Setting up shop

Before leaving town, you make sure to send a letter to your parents. It may be a very long time before they get your letter, so it's best to start a correspondence before you forget or get too busy with administering to your land. You wouldn't be surprised to get a letter from them soon.

With the knowledgeable Diego in tow, you pay for a ride to your new property. Conveniently, it's only an hour's ride from the heart of town. The fact that you are here in the early days of the settlement means plenty of prime land is still available. Unfortunately, it also means there is little in the way of infrastructure, so once out of town the ride becomes rather rough, to say the least. Riding through the island's damp forest, bright sunlight greets you as you reach a clearing. The sound of people at work lets you know you're almost there. You have yet to actually see an Indian, so you're quite excited.

The settlement soon comes into view. It is nestled on a verdant hillside, almost flat as a plain in some areas. A small river near the base of the hill will likeky be your main source of water. Between the swiftness of the river and your altitude, pests shouldn't be as much of a problem as you have heard they are elsewhere. A series of partially-built shacks makes up the skyline of your demesne. Brown, dark-haired people are visible in the distance milling about; these must be your charges. "This is our new home Diego, let's hope we like it!" you say, on the edge of your wooden seat.

The donkey-drawn cart struggled going up the dirt road leading up the hill, but you make it up nonetheless. Now, you are able to get a better look at your proto-town. "Madre de Dios, Diego, why on earth are they all naked?!" You noticed a lot of shown skin from afar, but you didn't expect them to be nude! "They're not all naked Senor. But either way, it's just their custom. Men and unmarried women generally go naked, though married women do wear an apron 'round their loins and the men usually wear some kind of breech cloth in times of war." All naked may have been a bit of an exaggeration, but there is rather little clothing worn among them, and virtually nothing above the waist. They all have rather dark hair, cut short around the bangs but in varying length elsewhere. Many have some kind of body paint or tattoos, their meanings indecipherable to you, though some wear none at all. It's a lot to take in, but you'll have time to observe later. For now, you want to make sure things are going according to plan.

You jump off the cart, and Diego follows clumsily. An old man comes up to you. "You Senor Delgado?" You nod. "Yes, I am. Who might you be?" The old native bows. "I chosen by your people as elder. I will take order to them, and complaints to you." He bows again, despite his elderly body's limits. "You can tell them that I am here and will supervise their efforts. And make sure they finish my house soon, I do not want to have to keep riding to town and back." He nods several times obediently, then goes to talk to the workers in their own language. As he does, you can't help but enjoy the sight of the women in the area. By European standards ample shown cleavage is alluring and pressing the limits of social acceptability, so it's quite a (pleasant) shock to see completely naked girls walking about. You've been so caught up with fantasies and errands relating to your new estate in the mostly male environment of Santo Domingo that until now you had forgotten just how much you hunger for female company.