cosmobeau

First, do the following:
Check your Game Version 
Delete ALL mods in your mods folder & attempt reconnecting to re-download them,
Check the IP of the server
Get Whitelisted if your Host is in a different country and they may have GOIP blocking,
Check if YOUR IP has Changed!!!
Check if you can connect to the Test Server,
Mac Users: give the application permission to open in System Preferences > Privacy > Security,
To play Vintage Story multiplayer on a Mac, ensure you have the x64 version of .NET 7 Runtime installed.

All OS Users Check your Firewall Settings,

CONTROL PANEL SETTINGS
Set to private & public in Windows Defender Firewall (Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall > Allowed apps)
Change Advanced Sharing Settings: (Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center) . "Change sharing options for different network profiles": set to Turn on network discovery

There is no physical official Vintage Story merchandise. However, the soundtrack, composed by Hayden Davenport under the pseudonym Lo-Phi, can be purchased here: https://lophi.bandcamp.com/album/vintage-story-ost then you can make a CD with the MP3 files here https://www.printyourdisc.com/products/custom-cd?variant=46811192951085 or here https://www.etsy.com/market/custom_cd 

I've compiled the best fan theories and posts tying the lore together here:
u/GraduateStonefly complied all in-game, canon lore items, journals, and story relevant items & their meaning in the story here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/104QhqbAe6EF5M4KWuBieBhchOZiWhe8-uMcoVwz4PKI/

The lore of Vintage Story is vague and at times hard to find in-game, that being said SPOILER ALERT if you're looking into the lore of the game.

The default is the game will pause time when there's no one online. However, if one of your friends has a 8 hour binge session, you may return to a completely different season and lots of rotted food when you log in again.
You can make seasons longer as well.