I was called here to build shelter, and that's what I'm going to do. You lot figure your shit out yourselves. For future reference, may I suggest not trying to kill each other?Nobody left the scene - any of the crabs that had been able to leave already had, besides - and made their way toward the center of the Refugium.
About two thirds of the way to it, and at the border to District 4, they began their work.
Nobody's sword was - not
plunged into the ground, it would be more accurate to say that it merged into it. Above its pommel, Nobody set their book, open, pages rippling with designs, switching between them faster than the mortal eye could even notice. One like a cavern, another like a castle, a tree-like structure, until it stopped on one. A sheer tower, inside riddled with tunnels and chambers, many empty, some filled.
And the pages came to life.
Golden sheets flew from the book's bindings, laying out upon the ground in a perfect reproduction of the structure's foundational footprint, measurements all lined out upon them; and when the final page was set, form erupted into being from the nothingness that had once occupied the plot. Within moments, where once had been a space empty even of ruins was now a great spire of marble, decorated with gold engravings of rejected alternate designs. Nobody looked it over, and nodded. Yes, this was a satisfactory first showing, at least on a surface level. Other details still had to be checked, perhaps revised. They grabbed their blade and tome... and suddenly struck the door.
A chip came off. As they watched, the crack in the stone shallowed, the edges closed, until there was naught but a hairline fracture - and then, not even that. Durability: satisfactorily enhanced. Repair functions: operating properly. Excellent.
Behind the main doorway, the entryway curved organically, like a cave. Despite having no apparent light source, not even the least corner was unlit, no shadows able to enter. Perfect.
Nobody arrived at the ground floor's hub chamber. Extending from the walls, from the floor, from the ceiling were a myriad of tunnels, each lined in meshes of green-blue rope. Nobody tugged upon one; it moved with their pull, but easily returned to its resting position. Even in the small gaps between the nets and the walls, no darkness could reach.
Very good.
Down one of the floor's tunnels. This chamber - one of the basements - had a much higher roof compared to the entryway, and a floor of dirt rather than white stone. As intended, of course, as the ground was lush with plantlife and insects. Perhaps it was more akin to a garden than a proper farm, but it would do. And there were many other chambers like it below, as well as two specials ones...
...there. Nobody spotted the blue-and-white form of one of the Operation drones, and made their way toward it. This new room would be virtually identical to all the other chambers dedicated to farming, but for one difference: it was very clearly working automatically. Nobody could see why, of course; the Operation drones worked here, as they did in many other rooms around the tower. But such would be invisible and intangible to the mortal residents who would soon live here; they would see the product, and hopefully learn to use the other chambers themselves to achieve the same.
There was one more room to visit down below. As Nobody approached it, they could feel how the atmosphere felt a bit... damper, perhaps. Earthier. Heavier? Maybe.
Unlike the greenery that surrounded it, this final basement chamber was more subdued in greys and browns (though, of course, no less brightly lit). Here, the was a pile of clay cubes - small ones cubes, but a large pile. As Nobody watched, a new cube appeared at the pile's base.
All below-ground systems operating at full capacity. Time to ascend.
Although they had no need to, Nobody climbed the nets to get up, doubly assuring their functionality. They cut a piece on the way up, and watched the strands knit back together after a few minutes. Good.
Nobody passed by many chambers, mostly empty. The bonecrabs may have little now, but there should always be space to define how you want it. A structure is not defined solely by its architect, of course. Other chambers bore equipment for making rope, cooking meals, and creating other simple amenities. And for each of these types of rooms, there was one run by the Operation, automatically working so long as they had the proper inputs.
They eventfully reached what they knew to be the site of the tower's center of mass, a grand chamber filled with blocks of clay and soft woods, all ready to be shaped. In the very center - not only of the room, but of the tower as a whole - stood a statue - a familiar one, to any who had watched the structure rise from the ground. It was Nobody, sword in the ground, book before them, and in front of them, the tower's foundations were rising from the vacant earth.
It was a workshop for the artisan, a studio for the artist, a temple for the creator.
Yes, this was good. They felt they could be satisfied with this work. And although there were not yet any mortals to populate the structure, it was clear to Nobody's senses that the enchantments that would encourage the denizen's productivity and creative urges were firmly in place. This would certainly do.
Nobody returned to the entryway, opened the doors and walked outside to once more behold what they had worked. This was the Bastion.
Then they looked out at the ruins that it stood amongst.
...it was, at the very least, a start.
Nobody stuck around for a bit, at least until the first bonecrabs started arriving. Then they made their way back north, toward District 5. There was a mechanical graveyard that needed exploring.
3 Act Sublocation: The Bastion
Basic physical description: Massive marble skyscraper
Magical properties: Rejection of darkness on a conceptual level, enhanced durability, automatic repair, some automated workshops, aura of productivity and creativity
Location: District 8, border of District 4, close to the Refugium's center
Intended function: Residence of the bonecrabs/"Puppeteer Angels"
Also, so we're clear, I'm exploring district 5 again, with a particular focus on the Mechanical Graveyard sublocation and its contents.
Greetings. Regarding your recently opened hammer-and-carrots program, I believe you would like to be made aware of the Bastion. Look south from the Refugium center, I don't believe it's physically possible to miss it.
Thanks,
Nobody