There were incredible highs and some of the lowest lows in the 1310s. One of the most notable highlights was Pipa's wedding, being the first wedding in the Chapman family, but then we also had to face the famine of 1315-1317... Here's everything that went down by year:
CW for references of infant death, funerals, mourning and famine in several years.
1310
The decade started off with a grim event, Teffan's funeral. As she was laid to rest Pipa began to understand her deep fear of horses and took some time to warm up to caring for them again. Alongside that Pipa celebrated her tenth birthday successfully and continued to get along well with Frank, her closest friend. Olyff and Byrhtnoth supported one another through their hardships and Olyff found herself wondering if she would ever conceive again.
1311
As the title suggested for this chapter there were many snowy activities being had this year. They built snow domes, snowmen and snow angels when the snow was laid thick on the ground. Pipa was brave enough to finally approach their horses and feed them with ease. In between her horse therapy she visited Father Bruceus' home which was ravaged by a forest fire and aided them with some of her family's produce. She also began to share feelings with Frank as he finally grew to her height and they shared their first kiss! This wasn't the only first of the year as this Christmas was the first time the Chapmans exchanged gifts as a family.
1312
The snow carried on through 1312 and the family began their year with a winter festival. The family horse Beauty gave birth to a foal and they called her Gloria. With this addition Pipa began to learn how to ride a horse with confidence and began getting closer to little Gloria. Byrhtnoth celebrated his thirtieth birthday and Pipa also kept her budding romance with Frank a secret not long before Linyeve blabbed about it to her father. Shortly after Linyeve's tenth birthday the two sisters had a row over this secret relationship and they almost didn't speak for the rest of the winter. Linyeve made amends with Pipa just before Eddida's tenth birthday and the year ended with peace.
1313
A blessed year as Pipa and Frank were to marry! But before that Olyff found time to confront Pipa about her romance with Frank and approved it after they discussed it with Frank's parents. They were officially courted not long before the wedding was planned and executed at the beautiful Mahlsberg festival grounds. The day was monumental and Pipa became a member of the Bruceus household. Olyff also found that she was with child again and announced it to her husband, who was shocked but excited to be a father to another baby! At the end of the year Olyff welcomed a healthy baby boy into the home and they called him Osuald.
1314
Another positive year for the Chapmans, 1314 started with a lot of awe and love for the new addition to the family! Everyone was working away at their duties and hobbies and Eddida picked up a new skill of horse riding, especially now that Gloria was fully mature. During their harvest a rift between Eddida and Linyeve occured which prompted Linyeve to run away from home before being found by the Prince of Praaven. He escorted her home and she got a right scolding for her foolish behaviour. Pipa gave birth to her first child and they named her Dominique and Olyff noticed the early signs of pregnancy once more.
1315
The year began with a building tension between the adults of the household as the weather failed to improve after winter. There were constant downpours and the Chapmans witnessed their crops failing to grow as their farmland turned to bog. In between this stress Olyff had a chance to visit her daughter and meet her first grandchild and she brought little Osuald along with her. Midway through summer Olyff had another baby and they called the little girl Lavina. As the weather worsened and the food situation got worse Byrhtnoth finalised a deal with the Prince of Praaven to have Linyeve work as a servant for the royal family while the looming famine ravaged the lands. It was only downhill from here...
1316
The Chapmans scavenged for all sorts of ways to sustain their family through this freak weather, resorting to foraging and rationing their storage. Byrhtnoth learned that his parents had passed from famine induced pneumonia and grieved quietly. They shared a moment of joy when the parents got word that they could visit Linyeve in the keep and they were delighted to see her healthy and safe. Pipa's daughter, Dominique, failed to thrive yet found that she was with child again. Eddida tried to be a good daughter and sister as she watched her youngest siblings but her health worsened towards the end of the year. Her immune system weakened with the hunger and she passed away in her sleep as a fragile and thin girl. The family grieved and waited until the rain passed before giving her a proper burial.
1317
1317 was by far the worst year for the Chapman family so far in our story. Everyone gathered for Eddida's funeral, including Linyeve in the company of Prince Sidgurd, and they said their goodbyes. Amidst the grief Pipa went into labour yet successfully birthed a little girl named Shavonne. Tensions grew higher across the lands as many were falling to the hunger and times were tough. More grief struck the family as Frank came to deliver the news that Pipa had passed away from the famine also. Olyff became a broken woman and spent most of her days crying, unable to attend her eldest daughter's funeral. Not even a month later the matriarch of the family passed in her sleep as she died from a broken heart, brought on by the hunger also. Byrhtnoth was alone at home, just him and his two youngest children. Linyeve visited him during his grief and stayed the night to assist him with the chores and parenting. The worst had now passed, it was only time to rebuild after their losses.
1318
Linyeve awoke at home as she stayed over the night before and helped her father out before needing to travel back to the keep. Byrhtnoth put all of his energy into parenting his two young children who had just lost their mother but found himself tearing up at any memory of his passed family members. He kept in close contact with Frank and saw his remaining grandchild, Shavonne, as often as he could. The weather began to lighten and in his spare time Byrhtnoth would fish to feed his family. Soon they got approval for Linyeve to be sent back home and the father and daughter were reunited. Linyeve got a surprise yet harsh visit from a boy from the castle and kept it a secret from her father. Despite their difficulties that year they held a gift giving party and even had a visit from Prince Sidgurd, who had now been crowned King of Praaven. The year ended peacefully and with bellies full once again.
1319
Osuald blew out his candles for his fifth birthday and got plenty of presents of clothes for his special day. He soon accompanied his father for his first fishing trip and Byrhtnoth was delighted to teach his one and only son his craft. Linyeve kept her mouth shut as she fulfilled her housewife duties even in her young years and continued to be a loving and caring sister to Lavina. The family was prosperous enough to sell some fish and their first produce at the spring market and they lived comfortably once more. They mourned Olyff as they visited her grave for the first time and Osuald questioned why she had to die. Before the year ended Linyeve brought her brother to fish at the Mahlsberg festival grounds and met a somewhat local man named August who guided her and her brother home when it got dark. She was curious to learn more about him, but more of that in the next decade...
Conclusion:
What a decade... the famine was an incredibly tough event to go through and the family whittled down by half. Many others in the town were lost also, with an overall 34% mortality rate! (that's way more than the historical percentage!) Nonetheless there were multiple births and we finally have a male heir... here's hoping he lives past childhood! Here is the breakdown of each member of the family and their status:
Olyff Chapman - 1279 to 1317 - died from a broken heart at 38 years old
Byrhtnoth Chapman - 1281 to Present - alive, 38 years old
Pipa Chapman - 1300 to 1317 - died from hunger at 16 years old
Linyeve Chapman - 1303 to Present - alive, 16 years old
Eddida Chapman - 1303 to 1316 - died from dehydration at 13 years old
Frank Bruceus - 1301 to Present - alive, 18 years old
Dominique Bruceus - 1314 to 1316 - died from a failure to thrive at 1 years old
Shavonne Bruceus - 1317 to present - alive, 2 years old
Osuald Chapman - 1313 to present - alive, 6 years old
Lavina Chapman - 1315 to present - alive, 4 years old
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