The Barley Fields

The Barley Fields lie beyond the northern walls of Odrun Fell. They are not common farms. They are controlled breeding grounds for colossal insects and related stock. The Barleys guild manages every pen, path, and hedge. The Fields supply silk, venom, alchemical glands, meat, shell, and trained work-beasts. Most of the city’s basic materials begin here. Without this output, the forges, markets, and delving crews would slow or stop. The Fields are the city’s primary source of food animal protein as well as specialty trade goods.

History and Control

The Fields began as scattered pens and simple hatchyards. Over generations, The Barleys refined bloodlines and methods. The guild now enforces strict records and rites for all breeding. Family lines within the guild hold stewardship over specific broods and sections. Authority is clear: tenders report to overseers, overseers report to the Field Marshal, who reports to the Barley Matron and the council. Outsiders do not enter without cause. Permission is rare, and always supervised.

Layout

Low hedgerows and silk-marked stakes divide the land into plots. Each plot carries pennants that show bloodline, age class, and hazard level. Hatchyards sit near the southern lanes for quick city access. Farther north are graze-walks for treebugs and heavy beetle teams. A ring of service tracks allows carts to move materials without crossing active pens. Small wayhouses provide rest, storage, and first aid. Warded boundary stones and scent lines mark the external edge. The arrangement is plain and functional. Every step of work has a location and a route.

Daily Operations

Work begins before dawn. Tenders inspect pens, confirm feed levels, and record molts. Sweep teams clear shed chitin and collect egg clusters for the hatchyards. Milkers draw venom and gland-fluids under mask and glove. Skinners process culls and casualties for meat and hide. Treebug crews guide long-legged grazers from one browse patch to the next and harvest fruit that grows from their dorsal grafts. Clerks tally weights, quality grades, and incidents. Cudgel escorts are scheduled for high-risk movements, such as transporting live queens or heavy horn stock.

Priority Breeds and Outputs

Treebugs are the highest-value grazers. Their fruiting grafts feed the city and also provide substrate for medicines. Guard beetles form the second tier. These breeds train easily, hold formation, and can push carts or act as living shields in tunnel work. Silkspinners produce fine cloth and strong industrial fibers. Venom strains supply apothecaries and artificers with stable reagents. Heavy-shell beetles yield plate-quality carapace for The Ashcoats. Lesser lines include burrow-grubs for feed, carrion cleaners for sanitation, and scent-layers used to maintain ward paths.

Safety and Protocol

The Fields are calm only when rules are followed. All personnel wear guild-marked wraps and scent tags. Crooks, prods, and hook-poles stay within reach. Every pen has a posted capacity and a posted emergency route. Wards and scent lines receive daily refresh. When an animal shows agitation, the nearest overseer freezes work until the cause is fixed. If a swarm warning sounds, workers shelter in the nearest wardhouse while response teams deploy burners and signal-kites. Any injury is logged, treated, and followed by review. Repeat mistakes end assignments.

Trade and Transport

Processed goods move by sealed cart through the northern gate. Silk, shell, and preserved gland-stock go first to The Spindle under Promissory contracts. Meat and fruit go to The Barrows and The Hilt in measured allotments. Live stock for special orders travel with Cudgel guards to the Varlas Breeder’s Archive for study or sale. The guild keeps a rotating reserve to stabilize prices during poor molt seasons. No private bargains occur in the Fields. Every trade is logged and stamped at departure and arrival.

Customs and Rites

The Barleys keep simple, strict customs. New tenders take an oath at the hedge line before first shift. Naming rites follow the first successful molt a tender manages alone; the name is inked on the pen slate for a full turn. When a broodline ends, a low bell rings at dusk, and tenders burn the line pennant in a small, controlled flame. The guild treats these acts as work, not spectacle. All rites serve memory, accountability, and order.

Hazards

Common hazards include trampling, puncture wounds, venom exposure, and crush injuries from horn-stock. Seasonal risks rise during heat spikes, when shells soften and tempers change. External threats come from Shroud strays drifting south, poachers testing the hedge, and wildfire carried on dry wind. The Fields plan for these events. Watch crews walk the perimeter, and mirrored plates signal the wall when extra hands are needed. If a breach occurs, the first rule is containment. Recovery begins only after pens are secure.

Relations with Other Guilds

The Barleys work closely with The Ashcoats for shell grading and with The Promissory for contracts and export. The Cudgel supplies escorts and emergency response details. Disputes occur when prices shift or when experimental stock causes incident. The Barleys keep final say inside the hedge. Arbitration only begins once immediate safety is restored and stock counts are verified.

Rules for Visitors

Visitors are rare. When allowed, they follow a set route with a guild escort. No food, pets, or bright cloth. No loud calls or fast movements. No touching stock or tools. Do not cross a pennant line without being told to do so. Photography sigils and sketching are banned. Breaking these rules ends the visit and may end future access for the visitor’s sponsors. The Barleys will defend their lines in the moment and argue the rest later.

Current Outlook

Recent seasons show strong silk yield, steady fruiting, and minor guard-beetle aggression in one northern sector. The Barleys are increasing scent-line density and opening an additional wardhouse. Demand for shell plate remains high. The council has paused new experimental crosses until the next full audit. The Fields will continue at full shift unless a Shroud surge or drought forces a change. The hedge stands ready, and the work continues.