Chronicled Timeline
End of Autumn 479
-Unnamed Village-
-Unnamed Island-
The farmers have put in and pulled out one last harvest before the frosts hit, but fishing has been getting riskier and riskier as the winds get colder. The hunting parties have been pulling in less meat as fewer and fewer animals have been out and about during the season. Even the wolves have become almost impossible to find. While worrying, there is enough food for everyone to last the winter if it's rationed carefully. And while people are not happy about the prospect of going back to rationed meals, they're glad to do it in their own homes, with land beneath their feet.
Geršr's maps have been copied by cartographers, and an artfully painted set hang in the Great Hall:
Spoiler: Village Map
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http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1481688784
The Barn is next to the Well. To the East of that is the Great Hall. The Watchtower is to the far south. Each "House" is unique, but why show that on a map? There's enough houses for the ~700 people in the town. Specific buildings can be specified in the future.
Spoiler: Northern Tip of Island
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http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1481688786
The measure on the left is 24 miles in total, the equivalent of a day's journey. Each marker is a mile and one can travel, at normal speeds, 4 miles an hour.
The purple dot at the sandspit is the Beachhead Camp. The Red Square is the village. The rolling hills and fields blend into light forests towards the village, which is on the "border" of the heavy forests.
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Spoiler: Geršr
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Geršr's hunting party has become a staple of life in the village. They head out into the thick forests daily as a group, return for the midday meal and head back out again for an afternoon hunt, often returning with the setting of the sun. The midday meal has become somewhat of a daily event for the people as all sorts mingle in the great hall to hear the latest stories or tell jokes, or just to be somewhere that feels like home. High Captain Bloodmane is there almost every day, and Kįra's work crews are often there for their own respite. The music and the songs have a tendency to be hit or miss, but it's always a good time.
Anbotha takes naturally to her unofficial place as Geršr's second in command as she looks up to the smaller woman. She hunts warily, and always seems to be on the lookout for wolves. Those few times that they cross your path anymore, Anbotha fights with a vengeance and a fury matched only by a few. The other hunters take pride in their skills, and in turn, their skills improve. Soon each is firing twice in the time it used to take them to fire once. They've mostly gotten the knack for going about quietly and following trails and some days Geršr doesn't need to say a word. It's an impressive growth, and the hunters are proud of their progress.
While hunting twice a day does make the rumor gathering more difficult, Geršr's able to discern that her hunters are loyal to her. Which is similar to being loyal to Bloodmane, but in terms of politics, these seven people believe that what Geršr thinks is best for people is probably what's actually best. By the end of the season most of them have gotten the idea to recruit more raiders and train them up properly. This would definitely expand the settlement's hunting force and free up Geršr for other tasks and duties should she choose.
One evening, just before the turning of the season, Geršr and her seven hunters come across a cave deep in the woods. There's large, wide tracks in the surrounding area but no signs of life. The prints are those of a bear, something the halfling hunter has seen only a few times in Vansterland. While the hunters are concerned, they note that the tracks seem to be singular in nature: only one creature. It's up to you what you want to do: Do you stay to ambush the beast, or do you choose to leave well enough alone for now?
Spoiler: Lim
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The rest of the season is relatively relaxing in a strange sort of way. Sóley proves to be a masterful student and a damn decent shot, too. She agrees to all of Lim's demands but refuses to take his advice on her closeness with her family. She is of a rebellious age and there's only so far that Lim can reasonable prod or push his pupil, so he takes the high road and leaves her to her choices. The fact that he sometimes slips and calls her Mik might have something to do with it. By the very end of the season she's mastered his technique for climbing quickly and is soon hopping from tree to tree during the morning hunts. She can only get one arrow flying at a time, but much like Lim it's almost always a kill shot.
During the evenings, Lim's able to keep up a presence around town. He often runs messages up and down the beach faster than most men a quarter of his age, and while many have tried to best his speed, only Sóley's ever come close. Lim learns that many people are really getting accustomed to life out here, and he's even one of the first to hear the hot question as it makes its way around the village: Vanstermen are from Vansterland, then what does that make us? Many people say that they're still from Vansterland, it's just not their home anymore. Others say that they should come up with a new name to tell their children, and their children. That this is a chance for change.
Speaking of change, Vera's living space has become Lim's home. She invited him to stay past supper one day and when he left the morning after she said, "Come home safe." She didn't seem to need to say anything more than that and as far as anyone else is concerned Vera Jaynsget's business is none of theirs. And Lim's expertise with wounds and injuries prove invaluable in the Healer's House the few times he's needed.
Spoiler: Kįra
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The days have been long, but there's a deep joy found in honest labor that few can deny. That rings true as the men and women working with Kįra seem to be a jovial lot, and their days of work and song and drink and food have an unending cadence to them. And that cadence turns to song and music itself almost daily as they join the hunters in the great hall for midday meal. Most of the times it's Kįra leading the tune, but on occasion a young man stands out from the crowd with his voice: Jor Braydsget. He's a young man coming up on his twenty first winter and just a finger taller than Kįra. From what she's been able to learn, he's got no family and has been living with some other workers. He's amenable to learning an instrument, should Kįra mention it, but says that he wouldn't know where to get one.
The work crews finished the tower in early autumn, and while a wall seemed like a good option, many applauded the wisdom of clearing the well before winter. No one knows how severe it could get here and whether or not that stream will stay flowing is a major concern. A covered well, on the other hand, could prevent dozens of accidents in the future. The problem is that someone needs to be lowered deep into the well itself to start hauling out the debris and wreckage of the past. It's a dangerous job, and strength is needed both down the hole and up top. The workers are willing to take Kįra's orders on how to organize this. [Explain how you want to organize this and give me three strength checks]
Spoiler: OOC
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Alright folks, that was Autumn. The village is still unnamed and so is the island. You're each popular enough to put forth a serious contender for a name and people will start using it. If there's different names, maybe that's a thing that happens. In other news, in Vanstermen culture, the end of Winter is the end of the year and traditionally when all ages go up one. So consider what your characters think of that upcoming milestone in their lives. The next update will occur Mid to Late Winter, so you don't have to worry about New Year stuff just yet.
For those with situations to deal with: this is not going to be a back and forth thing. Give me just a one post in your reply on how you're dealing with it and I'll incorporate that into my next update.