ImmacuNES VI: Dreams and Legends

Yes, you were the sparkles of that story.

Hi, Immac. How's it going?

Beat me to it.

That must have been some bad milk

Busy lately. Don't worry- update is progressing- lots is done but progress is slower than usual. I have two meetings with corporate partners we are trying to sell our asset to and my family is back in town- i was up in Montreal yesterday and today actually.

I.

Shoulda told me!

That's good to know. Really looking forward to the update! (But obviously take all the time you need)

Sorry Thomas- i was just up overnight. We left first thing in the morning.

It's almost done guys. Won't be much longer. Thank you for your patience.
Blackbard

Hooray! This make T'chitani very happy

hbar said:

Hooray! This make T'chitani very happy

Spoiler :

Click to expand...

.... the... what is that abomination.

Suddenly I want to supply the centaur raiders with this.

Seon said:

.... the... what is that abomination.

Suddenly I want to supply the centaur raiders with this.

Spoiler :

Click to expand...

What are you talking about, for an arthropod(?) that is almost cute.

Agreed- cool looking bug!

Update Four: The Returned, Ships Upon the Sea, Venom




Baralhen




Hearing Siofra tales of giant draconian people from the north, the Baralhen tribal chieftains and king send several of their best soldiers in search of their homelands, perhaps hoping to establish diplomatic or trade contact. Their lands, however, are very distant and the soldiers left have yet to return.




In response to the children returning from western lands with tales of Siofra-like people who keep their hair and beards trim, wear thicker clothes, often animal furs, and who live in highland valleys, the Baralhen send warriors to investigate. The western lands rise steeply, first into a series of rolling foothills and finally into high mountains capped with snow and ice and where the thick jungles turn first to coniferous forest and finally to sparse stony lands. Here the warriors sent see ample evidence of the foreigners including evidence of hunting and logging and, where-ever they have been for a long time, strange marks upon the stone that might be a way for them to communicate with one another.




Finally scouts from the warbands report finding the valley hamlets described by the children. They are often clustered around a stream or rivulet and boast homes of stone, earth and sod. Assuming their animal forms the ‘Shifters’ approach unobserved and quickly determine that these people patrol their borders extensively, perhaps searching for more of the Baralhen children and that they are not alone. Towering giants with black skin broken by numerous cracks from which escape fire and steam walk amongst the valley people. These seem to serve the elite of the community, providing military strength to their rule.








The emissaries have brought Baraudtcha and other goods to trade and have orders to approach the foreigners as friends. This they do but the commanders remaining with the army soon receive word that the emissaries have been killed and their bodies placed on pikes. Obviously these people are not too keen on receiving visitors. As the mountain people assemble their warriors, both mortal scouts of their own people and demonic two-headed dogs whose howls loosen bowels and send shivers through the Baralhen warriors, find the Baralhen camp. The mountain-dwellers attack the Baralhen soldiers, determined to drive the armed jungle-dwellers out of their homelands. The Baralhen soldiers attempt to retreat but the enemy army is much more numerous and they know these mountains and valleys much better. Not only that but they are accompanied by a number of ferocious demonic forces including more of the hounds and several more of the giants. These, together, quickly overwhelm the outnumbered and outgunned Baralhen soldiers, leaving very few to return to the jungles with news of the nearly one-sided massacre.




The Baralhen shifters are all that remain of the force that was sent into the highlands, their stealth and ability to transform into animals the only thing that have kept them alive. But now it is their turn and they continue to harass and harry the highlander forces, ranging throughout their eastern marches for several years. The enemy, whom they learn are called the Muspil are a race of grim and serious farmers and miners who also practice very limited herding. They are governed by a magocracy of warlocks who command demonic forces not only to ensure their own rule but to fight invading forces, as the Baralhen have learned, and to perform manual tasks requiring great strength.




Ultimately the Baralhen shifters, despite a few close calls, are able to avoid capture and have grown used to operating in the highland environment. They have watched the Muspil and have even cornered and overwhelmed Muspil soldiers on many occasions, repaying the blood the Baralhen soldiers have spilled with Muspil blood.




Closer to home Baralhen shamans and wisemen have begun decorating the great trees of their jungle home with magically-imbued carvings depicting the spirits and totems of the ‘spirit-mists’. This does much to reinforce the cultural identity of the Baralhen as well as their ties to the spirit world but because of their magical nature, will require spirit energy to maintain as living, moving, carvings. The carvings continue to grow in number, even after the shamans have moved on and soon there are reports of spirits from within the mists making their own carvings, depicting not only the interactions of the Baralhen with the spirits of the jungle but spirits and natural phenomena such as rains or mudslides. The jungles of the ‘spirit mists’ are truly alive with otherworldly creatures.




The Baralhen are also visited by draconian creatures from the north who say they have travelled for nearly fourteen years and are only too glad to share in the Baralhen hospitality. They are particularly fond of the Baralhen brew.



While visiting the Siofra, Baralhen merchants meet strange slime-creatures from the west who call themselves the Paddublin.




Two warbands disappear northwards (to find ‘giant dragon people the Siofra have mentioned’&#8217 and may or may not be gone. (lose 2 warbands. Temporary? Permanently?)

Two warbands lost to the Muspil.

Baralhen gain Shifting Pictograms rank 2 (+1 stability)

Contact established with the Jolustrym, Paddublin (barely- and only to a limited extent).





The Mukakai




The Mukaki diligently focus their building efforts towards completing their forts bordering Ixii lands. With the help of engineers from the capital, the project is completed after years of delays. In the same area, surface copper mines are opened thanks to the increased security provided by the forts. Ultimately however, the use of blood magic, though helping in assisting the development of these projects by providing minor spirits to aid in their construction, worries many of the people who think that the region is now cursed. There is talk that ‘settling in one place is not our way- these lands are stained in blood- we should keep moving’. Perhaps with time these concerns will pass but for now, many are worried.




Elsewhere throughout their lands, the Mukaki herds continue to flourish through careful husbandry. Sheep, goats and cattle can be seen in greater numbers than ever before. Resourceful blood mages, thinking to document successful spells, begin using the scrapped skins of many of these herd animals to create parchment and even vellum.




For the first time in generations, the raids and wars with the Ixii have stopped.




But not all is quiet. In the south-east, where many have spotted ape-like creatures and humanoid tiger-headed people, there is news of raids upon the herds. With the entire army in the west to protect against the Ixii there is little the south-eastern centaurs can do in response to these apes and their gigantic bows. Centaur shepherds are soon driven off and the herds of the south-east are claimed by the ‘ape-people’. Tribesmen from the area have all returned to the highland steppe and demand that the army assist them in recovering their prime grazing pastures.




Mukaki complete their western forts and surface copper mine (-2 stability).

Mukaki herds expand (rank 4 to rank 5).

Mukaki gain knowledge of parchment.

Mukaki lose 2 resources and 1 stability from ‘ape-people’ raids.

Having seen enough archers, the Mukaki can spend 5 resources to gain ‘archery’.




(When something is 10/15 complete, it means it has 10 resources invested and needs 5, not that it has 5 and needs 10- sorry for any confusion. You had spare resources based on this misunderstanding so i just built you 1 warband.)





The Neirygine Confederacy




The Neirygine, having established a peaceful settlement with the horse-riding Vahid, are finally able to turn from defending their nascent western settlement to developing it. Over the course of several seasons more and more immigrants arrive in the west, bringing with them the tools and resources requisite to complete the project. Special care is taken to make the settlement defensible, including multiple wells, food stores, low stone walls, and ditches.




The treaty with the Vahid also means that each of the nations are able to send dignitaries to the other’s capital. The Vahid live in a wide plain centered around an oceanic coast and river-valley. Despite wide use of horsemen in their armies, they are not a nomadic horse people, but herdsmen who some generation ago settled down to practice agriculture. Their homes are multi-storied stone affairs of sandstone and brick with a small but growing middle class. Both men and women cover their faces and they dress in long robes of undyed linen. They are led by both a Sultan and his soldiers, many of the highest ranking ones being directly related to the Sultan and an established priesthood dedicated to the worship of a monotheistic god. This god, Zavihn, is the source of both undying and continuous creation and the recreation of the mind and sentience. He operates in opposition to ‘foreign’ pantheistic divinities worshipped by lesser cultures and who serve ‘destruction’ and ‘chaos’. Both their religion and their magic is strongly based on elementalism and their sorcerers, often high ranking officials within the Sultan’s court, summon minor elemental spirits called ‘djinn’.




The Vahid have similarly been seen in the Neirygine court where they have been extremely polite but often haughty and aloof. From the Vahid, many outlying Neirygine clans have learned to tame the local wildlife and some have even experimented with riding a number of wild animals- though most attempts have ended in dramatic failure- to the great amusement of the Vahid ambassadors.




Continuing their focus on defenses, especially in light of the rapidly growing armies of their northern neighbor, the Sjaerbast’s militia continues its training as new barracks, earthwork defenses, and weapons are built. Worry over the intentions of the militant northern neighbor has many commoners worried for their safety and there have been several incidents involving overzealous militia members striking or even killing a neighbor they thought an invader.




Closer to home, the irrigation canals meant to link rivers and highland aquifers to downstream farms complete bringing new growth to the existing wheat and rice farms.




Neirygine gain knowledge of animal husbandry.

Neirygine complete irrigation for farms.

Western settlement completes.

Militia program developed (need 4 resources to complete)

Neirygine lose two stability.





Kingdom of Celestia




Wild aurochs are brought into the Celestian fold when warbands equipped with nets and spears and shepherds fall upon the herds and force them into wide pastures. Here the animals are allowed to graze and roam but are gradually introduced to more and more human presence until, over the course of a few decades, their offspring are eventually domesticated. Soon Celestians are feeding upon steak and some even drink their milk.




Meanwhile traders are sent south to the Many Colored Lands with the goods of the Celestian people- including many artistic products decorated with cow skins or tarn feathers. . Amongst their number are several of the ‘Red Priestess’. These perform minor miracles amongst the Danaan, like bending fire and healing the sick and are successful in introducing their faith to the Danaanish people; indeed there are incidents of the Red Priestess marrying Danaan men and bearing them many children, a great feat among their people which brings both the parents and the faith great prestige.




The Red Priestess are not done there however and their rituals to bless their crops continues, bringing continued bounty to the population. When the king dies of old age the generally content population crowns his son without fanfare or complications, strengthening the hereditary nature of the Celestian crown.




Kingdom of Celestia gains ‘herds’ rank 1.

Missionaries established in Danaan lands.

Enchanted crops provide 1 extra resource and 3 extra stability.





Kodama




The Kodama purification circle continues to keep foreign spells and aetherial creatures at bay but has little effect on mortal men. Men dressed in furs, crowned with stag horns, and carrying copper farming scythes adapted to warfare arrive from the west. They call themselves the ‘Doreausette’ and appear intent on scouting the Kodama people. When intercepted, they act cautious but are not hostile. They ask many questions but answer few in return and eventually all decide to turn and return westwards. Over the course of several years many such ‘excursions’ arrive from the western woods. They are not set to trade or establish diplomatic contact- instead they seem to be watching and waiting.




The Kodama themselves busy themselves preparing the worlds first self-sustaining magical artifacts- a handful of clear pebbles. These stones, or ‘mana crystals’ can be infused with arcane energies and the arcane energies called upon later when required. In this way, arcana can be ‘stored’. The magic stones themselves do not require arcana to maintain, being stable manifestations of mystical energy.








Meanwhile Kodama foragers range in wider and wider territories, bringing new bounty to their families from across the land.




Kodama gain 1 rank in foraging.

Kodama gain 1 rank in ‘mana crystals’, first ‘self-sustaining’ magic item. It allows for the storage of up to ten arcana.

Purification circle prevents any new aetherial intrusions (+4 stability).

Kodama make contact with the ‘Doreausette’.





Aketua




The dead of Aketua are sent to the western seas to assist in the construction of a new harbor and small hamlet to service these waters. From here Aketua scouts are sent eastwards across the seas on rickety rafts. Few return.








Those that do speak of distant lands surrounded by beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters. The lands themselves are rocky and have little vegetation.




Meanwhile, in the homelands a new annual festival of the new year is established where craftsmen present their wares. These are judged by the Forger priests and the winner receives the blessing of the cult, bringing prestige and honor to their family.




Eastern coastal village established

Exploration of eastern sea reveals distant lands. Many explorers lost. (-3 stability)

‘New Year’ Festival established.





Taenar Confederation




Taenar Stagnate.

Sightings of the northern snow-spirits continue.




-1 stability





Jolustrym Kingdom




While new warbands are sent east to report on what they find there, the scouts sent to find the ‘jungle goblins’ in decades past finally return to Jolustrym. The journey has been incredibly long and the distances great and despite the Jolustrym’s love for adventure and glory, many have not returned- preferring to settle down after nearly two decades of exploration and long marching. Those that do return speak of the ‘Baralhen’, and a land of mists and spirits, where the ghosts of totemic animals flit about and are part of the daily lives of the people.



Closer to home, new expeditions sent to the east report little evidence of new sentient creatures. Here the lands gradually fall to temperate forests criss-crossed with small rivers and streams. It is a land of plentiful game and bountiful forage, though the scouts report large cats and wolves stalking prey here. The Siofra apparently occasionally hunt here but do not have a permanent presence.




The Siofra themselves are very impressed when Jolustyrm emissaries arrive with a gift-train from the Jarl himself. The gifts include the famous Jolustrym-based root-beer, salted fish, jewelry and newly crafted ‘flint’ tools. In return the Siofra send gifts from their herds and some of their best leathers. The Jolustrym have learned much from the gifts and are eager to begin their own herds.




In the north of their own lands a single warband is kept busy responding to numerous reports of diminutive fur-clad goblin-creatures sporting long tusks and claws raiding farms, homesteads and isolated hamlets in the winter months. They arrive on wolf-back or on sleds and sneak into barns and pastures at night, stealing animals and tools before disappearing back into the northern forests- making use of their thick furs and mounts to escape into the cold wilderness before the villagers can mount a proper response. On occasion a farmer or huntsmen has been found dead and others have reported chasing away these nocturnal goblin-creatures but for the most part they have avoided the patrols of the undermanned Jolustrym warbands.




A search for new metals to craft tools and weapons from has revealed a new source of sharp-edged stone that can and be worked by ‘flaking’. The new flint mine is soon operational and flint tools are now common throughout Jolustrym.








Similarly, the Jolustrym shamans have begun to develop elementals magics and soon ‘elementalists’, shamans specializing in the command of ice and winter gales, flames and stone are more and more common amongst the magically talented.




Jolustrym develop flint mine.

Jolustrym develop elementalism (requires arcana).

Siofra share secrets of animal husbandry and leather work. Jolustrym can learn these technologies for a 5 resource investment (each) (maximum one per turn) (+1 stability)

One warband returns from scouting expedition to ‘find the jungle goblins’ from decades past. (+2 stability)

Jolustrym lose 2 resources and 1 stability.

Contact established with the Baralhen. (barely- and only to a limited extent).





Taha’ar League




After years of expanding and training the military, proud Taha’ar are eager to seek glory and honor in the names of their clans and gods. “We are ready to honor Nikostratos!” can be heard upon the lips of many an overzealous or drunken soldier. Without real purpose or challenge, brawling and rape have become more and more common, as soldiers without cause find ways to entertain themselves. Many people begin to barricade themselves within their homes at night and no woman dares to walk the streets without purpose or armed escort even during the day. Hearing of the growing unrest from those ‘who actually contribute to the clans’ regarding their casual brutality and wanting to protect themselves, some of the outlying clans exacerbate the situation by raising soldiers to defend themselves against the state’s bored warriors.

Meanwhile, calls go out for a place to worship and pray during this time of uncertainty. Shrines begin to be built throughout the land. A large group of commoners, scared for their safety, begin an exodus to found a new home. They travel south, following the great river until it reaches another tributatary and there found a village, naming it “River Forks”.




‘River Forks’ settlement begun (10/15- requires 5 resources)

‘Shrines’ project begun (8/15- requires 7 resources)

Taha’ar’s outlying tribes raise 1 warband.

The military grows large and consider themselves ‘ready’. “We are ready to honor Nikostratos” (-1 stability)

Update Four: : The Returned, Ships Upon the Sea, Venom (part 2)





Ixii



The Ixii explorers travel north and west for many moons, moving closer and closer to the coast. The air soon becomes humid and the trees become noticeably larger. While much of the land remains relatively dry and stone-strewn, trees grow in clusters and small forests. Vines and moss creep across the their trunks and wildlife scurries through the underbrush. Additionally, there are signs of sentient life; as the Ixii travel they encounter the stump of a felled tree. The stumps massive girth and the lack of any actual felled tree, raise the curiosity of many of the Ixii. Their curiosity sharpens into nervous alertness as more and more stumps are discovered the further they travel. Before long, the fresh marks of several felled trees being moved catch their attention. It is also around this time that a feeling of “being watched” enters the consciousness of the troops. They are unable to spot anyone obviously observing them and decide to continue and follow the scrapes of the massive trees across the forest floor. The trail eventually leads to a steep cliff edge falling into the sea, and there disappears. There is no sign of the felled trees or any other peoples, but someone swears they saw a head disappear under the surf when they made eye contact with “something or someone.”



Meanwhile, on the northern coasts of the Ixii farmlands, a galley appears. The galley is under sail power but the sailors, as they catch sight of the Ixii farmers, lower their sails and brace themselves to oars, steering their boat towards the coast. The sailors are armed brutes, more ape than man with overlarge torsos and long powerful arms obviously suited to brachiating. In combination with their small legs, their gait is partially four-legged as they walk upon their knuckles. Their skin is scaled, and often blue-grey and they have mouths not unlike those of sharks with layer upon layer of sharp teeth which when they smile gives them a threatening appearance regardless of what they at actually attempting to convey.


Meanwhile the scouts continue to explore the north-west and come to a coastal region where many more of the brachiating shark-mouthed people live and establish contact. Initially they appear relatively defenseless, with few warriors to protect their fishermen, lumberers and children but then, one afternoon, rumors of a returning ship appear and the population is swollen with new marines returning from raids afield.


Over the course of a few years the Ixii learn that these sailors are called the ‘Ghul’ and that they are a tribal people making their homes in coastal cliff-faces where their capacity to brachiate allows them to escape predators from sea or land quickly. They have a penchant for the water and their massive chests hold massive lungs which they use to hold their breaths for long. Their webbed feet and hands, along with their scales make them excellent swimmers and they spend the majority of their day on the coasts fishing or in semi-submerged structures of wood and stone which the Ixii gather to be of religious significance but which they do not truly understand. On one day the Ixii scouts spot a green humanoid female figure of lithe build with pointed ears. When the Ghul catch sight of the Ixii watching her, they bundle her away and refuse to answer any questions regarding her.


In the homelands, the Ixii finally find some peace as the western scouts report that the Mukakai have withdrawn to build a large fortress complex upon their border.


Magically gifted Ixii have begun to collect their mental powers into a sort of collective, the purpose of which might be revealed when their projects completes. Others begin training as mental warriors of sorts.




Hive repaired (+1 stability)

Mentat’s collective begun (11/15)

Ixii make contact with the ‘Ghul’.

Relative peace at last ! (+2 stability)


Many Colored Lands of the Danaan



The bard Cuarne leads an expedition westwards to establish a bardic college and hamlet which the Danaan call Kazaë. It is a place of song and poetry and heroic deeds. Far from the King and his magical influence, it also becomes a place for the most independent-minded (or rebellious) Danaan to make a home. With the establishment of Kazaë, Cuarne develops Ritual battles involving jousts of poetry. The most beautiful become objects of fascination and study and are remembered in ritual story-telling. The winners even receive prizes of strange pieces of wood with cards strong upon it.



In the homelands, Bran continues to craft and shape his golden armor. It is a heavy thing, made of solid gold taken from the alluvial hill-side. For many seasons he has shaped the soft metal with hammer and chisel but as it nears completion, he simply channels its ‘gold-magic’ to shape it directly. While the armor itself is a thing of beauty and brings much prestige to Bran and his clan, it also greatly amplifies his magic, especially when one also considers the stringent gaeas also empowering them. Other Danaan instinctively treat Bran as a figure of authority and are compelled to his command, both in battle and within the internal politics.



In recent years, traders from the Kingdom of Celestia have come in greater numbers and bring with them the ‘Red Priestesses’ who serve the goddess of the lake. They perform minor miracles such as shaping fires, enchanting crops and healing the sick. Perhaps the greatest miracle of all however is their great fertility. Some Danaan, adopting the traditions of the Celestian, have taken them for wives and the priestesses have borne them many children, easily outpacing pure Danaan couples. That has brought prestige and honor to the proud fathers of the half-blooded children, which the locals have taken to calling Aeth’Or and one particularly fertile Danaan has taken three of the priestesses as wives and grown his family to fourteen children. He has begun to call himself the Or’Nod Lord of the northern marches.




Finally, in the south, Danaan craftsmen have been exploring methods of travelling upon the sea and, after several failed attempts, finally determine a way to travel upon the sea using the power of both oars and the wind. These Danaan ships, while still relatively primitive, are still the most advanced sea-going vessel known to the Danaan or their neighbors.





Bran donnes his golden armor- though functional, remains a work-in-progress.

Celestian mission to the goddess of the lake established (-1 stability, reduces culture)

Danaan gain knowledge of sailing.

Kazaë bardic lysium and hamlet established.

Poetic duels performed (+2 stability)





Iwa-Saalit


Ichik is a Mysercec, a lizard without family beyond the man who stole his egg many long years ago. He will never know any family of his own, having been castrated in his early teen years but that does not mean he does not mean he doesn’t consider his lord and fellow Mysercec his broodmates. His life is one of contemplation and scholarship. With the assistance of the priesthood of Aerin, led by his broodbrother, Ekahu, he has begun to decipher the secrets of the recent divinations, constructing small rafts and barges based on the designs of the northern desert-dwelling Adrialixtla. After several attempts at similar models, he finally develops a model with a wider base and a shallower hull and this he finds is quite suitable to the canals and waterways of the Iwa-Saalit people. Soon his designs are put into much larger production and Ichik is happy to see in his own life-time the adoption of a series of barges for the transportation of goods and people throughout the nation.





Meanwhile, it is the common people who begin domesticating wild fowl from the southern jungles but the methods soon prove popular and highly successful and spread rapidly throughout the nation. Soon most families are keeping a small group of chicken in a backyard enclosure to fatten and feast upon as they mature.




Iwa-Saalit gain knowledge of animal husbandry and fishing (small-water craft).

Iwa-Saalit gain barges asset





Paddublin



For many, the scouts sent eastward were considered lost. Their families and neighbors had not seen them for over thirty years and during that time, while they still recalled them, they did not truly expect to ever see them again. And yet, one fateful morning, as the rain fell heavy and the skies were dark, strange, nearly forgotten Paddublin, their slime-bodies wrapped in foreign-looking animal hides, return. They are the scouts sent in years past and while their numbers are much diminished, they have finally returned. And they have been successful. They tell of distant lands where long-haired, thick bodied creatures, the same height as a Paddublin, hunt, fish, herd, and even farm in distant woods. These people, the Siofra, are a boisterous, hard-drinking people with a love for festivities and music. The scouts recite several Siofra poems in the Siofra tongue that the philosopher kings, while unable to comprehend, nod in silent approval of rhythm and rhyme.




Not only do the scouts returning share knowledge of these hairy, bare-footed people, but they also tell of two other peoples. One are the ‘Jolustrym’, mighty warriors from the northern lands, which, while the scouts were unable to site directly or speak with, received enough consistent tales of to be considered true. The second people are the ‘Baralhen’, a spiritual, diminutive people of great agility and an animist faith. These the scouts have seen on repeated occasions and spoke with directly, though their tongue remained elusive to the scouts.




When the scouts are asked about their missing numbers, they mention attacks by animals, starvation in the highlands during winter, and attrition from wounds and sickness.




And while Paddublin miners finish the development of their gold mine, many have begun to ‘sing’ to the stones of the mountain, seeking new sorts of metals such as the yellow ‘gold’ much prized by the Danaan of the west. They find a strange yellow-brown metal, not nearly as beautiful as the yellow gold but which, when heated to very high temperatures seems to solidify to an extremely hard metal that holds an wicked edge for a long time. This ‘tarnish metal’ is highly sought after by both Paddublin warriors and craftsmen though its exact nature remains elusive.








Paddublin gain 1 warband (returns from eastern scouting)

Paddublin complete gold mines asset.

Paddublin begin developing ‘tarnish metals’ mine (6/15) (requires arcana).

Paddublin establish contact with the Baralhem (barely- and only to a limited extent).





Adrialixtla



While the elite of the Adrialixtla seem to have adopted vows of silence and sequestration, the raids from the eastern seas continue. ‘Ghul’ marines continue to harry and harass the coastal settlements but with the Adrialixtla warriors returned from their western exploration, they are much less successful. After two years of raids, the ships suddenly stop appearing offshore and do not return.



Meanwhile, inland, Adrialixtla have settled near oases and begun to practice agriculture, growing wheat and barley and figs and loquat.



Adrilixtla stagnate (-1 stability)

Adrialixtla lose 2 resources and 1 stability to raids.

Gain knowledge of agriculture.




Ogashar



The Ogashar are very prudent when probing the northern forests of their neighbor- the Slàine. They know not what they will face and do not wish to initiate a full-scale war. And yet, they are bent on raiding and plunder. The Bactrian camel centaurs push into the lightly wooded marches and find little evidence of the diminutive feathered lizard people. They continue their exploration and come to strange clearings where they have obviously been engaged in some sort of agriculture; there are rows and rows of strange inedible vines with carefully cultivated leaves. These grow both along the forest floor and over trees and for the most part, these areas are devoid of other plants; someone has obviously spent considerable effort to maintain these plants. Curious, a few Ogashar try tasting them and find them highly unpalatable; it seems strange that the Slàine might eat them. The raiders continue their exploration, moving further into the forests and while they continue to not encounter any large groups of Slàine or of their villages, they do encounter their traps. One warrior loses his life to a poison spike that impales his pastern as he steps upon a small covered pit. Another brushes an unseen thorn without consideration and soon dies a disgraceful death surrounded in manure and vomit. Several such deaths begin to accumulate, almost all involving cleverly concealed traps and the use of poison. When suddenly the warriors are set upon by blowgun-wielding lizard warriors in the night who quickly withdraw into the underbrush upon unleashing their volley the brave Ogashar race after them only to quickly succumb to the poisons of the blowdarts. An attempt to search for the diminutive forest defenders manages to slay a few serving as rear guard or scouts but the remainder disappear into a concealed trap door in the forest floor. The Ogashar set the tunnels to smoking and soon dozens of previously unseen tunnel entrances throughout the forest are gently smoking, revealing a labyrinthine series of subterranean tunnels. Fed up and without a real way to strike at the subterranean lizards, the Ogashar tear up the gardens and set fire to as much of the forest as they can and beat a hasty retreat before they lose any more warriors.




Near the capital, the Great Parsan Zaras, not the average Parson but a round-bellied, mild-spirited leader with a genuine care for his people, took it upon himself to raise a great structure- a magically heated building of wood and stone, bones and fur that would melt ice within regardless of the cold winds outside. It contains a great magical pyre fed by the blood mages of the tribe. Each season each Zora spend three winter nights within its mighty warm walls and therein they received the blessings of the shamans. In this way a tradition was established and the structure became known as the ‘Kashem Zazik’ (Spring House) and Parson Zaras became known in songs and stories as Parsan Zaras the Warm.




One warband requires a 2 resource investment or will be disbanded. (-1 stability)

Ogashar gain (rank 2) house of spring asset (requires arcana)






NPC Diplomacy


From Slàine,
To Ogashar,

And stay out!


From Muspil
To Baralhen,

Send more warriors to invade our lands and they will face the same fate.





Unique Units


Ixitcha Mindflayer


Selected from the strongest mentalist, the Ixitcha use their psionic abilities primarily to paralyze or strike down their targets from a distance. Their unique ranged attack is partially armor negating.

• Melee: 3
• Missile: 5
• Armor: 1
• Speed: 3
• Traits: chitinous exoskeleton, powerful jump, weak glide, partially armor negating ranged attack
• Recruit Cost: 10
• Arcana Maintenance: 3
• Culture Design Cost: 16

Pay 11 resources to start building these units.



Paddublin Stone Guardian




A slime that incorporates sharp metals and flakes of stone to attack while shifting solid stone within itself for defense, the Stone Guardians are stalwart and slow, but deadly warriors.

• Melee: 4
• Missile: 2
• Armor: 5
• Speed: 1
• Traits: amorphous form, corrosive slime, metal incorpoation
• Recruit Cost: 11
• Arcana Maintenance: 2
• Culture Design Cost: 15

Pay 10 resources to start building these units.









Obvious Non-Player Developments




Muspil lose 1 warband.

Muspil gain leather-working (based on Baralhen methodology)

Ghul gain 1 resource from raiding the Adrialixtla.

Ghul can spend 5 resources to learn animal husbandry (based on Adrilixtla methodology)

Slaine lose 2 resource to burnt farms, etc.








Notes and Miscellanea



Firstly, my apologies for the late update. I’ve been working on it in patches here and there but with my family back and heavy work-related duties, I’ve had much less time to work on this game. I’m still in; I’m just slower.



Secondly, everyone please join me in welcoming Amesjay, who will be assuming control of the NPC nation of Degad.

What are the Degad? said:

The Degad are a confederation of humanoid creatures that live in the frozen wastes of the north. With an average height of 3.75 to 4.5 feet, the Degad have clawed feet and hands that they often wrap in strips of cloth to offer modest protection while leaving claws exposed. They have leathery skin (both look and feel) that has the appearance of being well aged. Their faces are flat and without expression to an outsider. One prominent feature is the underbite that accentuates a lower jaw that travels across the entire face. Rows of small sharp teeth accentuated by two bottom tusks can be seen when their mouths are opened. Skin coloration varies slightly from a pale grey to a brownish tone. Their appearance suggests that genetically they may be related to the Barelhem. The average Degad is wrapped in tattered clothing. Cloaks and hoods are also very common items of clothing, which are layered when travelling through the snowy wastes. Occasionally, leather armour is worn under the cloth materials.

The Degad live in very small villages that cloak their true numbers. Villages are built to conceal tunnel entrances to large warren systems built under the ground. When attacked, the huts and ground of a village suddenly teem with frantic bodies. Rabid and vicious, they throw themselves with abandon at their foes (sometimes death is preferable to life in the warrens). The Degad have breeding females that produce large litters many times a year. Breeding females are large specimens of their species who have lost the ability to walk due to the continuous strain of pregnancy on their bodies. These females are also significantly larger than their male counterparts, reaching lengths of up to 6-7 feet in length. Females are not allowed to participate in politics, lead a clan or go to war. All offspring are male unless a clan has need of a new female breeder.


The Degad are avid animal breeders. They will attempt to breed captured members of other races, as well as, occasionally, wild animals, to their females- and use strange maggicks to make this possible. They have also begun breeding sub-species of wolves which are much larger than their wild counterparts and which the Degad use as mounts.


Inter species warfare is very common, with different clans trying to assume greater power and therefore elevate their leaders and clan to the council of 8. (The 8 most powerful clans and the number of fingers on 2 hands) This inter clan war often leads to soldiers being captured and turned into slaves. When other races are fought and defeated slaves are a valued prize to be sought after in order to bolster one’s power in the clan.


The Degad military is based largely on the numbers of bodies that can be brought to bear. Soldiers have very little training and tend to be equipped solely by what each individual can scavenge. The most common weapons are knives and shivs, with more veteran Degad using swords or spears but all using their teeth and claws. Some also use javelins. The only well trained Degad are the personal guard of each leader. These also tend to be of greater physical stature, and are feed more regularly.

Degad magic is based on runes- this despite any formal writing within the nation. The magic itself often invokes biology, either for their strange breeding experiments or to use as a weapon in combat, making their own forces ferocious and extremely strong or to unleash disease upon the enemy.

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Amesjay is free to change the Degad as he sees fit (within reason).

Great update!

To: Ixii
From: Mukakai:

We offer peace for a time. A mutual pact of nonaggression, if you will.

Damned goblins. They must be dealt with lest all we stand for falls to waste.

KaiserElectric said:

Damned goblins. They must be dealt with lest all we stand for falls to waste.

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You can diplo Amesjay of the Degad if you want.

Good update! Now to figure out how to kill demon dwarves