Oregon Trail Challenge Diary

Chapter 1: Getting to know each other

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It was dark inside the wagon and the women chatting made it even less inviting to Gavin Reed, so he picked up his son and stepped out, onto the coachman’s seat. With the wagon rocking like a ship, moving these few steps required balance that a city-dweller didn’t possess. Embarassing as it was, Gavin had to pause twice before reaching his destination.

Finally out in the sun, the man was greeted by Mr. Phillips snr. and jnr. bickering worse than any two girls could have:

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Daniel: “What were you thinking, using Plum as a draft horse?!”

John: “We needed one horse, you had a horse. Where’s the problem?”

Daniel: “That she is a race horse! That’s a different skill set and in making her pull this wagon, you are ruining her!”

John: “Well, buying a third horse just to let yours tag along leisurely would have ruined ME. I do not have 150 dollars in cash.”

Daniel: “Because you never think ahead! Or care about my feelings!”

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Daniel: “And you, Reed, you take care of your snot-nosed brat! Playing pirate is no longer fun when you go overboard!”

Gavin: “Phillips is right, little Jinny! Standing here while the wagon is moving is dangerous.”

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Daniel (to John): “Okay, so now that Reed is back inside, I must inform you that I’m of age and that I bought Plum with my own money. If we feel like it, we will leave your cute little trek, father! And that can happen! Any! Day!”

Gavin (to Jin): “So let’s take this man’s advise and firmly seat you, shall we?”

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Jin: “Giddyup! Tally ho! Hyah!”

Daniel: “Guess I need to thank you, Jimmy. Father fled back inside.”

Jin: “It’s “Jinny”, Mister! My name is Jin!”

Daniel: “You named you kid “Gin”?!”

Gavin: “It’s chinese and spelled with a “jay”. See, my dad’s first name is Jim, and Tina is chinese, so we combined that into Jin.”

Daniel: “Weird, but cute. The Elis Island clerks would have americanized his name, though, so I take it you are not imigrants?”

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Gavin: “Vanessa was. Me, I have scottish roots, but grew up in Detroit. - You?”

Daniel: “English, I think. We had a mine and a factory, and when that blew up around our ears, mom and dad were so startled, that they decided to become ranchers.”

Gavin: “Aren’t you a bit old to waddle after your parents, grabbing their coattails?”

Daniel: “Let’s say I feel the need to protect them a bit longer after the accident and leave it at that.”

Gavin: “Oh, my! I get it! That sweet, sweet inheritance! Professional son is a well-paying job, huh?”

Daniel: “What was in this trek for you, again?”

Gavin: “Mom in-law is getting married in Stray... oh, f-, I see. Professional son, here, too.”

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The travelers took turns at the coach box. (One sim always has to drive, but that’s just a house rule of mine.)

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Tina Chen normally wasn’t a friend of dancing and singing, but after half an hour on the driver’s seat she broke into song. The two families in her back had stopped mattering, as had all the other wagons in front of and behind hers. There was only glorious solitude. Perhaps, Tina wondered, she had only hated singing because it was usually done in company.

More confident than ever before, Tina looked around. The trail was clearly made out in the endlessly rolling grass. It was easy to follow. But there were also landmarks, fishing spots, little groves and more. All of this the woman committed to memory. A new dream revolved in the grandchild of sailors: What if the plains could become her ocean? If she turned back after arriving in Strangerville, returned to Detroit to guide the next couple of treks into the West, that back and forth would be a satisfying way to spend her youth.

Someone had to, so why not a woman for whom this lifestyle wasn’t a sacrifice, but fulfillment?

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While Tina was driving, Daniel got into another argument with his parents.

John: “You see, Mr. Reed, you’re not the only one who brought a toddler to the trek.”

Gavin: “Yeah. Poor little Emma, being saddled with three.”

Then Daniel took the driver’ seat again.

The men passed the time playing Officer’s Skat...

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...and in the back half of the wagon Emma and Jin were playing with a toy barn.

Next: The first stop, the first night and the first problems originating in gameplay rather than backstory.

(The censored word is a cardgame that is popular in Germany and usually played by three persons. I looked it up and it is spelled the same in english, but apparently has a suggestive or rude secondary meaning there?)

Chapter 2: Adjusting to life on the wagon

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Vanessa was the first to feel the need for a potty break. It is always her, and I don’t know what sets her apart from Caroline and John, who are full adults, too, but have a better bladder control.
The two families decided to stop for a full hour, to give everyone a chance to “go” now, lest they had to take another break later. The wagon fell a little off, closer to the end of the trek, although not yet worryingly so.

Note: The trek moves 12 hours each day and waystations are 84 hours apart from each other. If my sims ever fall off too far, I will start rolling for wolves and raiders.

And then this happened: The potty bushes I placed all face the same direction, yet, when Gavin was done, he moved into Daniel’s bush as if to get a closer look. And so it begins again after just ten hours… (These two being my OTP they always end up as a couple in every Sims save or fanfic.).

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Daniel: “What are you doing in my bush, Reed?”

Gavin: “That’s not your bush, Phillips. It’s growing here.”

Daniel: “Well, and I happen to take a pee here! So turn around!”

Gavin: “What’s your problem, getting all itchy when someone sees you pee?”

Daniel: “What’s YOUR problem, wanting to WATCH people pee?”

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Meanwhile Emma went frog-hunting.

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It was hard to believe, but experts from another wagon told the Phillips that this particular specimen would be worth 30 dollars at the next trading station. Provided they could keep it alive until then.

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After the break, Vanessa read to Jin. The boy listened intently, and more than once it seemed to John that he followed the lines with his eyes.

John: “After this trek, he'll have learned how to read, haha!”

Gavin: “What do you mean? He already can read, but getting read to is part of a happy modern childhood, so we do that.”

John: “Jokester! Jim is only two!”

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Gavin: “Says the man who’s lugging a f- GLOBE across America. Wouldn’t a map be more useful?”

John: “That’s a vintage...”

Gavin: “Vintage? You mean that thing’s not just the wrong scale, but also outdated by several decades?”

Caroline: “Haha, no! We do not own any outdated stuff!”

John: “It’s a vintage globe bar filled with Bacciform Firkin, Old Yorkfield Classic, Simadder Cherry Sap, Black Fern and McDillan’s Single Nectar!”

Gavin: “Woohoo! Let’s have a round!”

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John: “Not yet. A tray of Yorkfield Classic alone is worth thirty-three dollars. If we destroy that much value by just guzzling it down our gullets, I want to make the moment count!”

Gavin: “After reaching the first supply station, then?”

John: “I’ll think about it.”

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Speaking of supplies: Jin had to eat his share of the provisions early. This didn’t bode well...

(They get one free quick meal per day and person. For adults that is doable, since sims can remain in the red for quite some time before running the risk of starving. All they have to do on the wagon is sit and chat anyway, so the worst that can happen is them arguing because of bad mood. And given some of their traits they argue anyway, hungry or not… But for a toddler a single quick meal isn’t sufficient.)

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Finally time to set up a camp for the night!

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While the others put up the tents and made a fire, Daniel fed, cleaned and petted Plum and Connor.

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Tina: “What’s this? A camera?”

John: “Yes! It’s one of the few possessions I couldn’t part with. I’d carry it on my back, if I had to!”

Tina: “But isn’t it too dark already to take a photo?”

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Seems not.

After gifting one photo to Vanessa, John still had nine more. Although Vanessa’s fame as a dancer, singer and actress was quickly fading, the photos would still sell for ~16 dollars.

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John: “Stop prowling around the kettle, kid! You already had your meal! Geeze, why aren’t your parents there when they’re needed?!”

Yes, why? Tina and Gavin had realized that a toddler couldn’t sustain on a single quick meal a day. One of them had to give their own ration up, and to make up for that, they had cast fishing rods.

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Jin: ♪ The rock and pool is nice and cool! And now we wish to eat a fish! ♪

Gavin: “Nah, this one isn’t for you. It has too many little bones. - Nice song, though, you should write it down.”

And there it was again, the Reeds’ insistence that their little boy could read and write, what even Emma couldn’t well enough. At this point John believed they were pulling his leg.

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The next morning not only Jin, but the adults, too, were hungry (in the yellow, actually).
The group consumed half of the provisions for the day at seven in the morning already.

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There were a few wild fruit trees and bushes that they picked clean. But the travelers could not rely on finding resources every day, not to mention that the families from the other wagons might be faster next time.
And so they started the second day with heavy hearts.

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The wagon started with an hour delay, but managed to catch up with the trek by nightfall. Seeing how smelly the Phillips/Chen had become, they probably followed the stench cloud that for sure must have emanated from the other wagons, too. They were on the trail a single only, but already dirty as a person normally was only right before the Saturday bath!

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Lack of sleep was the least of their problems, as they could sleep in the wagon easily.

During the waking hours there wasn't much to do but chat and play cards. Without realizing it, Vanessa and Tina passed a little chinese to the others, while the Phillips trio from Detroit passed some french back. Emma and Jin picked up a smattering of both languages. (Courtesy of the Language barriers mod, in fact, by the end of this challenge Jin may very well be fluent in three languages.)

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Jin: “Me play cards, too!”

Indeed Vanessa had drawn pictures on playing card sized cardboard pieces to create a simple memory game for the boy. It kept him entertained for hours on end.
At one point the woman borrowed John’s real playing cards to play “Seventeen and Four” with Jin instead. John chose to ignore the toddler’s ability to read the numbers, add them together and perform a risk-reward analysis (that admittedly failed more often than it succeeded).

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When they put up camp for the night, Emma found time to practice on her violin while Jin started tackling the numbers higher than twenty-one. He found this exercise incredibly easy: You just counted normally, but said “twenny” before each number!

Emma: *fiddle, fiddle*

Jin: “...twenny-eight, twenny-nine, twenny-ten, twenny-eleven, twenny-twelve, twenny-thirteen...”

Emma: *fiddle, fiddle*

Jin: “Twenny-nineteen, twenny-twenny... thirty-one, thirty-two...”

It was a peaceful evening for the travelers in their twenty-eleven wagons.

Next: Way too many fires lead to a questionable culinary decision and our first case of food poisoning.

Chapter 3: Fire, fish and food poisoning

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That night things turned hot between Daniel and Tina, and then in Daniel’s pants. Although not in the romantic sense.

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The next morning they fished again:

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Tina: “Don’t you want to change?”
Daniel: “Maybe after the next fire.”

He wasn’t joking!

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The two families spent the whole morning recovering from three (!) fires and catching enough fish to feed everyone. The sun had reached and passed its zenith, when they were finally ready to continue traveling.
Fittingly this was the first day I had to roll for a chance to lose the trail. Tina passed the check easily and guided the wagon without fail.

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Daniel: “We’re only three days west of Detroit. We could still turn back...”

John: “That’s not an option anymore. Our money is tied up in the west. If we returned now, we’d have to beg for jobs in the very factory we sold. I won’t live like that or see my children drop that low!”

That did it. “Children” in the plural, including the adopted son. It was the one drug Daniel was addicted to and so the young man instantly dropped his argument and focused on the card game again.

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The Phillips had to travel until after midnight, but they finally rejoined the trek.

That day for the first time a traveller from a different wagon walked by to say “Hello”. He was an older, distinguished gentleman by name of Dr. Straud. Why a man of his age had joined the wagon train was everyone’s guess (and cause for some juicy gossip).
The doctor talked little, but listened patiently to the boy’s babbling.

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Jin: “Oh! Warm fire!”

The other times the boy had been warm in the front, but cold in his back, what had been somewhat uncomfortable. Now this fire both in his front and back was much better, Jin thought! He didn’t understand why the adults disagreed.

(I have no idea how the fire could jump that far ingame, but I have my suspicions in-story. You like your dinner slightly roasted, don’t you, Vlad?)

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There goes our box of provisions. No more free quick meals.

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Vanessa: “Would you please stop setting yourself and the camp on fire FOR FIVE MINUTES, Jin?!”

Jin: “‘kay, granny!” The boy blinked, then almost sheepishly added a question: “How long is that?”

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Vanessa gasped: “Oh, oh, no! What have I SAID!”

For all his genius, in most respects Jin was just a normal little boy who had no way to tell how long five minutes were, and who really believed to be responsible for the fire, just because his grandmother had said so. Jin couldn’t understand yet that the “blame” had only been an outcry in shock and fear.

Vanessa: “The fire isn’t your fault, Jinny!”

Vlad: “That’s true. It’s nobody’s fault!”

Vanessa: “Hear that? Mr. Straud is a doctor, a smart man. He knows!”

(That were three fires in a row again, but worse than the night before. At one point Jin was fully engulfed in flames.)

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After losing their crate of provisions to an out of control fire the two families took inventory.

The forest yielded ten apples, lemons and sage each per day - enough to feed the children. Until they reached the trading post, the adults would have to live off fish exclusively, and to prevent further fires, it was decided to eat these raw.

Surprisingly the Phillips couple were the first to develop a taste for sashimi. They were utter snobs, but not squeamish.

(It’s hard to see in the screenie, but in addition to boosting each other with Confident from the Snob trait, the couple also as a small Happy moodlet from buying the Raw fish lover reward trait. It comes with the mod that enables eating fish raw in the first place and over the course of the next few days and a little grinding satisfaction points all sims purchased it.)

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Vanessa: “...and when we reach Strangerville, there will be a double wedding! Me and my hopefully handsome husband, and you two!”
Reaching Strangerville suddenly didn’t seem so desirable anymore to Tina and Gavin...

Meanwhile in the back of the wagon John helped Emma practice lines:


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John: “...and in Strangerville you can go to school again every day!”

Emma: “I hope buffalo stomp the town to splinters before that day!”

Daniel: “I wouldn’t mind going to school with you, Emma. As a teacher, I mean. Teaching is so satisfying! And I’d marry in the blink of an eye!”
Jin: “Marry my dad, unca Daniel! I think mommy doesn’t want to marry him.”

John: “Hahaha! Listen to the child! So cute!”

Daniel: “Huh? You think Gavin is cute? No, wait, you meant Jin is cute. Yes, of course he is adorable! But I don’t want to marry Jin!”

John: “Listen at you rambling nonsense, son - you should really take a nap! And afterwards we’ll talk about you becoming a teacher or, even better, Marshall. It would be good to have a relative in a place of influence in our new hometown.”

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Speaking about Vanessa’s future husband, at the fourth day she got the "Marry within 7 days” chance card. If she’d made it to Strangerville within seven days, there would have to be a large sum of inheritance money waiting for the newlyweds. Since Vanessa still has three more weeks to travel, I opted for the safe option that still pays out 2,500 dollar.

The money was deposited at the Strangerville bank house. It’s not useable during the challenge (and Vanessa isn’t even aware of this cache existing).

Next: The promised food poisoning for real this time. Disease rolls are part of the challenge rules and the raw, amateurishly dried, fish were as good an explanation as any.

Chapter 4:

Thursday was the first day I had to roll for a disease that potentially turns lethal two days later. Both Emma and Jin got infected.

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His heart heavy with something he was unwilling to share with his parents, Daniel joined Gavin at the driver’s box...

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Gavin: “Sure, go on unburdening your heart to the stranger. I’ll patiently listen to you worrying about your sister, because it’s not as if I had a kid of my own lying sick, right?”

Daniel: “That’s not...”

Gavin: “Amuse me, then, dip---! I sure could use a brainless punching ball right now. Take a seat and let’s see how long ‘till I just smack you off the wagon!”

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Daniel: “By right you should do exactly that. But I know myself. I’d be faster and break your neck first. Same way I killed Emma with a hasty decision.”

Gavin: “You didn’t “kill” Emma. Any of us could have fallen ill from the fish. It was just random chance.”

Daniel: “I wasn’t talking about the fish.”

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Daniel: “John told you how we sold our factory, after a row of steam-powered looms went haywire and almost shredded everyone in the room to pieces? Ever wondered why I was conveniently absent from the scene? Well, because it was me who sabotaged every last loom.
Had I not done so, we’d still be in Detroit. We’d never been on this wagon and Emma would never have fallen ill. This is on my head alone. Because I never think ahead...”

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Gavin: “F---- man, you’re telling me NOW? I cleared your sorry , when you could have been my promotion instead! I might have had a future in Detroit!”

Daniel: “Say what?”

Gavin: “I used to be a police officer, remember? After the “accident”, me and my partner got called to your factory, but couldn’t find any proof or even evidence of sabotage.”

Daniel: “Wow! I’m THAT good? - Or maybe you’re just that bad at seeing what’s right in front of your eyes.”

Gavin: “What’s right in front of my eyes will go back into the wagon RIGHT NOW or it really goes overboard!”

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Ironically Thursday was when Daniel and Emma advanced to best friends.

By the weekend Daniel might be an only child again... just what he had thought he had wanted... Only now he realized that losing Emma was one of the very last things he wanted.

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As for Caroline and John... did you seriously just attempt to make a REPLACEMENT child?!

(I misclicked “woohoo” and although the challenge rules say that all woohoo is risky, Caroline is on the best birth control known to simkind: A full household. But if both survive the trek, then they will have another child in Strangerville.)

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After the trek had stopped and set up camp for the night, Vanessa went to Dr. Straud’s wagon. The man came over immediately to check on Jin and Emma. After the checkup, Vlad advised the parents to watch the situation for another day. If the children hadn’t gotten better by Saturday morning, he’d have to administer an expensive medicine to save their lives.

Vlad: “But if they should get worse, just scream loudly out of your wagon and I’ll swing over gracefully as a... as an old bat, actually. But I do not think that’ll be necessary.”

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Gavin Reed almost never thought about the Good Lord, but when he did so during the sixth day on the trail, he wished he’d indulged in way more sins and profanities in the past few years. Because then maybe God wouldn’t have deemed the man worthy of his help.
It made so much sense... The fiancés had left Detroit with their out of wedlock son, then that kid had fallen ill on the trail and Gavin and Tina would arrive at their destination child-free. They’d then be ready to marry and make a fresh start, giving the neighbors no reason to waggle their tongues.

It was sickening and it was definitely not the kind of help the parents had wanted.

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Granted, there was a medicine for Jin’s illness that Dr. Straud had offered to mix. But it cost 50 dollars apiece. Even if John Phillips had wanted to lend the Reeds that much, he only had 75 dollar on hand right now. And with his own daughter being sick, too, which kid to save wasn’t even a question.
But Dr. Straud has also said that the children had a good chance of getting better on their own. And so Gavin asked his son how he was feeling every five minutes. For what it was still worth, it helped Jin learn exactly how long that span was.

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Emma: “Sorry for not helping with the camp today. I don’t feel too well...”

Daniel: “Don’t speak, if it tires you, little mouse!”

Tina: “Caroline went to fetch Dr. Straud. How’s Jin...?”

There was no need to ask, because Jin toddled over to his parents, only to collapse into Gavin’s arms. There he hang like a ragdoll, limbs dangling and barely breathing. Things weren’t looking good.

Neither child made their save and we only have money for one dose of medicine.

(They started with 100 dollar, what would have been enough. But I feed crickets on the side (reasoning that they have infested the wagon) to sell the flour at the waystation and so was down to 75 dollar at this point.)

The next morning:

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The next morning John Phillips brought out the globe bar. If his daughter having recovered from a deadly disease wasn’t cause for breaking the bank, then nothing was.

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Emma: “Is that more of the icky medicine, dad?”

John: “Haha, no! This is to celebrate! - Hey, Reed! Chen! The goodies are over here! You nagged me for a whole week to bring them out, and now that I do it, you’re suddenly not interested anymore?”

Gavin: “Just because you are a wimp who cannot swing his recovered, healthy kid around, doesn’t mean we all are!”

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Jin: “Granny told me to say “Thank you”, Mister Phillips! Thank you!”

John: “You can thank me by working for me when you’ve grown up. And make sure to vote for Daniel for Mayor of Strangerville!”

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Caroline: “But for now - Here’s to our children and our future in Strangerville!”

John: “And to the new sheriff being in our debt. Don’t forget that little detail, darling! - And neither should you forget, Mister Reed!”

Gavin: “I don’t even know if I want to be a cop again, but you’ll get your fifty dollars back.”

John: “Fifty dollar and fifty cent - you forgot the interest! But on the upside I won’t charge you for this Yorkfield Classic. Cheerio!”

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Caroline: “By the way, I was watching over Emma’s sleep, so I didn’t see... How did you raise the money for a second dose of the medicine?”
John: “By cleaning out our daughter’s frog collection. Dr. Straud was ecstatic when he saw the first one on the table, and I thought a man who was willing to pay ten dollar for a frog would with a little persuasion also pay thirty.”

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(What can I say? We are not supposed to sell stuff while traveling, but Sims 4 vampires love frogs.)

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Group shot of the whole bunch in their smelly glory - only one more day to go until the first stop (and buying some soap)!

Next: At the waystation

Chapter 5 : At the Waystation

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Daniel: “So tonight we will reach the trade station. I hope they even deal in the swag we picked up along the way, because if not we’ll have to make do with, what? Twenty dollar?”

John: “Let your old father feel useful once a week, Danny! I’m going to haggle the s--- out of them and then sell that back to them as fertilizer!”

Daniel: “Haha! Picked up some language from Reeds, did you? By the way, what advice gave you Gavin and Tina earlier today? It sounded intense.”

John: “They are Jin’s parents, but not married yet. That means Tina can apply for a Land Grant in the west. She just has to put a hut on it, but with Gavin’s help that will be doable. And after five years TWO plots of land will be theirs. Then Gavin and Tina can marry. They were stoked by the idea!”

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Daniel: “They’ll jump to every excuse not to have to marry anytime soon, dad.”

John: “Noticed that, did you? As I noticed that you’re spending an awful lot of time playing with Jin and talking about starting a family. - Are you interested?”

Daniel: “What? No! That... would be gross, I think?”

John: “I agree. The extra land is tempting, of course, but Tina is older than you. Right now she appears experienced and therefore desirable to you. Take my word on this: it wouldn’t work longterm.”

Oh, right, Tina, Daniel thought. Yes, I was definitely daydreaming of Tina and not of Jin’s other parent. Because that would be gross. Even more gross than marrying a woman who on top of being a woman is also younger than me. Wow. That’s an awful lot of gross!

The young man's train of thought led to him blurting out: “I hadn’t realized just HOW repulsive Gavin is, dad!”

John: “Haha! Yeah, in Detroit I wouldn’t have interacted with one like him without at least three clerks in descending order between me and him. But these are extraordinary circumstances. Just you wait, we’ll all end up the best of friends yet.”

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The moment the wagon stopped for the night, I ushered Daniel into the waystation’s kitchen so that he could start making jam. He even was still smelly, but is already wearing the new set of clothes that he bought here.

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The first thing John did was renting the bath chamber.

Tina: “It’s splashy-time, Jinny!”

Jin: “Jippieh! Splashy time!”

Tina: “I sure missed taking a bath and so must you...”

Jin: “Yeeeeeees. Is so much later than other weeks! Today is dark already.”

Tina: “It’s dark already, you say? But... No, you’re actually right! Your bath is only overdue by a couple of hours. Feels like ages since we had one... I almost can’t believe that it’s only saturday. This was the longest week ever!”

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Tina: “Caroline is downstairs, buying a bathtub. One of the lighter wagons realized they packed too much, so now they need to get rid of some stuff.”

Jin: “Splashy time EVERY DAY!”

Tina: “Haha, rein in your horses, little fishie! Much as I’d love to, that probably would be unhealthy!”

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Later there was dinner, hot stew served in actual bowls, eaten sitting on real real chairs that were neither rocking back and forth on a wagon nor catching fire in camp. It was pure bliss.

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Emma: “What did mom and dad put you at the kiddie table for, Daniel?”

Daniel: “Only to babysit you two. - I don’t ALWAYS muck up and need to get put into timeout! I’m an adult now!”

Emma: “I wish I was you. You’re dashfire!”

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The next morning it was “splashy time” for the horses and for that the travellers needed water. After they had walked twice around the compound looking for a well, the smith directed Gavin and Daniel back inside the waystation.
Here the well stood, confined within four sturdy stone walls. That way in case of a siege the residents could draw on their water supply without having to go outside.

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Daniel: “Did you know that in medieval times eight men would sit in a single bathtub together? And all nekkid!”

Gavin: “Whoa, that’s depraved!”

An hour or so later... in the warm smithy:

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Jerry: “Oh, boy, that was a good idea of your sons, Mr. Phillips!”

John: “I only have one son and might still disown him! Can’t you see I’m working to pay for our provisions here?”

Gavin: “Just turn around the corner a little, Daniel. Then you can see your father.”

Daniel: “Sounds like a plan!”

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John: “Goddammit, Daniel, come out of there and help me! That’s your future comforts I’m toiling for here!”

Jerry: “I think his present comforts disagree with you, Mr. Phillips. Why don’t you come join us instead?”

Gavin: “Not a chance, Mr. Bellini. Phillips only bathes in money and his own glory.”

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Splashy time for everyone!

Next: Romance issues and the wagon train company pulls a real low trick on the emigrants

Also a perhaps unneccessary note (since I wrote that the real history is mere background flavour): I was in error when I wrote John's suggestion to Gavin & Tina. A married couple would have gotten 320 acres instead of the 160 for a single, so it doesn't matter if they marry or not. But in any case that means John & Caroline can claim 320 acres plus Daniel can claim another 160 and that is in addition to what they already bought. Move aside, Mayor Roswell, your house is needed for the REAL owners of Strangerville ;)

Thank you @Babykittyjade ! I don't build much, and am really bad it it anyway, so I'm extra happy that it turned out convincing.

The story is finished, by the way, I just gave up on reposting it here. Here is the rest (you'll want to skip to page seven):

https://enkisstories.tumblr.com/tagged/sims4%20oregontrailchallenge/chrono

Chapter 6

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Emma: “See, Jinny? Girls can do this, too!”

Jin: “But do girls want it?”

Emma: “Ey, I like other things better. Telling stories. Playing violin. But I ALSO like tossing horseshoes!”

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Gavin: “Look at the girl’s aim, Emma! That’s my best friend! Isn’t she great?”

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When the friends hugged each other, Emma smiled. Whatever had been between them all week, Tina and Gavin seemed to be over it now. The girl could already hear the wedding bells ring. If she could be flower girl...?

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Emma and Jin then ran back and forth around the waystation until they were exhausted, just for the joy of doing so.
Soon enough they’d be confined to the wagon again.

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(When I took this screenshot, Glimmerbrook was my newest world. It’s really beautiful.)

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Tina: “If this isn’t a romantic place, then I don’t know what would be!”

Gavin: “Yeah.”

Tina: “Got somebody in mind you’d love to bring here?”

Gavin: “Hey, uh, nice new rifle, Tina!”

Tina: “Thank you! Daniel helped me pick a good one. Then he got a pistol for himself. He’s good with a firearm, you wouldn’t believe it!”

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Gavin: “Daniel?! Daniel can shoot?!"

Tina: “Does that make him more or less desirable?”

Gavin: “It makes him even more of a danger to society, is all.”

Tina: “You’re hopeless, Gavin Curtis Reed. And that’s why we’ll go behind this rock right now (while maximum household size protection is in effect) and do something romantic!”

Gavin: “Without the romance.”

Tina: “You got it!”

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Meanwhile Caroline and John were still - and every day anew - madly in love with each other.

They waited for a moment when the bar was almost empty to have a little informal date. The on-duty bartender looked familiar...

Caroline: “Didn’t we see you on the wagon train? Your name was Andronikov, right?”

Soren: “Yeah.”

Caroline: “So you had enough of the trek already? Decided to stay here?”

Soren: “Nah. We’re all doing odd jobs to raise the two hundred dollar fee for the next week.”

Caroline: “WHAT?! We weren’t told...!”

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Soren: “Nobody was. That’s the trick. They do not tell you until you are in too far to turn back. And if you cannot pay - like most - then you get presented a work contract that binds you for years to your creditor.”

Caroline: “Did you hear that, John? That’s genius!”

John: “I know, right? How much money do we still have?”

Soren: “Are you offering to cover our fare, Mr. Phillips?”

John: “Why not? You’d be indebted to me instead of to the wagon train company, but we’d both win: I get some cowboys and you’d get a better interest rate.”

Caroline: “On second thought we better hang on to the money in case another calamity befalls us.”

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Soren: “No offense, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, but what are you even doing on this trek?”

John: “We bought land in the West.”

Soren: “I know, but... why not closer to home? You`re rich, you can buy your own land and don’t need to travel to the opposite coast for a chance at a little homestead.”

Caroline: “Ah, but land in the Oregon Territory is much cheaper than in the East. Not to forget that we get 480 acres for free from the Land Donation Act!”

Soren: “Travel costs...?”

John: “Still cheaper overall!”

Soren: “Travel risks...?”

John: “We’ve had several injuries in our factory this year, and the dudes lived ten minutes walking distance away. And Daniel broke both his legs as a child when a carriage horse kicked him in our own street. So distance isn’t that much of a factor.”

Soren: “That’s a diff... oh, what gives! Want ‘nother drink?”

(The weekly bills came in at 211 simoleons. I decided that my sims have to pay it, because Sims 4′s semi-open world with the ability to forage makes their life so much easier than it would have been in the Sims 2.)

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Truth be told, John’s woodworking and Vanessa’s artistic performances in the saloon had only been for pocket money. After the travelers had sold all the minerals, herbs and fish they had brought, they already had 2,560 dollar in cash.

Before leaving the waystation, Daniel purchased a third horse, a Conestoga horse bred specifically for pulling heavy wagons like the Phillips’. Emma named him Dewey.

Three horses is the maximum the challenge rules allow and this is why:

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From now on the young man would take Plum for a ride every day. Together they scouted ahead and looked for herbs and berries while the slower carts caught up.

Finally the cityborn and -raised Daniel understood why horses were equaled with freedom. The time saved by being mobile instead of being chained to the wagon was so valuable. He could do whatever he wanted, and still be back in time to do his chores.

I’ve never been free before, Daniel realized. Rich, yes, but not free.

Or maybe this simply was a different kind of freedom than the one money bought, but in any case the young man plunged into it with all his heart.

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The next morning: Time to break up camp and have one last look at the forest. The next week the wagon train would traverse a small mountain range. They were nothing against the Black Hills, let alone the Rocky Mountains, but even so would tax the untrained travelers to no small degree.

Markus: “Wagon twenty-four, Phillips & Chen family? You developed a nasty habit of being late in the mornings...”

John: “It’ll be okay, Mr. Manfred. We never had problems actually driving, so we won’t delay the trek when it crosses a mountain pass. It’s just the morning routines that we had to settle into.”

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Markus: “What did you just call me?”

John: “Manfred. Aren’t you Markus Manfred, the Wagon Train Captain? You were elected yesterday at the waystation.”

Gavin: “Yes, that’s him. Of the few persons on this trek that I remember from Detroit, he has the nerves to keep it together in a crisis.”

Martin: “Well, yes, half of the wagons we went to check this morning thought I was Markus. Because “obviously” the white guy has to be the leader...”

John: “Excuse me, you would have been who again...?”

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Markus: “This is Martin Davids, my adoptive father’s geriatric nurse and valet. What people usually take me for.”

Gavin: “Not John. Johnny here is color- and genderblind. But don’t let that fool you, it’s only because he has f---ing dollar notes in front of his eyes.”

John: “Oh, yes! My dollars f--- all the time. They are great at procreating.”

Gavin: “I wager he doesn’t even see our faces, but the price tags on our shirts.”

Markus: “Okay, take care of you, Phillips and Reed! Losing either of you would rob the world of a couple of good laughs that it severely needs!”

Next: Into the mountains (and to a new lot, as the challenge rules demand)

Notes:
- Getting to know Markus was the first scripted/cheated scene. I teleported him and Martin in so that my sims could get to know them both. But afterwards the Manfreds kept to themselves. Other sims were more interested in calling and befriending my household.
- In my rotational save the Manfreds, Reeds and Phillips are related: Markus adopted an abduction baby who is the half-sibling of Daniel’s abduction baby and Daniel is married to Gavin.
- “Oregon Territory” by 1850 also covered Washington, Idaho and parts of Wyoming and Montana. It is far more likely that John’s future ranchland is in modern days Wyoming instead of what would become the state of Oregon.

Since we’re leaving the waystation now, have a list of the sims on the trek!

I keep some of my favorites (Amber, Armand, June, Tina Tinker, Becky and most of my detective sims) in reserve to add as needed or to declare that “they’ve lived in Strangerville all along”. I will also use Finchwick with all its premades as the neighboring town, should I decide to continue playing this save after the trek arrives at its destination.

Sims marked with an * have been in Strangerville playthroughs before, be that as heroes, villains or background townies.

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Anderson (not part of the trek yet, but soon): Hank* is the new guide. The frontiersman had his share of triumphs and losses, suffers from a growing disappointment in humankind as a whole, but will help individuals in need. And after all this time he is still the best in this trade.

Hank is also the father of Connor (not the horse), but the relation hasn’t come up yet.

Andronikov: Luther* and Soren* are foundlings who grew up in the same orphanage Daniel was adopted from as a baby. Like every kid with indeterminate parentage they got the headmaster’s surname and consider themselves siblings.
Jerry Bellini worked a thankless job for a demanding master. While inquiring about the price of a “prairie schooner” at the cartwright, he met the Andronikov siblings. They decided to throw what little money they had together to “find their fortune” in the west.

Archer: The young widow archer raises her late husband’s daughter* from an earlier marriage. They are very close-knit. Kara* knows she wants to be a mother more than anything, and also wants more children, but she isn’t certain whether she also wants to be a wife again.

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Behr: Candace and her brother Yuri have inherited a house in San Francisco. It was joining this trek or the dangerous Cap Hoorn journey for them.
Yuri is actually a girl named Yuki, who was posing as a boy to score a job opening as a novice seaman. Now that the sisters decided to take the overland route, Yuki wants to protect her sister, whom she adores. So far it has worked, the only problem arose in the delightful form of Hugo Villareal, whom Yuki also adores…

Bjergsen: An immigrant family fresh from the ship from Europe.

Chapman: Mother Rose and son Adam follow Pa Chapman, who had taken an earlier trek into the west. The Chapmans are experienced farmers, but didn’t have enough money to buy a wagon a few years ago, also Adam wasn’t of age yet, so Pa he hired himself to the wagon company as a groom.
Pa left his wife and son a letter at each waystation (and at one of the last ones they’ll find him buried, sadly).

Rose is a potential wife for Hank Anderson.

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Colch: After an eventful life and tumbling into and out of relationships and prison, Portia has decided to settle down, preferably in a place where nobody knows her. Her son Brandon is part of the “Renegades” gang.

Portia is a potential wife for Hank Anderson. Additionally Hank and Jacques are possible fathers of Brandon.

Delgato: The wife of Strangerville’s mayor wants to own a persian cat. She is willing to pay so much, that leaving their home behind just to deliver the fluffball is worth it for the whole Delgato family.
Now Barty snr. is leaving a trail of his own at every waystation, farm and tent camp that the trail passes (and jnr. is learning quickly from his dad!)

The picture still has Bleu instead of Barty jnr., I changed them around only later. Sorry!

Faust: Ulrike* Faust and Carlos* Patel are both employees of Mr. Villareal, she as a psychic, he as bodyguard. Dutifully following their master on this trek, maybe on this journey these two will find a new, and deeper, appreciation for each other than just being co-workers?

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Feng: After some re-organizing of the triad pecking order, the Feng couple found themselves bound and gagged on a ship, but at least they are alive. They are ready to make a fresh start, but have decided to work a smaller turf instead of trying to elbow themselves into Detroit’s criminal underworld (nevermind that Detroit’s criminal underworld actually is on the wagon train at the moment).

Fletcher: Cameron, Becca and Julia pooled their money to buy a wagon. They are excited about this journey and “finding themselves”.

Fyres: The Fyres couple wants to start fresh before they grow too old. Her father being a freed slave and her mother an irish immigrant are only vague tales from the past for Siobhan. But she knows that women are a rare commodity in the west and that she therefore can take her pick of the very best possible spouses! Meanwhile Morgan has joined the Renegades gang.

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Harris: A family of miners, fresh out of job, hoping for a better life in the west. They are aware that it might not be an easier one.

Holiday: A trio of childhood friends who are too close to fall in love with each other. Scott is a bit of a scholar who is interested in fossils, Liberty is his polar opposite, always tinkering with the wagons to the point of where the others expect her to make them fly next, and Summer is the all-around cheerful and supportive mom-friend.

Hollunder (Elderberry): Despite being a bright mind, young Rohan lacks the connections and funds to enter university. Maybe if he discovers and describes a useful herb or strange new fossil on this trek, he will get in? At least that’s what his grandparents hope. Meanwhile Rohan is more interested in discovering things about girls…

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Jericho: North*, Simon*, Lucy*, Josh* and his adopted son Eustace do not speak lightly about their pasts. At some point they owned a steamboat, the Jericho, but lost it along with the whole cargo when a valve failed and the engine blew up. After compensating the owners of their cargo, they had only the clothes on their backs and a little wood and sailcloth that went into the construction of their wagon.
The “Jericrew” sticks together, but the fact that all except for Eustace have developed a crush on the dashing Wagon Captain doesn’t help their chosen family relationship.

Simon is Daniel’s twin-brother, but they haven’t figured that out yet.

Lynx: Kate Lynx is an animal friend. She owns Barty jnr., several of the wagon train’s horses and of a handful of shares of the wagon train company. Kate has come to the conclusion that the journey to the Oregon territory is much easier nowadays than it was in the last decade (not to mention the skirmishes with the british) and decided to start a horse ranch in the west.

Manfred: Carl Manfred is a wealthy art patron and painter who travels with his sons, Leo and Markus*, and his servant, Martin* Davids. Carl wants to capture the “wild west”’s beauty once again. The family is well aware of the fact that Carl is too frail to make the journey back to Detroit and that they are traveling to Oregon to stay.
Despite having been quite the adventurer in his youth, Carl is walking impaired now, so he cannot act as a guide for the trek.

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Mayer: Ever-optimistic Jordan wants to be a photographer, a reporter, a painter, a medium… basically everything one of the other travelers does better and therefore inspires her. But she is well liked for her optimism.

Danny Shino-Miller has sworn to protect her forever and always. Under the impression that all he is good for is juggling a leather ball, he nevertheless hopes that one day he can prove himself as a suitable husband (while Jordan already considers Danny her fiancé and might very well already plan their wedding in Strangerville).

Munch: Another family fresh from an immigrant ship, from the city of Munich in their case. Wolfgang “Wolfie” doesn’t even speak english yet, but already got accepted into the Renegades gang. Little Lucas is interested in gardening and exploring while the oldest brother, Gunther, is such a prick (is so stuck up, maybe?) that he often gets mistaken for Mila’s husband.

Mila is a potential new partner for Hank Anderson.

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Ortiz: Cornelius* escaped a cruel master and now protects the GoGo girls Elaine, Traci* and Riley*. A butcher by trade he will suggest buying life cattle to drive along the trek at a later waystation.
Cornelius is known for being both deeply religious and superstitious.

Pancakes: Why can’t the man stay home, cook and tend to the garden, and the woman go to the factory or office every morning! All of Eliza’s and Bob’s issues would be solved that way! But the way things are, they packed and decided to become homesteaders, where they can make their own rules and work at their own pace.
And so Bob relaxes on the wagon all day, while Eliza is already calculating the expanses and investments of the first five years in Oregon. They are happy as they haven’t been in years (and there’s space for one or two babies in Liza’s calculations…)

Peterson: Lucille lost her husband on the immigrant ship, and wanted to settle as a washerwoman in Detroit instead of traveling further west. But her sons reassured her that they’ll provide just fine. How hard can it be to build a simple hut, a well and a garden, especially with the support of a mom like Lucille? That made her smile and now they are on their way to follow their dream.

Lucille is a potential new partner for Hank Anderson.

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Phillips*: My challenge family. Already introduced.

For some reason (that is totally not laziness) only the Phillips household will experience beard growth, hair getting increasingly unruly and clothes changes…

Rasoya: Raj is an impoverished Brahmin who worked as a cook and was faced with the prospect of either marrying below his status or not at all. Coming to America together with his old mother was the result of a long chain of events and decisions, but the man feels young enough to still make the best of his new life. At the wagon train Raj (now often called Ray) tries to be supportive from the background.

Sherfield: Andy and Mary are just that stereotypical couple of newlyweds. They are a bit of bad luck magnets, though: Mary fell ill during the first week in the forest, but recovered, Andy almost drowned in a river, but got pulled out, and now both their joy of life is infectious.

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Stratford: Sergeant John* McGee transports a confidential letter to Fort Laramie (and there will get another one to deliver to Fort Strangerville). He is surprisingly amiable for a military man, especially towards the handsome Wagon Captain.
Seth* Stratford is a travelogue writer freelancing for several papers at the east coast. Always at his side is his secretary, Rika, and they may end up even closer after reaching Strangerville.
Timothy* Peters is a smallscale criminal who is way too quick with his mouth and fists. He thinks this will be less of a problem in west, and that Strangerville will be more like “his kind of town”. He may be right, but his attitude poses a problem on the trek.

Straud: Dr. Vladislaus Straud is here to care for the wagon train’s physical wellbeing. Such an old man, but still so dedicated, isn’t that heartwarming?
At two hundred years old Vlad is, in fact, a still somewhat young vampire, who wholeheartedly embraces the modern times. He spends many hours of the day hanging from the ceiling of his wagon in batform – testament to his uncouth youthful ways. His education aside, Vlad is closer to Timothy and the Renegades than to the older travelers.

Travis: The farmer Rupert* Travis and the gardener Ralph* Camden think they are well prepared for their new life in Oregon Territory, but may find more than they bargained for…

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Villareal: Scions of the french founders of Detroit, this household now has to leave the region because Jacques got banished from Detroit for his criminal exploits, but that’s all the same to him. Maybe in traveling he will find clues about his wife’s whereabouts, who left him when she couldn’t support Jacques’ lifestyle anymore.

Zest: Just your average disgruntled rich man’s son who wants to prove that he can stand on his own. The only problem: His parents took that literally and disowned Johnny, so now he is broke. But working can’t be that hard, can it now? Or maybe he should write his memories?

Chapter 7: Are we there yet?

Life on the wagon:

https://64.media.tumblr.com/5debba61b36229d3f6de33f6d3b103bc/cca429d19051c657-61/s540x810/498bae50662c020dfeed642dda1e4214e23808b8.png

Daniel suffers from bouts of jealousy...

https://64.media.tumblr.com/d76ec8eb4635ecaebddd66bb77e7f43b/cca429d19051c657-b1/s540x810/4ba375f358a00fc11b286b723833cf1d21075ab2.png

...our two year old reads a book...

https://64.media.tumblr.com/b0000f8cdb77bac93ef38da1bcd311a1/cca429d19051c657-e7/s540x810/688e4776b0832bdb7b167c4387530e9b8d330bdf.png

...and we started early enough to reach the campsite while the sun is still up!

It was still the morning of the first day of the second week, when the trek suddenly stopped. They had reached a plateau that offered a splendid view over a lake. What the travelers didn’t see anymore was the trail:

https://64.media.tumblr.com/2a34464a0343d3c41f298a282dcc4423/8813895e93bc505c-e6/s540x810/c36d0fd9feefac67d3daf99fa7e2f0e78933221e.png

Turning back wasn’t an option. The wagons had been able to climb the steep slope only, to get down they’d need a path with a more gentle slope. Too bad that this path was on the other side of the lake.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/e0ba135cbb1d2e4074c7a0fe8688f505/8813895e93bc505c-53/s540x810/acde261311ee6b151b6239b8b30be266d705dcd0.png

Going around it to get on the trail again would cost the trek six days, but there was no other way.
Except for Daniel. While the wagons rolled on, he jumped off the drivers’ seat, mounted Plum and raced to the point, where he had “words” with the guide.

(Botched the trail roll and rolled maximum delay. There won’t be a waystation stop this week and the total travel time is up to 34 days.)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/fe37f4b84cc464cb8d904ca1483d158a/58e5e730a40c2215-27/s540x810/9c45c3b72549c5549a2e6091e44e69507a6013c2.png

https://64.media.tumblr.com/a4885be1e1087a889d5b6a55fd463a25/58e5e730a40c2215-2a/s540x810/ac9a15c5d26ca6772e33ffbb9de6afa56aa6ddda.png

At the waystation the travelers had purchased a third horse, a bathtub, a grill and a new box worth of 28 days of eight quick meals. Still filled from their stay at the station, the travelers didn’t need any snacks that day.
In the mountains wood is plentiful, and the lake they were circling around supplied water, so in the evening everyone was able to properly wash. Afterwards Daniel roasted potatoes over the new grill. The praerie would challenge the travelers again, but for now their journey was actually nice.

(I actually have two grills and tubs: one in the camp and one taking up space in the wagon. That way I don’t have to go into buildmode every evening. )

https://64.media.tumblr.com/c5986922fa7f6db3c4e4ace5ce64de57/464e4ae758b4c3c7-3b/s540x810/af5729ef431711775929c8530a7ee92db981c41e.png

Are you mad, Jerry?

When he asked if he could come over, nobody expected the neighbor to try to set their camp (and himself) on fire!

https://64.media.tumblr.com/5afbd8f4e2674194eaeaefc611e1becf/464e4ae758b4c3c7-73/s540x810/5dada790f900f79470ce2c237a97fff9ab29ab2e.png

Jerry: “But what is that fireplace good for, if not cooking soup? Decoration?”
Gavin: “Yes!”

https://64.media.tumblr.com/cf039d822ae0c41a8e12f63163c983a3/464e4ae758b4c3c7-e5/s540x810/25a896904d0b84c9635cc4d8afd034952e9e9d8c.png

Also Gavin: “...and that’s for asking stupid questions, dip---!”

https://64.media.tumblr.com/f3d272c939f17c22ccf0cff037351337/464e4ae758b4c3c7-7a/s540x810/00a97dbc8e8033f560576d3219eecc3a1da71f21.png

Following a rarely traveled route through the mountains, the trek got into a rockfall. No wagon was lost, but many travelers got injured.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/33625b6f4f68d1f235b048158ed1e0a7/84c5d4e348573796-5d/s540x810/cb4c7778581d730313ef5a62b5feaa6c6287cf70.png

https://64.media.tumblr.com/0a7424d718bbfb3168d838e436f3dcb1/84c5d4e348573796-09/s540x810/1dd50e4d470717fb49296f69e8afba91f6623fc0.png

(This was actually the second disease roll. In two days hence we’ll have to roll again for death (by blood poisoning or wound trauma, probably). Daniel and Gavin have plot armor, they won’t die, but they might lose limbs. Caroline isn’t protected.)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/8605a581d314d57fe78d364299905306/6ab59be8fe2702f8-e8/s540x810/3d28a37964065684c01d8e8925ae7faee2b2f71a.png

Gavin: “I’m bored... I wanna walk around!”

Daniel: “You never could these last two weeks, but didn’t complain. Why’s it suddenly a problem?”

Gavin: “But I COULD have walked next to the wagon if I’d wanted. Now these stupid bandages chain me to this bench. Is this a prison transport or what? I wanna walk!”

Daniel: “Are we there yet?”

John: “Huh?”

Daniel: “In Strangerville. Are we there yet?”

John: “Uh... no?”

https://64.media.tumblr.com/43bd2537677d1a711edb4c53391bfa59/6ab59be8fe2702f8-98/s540x810/e9e4aa817eae8afb37098cb5d0a5005224d10797.png

Daniel (1 minute later): “Are we there yet?”

Gavin: “Stop that!”

Daniel: “That’s how YOU sound all the day.”

John: “Will you both stop it already?! - Daniel, you are no working class grunt, so don’t lower yourself to their level. Get a grip on you! Gavin, you ARE a working class grunt, so get yourself together!”

Emma: “If you tell them both not to complain, then why’s it important who is which class, father?”

John: “Because... uh... Well, because!”

https://64.media.tumblr.com/20052207ecbd92ea84758423cc21cdc6/4f05b573c36ebfc2-6f/s540x810/3f79e005a4391155a0fe4f0afdf85fe448b9dd36.png

John: “You will take your shoes off the sofa at once, young man!”

Daniel: “It’s a bench, dad. And probably not even ours.”

(Reminder: Each family owns half of the wagon.)

John: “That makes it even worse! I thought I taught you better than to put your dirty shoes on the neighbors’ sofa! Shoes off or feet down!”

Gavin: “Yeah, Daniel, it’s not fair that you get to put your shoes on the bench, when I can’t.”

Daniel: “Oh... okay!”

And then the young man really took his feet off the bench and back onto the floor.

https://64.media.tumblr.com/302a22845083451360e32eb69d223aac/4f05b573c36ebfc2-a1/s540x810/aa08839c0a6fda11f7be16749adfd0018c025f02.png

Speaking of parenting, here’s a peek at Emma’s current character values:

Clockwise Manners, Responsibility, Conflict Resolution, Empathy and Emotional Control

https://64.media.tumblr.com/69853aaecb3a9a991a59d8aaff9ba826/4f05b573c36ebfc2-95/s400x600/ee76268f7f45c2d1e1bb6165d69e76be5452d1e8.png

I let Emma ask everyone on the wagon for advice and then choose the answers that are most in-character for the asked sim. (Using the No Ask for advice mod that makes the interaction user directed and disables the autonomous instances). So far Empathy is her best trait, just like in the main timeline.

Loving this story!! The wagon you made is amazing!! :o