Chronicles of Nations - Civ Quest

[H] [SEC] Build New Shrine = (Sunrise Bay)
[H] [SEC] More Hunting

Ymarn was enjoying the visit to Sunrise Bay. Founded in her lifetime, the third village of the People was still young with only a few hundred people living there.

Yet it was a village of the People and it required its own shrine to Arthryn and that was what Ymarn was here for. While it strictly didn't require her presence, Ymarn had decided that it was her duty to personally oversee the construction of every new shrine.

So she had come to Sunrise Bay at the end of the previous winter with her eldest daughter Wyrn. Now as the harvest begins and the construction of the shrine is done, Ymarn plans to official open it by making the first tribute to the goddess.

Provided nothing unexpected happens, she will be able to make it back to Greenbay before the next winter.

"Mum, I am going to head down to the seaside," says Wyrn from behind Ymarn and the elder turns to face her.

Wyrn isn't particularly stand out amongst the women of the People with the muscular figure and filled out curves, but her compassionate and kindness is what endears her daughter to Ymarn the most. Wyrn may not have her genius or innate ability to figure out the supernatural, but her caring nature makes Ymarn proud.

"Make sure to be in time for the tribute offering," Ymarn tells her daughter.

The second oldest of her children, Wyrn has been of age for a good few winters now and strictly speaking, she doesn't need to ask Ymarn for permission apart from anything a regular member of the People would need to ask Ymarn for permission. Yet Wyrn looks up to her mother and gives Ymarn unofficial authority over her because of that.

Ymarn believes that once Wyrn settles down with a family, she will begin to assert herself as her own adult when she has her own children to look after. She will probably have to start getting Wyrn to look for a family soon.

Her daughter may still be young, but it has been a good few winters since she came of age and Wyrn ought to be starting her own family by now. Karyd and Bryn have already started their own families and Harthyn is eying someone to be his wife.

Once again, Ymarn feels particularly grateful for the goddess rolling back her age when she received her blessing, giving her a few extra years to have more children.

But that can wait until they get back to Greenbay. Right now, Ymarn needs to focus on the new shrine and giving tribute to the goddess.

Ymarn makes her way up to the shrine. Located near the edge of the village that doesn't face the sea, the shrine is located in the top of a file, giving whoever is up there a slight overview of the village.

The tribute should already have been collected and be waiting for her at the shrine. As always, Ymarn will need to go through it before the offering begins to ensure that all of the tribute is worthy of the goddess. It would always be wrong to offer subpar tribute to the goddess, but it would be a particular shame to do so on the first tribute offering at this shrine.

Before long, Ymarn is going through the tribute, pleased that all of it is up to proper standards so far. The first sign that things are going wrong is when she hears the screams in the distance, coming from the village. The second sign is the smoke plumes that Ymarn sees when she looks towards the village to see what is wrong.

She is the only one to realise that something is wrong. As usual, there is a small crowd of early comers to the tribute offering and just like Ymarn, they know that something is wrong as well.

Glancing around at those at the shrine, Ymarn is pleased to see a decent number of hunters. While she had her own reasons for encouraging more hunters amongst the People, it seems that her efforts will pay offer in a different manner than she originally expected.

"Those that can fight, follow me," commands Ymarn to those gathered at the shrine, "Those cannot, retreat to the fields and wait this out."

In response to her words, the people at the shrine quickly split up as Ymarn walks towards the town. The hunters and some of more fit folk form up with her whilst the rest head away from the village.

While one of the hunters offers her a spear, Ymarn turns it down as she doesn't know how to use one and they have a limited number of weapons within their group. As far as Ymarn is concerned, what weapons they do have with them should go to those that know how to use them.

As their group goes into the village, they pass those fleeing or unsure of what is going one. Ymarn gives the same orders to all of them. Flee to the fields if you cannot fight and join up with their group if you can. Picking up more than a few weapons from homes that they pass by, Ymarn is confident in their ability to handle whatever is going on in Sunrise Bay.

And it doesn't take long for Ymarn to realise what danger is befalling Sunrise Bay as it has come looking for them.

Ymarn's group comes to a halt as a group of hunters approach them. Armed with bows, arrows and spears, Ymarn knows that they are hunters, but at the same time, she knows that they are not hunters of the People.

No, these men and women are outsiders and they are clearly the cause of the threat to Sunrise Bay.

A tall, burly man at the front of the outsiders points a spear at Ymarn and barks out some words, words that Ymarn does not recognise and does not understand. Nonetheless, Ymarn knows what needs to be done here.

"Kill them!" yells Ymarn at those gathered with her.

The leader of the outsiders seems to understand Ymarn's intentions as he makes a shout of his own and just like that, the People and the outsiders are fighting each other. Arrows and spears fly cutting down men and women on both sides whilst others charge at each other, stabbing at their foes with their spears.

Despite the horror that she should be feeling at this bloodbath for it is a two-sided bloodbath, Ymarn feels a cold calm come over her as she assesses the situation. There is no time for her to panic and freak out like a sane person should. No, she needs to figure out what needs doing and how to do before doing it.

And right now, it is clear what needs doing. The outsiders need to be slain and driven back and to do that, their leader needs to die.

The People are winning against the outsider hunters, their superior numbers and skills along with the innate advantages of the goddess' blessing allowing them to gain the upper hand in this fight even as they suffer their own losses.

If that was all there was to this fight, the People would win. Unfortunately, there is another factor in play as their leader is making up for the rest of the outsiders.

Moving with unmatched skill and strength, the outsider leader cuts down one of the People with every other strike of his spear. If not stopped, he will win this battle for the outsiders even as his fellows fall around him.

As Ymarn tries to think of how to stop this mighty hunter, she is denied the opportunity to do so as the outsider leader goes straight for her.

Cutting down the People behind her and him, the outsider leader charges at Ymarn and Ymarn doesn't know what to do.

She will try to dodge, but she knows from watching the fight that he will still get her and without a weapon, she cannot fight back. Maybe if-no, she would have a chance. Only the goddess could save her now.

As the man stabs his spear towards her, Ymarn notices something. She doesn't see or hear here or even small it, but she feels something as the man aims his spear at her, wielding something else alongside his spear as he tries to slay her.

No, not slay her, he wants her alive. He is wielding his spear and using his something to take her alive.

Time slows down and Ymarn realises that something is mad at her, mad at her for knowing what she does. It reaches out for her, beyond the actions of this man and-

The goddess, Arthryn herself, is with her and has always been with her as the goddess always is for each of her People. Ymarn feels her presences within her and around her as Arthryn reaches out for whatever is trying to touch Ymarn and shatters it, crushing and breaking it with her divine power.

The something jerks back and Arthryn pursues, clawing and stabbing at the something as it flees in panic.

As Ymarn feels the presences of Arthryn and the something fade, she turns her attention back to the fight and is startled by what has happened. The outsider leader is fleeing, his spear gone and his body panicked. The other outsiders are also in retreat, doing their best to chase after their leader even as the what remains of the People's fighters try to kills more of them.

The fight is won and the outsiders flee. Ymarn just wonders what the cost will be as she stares as the dozens of bodies belong to the dead, dying and maimed while blood runs freely on the ground and weapons fly abandoned or broken in the bloodied dirt.

It is only later that Ymarn realises the true cost as while many are dead, some of the People are missing, neither amongst those that died or those that survived. And Wyrn is one of them.

The outsiders came from the sea and when they returned to it, they took some of the People with them, including Ymarn's eldest daughter.

How do the People react to the attack on Sunrise Bay by the Sea Hunters?
[] Defensively. The People seek to protect themselves from further attacks and prepare to defend themselves.
[] Offensively. The People seek out ways to find the Sea Hunters and strike back at them.
[] Mourning. Many are dead and even more have been taken. The People need to mourn those that have been lost to them and honour their memory.
[] Spiritually. The goddess protected Ymarn from their leader and the dark magics that he wielded. The People need to put their faith in the goddess and look to her for answers.


Surprise attack! You got attacked by a group who had no idea existed and were led by a Martial Hero with some magic.

If it wasn't for the Martial Hero, the People would have won the fight, but since the Sea Hunters had a Martial Hero, he turned what would have been a defeat into a victory. Or least he would have if their deity hadn't tried accidentally picked a fight with Arthryn.

Arthryn kicked their butt with a critical success, saving Ymarn and the backlash temporarily taking out the Sea Hunter Martial Hero. Seeing their Martial Hero and leader get taken down by a powerful display of unknown magic broke the morale of the Sea Hunters, especially since they weren't winning the fight without their hero.

So they broke and ran and didn't do enough damage in the end to give you any stat damage.