Blessings and Curses
The news that had reached the palace had been too strange to be true, so Isidoros had decided to come and see in person what had been described to him. Though even now when he saw it with his own eyes, it boggled the mind. He had not expected much success from the attempts to erect more farms. The lower slopes of the hills were just too wet most of the year to grow anything but weeds and a single good rain might have made the tilled soil turn into mud and run off. This was what he had expected. He had made some offerings to Demeter and asked the priests to do the same, but all things considered, it seemed a foregone conclusion that not much would come out of this. Now, though?
"It is a sign of Demeter, my king. Of that what we are sure." Slowly, Isidoros turned to the priest who had spoken while he thought, throwing him a incredulous look.
"I would have never guessed." The response was less sarcastic than he had meant, for the wonder still struck him somewhat dumb. Rows of cornflowers now grew on the slopes, having grown and flowered apparently over night. Not in a chaotic pattern though, but in clear and purposeful lines. And the patches in between these rows had sprouted poppys in an equally impossible swiftness, bathing the hillside in a rich pattern of red and blue. The purpose of the cornflowers were quite clear, and if Isidoros hurried back to the palace to fetch his plans for the drainage ditches to be dug between the hills, he would most likely find that those flowers grew just right to drain the hillside into his small channels.
Establish Farmsteads: Critical Success
Gained 2x Farmstead
Farming Income: 13
Consumption: 15
Current Supplies: 4
"Why?" There was no denying that this was the handiwork of the Lady of the Harvest, the only sign that could have been more obvious then the poppys would have been the goddess herself coming to Hyphyria and saying as much in person. Yet she was the one who had brought blight and rot to Orchomenos and this reversal of her favor just seemed to good to be true.
The priest just shrugged. Interpreting the will of the gods was his calling, though he seemed just as dumbfounded by this. "Many have died in Orchomenos, and death is not her nature."
More the priest did not say, though Isidoros caught what he implied. She might regret her actions and this was her way of showing as much. Saying out loud that the gods might have done something wrong was dangerous, though, and even thinking it not always without cost, so he banished the idea quickly from his mind. It was a blessing, pure and simple, and he would not waste it by overthinking it. "Then I will organize some workers to have those ditches made and the fields tilled."
Isidoros turned to leave, but the priest spoke up again. "My king. Maybe it would be wise to show our appreciation for this gift, lest Demeter think we are ungrateful for it."
Demeter has blessed your field despite her past wrath. Maybe it is time to show your appreciation.
[] [Demeter] Do nothing. This hardly makes up for the calamities she had inflicted on your people in the past.
[] [Demeter] Organize a festival in her honor.
-[] Write-In how much supplies to spend. (Minimum: 2)
Alas, not everything went equally well in that summer. While Isidoros had been hard at work to make the most out of the blessing the city had received, trouble brewed elsewhere. Argurios was still rather cold towards his lord, seeing not why he should suffer a wife he didn't want because of issues he accepted no responsibility in causing. His ire just grew even more when his new wife Semni was called upon to aid the fledgling city with her skills. She was quick of wit and her tongue sharp, so it felt only natural for Isidoros to give her a meaningful task where she could use both. So he had sent her to the logging camp on the other side of the river, apparently named Rumon by the shepherds, while Argurios was tasked to oversee the efforts by the potters to set up kilns and a proper clay pit.
Now that Isidoros had more time again and could listen to all the complaints the two had caused, he dearly regretted his decisions. It was a disaster. No other word could truly express the messes they had made.
When he was honest with himself, he should have seen it coming with Argurios. The young man was not exactly dull, but neither did he show any semblance of aptitude at rulership or careful planning. For Isidoros, setting up a few kilns and digging a pit on a clay deposit sounded like something he could have done in his sleep, but Argurios had clearly struggled. The pit had been dug close to the river and water seepage had been a constant problem, causing him to send ever more workers to try the impossible in holding back the water. The kilns on the other hand, he had constructed right in the small village and it took a grand total of three days before the first hut caught fire from a stray ember. Thankfully, nobody was hurt and the fire quickly extinguished, but the people tore down the kilns all the same.
That the clay pit had collapsed just a night later was too much for his temper, though, and Argurios had abandoned the project in a huff, claiming that he had to work with imbeciles who could not follow even the most simple order. The potters who had come to the palace to inform Isidoros about the events were understandably incensed about this, especially as two of their apprentices had died in the collapsing pit. When he had first given them audience, their anger seemed rather overblown, especially the threat to stuff Argurios into a oven if he ever again bothered them, though now that he had the full picture, Isidoros could just agree with them.
Argurios: Pottery Kilns - Major Failure
Lost 2 Wealth. No progress made. Project needs to be restarted.
On the other side of the river, things had not gone any better. Things had started off decently well, with Semni getting along reasonably well with the workers. Even a Greek peasant felt himself better then any barbaroi, wife of a lord or not, though she managed to bridge that gap with her charm and got some of them to listen to her. The problem was, it had not been all of them and things escalated quickly. From what Isidoros could piece together of the events, her first order had already set the tone for the whole ordeal. When she told all workers to make a clearing a bit deeper in the forest, some went off and did as told. Others, either not understanding her still shaky Greek or not caring what she had told them, instead kept up their previous work.
A few even went so far as loudly arguing with her, and when she didn't listen to their 'well meaning advice', they went off and started cutting in a completely different location. Given what the king had heard from some of the other workers, said well meaning advice had been prefaced with the words 'stupid barbaroi whore', so he couldn't quite fault her for not listening to them. The damage was done though and instead of doing something meaningful, the logging camp had descended into arguing, barked orders, and people either doing all the wrong things out of confusion or simply to spite Semni.
It nearly came to a riot a few days past, though she had managed to prevent it from escalating. One senseless squabble to many had been had, and someone had thrown a punch. A few short brawls and shouting followed, and before anyone knew how and why, some of the workers had brandished their axes. Isidoros had always admired the eloquence of other people, but that Semni had managed to break them up was truly impressive. She gave a heartfelt speech that she did not wish for blood to be spilled over her presence and that she did not mean to drive a wedge between friends and families. Then she left, leaving the befuddled workers to sort out their disagreements in their own time, though with her gone, there was not truly any point in their feuds anymore.
Semni: Expand Logging Camp - Critical Failure
Lost 2 Wealth. No logging income this turn.
Potential riot.
Semni - Diplomacy - Charm: Success
Riot prevented. No further damage caused.
The blessing from Demeter of all the gods seemed to good to be true when he had seen it, but now Isidoros was convinced that fate was the most capricious of all mistresses. Now he was left with disgruntled potters and disgruntled woodcutters. Neither of those groups was truly furious at him, but that might have been just a matter of time. Something needed to be done to get their minds off things.
What do you do about the angry people left in the wake of these failures?
[] [Semni] Do nothing. She did nothing wrong and the workers will clam down in time.
[] [Semni] Send Argurios to calm down the workers. The attention of a proper Greek noble should reassure them.
[] [Semni] Promise at court to never again put a barbaroi in charge of any Greek people. (Unable to use Semni for actions that would have her give orders to Greek people.)
[] [Semni] Punish those workers who did not follow Semni's orders. It is the right of the king to choose his representatives, but not the right of the peasants to disregard their words.
[] [Argurios] Do nothing. The potters should calm down as long as they don't have to see Argurios near the workshops anymore.
[] [Argurios] Send Semni to calm down the potters. She managed to quite down a riot, so she should be able to handle them.
[] [Argurios] Promise the potters your personal attention come fall. (Isidoros locked into Construct Pottery Kilns next turn)
[] [Argurios] Give the potters the right to requisition materials and to organize their work themselves. (Project restarts without another action. Might have unforeseen consequences.)
AN: The dice giveth and the dice taketh. It could have been worse, though. Had Semni not salvaged the mess in the forest, there would have been damage to the logging camp.
