[X] [Main] Expand Warriors
[X] [Secondary] Trade Mission - Thunder Horse
[X] [Secondary] Expand Economy
Twythulmyn had had many things planned. He had been ordering the expansion of the warriors and militia, left ill at ease by the territorial expansions of southern neighbours, he had sent out a mission to the Thunder Horse to see how they were doing and if they needed support, while also trying to make sure that connections of trade and friendship were further developed. He had been frustrated by the news that a group of boats had gone scouting to the south of Redcoast and disappeared, even as the pastures in the northern hills were expanded.
He had been listening to the happenings in the south with some interest and anxiety, as the Highlanders and Dead Priests seemed to settle into a period of quiet consolidation, letting their subject villages squabble on their behalf while they turned inward. He had especially wondered what the Dead Priests might be up to, with word of increased trade flowing out of their city, and of changes as to how they were dealing with their slaves, but as it was all coming third or fourth hand it was hard to be sure what might be happening. Traders had also brought news of the chief who had caused all the trouble among the Metal Workers also somehow succeeding in his ambitions and unifying his people and Twythulmyn had wondered at sending another expedition their way to congratulate the man, solidify ties, and possibly also learn more about the stones that were mysteriously made into metal.
He had so many plans, and then a stranger appeared in the sky. He had been a boy when the comet had appeared in the sky and Bynwyn had calmed the populace, had told them not to be afraid, and had more or less countered the magic of the Spirit Talkers. The thing was though that you kind of had to look for that comet, which while unsettling when you found something strange in the sky it wasn't immediate and obvious that it was there.
Not this monster. Brighter than the Morning Star and with tails that trailed across the sky, it had slowly drifted across the sky for two seasons now and seemed to be getting brighter and brighter with each passing night. Utter terror gripped the People, and while there were many shamans these days, there were fewer who studied the celestial spirits than ever and they had no answers as to what to do to appease this monster in the sky. Unseasonal storms of shooting stars blazed across the sky, as if the stars themselves were at war and were firing their bows of fire and thunder for or against this intruder. And then, as above so below, during the summer months there was a mass outbreak of the scourging disease among the lowlands, cutting down thousands and turning the entire region into a frothing frenzy as villages turned upon each other, both out of fear that they might be harbouring the 'Star Pox' and in an attempt to satiate the panicked desire for blood of the Dead Priests.
Trade to the south ground to a halt and the northern plains were equally thrown into madness from the fear gripping the nomads there. Only the sea routes to the west and the land routes to the east remained relatively clear, and many sailors and traders refused to head out under the baleful influence of the serpent in the sky.
As for the cause? Who knew! It could simply be the spirits had decided that humanity was corrupt and had sent an agent to destroy them all, it could be something that did not involve humans at all and was a purely spiritual matter, the People and everyone else caught up in the squabbles of the divine.
Of those theories that were being floated that the People were able to do anything about, the dominant ones were that the People had somehow angered the spirits with their warding magic against the scourging plague, and that the Thunder Horse had somehow intruded upon matters they did not understand with their star axe and settling in the valley where the Spirit Talkers once lived. Of the first, while there were some who called that the warding magic itself had angered the spirits and they were sending an emissary to correct the imbalance, many others felt that the issue was simply that they had horded magic that could save lives and thus they were being informed that if they had such miracles they had to share the magic with others. For the second, there was less that could be done there, although the trade mission to the Thunder Horse were being sent runners to try to get more information out of them, and Twythulmyn was tempted to join them in an attempt to get more information and potentially get the Thunder Horse to act on whatever might be going on.
Although, grimacing, there was also an idea he had and had quietly run past the Chief Shaman to see if it was viable - it technically was, but he hadn't voiced it to anyone else yet - and that was to attempt to leverage his charm and diplomacy directly. He had never considered himself particularly selfless - he had technically got the position of king by being the opposite -, but for his family, for his People... if the shamans and other chiefs thought it might work, he would offer up his life. The only method the Chief Shaman thought might work though was immolation and incineration, so that when his spirit detached from his body it would be carried quickly up to the sky where he might entreat with the comet and other celestial spirits and beg that they be merciful to the people. Beyond that, the People were going to be making a mass sacrifice to their ancestral spirits in an attempt to gain their protection.
And then of course there was the question of all the people seeking refuge from the lowlands...
Size of Sacrifice to Spirits (Task [Sacrifice])
[] Small (-1 Econ, chance of stability loss, ???)
[] Medium (-2 Econ, ???)
[] Large (-3 Econ, +1 Stability, ???)
[] Everything! (-4 Econ, +1 immediate stability, chance of extra stability, ???)
Emergency Restore Harmony? (Task [Harmony])
[] No, they could cause further panic
[] Yes, the people need to be further calmed (-1 to +2 Stability)
Share the scourge warding magic? (Task [Ward])
[] No, it is sacred magic (Small chance of stability loss)
[] It should be shared with friendly tribes (Shares with a few groups)
[] Even less friendly groups should know of the magic (Shares with many groups, chance of stability gain, ???)
[] Everyone, even the Dead Priests! (Shares far and wide for -1 Diplomacy, +1 Stability, ???)
Where should Twythulmyn go? (Task [King])
[] Remain home (Chance of stability gain)
[] Talk with the Thunder Horse (Applies Heroic diplomacy to interactions over the crisis)
[] Speak with spirits (Twythulmyn dies, +1 immediate stability, +1 Legitimacy, ???)
With disease and comets, everyone has lost their mind and thousands are running scared (Task [Refugee])
[] Close the borders (-1 Stability, chance of further stability loss)
[] Only let in some (Significant chance of stability loss)
[] Those with preexisting ties can come in (-1 Stability, +2 Econ, small chance of further stability loss)
[] Some from friendly groups can come in (-2 Stability, +4-5 Econ)
[] Many may enter (-3 Stability, +6-8 Econ, ???)
[] The People must offer aid (-4 Stability, +8-11 Econ, probable overcrowding issues, ???)
[] All who need aid must receive it (-5 Stability, +11-15 Econ, overcrowding issues, ???)
AN: To answer a few questions, immediate stability gain means that there is no issue with the timing of the event for relating with stability loss or the like. And yes, if Twythulmyn sacrifices himself, Legitimacy would go to 4. There would be no way to raise it back to 4 once it fell, but until you face an issue of legitimacy that lowered it, it would remain at 4. Finally, I stopped the LoO triggers at 5 since you would break if you picked more than that you would break even with maxing out immediate stability gain, and 5 is massively gambling on good rolls anyway so I doubt it would be popular, but there were a potential 8 LoO triggers this turn.
Also, as a general request, please keep the salt down over people pointing fingers over whether stability improvements should have been done or not
So they don't have horseback riders and are still unable to use their carts in our territory.*sigh* so nothing changed. Ok false alarm no revolutionary war tech that would allow the DP to steam roll us. 
