Intro
This is the 48th story in the Smallville series and the 5th and last part of the Overland Trail mini series. This story continues the tale of the 16th expedition to leave Smallville. Six families went south to Outskirts and became part of a wagon train going in search of family and friends left behind when the lowlands flooded years earlier. The wagons left Outskirts in early spring of year 50 SVT and traveled overland arriving in the town of Skyview of story 44 in late summer. In autumn, two families left the wagon train heading to the Animal Refuge. The wagon master, storage wagon, and four families continued on and arrived in the town of Respite of story 45 in late winter. They left Respite in early spring of year 51 SVT. The four families then detoured to the nearby Refugee Camp to make inquires, only 2 of them rejoined the wagon master at the river before crossing to arrive at the Rescue Mission of story 46 in late summer of that year. At the Rescue Mission they were asked if they could take much needed supplies to a drought stricken area where missionaries have gone to help. In the summer of year 53 the wagon train left the Rescue Mission, made a stop at the Mountain Mission of story 2 where one family remained. The wagon train then headed south to the Mountain Missions Markets of story 47. After 5 years of helping the missionaries establish that town, the wagon master and 1 remaining family left on the 1st day of autumn and were headed back to Smallville, the same way they came.
Map # 909681422 Valley Arid, Small, Mild , disasters Off, Hard (vanilla, 4 families)
Mods enabled in load order:
Starting and Map Changing Mods: Call of Nature Soundtrack, Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, New Maps, Jinxie Natural Decorations, Kid Tree Replacer Light, New Flora Edit
Tweak Mods: Better Fields, Bigger Wheelbarrows, Fishing Dock 25%, Hunting, Increased CC, 1:1 Alternative, override Black Clothes (new, testing), Rocks Respawn, Woodcutter +3
Major or Must Have Mods: An Empty Square, Map Scroll (made for story only), Storage Crates, Kid Abandoned Places, Kid Friendly Pumpkin (new, testing), Kid GrowHuntFish, Kid Old Town, Kid Westward Ho Wagons, Kid Workplace v2, Mini Buildings, Mini Warehouse (Kid)
Supporting Mods: Campfire, Creepy Cemetery, Deco Sunflowers (Kid), I See Fire, Jinxie Festival Park, Kid - Coven (new, testing), Kid Fish n Ships, Kid Market Food, Kid Mist, Kid New Pump, Kid Tree Topper (new, testing), Small Tipi, Small Town Hall (Kid), Tiny Chopper, Tiny Quarry
So, weary traveler, can you believe it? That strange woman in black clothing we met outside the Mountain Mission Markets said this was a short-cut back to the Rescue Mission, and now we're lost in the woods. How did she know we were going to the Rescue Mission? I thought after so many years in the hot red desert it would be nice to be in the cool forest, and now we're lost. We've met with dead ends, thick impassable forest areas, and have gone around in circles. We're not out of the woods yet, weary traveler. Which way do we go now?
Chapter 1
Welcome to Wayward, travelers. My name is Cordelila and my husband is Aurthurman. From what you told me, I think Which Way Woods would be the perfect name for our woods. I am glad you made it through the woods before the weather got any worse. I have no idea why someone would tell you there was a shortcut through these woods, they are dense and have steep hills, and I've never heard of a Rescue Mission.
You say the woman was wearing black clothes like we are? Interesting, hmmm. Yes, our clothes are quite different. We donned them when we were in mourning, we were the only 4 families to survive the outbreak of yellow fever. We buried our dead and moved a short distance away to the south to start over. We discovered that the dark color absorbed the sun and was much warmer to wear here in the chilly forest. We've worn the dark clothing ever since, but I can't imagine that anyone from here would have been that far south or would have told you such a thing.
There's not much else in this area though. There's only the Native settlement of Cedar Creek in the prairie to the north that I know of. One of their hunting parties used to hunt in these woods. They gave our parents pumpkin seeds and corn seeds and taught them to plant fish parts with the corn to help it grow. We've done the same since we settled here the year after the epidemic. My husband, Aurthurman, was woodcutter and I was the tailor. We built a smith, and a sheep shed. There was a nice hedgerow and a nut grove but there weren't enough of us to work all those jobs and our pumpkin and corn patches too. That 1st year only 1 of our 4 corn patches got planted in time for a harvest. We had snow in late autumn. We did quite well though, we had a mini town hall and school and had plenty of firewood and a variety of foods for the coming winter.
I'd be happy to tell you more about our town history, and I am hoping perhaps you can shed some light on a problem we've been having here. It may be connected to your mysterious woman with the cart. It's snowing again and it looks like you will be here for quite a while, we'll have plenty of time to talk.
If someone wants to play with black clothes I have a small override for them.
:) Thanks
@kid1293 for release. The black clothes really add atmosphere.
Chapter 2
By early spring of year 2 we found a tree north of town to use as a forester station but at the time we had no spare worker to cut or plant trees. Again we did not have enough workers for the 4 corn patches, all 4 were planted but only 1 patch would be worked by Anjanell. She was disturbed when a large flock of crows descended on the corn patches and nothing she could do would scare them away. The constant cawing was a bit unnerving. When Aurthurman got caught up with cutting firewood, he made a wood frame that I tailored clothes for and turned it into a scarecrow, but it did not scare away the crows.
By late summer we found another tree a short distance away from the tree forester that could be used by a hunter. We hoped fall hunting would be good, we were short of leather for warm coats, we only had wool. It snowed in late autumn and Glenwoody, the hunter, was tracking a herd of deer when he made a disturbing discovery in the woods to the east of town. He found an old cemetery with an iron fence and gate that was ajar. There were old tombstones and a crypt but he did not investigate further because the temperature dropped dramatically and it began to snow heavier. He said the wind started to howl eerily through the trees and it was quite creepy. Any attempt to investigate further met with the same weather change, a sudden drop in temperature, snow, and wind. We decided to wait until spring before venturing there again.
Chapter 3
Trying to investigate the creepy cemetery in spring met with no better luck. As soon as any of us got near the cemetery it would cloud up and begin to rain heavily. The wind would pick up and howl and the temperature would drop. An cold eerie mist would rise up from the ground and surround the gravestones and crypt. No one wanted to venture inside the gate to see if there were any inscriptions on them.
One such cool rainy day that spring the crows in the corn patches were especially noisy. So much so that it drew several of us out to see what was the matter. The temperature seemed to drop. To our surprise we found 8 strangers in the corn field, 5 adults and 3 children. They were totally disoriented, they did not seem to know how they got here or where they came from. The older couple with a newborn kept repeating they wanted a treehouse because of the floods. Their son, the youngest adult of the group, was no more than a child and should have been in school. Our mini school had only 1 student but soon there would be 2 more. The other couple said nothing but seemed quite happy with the house that was built in the woods by the forester and hunter. Their 2 children, a boy and a girl, were 4 year old twins. They stood side by side and spoke together in monotone voices saying "We don't like it here." Everyone who heard then was left with an unsettling chill feeling.
The newcomers fit right in and were willing workers but said little. They appeared to be extremely unhappy or in some kind of a trance. The twins also spoke little but when they did they continued to speak as one, saying the same thing at the same time.
Our nut grove was producing well, we had a lot of pecans by autumn. The crows left the corn patches in late autumn and the cool damp and dreary weather set in, it was depressing. We thought warm roasted nuts would cheer people up a bit. We evaluated our workforce and figured we could spare 1 worker out of our 13 adults to operate a nut roaster. By the end of year 3 a nut roaster was built with covers, like the woodcutter had, over the roasting bins. A firewood storage pile was built nearby. Not only did our town have 13 adults but it had 13 young children as well.
Oooo spooky!
;D Thanks, nice to know I am succeeding.
Chapter 4
That winter was cold and snowy but we had warm coats now. The warm roasted nuts were a welcome treat. The days were short and often dark and dreary as we hurried home at the end of the day. The hoot of an owl was heard in the distance.
The crows began returning in early spring of year 4. There were not as many as before, maybe because 2 workers were tending the corn patches this year. There was 1 worker in the nut grove and 1 roasting nuts. We had a woodcutter, blacksmith, tailor, herdsman, forester, hunter, fisherman, and a teacher. That left only 1 general laborer. We would stop roasting nuts until the cooler weather of autumn returned.
No matter what the weather, it would always get colder and snow or rain when the cemetery was approached, no one ventured beyond. We were concerned because the place seemed to draw the children to it. I put on my warm coat and did some investigating myself. There was nothing engraved on the crypt and none of the gravestones had a date, but some had a symbol. Some were hard to read but others were not. All the names I could read were girl's names: Alizon, Cassandra, Esmeralda, Evanora, Minerva, Samantha, and Ursala.
I discussed my findings with several people when I returned to town and one of the newcomers said there were wayward girls at the Mission. Really, travelers, you were told as children that the Mountain Mission was a school for troubled girls, how interesting. The newcomer would say no more, she did not know if she was from the Mission but seemed puzzled. She seemed more alert and lucid after that though. We thought this was a strange out-of-the way place for the Mission to bury young girls but decided to name our town Wayward in their memory.
In late spring of year 4, after the rain, the temperature rose and we found 14 more strangers in the corn fields. They were in the same disoriented state as the others. They did not know how they got there or where they came from. We were concerned and leery but it was nice to have more workers. We found another hunting tree west of town. We were concerned we may be infringing on Native hunting grounds but we needed the leather. We had not seen a hunting party in a few years. We assigned a hunter to the newly discovered hunting tree and also assigned more workers to the corn patches and forester tree. And we built houses. Another couple built a tree house, they may have come from the same place as the first couple but they did not appear to know each other. Two babies were born to these newcomers, and Wayward's population rose to 45, 25 adults, 3 students, and 17 young children.
Chapter 5
By early spring of year 5 we assigned a forester to transplant apple seedling from the hedgerow. There was room for an apple orchard near the new storage barn. With the growing number of children we needed more fruit. Our concern for the children was growing especially after the strange twins made a discovery on the far side of the creepy cemetery. The stone star circle that they told us of was just that, a circle made of large stones surrounding a star made of smaller stones. It was not something the children could have made while playing. It was a symbol of some kind like the ones engraved on some of the gravestones. Beyond the symbol, in the far distance, through the pouring rain, we could faintly make out what appeared to be a thicket of twisted dead trees like the ones near the cemetery. More than ever we wanted to keep the children away from this area.
Plans for a festival park, where they could play, and a new school began immediately. Our small outdoor classroom only had room for 5 students. We already had 3 students and 3 children would reach school age very soon. Next to the park we built a fall food market thinking a treat of baked apples would also keep them close by. Laborers were sent to the new apple forest nearby to gather the apples.
We were very glad, earlier in the year, to see campfire smoke in the distance signaling the return of the Native Hunting party. First chance we got, Aurthurman and I gathered together some gifts of fruits and nuts and tools before making our way to their camp. We spoke a few words of their native tongue and they spoke a few of ours. The last few years, they had been hunting further north. They were not concerned with the closeness of our hunting tree to their hunting grounds, they trusted we would not over-hunt. They were puzzled by our tale of the mysterious strangers that appeared in our cornfield. They only said there was much bad medicine here when we told of the graveyard and stone symbol. They followed us silently to the stone circle. The rain stopped and the sun came out. They were not familiar with the symbol but sensed no evil. They would speak to their tribal elders before returning.
Nice, creepy, cozy fall... :)
:) I think it is those Tree Replacer maple trees that are adding the warm cozy fall color all year long, I added the creepy ;D
Chapter 6
Spring of year 6 arrived as usually, and so did the crows. The crows began cawing and the rain began to fall, but this time the temperature did not drop dramatically. Five strangers appeared in the corn field seemingly out of nowhere. Like the others, they could not say how they got here or where they came from but one of the boys told his parents he was sorry and didn't mean to do it. A few other children who arrived with earlier groups chimed in and said they were sorry too. None of the children would say what it was they were sorry for doing.
We assumed that the reason the temperature did not drop when the strangers arrived was because we built a chapel near the graveyard to help ward off the bad medicine the Natives said permeated our town. The builders experienced the pouring rain and cold until the chapel was completed, then it cleared and the temperature returned to normal. Although the cold mist still hovered around the gravestones the dramatic weather changes near the cemetery and town ceased.
The Native hunting party did not return that year but a Shaman and Tribal Elders did. They said little but performed several dances, chants, and cleansing ceremonies with feathers and burning herbs around town, near the cemetery, and the stone circle. They did not know the meaning of the star circle but felt no evil from it, only balance and harmony. To further aid our town they carved a red squirrel totem. Squirrels have powerful medicine, they teach about balance and gathering and being prepared for the future. The red squirrel is considered to be the sentinels of the forest. They will chatter and scold when strangers appear. Just before the tribesmen left, the Shaman said the crows speak of dark magic. The Natives have not returned since then.
The red squirrel totem did make us think and consider the future. We had enough food and resources at present but would our production rate be enough if the influx of strangers continue? We built a fruit gatherer near the apple forester, and found another hunting tree south of town where several herds of deer were sighted. Two new houses were built for the newcomers. Wayward's population was 58, 29 adults, 7 students, and 22 young children.
Chapter 7
Early spring was cold and damp, just warm enough to rain instead of snow. Several of the strangers that appeared in the cornfield were coughing and sneezing, making us think perhaps they did not come from too far away. We hoped it was only coughs and colds and not something more serious, but again we thought of the future and to be prepared just in case, we built a hospital near the new pumpkin patch.
Irelainey, who worked the old pumpkin patch, reported that she thought a lot of food had been taken from the small shed next to her house since she stored pumpkins there the day before. Abigayla, who lived in the house behind Irelainey's, said she had awakened long before dawn and thought she heard something outside in the direction of the shed. One of the newcomers said that the Witching Hour was between 3 and 4 am before she turned and walked away. We all just stared after her until Abigayla said that one day she too thought food and other items were missing from that shed when she went to store apples from the hedgerow in it.
After the newcomers arrived, as was now our custom, when the weather cleared and someone had time, some scouting of the area was done to try to at least determine the direction from which they had come. From across the river had previously been ruled out, there was no bridge of any kind and the river was too swift at this time of year to cross any other way. The hunter in the woods to the south saw no sign of anyone having been through the woods there. Nothing to the north where the Natives used to camp was disturbed either. That left to the east past the cemetery.
Aurthurman and Glenwoody went off that way and reported that as they approached the thicket of dead trees, the crows began cawing loudly and it began raining heavily. They thought they saw some movement on the other side of the thicket but it then began to lightning so they turned to hurry home. They did make one discovery though. Outside the thicket among the rocks they found an old wooden pull cart. It appeared to have been there a while and it was empty. When you have a chance, travelers, you may want to go take a look to see if it is the one the woman you met outside the Mission Markets had with her.
Frustrating little comments, if I may say. :-\
Good story and it really gets me into the fall. We have misty mornings
so I can relate to it :)
:) Very seasonal :)
Chapter 8
Aurthurman and Glenwoody made several trips back to the thicket but the rain and crows kept them from investigating further. The crows kept the vigil even when the snow began to fall. The two men considered waiting until after dark when the crows would be asleep but they did not really want to be out past that cemetery at night and in the cold. They would wait until next year.
In early spring of year 8, our storage units for produced goods were near capacity. We built several small sheds and another small barn. In spring, 2 families of strangers arrived in the corn field. We thought they came from the same town and may have been related although they did not act as if they even knew each other. However, they were usually together and both wanted the same stone shack built close to each other near the river. They both wanted a small town hall built there too. We thought it was a good idea to have town records in more than one place so the town hall was built as well as a matching small stone shed.
What made their arrival different was the fact that it began to rain when the crows began to caw but it cleared immediately and the temperature rose as if the newcomers brought the warm weather with them. Perhaps they were from the south. The corn farmers did not see them arrive, they just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Like the others they did not know where they came from or how they got here. The others had still not remembered anything.
We had more than enough supplies on hand, it is no wonder we had to build more storage units, but we were more concerned for these families. Would they ever remember their lives prior to arriving here? Weren't there people somewhere who missed them? How many more would arrive and from where? And why?
The frost was early on the pumpkins that year and we still had no answers.
Chapter 9
Last year, year nine, was much the same as any other except for a few exceptions.
Aurthurman and Glenwoody made several trips back to the thicket. The cart was still there and so were the crows but on one occasion in early spring the rain was lighter and they could faintly make out the outline of houses behind the thicket. They again thought they saw movement and this time they called out but the crows rose such a racket they feared they would be attacked. They thought they heard an evil laugh as they retreated for home. Your mysterious woman with the cart may live back behind that thicket, travelers.
The strangers that arrived in the corn field in late spring brought a blast of cold air with them. They obviously came from somewhere cold, they were wearing beautiful warm fur coats. Like the others they could tell us nothing and luckily the cold blast did not last long enough to damage the newly planted corn and pumpkins.
Summer was beautiful and uneventful last year. One could almost forget the dark cloud that hung over our town. We were reminded of it in autumn when several of the children, including the twins, reported seeing ghosts in the cemetery. As many times as we adults investigated, we never saw anything out of the ordinary. One of the newcomers said the last day of autumn was All Hallow's Eve when the spirits of the dead were closest to the earth. The rest of us preferred to think it was only a distortion of the eerie mist that the children saw.
Come winter we were in for another treat. The latest newcomers built a water wheel on the river and began grinding grain into flour. They then built a bakery and asked for walnuts to make nut bread. What few things newcomers remembered were always helpful. We could hardly wait to try a piece of warm nut bread with our baked apples.
I enjoy your stories and towns so much. I find them inspiring for my own gameplay. I also like the way you showcase, while testing, Kid's mods. Thank you for all your stories.
:) Your welcome, I am glad you enjoy my stories.
Chapter 10
Things were different this spring, the spring of year 10. The sky darkened and the crows began to caw but the pouring rain did not come until later. When the strangers appeared the crows cawed even louder and with a wild flapping of wings they took off in the direction of the cemetery and thicket. One of the men that appeared had a large flaming torch, we assumed it was the reason for the crows rapid departure. We also assumed this group of strangers came from a mining town, the women were wearing gold rings and necklaces with gemstones. None of us had ever been out of this area so we had no idea if and where a mining town might be.
Aurthurman thought we could make torches like the one the miner had and use them to scare the crows away from the thicket, however that would have to wait. Shortly after the strangers arrived the wind began to blow and it began to rain, keeping torches lit would be next to impossible. Everything became more difficult, we had very few days that weren't raining. We had to hurry to get things into storage and under cover as soon as possible. It was not easy doing that because the dirt roads were becoming soft and muddy. We had plenty of stone and thought it worth the effort to start paving the roads.
It was autumn before we had days that were dry enough for Authurman and Glennwoody to experiment with the torches they made. As they had hoped the crows flew away from the flames, but still the men could not penetrate the thicket. It was as if some magical force prevented them from entering. They tried calling out to those living behind the thicket but there was no sign of life and they got no response. They had just returned to town to enlist the aid of our foresters when the hunter from the south hunting tree spotted your wagons approaching. As you know, it began to snow quite heavily and you were lucky to have made it here when you did.
We will be most interested to hear your thoughts and ideas about our problem. You may want to take a walk to see the cart and the thicket before we talk again.
Chapter 11
As you suggested, travelers, we began building a trading post on the river, and we kept a torch lit in the corn field. The crows did not return this spring, neither did the heavy rains when the new group of 10 strangers arrived. A river boatman would surely know the names of other towns in the area where these strangers may have come from. What did you say were the names of those towns with tree house? Ah, yes, Skyview and Respite, and when you mentioned the names to the strangers building the town's 3rd tree house they seemed more aware and alert like the couple we thought might be from the Mountain Mission. I must say again that Aurthurman and I are very grateful you have decided to stay and help us to help these strangers. We all agree there are likely to be more. A boarding house has been built to the east of the hospital.
We too are having a little trouble believing what that boy, Warnellis, told you after again saying he was sorry for doing what he did. How is it possible that he was angry with his parents for wanting to migrate and he simply wished them into a cornfield? And that something went wrong with the wish and he came to the cornfield with them? Children do have wild imaginations, but still, some of the other children did say they were sorry too.
It is too bad the river boatman who was here in early autumn couldn't be more help. What was his name? Lamontgomer, the general goods merchant, yes. You say he is rather new on the job and has not been to many towns, only : North Mining Town, Meadowbrook, and Cedar Creek to the north and S.W. Tequilaville and Riverboat Junction to the south. Good to know they need logs and firewood to the south. He's heard nothing about any missing persons, only stories about a missing wagon vendor from Refugee Camp who turned up in Cedar Creek, and rumors of pirates near someplace called Monkstown in the east. You say Lamontgomer will make inquiries about missing persons and leave word at Riverboat Junction? That is a step in the right direction, travelers. We find it hard to believe you have been here less than a year and have made more progress toward solving our mystery than we have in 11 years.
Mod Note - Kid Tree Topper mod which includes tree trunkers (forester, hunter, gatherer) has been released.
http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=577
Also please see the 2nd picture in the last chapter of the trading post. On the right side of the picture is a fantastic view of the oak tree that the Tree Troppers and trunkers are in. Look at those oak leaves, fantastic. The oak trees and maple trees are in Kid Tree Replacer and Tree ReplacerLight, the best oaks and maples in the game. :)
http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=573
Chapter 12
Well, you were right, travelers. You said if it was someone from behind the thicket that was stealing from the small shed they would be back before the snow began to fall. The men caught the thief in the act before dawn. It was the woman you met with the cart. She did not know what possessed her to say there was a shortcut through the woods. Just because she's made a few mistakes doesn't make her a bad witch. She claims to be a witch? Vanessee, the witch.
Vanessee told the men that she was no more than a girl studying magic and was sent away for making a few mistakes. She tried conjuring a new hat and got a slew of cats instead. She tried conjuring enough cat food and got a flock of big crows. She tried conjuring firewood and the woods caught fire. She taught some children to cast a spell to send their bad parents to the cornfield but the children got sent away too. So, she admitted being responsible for the strangers? More arrived In late spring of this year, year 12, 14 more of them. We were already building more housing and we needed another tailor. We still need more housing.
Vanessee, the witch, also said she was a herbalist like her mother who was accused of being a witch and was burned at the stake and buried here with others like her. Vanessee came here with her companion, Fitzhughie. Their relationship met with disapproval because he was so much younger than she was. They named their first-born daughter Casandia after her grandmother Cassandra. Yes travelers, as she said there is a gravestone with the name Cassandra on it. So, Vanessee and Fitzhughie built a herbalist hut, a storage shed, and then a house in a small hollow northeast of the graveyard. When we came to the valley they conjured the thicket to remain hidden from view. She was no good as a gatherer, her baskets were always empty, so she built a cart and borrowed what they needed from us. Others came to join her and Fitzhughie as well. They too were poor spell casters and none of them were tool makers, tailors, farmers, or hunters so the hoarding cart supplies kept them alive. She was a bit defensive and mistrustful of the men, and would say no more.
Good to know they liked our baked apples, but tell me about your meeting with the witch.
Chapter 13
Yes, it was a nice thing to do to let the witch fill her cart and return to her Coven. It was also nice that the men took you and your spouse to the thicket to meet the witch. You had spoken to her before so it made sense that she might speak with you again. Which she did, but she says she does not know where the strangers come from and she does not know how to send them back. You thought she knew more than she was saying. Did you remember to ask about the stone circle?
So the stone symbol is not evil. The 4 points of the star symbolize the 4 elements, fire, water, earth, and air, and the 5th point represents the 5th element, the spirit. The circle symbolizes that when all the elements are in balance there is harmony and peace. The Coven constructed the symbol near the graveyard hoping it would help their departed mothers and grandmothers rest in peace.
It was good that you tried to assure her that we all want to live in peace and harmony here. That you repaired the broken cart and returned it to her filled with supplies must have convinced her of that if she cleared a path through the thicket and gave you a tour of the Coven. You say there are 7 families plus the witch's, a school with a wise owl hovering above, and the 7 Coven cabins and herbalist circled around it. Farther back in the woods is a huge Coven Hall where they keep records. That owl must be the one we hear so often. You say the witch has a cauldron? Interesting.
Chapter 14
Of course we will be more than happy to help the members of The Coven all we can, but our food production as of year 13 has declined with more strangers arriving every year. We built more houses east of the hospital and planted more corn there even though we feared another patch of corn would bring even more strangers. In late spring, 14 more arrived but only in the original corn field. Like the others they seemed dazed and did not know where they came from. But let me show you this, travelers, it's a map. Lamontgomer came to port with map scrolls he was taking to Riverboat Junction. A man named Savidan and a group of surveyors are mapping the rivers and towns to help the boatmen navigate. Lamontgomer had the latest edition World Map year 61 SVT and he would let us have one, but the map scrolls were a special order so a few more trade goods were required. We had just enough logs, firewood, tools, and coats to get one. All the towns the surveyors visited to date are on the map. The strangers must be from some of these towns.
It is not surprising, travelers, with all the migrating you told me of, that the children have spread knowledge of the corn field curse to all corners of the world. It is just too bad that hearing the name of their towns does not bring back all their memories. But the strangers are more alert and happier it seems, so any improvement is a good thing. And again you were right, you said you thought the witch knew more than she was saying and you arranged another meeting. I am just a little surprised at her request, she will trade information in exchange for pumpkin pies. And she gave you the recipe? She wants 3 pies for every Coven family and has built a mini warehouse for us to put them in. I am not sure dealing with a witch is a good idea but we have flour and have built a spice shack. Baking 2 dozen pumpkin pies should not take long, and if it can help these strangers, so be it.
Chapter 15
At the beginning of year 14 we are again having to increase our food supply. As soon as weather permitted we gathered as much wild foods and branches as we could. We checked to make sure the new nut grove we planted last fall by the apple forester was doing okay, and that the spice shack and baker were making progress with the pies. A butcher shop was built and we would soon have venison sausages. And of course we built more houses. Another 10 strangers arrived in the cornfield at the same time you took a couple of pies to the witch to sample. Two dozen pumpkin pies were already delivered to the mini warehouse. I must say those pumpkin pies smell and taste delicious. I hope you thanked the witch again for the recipe.
So, it is as easy as simply repeating the names of the towns 3 times rapidly to the strangers to break the forgetfulness spell that was included in the cornfield banishment curse. It is working well so far and families are now decided whether to stay with us or return home. The families were all about to migrate to begin with, upsetting the children, and resulting in their banishment. It was a good thing that the spell did not work as it should have or the parents would have been separated from their children. So far no one has decided to leave Wayward. Now the question is, do we bargain with the witch again to stop the influx of more strangers. What is it she wants before she will make the curse fail to work? Soup?
Well, lets take a look at those recipes she gave you while we build a market soup stand. Why doesn't the witch just use her cauldron? We are still building more houses for the strangers that were still in the boarding house plus for the newcomers. There are adult children that want their own places too. Their parents don't want to end up in a cornfield somewhere for keeping their children at home. We can only hope there are not more cornfields elsewhere. We are building a 2nd fish jetty but we do not have potatoes to make fish soup. We do not have all the ingredients for the other soups either. The witch will not be getting the soups for this winter. How many did you say she wants?
That's a fun way of describing nomads. I always thought they looked a bit lost :)
Chapter 16
So, the witch wants mushroom soup, fish soup, and our choice of one kind of meat soup and one kind of vegetable soup. Fish soup needs potatoes, and if we make meat soup from beef and onion, and vegetable soup from potatoes and onion, then we would only need to trade for beef and potatoes or potato seeds. We could make potato and cabbage soup instead, if we get cabbage seeds. Only skilled gatherers should collect the onions and mushrooms from the wild. We can not risk the Coven folks becoming ill from bad onions or mushrooms, who knows what kind of curse could be cast on us. If the witch wants each member of her family and each member of the Coven to have 1 of each kind of soup every week during the 3 winter months, then I calculate we need 26 soups X 12 weeks equaling 312 soups of each kind of soup. We better get busy.
We can start making mushroom soup while we wait to get the other ingredients. A seed trader is being built and if we have enough trade goods we will get both potato and cabbage seeds. The seed trader was completed by spring of year 15 when 14 more stranger arrived. Jerilynne, the seed merchant arrived a month later. We had 2 crop field cleared by then but did not have enough trade goods for the potato seeds the merchant had. She waited until we had enough but by early summer it was too late to plant the potatoes. The witch would not get the soups for the coming winter and next spring we can expect more strangers. Our food surplus continued to drop and our population by the end of year 15 was 223, 115 adults, 26 students, and 82 young children. Our education rate was only 18%.
In early spring of year 16 the potatoes were planted as well as 4 more corn patches and 1 more pumpkin patch. In spring, 13 more strangers arrived and, as was now standard procedure, we explained what happened and read them the town names for our map scroll. They were welcomed to stay and we built more houses. Lamontgomer, the general merchant, brought beef and we traded what we could for 400 units. We could not trade firewood because it was needed by our 2 new market soups, one near the trading post would make meat soup and one not far from the potato fields would make vegetable soup. We gathered branches whenever we could. It was a good thing the witch put a preservative spell on the mini warehouse because the soups would not be ready before winter this year either.
Chapter 17
By early winter of year 16 we had the required number of mushroom soups in the mini warehouse and that market soup stand would begin making fish soup instead. We were low on firewood so could not trade it for the beef we needed for the meat soup. We collected every branch we could find and appreciated you setting up a forester tent and tiny chopper near your wagon camp, travelers. We had already begun clearing trees from that area so you can get your wagons out when it is time for you to be on your way. You will need to travel northeast past the Coven Hall to the pass that leads to the river that the Rescue Mission is on. We were using the logs that were cut to trade for beef and to build more houses and another school.
In spring of year 17, 19 more strangers arrived. Hoping these would be the last, we added an extra worker to each of the 3 market soup stands. We traded for more beef. But all our efforts were not enough to have all the soups made by early winter. We did however have the required number of vegetable soups. The mini warehouse was filled nearly to capacity and when told, Vanessee the witch, decided to take the mushroom soup out for the Coven members to eat this winter thus making room for the other soups. She knew how eager we were to end the influx of strangers and we thought she might give in and stop the curse from working but we were wrong. We needed a lot more fish soup. A 3rd fishing jetty was build and another tree topper house.
Wayward's population was now 282, 150 adults, 31 students, and 101 young children.
Chapter 18
We did not finish making the soups before 14 more strangers arrived in the spring of year 18. We had enough meat soup and again the witch decided to take out some soups to make room for the last of the fish soup when it was done. The 312 vegetable soups would be taken to storage in the Coven. In summer we fulfilled our part of the bargain when the last of the required soup was delivered to the mini warehouse.
Vanessee, the witch, paid a visit to the cornfield before returning to her spell books where she devised a counter spell that would cancel out the cornfield curse. No more strangers will be banished to our cornfield.
We can thank those hard-working strangers for helping Wayward grow into the town it is today, all the while preserving the Native hunting grounds northwest of town. There is still plenty of room to the southeast for our children and grandchildren to live and grow. The stone circle remains as a symbol of peace and harmony between the town of Wayward and the Witch's Coven. And we are all most grateful to you, travelers, for your help in bringing this peace about. We hate to see you go but you should have no trouble getting your wagons to the pass in the northeast. It will take you to the river and from there back to the Rescue Mission. Please stop at the Witch's House on your way to the pass, she has a small farewell party planned, with a small feast and a special herbal witch's brew. Well, yes, we did provide all the food but she means well, she's not such a bad witch.
Fare thee well, travelers.
The End
Fare thee well, until next time.
:) Kid Friendly Pumpkin and Kid Coven have been released. Info and links to downloads can be found here:
http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=3476.0
http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=3477.0