Just decorative columns. Think almost like Stonehenge, except primitively carved and painted. They're more like standing stones than pillars just yet.
So we're not going to be making anything similar to the Acropolis anytime soon then I take it?
Infighting. The lump is a figurehead and everyone knows it. The problem is that the people who actually had what it took to be named Big Men were fighting against each other; none of them could quite manage to get enough support to force everyone else into line.
Big Man systems are great at picking meritorious people. They have terrible succession problems, though. If there's not a strong figure to unite behind as the new Big Man, infighting and even civil war is possible.
So what would be the result if another Big Man tried to influence the choice of his successor? Would that be something that is tolerated or be seen as taboo?
Also, when you mean fighting for his position, are they literally fighting over it now or just politically posturing?
They're constantly evolving. Over time, as we visit the Cave of Stars more and more, traditions will be added and revamped all the time.
Is the Temple itself changing as well? Structurally and aesthetically?
Star Shamans are shaman who were considered to be among the most promising. Finding a Star Shaman is considered to be a great personal victory since there aren't many. Perhaps a few dozen across the entire tribe? Every family sends their most promising offspring to be tested.
Their training isn't any different except for the Trial at the end. To become a full Star Shaman, you need to commune with the spirits, locked within their threshold for a full day and night. Everyone involved is touched deeply by the experience, some so much that they never leave the spiritual realm. Others are simply never seen again.
Have the Star Shaman begin distinct enough that they are considered a Holy Order or something similar of an institution unto themselves? As while they may not have specific magic yet, their traditions seem close to it.
It has to do with something you'll develop way later on. You don't really have the Mysticism in order to fully articulate what's happening and put it into context with how the People would understand the world. Ask again in about... 80 turns? The material involved would need to be mid-Bronze age before it can really start to be articulated.
Ahhh, okay. I'll wait.
The Triumvirate consults the spirits all the time in every aspect of their lives. How often do they go to the Cave of Stars? Usually only once a year near the summer solstice. If there's an emergency, they would consult them outside of it.
So they don't normally decide every major decision by testing the applicants with opening up the door to the spirits then?
You rolled 92+20 (+10 for previous roll, +5 for similar values and +5 for Blood Brothers on top of that).
What's the threshold for getting a changed value out of this? DC essentially.
Narratively? The Pearl Divers dinged their A Word, A Bond value when they refused to help you last turn. That guranteed that it would be the one lost. If you hadn't triggered Spiritual Advisors, then their values wouldn't have changed.
So, now is all of the rest of their traits randomly fair game now, assuming we roll high enough to get it triggered?
Priit probably has one more turn in him. He's not yet in the right place to suggest Stone Age Law. He will, but he's very unlikely to live to see the formalization of it.
So Priit should last long enough to suggest it next turn but is unlikely to finish it? Works for me. Will Aeva have any contributions to make to it or is she too old at this point?
The realization of warriors' families losing out when the warrior died was triggered by taking any non-Holy Order Raise Warriors action. You had a chance to uncover it before the issue exploded into a huge problem. Having a big war a generation ago merely made it more likely to trigger.
So it's a good thing then that we discovered it now? What would've happened if we let it fester?
One or two more turns, most likely.
I'm assuming by then we will have special choices regarding our fusion then like you suggested?
Pitiful. They'll make up 5-10% of your forces. They're giving you everything than can, but they were savaged extremely harshly by the war.
Is Priit in overall command of them or are they acting independently of us? As I think Priit would prioritize making sure they don't get further savaged.
Good to know, I'm assuming we still need to take Study Travel and Hunt Orker again to get it?
Also, would the Horn Riders become a Holy Order once we fuse with the Northlanders?
Leader Board
The People! (Prestige: 28, Army: Reduced, Hardened Neolithic Warriors and Holy Orders, Economy: Early Agriculture Supplemented with Hunting, Art: Sacred Construction and Advanced High Quality Tools, Magic: Fire, Stone, and Spirit)
- Tribe of the West (Prestige: 22, Army: Numerous Professional Neolithic Warriors, Economy: Unprecedented Boom in Agriculture, Art: Innumerable Tools, Magic: All Things Alive)
- Arrow Lake (Prestige: 18, Army: Informal, Lucky Militia, Economy: Early Agriculture, Art: Sacred Iconography, Magic: Stone and Slaves)
- Island Makers (Prestige: 17, Army: Enraged Elite Neolithic Warriors, Economy: Intense Early Agriculture, Art: Advanced Quality Tools, Magic: Earth and Water)
- Roundstone (Prestige: 15, Army: Professional Slingers, Economy: Extensive Aquaculture, Art: Cloth and Paint, Magic: Shouts)
- Cracktooth (Prestige: 15, Army: Eager Blooded Militia, Economy: Agrculture and Herding, Art: Tools of Terror, Magic: Bone and Beat)
- Bond Breakers (Prestige: 14, Army: Organizing Militia, Economy: Edge of Hunger, Art: Durable Weapons, Magic: Little)
- Pearl Divers (Prestige: 11, Army: Informal Militia, Economy: Early Fishing and Aquaculture, Art: Beautified Dependable Tools, Magic: Sea and Salt)
- Peace Builders (Prestige: 10, Army: Greatly Reduced Fanatical Neolithic Warriors, Economy: Broad Agriculture and Aquaculture, Art: Ephemeral Crafts and Imported Advanced High Quality Tools, Magic: Of Song and Story)
- Cateye (Prestige: 6, Army: Hit and Run, Economy: Hunter-Gatherer with Trade, Art: Glittering Gifts and Functional Tools, Magic: Little)
- Lakeland (Prestige: 5, Canoe Archers, Economy: Hunter-Gatherer, Art: Rugged Tools, Magic: Little)
- Mountain Clans (Prestige: 1, Army: Scattered Refugees, Economy: Severe Starvation, Art: Little, Magic: Little)
- Northlands (Prestige: 0, Army: Nigh Slaughtered Cavalry, Economy: Near Collapse, Art: Bone Tools, Magic: Bonds and Beasts)
- River Tribe (Prestige: ?, Army: ?, Economy: ?, Art: ?, Magic ?)
Once again, we stand at the top with our prestige not having changed.
Similarly, the Tribe of the West stands just below us, with around the same prestige as they had before.
Arrow Lake keeps their position at the third spot, though it's somewhat concerning that in their magic category it now includes slaves where it didn't before. We'll need to do something about that later.
The Island Makers seem to be in the same place as well, though I am not sure if they gained a new magic for Earth to add to Water.
For the first of the Peace Builders enemies, we have the Roundstone, I think they are an enemy, who on the map are at west of center across the lake from the Peace Builders. Their martial is interesting in that they have professional slingers, which indicates that the battlefields which we will be fighting on are likely not forests as I don't think slingers are as effective in those. Good thing we have the Horn Riders with us as they will serve as an effective counter to the slingers, alongside our shields providing some protection. Their economy is interesting in that they rely mostly on aquaculture with no agriculture. Their art also seems to suggest they are not as violent as I expected, while their magic seems related to martial pursuits as I don't know where else shouts would be applicable.
For Cracktooth, it seems likely they are the main adversary of the Peace Builders right now due to being on their southern border. The fact that they still employ a militia likely will make them weak against our elite warriors and especially our cavalry. Their economics is nothing special. While their art suggests enough about them that they would've been our enemies anyway with tools of terror. When it comes to their magic, well it seems to be a combination of probably shaping bone and making beats as in drumming I'm assuming.
The Bond Breakers have vaulted up a lot, likely because South Lake has been destroyed by them with their territory taken by their former slaves. Still they seem to be in a precarious position economically with little magic.
Pearl Divers are in the same position, though it seems salt was added to their magic.
The Peace Builders are in a sorry state compared to their heights before, so its somewhat surprising to see how much territory they hold.
The Cateye, the farthest western tribe, with their position makes me doubt they are an enemy of the Peace Builders.
@Redium I thought you said that the Peace Builders only had three enemies as they had absorbed the other two. Which three tribes are we fighting? In any case as we don't know if they are enemy or not for the sake of this analysis I will treat them as one. With hit and run as their style of warfare I think we should be well able to deal with them as we have the fangs and are adept at it as well. Their economy also seems relatively easy to disturb as they are still hunter gatherer, making it so that any losses in war will harm their economy. While their glittering gifts do interest me somewhat, their little magic makes them seem like not too much of a threat.
The Lakeland's are a surprise to me, as I didn't know that we had another tribe so close by to our borders. In terms of their martial might I don't put too much stock into them as was mentioned before fighting on the water at this stage with canoes is inherently dangerous, so unless they have a different bow tech to give them an advantage then I think we can easily take them. As for the rest of their stats they seem low tech compared to us.
The mountain clans and the north landers have changed little, with the river tribe a mystery like before.
In terms of the map there are two key things I've noted. Firstly in terms of controlled territory we don't have as much as compared to any of or neighbors, which is probably due to our tall focus. Secondly it looks like the Mountain Clans settlement on that key island is something we will have to deal with as it is blocking our eventual expansion on the Valge River and flood plains within it. On another note, it seems like according to the icons that we and Arrow Lake are the only ones with brick walls for settlements so far. All in all a productive turn.
