Necromancer's Delusion-Homebrew

(I don't want to spend all of Zinmaer's gold as, at the foundation, it isn't my character. He may have other uses for it. Let me message him.)

(No worries, the purpose of my post was simply to inform of what he had in case you couldn't see it.  I don't think anyone here wants to dictate another player's choices.) 

Mucor- your speech is enthralling to the animals and they agree to stay and aid in the fight against Vaeril.  The bears spend the rest of the week training with the soldiers in the barracks while the owls help create more detailed maps of the surrounding area.  you manage to awaken 4 trees from the nearby forest and have them guard the front entrance.      

Gaelin and Mucor- Valeera watches Mucor intently as as he makes his way towards her.  Mucor's conversational personality is disarming to the dragon and she allows you to aid Gaelin and greets Button, intrigued at the idea of having another friend to talk to although she does warn Mucor that she like her dens hot and that may not be suitable to Button's nature.  Her natural rapid growth aids in her recovery and by the end of the second week she is flying once again.  Valeera soars around the castle and mountains laying claim to the area she sees.  She uses her naturally hot breath to aid in carving out a den for herself and also aids the miners in creating new paths through the stone. Valeera discovers a vein of silver that causes her to eyes to glean with excitement.  She quickly melts a large chunk of the precious metal and scoops it into her mouth taking it back to her den where she deposits it in a large shimmering slag heap.   

Aryn & Zinmaer- The druid aids with the construction of the vault creating thick layers of stone, allowing the blacksmith, mason and carpenter to collaborate on a set of three sturdy doors.  Zinmaer's abode is constructed about 50 feet below the height of the tower on the rocks.  Stone and wooden platforms create an obstacle course type pathway to the small house built on stilts.  As you finish your preparations and plans word begins to spread throughout southern Telgun of this new group of heroes and their castle.

(Ballistas take 14 days to build,  Catapults take 21 days to build and trebuchets take 30 days to build.)

(Still need a group and stronghold name/title.  Updated the stronghold maps in the public notes.)

(So I get a dragon right?  An adorable, apparently clepto dragon?)

Gaelin would talk with Valeera every day getting to know her and when he sees the slag heap of silver mentions in a playful but somewhat serious tone. "Where did you find that? I heard you were helping in the mines but didn't know you were also taking part of resources the mine." Treading lightly not wanting to get burned again, Gaelin would continue, "I don't think my group would mind sharing but could we come to an agreement that is beneficial for both of us so there isn't any confusion on either side?"

Persuasion:  24

Jinara would be flying all over the keep to evaluate the construction and repairs to the keep. He would be determining best vantage points and the areas of potential weakness that attackers might target. 

(You gain a dragon ally.  Similar to a close friend or even sibling depending on the longevity of the relationship.  All dragons good or evil love collecting treasures.  While having a dragon as an ally is very beneficial it, along with any relationship, has its pain points.  Valeera's just happens to be a natural love for treasure.)

Valeera looks at you admiringly and says, "I think we can make something work."  she says dribbling molten silver from her jaws as she turns and drops another molten pile next to the first. "I aid in the protection of this castle and its people, including you, as well as provide some expediency to your miner's progress and in return I get some of the silver from that mine... The question I assume is how much can I have?"   

Gaelin- You estimate each pile weights about 100 pounds and would be worth 500 gold.  You can tell by her body language and voice that while she is receptive to the idea of sharing she is no fool and doesn't want to be tricked into a low-ball amount.  She appears to be fond of you but she's only known you for 2 weeks.  While grateful she's still a dragon and a young inexperienced & impulsive one at that.

Jinara- Perception and History check

(OOC: Dragons have treasure hoards lol, I would just let her have it :P Unless you want to get eaten :D)

Mucor spend some time using stone shape and mold earth to carve out a small cave into the stone and damp earth near the mouth of the dragons lair so that Button could visit her easily when he wasn't with the minotaur. The minotaur would also toss any human and animal remains into the small cave for Button to consume as well. Once the environment around the keep began to improve and the grove was off to a nice start, Mucor would approach his companions, asking if they had any need of his services. 

Perception 3

History 22

(Exactly. Don’t wanna end up burnt to a crisp again. Maybe I should send Jinara to negotiate. :D)

Gaelin would respond, “I’m just trying to make sure we don’t end up enemies over a petty squabble. How about I go talk tot he miners and my friends and I’ll come back with an offer?” 

Gaelin would leave and talk to the miners finding out how much they produce with Valeria’s help and how much they would without her help. Once he got those figures he would talk with the group then head back to her den to discuss their agreement. 

Mucor- Valeera eats some of the carcasses and tosses Button the bones sometimes crushing them up for Button with her teeth or claws.  Button thanks Valeera and munches down on the bone meal pile.  

Jinara- The defenses seem to be coming together great.  The moat is already in place and the wall expansion is underway.  You don't see any open spots or weaknesses.

Gaelin- The miners both speak very highly of Valeera.  Her ability to melt the stone and silver greatly expedites the workflow for smelting.  They estimate their production with her help as being able to produce 1,500-2,000 gold worth of resources per month even with her taking a portion of the silver.  Whereas without her help the mine could only produce 1,500 gold per quarter due to the hard labor of smelting the silver from an ore state in smaller quantities.  

(If she's helping the mine produce 3X as much I think we should tell her she can have 1/3 of it.)

(I will gladly speak with her! hahaha She only half scares me :D )

 (Xtra: This can bleed into week 2 if need be) After Jinara takes his time to evaluate weaknesses, he will measure 200 feet from the exterior wall, unless that encroaches on the tree line or the lake. If 200 ft is inside the tree line, he would then build 30 ft short of the tree line. He will take several refugees and a free carpenter to construct in an alternating pattern spaced 50 ft apart from one another. See spoiler for 1) quasi-diagram and 2) the projects I want to have built.

Note: The main path to the southern entrance would not have a pit or a pyre within 20 ft. 

(Some of these ideas are pretty fancy, damn. I had though about having Mucor and the other druid use stone shape to form spikes on the outside of the stone walls and to make the stone excaveted from the mine and dragons lair like spiky boulders that could be scattered around the ground near the base of the wall but I feel like I would be getting greedy since Mucor has done a bunch already in his two weeks and doesn't have NEARLY the spell slots to be casting a 4th level spell often.)

( I am shooting for medieval grade work. Wood and oil and swear equity lol maybe Xtra would allow us to work together to make the trenches with something druidic? For everyone's context, I need distance markers for some of my magic. It has wicked range, so I thought "why not kill 2 birds with one stone.")

(@ Jinara Short answer: Why you make me do maths?  10,000 gold & 60 days)

Long answer: 

Other option:  Mucor has been casting Plant growth for the two weeks.  Have him setup briar bushes in the same pattern and cause bio-luminescent evergreens to grow where your bonfires would be.   Forget the pits.  200 gold (for my pain and suffering) and it'll be done at the conclusion of the 2 weeks.

 (Pond is just over 100 ft from wall.  Forest is between 200ft to 300 ft away from wall)

(Xtra's definitely gonna kill us.  Or at least Jinara...  If Valeera is making us that much I don't care what she takes as long as we get that much a month.)

Gaelin would quickly discuss with his companions then head to Valeera's den.  "So I just wanted to say thank you and you're doing a great job.  If you can help the mine produce at least 2,000 gold worth of silver you can have 4 piles each month so we're splitting it evenly as partners.  Would that be agreeable to you?"  If Valeera is agreeable to the offer Gaelin would let the group know then return to check her over to make sure she's fully recovered from her injuries. (and talk to a freakin dragon) 

Persuasion (again?):  18

(Glad we didn't send Jinara,  Not sure even that roll would've been enough.  :D  )

Gaelin- Valeera eyes you as if to see if there's any hidden meaning behind such a lucrative deal. Seeing only the compassion and happiness in your eyes she nods and says, "Yes that is very fair.  Now that we've agreed will you stay with me for a while. I love our talks." (Just read about brass dragons, apparently they will trap people just to talk to them. Who knew?) She visibly pouts a bit when you say you have to leave but perks back up when you say you'll return shortly after informing the group.

Upon your return you find her eagerly waiting on a large stone slab. In the corner of the den you notice a huge empty pit roughly 40 feet in diameter and 15ft deep. Valeera notices your attention drawn to the large pit and approaches you slowly on all fours and says, "Do you think you could have some water brought in to fill that up? I tried getting some from the pond but by the time I reach my den its all turned to steam. I could help carry some empty barrels if you have some." You continue talking about the pool and on other subjects; your battle against the duke, being captured and your life back home before you met your new friends. While checking over her you notice she has grown much larger than when she first arrived. When she arrived her back came to your hip.  Now it's level with your shoulder.  The muscles and scales have all started to turn shiny rather than just around her neck and head.  You ask her how old she is and she responds, "Seven years." You know enough about dragons from stories that by that age they should be much larger than she was when she arrived. Maybe it was from the infection or the near starvation, but it didn't seem natural. She senses your confusion and adds, "Growing up being the smallest of four siblings didn't leave much food on the bones for me, even if mom did look out for me my brothers and sister would always steal away my things. It wasn't until I came here that I was able to have my own treasures. Thank you for that."  

As she turns and walks back to the stone slab you finally see how much she's grown since she's been here.  From the size of an average wolf to the size of a cave bear.  Her tail has grown nearly 5 feet and you estimate her wingspan to be 15ft feet.  "I've been listening to you talk about magic and spells.  I think I've learned a few myself.  Do you trust me?" she says with excitement.

(Do you trust her?)

(Here we go, Gaelin gonna get eaten.)

(Of course i trust the increasingly more dangerous dragon that can melt stone.)

"You're welcome.  I think we can get some water up here pretty quickly with the help of our druid friend."  Gaelin would say watching her excitement and admiring the size of her as she posed the question.  "Yes. I trust you"

Gaelin- You feel your body suddenly lifted slowly up in the air and hover 10 ft above the ground.  You look out to Valeera who laughs as you see her front right claw lift in the air and twist slowly.  Your angle of perception shifts as you are turned sideways and are flipped upside down.  "You do trust me... well then maybe you'll like the other thing I've learned." Valeera says with another deep chuckle as your body spins turning away so all you see is the den wall.  You feel yourself slowly approach the ground and stop hovering about 6 feet from the den floor.  You hear the approaching heavy foot falls of the dragon then a soft clicking as if a person were walking towards you. 

You hear a soft female voice say, "How do you like this one?" as a tall slender human woman with scarlet hair wearing a golden robe walks into your peripheral vision and stops with her face right in front of yours.  She leans forward and kisses you.  You feel the warmth of her lips and the intense heat of her breath as she pulls away quickly frowning.  You see her wince as if she gets a sudden headache and she takes a few more steps back.  Her form changes back into that of a dragon and you slowly fall head first onto the ground.  You pick yourself up off the ground, finding your bearings and see Valeera back on the stone slab looking sheepishly at you. "I'm sorry, I guess I haven't fully learned that one yet.  Are you hurt" she says.

(What!?!  That is some next level M. Night Shamalan stuff.  Never saw that coming.)