Update 24 (Years 2300-2400 Post-K7)
The Golden Age of the Roque-Esh-led
Shadb Trasque civilization has an abrupt interruption, as a series of weak rulers and sudden military defeats in the east mark a century of struggle for that still magnificent cave city. This time of troubles is theorized to be caused either by the military setbacks and a foreign invasion, or by a pattern of overpopulation that’s been plaguing the First Tall Ridge for centuries. As the environmental state deteriorates, many Shadb Trasque cave cities and their surrounding villages look for opening more livable space in Trasque - a successful practice that has already put an end to the huge dire deer migrations and now threatens to slowly exhaust the region’s supply of quality construction materials, including timber, stone, and ores. On the positive side, however, the hard times for the Shadb Trasque civilization still don’t mean the demise of its highly sophisticated urban culture. In fact, runic writing appears on the cave cities’ bas-reliefs for the first time in this century, and early forms of geometry and mechanics form the foundations of the Shadb Trakkan tradition of natural philosophy.
(Shadb Trasque: +1 Intellectualism, Region 34: +1 Max Capacity, -1 Deposits)
Eshan-Ro League: Once almost certain to coalesce around the imperialistic powerhouse of Roque-Esh, the Eshan-Ro League became less of a certainty after the host of Roque-Esh and its proximate allies was annihilated in the battle of Lash-Vique pass (an event captured in a runic inscription on a mourning bas-relief in one of the cities). Details of the campaign are hazy (or greatly heroicized) on the Roque-Eshan side, but it’s clear that the great cave city’s power is shaken, and so is its allies’ perception of it.
(Bonus: Conformity +10%, Centralization +20%, MP +2; Attribute Demand: Comity 1/2, Conquest 1/1; Length: 6 turns)
Details of the said battle and the consequent war are plentiful, however, among the victors. While lacking written sources, the
Chorok Enaman people seem to use this event as the source of their epic oral tradition (quite possibly borrowed from the Shadb Trakkan prisoners). The War of Chopped Beards, as the epic tale is known, claims that the same legendary she-warrior Tak aya Tan led the Choroki tribes of Mask ui Sha to their ambush and unlikely victory over the Shadb Trakkan invasion. It’s questionable if the Tak aya Tan mentioned in the tale is the same female leader that forged a strong tribal confederation in Chorokpan less than a century prior, but it’s possible that the both leaders belong to the same bloodline or are even directly related. One way or the other, the tale described the annihilation of the host of “copper-sided beard-bearers” and the “treasoners” marching with them (probably the Chorok Enaman tributaries of Roque-Esh). The story doesn’t end there, as the story claims that Tak aya Tan follows the victory by overrunning the Shadb Trakkan mountain towns in Mask ui Sha and then even spilling across the mountain passes in the “Trask lair itself.” Trakkan sources indeed prove that two decades after the catastrophic loss Chorok Enaman invasions start penetrating as far as the eastern First Tall Ridge itself, and some cave cities are even captured by the raiders. While it’s doubtful these events are a part of the same campaign launched by a legendary warrior-woman (who’d have to be over one hundred years old by then), it’s undoubtful that they are a part of a long string of military conflicts that see the Shadb Trasque on the backfoot for the first time in history. Outside of these events, the Chorok Enaman world is largely serene and peaceful, and some semi-nomadic tribes even return to the edges of Mona’s Rest in their seasonal migrations, following the moa herds.
(Chorok Enaman: +1 Intellectualism, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Center in Region 29; player must choose type of new Power Point; 2 Population Centers of Shadb Trasque are occupied by Chorok Enaman for 1 turn (occupying player has the first choice of Demographic or Economic Power Point to use))
The Shadb Trakkan temporary weakness attracts some other vultures further south, where the
Shaln Trasque people coalesce around quickly growing cave cities of their own. The leadership quickly passes to the biggest of them (and still a dwarf compared to the Shadb Trakkan megapolices), Shlanathaln, which authority rests on a series of successful campaigns that mimic the Roque-Eshan style of military command and organization and eventually see the satellite cities of Eshan-Ro in the Second Tall Ridge defeated and occupied. The loot from these wars greatly contributes to the following flourishing of Shaln Trakkan artisanship in Shlanathaln and allied cave towns, bringing the cultural imprint of their civilization to the previously unknown heights. In the meantime, the western frontier of the Shaln Trasque culture is bustling with activity as well. Hazo tribes of Astinanana that got previously conquered in a series of intertribal wars fully adopt the Shaln Trakkan ways after several generations of oppression. Even farther north-west, in the forested valley of Hattara, the Shaln Trasque proliferate in a massive expansion, easily finding high-altitude hunting lands in the upper slopes, where the Hazo, Aghak, and Happatara people don’t risk to wander.
(Shaln Trasque: +2 Prominence, -10% Centralization, -10% Conformity, +2 Population Centers in Region 33; player must choose type of new Power Point, 1 Population Center of Hazo is oppressed; 1 Population Center of Hazo is influenced by Shaln Trasque for 1 turn (influencing player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use); 1 Population Center of Shadb Trasque is occupied by Shaln Trasque for 1 turn (occupying player has the first choice of Demographic or Economic Power Point to use))
Back in the Enaman world, the
Lakeshore Enaman people are experiencing the first boom of urban craft in millenia as the salt trade continues flowing through their earthhouse cities, and Choroki leatherwork and timberware also find their way to the spacious markets of Mona yi Hu. Some of these Lakeshore Enaman settlements, such as the mound-dotted Lyo ahe Mona, swell threefold in population during the springtime fair season, when traders from across the Enaman world travel for the exchange of goods.
(Lakeshore Enaman: +2 Prominence)
The Mission of Mother Mona: The tradition of wandering avatars of Mona continues in the savanna of Mona’s Rest. There’s still little political and civic acceptance of these living saints and reincarnations of Mona the Forebearer as societal leaders, but their influence grows in spiritual matters. Interestingly, these avatars are peacefully rejected by the north-dwelling Monite Enamans, who stick to a more spiritual, less politicized version of the ancient faith.
(Bonus: +20% Conformity, +20% Centralization; Attribute Demand: Spiritualism 1/1, Comity 0/1; Length: 5 turns)
In Syo-Ke Ao, the
Saltmarsh Enamans continue urbanizing, as the main driver of their culture’s urban economy - salt - requires more and more concerted labor. This concentration of population centers in the center of vast saline swamps requires plenty of out-of-box thinking when it comes to defeating the forces of nature and carving out patches of land for the growing civilization.
(Saltmarsh Enaman: +1 Innovation; Region 28: +1 Urbanization)
At the fringes of Mona yi Hu, the first conflict in centuries erupts. Some
Hill Enaman clans that have not been previously encountered by Monite traders, react violently to their proselytization efforts. While belonging to similar spiritual traditions, the hillmen are significantly more animistic and fetishist in their view of Monite ancestor faith, and they don’t take it lightly when Monite Enaman merchants start twisting the hill people’s hands into accepting the organized, monolatrial view of the same religion in exchange for the right to trade with them. This results in a series of pogroms, death of many Monite Enaman merchants, and eventually even temporary conquest of a few oceanshore settlements by the warlike clans. At least, such is the legendary view on the course of events. A less dramatized version explains that the swelling of hill towns during seasonal fairs led to increasing urbanization and sophistication of the hill tribes. It is only natural that some of these communes attempt to redistribute the wealth through violence against the perceived hoarders and foreigners.
(Hill Enaman: +1 Comity, 1 Population Center of Monite Enaman is occupied by Hill Enaman for 1 turn occupying player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use); Region 29: +1 Urbanization)
That less dramatized, rational view of the conflict between the Monites and the hillmen is supported by the evidence presented by the
Monite Enaman culture itself. Firstly, the religious explanation of the wars doesn’t fit with the fact that many hill towns previously dominated by the Monite Enaman merchants display artifacts of Monite faith on virtually every corner, suggesting a near complete cultural conversion of their inhabitants. Secondly, the size of the Hill Enaman conquests appears to be very limited, as the prosperity and material prominence of the Monite Enaman culture are clearly growing within the core of the settled territory along the sea shore. If anything, the warlike behavior of the hillmen only appears to redirect the Monite Enaman traders further south and south-east, to the right shore of the Chorok river. There, their gifts and lucrative trade deals pave way for their growing acceptance among some Highland Ankarne clans, some of which eventually adopt the Monite faith (albeit diluting it with their own form of animism).
(Monite Enaman: +1 Prominence, 1 Population Center of Hill Enaman is assimilated, Highland Ankarne civilization splinters into Highland Ankarne and Monite Ankarne (friendly to Monite Enaman))
Despite the cultural split, the
Highland Ankarne tribes go through a period of expansion. In the Neu Tyekye mountains, their clans grow in numbers as more and more alpine grasslands get discovered. This drives forward growth of craftsmanship, which is best represented by the more complex design of ceremonial chariots.
(Highland Ankarne: +1 Prominence, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Centers in Region 13; player must choose type of new Power Point)
Ceremonies once again are not the only use for these revolutionary vehicles. In the pampas of Chorokpan, the
Lowland Ankarne are still hunted from them whenever the clans collide over grazing space. Despite the horrible losses suffered, the lowlanders quickly replenish their number, and the demographic tension remains fairly high. If anything, the survivors gradually adopt to resisting such raids. (Lowland Ankarne: +1 Depredation, -1 Population Center in Region 27, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Centers in Region 27; player must choose type of new Power Point)
The culture of
Wiet-yrisi Syrisil continues developing in leaps and bounds. As the society of stilt towns experiences wealth stratification, export craftsmanship continues to grow, contributing to the prominence of this still mostly non-urban civilization. More and more fishing and hunting villages of the Alignak river valley start pulling their resources together in primitive leagues and proto-republics, eventually coalescing into simple city-states, but they quickly fall under the economic and political influence of the powerful Yulup-Sylla diarchy. Meanwhile, the network of Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian colonies keeps growing, as many settlers of the Bolevel island venture farther east along the shore, until they find several bays rich with sea cucumber and kelp, where their numbers start to grow.
(Wiet-yrisi Syrisil: +1 Prominence, +15% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Centers in Region 2; player must choose type of new Power Point; Region 5: +1 Urbanization)
The newly explored part of the Bolevel island is named by the Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian colonists Es'el-jat (meaning “Fingers From Sea,” referring to the black volcanic rock formations deeper in land). It’s a steamy rainforest climbing the volcanic mountain slopes that pierce the always dense layer of rainclouds. Some of the volcanic valleys and craters, as well as the massive lowland in the island’s middle part, form lakes of different sizes, with vastly unique and different aquatic ecosystems. Some of the high altitude lakes are impacted by the vulcanism, with very different effect, ranging from poisonous waters to warm, saline mudbaths. Fertile soils get washed away into the sea pretty fast, but the density of the forests and wildlife is extreme. Birds and carnivorous lemur monkeys are the biggest land animals, while the insect realm is extremely divers and rather dangerous, with cannibal ants, poisonous bees, and various types of parasitic maggots being the the main dangers for the travellers. Despite the hostile (albeit, vibrant) ecosystem, the region is rich with a great diversity of minerals and metals.
Back on the continent, the
Sheneti Syrisil people keep enjoying the lack of disturbances from their neighbors. The floodland agriculturalists don’t form into city-states like their north-eastern cousins, but they actively trade between each other using the plentiful rivers for transportation, and this leads to an extensive cultural exchange.
(Sheneti Syrisil: +10% Conformity)
Farther to the south, the three-century-long drama of Nekeni resistance to the upstart power of
Dyesynil comes to an end. Their remaining cities in Pulete withstand decades of “Nykenil” onslaught, surviving several sieges, until eventually their agricultural economies crumble, and the numerous Nekeni armies raise the remnant settlements to the ground. This creates a wave of refugees to Fee Shenete (specifically, to the eastern Fee’nak river basin), where the young city of Dyesynil aLytu accepts them with open arms. Over the course of the century, these refugee communities settle the Fee’nak river valley and form several small towns at its delta, keeping the torch of the Dyesynilian civilization lit for now.
(Dyesynil: -2 Population Centers in Region 12, -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Centers in Region 9; player must choose type of new Power Point)
Back among the triumphant
Nekenee, Merchant Prince Lekinam of Kineka, the hailed Scorch of Dyesynil becomes the founder of a new dynasty - albeit the Kinekan dynasticism is surrogative in nature, as the city-state is still ruled by the oligarchy, and the next prospect ruler gets adopted by the aging Merchant Prince. Still, the Lekinamid dynasty soon becomes the economic powerhouse among the Nekenee city-states, with its splendour and prosperity unrivaled. This age becomes “golden” in a literal sense when jade dice and golden rings get adopted by Kinakan (and then other Nekeni) traders as a formal currency. With the appearance of the first measurable, uniform currency in the Land of the Shining Sky, trade become incredibly profitable and simplified, and by the end of the century first formalized works of mathematics begin to emerge, spearheading the rise of Nekeni intellectual tradition. Naturally, other side effects of this urban flourishing is the improvement of jewelry making and metalworking, as well as the general attractiveness of the Nekeni lifestyle and values to the people outside their civilization.
(Nekenee: +2 Prominence, +1 Mercantilism, +1 Assimilation, +1 Material Culture)
In the fringes of the Inner Sea, the
Nadelis Turape culture remains enjoying the continuous contact with the relatively sophisticated Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian colonists. The ongoing trade with the continent bring about a century of material prosperity to the settlers of the forested mountains, and this age of plenty leads to societal stratification and division of wealth.
(Nadelis Turape: +2 Prominence, +1 Comity)
The
Bolevel Turape people also enjoy the proximity of the ever-present Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian colonists. Except the latter’s expeditions into Es'el-jat become too dependent on the Bolevel Turapan provisions and guides, and many villages end up becoming too dependent on the native islanders during the hungry years. This dependency proves useful for the Bolevel Turape, as they take many Wiet-yrisi Syrisilian women as wives, and they bring a level of cultural and civic sophistication with them that helps the islanders to form a more cohesive culture - something that the stagnant
Sagulan Turape keep failing to do.
(Bolevel Turape: +10% Conformity, 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
Insular Aghak culture shortly flourishes and develops more sophisticated artisanal styles (at least, compared to its original primitivity - all thanks to the growing link with the continantal settlements in Hattara.
(Insular Aghak: +1 Prominence, +1 Material Culture)
Despite the separation of the two cultures, the outback pastoralists of
Continental Aghak continue mingling with their homeland through occasional “wife voyages” across the sea. Despite being too rare to truly unite the distant kin together, this cultural exchange does allow the insular craftwork style to find its way to the clans of kangaroo hunters.
(Continental Aghak: +1 Material Culture)
Deeper inland, the
Hazo people of Hattara are retreating (although doubtfully from the peaceful and guarded Aghak fishers) into the more rich Astinanana woods. This is just a part of their continued, massive migration as their surprisingly centralized and cohesive culture keeps spreading widely across the countless forested valleys. Despite some fringe communities falling victims to Shaln Trakkan incursions or becoming the mercenaries in the Happataran Water Wars, the core of the civilization enjoyed the prosperity and peace brought by the Laholona dynasty, and a new distinct caste emerges thanks to the continued trade exchange between the distant forest villages: the Mpik-Varotra, a merchant caste combining the running prowess of the Mpik-Hazak with access to the Happataran and native Hazoan goods. In addition, new idols and totems spearhead a development of distinctly unique architectural style among the infamously non-urbanized Hazo.
(Hazo: +4 Prominence, 1 Population Center migrates from Region 33 to Region 24)
With the Hazoan onslaught over, the
Bashtunari natives enjoy a century of stable rebuilding of their households in the inhospitable Bashtun shrublands.
(Bashtunari: -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Centers in Region 21; player must choose type of new Power Point)
Among the
Agomai tribes, meanwhile, war remained a favorite pastime, as war parties once again venture from Agoru highlands into the canyon country of Aoni-chehek. There, many Yonike villages are again looted and forced to pay tribute - while the loot becomes a foundation of another century of material prosperity for the Agomai.
(Agomai: +1 Prominence; 1 Population Center of Yonike is occupied by Agomai for 1 turn (occupying player has the first choice of Cultural or Military Power Point to use))
The Agomai invasions are not an accident, as the canyon people of
Yonike become noticeable in that century thanks to their more advanced use of clay pottery - naturally attracting the subjugators.
(Yonike: +1 Material Culture)
Farther north and north-east, the
Tantanari people triumphantly return to the alluvial plains of Nantara - and they come back with a vengeance. After the military successes of their “mercenary chieftains” in the Water Wars, followed by a takeover of several Happataran towns with significant Happatanari minorities, the eastern Tantanari were clearly sensing blood in the water. In this century, they use the conquered towns as a springboard for further incursions into the territory of cities allied to the city of Tahtarapa and its Padatid dynasty. Having lost their mercenary muscle, the Padatids gather a massive levy army and battle the Tantanari in a series of wars that later get described in the oral epic of Nariyaga under a collective name of “the War of the Silt Shores.” The conflict (or a series of campaigns, really) is indecisive, but it clearly puts the Tahtarapans and their allies on the backfoot. With the pressure from the Padatids no longer impacting their heartland and even their frontiers, the Tantanari grow in numbers across the urbanized plains, while in the forests of Tantara they clear more glades and productive hunting grounds, albeit at the cost of overstretching the ecosystem’s ability to support itself.
(Tantanari: -5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Centers in Region 23; player must choose type of new Power Point; Region 22: +1 Max Capacity, -1 Wilderness)
The Epic of the Nariyaga: The War of the Silt Shores becomes one of the most memorable, heroic parts of the Nariyaga epic. Approximately at the same time, the Tantanari bards and storytellers come up with the canon of the Nari origin story. Meanwhile, all the stories in between these two myths (the foundational origin story and the heroic culmination) remain fairly fluid and ranging wildly from one storytelling tradition to another.
(Bonus: +2 CP, +20% Conformity; Attribute Demand: Intellectualism 1/4; Length: 12 turns)
The
Left-bank Happatara culture proves that it’s not ready to go down easy under the external pressure. Even though many cities and villages are burned by the turncoat Tantanari “mercenary chieftains,” along with the Hazo sellswords on the service of the right-bankers, the civilization survives and protects its core. In fact, many mudbrick cities are drawn to the umbrella of Padatid protection by the constant onslaught, and by the end of the century the city-state of Tahtarapa finds itself an informal leader among the Happataran city-states of the left bank. The losses suffered by them in the Water Wars and the War of the Silt Shores get quickly replaced as new irrigation schemes get developed, and new mixed types of military-agricultural settlements form on the edges of the densely populated heartland, sometimes in the spots of land previously not considered arable enough by the high Happataran standards. This brings food production back to the pre-war levels and helps the culled population swell even more. Combined with the constant stream of war refugees coming to the cities, the urbanization only increases, dragging with it growth of urban manufacturing and craft.
(Left-bank Happatara: -1 Population Center in Region 23, +1 Prominence, +5% Centralization, -5% Conformity, +1 Population Centers in Region 23; player must choose type of new Power Point; Region 23: +1 Max Capacity, +1 Urbanization)
The
Right-bank Happatara people don’t have to deal with a do-or-die challenge, and the lack of pressure to survive (along with a perceived victory in the Water Wars) sets them on a course for more peaceful and gradual development. Over time, the practice of hiring Hazo warriors (or even entire clans) as the military muscle gets abandoned. Perhaps, it’s caused by the pressure experienced by the eastern Hazo from the Shaln Trasque, or by the right-bankers developing their own taste for raid-focused warfare (or, maybe, a combination of the two). At the same time, the prosperity of the right-bank cities of Nantara drives growth of trade and urban barter. At the same time, the trioof city-states of Jaratta, Tartapad, and Gattaka emerges as the key candidates for the political leadership among the Happatara of the right bank.
(Right-bank Happatara: +1 Mercantilism, +1 Depredation)
The story of the 24th century Nantara would be incomplete without mentioning the ethnoclass of the
Happatanari. Their contribution to the Tantanari culture and economy is questionable, but they do find their way into commerce and trade as well, leveraging their positions as scribes, administrators, and lorekeepers of the pyramidal urban societies of Nantara.
(Happatanari: +1 Mercantilism)
GM's notes:
- As an excuse for a long updating time, I'm adding way more visuals to the story. I'll try to keep the narration more visual in general, although maybe not with as many pictures.
- I'll try to make the start of this thread more engaging for new players. It may take some time, though.
- I HIGHLY encourage stories, setting entries, etc. I'll give people bonuses when I roll their dice for their contribution to the setting. How will these bonuses manifest? I don't know yet - need to run some balancing rolls first.
- Spread the word of this game among your fellow NESers and IOTers. Tell them there's plenty of civs to choose from.
