News:

Welcome to World of Banished!

Main Menu

Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19

Started by Abandoned, October 16, 2017, 10:45:20 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Abandoned

#15
Chapter 6

  In late winter, Damarco, the livestock merchant arrived.  He hugged the far shore of the river until he was well past the smuggler's cave.  We assured him there were no pirates here.  He only had a few head of cattle with him and since we were not prepared to raise livestock at this time, no trade was made and he went on his way.

  In early Spring of year 6, our 3rd son, Leamonte, was born.  With a newborn at home I was not with the group of laborers that crossed the bridge to look for suitable cropland and discovered the old cemetery.  As soon as I was able I went to take a look at it myself.

  The cemetery was very old indeed with a stone wall and iron fence that held up remarkably well over the years.  The gravestones that had not crumbled away were worn smooth by wind and rain and whatever markings they may have had were long since gone.  The smallest of the 3 crypts was in better condition than the other 2.  I could just make out the words "rest in peace" but not the name or date.  There was a small white cross next to the sealed door.  I saw no sign of the dark warrior I had seen last year.

Our town continued to grow.  In spring, 6 nomads arrived and decided to stay.  We would again need more housing.  We were glad to welcome more workers, we gained another farmer and miller.  A second field of corn was planted.  By mid summer, I was back at work gathering wild foods and resources. 

  It was I who discovered the scarecrow that autumn.  Again our sleep had been disturbed by weeping and galloping .  I was still tired as I made my way across the bridge to collect wild foods and herbs.  Whenever I was in this area, I looked with eager anticipation for the shadowy figure of the dark knight and was always disappointed.  This year I spotted the 6th scarecrow.  It was just outside the cemetery behind the small crypt.  It was almost as if these scary figures were following our every move.  If we discovered something or built something there one would appear.  Perhaps the builders should be questioned again.

  In early winter I finally got a brief glimpse of the elusive dark knight.  I had been gathering herbs before they would be lost beneath the snow that had just begun to fall in earnest.  I straighten up and there by the cemetery gate he was standing as if hesitant to enter.  My heart leap with joy and I was about to go to him when a strong gust of wind picked up the newly fallen snow and swirled it about obscuring my view.  When the snow settle back down to the ground, the knight had vanished into thin air.  Sad and disappointed, I made my way home in the dark.

RedKetchup

the hollow is looking very very good :)
very nice assets :)
> > > Support Mods Creation developments with Donations by Paypal  < < <
Click here to Donate by PayPal .

Abandoned

Thank you @RedKetchup , Creepy Cemetery is fantastic looking, I love that gate  :)

With the new Gothic deco pieces added it is very nice, indeed

Abandoned

#18
Chapter 7

  By early spring of year 7, we had another bridge built across the small stream and a 2nd gatherer's hut.  Although we had more workers and laborers than ever before it was good to have another reliable permanent gatherer.  The population of Haunted Hollow was now 58, 35 adults, 2 students, and 21 young children. Our population and workforce again increased when 6 more nomads arrived.  The Bed and Breakfast had more residents and the Nook was serving coffee and breakfast crepes made from flour and apples.

  The extra laborers were welcome, we were often short of stone and iron and had to go further to collect it.  We dug a tunnel through the mountain east of the farm storage area.  On the other side of the mountain was enough stone and iron to last for quite awhile.  There were plenty of trees, if need be we could build another forester station there.  The tunnel was completed by summer and soon another beautiful autumn was upon us. 

  I knew something was bothering Kentony long before the sounds of weeping and galloping hoofs were heard.  He admitted that he had a strange restless feeling he couldn't shake off, a feeling as if he should be looking for something or someone and it was always worse this time of year.  So it was Kentony who found the 7th scarecrow  west of the Bed and Breakfast that autumn.

  There was an abundance of wild foods and herbs to collect in the area surrounding that scarecrow so I returned there often.  I ventured a bit farther west and discovered another crypt.  It was like the small cemetery crypt with the white cross, but this one was built of dark stone and had a small dark statue of a warrior in front.  I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and loss, the statue was a miniature of the dark warrior I had seen across the river.  Was he a lost soul looking for rest and peace?  Was this his crypt?  Was this the site of a long ago fought battle?  There were several gravestones still standing but none with legible names or dates.  Would we ever know?


kid1293


Abandoned

#20
 :) Thanks, Kid


Chapter 8

  I told Kentony about the crypt and all the stone I saw in the area so he went to take a look.  He was visibly shaken when he returned.  I finally got him to tell me what was troubling him so and he admitted to me that he had seen a ghost.  Yes, a ghost, but not just any ghost.  He had seen an angel. standing by the dark crypt.  Yes, he was sure it was an angel, she was dressed all in white and had the wings of an angel.  He reluctantly told me that she literally took his breath away, he felt as if she was what he was searching for.  He felt a moment of great joy before she disappeared into the falling snow.

  And so it was that I finally told Kentony about my experiences with the dark knight and my strong feelings for him.  I made coffee and we talked well into the night.  No one knew anything about the scarecrows or had ever mentioned seeing an apparition or having any strange feels, it seemed to be just the 2 of us.  We agreed these 2 restless spirits were connected in some way and we have been chosen to somehow help them find peace.  But how?  It seemed to us as if these 2 were searching for each other but were always just missing the other one.  Somehow we were feeling their joy and sadness.  Somehow we must get them together.

  We thought it a good idea to clear the area around the dark crypt and restore as much of the cemetery as we could.  We brought the subject up at the town hall meeting and we both became builders for the project.  The dark stones that were scattered around matched the crypt and must have been the wall at one time.   We worked through the remainder of that winter.  We were unable to cut the strangely twisted dead trees, the axes would not penetrate the ancient wood, it was petrified as if turned to stone.  By spring of year 8, we had done all we could.  There was no sign of either apparition.   I took a break and went across the stream to the other cemetery as I often did to look for the dark knight.  I was surprised to find the small crypt's door was ever so slightly ajar.

Abandoned

#21
Chapter 9

  I was afraid to enter the small crypt.  The heavy door was only open a small crack. I was able to push it open enough that I would have been able to squeeze through, but I was afraid the door would close and I would be trapped inside with no one knowing where I was.  I wanted to know what was inside, I could barely see into the dark interior.  I ran back home to get Kentony.  He was not keen on the idea of us entering the crypt but agreed to accompany me.

  It took a great deal of effort to push the heavy door further open, allowing an easier entrance and more light to filter inside.  Before allowing me to enter, he placed a large rock in the doorway, should the door start to close, hopefully, the rock would keep it from closing tightly.  He would stand guard in the doorway and I should stay within arms reach.  He was as nervous as I was.

  I stepped inside and allowed my eyes to adjust to the dim interior.  There was a slab with the shrouded remains on one side of the small crypt and a stone table with what must have been, at one time, personal effects, on the other.  I spotted what appeared to be a journal or diary of some sort.  A bit of the cover crumbled away when I attempted to open it.  Kentony, wanted to know what I found; we both agreed we should not take anything from this crypt.  I carefully attempted to open the book again, and slowly turned each worn page trying to gleam what little information I could find.  The writing was badly faded and parts of the pages kept crumbling away.

  Kentony's angel was a poor peasant girl who fell in love with a noble knight from the neighboring kingdom.  She helped her parents grow apples in one of the outlying villages until she was old enough to become a seamstress.  She and her knight were to be wed and he promised he would build her a grand castle someday.  But before that day came, the kingdom was invaded by a legion of Sandro's undead minions.  The young knight was slain and resurrected as one of the dark knights in Sandro's army.  He came to find her one dark night and she was not afraid of him.  It became a habit that she would work late and hang out one of the hide coats as a signal that the village was asleep.  They met often, at midnight.  And then one day Sandro's undead army attacked the village.

  The journal ended there. It was a tragic tale. Obviously to this day neither one of the young lovers can move on without the other.  We knew what we must do.  We brought the subject up at the next town meeting, revealing what we had learned from the journal.  We did not mention the undead horde or having seen the 2 restless spirits. 

  At the end of autumn year 8, the 8th scarecrow appeared outside the town hall.  We took it as a sign that our decision was the right one.  We would build the couple their dream castle.

Abandoned

#22
Chapter 10

   Before deciding to build the castle, we considered our situation carefully. Our food surplus was high, our production rate very good.  Our storage facilities were full, we had plenty of clothes and tools as well as a wide variety of foods.  We planned to keep it that way by adding another fisherman to the pier and building a hunter's outpost just across the stream over the 2nd bridge.  Back in spring, 12 nomads arrived so our workforce was strong. We had plenty of laborers to begin clearing the land of trees and stone.  We added another stockpile and a woodcutter on that side of the tunnel. At the end of year 8, Haunted Hollow had a population of 84, 50 adults, 8 students, and 26 children.  Our education rate was 34% and all were happy and healthy.

  We certainly got more than we bargained for when we settled here hoping to find a peaceful place to do a little pirating.  Instead we find ourselves building a dark castle for a ghostly knight and his lost lady love.  The castle would have to be dark; not only was there an abundance of dark stone in the area, but Kentony did not think a dark knight would enter anything other than a dark fortress.

   I early spring of year 9, we began clearing the land in earnest.  It was a large area but we had plenty of laborers.  The 7 nomads that arrived this spring did not want to stay, in fact they wanted to get as far away from this "horrible haunted place" as they could get.  Shortly after they left it began to rain, and from then until late summer it seemed like it was always raining.   It was dark, dreary, and depressing and worked slowed.  The bad weather let up a bit and work progressed but then we were short of stone.  The bright spot of the year was the beautiful autumn color and the appearance of the 9th scarecrow by the castles side gate, a sign we were moving in the right direction.

Abandoned

#23
Chapter 11

  We had an early frost that year, followed by snow and blowing snow.  Even the animals sought shelter within the castle walls.  Work slowed again, it was difficult getting enough stone.   We dug a tiny quarry nearby to insure a steady supply of stone, and as we expected, it produced both light and dark stone.

  In early spring of year 10, work resumed in earnest and in spring we gained another builder and 2 more stonecutters.  The 10 nomads that arrived decided to stay.  They were not afraid of ghosts or hard work.  With the addition helpers we soon had the first 2 of 4 towers build and occupied, and a new school built for the children.  The tiny school by the town hall was filled to capacity. 

  In late summer there was an outbreak of yellow fever.  The hospital was immediately opened and the 1 patient was quickly cured.  Anay, the seed merchant, arrived a short time later and we place orders for cabbage, oat, plum, wheat, and walnut seeds.  If the land was cleared, there would be room for a few cropfields near the outer courtyard entrance where, at the end of autumn, the 10th scarecrow appeared.

Abandoned

#24
Chapter 12

  Spring of year 11 arrived and so did 17 nomads but there was no way they were going to stay.  Well, that was okay, we had plenty of workers.

  We notice our food surplus had dropped so we decided that this year we would concentrate on the castle's outer courtyard and food production.  The small butcher would make venison sausages while the small baker made herb bread.  The candle maker would use beeswax to make candles,  what the townspeople couldn't use would serve as trade goods.   We gathered all the iron we could from the area beyond the gate for the small smith to make iron tools and our stockpile of wool and hides would be used by the small tailor to make warm coats.  A small smoking shed was built just inside the gate to smoke the fish caught at the tiny fishing pier built nearby.

    We built a 2nd trading post hoping to attract a seed trader with a lot of seeds but decided that the area outside the gate was a prime hunting area so a hunter's station was built.  We would choose another location for crops.  In the meantime we gathered all the  wild foods and herbs we could find.

  With our food surplus again high and our courtyard production center well established we needed to concentrate on housing.  Haunted Hollow had a population of 108.   We had 37 families but only 29 houses.  There were still families staying at the Bed and Breakfast hostel but no one was homeless.

  We had been so busy with our food supply and productivity that we had given little thought to the hauntings until at the end of autumn the howling began again.  We had not heard the hellhounds for many years.  I doubt there was anyone in town who did not have a chill run up their spine at the frightening howls.  The galloping hoofs beats seemed to be at a faster pace and farther away.  The sad sobbing was more pronounced and seemed to last longer than it had in recent years.  But like other years, in the morning another scarecrow was found, this time inside the castle wall next to the small tailor in the outer castle courtyard.

Abandoned

#25
Chapter 13

  After that 11th scarecrow was discovered, the haunting sounds did not cease.  As it was the first year we were here, we were often awakened at midnight by the frightful howling.  Sometimes weeping and distance hoof beats were also heard.  Kentony and I spent many nights waiting for dawn after getting the children back to sleep. 

  Over coffee in our blue mugs we discussed the situation.  What triggered the reoccurrence of the howlings from hell?  Were we building the castle on the ancient battlefield, was this sacred ground? Maybe desecrated would be a better word.  Were we getting close to reuniting our ghostly couple and the undead spirits were trying to prevent it?  Heaven forbid we should trigger an undead uprising.  Should we quit now and hope we have done enough?  In the dark of night we discussed what we should not do, but in the light of day we discussed what we should.  We were exhausted and tried to fit in a nap whenever we could.

  In spring of year 12, our daughter, Anasta, was born.  Shortly after, a seed trader arrived.  He was anxious to be on his way, he heard about the haunting of our hollow and the pirates.  We could at least assured him there were no pirates.  We traded for oats seeds before he went on his way.  The 27 nomads who arrived were also eager to leave.  We feared some of the residence living inside the castle walls might be tempted to leave especially after several petrified trees appeared in the outer courtyard.

  A magnificent warehouse was build just outside of that courtyard.  A warehouse worker could help bring trade goods closer to the trading post making restocking faster and easier.  We still wanted to trade for wheat, walnuts, and plum seeds.

  Work on the inner courtyard began in earnest now.  Several more houses were built, The Core would serve as additional temporary housing should any nomads decide to stay, and The Keep was an impressive building with a large meeting hall.  While digging the foundation, a small chest was unearthed.  It contained an old banner bearing the insignia of a dragon's head.  The builders hung it above the Keep's door.  Outside the gateway to the west, a sizeable storage shed was built and by autumn 2 crop fields had been cleared.

  At the end of autumn several petrified trees appeared in the inner castle courtyard and the #12 scarecrow was discovered next to The Keep.

kid1293


Abandoned

 :) It would be nice to have mugs in assorted colors!

RedKetchup

> > > Support Mods Creation developments with Donations by Paypal  < < <
Click here to Donate by PayPal .

Abandoned

#29
 :)

Chapter 14

  Over the winter, a tavern was built in the main courtyard, but when the seed trader arrived in spring of year 13, we did not have enough trade goods for the wheat seeds he had, so we decided to make ale from berries.  Both new crop fields would be planted with oats.  In late spring we traded for plum seeds.  A campfire was built and kept burning in the courtyard near the school.  Superstitious parents thought it would keep away evil spirits, if nothing else it was good for roasting venison.

  We considered the castle to be complete until I remembered one detail Kentony and I had overlooked. Our ghostly couple were to be wed.  That wedding never took place.  We needed a chapel, better yet, a cathedral befitting the grand castle the knight promised to build for his bride.

   The cathedral we built was magnificent and it was completed by late summer.  By then a jam house was also built and would make jam from apples until the plum orchard began producing fruit.  The small bakery began making oat cookies as soon as the first oats were harvested.

  We need more than ale and oat cookies to lift our spirits that autumn of year 13.   The days were dark and dreary with an unnatural cold that penetrated to the very bone.  The nights were frightening with lightning and thunder and the sounds of howling winds and hellhounds, and what we thought were the sounds of the wings of giant bats. The familiar sounds of mournful crying and galloping hoofs echoed throughout the town.

  Kentony and I had a plan for All Hallows Eve this year. We wanted to see for ourselves if all the work building the castle would pay off.  We hugged and kissed our 3 children still living at home goodbye.  Our neighbor, Edmonique, would watch them until we returned and promised to take care of them if we didn't.  We grabbed a couple of blankets, a jug of hot coffee, and a sack of oat cookies and made our way to The Core before darkness fell.  We found a room with a window overlooking the entrance to the Cathedral and huddled together beneath the blankets with our coffee and cookies to await the midnight hour on All Hallows Eve when the spirits of the dead are said to be closest to the earth.  The frightening sounds seemed to echoed all around the castle courtyard as we waited and waited and waited.