Intro
This is the 71st story in the Smallville Series and tells about the settlement that the Elves who help the swamp dwellers in the previous story came from. Their settlement of Greenwood is in the Green Woods over the mountains to the northwest of Marshfield (story 70) and north of Mountain Mines (story 8 ). It is being told by the Elf known as Swamp Elf after she and her husband returned home to Greenwood in year 76 SVT.
The map seed # 39453088 One River Valley, Small, Mild, Disasters Off, Family Start Easy Seed
Mods activated for this map and load order are:
Map Changing and Starting Mods: Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC Light Rain, Lush & Green, override Map, Settler Deco, Kid Tree Replacer Only Pines, New Flora Edit, override Fewer Trees, Family Starts
Tweak Mods: Better Fields, Fishing Dock +25%, Hunting, Hunting Season, Increased CC, 1:1 Alternative (Voeille), override Fairy Clothes, Rocks Respawn, Tiny Smoke
Major or Must Have Mods: An Empty Square, Fenceless Pasture, Nomads (Kid), override Uneducated, Storage Crates, Kid Abandoned Places SE, Kid Fairy Garden, Kid Fairy Tale, Kid Workplace
Supporting Mods: Campfire, Deco Sunflower, Kid Deco People, Kid Farmyard, Kid Fruit and Nut (new, testing), Kid Hedgerow, Kid Work Shop, Tiny Chopper
Mod note: new Kid Fruit and Nut mod consists of 8 orchard patches with different combinations of fruit and nut trees plus one small patch of sunflowers.
Yes, weary traveler, I'm the one they called the Swamp Elf in Marshfield but I was not born in the swamp. I'm a Wood Elf. I came to the Green Woods from the north woods with my husband and newborn. We were one of the founding families of Greenwood. We only recently returned from Marshfield. We Elves are always called on to help humans with disease outbreaks because of our healing abilities or with disasters because of how we commune with nature. We are also protectors of the animals and the forests which is the reason we came here to the Green Woods in the first place. Come, sit by the campfire and I will tell you more.
Yea...
Quote from: Abandoned on July 31, 2021, 05:58:18 AM
Mod note: new Kid Fruit and Nut mod consists of 8 orchard patches with different combinations of fruit and nut trees plus one small patch of sunflowers.
Oooooooo! :D Looking forward to this one.
@Abandoned ;D ;D ;D yes yes yes - a great start, maybe there will be a lot of trees and fishing, I love nature - I love forests and I love forest elf, but it's a pity that there is no - reality - a new great story promises to be. Regards
:) Nice to have story start with such enthusiasm. I love the forests too, Taniu, and the new Fruit and Nut trees fit in so nicely. I sure you, Kristahfer, and jerica will like them. :)
Chapter 1
It was the Elven Council of Elders who called for volunteers to come here to protect the Green Woods. They were concerned because the railroad company, that was responsible for the mass destruction when they jammed the main river with logs, had now connected with the tracks in the Chattachoo valley. Those tracks were laid by the 2nd expedition from Smallville. People never learn, they destroyed most of that valley's trees expanding the railroad. They soon had tracks laid in all directions and had started digging tunnels. The Green Woods had to be protected.
The Council studied the area by gazing into their crystal balls. Chattachoo was to the east and the Mountain Mines to the south. The area chosen for us promised to have manna crystals used in Elven magic. We would establish a settlement near the river and High Elves from Crystal Canyon who use magic would soon follow. They would occupy the area out of view from the river. The Council conjured magic portals to transport us and our supplies to the area. They sent a tree fellow to guard the portal, more of them would soon follow to help protect the forest.
There were 24 of us, 16 adults with 8 children and 2 more on the way. My husband, Gerhardin and I, at age 22, were the elders of the group. My name is Dottiliana, Dotti for short. By early autumn we had 8 tree houses, a frock maker, and a storage barn built. We were catching fish from a fishing tree on the river and were collecting branches and wild foods from the woods and from a nearby hedgerow. A hunter kept the campfire burning. He had an Elven bow with enchanted arrows. The evergreen woods were lush and green, we named our settlement Greenwood.
Chapter 2
We found a suitable tree to store town records in, we knew the High Elves would want to know town statistics when they arrived. The High Elves were more civilized than us Wood Elves. We preferred living off the land by hunting and gathering. There was a nice summer hedgerow right by our treehouse. The High Elves send several small fairies with seeds and seedlings and a fairy dust plant. They soon had a summer fairy garden growing with an apple tree, potatoes, peppers, beans, and cabbage. Some wild oats and mushrooms soon spouted and wild bees were attracted by the squash blossoms and would pollinate them.
The High Elves arrived in spring of year 2. There were 15 of them, 11 adults with 4 children. They brought more tree fellows and little fairies with them.
Chapter 3
The High Elves set right to work building a row of 3 mountain houses and 3 ground level houses. We were concerned with the number of trees they were cutting but they assured us they found a mother tree over the mountain to the east and they already had foresters planting more trees. They found crystals among the stones and surface iron not far from their houses where they immediately built a crystal garden to start harvesting them. Some were used to build the magic school next to the tree of leaflets. Our children were welcome to attend but only purebred Elves could learn magic spells.
The High Elves built a medium size storage barn and another stockpile near the school and built 2 small trellises to grow the vines they would use to make Elven bow. There were several large herds of deer nearby and they would be hunted with Elven bows and enchanted arrows that would cause no pain. We were told that by all means we should continue hunting to provide venison and hides. After checking inventory records they saw the need. They did not come to take over running our settlement, it would be a joint effort. They were happy to hear our frock maker was now making linen clothes from the flax we gathered. The tool supply was low and of immediate concern when in spring of year 3, 24 more Elves arrived. There were 18 adults with 6 children and more tree fellows and fairies too.
Glad to see a new village & excited for the new orchard mod! I love the summer fairy garden :)
:) I think that summer fairy garden may be my favorite. I love those bean trellises :) The new fruit and nut patches are just basic so player can add whatever deco plants they want to match their towns.
Chapter 4
We set up a small workplace anvil by one of our stockpiles to make iron tools and the High Elves began using magic spells to make hardened tools in their newly built spell tower. When the tool supply was stable they would switch to making elven bows to be used in the nearby hunter tower. They built a magical garden to supplement the food supply until then. Housing for the newcomers was now first priority.
Some decisions had to be made first. We Wood Elves are well know and welcome throughout the forest lands. The High Elves are a bit more elusive, they prefer their privacy and secluded areas. The evergreen Green Woods provide both. They would build a housing complex on this side of the mountain ridge out of view from the river. The other side along the river would be designated for our use and expansion. A tunnel was dug through the mountain for easy access and a tree fellow stood guard on both sides. By late autumn a hostel was built and the first family moved into the first complex home. By Spring of year 4 all the new arrival had homes in the complex.
Chapter 5
Another complex house was built hoping that the single female, 9 year old Jocely, would move out of the hostel but she stayed there with 8 year old Kartell instead. Amandon moved out and into the new house alone. By late summer a market was built nearby. A production center would be built on the other side. There was plenty of room there to expand food production which was next on the to do list.
Inventory records showed a lack of grain, there were only a few wild oats that had been gathered. Both Wood Elves and High Elves agreed that farm fields would result in a loss of many trees and large areas of fertile soil would be exposed to the elements. Instead the High Elves built a greenhouse to raise oats year round and the crop would be enriched with compost made from excess vines not used by the spell tower bow maker. Excess vegetables could also be composted. We planted a patch of sunflowers and the ripe sunseeds that fell could be harvested well into the winter months. Fruits and nuts would make for a healthy natural diet.
Chapter 6
One of the skills us Wood Elves excel at is scouting. We finally had time to do more exploring of our surroundings. Our rangers found two patches just east of our tree house grove. One patch had two chestnut trees and an assortment of spice plants and shrubs. Roast chestnuts would be a nice winter treat. The other patch had a good size plum tree and a few hazelnut bushes.
Gerhardin and I ventured through the tunnel for the first time. We found a few trees suitable for tree houses and Kartell and Jocely moved from the complex hostel into them. They were best friends but too young to become a couple. There were plenty of young people their age that they could pair up with when the time came.
Jocely chose the smaller of the two treehouses and she moved in just in time to harvest the end of the season strawberries and cherries from the patch next to her house.
Chapter 7
We decided the riverbank on that side of the mountain ridge would be a good spot for a trading post, not that we needed to trade so much as we need news about that railroad. We elves were pretty self reliant. Before the trading post was complete we got some news from an unsuspected source.
A group of 9 human adults and 4 children arrived from the west. They were surveyors sent from Chattachoo to scout the land for expanding the railroad. They had been lost in the mountains for more than 2 years now. Group after group had been sent in all directions through those tunnels and none had returned. They would be most grateful to settle with us permanently.
We built a nice house by the trading post for one family while the others waited in the hostel. We did not want them spending a lot of time in such close proximity to the High Elves and their magic. Another nice house was built across from the first, it had a lovely porch with a view of the river. Two more tree houses were carved out for young singles, 8 year old Hessica found a patch with peach and pecan trees, 12 year old Estherford would fish from the fishing tree near his treehouse. Another tunnel with a tree fellow guard on both sides made access to the area easier.
Chapter 8
Our first priority was carving out another treehouse for 16 year old Harmond and building a nice cottage by the tunnel for the family of 4. All the surveyors were now housed on the river side of the mountain ridge.
Our next priority was protecting the forest to the east. The news about Dwarves heading this way was not good. Other than fighting with them to save Middle Earth, the history between Elves and Dwarves was not good. There could be trouble ahead. We needed a force of tree fellows on our side and to that end we designated an area south of the market as a tree fellow breeding grounds. No fence could contain a male tree fellow but an equal number of female trees and a feeding grounds of apples and walnuts would keep them there. The fruit and nut patch we found made this the perfect location for the breeding grounds. We would soon have a small army of tree fellows.
;D ;D I like that! Feeding and breeding ground!
;D ;D Little baby tree fellows would have been so cute ;D ;D
Little Treelets
Next is the Stump Family, right? ;D ;D
;D oh, good idea ;D Uncle Stumpy with a beehive and bear cubs for the little treelets to play with ;D ;D
Chapter 9
At the start of year 8 we realized we needed another school. Since it would be best that the human children did not attend the magic school, we built a regular school in the housing complex by the tunnel. It was good timing, I would not have wanted our youngest daughter, Rihanneth age 6, to miss starting school. Her sister, Orill, was 8 years old now and going to the magic school.
The humans who had been lost in the mountains for so long expressed a desire for fresh baked bread so we built a mill and bakery on the other side of the market. Truth to tell it was very nice to go to market on a misty summer morning and smelling the fresh baked oat & herb bread. Nut bread would have been nice but we would leave the walnuts for the breeding tree fellows to eat.
We again needed more stone and gatherers discovered a patch of pear trees and berry bushes not far to the east of the newly constructed mill and bakery. There was a large clearing there which was perfect for grazing the sheep we traded for when Earnett, the livestock merchant, came to port. It was again the humans who expressed the desire for warmer clothes, we all warmed to the idea long before the early spring temperature finally rose above freezing.
Chapter 10
A tailor shop was built in the production center east of the market. It would be a while before we had wool but we could make warm coats from the hides, furs, and down that the Elven hunters provided. We built a butcher shop there too that would make venison sausages until we had mutton for chops. Two complex houses were build there to house some of the 12 Wood Elves that arrived through the magic portal that spring. There were 11 adults and 1 child come to help protect the forest. There was word that work had begun on the railroad tunnel that would enter the northeast corner of the Green Woods. There would be no stopping the railroad but our mission was to be there when they broke through the mountain and teach them how to build their railroad without destroying the forest in the process. A group of wood elves from Greenwood would be going northeast once we were sure our settlement was secure and would continue to thrive. Some of the humans who came from Chattachoo expressed a desire to go along.
Another treehouse was carved out near the new fishing tree for one of the newly arrived single male wood elves. There were several young single males now and our girls, young as they were, were showing an interest. The interest was returned. They grow up so fast.
To ensure that we had enough herbs for the baker, an herbalist was built by the mother tree foresters. To ensure we maintained a variety of foods, a gatherer was built there too. The workers soon discovered a patch of grapes and spices. Wooden trellises would support the vines and a fence and archway separated the area from the forest to the east.
Chapter 11
The little fairies could not resist the plums from the hazelnut & plum patch. With a little extra compost they soon had a large plum they converted to a sugar plum shop and we all had a wonderful sweet treat to eat. The Green Woods provide us with plenty of wild foods to gather as well as a variety of fruits and nut patches. Beside the hazelnut & plums, there were sunseeds, chestnuts & spice, apples & walnuts, berries & pears, grapes & spices, peaches & pecans, and cherries & strawberries. The trees blended in beautifully with the natural surrounds of our evergreen Green Woods. All parts of our settlement had a nice selection of fruits and nuts.
Our fishing, hunting, and gathering skills were taught to the young from early on. It was actually wood elves who taught the Smallville settlement's ancestors about survival. Smallville was known throughout the land for teaching those skills to anyone who wanted to learn. We now made sure that our human residents learned all they need to know. Many of them expressed a desire to be with the group going to meet the railroad workers when they arrive in the Green Woods. The humans afterall were surveyors from that railroad town and were eager to learn about friends and families they left behind.
Chapter 12
It was at this time we got more world news. There was now a group of surveyors led by a man named Savidan who were mapping the land and rivers. They were last known to be in the town of Riverview Resort northwest of us and they were heading west. Word was that the Chattachoo Railroad's goal was to be able to move people and goods from the east coast and Chattachoo to that town. There was also word that work had begun on a railway out west in a new town called Ironridge. The world was on the move and it was time we got moving too. Our group of humans and elves were preparing to leave for the northeast mountain ridge.
Gerhardin and I would not be going, we would remain in the town we help to found. We were well pleased with our town of Greenwood, from the original elven tree village where we lived, to the High Elf town cluster, to the human riverside part of town with it's mix of nice houses and treehouse, all built with a minimum amount of tree loss. Greenwood in the Green Woods was a beautiful place to live in harmony with nature.
Chapter 13
We had many young singles living at home. We carefully choose small clearings to built more nice houses and evergreen treehouses. Before the humans and elves left for the east mountain range Greenwood's population was 139, 91 adults, 21 students, and 27 young children. We only had 40 homes for 60 families but we would have some vacant homes after the forest protectors left. They were traveling light but taking a small army of tree fellows with them. They left in spring of year 13. We heard nothing from them but knew it would take them some time to reach their destination.
It was summer of the following year, year 62 SVT, that we got an urgent request for help. There was an invasion of giant frogs in Summerset Swamp, the situation was dire. We could not refuse to go to their aid. Gerhardin and I were first to volunteer but our 2 girls did not want to go. Our oldest, Oril, was soon to be married and our youngest was about to complete her schooling. She would remain at home.
We were gone much longer than we thought we would be, having stayed until we were sure that the town of Marshfield would survive without our help. It was good to be back home this summer with our family and friends. Summer in the Woods is always magical. Don't you agree, weary traveler?
The End
Summer in the Woods is always magical. :) :) :)
@ Abandoned ;D ;D ;D Beautiful story . Lots of trees and greenery. Magic Forest. Thank you and best regards
Another magical story. Thank you both for your wonderful collaboration.
:) Thanks guys :)
Kid Fruit & Nut mod has been released. Find info and link to download here:
http://worldofbanished.com/index.php?topic=4027.0