V3: Risen Rock

	Upon reaching relatively dry land on the northern border of the Spill, Grim Lanni’s Bann found themselves unacceptably exposed to attack from all sides. Open fields stretching as far as the eye can see, while excellent ground for a pitched cavalry engagement, is not the first choice of the defender. While certainly sufficient to the task of providing cover from an attack from north and west, the Spill was only nominally friendly territory; despite the recent campaign driving hostile Snake-eater clans away, the potential for reprisals still existed.

Thus it was the the Grim called upon the Seidh in his service to raise a massive stone table upon which a fortress could be built, steeply cliffed on all sides. Without question or quibble, they did so. Calling upon the spirits of the earth, they woke the slumbering elementals with song and slaughter, pouring out the music of the soul and the blood of the heart. Gathering the Bann, they feasted and fought and fucked, trembling the ground for days and nights with the stamp of dancing feet until it began to shake in truth. Soil ran like water as the earth split and exposed stygian black stone spotted with vibrant red, grinding ever upwards until the deed was done and the Seidh called for the ritual to end. About ten feet of height in excess of Grim Lanni’s order were added by the unwillingness of about half the participants to cease drinking, dancing, and dallying at the correct time.

Once the hangovers abated, work began. Upon examination, the local Seidh reported that the stone of the Rock was a very hard, iron rich variety unlike anything known to their craft. Spirits of the earth great and small were inexplicably drawn to it, and soothed by its presence as mortals are soothed by full bellies and comfort; this was noted as most likely being only the most obvious property of a much broader range. Stonemasons carved narrow, winding staircases and ramps for foot traffic and wagons, overlooked by ladder-accessible shelves from which defenders could rain arrows and fire at need. Rough shapes of watchtowers and a perimeter wall grew around the Rock’s circumference, ready to throw back intrepid mountaineers. Tunnels and chambers were cut into the stone for storage space and a final holdout in the unlikely event that the fortress be lost, with a central vertical shaft reaching from the summit to deep in the ground for fresh water.

	Having acquired the foundation for a secure supply depot on the near side of the Spill, Grim Lanni divided his resources between fortifying the position and extending patrols along the new highway. Swollen by trade and an influx of free-riders expecting a raiding season like none in remembered history, the armed camp quickly grew into a full-blown outpost. Though dominated by more warlike Lakelanders at first, the necessary support structure of armorers, tanners, tailors, and brewers soon followed. Ambitious -- and some might say foolhardy -- Glockmen artisans and merchants brought their business soon after, many of them on the payroll of information gathering concerns in Glockenbaltz.

Despite this rapid growth, Lanni and his lieutenants maintained a firm grip on the allocation of land with an eye to defensive strategy, especially the limited space atop the Rock proper. Unlike Shylo’s chaotic concentric sprawl of increasingly ramshackle layers, Risen Rock was characterized by ruler-straight roads which would leave any potential invading force at the mercy of multiple overlapping fields of fire from nearby longhouses, and ‘public squares’ surrounded by fortified towers which were colloquially dubbed -- most appropriately -- ‘kill-boxes’.

Another difference from Shylo was a shift in focus away from cohabitation by familial connection. Instead of the traditional clan-homes, the basic unit of society in Risen Rock was the crew; small, freely associating warbands building and maintaining their own barracks. Rather than the wood-and-earth constructions common to the South, buildings on that side of the Spill were nearly ubiquitously shaped of bloodstone blocks cut from within the Rock itself; given their proximity to nominally hostile forces, flammable construction was forbidden under Grim Lanni’s standing orders, including thatched roofing and temporary timber structures.

Though originally intended as a hardened base of operations on the far side of Chalice Lake from the heart of the Lakelands, the sheer weight of commerce passing up and down the highway colored the character of Risen Rock. At the base of the Rock itself, under Grim Lanni’s protection but wholly ignored in terms of regulation, a small trading post took shape. Though limited in scope so near to Glockenbaltz’s grand bazaars and markets, a number of less-than-socially-acceptable arrangements could be made; small quantities of gunpowder exchanged for the equally controlled Chalice Steel in any number of forms, ‘misplaced’ wagonloads of thintrunk ready to be shaped into bows swapped for rolled gargant leather and bundled ivory. Bloodstone, chipped from castoffs and polished to pleasing shapes, was originally offered as a curio; after experimentation, it became a popular and effective ward against damage by earthquakes and other structural instabilities, most useful in aging buildings and shabby mines.

Woven from plant matter gathered from the Spill at some risk to life and limb, a new quasi-fabric emerged out of Risen Rock. Light, thin, extraordinarily elastic and water shedding, Clingweave became almost ubiquitous amongst the warrior set as full body suits to be worn under armor. From there, those making do with rather less fabric than their betters could afford found themselves setting fashion trends with breastbands to accommodate any bust and shorts that assured an end to nether chaffing from physical exertion. Its name was derived in typical straightforward Lakelander fashion for its property of hugging the wearer like a second skin, compressing enough to sharply define every curve and plane without constricting. With no meaningful effect on insulating body heat in warmth or cold, it could be worn under any variety of clothing or equipment to maximise comfort.

But the real business was done in services. Crews of Lakelander youths hired out as body and caravan guards while their peers took up as paid raiders directed to upset a rival merchant’s plans. Fierce competition was sparked by the arrival of pleasure-seekers from Shylo, as foreigners sought to win the affections of the notoriously choosy and equally passionate Lakelanders who specialized in the arts of love-making. Through feats of strength and skill, displays of material wealth, or even innovations of the mind be they utilitarian or artistic, many won the hearts of a wild tribal lover. At least for a night, if no more.