Castle Planners Journal: The Meridell Day Tragedy - Part 1

      Gaius couldn’t contain a yawn as he trudged across the dew-covered lawns to go fetch Wolcott. Gaius almost regretted staying up so late, but he and Sir Borodere had stayed up quite late just talking about nothing, causing them both to lose track of time. Gaius was thankful he was a very fussy sleeper, and woke up at the first light of dawn, so he wouldn’t be late.

      These carefully drawn plans, made of precise measurements on very large parchment, were of a new feasting hall. Skarl had commented that he wanted a more efficient way of entertaining large groups, and hosting diplomats, especially now that relationships between Meridell and Darigan had been steadily improving the last few years. So Gaius had been given the task of creating a building that had the latest in kitchen amenities and the most luxurious interiors. All it needed was approval by the Chamberlain, and construction could begin.

      Gaius was hopeful that this luxury would serve as a good distraction for the king from the incident six months prior. Gaius had been conducting inspections in the dungeons, after investigating a poorly constructed wall, he accidentally released a skeletal monster, which had attacked and blinded Jeran in one eye. Investigations into the incident concluded that it wasn’t Gaius’s fault, but he still felt at least responsible. The real mystery on everyone’s mind, though: what was the fate of Count Durlston? After the monster flew off, claiming to go reunite with its master, the count disappeared. He had previously been an enigmatic royal prisoner in the castle, the only thing people knew about him was his name.

      When Gaius had first bumped into Count Durlston, he scowled at Gaius. When he had vented his frustrations in the library, Lisha immediately went on a research quest to try and learn more about the enigmatic Skunk Ixi. Bearing the title of Count, she figured that his land records must be somewhere in the library. But even three days after the monster’s escape, she had combed the entire records and came up empty. The only reference to him was on the yearly castle census, where he was indeed listed in official documents as a Count. The lack of documentation left Lisha feeling defeated, but it worried Jeran even more.

     It had taken a few days to even notice that Count Durlston was missing, due to his reclusive nature. This was the clue that caused people to think that the monster’s master was the missing Count. After a week of his last sighting, Jeran had grown worried that the missing Count was not merely hiding away in his room. Jeran had Gaius bring his ring of master keys to the rooms in the royal Hotel Wing where the count stayed. When Gaius opened the door, a squad of knights came into the room to investigate. They had found no signs of the Count. Gaius had also hoped to catch a glimpse of what this mysterious person was like, but not much was found in his room, even with everyone looking. Gaius had even searched the walls for hidden passages.

     The only thing of note that was found were books, most of them focused on the history of the land Meridell Castle sat upon. The language the books were written in was clearly very old, as old as Meridell Castle. Each of the books had clearly been written by the same hand, and the author had signed the name Eardwald. Upon further investigation by Lisha, the ancient books were a written history of a tribe by its last survivor. Their society had predated writing, and the author had learned the new system in order to record the tales of his people before they had been conquered by Meridell.

     Reading through the books took Lisha and Gaius only a couple of days, but they had learned of the tribal people who had lived on the land before the House Skarl had invaded hundreds of years prior. They themselves had invaded the lands hundreds of years prior, after the Altadorian armies withdrew. Once they settled down, those that lived here were hunters and light farmers, so they did not have the resources or the population to fight off the invading force. Lisha knew from even Meridell’s history books that the wars in its early days were far more violent, and this book confirmed the same story, but painting Meridell as the villain.

     The author, being the only one left of his people, was kept alive, and he wrote stories of how society changed around him as the Meridellian way of life changed the landscape. Former hunting forests were pushed back to make wide fields of tilled soil. The former wooden round pit houses were replaced with square stone and timber frame dwellings. The biggest change of all though, was the creation of the enormous stone castle for the royal House of Skarl to live in. Soon the castle would grow, and its walls would encompass a town far larger than the tribe had ever managed, with even more peasants on the outskirts, working in the fields.

     This historical find had Lisha and Gaius geeking out about the historical value these finds had, but Lisha had concerns as to how these books had made their way out of the library. Surely Count Durlston should have known better than to take the tomes out of the reading rooms. Lisha had wanted to implement a lending system like the libraries of her original time, but the difficulty of preserving and obtaining backup copies of books was not a cost that Lazlo the Chamberlain was willing to take.

      “Heya Mr. Gaius” Wolcott announced as Gaius approached.

      Gaius shook away the distracting memories. He had to stay focused on his presentation. This project could evolve into his long lasting legacy, so it needed to go well! He smiled at the waving Ogrin.

      “I see you are up early and ready for the meeting!” Gaius was proud of his assistant taking his role very seriously.

      “Yup yup! Was so excited, went to sleep [i]extra[/i] early, but woke up in the middle of the night. I'm only running on four hours of sleep, but that’s not going to stop me!” Wolcott immediately started walking ahead of Gaius back towards the castle.

      “Oh my. Well I hope that energy lasts you though the whole day. You know how long Lazlo can go on and on for with his worries and concerns.” Gaius joked.

      They both entered the castle through a side entrance, and proceeded down the main hall towards Lazlo’s office. The Gelert was usually there if he wasn’t working from his own quarters. Thankfully, Lazlo’s schedule was still on track, and he was waiting at the table for Gaius and Wolcott to go over their plans. With Wolcott’s help, he rolled out the large drawing out onto the table. The details that Gaius and Wolcott had taken turns drawing in were quick to wow Lazlo who gave an audible squeal of delight.

      “Now, allow me to explain the latest in architectural technology I have been working with! I have been researching the best way to implement these luxuries, and came up with a few of my own ideas.” Gaius started to point out various elements of the new building.

     Gaius listed a few features. Hypocaust floors for heating in the winter, Tall ceilings with tall chimneys to pull cool air up in the summer. Large multi storied stone mantles for displaying relics. Exterior flying buttresses for extra space and higher ceilings. Semi-detached kitchens for fire safety, and convenience. Hidden passages for servers to get food out to the rooms without bumping into anyone. Fountains for fresh drinking water, or other drinks of choice through a replaceable basin in the kitchens. Multiple convenient and private garderobes, so one doesn’t have to wait. Slots and pegs for modular panels to divide the space for events (Gaius was particularly proud of this idea, as he had come up with it himself!). All this and more under full treetrunk beams, for a hunting lodge like aesthetic.

      Lazlo was furiously nodding and following along with great intent. “Yes. This looks amazing. This would definitely make Skarl happy. Especially since the tech would rival that of Hagan’s court. This would make us both look very good in his eyes.” Lazlo complimented the Bori and Ogrin. But before they could smile to each other in victory, Lazlo continued. “Are you sure this is safe? This looks expensive...” Of course Lazlo had worries.

      Gaius gestured for Wolcott to take the question.

      “Completely safe. We have accounted for Meridell’s temperamental weather. Here’s a list of potential situations and how the building accounts for them.” Wolcott pointed to a written section on the plans where a table had accounted for many of the common anxieties Lazlo had.

      Lazlo nodded silently, glancing through the information. Lazlo however felt like he needed to have more questions. “So... What about timing? How long would this take, and how many labourers will we need to accomplish this?”

      “I have my estimated count of cut stones, and timbers listed here. With this count we would likely need ten masons working for a year, five carpenters, and twenty general labourers. We can clear the land, lay the foundation this Fall, and spend winter quarrying. First stones should be laid by Spring, and then if there are no issues with excessive rain, the exterior could be laid by the end of Fall, and interior decoration can be completed by Winter. “ Gaius had been planning on this question since he started working on the project.

      “Oh. Okay.... I’ll trust that you know what you are doing.” Lazlo still seemed nervous. “It’s very ambitious.”

      “Of course. Skarl wouldn’t want it any other way.” Gaius said with a wink. His confidence was beaming.

      “Alright. I will send this over to the scribes to make some copies, and we will move forward with it. Start making detailed plans, and we will present this to Skarl at the Meridell Day Ball. That’s less than a week. Keep it a secret until then! That also means telling people ‘what you are working on was approved’, especially you Wolcott. I know how you kids tend to be a chatty bunch.”

      “I didn't say nothing about your pant’s ripping!” Wolcott protested.

      “Thank you, sir. We will start the plans shortly!” Gaius collected Wolcott out of his chair before he got too indignant, and they left Lazlo to ponder the plans in his office alone.

      “We did it!” Wolcott cheered once they were out of earshot.

      “Yeah! Thank you for helping with the drawings. It's much easier for you to hold the pen than me.” Gaius held up his big claws, which were much better at digging and construction than they were at drawing. “You've gotten a lot better these last few months.”

      “Yeah, Granny Gramelda got me a set of second-hand tools for my birthday! I’ve been practising every day at home!”

      “Oh, so when were you going to tell me that?” Gaius poke fun at him.

      “If I did, you would give me homework!” Wolcott complained.

      “Most certainly. Can’t have a slacker inherit my position!” Gaius continued to tease. “Are you ready for the upcoming ball?” Gaius asked Wolcott. “It’s going to be the event of the season.”

      Wolcott pouted. “Yeah, we are going to go to some of the Meridell Day festivities outside the castle. My family doesn’t have anything fancy enough to get into the castle.”

      “Oh, you too? Despite being part of the castle’s Court, my family has never had a whole lot of finery. I only have my one fancy outfit for the occasional event like this where I am forced to participate.” Gaius sympathised. “Ah, but don't think too hard about it. It’d all get dirty anyway.” Gaius gave him a hearty pat on the back.

      Wolcott nodded. As they walked through the hallway to the exit, they were nearly cut off by a Pink Lupe slipping past them in a frantic rush.

      “Whoops! Oh! Perfect! Gaius, I need you to attach some garland in the throne room tomorrow. Everyone on my team is afraid of going up that high on the ladder, and I’m too busy to do it. We are also thinking of adding a stage to the big commencement balcony. Can you do that?”

      “With less than a week?! Um... I don't think I can get something designed that quickly. How many people are we talking? And hold on, I don't like ladders either!” Gaius protested, but the Pink Lupe was almost too quick.

      “Thanks Gaius I knew I could count on you!” She said and then disappeared around a corner. Wolcott and Gaius could then clearly hear her continuing to rapidly ask people favours to make sure that the Meridell Day ball happened smoothly.

      “Who was that?” Wolcott laughed as Gaius slumped in annoyance, having gained extra work.

      “That's Helena. She’s in charge of coordinating the ball. I know it's a big and important job, but this is exactly why I usually take the secret passages. People always ask me to do things, even if I’m busy.” Gaius gave a frown. “I have just been signed up for quite a lot of work...” Gaius lamented.

      “Welp, have fun with it!” Wolcott waved and then bolted out the door and across the lawn back to his home.

      Gaius sighed. It looked like he would be on his own for this one.

     “Well! Looks like your apprentice has already learned the best ways to get out of more work. Just like you!” Gaius heard a familiar voice. He turned to see a hearty Purple Ogrin grinning at him. It was Maple, one of his best friends.

     “Maple! Here to tease me about my apprentice?” Gaius wanted to tease her back, but could see Twinkles tugging at Maple's apron, the small Baby Gelert who was practising pastries with Maple on a regular basis.

     “Nah, not today...” She tussled at Twinkle’s naturally perfect curls of hair. She didn't want to make it a competition of who had the better apprentice. “Nah, I just saw that you’ve been signed up for more than you can chew.” She chuckled.

      “Sure enough. But I guess I could hang the decor in a few minutes if I really tried...” Gaius started thinking about how he could rearrange his schedule and brainstorming ways of building the stage quickly but safely.

     “Stand up for yourself! If you are busy, let her know.” Maple reminded him, knowing that he was perhaps too eager to do everything asked.

     “Yeah. You are right. I just like that balcony and want it to be appreciated by everyone at the ball. It’s a very cool part of the castle! When my great-grandfather constructed it, it was the largest interior bridge by volume to material weight ratio in the known world!” Gaius started rambling about his castle history facts.

     “Haha, I can’t say I care about that as much as you. But it sounds like you actually do want to do it.” Maple teased Gaius.

     “What's a vowel yoom,” Twinkles complained, tugging on Maple’s dress.

      “I guess so. I don't like being the centre of attention, but I like being helpful. This is my way of making a difference!” He said as they bid each other goodbye.

      Gaius started absent-mindedly wandering his way over to the event space. He was engrossed in trying to figure out if he could even build a stage that quickly. It would be easy enough to pass the task of actually constructing it over to the carpentry team, but they would need a design to build towards. To make a plan, Gaius would need measurements.

     He entered the old Great Hall. With how many years the castle has been used and the number of additions, there had been a number of large rooms that had once held the title of Great Hall that had since been repurposed. The Meridell Day Ball would be held in here, the third newest Great Hall, which was now used as an event space because of its balcony.

      As Gaius gazed over his great grandfather's handiwork, he walked through a large empty room covered in thick patterned tiles. Above him, wrought iron braces firmly attached to stone pillars held up a dainty-looking second floor. Planks of wood ran above Gaius, with carved stone railings greeting him as he stood in the middle of the room, underneath large draping tapestries of the Meridell crest. As he approached the stairs that flanked the room, he was interrupted by the echoing sounds of footsteps.

      “Gaius, are you in here?” a familiar young voice cried out.

      In that moment, Gaius realised he was standing in a very dim room and called out. “Oh, hello. Morris, is that you?”

      “Yes. Sir Borodere said to meet him in the dining hall for lunch. He’s waiting there.” Morris confirmed before scurrying off himself.

      “I suppose I should eat and celebrate my successful meeting before I start this project!” Gaius said to himself before making a beeline to have some lunch with his boyfriend.

      But lurking in the shadows of that dim ballroom, another figure had been hiding just out of sight. The gentle clops of a Kau hoof clip-clopped across the tile floor, barely echoing. The hooded figure pulled a large potion bottle from his robes and unstoppered the cork. The Kau took the bottle to each of the metal braces holding the balcony up. Each time, dripping a few drops on the brace’s anchor point to the stone with a gentle fizz. Magical acids worked their way into the structure and nearly instantly rusted the metal. A liberal application of the caustic substance was also placed on some of the mortar, which fizzled and bubbled before eventually settling down. The resulting mess was powdery and loose rather than the formerly strong bond. Now that their deed was done, the figure slinked back into the shadows, smiling silently to himself.

      To be continued…