Discovering Ruins

[Atherman]

I've come to realize that despite my most sincere efforts, holding down a position and strengthening it becomes increasingly difficult without exploration trips out and about. At first I would take little trips to the neighboring fields, hoping to find some of the elusive Wild Windsown Weed to supplement my rather bland wheat and hemp farm. I'd occasionally spot a rabbit and, in a mad dash, snap its neck and throw it in my pouch. But as wild boars whittled down my health and all my Windsown Weed ended up becoming hop cones, I came to the conclusion.. I must explore further. Donning my recently made leather armor, I set out into the world to find my fortune.

Sailing down rivers and backpacking through the savage wild, I would find entire acres of forest felled. As though an armada of machines had passed through, no tree remained standing. I would find wicker baskets dotting the countryside and fearsome bears who had no quarrel with knocking me unconscious. Runestones written in strange languages would guide me in circles and abandoned boats tempted me with hopes of civilization. My journey finally came to an end as I happened upon a large and long palisade wall. It seemed to have had better days, holes punched through it, the wood red with decay. Skeletons lay strewn across the stone pathways as I entered the city, the scent of death strong in the air. One could practically hear the long passed ghosts crying out in misery and pain. But the thought of the city's misfortune was belittled by what I found inside. Fields of exotic crops, though torn and ragged, littered the city in a myriad of color and splendor. The dangers of raiders and wild animals fled my mind as I stuffed my pouch full of the strange seed. Though the city was long passed, their long and tiresome effort was not for naught, the wreckage breathing new life into a newbie adventurer such as myself. This old ruin had made the long and gruesome trip entirely worth while. Plowing a few new fields with my hands, I planted new crops in the city, in hopes one day someone such as myself might come and find their seeds as a bountiful treasure.

What horror befell such a large and powerful city? The rune stones offered no clue with their ancient tongue. Though I should be thankful to the powerful force for tearing down those walls and giving me access, I cannot help but hope that I would never meet it in person.

[saltmummy626]

nice story.

[ThirdEmperor]

I as well have such a tale to spin.

When I awoke for the first time I found myself within a ring of standing stones, stacked to form gates of granite. I took my first steps away from the circle of gates and I saw before me a myriad labrinth of walls and houses, baskets and trees, ovens and kilns, all protected by some strange magic that deflected my touch, declaring in a voice of thunder that this land was Brodgar.

Overwhelmed by the complexity of this labrinth-like city I fled, stumbling through the maze for what seemed to be a eternity, until I finally stepped onto unpaved earth. Blessing the ancestors I walked on, and with each step I saw what the hell that was called Brodgar had wrought.

I walked past forests stripped bare of all but a few stumps by some all-devouring swarm, stones carved with obscene vulgarities and thousands of houses abandened by the owners yet protected by powerful magic.

Just as I despaired of finding a place untouched by Brodgar before the infected cut on my foot made me to weak to walk, I stumbled upon a house. Unlike the long dead shells I had seen before this house still had many tools and containers in good repair and to my delight I found many different crops growing in a field behind the house.

The only clue I had as to who left this plot behind was a stone carved with vulgarities aimed at the former owner of this land. I did not think long on it, he was gone and I was not, that was all that mattered.

A score of days later twas the worlds end, and the beggining of another. I took well to this new and unspoiled world, building a house and farm, only to be slain by ferocious wild boar.

I returned to this world again, and this time I found myself not alone for the first time, I joined this growing village and began to rebuild what death had cost me. A few days later I was suprised to discover the name of one of my new allies, for he was the vary same whos former home had been my refuge.

Truely it is a small land we live in.

[Jackbluejack]

Great story and a little sad

[Shoop]

Atherman, you've inspired me.
I want to farm out huge crop fields of all kinds along the rivers of our Haven.
There will be a signs, encouraging regrowth and to continue the mission.
If they won't bring back random crop locations, we have to. For the future.