Tad rushed over to Jack excitedly, "You talked to him? Do you know where he is? "

"I didn't talk to him. He sent me a message and an image. You aren't going to like it. " projected Jack as he turned to walk towards his wagon in the Cathedral.

The crowd of people was milling about, looking at the tree behind Tad as he went to follow Jack. Tad had to find out where Samphire was and get some answers.

Tad felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Lamruil. The elf had a worried look on his face. "Tad, we should organize these people before you chat with friends. "

Tad saw the milling crowd wandering around the Fey Tree and Cathedral entrance.

Tad nodded to his friend, "You're right. "

Tad projected to Jack, "I'll be there in a few minutes. We can discuss this in the World Egg when I'm free. "

Tad walked over to the top of the stairs in front of the Cathedral. He took Galadinidú from the loop over his shoulder. He pushed some energia into the staff and then tapped it on the stone step. A magic thump emanated from the floor. Everyone looked up to see Tad standing there with three small, brightly lit mounted lancers circling above him. He needed everyone's attention, and these floating lights worked great for his carnival act. He waited as they gathered up again below the steps.

Once they were gathered, he spoke in a loud voice, "I know that someone might have told you this was a tropical island resort or some other paradise looking for customers. As you can see, the Valley of Statues has a lot to offer, but my friends and I have only recently rediscovered it. You saw the Goddess of the Valley briefly when you entered through the portal, and tonight you will see her again in another form. She does have a say in all things that happen in this valley, and we, or at least I, will be hosting a party tonight to celebrate our victory in battle only a few miles from here above, on the cliffs. " Tad paused for a few moments letting this information sink in before continuing.

"We do not have a luxury resort, but we do have a beautiful valley and home for those who seek one. I am hereby making a generous offer as I do not know how long Nadal De-Nar the Grand Bazaar will be closed, and most of you would like to have a secure place to live and do business. I offer anyone in this valley space for a free dwelling of your choice in the city behind you. The buildings are almost entirely stone, and most just need a roof, a good cleaning, and someone who cares enough to make them pleasant again. If you are willing to do this, then the building and space will be yours for as long as you and your family wish to dwell here. Beyond that, if you open a business or contribute directly to the reconstruction of the city, temple, farms, or help us make this a better place to live. You will be paid for your labor at the end of each month. For those who do not have craft skills and wish to learn something new, we will need to start fishing and farming in the fields beyond the city and lake. Also below in the caverns as we open them. " Tad paused again, watching the crowd. Many looked excited some looked disappointed. He could live with that. He reached out across them with his soulmancy feeling what he could of their emotions. As a crowd, they seemed excited. Some were tired, and others felt like they were being held back from exploring by a speech. He could understand that last one.

Tad reached into his pouch and pulled out the librarian's token, and waited for the image to solidify in front of him. The auditorium-sized room was empty except for Herman, who stood there waiting for Tad. "Herman, do you have time now to explain your survey and perhaps organize these people to help rebuild? "

Herman jerked like he was only half paying attention, then focused on Tad, "Certainly, I will only have a few hours right now, then I'll return in a day. " There was a puff of air, and Herman stood beside Tad. He had an agreement with the Librarians. These ancient beings were helping him in trade for ooze, which they had already received. This substance known as Primordial Ooze was needed for their species to reproduce, and Tad had the only known containers of it stored in the World Egg artifact.

The crowd started paying more attention as they saw Herman appear and stopped chattering. Tad could feel that several people in the crowd knew what type of being Herman was and started whispering to others.

Tad spoke loudly again, "Herman here knows how to proceed with the reconstruction and will keep track of all dwellings claimed. I reserve the rights to all buildings in the city center near the fountain for businesses which I will choose. You all may scout the rest of the structures and then register if you want any of them with Herman. Only one per family or person if you are alone. We will start all of that tomorrow. Feel free to look around. The party will start just as the sun touches the valley's edge. Thank you, and I'll see you all tonight." Tad tapped his staff again, sending out a magic boom across the crowd.

"Herman, can you please follow me, " Tad turned to Lamruil and Nico, "You two also."

He waved Bernard and Kizzac to follow. Then he walked down the stairs to the lower temple where he could talk. He gestured at the benches around the platform. Behind him, Zanna was still wrapped in a silvery cocoon in the open hands of the giant statue guardian.

Tad stood on the platform waiting for them to take a seat. "Herman, thank you for coming. I know you have important things to take care of, and hopefully, you can help us organize and be on your way. Now Bernard and Lamruil, I will need some assistance starting tomorrow. Bernard, you are great at organizing people, and that is what I need now. You heard what I said earlier, and I'll need someone with a sharp mind and who is capable of helping with the details of rebuilding the city. Do you think you can help with this?"

Bernard started to say something, then stopped, then continued as he had a new thought. "I can certainly help. I suggest we give one day to choose a dwelling. I will have someone walk through the city, placing numbers on the buildings that are suitable and are not destroyed beyond repair. We have the people wander the streets deciding on which they would like, if any, then if there are conflicts, I will have them draw straws. Right now, every house lacks a roof, doors, and other things. We haven't done anything about privy's or water. Hopefully, Herman will be able to help us decide on what we should do about those two things. We will give them a stone to place in front of the doorway, so others will know the building is already claimed. "

Tad nodded. He had not thought about those things. He already liked what he heard. He turned back to Lamruil.

"Lamruil, you said you scouted some of the valley and found olives and other food. I need you to do that again tomorrow. Take Nico, scout as much of the valley as you can for any food, fields, or anything that can help us with this. We have roughly a weeks worth of food in the wagons." said Tad.

Lamruil stood up to speak, "I can most certainly do this. There were several old groves of trees that could help. I will go back tomorrow and also scout the other side. The Goddess chose some of the fish in the lake as hers. You will want to make sure nobody takes those as food. They are blue and glow a bit when not in the direct sun. I might also suggest you have someone speak with each of the people tonight. They should tally all relevant skills, food, the equipment people brought. They should note any trade goods and useful magics that could assist in rebuilding or feeding this new village. Also, you should warn them about leaving the valley's dome for now."

Tad walked back and forth on the platform, thinking as Lamruil finished speaking. "That is good. I'll look for someone to help. I am going to check on the remaining constructs and see if these broken four sitting near the door there can be repaired. " Tad pointed up towards the passage to the caverns. There were four broken constructs and stone pieces sitting on the floor. "

Tad turned to Kizzac, the dwarf, "Now, Kizzac, you mentioned before that you and your men had initially come to help build us a place to stay. Are you still interested in helping? I'll pay the standard wage for any help you can provide. " Tad was thinking that everyone would get what the carnival members made per month, but he was flexible. He knew he had a few thousand in gold in that small chest, and hopefully, he would find or trade for more soon.

Kizzac didn't stand, just sat there on a bench playing with one of the beads in his beard that had come loose. He looked up when addressed. "Thaddius, we would be happy to help with your village. Do you not plan on building into the earth, though? The storms can be wicked harsh."

" I think the Sand storms are a thing of the past. We should have had one this morning, and it did not happen. When I find out more, I'll let you know how and why that is. Right now, I am in need of a few things. Where I come from, everything is built with lumber from trees. We do not have huge forests here, and I do not like the idea of cutting every tree down to build roofs for the dwellings in the city. You did remind me of the chambers in the tunnel under the city. What can you do to help with those? I doubt most of these people would want to stay underground long. But for now, it will give them a cool, safe place as quarters if we can secure the tunnel at both ends. Could you inspect that tomorrow? Also, I need to know if any of your men know a thing or two about mushrooms. We have at least one large cavern of mushrooms that looked surprisingly similar to the ones you grow at Splendarr Sonn Licar in your Hold farms."

Kizzac nodded, "Yes, we can do this too. We brought a few tools that will let us shape stone. Nothing fancy like your Statues or carvings on your temple doors, but these chisels will make short work of most stones if you need slabs or braces. We might even be able to help with your roof problems. We know how to create a series of interlocking blocks that we use to span gaps. We can give you a strong set of supports for those roofs for anything under twenty feet. From there, we can find something to shield the sun out of there if need be. "

Tad hadn't thought he could use the stone to build roofs on houses. He hadn't seen it done before without a great deal of support, but he was up to trying anything if it improved the village. The cathedral had stone ceilings, but huge corbels and stone pillars held it up.

"Ok, great. Thank you, Kizzac. Now Herman, tell us what you found, " Tad said this, then he stepped down, motioning to the platform.

Herman stepped up onto the platform and pulled a wooden clipboard with several sheets of paper attached to it. He then spoke in his deep accent, "Let us start with the cathedral. The building is structurally sound and built upon a solid foundation of stone. The tower is sound but will need repairs on certain things like the railing and some of the slates on the roof. A single support column in the main cathedral will need to be repaired or replaced. For the most part, because of the magic used to create and maintain the stone, it has survived well. The lower temple sits below the Cathederal, specifically under the tower and altar. It was in very good shape until your fight with the Undead Naga. You should repair the damage to the ceiling. Several stone benches, some flagging, and the ceiling are all marred but should be fixable. Once the Goddess emerged, the enchantments that kept the tunnel sealed and dry from the water above started to work again. The moister that did seep in appears gone. That is all the good news. "

He turned a few pages, then he waved his hand over the clipboard, and the image of the Valley with the island in the center appeared in a pale blue above him. The image was several feet tall and wide. He touched the ruined city on his floating image, and a series of red lines showed up going towards the waterfall.

"These are the sewers and water piping. The water lines ran to the fountain in the middle of the city, the municipal building near it, and to several of the larger shops and homes. There are smaller fountain locations that used to be placed evenly across the city. I believe they were all destroyed or taken. The pipes still exist, and most appear intact. They are clogged, though. The sewer's pipes had those gretchic creatures using them at some point. I do not know if you can fix any of these, but they are there and run to the upper waterfall. I didn't get a chance to go inspect that site, but perhaps with the help of skilled masons and some magic, you can clean and make these pipes usable again. Lastly, you have twelve large solid towers of stone on this side north of the ramps. These towers and the destroyed road were formed when the god you use as a bridge was slain. His blood burned the stone and melted much of it. The towers are interesting as the red pointy tops are hardened. The tool I used to survey the valley revealed that this red granite became very solid and dense over the years. It might be of use to you. The towers themselves are grey granite and solid. This finishes the information I was able to collect on the valley. I can come back later and complete the full survey when time permits. " said Herman.

"How do you recommend we clean these pipes? " asked Tad.

Herman thought about it, "You could use water flow or perhaps a wind spell. Given enough time and concentrated enough, that might work. They are full of sand, gravel, and gretchin trash near the city where I could see the openings. The water pipes were ceramic and placed in a trench that was cut in the dirt and stone. You will want to be gentle, or they will break. Some might already be broken. "

"Kettle did you hear all that? " projected Tad.

"Yes, I have an idea to help with the pipes. We can discuss it later, " replied Kettle.

"Kizzac do you know if any of the dwarves have skills with water pipes? " asked Tad. He had seen many water fountains and running water in the dwarven Hold.

"Water flow is a specialty in Splendarr Sonn Licar. I don't think we have anyone with us with that particular craft. We could send back for some when they return here in a week. " said Kizzac.

"Good, Ok then. Herman, thank you very much for your help on all of this. " Tad walked up to the platform and handed him seven gold. More than they had originally agreed, but he felt it was worth it.

Herman nodded, "Thank you, Thaddius. I'll return when my other tasks are finished. " Then he faded white and was gone with a puff as the air was sucked into the spot he had just left.

A glow filled the temple originating behind Tad, "Thaddius, I will need to speak to you alone for a few moments. " said Gweleth, the Goddess of the Sun.

Tad turned and smiled, "Certainly, one moment. "

Tad turned back to the people sitting now watching them. "I'll see you all at the party. " He nodded towards the stairway for them to leave, then he turned to see Gweleth already making her way out of the temple down the passage.

Tad took off at a run to catch up to the Goddess as she floated down the tunnel ahead of him, moving fast enough to keep him running.

***