Action 1: Create pike-spears by sharpening select branches and fire-hardening them, then binding them to other branches with sap and many tied leaves. Crocodile poking has never been easier!
Action 2+3: Slaughter crocodiles, drive them from the land and oases with thrown stone and thrust pike. They injure us. They, not of feathered build. The gall! Slaughter them all, we will take their eggs for tribute to the Guide Eaters and feed our families with their still wet meat.
Action 4: Continue providing a symbiotic relationship with the Pauh as they travel and we stay stationary. Everyone knows the Pauh are among the least connected to the divine, but they are cute nonetheless. Plus, having them around provides the Guide Eaters with other things to eat!
Action 5: Fortify the western cave sites with dug clay and rock, make it tougher for anything larger than a human to get into them.
Leadership 1: Amplify devotion to the community leaders, as incarnations of the will of the divine. With worship of the Divine Guides secured, it is par for the course for the Ohpauh Eh leadership to build upon their foundations and establish themselves as a ruling class.
Note: Feathers threaded into flesh are a new type of decoration, exclusive to the leaders of the Ohpauh Eh.
This was an era of accelerating change. There were further developments in agriculture and domestication, the appearance of pottery, and rapid development of copper working among the mountain peoples of the continental heartland. There was an expansion of trade networks, and of conflict between human groups.
---
Although only a small number of Alicorn had settled among the Kerukal of the western islands, it seems they had an impact on the native language and culture in the following generations. Kerukal culture gave way to a new phase known as the Kedukain, marked by an increasing presence of humans in the centre of the main island. Settlements were expanded, and there is evidence of primitive cultivation of berry bushes around the human settlements. Political power resided in the hands of an emerging priesthood caste, made up mostly of women.
The first signs of stone quarries on the island also date from this time. It seems that green-blue rocks containing copper ore were of interest, initially as a mineral dye, before copper smelting was independently stumbled upon by the islanders. For now though, the metal itself was little more than a curiosity.
The seafarers provided a link between the emerging Yondyr settlements in the north to the Alicorn and Deqline in the south. As populations grew, so did the trade in wine and other luxuries such as carved horn and ivory, and fine animal skins. Not all was peaceful however - some of the seafarers turned to raiding and piracy, both against the mainlanders and their fellow islanders.
SpoilerKedukaln culture - Angst :
Berries were harvested, basic berry cultivation takes place around villages. There were injuries from bear attacks while gathering.
Boat seaworthiness was improved, allowing more goods to be carried.
Villages were slightly expanded, basic fortifications built
Stonecutting tools made. Copper is discovered.
Population increased.
Some seafarers were lost at sea.
There was some in-fighting between tribes (injuries).
There was some piracy by rogue seafarers, harming trade slightly.
Trade develops organically with Deqline, Alicorn and Yorndyr
There is a shortage of timber for maintenance of boats and houses.
Basic government established, moving down the Theocratic path.
Kerutumous could now be re-integrated using a leadership point, if you so wish. This would immediately put the government under strain, unless it is developed again.
Minor tribe, part of the overall Kedukaln culture, with similar boatbuilding and fishing skills. They maintain an older form of the language and culture.
The people mainly occupy themselves with fishing and trading.
The people began to distinguish themselves through the use of body paint
In the far north, the first Yorndyr standing-stones appeared. Though the exact purpose of these monuments would be lost through the ages, they are known to have been important ritual sites, perhaps related to regular arrivals of Kedukaln seafarers.
These monuments appeared at a time of rising populations and conflict in the mountain valleys that would see a steady stream of migrants heading east, skirting the edge of Alicorn territory. They would later establish themselves on the eastern plains and become the first point of contact between east and west.
Meanwhile the Alicorn people had established themselves as fearsome and determined warriors, and this reputation seems to have kept their territory largely safe from human intruders. Bows and hunting dogs were eventually acquired from their southern neighbours, likely as a result of skirmishes between rival hunting parties in the southern mountains.
It was the Alicorn who also began the process of domesticating cattle in the west, no small feat as the wild form of auroch was very large and powerful. It is thought that Alicorn hunters would sometimes capture small or young specimens of the ferocious wild cattle, keeping them alive for eating in later months, and domestication gradually developed from there. As with the Oxlen people in the east, some Alicorn found that they could stomach the milk from these beasts, a useful genetic trait that gradually began to spread through the population.
SpoilerAlicorn tribe - Thomas.berubeg :
On this occasion, attempts at agriculture are not very successful. It may help to build housing/village near the best farming land. It may also help to clear some of the forest.
With effort over generations (and much injury and death), a smaller breed of cattle is tamed and semi-domesticated.
Wolf-dogs and bows are acquired from the south.
Special note: veteran hunter-gatherers - can fight as well as a military unit, but otherwise count as normal pop and don’t cost the same upkeep (see notes). The traditions may fade over time if there is not sufficient challenge, they will return to being a normal pop.
LP: 1
AP: 3/2 (food surplus +, injuries -, well motivated +)
Faith level: 1 (Alicorn mysticism)
No government
SpoilerYorndyr culture - NPC :
Basic semi-permanent villages built.
Standing stones raised.
Hunting expeditions are mostly successful. There are casualties.
*an explorer/traveller leader, leads an offshoot east to avoid overcrowding in the mountain valleys.
Vyrsa offshoot formed.
LP: 1
AP: 3/4 (adequate food =, injuries-, well motivated +, upkeep -1AP)
Faith level: 1.33 (Northern syncretic mythology)
No government
Deqline culture emerged from the earlier Dequus, with influences from its neighbours. Led by the semi-mythical founding figure of Orestes, a syncretic belief system emerged, fusing elements of Tomag mythology with Toltec Shamanism. The two main professions of hunting and grape cultivation each gained their own cults and rituals. By the end of this era, the Deqline would include minority populations descended from the Ultec and from northern seafarers who married into the culture.
The era was marked by both trade and conflict with the Toltec to the south. Among the Toltec emerged the first true warrior caste, with hunters of animals becoming hunters of humans, armed with bows, spears and shields of wilderbeest hide. This was the product of an emerging form of centralised power among the Toltec that demanded cooperation on pain of death. The fledgling Ultec tribe was conquered in a short and brutal war, one of the first known in history - the men were killed or fled north, and the women and children taken as slaves back to Toltec settlements, where simmering dissent would last for generations..
The Ultec had blood ties to some of the Deqline, and it seems there were calls for vengeance, with bands of Deqline hunters and Ultec survivors probing into Toltec lands. In retaliation, Toltec warriors ventured north in the search for more slaves and plunder. Thus began a period of intermittent conflict that did not totally cut trade between the two cultures, but it seems to have significantly disrupted the fledgling overland trade. According to legend, the Toltec finally withdrew after being charged by a Deqline brave riding on a tame dire boar.
A the heart of Toltec culture, meanwhile, lay the growing town of Tecnoclaen, surrounded by a maze of swales and waterways, with a population that may have reached a peak of 10,000 people and was probably the largest single settlement in the world up to this time. Local agriculture was rather basic and not sufficient to feed this population, so it relied on the work of hunters in the surrounding territory, and even fishermen from the east coast, who would exchange their catch for finished tools and other luxuries.
The population shows a sudden downturn at the end of this era, possibly the result of an epidemic that was caused by the arrival of Ultec slaves, or perhaps a disease spread by mosquitos.
SpoilerDeqline Culture - Terrance :
Deqlides mysticism is founded by Orestes the Wise. It is partly influenced by Toltec and Tomag beliefs.
Grape gardens/wine groves are improved.
Some large-scale hunting takes place. It is successful on this occasion: a glut of meat and hides are gathered. However, herds of game animals are noted to be getting smaller over time.
Trade is conducted with the Toltec, though this is interrupted by fighting.
Dire Boar domestication is not successful and causes casualties. Some are temporarily tamed but cannot be safely kept. The beasts are eventually driven back from the area.
Trade takes place with the boat-peoples along the coast.
Ultec refugees settle in Deqline lands.
Toltec warriors fight skirmishes with Deqline hunters. There are casualties.
Some people are captured as slaves by Toltec.
Warriors are trained
Wilderbeest-hide shields and other gear are made for the warriors.
Several prides of lions are displaced by hunters. Lion skins gained as high-value item. There are casualties among the huners.
Tecnoclaen grows as a settlement. It is a small town.
Basic boats are built and launched in the north-east. An island with a smoking mountain is discovered.
The tradition of ‘New Leader’ is established.
Ultec tribe is scattered to the winds.
Scattered fighting breaks out with Deqline. Burgeoning trade is interrupted.
Slaves are taken from Ultec and Deqline. Dissent simmers among the enslaved.
There are casualties in battle.
Ultec tribe destroyed; survivors integrate into Deqline and Totlec.
A new breed of Toltec wolf-dog appears, smaller and better adapted to hot climate.
A plague breaks out in Tecnoclaen. There is death and illness, though this is mitigated by medicinal herbs and practices.
The central north of the continent, largely abandoned by humans since the end of the last ice age, now became a meeting ground as human groups returned from south, west and east. Though for now there were only sporadic exchanges, likely hampered by language barriers. Each group was focused on the struggle for survival. The Chappa Eih culture had sent settlers north along the river they call home, and they especially struggled to gain a foothold in this unfamiliar land.
The southern floodplains remained the heart of Chappa Eih, with a growing population tied to ever growing areas of cultivated riverbank. Crops were harvested both for basic types of bread and for a weak form of beer, providing a staple diet for the growing masses. One of the first known temples began to be constructed at this time, with a pyramidal platform of giant stone blocks being raised on a prominent position overlooking the great river.
The Chappa Eih made their first tentative steps into the western sea on flimsy reed boats. But it is not believed they had any direct contact with the Tolte, despite some alleged Toltec stone artefacts discovered in Chappa Eih ruins dating from this time. Rather, the Chappa Eih most certainly traded with the eastern highlanders - the discovery of obsidian as a useful resource allowed them to trade this and other luxuries for quantities of copper. Along with their precious stones, Trasque copper soon became a high-status symbol and small quantities were also known to be traded among the Vyrsa and Ured-Le in the north.
Meanwhile, stories spread of mysterious ‘ice men’ or ‘reindeer-herders’ found in the far northern reaches.
SpoilerVyrsa tribe - NPC :
Minor nomadic tribe. Part of the overall Yorndyr culture.
They have fine stone tools, basic textiles, animal hides and tents.
Minor nomadic tribe. Survivors of Oxlen pioneers have joined with Trasque peoples wandering north. They have fine stone tools, some use of copper, warm wool/hide clothing, and tents.
SpoilerChappa Eih culture - NPC :
Reed boats are built
Housing is expanded
Farming is expanded
Basic temple constructed
Migrants head north along the river, face hardship trying to establish a village.
Leadership works to strengthen the authority of the great chieftain, with the backing of the priest class, as population expands.
Trasque culture saw the appearance of a political class and traditions that served to reduce conflict among the tribes. With shepards providing adequate food and wool, it was now possible for a sizeable chunk of the population to specialise their labour into copper mining and smelting, a craft that developed very rapidly over a few generations. Copper was useful for prestige jewellery as well as small tools that were difficult to craft with stone.
The mountains became the heart of the continental copper trade. The demand for copper artefacts, along with precious stones and fine stone tools, was so great that the Trasque could easily barter for anything that could be ported and ferrid across from Chappa Eih or Oxlen lands - principally this was the highest-quality obsidian, leather and pottery.
Sometimes however, it was the Sil-Eshal who profited most from these trades, acting as a trading hub between the neighbouring cultures. Despite being largely nomadic and living in poor arid terrain, they were known to be rich with all manner of tools and luxuries. The Sil-Eshal also developed river craft, boats of wood and animal hide, to more easily trade with the Oxlen, and this led to them exploring the shores of the eastern bay, likely reaching the westernmost tip of the continent at this time.
At the end of this era, a series of fierce winters caused difficulties for the Trasque and some disruption to trade. Some blamed the hunters who had been persecuting the snow leopards, for in doing so they had clearly angered various supernatural forces. To escape the blizzards, some migrants ventured north to form the Ured-Le tribe, while others joined with the Sil-Eshal in the south. Most stayed put, and survived by slaughtering much of their mountain sheep herds, which took time to recover.
SpoilerTrasque culture - Kyzarc :
Hunters continue to persecute the mountain leopards. They become ever more elusive, avoiding both man and sheep. Only a few leopard skins are gained.
Basic housing is built.
Fetishes are created in association with new settlements.
Copper smelting rapidly advances. Copper tools and ornaments are built, and widely traded.
Trasque goods are in high demand - especially Copper and precious stones - and the Sil-Eshal trade them with in others in exchange for Oxlen leather and pottery, and obsidian that has been found amongst the Chappa-Eih.
There are several harsh winters in a row, leading to sickness and food shortages. Some Trasque join Sil-Eshal. Other hunters venture to the north and create the Ured-Le tribe.
Light-from-Above-Falls-to-Earth lives a long life and works to create unity and exchanges of skills among the tribes.
Ured-Le could now be re-integrated using a leadership point, if you so wish (this would bring a small amount of Oxlen influence). The Sil-Eshal population is currently too large to integrate.
There are injuries to bear and terror-bird attacks.
Hunting bow technology spreads from Chappa-Eih.
A breed of sheep appears that is better suited to arid climates.
Copper technology spreads from Trasque, though there are few local ores.
There is trade along the Oxlen river and southern shores. Eastern bamboo peninsular discovered.
Sil-Eshal lands are now a nexus for trade.
The Oxlen population prospered from the expansion of grazing land. This era saw the first deliberate cultivation of oats and other cereals by the Oxlen, first as feed for the water-buffalo but later as part of the human diet as well. It is also believed that rice was first cultivated in small quantities at this time, being as it was more suited to the frequently-flooding banks of the southern river delta.
Pottery was another significant invention, and remained a unique craft of the Oxlen, though small objects of pottery were traded as far as the Chappa-Eih settlements in the west, in return for exotic obsidian artefacts. One practical effect of having pottery was to make it easier to store food out of reach of vermin.
As populations expanded, overcrowding of settlements became an issue, and there were serious outbreaks of disease. Likely because of this, an expedition was organised to settle new villages in the north. The fate of this expedition became passed down through oral tradition, with tales of many tragedies and hardships, betrayals, and battles with horrible monsters. Eventually a few survivors were forced to return to Oxlen lands, bringing nothing but some valuable knowledge of the north. A few other survivors carried on west and joined with the Ured-Le tribe, being forgotten and losing all contact with home.
The chieftains of the Oxlen, meanwhile, organised great hunts of tigers and dire boars in an effort to drive them away from the cattle herds and farmland. Though not without casualties, these efforts bore fruit, with a glut of exotic animal skins and carved tusks, some of which was traded for Trasque copper and gems.
Along with the appearance of copper as a prestige good came cultural and religious influence of the Trasque, with some evidence of fetish-worship at this time.
SpoilerOxlen culture - Terrish :
Forests are cut back slightly. There is an abundance of timber available (any significant housing would be a separate action).
Oats begin to be cultivated, mainly for animal feed. In the process, rice is also discovered and cultivated on a small scale.
Pottery is invented (glazed pottery will require more effort to develop).
Expansion into the north ends in disaster. A few sick/injured survivors return, with tales of horrible monsters and freezing winters. All the cattle died and/or were eaten to survive.
Leadership is successful in reducing attacks by predators, and hunting traditions are developed. However, there are casualties. Valuable animal skins and ivory gained.
Trade is developed with the Trasque, via the Sil-Eshal. Leather and pottery are traded for copper artefacts and precious stones.
Knowledge of copper use spreads, but there are no known sources of copper ore locally.
The people are being influenced by Trasque ideas about special totems/fetishes with supernatural powers. Some tribes begin to make their own totem/fetish.
Small, hardy domestic sheep spread via the Sil-Eshal.
There is not enough housing. Illness spreads among overcrowded huts.
It seems the Axti culture remained isolated from the continental exchanges in the north. Though by no means insurmountable, the terrain of jungle, mesas and cliffs had so far proved a barrier to north-south contact and trade.
Axti culture continued on its own path. Expansion of permanent or semi-permanent villages was fuelled by development of fishing and the semi-domestication of chickens, which may have been kept primarily as pets and as natural pest-control to eat the many insects which invaded human settlements.
The rituals and mysticism surrounding the guardian statues became more formalised at this time. However, with the population growing, there are also signs of increasing violence and disorder among Axti clans, and some signs of a decline in the old tradition of stone-carving.
In the west, the Omriti tribe was also fairly isolated, having only sporadic contacts with the Chappa Eih, and remaining part of the Axti culture group.
SpoilerAxti culture - LordAragorn :
Chickens are only partly domesticated. There is no grain feed to be able to breed them in large numbers. Instead they mainly eat the insects found around human dwellings.
Housing is expanded with roosts for chickens.
Palisade walls are maintained and expanded.
Boats are built, and an abundance of fish is caught.
Small islands are discovered in the south-east.
The guardian heads are maintained by the carver-priests and traditions become more ritualised.
Housing is already getting full (again).
The population has grown and remains united only temporarily. Without investment in government, more people will join Omriti or forge a new faction.
A minor tribe of hunter-gatherers who also share the Axti tradition of stone-carving. They are now competing with Axti for the greatest Guardian statues.
They have fine stone tools and animal hides.
Ohpauh Eh culture also continued to develop in isolation. Puah birds were gradually bred to be more suitable as pack animals and even as mounts - this was likely accident more than a deliberate, with humans taking more care for the animals that were more useful to them.
Oral tradition tells of a great hunt of crocodiles at this time, a kind of cultural frenzy that preoccupied several generations of hunters. Specialised, fire-hardened, long spears were crafted to attack the dangerous beasts from a distance, though this did not mean all hunters escaped injury and death. Eventually the crocodiles were almost extinct in the eastern part of the island, as piles of crocodile bones found in later centuries could attest. For a time, there was a glut of crocodile meat and skins from which to make ceremonial clothing and armour.
However, this was not necessarily good for the waterways, as it seems the lakes and ponds became over-used by kangaroos and wild Puah during the dry seasons, or became overgrown with weeds. The increased herds of animals also drew the attention of the giant terror-birds, which increasingly ventured into the east and into conflict with humans.
SpoilerOhpauh Eh culture - JAM :
Long spears were created.
Crocodiles were almost eradicated from the east, not without death and injury to the hunters.
There is a temporary glut of crocodile meat, but this won’t last long.
Crocodile skin armour acquired.
Lakes transformed into swamps.
Without constant care from humans, some of the water-trees died or were gnawed by thirsty animals.
Pauh are slowly being bred to be more suitable as mounts and pack animals.
There is a lack of food for Pauh around human sites (fruits/nuts and small animals), the Puah population may be capped.
Housing is full, there is a demand for more housing.
The giant terror-birds are increasingly venturing into the east, drawn by the promise of Puah, kangaroo and human meals.
Diplomacy - using the situation between Terrance (Deqline) and Aiken_Drumn (Toltec) as an example, it’s up to players to make a peace deal or declare war. Otherwise, my take is things are up in the air for now, and some mix of trade and cross-border raids is likely to happen.
Upkeep - you’ll notice this in the stats now, being a downer and eating up your AP. As shown in he stats, I'm automatically deducting this from your AP (AP available / base population), but you can decide to not pay to gain extra AP. Explanation below.
SpoilerUpkeep notes :
Who pays upkeep? People with governments, organised religion, infrastructure that needs maintenance, houses to repair, farms and herds that require constant attention (though the AP cost here will also be producing food), boats to repair, and especially military units to supply.
The demands of survival in hostile terrain - cold or arid - is also baked into upkeep. This is the extra effort needed to get water, firewood etc.
Can I skip maintenance? yes you can, absolutely, and get some or all of that AP back to spend this turn. But bad things can happen (semi-randomised), from corruption and minor starvation to military mutiny, civil war and societal collapse, depending on how much upkeep is skipped. Feel free to ask me for more details!
Military units - Aiken_Drumn built the first true military unit, which is absolutely a thing I had in mind for this game but not something you want to spam carelessly - I had meant to write up a little explanation for this:
SpoilerMilitary unit notes :
Basically, you can have a dedicated military unit that is better at fighting that your average population unit. They’ll be noted on the map by the chevrons above their heads, coloured to match the faction colour.
At this point it costs 1 AP to raise a basic spear-armed warrior from your population, improved weapons and armour not included (at least 1 AP extra to make either of those). It does not do normal jobs and so will probably add somewhere between 0.5 and 1 AP of upkeep per turn, depending - and perhaps more for elite, well-equipped units. So it would be quite a project to fully outfit a large army, and having a large military population could tank your AP production pretty quickly (of course, this may be fine if you are surviving by just stealing food and resources from others).
Military units can gain experience (this should appear as extra chevron symbols on the map).
Inanimate objects will count as equipment, not military units themselves. So you can have a navy, but it’s the fighting sailors that are the actual unit, not the boat. This also means you’ll need an available population unit to man them. Same goes for any siege weapons, cavalry animals and etc, which you can attach or detach to existing units.
Military units don’t require AP spending to go and attack someone nearby, that’s a free action unless the target is beyond the adjacent hexes/tiles. In which case it’s 1AP per unit to travel as far as you like, natural / manmade obstacles notwithstanding. This is the same as the ‘migration’ rule for general population units that I posted in the roles.
You can of course, disband military units, and *hope* that they put their weapons and gear in storage and go back to being a normal population unit…
I hope that covers everything, but again feel free to ask me here or on discord.
Ideas for AP Spending - since I’ve used the AP terminology in this game, I sense that quite a few peeps are thinking in terms of NESLife. I thought it might help to share my view of how the growing masses of AP may be spent here over time:
SpoilerIdeas :
The first great cities - to build a great city, you’ll need to sink a lot of AP into it! (sorry Aiken_Drumn but Tecnoclaen was not built in a day )
Fun weapons that have not been invented yet - boomerangs, atl-atl, slings, and even some kind of prehistoric swords (which could use stone/obsidian edges), perhaps other non-historical weapons you can create. All these including bows can be improved multiple times. All have their uses, for example slings were traditionally used by herders to deter wolves and other predators.
Writing - I imagine this would develop in stages from symbols/pictographs in the beginning, so quite a bit of work is still needed in this area. Hint: this may aid in controlling/organising larger populations, not to mention spreading your culture and religion.
More valuable resources may be discovered by digging and mining or otherwise poking some of the shiny rocks on the map.
Metallurgy will also be an AP sink as more types of metal are discovered, requiring quite a bit of investment to advance.
Reminder that there are quite a few animals on the map that are still good candidates for domestication, pack animals or mounts over time.
Stone age wonders - perhaps you’d like to leave your mark on history by sinking AP into raising some huge monolith, or something like stonehenge, or some kind of great early temple, or a burial site for someone important? I imagine if built, these will remain on the map throughout the ages and could eventually be major cultural/tourist sites. There’s no upper limit to the AP that can be spend on these.
More infrastructure projects - irrigation ditches, roadways/trackways, perhaps even artificial lake islands, all things that existed in the stone age.
The endless expansion of farmland will also be an AP sink, including cutting trees or digging irrigation channels, for those that want to develop a settled civilization with lots of manpower.
Otherwise, there is nothing stopping you playing as a deliberately small tribe, ignoring government, and perhaps migrating back and forth around the world, even seeding a bunch of splinter tribes…
My idea is that eventually, AP will morph into EP (eco points) for civilizations and that will cover larger actions, not the minutiae of survival.
LP: 1
AP: 3/2 (food surplus +, injuries -, well motivated +)
Faith level: 1 (Alicorn mysticism)
No government
1AP - to Build carved/painted petroglyph megaliths/ stone alignments, retelling the mythos of the ancient travels of the heroes of the past, organizing the mythos - this is maintained by the shamans of the tribe, who eventually evolve into a preistly class that live near the megaliths. Usually, these are arranged in a spiral or concentric circles, telling an orderly story.
1AP - Semi-permanent villages are buil, traditionally on high hills, overlooking pasture land, as it easier to corall and keep our cattle, rather than wander long distances.
1AP - to begin to domesticate the grasses, grow whatever grain they are- this is helped by the fact we aren't travelling as much.
1LP - to lead raids into our neighbors in the off season (All of them) to take thier things and their people - this will likely lead to incorporation of neighboring genetics, as well as ideas and cultural practices, as well as mythos. These will likely also be bound into the mythos on our megalithic stuff. (Raid grapes?)
Action 1: Refine pike-spears into a variety of purposes: non-lethal blunt prodders, disposable head-sticks that detach, hardened pikes designed for multiple pokes before breaking. Crocodile hunting was a mighty success! By refining our tools, surely we might drive off all that would dare interfere with our Divine mission.
Action 2: House and cultivate large non-venomous spiders as feedstock for the birds and pets for our children. Always start at step 1: Cultivate feedstock, cultivate livestock, then cultivate guide eaters, eventually cultivate Divine Guides!
Action 3: Train some Pauh to feast in the insect-infested swamps, Eh clean feathers and beak after the birbs leave the muds. Won't feed all the critters, but more food for our Pauh is something.
Action 4: Continue providing a pitstop with the Pauh as they travel and we stay stationary. Not the smallest, not the largest, Pauh are chill as the sea.
Action 5: Expand the western cave sites with dug clay and rock, create mazes of habitable structure leading to the caves. While the best fortified areas remain the caves, there's plenty of opportunity to make lean-tos to expand our population.
Leadership 1: Create leadership challenges of surviving (mostly) alone in new environments. A new title: Ogre. Awarded to those most able to persevere through hardships.
@Kyzarc
Greetings! We hope for many more generations of peaceful trading, and are quite interested in Sushunsil that originated in your lands. Some of our chieftains are planing to build a great totem at the center of Sushmanalkral at the mouth of the great Sushma river, and are interested if some of your shamans (or whatever word you use for your religious leaders) would be willing to travel to our settlement to give it formal recognition. Please take this small herd of sheep to replenish your own stocks in exchange for considering this offering.
OOC: no need to use and AP, I'm using one of my own for this. Just want to know if you will let your shamans (or whatever word you use for your religious leaders) will attend or not.
Tribe/Culture name - Oxlen Action Point (AP) spending -
1: Trade was a major focus of the tribe in this era, and pottery was perhaps their most profitable goods. With the abundance of clay they could gather from the Shusma, they could produce it in an abundance that none of those they traded with could match. Yet the Sil-Elshal and Trasque were starting to produce small amounts on their own, when they could find sources of suitable clay, though such sources were rare in their rocky lands. They were also quite fragile, with a notable portion of the pots to be traded breaking durring transit.
Yet soon a solution arose to one of the problems, in one of the northernmost settlements along the Sushma. Stronger pots covered with a shiny substance were beginning to be produced in this isolated settlement, that could hold liquids for weeks without anything leaking out of them. At first carefully guarded by them, but soon as a sufficient pay(offering) was made to them for the secret behind the pots, it spread to all the Oxlen settlements along the river. Off coating already baked pots in a mixture of Buffalo dung and some other substances, then cooking them a second time a few weeks later after removing most of was placed upon them.
Soon, these Shiny pots were the most prized tool within the tribe, and one of their most valuable exports.
Spoiler:
Develop Glazed pottery with recipe not easily replicated outside our lands (for now)
2: The population of the Oxlen was ever-growing, and the need for more homes among the settlements was quickly rising. While a few chieftains had managed to build some wooden houses for themselves over the last generation, both to live in and for storage areas, it was in this one that they truly proliferated among the population. Nearly every settlement sported dozens of new wooden houses, and Sushmanalkal at the mouth of the Sushma was seeing hundreds of them being built within it, quickly becoming the Oxlens largest and most populous settlement, from which the Pol-ox oversaw all the people and herds. While the hide tents were still the most popular form of shelter by those that followed the herds, everywhere else wooden houses ruled.
Spoiler:
Build housing for population. One larger town at the mouth of the river to serve as capital, and many smaller ones elsewhere, for style purposes. But building more housing is more important than anything else
3: But the housing was not the only thing that was being build within the settlements. Sushunsil was steadily spreading into Oxlen tribe's culture, and nowhere was this more apparent than their construction of great totems at the center of their settlements, to serve as a focus for their beliefs. Made from a single log, each totem has the animal spirits that the settlement feel best fit them carved upon them. Substances are used to stain the wood into colors to match the animals. Furs are draped upon them in ceremony, to give them fur. Trinkets and other small times are used to decorate the animals faces.
Smaller versions devoted to single animals were also carved by those that follow the herds, one placed to mark the best places to set up temporary camps.
Then there was Sushmanalkal, the largest settlement of the Oxlen. Large enough that three separate totems would be erected by the end of the era, though none of them were at it's center, unlike other settlements. For there was something much grander, a large bolder that was slowly being carved into the greatest totem for the Oxlen.
For long had the Buffalo graced they Oxlen with prosperity, and hand herded them into the great tribe they had become. Every single totem among the tribe had a Buffalo carved into it's base, serving as the totems foundation.
It was the Buffalo that would be the centerpiece of the settlement, slowly carved into stone over several eras, curled up and sleeping. While only the carving of its head was finished by the end of the era, It was already a focus of their worship.
Spoiler:
Building of Totems for Sushunsil at the center of settlements (Buffalo focused, of course), with a extra large one carved from stone in the center of Sushmanalkul. Intent is to strengthen our Sushunsil belief.
If Kyzarc doesn't' oppose it, I hope to have some shamans from the Trasque come and bless the stone Buffalo totem as flavor. Will be spending an AP next turn to "finish" the stone Buffalo as a small monument.
4: the other major focus of the era were the developments to the south of the tribe, where the Sil-eshal were seen sailing across the sea and river in small reed craft. The tribe had never considered building something to float on top of the river before, with the few shallow fords upriver being used to move goods and people across it. But they seem quite useful, and soon some settlements were trying to imitate them, but with groups of logs instead of reeds.
Large rafts of logs were being used to move goods from one side of the river to the others. Long poles with a flat end, paddles, are used to propel them across the water.
Pairs of hollowed out logs that are fixed together are made to traverse the salty water to the south, propelled by the same paddles.
Attempts to make larger and large vessels of wood are made throughout the era, so several designs, to various degrees of success as the tribe learns what works and what does not, but always progressing. All for a drive to explore the waters along the coast and to deepen the tribe's ties to the Sil-eshal to the south.
Spoiler:
Development of wooden boats and paddles
5+movement: Of course, these new wooden craft opened up a whole new area to explore and expand into for the Oxlen people. With the harsh conditions of the north not being welcome to them and the herds, they instead turned to the sea. Dozens of the new wooden craft set out to see what they could find. To fish upon the sea, and to set up a small outpost to supply further explorations.
By the end of the ear, several discoveries had been made. Of the strange hot water springs on the isle to the east, of great shoals of fish just off its shore. Of the settlements of Sil-Eshal to the south, where more than one explore had chosen to stay and raise a family within them. Of a great Finned beast that swallowed one of our craft whole, and rumors of settlements of unknown people with great stone statues.
Spoiler:
attempt to expand and explore out to sea. Exploration is the priority, with expanding into new lands being driven by opportunity. Expanding into the southern hex is an option, but not into the areas the Sil-eshal have actually settled, so perhaps expansion to the eastern Island might work.
The main priority is to explore as much of the coast as we can, perhaps far enough to the south to meet the Axti and open up trade with them.
6(non valid action?): and all the while the Oxlen were still steadily expanding their reach, building more and more agricultural fields to feed their people and to trade. Clearing forests to feed their construction efforts and expand the area their herds could graze upon.
Spoiler:
Slow expansion of the agricultural fields and the ranges for the herds, while harvesting wood to feed the various construction efforts. In that order of priority. Or just have it do nothign at all, I don't mind only haveing 5 actions
Leadership Point (LP) spending -
Silonpol is known as the founder of writing among the Oxlen, though his mind was not recognized until well into his adulthood by the chieftains, and it wasn't until long after his death that he became famous among them. He never met his father, a Sil-eshal trader who was passing through the settlement, and had a slightly rough early life untill his mother manages to marry someone in the settlement, but past that it was quite normal.
He first started to develop the tribe's cuneiform shortly after he reached adult, creating the first clay tablet as a means to help him count the size of various herds, making a scratch in the soft clay for each Buffalo, then cooking the tablet to preserve the count afterwords to preserve it. Thus insuring accurate accounting of the herds sizes from year to year. Of developing forms for marking down the names of those tending the herds, slowly creating a dictionary of words. Of sharing the idea behind the tablets to other in the service of the chieftains, the clay tablets quickly spreading to other settlements and then across the entire tribe.
It was on his thirty-second birthday that Pol-oxkrallonchibel, the grand chieftain of the tribe, summoned him and recognized the importance of his clay tablet, and commanded him to make symbols for the tablets for all the tribe's words, not just those that were commonly used for names. To mark them down on a single grand tablet to be preserved for future use of the tribe.
So the tales and legends of the tribe might be preserved, but mostly to help the Chieftains out with organizing the tribe and keep track of what was in each settlement.
Spoiler:
Development of Writing by the chieftains, to help them get a better grasp of the needs and wants of the ever-growing population of the tribes. Clay tablets, one side still soft for easy marking, which were then baked to preserve them. Slowly developed into the start of a bureaucracy.
Color (Color)- Light blue
Decorations - Copper tools and jewelry become prestige items among the chieftains, Glazed pottery becoming common in better off households. small carved totems are commonly seen in every household.
Spoiler:
carved horn ornaments, body paint related to the herd we protect, perhaps trying to mimic the color of their hide, or put images of them upon ourselves, so we may be lent their strength. When simple leather goods come around, simple leather skirts and shoes will be the main forms of clothing.
Hunter/protectors: in addition to basic leather garb, they tend to wear Fulhil armor to protect their limbs for their patrol, protecting them from the most common injuries from dealing with predators. If they are planing to go confront a large predator and have time to do so, additional armor to protect the torso will also be worn.
words / names, cultural elements -
Development of a centralized Totem in settlements (and smaller ones regular camping spots for those following the herds)
Spoiler:
Names of a person are simi-fluid. All have a single large name given at birth, usually with "len (people)" in the middle of it. But as a person grows and learns, additions and changes will be done to a person name to symbolize great moments or role with the tribe. "hur (hunt): might be added to a person name who is a major hunter for the tribe, or removed if they grow too old to do so. Like wise for other position/roles but not limited to: "Pol"(protector), Bel (leather binder), chi (good cook), och (old child)(slight insulting term for older child that doesn't have a role in the tribe). And of course, Pol-Ox (Protector of the herd). There are likely several more possible additions for task of great honor. Like killing a major predator without any help. Or inventing something new for the tribe to use.
Current state of known words:
Kral (settlment), Ful (boiled), Hil(leather), Sush (Spirit) Ma (mother) nal (river). Len(people) hur(hunt) Pol (protector) bel, (Leather), chi (cook) Och (old) Ox (herd) Sil (trade) pay
@Kyzarc
Greetings! We hope for many more generations of peaceful trading, and are quite interested in Sushunsil that originated in your lands. Some of our chieftains are planing to build a great totem at the center of Sushmanalkral at the mouth of the great Sushma river, and are interested if some of your shamans (or whatever word you use for your religious leaders) would be willing to travel to our settlement to give it formal recognition. Please take this small herd of sheep to replenish your own stocks in exchange for considering this offering.
OOC: no need to use and AP, I'm using one of my own for this. Just want to know if you will let your shamans (or whatever word you use for your religious leaders) will attend or not.
Trasque Turn 4
The Skypeople of Trasque turn upwards
Action 1+2: Significant effort is put into expanding the goat herds. Large amounts of fodder is stored for the winter, with the fields near winter quarters being entirely turned over to harvesting fodder that's then stacked in the caves while the herds are brought to distant, lower valleys for the summer. Southern clans who interact with the Sil-Eshal trade for smoked fish and meats from them in exchange for croppah jewelry and tools while the northern tribes focus on expanding their herds' grazing grounds into lower valleys. Additionally housing is expanded out from the entrances of the numerous small caves dotting the mountainsides, partially for storing fodder (which doubles as insulation) and partially for shelter during the winter.
Action 3: Largely disconnected from these efforts, the line of Jade-Sparkles continues their experimentation into Croppah, looking for other rocks that demonstrate strange properties when heated. Clay, both shining and normal, can't be the *only* rocks that change when thrown into the flame. There is also some intermittent attempts to mix other materials in with the Croppah, under the reasoning that mixing other stuff into clay changes its color and strength, but these invariably ruin the Croppah so these attempts remain intermittent.
Action 4: One crafter, Raucous-Cry-that-Kills-Mouse, makes their way clear through to visit the Oxlen. As she goes she leaves dozens of fetishes to local spirits behind her, usually in somewhat prominent places where other wanderers will find them. When she arrives in the Oxlen she visits the assorted clans, trying their foods and looking at their pots, trading small pieces of croppah jewelry and telling stories of the spirits she encountered on her trip across the Sil-Eshal's arid highlands.
Leadership 1: While the Sil-Eshal are too strange and foreign at this point to come back into the fold, the Ured-Le are only recently left with some of their elders remembering the mountains of Trasque. The crafters of Ettin-en-Sid, the most prominent and influential individuals among the Trakkan clans, start reaching out towards them to reintegrate them. They're headed by a pair of cousins born on the same day named Light-Tells-Tales-of-High-Mountains and Goat-Watches-the-Sky-for-Spirits. These cousins bring gifts of croppah to the Ured-Le, seeking the spirits who watch the Ured-Le to see if they're friendly to the Trakkan people.
While there are of course plenty of styles present among Salt Children, for this summary, I am going to outline the harmonic and melodic systems of ritual music that set the tone for musical practices within Salt Children culture. Do Mauk, or whalesong, as ritual music within the theocratic government, is also the music of Salt Children elites, and is ordained during solstice festivals to the common people. In a sense, it is the society’s equivalent to classical music, done by the elite for the elite, and presented to common people in liturgical contexts. It is, at the same time, high culture music, ritual dance music, and a divine voice.
Introduction
Fundamentally, Salt Children music follows a specific system centered around fourth movements over a drum. The drum is called the Hasaln, meaning summer wave or gentle wave, serving as a beat under the tonal parts. The tonal pieces, called Isisa, derive from the Lodo, meaning tree root, the Lodo acting like a musical scale. Such a Lodo’s scale is pentatonic; so the scale includes the Lodo itself, and four “steps” above it, each being a fourth over the former step. So, for example, if the Lodo is a C, the usable notes are F (fourth above C), B♭ (fourth above F), E♭ (fourth above B♭) and A♭ (fourth above E♭). These notes are then compressed between each C, from lowest to highest: the Lodo (which would be C), mi (first step, which would be E♭), sa (second step, which would be F), ton (third step, which would be A♭), and auk (fourth step, which would be B♭). While this technically converts the system of fourths into a pentatonic scale, this step system is rationalized as “inverting the heavenly sea”, meaning that notes are generally considered the same (similar to lower C’s and higher C’s being conceptualized the same in Western music).
Left: The tones from Lodo in C. Right: How the tones are distributed between C’s.
Harmonic Principles during Play
When playing an Isisa, a Lodo’s “resting” place, similar to a chord, is considered the first three tones of the uninverted notes. So while we would conceptualize a C chord as C-E-G, Salt Children conceptualize a C as C-F-B♭. This default “chord” sound makes Salt Children music sound somewhat open and loose to our ears, as to us there is no clear direction of resolution when the chord “rests”. It’s uncertain how it is to Salt Children ears, but the openness does serve a function, as multiple different Isisi are often strung together during play. As such, with the ambiguous endings of pieces, it is easier to continue into other pieces, and keep ritual dance going, for example.
In fact, this flexibility is part of the form, specifically as to how the Lodo’s harmonic rules work. Because of the standardized scale among all Lodos, one can freely remove, insert or recombine Isisas at will. Knowing when or how is part of the artistry, with gifted musicians often being called Ukalkel, etymologically drawing from a phrase that means touched by salt, meaning blessed during poor circumstances. It is commonplace for musicians to listen to the rhythm of the sea waves when practicing, as this is said to get them closer to the Great Seamother.
However, with melodies being so interchangeable, there is the danger of music becoming stale. As part of the ritual, the practiced musician should play Isisas in several Lodos. Basically this means the musicians have to change scales during play to captivate the audience. Harmonic shifts from one Lodo to another is generally done by using the third or seventh steps, ie. the upper two steps of the Lodo’s “chord”. So for example, when playing a Lodo in C, you can without much complication change to either the sa (F) or the auk (B♭). Such a harmonic shift is called Sain’s So, meaning free step. Beyond that, changing to any of the other steps is sometimes allowed, but depends on the individual tradition and is usually context specific as to what Isisa allows you to shift to which step; but in the vast majority of cases, you can only change the harmony to a Lodo rooted in one of the first Lodo’s steps. There is one exception here, one harmonic shift that does not follow the Lodo’s steps, which is shifting a fourth downwards. This means for example, that if you’re playing a Lodo in C, you’re allowed to shift to a Lodo in G. This is called a Simid, meaning dive or plunge. In this case, depending on the tradition, you’re allowed certain modulations of your Lodo to steps in the Lodo you’re switching to.
Some Cultural Notes
The harmonic foundation of fourths is heavily influenced by Salt Children folk traditions that heavily use similar movements, but within the intellectual tradition the style has been given certain connotations. As the scale is based upon an upward movement of fourths, this upward movement is considered to bring you closer to the heavens, and as such, closer to the Great Seamother who has the whole world inside her. That the steps are rearranged and freely used within a Lodo otherwise “upwards” conceptualization is echoed by the idea that the world contains itself. As such, and as has been pointed out elsewhere in this document, this school of music has deep spiritual connotations.
As I have noted, the music is often used in ritual, particularly dance. Solstice rituals usually have musicians playing for hours, weaving the music from Isisa to Isisa. People dancing to this often do so under the influence of carefully spoiled berries, being intoxicated and in a trance for the duration. The music serves to enhance this as part of Salt Children theocratic liturgy; a time when people can come together spiritually and feel a sense of belonging to the Great Seamother.
OOC, I have actually played some improvisation within the style, but I haven’t finished anything worth listening to. The basic rules are straightforward enough to get your head around quickly when playing.
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