Great Courtyard

This large, well-kept courtyard is often a bustle of activity. Carts roll by, their beasts braying and making all manner of animal noises as then trudge on through to the inner courtyard. Drudges bustle back and forth on their various errands. The smooth rocky ground is kept swept clean of growing plants and mosses, staunch tradition upheld. Two large bronze doors, each inlayed with a rearing runner facing inwards towards each other, lead into the hold. Smaller doors off to each side lead to the infirmary and tavern respectively. A tall wall, decorated with reliefs of frolicking runners, surrounds the courtyard and leads up to the great tower, which along with the lesser tower, flank the large iron gates leading out of the hold, to the ramp and beyond. The watch wher's den is snug up against the smaller of the two towers. Reliefs of familiar frolicking runners dance about the courtyard walls, flanking the hold crest that decorates the middle of each wall.
The snow finally stops falling but leaves Keroon covered in a winter wonderland blanket of white. Temperatures stay just below freezing which keeps the snow from melting away. Clouds begin to clear and the nights are sparkling clear and days are sunny and bright.
It is winter.
Perched on the iron gates are five firelizards.
Blue Mzadith is here.
You see Jef, Dinner, and Timoney here.
Rilna is here.
Obvious exits:
Ramp Inner Courtyard Infirmary Great Hall Tavern Trader's Courtyard Watch-Wher's Den

Rilna
A mature woman of medium height, years of hard work on the land and with animals have maintained a trim form with well defined muscles, although by no means rendering her unnatractive. Long ebony hair and green eyes burn brightly in a once-pale pale face tanned by Rukbat's passage, and her capable arms lead into slender, delicate hands, constantly in motion. A brisk personality tolerates no laziness or pretentions, but to her friends and family there could be no stauncher ally. The first hints of age can be seen appearing on her face. A few faint crow's feet trace out from her eyes, heralds of long nights spent watching over her four-legged charges. But laugh lines are apparent as well, and while she's lost none of her youthful spark, she's gained the wisdom of experiance.
A wool-lined leather jacket keeps the chill winds at bay, while providing yet more pockets to keep things in. Underneath the jacket, visible through the half-done-up fasteners, is a knit sweater of emerald green, with a black diamond pattern around the collar, and the unseen sleeves. Pants of black denim and riding boots lined with yet more wool complete the outfit, and her dark hair is gathered in a thick braid. Perched on Rilna's shoulder is Heracles.
A knot of double cording, golden yellow and peridot green. Bound together with a red thread, and formed into a single loop with a long tail, it indicates that Rilna is the Stable Mistress for Keroon.
She is awake and looks alert.
Carrying:
Heracles
Rilna is 41 Turns, 5 months, and 12 days old.

Swinhar is standing in the center of the new foundation, having already roped off an outline for the walls, and made marks for doors and windows, etc... Oh, hey, a 'helper'. "Hello," he says. Oh, a pretty knot, and the grand stench of the stables.. Good worker. Yup. "You here to help with the building?"

Kerk notices humans below. Oooo, something's going on here. The bronze settles himself in to watch.

Rilna is strolling through the courtyard with a sack of grain slung over a shoulder. Clearly not thinking about the building effort, or anything in particular besides getting the grain from point A to point B. But the greeting calls her attention to it, and she drops the grain sack with a soft thump, and stands with arms akimbo to regard the greeter and his labours. "Hello yourself, and no, not particularly. I've never done building-work before, and I wouldn't want to get in your way or anything." But this looks intriguing, in any case, and preferable to lugging grain sacks about. And isn't that what stablehands are for...?

Swinhar grins, noting the lady's position. "Well, all we really need is more hands. Right now, we're just marking out the walls. Can you hold a piece of rope steady?" He should hope so... Or maybe she'd rather haul the stones from the piles to the proto-walls?

The Head Trader gazes around her, seeing the constuction materials piled in the courtyard. She nods with a smile to Rilna and Swinhar. "Looks like I'll be getting my favorite haunt back sooner than I thought." she comments.

Rilna snorts quietly, and uses her boot to nudge the grain sack out of the main trafficway. "After 25 turns of working with various beasts, I ought to." And holding a rope shouldn't get the Healer irate about her pressing her ribs too much. "Where exactly should I stand?" A nod and a brief smile are directed in Jaysann's direction

Jaysann
Child-like wars with feminine, frailty with strength. No larger than a twelve Turn old child and small boned, her face does not look remotely close to her true age. Leaf green eyes stand out in a tanned face, her fine lilting nose covered in a sprinkling of freckles. High cheekbones set off her lips, not too thin, nor too thick for her oval face. Surrounding it all is a long mass of wavy obsidian hair, curls like corkscrews bouncing down past her prominent shoulders blades, all tamed by a brightly colored ribbon that holds it back in a ponytail. Her thin arms contain strength, toned and tanned, with a white scar running the length of her forearm on the right one. Small breasts lead down to a thin waist that flairs out a bit at the hips, but no more than a young teenage girl's would. Her legs are also muscular, testimony to her love for riding, angling downward towards the tiny feet that confidently stride her across the ground.
Rainbow colored skirt, swirling with uplifting bright shades drapes over midnight sky leggings, perfect for maintaining modesty atop the saddle of a runner. Barely noticeable below them are black wher hide boots. Bloused out forest green tunic, tucked carefully into the colorful skirt sports a sweeping neckline, low enough to showcase the silver pendant of a galloping stallin, mane and tail trailing forever behind him. Matching silver hoop earrings grace left lobe, but not right.
The twisted cords of peridot green, golden yellow, and white on Jaysann's left shoulder denote her as Keroon's Head Trader.
She is awake, but has been staring off into space for a minute.
Carrying:
Utility Knife
Jaysann is 31 Turns and 27 days old.
Jaysann turns to Swinhar. "Need any help?" she asks.

Swinhar chuckles and bows slightly to the new arrival, really just a tilt of the head. "Well, it'd go much faster if we had some help. Help is always good." Yup. He gestures towards the chalk lines drawn on the concrete. "Just follow the lines, hammer in these rods every ten feet or so, and try to keep it all nice and pretty." He gestures to some already completed sections. "I'll start moving the rocks..."

Rilna mutters something that sounds like "It would be nice if I could get more of that 'help' around the stables." But that's just the Scourge Of The Stablehands giving voice to her usual complaint. Selecting a hammer and a bundle of rods to accompany her rope, she sets about doing as the Smith-type orders.

Swinhar begins moving the rocks from the large pile into smaller, but substancal, piles next to each of the rods. The formed bricks should be here soon, and then the real fun will begin... Crash courses in masonary! Yup. He nods to the new arrival, gesturing towards Rilna. "Hello! You wanna give the lady Rilna a hand?"

Jaysann grabs up a hammer and some of the specified rods and begins to hammer away. Being a trader she's no stranger to hard work. Getting one done, she carefully measures out ten feet and starts in on the second one, right on the chalk line.

Swinhar looks up, notes Jay's progress with a nod, checks on Rilna and Arora, and smiles. This might actually work... Hrm. He goes back to relocating rocks... Ow, that's sharp!
p arora = :grins. Danke.

Smoothing down the front of her shiny leathers, the headwoman raises her head and smiles at those gathered nearby. "Rilna?" she asks pleasently, gaze scanning to see where the Stablemistress is.. "Sure.. But, with what?" And will it ruin her manicure? Arora shrugs her shoulders then and wanders towards Ril. "Hi ya.. How can I help?"

Rilna, who had been idly pondeirng just how the Smith knew her name, not really figuring that as Keroon's lone stablemistress she'd be easily recognized, notes Arora's arrival and Natali's with equal nods and smiles. Then she's back to measure, position, hammer, repeat as necessary

Swinhar waves to Nati and Rae, smileing. "Heya, you two! Rae, c'mere and give me a hand with these rocks, and Nati, if you'd tie the rope between the rods for Rilna?" Shards, but being in charge is fun... He goes back to slinging the rocks into place.

Natali nods a greeting towards those gathered as she emerges with squirming toddler in hand from the hold house. Eyes search around for a particulat being, and upon finding him, she points at fellow smith, ushering him over to her side "How's the reconstruction going? Got caught up some..." she excuses herself for her absence for much of the project. But as she's directed by him for assistance, she sets Linnet down to go play and get herself into trouble as she helps where she's directed to, tying said rope.

Raetar grumbles slightly and shakes his head. Magenta slinks off his shoulder, abandonning the perch in favor of a more stable one to sun atop. One that won't be hauling rocks about. "Sure thing." He mumbles and trots his way over, hoisting and tossing rocks along with Swinhar.

Swinhar nods at everything, and goes back to work.

Jaysann stops hammering for a moment, hot from the effort. She wipes sweat off of her forehead. "Shards, with all this help, this place is going up in no time." she positions and hammers once again. "So, how much bigger is the tavern going to be?"

From under Arora's long blond curls, a green pointed hear emerges, as Syren sniffs out the action. Help? Her humanpet? But .. but.. can't you see that she just did her claws? A warble sounds out, as though the firelizard isn't happy with this turn of events, but the Headwoman hushes her pet. "Tying ropes can't be all that hard, can it?" she states to no one in particular. Doubting it, she reaches over and begins to assist.

Rilna notes the grumbling of the stablehand, and sends him a look indicating that there's other, smellier things he could do if he wanted. Then she smiles, and continues her hammering. "And is there any chance of getting a bar with shatter-proof holders for the liquor?" she sighs, mock-dreamily, recalling the incident that cost them almost all their booze.

Raetar smirks toward Jaysann, and pauses, though he's hardly been doing enough work to deserve it yet. " That's the plan. Lots of people. Up in no time." He laughs heartily and slings more rocks, giving Rilna a laughable smirk in response to her ... dirty look.

Swinhar chuckles, nods. He walks to a small lock box, and removes a rather large container of liquor, some cups, and a jug of water. He closes the box and sets everything on top, pouring two glasses of water, and gesturing to everyone else to get what they want. He keeps one of the waters, and hands the other to Nati. "Drink up!"

Natali darts her attention around the courtyard, groaning in the meantime "Where'd she goooo?" sighing, she turns her attention towards Swinhar, accepts the cup of water but soon after sets it down "Where'd Linnie run off to? I can't have her runnin' around... too dangerous!" eventually, she finds her wandering off to the far courtyard, scoops her up, and heads back, grinning "Got her... 'least she can't run fast yet!" Thank Faranth.

Now this is something Arora can help with! Being an ex hostess, she's awefully good at pouring drinks. Even if it is only water. And she totally agrees with Rilna. "Yeah, shatter proof... That'd be nice.." She also remembers the incident, and the mad dash around dangerous crumbling walls to save at least two bottles..

Raetar whipes his cheek a bit, only to smudge dirt across it to replace the bit of sweat. He finishes up his present job and sidles toward Swinhar and the drinks. After a moment apparently debating between the liquor and the water, the boy thinks the better and pours himself a full glass of water.

Jaysann notices the blue and the message tube he carries. Beckoning him to land on her arm she reads the note inside it. A sigh escapes her lips and she gives an appologetic look to Swinhar. "Trader trouble. I need to go...I'm sorry." With that she's off to her mare in the stables.

Jaysann goes home.

Rilna smiles, and pauses in her hammering to grin at Arora "Save me a good tall glass of the adult stuff?" she inquires with a grin, before returning to her hammering. Only 4 more to go, and she'll finish them out before claiming her reward.

Swinhar chuckles, watching Nati and Lin. He shouldn't have agreeed to watch the child... Oy. He finishes off his water, and goes back for a refill, feeling warm despite the winter chill.

"But of course..." Arora replies, grinning as she switches water flask for liquor. Full tumbler is set aside, and the blonde gives a funny look to those gathered nearby. "That's Rilna's. Don't touch.." Glass of .. hmmm.. water? Alcohol? With a sigh, she decides to go for the aqua, considering that she doesn't want to have an accident out here... Pounding hammers and drinking isn't such a good idea... At least, not with her around.

From the sky above, Elbareth blinks in from ::between::!

And now the wee little Linnie is kicking and screaming like the 2 turn old that she is. Groaning some more, Nati sets her down on the ground, though keeps control by tossing the infant leash around the child's wrist while she holds onto the other end, allowing her to wander semi-freely "Shardit... she missed her nap." Logical excuse sent towards Swinhar.

Orr walks in.

Yossarian walks in.

Swinhar chuckles and grabs the kidlet around the waste, hoisting her up. "Hey, you! Be nice to your momma!"

Rilna triumphantly hammers in her last bar with a flourish. And then retreats to see about that drink. Finding it, she applies herself to it with a veangeance triggered by thirst. "At least." she intones. "We aren't doing this in the summer months."

Linnet has two fingers and she knows how to use them! With warbly aim, she reaches them out to poke Swinhar in the face. And look, she's teething too! *CHOMP* It's all outta love, really. That's why she's giggling. "Naheee!" she emits as mommy continues to groan "Linnie! Stop that!"