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Abandoned - Overland Trail -part 3- Rescue Mission - Story 46

Started by Abandoned, August 12, 2019, 08:17:09 AM

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Abandoned

Intro


This is the 46th story in the Smallville series and the 3rd part of the Overland Trail mini series.  This story continues the tale of the 16th expedition to leave Smallville. Six families went south to the 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 in late summer of that year.


Map # 977214009             Pine Wood Plain,   Small,   No Snow,  disasters Off,  Medium 3 Start


Mods enabled in load order:


Starting and Map Changing Mods: Call of Nature Soundtrack, Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC Light Rain, Climate-No Snow, RK Editor'sChoice Xtra Light

Tweak Mods:  Better Fields, Fishing Dock 25%, Hunting,  1:1 Alternative, Tiny Smoke

Major or Must Have Mods:   An Empty Square, Fenceless Pasture, Nomad Sign Complete, Jinxie Bitty Chicken Coop, Jinxie Bitty Village Set, Kid Abandoned Places, Kid Old Town, Kid The Mission,  Kid Westward Ho Wagons, Kid Workplace

Supporting Mods:   EB Apothecary, EB Small Storage Mod, Maritimes Humble Construction, RK Carts, Tiny Chopper, Tiny Quarry



So weary traveler, two families' searches have come to an end.  One family found their loved ones at the Refugee Camp and the other family learned that theirs did not survive the flood.   Both families decided to stay at the Camp.  Only you and one other family returned to the wagon train, perhaps you will learn something here at the Rescue Mission.  One of the town elders is coming to speak with us shortly.

RedKetchup

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

Abandoned

 :) Yes, I like it @RedKetchup .  It is nice to have the RKEC terrains and starts separate.  There are a lot of choices, it took a while to chose which to use.  The map looks nice I think.

Abandoned

Chapter 1


  Greetings travelers and welcome to the Rescue Mission.  My name is Ammi and my husband is Humberly.  We came here 8 years ago with 4 other families from the Mountain Mission.  The heat and drought had many evacuees arriving at the Mission only to be turned away because of food and housing shortages.  We volunteered to set up a Rescue Mission nearby to take in those evacuees. 

When we got here we were glad to see a herd of deer near by, the only food we had was potatoes. We would build a fishing pier there where the deer where spotted.  We weren't happy to see brown and black bears so close.  We fled to the shelter of the storage barn.  We were worried about the sheep and our chickens.  They would need protection.

  Humberly and I were given the first house that was build because our first child was due soon.  There were already 11 children to feed.  We soon had houses built for everyone and a school built in time for the first student in late summer.  Our building projects were using logs and stones as fast as we could collect them.  We discovered that the coarse thatch that grew in abundance could be chopped and used as firewood.  Our hunter was called to protect the woodcutter from a bear, but the bear was more afraid of the woodcutter and her axe and made its escape before the hunter got there.  Just as disturbing was the herd of buffalo that passed by close to the sheep pasture.  We wonder if the low wall would be enough protection.

  This area we settled was caught in the middle and suffered first from the floods and then from the drought.  The soil is not that good here, the good topsoil was either washed away by flood waters or dried up and blown away during the drought.  What remained was a lot of iron, stone, and ores such as silver, gold, copper, and iron ores.   

If your loved ones were in this area at the time of the floods and did not go to the Refugee Camp, they may have gone south to the Mountain Mission instead.  They may still be there.

Abandoned

Chapter 2


  The following year we had more pressing matters to worry about than the different ores we found laying around.  We would need tools soon but we had iron so we would not have to worry about processing the iron ore any time soon.  First we built a Mission tailor and made a few warm coats until the leather ran out.  A storage area proved convenient for both laborers and families.  We had some variety in our diets but our food supply was very low.  By the time the area was cleared for a crop field, it was too late to plant our spinach seeds. Besides food, we were often short of stone and wood.  We only had 2 laborers.

  While cutting trees near the Mission complex we discovered an apple tree, a chestnut tree, and berry bushes.  The hedgerow was left intact but most of the surrounding trees were removed.  Another storage passage was built by the crop field and a third one was planned.  We thought a Hall of Records was needed to better evaluate what we had and did not have.  We didn't have many tools, our supply had dropped to a critical low.  A Mission blacksmith was built near the main stockpile and we soon had an ample supply, at least for the time being.  By the end of year 2 we were satisfied with our accomplishments so far.

Abandoned

oops  :)  Pictures

Abandoned

Chapter 3


There was no snow again that winter but in early spring of year 3 we got some much needed rain.  The spinach crop was planted on a cool rainy day.  In spring, 12 evacuees from the desert southwest arrived, it was still hot and extremely dry there.  What little rain they had dried up as soon as it hit the ground.  They were send here from the Mountain Mission.  It was good to have more workers and soon a hostel was built for them, it would take awhile before more houses would be finished.  We were short of both logs and stone.

  A constant concern was our food supply but especially now with more mouths to feed.  Another hedgerow was discovered in the Mission complex courtyard while clearing land for the hostel.  We now had more laborers to gather wild foods, and another fisherman was assigned to the fishing pier.

  With more workers came the need for more tools but we were out of iron.  A humble kiln was built by the main stockpile and the iron ore was soon being processed into usable iron.  We were also keeping an eye on our clothing supply, hunting had not been good and we were out of hides again.  The tailor began making wool coats.  We were hoping that with more workers our shortages of logs and stone would end but it was farther to go now to gather what surface stone remained.  A small bridge was built to reach some that was closer to town.

kid1293

Hi. I may as well add my No Snow here for you to test.

It never goes below 0 degrees C.

Abandoned


Abandoned

Chapter 4


  With more stone, more houses could be built but there were still families in the hostel when 19 more evacuees arrived in Spring of year 4.  They too where directed here from the Mountain Mission.  The situation in the desert southwest was very bad.  Trees were always sparse but now even those were dead or dying, there was no shade.  Farming was all but impossible.  The newcomers were impressed by the hedgerows in the courtyard.  Not only did the trees provide shade but apples, berries,  chestnuts, flax, and branches for firewood as well. 

  By summer we built another chicken coop and moved some of the chickens to it.  Our egg harvest increased as well as chicken meat.   Hunting was still not good but a permanent hunting tower was built by the small creek where some deer and elk had been spotted.  The hunter was happy to move to the small wood house nearby.

  Despite all our efforts our food supply was still critically low.  We built another fishing pier and set out to gather as much wild foods as we could find.  Another crop field was being cleared.

Abandoned

Chapter 5


  By early spring of year 5 we built a trading post and in late spring, Essiah, the general  goods merchant came by.  He said the area to the west and north was mostly unsettled territories.  He did some trading with Native settlements and some small farm and forest communities, so he would not have much to trade.  He did have some foods that were tempting but what few trade goods we had we wanted to trade for grain seeds.  He would try to get some seeds, and he was sure he could get some leather from the Natives.  He would give us a good trade value for our ores.  We would look for more gold and silver.

  We did need the leather, hunting here was not that good.  The wild animals we saw did not stop to graze, there were rarely more than a few bears, bison, boars, or elk.  Although the main mission complex was completed, we still needed more housing.  More housing meant we needed more wood and stone.  Our education rate was only 29% but our blacksmith was educated so we thought it best we increase our tool surplus.  The same held true for our tailor and clothing supply.  We had some wool but needed leather.  We set up a small tailor workplace to make linen clothes with the flax from the hedgerow.

  We thought it would be easier to build a bridge across the river, where there was an abundance of stone and trees, than to carry those resources from farther away.  We had second thoughts about the safety of gathering or building a forester on that side of the river.  Several bears were sighted there.

Abandoned

Chapter 6


  Essiah returned in early spring of year 6 with some leather.  We traded copper ore and flowers.  Essiah said he would give them as a gift to the Natives who had many uses for different plants and flowers.  The ore he would take to Riverboat Junction.

  We were concerned when one of the laborers had a close call with a buffalo.  It came out of nowhere, she dropped her basket and jumped out of the way.  She was only slightly injured but it was not the first time someone had a close call.  We designated an area for a cemetery and surrounded it with a low wall.

  We built a forester, a shack, and a shed across the river.  By autumn our supply of logs and stone was low.  Our overall health was also a bit low.  By early winter we built an apothecary and the cemetery wall was finished.

Abandoned

Chapter 7


  In spring of year 7, 8 more evacuees came from the southwest.  It was still very hot and dry there but the weather had improved a little with some occasional light rain.  They told us there was some ill health due to poor diets and food shortages where they came from and also some disease outbreaks.  The missionaries had done wonders in SW Tequilaville where there was quite a bit of lawlessness due to too much tequila drinking.  We were surprised to learn that some families there had sent their daughters to the Mountain Mission to keep them safe.  Surprising because as young girls in Smallville we were told if we misbehaved we would be sent to the Mission school for girls to be taught responsibility.

  The newcomers also told us that the Missionaries have established a market town in the area trying to improve the lives of the people there and encouraging them to stay where they were.  But still these newcomers  wanted to go north.  They were just too exhausted to go any farther.  We could not turn them away even though our population was already 78.  Our food supply was better than it had ever been and we could use more help with the tree cutting, woodcutting, and stone gathering.  Especially since we now needed more housing.  The newcomers were more than happy to work outside in the cool rain.  They said in the southwest most trees had died because of the drought and that firewood and tools were scarce.

By winter, we had a row of mission houses built, the hostel was empty, and an infirmary was built in case it was needed.  What was needed was a stone wall to protect this area from bears and wild boars that were too close for comfort.  A hunter was posted there and everyone felt safer.

  In early spring of year 8, our food supply was still good but production had dropped.  The Rescue Mission's population had risen to 90, 46 adults, 16 students, and 28 young children.  Soon we would need more housing.  No evacuees arrived in spring but in summer we were amazed to see your covered wagons on the other side of the river.

Abandoned

Chapter 8


  As you know, travelers, we did not see your 6 wagons come through the pass  in summer, or the 4 wagons heading off to the Refugee Camp, but we did see 2 of the wagons rejoin you on the other side of the river in late summer.  We all held our breaths when you brought the wagons across that narrow bridge you built.  We appreciated the fact that you dismantled it before the boatman came down the river.  I am sorry we can not be of any help regarding your missing family and friends, but as I said this area was flooded before the drought so there is a possibility they may have gone to the Mountain Mission south of here.  And since you are going that way, we wonder if you could possible go a little farther south and deliver some much needed firewood and tools to the Mission Market.  Really?  You will?  You have an extra ox that one of the families sent back from the Refugee Camp and you can build a supply wagon, how wonderful.  The missionaries and the poor people living in that area will be very grateful.  We'll start bringing the needed items as soon as the supply wagon is built.  What, oh no, you don't need to help make tools and chop wood, it is enough that you will make the delivery.  Well yes, with more help there would be more to take.  Thank you so much, oh and be sure to take plenty of drinking water with you.  I'll let you get to work then.

  So, here we are, weary traveler camped outside the Rescue Mission.  The oxen are in a small pasture and the new supply wagon is almost completed.  One of the men is already chopping firewood and our anvil is setup for toolmaking.  Our forester tent back in the woods will provide enough logs for both.  The water barrel and buckets have been taken out of the storage wagon and are over by the river.  It does not look like we will be leaving any time soon so we will hold off awhile before drawing fresh water from the river.  The town elder said we could spend the winter in the Mission hostel if we wanted.  There won't be snow but it will be cold.  We have been on the trail a long time and still have a ways to go, that may be a good idea. It will also take awhile to fill the supply wagon.  And we certainly want to take a look around town before we go. 

Abandoned

Chapter 9


  Spring is finally here, weary traveler.  Let's go for a walk and see the town.  The Rescue Mission seems to be very self-sufficient and compact. There could be more crop fields but I understand there is an abundance and variety of wild foods.  There is a nice sheep pasture and fishing is good even if hunting is not. The majority of the citizens live in the complex surrounding the chicken coop and hedgerows where they harvest chestnuts, apples, berries, flax, and firewood.  The forester area across the river seems very peaceful away from the main storage barn, the kiln, smith, and woodcutter.  The woodcutter makes firewood from the thatch that grows here in abundance and a special cart collects and stores it nearby, very convenient and efficient.  We better get back to the wagons and see how we are doing filling that supply wagon.

Weary traveler, the town elder just stopped by to see how we are doing and she said their food surplus has never been higher and we should be sure to take whatever we wanted to fill our storage wagon for the trip.  She was rather pleased to say that now at the end of year 9 the Rescue Mission had a population of 97 , 52 adults, 17, students, and 28 young children.