Intro
This is the 36th story in the Smallville Series and tells the tale of another group of descendants of the ancestors who taught the old ways of survival and conservation to the Smallville founders. They are descendants of those Elven ancestors who first taught Santa's reindeer how to fly. This group of wood elves founded a secret settlement hidden away in the winter woodlands of the far north, northeast of where Pumpkin Hollow and Aspenglow would later be settled. Crystal Canyon was settled roughly the same time as Smallville but was not on the world map until now when you discovered its secret location. You are also about to discover a new mod by Kid, which will be released after this preview story ends. The mod is called Fairy Tale and it is truly magical. :)
Map is #991789157 Valley, Small, Mild, disasters Off, Medium Fairy Tale Start (5 Families)
Mods enabled and load order:
Starting and Map Changing Mods: Call of Nature Soundtrack, Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC light Rain, Landscape Nordic, DS Roads, New Flora Edit
Tweak Mods: Better Fields, Better Stock Piles, Better Stock Pile Storage, Bigger Wheelbarrows, Fishing Dock 25%, Hunting, Increased CC, Long Living Orchards, 1:1 Alternative, Rock Respawn, Woodcutter +3
Major or Must Have Mods: An Empty Square, Kid Fairy Tale, Kid Tiny, NMT3 Pond
Supporting Mods: Campfire, DS Bridge Crossing, DS Tunnels, EB Small Storage, Storage Crates
Yes, weary traveler, it is quite frightening to be caught and held in place by one of our Tree Fellows. They are the guardians of our forest and our settlement. They are afterall dendroids of might and magic and you were trespassing where you should not have been. I will gladly tell you anything you want to know but of course you will not remember any of it when you go, and go you must. Unless you can prove that you are a purebred wood elf, you will have to go. Breeding purebred wood elves was the main reason our settlement was founded to begin with. I'll start there, at the beginning ...
:) :) :)
This will be fun!
A Happy New Year
@Abandoned and to all! :)
:) Great mod
@kid1293 I will take my Santa hat off to you :) but not until next year :)
Quote from: Abandoned on December 31, 2018, 08:37:44 AM
(http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2818.0;attach=33849)
(http://shrani.si/f/3K/fV/2gcj5V9M/sarumanwormtongue.jpg)
;D
:D Happy New Year
@Gatherer ;D
Edit, adding picture missing from above post.
And to you too
@Abandoned :)
I wish you lots of great health and many more ideas for new stories.
:)
Chapter 1
My name is Evetter and my husband is Danning. We were one of the five families specially selected and transported here by the Elven Council of Elders. We were all educated purebred wood elves gathered together from the Winter Woodlands. Our purpose was to establish a settlement and produce a community of purebred elves well educated in all the old ways. The tragedy, caused by careless loggers that destroyed the families of our Smallville relatives, was proof enough to the Elven Council that there were not enough protectors of the forest.
The Elven Council chose our secluded location carefully. By all outward appearances, should we be discovered, we were just another woodland settlement. We were instructed not to allow anyone else to remain here under any circumstances. Our children must be purebred wood elves and we must teach them well in all things Elven. Our education rate must remain at 100%. We were provided with basic necessities and a Tree of Leaflets on whose leaves we could record our vital statistics and store those records inside the tree itself.
We got to work immediately building houses and supplementing our food supply. A fallen tree provided a natural fishing spot and we collected wild forest foods and branches for firewood as was our Elven way. We found berries, mushrooms, onions, roots, wild oats, rosehips, herbs, and flax. I loved our mountain house, the view of the canyon from the upstairs windows was spectacular. Another mountain house and a school was built close by. No child must miss starting school.
By late summer all 5 families had a home and two babies were born, another son to Rohann and Collee, and a daughter to Danning and me. We named her Adlinett. She should have no trouble finding a mate when she becomes of age, 5 of the 11 children were boys. We were off to a good start.
Those are some fine looking houses.
Chapter 2
That 1st year we built a blacksmith by the storage barn and stockpile. We needed iron tools and coats. We had a small amount of flax but here in the north we needed warm coats. There is of course no better hunter than an Elven archer and the area contained bears for meat and furs, grouse for game and down, plus elk and reindeer for venison and leather.
We planted a small field of corn earlier in the year without much hope that it would produce well here in this cold climate. It was not the enchanted corn that would make reindeer fly. The small harvest was barely completed before the temperature dropped. The sun was far to the south and the shadows were long this time of year. The 1st snowfall was in autumn and we needed more firewood. We gathered all the branches we could find to tide us over until the woodcutter could begin cutting logs.
By spring of year 2, I was working as tailor in the small workshop making warm coats of hides and down. It was close to home and I could have Adlinett there with me. Our 2nd child was on the way. It didn't look like it but we knew it was spring when 2 bears with a cub passed through town. The harmed no one and no one harmed them, Elves have a way with animals that no one can deny.
That summer a lot of attention was given to gathering wild foods, after all we had a lot of young children to feed. In the north woods a mother tree was discovered that would serve as forester. Our workforce was small and until needed back in town, the smith would act as forester. Our school still did not have its 1st students and it would be several years after that before we had more workers but the future of Crystal Canyon looked promising.
Does North Landscape affect weather too?
Yes, it must. I chose Mild but it gets very low temperatures, it snows in autumn, and the corn does not grow well. I am very glad the New Flora Edit works well with it. I love the angle of the sun and the long shadows of the North. There is less snow than in Aspenglow ;D
yeah, the mild north setting is like colder than a medium normal setting. 1 thing i did notice in soe quick tests i ran is the pastures were a bright green with the nordic landscape map.its was a washed out flourescant green with no grass texture to it. that was with it above the RK,so might not affect with ther mods. at least i wanred ya. :)
Thanks for warning
@brads3 :) I just placed a fenceless pasture (in future chapter) and texture of grass is okay Nordic green. Are you still using that Season Fx mod? That would surely affect it I would think. I have yet to try that mod.
glad to hear it isn't affecting you. i tried it several ways. best i have is below the RK.it blends the bright grass with RED's terrains,looks like where RED has dirt the nordic grass fills in.did seem to have the north climate even with it below.only did some quick tests since i was in mid-game already. next game is goina be ots of tests with RED's updates.
Good luck with that :)
Chapter 3
Before the end of year 2, a tunnel was dug through the mountain near our house, there was a lot of branches and stone to be had just on the other side. A tree fellow came out of the forest to guard the entrance. No one would get past him to go where they shouldn't, as you well know, weary traveler. I felt a lot safer when I was home alone with the children even though Danning was close by teaching at the school which now had 2 students. We had our 2nd daughter before the end of the year and Rohann and Collee, in the other mountain house, had their 3rd son. It was a difficult birth and fearing we would lose her, a small cemetery was built out behind the corn field. By spring of year 3 mother and child were doing fine.
It was a rainy spring and summer that year. The summer temperatures were in the low 70Fs but the rain was very cold. Clouds of mist would rise from the warm ground especially along the river bank. When it wasn't raining it was a pleasant walk along the river listening to the call of the cranes and checking on the progress of the Council Hall that was being built. It was hard to think of myself as a town elder and member of the town council when I was only in my teens.
In late summer of year 3 we had our 1st town council meeting. Although some time was spent discussing long range plans, the main topic was our food supply. Our corn harvest was very poor, only 214 ears that year, but it did provide us with some grain. 747 fish were caught from the fishing tree, a much better use of manpower. Across the river by the bend in the river would be another good fishing spot, although it was some distance from town. There were also several herds of reindeer and flocks of grouse on that side of the river. We needed more down for warm coats. It was agreed we needed a bridge and roads.
By late autumn a covered bridge was built across the river and a tree fellow made his way slowly from the forest to guard the exit on the other side. A stockpile and small storage shed were build on this side of the river and roadwork had begun. Getting around town would be quicker and easier next year.
Chapter 4
At the beginning of year 4 we discovered there were indeed several good hunting spots across the river as well as a lot of stone and branches to gather. There was another downed tree extending into the river that would make a good fishing tree, it was in the exact spot we would have wanted it. At that time we did not have a worker to spare, but as Danning suggested at the council meeting, it would not hurt to have workplaces ready and waiting for graduating school students. As our population increased so must our food production. At the end of the previous year, Danning and I had our 3rd daughter and Rohann and Collee had their 4th son.
While clearing a path around that fishing tree, several bears were spotted heading this way. We had not seen bears this close to town for 2 years. They did remain in forest however, crossing in front of mother tree and the foundation of a gatherer's tower that was being built. A tree fellow appeared and stayed in position as if guarding the builder and the bears. The gatherer's tower was completed in late spring of year 4 but would have no gatherer for quite awhile.
Although Crystal Canyon's population had grown to 25, there were still only us 10 adults to do the work. We had only one full-time laborer and wild foods were not being collected. Our food supply was dropping. With only one hunter we did not have enough down to make warm coats. We decided to build a trading post. The Elven Council told us that if the need arose for a trading post, they would send trustworthy boatmen our way. We lost a good portion of our corn crop before the trading post was complete. We hoped the following year would be better.
Quote from: Abandoned on January 04, 2019, 11:31:47 AM
The Elven Council told us that if the need arose for a trading post, they would send trustworthy boatmen our way.
Perhaps Kylandro will be seen again. ;)
:) Kylandro, the Legend :)
Chapter 5
In year 5, things did not get much better, but they did not get worse. The blacksmith stopped making tools and went to work stocking the trading post with firewood, linen clothes, and wild honey. We collected branches and wild foods when we could.
In spring our son, Hencere, was born. The town now had 10 adults and 16 children, 8 boys and 8 girls. Of the 16 children 5 were students, 1 was age 7, 1 was age 8, and 3 were age 9. It would be at least 2 years before the 3 oldest became educated workers. By late summer 2 more children started school.
In autumn Kenise the seed trader came to port. He had little to say and only had walnut tree seedlings to trade. We knew they would not do well in this climate so he was soon on his way. We had not planted the apple tree seedlings we had because we had no spare worker to plant or tend the trees. We doubted they would do much better than our corn crop in this cold climate with its short growing season.
Lamonty the hunter began complaining about the cold. He was cold and lonely by himself on the other side of the river waiting for the herds to show up. If he saw a reindeer herd and moved his hunting spot, the herd would then move somewhere else. The same with the grouse. He was very happy when we suggested he return to town and begin roasting some of the venison that was already in storage. If a herd showed up close by, he could easily set up a hunting spot temporarily. That winter he had the warmest workplace in town.
That mod Nordic Landscape has it's good and not so good.
It looks very nice but the climate is hard.
:) In some ways it feels like home up here in Sweden
where I sit and wait for warmth :)
food production is going to be troublesome. micro managing and starting harvest early can help. you would almost have to with orchards. what seems to hurt is low summer temps.crops stop growing when it drops much below 70.up there i have to use smaller field sizes and lots more of them too.
KID's gothic beekeeper would help with apples and honey.his greenhouses would help. maybe a granny park walnut tree.otherwise you are looking to eat lots of fish or do some fancy trading.
:) Aspenglow's climate more difficult :) snow and cold all year. This will be easier.
Chapter 6
In early spring of year 6, we debated whether or not to even plant the corn crop, it had done so poorly the year before, only 80 ears. It was our only grain except for the few wild oats we were able to find. With only 1 laborer the search area was limited to the immediate vicinity. The poor harvest convinced us that it was time to put our special location and our Elven knowledge to work.
Secluded in these northern mountains and winter woodlands lie Crystal Canyon and Crystal Creek, areas of natural beauty and wonder. The colorful surface crystals in the valley mark areas where crystals can be farmed. The surface crystals are best left where they are, but the ones just below the surface have absorbed the power of both the sun and the earth and are quite powerful. Some are suitable for constructing special buildings and some are powerful mana crystals necessary for Elven spellcasting. Elven magic was needed now.
We began some preliminary preparations by extending the tunnel road and building a stockpile and small storage shed. There were downed branches, stones, and trees to clear out of the way we wanted the road to extend. It was slow going due to lack of laborers even though work at the smith and tailor was halted. Corn harvesting was started and finished, it was better than last year but not good. Work had begun on the Crystal Garden so there was no time to gather wild foods. When the corn farmer finished harvesting the corn he went to work at the gatherer's tower. In that short time he would gather 384 wild foods compared to the 240 ears of corn he harvested the whole year.
The crystal garden was completed by the end of the year. A magical tree sprouted in the garden by the power of the mana crystals around a magical tree seed that had lain dormant in the ground for who knows how many years. The tree that grew was the magical tree that tree fellows sprang from. There was more magic to come.
Are those crystals spawning naturally outside the Crystal Garden or are they decorative?
Decorative only. I figured if I make a spawning crystal they would take away too many trees
and I don't know how many crystals there would be.
Chapter 7
Everyone at the spring of year 7 council meeting agreed we needed a hunting tower. Not one wild animal had come anywhere near our hunting spots last year, not a one. We only had a little roasted venison and a small amount of leather in storage. There was no game, down, or furs to be had. A hunting tower was needed but would be of little use without Elven bows. It was well-know throughout the land that the Elven bow was the best hunting bow to be had. What wasn't know was the fact that the Elven bows were enchanted with an Elven magic spell that not only insured accuracy but guaranteed that any arrow fired from it would cause no pain or suffering to the animal.
Each hunt from the hunting tower required an Elven bow. The bows were made from wood and vines in a spell tower where mana crystals were used to cast the enchantment spell which only last for one hunt. Our crystal garden was already producing mana crystals. A small trellis was set up to grow vines that when cut would be just the right length to string onto the bow. Now we just need to brush up on our spellcasting.
An outdoor magic school was constructed, outdoors was the safest place to learn and practice magic. Our Elven magic spellbook was brought out and place on a stone table. The book had a protection spell cast upon it to safeguard it from the elements. Elven children were taught basic magic spells at a young age, those that excelled in spellcasting became magicians.
We were ready to build a spell tower but first we needed to stop cutting wood and start making iron tools again. We would need to gather branches and wild foods, especially wild oats. We planted no corn crop that year. While out gathering in the magic forest, we discovered the most beautiful pond. It was not frozen, in fact the water was quite warm, no doubt warmed by the power of the magic crystals. The pond was in the deep shade cast by the towering pine trees but it seemed to have a magical glow around it. We looked forward to seeing the pond in spring.
Chapter 8
The pond was even more beautiful in spring of year 8. The colorful crystals glowed in the sun and their warmth in the cooler spring air created a magic mist, the same mist which could be seen all around the Crystal Creek side of town.
Construction of the spell tower began in spring and was completed in Summer. A magician would cast spells with mana crystals to create enchanted tools or Elven bows. We had plenty of wood on the stock piles and mana crystals and vines in storage. Katti had the most magical experience so she accepted the job of making and enchanting Elven bows. After a while Danning took over. I began teaching basic magic in the magic school next door.
One of the first magic spells taught to new students was the Elven summon fairy spell and as was typical there were soon several tiny fairies in the vicinity of the school. The new spellcasters were reminded repeatedly to be cautious of where and when they cast magic spells. Elven magic was powerful magic, it must be respected and it must not fall into the wrong hands.
In early winter Crystal Canyon's first school student, Stewardo, became an educated adult. We would have an extra worker and since we now had Elven bows on hand it was time to chose a location for the Elven Hunter tower. Not only would arrows fired from the enchanted bows be pain free and accurate but they would be very long range. The location of the tower could be closer to town. We decided to built the 1st tower close to where the bows were made and enchanted. The tower was completed by late winter and the new year looked promising.
This really is an interesting little mod.
:) It does have some very unique things added - it is fun to play with. :) And there's more :-X
Does that mist actually move as the tree leaves do?
yes, the mist is animated :)
Chapter 9
Heavenia, the livestock merchant, had arrived in late autumn of year 8. She had a message scroll from the Elven Council saying there were several groups of elves close by who were in need of crystals and bows. The scroll also said the river boatmen that came to call could be trusted with those items and this one was bringing sheep that the Council knew we needed. We knew this message scroll to be genuine because we recognized the Council's seal. We needed wool for warm coats so we wanted some of those sheep. It was late winter before we had enough items to trade for 3 of the sheep. The crystals had a trade value of 4 and the Elven bows 20.
We traded only 3 of the bows because in spring of year 9 our Elven hunter working in the tower needed a steady supply of bows. Two student, Lise and Tenise, became adults so we had a herdsman to tend the sheep that were in the fenceless pasture where the corn field used to be. The other student went to work in the tailor shop making warm coats with leather and down from the new hunter tower. We collected wild foods and branches to replace the firewood we had traded for the sheep.
In Autumn we looked over our inventory records in the Tree of Leaflets. We may have traded away too many of our crystals, but we had vines and some bows. We would need to make more iron tools soon. We had some wild oats. We needed more of a lot of things and we needed more workers.
By winter of year 9 another student finished school and became an adult. Crystal Canyon would continue to progress.
why do you keep scarying me with those trees?
;D Scaring you with trees? Look closely, tree fellow is smiling ;D He is big friendly tree ;D
Quote from: brads3 on January 09, 2019, 11:59:35 AM
why do you keep scarying me with those trees?
Perhaps he thinks you're an Orc. :P
:)
Chapter 10
At the beginning of year 10 Crystal Canyon still had a population of 26 but instead of only 10 adults we had 14. There were 9 school students and only 3 young children. That number would change soon, we began building new houses for young couples. The large houses would hold a family of six. Steward and Tenise moved into the first new mountain house that was built and Lise moved into the ground level house nearby. We hoped she too would have a mate and there would be newborns in the 2 new houses. Their parents were still young enough to have more children. There would also be more couples starting out and needing homes, of the 9 students 3 were age 12 and 1 was 11, they would soon be adults.
Until those students joined the workforce we still had job juggling to do. The tailor stopped working until we would have more down or wool. Early in the year a lamb was born so in the future we could expect more wool. The blacksmith returned to work only long enough to replenish our supply of tools. The trader would take one of those jobs or become a woodcutter or laborer once he had the trading post restocked with trade goods. We had a large surplus of wild honey which we hoped to trade for grain.
In late autumn our workforce consisted of 2 laborers, 1 builder, 3 workers (a vine grower, crystal harvester, and Elven hunter), 1 magician, 1 herdsman, 1 gatherer, 1 fisherman, 1 forester, 2 teachers, and 1 trader.
In winter 3 babies were born. Stewardo and Tenise had their first daughter, Stewardo's parents had their 5th son, and Lise's parents had a new son also. As hoped, Tenise's twin brother moved in with Lise. It was hoped that the twins' parents would have more children now that they were alone in the small house by the fishing tree. Year 10 ended with Crystal Canyon having a population of 29, 14 adults, 11 students, and 4 young children with more on the way.
Do you people want crystals to spawn in nature?
They do look good when placed as decoration :)
I don't know how to make them grow just a few.
Maybe someone have the numbers.
2 teachers for 11 students..... must be bad elves.
;D Have to have someone teach them magic ;D not to mention shorter travel distance and less chance of overlooking overcrowding and a student missing school and education rate dropping below goal of 100% education rate. :)
Chapter 11
With our population increasing it was again time to assess our food supply. Fishing and hunting were both good. Our 1 Elven hunter brought in a fair amount of bear, game, and venison along with leather, furs, and down. Our gatherer also brought in a good amount of wild foods considering the large area of land to cover. Both hunting and gathering totals could be improved if the workers lived closer to their workplaces or if another worker was added to each location.
Our population increased again in late spring of year 11, Constanley and Anabell were no longer alone in the small house by the fishing tree, they had another son names Robertie, and their son Eastoney and his wife, Lise, also had a son they named Fernandon. We had more children than adults, 17 children and 14 adults. In late summer 3 students became adults and the numbers reversed, we then had 17 adults and 14 children. No matter how you looked at the numbers there were a lot of mouths to feed and our overall health was a little low probably because of a shortage of grain in our diet.
The only way we were going to get enough grain in this climate was by growing it in a greenhouse. First we would need compost to enrich the soil and we would need crystals to build the greenhouse. The crystal glass would not only absorb the sunlight but would heat the greenhouse with it's own radiant warmth. The magician in the spell tower would have to stop enchanting bows so we would have enough crystals.
We chose the other side of the river to build our compost heap. There was room there for the greenhouse, a small shed, and a house or two. We had a surplus of onions to add to the compost heap. The days were short, the shadows were long, the weather was cold, and we had heavy snow. Work was slow. Another baby was born. Our tool supply was getting low, but worked continued.
Compost heap!!! ;D And a round greenhouse. :) There's so much different stuff in this mod!
:)
Chapter 12
By spring of year 12 we already had a nice amount of compost and the greenhouse was almost complete. Dentony moved into the nearby house as soon as it was completed and was already looking for a wife to start a family with. By early summer we were growing corn in the greenhouse. We transplanted some flowers into the greenhouse with wild bees to pollenate crops that we could grow that would need pollenating. The corn plants only needed the pollen to drop from the tassels unto the corn silks below to produce an ear full of corn kernels. We would be able to grow strawberries, beans, cabbage, corn, oats, potatoes, pumpkin, or squash inside our greenhouse. We could add some of those crops back into the compost heap, as well as wild foods, herbs, or even vines not needed for bow making. By early autumn we already had 308 ears of corn and the crop could be grown year round.
Once the greenhouse had the needed building materials, the magician returned to the spell tower to make more bows. He had been working temporarily as a second worker in the crystal garden. We had enough crystals on hand to build another greenhouse as soon as we would have another spare worker. The magic school still had only one student but by the end of the year 2 more babies had been born. Crystal Canyon's population was 34, 18 adults, 8 students, and 8 young children.
So looking at those pictures I see we need 4 units of food to create 8 units of compost.
How much compost for how much food? How much food per worker? How much net gain per year per one worker?
I kept 8 as input in greenhouse
8 compost= 20-28 food out. (most have those numbers)
It is a bit slow in producing but works all year.
24 net units of food per batch for an educated worker is not so shabby. We do need yearly output report per one worker though.
@Gatherer in next chapter a screenshot shows total corn for this year was 700 - the greenhouse was not producing from the beginning of this year. In a later chapter I have a year total of 1736 with 2 workers for part of that year. Two factors affect total, supply of materials delivered to compost heap and time and steady supply of compost to the greenhouse. My totals may be low.
Chapter 13
By spring of year 13 we had an herbalist build in the forest not far from the gatherer's tower and by late summer our overall health had improved to 100%. Whether the improvement was due to the herbalist or the corn in our diets we did not know. By early autumn our food surplus had greatly improved.
Our surplus of tools was very good but we could use more warm coats. The blacksmith workshop was closed and the tailor went back to work. By studying our inventory leaflets we saw we were low on leather. Our campfire worker would have to watch for a nearby herd of reindeer. Our surplus of onions was now low so we would compost vines instead. We had no fruit. We now had flour from our new mill. The miller could make flour from corn, wheat, oats, or wild oats.
We could build another greenhouse to grow strawberries but we did not have enough workers or compost to support another one. We needed our grain. Our solution was to use our Elven magic and mana crystals to summon food. We would build a magical garden on the Crystal Canyon side of town.
Chapter 14
The magical garden and a house nearby were completed by late spring of year 14 and our magician went to work using crystals to cast spells to summon an assortment of fruits, nuts, and wild foods. A magical mist hovered over the garden. We would need to keep a close eye on our supply of Elven bows, when it got low our magician would have to return to the spell tower to replenish the supply. We still had no workers to spare.
Our food production was now evenly distributed between the 3 sections of town. The Crystal Canyon side had the hunter tower and magical garden, the main part of town had fishing tree, sheep, and gatherer, and across the river was the greenhouse and miller. Soon there would be fresh baked bread from the new Baker shop. We could increase our corn production by adding another worker to the greenhouse and supply it with more compost. A second compost heap was added by late autumn. Decomposing vegetables and vines generated their own heat, turning the piles with a fork hastened the process. A properly tended compost heap generated heat but no odors. It was not a bad job to have in the winter.
In early spring of year 15, we again had more children than adults but we were confident in our ability to feed our citizens in the coming years. Our second compost heap was supplying us with more than enough compost for our greenhouse. We could add an additional worker to the greenhouse or build another for more food variety. The magical garden gave us a nice variety of fruit, nuts, and vegetable. We could always build another as long as we had enough workers and crystals. Likewise with the Elven hunting tower. The beautiful pond and the fishing tree across the river had no fisherman yet. We could easily provide for a growing population.
Each year now 1 or 2 students became adults and joined the workforce and 3 or 4 babies were born. In early autumn of year 15 Crystal Canyon had a population 45, 21 adults, 5 students, and 19 young children. Every year now we needed to build a house or 2 for young couple who wanted to start families of their own.
Chapter 15
That winter of year 15 a new house was built across the river by the bakery and another near the magic garden.
In early spring of year 16 as the weather warmed, bears could be seen playing in the nearby forests. Several lingered too close to town across the river. A 2nd hunting tower was build there as well as a second greenhouse. Work was delayed on another house by the persistent presence of one large brown bear. Some thought it was the smell of the herb bread the baker was now making that kept the bear there. Residents were warned "don't feed the bear."
We were happy when the bear finally wandered off. We felt more secure growing strawberries in the new greenhouse, bears like strawberries. Another worker was assigned to the first greenhouse and our harvest of corn greatly increased. The previously low harvest total was due mostly to the fact that both compost bins and the bow-making magician were using vines. There was a shortage of vines and the amount of compost available for the greenhouse was low. Composting our surplus of roots instead of vines increased our production of compost and in turn our corn harvest.
Year 17 consisted mainly of work and routine chores, collecting downed branches, wild oats when we spotted them, and keeping an eye on supplies to workplaces. The only new construction was the butcher shop by the sheep pasture. We would have mutton sausages as soon as we had a worker to make them.
that is just Yogi he doesnt bother anyone.he showed up at one of the forts before and swam around in the lake eating fish.even my hunters didnt scare him. he is apt to come back and visit you might stay a few years even
;D Ah Yogi, he is smarter than the average bear ;D maybe his little friend BooBoo Bear will show up next ;D
Chapter 16
In early spring of year 18 Crystal Canyon only had 4 students, 1 of the 4 attended magic school. It would be a few years before 1 of these 4 became an adult but there were quite a few more young children that would be starting school soon. Because of the new magic student a few more summoned fairies appeared around that part of town. Even though we would have no spare worker for a few more years, we took the opportunity to build a nectar press. We had a surplus of both wild berries and strawberries and that was likely to continue. Adults would be able to sit in the shade, or in the sun if they preferred, and enjoy a bottle of fresh fruit nectar, and Elven treat.
Years 19 through 21 were fairly route. As predicted more children became students. Our production level remained high, no doubt due to our 100% education rate. We built a 3rd school because several children across the river would be reaching school age very soon. We still had far more children than adults. Crystal Canyon's population of pure-bred Elves at the end of year 21 was 65, 26 adults, 15 students, and 23 young children. We wondered what population we must reach before the Elven Council considered us a successful thriving settlement of Elves.
Chapter 17
During year 22 we built another small storage unit in each of the 3 sections of town. As expected more children were born and more children became students. The new school across the river had 2 students, the first school in the main part of town was filled to capacity having 10 students attending, and our magic school now had 8 students and as expected more summoned fairies began appearing around that side of town.
We knew it would not be long before a few of the students became adults and would want homes of their own. Over the next few years we would build more large houses for big families, something we should have done from the start. With larger houses the couples would not have hesitated to have more children and our population would have grow faster.
In year 24 a problem occurred which we did not expect. In early autumn a group of bears took up residence in our tunnel. We took it as a sign that we would have a very cold winter. We hoped the bears would find another place to shelter because they could not remain in our tunnel. Sleeping bears can be unpredictable if their winter nap is disturbed. Tree fellow came to the rescue and gently convinced the bears to move on. Tree fellow did the same when later that winter a herd of elk also sought shelter in the tunnel. Winter that year was indeed very cold.
Clearly you hunters are underperforming!
;D The tunnel was there for 20 years, now the animals decide to start using it ;D ?
Chapter 18
During year 25, several students became adults bringing our total to 34 and providing us with more laborers, 9 in all. We had 20 families but only 15 houses. In year 26, when a herd of deer this time passed through our tunnel we thought perhaps we had built one of the new houses on their grazing land. Being wood elves we show respect for the forest and the animals and do our best not to infringe upon either. The latest house to be built was near the nectar press, and it was not responsible for route change.
With extra laborers now we assigned one to fish from the fishing tree across the river and another to fish from the beautiful pond. Callas was happy to do so, she had only recently become an adult and moved into the new house built by the pond. Fishing was not nearly as good from the small pond as it was from the 2 fishing spots on the river but it did add variety to the diet of those living in the Crystal Canyon side of town.
The extra laborers allowed us to have 2 builders instead of 1 and the new mountain house in the main part of town near the woodcutter was build in record time. Gathering branches and wild foods was also done much faster. When the compost bins were short of other materials to compost, the laborers quickly gathered more mushrooms and onions nearby.
We still needed more house at the end of year 28. Crystal Canyon had 18 houses and 28 families, with a population of 80 citizens, 45 adults, 20 students, and 15 young children.
One year later in late winter of year 29, Crystal Canyon had 23 houses and 29 families, the population had risen to 86 citizens, 48 adults, 18 students, and 20 young children.
build a big big fire and stop the frigid cold from coming please. you can keep the snow too.
:) We have winter storm warning issued here now and will be followed by frigid cold, sorry but it is headed your way. I think it was meant for you, I am just in the way. ;D ;D ;D
foot and a haf then below zero temps.i ain't goin no wheres for days.
oh my gosh, a foot and a half, that is a lot more than we are expecting - maybe 4 inches but could be more with lake effect if wind switches a bit. I don't think I will mind the cold too much as long as we get some sun. It has been very cloudy the last 2 -3 months.
Stay warm :)
you can keep more than 4" for us. better yet keep the sub zero temps.
:) If only it would work that way, I would keep a few more.
Chapter 19
The winter of year 29 was very cold and there was a lot of snow. In early spring of year 30 there was yet another heavy snowfall that was followed by a sudden rise in temperature and heavy rain. Both the river and Crystal Creek's water level rose. We pulled the fisherman off the fishing trees for their own safety. We feared a flood. And then the rainbow appeared in the east and we were in awe of its beauty. And then to our amazement 2 rainbows appeared over Crystal Creek in the west, a rare occurrence indeed. Rarer yet was the fact that these 3 rainbows did not fade away as rainbow always do. They stayed with us and were a constant reminder of the old Elven legend of the Great Flood.
Legend has it that the great Elven God was angry at how evil man had become, and planned to destroy them with the Great Flood. He wanted a pair of every animal saved and had a huge ship built. Then he made it rain. After the flood waters receded he placed his rainbow in the sky as a reminder of the promise he made to never again destroy the whole world with water. Elven Legends say the unicorns disappeared from the earth during that flood and there was nothing the wood elves could do to save them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NIP0KDG5AE
We wood elves do everything we can to help protect the wild animals during winter when food is scarce, and especially during spring when they have baby animals to care for. We were all sad that spring of year 30 when we could not protect Callas who died during childbirth. She left behind 2 young children and a grieving husband who sought comfort fishing from the pond where she fished and being close to home and the children.
That summer we opened the nectar garden making bottles of fruit nectar with the fresh crop of wild berries. We gathered together to share a bottle of nectar and memories of Callas. In memory of the unicorns we began constructing a sanctuary garden by Crystal Creek. It would serve as a place of rest and safety to animals and humans alike.
Quote from: Abandoned on January 18, 2019, 03:06:21 PM
:) We have winter storm warning issued here now and will be followed by frigid cold, sorry but it is headed your way. I think it was meant for you, I am just in the way. ;D ;D ;D
Here in Southern Ontario we caught the northern edge of your storm--just 5 or 6 centimeters (2ish inches in US measures) but it is windy and on its way down to -17 C (about 0 F) by tomorrow. Since this Winter has so far been up and down around freezing with rain, snow or freezing rain on and off, this is a shock to the system. The cat wanted to go out all day, but when I'd open the door, he would look out and turn around and go back to his warm bed. At least this snow is colder and lighter than what we have been getting. I hate shoveling wet and heavy snow. Since it is still snowing, I'll put off shoveling until tomorrow morning.
The worst of the storm missed us here in southeast Wisconsin, we only got 4 to 5 inches of fluffy snow but did have some blowing and drifting. The last storm missed us entirely. So far this month we've had some near 40F temps so this single digit days and zero and below nights will seem really cold. :) I shoveled sidewalk and path to birdfeeder today, will be too cold tomorrow. :) Clear sky now so hopefully at least it will be sunny. Have a good day. :)
Chapter 20
The sanctuary was completed during the winter of year 30 and it was a place of beauty and tranquility, a wonderful tribute to a magnificent creature. We all looked forward to seeing the sanctuary in spring. At the end of year 30 there were 95 of us, 51 adults, 15 students, and 29 young children.
During year 31 we continued our Elven ways of protecting the animals by using pain free enchanted bows and not overhunting. We protected the forests by gathering fallen branches for firewood and replanting trees to replace the ones we cut, and we protected the earth by composting surplus foods and vines. We taught the children the old ways of survival and conservation and Elven magic. Our settlement of well educated purebred wood elves continued to grow and on the very last day of winter year 31 Crystal Canyon's 100th citizen was born.
To our amazement a crystal ball on a pedestal appeared outside the Tree of Leaflets. Upon gazing into it we saw the Elven Council who commended us for a job well done. We lived up to their expectations and they encouraged us to continue protecting our bloodline and our magic. They presented us with not one but 3 crystal balls, 1 in each part of town so we could easily oversee our entire settlement at any time. And as you know, weary traveler, our treefellows would always be on guard to help us protect it.
So now, weary traveler, sorry to say, it is time for you to go. You will be safely teleported to any town you chose after a spell of forgetfulness is cast upon you. Don't worry, it is only our settlement and its location that you will forget, your other memories will remain yours forever. The magic? Yes, weary traveler, you will still see the magic, it will be all around you. It's right there for all to see in the snowflakes that fall in wintertime, and the trees that awaken in spring, in the summer rain and rainbows, and colorful leaves of autumn. The magic is there in the fish that swim and the birds that fly and the animal and human babies that cry. You'll see all the magic if you try.
Are you ready to go?
Fare thee well, weary traveler. POOF
The End
Thank you
@kid1293 for this delightful Fairy Tale mod. :) And thank you readers for your patience waiting for its release. While you waited a few adjustment were made and a marketplace (not shown) has been added. I hope you enjoyed my story and will enjoy Fairy Tale mod as much as I did.
http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=2841.0
It was a fun and interesting story to read. I really like the greenhouse chain and the need for crystals to make stuff.
I think buildings from the swamp mod would fit nicely with the elven theme. I'll give it a try after I finish my current map/town.
there are some really neat pieces in this mod.
Thank Abandoned for those. I am just the architect ;)
:) Thanks guys, but what is a few ideas without a great architect?
I take the chance to promote the mod and say -
Check out very close! Those details are really good! :)
Very nice indeed! I like the variations in trees.
But please, start a new thread if you have a village to show.
Nice village
@perer20 I am glad you are enjoying Fairy Tale mod, but did you like my story? :)
It's bin a while a lot to catch up with.
I'm pleased to see that you both;
@kid1293 and
@Abandoned are still going strong. Lovely mod and lovely story, as always!
:) :) :) :) :-* :-* :) :) ;)
HI
@Nilla !!
You are so welcome! Thinking about you with broken leg far from computer :o
Nice!!!
oh my gosh
@Nilla It so wonderful to have you back with us. :) We have missed you :)
Quote from: Nilla on January 31, 2019, 06:30:30 AM
It's bin a while a lot to catch up with.
I'm pleased to see that you both; @kid1293 and @Abandoned are still going strong. Lovely mod and lovely story, as always!
/BIG_HUG
@perer20 - Very nice pictures but you should consider uploading them
to Village Images (http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?board=7.0) instead.
Yes, please note that the pictures posted on this page are not related to or part of the Crystal Canyon map or story. Also, it is a bit discouraging when unrelated pictures get more views then most of the pictures in the story itself!