Update 2
Around the slopes of the mountains known as
Imp'senta, the
Sentri people continue to prosper. Large bands of hunters and warriors grow to dominate the surrounding lands - at least, outside the jungles where groups of the mighty ‘
Ingoni’ man-beasts roam. Travellers bring treasures from far afield; from the north and east come finely-polished ceremonial stone spearpoints and axes, and herbal oils and medicines. In return, the travellers take home Sentri silver (Siva) in the form of small ornaments, as well as precious stones from the heart of the sacred mountain.
The craftmanship of the Sentri is surpassed at this time only during the height of the northern cultures (which we will return to). Adding to this is the tradition of taming the giant eagles which roam the mountainsides, known as
Imponi, as an aid to hunting - though keeping and training these creatures is hugely time-consuming, owning one becomes as much a mark of rank and nobility.
The Sentri population grows further from absorbing the bay tribes of the Maesa to the west, through a mixture of warfare and peaceful assimilation. But now the Sentri hunting parties roam ever further in the search for sufficient food, and in-fighting becomes more common; it would seem the Sentri identity is slowly coming apart, lacking a unifying culture. Bands of Sentri begin to migrate from the mountain, following the established trails of the
Carva camel-people - though these trails are far from safe or easy.
Meanwhile, the Maesa peoples are no more - some are absorbed into the growing power of the Sentri, while others seek out a new home, migrating south along the coast with the aid of primitive boats - these peoples become known as the
Baessa. These are an adventurous people, not afraid to go on long voyages over land, or though stormy sea. They also have an affinity for fishing and diving. As centuries pass, they end up migrating to new hunting lands to the south, never spending too much time away from rivers or the coast.
Now only a few brave souls ever make journeys back north to visit the
Sentri to trade their pearls and seashells, bringing back stories of the great mountain chiefs in the north with their shining treasures, shrouded in legend. And as with the Sentri, the Baessa face a growing number of hostile encounters with the nearby ‘
Ingoni’.
Far away to the northeast, the
Ashala remain few in number as they contend with the harsh cold of the northern plains, and with some of the most ferocious wildlife that humans have encountered - including giant bears and clans of cave hyenas, species fully capable of competing for food and shelter against the outnumbered humans. Not only that, but there are continued encounters with mysterious ‘snow-men’ giants of the northern plains, with many of these run-ins turning violent.
As centuries pass the Ashala almost die off as a group, but the survivors regroup closer to
Akut homelands, where their numbers are gradually replenished with the aid of an influx of Akut recruits; the Ashala are pragmatic, welcoming new blood. Pureblood Ashala are easily spotted by their striking red hair and fair skin. Domesticated wolf-dogs have been critical to their survival and remain an important part of hunting and everyday life.
From the hardship they have endured, the Ashala have developed a rich mythology, full of stories sacrifice and balance with nature; a pantheon of supernatural beings inspired by animals and landscapes of the plains - dozens of stories, which are mapped in the constellations of the night’s sky. This shared mythology helps to bind the Ashala together far more tightly as a group.
Over the centuries, via the Akut, elements of Ashala mythology pass into the consciousness of the
Carva, who develop a similar animalistic pantheon - their chief object of worship is the camel-goddess, depicted in carved statuettes as either camel, woman, or an abstracted combination of both, embodying the ideas prosperity and fertility. These statuettes find their way far to the west, via Carva travellers.
The Carva at this time are also at a tipping point of remaining a single identifiable group - the eastern tribes are influenced by the Akut and Ashala, having intermarried with Akut, while the western tribes begin to prosper in a new area of wetlands, born from increased flooding of the western river - the floods are irregular and often very dangerous, but their aftermath brings abundant fish and game, as well as encouraging the growth of wild grasses, the edible seeds of which can often be harvested in abundance and stored for long periods. As such, western populations soon begin to outnumber the east, especially as Masa and
Sentri also begin to mingle with them, and they raise mighty stone monuments of their own. Meanwhile a handful of hardened desert travellers continue to travel between these groups, and far beyond, with their own lore of wilderness survival and etiquette of trade and exchange.
The story of the
Vahaeara and the
Viirsa during these centuries are inextricably tangled together; of all groups of humans, these are the ones pursuing the most bitter feuds, the origin of which is long forgotten in the deep past, not that it seems to matter. For both these cultures, warfare against the ‘other’ becomes a part of their culture, part of its unifying fabric. The Vahaeara develop a tradition of elaborate stone weapons, including stone-edged wooden swords, capable of inflicting horrific wounds on undefended skin, inspiring fear in their opponents. The Viirsa refine their wood-crafting skills to make more effective spears, javelins and bows, gaining an intimate knowledge of different woods and fibres and how to use them in combination.
For centuries, there is a tradition of raids and skirmishes, sometimes resulting in battles in which hundreds of warriors take part on either side; river fords, forest clearings, rocky outcrops and hilltops are frequently fought over during campaign season. It is a continual drain on the male population of both tribes.
But while the Vahaeara are closed and aloof, the Viirsa are far more open to outsiders. Adventurous bands of
Sentri and
Carva, already trading with the Viirsa, begin to stay and fight alongside the Viirsa chiefs. Even some of the
Otrosii (cave people) agree to join them for the promise of peace to follow. This, combined with a head start in the domestication of wolf-dogs, conspires to give the Viirsa an edge; in the space of one final climactic season of fighting, the Viirsa and their allies finally push the Vahaeara from their home territories. Legends forged from these struggles would all too soon be half-forgotten, half-remembered as garbled myth.
Viirsa domination lasts barely a generation after that. Cruel outbreaks of disease afflict the northerners just as more waves of Sentri and Carva arrive from the south. In the end, the Viirsa chiefs are deposed without much resistance. A new group identity calling itself
Rasna emerges - with the most mixed bloodlines of any human group (including a sizeable share of Otrosii blood), a range of weapons copied from the northern peoples, a Viirsa-based language, and a mythology inherited largely from the Carva, complete with a tradition of raising stone monuments as shrines and landmarks.
A few Viirsa migrate to the eastern wetlands to continue their old ways, but it is a miserable existence compared to their forefathers; Rasna hunters now rule the surrounding lands, with a huge territory that overlaps with the Carva and Sentri. But the Rasna themselves are an unstable mixture, likely to fracture in the near future. For now, they resume old lines of trade and contact.
As for the Vahaeara, their story does not end here either; they have been taking to the waters for some time, with a mystical relationship to dolphins that grace their shores. A few intrepid boatmen managing to reach as far south as the Sentri heartlands, where traces of their genetics are now to be found in comparatively fair-skinned children. Most survivors however now escape north en-mass, refusing to be anyone’s vassals, and carve out new territory on a coastal peninsular in the north; a storm-battered, but otherwise fertile patch of land. Perhaps due a smaller base gene pool, the genes for striking blonde hair are now more common. Old crafts have not been forgotten, but practical tools of hunting, foraging and general survival now replace elaborate weapons of old. Domesticated wolf-dogs, captured from the Viirsa, are a welcome ally; the ‘
Odoni’ or cave-people remain an enemy.
In these millennia, the distant
Mau are by far the world’s best seafarers, learning to navigate by the stars and planets, and taking to the water in larger, more ocean-worthy boats. The Mau also begin to develop a rich mythology around the night’s sky, interwoven with garbled tales of distant lands explored by brave voyagers, and the ferocious monsters and giants that they faced; a mythology matched only by that of the Ashala. But it is an especially dangerous lifestyle; many Mau die young, either lost at sea or killed by a variety of powerful, or poisonous wildlife. A large island-continent is explored to the east, but Mau are too few in number to make much of an impact here for now.
Nonetheless, together with their lost cousins the Naua in islands far to the west, and the
Hannu on the continental mainland, the Mau make up one of the most widespread and populous family groups of homo sapiens.
What now? (repeated from last turn)
We remain in ‘deep time’, and stat-less for now. Players have two choices - you can branch from your first tribe, or develop what you already have. Branching off with a new tribe will mean you have a smaller starting population (only really viable if you have 2+ population), but you get a springboard to migration, and can have two new physical traits. Developing your tribe will mean it stays more united and ‘cohesive’, but you’ll only be able to add one new physical trait.
To carry on with your existing tribe, order template is below:
What physical characteristic are you adding? (if any)
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
What are your relations with other tribes?
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
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As with turn 0, new players are free to branch from any named tribe on the map, including player-created ones (at least for now). You may want to consider being born from a mix of two tribes where they are close together!
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Angst, if you want to switch to playing the Rasna you have more claim than most - but bear in mind the main challenge will be keeping that culture together (unless you want to deliberately go with a splinter group).