#ursula vale

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A late summer thunderstorm welcomes a second Hayward child, Teresa, into the world. Sadly, by the time the storm has cleared, she's already gone.

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Meet the Haywards! ⚔️

Long story short: after months of angsting and pining, I've finally given in to the lure of a medieval game, and I thought @tedsies' Medieval Legacy Challenge would be a fun way to dive in!

Alexander (Family/Knowledge) is a shy, neurotic softie who—in all ways except physical—is not built for war. His wife, Ursula (Popularity/Family), is a social butterfly with a mean streak and a strong sense of duty, even when the duties kind of suck.

Ursula and Alex are the first residents of Brambleton, a neighbourhood with exactly two lots so far. They have some extended family whose lives will largely unfold via Story Progression, and we'll meet them later on. Hopefully not out of necessity…

For now, I'm just building things up as I go along and making some casual gameplay posts. I want to kick some of the perfectionistic habits I've developed from playing rotationally, so this might get messy… bear with me! And wish me luck 🫣

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Goodbye, Ursula 😢

With the Itchy Plumbbob Plague taking her life in 612, we've lost both original founders within a span of two years. They're survived by two children and a handful of relatives on each side, so the legacy lives on, but things are going to be very different now.

612 hit the Vales pretty hard, and Elaine, Ramon and Juana all died that same year. Hopefully we'll still see Gaspar and Susana around :(

I can't say I'm surprised by everything that's happened; I knew this challenge was going to be brutal! From the moment Alex was sent to prison and couldn't train, I was basically resigned to losing him in the war. I was really hoping Ursula would last at least until the end of the generation, though, and was at a total loss when this roll happened.

These posts have been sitting in my drafts for over two months now, but I think I'm finally ready to move on. Since our heir-in-waiting, Joseph, is still off gallivanting (and also, still a child), a new-but-familiar face will be taking the reins until he's ready!

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It's the twins' birthday!

Isabel is bold and athletic, like their older brother. Gracia, though, is quiet and meek. Perhaps she's just shy, like their father? That's what Ursula tells herself, trying to shake the feeling that something is wrong...

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Autumn arrives in Brambleton, and the Haywards receive some rare good news: they've inherited §6,000 from a distant relative!

The windfall means Joseph gets a few new toys from the market, though he's happy enough playing in the leaves.

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Year one in Brambleton 🌳 Between all the farming, foraging and, ahem, family planning, spring goes by in a blur!

Lifetime wants aren't really a thing when you're a medieval peasant, but Alex wants to marry off six children and, for now, Ursula is optimistically on board.

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Joseph survives his first birthday, phew! He's absolutely adorable, though it doesn't really look like Alex's genes even tried 😅