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[Maldevious]

Year 2, January

January rolls around, and you continue to check up on your people. Winter continues to be very harsh. You continue your lessons, making continued progress. Mr. Dent is impressed by the speed of your progress. You master your alphabet this month, although your writing is still crude.

You consult with some of the locals, and decide to set up some basic snares around the outskirts of town to catch game. To your surprise, you manage to snag many rabbits, squirrels, and even a young deer. This food greatly helps out your somewhat flagging stores, and you don't hear of anyone starving this month. With this success, several men devote much of their time to this pursuit, becoming novice trappers.

You also decide it would be appropriate to check up on the bowyer and the potters. The bowyer has been having difficulty producing good bows, as none of the wood chopped prior to his arrival was selected with bows in mind. They are fine enough to train your militia with, but they are shameful quality and would not pass muster for real battle. The potters are faring much better, and there are several pieces that catch your eye as possible gifts for visiting your neighbors.

One night, however, you awake to hear a banging on your front door. It is not a knocking. It sounds like someone is trying to kick it down. What do you do?

Roleplaying section, go!

Spoiler: "Sir Samuel Stone" (click to show/hide)

Age: 19
Somewhat literate
Untrained Swordswman
Untrained Rider

Spoiler: "Equipment and Possessions" (click to show/hide)

Militia-grade Short Sword
Old Brown Mare
Worn-down Farmhouse

Spoiler: "Feroshire (Capital Town)" (click to show/hide)

15 Citizens
Modest Inn with kitchen
Bare bones Market
Modest Communal Kiln
Rickety dock
Brewery (Unfinished)

Spoiler: "Your Land" (click to show/hide)

Low population (Loyal)
River Parlon (fertile banks on both sides, light forest to the north)
Mediocre parcel farms south of the river
Crude Roads
Small Warehouse (medium supply of food)
Mediocre Communal Farm
Bare bones Barracks and Armory

Rocky outcropping north of the river

Spoiler: "Your Forces" (click to show/hide)

Five veteran archers
Ten inexperienced itinerant militiamen

Spoiler: "Your people" (click to show/hide)

Skilled Potters
Novice Trappers

Spoiler: "Nearby" (click to show/hide)

Market Town of Carshire - One day's ride on main road
Folesden - Land of Count Foles - Downstream
   * Curbiston - County Seat of Folesden
Land of Sir Denton - Upstream
Hemswood Abbey - Far Upstream - Known for dark beer

Spoiler: "Known Lords by Rank and Relationship" (click to show/hide)

King Edward Geronos IV, Lord of the Falls, Keeper of the Flame, Seer of the Dawn - Vaguely remembered

Count Aaron Foles - Your Liege Lord - An angry drunkard - Suspicious

Sir Blake Denton - Unknown

Spoiler: "Important Citizens by Occupation and Relationship" (click to show/hide)

Ian Wood - Foreman - Pleasant
William Dent - Steward - Companionable
Ian Hermage - Personal Cook - Happy
Marge Kannity - Daughter of a brewer - Mildly Upset

[scapheap]

Grab sword, wait for guy to reel back to kick and open the door(standing to the side) so he fall through the doorway then before he recovered bring you sword to his neck(not cut it).

[Maldevious]

Startled, you grab your sword from where it is hanging, near a post on your bed. You stalk towards the front door and wait a moment to catch the patterns of the blows. When you have it, you reach over and pull the door open right before one of the blows would have landed, sending a dark mass of a man stumbling through the now open portal.

You rush towards him, miraculously controlling your blade and placing it right against his neck. The man flinches, then drops a club that he was carrying. He stares into your eyes, and you see desperation in them. "Please sir, mercy... mercy..." He practically whimpers.

[scapheap]

Ask why you should give him mercy when he invade our house(? someone house at the least.) with a weapon.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Agreed.

[Maldevious]

He stutters when you question him. "M'lord, times have been tough. I was once... a great man. But that bastard Count ruined me! HE RUINED ME!" A glaze of anger flashes over his eyes, which quickly subsides when you give him a rough reminder that you hold a sword to his throat. He calms slightly, but still simmers.

"I was a great merchant captain. The bastard count seized my stores and burned my ships on some trumped up charge. Truth was, I had too much power, and he couldn't deal with it."

"I've been on my own for the last two months. Living in the woods. I saw this house, and the smoke coming from the chimney... I just snapped." A tear comes to his eye. "Please forgive me, my lord. I swear that you won't regret it."

[scapheap]

Remove sword form neck, bid him goodnight, say this did not happen and mention the Market.

[Maldevious]

He starts sobbing as you remove the sword from his neck. You give him a moment to compose himself, explain that this night did not happen, then tell him that there is a market in the town that might be useful for a man of his talents. You ask his name.

"Irlof, my lord. Victor Irlof." He thanks you profusely before heading back out into the cold night. You have trouble getting back to sleep that night, but you see him the next morning in the market, talking quietly with a few of the potters. He catches your eyes and nods to you, a half smile on his face.

End roleplaying segment. Proceed with suggestions for February (notable for being your birthday).

[Jbg97]

I must say, my earlier suggestion of poisoning the Count's drink seems to become less and less of a joking suggestion.

[javierpwn]

But first, we must give him real non-poisoned drink twice in a row, do he doesn't suspect us poisoning him

[scapheap]

Finish brewery

Improve dock

Anything else?

[kaian-a-coel]

Finish brewery

Improve dock

Anything else?

Continue litteration in spare time, make friends with Irlof, ensure he have a house (he should), improve market.

Next month we go to neighbours. (including monastery, so we can possibly recruit a priest for our peasant. Take a nice, tolerant one.

[Mlamlah]

I think setting up a watch is crucial, fortuitous as the encounter might have been it has proven that we don't have the ability to protect our town from any kind of attack.

[Maldevious]

Year 2, February

The cold from January extends further into the year than you expect, and you find yourself once again riding from household to household, making sure that everyone has what they need to get by. Thankfully, everyone is fine, with the occasional house needing some support from the food stores, which are starting to run low again. On the plus side, staying atop your horse in deep drifts of snow has actually improved your riding skills somewhat.

Although you had plans to do construction on the dock this month, the weather is simply too ghastly to fathom it. Likewise, you still lack the materials or coins to purchase a still for the brewery, and the market is likewise not able to be improved with the ground frozen solid.

Your reading progress has hit a bit of a wall, and you feel as if you've hardly learned anything at all this month. Mr. Dent suggests perhaps you could purchase a book designed to teach reading in the spring, as he feels that the subject material certainly isn't helping you along.

You go to the barracks, to attempt to set up a watch, but you find that without proper winter furs, it would be murderous to station men outside all night. You manage to get your men to agree to send out two patrols every night to loop through the town, but there will be no men on permanent watch until the weather breaks.

You make contact again with Mr. Irlof, and inquire into his housing. You find that he has bunked together with several of the potters, and he has some grand ideas for the market in the spring. He will be riding to nearby towns to attempt to secure business, and he hopes that he can use some of the town's pottery for trading. You mention your desire to acquire a still for the brewery, and he nods his head in agreement. You feel that this man will be very useful to you in the coming year.

You also turn twenty. There is little fanfare, as you are far too busy to celebrate.

Spoiler: "Sir Samuel Stone" (click to show/hide)

Age: 20
Somewhat literate
Untrained Swordswman
Very Poor Rider

Spoiler: "Equipment and Possessions" (click to show/hide)

Militia-grade Short Sword
Old Brown Mare
Worn-down Farmhouse

Spoiler: "Feroshire (Capital Town)" (click to show/hide)

15 Citizens
Modest Inn with kitchen
Bare bones Market
Modest Communal Kiln
Rickety dock
Brewery (Unfinished)
Two nightly patrols

Spoiler: "Your Land" (click to show/hide)

Low population (Loyal)
River Parlon (fertile banks on both sides, light forest to the north)
Mediocre parcel farms south of the river
Crude Roads
Small Warehouse (low supply of food)
Mediocre Communal Farm
Bare bones Barracks and Armory
Rocky outcropping north of the river

Spoiler: "Your Forces" (click to show/hide)

Five veteran archers
Ten inexperienced itinerant militiamen

Spoiler: "Your people" (click to show/hide)

Skilled Potters
Novice Trappers

Spoiler: "Nearby" (click to show/hide)

Market Town of Carshire - One day's ride on main road
Folesden - Land of Count Foles - Downstream
   * Curbiston - County Seat of Folesden
Land of Sir Denton - Upstream
Hemswood Abbey - Far Upstream - Known for dark beer

Spoiler: "Known Lords by Rank and Relationship" (click to show/hide)

King Edward Geronos IV, Lord of the Falls, Keeper of the Flame, Seer of the Dawn - Vaguely remembered

Count Aaron Foles - Your Liege Lord - An angry drunkard - Suspicious

Sir Blake Denton - Unknown

Spoiler: "Important Citizens by Occupation and Relationship" (click to show/hide)

Ian Wood - Foreman - Pleasant
William Dent - Steward - Companionable
Ian Hermage - Personal Cook - Happy
Marge Kannity - Daughter of a brewer - Mildly Upset
Victor Irlof - Former Merchant Captain - Thankful

[Gotdamnmiracle]

Alright. We need to ride upstream, let's take the brewer with us and a few trade goods from the potter's. That way we can head to hemswood and have the brewer pick out her own set up from the brewers up there. On our way back we can see our neighbor. Have a watch present while we are away. Have wood and irlof working together to improve the market/dock setup. Also as o while we are in town we should look for a shipwright, if only for future use.