The snow was falling hard, and the temperature was dropping rapidly outside Woodhaerst. Everywhere Thaddeus looked he saw a shimmering white landscape. The snow fell from low hanging clouds which looked like scarves draped around the neck of mountaintops. Wrapped in a fur coat, he shivered from the cold, December wind.

As an employee of Heaven’s Gate, he knew this weather was the result of the Doomsday Patch his team constructed. The Doomsday Patch was meant to make the game more challenging for Settlement Lords, where they would have to use real-time strategy to see their settlement flourish or watch them wither.

That’s why Thaddeus knew this sultry winter weather would soon transition to a deadly blizzard, catching unprepared Settlement Lords off guard. Unprepared Settlement Lords would see their villagers die from hypothermia and starvation. But, thanks to Demeter’s blessing, Woodhaerst and Ironwood had an abundant harvest, and his granary was filled to the brim.

Even in winter, Woodhaerst and Ironwood were flourishing. While the rest of the world obsessed over a rumored dragon, Woodhaerst celebrated the construction’s completion. The expanded town now had three new districts: East District, New Town, and Prairie View. Now Honey Barrow District remained uncompleted. With the construction done, the townsfolk’s happiness and satisfaction increased. Everyone was happy to see Woodhaerst expand.

With the laborers paused until spring, he had his skilled laborers focused on stockpiling firewood. Thaddeus wanted to make sure he had enough firewood to keep his NPC townsfolk warm and alive throughout the winter season.

As life in Woodhaerst slowed down, he stood outside the town, watching a departing line of snow-covered wagons. Wagons he recently crafted, to transport players and media out of his sleepy settlement to Mythical Guild’s newly constructed Dragon Mountain Town.

Unlike his town, Dragon Mountain Town was sparse. The town mainly consisted of hotels, with a trading post, a forge, a carpentry workshop, and a battle arena. There were no homes, shops, or marketplace. The settlement was functional, geared for a specific purpose…to farm mobs.

It was common in most Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online games (VRMMOs) for large guilds to own several farming locations, each with sequentially higher-level mobs. The prairie near Woodhaerst had monsters leveled 10 to 30, monsters leveled 30 to 50 roamed the forest, and monsters leveled 60 to 80 roamed the mountain.

Watching the caravan roll away, Thaddeus was thankful things were finally slowing down. The slow life he desired finally returned. He could relax and spend time with his girlfriend and best friend. He also had plenty of time to focus on crafting refined rustic furniture for his business Iron and Oak.

After watching the caravan leave, Thaddeus returned to his manor. As he walked home, he could hear his people singing even in the bitter cold. When Thaddeus walked into his manor, he saw Sabrina sipping tea next to the fireplace. Walking over to her, he gave her a gentle kiss, before removing his winter coat and gloves.

“Are the guild players gone?” Sabrina asked, handing him a warm coffee mug.

“Most, but few small, independent guilds decided to remain in the town to hunt level 30 mobs,” Thaddeus answered, taking a moment to just soak in the warm air.

Sitting down next to Sabrina, Thaddeus took a sip of his coffee. The rich aroma filled the room, harmonizing with the scent of burning firewood.

"You look pleased," Sabrina noted, her eyes meeting his.

"I am," Thaddeus replied, setting his mug down on a coaster. "For the first time in months, I can say that I'm content with where we are. The towns are prepared for winter, we have abundant supplies, and the people are happy. It's a hard-earned peace."

Sabrina leaned in and gave him a tender kiss. "And what about you? Are you happy?"

"I am," he affirmed. "It's strange, though. This world is designed for adventure, quests, and battles, yet here I am, finding satisfaction in stability and peace. Is that odd?"

"It's not odd," Sabrina reassured him. "It's human. Even in a fantastical world, we crave some sense of normality, of home."

"Maybe that's the appeal of Woodhaerst and Ironwood," Thaddeus mused, looking into the fire. "People come here and find a little bit of normality amidst the chaos that is Heaven's Gate. They find a home."

Sabrina nodded. "That's what you've built here, Thaddeus. A safe home, not just for NPCs but for players, too."

A warm smile spread across Thaddeus's face. "That was always the goal, wasn't it? To build a lasting retreat in a world designed for constant battles."

"Yes," Sabrina said, "but it's not just the walls and the buildings that make a place a home. It's the community, the shared struggles, and triumphs. You've led them through challenges and, because of that, there's a sense of unity here."

Thaddeus sighed, taking another sip of his coffee. "Yet still, peace can be as fleeting as a snowflake."

"Isn't that the nature of things?" Sabrina said, placing her hand over his. "Even the real world doesn't offer guarantees. It's the moments of peace, of love and connection, that give us the strength to face whatever comes next."

"You're right," Thaddeus agreed. "But the Doomsday Patch changes the dynamics of Heaven's Gate. From now on we’ll need to be prepared for anything from tornados to bandit raids. This adds a new complexity."

Sabrina looked into his eyes. "You've sailed through uncharted waters before, Thaddeus. You turned Woodhaerst and Ironwood into thriving communities. The landscape is riddled with former settlements that have turned into dungeons. What you’ve done here is incredible. You brought peace and prosperity when there was uncertainty. You can do it again."

Thaddeus smiled, touched by her faith in him. "I hope so. Woodhaerst and Ironwood are prosperous. And at first, I was hesitant about Cargill and John Deere moving here, but thanks to them the population’s increased and so have my cultural points."

Sabrina leaned in for another tender kiss. "Feel better?"

The room seemed to grow warmer, despite the blustering cold outside. It was as if their connection, their shared vision for their home, was a force strong enough to keep the impending chaos at bay, at least for a little while longer.

"As long as I have you and our townsfolk by my side, I feel ready to face whatever comes our way," Thaddeus said, his voice carrying a newfound resolve.

"And we'll be right there with you," Sabrina said softly, "every step of the way."

In that cozy room, lit only by the flickering fireplace and filled with the comforting aroma of coffee, they both found a momentary refuge from the uncertainties that lay ahead. For Thaddeus, it was more than enough. It was a glimpse of the peace he fought so hard to secure, a peace he would continue to fight for in the unpredictable world of Heaven's Gate.

And so, as snow continued to blanket the world outside, the two of them found warmth in their own little world, a sanctuary amid the complexity and turmoil of the virtual universe that surrounded them. It was a perfect moment, an oasis of calm, and Thaddeus took a snapshot using his heads-up display, storing it away for the challenging days that undoubtedly lay ahead.

They both took another sip of their coffee, savoring the warmth and the aroma. Whatever lay ahead in the evolving world of Heaven's Gate, they felt confident they would face it together, leading their community through whatever trials came next.

Outside, the snow continued to fall, blanketing the town in a layer of white that felt, at least for a moment, like a blank canvas on which new stories would be written. But for now, they had to focus on the present. Figuring how the Dragon might affect them could wait until later.

The next day, the snow whipped forcefully causing the villagers to stay inside. Instead of sending his workers out to cut firewood, Thaddeus cut it himself. As a player, the snowy weather gave him a small 5% debuff to strength and agility. When he finished cutting firewood, he first delivered to his townsfolk to store for winter, before putting the rest up for sale.

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Thaddeus knew fuel would also become a necessity for the settlements. Moreover, Settlement Lords needed certain amounts of firewood each week to keep their citizens happy and satisfied. If their settlers became unhappy it increased their chances of moving to another player settlement.

Thanks to his enchanted druid grove, he could regrow trees. This meant he could produce nearly 150 pieces of lumber a week, but if he wanted to. He could also increase the amount once the blizzard died down. His plan was simple, he’d sell lumber earning a slight margin just above the standard 5 silver per unit for winter. He did not doubt that the price of firewood would increase during the wintertime. By selling inexpensive firewood, he’d earn good diplomacy and earn a good profit.

Thaddeus quickly opened his settlement screen.

Population

Politics

Culture

Army

Looking at his settlement account he couldn’t help but feel happy. A week ago, he paid off Woodhaerst’s mortgage. Thanks to his renegotiated contract with Cargill and John Deere he had enough money to pay off the mortgage. While at first, he was hesitant about Cargill and John Deere industries in Woodhaerst, the two businesses provided high-paying jobs which increased Woodhaerst’s migration and tax base. However, no good thing goes unpunished. When the industries moved to Woodhaerst his imperial taxes increased from 60 silvers to 30 gold. Even after paying off his mortgage, he had hundreds of golds in his account.

Title: Baron

Banner: A brown bear on a green field.

Faction: Imperial

Sovereign: Emperor Regulus Albus Aurelius van Conifer

Rent: 5-copper/ month

Settlement Tax: 10-copper/a season

Imperial Tax: 30 gold/ annual

Imports: Livestock, clothing, miscellaneous

Exports: Pelts, ore, ingots, mana crystals, crops, livestock, meat, lumber, firewood, furniture, potions, tractors, tillers, planters, sprayers, harvesters.

GDP: 109 gold

Settlement Account: 542 gold

Then he checked the Population Tab and noticed Ironwood was still stuck as a Level 5 Village. He remembered months ago when the Dwarven Ironwood Clan arrived, 500 people strong. At that time, Ironwood shot up from a Level 1 Hamlet to a Level 5 Village, surpassing Woodhaerst’s village level. Yet now, Woodhaerst was higher ranked than Ironwood. The reason had to do with Woodhaerst’s immigration. While humans occasionally NPCs migrated to Woodhaerst, the same could not be said about dwarfs.

Thaddeus decided to reach out to Vakdraen and discuss increasing Ironwood’s population. Maybe he could persuade Vakdraen to solicit independent dwarfs to move to Ironwood. Like Roy, his Toolsmith mentor in White Pines. Thinking about White Pines he wondered how Josh, Roy, and Alice were doing.

Settlement Level: Woodhaerst (Town Level 1) and Ironwood (Village Level 5)

Census: 1,631 (Woodhaerst: 1,085 Residents) (Ironwood: 546 Residents)

Settlement Properties: 32/ Imperial Properties: 1

After a little reminiscing, he clicked the Culture Tab and saw the screen expanded. It now displayed his cultural properties, total cultural points, tourist attractions, and tourism rating.

Even though the list of cultural properties was expansive, it was not exhaustive. Not included were the Barrack, Fort, Town House, and Lord’s Manor, as these belong to the town. Also not listed were the Cathedral, Jump Gate, and Adventure Guild. The Cathedral was listed as Church of Earth property, the Jump Gate was Imperial Property, and Woodhaerst Adventure Guild was a franchise of the larger Akkadian Adventure Guild. Finally, houses, farmhouses, farms, barns, druid grove, and cabin were considered personal property.

He also enjoyed seeing tourist attractions listed in a new row. On his promotion to a Level 2 Town, he decided to select the atelier to open the Arts skill tree. He made good progress on his Mercantile skill tree. He was close to completing the Tier 2 Mercantile skill tree. Once he purchased Trade Fair Grounds, reaching the Tier 3 Merchant Guild required 2,000 cultural points. Instead of saving up for months, he figured it be better to open the Arts and War skill trees and complete their Tier 1 skill tree.

Mercantile Cultural Properties: 25 (Woodhaerst: 23) (Ironwood: 14)

Mercantile Cultural Properties: Casino, Theatre, Auction House, Marketplace, Blacksmith Shop, Carpenter Shop, General Store, Trading Post, Local Market, Trade Caravans, Gristmill, Weaver Shop, Bath House, Apiary, Mine, Bakery, Sawmill, Tannery, Butchery, Hunter’s Lodge, Inn, Winery, Tractor Supply Store, John Deere Factory, Slaughterhouse, Meat Packing Plant.

Total Cultural Points: 250 (125/week)

Tourist Attractions: Cathedral, Casino, Theatre, Auction House

Settlement(s) Tourism Rating: 20 (Regional Power +5)

Thinking about the War skill tree, he opened the Army Tab. He was at once surprised by the number of Dwarven Shield Bearers in Ironwood. The village’s population was just a little over 500. Which meant over two-thirds of their population was military. Except for the elderly or children, everyone else was a warrior.

That stood in sharp contrast to Woodhaerst, which had a larger population, but a smaller army. However, Woodhaerst could levy more people to fight than Ironwood, but only because everyone in Ironwood who could fight was already a warrior. Which meant those 99 levies were most likely cadets in training.

Overall, Thaddeus felt that 589 soldiers were a comfortable amount. It was a good mix of tank, DP, and range. He felt confident his army could ransack a bandit camp or fight off a hoard of kobolds. But he also wanted to know what other kinds of regiment types he could unlock. He was especially curious about defensive siege towers.

Commanders: Captain Joseph (Woodhaerst) and Mayor Vakdraen Ironwood (Ironwood)

Total Soldiers: 589 (Woodhaerst: 235) (Ironwood: 354)

Settlement Levies: 510 (Woodhaerst: 318) (Ironwood: 99)

Levy Reinforcement Rate: 1%/month

Men-at-Arms: 589 (Dwarven Shield Barriers: 354) (Light Footmen: 175) (Bowmen: 60)

After closing his settlement screen, he opened his stats screen.

Name: Thaddeus Brown

SKILL NAME

SKILL LEVEL

Race: Human/Bearkin

Load Bearing (Racial)

Class: Artisan

Nature Affinity (Racial)

50 (+60%)

Sub Class: Druidcraft

Oversized Weapons (Racial)

Titles: Pioneer/ Baron

Earth Magic

53

Level: 58 (37,861/38,546)

Two-Handed Axe

15

HP: 4,752/4,752

Lumberjack

81

MP: 608/608

Analyze

76

STR: 74

Surveyor

52

AGI: 68

Field Dress

14

VIT: 66

Woodworking

101

INT: 32

Cooking

16

WILL: 19

Leatherworking

72

CON: 72

Tailoring

60

Charm: 9

Forging

74

Free Attribute Points: 0

Smelting

66

Free Skill Points: 0

Toolsmith

75

Fame: 35

Architecture

15

Wagoner

6

One Handed Axe 

56

Cleave

45

SPELLS:

Bash

44

Rock Wall

Fast Slash

35

Erosion

Growl

17

Arrowhead

Druid Grove

6

Rock Dome

Polymorph

0

Thaddeus Brown glanced at his in-game profile. Looking at his level, he could help but feel satisfied. The number beside the word 'Level' had been static for quite some time, frozen at Level 58. For many players, this would be a point of concern, a mark of stagnation. Rather than focusing on his level, he cared about his attributes.

He tabbed over to his attributes screen, his eyes tracing over the stats that really mattered to him. Strength was well-distributed, enough for carpentry and modest combat; Dexterity highlighted his finesse in finer works of craftsmanship; Wisdom signified his decision-making abilities, especially when trading resources between Woodhaerst and Ironwood; Charisma showed in his leadership, how he managed to keep both villages flourishing and their inhabitants loyal.

It was these attributes that made him not just a good crafter, but an Artisan of note. They were the backbone of his trade, the essence of his refined rustic handcrafted furniture his wealthy clientele craved.

Just then as he finished storing the last of the firewood, a chime sounded in his HUD, indicating a new system message.