>>24577690
[X] Stay inside the house until the rain stops

And cook up some breakfast, we could use some food, Melissa could use some, and the smell of food ought to gently wake Daliah up.

>>24577690
>[ ] Stay inside the house until the rain stops
Seriously, in our condition, that's just asking to catch a cold.
Our dog and cat are probably bored out of their minds.
And we need to find a way to keep a coldbox or refrigerator of some kind.

>>24577763
>cook up some breakfast

Sorry chum, the house as it sits is just a bed, a table and a chair.

Truly a bachelor pad. You've been doing your cooking outside in a firepit. Not that you've been doing much cooking.

>>24577839
Curses, we really need to pimp out our crib sometime soon. It's hardly fit for company as it is now.

You opt to stay inside until the rain stops, as you wouldn't want to get a fair maiden wet.

~~~~

The three of you spend about half the day swapping stories about your pasts, with Daliah being a surprisingly nice person towards Melissa, considering her past opinions.

The two girls, however, are much more interested in your backstory.

Daliah's eyes widen when you tell them your parents are dead.
Melissa is enchanted by your tales of tall buildings.

As you speak however, you see a lot of non-understanding in their eyes, whenever you bring up common city things. You want to pass this off as being country yokels, but there seems to be more to it.

Roll d100 for perception, best of two rolls takes it.

Rolled 19

>>24577971

Rolled 89

Here we go.

>>24578078

Good enough for me.

You pause, a few too many things adding up in ways you don't like.

"Daliah, what year is it?"

Daliah sounds surprised. "Year? You mean the date? It's different in each village, but in New Bounty it's Year 10 of Fresh Beginnings."

Melissa chimes in. "In Shady River, it was Year 32 of Steady Gains."

That wasn't helpful.

"Okay, how about this. What Province are we in?"

The two girls look at each other, then at you. "What is a province?, they say in stereo.

You're getting a sinking feeling in your stomach.

"Okay, last question. The crossroads leads in three directions. Here, Shady River, and in a third direction. What lies in that third direction?"

Melissa is stumped, but Daliah seems to have an answer for this one. Too bad it's not one you like.

"Nothing lies in that direction for at least one month of foot travel. Of course, that is only what one of my books says, and the book is over thirty years old, but it's quite clear on this. The path winds for days, then you come across a bank of thick, impenetrable fog. You can follow the path for as long as you want, seemingly, but no one ever gets anywhere."


Well, shit. Your memories of the trip are already fuzzy, day in and day out seem to be monotonous walking.

You drop the conversation, and the girls pick up on your mood. Daliah makes an excuse to go home, letting you be alone for a while. Melissa makes to rise, then pauses.

"Would you like me to stay awhile? You seem worried, or afraid...I do not mind."

[ ] Accept her offer and do _____
[ ] Decline, and wallow in your thoughts


Give me a while to work out the next post after you all make your decisions.

>>24578267
[X] Accept her offer and do _____

Farm planning. If we don't already have accurate measurements of our land we should go out on a walk and get some, and then plot out where what is going, how we're planning on expanding, so that we're sure we won't farm ourself into a corner later on.

>>24578267
>[ ] Accept her offer and do _____
Examine our property, make sure that we know how much arable land we have, and maybe plan on how to get a stove into the shack.

>no one knows anything outside the valley
But how do they get new seeds?

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>>24578267

"As much as I would appreciate your kind offer, I feel I must meditate on things. My appologies for the lack of facilities I have at the moment. Though remember, My door is always open."

I doubt that directly after heavy rain is the best time to plot out our land...

though I did make a mock-up of the farm area with potential expansion points...

>>24578452
>I doubt that directly after heavy rain is the best time to plot out our land...
We should check for damage to our crops, though.

>>24578766

I concede this point. Heavy rain is bad for seedlings.

Rolled 6

Thanks for your patience guys.

Rolling d10 to see what you discover on your journey around the farm with melissa.

Rolled 7

>>24579142

"Thank you Melissa, I could use a companion right now, I don't really want to be alone with my thoughts."

Melissa nods demurely. "Of course, Master. Whatever you need." She picks up her staff with the bell on it, and you feel strangely better. The two of you step out into the after storm drizzle.

~~~~

You walk around your farm, checking first on your crops. The ground seems to be draining well, luckily. The seedlings are sprouting nicely. Melissa asks what you have planted, and you tell her.

"Potatoes and wheat, is it? That's excellent! Will you be distilling it?"

Her direct questions throw you off a bit. "I, uh, hadn't really planned on it. I don't have a still or anything. Do you drink, much?"

Melissa nods emphatically, a rare departure from her usual demeanor. "It has been often said that I like liquor. Keith, I like liquor. No, friends, I love liquor!"
"I love beer. I love wine. I love vodka. I love gin, sambuca, I love whiskey, and rye."

"Spirits across prairies, in streets, on farms, in grasslands, on cold nights, through dinners, on the river, in the pub, I love every kind of liquor that can occur upon this earth."
"I love drinking my friends under the table in a night of revelry. My heart leaps with joy whenever a glass is tossed high into the air and caught by well trained hands, and there is nothing like a bartender using a strainer to make a cocktail. And the feeling that comes when a teetotaler runs screaming from the pub only to trip over the town drunk, is such an exquisite feeling."

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>>24579464
Making a still isn't all that hard, we'd need materials, copper, and so on, but it's not exactly a difficult thing to create.

>>24579464
...huh.
Okay, we'll make a still. Alcohol is also a good disinfectant, so there's that.

Though really, I'd love to be able to raise some bees.
Pollination of crops, and honey is a great thing.

"Like when dozens of patrons brandish their mugs cheering to their health. It moves me deep within my heart to watch a young drinker sipping over and over a long warm lager."
"The sight of teetotalers protesting in the streets is an irresistible pleasure. And there is nothing more arousing, than the sounds made by lovers, speaking with well loosened tongues!"
"When a band of pitiful prohibitionists makes their final arguments with nothing but small signs, only to have their hopes smashed to pieces bit by bit by 48 gallon kegs, I'm in ecstasy."
"I love it when my senses are ravaged by a Russian vodka. It's so sad to see towns and villages that were supposed to be happy, being laid to waste, their women and children being bored, and lonely. I love to be squashed under the heel of the well aged spirits. The humiliation, as I crawl around like vermin, ducking the tables overhead."
"Keith, all I ask for is Liquor. A distillery so grand as to make Hell itself tremble. Keith, I ask you as a fellow imbiber in arms, what is it you really want? Do you wish for further revelry as I do? Do you wish for a merciless, bloody pub crawl? A pub crawl whose fury is built with grain, and potato, and hops? Do you ask for liquor to sweep in like a tempest, leaving not even ravens to scavenge from this Earth?!"

Rolled 13

>>24579571
>bees

Rolled 35

>>24579623
Can we roll for bees too?

>>24579674
Yes, you may.

"So, there IS something that awakens your passion."

This seems to snap Melissa out of her fervor. She wipes the spittle from her lips, and takes a few deep breathes with her eyes closed.

"I found out the other night that there is no distillery in town. No brewery. Not even one vineyard. There is only one jug of liquor in the public house, and it's so outrageously priced I could never afford it. I can bear many things, but to live without liquor is to live a life without colour."

[ ] Agree to make some kind of alcohol
[ ] Tell her maybe sometime in the future
[ ] Dodge the subject, keep walking

>>24579747
[x] Agree to make some kind of alcohol
But we won't be able to do it with this first harvest; we need it to buy more seeds and tools.
Making a still and distilling alcohol requires a steady supply of raw materials.
We must first ensure that supply, and acquire the wealth necessary to procure the materials and talents to build the still, before we can produce alcohol.

>>24579747
[X] Agree to make some kind of alcohol

"I suppose I could make a still they aren't especially complex, though I'd have to acquire the various materials first.

Though it may take a while for it to produce much in the way of liquor as I will need a steady supply of grain.

The mash is reusable as animal feed as well which makes it reasonably efficient. It's a good idea, thanks for bringing it up. Though I can't guarantee that it'll be any good."

>>24579796
But of course.

"Melissa, I'd love to oblige you, but I don't have the money, or the materials at the moment. I have to use the money from the first harvest to secure a second harvest and so on. It'll be some months or even years before I can do anything large scale."

Melissa looks a bit frantic. The bells in her hair tinkle as she gesticulates.
"To make a small still, you'd need some copper and some tin, right? That's most of what you'd need, right? If I got you the materials for the still, could you use a small amount of your harvest to make a small batch of liquor? Please? I won't be making much money either, but I'll do anything if you do this for me!"

She sounds desperate, but not like an alcoholic. Rather like someone lonely, whose best friend is out of reach. You suspect heavily that Melissa spent many years in Shady River after her parents died drinking alone in a dark house.

"Of course, I'll see what I can do if you get the materials. Now, shall we continue on?"

Melissa brightens immeasurably and hugs you tightly. You feel her pressed against you, and you are at once stricken by how soft she is for how tall she is. She looks you in the eyes easily, and usually taller women are more lithe, in your experience, but not her.

Your immodest thoughts begin to betray you, so you push her away gently.

"Let's go, shall we?"

Her eyes lock with yours. "Anywhere you want."

>>24579971
Well, if the seedlings are okay, then we should perhaps catch dinner at the river.
We really need to get a stove and start stockpiling wood for the winter, though.

Okay, open forum time.

In detail, what would you like to do next, farmwise? The more you tell me, the more I can work with.

Would you like to focus on clearing more land for farming more crops?
Would you like to gather lumber and stone to build up your living space?
Would you like to explore the mountains, or perhaps journey back to Shady River?

Anything you guys want, discuss it with me, and amongst yourselves.

>>24580061
Getting more land ready for the next batch of plantings is best, followed by exploring the mountains for a bee hive that we can transplant. We might want to talk with Hammad, if there's already an apiary, or if he can loan us the money for a beekeeper's suit.

>>24580103
I hadn't even considered beekeeping before this thread. I like it though. Mead, dontchaknow.

>>24580061
Getting more land ready for planting as well as introducing crop rotation, getting clover planted as a good grazing plant while renitrogenating the soil, making a deal with Melissa that involves us providing feed, clover, and so on for her animals from the plants we don't make into liquor or for humans in exchange for eggs, milk, pooling resources on large projects like a still, an apiary, good equipment to make butter.

Daliah would be of great help for a lot of this due to her book learning, cut her in for a share in exchange for help, knowledge, and any benefits we get out of this from any Relics we pick up.

We can use Daliah's father as a capital investor of sorts, promise him a share of the profits once it sets up in exchange for help acquiring materials and putting everything together.

>>24580166
Holy crap, just looked it up, and mead is as simple as fermenting honey and water. Truly, I am proud of civilization for figuring this out somehow when we were still hunter gatherers.

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>>24580166

Fuck'n Mead.

Do it!

>>24580248
Yeah, mead is dead easy, GOOD mead is a lot harder, takes a lot more precision, good spices, practice, and it's hard to keep it from getting hit by bacteria while the yeast is still getting the ABV up to a decent level. Spices are hard, often need to be imported which is plain impractical in our situation due to often being very picky about the conditions they're grown in. Though Daliah might be able to help and identify local spices and the like.

And Mead is not a fast drink to ferment, it's quicker than most wines, but takes a lot longer than beers.

Also it'll take a bit to build up a good yeast culture, there will be yeast, and it'll make mead, but it won't hit a high ABV until we build up a good culture of alcohol resistant yeast around where you make it, and most importantly infused into the stirring stick we use. People always used the same stirring stick for making beer/mead back in the day and it got passed down through the generations as it held the family yeast culture. Cool stuff.

We have two very intelligent and competent girls who think we're the best thing since sliced bread, note to self if sliced bread isn't invented yet invent it and the sandwich, so we ought to make use of both of their skill sets.

>>24580223
This sounds like a group project.

How down would you all be to have the three main characters live and operate on the same farm for the time being to save me writing "so and so shows up from their home" fifty million times?

>>24580328
I'd be cool with that, make things easier.

Might lead to awkwardness on the romance front, but that's less important than FARMING! Also, it could eventually lead to us slowly romancing both of them to a degree where we get both girls through our FARMING prowess.

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>>24580326
>my fucking face when not only are there doctorates in agriculture in my thread, but also brewmasters of uncommon alcoholic beverages

>>24580351
I agree. It's one thing to woo women, but farming always takes precedence.

To paraphrase Mollari, "In my life, I have three waifus, and I cared for each one deeply. But I loved my farm. Every field, the mill, and the apiary."

>>24580389
I'm not really a brewmaster or an agricultural doctorate. I just make beer with my Dad on occasion, I've made mead and hard cider a few times as well. I also read on the subject sometimes. I also like the science and economics behind farming.

Most of this is because I really like good food and alcohol and get interested in its origins and history and randomly research things.

>>24580389
Yeah, homebrewing is pretty neat.

>>24580351
Addendum to this, if we're going to have 3 people living at our bachelor pad we're going to have to add some more stuff to our house, basic living amenities. Like a fireplace, some place to cook, a bit of extra storage room for stuff.

>>24580532
>have 3 people living at our bachelor pad
Won't it be more like 4? Like, Hammad is going to be dropping in unannounced a lot.

Alright, I have a pretty good idea of what you guys want. Let us continue for a while.

Things come into view for you over the next couple of days. One or both of the girls are practically always at your house. They mostly follow you around as you tend your small field, and sometimes helping you clear more space for new plantings in the summer.

Your work continues apace, and you consult Daliah on various things that will be relevant in the near future. You ask about the likelihood of bees in the area, as well as what spices might grow naturally around town, as well as in the mountains. When she finds out you plan on making mead, she cracks open a different book.

"Take rainwater kept for several years, and mix a sextarius of this water with a pound of honey. For a weaker mead, mix a sextarius of water with nine ounces of honey. The whole is exposed to the sun for 40 days, and then left on a shelf near the fire. If you have no rain water, then boil spring water."

She closes the book.

"It also says that you can sort of freeze the mead and strain out the ice to make a stronger liquor named Honeyjack. Maybe that could be your signature liquor?"

You picture it, the river eddies freezing cold in the depth of winter, your bottles of mead dangling in the water. It sounds idyllic.

~~~~~

The time to harvest the potatoes is rapidly approaching, and everything seems to be going swimmingly. Melissa has taken your dog to her farm on loan, to watch her animals graze while she's at your farm helping you with various tasks. She sold one of her sheep to the public house for a high price, and basically threw the money at you.

"I place my life in your hands, without trepidation. What I earn, you earn, because what you do, you do for me. And I appreciate it."

She seems to have strange ideas about your relationship after only a few weeks, but you let it slide for now. You decide that you need to expand your house a bit to accommodate all the extra persons in it.

>>24580613
We would need an ax to get lumber.

It's unfortunate that this town is so isolated and doesn't have access to the rest of the world. With no tree farms, clearing the forest for lumber could have consequences if we're not careful.

The girls have been quite gracious considering that they have to share a small bed in a small house with no amenities other than an admittedly grand outhouse. Sometimes you just go to the outhouse to think, and relax. But not on warm days.

You assess your lumber and stone piles, and go to see the carpenter again with Melissa and Daliah in tow.

The carpenter gives his usual loud greeting. "HA, hello again boy, how are you? Enjoying your nice new john? I'm telling you, I did a fine bit of work on that thing, won't blow down even in the worst weather, so sit easy! HAHA"

The carpenter hears out what you need, and lays several options at your feet.

[ ] Add a simple second room to the house, as a bedroom for 1/4 your current cash.
[ ] Revamp the house and add a second room, includes a fireplace in the main room that you can cook on, and furnishings for half your current cash.
[ ] He can build a single apiary for 1/10th your current cash

>>24580731
There are plenty of dead limbs on your farm as it is. But yes, at a point you will need to collect the lumber properly.

>>24580738
[X] Revamp the house and add a second room, includes a fireplace in the main room that you can cook on, and furnishings for half your current cash.

This is our living space, we shouldn't be cheap about that. And the girls would appreciate a fireplace.

Basic plan, keep it as one bedroom, because I'm a shameless pervert, but make it a much bigger, comfier bed. Use the other room for some of the other amenities and stuff we need in our house.

>>24580738
>[ ] Revamp the house and add a second room, includes a fireplace in the main room that you can cook on, and furnishings for half your current cash.
>[ ] He can build a single apiary for 1/10th your current cash
I don't like using up so much money, but without a place to cook, or a way to keep the house warm in winter, we really can't go on.
And the apiary, while there's not much pollination needed for potatoes, there isn't much we would need to do for the bee's, either.

>>24580877
seconding

>>24580840
Oh yeah, addendum to this.

Get the Apiary as well assuming that we are pretty sure we can get it full of bees without overly much trouble, it'll be good for honey and pollination of plants in the area, and that helps crops and any livestock grazing in the area of the fields.

I honestly like this more than shadow quest.

Good humor, gentle-ish story, Cool DM, Not shunning Waifu, Fuck'n Siamese Cat. How IS that cat doing anyway?

I move that we train it to bring home fish during time skips...

Fish and rare insects/animals.

We can eat raw or sell the excess and Siamese cats love interaction like that on top of training.

Also, my tripp is still Guilt for that first Harvest Moon Quest...

>>24580993
Also, fish bones make great fertilizer, I certainly hope we've been using them for that.

You agree to pony up the cash for the good remodel, and the apiary. You speak a few words to him in confidence regarding the bed, and then move on with your day's chores.

~~~~

Tomorrow is going to be the day you harvest the potatoes. You hope the best for your farinaceous tubers, but only time will tell. Perhaps having the Harvest Goddess' daughter on your farm practically 24/7 will influence it somewhat. You straighten from clearing your field of debris, a seemingly endless task, and survey the things that have changed in the last few weeks.

You have a nice outhouse. You have an apiary, it's empty though. Your house has been enlarged by roughly half it's size, a nice bedroom with a (very) slightly larger bed. You had the carpenter build the bed to sag in the middle, almost imperceptibly, so that the girls would naturally gravitate towards you in their sleep. You've really enjoyed waking up covered in softness. You wonder idly if you're becoming a pervert.

1d100 for perversion.

Rolled 86

>>24581024
I hope we're not a pervert. We've got a farm to run.

>>24581019
>>24580993
As you guys bring up new farming techniques, I will try to work them in. If they aren't mentioned in a while, assume they are still in use, and the benefits are being applied.

The cat is doing fine, by the way. She spends most of her days watching you farm, and following Daliah around.

Rolled 34

>>24581024
I certainly hope we are, we are romancing two girls at the same time, three if you count the farm.

>>24581042
Insert joke here about plowing Daliah's fields.

Rolled 7

Rolling for H factor.

Rolled 56

I can has hilarious pervert skills please.

Rolled 76, 43 = 119

>>24581042
You're pretty damn lewd. Not openly lewd, mind you. But the special kind of lewd that can be passed off as a simple accidental brush of the hand, or as much more, depending on the situation. I'm rolling 2d100 for receptiveness to your perversion, since you're so damn lewd.

Daliah, and then Melissa.

>>24581094
With all bonuses applied, that's 101 for Daliah, and 43 for Melissa.

Daliah takes well to your ministrations, and seems to truly enjoy them. You often find her simply standing and staring at you, in a totally not creepy kind of way. She is at your heel like a sexy callous.

Melissa, on the other hand, is a much more introverted soul. Odd, considering she's not the one with autism. She reacts with embarrassment every time you brush past her closely, or compliment her appearance. It'll take some serious time, or gin, to break past her facade.

~~~~

Have a great night ya'll. See you in a day or two, I'll try and update the map by then. Thanks again for your participation.

>>24581150
Note to self, portion off some of our potatoes to make vodka. Vodka is dead easy to make, we just need a pile of potatoes, a bit of malted wheat for the enzymes, yeast, time, and a still. A pot still, or an alembic which is almost the same thing, is pretty much a copper pot that gets thinner as you go up, and then has a spigoty thing at the top, a half-blind metalworker with Parkinson's can make them easily. A column still is a lot more complicated and we aren't getting one any time soon despite how much better they are.

If we had access to juniper berries, coriander, and some number of other spices hopefully including anise, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and so on, in addition to lemons and/or oranges I'd suggest making gin, but I doubt we have those lying around. Gin came about because the Brits suddenly had access to spices from around the world, I doubt we have the climate for that.

>>24580389

And a blacksmith, I have one dream for this and its for the MC to ask the town Blacksmith for horse shoes only to get laughed at and told "Do I look like a farrier boy, I work with metal not horses"

Archive? Archive.

Finally had a chance to read this thread - if we can train the cat to catch fish, or catch a few smaller minnows ourselves when we go fishing, they make great fertilizer. You can either bury them whole or grind them in with dirt to make fish meal. If we catch fish that aren't worth eating or selling, this is what I propose we do with them. Any animal bones we don't want to use for glue or carving can be used for this as well.

Also, after we get a bit more money, there are a few things we might think about getting, tools and such - we should get an indication of what sort of tools we have locally, who all lives in the villages nearby and what skills they have. I know we have a carpenter, but is there a blacksmith, a miller, a veterinarian, maybe a miner or lumberjack or travelling trader, possibly a land surveyor or witch (thinking more 'someone who can plumb for water with divining rods and midwifes' than 'cackles and casts spells' - although she might know how to brew a potion or two, that sort of thing). And have we been told what the outlay of the land is? I mean, is it just lots of trees and rocks everywhere, or what? Are we in a forest, a plain, on a mountainside?