The group had been here before, months ago.
Tall grass swayed in the gentle breeze as if greeting strangers.
The site was selected because it sat slightly elevated with clear visibility for miles in every direction.
The same river that ran close to Ray Village continued south and was accessible from the site.
In addition, a thick pine tree forest was located south of the site that stretched for miles.
In the far distance, large violet-colored mountains marked the end of the forest like a cradle nursing a precious baby.
During the site scouting mission, Wain stopped and picked up a handful of dirt in his hands as he examined it closely.
“What’s is it?
What’s wrong?” Arthos asked.
“No, nothing.
This dirt…this is white potassium feldspar.” Wain said as he examined the dirt in his hands.
They were a few miles away from the site, checking on surrounding areas.
“Is that good or bad?” Hector asked.
“I see.
Not ideal for farming but great for mining.” Neva answered following Wain’s thoughts.
“Yes, I think so too.
Kristan, my dear, can you strike the ground?
Strike it as hard as you can with this pickax.
Please?” Wain asked as he handed over a pickax he brought along.
Kristan spread her balance planting both feet firmly while lifting the pickax high into the air.
She hammered down with tremendous force that felt like a small earthquake had discharged, disturbing the peaceful scene.
Wain and Neva smiled in appreciation as they held up a beautiful slab of white stone.
“White Feldspar Granite!” They both said in unison.
Wain added in a cheerful tone, “this whole area from here, east until those giant mountains…this whole area is prime for mining rocks and granite.
This will be perfect for our village construction material needs.”
[…]
The setting sun painted the sky indigo and violet.
It felt like an unspoken promise of tranquil sleep and deep slumber for the toiling souls.
As the group approached, the village hummed with life.
The rhythmic sounds of hammers striking wood sharp and confident, along with the sounds of saws and chisels rang loud.
These sounds were the heartbeat of a village being born.
Arthos and the group looked around in amazement seeing the village take shape and rise from the earth like a sprouting tree.
It was hard to believe that this place had been nothing more than wilderness just a few months ago.
Countless hours of meticulous planning along with the efforts and support from the guild had willed this village to life…shaped by the hopes and dreams of thousands.
Voices and shouts were heard, the chief among them was a familiar old voice barking orders like an experienced general.
“No, not like that!
The angle should go with the grain of the wood!”
“Check the corners!
Make sure they are right angles.”
“Easy!
Easy!
Set the stone gently.
We don’t want cracks in the polished granite.”
The village is really coming along!” Arthos said as he looked around in amazement at the rapid progress.
“Sir Arthos!
It’s good to see you.
Hello Lady Kristan and Nevariel.
Sir Percy, Wain, Hector, and Kay.” The shopkeeper said with a pleasant smile as he greeted the returning party.
He continued, “I take it things went well in Camarax?
I see the shadows stayed behind, no doubt to guard the King and Princess.”
Arthos silently nodded in response to the shopkeeper’s inquiries.
“It’s good to see you too,” Wain said with a smile.
He added, “forgive me for saying this…but it appears we are behind schedule on the outer wall.
I was expecting more sections to be complete by now.”
“Yes, you are correct.
Very astute, my good sir.
We have been experiencing unexpected complications that have delayed our schedule.
Two horses went missing today.
That is 42 this month alone.
Prior months had similar outcomes.” The shopkeeper said, his smile thinned like ice plunged into hot water.
“Thieves?” Kay asked.
“No, unlikely with my shadows guarding this area.
Thieves would not be able to steal 42 horses under the guard of my shadows.” Percy replied defensively.
“In addition to the missing horses, several keepers have been attacked southeast of here in Camarax territory.
Based on their reports, it appears an unknown threat swooped down from the sky and attacked them.
Most suffered severe burns.
Only one keeper perished.” The shopkeeper said gravely.
“Dragon.
All the clues suggest the culprit is a Dragon.” Neva deduced from the pieces of evidence.
“My thoughts exactly, my beautiful lady.” The shopkeeper answered with delight.
He loved Neva and was delighted to see her and Arthos together.
They made a beautiful and effective couple.
“Dragons were thought extinct.
The last dragon sighting was over 300 years ago.
Why suddenly show up now?” Kay asked troubled by the news.
“We can worry about that tomorrow.
It’s been a long day.
Where can we rest the night?” Arthos asked.
His voice gave evidence of his fatigue from the long journey and the unexpected ambush near Reverin.
“Come this way!
Reverin Castle is complete.
We finished it this morning.
You are going to love it.” The shopkeeper said with excitement.
He relayed a dozen orders to the building foremen and led Arthos and the group to the castle skipping along the way with the same excited energy as a child going to the park. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“We followed the blueprints to the letter.
The castle is unmatched in size and beauty.
It stands 1,000 feet long by 500 feet wide and 90 feet tall…the interior is completely hollow and serves as a massive courtyard used for daily training…but it can also be converted into an assembly hall.”
“The unique rectangle design allowed for a double-loaded corridor where a single long corridor connects adjacent (side by side) and opposite bedrooms.
This allowed us to build 600 bedrooms per floor.
We built 8 floors high.
In addition, we built a single row of basement bedrooms with windows facing the courtyard.”
“That means the castle holds 5,108 bedrooms.
We built 8 special penthouse bedrooms on top.
One for each founding guild member.” The shopkeeper said with glee.
“Wain and I will be sharing a room from now on.” Kristan said as an announcement to the group.
Wain grew a little red as he averted his eyes away from the group’s gaze.
“I guess we will have a spare room for visitors or dignitaries.” Arthos said with a chuckle.
“Wow” the group said in unison as they cleared the busy street and came into full view of the castle.
It stood like a giant rectangular mountain…as if a mountain of polished granite stone had sprouted from the earth itself.
The castle dominated everything and oddly made all else feel smaller.
Even the air itself felt pushed aside by the enormous rectangular castle.
It stood proud against the elements with its perfectly chiseled corners like a colossal stone coffin for any who dared attack.
The granite face had countless small slits that served as both windows and arrow ports giving the castle a unique defensive advantage.
Large metal gates protected the castle entrance on both sides of the thick stone walls.
High above the gate hung the Scavengers guild banner…the green and brown emblem of a broken wheel wrapped in vines attached to white wings.
A second “WOW” erupted from the group as they passed the double gates and entered the massive courtyard.
Nine football fields could easily be placed inside.
The courtyard was subdivided into four rectangular areas, each dedicated for different training purposes.
Familiar faces filled the courtyard as guild members spared and trained together.
“How many of the rooms are occupied?” Arthos asked surprised…standing inside the castle made him suddenly aware of the size of their guild.
It had grown from seven to over one hundred thousand in a short span of time.
Of these members, 10,000 were combatants that participated in raids on a regular basis.
“All the rooms are full.
All 5,100.
We are building numerous private houses for married guild members and those wishing to share space with others.” The shopkeeper said with much enthusiasm.
It was a joy for him to see such growth surrounding Arthos.
[…]
The penthouse bedrooms were elegantly designed and decorated.
Smooth granite floors, accent fireplaces near the center, large oak bed frames with intricate carvings, and beautiful acacia wood tables and chairs.
“Good work, tomorrow morning we will meet and discuss important guild matters.
Everyone, get some rest and we will see you tomorrow.” Arthos said as he waved his family goodnight.
Within 30 minutes the castle grew quieter as players from the Americas logged out.
Arthos, Kay, the shopkeeper, and players from Asia remained connected.
Moments like these made Arthos keenly aware that he really was a world away from his friends.
He loved Avalor but during these quite hours of the night, the longed to see them in person.
‘Someday soon.’ He thought to himself as he drifted into sleep.