#mcc:lindenwood

[merluvlee-sims2]

New NPC unlocked! Breena Treewind is a wood nymph who resides in the pine forest in the eastern mountain range in Lindenwood. She is a Pleasure aspiration, a Capricorn, and her traits are Cat Person, Clumsy, Vegetarian, Party Animal, Green Thumb, and Fairy.

Breena has a jaguar named Lilith who helps to protect her from unwanted visitors.

Those who befriend Breena will be able to visit her fairy fountain once per season to get rare and valuable items that they would not normally have access to. Breena will only show up on community lots.

The Fairy NPC isn't in the official rules of the MCC, but ever since I saw that Letsplaywithfir3 did this in her Medieval Charter Challenge on YouTube, I always add a fairy to my MCC now 😄

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 - Epilogue #3

After Abbess Greenwood disappeared into the blue light, she felt as though she was being catapulted through darkness.

Finally, she faceplanted onto a dirt road and stumbled to her feet. It was eerily quiet.

Where am I?

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 #007

One of Seabreeze Bakery's specialties was a sweet boxty flambéed in whisky. Athelina had mastered the recipe as a teen. It was one of her favorite things to make.

But this time, she fumbled slightly as she lit the whisky on fire—and suddenly, she was engulfed in flames!

"OTTO!! HELP ME!"

Why didn't he seem to notice that she was on fire?

Finally, Otto called out to the watchtower for help, and someone came to put out the fire.

They saved Athelina before she could join her ancestors.

Fortunately, the house didn't catch on fire, and Athelina only had some minor burns.

I really am blessed by the gods...

Otto smiled to himself. Soaking his mother's apron in whisky had turned out to be a pretty funny prank.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 - Epilogue #6

Abbess Greenwood faceplanted into the dirt again, grimacing as she stood up.

I'm getting too old for this shit...

She took in the sight of her beloved Almshouse, and was greeted by Audry Windclaw.

"We were all so worried about you..."

"How did you survive? It must have been terrifying!"

"I have no idea. I mean, a fairy saved me. I think. I couldn't understand what she was saying, but if it weren't for her, I'd likely be yet another soul lost to the Realm of the Fae."

When the Abbess finally was alone in her chambers, she cried quietly to herself.

Every time she'd been taken to the Realm of the Fae, the experience was absolutely terrifying.

But shed' never been that close to death before. She wondered who that fairy who saved her was, and if she'd be so lucky next time.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood, a new medieval settlement

I'm excited to be starting a new medieval charter challenge since my last one was sacrificed to the Mac file limit gods! Here's some pics from my neighborhood screen. I'm going to put my own twist on things this time around, so here's what I will be changing:

Semi-egalitarian society: For the lower classes (peasants & yeomen), the firstborn* child will be the heir, regardless of sex (*or first-adopted/alienborn, in the case of queer couples).

The upper classes (gentry, nobility, royalty) are still clinging to the vestiges of patriarchy, which means that only the firstborn male can be the heir.

Depending on the family dynamics, some merchants will be egalitarian, while others will be patriarchal.

Elves will follow a matrilineal matriarchy regardless of class.

Major Micromanagement: In the original rules of the challenge, there are certain NPCs that you aren't supposed to play until they marry into a household. Well, I never really liked doing that because I like to play all the sims in my neighborhoods and learn their stories. So, I'm going to be playing all the characters.

Religion: I have the Mac Super Collection, which means I can't use Hat's G-rated Religion mod. But as someone who studies religion for a living, I can't live without it in my game! So instead, I've decided to implement my own religion system. Sims who are "faithful" will be devoted to one of the following deities:

The Watchers: The Watchers are a pantheon of deities that rule over all aspects of life. Humans are their main devotees, and this is the religion that is sanctioned by the monarchy. There are 9 major deities in the pantheon, and most are affiliated with at least one aspiration. Sims who follow The Watchers will choose at least one patron deity and set up an altar for them in their place of residence. In this religion, the first day of each season is a feast day for one or more deities from the pantheon.

The Great Fairy: Fairies (aka plantsims) are devotees of the Great Fairy. As part of their religious practice, fairies tend a garden filled with many fantastical things, such as plants that can reverse aging and heal sickness. Only those whom the Great Fairy deems worthy may enter.

The Old Gods: The Old Gods are an ancient pantheon mainly worshiped by elves. The head of this pantheon is Mother Dragon, the great sky goddess who created the world. Elves believe that exchanging names with those of the Spirit World is dangerous, so The Old Gods do not have names.

So yeah, I'm really excited about this challenge and plan to share pix on here as I progress through it!

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 - Epilogue #4

Suddenly, everything shifted, and the Abbess found herself in a clearing in a dense forest. A door in the middle of the clearing glowed with a spectral green light.

Ivy felt drawn to the door. It was as though it was calling to her. She started walking towards it in a dreamlike trance. She heard that strange music again—the music that was playing when she was transported here.

Suddenly, she was brought to her knees as she felt jolts of dark magic pulsing through her veins. Her blood felt like it was on fire.

She looked up and saw a terrifying creature blocking the door.

Its voice was a low, garbled growl. Ivy could barely make out the words, but it sounded something like, "This door is not for you, human."

[merluvlee-sims2]

I popped into Lindenwood for a minute to start setting things up for the next rotation!

Since Lindenwood is now a hamlet, two new families will be moving in at the start of the summer round.

The first is the Kelba family, a yeoman family who owns Lindenwood's first hedge tavern, The Gargoyle's Perch.

Fun fact, when doing the random rolls to create this family, I rolled for 8 sims in the household and was like, NOPE. So I compromised by having 3 animals and 5 sims...

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 #159

"That, Lady Zelda, is a passionfruit. It's edible, and quite delicious."

"Elven legend has it that if you share one with a lover, your destinies will be intertwined forever."

Griselda held the fae-born boy's gaze for much longer than was considered polite. She'd never realized how beautiful his eyes were—like looking at stars reflected in the sea.

"F-forgive me, my lady. I don't know what overcame me." Juniper ran off, leaving Griselda standing there, stunned.

Did I really just...kiss him?

If she was completely honest with herself, she wanted him to do it. But it was foolish of her to kiss him back. After all, she could never marry a peasant.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 - Epilogue #5

Ivy tried to will her body to move, but the creature's magic was too strong. She lay on the forest floor, crumpled in a ball.

It was time to make peace with Ereshkigal, goddess of death. She spoke the Prayer of the Dying in a shaky whisper:

Lady of the City Below,

Shepherd of the Dead,

She who laments little ones cut down before their time,

To you I sing a song of praise!

You who carry out the judgements of the Eight,

You who watch over my ancestors—

And then, out of nowhere, the Abbess heard a shout, followed by an incantation in a language she did not understand. She felt the dark magic chains fall from her body, and looked over to see a fairy standing by a jaguar. The blue light surrounded her once again, and she felt herself being catapulted through the sky.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 - Epilogue #2

The acolytes and the High Shepherd gathered round in a panic, watching helplessly as Abbess Greenwood vanished into thin air.

They all gathered in the sanctuary, unsure of what to do. Their voices overlapped as they argued with each other and expressed their concern for the Abbess.

Audry Windclaw, the newly-appointed High Shepherd, interrupted the chaos by shouting, "SILENCE!"

All eyes turned to him.

"We know that the Abbess has been taken by the Fae. We don't know when or if she will return. But we must trust that the Watchers have a plan. May Mother Asherah protect her and return her to us safely."

"For now, let us resume our duties. It will do us good to distract ourselves with work."

Jana Ramos clenched her jaw and looked up at the statue of Asherah.

How can he expect us to act like everything is fine? What if we never see our dear Abbess again?

Then, she followed the rest of the acolytes out of the sanctuary and quietly resumed her work.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 - Epilogue #1

Abbess Greenwood was trying to understand a particularly difficult passage in a dilapidated book she'd found in the library. The language appeared to be Old Elvish, but something about it was...strange. Then, she had an epiphany.

Are these words arranged like constellations?

She put on her robes and walked across the courtyard to the library to look at the star charts.

Abbess Greenwood had been studying the star charts for about an hour when suddenly, she felt herself being pulled into the sky. As she was floating away, she heard an eerie song—one that sounded familiar, yet also strange. And then she disappeared in a flash of blue light.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 #150

After Griselda's mother died last year, she became interested in Ereshkigal, the goddess of Death. Griselda had never been a particularly devout follower of the gods (and for that matter, neither had her parents)—she mostly chose Ereshkigal as her patron deity because she liked the aesthetics of her altar implements.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 #126

After spending the day in bed with Franco, Anne finally made it down to the shop to check on things.

How sweet! Franco must have picked this bouquet of wild roses for me!

My Silver Fox,

Happy birthday, darling. Spending every night with you this week has been truly magical. Can't wait to celebrate with you tonight.

Love,

Athelina

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 #165

As the spring season came to a close, Nyana updated The Annals of Lindenwood:

With the taxes collected from Lindenwood's settlers, we were able to build a Communal Well, for the purpose of gathering water, and a Village Green, for the purpose of socializing. Thanks to the support of the High Temple, we were able to construct a Shrine, for the purpose of worshiping the Watchers, celebrating festivals, marriage, and burials. Now that the shrine is finished, our settlement has been upgraded to a hamlet.

One resident, Anne Bellwether, served a jail sentence. There were zero births, zero deaths, and zero marriages.

Additionally, a Yeoman family and a Merchant family built a tavern and a Weekly Market, respectively. Both will open for business on the first day of summer, when these two families shall arrive in Lindenwood. I am certain that the tavern will attract travelers who are passing through, which will be a boon to the local economy.

The royal steward put down her quill and smiled. She had a feeling that Lindenwood was in for an exciting summer.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 #162

As the spring season was coming to a close, Nyana Caiwarin invited the Castellan over for lunch to celebrate all that they had accomplished in Lindenwood's first season.

She and Ibota had become good friends over the course of the season. They had written countless letters back and forth to each other and spent many afternoons together.

To an outsider, they might seem like unlikely friends. Ibota was a fan of dirty jokes, and was also a bit of a prankster, introducing Nyana to all sorts of games that were far too unrefined to be played at court. Nyana was prim and proper, having spent most of her 100 years living at court.

But before long, Nyana could best Ibota even at Pillow War (although, she suspected that the Castellan went easy on her).

Nyana: "And that's for disrespecting your elders!"

Nyana was shocked when, as Ibota was leaving their luncheon, she turned back around and said, "I hope My Lady won't find this disrespectful," kissing her gently on the lips. Nyana felt her heart start pounding and her cheeks flush. But of course, the unspoken courtship rules she'd learned after decades of dating humans dictated that she remain coy and aloof.

[merluvlee-sims2]

Lindenwood MCC: Spring Year 1 #161

As the season came to a close and Griselda finished the military's machina order, she sat down to write a letter.

Dear Capt. Baker,

In this cargo you will find 10 CleanBots and 5 HydroBots as well as instructions for their use. Please write if you have any questions or concerns, and update me on how they suit your needs.

Sincerely,

Georgus Montanne

Squire of Lindenwood

Griselda took a deep breath and sealed the letter with her father's seal.