The Shining Wyrm

6.i

Swine Turn closes with the third and final ploughing of the fallow fields.

This is carried out prior to the sowing of winter crops of rye. As in Birdsbane, harrowing is performed after sowing

Most important concern for the astute lord is that of Pannage.

As the season turns and the bite of autumn cold begins to sink into the evenings, expect the swineherds among your demesne to desire to drive their charges into the woods to forage for beechnuts, acorns and other such feed.

Charge for or bestow these rights as a boon to one’s peasants. The fee is to be added in addition to normal tenant dues, for expediency it is best to charge it as the largest swine of each dozen.

If one’s swineherds are vested in coin and pork is not to the lord’s liking the annum fee for Pannage should be between Twenty-Four and Thirty-Six Silver Pfennig depending on abundance.

The Time for pannage shall continue until Autumn proper arrives in full with the Blood Season. During this time expect the field hands to harvest down the Wheat stubble left at the summer harvest to mix with the stored hay as winter fodder.

When it comes to this last harvest of the Wheat, it is best to give in excess of that allowed to one’s subjects in the grain portion as It earns goodwill and if one’s own Animal are already secured in fodder it can further enrich the diet of the laboring peasant with household meat for use in levies or greater yield in harvest come summer.

Autumn proper, also known as the Blood Season and Smoke Season, opens with the slaughtering and salting of the swine and old beasts no longer fit for milk, work or wool.

The pigs will have been fattened in the pannage during Swine Turn.

And the accounting of winter foddering stores will make the decision of how many stock can be kept over winter.

The traditional day for slaughtering begins with the last leaves falling from the trees.

Of all animals taken in dues at this time every part has its purpose and value (aside from simply roasting entirely as an autumn feast).

The meat is preserved well by salting or smoking, skin is to be cured into tough leather and the blood saved to make black puddings. Of any Oxen slaughtered, their skin is to be cured into fine leather.

After the slaughter, tanning and preserving are done the peasantry will be preparing for the hardships of winter.

Firewood will be in great demand.

Ensure peasants are nominally forbidden from taking anything but dead wood for their own personal use. If you do not ensure this, their lust for warmth will turn decadent and all your woods will be stripped empty in a season and be left empty of good fuel come next winter.

Wood thieves in one’s lands seeking to indulge their vices will cut and and give for sale your forests, Fines or beatings as custom locally allows is recommended to drive off these villeins.

If you are bereft of woodland but possess bog, the peat may be cut loose and stacked to dry in this season for burning through winter.

If lacking in both bogs and woodland to take winter fuel from cutting and drying of grassland roots and all can serve.

Likewise along river or lake banks reeds and sedges are permitted to be cut and dried for thatching.

Water bracken can also serve as winter bedding for cattle.

When rain and storm do not permit the outside labor expect your peasants to huddle in their homes and perform little of value, as suits their base natures.

-Coinage and Lordly Stewardship by Sir Broghuilidad Silvertongue of Cortaza