Amari Asto would announce the fact that Lizardmen were now mad or at least it seemed like it, maybe their nature was like that all along although that wouldn't be consistent with the previous reports of his scouts, therefore, facing this threat Amari Asto decided to set up a military force for the Kingdom, it would consist of mostly spearmen, patrolling the Quarry in the mountains in order to protect it in case the Lizardmen attacked , after this there were plans to deal with them should more reports like these come again.
Quickly enough he sent Manco to set up this military force and tell them about their duties.
A meeting was held the day after Echadon's return, and strangely but not unexpected, the first topic up for discussion was what ore source to mine first. Gold was naturally argued for the most, but after prolonged discussion and some urging and reasoning from Arngir, supported by Echadon, it was decided that they would immediately send a group to start a copper mine. This way they would be able to make some tools, though they would not be as good as bronze or iron.
Ursar, Friend/Foe Potential
Next it was about what to do regarding the Ursa. The story and requests that Echadon relayed to the meet, were heard by all. And they all felt the same way upon hearing it. Another people who had once been slaves like them. Arngir was the first to break the silence, "Kinship in slavery... I do not wish to be enemies with them, but would rather make them our friends if possible." The others nodded in approval of his thoughts.
It was decided to send Echadon back to the Ursa home, this time with less people, meaning six, and less armed. His goal would be to see if they could tell him more of the surrounding land, such as was resources could be found. Another task Arngir asked of him was to share the story of their own exodus, of how they too were slaves, in return for sharing theirs. And to convey that they wished to be friends if they would allow it.
F) Improve Resources: A group of dwarves have been sent to start a copper mine at what they have taken to calling Mt. Copper. A simple but acceptable name. I) Take Diplomatic Action: Echadon has been sent back to attempt further diplomacy with the Ursa.
(A?) The next step was uncertain. On the surface it seemed a decent place to once again attempt to make a new life, but there were no guarantees that it would not end up just like Celebrimbor, if not worse. There, too, they had a river to protect them, but when the orcs came it was not enough to stop the defeat and slaughter of their kinsmen. The rushing river to the west could just as easily stop an enemy as it could wall their backs, at least until bridges are able to be constructed. The recent ordeals had made the general atmosphere pessimistic to say the least.
But just as there was no guarantee of safety or prosperity from staying, there was none from continuing. The weather only became colder as they went along and travelling in this manner was taxing on both spirit and body. It was decided that they would stay for now. The elf-at-arms would journey up, down and around the rivers, searching the area for friend or foe and any indication of the land's suitability for settlement so that a final decision might be made.
The elven woman who had hanged herself had only a small, private and fast ceremony. Her cause of death was not generally discussed as hanging or suicide, but as death from grief, though most understood this to be a euphemism. Few people, if anyone, wanted to preoccupy themselves with the matter. Their society's view of suicide is not entirely clear cut, based in muddled questions of fate and free will, but to suddenly take your life in this manner was certainly taboo. Taking her life she had abandoned her people and the path she was supposed to walk in life.
Three brave men led the advance, peeking into the shaft that had the broken wall that was the entrance to the giblins' domain. They rounded the corner, shields held up, and stood in front of the entrance. It was a small choke, but the three of them could enter shoulder to shoulder, and so they did. The gilbin hissed at them and pointed their "spears" (sticks) at them, but seemed too scared to attack.
It wasn't an ambush.
Unsure of what to do, the three slowly took a few steps into the cavern, lit up by torches along the walls. They realized the area was a large hollowed-out cavern in the mountains. Several crude huts adorned the walls and grounds with some rope-ladder-looking contraptions leading up to the ones on the walls. It seems the gilbin lived here, and every single one of them was standing in front of the three. They weren't very strong with counting, but they estimated the gilbin were only around two-hundred to three-hundred in numbers. Which meant they outnumbered the Iceborn about two to one, but they were small, had no armor and their weaponry was laughable. They were also notably scared.
The young one of the three peeked out of the entrance and hollared to the others. "They're afraid! No ambush! Dag, what are your orders?"
Meanwhile, back at Dagshall, the people that were left still had a village to run. What would they do while Dag and his warriors were at the mine doing "diplomacy"? (While you're away, your village still functions as normal, although at lesser efficiency. While you take "diplomatic" action at the mine, you may start a regular order back at your settlement.)
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 150 men, 150 women, 50 children. Livestock: A herd of goat. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 60% of adult population. Food level: Above Average Resources: Lumber, Iron, Honey (low quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level, +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
The message reached Maxim quickly. His daughter was planning a very dangerous move indeed, and he still had time to send the galley to help her. Without wasting any time, he ordered it done, hoping the Orcish boats hadn't returned from wherever they had been when the fishermen had sailed by.
Aurilius was nervous. He had been running many scouting-missions by order of General Aemilina, and had grown confident and perhaps comfortable enough to attempt to speak to her without being sent for. He seeks her out on his own accord. "General, if I may speak freely." he says as soon as he sees her. She was inspecting her troops, getting ready for the attack when he found her. She nodded. The two walked off to the side to speak, as to not worry the other men and women at arms. "General, I fear no enemy and will follow you to the ends of the earth, but I fear if we fail in this attack, the orcs will follow us back to New Matem. I wish for no such fate for our people... I have family back at our island." The two engaged in conversation for a long while. Aemilina was certain their attack would work, and she managed to convince Aurilius of it. They would attack at nightfall, and sail away before the orcs could react to their docks burning.
And then nightfall came. Aemilina ordered her men up, and hope to her Gods that the galley will arrive in time. Strangely, the orcs hadn't found them yet and they managed to sneak up the hill overlooking the docks. The docks were relatively unmanned. Perhaps a dozen orcs were still working in the night, and half of them were ... Drunk? They seemed to behave oddly. There was but a single small boat docked, and it looked like a run-down human vessel from faraway lands. Perhaps the orcs had found some sort of alcoholic beverage aboard a merchant vessel, captured it and drunk all the booze? Speculation aside, there was no better time to strike than now. The moon was shrouded by thin clouds, and the only light available was the torches on the docks. They'd burn the docks and begone before the orcs would know.
Two days later...
Maxim was worried. His galley hadn't returned from the orc encampment yet and there had been no sight of his daughter. He was just about to order for scouts be sent to the mainland to search for them when a young strong man came running in, bent to one knee and waited to be adressed. "I am Aurilius, I come with news of our success in the mainland. The orcish docks have been burned and we managed to slip away in the night. The general and most of our men are tired or wounded, and so they sent me ahead to bring you these news personally. Our boats are docking just now, if you wish to see them."
Once a proper report was given to Maxim, he learned that the attack had begun fluently, but that the orcs had been waiting for them near the docks. As soon as they came rushing in and started burning the docks, hundreds of Orcs had came at them from all sides. Thanks to the narrow docks, Aemilina and her men had managed to keep the orcs funneled in a choke long enough to get aboard their ships and escape with the help of the galley. As they left, they could watch the furious orcs try to save their burning docks and the one human ship they had captured. Twenty men had been wounded, another ten had been killed, and Aemilina herself had suffered a minor wound to her thigh by a stray sword bouncing off someone's shield.
[10 soldiers lost. 20 soldiers wounded. Expedition successful. Conscripts returning to their everyday life.] [Estimated 5 orcs killed and 20 wounded. The battle went very well despite the orcs numbering in the hundreds against your 100.]
Results from the search of iron will yield next turn.
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 148 men, 143 women, 47 children. Military: Available: 8 Footmen. - Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Above average Resources: Clay, Stone, Marble (small quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - Unnamed Redskin-Orc Village: Hostile
There was no shortage of fresh recruits. Many were eager to defend their new home, and to serve their people in other ways than cultivating crops or hammering away at stone. At the end of the recruitment period, twenty men had signed up for military service willingly, while the rest of the adult population was content with being levied in times of turmoil. The twenty spearmen were drilled, instructed and sent to work. They would protect their people with spear and shield and a pride quickly grew among them. A positive kind of pride, that is.
[You have recruited 20 spearmen. Their training is lackluster at the moment, but they will improve as several turns advance.]
The nobles bought the story of the Lizardmen seeming mad. Even if they weren't, the hostile actions of their scouts would justify meeting them with force if they ever showed up here with ill intent.
[You may choose to establish a mine or a lumbermill as second and third workorders. This will take one turn respectively to establish unless another action is specified.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 149 men, 147 women, 44 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Above average Resources: Stone, lumber, copper (pending). Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +10% from food level, +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
The scouts had ran along the area for days. The wildlife was plentiful, the earth was rich thanks to the two rivers, and a few smaller forests was found north across the river, directly south, and west across the more violent river. Further downstreams, where the violent river forked into a smaller offshoot, the waters were calm enough to get a small raft and cross the river, which a brave scout had done to indeed find the western forest. Further north however, the elves found... Tracks. Peculiar tracks. Light tracks, the same size of an elf's, or a human's. Additionally, south-east there was a small hill that had a peculiar shape. It was very round and very steep, as if a perfectly circular object lied here. There, a scout had come across a giant creature by accident, and at first the scout had been quite frightened, but it soon became clear that the gentle giant meant him no harm. The two spoke for a long while, and parted as friends. He returned to his people to tell them of the natives here whom seemed very friendly. With him he had been given a large pelt of a wolf, the largest direwolf the scout had ever seen, but the giant had called it a mere runt! Speculating, the elves came to the conclusion that the lands to the south, near, around and in the thick woods they had walked through were huge, with everything being larger than anywhere else. That must be why the giants lived there, and why he had called the wolf a runt. Up here, surely, the elves would be safe.
More intruiging, the giant had mentioned other elves. They hadn't spoken of it directly, but it seemed to the scout that the giant implied he had met other elves only recently. Perhaps that would explain the northern tracks? Were there other elves here? Other than the Dark Elves of the Dark Woods to the south, of course...
One night, all had the same dream. All awoke at different times, and once they woke they couldn't all quite remember what it was, but when some started speaking of it, others joined in. It seemed everyone could remember having the same dream, only different parts of it.
It had been a giant silhouette of a grand elf-looking diety, speaking to them of their promised land. The silhouette apologized for not watching over them during the battle with the orcs, that he had been fighting his own battles. He promised to guide them and protect them from now on, and that this was the land to be theirs! Was it Artemon...?
A) Establish settlement. B) Pack up and leave. C) End...
(Option C means the elves of Celebrimbor are lost to the lands and you may start again with a new civ.)
Population: 89 men, 91 women, 25 children. Military: 7 Elf-at-Arms. Militia able to be conscripted up to 20% of adult population. Food level: Low Resources: None Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: 0% Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - Bonesnapper Tribe: Hated - Giant Camp: Friendly
Copper it would be. As soon as the miners came there and started working, they realized something peculiar. "Oi." said a miner to another. "There's tin here as well! It's like we can mine BRONZE directly from the walls!" he joked. It seemed the copper mine was, at the same time, a tin mine.
Echadon was excited to meet the Ursar again. At the moment he had met them, he was nervous, but the more time he spent thinking about them and at last telling his clan about them, he had grown quite fascinated by them. They were large, strong, honorable and with similar history as Clan Oreborn. The two races could be good friends, if the Ursar wanted it.
He arrived, and was treated as a guest. At first, the Ursar didn't seem to want any outsiders in their home, but the longer Echadon talked to Oras the faster they seemed to accept the dwarves. They spoke of their stories of exodus, and the Ursar leaders could sympathize. They accepted friendship with the dwarves, but made it clear that they did not yet know the dwarves well enough to accept an official declaration of friendship between them. For now they suggested, of which Echadon agreed, that the two races visit each other from time to time, share knowledge, and work together politically as they shared close proximity to each other. The Ursar elders asked Echadon to remember that they were a reclusive and lonely race and would often prefer to be left alone. Echadon returned home satisfied, but nothing of real political value other than great conversation. The Ursar had promised to send Oras over within a fortnight for further diplomatic discussion. Things such as sharing maps of the nearby geography, numbers of settlements and population and knowledge was talked of a great deal, but would not be yielded by either part just yet.
[Tin and copper added to resources. Mine added to map.] [Echadon has been sent to the Ursar. He will return home next turn with his report of his the diplomatic mission went.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 133 men, 129 women, 36 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Average Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +0% from food level, +0% from morale = 5%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - The Ursar: Neutral
One could say the covenant had found lands they never imagined existed. Where they came from, green was a rare color in the wild. The white, gray, black and muddy brown dominated the landscape with the occasional red from recently felled prey. They hadn't encountered many other peoples, but still they knew they were not alone in this world. Before they realized they had to leave their homeland, they had come across humans sailing south. A few moons later, the Lycans had done the same. The lands they had known simply wasn't hostpitable anymore. It wasn't theirs anymore. Once, the different tribes that made up the covenant had fancied themselves nations of their own, with a once mighty people each and a number to reflect it. Today, less than three-hundred of them still stood.
How they managed to craft crude rafts and cross the icy unforgiving seas, they did not know. Perhaps their gods had watched over them the entire way, to make sure they would survive the effort. Many among the covenant felt this was a sign that their destiny indeed lied southward. If that was the case however, still remained to be seen.
Almost as soon as food and watersupplies ran out, the lycans had spotted land. There, on the horizon, they had come upon the continent in the season of summer, where green could be found even in the farthest of north, although briefly. Still, the tundra was evident and their instincts drove them further south. Following along the coast, the rafts used a great mountain to navigate the shores. A day after they had passed a river flowing down from the mountain, the weather had turned worse and their rafts had finally given in, smashed among the cliffs.
The Covenant had found their new home, and immediately set out to scout the nearby region to find material to build their rudimentary settlement. The wildlife consisted of elk, moose, deer, occasionally a boar. By the sea they had found seals resting by the rocks. However, they had also spotted native wolves near the woods, and great brown bear lurked near the river. If there was one, there could be more.
The lands weren't theirs yet. They'd have to fight to survive here, and make it theirs. However, the richness of the wilds was not lost to the covenant: this truly was their destiny. This truly was a blessing. What will be the first action of the Lycan Covenant and their tribes?
[As a late arrival, your food-level begins at very low on your first turn and settles on low at your second. You can speed up and improve this process as normal.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 120 men, 115 women, 15 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. (Number is higher than usual due to your savage nature and culture.) Food level: Very low (Improving) Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% -5% from food level,+0% from morale = 0%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
Many things had changed since the goblins arrived in their new home. They hadn't been here for long, but for the first time ever, most of them woke up without the kicking and shouting of their Orcish enslavers. Their taskmasters. Their tormentors. One could say, the enclave was a glorified refugee camp. That had to change. The goblins didn't have much in the way of food in these swamps. That had to change. Tools, resources, even basic housing for some of them, was absent. That also had to change.
Yes, many things had changed since the goblins arrived, but many more things had to change for the better if they were to make it in this harsh environment they had chosen for themselves. They had dubbed the swamp the Orc-Grave swamp because they knew - orcs would sink and die here. Some of them had seen it first-hand when they had fled here from chasing orcs - the smaller and more nimble goblins had outwitted and outmanouvered the orcs in the swamps, causing the big brutes to slip, fall, sink and drown. It wasn't a pretty fate, but some of the goblins wished even worse for their former masters.
They hadn't been idle, the goblins of the enclave. Around the swamps were low, gnarly trees with vines hanging low. There were roots that slipped up and down the mires like snakes or eels, and bushes with huge leaves that could serve as cover for an entire goblin. Thin but resistant and tough leaves. Some of them had already crafted themselves makeshift roofs out of the stuff, but they lacked the proper tools and techniques to properly wield their new materials. That also, had to change.
Up in the trees were birds of all sizes and colors. Some were scary, some where cute, and all seemed edible. At the mid-level, at about the same height as the goblins traversed the swamps, there were small critters like salamanders or dark-greenish tinted rodents that looked like blighted squirrels, but nonetheless looked edible. Most of the flora however seemed unedible. Some had already fallen to the poisonous nature of some plants, and other plants had sprung up from the ground and swallowed a goblin whole. Not even an exhageration! Finally, down in the waters were huge lizards and medium lizards. Some had massive jaws and hundreds of teeth, others weren't quite as big but faster and slippier. They worked in unison sometimes to catch prey, the big ones seeming like alpha leaders to groups of smaller ones. Then there was the lonely snakes. From sizes ranging to just a few goblin hands in length, to several entire goblins in length - and width! Some swam, others climbed trees, others still burrowed into the murky muddy ground, what little of it there was.
A savage land indeed. The goblins would have to fight hard in order to conquer it and make it their own. Or would they succumb to the lands, and fade away..? No... Gredy wouldn't let it happen. What would the goblins do first to establish themselves? What would be the first action of the Orc-Grave Swamp Enclave?
[As a late arrival, your food-level begins at very low on your first turn and settles on low at your second. You can speed up and improve this process as normal.] [Additionally, despite your low foodlevel your natural growth is so high you still have a 2% growth. This being turn 1 however, you won't start to see your population actually increasing until next turn.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 125 men, 125 women, 50 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Very low (Improving) Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 7% -5% from food level,+0% from morale = 2%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
The dark-elves had just arrived on the continent, led here by some unknown force or perhaps just the wind of their sails. They were few in number, but of high spirit and mood. Their ruler, Llyr the Younger, saw over the construction of their new crude settlement upon the island of which they had arrived on and deemed worthy. He named of Han'Hathras, of their own ancient language. So old were the words, that some of the youngling elves had not yet learned their meaning.
Before their ships had been smashed by a sudden storm, a small boat had managed to sail further east and found that the mainland was large and mighty. The island they were on would be sufficient for them for now, with rocky cliffs around many of the shores and especially in the north half of the island, with thick forestation in the center, with the rest being flat, windswept land. Near the shores where there were no cliffs was white sand beaches, warm and soft to walk upon. The wildlife was large but not numerous, but with many edible fruits and berries growing in the forest. Many, if not all agreed, this was a good place to make a new home.
[As a late arrival, your food-level begins at very low on your first turn and settles on low at your second. You can speed up and improve this process as normal.] [Despite having -1% growth, you will not lose numbers on turn 1, and as your food level improves automatically on turn 2, you should be fine then also.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 125 men, 125 women, 50 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Very low (Improving) Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 4% -5% from food level,+0% from morale = -1%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
"Here comes home the conquering hero. Well done on sucess with your first battle, may it be the first of many victories to come!" Maxim celebrated his returning daughter with a clap on the back, kissing her cheeks." Aemilina herself was limping slightly but otherwise exuberant, the crowd that had arrived when the galley returned cheering and clapping. The orcs wouldn't be an issue now that the boats were burnt, and the clash had given them a taste of Matem steel. It was a trifling victory in the grand scheme of things, butna victory nonetheless.
The group surveyors had gone too far, and were now hopelessly lost. They had voyaged too far inland, and were now blindly walking through the forest, praying to the divines that they would receive a sign if where to go next. Whilst they were feeling somewhat confidant that they could survive for a while longer, they were nervous and unsure of what dwelt here, this was uncharted territory after all.
The soldiers come back and are hailed as heroes. One of the surveying teams loses track of where they're going because they're idiots, and goes too far north.
A) Improve Food Vlath nodded as he received word of the game available to his people. The wolves could be a source of trouble in the future, he would deal with them soon enough. Yet again, Vlath turned to Mex who stood before him with the other tribe leaders and spoke "Mex, I want you to track as many deer as you can. Do not kill them, scare them towards us" He then turned to address Basir as well Basir "You will build an area to hold these beasts in. We will allow them to breed,and then feast. After we have a sufficient amount of deer in these holding pens, then you and your tribe will continue to hunt Mex, but you will share the food throughout the tribes. Basir, you may use whatever timber you can gather from our ships to make these pens. Go , both of you." The two tribe leaders bowed before silently leaving the tent. Now Vlath turned to Grash "Bloodfang. These wolves Mex has reported may be a source of trouble in the future. Select a group of your most capable warriors and inform them they may soon see battle" Grash laughed "You worry about mere beasts voidcaller? We are the Gods chosen! They are no threat." Vlath shook his head "Not a threat to us Grash, but our food. What else do you think they eat? The bears? The seals? No. They are competition, eliminate it." Grash nodded "Very well, high voidcaller" he muttered before exiting the tent.
"A fine plot, wouldn't you say?" Called Llyr's raised voice over the thrashing roar of the waves. "Reminds me a little bit of home. That should help ease those pesky settler nerves. Why I've been sleeping better just for being off the ship!" The fresh faced elf remarked chirpily.
"I suppose it does bear some similarities to the isles, Sir." Intoned Caradoc, the solemn warrior's expression remaining as blank and unreadable as ever.
"A lot less severe though, wouldn't you say, Caradoc?" Llyr smiled. "I mean we won't name it anything as gloomy as The Bitterblack Isles, that'll certainly help matters. And hopefully we won't get the near constant rain and storms, I'd loathe to have crossed the sea only to end up somewhere gloomier than the old isles." Llyr's pearly white teeth gleamed from ear to pointed ear. Unlike his grim faced bodyguard he looked determined to break all the stereotypes of the elder folk being distant and haughty.
"From what our scouts have brought back, Sir, it seems the southern reaches of the island are heavily forested and the beaches are more on the... tropical side than our native reaches." Caradoc offered, his eyes still distant, looking out to the sea.
"Yes I heard!" Llyr practically cheered. "White sands and all! I'd almost forgotten beaches could have that instead of just being a sloping collection of pebbles." And he loved it, the crisp colour of the sands, the clear skies over the flowing waters all while the warming rays of the sun gently lay upon his shoulders. It was a glorious change from the endless fog and rain swept storms and the shattered slate outcrops. Llyr would never get tired of it, no matter how much his guard insisted that they made inferior training grounds compared to the natural hazards of Bitterblack.
Disaster may have struck early on, shattering the ships that had brought them to this new land but a fortune had smiled enough to see a scout vessel get some information of the mainland. As far as Llyr could see so far it appeared their little piece of claimed land had fallen on the borderline of the continent's weather patterns, with the northern tip being tipped in snow and cold winds as things became more mild as one traveled south. And the island, being so small, made it easy to cover its length within a day or two.
It was not as grand as the continent itself, being a speck in comparison but it had sources of water, food, stone and lumber. It would serve well for now, and his people were slow to spread. The sea would protect them for now as they salvaged their old vessels and grew stronger. Llyr's mind was flooded with possibilities. He looked over their humble huts and his imagination commanded them to grow into fine stone villas, for his own cabin to become a palace, and for the fields to fill with farms as the mountain turned to a tower of industry.
But for now his ambition would have to settle for not starving to death. Even now the dark elf settlers (who were probably sick of the sea after spending so long living on it) were being set to the task of using the ruins of their old ships to link their old rigging into nets, fastening them in place on the western side of the island to make a fledgling fishery on the least idyllic looking beach. The game on the land may have been small in number but if they needed meat in abundance then the sea could provide. The Darklings of Bitterblack had been plying saltwater for its bounty for generations. They could harvest the seaweed and cook it over a simple fire to dry and serve it up as a crispy bed for the cod and haddock.
Once they had tamed their immediate surroundings they could move their eyes south and add what the forest had to offer to their plates. For the great desire of nature was to be tamed and to see its strength conquered.
A)Improve Food The dark elves setup a fishery on one of the western beaches with the nets and rigging of their destroyed ships. Catching fish and harvesting seaweed.
When the youth's voice echoed back up the tunnels to Dag, the king did not falter. Step after step, he steadily continued forward even as thoughts raced through his mind. 'Kjorn, great god of war, guide my hands and I shall not falter. Father Frost, our patron lord, may this conquest honor you too.'
The countless warriors at Dag's sides and back also continued forward through the narrow tunnel until they started to emerge into the giblins' cavern. Dag took but one glance at the terrified creatures and their hovels, and then he roared, "Seize them all! Take them alive!"
That one giblin had perhaps thought him submissive or benevolent when he had offered it an appeasement of food and water, but that had been a token given as a gift to a creature that he did not understand. Now that he knew these creatures for what they truly were, he came as a conqueror.
Even in their nervousness and their bloodlust, the warriors knew what that meant. They raised their shields and advanced towards the nearest giblins, moving to tear the creatures' weapons from their tiny hands and then roughly drag them away as captives. Though the giblins had numbers, they still seemed far too puny to pose a serious threat. In all likelihood Dag expected them to surrender; hence why he had not given the order simply slaughtering the creatures.
If his prayers went answered, Dag knew that his tribe would have a few hundred thralls to do their base labor. Perhaps these creatures would be able to work the mines in place of the tribesmen or take on that cumbersome task of dragging the carts full of metal back to the village.
But alas; it was best that Dag did not get ahead of himself. With both hands he raised his greatsword threateningly. If the giblins could be subdued without lethal force then they would be kept alive for they were now his property, but he had no qualms with offering a quick death to any that would rather fight and die as free creatures. He would have only respect for those that fought!
C) Improve Infrastructure
Though a few small piers had been enough to dock fishing rafts and launch their small dingies, the Iceborn tribe was a maritime culture and they had far grander aspirations. It was not enough to simply fish from the rivers and sea; they wanted nothing less than to rule it just as they ruled the land. So with the vast quantities of timber that they had amassed, idle hands soon went to work towards expanding the docks and jetties. On the beach of their natural port they also made way for a great shipyard.
Though the mighty longships that had won them countless battles and faithfully carried them to this new land were no more, the tribe had not forgotten the secrets of their construction. In time they would have a mighty fleet once more; until such time they were like a bird without wings. The elders and warriors alike believed it their destiny to explore, colonize, and exert their might upon the farthest reaches of this continent, and to do that they would need mighty vessels indeed!
-Dag sees the terrfied giblins and their hovels and remembers how they were barely capable of speech. Convinced of their utter inferiority, he mutters a prayer to two gods and then orders his warriors to seize all the giblins (using nonlethal force where possible) and take them as slaves. -Meanwhile, at Dagshall they expand the docks and create a shipyard. Over time they're looking to rebuild their once mighty fleet of longships.
While some might have found the loss of life of some of their people to be a harrowing event and a sign that this was a horrible place to settle down (and to be fair, they were almost certainly correct), the goblins stood strong; They had known before coming here that the swamp was naturally a dangerous place and had long resigned themselves to the fact that losses were going to be inflicted as they adapted to the new environment. All they could do to properly honor their fallen kin who died in freedom was learn so that others wouldn't follow them to the grave.
The lack of proper tools to work the environment was starting to make itself known.
Leaning against a tree trunk and looking into a small fire, Gredy's ear twitched a little as he considered the tribes next move. Joining him was a male goblin around his age, only with black hair instead of red and a slightly twitchy look around loud noises that was simply known as Buddy while a rather beautiful woman named Biscuit sat opposite him, the three of them pondering the question. Finally, Gredy spoke up. "It's clear that we need stone in order to make halfway decent tools... any suggestions?"
Buddy quickly spoke up. "There's a mountain range broadening one edge of the swamp. I'm sure we could find a ready source of stone there. Maybe even check the mountains to see if there is any kind of ore there we can try mining at some point."
After a moments thought, Gredy nodded his head. "Alright Buddy, take a few people scouting around that area and see what you can find. However, we still need something to help us out in the mean time."
This time it was Biscuit who spoke up, but only after a few moments of thought. "There is something... We should be able to make strings out of hair. It makes a surprisingly acceptable cord if you twist it together the right way." Looking between the two men for a moment, she quickly added as if to defend herself "Sometimes the orcs wanted to have bows so they often used their own hair. Granted without something sharp to help make a proper bow they'll be rather... well, dodgy things but it's better then nothing."
Her statements given a nod of approval from Gredy as he replied"We can start off by shaving those poor bastards that have died so far. They don't need it anymore and it'll be one last..." before trailing off without finishing his thought aloud, his mind already racing in a new direction... even if Biscuit looked rather annoyed by his failure to finish a sentence! However, the words that escaped his mouth caused enough confusion that annoyance was put to the side for the moment "Do you think that the big lizards in the water are immune to the poison of the plants?"
"Huh?"
Shaking his head a little, Gredy quickly explained "I'm thinking... that if we were to hide a cocktail of the poisonous plants on the body of one of our dead explorers and use some vines to help keep them on the shoreline... we could fish one of the bloody large lizards out of the water and kill it with poisonous meat. Even just one of those things has hundreds of sharp teeth that would make acceptable knives that we could use... not to mention we could skin it for a decent amount of leather! Sadly we couldn't eat the meat because it would be poisoned a hell but we should be able to craft some basic bows and sharpen some sticks into arrows. Let us get some proper hunting going!"
Buddy and Biscuit both looked at Gredy with a mixture of emotions. Clearly the idea of actually using a goblin corpse to do this was distasteful, but the idea had merit and the rewards plenty. "And if the lizard makes it back into the water before dying?" Biscuit asked, trying to poke holes in the plan to see if it would hold up.
"Then we use some vines to try and fish it out before everything else eats it. We just need the jaw really." Buddy answered in a slightly begrudging fashion. This clearly didn't sit right with him.
Gredy took a deep breath as he quickly said something that would hopefully help put people at ease and allow this plan to be put into motion. "Were any of the dead without family? We'll find out their name, crave it into a tree and hold a small ceremony so that their friends can mourn and honor their memory for giving everything to try and make our lives here possible. What greater end could there be for a hero than to ensure that the lives of those left behind are greater then they would have been without them?"
Buddy and 13 other goblin adults (mixed genders) are sent off to scout out the mountain bordering the south-eastern boarder of the swamp, seeking stone and other ores.
Starting with the bodies of the dead, hair is collected in order to turn it into bowstring by binding it together into a strong enough cord to fire off arrows.
One of the goblins killed by the native plant life is selected to be 'bait'. With great care, samples of the poisonous plant life that killed them are collected and hidden in his clothing (namely in his shoes) before he is taken down to the river side. A vine is torn down and one end is tied around the corpses waist while the other is tied to a nearby tree. The intent is to 'fish' one of the larger lizards in the water, poisoning it with the flowers and the poisoned meat of the goblin in question so that it's teeth can be collected and used as cutting tools, namely to craft hunting bows but for other purposes as well.
The goblin selected as bait will have their name craved into a tree and a small ceremony to allow friends and those close to them to mourn them. Gredy will give a small speech, praising the fallen goblin's virtues and their willingness to give everything so that goblin kind can survive in their new home.
Leatherworker Palathan immediately sought out the scout upon hearing news of his return from meeting the giant. His interest was in the wolf pelt and the question was why he would receive it over anyone else. His plan was to reciprocate the gift by making something out of the pelt that would, by the scout's description, be of use to the giant. Such an exchange, he hoped, would lay the foundations of trade, under the principle that the giants provided raw goods in exchange for the elves' crafted goods. And so he received the pelt and set upon work on a good, warm pair of gloves, intending to eventually return together with the scout, gift in hand, and open up discussion with the gentle giant.
The other scouts would pursue the northern tracks, excited at the possibility of finding another civilised race.
--
The dreams brought more confusion than comfort. Had Artemon really contacted them in their dreams? The very concept seemed almost pagan. Though spiritual, the high elves were wary of superstition and dark magic that might lead them astray. But if it really was the product of some ill intention, what was the purpose? Was it meant to entice them, to lead them into a trap, to settle themselves on cursed lands, or was the intended effect in fact the opposite, to play on their caution and instil discomfort or perhaps drive them away? It could even stem from a well-intentioned source other than Artemon. The dreams were cause of much thinking as well as overthinking.
Naturally they sought the guidance of the clergy. Craftspiest Aleon received them cautiously. He didn't entirely deny the possibility that perhaps in this land the border between their world and that of the gods was thinner and that such unorthodox contact might take place. However the stance he dictated on behalf of the clergy was not to believe the dreams and the action they should take based on them is simply inaction. They could not know anything for certain until they had re-established proper worship of their gods and there was little to be gained by acting prematurely.
A) Whatever the dreams might mean this seemed like good land. The elves began settling down, dismantling the wagons and carts and building their new homes.
When the battle was over, the cave walls and floors were painted with black blood of the gilbins. Half of them had run, and half yet of that had failed. The other half was split between surrender and fight. In the end, of the 300 gilbins that had lived in these caves, about 70 of them had escaped, 150 of them had surrendered, and the rest had tried to fight back. In the end, the 80 brave gilbins who had fought their would-be conquerors (or slavers?) lie dead on the ground. 150 new thralls were shackled with rope and hauled off to either work the mines that had once been their home, transport cargo back to Dagshall, or they were sent to the settlement itself for manual labor.
Kjorn, the God of War had truly blessed them. Not a single Iceborn warrior had even been wounded by their enemies. Then again, the gilbins were so puny and weak and scared that perhaps they didn't need a blessing to win that battle. Dag could feel in his gut that somewhere on his icy throne, Father Frost was smirking upon them. He had a feeling it was for the better.
Back home, the small piers were to become docks, proper and larger. First, the workers cleared away unfavorable terrain around their piers as to make way for the timber to be put upon the shores. Next, they started measuring and sawing up large planks that were to be the docks themselves, while larger logs were secured underneath the waves to be the stable base needed to support the weight that soon were to be set upon the docks.
Once the warriors returned with Dag and a train of thralls following them, they were hailed as heroes by the others. Some of the fighters didn't really feel like heroes seeing as the battle had been so one-sided, but it felt good to win. It was Dag's decision of what to do with the thralls as a whole, but the dockworkers suggested to put them to work in preparing more of the natural terrain for the shipyard that was to be built. Several of the elders also suggested (almost demanded) that a great feast should be held and that Father Frost and Kjorn must be honored for their blessings upon the Iceborn!
-
A few days later, Dag was enjoying the fresh morning-air when he spat out his drink in astonishment. There, walking nonchalantly as if nothing, came Sverker with a barrel on his shoulder. He had a big grin on his face, and walked right up to Dag. "Where in all the frozen hels have you been?!" Dag exclaimed, as to which Sverker's grin deepened. He put the barrel leaning over the railing that encircled the entrance to the mead hall, where Dag was standing. Sverker extended his hand to Dag's mug, holding it out, waiting for Dag to give Sverker his mug. Dag was starting to catch on. He emptied the mug's contents (either on the grass or into his belly, it wasn't anything spectacular anyway) and handed it to Sverker, who tapped into the barrel. A golden liquid filled Dag's mug and foamed at the top and the edges. It almost overflowed. Sverker handed it back to Dag, still grinning. Dag grinned back and took a swig of what he now knew was mead, and let out a mighty buffaw. It was, by all the Gods he worshipped, the best damned mead he had ever tasted in his life. "Sverker! How? This is..." Dag started, but Sverker shook his head, still grinning. "We've been working tirelessly ever since we started the effort to perfect this mead. I can't say we're even halfway there yet, but you can taste the result of our efforts! As to how... Well, let's say it's Sverker's secret." Sverker winked at his liege, and the two shared another mug of morning-mead together.
All will know now that Dagshall has the best mead in all the lands! Never shall they go thirsty!
[Morale boost! Due to the glorious victory and the best mead in the world, your people will be happier for 5 turns!]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 160 men, 160 women, 51 children.
- 150 Goblin Thralls
Livestock: A herd of goat. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 60% of adult population. Food level: Above Average Resources: Lumber, Iron, Honey (low quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level, +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Very High (Morale boost for 4 more turns.) Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
A great feast was held for General Aemilina and her victory despite all odds. The people hailed her as a hero and brilliant military commander. Maxim was honored as well, for it was his daughter after all. The fallen soldiers were also given an honorary farewell and funeral for each and every one of them, their families granted respect and honor and glory in the fallen's stead. For some of the families however, the sorrow was heavier than the glory and pride was light. A few families of the fallen made a cooperative effort to seek an audience with Maxim, and, if granted, asked for reparations to be payed to them for the loss of their familymembers. A mother and her two daughters had lost her husband and two sons in the fighting, something that would be incredibly bad "luck" considering only ten men actually lost their lives. They made no demands, they made no fuss. They simply asked that they be given some sort of reparation so that the family could live on while they grieve. This notion seemed to be supported by some of the senators already.
Two days later, several miles away, on the mainland...
"We've been lost for days with nothing but wilderness and rock. We can't go on like this!" said a middle-aged man. "Well then by all means, if you know where to go then lead the way!" said another man of the same age, similarly dressed. The party of prospectors had journeyed through the thick brush for days. Their compass wouldn't work, but since it was of crude makings they simply blamed it on the one who had crafted it. They were hopelessly lost, with no more food and barely any way to forage more. "We never should have come here. There's nothing here but tree and rock. I can't even tell if we've been travelling uphill or downhill, further into the mainland or gone in circles! It all looks the same!" said the first man again. There were six of them, and they were all ragged, torn and hungry. "Stop complaining, you're going to bring the divine's wrath down upon you for your lack of faith." said a third, younger man. The brush rustled, as it often did. None of the prospectors cared anymore, they assumed it was whoever was behind them. The first man turned around, face red and started to scold the third. "It's your fault we're in this mess to begin with..! Wait..." The group stopped. "Where's Julian?" They were five now. The sixth and last in the line had disappeared without a sound. Or had he? Was the rustle from earlier him? Had he tripped and fell? Had he been taken by something? Then, there was dead silence over the woods. No animal caused a branch to creak, no bird sang it's praise. Barely even the wind could manage a rustle among the leaves. A low, humming growl echoed throughout the trees. It seemed to come from everywhere at once, and nowhere.
The last that was heard of the prospectors, if it was even heard by anyone at all, was their screams that echoed through the forests.
-
Maxim was starting to feel like the lost prospectors wouldn't return home. They would have ran out of supplies days ago, and nobody had saw them ever since they disappeared north. Even their boats couldn't be located, which was strange in itself.
On their island however, the search for iron was heavily underway. Finally, the Marinum had finished exploring the island which they had settled. Indeed there was iron not too far away, running like veins through the rocks furthest south on the island. The catch was that the south tip of the island was much closer to the orc village than they'd find comfortable. With their docks burned, the the orcs would struggle to come after them for a while but Aemilina had told her father that the orc ships hadn't been docked, and thus couldn't be burned down. Without barely even giving the order, Mannerlicher had already overseen the setup of a mining camp. It was dangerous work, but it had to be done, if he were to do Maxim's bidding. For now, the mining of iron ore was at low capacity, but Mannerlicher assured his liege the amount mined would steadily increase for months to come.
[Last known location of prospectors marked as a danger-mark on the map.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 158 men, 153 women, 53 children. Military: Available: 8 Footmen. - Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Above average Resources: Clay, Stone, Marble (small quantities), Iron (small quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - Unnamed Redskin-Orc Village: Hostile
The Antari
@Murtox No post found. 3 turns until auto-dropout without word.
There was no shortage of fresh recruits. Many were eager to defend their new home, and to serve their people in other ways than cultivating crops or hammering away at stone. At the end of the recruitment period, twenty men had signed up for military service willingly, while the rest of the adult population was content with being levied in times of turmoil. The twenty spearmen were drilled, instructed and sent to work. They would protect their people with spear and shield and a pride quickly grew among them. A positive kind of pride, that is.
[You have recruited 20 spearmen. Their training is lackluster at the moment, but they will improve as several turns advance.]
The nobles bought the story of the Lizardmen seeming mad. Even if they weren't, the hostile actions of their scouts would justify meeting them with force if they ever showed up here with ill intent.
[You may choose to establish a mine or a lumbermill as second and third workorders. This will take one turn respectively to establish unless another action is specified.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 159 men, 157 women, 44 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Above average Resources: Stone, lumber, copper (pending). Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +10% from food level, +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
Once again, the Children of Artemon begin constructing a new home, and look upon the future brightly. They had endured many hardships and some even claimed their God had spoken to them. Others still, said Artemon must have abandoned them, but not out loud.
Now that they had secured a new home for themselves (somewhat), old challanges came anew. They needed sustainable sources of food, and their entire village must be made anew. While the farmers started tending the fields and the builders started erecting hovels, Palathan the leatherworker immediately sought out the great wolf pelt that the scout had brought back and hadn't known what to do with. To him and many others, Palathan's suggestion made a lot of sense and was the best idea of what to do with the pelt they could think of. It took him no time at all to fashion a large set of gloves out of the pelt. It was the strongest leather he had ever worked, and the sheer quality of it made him shiver. This truly was an amazing land they had come to, the giant would be pleased (he thought). The scout had described them as wearing nothing more than rags and pelts, despite seeming so civilized.
As soon as the pelt was worked into gloves, Palathan went with the scout south-east again to seek out the giants. They weren't hard to find, especially since the scout knew where to find them now and he had memorized the land well. Everything was larger here, Palathan realized. It hadn't been an exhageration, which he had first thought of the scout's description of these lands. He was intrigued. When they came upon the village, they were let in with a warm but quiet welcome. The giants never smiled and never hurried, but they were gracious somehow. How could such tribal beings be so... civilized? "I am Ur." said a giant, suddenly standing in front of them. They hadn't noticed him, as they had been busy staring in awe at the large infrastructure and way of life of the peculiar giants. "I am Palathan." the leatherworker said, bowing to the obvious chieftain-looking giant. They all looked quite alike however, with long hair and beard and a single eye and dressed in pelts and crude boots. The scout bowed and stammered his name as well, almost inaudibly. "Come, join me." said Ur, and the two elves accompanied him into his "great hall" which was basicly just an even larger version of the already large huts that made up this small camp. "We have come bearing a gift, in return. You gave us the largest wolf-pelt we had ever seen, and the leather I made out of it turned out splendid. I put much effort into this gift." said Palathan as he presented the leather gloves. He had made them practical but also elegant in their design. The tough leather from the wolf wouldn't tear for a long time in combination with the secret elven techniques of tanning and leathercrafting. The Children of Artemon were strong craftsmen, after all. Ur studied the gloves, and tried them on. Their elven make made them a precise fit. This stunned the giant, he was obviously very intrigued with this gift. Humbled, perhaps. "This is fine gift. I had not known such make." said the giant in crude common, although Palathan could tell he was quite eloquent despite his lack of knowledge in the language.
They ended up speaking for many hours of current state of affairs, future trade, and recent events. Finally, Ur said something that shocked both Palathan and the scout. "My scout say there are many elves north-west of here. But different. Two different peoples. One call themselves Lothelonni, live in Cantivale. You seem not to be them. Are you friends of them, come to share in the land?" Thoughts raced through Palathan's head. There were more elves in the region? The giants had met them before? The scout had the same thoughts, but he looked at Palathan and confirmed this. "I heard other scouts had found elven tracks leading north from our new settlement. I believe it's safe to say their pressence is confirmed now, if Ur have already met them." Palathan was exalted, but also somewhat worried. "Ur, I told you of our strange experiences in the dark of the forest to the south. Are these the elves you speak of?" Ur shook his head. "No. Dark Elves live in the forests to south, lighter elves like you live in north-west. They call High-Elves of themselves. More of them I do now know. Have not met them for long time now, strange. They stop show up." Ur goes on to explain he at first had thought that the Children of Artemon had been of the Lothelonni faction, but had soon seen the difference in their garb and culture. It has become clear to him now that there are three factions of elves in this region, the Dark Elves to the south, Palathan's people to the west, and further north of them is Cantivale. Ur marks the location on the scout's maps, but it ends up being a crude estimate since their maps are somewhat lackluster at the moment.
Palathan and the scout journeys home to bring the news to their people. Not only had they successfully improved relations with the giants and gotten much information about the elves to the north and the nearby region, but they had also established a sort of trade with the giants. Ur and his giants said they'd love to gift the elves more pelts in return for such well-crafted goods. Ur believes the two peoples can benefit one another.
-
Meanwhile, the scouts sent north to follow the tracks of elves they had found soon come upon a grizzly sight. Well, first they see one of the largest mountains they could ever imagine stretching far into the clouds, and a mighty lake next to it. Upon a hill they stand, looking over the valley below where the lake sits peacefully. They could see for miles here, much thanks to their elven eyes but also thanks to the open terrain and their elevated position. It was a beautiful sight at first, but then the grizzliness of it came in. The mountain had let loose a landslide that had demolished half the entire settlement that layed west of the lake, south of the mountain. The scouts could see destroyed elven hovels, houses and death. Then... They saw elves. There, further south of the settlement, about one hundred elven refugees wandered south with all they had left on their backs. They hadn't seen the scouts yet, but they were heading this way. The scouts didn't need to guess of what had happened to them. The landslide spoke clearly.
What would they do?
-
Back at their new home, the Children of Artemon were ready to start again. What would be their first mayor project upon their new home?
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 89 men, 91 women, 25 children. Military: 7 Elf-at-Arms. Militia able to be conscripted up to 20% of adult population. Food level: Very Low Resources: None Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: 0% Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - Bonesnapper Tribe: Hated - Giant Camp: Friendly
Copper it would be. As soon as the miners came there and started working, they realized something peculiar. "Oi." said a miner to another. "There's tin here as well! It's like we can mine BRONZE directly from the walls!" he joked. It seemed the copper mine was, at the same time, a tin mine.
Echadon was excited to meet the Ursar again. At the moment he had met them, he was nervous, but the more time he spent thinking about them and at last telling his clan about them, he had grown quite fascinated by them. They were large, strong, honorable and with similar history as Clan Oreborn. The two races could be good friends, if the Ursar wanted it.
He arrived, and was treated as a guest. At first, the Ursar didn't seem to want any outsiders in their home, but the longer Echadon talked to Oras the faster they seemed to accept the dwarves. They spoke of their stories of exodus, and the Ursar leaders could sympathize. They accepted friendship with the dwarves, but made it clear that they did not yet know the dwarves well enough to accept an official declaration of friendship between them. For now they suggested, of which Echadon agreed, that the two races visit each other from time to time, share knowledge, and work together politically as they shared close proximity to each other. The Ursar elders asked Echadon to remember that they were a reclusive and lonely race and would often prefer to be left alone. Echadon returned home satisfied, but nothing of real political value other than great conversation. The Ursar had promised to send Oras over within a fortnight for further diplomatic discussion. Things such as sharing maps of the nearby geography, numbers of settlements and population and knowledge was talked of a great deal, but would not be yielded by either part just yet.
[Tin and copper added to resources. Mine added to map.] [Echadon has been sent to the Ursar. He will return home next turn with his report of his the diplomatic mission went.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 140 men, 136 women, 37 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Average Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +0% from food level, +0% from morale = 5%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - The Ursar: Neutral
The first few days of the Covenant's arrival was calm. They had already found plentiful game available, and it would help sustain them for a long while. Some of the Lycan were impressed however with Vlath's plan to not hunt the animals right away, but to herd them. Sort of. Not that the lycan knew what herding really was or how to do it, but Vlath's idea was sensible and Max understood the task given to him well. So did Basir, who was tasked with building their enclosure so that the animals would not escape. The challange would be in all the wood that needed to be gathered however. Deer can jump high and run fast, and so they needed a lot of space to be fenced in and the fence itself needed to be high. This didn't stop them from seeing it done, however. The boats they arrived on would be salvaged in their entirety, to make for a plentiful boost in lumber.
[Enclosure fences won't be completed until next turn.]
At first, Grash had laughed at the notion of wolves being a threat to the covenant, no matter how many they were. His laughter turned into shame however as Vlath shoved his remarks aside with cold facts. Facts Grash should have known, thus his shame. He had muttered his acknowledgement to his task only as he left his tent.
For now, the Lycan could sustain themselves with hunting their food until the enclosure was complete and the actual "domestication" started.
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 122 men, 117 women, 16 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. (Number is higher than usual due to your savage nature and culture.) Food level: Low Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% -3% from food level,+0% from morale = 2%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
First order of business, the mountains were to be scouted out, to see if there was anything valuable to be found or if they could even get some stone from there at all. Seeing as the terrain around here is quite unforgiving and merciless, the prospectors travelled slowly and would not return soon. Gredy estimated they'd be gone foe the entire week, if not more.
[Prospecting results next turn.]
The collection of hair to make bowstring was a tedious, slow and rather gruesome task. Then again, nothing was to be wasted. Every inch of material that they could use, they would. Then again... The use of actual goblin corpses as bait to catch a lizard was a different thing entirely. But everyone silently agreed, it had to be done. It was about survival. The goblins lived close to death always, but even closer nowadays.
The plan itself... Well... Was a good idea, but an utter failure. The poison or venom concoction was a success, but when feeding the poisoned meat to one of the large reptiles that lived here, it simply ate, burped, and moved on. It seems the large reptiles had developed a sort of immunity to the poisons and venoms around here. If it worked on all reptiles or lizards however, who knows... But for now, the goblins needed a new plan if they wanted to catch and eat it, or use it's body for materials.
A ceremony was developed, a short and simple one where the deceased's name was carved onto a tree and decorated with whatever pretty things the families could find. The trees made find tombstones. Without knowing it, the goblins had already started to develop their own culture.
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 130 men, 130 women, 55 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Low Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 8% -3% from food level,+0% from morale = 5%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
The Dark Elves of Morg'Talren had arrived upon new lands, found a suitable island to call their new home, and had wasted no time in constructing hovels to house them. Now, next order of business was to establish a source of food. Being so close to the sea, fish came to mind. Some of the boats they had arrived on were salvagable, and so they were to become new fishingboats to feed the people.
[Food level still improving.]
(I also noticed I had given you 100 more population than you were supposed to have... Map says 200, but I accidentally counted 300. So I fixed that now, and added your growth after the correction. Sorry about that!)
(I've been sitting with turn 9 for hours and seeing as you're the last player, you took the brunt of my lack of inspiration left... I honestly couldn't think of anything else to write! Terribly sorry! I'll try to mix things up a bit so you're not always the last person's turn I write, but y'know, your turn 2 is... spectacularly unimaginative on my part. Feelsbadman, seeing as you wrote like 6-7 paragraphs and I can barely respond with 1. I'll make it up to ya!)
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 92 men, 92 women, 20 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Low(Improving) Resources: Timber (Small quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 4% -3% from food level,+0% from morale = 1%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
"Well... Balls." Was all Gredy could say as the report came in. He had rather hoped that since the bloody reptile lived in the water it wouldn't have encountered the toxic plant life in the drier areas of the swamp. Well, live and learn. At least no one had died to discover the fact that the bloody beast was immune so there was something of a silver lining, but alas it did leave them at square one...
With a small sigh, he turned to look at Biscuit before clearing his throat. "Alright... new plan. We're going to have to wait until Buddy gets back before we can hopefully get started on making bows and arrows, but in the meantime I want some of our hunters scouting out the wildlife in the area. Find out what the animals eat, how they raise their young, that sort of thing. It might give us an idea of what plants are safe to eat or use..."
Biscuit nodded her head in agreement before adding "Might be able to try and gather some eggs while they're at it. Might only give us something to eat, but we could try hatching some of the birds to domesticate them as a food source later on as well."
Nodding his head a little as he raised his hand to cover his mouth for a moment of thought, Gredy grinned a little before muttering in a slightly muffled tone "That's... a great idea. Even if it fails, we still have some more eggs." Removing his hand, he quickly asked "Who do you think would be good at leading an exploration group?"
Blinking a little in surprise at the question, Biscuit considered for a moment before suggesting "Well... Geist seems like she has her head screwed on correctly. Why?"
"I want to send a team out to investigate the northwestern part of the swamp. See what's over that way and what's bordering us on that side. Can you ask her to pick out a team of thirteen and get going when she's ready?"
The idea of a tree becoming a tombstone had quickly caught on, the other names of those who had died finding themselves craved into their own trees. While the first tree was selected for a goblin whose body was given to the swamp in an failed attempt to kill one of the large reptiles that stalked the waters those who had bodies to bury were buried under the trees that would serve as the markers for their graves. Some of the families of the deceased discussed the idea of being buried under the same tree with their friends and loved ones around the camp fires, desiring to be put to rest alongside family.
Sitting on her own, Charti closed her eyes and listened to the swamp around her as she let her thoughts wander. She was a younger goblin, just barely an adult but she had seen plenty of horrors in her time just like everyone else had. The swamp had provided her and her people with a surprisingly peaceful place to live; Sure it was dangerous, but there was beauty there too. And all the swamp asked for in return for them enjoying its protection and bounty was that when they died, to feed their bodies into its soil and let their spirits join with it to be reborn in a new manner. All things considered it was a pretty good deal.
Charti physically relaxed as she quietly listened to the swamp around her...
Geist and a team of 13 other adults have gathered together and go to explore the Northwestern area of the swamp, their goal being to see what it bordered on that side.
The hunters are instructed to observe the wildlife to try and understand not just the creatures around them but also to get an idea of what plant life might actually be safe to eat, as well as to collect eggs for food and domestication purposes.
The idea of converting the tombstone trees into a kind of 'Family Tree' is raised, while some goblins start focusing on the world around them, listening to the swamp to relax and find balance in their new lives.
Dag knew that a fair few of the giblins had escaped the caves, and in truth that made him uneasy. He had half a mind to send men to hunt down those stragglers, not because he felt the need to have even more of the things as thralls so much as because he feared vengeance. In the end he decided against hunting down those fugitives. The giblins had seemed like cowardly creatures so the tribe likely had nothing to fear. Perhaps the giblins would crawl to some other cave far away, or find more of their kind. Dag presumed that this land had more giblins and skraelings than just those that had been hiding in the mountains.
Dag acquiesced when the elders suggested a feast in honor of the goods and their blessings. There was good cause for it, and for the first time in many years the tribe had good mead and an abundance of food. So they had their feast in the great mead hall that gave Dagshall its name, but then the next day Dag went farther.
In a small clearing near the village there was a boulder. Dag decreed that this boulder be turned upright and raised as a runestone that would speak of this victory, and in time be engraved to speak of new victories as well. Near that monument Dag asked the holy men to create shrines to Kjorn and Father Frost. The Godis, as the holy men were called, helped craftsmen make idols in the gods' image. Then the Godis consecrated the ground and laid the first offerings at those new shrines.
When the Godis and the High Chieftain went to sleep later that night, they all half expected the gods to appear in their dreams.
E) Explore
In time Dag indeed wanted to use the Giblin thralls to help make way for the shipyard, but for now he was more eager to mount an expedition as soon as possible. Though there wasn't much of a shipyard to see or work with, he nonetheless ordered that a single longship be built immediately. With so many hands at work upon it, building a boat wouldn't take long. Dag had selected one man named Yngvar to lead an expedition as soon as the longship was seaworthy. Yngvar was to take a crew with arms and supplies and sail the longship to explore further upriver, for the Iceborn currently knew nothing of what lands were beyond their logging camp.
-Dag has the feast to honor Kjorn and Father Frost, then also has his holy men shrines to those gods. Both he and the holy men half expect the gods to appear in their dreams. -Even though the shipyard isn't finished yet, Dag has it delayed so that the tribe and the giblin thralls can build a single longship. A man named Yngvar is to take an armed crew and sail the boat to explore further upriver.
While Palathan and the scouts were away, the Children of Artemon had gathered. Perhaps 80 people in total, some representing their families, others themselves. In a clear area only a short walk south they sat under the warm sun, conversing joyfully at finally having found rest. They were positioned in a circle, with an open space in the middle. The innermost section of the circle was mostly the elderly and people became younger the further back you looked. However one man stood out like a sore thumb, barely middle age and with long hair as black as the moonless night he sat among those of grey and white hair. His name was Halwen and many dubbed him 'the Black'. In every other way he resembled a good specimen of his people, with a long straight nose, fair skin, white eyes and a graceful physique.
As the sun rose to its height, priest Aleon rose among the crowd. He raised his hands, signalling the crowd and shouting "Silence! We have not come here for idle chatter!". They showed respect and conversations quieted down. But as they went silent, Aleon once more sat down and instead another rose and entered the centre of the circle. It was Halwen. "Brothers and sisters" he spoke clearly to the crowd "This anarchy does not befit us. We have all seen its results. We have felt it in our bellies. I witnessed it at the horrors of the battle of the river crossing and we all knew the fear." The crowd murmured in agreement. "We must all have the ability to practise our crafts, and that requires peace and resources, and an end to distractions like these. To that end I propose the recreation of our ancient guilds, to organise our work as they have in ages past."
In the old world, essentially every group of craftsmen, such as the carpenters, the masons and the warsmiths, had their own guild. These guilds were responsible for supplying materials to its membership as well as selling the produce. Authority within the guilds was often decided by seniority. They effectively operated a monopoly, but heavy handed intervention by the monarchy to ensure fair prices stopped them, most of the time, from exploiting this monopoly.
Halwen continued "Each of these guilds will provide a man to join a council. This council's primary responsibilities will be to manage our agriculture, military, relations with other races and any issue minor or major that might arise, fulfilling the role of our old systems. Among them they will elect a chairman to enforce these decisions." The crowd murmured, now less approving though not quite disapproving. Someone shouted "By what authority?!"
Halwen responded "By the authority of the people and their needs! We are all yet subjects of the king, but we do not honor him nor our traditions by wallowing in anarchy like some lesser race. Even in the absence of his sacred rule we must have order." As the crowd was starting to erupt in argument with each other, Aleon rose once again and called for calm. The matter would be put to a vote.
"All in favour?" "Aye!" many replied, especially among those sitting further back. "All opposed?" "Nay!" a clear minority replied
Though a notable number had remained uncertain and silent, Halwen's idea was passed. The guilds were soon organised, the foundations had already been laid out in the homeland and the hunt for materials in Celebrimbor. They had soon chosen representatives who met and among them they elected Halwen to be chairman, few people really desired the authority and it was his creation.
Once Palathan and the scout returned and told of the other elves, they decided to await the return of the northern scouts before doing anything with the information.
A) One of the council's first decisions was on the organisation of farm labour. The willing farmers among the children were not enough to provide for all of them, so it was decided that each guild would provide part of their membership in rotation to supply the necessary workforce to turn the nearby fertile lands productive and ensure that their people would not go hungry again. Wheat, rye and barley were to be planted.
----------
The scouts were filled with conflicting feelings of ecstasy and sadness. They had finally found what looked to be kinsmen, but at the same time a terrible tragedy had befallen them. No matter, they rushed down to meet them. They wanted to know more about them, where had they come from? What were they doing here? Were they subjects of the king and worshippers of Orowuen? They must meet the others.
Created guilds and council of guilds to act as government. Halwen the Black as chairman.
A/E Improve food/Explore This was some fine soil, dark and rich, and capable of growing its own damn fruit! If the princes of Bitterblack ever came to visit Llyr was certain that they'd drop dead with jealousy simply over the quality of territory he'd claimed for himself. The dark elf nobility of his homeland had carved up their blasted isles into a prickly collection of city states. Llyr, being the youngest son of a low ranking member of the court saw that it was clear that his boundless ambition would not be met in the rigid court culture. Then he'd heard about this new land everyone was talking about and what with having the kind of savings a race as old as his could call on... well it seemed obvious that he'd have to finance his own colonial expedition and set up his own kingdom city state. Yes, many had called him mad and those that followed him desperate but he'd show them, HE'D SHOW ALL OF THEM!
And he'd start with the sweet berries and lovely root vegetables that grew so abundantly on this little island of theirs. Perhaps his little settlement was more of a village state than a city but a balanced and varied diet could help change that. Llyr turned one of the berries over in his hand, he wasn't used to having fruit grow naturally near where he lived, normally it would be imported for some lady's private garden and he'd heard stories of how poisonous it could be. Well if it worked out then he'd set up his summer home down south. They'd sent out woodsmen to the far reaches of their little island to scout out their local resources and game in detail. Llyr wanted to know everything he was working with here, he wanted to truly visualize the ambitions he'd sate in this new land.
One of the many perks of being as long lived as he was... he would live to see his dreams come true. And then he'd show them. He'd show ALL OF THEM.
The Talren dark elves are gathering the berries and root vegetables that grow in the central forests on their island and exploring the surrounding area in greater detail while they're at it.
What joy, the dwarves, mainly the ones who would be using it most, cheered at the news that they now had access to what was needed to make bronze. While a minor thing, they changed the name of the mountain the mine was in to Bronze Mount. And because of the settlement's position at the base of the mountains, they would immediately be able to make use of it. However, transporting and smelting it all would be much easier, or possible when it came to smelting and smithing, if they had a steady supply of wood. Wood could be made to use buildings, tools, wagons, weapons, and fuel for lights and forges.
So Arngir suggested that two groups head north, one of fifteen, armed for safe exploration, and another of eight, equipped with tools for building and resource gathering. The former group would be led by a goldbeard with much less experience than Echadon, and their task would be to head north as far as the mountain, the top of which could be seen over the trees. If anything would happen that would force them to turn back, they would do so. The second, smaller group was to cross the river and set up a logging camp at the edge of the forest on the other side.
A third and final group, another of eight, would be sent to the southern forest to see about setting up another logging camp.
A group was sent to explore as far as they could north, the limit being the mountain to the north.
Two groups were sent to crate logging camps, one to the forest to the north and one to the southern forest.
Vlath was pleased with his chieftains progress, soon the game would be safely within reach at any time, a safe food source even through the winter months.
Now the High Voidcaller turned his attention to the wolves surrounding the settlement, they would need to be dealt with before the cattle was settled. He had arranged to meet Bloodfang in his make shift home, mainly as an excuse to escape the tent that was being used as a makeshift temple. Walking through the settlement, it became evident the lycans had began to settle. Makeshift tents made of animal hide and sticks were appearing across the area, attempts had been made to build real huts but there simply was not enough resources available at the moment.
As Vlath reached Bloodfang's tent, he could already tell it had been personalised to the warchief's tastes. Sharp spikes of wood and bone had been placed around the tent and the tent itself still had bits of deer flesh hanging off it, the tent was obviously construed crudely by Bloodfang himself. Entering the tent, Vlath nodded to the warchief who was waiting expectantly for him "I trust you have a few warriors in mind to purge these beasts, Grash" the voidcaller asked. "Yes voidcaller, I have 10 warriors in mind that are in any condition to battle" Grash Bloodfang replied, giving a slightly forced bow as he entered. "Good. I know this task may seem beneath you and your warriors Bloodfang, but our people are weaker than they have ever been. We must take each small victory as it comes so we may prove ourselves worthy of the Gods again, then they will show us favour against this world." The lycan rose from the slight hunch he was walking at as he gave his orders to his chieftain. "I want you and your selected warriors to find every wolf around our home and kill it. Bring me their pelts and any cubs you may find. There will be use for them as well, the rest of the beast's carcasses may be your warriors sustenance on this cull. Do not fail the Gods now Bloodfang, go and do as I have said" Vlath said before turning to exit the room, no words were needed from Bloodfang. Despite his displeasure at fighting such a weak foe, it had been months since his bloodlust had been sated.
After the "threat" of the Lizards was solved , Amari Asto left that it was time to continue with the works that would set up a basis for his newly founded kingdom, with that in mind he decided to check again his available options which for the moment were only two, one of them was the lumber mill and the other the copper mine. Amari Asto thought and consulted Manco like he normally did in matters of governance, he told him that in one hand lumber could be used to create better tools and fires that would help heat up the camp in the cold night and in the other hand copper could be used to improve the weapons of the new soldiers.
Manco also told him that it some nights the temperature was too low and that was an indicator that maybe this land wasn't as temperate as they had thought in the first place and even with this piece of knowledge , Amari Asto took his time again and again to decide what he would do. He started to look like his father who would take upon himself the task of thinking solutions for every single problem that he faced.
A couple of days later, Amari Asto had made his decision , which was to establish the lumbermill to which he said that it was important to keep his citizens heated and that the wood could also be used to make the roofs of the buildings, which way easier than doing it with stones.
They had iron. Maxim watched as the mine slowly grew into existence, tents puffing up and the clang of pick on rock echoing out. The few soldiers they had were watching out, horns in their hands, ready to sound the cry should orcs come for them. The call had gone out- if any miner wished to eat better food and earn more, they should join the guard. The more guards the better, especially with the sustained losses.
But now was not the time. Mannerlicher had hurried to start work on the mechanisms for firing a ballista- they had to construct them from the start, as if they were discovering them for the first time. Iron was not all they needed however. Wood. They needed lots of wood, and how. It was true that homes were not made from the stuff, but handles for tools, fuel... All relied on wood.
The order was sent out to establish a lumber mill. With iron, they could produce proper hand-cranked saws for bisecting logs and making planks. When they had enough wood, then they could take the fight once more to the orcs. And this time, eradicate them.
When Yngvar awoke the next morning, he found that the longship had been completed and awaited his arrival already. The Gilbins had proved to be most crafty, and took to instructions very well. It seemed, they almost enjoyed building, had it not been for their thrall status. Yngvar decided to visit Dag before he left off, and went up the hill to his longhouse, the great meadhall that was the heart of Dagshall. From here, he could see the runestone monument that had been erected and it was still being worked on. The runecarver had gotten up early this morning to finish his work, and he put much effort and love into it, Yngvar could tell. For Yngvar however, his love and passion was for something else. He was one of the greatest warriors and explorers of the tribe, and he had some renown on his neck already. When he left Dag's meadhall, he did so with the blessings of the entire tribe.
For now, before Yngvar and his sails were set, the tribe knew only that to the west there was mountains, and to the east there was a thick swampland. Dag named his longship the Gilbinsbane, and sailed up the river to find out where it went.
Later that evening, one of the hunters came to Dag and told him he had seen some of the fleeing Gilbins enter the swamp to the east. He reckoned they didn't have to worry about them anymore, but something told Dag there was more to the gilbin than meet the eye. Especially after he had seen their quick adaption of the ways of being a thrall and constructing under instruction.
[Morale boost in effect.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 175 men, 174 women, 52 children.
- 150 Goblin Thralls
Livestock: A herd of goat. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 60% of adult population. Food level: Above Average Resources: Lumber, Iron, Honey (low quantities, legendary quality) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level, +2% from morale = 8%. Morale: Very High (Morale boost for 3 more turns.) Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
The great victory over the orcs had increased public opinion of the military and when the call went out that guards earned more pay and were fed better, many flocked to join the guard. Almost all miners now had a part-time guardduty, which meant they had to take rounds. A schedule was developed and all the would-be-guards were instructed shortly in their duties, and before long the mine was operating at full capacity with eagre guardsmen.
[Increased militia conscription by 5%!]
To everyone's surprise, there was not yet a functional lumber operation within New Matem's sphere. This couldn't last for long, thought Maxim, and almost as soon as he had finished the sentence, a lumbermill practically sprung into existance.
Meanwhile, the foreigner - Mannerlicher - has been working on his ballista design. While he has a good understanding of construction, engineering and geometry, he isn't much of a warfare expert. Be that as it may, a ballista design is simple to him, and as such he tells Maxim he can construct a dozen of them within a week, with the sufficient manpower. He does however want more ... Let's say, creative freedom in his designs when it comes to improving the original standard ballista. He sees room for improvement, and potential, and asks Maxim for funds in order to see his vision bear fruit.
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 168 men, 163 women, 54 children. Military: Available: 8 Footmen. - Militia able to be conscripted up to 35% of adult population. Food level: Above average Resources: Clay, Stone, Lumber, Marble (small quantities), Iron (small quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - Unnamed Redskin-Orc Village: Hostile
It took him a few days, but Amari Asto finally decided that the lumber mill was to be the best course of action for his people. The copper was a luxury that they could afford to wait for, if momentarily. For now, stone buildings with wooden roofs made for somewhat cold living, but the stone meant easy ovens or fireplaces to keep warm. A young builder named Rano Rancor (named after his father, and his father before him, and so on) started experimenting with buildingmaterials of how best to isolate the households so that less heat escape through the cold stone or through windows and doors. For this, he submit a request to Amari Asto asking for supplies and two of the other builders/masons to help him in his efforts. Some of the other masons were sceptical to this young upstart's new-thinking ways, but others shrugged saying any great discovery has to start somewhere.
A few days later still, another worrying report comes in from one of the hunter-scouts. He says the Lizardmen to the west have started going up the mountains more frequently, and they have found the pass that leads through the cliffs, meaning there's but a matter of time before they find the Antari.
Will Amari Asto allocate resources to Rano Rancor in hopes of improving his people's way of life, or will he take precaution against the seemingly aggressive lizardmen?
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 169 men, 167 women, 45 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Above average Resources: Stone, lumber, copper (pending). Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level, +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
The guilds were re-established in the cult's society before the settlement even had a name. Farming efforts were already underway and soon, the amount of food available for the elves would be enough to sustain them. Or so they hoped.
The high elves that come as refugees from the north are happy and surprised to find high elven kin in these lands. They had not expected to run into any kinsmen. They talk for long with the scouts, while the refugee train keeps moving south slowly. Your scouts learn that these high elves call themselves the Lothelonni, and had fled corruption and political turmoil fueled by religious zealotry in their homeland. However, the mountain had collapsed during a fierce storm when a bolt of lightning had struck the mountainside, sending a huge wave of mud and rubble down at them. Lord Elaris Brightflower had led them to this new land, but unfortunately he had not yet been accounted for after the disaster. The elves assumed he had died, with so many others of their kin. So many bodies were unaccounted for under all the mud and rubble. The scouts point them in the way of the new settlement and tells the refugees only shortly of themselves and how/why they came to this land. It seems they share some struggles from their past, and might get along well. As the scouts lead the refugees back to the settlement, one scout is sent ahead to quickly tell the others of the refugee train's arrival. Preparations had to be made.
One thing was clear however. They were not of the same lands as the Children of Artemon had once been.
[Refugees arrive in 2 turns.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 91 men, 93 women, 27 children. Military: 7 Elf-at-Arms. Militia able to be conscripted up to 20% of adult population. Food level: Low (improving) Resources: None Wealth: Nonexistant Trade:
Imports: Raw leather and animal goods from Giant Camp. Exports: Processed leather goods to Giant Camp.
With the mine up and running, new tools could be made to increase effectiveness of... Well, pretty much everything.
Echadon returns home and tells his people of his diplomatic mission to the Ursar. He tells Arngir much to his own disappointment that the Ursar will not be friends with them yet, but he remains hopefull and says that Oras, the first Ursar he met and the one which has become somewhat of a friend to him, will come and visit soon and that he will bring with him maps and information, and perhaps items for trade.
A week later, just as Echadon had said, Oras arrives with a small group of Ursar. They bring with them gifts of purely cosmetic value, but also maps and spoken word. That night, Oras and his companions sit with Echadon, Arngir and a few other dwarven representative at a dinnertable. The hour is late and the company is sharing stories of their pasts. The Ursar says they came from stolen ships, and due to the strange storms that seemed to guide them or harass them at every turn, they have no idea from which direction they came and therefore have no idea where the humans they fled from are now. Echadon as well admits, it is hard to say how far they had travelled. When the hour grows even later still, the company decides to retire. Before the Ursar head off to their given bedchambers for their stay, Oras comes up to Arngir and, despite his taller stature, extends his hand for a shake. "We have much in common, Dwarf and Ursar, and I have found a respect for not only you and Echadon, but your way of life and your kinsmen as well. Here." Oras says, and hands Arngir a map. "It is our map of the peninsula we inhabit. It is mostly great mountains or thick woods, and the map isn't terribly detailed, but... It seems to me, you will gain knowledge from this." Before Oras disappears around the corner, he stops and turns around. "Also... Some of our neighbours aren't as nice. Beware of the locations marked with a reddish tint on the map."
[Information about the Ursar acquired.] [Map updated! New settlements and neighbours discovered.]
With the map, Oras had included a document written in common. It described a brown-skinned orc village to the north-east by the coast, they were simple folk who lived slow and survivalist lives, and seemed not to want conflict with anyone. However, further south of the Ursar was a strange name. "Lilitu", Arngir spoke the word outloud. The document described them as savage winged women. The word harpies came to mind, but Arngir was unsure if this was simply another name the Ursar had given them and that they were indeed Harpies, or if they were some other kind of harpy-like creature. Nonetheless, they were described as extremely territorial and hostile, so going into their territory probably wasn't a good idea.
The next day, the two (or three) expeditions set out into the lands. One of them consisting of two groups crosses the river and journeys north to seek resources an to establish a logging camp. Another group journeys south to set up ... Well, also a logging camp. While the southern and northern logging camps are simple enough tasks, it takes a while to get them operational. The expedition further north however will take a little more time.
[Logging camps operational next turn.] [Expedition returns next turn.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 145 men, 141 women, 42 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Average Resources: Copper, tin. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +0% from food level, +0% from morale = 5%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - The Ursar: Friendly - The Brown-Skin Orcs: Not yet met. - The Lilitu: Not yet met.
Lycan and wolf was much alike. Though the Lycan fancied themselves the superior predator, they couldn't help but identify well with the wolves. As such, they knew what needed to be done. The wolves had to be purged. A fair fight it would be, the warriors thought to themselves as they quietly stalked the wilderness in search of their "neighbours". Within a week, the local wolf tribe had been hunted to extinction, and their flesh and hide has been made into food or resource for the covenant. The livestock enclosure was safe for now, and just as Bloodfang thought this, he looked over yonder from the village to see deer running in the enclosure.
While recent events had been a bit dull, the future looked bright.
[Livestock enclosure has been completed. The livestock will grow slowly and be affected by your own population, if food is low the livestock will diminish.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 126 men, 121 women, 18 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Below average Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% -1% from food level,+0% from morale = 4%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
Okay, good news bad news. Good knews, the mountains south of the swamp is filled with several mineable materials such as hardstone (a sort of metal-like rocktype that can be smelted into other metals to increase durability, due to your increased intelligence you actually know what it is), iron and tin. The bad knews is, they're not easy to get to and there's no way to haul it down from the mountain to the settlement without a road through the swamp... And that won't be easy. Small quantities could be carried by single goblins traversing the swamp, but the amount of ore gained from that would be painfully slow. The goblin in charge of the expedition suggests perhaps they could create some sort of mountain-camp where they process the minerals straight out of the mines, and then carry the tools and whatnot that they make back to the settlement? Before they're able to actually create a -road-, that is.
[Resources found: Hardstone (small amounts), iron, tin. Marked on map.]
The quest to stalk the animals was slow as well... The beasts tend to create small homes for themselves hidden in the mud where they lay eggs and keep their young protected while they venture out for feed. The goblins note, the crocs' young are vulnerable when waiting for their parent to return with food. The expedition is scheduled to return next turn with a bunch of eggs and new information about the surrounding wildlife.
[Information about the wildlife and Geist's expedition return next turn.]
Just when Gredy had seen off Geist and her north-western expedition, he spots several ... Well, kinsmen one could say. Blackskinned loincloth-bearing goblins stand at the entrance to the settlement, looking around in awe. They carry nothing with them and seem kind of miserable, worse for wear. Gredy manages to organize a few goblins on guard-duty and meet then, and they manage to communicate quite well despite the (obvious) difference in culture and perhaps intelligence. A large black goblin named Trip seems to be leading the refugees. "I'm Trip!" he says in the common goblin tongue. "I lead the survivors of Black-Kin, we come from the west, fleeing the traitorous humans who vanquished us and made my people slaves!" Gredy and Trip speak for many hours and the black-skinned kinsmen are allowed to stay in the settlement. What they lack in intelligence they make up for in a knack for understanding instruction and strength. They seem to be much stronger than the average goblin of Gredy's kind. They quickly set up homes for themselves and adapt to the local environment in but a week! With the help of the enclave's knowledge, of course.
[Refugees gained! +50 adult population.] [Information about Dagshall gained! You now know where they are on the map and know that they have somewhere between 100-200 warriors available.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 162 men, 162 women, 56 children.
(50 of adult population is of Blackskin Goblin descent)
Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Low Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 8% -3% from food level,+0% from morale = 5%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - The Iceborn: Unfriendly (you have not yet met)
Diligence. That's what the Talren dark elves would have to possess in order to turn this new home into a... Well, home. Many of Llyr's followers were desperate and came from a downtrodden societal situation, but just seeing the white shores and verdant nature of this new land, they already felt like they had reached salvation. With a bit of hard work, that is. Luckily, Dark Elves are actually known for their hard work and craftmanship compared to other elfkinds, (such as the spiritual and slow wood-elves and laid-back aristocrats of the high-elves) and as such their ambition might actually bear fruit here.
Within a few months, the island was fully explored. Beautiful green forests of strong trees dotted the central and upper south of the island, while steep cliff and rock met bare water to the north. Mostly everywhere else, the island was bordered with fine white sand beaches, and down south on the southernmost tip, the ocean winds had smoothed the landscape into fine, flat grassland and rich dark soil. It was clear this island was a paradise, compared to where they had come from earlier, at least when it came to bare nature. The trees here however were... Different than they imagined. They didn't have a single strong trunk growing upwards, but rather it looked like every tree had four or more trunks grown together and upward in a spiral-motion kind of way. Some trees were so thick it looked like it was actually twenty trees grown together in one! But when a tree was felled, it became clear that they were not actually several in one, but naturally grew and looked this way. The lumber they gave were the strongest that Llyr had ever seen! As hard as metal, as flexible as rubber, and with the correct kind of craftsmanship could probably be made into the greatest of tools and ... perhaps weapons? Ships?! The craftsmen's' mouths watered at the thought, the posibilities...
The small mountain to the north also held it's mysteries. Such as it's shape. It was shaped in such a way that it looked to be the tip of a mountain, but the less steep slopes and rocks that makes up the base of a regular mountain wasn't really there. Instead, it looked as if it just sprang out of the ground, making some fool or other speculate that it was actually an -underground- mountain with vast deposits and cavous systems beneath the surface, or that it had actually been a mountain but had somehow sank into the very ground, or sea. But such foolishness is surely simple talk... Right? The prospectors sent to investigate the mountain was shocked to find almost no minerals of worthy mention, but instead made the discovery of steep, very deep, very long natural caves and tunnels that seemed to lead downward into the mountain and into the ground. They speculated they'd find minerals further in, probably. As to what made the caves and tunnels, they have no idea, but they don't look artificial.
[Food still improving] [Timber resource able to be improved into Larian Timber upon construction of a lumbermill. Larian Timber is harder and more flexible than the standard timber resource, and as such is seen as a very sought-after material.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 95 men, 95 women, 20 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Below average(Improving) Resources: Timber (Small quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 4% -1% from food level,+0% from morale = 3%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
