With the appraisal work of The Civil Service well in hand, the Senate puts forward a new set of requests to be considered over the Winter Season. Assessors were sent to the canopied forests of The Greenweald and the open bays of Bolsterlee to pursue projects of equal worth to the requests themselves. Through the hands, minds, and histories of many, multiple unique options have been considered for the Senate to pursue.
It is the opinion of The Civil Service that these estimates would remain accurate for a year, requiring reappraisal by Summer 225. The Senate is welcome to commission any or none of the following options, and the projects mentioned in ‘The Weight of Worth’ also remain available.
Not a Science, but a History of Harsh Lessons
“Appraise the construction of a Sanctum for the Crow Doktors of the Greenweald in the Resinderholz Barony.”
So specific are the requirements for the work and teaching of Crow Doktors that The Civil Service found themselves at a loss. It was decided that the best route for completing such an assessment was to reach out to the Doktors directly. Through numerous meetings and debates over herbal tea and less herbal liquor, three solutions presented themselves; one based around each of the Barony’s settlements.
Note: Each of these three commissions function as a Sanctum of the Krow Doctors Guild in Resindholz. Their benefits (unless they are directly attached to Krahenmeister) function regardless of the status of the Guild.
Rebuild Schloss Mortis
Sitting on twenty-one acres of overgrown grounds, abandoned storage sheds and fire-blackened wings, the Schloss Mortis rests to the south-west of Wolstad like a corpse propped up at the dinner table no one wants to talk about. Originally commissioned by Baron Albretch Aschauer in 121AE, the structure was completed in 127AE, celebrating its first cohort of graduates in 128AE. Built as the foremost school of healing in Esterra by the terrified Baron who sought to overcome the illness infesting his family, the Schloss Mortis was a sight to behold during its short period of activity. However, the death of the Baron’s wife and two sons in late 128AE robbed him of the will to continue to support it, followed swiftly by the collapse of the north wing, which killed nineteen students and a lecturer during a surgical theatre session. The Schloss was abandoned and decaying by 130AE, home only to those with nowhere else to go.
Rebuilding the Schloss Mortis would be expensive and time consuming but would produce a grand school of healing and disease. With quarters for students, surgical amphitheatres, laboratories, herb gardens and lecture halls, it would be the grandest structure in Resinderholz and would demonstrate the emphasis The Concord puts on defeating illnesses within its borders. It would be a place of teaching and skill, expanding the skills of Crow Doktors within the Weald and healers beyond.
Cost: 5 Thunder Oak, 5 Mithril, 5 Arcstone / 7 Vaults 15 Locks
Duration of Construction: 2 Seasons
Location: Ruins of Schloss Mortis, south-west of Wolstad
Expected Production: 1 Tier 4 Herb Garden – Given to the Krahenmeister. If there is no Krahenmeister, the herbs will not be gained.
Special: All Crow Doktors from Resinderholz who take the skill ‘Apothecary’ would automatically know the recipe mixture for ‘Al-Asah’s Antidote’. The Schloss will collect potion recipes from across The Concord, making all recipes available to Crow Doktors from Resinderholz. The Krahenmeister will be able to submit research every Winter Summit in the same manner as a School of Magic. If there is no Krahenmeister the research cannot be used.
The Mortuary of Baron Brockenmann
A little more than two day’s hike to the east of Krezenberg is a ruin upon a rise. The surface structure that once held a reserved mausoleum and a fenced graveyard is marked as the familial graveyard of ‘The Brockenmann Family’. The family's first notable member, Baron Valint Brockenmann was Resinderholz’s second Baron and paid for an elaborate and isolated resting place for himself and his family. The graveyard is modest but the subterranean complex, long since looted of funerary goods and cadavers by ne-er do wells and foul creatures, was originally intended to house the dead of a centuries long dynasty of powerful Barons. What this leaves behind is an extensive network of tombs, antechambers and empty shrines.
While the body of Baron Brockenmann is long gone and the usefulness of the site as a tomb is debatable, it presents an interesting opportunity for the Crow Doktors of Resinderholz. Properly provisioned, cleared and repaired, the Mortuary complex would provide a hidden, secure and isolated sanctum to study the diseases that plague the world and the Doktors’ methods for treating them. Safe from prying eyes, the Doktors could work swiftly towards research, while their isolation would keep the people of the Weald safe from any mishaps. Truly, this would be a sanctum focused on research and learning, surrounded by the ruins of the dead.
Cost: 5 Arcstone / 5 Vaults 15 Locks
Duration: 2 Seasons
Location: East of Krezenberg, Ravensreach Wilds.
Expected Production: None
Special: The location and construction of the Mortuary of Baron Brockenmann has numerous benefits. Notably, the Sanctum will likely go unnoticed by any invading forces unless they specifically know what they are looking for. In addition any mishaps or failures on behalf of the Crow Doktors’ Guild operating out of the Mortuary would not be able to infect or endanger the people of Resinderholz.
The Amelstadt House
To most Crow Doktors in 224, there is only one disease worth studying. For every pox, every infected wound, every time they have to debunk another supposed case of lycanthropsy, there is one disease that looms over all. The Blasserstreit. It broke Baronies faster than The Zekartaal. It threatens to destroy Resinderholz and The Concord has already had to intercede to stop The Wraith of The Onyx Aristocracy from weaponising it against them. To focus the Crow Doktors’ Guild on anything else is folly and the place to do that from is Eisen. Across the river from the most beplagued region in Esterra, the Doktors would be best positioned to treat, and more importantly, research the disease that may be their downfall.
Plans have been drawn up to build a large structure containing storage, a bunk floor, some small classrooms, an armoury, a stable for livestock and a massive crematoria. The proposed ‘Amelstadt House’ - named for The Baronies’ most recent tragedy of the Blasserstreit - would not be a place of learning or a place of experimentation, but rather a place wholly dedicated to treating and defeating the Blasserstreit. Doktors there would be taught practical skills for weighing the value of life, would be equipped to make expeditions into Vassertal, and would live among the Blasserstreit until it is defeated or Amelstadt House suffers the same fate as its namesake.
Cost: 7 Thunder Oak, 3 Arcstone, 1 Mithril / 5 Vaults
Duration: 1 Season
Location: Eisen
Expected Production: None
Special: Eisen will be protected from Blasserstreit outbreaks as long as the Amelstadt House stands. The Crow Doktors’ Guild, when established, will be entirely focused towards defeating the Blasserstreit, advancing this knowledge faster than other methods might.
Wood and Salt
“Appraise the costs and construction circumstances for a Jarlholme in Bolsterlee.”
With the growing presence of Jarls within The Iron Valley, it was only a matter of time before the coastal region of Bolsterlee would become their home. There was little discussion needed on where this appraisal would best be focused, given the growing settlement of Jaalstead, so instead Civil Service efforts were placed on determining what the best available options for a Jarlhome could be. With the assistance of numerous minds and hands, two options became clear.
The Sea Hall
Jarlhomes are traditionally a private affair unique to the individual, but there gleamed an opportunity to instead create the largest Jarlhome that The Valley had ever seen. The Sea Hall would be a great port, built to match the intensity and presence of The Valley’s greatest structures, an undertaking that would see all the great carpenters and builders of The Valley united in purpose once again. A massive wooden hall, built to shelter a great number of even the largest of ships, crews and cargo, this port would not hide away, and would be a beacon of welcome and rest to the people of Southern Esterra and beyond.
Great pillars reinforced with Thunder Oak would hold the massive roof above the waters below, with various floors built to easily assist in repairing the masts and sails of the harboured ships. With clever craftsmanship and great effort, massive wooden slats would function as moveable weather blocks, allowing sun through in good weather and blocking rain in bad weather. The plans for the Hall filled many rooms and were affected by the hands and minds of a great many Valleyfolk, yet the question of cost remained.
Cost: 10 Thunder Oak, 5 Arcstone / 5 Vaults
Duration: 2 Seasons
Location: Jaalstead
Expected Production: None
Special: In order to effectively make use of The Sea Hall’s capabilities, a Realmic Title known as the Grand Jarl will be created. The Grand Jarl will have the ability to declare expeditions that will explore the seas of the world, creating varied opportunities for Naval Investments, depending on the state of the world, as one of their powers. Specifics of this title would be revealed upon completion of this Appraisal.
The Bayward Shield
The fleets of The Concord have spent years fighting along The Bay of Promised Gold, fending off the Illsevir threat. The sight of great ships of war is common to the people of Jaalstead and by extension all of Bayward, leading to an alternative use for a potential Jarlhome. The Bayward Shield would be a fleet base built with the defence of The Bay in mind, providing ample security to resting fleets and functioning as a naval stronghold. Great wooden walls that rival any made of stone would be raised to protect the precious military might that rests within them.
The naval base that this would create would be one of winding defences, should any enemy pass the great walls themselves. Long piers that guide unknowing ships on roundabout paths, nearly labyrinthine in nature to any who are unfamiliar with it. Built with the intent to prevent intruders, but should there be any at all then they would be delayed at every turn. The Bayward Shield would cover a wide swathe of the coast next to Jaalstead, its walls decorated with nets and coloured ropes maintained by its rotating guard roster. The plans for the Shield were put together to give a place of naval respite, even in times of great war, and it became difficult for anyone to prevent it growing in scale.
Cost: 5 Thunder Oak, 4 Arcstone, 3 Mithril / 5 Vaults
Duration: 2 Seasons
Location: Jaalstead
Expected Production: None
Special: The Bayward Shield would protect the vast coasts of Bolsterlee, in particular the territory of Bayward, from potential threats to the region. Naval and Military Investments can take the “Support The Bayward Shield” action regardless of the presence of a Fleet or Army, fighting back against invaders of Bolsterlee and protecting their land and waters.