We left the inn and I paid with 2 silvers. Much more than what the meal would have cost, but I figured I should pay for the repair of the table also. When we exited, Brian went around the inn and as he made his way back he was followed by two horses. the lead horse was big, I have no idea how to judge horses, but it was like one of those war horses in the movies. I think they call them chargers. The second horse was smaller and had less muscle. I’m pretty sure it was a pack horse. it did after all had a bunch of packs tied on to it. Not sure on the breed but it was brown, and I think it was a mare. It had no jingling parts like the charger.
We made our way to the edge of town before I had us stop. I wanted to mold the cart and materials into something that would make it easier to manage while in transport. What I came up with was to simply make wagons and attach them with towing ball mounts. The paths we will need to take are narrow, so each wagon was only about 5 feet across and 10 feet long. I used the opportunity to turn my original cart into a wagon with the front wheels mounted on a sway bar to make it possible to turn and control where the cart is going.
What I truly wanted to do was to mount the horses to the lead wagon but when I looked over to Brian, I could just tell that he wouldn't let me, so I improvised instead. the end result was 3 Wagons with the 2 horses tied to the last wagon.
I sat in the front with Willow by my side and Brian and Charlee say in the center Wagon. the last wagon held all of our purchased goods and the pack material that Brian had originally on his horses. No need to make them carry all of that stuff when there's ample space in our wagons.
Transferring energy from my well into kinetic energy and focusing it on the 2 front wheels of the lead cart we begin to move forward. Slowly at first but we picked up speed quickly. The only problem was that what I was doing took focus and was draining.
Thankfully I took the time to flatten the path we took to get here so the ride was relatively smooth. The only true hiccup came when we got to our first bend. Mentally steering and using a steering wheel are completely different. I have to make one-wheel spin slightly faster than the other, then push on the sway bar so that the axle turns in the direction I want.
It's going to be some time until I can build a true automobile. Karl Benz, I wish you were here. That way I could use you to re-invent the first automobile and then paten it as my own idea like what Thomas Edison did with the light bulb.
’m not sure how fast we were going but it took around 4 hours for us to make it back to the house. When you’re riding in a little metal box with no safety equipment, even 5-10 miles per hour feels fast. I should put in some seat belts or a roll cage sometime in the future.
As we rolled up to the house, the thought of a horseshoe driveway crossed my mind. I had always wanted one of those but unfortunately, I never had. Those things always took up a lot of space, so you had to either be loaded or lived way out there. Guess I fall into the latter of those two now.
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I did get a small victory in when I saw the shocked look on Brian's face when we came up to the house. When he left, this was just a wooden house. Now it looked closer to a small mansion. Now that I know more about the history of my new family, I want to turn this place into a castle. Do I need a castle? No, but it's not just little girls that dream of castles.
Every castle is different but really there are really only variations of 3 different types. First is the Motte and Bailey. This is simply a small fort sometimes on a small hill that is surrounded by a palisade or wall. This is then surrounded by a moat which may or may not be filled with water.
It’s cheap, it's easy to construct and for me the house is already on a hill and so it would take minimal effort. This was going to be home however and so I wanted something much nicer than just the bare bones. If I was constructing an outpost for 200 to 300 men, this is what I would likely go for.
Next is a step up and that would be the Keep. The keep itself is usually a large rectangular stone structure that would be the tallest in the area. With its thick walls and single entry, you can barricade yourself inside and let your archers loose on any enemy invaders that make it past your walls. Earth's history has had many people relying on this tactic while they waited for rescue.
Keeps are usually accompanied with tall stone walls and several towers. A moat along with a palisade or wall would go a long way in slowing down invaders. Buying time for snipers in the towers to take them down. With this setup, you’re now talking about having the ability to house actual troops.
owers that house 50 - 60 men each, a keep that would house the noble family along with officers and staff and a bailey where you can build what equates to a small town. This is the most common type of castle. It's expensive but it's something that can be built in 1 generation. If grandpa started to build the structure, by the time you take over it would be ready to use.
What I really want to build is a Concentric Castle. When you see castles in fantasy movies, this is likely what you were looking at. Concentric Castles have an inner and outer wall, but it's not just that. What truly makes them more defendable is the ability to man the walls. With pike men and archers able to hide behind battlements, the survivability of each man increases greatly.
Not only are there men shooting from the top of the outer walls, towers and the inner walls. The walls themselves can be built so that men can be house in the walls themselves. Arrow slits can be put in a way that allows the people inside to shoot out, but the angle would be nearly impossible for any attacker.
The gates can be guarded with not only the sturdy gates themselves but also with several portcullis made of steel. Too heavy to lift and with its interlocking pattern, rams will have a hard time bringing them down. All of that and we haven't even reached the thousands of troops a castle of this design can house.
Does it make any sense to build a castle for so few people? Of Course not, but what I really want is to create a city. The castle will assure protection and will make a good structure to attract people to move here. Every gamer knows that having a strong base to act as support and as a fallback location in case you need to take shelter is a must.
Back on Earth I didn't really have shit but now I have people who will be counting on me for protection. There's already a war just a day’s drive from here if I still had a car. That's practically right on my doorstep.
Two months’ time to carry out all my crazy ideas. Why two months? In two months, I’ll be headed for war. I hope Willow doesn't get mad at me.