File: ArtyomYouDontNeedToPolish(...).jpg (1.01 MB, 1920x1112)

1.01 MB JPG

>>45965880
Liama and her group have been rotating in and out of Veles' lair, the old snakes objections to outsiders being stifled by the danger of any further Phoenix probes into his gateways. Despite his distress, he's appeared to have calmed down after having a sulk and you've even caught him in conversation with Liama when you check on the group. With Liama and her men indisposed Artyom has gleefully taken up the role of ranch protector, trapsing through the drifting snow in full armor. How effective the centaur is going to be at it remains to be seen.

McCain and Marie have taken over the brunt of the chores, but you do see the workmen helping out from time to time for some reason. From the comfort and warmth of your office you look out over the snowy grounds, planning your next move as you let your lunch settle.

>Check in with Tai and the prisoners
>Check in with Tatiana on the wounded
>Check in with McCain about the situation
>Check in with Veles and Liama about the gateways
>Other?

>>45965914
>>Check in with Tai and the prisoners

File: BestChefOnTheRanch.jpg (18 KB, 256x256)

18 KB JPG

Bundling yourself up the best you can you slither downstairs and out into the cold. Ignoring the frost, you make with all speed toward the workmans camp across the river. You're more than relieved as the distant heat of the bonfire Zhou's people have rigged up chases away the cold. Giving James, the work foreman, a curt nod, you slip through the camp and towards the short figure of Tai who is in the process of dishing out soup to the malnourished refugees.

"What's the good word Tai?" You ask, announcing yourself both to him and as not to spook the beastfolk crowded around.

"Oh, hello Miss Sasha." He responds, handing the latest bowl to a woman who takes it gratefully and hurries towards a makeshift tent. "They are hungry, and Miss Tataina says the ones that would let her look at them are mostly fine, if starved."

"Some won't cooperate?"

He shrugs, "Once Zhou went through ok the rest of them readily went. Only holdouts are a pair of wolfish beastfolk and the Phoenix survivors."

You raise an eyebrow. "Aren't you also phoenix?"

"Not to them I am not." He says simply before giving a despairing chuckle, "Traitor would be more the word. I am working for the great enemy after all. And I willing consort with the 'lessers.' "

>Strange how they are acting after we rescued them. You learn anything from them?
>You seem to be getting on with Zhou and his people well. Anything new from the beastfolk?
>Other?

>>45967153
>>Strange how they are acting after we rescued them. You learn anything from them?

>>45967153
>>45967237
>seconded

File: strange.jpg (4 KB, 167x150)

4 KB JPG

"Strange how they are acting after we rescued them. You learn anything from them?"

"Only that they seem to think themselves nobles that are temporarily in a bad way." He responds, "Set in their ways. Proud. Reminds me of my aunt."

"Your aunt?"

"You know of the phrase too poor to paint, too proud to whitewash?" He says, "The steps on the social stairway get awfully tiny near the bottom and my aunt was very aware of where she was standing."

"So..."

"So these people likely have an inflated opinion of themselves. They likely upset someone but not importantly for the kingfisher to kill. So they are gonna use them."

You look over to where the five or so phoenix people have set up their own camp. It looks somehow more ragged than the beastfolks camp, and the fire is being tended to by one of them, after a while a younger looking phoenix man looks longingly at the large bonfire only to receive a cuff upside the head from an older one.

"They'll only be trouble if we keep them here. I think." Tai says.

>?

>>45968139
"Looks like not all of them are so stubborn. Though, it would take some work to get even one of them to stop being an idiot. See if you can't get them to soften up at least a little.
Though, it would be more important to get them speaking common."

>>45968261
this sounds good.

File: MANsune.jpg (400 KB, 1200x1132)

400 KB JPG

"Looks like not all of them are so stubborn. Though, it would take some work to get even one of them to stop being an idiot. See if you can't get them to soften up at least a little. Though, it would be more important to get them speaking common."

Tai sighs, "I will do what I can Miss Sasha, but I do not think I am too good at teaching a language with those with no inclination to hear it."

"What about the nitor, they could prolly help." you say, gesturing to one of the guards Keel was kind enough to send over. On guard per dozen individuals, thank the light most of them seem to be beastfolk and defer to Zhao.

You're surprised when the corporal responds, apparently having been listening in. "We do work like that, though in all honesty Ma'am it'd be better if the Schola came to do that. We're just grunts all things considered."

"But you can speak their language, yeah?"

"A bit yeah, Nelson and myself had more than a few postings to Riverport. You pick up the lingo right quick you spend enough time there, what with it being an old phoenix city and all." He says, nodding toward his counterpart watching over the smaller camp.

"How about these beastfolk, Liama said they were unknown until now."

"There were whispers. Folks that make it out often don't want to talk about what it was like in it. For good reason I imagine."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name."

"Red. Corporal Francis Red, I'm technically a corpsman but I've still gotta get accredited, not many docs about down south here that can do that though." Corporal Red says, "Keel sent me and Corporal Nelson here to watch over these folks until we can get this sorted. Though I think he said that in his letter."

Further conversation is interrupted as Zhou and a pair of other beastfolk approach. He says some words to Tai who turns to you, "They wish to extend their gratitude for you being their savior."


>Technically it was McCain that saved you.
>In all honesty we had no idea you were there.
>Other?

>>45969149
>>Technically it was McCain that saved you.

>>45969149
>>45969195
Agreed.

>>45969195
Add in that he's our employee but don't directly take any credit.

(We should also get the beast-folk speaking common.)

You still there?

File: lamia9.png (976 KB, 900x643)

976 KB PNG

"Technically it was McCain that saved you." You say to Tai, who begins relaying it.

"What about that other bit?" Corporal Red ask. "The son of Sun bit."

"Nothing important, just how they refer to me I guess." Tai says quickly, before he finishes the translation turning back to you, "They say that it might have been him that saved them he is your man and ergo the debt is to you."

"Debt? They were prisoners, it's hardly a"

"It is a cultural thing I believe Miss Sasha. They believe you are owed a debt, and will work to repay it however they can. I've heard that more accepting Phoenix generals and tacticians owe many a victory to such mercenaries, though to be credited for that is an insult."

"And there's no way to absolve them of it?"

"I think they've already figured you are trying to, and I think that's only compounding their percieved debt."

You groan. "Well, what should I do?"

"Leave it be for now, they believe themselves of no use while sick."

"And then?"

He shrugs

>?

>>45970669
Well, I suppose they can help out around the ranch once they're feeling better. If all they need to have is food and shelter to work, I don't see why we shouldn't let them.
The first thing that should be done is probably have a mess-hall built or to have an enlarged dining room added on to the hose. There will be too many to feed inside what we have already. It would be better to let everyone eat together.

>>45970669
I think we were doing better on Sundays and Mondays for players.

File: lamia5.jpg (243 KB, 1215x717)

243 KB JPG

"If all they need to have is food and shelter to work, I don't see why we shouldn't let them. Need them to heal up first "

You watch as Tai relays that, noting the grim and serious nod that Zhou gives him before the man barks orders to the group and heads back to his tent.

"He accepts the terms." Tai says simply.

The phoenix folk aren't so cooperative. Most simply ignore Tai or emphatically state that they have nothing to say to him. Even moreso with them eyeing your presence. Its a little jarring if you were to be completely honest. With the food dished out and taken care of, you busy yourself with helping Tai move the cooking supplies back to the house.

"You sure you're going to be ok cooking for that many?"

"Not too difficult. Less so if I go for stews. Their palate is not too discerning."

"You're remarkably easy well conversant with them, their speech sounds a bit different than the normal Phoenix Language."

"They generally have their own language amongst the various tribes, but they make it a point to make Phoenix their primary Miss Sasha." Tai says, uncomfortably.

>Start planning for the new accommodations
>What was up with that son of sun bit?
>other?

>>45971472
Yeah, seems like.

>>45971699
>Start planing for the new accommodations

File: HomeIsWhereTheHeatIs.jpg (55 KB, 640x480)

55 KB JPG

You opt to start planning out what to do about all your new 'help.' Grabbing McCain and with Tai free you explain the situation regarding the beastfolks debt. Once McCain has stopped laughing you decide to work out what exactly you had ought to do. If all the beastfolk end up signing on you're going to end up with twice the help than what you had when your father ran the ranch, even at its highest. The bunkhouse would end up cramped, doubly so since Artyom and Tataina take more than a little room themselves so that'd need to be expanded. As for food, you could go with a standard chuck wagon that a lot of the ranches use when driving cattle, but something feels wrong about doing that when you're so close to home.

You could, in theory, build off the house, but you'd either have to add on or forego the pipework that made the stone floors heated that your father installed. Not to mention cutting into the house itself. If you splurged you could probably add on to it, but you'd have to find a person familiar with how to install it, and that wouldn't come cheap.

A quick chat with James confirms that, yes, you could hire them to do a little side project, but it'd come out of your pocket as opposed to your benefactor. He figures that a new bunkhouse with a mess hall would probably run 700 isens if they used the old one as foundation, it'd also mean displacing your help as they'd be exposed to the elements. The house is another story, cutting into the wall would mean less material needed to expand, but also would require a separate living quarters. Expanding that would mean needing 600 isens for that, and 400 to expand the bunkhouse to proper size. If you wanted to not bleed heat out of that side, and re-pipe the added ground area it'd run 200 more isens and you'd have to locate a specialist who'd charge for the pipe laying.


>Choice? (Bunkhouse Refit, House Addition, House Addition with heating prepared)
>Other suggestion?

>>45972752
The top priority is to get them inside a building instead of in tents. The fastest option is what we want first.
How long until winter ends?

>>45973102
Winter has a while yet. The bunkhouse would likely be the fastest, but would also temporarily shift your ranchhands into other accommodations,

>>45973199
How long would it probably take to expand the bunkhouse?
How much room is in the main house?
How bad is the barn loft compared to their tents?

>>45972752
Bunkhouse

>>45973359
I'm leaning that way but am currently trying to figure out where people will stay while it's under construction

File: 1234966087647.jpg (148 KB, 650x805)

148 KB JPG

>>45973340
You're looking at a couple weeks unless you can manage to rig up a good old fashioned barn raising.

Main house would be a bit tight, especially for the centaurs.

Barn isn't heated and has hay in it, but could be temporarily repurposed.

Keep in mind you've a lot of idle hands at the moment.

>>45973993
I was thinking of using a combination of the two, actually. The lack of heating in the barn would be, to an extent, offset by the massed body-heat.
If we're just making the bunkhouse longer, then most of the rooms (Or all of them) in it will be unaffected.
There are two or four rooms and we can fit eight in each, right? I mean, why would there NOT be bunk-beds in a bunk-house?
Similarly, they should only need to take out the hall-way cap to build onto it. Just stuff hey or something unto the door crack and it'll be fine.
(How many beast-folk were there again?)

>>45974394
I know we have ~5 Phoenix people, but I don't remember a number for the beast-folk.

File: 1234966784970.jpg (59 KB, 600x433)

59 KB JPG

>>45974394
Bunkhouse has a main room with a stove and tables in one quarter, with the other three quarters split into two bunk bedrooms. You had maybe 10 hands at your fathers most prosperous, three bunks per room, mostly used for rotating shifts so they wouldn't disturb the others. The addition would be adding length and width to the bunkhouse, creating an attached mess hall on the far side of the bunkhouse from your house.

>>45974450
18, you ended up one shy of two dozen prisoners released.

Also, tempted to call the thread here so folks can hash out the details for the next. Will try and find a time that works well for everyone.

Maybe shill it to some people too. I dunno. We've been running long enough that its probably daunting to new readers.

>>45974796
We could install new bunk-beds into the two rooms that we have now, and expand out from the main room. That will keep from displacing any of our hands and get most of the beast-folk indoors faster.
It might be a little uncomfortable at first but it's the best option at the moment. With four bunk-beds in each room we'll have beds for 16 and with the new room beds for 24.
The ones that wouldn't fit in the beds could be put-up in the main house in sleeping bags until the construction is done and the room furnished.
In the summer we will work to build a new bunk-house to make it more comfortable and reduce the number of people per room to, at most, 6

With so many hands, I think we should start up a normal farm in edition to our ranching

>>45974796
Shill it? At any rate, new readers should just be directed to the archive to read through the old threads.

>>45975288
>>45975327
I'll whip something up for the next thread. Bunkhouse remodel seems to be a go so I'll open up the next thread with that and hammer the details out. As for now I'm calling the thread.

As always, thanks for reading and I hope you guy enjoyed it.

>>45975632
Thanks for running Chem!