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Abandoned - Westward Ho - part 5 - Bison Pass - Story 29

Started by Abandoned, July 25, 2018, 05:29:52 AM

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Abandoned

Intro


This is the 29th story in the Smallville series and is a continuation of the Westward Ho journey that began in story 25 in the Outskirts of Smallville.  The wagons left Outskirts and headed west in year 45 SVT.  The wagon train carries 6 families plus the wagon master and his family (Domington and Doree and their 3 boys, Linwoodrow, Lion, and Greggie).  They traveled through forested valleys and over steep hills and spent over a year at the Rest Stop of story 26.  They traveled on, crossing the vast prairie, when 2 families left the train and headed north instead.  They established the town of Prairie Homestead #27 in year 48 SVT.  The remainder of the wagon train continued west and built Fort Rapids #28 in exchange for help crossing the river rapids.  They crossed the river and entered the mountain pass in year 52.


The map seed is  #223552895     Mountain,  Small, Harsh,  Disasters Off,   Mountain Circle Start

Note: This Mountain Circle start condition will not be in the soon to be release version of the mod.


Mods activated for this map and load order are:


Map Changing and Starting Mods:  Call of Nature Soundtrack, Banished UI Maps & UI Town Names, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, cc Light Rain, Dense Forest, New Flora with Gatherer

Tweak Mods:  Cold Realism, Hunting and Gathering v3, Hunting Season,  Increased CC, 1:1 alternative, Rocks Respawn

Major or Must Have Mods:   Kid Westward Ho, Kid Workplace

Supporting Mods: Campfire, I See Fire, Idle Small Fishermans Dock, Kid Ghost Flowers, Kid Washing Mod, Storage Crates, Tiny Chopper.



So, weary traveler, did you think any of us would survive when we failed to make it through Bison Pass before the first snow of winter?

rkelly17

Oh, my.   ???  That looks like some seriously tough terrain, @Abandoned. I'm certainly glad I don't have to lead a wagon train through that!

Abandoned

 ;D Yes, it made me very happy that these wagons don't really move.  I think they would have turned around and gone back to Smallville  ;D

RedKetchup

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Abandoned

 :) Oh, I will get to it Mr @RedKetchup , to be sure, but I do have a few stories already in line.  I must go where the stories lead me.   :)  I hope to also do another choo choo story sometime in the future.  :)

Abandoned

#5
Chapter 1


  Yes, weary traveler, the soldiers at Fort Rapids did warn us that we were cutting it a bit too close leaving the fort when we did in late summer.  We would have made it through the pass in time had it not been for the herd of bison, and yes, the soldiers did warn us about the bison too.  Those earlier floods drove several herds up to higher ground.  We had to throw a lot of crates and barrels from the wagons to lighten the load in order to get out of the way of that herd.  We had to go the long way around the lake and broken 2 wheels in the process.  We had to stop and clear trees and rocks out of our way but finally crossed the small stream.  The broken wheels and dense forest kept us from going any further.

  It was early autumn already and there was another small stream to cross and more trees to cut before we could make it out of this canyon.  There were afterall only 11 adults among us, Dom and myself included.  Our 2 oldest boys were now ages 9 and 8 so they were a big help with taking care of the oxen and donkeys and other tasks.  We had to clear more trees and rock before we could circle the wagons and set up camp.  We had 3 main concerns.  We had to gather enough food before the winter, we had to be able to cut enough firewood for the campfire and bonfire for warmth, and we had to keep ourselves, the wagons, and our animals safe from harm.  The bison were to close for comfort.

  Dom suggested we stockpile the resources we collected all around the wagons.  The wall of resources would not only deter the bison but would act as a windbreak and would contain the oxen.  We would light torches around the perimeter also.

  There were plenty of wild foods in the dense forest including wild oats.  We were surprised to find small patches of the tiny ghost flowers scattered here and there.  By autumn we were convinced we had enough food to see us through the winter.  We had venison, buffalo meat, and potatoes we brought from the fort.  We divided up the buffalo and deer hides to help insulate our wagons.  Our 2 older boys had been sleeping in the school wagon but now moved back into our small wagon master wagon where we all huddled together for warmth the nights grew colder.  The bison regularly passed by our wagons, undisturbed by our presence.  We were perhaps getting too used to theirs.  The were magnificent animals.


Abandoned

#6
Chapter 2


  Autumn turned chilly and cold, a damp cold that chilled one to the bone.  The campfire was kept lit and venison was roasted daily.  We all missed the fresh picked wild corn of the prairie but we had plenty to eat.  In late autumn the cold rain turned to freezing rain and then snow.  We then had the big bonfire lit as well and it was actually quite pleasant in the center of the wagon circle.  And to our surprise by late winter the temperature began to rise.  We expected a harsh winter up here in the mountain pass but it was no worse than what we had been used to.

  By early spring of year 2, we cleared the land as far as the stream and built a small wood bridge across. On the other side, we cut more trees and moved stones so the wagons would be able to pass.  The 2 broken wheels were repaired and all others checked for breaks or cracks.   By spring the wild foods again began to appear and the ghost flowers started to bloom.  By late spring we had a wide path cleared on the other side of the stream.  There were grassy foothills to the west that would hopefully take us out of this mountain range.  The weather was quite warm as we began loading the wagons and hitching up the oxen and donkeys.  We saw no sign of the bison for several weeks now and hoped it would remain so until we were safely out of this mountain pass.

In early summer we were once again ready to roll the wagons.


Westward Ho

To Be Continued.

rkelly17

For a minute there, with the bonfire in the middle of the circled wagons, I thought you were going to do a Banished Frostpunk.  :P   This series is another fine piece of work.

Abandoned

 :) Thank you @rkelly17 that is one beautiful bonfire Red made.  I am glad it does not start fires or the wash on the line would be toast.  :)  I was a little disappointed with this story.  Having added Dense Forest, Cold Realism, and using harsh climate I thought it would be more challenging.  But the wagons rolled on their way and the mods were released.  :) But the journey is not over, there is more to come.

rkelly17

Quote from: Abandoned on July 27, 2018, 01:03:14 PMBut the journey is not over, there is more to come.

Excellent! One of the serious challenges for the 49ers (original, not San Francisco football team) was the Great Basin between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevadas--very dry and nothing much but sage brush with only very occasional fresh water. Can we look forward to a desert map, maybe?? Have any modders made a miles-and-miles-of-nothing-but-sage-brush map?

Abandoned

Oh, that sounds like a challenge.  ???  I do not think there is any sage brush, no tumbleweed either.  CC has some desert terrain though.  :)  This little group of wagoneers still have to get out of these mountain.  At least they made it out of Bison Pass.  :)

Goblin Girl

Your little wagon train people are going to be very happy to put down roots when they finally get where they're going!
P.S.  I've been trying to place those donkeys to make them look like unicorns, but no matter what, they continue to be donkeys.   :'(

Abandoned

@Goblin Girl  :) perhaps it was a unicorn  :) all the others look like donkeys to me too.  :) 

This wagon trip is like a role playing game  :) going from one place to another, starting off eager to explore, then the prairie, it was nice getting to the mountains and forest again, but yes it will be nice for them to stay in one place for awhile, build a town and plant some crops.  :)

Next story coming soon  :)