Chronicles of Nations - Civ Quest

[X][Mega] Upgrade the Blessing of Arthryn.
[X][North] Try to peacefully resolve matters.
[X][South] Marry Darvyd to both sisters.
[X][SEC] Create New Trails.
[X][SEC] Support Subordinate = (Merntir)

Merntir = [MAIN] Build Trails
Maradysh = [MAIN] Build New Shrines

While his grandson went south to court the rising stars of the Maradysh, Cadlon Edwyn focused on defusing the situation to the north. It was bad, but not so bad as to be unsalvageable yet.

Oh, it was a bad situation by any standard, but it was mitigated by the general distaste and uneasiness towards the idea of fighting other members of the People. Even his own Catclaws and Cateyes amongst the Arthwyd made it clear to him that they were not happy at all with the idea of waging war against parts of the People. While some of the Arthwyd sought the downfall of the Vynadians, it was important to remember that fighting members of your own people is a barbaric act, something only found in old tales of the barbaric lowlands in the south and the fearsome nomadic tribes to the east. The possibility of the People engaging in such barbaric behaviour should be avoided if at all possible and with the full support of the Catclaws and Cateyes, Cadlon Edwyn attempt to bring about a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis in the north.

With the possibility of violence breaking out any day between the Vynadians and the Anti-Vynadians, Cadlon Edwyn attempted to help decrease tensions by sending over supplies and priestesses to the Merntir. While the unasked for support from the Arthwyd left the Vynadians outraged, the reminders from the priestesses about the teachings of Arthryn and her Daughters were enough to remind the Merntir about the barbaric wrongness of the People turning on each other.

From there, the goddesses smiled upon Cadlon Edwyn for despite the situation he had to deal with, things went his way from then on.

First it was good news from the south as his grandson's courtship had been successful. Despite the unconventional offer by Maradysh standards, both twins had leaped at the chance to wed Darvyd while Edwyn's grandson found himself charmed by his new wives for while they lacked the beauty of your average Arthwydish woman, both of them have the personalities to more than make up for it.

Then as Edwyn waited for Darvyd to return to Greenbay with his new wives, he received more good news from a certain perspective. Vynad herself had died of old age and while he would never wish for nor celebrate the death of one of the People, the death of Vynad had taken a lot of the support for the Vynadians out.

Without their unifying leader, their movement began to collapse as the Vynadians fracture into different groups. A similar fate might have befallen the Anti-Vynadians without a strong mutual foe to hold their various factions together, but with assistance from the Arthwyd, the Anti-Vynadians managed to stay united as a single group.

By this point that Darvyd and his wives arrived amongst the Merntir to help resolve the situation, it had gone from be a close balance of power between the Vynadians and the Anti-Vynadians to being firmly in the favour of the Anti-Vynadians. From there, it was a simple matter of keeping the Anti-Vynadians together whilst dealing with the various Vynadian splinter-groups, something that Elwyn and Elyri excelled at.

Within a few years, the Maradysh twins had managed to resolve the Merntir crisis in favour of the Anti-Vynadians whilst avoiding any bloodshed, to the relief of the People. While a handful of small Vynadian groups still remained here and there, the Anti-Vynadians have achieved their goal and marked their victory by finishing the grand statue of Arthryn.

It was upon the completion of her statue in the north that the Goddess of the People revealed her latest gift to her chosen People. In some respects, it was less of a new gift and more an upgrade to one of her oldest. The Blessing of Arthryn had been a thing amongst the People for countless generations and by this point, it had permeated Arthwyd society at effectively every level.

The new effects of the blessing were quite different to the existing ones, but none could deny that they were the most useful, especially the women. The most obvious effect was the empathy ability as whenever two members of the blessed were in close proximity, they could now sense a rough idea of what the other person was feeling with the range of this effect increasing when one was near a holy site.

The next new effect was almost as obvious as the first even if it only impacted the female half of the People. For the blessed women, their large chests had always been a burden even as they were valued by the People and the women tried to find ways to support their bosoms. So when Arthryn changed the blessing so that her divine power would provide perfect support to the large chests that her blessing gave to her female chosen, the female half of the People were greatly relieved and pleased by this new change.

The last part of the upgrade took a while for the People to discover compared to the first two due to its less permanent nature. The change was a limited ability of the blessed to alter their physical form. It was limited in what it let you change as things such as hair, eyes and colouration remained unaffected, but it did allow the blessed to change the muscles, chests and hips via increasing them or decreasing them to a degree.

While being able to increase or decrease the figure allowed women to choose between practicality and beauty as needed, the ability to alter one's muscles proved to be the most useful. Those that need raw strength like farmers and warriors could gain it while those that required more agile builds such as hunters and fishers change their figure towards that.

It isn't perfect however and while it is something of a shortcut, the Blessing of Arthryn doesn't let you cheat all the way. How far a warrior can increase their muscles or a woman their beauty or a hunter their agility is limited by how much they have naturally and vice versa for decreasing something. Hard work is a more reliable and effective way of improving your body than just relying on the blessing for it.

But even as the People celebrate the peaceful unification between the Arthwyd and the Merntir and they embrace the improved Blessing of Arthryn, Cadlon Edwyn finds himself with a new problem to deal with it.

Between the Blessing of Arthryn, their proper management of food and divine magics, thanks to Arthryn and her Daughters, the People have always enjoyed a better rate of population growth compared to their neighbours as more babies and mothers survive childbirth, more children live long enough to come of age and the people have longer lifespans than their barbarian neighbours. This has been a boon as it means their settlements have always been larger and had more people living in them, but now it is something of a problem.

There is simply too many of the People. This isn't a bad thing on its own, but with their current range of settled land, the People have run out of space. It has become clear that they need to expand into more unclaimed land so that they have enough homes and farmland to sustain their population.

Which lands do the People claim their new homes in?
[] [Settle] Expand further into the lands around Greenbay.
[] [Settle] Settle the lands around Rockbay.
[] [Settle] Settle the lands around Sunrise Bay.


Brys parries the attack of his oldest friend with his wood stick, moving it upwards just in time to intercept the downward swing of Gwyn. As Gwyn's stick bounces back, Brys attempts to regain his stance as the impact has knocked him off position. Unfortunately for Brys, Gwyn has already recovered faster than him and the end of her stick jabs into his chest, allowing her to claim victory over him as is the case almost every time.

Brys knows that he is one of the most promising Catclaw recruits, but Gwyn has always been his better when it comes to the art of war and battle. Not that Brys doesn't have his own strengths, but in the one area where they are both good, Brys is forced to acknowledge that his childhood friend is his better.

Martial aspects aren't the only area that Gwyn is better than him at. She has a head for numbers and remembering that Brys is incapable of matching and Gwyn just seems to know how people tick on top of being conventionally beautiful while Brys still often struggles to figure out how to properly interact with anyone that isn't Gwyn without making regular blunders.

That isn't to say that Brys doesn't have his own areas where he outshines Gwyn. While she is better at understand existing things, Brys has a far more creative mind, able to come up with ideas and designs that would never come to his friend. Furthermore, Brys cannot remember the last time that Gwyn was able to successful use magic. Actually for that matter, he cannot remember the last time that Gwyn used magic without it backfiring on her. He still remembers the last time she tried to use stone-skin and how Gwyn almost inflicted the same fate as the Beautiful upon herself.

If it hadn't been for Arthryn undoing her magic, then Gwyn would probably still be a self-made statue.

"Your victory," declares Brys, acknowledging his defeat, "Another match or shall we end our sparring for the day?"

"Let's call this the last one," answers Gwyn as she relaxes, leaving the position she took for another attack, "Not that I am tired, but your mother wishes to help me educate on the teachings of the goddesses."

"Ah," says Brys as he senses her annoyance as another of Gwyn's weak points is that she struggles to get more than the basics of the divine teachings.

She has the most basic concepts well enough and she has enough martial skill to become a Catclaw despite her lack of understanding, but Brys' mother, Elyri, has taken on Gwyn as something of a personal challenge. Even after a few years of personal tutoring by one of the People's greatest living priestesses and spellcasters, Gwyn is still abysmal and it is starting to get to her.

"I know," mutters Gwyn, "Give me a moment to get my mountains out. I need to get the right look for this."

"We both know that what appearance you have has little effect on your skill," points out Brys, but he only receives a burst of frustration from her.

"Divine Daughters Brys, everyone knows that looking like one of the goddesses is a sign of their favour," retorts Gwyn with a wave of her hand, "If I am going to improve at all, I need to look my best!"

"And yet you are acknowledged as one of the most divine looking in the lands," Brys argues back.

"But I am still a failure when it comes to the gifts and guidance of the goddesses!" exclaims Gwyn and the frustration that Brys can feel from her begins to grow even as her body is going to change.

Even through it will take some time to finish, Brys knows what the changes will be. Like the vast majority of the People's women, Gwyn uses the Blessing of Arthwyd to assume a more suitable form when she is working. As one of the few girls that decide to make a try at being a Catclaw, whenever she is training or being taught the art of war, Gwyn assumes a more combat-oriented form with large muscles and a reduced figure that doesn't get in the way.

Also like most of the women, Gwyn takes a more divine and beautiful form when she is not at work, taking on the beauty that Arthryn grants them via her blessing. But unlike most women, Gwyn doesn't use the blessing to enhance her natural beauty as Brys' friend has been fortunate enough to be born with a most divine figure.

"Brys, do you think I should go further this time?" asks Gwyn and he can feel worry mixing with her frustration, "I know that I don't need to, but maybe even more beauty would be better?"

"You are beautiful enough without them," answers Brys and his eyes widen at the moment of anger and betrayal he feels from her.

"And yet you refuse to try climbing my mountains!" snaps Gwyn and even as those words exist her mouth, he can feel her regret and guilt, "Brys, I..."

"I understand," Brys cuts her off, "I my tastes are unusual and I am sure it is frustrating to have some of the most divine beauty of your generation only for the one person you wish to share it with to have no interest in it."

"I still shouldn't have said what I said," says Gwyn and Brys sighs as he locks eyes with her, her mundane brown looking into the royal purple eyes that the Blood of Evalyn gives him and the rest of his family.

"I love you like a sister Gwyn," Brys tells her, "And our friendship is one of my most treasured things."

"And I love you like my Cadyn," replies Gwyn in a sad voice and the despair she emits is almost enough to physically cause Brys pain.

"Perhaps you will find someone else in the future?" suggests Brys, but he knows how hollow sounds and isn't surprised by Gwyn's bark of joyless laughter.

"Maybe," mutters Gwyn.

"But you do touch upon something I have been worrying about for some time now," says Brys, deciding to change the subject, "My great-grandfather is Cadlon now, but at his age, Evalyn will soon come for him like she has done with my grandmother. Dad is Cadion now, but he will soon be Cadlon and then I shall be Cadion. Then who shall be my Cadion once I am Cadlon?"

"Oh Brys," whispers Gwyn and Brys can feel her sympathy and comfort rolling off of her.

"That isn't all," continues Brys, "Even without the issue of who my Cadion will be, I do not think I would make a good Cadlon. I am not like the previous Cadlons. They were people of peace, who knew how to talk with people and manage numbers and reports. I can do neither of those things and my talents lie in the realms of war and creativity. The only Cadlon I am like is Evalyn herself and there are no wars to fight. I shall not be so foolish as to start a needless war and in a time of peace, what sort of Cadlon would I be?"

"I think you underestimate yourself," replies Gwyn, "You may be from a different to the other Cadlons and may lack the skills to be as good as them, but I refuse to believe that you will be a good Cadlon. You are too kind and too knowledgeable in the teachings of the goddesses for that. Just make sure to follow the divine teachings and you will do fine."

"It is more than through," says Brys, "I am suited for being a Catclaw or a Cateyes and not Cadlon. The Blood of Evalyn makes it clear what sort of Cadlon is expected. She does not expect us to be like herself, but like her chosen successor, Cadlon Gwynlyn. You can just tell by looking at any woman in my family. They have the most divine figures of the People thanks to our divine bloodline and they are not suited for fighting at all. Instead, they have a body that is suited to peaceful pursuits. Just look at Morbyn. She would make a better Cadlon than I."

"And yet it is you that will be Cadlon and not your sister," points out Gwyn.

"Perhaps that is wrong," replies Brys, "Maybe that should be changed. Fighting is a man's job, but ruling is a woman's job. You said it yourself earlier. Everyone knows that looking like one of the goddesses is a sign of their favour. The women of my family have the most divine figures due to our divine bloodline. Perhaps that is a sign that it is they who should lead."

"They do lead," says Gwyn.

"Sometimes they do, but other times, it is the men of our family that rule," disagrees Brys, "We do well under them, but I wonder if maybe things would be better if one of their sisters ruled in their place. I know for certain that Morbyn would be a better Cadlon than I. Arthryn's Bountiful Bosom, you would be a better ruler than I and you are just female and not a member of the royal family."

Brys waits for Gwyn to reply, but she doesn't speak and just emits worry and doubt.

"Gwyn?" asks Brys inquiringly.

"Sorry," apologises Gwyn, "I was just wondering things. Men are warriors and women are priestesses, but I am woman who makes for one of the worst priestesses and yet is set to become on one of the greatest warriors. What does that say about me?"

"I don't know," admits Brys.

When Evalyn comes for Cadlon Edwyn, what shall Brys do?
[] [Royal] He will stay quiet. (No change.)
[] [Royal] He shall advocate for Morbyn to be declared as his father's heir. (-1 Legitimacy, -1 Stability, Chance of Government Type Change, Chance of Upgrading Divine Royal Family)



Things went well. Vynad died of old age early on which hurt the Vynadian movement quite badly. Then when you passed both the support roll and the diplo roll before both Diplo Heroes came into play and well, you ended up integrating the Merntir which got you a new province, met the requirements for merging the Build Trails and Settle Land actions and snagged you the Megaproject that the Merntir did.

Beyond that, you are hitting overpopulation issues that you need to deal with and you got a future heir having doubts who should be the Cadlon when his father dies.

And while I have stated this in both thread and discord in addition to being explained in the update, the effects of upgrading the blessing are:
Passive Breast Support Spell (no big breast problems)
Close Empathy between Blessed (lets you have an idea of whatever someone else is feeling when they are physically close to you, amplified by holy sites and other Arthrynite holy stuff)
Limited Shapeshifting (can make minor adjustments to your physical build)

Please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes that you spot. Please quote them in the thread and explain what you think is wrong.