Riverside Story

Along a river, I spot a small Palisade with a missing gate. I pause to investigate.

In the compound, there are a few unused Rowboats. I decide to take one along with a couple of containers.

While Foraging along the river, I come upon more ruins. Rivers provide good transportation, but they also expose one's home to raiders.

To my surprise, I come across another boat beached along the shore. I wonder who it belongs to?

Scavenger Hunt

While wandering, I come upon yet another ruined homestead. Its walls broke down long ago.

These houses reek of decay. No sign of the owners either.

Inside, I find a number of cabinets. Since I can't carry much, I'll have to take only what I need.

Nothing extravagant here, but I did find a few useful items.

Do Talk To Strangers

In the vast world of Haven and Hearth, meetings with other players can be rare and unexpected. Below are a couple of videos showing my first friendly encounter.

This person seems friendly. There may be some others nearby, too.

I'm sure we'll meet our new friend again very soon. But in the meantime, our journey continues...

The Great Pumpkin

I guess Linus isn't the only one who believes in the Great Pumpkin.

A bunch of Rune Stones can be found nearby. Here are some of the reactions.

I can't say this is my favorite crop, but I won't judge.

More pumpkins on this side as well. I wonder how long it took to do all this.

A few of the pumpkin patches look like they've been harvested.

I guess I'll add my comment as well.

If you sit in this pumpkin patch on Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin may appear before you. And it totally isn't some guy wearing a Jack-o'-mask.

Living Large

I chanced upon some highly developed villages while traveling. Those Wooden Chests behind the Brick Wall must be full of useful goods.

The sheer size of their farms is astounding. Those Trees must have been individually grown from saplings.

Some even create patterns with their crops. This large field of Carrots is planted in a circle.

But not everything is good in these large towns. This one, for example, looks abandoned.

Greater production means greater wealth. But it also makes the location a more attractive target for raiders.

If you look closely, you can see that these Cheese Racks are all empty and decaying. Even large places can end up as ghost towns in the end.

Enjoy the Little Things

Rule #32 - Enjoy the Little Things. Ant Hill raiding is one of the most underrated, yet efficient way to gather Curiosities for Learning Points (LP).

Barter Stands are used to trade items with other players. This one doesn't seem to be in use right now.

Hearth Secrets are used to add players to your Kin List. They can also be used to spawn new characters near that person's Hearth Fire.

Players can Stake Claim on their land to help protect their property. This farmstead looks safe from most minor threats.

After a long day of exploring, I prepare to return back to my Hearth Fire. Lifted objects return with you when you use the "Adventure > Travel > ...to your Hearth Fire" command.

Remnants of Civilization

I come across raided villages fairly often. Some of them are fairly advanced. This one has Brickwalls and Stone Mansions.

These large untended Farms can be harvested for high quality seeds and produce. I take some time scavenging what I need before moving on.

Even well fortified villages can get raided. This large one looks heavily damaged and abandoned.

To those who are brave and resourceful enough, these vast old ruins are a treasure trove for wanderers like myself.

 

The most valuable resources, like Steel, are often long gone and pillaged. It never hurts to check, though.

Exploring an Old Mine

Players can build a Mine Hole to prospect for valuable metals. This one tunnels into a nearby cave.

Cave passages often lead to dead ends, like this one. Larger cave systems can take hours to explore.

Digging deeper often leads to better quality metal and stone. However, it takes a lot of resources to go beyond the cave level.

Mining is a key industry for players who seek to advance. Metal armor, weapons and tools are often in high demand.

Cave-ins are a real threat when mining. Be sure to build plenty of Mine Supports for safety.

I didn't find any metal today, but I did find this mushroom. Foraging in a cave can result in a number of unique items.

It's a Runestone Kinda Day

Runestones serve as signs in Haven and Hearth. By using Stone Working, anyone can leave a message for others to read.

Sometimes you can find old conversations the players had between each other. These are often the only means of communication with those from different timezones.

Few words strike more fear into the hearts of those who recognize the name "DIS". This player faction has destroyed both tiny homesteads and large fortresses in their struggle for dominance.

Others leave friendlier messages, but I may have been a few months too late to meet this person.

I wonder what message I should leave behind as I wander. Hopefully, it isn't about a violent death like this one.

The ghost village

Every once in a while, I bump into signs of human activity nearby. This particular rune stone led me to a strange place.

After heading north, I found some carefully paved roads. There was nothing in the area aside from a flock of wild chickens.

I followed the roads to more paved areas. While there were no houses to be found, a number of hearth fires burned ominously nearby.

Then, I chanced upon the author of the rune stone. His story ended far more abruptly than I expected.

 

After finding nothing of value, I decided to hurry out of the area. Perhaps it is better not to know what happened to this place.

Settling in

After growing tired of wandering and sleeping outdoors, I've decided to start looking for a safe place I can call home.

I find a few small cottages and outposts as I travel. While useful, they are too exposed for my tastes. Raiders typically don't knock before coming in.

Villages and claims have more tools and supplies, but I hesitate to trespass or steal from them. You never know when a bored ranger could come after you.

Today I sleep with a roof over my head and some tools I found while travelling. Sometimes a simple home is best.