A number of years ago, I ran two quests; the first, on Spacebattles, was entitled The Savage...
The Devil's Toys - A Fantasy Civilization Quest
- Thread starter BeRzErKeR
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- Council Original Fantasy
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Game Systems
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
Game System
Population: Your basic resource, which you use to do things. Each unit of Population generates 1d10 per year; you can allocate these dice towards any project you want done. Any given project has a target number of points that must be reached in order to complete it.
Population Growth: The rate at which your Population increases. For simplicity's sake, your Population grows every 5 years. Population Growth is governed primarily by the number of regions you control, and by population density; regions that are at their population cap cannot grow any larger!
Total Dice: Your Population total plus whatever bonuses you get are added here to determine how much stuff you can do each year. Cities give a bonus, because it's easier to get things done in urban areas with high populations.
Projects: The mechanic by which you do things requiring sustained effort over time; research, construction, creating a Unit, etc. Projects have a set cost in points; in order to progress a project you must assign some number of dice to it, which will generate points when rolled. Once the number of total points generated reaches the cost of the Project, it is finished and takes effect - a Unit is created, Structure built, Region upgraded, Research completed, etc.
Pass/Fail Rolls: Events requiring a one-time resolution, instead of a sustained building or research effort, are modeled as pass/fail rolls. Scouting Regions, combat, and heroic quests are examples of events that use pass/fail rolls. For these events, the dice rolled are considered to succeed on a roll of 7-10, and fail on a roll of 1-6; so each die will succeed 40% of the time. Usually, but not always, one success will generate a positive result.
A result of 10 in a pass/fail roll generates two successes. A result of 1 subtracts one success from the total. It is thus possible to roll negative successes, which generally results in disaster.
Combat: In combat between two Units, the Strength value of opposing units will be compared, and that number of dice (after any modifiers) will be rolled for each side. Whichever unit scored fewer successes has it's Strength reduced by the difference between the two totals.
In larger battles, units will 'match up' according to type - infantry will tend to fight other infantry, cavalry or other Fast units will tend to fight each other, etc. If one side has more units than the other, their units will double-up on the enemy. Units fighting multiple opponents get to roll against each, but lose one of their dice in each opposed roll for every opposing unit after the first.
Regions: Distinct areas of the world, which can be controlled and house Population. The main function of Regions is to house Population, Units, Structures, and Special Locations. Every Region has its own population cap, and may contain Units, Structures, and/or Special Locations essentially without limit.
Known Regions will be color-coded; green for regions you control, yellow for regions controlled by neutral or friendly powers, red for regions controlled by enemy powers, and gray for regions with no known inhabitants - or at least, none organized enough to matter.
If a Region reaches its Population cap, you may Upgrade it to the next level for a base cost of 15 points per current point of Population; so upgrading a Region that currently houses 6 Population costs 90 points, absent any modifiers. Doing so increases the Population Cap, and may add other bonuses. The possible levels and their bonuses are, in order;
- Wild - 100% Population Cap
- Developed - 200% Population Cap
- Urban - +1 Strength for defending units; +1 dice per turn; 300% Population Cap; may unlock Structures.
- Megalopolis - +2 Strength for defending units; +2 dice per turn; 400% Population Cap; may unlock Structures.
You may move Population units from one Region to another for 5 points per Population.
Regions may have Terrain Types, such as Mountain, Forest, or Plains. These terrain types may interact with certain unit special abilities or research you perform during the game, but initially have no basic effect.
Research: Projects done to expand your nation's knowledge. Research is necessary to unlock more powerful Structures and Units, and to discover new actions that can be undertaken; research projects can also be done to grant bonuses to almost anything. The points cost of a research project is usually hidden when you begin the project, though some projects may have a known cost if they are simple extensions of previous research or obvious developments of Units and Structures that you already have.
The basic rule of research in this game is you can research anything. The 'tech tree' is entirely flexible. Propose a project and assign dice to it, and you will get a result. I will only say 'You can't research that' if I determine that you need to build a certain Structure or research something else first.
Structures: Special buildings that give bonuses and/or allow the creation of certain units. Built as projects after being unlocked by research or the presence of certain units.
Units: Special people and groups that don't fall under Population. Includes military units, important individuals, and monsters. Any unit with a Strength value listed can be used to perform military actions - attacking something or defending from an attack. You can never have more Units than you have Population. New Units can be unlocked by performing research, or building an appropriate Structure.
Units with a Strength value can be damaged in combat, reducing their Strength below its normal value. If the unit is reduced to 0 Strength, it is destroyed; if not, it can be moved back to a region that you control and healed at a points cost proportional to the damage.
A Unit without a Strength value does not benefit from any Strength bonuses granted by Structures or research. It only fights in combat after all friendly units with a Strength value have been destroyed; it is treated as Strength 0, rolls no dice, and scores 0 successes for the purposes of combat.
Special Abilities: Some units have special abilities that affect their Strength under certain circumstances, allow them to do things other units cannot, or impose limitations on what they can do. Unique abilities that no other unit has will be spelled out in the unit's description, but those that multiple units might have are listed here. This list may expand during play, so check back frequently.
Hero/Monster: This unit is a single, powerful individual rather than a large group. As such, they can be deployed in different ways - including being attached to normal Units to give them a bonus, or being sent on solo missions.
Regenerator: This unit is made of something much more resilient than ordinary flesh, or perhaps has some magical power that allows it to heal quickly. Regenerators automatically return to full strength after the end of a battle, and so never need to be healed.
Slow: This unit moves ponderously and cannot react quickly to the changing tides of battle. It suffers a combat penalty against units with the Fast special ability, and Fast units will prefer to target it.
Fast: Due to extensive training, magic, unusual physiology or a swift mount, this unit moves more quickly than others in battle and can use its higher mobility to flank or harry retreating enemies. At the end of a battle, Fast units will automatically resolve one more round of combat against the weakest enemy unit. If you have multiple Fast units, they will be resolved one at a time.
Long Range: This unit is armed with long-range weapons, and so any damage it inflicts is resolved before any damage inflicted to it by units without this ability. This can result in the enemy dying without ever getting to strike back.
Resistance (X): This unit is highly resistant to enemy magic - in fact, its very presence causes hostile powers to fail or go awry. Any enemy Summoned, Magical or Holy unit subtracts X from its Strength whenever it fights this unit.
Summoner (X): This unit can use arcane rituals to call up or create otherworldly creatures and bind them to your service. It contributes X to your Summoned Unit cap. If you ever have more Summoned units than your cap can support, you will randomly lose Summoned units until you are at your cap.
Summoned: This unit was compelled to serve by your Summoners rather than recruited in the normal way. It uses up one point of your Summoned unit cap.
Magical: This unit is magical in nature, and so ignores some of the limitations of mundane units. Magical units never require support; they cannot starve if besieged, cannot be persuaded to change allegiances, and can be sent far afield without needing to spend dice to support them. However, they are extra-vulnerable to certain enemy abilities.
Population: Your basic resource, which you use to do things. Each unit of Population generates 1d10 per year; you can allocate these dice towards any project you want done. Any given project has a target number of points that must be reached in order to complete it.
Population Growth: The rate at which your Population increases. For simplicity's sake, your Population grows every 5 years. Population Growth is governed primarily by the number of regions you control, and by population density; regions that are at their population cap cannot grow any larger!
Total Dice: Your Population total plus whatever bonuses you get are added here to determine how much stuff you can do each year. Cities give a bonus, because it's easier to get things done in urban areas with high populations.
Projects: The mechanic by which you do things requiring sustained effort over time; research, construction, creating a Unit, etc. Projects have a set cost in points; in order to progress a project you must assign some number of dice to it, which will generate points when rolled. Once the number of total points generated reaches the cost of the Project, it is finished and takes effect - a Unit is created, Structure built, Region upgraded, Research completed, etc.
Pass/Fail Rolls: Events requiring a one-time resolution, instead of a sustained building or research effort, are modeled as pass/fail rolls. Scouting Regions, combat, and heroic quests are examples of events that use pass/fail rolls. For these events, the dice rolled are considered to succeed on a roll of 7-10, and fail on a roll of 1-6; so each die will succeed 40% of the time. Usually, but not always, one success will generate a positive result.
A result of 10 in a pass/fail roll generates two successes. A result of 1 subtracts one success from the total. It is thus possible to roll negative successes, which generally results in disaster.
Combat: In combat between two Units, the Strength value of opposing units will be compared, and that number of dice (after any modifiers) will be rolled for each side. Whichever unit scored fewer successes has it's Strength reduced by the difference between the two totals.
In larger battles, units will 'match up' according to type - infantry will tend to fight other infantry, cavalry or other Fast units will tend to fight each other, etc. If one side has more units than the other, their units will double-up on the enemy. Units fighting multiple opponents get to roll against each, but lose one of their dice in each opposed roll for every opposing unit after the first.
Regions: Distinct areas of the world, which can be controlled and house Population. The main function of Regions is to house Population, Units, Structures, and Special Locations. Every Region has its own population cap, and may contain Units, Structures, and/or Special Locations essentially without limit.
Known Regions will be color-coded; green for regions you control, yellow for regions controlled by neutral or friendly powers, red for regions controlled by enemy powers, and gray for regions with no known inhabitants - or at least, none organized enough to matter.
If a Region reaches its Population cap, you may Upgrade it to the next level for a base cost of 15 points per current point of Population; so upgrading a Region that currently houses 6 Population costs 90 points, absent any modifiers. Doing so increases the Population Cap, and may add other bonuses. The possible levels and their bonuses are, in order;
- Wild - 100% Population Cap
- Developed - 200% Population Cap
- Urban - +1 Strength for defending units; +1 dice per turn; 300% Population Cap; may unlock Structures.
- Megalopolis - +2 Strength for defending units; +2 dice per turn; 400% Population Cap; may unlock Structures.
You may move Population units from one Region to another for 5 points per Population.
Regions may have Terrain Types, such as Mountain, Forest, or Plains. These terrain types may interact with certain unit special abilities or research you perform during the game, but initially have no basic effect.
Research: Projects done to expand your nation's knowledge. Research is necessary to unlock more powerful Structures and Units, and to discover new actions that can be undertaken; research projects can also be done to grant bonuses to almost anything. The points cost of a research project is usually hidden when you begin the project, though some projects may have a known cost if they are simple extensions of previous research or obvious developments of Units and Structures that you already have.
The basic rule of research in this game is you can research anything. The 'tech tree' is entirely flexible. Propose a project and assign dice to it, and you will get a result. I will only say 'You can't research that' if I determine that you need to build a certain Structure or research something else first.
Structures: Special buildings that give bonuses and/or allow the creation of certain units. Built as projects after being unlocked by research or the presence of certain units.
Units: Special people and groups that don't fall under Population. Includes military units, important individuals, and monsters. Any unit with a Strength value listed can be used to perform military actions - attacking something or defending from an attack. You can never have more Units than you have Population. New Units can be unlocked by performing research, or building an appropriate Structure.
Units with a Strength value can be damaged in combat, reducing their Strength below its normal value. If the unit is reduced to 0 Strength, it is destroyed; if not, it can be moved back to a region that you control and healed at a points cost proportional to the damage.
A Unit without a Strength value does not benefit from any Strength bonuses granted by Structures or research. It only fights in combat after all friendly units with a Strength value have been destroyed; it is treated as Strength 0, rolls no dice, and scores 0 successes for the purposes of combat.
Special Abilities: Some units have special abilities that affect their Strength under certain circumstances, allow them to do things other units cannot, or impose limitations on what they can do. Unique abilities that no other unit has will be spelled out in the unit's description, but those that multiple units might have are listed here. This list may expand during play, so check back frequently.
Hero/Monster: This unit is a single, powerful individual rather than a large group. As such, they can be deployed in different ways - including being attached to normal Units to give them a bonus, or being sent on solo missions.
Regenerator: This unit is made of something much more resilient than ordinary flesh, or perhaps has some magical power that allows it to heal quickly. Regenerators automatically return to full strength after the end of a battle, and so never need to be healed.
Slow: This unit moves ponderously and cannot react quickly to the changing tides of battle. It suffers a combat penalty against units with the Fast special ability, and Fast units will prefer to target it.
Fast: Due to extensive training, magic, unusual physiology or a swift mount, this unit moves more quickly than others in battle and can use its higher mobility to flank or harry retreating enemies. At the end of a battle, Fast units will automatically resolve one more round of combat against the weakest enemy unit. If you have multiple Fast units, they will be resolved one at a time.
Long Range: This unit is armed with long-range weapons, and so any damage it inflicts is resolved before any damage inflicted to it by units without this ability. This can result in the enemy dying without ever getting to strike back.
Resistance (X): This unit is highly resistant to enemy magic - in fact, its very presence causes hostile powers to fail or go awry. Any enemy Summoned, Magical or Holy unit subtracts X from its Strength whenever it fights this unit.
Summoner (X): This unit can use arcane rituals to call up or create otherworldly creatures and bind them to your service. It contributes X to your Summoned Unit cap. If you ever have more Summoned units than your cap can support, you will randomly lose Summoned units until you are at your cap.
Summoned: This unit was compelled to serve by your Summoners rather than recruited in the normal way. It uses up one point of your Summoned unit cap.
Magical: This unit is magical in nature, and so ignores some of the limitations of mundane units. Magical units never require support; they cannot starve if besieged, cannot be persuaded to change allegiances, and can be sent far afield without needing to spend dice to support them. However, they are extra-vulnerable to certain enemy abilities.
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Civilization Status
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
Population: 8 Population in 1 Urban, 1 Wild regions
Population Growth: +3/5 years
Total Dice:
+10 (population)
+1 (1 Urban region)
+1 (Trade with Sear Nomads)
- 1 (Dwarven Engineering Guild upkeep)
= 11 dice/turn
Structures:
Dwarven Engineering Guild (Uranna's Wells) - -1 dice/turn, +11 points to 1 Structure/turn
Central Forum (Uranna's Wells) - -3% cost to all research, 1 reroll/diplomatic action (1s only)
Research:
Drylands Agriculture - 79/100
Public Education - 1/???
Suggested Research:
Civil Service - 0/???
Units:
1x Clan Militia; Strength 2. Located in Uranna's Wells
1x Gnollish Rangers; Strength 2, Fast. Located in Gorondor Heights
1x Clan Militia; Strength 2. Located in Uranna's Wells
1x Mysterious Cub; Strength 0. Located in Uranna's Wells
Known Regions:
Uranna's Wells: Urban, Oasis, 7/12 population
The Sear: Wild, Desert, 3/9 population (Gnoll Nomads)
Gorondor Heights: Wild, Plains, 3/7 population
Erssenberg: Developed, Hills, 3/10 population (Trolls) 1x Troll Warband, 1x One-Armed Troll Champion
Trollmount Foothills: Wild, 2/4 Population (Trolls)
Farendel Outskirts: Wild, Forest, ???/3 Population
Available Structures:
City Wall at a cost of 100 points, to grant a defensive bonus to non-magical military units in the region; unavailable in Wild regions.
Central Forum at a cost of 75 points, to grant a small empire-wide bonus to research and diplomacy actions.
Training Grounds at a cost of 100 points, to grant a Strength bonus to military units recruited in the region and unlock Gnoll Infantry, a stronger infantry unit: unavailable in Wild regions.
Caravanserai at a cost of 150 points, to grant a faction-wide bonus to trade and allow the generation of mercantile heroes.
Dwarven Engineering Guild at a cost of 30 points and 1 die/turn in upkeep; grants a flat bonus of 11 points/turn to building a Structure.
Available Units:
Clan Militia: Levied warriors with limited training, effective mainly in defense of their homes. Strength 2, cost 40 points.
Gnollish Rangers: Swift, lightly-armed skirmishers, perfect for guarding trade wagons across the Sear and engaging in ritualized clashes against the nomad tribes. Strength 2, Fast, cost 55 points.
Population Growth: +3/5 years
Total Dice:
+10 (population)
+1 (1 Urban region)
+1 (Trade with Sear Nomads)
- 1 (Dwarven Engineering Guild upkeep)
= 11 dice/turn
Structures:
Dwarven Engineering Guild (Uranna's Wells) - -1 dice/turn, +11 points to 1 Structure/turn
Central Forum (Uranna's Wells) - -3% cost to all research, 1 reroll/diplomatic action (1s only)
Research:
Drylands Agriculture - 79/100
Public Education - 1/???
Suggested Research:
Civil Service - 0/???
Units:
1x Clan Militia; Strength 2. Located in Uranna's Wells
1x Gnollish Rangers; Strength 2, Fast. Located in Gorondor Heights
1x Clan Militia; Strength 2. Located in Uranna's Wells
1x Mysterious Cub; Strength 0. Located in Uranna's Wells
Known Regions:
Uranna's Wells: Urban, Oasis, 7/12 population
The Sear: Wild, Desert, 3/9 population (Gnoll Nomads)
Gorondor Heights: Wild, Plains, 3/7 population
Erssenberg: Developed, Hills, 3/10 population (Trolls) 1x Troll Warband, 1x One-Armed Troll Champion
Trollmount Foothills: Wild, 2/4 Population (Trolls)
Farendel Outskirts: Wild, Forest, ???/3 Population
Available Structures:
City Wall at a cost of 100 points, to grant a defensive bonus to non-magical military units in the region; unavailable in Wild regions.
Central Forum at a cost of 75 points, to grant a small empire-wide bonus to research and diplomacy actions.
Training Grounds at a cost of 100 points, to grant a Strength bonus to military units recruited in the region and unlock Gnoll Infantry, a stronger infantry unit: unavailable in Wild regions.
Caravanserai at a cost of 150 points, to grant a faction-wide bonus to trade and allow the generation of mercantile heroes.
Dwarven Engineering Guild at a cost of 30 points and 1 die/turn in upkeep; grants a flat bonus of 11 points/turn to building a Structure.
Available Units:
Clan Militia: Levied warriors with limited training, effective mainly in defense of their homes. Strength 2, cost 40 points.
Gnollish Rangers: Swift, lightly-armed skirmishers, perfect for guarding trade wagons across the Sear and engaging in ritualized clashes against the nomad tribes. Strength 2, Fast, cost 55 points.
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Pre-Year 1
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
Pre Year One: Snapshot of a Growing City.
Uranna's Wells are the jewel of the dusty plains, and for the last few generations the city that grew up around them has been slowly becoming a major center of gnollish life. More and more families have settled around the vast oasis and its satellites over the past century, building up a complex network of filial obligations and water-rights among themselves and with the roaming tribes; by now, it may actually be that more gnolls live around the Wells, at any given time, than roam the scrublands. Trade routes have sprung up; records are being kept on paper scrolls and clay tablets, as they never have before in remembered history. The city is rich, and strong, and growing - fast. The council of dams is looking outwards, looking forward to a time of expansion and exploration; not only to the greater Sear, but far beyond. For now, Uranna's Wells have water and space enough for all. . . but how much longer will that last? Soon, the clans will be pushing outwards whether they want to or not.
All is not entirely well beyond the savannah, either. Trolls to the north are becoming increasingly fractious; the last caravan from Erssenberg came in missing a wagon and three guards. The south wind blows harder than ever, and it carries stinging sand. And the Farendel. . . well, the woods have never been friendly, but now even the boldest explorers mutter into their cups about green eyes watching from the darkness. Hackles are up all through the city. Things are about to change.
And that, of course. . . is where you come in.
The game is afoot! Turns represent one year each; dice not allocated on a given turn are not carried over, so you might as well use them all. If you aren't sure about something, ask; the worst I can tell you is 'You don't know'.
Uranna's Wells are the jewel of the dusty plains, and for the last few generations the city that grew up around them has been slowly becoming a major center of gnollish life. More and more families have settled around the vast oasis and its satellites over the past century, building up a complex network of filial obligations and water-rights among themselves and with the roaming tribes; by now, it may actually be that more gnolls live around the Wells, at any given time, than roam the scrublands. Trade routes have sprung up; records are being kept on paper scrolls and clay tablets, as they never have before in remembered history. The city is rich, and strong, and growing - fast. The council of dams is looking outwards, looking forward to a time of expansion and exploration; not only to the greater Sear, but far beyond. For now, Uranna's Wells have water and space enough for all. . . but how much longer will that last? Soon, the clans will be pushing outwards whether they want to or not.
All is not entirely well beyond the savannah, either. Trolls to the north are becoming increasingly fractious; the last caravan from Erssenberg came in missing a wagon and three guards. The south wind blows harder than ever, and it carries stinging sand. And the Farendel. . . well, the woods have never been friendly, but now even the boldest explorers mutter into their cups about green eyes watching from the darkness. Hackles are up all through the city. Things are about to change.
And that, of course. . . is where you come in.
The game is afoot! Turns represent one year each; dice not allocated on a given turn are not carried over, so you might as well use them all. If you aren't sure about something, ask; the worst I can tell you is 'You don't know'.
Year 1
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
Year 1
Population growth in 4 turns
- Construction of a Central Forum: 17/75
As a gesture of unity - and, on a more practical level, in an effort to encourage peaceable debate and inter-clan engagement - the council sets aside a large, flat square near the largest of the Wells to be a central forum for the city. Several of the larger clans are persuaded to help, some out of civic pride and others out of the chance to one-up their rivals. By year's end foundations are laid, flagstones are being assembled, and ambitious plans have been marked to channel a fraction of the spring's flow into a bubbling fountain.
-[X] Research Agriculture: 19/???
Plants do grow in the Sear, even away from the oases and watering holes; tough, hardy grasses, low shrubs, the occasional gnarled tree rising from some crack in the bedrock where water seeps in. The difficulty in raising crops is mainly controlling the delicate balance between water beneath and the hot, pitiless sun above. The Wells themselves, of course, are the primary water source for your population, and there do exist a number of small spice fields and orchards within the city. But many dams voice their concerns - LOUDLY voice their concerns - that attempting to farm too heavily from that water will deplete or dirty it.
-[X]3d10 Recruitment and Diplomacy: (4, 9, 3) = 1 success
The Sear nomads are far too fragmentary to be negotiated with as a whole, but you already have working relationships with a number of the clans; many, perhaps most, will pass through or at least near Uranna's Wells annually in mid-spring. Most, however, are not amenable to the idea of Urannan sovereignty; your diplomats talk fast enough to prevent any real bad feeling, but there are times when a few hackles are raised. The general consensus seems to be that the nomads simply don't see any reason to give up independence to your council. The Wells are an important landmark in clan society, yes - but so far, your government simply doesn't scare or impress the nomad dams enough to outweigh the loss of freedom. Still, you've deepened a few alliances; if nothing else, you can rely on getting regular news and information from the nomads about anything going on near the Sear.
-[X]1d10 Education: 1/???
Two problems immediately present themselves. The first, and most obvious, is that many dams do not appreciate council representatives 'poking their snouts in' and asking a lot of questions about what kind of education their household receives. Even once soothed, a number object to the idea of standardized education on a myriad of grounds; it's too expensive, it's unnecessary, it might give people ideas.
The second objection is slightly more insidious. The more established clans, it slowly becomes apparent, already have educational arrangements - tutors and apprenticeships - and seem resistant to altering them, not to mention doubtful of the value of providing public education in general.
The year's work in this sphere mostly consists of long, acrimonious arguments. Little is accomplished.
-[X]1d10 Magic: 2/???
The oldest and most familiar magic, to gnolls, is star-reading; derived partially from the navigational techniques used to keep oneself oriented in the wide, featureless savannahs and deserts, astrology and astral divination is extremely common among your populace. Most dams know their lucky and unlucky days, wear a helpmeet fetich, and follow minor rituals to try and ensure fortune; some of the more learned stargazers of history are known to have calculated the exact time and place of their own deaths, divined important facts about their adversaries by consulting the stars, or placed dramatic ill-luck hexes on those who crossed them. There are several Stargazers in the city who are known to be potent, including some regularly consulted by council members; their methods and theories are idiosyncratic and, in many cases, do not correspond to any real degree.
The second most widespread field of magical study is sun-running; half mystical art, half survivalist secret society. Accomplished Sunrunners wield a measure of control over fire, light, darkness, and heat. Legendarily, the most powerful Sunrunners of the old days - the Seven Sundogs - could call the sun itself down to scorch the earth or withdraw it's attention completely to leave frozen blackness behind, speak as equals with the great elemental spirits of Fire and walk unscathed through the most furious infernos or savage blizzards; in your experience, though, sunrunners are mainly notable for stealth, speed, and immense endurance, using minor rituals to help themselves pass through the desert with uncanny swiftness and go days on end without food and shade.
Other magical traditions exist - explorers and traders tend to pick up bits and pieces everywhere they go, so you have at least fragments of everything from dwarven stone-lore to goblin swordmaking chants - but those two are by far the most developed.
Events
- A large group of Erssenberg miners fail to return from sinking an exploratory shaft into the hills north of town late in the year. Consensus among the dwarves seems to be that this would be the largest troll attack to date, and by a wide margin.
- Friendly nomads report that the troll population of the Trollmount Foothills is increasing steadily. Some have been sighted moving in organized packs and carrying clubs or crude spears.
- The Farendel remains silent. As you do every year, you receive a few reports from especially-daring wanderers of elves sighted among the trees; as every year, nothing seems to happen.
Population growth in 4 turns
- Construction of a Central Forum: 17/75
As a gesture of unity - and, on a more practical level, in an effort to encourage peaceable debate and inter-clan engagement - the council sets aside a large, flat square near the largest of the Wells to be a central forum for the city. Several of the larger clans are persuaded to help, some out of civic pride and others out of the chance to one-up their rivals. By year's end foundations are laid, flagstones are being assembled, and ambitious plans have been marked to channel a fraction of the spring's flow into a bubbling fountain.
-[X] Research Agriculture: 19/???
Plants do grow in the Sear, even away from the oases and watering holes; tough, hardy grasses, low shrubs, the occasional gnarled tree rising from some crack in the bedrock where water seeps in. The difficulty in raising crops is mainly controlling the delicate balance between water beneath and the hot, pitiless sun above. The Wells themselves, of course, are the primary water source for your population, and there do exist a number of small spice fields and orchards within the city. But many dams voice their concerns - LOUDLY voice their concerns - that attempting to farm too heavily from that water will deplete or dirty it.
-[X]3d10 Recruitment and Diplomacy: (4, 9, 3) = 1 success
The Sear nomads are far too fragmentary to be negotiated with as a whole, but you already have working relationships with a number of the clans; many, perhaps most, will pass through or at least near Uranna's Wells annually in mid-spring. Most, however, are not amenable to the idea of Urannan sovereignty; your diplomats talk fast enough to prevent any real bad feeling, but there are times when a few hackles are raised. The general consensus seems to be that the nomads simply don't see any reason to give up independence to your council. The Wells are an important landmark in clan society, yes - but so far, your government simply doesn't scare or impress the nomad dams enough to outweigh the loss of freedom. Still, you've deepened a few alliances; if nothing else, you can rely on getting regular news and information from the nomads about anything going on near the Sear.
-[X]1d10 Education: 1/???
Two problems immediately present themselves. The first, and most obvious, is that many dams do not appreciate council representatives 'poking their snouts in' and asking a lot of questions about what kind of education their household receives. Even once soothed, a number object to the idea of standardized education on a myriad of grounds; it's too expensive, it's unnecessary, it might give people ideas.
The second objection is slightly more insidious. The more established clans, it slowly becomes apparent, already have educational arrangements - tutors and apprenticeships - and seem resistant to altering them, not to mention doubtful of the value of providing public education in general.
The year's work in this sphere mostly consists of long, acrimonious arguments. Little is accomplished.
-[X]1d10 Magic: 2/???
The oldest and most familiar magic, to gnolls, is star-reading; derived partially from the navigational techniques used to keep oneself oriented in the wide, featureless savannahs and deserts, astrology and astral divination is extremely common among your populace. Most dams know their lucky and unlucky days, wear a helpmeet fetich, and follow minor rituals to try and ensure fortune; some of the more learned stargazers of history are known to have calculated the exact time and place of their own deaths, divined important facts about their adversaries by consulting the stars, or placed dramatic ill-luck hexes on those who crossed them. There are several Stargazers in the city who are known to be potent, including some regularly consulted by council members; their methods and theories are idiosyncratic and, in many cases, do not correspond to any real degree.
The second most widespread field of magical study is sun-running; half mystical art, half survivalist secret society. Accomplished Sunrunners wield a measure of control over fire, light, darkness, and heat. Legendarily, the most powerful Sunrunners of the old days - the Seven Sundogs - could call the sun itself down to scorch the earth or withdraw it's attention completely to leave frozen blackness behind, speak as equals with the great elemental spirits of Fire and walk unscathed through the most furious infernos or savage blizzards; in your experience, though, sunrunners are mainly notable for stealth, speed, and immense endurance, using minor rituals to help themselves pass through the desert with uncanny swiftness and go days on end without food and shade.
Other magical traditions exist - explorers and traders tend to pick up bits and pieces everywhere they go, so you have at least fragments of everything from dwarven stone-lore to goblin swordmaking chants - but those two are by far the most developed.
Events
- A large group of Erssenberg miners fail to return from sinking an exploratory shaft into the hills north of town late in the year. Consensus among the dwarves seems to be that this would be the largest troll attack to date, and by a wide margin.
- Friendly nomads report that the troll population of the Trollmount Foothills is increasing steadily. Some have been sighted moving in organized packs and carrying clubs or crude spears.
- The Farendel remains silent. As you do every year, you receive a few reports from especially-daring wanderers of elves sighted among the trees; as every year, nothing seems to happen.
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Year 2
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
[X] Plan Talking, Building, and Expanding
Year 2
(Population growth in 3 years)
[X] 3d10: Continue building the Central Forum. - 29/75
The Forum grows - though, naturally, the plans grow nearly as rapidly. Every clan of any importance needs to have their input on the design of the grand space, and so progress seems irritatingly slow at times. But still, by year's end the physical area itself is almost completed; cleared, paved, and part of the piping dug and laid for the fountains. Some of the parts need to be imported, which imposes its own delays, but progress is steady if not quick.
[X] 3d10: Continue to Research Agriculture,
-[X]Focusing on low water / high margin crops like spices, and on efficient water storage/transport - 41/100
The major problem with savanna agriculture is that rainfall is far too irregular to depend on, while heat is near-constant and intense. The Sear is, essentially, a hostile environment for most kinds of life; the animals that roam it restrict themselves to known watering holes and range into the open only at limited times of day, at least during the dry seasons. It isn't a true desert - at least, not until you look many miles southward to the Deep Sear, where nothing lives - but it is not friendly to most food crops; rains can be torrential but sporadic for perhaps four months of the year, and that rainwater quickly drains away into the ground. Successful plants are those that can catch as much as possible, and keep it stocked away for long periods to save them during the desolate dry months.
With the full backing of the council, however, a variety of local scholars are making inroads on the problem. While some focus on cash crops - coriander, fennel, and to some extent cotton - others search for ways to maximize the water available to food crops, examining moisture-retentive fruit trees and experimenting with raised gardens on terraced hillsides to trap water where it is most needed.
Research renamed Drylands Agriculture - +10% Population Cap in Plains/Desert/Oasis regions, unlocks Spice Farms
[X] 3d10: Extend diplomatic mission to the dwarves in search of generally better relations, more trade both ways, and politely sound out maybe hiring some dwarven engineers if we want to build anything big and fancy for assistance. [2,5,10] = 2 suxx
Erssenberg is taking on more of the feeling of a fortress under siege every month. Your diplomatic mission quickly confirms what merchants had already told you; the dwarves are arming, and construction has started on a series of earthen ramparts and defensive ditches. The situation seems to be more serious than you had known.
Still, even in dark times the earthfolk are gracious hosts. Your diplomats exchange presents, make friends, provide an impromptu performance of gnollish lore-song, and generally make themselves welcome. Erssenberg cannot promise much by way of trade expansion - if anything, trade is contracting as the dwarves prepare for conflict - they are happy to assure you that engineering support is certainly available, for suitable fees.
New Structure available; Dwarven Engineering Guild. Costs 30 points, upkeep of -1 die/turn: generates 11 points/turn for building Structures only.
[X] 2d10: Survey the Gorondor Heights to find good locations to build satellite settlements in and generally establish a presence here if possible without causing us to get into a war or something.
-[X] Send the Gnollish Rangers to escort the efforts in Gorondor Heights. (7,8) = 2 successes
The Gorondor Heights are a wide, rolling expanse of hills, valleys, and creekbeds - largely dry in the summer, but flush with life and moisture in spring and fall. During the winter, it even snows on occasion. The rangers have no trouble finding several locations suitable for setting up watch-camps or larger, more permanent settlements - and while not perhaps quite as inviting as the oasis at Uranna's Wells, the Heights have infinitely more room to grow.
Gorondor Heights population cap increases to 7!
Events
- The northern foothills are aswarm with trolls, now. The reports you receive make it sound like a migration. . . or, perhaps, an invasion. The beasts are everywhere, and increasingly pushing into the northern Sear and the fringes of Erssenberg. You've heard of half a dozen clashes between dwarven guards and increasingly-large packs of hunting trolls - clashes which, as often as not, go poorly for the Erssenberg militias. It almost seems as if something is driving these creatures south.
- A few adventurous dams have sponsored a caravan heading south into the Deep Sear again. They've hired a few competent Sunrunners for escort, and seem determined to make yet another attempt to cross the lifeless desert and find whatever - if anything - is on the other side. Public opinion is mixed, but overall negative; these things usually end in tears.
Year 2
(Population growth in 3 years)
[X] 3d10: Continue building the Central Forum. - 29/75
The Forum grows - though, naturally, the plans grow nearly as rapidly. Every clan of any importance needs to have their input on the design of the grand space, and so progress seems irritatingly slow at times. But still, by year's end the physical area itself is almost completed; cleared, paved, and part of the piping dug and laid for the fountains. Some of the parts need to be imported, which imposes its own delays, but progress is steady if not quick.
[X] 3d10: Continue to Research Agriculture,
-[X]Focusing on low water / high margin crops like spices, and on efficient water storage/transport - 41/100
The major problem with savanna agriculture is that rainfall is far too irregular to depend on, while heat is near-constant and intense. The Sear is, essentially, a hostile environment for most kinds of life; the animals that roam it restrict themselves to known watering holes and range into the open only at limited times of day, at least during the dry seasons. It isn't a true desert - at least, not until you look many miles southward to the Deep Sear, where nothing lives - but it is not friendly to most food crops; rains can be torrential but sporadic for perhaps four months of the year, and that rainwater quickly drains away into the ground. Successful plants are those that can catch as much as possible, and keep it stocked away for long periods to save them during the desolate dry months.
With the full backing of the council, however, a variety of local scholars are making inroads on the problem. While some focus on cash crops - coriander, fennel, and to some extent cotton - others search for ways to maximize the water available to food crops, examining moisture-retentive fruit trees and experimenting with raised gardens on terraced hillsides to trap water where it is most needed.
Research renamed Drylands Agriculture - +10% Population Cap in Plains/Desert/Oasis regions, unlocks Spice Farms
[X] 3d10: Extend diplomatic mission to the dwarves in search of generally better relations, more trade both ways, and politely sound out maybe hiring some dwarven engineers if we want to build anything big and fancy for assistance. [2,5,10] = 2 suxx
Erssenberg is taking on more of the feeling of a fortress under siege every month. Your diplomatic mission quickly confirms what merchants had already told you; the dwarves are arming, and construction has started on a series of earthen ramparts and defensive ditches. The situation seems to be more serious than you had known.
Still, even in dark times the earthfolk are gracious hosts. Your diplomats exchange presents, make friends, provide an impromptu performance of gnollish lore-song, and generally make themselves welcome. Erssenberg cannot promise much by way of trade expansion - if anything, trade is contracting as the dwarves prepare for conflict - they are happy to assure you that engineering support is certainly available, for suitable fees.
New Structure available; Dwarven Engineering Guild. Costs 30 points, upkeep of -1 die/turn: generates 11 points/turn for building Structures only.
[X] 2d10: Survey the Gorondor Heights to find good locations to build satellite settlements in and generally establish a presence here if possible without causing us to get into a war or something.
-[X] Send the Gnollish Rangers to escort the efforts in Gorondor Heights. (7,8) = 2 successes
The Gorondor Heights are a wide, rolling expanse of hills, valleys, and creekbeds - largely dry in the summer, but flush with life and moisture in spring and fall. During the winter, it even snows on occasion. The rangers have no trouble finding several locations suitable for setting up watch-camps or larger, more permanent settlements - and while not perhaps quite as inviting as the oasis at Uranna's Wells, the Heights have infinitely more room to grow.
Gorondor Heights population cap increases to 7!
Events
- The northern foothills are aswarm with trolls, now. The reports you receive make it sound like a migration. . . or, perhaps, an invasion. The beasts are everywhere, and increasingly pushing into the northern Sear and the fringes of Erssenberg. You've heard of half a dozen clashes between dwarven guards and increasingly-large packs of hunting trolls - clashes which, as often as not, go poorly for the Erssenberg militias. It almost seems as if something is driving these creatures south.
- A few adventurous dams have sponsored a caravan heading south into the Deep Sear again. They've hired a few competent Sunrunners for escort, and seem determined to make yet another attempt to cross the lifeless desert and find whatever - if anything - is on the other side. Public opinion is mixed, but overall negative; these things usually end in tears.
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Year 3
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
Year 3
(Population growth in 2 turns)
[X]6d10 Build Engineering Guild - Complete!
The payments required to hire a team of skilled, hardy engineers on a long-term residential contract are steep - not too steep to meet, but steep enough to make some of the council grumble. Still, the long-term value of the idea seems undeniable, and the motion passes on a fairly one-sided vote. The appropriations necessary to fund the contract reduce city incomes by a noticeable percentage, but you feel secure in your decision - especially after the hired workers arrive and, with almost unearthly rapidity, construct their own guild-hall. In no more than four months, the designated area is transformed from bare, unused turf to a long, low, sturdy building with living space for a hundred dwarves, administrative offices, an attached warehouse, and an extremely large ale-cellar. Your gold seems well-spent.
Dwarven Engineering Guild constructed; +11 points to one Structure per turn! Dice reduced by 1!
[X]3d10 Drylands Agriculture Research - 58/100
Terrace farming is emerging as a definite leader in the field; a few older and more agriculturally-minded dams have combined funds and land to cultivate a large, multi-layered terrace farm in the south of the city, and so far results are promising. The hardy grains and jackal-fruit trees they are raising grow fairly well right into the first dry season, with the design of the farm serving to capture and funnel as much rain as possible though the cereal fields and down into the roots of the trees, which draw it from the soil and store it very efficiently; almost nothing is wasted. The technique shows real and undeniable promise.
[X]2d10: Construct initial settlements at Gorondor Heights - (10,1) = 11 points
The rangers did their work well, noting several perfect spots for settlement in the Heights. . . and yet, gnolls being gnolls, the adventurous dams who leave for the new lands ignore their advice as often as not. By the end of the year a significant - and growing! - population has settled in the area, though they've not yet started raising even semi-permanent villages. By the end of the year a growing network of paths, landmarks and waystations is beginning to stretch across the gentle hills, drawn through the wilds by a dozen roaming clans.
Population of Gorondor Heights increases by 2
Population of Uranna's Wells decreases by 2
Events
- A dwarven military expedition drives out into the Trollmounts early in the year - just in time to meet what seems to be the largest wave of migration yet, a horde of massive beasts with, alarmingly, crude weapons and in some cases shields chipped out of entire tree trunks. Fighting is brutal but the dwarves seem to have successfully turned the horde, albeit at a grievous cost in lives. The smoke of massive corpse-pyres can be seen for miles; both sides, by all reports, have been badly bloodied. Unfortunately, this means that more trolls than ever are passing south into the Sear, avoiding the killing grounds near Erssenberg, and the nomads are beginning to come under increasing pressure.
- For the first time in a generation, an undeniable elf-sighting! Friendly nomads report that a small group of elvish riders - perhaps a dozen, or fewer - left the Farendel near the onset of winter. Riding white fey horses like the imperial messengers of old, they headed south along the edge of the forest for many miles, then turned slightly east and struck out for the Deep Sear. A local clan took exception to their passage, and while reports are fragmentary all agree on one thing; the leader of the elvish band wielded a sword that burned like a mote of the sun itself, and no-one could stand against him. The forest-folk broke through all attempts to waylay them and vanished into the southern desert; hopefully, never to be seen again.
(Population growth in 2 turns)
[X]6d10 Build Engineering Guild - Complete!
The payments required to hire a team of skilled, hardy engineers on a long-term residential contract are steep - not too steep to meet, but steep enough to make some of the council grumble. Still, the long-term value of the idea seems undeniable, and the motion passes on a fairly one-sided vote. The appropriations necessary to fund the contract reduce city incomes by a noticeable percentage, but you feel secure in your decision - especially after the hired workers arrive and, with almost unearthly rapidity, construct their own guild-hall. In no more than four months, the designated area is transformed from bare, unused turf to a long, low, sturdy building with living space for a hundred dwarves, administrative offices, an attached warehouse, and an extremely large ale-cellar. Your gold seems well-spent.
Dwarven Engineering Guild constructed; +11 points to one Structure per turn! Dice reduced by 1!
[X]3d10 Drylands Agriculture Research - 58/100
Terrace farming is emerging as a definite leader in the field; a few older and more agriculturally-minded dams have combined funds and land to cultivate a large, multi-layered terrace farm in the south of the city, and so far results are promising. The hardy grains and jackal-fruit trees they are raising grow fairly well right into the first dry season, with the design of the farm serving to capture and funnel as much rain as possible though the cereal fields and down into the roots of the trees, which draw it from the soil and store it very efficiently; almost nothing is wasted. The technique shows real and undeniable promise.
[X]2d10: Construct initial settlements at Gorondor Heights - (10,1) = 11 points
The rangers did their work well, noting several perfect spots for settlement in the Heights. . . and yet, gnolls being gnolls, the adventurous dams who leave for the new lands ignore their advice as often as not. By the end of the year a significant - and growing! - population has settled in the area, though they've not yet started raising even semi-permanent villages. By the end of the year a growing network of paths, landmarks and waystations is beginning to stretch across the gentle hills, drawn through the wilds by a dozen roaming clans.
Population of Gorondor Heights increases by 2
Population of Uranna's Wells decreases by 2
Events
- A dwarven military expedition drives out into the Trollmounts early in the year - just in time to meet what seems to be the largest wave of migration yet, a horde of massive beasts with, alarmingly, crude weapons and in some cases shields chipped out of entire tree trunks. Fighting is brutal but the dwarves seem to have successfully turned the horde, albeit at a grievous cost in lives. The smoke of massive corpse-pyres can be seen for miles; both sides, by all reports, have been badly bloodied. Unfortunately, this means that more trolls than ever are passing south into the Sear, avoiding the killing grounds near Erssenberg, and the nomads are beginning to come under increasing pressure.
- For the first time in a generation, an undeniable elf-sighting! Friendly nomads report that a small group of elvish riders - perhaps a dozen, or fewer - left the Farendel near the onset of winter. Riding white fey horses like the imperial messengers of old, they headed south along the edge of the forest for many miles, then turned slightly east and struck out for the Deep Sear. A local clan took exception to their passage, and while reports are fragmentary all agree on one thing; the leader of the elvish band wielded a sword that burned like a mote of the sun itself, and no-one could stand against him. The forest-folk broke through all attempts to waylay them and vanished into the southern desert; hopefully, never to be seen again.
Local Map
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
Here, have a crude hex-based representation of the world (as you understand it). Scales may be off, as is usual in pre-modern societies, but this represents your understanding of what lies where in your area.
In the northern Sear, several clans have reported increasing numbers of skirmishes with trolls, either individual bulls or hunting packs - occasionally as many as nine or ten at a time. The plains immediately near the northern foothills are unsafe to travel even in fairly large numbers. Erssenberg's recent successes have kept the trade routes clear, but you're not sure how long that will last unless the pressure relents.
In the western Sear, the sudden and violent passage of this small group of elves - and, more directly, the slaughter of some two dozen over-aggressive young dams by the unknown elvish champion and his magic sword - has thrown the clans into uproar and confusion. Some groups have set off into the desert in pursuit; you have no reports of them.
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Year 4
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
Year 4
(Population growth in 1 turn)
3d10: Continue building the Central Forum.
-Apply the Engineer's Guild's construction to the Central Forum.
(5,9,7)+11 = 61/75
The Forum has taken shape. A broad, smooth-paved square; benches and tables formed from wrought iron and light, carved wood; and three wide podiums for public debate and oratory, all arranged in a semi-circle around the central fountain. All that remains is to finish laying the plumbing, and wait for the shade trees to finish growing to useful heights. Already, the life of the city is beginning to turn around the new plaza.
3d10: Continue to Research Drylands Agriculture
(4,2,2) = 64/100
It had all been going so well - but this year, politics intervened. A spat between two minor families escalated, suddenly and unexpectedly, when the wealthy Dam Alkennan's favorite consort was caught in a tavern scuffle and injured. The male survived, but his face and neck were widely slashed before his chaperone could intervene, and his good looks were permanently damaged. A small thing, perhaps, but it pushed the incipient conflict almost out of control, and by the time the city militia managed to crack down and restore order one of the clans involved had packed up and fled into the Sear for fear of reprisals - taking with them three of the scholars integral to your ongoing agricultural research. The time it took to persuade them to return limited your progress sharply this year, and the Alkennans remain unrepentant despite punitive fines.
4d10: Recruit a unit of Clan Militia
(2,9,7,2) = 20/40
In response to the growing threat of troll incursions in the north, the city council this year authorized a special levy to increase the size of the watch. The right to raise the new company was granted to Dam Kavat, in recognition of her notable contributions to city coffers, and she elected her second daughter to stand as captain; by year's end, Captain Kuvat had assembled a force of some three thousand young women, drawn primarily from the children of poorer citizens with a thick leavening of hired nomads, and was earnestly engaged in drilling them together.
Events
- Erssenberg remains hard-pressed; if anything, the pressure is increasing. Bands of trolls - gaunt and mad-eyed, desperate in their ferocity - roam the hills at will now, stripping them of life. The dwarves hold grimly to their town, their mines, and the roads - for the most part - but the foothills are too dangerous now for all but the largest and most well-armed caravans. The records say nothing of trolls acting this way, not as far back as you can remember. Something must be happening in the north to cause this.
Trade link to Erssenberg cut - 1 trade die lost!
- Several reports reach you from friendly nomads, all describing the same distinct trollish individual leading raids, both against Erssenberg dwarves and down into the Sear; a massive, one-armed brute, the stump of his missing limb seared pitch-black, who wields an iron wagon-tongue as a club. You don't know what could stop a living troll from regrowing a lost limb for so long; whatever happened to this creature must have been traumatic, and very likely magical.
(Population growth in 1 turn)
3d10: Continue building the Central Forum.
-Apply the Engineer's Guild's construction to the Central Forum.
(5,9,7)+11 = 61/75
The Forum has taken shape. A broad, smooth-paved square; benches and tables formed from wrought iron and light, carved wood; and three wide podiums for public debate and oratory, all arranged in a semi-circle around the central fountain. All that remains is to finish laying the plumbing, and wait for the shade trees to finish growing to useful heights. Already, the life of the city is beginning to turn around the new plaza.
3d10: Continue to Research Drylands Agriculture
(4,2,2) = 64/100
It had all been going so well - but this year, politics intervened. A spat between two minor families escalated, suddenly and unexpectedly, when the wealthy Dam Alkennan's favorite consort was caught in a tavern scuffle and injured. The male survived, but his face and neck were widely slashed before his chaperone could intervene, and his good looks were permanently damaged. A small thing, perhaps, but it pushed the incipient conflict almost out of control, and by the time the city militia managed to crack down and restore order one of the clans involved had packed up and fled into the Sear for fear of reprisals - taking with them three of the scholars integral to your ongoing agricultural research. The time it took to persuade them to return limited your progress sharply this year, and the Alkennans remain unrepentant despite punitive fines.
4d10: Recruit a unit of Clan Militia
(2,9,7,2) = 20/40
In response to the growing threat of troll incursions in the north, the city council this year authorized a special levy to increase the size of the watch. The right to raise the new company was granted to Dam Kavat, in recognition of her notable contributions to city coffers, and she elected her second daughter to stand as captain; by year's end, Captain Kuvat had assembled a force of some three thousand young women, drawn primarily from the children of poorer citizens with a thick leavening of hired nomads, and was earnestly engaged in drilling them together.
Events
- Erssenberg remains hard-pressed; if anything, the pressure is increasing. Bands of trolls - gaunt and mad-eyed, desperate in their ferocity - roam the hills at will now, stripping them of life. The dwarves hold grimly to their town, their mines, and the roads - for the most part - but the foothills are too dangerous now for all but the largest and most well-armed caravans. The records say nothing of trolls acting this way, not as far back as you can remember. Something must be happening in the north to cause this.
Trade link to Erssenberg cut - 1 trade die lost!
- Several reports reach you from friendly nomads, all describing the same distinct trollish individual leading raids, both against Erssenberg dwarves and down into the Sear; a massive, one-armed brute, the stump of his missing limb seared pitch-black, who wields an iron wagon-tongue as a club. You don't know what could stop a living troll from regrowing a lost limb for so long; whatever happened to this creature must have been traumatic, and very likely magical.
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Year 5
BeRzErKeR
Perennially Perplexed Military Mind
- Location
- Virginia
[X] Plan Cookie
-[X]2d10 Public Forum
--[X]Engineering Guild
-[X]5d10 Militia
-[X]2d10 Drylands Agriculture
Year 5
Population Grows!
Population of Uranna's Wells increases to 7/12!
Population of Gorondor Heights increases to 3/7!
Next population growth of +3 in 5 years!
2d10 Public Forum - Structure Complete!
The first water bubbles up from the central fountain in the second month, and the yipping and laughing of gnollish celebration echoes into the night. The forum had already become something of a center of city life - with the last touches finally in place and the full space now open to the public, it rapidly becomes not only a lovely centerpiece for the city, but also a literal marketplace of ideas. Long before year's end it has become so common as to pass unremarked to find two or six or a dozen self-proclaimed intellectuals up on the stands, trading theories or (just as often) pointed verbal barbs; the city watch's job has become slightly more stressful, but the intellectual life of Uranna's Wells has never been more vibrant. And, perhaps more importantly, the city itself is, more and more, becoming central to the thoughts and attitudes of the clans.
Central Forum constructed - All research project costs decreased by 3%. One die which rolls a 1 will now be rerolled in each diplomacy action.
New Research Suggestion; Civil Service - organize and professionalize city duties, to attract or create more effective ambassadors, scholars, and diplomats
5d10 Militia - Recruitment Complete!
Captain Kuvat parades her troops for council inspection in the tenth month - and not before time, given all that has happened. The soldiers newly enlisted are strong and willing, and as well-drilled as good pay and one dam's force of personality can make them. . . which is to say, acceptably. They all know how to march, how to fight side-by-side, and how to stay together under pressure. They may need those skills, sooner than you had hoped.
1x Clan Militia recruited in Uranna's Wells
2d10 Drylands Agriculture - 79/100
Progress proceeds. Public attention is drawn away from the slow advance of gnollish knowledge this year - there are more exciting, and frightening, developments afoot - and yet much advancement is made. Most of the necessary principles have been laid down, now; what remains is, primarily, a matter of finding the proper engineering to put them into practice.
Events
In the sixth month, Erssenberg falls.
The dwarves had been pressed back for seasons on end; at the end of the first rains, the outlying mines begin to be overrun. The one-armed troll is everywhere; reports trickle in each week of new depredations, patrols wiped out and villages sacked, a noose tightening implacably around the dwarven town. And then one day in the hot midsummer, the smoke rising from the foothills becomes visible all the way from the towers of Uranna's Wells.
It takes some time before the first refugees arrive; some of your own merchants, running before the coming storm. Not all have survived. They speak of a siege that closed in by degrees, days of slowly-growing fear; then a frenzied night-time assault that, at last, broke the walls of Erssenberg, led by trolls with spears and burning brands in their great hands; a grim and bitter final stand inside the gates, where the dwarven militia fell to the last around their captain, their ranks shattered by a one-armed troll with an iron scourge that smoked in his hand; and finally, of a sack that must have drawn every troll for scores of miles, that set the city ablaze from end to end and, finally, gave an opening for the survivors to escape through the hidden western gates and flee.
You had always thought the trolls were little more than beasts. That theory, now, is finally laid to rest. They are an army, and a fearsome one indeed.
Erssenberg conquered
Unit discovered; 1x Troll Warband, Strength ?/4
Hero sighted; One-Armed Troll Champion, Strength ???
- Three months after the grim news of Erssenberg's fall, however, something curious happens. A gnoll comes to the southern watchtowers at night - old or injured, limping and heavily cloaked against the night-time chill - and lays a parcel at the door. Startled, a small patrol assembles to give chase, but are unable to find her in the scrub.
The parcel proves to contain two things. The first is a sword. . . an old sword, one forged of elvish steel, with runes gleaming on the blade and a wide, stylized sunburst etched into the ricasso. The edge is still sharp, and the leather wrappings of the hilt are stained with old, dark blood. A relic of the empire, clearly - but why a gnoll should have such a thing, you have no idea.
The second is a female cub, barely weaned, her tiny paws wrapped around that ancient hilt - too young even to walk or speak, and of course she'll be a child for ten years yet. But when the guards try to take the sword from her, she bites.
The Stargazers are, collectively, beside themselves. This is so clearly some kind of omen that someone should have foreseen it; how could the stars not mark an event like this? And yet. . . either no-one did, or no-one is telling. Perhaps the wizards keep some secrets still. Perhaps it's time to push a little harder in that area?
Unit gained: Mysterious Cub, Strength 0
-[X]2d10 Public Forum
--[X]Engineering Guild
-[X]5d10 Militia
-[X]2d10 Drylands Agriculture
Year 5
Population Grows!
Population of Uranna's Wells increases to 7/12!
Population of Gorondor Heights increases to 3/7!
Next population growth of +3 in 5 years!
2d10 Public Forum - Structure Complete!
The first water bubbles up from the central fountain in the second month, and the yipping and laughing of gnollish celebration echoes into the night. The forum had already become something of a center of city life - with the last touches finally in place and the full space now open to the public, it rapidly becomes not only a lovely centerpiece for the city, but also a literal marketplace of ideas. Long before year's end it has become so common as to pass unremarked to find two or six or a dozen self-proclaimed intellectuals up on the stands, trading theories or (just as often) pointed verbal barbs; the city watch's job has become slightly more stressful, but the intellectual life of Uranna's Wells has never been more vibrant. And, perhaps more importantly, the city itself is, more and more, becoming central to the thoughts and attitudes of the clans.
Central Forum constructed - All research project costs decreased by 3%. One die which rolls a 1 will now be rerolled in each diplomacy action.
New Research Suggestion; Civil Service - organize and professionalize city duties, to attract or create more effective ambassadors, scholars, and diplomats
5d10 Militia - Recruitment Complete!
Captain Kuvat parades her troops for council inspection in the tenth month - and not before time, given all that has happened. The soldiers newly enlisted are strong and willing, and as well-drilled as good pay and one dam's force of personality can make them. . . which is to say, acceptably. They all know how to march, how to fight side-by-side, and how to stay together under pressure. They may need those skills, sooner than you had hoped.
1x Clan Militia recruited in Uranna's Wells
2d10 Drylands Agriculture - 79/100
Progress proceeds. Public attention is drawn away from the slow advance of gnollish knowledge this year - there are more exciting, and frightening, developments afoot - and yet much advancement is made. Most of the necessary principles have been laid down, now; what remains is, primarily, a matter of finding the proper engineering to put them into practice.
Events
In the sixth month, Erssenberg falls.
The dwarves had been pressed back for seasons on end; at the end of the first rains, the outlying mines begin to be overrun. The one-armed troll is everywhere; reports trickle in each week of new depredations, patrols wiped out and villages sacked, a noose tightening implacably around the dwarven town. And then one day in the hot midsummer, the smoke rising from the foothills becomes visible all the way from the towers of Uranna's Wells.
It takes some time before the first refugees arrive; some of your own merchants, running before the coming storm. Not all have survived. They speak of a siege that closed in by degrees, days of slowly-growing fear; then a frenzied night-time assault that, at last, broke the walls of Erssenberg, led by trolls with spears and burning brands in their great hands; a grim and bitter final stand inside the gates, where the dwarven militia fell to the last around their captain, their ranks shattered by a one-armed troll with an iron scourge that smoked in his hand; and finally, of a sack that must have drawn every troll for scores of miles, that set the city ablaze from end to end and, finally, gave an opening for the survivors to escape through the hidden western gates and flee.
You had always thought the trolls were little more than beasts. That theory, now, is finally laid to rest. They are an army, and a fearsome one indeed.
Erssenberg conquered
Unit discovered; 1x Troll Warband, Strength ?/4
Hero sighted; One-Armed Troll Champion, Strength ???
- Three months after the grim news of Erssenberg's fall, however, something curious happens. A gnoll comes to the southern watchtowers at night - old or injured, limping and heavily cloaked against the night-time chill - and lays a parcel at the door. Startled, a small patrol assembles to give chase, but are unable to find her in the scrub.
The parcel proves to contain two things. The first is a sword. . . an old sword, one forged of elvish steel, with runes gleaming on the blade and a wide, stylized sunburst etched into the ricasso. The edge is still sharp, and the leather wrappings of the hilt are stained with old, dark blood. A relic of the empire, clearly - but why a gnoll should have such a thing, you have no idea.
The second is a female cub, barely weaned, her tiny paws wrapped around that ancient hilt - too young even to walk or speak, and of course she'll be a child for ten years yet. But when the guards try to take the sword from her, she bites.
The Stargazers are, collectively, beside themselves. This is so clearly some kind of omen that someone should have foreseen it; how could the stars not mark an event like this? And yet. . . either no-one did, or no-one is telling. Perhaps the wizards keep some secrets still. Perhaps it's time to push a little harder in that area?
Unit gained: Mysterious Cub, Strength 0
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