The snow had barely melted before a flurry of activity came over the valley. Hunters ventured forth again, stalking the animals as they began to show themselves again, even though the snow still piled high in many places. It was a strange bunch of men and woman who set out for this, many having learned to wield a spear against fish or men, not boar and stag. Or against goat and yak as the case may be, for this spring also marked the first time that the villages had ventured forth into the mountains again after the conclusion of their journey. The clans never found the valley a place worth hunting in, no doubt the result of the slim pickings available there in winter, but had great skill in stalking the herds between the peaks. Red-Wolf was leading quite a few of the groups that headed there, sharing important knowledge and skills with all the young and inexperienced among her parties.
Though even with her support, the results of the hunts were less then hoped for, though no one truly was surprised that the tribe had to dig into its stocks. The number of the hunters was higher then the villagers ever knew, though at the same time, there was no gathering being done at all and far too few apprentices fished to make any difference. Yet no one worried overly much just yet, for the storehouses were still half full. A few pieces had to be thrown away, fly and worm having found their way into the clans-folks baskets, though the granaries in the village had helped greatly to keep them away.
Thankfully we set the Hunters to full bore, since we've eaten through half our reserves already.
But we'd need more. Gatherers next turn, the local vegetation should be thriving with our heavy hunting and no gathering.
Factional breakdown:
-Hunters - Happy, influential. Not involved in these issues
-Elders - Irrelevant.
-Matrons - Influential. Not involved in these issues
-White Clans - Angry, Huge, desires internal peace and unification.
--Elm-Clan - Happy, influential. Will object to hurting their high influence, which stems from their bowmaking and Speaker Clan alliance.
--Speaker-Clan - Content, influential. Will object to hurting their high influence, which stems from their control of trade.
--Minor-Clans - "Fuck those other guys, we want in"
On the matter of the clans-folk building fences within the village:
[] [Segregation] Ignore the matter.
Let it boil over. Why?
[] [Segregation] Allow the clans to build these fences. They harm no one by doing so.
-White Clans - Angered. Against Unification
Creates enclaves. Actually the most stable thing to do.
[] [Segregation] Forbid the clans from building fences to separate themselves. There is only one village.
-White Clans - Appeased.
This doesn't actually DO anything, it just makes the situation hotter, because people are still isolating themselves, except now its easy to march over in a big block and punch the other guys since its clear who the other guys are.
[] [Segregation] Order the clans to disperse across the village. There is no place for tribes within the tribe.
-White Clans - White Clans happy, then angered if further stability losses start conflicts.
Long term the most stable(it forces conflict to trigger early before the crisis hits critical mass, but also means minor issues won't die down on their own), but we want to avoid raising much hell if we do this.
Amplifies the influence of minor clans.
Of these options I think only dispersal would actually work. Because even if we don't build fences, they are still segregated, which is how they can identify their 'enemy'.
On the matter of the emerging night-stone tool monopoly:
[] [Monopoly] Ignore the matter.
Let matters take their natural course. The Speaker-Clan is suppressing competition, which keeps them distracted, and we get better quality tools. Not a problem yet.
It also lets us build up to hammer them with more backing later.
[] [Monopoly] Praise the Speaker-Clan for their efforts to secure the supply of night-stone tools for the tribe.
-Speaker-Clan happy, Minor Clans unhappy.
This enshrines traders as a Useful Thing in the clan...but this is the earliest, opportunistic traders, and its NOT popular amongst the larger population.
[] [Monopoly] Condemn the Speaker-Clan for putting pressure on the independent crafters for their own gain.
-Speaker-Clan unhappy, Elm-Clan unhappy. Minor Clans happy.
This makes the most powerful clans angry, which is a rather bad timing.
[] [Monopoly] Take control of the night-stone trade. The Speaker-Clan will benefit from their work, but they can not use their sales to further their interests.
-Everyone unhappy.
This is the most useful socially, as we take control of strategic goods trading to maintain stockpiles.
Its not coincidentally, going to piss everyone off because it makes the council look like greedy bastards.
On the matter of the minor clans:
[] [Minor Clans] Ignore the matter.
Ignore the opportunity.
[] [Minor Clans] Present absorption into the village as a chance for them to no longer be ignored by the larger clans.
This would help bulk out our village numbers, but would make our Matrons and Hunters unhappy as the new matrons and hunters move in.
Fortunately they're in a good mood and can take a hit.
[] [Minor Clans] Try to find a clan among them to become their spokesmen, potentially deposing one of the larger clans in the future.
Raise up a new rival faction to balance things. But the problem is, if they HAD a practical skill to do so they would have. And it'd piss off Speakers and Elm.
[] [Minor Clans] Promise them to back them against the larger clans.
"Why not pour more oil on the fire?"
On the matter of mixed burial rites:
[] [Burial] Let the Bone-Tenders decide among themselves.
O Dread RNG what is your wish?
[] [Burial] Make the rites exclusive. Bodies showing signs of cannibalism will be turned away by the Bone-Tenders.
Hard suppression of cannibalism, which would help erode the value. It'd also piss off ALL the White clans.
Also hunters found in the wilderness would accidentally be refused because they have damage.
[] [Burial] Tell the Bone-Tenders to accept all bodies brought to them.
Soft suppression of cannibalism, with the intent that the Bone-Tenders eventually displace the cannibalistic practice.
Status quo.
[] [Burial] Allow the mixing of rites. The clans can incorporate their practices into the new rites.
Protection/elevation of cannibalistic practices. White Clans happy.
[X] Plan Juggling Moods
-[X] [Segregation] Order the clans to disperse across the village. There is no place for tribes within the tribe.
-[X] [Monopoly] Ignore the matter.
-[X] [Minor Clans] Present absorption into the village as a chance for them to no longer be ignored by the larger clans.
-[X] [Burial] Tell the Bone-Tenders to accept all bodies brought to them.
Deliberately ignoring the monopoly problem for now. The Speaker clan is tiny, and there just isn't enough obsidian for them to ever be large. We can let them do their suppression of minor craftsmen
until they actually enact violence and sabotage, upon which we'd have the public approval of smashing them.
Why do this? I'm focusing on counter-factionalising. We spread everyone across everyone because:
Now though, there was just a single village, the two tribes mingling freely in between and without the different designs of winter coats to distinguish them, the only way to know where someone was from was the way they spoke.
This is how you destroy the clans while they laud you for it.
You deny them the symbolic nucleus to stay segregated. We'd have more brawls short term, but the fracture lines would be gone in the next generation.
