The Vanished Wilderness [IC | Closed]

[Volcanu]

“That sounds good to me” John says, “Could I help to speed up the process?”

“No, not in any meaningful way. Most of this process is just letting things sit in salt or plant oil, which cannot be rushed. With this limestone, I have everything I need. Until then, you could… I dunno, punch rocks? Run around naked? I don’t care.” Despite her snarky attitude, Judith couldn’t help but laugh a bit to herself, thinking about her recommendations for passing the time. Without wasting too much more of the day, Judith began squeezing the plant oil out of nuts, like she promised. In lieu of a bucket, Judith decided to squeeze the oil directly onto the skin, thinking it’ll probably be alright. Probably.

John leaves to study the geology of the area and question people about the Burning Heights

[The Federation of Kendor]

Daniel Bauer, Day 1

After he accepted the job offer from Ultar, he decided to buy a copper pickaxe, in order to start mining. He stayed at Ultar's store, in order to buy a copper pickaxe, in addition to fruit for food and a room rent in the stockade. He took out his money bag and picked four copper nobles, before handing them to Ultar. After Ultar accepted the payment, he picked the copper pickaxe and went out of Ultar's shop.

Soon, he walked through the town into the mine, seeing the buildings, which were mostly small and made of wood, as well as the colonists and soldiers. First though, he went to his room in the stockade, in order too so what was it like. He entered the stockade and finding his preferred room, he saw that it was simple, with leather and hay inside. After seeing the bed, he went out to continue his way to the mine. After few minutes, he saw it. It looked like a mound, with a hole to go inside. Quickly, with his pickaxe in hand, he went inside the mine.

Since it was still morning of the first day, he saw that the entrance to the mine was lit by the sunshine. However, as he went deeper to the mine, the sunshine was gone. He saw wall of rocks, wooden supports, lanterns to lit the tunnel, and miners working. He soon saw the colonists who worked on it, like Mercy, Christopher, etc, before he saw am unmined part of the wall. He quickly went mining, swinging his pickaxe into the stone, breaking it into smaller stones. He would do that for the next 12 hours for today.

[Ralnis]

Day 1

Seymour listened to the introduction but he didn't wish to stay into the outpost for long. He wanted to find some land to call his own as he was given some general information on where to farm and set up some land. He and the goat had head out of the outpost to go to a place call the Mouth of the River Eres. It was a flood-plain that had the richest farmland in the New World currently and had a special plant by the name of a Indigo Strand. The plant itself was a mystery to his colleges and some say is a very lucrative plant if farmed properly.

Because of this, he bought a copper hoe and set off with his pet goat to the Mouth to strike out and find this plant.

[ApplePieistan]

Judith Pratt
Farholme
Day 3

As Judith was busy squeezing out plant oil, she soon became distracted by the smell of the meat and sinew she brought home. Neither of it was going to stay good for very long, which was okay for meat, which she wasn’t going to eat anyway, but not the much more valuable sinew. To prevent the sinew from rotting and stinking, Judith took a short break to wash the sinew with water, then put it back on the shelf. As for the meat, Judith moved all forty pounds outside for anyone to take. Who knows, maybe someone with lower standards wants some; who knows? It was also very likely foxes and vultures would eat it before any starving human could get their hands on it. To Judith, it did not matter who took the forty pounds of meat. As long she couldn’t see it or smell it, Judith was content and could continue menially squeezing nuts.

[Volcanu]

John
Farholme
Day 3

After awhile of questioning people about the Burning Heights, he wrote down some of the dangers they might encounter, pools of lava, hurricane force winds, dust storms and volcanic eruptions.

[Theyra]

Nakhu Olziyt
Farholme
Day 1

Nakhu got off that boat and listened to what captain said before thinking about his plans. He wants someone where away from the Farholme and from the basic information he gathered about some of locations nearby. The Rivermouth and the Vale sound like great places to start a farm. Only he was concerned about the floods the he has heard the floods can be serious. Settling in a place that could get swept away does not sound appealing to him despite the benefits. The Plains looks like a good place to settle and he can probably start a farm there. He just needed supplies and preferably some people to join to him. First he visited the shop was dismayed that all the spears were gone. Hunting the local wildlife was out for now and he settled on getting a cooper hoe. Then Nakhu went around Farholme and started asking if anyone was interested or had a desire to go to the Plains.

[The Knights of Azorea]

Lucan Fairwell, Gentleman Planter
Day One

Lucan spent his crossing of the great northern ocean plotting, planning and working over the new world in his head. He'd made sure to grill every man he could find who had landed in the so-called wild-lands, and agonized over every fragmentary rumour and story he had heard. He sat for much of his journey in the cabin he'd hired for the trip, stony faced, tracing a weary finger through the ledgers he'd managed to grab before he ran off to the new world. In these few papers were names and numbers, useless to anyone else, but remnants of a lifetime's trade in indigo. He realised quickly that they were valueless, but nonetheless merely to hold the weathered paper, worn away in his pockets as he'd fled from port to port, focused his thoughts. From what he'd gleaned, the wondrous crop, alike to silver, which could be rendered into the peerlessly valuable Distilled Blue, was to be found in luxuriant abundance at the river delta he would pass on the way to Farholme. He considered all the possible ways to profit from that abundance. Really, it should be simple enough, whatever merchant squatted in the colony could hardly turn down bushels of Indigo, and it would be easy enough for him to harvest it by the bushel for long enough to earn the money to set up a more permanent enterprise.

There were a million different sources of profit to be gleaned in a new world without permtis, priveleges or taxation. It was what had drawn him in. He could build for himself a sprawling plantation of much prized indigo, or vast flocks of sheep, or foundries, smelters, miners or a thousand other enterprises. All it would take was a mercantile attitude, and that the wily, gaunt and admittedly threadbare gentleman merchant had in spades. He watched with rapt attention the banks of Indigo reeds as the vessel pulled into the delta, seeing in the ranging expanse of purple-blue a thousand golden nobles, for someone with the wherewithal to take them. Immediately, the idea of an indigo plantation on the land near the read-beds came to him, but, upon seeing the fish-scale banks of water across the marshy delta he thought better of it. Perhaps somewhere else, further up the delta, where the ground was hardier. Perhaps, even, one could set about retraining some tributary for the purpose, as some newly franchised engineers had set about in the fens of his own homeland. For the time being, though, he could simply live a more modest life, gather indigo by the bushel, selling it on and building up a bank of capital. Soon enough he'd be able to hire workers to take his place in the hardest parts of the work, labouring in the reeds and mashing the pulp, and he could sit back to turn a simple trade of carrying bushels into a capital venture. It had worked with sheep, it had worked with flax, it would work with Indigo.

He made a point to politely thank the captain, and to shake his hand, before disembarking, and giving the shopkeep a kindly smile. He followed with the crowd into the shpop, but waited for the others to buy before approaching the shopkeep. So sated with their money to fill his purse, he hoped to get himself a cheaper price. It would take a short jaunt of haggling, but he would get the last Scythe Ultar was willing to sell for three nobles and three knaves, just under half of the coin left to him. He would not need the scythe to harvest the indigo, it was far too indelicate a tool, but grass, wicker and fiber would be crucial to the early enterprise. Ultar handed over, too, the basket of fruit, and that was that. Despite himself, the genteel, well-groomed and middle aged planter slung the basket over his shoulders, as if a back-pack, and set out into the wilderness, along the river, for one of the hardest weeks of his life.

[Volcanu]

John, Day 3
After collecting information about the Burning Heights, he goes over to Judith to tell her about the threats, “Ok, so I’ve researched the threats of the Burning Heights like, lakes and rivers of liquid fire, whirlwinds a mile wide, massive dust storms, toxic gases and smoke, giant spider-like creatures and eruptions”

[Auphelia]

Day 4
Lady Diana Wensworth
Farholme

And so another day ended. She enjoyed her work, against all expectations, and her "side job" was proving quite lucrative, even though she was only able to see one man a day. It had been good for saving, that was for sure. She listened to the scraping of the rocks, the clanking of the pickaxes, and the grunting of the men. There was another woman there, but she and Diana never really grunted. She wasn't sure if it was because they were men or it was just something that happened when you mined for a while, but it was nice. Rhythmic. Everything about mining was about rhythm, pattern. It was the same, but nice. Not great. Not terrible. Just . . . nice.

When the day was over and the others began to climb out of the pit she followed, headed to Ulthar's shop to get paid. She then found a miner wanting to play with their day's earnings with a discreet set of hand signals, and followed him to his tent. A few hours she left, a noble and a knave richer.

Things were good here. She just had to stick with it and eventually prosper. She walked around the speck of a town, trying to find the man who has talked about the mining expedition. That could be interesting, especially if she got more skilled at mining over time.

Diana's Things:
A Prostitution Business
10 Copper Nobles
54 Copper Knaves

[Theyra]

Nakhu Olziyt
Farholme
Day 2

Nakhu spend the last day in Farholme and while he made it known that he is heading to the plains. He found no one willing to travel with him. He thought about his options and he knows that some of the colonists are heading to the Mouth. Perhaps it was best to head their and if someone is making a farm. He could help get the money he needs from selling crops. Though he would rather just head to the plains now, he only has a hoe and it two days away from here. Nakhu made of his mind and headed to Ultar for a bushel of wild fruit. After that he started his trip to the Mouth for his first venture outside of Farholme.

[ApplePieistan]

Judith Pratt
Day 4
Farholme

The next step of the tanning process was to let the skin sit in plant oil for a day. They say the stuff is supposed to prevent the skin from rotting and make in a bit more durable, which would be preferable. Unfortunately, Judith had no way to speed up the process, so she had to find something else to do. Picking up flint comes to mind, since the Gasping Dust might be cold at night, and she might need a nice little fire. Judith was also well aware of the killing potential of a sharpened flint, which could really help against wild animals, competing miners, or against John, if he acts shifty. It may be useful to have quite a few, maybe five more flints.

With this thought in mind, Judith went out into Farholme and searched for more flints. There were plenty around, but most of them were too small, oddly shaped, or smelled funny. Finding good, go-to flints took hours of wandering around the area. It took half the day to find just five decent rocks, which was even more boring than it sounds. After this tedious trip was done, Judith returned home, too tired to do anything else. There were still hours of daylight left, but after doing something as uninteresting as collecting rocks, Judith was done for today. Maybe tomorrow, she could go back to preparing for the Gasping Dust in some way.

[Pentapolitan Kyrene]

Edmund Grufydd
East of Lake Nemis, End of Day 6

Four days. For four days he had lavished himself in the luxury of it, each day setting his boots into the dirt and setting to work, for four days he'd spent more than a dozen hours a day feeling the surge of strength run up from planted foot to back to arm to axe, and had watched four more tree trunks, each gnarled, blackened and weather-wizened, smirk, grin and gawp as they drew nearer and nearer to falling. By the end of the fourth day, as he dragged each vast trunk down towards the lake-side, laying them at a slant and pushing them together, he had all but forgotten the decade since his last trip out into the woods, the years of marching, of pikes and of bloodshed sapping away through planted boots to be shrugged off by the woods. Lost friends sloughed away with the faces of foes with each cracking final chop, and by the time he was done Edmund was eager only for the cool water of the lake, the tart sweetness of over-ripe manymun fruit and the smell of rich, throat-burning sap.

In the auburn-gold reverie of the lake-side sunset, he looked out across the still expanse of blue water, watching the flickering dances of mayflies and the darting turns of the fish, and thought of the trip to Farholme. It was too late in the day now, he allowed himself to think, though in truth it wasn't, and instead he would go for a swim, and wait for darkness to fall. He strung out his loose, linen shirt, folding it inexpertly and placing his boots and socks beside it, along with his coin purse, before strolling down onto the loose, shingle-sand beach into the cold water. He'd swum a great deal as a lad, in the streams, ponds and rivers that criss-crossed the old country, and it was refreshing to step out into the crisp coolness of the clean water and to begin to paddle, pacing out into the shallows and gradually venturing deeper into the lake. It seemed relatively clear of dirt or sand, especially since the rivers flowed into it, but that would of a great deal of use to him on the next day's journey, since it would save so much breaking of silt and scattering of debris. Sensibly, the trip to Farholme would be no longer than a quarter of an hour, a shame, but a trip Edmund would at least take some pleasure in, paddling down the lake-side.

The idea came to him that he could keep the raft a while. It wouldn't rot for weeks at the least, and since he hadn't stripped the bark the wood was damn-near proof of any real water-damage. He could, if he wanted, take it down to the delta, or up any of the rivers flowing into the Nemis. As much as it appealed to him, he couldn;t think of any practical reason not to simply sell the wood and be done with it until he was already dry and dressed, preparing to sleep with his hat over his eyes. At the thought, he shot up; Indigo. A bushel could bring a man enough to keep fed and housed for a fair long while, he knew that well enough, even if he'd never thought to ask much more of the blue-lipped beggars who seemed so eager to talk of the stuff. He wondered if perhaps he could put in in Farholme, buy another basket of fruit, and then set out for the Indigo beds to harvest as much as he could before that load of food ran out, before returning to Farholme and selling the indigo and the wood all in one fell swoop. He knew, strictly speaking, that it'd likely be more profitable to just keep harvesting indigo, but he had not come to the new world to slave over reed beds.

He could harvest and sell the indigo as a boost to his income. If he stewarded it well, he'd be able to order comforts and livestock from the continent, to set up a proper farmstead from his cabin. Lord willing, he could even find enough time to fell lumber for his own use rather than for sale, to make that cabin. He settled back down, and thought of the next week's labour, and of the profit to be won by it, but most of all of a squat litttle log cabin, with a roaring hearth and a pen full of pigs.

Day 3,4,5 and 6 - Fell Trees (+4 Treesm Total is 5) (1 Day of fruit remaining)

[Pax Nerdvana]

Jack Calhoun
Jack Calhoun sat in his quarters and counted his money. He now had about twenty copper knaves, and five copper nobles, all earned from working at the mine. That was really all he had done since he had arrived here, about a week ago. He still didn't have enough resources and supplies for his expedition though, so he would still have to work the mine for another week at least. This annoyed him, because he wanted to get out of the mines as soon as he could, and head out to look for riches in the wilderness.

[ApplePieistan]

Judith Pratt
Farholme
Day 5-7

Over the course of two more days, Judith’s only responsibility regarding leather making was to place the rawhide in salt and then wait. She already had all the flints she needed, and there wasn’t much more she could do to prepare. A pickaxe wouldn’t do much good for someone like Judith, who’s background consisted entirely of raising goats and not mining. Still, it might be worth getting a spare in case John’s breaks. After all, those copper pickaxes aren’t the most sturdy things in the world. A single pickaxe may easily slip off a cliff, or fall in quicksand, or snap in half hitting a hard rock.

To save up for a second pickaxe, Judith spent a couple days working in the mines. Admittedly, there was much temptation to just steal a pickaxe or silver from the mine. After all, there’s plenty of both, and the boss probably wouldn’t even notice. It seemed like a foolproof idea, but ultimately Judith decided against it. It felt like a pointless risk, since even without theft, she would still get a pickaxe in the end. While working wasn’t very adventurous or fun, it was practical, and Judith knew sometimes boring and practical is the way to go.

After working in the mines for a couple days, Judith only needed to apply the final touches to the leather. Using John’s gift of limestone and some easily produced ash, Judith made a combination which would complete the process. The mixture would smooth out the leather, and, over an 8 hour period, make it flexible, yet durable. During this wait, Judith started gathering grass for four hours, just in case the Gasping Dust was lacking in it. This left plenty of time to finish her shopping list: the last pickaxe and 2 baskets of wild fruit. Perfect for surviving the Gasping Dust.

The remaining hours of daylight were spent cleaning the leather and tying it up into pouches. While it would be more hygienic to have tied it up with grass, Judith still had perfectly good sinew, and wasn’t about to let it go to waste. The end result was two waterskins entirely made from human. Judith promptly fills these with water and heads over to John’s house to share the good news. “John, it’s all set. Here’s a basket of fruit and a waterskin. Pack your bags; we leave for the Gasping Dust in the morning. You’ll know it’s time when we both get evicted. See you then.”

Made 2 waterskins with sinew and leather
Gathered 4 bushels of grass
Worked in mines on two days, earning 2 copper nobles and 4 knaves
Still had 3 copper nobles from the start; use money to buy a pickaxe and 2 baskets of wild fruit
Gave 1 basket of wild fruit and 1 waterskin to John Yonsan

End inventory: 1 waterskin, 4 bushels of grass, 1 basket of wild fruit, 1 copper pickaxe, 4 copper knaves, 2 mountain goats

[Volcanu]

Judith Pratt
Farholme
Day 5-7

Over the course of two more days, Judith’s only responsibility regarding leather making was to place the rawhide in salt and then wait. She already had all the flints she needed, and there wasn’t much more she could do to prepare. A pickaxe wouldn’t do much good for someone like Judith, who’s background consisted entirely of raising goats and not mining. Still, it might be worth getting a spare in case John’s breaks. After all, those copper pickaxes aren’t the most sturdy things in the world. A single pickaxe may easily slip off a cliff, or fall in quicksand, or snap in half hitting a hard rock.

To save up for a second pickaxe, Judith spent a couple days working in the mines. Admittedly, there was much temptation to just steal a pickaxe or silver from the mine. After all, there’s plenty of both, and the boss probably wouldn’t even notice. It seemed like a foolproof idea, but ultimately Judith decided against it. It felt like a pointless risk, since even without theft, she would still get a pickaxe in the end. While working wasn’t very adventurous or fun, it was practical, and Judith knew sometimes boring and practical is the way to go.

After working in the mines for a couple days, Judith only needed to apply the final touches to the leather. Using John’s gift of limestone and some easily produced ash, Judith made a combination which would complete the process. The mixture would smooth out the leather, and, over an 8 hour period, make it flexible, yet durable. During this wait, Judith started gathering grass for four hours, just in case the Gasping Dust was lacking in it. This left plenty of time to finish her shopping list: the last pickaxe and 2 baskets of wild fruit. Perfect for surviving the Gasping Dust.

The remaining hours of daylight were spent cleaning the leather and tying it up into pouches. While it would be more hygienic to have tied it up with grass, Judith still had perfectly good sinew, and wasn’t about to let it go to waste. The end result was two waterskins entirely made from human. Judith promptly fills these with water and heads over to John’s house to share the good news. “John, it’s all set. Here’s a basket of fruit and a waterskin. Pack your bags; we leave for the Gasping Dust in the morning. You’ll know it’s time when we both get evicted. See you then.”

Made 2 waterskins with sinew and leather
Gathered 4 bushels of grass
Worked in mines on two days, earning 2 copper nobles and 4 knaves
Still had 3 copper nobles from the start; use money to buy a pickaxe and 2 baskets of wild fruit
Gave 1 basket of wild fruit and 1 waterskin to John Yonsan

End inventory: 1 waterskin, 4 bushels of grass, 1 basket of wild fruit, 1 copper pickaxe, 4 copper knaves, 2 mountain goats

“Nice” John says to Judith. “I’ll pack my bags and meet you in the morning”. After Judith left John packs his bags with food, clothing and material for tomorrow and than he gets into bed and goes to sleep.

[Auphelia]

Day 13
Lady Diana Wensworth
Farholme

Her time in Farholme had been good to her, and she had become far better at helping with the mining. For several hours every day she had worked hard, crushing and sorting rocks, swinging in the monotonous rhythms of the mines. The clank and rumble of rocks had become her own form of music, though whenever she tried to get a nice working song going the others began to mutter. Spoilsports, the lot of them, though they didn't seem to mind when she spent the nights in their tents. She had made a fortune that way, and it had certainly helped finance her recent purchases, thing she would need for a house in the Vale. Wooden planks, hoes, scythes, hammers. Now all she needed was more planks, a raft or a cart, and . . . well, it would be a while before she got everything she needed.

So work she did, and and now, at the end of the day, it was time to sleep with yet another client. At least this one had all of his teeth.

Diana's Things:
Miner Job
Prostitution Business
25 Copper Nobles
9 Copper Knaves
+3/7 Wild Fruit Bushel
+1 Loaf of Bread
+1 Freshwater Fish
24 Planks
1 Copper Hoe
1 Copper Scythe
1 Copper Hammer
1 Pair of Shears

[Achidyemay]

Olufemi Akatchi

Large and In Charge; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Eating Basket Fruits at Every Meal

Day One

The voyage had been long and hard for Olufemi. The young man had never actually been on a ship this large before, nor had he ever been out to sea, nor was he much convinced that he should ever make the trip again. The violent seasickness had arrived the second they had left the great port and despite the sailor's assurances that the sea could be rougher, Olufemi's body disagreed. The hard tack and other foods that were served would never stay down for long and Olufemi took to sleeping in a hammock in the hold next to a bucket. In fact, there were long stretches of the trip where the otherwise active youth wouldn't eat, staying in his hammock for days on end. On the days where the sea was absolutely calm, however, Olufemi would make the trip up to the top deck and look at the huge expanse of ocean. In a way it reminded him of the deserts far to the south of his homeland. A preternatural flatness in every direction. It was on these rare trips to the top deck when Olufemi would eat, establishing a friendly report with the cook and playing music to the crew on his ocarina.
It was one of those calm mornings when the sight of the new world first greeted Olufemi. It had been called out by the crew minutes earlier, but now the distinct blemish of land was appearing on the flat horizon. Most of the settlers had come to the deck to witness the land, the sense of hope and excitement was palpable. As they approached the Bay of Storms however, she lived up to her name and Olufemi was forced below deck. He was able to sleep through the rougher waters and woke up before day break the next morning. When he reached the top deck, the new world stretched around them in nearly every direction. Olufemi's mouth dropped as he took in the sights of flora and fauna unfamiliar to him. And then his mouth broke into a smile as he saw the first bit of a very familiar bit of flora; the patches of indigo shimmered gently in the breeze, dully reflecting the moonlight. They grew tall, covering the banks and the shallow waters. The swamp itself seemed to stretch on for miles. At first Olufemi thought they would be dropped off there, but the ship carefully picked its ways through the river's deeper water.
Olufemi was on deck as the oarsmen brought them from the mouth of the river to the vale and then to the lake. A few others would join him on deck from time to time, but when the sun set, he was the only one. Farholme came into view early the next morning and he was extremely excited to put his feet back down on dry land. He rushed off the gangplank, listening to the captain and the store clerk as he spun in a slow circle. There was a lot to drink in, the whole town was smaller than his father's estate, yet bustled with activity. The huge forest to the East loomed large and the lake to the West was like a small sea onto itself. Olufemi missed his horse, and an idea dawned on him.
"Mr. Moddel," Olufemi said, addressing the sailor unloading cargo beside him, "how long will the ship be here?"
"Long's it take to load 'er, prolly be gone by day's end."
"Great, thank you." Olufemi said, tipping his head to the sailor and making his way back up the gangplank to the captain's side. Captain Aberforth saw him approach.
"Aye lad? The shore be thataway."
Olufemi laughed at Aberforth's joke, but quickly composed himself, speaking clearly and succinctly to the Captain, "Thanks, but I was wondering if you could give me a ride back down the river when you shove off. I'll pay you if you like." Olufemi added, clinking three copper knaves together.
"Hmph," grunted Captain Aberforth, but he held out his hand to accept the change.
"Fantastic, thank you Captain." Olufemi said, dropping the coins into his hand and then turning to leave.
Tired from being awake the whole night, Olufemi made his way to the stockade, collapsing into a bunk after asking the manager to wake him before Ultar closes shop or the ship leaves, whichever's first.

The nap proved exemplary, and Olufemi awoke feeling well rested. The sun had progressed far in the sky by now and had long since burned away the mist. As Olufemi made his way into the shop, he noticed that his peers had cleared the poor shopkeep of much of his inventory. Without the proper tools creating a good homestead would be impossible. With a frown he scanned over the inventory and the posted prices, some quick math would tell him that he wouldn't have enough money. Slowly, he picked up a hoe from the side of the room and brought it over to the counter.
"Hello, Ultar" Olufemi said.
"'Lo, settler."
"My Name's Olufemi Akatchi, and I'm here to make a fortune selling Indigo, but I'm going to need someone on my side."
"Oh yeah?" Ultar raised an eyebrow, but his posture betrayed his disinterest.
"Oh yes, yes," Olufemi was speaking in hushed, excited tones, even though they were the only ones in the shop, forcing Ultar to lean in. "And you look like the kind of man who's looking to make a fortune, but like I said, I'm going to need you on my side."
"What do you have in mind?"
"An investment, of sorts, I need to set up a homestead near the mouth of the river, where the Indigo grows. Now, I could walk there, gather a bushel, and walk back and give it to you and we could make a bit of money, but we're not in the business of a little money, you and I, we're looking to make a fortune. If I had a camp there, where I could farm the indigo, and then ship it up to you, we'd be looking at massive profits. So here's my deal, I need tools and materials to set up my homestead, in return, I'll make us rich, and to show I'm serious, that I'm not trying to dupe you, I'll give you all of the money I have."
At this, Ultar started to pay attention. "So what do you think you'll need to make this work?"
"I need this hoe here, but also a scythe for the harvest, and two wooden planks."
"You're asking a lot."
"I'm offering a lot."
"Alright, here you go, and you bring those indigo bushels back to me now, you'hear? And, here, keep this," Ultar flicked a knave back to the youth. "Oh! And this is yours as well." He said, dropping a basket of fruit on the counter.
"Absolutely, and thanks, it was a pleasure doing business. And while I'm here, I'd like to put an order in for an axe, if you don't mind."
"Sure thing, it should arrive with the next shipment."

With three trips, Olufemi was able to carry the planks and the tools to the ship, where he left them well out of everyone's way, telling the first mate about his plans and asking that the materials be left alone. While he was there, he was briefed that it would still be several hours before they left. Deciding to try his hand with the sickle, Olufemi left the ship and headed south towards the vale. While he didn't reach it, the grass grew long in the areas untread by Farholme or its ruminants. Here Olufemi spent a few hours with the sickle, collecting lots of long grass. At first he just sort of left it there, but eventually he realized how helpful it could be to weave the fibers into ropes and mats, and began to gather the materials together. Carrying as much as he could, he headed back to the ship, arriving near sunset. Sitting cross-legged on the deck, Olufemi began to work the fibers, but became tired and fell asleep. He would stir slightly when the ship eventually cast off again.

Stats:

Time
7:00 Arrived at Newholm
7:15 Slept
13:00 Went Shopping; Transported two planks, a hoe, and a scythe to the ship
13:30 Traveled South
15:00 Harvested Long Grass
19:00 Traveled North
21:00 Boarded ship, crafted Fiber
21:30 Fell asleep

Money
8 N ~ Start {5 N + 3 N (wealthy)}
-0.3 N ~ Transportation

---

7.7 N
-0.4 N ~ (2) Plank {0.3 (base coast) - 0.1 (Silver Tongue) * 2 (two planks)}

---

7.3 N
-3.3 N ~ Hoe {3.3 N (base coast) - 0.1 (Silver Tongue)}

---

4 N
-3.9 N ~ Scythe {4 N (base cost - 0.1 (Silver Tongue)}

---

0.1 N

Inventory
4 Long Grass
1 Fiber
1 Hoe
1 Scythe
2 Planks
1 Basket of fruit

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Day Two

The creaking of the boards and the sounds of the oarsmen at the rudders roused Olufemi from his sleep. He lifted his head off the salty planks, surprised that he had fallen asleep on them. Looking off into the distance at the many bluffs and amber waves, it was obvious that they were still in the vale. He grabbed one of the fruits out of the basket and headed over to the helm, chewing absentmindedly on the fruit. The water here ran slowly, but pulled the ship along. It wouldn't be much more than a day for them to return to the bay and Olufemi mentally patted himself on the back for choosing this route.
He watched the coast roll by for a while, but eventually returned to his place on the deck to continue to work on the fiber, eventually turning all of his grass into usable rope. Then he used the two lengths to secure the planks together along with the tools. The pseudo-raft wouldn't be big enough to hold him, but would comfortably keep the tools afloat and secured. Content with achieving his goal for the morning, he walked back to the prow, whistling tunelessly on the ocarina. God this land was beautiful. The sky was clear, the river was clear, the air was clear. There were no roads, no settlements, no people. Olufemi knew that this ostensibly made his job harder, but the natural beauty of the place provided an evident silver lining. He thought back to the mountains north of Farholme, how they were many many mile away and still loomed large. How the forest had loomed large. How even the vale can be so large. There was definitely a lot to explore in this place and he vowed that once he had set up his homestead and ensured his family's claim to the indigo he would have to take some time to explore this mysterious land.
He was watching some mule dear running through the long grass when he first started to notice they were leaving the vale. They had been running from something, but Olufemi couldn't see what it was and figured it might have been the ship that spooked them. Either way, the sudden dominance of the manymun groves and appearance of the indigo told him that it was finally time to go. He figured he was still pretty far north, but the sun hung low in the sky, and if he waited much longer he would be setting up shelter in the dark. With the help of the crew, he was able to lower his little raft into the water.
"Thank you everyone, I hope to be seeing you again." He said, clinging to a rope off the side of the boat. "I've always wanted to do this," he mumbled under his breath before running towards the edge of the ship and swinging off it, pumping his legs up and curling into a tight back-flip into the water. He heard some cheers from the ship as he resurfaced and swam towards the gently bobbing boards. He grabbed onto them and pushed them forwards, toward a berm bristling with indigo. Beyond the berm was a grove of manymun trees. Leaving the tools over by the berm, he pulled the boards over towards the grove, eventually spotting a tree with good horizontal branches. He untied the boards and lashed the fibers together, tying one end to his waist and the other to one of the planks. Then he climbed the tree and hand-over-fisted the plank into position. He repeated the process and then secured the other planks into position with the fiber. This created a large platform elevated far off the ground. He figured tomorrow he could work on the roof as there was little evidence that it would rain that night. He did retrieve his basket and tools, bringing them up into his tree fort, before settling into a dinner of fruits.

Stats:

Time
0:00 Traveled South
6:30 Crafted Fiber
12:00 Ate lunch
18:30 Arrived at the Mouth of the Eras River
19:00 Constructed a tree fort
20:00 Ate dinner and went to bed.

Money
0.1 N

Inventory
1 Hoe
1 Scythe
1 Basket of fruit (70%)

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Day Three

It was very early when Olufemi woke up, the birds were silent and the sun had yet to appear over the horizon, but the sky had already begun to lighten, heralding its arrival. With a groan Olufemi stretched out. He had a long day ahead of him, and he was loathe to start, but start he did, climbing down from his elevated abode after a light breakfast. He looked with longing to the growing indigo, but left it be, instead searching the grove for manymun shoots. The small, springy shoots could be woven together into walls and a roof, he figured. Using his hoe, he chopped at the thin wood. Many of the shoots were thinner than his index finger, yet they still took a few swings to chop down. He spent his time chopping and wishing he had an ax.
After gathering as many of the sprouts as he could find, he bundled them together and brought them up into the tree fort. Sitting crosslegged, he began to weave the supple shoots together, creating three walls and the roof and intermittently munching on a fruit. He figured the side against the trunk wouldn't really need a wall, since that was where a door would go anyway. While the roof and walls were densely woven, they wouldn't be waterproof, so Olufemi set out once more.
He searched the grove, which he discovered was on an island, and collected fallen sticks and branches, collecting them into a large pile on the edge of the river. When he figured he had enough, he broke the wood down by smashing it on a rock and assembled it into a cone. Nearby he worked the earth and some marsh grasses into a slurry, creating a very tacky mud that he built into a dome over the wood. With the squat hut completed, he used a friction stick to light a fire that he moved into the top of the kiln. With the mud kiln roaring, he set off in search of a clay deposit. The fire clay was easy to find and worked easily with the hoe. Working quickly, he shaped the clay into interlocking pieces against a flat stone and then left them to dry against a log in the hot sun. With the charcoal baking and the tiles drying, Olufemi took a moment to admire the indigo stalks. They appeared to be near the end of their flowering season and many carried young seeds. He would have to be very selective if he wanted to harvest a crop at this point in time. It wouldn't be long now before the sun set, so he climbed back into his tree fort and settled in for the night.
Stats:

Time
5:00 Awoke
5:30 Harvested Manymun shoots
9:00 Assembled a roof and walls
14:00 Harvested a half-starn of fire-clay and molded it into tiles
17:00 Collected branches
21:00 Lit the Kiln
21:30 Ate Dinner and went to bed

Money
0.1 N

Inventory
1 Hoe
1 Scythe
1 Basket of fruit (40%)
1 Brick of Charcoal
17 fire-clay tiles (unbaked)

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Day Four

Olufemi's fourth day on the new continent would see him continuing his adventures from the third day. He returned to the clay pit early, and spent his morning digging. He was aware his fruit basket was beginning to run low, so he opted for a light breakfast of manymun berries on his way to the clay pit. He was happy with how well everything seemed to be going and he rewarded himself with a swim in the river after finishing the last tile. He was surprised by how fast the day already seemed to be going. And by how hot it had gotten. The heat reminded him of home and he was struck by a pang of homesickness. Whenever he had left the estate before, he had always been travelling with one family member or another, and now he was alone, well and truly alone, an ocean away alone. It didn't suit him well and he looked forward to inviting his parents and brothers and sisters to visit Hopefully he would have something amazing to show them.
After a brief lunch of fruits, Olufemi was back at it, constructing a proper kiln, and running it through with fire. He added the tiles as well as the briquettes and fanned them with a twist blower. After they had been glowing for a considerable amount of time, he removed the briquette and doused it with sand, letting the kiln cool. Once cool, he repaired the cracks that had formed with more fire-clay and added the next batch of tiles, he figured he could get one more use out of the charcoal brick, if he augmented it with lots of dry wood. He gathered a small pile of driftwood that had rested well above the water line and repeated the tile baking process. The charcoal brick consumed, Olufemi removed the warm tiles from the kiln and carried them over to his fort, lighting the way with a torch. Laying them across the slanted roof, they linked together, creating an impermeable barrier. There was enough tiles to cover almost half of the roof, which was good because it looked like it would rain that night.
Stats:

Time
6:00 Awoke
6:30 Harvested a starn of fireclay and molded it into tiles
14:00 had lunch and went swimming
15:00 Built a kiln
16:00 Started first batch of tiles
19:00 Started second bath of tiles
22:00 Crafted roof
22:30 Ate Dinner and went to bed

Money
0.1 N

Inventory
1 Hoe
1 Scythe
1 Basket of fruit (20%)
30 fire-clay tiles (unbaked)

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[ApplePieistan]

Day 8-Day 9

And so, Judith finally ventured into the Gasping Dust, accompanied by her two mountain goats and her good friend John. Their journey started early in the morning, when the landlord finally evicted her. Their week of free food and housing had ended, and she wouldn’t be able to continue hanging out in Farholme without at least a few opals. It didn’t seem too hard to get the money; just a quick trip to the Burning Heights and back, then early retirement. She already had food and water, as well as an expert miner and prospector with her. Judith knew roughly where the Burning Heights are, and she already had mountain goats to escort her up. The plan seemed flawless: what could possibly go wrong?

What Judith did not anticipate was how much slower John could walk compared to her. All those years of living on a mountain made her spry as a fox, and John just wasn’t. Judith had no patience for slowing down to accompany him through the desert, but at the same time, leaving him to walk alone would be a mistake. Before they got far from Farholme, Judith turns to John and says “I’m gonna go scout ahead. You can keep one of my mountain goats by your side so you don’t die of… loneliness. I’ll meet you at the Burning Heights; try not to die before then. Don’t let the goat die either; she’s more important than you.”

Actions:
Travel to Burning Heights
Give John 1 mountain goat

[Volcanu]

Day 8-However long it takes to get to the Burning Heights. Day…11? 12? That sounds about right.

And so, Judith finally ventured into the Gasping Dust, accompanied by her two mountain goats and her good friend John. Their journey started early in the morning, when the landlord finally evicted her. Their week of free food and housing had ended, and she wouldn’t be able to continue hanging out in Farholme without at least a few opals. It didn’t seem too hard to get the money; just a quick trip to the Burning Heights and back, then early retirement. She already had food and water, as well as an expert miner and prospector with her. Judith knew roughly where the Burning Heights are, and she already had mountain goats to escort her up. The plan seemed flawless: what could possibly go wrong?

What Judith did not anticipate was how much slower John could walk compared to her. All those years of living on a mountain made her spry as a fox, and John just wasn’t. Judith had no patience for slowing down to accompany him through the desert, but at the same time, leaving him to walk alone would be a mistake. Before they got far from Farholme, Judith turns to John and says “I’m gonna go scout ahead. You can keep one of my mountain goats by your side so you don’t die of… loneliness. I’ll meet you at the Burning Heights; try not to die before then. Don’t let the goat die either; she’s more important than you.”

Actions:
Travel to Burning Heights
Give John 1 mountain goat

Day 8-Day 13
“Uh ok” John says who is confused why the goat is more important then him. John sets off traveling to the Burning Heights and after days makes it to the foothills of the Burning Heights. The air seems like brimstone and it is very uncomfortably hot with ash falling down from the great fires within the mountains. John then sets out to find Judith within the the Gasping Dust.