Darius brought the building menu back up and selected the Upgrade option for the walls. It was going to cost him a hefty five thousand, three hundred seventy-six Essence, but they would be able to withstand a hell of a lot more abuse than simple mud-brick. After confirming the changes, he could practically feel the Essence draining from the Settlements bank. He pulled up the summary to see what he was had left to work with.
Settlement name
Zuri
Settlement Tier
Tier 1 Hamlet
Settlement Type
Arcanum
Settlement Bonus
+20% Mana Regeneration, +10% Spell effect
Settlement Specialization
N/A
Settlement Owner
Darius Williams
Territory Area
300 Acres
Essence Generated
155
Essence Bank
5,589
Essence Upkeep
35
Credit Balance
c8,000
Population
25
Loyalty
Neutral
Morale
Neutral
Production
N/A
Subject Settlements
N/A
“We have about five and a half thousand Essence left,” Darius said. “I know we can put in the extra housing with that. The blueprint for the storage shed is a thousand Essence, so as long as the storage shed’s build cost isn’t too high, we can get everything covered.”
“Where you goin to put the new homes?” Marcus asked.
“I figured that we could put them just south of the ones already there, with maybe a ten-foot gap between them. Should be plenty of space to move around without people getting in each other’s way. We just need to move that cooking station.”
“You know we don’t need that cooking station anymore, right? That Zumu lady has that portable workshop kitchen. All she needs is a blank wall to put the doorway on.”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea. If we have enough Essence left over, we could put up a length of simple wall for everyone to use for their workshops. It’s only one-hundred fifty Essence per ten-foot section. How many workshops do we have?”
“let’s see. There’s my pottery workshop, the kitchen, the enchanting workshop, the greenhouse, the library… I think that’s it. So, five portable workshops.”
“In that case, if we put one on either side of the wall, I can do three sections, and that will give us room for one more if it's needed in the future.”
“The doorways are only about five feet wide;” Marcus said. “We could probably squeeze them in closer and save on a wall section.”
“True, but I’d rather not cluster them too close together. You never know what might happen. I’d rather spend an extra hundred fifty Essence than to cause them to explode or something.”
“All right, was just tryin’ to save some money. You know, when I was running Enchanted Nights, I had to cut costs where ever I could to keep the place open at times. A camp ground in the desert ain’t the most lucrative business model.”
“I gotcha. No worries, uncle. For now, we need to get that area cleared so I can put the huts there.”
“Sounds good. If it’s all the same, I’ll just sit here for a bit,” Marcus said as he hobbled over to the bench.
“No prob. I’ll be back in just a bit.” Darius then went outside. He found a few people that had recovered from the night before, and with their help, managed to move the cooking station to the side and helped carry the people still unconscious from the night before out of the soon to be construction zone. Once that was all completed, he made his way back inside and accessed the building menu once again.
Remembering how he’d managed to save credits before, he grouped the ten new huts together, so most shared three walls, with two rows of five units sitting back-to-back. once he positioned them far enough apart from the pre-existing ones, he clicked yes on the build button and one thousand, three hundred thirty-two essence drained from his account. Once he saw the manifestation timer start to tick down, he moved onto the building blueprints section. He scrolled down to the storage shed and bought it for a thousand credits.
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The Rank 1 Storage Shed is a robust adobe structure designed to store essential supplies and equipment securely. The shed's adobe brick walls, laid flat for maximum thickness, provide excellent insulation and protection against the elements, ensuring the stored items remain in good condition. The structure includes sturdy wooden beams for additional support and a durable roof to shield the contents from weather damage. With ample space and shelving reaching up to 10 feet tall, the storage shed is perfect for organizing and safeguarding the settlement's valuable resources.
Building Bonus: -5% Decay rate of Stored Items.
Building requirements
Materials: 50 units of Adobe, 32 units of Wood
Dimensions: 30’ x 20’ x 10ft
Building points: 298
Manifestation cost: 592e, 1776e (With Materials, Without Materials)
Manifestation Time: 11minutes, 55 Seconds, 59 Minutes, 36 Seconds (With Materials, Without Materials)
“Wait, didn’t Chad say he picked up a bunch of lumber when he brought Eve and the others in?” Darius asked.
“I think he did. Why?” Marcus asked.
“The Storage Shed calls for thirty-two units of wood for its construction. If we have a bunch of wood on hand, it might save us some Essence in construction.”
“He might be up. If we have it, then we should use it.”
“Right, I’ll be right back.” Once again, Darius left the Headman’s hut. It took him a few minutes to find Chad. When he did, he had to wait for a good twenty minutes for Chad to finish his cultivation. Once they were able to talk, Chad confirmed that he had a bunch of wood in various cuts. Neither of them understood what constituted a unit of wood when it came to the system, so they decided to just pile up everything they had next to where Darius planned on putting the storage shed. If they had any left over, it could be used for furniture or other buildings, but at the least, it should make the shed cheaper to manifest. Curious to find out, Chad offered to join Darius as he went back to the Headman’s hut.
“Okay, the wood is at the site. Now let's see how much it will cost now,” Darius announced as he dived back into the building menu. “Okay, it looks like we saved almost four hundred Essence in construction. It only costs fourteen ninety-two now.” Darius confirmed the placement and the twenty-two minutes and eighteen second manifestation timer began ticking down.
“So, was it enough wood?” Chad asked.
“Yeah, there was enough wood to completely fulfill the requirements, and it looks like…” Darius pulled up the settlement menu and looked under the resources tab. “We still have twenty-five units of wood remaining. Now all we need to do is put up that thirty-foot section of wall for the portable workshops.”
“Where were you thinking of putting that?” Chad asked.
“I figure that being close to the Storage shed would make things easier for people, so I was thinking about running the wall north to south, about ten feet from the storage shed’s door. What do you think?”
Chad pondered for a moment, then nodded his head. “I think that works. Though even if you put it in the opposite corner, it's not really that much farther to walk to grab materials.”
“It still leaves plenty of space in the southern part of the compound for more things to be built, so I’m fine with it. Though I call the apartment next to the wall. I don’t want to have to hobble all that far to do my work once we get some of that clay.”
Darius laughed. “That’s fine, Uncle, though you know you are still free to stay in here.”
“Don’t forget,” Marcus said. “You still need to get that Lords Manor Blueprint and a Village Hall upgrade so we can be a village instead of a Hamlet.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But it costs a thousand Essence for the Lord’s Manor blueprint, and two thousand for the Village Hall. That’s on top of however much it will cost to actually manifest the buildings.”
“How much do we have left in the bank?” Chad asked.
“Seventeen hundred sixty-five Essence,” Darius answered. “And we get one fifty-fifty-five per day.”
“What we really need is some people to take up a building skill or something,” Marcus said. “If we can get the materials, then we can just build this shit ourselves instead of magicking it up from nothing.”
“Now that we have a vehicle,” Chad said. “Along with a couple storage rings, we can send out a scavenging party to nearby towns to gather what we can. We can also hit that clay deposit you mentioned, and with some of the brush that’s growing rampantly, make our own adobe bricks.”
“That reminds me, we have the Recon Drone now. thing you can organize the scavenging team and take this out for a test drive? It might count as one of the mission requirements for our Warmonger II quest.”
“You got it? Sweet,” Chad exclaimed. “Yeah, I’ll take this baby out for a spin. You know, I’ve always wanted one of them fancy drones to mess with.”
“Don’t break it,” Darius warned. “It costs three hundred War Points, and we don’t have enough left over to get another one.”
“For sure, I’ll be careful. Everyone should be up by now, so I’ll go get that scavenging team sorted out. And see if Carlos is willing to donate the use of his fancy new car for the cause.”
“Sound’s good. I’m going to put up the Crafter’s Wall and,” Darius let out a long breath. “I’ll pick up the Lord’s Manor blueprint. It feels weird though, the idea of living in a manor while everyone else is stuck in little ten by ten studio apartments without any plumbing.”
“It’s fine,” Marcus said. “I’m sure we will be able to get people into proper homes once we upgrade the Settlement. As it stands now, everyone’s happy to have a roof over their heads and walls to keep the monsters out.”
Darius nodded at his uncle's wisdom and made the last two purchases. The wall only took him a few seconds to set up, then he purchased the new blueprint. With only three hundred fifteen Essence remaining, he looked at what his hard-earned money got him.
Tier 1 Lord's Manor
Description:
The Tier 1 Lord's Manor is a grand and imposing structure designed to reflect the status and authority of the settlement's leader. This elegant adobe manor combines functionality with luxury, providing ample space for administration, gatherings, and the lord's personal quarters. Its architectural design emphasizes both security and comfort, making it a central hub for governance and social events within the settlement.
Physical Description:
The Lord's Manor is a two-story building with a wide, welcoming entrance. The exterior is crafted from sturdy adobe bricks, giving it a rustic yet noble appearance. Large windows with intricate wooden shutters allow natural light to flood the interior, while a spacious courtyard provides an outdoor space for meetings and relaxation.
Dimensions:
Total Area: 60 ft x 40 ft
Height: 25 ft (two stories)
Main Features:
Entrance Hall: A grand entrance hall with high ceilings and decorative elements.
Main Hall: A large central hall for gatherings, meetings, and feasts.
Private Quarters: Spacious and comfortable living quarters for the lord, including a bedroom, study, and private sitting room.
Administrative Office: An office for managing settlement affairs, complete with a large desk and storage for documents.
Dining Room: A formal dining room for hosting guests and conducting business over meals.
Kitchen: A fully equipped kitchen for preparing meals for the lord and their guests.
Servants' Quarters: Modest accommodations for servants and guards.
Storage Rooms: Multiple rooms for storing supplies and valuables.
Building Bonus: +5% Loyalty Growth
Building Requirements:
Materials:
Adobe Bricks: 200 Units
Wood: 50 Units
Glass: 15 Units
Stone Bricks: 30 Units
Clay: 50 Units
Manual Build Point Requirement:
Total Build Points: 605 BP
Adobe Bricks: 400 BP
Wood: 75 BP
Glass: 30 BP
Stone Bricks: 90 BP
Clay: 10 BP
Essence Cost:
With Materials: 2,420e
Without Materials: 7,260e
Manifestation Time:
With Materials: 8 Minutes 4 Seconds
Without Materials: 2 Hours 1 Minute
Quality: Average
Defense: 40
Durability: 1,600/1,600
Hard Points: 5
The Tier 1 Lord's Manor stands as a symbol of power and stability, ensuring the leader's ability to govern effectively and host dignitaries in style.