.
Thanks, Brad. That is very good to know.
Year 10
Of course, the large Mead Hall was not complete in time for the new year celebration, since it was so large and needed a lot of trees cut down. The market store was finished (from Kid’s Granny Neighborhood), but could only be staffed part-time, since there was so much other work to do.
Keeping up with enough tools, wood and food was becoming difficult, especially tools. Some felt the village was expanding too quickly. When two more people showed up in the summer, they were told to try again next year. More workers would be a big help, but then another home would need to be built, needing more wood, more tools, more food…. So, it was decided there would be no more newcomers for now, except for the new babies- two of them.
Justy the Trader came back with the order for a bible and barley seeds. A few were excited about building a church, but more were excited about planting the barely, to then be able to make ale.
A small Kid Fish n Ships cabin was built for Hobert and Nett, leaving the ghoati free. But, it wasn’t free for long. Hustony and Permela’s daughter Tell arrived from the city, a young lady now. She wanted to move out from her parents’ home, so instead of having her live alone in the city, Hustony and Permela arranged with Ibraham and Larabel for them to keep their eye on her in the village. Tell was not technically a newcomer, since she essentially grew up in the village. She liked it there, except for her old childhood friend Lannine calling her Bog Girl, due to Tell’s having gotten stuck in a bog years ago.
By year’s end, there were 29 villagers, 12 being children.
[I really need to slow things down. Now there are shortages of several things, especially tools. Since we can only have one smith in the Smithy, I built a small Kid small workplace smith to help with toolmaking, while the smith from the Smithy made iron bars.
The picture shows the first area developed. I gave the sheep a covering so they can get out of driving rain or snow. I added some deco trees and plants. There are three different kinds of deco birch trees and fir trees- Necora’s, Kid’s and Red Ketchup’s. Red’s are the same as Tom is using in The North. The building at the bottom right is Kid’s market store from Granny Neighborhood.]
Year 11
The year was mostly spent cutting trees, iron work, preserving food, processing wool, and gathering anything that could be gathered. After the shortages experienced last year, efforts were made to try to get a good amount of everything stored.
The Mead Hall and church were partly constructed, but were waiting on more iron fittings and tar to be completed. The iron working was going slowly. It’s not like iron could be picked up off the ground. There was still enough iron ore to be found in the several bogs in the area, but, of course, it had to be smelted. The tar was slow to produce. Production has been stopped for a while, so there would be more workers to cut down the great many trees needed.
On the positive side, the barley crop was a great success. It wasn’t going to be made into ale yet, not until the Mead Hall was finished, but the villagers appreciated some mushroom barley soup.
Not necessarily a positive was the small lot cleared for a cemetery next to where the church is being built. Everyone hoped it wouldn’t be needed for a great many years, but it was good to have now, just in case.
“I can’t wait for the Mead Hall to be finished, so we can have our New Year party indoors from now on, with plenty of room, and warmth,” Belina said, while waiting to get some food from the tables that had been set up in the center of the Thingstead.
“It will be, for sure,” Tell replied. “It’s almost done now. Maybe my parents will come back here then, at least for the New Year party next year. The hotel should be built by then, too.”
[Picture shows party at the Thingstead. Necora’s coverings were used. The tables and matching half benches are Kid’s, as are the food and the deco people. Some of the deco people are in his Forest Trader mod, and the rest are from Kid’s Workshop mod.]
Year 12
The church was completed, and benches and flowers were added to the cemetery. For now, it would serve as a small park.
“Finally, the Mead Hall is ready!” exclaimed Tell. “I think I will catch a ride with the next trader, to go visit my parents and try to convince them to come back here. By the time I, hopefully we, get back, the hotel should be ready for guests.”
Tell did take the trip and was back a month later. But instead of her parents and all her siblings, she returned with Wilhelma. There was some gossip when they started living together, but seemingly not as brother and sister. Tell announced one day that even though Permela and Hustony were both their parents, she was adopted, so it wasn’t a problem.
[This game does not keep track of siblings! Tell moved out of her family home first, into a small house, and when she hit 16 years old, her 17 year- old brother moved in with her. Then she had a baby later on. Oh my!
Picture shows mead hall with barley field, church and small cemetery.]
Year 13
“It’s remarkable how much has been accomplished here during the years Permela and I were gone!” Hustoney exclaimed during the new year party in the Mead Hall bar and restaurant. “These Viking Age replica buildings make it worth taking the trip from the city, aside from visiting my children Tell and Wilhelma. What a fun way to spend the new year celebration!”
Now that there was a market; a trading dock being a regular stop by merchants; a church; a restaurant with a bar; more houses; crop fields; a pottery workshop; additional people; and a hotel, Permela and Hustony decided they would like to move back. They would run the hotel.
By the end of summer, Permela and Hustony had finished building a small riverside park in front of the Longhouse Hotel, including a small boat dock. They added an outdoor games area in back of the hotel next the Thingstead, with arrow shooting and ax throwing target practice, and tug-of-war with a long rope. Now that the villagers were meeting in the Mead Hall, the Thingstead was part of the recreation area for relaxing, singing songs and telling stories.
Two of the villagers came down with scarlet fever late in the year, but thanks to the herbalist’s knowledge, they didn’t take overly long to recover.
Long term plans for the village included a hospital, in case serious medical care would be needed in the future. It was hoped that with all the upgrades to the village, a doctor would be interested living in this very small, rural village.
[The first picture shows the riverside park in front of the Longhouse Hotel. The second picture shows the games recreation area. The target and weapons rack are from Red Ketchup’s Training Camp mod.]
Year 14
About a third of last year’s cabbage crop died in the cold before it could be harvested. Since only one person could be spared to farm that plot, it was slightly reduced in size. There was a barn next to the field, and the farmer’s house was across the road, so that wasn’t the problem.
Two of last summer’s guests at the Long House Hotel came back in the late spring to live in the village permanently, and one of them was a preacher, so now the church could be run properly.
There was a case of diphtheria early autumn. Fortunately, it stayed limited to one child. Everyone was in good health now, thanks to the greater varieties of food and the herbalist, but of course, the afflicted person stayed isolated until no longer contagious. Also, all the adults had been previously vaccinated before they wound up in this out of the way place. Word was sent out for a doctor to come to the town to at least hold a vaccination clinic for all the children, if not stay on permanently.
There were still cabbages to be harvested at the start of winter that could be saved with an effort, but Adelber, the farmer, quit working and went off idling. Gastoney noticed and was very annoyed and suspected that was the problem with last year’s cabbage crop. He stayed up late into the night carving a large log.
The next morning, when Adelber walked outside, he saw a stern Norse god carving in front of his house. “What the heck is this!? Who did this?”
“I don’t know,” his wife Laven said, “but I’d say it was a message that you need to finish picking the cabbages before they die. We sure don’t want to be asked to leave due to food shortages because of you!”
It was too late for the remaining cabbages, which froze overnight. A meeting was called to address situations in the village. Aside from workers not finishing their work, it was revealed that there was a serious lack of new clothing. Too much time had been spent with building new buildings quickly, pulling workers from their usual jobs, at the expense of other needed tasks. Someone was appointed to keep a close eye on stocking of items. People had gotten overly confident the year there were excesses of most things.
Most fortunately, the Sami trader arrived during the coldest part of winter selling the very warm reindeer parkas. Eighteen were purchased. It wasn’t enough for everyone, but enough for those working outdoors. Gastony just knew the Norse god statue he put in front of the trading dock had something to do with what they needed arriving so quickly. It wasn’t the first time that happened.
Adelber worked very hard over the winter gathering firewood and in general, being very productive until it was time for planting again. He noticed old Norse god statues in various places around town, and felt that he was personally being watched and judged. He was determined to restore the town’s peoples’ opinion of him.
[I got too excited to build Tom’s wonderful buildings, such as the Mead Hall, Church and Longhouse, that I pulled people from other jobs, thinking I had enough of everything. I did have enough at one time, but they just keep eating and wearing out their clothes, plus more people were born. It took longer than I thought for maybe three guys to cut down the hundred trees the Mead Hall needs. I found one person in rags! It must have a nomad I accepted, but still, there should have been nice new clothes in the shop.
I should have used the Norse God idling posts much sooner. Those are perfect for my exact situation of the lazy farmer. Maybe my full cabbage crop could have been saved. I’m sticking those things all over town now.
First picture is of lazy Adelber’s nice frame house, with the watchful Norse god. He’ll also be getting a well next to his house whenever I can get rope from a trader. Maybe he will then stick near his cabbage field. He didn’t even come back to pick up those two containers of picked cabbages.
The second picture is early spring at the outdoor dining area of the Mead Hall Restaurant and Bar. The well there is from Discrepancy, but it doesn’t give a radius. I am assuming it is the same as the vanilla wells.]
Year 15
Spring came and it was time to plant. Adelber convinced his wife to take over the cabbage plot, since he just didn’t want to do it. He preferred being laborer, doing a variety of jobs.
Laven apparently wasn’t overly dedicated to farming either, and went off idling more than once, even though there was a Norse god Idol next to the crop plot. Apparently, it was not her preferred God, since she went a ways further to a different Norse idol. Most of the cabbages did get harvested, but with more effort they all could have been.
After 15 years, Ibrahim and Larabel were finally in a position to upgrade their turf house. However, it was taking so long. An Izba was under construction for their daughter Lannine, who was now an 18 year old adult. But, still having three young children, Ibrahim and Larabel moved into the Izba, which was completed first. Lannine was fine to stay in the hotel a while longer.
“We should have started out with a simple log cabin, instead of a turf house,” Larabel complained. “Yes, it was insulated rather well, but to remodel it entailed a rebuild anyway. Fifteen years until we finally got a nice house- fifteen years!”
A well was dug, to be shared with their neighbors. Since no traders recently had any rope, instead of waiting for who knows how long, they made a primitive rope from the inner bark fibers of dead trees. It was working fine for immediate needs.
The turf house upgrade was completed, but the workers put the door in the wrong place. A section of fence had to be taken down, another section rebuilt, and a new path to the door made. It was very annoying, causing unnecessary labor.
“We have got to build a school!” Lannine stated forcefully. “I don’t know if workers are drinking too much ale, didn’t learn to measure or read directions correctly, but something Is not going right.”
New rules for alcoholic consumption were instituted, and plans for a school were drawn up. Before starting to build, workers had to pass a test.
The year ended with new houses, but, another tool shortage.
[Upgrading the turf house is a nice idea, but we don’t get to choose which style of log house, unfortunately. So, Lannine’s annoyance was a reality. I think there should be a simple log cabin option at the start with no need for glass or pottery, that later on can be upgraded to a better log cabin with glass. It really didn’t make sense in my woodland area for the people to have to start out with a turf house, before they got to make or buy pottery or glass to be able to have a log house.
The average health is 4 ½ hearts, which is good. But happiness is still at three stars, even for people living in the circles for sauna, well, market, church and mead hall, probably because those people are in turf houses. Maybe tool shortages bother them, as well.
Picture one shows an overview of the town when the new year just started, so it is end of year 15.
Picture 2 is Lannine’s log cabin, after she had to replant the foundation plants.]
Year 16
Work was not very efficient the first half of the year, due to the tool shortage. A trader had iron bars, which were put to use immediately, saving the steps of finding, then processing iron ore, but it still took a very long time for enough tools to be made.
There was also a food shortage. Crayfish were found in the stream which provided additional food, but it still wasn’t enough. All non-essential work was stopped so more people could gather wild foods, hunt and help with the crops. Many sheep were slaughtered, reducing the flock from 21 down to 12.
Pulling the brewer from making ale to help with the food gathering, and also to use the barely for food instead of ale, wound up with no alcohol at all by mid-year. There was dissatisfaction. But, people were being fed- there was plenty of mutton.
Three goats were purchased from the trader, and some food. The addition of milk to the diets was welcomed, as was the thought of making cheese in the future. They were kept in the vacant area next to Adelber and Laven’s house, until land could be cleared for a larger pasture. By the end of the year, there were six goats.
A doctor, and her husband, arrived to administer vaccinations to the children, as requested after the diphtheria outbreak over a year ago. They were persuaded to stay on with a promise of medical office to be built soon. They admired the herbalist’s small herb garden, but felt herbs were best used in cooking, not for cures.
“All our crops were fully harvested this year, for the first time ever! And we even have that additional new rye field, “Ibrahim remarked to his son, Gastony. “I don’t know if it was the weather, more motivation or the lack of ale- with no one going to work hung over- to account for it, but it sure is great.”
“It’s the Norse god idols,” Gastony said, while working on another one. “I have been putting them all over town. Have you also noticed how the large the cabbages are? These things really work!“
Once enough food and firewood were procured, the school was finally built. The children of the village were happy with the playground built behind it.
Things were finally going well again. The only annoyance at the end of the year was that someone kept storing wool and wadmal in the tool shed. Despite announcements at town meetings, and signs put up on the door of tool shed, someone kept doing it.
[If I had remembered that in The North, the gatherers only find fallen branches in the winter, my food shortage might not have been as bad. I also didn’t figure out cray fishing until this game year.
Tom explained in another post that the tool shed wound up being flagged to accept textiles, so it wasn’t a problem with my load order making something unexpected happen.
I almost wound up with a clothing shortage, since I forget to switch the campfire hunter over from roasting meat to making hide capes. But, I noticed in time.
First picture shows the goats, from Red Ketchup’s Goats as Livestock mod, and the giant cabbages. I must not have grown cabbages in a long time, as I can’t get over how huge they are!
Second picture shows, on the right side, the school from Kid’s Swamp Houses mod, and the playground behind it, from Kid’s Granny Park mod. Also shown is the herbalist garden, from Kid’s The Settler’s mod.]
Years 17 and 18
The medical office was completed year 17, which was a great asset to the village. The doctor had a small gasoline powered generator delivered so that the x-ray machine could work for times when it might be necessary to know whether or not a patient needed to travel to the city hospital for treatment. The generator was also used to charge two way radios kept in select areas of the town, so that the doctor could be summoned quickly in case of an emergency.
“I wish we could have a generator,” Tiacielo said longingly, while washing clothes with a hand crank washing machine. “It would be great to have an electric washing machine, and maybe a video player. I miss watching movies.”
“What’s a video player, and what are movies?” asked her eight year-old son, who was born in the isolated village.
“I guess it’s just as well that you don’t know,” Tiacielo replied. “It’s better for you to be outside playing, using your imagination. At least we have battery operated lights.”
By the end of year 18, the tannery was completed and in operation. The tailor was able to make warm winter clothing from the leather, combined with wadmal and sheepskin.
During those years, gathering and producing needed goods took most of the time. Things were always on the brink of being in short supply, except for wadmal.
[I don’t think I am playing the best way, since I am always having shortages of one thing or another. But, they are all still alive.
The picture shows the health center at the top, from Kid’s Row Houses- Business mod.]
