Taric:
Your axemen find a few last good trees, but it seems that for the most part this area is picked clean. Your foragers go through the forest, and return with a bag of mixed seeds. Your archers have a good hunt, and bring back some meat. Your builders put the finishing touches on the domicile. Your encounter with the forest spirit is enigmatic, but probably successful. on you way back to camp, you run across a small band of refugees heading towards your encampment. They have horses, and claim to be scouts that were sent through the pass and then couldn't find a way back.
As Taric travels deeper into the ancient wood, the trees get larger and larger, until they tower so high above him that he cannot see where they end. This part of the forest is dark and moist, untouched by the midday heat. Eventually, he finds an area where one of these forest giants has fallen, letting sunlight in to the forest floor. The log is rotting, with many young trees sprouting from it.
Taric walked up to the log, keen to see what had caused it to fall, as he thought it would be impossible for the weather to bring it down.
At one end of the log, near where the base of the tree would have been, is a section much more thoroughly rotting than the rest. A little ways away, you see the mighty stump this giant must have left behind. It towers over you by a good seven feet. The stump is still in surprisingly good condition, unlike the tree that it supported. A few insects skitter across it, but for the most part it seems to still be whole.
Taric continues further into the forest.
Taric eventually reaches the lakeshore. There, he see a strange women standing by the water. She is dressed in simple garments of plant fiber cloth, and for some reason, he cannot even begin to guess her age.
"Oi, are you the woman Romulus talked to?"
"yes, I am the Spirit of this area.
"Would you mind if I ask a few questions about the area?"
She regards you disinterestedly. "You may ask."
"What lies beyond the lake?"
"Plains, mostly, with a few mountains to the south." She pauses for a moment, then looks at him. "Why are you people here?"
"We're refugees. Our homeland was invaded. This foe used magic very well in strategic terms. I also fear that they'll pursue us here, though the odds of them doing so are slim"
"How did you get here?"
"We went through a mountain pass that teleported us here"
She pauses for a moment. "How likely is it that they will follow you through the pass?"
"I do not know that. I just know they'll come."
"Then you'll have to prepare for them."
"And in order to do that we need wood"
"Which brings us to our problem. I will not have you clearcutting my forest."
"This is where we get to an impasse. Odds are you're a magic user, anything you can think of that'll help us while leaving your forest alone?"
"Magic user?" The woman seems incredulous. "I am an earth spirit. I don't use magic, I am magic." She hesitates for a moment here. "If you need wood, I can provide it. But you must gather it carefully. If you take too much, too heedlessly, it will only damage you in the long run. You must be careful to only cut some of the trees in a given area, and leave enough to hold the soil together. Be especially careful about this on the hillsides, as they are vulnerable."
"And could you provide seeds so that we may grow more trees?"
She gives taric a strange look. "Gather them yourselves when you cut the trees down. Shouldn't be difficult."
"Another question. What sort of minerals are in the mountains to the west of here?"
Mostly rock-Granite, limestone, gabbro, a bunch of stones you have no name for, etc. There are a few deposits of ore-iron, copper, and some more things you have no name for."
"I'm curious about these unnamed stones. What are they like?"
She seems to darken visibly. "Your queries tire me, human. If you want to know more, go find them for yourself." She starts to turn away, then pauses. "Have we reached an agreement on your harvesting of wood?"
"I believe we have. So I bid you farewell, and if we meet again it's on friendly terms"
She turns and walks away into the forest.
Taric walked back to camp.
1 week passed
+3 wood (3 cut)
-1 food (4 hunted, 5 consumed)
+1 bag of seeds.
+3 Scouts, Horse Riders, Soldiers, Bow Profieciency
+3 horses
:
Your woodcutters finally have some luck, and find another copse of trees to the south. Your crafters work hard on a wagon.
1 week passed
+15 wood (18 cut, 3 used for wagons)
+1 wagon
-5 food (5 consumed)
:
Your builders and miners put a mine together, and even dig some stone in the process. Your farmers fail to find any useful animals. Your woodcutters manage find a nice copse of trees, and bring back several good logs. Your miners make a curious discovery- At the bottom of your mine, there is a large deposit of a strange rock. It has a flat green color, and is very low density. it also seems to be completely resistant to water. It has a smooth surface, even when cut, and seems surprisingly strong.
1 week passed
+1 mine
-9 wood (3 cut, 12 used for mine)
-6 stone (3 mined, 9 used for mine)
-5 food (5 consumed)
:
Your fields are looking wonderful. The wheat is strong and golden, and will be ready to harvest in a few more weeks. The lentils are coming up strong and numerous, and should add some protein to your diet over the winter. The garden is also lush and green. The planting goes well, and small shoots are soon sprouting all over the hills. Your workers put out a tremendous effort, and you soon have a compost pile and another field. They even manage to enrich the new field with fertilizer.
1 week passed
2 fields planted with wheat, one with mixed vegetables.
+1 compost pile
+1 field, enriched
+2 food (5 consumed, 7 from garden)
: Taric finds some lost scouts. Sillus makes an interesting discovery. All of your workers begin to grumble about the food rationing.
Status:
10 Fields (1 enriched & Fallow, 5 Wheat, 3 Lentils, 2 Garden)
1 Compost Pile
1 Archer-Post
1 Domicile (30 bedrooms)
1 carpenters workshop (15% done)
28 wood
Gaius, Taric, and Romulus camps distributed along the edges.
5x Soldier, Axe Proficiency, Lumberjack
5x Militia, Forager, Spear Proficiency
5x Militia, Hunter, Bow Proficiency
5x Laborers, Builders, Carpenters
3x Scouts, Horse riders, Soldiers, Bow Proficiency
1x Taric
5x Axes
5x Spears
5x Shortbows
1x Bastard sword
1x Wagon
69x Food, Preserved
5x Amphore of Fine Wine
4x Tents
2x Draft horses, wagon pullers
5 Laborer, Fishers, Farmers
5 Laborer, Builders, Landscapers
5 Laborer, Crafters, Woodworking
5 Laborer, Miners, Farmers
3 Wagon
4 Oxen
3 Bags Grain Seed
70 Food
5 Hoes
1 axe
1 spear
6 Fishing Rods
6 Pickaxes
1 Romulus Octavius - Fisher, Miner
2x Fields
1x Mine
1X Domicile (20 bedrooms)
4x Laborer/Builder/Carpenter
3x Laborer/Builder/Mason
2x Laborer/Builder/Engineer
6x Laborer/Gatherer/Farmer
3x Laborer/Gatherer/Lumberjack
3x Laborer/Gatherer/Miner
1x Sillus
2x wagons
4x oxen, pulling wagons
5x barrels
5x bags of grain seed
4x cow
58x food, field rations
8x plow
10x shovel
10x axe
5x Bow/arrows
5x Stone
19x Wood
*17 laborers, gatherers, farmers.
*3 laborers, builder, landscapers
*1 Poppaea Sabina, wife, annoying
*Brutus and Julius (Laborers, Menservants)
*1 Gaius Julius
*3 Wagons
*6 Oxen
*15 Amphore of Fine Wine
*3 Marble Statues
*2 Plough
*4 Axes
*3 Shovels
*3 Bags of Seeds
*15 Barrels of preserved food (Total: 57 food units.)
Author
Topic: Through the Misty Pass - A Multiplayer-vs-world TBS Text Adventure (Read 12513 times)