World of Banished

Sightseeing => Village Blogs => Topic started by: Abandoned on October 16, 2017, 10:45:20 AM

Title: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 16, 2017, 10:45:20 AM
Intro:

This is the 19th story in the Smallville series.  It is just over one year ago that I posted my first story, telling the tale of the town of Smallville.  This group is not one of the expedition that set out from Smallville like many others had.  This group was turned away from Smallville due to overcrowding and food shortages.  They turned to piracy to survive and in fact were doing business out of a smuggler's cave southwest of this location.  When settlers arrived there and established the settlement of Monkstown, this group decide to relocate to this location where there was less chance of being discovered.  This is their tale.

The map is # 105864304  Green Valley, Small, Mild, disasters Off, Easy Start

Mods  and Load Order:

Starting and Map Changing Mods:  Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimizes Status, EB Green Valley, Color Roads, DS Roads, New Flora with Gatherer.

Tweak Mods:  Better Fields, Bigger Wheel Barrows, Fishing Dock +25%, Hunting and Gathering, Hunting Season, Longer Living Orchards, Increased CC, 1:1 Aging, Rock Respawn, Tool Value Up, Woodcutter +3.

Major or Must Have Mods:   An Empty Square, Nomad Sign Complete, Kid: AlotofSeeds Trader, Forest Outpost, Gothic Deco, Gothic Fantasy, Gothic Farm, More Houses Dark, Tiny Separate

Supporting Mods:  Brads Smoking Shed, Campfire, Chicken Coop, Creepy Cemetery, Decorative Items Pack, EB Natural Irrigation Deco, Fenceless Pasture, Forest Combo, Kid Bed and Breakfast, Kid Old Fence, Leghorn, Smuggler's Cave, Storage Crates, Warehouse Inc.


Yes, weary traveler, those were dark days indeed when we first settled here.  We feared the Shadow of Death had fallen over us as it had fallen over Erathia back in the old days.  We were afraid, we were very afraid.  Let me tell you ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi0GapxyT0Q
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 17, 2017, 10:32:12 AM
Chapter 1

  We arrived in early spring with as many goods as we could carry from our smuggler's cave to the southwest.  We made a comfortable living off the river boatman who passed by.  They often threw goods overboard to lighten their load in order to pass by quickly.  All we had to do was collect the merchandise.  When settlers showed up we knew it wouldn't be long before we'd have to move on.  They just keep poking around.  We overheard talk by the river boatmen that this area was haunted.  Yes, haunted, can you believe that?  Well, we didn't believe it either but we thought the rumors would be enough to keep others away.  It wasn't long before we believed those rumors ourselves.

  There were 12 of us adults with 5 young children.  We immediately set to work building houses and a large barn for supplies.  My husband, Kentony, and I were both builders, my name is Rean.  We named our settlement Haunted Hollow.  The haunting began almost immediately.

  It began simply enough with a frightful howling that awoke us from our sleep around the midnight hour.  It was a sound the likes of which we had never heard before.  It reminded us of the scary tales of hell hounds that we heard as children.  We feared for the safety of the children and our sheep, but no one was brave enough to venture out to investigate.   Whenever we dared to peeked out the window, the moon was covered by dark ominous clouds.

  During the daylight hours we worked hard to establish the basic necessities: food, firewood, clothing, tools, and education, 2 of the children would reach school age soon.  By nightfall we were all safely inside behind barred doors fearing the haunting sounds would disturb our sleep again.  And they did, night after night, but the sheep and the town's people remained unharmed.

Several of the men, Kentony included, ventured as far as the river and found a suitable cave for pirating purposes.  They made it home just before dark, I was relieved.  Ken said we should start building a fishing pier. 

  In early autumn we built a beekeepers hut.  Belley planted several apple tree seedlings and we all wondered what sorcery she performed.  The trees grew and produced apples shortly after they were planted, and the last day of autumn, All Hallows Eve, the wind howled ominously through those trees all night long.  The strange howlings were heard often that winter, keeping us awake many nights.  We needed our sleep; in late autumn our first-born son Orlan and 4 other babies were born in Haunted Hollow.

Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 18, 2017, 11:02:57 AM
Chapter 2

  We were all glad when spring arrived with longer daylight hours.  Our food and firewood supply held up well over the winter months.  We wanted to be sure that continued.  The men ventured into the forest to the northwest and build a forester station and the farmers planted corn and pumpkins.  There were wild foods and herbs to be collected.  The apple trees were already blooming and producing fruits.  We now longer questioned this, we just accepted the fact we had an enchanted grove producing apples and honey.

  We thought it time to build a town hall to keep track of production statistics and other vital information.   At the first town meeting we agreed an enclosed classroom was needed.  Although there had been no trouble from the howling beasts, we worried about the children's safety in the outdoor classroom.  We also realized that with the children in school, it would be years before we gained more workers.  Should any wanders arrive in our haunted town we wanted a way to encourage them to stay.

  By early autumn a fantastic Bed and Breakfast hostel was completed and a tiled plaza was being constructed.  The warm autumn colors brightened our days and lifted our spirits, and they needed lifting after a second scarecrow appeared this autumn.  No one questioned the appearance of the first one last autumn.  Both crop farmers assumed the other had erected the scarecrow and each thought it was an odd time of year to do so.  This year, when I came out of the house and found the second scarecrow right next door, I question not only the time of year, but the time of day it was erected.  I knew it had not been there the day before when I went indoors just before dark.  Kentony agreed, it had not been there. 

  We called a town meeting and no one knew or admitted knowing a thing about either scarecrow.  We were all a bit more uneasy as we hurried home before dark.  Being the end of autumn, the howling and wind again resumed with vigor.  Some said it was only because the leaves were off the trees that it seemed that way.  Whatever the case may be, we all couldn't wait until the longer brighter days of spring.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 19, 2017, 10:36:10 AM
Chapter 3

  In spring of year 3, 5 nomads arrived in town and they were happy to stay with us.  We were happy to have 5 more workers.  The plaza had been finished and the enchanted trees were already producing apples and provided a shady spot to sit and rest or to enjoy a morning meal from the newly completed Breakfast Nook.  We had plenty of wild oats, berries, and apples to make a hearty oatmeal.  Soon we would have flour to make other breakfast treats which would include coffee from coffee beans grown in our own coffee greenhouse.  By summer, a market was built and most of the landscaping had been done.  The plaza was a nice place to idle and be happy.

  In early autumn the mill was completed.  Next year we would rotate the corn and pumpkin crops.  One house for our new residents was completed by the farm storage shed and another was planned at the same location.  At the end of autumn the last guests in the Bed & Breakfast hostel wanted to know whose crying woke them from their sleep at midnight.  They thought the sad sobbing may have come from the plaza.  Certainly no one would have been outside after dark much less at the plaza at midnight.  But what I found most unnerving was the fact that I had a dream that woke me at midnight.  I dreamed I was crying and I awoke feeling very lost and alone, as if I had been abandoned by someone I cared deeply for.  It was a very empty feeling.  And it was very quiet, there was no howling that night.

  I was still disturbed by the strange dream as I prepared breakfast for Kentony and Orlan that morning, and even more so when I learned of the crying heard coming from the plaza during the night.  To make matters worse, a third scarecrow was discovered by the market, again no one knew anything about it.  As the year drew to a close, I still could not shake the sad empty feeling and wondered if the Night Cap Tap shouldn't be making a stout ale rather than apple or fruit ciders.  We would have to trade for wheat or wheat seeds.  Perhaps it was time to start thinking about doing some trading.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: brads3 on October 19, 2017, 12:28:52 PM
have you really been telling the stories that long? time does fly when you are having fun.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 19, 2017, 01:14:24 PM
Hi @brads3 , it doesn't seem that long but yes, a whole year.  Then again I thought 19 is a lot of stories in 1 year, more than 1 a month.  It has been fun, and there are more to come.  :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: brads3 on October 19, 2017, 04:16:45 PM
do mine for me while you are at it. the computer gremlins are eating me alive.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: TaylorItaly on October 19, 2017, 05:49:58 PM
Nice story , that you tell us. 
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 19, 2017, 08:15:34 PM
Thank you @TaylorItaly , I am glad you are enjoying the story.

@brads3 I have been following your town, it is doing well despite computer problems.  :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: brads3 on October 19, 2017, 08:42:55 PM
worst of it is my system keeps shutting it down. i have to keep saving and sometimes go back to an earlier save to nurse the game forwards.plus by now the bannies live so far away from the work it takes time to clear and carry materials.every time i try to build houses they kick laborers out and move builders in.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 19, 2017, 08:50:21 PM
@brads3 it sounds like the map with so much on it is overheating your system and it is shutting down on you.  Maybe shortening play time will keep it cooler and prevent shut downs.  That must be so frustrating especially now when you must be getting close to completing your goal.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: kid1293 on October 20, 2017, 08:23:55 AM
@Abandoned - Thanks for doing this 'test' of Bed & Breakfast!
I am pretty sure it is working, but my eyes can have missed something.

It is getting more and more spooky. Nice Halloween setting.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 20, 2017, 09:33:01 AM
@kid1293 , you are welcome, thank you for making another beautiful mod.  :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 20, 2017, 11:19:25 AM
Chapter 4

  By the time year 3 came to an end, there were plans to build a water wheel mill on the small stream and to clear another crop field.  We would need more workers and more grain before assigning a worker.  The foundation was laid for a tiny hospital and a trading post.  Five children had been born, our own son, Millie included.  Our population was 32, 17 adults, 4 students, and 11 young children.  In spring of year 4, 4 more nomads joined our town.

  There was little to remind us of the hauntings, all was quiet during the night except for an occasional sob from the plaza.  I always knew before being told because I would awake with that sad empty feeling every time.  The only other reminder of the hauntings was the scarecrows, but every time we took them down, they reappeared by the next morning.

  In early autumn the trading post was completed and Cleaveric became trader.  He began stocking it with iron tools, beeswax, venison, and leather, items we had a surplus of.  In autumn it was he who discovered the 4th scarecrow near the trading post.  Like the rest of us, his sleep had been disturbed by the thundering sounds of a horse galloping through town.  I awoke first with a feeling of happiness followed almost immediately by a feeling of great sadness.  I was surprised to learn that Kentony awoke with those same opposing feelings.  He had a strange dream he barely remembered, only that in it he was riding a black war horse.  We talked of taking the children and leaving Haunted Hollow, but that thought was totally unacceptable to me.  I could not bear the thought of leaving the Hollow.

Some town residents said the galloping was interrupted by  the clink of armor and the frightening neigh of a horse before the galloping sounds resumed again.  Those still living in the Bed and Breakfast again heard sobbing from the plaza.  Both Cleaver, the brewer, and Anti, the apple-farming waitress, noticed 2 blue coffee mugs on one of the tables.   Like the scarecrows, when the mugs were removed they reappeared the next morning.  We had the start of a very nice mug collection.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 21, 2017, 12:26:06 PM
Chapter 5

  In Spring of year 5, 6 more nomads arrived in town.  It was a cool rainy spring so they were happy to have a warm dry place to call home.  We townspeople were happy that whatever coffee beans were not being used at the Breakfast Nook were available at the market and storage sheds to be picked up and taken home.  A hot cup of coffee was most welcome on those chilly spring mornings.

  In late summer, Beverla, the resource Merchant, arrived at the trading post.  His first concern was the smuggler's cave; he knew there had been trouble in the past with pirate's downriver near Monskstown but had not heard of any here.  We assured him we knew of no such activity here, no, no pirates, and added that we have been storing some items in that cave and may at some point use it to store alcohol since the cave was the perfect temperature for that.  We had in fact not given any thought to pirating; we had everything we needed and more, and besides, this was the first river boatman we had seen.

  The boatman only had logs to trade and since we didn't need any, he was soon on his way.  He did ask if we'd had any trouble with ghosts or undead creatures; he saw the scarecrow and he'd heard talk.  He said it was a well know fact that this area was the site of many battles with the undead back during the time of the great Restoration of Erathia.  That fact was not known to us so we thanked him for the information, but we did not share our haunting experiences with him.
 
  In fact, I had a haunting experience I did not share with anyone, not even Kentony.   A small bridge was built across the stream when the water wheel mill began milling flour.  We were hoping there would be sufficient space for more crop fields on that side of the stream, but other than cutting a few trees on the other side of the bridge, no one investigated further.   I was gathering wild foods on this side of the stream when suddenly the sky darkened and the thunder rolled, a cold wind picked up and it began to rain.  And that's when I saw a shadowy figure across the stream.   It looked to me as if the dark ghostly figure was a warrior with a sword.  It was difficult to see.  But when I first saw that dark warrior, my heart leapt but not with fear, with happiness like when waking from the strange dreams.  The apparition disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared and I was filled once again with great sadness and sense of loss.   Cold, wet, and confused I turned and hurried home.

  That autumn the sound of horse's hoofs were heard crossing the wood bridge and again sad sobbing was heard coming from the plaza.  The 5th scarecrow was found in the morning by the new herbalist by the forester station not far from the wood bridge.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 22, 2017, 12:40:59 PM
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.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: RedKetchup on October 22, 2017, 02:53:45 PM
the hollow is looking very very good :)
very nice assets :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 22, 2017, 04:29:26 PM
Thank you @RedKetchup , Creepy Cemetery is fantastic looking, I love that gate  :)

With the new Gothic deco pieces added it is very nice, indeed
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 23, 2017, 01:02:18 PM
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?

Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: kid1293 on October 23, 2017, 01:31:40 PM
It's good! :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 24, 2017, 01:43:15 PM
 :) 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.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 25, 2017, 12:59:57 PM
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.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 26, 2017, 12:14:19 PM
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.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 27, 2017, 12:58:42 PM
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.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 28, 2017, 11:31:00 AM
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.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 29, 2017, 11:17:03 AM
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.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: kid1293 on October 29, 2017, 01:40:33 PM
You make good coffee! :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 29, 2017, 02:41:50 PM
 :) It would be nice to have mugs in assorted colors!
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: RedKetchup on October 29, 2017, 02:42:15 PM
Quote from: kid1293 on October 29, 2017, 01:40:33 PM
You make good coffee! :)

yeah i need one :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 30, 2017, 12:16:57 PM
 :)

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.

Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: kid1293 on October 30, 2017, 12:55:12 PM
That last picture says it all!
Excellent timing!

Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 30, 2017, 01:39:14 PM
Thank you, it looks pretty grim doesn't it?  I don't think I want it any darker.  :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 31, 2017, 12:30:23 PM
Chapter 15

  There in the dark, we doubted the wisdom of our decision to do this.  We peered out the window often.  Dark clouds covered the moon. We could see nothing.  Then suddenly it became quiet.  The wind and rain and the thunder and lightening stopped.  The sounds of howling hellhounds and flapping wings stopped.  The mournful crying and the galloping hoofs stopped.  It was deadly quiet.  We held our breaths.  And then the room which had been lit only by flashes of lightning began to brighten.  We cautiously peered out the window to see the dark clouds parting to reveal a nearly full moon.  It seemed unnaturally bright to us.  Movement down below caught our eye and again we caught our breaths.

  There below, in front of the cathedral, stood the dark knight and his angel.  They stood staring at each other as if frozen in time and then suddenly she was in his arms where she longed to be for so long.  He was holding his lost love who he had been searching so hard to find.  And then before our eyes, they disappeared.  The cathedral door open by some unseen hand and then closed again.  The unnatural light dimmed to normal moonlight and all was quiet.  Kentony hugged me to him and we waited but we heard and saw nothing more.  We imagined our ghostly couple in the cathedral pledging their love to each other for all eternity.  We settled down beneath our blankets to wait for dawn.

We slept till morning undisturbed by any unnatural sounds.  The coffee left in the jug was cold but we drank it anyways.  Peering out the window all seemed normal except for the 13th scarecrow we saw standing by the cemetery's side entrance.  We could see townspeople who were up and about.  But the sight that greeted us when we left The Core was really amazing.  Before us stood a huge 3-headed black dragon and a beautiful white Pegasus.  They were motionless as if turned to stone.  Were these the flapping wings we heard before the midnight hour?  Had the forces of good and evil joined together to help reunite the ghostly couple?  Was Haunted Hollow no longer haunted?

Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: kid1293 on October 31, 2017, 01:27:45 PM
Thumbs up!

...and thanks for using so many of my buildings!

:)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 31, 2017, 01:34:46 PM
my pleasure, buildings provided good inspiration for the story.  :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: brads3 on October 31, 2017, 03:23:43 PM
more more more :D
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on October 31, 2017, 04:14:18 PM
Hi @brads3  :) there actually is a little more to this story, and the next one is already in preplanning stage.
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on November 01, 2017, 12:23:26 PM
Chapter 16

  The remainder of that fall and into winter, all remained quiet.  There were no frightening sounds to disturb our long winter's nights sleep.  The days seemed brighter somehow and not just because of the newly fallen flakes of snow.  Folks were less afraid now too, the Midnight Heart tavern stayed open an hour or two after dark, our evenings were not so long now.

  In spring we were amazed to find that life had returned to the petrified dead trees, they had new growth, and bright green leaves began to open.  Colorful flowers sprang up and started to bloom in the graveyards and castle courtyard.  Life had returned to our town and it was much less grim and all remained quiet. Would it remain so once All Hallows Eve rolled around again? 

We did not have long to wait to find out.  The summer went by quickly as it so often does and before we knew it, autumn was upon us once more.  As we did last year, Kentony and I made our way to The Core before nightfall on All Hallows Eve.  We camped out with our coffee and cookies and waited.  But there was nothing to wait for, all remained quiet.  I dozed off in Kentony's arms and woke to find he had saved some coffee for me.  It was a beautiful late fall day, no scarecrow was found, and Haunted Hollow was haunted no more.

  Yes, weary traveler all was well.  Our restless spirits had been laid to rest, and Haunted Hollow was no longer haunted and had done well despite it all.  After 14 years we had a population of 129, 77 adults, 17, students, 35 young children, and 13 scarecrows, our education rate was 42%.  All our citizens were 100% healthy and happy.

But wait, what's that you say?  You saw what?
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on November 02, 2017, 09:45:59 AM
Chapter 17


Oh No, Pirates!


 
The End
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: RedKetchup on November 02, 2017, 12:36:48 PM
hehe a while i didnt saw this pirates cave :)
Title: Re: Abandoned - Haunted Hollow - Story 19
Post by: Abandoned on November 03, 2017, 05:34:24 AM
 :) Oh, I am sure you will be seeing it again in another story Mr @RedKetchup , I think that is one really cool looking cave.  8)