Tale of Sir Flevance

[King Flevance]

[UPDATE:I tried everything I could to salvage the last save file. I don't know what is wrong with it. I really, really, really wanted to salvage it. But I couldn't, and I just want to work on a story again so yet again back to page 1. However, 3rd time is a charm as they say. I promise one day this little dude is gonna make it to the modern ages. First time was HD corruption 2nd was a bugged save.
The good news: I can now implement Blake's Better AI, I upgraded my video card so the screenshots will look proper, and I have some minor graphic mods on the game that IMO also make it look more interesting. The prologue is basically staying the same so if you already read it you can skip to Chapter 1 again.]

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Tale of Sir Flevance
Huge map : 12 Civs : Prince : Raging Barbarians : Random Personalities : Aggressive AI : Marathon​

Notes:
- The main charactor is a charactor from an old D&D game. He was chaotic evil gnome sorcerer but he begins to change inside CIV to some extent. I will be roleplaying him as the game progresses.
- All diplomacy is roleplayed based off of the leaders actual words. So, if they say something that suggests their superiority (Even though, we know this means nothing) I will roleplay it into the story. Example: Now I have a spearman Ho, ho,ho! will mean that leader boasted his military in dialog. To what degree is at my discretion.
- The game will not use cheats. (However I have not check "No Cheating" because of some situations that may arise such as a worthless AI city built on ice that culture flips. However when I do this I cover the minimap and avoid seeing the 'unknown' things.) As well, I will work what I changed into the story. (Said city will have migrated or something)
- I have found I personally enjoy writing the story more as I get into the charactors in the story. So, the text is a bit stretched due to my wanting to cover key aspects to certain charactors, mostly in the beginning. As the story goes on less of this will happen I am sure. Encouragement on my writing of the previous story I did has seemed to have made me go into more detail on some issues although I am trying to push the story along as much as I can.
- This story is my own, not modelled after Japan or any ancient customs. The beginning tribe considers all of its members equals as regardless of gender or rank within the tribe.

 

[King Flevance]

Prologue​

A streak of light flew over the Temple of Agna in the night sky before exploding with a loud thunderous clap. An exploding arrow signaled an intruder was within the temple walls and he had stolen the sacred Eye of Agna. Guards began to flood the perimeter of the walls with bows to find and eliminate the unknown rogue. A small gnome sorcerer named Flevance hid in the shadows with the stolen artifact. He knew it would be hard to escape now that he had somehow been detected. The men of the temple wanted the belt back and would kill him on sight to recollect what was theirs. The belt was nothing special in and of itself but the buckle upon it had been made from the eye of the oldest dragon ever slain. It held magical properties that had yet to be fully discovered and would grant anyone in possession of it those powers.
Flevance's thoughts raced on how to escape with the artifact but he had not yet learned how to use the belt to take advantage of its powers. He was also aware that his spell casting abilities could very easily be disrupted by the belt, possibly in a fatal way. Stealth alone was the safest bet to escape alive. How could his plan have failed so easily? He had spent months planning this raid! In any event, he knew he couldn't wait in the same spot for too long as the guards were making their way closer to his position. He could see the gate but he knew they already had it guarded heavily.

He was trapped inside the temple and began to grow frustrated at how he could not have prepared for this. His plan originally involved him escaping undetected and he was so sure it would work that he had not made another plan. The only clothes he wore was some light leather armor pants and boots of hide for prowling to avoid making noise as he had cast an invisibility spell on himself when he had infiltrated the stronghold. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a band of cavalry approaching his position rather fast. His thoughts scattered once more on his unarmored body and the thoughts of what the men would do to him on sight.
He looked at the belt he had already put around his waist and cursed it for making him doubt his magic. He quickly dove into a pile of hay that was off to the side and made his way towards the back in case they decided to shove pitchforks and spears in to check it. If they did, maybe he would have time to run off away from the incoming spears. It wasn't a good plan, but it was all he had at the moment.

Silence crept in and time slowed as the horsemen came into view through the hay. One man was pointing in directions while the others dismounted. Then in an organized manner the men began searching the grounds. Flevance held his ground and watched the men that were scouting on foot. They were checking everywhere and he knew they would be thorough enough to come his way soon. He had to make his move at the right time and began to get in a better position as he waited for the men to approach the haystack.
He was unarmed so he would not be able to attack them head on and would have to evade them in his escape attempt. Soon one of the guards waved another to join him in searching the hay. The two men approached cautiously to promote they had been well trained. Then as they drew back for the first spears into the hay Flevance seized his moment and began a full sprint for the unmanned horses. One guard had already been in midswing when he spotted the gnome and was unable to shift his attack at the fleeing bandit. However, the other had still been drawn back and swung his pike directly at Flevance's neck. The small gnome's size gave him an advantage as he was able to barely duck and roll away to avoid the attack.

His long braids wrapped in silk trailed behind him as he swiftly made his way to the horses. Guards began shouting out his position all around him and mobilizing to intercept his escape. The small gnome came upon the massive horse closest to him to see two arrows splice the air around him and stick in the side of the horse just as he grabbed the reigns. The horse drew back violently on its hind legs pulling Flevance high into the air as he shouted. Then the startled horse began sprinting away from the attack. The small gnome could not pull himself onto the massive horse's back and was barely able to hang on to the reigns and its mane. The arrows stuck out from the ribs and front leg of the horse making it limp but it still began to run as fast as it could manage.
Flevance had finally began to get himself pulled up when the horse began to lose speed rather fast. It had done little more than pull him into an open area with nothing to hide behind and nowhere to run. He cursed at the top of his lungs as he saw the troops now catching up to him and would no doubt impale him many times over now with a hail of arrows and no place for him to gain cover from. He had no choice and began doing incantations to risk it all and go invisible once more.

He watched the men almost get in range as he shouted the incantations. His hands began to grow a bright purple as he started the final stages of the spell which required him to use hand signals along with the incantations to strengthen the vibrations in the metaphysical field. Finally, he made the last gesture and phrase to have his vision obscure and the he saw the armies smear into the distance until everything he saw dissappeared into a black void.

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A band of warriors known as the Sun Warriors were on a routine patrol to their northern encampment. Once there they begin tracking game to bring back with them from their routes. They had stopped off in a local wheat patch to rest and gather some wheat to snack on as they hunted. The Sun Warriors consisted of about 20 warriors and were lead by two of the most elite hunters in their tribe, Suma and Syma. This was the only hunting regiment with two leaders but their common instinct made them a great team. They were twin brothers and had a strong bond that allowed them to sychronize their efforts almost like clockwork on the hunting raids.
While the rest of the men were resting, Soma and Syma thought it best to scout ahead alittle bit as the atmosphere in the field seemed feel strange. The other hunters felt it too but they took it as a storm brewing. The Sun Tribe was notably more skilled in fishing than the tracking of land animals. However, Suma and Syma felt as if something dangerous was nearby. It was a strange feeling they hadn't felt before and it concerned them because all of the men could be in danger. They could each read their concerns on each other's faces and avoided startling the men by saying that they would scout ahead and see if they could locate the storm.

As they scouted north they discussed that the feeling was getting stronger. Suma was convinced evil spirits of the ancestors were rousing. While Syma seemed positive that a creature they had never seen before had migrated onto their land. Suddenly, the horizon seemed to bend back and forth as if on a raft in the Elder Lake on a windy day. Both men looked at one another as lights began to glimmer at a distance they could not quite make out. As the glimmers grew faster the light began to turn into soft flashes of white and purple.

Then the lights began to shift and streak upwards like a paintbrush on a canvas. Suddenly, a short human like figure began to fade into the streaks until a man no taller than four feet tall stood in front of them. This short man had pointed ears and long braids wrapped in silk with the top braids pulled tight to his scalp. His eyes were bright yellow with no pupils that were visible and seemed to give a faint glow around them.

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Flevance had the black void fade in once again as if he had fainted. He felt very weak and drained of energy as he came to and he could still feel the spell draining energy from him to complete its task. He almost did not see the two men staring at him in disbelief as his eyes began to focus again. He was startled to see them holding clubs and immediatly thought fate had chosen that he be beat to death instead of impaled. The look of astonishment on the men's faces gave him an edge he decided to use.

He took an offensive stance and shouted at them to back off unless they wanted certain death. He knew, however, he would easily be overpowered by these two men as he had not the energy to stand almost. They immediately cowered in fear from him though obviously impressed by his entrance.

"Leave me be and I will return the favor." He shouted to see the men look at one another and then back at him. It was obvious there was a language barrier. "Get out of here!" he shouted waving his hand trying to motion them away. This only made them flinch as they remained in a crouched position. Then one of the warriors grabbed some of the grapes and threw it at the ground in front of Sir Flevance. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" Flevance replied as he stared at the grapes.

His body was still very weak and he needed rest badly. He was certainly not about to go to sleep with these barbarians with clubs around. Fortunately, they were not hostile and seemed to fear him with a lack of intellience. Flevance decided to leave them alone and go rest as far away as he could manage. He picked up the bundle of grapes and started walking away to feel his exhaustion grow as his adrenaline wore off. Again, his vision faded out and the small gnome collapsed.

 

[ToV]

So now we know how the gnome got into Civ IV! I always wondered about that. Good start. The suspenseful scenes were well writen, and that picture was a nice addition. May this story last to the end!

 

[King Flevance]

Chapter 1
A Nation Born​

Flevance awoke to find himself wrapped in animal hides inside a small hut. He could only guess that the two barbarians he had encountered had taken him back to their encampment. Although, perhaps they ran off and some other wondering tribe had taken him in. He made sure to avoid making any noise as he got up to find his belt containing the Eye of Agna. He found it along with his clothes, folded and neatly stacked by a door that had a thick layer of leather draped over it to keep out the draft and provide a little privacy.

He looked over the belt to make sure it had not been tampered with but it seemed fine. He quickly redressed and set the belt on the stack of furs he had slept on. Then slowly he peeled the corner of the leather flap on the door back so he could try to get a view of what was outside the hut. There was mostly women doing various daily chores such as making furs into blankets and watching the children that played in the fields. Only a few men were around from what he could see and most of them were taking care of the hunts that had been succesful by skinning the hides and butchering the meat.

The gnome pulled back away from the door to try and figure out where he was. This was uncharted land or something. He knew of no places where the people were still so primative as a society and he had been around the majority of the world. He stood inside the hut and tried to make sense of this new place and what all had happened so fast. Then without warning a woman came inside the hut with some supplies he guessed were for nursing. She froze when she saw him standing and dropped the supplies that was mostly a bowl of water and few oils and herbs.

She said something in a language unfamiliar to him and he shrugged and shook his head to try and communicate he didnt know what she was saying. The woman then gave a slight chuckle out of worry or fear that he couldn't exactly discern which it was. Then she began to back away towards the door behind her making gestures of apology. Flevance quickly shot up a hand to signal her to wait and then waved her back in, which to his surprise, she did. Now he had to figure out some way to communicate with her on a basic level.

He took a hand and patted his chest and said "Flevance." She looked at strangely as if trying to make sure she understood. He repeated this action a couple of times and then pointed to her. She looked back at the door as if she was unsure if she should be communicating with him. Then she turned back and while patting her chest and saying her name. Her name was Koila. The two began to point back and forth to one another and say each others names filling the room with a small amount of excitement. Then Flevance scratched his head thinking of a way to ask where he was.

He held his hands out to his sides and tried to emphasize his surroundings. He then held his hand on his chest and said his name then pointed to her saying her name and then used his hands to again try to emphasize his surroundings. He repeated this a couple of times to see if she would grasp what he was saying. When she wasn't grasping the concept he grew frustrated and walked over to the leather flap on the door and lifted it to gesture outside and then raising his hands again he stressed his surroundings. Koila stood there unsure of what to do as Flevance stared at her awaiting a response.

Suddenly, a man from outside came through the door in a hurry and ran to Koila talking in the language of the tribe. The two began to argue in front of Flevance and then the man motioned Koila to leave the hut and she did so. The new stranger turned towards Flevance and began talking as he suggested through gesture that Flevance join him outside the hut. Flevance grabbed the belt off the stack of furs and followed the man outside where he was given a tour of the small village.

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He began to grow slightly fond of the simple people and their ways over the next few weeks and due to his magical abilities being weakened tremendously, he had decided to stay with them while he recovered. Alot of time passed while he awaited to feel the arcane flow in his blood as strong as it used to, but it never seemed to restore itself to how it used to be. Gradually, he began to pick up on their basic language that consisted of little more than basic nouns and verbs and had also learned of their ways.

The Sun Tribe had two villages they would migrate between as seasons changed. In the summer, they would journey north to a village in the Timber Woods as they were called. This is where they had been upon his arrival. Winter would force the tribe south into the Scorched Valley. The route taken was always the same and was referred to as the Sohei Trail. Soon, the tribe would be travelling this trail to migrate south and he would follow.

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There was no larger societies around that the people knew of and most seemed to view him as a God who came down from the heavens with the way he had appeared. He had came across Soma and Syma in the village and they had became heroes to an extent among the people. They were seen as the ones chosen to find Flevance. One of the only people to not buy into the fantasy was a man named Tokugawa. He was who had been leading the Sun Tribe in the time that Flevance arrived but his leadership was actually now threatened by Flevance. The gnome constantly talked with Tokugawa assuring him that he had no intention of stealing rulership from him and he would leave once he learned exactly where he was.

The rule of these people was also very different than alot of the more primitive tribes he was aware of. They had no discriminations concerning gender. Although, the majority of the men were hunters and the women care takers of the village, there were many that reversed roles. Some men led more domesticated lives as some women were huntresses and involved in polotics. Tokugawa was seen as the chief of the tribe but most polotics were decided upon by a majority of the tribe. All were welcome and encouraged to share their opinions. The arrival of Flevance had caused quite a stir of political views.

Flevance was constantly scouting the lands in hopes of finding some society that he recognized but he never found any. Another thing he found strange was he saw no living being besides animals that weren't human. No dwarves, fairies, fiends, or even elves were in the surrounding area. Not even Timber Woods had so much as a single elf he was aware of!

After a few years had went by he had came upon a very interesting conclusion. The eye of Agna had not only had its magical aura fade but it was now beginning to disappear entirely. He had also felt most of his own magical energies neutralizing. This could only happen if he had entered a completely new metaphysical realm, or in other words an entirley different deminsion.

 

[Codeman]

found it! i was so disappointed last time

you have a gift. glad to see it includes civ!

 

[King Flevance]

More years past and Flevance became fond of these people but he had began to yearn for society as he knew it. The simplicity of the Sun Tribe had a tranquil atmosphere that radiated from it, although the countryside was not by any means tamed. Sometimes people had mentioned bands of theives in the area and on occasion tribesmen would be found beaten to death and naked as they were robbed at the time of their death.

Many opinions were discussed by the people who had still been unable to come up with a solution. Flevance had grown to care for some of these people and wanted to help. He alone held the answer it seemed and he began to share with them the values of organized society. He told them of his world and how they had constructed permanent settlements that could be defended and create a society that would add stability to the lives of its inhabitants.

Most of the people adored Flevance's ideas and they became the main topic of discussion for most of the following months. Tokugawa, however, was a skeptic and seemed to lead a few men at opposing Flevance's ideas. He constantly sought out reasons of why Flevance's ideas were irrational and had not been fully thought out. Tokugawa did not ever deny that the basic principle of the idea was not bad. It also was not far from what they already had established though. There were two permanent outposts in the north and the south but in Flevance's suggestions was that people would remain in the Scorched Valley during the summer heatwaves. Also, people were to remain in the village of Timber Woods during the harsh winters.

The two men had never actually debated the subject at length themselves. It seemed the people that backed Flevance would rally against the people that backed up Tokugawa's ideas. Both men knew the day would come when a possible split would happen even though this was not what Flevance wanted. He was not interested in ruling over the tribe despite his enormous inborn hunger for power. All he wished for was to help these simple people figure out the basics of society and leave him to figure out how to get back to his deminsion if it was possible.

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Flevance was at the lake near the village in Scorched Valley trying to tap into the last magical energies he could still feel in him. A flame shot out of his palm and formed a ball of rolling fire that hovered as if on a string over his hand. Then as the fireball floated he repositioned his hands on each side of it and began to slowly pull them further apart which caused the ball to grow in size. The small figure had been exercising a stiff posture until now where he leaned back and thrusted his hands behind him causing the ball to drop to the ground and switch its direction from rolling as a wheel to a spinning like a top. The ball remained to slowly grow in size when Hyru approached him. Hyru was the husband of Koila whom he had initailly met on his coming into the village for the first time. Hyru had taken a liking to the strange gnome and had been one of the strongest supporters for making a permanent settlement in the valley. "Flevance, you may want to come to the village. There is an upset," Hyru said with a slight urgency straining in his voice.

"What kind of upset?" Flevance asked, even though he had a good idea already. His focus still remained mostly on the fire boulder rotating on an axis in front of him growing larger still. "Over what?"

"The villagers are beginning to fight over staying in the valley or leaving for the north in the next months. It's getting out of control."

"So, where is Tokugawa?" Flevance replied as he turned back to see Hyru's initial reaction. He knew he would not be able to concentrate and waved his hand as if to dismiss the fireball which it responded by rolling into the lake dousing itself to nothing. "This is a matter for him more than I."

"No, he is there but the people wishing to stay think of him as being unfair to them. You need to go, they will listen to you. I tried to get them to stay calm but they are getting rather upset as I have said."

"Ah, hell. I told you all that I am not your leader!" Flevance scorned. "I will see what I can do but you people need to learn how to solve problems like this on your own. What did you do before I got here?" The gnome grumbled all the way back to the village. These people were looking to him for guidance and all he wanted was to be left alone to figure out how he could leave this place. Within minutes he had arrived to see the people off in the fields outside the village argueing on sides that you could draw a line between. He began a light jog to the crowd as some of the men and women stopped argueing to watch him approach.

As he came closer, he glanced over at Tokugawa who had a cold stare in his eyes towards Flevance. He couldnt resist and stuck his middle finger up at Tokugawa. No doubt, Tokugawa didn't yet know the meaning of the gesture but he didn't care, the guy was just an added frustration right now. When he came between the two groups everyone paused in their arguements. He wasn't quite sure what to say and felt like it wasn't his place anyways. He was tired of the arguing and decided that it was time they know it. "What the hell is wrong with you people?" he shouted. "What is this about?"

No one replied until Tokugawa decided it best they discussed the matter now with everyone there. "Your little group of rebels are telling us that they are not going north while it is almost time for the migration." He said as if the problem was easily recognizable. Flevance kicked a nearby rock in his frustration as if to intimidate someone but it was hard to be intimidated by someone that only reaches your waist.

"My rebels!" Flevance shouted in a way that mocked the very phrase. "I do not have rebels. These people merely do what they wish, I do not lead them. I did not suggest that they stay here to oppose you and I do not care what they do. Do not make their actions related to me. I simply referred to how things are where I came from, Tokugawa. These people have chosen to do what they will, whether to despise you or to maybe strive for better days for the Sun Tribe."

"Where you come from is nothing like this place!" Tokugawa shouted. "You make flames and ice sprout from your limbs as if you were a God. I don't think your a God, though. I don't know what you are but you are not from the divine. If the people were not so fond of you, I would have you banished as your arrival has brought almost nothing but trouble. You seem a demon more than a God."

"Aye!" the gnome replied to the last comment. "My life has been cursed since the day I was born. Maybe I am a demon. But, I assure you I did not show up here with the intention to upset anyone but you all seem to want to piss me off. Since I have been thrown in the middle of this regardless of my wanting not to, what is the problem of them staying behind? Those who want to travel north, travel north. Those that don't will stay. What is the problem?"

"We need larger numbers to complete a migration of the tribe. There are too many supplies for such a small number of people to carry. We also do not have the supplies saved up to build a permanent settlement here in the south in a matter of two months. Or be able to leave food and supplies here and still have enough to travel with what we will need to successfully complete the journey," Tokugawa explained. He had a good point behind his logic. Since not all of the tribe agreed to staying south during the heatwaves the smarter choice would be to take the supplies and move north as they always had and settle next year if they wished.

Tradition held the trump card here and the people of the tribe that were wanting change were practically banishing those who still upheld tradition through stubborness. Flevance now noticed that the only people speaking were Tokugawa and himself. All the tribesmen had been wanting the two men to discuss this since the idea had first arose. Flevance looked back at the people that supported his idea standing behind him with a blank expression on their faces. As much as they annoyed him he had come to really like them in their simple ways. He then spun to address them instead of Tokugawa.

Flevance was a rebel in his world, a man that loved chaos and change. He was by nature an instigator himself and this uprising actually made him favor those that were rebelling even more. However, he knew that if the tribe did not work together no one would benefit from this, including them, and especially himself. "You all know Tokugawa knows what he is talking about in these matters. You have just heard why he opposes your fight to stay. So, what do you think?"

"We are not all going back." Hyru stepped foward to speak on behalf of the people. He was the unofficial leader of them and it seemed right that he be the one to discuss the matters with Tokugawa and Flevance. "We do not want this to just be overlooked as nonsense. If we focus on building the settlement using water from the lake and clay from the ground, we could last through the heatwaves. We will have to work to survive the first year, but it is not impossible, and if we put effort into it we will be fine. Then the following winter we can get more prepared."

"Some people believe that staying here is death though, Hyru." Tokugawa relpied. "Do you say that these people should be forced to stay here even though they believe it is certain death? The summers are harsh here and even the animals to the west migrate as the heatwaves are so brutal. We know that we will live if we travel north, here south there is no guarantee."

"Then help us construct a settlement for eight families." Hyru suggested. "One to be able to transport water from the lake and river. Another will travel halfway with you to the wild grape patches and gather some in wagons to bring back for us. When they get back they will stay and help maintain the settlement throughout the summer. We will need another four families that will help us form a group to hunt for food. Then another two families for spare men and women in case we have need of more people than expected."

Tokugawa saw how badly Hyru and his followers wanted to attempt creating a society that had more stability in it for the homelife. There was just not enough logic in their plans and it would cost him men. "You are not even sure how many people you need, Hyru." Tokugawa said with empathy. "I can't afford to have you cost the lives of men and women by guessing. Follow us north and we will begin talk of a settlement."

"It will never be more than talk!" Hyru made the calming air instantly become tense once again. "Talk is only that, talk. We have seen the tribe talk things out of existance. This idea allows us to make a home, it allows us to have a stable life. We spend half of each year preparing to migrate and and another large portion in the migration itself. Only a small amount of each year gives us stability and peace. Our time to make a stand is now, if you decline our offer we will all stay and have fate decide what is to come despite the consequences."

Tokugawa had a feeling that something like this is how the situation was going to end. He had to admit that their offer was interesting on some level. If they managed to pull it off, the tribe could benefit from this as a whole. However, the gamble was great and he had only one way to try and change the odds more to his favor. "Then I have no choice but to agree on my own terms that Flevance will stay and help you."

"What?!" the small gnome who had became a spectator instantly shouted. Hyru looked at Flevance with a look in his eyes that begged Flevance to agree. "Damn you people, what part of -I want to be left alone- do you not understand?" The gnome's yellow eyes gave Tokugawa a scowl before looking back at Hyru. "OK. I'll stay, but you do as I say and you leave me alone."

With the arguement settled excitement was in the air as preparations were made to build the settlement in the following two months. The people had yet to make a calander to track time, however, which made each day that passed throw more risk into the situation. They had finished before the hot winds began to come in as a warning and the majority of the tribe was almost ready to leave the settlement that had been officially declared Sun Valley as the name. Ironically, the name had not only captured the name of the tribe but also the name of the deciding factor on if the settlement would survive the summer.

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Once Sun Valley had been established the tribe began to decide who would stay behind. Of course, Flevance and Hyru's family were staying in Sun Valley then seven other families were decided upon based off of who was best for the tasks between the volunteers. Both sides of the tribe then wished each other luck and the majority of the tribe headed north along the Sohei Trail.

 

[King Flevance]

A cool night air blew across the valley that would mislead the mind to think that the weather here was rather timid. The people that had remained in Sun Valley had began the nightly feast in the center of the newly established settlement that night. These people knew that in truth, the morning would bring the sun that would burn down on the quiet valley much like a vulture circles it's prey before death. The heatwaves were going to move in from the west soon and make life in the valley unbearable.

Their leader, a small gnome, had been keeping his distance from the people in the past week which had caused them to become more irritated at both Flevance and Hyru. Hyru had been nothing more than a victom of his own fervor towards Flevance's ideas but now he had also lead others into his same unpromising fate. Koila had been watching her husband Hyru grow more and more stressed with each passing day. She worried for him as he was having a hard time eating recently and she deeply loved her husband making his current troubles bother her. Koila had grown a new respect for her husband as he had shown alot of courage to stand up for his belief in Flevance's idea. So much as to not only to risk banishment but also the very lives of his family and friends that had also believed in his courage. The more she watched him refuse to eat and instead worry over what was best for the people, the more she became furious at Flevance for not aiding the people.

Later that night as the feast was coming to an end the people began to retire to their solid mud homes. Koila had also acted as if she was going to retire and gave her husband a kiss good night knowing it would be a while before he retired for the night as well. She instead went to the hut that was Flevance's to see no fire burning inside suggesting that the gnome had no problems sleeping. She did fear him a little, as they all did, but she was too angry with him to not intrude on his uncaring rest.

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When she walked in, she saw two yellow eyes glowing in the dark. He had been sitting inside with the no fire burning to light the inside and the image that was before her scared the breath out of her for a few moments of stunned silence. "What is it, Koila?" a voice in the dark asked. She still had to summon the courage to speak with the wicked display in front of her like a demon in the dark calling out to her.

"Why won't you help us?" she asked with a tremble in her throat.

"Why am I expected to?"

"You were the one who told of these permanent villages. Were they a lies and you yourself do not know how to make them work? The people-" she said before bing interrupted.

"The people were the ones who became so bold as to start building a settlement to face the dangers of the valley. I never told anyone to do it, I simply told you all that it was possible." Flevance said with strong conviction. "Tokugawa may even be right in assuming that it may not be possible. I mean this IS a different world than where I am from. I never volunteered to help thi-" This time the gnome had been the one cutoff in mid-sentence.

"You have never volunteered to help!" Koila shouted. "You are a selfish man who cares only for himself."

"You are right. Although, I am fond of many people in the vilage." He replied with a pause before continuing. "I am particularly fond of you and you husband. You have qualities that match my own. Was it not selfish to stay here despite the interest of the tribe as a whole?" He could see the shock of truth in his words hit her as she stood in the doorway as a silhouette in silence.

"That's different," she said finally. "Half of the tribe wanted to stay not just Hyru and I." The yellow eyes seemed to grow thin and laughter filled the clay hut. Koila could not see what was so funny but she knew he would explain in a moment.

"They stayed because Hyru had convinced them it was the right thing to do because that is what he believed. He was a man with ambition that had fallen in love with an idea." Flevance took a moment to find the right words before continuing. "A man in love with an idea can be contagious and spread that idea, whether good or bad, like a virus."

"What's a virus?"

"Oh yeah." Flevance said, once again reminded of how primative the people were. "It's something that spreads easy."

Koila was growing angry at Flevance who had somehow managed to steer the conversation off topic. "If you do not wish to help us, why do you stay?" she asked to get back on course.

"Koila, I stay because I do care for you all whether you believe it or not. The fact you are not all dead shows me that I like you." He said seeming to grow confused as he spoke.

"Then why do you not help us if you care for us, as you say?" She asked with alot of confusion growing as well.

"In my world, I did alot of bad things. Many died at my hand for my amusement. I still have urges to kill and I am still wondering why I did not attack your village when I first awoke that day when we first met." Flevance said more in thought than adressing Koila. "I am no demon nor a God I am a gnome from a place that has seen more death than you people can imagine. People could actually harness death itself and manipulate it to their amusement. It's too much to go into right now, but I want you to understand I dont know what is going on inside my own head right now. Hell, this may be the first time I ever considered what I was thinking about instead of just acting without premeditation."

"So what are you saying?" Koila asked clearly unable to follow most of his words.

"I do not help you because I don't even know what the hell is going on with myself. Yes, I am selfish. I do not understand how I feel and I never cared about it until I showed up in this damned world. Never once did I think about how I felt. If I wanted something, I took it. If I disliked something, I killed it. If I was bored, I amused myself - usually by killing. Never thinking, just acting on impulse. Now, its all different and I don't know why."

"Maybe, I was wrong about you." Koila said after considering Flevance's words. "Maybe it would be best for the people to follow Hyru, a man of courage. You are too much of a coward to display any leadership. So you keep hiding in solitude, Flevance, and we will do what we need to survive." Then the woman walked out of his hut to leave him to his thoughts in the dark once more.

*******************************************​

The following morning the winds were blowing warmer as a signal that the heatwaves were on their way. Flevance stepped out of his clay home to see the people of Sun Valley in their daily bustle. The warriors were no doubt on the hunt as usual. Flevance noticed the dead carcasses hanging from the trees with blood staining the soil below. Foragers were going into the grasslands to the north to gather corn to store for when the summer became too harsh for the crops to survive.

As he continued to walk around, he saw Hyru and Koila working together on a team to construct more housing for when the tribe returned. Teams were steadily bringing more water from the lake they had fittingly called Vigor Lake. As Flevance watched them he kept thinking about what Koila had said to him the night before. Hyru saw the small figure in the distance and paused in his efforts to recognize that this was the first time he had seen Flevance take an interest in the labor of the tribe so far. The man then began to slightly jog over to the gnome.

"What do you think so far?" he asked with an excitement that showed his happiness of what the tribe had accomplished so far. He then turned his attention back to the men and women stained in mud that were hastily trying to complete the house before the sun reached its peak for the day.

"Your a good man, Hyru." Flevance said which received a confused look from Hyru. "Your efforts, however misguided, are honest and for the good of everyone. Your wife, Koila, made me see things in a different light last night. She came to me and rather boldly told me how I had been..." He paused before continuing without thew right words. "unappreciative towards everything you have done for me. Your family helped me when I first came here and you admirably stood up to Tokugawa because you believed my words of permanent fortifications."

"I am sorry, Flevance, she worries for me alot with the current problems we are facing." The man said unaware he had even spoken with Koila. He knew how stubborn his wife could be but he knew her intentions were good despite however brutal her actions. "She can be a handful at times, I never-"

"She had a point." Flevance intruded so that Hyru would not feel obligated to apologize on behalf of Koila. "Even though she wasn't entirely right in what she said, she made me see how foolish I was being."

"Aye, she is good at that," Hyru replied. "She does it to me alot as well." Then Hyru looked back at his wife who had continued to help in molding of the clay house they were building.

"Your going about building the settlement wrong, Hyru. I do not mean to sound as though you are not putting effort in, but you should focus on many other things before housing for the rest of the tribe. I would finish that home your working on and begin construction on other things." Flevance suggested and noted that Hyru seemed a bit confused by what he said.

"What do you mean by other things? What else is there to build?" Hyru seemed to have many questions now that Flevance had decided to take a more active role. "Does this mean you will help us?"

"Yes, Koila has made me realize it would be foolish not to," the gnome replied. "Do you know how much longer we have until the heatwaves come?"

"We have maybe a few more suns but before the new moon."

"We should begin focus on a military building train our hunters. They are going to need as much help as they can get when the heatwaves come in." The gnome scratched his small chin as he thought aloud. "You all picked up on pottery rather fast and you knew about fishing and, surprisingly, the wheel when I arrived. You also knew basic leather working and roughly how to hunt, although we will be able to perfect that with some effort. First, we need to look into how to track more efficiently to really become capable at hunting. Then, we need to focus on a weapon called the bow and arrow. This will help aid our hunter in the capture of game while it is scarce."

"It is wonderful to know you are willing to help us, Flevance." Hyru said before heading back towards the clay house under construction. Flevance watched the people build for a few moments and then decided to help. He saw that the people going down the hill into the plains were shorthanded and pitched in to help them carry grass up to the town for roofing of the clay homes.

 

[ToV]

Nice story so far. We are seeing a very detailed veiw of how everything got started, and I'm enjoying it. Hope to here from you soon.

 

[Codeman]

i may have to wait until the story is finished to read anymore! it's so good i just don't want to stop reading it...although i do have the urge to start a new civ now?

 

[King Flevance]

For Notes on why I have decided to go more into charactor check the original post again as I am going to keep any notes in it.

Thanks for the support guys.
I have now officially backed-up the game as of today which I will keep doing periodically. It will now take all the computers in my house and a disc to be corrupted all at the same time for me to lose this game.

 

[King Flevance]

In time, the heatwaves had came upon the tribesmen that had stayed behind in Sun Valley. Temperatures easily hit 110 degrees and up although, with no way to measure heat so far all they knew was that it was unbearably hot. Tensions ran high among some of the people in the camp. The children, when not spending most of their time at the lake, were constanly bothering the adults in the way kids do when they are miserable.

The people had been steadily working on and almost completed a barrack from wood found around forests in the east, stone that had been scavenged, and clay. The small gnome given the people a tour of each of the different sections they had built to explain their basic purposes before they would complete the building. The men and women were very impressed with the idea of the barrack and showed their approval at the nightly feast where a celebration took place. This celebration was mostly in honor of Flevance officially joining the people to help them better their lives with knowledge they had not imagined before.

Some of the warriors did not immediately trust Flevance's sudden interest in helping the tribe. The majority of these were a group that had began calling themselves Sohei Warriors as most of their hunts were north along the Sohei Trail. A female warrior named Natalya was the leader of the Sohei Warriors and was rather outspoken in her ideals. She had expressed a distaste for Flevance when he first began to seclude himself from the tribe. Recently, with his sudden interest in aiding the tribe she grew frustrated at how the tribe had accepted his decision to join them. Natalya had grown so disgusted this particular evening that she could no longer tolerate it.

"What is wrong with all of you?" she shouted as she walked upon the people feasting and celebrating. The night air that was full of excitement now quieted with only the crackling of the fires to be heard. "Do you forget that this... whatever he is, abandoned us when he should have helped?" Natalya was clearly speaking of the gnome who sat watching her from his seat. It seemed everyone was awaiting him to respond but Flevance decided to wait and hear her out and to see if anyone would disagree with her.

"He is helping us now, Natalya." the voice of Hyru said. The man stepped out to speak with her so that she could address him. "I fail to see the problem."

"He decided he wanted no part of us when we began constructing the settlement," she answered. "Then after we have built the housing he comes in and suddenly wants to join us? He has helped us build one building." Natalya shouted with sarcasm. "We are the reason we are able to feast tonight! Not him! Did he help us hunt for food? Did he help us build housing? He did nothing for an entire moon and now that he has spent three suns helping us build that barrack that we do not even need most likely."

Flevance seemed to watch the woman's gestures more than focus on her words. He seemed unable not to study her as she argued her point. She was a rather muscular woman, as a female warrior would be, that reminded him of the warrior amazons from his world. She was larger than quite a few men in the tribe but her face was fair. Although, he was mostly intrigued by her demeanor and arrogance alone. Some would call what he initially felt that moment, a small crush. As he watched her he stepped foward to see if he could make things more clear for her in his present situation.

"The barracks are more useful than you might think Natalya." Flevance said in a calm voice and a friendly look on his face. "I plan on next-"

"I dont care what you plan on next, you arrogant devil!" Natalya cried out interrupting him before she lunged at the small man in an offensive manner. Her hands barely missed grasping his shoulders as he ducked low ending up well beneath her knees suddenly.

"Natalya, stop!" Hyru shouted with many others who came rushing to form a small half circle around the two.

"You dont want to do this, Natalya." Flevance said as a warning to her. He had now put a good ten feet between them.

"You know nothing about me, Flevance. You know nothing about any of us," the woman warrior shouted as she grabbed one of the hunting clubs that were around her. The twins, Soma and Syma suddenly broke into the small clearing around the fight pleading Natalya to stop but they knew her well enough to know her mind was made up. "Stay out of this you two, you have feared this runt since you found him. I will not be intimidated by him. He has done nothing to show me why I should." She then held the club low in both hands in an offensive position to swing upwards so that he could not dodge her again. Then she rushed towards the gnome once more.

Flevance had no time to cast any spells and could only try another evasive move. He positioned himself on the balls of his feet to be able to shift his weight at a moments notice. He expected the first attack would definatly be from his lower left as she was holding the club to her lower right as she came in. He held his arms out ready to deflect the attack.

Natalya expected Flevance would try to counter her initial attack to swing upward and at the moment before swinging up she shifted her weight to the left and had the club swing to the left in an arch from her lower right. Suddenly, she saw Soma step in too late and she had already began the initial swing. The club cracked against the warriors knee making him stumble to the ground. "Damn it!" Natalya screamed at Suma who now lie on the ground holding his leg.

In a rage she now swung the club in a backhand fashion but the swing was caught by Syma who also put his elbow into her ribs. It only caused her to pause however, and she then brought her knee up behind his forcing his leg out from beneath him and making him lose his footing when she brought her arm down across his neck. Syma fell on his back but had managed to take the club away from her. Instantly, the ground began to move in a vibrating manner and a large hand of soil came up to grasp Natalya with the forefinger and middle finger around her shoulders and the other two wrapping around her waist. This left her unable to fight the grasp much as her limbs flailed in the air hoping for the soil to lose its grip.

Flevance stood below with one arm held up making a fist that resembled the one of dirt. His eyes now glowed a more intense yellow and he had a look of determination on his face. "Don't kill her, Flevance, please!" Hyru requested unsure of the consequences that Natalya faced. Flevances free arm came out to his side and he mutters some words softly to have a glowing white disc begin to form beneath the gnome. When the disc had stopped growing it carried the gnome up to where Natalya was being held.

​

"I told you not to tempt me, woman." The gnome said out of hearing distance of the people below. "You want a reason to fear me? If you were in my world I would see to it myself that you were skinned alive and set fire to many times for what you have done. We are not in my world though and I owe debt to your people, so I would not do it now. I have no quarrels with you yet, Natalya. So, don't make any."

"You think I fear you now?" she asked. "You cheated." Natalya was not as easily frightened as some of the others in the tribe. This display of power was nothing more than a cowards way out in her eyes.

"I did not cheat." Flevance smiled. "I won."

"You did not win!" she barked at him. The words were more painful than a thousand beatings.

"Give me a chance, Natalya. I will show you why the others are right to follow my words. I will not apologize for not helping in the beginning of the settlement, it is against my ways. I will instead show you I have skills to offer the people of this tribe. Give me a few more suns and you will see. The people do not need any extra worries like fights within the tribe."

His words had enough truth in them that she could agree to his terms. "Very well, but stay out of my way. Now, get me down."

The two lowered back to the ground as everyone watched and to show everyone that the matters had been solved Flevance reached his hand out for Natalya to shake with him. She did not shake it, though, and instead walked off away from the festivities. "Don't take it personal, I think the heat has alot to do with it." Hyru said as he placed a hand on the shoulder of Flevance.

*******************************************​

The barrack was finished in the next few days and Flevance quickly decided that the people needed a better access to water inside the settlement rather than constantly taking trips to the lake. So, once the barrack was completed they all got together and began work on a large reservoir that could hold large amounts of water at once. He showed them what tricks he knew concerning pottery to make containers to hold water. Soon they had made a fire pit for burning the clay to make it stronger.

Things were going smoothly and people began to not mind the heat with all the available water access now in the settlement. Some of the families had been listening to Flevance speak of agriculture and farming and said that they would like to see some of these farms he spoke of. He had taken them into the cornfield to the north and showed them the basic idea behind cultivating land and they soon were speaking of making a farm there for when the tribesmen to the north came back they would be very impressed.

 

[King Flevance]

A young boy named Johan peeked out of the window of the house this morning. His face suggesting that something was after him that he was trying to escape. When the screams and laughter crept closer the boy's head ducked below the window once more. He stared up at the window unsure if he should look again to see if it was safe, run to a new place to hide, or stay put as he may not have been detected. He decided to look again first and reached up towards the window once more. Just as his head peared out he flinched at the presence standing at the window waiting for him to look out once again.

"Tag! Your it!" Milo, another boy of the tribe, shouted at Johan before running off with Johan after him. All of the other children were on the hillside running around when Johan came around the building which caused them all to shriek and run down the hill being chased by the boy. They ran all the way down into the hill and split up in many directions as they came into the plains below.

"Nah, nah!" Moila, a young girl, shouted at Johan who was nearby with her hands on each side of her head and fingers wiggling. Johan then ran towards her and she shrieked taking off deep in the feilds hoping Johan would know that they weren't allowed to go too far and back off. He wasn't paying attention however, and before they knew it, the children had managed to find themselves at the beginnings of the sands to the west with some of the other children running after them.

"We came too far." One of the children stated the obvious as the game came to a halt. Most of the children had never seen the stretches of the desert yet for themselves. The low sun of the early day had yet to get too hot as the kids played in the sand throwing it at one another in jest. They all took advantage of the rare occassion and began playing in the sandy clearing. They knew they couldn't stay long as soon someone would wonder where they were and find them which would mean being in trouble.

"Look at that." Moila said to them all pointing her finger to the western hills of the desert. The children all stared out at a group of men in the desert that appeared to be hunters. They did not look like members of the tribe they could tell even by the long distance. These men were different and they carried a flag that showed they were not bandits or any other type of distructive nomad society, but rather another tribe. Unsure of what to do the children headed back to the city, some telling the adults what they saw. Luckily, this seemed to get the people in such a panic that they did not even scold the children for journeying too far.

People inside the settlement were suddenly rushing from spot to spot to arm the hunters and talking amongst each other about how to approach them. Flevance suggested that only he and Hyru should go as he had a couple tricks that would allow the two time to retreat back to the city where the hunters could then engage the strangers in combat if needed. Once the preparations were made, he and Hyru set off on the journey to where these men were.

*******************************************

​

They found the band of warriors rather quickly once they reached the sands to the west. The strangers were journeying to the north seemingly cautious to attempt a cross of the desert sands. Once they spotted the two men from the Sun Tribe they halted and awaited for the two to approach. Neither of the two tribes reacted with hostility as the they approached. The strangers flew a blue flag with a white star on it and greeted Hyru and Flevance calling themselves Americans.

"We are members of the Sun Tribe." Hyru said in response. "May we ask what brings you into our lands? We have not yet heard of your people."

"We are on a journey to meet any other tribes in the area. Our leader the great Washington wishes to befriend our neighbors," the warrior that seemed in command responded. "Do you wish for peace with America?"

"Indeed." Hyru had a sense of comfort fall over him. "We look forward to an eternal friendship with your people. We are led by a man named Tokugawa."

"Excellent." The stranger replied. "See to it that you do not betray our friendship one day, as even though we seek peace, a day will come when the land is full of our peoples. America is strong and will not tolerate any neighbors that do not see eye to eye with us."

Hyru was shocked by the intensity of the man's words and slightly hostile gestures of the hands. As he was about to speak, Flevance held a hand up to him to signal him to not reply. Flevance knew matters of diplomacy well from a world of politicians. "You just keep in your territory and we will keep on ours. For now, that will do," the gnome replied.

"Agreed." The strangers said as he gave a strange look at the small man almost in disbelief. He then looked back at his men and waved them to get ready and move on in their journeys. "I am sure we will one day see each other again."

"I am sure we will." Flevance said as he watched the American warriors begin to move north once again. Then he turned back towards SUn Valley wondering if a war would be soon instigated by the new people. He paused when he realized Hyru was not beside him and spun to see him watching the warriors begin to move out. "What's the matter, Hyru?"

"Do you think they will be back in numbers ready for war?" the man said in a tone low enough not to let the Americans hear.

"I doubt it, but even if they do I need to focus on showing you guys how to make bows and how to use them. Especially, now that these guys have shown up flexing their muscles so to speak. Do not worry Hyru, I have seen war before, we have many options." His words did seem to comfort the man as Hyru trusted Flevance's word. Then the two men headed back towards the settlement to tell the others the words that were exchanged and what their best options were.

 

[Codeman]

For Notes on why I have decided to go more into charactor check the original post again as I am going to keep any notes in it.

Thanks for the support guys.
I have now officially backed-up the game as of today which I will keep doing periodically. It will now take all the computers in my house and a disc to be corrupted all at the same time for me to lose this game.

that's a relief. well, not the part where everything gets fried, but the part where it can't be lost.

in addition to your gift you have tremendous will power as i would not have what it takes to stop playing long enough to back it up an my other pc and a disk. i would keep saying just one more turn then i'll back it up...

 

[King Flevance]

Time passed quickly that summer as the people learned more and more about technologies Flevance passed on to them. Even though their numbers were few they had managed to begin work on many bows and arrows to arm themselves with making Sun Valley heavily fortified. The warriors, including Natalya, had all came to respect Flevance's vision and guidance.

The villagers were excited at how fast they were now achieving many advances in such a short time than they ever had before. They began working on tools with Flevance's help to begin cultivating the land north filled with fields of corn that grew wild. Some of the others focused on building more housing now as Tokugawa would soon return with the other members of the tribe. They had even discussed another building with Flevance that was referred to as a palace. This was not the elaborate building most would think of initially as a palace. It was more a building where politics could be discussed among specific people. A place to centralize government and information concerning various interests of the tribe.

In the remaining weeks of the summer the people worked hard on building the palace to Flevance's specifications. Also working the fields to the north and building small hovels that could house a families upon the tribes return. Two families actually built a house on the farm so that they could both tend to the farm constantly.

*******************************************​

A large band of nomads littered the riverside transporting their supplies across the river ferry they had built many years before this day. Most of their supplies were now across and only a few more trips would complete their crossing. Tokugawa supervised the crossing but as he watched over the men doing their own tasks on the shore and on the ferry, he couldn't help but think about what fate had fallen upon Hyru and Flevance. The summer had been average that year and if they truly had survived, it was not due to a mild summer. However, if they died it was not due to an extreme one either.

Finally, the tribe had gathered on the southern edge of the river. They began to load up their supplies and continue on south. As they journeyed to Scorched Valley they discussed very little with everyone thinking of images of walking upon the village littered in corpses of their friends and some family. This is when they came across the field that had grown corn as always, only this time the plant was not as wild as it had been before. Trenches had been dug into the dirt as the plant had been neatly planted in rows and the soil was moist. As the newcomers slowly walked through the field discussing their amazement, they saw men and women tending to the field with pots of water and some were using sticks to maneuver dirt on the ground.

The farmers noted the tribe's return and rushed to welcome them telling them of what has changed since they were away. A large commotion fell over the people returning as they came into Sun Valley. Houses lined cleared roadways within the settlement that was full of people completing daily tasks. Towards the town center where a large clearing was that had a large round wooden table that the village would feast at night. Around the outer ring of the town center was a few large bowls filled with water the size of a large child.

The tribe's return was similar to a parade that marched through the ancient styled clay housing. Soon, all daily tasks had stopped and the welcoming celebration had taken place showing people where their houses had been constructed and many spoke of the new devices and tools used to keep water more accessable in the town. The sun was low and soon the firepits had been started for the feast to be cooked.

As evening came, the tribe's excitement had not settled at all. In fact, it had grown even more with discussions of things that had taken happened over the summer for both sides of the tribe. The most exciting topic of all was the warriors that had visited calling themselves Americans. Many questions were asked about if they were friendly or what they were like and all kinds of questions of every nature. Hunters began to show off their bows to the tribe and gave demonstrations of how accurate they were from great distances. Even Flevance and Tokugawa were overwhelmed with excitement in constant conversation with everyone and joking around.

It seemed to take a few days for everyone to begin getting back to normal duties. Flevance and a Hyru had given tours of the barrack and palace that had been built and Tokugawa had actually began to approach Flevance with some of his ideas about where to go from here as a tribe. The most valuable information Flevance noted was a herd of animals Tokugawa mentioned seeing on the way back to Sun Valley. He couldn't be too sure but the animals sounded like horses.

​

Now that the tribe had been outfitted with bows for most of their hunting regiments, they decided with the best move was to move some archers of the tribe out to establish official outposts to watch for invasive armies if they arose. Here the archers would be able to hunt game and bleed the carcasses at the outpost. Workers inside the settlement would then go retrieve the game, and in return supply the outpost with food for the archers. Then they could cycle command of the outpost every two days to keep constant watch of the lands.

They established one outpost to the north where the old village resided in hopes of soon making another city up north on the next migration. This group of archers were called the Hawkeyes. Another group was formed soon after that and made an outpost in the western hills where the Americans had shown up calling themselves the Desert Hawks. The hills to the south had held little value to the tribe so far and the Sun Warriors of Suma and Syma volunteered to patrol them on a daily basis.

 

[King Flevance]

The knowledge of the American Tribe in unknown territory was a concern to many of the people. They discussed many times that they needed to find the foriegn tribe so that some form of permanent communication could be established. The tribe now consisted of almost twenty five hundred people including children. Three hundred of these were stationed in hills surrounding the borders of Sun Valley.

Flevance was by no means a military expert but he knew the basic principles of mobilization. Most of the people were needed to work the farms and begin taming the horses in the plains to the west. He and Tokugawa agreed that a team of twenty at most should head out to scout the lands in hopes of finding America and surveying the surrounding lands.

Many people volunteered to become part of the scout division but with limited spots only a few were chosen allowing Tokugawa and Flevance to pick from the best. The scouts were officially named the Blackbirds and sent west into the hills of the desert to discover what lay beyond them. Soon, stories were told by the people of what the Blackbirds had encountered on their journeys. The people had their imaginations run wild during nightly feasts with tales of the scouts encountering America along with other tribes.

The people of the tribe had been so involved in their good fortunes of the recent past they had not even expected what happened next. It seemed some of the scavenger tribes in the land had began hearing of the successes of the Sun Tribe and had came themselves to investigate. The Desert Hawk archers in the western desert hills and the Sun Warriors to the south began to encounter wanderers. They had sent messengers into Sun Valley to let the people know what they saw to have to the messenger return with orders to hold positions and see if the scavenger tribes would approach the sentries.

Their approaches, however, were nothing short of raging attacks. The scavenger tribes had seen a place to pillage and came to claim the city and all it held. Soon, the hills in the west and to the south were under heavy attack. A couple reports came in from the Hawkeyes to the north as well but the technology of the bow was too much for the barbarians and they were slaughtered in their attacks.

​

The remaining months brought many more barbarians but the sentries were able to keep them at bay. Worries increased as some of the tribesmen from the sentries began to come back who had been slain in the attacks. Their bodies were buried along Vigor Lake to rest with their ancestors where a small cemetary had been made long ago.

 

[King Flevance]

Chapter 2
Empire of Japan​

“Let’s make camp!” a voice shouted within the darkening forest. The Blackbird Scouts had traveled a long way in the previous months. They had explored much of the land over the recent months and had even discovered a large body of water like the one that lay east of Sun Valley. To the north they had found tundra that was almost uninhabitable. To the south, where they came from originally, was mostly the desert that stretched all the way to Sun Valley which was west of their current position. This desert was commonly being called the Wasteland Desert due to many of the scavenger barbarians that began to show up in that area.

The Blackbirds had spotted a river nearby their camp this night and Jeng was assigned the task of refreshing their water supply which had almost completely deminished. He reached the riverside after a short walk and instantly took cover in some nearby brush. He peered out undetected through the leaves upon a few young women drawing water from the river. They filled jars they carried with water and began to pick corn from stalks nearby putting them in the water jars. One of the women put her jar down and began speaking with one of the other women. She then went back down to the river alone and looked around her to see if anyone was watching. When the surroundings met her satisfaction, she began to undress to bathe in the river. It would not be long before winter crept in and would make the river too cold to bathe in as it was already cooling due to the cold air blowing in from the north.

“What are you doing, Jeng? We gotta-” Jordan, a fellow scout asked to quickly be silenced.

“Shh!” Jeng hissed as he placed his finger to his lips. “Look,” he whispered as he pointed at the woman in the river. Before he could go on he was interrupted.

“You pervert.” The new man who had joined Jeng said in a low tone. “Move over.” he then said with a smile.

“No look.” Jeng whispered. “They are gathering crops for a lot of people. They might be Americans. It is obvious they are more than likely not barbarians.” The barbarian tribes of the regions were savage people that often fought amongst themselves as fierce as they did the people they raided. They usually did not work together as these people were but rather fought over everything.

“Aye, go ask them.” Jordan said with a light hearted tone. Both men gave a chuckle as they continued to watch the women. They knew that they should not just go down and introduce themselves as they could be hostile to strangers. Instead, they agreed to wait until they were gone, and then make their way to the river’s edge and collect water for the camp. Soon enough, the women had filled the jars and they all retreated away from the river. This was when Jeng and Jordan took advantage to grab the water for the rest of the men back at camp.

*******************************************​

They came back to camp receiving smug looks for taking so long. Although, when they mentioned the people they saw the tardiness was more than excused. The men began throwing theories around of who the people were. It was highly debated that these were the Americans as for all the land they had traveled, they had yet to meet this anonymous tribe. Other theories proposed that it was maybe someone else entirely. It would be hard to believe that only twenty men could create such noise as was in the forest camp that night.

Needless to say, anticipation of the following day was more than the men could bear making it hard to sleep. Most of the men didn’t even bother going into their tents to even attempt sleep that night. Instead, they kept the fire burning and discussed the situation and the best possible ways to approach the new tribe. Some suggested that they should go to the fields and wait for the people to recognize them. Others thought it more honorable and appropriate to approach the village directly. Still others wanted to go back and report to Sun Valley before taking action, this was not a very popular opinion however.

Before they knew it the sun had began to rise and the few men that managed to get sleep that night began to rouse. Further discussion took place over breakfast about whether or not they should approach in one way or another until it was decided that they were going to just simply approach the village. After they had all eaten and felt refreshed, they began to pack up and begin the journey to meet the new villagers.

Excitement amongst the men was at an all time high as they scouted further west. However, when they reached the river, they stood silent. A few men began to chuckle at the fact that in all the discussion they had previously, none of it had been about how to navigate around this river. It was not a huge problem as much as a delay. Normally, this would mean backtracking a bit but luck was with them this day, or so they thought. Upon doing a quick investigation there was a very shallow ridge beneath the water that would allow them to cross. The men traveled across the river fairly quick in the waist high water. Many joked about how lucky they were to find such a shallow passage.

Once they made it across, they began to dry themselves as best they could so that the water would not chill them in the brisk morning air. They did not waste much time in doing so as they did not want the Americans to approach them first. The men figured that having them approach the Americans in a polite manner would allow them to avoid hostile acts. They also brought up the fact that if they appeared drenched they may come off as needy beggars. Once their attire was as dry and presentable as possible, they journeyed on. Soon they had made it to the cornfields the women were at in the previous evening. The sun had not reached its peak yet suggesting the nearby people were engaged in early chores and had plenty of time before starting to prepare a feast for the night.

“Hold!” the voice of the man known as Heron shouted in a suspicious manner. Heron was all but their appointed leader. No man was an official leader of the Blackbirds but if one was needed, Heron had earned the respect of the men enough to easily be chosen. His tracking skills were above that of most others and he had a serious demeanor about him that helped the men keep focused. They all had stopped discussing the gossip they had been engaged in when they heard Heron’s order. Immediately the men began to see what he was calling out to them for. After a few moments the men also began to become aware that something was not right. There was an unmistakable presence in the trees to the north.

There was no noises being made by birds or any other animal yet a subtle amount of motion was within the tree line. The men quickly prepared for an incoming attack yet they did not know what would be the attacker yet. Many suggested bears but they knew that it would mean a lot of bears and bears rarely travel in packs this large as far as they knew. Suddenly, a cry came from the forest that happened so quickly and unexpected they were unable to discern what could have made it. Within seconds after the cry two hundred men and women alike came charging from the tree line. “Oh crap!” Jordan shouted as the men began to realize they were now caught in the middle of an attack on the Americans by these barbarians. Running would ultimately result in death. Their only choice was to stand their ground and work together and maybe the Americans would notice the attack and send in help.

​

 

[Codeman]

keep up the good work, sir.

loving the story. i showed to my wife who hates civ but finds your story interesting.

good day sir.

 

[caveman-w]

I think I don't speak for myself, that we wait anxiously for the rest of Sir Flevance whereabouts. How is the game going on??

 

[Codeman]

so how did the game finally turn out?

 

[3 EMS]

Great story King Flevance. I'm enjoying reading it alot.