Stavanger in June, 1650

Weather becoming important again, the morning of the 20th starts with a strong breeze and a moderate rainfall (5mm over a 3 hour period). This is enough to produce a steady downpour, something equal to this. Nadia is game to go nonetheless, though you're all going to get very wet, as the wind will blast the rain sideways. She feels she can get you across the bay in about five hours. I'd intended to describe the journey, but given the conditions, the players will have to decide their intentions first.

Obviously the sky is very grey. The temperature is merely cool, however, this being June; it's much better than brisk. Think 13°C or 55°F.

Marcule:Out

Pandred: I'm okay with making the crossing.

Pandred: Out.

Embla Strand In/Out. Let's cross. I've taken care of wages on my end.

Vafrandir: I am as well. We make sure all the supplies are strapped down tight, we've enough rope. I've accounted for all food to this point.

Vafrandir: Out.

The DM: Out.

The DM: In.

The DM: So long as we understand it is dangerous. The weather algorithm effectively dumped the storm on me and I have no special plans for it. During the crossing, there is a small percentage, 2%, of something troublesome happening. There are six of you in the boat, and to save time, I will roll for each of you: Embla, Marcule, Nadia, Pandred, Vafrandir, Valda. Pandred, sorry to say, your number came up (I rolled 1 in 50 for each of you alphabetically). I will need Pandred to roll a d% as the fjord is crossed. I'd rather the player rolled; if I don't hear from her in half an hour, however, I'll make the roll.

Marcule:In

The DM: The storm is severely unpleasant and you're all forced to bail the boat as you make your way across. If anything, the rain is heavier towards noon; but though you're drenched, the water is cold. It is more the stinging spray being blasted off the water that makes the journey hard. Thankfully, as you get into the leeward of each island along the way, places Nadia steers for, you get a respite from the wind that lets you catch your breaths.

The DM: Okay, rolling for Pandred. This is on the Malady Checks table, still on the old wiki. 64 indicates that Pandred slips and falls, suffering 1d4 damage. A dexterity check would be needed to determine if she falls into the water, since you're on a boat; I'm very uncomfortable with making that check, since it could result in Pandred falling in, the others failing to catch her, and her being lost forever. So, again, I believe I'll wait another half an hour before I make that roll.

Vafrandir: In.

Pandred: In. And also, apparently, fuck this boat.

Pandred: What do you want me to roll for, Dex, the damage, what's up?

The DM: A dexterity check, rolling a d20 against your dexterity. The damage is 4.

Pandred: 20. Blub blub.

The DM: Okay, this is getting dire. Vafrandir, you're nearest Pandred; I will need you to start with an intelligence check, to see if you're too dullwitted by the storm to be paying attention to Pandred's slip. d20, please.

Vafrandir: [5], my Int is 12.

The DM: Okay. Temptation is to say, "You see Pandred start to fall, what do you do?" But I think we'll assume that you try to catch her. That's a dexterity check.

Vafrandir: The first thing I do is holler for the others: perhaps I can't be heard above the storm but it can't hurt. [12], Dex is 16.

The DM: You catch her, and a heart-pounding moment is finished. Chances are, you wouldn't have had time to think about hollering; the dexterity check is a reflex check, to see if you would habitually just reach out and steady her; there wouldn't have been planning in it. But don't forget to keep reminding Pandred that you saved her life. You're a hero.

Vafrandir: Everyone here has saved my life many times! I am honored to return the favor. My heart was honestly in my mouth.

Marcule: Deep exhale.

Pandred: Alright, so next adventure is to slay Poseidon himself. Guy tried to ambush me, you all saw it.

The DM: Men.

The DM: Well, a lot of Norwegian kings have died by drowning in the fjords. The boat finishes its journey safely, pulling up at the dock in Treborg about three in the afternoon. By then, thankfully, the wind has diminished to a moderate breeze, the rain has lessened by two thirds to a light shower and the clouds have lifted, though it is still overcast. The wind is blowing out of the southwest now, so that Treborg harbour is comparatively calm. You pull the boat towards one of the many posts driven deep into the sand and clay, where the boat can be tied for security (there are no docks here).

Vafrandir: How does the shore look? We may want to wait to unload until its less muddy.

The DM: The shore is rocks. The mooring post is about 6 feet from the water's edge, and being a Norwegian, you jump into the water and get your legs wet. Marcule makes a nimble jump from the boat's prow and lands about two feet from the water's edge, so he doesn't sink up to his neck. Then the boat is pulled around and emptied while you all stand in calf deep water (except for Marcule, who can't reach above the gunnel; if he were to help unload, he would do it from inside the boat.

Landing in Treborg, June 20th

Pandred: Then let's get these chests and whatnot indoors. If Odds has stayed dry, I won't trouble him.

Vafrandir: We'll start unloading then.

The DM: You might want to trouble him. The edge of shore is about two hundred yards from Treborg, and I believe your tent and partly done house is a quarter mile north of town. I'll go check that.

Vafrandir: The cart will hold 1 ton. We have less than a ton but not by much. Let's split it between two trips. Pandred, can you fetch Odds and the cart and mule?

The DM: House started on forest land near the road to the north; so we'll say just a hundred yards north of Treborg, which wasn't specified. The house was started on May 25th and Embla asked for two months construction time; so, should be done the last week of July.

Pandred: Can do, will do, done.

Vafrandir: Great! We'll load what we can "inside" such as it is, I'll have to go back and look at the available space. Otherwise, we can tie down a few of our spare tents over the extras.

The DM: Fetching Oddsdrakken, you get everything loaded and taken along to your tents. I've specified the amount those can store, in people and goods; is there enough tent space for the increased number of persons (2 tons each for empty sleeping space); if not, some will have to stay at the hostel for 3 c.p. a night. Valda and Nadia learn the location of your property.

Marcule: out.

The DM: As you're coming along with your stuff, you see Monica standing under the eaves of one of the houses, watching you. "Hello Vafrandir," she'll say, as you pass.

Vafrandir: We have 10 tents and 1 large pavilion tent. That will cover 7 persons and our roughly 1400 lb of goods. The large tent takes some time to erect but we can get it done by night-fall.

Vafrandir: "Hello, Monica! Are you and your family well?"

Monica: "Very well. My father sends his greetings."

Vafrandir: "I am glad to hear it!" I gesture to the cart. "We have much work to do while we have the light, so I must take my leave. God be with you!"

Monica: "Bye. Vafrandir."

The DM: And I'm Out. Have a good weekend!

Vafrandir: Out. Good day!

Settling in Treborg

The DM: In.

The DM: Let's continue this thread here. It will take you part of the morning of June 21st to get yourselves unpacked and settled. At that time the temperature will be cool, with a little spattering rain. Describe your plans, please. Your house is about half completed.

Vafrandir: In.

Vafrandir: We'll take Valda around the place - though it's not much yet - and ask her to make a plan for planting. I'd like to go back up into the mountains once the rain clears out, though how long that'll take I don't know. Dilhak is sure to be gone by now but perhaps we can pick up his trail.

The DM: There doesn't seem to be any part of your land that's properly arable.

Vafrandir: What's the main issue with it? Rocky, poor drainage, that sort of thing?

The DM: Yes, that's it. Most of the arable land has been taken surrounding Treborg, and there isn't that much of it. Valda can point to a section near your land that covered with trees, saying that if perhaps that could be cleared, she could plant there. She can plant as late as the 20th of July, that's a month from now. Vafrandir could see that's land the party doesn't own.

Embla Strand In. Well, let's see about purchasing that plot so that we can get some food production. Would that be the forest price?

Vafrandir: I agree, we've already got 6, a few more won't hurt. Assuming it's not already owned. I remember some discussion of the difficulty of clearing land.

The DM: 39 g.p. per acre. An acre is the minimum purchase size.

Vafrandir: Very good. Let's do it. Embla, I assume we have the coin? Let's see if we can speak with Mss. Hendriksen to arrange it.

Vafrandir: Out.

Embla Strand Is that the acre's price or the price of clear-cutting it?

The DM: That's the price to buy it. You have to clear it yourself.

Pandred: In. How many people can be fed an acre? We might consider gobbling up as much as we can and selling the excess lumber. Some day we might have more retainers, after all.

The DM: There's a shortage of arable land surrounding Treborg (which explains why it is such a small village). There is only one acre available. As it is, you'll need to spare your animal to help clear it for planting. You can plant 97 lbs. per acre of seed and get four times that in return.

Embla Strand Great. I buy it.

The DM: You can finish the arrangements for the land by the afternoon of the 21st. The rain is drizzling now, not quite but almost a fog. The temperature continues to be cool.

Pandred: Please correct me if I'm wrong, but with a single harvest this acre is going to give us 388 lbs of return: meaning that split seven ways we can expect 55-ish lbs per person per year? Fuck me, we might want to set up a satellite location outside Stavanger after our next big haul.

The DM: Correct. Consider the region. This isn't Picardy or the Po Valley. It's true you'd do better with 10 acres, but even then you'd have to compliment the oat harvest with fish, gathered apples, chicken eggs and hunting, and possibly a milk cow if you were lucky enough to afford one. Only a rich person in Treborg would have a dairy cow; even the three teams of oxen in the community are shared.