Giving Thanks: Settlers Edition!

[Deogi]

Thankful for a free game that has corrected my WoW addiction!!

[Bibleman]

I thankful for my family that God give me and i thankful for my salvation, that God saves me from my sins, God is awesome

[Vernis]

A candle flickered in the dank tent as the fabric door flapped aside.

"How is he?"
"Never seen gashes like that. But, he will live. What of the rest, anything I can do?"

The mayor stared at floor, the shredded mess of fabric that had been the general's uniform lay in a heap, soaked with blood. He tried to face the doctor but quickly turned. Through a gap in the fabric he could just see the last of the setting sun. The entire sea was glowing orange. For a moment the mayor almost smiled. He still loved that about this place.

"Surely a few stragglers may find their way?"

The mayor turned at last, his face now pale and hollow.

"No doctor. We found them all - what was left of them." The mayor did not say goodbye.


"Torn to pieces? By what?"
"Doesn't sound like coastal scavengers to me."
"The whole Eastern army? Gone?"
"What now?"
"It's a fiasco I tell you - I want to know how this happened!"

"The orders were mine-"

The room fell silent. The mayor was dusty and disheveled from the long ride, but it only magnified his presence. This settlement, this island, their lives, everything they had built was due to him, and they knew it.

"- and so the responsibility is mine." the mayor continued.

He strolled into the hall, gently placed his hat over the large map on the table and rubbed his forehead. He spoke, almost to himself, trying to explain.

"Our explorers warned us. The clans in the hills. North AND East. Far more dangerous. They keep wild beasts. We must have strayed too close. Ambush. They tore down out of the mountain before our troops even got to the..."

The mayor paused. The men and women were staring at him. He put his hat back on, stood up straight and cleared his throat.

"Fellow Settlers. We have suffered a terrible loss. Just as terrible as what you have heard. We all knew this could happen. This is still a wild and dangerous place and there are no guarantees."

Now he looked in turn at each face as he continued.

"But, I remind you, WE are still here. Our farms are still here. Our smiths. Our mills. New mines will be found. Weapons remade. The trades still bring gold. And new mouths to feed arrive every day."

Mugs clanked. Eyes met eyes. Traders in fancy dress bowed low to soiled miners. Brewers patted the crusted dirt off farmers shoulders. Each realized it as he spoke. They all depended on each other. There were cheers now as he went on.

"We WILL rebuild. We WILL continue. To the East and to the North. We will free this whole island! We will go on. Not because we must, but because this place is OUR home now. And OUR home is worth all this. OUR home is worth fighting for!"


A tent flap swung aside. The morning sun was up.

"You may come in now. The General is very tired, but well enough for visitors."
"Thank you sir."

The boy ran to the bedside excited, then fell to his knees. The bandages covered the worst of the wounds but the boy still wept at the sight.

"Have you heard?" said the doctor, hoping to cheer him up. "There's to be a feast."
"A celebration, now?" the boy seemed shocked.
"A thanksgiving," said the doctor. "The mayor has decreed it."
"But?" the boy recoiled, then blurted. "We lost! They all DIED!"

The doctor knelt next to the lad, and spoke softly.
"Now is when We must give thanks most of all. Thanks for what WE still have. We give thanks now for those who gave their lives so that we may go on. You see?"

The boy wiped a tear, sniffed and nodded.

After a moment, the boy looked up at the doctor.
"Can I still give thanks, for my pa? I mean, that he didn't die?"
"Of course you can. We all can."

[Ursuper]

Thanks for the 5 brew and shiny blade, now what did you want to do?

[KingXOG]

I received this letter from one of my settlers, who happens to be a general in my military:

Dear Large person who looms over our sky,

I'd like to offer my thanks for allowing me to join your community. You have a really nice island here and I'm glad that I can be a part of it. Also, thank you for the garrison you have assigned to me. It is unfortunate that I only have recruits under my command, but I am grateful that they haven't yet tried to hide my robe or played keep-away with my fibula. They do seem to be drunk most of the time.

I'm also thankful for the Thanksgiving season. I used to enjoy the Thanksgiving meal as a boy, but now it seems I'm not able to find a meal that will really stick to my ribs. The mothers at our PTA thought it was great that I could eat all the Halloween candy I wanted and still keep my thin figure. Little did they know that the candy was just falling right through me and piling up under my robe.

I understand that the death rate has risen since I moved in. I apologize for this inconvenience, but yet it continues to happen as I have no control over it. I'm thankful that you purchased a tomb so that the dead could at least be buried in a proper grave, rather than being chained to cement blocks and tossed into Central Lake as they were before you purchased this tomb. The water was really starting to turn green and the fishermen were refusing to fish there anymore.

One last thing, the children at the new schools you built continue to make fun of me as I ride by. They say such remarks as, "Take off that mask, Halloween is over!" and, "Aren't you late for something, like your next birthday!" Funny as it may be to them, it seems inappropriate for a military figure of my rank. Let's at least consider maybe putting up a privacy fence around the schools, ok?

Forever in your service,

Death
death_rides_again69@hotmail.com

[GZewewelous]

On this day i am thankful for the generals who keep our boarders secure from the bandits

[beast_577]

we settlers are thankful for lovely punkin pie. we will hunt are meat, so we got a big turkey to eat. Harvest are wheat to make bread and go to the settlers online feast!!

[Lord_Tristan]

As dawn rose above the mountainous region of North Isle, Josiah, a humble woodcutter arose and was about to set off to the Great Forest to gather wood for the feast that his lovely wife, Isabelle, was planning for that evening. It was the Thanksgiving feast after all, and Josiah wanted to make sure that there be plenty of lumber for the fires that eve. Being a poor, humble woodcutter, Josiah had not much, but more than most men could ask for; a loving wife, 3 children, a roof over their heads, and a warm bed with three simple, yet wholesome meals a day. Life was grand as far as Josiah was concerned, and that’s the very thought that went through his mind when he stepped out his home and headed for the thickness of the Great Forest.

By Midday, Josiah had chopped nearly 4 score of wood logs, and was resting for a spell under the shade of a mighty oak tree, when frantic cries met his ears. Almost falling from the stump upon which he sat, Josiah rose to his feet, turned and cast his gaze northward, his chopping axe at the ready. Unable to discern the source of the cries, for they were still fairly distant, Josiah began to seek their whereabouts. Walking ever so cautiously between the mighty pines of the Great Forest and then concealing himself behind some brush, Josiah located the source of the disturbance to his daily routine. He eyed a traveling merchant family, tied up separately to a few hardwood trees, whilst a bandit harassed the merchant for the coin in his purse or other valuables, as the rest of his brood scavenged his horse cart for whatever they could find.

Being but a humble woodcutter, Josiah had no soldiering experience. He knew to take the bandits alone would be foolish and that he would be killed should he attempt it, but there was one thing Josiah had that could change the fate of this family…the element of surprise. Being a woodsman, Josiah knew the location of several of the great animals that lived in the Great Forest, having met a few actually, but one in particular made his home not but a few steps from where he currently was and decided to take a dangerous chance in attempts to save this merchant family. Kudar, the Great Brown Bear, resided in a cave just moments from the spot, and it being around midday, as Josiah knew, the great brown was more than likely in his abode escaping the hot sun. Ever so quietly, his heart pounding like a sinister drum in his chest, Josiah left the scene and stole his way towards Kudar’s cave. Just outside the opening, Josiah heard grunts from the great animal, and correctly discerned that Kudar was becoming aware of his presence. Taking what bit of food had left from his rest, he held it outstretched from his person towards the mouth of the cave.

Slowly, Josiah began to make out Kudar’s shape emerging from the cave. In a ferocious and massive bellow, Kudar let out a growl and began and trudge after the meal (either what was in his hand or Josiah himself) that had so graciously decided to come to his doorstep. With sweat pouring from his brow, heart literally felt as if beating in his throat, Josiah turned and ran towards the locale where he saw the bandits, the great bear in close pursuit.

Moments within reaching the bandits position, Josiah tossed the food he had with him with all his might toward the center of the area in which they stood, then diving into the nearby brush where he hid earlier. Much to his own surprise as the bandit’s, Kudar rushed towards the meal that Josiah had tossed, and upon hearing the bellowing of the great bear, the bandit’s were in awe to turn and see it charging directly towards them. With frantic screams of their own, they immediately began to scatter in all directions, completely forgetting the booty of which they scored for fear of their lives, dropping their weapons in the process. Upon seeing the bandits flee, Kudar chased after the bandit leader, as his tunic was of a reddish color, had shiny bits of metal in his teeth and profusely smelled like salmon. In the hysterical confusion and as the bear chased the leader, Josiah went and freed the merchant and his family, and using his axe the cut the ropes that bind them, lead them to safety.

Being that the bandits torched the cart and slew the horse that drew it, the merchant could salvage nothing from his wares he meant to take and sell at market. They were left penniless and far from home. Josiah, being but a humble woodcutter, took the family into his home, gave them shelter for the eve, and shared in his hospitality the very feast that was part of his daily labor. During this banquet of simple, yet wholesome cuisine, the merchant thanked Josiah for his courage and for saving his family, to which Josiah only replied: “Tis the Almighty who be needing thanks, for if it were not for Him and the courage He bestowed onto me, I would not have been there to save you.”

And so ended the thanksgiving feast…Upon the morrow, Josiah outfitted the merchant with a pack horse and a few coin to get them to the carriage station to where the merchant could deliver his family safely back home. Although but a humble woodcutter, Josiah was ever thankful to have the wherewithal to help his fellow man.

[Reacher12]

As a new recruit of the the Empires Army I give thanks that the kind recruiting Sergeant offered me more brew than I had ever had in my life as he regaled me with his adventures as a soldier in the Empires Army. I can only imagine my daily ration of brew and wonder how shall I carry all the medals of valor that I am sure to be awarded. I realize that a recruit is just a start and one day I might survive to return to my village as a recruiting Sergeant where I will have young men flocking about to hear of my adventures while I continue to drink all the free brew that I can to keep a steady stream of valiant recruits coming into the ranks. I know that my family will be proud of my conduct and I expect to conquer many new lands while also defending the Empire.

NOTE* This letter home to his family was found in Recruit Yint's tunic after he died a hero of the Empire in his first engagement.

[Wukung]

Thank you for giving me a game I can play anywhere on any computer at any time