Blackmere Vale · 1173

Blackmere, 1173

Tithes, frost, and household fear in a hungry manor village

A grounded medieval survival simulation set in Blackmere Vale in 1173, where rent, sickness, hidden stores, village rumor, and the coming winter turn every small choice into a wager.

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Opening situation

A world already under pressure.

Autumn should have brought relief, but the yield was thin, the reeve is counting harder than usual, and even a decent household can be pushed toward theft, shame, or flight before the snow truly begins.

A poor harvest has made every loaf, favor, and accusation matter more than usual.

The reeve is under pressure to find missing grain and unpaid dues before snow closes the roads.

Sickness in the cottages could turn private hardship into public panic if it spreads.

Locations

Places you can reach

work

Mill Ford

Grain sacks, waiting carts, and the quiet politics of who gets measured first.

religious

Church Close

Prayers, alms, burial talk, and the public weight of everyone knowing your need.

labor

Common Fields

Thin stubble, shared strain, and the argument over what is still worth gleaning.

residential

Cottar Row

Smoke, hunger, cramped rooms, and neighbors who hear every cough and quarrel.

authority

Reeve's Yard

Tallies, dues, and men who treat pity as bad management.

outskirts

Woods Edge

Fuel, snares, hidden exchanges, and the temptation to take more than custom allows.

Factions

Factions with leverage

political · influence 76

Manor Household

The lord's officers and dependents turning scarcity into obedience.

social · influence 64

Village Households

Families balancing kin duty, envy, and one more season of survival.

shadow · influence 41

Woods Runners

Poachers, charcoal men, and quiet traders who know what hunger licenses in secret.

religious · influence 55

Parish Elders

Older villagers and church men deciding who deserves help and who deserves a warning.

NPCs

People already in motion

reeve

Oswin

A hard local reeve who fears disorder more than he dislikes cruelty.

miller's widow

Maud

A practical widow with flour dust on her sleeves and no patience for sentimental hunger.

lay healer

Sister Elan

A lay sister balancing herb lore, prayer, and the resentment that comes with deciding who can wait.

trap runner

Hob

A lean trapper who knows where fuel, rabbits, and trouble all hide first.

World state

Rules, norms, and facts

Custom matters, but it is usually interpreted by whoever already holds power.

Hidden food, firewood, and favors are common, yet discovery can destroy a household's standing.

Public shame and church judgment can wound a family almost as badly as hunger.

Leaving without permission may solve one problem by creating three others.

A thin harvest has made winter stores the most contested thing in the village.

Manorial dues remain enforceable even when meeting them feels impossible.

Sickness, rumor, and small theft can remake local status very quickly in a tight village.

Freeform play

Actions this world supports

Risk low

Take day labor

Look for hauling, milling, or field work before the light goes.

Risk low

Barter for stores

Try to trade labor, fuel, or gossip for food or lampfat.

Risk low

Seek parish help

Ask the church for relief, a healer's eye, or a word on your behalf.

Risk high

Hide what you have

Conceal food, coin, or fuel from the eyes that feel entitled to it.

Risk medium

Slip to the woods edge

Look for fuel, snares, or the kind of trade done away from witnesses.

Risk medium

Bind yourself to protection

Seek steadier shelter by attaching yourself to a stronger local network.

Risk medium

Spread a village rumor

Nudge suspicion toward someone else and see who flinches first.

Risk medium

Investigate the missing grain

Find out who took it, who blames whom, and who might pay for the truth.

Ready

Start as one person and let the world push back.

Play Blackmere, 1173