Old town

[Year count 115] So, Galucca Old Town is practically done! :yahoo: Only need to build a little on the harbour, and then the lots will just need some adjusting as ages roll by :)

On the picture above you see the (back of) Police station next to the new Historical Museum. The museum looks a bit strange, but it's got some cool stuff inside ;) On the same lot there is a small park, and I think room for skateboarding (that I didn't check out in the game yet), but year count 115 is a bit early for that, I think.

This is Town Street. Front view - Police (guarding the ghosts, of course - after all, some of them were criminals), the Historical Museum, then the Town Hall, and in the distance you see the big Library (light building). I should give you a tour with more details later on.

Now, say hello to Fredric Brottington !

He is the first photographer, offering family portraits in the Town Hall. You also saw him arriving Pettonta Castle in the past. Anyway, he often wanders the streets at night, and he has already photographed many community builds and street life in general. His photos will soon be on display in several tiny galleries in Old Town, but also like one picture here and there, like on the wall of the Butcher Shop.

In the distance (above), Fredric Brottington is heading towards Similius Square, that is in front of the Church of Similius. In the far distance you see smoke, yup, there are factories in town, too, not only in the Lower Farmlands. The other light is a Unicorn, probably near the beaches. (phew, so many locations I'd like to show you, I need to update more often...)

I absolutely L-O-V-E the mornings in this game - not so much in Real Life... The house to the left is a tiny restaurant, Chez Ludmilla. We'll pop inside in a few.

Hm, not in a few, but right away... First, here's another shot up to Church of Similius.

On the left is the Flower Market, might give room for a few car parking lots in the future, maybe a mix. Outside Chez Ludmilla a romancing couple doesn't mind the light rain. But they moved indoor eventually :)

Ludmilla Heisser-Barksdale is the one serving the cash register. The couple just moved to Sunny Fields (lower Gal district), they both were born in Galucca. This night they got engaged!

The restaurant is just a room with 4 tables, a kitchen and a toilet. Ludmilla wanted to run a dance club, but as the Dipperwells (priest with family) lives temporarily next door and the church is just across the street, protests became too massive. So, Ludmilla just serves ordinary meals, in this pretty quiet corner of Galucca.

A huge event is coming up shortly... now that Baron Junato Pettonta is engaged, and the Pettontas and the Dipperwells made friends again, I'm looking forward to witness a wedding at Church of Similius for the first time. Hm, in fact I never arranged a proper wedding elsewhere either...

I tried to make this photo look like random women gossiping about Constance Rivers (she does wear a hair ribbon even if she is not yet married, and everyone knows why the ribbon is blue...) - but in fact, the two woman telling secrets are just Constance's mom and sister - how boring...

You have probably noticed the subway station! Yay, this place is heading for modern times! What did you think all the Miners would do after the old Mines collapsed? They started to build the subway, of course! There are just a few stops yet, but still some locals travel back and for all day long.

I know so many of my overview pics are dark night shots, so here's another shot in bright daylight!

(ohhh... too much in one go, I know, and there will be even more soon! : )

Castle News

I know, I know... I promised another community lot visit, Chez Ludmilla. Instead we'll stop by at Pettonta Castle. Got something to show you there...

So much is happening at the castle these days (or was it years...). Baron Junato grew up to young adult, and so did the young woman Junato's parents already picked for him. Junato met the girl several times and he likes her, so the planning is no big issue to him.

Count Gustavian is quite eager to step down, but rules say that the old Count must die or have reduced health before the next can take over the Countship. Well, these rules are flexible, but it would simply be wrong if they switch the ring already.

I think I might like the next Count, wonder if he will make for any changes community wise...

But this stop is of course mainly about Countess Maria... she has been worrying sick about the cook, Patricia Sculler's baby boy (who is already a toddler). Maria don't think Count Gustavian can be the father, but lately Patricia looked better looking than ever, and Maria have realized how wrong she was, hiring the girl because she was looking bad. The fact that the boy, named Christopher, is blond, helps just a little, but wasn't Gustavian's mother blond...?

Oh, really? The old painter who Maria wanted to see dead long ago? Maria saw this as a plausible exit, if everyone were told that the castle painter and the cook had a child, nobody would ever suspect Count Gustavian! Maria insisted on that they had to marry right away, or they would all three be thrown out! She sent a messanger for Father Dipperwell. Of course he suggested the wedding to take place in his Church, but Maria had no time for that! She didn't really want these servants to marry in her castle, but finally she accepted that it could take place in the kitchen!

You might remember that there was a conflict between the Pettontas and the Church of Similius, when the Pettonta family grave was moved. Well, the community structure was changed, but all that was pretty much settled long ago.

So, in the kitchen, Patrica became Mrs Litter. And Countess Maria kept thinking that one day soon Mrs Litter will become a Widow. She still disliked Emanuel Litter very much! To make it easier to check little Christopher's looks against the old painter, in a few years, Maria called for the Photographer, Mr. Brottington. He is doing pretty well photographing locals at the Town Hall, and the Pettontas naturally got the very first photo session. Now it was time to photograph the little Litter family!

Hm... this update seems to be quite massive. Because now that we stopped at the castle, I'd like to show you their new castle garden...

From the Butterfly Room there are now two double doors out to the terrace and the garden. The garden is facing the mountain, east, so there is no view to the ocean, and no baking sun, but who needs to be baked in the sun when it's much nicer to relax under the trees?

Two long lines cut through the garden, making entrance to the area from both sides. I love this kind of low perspective pics! :)

Maria is normally quite busy doing businesses in town, or organizing the castle, but she found this spot is perfect for thinking. After the catastrophe some time ago, she has been searching for answers - just like everyone else. What caused the damages? Scientists at Wooming Soil Facility, originally founded by Maria's brother, the scientists have not yet found the answers.

Now the Wooming Soil Facility has requested the Count for a large financial contribution to further work. Maria just needs to find a way to benefit from such a generous gift. Only the best is good enough.

Suzi's Heaven

[year count 115] So, let's forget about all those problems and stop by at a couple old town establishments. There are a few waterholes, very simple stuff yet, but I wanted to take you all there while it's still primitive, and perhaps we'll stop by again later to see the place changing.

Although the Galucca development has reached year count 115, I'm still pretty much stuck with long skirts and rather conservative clothing. You might recall Camille Kragger, the new woman at Moon District who turned down old traditions like tying up your hair to show that you were married, or cover your arms and chest with thick, woven textiles. She was the first woman in Galucca with a short haircut. Now, things should be loosing up a bit fashion wise, and I can't wait to allow more variety in clothing.

Anyways, let's visit a rather new social spot, Suzi's Heaven! This is a pub founded by a new resident, Suzi Baruba. She is a widow, and her only child, an adult son, decided not to move with her to Galucca. Nice son, not!

Suzi is nice though, I think she might even own one of those old Gramophones. But she is also business minded, not giving them everything at once. Ehem.

Suzi works here every night except Sundays. She wouldn't mind seeing her happy (and some sad) guests all nights of the week, but as soon as she opened the place, Father Dipperwell from the Church of Similius stopped by to make her think twice. Drinking too much nectar might make all needs green for a while, but then - all red-red-red! And Suzy had to agree. Besides, closing one day every week, would make her guests miss their Suzi's Heaven! She knew that Mondays were normally very busy!

This Friday, the two women from Moon District had finally showed up again. Nobody had seen them since before the catastrophe. Luphelia Moonster and Camille Kragger. Suzi knew they were involved with the MSW, but as long as they bought their nectar, Suzi never bothered anyone by digging into their business. - Stay nice here at Heaven, and I'll leave your thoughts alone!

Oh, the drunk, seated guy in the background... isn't that Rufus Hydront, the farmer who should try to build a better life with farming instead of nectar and crimes? Hm. Better luck in your next life, man!

The great thing about Suzi's Heaven, is that it attracts both snobs as well as the poor workers. Suzi could easily tell when a guest arrived, whether they would be good for her business, or if they would just hang in the room for a few hours. But as long as there was room for them, Suzi never forced anyone to buy a drink. Well, almost never.

Only Saturdays provided music and dancing. Suzi knew the locals needed more amusement in their lives! Not just work-work-work.

But Suzi and Reality is no way related. Most locals need to get early up in the morning, working 6 days a week. So, Suzi blinks the lights right after midnight. She has a plan - if she closes this early all week, she can make more noise on Saturdays without getting complaints from the town council. Again.


A few pics from another social spot, Chez Ludmilla, to be posted next, probably together with a mix of various stuff.

Abnormality

Here's more!

I love overviews, although some of the community lots in old town look empty while they are actually completed (fixed now, but not having the time to redo pics). It's not possible to walk up to the top of the volcano, and most locals never really thought of it as anything else than part of the mountain. Not even the farmers, right below the volcano, did mind - until now.

Even further down, but still pretty close to the volcano, is the industrial area with the factories and the recently collapsed mines.

The production was on again shortly after the catastrophe. They got less minerals for production now that the mines are closed. The mines wee less effective in the past anyway, as most values were already brought up. So, factory owners adjusted their main products, and modern technology (year count 115) brought more need of smaller items, used for electrics, machines etc. I'm not sure what Garton Industries actually produces, but the business is doing fine.

I originally planned to run the game while typing this, in order to give you the exact names of the workers. But no time for that right now. Sitting at his desk overseeing the workers, is business owner, Jim Garton. He is married to Ellen, who is a distant relative of the noble family.

The woman claiming a pay raise, is the workers' elected representative, Mandie H. Gnomes. She resides the lower farmland, and most of her household works in the factories. I doubt there will be any risk pay, though...

You've already seen many pictures of the sunken land. Long after the tragic events, the ground is still discoloured, and it seems to stay this way. The water is still stinking, but the odor is less frightening, or just less obvious as the poor families of this area grew used to it. It's not allowed to catch fish from the upper pond, as it's obviously poisoned. Occasionally some gas reach the surface.

The old cemetery near Old Town is pretty much full. A total of 14 locals died directly or indirectly from the damages. Both Gal District and Farmland District suffered, only Moon District was not at all affected. This naturally made someone suggest that the entire catastrophe was caused by Magic, performed by the MSW that most locals had heard about, and that still attracted new magic focused residents to Moon District.

But most locals thought the land sunk because of the heavy mining activity in the past, and the poison might come from some underground gas chambers connected to the volcano. In fact, nobody knew what the first industry owner, The Honorable Maurice Pettonta, had been organizing down there.

The effect of the poisoned water had already appeared. Kids from near the sunken land, or along the Gal River, were born with a different skin tone. Parents worried, but the Council didn't make any actions. After a while the weird skin tones didn't bother most, it was simply a signature - a memory from the terrible night some time ago.

Sculler's son, Borris, got a yellow/greenish skin which did not look healthy at all, but at the local Hospital they found nothing else was wrong with the boy.

Brit Humph (Wrong name on the picture, Gnomes should read Humph) was born with a red'ish skin that none of her ancestors had. And the Albertin Smith was born with green'ish skin. And there might be more abnormal kids on their way. It was a mystery to the Hospital how the effected children could be so differently affected, not even getting the same skin colour.

Some had only grown up kids, born long before the catastrophe. But it was still hard to handle that a hubby was killed in the mines. Lindy Hill was widowed back then, and still her teen kids find her standing outside, gazing towards the mines at night.
(Btw, I love the tight outdoor corridor between their small builds :D )

More in a few days, leaving the sad stuff behind, stopping by at one of the popular waterholes, Lucy's Heaven!

Inspecting damages

[Year count: 110]  Need to push this story, or I won't reach the starting point of the actual story, Seagull Cottage Bed & Breakfast, in years. You might not know that many of the Galucca events will tie in with the separate Seagull Cottage story (blog not operative yet).

This update is a quick summing up the damages caused by the catastrophe.

After the night that filled the Farmland with dark smoke, it rained for days. Perhaps that was a good thing, because the smoke obviously was polluted, and now the rain washed most of its particles off the ground, into the water. And the water was already stinky, so... well... no good at all...

In the morning, a small delegation rode into the lower farmland to inspect the damages. Count Gustavian Pettonta of Galucca, Baron Junato Pettonta, and Industry owner Jim Garton.

This far nobody knew what had started it all. The huge volcano could obviously be involved, even if it never erupted.

Most buildings were fine, some broken windows or a ripped off door. But nothing serious that could not be repaired. The factories seemed pretty fine, too. Both Count Gustavian and Jim Garton knew that the tall chimneys should be checked before production was restored, but they also knew that it would halt the business, and that production was more important than anything.

When they arrived the point where the ground had vanished, they hardly believed their own eyes. And that horrible smell? It couldn't be chemicals from the industry, smelling that bad?

On these pics it looks like all the water connects directly to Gal River. There is a tiny passage of land cutting off the inner pond. The Smith's house and the factory near their house had miraclously been saved.

It's difficult to see on these pics, but while the men gazed, the old bridge down there crossing the river, fell down! A delayed effect of the events, meaning the households west of the Gal River were temporarily cut off from town.

Both mines had collapsed, but during the day the dead miners were brought up. Seven locals were killed, amongst them David D. Hill from Maurice Creek (upper Gal District). Also my all time favourite Galuccian, Darling Sculler, was found dead outside the mine - I think she used to bring food up to the workers.

It's also strange how many locals actually died at the time of the catastrophe, totally beyond my control. Fiction meets game randomness meets good or bad luck.

You probably guessed that the poisoned water can't be good for the families living nearest. More about the effects in next update :)

The catastrophe on year count 110

And now, get ready for some drama!

110 years after Galucca was founded, something terrible happened! It was late at night, but at Pettonta Castle they were still awake. In Old Town the small streets were pretty empty, and most residents were ending their busy day.

Then the sounds could be heard from nearly every corner of the Countship. Rumbling from the mountains. Was it an earth quake? How would they know? Was it the old volcano that was about to come to life? How would they know? For more than 100 years they experienced nothing like this!

They noticed it very well at the castle, but the movements were even stronger where the farmland meets the industrial area, down by the old mines. Where Gal River starts its journey down to Ucca Island.

The poor farmers and workers were terrified. Outside, the stars could no longer be seen. A smoky carpet covered the area.

Huge rocks fell out from the steep mountain side, a couple small worker homes were smashed. Some of the factories were damaged, too. Luckily, there were no workers in the factories this late. But in the mines... miners work night and day because there is no daylight inside the mountain anyway. Now the night shift had just walked in there... for the very last time...

Then the unbelievable happened! The ground... sank...! As if there was a huge hole to fill underground. Within minutes the area was filled with smelly water.

Such a terrible night! I don't know yet who were in the mines, or if anyone were killed or wounded elsewhere. Although the catastrophe was announced in previous updates, I'm now feeling quite guilty for letting this happen. Anyway, finally the cat is out! But there will be consequences - to be dealt with in the coming updates...

The day before...

[Year count: 109]

A quick peek into Pettonta Castle just to keep you all warm ;)  I'm currently eaten alive by Real Life, but the big event is not very far away.

The three castle children are about to grow up. Baron Junato has become young adult, and Lady Ronda will follow soon. Who will become their spouses, and will Countess Maria decide? Back at the ceremony, the children were introduced to the finest families of Galucca. And well, Countess Maria did already convince Count Gustavian to promise Ronda's hand to son of Admiral Turmington, but Ronda doesn't know this yet. There was also made a deal with the Rivers, that one of their daughters will marry to Junato. In exchange, the Count and Countess got a bit of ownership to Mr River's company.

Here is the current Pettonta family:

Count Gustavian is now elderly, he is the only household member with nice traits. He is a neat perfectionist, clumsy, but still both handy and workaholic. He secretly looks forward to handing it all over to his son, Baron Junato.

Countess Maria... well, no comments needed... :) She is what she looks like; a mean spirited kleptomaniac, flirty but clumsy, and actually a loser. Hm, that's some weird traits for a Countess... she influenced all 3 children's traits negatively...

Baron Junato just grew up, he looks pretty good, and he has met Miss River already, but she is still a teen, and a wedding must wait. He is a mean spirited coward, a perceptive loner who loves the outdoors. Sounds like a good husband for the River girl... meh.

Lady Ronda is grumpy and hates being nude. She is a green thumb loving the outdoors. No wonder she often helps Miss Patricia harvesting the crops, and that way built a friendship with the servant.

Lady Helena, is about to reach teenhood. She's got a angry look, that's probably because she is evil. But she is also friendly, making for some interesting combination regarding her artistic trait.

In addition, the Cook and the Painter do still reside at the castle. Today, the cook Miss Patricia Sculler gave Countess Maria quite a shock, as it against all odds turns out that young Patricia...

...is pregnant! Countess Maria was looking for Lady Ronda (probably time for do-not-befriend-servants lessons), when the lady was found in the kitchen, feeling Miss Sculler's belly.

If you think this made the Countess happy, you are completely mistaken... but it was nothing compared to what was building up right outside... let's say Patricia was saved by the catastrophe. the ground started to shiver... wall hangings fell down to the floor, and cups and glasses were dancing inside the kitchen cupboards... those rumbling sounds out there in the dark night... They all froze from fear, but at least Lady Ronda instinctively hid under the massive kitchen table...

...tadam...