Also, I've been sick for about two weeks straight and my cold have now hopped down to my lungs, of which I'll get a checkup for tomorrow. Shouldn't be a giant issue but if I'm slow and/or some of the text seems lazy or is missing things, that's why. Just lemme know as usual if I missed antyhing and I'll fix.
Three brave men led the advance, peeking into the shaft that had the broken wall that was the entrance to the giblins' domain. They rounded the corner, shields held up, and stood in front of the entrance. It was a small choke, but the three of them could enter shoulder to shoulder, and so they did. The gilbin hissed at them and pointed their "spears" (sticks) at them, but seemed too scared to attack.
It wasn't an ambush.
Unsure of what to do, the three slowly took a few steps into the cavern, lit up by torches along the walls. They realized the area was a large hollowed-out cavern in the mountains. Several crude huts adorned the walls and grounds with some rope-ladder-looking contraptions leading up to the ones on the walls. It seems the gilbin lived here, and every single one of them was standing in front of the three. They weren't very strong with counting, but they estimated the gilbin were only around two-hundred to three-hundred in numbers. Which meant they outnumbered the Iceborn about two to one, but they were small, had no armor and their weaponry was laughable. They were also notably scared.
The young one of the three peeked out of the entrance and hollared to the others. "They're afraid! No ambush! Dag, what are your orders?"
Meanwhile, back at Dagshall, the people that were left still had a village to run. What would they do while Dag and his warriors were at the mine doing "diplomacy"? (While you're away, your village still functions as normal, although at lesser efficiency. While you take "diplomatic" action at the mine, you may start a regular order back at your settlement.)
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 150 men, 150 women, 50 children. Livestock: A herd of goat. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 60% of adult population. Food level: Above Average Resources: Lumber, Iron, Honey (low quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level, +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
The message reached Maxim quickly. His daughter was planning a very dangerous move indeed, and he still had time to send the galley to help her. Without wasting any time, he ordered it done, hoping the Orcish boats hadn't returned from wherever they had been when the fishermen had sailed by.
Aurilius was nervous. He had been running many scouting-missions by order of General Aemilina, and had grown confident and perhaps comfortable enough to attempt to speak to her without being sent for. He seeks her out on his own accord. "General, if I may speak freely." he says as soon as he sees her. She was inspecting her troops, getting ready for the attack when he found her. She nodded. The two walked off to the side to speak, as to not worry the other men and women at arms. "General, I fear no enemy and will follow you to the ends of the earth, but I fear if we fail in this attack, the orcs will follow us back to New Matem. I wish for no such fate for our people... I have family back at our island." The two engaged in conversation for a long while. Aemilina was certain their attack would work, and she managed to convince Aurilius of it. They would attack at nightfall, and sail away before the orcs could react to their docks burning.
And then nightfall came. Aemilina ordered her men up, and hope to her Gods that the galley will arrive in time. Strangely, the orcs hadn't found them yet and they managed to sneak up the hill overlooking the docks. The docks were relatively unmanned. Perhaps a dozen orcs were still working in the night, and half of them were ... Drunk? They seemed to behave oddly. There was but a single small boat docked, and it looked like a run-down human vessel from faraway lands. Perhaps the orcs had found some sort of alcoholic beverage aboard a merchant vessel, captured it and drunk all the booze? Speculation aside, there was no better time to strike than now. The moon was shrouded by thin clouds, and the only light available was the torches on the docks. They'd burn the docks and begone before the orcs would know.
Two days later...
Maxim was worried. His galley hadn't returned from the orc encampment yet and there had been no sight of his daughter. He was just about to order for scouts be sent to the mainland to search for them when a young strong man came running in, bent to one knee and waited to be adressed. "I am Aurilius, I come with news of our success in the mainland. The orcish docks have been burned and we managed to slip away in the night. The general and most of our men are tired or wounded, and so they sent me ahead to bring you these news personally. Our boats are docking just now, if you wish to see them."
Once a proper report was given to Maxim, he learned that the attack had begun fluently, but that the orcs had been waiting for them near the docks. As soon as they came rushing in and started burning the docks, hundreds of Orcs had came at them from all sides. Thanks to the narrow docks, Aemilina and her men had managed to keep the orcs funneled in a choke long enough to get aboard their ships and escape with the help of the galley. As they left, they could watch the furious orcs try to save their burning docks and the one human ship they had captured. Twenty men had been wounded, another ten had been killed, and Aemilina herself had suffered a minor wound to her thigh by a stray sword bouncing off someone's shield.
[10 soldiers lost. 20 soldiers wounded. Expedition successful. Conscripts returning to their everyday life.] [Estimated 5 orcs killed and 20 wounded. The battle went very well despite the orcs numbering in the hundreds against your 100.]
Results from the search of iron will yield next turn.
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 148 men, 143 women, 47 children. Military: Available: 8 Footmen. - Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Above average Resources: Clay, Stone, Marble (small quantities) Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +1% from food level +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - Unnamed Redskin-Orc Village: Hostile
There was no shortage of fresh recruits. Many were eager to defend their new home, and to serve their people in other ways than cultivating crops or hammering away at stone. At the end of the recruitment period, twenty men had signed up for military service willingly, while the rest of the adult population was content with being levied in times of turmoil. The twenty spearmen were drilled, instructed and sent to work. They would protect their people with spear and shield and a pride quickly grew among them. A positive kind of pride, that is.
[You have recruited 20 spearmen. Their training is lackluster at the moment, but they will improve as several turns advance.]
The nobles bought the story of the Lizardmen seeming mad. Even if they weren't, the hostile actions of their scouts would justify meeting them with force if they ever showed up here with ill intent.
[You may choose to establish a mine or a lumbermill as second and third workorders. This will take one turn respectively to establish unless another action is specified.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 149 men, 147 women, 44 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Above average Resources: Stone, lumber, copper (pending). Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +10% from food level, +0% from morale = 6%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You do not know any other civilizations.
The scouts had ran along the area for days. The wildlife was plentiful, the earth was rich thanks to the two rivers, and a few smaller forests was found north across the river, directly south, and west across the more violent river. Further downstreams, where the violent river forked into a smaller offshoot, the waters were calm enough to get a small raft and cross the river, which a brave scout had done to indeed find the western forest. Further north however, the elves found... Tracks. Peculiar tracks. Light tracks, the same size of an elf's, or a human's. Additionally, south-east there was a small hill that had a peculiar shape. It was very round and very steep, as if a perfectly circular object lied here. There, a scout had come across a giant creature by accident, and at first the scout had been quite frightened, but it soon became clear that the gentle giant meant him no harm. The two spoke for a long while, and parted as friends. He returned to his people to tell them of the natives here whom seemed very friendly. With him he had been given a large pelt of a wolf, the largest direwolf the scout had ever seen, but the giant had called it a mere runt! Speculating, the elves came to the conclusion that the lands to the south, near, around and in the thick woods they had walked through were huge, with everything being larger than anywhere else. That must be why the giants lived there, and why he had called the wolf a runt. Up here, surely, the elves would be safe.
More intruiging, the giant had mentioned other elves. They hadn't spoken of it directly, but it seemed to the scout that the giant implied he had met other elves only recently. Perhaps that would explain the northern tracks? Were there other elves here? Other than the Dark Elves of the Dark Woods to the south, of course...
One night, all had the same dream. All awoke at different times, and once they woke they couldn't all quite remember what it was, but when some started speaking of it, others joined in. It seemed everyone could remember having the same dream, only different parts of it.
It had been a giant silhouette of a grand elf-looking diety, speaking to them of their promised land. The silhouette apologized for not watching over them during the battle with the orcs, that he had been fighting his own battles. He promised to guide them and protect them from now on, and that this was the land to be theirs! Was it Artemon...?
A) Establish settlement. B) Pack up and leave. C) End...
(Option C means the elves of Celebrimbor are lost to the lands and you may start again with a new civ.)
Population: 89 men, 91 women, 25 children. Military: 7 Elf-at-Arms. Militia able to be conscripted up to 20% of adult population. Food level: Low Resources: None Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: 0% Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - Bonesnapper Tribe: Hated - Giant Camp: Friendly
Copper it would be. As soon as the miners came there and started working, they realized something peculiar. "Oi." said a miner to another. "There's tin here as well! It's like we can mine BRONZE directly from the walls!" he joked. It seemed the copper mine was, at the same time, a tin mine.
Echadon was excited to meet the Ursar again. At the moment he had met them, he was nervous, but the more time he spent thinking about them and at last telling his clan about them, he had grown quite fascinated by them. They were large, strong, honorable and with similar history as Clan Oreborn. The two races could be good friends, if the Ursar wanted it.
He arrived, and was treated as a guest. At first, the Ursar didn't seem to want any outsiders in their home, but the longer Echadon talked to Oras the faster they seemed to accept the dwarves. They spoke of their stories of exodus, and the Ursar leaders could sympathize. They accepted friendship with the dwarves, but made it clear that they did not yet know the dwarves well enough to accept an official declaration of friendship between them. For now they suggested, of which Echadon agreed, that the two races visit each other from time to time, share knowledge, and work together politically as they shared close proximity to each other. The Ursar elders asked Echadon to remember that they were a reclusive and lonely race and would often prefer to be left alone. Echadon returned home satisfied, but nothing of real political value other than great conversation. The Ursar had promised to send Oras over within a fortnight for further diplomatic discussion. Things such as sharing maps of the nearby geography, numbers of settlements and population and knowledge was talked of a great deal, but would not be yielded by either part just yet.
[Tin and copper added to resources. Mine added to map.] [Echadon has been sent to the Ursar. He will return home next turn with his report of his the diplomatic mission went.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 133 men, 129 women, 36 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. Food level: Average Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% +0% from food level, +0% from morale = 5%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: - The Ursar: Neutral
One could say the covenant had found lands they never imagined existed. Where they came from, green was a rare color in the wild. The white, gray, black and muddy brown dominated the landscape with the occasional red from recently felled prey. They hadn't encountered many other peoples, but still they knew they were not alone in this world. Before they realized they had to leave their homeland, they had come across humans sailing south. A few moons later, the Lycans had done the same. The lands they had known simply wasn't hostpitable anymore. It wasn't theirs anymore. Once, the different tribes that made up the covenant had fancied themselves nations of their own, with a once mighty people each and a number to reflect it. Today, less than three-hundred of them still stood.
How they managed to craft crude rafts and cross the icy unforgiving seas, they did not know. Perhaps their gods had watched over them the entire way, to make sure they would survive the effort. Many among the covenant felt this was a sign that their destiny indeed lied southward. If that was the case however, still remained to be seen.
Almost as soon as food and watersupplies ran out, the lycans had spotted land. There, on the horizon, they had come upon the continent in the season of summer, where green could be found even in the farthest of north, although briefly. Still, the tundra was evident and their instincts drove them further south. Following along the coast, the rafts used a great mountain to navigate the shores. A day after they had passed a river flowing down from the mountain, the weather had turned worse and their rafts had finally given in, smashed among the cliffs.
The Covenant had found their new home, and immediately set out to scout the nearby region to find material to build their rudimentary settlement. The wildlife consisted of elk, moose, deer, occasionally a boar. By the sea they had found seals resting by the rocks. However, they had also spotted native wolves near the woods, and great brown bear lurked near the river. If there was one, there could be more.
The lands weren't theirs yet. They'd have to fight to survive here, and make it theirs. However, the richness of the wilds was not lost to the covenant: this truly was their destiny. This truly was a blessing. What will be the first action of the Lycan Covenant and their tribes?
[As a late arrival, your food-level begins at very low on your first turn and settles on low at your second. You can speed up and improve this process as normal.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 120 men, 115 women, 15 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. (Number is higher than usual due to your savage nature and culture.) Food level: Very low (Improving) Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 5% -5% from food level,+0% from morale = 0%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
Many things had changed since the goblins arrived in their new home. They hadn't been here for long, but for the first time ever, most of them woke up without the kicking and shouting of their Orcish enslavers. Their taskmasters. Their tormentors. One could say, the enclave was a glorified refugee camp. That had to change. The goblins didn't have much in the way of food in these swamps. That had to change. Tools, resources, even basic housing for some of them, was absent. That also had to change.
Yes, many things had changed since the goblins arrived, but many more things had to change for the better if they were to make it in this harsh environment they had chosen for themselves. They had dubbed the swamp the Orc-Grave swamp because they knew - orcs would sink and die here. Some of them had seen it first-hand when they had fled here from chasing orcs - the smaller and more nimble goblins had outwitted and outmanouvered the orcs in the swamps, causing the big brutes to slip, fall, sink and drown. It wasn't a pretty fate, but some of the goblins wished even worse for their former masters.
They hadn't been idle, the goblins of the enclave. Around the swamps were low, gnarly trees with vines hanging low. There were roots that slipped up and down the mires like snakes or eels, and bushes with huge leaves that could serve as cover for an entire goblin. Thin but resistant and tough leaves. Some of them had already crafted themselves makeshift roofs out of the stuff, but they lacked the proper tools and techniques to properly wield their new materials. That also, had to change.
Up in the trees were birds of all sizes and colors. Some were scary, some where cute, and all seemed edible. At the mid-level, at about the same height as the goblins traversed the swamps, there were small critters like salamanders or dark-greenish tinted rodents that looked like blighted squirrels, but nonetheless looked edible. Most of the flora however seemed unedible. Some had already fallen to the poisonous nature of some plants, and other plants had sprung up from the ground and swallowed a goblin whole. Not even an exhageration! Finally, down in the waters were huge lizards and medium lizards. Some had massive jaws and hundreds of teeth, others weren't quite as big but faster and slippier. They worked in unison sometimes to catch prey, the big ones seeming like alpha leaders to groups of smaller ones. Then there was the lonely snakes. From sizes ranging to just a few goblin hands in length, to several entire goblins in length - and width! Some swam, others climbed trees, others still burrowed into the murky muddy ground, what little of it there was.
A savage land indeed. The goblins would have to fight hard in order to conquer it and make it their own. Or would they succumb to the lands, and fade away..? No... Gredy wouldn't let it happen. What would the goblins do first to establish themselves? What would be the first action of the Orc-Grave Swamp Enclave?
[As a late arrival, your food-level begins at very low on your first turn and settles on low at your second. You can speed up and improve this process as normal.] [Additionally, despite your low foodlevel your natural growth is so high you still have a 2% growth. This being turn 1 however, you won't start to see your population actually increasing until next turn.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 125 men, 125 women, 50 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Very low (Improving) Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 7% -5% from food level,+0% from morale = 2%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
The dark-elves had just arrived on the continent, led here by some unknown force or perhaps just the wind of their sails. They were few in number, but of high spirit and mood. Their ruler, Llyr the Younger, saw over the construction of their new crude settlement upon the island of which they had arrived on and deemed worthy. He named of Han'Hathras, of their own ancient language. So old were the words, that some of the youngling elves had not yet learned their meaning.
Before their ships had been smashed by a sudden storm, a small boat had managed to sail further east and found that the mainland was large and mighty. The island they were on would be sufficient for them for now, with rocky cliffs around many of the shores and especially in the north half of the island, with thick forestation in the center, with the rest being flat, windswept land. Near the shores where there were no cliffs was white sand beaches, warm and soft to walk upon. The wildlife was large but not numerous, but with many edible fruits and berries growing in the forest. Many, if not all agreed, this was a good place to make a new home.
[As a late arrival, your food-level begins at very low on your first turn and settles on low at your second. You can speed up and improve this process as normal.] [Despite having -1% growth, you will not lose numbers on turn 1, and as your food level improves automatically on turn 2, you should be fine then also.]
A) Improve food B) Improve military technology C) Improve infrastructure D) Improve culture E) Explore F) Improve resources/technology G) Prospect the land H) Expand military I) Take diplomatic action X) Other
Population: 125 men, 125 women, 50 children. Military: No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 50% of adult population. Food level: Very low (Improving) Resources: Requires prospection and industry. Wealth: Nonexistant Trade: Nonexistant Growth: Base: 4% -5% from food level,+0% from morale = -1%. Morale: Indifferent Foreign relations: You have not met any other civilizations.
@Cyclone I think the way you've acted have been in line with the way you play your civ, and that's what matters! Dag being friendly to the goblins in a mine they made and/or claimed would probably go against his character. At least, in my opinion.
@Lady Selune And blood, it seems. We'll see how this ends, poor Aurilius. Foreshadowing...
@Bright_Ops Gotcha! I figured that's what you were going for, thanks for the clarification!
@Kangutso Finally got around to fixing that mysterious iron :P
Now I'm just waiting for a few more posts and we can hop right on over to turn 8!
Edit:@Pyromaniacwolf and @Cyclone it seems you both come from a similar land before settling here. Perhaps you came from the same home? Perhaps lycans are actually skraelings? :^) Jokes aside, I see potential here, if you two want to explore anything like that.
@Cyclone You can assume that anything I say in the OOC or discord off-topic should never be taken seriously :P I feel like editing your post now would be metagaming... I probably should've waited to tell you until afterwards, sorry about that. Couldn't help myself! Also about goblins escaping to the swamp: brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that? Turn 8 will be fun to write!
@Pyromaniacwolf Oh. Alright, no sweat. Nothing much really happens on introposts, so your turn 1 will actually be turn 8, but I'll take your efforts into account.
@Cyclone I promised no such thing ;) Or well, they would have been, if you hadn't given that one goblin food and water and let him go. That's why they're not attacking you, they assume you're actually pretty friendly people, and they fear you. Or... did I just spoil too much?
@Pyromaniacwolf Approved, but with one minor concern. The lycans probably haven't been in this continent for centuries, rather they would be newcomers from somewhere. Change that and you're free to write an introductory IC post! Oh and the sacrifice in order to "create" a mage seems cool to me, go for it. So far, magic is very unexplored.
@Dogematix Roger that! Keep in mind there are native dark elves on the continent already in the Dark Woods. They may (or may not) differ from your dark elves significantly if you encounter them.
@Bright_Ops You are free to make an intro-post in the IC by the way!
