The Pioneers - IC

by **Shyluz** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:40 am

Erling was cooking some fish when a man from the village called out to him.

"Good morning, trader! What brings you to this neck of the world?"

The tall, wiry man stood and stretched, responding with a humble Norwegian accent.

"Me? I just wish to make a nice tidy profit, maybe open a shop, get married, and have a family. Now though, I'm focused on making a profit," He smiled, "My name's Erling, Erling Næringsdrivende. May I know yours? After all, you lot seem to have settled on one of my routes. I may as well get to know you."

The young man offered his hand, though with the other he gripped the hilt of the sword cautiously, unsure of the intent of the newcomer.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 12:09 pm

I relaxed immensely as the man responded in English. Thickly accented English from... well, it sounded like Norway. Or Denmark. But definitely English. My hand moved from the loop on my belt that held my hatchet, almost casually, though my mind was whirling with new questions. My throat quickly gave those inquiries voice, after some pleasantries.

"I'm Petyor. Passenger on the Concord, now a bit crashed here. You're a trader, Erling? Is there a settlement around here somewhere?" I took his hand and pumped it once, then moved to inspect his wares as he mulled my questions. He had several barrels of spiced meat that made my mouth water with their scent, and a plethora of other useful items. I had some good things to trade, but what I wanted was far from clear in my mind.

by **Shyluz** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 12:36 pm

Erling smiled as the two men relaxed, and as Petyor asked Erling questions, Erling responded.

"Well, yes. There is a settlement. Unfortunately, they're about a hundred miles away from us. I've already been traveling a while now, maybe a week?" He said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I see you like the meats. Do you have any winter gear? Because the place I'm going I can get a decent profit for winter equipment. It hits them pretty bad up there. While I'm there I can see about getting you folks a map, if ye'd like."

At this point the black haired man had been relieved of most of his stress, as he was best in his natural element: trade.

"I can assure you that all of my products are excellent quality, the meat is pork from the town of Tõrna, which is renowned for their metalworking and, well, pastures. I'm headed to Strömby, a bigger town, but it got hit with a plague a few years back, so everyone's paranoid about that, but still, winter sleeps for no man." He smiled at the man, who was clearly of Baltic or Slavic descent. The young peddler took a few steps back, hopping up onto his cart. "So, what do you want? If you don't get it now, I'll be in town for a few days, so come back anytime." The merchant held a small silver coin in one hand, flipping it with his thumb as he waited for an answer.

by **ApplePieistan** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 12:44 pm

Day 8

Elizabeth awakens at 6:30, feeling a little groggy. She woke up and looked at Dave who was standing right over her. She went over to the northeast forest to get food, but didn't start talking to Dave until they actually got there, as Dave still seemed a bit sleepy. "Hello, darling! I see you're up and ready to work. It's a good things it's spring, isn't it? There's got to be plenty of groundhogs that are up and scurrying about. You go find yourself one while I'll go gather." Elizabeth then set off to gather in the northeast forest while Dave hunted in the same place. Due to her search, she was able to find 1 potato and 1 herb. She looked at Dave and said "Did you find anything? Well, regardless, we've got more to do!" She looks around and thinks "What more is there to do? I think I'll just go exploring. Maybe I'll meet some interesting characters." She then says aloud "C'mon, Dave! Let's go exploring! Adventure!"

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 12:49 pm

A hundred miles. Not a distance easily traveled then. No matter. It looked like there were other colonists on this powerforsaken earth, which was all to the good. I nodded.

"Indeed- salted beef to last through winter snows or summer heat is a commodity I am not the best at obtaining, being a simple woodworker and smith. As for winter clothing..." I reached in to my pack, and extracted the folded fur clothing I had brought all the way from the Caucasus. "I do indeed. Genuine Georgian bear-hide, something I bet your customers rarely see indeed. Made in my home village, by those with hands much more nimble than mine." I contemplated his cart for a moment, before tapping three of the haunches of salted beef lightly, the pungent aroma of the cooking spices a happy respite from green earth. "I'd trade the set to you, I suppose for these and..." I cast my eyes around at the rest of his wares, and nodded. "...that pair of shears. What say you to that, master Erling?"

by **Shyluz** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:00 pm

Erling blushed when Petyor added master into his name.

"No, no... ah dispense with the formalities. Back to trade. Ah, well, the spiced meat is a very popular product, and while I do acknowledge that your set of clothes is valuable, I have to say, three barrels seems a bit much. How about two barrels, the shears, and first choice on products next time I'm in town? Also, what do you call this place?" He said inquisitively, wrapping his gloved hand on his chin and tapping his foot on the cart.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:17 pm

I nodded, laughing. "If you bring goods like this regularly, I shall be more than happy to do business with you preferentially." Turning towards the north and east, I gestured at the dwelling and line of smoke barely visible through the dense trees. "I and a few comrades have set up the start of a little town there, if you come this way often. Two haunches and the shears it is." Carefully wrapping up the meat in the oilcloth provided, and taking the shears from the grinning merchant, I waved goodbye and set off back to the dwelling of the Father and I. Not a bad take. With winter having just left us, I could afford to go without any form of heat for the moment in favor of my armor, and we would have a sturdy dwelling up before the snows returned.

Speaking of which, it was time to start working on that.

by **Sveltlana** » Fri Jun 12, 2015 5:03 pm

Day 9

Even though she had followed the same routine for nine days, the axe was still a heavy, unwieldy instrument that simply refused to strike the thick husk of the oaken column in an accurate, coherent line.

Planting her feet squarely on the still-moist soil, Ann raised the axe once more and sent it in a straight line against the tree. But, again, she had failed to calculate the point at which the iron blade would strike the timber, and the axe skidded on the wood and caused her whole body to jerk in acute pain.

That was enough. She had had enough. The wood she had collected over the last two hours or so would certainly suffice for the rest of the night. As she piled the logs on each other, she remembered with some satisfaction how, a few minutes before, she had felled a branch squarely with a single, well-aimed blow. She smiled before the bitter memory of the terrible swings at the last tree once more occupied her head.

Ann carried the large logs back to her spartan 'camp'. The 'camp' was little more than the shade a tree provided in a small clearing in the thicket. Next to it was a small stream whose fresh water always came as a relief after a day spent in the gathering of resources. A small pile of wood was already accumulated under the shade of the tree.

She had been living by herself for over a week now – using the tip of the axe, she had decided to mark the days in a nearby tree-stump whose former young occupant had been felled by her hand. Ann took inventory of her food supplies.

Ann had a good amount of food available to her at the present. The countryside proved to be less barren than expected, and she found a plentiful amount of fruits and vegetables to consume. Deciding to take a nap, she stretched her tired limbs across the grass and closer her eyes.

Suddenly, she realised with some disgust that she had been wearing the same outfit for over a week. Her light blue dress had already lost its colour, her white apron was tainted by the brown soil and showed signs of going quite threadbare at the ends.

No matter, thought Ann. I'll see if I can mend it later.

by **The Grim Reaper** » Sat Jun 13, 2015 10:09 pm

Rolling waves, crashing clouds, dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

The gaps in the bricks of the townhouse whistled as the wind picked up. Nicholas did not know if it was the sea breeze, or the Muses foretelling of the storm. Either way, it was obvious the storm would arrive soon. Maybe late tomorrow, maybe the day after.

Even the sea spat at the colonists.

But the Townhouse would be done soon. They had the iron for the Townhouse, thanks to their gift from God, and Peytor would no doubt finish the wooden portion of the house today. It would offer precious shelter to the colony through the storm.

Nicholas awoke. He was not an old man, not by any means - but he did push the upper boundaries of the average pioneer. He could feel the storm in his bones, but for all he knew, he was imagining it.

End of Day 9:
0 Vitality (2 Nutrition) = 2 Vitality
+1 Faith (-1 Nutrition, +1 Sermon, +1 Elegant Clothes) = 12 Faith
+3 Warmth (Campfire, Elegant Clothes)
Inventory: Elegant Clothes
Skills: Preaching, Masonry, Growing, Fishing
1 Fibre, 2 Skillbooks (Growing, Petyor) (Masonry, Nicholas) have been left in Nicholas' Storage Cache Hole
2 Clay left at claypit
Brick Burner in NE Forest - please wait!

by **Harkback Union** » Sun Jun 14, 2015 4:06 am

The spring is in full swing on day 9. Cold has vanished and life flourishes... but dark clouds gather in the distance.

by **Harkback Union** » Mon Jun 15, 2015 8:36 am

Day 10. The dark clouds are steadily approaching. Strong winds sweep through the fields and Lightnings can already be seen in the distance.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Jun 16, 2015 11:37 am

Overhead the clouds lowered and grumbled, threatening rain and storm. A fierce one at that, if the towering black thunderheads out above the ocean were any indication. I had work to do before the tempest came, and so I bestirred my legs and set them to their task. First, I loped south and west, or what I adjudged that direction while the sun hid behind the tormented cirrostratus. There I had seen smoke rising from some sort of dwelling, and I recalled one of our compatriots heading off in that direction, a woodcutter by his trade. We had food to spare, some of which I took with me, leaving most everything else at the ramshackle townhouses that Nicholas and I hoped to put the last touches on before the storm came. He would assuredly have a fine stock of logs for bartering, having set up camp in the heart of one of the forested regions.

It was warm, a fine spring day as I walked along in my starched breeches and cuirass. I passed the trader, waving in a friendly manner at his stall as I saw him in the distance to the east. Nobody else appeared to have sampled his wares- perhaps if he found little trade he might be willing to lower his prices. More spiced meat would be very handy if winter came as rapidly again as it had last week? Year? Month? I couldn't quite be sure. The weather here was entirely crazy, and plant growth was so rapid you could see the first shoots of vegetables and grain already growing tall even though we had planted them a few days ago. Truly this was a blessed country.

But my mood turned somber indeed as I came upon the log cabin that the man had occupied. I found some trees he had felled, and his axe and tools scattered about, but no sign of the man himself. The door to his log cabin looked like it had been ripped open by some malevolent force, and the supplies within were jumbled as if by a great rushing wind. No sign of the woodcutter could I find, and my heart was heavy. Another casualty of the terrors of the wild, like that fisherman before him. If we found his body I would bury it, but for now I merely muttered a few prayers, taking up his axe and holding it tight. It wasn't likely that whatever beast had taken him was lurking around here, but I had learnt long ago in the harsh mountains that any creature rabid or bold enough to hunt man was one not to be trifled with. The smell of rot emerged from what I assumed was his meat store, and I didn't even bother to open it, but after a diligent search I came upon several useful items, some hardy gourd-vegetables, and a sack of spiced meat. Nothing wrong with those.

Bowing my head again, I sighed. At least I could tell some of the others of a place to find shelter, and these tools would be useful. I set out for home, to continue the daily task of ensuring the continued existence of our fledgling community.

by **The Grim Reaper** » Thu Jun 18, 2015 1:17 am

DRAFT

Father Nicholas: 10/10 HP 2/10 Vit 12/12 Faith
Preaching, Masonry, Growing, Fishing [Total: 9/12]
Planted: 2 Vegetables (Day 8, 10), 1 Grain (Day 9)
NE Region Brick Burner: 8 Brick, 6 Clay
NE Region Townhouse 3 (Storage): 1 Shears, 1 Spiced Meat, 1 Holy Bible, 7 Clay, Axe, Hammer, Cookware, 1 Fiber, 2 Leather

by **Shyluz** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 8:35 am

Erling waved at Petyor as he packed up his tent, and left as quickly as he had come. It was a long, dangerous road ahead. And the clouds above threatened him.

In the skies above, something wasn't quite proper. The huge clouds gathered, and with a colossal swirl, touched the earth, shrieking across the landscape, plowing through the northwestern forest, and through everything in it.
(Anything in Northwestern Forest requires repairs [4 BBP, 1 BPS], anyone not in shelter in NWF takes 3 HP damage.)

The Pioneers - IC

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