[X][Hunters] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
[X][Captain] Pick up? (Can do multiple things, assuming he's competent to buy them. Non-military at a penalty.)
-[X][Captain] Recruit a few hunters to restore their numbers (10 Denier)
-[X][Captain] Get supplies for this season for the discounted cost.
[X][Construction] Construct new bunkhouses lifted off the ground to avoid water getting in next time. (100 Denier in needed materials)
[X][Personal] You could produce some basic enchanted gear for one of your units. Sharper blades and harder armor are staples for a reason. Though it doesn't seem worthwhile to bother with them currently being a bunch of incompetent peasants. (100 Denier in needed materials)
-[X][Personal] Carpenters
Your scouts report that the forest is mostly quiescent this season, so much as it ever is. The animal population is much higher than it was last spring, but seems mostly satisfied with the resources they have within the forest. The rainfall has partially abated, settling down to the normal level, which admittedly is still higher than you're used to.
Rivers don't seem to form in the Overgrowth despite a large amount of water still passing along the forest floor. Instead it seems there's small streams practically everywhere. At least you don't have to worry about making bridges.
Failed check to spot enemy scouts.
Your construction crew has mostly been making do with barely processed logs for building things. Though log structures provide quite a lot of protection and are relatively easy to make, the lack of floors proved a serious problem this winter, so you direct them to raise the bunkhouses off the ground.
Rather than try to lift the buildings off the ground, they instead decide to simply add a wood floor inside them. They lay out logs on the dirt floor to provide a frame lifting it off the ground and then add planks on top of it to form a simple wooden floor. Sawing logs to form the planks really takes them the most time. To reduce the risk of water stagnating underneath they open holes at the bottom of each wall on the outside to beneath the new floor.
Their efforts are aided increasingly by your improvements to their tools. While a master craftsmen would likely have enchanted tools, the collection you managed to drag out here did not. Sharper, stiffer, stronger axes and saws go a long way in speeding up their ability to process trees into planks.
Though they recommend you build a sawmill if they are to use planks very much. Planks are also a lot more value dense and might be worth the transport costs involved in selling them.
Leo returns this season with the new recruits and supplies in tow.
He's also picked up a familiar face, though one your understanding had been your father wasn't going to let you see anymore. While the dalliance of a noble scion with the servant staff was completely normal and almost expected, he had felt that there was an unbecoming excess of affection there. Ironically you hadn't been with her at all in the sense he had thought, though you have a feeling he's since been enlightened.
Noticing you're looking at her, Leo explains, "While I was in town Duke Revaria summoned me and commanded that I take this one with me." He shrugs with an air of 'what can you do'. "His face might as well have been carved from stone. It was really creepy. Couldn't tell if he was pleased or plotting my death." No doubt father had his usual mask on, maybe if you'd been there you could have judged what he was thinking. Leo backs off as Olivia steps forward from where she'd anxiously been waiting
"I'm sorry master Revaria, I tore the gloves you made for me," she apologizes, carefully restraining herself from hugging you. Her holding her hands together with downcast eyes is rather adorable really.
Yeah you had already noticed that, which is why you were keeping comfortably out of arm's reach of her. Though it was a bit hard to resist the urge to hug her. "Don't worry, I'll make you a new pair. Really I'm just glad to see you."
"I tried to sew them back together but they didn't work anymore, and I started breaking stuff again, and then your father questioned me and I couldn't help but tell him everything," Olivia continues with watery eyes.
"It's alright," you say while patting her on the back.
Years ago when you were oh so young she had been your personal servant, and best friend really. You'd never liked your siblings much so she kind of filled that role. You'd been fascinated by the dregs of magic left in the world as long as you could remember and had already started learning.
One day while exploring the castle the two of you had found a dusty old vial. It seemed to be filled with some sort of blood, but despite its obvious age the blood was still fresh seeming. A bit of analysis showed it was brimming with more magic than you'd ever encountered before, a relic centuries old no doubt.
Well Olivia had ardently wanted to be more useful to you, and you had this vial of what seemed like pure magic from your perspective. In a bout of teenage insanity you had decided to enchant her directly and inject the blood to fuel it. You'd known even then that this was very risky and ill advised, but you'd been sure you could do it. Olivia cheering you on the whole way probably contributed. It was a minor miracle really that things didn't turn out worse.
One could almost call it a success really. You'd tried to increase her strength to make her a powerful bodyguard, and she did become stronger.
The problem is that she didn't have the control to go with that strength. She broke almost everything she touched. It was rather difficult to hide or even explain. You have no idea how successful you were at either. Olivia's constant tearful apologies didn't really help your ability to hide it or your feelings of incompetence and failure.
After some rapid and motivated research you eventually managed to come up with some strength suppressing gloves for her that let her interact with the world more normally. Shortly thereafter your father had taken her away from you and assigned her elsewhere, and you'd rarely gotten to see her thereafter.
Gain 'Hero' unit Olivia: Can assign her to assist in projects.
+ Inhuman Strength (~10x a strong mundane human)
+ Proportionally durable (mostly means bludgeoning won't affect her much, though a good blade could still kill her)
+ Adores you
= Maid Skills
- No control of strength (Take d50 denier in damages each turn until strength suppression gloves done, breaks tools not designed for her)
- No combat skills whatsoever
After you finish your quick conversation with Olivia, Leo starts up his own report again.
"I brought back better stock for the levy. I've no interest to waste my time or sleep on another sorry lot like the last one." He scratched his chin.
"I couldn't get any professional soldiers on the budget you gave me for them. Professionals expect better pay after all."
You shrug. "Maybe something for the future, but right now we just need all the manpower we can get."
"I did have a lot of time to test them and weed out the chaff though. So I was able to get actual men instead of gutter scum," he says the last with intense disdain.
"I also got in some drilling before we left and on the way here. They're making decent progress on becoming a unit. They hopefully won't break at the first sight of battle. Any real military unit would still make short work of them, but they'd be bloodied at least. They're also much less likely to interrupt my sleep in their eagerness to meet the gods sooner.
"Master Revaria this is appalling!" Olivia fussed as you showed her around the camp. "This won't do at all!" She looked around the bunkhouse as if expected to see some servant around. She took out a broom from the supplies she'd brought with her, but the wood shattered in her grip almost immediately, and her eyes started to water.
"It's alright," you say comfortingly. "Once I get you some new gloves I'm sure you'll have it better in no time at all. I've been living like this for a year now, and I've kind of gotten used to dealing with it."
"You shouldn't ever have had to deal with this, I should have been here for you the whole time," she says sadly.
"Why don't we just set up a place for you to sleep for now?"
"I saw that there's a building for the women, I'll just get a bed there Master."
"No!" you exclaim instantly without even thinking. You certainly don't want her living with women of that employment.
"Why?" she asks so innocently.
"Um… well you know.. Uh it's just not suitable for you to be living with women of that profession," you manage to stutter out, wishing there was a way to put it.
She blushes. "I see…"
Eager to break the awkward silence you continue. "We'll just hang some curtains around the bed next to mine for now. It's still not good enough, but it's the best we can do for now."
Plans for Summer:
[][Construction] Try to put up a couple wooden watchtowers in the Overgrowth. (50 Denier in needed materials)
[][Construction] Improve the palisade with packed earth to strengthen it and provide a top surface for guards to observe from. (2 seasons)
[][Construction] Build a house for yourself and Olivia. It's not proper for a young woman to share a room with so many other men. (100 Denier in needed materials)
[][Construction] Improve the barracks with more furniture, bedding, separated rooms with sturdy doors for the officers. (100 Denier in needed materials)
[][Construction] Write in
[][Personal] You could produce some basic enchanted gear for one of your units. Sharper blades and harder armor are staples for a reason. Though it doesn't seem worthwhile to bother with them currently being a bunch of incompetent peasants. (100 Denier in needed materials)
-[] Specify a unit.
[][Personal] Spend time with your men. It might be useful.
[][Personal] Have Leo give you a bit of training. However much you hate the idea, it might be worthwhile to be able to swing a weapon if you get ambushed.
[][Personal] Produce a fireplace exclusion enchant to try in the forest. (50 Denier in needed materials)
[][Personal] Make a new set of strength suppressing gloves for Olivia. (50 Denier in needed materials)
[][Personal] Look into building a sawmill for exporting lumber. See what it would cost to build, how much the lumberjacks would need to be paid, and what merchants could be persuaded to pay for the lumber.
Unit Assignments (contemplating with these whether some other way of voting would be better, since you're likely to have units permanently assigned on a job, and increasingly so when you get more units)
[][Hunters] Hunt for food, reduce upkeep by 50
[][Hunters] Scout, learn more about the forest, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
-[] Investigate the wolves, find their den and hunting ground.Will reduce encounters, unless you want to lure someone towards them.
[][Hunters] Guard the construction crew
[][Levy] Patrol, reduce chance of enemies slipping by.
[][Levy] Train with the captain
[][Levy] Guard the construction crew
Note that I am slightly changing upkeep and income calculation, will not affect things much. (Decided to add 100 to both upkeep and income to represent your own personal upkeep which were being handled before off screen.)
440 starting -320 upkeep this turn -100 housing materials +600 season payment -10 recruiting = 610 Denier
Upkeep next turn: 400 +1d50 breakage
Still, better leave for after we get things secured.