The City States of Greece

[Jehoshua]

No problem, should give some people a chance to contribute to the thread by arguing against the iron rule of the triumvirate diarchy, or perhaps make some policy suggestions or write some RP...

 

[filli_noctus]

What iron rule? Delphi has checks and balances y'know.

 

[Jehoshua]

I don't really concern myself with the Delphic system. As to the Athenian system, the check and balance is the Archon, since he checks the ambitions of the powerful so that they do not damage the common good, and balances the various ideological opinions of his nobles to ensure an organic development of athenian society as compared to the wild oscillations of an ideologically charged, faction riven, system.

 

[Aaronius]

RP



Aaronyssey Part X: Peet and the Gallea

Spoiler :

Over the next several weeks there were many more hunts, during which time I became more familiar with the toxo as disciple hunter. I learned how to make string for the bow as well as the nets using a tough vegetable fiber that grew in the forest. I learned to fashion the projectiles, which I learned were called “belos” or arrows, and I practiced my skill with the weapon early and often. In return I showed the tribe how a similarly tough string could be derived from the entrails of animals, and I also shared my techniques for net weaving, as well as fishing and diving in the lagoon. We used a smaller spear to capture fish and crabs, as well as nets, and lines with bait and barbs. The river was full of a freshwater cousin of the osteo. Sadly it did not produce perla, but the shell was useful for a number of fishing and cutting implements. In addition to all of the animal bounty, the forest yielded several kinds of edible fruit and vegetable for our diet and we lacked for nothing but simple grain.

Things were not all pleasant in the village for a couple of reasons. Nearly half of the women were pregnant, and as their state of pregnancy advanced, tension and irritability was growing. Many of the women who were not pregnant wished very much to become so, and so my essential function was necessary time and time again. Now that I was not a slave, I was becoming aware of the once hidden politics that determined who would enter my hut. Aegea, who was not pregnant, was still the undisputed leader of the tribe. Most of the Amazons still held the highest positions of authority below her, but over time a few of the Lesbians were climbing the social ladder. Specifically the younger Lesbians who were becoming accomplished hunters were rising in authority, and the Amazons that were weighted down with child seemed to be moving in the opposite direction. Phoebe’s status as number two below Aegea for example, had diminished greatly, as she was but a shadow of her usual strong and healthy self. Harmathoe, the huntress who had cast the net on my first hunt, appeared to be the second most powerful woman in the tribe now, and at times it seemed she might even challenge Aegea.

Of the sixty or so women that seemed like they could get pregnant, twenty-five or thirty were very far along, ten or fifteen more were a ways behind but still seemed likely to be pregnant, a few more could not become so despite access to me (like Aegea), and about twenty more had not tried. Of the twenty that had not tried, some were Amazons that either had no wish to be pregnant, or who had chosen or were chosen as master defenders and hunters for the rest (Hermathoe was one of these). Others were Lesbians of the lowest rank (such as my former attendant Cyme), who were simply not allowed to become pregnant so that they could assist with the defense and hunting and general labor of the tribe. Another twenty or so women were simply too old to have children, though a few of them did try. Finally there were the children, about thirty of them, ranging in age from about four to nearly adulthood. There were only ten boys, the oldest of which were twins about eleven years old, three more not too far behind, and the rest still very young. Some of the girls were very close to adulthood as well (including Sappho, the new tribal poet).

Sometimes when there was a dispute about who would lie with me, I was asked to choose, and was seldom appreciated for it afterwards. It seemed that regardless of if a particular woman were pregnant or not, there was always a reason to be jealous of the other women. Also, I think everybody knew that things would be very different with so many babies about to be born in a single season, and some expectant mothers were worrying about everything. In small but noticeable ways, the women that could not or had not gotten pregnant were almost becoming a tribe of their own, and this created yet more tension. The non-pregnant women were expected to do more of the work for example, and this was construed by some of the non-pregnant women as a perceived drop in rank, as if they were treated like the children and the elderly. I was relied upon more and more heavily as well for many tasks, but I tried always to be happy to comply.

Looming over all of this uncertainty and status politics was the issue of the gallea. Many of the Lesbians wanted to burn it for firewood, and indeed in the very earliest days, certain planks were removed for building and cooking purposes. That activity was halted fairly quickly, so the damage was minimal. Getting the gallea secured well above the high tide line had been a very difficult affair. While I was sick and held hostage the tribe had contrived to clear a small area of the forest, and move the gallea thirty or so yards up the beach and into the clearing they created. It was now secured by several of its oars but also ropes and cordage secured to trees on three sides. Since that week of strenuous activity, many of the Lesbians and a couple of the Amazons had positively hated the boat. I can’t say I blamed them and I was amazed that they had marshaled the strength to move the boat so far.

The gallea presented other problems as well. For several weeks bailing rain water out of its hull was a hated task. The ancient feces and stagnant water in the confined space was absolutely disgusting and harbored mosquitos as well. One of my first suggestions had been to remove a plank or two on the bottom so that the ship could drain naturally until we wanted to float it again. This greatly improved my standing with many of the lower ranking tribe members who were now free of this unwanted and unappreciated task. On top of all of this, a few of the ships timbers were damaged or rotting, other areas of the gallea really required strengthening, and additional works were discussed that would provide comfort to the tribe members should we ever sail the vessel. Improved sheltering and seating for the rowers was one concern, as well as a covered lower deck where people could sleep in comparative dryness when it was not their shift. By far our most brilliant improvement was the installation of small sheltered overhangs on either end of the gallea that would serve as a place where crew could relieve themselves. Thus the waste of the crew would end up in the ocean, rather than in the hull of the ship.

Of course all of this work seemed perfectly pointless to most of the Lesbians. What were we going to do with the gallea anyway? As more and more prime women became more and more pregnant, the question of whether we should work on the gallea at all arose more and more frequently. It was much easier to fish in a skiff or a canoe or on foot in the shallows of the river or lagoon. It was easier to fight an invader on land than at sea, so again the gallea served no purpose. One task the pregnant women did perform was the mending of the sail, and the production of a bigger stronger new one. The sails were made of the stitched hides of katros and other sizeable island game, and were therefore very expensive in terms of resources and time. Many of the pregnant women absolutely disagreed with the use of their time and the precious hides. The argument that the sails would make better roofs over our head was heard daily.

I personally wasn’t sure what we were going to do with the gallea, but when I wasn’t hunting or fishing or helping with some other physically demanding task, I found genuine solace and enjoyment working on the big boat. Cyme, Sappho and Harmathoe were near constant coworkers on the gallea, along with a couple of other pretty regular contributors. Aegea sort of oversaw and approved ideas, and occasionally helped as well. One thing that almost all of the contributors had in common was that none of them were pregnant. The older children really took a liking to the boat as well, including a couple of the older boys.

In truth, some of the children seemed to have taken a liking to me even more than the boat. In our hunting parties, often one or even two of the oldest children would be invited along to learn. Although they were supposed to be focusing on the lessons of the lead huntress and learning the rudiments of the toxo, they often were attracted to me, sometimes talking too loudly and neglecting their duty. I always had a young volunteer nearby or underfoot to help me collect wood or water or to fish. On the boat, the children were ostensibly there to help, but many simply wanted to see what we were doing, or to goof around on the strange and wondrous structure, all while avoiding chores at camp. I think on some level, many of the children were drawn to my unique male presence. I began to feel more and more like an uncle or even father to some of them.

One of the older boys had taken a real liking to me. He was the oldest boy other than the twins. In addition to having no father obviously, his mother had died as well long ago. He was one of a few orphans on the tribe, and had the lowest status imaginable. He was given food, but the last and the worst of it. He was spoken to, but with no respect whatsoever. He was occasionally given shelter, but often was left to sleep outside at night. I had taken to letting him sleep in my hut lately whenever it would rain, and told him he could sleep in there anytime. I even took the time to weave and string a cot for him, so that he could sleep off of the ground, which he never used. He was a decent boy though, with a kindly disposition a bright eye and a good intellect. He was agile and ingenious in the way that most surviving orphans are, and as I shared more and more food with him at mealtimes he grew to look more normal for a boy his age. The people in the tribe called him many names, but none of them were real names and none of them were complementary. As I saw more and more of the boy, I really began to care for him, and I realized how much he really needed me as well.

At some point, I’m not sure when, I began calling the boy Peet. Over time he grew accustomed to this, and other tribe members began calling him that name as well. One day he asked me about the name and I told him that Peet was short for Poeitius. As we were lying down to sleep that night I told him the story of my uncle Poeitius, the kind of man he was in Atalantia, his abduction by the gallea raiders, our reunion together on the gallea now on the island, and his last words he spoke to me. I then explained that just as Poeitius was my uncle, I now felt like an uncle to him. He smiled at that and fell asleep, on the cot for the first time. I fell asleep shortly after that, reflecting fondly on my own childhood that seemed more and more like a faraway dream.

As always, previous installments of the Aaronyssey and other great oral tales can be found by visiting the vagabond philosophers in the haunted ruins of house Fontismenos. http://forums.civfanatics.com/group....cussionid=4897

 

[Jehoshua]

NOTIFICATION

-

The Head of the minor House Aristandros (JoanK) will be going on a diplomatic mission on my behalf to the Pharaoh in Egypt. This has been confirmed and the order has been given for him to go forth in the name of the Archon.

He shall be discussing future trade relations, military ties, relations with third-party states and be exhibiting athenian culture to Egypt with the Egyptian government during his mission. Should he fail me he will naturally face consequences, should he do well he shall also face consequences, although of a more benevolent nature such as continuing his diplomatic career by visiting other great nations in the west on behalf of athens, on his return journey from Egypt, and possibly a raise in his families stature upon return if the mission is a great success.

 

[Dirk_Diggler]

Action packed

 

[Jehoshua]

Its a busy time of year, everything is going rather slowly at the moment (both games like this and IOT's as well).

 

[dot80]

Yeah I'm sorry about that. I was even thinking about just ending this and starting anew at the beginning of summer. I just don't have enough time atm. Not sure yet.

 

[Jehoshua]

You can do that if you want, although we are at an interesting point in the game.

If you do do it however I would suggest that you use the same structure as Civleader did in GaP. This should ensure that everyone has something interesting to do, and also make it more difficult for people to do as I have done in CSOG.

 

[Aaronius]

When is the beginning of summer? Next week? I would hate to see this game end before I ever got in...

 

[JohannaK]

No, in a month AND a week

 

[dot80]

Yes I have a list of things to change about the game if I were to start a new one, and that is included. Well I'd like to see more peoples opinions. If everyone is fine with infrequent updates for another couple weeks then we can just continue. I was mostly afraid people would lose interest if I did that.

 

[Dirk_Diggler]

Start anew. The way it is, you have almost no one here, meaning the few people that are playing will have nothing to do until you update. Once you get more players, you can have some time between updates because more people=more discussions ect to pass time.

Right now, there is no point in letting this game wait. But that's just my biased opinion. Feel free to do whatever you want

 

[dot80]

Ok well looks like thwts everyone who cares to comment. So this is now officially over. Jehoshua has won, with Filli in second, and Aaronius in third.

Now id love to hear complaints/comments/suggestions about the game, and or ideas for the next (primarily what civilization). Also, should i wait until i can get my hands on a copy of Gods and Kings?

 

[JohannaK]

Yeah, manage to get:
A) People in faster or
B) More people each time.

And, I'd' like to play England or Arabia in one of these... Or Inca or Spanish or Korean, if you, unlike mes, have the DLC. Good job anyways.

 

[filli_noctus]

The big issue with this game was the drip-feed of players. The advantage given to the early starters was one of the greatest I've seen in these games and the choice of game speed only exaggerated the problem.
I think the best way to minimise (it can never be eliminated as anyone who joins after commencement is going to come in at a disadvantage to established players) this issue in future games is to have everyone start as a commoner with an NPC ruler and it is up to the players to get themselves the power they need to seize control through fair means or foul.

 

[Jehoshua]

Second Filli's suggestion, an NPC leader would eliminate every disparity in position for the original players who join, leaving ones position thereafter solely to be determined by ability.

 

[christos200]

I agree.

 

[dot80]

Well what do you guys think if everyone started as the leader of their own tribe? I think that is how I want to start the next game. Everyone would start as the leader of a tribe of maybe 10 and it would be up to them to increase the size and power of their tribe, and eventually evolve into cities/countries/ect.

All the other problems I had already planned to address. There will however be many less prominent NPCs. That was the biggest delay in the last game.

 

[Jehoshua]

I would favour filli's system of an AI ruler and then us as plebs who then form rising lineages who attempt to take power through various means.