A strong foundation (Plot/job)

job:

Once the surveying of the land for the castle was done the High Priestess of the Flames Reach would give orders to advance with the next step. Gilles was not an architect and had no experience in construction of any kind but she knew that the next step was to make a foundation that would be able to support the structures that they were going to make here. Instead of sending a small handful of hidden flames she would instead call in a larger majority of the Helio branch in order to make quick work of this.

It would take a couple of weeks till the one tenth of the helio branch that she requested would get here so in the meantime she would begin the work with the few members that were currently here with her. They would begin by marking the clear dimensions of the castle which would surround the 100 meter wide oasis. This would cover a lot more ground then they would most likely need but it made sense to have the oasis in the center, that way they controlled access to and from it. However, they would leave the animal trails unobstructed since the natives of this land knew that it was not wise to mess too much with the wildlife that is precious to this barren land. The castle would be large enough that it could serve to house the five thousand people that were now what gilles has called the Helio branch of the Sacred order of the Flames Reach. The castle would be large enough that they were not cramped and could be supported by the oasis for food or water as well as possible trade caravans or the merchant companies that are a part of the religious order. Defense was of course something that was important but the main goal was to serve her cult as a safe abode. This great castle will serve as a gathering place as well for those looking for the comfort that only the warmth of her Lord of Flames can bring.

Eventually Gilles would find herself being greeted by probably close to 500 members of her religious sect and she would smile welcoming all of them. This was but a small portion of the army that she has worked hard to gather up but still a good amount for construction work. Gilles would get up before all of them and go to speak, it was not often that she would speak much anymore due to a recent injury to the vocal chords so this would be a blessed and memorable occasion for the Hidden Flames that were here.

“My dear children of the great flame that fuels all of us! I thank you all from the bottom of my heart that you are hear to make this great symbol of our faith here. This castle will be our city and ours alone. A place for us blessed by the flames and those looking for such bliss. Now let us make haste and begin a swift construction.” The few hundred loyal cultists would smile and cheer at the words of their high priestess who would turn away before coughing up some blood due to a raw throat that would never fully heal. Her voice was not nearly as loud or eloquent as it once was and sounded quite raspy but it still had the power to sway the hearts of those who already trusted her. But this short, hurried speech would prove to be enough to inspire and instill a sense of duty and work into the masses.

Once they begin the grueling task they would split up into two grounds both led by members of the inner circle as well as other higher ranking members of the cultist order. The first group would focus on leveling out the area that was previously marked out in an outline by Gilles and her main group. This would be solely so that they could have an even and leveled ground for when they build the foundation. They would use shovels that they had brought to perform this task but it would still take several days to be able to accomplish all of the large area.

While the first group was performing their task the second group would be making the foundation from a type of cement that they make using sand and limestone that the Hidden Flames had brought over with them in preparation for this. This would end up making a sturdy enough foundation that would serve to support the entirely of the structure that they would build soon after this step. Normally they would leave gaps in order to dig holes to place the walls deep in but since this area was likely to shift constantly it would best to do this in a few large, continuous sections of cement and stone. They would go and lay out the cement and smooth it out as the first group digs out the base and levels out the ground.

This whole process would take about a week and a half all together due to it being such a large area of space. Thankfully they had already had relief coming to take over for the ones that were hard at work and had fresh supplies with them so that the crew was not likely to run short anytime soon.

Once they were done the now one thousand members of the Hidden Flame that were there would be exhausted and in clear need of a break. Gilles and her inner circle would thank them and send them off on their way back to their families and other factions they were a part of after a few days of resting and feasting in the vicinity of the oasis.

Once they have all left it would just be gilles, the inner circle and a small hand full of the followers that so happened to already be with them. They would all go to their tents and rest while gilles would set in motion for the next stages of the plan.

WC1018/1000