[X] Plan Economic Expansion
[X] [New] offer fine pelts for it (the government will take Trade Expedition as their action)
[X] [Wrest] encourage it (-1 Stability, +1 Martial cap, +1 Martial)
It's really interestinng to me to be able to see how our culture and art evolves.
[X] Plan Economic Expansion
[X] [New] offer fine pelts for it (the government will take Trade Expedition as their action)
[X] [Wrest] encourage it (-1 Stability, +1 Martial cap, +1 Martial)
The games of the wrestling that had sprung up among the youth found approval in the eyes of the council, and while the gambling was less popular it was still tolerated out of recognition that banning such things was likely useless. While this meant that the youth, especially the hunters who proved most skilled at these games, but also some of the stronger hunters, was kept fit and skilled in combat, it made many of the elders not on the council uncomfortable, and some of the spirit-callers claimed the spirits would punish those who fought for their own amusement. This did cause a few of the wrestling youth to cease, but it made many more angry, and another undercurrent of tension developed.
The construction of the granary is fraught with difficulties. First, people have to decide where it will be placed. Obviously, it should be in Pitside, that much is clear. Even aside from that being where the elder council is, it is the largest concentration of the People, and the farms are closest. There is some grumbling about the choice, but even the most stubborn complainers can acknowledge the logic. It's where in Pitside that gets troublesome. Some people want it on the outskirts, closest to the farms. Some people want it as close to the Pit as possible, so that the spirit-talkers can watch over it. Others think it should be placed in the center. The debates range for weeks, and whenever one faction seems to gain ground, protests spring up, for building the granary would require destroying existing homes. Finally, progress begins, and an enormous structure, larger than any the People have ever made, begins to take shape. It is roughly circular, longer than twenty men lying down, and built so high that most can't reach the top of the walls. Long branches are hauled from the hunting camp and pressed into the mud bricks to make a frame for the roof, and others are pushed horizontally into the wall to serve as supports for shelves. Even before it is complete, the People begin storing extra food in it. Slowly, pots of grain and meat begin to accumulate, as a portion of every harvest is taken from the farmers and gathered for the use of all the People. And since the council was the one who decided how much was taken and how much was given out, that meant their power increased even if it made some upset, and wonder why it was the council who had all the power. The council told people that they were in charge because…
[] [Council] the spirits had placed them in charge (Government becomes theocratic, ??)
[] [Council] they had the strength to make others listen (Government becomes autocratic, ??)
[] [Council] they were chosen to serve the People by the People (Government becomes democratic, ??)
[] [Council] they are old and wise and can best lead the People (Government reforms)
While all this developed, labor continued on the many tasks of the People. Sena was taught some of the rites of the Spirit-Talkers, and led others of the People in giving offerings and making requests of the spirits, some of which were granted. Callin, meanwhile, had given up on dirtstone for the moment, and turned his attention to food, occasionally poking at the meat in the granary, trying to make it last longer. As long as it stayed dry and the insects were kept out, grain would last for months. Berries rotted much quicker, but they were relatively unimportant. Meat though, did not last as long as Callin would have liked. He aimed to change that, borrowing a few pieces and trying different things to keep it good. What worked best was hanging it above a fire high enough that the smoke would touch it but not the fire.
New huts rose up on the outskirts of Pitside, and a few more were built in the hunting camp too, which was growing noticeably larger – more than eighty people called it home permanently these days, although most traveled to Pitside at least once a month. Many of the new huts in the hunting camp were not made for hunters to live in, but instead for tree-cutters, who focused on gathering branches for use in making other homes, trading them for food and skins and tools, although they usually made sure to gather roots and berries when they worked. If one ignored the troubles of leadership, life was almost idyllic for the People.
Temen was one who ignored those troubles. He had spent most of his life in a little cluster of huts far enough from Pitside that he had never actually seen any of the council, and so the rumors of squabbles among them and others of the People did not touch him. Far more interesting was the slowly rising granary and the immense Pit with its Sprit-Talker attendants, and the small gathering he had joined more out of curiosity than anything else. A dozen men and women stood in a loose grip with him, next to a pile of baskets and bags containing plenty of food, some whitestone, and fine furs and woven mats. The leader amongst them, whose name he had not yet learned, was sketching in the dirt. "We are here…we will travel to the hunting camp first and then go along the edge of the true forest, hunting game as we go. Once we reach the Great River we walk along it until we see the Other-People's villages."
And it proved so. Walking was far more difficult than Temen expected, for their packs were heavy, but he was strong and easily kept the pace, even participating in their nightly wrestling despite how his limbs ached. There had been a few days when they had not managed to hunt well, and on those days his bellies ached. Still, he enjoyed himself, for he was seeing new things and some of the women with him were pretty. When they reached the Great River his mouth had fallen open in awe as he watched the water crash and tumble ever onwards. And as they continued traveling, he saw even more wonderful things. The first sight they had of the Other-People was when they found three of them, sitting in a log they had somehow carved out and steering it through the river. His limbs ached at the thought of how much work either task would take, and yet they seemed to do it with ease. And somehow they were stabbing into the river and bringing fish out, something which had been near impossible. He wondered what magic they had to catch the fish so, for all among the People had tried to do the same and failed, even when their spears had seemed to go directly through the fish.
Unfortunately, the actual village of the Other-People, who some among the group had named the River-Tribe, was far less impressive. Every hut was smaller than the ones the People built, and they seemed cruder, made of branches hammered into the dirt and smeared with mud, roofed with piles of reeds. There was greenstone among them, but not as much as the People had hoped. Still, they traded well, and returned with greenstone and stories, both of the River-Tribe and of those the River-Tribe knew: of the Wanderers who roamed the hills and the Stone Folk of the mountains who were led by a demonic champion and raided as he pleased among the other peoples of the mountains. They claimed the River-Folk were too fierce for him to attack, but Temen found himself doubting that, although he did see a battle among the River-Folk, for they seemed a fractious people.
A dozen men had come upon the village in the dead of night, wounded a few among the villagers and toppled a hut. The River-Folk who hosted them made dramatic and bloody vows of vengeance that left Temen quite unsettled.
He decided he had enough of the River-Folk. When he returned he would stay in his hut.
Provinces (1): Pitside
Settlements (1): Pitside (Major Granary)
Early Ancient Council of Elders
Max Independence: 10
Min Independence: 2
Admin Strain Free Provinces: 2
Admin Strain Free Settlements: 2
Admin Penalties: Decrease Player Action Cap by 1 Major Action
Government Player Action Cap: 2 Major Actions + 1 Moderate Action
Ruler Actions: 1 Moderate Action
Government Province Actions: 1 Moderate Action
Passive Policies: 1 per Province
Subordinates: 1
Special: N/A
Incautious Curiosity: There are always some who prefer to find what something does by sticking it in their mouths. Such courage can be laudable. Potentially dangerous, but laudable. Pros: Increased chance of successful innovation. Cons: increased risk from successful innovation.
Megaprojects
N/A
Factions
N/A
N/A
Technologies
Agriculture Hunting
Ambush Hunting
Prey Driving
Perseverance Hunting Gathering Fire Materials
Bone
Stone
Wood
Clay
Reeds Tools
Spears
Axes
Knives
Scrapers
Digging Sticks
Sickles
Slings
Pestles and Mortars
Bags and Packs Crafting
Earthenware Pottery
Basketmaking
Weaving Construction
Mud Bricks
Hide Tents
Frame Roofs Food
Primitive Beer
Primitive Porridge Food Preservation
Primitive Food Storage
Primitive Meat Smoking
[X] [Council] they had the strength to make others listen (Government becomes autocratic, ??)
I'm curious to see were this goes.
Also, we seem to be getting a hell of a lot of use out of Calling. It seems we can at least one good tech out of him per turn.
[X] [Council] they had the strength to make others listen (Government becomes autocratic, ??)
I'm curious to see were this goes.
Also, we seem to be getting a hell of a lot of use out of Calling. It seems we can at least one good tech out of him per turn.
Don't know why people want to stick with the Council of Elders, as it just means that we'll have to reform it into one of the others sometime later rather than now. This type of government never really lasts beyond the tribal stage.
The People would change, but those who ruled would stay the same. There was a broad base of support for the elder council, for they had always been those who settled disputes and other matters of the People as a whole. And the People had prospered and grown mighty under their rule. Look at how fine their huts were, how rich their homes, look at how they had been blessed by the spirits with the Pit, all this had happened under the rule of the council.
And look at the River-Folk, those who had visited added when they returned. Look how pathetic and violent and foolish they are, let us not be like them. Let us keep the council as they are. But some still demanded changes, and changes were made. Though the elders still wished for a proper meeting house, they began to always meet in the same spot, picking the space in front of the granary. There they would handles disputes and listen to complaints, and from there they would make suggestions and commands as well.
The first meetings were loud, chaotic things, and so order was gradually established. A wooden stick was carved and used to indicate who could speak, and it was forbidden to hold it too long while another wished to speak. The spirit-talkers would begin every meeting with a prayer. A few of the best wrestlers would stand to ensure order was kept. And so the meetings became more peaceful and less dramatic, and the People lived in harmony once more.
Trade continued between the River-Folk and the People, and more greenstone began to appear in Pitside and Huntcamp, while more people moved to Huntcamp to take advantage of it being closer to the River-Folk and then moving there to farm and hunt to support the traders. It grew steadily, only slightly delayed when someone tried to burn out the inside of a log and accidentally caused a serious fire. Several people died in it, but more devastating were the burnt fields.
Not a week later, two emissaries from Huntcamp arrived to speak at the council meeting, to make two requests. First, they asked for aid, and the elders said…
[] [Help] that of course they could offer some food (-1 Food, +1 Stability)
[] [Help] that they could send workers to help rebuild huts (-1 Building, +1 Stability)
[] [Help] they would give generously to the People (-2 Food, -2 Building, +1 Stability, chance of gaining Value)
[] [Help] that they would give what they could spare (-1 Food, -1 Building, +1 Stability, small chance of gaining Value)
[] [Help] that Huntcamp will be fine (-1 Stability, chance of gaining Value)
The emissaries accepted this, even if there was some grumbling. The next thing they brought up was their desire to have their own council…
[] [Coun] and the elders offered to send a representative to Huntcamp to handle disputes there (-1 Stability, +2 Hierarchy, -1 Independence, +3 Power,??)
[] [Coun] and the elders suggested they form their own and send a representative to Pitside (+1 Hierarchy, -1 Independence, +1 Power,??)
[] [Coun] and the elders said that they could if they wished (+2 Independence, -1 Power, ??)
Provinces (1): Pitside
Settlements (1): Pitside (Major Granary)
Early Ancient Tribal Council
Max Independence: 12
Min Independence: 2
Admin Strain Free Provinces: 2
Admin Strain Free Settlements: 3
Admin Penalties: Decrease Player Action Cap by 1 Major Action
Government Player Action Cap: 2 Major Actions + 2 Moderate Actions
Ruler Actions: 1 Moderate Action
Government Province Actions: 1 Moderate Action
Passive Policies: 1 per Province
Subordinates: 1
Special: Wealth Cap can never be more than 5
Special: Excess Wealth will be converted to Luxury
Incautious Curiosity: There are always some who prefer to find what something does by sticking it in their mouths. Such courage can be laudable. Potentially dangerous, but laudable. Pros: Increased chance of successful innovation. Cons: increased risk from successful innovation.
Megaprojects
N/A
Factions
N/A
N/A
Technologies
Agriculture Hunting
Ambush Hunting
Prey Driving
Perseverance Hunting Gathering Fire Materials
Bone
Stone
Wood
Clay
Reeds Tools
Spears
Axes
Knives
Scrapers
Digging Sticks
Sickles
Slings
Pestles and Mortars
Bags and Packs Crafting
Earthenware Pottery
Basketmaking
Weaving Construction
Mud Bricks
Hide Tents
Frame Roofs Food
Primitive Beer
Primitive Porridge Food Preservation
Primitive Food Storage
Primitive Meat Smoking
[X] [Help] they would give generously to the People (-2 Food, -2 Building, +1 Stability, chance of gaining Value)
[X] [Coun] and the elders suggested they form their own and send a representative to Pitside (+1 Hierarchy, -1 Independence, +1 Power,??)