The world is out of order. No one knows why, what spirits or ancestors have been angered, but...
Paths of Civilization
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Beginnings
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The world is out of order. No one knows why, what spirits or ancestors have been angered, but the land is shifting in ways that bring tremendous hardship to the people. Landmarks known for generations are no longer corresponding to what they should be. The elders remember the course of rivers and the boundaries of forests and being different, and speak of their elders worrying over these shifts as well. Every season the hunting grows harder and the plants that feed your people grow increasingly scarce. The future feels dangerous and uncertain, and as the tribe gathers for the summer meet there is a palpable feeling that something must change, that life will go on, but perhaps not as before.
After the initial round of standard calls to the spirits and ancestors to watch over them and initial airing of grievances among the tribe, one of the younger men takes up the speaking stick and says, "Brothers, elders, and young mothers, I come before you to speak of the people of the river valley. Tales tell of how poor the region is and has been, and yet my clan peers down on them from our lands and sees that their numbers grow greater each year even as I see fewer young mothers inducted in place of passing elders each time we meet like this. I have watched them, and how they scatter seeds to the mud left by spring flooding and then collect a tremendous bounty of food come the autumn chills. I and members of my clan have gone seeking food in hard times, and they dare to call us lazy and greedy and only begrudgingly share their plenty when we are hungry, or even refuse to altogether."
At this there is general harrumphing from the council, and the young man says, "These people, they refuse to help, and so they will slowly strangle us. As of yet their numbers are small, but they grow quickly, and worse yet they have started to attack game not because they are hungry or to honour the ancestors, but because the animals are eating the plants they grow. They are a wicked lot, and must be dealt with quickly and decisively, lest they drive away all the game and leave us to starve while gorging themselves."
"You propose to attack as one, to drive these people off?" One of the elders asks with skepticism and the faint air of disgust.
"Yes. As one the tribe is still greater than them, we have the numbers to put an end to their wickedness before they grow too numerous and we grow too weak," the man explains, his face hardening at that.
"Pfah! No wonder your neighbours do not wish to extend charity to you!" The elder proclaims, waving at him dismissively. One of the other elders gestures to have the speaking stick, and the bellicose man hands it to her.
"I too have seen these people, and while I agree with my nephew's assessment in part, that we cannot simply let the situation continue without action, I disagree on what that action should be. The people of the river valley do not simply sit back and amass food at little effort, they put considerable work caring to the grasses they grow, watching over them as a mother tends to a child. Of course they do not wish to simply share their efforts with anyone who asks. However, I remember stories of older times, of when things were better, of men who would walk long paths across the seasons, gathering little themselves but carrying with them fine items from distant lands that they could exchange for food. They no longer walk the paths to our lands, there being little here for them anymore, but perhaps if we had things that the people of the rivers wanted we could simply exchange for food," the old woman explained, to general vocal disagreement until by holding up the speaking stick long enough she managed to shame them back into general decorum.
She said, "If nothing else, we will need to travel further with the seasons as the valley people disrupt the herds with their habits. We may as well find ways to bring in more food for our efforts."
Handing the stick over to an older man not quite to the full greyness of a proper elder, he says, "I hear the others speak and know from my own experiences, and I know that only uncertainty lies before us. Fundamentally though, I think we are confronted with the question of 'do we move, or do we move the valley people'? Any other answer is unacceptable, we cannot continue like this. Posed in such a way, we must consider a simpler and yet perhaps more disquieting way of addressing the issue: we leave these lands for ones where prospects are better."
At that there is another explosion of shouting and protest, but the most white haired elders had already anticipated it this time and formed up a unified front of disapproving faces to glare down the more red faced members of the tribe, despite their own obvious displeasure with the proposal. Some things were sacred, including allowing the one with the speaking stick to give his or her peace, even if the words flirted with the profane. Waiting for silence to die down properly again, the man said, "I know it would be abandoning the lands of our ancestors, but if there is not enough food here, do we have any choice but to seek out better elsewhere, if we are not to stain these lands with the murder of our neighbours?"
At this, one of the younger men raises a hand to have a turn to speak, and the man who proposed the tribe move to better grounds gave it over to him. "Older brother of the tribe, I think that your proposal has merit, but surely the best hunting grounds are guarded by other tribes who feel threatened? If the people of this valley can learn to turn mud and grass to a bounty of food, can we not do the same? Could we not find another valley shunned for its floods that we might spread seed as our neighbours do? Would not the numbers that could let us take the land of our neighbours today protect us even as we reverse our fortunes?"
This of course kicks off an even bigger argument at the proposal of abandoning not just land but ways as well. It is at this point that those overseeing the argument simply give up on simple one-at-a-time measures and call for organized debate and organization.
Choose a path for the people...
[] Path of War
[] Path of Trade
[] Path of Wanderers
[] Path of Settlers
AN: A curious idea, I wanted to do a civilization type game, but move away from a lot of the micromanaging type details and more towards something a bit more general. This is not about optimizing minutiae, but about choosing the structures and ideals of a people, culture, and civilization over time as various challenges rear their head.
After the initial round of standard calls to the spirits and ancestors to watch over them and initial airing of grievances among the tribe, one of the younger men takes up the speaking stick and says, "Brothers, elders, and young mothers, I come before you to speak of the people of the river valley. Tales tell of how poor the region is and has been, and yet my clan peers down on them from our lands and sees that their numbers grow greater each year even as I see fewer young mothers inducted in place of passing elders each time we meet like this. I have watched them, and how they scatter seeds to the mud left by spring flooding and then collect a tremendous bounty of food come the autumn chills. I and members of my clan have gone seeking food in hard times, and they dare to call us lazy and greedy and only begrudgingly share their plenty when we are hungry, or even refuse to altogether."
At this there is general harrumphing from the council, and the young man says, "These people, they refuse to help, and so they will slowly strangle us. As of yet their numbers are small, but they grow quickly, and worse yet they have started to attack game not because they are hungry or to honour the ancestors, but because the animals are eating the plants they grow. They are a wicked lot, and must be dealt with quickly and decisively, lest they drive away all the game and leave us to starve while gorging themselves."
"You propose to attack as one, to drive these people off?" One of the elders asks with skepticism and the faint air of disgust.
"Yes. As one the tribe is still greater than them, we have the numbers to put an end to their wickedness before they grow too numerous and we grow too weak," the man explains, his face hardening at that.
"Pfah! No wonder your neighbours do not wish to extend charity to you!" The elder proclaims, waving at him dismissively. One of the other elders gestures to have the speaking stick, and the bellicose man hands it to her.
"I too have seen these people, and while I agree with my nephew's assessment in part, that we cannot simply let the situation continue without action, I disagree on what that action should be. The people of the river valley do not simply sit back and amass food at little effort, they put considerable work caring to the grasses they grow, watching over them as a mother tends to a child. Of course they do not wish to simply share their efforts with anyone who asks. However, I remember stories of older times, of when things were better, of men who would walk long paths across the seasons, gathering little themselves but carrying with them fine items from distant lands that they could exchange for food. They no longer walk the paths to our lands, there being little here for them anymore, but perhaps if we had things that the people of the rivers wanted we could simply exchange for food," the old woman explained, to general vocal disagreement until by holding up the speaking stick long enough she managed to shame them back into general decorum.
She said, "If nothing else, we will need to travel further with the seasons as the valley people disrupt the herds with their habits. We may as well find ways to bring in more food for our efforts."
Handing the stick over to an older man not quite to the full greyness of a proper elder, he says, "I hear the others speak and know from my own experiences, and I know that only uncertainty lies before us. Fundamentally though, I think we are confronted with the question of 'do we move, or do we move the valley people'? Any other answer is unacceptable, we cannot continue like this. Posed in such a way, we must consider a simpler and yet perhaps more disquieting way of addressing the issue: we leave these lands for ones where prospects are better."
At that there is another explosion of shouting and protest, but the most white haired elders had already anticipated it this time and formed up a unified front of disapproving faces to glare down the more red faced members of the tribe, despite their own obvious displeasure with the proposal. Some things were sacred, including allowing the one with the speaking stick to give his or her peace, even if the words flirted with the profane. Waiting for silence to die down properly again, the man said, "I know it would be abandoning the lands of our ancestors, but if there is not enough food here, do we have any choice but to seek out better elsewhere, if we are not to stain these lands with the murder of our neighbours?"
At this, one of the younger men raises a hand to have a turn to speak, and the man who proposed the tribe move to better grounds gave it over to him. "Older brother of the tribe, I think that your proposal has merit, but surely the best hunting grounds are guarded by other tribes who feel threatened? If the people of this valley can learn to turn mud and grass to a bounty of food, can we not do the same? Could we not find another valley shunned for its floods that we might spread seed as our neighbours do? Would not the numbers that could let us take the land of our neighbours today protect us even as we reverse our fortunes?"
This of course kicks off an even bigger argument at the proposal of abandoning not just land but ways as well. It is at this point that those overseeing the argument simply give up on simple one-at-a-time measures and call for organized debate and organization.
Choose a path for the people...
[] Path of War
[] Path of Trade
[] Path of Wanderers
[] Path of Settlers
AN: A curious idea, I wanted to do a civilization type game, but move away from a lot of the micromanaging type details and more towards something a bit more general. This is not about optimizing minutiae, but about choosing the structures and ideals of a people, culture, and civilization over time as various challenges rear their head.
Civilization Sheet
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ymaryn "The People"
Civilization Stats
General
Diplomacy 27/27 [+4]
-Intrigue 4 [+1]
Economy 34 (+5)/41 [-1+4]
-Sustainable Forests 34{41}/34.5 [+5]
-Econ Expansion 4 [-5] [Overcrowding Min: -5]
Martial 8 /37 {38/40}
-Light Cavalry 6
Naval 1
Wealth 12/25 [+7]
Cultural
Culture 9/27 [+7]
Mysticism 8/27 (+6)[+3]
Tech 20/27 (+4) [-5]
Prestige 122
Stability
Stability 2/3 (optimistic)
Legitimacy 3/4 (regular max)
Organizational
Centralization 6/9
Hierarchy 8/10
Religious Authority 9 {12}/13
Statuses
King of the Hill: You are the most prestigious polity around, gaining you +1 Diplomacy a turn, but all other groups gain the 'Take the Crown' casus belli
Efficient Economy: +1 Wealth/turn while above Econ 10
Panem: All True Cities and Free Cities cost an additional -1 Econ each per turn as additional food is distributed to the urban poor. Urban Poor faction adds faction power to Urban challenge rolls
Baby Boom: Converting 8 EE to Econ each turn
Moderate Pirate Presence: Losing 2 Wealth a turn due to Saffron Island Pirates spilling out of the Trelli strait. Can be hunted through Sailing Mission but their home bases are currently outside your reach.
Periphery States (16/15+6) (Loyalty [L], Dependence [D], Effectiveness [E])
Heaven's Hawks (March) - Eliminates raids from the north-east, can provide military advances and supports the Memory of Spirits (L:5/5, D: 5/5)
Memory of Spirits (March) - Eliminates raids from the north-east, can provide military advances and supports Heaven's Hawk and Txolla (L:5/5, D: 5/5)
Highlands Cap (Vassal-March) - Protects against incursion from the Highlanders in the east, can provide military advances and supports Txolla (L: 4/5, D: 3/5)
Western Wall (Colony) - Expands to produce new provinces and find new resources, and can take be brought into wars to the north and west (L: 3/5, D: 1/5)
Greenshore Colony (Colony) - Settles the territory on the west coast of the sea (L: 3/5, D: 2/5)
Tinriver Colony (Colony) - Settles the territory on the south-west coast of the sea (L: 3/5, D: 2/5)
Txolla (Vassal-Colony) - Foreign territory under your control, follows you in war but has own agenda, restricted to expansion through settlement (L: 5/5, D: 2/5)
Thunder Horse (Vassal) - Foreign territory under your control, follows you in war but has own agenda (L: 5/5, D: 5/5)
Forhuch (Vassal-March) - Foreign territory under your control, follows you in war but has own agenda (L: 5/5, D: 4/5)
Amber Road (Trading Post) [Mature] - Increases trade power for all Far Northern Tribe products, provides a market for an extra saltern (L: 5/5, D: 2/4)
Redshore (Free City) - Eliminates True City admin and reduces Econ upkeep penalties (Trouble: 0/5)
Redhills (Free City) - Eliminates True City admin and reduces Econ upkeep penalties (Trouble: 1/5)
Valleyguard (Free City) - Eliminates True City admin and reduces Econ upkeep penalties (Trouble: 1/5)
Red Banner Company (Mercenary Company) - Can be hired to other kingdoms for wealth, or maintained to boost Martial capacity (L: 3/5, E: 8/10)
Dragon Banner (Mercenary Company) - Can be hired to other kingdoms for wealth, or maintained to boost Martial capacity (L: 5/5, E: 4/10)
Blood Rain Banner Company (Mercenary Company) - Can be hired to other kingdoms for wealth, or maintained to boost Martial capacity (L: 3/5, E: 4/10)
---[Capital, Palace, Aqueduct, Baths, Market {x2}, Sig. Walls]
-Blackmouth (-3 Econ Upkeep) <Level 2> [33 EE Threshold]
---[Governor's Palace, Aqueduct, Baths, Market {x2}, Sig. Walls] <Block Housing 1>
-Sacred Forest (-2 Econ Upkeep) <Level 1> [31 EE Threshold]
---[Aqueduct, Baths, Sig. Walls]
-Stallion Pen (-2 Econ Upkeep) <Level 1> [27 EE Threshold]
---[Aqueduct, Mass. Walls]
-Lower Valleyhome (-2 Econ Upkeep) <Level 1> [22 EE Threshold]
---[Aqueduct, Sig. Walls]
-Redshore (-4 Econ/Turn Upkeep) <Level 3>
---[Governor's Palace, Block Housing x2, Aqueduct x2, Baths x2, Market x2 {x3}, Ironworks x3, Sig. Walls]
-Redhills (-1 Econ/Turn Upkeep) <Level 1>
---[Aqueduct, Baths, Sig. Walls] {Colossal Walls 5/9 Progress}
-Valleyguard (-1 Econ/Turn Upkeep) <Level 1>
---[Aqueduct, Sig. Walls] {Colossal Walls 3/9 Progress}
-Greenshore - Capital [Aqueduct, Sig. Walls?] (In Subordinate)
-Greenshore - Unknown City [Aqueduct, Sig. Walls?] (In Subordinate)
-Western Wall - Capital [Aqueduct, Governor's Palace, Sig. Walls?] (In Subordinate)
-Heaven's Hawk - Phygriftwyn [Aqueduct, Sig. Walls?] (In Subordinate)
-Valleyhome (True City)
-Valleyhome (Palace Annex x2 = 1 National Library)
-Stallion Pen (Temple)
-Redshore (True City)
-Amber Road (Temple) (In Subordinate)
-Dragon Graveyard in Stallion Province (Lv 2 + Natural Wonder)
-Horse Valley in Stonepen (Lv 2 + Lv 1 Observatory)
-Holy Sea in Redshore (Lv 1)
-Amber Road (Lv 1) (Subordinate)
-Northshore (Lv 2 Saltern) [+1.0]
-Gulshore (Lv 1 Saltern) [+0.5}
-Hatvalley (Gold Mine) [+0.5]
-Heaven's Hawk (Lv 1 Salt Mine) (In Subordinate, Applies to Core Anyway) [+0.5]
-Heaven's Hawk (Gold Mine) (In Subordinate, Applies to Core Anyway) [+0.5]
-Trade Post (Amber Road) (Support) [+0.5]
-Grand Docks (Redshore) (Support) [+0.5]
-Redshore (Lv 3)
-Sacred Shore
-Western Wall (In Subordinate)
-Greenshore (In Subordinate)
-Valleyhome (Level 1, 2 Wealth/Turn) <Inactive>
-{Blackmouth Level 1, 2 Wealth/Turn} <Inactive>
-{Valleyguard 3/9 Progress}
-Greenshore - 3-4? Provinces (0 Ready to Integrate)
-Heaven's Hawk - 1 Province (1 Ready to Integrate) [March]
-Txolla - 3-4? Provinces (2? Ready to Integrate) <AN says probably 5 actually, will figure out what that means for provinces based on actions later>
-Tinriver - 2-3? Provinces (0 Ready to Integrate)
-Thunder Horse - 3-4? Provinces (0 Ready to Integrate)
-Amber Road - 1 Province (0 Ready to Integrate) [Immature Trading Post, cannot expand]
-17 Provinces (+17)
-8 Guild Faction Power (+4)
-12 RA Mylathadysm (-6)
[Safe Martial Limit - 37 {39}]
[Number in {} is safe "non-primary" martial, which refers to the extra martial we gain from econ, listed in {} on the civ sheet]-Base Value (+10)
-17 Provinces (+17)
-2 Governor's Palaces (+2)
-Palace Arsenal Annexes (+1)
-Iron Age Census (+2)
-International Games (+5)
-Gymnasiums {+2}
-Legacies (-1)
-2 Governor's Palaces (-1) [-0.5 per GP]
-21 Interconnectivity (+6) [+1 per 3 IC]
-Legacies (+2)
-17 Provinces (-3) [-1 per 2 provinces over 12]
-0 Unsupported True Cities (-0) [-1 per Unsupported City. Free Cities and Capital are supported. Governor's Palaces can support 1 city per 3 GPs.]
-2 Governor's Palaces (-2) [-1 per GP]
-Legacies (+2)
-1? Quest Reward (+1)
-3 Capital/Governor's Palaces (+3) [+1 Per Palace]
-2 Level 1 Cities (+2)
-0 Level 2 City (+0)
-1 Level 3 City (+3)
-2 Governor's Palaces (+1)
{Rounds Down}
-4 Libraries (+2)
-Annex Limit: 15/19 [2 (Base) + 8.5 {8} (#Provinces/2) + 9 (#LandedNonFCSubordinates)]
-Current Reformers Legacy Strength: 1/4 Refund
-Temp Econ Damage Resistance: 11.66 {11} [-1 (Gov Base) + 2.66 (Gov + 8 Cent) + 1 (Storehouse Annex) + 2 (2 Governor's Palaces) + 1 (Iron Age Census) + 6 (Mylathadysm + 12 RA)]
Civilization Stats
General
Diplomacy 27/27 [+4]
-Intrigue 4 [+1]
Economy 34 (+5)/41 [-1+4]
-Sustainable Forests 34{41}/34.5 [+5]
-Econ Expansion 4 [-5] [Overcrowding Min: -5]
Martial 8 /37 {38/40}
-Light Cavalry 6
Naval 1
Wealth 12/25 [+7]
Cultural
Culture 9/27 [+7]
Mysticism 8/27 (+6)[+3]
Tech 20/27 (+4) [-5]
Prestige 122
Stability
Stability 2/3 (optimistic)
Legitimacy 3/4 (regular max)
Organizational
Centralization 6/9
Hierarchy 8/10
Religious Authority 9 {12}/13
Diplo Per Turn [+4]
+1 King of the Hill
+3 Games
-2 Skullduggery
+1 Amber Road
+1 Palace
Intrigue Per Turn [+1]
+1 Skullduggery
Economy Per Turn [-1+4]
+5 Vassal Tax
+8 Baby Boom
-4 Forestry Repeat
+4 Trailing Forestry Repeat
-(20-3-6) =-11 City Consumption
Forests Per Turn [+5]
Forestry Passive +3
Forestry Repeat +2
EE Per Turn [-5]
-5 Vassal Tax
+4 Forestry Repeat Refund
-4 Forestry Repeat
-3 Forestry Passives
-8 Baby Boom
+11 City Consumption
Wealth Per Turn [+9]
+5 Salt&Gold
+3 = 3 Strategic
+4.5 = 4.5 Luxury
+10 Markets
-0 Units
-11 Maintenance
-2 Subsidy
-2 Pirates
Culture Per Turn [+7]
+5 City Levels
+4 Games
+1.25 Redshore Market
-3 Maintenance
Mysticism Per Turn [+3]
+1 Central Temple
+2 Dragon Graveyard
Tech Per Turn [-5]
+1 Arsenal
+1 Ironworks
-2 City Support
-3 Forestry Passives
-1 Forestry Repeat
-1 Maintenance
+1 King of the Hill
+3 Games
-2 Skullduggery
+1 Amber Road
+1 Palace
Intrigue Per Turn [+1]
+1 Skullduggery
Economy Per Turn [-1+4]
+5 Vassal Tax
+8 Baby Boom
-4 Forestry Repeat
+4 Trailing Forestry Repeat
-(20-3-6) =-11 City Consumption
Forests Per Turn [+5]
Forestry Passive +3
Forestry Repeat +2
EE Per Turn [-5]
-5 Vassal Tax
+4 Forestry Repeat Refund
-4 Forestry Repeat
-3 Forestry Passives
-8 Baby Boom
+11 City Consumption
Wealth Per Turn [+9]
+5 Salt&Gold
+3 = 3 Strategic
+4.5 = 4.5 Luxury
+10 Markets
-0 Units
-11 Maintenance
-2 Subsidy
-2 Pirates
Culture Per Turn [+7]
+5 City Levels
+4 Games
+1.25 Redshore Market
-3 Maintenance
Mysticism Per Turn [+3]
+1 Central Temple
+2 Dragon Graveyard
Tech Per Turn [-5]
+1 Arsenal
+1 Ironworks
-2 City Support
-3 Forestry Passives
-1 Forestry Repeat
-1 Maintenance
Statuses
King of the Hill: You are the most prestigious polity around, gaining you +1 Diplomacy a turn, but all other groups gain the 'Take the Crown' casus belli
Efficient Economy: +1 Wealth/turn while above Econ 10
Panem: All True Cities and Free Cities cost an additional -1 Econ each per turn as additional food is distributed to the urban poor. Urban Poor faction adds faction power to Urban challenge rolls
Baby Boom: Converting 8 EE to Econ each turn
Moderate Pirate Presence: Losing 2 Wealth a turn due to Saffron Island Pirates spilling out of the Trelli strait. Can be hunted through Sailing Mission but their home bases are currently outside your reach.
Trade Status
| Resource | Status | Rivals |
| Bulk | ||
| Food | Minimal |
|
| Common Pottery | Competing |
|
| Common Textiles | Little traded |
|
| Lumber | Hoarding | |
| Charcoal | Hoarding | |
| Luxuries | ||
| Amber | Minor trading | Far Northern Tribes |
| Fine Pottery | Leading |
|
| Fine Dye | Dominating | FH, SY |
| Fine Textiles | Leading |
Harm, |
| Furs | Minor trading | Far Northern Tribes |
| Gems | Dominating |
Tin Tribes, |
| Glass | Dominating |
|
| Gold | Considerable + minor trading (in) | SY, Khem?, FH |
| Incense | None |
|
| Mercury | Some | FH |
| Poppies | Dominating |
|
| Silver | Considerable |
SY, |
| Salt | Dominating |
|
| Spices | Significant |
|
| Wine | Dominating | FH, SY, Harm, FH |
| Strategic | ||
| Copper | Dominating |
Highlanders, SY, |
| Bronze | Significant |
|
| Slaves | Forbidden |
SY, TT, |
| Tin | Minor + Significant Trading |
SY, HK, Tin Tribes, |
| Iron Ore | Significant |
SY, HK, |
| Iron Goods | Dominating | SY, FH |
| Cultural | ||
| Pilgrimage | Dominating |
|
Periphery States (16/15+6) (Loyalty [L], Dependence [D], Effectiveness [E])
Heaven's Hawks (March) - Eliminates raids from the north-east, can provide military advances and supports the Memory of Spirits (L:5/5, D: 5/5)
Memory of Spirits (March) - Eliminates raids from the north-east, can provide military advances and supports Heaven's Hawk and Txolla (L:5/5, D: 5/5)
Highlands Cap (Vassal-March) - Protects against incursion from the Highlanders in the east, can provide military advances and supports Txolla (L: 4/5, D: 3/5)
Western Wall (Colony) - Expands to produce new provinces and find new resources, and can take be brought into wars to the north and west (L: 3/5, D: 1/5)
Greenshore Colony (Colony) - Settles the territory on the west coast of the sea (L: 3/5, D: 2/5)
Tinriver Colony (Colony) - Settles the territory on the south-west coast of the sea (L: 3/5, D: 2/5)
Txolla (Vassal-Colony) - Foreign territory under your control, follows you in war but has own agenda, restricted to expansion through settlement (L: 5/5, D: 2/5)
Thunder Horse (Vassal) - Foreign territory under your control, follows you in war but has own agenda (L: 5/5, D: 5/5)
Forhuch (Vassal-March) - Foreign territory under your control, follows you in war but has own agenda (L: 5/5, D: 4/5)
Amber Road (Trading Post) [Mature] - Increases trade power for all Far Northern Tribe products, provides a market for an extra saltern (L: 5/5, D: 2/4)
Redshore (Free City) - Eliminates True City admin and reduces Econ upkeep penalties (Trouble: 0/5)
Redhills (Free City) - Eliminates True City admin and reduces Econ upkeep penalties (Trouble: 1/5)
Valleyguard (Free City) - Eliminates True City admin and reduces Econ upkeep penalties (Trouble: 1/5)
Red Banner Company (Mercenary Company) - Can be hired to other kingdoms for wealth, or maintained to boost Martial capacity (L: 3/5, E: 8/10)
Dragon Banner (Mercenary Company) - Can be hired to other kingdoms for wealth, or maintained to boost Martial capacity (L: 5/5, E: 4/10)
Blood Rain Banner Company (Mercenary Company) - Can be hired to other kingdoms for wealth, or maintained to boost Martial capacity (L: 3/5, E: 4/10)
Social Values (3/3)
Personal Stewards of Nature
Through the blessings of the spirits and the efforts of the People in individual and whole, the land is reshaped, and its management and protection is a good above all others. No effort is to great when it comes to the stewardship of the land, and many pursue their own little projects where it does not conflict with the symphony of the whole
Pros: Bonuses to all actions relating to land management, bonuses when fighting on own terrain, additional Econ and Stability whenever completing a land management type Megaproject, may spend Stability to double the effort of megaprojects and in defensive wars, certain projects may receive additional actions at the midturn at the cost of Centralization
Cons: Additional strife caused by deliberate environmental disruption unless it is for the long term betterment of the land, or loss of territory to others
Greater Justice
Justice exists for the good of all, protecting the community from the depravity of those who would do it damage.
Pros: Justice is a community objective that can be served through the careful application of punishment
Cons: The needs of the many can outweigh the needs of the few
Pride in Acceptance
The People see not outsiders but fellow humans in need of assistance, and are always willing to offer aid, knowing that even when friendship is uncertain the act of offering is a cleansing one.
Pros: Enhanced absorption of new ideas, +1 social value from current or historical neighbours, whenever a neighbour suffers a stability drop have the option to also suffer a stability drop in exchange for a large boost to Econ and technological and social advancement by absorbing especially large numbers of people, the first Econ boost a turn is free and the second only has a chance of causing a stability drop rather than a guaranteed drop, massively increased inward tech spread, new CBs
Cons: Many think you weak, no longer have the option to turn away the first two boosts, sometimes you get values you didn't expect, increased outward tech spread
Division of Power (PiA Linked)
By preventing the accumulation of power into any single person or faction, the damage of someone throwing a tantrum is mitigated... although it also makes breaking up widespread support harder.
Pros: Faction quest failures have a free negation, requiring two completed quests or Support Faction actions to reset. Unsuppressible failure states become Suppressible
Cons: Addition -1 Stability when suppressing factions
Spiritual Values (4/4)
Joyous Symphony
All have their part to play in this world, be it their interaction with each other, their neighbours, or with the spirits. When all the parts of a group are moving in peaceful accord, the result is greater than the sum of the parts, and transcendental to behold.
Pros: Bonus to collective action, spiritually and ecologically harmonious actions, and to concerted efforts. Gain +1 Stability every time a defensive war non-destructively ends.
Cons: Disharmony is to be corrected, require casus belli to declare war
Honourable Death (Spiritual/Honour)
Death in service to the People and the spirits is the best death of all, removing the fear of death from the truly honourable.
Pros: Warriors fight harder, losses in battle are less disruptive
Cons: Seeking a good death, and the means to achieve it, becomes desirable
Philosopher Kings (Maxed Development)
Through intellect and careful testing of the world, the People have developed a love of knowledge and learning, and expect their leaders to follow suit.
Pros: Majorly improved use of study actions and innovation rolls, improved leader skill sets
Cons: Question social foundations, -1 Wealth per turn
Purity
Only through physical purity can spiritual purity be attained. There can however be no mercy for those who would contaminate the pure.
Pros: Bonuses to resisting disease and foreign influences
Cons: The impure and unclean must be eliminated
Honour Code (3/3)
Swords and Ploughshares
Farmers can fight in wars, the marching of armies can pound out roads, and axes are good for splitting wood and skulls.
Pros: Gain +1/3 of Econ as bonus Martial, chance of negating Martial (and thus Econ) damage dependent upon Econ strength, increased power of Raise Army and Retraining
Cons: Damage to Martial can carry over to Econ (additional damage from Honour of Elites does not count)
Divinely Glorious Elites (Maxed Development)
A well lead life is one of excellence in all things at all levels, from the stitch of cloth to prowess on the battlefield to skill in oration. The best and finest is thus demanded of and by all to show their virtue and honour, in the knowledge that those that rise to the top will be supported by excellence below.
Pros: Increase Martial gain from raising elite units; bonus Culture, Tech and/or Mysticism for certain actions; effect of criticals and doubles greatly increased; ruling faction gains an additional faction power
Cons: Increased potential Martial loss in fighting, increased social stratification, increased costs, dominant faction can no longer be suppressed, -3 Culture/ turn (need more academies)
Lord's Loyalty
The ties between the People bind tight, and while this increases the obligations of the superior, it also makes the subordinate more likely to listen.
Pros: +1 Subordinate States, subordinate states less likely to break away
Cons: Minimum force commitment in defence of subordinates and allies increased one step, worse consequences for failure to assist
Religion
Mylathadysm - "Seekers of Truth"
Virtues: Humility, Contemplation, Community
Values: Syncretic (Increased Spread, Increased Schisms), Charity (+RA/2 temp Econ damage resistance, -RA/2 Max Wealth), Independent Priesthood (Independent Infrastructure)
Legacies
+3 Upper Centralization Limit
-1 Lower Centralization Limit
+2 Hierarchy Tolerance
Reformers: Gain Culture based on total cost whenever completing a Social type megaproject
Rush Builders: Extended projects cost more per turn but complete faster
Rage Against the Steppes - Always have a casus belli with Subdue Tribe or Humiliate War Goal against steppe nomads
Early Empire: +1 Vassal slot
Early Iron Bringers: Materials advancement always a possibility during Golden Ages, regardless of available excesses
Steel Blooded: Expand Econ actions produce an extra +2 Econ
Protected Core: +1 March slot
One of Each (Five): +1 Periphery State, +1 Subordinate State
Vassal Lords (Five): Subordinates states less likely to break away
City Killers: Gain access to the Terrify diplomatic action against urban civilizations
The King Still Stands: Whenever someone uses the Take the Crown CB on you or you are engaged in a struggle for King of the Hill, every full turn they fail to knock you out they lose 1 Stability
Kings Do Not Kneel (Three): Gain +1 Martial every phase during a Take the Crown or Great Power war
Star Callers: Gain a Conquest CB for use against any neighbour during and one turn after a major astrological event
Hollowed Gold: Gilded Ages accessible early
Pure Gold: Prestige Golden Age bonuses possible whenever roll
Golden Wonders: Megaprojects and Wonder construction tracks always possible during Golden Ages
Mercenary Leader: +1 Mercenary Company Slot
Urbanizers: +1 Free City Slot
Four Horsemen Survivor: +1 Prestige/turn whenever facing at least two Horsemen of the Apocalypse at the same time
City on the Hill: You always have a successor culture that inherits some of what you were, even if they were your killers
Debilitating Belief
None
Personal Stewards of Nature
Through the blessings of the spirits and the efforts of the People in individual and whole, the land is reshaped, and its management and protection is a good above all others. No effort is to great when it comes to the stewardship of the land, and many pursue their own little projects where it does not conflict with the symphony of the whole
Pros: Bonuses to all actions relating to land management, bonuses when fighting on own terrain, additional Econ and Stability whenever completing a land management type Megaproject, may spend Stability to double the effort of megaprojects and in defensive wars, certain projects may receive additional actions at the midturn at the cost of Centralization
Cons: Additional strife caused by deliberate environmental disruption unless it is for the long term betterment of the land, or loss of territory to others
Greater Justice
Justice exists for the good of all, protecting the community from the depravity of those who would do it damage.
Pros: Justice is a community objective that can be served through the careful application of punishment
Cons: The needs of the many can outweigh the needs of the few
Pride in Acceptance
The People see not outsiders but fellow humans in need of assistance, and are always willing to offer aid, knowing that even when friendship is uncertain the act of offering is a cleansing one.
Pros: Enhanced absorption of new ideas, +1 social value from current or historical neighbours, whenever a neighbour suffers a stability drop have the option to also suffer a stability drop in exchange for a large boost to Econ and technological and social advancement by absorbing especially large numbers of people, the first Econ boost a turn is free and the second only has a chance of causing a stability drop rather than a guaranteed drop, massively increased inward tech spread, new CBs
Cons: Many think you weak, no longer have the option to turn away the first two boosts, sometimes you get values you didn't expect, increased outward tech spread
Division of Power (PiA Linked)
By preventing the accumulation of power into any single person or faction, the damage of someone throwing a tantrum is mitigated... although it also makes breaking up widespread support harder.
Pros: Faction quest failures have a free negation, requiring two completed quests or Support Faction actions to reset. Unsuppressible failure states become Suppressible
Cons: Addition -1 Stability when suppressing factions
Spiritual Values (4/4)
Joyous Symphony
All have their part to play in this world, be it their interaction with each other, their neighbours, or with the spirits. When all the parts of a group are moving in peaceful accord, the result is greater than the sum of the parts, and transcendental to behold.
Pros: Bonus to collective action, spiritually and ecologically harmonious actions, and to concerted efforts. Gain +1 Stability every time a defensive war non-destructively ends.
Cons: Disharmony is to be corrected, require casus belli to declare war
Honourable Death (Spiritual/Honour)
Death in service to the People and the spirits is the best death of all, removing the fear of death from the truly honourable.
Pros: Warriors fight harder, losses in battle are less disruptive
Cons: Seeking a good death, and the means to achieve it, becomes desirable
Philosopher Kings (Maxed Development)
Through intellect and careful testing of the world, the People have developed a love of knowledge and learning, and expect their leaders to follow suit.
Pros: Majorly improved use of study actions and innovation rolls, improved leader skill sets
Cons: Question social foundations, -1 Wealth per turn
Purity
Only through physical purity can spiritual purity be attained. There can however be no mercy for those who would contaminate the pure.
Pros: Bonuses to resisting disease and foreign influences
Cons: The impure and unclean must be eliminated
Honour Code (3/3)
Swords and Ploughshares
Farmers can fight in wars, the marching of armies can pound out roads, and axes are good for splitting wood and skulls.
Pros: Gain +1/3 of Econ as bonus Martial, chance of negating Martial (and thus Econ) damage dependent upon Econ strength, increased power of Raise Army and Retraining
Cons: Damage to Martial can carry over to Econ (additional damage from Honour of Elites does not count)
Divinely Glorious Elites (Maxed Development)
A well lead life is one of excellence in all things at all levels, from the stitch of cloth to prowess on the battlefield to skill in oration. The best and finest is thus demanded of and by all to show their virtue and honour, in the knowledge that those that rise to the top will be supported by excellence below.
Pros: Increase Martial gain from raising elite units; bonus Culture, Tech and/or Mysticism for certain actions; effect of criticals and doubles greatly increased; ruling faction gains an additional faction power
Cons: Increased potential Martial loss in fighting, increased social stratification, increased costs, dominant faction can no longer be suppressed, -3 Culture/ turn (need more academies)
Lord's Loyalty
The ties between the People bind tight, and while this increases the obligations of the superior, it also makes the subordinate more likely to listen.
Pros: +1 Subordinate States, subordinate states less likely to break away
Cons: Minimum force commitment in defence of subordinates and allies increased one step, worse consequences for failure to assist
Religion
Mylathadysm - "Seekers of Truth"
Virtues: Humility, Contemplation, Community
Values: Syncretic (Increased Spread, Increased Schisms), Charity (+RA/2 temp Econ damage resistance, -RA/2 Max Wealth), Independent Priesthood (Independent Infrastructure)
Legacies
+3 Upper Centralization Limit
-1 Lower Centralization Limit
+2 Hierarchy Tolerance
Reformers: Gain Culture based on total cost whenever completing a Social type megaproject
Rush Builders: Extended projects cost more per turn but complete faster
Rage Against the Steppes - Always have a casus belli with Subdue Tribe or Humiliate War Goal against steppe nomads
Early Empire: +1 Vassal slot
Early Iron Bringers: Materials advancement always a possibility during Golden Ages, regardless of available excesses
Steel Blooded: Expand Econ actions produce an extra +2 Econ
Protected Core: +1 March slot
One of Each (Five): +1 Periphery State, +1 Subordinate State
Vassal Lords (Five): Subordinates states less likely to break away
City Killers: Gain access to the Terrify diplomatic action against urban civilizations
The King Still Stands: Whenever someone uses the Take the Crown CB on you or you are engaged in a struggle for King of the Hill, every full turn they fail to knock you out they lose 1 Stability
Kings Do Not Kneel (Three): Gain +1 Martial every phase during a Take the Crown or Great Power war
Star Callers: Gain a Conquest CB for use against any neighbour during and one turn after a major astrological event
Hollowed Gold: Gilded Ages accessible early
Pure Gold: Prestige Golden Age bonuses possible whenever roll
Golden Wonders: Megaprojects and Wonder construction tracks always possible during Golden Ages
Mercenary Leader: +1 Mercenary Company Slot
Urbanizers: +1 Free City Slot
Four Horsemen Survivor: +1 Prestige/turn whenever facing at least two Horsemen of the Apocalypse at the same time
City on the Hill: You always have a successor culture that inherits some of what you were, even if they were your killers
Debilitating Belief
None
Government Type
Late Classical Parliamentary Monarchy (Elective)
A king holds chief executive power, but significant power is held by a legislative body of elite families, representing various factions for their own ends.
Upper Centralization Limit: Medium (5)
Lower Centralization Limit: Neutral-Low (-3)
Admin Strain Free Provinces: 16
Penalty Accumulation: -1 Centralization Tolerance/2 Provinces
Possible Economic Systems: Mandala, Manorial, Classical Mercantile, Guild Mercantile
Heroic King: Rare
Idiot King: Very Rare
Regency: N/A
Player Actions: 4 Secondary +1 Secondary/Non-Free True City
Province Actions: (Provinces+Governor's Palaces)/2 Secondary, Half to King's Policy, Half to Faction Control (Rounds to King)
Admin-Free True Cities: Capital +1/3 Governor's Palace
Subordinates: 2 + Prestige/10
Special: Every Free City Level produces +1 Culture/turn
Guild Mercantile
The artisans supply the warriors and nobility with all the things they need to do their jobs, so the rest of the economy should be geared to supply them with what they need to produce those goods.
Extra Actions: +1 Guild/Free City
Temp Econ Damage: Event + 1 - Centralization/3
Wealth Generation: Leading/2
Passive Policies: 1 + 2/3 Provinces (Half to king, half to factions, rounds to king)
Special: Penalties for over-centralization doubled
Special: Low Wealth can generate Stability loss
Patricians (14) – Actions: Level 2 GP/2 = 0
Guild (16) – Actions: Level 2 IW/2 + 3 Econ = 3-1
Traders (8) – Actions: Level 2 Harb/2 = 0
Yeomen (6{20}) – Actions: Provinces/3 – Cities = 2
Priests (6) – Actions: Level 2 Temple/2 + 1 Religion = 2
Urban Poor (6) – Actions: Level 2 BH/2 = 0
4 Province Actions: 2 Patricians, 1 Trader, 1 Urban Poor
7 Province Policies: 2 Patricians, 1 Trader, 1 Urban Poor, 2 Yeomen, 1 Guild
Faction Policies: Admin Infrastructure x2, Trader Infrastructure x2, City Support x1, Forestry x2
Player Policies: Hygiene Infrastructure x4, Skullduggery x1, Forestry x1, Vassal Support x1
Player Repeat: Expand Forests
Late Classical Parliamentary Monarchy (Elective)
A king holds chief executive power, but significant power is held by a legislative body of elite families, representing various factions for their own ends.
Upper Centralization Limit: Medium (5)
Lower Centralization Limit: Neutral-Low (-3)
Admin Strain Free Provinces: 16
Penalty Accumulation: -1 Centralization Tolerance/2 Provinces
Possible Economic Systems: Mandala, Manorial, Classical Mercantile, Guild Mercantile
Heroic King: Rare
Idiot King: Very Rare
Regency: N/A
Player Actions: 4 Secondary +1 Secondary/Non-Free True City
Province Actions: (Provinces+Governor's Palaces)/2 Secondary, Half to King's Policy, Half to Faction Control (Rounds to King)
Admin-Free True Cities: Capital +1/3 Governor's Palace
Subordinates: 2 + Prestige/10
Special: Every Free City Level produces +1 Culture/turn
Guild Mercantile
The artisans supply the warriors and nobility with all the things they need to do their jobs, so the rest of the economy should be geared to supply them with what they need to produce those goods.
Extra Actions: +1 Guild/Free City
Temp Econ Damage: Event + 1 - Centralization/3
Wealth Generation: Leading/2
Passive Policies: 1 + 2/3 Provinces (Half to king, half to factions, rounds to king)
Special: Penalties for over-centralization doubled
Special: Low Wealth can generate Stability loss
Patricians (14) – Actions: Level 2 GP/2 = 0
Guild (16) – Actions: Level 2 IW/2 + 3 Econ = 3-1
Traders (8) – Actions: Level 2 Harb/2 = 0
Yeomen (6{20}) – Actions: Provinces/3 – Cities = 2
Priests (6) – Actions: Level 2 Temple/2 + 1 Religion = 2
Urban Poor (6) – Actions: Level 2 BH/2 = 0
4 Province Actions: 2 Patricians, 1 Trader, 1 Urban Poor
7 Province Policies: 2 Patricians, 1 Trader, 1 Urban Poor, 2 Yeomen, 1 Guild
Faction Policies: Admin Infrastructure x2, Trader Infrastructure x2, City Support x1, Forestry x2
Player Policies: Hygiene Infrastructure x4, Skullduggery x1, Forestry x1, Vassal Support x1
Player Repeat: Expand Forests
Administration
Administrative Math
Horse Couriers
Memory
Writing (Mixed Logo-/Phonographic)
Non-Local Authority
Early Indexing
Written Laws
Crude ragpaper
Alchemy
Vitriol
Mercury amalgams
Alembics
Construction
Arch
Wood
Masonry
Noria
City Walls
Surveying
Economics
Early currency
Energy Production
Muscle Power
Animal Power
Water Power
Wind Power
Classical charcoal kiln
Food Production
Chinampas
Fishing
Watermills
Mollusc Cultivation
Orchards
Ox-pulled plough
Step Farming
Terra Preta
Materials
Well Dressed Stone
Glazed pottery
Porcelain
Coloured glazes
Bronze
Iron
Blown glass
Aqua glass
Concrete
Pitch
Medicine
Acupuncture/pressure
Classical human anatomy
Empirical primitive sanitary theory
Herbalism
Hospice care
Oral rehydration therapy
Primitive insect repellents
Ritual cowpox inoculation
Soap
Spiritualism
Professional doctors
Metallurgy
Iron bloomeries
Early blast furnaces
Trip hammers
Case hardening
Pattern welding
Bronze casting
Wire drawing
Crude crucible steel
Science
Formal geometry
Early algebra
Early alchemy
Ancestral Heroes
Polytheism
Organized Religion
Predictive Astrology
Tested Observation
Philosophical Cynicism
Transportation
Animal Husbandry
Gravel Roads
Spoked Wheel Vehicles
Watercraft
Major docks
Longships
Catamarans
Lateen sails
Galleys
Administrative Math
Horse Couriers
Memory
Writing (Mixed Logo-/Phonographic)
Non-Local Authority
Early Indexing
Written Laws
Crude ragpaper
Alchemy
Vitriol
Mercury amalgams
Alembics
Construction
Arch
Wood
Masonry
Noria
City Walls
Surveying
Economics
Early currency
Energy Production
Muscle Power
Animal Power
Water Power
Wind Power
Classical charcoal kiln
Food Production
Chinampas
Fishing
Watermills
Mollusc Cultivation
Orchards
Ox-pulled plough
Step Farming
Terra Preta
Materials
Well Dressed Stone
Glazed pottery
Porcelain
Coloured glazes
Bronze
Iron
Blown glass
Aqua glass
Concrete
Pitch
Medicine
Acupuncture/pressure
Classical human anatomy
Empirical primitive sanitary theory
Herbalism
Hospice care
Oral rehydration therapy
Primitive insect repellents
Ritual cowpox inoculation
Soap
Spiritualism
Professional doctors
Metallurgy
Iron bloomeries
Early blast furnaces
Trip hammers
Case hardening
Pattern welding
Bronze casting
Wire drawing
Crude crucible steel
Science
Formal geometry
Early algebra
Early alchemy
Ancestral Heroes
Polytheism
Organized Religion
Predictive Astrology
Tested Observation
Philosophical Cynicism
Transportation
Animal Husbandry
Gravel Roads
Spoked Wheel Vehicles
Watercraft
Major docks
Longships
Catamarans
Lateen sails
Galleys
Artistry
Comedy & Drama
Epic Poetry
Political Art
Sacred Art
Specialists
Mural
Sculpture
Embroidery
Authority
Directed Political Violence
Law Itself
Non-familial Patronage
Occupational Association
Tradition
Urban Councils
Administrators
Primarily hereditary elites
Specialist advisors
Entertainment
Amateur group activity
Specialists
Rodeo
Theatre
Intellectuals
Priests
Shamans
Doctors
Philosophers
Leadership
Hereditary elites
Merchants
Hereditary family
Metal Working
Lined tailings pits
Specialist miners
Specialist smelters
Property
Communal land
Association equipment
Warriors
Hereditary elites
Mercenaries
Semi-hereditary specialist
Spiritually trained elites
Urban conscripts
Yeomanry
Auxillaries
Comedy & Drama
Epic Poetry
Political Art
Sacred Art
Specialists
Mural
Sculpture
Embroidery
Authority
Directed Political Violence
Law Itself
Non-familial Patronage
Occupational Association
Tradition
Urban Councils
Administrators
Primarily hereditary elites
Specialist advisors
Entertainment
Amateur group activity
Specialists
Rodeo
Theatre
Intellectuals
Priests
Shamans
Doctors
Philosophers
Leadership
Hereditary elites
Merchants
Hereditary family
Metal Working
Lined tailings pits
Specialist miners
Specialist smelters
Property
Communal land
Association equipment
Warriors
Hereditary elites
Mercenaries
Semi-hereditary specialist
Spiritually trained elites
Urban conscripts
Yeomanry
Auxillaries
Armour
Iron Scale
Riveted maille
Leather
Quilted cloth
Bronze plate
Cavalry
Chariot Archers
Spoked chariots
Horse archers
Sacred light cavalry
Steppe recruit light cavalry
Light barding
Melee
Daggers
Short swords
Curved cavalry swords
Maces
Light Shields
Spears
Long spears
Two-Handed Clubs
Ranged
Composite Bows
Light crossbows
Ballistae
Massed fire
Slings
Pila
Siege Weapons
Battering Ram
Theory
Shield wall
Tactical Phases
Supply caravans
Formal lieutenants
Warships
Triremes
Naval rams
Iron Scale
Riveted maille
Leather
Quilted cloth
Bronze plate
Cavalry
Chariot Archers
Spoked chariots
Horse archers
Sacred light cavalry
Steppe recruit light cavalry
Light barding
Melee
Daggers
Short swords
Curved cavalry swords
Maces
Light Shields
Spears
Long spears
Two-Handed Clubs
Ranged
Composite Bows
Light crossbows
Ballistae
Massed fire
Slings
Pila
Siege Weapons
Battering Ram
Theory
Shield wall
Tactical Phases
Supply caravans
Formal lieutenants
Warships
Triremes
Naval rams
Greater Sacred Forest
The People live in harmony with the forest, and understand its needs and wants. When the weather shifts, the People are able to rapidly adapt so long as they have access to their forests. In addition to automatically managing forests and being able to plant more, the People are now immune to short term moderate climate fluctuations, and when experiencing longer term climate change only suffer damage once to account for adjusting their environmental balance. Against more catastrophic environmental fluctuations take reduced damage and have the ability to fight the damage where others can only suffer. Additionally, the Expand Forest and Study Forest actions are now merged. WARNING: Requires a minimum of two temples or two libraries to remain functional. Failure to maintain this requirement can result in the loss of critical knowledge and the breakdown of the system, degrading the wonder
Stone Age Canal
The People cut an artificial river in the hills without the use of metal. Not only does this improve the internal economy and trade, but as long as its memory remains it will be a source of pride in collective labour. Whenever the People complete a major engineering project, they also gain Culture, Tech, and Mysticism.
Sacred Warding
While the sacred herds exist and are cared for by the People, the herds in turn shall offer their strength and protection to the People. The effects of epidemic smallpox are severely blunted, and pandemic smallpox is entirely prevented. While this does not extend to other epidemic diseases, the actions do help, providing a bonus to all disease challenges and Study Health actions. Additionally, any time a new settlement is founded with a Main action, a new holy site is produced for free, granting +1 Mysticism.
Written Code of Laws (Copper Age) -> Written Code of Laws (Iron Age)
With a code stretching back to the Copper Age, the Laws of the People have a truly ancient pedigree, but have been updated to better deal with the changes brought by an increasingly urbanized and monetized world. With the guiding principles of justice being the health of the community, the crown finds itself compelled to spend upon the community, but that efforts to improve the community are improved. Carry over of prior effects improving Enforce Authority to Enforce Justice, the doubling of one policy action, the 'Megaproject support' policy. New effects: player chosen Infrastructure policies doubled (one action only for active policies), one additional passive infrastructure policy always active (effect not doubled), -1 Wealth each turn.
Ancient Saltern
Upon developing currency, pays out an initial boost to Wealth and Prestige, and acts as a standard saltern from then on
The Garden
Through the careful channeling of water, the People have created a garden within a city, a well watered domain of pleasant shade and efficient sewage disposal. Unlocks the aqueduct extended project, provides an aqueduct for the city (increasing available living space). Opens up the True City status
Grand Temple
A place for universal praise and worship of gods and spirits, the grand temple acts as a centre for the faithful and a training place for priests and shamans. Opens up new social concepts, alters actions, and provides +1 Mysticism a turn until either destroyed or rendered obsolete by more sophisticated theology
The Library
A fantastical collection of scrolls and tablets, this preserves the wisdom of the ages and ensures that not all things must be relearned by each new generation. Whenever spending mysticism, gain +1 mysticism the next turn. Can now build libraries as extended actions.
Capital Palace
A grand center of government, the palace seats the king and all the necessary organs of governance, as well as being aesthetically attractive and imposing, so as to show off the wealth and power of the People. Required capstone project to move beyond Bronze Age models. Grants access to the Governor's Palace extended project.
Annexes (16/19):
Iron Age Census
The king and crown have some idea how many people live in the kingdom, how much they eat, and how much they earn. This makes assessing taxes and calling up conscripts much easier, as well as being able to buffer against disaster. Increases max safe Martial by +2, reduces temporary Econ damage by 1, gives +1 Wealth/turn whenever Econ is at 10 or greater, and gives access to the Retraining action. Extra: +1 Passive Policy
International Games - An organized series of athletic events and mock battles to maintain fighting trim and vent the aggression of less composed warriors, this also helps foster friendly rather than destructive rivalry between major settlements and kingdoms, bringing significant glory to all. Increases Martial Tolerance by 3 for participants and by an additional 2 for the host, gives +1 Culture for every 2 True Cities within a kingdom, gives +1 Diplomacy a turn for the host for every other participant, gives a pool of Prestige equal to the number of participants that is divided among the participants each turn depending on their performance, and the host kingdom gains Culture whenever another kingdom in contact with them completes The Games megaproject. Participants:Khemetri, Trelli, Metal Workers, Harmurri, Storm Ymaryn, Freehills
Grand Docks
Extending out far into the water to provide deep berths in a protected, partially artificial bay and places to house ships away from the weather, this set of massive docks serves as a Trading Post for the purpose of supporting wealth generators such as salterns and gold mines, gives access to the Bulk Goods market (or gives bonus trade power in that market), and provides a free Boat innovation roll every turn for Classical or earlier sailing technologies.
Astrological Observatory
A great place to study the stars, record their motions, and record the importance of astrological alignments, the observatory provides an astrological prediction at the start of every turn and modifies the Study Stars action. It also allows the construction of observatories at certain locations.
Artisan Games
By encouraging competition and excellence in "practical" crafts an abundance of goods are made simply to practice or to train, increasing access and honing skills on a social level. Every "innovation" type roll costs an additional 1 Wealth but provides two rolls, and innovations of all sort spread more quickly.
Ironworks
This facility full of water wheel operated hammers, bellows, and grindstones concentrates ironworking potential into the first proto-industrial fashion. Completion grants additional Econ, metalworking techs, increases iron trade power, doubles income from iron trading, and opens up new opportunities.
Academy
All kings not suffering from hereditary disorders have their skills improved one level (cannot make non-heroic skills to heroic level) and increases the possibility of hero unit generation. Also provides the Build Academy action. Costs 1 Wealth/turn to maintain as an effective institution.
Grand Bazaar
This overlarge example of a market serves as the cultural archetype of what a market is, forcing all others in the kingdom to step up their game. All markets have their effects increased as if they were one level higher, and can build markets one level higher than city level would normally allow, at double cost.
The People live in harmony with the forest, and understand its needs and wants. When the weather shifts, the People are able to rapidly adapt so long as they have access to their forests. In addition to automatically managing forests and being able to plant more, the People are now immune to short term moderate climate fluctuations, and when experiencing longer term climate change only suffer damage once to account for adjusting their environmental balance. Against more catastrophic environmental fluctuations take reduced damage and have the ability to fight the damage where others can only suffer. Additionally, the Expand Forest and Study Forest actions are now merged. WARNING: Requires a minimum of two temples or two libraries to remain functional. Failure to maintain this requirement can result in the loss of critical knowledge and the breakdown of the system, degrading the wonder
Stone Age Canal
The People cut an artificial river in the hills without the use of metal. Not only does this improve the internal economy and trade, but as long as its memory remains it will be a source of pride in collective labour. Whenever the People complete a major engineering project, they also gain Culture, Tech, and Mysticism.
Sacred Warding
While the sacred herds exist and are cared for by the People, the herds in turn shall offer their strength and protection to the People. The effects of epidemic smallpox are severely blunted, and pandemic smallpox is entirely prevented. While this does not extend to other epidemic diseases, the actions do help, providing a bonus to all disease challenges and Study Health actions. Additionally, any time a new settlement is founded with a Main action, a new holy site is produced for free, granting +1 Mysticism.
Written Code of Laws (Copper Age) -> Written Code of Laws (Iron Age)
With a code stretching back to the Copper Age, the Laws of the People have a truly ancient pedigree, but have been updated to better deal with the changes brought by an increasingly urbanized and monetized world. With the guiding principles of justice being the health of the community, the crown finds itself compelled to spend upon the community, but that efforts to improve the community are improved. Carry over of prior effects improving Enforce Authority to Enforce Justice, the doubling of one policy action, the 'Megaproject support' policy. New effects: player chosen Infrastructure policies doubled (one action only for active policies), one additional passive infrastructure policy always active (effect not doubled), -1 Wealth each turn.
Ancient Saltern
Upon developing currency, pays out an initial boost to Wealth and Prestige, and acts as a standard saltern from then on
The Garden
Through the careful channeling of water, the People have created a garden within a city, a well watered domain of pleasant shade and efficient sewage disposal. Unlocks the aqueduct extended project, provides an aqueduct for the city (increasing available living space). Opens up the True City status
Grand Temple
A place for universal praise and worship of gods and spirits, the grand temple acts as a centre for the faithful and a training place for priests and shamans. Opens up new social concepts, alters actions, and provides +1 Mysticism a turn until either destroyed or rendered obsolete by more sophisticated theology
The Library
A fantastical collection of scrolls and tablets, this preserves the wisdom of the ages and ensures that not all things must be relearned by each new generation. Whenever spending mysticism, gain +1 mysticism the next turn. Can now build libraries as extended actions.
Capital Palace
A grand center of government, the palace seats the king and all the necessary organs of governance, as well as being aesthetically attractive and imposing, so as to show off the wealth and power of the People. Required capstone project to move beyond Bronze Age models. Grants access to the Governor's Palace extended project.
Annexes (16/19):
- Grand Hall x6 (+1 Diplo/turn, Governor's Palaces give +1 Prestige when built, +1 Sec action/2 palaces)
- Shrine x2
- Library x2 (+1 National Library count)
- Storehouse x2 (-1 Temp Econ damage for all palace levels)
- Garden
- Arsenal x3 (+1 Safe Martial, +1 Tech/turn)
Iron Age Census
The king and crown have some idea how many people live in the kingdom, how much they eat, and how much they earn. This makes assessing taxes and calling up conscripts much easier, as well as being able to buffer against disaster. Increases max safe Martial by +2, reduces temporary Econ damage by 1, gives +1 Wealth/turn whenever Econ is at 10 or greater, and gives access to the Retraining action. Extra: +1 Passive Policy
International Games - An organized series of athletic events and mock battles to maintain fighting trim and vent the aggression of less composed warriors, this also helps foster friendly rather than destructive rivalry between major settlements and kingdoms, bringing significant glory to all. Increases Martial Tolerance by 3 for participants and by an additional 2 for the host, gives +1 Culture for every 2 True Cities within a kingdom, gives +1 Diplomacy a turn for the host for every other participant, gives a pool of Prestige equal to the number of participants that is divided among the participants each turn depending on their performance, and the host kingdom gains Culture whenever another kingdom in contact with them completes The Games megaproject. Participants:
Grand Docks
Extending out far into the water to provide deep berths in a protected, partially artificial bay and places to house ships away from the weather, this set of massive docks serves as a Trading Post for the purpose of supporting wealth generators such as salterns and gold mines, gives access to the Bulk Goods market (or gives bonus trade power in that market), and provides a free Boat innovation roll every turn for Classical or earlier sailing technologies.
Astrological Observatory
A great place to study the stars, record their motions, and record the importance of astrological alignments, the observatory provides an astrological prediction at the start of every turn and modifies the Study Stars action. It also allows the construction of observatories at certain locations.
Artisan Games
By encouraging competition and excellence in "practical" crafts an abundance of goods are made simply to practice or to train, increasing access and honing skills on a social level. Every "innovation" type roll costs an additional 1 Wealth but provides two rolls, and innovations of all sort spread more quickly.
Ironworks
This facility full of water wheel operated hammers, bellows, and grindstones concentrates ironworking potential into the first proto-industrial fashion. Completion grants additional Econ, metalworking techs, increases iron trade power, doubles income from iron trading, and opens up new opportunities.
Academy
All kings not suffering from hereditary disorders have their skills improved one level (cannot make non-heroic skills to heroic level) and increases the possibility of hero unit generation. Also provides the Build Academy action. Costs 1 Wealth/turn to maintain as an effective institution.
Grand Bazaar
This overlarge example of a market serves as the cultural archetype of what a market is, forcing all others in the kingdom to step up their game. All markets have their effects increased as if they were one level higher, and can build markets one level higher than city level would normally allow, at double cost.
Dragon Graveyard - Gives +1 Mysticism/turn for every level of temple at the site
True Cities
[5/13 City Level Limit (#Provinces + #LandedNonFreeCitySubordinates)/2]
[0 Non-Supported True Cites : -0 High Cent Tolerance]
[Cities activate when EE is at or below Threshold/2]
[Total Upkeep: 0 (True Cities) + 6 (Free Cities) - 6 (City Support) = 0]
-Valleyhome (-2 Econ Upkeep) <Level 1> [38 EE Threshold][5/13 City Level Limit (#Provinces + #LandedNonFreeCitySubordinates)/2]
[0 Non-Supported True Cites : -0 High Cent Tolerance]
[Cities activate when EE is at or below Threshold/2]
[Total Upkeep: 0 (True Cities) + 6 (Free Cities) - 6 (City Support) = 0]
---[Capital, Palace, Aqueduct, Baths, Market {x2}, Sig. Walls]
-Blackmouth (-3 Econ Upkeep) <Level 2> [33 EE Threshold]
---[Governor's Palace, Aqueduct, Baths, Market {x2}, Sig. Walls] <Block Housing 1>
-Sacred Forest (-2 Econ Upkeep) <Level 1> [31 EE Threshold]
---[Aqueduct, Baths, Sig. Walls]
-Stallion Pen (-2 Econ Upkeep) <Level 1> [27 EE Threshold]
---[Aqueduct, Mass. Walls]
-Lower Valleyhome (-2 Econ Upkeep) <Level 1> [22 EE Threshold]
---[Aqueduct, Sig. Walls]
-Redshore (-4 Econ/Turn Upkeep) <Level 3>
---[Governor's Palace, Block Housing x2, Aqueduct x2, Baths x2, Market x2 {x3}, Ironworks x3, Sig. Walls]
-Redhills (-1 Econ/Turn Upkeep) <Level 1>
---[Aqueduct, Baths, Sig. Walls] {Colossal Walls 5/9 Progress}
-Valleyguard (-1 Econ/Turn Upkeep) <Level 1>
---[Aqueduct, Sig. Walls] {Colossal Walls 3/9 Progress}
-Greenshore - Capital [Aqueduct, Sig. Walls?] (In Subordinate)
-Greenshore - Unknown City [Aqueduct, Sig. Walls?] (In Subordinate)
-Western Wall - Capital [Aqueduct, Governor's Palace, Sig. Walls?] (In Subordinate)
-Heaven's Hawk - Phygriftwyn [Aqueduct, Sig. Walls?] (In Subordinate)
Libraries:
[Total effect: 3 Mysticism Refund]
-Sacred Forest (Temple, Megaproject, +1 Refund by itself)[Total effect: 3 Mysticism Refund]
-Valleyhome (True City)
-Valleyhome (Palace Annex x2 = 1 National Library)
-Stallion Pen (Temple)
-Redshore (True City)
-Amber Road (Temple) (In Subordinate)
Temples
[7 {8} Total Temple Levels, 1 Natural Wonder]:
-Sacred Forest in Sacred Shore (Lv 2)[7 {8} Total Temple Levels, 1 Natural Wonder]:
-Dragon Graveyard in Stallion Province (Lv 2 + Natural Wonder)
-Horse Valley in Stonepen (Lv 2 + Lv 1 Observatory)
-Holy Sea in Redshore (Lv 1)
-Amber Road (Lv 1) (Subordinate)
Salt/Gold Production
[Total Effect: +5 Wealth/turn]
-Southshore (Lv 2 Saltern) [+1.0][Total Effect: +5 Wealth/turn]
-Northshore (Lv 2 Saltern) [+1.0]
-Gulshore (Lv 1 Saltern) [+0.5}
-Hatvalley (Gold Mine) [+0.5]
-Heaven's Hawk (Lv 1 Salt Mine) (In Subordinate, Applies to Core Anyway) [+0.5]
-Heaven's Hawk (Gold Mine) (In Subordinate, Applies to Core Anyway) [+0.5]
-Trade Post (Amber Road) (Support) [+0.5]
-Grand Docks (Redshore) (Support) [+0.5]
Ironworks
[Total Level Count: 4 | Bonus to Mass Levy: +{8} Martial]
[Tier 1 (X3) Effects: Expand Econ Secondary: +3 Econ, -3 EE, -3 Tech]
[Tier 2 (X2) Effects: City Support/Agriculture Passive Policies: +4 Econ, -4 EE, -2 Tech]
[Tier 3 (X1) Effects: +1 Tech/turn, Actions with wealth costs changed by +2 Wealth, -1 Tech]
-Redhills (Megaproject) [Functions as Lv 1 for total Ironwork level count][Total Level Count: 4 | Bonus to Mass Levy: +{8} Martial]
[Tier 1 (X3) Effects: Expand Econ Secondary: +3 Econ, -3 EE, -3 Tech]
[Tier 2 (X2) Effects: City Support/Agriculture Passive Policies: +4 Econ, -4 EE, -2 Tech]
[Tier 3 (X1) Effects: +1 Tech/turn, Actions with wealth costs changed by +2 Wealth, -1 Tech]
-Redshore (Lv 3)
Governor's Palace:
[All numbers are totals]
[-1 Min Cent Tolerance, -2 Max Cent Tolerance, +0 True City Admin Support]
[+2 Max Interconnectivity, +2 Temp Econ Damage Resistance]
[+2 Max Safe Martial, +2 RA Tolerance]
[+1.5 Tech Refund, including main Palace]
-Blackmouth[All numbers are totals]
[-1 Min Cent Tolerance, -2 Max Cent Tolerance, +0 True City Admin Support]
[+2 Max Interconnectivity, +2 Temp Econ Damage Resistance]
[+2 Max Safe Martial, +2 RA Tolerance]
[+1.5 Tech Refund, including main Palace]
-Sacred Shore
-Western Wall (In Subordinate)
-Greenshore (In Subordinate)
Markets:
[{Current} Total: {5} 9 Wealth/Turn, {1.25} 1.25 Culture/Turn]
-Redshore (Level 2, 5 Wealth/Turn, 1.25 Culture/Turn) <Active>[{Current} Total: {5} 9 Wealth/Turn, {1.25} 1.25 Culture/Turn]
-Valleyhome (Level 1, 2 Wealth/Turn) <Inactive>
-{Blackmouth Level 1, 2 Wealth/Turn} <Inactive>
Colossal Walls:
-{Redhills 5/9 Progress}-{Valleyguard 3/9 Progress}
Interconnectivity (20/55)
[Can gain Cent from roads up to half of max IC value (27/55), any past that will be banked]
[+6 Max Centralization Tolerance (IC/3, round down). 0 Banked Centralization]
[Max IC Formula: 2 + 3*Full_Provinces + Governor's_Palaces]
[Can gain Cent from roads up to half of max IC value (27/55), any past that will be banked]
[+6 Max Centralization Tolerance (IC/3, round down). 0 Banked Centralization]
[Max IC Formula: 2 + 3*Full_Provinces + Governor's_Palaces]
Provinces
[17 Full Provinces - 3 Extra Sec King Actions (6 Total), 6 Sec Province Actions, 2 Main + 1 Sec Guild Actions]
[Next Action increases: +1 Sec Guild Action at 18 Provinces | +1 Sec Province Action at 19 Provinces | No Gain at 20 Provinces]
[New King Actions at every (9+4n) Province]
[New Province Actions at every (11+4n) Province]
[New Guild Actions at every (3n) Province]
[In Progress Provinces]
-Northern Blackriver [2/6][17 Full Provinces - 3 Extra Sec King Actions (6 Total), 6 Sec Province Actions, 2 Main + 1 Sec Guild Actions]
[Next Action increases: +1 Sec Guild Action at 18 Provinces | +1 Sec Province Action at 19 Provinces | No Gain at 20 Provinces]
[New King Actions at every (9+4n) Province]
[New Province Actions at every (11+4n) Province]
[New Guild Actions at every (3n) Province]
[In Progress Provinces]
[Subordinate Provinces]
<Just ignore this section for now, it's out of date, was only ever my (Abby Normal) guesses, and with the plague and unknown subordinate status, is likely even more wrong than I know>
-Western Wall - 2-3? Provinces (0? Ready to Integrate)<Just ignore this section for now, it's out of date, was only ever my (Abby Normal) guesses, and with the plague and unknown subordinate status, is likely even more wrong than I know>
-Greenshore - 3-4? Provinces (0 Ready to Integrate)
-Heaven's Hawk - 1 Province (1 Ready to Integrate) [March]
-Txolla - 3-4? Provinces (2? Ready to Integrate) <AN says probably 5 actually, will figure out what that means for provinces based on actions later>
-Tinriver - 2-3? Provinces (0 Ready to Integrate)
-Thunder Horse - 3-4? Provinces (0 Ready to Integrate)
-Amber Road - 1 Province (0 Ready to Integrate) [Immature Trading Post, cannot expand]
Stat Caps
[Base Cap - 27]
[Base is 10 + #Provinces]
[Wealth Cap - 25]
-Base Value (+10)[Base Cap - 27]
[Base is 10 + #Provinces]
[Wealth Cap - 25]
-17 Provinces (+17)
-8 Guild Faction Power (+4)
-12 RA Mylathadysm (-6)
[Safe Martial Limit - 37 {39}]
[Number in {} is safe "non-primary" martial, which refers to the extra martial we gain from econ, listed in {} on the civ sheet]
-17 Provinces (+17)
-2 Governor's Palaces (+2)
-Palace Arsenal Annexes (+1)
-Iron Age Census (+2)
-International Games (+5)
-Gymnasiums {+2}
Tolerances:
[Note: Being at a tolerance cap triggers penalties]
[Low Centralization Tolerance: - 2]
-Government Base "Neutral" (0)[Note: Being at a tolerance cap triggers penalties]
[Low Centralization Tolerance: - 2]
-Legacies (-1)
-2 Governor's Palaces (-1) [-0.5 per GP]
[High Centralization Tolerance: 10]
-Government Base "High" (7)-21 Interconnectivity (+6) [+1 per 3 IC]
-Legacies (+2)
-17 Provinces (-3) [-1 per 2 provinces over 12]
-0 Unsupported True Cities (-0) [-1 per Unsupported City. Free Cities and Capital are supported. Governor's Palaces can support 1 city per 3 GPs.]
-2 Governor's Palaces (-2) [-1 per GP]
[Hierarchy Tolerance: 10]
-8? Base (+8)-Legacies (+2)
[Religious Authority Tolerance: 13]
-9? Base (+9)-1? Quest Reward (+1)
-3 Capital/Governor's Palaces (+3) [+1 Per Palace]
Refunds
[All Refunds are limited on a per action basis]
[Econ Refund - 5]
[Refunds spent Econ as EE. Gained from True/Free Cities]
[All Refunds are limited on a per action basis]
[Econ Refund - 5]
[Refunds spent Econ as EE. Gained from True/Free Cities]
-2 Level 1 Cities (+2)
-0 Level 2 City (+0)
-1 Level 3 City (+3)
[Tech - 1.5 {1}]
[Refunds spent Tech at end of turn. Gained from Arsenal annexes and GPs]
-Capital Palace (+0.5)[Refunds spent Tech at end of turn. Gained from Arsenal annexes and GPs]
-2 Governor's Palaces (+1)
{Rounds Down}
[Mysticism - 3]
[Refunds spent Mysticism at end of turn. Gained from Libraries]
-Library Megaproject (+1)[Refunds spent Mysticism at end of turn. Gained from Libraries]
-4 Libraries (+2)
Miscellaneous
-3 Secondary Gymnasium: +6 to Games Rolls, +3 Safe Non-Primary Martial-Annex Limit: 15/19 [2 (Base) + 8.5 {8} (#Provinces/2) + 9 (#LandedNonFCSubordinates)]
-Current Reformers Legacy Strength: 1/4 Refund
-Temp Econ Damage Resistance: 11.66 {11} [-1 (Gov Base) + 2.66 (Gov + 8 Cent) + 1 (Storehouse Annex) + 2 (2 Governor's Palaces) + 1 (Iron Age Census) + 6 (Mylathadysm + 12 RA)]
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Path of Settlers
- Pronouns
- He/Him
In the end it is the arguments of the elders over the young that prevails: the tribe must move on from their ancestral lands. More than that, knowing that the world is changing and that there surely must be other tribes desperately clinging to the remaining good hunting grounds, the people must seek out another place that would have been considered unsuitable in the past. A bit of trading with the valley people is enough to learn some of their secrets and obtain some of their seeds, but the true challenge is to find a place suited to this new way of life. Two winters pass before a place is found, a valley between hills rich in grass but poor in more edible plants, shunned for its habit of flooding at the time of year when the best game would be available, and it is finally settled that the tribe should move there.
There are perhaps better places to be, and some break away from the tribe when they find the work of farming to be not to their liking, but the tribe itself survives and grows, reversing the decline it had been in. Generations pass, and as they recognize their river valley home as being lush and fertile in all the best ways, the tale the elders tell of the migration there is not one of exile, but of finding a new home. Of course, there are many ways to tell the same story, and what is important is not the exact sequence of events, but the lessons imparted to the next generation. Some elders speak of the wisdom of choosing not to fight and instead cutting your own path when you come to disagreement with others. Others speak of the rewards of hard work, of how the land was transformed into the lovely garden in which the tribe now lives. Still others emphasize how it was the people of the valley where they originally dwelt that drove them away because they were unneighbourly.
By the time living memory has faded from living memory, only one of these interpretations remains.
Choose a Social Value...
[] Make My Own!
[] Caretakers of the Land
[] Sacred Hospitality
As the river valley begins to fill with farming plots and the number of people grow, something curious begins to happen. Those with the best land, usually because they inherited from ancestors who were spoiled for choice, are able to grow more food than those farming on less ideal plots, allowing them to accumulate more in good times and bad, and allowing them to raise more children, who can both better work the land in youth and act as voices for their clans in the tribe meetings. Some families are just accumulating too much power, and it is upsetting those who work just as hard but were not lucky enough to inherit the best land from their ancestors. Already tempers are flaring, and fights are breaking out. Worse yet, the families who would have been singular and commanding voices in generations past are now competing with each other in increasingly escalating ways.
Something must give way, and people say so at a summer meeting that tradition and the glares of the elders can increasingly not control. Some decry the greed and avarice of their fellow man, and call upon them to cease their hording and scheming ways and to commit to charity among the tribe, to demonstrate their wealth by giving it away. Others suggest that the tribe has lost its way, that even though who tends the land has gone down through families the land is land and food is food. Most people assist each other with planting and harvest anyway, so since everything is a communal effort the rewards should also be brought together as a community. Somewhat unsurprisingly, those who benefit the most from the way that the system is set up currently state that things are fine and such reorganizations imposed by the jealousy of others are doomed to breed more strife than they hope to solve. Of course, despite the wealth of family their lands bring them, they cannot simply shout over the others, and they seek to bring those discontent with the distribution of fields into their camps so as to get force for their own ideas of political reform.
A popular sentiment among a certain sort is the idea that the council should be reduced so that not everyone has a voice directly, but that each clan should have their own chief and the meetings are of a council of chiefs who can represent the needs of their kin, dealing with in-clan problems that do not affect the others more quickly. Others, particularly those courting the voices of those in the communal growing and distribution of food camps, seek to go even further, and propose a sort of chief of chiefs, a big man whose primary duty is to deal with the problems of the tribe first and foremost. Of course, resistance to change is considerable, but even among the more traditional types the idea of simply reducing the number of people who can speak has an appeal for the growing population, with the moderate position between some of the more radical changes in composition being to simply reduce who can speak to elders who have accumulated many decades of wisdom and the favour of ancestors and spirits, as evidenced by their continued survival.
Or nothing can be done.
Economic Change...
[] Pressure for Charity
[] Communal Distribution for Communal Effort
[] Families Tend the Land
Political Change...
[] A Big Man is Needed!
[] A Council of Chiefs
[] A Council of Elders
[] No Need for Change
There are perhaps better places to be, and some break away from the tribe when they find the work of farming to be not to their liking, but the tribe itself survives and grows, reversing the decline it had been in. Generations pass, and as they recognize their river valley home as being lush and fertile in all the best ways, the tale the elders tell of the migration there is not one of exile, but of finding a new home. Of course, there are many ways to tell the same story, and what is important is not the exact sequence of events, but the lessons imparted to the next generation. Some elders speak of the wisdom of choosing not to fight and instead cutting your own path when you come to disagreement with others. Others speak of the rewards of hard work, of how the land was transformed into the lovely garden in which the tribe now lives. Still others emphasize how it was the people of the valley where they originally dwelt that drove them away because they were unneighbourly.
By the time living memory has faded from living memory, only one of these interpretations remains.
Choose a Social Value...
[] Make My Own!
[] Caretakers of the Land
[] Sacred Hospitality
As the river valley begins to fill with farming plots and the number of people grow, something curious begins to happen. Those with the best land, usually because they inherited from ancestors who were spoiled for choice, are able to grow more food than those farming on less ideal plots, allowing them to accumulate more in good times and bad, and allowing them to raise more children, who can both better work the land in youth and act as voices for their clans in the tribe meetings. Some families are just accumulating too much power, and it is upsetting those who work just as hard but were not lucky enough to inherit the best land from their ancestors. Already tempers are flaring, and fights are breaking out. Worse yet, the families who would have been singular and commanding voices in generations past are now competing with each other in increasingly escalating ways.
Something must give way, and people say so at a summer meeting that tradition and the glares of the elders can increasingly not control. Some decry the greed and avarice of their fellow man, and call upon them to cease their hording and scheming ways and to commit to charity among the tribe, to demonstrate their wealth by giving it away. Others suggest that the tribe has lost its way, that even though who tends the land has gone down through families the land is land and food is food. Most people assist each other with planting and harvest anyway, so since everything is a communal effort the rewards should also be brought together as a community. Somewhat unsurprisingly, those who benefit the most from the way that the system is set up currently state that things are fine and such reorganizations imposed by the jealousy of others are doomed to breed more strife than they hope to solve. Of course, despite the wealth of family their lands bring them, they cannot simply shout over the others, and they seek to bring those discontent with the distribution of fields into their camps so as to get force for their own ideas of political reform.
A popular sentiment among a certain sort is the idea that the council should be reduced so that not everyone has a voice directly, but that each clan should have their own chief and the meetings are of a council of chiefs who can represent the needs of their kin, dealing with in-clan problems that do not affect the others more quickly. Others, particularly those courting the voices of those in the communal growing and distribution of food camps, seek to go even further, and propose a sort of chief of chiefs, a big man whose primary duty is to deal with the problems of the tribe first and foremost. Of course, resistance to change is considerable, but even among the more traditional types the idea of simply reducing the number of people who can speak has an appeal for the growing population, with the moderate position between some of the more radical changes in composition being to simply reduce who can speak to elders who have accumulated many decades of wisdom and the favour of ancestors and spirits, as evidenced by their continued survival.
Or nothing can be done.
Economic Change...
[] Pressure for Charity
[] Communal Distribution for Communal Effort
[] Families Tend the Land
Political Change...
[] A Big Man is Needed!
[] A Council of Chiefs
[] A Council of Elders
[] No Need for Change
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Of lands and kings
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Social Value
Caretakers of the Land
The people feel a deep connection to the land they live upon and are willing to go to extra effort to care for it and to fight for it, but are deeply distressed by deliberately disruptive activities or the military loss of territory
Pros: Bonuses to all actions relating to land management, bonuses when fighting on own terrain
Cons: Additional strife caused by deliberate environmental disruption or loss of territory to others
Bonus!
Early Pre-Kingdom
Due to strong early organization, the people are on a trajectory away from pre-agricultural tribes towards more complex state structures and centralization.
Pros: Access to additional infrastructure projects, bonus to collective action
Cons: Certain actions like new settlement development do not happen organically, but require direct intervention
The act of the council reorganizing itself was a long and contentious one, but in the end while only a few people were truly happy with the system hammered out, no one was devastatingly upset by it. While those who already had the best land and the most resources stood to lose out, as they heard the voices of those with less they knew that they could not continue on without the situation eventually growing violent. More than that, there is a definite appeal to the idea of farming as a unified group, of carefully managing the land without having to worry about whose grain is whose because it all goes into the group pot. The clever among the haves also soon realizes that just because its a group effort doesn't mean that individual plots need be managed by a group, and that the best way to convince the person in charge who should manage individual territories would be past success. Which they had. And, wouldn't it all be more efficient if they reorganized some of the fields?
Beyond that, with a Chief of Chiefs, a Big Man, there is really only one party they need to get on their side, and the sub-chiefs of each clan now have a new prize to strive for, and overall there were fewer people that everyone had to directly listen to. There were of course those who lost out in all of these rearrangements, but fewer people went hungry, and any who might go hungry that surely had to be because they were lazy and didn't contribute enough to the community. To some extent they were all family, and family didn't let family go hungry... not unless they deserved it, and even then not forever.
For the first Big Man, the big job was figuring what his job was and smoothing over all of the problems caused by the transition over, and making sure that systems for collecting and distributing grain were worked out... and if his friends and allies got the best land to manage and an extra ration or two of grain, well, that was just because he knew them well and knew the extra efforts they put in. For the second Big Man to take up the title, he saw a situation mostly free from problems - at least not problems that would fill his day - and the opportunity to do something that would have him remembered for generations to come.
Choose a Major Project
[] Basic Irrigation
[] Establish Annual Festival
[] Expand Settlement
[] Manage Forests
[] Organize Settlement
[] Trade Expeditions
Unfortunately, with prosperity comes adversity, and as the community grows and its granaries remain full, those who have less come. Sometimes they just want to trade, and there is usually enough to do so. Sometimes they wish to settle, and there is usually enough room to find a place for a family or a few individuals to begin tilling the soil. Sometimes though those who show up at the edge of the territory do so not with the intent of sticking around, but to run away with something valuable, which more often than not means young women of childbearing age. To say that their families are upset with this and the associated murders from those who resist is something of an understatement, and the Chief of Chiefs is obviously expected to do something about all of this.
The obvious response is retaliation, of getting the men of the community together as a mass to go punish the tribes whose young men that these attackers come from. However, despite the fact that all voices are calling for something to be done, there are voices who are saying that the punishment inflicted should be proportionate, and that gathering everyone together will lead to members of the foreign tribe who might have no idea what their relatives doing getting caught up in it all. While family is responsible for family, death for everyone is considered excessive by many. No, perhaps just getting those who are best at fighting together for small, targeted retaliations is best... and actually, there's probably enough food around that some men could be tasked to stand guard at all times and be ready to respond to attacks faster than you currently can, stopping attacks rather than retaliating against them. Maybe even their presence alone could deter attacks...
And then there is a particularly odd suggestion from one weirdo that still has a curious taste of possibility to it: bribe the raiders relatives. The land is fertile and productive and with everyone sharing there is a lot of food, even with major projects being worked on. Straight up offer friendship and regular supplies of food to the surrounding tribes to turn over those who attack you, and if there are young men desperate for wives then assuredly there are ties of marriage that can be made between your peoples. It smacks almost of rewarding bad behaviour, of not demanding enough punishment from the neighbouring tribes, even if the individuals that come from them might be appropriately punished. However, as pointed out, there is a good chance that the attacks can be reduced to at least the levels of violence within the tribe, possibly less. The man is something of a grain counter though, so what does he know?
Choose a path to take...
[] Path of War
[] Path of Warriors
[] Path of Bribery
Of course, as much as a good Big Man can accomplish great works, a poor one makes people question why this sort of thing got implemented in the first place. The first major challenge to the situation came in the form...
Choose a failing...
[] Greed
[] Incompetence
[] Pride
[] Stupidity
[] Weakness
Caretakers of the Land
The people feel a deep connection to the land they live upon and are willing to go to extra effort to care for it and to fight for it, but are deeply distressed by deliberately disruptive activities or the military loss of territory
Pros: Bonuses to all actions relating to land management, bonuses when fighting on own terrain
Cons: Additional strife caused by deliberate environmental disruption or loss of territory to others
Bonus!
Early Pre-Kingdom
Due to strong early organization, the people are on a trajectory away from pre-agricultural tribes towards more complex state structures and centralization.
Pros: Access to additional infrastructure projects, bonus to collective action
Cons: Certain actions like new settlement development do not happen organically, but require direct intervention
The act of the council reorganizing itself was a long and contentious one, but in the end while only a few people were truly happy with the system hammered out, no one was devastatingly upset by it. While those who already had the best land and the most resources stood to lose out, as they heard the voices of those with less they knew that they could not continue on without the situation eventually growing violent. More than that, there is a definite appeal to the idea of farming as a unified group, of carefully managing the land without having to worry about whose grain is whose because it all goes into the group pot. The clever among the haves also soon realizes that just because its a group effort doesn't mean that individual plots need be managed by a group, and that the best way to convince the person in charge who should manage individual territories would be past success. Which they had. And, wouldn't it all be more efficient if they reorganized some of the fields?
Beyond that, with a Chief of Chiefs, a Big Man, there is really only one party they need to get on their side, and the sub-chiefs of each clan now have a new prize to strive for, and overall there were fewer people that everyone had to directly listen to. There were of course those who lost out in all of these rearrangements, but fewer people went hungry, and any who might go hungry that surely had to be because they were lazy and didn't contribute enough to the community. To some extent they were all family, and family didn't let family go hungry... not unless they deserved it, and even then not forever.
For the first Big Man, the big job was figuring what his job was and smoothing over all of the problems caused by the transition over, and making sure that systems for collecting and distributing grain were worked out... and if his friends and allies got the best land to manage and an extra ration or two of grain, well, that was just because he knew them well and knew the extra efforts they put in. For the second Big Man to take up the title, he saw a situation mostly free from problems - at least not problems that would fill his day - and the opportunity to do something that would have him remembered for generations to come.
Basic Irrigation - A basic system of ditches and pits to modify how water runs in the hills around the valley when it rains, storing water and getting it to new fields, allowing for more land to be put to use [Caretakers] [Pre-King]
Establish Annual Festival - People already like to celebrate at certain times of the year, but with the level of control over food distribution a new and particularly lavish festival can be established
Expand Settlement - The community grows at the rate of births, but deliberately bringing more land under cultivation will lead to more food and thus more people faster than without intervention
Manage Forests - While still used by hunters to a degree, the nearby forests are now perhaps more important for providing firewood and building materials for the growing community
Organize Settlement - Because everyone contributes to the whole, the borders of fields could be reworked. Perhaps a similar principle can be applied to the buildings in which people dwell [Warning: Caretakers Malus] [Pre-King]
Trade Expeditions - Instead of simply storing surplus during the good times, carrying it to other tribes to trade for exotic items will improve the quality of life of the people
Establish Annual Festival - People already like to celebrate at certain times of the year, but with the level of control over food distribution a new and particularly lavish festival can be established
Expand Settlement - The community grows at the rate of births, but deliberately bringing more land under cultivation will lead to more food and thus more people faster than without intervention
Manage Forests - While still used by hunters to a degree, the nearby forests are now perhaps more important for providing firewood and building materials for the growing community
Organize Settlement - Because everyone contributes to the whole, the borders of fields could be reworked. Perhaps a similar principle can be applied to the buildings in which people dwell [Warning: Caretakers Malus] [Pre-King]
Trade Expeditions - Instead of simply storing surplus during the good times, carrying it to other tribes to trade for exotic items will improve the quality of life of the people
Choose a Major Project
[] Basic Irrigation
[] Establish Annual Festival
[] Expand Settlement
[] Manage Forests
[] Organize Settlement
[] Trade Expeditions
Unfortunately, with prosperity comes adversity, and as the community grows and its granaries remain full, those who have less come. Sometimes they just want to trade, and there is usually enough to do so. Sometimes they wish to settle, and there is usually enough room to find a place for a family or a few individuals to begin tilling the soil. Sometimes though those who show up at the edge of the territory do so not with the intent of sticking around, but to run away with something valuable, which more often than not means young women of childbearing age. To say that their families are upset with this and the associated murders from those who resist is something of an understatement, and the Chief of Chiefs is obviously expected to do something about all of this.
The obvious response is retaliation, of getting the men of the community together as a mass to go punish the tribes whose young men that these attackers come from. However, despite the fact that all voices are calling for something to be done, there are voices who are saying that the punishment inflicted should be proportionate, and that gathering everyone together will lead to members of the foreign tribe who might have no idea what their relatives doing getting caught up in it all. While family is responsible for family, death for everyone is considered excessive by many. No, perhaps just getting those who are best at fighting together for small, targeted retaliations is best... and actually, there's probably enough food around that some men could be tasked to stand guard at all times and be ready to respond to attacks faster than you currently can, stopping attacks rather than retaliating against them. Maybe even their presence alone could deter attacks...
And then there is a particularly odd suggestion from one weirdo that still has a curious taste of possibility to it: bribe the raiders relatives. The land is fertile and productive and with everyone sharing there is a lot of food, even with major projects being worked on. Straight up offer friendship and regular supplies of food to the surrounding tribes to turn over those who attack you, and if there are young men desperate for wives then assuredly there are ties of marriage that can be made between your peoples. It smacks almost of rewarding bad behaviour, of not demanding enough punishment from the neighbouring tribes, even if the individuals that come from them might be appropriately punished. However, as pointed out, there is a good chance that the attacks can be reduced to at least the levels of violence within the tribe, possibly less. The man is something of a grain counter though, so what does he know?
Choose a path to take...
[] Path of War
[] Path of Warriors
[] Path of Bribery
Of course, as much as a good Big Man can accomplish great works, a poor one makes people question why this sort of thing got implemented in the first place. The first major challenge to the situation came in the form...
Choose a failing...
[] Greed
[] Incompetence
[] Pride
[] Stupidity
[] Weakness
Proud Man's Fall
- Pronouns
- He/Him
There could be no project better than to further improve the land. There could be no response better than limited retaliation against the perpetrators of attacks and their immediate circle who supported them. With so much food coming in from the well-watered and tended fields, there was definitely enough that there could be some set aside for the keenest fighters to spend their time training, sparring, and standing watch. The success of raids by outsiders dropped quite rapidly as these warriors took up their new job, but then something funny started to happen.
With a guaranteed ration for spending their time studying how to fight rather than breaking their backs in the fields, and usually reporting directly to the Big Man or the sub-chiefs if he wasn't around, and having a rather appreciated job of protecting the community, the new warriors very rapidly became very attractive marriage prospects, especially to any of the young women they might have helped personally protect from raids. The clan heads liked their sons to be warriors and to marry warriors to their daughters.
As such, it was inevitable that a warrior would be a Big Man one day within a relatively short number of handovers of the position.
Bold Ashryn they called him, and upon his ascension the entire tribe was most pleased with having this charismatic and energetic man. Ambitious, proud and vainglorious, he immediately made moves to cement his legacy, such that all would speak of him for generations to come with all the gusto of a man in his prime with something to prove.
Ashryn's great work was to...
[] Bring the thinking of warriors to other walks of life
[] Build a great house in the centre of the community
[] Dedicate a place to spirits and ancestors
[] Further expand the irrigation system
[] Improve the warriors further
Unfortunately, Ashryn's pride and ambition came with a dark side: he could not let things go. Worse yet, as a warrior, he was used to dealing with problems in terms of attack and defence, which meant that as soon as he could, he contrived to continue an old conflict from his younger days, against a tribe where they had "one that got away". Another warrior of a sort who had made his fortunes sneaking past Ashryn's patrols to steal food and women, including in one infamous case a young woman Ashryn had a clear attraction to. For the new Big Man, the old wounds to his pride could not be healed with anything less than the destruction of his nemesis and everything around the man. He lead attacks, he gathered the entire male populace of the village to sweep the enemy away, and still his foe, soon enough called Crow for the black feathers he stuck in his hair, would not die.
With every passing season that Crow and his band remained alive, Ashryn's rage grew ever greater. He lashed out at all around him, from critics within the tribe to other tribes who tried to take advantage with less skill than Crow or simply got in the way. Hundreds died, and outside of his immediate presence there was great anger and complaint, but when actually next to Ashryn the skills that had brought him to his position shone through and none could quite find it in them to speak out against him when it came time to raise their voice over the possibility of replacement.
Finally though numbers and brute force won out over Crow's skills at evasion, and Ashryn had his revenge three times over. First when he scattered Crow's people to the winds. Second when he brought his mace down upon Crow's head and shattered both with his wrath. The third time when he took Crow's daughter with Ashryn's old crush - long passed in childbirth - as his prize. A most beautiful young woman, she was of the sort who normally only elders would have been able to pair in order to keep the young men from fighting over her. While the argument that she was really part of the tribe being reclaimed held some weight, there were many who found it concerning the level of violence that had gone into everything. Ashryn's first wife was particularly upset with his decision, but no one wanted to tell him no, that he couldn't, that he was wrong.
No one knows quite what happened, but many said that Crow's Daughter had inherited her father's cleverness, and whispered in Ashryn's ear things that he wanted to hear, things that would ultimately lead him to greater ruin. More and more Ashryn began to turn against his own tribe, seeing enemies all around. Former allies were stripped of positions, the distribution of food became inequitable, and there was even violent reprisals from Ashryn and his warriors against "enemies". Finally though it reached a tipping point when he tried to demand that one of the sub-chiefs give him one of his daughters, noted as well for her youthful attraction, in marriage. Sick of the Big Man's behaviour, the sub-chiefs all turned on him as one at the next meeting. Five of them fell to wounds from Ashryn and his warriors, but the proud chief found himself brought low by the fury he had kicked up among his own people with his inflexibility and arrogance.
The lesson learned here was...
[] How Big Men were chosen needed to be changed
[] Power needed to be taken from the position of Big Man
[] The Big Man's wife needed to be it's own position
[] Warriors should be kept away from politics
However, in the immediate aftermath, there was one final detail: Crow's Daughter, her belly full with Ashryn's child. Rumours about her abounded, and few trusted her, although she was not without her defenders, not with advocates who pointed out that though she was a probably guilty of sowing strife, it was not like she asked to be drawn into this mess. A few even praised her act of revenge for her father even if they cursed the strife she brought. Still, even if she was related to the tribe through her mother, there were many who saw her as an outsider deserving of death or exile.
For Crow's Daughter...
[] Only death would do
[] Exile, perhaps to find the remnants of her kin
[] Her mother and her child were of the tribe, she could stay
With a guaranteed ration for spending their time studying how to fight rather than breaking their backs in the fields, and usually reporting directly to the Big Man or the sub-chiefs if he wasn't around, and having a rather appreciated job of protecting the community, the new warriors very rapidly became very attractive marriage prospects, especially to any of the young women they might have helped personally protect from raids. The clan heads liked their sons to be warriors and to marry warriors to their daughters.
As such, it was inevitable that a warrior would be a Big Man one day within a relatively short number of handovers of the position.
Bold Ashryn they called him, and upon his ascension the entire tribe was most pleased with having this charismatic and energetic man. Ambitious, proud and vainglorious, he immediately made moves to cement his legacy, such that all would speak of him for generations to come with all the gusto of a man in his prime with something to prove.
Ashryn's great work was to...
[] Bring the thinking of warriors to other walks of life
[] Build a great house in the centre of the community
[] Dedicate a place to spirits and ancestors
[] Further expand the irrigation system
[] Improve the warriors further
Unfortunately, Ashryn's pride and ambition came with a dark side: he could not let things go. Worse yet, as a warrior, he was used to dealing with problems in terms of attack and defence, which meant that as soon as he could, he contrived to continue an old conflict from his younger days, against a tribe where they had "one that got away". Another warrior of a sort who had made his fortunes sneaking past Ashryn's patrols to steal food and women, including in one infamous case a young woman Ashryn had a clear attraction to. For the new Big Man, the old wounds to his pride could not be healed with anything less than the destruction of his nemesis and everything around the man. He lead attacks, he gathered the entire male populace of the village to sweep the enemy away, and still his foe, soon enough called Crow for the black feathers he stuck in his hair, would not die.
With every passing season that Crow and his band remained alive, Ashryn's rage grew ever greater. He lashed out at all around him, from critics within the tribe to other tribes who tried to take advantage with less skill than Crow or simply got in the way. Hundreds died, and outside of his immediate presence there was great anger and complaint, but when actually next to Ashryn the skills that had brought him to his position shone through and none could quite find it in them to speak out against him when it came time to raise their voice over the possibility of replacement.
Finally though numbers and brute force won out over Crow's skills at evasion, and Ashryn had his revenge three times over. First when he scattered Crow's people to the winds. Second when he brought his mace down upon Crow's head and shattered both with his wrath. The third time when he took Crow's daughter with Ashryn's old crush - long passed in childbirth - as his prize. A most beautiful young woman, she was of the sort who normally only elders would have been able to pair in order to keep the young men from fighting over her. While the argument that she was really part of the tribe being reclaimed held some weight, there were many who found it concerning the level of violence that had gone into everything. Ashryn's first wife was particularly upset with his decision, but no one wanted to tell him no, that he couldn't, that he was wrong.
No one knows quite what happened, but many said that Crow's Daughter had inherited her father's cleverness, and whispered in Ashryn's ear things that he wanted to hear, things that would ultimately lead him to greater ruin. More and more Ashryn began to turn against his own tribe, seeing enemies all around. Former allies were stripped of positions, the distribution of food became inequitable, and there was even violent reprisals from Ashryn and his warriors against "enemies". Finally though it reached a tipping point when he tried to demand that one of the sub-chiefs give him one of his daughters, noted as well for her youthful attraction, in marriage. Sick of the Big Man's behaviour, the sub-chiefs all turned on him as one at the next meeting. Five of them fell to wounds from Ashryn and his warriors, but the proud chief found himself brought low by the fury he had kicked up among his own people with his inflexibility and arrogance.
The lesson learned here was...
[] How Big Men were chosen needed to be changed
[] Power needed to be taken from the position of Big Man
[] The Big Man's wife needed to be it's own position
[] Warriors should be kept away from politics
However, in the immediate aftermath, there was one final detail: Crow's Daughter, her belly full with Ashryn's child. Rumours about her abounded, and few trusted her, although she was not without her defenders, not with advocates who pointed out that though she was a probably guilty of sowing strife, it was not like she asked to be drawn into this mess. A few even praised her act of revenge for her father even if they cursed the strife she brought. Still, even if she was related to the tribe through her mother, there were many who saw her as an outsider deserving of death or exile.
For Crow's Daughter...
[] Only death would do
[] Exile, perhaps to find the remnants of her kin
[] Her mother and her child were of the tribe, she could stay
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The Judgement
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The most important members of the tribe were assembled, the sub-chiefs in a semi-circle facing the accused, and the elders in a broad circle around the entire proceedings, everything illuminated by a great fire that backlit the council. That several members of the council were still sporting wounds and that several others showed clear signs of discomfort at being there at all, having been quickly replaced to fill the holes made by the deaths of their predecessors, was not lost on the crowd. If the serene composure of the young woman on trial gave any indication of worry, it was beyond the ability of those in attendance to detect.
"Mytan, Daughter of The Crow and Hyruni, you stand accused of the malicious spreading of lies and provocation of the ire of Big Man Ashryn, resulting in the deaths of many and the suffering of the tribe. This council has summoned you here to announce to you our decision as to what to do with you," one of the sub-chiefs, clearly the front runner to become the replacement Big Man, announced.
Crow's Daughter, Mytan in her own tongue, nodded at that and said, "And your decision is?"
"Of causing death and strife, we find you culpable but not guilty," the man announced, causing Mytan's mask of composure to crack in confusion and for those who did not already know of the decision to begin to mutter among each other in confusion and outrage.
"This means...?" Mytan asked.
"You did it, but only in response to the destruction of your people, the deaths of your family, and what amounts to your abduction and forced marriage to Ashryn, who we ultimately chose to be our leader and did not stop when he acted against you and yours. Some have argued that your father started it with the abduction of your mother, but ultimately the response of our Big Man was grossly and unconscionably out of proportion to the crime. We find that, in retrospect, your actions were of lesser proportion to the crime against you, and ultimately while you may have inspired Ashryn to action, his actions remained his own. As such, we consider your justice against us served. You and your child are free to remain with us as a member of the tribe, or to seek your fortunes elsewhere," the man explained, to much further muttering among those assembled.
Seeing that this wasn't done yet, the man got up from where he was seated and said, "Here this! It was by the wisdom of the ancestors that we chose a new path when we were hungry rather than take out our anger on neighbours whose only crime was to till the soil! When the selfish among our neighbours attacked us, we sought out only the perpetrators, not their entire tribe! Should a tree fall upon a man gathering wood, you do not burn down the forest! It is our way that the problem be dealt with, not everything around it."
He did then turn towards Mytan once again and said with a glare, "Do know that you are now known for your serpent's tongue young woman, and any further trouble you cause is upon you. Our leader brought shame upon us all, but your revenge is served, and your justice is over. Am I understood?"
"Clearly," the clever young woman said with a nod.
"Warriors, escort her away, this business is for chiefs and elders only," the man replied, dismissing the one on trial.
Social Value Earned!
Eye for an Eye
Justice is to be served, but it must be discriminating and proportional. Retribution must follow, but it must also end once served.
Pros: Greater assurances of fair behaviour, regardless of position within the tribe
Cons: Justice must be served
The council decision about what to do about Big Men in the future was long and painful, particularly as it was pointed out that everyone had more or less gone along with Ashryn up until the end. Worse yet, it wasn't like he was bad at his job - he had continued the expansion of the irrigation network started by his forebearers and had shown continued reverence for the spirits and ancestors and the land itself. As a defender of the people, he had ultimately excelled, even if he himself had become the greatest threat to them in the end. It was not like he was someone who they all could have seen rotten meat from the start - it was, in the end, the things that had got him made Big Man in the first that that had lead to his downfall. The trouble was that coming to a decision about how to fix all of this was proving difficult.
Finally though, one man spoke up and said, "Was the problem with Ashryn not that he was a warrior at all, but rather that he was a warrior first? If one were to call upon a farmer whose only practice at fighting was to wrestle with his brothers and call upon him do the things a proper warrior does, would it be his fault if he failed, or rather more, if he tried to do his job as a farmer would do it? No, the problem here was that we chose Ashryn to lead, having not seen how he would lead, having not seen what the responsibility would do. In many ways he succeeded as we thought he would succeed, but ultimately the ability to put the good of the tribe above that of his own desires remained beyond him, did it not? We must train a man to be a chief, to be the Big Man, before he is to actually take the job."
"And what do you propose?" Another of the sub-chiefs asked.
"That we gather not to choose the next chief with the passing of the current one, but choose who will be next. We pick the heir to be the Big Man's assistant and successor, so that he will learn the skills he needs while there is still a man above him who can keep an eye on him, and see how his character develops. The heir can also be removed by the Big Man or the council if he proves unsatisfactory, without having to break tradition or resort to extraordinary means of removal," the man proposed.
While some of the cannier in attendance realized that in the next contest for who would be the Big Man the current speaker would be the second or third choice and thus his suggestion was not entirely selfless, he did have a good point. Getting to see the full character of the next Big Man when invested with more power than a clan head would be of considerable value, especially since they could either correct problems early or reverse the decision with fewer problems.
And so it was that the next Big Man would in part train his successor directly, a practice the clan heads also took up, useful as the population continued to grow as the amount of land that could be farmed steadily increased throughout the valleys and up the hills. While the madness of Foolish Ashryn had driven many neighbours away, and had created a rift with the remnants of other tribes, the well-protected wealth of the tribe still attracted the hungry and those looking to trade. One day, strangers came to the valley, frightfully exotic people whose very presence and appearance created a stir, for walking with them and hauling great bundles of goods piled upon their backs were terrible aurochs, the massive beasts trundling away peacefully at the sides of the traders.
Clad in fine cloth woven from unknown fibres, wearing the pelt of a lion, and bedecked with strands of polished, coloured stones and exotic shells, the head of this wandering tribe made the current Big Man feel distinctly under-dressed. Still, for all that this tribe who commanded the beasts was frightful in their manner of action and their Big Man seemed so rich, one could not help but notice the way his eyes flickered over the demeanour of the warriors or the sheer number of farmers in attendance to the meeting. While language was a bit of an issue, it was obvious that they were greatly interested in trade, and evidently had the means of moving very large amounts of goods large distances.
The question of course is what the people are most interested in...
Choose a deal...
[] Exotic luxuries
[] High quality materials
[] Strange curiosities
[] We want some of the animals
[] We want your friendship!
Despite this obvious sign of the prosperity of the people, the Big Man also had other tasks to see to...
Choose a Major Project
[] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[] Establish Annual Festival
[] Expand Settlement
[] Expand Warriors
[] Manage Forests
[] Organize Settlement
[] Retaining Walls
[] Trade Expeditions
"Mytan, Daughter of The Crow and Hyruni, you stand accused of the malicious spreading of lies and provocation of the ire of Big Man Ashryn, resulting in the deaths of many and the suffering of the tribe. This council has summoned you here to announce to you our decision as to what to do with you," one of the sub-chiefs, clearly the front runner to become the replacement Big Man, announced.
Crow's Daughter, Mytan in her own tongue, nodded at that and said, "And your decision is?"
"Of causing death and strife, we find you culpable but not guilty," the man announced, causing Mytan's mask of composure to crack in confusion and for those who did not already know of the decision to begin to mutter among each other in confusion and outrage.
"This means...?" Mytan asked.
"You did it, but only in response to the destruction of your people, the deaths of your family, and what amounts to your abduction and forced marriage to Ashryn, who we ultimately chose to be our leader and did not stop when he acted against you and yours. Some have argued that your father started it with the abduction of your mother, but ultimately the response of our Big Man was grossly and unconscionably out of proportion to the crime. We find that, in retrospect, your actions were of lesser proportion to the crime against you, and ultimately while you may have inspired Ashryn to action, his actions remained his own. As such, we consider your justice against us served. You and your child are free to remain with us as a member of the tribe, or to seek your fortunes elsewhere," the man explained, to much further muttering among those assembled.
Seeing that this wasn't done yet, the man got up from where he was seated and said, "Here this! It was by the wisdom of the ancestors that we chose a new path when we were hungry rather than take out our anger on neighbours whose only crime was to till the soil! When the selfish among our neighbours attacked us, we sought out only the perpetrators, not their entire tribe! Should a tree fall upon a man gathering wood, you do not burn down the forest! It is our way that the problem be dealt with, not everything around it."
He did then turn towards Mytan once again and said with a glare, "Do know that you are now known for your serpent's tongue young woman, and any further trouble you cause is upon you. Our leader brought shame upon us all, but your revenge is served, and your justice is over. Am I understood?"
"Clearly," the clever young woman said with a nod.
"Warriors, escort her away, this business is for chiefs and elders only," the man replied, dismissing the one on trial.
Social Value Earned!
Eye for an Eye
Justice is to be served, but it must be discriminating and proportional. Retribution must follow, but it must also end once served.
Pros: Greater assurances of fair behaviour, regardless of position within the tribe
Cons: Justice must be served
The council decision about what to do about Big Men in the future was long and painful, particularly as it was pointed out that everyone had more or less gone along with Ashryn up until the end. Worse yet, it wasn't like he was bad at his job - he had continued the expansion of the irrigation network started by his forebearers and had shown continued reverence for the spirits and ancestors and the land itself. As a defender of the people, he had ultimately excelled, even if he himself had become the greatest threat to them in the end. It was not like he was someone who they all could have seen rotten meat from the start - it was, in the end, the things that had got him made Big Man in the first that that had lead to his downfall. The trouble was that coming to a decision about how to fix all of this was proving difficult.
Finally though, one man spoke up and said, "Was the problem with Ashryn not that he was a warrior at all, but rather that he was a warrior first? If one were to call upon a farmer whose only practice at fighting was to wrestle with his brothers and call upon him do the things a proper warrior does, would it be his fault if he failed, or rather more, if he tried to do his job as a farmer would do it? No, the problem here was that we chose Ashryn to lead, having not seen how he would lead, having not seen what the responsibility would do. In many ways he succeeded as we thought he would succeed, but ultimately the ability to put the good of the tribe above that of his own desires remained beyond him, did it not? We must train a man to be a chief, to be the Big Man, before he is to actually take the job."
"And what do you propose?" Another of the sub-chiefs asked.
"That we gather not to choose the next chief with the passing of the current one, but choose who will be next. We pick the heir to be the Big Man's assistant and successor, so that he will learn the skills he needs while there is still a man above him who can keep an eye on him, and see how his character develops. The heir can also be removed by the Big Man or the council if he proves unsatisfactory, without having to break tradition or resort to extraordinary means of removal," the man proposed.
While some of the cannier in attendance realized that in the next contest for who would be the Big Man the current speaker would be the second or third choice and thus his suggestion was not entirely selfless, he did have a good point. Getting to see the full character of the next Big Man when invested with more power than a clan head would be of considerable value, especially since they could either correct problems early or reverse the decision with fewer problems.
And so it was that the next Big Man would in part train his successor directly, a practice the clan heads also took up, useful as the population continued to grow as the amount of land that could be farmed steadily increased throughout the valleys and up the hills. While the madness of Foolish Ashryn had driven many neighbours away, and had created a rift with the remnants of other tribes, the well-protected wealth of the tribe still attracted the hungry and those looking to trade. One day, strangers came to the valley, frightfully exotic people whose very presence and appearance created a stir, for walking with them and hauling great bundles of goods piled upon their backs were terrible aurochs, the massive beasts trundling away peacefully at the sides of the traders.
Clad in fine cloth woven from unknown fibres, wearing the pelt of a lion, and bedecked with strands of polished, coloured stones and exotic shells, the head of this wandering tribe made the current Big Man feel distinctly under-dressed. Still, for all that this tribe who commanded the beasts was frightful in their manner of action and their Big Man seemed so rich, one could not help but notice the way his eyes flickered over the demeanour of the warriors or the sheer number of farmers in attendance to the meeting. While language was a bit of an issue, it was obvious that they were greatly interested in trade, and evidently had the means of moving very large amounts of goods large distances.
The question of course is what the people are most interested in...
Choose a deal...
[] Exotic luxuries
[] High quality materials
[] Strange curiosities
[] We want some of the animals
[] We want your friendship!
Despite this obvious sign of the prosperity of the people, the Big Man also had other tasks to see to...
Dedicate Place to Spirits - The people have increasingly much to be thankful for, and while individual observations of respect for the supernatural continues, perhaps something more grand to represent the group as a whole is required
Establish Annual Festival - People already like to celebrate at certain times of the year, but with the level of control over food distribution a new and particularly lavish festival can be established
Expand Settlement - The community grows at the rate of births, but deliberately bringing more land under cultivation will lead to more food and thus more people faster than without intervention
Expand Warriors - More men can be inducted into the ranks of the warriors every year and not face major food shortfalls
Manage Forests - While still used by hunters to a degree, the nearby forests are now perhaps more important for providing firewood and building materials for the growing community
Organize Settlement - Because everyone contributes to the whole, the borders of fields could be reworked. Perhaps a similar principle can be applied to the buildings in which people dwell [Warning: Caretakers Malus] [Pre-King]
Retaining Walls - The irrigation system grows increasingly complex, and simple ditches and pits are inadequate. Sturdier construction is required... although people are uncertain of if it can be made sturdy enough [Caretakers] [Pre-King]
Trade Expeditions - Instead of simply storing surplus during the good times, carrying it to other tribes to trade for exotic items will improve the quality of life of the people
Establish Annual Festival - People already like to celebrate at certain times of the year, but with the level of control over food distribution a new and particularly lavish festival can be established
Expand Settlement - The community grows at the rate of births, but deliberately bringing more land under cultivation will lead to more food and thus more people faster than without intervention
Expand Warriors - More men can be inducted into the ranks of the warriors every year and not face major food shortfalls
Manage Forests - While still used by hunters to a degree, the nearby forests are now perhaps more important for providing firewood and building materials for the growing community
Organize Settlement - Because everyone contributes to the whole, the borders of fields could be reworked. Perhaps a similar principle can be applied to the buildings in which people dwell [Warning: Caretakers Malus] [Pre-King]
Retaining Walls - The irrigation system grows increasingly complex, and simple ditches and pits are inadequate. Sturdier construction is required... although people are uncertain of if it can be made sturdy enough [Caretakers] [Pre-King]
Trade Expeditions - Instead of simply storing surplus during the good times, carrying it to other tribes to trade for exotic items will improve the quality of life of the people
Choose a Major Project
[] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[] Establish Annual Festival
[] Expand Settlement
[] Expand Warriors
[] Manage Forests
[] Organize Settlement
[] Retaining Walls
[] Trade Expeditions
Of friends and forests
- Pronouns
- He/Him
With the wealth on display, despite there being barriers of language, the Big Man still managed to get across that he wanted not just what was on offer in this expedition, or to get more of one particular thing, but he wanted regular trade with the nomads, and he wanted to stay not just for a few days to negotiate, but to rest their feet for a time as a proper feast was prepared to celebrate their arrival. For their part, as they saw the vast amounts of grain being removed from the storehouses within the heart of the primary cluster of houses, the nomads were so compelled to not fall behind that they selected a prime aurochs from their herd to slaughter to provide meat to the meal being made. There was suspicion all around, but there was beer and bread, meat and music, and dancing and revelry soon enough.
The morning after brought the yelling and shouting over what had been gotten up to the night before. While there was the usual round of admonitions and congratulations between parents about the decisions of their young adults had got up to during the night, there were a few cases of cross-tribal dalliances and it seemed that there was something of a problem. Through pantomime and a rapidly growing collection of words and grammar, the two chiefs managed to figure out what was the problem. For the people, young people having the occasional dalliance before marriage was only really a problem if there was a pregnancy or disease, and even then the individual families were expected to just sort it out. Food was grown and distributed collectively, and they always made sure that they had plenty in the storehouses for not just one year but as many years in advance as they could before the grain started to spoil. It was rare that the Big Man had to go to the people and tell them to actually try to avoid having kids for a year or two because there had been a bad harvest.
For the nomads, it was a bit of a bigger deal who was having sex with whom. It wasn't just a matter of political ties, which were obviously important, but having stable partnerships were significantly important for caring for children. Unmarried couples getting caught having sex tended to result in either an immediate marriage or mutual exile if the clan was clearly disapproving of the pairing. The Big Man considered this and then asked if they shouldn't just marry off the couples then. His counterpart frowned and pointed out that the situation was most prominently the young warriors of the people sleeping with the young women of his tribe, and that this was not a good trade.
The Big Man nodded, and then asked, "Right then, you lot who slept with their women, you're with them now."
It took a few moments for it to sink in for the nomads and the youngsters, although all of the elders in attendance were all nodding along sagely at the Big Man's words. Thinking for a moment while the nomads tried to figure out what to say, the Big Man then said, "Oh wait, that's more mouths for you to feed. Issue everyone heading out a supply of food."
It took quite some time for it to come out that yes, the Big Man was serious, and yes the rest of his people were backing them. There was then a bit of back and forth as they worked out a way to make it 'fair', the nomad chief soon realizing that this wasn't just a stunt or foolishness, but that the people took the settling of matters and injuries deadly serious, just that they applied to themselves. They wouldn't accept transgression from outsiders against them, but neither would they accept the opposite. Soon enough the trader found himself in the act of swapping out members of his own tribe just to make it so that the people staying or leaving at least had some reason to want to do so, such that he was not inflicting the injury of disruption of family unevenly to either side.
Of course, by his estimate, he came out far ahead in the deal, but for once he wondered if maybe he had found actual friends with whom he could safely and reliably trade with.
Seasons later, they returned with fresh loads of goods and slyly wondered if maybe there were anymore young warrior men who might want to sleep with their daughters, because spirits above could they fight! While there was a definite learning curve, the young men who had made fighting their profession were bloody good at it and had been the difference between survival and disaster more than once. A few of the men who had originally come with made to return to their original families with their new ones, but it remained a good trade all around. For their part, the returning men spoke of the wonders they had seen in the broader world.
And the Big Man smiled. Why ask for any one thing, when you could ask for friendship and have all the things?
Years went by and the mantle of Big Man passed along. The people were definitely having better relations with their neighbours, not just with the contact with the tribe of wanderers, but with the newly appointed heir, one Cwyrl, Son of Myta, Son of Ashryn. Born of his father's vitality and taught by his quick tongued mother, who had not spent her years idle but had bent her skills at persuasion and manipulation to climbing out of the social hole dug by her actions at getting back at Ashryn. With the assistance of his mother, he had been making headway in repairing relations with his grandfather's people, which neatly connected with another project initiated by the previous Big Man: to look into the forests atop the hill.
For generations the people had haphazardly tended to the forests, taking what they needed, which kept things mostly clear, but someone had noted that there seemed to be fewer trees. Since growing plants was what they did best, the people had gone at it with gusto... only to realize that trees were harder to tend to than grain. Still, they persisted, and as Myta and Cwyrl went about their business of doing business, they brought in people of the forests to assist. There were troubles and quarrels, but the quick tongued mother and son duo smoothed things over. Trees needed different things than grains, and just planting them in rows and expecting a forest by the next season was distinctly unrealistic.
However, in the efforts to replant areas where they had cut faster than the forest could regrow, and the people noticed something. Generations of working with irrigation in the hills and the flooding season in the valley had given them all a keen eye and awareness of how water flowed and could cut the land. They'd never really looked before, but in seeing bare areas where they were trying to plant get washed away in the spring rains while the older forest had the roots cling to the soil, their eyes lit up in enlightenment. Now that they were paying attention, they could also see how the forest soil was rich, where lowering down on the hills where they had cut away trees and bushes for fields they had to abandon the farms every few years because the soil became thin without the floodwaters of the river.
The trees were clearly important, the people just hadn't looked at what they might be doing. But they knew soil and water and they needed this now. They talked with the people of the forest who their heir, and then actual Big Man, brought to look over things, and they started to try things. Selective burning seemed to help, and it was distinctly noted that the black ash seemed to make the soil universally better, and staking down mats of reeds and fibres within the mud seemed to reduce the way the rains could cut it away and remove the tree seeds they tried to grow. Which direction they grew trees in was also clearly important, and they paid attention to how the trees could be aligned to best slow the water on the hills instead of creating channels... or they could deliberately create channels to collect water for their own uses.
It was costly, oh how it was costly to just feed people to do things that didn't directly result in grain, but as Cwryl's hair grew grey and he watched his grandchildren grow up, he knew that he was getting results... and the revenge his mother had impressed upon him to take. Crow had one last trick to play, one last laugh to caw.
Friendship with the traders had soon enough resulted in more directed marriages, political ties, and he had encouraged and orchestrated them. He had also encouraged such ties with the shattered remnants of his grandfather's people and the other victims of his father's rampage, and as it turned out, the men of the forests who hunted - and thus killed - to keep their families alive made for good warriors with just a bit of retraining. Bit by bit he was making the warriors of the families of old the servants of the traders even as he made his people the well fed warriors of the farmers. Bit by bit, piece by piece he was - and even as time closed in on him, largely had - replaced the lineages of chiefs with ones more preferable to him and his mother's ghost.
As he considered all of this, he also considered what to do with the twilight of his years. His counterpart among the traders - although he idly wondered how much longer that would last as already tribe meet ups would include their tribal head and clan leaders whenever possible and it was probably only a matter of time before the slow merger finished - had been tell him stories of the greater world: some troubling, some wondrous. There were other great peoples out there, peers to this valley in terms of significance. Amazing tales were told by the traders and the people who went with them, and he wondered if perhaps he should make a great journey to form the finale of a life well lived.
Perhaps most wondrous of all was the stories of a settlement an enormous distance away, one where the people oversaw a fantastical wonder, a place where spirits congregated and one felt intensely close to their realm. Tales told of travellers who would walk a full year to go to this place and make offerings to the guardians of the place, that they might experience the wonder themselves. Few of the people of the valley had gone, and fewer still had returned, but those who had could speak only of how their fondest wish was to have the chance to return, and how they barely had the words to describe the experience. Such an experience was one Cwryl was quite interested in.
Somewhat more practically, there were tales of a settlement in a place where all rivers emptied into a body of water that stretched across the horizon. While such a sight was assuredly a wonder to see, more important than that was the fact that the settlement had collected wonders and luxuries from the waters, and ties of trade with them could bring great wealth to the peoples. If he walked there with his counterpart, bearing gifts from the valley and things gained through the trade of their grain elsewhere, that greatly increased the chance of a lasting deal being established between them.
More troublingly, the traders were reporting that there was a group of people from somewhat distant lowlands who were also farmers, but who seemed to be more interested in attacking their neighbours than tending the land. While conflict happened and that was why warriors were needed and men needed to know how to fight, this other group seemed to revel in it. Their raids were disrupting trade, either by creating dangerous patches that the traders decided to just go around to minimize the chances of being attacked, or by wrecking previously established deals by killing the people the deals were made with or disrupting whatever activity was going on. Finding out more about these aggressive people first hand could be of significant benefit to the peoples relying upon Cwryl, especially if it could be determined if they were an actual threat.
Finally, on the list of places to go and things to see, there were dreadful campfire stories of an entrance to the Underworld up in taller hills, a place where smoke poured from the ground and the wails and groans of the dead could be heard echoing from deep within. While an ominous place, a dreadful place, there were stories... stories of how if the living walked in, while they might not walk out again, they could also deliver a petition to the spirits directly instead of having to die first... if their constitution and bravery held. A final way to serve the peoples for an old man, to walk headlong into death instead of waiting for it to claim him, and to make a request on behalf of his family and the families he protected and supported.
And then, finally, he could just spend his final days as he had spent his prior days, in work towards seeing the projects of his people fulfilled. There was always more to do for a Big Man like him, even if he had already shifted much of his duties over to the heir due to age's toll on his body. A journey might bring great benefit to the people, but staying here would definitely bring some benefit.
Decisions, decisions...
The final act of Cwryl, Grandson of the Crow, Son of Myta and Ashryn, was...
[] Pilgrimage to the site of wonder
[] Trade expedition to the village on the sea
[] Investigation of the lowland tribes
[] Journey into the Underworld
[] Keep working at home
The next great Big Man was chosen for...
[] Administration
[] Diplomacy
[] War
The morning after brought the yelling and shouting over what had been gotten up to the night before. While there was the usual round of admonitions and congratulations between parents about the decisions of their young adults had got up to during the night, there were a few cases of cross-tribal dalliances and it seemed that there was something of a problem. Through pantomime and a rapidly growing collection of words and grammar, the two chiefs managed to figure out what was the problem. For the people, young people having the occasional dalliance before marriage was only really a problem if there was a pregnancy or disease, and even then the individual families were expected to just sort it out. Food was grown and distributed collectively, and they always made sure that they had plenty in the storehouses for not just one year but as many years in advance as they could before the grain started to spoil. It was rare that the Big Man had to go to the people and tell them to actually try to avoid having kids for a year or two because there had been a bad harvest.
For the nomads, it was a bit of a bigger deal who was having sex with whom. It wasn't just a matter of political ties, which were obviously important, but having stable partnerships were significantly important for caring for children. Unmarried couples getting caught having sex tended to result in either an immediate marriage or mutual exile if the clan was clearly disapproving of the pairing. The Big Man considered this and then asked if they shouldn't just marry off the couples then. His counterpart frowned and pointed out that the situation was most prominently the young warriors of the people sleeping with the young women of his tribe, and that this was not a good trade.
The Big Man nodded, and then asked, "Right then, you lot who slept with their women, you're with them now."
It took a few moments for it to sink in for the nomads and the youngsters, although all of the elders in attendance were all nodding along sagely at the Big Man's words. Thinking for a moment while the nomads tried to figure out what to say, the Big Man then said, "Oh wait, that's more mouths for you to feed. Issue everyone heading out a supply of food."
It took quite some time for it to come out that yes, the Big Man was serious, and yes the rest of his people were backing them. There was then a bit of back and forth as they worked out a way to make it 'fair', the nomad chief soon realizing that this wasn't just a stunt or foolishness, but that the people took the settling of matters and injuries deadly serious, just that they applied to themselves. They wouldn't accept transgression from outsiders against them, but neither would they accept the opposite. Soon enough the trader found himself in the act of swapping out members of his own tribe just to make it so that the people staying or leaving at least had some reason to want to do so, such that he was not inflicting the injury of disruption of family unevenly to either side.
Of course, by his estimate, he came out far ahead in the deal, but for once he wondered if maybe he had found actual friends with whom he could safely and reliably trade with.
Seasons later, they returned with fresh loads of goods and slyly wondered if maybe there were anymore young warrior men who might want to sleep with their daughters, because spirits above could they fight! While there was a definite learning curve, the young men who had made fighting their profession were bloody good at it and had been the difference between survival and disaster more than once. A few of the men who had originally come with made to return to their original families with their new ones, but it remained a good trade all around. For their part, the returning men spoke of the wonders they had seen in the broader world.
And the Big Man smiled. Why ask for any one thing, when you could ask for friendship and have all the things?
Years went by and the mantle of Big Man passed along. The people were definitely having better relations with their neighbours, not just with the contact with the tribe of wanderers, but with the newly appointed heir, one Cwyrl, Son of Myta, Son of Ashryn. Born of his father's vitality and taught by his quick tongued mother, who had not spent her years idle but had bent her skills at persuasion and manipulation to climbing out of the social hole dug by her actions at getting back at Ashryn. With the assistance of his mother, he had been making headway in repairing relations with his grandfather's people, which neatly connected with another project initiated by the previous Big Man: to look into the forests atop the hill.
For generations the people had haphazardly tended to the forests, taking what they needed, which kept things mostly clear, but someone had noted that there seemed to be fewer trees. Since growing plants was what they did best, the people had gone at it with gusto... only to realize that trees were harder to tend to than grain. Still, they persisted, and as Myta and Cwyrl went about their business of doing business, they brought in people of the forests to assist. There were troubles and quarrels, but the quick tongued mother and son duo smoothed things over. Trees needed different things than grains, and just planting them in rows and expecting a forest by the next season was distinctly unrealistic.
However, in the efforts to replant areas where they had cut faster than the forest could regrow, and the people noticed something. Generations of working with irrigation in the hills and the flooding season in the valley had given them all a keen eye and awareness of how water flowed and could cut the land. They'd never really looked before, but in seeing bare areas where they were trying to plant get washed away in the spring rains while the older forest had the roots cling to the soil, their eyes lit up in enlightenment. Now that they were paying attention, they could also see how the forest soil was rich, where lowering down on the hills where they had cut away trees and bushes for fields they had to abandon the farms every few years because the soil became thin without the floodwaters of the river.
The trees were clearly important, the people just hadn't looked at what they might be doing. But they knew soil and water and they needed this now. They talked with the people of the forest who their heir, and then actual Big Man, brought to look over things, and they started to try things. Selective burning seemed to help, and it was distinctly noted that the black ash seemed to make the soil universally better, and staking down mats of reeds and fibres within the mud seemed to reduce the way the rains could cut it away and remove the tree seeds they tried to grow. Which direction they grew trees in was also clearly important, and they paid attention to how the trees could be aligned to best slow the water on the hills instead of creating channels... or they could deliberately create channels to collect water for their own uses.
It was costly, oh how it was costly to just feed people to do things that didn't directly result in grain, but as Cwryl's hair grew grey and he watched his grandchildren grow up, he knew that he was getting results... and the revenge his mother had impressed upon him to take. Crow had one last trick to play, one last laugh to caw.
Friendship with the traders had soon enough resulted in more directed marriages, political ties, and he had encouraged and orchestrated them. He had also encouraged such ties with the shattered remnants of his grandfather's people and the other victims of his father's rampage, and as it turned out, the men of the forests who hunted - and thus killed - to keep their families alive made for good warriors with just a bit of retraining. Bit by bit he was making the warriors of the families of old the servants of the traders even as he made his people the well fed warriors of the farmers. Bit by bit, piece by piece he was - and even as time closed in on him, largely had - replaced the lineages of chiefs with ones more preferable to him and his mother's ghost.
As he considered all of this, he also considered what to do with the twilight of his years. His counterpart among the traders - although he idly wondered how much longer that would last as already tribe meet ups would include their tribal head and clan leaders whenever possible and it was probably only a matter of time before the slow merger finished - had been tell him stories of the greater world: some troubling, some wondrous. There were other great peoples out there, peers to this valley in terms of significance. Amazing tales were told by the traders and the people who went with them, and he wondered if perhaps he should make a great journey to form the finale of a life well lived.
Perhaps most wondrous of all was the stories of a settlement an enormous distance away, one where the people oversaw a fantastical wonder, a place where spirits congregated and one felt intensely close to their realm. Tales told of travellers who would walk a full year to go to this place and make offerings to the guardians of the place, that they might experience the wonder themselves. Few of the people of the valley had gone, and fewer still had returned, but those who had could speak only of how their fondest wish was to have the chance to return, and how they barely had the words to describe the experience. Such an experience was one Cwryl was quite interested in.
Somewhat more practically, there were tales of a settlement in a place where all rivers emptied into a body of water that stretched across the horizon. While such a sight was assuredly a wonder to see, more important than that was the fact that the settlement had collected wonders and luxuries from the waters, and ties of trade with them could bring great wealth to the peoples. If he walked there with his counterpart, bearing gifts from the valley and things gained through the trade of their grain elsewhere, that greatly increased the chance of a lasting deal being established between them.
More troublingly, the traders were reporting that there was a group of people from somewhat distant lowlands who were also farmers, but who seemed to be more interested in attacking their neighbours than tending the land. While conflict happened and that was why warriors were needed and men needed to know how to fight, this other group seemed to revel in it. Their raids were disrupting trade, either by creating dangerous patches that the traders decided to just go around to minimize the chances of being attacked, or by wrecking previously established deals by killing the people the deals were made with or disrupting whatever activity was going on. Finding out more about these aggressive people first hand could be of significant benefit to the peoples relying upon Cwryl, especially if it could be determined if they were an actual threat.
Finally, on the list of places to go and things to see, there were dreadful campfire stories of an entrance to the Underworld up in taller hills, a place where smoke poured from the ground and the wails and groans of the dead could be heard echoing from deep within. While an ominous place, a dreadful place, there were stories... stories of how if the living walked in, while they might not walk out again, they could also deliver a petition to the spirits directly instead of having to die first... if their constitution and bravery held. A final way to serve the peoples for an old man, to walk headlong into death instead of waiting for it to claim him, and to make a request on behalf of his family and the families he protected and supported.
And then, finally, he could just spend his final days as he had spent his prior days, in work towards seeing the projects of his people fulfilled. There was always more to do for a Big Man like him, even if he had already shifted much of his duties over to the heir due to age's toll on his body. A journey might bring great benefit to the people, but staying here would definitely bring some benefit.
Decisions, decisions...
The final act of Cwryl, Grandson of the Crow, Son of Myta and Ashryn, was...
[] Pilgrimage to the site of wonder
[] Trade expedition to the village on the sea
[] Investigation of the lowland tribes
[] Journey into the Underworld
[] Keep working at home
The next great Big Man was chosen for...
[] Administration
[] Diplomacy
[] War
To care or not to care
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Cwryl had journeyed for three seasons to see this place, and in seeing it he found his emotions turbulent and unsettled. Out beyond the hills and valleys and into the great plains where the waters ran freely when the rains came, he could see the mysterious and dangerous people. From his vantage point along the edge of their territory, he could see much, and he was glad that he came, for he saw not with the eyes of a trader or a hunter or warrior or even a farmer, but of a Big Man, and that told him so much more than what others could tell him.
From discussion with other tribes suffering attacks from these people, he had worked out much of how these people worked, and while he couldn't confirm it without getting in closer, he had put together a great deal from stories and seeing how their communities were laid out, and everything about it made him both despair and rage. These people were not well managed, their farms were haphazardly laid out and there was clearly no central planning to everything. Each little cluster of houses seemed to control the farmland around itself and no further. Some of the clusters were clearly bigger than others, with the size based on the quality of the land they managed, although there were also homes that were clearly suffering either disrepair, damage, or in one case a cluster had clearly been burned recently and only partially repaired. He had only one conclusion: it was as if each of his subordinates refused to work for the group, but rather had been seized by the madness of his father and chosen to quarrel with all others around them. Dark tales were told of how when they attacked other people, they did not just carry off the young women but the older women and even boys as well, and how they would go out of their way to kill people on their raids. Their intent seemed not to find new wives, but new farmers, forcing others to tend to the land for them, even as they killed off those in the way of their territorial expansions.
It was hideous, repulsive, destructive, bestial, and it was clearly working!
All who Cwryl had spoken with agreed: these farms had not been here a generation ago, and two generations ago their territory had been even further back. For his people the lower grounds along the valleys had been steadily filling up as more and more people were born, and they had been steadily climbing up the sides of the hills, they didn't break new ground unless they needed it to keep their stockpiles in the right range for the number of mouths they had to feed, because expanding the irrigation system was a lot of work. These people... their farms were definitely less productive to his eyes, but they just had so many. There had to be starvation and failures on top of the violence that they projected and inflicted upon themselves, but their growth was clearly outpacing their own stupidity inflicted damage by a significant degree.
What foul folk. They represented everything his mother had taught him to despise about his father and those like him, magnified to a ludicrous degree, and he suddenly felt all reservations about kinship drift away. They could be violent and destructive, but his people cared about each other and their land and they tried not to be enormous dickheads to their neighbours, even if in his eyes they often failed without intercession. No more though. These people, they might never climb up the hills, and if they did it would take generations to spread across to the valley, but they were still a threat. Not for the current generation or even the next, but Cwryl had already started thinking in terms of generations for the tending of the forests. He would give his assessment to the caravan group and return to personally explain if his bones still had it in him, and the traders would keep everyone informed over the years.
Cwryl hated this place. He was glad he came.
And so it was that Cwryl's last great act was to tell his people of the dangers of unrestricted greed and lack of empathy for others, and to give them a warning of what could happen if respect for the land was lost. While preparation was needed, the lowlanders were distant enough that what was needed was not war - which honestly was currently impossible - but to continue to build up the valley and ensure that it was well managed and became nothing like the lowlanders.
Thus did work on the forests and irrigation system continue. For the forests, there were painful lessons of fire and erosion collapse of hills, but much was learned, while for irrigation lessons from up the hills were applied, strengthening the channels into canals and cisterns with brick and stone and the roots of bushes and trees specifically planted in key locations. When the rains came in the spring, they were carefully guided and collected, to be slowly released to the farms further down the hills over the hot summer months. Such delicate control required a wise, firm guiding hand from the Big Man, but it kept erosion down and the farms productive even when the summer rains were poor or even failed.
And then, one year, the spring rains and floods were weak. And then the next spring they failed entirely. And then they failed again next spring.
The river was a sluggish brown trickle winding its way through the muddy remains of its former bed, and the fields that were normally replenished by the spring floods were fallow, the soil depleted and salty. Wells were muddy holes, and people were suffering from all manner of afflictions as rations were cut again and again, leaving them on the edge of starvation, and drinking water they would normally refuse because it was foul but now sipped in disgust out of desperation. The wailing of mothers losing young children or pregnancies was almost constant in the minds of all. The hill farms were slightly better off than the valleys, but were still barely functional, and the people there were even hungrier as they desperately tended to the woods out of the well founded terror that if they didn't keep the forest floor clear of dead leaves and wood the next fire to roll through would not just be bad but apocalyptic.
The traders were in a slightly better position, if only because their animals could be taken to better pastures and they could trade with people who had food, but the news was that it was bad everywhere and getting worse, and people who had things worth moving about were getting smaller in number. Stores were almost depleted, and if they couldn't get even a little rain soon, constant hunger and the deaths of the very young and very old would transform into mass starvation of those in the prime of their life.
It was like the world was dying, and everyone was looking for someone to blame.
What had they done to anger the spirits so? The people wracked their memories for what transgression they had committed to so offend the river and sky, and they could conceive of nothing they had done. The lowlanders though... they could have conceivably have angered the spirits with their habits, and were collectively punishing the world for not dealing with them. But what could be done when they were so far away?
The amount of food in the stores was tallied, and at current rationing they could not make it through another full year if the rains failed next year, but they had just enough to risk on a gamble. The distant settlement that spoke with the spirits... they had just enough to outfit an expedition to bring an offering there and maybe, just maybe get the intercession they needed to bring back the rains. They could also conceivably take that food and use it to feed the men and animals needed to send all of the warriors out to the lowlands to punish the wicked with axe and fire. Closer to home, there was also the rumour that the village by the sea was still full due to the fact that the fish were not affected by a drought on land. In terms of securing supplies, striking them to take their things struck people as wrong, but they were also hungry and desperate... although some objected to the plan not on morality but on the fact that the fishers were probably still well-fed and not suffering from various illnesses.
Then there were those who felt that the gamble of an expedition was foolish, that they needed to conserve what they had and hope that the drought could simply be endured. However, even those who suggested staying home didn't think they should be idle in their attempts to appease the spirits, although the suggestion of some was... dark, to say the least.
There was an argument put forth that the people had sinned, in that the world had given them so much and that which they had given back to the spirits had been grossly inadequate. They had been given land and rains and all the good things in life, and they only gave back a pittance of what the world gave them. Not food grown or animals raised or beer brewed, but the truly important things in life: each other. Some proposed that the spirits demanded a greater sacrifice of the people for their bounties. Also, the sacrificed could go to the beyond with the fervent desire to beg those that dwelt beyond for forgiveness.
Skilled in administration, the Big Man couldn't help but note that the ones speaking the strongest for the option - even when they even proposed themselves as the sacrifice - were the grain counting sort of farmers. The deliberate murder of a significant portion of their population, especially those already weakened by the drought, would probably help them extend out their reserves further. Of course, for those who the idea caught like a spark among dry grass, the warriors also suggested that perhaps others could make suitable sacrifices. Since the warriors would often hunt as part of honing their skills, wiping out any remaining competition for what little game remained would also have an effect on food supplies.
There were, of course, also discussions about just killing until the spirits had their fill of blood and the rains returned.
And yet, surprisingly, there were also voices who said that not only should they not go out killing their neighbours, but maybe they should also not turn them away while they still had food. Obviously they couldn't give much, but if the spirits were offended by human greed then refusing to give charitably wasn't going to help!
Expedition
[] Spirit talkers
[] Lowlands
[] Fishing village
[] Stay home
Human sacrifice
[] None!
[] From within
[] From without
[] Until the spirits are satisfied!
Neighbours
[] Drive off
[] Ignore
[] Help as best as can (incompatible with attacking them for human sacrifices)
Caretakers of the Land -> Gardeners of the Land
The people feel a deep connection to the land they live upon and are willing to go to extra effort to care for it and to fight for it, but are deeply distressed by deliberately disruptive activities that aren't for the long term good of the land, or the military loss of territory
Pros: Bonuses to all actions relating to land management, bonuses when fighting on own terrain
Cons: Additional strife caused by deliberate environmental disruption unless it is for the long term betterment of the land, or loss of territory to others
Early Pre-Kingdom -> Pre-Kingdom
Centralization of powers around a small group and a particular super-chief is now relatively widespread, but the culture of central organization remains
Pros: Access to additional infrastructure projects, bonus to collective action
Cons: Certain actions like new settlement development do not happen organically, but require direct intervention
New Legacy Bonus!
+1 Centralization Tolerance
AN: You guys picked so bloody well in preparation for the dice gods to show their displeasure. Aside from getting an early warning about the lowlanders, the combo also meant that you continued your infrastructure projects and have an Admin chief in charge right when your first major drought hits.
From discussion with other tribes suffering attacks from these people, he had worked out much of how these people worked, and while he couldn't confirm it without getting in closer, he had put together a great deal from stories and seeing how their communities were laid out, and everything about it made him both despair and rage. These people were not well managed, their farms were haphazardly laid out and there was clearly no central planning to everything. Each little cluster of houses seemed to control the farmland around itself and no further. Some of the clusters were clearly bigger than others, with the size based on the quality of the land they managed, although there were also homes that were clearly suffering either disrepair, damage, or in one case a cluster had clearly been burned recently and only partially repaired. He had only one conclusion: it was as if each of his subordinates refused to work for the group, but rather had been seized by the madness of his father and chosen to quarrel with all others around them. Dark tales were told of how when they attacked other people, they did not just carry off the young women but the older women and even boys as well, and how they would go out of their way to kill people on their raids. Their intent seemed not to find new wives, but new farmers, forcing others to tend to the land for them, even as they killed off those in the way of their territorial expansions.
It was hideous, repulsive, destructive, bestial, and it was clearly working!
All who Cwryl had spoken with agreed: these farms had not been here a generation ago, and two generations ago their territory had been even further back. For his people the lower grounds along the valleys had been steadily filling up as more and more people were born, and they had been steadily climbing up the sides of the hills, they didn't break new ground unless they needed it to keep their stockpiles in the right range for the number of mouths they had to feed, because expanding the irrigation system was a lot of work. These people... their farms were definitely less productive to his eyes, but they just had so many. There had to be starvation and failures on top of the violence that they projected and inflicted upon themselves, but their growth was clearly outpacing their own stupidity inflicted damage by a significant degree.
What foul folk. They represented everything his mother had taught him to despise about his father and those like him, magnified to a ludicrous degree, and he suddenly felt all reservations about kinship drift away. They could be violent and destructive, but his people cared about each other and their land and they tried not to be enormous dickheads to their neighbours, even if in his eyes they often failed without intercession. No more though. These people, they might never climb up the hills, and if they did it would take generations to spread across to the valley, but they were still a threat. Not for the current generation or even the next, but Cwryl had already started thinking in terms of generations for the tending of the forests. He would give his assessment to the caravan group and return to personally explain if his bones still had it in him, and the traders would keep everyone informed over the years.
Cwryl hated this place. He was glad he came.
And so it was that Cwryl's last great act was to tell his people of the dangers of unrestricted greed and lack of empathy for others, and to give them a warning of what could happen if respect for the land was lost. While preparation was needed, the lowlanders were distant enough that what was needed was not war - which honestly was currently impossible - but to continue to build up the valley and ensure that it was well managed and became nothing like the lowlanders.
Thus did work on the forests and irrigation system continue. For the forests, there were painful lessons of fire and erosion collapse of hills, but much was learned, while for irrigation lessons from up the hills were applied, strengthening the channels into canals and cisterns with brick and stone and the roots of bushes and trees specifically planted in key locations. When the rains came in the spring, they were carefully guided and collected, to be slowly released to the farms further down the hills over the hot summer months. Such delicate control required a wise, firm guiding hand from the Big Man, but it kept erosion down and the farms productive even when the summer rains were poor or even failed.
And then, one year, the spring rains and floods were weak. And then the next spring they failed entirely. And then they failed again next spring.
The river was a sluggish brown trickle winding its way through the muddy remains of its former bed, and the fields that were normally replenished by the spring floods were fallow, the soil depleted and salty. Wells were muddy holes, and people were suffering from all manner of afflictions as rations were cut again and again, leaving them on the edge of starvation, and drinking water they would normally refuse because it was foul but now sipped in disgust out of desperation. The wailing of mothers losing young children or pregnancies was almost constant in the minds of all. The hill farms were slightly better off than the valleys, but were still barely functional, and the people there were even hungrier as they desperately tended to the woods out of the well founded terror that if they didn't keep the forest floor clear of dead leaves and wood the next fire to roll through would not just be bad but apocalyptic.
The traders were in a slightly better position, if only because their animals could be taken to better pastures and they could trade with people who had food, but the news was that it was bad everywhere and getting worse, and people who had things worth moving about were getting smaller in number. Stores were almost depleted, and if they couldn't get even a little rain soon, constant hunger and the deaths of the very young and very old would transform into mass starvation of those in the prime of their life.
It was like the world was dying, and everyone was looking for someone to blame.
What had they done to anger the spirits so? The people wracked their memories for what transgression they had committed to so offend the river and sky, and they could conceive of nothing they had done. The lowlanders though... they could have conceivably have angered the spirits with their habits, and were collectively punishing the world for not dealing with them. But what could be done when they were so far away?
The amount of food in the stores was tallied, and at current rationing they could not make it through another full year if the rains failed next year, but they had just enough to risk on a gamble. The distant settlement that spoke with the spirits... they had just enough to outfit an expedition to bring an offering there and maybe, just maybe get the intercession they needed to bring back the rains. They could also conceivably take that food and use it to feed the men and animals needed to send all of the warriors out to the lowlands to punish the wicked with axe and fire. Closer to home, there was also the rumour that the village by the sea was still full due to the fact that the fish were not affected by a drought on land. In terms of securing supplies, striking them to take their things struck people as wrong, but they were also hungry and desperate... although some objected to the plan not on morality but on the fact that the fishers were probably still well-fed and not suffering from various illnesses.
Then there were those who felt that the gamble of an expedition was foolish, that they needed to conserve what they had and hope that the drought could simply be endured. However, even those who suggested staying home didn't think they should be idle in their attempts to appease the spirits, although the suggestion of some was... dark, to say the least.
There was an argument put forth that the people had sinned, in that the world had given them so much and that which they had given back to the spirits had been grossly inadequate. They had been given land and rains and all the good things in life, and they only gave back a pittance of what the world gave them. Not food grown or animals raised or beer brewed, but the truly important things in life: each other. Some proposed that the spirits demanded a greater sacrifice of the people for their bounties. Also, the sacrificed could go to the beyond with the fervent desire to beg those that dwelt beyond for forgiveness.
Skilled in administration, the Big Man couldn't help but note that the ones speaking the strongest for the option - even when they even proposed themselves as the sacrifice - were the grain counting sort of farmers. The deliberate murder of a significant portion of their population, especially those already weakened by the drought, would probably help them extend out their reserves further. Of course, for those who the idea caught like a spark among dry grass, the warriors also suggested that perhaps others could make suitable sacrifices. Since the warriors would often hunt as part of honing their skills, wiping out any remaining competition for what little game remained would also have an effect on food supplies.
There were, of course, also discussions about just killing until the spirits had their fill of blood and the rains returned.
And yet, surprisingly, there were also voices who said that not only should they not go out killing their neighbours, but maybe they should also not turn them away while they still had food. Obviously they couldn't give much, but if the spirits were offended by human greed then refusing to give charitably wasn't going to help!
Expedition
[] Spirit talkers
[] Lowlands
[] Fishing village
[] Stay home
Human sacrifice
[] None!
[] From within
[] From without
[] Until the spirits are satisfied!
Neighbours
[] Drive off
[] Ignore
[] Help as best as can (incompatible with attacking them for human sacrifices)
Caretakers of the Land -> Gardeners of the Land
The people feel a deep connection to the land they live upon and are willing to go to extra effort to care for it and to fight for it, but are deeply distressed by deliberately disruptive activities that aren't for the long term good of the land, or the military loss of territory
Pros: Bonuses to all actions relating to land management, bonuses when fighting on own terrain
Cons: Additional strife caused by deliberate environmental disruption unless it is for the long term betterment of the land, or loss of territory to others
Early Pre-Kingdom -> Pre-Kingdom
Centralization of powers around a small group and a particular super-chief is now relatively widespread, but the culture of central organization remains
Pros: Access to additional infrastructure projects, bonus to collective action
Cons: Certain actions like new settlement development do not happen organically, but require direct intervention
New Legacy Bonus!
+1 Centralization Tolerance
AN: You guys picked so bloody well in preparation for the dice gods to show their displeasure. Aside from getting an early warning about the lowlanders, the combo also meant that you continued your infrastructure projects and have an Admin chief in charge right when your first major drought hits.
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Consequences of charity
- Pronouns
- He/Him
It was hard. It was so very hard, and yet at the end of the day the Big Man put his foot down and said, "We trust that the rains will return, that only those fated to die will do so, and that we need not hurry along the process along... even by refusing those in need what little can be spared. We will, however, save as much as we can by staying put, not making an extravagant gambles on this."
There was disagreement. There was squabbling and fighting and violence. People within and without the tribe killed each other over scraps of bread to try to feed friends and family wasting away. Travellers arrived hearing of supplies of grain and found that despite the fact that there was barely any to share, they could still get a pittance. People wept and wailed and suffered. Fall turned to winter and the weather was perturbed and uncertain. The equinox passed and thin clouds taunted the people. Thin warriors guarded the storehouses and the chiefs from emaciated people all too eager to get at the remaining supplies. The most vulnerable had all died already and the older children and younger elders were next on the list, and the people knew that if the rains didn't come then maybe one clan would survive.
What fools they had been to trust that the rains would come and that they could afford to be charitable!
They could feel it, they could feel the skeletal presence of death among their ranks, bony fingers flaking away the flint of his sickle with hideous taps. The crop was well tended to, and now it was time to reap what had been sown.
Hunger beyond the mere physical began to gnaw upon the souls of the people. Their Big Man was useless, had done nothing to try to undo all of this, and had just given their food away! He... he was going to take the remaining food and run away, leave them all to starve, wasn't he? They had to get to the food, had to save their families before someone else got there first! Someone noticed that someone else had a rock, what for was unknown, but soon enough people knew that they needed rocks of their own, for self-defence if nothing else.
The warriors tightened their grips on their own spears and clubs. They had better weapons, training, and were only on a third their usual rations rather than the slowly murderous ones of everyone else. People eyed each other warily, hungrily, and knew that the only thing keeping it from immediately exploding was the fact that the first person to strike was almost assuredly dead.
Someone cried out in shock and outrage and the crowd drew in a collective breath as it prepared to strike itself like a maddened serpent biting its own tail, but before that breath could be released as the rabid death scream of a people, that first voice trailed off in confusion of all things. Confusion and then excited, agitated shouting, but not the anger that people expected. A cry went up, a chant.
"Not spit! Not spit! Not spit!"
The chorus made no sense to those further out, until they too started to understand as fat but sparsely spread drops of rain started to fall. The almost riot quickly broke down as the people collapsed into grateful sobs, the rain painting their faces with the tears they no longer had in them.
The rains that year were late and weak, but they came. The harvest was poor, but it was. And the channels and cisterns and forests were all there to catch every last drop, and to slow down the water flowing over the dry soil and keep a blessing from becoming a curse. It was a hard year, a lean year, a year without births, but rations could be increased just a little bit and stockpiles increased.
And with the coming of the next winter, the skies grew darker than they had been in years, and the people knew that the worst was over, for now.
And with the conclusion of the first decent rain in years, came travellers seeking the people not for food or shelter, but something more, something different. Dressed in extravagantly dyed cloth and carrying great canoes over the hills, they were pointed out as being from the fishers to the west by those who had travelled the trails with the traders before. Their presence was strange, but despite the natural wariness of large numbers of foreign men showing up out of the blue, there was some degree of hopeful wonder about what these men wanted.
A man who was probably a chief of some sort - possibly an heir or sub-chief since he probably wasn't their Big Man - approached with a friendly hand raised and a bundle held in the other. Wondering what this was about, the Big Man approached with his own warriors watching out for him and said in the blended tongue of the traders, "Who are you and what business have you?"
"I am of the Sea People, and I come bearing a gift for your people and request," the man said, holding out the bundle for inspection.
Curious, the Big Man approached to examine the bundle, which was a leather wrapped clay pot, that at the other man's prompting was carefully opened to reveal the pot was full of the powdered shell the village was famous for, used for creating the bright red-violet dye that was so prized among every tribe that knew of the village. The sea chief lowered his head at the Big Man's flabbergasted expression and said, "News of your remarkable generosity has reached our ears and has shamed us. We gather the shells while doing other fishing, and we couldn't really catch fish any faster than we could, but with the drought's passing and your story... we gathered together a full season's worth of dye, shamefully gathered when you were starving and we were merely hungry."
The Big Man tried to find the words, before he hung his head as well and said, "Just because we gave grain does not mean we did not send people to their deaths..."
"But you had nothing and you still tried," the foreign man replied, shameful tears upon his cheeks. "And now... now perhaps the curse turns upon us for our greed. The sea seems intent on turning against us for our harvest of its bounty... we come here for many reasons. To thank those who had nothing for their charity, to atone for our own sins, and to ask for your help."
Deciding that this situation ran deeper than he initially thought, the Big Man nodded and summoned his people forward to take the precious, precious gift and to prepare a limited feast to welcome these visitors. Eventually the full nature of the visit is made clear. Not only did they feel compelled to apologize for inadequate action during the drought, but now the fishers are having troubles of their own in the form of storms... an ironic punishment from the spirits perhaps. While there was some direct danger from boats being caught out on the sea during a bad storm or from a house being blown over, the real danger from the fact that the storms were changing the coast, changing the local currents and how to best harvest the fish. They were adapting as best they could, but when they looked at the shores and banks and saw the water cutting them away, all they could think of was of the charitable people of the valley who had mastered mud and water.
They needed help. They needed forgiveness. They needed friends.
They needed your people.
And help they would receive, but how much would be difficult to judge. The rains were still poor in comparison to previous years and there was an intense fear that they might fail again, and that while previous actions had been correct, preventative action might be in order, especially now that they wouldn't be risking mass starvation if things went poorly. A journey to the spirit talkers to get confirmation that their actions had soothed the anger of the spirits was a suggestion. Organizing a punitive action against the lowlanders was definitely high on the list of things to do... although there were also strong voices that if the behaviour of the lowlanders had triggered all of this and charity had solved it, launching a punitive expedition could very well anger the spirits once more. Then there was a suggestion that in terms of preventative action they should have something suitably established for appeasing the spirits closer to home instead of requiring a massive expedition in order to make a meaningful contribution.
Choose an expedition...
[] Fishing village
[] Spirit talkers
[] Lowlanders
[] Stay home, build monument
Choose a Major Project
[] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[] Establish Annual Festival
[] Expand Settlement
[] Expand Warriors
[] Expand Managed Forests
[] Organize Settlement
[] Step-Farms
[] Support Fishers
[] Trade Expeditions
There was disagreement. There was squabbling and fighting and violence. People within and without the tribe killed each other over scraps of bread to try to feed friends and family wasting away. Travellers arrived hearing of supplies of grain and found that despite the fact that there was barely any to share, they could still get a pittance. People wept and wailed and suffered. Fall turned to winter and the weather was perturbed and uncertain. The equinox passed and thin clouds taunted the people. Thin warriors guarded the storehouses and the chiefs from emaciated people all too eager to get at the remaining supplies. The most vulnerable had all died already and the older children and younger elders were next on the list, and the people knew that if the rains didn't come then maybe one clan would survive.
What fools they had been to trust that the rains would come and that they could afford to be charitable!
They could feel it, they could feel the skeletal presence of death among their ranks, bony fingers flaking away the flint of his sickle with hideous taps. The crop was well tended to, and now it was time to reap what had been sown.
Hunger beyond the mere physical began to gnaw upon the souls of the people. Their Big Man was useless, had done nothing to try to undo all of this, and had just given their food away! He... he was going to take the remaining food and run away, leave them all to starve, wasn't he? They had to get to the food, had to save their families before someone else got there first! Someone noticed that someone else had a rock, what for was unknown, but soon enough people knew that they needed rocks of their own, for self-defence if nothing else.
The warriors tightened their grips on their own spears and clubs. They had better weapons, training, and were only on a third their usual rations rather than the slowly murderous ones of everyone else. People eyed each other warily, hungrily, and knew that the only thing keeping it from immediately exploding was the fact that the first person to strike was almost assuredly dead.
Someone cried out in shock and outrage and the crowd drew in a collective breath as it prepared to strike itself like a maddened serpent biting its own tail, but before that breath could be released as the rabid death scream of a people, that first voice trailed off in confusion of all things. Confusion and then excited, agitated shouting, but not the anger that people expected. A cry went up, a chant.
"Not spit! Not spit! Not spit!"
The chorus made no sense to those further out, until they too started to understand as fat but sparsely spread drops of rain started to fall. The almost riot quickly broke down as the people collapsed into grateful sobs, the rain painting their faces with the tears they no longer had in them.
The rains that year were late and weak, but they came. The harvest was poor, but it was. And the channels and cisterns and forests were all there to catch every last drop, and to slow down the water flowing over the dry soil and keep a blessing from becoming a curse. It was a hard year, a lean year, a year without births, but rations could be increased just a little bit and stockpiles increased.
And with the coming of the next winter, the skies grew darker than they had been in years, and the people knew that the worst was over, for now.
And with the conclusion of the first decent rain in years, came travellers seeking the people not for food or shelter, but something more, something different. Dressed in extravagantly dyed cloth and carrying great canoes over the hills, they were pointed out as being from the fishers to the west by those who had travelled the trails with the traders before. Their presence was strange, but despite the natural wariness of large numbers of foreign men showing up out of the blue, there was some degree of hopeful wonder about what these men wanted.
A man who was probably a chief of some sort - possibly an heir or sub-chief since he probably wasn't their Big Man - approached with a friendly hand raised and a bundle held in the other. Wondering what this was about, the Big Man approached with his own warriors watching out for him and said in the blended tongue of the traders, "Who are you and what business have you?"
"I am of the Sea People, and I come bearing a gift for your people and request," the man said, holding out the bundle for inspection.
Curious, the Big Man approached to examine the bundle, which was a leather wrapped clay pot, that at the other man's prompting was carefully opened to reveal the pot was full of the powdered shell the village was famous for, used for creating the bright red-violet dye that was so prized among every tribe that knew of the village. The sea chief lowered his head at the Big Man's flabbergasted expression and said, "News of your remarkable generosity has reached our ears and has shamed us. We gather the shells while doing other fishing, and we couldn't really catch fish any faster than we could, but with the drought's passing and your story... we gathered together a full season's worth of dye, shamefully gathered when you were starving and we were merely hungry."
The Big Man tried to find the words, before he hung his head as well and said, "Just because we gave grain does not mean we did not send people to their deaths..."
"But you had nothing and you still tried," the foreign man replied, shameful tears upon his cheeks. "And now... now perhaps the curse turns upon us for our greed. The sea seems intent on turning against us for our harvest of its bounty... we come here for many reasons. To thank those who had nothing for their charity, to atone for our own sins, and to ask for your help."
Deciding that this situation ran deeper than he initially thought, the Big Man nodded and summoned his people forward to take the precious, precious gift and to prepare a limited feast to welcome these visitors. Eventually the full nature of the visit is made clear. Not only did they feel compelled to apologize for inadequate action during the drought, but now the fishers are having troubles of their own in the form of storms... an ironic punishment from the spirits perhaps. While there was some direct danger from boats being caught out on the sea during a bad storm or from a house being blown over, the real danger from the fact that the storms were changing the coast, changing the local currents and how to best harvest the fish. They were adapting as best they could, but when they looked at the shores and banks and saw the water cutting them away, all they could think of was of the charitable people of the valley who had mastered mud and water.
They needed help. They needed forgiveness. They needed friends.
They needed your people.
And help they would receive, but how much would be difficult to judge. The rains were still poor in comparison to previous years and there was an intense fear that they might fail again, and that while previous actions had been correct, preventative action might be in order, especially now that they wouldn't be risking mass starvation if things went poorly. A journey to the spirit talkers to get confirmation that their actions had soothed the anger of the spirits was a suggestion. Organizing a punitive action against the lowlanders was definitely high on the list of things to do... although there were also strong voices that if the behaviour of the lowlanders had triggered all of this and charity had solved it, launching a punitive expedition could very well anger the spirits once more. Then there was a suggestion that in terms of preventative action they should have something suitably established for appeasing the spirits closer to home instead of requiring a massive expedition in order to make a meaningful contribution.
Choose an expedition...
[] Fishing village
[] Spirit talkers
[] Lowlanders
[] Stay home, build monument
Dedicate Place to Spirits - The people have increasingly much to be thankful for, and while individual observations of respect for the supernatural continues, perhaps something more grand to represent the group as a whole is required
Establish Annual Festival - People already like to celebrate at certain times of the year, but with the level of control over food distribution a new and particularly lavish festival can be established
Expand Settlement - The community grows at the rate of births, but deliberately bringing more land under cultivation will lead to more food and thus more people faster than without intervention
Expand Warriors - More men can be inducted into the ranks of the warriors every year and not face major food shortfalls
Expand Managed Forests - The forests atop the hills surrounding your valley are now an integral part of your water management system as well as providing materials and the occasional bit of game. Expanding onto the back side of the hills can only bring more benefit
Organize Settlement - Because everyone contributes to the whole, the borders of fields could be reworked. Perhaps a similar principle can be applied to the buildings in which people dwell [Pre-King]
Step-Farms - Bringing the irrigation systems to its limit, the hills can be sculpted into a series of steps, each step supporting a farm plot, the run off from a higher farm irrigating the farms lower down [Gardeners][Pre-King]
Support Fishers - The fishing village is having problems, lending assistance will improve relations and will likely have additional benefits
Trade Expeditions - Instead of simply storing surplus during the good times, carrying it to other tribes to trade for exotic items will improve the quality of life of the people
Establish Annual Festival - People already like to celebrate at certain times of the year, but with the level of control over food distribution a new and particularly lavish festival can be established
Expand Settlement - The community grows at the rate of births, but deliberately bringing more land under cultivation will lead to more food and thus more people faster than without intervention
Expand Warriors - More men can be inducted into the ranks of the warriors every year and not face major food shortfalls
Expand Managed Forests - The forests atop the hills surrounding your valley are now an integral part of your water management system as well as providing materials and the occasional bit of game. Expanding onto the back side of the hills can only bring more benefit
Organize Settlement - Because everyone contributes to the whole, the borders of fields could be reworked. Perhaps a similar principle can be applied to the buildings in which people dwell [Pre-King]
Step-Farms - Bringing the irrigation systems to its limit, the hills can be sculpted into a series of steps, each step supporting a farm plot, the run off from a higher farm irrigating the farms lower down [Gardeners][Pre-King]
Support Fishers - The fishing village is having problems, lending assistance will improve relations and will likely have additional benefits
Trade Expeditions - Instead of simply storing surplus during the good times, carrying it to other tribes to trade for exotic items will improve the quality of life of the people
Choose a Major Project
[] Dedicate Place to Spirits
[] Establish Annual Festival
[] Expand Settlement
[] Expand Warriors
[] Expand Managed Forests
[] Organize Settlement
[] Step-Farms
[] Support Fishers
[] Trade Expeditions
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Against the sea
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Dwthwyr first left the village as a young man, called upon by the Big Man Wise Ferfthyn to join the group who would accompany the Sea People back to their home to help them address the problem. His family had been working the hills for generations, and were among the most skilled at tending to the trees and waterworks of the upper hills. Dwthwyr wasn't as skilled or experienced as his parents or grandparents, but he also didn't have other responsibilities and was still youthful so the journey would not be any great difficulty for him. The Sea People were strange, so brightly dressed and with so much more flourish to their clothing, and they were also taller than he was... although given that they were the ones that had accompanied their chief... or actually, he wasn't sure if it was their chief chief, but he was important enough- anyway, they were probably warriors or something like that. The warriors of the tribe tended to be bigger than him anyway. Generally faster and more skilled, but one time in a wrestling match he had managed to get a good hold and show off the sort of muscles you got from wrestling with earth and water.
Still, the journey wasn't much fun as there were only a limited number of people he could really talk to, so there was a definite distance between them all, although several people were attempting to bridge the language gap through impromptu campfire lessons. The first leg of the journey was down the backside the hills, into unmanaged territory. There were some streams here, but there was no significant and permanent river systems here and so the land was drier. The trees held onto the water somewhat, but the drought had clearly done a number on them, and there were signs of blight and the forest not recovering from fire. He made sure to make mention of this to the men with animals who were helping them make this first leg of the journey to report this back home, as they might need to send people into these places to contain the damage before it could spread to their own forests.
They then went up another set of hills and back down into another river system. Where the river in their valley was typically a broad, sluggish brown thing that only really got moving during the spring when it flooded, this river was narrow and dark creature that was relatively fast moving. As the Sea People set up their canoes, their chuckling at the commentary of the people gave Dwthwyr a sinking feeling in his stomach.
He was proven right several days later when they hit a patch of the river that the Sea People could navigate but that left the farmers and warriors clutching the edges of the canoes in terror, the waters moving their boats with terrifying speed that only caused the Sea People to laugh as they guided their craft. Although by the end of the day they had taken to the shore and said that they would have to get out and walk for the next few days. Nodding along, the people were left in awe and terror as they walked along the river and discovered that it turned to white churning water like that of a broken canal during a catastrophic rainfall.
And then they came upon the waterfall and all they could do was gape in awe. Dwthwyr felt extremely small, his works of water control so tiny in comparison to the works of the spirits. At least the Sea People looked suitably impressed, albeit they had obviously seen the waterfall before and thus were not experiencing the awe of such a thing for the first time. Shortly after the rapids and the waterfall the river they were following merged with another river, this one considerably more sedate, although one side of the riverbank was a steep hill where it appeared that the water had cut stone as if it were mud.
It was a full cycle of the moon from leaving the village to arriving at the home of the Sea People, and Dwthwyr had seen many amazing things, but he had also seen many worrying things. The forests along the river they were following were definitely still weak from the drought, and from the eroding language barrier the Sea People were explaining that for the past two years the river had been noticeably siltier, which definitely wasn't helping their issues. Fixing all of the forest was almost certainly not possible, but the young man and the others who had come to inspect things were already getting an idea of the problems being faced.
The day that their boats reached the village was one that would be inscribed indelibly upon Dwthwyr's mind, for that was the day he first saw the sea for the first time, and he was not the only person there who broke down in tears at the mind boggling scale of it all, although his awe was soon tempered a bit by the fact that the water there wasn't actually fit to drink or water crops with, it being too salty. Although that of course helped drive in just how incredibly rich the people of this tribe were. The sea provided food, shells, dye, and salt to them.
By the second turning of the moon and the turning of the season, Dwthwyr had learned much more about the Sea People and how they did things, and he was already working with the others who had come from home to figure out a list of things that they needed, and it was quite the extensive list. There was too much work to do in a single lifetime, but there were plenty of things that they could help with. The big issue was that between the river becoming siltier and the sea stormier the shores and banks were being cut into too much, which was creating new sandbanks out at sea, disrupting the waters they harvested from. While much of the knowledge that Dwthwyr brought with him wasn't directly applicable, he had similar experiences and ideas that could be reworked with time and effort. The big one was reinforcing various areas like they had up in the hills to reduce erosion, but they couldn't use bricks, they had to use stone. Fortunately the Sea People had been using stone traps for corralling groups of fish during tidal changes, but they needed the walls they were proposing to be considerably sturdier and impermeable to water, so they needed the stones to be worked first. It was an immense amount of work and the only way to get it done would be if there were people who were working the stone full time, and given all of the problems, that wasn't really an option, not without outside support.
Still, the people kept working, and Dwthwyr found himself in pleasant conversation with one of the young women of the Sea People. There were orders not to get too close to the Sea People on this expedition, if only because the Big Man wasn't quite sure how these people reacted to unplanned pregnancies and given the recent drought people were much more wary about unexpectedly having new family to support. Still, just talking was pleasant enough, and the young woman was a wealth of information about the exotic sources of dye that the Sea People made use of.
"These snail shells, they are not terribly common, but nor are they rare, they are simply troublesome to get," Zinabba explained, showing off the smooth, cream on the outside, sunset on the inside shell of the creature. "They only live in certain places, and it is rare for those places to be accessible by foot, even at low tide. Those places are fiercely guarded by the families that control them because they are safe and reliable, but if you are skilled there are places where you can dive down and collect them from the water. That is more dangerous, but can also be more rewarding."
Dwthwyr shuddered and said, "I have no idea how you can swim. Canoes I get, and bathing I get, but moving through the water like that seems like a recipe for how to drown."
"It's not that hard," Zinabba said with a roll of her eyes. "But yes, underwater harvesting isn't preferred for obvious reasons, even though more of the snails live there. We've tried getting them to live in easier places, but they seem to prefer the deeper waters, even if they show up elsewhere."
Nodding, Dwthwyr said, "Must be something they like deeper in the water that only rarely is found in the shallower waters. We found that sometimes there are plants that only grow when there are other plants nearby first. We call them 'spirit friends'."
"Yes, probably," Zinabba agreed. "We think that the snails eat another sort of snail among other things, but we don't know which ones are the most important because they live so deep in the water."
"You should ask the traders, they know a great deal about animals, given how much they live with them," Dwthwyr suggested.
"I think that's already been suggested," Zinabba replied. "Of course, explaining it isn't everything, as you lot showed. Once you got here you started telling us to tend to a bunch of bushes so and start planting trees and said that our original ideas weren't going to work because the water would just push them over."
"Yes, well, then you would have to somehow get the experts into the water," Dwthwyr pointed out.
Smiling, Zinabba got up, stretched out, and then wriggled out of her clothing and asked Dwthwyr, "Would you like a lesson?"
And thus it was that Dwthwyr learned to swim.
He learned a lot from the Sea People, how they had a different rhythm to their life than in the valley. There were break periods, whole seasons with not much to do, but in general there was always something that needed attention every day, be it taking the off season to go out to the irrigation ditches to check their integrity, make repairs, or even expand them. On the coast, you could go fishing every day, but unless it was a few specific times of year that fishing was a very slow process with a whole lot of sitting around thinking. There were periods of explosive activity like the planting and harvest season when certain species went migrating past, but there were long stretches where you might as well sit around on the beach relaxing in the sun as do anything productive, for all the difference it would make.
It was pleasant enough, but it also made Dwthwyr itch at times. He should be doing something, and given the tasks required to make things better, the thought of just laying around when walls could be built that could help people rankled him. Of course, part of it was the fact that there simply wasn't enough work to go around, and by some ironic twist the times of maximum idleness were also the least ideal times to go out into the water and start building walls.
In those quiet times, he did sometimes ask himself if he wanted to stay. On the one hand he missed his family and the rhythm of life back in the valley, and the better sense of security he felt. On the other hand this place had its own appeals and he felt that he could do an immense amount of good here, where his skills were rare and in high demand.
Also, Zinabba.
Setting aside all other feelings for her, there was also a mixed feeling about the politics of such an arrangement. He wasn't entirely certain about where exactly she sat within the web of family and power within the Sea People's clan structures, but the fact that she was a shell diver put her in a special place in their society. The Sea People were much more divided along clan lines and the wealth they gained from various stretches of the coast. Some areas were governed communally, like the river and certain sections where if everyone worked together the harvest was many times greater than everyone going at it on their own, but for things like the various shells and snails collected that was up to individual families. Thus a shell diver was a high prestige and high wealth occupation, often compared to the successful hunters who were a sort of part time warrior group for the Sea People, which from Dwthwyr's perspective made her roughly along the lines of a warrior's daughter... who was also sort of a warrior herself. Either way, not someone he was likely to get paired up with by the elders, not unless there was clear mutual attraction and a not-so-accidental "accident". Given how much more emphasis the Sea People put on family ties, in large part because of the complexity of who got to manage what, he was pretty sure that trick wasn't as approved of here than back home.
And then news came back from home. The Big Man had heard the reports given by those who had travelled back after the summer and there had been discussion with a representative of the Sea Peoples. Given the degree of the task required of them, they could not do the work in a reasonable amount of time without outside support, so the people would provide it for them, although the Sea People would also be expending a great deal of their own wealth to mitigate the food and skilled labour they would have to import. The project would be on a scale the Sea People had never done before, and would likely have to happen at an intensity that no one had ever tried before, but it likely could be done. That the people would be picking up luxury goods as part of the payment for their effort and their trader cousins would be the middlemen for all of the other trading going on to support the project was also a major contributing factor to the decision. Dwthwyr was also informed that if he wished to stay to help, he would be guaranteed a warrior's ration supported by the Big Man back home for his work. Obviously he would actually be fed by the Sea People, but in the trade deals his contributions would be included in...
Actually, being told it all, he realized that he had no idea how the chiefs kept track of all of this. There was apparently some system that they had been using during the drought that they had been doing more with of late, but it all went over his head.
Still...
Heading down to the beach where Zinabba was counting her haul for the day on the sands in the shade of the cliffs - only one dye shell among the more mundane molluscs acquired - Dwthwyr waved to her and then went up to ask, "Zinabba?"
"Yes, Dwi?" She said, using the mangled shortening of his name that she had adopted as her pet name for him over the past several months.
"I got word from my home..." Dwthwyr said, and noted that Zinabba's face fell just a fraction at that, and he felt his stomach flip a bit at that, but he pressed on and said, "And they said that if I stayed here and continued to help out, they would support me."
At the way Zinabba's face brightened up at that, Dwthwyr thought he might faint from happiness. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say next, but Zinabba pre-empted him by coming over to take his hand. Smiling brightly, she said, "So... I've been wondering if you were thinking of staying, and so has my family."
Dwthwyr had been happy for the rains to return, but he hadn't quite been mature enough to fully get why his parents cried, nor immature enough to cry along just because his family was crying. Had he known the path those rains would send him on, the struggles and challenges and triumphs, and all the things about the world that people had simply had to figure out through painful trial and error, he would have cried for joy then too.
Had he known that one day, through a series of odd twists and turns, he would find himself married to a clan head of a foreign tribe and sitting in on multi-tribe meetings as an honoured guest, he probably would have laughed at the sheer absurdity of the statement. He was raised to tend forests and fields and guide water, he wasn't anywhere close to being the sort of important person who would do things like hold back the sea, alter the course of rivers, or break the soil for the first time.
And yet he had done those things, and here he sat, listening in to reports and rumours about the dangers presented by distant tribes. The partnership between the Three Peoples had been bearing sweet fruit for the better part of two generations now, to the mutual benefit of all, but the lowlanders had reared their ugly heads once again. The drought had apparently turned their lands into endless plains of death... but it hadn't actually killed them all, and they were surging back. Perhaps not as strong as they had been before, but in part that was because everyone had underestimated just how strong they were before. A trade/scouting mission had plunged into their lands at one point before scurrying away, and had worked out that there were about a half-dozen major centres that dominated the smaller settlements and were constantly raiding each other and anyone they could reach. From what could be worked out from people who had fled the vicious society, every time there was major strife the tribes would split, one staying put and the other travelling some distance away before setting up their own settlement and continuing on what they had done before. Which tribe or clan was on top seemed to change every generation or so, but they all had the same values and desire to dominate all around them, so it wasn't like anything actually changed.
Current reports had them just starting to reach their pre-drought borders, and word was that they now raided not just for women and slaves, but to also sacrifice people to the spirits they served. The spirit talkers had taken offence to this and were actively raiding with the intent to destroy, but they weren't actually getting very far in their efforts since someone would see the abandoned fields and move in within a year or two. The population reserves of the lowlanders seemed endless, and now there were whispers that the spirit talkers would begin invoking more supernatural means. If the drought had nearly killed the lowlanders once...
With grain, fish, and cattle the Three Peoples prospered, and their struggles against the sea had produced innovation that had benefited them all. Had not the demand for worked stone not just advanced their understanding of its working and given rise to a new group of specialists who benefited all and given the tinder for the spark that was a tipped over potter's wheel in front of a trader complaining about how to haul stone? Did they not all have more than they would alone, people flocking to them for their wealth and generosity, bringing with them new plants to grow? Whether the lowlanders brought war or someone rousing the wrath of the spirits in terrible drought once more, if they all came together could they not weather it better than ever?
But... but... but! There were differences that gave pause, that made people wonder just how close they could all be. They had ties of marriage and friendship that ran deep, but they were also different. For the traders and fishers, the complexities of clan politics were paramount and determined ownership for a great number of things, where the farms of the valley and their bounties were owned by all and were distributed according to the will of the Big Man. The settled habits of the farmers and fishers did not always work for the nomads, and the same in reverse. The Big Man had great control over big things and little control over personal things, the head trader was much the reverse, and the chief of the fishers was somewhere in the middle. They were all friends, all family, but they did live different lives, and deepening the ties between them scared many people.
Dwthwyr and Zinabba had made their arguments for greater integration to their chiefs, although just how deep they should go was still something the couple argued about, more in trying to find the right answer than in out of any fundamental disagreement. Others had made their case as well, for both remaining simply friends, and for extending the authority of a single chief even further. There was some significant traction for a middle ground of repeating what many of the tribes had done and simply making a 'super Big Man', with each tribe having its own chief and sub-chiefs, with another man who oversaw the conflicts of the chiefs as they oversaw the conflicts of the sub-chiefs. While that was popular to the fishers and traders interested in integration, the farmers did have something of a point about how they would probably lose out relatively speaking, considering relative population sizes, which of course was why the traders and fishers favoured it over the deeper integration pushed by some of the farmers.
Political Choice...
[] Remain close friends
[] Confederate, develop a new position to manage the relations of the tribes
[] Integrate, bringing all under a unified structure
Of course, where you fell on the question of integration also tended to correlate with what to do about the looming disaster of the lowlanders and what the spirit talkers might try to do about them. The two most popular suggestions were to go kick in the teeth of the lowlanders for being such tremendous asses, and simply bracing for disaster as all of the troublemakers were still a bloody long way away. The first was running up against the fact that the lowlanders apparently had so many people that every man, woman, and child in the Three Peoples could kill a lowlander and that would merely be set back for a generation rather than annihilated, while the second was running up against the problem that a drought bad enough to deal with the lowlanders they all might not be able to endure, even working together. There was the suggestion to go stop the spirit talkers before they did something stupid, but that ran up against even greater distances and the fact that no one was particularly keen to take on people who had knowledge and the favour of spirits, especially since they hadn't actually done anything yet.
Somewhat behind the top two suggestions was the idea of going to the spirit talkers and talking with them and trying to reason with them, get them to not do anything foolish, although the people who were most vocal about simply dealing with the lowlanders directly or bracing for disaster often were the ones most skeptical about the ability of the spirit talkers to actually have that much influence over the supernatural. Somewhere near the bottom in terms of initial appeal was the suggestion of attempting to deal with the lowlanders diplomatically, or at least some of them. If they were as disunifed as everything they had discovered suggested, perhaps they could figure out a way of mitigating this all... or at least using the most tolerable group against the worse ones.
Expedition Action...
[] Stay home, brace for trouble
[] Go deal damage to the lowlanders
[] Go reason with the spirit talkers not to do something terrible
[] Pre-emptively attack the spirit talkers before they do something terrible (Eye for an eye malus)
[] Attempt to speak with the lowlanders and find other means of dealing with the problems
New Social Value!
Sharing Circle
You share what you have, even if you have little. Sometimes you are taken advantage of, but more often than not people will share what they have in turn.
Pros: Deep ties of reciprocity, ideas shared more easily
Cons: Strife generated from turning people away, paints a target
Still, the journey wasn't much fun as there were only a limited number of people he could really talk to, so there was a definite distance between them all, although several people were attempting to bridge the language gap through impromptu campfire lessons. The first leg of the journey was down the backside the hills, into unmanaged territory. There were some streams here, but there was no significant and permanent river systems here and so the land was drier. The trees held onto the water somewhat, but the drought had clearly done a number on them, and there were signs of blight and the forest not recovering from fire. He made sure to make mention of this to the men with animals who were helping them make this first leg of the journey to report this back home, as they might need to send people into these places to contain the damage before it could spread to their own forests.
They then went up another set of hills and back down into another river system. Where the river in their valley was typically a broad, sluggish brown thing that only really got moving during the spring when it flooded, this river was narrow and dark creature that was relatively fast moving. As the Sea People set up their canoes, their chuckling at the commentary of the people gave Dwthwyr a sinking feeling in his stomach.
He was proven right several days later when they hit a patch of the river that the Sea People could navigate but that left the farmers and warriors clutching the edges of the canoes in terror, the waters moving their boats with terrifying speed that only caused the Sea People to laugh as they guided their craft. Although by the end of the day they had taken to the shore and said that they would have to get out and walk for the next few days. Nodding along, the people were left in awe and terror as they walked along the river and discovered that it turned to white churning water like that of a broken canal during a catastrophic rainfall.
And then they came upon the waterfall and all they could do was gape in awe. Dwthwyr felt extremely small, his works of water control so tiny in comparison to the works of the spirits. At least the Sea People looked suitably impressed, albeit they had obviously seen the waterfall before and thus were not experiencing the awe of such a thing for the first time. Shortly after the rapids and the waterfall the river they were following merged with another river, this one considerably more sedate, although one side of the riverbank was a steep hill where it appeared that the water had cut stone as if it were mud.
It was a full cycle of the moon from leaving the village to arriving at the home of the Sea People, and Dwthwyr had seen many amazing things, but he had also seen many worrying things. The forests along the river they were following were definitely still weak from the drought, and from the eroding language barrier the Sea People were explaining that for the past two years the river had been noticeably siltier, which definitely wasn't helping their issues. Fixing all of the forest was almost certainly not possible, but the young man and the others who had come to inspect things were already getting an idea of the problems being faced.
The day that their boats reached the village was one that would be inscribed indelibly upon Dwthwyr's mind, for that was the day he first saw the sea for the first time, and he was not the only person there who broke down in tears at the mind boggling scale of it all, although his awe was soon tempered a bit by the fact that the water there wasn't actually fit to drink or water crops with, it being too salty. Although that of course helped drive in just how incredibly rich the people of this tribe were. The sea provided food, shells, dye, and salt to them.
By the second turning of the moon and the turning of the season, Dwthwyr had learned much more about the Sea People and how they did things, and he was already working with the others who had come from home to figure out a list of things that they needed, and it was quite the extensive list. There was too much work to do in a single lifetime, but there were plenty of things that they could help with. The big issue was that between the river becoming siltier and the sea stormier the shores and banks were being cut into too much, which was creating new sandbanks out at sea, disrupting the waters they harvested from. While much of the knowledge that Dwthwyr brought with him wasn't directly applicable, he had similar experiences and ideas that could be reworked with time and effort. The big one was reinforcing various areas like they had up in the hills to reduce erosion, but they couldn't use bricks, they had to use stone. Fortunately the Sea People had been using stone traps for corralling groups of fish during tidal changes, but they needed the walls they were proposing to be considerably sturdier and impermeable to water, so they needed the stones to be worked first. It was an immense amount of work and the only way to get it done would be if there were people who were working the stone full time, and given all of the problems, that wasn't really an option, not without outside support.
Still, the people kept working, and Dwthwyr found himself in pleasant conversation with one of the young women of the Sea People. There were orders not to get too close to the Sea People on this expedition, if only because the Big Man wasn't quite sure how these people reacted to unplanned pregnancies and given the recent drought people were much more wary about unexpectedly having new family to support. Still, just talking was pleasant enough, and the young woman was a wealth of information about the exotic sources of dye that the Sea People made use of.
"These snail shells, they are not terribly common, but nor are they rare, they are simply troublesome to get," Zinabba explained, showing off the smooth, cream on the outside, sunset on the inside shell of the creature. "They only live in certain places, and it is rare for those places to be accessible by foot, even at low tide. Those places are fiercely guarded by the families that control them because they are safe and reliable, but if you are skilled there are places where you can dive down and collect them from the water. That is more dangerous, but can also be more rewarding."
Dwthwyr shuddered and said, "I have no idea how you can swim. Canoes I get, and bathing I get, but moving through the water like that seems like a recipe for how to drown."
"It's not that hard," Zinabba said with a roll of her eyes. "But yes, underwater harvesting isn't preferred for obvious reasons, even though more of the snails live there. We've tried getting them to live in easier places, but they seem to prefer the deeper waters, even if they show up elsewhere."
Nodding, Dwthwyr said, "Must be something they like deeper in the water that only rarely is found in the shallower waters. We found that sometimes there are plants that only grow when there are other plants nearby first. We call them 'spirit friends'."
"Yes, probably," Zinabba agreed. "We think that the snails eat another sort of snail among other things, but we don't know which ones are the most important because they live so deep in the water."
"You should ask the traders, they know a great deal about animals, given how much they live with them," Dwthwyr suggested.
"I think that's already been suggested," Zinabba replied. "Of course, explaining it isn't everything, as you lot showed. Once you got here you started telling us to tend to a bunch of bushes so and start planting trees and said that our original ideas weren't going to work because the water would just push them over."
"Yes, well, then you would have to somehow get the experts into the water," Dwthwyr pointed out.
Smiling, Zinabba got up, stretched out, and then wriggled out of her clothing and asked Dwthwyr, "Would you like a lesson?"
And thus it was that Dwthwyr learned to swim.
He learned a lot from the Sea People, how they had a different rhythm to their life than in the valley. There were break periods, whole seasons with not much to do, but in general there was always something that needed attention every day, be it taking the off season to go out to the irrigation ditches to check their integrity, make repairs, or even expand them. On the coast, you could go fishing every day, but unless it was a few specific times of year that fishing was a very slow process with a whole lot of sitting around thinking. There were periods of explosive activity like the planting and harvest season when certain species went migrating past, but there were long stretches where you might as well sit around on the beach relaxing in the sun as do anything productive, for all the difference it would make.
It was pleasant enough, but it also made Dwthwyr itch at times. He should be doing something, and given the tasks required to make things better, the thought of just laying around when walls could be built that could help people rankled him. Of course, part of it was the fact that there simply wasn't enough work to go around, and by some ironic twist the times of maximum idleness were also the least ideal times to go out into the water and start building walls.
In those quiet times, he did sometimes ask himself if he wanted to stay. On the one hand he missed his family and the rhythm of life back in the valley, and the better sense of security he felt. On the other hand this place had its own appeals and he felt that he could do an immense amount of good here, where his skills were rare and in high demand.
Also, Zinabba.
Setting aside all other feelings for her, there was also a mixed feeling about the politics of such an arrangement. He wasn't entirely certain about where exactly she sat within the web of family and power within the Sea People's clan structures, but the fact that she was a shell diver put her in a special place in their society. The Sea People were much more divided along clan lines and the wealth they gained from various stretches of the coast. Some areas were governed communally, like the river and certain sections where if everyone worked together the harvest was many times greater than everyone going at it on their own, but for things like the various shells and snails collected that was up to individual families. Thus a shell diver was a high prestige and high wealth occupation, often compared to the successful hunters who were a sort of part time warrior group for the Sea People, which from Dwthwyr's perspective made her roughly along the lines of a warrior's daughter... who was also sort of a warrior herself. Either way, not someone he was likely to get paired up with by the elders, not unless there was clear mutual attraction and a not-so-accidental "accident". Given how much more emphasis the Sea People put on family ties, in large part because of the complexity of who got to manage what, he was pretty sure that trick wasn't as approved of here than back home.
And then news came back from home. The Big Man had heard the reports given by those who had travelled back after the summer and there had been discussion with a representative of the Sea Peoples. Given the degree of the task required of them, they could not do the work in a reasonable amount of time without outside support, so the people would provide it for them, although the Sea People would also be expending a great deal of their own wealth to mitigate the food and skilled labour they would have to import. The project would be on a scale the Sea People had never done before, and would likely have to happen at an intensity that no one had ever tried before, but it likely could be done. That the people would be picking up luxury goods as part of the payment for their effort and their trader cousins would be the middlemen for all of the other trading going on to support the project was also a major contributing factor to the decision. Dwthwyr was also informed that if he wished to stay to help, he would be guaranteed a warrior's ration supported by the Big Man back home for his work. Obviously he would actually be fed by the Sea People, but in the trade deals his contributions would be included in...
Actually, being told it all, he realized that he had no idea how the chiefs kept track of all of this. There was apparently some system that they had been using during the drought that they had been doing more with of late, but it all went over his head.
Still...
Heading down to the beach where Zinabba was counting her haul for the day on the sands in the shade of the cliffs - only one dye shell among the more mundane molluscs acquired - Dwthwyr waved to her and then went up to ask, "Zinabba?"
"Yes, Dwi?" She said, using the mangled shortening of his name that she had adopted as her pet name for him over the past several months.
"I got word from my home..." Dwthwyr said, and noted that Zinabba's face fell just a fraction at that, and he felt his stomach flip a bit at that, but he pressed on and said, "And they said that if I stayed here and continued to help out, they would support me."
At the way Zinabba's face brightened up at that, Dwthwyr thought he might faint from happiness. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say next, but Zinabba pre-empted him by coming over to take his hand. Smiling brightly, she said, "So... I've been wondering if you were thinking of staying, and so has my family."
Dwthwyr had been happy for the rains to return, but he hadn't quite been mature enough to fully get why his parents cried, nor immature enough to cry along just because his family was crying. Had he known the path those rains would send him on, the struggles and challenges and triumphs, and all the things about the world that people had simply had to figure out through painful trial and error, he would have cried for joy then too.
Had he known that one day, through a series of odd twists and turns, he would find himself married to a clan head of a foreign tribe and sitting in on multi-tribe meetings as an honoured guest, he probably would have laughed at the sheer absurdity of the statement. He was raised to tend forests and fields and guide water, he wasn't anywhere close to being the sort of important person who would do things like hold back the sea, alter the course of rivers, or break the soil for the first time.
And yet he had done those things, and here he sat, listening in to reports and rumours about the dangers presented by distant tribes. The partnership between the Three Peoples had been bearing sweet fruit for the better part of two generations now, to the mutual benefit of all, but the lowlanders had reared their ugly heads once again. The drought had apparently turned their lands into endless plains of death... but it hadn't actually killed them all, and they were surging back. Perhaps not as strong as they had been before, but in part that was because everyone had underestimated just how strong they were before. A trade/scouting mission had plunged into their lands at one point before scurrying away, and had worked out that there were about a half-dozen major centres that dominated the smaller settlements and were constantly raiding each other and anyone they could reach. From what could be worked out from people who had fled the vicious society, every time there was major strife the tribes would split, one staying put and the other travelling some distance away before setting up their own settlement and continuing on what they had done before. Which tribe or clan was on top seemed to change every generation or so, but they all had the same values and desire to dominate all around them, so it wasn't like anything actually changed.
Current reports had them just starting to reach their pre-drought borders, and word was that they now raided not just for women and slaves, but to also sacrifice people to the spirits they served. The spirit talkers had taken offence to this and were actively raiding with the intent to destroy, but they weren't actually getting very far in their efforts since someone would see the abandoned fields and move in within a year or two. The population reserves of the lowlanders seemed endless, and now there were whispers that the spirit talkers would begin invoking more supernatural means. If the drought had nearly killed the lowlanders once...
With grain, fish, and cattle the Three Peoples prospered, and their struggles against the sea had produced innovation that had benefited them all. Had not the demand for worked stone not just advanced their understanding of its working and given rise to a new group of specialists who benefited all and given the tinder for the spark that was a tipped over potter's wheel in front of a trader complaining about how to haul stone? Did they not all have more than they would alone, people flocking to them for their wealth and generosity, bringing with them new plants to grow? Whether the lowlanders brought war or someone rousing the wrath of the spirits in terrible drought once more, if they all came together could they not weather it better than ever?
But... but... but! There were differences that gave pause, that made people wonder just how close they could all be. They had ties of marriage and friendship that ran deep, but they were also different. For the traders and fishers, the complexities of clan politics were paramount and determined ownership for a great number of things, where the farms of the valley and their bounties were owned by all and were distributed according to the will of the Big Man. The settled habits of the farmers and fishers did not always work for the nomads, and the same in reverse. The Big Man had great control over big things and little control over personal things, the head trader was much the reverse, and the chief of the fishers was somewhere in the middle. They were all friends, all family, but they did live different lives, and deepening the ties between them scared many people.
Dwthwyr and Zinabba had made their arguments for greater integration to their chiefs, although just how deep they should go was still something the couple argued about, more in trying to find the right answer than in out of any fundamental disagreement. Others had made their case as well, for both remaining simply friends, and for extending the authority of a single chief even further. There was some significant traction for a middle ground of repeating what many of the tribes had done and simply making a 'super Big Man', with each tribe having its own chief and sub-chiefs, with another man who oversaw the conflicts of the chiefs as they oversaw the conflicts of the sub-chiefs. While that was popular to the fishers and traders interested in integration, the farmers did have something of a point about how they would probably lose out relatively speaking, considering relative population sizes, which of course was why the traders and fishers favoured it over the deeper integration pushed by some of the farmers.
Political Choice...
[] Remain close friends
[] Confederate, develop a new position to manage the relations of the tribes
[] Integrate, bringing all under a unified structure
Of course, where you fell on the question of integration also tended to correlate with what to do about the looming disaster of the lowlanders and what the spirit talkers might try to do about them. The two most popular suggestions were to go kick in the teeth of the lowlanders for being such tremendous asses, and simply bracing for disaster as all of the troublemakers were still a bloody long way away. The first was running up against the fact that the lowlanders apparently had so many people that every man, woman, and child in the Three Peoples could kill a lowlander and that would merely be set back for a generation rather than annihilated, while the second was running up against the problem that a drought bad enough to deal with the lowlanders they all might not be able to endure, even working together. There was the suggestion to go stop the spirit talkers before they did something stupid, but that ran up against even greater distances and the fact that no one was particularly keen to take on people who had knowledge and the favour of spirits, especially since they hadn't actually done anything yet.
Somewhat behind the top two suggestions was the idea of going to the spirit talkers and talking with them and trying to reason with them, get them to not do anything foolish, although the people who were most vocal about simply dealing with the lowlanders directly or bracing for disaster often were the ones most skeptical about the ability of the spirit talkers to actually have that much influence over the supernatural. Somewhere near the bottom in terms of initial appeal was the suggestion of attempting to deal with the lowlanders diplomatically, or at least some of them. If they were as disunifed as everything they had discovered suggested, perhaps they could figure out a way of mitigating this all... or at least using the most tolerable group against the worse ones.
Expedition Action...
[] Stay home, brace for trouble
[] Go deal damage to the lowlanders
[] Go reason with the spirit talkers not to do something terrible
[] Pre-emptively attack the spirit talkers before they do something terrible (Eye for an eye malus)
[] Attempt to speak with the lowlanders and find other means of dealing with the problems
New Social Value!
Sharing Circle
You share what you have, even if you have little. Sometimes you are taken advantage of, but more often than not people will share what they have in turn.
Pros: Deep ties of reciprocity, ideas shared more easily
Cons: Strife generated from turning people away, paints a target