By the afternoon I stack enough wood in the tower and the hovel to keep it warm at night for at least two weeks. Killing ten more rabbits and got more of the meat and the quality rabbit fur. It was an hour before sunset when the earth elemental dug up a draugr that kill it. The draugr itself was down to two points of health when I blast it with flare killing it.

It drops four silver coins in a small bag, a large empty bag and an urn of ashes. The bones fade away, as I climb into the tower and hand-wench the drawbridge closed. Cooking up the rabbit meat I shake my head as I stare at the food. “I really need to get some greens or potatoes.” Sitting down my food I pick up one of the urns to examine it finding some writing on it saying Josh Baker, died 1048, Harcorn Empire. A baker and a family man. Checking the other urns finding names and the same date.

“Okay, wow guess I will collect all the urn and make a cemetery to place them in somewhere. I spent several hours making a handle for the hammers before falling asleep.

Debating over the blacksmith or the wayside took about ten minutes then I heading toward the road. Looking over at the tree and said, “yes, I know hovels. I'm a bit hovel mood at out the moment, and yes I'm talking to myself.” Saying to a rabbit off to my right. Summoning the elemental I put it to work leveling out a fifty by one hundred square area on the north side of the road while I read the herbalist book.

You have gain herbalism!

Three hours later I found the three plants needed to make ten light health potion, a bag of greens, some onions and some potatoes sprouting out of the ground so I marked them with some sticks for later. Thought about making some potions but the problem is no jars to hold them in, guess I need to find clay.

“Oh well, another on my list of things I need,” muttering but still keeping the plants. I sent the elemental to finish up the foundation he was working on after he levels out the place. I thought I would have to make a level to check the ground but after walking on the level area it prompts me to let me know that the ground is level. Rubbing my hands I started laying out a wayside with a four-foot high wall that was two feet wide with two entries from the road. Ground pave with stone and a fire pit in the center with merchant stalls on the east side. Took me about a week to finish all but the roofs of the stalls, then another five days putting down a twenty foot wide stone road from the swollen creek to swollen creeks east to west. If not for the elemental leveling the road it would have taken ten times as long maybe twice as long and not as nice looking. Killed another eighteen rabbits and two more draugrs. One of the foundations was cleared finding thirteen silver and thirty-two copper coins and two chip plates, four silver spoon, forks and knives. The foundation was only ten feet deep and ten wide and twenty long.

Standing at Granite Creek I figure I Going to have to build two bridges after the creeks have gone down. Both creeks are more like raging rivers over fifty feet wide now and at least fifteen feet deep, getting nervous thinking the creeks might flood the settlement.

“I will need to build up both sides of the creek in the future to keep it from flooding.” watching the water and debris go by. “And high enough to not have my bridges washed away.”

I made a mistake the next morning and went down to the sea to look at debris and I got attack by a Sea crab and receive some wounds, some crab meat and two pincers that said crafting materials. Checking pincers out I figure I could turn them into axes. Dusting off the sanding I headed back to the wayside to finish up adding roofs to the stalls I get a prompt.

Do you wish to make this a wayside or a marketplace? Yes/No?

Thinking about it both have merits taking a chance, I said “both,” there was a minute-long pause.

You have created a market wayside, merchants can now rest between journeys and sell their wares.

You have earned three hundred experience!

Quite proud of myself I walk down to talk to Mesa-la the Hearth Tree.

“Mesa-la how do I ask a question with the Gamemasters?” I asked.

“You need to pray at a shrine,” said in a matter of fact.

So the Gamemasters are the Gods. “Any particular design?” I ask.

“Any design,” she said.

“Can you explain more about a settlement on what I need beyond claiming a Hearthstone or a Hearthtree? What else do I need? I know I need to complete three hovels and if I complete them I would have to defend them from the draugr before I get some NPC kill.”

“A minimum of three houses or one lodge, a craft shop, a warehouse, HearthStone or Tree, and a civil building. You also need ten people, NPC or reborn.”

“Reborn?” I inquire.

“Players like you that can respawn, NPC can not respawn without outside help. you need a temple, their body, lots of coins and one level of experience,” she said. “Oh, you have a time limit of thirty days to do it in.”

“So I would have to lose a whole level of experience to bring back someone.” stoking my beard, “well that would keep people from bringing back too many NPC. Just to be clear an NPC is a Non-Player Character?

“Correct,” she said.

“Is a tower a civil building?” asking about the building again.

“Yes, but you will need a town hall when you upgrade from the next settlement level. There is five level to a Settlement, Town, and City.”

“How do I get NPC to fill my house?”

“Build hovels or lodges that you not living in and they will start arriving within a month. Usually a family per hovel and several families in each lodge the hovels can hold up to ten family members and a lodge can hold up to fifty people.” She said.

“How you upgrade a building?” I asked.

“Touch the Hearth Tree and say settlement interface. Click on the building it will tell you what is needed, put the material in the warehouse and click upgrade it will automatically upgrade in twenty-four hours.”

“Can I build a building using the interface?”

“No you have to build the building, you can use the interface to lay out a building imprint you can follow if you have bought a recipe. Once your building is done it will prompt you on the building type so make it stronger and safer, in some cases, it will ask for a design type, Viking, Asian, Roman and so on. Or you can ask for your design to be added to our list if so you get five hundred points of experience plus a fifty gold each time someone uses it.

“How do I get skills training or spell training if I am too far from a town or city?”

“You already started with your wayside and market stalls the more you invest in your settlement the more NPC and Reborns will come. Be sure to claim the settlement before someone else does or you lose it to them. If anyone destroys me or a hearthstone you have a week to replace it with another. If someone places a tree or a stone there and hold your settlement for a week you lose your settlement. If nothing replaces you start losing NPC at 10% your population per week.”

“So a Shrine should be something I should invest in?” stoking my beard again,

“Yes it will health NPC as they do not heal as fast you Reborns do, also each god or goddess can give out a bonus to its followers and towns.” She said.

“Okay, Thanks for the help I guess I will start a shrine first.” Walking to the east side of the Mesa-la across the square on the north side of the east road. I had the elemental level out a fifteen-foot square area three feet deep so I can lay the stone flush with the road. A few hours later started laying a stone base of ten by ten foot with a three by three foot ten-foot high column. Stepping back to look at the shrine, I put a small four-foot square basin on the west side of it. I finally receive a prompt.

Do you wish this to be a shrine? YES/NO?

“Yes,” I said

Name of deity?

“Frigga.”

Frigga is this correct? YES/NO?

“Yes,” I reply.

The shrine polish up and a woman carved into the stone of Frigga with water appeared in the basin.

You have created a shrine to Frigga!

Hidden quest, make a shrine. 100 Experience

You gain 200 Experience. Shrine of Frigga

Pray for once a day for questions.

+1 to JUDGMENT

+1 to Health Regeneration

Grabbing a silver coin he tosses it into the basin where it disappears.

The Goddess Frigga appear, “ How may I help you?”

Realizing the goddess standing before me is the same as the one that started me on becoming a dwarf I was a little surprise. “Uh, hi. How do I make a cemetery and bless it? She looks the same but taller and more imposing wearing armor and furs her platinum color hair in a single braid tie with silver strings and pearls. Her blue eyes shine like the clear morning sky. She holding a crystal tip spear with feathers hanging from it.

She looks around at the shrine, “ Need to make this into a small temple then I will send a quest to a priest to come. They can then help you with your cemetery.” holding up her hand to stop me from asking, “Resurrection of NPC can be done by interfacing with the shrine but cheaper if you have a Priest. I hope that answer your current questions,” And fades away.

You have reach Level 2!

A feeling of pure pleasure course through my body.

“WOOT! Level two!” shouting aloud. Then looking around to see make sure nothing was nearby.

You have received 3 points to a character stat and 3 points to any skill

.Increasing my Mind by two and my Fortitude by one then increase my Earth magic by one and my Fire magic to two. So my Earth wall can be cast at four square feet for 1 mana or forty square feet of wall.

Seeing that I increase several of my skill to the second level I felt pretty good.