Appropriate Building Materials for RedWall MUCK
By: Nyfloe Stormprairie
Revisions by: Naco
Mud
Mud, yes, muddy, muddy, mud! It is great for poor beasts, but if it rains, and hasn't yet dried in the sun, then... CAVE IN!!!! Dried or cured mud is surprisingly tough and will generally not collapse unless it rains very hard for a long time. Mud is often times reinforced with sticks or mixed with straw or grass to make bricks.
Sod
A common building material all over the world, sod is dirt that is held together by the roots of grasses. It is usually cut into blocks, out of the ground and stacked to make walls, and put on the the roof using a timber frame. Sod is surprisingly resilient to weather due to the roots holding the dirt together, so it will not collapse like uncured mud in a rainstorm.
Wood
Ah, yes, wood. A classic building material. Satisfyingly simple, yet oh so flammable. If you actually plan on having a permanent house, use this material if you are classed 3rd or lower, and if you are young, but 2nd classed. Now, if you are experienced, skilled, wise, and classed/almost classed high (1st), then wood is probably not for you unless you live in the middle of a forest, with no other materials at hand.
Cobblestone
Yes, cobblestone can be used for more than streets. This would be available to anyone near a quarry, or someone of 2nd or 1st class. Royalty and first class, though available, this is unadvisable, as it chips easily.
Granite
Granite is strong, but hard to work with because of that. Good for castles. Anyone near quarries or places with mass amounts of granite can use it, if you can move it. But for no physical work of your own, you need to be able to pay others to do it for you. So, for no physical work, 2nd or 1st class only. Royalty, this is good for decorative fountains, rooftop gargoyles, and smaller castle-like buildings. WARNING: GRANITE IS HEAVY! ONLY SOMEONE WITH THE STRENGTH OF A YOUNG ADULT OTTER THAT HAS WORKED OUT ALL HIS LIFE SHOULD ATTEMPT TO MOVE THIS ROCK TYPE ON THEIR OWN!Thankyou.
Sandstone
This rock is heavy and strong, and durable, which is why Redwall Abbey is made of this very rock. Sandstone is made of sand that has been compressed by time. Unless you are a male badger, to build with this you need a little something I call TEAMWORK. After all, TEAM is an acronym for Together Everyone Achieves More. So, unless you have a lot of helpful neighbors, I'd advise only 1st class or royalty to use this. There are some exceptions though, including if you actually are an adult male badger.
Limestone
Yes, limestone is usable, though mainly for those near the coast, as it is a sedimentary rock. Almost all the same restrictions as sandstone apply, with these few exceptions: I believe it is a little less heavy than sandstone, it's natural outcroppings and so forth make it so you may only need to dig out a home, and that for squirrels it is an unadvisable materials, as it is too heavy for most trees where it is found.
Marble
No, I do not mean those glass balls children so enjoy playing with, I mean the whitish rock the Parthenon is made out of. This was available, though fairly scarce in most places of the redwall world. It is great for pillars an whatnot as it is strong and durable, though almost as heavy as sandstone, therefore all the restrictions as sandstone apply except that you do not need a full adult male badger to move it, and it is easier to cut, and therefore can be moved in small pieces.
Brick
I bet you were wondering when I would get to the material used by Jack to build his house. Brick is made in two ways, either mixing mud with a lot of clay in it with straw and drying it in the sun or by taking the same clayey mud and baking it in a kiln like pottery. The baked bricks are the strongest, but the dried bricks work well in dry areas.
Mortar (Cement)
Don't look so surprised. What did you think the Colosseum was made out of? It is scarce, but here nonetheless. All you need to make it is limestone, sand, and water. It's that easy! Mortar is often used to bind bricks and stones together to make walls, or it can be used to cover walls and make them look even from the outside. Note: Sea Water is salty, effect of sea water instead of fresh in mixing of ingredients for cement is unknown.
Wattle
Wattle is used in building houses. It is a woven matt of sticks, twigs, and grass, used to keep timber and such together.
Daub
Daub is used in building houses. It is a mixture of mud and clay, used to strengthen wattle, and prepare it for a coating of things like plaster, which is a paintlike material.
Well, that concludes this tutorial. I hope that by reading this you have learned something useful. And if you find I need to add a material, or my research proved inaccurate, please page #mail Nyfloe, who is a building consultant, and one of my characters.
