Generations of Folle(Banished)

[Brian Swartz]

It is the Year of Our Lord 1500. In the desolate, unforgiving wilderness of an unknown country -- call it Outer Slobovia or whatever you wish -- a young couple, not more than adolescents really, arrives with a cart-full of supplies with the goal of beginning a new life. We do not know where they were from, or indeed anything substantive of the outside world. Did they offend the people of the society they were born in? Perhaps it is a case of forbidden love, and they were cast out for refusing to forswear their union? We will never know.

We do know this -- that they chose to settle here, in the most forbidding of surroundings. Having done so, they wished to record the history of this place to pass on to their posterity, not knowing for certain if they would even survive long enough for there to be any to pass it on to. What challenges would the hoped-for future generations face if they survived? What kind of existence and lifestyle would they forge in these inhospitable surroundings? Why would anything they did or failed to do provoke the most remote interest from future historians or curiosity-seekers?

These questions and more await the reader as events move along apace in the tract of land known as Folle. You may well be understandably forgiven if you find it to be slightly misspelled ...

[Brian Swartz]

OOC Dynasty Explanation

This is a Banished Dynasty. Banished is, as many of you will I'm sure know, a city-builder based in the Middle Ages. I will be using what seems to be considered the mod for this game, Colonial Charter 1.5. It adds considerably more buildings, products, crops, etc. and makes the game a lot deeper as a result. I'm still pretty new at this game, I did a test game just far enough to make sure I knew enough of the basics to get myself established, but I'm sure many mistakes will ensue. The setup I chose is as follows:

Town Name: Folle

This came up after a while in the auto-generated names and the rather obvious play on words made it an obvious choice.

Terrain Type: Bleak Mountains

Basically just makes it a bit more difficult, with less of the land usable due to the terrain.

Terrain Size: Small

What I find interesting about this kind of game is following the individuals and family trees through the history; that's what the focus of this dynasty will be. Keeping the map small will enforce a limited population so that doing that doesn't become an onerous chore, and it's also a little more challenging that way.

Climate: Very Harsh

I'm not positive on all they effects, but the bitter cold requires more fuel for heating, and limits what kinds of crops can grow.

Disasters: On

I've never been far enough into a game for these to kick in. Should be an adventure when they do.

Starting Conditions: Adam & Eve

Here's the mod description:

"Start with just 2 people. A small amount of food, firewood, and clothing is provided in a small storage cart. No structures have been built, no seeds or livestock are initially available - you will have to survive and acquire everything."

I thought this scenario really had a 'Banished' feel to it, and lent itself to following the generations of ... dare i say it ... Follies? Perhaps they will survive, and perhaps I will doom them to the ashpile of history. Either way, I've seen enough of the game to be sure I will enjoy the journey. I hope you enjoy it with me.

[Brian Swartz]

**OOC: A quick note on pacing. Each 'game year' people age 5 years, which is good for realistic pacing of events in the game. Not so good for storytelling of course. So what I'll be doing here is making each decade a 'chapter', spanning two 'game-years'. My experience with the game so far indicates that's a decent span of time. Sometimes lots of stuff happens, sometimes not all that much.**

Chapter I(1500-1509)

Inventory

Logs(useful for building, or to be cut for firewood): 0
Firewood: 100
Food: 1500. This could last two people for decades probably, and is not an immediate concern. Hopefully there will be more mouths to feed soon though ...
Stone(required for buildings): 0
Misc. Building Materials: 0 -- sensing a pattern here?
Medicine(i.e, herbs with known medicinal value): 0. Guess nobody better get sick ...
Iron: 0. Getting sick of that number
Iron Tools: 18
Clothing: 19

Tools and Clothing wear out, so while we don't need any more right now, we will. The most immediate needs:

** There's very little space in this small clearing. There is room needed for ...
** Housing. It's spring, and a whopping nine degrees outside. Hypothermia, even if it's not yet called that or well understood, is not a kind mistress.
** Storage. This cart is not exactly well-protected from the elements. It's also over 90% full.





Pretty much everything else will have to wait. Theador(12) and Vernita(15) are both healthy, and even more perplexing, quite happy. This is probably because they are morons. Too young to regard this as anything other than a grand adventure, they set to work clearing the surrounding forest both for space and building materials. Stone is gathered from nearby to the south for the foundation, and after a few months of living little better than animals, despite Theador's relative laziness, a functional house is prepared. By the end of the first year, a proper storage barn is finished in the narrow valley, to allow central access from east or west. It takes some weeks to move all the supplies into it and arrange them properly, but eventually the work is done and the makeshift cart demolished. The barn is only about a quarter full, so there's no danger of running out of space in the forseeable future.

The pair can now keep warm and have a good accounting of their supplies, but there are yet many longer-term concerns. They found a bit of wild corn in the forest, but it is gone and all they have left at this point are apples. Bushels and bushels of them almost beyond reckoning, but still such a diet will not lead to sustained health. Variety is the spice of many things, life included. There are really three options that present themselves: plant gathering, hunting, and fishing.

Variety will be best served by making use of various natural shrubs, berries, and so on, while hunting will allow for adding protein to the diet and with it, the hides from any animals killed can eventually be put to other uses. Where should they gather and hunt, though? It had to be reasonably close by, but a survey of the surrounding terrain seemed necessary and prudent ...


This is a bird's eye view of the relevant part of Folle; this is a significant part of the land they have access to. If you look closely you can see the house and barn to the north. It was decided to focus hunting and gathering to the south, near where the rocks/stones are in the southern end of this view. From there they could range up the ridge to the west, or throughout mostly forested areas to the east and further south



As the calendar turns to 1502, a son is born and named Galentin. The first hope of future generations. He uses a set of clothes and will also need to be fed, but will produce no work until he comes of age. The Hunting Cabin and Gatherer's Hut are finished by the end of 1504 -- it takes considerable time to get resources that far away, esp. with frequent interruptions due to the climate. There is no time to rest or even use the new structures however. Securing the future means educating Galentin when he comes of age, and that means a schoolhouse -- a more involved construction than any of the buildings completed so far. Iron will be required. Already the health of Theador and Vernita is beginning to falter a bit ...

The pair has to range a fair distance to find a few isolated clusters of iron, and meanwhile a considerable amount of trees need to be cut down for logs as well. It is the beginning of 1507 before enough materials are gathered to begin. By the time it was finished, about 90% of the original stock of firewood had been depleted. Right now they are jumping from one emergency to another. A basic chopper station is set up, and more trees hastily cleared. The latest crisis is averted, and as the first decade ends, Folle is surviving.

Health is slowly deteriorating for all three 'citizens', though they are all still in good spirits despite the conditions. Protein is still a need, Galentin's education will require the full-time attentions of one parent within a couple of years, and there is not yet any way for them to replace the gradually depleting reserves of tools and clothing. Even more fundamentally, one child will obviously not a viable population make. The need to breed is paramount above all others. Many things could yet go badly wrong.


The hunting/gathering 'mini-clearing' to the south is shown here




Back in the north is by far still the center of activity. The schoolhouse and surrounding terrain has been cleared to the stream in the east, and continued forest-cutting is underway in the west.



Inventory

After 10 years, things are both better and worse:

Logs: 28(+28)
Firewood: 111(+11). It took some while, but the crisis is past in terms of heating.
Food: 1232(-268)
Stone: 2(+2)
Misc. Building Materials: 0
Medicinal Herbs: 18(+18)
Iron: 12(+12)
Tools: 14(-4)
Clothes: 17(-1)

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter II(1510-1519)

I lost the writeup I had so I'm a bit hazy on the specifics, but it's not big loss since not a ton happened. The first thing was a daughter(Dora), being born in 1511 I believe. The next few years, one adult had to provide all the food and firewood now for feeding four, which didn't leave time for a lot else. Hunting eventually brought back some ducks and deer, providing a sizable duck meat and venison for eating, feathers and leather which can eventually be used for clothing, and a tiny bit of bonemeal which I'm sure will have some purpose I haven't yet discovered.

The second half of the decade was mostly spent keeping up with the needs, but more gathering was done and, importantly, health has started to improve with the more diverse diet so it seems the Follies have turned the corner on that score. Everybody is at least in good health, Vernita had been down to average at one point. Around 1518 Galentin became an adult and another house was finished -- and that's when things got a little strange.

Galentin and his father Theador moved out, leaving the girls in the original residence. This never happened in my test game, the parents stayed together for multiple generations. Perhaps they aren't as thrilled with this new frontier as they let on. In any case, they built a third house -- and Galentin moved again, leaving Theador and son each living by themself while Vernita tends to daughter Dora, nearly ready for her schooling to begin. A fourth house is in the early stages of having it's foundation prepared, as can be seen in the east by the stream. The upshot of all of this is that triple the firewood will now be needed, and in the long-term lumber is probably going to become a serious issue though there is plenty to be found right now.





Family 'Tree'

Founding Generation -- Theador(M, 33), Vernita(F, 36)

Second Generation -- Galentin(M, 17), Dora(F, 8)

Right now the prospects for the second generation are not much better than the first; Theador & Vernita really need to put aside their differences and have another child or two, and she's rapidly approaching the end of childbearing age so it needs to happen soon.


Inventory

Logs: 33(+5)
Firewood: 180(+62) Folle is going to attempt to keep around 200 on hand from now on due to needing to heat three(at least) houses in a wilderness where the temperature never gets much above 50(F) and is always subzero in the winter.
Food: 1571(+339)
Stone: 16(+4)
Medicinal Herbs: 39(+21)
Iron: 12(--)
Tools: 11(-3)
Clothes: 14(-3)
Feathers: 10(+10)
Leather: 7(+10)

In most respects things are headed in the right direction, but tools and clothes are needs that can't be ignored for too much longer.

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter III(1520-1529)

A third child is born in 1521, Aldonita(daughter). Meanwhile, Dora moves in with Galentin and begins her formal education. He is now apparently to be her teacher in ... ahem ... multiple subjects, but such incest is necessary for the survival of the settlement.

It's a fruitless next few years in terms of hunting, which along with plant gathering is generally restricted to the warmer part of the year. At colder times everyone stays relatively close to home, cutting firewood, clearing the area to the west, building, and so on.

The fourth house is completed in 1525, but remains empty. To the west of the pass, up against the western face of the northern ridge, a plot was selected for a blacksmith. This was a more complex construction; a solid amount of logs, but just as much iron and even more stone. A good deal of the rock in the forested area to the south would need to be cleared, and a new source of iron found. This is a lengthy undertaking, but a necessary one. Half of the supply of tools was now gone.

Three years later, Dora's education is finished in 1528. For the next three to four years, this will effectively double the workforce from two to an unprecedented four, since Aldonita is not yet of schooling age. The next year, Galentin & Dora have their first child, a son named Since. The third generation of Follies has now begun, just as the settlement's third decade comes to an end.


Generational Tree

Founding Generation -- Theador(M, 43), Vernita(F, 46). The grandparents have all but secured Folle's future. It's not been an easy life, but a fairly rewarding one.

Second Generation -- Galentin(M, 27), Dora(F, 18), Aldonita(F, 7)

Third Generation -- Since(M, 0). It is entirely possible that Dora's firstborn will end up marrying her sister Aldonita, and his aunt.


Inventory

Logs: 27(-6)
Firewood: 209(+29)
Food: 1964(+393)
Stone: 0(-16)
Medicinal Herbs: 57(+18)
Iron: 0(-12)
Tools: 6(-5)
Clothes: 11(-3)
Feathers: 20(+10)
Leather: 7(--)
Bonemeal: 3(+2)

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter IV(1530-1539)

Hunting was suspended for the first few years; this was deemed necessary due to progress on the blacksmith simply not going fast enough. Folle was down to one spare tool per person, and that situation needed to change as soon as possible. By 1533 construction had begun, though it would take another year and a half to finish. Once completed, surprisingly little time was required to produce enough to restore the number of tools to a safe level.

The plan was to build a tailor(for clothing) next, which will require almost as many materials as the blacksmith though only half the iron. Progress on that did not get very far though before events late in the decade required attention elsewhere. Aldonita graduated and claimed the spare residence, with Since moving in shortly afterwards. Another house will now be needed, and with both 'elders' now well into their 50s, a cemetery for proper burial is a need as well.

More than 10 years after her first(Since), Galentin & Dora had a second son, Stephonse, in 1539. Meanwhile, Vernita is finishing up the cemetery(north of the blacksmith in the west) that she will likely soon be occupying ...





As can be seen here, the area west of the pass has pretty much been completely cleared. Progress is slowed now by the fact that new lumber and other building materials have to be gathered from further and further away. There is always the forest to the south of course, but that is left to flourish since without it, the food supply from plant gathering especially would soon dry up.


Inventory

Logs: 0(-27)
Firewood: 246(+37)
Food: 1898(-66)
Stone: 17(+17)
Medicinal Herbs: 90(+33)
Iron: 24(+12)
Tools: 14(+8)
Clothes: 9(-2)
Feathers: 30(+10)
Leather: 14(+7)
Bonemeal: 5(+2)

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter V(1540-1549)

Right away in 1540, Aldonita gave birth to a daugher(Sela). This makes Since, age 11, the youngest parent ever in Folle. The first half of the decade was mostly consumed with the tailor, which was finished in 1546. The current leather stockpiled was used up in making more sets of clothing(hide coats). Crude shirts can also be made from a combination of feathers and reeds of which we have plenty, but no more are needed at present.

Folle has now reached a turning point: the future of the encampment is secure to a degree it never has been before. There are two families(Galentin & Dora along with Aldonita & Since) and the infrastructure exists to fulfill all the basic needs to keep things operating. This is not to say that there are no problems, there is yet much to do but there are no obvious, immediate needs threatening to send the whole thing spiraling downhill.

The next goal has been established as upgrading the houses from mostly wood to mostly stone with a bit of iron. This will take a considerable amount of work, but lumber is a major long-term concern. The more sturdy stone-based residences are estimated to require a third less firewood to keep warm, as they retain heat much more efficiently.

There were more surprising family developments at the end of the first half-century. Vernita moved for no apparent reason, and into the original first residence moved Galentin and one of the children, Stephonse. This apparent split didn't stop Dora from having another son(Owen) in 1549, but it did leave Folle in a bit of a quandary as there isn't quite enough stone yet to get the first of the new residences going.

One other bit of progress is the construction of two plank bridges, bare-bones crossings to allow the creek to be navigated both to the east and north. This was required due to the fact that all of the stone that can be reached by land has now been used up, and also will allow for some closer sources of timber, though only temporarily.

Generational 'Tree'

Founding Generation -- Theador(M, 63) & Vernita(F, 66). I'm rather amazed they are still alive. They've lived to see a promising future for Folle begin to be realized, and I sure wouldn't have taken the bet that nobody would die within a full 50 years. It can't be long though ... can it?

Second Generation -- Galentin(M, 47) & Dora(F, 38); Aldonita(F, 27)*

*Married to Since, third-generation

Third Generation -- Since(M, 20)*; Stephonse(M, 10); Sela(F, 9); Owen(M, 1)

*Married to Aldonita, second generation

In the first half-century, the population has grown from two to nine. It appears that slow but steady growth in numbers will be possible, at least up to a point.


In the east here can be seen the location of the first stone house, though not yet begun, the plank bridge to the east, and some of the area already cleared on the far bank.


Inventory

Logs: 0(-27)
Firewood: 217(-29)
Food: 1708(-190)
Stone: 17(+17)
Medicinal Herbs: 117(+27)
Iron: 12(-12)
Tools: 25(+11)
Clothes: 16(+7)
Feathers: 0(-30)
Reeds*: 170(??)
Leather: 0(-7)
Bonemeal: 6(+1)
Gold Guilder**: 4(+4)

* Forgot to include these before. It appears, at least at the moment, that their only use is in combining with feathers for clothing when we don't have leather available.

** These appear to be a currency of some kind. I have no idea how I got them, how to get more, or what their use is. Perhaps some are generated simply with a certain amount of 'economic activity'? I know it was after the tailor was built that they showed up, but I can't say much more. This will bear watching, as one of a myriad of things I have yet to learn about this mod/game.

Also of note, firewood is lagging a bit as Folle is struggling to keep up with now-five houses and some particularly brutal winters, as in double-digit negative temps have been noted. Up till now the pattern has been to have someone chopping logs for fuel about half the time, but we will probably need to up that a bit, meaning even more tree-cutting. Food gathering and hunting may have to become a year-round occupation for at least one adult soon for similar reasons, the effect of a gradually burgeoning population placing more demands on the workers.

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter VI(1550-1559)

Almost immediately, Theador becomes the first to go, leaving behind his long-estranged wife of three years older in 1550. It is only months before he is 'replaced' by Aldonita's second child and daughter, Coreana. And the circle of life continues. Three years later, at the rather astonishing age of 70, Vernita finally passes and that's it for Folle's founding 'Adam & Eve'. Both houses are left empty after the burials, so at least the need for firewood will diminish. For those left, Folle is all they know or have every known. There is virtually no concept of the outside world here ...

Down to four adults and with extra time being devoted to building up food supplies a bit as well, there wasn't much effort going toward building or the materials needed for it. These things go in cycles however, and with Stephonse and Sela both graduating by the end of 1556, there were once again plenty of citizens to handle more work. Naturally the pair married and moved into the fifth house, which had previously been Vernita's. It's an easy choice when there are no other options.

Another pair apparently destined for marriage by the accident of their birth timing came along a couple of years later. Reginaldo is the third child of Aldonita and Since, while Partha is the first offspring to come from Stephonse and Sela. With these additions, Folle reaches double-digits at 10 souls.

Eventually the first stone house is finished, but remains empty. Theador's old residence is torn down and a new structure will be built on that spot, though over the last year or so all the workers have been too busy to actually put any work into assembling the materials for it. The bank across the creek to the north has been mostly cleared, and the forested area beyond the ridge there is gradually being cleared of needed stone.


Inventory

Logs: 2(+2)
Firewood: 265(+48)
Food: 2222(+514)
Stone: 57(+40)
Medicinal Herbs: 135(+18)
Iron: 12(--)
Tools: 24(-1)
Clothes: 37(+21)
Feathers: 10(+10)
Reeds: 185(+15)
Leather: 14(+7)
Bonemeal: 9(+3)
Gold Guilder: 4(--)

The basic supplies have never looked better. More and more, the primary concern is wood for logs and heating, and the work of transitioning to stone housing remains top priority.

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter VII(1560-1569)

As more of the stone houses get finished, there is a lot more shuffling about in terms of who lives where. It seems that the Follies split up families when they reach four(two adults & two children) in order to create more space; only five can occupy a house at once. On another subject, observation indicates that it appears there is a rare chance of finding gold(for the Gold Guilders) while clearing certain areas; another four coins suddenly appeared while that was going on in one of the citizens' possession. I still have no idea what, if anything, they can be used for. It seems nothing at this stage.

A good deal of progress was made on the stone houses, with three of the wooden residences converted, leaving four stone and two of the old wooden variety at this point. In 1565, shortly after the latest couple, Owen & Coreana, took over one of them, Sela had a second daughter(Brion). At the end of '68, Coreana's first child, a son named Mile, joined the fracas.

This brought the total population up to a full dozen. The increasing workforce reached a bit of a tipping point, where there are now enough to really make some significant progress in gathering materials. This allowed for the faster progress on converting the houses, but also is making it a bit more problematic to keep track of individuals. The second generation, i.e. the first who were born in Folle, Galentin & Dora, have tended to occupy themselves mostly in hunting and gathering, along with an occasional teaching stint in the schoolhouse. The younger generations do most of the heavy lifting, building, and so on, but the Follies also seem to get bored and switch jobs fairly often.


Generational 'Tree'

Founding Generation -- Theador(M, 1486-1550, died of natural causes at age 64) & Vernita(F, 1483-1553, died of natural causes, 70)

Second Generation -- Galentin(M, 69) & Dora(F, 59); Aldonita(F, 48)*

*Married to Since, third-generation

Third Generation -- Since(M, 41)*; Stephonse(M, 30); Sela(F, 29); Owen(M, 21); Coreana(F, 19); Reginaldo(M, 11)

*Married to Aldonita, second generation

Fourth Generation -- Partha(F, 11); Brion(F, 4); Mile(M, 1)


Inventory

Logs: 109(+107)
Firewood: 324(+59)
Food: 2302(+80)
Stone: 23(-34)
Medicinal Herbs: 195(+60)
Iron: 18(+6)
Tools: 27(+3)
Clothes: 30(-7)
Feathers: 20(+10)
Reeds: 275(+90)
Leather: 21(+7)
Bonemeal: 11(+2)
Gold Guilder: 8(+4)

Stone and iron continue to be gathered as much as is needed, always from a large clearing filled with them across the creek to the north. A significant amount of it has been removed now, but there is more elsewhere albeit further away. Folle has finally gotten ahead of the game in terms of building up a supply of logs to be used as needed, but in the long-term that's still the biggest need even as firewood use per capita is now on the decline. There's only so many forested areas to be cut, and a major effort is made to stay away from the more dense ones

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter VIII(1570-1579)

1573 -- Another daughter for Stephonse & Sela, named Louanner. This was a particulary brutal stretch of weather in the area. The decade leading up has been unusually mild, but the winters in the mid-70s reached as low as 15 below. It was not surprising under the circumstances that a year later, the seemingly invincible Galentin, first child born in Folle, finally passed on at the record age of 73. Within days of his death, the last of the stone houses was finished and, for the first time in decades, Folle could turn it's attention to another, related, matter.

Conservation was only one side of the lumber coin. The other was increasing supply. In the long term, the village -- if it even deserves that title yet -- would need to find a way to balance the need for wood with the health of the forests. A dedicated Forester's Lodge seemed the best way to go, and the plans for it didn't require all that much in the way of materials compared to the houses, blacksmith, and so on. It was completed by early 1576, and could accomodate up to four employed foresters at a time. Just to see how things would go, two were assigned to a balance of cutting and planting. By that time there was another new addition as well. Claranco(male) was born to Coreana in '55.

Soon afterwards, it was noticed that the Follies' desire to spread out was having negative consequences. Reginaldo and Partha had graduated, but couldn't marry even if they wanted to(likely) because all six houses were occupied. It was vital to get more housing up and going to allow for continued growth. A project to build some roads in 'town' was quickly abandoned to focus on this need. At the end of '56, Dora became the latest to pass on naturally, ironically relieving the housing crunch for the moment as Reginald & Partha moved in immediately.

In '58, Partha's first son(Ryle) is born, and a new generation begun.

Inventory

Logs: 46(-63)
Firewood: 329(+5)
Food: 1778(-524)
Stone: 2(-21)
Medicinal Herbs: 204(+9)
Iron: 27(+9)
Tools: 43(+16)
Clothes: 22(-8)
Feathers: 31(+11)
Reeds: 327(+52)
Leather: 25(+4)
Bonemeal: 14(+2)
Gold Guilder: 8(--)

In order to supplement a crashing food supply, Folle now has a gatherer and hunter working year-round. The woodcutter is now a majority of the year operation, blacksmith & tailor operations only come up about once a decade but are now taking a year or longer to get supplies back up each time. Two foresters are full-time and more are probably coming. Such is the nature of a growing community and the labor decisions are becoming more complex with each passing generation.

[Brian Swartz]

Special Report: Geographic Survey

Ok, so this is going to be a bit image-heavy but I'll try to keep it to a minimum. With all the basics covered it's time to do some longer-term planning for Folle's layout. This was one of the first images in the thread, reused here to make a point about the forested areas:


This is the forest just south of the village itself, where the hunting and logging and whatnot happens now. Same area as close as I can get it about 60+ years later:







This is not an exact comparison, as things look a little barer in winter but the rocks are gone and the growth a lot denser, even with the trees that have been cut recently. It's worth noting that trees eventually will grow and old and die anyway, except that at this point they can't be used. So up to a point, cutting them only makes sense.





To the west there is the main river through this area, where trading with the outside world can eventually be established. Mountains dominate the extreme west, you can see on the left of this image that kind of terrain; it's useless for any economic purpose. This is about the only area past the river that's useful long-term, there's some timber and iron along the bank but not much as you go south from here. This is another area where we will eventually set up another foresting area and clear out the rocks and metal. The east bank, which is almost due north of Folle, will eventually be cleared for expansion. This will be the Northern Wing, or whatever.





This creek is directly north. You can see the plank bridge at the bottom, and this is the clearing that's been mentioned where the stone has been removed, but quite a bit of iron still remains. Eventually, this mostly open area will be used as another forest zone but not until a fairly lengthy planting operation is conducted.




Further to the east, past the second creek, is this stretch of land which is as good a patch of forest land as exists anywhere. Another hunting/gathering/logging operation will be set up here. Past it to the right, or east, the hills and mountains prevail again with more unusable terrain.





Moving south from there, we come to the final section of the local area. Again mountains along the east, and there's two notable features here. The sparse area at the top, which has a ridge running through it rougly north to south, is basically due east from Folle across the creek and that's where expansion will happen in this direction. Mostly likely mines and quarries and whatnot will eventually be here as there isn't enough continuous flat land for a sizable amount of trees to grow. Call it the Eastern Wing.

If needed, another foresting operation can be set up in the roundish valley to the southeast here. It extends a little further south than shown here but not that much, and would be a bit small but doable. That'll be an if-needed area, probably developed last and used for either buildings or resources depending on need at that point.

Overall there's quite a bit of room to grow, but this will again never be a large city. The majority of surface stone has already been removed with quarries to follow, lots of iron left and the forests are renewable but the big limiter will simply be space eventually. Not now, or in the next century, but the time will come when that becomes an issue. Where the houses, storage, blacksmith/tailor are now will eventually be central Folle, with Northern Folle and Eastern Folle across the creeks in those respective directions. Eventually the major centers will essentially resemble and L, with products flowing west to the river, and back again from the traders, as needed. At least, that's the operant planning theory at the moment.

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter IX(1580-1589)

The first half of the decade had the only real news in a pair of new births. In 1583, Mile & Brioni, the latest couple, have a son Hymani. The following year, Coreana had another son, Stacio. This brought the population to 15.

By 1587, construction brought the current number of houses to nine now, and only seven of them occupied. It appears the two foresters are going to be at least as many as needed for now, maybe a bit too much. A full-time gatherer and hunter are roughly keeping up with food needs. All of this begs the question, what next? Folle is starting to move into territory where the basic needs are met and some effort can be spent on improvements, expansion, whatever is needed. Looking ahead, having another source of protein would be good, and a fishing dock on the river is a cheap option. No sooner are the plans laid for it though than another house is occupied, and the dock suspended for the purpose of making sure we keep up with having enough spare residences.

Reginaldo & Partha have a new son, Gianning, just before the calendar turned to the final ten years of the 16th century.


Follies Past and Present

I'm changing up this feature a bit since the way marriages happen and people move around, it doesn't really fit the 'generational' concept; often those of different generations marry and things get muddled. A simple list seems more sensible.

Deceased(natural causes unless noted otherwhise) -- Theador(M, 1486-1550, 64 years), Vernita(F, 1483-1553, 70), Galentin(M, 1501-1574, 73), Dora(F, 1510-1576, 66)

Aldonita(F, 68)
Since(M, 61)
Stephonse(M, 51)
Sela(F, 50)
Owen(M, 41)
Coreana(F, 39)
Reginaldo(M, 31)
Partha(F, 31)
Brion(F, 24)
Mile(M, 20)
Louanner(F, 16)
Claranco(M, 14)
Ryle(F, 12)
Hymani(M, 6)
Stacio(M, 5)
Gianning(M, 0)

Interestingly, and not great for the future of Folle, four of the last five children have been boys including the last three. Ryle sounds like a boy but actually is a young woman, and the youngest at 12. The latest batch of men may be destined to a certain amount of solitude ... and the growth of the community eventually put in jeopardy unless some more females are born soon.

Inventory

Logs: 176(+130)
Firewood: 356(+27)
Food: 1591(-187)
Stone: 6(+4)
Medicinal Herbs: 213(+9)
Iron: 28(+1)
Tools: 33(-10)
Clothes: 43(+21)
Feathers: 61(+30)
Reeds: 387(+60)
Leather: 5(-20)
Bonemeal: 17(+3)
Gold Guilder: 12(+4)

[Brian Swartz]

Chapter X(1590-1599)

There really isn't a food shortage by any stretch yet but it's getting too tight for comfort. This is largely due to the supply being spread out between more houses/families, but regardless with more to feed the storage needs to be larger, not smaller, so it isn't going in the right direction. Another worker will be dedicated to feeding the others, alternating between hunting and gathering as need be. It wasn't long until that was upped to two of each.

Mile & Brion have another daughter, Alessica. Up to 17 and only a little over half, 10, are educated adults. In related news, the latest house is occupied shortly after being finished, so the fishing dock is put on hold again after nothing was accomplished aside from bringing a few logs to the site. Even with all the people, Aldonita teaching for decades, Owen woodcutting for almost as long, Since hunting -- some of them seem to prefer their stations, and the switching around appears to be getting less commonplace.

And then literally, just as I write this, 70-year-old Aldonita switches to building the latest house, Owen takes the teaching spot, Mile takes over cutting wood. So go figure.

1592 -- Boni(female) is the latest addition, with Coreana the mother. Louanner, recently married to Claranco as the latest fledling family, had a daughter shortly afterwards(Laina). Folle appears to be working on a population explosion with a full third of the current number, six of them, under the age of 10. For the time being, this means an increased strain on the adults, and it's a struggle to get enough free workers to range around for the stone needed to build housing for everyone.

1593 -- As soon as the latest house is completed it is occupied, but there is yet a more urgent matter. The needs seem to be growing faster than Folle's ability to meet them right now. A full-time woodcutter is not enough to do more than barely keep up with demand, so a larger woodcutter station is being constructed near the cemetery to the northwest of the pass. The current informal chopper area just won't cut it, if you'll pardon the pun. Once it's up and running, the new construction has three cutting stumps which are larger as well, allowing for much more rapid chopping with the same amount of effort.

1594 -- Another daugher for Partha, Raethenia, and Folle has reached 20 citizens just as the end of the century approaches.

At this point I screwed up the timeline somehow so I'm not sure of the years. Dwig is the first new baby in a while, born to Claranco and Louanner. The houses are being faster than they can be built, and it's been decades since anyone passed on. The population growth is fast enough right now that it is threatening to cause serious problems. A year later, Ryle & Hymani, the most recent family unit, have their first child, Simer.

At the end of the century, Aldonita finally breathes her last. At age 79, she is far and away the oldest Follie ever. With weeks, the 13th stone residence is finished, resulting in two houses become available in quick succession. Additionally, with larger stockpiles more conveniently placed, the woodcutting has finally caught up.

Of course, nothing is ever easy here. There is a new problem; surface stone is rapidly being depleted.

Inventory

Logs: 84(-92)
Firewood: 680(+324)
Food: 2811(+1320)
Stone: 9(+3)
Medicinal Herbs: 213(--)
Iron: 28(--)
Tools: 50(+17)
Clothes: 66(+23)
Feathers: 55(-6)
Reeds: 330(-57)
Leather: 21(+16)
Bonemeal: 24(+7)
Gold Guilder: 12(--)

Growing pains are making it hard to keep up with all the needs right now. What looked like an opening for significant expansion in terms of services has become a constant effort to keep enough food, firewood, and housing going so that the town doesn't die due to want of a necessity. It's getting done right now, but barely. It will not be long until Folle is forced to divert effort to building quarries for stone, no matter how urgent the needs are elsewhere. A few notes on the various needs as Folle enters it's second century:

** Tools -- This has been a non-issue really as about once a decade somebody spends a few years as a blacksmith to get them up to a good level.
** Clothes -- The main issue here is keeping enough leather and feathers to work with. For now two hunters is enough. More may be needed in the future.
** Food -- A sharp rise to be sure but it's actually not high enough yet; Folle needs about another 500 to really be safe at the current population. It can disappear quickly and about half of it is stored in the various houses. 2 hunters and gatherers remain full-time.
** Iron -- Some for building, some for tools, and right now there's plenty of surface clusters to last decades.
** Stone -- There's only one significant area of it left, in the southwest forest. Some across the river to the northwest but not enough to make it worth building a bridge for that alone. As mentioned, soon quarries will be needed and Folle must be careful: a significant amount of stone is needed for the quarry construction itself.
** Timber -- Probably three foresters is enough, as the rate of use will go down now that the woodcutter has caught up. It took nonstop work for a full generation to get there though.
** Education -- Not an issue in the foreseeable future. One full-time teacher allows the schoolhouse to handle up to 25 students, and there's been consistently 2-3 these past decades.
** Burial -- Eventually some plots can be re-used after enough time. This will need monitoring as the larger generations eventually pass, but right now only 3 of 9 spots are used.
** Storage Capacity -- Still a little less than half full. I would eventually like to find something useful to do with the bonemeal that is gradually coming in from the hunters, but there's no need for more storage space for a while yet.

The big issue right now is being able to have enough free labor from gathering food and other supplies for all the kids to support stone for keeping housing going and getting at least one small quarry dug. At the moment though there are still two open residences so it may be possible to get the quarry going soon.

**At this point I had uploading issues attempting to get an image of the current village up. When I can resolve it, I'll put that in a separate post**

[Brian Swartz]

Folle, cerca 1600






So I finally got it to properly upload. In the northwest/'upper left', just west of the cemetery is the newish woodcutter station, with the stockpiles of lumber and firewood just south of it. This arrangement is working well. If you look closely just west of the storage barn(in the pass itself in the middle) you can see the new iron stockpile, and to the left of that the stone stockpile which doesn't have anything in it but, if we did have stone, that's where it would be :P. To the east of the storage barn there are the quotation marks which show that the constructions there have been paused: that's where the older, all-purpose, smaller stockpiles were and there are houses planned but not being built yet in those locations. I think that covers the new stuff.