Lockhaven in spring is akin to a great beast rising from the slumber of hibernation at the first warm spell. The guardmice that called her home lulled out of the catatonics of recuperation. The bread ovens were ignited, the spring forage began, the stone masons, carpenters, architects and engineers started working on repairing the winter damage, and planning the warm season’s construction projects. The weavers began the process of looming fibers for threads and yarns, the apiarists eagerly awaited the season’s first mass ascension from the hive, and the first vats of predator-deterring scent had arrived from the city of Sprucetuck destined to be spread along the border of the Territories during the first missions of the Guard.<br/><br/>The Matriarch, for by tradition the Guard was always led by a female, had spent the winter going over the Guard roster with her Captains. The spring duties were outlined, and Patrol Guards were chosen and attached to those duties. Once the Patrols were formed they came before the Matriarch to receive their orders. Spring is the busiest time for the Guard in terms of Missions assigned. First and foremost, the Scent Borders of the Territories must be replenished and maintained. The concoction is produced by scientific experts in Sprucetuck, and production lasts the entirety of the warm seasons. The product is transported to Lockhaven via caravan and stored there until the next spring season, when the various Patrols assigned re-scent the border with it. Other Patrols are assigned the task of renewing the communication and trade routes between the mouse settlements. During the winter and spring the weather and thaw typically wreak havoc on them, and it is left to the Guard to reopen the routes throughout the network.<br/><br/>This process occurs in two stages: the first stage is Pathfinding. Pathfinders are Patrols that survey and plan the route, making sure there are plenty of viable places to rest, forage, and most importantly hide. They are followed later in the season after the thaw by groups of laborers that make the route more passable by caravans and traders. The Pathfinding Patrol is often tasked with carrying the mail as well. Carrying mail is generally not the responsibility of the Guard, but as there is no mail delivery at all during winter, the Guard may be asked to carry the first delivery of the season.<br/><br/>Finally, the last common assignment of spring Patrols is protecting the first harvest groups. Crops are all but impossible to grow in the Territiories, therefore most food is harvested through foraging, collection, and storage until it is needed. Many other hungry animals, many with new young to feed, roam the Territories in spring along with mice, and it is the Pratrol’s duty to protect the harvesters from these dangers. The work of the Guard never ends, and service is constant.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/8/82/Gwendolynmg.jpg)</div>The Matriarch, Gwendolyn, personally assigns missions to the Patrols. She is an older mouse, though still vibrant, with grey-blonde fur and a sky-blue cloak that draped around her shoulders like a shawl, held in place by a rust-colored buckle. She always hovered over a desk of maps, charts, and other scrolls, each keeping a memorandum of a particular Patrol. It is with the Patrol of Lucien which she was today concerned, and she looked at Lucien curiously as she inspected the group he had collected. She had limited acquaintance with Cyd and even less with George, but two tenderpaws? She didn’t question Lucien’s judgment then, but she made notes to herself to question one of her captains to find out more about Noreen and Lucretzia, and why they were both serving in Lucien’s Patrol.<br/><br/>Gwendolyn paced in front of the Patrol as she explained the mission, and then moved to the map laid squarely on the center of her table: a simple delivery of mail from Lockhaven to Elmoss, Sprucetuck, Dorigift, and finally Gilpledge. The routes beyond Sprucetuck had not yet been cleared, so the trek was assumed to be challenging and potentially slow-going. Once in Gilpledge, the Patrol would make sure the needs of the nascent settlement were being attended to. Upon receiving their orders, Lucien knew the Patrol he had raised was well-skilled for such a mission. Gwendolyn wished the Patrol well on its travels, and in a motherly gesture tenderly grasped Lucien by the neck and kissed his cheek.<br/><br/><em><strong>GM to Players:</strong> The Patrol will travel uneventfully from Lockhaven to Dorigift. Between Dorigift and Gilpledge the Patrol will face the first obstacle of its mission. This doesn’t mean there aren’t a few interesting stories to tell between here and there. In your first post you may cover whatever you like about the Patrol’s journey from Lockhaven to Dorigift centering around your character. You can write a full narrative of the journey, but I think it might be more interesting to cover a topic or event personal to your character that happens along the way. <br/><br/>For instance, Lucien could write a backstory for why he chose the personnel for the Patrol that he did, or about Mentoring Noreen. Cyd could write about his personal demons in trying to make Patrol Leader, and how he hopes to sort those issues out on this Patrol. Noreen could write about George, or vice-versa: how they met and what she likes about him. Alternatively, while the Patrol is at Elmoss perhaps she visits her family, or even more amusingly, introduces George to her parents. She could also write about being Lucien’s protégé. Lucretzia is from Sprucetuck, and could visit her family or her friend Reynaldo while the Patrol was there. George could write about his love for Noreen or his Mentoring of Lucretzia, or that he’s so encumbered by kitsch by the time the Patrol reaches Dorigift he almost drowns fording a stream.<br/><br/>My point is, don’t feel you have to cover everything your character does on the journey, but instead give us a snapshot of an occurrence along the way that introduces us to your character and how they think and act. Don’t feel like you have to go chronologically after the player after whom you post. By all means, you don’t have to write what I suggested, or even the way I have suggested. Write what and how you want to, and cover what you’d like to.<br/><br/>Limited Godmodding will be allowed under the following guidelines. You may include another player’s character in your post, but you need to have that character using their Instinct or one of their Traits in your post. Use some common sense and common courtesy: don’t make another character express an opinion, don’t embarrass the character, and don’t make the character do anything that could cause a reaction. This is being allowed for flavor purposes because you’ll all working together as a group, and are constantly around each other. If someone asks you to remove their character from your post, or change what they’re doing in your post, please comply. If you abuse this privilege, you’ll lose it. Of course, anything worked up and agreed to by the players on the side is not subject to these rules.<br/><br/>Below I’m providing some info on the places through which you’ll be traveling. <br/><br/></em><hr/><br/><div align="center">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/8/8b/Mgmap.jpg)</div><br/><strong>The Territories</strong><em><br/>The mouse settlements are nestled in dense, rugged terrain. A little more than half of the territories are forested, much of the remainder could be described as rocky. There are also plenty of other surface features including lakes, ponds, streams, swamps, mud, tall grass, brambles and thorns, leaf cover, coastal beach, and open ground. In general, most types of terrain will be found on the routes the Patrol happens to be traveling, so feel free to use any terrain you need in your posts. There are eight principle settlements in the Territories. In alphabetical order they are: Barkstone, Copperwood, Elmoss, Ivydale, Lockhaven, Port Sumac, Shaleburrow, and Sprucetuck. I’ll only be describing them as we come to them.<br/><br/></em><hr/><br/><strong>Lockhaven</strong><br/><div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/16/Lockhaven.jpg)</div><em>Home of the Mouse Guard, Lockhaven is carved deep into stone. Only the ivy-covered face is visible from the outside. Lockhaven serves as a base of operations for the Guard and is not an open city. While there are mouse citizens that live there, they are invited guests of the Guard. The Guard extends invitations to skilled and trustworthy mice and their families. Staple foods are stored in abundance, while prepared foods are made as needed, as it is unknown how many or how few will be fed on any given day. Lockhaven is known for </em>gabcroon<em>: a dense bread filled with seeds, fruit and nuts that travels well and stays warm long after baking. Lockhaven is built of stone blocks and wood, but mainly carved deep into a large stone outcropping. It has a very large cistern that collects water from a fresh spring deep under the larder. <br/><br/>The Matriarch keeps a secret document that names her successor. The document is only to be opened in the event of her death. The Matriarch operates as a strategist, ambassador and administrator. She has several captains and administrators beneath her, including a scribe, castellan, and quartermaster. Textiles, weapons and armor, prepared foods, honey and wax are Lockhaven’s major trades. Harvesters, masons and carpenters live there as guests of the Guard to keep it running and self-sufficient. Lockhaven is sustained by donations. Many cities give grain as thanks to the guardmice at harvest time. <br/><br/></em><hr/><br/><strong>Elmoss</strong><br/><div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/2/2f/Elmoss.jpg)</div><em>Elmoss is named for the moss that grows on the trunk of the oldest elm tree in the Territories. The moss is renowned for its healing properties. The mice of Elmoss harvest and deliver most of the moss to Sprucetuck, but trade some of it as a raw commodity. The wood collected from the surrounding elms is also a prized item because it is water resistant and strong. There is a fair amount of harvesting near Elmoss as well: oats, wild carrots, and tubers. Some crops are planted and cultivated, but most are harvested wild. Elmoss is a medium-sized town that is home to trades dealing with carpentry and woodcrafts. It was once a hub of food trade, but after Walnutpeck, Ferndale, and Woodruff’s Grove fell, its importance has declined. The family who rules Elmoss employs a group of armed mice to protect laborers as they harvest in the open country. <br/><br/>Elmoss is built under and inside a massive elm tree in a small grove of elms. Family rulers govern over lords of trades – Wood, Moss and Harvest. The system’s complexity is outdated and burdensome on the population. Grains, moss, vegetables and wood products like furniture and carts are Elmoss’ major trades. It imports metal goods, paper and medicine. It exports finished wood products and its moss.<br/><br/></em><hr/><br/><strong>Sprucetuck</strong><br/><div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cc/Sprucetuck.jpg)</div><em>Harvesting sap from the spruce trees in the area, the sciencemice of Sprucetuck brew various beers and elixers. They infuse them with many natural remedies. In winter, the mice stay warm by utilizing hot stones placed on a central fire and carry to their apartment dens. There are a few laborer jobs at Sprucetuck including sap harvesting, central fire tending, and hot rock delivery, but most of the work done here requires more thought. Mouse science is focused on mouse health, crop health, pest control, some metallurgy, and the study of the heavens.<br/><br/>Sprucetuck is part of a hollow spruce tree. Inside, mice built a multileveled dwelling. Supplies are shuttled to the upper levels using a series of counterweighted lifts. Rainwater is collected in a cistern in the roots of the tree. Sprucetuck is managed by a governor with a lifetime term. The governor names his successor upon stepping down from the office. Monetarily, Sprucetuck uses a coin shared by Elmoss and Copperwood. They are leery of coin from too far away, as few mice from Sprucetuck travel and they have little use for “foreign” coins. Scientific work: apothecary, science, and mathematics are the major trades of Sprucetuck. It imports almost all grain and food; it exports medicines, elixirs, and poisons.<br/><br/></em><hr/><br/><strong>Dorigift and Gilpledge</strong><em><br/>These settlements are named after Dorice and Gilburt, two mice pioneers that founded the settlements of Dorigift, Gilpledge, and Appleloft.</em><br/><br/>These towns have not been described further. If you like world-building and want to describe Dorigift please feel free.