The Limonia Family 1341-1350
War and plague turned into a terrible decade for my poor sims.
As always, you can see my tree HERE
My character cards are made with help from AI. I know some people have problems with that. I don't personally have a problem with it, and I just think it is nice to only have to write the text, and not spend time on the rest.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting on my stories. Losing potential storylines has been one of the hardest parts of this decade, but I consider myself lucky that I haven't lost my main characters - yet.
Let's get to it.
Richard and Bridget
The 1340s brought both hope and heartbreak to Richard and Bridget’s household. In 1341, their son William was formally betrothed to Hayden, and the two married the following year, marking the beginning of a new generation for the family.
In 1344, Hayden became pregnant with their first child - the first baby born into the next generation of the family line. But joy quickly turned to grief. In 1345, the child was stillborn, casting a shadow over what should have been a hopeful new beginning. The loss weighed heavily upon the entire household, who had all looked toward the child as a symbol of the family’s future. Hope returned in 1346 when Hayden gave birth to a healthy daughter. They named her Mary, and for a brief time it seemed as though the family had finally found happiness again.
But war and plague soon shattered that peace. In 1347, Richard departed for France to fight in the war, leaving his family behind as England slowly edged toward catastrophe. Then, in 1348, the Black Death struck the household. Little Mary and her uncle Stephen both died from the plague, devastating the family and leaving deep scars behind.
The losses did not end there. In 1349, Richard himself fell in the war before ever meeting the grandson who had been named after him, while Bridget succumbed to the plague shortly afterward. Yet even amidst grief, life endured. That same year, Hayden gave birth to a son. In memory of the family they had lost, the child was named Stephen.
Now, with much of the older generation gone, William and Hayden must carry the family forward alone, raising their surviving son in a world forever changed by war, plague, and loss.
The Fisherman’s Hut
In 1346, Geoffrey finally completed his apprenticeship as a fisherman. Seeing potential in the young man, Alex offered him and his future wife the empty retirement cottage beside the shore until they could afford a home of their own. In return, Geoffrey would help with the household and work alongside Alex on the fishing boat. Geoffrey gladly accepted, and soon afterward he married Judith, the great love of his life. Coming from a fishing family herself, Judith quickly became a welcome help to Alice, who had long carried much of the household’s burden alone.
But peace did not last long. In 1347, Geoffrey was sent to France to fight in the war. Shortly after his departure, Judith discovered she was pregnant. In 1348, she gave birth to a healthy son. Knowing how much Geoffrey loved and respected his father, she named the boy Richard in his honor.
The following year brought more loss when Alex succumbed to the plague in 1349, leaving the family shaken. Yet in 1350, Geoffrey finally returned home from the war. With Gilbert still too young to take his father’s place, Alice began speaking of Geoffrey possibly inheriting Alex’s boat for the time being and teaching Gilbert the trade when he grew older.
After years of war, plague, and grief, the little fisherman’s hut once again stands filled with the sounds of family, the sea, and the hope of a future not yet lost.
Bowman Manor
During the 1340s, Bowman Manor appeared stronger than ever. Walter Bowman ruled the estate with an iron grip, determined to secure the future of the family through his eldest son and chosen heir, Henry. In 1342, Henry was formally betrothed to Mihaela Bishop, and in 1344 the two were married, strengthening the manor’s position during increasingly uncertain times.
In 1347, Walter and his son Adam departed for France to fight in the war, leaving Henry to oversee the estate in his father’s absence. Later that same year, Mihaela gave birth to her and Henry’s first child, a healthy son named Walter after his grandfather. The birth of little Walter II seemed to promise stability and continuity for the Bowman line, even as dark rumors began spreading across Europe. But those hopes quickly unraveled.
In 1349, news arrived that Adam had fallen in the war. Soon after, the Black Death reached the manor itself. Henry and his younger brother Roger both died from the plague, leaving Esther and Mihaela alone with two-year-old Walter II as nearly the entire male line of the family collapsed around them. In the middle of the grief and chaos, Mihaela discovered she was pregnant again.
The final blow came in 1350. After years spent waiting for his return, Bowman Manor finally received word that Walter himself had fallen in France. His squire rode through the gates carrying only his lord’s banner, while Walter never returned home. The man who had ruled the manor through fear, ambition, and absolute control was gone, leaving behind a shattered household and an uncertain future.
Later that same year, Mihaela gave birth to another son. She named him Henry, in memory of the heir the family had lost too soon, ensuring that despite war, plague, and the collapse of the old order, the Bowman bloodline still endured.
Yet with the old lord gone, the future of Bowman Manor remains uncertain. Esther now stands as the last surviving figure of the old generation, while Mihaela finds herself raising the only remaining heirs to a house built on power, fear, and control. Whether the manor will slowly heal under their guidance, or whether Walter’s legacy will continue to shape the next generation, remains to be seen.
The Blacksmith
The 1340s brought growing unease and devastating loss to the blacksmith’s household. Between 1342 and 1345, Hugh slowly began noticing troubling changes in Isabel Hetfield. Her rituals and obsessive routines grew increasingly consuming, and though Hugh questioned Walter about it, he received only vague and dismissive answers. Unable to fully understand what was wrong, Hugh nevertheless became more anxious and withdrawn, often seeming distracted and uneasy, as though he sensed something deeply unsettling beneath the surface of the manor’s carefully controlled image.
In 1343, Richard insisted that young Stephen return home now that he had reached six years of age and was old enough to begin helping on the farm. Maja was heartbroken to lose the boy she had grown so attached to, and his departure left a lasting ache behind.
Then, in 1345, tragedy struck unexpectedly. Hugh died suddenly while traveling on horseback. Officially, it was said that he had fallen, though quiet whispers questioned how such an experienced rider could have met such an end so easily, and there were rumors about Hugh being in a big fight with Walter before he stormed out of the manor. No answers were ever found, and the matter was quickly buried beneath silence.
Life continued despite the grief. In 1346, John married Kaye, a cheerful young woman from a baker’s family, bringing warmth and new hope into the household. Two years later, in 1348, Kaye gave birth to a healthy son named Hugh in honor of the man they had lost. But that same year, the Black Death arrived in England. Simon was among the first victims claimed by the plague, and before the year ended, word arrived that Stephen had also died from the sickness. The loss shattered Maja completely, and she became haunted by the belief that if she had only fought harder to keep him with her years earlier, he might still have been alive. But the plague was not yet finished with the family. In 1349, both Maja and Ralph succumbed to the disease, leaving the blacksmith household deeply scarred by grief and loss.
Yet life endured. In 1350, Kaye gave birth to another healthy son. They named him Simon, ensuring that even after war, plague, and tragedy, the memory of those they had lost would live on through the next generation.
The Brightwell Farm
The 1340s became a decade marked by sacrifice, longing, and loss for Sam Brightwell’s household. Though years had passed since the death of Joan - the wild woman Sam had loved more deeply than anything else in the world - her absence continued to shape the lives of everyone left behind on the farm.
By 1341, Maud had reached an age where many expected her to marry, yet duty kept her trapped at home. With Sam still carrying the scars of war and much of the responsibility for the household falling on her shoulders, she could not leave until her younger brother Nicholas was old enough to take over the farm with a wife of his own. While others around her slowly began building lives and families, Maud remained behind, waiting for a future that always seemed just out of reach.
In 1342, Sam’s youngest daughter Margaret was sent into service with the Bascherini family, a lesser-gentry household enriched through trade. There she quickly adapted to a very different life, learning the rhythms of a noble household while quietly carrying the free spirit inherited from her mother.
Meanwhile, Nicholas grew into an unusual and curious boy. By 1344, he had become fascinated by strange little objects, especially glass trinkets and mechanisms that caught the light or moved in unexpected ways. He spent hours studying how sand slipped through narrow openings or how tiny crafted objects were put together. Though clever and endlessly inquisitive, Nicholas often failed to consider whether the things he brought home actually belonged to someone else. He rarely stole out of cruelty or greed - only because he became so consumed by curiosity that consequences faded into the background.
As the years passed, Sam began looking desperately toward the future. He hoped to see Nicholas betrothed before reaching sixteen, believing that if the boy married young and settled the farm with his future wife, Sam could finally return to France without abandoning Maud to shoulder the burden alone. In 1346, he heard of Liliana, a young girl left orphaned after French raiders destroyed her family. Sam was deeply touched by her story, and took her in. Less than a year later she was formally betrothed to Nicholas.
By 1347, with Nicholas and Liliana promised to one another and Maud growing increasingly capable in the management of the household, Sam finally felt free to return to the war. He did not fight for England alone. Every French soldier caught in his sights became another offering laid at the feet of the woman he could not save. Beneath the discipline of the soldier remained the grief-stricken husband, still raging helplessly against the cruel unfairness of her death. In 1348, experience, skill, and fury proved powerless against the brutal realities of war. Far from the beaches and forests he had once roamed beside Joan, Sam Brightwell fell on a battlefield in France. Yet perhaps death was never the greatest tragedy for a man who lost his soul the day Joan died.
One can only hope that Sam’s bow has finally found its rest, and that somewhere beyond this world, he and his wild beloved Joan are once again side by side - free, young, laughing, and forever competing to see who reaches the shore first.
Back home, life continued to move forward in unexpected ways. Between 1347 and 1349, Margaret grew increasingly close to Drake Bascherini, the younger son of the household she served. Both understood that affection between a servant girl and a nobleman was dangerous, perhaps even impossible, but the Black Death changed everything. When the plague claimed both of Drake’s parents, the Bascherini household was left in chaos. Drake and his elder brother Octavio suddenly found themselves responsible for their toddler sister Talia, while suitable brides became increasingly difficult to find among the dying families surrounding them.
Seeing both opportunity and desperation, Drake convinced Octavio that marriage to Margaret would strengthen the household enormously. She already knew the estate, understood the routines of the house, and cared deeply for little Talia. More importantly, as the younger brother, Drake’s marriage to a former servant created less scandal than it would have for Octavio, who still needed to secure a more politically respectable match in the future. And so, in 1349, Margaret Brightwell became Margaret Bascherini.
Yet even as one child found a future, another was robbed of hers.
That same year, the plague claimed Maud before she ever had the chance to build a life of her own. For years she had waited patiently for her time to come - for Nicholas to grow older, for the household to stabilize, for duty to loosen its grip around her future. Instead, she died before ever truly leaving the farm behind.
By 1350, Nicholas and Liliana hurried to marry after whispers began spreading through the village about the two young people living together alone after Maud’s death. Though already betrothed, the growing unease within the village made it clear that promises alone were no longer enough.
Now, with Sam gone, Maud buried, and Margaret living among the gentry, the old Brightwell household stands transformed. Nicholas and Liliana must learn to carry the farm into a new age shaped by plague, war, and loss - while Margaret’s new life within the Bascherini family may yet change the fate of the Brightwell bloodline in ways none of them could have imagined.
Hetfield’s Merchant House
The 1340s marked the slow unraveling of Isabel Hetfield’s carefully controlled world. In 1342, her husband Darien died suddenly within the walls of their own home, leaving Isabel alone with their young son Dayton.
For years, Darien had watched his wife retreat further into strange rituals and obsessive routines. What had once seemed like grief had become something far darker. Objects had to be adjusted repeatedly. Fabrics smoothed over and over. Always three times. Never more. Never less. It was the only thing that seemed capable of quieting the fear constantly growing inside her.
One evening, while Walter Bowman visited the merchant house to discuss business and the future of the family, Darien finally confronted her openly. His frustration and worry spilled over into anger as he begged her to stop the endless rituals that had begun consuming her life. Startled and distressed, Isabel tried desperately to regain control of herself and the patterns that calmed her mind. In her panic, she adjusted one of the hanging tapestries not three times, but four. The mistake terrified her instantly.
As Darien stepped toward her in an attempt to calm her down, Isabel pushed him away in fear. The rushes scattered across the floor slipped beneath his feet, and he fell backward against a heavy oak chest, striking the back of his skull hard enough to kill him instantly. Only Walter witnessed what truly happened.
By morning, the death was quietly declared an accident. Walter ensured that no suspicion ever touched Isabel, and the household moved on in silence. Yet Isabel herself could not escape the horror of what had happened. Darien had died at the same age her own father had been when he died, and Dayton was the exact same age Isabel herself had been at the time. From that moment onward, Isabel became convinced that a curse followed her family - one tied to broken patterns, wrong numbers, and the terrible fear that history would always repeat itself.
After Darien’s death, Isabel withdrew further into herself. In 1342, she made a quiet arrangement with young Matilda, exchanging herbs for baked goods so she could observe the girl closely without raising suspicion. Isabel’s fear of losing control increasingly shaped every aspect of her life.
By 1343, Dayton had become a child, but Isabel rarely allowed him far from her side. She discouraged him from playing with other children and kept him constantly within sight, desperate to protect him from the fate she believed followed her family.
When news of the Black Death began spreading across Europe in 1348, Isabel’s fragile grip on stability weakened even further. Ships failed to arrive at the merchant house, trade routes collapsed, and terrifying stories reached England of entire towns being wiped out by plague. Convinced that danger surrounded them on all sides, Isabel largely abandoned the daily management of the household and sealed herself inside the great house with Dayton. All incoming goods were washed in Four Thieves Oil and locked away in quarantine for forty days before being allowed inside. Whenever she was forced to leave the house, she covered her mouth and nose with silk cloths soaked in vinegar and filled with Matilda’s herbs to protect herself from foul air and sickness.
Between 1348 and 1350, Edward visited the house often, urging Isabel to stop hiding herself away and return to church and community. But Isabel refused to listen. In her mind, her isolation had worked. While so many others died around them, both she and Dayton survived.
Then, in 1350, came the news of Walter Bowman’s death in France. Walter had long been one of the only people who truly understood Isabel’s fears and knew how to shield her from the outside world when her carefully maintained facade began to crack. His death shook her deeply, and Isabel became convinced that the curse she feared upon her family had finally claimed him as well. Yet strangely, Walter’s death also marked the beginning of a slow change. Isabel gradually began stepping back into the world and returning to the business, though her rituals and obsessions remained stronger than ever. She now refused to buy or sell goods if their weight, price, or measurements felt “wrong,” allowing numbers and patterns to dictate more and more of her decisions.
As trade slowly rebuilds after plague and war, the future of Hetfield’s Merchant House now rests in the hands of a woman caught between fear and responsibility — and a young boy growing up beneath the shadow of the same patterns that once consumed his mother.
The Church
In 1342, Edward took young David into the church as his apprentice, beginning a close bond shaped by faith, discipline, and duty. As David grew, Edward increasingly saw him not only as a student, but as proof that the next generation might still remain faithful in a changing and troubled world.
When the Black Death reached England in 1348, Edward’s faith only intensified. Convinced that the plague was God’s punishment for mankind’s sins, he began preaching strict abstinence, fasting, and repentance throughout the village. To Edward, people should turn away from earthly pleasures and focus instead on saving their souls before death reached them.
After Thomas and Carina married during the plague years, Edward began questioning them closely during confession about the details of their married life, believing it his duty to ensure they did not fall further into sin while God’s judgment hung over the land. Their later tragedy only strengthened his conviction that suffering and morality were deeply connected.
At the same time, tensions grew between Edward and Isabel Hetfield. While Isabel locked herself away inside the merchant house in fear of the plague, Edward repeatedly insisted that true protection could only come through God, prayer, and confession rather than isolation and strange rituals. Neither managed to change the other’s mind.
By 1350, Edward’s faith had become stronger than ever. Having survived the plague alongside David while so many around them perished, he became convinced that their survival was proof of divine favor and a reward for remaining steadfast in God’s path during England’s darkest years.
The Limonia Farm
The 1340s brought both new beginnings and devastating tragedy to the Limonia farm. In 1341, Robert married Fonsa, hoping to strengthen the household after Annas death. Yet tensions quickly formed between Fonsa and Matilda, whose growing independence and unusual interest in herbs and remedies often placed her at odds with the new mistress of the farm. That same year, Isolda was sent away into service with the Davidson family, beginning a new chapter far from home.
By 1342, young David had reached the age of seven and was sent to live under Edward’s guidance at the church. Meanwhile, Robert’s got sick, pushing Matilda further toward her interest in healing. Desperate to help her father, she began crafting herbal remedies and quietly formed an arrangement with Isabel Hetfield, exchanging fresh baked goods for rare herbs and ingredients. In 1344, even Walter Bowman himself sought out Matilda’s help after falling ill. Against all expectations, her remedies worked, quietly strengthening her growing reputation within the village.
Thomas had always been a fragile boy and was often sick because of it. As his health continued to worsen, Robert became increasingly concerned about Thomas’ future. In 1346, while speaking with a farmer from a neighboring village, Robert saw an opportunity. It would be easier to secure a marriage for Thomas somewhere people did not already know of his weak health and frequent sickness. The farmer had a daughter close to Thomas’ age, and before long the two fathers agreed upon a match. Thomas was formally betrothed to Carina.
Then came war. In 1347, Robert departed for France, leaving his family behind. Later that same year, a traveling merchant stopped at Simon’s smithy to repair his wagon and brought terrifying news from across the Channel. A strange sickness was spreading through France, but worse still, the merchant recognized Simon’s family name from conversations overheard among soldiers discussing fallen comrades. Fear spread immediately through the family. Simon desperately questioned the merchant, naming relatives one after another in hope that he might be mistaken. Richard? Geoffrey? But when Robert’s name was spoken, the merchant’s expression revealed the truth before he could even answer. Robert Limonia had fallen in the war.
When Simon walked up to the farm carrying the news, Matilda understood almost immediately that something was wrong. Before the words had fully left his mouth, she collapsed in grief. Fonsa and Thomas, watching silently from the doorway, needed no explanation. Robert would never return home.
The years that followed were shaped by plague and loss. In 1348, Thomas and Carina were married as the Black Death spread across England. Then, in 1349, both Peter and Fonsa succumbed to the plague, leaving the younger generation suddenly responsible for carrying the household alone.
That same year, Carina went into labor with twins. With Matilda’s help, the first boy was delivered safely and quickly baptized Robert in honor of Thomas’ fallen father. But Matilda soon realized another child still remained inside Carina. The second birth became long and dangerous, and despite desperate efforts, the second twin was stillborn. Carina only just survived and was left bedridden with childbed fever for days afterward. Hayden, who had recently given birth herself, helped nurse little Robert while Carina slowly recovered.
The tragedy shattered both Thomas and Carina. Edward had warned that giving in to earthly desires during the plague was sinful, and now the grieving couple became convinced the loss of their child was divine punishment. Though Matilda persuaded Edward to allow the stillborn twin burial in consecrated ground, he demanded that Carina perform a deeply public act of penance before the village so all could witness her punishment and repentance. Carina accepted willingly, desperate to atone for what she believed to be her sins, while young David overheard the entire arrangement in silence. Yet even that suffering was not the end. Only a short time later, little Robert himself died from the plague.
Now, after war, pestilence, and the deaths of nearly the entire older generation, the future of the Limonia farm rests upon the shoulders of Thomas, Carina, and Matilda - three young survivors left to rebuild a household haunted by grief, guilt, and the memory of those they have lost.
