Fortress of the Nine, The Town of
Helgate, Greyspire, and Skava-Ra.)
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