Agriculture, Food, and Water¶

Farming is an async profession, not a click-heavy minigame. The player acquires plot access, commits inputs, waits through timed growth and tending phases, and collects output. The system should feel like running a real operation — season-aware, input-dependent, and genuinely tied to the wider economy — rather than a set of repetitive button presses.

This document covers crop farming, animal husbandry, the processing chain from raw output to usable goods, the food system, water, and how all of it connects to town reserves, market prices, and crafting demand.

Design Principles¶

NPC farming is the floor, player farming is the ceiling. Every town and village has baseline NPC producer farms that run automatically so the world does not collapse when player numbers are low. Player farms produce better quality, greater variety, and higher volume — but they do not replace the baseline. They improve on it.

Farming outputs feed almost every other system. Grain feeds rations. Livestock hides and tallow feed leatherworking and alchemy. Wool feeds clothworking. Wax and honey feed alchemy and cooking. Bone feeds tinkering and toolcraft. A farm is not just a food source — it is a crafting material pipeline.

Seasons and soil matter. A field that was over-cropped without rotation degrades. A field managed with crop rotation, soil treatment, and irrigation outperforms a neglected neighbor every cycle. Players who invest in their land are rewarded over players who just plant-and-forget.

Food state affects expedition eligibility. Hunger, thirst, and fatigue should affect what expeditions a character can attempt, not just apply a passive penalty. A character who is critically hungry cannot leave on a Rank B or higher expedition. A character who is well-fed and rested moves faster and recovers better.

Player Survival States¶

Track the following conditions per character:

Condition	Bands
Hunger	Fed → Stable → Low → Strained → Critical
Thirst	Hydrated → Stable → Low → Strained → Critical
Fatigue	Rested → Stable → Tired → Strained → Exhausted
Temperature	Comfortable → Cold → Chilled → Freezing / Comfortable → Warm → Hot → Heat-Stressed
Injury Burden	None → Light → Moderate → Severe → Incapacitated

Effects by band:

Band	Expedition impact
Stable across all	No penalty. Full expedition access.
Low in one	Minor speed penalty, minor recovery reduction.
Strained in one	Significant penalty to speed and combat efficiency. Higher-rank expeditions locked.
Critical in any	Top two expedition rank tiers locked. Recovery quality reduced.
Two or more Critical	All expeditions locked. Character must be fed and rested before departure.

Players should see their current band in the expedition preparation screen, not buried in a stats panel. The message should be explicit: Hungry — D-rank and above expeditions unavailable.

Food Categories¶

Each category influences different outcomes. Players cannot rely exclusively on one type.

Category	Primary Effect	Notes
Staple grain and bread	Hunger maintenance, medium duration	Cheap, widely available; no morale bonus
Meat and fish (fresh)	Hunger maintenance, high calorie value	Spoils fast; must be eaten or preserved quickly
Preserved rations	Hunger maintenance, long shelf life	Reduced calorie efficiency vs. fresh; indispensable for long expeditions
Cooked meals	Hunger maintenance + morale bonus	Requires cooking skill and ingredients; strong quality ceiling
Medicinal food and tonics	Specific buffs (endurance, recovery, cold resist)	Alchemy or Cooking crossover recipes
Luxury or morale food	High morale bonus, minor hunger value	Honey cakes, delicacy fish, festival bread; premium market items

A character eating only staple grain can keep their hunger band at Stable indefinitely but never reaches a morale bonus. A character with access to a variety of food categories can push into sustained morale and recovery bonuses.

Meat Rarity, Wild vs. Farmed, and Settlement Preferences¶

Not all meat is interchangeable. A settlement that has eaten pork and beef its entire life treats venison as a feast food. A frontier outpost that lives off wild game finds salted pork bland by comparison. Settlement culture, tier, current season, active holidays, and a low-amplitude weekly drift all determine which meat commands a premium — and which sits unsold at the butcher's stall.

Separately, rarer meat produces measurably better nourishment, but only when prepared in a recipe designed to use it. Feeding Exceptional venison into a soldier's hardtack ration caps the output at Common quality and wastes the input. Rarity is not a free upgrade — it has to be unlocked by matching the right recipe to the right ingredient.

Meat Rarity Tiers¶

Tier	Source	Nourishment quality ceiling	Market behavior
Common	Farm pig, farm chicken, farm cattle, domestic goat	Common–Fine (depends on herd condition)	High volume, low margin, stable price; everyday butcher supply
Uncommon	Wild rabbit, pheasant, river perch, freshwater trout, small game birds	Fine	Moderate premium; taverns pay a small bonus; spoils faster than farm stock
Moderate	Wild deer, young elk, wild boar (Coedmoch/Coedwych), large river fish (pike, salmon)	Superior	Meaningful premium; the ceiling for standard prestige tavern meals and better expedition rations
Rare	Brown bear, trophy elk, wolf, large predator kills, monster-grade game	Exceptional	Low volume, limited buyer pool; premium price windows during festivals; not suitable for everyday cooking
Exotic	Monster-sourced meat (specific bestiary creatures), regional specialty animals unique to one zone	Masterwork potential	Special order or festival event only; faction gift economy; no standing market price

Wild vs. Farmed: Same Category, Different Ceiling¶

Farm animals and wild animals of the same broad type are not equal inputs.

Farm stock is raised in controlled conditions. Its output is predictable, reliable, and at a lower quality ceiling — farm cattle reach Fine–Superior at best, never Exceptional, regardless of how well the herd is managed. Domestic animals are optimised for volume and consistency, not the depth of nourishment that comes from wild forage.

Wild game lives on varied terrain diet. This produces higher nutritional density and a higher quality ceiling, but with more variability. A wild boar taken from Coedmoch is not the same as a farm pig slaughtered in Talmaes, even if both produce "pork." The wild kill reaches Superior where the farm pig stops at Fine.

Meat type	Farm ceiling	Wild ceiling	Notes
Beef / cattle	Fine (Good herd), Superior (peak conditions)	— (no wild cattle in launch region)	Farm is the only source
Pork	Common–Fine	Superior (wild boar, Coedmoch/Coedwych)	Wild boar fills the quality gap above farm pig
Poultry	Common–Fine	Fine–Superior (pheasant, moorhen, wild duck)	Both valid; wild bird is better but lower volume
Venison	— (no farmed deer)	Moderate–Exceptional (deer, elk)	Hunting-only; quality scales with animal size and zone
Fish	Fine (fish farming near Arujoki)	Superior–Exceptional (wild river run, seasonal fish)	Seasonal wild fish events spike quality and price
Bear / wolf	—	Rare (Exceptional ceiling)	Trophy hunting category; not a food staple
Monster meat	—	Exotic (Masterwork potential, creature-specific)	Requires specific bestiary creature; unique properties per species

Recipe Tier Matching¶

A recipe has a designated meat slot with a quality ceiling. The ceiling is set by the recipe tier, not the input.

Scenario	Outcome
Common farm meat in a Common ration recipe	Correct match — full output at Common quality
Uncommon game in a Common ration recipe	Output caps at Common — rarity is wasted; input consumed at full quantity
Uncommon game in a Fine tavern meal recipe	Correct match — full output at Fine quality
Moderate wild game in a Fine tavern meal recipe	Output upgrades within Fine band — moderate game enables the top of the Fine ceiling
Rare meat in a Common ration recipe	Output caps at Common — significant waste; rare input is consumed as if it were Common stock
Rare meat in a prestige recipe (rare-required slot)	Full output at Exceptional quality; prestige recipe unlocks the rarity
Exotic meat in a prestige recipe	Masterwork potential if all other conditions (cook skill band, spice quality, tool tier) are met

The practical rule: rare and exotic meat should not flow into bulk provisioning. Any cook or provisioner who uses trophy game for field rations is consuming the premium and delivering Common output. The system does not prevent this, but the waste is visible in the output quality.

Prestige Recipes (Rare or Exotic Input Required)¶

Prestige recipes have an explicit minimum meat tier that cannot be substituted. They are not available to apprentice-level cooks. The recipe must be obtained — from the Trevalkaan Culinary Guild, a festival commission, or a specific NPC teacher.

Recipe	Required meat tier	Output	Access
Braised Bear Haunch	Rare (bear)	Superior–Exceptional morale meal; grants temporary cold resist	Culinary Guild, rank 3
Venison Provision Pack	Moderate (deer/elk)	Superior long-duration expedition ration	Culinary Guild, rank 2
Roast Boar Quarter	Moderate (wild boar only — not farm pig)	Fine–Superior feast provision; morale bonus	Culinary Guild, rank 2
Trophy Game Bone Stock	Rare (any rare-tier game bones)	Exceptional cooking base for physician recovery meals	Alchemy-Cooking crossover recipe
Festival Centrepiece	Rare or Exotic (designated per event)	Morale feast item consumed in town festival events; cannot be individually equipped	Festival commission only
Monster Meat Preparation	Exotic (specific bestiary creature per recipe)	Creature-specific effects (varies); Masterwork nourishment potential	Special order; requires bestiary knowledge of the creature

Settlement Meat Preferences¶

Each settlement has a preference profile. The profile has three layers: a cultural baseline that rarely changes, a seasonal/festival modifier that follows the calendar, and a weekly drift that introduces low-amplitude random variation in what the market is actively paying above-price for.

Cultural baseline preference by settlement:

Settlement	Everyday supply (no premium)	Preferred/traditional	Prestige demand (noble/guild)
Talmaes	Farm pork, farm beef	Venison (feast), pheasant (feast days)	None — small agricultural village
Arujoki	River fish, freshwater perch	Smoked salmon, pike	Exceptional seasonal fish (Midsummer run)
Metsadu	Rabbit, game bird	Venison, mushroom-venison stew	Monster meat (Forest Spirits tradition)
Rumiarr	Goat, mountain rabbit	Elk (winter), wolf (warrior feast)	Trophy elk (Solstice)
Polheen	Farm pork, transit trade beef	Seasonal game (what passes through)	None — trade waypoint; preferences shift with caravans
Trevalkaan (common district)	Farm pork, poultry, salt fish	Beef, venison	—
Trevalkaan (guild/merchant district)	Beef, venison	Bear, trophy elk, quality fish	Exotic and monster meat (festival windows)
Trevalkaan (garrison)	Salt pork, hardtack (Common rations)	Fresh beef, preserved provision (Fine)	None; bulk supply is the priority

Settlement tier preference tendency:

Village: Common farm stock is fully acceptable. Uncommon game is a treat. Rare is a festival item.
Town (common): Uncommon game is expected in the market. Moderate wild game is a normal premium line. Rare is festival-exclusive.
Town (elevated district): Moderate wild game is the baseline premium. Rare is expected during festivals. Exotic is special order.
City (noble): Moderate is treated as adequate common supply. Rare is the expected dining tier. Exotic is prestige.

Festival Demand Calendar¶

Festival	Season	Meat in demand	Price effect	Notes
Spring Planting Festival	Early Spring	Spring lamb; farm poultry	+30% on lamb and poultry across farming villages	Lamb is a renewal symbol; must be from the current season's flock
Midsummer Hunt	Summer	Wild deer, boar, rabbit — anything hunted, not farmed	+40–60% on all wild game for 3 days	Community board event; hunter who brings the largest kill receives a bonus commission
Harvest Feast	Late Summer / Autumn	Roast farm pig (primary); grain-fed poultry	+25% on farm pig and poultry region-wide	The one festival where farm meat outperforms wild
Forest Spirits Day	Autumn	Monster meat or exotic game (Metsadu-local)	Premium for exotic at Metsadu only	Small festival; limited reach but highest per-unit premium in the calendar
Winter Solstice Feast	Winter	Wild boar (the traditional feast animal); elk	+50% on wild boar; elk commands noble-tier price	The largest food-demand event of the year; begin stockpiling boar weeks in advance
Threshold Night (New Year)	End of Winter	Bear (courage tradition); wolf meat (warrior gift)	Bear meat peaks; wolf is secondary premium	Bear is culturally significant; this is the reliable annual window for bear-hunting income
Trade Fair	Late Summer	All rare and exotic meats; imported delicacies	+20–35% on rare; exotic buyers present for 1 week	The only reliable window to sell exotic meat to non-festival buyers

Weekly Preference Drift¶

Separate from festivals, each settlement's butcher, tavern keeper, and market run a weekly preference drift — a low-amplitude random shift representing a chef's weekly special, a patron request, or a buyer restocking.

Drift result	Duration	Price effect
No change	—	Current preference holds
Minor tier shift	1 week	One tier up or down in preferred meat; small price adjustment (±10%)
Category shift	1 week	Settlement temporarily prefers a different meat type (e.g., Talmaes wants more poultry instead of pork); normal price on pork, small premium on poultry
Craving spike	3 days	One specific meat type premium doubles, then returns to base; announced in settlement notice board

Craving spikes are announced at the notice board and expire without warning. A player who acts within the 3-day window captures the premium; one who arrives on day 4 finds the price already normalized.

Nourishment Quality by Meat Tier¶

Higher-rarity meat prepared in a matching recipe produces better outcomes across all nourishment metrics. These are only realized if the recipe tier matches the meat tier — mismatched recipes cap at the recipe ceiling regardless of input.

Meat tier	Hunger recovery duration	Hunger decay rate	Morale effect	Additional
Common (farm stock)	1.0× baseline	Standard	None	Reliable; no surprises
Uncommon (wild small game)	1.2×	Standard	Minor (+1 morale step)	Noticeable improvement over farm stock
Moderate (large wild game)	1.5×	−20% decay for duration	Moderate (+2 morale steps)	Meaningfully longer expedition comfort window
Rare (trophy game, bear)	2.0×	−35% decay for duration	Strong (+3 morale steps)	Doubles effective ration duration; competitive advantage on long expeditions
Exotic (monster meat, creature-specific)	Up to 3.0× (exceptional prep only)	−50% decay; additional resist	Maximum morale; creature-specific condition bonus	Effect type depends on the source creature; documented per bestiary entry

The gap between Common farm stock and a well-prepared Moderate wild game provision is not cosmetic. A character with a Venison Provision Pack in their kit stays fed longer, maintains a better hunger band deeper into an expedition, and carries a passive morale bonus throughout. Over a B-rank expedition, this difference compounds.

Water System¶

Water is a separate supply class from food. Every expedition consumes water from the character's carried supply. Some biomes stress water differently.

Water Sources¶

Source	Notes
Wells (village or town)	Free to access; slow to deplete; refills daily
Rivers and safe springs	Free; accessible during riverbank and wetland expeditions
Caravan water stores	Purchased for long-haul or desert-adjacent routes
Water merchants	Available in town; price rises when town water reserve is strained
Rain capture (advanced)	Requires a cistern or barrel set at a fixed plot
Snow melt	Available in winter; costs fuel to process into safe water

Water and Town Reserves¶

Town water reserves are tracked separately from food. A town can be food-stable and water-failing simultaneously if its wells are contaminated or its river access is disrupted.

A contaminated or dry water source creates quest pressure immediately: water routes must be secured, alternative sources found, or a purification project completed before the reserve recovers.

Plot Acquisition¶

Players access farming through plot leases or ownership. Leases are the entry path; ownership comes through sustained investment.

Plot Lease (Village)¶

Acquired from a village headman or land registry (Bathrys in Talmaes is the primary early source)
Costs a weekly fee in coin or material delivery
The plot is pre-cleared and ready for immediate use
Lease can be terminated by the headman if the plot sits idle for too long
Quality tier of a leased plot depends on the village and which plots are available — Talmaes has the best soil in the launch region; Rumiarr is rocky and unsuitable; Metsadu can support herb gardens and mushroom caves but not field crops

Plot Ownership (Town Project)¶

Unlocked through sustained player investment in a village or town
Requires completing a series of land-improvement commissions (drain the bog, clear the stones, fence the pasture)
Owned plots do not incur weekly lease fees
Owned plots can be passed between characters via the market or guild roster

Plot Types¶

Type	What it supports	Where available
Crop field	Grain, root vegetables, legumes, flax	Talmaes, Trevalkaan Outer Fields
Orchard plot	Fruit trees, berry rows, hop vines	Talmaes, sheltered vale sites
Herb garden	Medicinal herbs, spice plants, dye plants	Metsadu, Trevalkaan garden plots
Mushroom cave	Fungal crops, glowcap, alchemical fungi	Rumiarr lower caves, karst cavern sites
Pasture	Livestock grazing, herd management	Talmaes, Polheen vale, Trevalkaan commons
Dedicated stable	Draft animal care, breeding	Trevalkaan livery district, Polheen
Beehive row	Honey, wax, pollen	Talmaes (Enkwen's hive rows), sheltered meadow plots

Crop Farming¶

Growth Cycle¶

Each crop goes through four stages. Each stage is a timed job that can be submitted async. Tending adds to the timer but improves output quality and reduces event risk.

Stage	What the player does	Timer	Skip penalty
Prepare	Till field, apply soil treatment, test soil	2–4 hours	Poor seedbed reduces yield 10–20%
Plant	Select seed stock, plant with or without a seed drill	1–3 hours	Uneven spacing reduces yield 5–15%
Tend	Weed, water, watch for pest signs; repeat weekly	30–60 min/week	Each missed tend cycle increases blight and pest risk, reduces quality ceiling
Harvest	Collect with sickle or scythe; carry to storage	2–6 hours	Delays past peak week reduce yield 10% per day

Irrigation: Fields adjacent to a well or with an irrigation ditch reduce the yield penalty from missed tending cycles by 50%. Building an irrigation channel is a plot improvement project that costs timber, stone, and labor.

Seed drill: Using a seed drill tool (instead of hand-casting seed) reduces planting time by 30% and increases seeding density, which raises the yield floor at the cost of higher seed consumption.

Crop Catalog¶

Staple Crops¶

Grain (Winter Rye / Spring Wheat)

The highest-volume crop and the primary driver of the town food reserve. Two strains: winter rye is planted in autumn and harvested in early summer; spring wheat is planted in spring and harvested in late summer. Having both rotations active provides near-continuous supply.

Property	Value
Season	Winter rye: plant Autumn / harvest Early Summer. Spring wheat: plant Spring / harvest Late Summer
Growth time	60–90 days (real-time scaled to game tick rate)
Yield per plot per cycle	80–120 units (Common soil, no treatment). 150–200 units (Good soil, treated, irrigated)
Output	Raw grain → Mill → Flour → Baker/Provisioner → Bread, Ration packs. Raw grain → bundled (no processing) → Grain Bundle (mount feed item; 1 bundle = 1 day's feed for most herbivore mounts)
Crafting use	Flour is a recipe input in all bread and standard ration pack recipes
Market role	The highest-volume staple; price spikes in late winter when reserves run low
Soil draw	High. Rye draws more than wheat; both require rotation with legumes every 2–3 cycles

Root Crops (Turnip / Beet)

Hardy crops that tolerate poor soil and cold. Lower calorie density than grain but faster growth and less soil draw. Beet can be used as a dye plant as well as a food source.

Property	Value
Season	Late Spring → Late Autumn (tolerates frost)
Growth time	30–45 days
Yield	60–100 units (Common soil). 120–160 units (Good soil)
Output	Root vegetables (direct food use) → Cooking (stews, field rations)
Crafting use	Beet tops → dye reagent for clothworking (red-brown tone)
Market role	Budget food staple; price is stable and lower than grain
Soil draw	Low. Good rotation companion for wheat

Legumes (Field Beans / Peas)

The soil restoration crop. Legumes fix nitrogen — planting a legume rotation after wheat or rye replenishes soil condition. They also produce food and a small amount of dried storage protein. They are not the most valuable crop per plot but they are the reason the field behind them produces well.

Property	Value
Season	Spring → Late Summer
Growth time	45–60 days
Yield	40–70 units (beans); 30–50 units (peas)
Output	Dried legumes (cooking ingredient); green peas (fresh food, high spoilage)
Crafting use	None primary. Dried beans used in stew and provision recipes
Market role	Lower value than grain but permanent rotation demand
Soil draw	Negative — restores soil condition. Every 2–3 grain cycles a legume rotation is required

Cash Crops¶

Hops (Brewing)

Hop vines grow on orchard-style plots or on purpose-built pole frames. They require a vertical support structure and cannot be planted on bare field without a plot upgrade. Output feeds the brewing profession.

Property	Value
Season	Plant Spring, harvest Late Summer
Growth time	70–90 days (first year), faster in subsequent years on established vine roots
Yield	20–40 units per season
Output	Dried hop cones → Brewing → Ale, stout, bitter
Crafting use	Ale and brewing outputs are morale food; ale is also used in Alchemy as a fermentation base
Market role	Premium price; Trevalkaan's tavern is a permanent buyer
Soil draw	Medium

Flax

Grown primarily for its fiber stalk rather than its seeds, though the seeds produce an edible oil and the seed cake is useful as animal feed. Flax is the primary field-grown input for the clothworking profession.

Property	Value
Season	Spring → Late Summer
Growth time	60–75 days
Yield	30–60 units stalks; 10–20 units seed
Output	Flax stalks → Retting (water soak) → Fiber → Clothworker → Linen yarn → Linen cloth
Secondary output	Linseed oil (Alchemy base, wood finishing), seed cake (animal feed)
Crafting use	Primary linen source; linseed oil is a woodworking and alchemy reagent
Market role	Moderate-high value; price rises when the Clothworkers Hall issues batch commissions
Soil draw	Medium

Dye Plants (Woad / Madder)

Niche crops with high per-unit value but low volume demand. Woad produces blue dye; madder produces red. Both feed clothworking dye recipes and are used in Alchemy for pigment preparation.

Property	Value
Season	Spring → Late Summer (woad); Spring → Autumn (madder, 2-year root crop)
Growth time	60 days (woad); 18 months to first harvest (madder)
Output	Dye paste → Clothworking (color application), Alchemy (pigment)
Market role	Premium niche; price is volatile because few players grow them

Specialty Production¶

Herb Gardens

Medicinal herb gardens occupy a dedicated herb garden plot. They produce the same herbs available from Foraging in the wild, but in a managed environment with consistent supply rather than random site-based extraction.

Herb family	Medical application	Alchemy application
Wound herb	Salve base for wound treatment	Basic recovery salve ingredient
Root tonic herbs	Stamina and fatigue recovery	Physician's Stamina Tonic ingredient
Fever herb	Fever-reduction preparation	Swamp Condition Medicine support reagent
Blight-clearing herb	Anti-blight field use	Advanced medicine
Spice and aromatic herbs	Cooking quality improvement	Alchemical aromatic reagent

Herb garden yield is more consistent than wild Foraging but does not reach the quality ceiling of a prime wild node. A potency-grade herb can only be sourced from wild nodes or a player with a 6-piece Foraging Set. The herb garden's advantage is reliability and proximity, not peak quality.

Mushroom Caves

Fungal farming in cave spaces below Rumiarr or in the karst cavern network. The cave environment is stable (no weather, no pests beyond cave vermin), which makes this one of the most reliable production types.

Fungal type	Use
Edible mushroom (common)	Cooking; fresh food, stew component
Alchemical fungi (glowcap, sporecap)	Alchemy reagent — no field substitute
Preserving fungi	Natural antimicrobial compounds used in Preservation recipes
Bioluminescent fungus	Light source material; used in mining and underground expedition supply

Soil Condition System¶

Soil condition affects yield, quality ceiling, and event risk on every crop plot.

Condition	Yield modifier	Quality ceiling	Event risk
Rich	+20%	Exceptional (with best inputs)	Low
Good	Baseline	Fine	Normal
Tired	−15%	Common only	Elevated (blight, pest)
Depleted	−30%	Common only	High

How soil improves:

Legume rotation — each completed legume cycle restores 1 grade
Soil treatment (composted dung + lime + mineral powder) — restores 1 grade
Fallow season (leaving a plot unplanted for one full season) — restores 1 grade; takes the plot out of production
Irrigation maintained — slows degradation rate by 50%

How soil degrades:

Every non-legume crop cycle degrades soil 1 grade if no rotation or treatment is applied
Overgrazing a pasture degrades land 1 grade per season
Blight event — drops soil 1 grade immediately and requires a Herbalism check to clear

A player who plants grain every single cycle without rotation will watch soil go Good → Tired → Depleted within 3–4 seasons. Players who rotate with legumes and apply soil treatment can hold Rich indefinitely.

Seasonal Calendar¶

Season	What to plant	What to harvest	Notable
Early Spring	Spring wheat, legumes, flax, hops (establish)	Winter rye (mature)	Soil softens — tillage possible and cheaper
Late Spring	Root crops, herb garden replanting	Nothing major	Pest risk begins rising
Summer	Tending all crops	Nothing major yet	Heat stress risk in dry years
Late Summer	Nothing new	Spring wheat, flax, hops, legumes	Prime harvest window
Autumn	Winter rye, madder (2-year)	Root crops, remaining summer crops	Frost risk; late harvests lose quality
Winter	Mushroom cave cycles, bee dormancy	Mushroom output	No field crops. Fallow period for fields

Seasonal price dynamics: Grain is cheapest at Late Summer harvest when supply peaks. By Late Winter/Early Spring, reserve stocks thin and grain price rises significantly. A player who stored surplus autumn grain and sells in late winter turns a meaningful profit from storage investment alone.

Field Events¶

Event	Trigger condition	Effect	Response
Pest infestation (field rat, beetle)	Tired/Depleted soil, missed tending, Late Spring/Summer	Yield loss 15–30% this cycle	Pest cull order (Board). Trapping kit deployment
Blight	Hot+wet season, Tired/Depleted soil	Yield loss 20–40%, soil drops 1 grade	Herbalism treatment or sacrifice the cycle
Drought stress	Dry summer, no irrigation	Yield loss 10–20% per tending cycle missed	Irrigation protects. Carry water manually
Flood damage	Heavy rain event, low-lying fields	Partial harvest loss; soil resets to Good from silt	Cannot be avoided; plan harvest timing
Good harvest season	Prosperous region, Rich soil, full tending	Yield +15–25%; quality ceiling +1 band	Collect the windfall
Weed surge	Missed 2+ tending cycles	Quality ceiling drops to Common	Extra tending cycle clears it

Animal Husbandry¶

Animal farming produces the most diverse output of any farming type: food (meat, milk, eggs), crafting materials (hide, wool, tallow, bone, bristle, wax), and labor (draft animals). Every species produces multiple outputs simultaneously from a single herd.

Pasture and Herd Management¶

All livestock except poultry and bees require a pasture plot or dedicated stable. Pasture size determines maximum herd size.

Pasture size	Max herd (large animals)	Max herd (small animals)
Small (1-plot)	4	20
Medium (2-plot)	10	50
Large (3-plot)	20	100

Overgrazing: Exceeding pasture capacity degrades land condition 1 grade per season. Land is considered Overgrazed at >120% capacity.

Pasture rotation: Moving a herd to a secondary pasture while the primary recovers is the animal-farming equivalent of crop rotation.

Winter feed: During Winter, outdoor pasture produces no forage. All livestock must be fed from stored hay, root vegetables, or grain byproducts. Feed deficit causes condition loss and output reduction. A full winter of feed must be stocked before the season changes.

Livestock Catalog¶

Cattle (Farm Breed)¶

Domesticated cattle are the most economically important livestock in the launch region. They produce meat, milk, tallow, hide, and bone simultaneously.

Output	Processing	Destination
Beef (fresh)	Butcher → preserved provision	Cooking, Provisioning
Milk	Dairy → cheese, butter, whey	Cooking, Alchemy (whey as protein reagent)
Hide	Tannery → leather	Leatherworking (heavy leather, war pack, saddle)
Tallow	Rendering → tallow block	Alchemy base, gear finish, candle
Bone	Drying → bone stock	Tinkering (handles), Cooking (stock)

Quality: Pasture-raised cattle on Good soil with full winter feed reach Fine output. Rich soil, supplemental feed, and a superior breeding bull can reach Superior quality cuts and Superior hide. Neglected cattle on Tired pasture produce Common quality across all outputs.

Draft work: Oxen provide draft labor — they can be assigned to plow fields, haul logs, and pull wagons. One ox reduces the tilling prep timer on a full field by 40%.

Sheep¶

The primary wool and fiber source. They produce a seasonal wool clip (spring shearing) plus ongoing milk output and a terminal meat yield.

Output	Processing	Destination
Wool (spring clip)	Clothworker → yarn → cloth	Clothworking (armor padding, tent cloth, cloak inner layer)
Milk	Dairy → cheese	Cooking, Provisioning
Lamb/mutton (cull)	Butcher → preserved provision	Cooking
Sheepskin	Tannery → thin leather	Leatherworking (lining material, glove backs)
Lanolin (from wool)	Extraction → fat	Alchemy (skin preparations), gear waterproofing

Shearing: The spring wool clip is a timed harvest event. Missing the shearing window reduces clip yield and quality. Shearing with a quality blade improves clip quality by one grade.

Pigs¶

The highest meat-yield animal relative to feed input. Pigs can be fed on food waste and root crop byproducts — feed requirements are partially met by discarded husks, spoiled grain, and vegetable tops from crop operations, creating a farm-level waste-reduction loop.

Output	Processing	Destination
Pork (fresh)	Butcher → salt-cured → provision	Cooking (equivalent to Cured Boar Provision)
Pig fat	Rendering → tallow	Alchemy, gear finish, cooking fat
Pigskin	Tannery → thick hide	Leatherworking (boot sole, medium armor — equivalent to wild boar at Common–Fine)
Bristle bundle	Harvest from cull	Leatherworking (quiver stiffener)
Bone	Drying → stock	Tinkering, Cooking

Economy note: Domestic pigs produce the same material categories as wild boar (Coedmoch, Coedwych) but at a Common–Fine quality ceiling. Wild boar hunting remains relevant for superior material quality (Fine–Superior wild boar fat, Fine–Superior briar-backed hide). The farm pig fills bulk demand at the Common tier; wild boar hunting fills the premium quality tier above it. The two sources are complementary, not competitive.

Poultry (Chickens, Ducks)¶

The fastest food-cycle livestock. Chickens produce eggs daily and can be culled for meat with no wait time.

Output	Processing	Destination
Eggs	Direct use	Cooking (binding ingredient; baked goods, tonics)
Poultry meat	Butcher → direct or preserved	Cooking
Feathers	Drying → fletching bundle	Arrows (fletching input — permanent sink)
Down	Harvest from cull	Clothworking (insulating layer for cold-climate gear)

Arrow supply link: The fletching bundle from poultry is the primary arrow feather source when wild bird hunting output is insufficient. Duck farms near Arujoki are a noted arrow-supply link for the regional Archery market.

Goats¶

Goats thrive in terrain where cattle and sheep underperform — rocky hills, sparse vegetation, steep pasture. The primary livestock option for Rumiarr and elevated zone settlements.

Output	Processing	Destination
Milk	Dairy → cheese, butter	Cooking
Goat meat (cull)	Butcher → preserved provision	Cooking
Goatskin	Tannery → supple thin leather	Leatherworking (glove palm, herb pouch)

Terrain advantage: Goats on rocky hill pasture graze without overgrazing at 150% of nominal capacity (hill terrain has deep root forage that surface assessment underestimates). The only livestock exception to the overgrazing rule.

Draft Animals (Horses, Mules, Oxen)¶

Draft animals are farm infrastructure rather than a food source. They provide labor that dramatically reduces field preparation and hauling timers.

Animal	Primary use	Secondary use
Ox	Field plow; heavy haul	Low-speed pack animal
Mule	Pack transport on rough terrain	Light draft; superior to horse in mountain terrain
Horse (draft breed)	Field plow; cart pull	Faster than ox but more expensive to feed

A player with a draft ox reduces field tillage timer by 40% and log hauling timer by 30%. Draft horses and mules can also be used as expedition pack animals.

Bees (Beehive Row)¶

Beehives are a passive production source. Once established, they produce honey and wax on a weekly cycle with minimal tending. They require a seasonal pollinator landscape — planted flower rows, herb garden proximity, or orchard adjacency — to maintain hive health.

Output	Processing	Destination
Honey	Direct use	Cooking (sweetener, preservative), Alchemy (carrier medium, wound treatment), morale food
Wax	Melting → wax block	Sealing (all alchemy containers), bow finishing, leather waterproofing, candle making
Beeswax polish	Preparation → apply	Woodworking (fine furniture), instrument maintenance
Propolis	Extraction	Alchemy (antimicrobial reagent)

Market permanence: Honey and wax are among the most stable-price staple goods in the game. Wax is consumed as a container seal in every alchemy recipe at every quality level — including Exceptional and Masterwork preparations. A Common wax seal is on every vial that exits the most advanced laboratory in the region.

Hive defense: Bears are a hive threat. Beekeeper Enkwen's hive defense commissions (B-rank encounter in Talmaes) are a recurring board item because bear-hive conflict is a persistent condition, not a one-time event.

Livestock Events and Threats¶

Event	Trigger	Effect	Response
Predator attack (wolf, bear)	High monster pressure near pasture	Herd loss 1–3 animals; survivors have quality penalty for 1 cycle	Predator cull order (Board), defensive pen improvement
Disease outbreak	Overgrazing, poor winter feed, high density	Output reduced 30–50% for 2–3 cycles; spread risk to adjacent herds	Veterinary treatment (Alchemy-sourced animal medicine); quarantine
Winter kill	Insufficient winter feed stored	Animal loss proportional to feed deficit	Adequate winter hay storage is the prevention
Parasite infestation	Missed grooming cycle, wet pasture	Wool/hide quality penalty; meat quality penalty	Herbalism treatment; pasture rotation
Escape/roundup	Damaged fence, storm event	Animals scatter into local zone	Roundup expedition (low-rank, no combat)
Exceptional breeding result	Superior breeding stock + full tending	Offspring quality tier increases by 1	Keep as herd improver or sell breeding rights

Processing Chain¶

Raw farm output is not expedition-grade supply. It must be processed before it enters the crafting or provisioning economy.

Crop Processing¶

Grain (raw)
  → Mill → Flour
      → Baker/Provisioner → Bread, Ration Packs, Hardtack

Grain (raw, excess)
  → Brewery (Ale, Beer — via Hops + Yeast)

Flax stalks
  → Retting (water soak, 2–3 days)
      → Breaking and Scutching (fiber separation)
          → Clothworker → Linen yarn → Linen cloth
  → Linseed (seeds)
      → Cold press → Linseed oil (woodworking, alchemy)
      → Seed cake (animal feed)

Hops (dried cones)
  → Brewery → Ale (morale food); Bitter (export good)

Root vegetables
  → Direct cooking (Stew, Provision pack)
  → Pig feed (excess or poor-quality roots)

Herb garden output
  → Alchemist (Medicine, Reagents)
  → Provisioner (Spice application to food quality)

Orchard fruit (apple, pear, berry)
  → Direct food (Fresh fruit — high spoilage)
  → Preserving → Dried fruit (long shelf life)
  → Fermenting → Cider, Vinegar (alchemy base, cooking)

Mushrooms
  → Direct cooking (Common mushroom — stews)
  → Drying → Alchemist (Alchemical fungi — long shelf life)

Dye plants
  → Dye extraction → Clothworker (color pigment)
                    → Alchemy (pigment preparation)

Livestock Processing¶

Cattle
  → Butcher → Beef (fresh) → Preserved provision (smoking, salting)
           → Tallow → Rendering → Tallow block (alchemy, gear finish)
           → Hide → Tannery → Heavy leather (war pack, saddle)
           → Bone → Bone stock (tinkering handles, cooking stock)
  → Milk → Dairy → Cheese, Butter, Whey

Sheep
  → Shearing → Wool clip → Clothworker → Yarn → Felt, wool cloth
  → Milk → Dairy → Sheep cheese
  → Cull → Mutton → Preserved provision
  → Sheepskin → Tannery → Thin leather (lining)
  → Lanolin → Alchemy, waterproofing

Pig
  → Butcher → Pork → Salt-cured provision
           → Fat → Rendering → Pig tallow (Common-grade boar fat equivalent)
           → Pigskin → Tannery → Thick hide (boot sole, medium armor)
           → Bristle → Leatherworking (quiver stiffener)

Poultry
  → Eggs → Direct (cooking ingredient, binding agent)
  → Cull → Poultry meat → Direct or preserved
  → Feathers → Fletching bundle (arrow component)
  → Down → Clothworking insulating layer

Goat
  → Milk → Dairy → Cheese
  → Cull → Goat meat → Preserved provision
  → Goatskin → Tannery → Supple thin leather

Bees
  → Honey → Direct (cooking, alchemy, morale food)
  → Wax → Sealing, bow finish, wood polish, candle
  → Propolis → Alchemy (antimicrobial reagent)

Processing Infrastructure¶

Building	Input	Output	Skill
Mill	Raw grain	Flour	Milling (Farming crossover)
Bakehouse	Flour, water, salt	Bread, ration pack	Cooking
Smokehouse	Raw meat, salt, fuel	Preserved provision	Preservation
Dairy	Milk, salt	Cheese, butter, whey	Cooking
Tannery	Raw hide, salt, tallow, water	Leather	Leatherworking
Rendering vat	Animal fat (raw)	Tallow block, lard	No skill requirement
Brewery	Grain, hops, water, yeast	Ale, beer	Brewing (Cooking crossover)
Loom / Clothworking bench	Wool, linen fiber, yarn	Cloth, felt, yarn	Clothworking
Pressing vat	Linseed, fruit	Linseed oil, cider	Basic processing
Retting pit	Flax stalks, water	Retted flax fiber	Farming skill crossover

Town Supply Loop¶

Reserve Classes¶

Farm output flows into the town's reserve system via the daily settlement tick.

Reserve class	Primary farm inputs
Food reserve	Grain, bread, meat, preserved provisions, dairy, fresh produce
Fuel reserve	Charcoal (from orchard pruning and wood byproducts), peat
Medicine reserve	Herb garden output, alchemical fungi

Daily Settlement (Farm Contribution)¶

farm_contribution_per_tick = (npc_farm_baseline + player_farm_output + delivery_from_villages) × processing_efficiency × season_modifier

Season modifier:

Season	Modifier
Spring	0.6 (few crops in; last winter stocks depleting)
Summer	1.0 (tending in progress; no major harvests yet)
Late Summer / Early Autumn	1.6 (harvest peak; all crops incoming)
Winter	0.4 (no field crops; livestock output only; heavy consumption)

Village-Town Supply Links¶

Village	What they supply to Trevalkaan	Disruption effect
Talmaes	Grain (primary), dairy, livestock	Food reserve drops within 2 settlement ticks
Arujoki	Fish (primary), river produce	Fish component of food reserve declines
Metsadu	Herbs, trap byproducts	Medicine reserve affected
Polheen	Transit goods; some dairy from vale	Indirect — route disruption hurts all villages
Coedwair	Timber, charcoal	Fuel reserve affected

Talmaes is explicitly the most critical food-supply village for the launch region. If Talmaes harvests fail due to blight, raiding, or pest pressure, Trevalkaan's food band drops from Stable to Strained within 2 days of game time. This creates genuine urgency for players to respond to Talmaes-sourced quests.

Economy Integration¶

Crafting Material Pipeline from Farms¶

Farms supply Common-tier crafting materials across multiple professions permanently.

Farm output	Crafting use	Permanent demand mechanism
Cattle hide	Leatherworking (heavy leather, war pack, saddle seat)	Every war pack and saddle ever made consumes this
Cattle tallow	Alchemy base, gear finish	Present in every leather finish recipe
Wool	Clothworking (armor padding felt, inner cloak layer, tent inner)	Every padded armor layer uses wool felt
Pig fat / pig tallow	Alchemy, cooking fat, gear finish	Common-tier substitute for wild boar fat
Pig bristle	Leatherworking (quiver stiffener)	Every quiver made contains bristle
Egg	Cooking (binding reagent)	Every baked ration pack has eggs as a binder
Feather	Arrows (fletching)	Every 20 fletched arrows need bird feathers
Wax (bees)	Alchemy seals, bow finish, wood polish	On every alchemy vial at every quality tier
Honey	Cooking, Alchemy carrier	Consumed at all profession tiers
Wheat flour	All bread and ration recipes	The highest-volume crafting input in the game
Linseed oil	Woodworking (wood treatment), Alchemy (oil carrier base)	Every bow limb conditioning step
Linen cloth	Clothworking (armor lining, tent inner panel, wraps)	Present in every armor set as inner structure
Lanolin	Waterproofing, skin preparations	Alternative to tallow rub for cloth-surfaced items
Down (poultry)	Clothworking (cold-climate insulation)	Cold-weather gear inner lining
Propolis	Alchemy (antimicrobial preparation)	Specialist use; permanently relevant in medicine crafting

Market Pricing Dynamics¶

Seasonal price band (grain example):

Season	Supply pressure	Price index	Opportunity
Late Summer (harvest)	Surplus	70–80% of base	Buy and store
Autumn	Growing stores	85–95% of base	Neutral
Winter	Drawdown from stores	100–115% of base	Hold stock
Late Winter / Early Spring	Thin reserves	130–160% of base	Sell stored grain

Price volatility triggers: - Blight event at Talmaes: immediate +20% food price spike; peaks at +40–60% if not resolved within 3 days - Successful Talmaes harvest board clear: immediate −10% price relief - Caravan route disruption (Talmaes road blocked): price spike equivalent to mild blight - Player mass delivery (large shipment arrives): temporary −8 to −15% price dip - Town festival: +10% on morale food (honey, ale, luxury provisions)

Player Trade Opportunities¶

Arbitrage: Talmaes sells grain at close-to-farm price; Trevalkaan market adds a premium. A player with a mule and pack saddle can buy from Talmaes and sell in Trevalkaan for a consistent 15–25% margin during normal periods. During shortage spikes this becomes 40–60%.

Processing margin: Processed outputs (flour, leather, tallow blocks, wool yarn) are worth more than their raw inputs. A player who owns a farm and operates a linked processing building captures both the production and the processing margin.

Seasonal futures: Player contracts allow posting a delivery at a future price. A crafter who needs grain in winter can post a contract: Deliver 100 units of Fine grain before Day 90 for X coin. A farmer who expects a surplus can accept that contract, locking in a sale price now against future delivery. This is the beginning of a commodity market driven entirely by player decisions.

Player Farming Activities¶

Board-level and contract-level activities that emerge from farming operations.

Activity	Rank	Description
Field Survey	F	Walk a plot circuit and report readiness status
Pest Cull	F–E	Clear field rats, blight beetles, or weevil swarms from an infested plot
Harvest Expeditions	E–D	Time-limited seasonal gather — collect grain before weather event
Soil Treatment Run	E–D	Source soil treatment reagents from Alchemy; apply to designated plots
Livestock Roundup	F–E	Recover escaped livestock scattered in the local zone
Predator Defense	D–C	Cull wolves or bears threatening Talmaes pasture; protect hives from bear
Irrigation Repair	D	Repair a breach in an irrigation channel after storm damage
Winter Supply Run	D–C	Deliver sufficient hay, root stock, and grain to satisfy Talmaes winter feed board
Seed Sourcing	D–C	Obtain quality seed stock for improved next-season crop
Breeding Stock Delivery	C–B	Transport a quality breeding animal to or from a remote ranch
Orchard Management	D	Prune, stake, and treat orchard rows; unlocks orchard yield bonus for current season
Beehive Defense	B	Protect Enkwen's hive rows from a bear Elite encounter

NPC Baseline Farming¶

NPC farms run on autopilot at Common-quality output regardless of player activity.

NPC farm rules: - NPC farms do not improve beyond Common quality unless a player completes a village improvement commission that upgrades their tools or seed stock - NPC farms are disrupted by events (blight, raids, predator pressure) and generate quests when disrupted - Player farming output adds to and improves NPC baseline output — it does not replace it - If a player leases or owns a plot that was formerly NPC-operated, the NPC baseline for that plot is removed and replaced by player output

Talmaes NPC baseline: - 5 NPC crop plots (grain, root, legume rotation) operating on autopilot - 2 NPC cattle herds producing Common-quality output - 1 NPC dairy producing Common cheese and butter - Headman Bathrys manages NPC operations and issues permits for player plots adjacent to them

Public Recovery Floor¶

Every town maintains emergency public rations and water at poor efficiency. This prevents hunger from turning into a hard progression lock. The floor is always present — a destitute character can eat and drink at reduced quality from the public reserve rather than being locked out of the game entirely.

Technical Model¶

Core Tables¶

farm_plot
  plot_id, owner_id (player or npc), region_id, plot_type, soil_condition,
  irrigated (bool), fenced (bool), current_crop_or_animal, stage,
  stage_started_at, next_tick_at, event_flags

growing_job
  job_id, plot_id, character_id, crop_template_id or livestock_template_id,
  stage (prepare|plant|tend|harvest), timer_end_at, tend_cycles_missed,
  input_quality_tier, status

livestock_herd
  herd_id, plot_id, species, count, breeding_stock_quality, current_condition,
  feed_reserve, last_fed_at, event_flags

processing_job
  job_id, character_id, building_id, input_item_id, input_quantity,
  recipe_id, skill_band_at_start, timer_end_at, status

farm_output
  output_id, job_id, item_template_id, quantity, quality_tier, harvest_at

crop_template
  template_id, name, season_plant, season_harvest, growth_days, soil_draw,
  base_yield_min, base_yield_max, quality_ceiling_by_soil_condition,
  event_risk_table_id

livestock_template
  template_id, species, outputs (json: item_template_id + quantity_per_cycle),
  feed_requirement_per_day, feed_types (grain|hay|root|forage|waste),
  pasture_size_units, winter_feed_multiplier

meat_item
  item_id, name, source_type (farmed|wild|monster), species, rarity_tier
  (common|uncommon|moderate|rare|exotic), quality_tier, region_id,
  seasonal_availability (json: seasons where wild source is active),
  nourishment_duration_mult, hunger_decay_modifier, morale_bonus_steps

recipe_meat_slot
  recipe_id, slot_id, min_rarity_tier, max_rarity_tier, accepts_farmed (bool),
  accepts_wild (bool), quality_ceiling (output cap when mismatched),
  is_prestige_slot (bool — if true, mismatched tier produces no output, not capped)

settlement_meat_preference
  settlement_id, preference_profile_id, cultural_baseline (json: rarity_tier → base_price_mult),
  current_festival_modifier_id (nullable), weekly_drift_active (json: rarity_tier → drift_mult),
  drift_expires_at, craving_spike_item_id (nullable), craving_expires_at

festival_calendar
  festival_id, name, season, duration_days, meat_demand (json: rarity_tier → price_mult),
  settlement_scope (all|region|specific_settlement_id), announced_at

Growth Resolution (on timer fire)¶

Load plot soil condition and current crop template
Load character Farming skill band and equipped tool quality
Count missed tend cycles
Apply season modifier
Roll yield: base_yield × soil_modifier × tend_penalty × season_modifier × tool_modifier
Roll quality distribution per unit against quality ceiling for current soil condition
Apply 6-piece Farming set bonus if active (8% chance to upgrade one quality band per batch)
Check event roll: blight, pest, windfall based on field event table
Write farm_output records
Update farm_plot soil condition (degrade or restore based on crop type and rotation state)

Livestock Tick (daily)¶

Load herd feed reserve
Subtract daily feed requirement × herd count × season_modifier
If feed deficit: apply condition penalty to all animals
Roll production: each animal produces daily output at current condition quality
Roll event: predator, disease, escape (probability scales with event_flags and region pressure)
Write output records
Update herd condition

Town Supply Integration¶

Farm output enters town reserve via the same delivery path as any other supply item. Each output item template carries a town_reserve_value by reserve class:

1 unit of Common flour → 0.8 food reserve units
1 unit of Fine flour → 1.0 food reserve units
1 unit of fresh meat → 1.2 food reserve units (higher calorie, faster spoilage)
1 unit of preserved provision → 0.9 food reserve units (lower calorie, no spoilage)

A daily town tick reads all completed farm_output from the previous 24 hours that were delivered (the item must physically arrive at a warehouse or storage building), converts them to reserve units, and adds them to the aggregate.

crafting-and-itemization.md — quality resolution rules; farm material quality affects downstream recipe ceilings
material-relevance-and-recipe-structure.md — anti-obsolescence model; farm outputs occupy permanent structural roles
gathering-and-resource-ecology.md — wild harvest comparison; farm vs. wild quality ceiling differences
town-simulation-and-supply.md — reserve system, daily settlement formula, shortage bands
market-contracts-and-logistics.md — seasonal trading, player contracts, delivery logistics
frontier-marches-crafting.md — specific recipes that consume farm-sourced materials
villages.md — Talmaes as the primary farming village; Beekeeper Enkwen; Headman Bathrys
skill-catalog.md — Farming skill bands; Farming and Agriculture gear set