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+---- Thread: [PQ] what can the harvest hope for (/showthread.php?tid=2226)
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what can the harvest hope for - Loren - 11-21-2019
Now that they’d sort of kind of opened up the border with Halo, they needed to provide offerings to pass through that cold and desolate land. And the most important one of those was food (though wood was probably a close second). Unfortunately, the Hollowed Grounds wasn't really equipped to feed the population of two lands, even ones as sparsely populated as Halo and the Hollowed Grounds. Fortunately, Loren had been a farmer for quite a while, and while the crops wouldn’t be ready for harvest for quite a while, there was a lot they could do to improve the yield of the farmlands.
In the process, he’d wanted to make it clear that first he, personally, was doing what he could for the people of the Hollowed Grounds and second that the Abandoned weren’t people to be feared or reviled, but people who could and did use their magic for good. Which is why he’d posted a message on the Notice Board asking for any Abandoned interested in improving the Fields to meet him at the farmlands at the beginning of the day.
Arriving first, he’d rubbed Astra’s head, who’d insisted on accompanying him. Wearing dark brown and completely drab and serviceable clothes, he looked a far cry from the respectable duke, scary wizard, or bespectacled librarian he’d been in the past. Instead, he looked more like a farmer than he ever had when he’d actually been a farmer. Patiently waiting with a large sack on his back, he scanned the horizon for any sign of someone approaching.
1.
2.
3. Deimos
This is an Abandoned-only PQ to improve the fields! It's open to as many people want to participate.
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Abasi - 11-21-2019
Abasi, of course, would come to help Loren. While he wasn't sure quite what use his particular magics could be for the fields, he wanted to be there to help in whatever way he could, even if it was just to give some emotional support to the man he had been sharing a bed with since Longnight.
He almost laughed as he saw Loren in his farmer's clothes, the outfit looking like a costume since he was so used to the man dressing finely. Approaching and going to gently squeeze his hand, Abasi said, his voice tinged with amusement: [say]"I hardly knew who you were as I walked down the road - you look every bit a man of the fields."[/say]
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Jigano - 11-21-2019
Although his magic was still relatively new, Jigano had learned that he had an affinity for life and growth that he never would have suspected. Helping Rory in his fields had helped to hone the melding of Healing and Earth magic, as had every garden planted in the interim, whether around or beneath the Spire, in the town, or at what was becoming the Loreseeker memorial. When he saw the noticeboard call for assistance it had been an easy decision to come help Loren, as the Launceleyn mage had helped him on several occasions.
He had also chosen older clothes for the task rather than his more scholarly attire. Rory's castoffs might have been a little short at the wrists and ankles, but the Provost was willing to trade his dignity for sturdier fabric that would be easier to clean and patch if it tore.
Morning was not his best time, but he had grown used to waking up with the sun to help with the horses and goats, and he made it to the appointed place not more than a few minutes late. Isuma swooped lazily above him, peeping sleepy greetings along the way and swiftly diving to land in front of Astra and trill a joyful good morning to her friend. Jigano saw that Abasi was already there and paused for only a heartbeat before he nodded cordially to the two men, giving Loren a crooked smile. "We just keep meeting like this," he joked around a yawn. "What's the plan for today?"
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Deimos - 11-22-2019
Deimos’s outlook on Abandoned contortions had been usually forthright: he was who he was, magic sustained, bristling, and brewing since the day he was born, no control over its fruition, but damned proud of his contortion and unleashing of its imminent potency. It was how he’d lived and breathed, life drain an essential portion to his presence, to his soul, but never considered if it painted a target on his back, if others snarled, or raised their hackles due to the incantations wielded and molded in his veins. Once the Reaper – a title, a status, caught and tied to him for eternity, in the art of demise, in the fluidity of devastation and ruin. Things had altered and changed; the effects of his enchantments more or less for the good and consideration of the population – for protection, for upheaval.
He’d seen Loren’s post, and since they all seemed to circumvent and orbit around one another’s machinations, calculations, and actions, he sought to return the favor. His clothes were typical working fabric, already utilized and warped from this morning’s activities of hunting, piling wood, and training; appearing along the Fields, snorting at Jigano’s presence already there. He didn’t recognize or know the other man, sidling close to Loren, causing the slightest look to Jigano – simply by way of amusement and curiosity. The bard had already spoken the inquiry he’d deigned to ask – so the Sword settled for a nod towards the summoner, and waited for their tasks.
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Loren - 11-24-2019
A broad smile crossed Loren’s face when he saw Abasi approaching. The summoner easily reached out and took the other man’s hand, giving it a squeeze and not releasing it. Instead, the Launceleyn tilted his head. [say]”Ai should hope ai look te part. Ai spent foive years as a farmer, Ai’ll have ye know, Ai did.”[/say] On top of the slightly outrageous accent, he winked. Chuckling, he stepped closer to the undertaker, a wicked light in Loren’s eyes. [say]”Though I forgot the hat.”[/say] He let out a huff of laughter. [say]”Not a fan of this look, then?”[/say] Tilting his head, he gave Abasi a fond smile.
Then, though, other, very familiar faces approached and the Launceleyn turned to face them, though he wouldn’t release Abasi’s hand unless the undertaker pulled away. [say]”You two didn’t move enough earth already?”[/say] The summoner grinned at Jigano and Deimos in turn. [say]”Thanks for coming, though, I appreciate it.”[/say] Then Loren’s expression grew more serious.
[say]”There’s a lot we can do to improve the productivity and yield of the fields. I’m not expecting us to get it all done in one day, but the more we do, the better our crops will be moving forward.”[/say] He pointed at the sack he’d brought. [say]”I brought seeds and tools, though I was hoping to complete as many of improvements with magic as possible.”[/say] A slightly sheepish look crossed the summoner’s features but his tone was steady.
[say]”I’m planning to try and go to the nearby river and see if I can create some irrigation channels. I’d welcome some help with that, but there’s a lot of other tasks as well.”[/say] Gesturing in the direction of the woods and the distant sparkle of water, the Launceleyn then turned to the fields themselves. [say]”I know the soil quality is pretty poor at the moment, which isn’t something we can solve quickly. But if we start composting and using fertilizer, it should improve over the long term. So if someone sets up a composting station that would be fantastic. We should also pick a spot for farmers to drop off their manure.”[/say]
Running a hand through his hair, he then pointed at the outside of the fields. [say]”Setting up a windbreak with some trees will help prevent erosion. I know they’ll take a while to grow, but we should start now. Finally, we should set up hedges and ditches on the perimeter to make it harder for pests to get at the crops.”[/say] He glanced at each of the other men in turn. [say]”Any questions?”[/say] Once he’d answered them, he’d go off towards the stream.
No post order! Please pick a task and post it, and how you set about accomplishing it, at the bottom of your next reply. Feel free to buddy up!
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Deimos - 11-24-2019
He listened, attention to the tasks and not on much else; here to assist in the improvement of the community, in some fundamental contortions and needs openly regarded in necessity. He shrugged at the joke; considering how much dirt he’d sifted last year – a wry comment stuck somewhere in his throat. The General opted for the irrigation contortions, lacking in all the other traits – soldier days well ahead of farmer exploits. Wielding a sword had been first and foremost on their prerogatives as a nation, as a world, and everything else tossed along the wayside. Regardless, he could certainly try and offer his invocations where they might be useful. [say]“I can help create some funnels for the channels.”[/say] To direct the water? They might need any number of them, if there were some distance between the rivulet and the field. The beast turned, intending to follow the pathway to the mentioned rivulet, and focus his energies on the distance, on the expanse, on the amount of magic it would take to ensure a water’s journey – palms already glowing and gilded in concentration, lengthening out appropriate, sort-of makeshift piping and tubing, a way for the source to trickle down towards the fields.
--
Deimos picks helping with irrigation and starts to make some kind of piping/tubing.
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Jigano - 11-24-2019
Jigano tilted a crooked grin to Deimos as the third in their usual trio of trouble
Loren's instructions were well-thought out and seemed like good ideas, and the bard nodded along thoughtfully. "If the portal wasn't in the Spire basement, I'd suggest putting the manure in there," he said drily. "But I can probably do the most good with the windbreak and hedges." Given how he'd grown the stabilizing plants in the Spire, it made sense that he could encourage the perimeter plants to grow swiftly and strongly.
He went to grab a bag of seeds - pinecones and evergreen seeds, mostly - and offered the ex-Launceleyn a salute before heading off towards the edge of the Fields from whence the wind routinely blew. Healing magic and Earth magic combined could enrich soil as well as encourage plants to grow swift and strong, and Jigano began to plant the first patch of the windbreak, leaving plenty of room between the seeds for them to grow into their mature breadths. He scooped the soil aside with his bare hands, letting his magic seep into the ground and rejuvenate the area before planting each seed with care. When he had an area roughly thirty feet wide planted he paused to kneel in the middle of it, letting his energy flow into the ground and outwards to feed the seeds and coax them to start growing into sturdy saplings that could withstand both weather and pests until he could return to give them more assistance later.
He would continue moving down the line and repeating the process until something or someone stopped him.
Jigano picks the windbreak and begins to plant evergreen seeds with earth/healing magic, encouraging them to grow to sapling-size.
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Abasi - 11-24-2019
At first, as Loren began to speak in his accent, Abasi stared and wondered if he was having some kind of stroke. After blinking for a moment in confusion he finally got what it was Loren was doing and laughed, shaking his head. [say]"I could grow used to the clothes. But not the voice."[/say]
He did slowly take his hand from Loren's as he saw the other two approaching. He was coming around to being more fun in private, more affectionate...but in public? It felt a step too far for the moment. Besides, there was work to be done, and he could hardly do it attached to Loren's side.
Letting Deimos and Jigano pick their jobs first (feeling a little weak in comparison to the obvious magic skill around him) he went to begin on the ditches, having to simply dig them with his hands, though he could do something with his creation - every few metres, he placed a small sturdy metal pole that extended between the two edges, to hold the soil in place at least in some of the spots. As he went he ran his hand over the ground and purified it, unsure if there were any dark magics there but hoping that it might act to prevent any coming.
--
Abasi makes some ditches and holds them steady with little poles across them. Also purifies the earth cos why not.
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Loren - 11-24-2019
Loren smiled gently at Abasi. [say]”I’ll keep that in mind.”[/say] Letting go of the other man’s hand was easy enough, and the summoner turned to face Deimos and Jigano. Apparently, though, no one had any questions, and they all dispersed. The Launceleyn and the General made their way to the water. As Deimos set about making piping, Loren settled down in a cross-legged position.
Unfortunately, he’d be working against the natural flow of the water here. Brow furrowed, the Launceleyn tried to carve a new channel for it to follow so that he could coax it into the pipes the General was forming. The good news was that he managed to get some of it into the pipes. The bad news was, the summoner vastly underestimated his own strength, and a jet of water shot form the river and drenched him. Unfortunately, it also shot at far too high a speed into the pipes.
That’s where the bad news came in. Whether through a lack of concentration on Deimos’ end, or from the force of Loren’s water, the pipes creaked and groaned, and then the section of them closest to the water burst. Some water continued on, revealing that the pipes further down the line were not fitted properly at some junctures, springing leaks in various places. Sighing, the Launceleyn shot the General a glance. [say]”Shall we try that again?”[/say]
Back in the fields proper, Jigano would just start to settle down to grow the first set of saplings when a particularly strong gust of wind would roll over the farmlands. Though the plants he was actively growing would be spared, the dirt over the ones he’d planted down the line was carried away, and the seeds with it, dropping down into various parts of the fields. Abasi, though, would find that he had no trouble digging his ditches and placing his poles, and even purifying what little traces of dark magic there were. However, there were a lot of fields to cover and a lot of ditches to dig.
The section of Deimos’ pipe by the water burst and other parts sprang leaks.
Many of Jigano’s seeds were blown away by the wind.
Abasi’s ditch digging efforts went well.
Loren put too much power into his attempt to create a new channel for the water to follow.
Bad rolls, team (except for Abasi, you go Abasi)! No post order!
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Deimos - 11-24-2019
Despite the good intentions with his first foray into piping, things didn’t come out too great. Perhaps they hadn’t been strong enough, underestimating the force of the water, bursting at the seams, cracking and groaning until they announced their weaknesses in sprays and cascades. As his eyes cast along the rest of the tubing, several sagged and sprung leaks, not tight enough at their junctures. His sigh might’ve matched the Launceleyn’s, reticence conforming along his brows despite their longing to furrow. At the very least it was a learning experience, and a proclamation that venturing into farming wasn’t going to be his thing. Best to stick to militia tactics and weaponry in the near future.
So Deimos went back to work, starting first at the pipes springing leaks, concocting patchworks for some and refitting others, before making his way to where they’d initially been torn apart by the water’s efforts. This time, he used different materials, a harder, stronger, durable concoction, intending for it to remain and last, instill some perseverance, fortitude, and might into the machinations and motions.
--
Deimos attempts to repair the leaking pipes and restructure the section that burst.
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Jigano - 11-24-2019
The windbreak was going to be needed sooner rather than later, that was clear. Jigano sighed as he watched his seeds get carried away, a bubble of frustration curling in his chest, but he focused on the task at hand, as he coaxed the first batch of plants to grow higher by a three more feet so that when he rose at last he had a grove of roughly five-foot-tall evergreens deeply rooted and flourishing.
He couldn’t make something from nothing – not yet, at least – but the holes he had planted the seeds into and the enriched soil around them were still intact and he took the bag of seeds he still had remaining and replanted the holes once more, this time giving each seed a few minutes of individual attention to sprout and lay down roots, unfurling the first small branches above ground before moving to the next. Again he tried to plant a thirty foot long area, though this time it took much longer, before he returned to the center of the line and once more pressed his energy into the soil and outwards, finding each of the six trees in their staggered double lines and urging his power into them to coax them taller and stronger still, reaching for the sky and spreading out wide skirts of pine boughs along the ground.
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Abasi - 11-25-2019
His plan seemed to be working. It was slow work, especially given the amount of space there was to cover, and he wished he had some kind of earth magic to help him make the ditch. But he did not, so he continued to dig with his hands, appreciating more now than ever the work slaves had done in his home city while he had watched on from high-up windows criticising their speed.
Abasi was so wrapped up in his work he did not notice things going wrong for Jigano and Deimos. He simply continued to work, covering enough ground in time that he felt he could sit back for a rest, before keeping at his job.
--
Abasi continues to dig.
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Loren - 11-28-2019
The summoner focused his whole attention on the river, directing its flow much more carefully and ignoring Deimos almost entirely. This time around, the irrigation efforts went off with only a slight hitch. The General’s pipes came out nearly perfectly. They were sturdy enough to withstand the water now, but they still weren’t fitted properly, so water seeped out at parts.
Loren’s water magic also had a small issue. Although he managed to create a channel for it to begin flowing into the pipes, it was only a trickle rather than filling the whole pipe. Sighing, the summoner glanced at the General. [say]”I’ll keep working on the water. Why don’t you see if you can put holes in the right places.”[/say] With that the Launceleyn refocused on coaxing the water to flow where he willed it.
Back in the fields, Jigano would find the trees staying put, and growing exactly as the bard willed them to. In fact, it wouldn’t be long before the thirty foot windbreak was in place, though obviously not fully grown. Abasi’s ditches came along smoothly as well, though they didn’t extend around the whole field just yet.
No post order!
RE: what can the harvest hope for - Deimos - 11-28-2019
Finally, he’d managed to concoct and conduct something strong enough, stable enough, for the water to flow through and not break it all apart; he waited for what felt like a lifetime, watching, presuming something would erupt and burst again. When it didn’t, he withdrew the sigh he’d been holding, and maneuvered his way down the piping system, noting everything else still had its faults, its flaws, its imperfections. Water had a way of segmenting those, capable of finding each and every defect with appropriate force, some of the tubing still not fitting the way it should. Had they been warped from the initial pressure of the rivulet, streamlining into chaos, no time to be done properly? He might’ve snarled at the notions, but continued on his work, hands grasping and tightening at the loosened portions, or reshaping, reapplying, means and measures to ensure they were in proper working order.
Only thereafter did Loren deign to address him again, busy working on something else; his eyes lifting while his crouch remained, and then following the pipeline. Holes in the right places – where they should’ve been flowing, to supply the inevitable growing garden and field. He rose, maneuvering further down the tubing, speculating before deciding, grabbing hold of a knife out of his boot, carving careful, meticulous punctures into the designation and appropriate destination, intending for his persistence, his calculations, to somehow outweigh the potential for more trials and tribulations.
--
Deimos attempts to rework the loosened portions and get them to fit properly again, and then begins to make holes in the tubing.