Abandoned - Valley Forge - Story 77

[kid1293]

I saw one person up on the wall. It is working! I like that!

[Abandoned]

     It is one of the builders up on the wall.  I was so happy to see him.  No one got up on the wall when I used Forge of Dwarves last winter, unless I missed it.  I was watching constantly.  There was a child up on this wall also but I did not get the screenshot.  I do like that wall, looks good and is easy to place. 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 13


  The ale house was very popular and there were soon 2 dwarf statues with lanterns from there to the town hall.  Another house was built on that side of the wall but like the other 2 houses built there, it was occupied by a young singe.  Town Hall records showed 14 families without homes.  It would probably be a few years before the young singles were old enough to pair up.



  The riverboat trader returned with our standard order of apples, barley, and walnuts but this time included venison that we traded for years before.  We would trade for some again now that we had a good supply of trade goods with good trade values stocked at the trading post.  Our food supply was the best it had ever been and we could trade for extra apples for the ale house.



We had been so busy tending our food supply that we didn't notice the shortage of iron.  We were about to adjust the number of workers in the mines and smelter when an event occurred that did not happen often but we would take advantage of.  The riverboat trader did mention there seemed to be more ice blocks upriver that spring.   They reached us by summer and, as sometimes happens, they jammed together to block the river.  The blockage formed a makeshift bridge from one side of the river to the other.  We immediately sent laborers to the other side to quickly gather what surface iron there was to be had.  The blocks were showing some signs of separating by the time the workers returned, they made it back just in time.  Some were given the job of helping to clear the blockage and others were assigned to the mines and smelter.  Our iron supply improved and our supply of trade goods was soon restored.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 14


By early autumn the river boatman returned and was able to maneuver his way between the ice blocks.  Another statue of a dwarf with a pickaxe graced our town; the latest one stood proudly in the old part of town by the stockpile in front of the large cave to the underground.




  After trading for more apples we thought to build a market stand to bake apples near one of the schools.  It was then we realized that both schools were filled to capacity.  We promptly built a Tiny school over by the chapel, a good distance from the other 2.  It was there by the greenhouses that we built the baked apple stand.  If we ran short of apples it could bake potatoes instead.  The river boatman had just left when one of our 2 traders, Maneta, committed suicide.   Everyone was shocked.  No one really knew why: some said she was a bit too friendly with the river boatman.  No one wanted to pry into the matter.




We built a small roasting spit in the dock area near the other school.  The ice cave residents really enjoyed the roasted rabbit.  It was then we discovered that the 2 grinder workers were idling.  We assigned another worker but still no axes were being produced.  Thinking the problem was due to our recent iron shortage, we built an iron market cart to bring more iron to the area.  Still no axes.  The problem was not lack of iron but a lack of coal.  The small mine had switched from mining coal to mining iron ore and the large mine, even with more workers, was not producing enough coal to make up the difference.  Again I thought how much simpler and easier life was back in the caves.

[haewalt]

Very nice, enjoyed today's entry!

[Abandoned]

Thanks @haewalt , happy to hear that. 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 15


   Our small mine got another miner and immediately switched back from mining iron ore to mining coal while a 2nd small mine was being built on the other side of the large mine.  One small mine would mine iron ore and the other coal.  The large mine would continue bringing out iron ore, coal, crystal, and stone.  The new small mine was just assigned workers when there was a cave in in the large mine and Evlynett, the miner was killed. We were a bit dismayed to discover that there were 2 young boys who missed starting school working in the mines.  We also discovered that the large stockpile by the mines was almost filled to capacity, mostly with stone.  With more workers in the large mine, the quarry no longer needed 2 quarry workers.  When questioned about the large quantity of stone, they said nobody told them to stop working.   Well, dwarves can always find something to do with stone.  They would build a big statue. 

  Our river boatman, whose wife was related to one of the monks in Aspenglow, recently brought a gift of a Holy Book and some candles for our chapel from there. The candlelit chapel and Book were a great comfort to our recently grieving family.  When the river boatman saw our dwarf statue by the dock, he told us about a big statue the monks were planning on building.  It was decided we would build one like it with some of our extra stone.




   A site was chosen behind the Forge forester for the statue.  It took a while to haul the logs, stone, and iron to the site and even long to construct the statue.  Progress was slow but eventually the Cristo Redentor statue was finished, and it was magnificent.  It towered over the forest majestically and could be seen from afar.  Folks said they felt as if they were being watched over and protected.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 16


  After the statue was complete, we still had a large quantity of stone left.  We paved the roads of the dock area just like the roads were paved in the north valley.  When the dock area was done we proceeded to do the old part of town in the south valley.  Another dwarf statue with the lantern was built on the road leading from the dock area to old town.





Yes, weary traveler, we've come a long way since we first came out of those caves.  Valley Forge has done quite well despite the adverse conditions.  It is difficult enough in the mountains with a cold snowy climate, but here the elk herds were small, few, and far between.  We did not hunt, and we had more children to feed than adults to feed them.  The parents and grandparents living down in the caves helped out and still do to this day.  They insist on sending up supplies for us including fish, mushrooms, bear meat, furs, coats, and tools.  We may not have survived without their help.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 17


  It took a while to build up our food production and stabilize it.  We supplemented what we produced by trading for apples, barley, walnuts, and a bit of venison.  In the old part of town in the south valley we now have 2 greenhouses growing oats, 1 growing potatoes, and 1 producing berries.  There is a herbalist greenhouse and a hedgerow producing herbs and berries.  Another hedgerow produces berries and rabbit meat.  A rabbit hutch produces more meat and 2 animal barns give us milk and eggs. 




  The north valley through the tunnel also has a rabbit hutch and 2 animal barns and a hedgerow with berries and herbs.  There is a greenhouse growing oats and one growing potatoes.  There's a stand baking apples in the residential area and a stew pot by the mines.



  The dock area has a hedgerow producing berries and rabbit meat that goes to the nearby small roaster.  There is an ice pond there like the one in the old part of town.  And believe it or not weary traveler, we are still getting a bit of wheat off one of the shipwrecks.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 18


  I often wonder what would have happened if those 2 supply ships had made it to our valley and returned time after time.  Would we have come up out of the cave to start a settlement, or would more of us just have left to work elsewhere and sent food back to the underground settlement?  It was those miners, railroad workers, and tunnelers who helped fuel the need for more quality tools and inspired us to build a forge.

Yes, our Forge area in the north valley is quite impressive with its mines, quarry, smelter, and the Forge itself.  The ale house and town hall are an added bonus. We recently built a large storage unit and a meeting hall by the forge forester.  The stone wall and gate towers do separate the Forge area nicely from the dock area where the overseer and the grinder are located there on the river.  We would have built a large Forge trader had we known our tools and axes would be in such high demand and that the river boatman would be able to navigate our icy river so often.






We have truly been blessed here in Valley Forge and the magnificent Cristo Redentor statue is a constant reminder of that.  The town records show that by winter of our 18th year we had a population of 183 happy healthy citizens.  The town has 44 tiny, friendly blue, and forge wood houses scattered around town including the ice caves there by the dock.  No, sorry weary traveler, no boarding house.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 19


  As I said earlier, we don't get many visitors way up here in the cold north.  We've had many young men leave to go dig mines and tunnels and lay tracks for the railway.  Some left to settle elsewhere.  Some returned with their families.  The last to return didn't stay long; only came to let his family know he was still alive.  Seems he was digging tunnels down near Iron Ridge and claims he got caught by a witch's spell and turned into a tree.  Said the elf girl he had with him broke the witch's spell; not just any elf, mind you, but a dark elf.  Dwarves and elves have become acceptable over the years, but a dark elf.  Maybe she put a spell on him.  Anyways, he was quite impressed with the above ground settlement and with the Forge and especially with the crystal statues of dwarf miners.  Well, he was a dwarf.  He and the dark elf didn't stay long and that was the last visitors we had.  So, no, we have no boarding house, weary traveler, but you are welcome to stay in one of the dwelling caves.  They are quite warm and comfortable.  Our winter nights are long and dark, I'm sure you will sleep well.  Good night, weary traveler.




The End

[kid1293]

Thanks!

[taniu]

@Abandoned .Thank you for the beautiful story 

[Abandoned]

  you're welcome, @taniu



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