Update 20 (Years 1900-2000 Post-K7)
The
Shadb Trasque civilization continues developing around the ivory tower of the cave city-state Roque-Esh, which trade expansion and military campaigns into Masque-Una-Eshal bring about a century of on-and-off conflicts with local Chorok Enaman tribes. Despite some short-lived successes, the warlike Chorok Enamans prove to be a tough nut to crack, and the most of the military gains are eventually reversed. Still, this prolonged struggle leads to the formation of first primitive levy militias among the Shadb Trakkan cities and gives them a breathing room for further expansion of craft. New cities are founded in the First Ridge, as the Trakkan urbanites innovate new ways of reaching fresh water springs and connecting the cities to the lowland hunting grounds via stone staircases. Unfortunately, the density of population in Trasque continues exhausting the local ecosystem, as many top predators (including sabertooth cats) are expelled from their mountain lairs, sending a ripple effect through the entire ecological pyramid.
(Shadb Trasque: +1 Prominence, +1 Conquest, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 34; player must choose type of new Power Point; Region 34: +1 Max Capacity, -1 Wilderness)
The
Shaln Trasque tribes find themselves surrounded by the internecine warfare between the colonies of Roque-Esh and the Enaman tribes. They themselves start participating in these campaigns on an off, sometimes as mercenaries, often as attempted (and regularly unsuccessful) marauding bands, but most frequently as targets of Chorok Enamani subjugating campaigns. For better or worse, they do learn a thing or two about the basics of military organization. Meanwhile, their tribes from the Second Tall Ridge continue enjoying the long-earned reputation as capable toolmakers and craftsmen.
(Shaln Trasque: +1 Prominence, +1 Conquest)
Needless to say, the
Chorok Enaman tribes from the edges of Mask ui Sha (Masque-Una-Eshal for the Trakkan speakers) emerge even better fighters from the century of ongoing conflict. At first, they find themselves on the back foot against the onslaught of Roque-Esh and its city-state allies, but eventually they reverse the Shadb Trakkan gains and even attempt to cross into the First Tall Ridge (albeit, unsuccessfully, given their lack of familiarity with mountainous landscape). Yet, their chieftains turn these proto-warbands of experienced fighters against the much smaller mountain cities of the Shaln Trasque, against who they win a few impressive victories. As disorganized as they are, the Chorok Enaman tribes of Mask ui Sha are learning the basics of the art of war.
(Chorok Enaman: +1 Conquest, 1 Population Center of Shaln Enaman in Region 26 is occupied by Chorok Enaman for 1 turn (occupying player has the first choice of Demographic or Economic Power Point to use))
The violence reigning over the edge of the Enamani world is barely noticeable in the peaceful, idyllic lands of Mona’s Rest. The
Lakeshore Enaman people continue spreading through the Mona yi Hu lowlands, as more and more earth-dwelling cities appear in places where pastoralist communities gather seasonally for sacrifices, festivals, and where they store their surplus food and property. Mercantile elites of of of such cities, Gna-shi Dana, gain particular influence among the Lakeshore Enamans by nearly monopolizing the caravan service for salt trade - with transportation of goods driven by human porters, for now.
(Lakeshore Enaman: +5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 29; player must choose type of new Power Point)
The
Saltmarsh Enaman people do finally get their share of the profits from the salt trade, when their own island towns start exercising a sway over the hillock settlements of Syo-Ke Ao.
(Saltmarsh Enaman: 1 Population Center of Hill Enaman is influenced by Saltmarsh Enaman for 1 turn (influencing player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use))
The
Hill Enaman clans, while being some of the more backward Enaman cultures, are also somewhat pulled closer by the gravity of barter trade, in which salt acts as a de-facto proto-currency, but the objects of trade include various types of leatherwork, flightless bird cattle, houseware, tools, and clothing items.
(Hill Enaman: +10% Centralization)
Surprisingly, it’s the idyllic ocean shore communities of
Monite Enaman that act as the main manufacturers of this good exchange, as their stone tools (built using the sandstone of the seaside cliffs), fish, kelp ropes, and reed baskets become major trading items. They are exchanged for a surplus of food, driving the continuous population growth.
(Monite Enaman: +1 Prominence; -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 29; player must choose type of new Power Point)
While the Enaman world experiences a trade boom, the most revolutionary development in that corner of the Land of the Shining Sky takes place in the mountains of Neu Tyekye. There, the
Highland Ankarne tribes reach a breakthrough in their domestication of huge macrauchenia patachonica (tall, long-nosed, humpback llamas). Not only do the Highland Ankarne people purposely breed a species of wooly llamas, but they also produce a breed of stocky, strong draft llamas, who they use for pulling primitive wheeled carts. This increases productivity to generate a population boom, as many tribes descend down into the pampas of Chorokpan, where they meet their kin from the
Lowland Ankarne. Simultaneously some petty chieftains start riding such carts as ceremonial vehicles, and it may be not long until the peaceful Ankarne figure out how to use these primitive chariots in warfare.
(Highland Ankarne: +1 Pastoralism, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 28; player must choose type of new Power Point)
On the other end of the continent, another socio-cultural revolution takes place among the
Wiet-yrisi Syrisil people. Their covens of Alignakite witches start organizing their spiritual teachings via their secret system of silk-rope writing. With time, they thus transform into de-facto political clubs that use their mystical religion and monopolized knowledge of writing and lore-keeping to exercise great authority in the proto-republican political structure of Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian tribes. While their culture remains fairly unsophisticated in the eyes of its neighbors, this appears to be a temporary state of things. After all, the Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian spider silk textiles are well-sought and highly valued, and the seafarers from the Alignak river delta are seen freely exploring the inner sea, even though their fishing colonies don’t always have an easy time surviving in the discovered lands to bring the newly gained knowledge to their kin.
(Wiet-yrisi Syrisil: +1 Prominence, +1 Comity)
Learning from their eastern brethren, the
Sheneti Syrisil people also start experimenting with the idea of religion-centered political faction, albeit their ways of social organization lack the advancements of the Syrisilian writing system. Still, the valley of Fee Shenete keeps becoming more populated with time, and many Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian settlements existing mostly as the transit hubs for granite, obsidian, and ores, become dominated by the Sheneti grain merchants.
(Sheneti Syrisil: +1 Comity, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 9; player must choose type of new Power Point; 1 Population Center of Wiet-yrisi Syrisil is influenced by Sheneti Syrisil for 1 turn (influencing player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use))
A similar fate is met by the Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian colonies on the Bolevel island. There, the colonists find themselves dependent on the trade with the much more adapted
Bolevel Turape tribes to support their population, thus falling under their influence. This leads to an age of prosperity and population growth for the Bolevel Turape.
(Bolevel Turape: -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 3; player must choose type of new Power Point; 1 Population Center of Wiet-yrisi Syrisil is influenced by Bolevel Turape for 1 turn (influencing player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use))
The
Nadelis Turape, meanwhile, keep their lifestyle of seafarers, although their main bounty from the trips to the continent is the lore and ideas borrowed from the Wiet-yrisi and Sheneti Syrisil people. They borrow some textile making techniques, which their fringe Sagulan communities put to a good use when they develop primitive ways of cultivating jute in the lowlands cleared of the elephant grass. The
Sagulan Turape people are slow to borrow their techniques, and they simply barter the Nadelis Turapan textiles for food, which brings about a continuous population growth to the Nadelis northerners.
(Nadelis Turape: +1 Prominence, +1 Intellectualism, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 6; player must choose type of new Power Point)
Back on the continent, the struggle between the
Nekenee civilization and the Dyesynilian League intensifies. The Nekeni city-state of Kineka starts to formalize its previously informal authority, putting together a trade league of its own. The merchant princes of Kineka form primitive urban militias, which prove to be instrumental in beating the Dyesynilian invading armies in the field in some of the first recorded organized battles. For now, they lack the capacity and logistics to bring the war to the walls of Dyesynil or its league members, but the Nikeni traders triumph where their warriors face frustration. With time, many Dyesynilian emporiums are overtaken by the traders from Kineka and its allies. Meanwhile, many people in the Nekenee world grow tired with the ongoing conflict, and some ever-growing village communes of Cooleweer, in the fringe of the Nekenee civilization, form into city-states of their own, for now remaining in the shade of the mighty Kinekan alliance.
(Nekenee: +1 Conquest, +5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 14; player must choose type of new Power Point; 1 Population Center of Dyesynil is influenced by Nekenee for 1 turn (influencing player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use); Region 14: +1 Urbanization)
Despite all setbacks,
Dyesynil is still a powerful city, albeit their network of tributaries is getting less and less dependent on its council of matriarchs. Still, its colonies expand through the Pulete highlands, and the Dyesynilian farming colonies in Fee Shenete turn into small stilt-towns, spreading the urbanization trend to the local Syrisilian people as well.
(Dyesynil: -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 12; player must choose type of new Power Point; Region 9: +1 Urbanization)
This brings us to the opposite end of the land of the Land of the Shining Sky. The
Aghak people, split between the insular comunes of bird egg gatherers and the pastoralist tribes of Obarer herders, get ever more comfortable with their semi-migratory lifestyle.
(Aghak: +1 Migration)
The
Tantanari people, ever pressed by the Padatid dynasty of the Left-bank Happataran city Tahtarapa, briefly end their migrations into Nantara and attempt to organized around a charismatic chief, but so far their tribal politics remain highly divisive. At least, they do continue to proliferate through the Tantara woodlands, and their woodcraft and toolmaking skills reach new heights once again.
(Tantanari: +1 Prominence, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 22; player must choose type of new Power Point)
The
Left-bank Happatara civilization, meanwhile, leaves the push into Tantara woods to the ambitious Padatid dynasts. Instead, the most of their city states enjoy a peaceful century of innovation and expansive agriculture. Eventually, this brings their understanding of irrigation, canal building, and civil engineering to new levels, albeit at the cost of some depletion of natural resources of Nantara.
(Left-bank Happatara: +1 Agriculturalism, +1 Innovation; Region 23: +1 Max Capacity, -1 Deposits)
On the other side of the great river, the
Right-bank Happatara people leave the first mark in centuries, as their mastery of mud brickwork reaches new levels.
(Right-bank Happatara: +1 Industry)
The “hidden civilization” of
Happatanari keeps blossoming as an ethno-class of Happataran urbanites. Their cultural tradition, inherited from their Nari ancestors, keeps on developing to a new height, as they excel in roles of urban proto-bureaucrats, clerks, and merchants. This naturally brings them to positions of influence, especially among the less sophisticated right-bank settlers.
(Happatanari: +1 Intellectualism, 1 Population Center of Right-bank Happatara is influenced by Happatanari for 1 turn (influencing player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use))
To the west, the spread-out
Hazo peoples enjoy another century of slow, but purposeful migrations. Despite the growing distances between the tribes, the Volaohani spiritists and the Silikite priests start exercising a surprising level of spiritual authority among the Hazo. This coherency of beliefs is made possible by the efforts of the Mpik-Hazak (or “tree runners”), who grow to a stratum of merchants and popular leaders that keeps the wandering forest communities together and somewhat organized. At the time of war with the Bashtunari savages, its the Mpik-Hazak leaders that lead the Hazo fighters to their gruesome victories against the natives of Bashtun, avenging the high losses suffered by their own colonists.
(Hazo: +1 Prominence, +10% Conformity, +10% Centralization,1 Population Center migrates from Region 20 to Region 19; -1 Population Center in Region 21)
In the meantime, some of Siliko-worshipping Hazo migrants discover a land they call Niankandrefana. That’s a low valley surrounded by high mountains and covered by a virgin, broadleaf forest. The valley itself is a sequence of limestone plateaus, meaning that the river crossing the valley consists of a series of waterfalls or rapids separating sand-beached lakes. Precipitation is rich here, but moderated by the mountains surrounding the valley, and the dense forest consumes all the excess water. This means that the few meadows that do exist have a fairly decent soil. The forest and its fern underbrush are a home to a smaller breed of wild hippidon horses, antelopes, and water buffalos, hunted for by sabertooth cats. Besides the omnipresent timber, this land is rich in minerals and limestone, while a few swampy areas feature pools of strang black oil that turn into true traps for local animals.
The
Bashtunari natives claim that the Hazo are the first ones to start the war that’s been lasting between the two groups of forest dwellers for centuries. In this century, some Bashtunari warrior societies get some success against the local Hazo and burn a few villages, bringing some advanced woodcarved tools back as loot. Unfortunately, the Hazo return in numbers and deal a much heavier damage to the struggling Bashtunari society.
(Bashtunari: +1 Prominence, -1 Population Center in Region 21)
Naturally, the result of this is that the canyon settlements of
Yonike from Aoni-chechek start dominating the food trade with the isolated
Agomai natives.
(Yonike: 1 Population Center of Agomai is influenced by Yonike for 1 turn (influencing player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use))
GM's notes:
- @Brougal , @Nuka-sama , @Decamper are dropped from the game. Feel free to rejoin some day.
- @jackelgull rejoins the game
- The updates are growing in size, so I'll slow down the updating cadence once again
