Vess nodded and Felix watched them both with a touch of amusement. He selected the remaining three patterns and mentally placed them around his Stronghold. Beside the Forge, forming an equilateral triangle far above his current position, the Alchemical Lab and Glyphworks came into being. Much like the Forge, the map displayed shifting stone and excavating spaces in the undisturbed rock above the Temple, but this time he caught flashes of metal forming objects within. Too soon, the spaces were shaped and in place, with more lattice-strewn stairwells all leading to a central area between the crafting halls. Further below and near Felix's own chambers, the Storage Facility came into being. It was supposedly large, but it barely puckered the stone of the map, only forming a shallow alcove and a huge, twenty-foot tall door in the wall.
Tier III Alchemical Lab, Tier III Glyphworks, and Tier III Storage Facility Will Be Installed.
Confirm?
Y/N
Yes.
Tier III Alchemical Lab Is Installed!
Please View The Alchemy Menu For More Details!
Tier III Glyphworks Is Installed!
Please View The Glyphworks Menu For More Details!
Tier III Storage Facility Is Installed!
Please View The Storage Menu For More Details!
With far less fanfare than the Forge, all three patterns integrated into physical space. Stone shifted and metal rang out, and it was all done in a handful of seconds. That same bell rang, something Felix could now recognize as a sort of excess vibration from the System doing its thing, but it sounded joyful. His Affinity wasn't picking up real emotions, but there was a strange calm over the array around him, as if tension had been released that he hadn't even known was there.
Congratulations, Autarch of Nagast!
Your Stronghold Has Been Established!
Authority Increased!
See Your Authority Menu For More Details.
A gold and silver button appeared in Felix's vision. His heads up display was almost invisible, fading in the background like the nose on his face, but with a negligent effort it all came into focus. He had his resource barsHealth, Stamina, and Manaalong the top, and on the right side were buttons for his Status, Pit's Status, Quests, and now Authority. It had the design of a nine-pronged crown on it, just as his personal Seal did. Interesting.
He opened it up.
Authority Accessed.
Welcome, Autarch Felix Nevarre.
What Song Do You Wish To Sing?
A translucent screen appeared, still golden but different than before. Tabs for Territory, Stronghold, Forge, Alchemy, Glyphworks, and Storage were all present and accessible, but a few more existed along the left-hand side. They were greyed out and illegible, so Felix put them out of his mind for the moment. He opened his Territory tab first.
The Song of Territory
Current Residence: Nagast
Residence Rank: Stronghold, Rank I
Allied Population: 245 Henaari, 59 Risi (Frost Giants), 32 Hoarhounds, 2 Chimera, 7 Humans, 1 Half-Orc, 1 Elf, 1 Dwarf
"Ugh, I forgot about their frost wolves," he said. Further subsections showed for Factions, Resources, Map, Defensive Arrays, Offensive Arrays, and to his surprise, Threats. Felix navigated to that one first.
Threats:
The Dread
"Shit, that's right," Felix murmured. The Dread was a sea monster he'd met the first few minutes of his arrival on the Continent. Moreover, it was a Blood Beast created by the Endless Maw and it was certainly dangerous...but it was also trapped in the Bitter Sea, as far as he was aware. "Something to keep an eye on, at least."
Resources:
Syncing With Aria Of The Green Wilds...
Sync Complete.
A list of all the herbs, fungi, fruits, vines, everything he'd ever Analyzed across the Foglands appeared in his screen. There were estimated numbers for quantities as well, which was really cool. Felix resolved to go out and do some reconnaissance to find more natural resources out in his Territory. He was positive they'd come in handy for alchemy or forging or even just as food sources.
Under Map he found what he expected: a literal map, much like the display of his Stronghold, that he could display over his outstretched hand. It showed the limits of his current Territory, but not many details. Shelim was there and well depicted, as was Haarwatch, which was interesting. All the places Felix and his team had passed through recently were clear, but the rest was vague terrain that might have been forests, hills, swampsanything. He had a feeling he needed to explore his new Territory, and sooner rather than later.
Defensive Arrays had only a single listing: the already cast Mirk Enclosure, which was an ongoing effect.
Mirk Enclosure - Ritual, Defensive Array, Tier IV
Effect: Encase your Territory in an impenetrable fog, invisible to your people within, but a physical and sensory barrier to all those without.
Initial Cost: 10,000 Mana/5,000 Essence
Ongoing Cost: 5,000 Mana/2,500 Essence Per 12 Hours
A timer was next to the Enclosure, coming close to the end of its twelve hour run. Karys had warned him about this before, and Felix had upped it the night before, but it was a hungry little spell. Since he hadn't had a chance to up his Essence stores, Felix dumped a healthy chunk of his Mana reserves into it. The timer reset, and Felix fought off the very slight dizziness he felt after using up nearly all his Mana. He shook it off and moved onto the Offensive Array tab. It contained two arrays, but both were lower Tiers than he had hoped.
Earthen Riot - Ritual, Offensive Array, Tier II
Effect: Disrupt the earth, one hundred yards in diameter from a point you choose within your Territory.
Cost: 3,000 Mana/1,500 Essence
Flame Geyser - Ritual, Offensive Array, Tier II
Effect: Create an area of spouting flames, one hundred yards in diameter from a point you choose within your Territory.
Cost: 2,500 Mana/1,250 Essence
"Huh," Felix said. They didn't sound extremely impressive, but area of effect was large, and it sounded like Felix could cast it wherever he wanted, as long as it was within his Territory. "That...that might be useful. Karys, is there a way to upgrade Offensive or Defensive Arrays?"
"Absolutely. But you must research the one you have to discover any improvements to its structure. Arrays are not the same as Skills, which grow as you use them and gain greater understanding. It is good that you have a Glyphworks, for it will be instrumental in adding and altering any arrays for your Stronghold or Territory."
This is so cool.Wait. "Do I have to keep standing in here?" Felix gestured to the glowing array all around him and his own Seal burning beneath his feet.
"Oh, of course not. You've established your Stronghold and taken firmer grip of your Authority. You can access any of these menus now from wherever you find yourself," Karys said.
"Really? I can use my Authority in my Territory while outside my Territory?" Felix asked.
"Ah, well, no. Not unless you've established an alliance with the Territory you are within. Otherwise you can access your menus, but affect no change."
"That, at least, is the same for us as well," Vess said. She waved Felix closer. "What else is?"
Felix walked from the Seal, and as he did so, the entire array dimmed slightly. He could still feel it working, still see the constant steam of Mana in the air, but it banked itself. "Huh, sleep mode."
"What was that?" Vess asked.
"A dumb joke. C'mon, the both of you. Let's go check out our new facilities. I want to get on top of our situation before anything else comes barging in." Felix pulled the two of them down the hall, moving swiftly toward his chambers and the Storage Facility nearby. Yet before he could travel far, a shape resolved from the shadows.
"Felix Nevarre."
Felix pulled up short, annoyed that he hadn't sensed the chimera at all. "A'zek. Why are you down here?"
"My apologies, Autarch. I was sent to request an audience with the new lord of this land." A'zek, a panther-lizard the size of a small horse, bowed. "The Farwalker has need of your judgement."
"My judgement?" He traded a concerned look with Vess. "I'm not in charge of your people, A'zek."
"In this, you are." A'zek pulled himself up and met Felix's eyes with his own; two liquid pools of shadow. "The Synod seeks your judgement over the fate of the Matriarch."