General
Martial: Professional Neolithic Warriors, supplemented by Holy Orders
Economy: Primarily Hunter-Gatherer, with ongoing primitive agriculture (Small Surplus)
Agriculture: Dawn of Agriculture, minimal use
Aquaculture: Immense room for expansion, ongoing use increasing
Herds: Primarily unorganized small-team hunts
Art: High-Quality Functional Tools
Diplomacy: A Tribe of Two Faces, Spirit and Demon.
The turn of the seasons, or at least the weather getting better, has really benefited our economy here. We've changed from being on the edge of hunger to two economic tiers upwards into having a small surplus. That means that if need be, next turn we could found a settlement if the weather permits, hopefully we can increase the small surplus even further to support that.
Of course due to our actions this turn, our Diplomacy has changed. We are now seen as a tribe of Spirits and Demons, depending on who you ask. This will likely change in the future, but while we have it, we should likely make use of it while we still can.
Societal
Magic: Primitive Fire and Stone
Mysticism: Mediators for the Spirits
???
While our magic hasn't changed at all the addition of mysticism is a great boon for us in that it adds another facet to our society that makes us unique among the rest. By being seen as the mediator for the spirits, we are likely to have an edge in any ideological or cultural clashes with others so long as we maintain our religious dominance.
Endurance
Stability: Excited (2)
Legitimacy: Inspired! (3)
Prestige: 23
???
In these categories it seems we've had improvements across the board due to our completion of the Temple, and what it means for us, as not only has our prestige increased by a significant amount, it appears our stability and legitimacy did so as well.
Trending Trade Good: Salt
The People have found an unending desire for a specific trade good. In order to satisfy demand, they are currently purchasing it for twice as much as it would normally cost.
Effects: Double Effects of Salt Trade Dominance
It's not surprising that this cropped up, hopefully we can make it so that it loses its trending status and obsidian regains its status as trending.
Collection Moste Holly (Three)
The People have developed numerous, unique religious traditions. Practices occult that would be the envy of the world. A source of pride and wonder, these treasured institutions are bulwarked against failure and destruction.
Effects: Lower all Required Tradition Retention Statistics by 1 point.
This was not something that was mentioned in the update at all. My guess as to what this legacy does is that it protects our traditions and helps retain their knowledge as well as protecting the institutions themselves. Mechanically speaking however, I have no idea how this works. Any insight into this
@Redium
Religion
Animism
Mystery Cults
Rituals
Shamans
Temples
We've come very far in this tree in such a short amount of time, considering we moved from shamans straight to temples, which could eventually lead to a more organized worship and religion such as a pantheon.
Roles
Big Man
Elected Leader
Farmer
Fishermen
Gatherer
Hunter
Shaman
Our roles seems to have expanded immensely with the addition of more roles such as that of the farmer, fishermen, and elected leader. I'm guessing that the ones we gained were due to the fact that we're settled now, though I can't see what being settled does when it comes to our traits tab, something I hope the QM can further explain. Also, where exactly do people like Taavi, a stoneworker, fit in in the roles listed here?
@Redium
With the final block of the of Temple laid down, the world seemed to stabilize. Weather that was once foul and icy began to warm. The heat was almost unpleasant after so many years of freezing winters, but it was a well welcomed change. It reminded Aeva of the stories her father told when he was young. The weather had been harsh so long that she could scarce imagine it else.
Really glad that we chose to complete the temple when we did, as it coincided with just the right moment of the weather finally turning our way. Not only will our economy improve through this, the other superstitious people will likely interpret this as a sign.
The Temple of Stars was, itself, beautiful. An enormous limestone edifice, it stood as high as the walls that surrounded each of the People's settlements. Each of the blocks was uniform, Clementine, except for double sized blocks placed above each of the open windows that lined the walls. It was a new feat of construction, making a stable structure while having gaps in the middle, but it was one that Aeva was already beginning to appreciate. During winter, the windows would have to be covered by wood-and-hide panels, but that was only half the year.
It seems like we're likely the first of the civilizations in our region to have built a structure out of stone. I am somewhat curious though as to what exactly the temple looks like, at least when it comes to its architectural style.
The People's longhouses were always dark and dank, the only light coming from cook fires near constantly lit and the few beams of sunlight that streamed in from the smoke holes cut into the roof. The temple was the opposite of that.
Huh, so I'm guessing the People have yet to discover how to architecturally construct buildings then with things like window? What type of style or level of architecture are they at anyway? I doubt they've discovered anything like Cyclopean construction or corbelled arches.
Large, regularly spaced openings allowed the sun to filter into the building, cascading across the whitewashed walls. A thin layer of crushed mica had been mixed in to make everything sparkle. Sunlight split, cascaded, sparkled, and shone across every surface. Arrays of amethyst, citrine, lapis luzili, and quartz, pleasing to the spirits of man, beast, water, stone, sky, and tree, were inlaid into the walls.
Is this temple meant to be lived in, or is it simply a more functional setting? Either way this Temple of Stars seems rather ornate and likely lavish compared to any other construction from this time period, especially since it's filled with literal luxuries, all its missing are precious metals. I'm curious how exactly an archaeologist or anthropologist would interpret this site? Assuming our people have a continuous history, I wonder how this will likely evolve.
At the far end of the temple, there lay a simple ivory door blocking off the lower caves. It had taken over ten years to collect enough ivory to form the double doors, but they were carved so intricately that they looked beyond the skill of any human craftsman. Only the knowledge that Aeva herself helped carve them dispelled that notion.
Is it even possible to create solid ivory doors like that? Or is it even solid? I'm really curious as to how she constructed this considering how I've never really thought of ivory as a building material.
Legacy Gained: Primordial Temple Builders!
The first to truly turn superstitions of the spirits into religion, the People have gained an appreciation for the finer points of training religious thinkers, building religious structures, and creating the weft and weave of religion in a positive and constructive manner.
Effects: Gain Legitimacy and Stability when constructing new temples.
This seems to be a very powerful legacy. If we can pace our temple building well enough we can likely use it to shore up periods of transition. Such as when a new ruler or Big Man takes over, we can likely start their reign through the construction of a temple, if a spot is available, and give them enough buffer space to make decisions that may turn out to be less than popular, allowing him or her to tank the hit essentially.
Legacy Gained: Religious Authority Tolerance!
The People are used to having a powerful and influential religion. As such, they have been forced to develop tools to deal with troublesome and meddling priests.
Effects: +1 Religious Authority Tolerance
Glad to see that this came hand in hand with our other legacy, as this will likely allow us to weather any type of destabilizing developments within our religion. Considering how mutable they are, an event like say the introduction of new religious thought isn't going to be totally bad for us, and will possibly allow us to expand our religious influence faster.
The Temple of Stars was everything that the People's construction was not. Grand, beautiful, well-lit... it was a fitting doorway to the spirit realm. It was a doorway that drew eyes for near, far, and wide. Other tribes from the Peace Builders in the west all the way to the Pearl Divers in the east, had sent shaman, traders, and other dignitaries to gaze upon the People's wonder. Without fail, every man and every woman who braved the Depths of the Cave of Stars came back changed. It wasn't always a big change... but Aeva could see it in their eyes without fail.
Really glad that the decision to invite others from around our region to the Temple was chosen. For now it will likely serve as a point of prestige for us. However, later down the line, through inviting others we will likely spread the legend and mystique of this place to future generations, while also allowing word of it to trickle past the immediate boundaries of what we know as the world. The fact that most people will come through this experience having a noticeably change will only confirm the veracity of these rumors to others and likely make it so that our mystic reputation is proven and maintained.
Quickly gaining in popularity after its completion, hundreds of the People and countless dozens of foreigners had visited the wonder. The Cave of Stars had soon gained enough notoriety that the Northlands had deigned to send their High Shaman. One of the most important figures in their entire culture, the High Shaman was the one that defined the changing of the seasons, blessed their hunts with bounty, and defended the tribe from spiritual misfortune. The Cave had seen Skalds and Medicine Men, holy carvers of lapis, and even one of the Pearl Diver's recalcitrant shaman, but that was different. The woman being sent by the Northlands sounded like they were someone important.
Considering how fast it's gained notoriety, I am curious now whether or not this place will qualify as a place of pilgrimage on the trade table? Any comments
@Redium ?
Otherwise the fact that important figures like High Shaman and Skalds are deigning to visit us means that this site will hold significance for more than just our own tribe especially if other tribes begin to believe our claims that this is a gate to the spirit world. It's interesting to hear though about how Arrow Lake consider their carvers of lapis to be holy, which kind of puts things in perspective considering that someone likely had to carve that lapis lazuli used for Kaspar's death mask. I am curious to hear about the story behind the Pearl Diver's recalcitrant shaman though.
The one thing to note though that I am interested in is the fact that the skalds have now been here and seen the might and majesty of our temple. I wonder if this will affect their civilization as well when it comes to their own values and culture considering all this has done for us, and the experiences they had.
When the High Shaman appeared, she was not what Aeva expected. As opposed to her own matronly age and creaking bones, the High Shaman of the Northlands was young, little more than a teenager. Likely to young to have even borne her first child. The girl was wrapped hear-to-toe in heavy furs, charms of bone and ivory clacking and cascading with her ever movement. Her eyes were hidden, deep behind a shadowed cowl. Two of her guards stood by her sides and helped her to walk.
I find it curious that their High Shaman is a young girl here, mostly due to the implications behind it. It seems that the way they likely choose their High Shaman is by choosing the person that is most attuned to the spirits rather than say the most experienced in dealing with the spirits. As we see later on I'm guessing due to earlier and previous hints that the shaman they choose are rather odd and display tendencies like epilepsy that could be interpreted as spiritually significant.
"Greetings," Aeva said, bowing her head. She spoke in the guttural, stop-and-start tongue of the Northlands. She was by no means good at the language, but she had a trader coach her through the basics in the lead up to the meeting.
What this makes me wonder is how do people learn languages such as this, and how diverse language is in our region. For instance, has the language of the People stayed the same over all these years? I doubt it, but I'm curious to see how our integration of tribes like River Bend, the Fingersmen, and the Hundred Bands has influenced the evolution of our own language.
By evening, their guests had been feed, the moon had risen, and Aeva lead them down below. The girl had been insistent on entering the Cave, despite never uttering a word. Apparently, it was against sacred tradition for a High Shaman to be seen, much less heard by outsiders. Her silence and heavy covering of furs had been a concession to this practice.
Considering what happens later when her entry into the Cave kills her, I wonder how much her derangement in their where she literally screams and convulses to death will be seen as a massive taboo when combined with her death? Will we take the blame for it? I hope not, but I'd rather not take the chance considering that the above was seen as a concession, and if so we may have violated their sacred traditions even more so. I hope we can lay the cause down to the spirits here.
There was something in Aeva that crawled, writhed like a worm, as they ivory doors shut behind their party. The Cave of Stars had only gotten stranger the more times she had entered it. How many times had she come down to see the grave of her father? A dozen? Two? Half a hundred? It didn't matter. Each time, the Cave found new ways to test and befuddle. Once, she had even been struck dumb, rendered mute and instantiate for days at the strength of a vision. Only the fact that the vision had been immediately scourged from her mind prevented her mind from snapping like a dry twig. Only a few steps in and she could feel the world start to run, colours swimming together.
My guess for this is that due to the fact that we ended up shutting the doors to the cave containing the Black Heart and the Void, the areas with the most weird activity. It would seem to me that if we use the hypothesis that the gases in the cave alongside the low oxygen levels cause these hallucinations, by creating a door to trap in some of these gases we will have lowered the oxygen content in the room while decreasing ventilation in the Temple. That will likely have meant that the concentration of say methane or other gases inside will have likely increased while there is proportionally less oxygen, which for some could have caused these increased and varied debilitating effects. We should probably find a way for our priests or shaman to safely navigate and use this chamber both for us and future visitors.
When they finally came upon the Black Heart, the Void that formed the center of the Cave of Stars, the world stilled. Aeva had looked upon the Void enough times that the oily slickness browsing through her brain barely phased her. A second one of the High Shaman's warriors dropped, his eyes rolling up into his head while he dropped bonelessly to the ground. Gifts of ivory and smoked meat were stacked before the glinting, black shimmer. Aeva's vision finally started to waver, her resistance overcome.
It's interesting to note that a lot of the attention in the Temple when it comes to these weird effects tends to always materialize in the same place roughly. I hope that this is passed down to future caretakers or priests that attend to this temple, alongside the resistance which seems to be possible to build up as that will likely help enhance the mystique of this place without making it unusable.
The High Shaman screamed.
It was a high pitched, piercing wail, like red hot knives driven into tender flesh. She dropped, limbs unable to hold her up and she writhed. Her limbs cracked, snapping, bending. She twisted over herself like a worm, dread eyes settling on Aeva.
The Big Man of the Lake couldn't think. Her guest... there was no way she could be human. Her limbs collapsed into spindly thinness and bent far more than was possible. Stretching until knees faced forwards and elbows twisted backwards, the reverse of any rightful human. The screaming continued unabated for seconds that stretched to minutes, did the girl have no need to breathe? Writing in the dirt, fingers digging trenches deep enough that her nails shattered and fingers bled, the High Shaman of the Northlands curled up, wilting like a burned flower. Rising into a half sitting position, the girl jerked. Once, twice, and then no more.
Aeva didn't have to look to know, the girl was dead. She had been Next.
+1 Prestige
Did she have an epileptic fit or a seizure or something?
Either way, the fact that this ended up giving us prestige is both a good thing and a bad thing. Wars have been started for less, so I really want to defuse any tensions that rise from this, as we inadvertently, or hopefully they blame the spirits for this, killed their High Shaman.
Pandemonium had broken out after that, the rest of the delegation from the Northlands had survived (though one of them had been completely robbed of his wits), and they were terrified. The further gifts that they had brought for the spirits, suddenly started being offered to the People! The whispers that called them spirits and demons weren't even subtle after that. There had been tales, drifting up from the south, where the People were feared and mythologized, but they were always a thing removed.
Joy, our once friendly trade partners are terrified of us. The tribute is nice and all, but I like the trade better, as fear can easily turn into hatred later, and I'd rather not wake up one day and find Masotdon cavalry bearing down on us.
It is interesting to hear however that we've been the subjects of tales before, being seen like mythical beings. This recent change however will exacerbate that. We should make sure that we don't perpetuate this mythologized image of ourselves as totally true as arrogance and hubris can lead to painful consequences, especially if others finally remember we're human and try to take us down a peg.
Now it was right in their faces.
While immensely positive, and something that had already caused the People to have a bit more swagger in their step, Aeva could see how fear quickly grew among those whom they dealt with. She could see it in the smiles of Skalds coming to play before her longhouse in Crystal Lake. She could see it in the lowered eyes of the Pearl Diver traders that visited them each summer. She could also see it in the distant glances given from across hill and dale by the Northlanders.
It may be immensely positive for now but we have no idea how this could possibly change in the future, that is why we must stay ahead of things here.
I interpret in this passage that the Skalds smiling at us, or Aeva, more specifically as the Peace Builders, or at least their shaman, viewing us in our face as Spirits or favored by the Spirits. Considering that we've likely leapfrogged them in terms of cultural power and spiritual prowess likely means we've earned their respect in a way.
Whereas when it comes to the Pearl Divers and the Northlands, they likely see us more in terms of our faces as demons. That is not something that we should let lie for awhile, as it could come to bite us in the ass if those feelings fester and we find ourselves on the end of some kind of Holy War.
The merest glimpse of the People's wonder had killed the most spiritually inclined shaman of the Northlands. It had twisted her body, rendering her into something inhuman. A single glance at her corpse with its spider arms and smooth, mirror-grey eyes showed that she had seen Divinity and then had her life ripped from her flesh in recompense.
Right, let's just hope that that is the interpretation the Northlands got out of this as this will deflect the blame for the death of the High Shaman on the spirits and the divinity held inside rather than the blame being laid at the food of the people for building such a Temple.
The Power of the People's Magic was undeniable. From the Peace Builders, to the Northlands, Arrow Lake, the Island Makers, and even the savage Mountain Clans all acknowledged it.
Well, this is positive at least. What this means in the long term though, I have no idea.
Legacy Gained: Primordial Mystics!
A great civilization, rich in Magic, the People have trained extensively in the mystic arts and the secrets of the spirits. It is a source of pride among the People to be skilled in the secret ways of the world and all put forward effort into ensuring that they understand.
Effect: Treat Mysticism as 1 higher for all purposes.
Legacies are always things to be treasured, this one more so considering we earned it so early on. What exactly does this do mechanically, though
@Redium ?
+3 Prestige
All of the tribes had been very careful in the following years, stepping lightly where the People looked. When Aeva's trade mission returned, they had been taken to the heart of the Pearl Diver's tribe to speak to their leaders. It had been a strange experience, according to the traders. Anyone, from the youngest child, to the oldest elder, could speak at their gatherings. This frequently made their meetings last hours, or even days. In order to speed things along, they had implemented a system where everyone must provide gifts of value along with their word.
The belts of shells and necklaces of pearls were a currency among the Pearl Divers. In order to speak, one must provide a pearl to the gathering. To listen required a short string of seashells. Both of these gifts were then turned to enact the council's agenda, paying for work with the fruits of the sea gifted to them. The People's fee had graciously been waved, but just once. It was another custom among them to allow anyone to speak.
Once.
After that, one had to prove their resourcefulness or their wit in acquiring the necessary gifts to speak.
It seems that our newfound diplomacy status and prestige have paid off here considering the fact that they've allowed us to waive that custom of theirs. This is the second time another power in the region has made compromises for us, something which likely is illustrative of our hegemon status in the area.
From what their government type seems like though, it tends to favor a kind of odd egalitarianism. I'm curious to learn about their values and government type.
Once.
After that, one had to prove their resourcefulness or their wit in acquiring the necessary gifts to speak.
This reliance on pearls had actually started to become a hindrance to the Pearl Divers. Sourcing pearls was slowly becoming harder and harder. The weather had not done them any favours, but the big draw for pearls was the People. The ivory, lapis lazuli, mica, quartz, amethyst, furs, and half a dozen other goods were in high demand among the Pearl Divers and all they had that the People were interested in were salt and pearls. Of the two, the Pearl Divers, simply couldn't manufacture enough in the stone drying fields to offset the trade imbalance. Even with the People offering twice as many goods in trade as the Pearl Divers thought the salt was truly worth, the People simply had too many trade goods.
It looks like our disparities in wealth are causing troubles for them. They cannot keep on diving for pearls like they have done in the past as even they are learning it is not an infinite resource. Considering our own relative wealth we should find a way to use this situation to our advantage.
The situation was not critical, but it was untenable, the Pearl Diver's council argued. Something would need to be done. The simplest solution was some degree of reduction in trade on the People's end. It was painful for many of their councilors to argue, but fewer luxuries would mean that pearls would be in less demand. Alternatively, the People could try and find something else that they could take and trade in place of pearls. There was a kind of dubious thought to the notion; there was very little that the People could want to barter for.
A cap in terms of us taking in less Pearls wouldn't exactly hurt us so much as hurt them, as that will likely have adverse effects on their economy, as we are likely their main source of trade, whereas for us if we don't trade some goods up north we can likely just go find someone else to trade these goods away to.
When it comes to the idea of finding something else, I think we might benefit from this choice as right now it seems like we are stuck in a trade imbalance, with them more so than us trying to rectify that balance.
In order to deal with an imbalance of trade, a Faction has entered an unorthodox trade arrangement. This arrangement involves trading technology or other valuable ideas in order to fulfill this demand. This trade may be severed at any time by the one offering technology, but there is often a reason why they are forced into this position. Retribution may be swift for breaking such agreements.
Effects: Unorthodox Trade Recipients gain 1 innovation roll each turn with technologies taken from the unorthodox trader's entire technology list
Trigger: Lose a war; trade imbalance; diplomatic action
Based on the information from above, maybe if we try out this option we could potentially find a technology from them aside from just flat out taking the useless to us salterns as a tech. After all, the favor is heavily weighted to us in this scenario as we are not the ones needing to rectify the current imbalance in trade. While we may have gotten one of their more obvious technologies in Rabaska, and a chance at another in salterns, which again we cannot use as we are situated on fresh water, who knows what else they could have in store technology wise? Any other trade good that they had, and that we could've wanted, likely wasn't found earlier, so if they find a new one now, or a new tech we will benefit immensely from it.
One further idea was presented as the discussion was wrapping up. One of the Pearl Diver's speakers was a trader, a traveled man that had gone as far inland as Crystal Lake. He recalled the People's temple at the Cave of Stars and the skill of building that went into it. If that was applied to the Pearl Divers' saltern, they might be able to increase the yield. They weren't sure by how much, but if worst came to worst, the People and the Pearl Divers could continue building salterns until it evened out the People's demand for salt. Even if some of that salt was then traded on... the Pearl Divers would not be upset.
It surprised the People's traders that the Pearl Divers would be so willing to teach their magic of salt, especially in helping the People build since structures. The councilmen shrugged. All of the water southwest of the Pearl Divers' southernmost holding was sweetwater, not saltwater. For whatever reason, building a saltern there did not produce any salt. Knowing how to build such a place of magic would do literally nothing for the People in their view.
Right, this idea may sound good in theory but in practice I am not so sure it is as beneficial to us as it sounds. In order to gain their magic of salt we would need to trade to them our magic of stone which is a very powerful magic we have, especially as it is one of our latest ones. Furthermore, while it will solve this imbalance, I don't think it does so satisfactorily as even if we get this technology I doubt we will be able to use it anytime soon or ever. Salterns like the ones they are describing necessitate salt water for use in order to dry out the sea water to receive salt. That's great for them as it is implied that their northern settlements are likely connected to the Atlantic giving them access to seawater to use for these salterns. We are nowhere close enough to exploit this salt magic as we're situated on the freshwater great lakes. Even if we did gain this technology, it's been pointed out that since we are unlikely to immediately use it, we will thus lose the tech as we also don't have writing to store it for later.
So as good as this suggestion sounds, I don't think we should take it.
The People's temple had also had interesting effects, one that was relatively small, but invaluable: it kept the People informed. The temple was a dominant draw, pulling traders and pilgrims from the great Veri Lake in the south, Rahu Bay in the west, or Valge River on which the Fingers lay. Not only did these traders and pilgrims carried goods, but they also carried information. Most of it was uninteresting dross, but there were three points of interest.
So Lake Erie is called Veri Laek, the Georgian Bay is Rahu Bay, and the Valge River is likely the St. Lawrence River. Good to know. The description above should indicate that we are a pilgrimage site which helps with info I suppose.
First, the Mountain Clans had aggressively assaulted all of their neighbours, searching for food, plunder, and land. They had fallen on the Bond Breakers, wounding them severely, and leaving them open for a devastating resurgence from South Lake. The Island Makers had pushed back the Mountain Clans with little effort. Arrow Lake has massacred a large war party. A group of Mountain Clans raiders had laid siege to the walled settlement at Arrow Lake. Futilely as it turned out, but they had stubbornly remained in place long enough that winter crept up on them. They were forced to retreat and Arrow Lake harried them all the way back into the mountains, reaping enormous casualties.
Great...just what we needed a revanchist South Lake looking for revenge against all of us. We might need to intervene in the South again as we didn't kill of South Lake fully. I swear, by failing to finish them off we've potentially allowed for the resumption or creation of Lake War 2.
Glad to hear that our brick wall technology allowed the Arrow Lake Tribe to fend off and defeat the Mountain Clans. I'm wondering what this effect has had on their society and what sort of gratitude they'll have for us.
Second, the Peace Builders' war in the south continued to go extremely well for them. There had been seven tribes that competed for the lands to the south, but two of them had since been completely dominated by the Peace Builders. Their population and lands had swollen precipitously. This was not unprecedented, the wars of the south had occasionally had one tribe come out ahead, but they were always torn down by rebellion, or a short-lived alliance between the other tribes.
It was different this time. The Peace Builders had somehow managed to convince the region to a temporary truce. Time to recover from the ravages of the weather and the cursed sickness, scourge of the spirits' rage. This had given them time, time they were putting to good use. Their Skalds slowly taught the children of the captives they had taken during the war, turning them to the Peace Builder's side with their tales, teachings and values. The two tribes that they had dominated were slowly disappearing, rotting under the Peace Builder's dominion like a fugus would to a fallen log.
Well, this is unsurprising though alarming news for us. We may have a rival on our hands, a rival that is very close to us and borders us nearby. It's not very surprising to see that the Peace Builders would excel at merging their defeated foes into themselves, almost like ourselves but better as they are quicker about it. This may be a problem though as their hegemony could allow them to threaten us if they could continue to snowball and defeat all of the other tribes giving them unprecedented territory and numbers.
Third, another, unknown tribe had been found in the west. On the other side of Rahu Bay, a new tribe had moved into the area, dominating a small island at the confluence of three of the great lakes of the region. They were strange, completely unlike the tribes of the region. Truthfully, the only reason that they were relevant was because of their location. The rivers they operated on were perhaps a quarter moon's travel from the proposed site for the North Bay settlement. If the People didn't move on that soon, it may not be available much longer. If this new River Tribe took it, that would mean that Rahu Bay would become contested by three powers.
My guess is that the River Tribe inhabit Manitoulin Island. Considering how essential the Great Lakes will be for travel and likely commerce later, we should probably work towards building a settlement there soon. We have the population and economy I think to do so. While we may have to put off building a settlement near the Temple of Stars for sometime I think we control the region between Crystal Lake and The Fingers well enough to do so.
The influx of knowledge had just made Aeva's head spin. There was so much going on and the world seemed to becoming a larger and larger place. Since the world was no longer willing to make sense, Aeva focused on an area in which it surely did: the Hunt.
Hunting for their food had been a major source of sustenance in the last few decades. The long and freezing winters had simply prevented the easy growth of plants; agriculture had stalled. Many in the south had starved, but the People were prepared. Every adult could string a bow and every child knew how to set a trap. Agriculture was a new and untested source of food, something that no one could yet fully trust.
So the People hunted, again and again and again, for years on end. Combined with the weather, something strange happened: the number of beasts got smaller. Hunters suddenly realized that they were taking home fewer kills and the kills they did make were small, juveniles. The People had then started to range further and further in search of increased prey. Everywhere they looked, from the hills and valleys, to the trackless forests of the world, they were empty of prey. According to the elders, there was perhaps a tenth of the prey that there should be.
That information sent a shock wave through the People. What would happen the next time the weather turned against the People? With nine-of-ten animals dead, the People wouldn't be able to feed themselves. If another nine-of-ten of those that remained died, would there even be enough animals in all the world to fill it?
Even working with the People's long-time furred friends did little to help. Their sensitive noses simply couldn't pick up on trails that weren't there. The only possible bright spot had been with the orkers. The great ornery beasts were too tough to die. There was little the People had to do but set them out to pasture in the spring. By winter, they would come back to be fed and kept warm, usually with a few little ones dutifully following along. If the People completely held off on eating orkers until there was another weather crisis, there still would not be enough meat to go around. Something would have to be done to rectify the situation. The People had to rethink how they hunted.
Joy, it looks like our hunting is starting to deplete the population of the area we live in. We should really complete this megaproject soon in order to keep it a viable option for feeding our people. Sooner or later, our hunting could fail us, and our lack of development in other ares could hamper that. That's why things like maybe herding orkers or agriculture should be something we should pursue now while we still can after we standardize hunting.
AN: Vote is in Moratorium. I'll post an updated map, leader board, answer questions, and open the vote when I wake up tomorrow. The front page is mostly updated. Now that you have symbolic tally, I was thinking of turning the Civilization Statistics section into a tally with stylized indicators to show a bit of the math I use to keep track of things. Thoughts? Do people want to see a bit of that or focus exclusively on narrative?
I like the narrative format right now, however I would like to see the math and mechanics for all of this just to get a better understanding for things. I do want to see that bit, but if it's too much for you later on, I don't mind being purely narrative, as the numbers just help add clarity somewhat.
[ ] [Dedication] Scenes of Mountains and Natural Geography.
[ ] [Dedication] Scenes of the Night, Sleep and Dream.
[ ] [Dedication] Scenes of a Surreal, Otherworldly Quality
[ ] [Dedication] Scenes of People Talking, Whispering in Hushed Voice.
[ ] [Dedication] Scenes of Elderly Individuals, Revered Gurus and Teachers.
The first dedication likely is in reference to our Wonderful World trait as that is what it is usually meant to depict. Considering how that value has yet to upgrade or evolve yet, I think it might be good to work on it for now considering we might not get a chance to in the future now that we're settled.
The second one likely will pay homage to the fact that this cave represents visions and dreams in some form, with night and sleep being referenced due to what it appears to do to some people, as well as referring to maybe the void inside of it. I have no idea what such a dedication will do to change the People though, aside from maybe encouraging the idea of visions, so I'm a little leery on it.
The third option about the surreal either references the spirits or our newfound mysticism. Maybe that will encourage more of our people to take up the mystic arts and create some new Holy Orders? Maybe not, I have no idea what else this could do for us.
The fourth option may be a reference to the fact that this site is a focal point from people across the region to gather to. Where information is exchanged and people from all over can meet. Or it could be something more vague such as maybe the whispers some heard inside the Temple, or the whispers one makes in prayer. I have no firm idea yet.
This last one is more clear in that it could possibly be related to Kaspar's role as a teacher or mentor. This will likely instill in our people a respect for elderly authority and traditions, which while it will likely help with stability and possibly legitimacy, will make it harder in the long run to adapt things counter to tradition. Not too bad, but may have side effects.
[ ] [Value] As was right, the People's spiritual might was the greatest. (Value Synergy)
[ ] [Value] And they've revealed themselves as spirits of reward but also vicious struggle. (Value Synergy)
[ ] [Value] The spirits of land and stone have since been bound by mortar and wrought stone. (Value Synergy)
[ ] [Value] The spirits work in ways unknown, dappled in fear and blood. (Gain Spiritual Value)
[ ] [Value] The spirits have put the People at the center of the world, all orbiting around them. (Gain Spiritual Value)
Considering these options refer to value synergy, it likely needs values to synergize with to work, meaning those with this marker likely are meant to synergize with our current values, possibly fusing with them and creating a new value. My guess for gain spiritual value is that choosing those options will give us an additional spiritual value to augment the two we already have? Does this sound right
@Redium
The first option likely has synergy with I Want To Be The Very Best. What it likely does is reinforce our belief in elitism and specialization, which could be useful and helpful to us, or hurt us as we may be overtaxing the value.
@Redium Will choosing a value synergy that references a value that is currently at maxed development lead to overmaxing and thus bad results, or would value synergy just fuse another value into the current one while keeping the development the same?
For the second option, it likely synergizes with Trial By Fire, as the vicious struggle seems to indicate. Assuming that we don't develop this value over the maximum, this value could be a great value as it would give us a belief that there is reward at the end of the tunnel when it comes to those who are willing to struggle, which may develop our religion in that direction as well, meaning that more people may be willing to struggle and sacrifice for the idea that a reward will be granted to them.
The third option clearly references stone skinned. As for what it does, it likely changes the narrative for us in that when we work the earth and stone, we are doing divinely inspired and guided work. Perhaps this will encourage more construction or grander and greater building products, making us want to build more overall to be closer to the earth and the spirits therein. Somewhat curious to see what this does.
The first of the new gained spiritual values seems pretty dark. If we think of the spirits as malevolent forces, who deal in fear and blood, our relation to them may make it so that we do so as well as we think it might appease them. This seems to be the route of human sacrifice, and I don't really like that as a route to go on.
The last option, is interesting. It reminds me of the idea that the Ancient Chinese had, where they viewed themselves as the Middle Kingdom, the center of the world. If we pick this option we will likely increase our stability and legitimacy, but it might be tied to holding some notion of being the center of the world. By choosing this we might be encouraging a greater identity and driving belief within our people, such as expanding our world view through methods such as conquest. We could easily build a huge Kingdom or dynasty through this line of values. However, if we are ever knocked off this pedestal I could foresee dire consequences as we would lose the stability from that belief until we get it back, which may necessitate some very questionable decisions. Overall, this choice is interesting but risky.
[ ] [Pearl] Nothing. How is this the People's problem?
[ ] [Pearl] Expand the Pearl Diver's salterns with the People's Stone magic.
[ ] [Pearl] Cap the amount of trade permitted to the Pearl Diver's traders.
[ ] [Pearl] Encourage the People's traders to find something else they can trade for.
The first option is a waste as since we have a chance we might as well use it.
I don't think the second option is worth it at all. Like I said above we cannot likely use the Salt Magic gained through this trade, which is what it is. We aren't near any salt water that we could exploit to make salterns of our own. The lack of writing means that over time we will eventually lose the knowledge to create these as we likely won't make any. All this will do is give away a technology free to the Pearl Divers, which is not a fair trade in my book.
Capping the trade of the Pearl Diver's traders doesn't seem every effective as while it may solve their issue about the trade imbalance it certainly doesn't give us much benefit.
The last option is the most interesting as it fits the description of what happens in a Trade Imbalance mechanically to a T. By choosing this, we will be putting the ball into our court in choosing favorable trade deals. If we cannot find anything other than salt and pearls with which we can trade with them for our various goods, then we will simply make them find other things which we would find valuable. What I am hoping for here is to get new technologies, not necessarily salterns, but maybe other hidden innovations they may have in store, or other discovered trade goods with which we could use and trade with others. Who knows, but this option seems preferable to the rest as so long as this imbalance persists we benefit.
Pick two:
[ ] [Action] Check on the Northlands. The Cave of Stars did kill their High Shaman. (Trade: Northlands)
[ ] [Action] Touch base with Arrow Lake. Maybe they could be helped with the Mountain Clans? (Promote Folk Wrestling)
[ ] [Action] Gather information to interfere with the Peace Builders growing hegemony of the southern lands (Trade: The South)
[ ] [Action] Learn more about these strangers to the west, the River Tribe. (Trade: River Tribe)
[ ] [Action] Smash into the Mountain Clans and make them pay for attacking Arrow Lake and the Bond Breakers. (Raid: Mountain Clans)
[ ] [Action] Reinforce the People's defenses. (The Hill: The Fingers 1/2)
[ ] [Action] Reinforce the People's defenses. (The Hill: The Fingers 2/2)
[ ] [Action] Stay home and farm. (Expand Agriculture: Quinoa)
When it comes to the options presented here, the first option I believe that is necessary is a no-brainer. Considering how the Northlands seem to be reacting to us, we need to send an expedition up north to make sure that our relations are still good. Their High Shaman was a very sacred figure for them, enough so that they had to compromise on allow us to see her. The fact that she died in our territory could have huge repercussions down the line. I'd like to think the Northlands are our allies, I'd like to keep it that way so that sometime in the future we could integrate them. I'd rather not find out much later about how our walls fare against mammoths.
I don't think touching base with Arrow Lake is needed at this point. The Mountain Clans are unlikely to succeed in breaking through the brick walls they copied from us, so they don't likely need help with the Mountain Clans at this point in time.
Trying to interfere with the Peace Builders hegemony is a double edged sword. Gathering information right now would likely not be seen as hostile to them at this point in time, so it would not turn them against us just yet. However this may be necessary as if they gain Hegemony it may come at our expense. If we can somehow gain the lay of the land down South, perhaps we could do things indirectly such as trading with them in order to give them enough power to resist the Peace Builders. Then again, considering the values of the Peace Builders, becoming their enemy might bite us in the ass by us fulfilling our self-fulfilling prophecy, through thinking of them as the future enemy may make them so.
I don't think we need to worry about the River Tribe just yet, I'm not entirely sure what they could provide us at this point in time, so I'll pass for now.
Yeah, I don't think raiding the Mountain Clans is a good idea. Firstly we'd be attacking into enemy territory against a foe in their home ground without much information on them. A recipe for disaster if I'd seen one. Even more so we don't know if they have any large settlements to raid, nor are our logistics or other advantages useful in this fight. Right now I think we can deal with them later, as they likely won't be a problem for us anytime soon as they likely can't defeat our walls.
Reinforcing our Defenses at the Fingers is probably a good idea, I just don't know about doing so right now as I don't see any enemies who can defeat out current brick walls, which is good enough as it is. Maybe later once we have more free actions to choose from, as if they can't defeat our brick walls, adding a hill won't do much, though if build enough hills we may make it so that each of our new settlements get them standard.
Finally, I prefer this last option, that of Quinoa for a few key reasons. Firstly if we expand our agriculture in quinoa we can expand our food surplus. Why is that important? Well, right now we currently have a small surplus. If we treat Edge of Hunger as a value of 0, then that small surplus will mean that we have a value of 2. If we want to found a settlement these are the requirements:
Found Settlement (includes: Brick Wall, Shrine, Sugar Shack) [Admin] - While the People build homes where they will, often where food or resources can easily be found, these places are settled without organization or care. By founding a formal settlement, it becomes possible for central authority to exert itself before the People become too fracas. (Requires: 2 tiers of Econ and excess population. Available locations: North Bay, River Fork, River Bend, Wide River. 1 settlement possible to found.)
So since it takes two economic tiers to found a settlement I would rather we increase our economic status right now so that next turn we can potentially found a settlement at the North Bay to contest the River Tribe before they gain access to the bay proper. By blocking them off there, we can likely make it so that their only option through trading with the greater bay area is to go through the port settlement we will build there. That is why it is important we use the current economic boon we have currently to expand now while we still can before that area becomes occupied.
Right now the other locations that we can possibly occupy are of lesser status and can be put off. We don't need to worry about River Bend as we likely control the area between Crystal Lake and the Fingers. Likewise I doubt the Pearl Divers will expand to Wide River anytime soon.
The other benefit from choosing to expand our agriculture via Quinoa is that it will not only increase our agriculture technologies, but also expand our variety of foods we can call upon if one of our other food sources start to falter. Right now our hunting is returning lower returns than before, we need something to act as a bulwark until we complete the hunt megaproject. That is why I want this option as our second choice.
In summary, here is my proposed vote:
[ ] [Dedication] Scenes of Mountains and Natural Geography.
[ ] [Value] The spirits of land and stone have since been bound by mortar and wrought stone. (Value Synergy)
[ ] [Pearl] Encourage the People's traders to find something else they can trade for.
[ ] [Action] Stay home and farm. (Expand Agriculture: Quinoa)
[ ] [Action] Check on the Northlands. The Cave of Stars did kill their High Shaman. (Trade: Northlands)
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