Altriak's Abode [Always Open]

[Altriak]

OOCThis description will change as Altriak improves his home

Entering through the front gate of the the DeepWinter estate, one could see a beautifully kept yard that held several well maintained trees and bushes. To the side, a nicely kept garden and a very tiny pond sat under the shade of one of the massive branches of a tree. The yard was moderately sized, perfect for relaxing with a blanket. The large two-story home looked like it would host ten rooms, four of which resided on the bottom and six on the top. The outside of the house was painted a relaxing blue that seemed to be no more than an era old.

At least, that's what Altriak had imagined his new home being, despite the Aedile's more accurate description. When the gnome had reached his dwarfish-sized home with his pet hamster and pony, his pristine blue house turned out to be a rather drab brown, with black scorch marks caused by the previous arson runs. The gnome looked down onto the paper three times to check the accuracy of the address, and to his slight disappointment it was correct. Not that it really mattered because most of the houses in the area were burnt much like his own.

Inside was not much better, due to the severe amount of debris and ash that covered the place. The rooms were also dark due to the scorch markings on the windows, and a heavy smokey smell assaulted the gnome's sensitive nose. But at least there was plenty of room. 800 square feet of it to be exact, with a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom! The gnome realized that, although the house was livable, there was a lot of work that needed to be done.

As such, Altriak could be found at his house from time to time with his front four-foot high door open to clear out the smokey smell, or doing some other maintenance to the house. Outside he would have his pony, newly named "Plumpy", tied to the one surviving maple tree so that any passer-bys would know that someone now resided at this resident.

[Altriak]

30th Brightening Melora, in the Season of Winter, Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum.

Riding his black Aireving pony back towards his run-down house, the gnome had just recently purchased a package of sanding paper from the General Store within the market district in order to try to remove the scorch marks off the windows. The sanding was only the first task of many, but the gnome figured he would have to start somewhere. As he had been doing for the past few brightenings, he tied Plump, his pony, onto the sole surviving Maple tree that resided in his front yard.

Taking the sandpaper out, he studied it for a moment, noticing the hard grainy texture, rubbing his hands on it to get a feel for the material. This was certainly something he'd have to use if he were to polish some of the gadgeteering work. Nevertheless, he continued onward and attached the handle he purchased to the sandpaper.

Rather nimbly, the gnome climbed up towards the first window of about eight. Each side of the one story house contained two windows, positioned strategically to let the most light in. Taking out his small flask of water, he wet the sandpaper lightly before putting the flask back into his backpack. Looking at the window, he inhaled and exhaled heavily, knowing nowbright would be a long brightening.

After his first few circular motions, the gnome noticed the scorch marks clearing up slightly as he watched tiny grained of glass fall at his feet. He continued with the light sanding for about an hour before deciding to take a break. He had never worked so hard in his entire life! Altriak's stomach was growling--and hard.

[Altriak]

30th Brightening Melora, in the Season of Winter, Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum.

The pudgy gnome couldn't help but wonder how much food he was going to be eating this day. Sanding the glass down was hard work. Looking back up at it as he munched on some fruit he bought earlier, he could tell the job seemed amateurish. At least some light was shining through, however. That was his main concern.

Popping his last peanut into his mouth, and giving pudgy his last carrot for now, the gnome packed away the rest of the food. He knew he would need it for the rest of the sanding. Onto a new window, he started sanding in various directions to see what type of results he could get. Vertical sanding, horizontal sanding, fast sanding, slow sanding, clockwise sanding, counter-clockwise sanding. Although Altriak understood from the General Store merchant that circular sanding was best, he was curious as to why and wanted to see the various results.

In the end, the gnome certainly concurred with the fact that circular sanding looked best, though his technique still needed some improvement. For now, however, the scorch marks were gone, though the window wasn't as smooth as the plump gnome would have liked. Regardless, the gnome was hungry again as his last meal was a whole hour past. He walked down once again to pull out the food he bought from earlier.

[Altriak]

Fourth cycle Melora, in the Season of Winter, Era I of the Celestine Mandate, Era XV Post Fractum.

The sanding job was finally finished. Granted, the windows weren't nearly as smooth as they could be but hey, at least the job was finished for nearly nothing. Now, the gnome could see much better inside without resorting to candles and the like.

The gnome's next job was painting. The house's scorch marks that resided both on the outside and in the inside weren't very pretty, and needed a nice re-coating to bring out that wonderful shine. As such, the plump gnome rode his pony to the general store once again to get a nice fresh can of blue paint to match his blue outfit. He also purchased a few painting tools such as a ladder, brushes, rollers, and pans.

Again, the store owners Sobo and Frubo gave the gnome hints and tips on how to properly coat the house with the newly bought paint. The gnome would have to wash the outside and inside to ensure the paint stayed high quality. A bit of scrubbing with some water would do the trick. Next, a primer would have to be layered on to ensure longevity of the paint. Lastly, the paint itself would add the finishing touch.

With tips in mind, and tools in hand, the gnome sat in front his house, wondering how long this job would take.

[Altriak]

The first cycle in the Month of Cryxatum Era XV Post Fractum.

Poor Pudgy had become blue in the face...literally. The gnome had accidentally dropped his hamster in the bucket of paint in the past two cycles, as he leaned ever so hard to get one of the house's corners. The gnome thought the new color looked cute. Of course, Pudgy was none too happy about it, but could do nothing but continue nibbling his carrots.

Now, the next step was to redo the shingles of the house, patching up the holes where the fire broke through and whatnot. Once again, he visited Sobo and Frubo at the General store to obtain more tips.

"...Replacing a damaged shingle requires a hammer," Frubo started, giving nice detailed instructions for Altriak to follow as they walked around the store picking up materials. "It also requires a flat pry bar, a utility knife and a handful of 11/4-in. roofing nails. Each shingle is initially secured with four nails; when the next shingle course above is installed, however, its nails also pass through the top edge of the shingles in the course below.

Begin removing the first row of nails by sliding the pry bar under the shingle immediately above the damaged one and gently lifting it to free it from the sealer strip. You'll see the first row of nails beneath.

Slip the pry bar under the damaged shingle and pry upward. Once the nail pops up about 1/4 in., remove the pry bar, press the shingle down and pull out the nail. Repeat this procedure for the remaining three nails. Then push the pry bar under the shingle directly above the damaged one and remove the second row of nails the same way. After yanking all eight nails, pull out the damaged shingle.

If the existing shingles are brittle, you may not be able to pry out the second row of nails without cracking a shingle. In that case, tear out the damaged shingle and cut V-notches in the replacement to fit around the four nails. Slide the new shingle up into place and secure it with four nails."

There were more details the Frobo gave, of course, but the thing that Altriak was most depressed about was how much it cost to get all the shingles. Fifty crowns to replace his roof, and not a crown less. Not to mention the time it will take for him to replace each and every damage shingle. The gnome had a long couple of cycles in front of him.