Their walk had been long, longer than memory. It was the only way of life that the tribe had...
From Stone to the Stars
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1.0 Foundation
Their walk had been long, longer than memory. It was the only way of life that the tribe had ever known. Even the eldest grey-beard could not recall a time where things were different. To the grey-beards of their youth, the answers had been just as lacking, lost in a shifting morass of dead time.
They had walked from one corner of the world to the other and, as some of the tales said, beyond. On and on and on they walked. They followed the herds, taking game where it could be found. They walked along the shores, catching fish from the sea. They walked through thick forests and pulled fruits from the trees and roots from the soil. Few were the places that had not known the feet of the People.
It was said, in hushed tones, that they had once even walked the realms of the dead. The place where the sun never rose and the dark's killing grip never ended. Half the tribe had been lost in those times, it was whispered, and people performed dark deeds just to survive. Even that, though, was on the edge of memory.
As the winds slowly died, snows melt, and life sprung back into the world, the tribe gathered. They had wintered well along the shores of a nameless sea, but the area grew thin of food. That's the way it had always been for the tribe. Hunt, gather, move, in an endless cycle since the dawn of the world. It was simply time for the next step in the long walk to be taken.
But there were whispers saying the walk had finally come to an end.
"The land ends," a hunter said, claiming the attention of the tribe. "Beyond us, in the direction of the setting sun, it rises up and up, greater than any tree. There are no paths trodden in the ground and little food. To the north, the land is chocked with trees with the ground itself twisted like a garment ripped open and patched too many times. To go forward a single step means to take three up and then three down. To the south..."
His fears of that path went unsaid. There were no dangers of the world in that direction like the other two, but it was filled by other men. While that could mean good things, the tribe had learned that more often than not meant bad. Women taken in the middle of the night, men slaughtered, food stolen. They could also bring gifts, pretty shells, food, tools, flint, and other resources. Those outside the People were boon and bane both. The People had fled the from the tribes to the south, barely encountering them for fear of what they brought.
"Then what would you have us do?" a younger man asked. "High lands can be climbed, trackless land can be bushwhacked. One foot merely need be put in front of the other."
"And what would the cost be?" a mother asked. "You are young, spry. These new lands sound of challenge and that is the game of young men. What of the elders, of the children, and the women carrying children within? How are they to carry on? To 'merely put one foot in front of the other' would be to leave them all behind. It would again be the travel through the land of the dead. We have barely managed through the chocking forests around us. If we were forced to also traverse hills or mountains? Foolishness."
"I suspect your blood would be a lot less hot with no more women to keep you warm at night," a voice barked out from the back of the gathering. The young man reddened when the rest of the tribe started to laugh.
"Then how will we feed ourselves?" the young man snapped back. "I hunt, I fish. Women pick berries and fruits and roots. If we stay in any area too long they disappear. Do people not remember why we move on year-by-year? All of the lands we've passed, they're chocked with other tribes and resources scarce."
"I recall..." a voice whispered. The tribe turned silent, straining to hear the oldest of the elders speak. It was not often the honoured grandmother deigned to speak, but everyone knew she had seen all that was under the sky and carried much wisdom. "They say... they say we ran from the giants. Men, but more. People who had swallowed up fire until it made them burn in body and brain."
"It was not for food that we moved, honoured grandmother, but violence?" a young woman asked. "I thought it was because the spirits demanded we move. To stay still was to plant yourself against the way of the world. A tree has roots to keep it still while we have legs to make us move."
"I remember hearing of the fire," another elder concurred shortly. "But it was fires of the land, not of man. The spirits were angry with us, I do remember that. They destroyed everything, and so on we moved."
"We wander the world because it is ours," the hunter said. "It was given to us by the spirits. It is our job to see all of it, every inch. We were given feet to walk and eyes to see."
What tale remains of the People's Exodus?
[ ] Escaping Violence
[ ] Fleeing Disaster
[ ] Seeking Resources
[ ] Chasing Wanderlust
[ ] Pleasing Spirits
"Our origin is not what we shall decide at this gathering," the young man cut in again. "We're here to decide where we shall go. We are here, now; anything from before that doesn't matter. All we must determine is how best to please the spirits and acquire food. The people to the south struggle, their lands starting to overflow so that there is not enough along the trails of the walk."
The tribe bristled at the demand, at the impudent young man, but did not move to censure him. What meaning was in their past? It would have little bearing on their future. It was impossible for it to. That past had no future any more. The tribe could not move west, north was impossible, and the south was claimed by others, food already thinning for them. To tread the east was to flirt again with the realms of the dead.
"We still have some reserves of food," the mother said. "It would not be enough to see us through another death of the world, but it is still something. In this new time, we must try new techniques or reinvent the old. This will see us through that uncertainty."
"The shores, the trees, the beasts, and the ground. I can claim no expertise save in my own domain." The hunter nodded his head, "But we must hunt. Beasts provide clothing and meat and bone. There is nothing that we do not obtain from them. Tools to work and clothes to help us survive the cold. In this world, both are essential to prepare when the world dies."
"Vanity," the honoured grandmother snapped. "Hunting beasts has always been vanity. They are scarce, hard to predict, and the spirits of slain beasts quickly curse their meat after death. How many hunters perish when bringing down a great beast during lifetime of only one world? The fruits of trees and soil are how we truly feed ourselves. They stay, whether the world is living or dead."
"Has the tribe ever been fuller than when a skilled hunter brings down a great beast?" the hunter asked. "It is perhaps the only time we ever eat our fill. Meats fills and sustains more than roots and berries ever do. Raised on meat, we can run further and longer than those who scramble through the dirt for scraps of plants. The taste alone should tell you what you need know. The spirits intend for us to consume it, nothing else compares."
"Perhaps we should look to the shore," the mother said. "Fish have the benefits of being meat while plants also grow freely along it. Everyone needs to drink, further, and so do beasts. By staying in areas where all of them gather, we'll have many options to feed on."
"Have you tried to fish?" the young man asked. "Catching fish in hand is like trying to catch the wind. Spearing them... the world below the water is different than the world above it. To strike them is not to actually strike them. What happens when the world dies? Ice will cover the bays and force us to walk along it in order to find places thin enough to break through. Many a man has fallen and frozen to death trying to get a fish smaller than the limb of a single beast. No beasts will come to the waters when they are frozen. Plants choke and die every time the sun falls low and the world dies. This is especially true for water plants. The lack of earth in them renders them fragile."
"May I then speak the virtues of the trees?" the honoured grandmother asked. "A bush of berries will not rend a man limb from limb. Roots and other plants do not run from arrows and spears. They are there and it will be work to obtain them, but they are a certainty. Throughout every world, they remain a constant."
"Until the plants finally die," the young man replied cynically. "People preying on them kills them just as it does beasts."
The tribe was silent. Exploring each area came with risks and the one that they chose failing could mean the death of many. None of them wanted to be the voice to call for a solution that would kill many of their people. Simply being unlucky could lead to the death of many. Still, there was no other choice. The hunter did not err when he said the lands around them were impassible. That must simply be the way of life on the edge of the world.
Even if they could find a way beyond the hills and mountains, what would they find there? Already, the lands to the south were filling with tribes. They still wandered as did the People, but the lands were so crowded. The traditional long walks of the People lead them to finding more and more signs of habitation, hunting and foraging. Was it much longer before there would be nowhere left to walk in the world?
"There is another option," the young man replied hesitantly. "The tribes down south. They have started to solve the issue we now face. How could they live here in so many tribes and numbers if they do not? They have lived here through many world-deaths and rebirths. Longer than we. We can obtain food and supplies from them."
Silence stretched after that proclamation. The wording was ambiguous enough. The People knew that others outside their tribe were always both boon and bane. They brought pretty flowers, food, and tools, but they could also bring pain. Would they become such a thing? How does one respond to such a thought?
When bellies grow hungry... there's a lot that people will contemplate that they once swore they wouldn't. In the time where the world finally seemed small, it was time to simply stop and try something new.
Where do the People look to obtain food?
[ ] The Shore
[ ] The Land
[ ] The Beasts
[ ] Other Tribes
They had walked from one corner of the world to the other and, as some of the tales said, beyond. On and on and on they walked. They followed the herds, taking game where it could be found. They walked along the shores, catching fish from the sea. They walked through thick forests and pulled fruits from the trees and roots from the soil. Few were the places that had not known the feet of the People.
It was said, in hushed tones, that they had once even walked the realms of the dead. The place where the sun never rose and the dark's killing grip never ended. Half the tribe had been lost in those times, it was whispered, and people performed dark deeds just to survive. Even that, though, was on the edge of memory.
As the winds slowly died, snows melt, and life sprung back into the world, the tribe gathered. They had wintered well along the shores of a nameless sea, but the area grew thin of food. That's the way it had always been for the tribe. Hunt, gather, move, in an endless cycle since the dawn of the world. It was simply time for the next step in the long walk to be taken.
But there were whispers saying the walk had finally come to an end.
"The land ends," a hunter said, claiming the attention of the tribe. "Beyond us, in the direction of the setting sun, it rises up and up, greater than any tree. There are no paths trodden in the ground and little food. To the north, the land is chocked with trees with the ground itself twisted like a garment ripped open and patched too many times. To go forward a single step means to take three up and then three down. To the south..."
His fears of that path went unsaid. There were no dangers of the world in that direction like the other two, but it was filled by other men. While that could mean good things, the tribe had learned that more often than not meant bad. Women taken in the middle of the night, men slaughtered, food stolen. They could also bring gifts, pretty shells, food, tools, flint, and other resources. Those outside the People were boon and bane both. The People had fled the from the tribes to the south, barely encountering them for fear of what they brought.
"Then what would you have us do?" a younger man asked. "High lands can be climbed, trackless land can be bushwhacked. One foot merely need be put in front of the other."
"And what would the cost be?" a mother asked. "You are young, spry. These new lands sound of challenge and that is the game of young men. What of the elders, of the children, and the women carrying children within? How are they to carry on? To 'merely put one foot in front of the other' would be to leave them all behind. It would again be the travel through the land of the dead. We have barely managed through the chocking forests around us. If we were forced to also traverse hills or mountains? Foolishness."
"I suspect your blood would be a lot less hot with no more women to keep you warm at night," a voice barked out from the back of the gathering. The young man reddened when the rest of the tribe started to laugh.
"Then how will we feed ourselves?" the young man snapped back. "I hunt, I fish. Women pick berries and fruits and roots. If we stay in any area too long they disappear. Do people not remember why we move on year-by-year? All of the lands we've passed, they're chocked with other tribes and resources scarce."
"I recall..." a voice whispered. The tribe turned silent, straining to hear the oldest of the elders speak. It was not often the honoured grandmother deigned to speak, but everyone knew she had seen all that was under the sky and carried much wisdom. "They say... they say we ran from the giants. Men, but more. People who had swallowed up fire until it made them burn in body and brain."
"It was not for food that we moved, honoured grandmother, but violence?" a young woman asked. "I thought it was because the spirits demanded we move. To stay still was to plant yourself against the way of the world. A tree has roots to keep it still while we have legs to make us move."
"I remember hearing of the fire," another elder concurred shortly. "But it was fires of the land, not of man. The spirits were angry with us, I do remember that. They destroyed everything, and so on we moved."
"We wander the world because it is ours," the hunter said. "It was given to us by the spirits. It is our job to see all of it, every inch. We were given feet to walk and eyes to see."
What tale remains of the People's Exodus?
[ ] Escaping Violence
[ ] Fleeing Disaster
[ ] Seeking Resources
[ ] Chasing Wanderlust
[ ] Pleasing Spirits
"Our origin is not what we shall decide at this gathering," the young man cut in again. "We're here to decide where we shall go. We are here, now; anything from before that doesn't matter. All we must determine is how best to please the spirits and acquire food. The people to the south struggle, their lands starting to overflow so that there is not enough along the trails of the walk."
The tribe bristled at the demand, at the impudent young man, but did not move to censure him. What meaning was in their past? It would have little bearing on their future. It was impossible for it to. That past had no future any more. The tribe could not move west, north was impossible, and the south was claimed by others, food already thinning for them. To tread the east was to flirt again with the realms of the dead.
"We still have some reserves of food," the mother said. "It would not be enough to see us through another death of the world, but it is still something. In this new time, we must try new techniques or reinvent the old. This will see us through that uncertainty."
"The shores, the trees, the beasts, and the ground. I can claim no expertise save in my own domain." The hunter nodded his head, "But we must hunt. Beasts provide clothing and meat and bone. There is nothing that we do not obtain from them. Tools to work and clothes to help us survive the cold. In this world, both are essential to prepare when the world dies."
"Vanity," the honoured grandmother snapped. "Hunting beasts has always been vanity. They are scarce, hard to predict, and the spirits of slain beasts quickly curse their meat after death. How many hunters perish when bringing down a great beast during lifetime of only one world? The fruits of trees and soil are how we truly feed ourselves. They stay, whether the world is living or dead."
"Has the tribe ever been fuller than when a skilled hunter brings down a great beast?" the hunter asked. "It is perhaps the only time we ever eat our fill. Meats fills and sustains more than roots and berries ever do. Raised on meat, we can run further and longer than those who scramble through the dirt for scraps of plants. The taste alone should tell you what you need know. The spirits intend for us to consume it, nothing else compares."
"Perhaps we should look to the shore," the mother said. "Fish have the benefits of being meat while plants also grow freely along it. Everyone needs to drink, further, and so do beasts. By staying in areas where all of them gather, we'll have many options to feed on."
"Have you tried to fish?" the young man asked. "Catching fish in hand is like trying to catch the wind. Spearing them... the world below the water is different than the world above it. To strike them is not to actually strike them. What happens when the world dies? Ice will cover the bays and force us to walk along it in order to find places thin enough to break through. Many a man has fallen and frozen to death trying to get a fish smaller than the limb of a single beast. No beasts will come to the waters when they are frozen. Plants choke and die every time the sun falls low and the world dies. This is especially true for water plants. The lack of earth in them renders them fragile."
"May I then speak the virtues of the trees?" the honoured grandmother asked. "A bush of berries will not rend a man limb from limb. Roots and other plants do not run from arrows and spears. They are there and it will be work to obtain them, but they are a certainty. Throughout every world, they remain a constant."
"Until the plants finally die," the young man replied cynically. "People preying on them kills them just as it does beasts."
The tribe was silent. Exploring each area came with risks and the one that they chose failing could mean the death of many. None of them wanted to be the voice to call for a solution that would kill many of their people. Simply being unlucky could lead to the death of many. Still, there was no other choice. The hunter did not err when he said the lands around them were impassible. That must simply be the way of life on the edge of the world.
Even if they could find a way beyond the hills and mountains, what would they find there? Already, the lands to the south were filling with tribes. They still wandered as did the People, but the lands were so crowded. The traditional long walks of the People lead them to finding more and more signs of habitation, hunting and foraging. Was it much longer before there would be nowhere left to walk in the world?
"There is another option," the young man replied hesitantly. "The tribes down south. They have started to solve the issue we now face. How could they live here in so many tribes and numbers if they do not? They have lived here through many world-deaths and rebirths. Longer than we. We can obtain food and supplies from them."
Silence stretched after that proclamation. The wording was ambiguous enough. The People knew that others outside their tribe were always both boon and bane. They brought pretty flowers, food, and tools, but they could also bring pain. Would they become such a thing? How does one respond to such a thought?
When bellies grow hungry... there's a lot that people will contemplate that they once swore they wouldn't. In the time where the world finally seemed small, it was time to simply stop and try something new.
Where do the People look to obtain food?
[ ] The Shore
[ ] The Land
[ ] The Beasts
[ ] Other Tribes
Civilization Status
From Stone to the Stars
Civilization Stats
General
Craftworks: Tiny Surplus (Equilibrium)
Diplomacy: Small Surplus
Luxuries: Tiny Deficit (Tiny Deficit)
Magic: Small Surplus (Tiny Surplus)
Material: Tiny Surplus (Equilibrium)
Martial: Moderate Surplus (Small Surplus)
Mysticism: Small Surplus
Staples: Equilibrium (Equilibrium)
Farmers: At Capacity
Fishermen: Significant Capacity Remaining
Herdsmen: Extreme Capacity Remaining
Huntsmen: At Capacity
Fishermen: Significant Capacity Remaining
Herdsmen: Extreme Capacity Remaining
Huntsmen: At Capacity
Endurance
Stability: Promising
Legitimacy: Inspired!
Prestige: 38
???
Organizational
Centralization: 1
Hierarchy: 3
Religious Authority: 5.25
Specialization: 4
Trade
| Trade Good | Status | Competitors |
| Luxuries | ||
| Common Pottery | Competing | Island Makers |
| Dyes | Little | Peace Builders, South Reach |
| Furs | Significant | Everyone |
| Gems | Dominant (Pearl Divers) | South Reach, Pearl Divers, Soft Eyes |
| Ivory | Dominant | None |
| Medicine | Little | Peace Builders |
| Strategic | ||
| Obsidian | Dominant | None |
| Salt | None | Pearl Divers |
| Slaves | No Export | Peace Builders, Hardfoot |
| Stone | Competing | Everyone |
| Cultural | ||
| Pilgrimage | Dominant | Peace Builders |
Government Type
Ancient Aristocracy
The word Aristocrat tells everything that you need to know about the People's leaders; they are the best. Trained from birth, this class provides the People with their leadership and their guidance. Taller, stronger, and smarter than many of their peers, the aristocrats demonstrate that not everyone is equipped to lead and to succeed. Despite that, these aristocrats work together to represent the People as a whole and guide them as best their wisdom allows.
Pros: Development occurs organically and rapidly, increased average leadership skill, increased governmental and cultural stability
Cons: Does not deal with with high Hierarchy, beware intra-aristocrat conflicts
Economic Type
Internal Gift Economy/External Barter
Just as the People lend their voices to their chosen leaders, they also entrust gifts unto them. The People know that their leaders will put their gifts to best use within the People. As they pay up, there is an expectation that rewards then flow down to them.
Centralization Range: Very Low -> Low
Specialization Range: Very Low
Hierarchy Range: Very Low
Religious Authority Range: Very Low
Stat Damage Resistance: Damage - Centralization/3
Normal Actions: 3 Actions
Extra Actions: 3 Empowerment Actions
Special: Vassals = Prestige/10
Status
Trending Trade Good: Salt
The People have found an unending desire for a specific trade good. In order to satisfy demand, they are currently purchasing it for twice as much as it would normally cost.
Effects: Double Effects of Salt Trade Dominance
Dissatisfied Faction (The Fingers)
An element within the People has grown increasingly dissatisfied with how the People are being run. They demand change and if there desires continue to go unmet, they may eventually take things into their own hands.
Resolve: Build a Hill and
Effects: Escalating Legitimacy hit until demands are met, crisis triggered at ??? Stability.
Settlement Extended Projects
Crystal Lake: Brick Walls (Significant), Fire Relay, Hill Top, Temple (Ember-Eyes)
Fingers: Brick Walls (Significant), Fire Relay, Temple (Frost-Scarred), Trade Hub
Hill Guard: Brick Walls (Significant) Hill Top, Temple (Fangs)
Cave of Stars: Brick Walls (Significant), Fire Relay, Temple (Cave of Stars)
Arrow Lake: Brick Walls (Significant) Temple (???)
Fingers: Brick Walls (Significant), Fire Relay, Temple (Frost-Scarred), Trade Hub
Hill Guard: Brick Walls (Significant) Hill Top, Temple (Fangs)
Cave of Stars: Brick Walls (Significant), Fire Relay, Temple (Cave of Stars)
Arrow Lake: Brick Walls (Significant) Temple (???)
Social Values (2/2)
Elitism Lv. 2
Among the People, it is not a goal, but an obligation to be the best that you can be. Those who are gifted become exalted by their peers, recognized far and wide as people of respect. To be great among the People is to be like no one ever was.
Effects:
Vendetta Lv. 2.
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. That's why, when someone puts out one of your eyes, you blind them in both. Justice is protection and the end to violence, discord, and disorder through swift and firm action.
Effects:
Honour Values (2/2)
Might Makes RightLv. 2.
When the People hunt beasts, their arrows are set vertically; when they hunt other tribes, their arrows are set horizontally — all the better to spear through an unsuspecting target's ribs. Violence is a fact of life to the People. The question is not: "Why use violence?", but "When can violence be used?" It is another tool within their arsenal to respond to the world and among all the tools they wield, it is a keen one indeed.
Effects:
Familialism
From birth and until death, the People are surrounded by family. Whenever someone needs help, their family will be there for them. When hurt, lost or hungry, family will provide. To many, they would not consider themselves individual, but as a part of a greater family. Both their kin, their kith, but also the People as a whole.
Effects:
Spiritual Values (2/2)
Ordeals Lv. 2.
Tests and trials are a way of life for the People. They separate corns from the husk and the weak from the capable. Those who struggle and overcome the opposition of men and spirits are the ones that the People should look to for guidance. The spirits have put them through the crucible and refined them into something great. Those who prove themselves by overcoming adversity are righteous.
Effects:
Mastery of Nature
The spirits have placed countless wonders across the world and it is the People's responsibility to find and safeguard these locations. Through laborious toil, these fonts of spiritual power can be augmented and empowered, turned into sources of power available to the People. It is through measures like this that the People and their spirits can work together and remain strong.
Effects:
Elitism Lv. 2
Among the People, it is not a goal, but an obligation to be the best that you can be. Those who are gifted become exalted by their peers, recognized far and wide as people of respect. To be great among the People is to be like no one ever was.
Effects:
Increased effects of elite units
Increased generations of unique Traditions
General increase in competence
Increased social stratification
Increased Cost for many actions
Increased generations of unique Traditions
General increase in competence
Increased social stratification
Increased Cost for many actions
Vendetta Lv. 2.
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. That's why, when someone puts out one of your eyes, you blind them in both. Justice is protection and the end to violence, discord, and disorder through swift and firm action.
Effects:
Punishment is always harsh, but it is the final word that can be said.
Increased generation of a criminal underclass
Increased generation of a criminal underclass
Honour Values (2/2)
Might Makes RightLv. 2.
When the People hunt beasts, their arrows are set vertically; when they hunt other tribes, their arrows are set horizontally — all the better to spear through an unsuspecting target's ribs. Violence is a fact of life to the People. The question is not: "Why use violence?", but "When can violence be used?" It is another tool within their arsenal to respond to the world and among all the tools they wield, it is a keen one indeed.
Effects:
The consequences of violence are more tolerable
Interpersonal violence becomes more common
Increased martial skill, especially amount professionals and specialists
People are seen as intimidating
Martial skill is desirable
Violence is an acceptable solution to problems.
Interpersonal violence becomes more common
Increased martial skill, especially amount professionals and specialists
People are seen as intimidating
Martial skill is desirable
Violence is an acceptable solution to problems.
Familialism
From birth and until death, the People are surrounded by family. Whenever someone needs help, their family will be there for them. When hurt, lost or hungry, family will provide. To many, they would not consider themselves individual, but as a part of a greater family. Both their kin, their kith, but also the People as a whole.
Effects:
Increased social cohesion, especially among the People's elites
Increased tenacity in defensive wars
Increased Hero generation in defensive wars
Increased nepotism
Decreased chance to discover social ills
Increased tenacity in defensive wars
Increased Hero generation in defensive wars
Increased nepotism
Decreased chance to discover social ills
Spiritual Values (2/2)
Ordeals Lv. 2.
Tests and trials are a way of life for the People. They separate corns from the husk and the weak from the capable. Those who struggle and overcome the opposition of men and spirits are the ones that the People should look to for guidance. The spirits have put them through the crucible and refined them into something great. Those who prove themselves by overcoming adversity are righteous.
Effects:
People are more willing to endure hardship
Can spend stability to complete two of the same action at once
Increased appreciation for first hand experience
People demoralized by failure
Refusal to change course during difficult times.
Can spend stability to complete two of the same action at once
Increased appreciation for first hand experience
People demoralized by failure
Refusal to change course during difficult times.
Mastery of Nature
The spirits have placed countless wonders across the world and it is the People's responsibility to find and safeguard these locations. Through laborious toil, these fonts of spiritual power can be augmented and empowered, turned into sources of power available to the People. It is through measures like this that the People and their spirits can work together and remain strong.
Effects:
Wonders are more effective than normal
The natural world is greatly boosted by artificial intervention
Must master nature wherever possible
Increased costs and ritualization
The natural world is greatly boosted by artificial intervention
Must master nature wherever possible
Increased costs and ritualization
Adult Trials
In order to be considered an adult, and thus have a voice worth hearing, it is important for the People to pass a trial. Officially standardized, these trials are different for men and for women. In order to be considered a man, a boy must be able to carry his own weight within society. Currently, defined as being able to produce more food than you eat, this is a popular and easy to define measure. In order for a girl to become a woman, she must survive the ordeal of childbirth and have children. An expected part of life for all girls, this metric greatly increases their franchise and influence relative to men.
Effects: Increase competence; empower women; prejudice against disability; ???
Bloodline Inheritance
There is something within each person that carries skill and knowledge, this fact is self-evident to the People and it is best to cultivate these unique talents from birth. The best potter is the one who learns at the knee of their father and mother; playing at their side with clay castoffs and helping them fulfill their duties. There are exceptions of course, some individuals do not carry the skill of their fore-bearers. These embarrassments are ruthlessly replaced for the shame they bring to their families. Bloodlines that fail to replace their own are weeded out in turn, just as the master hunter carefully culls the weak in a herd to protect it.
Effects: Increase the Specialization cap by 100%, raise the Hierarchy cap by 50%
Consequential Punishment
The People have decreed that all actions which lead the People to harm must be punished. One need not intend to harm the People, one simply needs to just make it so. Acting within the bounds of law or duty offer no protection when a convict is ruled against by their local Big Man. Doing nothing and allowing harm to befall the People is also no defense. The only defense against these charges are to always be lucky, be on your best behaviour, or on the good side of the judge.
Effects: Greatly empowers the Big Man in legal disagreements, granting wide ranging powers to punish outcasts, incompetents, and the unfortunate
Divorce
The People recognize that even the most intimate and sacred of bonds may be severed. This is a difficult process and one often seldom undertaken, for who should break asunder that which was once one? So far, the People only recognize the cause of a woman's infidelity as grounds to initiate divorce. Children born of a union between man and woman are property of the husband's family, unless disowned.
Effects: Female promiscuity, bastardy stigmatized, children from divorce belong to their father's family
Exogamy (Male)
Incest is relative and it's something that all right thinking humans avoid. This is often difficult due to small settlement sizes or due to uncertainty with respect to paternity. In order to combat this phenomena, men are greatly encouraged to leave their place of birth to join distant kin in another settlement founded by the People. While tough, it is necessary for the health of every future child born into the People.
Effects: Improves general public health, greatly increased matriarchal tendencies, increased internal unity, increased spawn rate of adventurers.
Indentured Labour
The People acknowledge the foremost importance of debts. Most of the time, these debts are unspoken; promises of labour, favours, gifts, and other services the make the rounds, greasing the economy as it exists. Sometimes, though, someone proves unworthy of the implicit trust the People as a whole invest in them. When that occurs, a council lead by a Big Man will acknowledge the unworthy's debts as forfeit. They are then tasked to work on behalf of all the People, as directed by the Big Man, until their debts are recognized as fulfilled.
Effects: Labour may be compelled for those who have unpaid debts.
Captive Labour
Enemies captured on the field of battle are not slain nor are they allowed to retreat freely by the People, instead they are captured. Work is forced upon them due to lack of resources requiring every mouth to work. These captives can also serve as hostages to exchange in war.
Effects: Debtors may be captured in war.
Holy Order: Ember-Eyes
Deep in the People's history, the Ember-Eyes were born. Based out of the Shrine of the Fingers, they claim descent from from those who fought in the most ancient wars. They specialize in the use of fire and night-fighting, skills supposedly learned at the foot of the spirits themselves.
Effects: Fire can be deliberately used as a weapon of war
Holy Order: Fangs
Just like the teeth of a wolf are the first to enter the flesh of the prey, so too do the People's Fangs enter the flesh of their enemies. Based out of the Shrine of Crystal Lake, these skirmishers train extensively with dogs in order to better serve as elite woodsmen and skirmishers.
Effects: Increase efficacy of skirmish units
Holy Order: Frost-Scarred
The winter is a terrible, biting, cutting thing. Snow to bury you, ice to burn you, and cold to tear through your flesh like a knife. Of all of the dangers of the world, this one has claimed the most lives of all. Despite that, perhaps in spite of that, an Order has arisen to work against the natural domain of the world. The Frost-Scarred are hardy warriors, braving the cold where all rational men would flee to shelter.
Effects: Gain additional winter-subphase during wars
Weregild
In the old days, it was thought that only blood could wash out blood. Now, the People know better; recompense can come in many forms; labour, baubbles, food, it just needs to be enough to assuage the hurt and pay restitution to victims.
Effects: Instead of physical punishment, criminals may pay off their offenses with excess wealth.
In order to be considered an adult, and thus have a voice worth hearing, it is important for the People to pass a trial. Officially standardized, these trials are different for men and for women. In order to be considered a man, a boy must be able to carry his own weight within society. Currently, defined as being able to produce more food than you eat, this is a popular and easy to define measure. In order for a girl to become a woman, she must survive the ordeal of childbirth and have children. An expected part of life for all girls, this metric greatly increases their franchise and influence relative to men.
Effects: Increase competence; empower women; prejudice against disability; ???
Bloodline Inheritance
There is something within each person that carries skill and knowledge, this fact is self-evident to the People and it is best to cultivate these unique talents from birth. The best potter is the one who learns at the knee of their father and mother; playing at their side with clay castoffs and helping them fulfill their duties. There are exceptions of course, some individuals do not carry the skill of their fore-bearers. These embarrassments are ruthlessly replaced for the shame they bring to their families. Bloodlines that fail to replace their own are weeded out in turn, just as the master hunter carefully culls the weak in a herd to protect it.
Effects: Increase the Specialization cap by 100%, raise the Hierarchy cap by 50%
Consequential Punishment
The People have decreed that all actions which lead the People to harm must be punished. One need not intend to harm the People, one simply needs to just make it so. Acting within the bounds of law or duty offer no protection when a convict is ruled against by their local Big Man. Doing nothing and allowing harm to befall the People is also no defense. The only defense against these charges are to always be lucky, be on your best behaviour, or on the good side of the judge.
Effects: Greatly empowers the Big Man in legal disagreements, granting wide ranging powers to punish outcasts, incompetents, and the unfortunate
Divorce
The People recognize that even the most intimate and sacred of bonds may be severed. This is a difficult process and one often seldom undertaken, for who should break asunder that which was once one? So far, the People only recognize the cause of a woman's infidelity as grounds to initiate divorce. Children born of a union between man and woman are property of the husband's family, unless disowned.
Effects: Female promiscuity, bastardy stigmatized, children from divorce belong to their father's family
Exogamy (Male)
Incest is relative and it's something that all right thinking humans avoid. This is often difficult due to small settlement sizes or due to uncertainty with respect to paternity. In order to combat this phenomena, men are greatly encouraged to leave their place of birth to join distant kin in another settlement founded by the People. While tough, it is necessary for the health of every future child born into the People.
Effects: Improves general public health, greatly increased matriarchal tendencies, increased internal unity, increased spawn rate of adventurers.
Indentured Labour
The People acknowledge the foremost importance of debts. Most of the time, these debts are unspoken; promises of labour, favours, gifts, and other services the make the rounds, greasing the economy as it exists. Sometimes, though, someone proves unworthy of the implicit trust the People as a whole invest in them. When that occurs, a council lead by a Big Man will acknowledge the unworthy's debts as forfeit. They are then tasked to work on behalf of all the People, as directed by the Big Man, until their debts are recognized as fulfilled.
Effects: Labour may be compelled for those who have unpaid debts.
Captive Labour
Enemies captured on the field of battle are not slain nor are they allowed to retreat freely by the People, instead they are captured. Work is forced upon them due to lack of resources requiring every mouth to work. These captives can also serve as hostages to exchange in war.
Effects: Debtors may be captured in war.
Holy Order: Ember-Eyes
Deep in the People's history, the Ember-Eyes were born. Based out of the Shrine of the Fingers, they claim descent from from those who fought in the most ancient wars. They specialize in the use of fire and night-fighting, skills supposedly learned at the foot of the spirits themselves.
Effects: Fire can be deliberately used as a weapon of war
Holy Order: Fangs
Just like the teeth of a wolf are the first to enter the flesh of the prey, so too do the People's Fangs enter the flesh of their enemies. Based out of the Shrine of Crystal Lake, these skirmishers train extensively with dogs in order to better serve as elite woodsmen and skirmishers.
Effects: Increase efficacy of skirmish units
Holy Order: Frost-Scarred
The winter is a terrible, biting, cutting thing. Snow to bury you, ice to burn you, and cold to tear through your flesh like a knife. Of all of the dangers of the world, this one has claimed the most lives of all. Despite that, perhaps in spite of that, an Order has arisen to work against the natural domain of the world. The Frost-Scarred are hardy warriors, braving the cold where all rational men would flee to shelter.
Effects: Gain additional winter-subphase during wars
Weregild
In the old days, it was thought that only blood could wash out blood. Now, the People know better; recompense can come in many forms; labour, baubbles, food, it just needs to be enough to assuage the hurt and pay restitution to victims.
Effects: Instead of physical punishment, criminals may pay off their offenses with excess wealth.
Collection Moste Holy (Three)
The People have developed numerous, unique religious traditions. Practices occult that would be the envy of the world. A source of pride and wonder, these treasured institutions are bulwarked against failure and destruction.
Effects: Lowered minimal threshold to maintain Holy Orders
Heroic Start!
The People are descendants of Heroes! Great men and women who have shaped their world according to their desires. Some are good, some are bad, but none can deny the People carry Greatness!
Effects: +1 to all Hero rolls
Hierarchy Tolerance
The People have peacefully transitioned for a more hierarchical form of government. They take pride in their ability to form complex societies.
Effects: +2 Hierarchy Tolerance
Primordial Law
The People's Law is of an ancient sort, far beyond recorded history. Nonetheless, the mores and values instilled by the stories, myths, and fables, are an enduring part of the People's legacy. In time, they will shift, but the underlying message; that the People's ancestors had entrusted their children with a great covenant of faith to truly make their own and develop with their own wisdom, was greatly reassuring.
Effects: Gain a one time Stability increase when completing a Social Reform megaproject.
Primordial Mystics
A great civilization, rich in Magic, the People have trained extensively in the mystic arts and the secrets of the spirits. It is a source of pride among the People to be skilled in the secret ways of the world and all put forward effort into ensuring that they understand.
Effect: Treat Mysticism bonus as 1 higher for all purposes.
Primordial Temple Builders
The first to truly turn superstitions of the spirits into religion, the People have gained an appreciation for the finer points of training religious thinkers, building religious structures, and creating the weft and weave of religion in a positive and constructive manner.
Effects: Gain Legitimacy and Stability when constructing new temples.
Religious Authority Tolerance
The People are used to having a powerful and influential religion. As such, they have been forced to develop tools to deal with troublesome and meddling priests.
Effects: +1 Religious Authority Tolerance
Rush Builders
Not only do the People go big, but they do so extremely quickly. They were the first to erect a great work within a single generation. None can doubt the ability of the People to create and do so quickly.
Effects: Reduce all building type megaproject length to two thirds.
The People have developed numerous, unique religious traditions. Practices occult that would be the envy of the world. A source of pride and wonder, these treasured institutions are bulwarked against failure and destruction.
Effects: Lowered minimal threshold to maintain Holy Orders
Heroic Start!
The People are descendants of Heroes! Great men and women who have shaped their world according to their desires. Some are good, some are bad, but none can deny the People carry Greatness!
Effects: +1 to all Hero rolls
Hierarchy Tolerance
The People have peacefully transitioned for a more hierarchical form of government. They take pride in their ability to form complex societies.
Effects: +2 Hierarchy Tolerance
Primordial Law
The People's Law is of an ancient sort, far beyond recorded history. Nonetheless, the mores and values instilled by the stories, myths, and fables, are an enduring part of the People's legacy. In time, they will shift, but the underlying message; that the People's ancestors had entrusted their children with a great covenant of faith to truly make their own and develop with their own wisdom, was greatly reassuring.
Effects: Gain a one time Stability increase when completing a Social Reform megaproject.
Primordial Mystics
A great civilization, rich in Magic, the People have trained extensively in the mystic arts and the secrets of the spirits. It is a source of pride among the People to be skilled in the secret ways of the world and all put forward effort into ensuring that they understand.
Effect: Treat Mysticism bonus as 1 higher for all purposes.
Primordial Temple Builders
The first to truly turn superstitions of the spirits into religion, the People have gained an appreciation for the finer points of training religious thinkers, building religious structures, and creating the weft and weave of religion in a positive and constructive manner.
Effects: Gain Legitimacy and Stability when constructing new temples.
Religious Authority Tolerance
The People are used to having a powerful and influential religion. As such, they have been forced to develop tools to deal with troublesome and meddling priests.
Effects: +1 Religious Authority Tolerance
Rush Builders
Not only do the People go big, but they do so extremely quickly. They were the first to erect a great work within a single generation. None can doubt the ability of the People to create and do so quickly.
Effects: Reduce all building type megaproject length to two thirds.
Great Trace -> Great Relay -> Fire Relay
Slowly, over time, the passage of the People wears away at the barriers of tree and root, stone and soil. By patience and effort, the People have cut a pathway across the land, creating a way where once there was none. This has been further augmented by numerous way stations that maintain messengers and a relay of fires, ready to be turned into smoke signals. Given the rustic nature of the trial, it increases the endurance and woodcraft knowledge of all of the People so long as the trial remains in use. Interconnection greatly increases, preventing cultural drift. In times of emergency, the beacons can be lit, and aid summoned.
Effects: Increased internal cohesion and communication. Greatly reduced emergency response time. Lowered civilization divergence. Increased development of symbolic language. Increased organization and application of resources.
The Hill
The People have created an unlikely monolith, a great mound rising from the ground. This hill is unlike everything else found in nature, it is a feature of the world completely man-made. Aside from being an immense defensive advantage, being able to make a well defended hill anywhere they would like, the People have also vastly increased their skills for working with earth. Agriculture, earth moving, or any similar task, or large scale and coordination, benefits from the skills the People developed as long as memory of this momentous event remains.
Effects: The People gain a bonus to all large scale earth moving projects. Able to construct Mottes to reinforce settlements.
Trials of Adulthood
Adulthood is a recognized time in the life of every one of the People. To be an adult means that you are self-sufficient. Someone that can hold and offer debts to others among the People. It means that your voice has worth and should be taken into account. Heavily standardized, these arcane rituals have become a rallying point for the People. A cultural artifact that binds all of them together in a way that differentiates them from outsiders. As long as the trials are regularly completed, the People will remember themselves and their history. No adult amongst the People could be one counted deficient.
Effects: The competence of all leaders, regardless of standing, is increased. Cultural unity increased.
The Hunt
A primal activity, the People have looked beyond the age old history of blood and death. Hunting is not a simple story with a beginning and an end, but a chord held in harmony with the world's great symphony. As long as the People remember their humility and their place in the symphony, there will always be a place for the People in the world of beasts.
Effects: Expand Hunting action upgraded to Manage Hunting and reveals the safe hunting cap. Defensive attrition increased.
The Law (Neolithic)
The People's code of laws are beyond ancient, more of a primordial mien, from a time that's literally lost to time. Primarily, the Law is a collection of codified stories, a canon that shows the People how to build a good life. While still open for further development, the Law goes a long way to creating a uniformity of culture and expectation of internal unity.
Effects: Increase Centralization cap by +1, grant access to Push Unity action, accelerate development of Culture resource, ???
Slowly, over time, the passage of the People wears away at the barriers of tree and root, stone and soil. By patience and effort, the People have cut a pathway across the land, creating a way where once there was none. This has been further augmented by numerous way stations that maintain messengers and a relay of fires, ready to be turned into smoke signals. Given the rustic nature of the trial, it increases the endurance and woodcraft knowledge of all of the People so long as the trial remains in use. Interconnection greatly increases, preventing cultural drift. In times of emergency, the beacons can be lit, and aid summoned.
Effects: Increased internal cohesion and communication. Greatly reduced emergency response time. Lowered civilization divergence. Increased development of symbolic language. Increased organization and application of resources.
The Hill
The People have created an unlikely monolith, a great mound rising from the ground. This hill is unlike everything else found in nature, it is a feature of the world completely man-made. Aside from being an immense defensive advantage, being able to make a well defended hill anywhere they would like, the People have also vastly increased their skills for working with earth. Agriculture, earth moving, or any similar task, or large scale and coordination, benefits from the skills the People developed as long as memory of this momentous event remains.
Effects: The People gain a bonus to all large scale earth moving projects. Able to construct Mottes to reinforce settlements.
Trials of Adulthood
Adulthood is a recognized time in the life of every one of the People. To be an adult means that you are self-sufficient. Someone that can hold and offer debts to others among the People. It means that your voice has worth and should be taken into account. Heavily standardized, these arcane rituals have become a rallying point for the People. A cultural artifact that binds all of them together in a way that differentiates them from outsiders. As long as the trials are regularly completed, the People will remember themselves and their history. No adult amongst the People could be one counted deficient.
Effects: The competence of all leaders, regardless of standing, is increased. Cultural unity increased.
The Hunt
A primal activity, the People have looked beyond the age old history of blood and death. Hunting is not a simple story with a beginning and an end, but a chord held in harmony with the world's great symphony. As long as the People remember their humility and their place in the symphony, there will always be a place for the People in the world of beasts.
Effects: Expand Hunting action upgraded to Manage Hunting and reveals the safe hunting cap. Defensive attrition increased.
The Law (Neolithic)
The People's code of laws are beyond ancient, more of a primordial mien, from a time that's literally lost to time. Primarily, the Law is a collection of codified stories, a canon that shows the People how to build a good life. While still open for further development, the Law goes a long way to creating a uniformity of culture and expectation of internal unity.
Effects: Increase Centralization cap by +1, grant access to Push Unity action, accelerate development of Culture resource, ???
Administration: Stone Age Council
Big Man Slate
Collective Decision Making
First Among Equals Council
Formalized Big Man Leadership
Construction: Earthenware Construction
Animal Glue
Bone
Earth
Fired Clay Brick
Lime
Structural Stone
Wood
Domesticated Animals: Early Domestication
Early Canine Companions
Tamed Orkers
Energy Production: Muscle and Fire
Canine Power
Fire
Farming Techniques: Refuse Reuse
Fish Gut Fertilizer
Horticulture
Food Production: Early Organized Crop Fields
Cultivation/Horticulture
Food Storage: Potted Desiccation
Brewing
Covered Pots
Drying
Herding
Pemmican
Salt
Smoking
Sugaring
Magic: Primitive Exothermic Reactions
Fire
Lime
Lye
Materials: Stone and Obsidian
Bone
Flint
Ivory
Plant Fibers
Sinew
Stone
Wood
Bone acoustic instruments
Chanting
Horns
Rhythmic drumming
Structures: Earthenware Construction
Brick Longhouse
Brick Wall
Techniques: Apprenticed Teaching
Binding
Carving
Fire shaping
Mortared Masonry
Tools/Weapons: Stone and Obsidian
Axe
Bone Armour
Fire
Knife
Macuahuitl
Rock Mace
Spear
Spear-Thrower
Sinew Flatbow
Quarterstaff
Wicker Shield (One Handed)
Transportation: Muscle Power
Birch Bark Canoes
Primitive Bone Skates
Dog Sleds (Winterized and Primitive Summer)
Rasbaska
Signal Fire Language
Snowshoes
Trace
Trailmarkers
Big Man Slate
Collective Decision Making
First Among Equals Council
Formalized Big Man Leadership
Construction: Earthenware Construction
Animal Glue
Bone
Earth
Fired Clay Brick
Lime
Structural Stone
Large Scale Stonecutting
Plant FibersWood
Domesticated Animals: Early Domestication
Early Canine Companions
Tamed Orkers
Energy Production: Muscle and Fire
Canine Power
Fire
Charcoal
Lime
Kilns
Rock Boiling
Muscle PowerLime
Kilns
Rock Boiling
Farming Techniques: Refuse Reuse
Fish Gut Fertilizer
Horticulture
Food Production: Early Organized Crop Fields
Cultivation/Horticulture
Organized Plots
Corn
Pumpkin
Squash
Quinoa
Wild Rice
FishingCorn
Pumpkin
Squash
Quinoa
Wild Rice
Entrapment
Net
Spear
GatheringNet
Spear
Berries (Elderberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Cherries, Blackberries)
Condiments (Balsamroot, Evergreen)
Flowers (Fireweed, Sunflower)
Fruits (Plums, Persimmons, Grapes, Crabapples)
Nuts (Hickory, Walnut, Acorns, Hazelnut)
Vegetables (Beans, Fiddleheads)
HerdingCondiments (Balsamroot, Evergreen)
Flowers (Fireweed, Sunflower)
Fruits (Plums, Persimmons, Grapes, Crabapples)
Nuts (Hickory, Walnut, Acorns, Hazelnut)
Vegetables (Beans, Fiddleheads)
Dogs
Caribou
Orker
HuntingCaribou
Orker
Canine assisted hunts
Safe Animals (Turkey, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians)
Prey Animals (Deer, Elk, etc.)
Prize Animals (Wolves, Bear, Orker)
Refined FoodsSafe Animals (Turkey, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians)
Prey Animals (Deer, Elk, etc.)
Prize Animals (Wolves, Bear, Orker)
Maple Sugar
Spigot Collection
TrapsSpigot Collection
Bait
Conical Nets
Dead Fall
Pit
Snares
Conical Nets
Dead Fall
Pit
Snares
Food Storage: Potted Desiccation
Brewing
Covered Pots
Drying
Herding
Pemmican
Salt
Smoking
Sugaring
Magic: Primitive Exothermic Reactions
Fire
Lime
Lye
Materials: Stone and Obsidian
Bone
Flint
Ivory
Plant Fibers
Sinew
Stone
Amethyst
Citrine
Granite
Lapis Luzili
Limestone
Obsidian
Quartz
TerracottaCitrine
Granite
Lapis Luzili
Limestone
Obsidian
Quartz
Wood
Music: Crude, Natural InstrumentsBone acoustic instruments
Chanting
Horns
Rhythmic drumming
Structures: Earthenware Construction
Brick Longhouse
Brick Wall
Firing Step
Rampart
TemplesRampart
Corbel Arches
Decorative Pillars
Decorative Pillars
Techniques: Apprenticed Teaching
Binding
Carving
Fire shaping
Mortared Masonry
Tools/Weapons: Stone and Obsidian
Axe
Bone Armour
Fire
Knife
Macuahuitl
Rock Mace
Spear
Spear-Thrower
Sinew Flatbow
Quarterstaff
Wicker Shield (One Handed)
Transportation: Muscle Power
Birch Bark Canoes
Primitive Bone Skates
Dog Sleds (Winterized and Primitive Summer)
Rasbaska
Signal Fire Language
Snowshoes
Trace
Trailmarkers
Authority: Distributed Collectivized Leadership
Collective Decision Making
Specialization
Administrators: Aristocratic
Aristocrats
Council
Entertainment: Idle Time Filler
Gambling
Practice Fights
Scrimshaw
Organization: Stone Age
Apprenticeships
Early Polygamy
Extended Kinship Groups
Monogamy
Property: Non-Personal Possession
Communal Property
Reciprocal Lending
Interpersonal Debts
Records: Ancient Records
Memory
Oral History
Symbolic Tally
Religion: Ancient Ancestor Worship/Animism
Ancestor Worship
Animism
Mystery Cults
Rituals
Shamans
Temples
Roles: Stone Age Craftsmen
Artisan
Aristocrat
Craftsman
Food Producer
Shaman
Science: Shamanistic Secrets
Great Spirits
Magic
Spirits
Warriors: Ancient Warrior Clans
Elite Holy Orders
Folk Wrestling
Professional Warriors
Collective Decision Making
Specialization
Administrators: Aristocratic
Aristocrats
Council
Entertainment: Idle Time Filler
Gambling
Practice Fights
Scrimshaw
Organization: Stone Age
Apprenticeships
Early Polygamy
Extended Kinship Groups
Monogamy
Property: Non-Personal Possession
Communal Property
Reciprocal Lending
Interpersonal Debts
Records: Ancient Records
Memory
Oral History
Symbolic Tally
Religion: Ancient Ancestor Worship/Animism
Ancestor Worship
Animism
Mystery Cults
Rituals
Shamans
Temples
Roles: Stone Age Craftsmen
Artisan
Aristocrat
Craftsman
Food Producer
Shaman
Science: Shamanistic Secrets
Great Spirits
Magic
Spirits
Warriors: Ancient Warrior Clans
Elite Holy Orders
Folk Wrestling
Professional Warriors
Magic
Tally (100/100)
Abstract Tally (214/250)
Animism (50/50)Gods and Deities (200/200)
Ancestor Worship (0/???)
Hero Cults (0/???)
Elementalism (58/???)
Celestial Patterns (125/125)Ancestor Worship (0/???)
Hero Cults (0/???)
Elementalism (58/???)
Fire
Bricks (350/350)
Charcoal Kilns (200/200)
Copper Smelting (247/300)
Life
Horticulture (100/100)
Arboriculture (300/300) (Paradigm Change: 3 Turns)
Maple Sap (200/200)
Increased Maple Sap (0/Hard)
Increased Food Production (0/Moderate)
Increased Timber Production (0/Moderate)
Coppicing (0/Easy)
Agriculture (175/175)
Three Sisters (579/600)
Basic Irrigation (0/Easy)
Maple Sap (200/200)
Increased Maple Sap (0/Hard)
Increased Food Production (0/Moderate)
Increased Timber Production (0/Moderate)
Coppicing (0/Easy)
Agriculture (175/175)
Three Sisters (579/600)
Basic Irrigation (0/Easy)
Beast
Herding (250/250)
Caribou Taming (400/400)
Caribou Domestication (600/600)
Climate Adaptation (0/Hard)
Increased Hair Production (0/Easy)
Increased Size (0/Moderate)
Mammoth Taming (367/400)
Hunting (25/25)Caribou Domestication (600/600)
Climate Adaptation (0/Hard)
Increased Hair Production (0/Easy)
Increased Size (0/Moderate)
Mammoth Taming (367/400)
Dog Taming (150/150)
Dog Domestication (300/300)
Personal Dogs (0/Easy)
Hunting Dogs (0/Easy)
War Dogs (0/Moderate)
Herding Dogs (0/Moderate)
Orker Taming (400/400)
Orker Domestication (240/800)
Raven Taming (109/150)
Dog Domestication (300/300)
Personal Dogs (0/Easy)
Hunting Dogs (0/Easy)
War Dogs (0/Moderate)
Herding Dogs (0/Moderate)
Orker Taming (400/400)
Orker Domestication (240/800)
Raven Taming (109/150)
Stone
Lime Plaster (75/75) [Stone]
Stonecutting (100/100) [Stone]
Elementary Geology (42/Hard) [Stone]
Masonry (65/Moderate) [Stone]
Masonry (65/Moderate) [Stone]
Travel
Dog Sleds (125/125)
Advanced Dog Sleds (150/150)
Winter Travel (50/50)Traces (100/100)
Trails (200/200)
Roads (0/Very Hard)
Wheel (11/100)Roads (0/Very Hard)
Geography
Leader Board
Leader Board
- The People! (Prestige: 38, Army: Hardened Neolithic Warriors and Holy Orders, Economy: Agriculture Supplemented with Hunting, Art: Sacred Construction and Advanced High Quality Tools, Magic: Fire, Stone, and Spirit)
- Tribe of the West (Prestige: 29, Army: Numerous Professional Neolithic Warriors, Economy: Unprecedented Boom in Agriculture, Art: Innumerable Tools, Magic: All Things Alive)
- Island Makers (Prestige: 20, Army: Elite Neolithic Warriors, Economy: Intense Early Agriculture, Art: Advanced Quality Tools, Magic: Earth and Water)
- Peace Builders (Prestige: 19, Army: Fanatical Neolithic Warriors, Economy: Broad Agriculture and Aquaculture, Art: Ephemeral Crafts and Imported Advanced High Quality Tools, Magic: Of Song and Story)
- Roundstone (Prestige: 18, Army: Professional Slingers, Economy: Extensive Aquaculture, Art: Cloth and Paint, Magic: Shouts)
- Bond Breakers (Prestige: 17, Army: Organizing Militia, Economy: Early Agricultre, Art: Durable Weapons, Magic: Little)
- Cracktooth (Prestige: 17, Army: Bloodthirsty Militia, Economy: Agrculture and Herding, Art: Tools of Terror, Magic: Bone and Beat)
- Lakeland (Prestige: 16, Canoe Archers, Economy: Hunter-Gatherer, Art: Rugged Tools, Magic: Little)
- Pearl Divers (Prestige: 14, Army: Informal Militia, Economy: Early Fishing and Aquaculture, Art: Beautified Dependable Tools, Magic: Sea and Salt)
- Cateye (Prestige: 14, Army: Hit and Run, Economy: Hunter-Gatherer with Trade, Art: Glittering Gifts and Functional Tools, Magic: Corruption)
- Arrow Lake (Prestige: 10, Army: Informal, Devastated Militia, Economy: Near Starvation, Art: Sacred Iconography, Magic: Stone and Slaves)
- Stoutheart (Prestige: 1, Army: Organizing Militia, Economy: Subsistence Hunter-Gatherer, Art: Little, Magic: Little)
- Hard Foot (Prestige: 1, Army: Angry Militia, Economy: Recovering, Art: Little, Magic: Little)
- Soft Eyes (Prestige 1, Army: Coalescing Militia, Economy: On the Dole, Art: Little, Magic: Little)
- River Tribe (Prestige: ?, Army: ?, Economy: ?, Art: ?, Magic ?)
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Foreword
Welcome to the 3rd spiritual successor to AcademiaNut's wildly popular Paths of Civilizations. Unlike PoC, Settlers of (Yu)Catan, and From the Cradle of the Neolithic, the system used in this quest will be significantly more focused on pure narrative. There are still numbers under the hood, but those will be things that help me keep track of narrative factors. PoC and SoY are supremely math intense and I am not keen on emphasizing that. I want this game to be something that is accessible to everyone who's interested in playing instead of being dominated by an elite few who can grasp the mechanics and plans become arcane.
With that in mind, there are a few things that everyone should know before we start:
Known Mechanics
With that in mind, there are a few things that everyone should know before we start:
- Actions form the narrative
- Narrative informs actions
- The GM is always available to clarify (IC) options
- Communicate with each other
- This will be difficult
- Have fun
Known Mechanics
People of outstanding skill and great worth, Heroes are more skilled than their common counterparts. Specialized in a specific field (Administration, Diplomacy, Martial) they are often people who would be recorded in the history books.
A Hero provides a free innovation roll related to their specialty every turn them live and sometimes give unique opportunities or extra actions beyond what you would normally receive. They also greatly increase the impact of high rolls and mitigate the effects of low ones.
The downside of Heroes is that these important people are often willful and opinionated. They may veto certain options they go against their specialty. They also can take actions — even a whole turn — away from the players. These action choices are usually optimized along the Heroes' specialty but you'll get back control once the Heroes dies.
When Heroes take over a turn depends on your government type and certain other factors. Currently, Diplomacy Heroes automatically take over the turn. As your civilization develops and goes in a warlike direction, Martial Heroes can take over. Civilizations with massive bureaucracies or a high level of Hierarchy are vulnerable to Administration Heroes.
A Hero provides a free innovation roll related to their specialty every turn them live and sometimes give unique opportunities or extra actions beyond what you would normally receive. They also greatly increase the impact of high rolls and mitigate the effects of low ones.
The downside of Heroes is that these important people are often willful and opinionated. They may veto certain options they go against their specialty. They also can take actions — even a whole turn — away from the players. These action choices are usually optimized along the Heroes' specialty but you'll get back control once the Heroes dies.
When Heroes take over a turn depends on your government type and certain other factors. Currently, Diplomacy Heroes automatically take over the turn. As your civilization develops and goes in a warlike direction, Martial Heroes can take over. Civilizations with massive bureaucracies or a high level of Hierarchy are vulnerable to Administration Heroes.
In the Neolithic Age, obtaining food was a constant struggle. Often times, some activities were simply a net loss of calories. Until the situation changes and your food throughput stabilizes, Econ is set into a tier system that must be manually regenerated.
Most activities do not drive you up or down. Building a Palisade or Shrine costs one tier of surplus, building a Settlement costs two.
Expand Hunting will grant one extra and Expand Agriculture will grant a temporary one that becomes permanent on a climate roll >50. Manage Forest does not yet increase Econ tier. Great Climate (>70) will provide one free Econ Tier of its own. Epic Climate (>85) will provide two.
Econ Tiers: Famine < Severe Starvation < Starvation < Hungry < Edge of Hunger < Tiny Surplus < Small Surplus < Moderate Surplus < Large Surplus < The Food Rots Before We Eat It!
Most activities do not drive you up or down. Building a Palisade or Shrine costs one tier of surplus, building a Settlement costs two.
Expand Hunting will grant one extra and Expand Agriculture will grant a temporary one that becomes permanent on a climate roll >50. Manage Forest does not yet increase Econ tier. Great Climate (>70) will provide one free Econ Tier of its own. Epic Climate (>85) will provide two.
Econ Tiers: Famine < Severe Starvation < Starvation < Hungry < Edge of Hunger < Tiny Surplus < Small Surplus < Moderate Surplus < Large Surplus < The Food Rots Before We Eat It!
During a Trend, a specific type of trade good becomes significantly more profitable than it would normally be. Trends are generally transitory, but during that time can be extremely powerful for whomever controls the source of the trending good. Leading traders get twice the normal profit. Dominant ones get three times the benefit. Based on the current economic type, trends boost diplomacy. After currency is invented, they will boost wealth. Factions wanting a Trend Good, but being unable to obtain them, for whatever reason, will suffer Stability damage.
Trigger: Trade good is in great demand by 1 Regional Power, 3 regular powers, OR 5 minor powers.
Effect: Leading traders get double profit, Dominant ones triple; Stability damage for recipient powers who can't obtain the trending good
Trigger: Trade good is in great demand by 1 Regional Power, 3 regular powers, OR 5 minor powers.
Effect: Leading traders get double profit, Dominant ones triple; Stability damage for recipient powers who can't obtain the trending good
In order to deal with an imbalance of trade, a Faction has entered an unorthodox trade arrangement. This arrangement involves trading technology or other valuable ideas in order to fulfill this demand. This trade may be severed at any time by the one offering technology, but there is often a reason why they are forced into this position. Retribution may be swift for breaking such agreements.
Effects: Unorthodox Trade Recipients gain 1 innovation roll each turn with technologies taken from the unorthodox trader's entire technology list
Trigger: Lose a war; trade imbalance; diplomatic action
Effects: Unorthodox Trade Recipients gain 1 innovation roll each turn with technologies taken from the unorthodox trader's entire technology list
Trigger: Lose a war; trade imbalance; diplomatic action
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Kanata.EXE
Programmer
- Location
- Indonesia
[X] Pleasing Spirits
[X] The Shore
[X] The Shore
StellarMonarch
Myrmidon
- Location
- Québec
[X] Pleasing Spirits
[X] The Shore
Faith, Fish and Fortitude.
[X] The Shore
Faith, Fish and Fortitude.
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
[X] Seeking Resources
[X] The Land
[X] The Land
NuclearConsensus
Herald of the Thorned One
- Location
- the Philippines
[X] Chasing Wanderlust
[X] The Beasts
[X] The Beasts
KnownParadox
Not a sphere
- Location
- Canada
[X] Chasing Wanderlust
[X] The Beasts
Hahahahaha! Now! WE shall be the unending hoard! Constantly crushing lessers underfoot and being a constant presence at those who dare to not die at our hands! Ahahahahahahahaha!
No, Post Traumatic Straits Disorder has not overtaken me why do you ask!?
[X] The Beasts
Hahahahaha! Now! WE shall be the unending hoard! Constantly crushing lessers underfoot and being a constant presence at those who dare to not die at our hands! Ahahahahahahahaha!
No, Post Traumatic Straits Disorder has not overtaken me why do you ask!?
StellarMonarch
Myrmidon
- Location
- Québec
Any ideas for if we go nomad? We're obviously fairly northwards, so eventually going full horde isn't out of the question.
Personally, I'd love to poke the religious aspect of things.
Personally, I'd love to poke the religious aspect of things.
- Location
- Hollister
[X] Chasing Wanderlust
[X] The Beasts
[X] The Beasts
- Location
- United States
[X] Chasing Wanderlust
[X] The Beasts
Is this the beast tamer build I see here?
It would be a nice deviation if we could greatly integrate animals into our way of life, especially if we could get to some of the bigger ones early on.
[X] The Beasts
Is this the beast tamer build I see here?
It would be a nice deviation if we could greatly integrate animals into our way of life, especially if we could get to some of the bigger ones early on.
- Location
- United States
[X] Escaping Violence
[X] The Shore
The shore to promote fishing and naval dominance. Escaping violence so that we have a more militaristic civ that's not as dependent on luck to survive competition. But I don't want to go full pillage and burn with a nomad build that will result in no real permanency or civilization.
[X] The Shore
The shore to promote fishing and naval dominance. Escaping violence so that we have a more militaristic civ that's not as dependent on luck to survive competition. But I don't want to go full pillage and burn with a nomad build that will result in no real permanency or civilization.
- Location
- United States
[X] Seeking Resources
[X] The Land
I'm not sure I'm ready to meme another boatquest into existence
Let's be honest, it's pope quest now, not boat quest. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm thinking of a more Carthage-like civilization.
- Location
- The Middle of the Howling Wilderness
Well, it's a little from column A, a little from column B
I like the idea of a Carthage-esque civilization, or even a Phoenician-ish culture.
- Location
- Classified
For once, I just want to go full warmonger. I don't care how viable it is, I want to crush all other tribes beneath an iron fist. I've had enough peaceful building and cultural hegemony.
[X] Seeking Resources
[X] Other Tribes
[X] Seeking Resources
[X] Other Tribes