Banners of Griffonia

by GardenCanary

Chapter 9 - Digging into Matters

The future quarry foregriff and I stood over a map of Blackwood as I sketched the new trail on the paper. It had taken a little while, but the quarry site was now connected properly to the main body of Blackwood. We were just about ready to open the quarry and start slate production in earnest.

The first few houses of the new town were nearing completion, and were only waiting on the roof tiles to be supplied to cap them off. Now that the quarry laborers have built up the necessary infrastructure, we should have more than enough slate tiles for any construction projects we undertake very soon.

Slate tiles were probably one of the easiest things to quarry as well. The layers that slate formed in made it exceptionally easier to split plates of the main mass with only a basic hammer and chisel. Crack the plates into squares of roughly equal size, and that was virtually all there was to creating slate roof tiles.

The quarry site itself was a very simple construction. There was no need for any buildings or machinery to be constructed at the moment. Indeed we were very lucky to have so much of the stone we sought after exposed by the weathering of the hill's face. There was no elevator, no barracks for the workers to live in. In fact, the only thing that marked the hill as being used in any capacity was a simple lean-to the workers had built to keep their tools out of the rain whenever they were left at the quarry.

That and the actual trail leading to the quarry. An addition to the trail I was considering was using the chips from left over from the quarrying to add a gravel cover to the trail. Such a trail would have slightly better drainage when compared to simple dirt, and could withstand heavier loads running overtop of it. Something like a cart loaded high with stone tiles, for example, would put a lot more strain on the road than one filled with grain.

It didn’t seem like a bad idea on my end, as all it would take was brushing the gravel aside for another griffon to shovel across the trail later. I raised the concept with the foregriff to gather their input on the matter.

“I guess that would help out a bit. I honestly don’t know why you’ve given me this role, sire. I’ve never been in charge of something like this in my life.” The poor sap looked at me with uncertainty.

“You were the one to speak for those who we hired to work the quarry. I’m sure that you will do fine, and you’ve already got the confidence of your workers if they trusted you to negotiate for them.” I gave them a reassuring pat on the shoulder. In truth there was really no truly qualified griffon for the job at the moment. It was not likely a demanding job at such a small scale, and they would hopefully grow into their role.

I rolled my map back up and tucked it into my bag, and the two of us walked back over to where the rest of the workers were clustered around the smoothest of the slate outcroppings.

The tiles could be cut very crudely, but for a more specialty piece we would give a little more effort to ensuring that the lines were cut carefully and with precision. Specialty pieces such as the blackboard. Wide and thin, it would be a very fragile piece to move, and just as delicate to cut.

Moving the piece back to the village would require special precautions to be made. While moving bulk material was best done by the carts thanks to the extra capacity, that was too risky an option for something more valuable.

The slate board would have to be flown if we wanted to ensure its safety and a timely arrival. Moving goods by flying was usually something that was left to the valuable and the small. Letters, and the trade of valuables between griffons of note.

Something as large as the board would require more than one griffon to hold it aloft. It was far too heavy for any one of us to fly on our own. By nesting the board in a stock of straw, and wrapped in a blanket it would be safe to lower down to the ground on our arrival. Four griffons would be holding the apparatus up with ropes during transit, both to balance the load and ensure that the whole thing wouldn’t drop to the ground if someone’s talons were to slip.

The workers were silent, and from the glances that they threw my way I was nearly certain that it was because they had their new lord leering over their shoulder as they worked. I still wasn't truly used to the constant deference I was shown.

The only noise on the hillside was the tapping of the hammer on chisels. Soon there was a sharp cracking sound, as the stone split along its plane. I would have my board this day. The first creation of the Blackwood slate quarry.

This quarry represented the first of the new industries that would soon arise in Blackwood, and the first to expand the value of this place beyond just being a very prosperous farming village. Stone might not be fanciest or the grandest of projects, but its applications were vast.

The quarry would be a valuable asset for years as well. We had no way of knowing just how deep the slate ran, or what stones lay beneath it that might be of use as well. Looking at the giant steps running up the hill though, there was certain to be enough within to sustain the site for years, perhaps even decades.

It wasn't only the direct products of the quarry itself that I saw value in either. The experience that we gained here with a relatively simple operation would be useful going forwards, and opened many doors for us to access other resources.

Huge amounts of the resources needed to advance civilization were locked away beneath the earth. Iron and coal, gold and silver. Money and metal, the cornerstones of a medieval army and a source of power for those that controlled them. That was dependent on prospecting finding any sources, but mountain hills such as ours were a good place to start a search.

For the meantime, the quarry was going to be perhaps the most valuable asset that I held. Apart from the village proper and the agriculture industry that came with it of course.

The quarry was not without detriment however. Isolated as it was, there was an element of risk for the workers. We had discussed the potential of building a watchtower at the site, but with only a half dozen miners that seemed a hefty investment. Besides, the only threat in the area we knew of was deep in the woods at the moment. Maybe we could install a lookout at the top of the elevator when we inevitably had to build one after digging deep. The current defense protocol if something nasty appeared was just to fly back to the village as quickly as possible, where we could gather a force together to sally out and squash the problem.

The production would also not be enough to supply enough stone to be worth trading to others without a large increase of the workforce. And that was assuming that any of the villages would be at all interested in paying whatever price we needed to ask in order for shipping something so basic to be worth it.

I was shaken from my thoughts by the workers informing me that they were ready to depart. After watching them set off in the air, I took to the wing myself to follow them and their cargo back to the village.

Formal education was a useful thing, but at the moment I needed craftsgriffs, not scholars. It was hard to teach that sort of work in a classroom, but that was why there was more than one way to teach.

---

After my arrival back at the village I went to review the effectiveness of the recently instituted apprenticeship program. We had assigned some of the younger griffons from within the immigrants to apprentice under our skilled craftsgriffs. Gilda in the forge, and the new carpenters got a few teenagers to teach each. With the youths assisting the professionals, and learning from them as they did so, we would hopefully be able to resolve our deficiencies in skilled labor in due time.

The move also generated a lot of goodwill among the immigrants. The families that had joined us out here were mostly unskilled workers, and for me to give them the chance for their children to learn a trade was a welcome gift. In the cities, those positions were typically gatekept by their respective guilds, and it was a challenge for those not already involved in some way with their work to be given the opportunity to move into the artisan class. Indeed when I asked to see who might be interested in such an arrangement, I believe that every single family put forward a candidate.

I was under no illusions that I would have a whole new slew of skilled craftsgriffs overnight, but at least they would be able to assist the real experts in being able to accomplish more. Those craftsgriff were being pushed to limit even more than the rest of us were.

At least with the houses, precise woodworking was only really needed at the joints and for the doors. The rest of the house was made from rough hewn planks that could be cut easily. While not quite as warm or as study as the log cabins the rest of Blackwood was built from, the planks let us get more walls from the same tree. Plaster could perhaps be added later, to thicken them up and insulate the houses better.

Today I was not looking to speak to the carpenters though. As I entered into the smithy, the heat of the forge that had been burning near constantly for the past month blew into my face.

Gilda was hard at work as usual, bent over a glowing piece of metal that would eventually be shaped into an axe head. While she did not look up from her work at my approach, her two apprentices did. They had been looking decidedly dour as they worked, and their bitter faces slackened when they saw me enter. I assumed that they weren’t sure if they were supposed to bow or whatnot. With a wave of my claw, I signaled for them to return to their work before they made a decision.

The griffons that Gilda had picked from the mob of willing volunteers represented both camps of immigrants between them. They had been working on forging the vast supply of nails that we would need for the construction.

Nails were probably one of the easiest pieces to create. They were quite large when compared to the modern nails I was used to seeing. These were about the length of your average griffon’s talon, and made much thicker put of long bars of iron.

As the two of them stared at me, I couldn’t help but notice that they had been separated on either end of the smithy.

When Gilda reached a point that she was satisfied that nothing would wither away without her attention, she left the sweltering heat of the forge fires to come and see what I had to say.

“Y’know, I hadn’t thought that I would be stuck teaching my replacements for a few years more. Now I’ve got two of ‘em!’’ Gilda barked out a laugh.

“Are things going well with them then, any issues that need addressing? I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve got the two of them on opposite ends of the room,” I asked her. She hummed for a little bit before responding.

“Just another one o’ them spats the new folk keep having. I dunno who keeps egging them on like that, but these two featherbrains got into a little tussle just after we ate over the so called 'merits' o' their old lords. As if any of the silver-winged spats would change their lot much.” Gilda gave both of her apprentices a withering gaze.

“If the both of you keep acting like fucking children, then maybe I should toss the two of you out and get some of the other kids who wanna give smithing a try. They might not swing a hammer as well, but maybe they’ll actually behave themselves!” Her scolding sent the two apprentices ducking away and refusing to meet either of our gazes.

I watched the scene unfold with concern before speaking up myself. “If things aren’t going well here, I can arrange for you to change them out if you wish.”

“Ah, it’ll be fine. They’re just hot headed kids, repeating back whatever they’ve been told. Don’t hold it against them.” Gilda waved off my concerns. “Anyways, what’s it you wanna talk with me about then, lord?”

“I was mostly here to review how the apprentices were getting along, but I suppose since I’m here I can ask you if there is anything else you need to make sure that you can keep up the demanding pace that has been set here,” I answered. We spoke for a next while about production estimates and how long the stockpiles of metal were expected to last under the current strain.

Leaving the forge, I would be lying if I didn’t say that Gilda’s apprentices conflicting with each other didn't bother me. Tensions between the two groups were continuing to grow, not diminish like I had hoped. I now suspected that there was someone here that was trying to stoke the flames between the two groups. If even someone like Gilda was thinking that there was an agitator from her comments, then they had gotten bold. To what end they were working towards I wasn’t yet certain.

My suspicion was that they were trying to see me favoring on the two groups of immigrants, and consequently one side of the realm, over another. Likely some griffon with too much passion for the their hometown to let their past go. Yet that same passionate griffon was willing to move out in the woods away from it? It was a stretch, but it was a the best I could come up with at the moment.

Felian was a smart griffon, and hadn’t originally been from the village like many of the others I would confide in. Maybe he would have some additional insight into the whole affair.

---

Opening the door to the combined apothecary and schoolhouse, I saw that Felian was currently mounting the blackboard on the back wall. Once satisfied that the stone wouldn’t fall off and crush whoever was unfortunate enough to be standing in front of it, the middle aged griffon stepped back to admire his work.

I stepped in besides him, and Felian spoke first.

“Looking at it here in front of me, it is certainly quite a fine idea, this ‘blackboard’ of yours.” Felian smiled wistfully. “I wish I had something like that back in Eyrinholm.”

That last statement caught my attention. “You used to live in Eyrinholm? What happened there? All I know of the place was that it was destroyed by demons.”

Felian nodded solemnly. “Yes indeed, I once called that empty husk home. I was part of the lord’s court there for a while. My service there was as both healer and as tutor. Quite similar to what I do here now, though in a much more quaint home and in a much quieter life.”

He gestured to the bookshelf at the end of the room. “And that’s why I was able to get all those books as well. When I ran, I was a fool and an idealist. Instead of grabbing something to aid me in my flight, I grabbed as much literature as I could. I suppose I should be immensely grateful that nothing beset me as I made my way here. Especially as I would end up traveling alone in the opposite direction of rest.”

Felian would go on to tell me the story of the fall of Eyrinholm. His flight from the city was a fascinating cascade of lucky breaks and facing down fresh horrors. I took mental notes of his descriptions of the various fiends that he had encountered during the tragedy. Information that could be of great use later.

The conversation soon turned to the impact that the fall of the town had on the surrounding region.

“Eyrinholm used to hold command over a good chunk of this area. When it fell, the villages that followed its lead mostly retreated inwards and insulated themselves. The rough terrain and sparse population down here makes it far more challenging to exert domination over the region, even for the grand city of Griffenheim.”

Felian went on to explain, “a number of the villages down here do not have local knights or lords, and are sworn to the city directly. That means little in practice though, as they only interact with the city for the harvest and the trade on that occasion. The griffons take pride in their ability to stand on their own. The eldergriffs or knights that command them tend to act in whatever pragmatic interest serves them at the moment, and at the moment Griffenheim offers greatest benefits.”

I listened with rapt attention as Felian went about his lecture. “If you intend to achieve, if not the subjugation, but the alignment of the surrounding villages to Blackwood then I would recommend you aim to be a reliable ally.

If we wish to act as the sword defending them, then we are in an excellent position as compared to the city. We are closer, and thus able to respond more rapidly to an approaching threat. Griffenheim may have more to bring to bear, but they lack the timely manner we can offer instead. I believe that may prove a tempting choice for many a village,” Felian concluded thoughtfully.

“This has all been very valuable to me, and I appreciate your political insights Felian. But this wasn't the reason I came here. Instead, I wanted to ask your opinion about the bubbling tension between the immigrants. Do you think we have someone stoking the flames as it were? I’m worried that we have someone who is trying to cause trouble for whoever they disagree with.” I explained to him what I had seen in the forge and my own conclusions on the matter.

Felian seemed surprised by my question. He paced the room for a short while, before giving his hesitant answer.

“I find myself disagreeing with your assessment that if a griffon was intentionally trying to instigate conflict, they would be acting under their own motivation. Someone who has such pride for their home and is so certain of their opposition to others that ostensibly are part of the same realm would not relocate to the southern foothills. Instead, and I fear that this is the case, someone up north is trying to instigate a conflict to win influence over us.”

Felian stopped his pacing and looked at me with concern. “And perhaps, it is not a single one we need worry about. Both sides have had their own string of issues and embarrassments. That is not something that an agent acting for one side would do. I believe that is more representative of two opposing actors trying to move against the other. And with all such shadow conflicts, escalation is almost inevitable.”

My wings shifted around on my back in discomfort. “If that’s true, then what should we do? We can go turning the new village upside down searching for spies. There is already tension there, and that will just make things worse I feel.”

Felian nodded in agreement. “What we need to do is try and go about binding them to us instead. They need to see that there are many benefits for them living down here. Guide them into focusing on their new homes, not their old ones. I doubt that we have received those with radical loyalty to their lords, else they would not have left. They just want to live a comfortable and stable life. Take actions to convince them to let go of the past. Try and appeal to the virtues of a fresh start in the countryside. The apprenticeship program has done much for that I feel, and provide a strong sense of progress for the new families.”

Felian gave a small smile. "If you place your pieces well, the agitators will soon reveal themselves as the ones who refuse adapt to Blackwood."

“Thank you Felian. You’ve certainly offered me much insight in this matter,” I told Felian sincerely. Indeed his advice had given me much direction in how to try and resolve the situation.

“Think nothing of it, milord. I simply wish to help as much as I can." Felian replied with a bow.

With the new revelations, I decided to leave and ponder future courses of action. The doorway to the apothecary opened once more though, and I was intercepted by Cynthia as I tried to leave.

“Hi Geralt, how’s the class preparation going? I’m excited to see what you've got for us next!” Cynthia beamed as she walked over to the bookshelf, oblivious to the heavy atmosphere in the building.

“Actually Cynthia, with all the new work for me to deal with, I can’t teach the extra classes as regularly as I used to. I’ll mostly be focusing on the reading lessons alone for the meanwhile. I will try to teach you and the others math when I can, but fortunately I have a solution to.”

Cynthia was an eager learner, and I was convinced was probably the brightest griffon in the village. I didn’t want to leave her without anything to practice on when I was otherwise occupied.

I passed her a small slate tablet with a set of algebra questions on it. As Cynthia looked over the problems, I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“What’s this?” Cynthia asked me, as she already began tracing out solutions on the stone.

“Homework.”

Comments

[Chythar]

For the meantime, the quarry was going to be perhaps the most valuable asset that I held. Apart from the village proper ant the agriculture industry of course.

This should be "and". Easy for a spellchecker to miss.

[artofwar77]

So many threads to manage.
Even a single one unraveling could destabilize the others.

Starting (mostly) from scratch is very unenviable.
I wish him the best of luck.

[Inzhir-Bukvitsa]

“Homework.”

No...You heartless monster!

I really like fiction in this style (create your own nation/city/something). Btw, is your story somehow connected with the "Equestria at war" mod?

[Solar_Wolf]

I'm liking the story and I like it is a bout Griffins and I also like no one sead u have a funny name jeast a bit intimidated be us he had a blade on him

[GalAnonimous]

Ngl my opinion of Gerald fell dramaticly when he introduced homework into medieval society

[Yaboikindabored]

Truly the pinnacle of Evil Itself
Homework

[HandelHoft]

Unknowingly our protagonist has created a bigger divide in their Village.
Homework faction
(Primarily made out of parents.)
and
Anti-Homework cliché
(Made out of students and apprentices.)

[Undead Lunar]

Praise the Emperor for the new chapter

[Imhorribleatnames]

Damn, didn't know we had a villain protagonist. The scheme to introduce Homework to society is truly dastardly.

[HoneyBadgerr]

Homework?!? I thought those "Humans acting villainously in Equestria" stories fell out of favor a while ago. Evil bastard.

[GardenCanary]

11546532
Thank you for pointing this out to me. It should be fixed now.

[GardenCanary]

11546559
Indeed I have unleashed a monster upon the world. No more shall children be free to be kids. All will bow before the holy math textbook.

As for this being related to EaW, no my story does not take place in it. I do play the mod though and read some fics from it (From Front to Front is one of my favourite stories on this site). As such I may sometimes steal pay homage to locations within it. Griffenheim was just too good a name to pass up on.

[GardenCanary]

11546744
https://youtu.be/eBYlPVn9UDs?t=88
The war shall rage until the heat death of the universe.

[RealOtto]

That one moment when you realise Homework was created as a Punishment scheme by a teacher..

[hmaf43]

not the homework!

[StarzGecko]

Yay homework!!

[Warhorse]

Well, we got the chalk board, now what?

[Chaos the Omnipotent]

you soulless bastard, you just introduced evil into the world

[Kevin Lee]

1000 years later, the CMC were arrested for tearing down King Geralt's statue in protest for him inventing homework....

It was during their trial in Griffonstone where it was only finally revealed that the CMC had discovered a Top Secret document stating that Geralt was "a griffon not born of griffons" as well as Vorlon-vouched proof of that claim.....

[Silver Octave]

Bummer this isn't updated faster but boy, is it good.

[Comet_Chaser]

Ever since I learned the fact that homework was initially invented as a punishment, rather than being required as it is today, makes me hate it even more.

[bob1234567]

11562965
Death to homework

[ObsPerson]

Duality of man
i.postimg.cc/LX8m9XkZ/IMG-1936.jpg

[KvAT]

“Homework.”

64.media.tumblr.com/89b91a4459a4ddb2c9944c5a5dfe6cc1/tumblr_n7cmkvxSor1rzm1e7o2_250.gif

[Capitalist Banter]

He invented homework