We hit 50 followers, yay! Thx for the support guys
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"Phew." The little gnome said as he whipped his head with his arm. Valgrim was currently hanging on a board over the island, working on the castle wall. He had a menagerie of magic spells for working wood and stone, but had nothing on normal maintenance and installing parts to the castle. Which led to his current predicament.
Hanging 50 ft off the ground, he was trying to install the supports for a balcony on one of the rooms facing the lake. It was a mix of stone and wood, which he couldn't manipulate at the same time, so it was old fashion hard work time.
He resumed hammering on a stubborn wood piece. Muttering to himself about how magic was unfair sometime, he pounded his thumb into the wood.
Wincing, he put the throbbing finger into his mouth. Ironically, his healing spells did not work on minor injuries, especially those caused during labor. According to his teachers back in the day, their god wanted his followers to learn from their mistakes in crafting, and pain was a good teacher.
Ignoring the burning in his thumb, Valgrim finally knocked the wood piece into the hole in the stone. Satisfied, he checked the other supports again before pulling the rope and calling down, "Oy Brutus, let me down!"
A quick, steady drop took him back down to ground level, where a certain minotaur was waiting, carefully letting the rope up so the gnome could get down. A few feet above the ground, Brutus let go of the rope, allowing Valgrim to experience a rough tumble on the ground. Brutus and some of the workers watching let out a chuckle.
Giving Brutus a stink eye, Valgrim got up and brushed himself off. He walked away from the wall and looked up, admiring his handiwork. The veranda was situated beautifully on the side side of the lake, giving a wonderful sunset view. Of course, it was part of Saharra's room, so he would not get to appreciate it much. He shrugged to himself, it was the journey not the goal that was fun.
Putting aside his old gnome wisdom, he made his way around the castle. Progress had been good into the second month, the castle was almost done structurally and they had completed the wall the made it's away around the entire island. According to the females in the group, it would take the rest of the year to actual make the castle look and feel like a castle, but he agreed with Brutus that that castle was almost done.
He made his way toward the bridge gate, located on the north east part of the island. Another building was being worked on between the bridge and the castle. It was a temple, dedicated to the guardian deity who had forged the kingdom with his own hand.
Some animal people were beginning to speak words like the mother, who had improved her common to halfway sentences. Seeing the rise in intelligence, the party had decided that giving them things to focus on was very important. One of the items on the list had been religion, which forced another role onto Valgrim as the head priest of the kingdom. His bags were slowly getting darker.
Needless to say, he had decided on a multi-religion pantheon for the kingdom. He planned four temples to be built: one in the village of Brutus, the site of the future village of Dragonbridge, one in the forest to the north, and one in the castle. Each temple was dedicated to a different god.
The temple in Brutus village was dedicated to Valgrim's god, for the mines and fields. Valgrim hoped that his god would look favorably on the mines and bless the workers. He had taught the miners to stop and say a pray at the building site before going off to mine, though they did not comprehend the nature of prayer yet.
The forest temple was dedicated to Dirrg's ranger god. Dirrg had been most appreciative, and had set out immediately to grow the trees into a suitable temple. Valgrim hadn't checked on it yet, but he knew Dirrg would make it amazing. Especially since he still hoped for a sign on how to change back. Valgrim felt a cold shutter, muttering that the cold was still in the area.
The third temple was being built a little away from the bridge on the mainland. Valgrim wanted it to start to area for construction for the new village, where he wanted a boatyard built. Land travel from the mines to the castle was slow, especially with heavy carts to pull. Boats for the lake could deliver supplies more easily and efficiently. The temple was dedicated to Saharra's god.
Cthulu.
The revelation had shocked everyone in the party. Saharra had shrugged it off, attributing it to her parents and not her personal religion. That being said, Valgrim had seen a certain stone idol in Saharra's room that looked extremely well cared for. He had decided to take extra care from then on.
While all gods had names, they were only used in special ceremonies as a sign of respect, unless otherwise told. Cthulu was not really a god, but he wasn't a devil or demon either. More like a bundle of mad magic incarnate that embodied the nature of chaos itself and threatened to encroach on this reality in order to spread his influence until noting was left sane in the world. Something like that.
No high being could kill him, so Cthulu was banished to a star in the heavens, sleeping mad dreams until the end of time, Which would be when he woke up anyway. His followers could invoke a drop of his thoughts into their enemies- causing the death of both caster and recipient. Cthulu didn't believe in followers, just vessels of madness.
Dark elves could escape that particular side effect because most followed a goddess that embodied chaos herself. Saharra probably just had the idol to cover all her bases. Valgrim refused to make any other dark elf god temple. He was afraid it would introduce the idea of arrogance and slavery into the workers, which would have been bad.
Slavery was always bad.
On that note, another mother had been unable to return to animal form. She was a snake and her "mate" had been a lizard. The father wasn't around for the news, but mostly because she had accidentally eaten him after the foreplay. She actually felt embarrassment, an amazing step for her due to her nature. Needless to say, the males were getting antsy. It was spring time, and many workers were having a hard time controlling themselves in either form and around anyone. Valgrim himself had been assaulted by a pair of nubile young females during a walk.
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Thankfully, he had the ultimate cock blocker on his side. The disappointment in the two girl's eyes had made him cry himself to sleep that night. And the next. And the next. Life sucked sometime.
The girls were fine, they merely flicked a wand and the males fled. Brutus was okay as well, he no interest in hairless weak human girls, and did not believe in bestiality. Kind of ironic actually. When he pointed that out, Brutus threw Valgrim in the lake. Repeatedly.
The first mother was actually progressing quite fast. From what Dirrg could tell, she became pregnant the beginning of the first month, and at her current rate would be due the beginning of the third. He theorized the maturation rate was more animal like than human, yet it did seem short period.
Either way, they would all know the result next month. Until, Valgrim was content to forget the whole affair. Especially the hole part. He cried a little inside.
The fourth and final temple was dedicated to the newly nominated guardian deity of the kingdom. Valgrim stared up at the huge statue in the middle of the temple. It was of a giant figure punching the ground with his fist. The figure had wings on his back and horns on his head.
Brutus snorted from behind Valgrim. "Grr, not enough hair." Brutus disapproved of his relevance to guardian deity, he felt that it implied he had more power than he actually had.
Not that it had mattered, for the flag was of his fist, the village was named after him, and "Dragonfist" really didn't leave much to the imagination. Plus, he was the one who physically broke the world in the area. Saharra and Meridia were all for letting Brutus take the blame for that, and Dirrg and Valgrim didn't argue. S o Brutus reluctantly became an icon to the people.
Valgrim chuckled. His friend had gone from slave to deity, the world sure was an interesting place sometimes.
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{The next Day}
Brutus hummed as he made his way south past his name sake village. His little gnome friend had called him to see the finished result of his secret project.
Brutus was quite excited truth be told, because Valgrim always did interesting things. He made his way down to the hill he had scouted back in the early days with Valgrim. Finding the secret spot, he knocked three times, then once, punched the wall. Shuddering slightly, the door opened up to reveal a winded Dirrg.
"Oy ye great lummox- ye dont punch the damned thing, ye hit it!"
"Hmph, same thing. Silly dwarf, head like rock wall."
Dirrg puffed up in annoyance, "And ye think ye better, oh great minotaur beastie. Pray tell me, have they let ye back in the fields after you last pitiful attempt to prune?"
Now Brutus growled in response, he hadn't know some of the plant was supposed to be left behind, they hadn't made that clear to him.
Both fighters pulled out their respective battle axes, eyeing each other in contempt. The two of them hadn't had a decent fight in months, It was as good a time as any to let off a little steam.
d"Hmmm, mines bigger." Brutus stated matter of factually.
Dirrg exploded at him, "I kill ye stupid bastard! I didn't have un to begin with!"
An awkward moment ensued in Brutus's mind before he fended off the enraged dwarf's ax.
The two were relatively evenly matched. They continued to trade blow for blow until a loud roar made them both pause.
It had come from inside the hill door, and it sounded familiar.
Worried for Valgrim, the two lowered their weapons and rushed inside to see what the commotion was.
They certainly did not expect to see Valgrim inspected a newly severed hydra head on the floor. He turned when he heard the two approach and smiled.
"Welcome friends, to the butchery." He proclaimed with his arms outstretched.
Seeing the confused looks on the two faces in front of him, Valgrim grinned. "Allow me to demonstrate." He flourished an arm toward the wall sticking out from the side of the cave. A machine was lined up with, resembling a cross between a scythe and a guillotine. Valgrim pushed the machine into a different position, then walked to another machine in front of the wall.
This machine held baskets that lined up perfectly right below each hole in the wall. Meat was in each basket, quite fresh by the looks of it, and Brutus's drool.
Once in place, Valgrim took out a bell and clanged it loudly. A snarling sound rushed out from the holes, and hydra heads emerged from each one. Valgrim pulled a rope, and the slicing machine slid down and cut the neck of two and the hydras off. The other heads roared and retreated with their meat.
Valgrim pointed at the twitching necks. "After they grow their heads back, we can do it again. Now, we never have to worry about meat again!"
Brutus clapped quietly, he was very excited for more meat. Dirrg crossed his arms in annoyance.
"I have no love for de cursed beasties, but don't ye think that this is a bit cruel?"
Valgrim shook his head, "Nope, because otherwise they would be dead."
Dirrg gaped at him. "Ye mean to tell me dat de dead hydras I found for ye were revived!"
Valgrim nodded, "Yup, I used the lowest resurrection spell to bring them back, They could never survive int he wild, so better for them to stay here. They are really low maintenance, they eat any meat including themselves and their poop can be burnt for fuel."
"Ye feed them themselves...." Dirrg was at a loss for words, then shrugged, "Well that be the most circular form of life me, I mean I, have seen."
Valgrim smiled, Dirrg had been working on his speech habits, and it seemed to be working.
"Now, who would like some fresh hydra meat?"
The three settled down outside and enjoyed a delicious meat barbecue.