Creating something new, day 29
Ackerek update
Construction is going fast, but it's been almost 2 weeks since I was here, and Masterbuilder Pedr is eager to show their progress. He chose to build a proper small harbor in the strait with a primitive stone pier about 20 meters out, followed by a wooden jetty another 20 meters further out, so that ships with a deeper draft can unload, and crews won't jump off and cut up their legs on the bottom mud. Just his description makes those wounds seem nasty. The inhabitants warned us about it, but some doesn't know or think about it. They used part of what the road builders dug up to fill in the pier. I praise is practical decision and location for it, and it looks to be maybe 150-200m south of where the bridge between the islands is in Midgard. Its absolutely a good idea to make the harbor more permanent than they've already done, because my ship can hardly berth against the cliffs. Ask how deep it is between the islands and he doesn't know, so he will send someone out to measure, and if it is not too deep, it might be possible to extend the jetty to a bridge all the way over to the other island, perhaps with a stone pier on the other side too. We end up discussing a simpler openable bridge with a counterweight as a fun project far into the future.
A bridge to the other island would be very convenient, and a harbor that is also a bridge works for me. It is enough that it is possible to ride or drive a carriage over the bridge, and it also makes it easy to move animals and other goods between the islands. Pedr just keep nodding, and he like that idea. It will be a fun challenge, and useful, even if its temporary. Maybe we can build a caisson or similar and build some stone pillars if it turns out we need a bigger and more permanent bridge in the future. I also want a bridge over to Orusingen, but there are two small islands in between that are already mine and it seems to be really shallow to the first island, and quite a short stretch between the small islands, but the last stretch to Orusingen should be deeper. The total distance and the amount of bridges together is also much longer than between the islands. Its a low priority project.
All the enclosed pastures are finished and I trust that they have a good enough understanding of the animals needs. The two large pastures for horses or cows are located along the road from the harbor, with a free space in between for a barn or two. There is also a much better but smaller enclosure of braided branches for pigs, so they don't run away, and on the cliffs towards the strait a more open pasture for sheep. We need to get a barn and stable built this fall, but the mansion is the main priority right now, because the animals can stay outside for most of the winter. If it is a mild winter, they can graze outside all winter.
The road from the harbor, snakes its way over the high east side of Little Ackerek, and down to the valley on the other side where the three 6x4 houses are, and Pedr tells me that it has been roughly cleaned and widened all the way there. The finished road has just rounded the mansions cliff and reached west of the mansion, so there's a lot of foundation and paving left to do. But the road from the harbor to the mansion is currently the most important section, and they're keeping a high pace, so I have nothing to complain about in progress or finished look. Ciara, Alith and Gunhild is really impressed. Most people don't really understand why I prioritize such a huge and complex road construction here, but thats because their culture is boat or horse based. Hopefully I'll be able to convince the influential and rich to invest in atleast a few important roads to connect the inland to the coast, but it might take the rest of my life until its done. There's plenty of lakes and rivers, but most arn't really practical to navigate either way, and it might be a big detour. Hydrodams at good intervals makes it so much easier to kayak or canoe down, or up a river.
They seem to keep about 1 meters of road per person and day, which is really impressive, but the pace depends on the terrain they are at the time, what else is built and how many workers work on the road. Then different workgroups have divided up the work and do different jobs along the route. They havn't really made the last road section up the cliff to the mansion yet, and I decide it will be a real road with a sharp turn north with just an entrance to the courtyard so a road continue north on the west side of the big mountain where the nature is suitable for it, up to the high parts in the middle of the northern half of the island, to then turn west and meet the other road down in the valley before it reaches the existing longhouse farm there. It is convenient for better access to the northern part of the island, although it doesn't need to be a really good stone laid road the first few years. The northern half of the islands is pretty much all forest, and they can use the timber for construtions, and then cut down and clear where it is suitable for future fields and fields.
The planned road up to the courtyard isn't too steep but if its going to be a main road on this island, it needs to be wider, so they'll have to built a low wall on the southside, due to cliffs on the north side, and that will take a bit of time, but worth it. The stonemasons can do that after they've completed my mansions work.
If I consider future expansion of my mansion, or just buildings for important stuff or people I want close by, building on the cliff south of the mansion is kind of dumb as it will block the views to the south and I might want to make a part of it a small garden, so it might be on the other side of that road. As the new road head north after the sharp turn, it reach a quite large and fairly flat area, before it gets steeper up the mountain. I havn't really consided this area before, and its kind of hidden behind trees. The area is much larger than the courtyard, and pretty much the same ground level, and only 50-100m away from the entrance to the courtyard. The area is bounded on the westside by a man-high rock formation that extends in blocks and levels all the way down to the slump where the small stream is. I could build a long building all the way from the corner along the top of the rock formation, which gives plenty of floor area and a new large flat courtyard between the steep mountain and the long building. A bit like a square. Maybe construct a fountain against the mountain?
The corner of the building against the sharp turn, will be a two-storey section because there is a natural place for a floor below, and the upper floor should level with the building on top of the rock formation, and everything can be in line if done correctly. The road can then continue north up the mountain after this square. It would probably look nice with a high wall between the long building and the mountain, to make the square more sectioned of, and the road north goes through an arch before continuing upwards. A tower where the wall and building meet would look nice, and have a nice view over the area south and the mansion.
It bothers me that I can't stop thinking about how I could design and build something similar to an old fortified medieval town from Midgard, but with two lane roads and sidewalks, parking spaces and more. Sure, it's a good idea to plan for the future, but it feels ridiculous that I seem to be trying to design and push for something more like a fortified southern European medieval town here. If these islands actually become a really big town, it will take at least a couple of centuries of successive construction, and even if I can draw plans, its idiotic to visualize it in front of me now. The mansion isn't even finished yet, and neither is my Academy.
But it could have looked nice, and still been made reasonably practical for modern traffic if everything was dimensioned for two lanes with sidewalks. Without really considering alternatives, I've already dimensioned the road across the island for that, and although it doesn't have sidewalks, I just need to have the gutters enclosed and paved over.
Which is idiotic from a defensive viewpoint until modern traffic change that need. Narrow, winding alleys with stairs, narrow roads etc, are generally more practical when defending. Most buildings should also be built of stone to reduce the risk of fires spreading from building to building, and wider roads helps to limit fires, along with brick or stone roofs. Stone also lasts for millennia if it is built and cared for properly.
The mountain north of the courtyard is steep. From the westside with its likely future square, the mountain slopes about 60-70 degrees, but a section by the road its only about 20 degrees, to about 45-60 degrees straight north of the courtyard, to vertical on the east side where there is a precipice of 20 to 40m, which then becomes even higher. It is possible to climb up the rock from the corner on the least steep part, but moss, lichen and pine needles cover the cliff face and its life-threatening to walk in the steeper parts - you don't know if or when the surface will let go, and its mostly just flat gripless rock surface with small and twisted pines along with occasional deciduous shrubs quite far up until the mountain becomes less steep. Start to slide and it can go fast and far. Leather shoes doesn't have the best grip, but even with my boots with a good tread pattern and edges it can be dangerous, and thats in dry weather.
But there is a really nice viewpoint about 150m from the mansion on the southeast side of the mountain, maybe 40m above the mansions ground level, where you see the road and harbor looming through the treetops below the vertical drop, and a nice view over the strait and south. But to get there you need to take a detour to the west where I probably will build a road. Still steep unless you really want to make a detour, but easier to follow around the side of the mountain. I should maybe have them build a path up, with stairs for the worst sections? Its a beautiful and majestic view across the strait over Big Ackerek to the mainland, and south over the mansion to Tosra.
----------------------------------------
The first level of the main building and the wing is almost complete, and it is impressive. Feels quite large, but the total area is 470m2. They have made some changes to my plans, in for example material, and also discovered some things that my sketches and drawings don't address, so they have had to make their own decisions about it. Oops. It isn't like they could call me and ask, and sending someone to fetch me or get an answer might take 4 days. Thankfully its nothing major, and mostly just for the better, like the basement has got a little different vaulted roof, and that the whole wing and all its rooms have stone floors instead of some parts with wood floors. The only thing I don't like, although I must admit that it is a good idea, is that they added several built-in iron loops in all the basement vaults and basement storage areas. The iron loops are about 3cm thick iron, and go in about 80cm and branch out to the sides, and are very well anchored behind the stones. Brackets for doors and their locks are similar. I don't know how I missed them the last time we where here, but I did. Pedr has taken it for granted that I will need to keep a prisoner or slave chained, or be able to threaten with it, and there are eight to sixteen iron loops in each vault. Low and high along walls and ceilings. Sure, it will be handy to fasten a rope between to hang things in the food store etc, and Pedr really only sees the benefits of having them, which I have to admit it is, but he himself mentioned keeping prisoners or slaves as it is the most natural thing in the world. Which it probably is in Alfheimr.
Its another thing I didn't really consider being a Furst might mean. For a whole lot of 'crimes' I can make someone my prisoner, and in some cases I should. I might have to keep prisoners. But I sure as hell don't want them in my house.
But there are more changes, as the easternmost secret basement room has been separated due to the brick staircase that goes down from the library, and they have reinforced the separation with a wall, but there is a archway between the rooms right now. The extra floor drain from the two eastern secret rooms will also be okay, but each has its own floor drain that merges and is led out to the south, not to the east as intended, to get better flow from the more room under the library. It feels good that the drain is there no matter how they solved it, even if nothing is planned to use it. It can be handy with a sink or so in the dining/meeting room because most people eat with their hands, and I might add a sink in my bedroom which is above. Its not more difficult than adding a sink in the walk in closet and add a water container above in the attic that someone can fill by hand, or a waterpipe from the wings large watertanks. They have to pump it up there, but its easier than several buckets. The secret passage from the library could hide all the plumbing and drains.
The pavilions stonework isn't a priority and far from ready, but the escape route under the pavilion will have a much larger space in the middle, and it can be used as a small panicroom and bunker. Even if its only about a meter high towards the mansion, it should be something like 40-50m2 distributed over five side vaults on each side out from the middle vault that follows the longitudinal direction on the patio, and the middle and western ones will be high enough that I can stand in the middle. The pavilion floor needs to be flat, so the pavilion floor will be about a meter or more above the bunkers roof, and they don't have to fill in all this space, if they make it a bunker. I make a quick construction change so that there is a fireplace at each end of the pavilion, and also one down at each end of the bunker directly below. The bunkers fireplaces isn't intended to be used, even if it is possible, but above all the chimneys can act as hidden ventilation so the wind will ventilate the bunker, and the bunker will also have a small copperclad water reservoir with drainage, just like in the basement. Its enough with 3/4 of a cubic meter, 750 liters, because it's only for really damn emergencies. If 10 people hide in the bunker, for say a week, they need atleast 4-5 liters per day and person just to drink, so 50 liters per day, and 350 liters per week. If there are more, the need increases.
The shape of the cliff has also caused the pavilion to move a couple of meters to the south, to include a higher part in the cliff, but this is something we talked about, and its better do so than it becomes a stupid looking rock outside the pavilion. The escape route out of the bunker will go south instead of west, where there's a little more protection of the terrain and the pavilion if it needs to be used, and its a bit easier to slide down the cliffs there. Considering that the pavilion is only meant to have canvas walls, the fireplaces arn't likely to see much use, but it can be practical to have access to fire for larger construction projects. Fire is pretty much a 'powertool' for all metalwork in this era.
They are constructing the fireplaces and their chimneys for the mansion and seem to be doing really good work. They may not understand why I want it in some ways, but they do a good job of recreating what I've described and sketched, and they use plumb bobs to make them straight, and metersticks to make it symmetrical and correct. Pedr seems really fascinated by chimneys in general, and they have also partly changed how the logs are attached and guided towards the fireplaces in the floor plan upwards, and they extra stabilized more load-bearing walls with vertical standing logs to somewhat compensate that even dry wood will settle, but stone doesn't. We also talk about updates for the terrace, and the design isn't affected by the changes, and I've already given him the mounts along with the sundial.
However, their scaffolding leaves a lot to be desired, and it makes me realize I need to make a pair of fall protection harnesses, and in the future demand that they be used. Both by myself and people who work on the roofs, during maintenance and chimney sweeping.
The channels for the boiler system's return feeds, for ventilation and fireplaces, as well as sewer and floor drains in the wing seem to have been good, but I have designed the building to make it easy. It is also designed to make it convenient to clean any stops, so no stupid complicated channel solutions, and there are alternatives and space for upgrades, where it doesn't make the work much more difficult. As well as separating the kitchen drain from all the others to avoid bad smells in other rooms. There is square holes in each vertical section of the floor drains, to add water traps, and the kitchen drain will also have a grease and sludge separator to keep its sewer channel cleaner. Its quite simply a variant of a water trap where sludge and heavier things fall to the bottom and the grease floats to the surface, and water finds its way through the middle and under or over the partition walls and out at the other end. Sludge and grease can then be removed, even if a smaller part will accompany the water to the sewer. Damn, I have to remember to have these traps and separator made. Well, atleast I can measure all the holes to make sure they all will fit.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
For now there won't be any water treatment, so wastewater will unfortunately flow down the cliff towards the slump and its small stream. Wastewater treatment will be a future project, and there is room for it north of the pavilion. Might be a couple of sedimentation ponds in the future. The outlet won't be able to flow up towards the drinking water in the direction of the well, and once it has flowed down the cliffs it will far below the well. They will chip a hollow in the rock face to lead the wastewater and sewer where I want it. In any case, the toilet waste will be saved, buried or composted as there are completely separate systems, even for each toilet. I'm hesitant to use human feces as fertilizer, but if its mixed with ash, a carbon source and buried, it should work for other crops than root vegetables for the first year, and then also root vegetables. I might make that two years just to be safer. I really hope the composting system work. This is definitely a world of recycling as much as possible, and thats something I want to keep for the future.
The light tunnels to the basement work, but they will paint some lighter whitewash into the tunnels. Although lead white is apparently a common cheaper white color, it will be whitewashed based on chalk instead as it is cheaper, and this hardly has high demands on fine appearance. Lead white is also toxic. But even without white tunnels, there is acceptable light in the wings large basement. At least during the day we can safely walk around without problems. I don't know how much whitewashed tunnels will improve the light, but worth doing as its quite cheap and it will last. Some of the tunnels will be five meters when everything is finished, and even if those don't go through stone but straight wooden walls, there light entrance will be to the north or in the shade all day. Aeh, its worth trying to paint all the stone walls and ceilings white to make it brighter in general, so the walls reflect light instead of absorbing it. Its such a simple idea to whitewash, but Pedr has never realised that castles and stone fortresses can be brighter inside with white paint on walls.
I have Ciara prepare a small picknick and leave the others out on the courtyard so I can check out the secret basement in the main building, and those unexpected spaces became unexpectedly large, about 55m2 together, and the tunnels for ventilation and light seem acceptable, except the two rooms furthest to the east. It is possible to move around during the day without a lantern, but if the rooms are to be used for something, it will require a lantern. The secret basement vault is dark, but slightly better. I hope the ventilation will be enough, as I don't want dark musty damp rooms with bad air, but the secret spaces in the east that have a fireplace should get quite good ventilation via the suction upwards if I open the fireplace damper, and a fire can be lit and can dry any condensation etc.
The basement room under the mezzanine has four discreet but wide and short light tunnels that leads down light from the lower part of the mezzanine's huge south windows, so there is good light. Few will probably discover that the lower 25 cm on those windows arn't visible from the inside, and the interior windows will help to hide it. The biggest chance of discovery is that in the future someone is standing in outside and looking at the windows when it is lit inside and dark outside, especially down in the basement. The rest is the light tunnels for the main buildings basement are so sneaky that I don't think anyone will notice that there might be a basement where no one expects it.
----------------------------------------
The updates on copper roofs pretty much floors Pedr. Laying something so valuable as a roof, and this roof is large. He doesn't really see the benefits even when I tell him it will be completely waterproof and without problems for more than a hundred years. Long-term planning isn't really done, except when it is built in stone, and many longhouses are apparently demolished when they start to rot after a decade or two, and thatched roofs are gradually repaired and replaced. Some better buildings have wooden tile roofs, and some stone buildings even have slate tile roofs, since even if slate lasts a long time, its expensive, heavy and cumbersome to lay, and seems to be a market only for the richests stone built mansions who want to look rich and exclusive, or castles in need of fire arrow protection.
The copper roof will eventually get a beautiful light green color in maybe ten to twenty years, but its hard to estimate the time it'll take, as I havn't cared how long it took in Midgard. But the arrival is in a couple of weeks, and there will be craftsmen who will install it. Explain how I want the roof to be placed, sealed and fastened down with copper nails etc. I don't know that is needed, or how it should be done, so I've tried to think of all the problems I can - which is the reason for copper nails; its to avoid galvanic korrosion. The tiles will overlap about 3 cm to firmly hook in to one another and prevent water ingress even by wind, although they should be able to move a few millimeters for heat expansion. Capillary action or a lot of snow shouldn't be a problem, as all the roof sections tilts about 26-32 degrees. The plan is also diamond shapes with folded edges because that seem easiest to make and place, and a simple design that works is important. This is the first copper roof that will be laid in the region, and the craftsmen are novices at that. Thank goodness that copper is so nice to bend and shape if it has the right hardening.
Pedr will get them to practice on a small test 3x3 m testroof on the ground before they start working on the real roof, but they should still start with the wings roof. The test roof makes them practice on seams, the ridge, the flashing around the chimneys, the gulleys, the support of the work platforms and the roof ends and so on, and I describe and show my sketches of each problem I anticipated and how I want it and how to avoid capillary effect and that water flows inwards, follows wood or gathers into puddles. Small details but might be oh so important for longevity. By modifying and recycling the copper from the practice roof, it can then be used for a roof for the well.
They will install a lightning rod and give it a good grounding network in the ground. Lightningstrikes shouldn't be a problem at all, as there's much higher mountain peaks with trees within 200m on two of the sides, but I prefer to know that I have done what I can. Its a known problem, with a known solution that isn't expensive, so worth doing. I don't even bother explaining to Pedr what it will do or work, as lightningstrikes is the will of Thor, the god of lightning. Kari and Iselin seem fascinated and a bit impressed that I know so much about lightning too, and that a simple metal system might eliminate that problem. A castle or fortress on the highest ground isn't struck due to it being high up - its struck because true warriors don't hide behind too high walls and in towers. I really don't want that discussion again.
Waterproofing leads to discussions about eventually painting the house with something to prevent moisture and rot that finds its way into the joints, because I want them to treat the wood workplatforms and beams just under the roof with something and I should probably expected that the easiest is the same impregnation solution they use for boat hulls. But any paint helps, and when it comes to the exterior walls, I can choose between just a little darker wood, via brown to completely black, they're pretty much all cheap. Painting parts of houses in other colors is common, just more or less expensive depending on the color and amount. The question is which color is appropriate? The most important color they have is red in various shades, because it symbolizes strength and danger, probably because blood is red, but red is boring, while dark will be heated by the sun. I must also keep in mind that the roof will be green, but the copper will turn black in the first years.
The most expensive colors are those that are imported from far away, as bright red Cinnabar from the far south, and intense deeper blue from the far east, which I guess is indigo blue from India or so. No one would paint a house in something that expensive, and that includes the small 6x4 houses, which they completed. But a dark brown Umbra or something works. I should paint my ship in a durable hull paint with copper powder mixed in, to hopefully reduce the amount of barnacles that cling to the hull, because they increase drag and slow the ship down. But its another thing I didn't think about before they painted it and put the ship in the water.
----------------------------------------
The first windows for my mansion have been delivered, and some smaller ones with inferior glass, and the windows turn out better than expected. Of course the glass distorts the view, but the decimeter-sized glass panes are surprisingly nice, but its easy to see that they've used the best glass in the middle, and the divided diamond panes along the edges is less good. The windows will look good on both small buildings and my large mansion. They have done a good job with my special design, and it will probably look extra good as the leaded glass with its standing diamonds that will match the roof. The windows look like more luxurious standard windows here, only much much larger, with the discreet 12mm square iron bar lattice sitting just behind the lead frame. If you look in through the windows from half a meter away, you can barely see the iron bars inside, and from the inside you shouldn't really think about it, since the light from the window will help hide the iron lattice, which pretty much match the lead in color. The much thicker iron post in the middle that divides the window into two parts, has been clad with thin wood veneer on both sides, and is invisible. The windows iron frame hangs in another iron frame, which in turn is riveted through the log wall. Some windows can be opened, others can only be slightly opened and the windows thats easiest to reach from outside, can't be opened at all.
Since these windows are located on the outside of the log wall, they will be attached with thick iron rivets through the log wall and the rivet head inside with its reinforcement plate along with the frame will be covered by the wooden veneer around the window. The iron parts will hardly be visible at all. The windows that only partially open - which is most second story windows towards the courtyard - have a lever as part of the hinge, that goes into a groove in the log wall. That lever is automatically blocked by a catch falling down, which have to be lift up with a discreet handle from the inside, but it can also be 'remotely blocked' from the guard room which then locks all those windows extra well. Its so the locked position doesn't rely on the classic and normal small window locking latches. Those normal latches are to make sure the windows is weather tight, but the other system is to prevent forceful or sneaky opening from the outside. If someone were to smash a window and unhook the latches, they still wouldn't be able to open the window. When there is an inner window too, it will be quite annoying and hard to reach through to the inside, even if they know where the hidden catch is, and it still won't help if the guards remote looking is activated.
I don't know if its a really useful feature, but the idea is more to be able to quickly ensure that everything is locked and prevent each rooms windows from opening. It just feels too tempting to ignore. Should any window be open, the iron catch will fall into place when the window is closed, and then be blocked. Windows that are too easy to access and sit too close to the ground can't be opened at all, they're solid, like every window on the ground floor facing the courtyard etc. Since the mansion has an outer wall and facade about 15cm outside the log wall, the mechanism sits against the log walls outside, so it will be easy to install and repair the mechanism afterwards, although the outer planks and extra insulation will have to be removed. Since the mechanism is outside the log wall, its not really safe, but its function or existance becomes invisible from both inside and outside.
The only really fully openable windows are those that must be for access, as the attic windows to the roof work platforms or above my workshop, and all the second floor windows on the south side which will be 7m above the ground, and the upper mosaic part of a couple of mezzanine windows etc. To improve ventilation, atleast one window in each room will have a small discreet 1cm high and 30cm wide ventilation hatch in the upper edge, and pretty much the same system is done for a lof of the light tunnels, although a lot of them can't be closed.
It will not be fun to clean the outside of the upper windows, as you have to streach your arm out in the small gap if the window doesn't open fully, and the lower windows have to be done with a ladder from the outside, and a lot of the light tunnel windows even worse, so window cleaning will probably only be a couple of times a year, in spring and autumn.
All the exterior doors, both corridors upstairs, the door connecting the wing to the main building and the door to my bedroom also have extra features. Looks like wood, but in the middle its a strong iron frame with crossed iron bars that has a rotating mechanism much like a vault door with pistons that go up, down and into the sides and the door frame and holds the door in the iron frame so it can't be lifted off or easily forced. I plan that to be the normal locking during nights for the exterior doors. For daytime, there is a simple handle lock that keeps it closed with a weight on an arm inside the door instead of a spring, and that will have a proper key lock that can be opened from both sides. I've completely forgotten that the doors should be finished, and could have take them with me.
Oops.
Fail on me, and Ciara might blame herself for forgetting to remember me about that, but I don't.
If someone really wants to force their way, they will eventually do so. Its all mostly to delayed intrusions, so that guards or inhabitants can detect or prevent thefts etc.
----------------------------------------
As we take a break and enjoy the weather, I talk with Pedr about the sundial, one of the things I did remember to bring. It will be mounted in the northeast corner of the courtyard, just a few meters from the mountain, and in spring-summer-autumn the sun will always illuminate the clock, and it should also work a couple of hours during winter mornings, but not later due to the distance to the main buildings roof. Where at 57 north latitude, so the sun moves between a midday height of 10 to 56 degree over the horizon depending on day of the year. The south side would be better, but there no-one will see and use it. When everything more important is finished, I ask Pedr to have someone shape a small stone plinth for the sundial, and arrange a couple of benches with backs next to the clock. We can align the sundial exactly after its in place.
We continue to talk about a lot of things and future construction projects, as we walk along the unfinished road over the island. That including the future northern road connecting after the main road reach the north end of the valley, then the main road will head west, past the existing longhouse farm, and over the cliffs towards Orusingen and hopefully a future bridge there.
The first three houses for the craftsmen are completely finished and have been used for a few days now, and Pedr really enjoy his house, and his servants really starting to like the fireplace, but the same apply to the master workers living in the other two buildings too. Those houses look so different form normal longhouses here, and they look nice. There will be more of them, probably a few with added watersystem. There's just so many construction projects left, and that doesn't include the Academy which will be bigger than my mansion, but we've found a couple of good spots for it.
As we walk thru the north forest, we find a good route and roughly mark it by chopping marks in the bark with an axe. These trees will have to be chopped down, then laid up to dry before being used, but the branches can be used for cooking and heating fires for the workers. I should probably think about making the workers someplace to live, as part of the workforce will stay during the winter, and I sure as hell won't let them live in tents. To give them a small incentive and show my appreciation I decide that Pedr will use part of the silver I've given him, to buy a pig to slaughter each weekend, so all the workers will be given atleast some meat each week, and if they can get some fish thats okay too. I can't do anything about most of them being slaves, since they arn't my slaves, but I can try to improve the life while they work here. We all need to eat tonight, so it will be a small feast in the harbor for the crew, Pedr and us.
----------------------------------------
As I relax in the cabin while gently caressing her body, I don't regret that I said that joke about having sex with the swords to her. Alith took advantage of the fact that in addition to Ciara and Gunhild, were alone on the ship as the crews ashore feasting, and Ciara apparently didn't mind distracting Gunhild and have her help grill some food ashore. It turns out that Alith has measured and carved a wooden copy of the sword grip; which she gratified, satisfied and proudly - and I must admit sexily - showed that it 'fits'. So in the passion of the moment, and since she had made an extra large condom too, we switched from the copy and used the original, just as she hoped. So both my metaphorical and my real sword have been in Alith - at the same time. It was a bad idea, and even with its sword sheath tied on, a slightly dangerous idea; but entertaining, sexy and seems to have been hugely satisfying for Alith. Not least when I reminded her of how valuable that sword is and where the grip and sword knob were.
We relax as we look at the pictures and movie clips she wanted us to take during the act, and she really love the one of herself standing and balancing on my sword, with her spear and shield. Only that. Either of us have bothered with any cloth yet, and when she starts stroking me and give me that smile, I realise she wants a final round before dinner. My life is pretty absurd right now. Sexy, but absurd. For Alith, the pictures and movie clips are the cherry on top after a multi orgasmic experience. Our intimate moments are absolutely the most different and most sinful.