Beginning Anew, a Tale of the King from the Moutain
Ages, and people, of time long since forgotten, have spoken, and rejoiced, about their great Khazan. Now there was anew king beneath the mountains, a new Kharan worthy of great power, blessed even by the mountain he rules. His name was Uthor. It was clear, to him, that no matter what, he'd bear the crown of symbolic rule. Not for himself, but for his peoples prosperity. From even the tower of this magnificent mountain did he see the magnificent city.
Upon the magnificent spike, the very height of the mountain, had he meditated. Now it was time to return, and Uthor walked yet again, the Khazan Walks. Now, however, he returns victorious.
Upon his head lies the ebony crown, foretold in ancient carvings to bring about great dwarven might for it's rulers people, and that was all he cared for.
In the hardship of descending the greatest mountain to ever bless the surface, Uthor made great acquaintance with the might of the mountain, on many occations feelings it's might, and will, guide him down in a safe descent.
Halfway down the greatest walls ever bestowed upon any dwarven city, Hazan-khar, Uthor began to smile. Standing atop a beautiful cliff, laying it's might down upon the city completed before him.
It's beauty trumphed Hazahr-Raman (former Dwarven Empire capital), the gate standing as a symbol of might, and it's towers reaching out of the rock, and into the rays of the sun. The rock encased the fortress, and the fortress surpassed the rock. Interconnected, they support eachother. Rock and City in unity.
Uthor could do nothing but marvel at the lenght of his peoples creation. Just under 400 dwarves, fueled with imagination and hope, created the greatest dwarven city Uthor had ever laid his eyes upon.
Then and there, his peoples will were materialized, and he confirmed them. With a roar, he let out his decree- from atop a frozen mountain, tens of thousands of feet above the ground. "My people! The Ironborne! I HAVE RETURNED A KHARAN!"
He stood still, glancing down at the might of dwarven engineering, the greatest fortress city to bless the mountains. Suddenly, and abruptly, there came a roaring. Unified and unruly, both orderly and chaotic- controlled; his people.
In response, he screamed, and with the might of the mountain behind him, he could feel his voice amplified, and through the lands, the roar became audible.
Now his journey down the great mountain continues, but upon his return, there will be great festivities, and he does not accept any disappointments.
---
Within the Chamber of Lieutenants orders came abruptly and accurately, every dwarf laying down their honor for the sake of their people. Ulkan and many others were discussing the harvesting of these 'lightrock', through them, they could maybe engineer somekind of weapon, or at least benefits for the city, instead of using the woods for the fires.
Ulkan had already gathered the majority of the boars and they were making ready to perform a gathering operation with half of the settlements population, and the remainder would dig into the great caverns and forge out of the bedrock great and glorious mines worthy of dwarven brilliance.
Supervised by the Ironborne's tactician, the mining operations would be kept as efficient and effective as dwarfingly possible, after all, they had hope that their Kharan would return with the mountain's blessing.
Uthor continues his walk down the mountain. Upon laying gaze upon the Great Fortress-city of Hazan-Murak (their newly built dwarven capital), he roars, and returns the will of his people, quite literally. Feeling the will of the mountain empowering him (possibly through the Ebony Crown of the Great Kharan), he lets out a roaring scream, letting the neighbors know of their newfound will and might.
Down within the Chamber of Lieutenants they are splitting operations into two parts, one is a gathering and harvesting expedition consisting of half of the population and almost the entirety of the boars, and the others are to conduct a mining operation so that they can find enough ore, and minerals, to power the Great Forge, and inturn, lay life to the city.
Lo! And from the bosoms of the Earth Mother came the healing waters. Warm and pure, crisp and soothing, twas truly a blessed source. It was as if the goddess had returned to the over-world, bringing with her blessed gifts, gifts of new beginnings and springs. Gifts of new tales and tomes full of new chapters and lore for all the beings of this world.
The waters seemed to flow infinitely, a cool cascade of cleansing aqua pura. Surely a gift of this majesty was to be used by the people as a whole. The priestess would begin to hold ritual communal baptisms, to bathe her flock in the warmth of the Earth Mother as a annual reminder, that to the Earth Mother, all her children were clean and pure.
Of course the people of Citrus Crest incorporated bathing into their routine, some bathing daily even. As such the temple that surrounded the springs became the central hub for social gatherings, and with the new stone the people worked to expand the temple.
The Ogres had first been reluctant to bathe in the pools of the Earth Mother, but gentle goading had elicited some to brave the waters, and while they don't use the springs as much as their smaller brethren, they sometimes soak in the warm waters to relax their enlarged bodies.
Yo, this Spring is the illest. Straight up mad-dog up in this hizzle. Peeps be wanting to bathe. The Priestess even wants to ritual bathing on a bi-annual basis. And yo, the springs are the hottest shindizzle, and the temple is expanding due to increased traffic. And dog, check it. Dem' Ogres sometimes even take a dip once in a while.
With the blessing of the Inti the land in which was Tasphira has become green... very green indeed , because of this most of the unused land has become a big plot of farmland , before of this event most of the farmers had to go to the frontier of Tasphira to farm but now that everything is near the productivity of farmers and craftsmen ,who now have a lot of energy and food, have been greatly improved . After this a unnexpected second effect of the blessing is that the women are starting to have more children , this increase of population is not a problem since there is enought food for everyone.
Thanks to the blessing of Inti there are big plots of farmlands and an increase of productivity from farmers and craftsmen , plus the women now are having more children as a second effect of the blessing
Danr's sleep had been long and deep; it felt like he had been asleep for months! Of course, the thunderous rains woke him up, just like they woke up the rest of the village and probably even the stones and trees themselves. Coming down so hard, the rain leaked through the roofs. The tribespeople scurried to patch the leaks and make sure that the rafters above stayed strong and that the ceilings didn't come crashing down.
Then the wolves started howling, though. They bayed and whined, roared and cowered in the corners. The thunder and lightning usually provoked some reaction from them, but this was something else entirely. This commotion heralded something horrible that was about to happen.
...and then that something did happen, when the Great Leviathan rose up from the depths. Its skin was black as the night and its colossal form blocked out a thousand stars in the sky. Njor was within sight of the shores, sure, but the settlement was also upon a rise and a fair distance away from the water. None of that mattered; the beast was so enormous that its tentacle reached all the way to the village and obliterated an entire building with one small flick. The three people that had been patching that hut's roof were instantly killed by the Leviathan. As Danr ran outside of his mead hall he saw the thing's great eyes, and he thought that they locked sight with one another for a brief moment. The great warrior and fearless chieftain felt fear creep into his heart as his knees began to buckle. He shivered with a chill that no amount of snow or ice had ever inflicted upon an Ard. The only thing more horrifying than the beast was the realization hat this was no nightmare...
But then, the great beast was gone as soon as it had came. The storm left with it. Somehow the great waves, the torrential deluge of rain, and the Leviathan's rage hadn't left the fishing rafts and pier beyond repair. When morning came, the bravest of men ventured close to the waters and began to fix the pier and rafts, yet none dared to go fishing. Who could blame them? In any case, the hunting was still good and the crops bountiful, cotton, grain, and all. The Ards wouldn't starve if they stopped fishing for a while, but they very well might die if that beast returned.
The elders convened in Danr's mead hall and discussed what to do next. Some suggested trying to appease the Leviathan with offerings, or even worshiping it as some sort of dark god. Others recounted the tales of how anything that survived its wrath was great indeed and would have a glorious destiny, and proclaimed that the Leviathan was a blessing and a good omen. Some thought it would return, others thought that it wouldn't...
Danr listened to them all, many speaking as if they were sure that their words were golden and true. Some of the elders even began to argue about who was right. but how could any of them know for sure? The chieftain finally came to a decision and proclaimed that they would build a shrine to Father Frost, the very icy god that had desroyed their ancient homeland and sent them fleeing here.
Some saw that as madness; bringing Father Frost's gaze to their new land would only mean that the winter, death, and ice would creep south and follow them from their old homeland. Father Frost was a pitiless master, after all. Yet Danr and some of the others insisted that Father Frost would help them. The Ards were his chosen people, after all. The sacred ice flowed through their veins, and they had been the only tribe to survive the god's wrath and escape their frigid homeland.
So through near equal persuasion and intimidation, Danr brought all the elders to his side. With their unanimous support, he knew that there would be no rebellion or objection amongst the tribe. By noon they had already begun to build a stonehenge around one great boulder in the ground. The central boulder was flattened using mining tools, transformed into a ceremonial slab. It was there that they might leave offerings of food, drink, gold, and weapons for Father Frost. In times of dire need or for special festivals, they might even sacrifice animals or captives of war. Of course, with Danr having no knowledge of any skraelings (not even the ones that his lumberjacks had just encountered) he was afraid of what might need be done if Father Frost ever demanded a human sacrifice.
In any case, the best stonemason in Njor began work on a statue of Father Frost to show the world of the god's glory, but it would be some time before that statue was ready to add to the shrine. Danr could not afford to wait that time, so the moment that the shrine was built he sent some of the elders that had once been holy men to bring offerings and remain at the shrine throughout the cold night, praying to Father Frost to make himself known once more to his chosen people and tell them about the great Leviathan that had come with the storm. Danr and the elders dared not ask more of Father Frost, for fear of him asking for a sacrifice greater than they wished to offer.
-The Ards built a shrine to Father Frost and offered him food, then prayed throughout the night asking him to tell them about the Leviathan and what they need to do. -After seeing the giant sea monster come out of the ocean and smash a building, the Ards are of course scared to go out on the fishing rafts, at least for now.
Aderyn was pleased that the “Ards” did not wish to fight. Their initial reaction had been sensible enough, what with how short they were compared to the Cewri. But, if neither side wanted to fight, that begged the question: What now? After taking a second to think, he had settled on something. They could just leave the Ards to their own business, and continue exploring the Continent, but the Ards were already established on the continent. Aderyn was no diplomat, but he figured that the Ards could make things rather difficult for them when they eventually had to expand off of the island. By that same token, if they established good relations with the Ards, their knowledge of the landscape would be useful, and they could engage in that all-but-forgotten practice of “trade.”
So Aderyn did not just leave. Instead, he called forward Gethar. Gethar was the greatest hunter amongst the Cewri on the continent, and had caught a large buck earlier that day. Even as large as they were, the buck was much more than the Cewri could eat in a single night. Gethar had already skinned and smoked the meat, and
Aderyn turned back to the Ards, “We catch meat in this land. Much meat. Want share, make friend. Yes?”
I)Take Diplomatic Action: Offer a shared meal to the Ard Lumberjacks.
X) Now that it seems their settlement is safe from the trolls, Simon Valente turns the militia's attention to a grand project. While the settlement concerns itself mainly with the construction of the cog, he focuses his men on a pet project to expand the grass towards the land of the trolls, seeking to expand the area inaccessible to the trolls by shuffling over earth from elsewhere with shovels and wheelbarrows, while of course maintaining vigilance. It is a somewhat mad project, but Valente likes to keep his hands busy and if it succeeds it may be an important step to making the entire island safe for Genevites to travel.
Horik squinted closely at Aderyn with a look that was unmistakeably suspicion. The 'Cewri' didn't seem threatening. On the other hand, they seemed friendly. Still, their size made him somewhat nervous and heir blue skin was strange and unlike anything the lumberjack had seen before. They were all bewildered to come across skraelings, but admittedly the hostile and treacherous skraelings from their folktales didn't have blue skin or act friendly in the slightest.
A few of the other lumberjacks echoed Horik's thoughts on one another (in the Ards' language, of course) but in the end most of the younger men were trusting enough to take the dried meat that Aderyn held out. It looked and smelled good enough. Horik relented to their trust. Hoping that he wasn't making a mistake, he said, "Come sit by fire. It warm."
As the Ards walked back to their campfire a little ways away, half of them never took their eyes off the Cewri. Some kept their hands near the handles of their axes, but they didn't raise the weapons. One of the lumberjacks quickly added some twigs and such to the dying fire before splitting a log and heaping that on as well. There were a few lonely trees around and they had chopped one down for the firewood they were now using, but they needed to find a forest in order to build a logging camp that would last a while.
After eating some of the smoked venison the other lumberjacks seemed to open up and become more talkative. They began to bombard the skraelings with questions. One of them that knew the old tongue rather well did most of the talking for the others. "You know where we can find lots of trees like that? And what are you doing out here anyway?" he asked.
After a while of silence as he allowed the others to talk to the skraelings, Horik voiced a burning question in his mind, "Where Cewri live?"
-Most of the lumberjacks are suspicious of the Cewri but a few eat the meat. They offer the Cewri to warm themselves by their campfire. -They try to ask a few questions: if the Cewri have seen any forests, where the Cewri live, and what they are doing.
Hazjul knew the passes had to be riddled with traps, it would be impossible to fight a full forced attack. A slightly wounded enemy might be strong still in force, but the traps would wound their morale; it would put fear into the minds of Orcs that thought they were safe. Pits with wooden stakes, trip wires that would cause small rock slides, and if particularly unlucky knock loose a boulder. Yet the single most important part were the small groups of "Boulder Ghosts", Orcs that would lie in wait at the top of hills or over paths that ran through tall valley like walls. Any group unlucky enough to be caught off guard would find themselves in the path, or in the shadow, of a large boulder. A particularly deviant idea brought up by one of the more clever orcs, Korg "Trappa".
New stuff on the growth thing: Normally an 'average' growth means 5% population increase every turn (birth of children may be different). When growth is 'good' it's around 5% plus 1 or 2. Note that these numbers aren't terribly precise. When growth is 'Very good' the percent increase is about 7%. If these 7% prove not to be higher than the 'good' growth of 5% plus 1 or 2, it will be 7% plus 1 or 2. The set increase of '1 or 2' is also increased or decreased depending on the overall growth of your race. For example elves have a low reproduction set, and humans an average one. Goblins are very high however and can be up to 10% every turn with just a 'good' growth.
Anyway that's some shit on how I will determine the growth from now on. Fight on!
With the mountain's blessing, Uthor descends the mountain. When almost down, he expresses his newfound power to his people, with a migty roar they feel a comforting tremble in the rocks. Not only is the roar heard to your people, but the entire peninsula, meaning the other four, smaller mountains too. The shake can be heard all the way to Genevy, the human isle not too far off the coast to the south-east.
Your people experience a boost of morale for 5 turns due to the return of the King.
With a giant feast, your people await Uthor's return, and when he finally finishes his descent, his people cheer for him. They welcome the new Kharan with songs and ancient dwarven hails (Basicly 'All hail the king' in ancient dwarven, one of the few sentences still known of the language). Then, Uthor sets his eyes upon the gates of Hazan-Khar. It's entrence is magnificently carved, expertly crafted out of the very rock itself that surrounds it. The gates themselves are of reinforced timber but is expected to be replaced by iron vault doors when your mining operations kick in and start yielding more iron.
The first expedition, sent outward to gather resources, will return next turn with their findings and results.
The mining project is quickly put into action and begins to yield progress very quickly. As you have travelled the underground ever since your exile, your miners are quite adept at spotting out rich veins and know exactly what rock to strike to yield the perfect result. Well, almost. You are a bit rusty at all this, but seeing as you've constructed a mighty city in a very short time (for being so few, at least) your miners are confident they will make the mines operational soon.
Resources are being harvested already, but the city will be lit into life starting next turn. From there on, you need only expand your tunnels to increase the space of living.
Becoming comfortable with your new life, and due to population growth, another 5% is reduced from your adult population being able to take up arms in times of need.
[Morale boost for 5 more turns]
Population: 243 men, 187 women, 60 children. Livestock: 36 boars, 20 rams. Military: - Roughly 60% of adult population. Food level: - Good Resources: Furs, lumber, iron, copper, stone. Wealth: Strictly materialistic. Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Average Morale: Inspired (Boost from Kharan!) Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
Paused until player returns. Event in store: Soap and God boon from Tak.
Population: 151 men, 153 women, 90 children. Military: - Roughly 75% of adult population. Food level: - Good Resources: Herbal medicine, lumber, furs. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Good Morale: Indifferent Savage God Standing: Favored++ [Your standing with your god. As you progress in this religion, your standing with your god will become stronger and you will gain more power. DO NOT attempt to gain power on your own, it is only something you may ask for. As the GM, I will determine what Tak gives you and what he demands in the long-term game. Short-term, you may interact with him as you wish.] Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
[Prep turn 1] (still in choice of what to do with the birdfolk. Prep will be used next action that is taken as a civ)
(If you feel like you wanted to make a post before the turn advanced you are free to do 2 turns at once next turn. Your prep will be nulled and I will edit accordingly on this post.)
What will you do, Voltus?
Population: 180 men, 177 women, 100 children. Animals: 53 Horses. Military: - Roughly 30% of adult population. Food level: - Average Resources: Furs, lumber. (I feel like I'm missing something from this. What resources do you have again? Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Average Morale: Happy (Worried) Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
Paused until player returns. Auto-dropout in 1 turn.
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 500 adult goblins, 190 goblin spawnlings. Military: - Roughly 40% of adult population. Food level: - Average Resources: Furs, lumber. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Average Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
A few ogres dare to brave the waters of the earth-mother, but most ogres seem to stay clear of the place. They don't like talking about it, and the chieftain doesn't like his ogres bathing in the pools. It seems after but a few weeks, the ogres that usually took baths stopped due to their 'society' deeming it socially inacceptable. Do they know something you don't..?
Tork the Smart, the ogre who had journeyed with the priestess to find the pools, admits to lying to her. He says: "Me sorry, priestess. We already knew about water. Chieftain stays stay away, so we obey. It's a soothing place yes, but it gives some ogres bad feelings, your priest-ness." He appears to be the only ogre to speak of the subject.
[Morale boost for 2 more turns.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
The 'boulder ghosts' and the hunters get to work on constructing traps and laying them all over the mountain pass - the only way to your village. When done, you are confident this will dwindle their numbers and strike fear in their hearts!
You have two more turns to prepare. What next, chieftain?
A) Set up traps in the mountain pass! No one knows it better than us. Roll boulders over them and crush them when they try to get through! B) Increase the production of weapons and armor! When they come, we will be ready for them and we will beat them despite their numbers! C) Set up ambushes in the pass! With out beastmasters and raptors, we can hit them and retreat back into the safety of the rocks before they notice us, and wear them thin before they arrive. D) Block the mountain pass! It will take time and we can't block all the passes, but it will buy us some time and maybe they'll get lost in the mountains? E) Rally all your orcs to fight the enemy. When they come, every able-bodied man and woman will fight them with all they have, even though they have a limited time to learn how to fight.
You concstruct a shrine to Father Frost, the very god that froze your homeland and forced you to flee to this new land. You offer him gifts, and pray to him day and night to attempt to commune with the great God... But he remains silent. The gifts doesn't sway him, the shrine doesn't receive his blessing... Until one night.
Many other elders had given up, but not Ragnal. He was a veteran warrior and had fought many battles in his youth. Today he was old and could barely hold an axe, but his wisdom was as great as his scars were many. Father Frost spoke to him in a vision when he prayed. With moans of horror, Ragnal said nothing and stared out into the blackness for the entirety of the vision. The other elders watched with concern and worry as he finally snapped out of his trance and fell to his hands and knees. When the others helped him up, it was early morning, and the first thing he had spoken for hours was: "call a meeting". With the chieftain and the elders gathered, Ragnal spoke of what he had seen, and what Father Frost had told him.
The Leviathan was not of Father Frost's creation. Nor was it under his control. The God had told Ragnal that the Leviathan is under it's own accord, and holds sway with no one. The great God of War that once created and controlled the leviathan is long gone and believed to be dead. Therefore, the Frozen God could not steer off it's intent, but neither could he know it. But he offered to protect them. To once again become his chosen people and herald his coming into the world. He had frozen their former land because they had within them a great destiny to move and fulfill in another land. Perhaps this was it? Ragnal did not know. Cryptic were the Frozen God's words and unclear was his motives. This is what he had seen and heard. He awaits the council's comments.
-
The search party that was sent out to find the missing lumberjacks were found. Dead. They lay by the bordering forest to the west, where the plains meet the trees (south-west from the mountain river), with wounds made from steel and some even having arrows in their backs. It was evident that the lumberjacks had been slain when trying to flee from something. This wasn't all of them, however. Either the two missing lumberjacks are slain somewhere else, and these died after having fled, or they had been taken captive. The search party returns home with the bodies and reports their findings.
Examining the arrows in the bodies, they are of fine make. They are the highest quality arrows the fletchers of the village had ever seen... But the wooden shaft wasn't of any known sort of tree to them. It wasn't pine, elm, oak or birch. It was dark, almost charcoal in color but lean and smooth like the elm. Sturdy. Strong. There was something odd about these arrows.
(Forgot to add a morale decrease after the leviathan showed up. 3 turns decrease, 2 turns remaining.) [Morale decrease for 2 turns]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 174 men, 171 women, 91 children. Animals: 28 Northern Wolves. Military: - Roughly 50% of adult population. Food level: - Average Resources: Furs, lumber (low quantity), honey, iron, copper, tin. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Average Morale: Worried (Leviathan decrease) Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
The project of shovelling dirt to one place to another seemed genius to the humans. The trolls would never get them! They shovelled dirt nearer to the cliffs, until they spotted the trolls. They watched them from the cliffs. The humans were ready, to either flee or throw dirt at them... But there were too many trolls. The trolls came running down the cliffs, angry at the incursion. They were intent on slaying the humans. Most of your workers and, well, anyone there quickly turned and retreated. They stood by the trees and watched. The few humans who arrogantly stayed however, thinking that the dirt would protect them, were very wrong. They were quickly dismembered and eaten alive by the vicious trolls, or dragged off into the cliffs screaming. It appears that the shovelled dirt doesn't have the same effect on the trolls as the rest of the island has! Or is it the grass? Your people are puzzled by this, and mourn the loss of 6 miners who had so bravely stood their ground.
[6 men lost to troll attack] [Your cog has finished construction.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 149 men, 137 women, 33 children. Military: - Roughly 50% of adult population. Food level: - Low Resources: Lumber, iron. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Low Morale: Somewhat inspired. Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
The farmlands become more arrid, a blessing from your God. Food level is increasingly good! To celebrate, your people throw a feast and create a new holiday that shall be known as the Harvest Festival. Morale boost is increased during these holidays.
[Morale boost for 1 turn]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 152 men, 149 women, 79 children. Military: - Roughly 50% of adult population. Food level: - Good Resources: Stone, clay, lumber (low quantity), iron (low quantity), copper (low quantity). Wealth: - Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Good Morale: Happy (Boost from holiday) Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
[Prep turn 1, event still under progress] Being dwarves, it may have took you a few hours to agree to salvage the ship, but once the decision was made your craft hands were quickly put to use. The ships were dismantled in just a matter of days, and every thinkable little crook and cranny was used as materials for your new settlement. Rebuilding your former glory will be hard and a long tough road, but you are confident you can restore yourselves to the height you once reached. The scouting party are sent out into the hills, merrily prospecting like the Goldbeards you are. You explore the mountains quickly, scaling them faster and better than the other dwarven breeds usually do, but suddenly the front-most explorer stops in his tracks. He has just finished scaling a cliff, and the others are close behind him. "What do you see, Rhur?" one of the scouts shout at him from below. "I see... Dwarven architecture! he exclaims and turns around, his face equally joy and excitement.
Once the party is up at the cliff, they see that not too far from here (in goldbeard standards) is an entrence into one of the mountainwalls. It is a typical dwarven archway adorned with ancient dwarven runes that you cannot recognize from this far away. The entrence is medium-sized, so it's probably not a city, but maybe a minor settlement? What scares you though is how the doors aren't shut. They're partially open and seem damaged. Probably ruins... What do you do?
[Special event continued next turn.]
Population: 161 men, 109 women, 54 children. Military: - Roughly 50% of adult population. Food level: - Low Resources: - Nonexistant Wealth: - Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: - Very Low Morale: - High spirits Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
D: Culture: Seventy five adult men and women, all considering themselves worthy of eternal life based on fasting, and offerings for themselves over to Tak, by setting themselves on fire. Not as painful as a Human burning, but still more painful by far than most deaths, even for the Saurian body. They endured their ritual mass suicide by taking themselves over to a cave so they wouldn't be seen, smelled or heard by the children. The burning went on for a full hour before everyone had simply slipped into eternity. The other Saurians were very disturbed, even some who were considering joining the cultic deaths.
((Fasting invented, +75 deaths for Tak)).
E:Explore. . . The Saurians look towards their surrounding area. Too long have they spent their time idling about in the fields and tropical forests around them. Life was simple and sweet, and the Saurians had never been more sociable towards each other. Now was the time to look around them, however. They looked around their surroundings, for hundreds of square miles, searching for valuable resources. They hoped they could attain something different. Life was peaceful, but it was beginning to grow too monotonous. Maybe they could make whole new towns and villages.
X) Send scouts into that forest to find out more about whatever killed the lumberjacks, and H) Expand Military
When they heard word about the fate of the missing lumberjacks, every last one of the Ards was enraged. It would seem that there were some sort of hostile skraelings after all! Danr had been right to think to look for the skraelings, yet that thought brought him no satisfaction. It only made him angry now that he knew that if he had looked harder, perhaps those lumberjacks wouldn't have been caught by surprise and slain.
In any case, he needed to retaliate. They all wanted revenge, and if Danr looked weak by refusing to fight, they would shove a knife into his throat and find a new chieftain. So, he would retaliate all right...but he wouldn't be a fool about it. Clearly whatever things killed the lumberjacks had weapons and there could be thousands of them. Danr decided that he would send some of his best hunters, along with several beastmasters. There would be 15 men and 12 wolves going, split evenly into three groups. Aside from the wolves, they would of course be armed with bows and their choice of what axes and knives the tribe had to offer. Their goals would be simple: find out what killed the lumberjacks, where they lived, how many of them were out there, what weapons they had, and so on. If at all possible they were also to find the missing lumberjacks whose bodies weren't found, in addition to capturing one of the skraelings and bringing it back for questioning.
It was a lot to ask for and it was dangerous work, but that was why they would split into three groups. They wouldn't be far apart, so if one was attacked and the other two heard, they quickly come to help. Being separated would also make them able to more effectively and quickly do what needed to be done.
The tribe wasn't as big as they once were, but Danr knew that they could all fight like devils. They were no strangers to war. But before they attacked the skraelings, they would need more than the few rusty old weapons and pieces of armor that they had brought to this new land. While the scouts were away, the Ards would put to use their new smithy and the shipments of metal coming from the mine. The smiths would make armor, weapons, and arrows for as many warriors as they could. When the scouts came back, Danr and his warriors planned on being ready to attack their enemies.
X) Accept Father Frost's Offer
When it became apparent that Ragnal was the only one to successfully communicate with Father Frost, he was quickly bestowed with the ancient title of Godi. While some suspected that he had made up the story and many others were wont to give him a position of power, Danr believed Ragnal. Some of the other elders would still pray and try to communicate with Father Frost, of course. Perhaps they too could become Godis in time.
However, for now they would have Ragnal as the tribe's representative to the gods. After a long discussion at the meeting, it was agreed upon to accept Father Frost's offer. There were many omens at play: the snows were already coming in, showing that Father Frost still held power in this land and that he might very well return. The Leviathan showed the Ards that though they were mighty and had a great destiny, there would some forces too great to be overcame and they would need the help of the gods. Finally, the recent attack of the lumberjacks had showed them that there would be war on this land too. Just as Father Frost had blessed them and allowed them to thrive in their war-torn, frozen homeland, he could help them here.
As the stone statue of Father Frost was finally completed, they hauled it to the shrine and placed it on top of the altar. Animal blood was smeared on the stone slab and allowed to freeze into red hoarfrost. Then they gave the usual offerings of food. With that, Ragnal hoped to gain Father Frost's attention once more. He would tell the god of ice that they would serve him and become his chosen once more. While the Godi did not dare to ask favors of the god so soon, the tribe was secretly hoping that he might aid them in the battle to come with the skraelings, or at least tell them of their enemies.
-Three groups of scouts were sent to where the lumberjacks died, each group having five armed men and four wolves. They want to find basic information about whatever killed the lumberjacks, and if possible rescue the missing ones or capture one of the enemies for questioning. -While they do that, the Ards are making weapons and armor with the metal coming from their mine. -Ragnal is going to try to talk to Father Frost once again and say that they have accepted his offer and will become his chosen people once again.
There is a small event in the temple to the Inti where most of the elders of the town meet to discuss about almost everything including the Inti itself and how great is his greatness , but one of those days when the elders meet a strange topic emerged around them , they started to talk about signs , signs that could represent things one of the elders spoke and gave a great idea to everyone else .
-As a house means that someones lives there , maybe a few lines could represent it too , think it as a paint but more simple.
With this the elders started to discuss about this and at the end of the day , the elders leaved the temple with a few signs in a table , the elders started to explain this to everyone in the town , who tried to understand the signs but it was still kinda hard for them .With this only the elders knew how to write and read the signs perfectly as they made them but the rest of the people or understanded very little or they didnt understand nothing at all.
The discovery of the writing has been made , but it only has spread to the elders and into a small portion of the population
The Priestess sat in her enclave mulling over the words of the ogres. While initially some younger ogres had been coerced into the holy waters, they now had outright refused to venture upon the Goddess' gift. If she were a more fiery-hearted individual she would have called out their blasphemy, for now she was resigned -with heavy thoughts- to accomodate their lack of adherence to join their human kin in the healing waters.
For the glory and love of the Earth Mother she had to convince the Ogres otherwise.
With a small delegation of Acolytes she led an envoy to the Ogres camp to discuss their stigma against the waters. At the very least she would attempt to understand why they fear the waters, but she and her flock hoped to bring them about to their beliefs.
---
In the meanwhile the civilian population would work on increasing their bounties, while the holy water was mostly used to bathe, they began to ceremoniously sprinkle fields with a small portion on the start of the planting season. In addition, they wanted to improve their methods of agriculture. While the soil was yet fertile in most of the region, their history shows that won-ton use of the earth leaves it barren. The non-priestly members of the Small Council mulled over planting methods and began to experiment with the use of a four-field system, a way to have crops growing through all seasons without exhausting the Earth. While the main food crops are maintained on 2 of the 4 steps, turnips, radishes and other bitter root crops are planted to ease the burden of the soil while feeding both livestock and people. In addition clovers and alfalfa were to be planted to act as soil revitalizes as well as being used as grazing lands.
Yo, Ogres, why so salty? Priestess gonna change that, water is hella' good. Yo, Farms, why so inefficient? Clover and turnips gonna change that, crop rotations are hella' good.
Goreu was pleased with himself. He had earned his people the Sky-Lord’s favor once again, and he hoped that, in time, they might again have his blessing. He had needed to rest before setting back down the mountain, and found that the harsh weather did not harass him there. He did not know if that would hold true for the journey down, but he certainly hoped it did. Either way, he needed to return to his people.
Aderyn was overjoyed that the Ards accepted his offer of a meal. The Cewri were nervous about these creatures, small as they may be, but trusted that Aderyn had some idea what he was doing—and he did, kind of, a little bit—and sat by thefire with the Ards. They opened up to them over the shared meal.
As far as the Ards questions, some of the Cewri were anxious to answer such things, but Aderyn was willing. “Answers related. Cewri live on large island, across small water in north. Few trees on island, come over to learn about land, including seek wood” After a pause, he added with a chuckle, “Meant to land further west, where water smallest, but flow take Cewri off course. There forest to southwest, see from raft. Many, many trees. Enough for Cewri and Ard.”
"And Ards? Where live?”
X)Other: Goreu begins travelling back down the Misty Mountain. I)Take Diplomatic Action: Talk with the Ard Lumberjacks.
The deaths of 75 men and women was a heavy blow to the population of the tribe. The tribe received no word from their Savage God Tak, but who knows what the suicides were blessed with after their deaths? Life was indeed simple and sweet for the Saurians, but with this sudden tragedy, the tribe began experiencing civil unrest. Some began to doubt the intentions of Tak in secret, and highly disliked the ritual suicides... What future would they have if they all killed themselves?! By each passing day, a few saurians began questioning their leader, the Dragonpriest. Was the way of Tak truly the right way?
None the less, the most adventerous of you journey out into the world to explore. Some will come back next turn, some might come back later.
[+Standing with Tak increased], Dragonpriest is awaiting word from their God. He is sure that Tak will bless them soon. [-40 men and 35 women died during ritual suicide]
Population: 109 men, 115 women, 92 children. Military: - Roughly 75% of adult population. Food level: - Good Resources: Herbal medicine, lumber, furs. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Good Morale: Indifferent Savage God Standing: Favored+++ [Your standing with your god. As you progress in this religion, your standing with your god will become stronger and you will gain more power. DO NOT attempt to gain power on your own, it is only something you may ask for. As the GM, I will determine what Tak gives you and what he demands in the long-term game. Short-term, you may interact with him as you wish.] Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
[Prep turn 2] (You need to make a choice from turn 11. Your prep will be used the next time you take a CIV-action)
What will you do, Voltus?
Population: 189 men, 185 women, 102 children. Animals: 55 Horses. Military: - Roughly 30% of adult population. Food level: - Average Resources: Furs, lumber. (I feel like I'm missing something from this. What resources do you have again? Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Average Morale: Happy (Worried) Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
@solamelike Player automatically dropped out due to inactivity.
[You may roleplay meeting Cyclone's nation as you wish]
Goreu returns to his people to tell them of what he has seen and what he has been told. His people are inspired by his return, and begin making preparations to celebrate the return of their God!
Population: 149 men, 138 women, 71 children. Livestock: 40 Sheep Military: - Roughly 30% of adult population. Food level: - Average Resources: Furs, lumber (low quantity), wool. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Average Morale: Hopefull Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
Back home, your genial farmers develop what they call the four-field system, to allow the earth to grow crops all year without leaving it barren in the end. With the help of the holy-water from the springs of the Earth Mother, this proves to work to great success!
When your priestess journeys to the ogre chieftain to speak of the waters, they meet him in his hut, sitting on a big rock carved out by his very own bum to fit him perfectly. When he hears that you wish to speak of the springs, he rises up and angrily orders all servants to exit the hut. They scurry out of the hut, afraid of their chieftain's wrath.
"Okey little humies. Let's speak o' da springs. Sumthin' not rite in dere, me says. So me ogres stay away. Yu have problem with dat?!" When your priestess attempts to analyze his personality, she realizes he is very stubborn, dumb and mostly just muscle but she also realizes he is not as narrow-minded as he at first had seemed. How can this be? Ogres are strange.
[Morale boost for 1 more turn.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 228 men, 191 women, 98 children. Livestock: 73 cattle. Military: - Roughly 30% of adult population. Food level: - High Resources: Food, lumber, stone. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Good Morale: Happy (Bonus from discovering wells!) Foreign relations: -Ogre Camp: Friendly (Accepting) Earth-Mother Standing: Favored+ [Your standing with your god. Levels are Initiate, Favored, Blessed and Chosen. The higher the level, the higher the boons. Plus signs or minus signs show you are increasing or declining.]
A) Set up traps in the mountain pass! No one knows it better than us. Roll boulders over them and crush them when they try to get through! B) Increase the production of weapons and armor! When they come, we will be ready for them and we will beat them despite their numbers! C) Set up ambushes in the pass! With out beastmasters and raptors, we can hit them and retreat back into the safety of the rocks before they notice us, and wear them thin before they arrive. D) Block the mountain pass! It will take time and we can't block all the passes, but it will buy us some time and maybe they'll get lost in the mountains? E) Rally all your orcs to fight the enemy. When they come, every able-bodied man and woman will fight them with all they have, even though they have a limited time to learn how to fight.
Father Frost is quick to respond to Ragnal's calls and the tribe's offerings. He is pleased, and he speaks quickly. He says that he knows what the Ards want - his blessing in battle - but he asks for patience. His grip in this new land is not yet complete, and wont be until the first cycle of winter has come and gone. Only then can he once again bless the Ards with the powers that was once theirs. After this, a few of the other elders are also able to hear these words, so they too can communicate with their Frozen God.
The scouting/warparties that were sent out in groups of three to the forests of the west will arrive next turn. From there, things will begin to pick up.
In addition, they are equipped with some of the new weapons and armors from the smith and workshop that was set up by the Ards' mining operations at the mountain.
[Morale decrease for 1 turn]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 182 men, 179 women, 94 children. Animals: 30 Northern Wolves. Military: - Roughly 50% of adult population and all wolves. Food level: - Average Resources: Furs, lumber (low quantity), honey, iron, copper, tin. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Average Morale: Worried (Leviathan decrease) Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations. Father Frost standing: Initiate+ [Your standing with your god. Levels are Initiate, Favored, Blessed and Chosen. The higher the level, the higher the boons. Plus signs or minus signs show you are increasing or declining.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 155 men, 142 women, 34 children. Military: - Roughly 50% of adult population. Food level: - Low Resources: Lumber, iron. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Low Morale: Somewhat inspired. Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
Your intelligent men and women begin developing writing and further increase the capabilities of your language.
[Morale boost ends]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect further H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 160 men, 158 women, 81 children. Military: - Roughly 50% of adult population. Food level: - Good Resources: Stone, clay, lumber (low quantity), iron (low quantity), copper (low quantity). Wealth: - Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: Good Morale: Happy Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations. Sun-God/Inti standing: Initiate+ [Your standing with your god. Levels are Initiate, Favored, Blessed and Chosen. The higher the level, the higher the boons. Plus signs or minus signs show you are increasing or declining.]
[Prep turn 2, event still under progress] Being dwarves, it may have took you a few hours to agree to salvage the ship, but once the decision was made your craft hands were quickly put to use. The ships were dismantled in just a matter of days, and every thinkable little crook and cranny was used as materials for your new settlement. Rebuilding your former glory will be hard and a long tough road, but you are confident you can restore yourselves to the height you once reached. The scouting party are sent out into the hills, merrily prospecting like the Goldbeards you are. You explore the mountains quickly, scaling them faster and better than the other dwarven breeds usually do, but suddenly the front-most explorer stops in his tracks. He has just finished scaling a cliff, and the others are close behind him. "What do you see, Rhur?" one of the scouts shout at him from below. "I see... Dwarven architecture! he exclaims and turns around, his face equally joy and excitement.
Once the party is up at the cliff, they see that not too far from here (in goldbeard standards) is an entrence into one of the mountainwalls. It is a typical dwarven archway adorned with ancient dwarven runes that you cannot recognize from this far away. The entrence is medium-sized, so it's probably not a city, but maybe a minor settlement? What scares you though is how the doors aren't shut. They're partially open and seem damaged. Probably ruins... What do you do?
[Special event continued next turn.]
Population: 168 men, 113 women, 55 children. Military: - Roughly 50% of adult population. Food level: - Low Resources: - Nonexistant Wealth: - Nonexistant Trade: - Nonexistant Growth: - Very Low Morale: - High spirits Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
D: Culture: The Dragon Priest noticed that people were beginning to grow impatient with Tak, worse than impatient, they were angry, although understandably so. The Dragon Priest was sure there would be immediate and powerful miracles emanating from the disaster, he was wrong. So he continued to speak with Tak, hoping to garner favor with him. He asked Tak for the people to have the power of speaking to and sometimes with Tak in prayer, instead of relying exclusively on sacrificing their own blood. Perhaps Tak would accept animal blood just for asking for his blessings and power. Nevertheless, Tak was their patron and who they worshiped. ((Prayer/Communion invented))
E: Explore. . . Only 7 total sacrifices were made for now. The people could not afford any more self-sacrifice than that. Five women, and two men. The Dragon Priest asked for two accidental deaths of children, shot by hunters to be like sacrifices. However, in the mean time five males and nine women joined the search that explorers already began before them. Hopefully they could round up enough potential territory to establish a very large territory.
The Priestess grinded her teeth among each other. The Ogre Chief is still barring his people from using the waters without giving an adequate reason for doing so. The Earth Mother would surely be cross at this and while the Priestess believed Her to be merciful, She would undoubtedly feel betrayed.
Still the Ogres were stubborn in their ways and the Earth Mother preached the teachings of patience and kindness, and what better kindness than choice. She and her most loyal adepts still preached in open at the Ogre camps, but offered discrete ritual baptisms to any young Ogres willing to have it. These rituals were to be kept under wraps, but she hoped to get a few Ogres to see the true glory of the Earth Mother, and if the Chieftain would disagree, which he may, she was adamant in saving the souls of his younger and less close-minded kin.
---
Back in Banana fort, the growth of the village was apparent. New families and friends were being made as new generations were incorporated into the fold. Still a slight scare with an onset of high fevers showed the adverse affects of close knitted families, there had to be a more organized way to care for the sick. As such some families with knowledge of healing plants as well as Novices of the Earth Mother's temple offered care to any sick. They figured an organized force of caretakers could better heal the afflicted as well as keep the healthy population checked and unaffected. It was rudimentary at best, simple beds and cots using ginseng and other simple herbs boiled in the Spring Water, or patch work for serious physical injury, this service would be given to all: old, young, poor, affluent, human or ogre, the Earth Mother protects all.
The Ards already had a decent cotton farm going, but the question remained what to do with it. Danr had first envisioned weaving the fibers into rope and sailcloth, but the stuff seemed warm and also suitable for clothing. In any case, one longhouse had its work area designated for use as a tailor shop. A primitive gin was built to separate the seeds from the cotton tufts, a loom was built to make beams of cloth, and all sorts of other equipment to make yarn and rope were also set up.
None of this was hard labor and normally the Ards were much more industrious, but with the recent worry about the Leviathan, war brewing with the death of the lumberjacks, and men out on scouting missions, Danr didn't want to push his people too hard. In any case, while setting up the tailors' workshop wasn't a monumental task, it was an important one. Warm cloth and sturdy rope were important resources, and now the tribe had a plentiful supply of both.
Horik, ever cautious and mistrustful, fell quiet for a moment when asked where his people lived. He should have been prepared for that question after having asked it himself, yet he wasn't. For a moment he struggled for an answer and then determined that he would simply give them directions inland by the mountain, to the Ards' mine. If their intentions were good they would find some of the tribesmen there, and if they meant to attack, they wouldn't deal so much damage and hopefully at least some of the miners would escape to warn the actual village of Njor.
But before he could tell that lie, one of the younger lumberjacks that lacked both caution and smarts told them the truth. "By the coast is our village, down east. Can't miss the fishing piers and you can see the smoke for miles. We cal the place Njor."
Well, for good or bad, the Cewri knew where the Ards actually lived. Horik tried to give the one that had spoken out a subtle yet menacing glare, but in trying to be subtle and hide it from the Cewri he also was so sly about it that the loudmouth didn't even notice. Sighing, Horik at last thanked the Cewri for their meat and then told his own men to get ready to head out. After saying farewell and peacefully parting, they saw about building a logging camp in the forest that the Cewri had told them about.
-Added cotton cloth and rope as resources. -The lumberjacks that went out like 5 turns ago finished talking to the Cewri and went to build a logging camp. Maybe the Ards can finally have more wood.
As the ability to make tools from the copper developed a new application was found , this application was about creating weapons and a very basic kind of armor , at first it took very long for the blacksmith to even make a sword or a helmet but with every try he improved himself and with this ability he started to send word to the Great Leader , after he saw some demonstrations he was convinced of making use of the copper for war.
They had only settled long enough with something of a shoddy wooden wall before starting a settlement, trying to make sure they had some sort of protection. While not a reinforced wooden wall, it was enough to give them time to prepare against an attack. Princess Lestra had little to no knowledge of Military Tactics, depending on her Fathers best friend, general, and leader of the Personal Guard, to make sure they were safe. She wasn't very well versed in civilization or agriculture either, the most she knew was a little politics. While the government of Aeroral didn't require a King to lead and/or limit a Queens power (It gave Queen as much power as a King), it was still expected that women didn't go into things as much as men did. Not that they couldn't, it's just they weren't encouraged to or looked at as. She was confused and lost, heavily dependent on her Fathers best friend.
