Bandit Raid has begun you have 23 hours and fifty-two minutes before raid ends.

I sent a guard to get the mages and Ann. No clue to the player's name considering my inspect is low. Plus some crossbows bolts kept me and the guards all hunker down. Hearing a wagon rumbling I glance over. Taking thirty-one points of damage in my right shoulder from a bolt. “Son of a fart-ass mule! That hurts!” Pulling the bolt out.

I did see a wagon being pushed by a few men, figuring they were going to try to climb over the gate using the wagon. Just as Cora and Firebrand arrived a large crash and screaming outside the gate. Glancing over the wall I see my pit trapped worked. The road collapse beneath the wagon and several bandits were running to help those that fell in. Firebrand cast a fireball into the group of people. More screaming and a few people rolling on the ground. Cora case a water elemental and it started attacking the fire mage. After a few minutes, it was quiet except for the moaning in the pit. Checking the pit and found two injured men impaled. Pulling them off the sharpened stakes and stripping them I banished two more. Seeing several names, not on the communication stones. I seem to have whittled them down, seven more to go. The fire mage was killed but was informed by Cora that some camps can allow people to bind. So seven players left did find out Devon was their leader. A fighter level 6, the mage was level four not yet a class mage. One thief fifth level and four fighter fourth level. If Devon gets through the gate only Cora and Firebrand could hurt him maybe.

Using the scrying I can see that Devon was furious. Storming around his camp destroying crates. All his men look scared. Then saw him touch a banner and ten warriors appear.

“Double damn! He got NPC troops too!”

Finding Ann and Gema, “can you find anything in the forest you can train through their camp tonight?” asked Ann.

“Train?” Gema asks puzzle.

Ann started laughing, “wow forgot about that, I remember a few time I was trained.” Turning to a puzzle Gema. “It is called a train because you run through someone camp or a group with monsters chasing you. The monsters end up attack the camp or group. Sometimes you die in the process.” Laughing. “Yeah, there are a group of wild boar to the north I saw some tracks a few days ago near on the bank of the creek. If I can get them pissed off at me. I could run them through the camp. Gema will have to stay behind if players get a hold of her they could use her as leverage.” “Gema started to protest, “Gema I can be reborn if I am killed, you can’t, that’s final.”

Pouting Gema nodded.

Checking out the settlement interface I see Safehaven as a settlement one. currently under a raid all cost at times three. I can buy ten more guards for a total of twenty guards or archer because I have a tower. Can also recruit a blacksmith, tanner, hunters, fishermen, herdsmen, and cook.

Already have two boys well one boy and one adult as fishermen. They have killed three lake crabs and fifty fried fish. The crab shells are for recipes in making shields. They are ingredients for potions of breathing underwater. Have not made any shield yet with not time but one of the boys made a crab knife from one of the claw.

Crab knife Durability 20/20 5 damage Bleeding effect: +1 health damage per turn for ten turns. Stackable.

I hate not having a name for the goblins so I call him Tim Crabknive and Kas Fishkiller. Told them both they can make and sell the knives and keep the money. They seem to be happy, I told them that I heard that crabs can be caught in cages they can get in to but not out of. Figure I put the idea in their head maybe the can figure out how to make one.

Back to the interface,

type Building requirement Hovel 20' by 40' two level blueprint dock 20' by 60' wood dock blueprint fishing shack 10' by 10' wood blueprint shop 40' by 40' stone and wood blueprint shrine 10' by 10' stone or wood blueprint temple 20' by 20' stone and/or wood blueprint blacksmithy 30' by 30' stone blueprint tannery 30' by 30' stone/wood blueprint town hall 30' by 40' stone/wood blueprint farm 20' by 40' two level stone or wood or both. Require one acre of land minium, blueprint granery 10' by 10' by 20' blueprint warehouse 40' by 60' for use of upgrading and repairing building, blueprint Type DEFENSE Requirement walls type I 10 gold per 10' by 10' defense 100 stone, wood. blueprint gate wood type I 10 gold 10' by 20' double door Defense 50 stone, wood. blueprint tower type 1 stone 100 gold. 40' by 40' by 30' with the lower floor. 20 troops Stone, wood. blueprint pit trap 10 silver 10' by 10' by 10' stake 10 damage + 2d10 damage blueprint moat 10 gold 10' by 10' by 10' of water blueprint ballista 1 gold pattern or by 10 gold to buy a ballista wood, metal, blueprint guards 1 gold per level: Settlement I level cap V 3 food, 2 ale daily, bed, equipment mended, living quarters healer 3 gold per level: Settlement I level cap V 3 food, 2 ale daily, bed, equipment mended, living quarters archers 2 gold per level: Settlement I level cap V 3 food, 2 ale daily, bed, equipment mended, living quarters Crossbowmen 2 gold per level: Settlement I level cap V 3 food, 2 ale daily, bed, equipment mended, living quarters Live stock cost per Pig 10 silver cow 50 silver goat 30 silver horse 300 silver sheep 30 silver chicken 3 silver rabbit 2 silver

Note these creatures can be caught and tame from the wild.

Crops seed cost barley 2 silver/acre corn 2 silver/acre hay 1 silver/acre hops 2 silver/acre patato 3 silver/acre wheat 2 silver/acre

Okay, let’s buy a ballista pattern, two hundred silver coins, that way I can save money building them.

Press 'Yes' and I became two hundred silver lighter. And a scroll for a ballista pattern. Taking out the pattern and scan it fade away as I glow from the memory imprinting into me. Wishing I had more money.

Seeing that it will take me five hours to cut the wood and put one together enough to get a prompt to build it. I opt for the simple one. It was after dark a few hours when I heard Ann was back in camp from being killed. When I found her she was laughing and shaking.

“Trolls! I found three forest trolls,” pulling out a bag of coins tossing it on the ground in front of Jack. “I grab this bag from the trolls while standing right in front of them and lead them back to the camp. Was able to nick Devon with my arrow before he wounded me, that was about when the Trolls crash their camp. The big fucker smashes me dead.” Laugh and shaking. “God I need a drink and sex.” Glancing at Jack grinning. “They were almost organized for another run tonight on us should delay them a few hours. I do believe they be busy to kill the Trolls.” breathing deeply from the excitement.

Laughing I pull out a pot and pour water in. Casting a scrying spell and in a few moments seeing the camp. The camp was badly damaged. Two trolls were still alive but three of the bandits were dead. The fire mage seems to have burned the first one, Devon was fighting one of the trolls. The other troll was using one of the warriors not sure if an NPC or a Player as a club against the others around him.

“Ouch, the mage just got flatten, damn the third troll fled leaving the one to fight Devon.” Just as the spell ended, “well, damn he kills the one on him. Look like just five was killed was killed we see if they return, that mage been dying a lot.” As the scrying end showing a burning wreck of a camp.

“Get some rest, I’m going to finish this up the ballista.” Watching Ann's back walking away heading to bed. I shake my head, definitely an offer but not ready for that yet. Checking the bag and found 13 gold, 80 silver, and 247 copper and ten gems. I kept six gold, thirty-nine silver and half in the copper, I put Ann share in a bag in front of her door.

Walking over to the Hearthtree click on the interface. Bought a Healer with nine gold considering everything was at triple the cost. Amelia the healer walks out of the tower over to me.

“Amelia reporting for duty.” She stood before me wearing leather armor and a belt with bandoleer with a few potions strap in for easy access. Checking her stats. Seeing her skills were minor healing, herbalism, first aid, and alchemy at first level.

“Head to the west gate and assist anyone needing healing.” Nodding and rushing off to the gate. I really need to get someone to oversee them. Not in the budget at the moment.

Going back over to the ballista. Checking it over adding the finishing touches after another hour a prompt appears.

Do you wish this to be a light ballista? YES/NO?

“Yes”

Pick type.

It shows me different versions, light Scorpio ballista or a light ballista catapult. Thinking about those marbles use in a sling I said “light ballista catapult.”

The rough ballista transforms into a light ballista catapult. Checking it over I can see it can launch a sling size stone up to a two-inch diameter stone for about 300 yards.

Congratulation! You have a light ballista catapult.

Testing it out toward the sea I hand crank it into position. Putting a stone in its slot and fire the weapon into the dark hearing a splash out at the water. Happily, I went and got two of my guards and show them how to use it. I was prompt after an hour of practice.

Do you wish this guard to take the artillery path? YES/NO?

“Yes.”

Do you wish this guard to take the artillery path? YES/NO?

“Yes.”

When these two guards reach the fifth level they may take Artillerist class.

“That’s nice, I need to build about thirty of them for the walls! But I have to wait after the raid,” laughing, “yeah one of the thousands of items on my list of things to do.” Handing the two future Artillerist the bag of marbles I rush back and tried one of each out. The red one hit near a sea crab killing it from the fireball that exploded. The blue one hit and froze everything in a yard radius at the water edge. The green one almost kills one as a greenish gas exploded near it. The white one tosses the crab about a hundred feet across the water from the sound of it hitting the water. The black ones I only had two of and didn’t want to waste them but I can feel death from them. Having several guards help take the ballista and the bag marbles to the wall. Just south of the bridge I took the two black marble and put them in my pack.

The next assault on the town happens just two hours before sunrise. Six hours before the raid is supposed to end. Cora was killed by several arrows. In the first ten minutes, I lost two of my warriors. My healer was able to save two more on the wall as the bandits were trying to climb the wall with ladders. They lost six of their NPC warriors to the ballista. One of the two Artillerist using it got injury badly, while he was healing up one of Goblin took over on helping to load. Gema killed one of the players with Tarla help. Jamming a spear deep into his neck as he was trying to climb over. Tarla pushes the ladder back with a pole into the water below. Notification of a player downing popped up a few minutes later. Several fireballs slam into the gate. While I heard several fireballs from our mage hitting something on the other side of the wall when I got there. Ann was not far behind me getting her bow ready and firing an arrow at a player as he climbing over the wall. Hitting him in the helm knocking him back over with a surprised yelp. Glancing over and seeing several of them at on the bridge with shield raise to keep arrows off them.

Casting Earth Elemental on to the bridge in the midst of them getting it to push some over the bridge. He did disrupt the shields cover as some of them slip and fell to the ground before he died. I was able to fire a fireball along with Firebrand to take out most of the men on the bridge. A horn sound as all the bandits fled back into the darkness of the morning. Devon never got near the wall but I did learn he got injure by the ballista fireball marble.

Morning came as we survey five dead NPC bodies most around the bridge. We looted them and got one full set of leather armor. A short sword, from each of them, a total of thirteen silver and forty-one copper. Five Urns of ashes stating their names, class, and when they died. And one handheld Ram.

Handheld Ram: require two people. Durability 45/50. Damage 2; Bronze head, gate defense half. Cost: 200 silver.

Looking west I see some black smoke rising.

Settlement of Safehaven Troops 6 Guards Level 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2 2 Artillerist Level 1 1 healer Level 1 1 Goblin Warrior Dar Level 1 1 Goblin Spearman Kas Level 1 1 Healer Level 1 West wall 95/100 West Gate 36/50