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Epitaph - A Civilization Quest

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[X] ...A despotate: The People lived under a single chief, who held theoretically absolute power, contained within the royal family. The chieftain's power was based on the control of a palatial centre, from which his territory would be administered. This allowed for high degrees of royal intervention into society and gave the chieftain power over even food. However, it was also troubled by a great degree of inequality and could be burdened by economic changes.
[X] ...The highlands: The People settled the foothills of Highwatch Peak and continued, undisturbed by the traditions of the valley-dwellers, to drive their sheep by seasons and tend their gods of old. They built fortified settlements on the hills, which they surrounded with walls of sharp logs bound by rope. They learnt to work the stones of the earth and made quarries, from which they extracted copper and the riches of the earth. When they settled, they drove out the Metal-Workers, who had known how to make many fine works in copper and other metals.
 
It would be a mistake to go in here trying to work out the most broken combination, the most putatively "successful" setup for a civilization, or anything of that sort. Our goal should be to tell a fascinating story, not have a Bronze Age scientific method. Nor should we try to exactly recreate a successful Empire (say Rome) so much as establish a genre of sorts, or an aesthetic. Success should be measured in the survival of heroic tales, beautiful art, and imposing ruins that will inspire future generations down through the ages. Any combination can be defended, but for me I think the most interesting will be...

[X] ...The lowlands: The People settled the fertile floodplains around the Copperflow and Swiftflow rivers. They multiplied and became numerous with time and they cultivated the land, leading to great bounty in crops, which they farmed and let their rulers control. They built large settlements and adopted the ways of the valley-dwellers over time, never sacrificing their own gods, but worshipping old names along with new arrivals. When they settled, they subjugated the Tower-Builders, who had lived there before them and built many great buildings.
[X] ...A despotate: The People lived under a single chief, who held theoretically absolute power, contained within the royal family. The chieftain's power was based on the control of a palatial centre, from which his territory would be administered. This allowed for high degrees of royal intervention into society and gave the chieftain power over even food. However, it was also troubled by a great degree of inequality and could be burdened by economic changes.

The lowlands option provides for the greatest immediate wealth since large fertile lands that can support a large population are the surest source of it. It also has an existing set of ruins and a population that's not of the People but whose presence has established a greater chance of a cultural effervescence from a hybrid population. The option of a Despotate unlocks the grand Palace Economies notable in the Bronze Age (and really in Egypt and Sumeria even the Neolithic) with the concentration of resources that allows making various Great Works easier to undertake.

Also for the language of the primary settlement I'd propose something in Sumerian or Basque or otherwise non-Indo-European and also not widely spoken in the modern area, with isolates preferred. Maybe Etruscan perhaps? They had some wild city names. How does Fufluna sound?
 
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[X] ...The coast
[X] ...A commonwealth

1) Boats
2) Control of trade and flow of ideas
3) Freedom
4) Weak central control and society drifting apart combined with ease of travel means spreading your culture everywhere is the failure state that seems most likely to export FREEDOM! everywhere
 
[X] ...The lowlands: The People settled the fertile floodplains around the Copperflow and Swiftflow rivers. They multiplied and became numerous with time and they cultivated the land, leading to great bounty in crops, which they farmed and let their rulers control. They built large settlements and adopted the ways of the valley-dwellers over time, never sacrificing their own gods, but worshipping old names along with new arrivals. When they settled, they subjugated the Tower-Builders, who had lived there before them and built many great buildings.
[X] ...A despotate: The People lived under a single chief, who held theoretically absolute power, contained within the royal family. The chieftain's power was based on the control of a palatial centre, from which his territory would be administered. This allowed for high degrees of royal intervention into society and gave the chieftain power over even food. However, it was also troubled by a great degree of inequality and could be burdened by economic changes.
 
[X] ...The coast: The People settled the fish-rich coast by the sea and adopted many new habits. Here, they learnt to construct boats and traded with people up and down the coast. In turn, they became the gateway for new ideas to enter into the valley proper, where pottery and trade would flow upstreams and enter the valley. They built settlements with harbours and though disparate, remained in contact with each other. When they settled, they slew the Dye-Makers, who knew how to use the colours of nature to make new ones, including purple for which they were famed.
[X] ...A despotate: The People lived under a single chief, who held theoretically absolute power, contained within the royal family. The chieftain's power was based on the control of a palatial centre, from which his territory would be administered. This allowed for high degrees of royal intervention into society and gave the chieftain power over even food. However, it was also troubled by a great degree of inequality and could be burdened by economic changes.
[X] ...Optional name vote: This Place By The Mother Sea I Like. I think this is a good name because the idea of a charismatic nomad leader finding a spot and thinking "Hell yeah I dig it!" pleases me along with imagining what the historical record will twist it into sounds like great humor.

*ahem* Now normally, I swear off these quests. I find myself shuddering and gnashing my teeth whenever I see them, but since this is Manus, I actually fucking trust him to make a good product and not make a steaming tire fire.

In fact, I trust him to make solid gold plated in the tears of the ancients, so lets do this!

Now, why I want despostate and the coast. Well, for one it fits best with WE HAVE BEEN LED BY CHARISMATIC FOLKS SINCE FOREVER, GET GUD OR GET OUT and I like that aesthetic. The idea of a despotic culture on the coast is also not one I'm very familiar with so I am hype as hell to see what Manus does with it as a learning experience.

I also like the idea of the kings and queens and rulers having rad as fuck bling boats plated in tourmaline sheets and having the boats survive thousands of years in geologic strata. And I am super curious about what the palatial art of a coastal city will be. Will we have cities within cities? Cities without cities, where a Palace is a ring around an inner city accessible only by the despot's whims and the sea?

I wanna find out what cool stuff such a people would make.
 
[X] ...The coast: The People settled the fish-rich coast by the sea and adopted many new habits. Here, they learnt to construct boats and traded with people up and down the coast. In turn, they became the gateway for new ideas to enter into the valley proper, where pottery and trade would flow upstreams and enter the valley. They built settlements with harbours and though disparate, remained in contact with each other. When they settled, they slew the Dye-Makers, who knew how to use the colours of nature to make new ones, including purple for which they were famed.
[X] ...A despotate: The People lived under a single chief, who held theoretically absolute power, contained within the royal family. The chieftain's power was based on the control of a palatial centre, from which his territory would be administered. This allowed for high degrees of royal intervention into society and gave the chieftain power over even food. However, it was also troubled by a great degree of inequality and could be burdened by economic changes.
 
Inserted tally
Adhoc vote count started by gutza1 on Jul 17, 2019 at 11:36 AM, finished with 64 posts and 45 votes.
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Very well, the vote is determined and the winners are a coastal aristocracy. As for names, I like @Cavalier's suggestion of something pre-Indo-European, ideally Basque-Sumerian. Fuflana, however sounds very close to "fluff", so I will sadly not go for that. Your name is Eskerakagal by the coast, governed by your aristocracy, or so-called Onenamekene (plural form, the singular is simply onenamek). The next update will be out at latest, Monday.
 
ManusDomini said:
Very well, the vote is determined and the winners are a coastal aristocracy. As for names, I like @Cavalier's suggestion of something pre-Indo-European, ideally Basque-Sumerian. Fuflana, however sounds very close to "fluff", so I will sadly not go for that. Your name is Eskerakagal by the coast, governed by your aristocracy, or so-called Onenamekene (plural form, the singular is simply onenamek). The next update will be out at latest, Monday.
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*Does the dance of happiness*

Yay!
 
What? Too early for top hat and monocle? Fine i will put on silky togas.
 
Ah late for voting. Well, it's half of I want and coast isn't bad. So it's okay.

May we have many grains to manage and may the sailors rock hard metal.

Susano said:
Kinda to early for that as well. You can get, err... fancy beards and hats? Like the Egyptian Pharaohs had :V
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Wigs. We can have fancy wigs. And sticked beard (IIRC Pharaoh beards was fake too like the wigs)
 
Definitely subbed. Spartangate had some great timing seemingly because now I get to join what will likely be a fun civ quest!
 
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ManusDomini said:
Hey peeps, update Tuesday instead of Monday because of business on my part.
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*Awoke in the middle of the night, having realized the Monday update didn't come. Checked and saw this*

Whew. I'm not going to have to find you and poke you till you cough up our glorious literary gold. :V
 
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