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There and Back Again
As I settle down to start building my cabin a foolish notion takes me. "I want a broadaxe. A boardaxe will save me time building my cabin. I must get a broadaxe."
I know the Kaumolaiset and Kiesselaiset are unlikely to have one, and I explored the nearby Reemilaiset settlements. What about the Kiovulaiset? They don't lay that far beyond the Kiesselaiset lands. They're a farmer culture, so they've probably got extra tools and stuff. I've got a few furs and some spare tools I can trade. Yeah! Let's go visit them! Shouldn't take too long...
Not too far into the journey I end up hunting down a large stag. The meat will be useful for providing food for the trip, but I don't want to wait around to tan the 24lbs hide. However just carrying it with me will result in it rotting, so instead I cure it (which will preserve it) and leave it behind, planning on picking it up on the way back once its finished sitting there undergoing the curing process. I forgot to check how long that process will take however...
Passing through The Kiesse, I trade extra stag meat for various minor useful things, such as few lengths of rope, dried meats, and a box of turnip seeds. I don't need the rope, but it won't rot and I can use it as a minor trade good since they don't have arrows.
Continuing on I have a scary encounter where I run into a pack of wolves! Brandishing my spear, I slowly back away from the pack. Thankfully despite Skadi barking at them, they don't attack and instead retreat away. I'm pretty sure with my spear and Skadi I could take a wolf or two, but I don't fancy our chances against a whole pack, especially since I counted about 8 or so.
Continuing onwards I run into a problem, summer is winding down into autumn and temperatures are starting to get colder. Foolishly I left my fledgling homestead not wearing much; no shirt, linen trousers, fur shoes, and a nettle cloak and these prove inadequate for the temperatures I'm experiencing. Several times I have to stop to build a fire in the wilderness or stay longer than desired at a settlement in order to warm myself for further travelling. The good side of this is the colder temperatures mean my food will stay fresher longer.
Eventually I reach the Kiovula and to my disappointment the Kiovulaiset towns I check prove to have no broadaxes! They've got plenty of sickles, stupid farmers. To add insult to injury they don't even have any warmer clothes I can trade for, at least, none I'm willing to spend my goods on. At this point, not wanting to turn back empty handed, I make a somewhat foolish choice.
I push on towards the Driiklaiset. I forget to take many screenshots at this point, but honestly there isn't a ton to see, I spend almost all my time in the overworld map, moving from settlement to settlement. At each one I check for desired goods, inevitably get disappointed, warm myself, and then move on. After several days I reach the first Driiklainen towns. Thankfully it only takes a few Driik towns before I find what I'm after. I trade my largest fur and a few dried meats for it. In addition, somewhere along the line in Driiklais lands, I trade my extra shovel for a fine fishing rod, some arrows, and more dried meat. Anyways, I've finally got the last axe to fill out my collection, but somehow I feel the trip is going to prove to not have been worth the time.
Around now I remember that while I've finished the "Living in the Wild" course, I can actually start the other "tutorial" course the game has. Called "Advanced Adventures", this one covers a varied assortment of topics. The first few are pretty simple, I first have to eat while having several days of food in my inventory, and the other requires me to build a shelter outside the cultural boundaries of any faction. These are easily done during my return home.
The trip to the easternmost Driik lands was a long one, taking almost a week. Still it was faster than my circuitous route on the punt on my way to the east the first time. Now I just need to head back.
As I begin my journey home, my stag meat has started spoiling. To bulk up my food stores for the trip, I hunt down another stag. This one's hide is much smaller, so along the way I process it, a task that proves just how cold I'm getting at times, including messages specifically stating my hands are growing cold. If they get much colder frostbite could be a concern, but I don't think things will get THAT cold just yet. Mindful of my current task of harvesting some plants, I try to pick a ripe nettle plot in the middle of a Woodlander Settlement. This gets me yelled at by the locals, who don't seem to appreciate me trying to steal their food, sorry guys. Things work out though, as wandering out of their village I run into some wild plants that I recognize and harvest them instead.
My next task is to use a Sauna! I've actually been doing this a LOT during the trip, but I stupidly forgot to take any screenshots. To prepare to use a sauna the fireplace must first be lit, then you simply strip naked, and pick up the sauna scoop and a tub of water. Next you "apply" the sauna scoop, select the tub of water, and pour it onto the fireplace. A flash of steam erupts and your character rapidly warms up. Usually each application of the Sauna scoop immediately takes my temperature rating up one or two levels, so it is a great way to rapidly warm up from the cold in only a few minutes. In comparison, to warm up with a normal fire you'd usually have to sit in front of it for quite a while, often an hour or more.
As I said in a previous update, Saunas are a very important part of Finnish culture, both a thousand years ago in URW's time and in modern day. Here is a good article from the BBC about Finlands and Saunas. Warning, contains naked old men (though you can't see anything obscene).
The last leg of my trip is semi-eventful. Returning to the shelter I made to make the curing hide's location, I find it still has a surprising four days left until it's done curing! At first I debate on leaving it behind, but in the end I decide to stick around as its 24lbs of useful fur. I keep myself busy by hunting down a forest reindeer and processing its meat and hide (Which takes much less time). While ranging around hunting I spot a Njerpez in the distance, but I avoid him. This ends up making my stay somewhat paranoid, as the camp is out in the open in the middle of a mire. It could be bad if he spots me and comes to check me out, especially if it is a group of them. However, even if someone sneaks up in my sleep, I'm pretty sure Skadi would start barking and wake me up.
Eventually the skin finishes curing and I grab it and the rest of my stuff and head home. To my annoyance the first thing that greets me upon arrival is a black grouse sitting in my farm field. Shoo you stupid bird, I swear if you're eating my crops I'm gonna kill you! What a trip. I departed my fledgling homestead on Day 2 of the 11th week until winter starts. I just arrived home on Day 4 of the 9th week before winter. It is now mid-August, I've got 8 1/2 weeks until winter! And all for this:
Honestly I don't think the trip was worth it, I was foolish to press on all the way to the Driik lands when there is so much that needs to be done. Hell, this update was supposed to be me building the cabin! Then again, it wasn't that bad, in addition to the axe I obtained a few more furs and a modest amount of dried meat. Still, I've got to get my cabin built, and the cabin isn't the only thing I need to do before winter arrives.
The clock is ticking...