Well then. If they have a full province, and we get lucky and merge with them, and the Merntir now that we have the Sunrise Mountain getting finished... we might actually be able to get our third action just from our Vassals being awesome.
[X] Choose Bronwyn. (Gain a Heroic Diplo/Culture Heir)
[X][SEC] Sunrise Mountain Passage
[X][SEC] Study Metal.
Merntir = [MAIN] Create New Trails (North Coast Fields)
Maradysh = [MAIN] Settle Land (Upriver Plains),
It has been a good many winters since Bronwyn became Cadlon of the Arthwyd upon the death of Cadlon Myndyn and she had already been Cadlon of the Maradysh for several winters before that since her father died.
Despite past hostiles between their people in past generations, both the Arthwyd and the Maradysh adored Bronwyn. With the former she was one of their people and clearly favoured by at least one of the goddesses while the latter is swayed by her charming personality, her way with words and her divine beauty.
It particularly helped with the Maradysh that her mother and father were both respected figures amongst the southerners as Cadlon Tarvan was viewed as a good leader whilst her mother's beauty and witty personality gained her many supporters amongst the southerners despite her origins as a northerner.
When Bronwyn became the Cadlon of the Maradysh upon the death of her father, her leadership took more after her mother than her father. Educated in the history of both the Maradysh and the Arthwyd, Bronwyn is a follower of the Arthrynite goddess Wyrn and was able to use the arts of her goddess to bring her subjects under her sway.
Using a combination of her beautiful body, silver tongue and charming wit, Cadlon Bronwyn the Beautiful manages to bring almost everyone she interacts with to her side. Combined with her ambitions, many within the Arthwyd suspected after even if Myndyn hadn't name her as his successor, she might have still ended up as Cadlon of the Arthwyd.
Beyond gaining widespread support in both the Arthwyd and the Maradysh, Bronwyn proved herself to be a boon people and strengthen the ties that her father and mother had forged between the north and south.
For starters, the People gained knowledge of just how far the Maradysh had expanded under the rule of Cadlon Aeryn and Cadlon Tarvan as the Maradysh had settled villages across a vast portion of the land around Green River in the region between the Arthwyd and the lowlands.
While this knowledge was initially a shock to the Arthwyd as such rapid expansion would have been possible for them, it quickly began apparent that Maradysh just focused on founding new villages.
Unlike those in the north, the southerners didn't worry about building shrines to their goddesses or constructing trails to connect their settlements or even putting up walls to protect their homes. No, they just expanded as new branches of families set off to build their new homes in the wilderness.
This rapid expansion had started under Cadlon Aeryn as she had hoped to gain more numbers to reduce the power difference between the Maradysh and the Arthwyd and Cadlon Tarvan had continued this policy despite his marriage with Elyn. New settlements were already being founded when Bronwyn the Beautiful began the Cadlon of the Maradysh and she saw no reason to stop the current wave of expansion.
Meanwhile to the north of the Arthwyd, the Merntir focused on creating trails to connect their settlements together as each of their villages had a palisade to protect it and a shrine to worship the goddesses at.
It wasn't just the Maradysh and the Merntir that were busy this generation. It was during the reign of Cadlon Mynlyn that the Arthwyd finally finished the Sunrise Mountain Passage.
Originally, a pathway to the mountain village that Arthryn had revealed to the Arthwyd during their war with the Merntir during the Ymarn's mortal lifetime, it has become so much more.
Through hard work of the Arthwyd and the divine magic of Arthryn, the Sunrise Mountain Passage is a large pathway near the coastal edge of Sunrise Mountains. A route that reaches all the way from fields of Sunrise Bay to the hilly lands of the Merntir Coast, it has been permanently carved into the Sunrise Mountains, a testament to the sheer skill and determination of Arthryn's chosen people.
Megaproject Completed!
Extended Sunrise Mountain Passage A grand pathway through the Sunrise Mountains, this passage was carved out over generations with hard work and divine aid. Now it stands completing, forging a safe route overland between the Arthwyd in the south and the Merntir in the north.
Effects: +1 Temp Mysticism whenever a travel-based infrastructure project is completed,
Legacy Gained! Rush Builders: Extended Projects take less actions, but each action is more expensive,
The completion of the Sunrise Mountain Passage isn't the only thing that the Arthwyd do as under the reign of Cadlon Bronwyn the Beautiful, the long-time requests of the crafters are finally listened to.
Bronwyn devotes the resources and efforts of the Arthwyd towards the secrets of metal and is rewarded with success. Tin, lead and silver are all metals that the Arthwyd are able to smelt in their kilns and now copper as joint their group.
Copper has been known to the Arthwyd for many generations, but is only under the reign of Cadlon Bronwyn the Beautiful that the crafters of the People figure out how to smelt it. Unlike the other metals, copper is actually useful to making tools.
While it can't replace the stone weapons that the Catclaws and Cateyes, once the Arthwyd are able to smelt enough copper, it should be able to replace the stone tools that are used by the non-magic wielding members of society.
Even as Cadlon Bronwyn the Beautiful oversees the discovery of copper smelting and deepened ties between the Arthwyd and the Maradysh, she has another opportunity to bring the Maradysh and the Arthwyd together.
While the Boarfolk amongst the Maradysh still worship the All-Boar of their nomadic brethren and the rest follow Zaranna, the Goddess of Light, Chaos and Hope, only the Boarfolk actually devoutly follow their god.
With the humans and Birdfolk of the southerners, Bronwyn see an opportunity to bring them over to the worship of Arthryn and her Daughters. While the Maradysh hold a wariness of the goddesses of the north, that has lessened since the Elyn moved south and over the seasons, the southerners have only because more open to them.
Even their current Cadlon is a priestess of an Arthrynite goddess.
If she is willingly to devote her time and efforts to it, Bronwyn is certain that she could bring a majority of the Maradysh to worship the Arthrynite pantheon even if they wouldn't do so as devoutly as the Arthwyd or the Merntir, not in this generation at least.
Does Cadlon Bronwyn the Beautiful attempt to convert the Maradysh?
[] Yes. (???)
[] No. (???)
Priests (4 (5)) = Mood: Happy, Ability: Add faction power to Stability or Legitimacy Rolls, Objective: Start the Sacred Forest Megaproject, Success/Failure: +1 Temp Econ/-
Elders (3) = Mood: Pleased, Ability: Add half of their faction power to another faction, Objective: Create New Trails in 4 Turns, Success/Failure: +1 Stability/-1 Stability
Warriors (5) = Mood: Satisfied, Ability: Add half of faction power to Martial, Objective: Explore the Lowlands, Success/Failure: ???/-
Farmers (1) = Mood: Happy, Ability: Add half of faction power to Econ, Objective: Build Palisade in 1 Turns, Success/Failure: +1 Temp Econ/-
Crafters (1) = Mood: Happy, Ability: Add half of faction power to Culture, Objective: Explore the Sunrise Mountains in 4 Turns, Success/Failure: ???/-
***
Again, no major author's notes. You got the passage done and bunch of prestige from it in addition to getting copper smelting.
You also got the Maradysh under a personal union and a chance to start converting them to Arthryn and her daughters. Additionally, cavalry and dogs.
I will give more information on the southern deities tomorrow.
The Arthwyd Early Ancient Theocratic Monarchy Upper Centralization Limit: 8 Lower Centralization Limit: -2 Admin Strain Free Provinces: 4 Penalty Accumulation: Additional +2 Lower Centralisation required per 1 Province Player Actions: 2 Secondary Actions +1 Secondary Action per 2 Provinces Province Actions: 1 Secondary Action per 2 Provinces Subordinates: 1 Special: -1 Temp Econ Damage per a Province Special: Free Subordinate Slot for Subordinates that share the same religion per a point of Legitimacy.
Early Ancient Palace Economy Temp Econ Damage: Event, -1 per 1 Centralisation, Wealth Generation: 1 per Dominant, Passive Policies: N/A Additional Actions: None Special: Negative Centralisation or lower than Minimum Centralisation will lead to collapse. Special: Increased polity size will raise the level of Minimum Centralisation required.
Statuses King of the Hill: +1 Temp Diplo at the start of each turn, Good Weather: The People have been enjoying particularly good weather.
Diplomatic Relations Your opinion/Their opinion/Frequency of Contact
Walking Dead = Ultimate Evil/Unknown/None
Boarfolk Nomads = Disliked/Unknown/Minimal
Subordinates Type/Loyalty/Dependence
Merntir = Religious Vassal/Very High/Low
Maradysh = Personal Union/High/Low
Values & Legacies Chosen of Arthryn: Gain +1 to all Innovation Rolls, Agricultural Innovators: +1 Temp Econ to Farming actions, Ancient Centre of Civilisation (Great Bay): Extra Innovation Roll at the start of each turn, Rush Builders: Extended Projects take less actions, but each action is more expensive, Copper Blooded: +1 Temp Econ to Econ Generation Actions,
Communal Mandate As per the words of the goddess, loyalty and kindness to one's people is of the highest importance and even when times are tough or when it is not personally beneficial, one should stick by their community.
Pros: Reduced Internal Discontent, Increased Resistance to Foreign Intrigue,
Cons: Increase stability loss from taking actions which harm the People,
Born Equal While the choices of a person and the world around them can make a person greater or lesser, everyone is born equal to each other.
Pros: Decreased social stratification,
Cons: Decreased social stratification,
Sacred Defence The People do not abandon their own for it is their sacred duty to protect each other. They stand by their neighbours and community through thick and thin and do not yield when it comes to protecting their fellows for that is their duty as commanded by the goddesses.
Pros: Increased Unity during times of crisis, Sacred Warriors, Increased loyalty from religious subordinates,
Cons: Legitimacy loss when abandoning members of the People to harm and danger, increased Legitimacy loss when the threat is from those with conflicting beliefs,
Extended Sunrise Mountain Passage A grand pathway through the Sunrise Mountains, this passage was carved out over generations with hard work and divine aid. Now it stands completing, forging a safe route overland between the Arthwyd in the south and the Merntir in the north.
Effects: +1 Temp Mysticism whenever a travel-based infrastructure project is completed,
Technologies
Carts
Straw/Reed Rope
Wheel
Wicker
Agriculture
Basic Fertiliser (Primitive Compost & Manure)
Basic Irrigation
Primitive Concept of Growth Energy
Two-Field Crop Rotation
You discover that the Maradysh have settled half of the Upriver Plains due to having better relations and a better exchange of information as a result.
On one hand- getting them closer means growing.
On the other- they build wide and we'll be obligated to defend that bloated mess
On the tail- we have cavarly now. And dogs.
We are a Theocracy, and one that demands very strongly that it's people follow the demands of its religion no less. We are going to need to convert the Maradysh over if we want to have a long term good relationship as overlord and subordinate.
Edit: Converting them should also incentivize them to build infrastructure, since that is one of our more core tenets.
Also, copper is great! And since we have both tin and copper smelting now...
Also kinda surprised we were able to get rush builders by completed the megaproject in the longest amount of time I've ever seen it take in a civ quest.
MMMmmm.. Dire Boar Cavalry with War Dogs. That's nice. That's very nice indeed. Hopefully our Mystic/Culture hero is successful in converting them. If she can manage it, we'll have some serious work done on integrating our people. Might not happen just from that, but progress will be made, and that's very nice. I am a little worried about trying to convert them with 0 temp mystic though... Anyone think that'd cause issues? Or would trying to convert them increase our temp mystic?
This is how we got the Merntir to become our Vassal so easily and at the time the All-Seer was far more active and resistant than the Goddess of Light and Chaos seemingly is. Our Gods on the other hand have multiplied in number and probably power since then.
That combined with the evangelizing being headed by a Diplo/Culture hero who is an Arthrynite priestess which means she has a solid Mystic stat while also being their leader it would take a truly horrific series of rolls for this to not work.