I will submit some orders sometime today, if possible.
DaftNES V (Turn 5 in progress: Glacial Maximum)
- Thread starter Daftpanzer
- Start date
LordArgon
King
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2019
- Messages
- 850
Tribe name?
Kodaka
What colour represents your tribe?
Maroon or Dark Blue
Which population are you branching from?
Mau with some Hannu mixed in.
What two variations in physical characteristics* set your tribe apart?
Tends to remain neutral to outsiders. While not welcomed, outsiders who do not act threatening will not be driven off and will be traded with if advantageous.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
Migrate to the west of the Mau islands and move upriver.
Kodaka
What colour represents your tribe?
Maroon or Dark Blue
Which population are you branching from?
Mau with some Hannu mixed in.
What two variations in physical characteristics* set your tribe apart?
- Hair turns gray prematurely, starting at around twenty years of age.
- Slightly webbed toes.
- Fishing Nets
- Boatbuilding
Tends to remain neutral to outsiders. While not welcomed, outsiders who do not act threatening will not be driven off and will be traded with if advantageous.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
Migrate to the west of the Mau islands and move upriver.
Angst
Rambling and inconsistent
I'll add words or orders today or tomorrow.
Although btw Daftpanzer, Rasna should probably be colored red now that the Viirsa are gone from the map
Although btw Daftpanzer, Rasna should probably be colored red now that the Viirsa are gone from the map
erez87
Lord of Random
- Joined
- May 16, 2002
- Messages
- 13,500
Mau
Physical
no change
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
1. cultivation of island fauna and flora (coconut trees, pigs etc...)
2. CStory telling evolves further into history remembering etc. Story telling by song becomes a deep entrenched part of the culture
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
less adventurous than in the past, but maintain sea contact with each other. Some sort of event causes Mau to stop looking for new lands.
What are your relations with other tribes?
Cold and distant. Mau try to keep to themselves, and would leave an area rather than coexist.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
I vote remain
Physical
no change
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
1. cultivation of island fauna and flora (coconut trees, pigs etc...)
2. CStory telling evolves further into history remembering etc. Story telling by song becomes a deep entrenched part of the culture
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
less adventurous than in the past, but maintain sea contact with each other. Some sort of event causes Mau to stop looking for new lands.
What are your relations with other tribes?
Cold and distant. Mau try to keep to themselves, and would leave an area rather than coexist.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
I vote remain
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-Sentri Orders-
What physical characteristic are you adding? (if any)
None
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
1. The Sentri are ever eager to discover new things and known for sending travelers across the lands. Therefore, they develop a rudimentary system of carving messages and pictures of what they have seen. They carve these messages in stone or wood. This establishes a tribal unity because it increases Sentri cultural identity for their language and worldview, and it allows thoughts and ideas to be shared in a "written" (more accurately, picture) form.
2. The southern tribes attempt to use the river to cultivate any edible plants and fruit they find in the jungle to help with the food requirements of a large tribe.
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
The Sentri become more cautious because of the battles to their north and south. While they still willingly accept trade, they do not wander into Ransa lands. Some Sentri may wander back to their ancestral homeland to the west on the sheltered peninsula where the Maesa originally lived, but the majority continue to hold together in their hilly homeland.
What are your relations with other tribes?
Meeting other tribes continues to be a Sentri priority.
The Sentri avoid the Traessa as much as possible, except when the Traessa seek to trade instead of kill!
The Sentri seek to trade their craftsmanship with the Ransa if they are willing. They would like a more peaceful relationship if possible.
While trading with the Vahaeara, the Sentri begin to learn of their culture and knowledge of the sea. A strong trading relationship, and even a welcoming friendship begins to develop between the two tribes if the Vahaeara are willing to establish it.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
A small contingent from the mountain may migrate west, but overall they remain.
What physical characteristic are you adding? (if any)
None
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
1. The Sentri are ever eager to discover new things and known for sending travelers across the lands. Therefore, they develop a rudimentary system of carving messages and pictures of what they have seen. They carve these messages in stone or wood. This establishes a tribal unity because it increases Sentri cultural identity for their language and worldview, and it allows thoughts and ideas to be shared in a "written" (more accurately, picture) form.
2. The southern tribes attempt to use the river to cultivate any edible plants and fruit they find in the jungle to help with the food requirements of a large tribe.
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
The Sentri become more cautious because of the battles to their north and south. While they still willingly accept trade, they do not wander into Ransa lands. Some Sentri may wander back to their ancestral homeland to the west on the sheltered peninsula where the Maesa originally lived, but the majority continue to hold together in their hilly homeland.
What are your relations with other tribes?
Meeting other tribes continues to be a Sentri priority.
The Sentri avoid the Traessa as much as possible, except when the Traessa seek to trade instead of kill!
The Sentri seek to trade their craftsmanship with the Ransa if they are willing. They would like a more peaceful relationship if possible.
While trading with the Vahaeara, the Sentri begin to learn of their culture and knowledge of the sea. A strong trading relationship, and even a welcoming friendship begins to develop between the two tribes if the Vahaeara are willing to establish it.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
A small contingent from the mountain may migrate west, but overall they remain.
Terrance888
Discord Reigns
New Culture the Naessu
(New color blue green, secondary color yellow)
From a mixture of Baessa and Naua, a new group emerges with a different outlook towards trading and travel. As friendly interactions between the two groups increase, as some Baessa groups begun looking forward to these meetings, as Naua begun settling coastal harbors, and as new traditions developed to extract wealth from this harsh land, a new people arose. Particularly, these people are studiers of other people, traveling to learn the needs and pains of their fellow men, and striving to bring - and even anticipate! - these needs. This primitive trading becomes coded as part of the gifting and storytelling culture of the Naessu.
What physical characteristic are you adding? (if any)
From the Baessa - Taller brow and nose shape for swimming and diving, taller body with even fat distribution.
From the Naua - The Haanu have broad noses and very curly hair of varying tints, generally lighter in tone than their skin, and are generally short and stocky in build.
New Feature 1 - The facial structure of the Naessu is a unique combination and expression of its two forebears, leading to a distinctive “Flat-faced” or “Baby-faced” look. This facial shape is very expressive and easily lends itself to dramatization and exaggerated emoting, as well mirroring techniques.
New Feature 2 - Hair color becomes even lighter as well as more vibrant, framing their faces with fuzzy curly decor.
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
A new storytelling tradition arises from their experimental and observational culture. By mixing fact with a narrative purpose, they become easier to transmit and become passed down the oral traditions. The words of note are “Kusse’ta” which means “As is known” or “An old fact.” and “Muka’se” which means “As they say” or “it is told that.” This story telling tradition helps encode two key pieces of information - the opportunities provided by moving inland and transitioning for the cold seasons, and their relationships with their neighbors.
Secondly is the slow growth and development of semi-ritualized and growing in scale gift/trading network, reaching into both Baessa and Naua lands, and possibly even to the Traessa and Masa, or beyond. While the home remains, exploratory travel still lures many Naessu to wander the high seas, to rediscover the lands spoken of in stories and renew these old connections, as well as build new ones. They will learn new languages, spread technologies/techniques, marry into various genetic pools and learn new stories. The duality of “reliving” and “new living” develops as well. The importance of gifting is also developed and may be spread. The different types of gift, the gifts that rhyme versus the ones that harmonize, the spontaneous ones versus the ones that please various spirits, ancestors, to traditions. As easy going people, these traditions are long evolving and although they respect them, they are also willing to change them pramatically. (i.e. a colder winter may lead them to gift more furs and preserved foods)
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
Highly adventurous and very incautious. Even though they had oral traditions passed down, it takes long for a “Muka’se” to become a “Kusse’ta”, and even ‘Kusse’ta” do not go unquestioned. However, they are also very unaggressive, seeing the value of the other types of humans they see, and preferring to escape or bide instead of kill.
What are your relations with other tribes?
Very good with Baessa. Positive with Naua and Masa. With the Traessa, specific groups form specific, carefully ritualized and polite relationships. The Traessan tribes that do find their fortunes bloom over time,.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
The Naessu will develop along the peninsula between the Baessa and the Naua, and often travel inland during the winter to avoid the chills and to access various stores. Individual Naessu travel far and wide, reaching the Sentri, Masa, or even beyond.
(New color blue green, secondary color yellow)
From a mixture of Baessa and Naua, a new group emerges with a different outlook towards trading and travel. As friendly interactions between the two groups increase, as some Baessa groups begun looking forward to these meetings, as Naua begun settling coastal harbors, and as new traditions developed to extract wealth from this harsh land, a new people arose. Particularly, these people are studiers of other people, traveling to learn the needs and pains of their fellow men, and striving to bring - and even anticipate! - these needs. This primitive trading becomes coded as part of the gifting and storytelling culture of the Naessu.
What physical characteristic are you adding? (if any)
From the Baessa - Taller brow and nose shape for swimming and diving, taller body with even fat distribution.
From the Naua - The Haanu have broad noses and very curly hair of varying tints, generally lighter in tone than their skin, and are generally short and stocky in build.
New Feature 1 - The facial structure of the Naessu is a unique combination and expression of its two forebears, leading to a distinctive “Flat-faced” or “Baby-faced” look. This facial shape is very expressive and easily lends itself to dramatization and exaggerated emoting, as well mirroring techniques.
New Feature 2 - Hair color becomes even lighter as well as more vibrant, framing their faces with fuzzy curly decor.
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
A new storytelling tradition arises from their experimental and observational culture. By mixing fact with a narrative purpose, they become easier to transmit and become passed down the oral traditions. The words of note are “Kusse’ta” which means “As is known” or “An old fact.” and “Muka’se” which means “As they say” or “it is told that.” This story telling tradition helps encode two key pieces of information - the opportunities provided by moving inland and transitioning for the cold seasons, and their relationships with their neighbors.
Secondly is the slow growth and development of semi-ritualized and growing in scale gift/trading network, reaching into both Baessa and Naua lands, and possibly even to the Traessa and Masa, or beyond. While the home remains, exploratory travel still lures many Naessu to wander the high seas, to rediscover the lands spoken of in stories and renew these old connections, as well as build new ones. They will learn new languages, spread technologies/techniques, marry into various genetic pools and learn new stories. The duality of “reliving” and “new living” develops as well. The importance of gifting is also developed and may be spread. The different types of gift, the gifts that rhyme versus the ones that harmonize, the spontaneous ones versus the ones that please various spirits, ancestors, to traditions. As easy going people, these traditions are long evolving and although they respect them, they are also willing to change them pramatically. (i.e. a colder winter may lead them to gift more furs and preserved foods)
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
Highly adventurous and very incautious. Even though they had oral traditions passed down, it takes long for a “Muka’se” to become a “Kusse’ta”, and even ‘Kusse’ta” do not go unquestioned. However, they are also very unaggressive, seeing the value of the other types of humans they see, and preferring to escape or bide instead of kill.
What are your relations with other tribes?
Very good with Baessa. Positive with Naua and Masa. With the Traessa, specific groups form specific, carefully ritualized and polite relationships. The Traessan tribes that do find their fortunes bloom over time,.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
The Naessu will develop along the peninsula between the Baessa and the Naua, and often travel inland during the winter to avoid the chills and to access various stores. Individual Naessu travel far and wide, reaching the Sentri, Masa, or even beyond.
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Angst
Rambling and inconsistent
Sorry for shortness, I wanted this in before the deadline and am exhausted
Rasna
Physical
Darker skin, hair remains blonde
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
1. Pick up on Sentrii messaging through trade
2. Camel get! Let's try again
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
No intention for warfare, but it's probably time to splinter. At your discretino, of course. Let the branches all keep a Viirsa language family please
What are your relations with other tribes?
Amiable and trading with all foreigners save Vaehara. There should be enough unreasonable conflict internally to cover their lust for power, if you wish these people to search for power.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
Pressured by Vaehara raids, some actually migrate into the frostlands - another branch of the Viirsa family tree if possible : )
Rasna
Physical
Darker skin, hair remains blonde
What two new specialisations does your tribe develop?
1. Pick up on Sentrii messaging through trade
2. Camel get! Let's try again
How aggressive/adventurous or cautious is your tribe?
No intention for warfare, but it's probably time to splinter. At your discretino, of course. Let the branches all keep a Viirsa language family please
What are your relations with other tribes?
Amiable and trading with all foreigners save Vaehara. There should be enough unreasonable conflict internally to cover their lust for power, if you wish these people to search for power.
Will your people migrate, or remain where they are?
Pressured by Vaehara raids, some actually migrate into the frostlands - another branch of the Viirsa family tree if possible : )
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Hello, I mentioned updating on Monday night and its now Thursday... So that hasn't quite worked out 
I've not been feeling well this week so that hasn't helped.
I want to assure you I've been working on the update, with some surprises coming to the map this turn. I'm now aiming for a Friday evening update.
(sometimes working on the update mid-week is really hard, so I have to remember that - weekends are always better, even just to get the majority of stuff done)
I've not been feeling well this week so that hasn't helped. I want to assure you I've been working on the update, with some surprises coming to the map this turn. I'm now aiming for a Friday evening update.
(sometimes working on the update mid-week is really hard, so I have to remember that - weekends are always better, even just to get the majority of stuff done)
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Update 4
During these centuries an icy wind blows from the far north and south, chilling the lands inhabited by homo sapiens. Across many regions, there are years that seem to pass without any summers. The great glaciers, which have already swallowed much of the world, now relentlessly advance across the landscape year on year, sometimes day by day; within a few centuries, vast expanses of former hunting grounds are encased in thick layers of fresh ice. Humans, their close relatives, and other animals are forced into narrower confines, increasing competition - bringing death and misfortune to many.
Yet in other areas, the glaciers gradually withdraw, as localised breaths of warmer and drier air conspire to prise some land from the ice’s grasp. And, at the same time - although happening at a pace hardly noticeable to humans - the seas are steadily retreating from land; in some areas, the coastline retreats hundreds of miles within a few generations. Entirely new islands also rise from the sea, only to be quickly colonised by trees and animals - and in some cases, people.
At the same time, human cultures are on the move - developing new ways of life, both sedentary and nomadic. Many battles and struggles are played out across the changing landscape, until finally, the world of the ancestors has been truly transformed…
The Vahaeara are both blessed and cursed by this changing world. Their home peninsular doubles in size as the sea level falls; but to the north and east, they face competition with Odoni who are being forced south by the ice, and later, battles with the descendants of the Rasna; enemies who form a natural alliance against any expansion of the xenophobic Vahaeara. Meanwhile, all around them, tundra and taiga gradually replace what was once lush seasonal forest; even the sacred inland lake known as Aenayu becomes lost to ice. Only coastal lands remain warm enough to allow any kind of farming - which consists of patches of hardy, near-wild vegetables; food that needs to be supplemented by meat and fish in order to provide enough nutrition.
During this time the Vahaeara develop what becomes known as the Vahunotana, or ‘way of souls’, which is both a kind of philosophy and a code of laws; one side of the Vahunotana is a strict set of taboos that is put in place to prevent over-use of their remaining resources, both plant and animal. From this comes another change - some Vahaeara become herders, gradually domesticating one of the hardy, long-haired species of bovine that inhabit the surroundings - these semi-wild cattle require very little maintenance, and offer a slow but steady supply of meat, fur and hides. They also provide milk in humble quantities, though it is enough to begin encouraging the spread of lactose-tolerance genes through the Vahaera bloodlines over the following centuries.
Thus some of the Vahaera become settled into permanent villages, based on fishing, vegetable farming and cattle farming in guarded pastures. A similar way of life spreads to the western isles - which are blessed with a warmer climate, albeit prone to frequent storms. The closely-related Vaheomo peoples prosper at this time, colonising new lands as the waters recede, and absorb the idea of the Vahunotana as their own; the endangered giant birds of the isles now become protected in their remaining nesting grounds by tribal law. Though lacking herds of cattle (which can hardly be transported on such primitive boats), the isles are blessed with grapes, fruit trees, and abundant fishing in the surrounding waters, and the population blooms, to the point that Vaheomo are forced to begin voyaging into the colder, wilder, iceberg-dotted waters of the north in search of new hunting grounds to avoid breaking the laws of the Vahunotana.
Some Vaheomo also venture south, along with traders from Vahaeara heartlands; their primitive boats - little more than rafts - are surprisingly seaworthy, but still often sunk by storms; it is only a brave few maintain contact with the Sentri and other tribes on the southern mainland, exchanging fine ivory, down, furs and obsidian in exchange for precious silver and gemstones. A few voyagers also become shipwrecked on new islands far to the southwest, upon wild, but blessed shores, where the days and nights are of equal length. After a few false starts over several centuries, where populations dwindle and die out, enough arrivals finally arrive at one time to found a new sustainable population on the ‘isle of serpents’ - these are a mixture of peoples from the north and the equatorial mainland, calling themselves the Yakumo.
In both the Yakumo and Vaheomo there exist tales of a much greater island to the west - a vast and fertile land, teeming with life, as well as giant monsters. But with such primitive boats and such stormy waters, only a few have travelled there and ever returned to tell the tale; few dare to venture far beyond known waters, which are risky enough as it is.
Back on the mainland, the former Rasna hegemony over the northern hunting grounds evaporates under the combined stressed of a changing climate and tribal in-fighting; after a period of flourishing and population boom, there is now not enough good hunting in the surrounding lands to support their population. A group calling itself the Rashaami emerges as the closest successor the Rasna, with a heavy influence from the Sentri cultures in the south; they retreat to the remaining temperate forest lands on the coast. Other groups splinter out eastwards across the continent, setting off a complex chain reaction of migrations and invasions. Only a small group calling itself Viirna - closest cultural and linguistic relatives of the old Viirsa - remain in the north, forging close ties with the Odoni and gradually intermarrying with them.
The great monument of the Rasna known as the Tiimhaa now sits abandoned, lying in a contested tribal no-man's land, its origin and purpose already being rapidly lost to garbled myth and legend.
Across the plains to the south, the Sentri are - like the Vaheomo - one of the lucky groups able to truly prosper at this time; a drier climate leads to a thinning of the forest and spread of savannah conditions, but the Sentri respond by investing more effort in cultivation of fruit trees and edible plants along the banks of the great river system that originates in their mountainous homeland, eventually spreading out beyond to wetlands in the east and west. This primitive farming is not a sole means of survival but is able to make up a large part of the village diet; it only takes a couple of centuries for domesticated species of fruits and vegetables to begin diverging from their wild counterparts, becoming more suited for human needs.
At the same time, other groups of Sentri become more specialised as goat-herders in the semi-arid, hilly lands of the west - it is a dangerous and highly mobile lifestyle, as flocks need fresh grazing and to be guarded from ferocious predators, day and night. A later introduction of domesticated camels from the east also feeds into the nomadic lifestyle. There are also Sporadic contacts with seafaring Vahaera, with some of the blond-haired voyagers settling in these tropical lands and intermarrying with the locals, spreading elements of their polytheist religion. As centuries pass, these herders diverge from the increasingly-sedentary culture of the Sentri, becoming known as the Naiyori.
The Sentri and Naiyori sometimes fight each other - and there are many intra-tribal feuds - but there remains a strong cultural bond; the yearly ‘festival of light’ in the shadow of Imp’senta remains important to both cultures. It is at this time that a primitive pictorial writing system also begins to spread from the Sentri heartland - first painted on cave walls, and later carved into stone tablets and etched into mammoth tusks. The pictographs tell the story of animals, plants, hostile tribes and other dangers that have been encountered by travellers, and also tell the story of heroic deeds and legends of old - forming the early basis of what may become a written language.
With more of the Sentri involved in farming or otherwise having villages to defend, there are fewer forays out into the northern plains, which become more or less the domain of the Rashaami and Ohmiir peoples - offshoots of the Rasna. While these warlike peoples fight amongst themselves, the Ohmiir also put enough pressure on the nearby Masa peoples to force them to ask for help from the Sentri chieftains; the Masa are distant cousins of the Sentri, and travellers from Imp’senta have been marrying into their tribes for centuries. The Masa now fall firmly under Sentri influence.
Indeed, the Rashaami and Ohmiir themselves contain a sizeable portion of Sentri-Masa ancestry, and share elements of their language and culture - together forming a large zone of cultural continuity across the western side of the great continent. This does not equate to peace however, and the Sentri villages face mounting threats from marauding bands of warriors, seeking to loot both food and ornate silver treasures for which the Sentri are renowned. Traessa tribes, whose warriors are by now are experts in laying traps and ambush tactics, also threaten the Sentri from the south, as do the powerful non-human Ingoni clans (‘beast-men’) which persist in the southeast jungle.
The Traessa are themselves surrounded by enemies however, having made few friends over the centuries with their aggressive ways; Baessa tribes gradually populate large swathes of the southern continent, eventually mixing with Naua boat-peoples of the southeast peninsular to give rise to a new culture, the Naessu, who are renowned for their rich tradition of oral storytelling - mixing the legends of both Naua and Baessa. These stories also serve a practical purpose, passing down a coded form of advice for finding food, espousing the virtue of being prepared for harsh times (as freezing winds often blow in from the southern waters during winter), and the virtue of open and honest dealings with outsiders; indeed, Naessu seafarers maintain their Naua traditions, venturing across the island archipelago and as far as the Sentri and Masa peoples in the north, exchanging precious stones, giant bird feathers and seashells with the mainlanders.
The peninsulas and islands shared by the Naua and Naessu are swollen in size by falling sea levels, reducing stretches of open water and making navigation somewhat easier; though as with the distant Vaheomo, stormy seas remain a much-feared phenomenon and claim the lives of many travellers. Here, too, native giant birds are soon pushed to the brink of extinction - though in this case the adults are ferocious killers, fully capable of decapitating a man with their beaks, they are still vulnerable when nesting, and their eggs are a prized source of both food and decoration.
The center of the great continent sees a clash between the Kutans and the Rasna offshoots, both sides weakening each other in the struggle to dominate the fertile riverlands running south from the great sacred lake. Eventually, both sides are overwhelmed by a third party - incoming bands of Ashala, large numbers of whom are now seeking new hunting grounds, as harsher climates take hold in the far north. The Ashala peoples already have a cultural influence over the region, with elements of their rich mythology having already been absorbed by the Kutans. Kutans meanwhile migrate southeast, displacing older Hannu populations in their wake.
The Ashala now bring a superior technology set of stone tools, herbal medicines, and general survival strategies born from centuries of existence in harsh northern climate. The Ashala tradition of building stone ‘gardens’ as places to connect to the spiritual realms, mixes with the old Carva tradition of raising stone monoliths as spiritual landmarks, leading to a renewal an extension of some old monuments that already date back thousands of years.
At its peak, Ashala culture stretches across a huge swathe of the central and northern continent, but it inevitably begins to fragment - a separate Rashana culture develops in the south west, born from mixing with former Rasna and Kutan peoples, while eastern adventurers become absorbed into the emerging Susagh'am culture.
Many of the Ashala show a reverence for the Utur (‘snow men’), seeing them as intermediaries with the divine, and being willing to share with them even when they compete for the same prey animals. Interactions are not always peaceful however, especially in the desperation of harsh winters, but for now the two populations continue to coexist in the northern plains; but the Utur, being slow breeders, are now easily outnumbered by the homo sapiens.
There are dwindling numbers of mammoths in the far north - partly a result of climate and hunting by Ashala. Reindeer, bison, and musk ox remain fairly common but their herds are easily dispersed by over-hunting or by the onset of harsh weather. Some Ashala tribes begin to try to control their prey animals, as has happened elsewhere, leading to domestication; with the Ashala, there are at first abortive efforts to domesticate wild horses, before the herds all escape or are killed off by harsh winters. Success is instead found with hardy wild cattle, closely related to the species domesticated around the same time by the Vahaera of the far west. Herds of these hardy, semi-domesticated cattle become more and more common as the years pass, with more and more hunters turning to herding, especially in areas where large carnivores have already been scattered or have learnt to fear the approach of human beings. And, as with the Vahaera, genes for lactose-tolerance in adults begin to surface in the population as the centuries pass.
In the east of the great continent, there remains the promise of a lush new lands to colonise, but the situation gradually becomes less promising; forests are thinned out and pushed back by the southward spread of harsh cold weather, as tundra conditions take hold along the glacier line. The remaining fertile land is inhabited by a concentration of fearsome animal opponents - aggressive giant apes, huge cave bears, and ferocious packs of cave hyenas are all major obstacles for the relatively-small groups of homo sapiens venturing into the region, not to mention migratory clans of Utur (snow men - also known as At’ar).
Nonetheless, a new culture begins to emerge here; known as the Susagh'am, they are largely derived from earlier Ashut'ar peoples, but have an influx of fresh blood from bands of Ashala that venture east, as well as Hannu, Mau and similar peoples from the south and southwest coast - also absorbing the last of the Carva peoples who had been migrating through Ashala territory. In contrast to earlier nomads, with a history of survival in harsh climates, many of the Susagh’am seek to settle in permanent villages in areas where hunting and fishing are richest, and winters less severe. These villages are protected by wooden palisades - a first line of defence against giant bears or hostile humans. The Susagh'am also develop more powerful bows, used for both hunting and for defending their territory. Tribes further north remain as mobile hunters, using their bows to weaken and take down prey from a safe(r) distance. In-fighting between tribes and villages serves to keep warrior skills sharp; occasional raids by roaming bands of Ashala fail to break the strength of the Susagh'am.
Falling sea levels transform large parts of the continental coastline in the south and southeast; the large island inhabited by the Oai peoples now becomes reconnected to the mainland, but the isthmus also creates a large obstacle between the islands inhabited by the Mau. The western Mau begin exploring new islands off the southeast coast - finding mysterious, giant carved stone heads, seemingly ancient in origin, which terrify the explorers - but otherwise begin to settle down into the pattern of primitive farming and permanent villages seen elsewhere. Mau mysticism and storytelling tradition develops further at this time, having a big impact on their close cousins the Oai who reside on the mainland; Oai flourish in tropical forest and their population grows large enough to repel probes by Kutans and Susagh'am into this relatively-sheltered, tropical garden.
The Mau who are isolated in the north-east, facing considerably colder climates and different prey animals, develop into a seperate culture known as the Kodaka - in contact with, and borrowing heavily from the Ashut’ar and Susagh’am of the mainland, they learn the skills needed to survive in harsh northern winters, and even begin probing into the icy waters of the far north. They are skilled fishermen, and Kodaka boatbuilding - building upon thousands of years of Mau experience - is the most sophisticated yet seen, their boats and canoes able to withstand all but the most ferocious storms. Kodaka are noted for their striking grey hair in adults, said to be a result of exposure to cold winds from the sea (but actually due to a genetic mutation).
As for the survivalist Ashut’ar, small groups of these hardy peoples push on into the north and east, seeking to find the limits of the world not covered by impassable ice. Without realising, they cross an ice-free landbridge to a whole new continent. One tribe of Ashut’ar - following a prophecy to find a new mountain homeland - makes a perilous journey across an expanse of ice - losing half their number to cold, accidents, and being forced to eat all their wolf-dogs to survive - but eventually make it to a mountainous peninsular surrounded by a ‘great salt lake’ and ice-free shores in which to make a home. Years later, the survivors call themselves Ashut'shadb, and are remarkable for their short stature and robust forums - perhaps adaptations to the cold. They are perhaps the most extreme survivalists among homo sapiens, and certainly the most isolated from the rest of humanity.
As this era draws to a close, the climate seems to stabilise; the seas settle somewhat, and smoking mountains become quiet; the gods seem content for now, though the expanded ice sheet shows little sign of retreating.
What now?
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RULES UPDATE - I've now added some actual stats to the second post of this thread (here).
Lineages - each new culture that branches from your original culture will be considered part of the same ‘lineage’ or culture family. Each lineage is ‘owned’ by one player, cultures can become part of multiple lineages due to intermarriage, and thus come under the influence of multiple players at once.
Each turn, you can potentially influence every culture in your lineage - giving them new technologies, new cultural traits, new physical traits (genetics), and you can guide their relations with other tribes, as well as nudge them to explore or conquer in a certain direction. Branching off with a new culture also remains an option.
But what are the limits here? Generally, the rule is the more you try to do at once, the weaker the outcome will be. If you focus on just one culture (as per the first few turns of the game) that will have the greatest effect - you can expect to have two new technologies/cultural traits, and one new genetic trait - or two genetic traits if branching off a new culture. You’ll also get greater power over their attitudes to other cultures/tribes, and in directing them to migrate / invade a certain area.
If influencing multiple cultures, don’t hope for more than one new technology/cultural trait per turn. Genetic change will be slower (may be too small to register in the stats straight away) and your guidance on diplomacy / migration should be quite vague, or it will get lost in confusion. Any new culture you try to branch off will also get less of a head start.
Where I share influence over a culture/tribe with another player, can I contradict that player’s orders? Yes absolutely - I will have various ways of working out the conflicts (which might result in tribal in-fighting, or something more peaceful). It may be that both orders happen in part, or neither happens exactly.
Can I branch off a new culture in another part of the world, completely separate to all my existing ones? Potentially yes, but I would like to limit this as things could rapidly get out of hand. I may ask you to forfeit your existing lineage in order to do this (making them NPC).
For the time being, new players are still able to join by branching from any existing culture, NPC or player-controlled - or can potentially take over existing cultures, pending approval from any owning player(s). Feel free to run ideas by me beforehand, just in case I do have any objections.
During these centuries an icy wind blows from the far north and south, chilling the lands inhabited by homo sapiens. Across many regions, there are years that seem to pass without any summers. The great glaciers, which have already swallowed much of the world, now relentlessly advance across the landscape year on year, sometimes day by day; within a few centuries, vast expanses of former hunting grounds are encased in thick layers of fresh ice. Humans, their close relatives, and other animals are forced into narrower confines, increasing competition - bringing death and misfortune to many.
Yet in other areas, the glaciers gradually withdraw, as localised breaths of warmer and drier air conspire to prise some land from the ice’s grasp. And, at the same time - although happening at a pace hardly noticeable to humans - the seas are steadily retreating from land; in some areas, the coastline retreats hundreds of miles within a few generations. Entirely new islands also rise from the sea, only to be quickly colonised by trees and animals - and in some cases, people.
At the same time, human cultures are on the move - developing new ways of life, both sedentary and nomadic. Many battles and struggles are played out across the changing landscape, until finally, the world of the ancestors has been truly transformed…
The Vahaeara are both blessed and cursed by this changing world. Their home peninsular doubles in size as the sea level falls; but to the north and east, they face competition with Odoni who are being forced south by the ice, and later, battles with the descendants of the Rasna; enemies who form a natural alliance against any expansion of the xenophobic Vahaeara. Meanwhile, all around them, tundra and taiga gradually replace what was once lush seasonal forest; even the sacred inland lake known as Aenayu becomes lost to ice. Only coastal lands remain warm enough to allow any kind of farming - which consists of patches of hardy, near-wild vegetables; food that needs to be supplemented by meat and fish in order to provide enough nutrition.
During this time the Vahaeara develop what becomes known as the Vahunotana, or ‘way of souls’, which is both a kind of philosophy and a code of laws; one side of the Vahunotana is a strict set of taboos that is put in place to prevent over-use of their remaining resources, both plant and animal. From this comes another change - some Vahaeara become herders, gradually domesticating one of the hardy, long-haired species of bovine that inhabit the surroundings - these semi-wild cattle require very little maintenance, and offer a slow but steady supply of meat, fur and hides. They also provide milk in humble quantities, though it is enough to begin encouraging the spread of lactose-tolerance genes through the Vahaera bloodlines over the following centuries.
Thus some of the Vahaera become settled into permanent villages, based on fishing, vegetable farming and cattle farming in guarded pastures. A similar way of life spreads to the western isles - which are blessed with a warmer climate, albeit prone to frequent storms. The closely-related Vaheomo peoples prosper at this time, colonising new lands as the waters recede, and absorb the idea of the Vahunotana as their own; the endangered giant birds of the isles now become protected in their remaining nesting grounds by tribal law. Though lacking herds of cattle (which can hardly be transported on such primitive boats), the isles are blessed with grapes, fruit trees, and abundant fishing in the surrounding waters, and the population blooms, to the point that Vaheomo are forced to begin voyaging into the colder, wilder, iceberg-dotted waters of the north in search of new hunting grounds to avoid breaking the laws of the Vahunotana.
Some Vaheomo also venture south, along with traders from Vahaeara heartlands; their primitive boats - little more than rafts - are surprisingly seaworthy, but still often sunk by storms; it is only a brave few maintain contact with the Sentri and other tribes on the southern mainland, exchanging fine ivory, down, furs and obsidian in exchange for precious silver and gemstones. A few voyagers also become shipwrecked on new islands far to the southwest, upon wild, but blessed shores, where the days and nights are of equal length. After a few false starts over several centuries, where populations dwindle and die out, enough arrivals finally arrive at one time to found a new sustainable population on the ‘isle of serpents’ - these are a mixture of peoples from the north and the equatorial mainland, calling themselves the Yakumo.
In both the Yakumo and Vaheomo there exist tales of a much greater island to the west - a vast and fertile land, teeming with life, as well as giant monsters. But with such primitive boats and such stormy waters, only a few have travelled there and ever returned to tell the tale; few dare to venture far beyond known waters, which are risky enough as it is.
Back on the mainland, the former Rasna hegemony over the northern hunting grounds evaporates under the combined stressed of a changing climate and tribal in-fighting; after a period of flourishing and population boom, there is now not enough good hunting in the surrounding lands to support their population. A group calling itself the Rashaami emerges as the closest successor the Rasna, with a heavy influence from the Sentri cultures in the south; they retreat to the remaining temperate forest lands on the coast. Other groups splinter out eastwards across the continent, setting off a complex chain reaction of migrations and invasions. Only a small group calling itself Viirna - closest cultural and linguistic relatives of the old Viirsa - remain in the north, forging close ties with the Odoni and gradually intermarrying with them.
The great monument of the Rasna known as the Tiimhaa now sits abandoned, lying in a contested tribal no-man's land, its origin and purpose already being rapidly lost to garbled myth and legend.
Across the plains to the south, the Sentri are - like the Vaheomo - one of the lucky groups able to truly prosper at this time; a drier climate leads to a thinning of the forest and spread of savannah conditions, but the Sentri respond by investing more effort in cultivation of fruit trees and edible plants along the banks of the great river system that originates in their mountainous homeland, eventually spreading out beyond to wetlands in the east and west. This primitive farming is not a sole means of survival but is able to make up a large part of the village diet; it only takes a couple of centuries for domesticated species of fruits and vegetables to begin diverging from their wild counterparts, becoming more suited for human needs.
At the same time, other groups of Sentri become more specialised as goat-herders in the semi-arid, hilly lands of the west - it is a dangerous and highly mobile lifestyle, as flocks need fresh grazing and to be guarded from ferocious predators, day and night. A later introduction of domesticated camels from the east also feeds into the nomadic lifestyle. There are also Sporadic contacts with seafaring Vahaera, with some of the blond-haired voyagers settling in these tropical lands and intermarrying with the locals, spreading elements of their polytheist religion. As centuries pass, these herders diverge from the increasingly-sedentary culture of the Sentri, becoming known as the Naiyori.
The Sentri and Naiyori sometimes fight each other - and there are many intra-tribal feuds - but there remains a strong cultural bond; the yearly ‘festival of light’ in the shadow of Imp’senta remains important to both cultures. It is at this time that a primitive pictorial writing system also begins to spread from the Sentri heartland - first painted on cave walls, and later carved into stone tablets and etched into mammoth tusks. The pictographs tell the story of animals, plants, hostile tribes and other dangers that have been encountered by travellers, and also tell the story of heroic deeds and legends of old - forming the early basis of what may become a written language.
With more of the Sentri involved in farming or otherwise having villages to defend, there are fewer forays out into the northern plains, which become more or less the domain of the Rashaami and Ohmiir peoples - offshoots of the Rasna. While these warlike peoples fight amongst themselves, the Ohmiir also put enough pressure on the nearby Masa peoples to force them to ask for help from the Sentri chieftains; the Masa are distant cousins of the Sentri, and travellers from Imp’senta have been marrying into their tribes for centuries. The Masa now fall firmly under Sentri influence.
Indeed, the Rashaami and Ohmiir themselves contain a sizeable portion of Sentri-Masa ancestry, and share elements of their language and culture - together forming a large zone of cultural continuity across the western side of the great continent. This does not equate to peace however, and the Sentri villages face mounting threats from marauding bands of warriors, seeking to loot both food and ornate silver treasures for which the Sentri are renowned. Traessa tribes, whose warriors are by now are experts in laying traps and ambush tactics, also threaten the Sentri from the south, as do the powerful non-human Ingoni clans (‘beast-men’) which persist in the southeast jungle.
The Traessa are themselves surrounded by enemies however, having made few friends over the centuries with their aggressive ways; Baessa tribes gradually populate large swathes of the southern continent, eventually mixing with Naua boat-peoples of the southeast peninsular to give rise to a new culture, the Naessu, who are renowned for their rich tradition of oral storytelling - mixing the legends of both Naua and Baessa. These stories also serve a practical purpose, passing down a coded form of advice for finding food, espousing the virtue of being prepared for harsh times (as freezing winds often blow in from the southern waters during winter), and the virtue of open and honest dealings with outsiders; indeed, Naessu seafarers maintain their Naua traditions, venturing across the island archipelago and as far as the Sentri and Masa peoples in the north, exchanging precious stones, giant bird feathers and seashells with the mainlanders.
The peninsulas and islands shared by the Naua and Naessu are swollen in size by falling sea levels, reducing stretches of open water and making navigation somewhat easier; though as with the distant Vaheomo, stormy seas remain a much-feared phenomenon and claim the lives of many travellers. Here, too, native giant birds are soon pushed to the brink of extinction - though in this case the adults are ferocious killers, fully capable of decapitating a man with their beaks, they are still vulnerable when nesting, and their eggs are a prized source of both food and decoration.
The center of the great continent sees a clash between the Kutans and the Rasna offshoots, both sides weakening each other in the struggle to dominate the fertile riverlands running south from the great sacred lake. Eventually, both sides are overwhelmed by a third party - incoming bands of Ashala, large numbers of whom are now seeking new hunting grounds, as harsher climates take hold in the far north. The Ashala peoples already have a cultural influence over the region, with elements of their rich mythology having already been absorbed by the Kutans. Kutans meanwhile migrate southeast, displacing older Hannu populations in their wake.
The Ashala now bring a superior technology set of stone tools, herbal medicines, and general survival strategies born from centuries of existence in harsh northern climate. The Ashala tradition of building stone ‘gardens’ as places to connect to the spiritual realms, mixes with the old Carva tradition of raising stone monoliths as spiritual landmarks, leading to a renewal an extension of some old monuments that already date back thousands of years.
At its peak, Ashala culture stretches across a huge swathe of the central and northern continent, but it inevitably begins to fragment - a separate Rashana culture develops in the south west, born from mixing with former Rasna and Kutan peoples, while eastern adventurers become absorbed into the emerging Susagh'am culture.
Many of the Ashala show a reverence for the Utur (‘snow men’), seeing them as intermediaries with the divine, and being willing to share with them even when they compete for the same prey animals. Interactions are not always peaceful however, especially in the desperation of harsh winters, but for now the two populations continue to coexist in the northern plains; but the Utur, being slow breeders, are now easily outnumbered by the homo sapiens.
There are dwindling numbers of mammoths in the far north - partly a result of climate and hunting by Ashala. Reindeer, bison, and musk ox remain fairly common but their herds are easily dispersed by over-hunting or by the onset of harsh weather. Some Ashala tribes begin to try to control their prey animals, as has happened elsewhere, leading to domestication; with the Ashala, there are at first abortive efforts to domesticate wild horses, before the herds all escape or are killed off by harsh winters. Success is instead found with hardy wild cattle, closely related to the species domesticated around the same time by the Vahaera of the far west. Herds of these hardy, semi-domesticated cattle become more and more common as the years pass, with more and more hunters turning to herding, especially in areas where large carnivores have already been scattered or have learnt to fear the approach of human beings. And, as with the Vahaera, genes for lactose-tolerance in adults begin to surface in the population as the centuries pass.
In the east of the great continent, there remains the promise of a lush new lands to colonise, but the situation gradually becomes less promising; forests are thinned out and pushed back by the southward spread of harsh cold weather, as tundra conditions take hold along the glacier line. The remaining fertile land is inhabited by a concentration of fearsome animal opponents - aggressive giant apes, huge cave bears, and ferocious packs of cave hyenas are all major obstacles for the relatively-small groups of homo sapiens venturing into the region, not to mention migratory clans of Utur (snow men - also known as At’ar).
Nonetheless, a new culture begins to emerge here; known as the Susagh'am, they are largely derived from earlier Ashut'ar peoples, but have an influx of fresh blood from bands of Ashala that venture east, as well as Hannu, Mau and similar peoples from the south and southwest coast - also absorbing the last of the Carva peoples who had been migrating through Ashala territory. In contrast to earlier nomads, with a history of survival in harsh climates, many of the Susagh’am seek to settle in permanent villages in areas where hunting and fishing are richest, and winters less severe. These villages are protected by wooden palisades - a first line of defence against giant bears or hostile humans. The Susagh'am also develop more powerful bows, used for both hunting and for defending their territory. Tribes further north remain as mobile hunters, using their bows to weaken and take down prey from a safe(r) distance. In-fighting between tribes and villages serves to keep warrior skills sharp; occasional raids by roaming bands of Ashala fail to break the strength of the Susagh'am.
Falling sea levels transform large parts of the continental coastline in the south and southeast; the large island inhabited by the Oai peoples now becomes reconnected to the mainland, but the isthmus also creates a large obstacle between the islands inhabited by the Mau. The western Mau begin exploring new islands off the southeast coast - finding mysterious, giant carved stone heads, seemingly ancient in origin, which terrify the explorers - but otherwise begin to settle down into the pattern of primitive farming and permanent villages seen elsewhere. Mau mysticism and storytelling tradition develops further at this time, having a big impact on their close cousins the Oai who reside on the mainland; Oai flourish in tropical forest and their population grows large enough to repel probes by Kutans and Susagh'am into this relatively-sheltered, tropical garden.
The Mau who are isolated in the north-east, facing considerably colder climates and different prey animals, develop into a seperate culture known as the Kodaka - in contact with, and borrowing heavily from the Ashut’ar and Susagh’am of the mainland, they learn the skills needed to survive in harsh northern winters, and even begin probing into the icy waters of the far north. They are skilled fishermen, and Kodaka boatbuilding - building upon thousands of years of Mau experience - is the most sophisticated yet seen, their boats and canoes able to withstand all but the most ferocious storms. Kodaka are noted for their striking grey hair in adults, said to be a result of exposure to cold winds from the sea (but actually due to a genetic mutation).
As for the survivalist Ashut’ar, small groups of these hardy peoples push on into the north and east, seeking to find the limits of the world not covered by impassable ice. Without realising, they cross an ice-free landbridge to a whole new continent. One tribe of Ashut’ar - following a prophecy to find a new mountain homeland - makes a perilous journey across an expanse of ice - losing half their number to cold, accidents, and being forced to eat all their wolf-dogs to survive - but eventually make it to a mountainous peninsular surrounded by a ‘great salt lake’ and ice-free shores in which to make a home. Years later, the survivors call themselves Ashut'shadb, and are remarkable for their short stature and robust forums - perhaps adaptations to the cold. They are perhaps the most extreme survivalists among homo sapiens, and certainly the most isolated from the rest of humanity.
As this era draws to a close, the climate seems to stabilise; the seas settle somewhat, and smoking mountains become quiet; the gods seem content for now, though the expanded ice sheet shows little sign of retreating.
Spoiler Map :
What now?
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RULES UPDATE - I've now added some actual stats to the second post of this thread (here).
Lineages - each new culture that branches from your original culture will be considered part of the same ‘lineage’ or culture family. Each lineage is ‘owned’ by one player, cultures can become part of multiple lineages due to intermarriage, and thus come under the influence of multiple players at once.
Each turn, you can potentially influence every culture in your lineage - giving them new technologies, new cultural traits, new physical traits (genetics), and you can guide their relations with other tribes, as well as nudge them to explore or conquer in a certain direction. Branching off with a new culture also remains an option.
But what are the limits here? Generally, the rule is the more you try to do at once, the weaker the outcome will be. If you focus on just one culture (as per the first few turns of the game) that will have the greatest effect - you can expect to have two new technologies/cultural traits, and one new genetic trait - or two genetic traits if branching off a new culture. You’ll also get greater power over their attitudes to other cultures/tribes, and in directing them to migrate / invade a certain area.
If influencing multiple cultures, don’t hope for more than one new technology/cultural trait per turn. Genetic change will be slower (may be too small to register in the stats straight away) and your guidance on diplomacy / migration should be quite vague, or it will get lost in confusion. Any new culture you try to branch off will also get less of a head start.
Where I share influence over a culture/tribe with another player, can I contradict that player’s orders? Yes absolutely - I will have various ways of working out the conflicts (which might result in tribal in-fighting, or something more peaceful). It may be that both orders happen in part, or neither happens exactly.
Can I branch off a new culture in another part of the world, completely separate to all my existing ones? Potentially yes, but I would like to limit this as things could rapidly get out of hand. I may ask you to forfeit your existing lineage in order to do this (making them NPC).
For the time being, new players are still able to join by branching from any existing culture, NPC or player-controlled - or can potentially take over existing cultures, pending approval from any owning player(s). Feel free to run ideas by me beforehand, just in case I do have any objections.
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Angst
Rambling and inconsistent
I think I'm going to take over the Viirna for now, I intend to do some language work before the core root dies out.
Kyzarc Fotjage
Rise Up
Dang, we managed to find the Americas. Hopefully this is the home that has been spoken of in our stories. The lack of nosy neighbors is definitely promising
Jehoshua
Catholic
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 7,284
Excellent update. I must ponder on whether to briefly focus on the Vaheomo [before returning to the Vahaeara] and am looking forward to whatever changes you have in store.
Also noting that with the demise of the Carva the Vahaeara [and their tribe-kin the Vaheomo] are the last of the ancient Faarsic tribes to endure, the others having adulterated their blood with other peoples and been transformed into things other than what they were
Also noting that with the demise of the Carva the Vahaeara [and their tribe-kin the Vaheomo] are the last of the ancient Faarsic tribes to endure, the others having adulterated their blood with other peoples and been transformed into things other than what they were
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Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
Thank you!!
Here's a quick 'family tree' of human cultures so far - going from left to right over time:
Here's a quick 'family tree' of human cultures so far - going from left to right over time:
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Immaculate
unerring
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
- Messages
- 7,623
Daft, your maps and images are so gorgeous!
Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
@All, I've created a google doc that has 'stats' of the current cultures, listing their main cultural traits and technologies. If you'd like to take a look, feel free to let me know if anything seems odd, or if you think anything is missing - you're able to comment directly on the doc itself, or you can message me here on on discord:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gVTRRrAbKcOZX35UvCTjpEVwJ5DzdBcw4ooKdPhh0_s/edit?usp=sharing
My current thought is that players should now get influence over multiple different tribes/cultures, the ones that you have had a hand in birthing over time. There will be a default of one 'influence point' for each tribe in your 'family', plus a 'bonus' point that each of you can spend on a favourite tribe. Each point spent will be to develop a new technology, a new cultural trait, or to influence people to explore/colonise/conquer in a certain direction, or to set a certain stance towards another tribe. Where influences have mixed, there will be tribes that several players can influence at once, potentially conflicting with each other - in which case I will apply deep thought (and maybe some dice rolls) to decide the outcome...
Thank you Immac It helps when I've got almost 10 years of pixel art efforts to build upon I should've pinged you when I was starting this project - as always, you're very welcome to get involved.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gVTRRrAbKcOZX35UvCTjpEVwJ5DzdBcw4ooKdPhh0_s/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you Immac
It helps when I've got almost 10 years of pixel art efforts to build upon I should've pinged you when I was starting this project - as always, you're very welcome to get involved.
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Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
I also meant to apologise for the delay with the latest update - a combination of social happenings (including both my birthday, and the ongoing six-nations rugby that my friends have got me into) and me being unwell for over a week, the mysterious 'low energy' virus which left me feeling sleepy and 'listless' for a few days. Thankfully, my power levels are now recovering.
Jehoshua
Catholic
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 7,284
VAHEOMO
Physical
Reduction in body hair [ie less hirsute]
Specialties
Advanced Boats: The Vaheomo listen to the whispers of Manai the east-wind, daughter of Mana the slain, father of the people, and to the murmurings of Omosado their patron who is all-encompassing and life-bestowing. The wise Sagai hearing the spirit-voices develop the arts of wind and water, with primitive canoes giving way to more advanced boats, whose reach is extended through the development of the mast and sail, by which the holy winds might guide the people on their course across the deeps. This enables not only for the Vaheomo to fish the deep seas when the weather allows, but to reach the fabled western land, Aisuratan.
Astronomy: The Vaheomo learn the secrets of the star-gods and how to tell by the stars the right time to plant crops, how to navigate the seas and tell directions, and in the case of their medicine-men how to predict the future from their eternal dance across the firmament of Manu. The use of stars for navigation in particular enables the Vaheomo to more easily find their way across the vast emptiness of Amasido.
Attitudes
The Vaheomo remain xenophobic in the Vaheic tradition, with all other tribes apart from the Vahaeara [whom they do not consider a separate tribe at all] being unwelcome in their lands, and with their visits to foreign lands largely being limited to those of the Vahaeara. That said the Vaheomo as masters of the sea [by human standards] are an adventurous people, and their sailors continue to explore the isles and the uttermost west of which legends speak searching for new lands to settle.
Relations
Vahaeara: Relations with the Vahaeara are indubitably excellent as the Vaheomo do not make a distinction between the two peoples at this point. Technological and social developments are likely to spread east to these long-time friends and allies.
Rashaami: Extremely hostile [due to religious demonification of these "half-demons"], Vaheomo raiders from across the straits likely ally with the Vahaeara on a regular basis when conflict emerges.
Yakumo and Naiyori: Cautious and formal. Very occasional [less than the Vahaeara in the case of the latter] trade ties in recognition of some kindred blood, but they would not welcome these strangers not of the people into their lands.
Migration
[pertaining to both Vahaeara and Vaheomo]: Land limitations along with tales of a western land lead adventurers to sail west upon the development of more advanced boats in search of this fabled and holy sanctuary. Should this fabled land and a clear route thereto be discovered Vaheomo and Vahaeara migrants, fulfilling the dictates of the Vahunotana regarding clan division and migration [noting, lack of alternatives sans war with the Odoni and Rashaami] will indubitably migrate west over the sea forming together a third branch of the People of Manu, the Vahemanae [people of the east wind]. Perhaps their vessels shall enable to the taking of calves across the sea that herdsmen might pasture their beasts in Asuradan and on the isles of the Vaheomo, perhaps not. Nonetheless the myth of the holy land across the sea takes hold amongst the Vahaeic cultures in this period and would fuel a steady western migration should any new land be found.
-
Previous Orderset prior to rule update below. the GM is welcome to apply changes noted where relevant but I am focussing on the Vaheomo for now.
Physical
Reduction in body hair [ie less hirsute]
Specialties
Advanced Boats: The Vaheomo listen to the whispers of Manai the east-wind, daughter of Mana the slain, father of the people, and to the murmurings of Omosado their patron who is all-encompassing and life-bestowing. The wise Sagai hearing the spirit-voices develop the arts of wind and water, with primitive canoes giving way to more advanced boats, whose reach is extended through the development of the mast and sail, by which the holy winds might guide the people on their course across the deeps. This enables not only for the Vaheomo to fish the deep seas when the weather allows, but to reach the fabled western land, Aisuratan.
Astronomy: The Vaheomo learn the secrets of the star-gods and how to tell by the stars the right time to plant crops, how to navigate the seas and tell directions, and in the case of their medicine-men how to predict the future from their eternal dance across the firmament of Manu. The use of stars for navigation in particular enables the Vaheomo to more easily find their way across the vast emptiness of Amasido.
Attitudes
The Vaheomo remain xenophobic in the Vaheic tradition, with all other tribes apart from the Vahaeara [whom they do not consider a separate tribe at all] being unwelcome in their lands, and with their visits to foreign lands largely being limited to those of the Vahaeara. That said the Vaheomo as masters of the sea [by human standards] are an adventurous people, and their sailors continue to explore the isles and the uttermost west of which legends speak searching for new lands to settle.
Relations
Vahaeara: Relations with the Vahaeara are indubitably excellent as the Vaheomo do not make a distinction between the two peoples at this point. Technological and social developments are likely to spread east to these long-time friends and allies.
Rashaami: Extremely hostile [due to religious demonification of these "half-demons"], Vaheomo raiders from across the straits likely ally with the Vahaeara on a regular basis when conflict emerges.
Yakumo and Naiyori: Cautious and formal. Very occasional [less than the Vahaeara in the case of the latter] trade ties in recognition of some kindred blood, but they would not welcome these strangers not of the people into their lands.
Migration
[pertaining to both Vahaeara and Vaheomo]: Land limitations along with tales of a western land lead adventurers to sail west upon the development of more advanced boats in search of this fabled and holy sanctuary. Should this fabled land and a clear route thereto be discovered Vaheomo and Vahaeara migrants, fulfilling the dictates of the Vahunotana regarding clan division and migration [noting, lack of alternatives sans war with the Odoni and Rashaami] will indubitably migrate west over the sea forming together a third branch of the People of Manu, the Vahemanae [people of the east wind]. Perhaps their vessels shall enable to the taking of calves across the sea that herdsmen might pasture their beasts in Asuradan and on the isles of the Vaheomo, perhaps not. Nonetheless the myth of the holy land across the sea takes hold amongst the Vahaeic cultures in this period and would fuel a steady western migration should any new land be found.
-
Previous Orderset prior to rule update below. the GM is welcome to apply changes noted where relevant but I am focussing on the Vaheomo for now.
Spoiler :
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If there is a line from Sentri to Rasna, would I have one point for each tribe developed from the Rasna?
If not, that's fine. I just want to make sure I do this correctly.
If not, that's fine. I just want to make sure I do this correctly.
Angst
Rambling and inconsistent
So I can influence the Rashaami, Viirna, Omhiir and Rashana, I assume... Do I influence the Yakumo?
