Turtlesquish's Stonehearth Time Machine

I have decided to make a “stonehearth time machine” (as the title suggests, although a bit misleading.) I will be “exploring” the future and maybe even the past of stonehearth concepts, ideas, inventions, characters, quests etc. etc. through writing. I will accomplish that with fantasy short stories, essays, discussions etc. A lot of them will be based off other discussions which have taken place on the discourse. And maybe exploring both sides of the argument. Of course I will give credit where credit is do. Hopefully this is clear enough, if not, do not hesitate to inform me.

My first project will be exploring the origin of Stonehearth Settlements. Admittedly, my motivation comes from @sindrill615’s “world of hearth” short story. I will probably write three different ways I can conceive the stonehearth settlement’s original fruition.
I hope you guys are excited about this, because I know I am. :smile:

(I don’t know if this was in the right topic, paging @SteveAdamo or @Geoffers747)

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I would have chosen Fan media it uses short stories and essays and to express the thoughts you have. Also because i explores the story/world of the game through speculations and creative ideas :slight_smile:

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I was going to suggest fan media as well, but we can leave it in GD for now and see how this pans out… looking forward to seeing what you produce! :+1:

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On the Origin of the Settlers…

(Just my ideas)

  1. The settlers are going out to find a new home in the world of stonehearth (or our computers, if that’s better)
  2. They are monks on a holy pilgrimage (hearthlings often talk about Cid going on a pilgrimage
  3. They are many pixels in a screen, created by the mystical gods of “Radiant”. They do the bidding of creatures called ‘humans’ and are given their commands by mind-enslaving machines known as 'computer’s
  4. The same as @sindrill615’s idea
  5. A bunch of raggle-taggle “dudes” were in the woods. They were like “Hey dude, we’re like stuck in these woods dude. Why don’t we like make a city and stuff.”
    "Yeah dude. We could like totally make a city and stuff

(Just ignore points 3&5, I put them in there for a joke)

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Im glad people liked my idea of how settlements are started. Honestly its been on my mind just after i first herd of stonehearth. Something that nags my mind in a lot of settler games, Why are they there, How did they get there, and what is their end goal? To sort of explain my theory, it is like the Chicken and the egg theory. lets start with the egg, the egg is the settlement, as it hatches(created) it grows into an adult chicken(Castle/city) then produces another egg. Its a circle of civilization in a sense. So Im actually excited to see other’s points of view and ideas. (Also i plan on editing my post on my story and continuing it later)

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@dwarf I like number one the best personally. Because the simpler something is the less explaining there is to do.
For number 2 it is a viable option, but I think it would lead to a different kind of play style. Your settlers would be building temples and stuff like that.
For number 4 it sound very cool but its a bit too complex, and like I said before you have to explain a lot more for it. As I mentioned on @sindrill615 's post. are they being banished or are they simply volunteers. Both of them have problems. If they are banished they would probably rise up and attack the original city. If they are simply volunteers then how does it practically differ from Number One?

Also I’d like to add a new settlement origin idea. Rich land owners of the old city “invest” and pay the seven settlers to open an estate.

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Here’s a little short story which explores a few aspects of stonehearth. Mainly

but it also explores the pre-winter of stonehearth. And a little about the currency.

The wind was slight but consistent. For days it would blow across the wide valley. It was the first sign of winter. Two brothers huddled together in a solitary barn. It was a cold and colorless place, worse so in the Wind Days. Even though the walls were sound, the wind managed to find a way in. Both waited anxiously for dawn. At least during the day there was a semblance of warmth. Sleep was the best way to survive the irritating cold. But sleep eluded them, like it did most nights.

After a restless night, the brothers left the barn. They hurried towards the house for breakfast. There would be a fire in the fireplace. The very thought of heat melted their fatigue. As usual their younger siblings were already eating. As the oldest sons, they got the worst food. It was the off-season, work on the farm was practically non-existent.

Roake Umbro had slept in the city for the past few night. Now he hurried his horses, he was anxious to get home. His family would be happy to see him, and hear the news he had to share. He was getting close to the valley. Once he got to the rim he would leave the horses and the carriage at the stable. That way he could hike the steep direct route to the house.

"Daff help the younger kids eat. Mell go chop some more wood.” Ma ordered. She was not unkind, she would give Mell extra food. Mell, of course, did not see it like this, but he knew never to disobey. He took the ax and went outside.

Not long after Roake came home. After eating a quick meal he and ma went to the kitchen.

“Illoywan Freywind ‘proached me yesterday. He is openin an estate in the east. He needs young strong hands. He said he wants Daff and Mell to go, he would give us a full coin a month while they are ‘way. I told him I would ask em. Well what do you think?’ Roake asked.

“A full coin, I can hardly believe it. We ‘abetter talk to the boy’s right ‘way. I hope ol’ Freywind lets ‘em come visit every now and again.” Jess Umbro said back.

The next day Roake brought Daff and Mell to the city. Freywind bought them new clothes and tools. They met the other settlers and together they loaded up a wagon. Freywind handed Roake a gold coin and a contract, Roake signed it keeping a neutral expression. His expression still neutral he hugged his two boys. They climbed into the wagon, and they were off. Freywind and Roake watched the wagon go down the road and vanish around a corner. A new world has been opened.

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very evocative opening paragraph! your story paints a very vibrant image of the poor situation the settlers find themselves in… well done! :+1:

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Thanks, that’s what I meant to do :slight_smile:

Here is a bit of a longer one. This short story describes the life of a fox. It also explores the effect water would have on the map. I didn’t have time to edit his one at all, so this one is “hot off the press”

As the stream flowed it gave a slight gurgle sound. All around it life flowered. Trees were denser, berry bushes more frequent, more animals lived nearby, silkweed more common, and settlers more often. The slow but steady current kept algae from building up and kept the water fresh. Its very nature seemed to keep evil away.

In the woods formed by the stream, a fox lived. It was not the only fox which congregated near the stream, but it held its niche with confidence. Every morning he would travel out into the plains to get fresh rabbit meat. Sometimes he would catch one rabbit, sometimes many. He would then drag the rabbits back to the woods. With the rabbit in his mouth he was left vulnerable, but he knew routes no others knew and this kept him safe.

At night it would sleep in its shelter, near a bend in the stream. It lived its monotonous life with a strange sort of pride. He was him, he could catch rabbits only as he could. He could make shelters only as well as he could. His life was neat and simple, the idea of cluttering it with comfort and luxury horrified him. In his routine there was comfort, and comfort was as good as he could ask. But all good things must come to an end.

It happened on a day like all the others. As the rays of light came over the horizon and through the trees, the fox awoke. It poked its nose out of the shelter. The world smelled like it did every morning. Except for the feint smell of fire in the distance. The fire was nothing to be concerned about, it was the settler’s way of keeping warm, and he knew it. He climbed out of the shelter and began to head towards the grasslands.

As he made his way through the woods, his eyes lit up. He could hardly believe his luck, a different fox had killed a rabbit and left it lying on the ground. He approached it a few feet at a time. He glanced from left to right, making sure the other fox wasn’t around to claim the carcass. After he was sure the other fox was gone, he trotted happily towards the carcass. He would be able to store this for later.

He was getting close now. Just a few more feet. He could smell the delicious smell of rabbit. He was so close he could almost taste it. One more step and he would be able to bite it. Suddenly there was a rush. With a snap an iron cage sprung out, he was trapped. He heard the click as the cage locked into place. With brute strength and determination he threw himself against the bars, trying to make an opening. He recoiled in pain and shock, the bars didn’t budge. He approached them more cautiously this time. He opened his mouth and turned his head sideways, and bit. He yelped in pain and darted back again. The iron was still there.

He turned around looking for a weakness. There was none. With nothing else to do he sat down. What would do this to me? He thought in anger. As if to answer his question, a head popped out of a bush. A settler with a knife approached. The fox whimpered and went to the far wall. The settler was still coming. The fox buried his head into his paws. The settler was still coming, knife gleaming in the sun. The fox showed his teeth and growled. The settler raised his knife, and brought it down.

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What do you guys think the future fiction stories of our stonehearth settlers are? In comparison to our fiction stories that are usually stuff like space battles, intergalactic travels, algorithms which take over the internet and control all human life, weird space aliens etc. etc.

Can’t wait to hear what you guys come up with :wink:

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Unfortunately I won’t be able to type anything long for a few days. I have a rock climbing injury on my left hand so I can’t type so well.

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This is the sorrow tale of SkinnyTurtle. Most of the story has been derived from the Epic of Zug. It takes place in the lower Ascendancy region during the dark ages. It is one of the stories are scholars now use to study the dark ages. Here is a translated version of the story.

The town of SkinnyTurtle was a remote farm village in a valley. They were effectively cut off from the rest of the world. So as the rest of the world fell apart they remained the same. The valley also provided lasting peace. As is natural, the warriors of SkinnyTurtle were few and untrained.

When a young man got heroic notions, he was was laughed at and called cracking, because there was no point of preparing for war the old men would say. But for all the lessons the old men had learned in life, they were still missing wisdom. For the circle of life and death cannot be denied. They were to learn that lesson well.

On the night of the thirteenth, the villagers were getting the town ready for night. The last few crops were being hauled in from the farms and the fireplaces were being lit. As the fire was lit the light revealed iron helmets in the trees. Someone screamed “GOBLINS” the village was in a panic, the few people which had old swords brought them out. Fifteen goblins came out from under the trees brandishing cleavers, clubs and torches. The villagers made a ragged line, in their hands were wooden swords and pitchforks. The goblins charged at them shouting the name of their leader as a war cry "ZUG! ZUG! ZUG!, no one stood a chance. The heroes who stood to fight all fell. A few managed to scramble back, only to find that four other goblins had come from the other side of the town to trap them. The massacre was complete.
By morning the only remains of the village was the ash of the buildings.


That is an embellished true story which happened to me. I counted 19 goblins, and at least two were killed already. My villagers all died, so I turned it into a short story. This short story has a lot of concepts about the lore of Stonehearth. Oh by the way I wrote this short story with a swollen wrist. You know what they say "no pain no gain"

Screenshot with 19 confirmed goblins http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=354698241
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The Book of Mestsua
The following is not the exact text of the Book of Mestsua. Rather it is a readable adaptation of the ancient book, put together by our historians.
Our Historians felt that a basic geographical understanding is necessary for a proper understanding of the ancient Mestsua civilization.
The Mestsua river valley is a lush green place. The steady water of the river allows an abundance of life. The mountains which form the valley are tall enough to provide isolation, but not tall enough to cause a rain shadow.

Hosean (Ho-Shawn) and Inhon (In-hone) were two cities on the top of two hills. Both of them were built of the same logs, with the same design. The buildings were low thatched structures. They were spread out on the hills with no order or symmetry. The people who lived in these thatched huts, were a short sturdy people. They had seen the value of teamwork by watching packs of hunting dogs kill their prey. This realization was the seed that started the first cities. Hosean was situated above the river, Inhon was situated at the mouth of the valley. They formed a coalition, Hosean produced food and materials, and Inhon defended them from threats, and produced weapons. For years they remained peaceful, but it was the peace of a hibernating bear.
The nomads around the Mestsua valley fought constantly. Disputes were settled by the sword. And the lack of complex languages made disputes common. Blood stained the land. Some of the braver clans attacked Inhon but all were repelled. As a result the Inhon settlers began to get cocky. They realized that they could easily sweep the lands around the Mestsua valley and make one solid kingdom. So the Inhon army marched out. They carried wooden staffs and clay clubs. The Hosean’s had supplied them with food. The battles were one sided, the barbarian nomads were pathetic against the solid fist of the Inhon. Soon they had established the lands around the Mestsua valley as part of their kingdom. New cities were made, and the previously nomadic peoples realized that there was great gain in joining the Mestsua.

As the Mestsua grew, they kept the same principle Inhon was the center of military, and Hosean was the center of agriculture and knowledge. The Inhon army made several campaigns, each time significantly expanding the borders of the Mestsua Empire. At this point the Mestsua held an area from the bottom of the Mestua valley until the Sea of Unhav, and from the desert of Konn to the high grounds of Seegj. It was in the high grounds of Seegi that Inhon lost their first battle. The titans and humans who lived there were tougher then down in the valleys, and they made a war time coalition of their own. Whenever the Seegj people saw the Inhon soldiers marching towards their lands, they would form one army and beat the Inhon back. And here is where the Mestsua Empire stalemated. For many years they were satisfied with the fertile valleys and plains they had.

That is the end of the adapted book of Mestsua. The mystery of the Mestua people is in their downfall. Archeologists found hundreds of skeleton remains in the city of Inhon, many weapons were found there as well. Outside the city other skeletons have been found, this clearly indicated a great battle. However the city of Hosean was seemingly completely abandoned. Other than some pottery shards not a thing has been found. Many theories have been formed about their fall, the most likely is that the armies of Seegj attacked, but that does not explain the abandonment of Hosean. What actually happened is anyone’s guess. The Mestsua paved the path for future civilizations and have even impacted the settlers of modern times.

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Very good! I liked it a lot, love how you did it.

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I’m getting a Warring States period of Japan vibe here… very nice!

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I’m impressed that you caught onto another of my history references. As I mentioned this is highly inspired my historical events.

Here is what they call a teaser for a coming short story which is not stonehearth specific, however it could be.

A seven man Olci Patrol marched in time along the border of the Mio Forest. The steady tromping of their steel boots echoed in the confines of the forest. A young captain lead the other six, his head was adorned with purple feathers. He had served his lord for many years faithfully. His commanders watched him carefully, he had the promise of a good soldier, and they made sure not to spoil him. That was why he was leading a small patrol along the border. Unfortunately there was one thing his commanders could not foresee. A rapidly approaching brown arrow, with a razor sharp broad head.

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