Hawkethorne Nursery
| Hawkethorne Nursery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Region | Hawkethorne |
| Accessible from | The Frost Hound |
| Neutral Hub | Yes |
| Operation Hours | 8:00 - 19:59 |
Written by The Observer
The Hawkethorne Nursery is located directly south of The Frost Hound and is run by Garth's daughter, Gwyn. Its open to the Champion and will normally house their children, if any, unless special conditions apply like Kiyoko or Zhara.
The nursery can be upgraded by donations of Electrum Coins to Gwyn in order to improve and add facilities to the nursery. Doing so will also raise Gwyn's affection for the Champion. Upgrading the nursery will not have any other affect outside of interactions with Gwyn and the nursery itself.
Description
The nursery description will differ based on the number of upgrades it has received. The description below is for a fully-upgraded nursery:
Gwyn's nursery has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings as a log cabin in the Frost Hound's backyard. A towering two stories tall, it counts itself amongst the more stately buildings in Hawkethorne — although it still doesn't quite match up to the Frost Hound or Chapel of Velun, it nevertheless stands in its own right as one of the town's landmarks.The old wood building has been replaced with one of solid brick, with plenty of insulation to keep the interior warm against the Frost Marches' chill. The well still sits by the chicken coop, although there's no further need for buckets and ropes any more, not with the hand-cranked pump that's been installed. Despite all this, the box incubator still sits by the hearth, a reminder of the place's humble beginnings.
The place itself is doing quite the booming business. Some things never change — Gwyn seems very fond of the hanging cribs herself — but the rest of the interior is completely changed. Various corners of the main building have been marked off with colorful posts for the older children — a free play area floored with furry rugs, a dining hall by the kitchens for mealtimes, a small section with various child-friendly musical instruments, so on and so forth. There's even what might amount to an impromptu school for the very young, staffed by some of the local villagers with a few hours to spare. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of reading, writing and such except for the few youngsters who're interested in such — unsurprising, considering how most of the local populace can't really read — but schooling appears to be more verbal and dedicated to the practical ways of life and survival up here in the Frost Marches. Infants themselves have a room of their own, away from the hustle and bustle of the main building, and mesh lamps hang safely out of reach, casting a warm light on the entire scene.
The entire nursery is bright and colorful, painted in warm colors to contrast with the cold, unforgiving world beyond its walls. Various bits of arts and crafts, glued-together toys and the like hang up on the walls, garishly cheerful in the way only a mother could love. At the head of it all is a crudely-drawn — well, for a value of drawn, it honestly looks more like a collection of scribbles — portrait of Gwyn herself, surrounded by red and pink hearts. There aren't any words here, but none are needed to convey what's being said here. Standing in the nursery, for a moment at least, one can gain respite from a world infected by corruption.
Gwyn's room in the back of the nursery is finally, just perhaps, something worthy of someone bearing the title of nursery matron. She's clearly got a thing for natural light, huge glass windows adorning the walls, complete with heavy drapes. In one corner, a large, comfortable-looking bed, in the other, a chest of drawers and heavy wardrobe. An ornate rocking chair carved in the traditional lupine style sits by the fireplace, and upon the mantle lie a few knick-knacks of obviously sentimental value, as well as where she puts her... um, tools of the trade when she's not using them. At least they're kept out of sight in an ornate wooden box, lest one of the children accidentally wander in. Flowering herbs for use in cooking adorn the windowsill planters, their little white blossoms swaying in the breeze.
Ah, it definitely gives you a sense of satisfaction to see how far the nursery's gone — and in no small part thanks to your efforts.
Characters
Interactions
First Visit
Leaving through the back door of The Frost Hound will bring the Champion to the tavern's backyard, where Garth's cabin sits in one corner, a chicken coop and then the nursery itself. The little log cabin had not been there the last time the Champion looked, however they will note that although the construction of the cabin had been pretty quick, the nursery itself is a bit lacking.
Heading inside the nursery, the Champion will be greeted by Gwyn who mentions that although Baroness Carmen provides funds to keep the nursery from going under, expansion of the nursery would be up to Gwyn. The Champion will not be charged for the children they bring into the care of the nursery, since the baroness fund is paying for everything, however donations are always welcome to improve the living conditions of the children.
Subsequent Visits
Subsequent visits to the nursery will give the following options:
- Look Around - Take a look around the nursery.
- Kids [will differ if does not have kids or is currently night]
- Gwyn [will differ if is currently night]
Upgrades
Upgrading the nursery provides additional text when interacting with Gwyn and the nursery, however it provides no other changes or bonuses (except for raising Gwyn's affection for the Champion and unlocking the first upgrade is required for the Champion to sex Gwyn).
| Cost | Upgrade |
|---|---|
| 250 | Kitchen |
| 500 | Pantry |
| 1000 | Laundry Room |
| 2000 | Extra Space (first floor) |
| 4000 | Children's Library |
| 8000 | Playpen with toys |
| 16K | Decorations |
| 32K | Second Floor |
| 64K | Upgrade building materials (Heat & Insulation) |
| 128K | Running Water |
| 256K | Schoolhouse |
| 512K | Music Room |