| fact-creek-parley-keelstrand-view |
WORLD |
The rotational creek lookout spotted a three-person party approaching the south creek bank in daylight with open hands. Elders received their hail; the visitors identified themselves as peaceful coastal folk from Saltmere on the southern shallows, offering a seasonal gift basket of fine pressed salt, smoked fish, and reed craft. The gift was accepted across the water, peaceful relations were affirmed, and Marker Beach was agreed as a neutral seasonal meeting ground. Later, Ivo walked the marker beach and aligned three verification stones on a driftwood log. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-creek-parley-saltmere-view |
WORLD |
Evi, an elder, and a companion reached the southern bank of the northern creek and hailed the boatbuilders across the water in broad daylight with open hands. Keelstrand received the hail with prepared numbers and calm composure; the seasonal gift basket of pressed salt, smoked fish, and reed goods was transferred across the water. Both parties affirmed peaceful intentions and agreed that Marker Beach will serve as a neutral ground for seasonal barter, returning home without crossing the creek. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ford-barter-high-barley-view |
WORLD |
Del and Seli's four-person embassy met High Barley's leader and elders at the stream ford cairn. Jun's crew had erected a sheltered trade lean-to, guide rope, and water-level markers on the western bank. High Barley presented a return gift of warm wool cloth, fresh barley loaves, and dried mint. Across the stepping stones, a successful trial barter was conducted: High Barley traded surplus barley grain, thick wool blankets, and medicinal herbs in exchange for clean sea-salt and smoked fish. Both parties agreed to a monthly Ford Exchange on low-water days while keeping the stream boundary uncrossed. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ford-barter-ternhaven-view |
WORLD |
Del and Seli led Ternhaven's four-person delegation to the stream ford cairn, meeting High Barley's leader and elders. High Barley received them with a return hospitality gift of warm wool cloth, fresh barley loaves, and dried mint beside their new trade lean-to. Across the flat stepping stones, the parties conducted a successful trial barter, trading coastal sea-salt and smoked fish for upland barley grain, heavy woven wool blankets, and dried medicinal herbs. Both clans agreed to hold a regular monthly Ford Exchange on low-water days without uninvited entry into either village. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ford-contact-high-barley-view |
WORLD |
A four-person delegation from the coastal inlet, led by a woman named Del and the guide Seli, hailed Jun from the eastern bank of the stream ford. They approached openly and unarmored, presenting a woven gift basket of cured smoked fish and clean sea-salt. High Barley's leader and elders met them at the stream, exchanging peaceful greetings and learning that their village, Ternhaven, is a coastal fishing settlement seeking peaceful trade, while maintaining the stream barrier without admitting visitors up to the shelf. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ford-contact-ternhaven-view |
WORLD |
Del and Seli led Ternhaven's four-person embassy along the alder path to the stream ford, observing a stone boundary cairn bearing a woven willow ring. They were hailed across the water by the ford watcher Jun and met by the upland leader and elders. Del presented the gift basket of smoked fish and sea-salt, explained Ternhaven's hospitality customs, and discussed future barter. The upland community, High Barley, received the gift courteously and affirmed peaceful relations across the stream, while keeping the meeting at the water boundary. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ford-winter-exchange-high-barley-view |
WORLD |
During an established low-water window, watcher Jun and the leader hosted the second monthly Ford Exchange from the dry-stone lean-to. Del and Seli's four-person coastal party arrived along the alder path. Across the stepping stones, High Barley traded densely fulled woolen socks, mittens, hooded cloaks, dried medicinal herbs (willow bark, coltsfoot, mint), and barley grain in exchange for clean coastal sea-salt, smoked fish, and tallow, sharing peaceful seasonal news while strictly preserving the stream boundary. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ford-winter-exchange-ternhaven-view |
WORLD |
Seli confirmed safe trail and low-water conditions, allowing Del and a four-person party to conduct the monthly exchange at the stream cairn. High Barley received them from their dry-stone trade lean-to with hot herbal brew. Across the stepping stones, Ternhaven traded baskets of clean coarse sea-salt and hardwood-smoked fish fillets for dense fulled woolen socks, hooded cloaks, raw fleece, dried medicinal herbs, and barley grain, reaffirming mutual friendship while honoring the water boundary. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-care-and-harvest |
WORLD |
Cal's care rota was instituted, gathering dependents in central spaces and relieving weary caregivers, with the covered bowl honored at every evening meal. Hesta paced the barley cut to dry intervals, while Osa used pack goats with hauling frames to carry sheaves, keeping harvest flowing without overburdening households. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-ford-surveillance |
WORLD |
Jun observed two distant coastal travelers advance along the alder path to the edge of the stream ford and lower meadow. The scouts observed the shelf from cover and withdrew peacefully eastward down the alder path without attempting to cross the ford or approach the village. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-gale-defense-and-stores |
WORLD |
Work parties retied thatch spars and weighted roof ropes with stones along the eaves of all dwellings and the storehouse, adjusting smoke-hole baffles against down-drafts. Winter fuel was stacked on log runners under eaves with drainage furrows. Leth maintained weekly dunnage inspections and rodent trapping, airing surface-chilled sacks on loft hurdles, while Beren kept prime seed grain locked under separate watch. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-granary-and-communal-hearths |
RESOURCE |
The leader, Leth, and Beren audited all granary stocks, establishing a daily rationing schedule that guarantees a 25% safety reserve into summer, with Beren's prime seed grain locked under strict custodial seal. Living clusters consolidated into the five warmest longhouses around shared hearths, burning peat and timber efficiently. Cal coordinated indoor wool spinning, tool repair, and dependent care, with spring drinking water boiled over fires and the covered bowl faithfully honored each evening. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-harvest-conclusion |
RESOURCE |
Hesta's teams completed final sickle sweeps of standing barley during dry spells. Beren managed a continuous rotation through the wool loft drying hurdles to threshing cloths, ensuring the entire crop was cured, winnowed, and bagged without rain spoilage, with straw bundled for goat fodder and bedding. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-herd-husbandry-and-runners |
WORLD |
Osa maintained the pack goats in dry-stone pens banked with heather hurdles, feeding measured rations of dried browse and meadow hay with coarse barley straw bedding to prevent hoof rot. Ternhaven sea-salt licks kept the herd drinking regularly, pregnant does received extra grain chaff, and water troughs were de-iced twice daily. Osa and handlers fitted hauling frames and barrows with polished timber sled runners, smoothly hauling firewood, peat, and water over upland snowpack. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-herd-penning-and-hearths |
RESOURCE |
Osa transitioned the pack goats from open slopes into sheltered dry-stone pens, rationing coarse straw, alder browse, and heather while overhauling pack harnesses and maintaining passive watch over the northwest trail. Cal coordinated shared evening hearths across households for fuel efficiency, where resting adults carded wool, spun yarn, and repaired tools while dependents were cared for, with the nightly covered bowl faithfully honored. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-store-and-fuel-security |
RESOURCE |
Leth stacked all newly harvested grain sacks exclusively on raised dunnage away from outer walls, maintaining daily moisture checks. Beren secured prime seed grain in marked sacks on the driest upper racks, while goat-hauling teams stockpiled deadwood, brush, and peat under covered eaves. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-high-barley-storehouse-and-loft |
RESOURCE |
Leth and the leader sorted the lower store bay, salvaging damp grain for immediate meals and removing mold. Raised timber dunnage was laid to lift sacks off the floor, Beren converted the disused wool loft into ventilated drying hurdles, and prime seed grain was secured on upper racks. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-craft-haulout-and-joinery |
WORLD |
Arel's crews maximized the late-autumn fish runs before winching the fishing boat and creek skiffs onto greased log skids on the gravel terrace above storm tides, lashing them securely. Inside the stabilized boat shed, Mara and carpenters spent foul-weather days carving oars, shaping thole pins, drilling trunnels, and pre-fitting framing knees for Arel's spring vessel, while Pell's apprentices repaired nets and conditioned cordage with tallow and pitch. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-fiber-and-swales |
WORLD |
Tor organized swales along uphill walls to direct runoff toward the creek, inspected central hearth clearances, and culled storage pits. Pell led apprentices in retting and spinning nettle and bast fibers into cordage, while caulking pitch was rendered from resin, charcoal, and ash. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-ridge-and-marker-patrols |
WORLD |
Ivo scouted the western marker beach, finding the stake intact with faint shore tracks nearby. Later, from a concealed observation post on the southeast ridge, Ivo observed managed pack goat herds grazing across the distant upland shelf before executing a disciplined midday return. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-ridge-patrol |
WORLD |
Ivo scouted the southeast pack trail to the first ridgeline, observing pack animal tracks and spotting distant upland grazing herds before executing a midday turnaround and returning safely before nightfall. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-ridge-winter-observation |
WORLD |
Ivo conducted a final pre-frost scout to the southeast ridge before winter weather set in. From concealed observation, he noted that the distant upland pastoralists have moved their pack goat herds off the exposed slopes into sheltered stone pens near their settlement, confirming pastoral winterization, before returning safely. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-roofs-and-boats |
RESOURCE |
The unfinished hull was securely cradled and sealed beneath pitched thatch. Mara overhauled and caulked the existing fishing boat with seasoned offcuts. Pell trained apprentices in knotting and split-root lashings, enabling Tor's crews to tie thatch and seal all four leaking houses. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-shed-shoring |
WORLD |
Mara and Ivo inspected the boat shed brace, finding rot concentrated at the foot of the post while adjacent framing remains solid. Sturdy timber props were erected to shore the corner and cross-beam, stabilizing the shed against autumn winds. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-shed-underpinning |
WORLD |
Mara and Ivo jacked the boat shed cross-beam, excavated to firm subsoil, and seated a broad flat river stone plinth. The rotted base of the corner post was cut away, charred against fungus, and fitted with a seasoned timber block sistered with hardwood splints and treenails, permanently securing the structure. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-shed-workshop-and-solstice |
WORLD |
Inside the heated boat shed, Mara's carpenters and Arel's fishing crew dressed, planed, and pre-fitted seasoned hull planks and framing knees for Arel's spring vessel, cementing the keel compromise. Pell's apprentices spun cordage, mended nets, and laced ash-wood snowshoes with rawhide, while woodworkers carved wooden bowls, scoops, and tool helves from offcuts. At mid-month, the community gathered around the shed's central brazier for a rich solstice stew of smoked fish, roots, and beans seasoned with Saltmere salt, publicly celebrating each work crew. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-shelter-hardening-and-stores |
RESOURCE |
Tor's crews gale-proofed all dwellings with lattice hold-down poles pegged at eaves and chinked walls with moss and clay, hanging hide baffles over doorways. Mara and Ivo completed the final drag-sled run for firewood logs and birch bark before stowing the oiled sleds. Venn audited all winter reserves, establishing a transparent weekly household rationing schedule that preserves an untouched 20% emergency reserve, with seed beans sealed in rafter vessels. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-sled-timber-and-fuel |
RESOURCE |
Work crews cleared and corduroyed the uphill track, using the two drag-sleds to haul straight trunk timbers, curved framing knees, and bundled deadwood before rains softened the trail. Logs were debarked and stacked on skids under thatched lean-tos to season for spring. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-snow-defense-and-reserves |
RESOURCE |
Tor led rotating snow crews equipped with wooden scrapers and long poles to clear roof eaves after every snowfall, and kept drainage swales clear of slush jams. Hearth enclosures and flues were inspected twice weekly to prevent soot fires, with door baffles cracked briefly at calm middays for air exchange. Venn administered weekly ration schedules holding the cordoned 20% emergency reserve untouched, culling damp roots into communal pottage and distributing herbal teas to prevent winter illness. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-keelstrand-stores-and-sleds |
RESOURCE |
Carpenters shaped two wooden drag-sleds from heavy offcuts to haul timber over the stony track without fraying rope. Venn lifted garden roots and beans into dry straw pits, and surplus creek fish were smoked and salted. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-marker-beach-keelstrand-view |
WORLD |
During a sustained calm weather window at mid-month, Ivo and a companion on snowshoes made a disciplined day-trip to Marker Beach. They found the verification stones undisturbed on the driftwood log alongside the cold ashes of a clean smoke smudge. Ivo placed a carved miniature polished wooden oar beside the stones as a respectful mark of goodwill before returning safely to Keelstrand well before dark. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-marker-beach-saltmere-view |
WORLD |
Evi and a four-person embassy walked the shingle track to Marker Beach on the first clear morning of the month, carrying pressed salt cakes and woven reed mats. Lighting a clear signal smudge on the open shingle, they waited in plain view. When no Keelstrand party appeared before afternoon, the delegation repacked their trade goods courteously in accordance with strict stop rules and returned safely to Saltmere before dusk without crossing the creek. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-bank-and-pan-winterization |
WORLD |
Fen's crew dressed the western pan bank with a thick revetment of dry reed bundles and heavy turf flaps to shield the clay core from frost heave. Full boiling was suspended to conserve firewood, concentrated brine was barreled in covered clay vats, boiling pans were greased with fish oil, and a thatched timber canopy was erected over the springhead. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-bank-reinforcement |
WORLD |
Fen and the leader inspected the western pan bank at low water, discovering small seepage channels through the lower earth. Fen's crew packed and reinforced the bank with dense clay from the rise and turf sods, stabilizing the foundation before any boiling resumes. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-creek-reconnaissance |
WORLD |
Evi and a companion reached the southern bank of the northern creek under cover of dunes. They observed an active boat yard on the opposite bank with timber sleds, an overhauled fishing craft, and permanent thatched dwellings, confirming a substantial neighboring settlement before withdrawing unseen. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-fuel-and-stores-discipline |
RESOURCE |
Fresh willow and alder billets were split into thin laths and stacked under the drained hollow shelter, accelerating seasoning. Inshore fishing continued in calm windows, drying racks were sheltered beside longhouses, and Daro's weekly inspection confirmed stored grain and cured fish remain free of mold. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-fuel-coppice |
RESOURCE |
Work crews coppiced willow and alder, limbing billets to season for winter. Shallow drainage trenches were dug around the sheltered clay hollow, and an open-sided thatched timber shelter was constructed where fresh wood sits raised on stringers. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-hearth-and-insulation |
RESOURCE |
Thin-split willow and alder laths from the hollow shelter were brought into the longhouses to temper near hearth eaves before burning with core dry billets, extending firewood reserves. Families consolidated into the two primary longhouses with strict night-time ash-banking, while Sava's weavers installed double-layered reed draft-screens over doorways and crafted reed-and-grass boot liners to prevent outdoor frostbite. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-marker-beach-patrol |
WORLD |
Evi completed a cautious day patrol to the marker beach. She observed additional worked timber offcuts in the flotsam and sighted hearth smoke across the northern creek from cover, returning safely before nightfall without being detected or making contact. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-pan-thermal-test |
WORLD |
Nessa conducted a low-intensity test boil on an inland pan using salvaged drift and deadfall, while Fen monitored the western bank at low water. The clay reinforcement remained solid without cracking or seepage, confirming stability under low heat while core dry billets remain reserved for domestic warmth. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-stores-and-shallows-foraging |
RESOURCE |
Orin hauled both fishing skiffs well above storm-tide levels, lashing them hull-up on timber rollers beneath thatched mats. Foraging shifted to tidal shallows and Sava's woven wicker traps in the reed channels, harvesting cockles, mussels, and eels. Daro bedded roots in dry sand clamps, grain was raised on split-timber dunnage, and Sava's weavers shifted indoors to make draft screens and hampers. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-stores-and-shelter |
RESOURCE |
Saltmere's two damaged roofs were re-thatched with marsh reeds before mid-autumn rains. Garden roots were lifted and stored dry. The autumn fish catch was divided between the smokehouse using allocated dry billets, dry-salting with reserve cakes, and Sava's canopied drying racks, preventing spoilage. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-saltmere-subsistence-and-bank-care |
WORLD |
Daro instituted strict weekly food draws from barley, salted fish, and sand-clamped tubers, removing spoiled roots early. During mild low-tide sun, foraging crews harvested cockles, mussels, and winter kelp within waist-deep limits, while Orin broke skim ice to empty Sava's wicker eel pots. Fen kept the springhead and runnel cleared of snow, and inspected the pan bank's reed-and-turf revetment, confirming no frost heaving or cracking occurred. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-alder-scout-report |
GEOGRAPHY |
Seli completed a three-day reconnaissance along the alder path to the stream ford and lower meadow. She confirmed the trail is passable in early autumn, found fresh goat and pack tracks near the water, and sighted dwellings on the high upland shelf above before withdrawing eastward in accordance with orders. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-craft-haulout-and-store-audit |
RESOURCE |
Kiri and Ruan winched both fishing boats onto greased timber skids on the high inner beach well above storm tides, pitching seams with tallow and resin before lashing them beneath thatched hurdle covers. Ves completed an itemized inventory of winter provisions, establishing measured rationing and twice-weekly dunnage rotations, while low-tide foraging along the rocky shore yielded mussels, limpets, and kelp. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-hall-louvers-and-fire-safety |
WORLD |
Wen oversaw the construction and installation of adjustable wattled smoke louvers beneath landing hall roof vents, drawing heavy curing smoke cleanly outside while preserving interior heat. Work crews banked earth and dense reed screens against exterior walls and hung weighted door baffles, while three-foot gravel firebreaks and ready water buckets were established around all hearths, with fuel pre-dried indoors. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-hall-management-and-health |
WORLD |
Wen continually adjusted the wattled roof louvers to exhaust woodsmoke cleanly while preserving interior heat, maintained three-foot gravel firebreaks around hearths, and staged firewood indoors two days in advance to drive off moisture. Fresh spring water infused with High Barley mint and herbs was served daily, sleeping mats were shaken clean on dry days, and crews kept the fresh-water wellhead free of snow and ice. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-hospitality-policy |
WORLD |
The leader established an explicit village hospitality rule: visitors receive shelter and a hearth meal for their first night under custom; on the second day, guests must provide reciprocal labor or receive travel rations and depart peacefully. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-marine-safety-and-craft |
WORLD |
Ruan confined fishing strictly to the sheltered inner inlet, hauling both craft above the storm line during rough swells. Kiri inspected the re-rigged mooring at slack tides, while net crews utilized stormy days inside the hall to twist fresh cordage from bast stores and repair damaged netting. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-mooring-and-boats |
WORLD |
Both fishing boats were safely hauled onto the inner beach above high tide. During slack water, Kiri inspected the outer mooring and discovered the rope chafing against a submerged stone edge; the mooring was cleared and re-rigged with tested cordage, while inshore fishing continued safely. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-stores-and-hearth |
RESOURCE |
Work crews built drying racks on the upper ledge to dry split fish and roots off the ground. The landing hall roof seam was re-thatched and pitched, dry firewood was secured under lean-tos, and coughing children were nursed to recovery by the central hearth. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-stores-and-wellhead-defense |
RESOURCE |
Ves and Wen cleared all dried fish and roots from the upper ledge racks into the landing hall ahead of driving rains. Sacks and root bundles were raised on timber dunnage away from walls, while shallow diversion ditches were dug uphill from the fresh-water wellhead to steer autumn mud and runoff away from the water supply. |
PLAYERS |
| fact-ternhaven-stores-craft-and-shellfish |
RESOURCE |
Ves administered measured winter rations with twice-weekly dunnage inspections, immediately boiling slightly damp grain into evening pottage. Kiri cleared heavy snow loads from hauled boat thatch covers and monitored the inlet for shore-fast ice. During calm low spring tides, Ruan led warmly clad crews along inner gravel bars to gather mussels, limpets, whelks, and winter kelp, while weavers fashioned warm hoods, mittens, and chest wraps from bartered upland wool. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-calendar |
WEATHER |
It is Early autumn, Year 1 (Y01-M07). The mornings are cool, with intermittent rain and occasional drying days. People expect wetter mid-autumn, stronger late-autumn winds, then short winter days, frost and occasional snow. Sea ice is not dependable. Weather can interrupt outdoor drying and travel; no particular storm or loss is foretold. Preparing roofs, fuel and stores now can work. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-conditions |
WORLD |
High Barley is consolidated into its five warmest longhouses, sharing communal hearths for fuel efficiency while observing water-boiling hygiene and the nightly covered bowl. Leth and Beren completed a comprehensive store audit, establishing daily rations that preserve a 25% safety reserve while prime seed grain remains locked. Osa winters the pack goat herd safely in stone pens bedded with straw, utilizing salt licks and fitting hauling barrows with timber sled runners for effortless snow transport. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-contacts |
CHARACTER |
Hesta is your field steward. Cal is your care rota keeper. Beren is your seed and threshing keeper. Osa is your goat and pack handler. Leth is your storehouse keeper. Jun is your spring and ford watcher. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-custom |
WORLD |
At harvest, households set aside a covered bowl for those who cannot come to the field. The bowl is a witnessed obligation rather than a claim that care takes no work. People accept your leadership but watch who is asked to carry the burden. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-dispute |
WORLD |
Hesta wants every able pair of hands in the fields during this dry interval. Cal reminds her that dependents still need feeding and tending, and brings you the unfilled household rota. Beren says some sheaves can wait, but not all the exposed crop through repeated rain. Counting caregivers twice will not bring the grain in sooner. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-map |
GEOGRAPHY |
Your village lies on a southern upland shelf above the eastern side of the sound. Fields surround the houses; rough grazing and a spring lie uphill. A pack trail runs northwest over a ridge; another descends east through alder ground toward distant coastal smoke. A small stream ford near the east descent rises after rain. You own pack goats and hauling frames, not a seaworthy boat. No coast-to-coast shortcut crosses the steep central ravine. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-neighbors |
WORLD |
Osa found fresh pack impressions on the northwest ridge trail; their destination is beyond the village’s current map. On clear evenings, Jun sees smoke east below the alder descent and has heard gulls and a carried bell. Jun knows the ford and can lead a cautious descent to an empty lower meadow in a day. A message party could continue toward the smoke after checking the route, but no neighbor’s reception or stores are known. You need not make that journey during harvest. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-opportunity |
WORLD |
A disused wool loft could take raised drying hurdles if cleared and kept ventilated. Osa can use the goats to shift small loads without pulling every caregiver into the fields. A smaller surplus may be a sound choice if it preserves care and seed. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-premise |
WORLD |
You have awakened without memory of your old identity. You remember ordinary life in a modern society, but no modern equipment has come with you. The 153 people here treat you as their leader. Specific skills may be established through what you credibly attempt; doing or teaching work takes time. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-scene |
WORLD |
Cut stalks rasp against your legs on the path into the yard. A row of sheaves waits outside the storehouse. At the threshing cloth, a tired man rocks a sleeping child with one foot while keeping grain away from the damp edge. |
PLAYERS |
| high-barley-warning |
WORLD |
An earthy smell rises from the lowest store bay after rain, and one sack has a dark patch underneath. Leth says the upper racks smell clean. The smell is evidence of damp, not proof that all grain is spoiled; an inspection can distinguish usable stores from damaged portions. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-calendar |
WEATHER |
It is Early autumn, Year 1 (Y01-M07). The mornings are cool, with intermittent rain and occasional drying days. People expect wetter mid-autumn, stronger late-autumn winds, then short winter days, frost and occasional snow. Sea ice is not dependable. Weather can interrupt outdoor drying and travel; no particular storm or loss is foretold. Preparing roofs, fuel and stores now can work. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-conditions |
WORLD |
The boat shed thrives as Keelstrand's industrious center, where Mara and Arel pre-fabricate seasoned hull planks and knees, Pell's apprentices manufacture bast cordage and snowshoes, and woodworkers carve trade utensils. Tor's crews keep roof eaves and swales clear of heavy snow, while hearths are inspected twice weekly for flue safety. Venn maintains disciplined weekly rations preserving the untouched 20% emergency food reserve, and the community celebrated a unifying mid-winter solstice meal. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-contacts |
CHARACTER |
Mara is your master carpenter. Arel is your fishing household speaker. Tor is your shelter keeper. Ivo is your timber and path scout. Pell is your rope worker with a strained wrist. Venn is your garden and pack keeper. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-custom |
WORLD |
Promises made in the yard are spoken over a laid keel with witnesses. Changed circumstances can reopen terms; that does not make the first promise imaginary. Households accept your authority, while expecting you to say whose work waits. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-dispute |
WORLD |
Mara promised Arel and the fishing households a sound boat before the late-autumn runs. Arel has helped feed the yard and wants that promise kept. Tor asks that roof crews come first, showing you the wet blanket. Mara says the hull can be safely paused if covered; finishing it while making every roof sound will require more skilled hands than the yard has. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-map |
GEOGRAPHY |
Your settlement occupies the northern timbered creek of the sound. The boat shed sits above the tide; the nearest straight timber grows uphill and must be dragged down a stony track. A western shore path reaches an empty marker beach in half a fair-weather day. A pack trail climbs southeast toward grazing country. Beyond its first ridge you have no current map. Your old fishing boat works within the creek; the unfinished larger boat cannot yet float. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-neighbors |
WORLD |
Venn brings a sack with barley husks caught in its seams, found beside the uphill pack trail, and recalls hearing a distant stock bell there before the last rain. Ivo has walked the western route to the marker beach, half a day away, where salt-smelling cord was once tied around a stake. Neither knows a neighboring leader or their current needs. You could investigate a route, send a bounded message or remain home. A small party following the pack trail can reach the first ridge in a day and return before dark only if it turns back early. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-opportunity |
WORLD |
Offcuts can repair smaller craft or make simple sled runners. Pell can demonstrate clean lashings while seated; training will occupy both learners and teacher. Covering the hull and renegotiating its delivery would preserve the investment, though people may disagree over what is owed. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-premise |
WORLD |
You have awakened without memory of your old identity. You remember ordinary life in a modern society, but no modern equipment has come with you. The 149 people here treat you as their leader. Specific skills may be established through what you credibly attempt; doing or teaching work takes time. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-scene |
WORLD |
Rain has stopped on the half-built hull. Under its ribs, a child has arranged little boats from scraps. Above you, a roof mat lifts in the wind. A carpenter sets down her adze when the shelter keeper brings a leaking sleeping blanket into the boat shed. |
PLAYERS |
| keelstrand-warning |
WORLD |
Ivo points out powder beneath one old shed brace and a change in the door gap after rain. The shed still stands. Nobody has opened the brace to see how deep the damage goes. A heavy lift beneath it could be postponed, shored or inspected. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-calendar |
WEATHER |
It is Early autumn, Year 1 (Y01-M07). The mornings are cool, with intermittent rain and occasional drying days. People expect wetter mid-autumn, stronger late-autumn winds, then short winter days, frost and occasional snow. Sea ice is not dependable. Weather can interrupt outdoor drying and travel; no particular storm or loss is foretold. Preparing roofs, fuel and stores now can work. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-conditions |
WORLD |
Families remain comfortably gathered in the two primary longhouses, where pre-dried seasoned laths stretch dry hardwood reserves under careful ash-banking. Sava's double-layered woven reed draft-screens and reed boot liners block northern gales and frostbite. Daro maintains balanced weekly rations alongside sand-clamped roots, while Orin and Fen harvest shellfish and reed-channel eel pots during mild low-tide windows. The western pan bank revetment and springhead canopy remain intact and free of snow accumulation. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-contacts |
CHARACTER |
Nessa is your pan tender. Orin is your net captain. Sava is your basket and drying-rack maker. Fen is your bank and water keeper. Evi is your shore walker. Daro is your storekeeper. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-custom |
WORLD |
At fuel allocations, each hearth lays a stone beside the claimant it supports. The stones witness a promise; they do not give every household a veto. People currently accept your leadership and await a decision. You may keep work local, change priorities or seek information without promising anyone a grand new order. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-dispute |
WORLD |
Nessa, who tends the pans, asks for the dry billets promised at the last gathering. Orin, whose household fishes, points at the smoking rack and says fish will spoil if the pans take everything. Neither claims that all production must continue: both want the cost of a reduction to be acknowledged. Several families will work on either task, but cannot do both at once. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-map |
GEOGRAPHY |
Your village stands on the western shallows of a narrow sound. Brine pools lie east, garden strips on the low rise west, and a coppice beyond them. A shingle path leads north to an empty marker beach; reeds conceal the shore south. The tidal mud looks walkable from above but holds deep runnels. Your two shallow fishing skiffs can follow the western shore in settled weather; neither is suited to an exposed crossing in a gale. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-neighbors |
WORLD |
Evi shows you a shaped timber offcut washed onto the marker beach, bearing three chisel notches. From the rise, on clear mornings, you can see smoke north across the creek but cannot count houses. Evi has previously walked as far as the empty marker beach, half a fair-weather day north, and knows its tide retreat. She offers to guide a small party there or carry a message if you choose. No meeting or reply is promised. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-opportunity |
WORLD |
Sava has woven a small raised drying rack whose fish stayed clean during the last fair spell. It has not been tested through prolonged rain. A sheltered clay hollow could store covered firewood if drained. These are possibilities for patient local work, not reasons you must leave home. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-premise |
WORLD |
You have awakened without memory of your old identity. You remember ordinary life in a modern society, but no modern equipment has come with you. The 151 people here treat you as their leader. Specific skills may be established through what you credibly attempt; doing or teaching work takes time. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-scene |
WORLD |
A gust carries white dust across the salt shed. At the hearth, two women hold opposite ends of the same split log. Neither pulls. Beyond them, wet nets drip onto the earth, and people stop talking when you step through the doorway. |
PLAYERS |
| saltmere-warning |
WORLD |
After the last high tide, a thin damp line remained under the western pan bank. Fen says the bank has held for years but asks to inspect it at low water before another full boiling. You can see the line; you do not yet know what lies inside the bank. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-calendar |
WEATHER |
It is Early autumn, Year 1 (Y01-M07). The mornings are cool, with intermittent rain and occasional drying days. People expect wetter mid-autumn, stronger late-autumn winds, then short winter days, frost and occasional snow. Sea ice is not dependable. Weather can interrupt outdoor drying and travel; no particular storm or loss is foretold. Preparing roofs, fuel and stores now can work. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-conditions |
WORLD |
Ternhaven's landing hall is warm, dry, and clean-burning as Wen regulates wattled smoke louvers against winter winds, pre-dries firewood, and maintains hearth firebreaks and an open wellhead. Ves strictly enforces winter rationing alongside twice-weekly dunnage inspections and culinary salvage. Hauled boats rest secure under snow-cleared thatch covers, Ruan leads calm low-tide foraging for shellfish along inner gravel bars, and weavers craft warm wool clothing from bartered upland fleece. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-contacts |
CHARACTER |
Del is your keeper of hospitality customs. Ves is your household stores speaker. Ruan is your net and landing captain. Kiri is your boat and mooring tender. Seli is your alder-path guide. Wen is your well and hearth keeper. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-custom |
WORLD |
The first guest meal is traditionally placed at the edge of the hearth where both host and visitor can see it. Older hosts disagree about what follows that first night. You hold the recognized leadership seat; an honest limit, a negotiated welcome or a quiet month of local work remains yours to choose. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-dispute |
WORLD |
Del recalls an old obligation to give seasonal visitors a dry first night and a meal. Ves asks whether an old welcome now means feeding whoever arrives all winter. No visitors are presently here and no arrival date is agreed. Ruan says limits spoken before arrival would be easier to honor than angry exclusions at the door. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-map |
GEOGRAPHY |
Your village sits inside the southeastern hooked inlet. Its inner landing is sheltered; beyond the bar, wind and ebb can make even a short boat journey dangerous. An alder path climbs west to a stream ford and upland meadow. The coast curves north around the eastern arm of the sound. Two small fishing boats work near shore; you have no current safe-weather survey of the full sound. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-neighbors |
WORLD |
Seli saw smoke above the westward slope after the last clear evening and found barley husks beside the upper ford on an earlier walk. She can reach that ford in a day along the alder path. Del remembers traveling basket menders who sometimes use this landing in autumn, but knows neither their present position nor other leaders’ wishes. A shore or uphill message is possible if someone makes the journey. Smoke and old visits establish that you are not alone, not that a treaty exists. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-opportunity |
WORLD |
An upper drying ledge could take racks without occupying guest space. Guests could be offered bounded work or service if they consent; there is no assurance any will come or accept. Maintaining local catches and limiting hospitality can be a complete strategy. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-premise |
WORLD |
You have awakened without memory of your old identity. You remember ordinary life in a modern society, but no modern equipment has come with you. The 150 people here treat you as their leader. Specific skills may be established through what you credibly attempt; doing or teaching work takes time. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-scene |
WORLD |
A kettle swings above the landing hearth while the inlet lies still beyond the bar. Beside it, spare sleeping mats are stacked against sacks of meal. The person counting the mats has stopped at the same place twice. Out on the beach, a net crew waves you toward a catch that needs sorting. |
PLAYERS |
| ternhaven-warning |
WORLD |
Kiri shows you a pale frayed strand in the outer mooring rope and says the float jerked sharply on the last ebb. The rope still holds the small working boat. The cause and condition below water have not been inspected. The inner beach remains available for hauling boats above the tide. |
PLAYERS |