note: I am missing orders from some players. If those players get their orders in today, I will edit
the update to take into consideration their orders.
UPDATE ONE: Years 1-50: The Wild Lands
As the
Sheim lay claim to more and more of their island and become used to its terrain and weather, they are able to catch glimpses of the people responsible for leaving campfire and boot prints on the southern shores.
Sheim scouts report yearly visits from thickly-built pale-skinned men with large yellow beards and tangled yellow hair. The men come in large rowed vessels the likes of which had not yet been see on Erebus. The vessels are manned by a single row of oarsmen on each side and have a single square mast. The men always come in spring and make a camp on the southern shores of the Sheim island (usually 3-4 camps along the shore per year). They don’t seem interested in the people of Bair Lacuna and make no efforts to trade with them. On the other hand, they don’t appear to be heavily armed; most carry a cudgel and a stone knife but these appear to be tools more than weapons.
Each camp sets about gathering fish from the sea over the course of the summer. The pale men use woven nets for this and stand for hours in the frigid northern sea in small groups allowing fish to swim into the nets before they haul them ashore, pack them into their ships then start again. This fishing season typically lasts about 5-7 months and as the first of the snow arrives, they sail back across the waves.
The Sheim also send their small military to investigate the ruins near Bar Lacuna in more detail. These ruins (where Ran first met Os-Gabella) are found to be of an ancient temple dedicated to a long-lost god; His name was Camulos, and he was lord of peace. The site seems to have been
corrupted somehow and those with magical latency say that the ruins themselves are powerful, that they feel some energy stirring within them when they are near the old stones. Perhaps this site can be harnesssed by the sheim in some way.
* * *
The
Kuriotates have big plans for the southern swamps to their east (province 25). A group of settlers is sent with heralds carrying the banner of the purple dragon and civil servants and engineers already planning city streets, residential area, etc using an advanced kuriotates method called ‘Ot-O-Cad’, but as they head first into the deep wet jungles and later into the swamps they begin to encounter strange creatures from the east. These sightings always occur during the frequent heavy rains that blanket this province and always take place in dense bush. The settlers report frequently seeing groups of 2-6 gray and green skinned humanoids of approximately 5 feet in height. They are dressed in simple linen breaches and the occasional reed breastplate. They have black hair, drenched to their skin in the rain that hangs to their waist. Perhaps the strangest thing about these creatures is the concave bowl-like indentation in their skulls. They usually carry spears of simple wood but occasionally a club-carrying creature is seen. The creatures are usually quit passive and will observe the Kuriotate settlers as they make their way through the thick jungles for 2-10 minutes before silently slinking back into the bush. They are not responsive to attempts at communication and do not seem to speak amongst themselves. The creatures are passive, but only until the settlers reach a major river running north to south through the thick jungles. As the settling party begins cutting down some trees to make rafts to float their supplies across the river on, the creatures approach the settlers as they prepare to brave the river. Though heavily outnumbered by the Kuriotates settlers, they form a defensive line across the river, silently swimming in the swampy waters with ease bespeaking a swamp-based ancestry. Many of the settlers suggest turning back, that without proper military support, they are taking too great a risk by continuing into the deeper swamps. Some of the younger men and women, encouraged by each-others boisterous bragging are not to be turned back and brave the creature’s line. The swamp-men’s response is immediate; the creature slashes across the first of the braggart’s throat with a long spear. The first slash misses; the second stab doesn’t and soon the Kuriotates settlers are reduced by one. At this point the Kuriotates civil servants take command of the settlers and order a retreat. The swamps appear to belong to these creatures and they appear willing to defend them. Best to return only with a sizeable military presence, if at all.
Life is Averlorn is quite, but foragers from the forested hills in the north begin returning with sizeable quantities of smoked meat. They speak of wild herds of goats so tame that Kuriotates foragers with little understanding of hunting or tracking are able to walk right up to them and club them, smoke their meat and return to their families with vast quantities of meat. Will this continue or will the Kuriotates authorities try to protect these wild herds for future generations?
Kuriotates: Colonization order revoked. Money from the settlers’ construction returned to treasury (minus 5 gold for consumables that cannot be returned to the treasury).
Kuriotates: Gain 12 food.
* * *
In the 39th year of the Erebusian calendar a band of
Bannor settlers sets out from Vaelyn travelling east and south, uphill into some of the most rugged terrain on the continent (move into province 37). They pass between the great peaks of the central mountains and, timing their journey so as to brave a high-mountain passes in the early summer, are able to avoid the harsh winters at high altitude. By autumn they arrive on the distant side of the giant mountain range. Their task is to find a suitable place to establish a permanent outpost but that can wait until winter passes. Throughout the winter they forage what they can from the lush forests and trap what little fish they are able but by January supplies seem to be getting rather low and people are starting to weaken. That is when the Bannor expedition first begin seeing the people of the inland lakes. These people travel confidently through the winter brush wrapped in thick furs and stepping through the snow using birch-wood snowshoes. They introduce themselves to the Bannor but little headway is made diplomatically due to the differences in languages. They are the ‘Ir-O-kee’ and what is apparent is that they consider these lands (province 37) theirs and that while they will assist the expedition in surviving the winter, they want them to return home once the highland passes melt enough to allow passage. The forest-dwelling people share their food, mostly snare-caught animals and the occasional root vegetable remaining from the summer season with the Bannor party but when the spring comes, the woods are suddenly full of many more of these people. The newcomers are armed with spears and cudgels and it is clear that the Bannor must return to their own lands.
Things are not so quite for the Bannor in their homelands either. Early evidence (from last update) of humanoid figures of slight stature but long gaits are reinforced by night-time sighting of little yellowish and reddish men dressed in scraps of badly cured animal hides and wielding stone or bone clubs or knives. Farmers report that these little creatures, whom they call ‘goblins’ raid their homes taking tools, food and even ocassionally kidnapping the lone child or traveller. The ‘goblins’ do not seem to have the courage to face bands of organized men and only apparently operate at night and only in groups of six to a dozen. The goblins do not seem to come near the larger city of Sabel Upon Gate but operate with impunity in the surrounding area, raiding farms, cottages and tradesmen.
Bannor: fail to establish outpost. Fifty gold returned to treasury. If you had sent a military escort you would have had other choices available. Remember everyone: sending unescorted settlers into the wilderness is always a dangerous prospect. You have all be warned.
Bannor: Lose 1 stability, 2 food and 2 gold from goblin raids.
* * *
In
Amurite lands, development proceeds quietly. As wise men and women gather in the cities to discuss national development the common man is doing what he can to feed his family and maybe make a little coin. Previously, Amurite foragers had taken to the hills south and east of Cevedes to harvest the wild mutton that grazed there, but over the years less and less mutton was encountered. Instead the foragers would find tracks of men and beast amongst the hills that the herds grazed in. Accompanying these tracks were campfires and the remains of mutton feasts- charred bones gnawed on by something with pointed teeth. These stories were returned to the wise men and women of the cities and it remains to be seen what they will do.
While foragers were busy in the south, some travelers and explorers in the far east reported ‘strange feelings’ near two sites within the wild. Those with latent magical abilities reported feeling ‘stronger’ and more ‘in tune with the world’s source of magic’. What could these reports indicate?
* * *
The Hupoo people who share lands with the
Hippus become more and more aggressive as they realize how their neighbors are split into two great cities and that the roads connecting them are directly within their territory. As food and goods flow back and forth between the Hippus cities, the Hupoo begin setting up checkpoints along the route and demand tribute from tradesmen and herders as they pass. Their aggression grows season after season and they soon take their message to the Hippus governors directly. The Hupoo are strong. The Hippus are weak. The Hupoo god, Camulos, is the lord of the strong and preys on the weak and so shall they. They demand 10 gold in tribute or they will not let any Hippus trade cross their lands. Hippus scouts report that the Hupoo have the spears to back up their threats. What will the Hippus do?
The Hupoo people don’t appear to be the only minor tribe interested in the Hippus. In the 31st year of the Age of Rebirth a group of approximately 200 bronze-skin men wearing animal skins and armed with wooden spears and cudgels paddle down the river to the south of Conrond Mor (presumably from the large lake at the center of provinces 37, 38, 40 and 42) in birch-bark canoes. They make a temporary camp at its mouth for the winter composed of several fur teepees and a single log-cabin lodge. They are accomplished trappers and manage to capture many small animals in both the river and in the plains that winter, including raccoon, mink, ermine, marten, muskrat and a variety of birds. The following spring (the 32nd year of Rebirth), they set off to the north with their furs and weapons, leaving a small contingent to maintain the camp and guard the canoes. By mid-summer they have arrived at Conrond Mor. They are unable to speak the language of the Hippus but none-the-less manage to trade with some of the braver Hippus merchants. Before government officials could be warned, they had already left, leaving only excited gossip and many quality furs.
In the year 49, they return, this time in larger numbers and with more furs as well as various plant bulbs they manage to convey come from their forest homeland. This visit lasts longer and they seem eager to speak with representatives of the Hippus government. They call themselves the ‘Ir-O-kee’
Hippus: lose 1 stability from Hupoo checkpoints interfering with trade and growth
Hippus: Pay 10 gold tribute to the Hipoo or face their wrath.
Hippus: Gain 5 gold from trade with the unknown fur traders
* * *
The
Grigori continue to search for the lost tribes of the Herthi but due to a focus on infrastructure, are unable to properly send scouts out to investigate this mystery. Travelers and wayfarers returning from the south report no sign of the lost tribe. Several years pass and the Grigori begin to focus more and more on developing their cities, the memory of the Herthi fading with time, when suddenly a group of almost eight hundred refugees arrive at the great Grigori city of Renth Yithi. They claim to be descendants of the Herthi who had been abducted from their traditional homeland. They claim that a war-like people from the plains beyond the southern mountain stole away their parents and forced them to work for them as slaves. They claim to have grown up in a limestone quarry where they applied the Herthi skill at masonry to help their abductors mine and cut ‘flint’ from the stone. The tribe of their abductors call themselves the ‘Dove-Yellow’ and are apparently the result of interbreeding between the savage orcish tribes and the wilder humans who tried to survive the age of ice through hunting and a return to barbaric roots. The result, they claim, are men with height and breath one and half time that of the Herthi or Grigori.and sporting small tusks which they carve and dye ceremonially. The ‘Dove-Yellow’ are a warlike people and claim, according to the refugee Herthi, that the Grigori cities are a danger to their way of life and their lands, that they must be stopped before they grow too large. What will the grigori governors do? Surely the ‘Dove-Yellow’, if the refugees’ stories are to be believed, will want their slaves back. The refugees will also require food and coin if they are to be given a home.
Grigori: option to accept refugees
EDIT: option accepted. Food stores reset to zero. Loss of five gold. Increase population by one. Gain 35 rp towards 'masonry' technology. 'Dove-Yellow' may well come 'a-callin' next update
* * *
In the distant west, the
Sidar continue to grow far from the intrigues of other peoples. They send units of armed men out to explore the lands beyond their borders. These units travel like the ghosts their grandfathers are. The first unit heads along the southern coast of the continent, heading west from Shroudane (province 7). Weeks turn into months and little changes. The lands are somewhat drier to the west and wild wheat cannot be found here. Instead there are great deep shadowed forests with sweet-smelling mulberry trees growing throughout. The forests are cool and sweet-smelling and offer some protection from the incessant heat of the sun. There are no signs of civilization in this region, only the webs of very busy insects. The second unit exploring heads along the northern coasts, heading west from the Black Tower outpost (explore province 6). The coastal lands here are dry and receive little rain. There are mostly scrub and brush and the occasional small tree. Inland, in the hills, larger forests can be seen but the lands also appear very dry. As the explorers finally reach a major river, after 4 months of travel, they begin to see signs of civilization. Paths and footprints can be seen along the river’s edge. Following the signs of civilization, the explorers follow the river westward and see small land clearings. Strangely, it is not men and women that tend these fields, but animated mud figures. These creatures do not respond to attempts at communication and even ignore being prodded with a stick as they move about their fields tending to their vegetables with single-minded purpose. Further west, in the hills, set on the northern fork of the great river, a great walled city can be seen. It towers over the landscape and its sandstone walls are easily 40 feet tall. Small figure can be seen on the battlements. When the explorers introduce themselves, the figures speak in the common tongue. They call themselves the Luchuirp and they call the city Lucedio. They prove eager to learn of the Sidar but are not quick to trust the strange gray humans. They offer to meet with them outside of their great walls.
Domestically, a Sidar family produces a lot of interest by the snaring and taming of wild goats amongst the highland forests. Some younger Sidar traveled high into the mountains and were able to trap a herd of goats. They herded the goats into a low-land valley and have been watching over them ever since. This continued for several years and the valley became known as a goat pasturage. Knowledge of this technique has not spread beyond the family responsible for their discovery (as they protect it viciously) but they are none-the-less willing to sell the goat flesh and milk to the citizens of Darkvale.
Sidar receive a free ‘goat pasture’ in Darkvale. Recall that you will be required to train an agricultural workforce to make use of your old improvements and this new improvement. For now one of your farmers has been reassigned from the land clearances to the new goat pasturage.
The Map
New Technologies
Only 1 new technology was developed this turn.
Slavery (Government and Leadership) (25rp)
Allows
Slavery civic
(requires a story to adopt the civic)
Slavery civic produces 2 production capacity in all cities and 1 production capacity in outposts. Without the ‘masonry’ or ‘open pit mining’ technologies, 2 points of production capacity is the maximum that can be achieved. Quarries produce an extra gold each turn. Adopting the civic reduces your stability by 5. You lose 2 food for each city in your empire and 1 food for each outpost in your empire every turn.
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