[center][h3]Turn 4[/h3] [hider=The Map] [img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/378609594030882816/497467736314871808/Map_04.png?width=624&height=468[/img] [/hider][/center] [h3][color=crimson]The Levogh[/color][/h3] [hider] The lake is a large one, but even so its surface is almost deathly still. On its shore, tiny waves lap gently upon some of the moss-covered pieces of ruined masonry. The water is clean and pure, but even so, it is hard to see to the bottom once one takes a mere six or seven strides out into the water. The center of the lake seems to be very deep indeed, perhaps outright bottomless, but that only makes for larger fish. Some of the Levogh craft simple fishing rods and find that the fish are eager to bite even right by the shore; they demand no more than a piece of bark or a leaf as bait upon the hook. Some others quickly put together a grid of logs and tied them together with plant fibers, then pushed off with their rafts and floated toward the middle of the lake. From a distance, it was hard to even spot the overgrown ruins among the walls of greenery. It all blended together; the only thing that stood out was the very top of the Great Oak looming above the other trees in the distance. From out there on the lake, it looked as though there might have been [i]something[/i] unnatural up there in the uppermost boughs that the owls frequented, but it was hard to discern. Most of the fishers distracted themselves from such thoughts with their work, and in the end they all brought in a good catch. For the time being, food would not be an issue. Perhaps with time the fish would grow more reluctant to bite, but the lake was so large and the streams so numerous that there would likely never be a shortage of food to be found if there were enough fishers. All of that took place within the three days leading up to the full moon, and in those same three days Blackeye had dispatched his scouting parties. On the day that would lead up to the full moon, Célebron made knowing eye contact with the great owl for a brief moment, but beyond that, the forest was now more silent than it had ever been. Whereas there had always been at least a few of the birds watching over them during the past days, on that day there had not been a single one of the owls to be seen save for that one glimpse of the Owl King. As far as the Levogh could tell, all of the owls had returned to the Great Oak. But there were none to be seen even sleeping in its lower branches as they had been observed in days past. No, all of them had retreated to whatever it was that lay hidden in the uppermost canopy of the tallest tree. That strange turn certainly didn't help ease tensions among those who had grown apprehensive about the ruins and the forest and the strange owls. It had not taken long for the elves to realize that the Owl King's signs in the dirt had surely been some sort of countdown to the full moon, and now all were expecting something wondrous or horrific to occur. Night came, but none among the Levogh could sleep. The face of the full moon peeked through the gaps in the trees above, but still there was nothing to be seen nor heard. Until the watchful eyes of one elf made out the silhouette of a lone figure in the distance. It was a vaguely humanoid form, a slightly hunched and slowly moving one with what looked like a walking stick. It was right there, by the lake's shore, making its way towards them and the ruins. More elves came to see after the first one cried out, and King Célebron arrived just in time to see the shadowy figure step out into a patch of moonlight. [hider=The Stranger, come before them in the dead of night] [img]http://www.thedailyowl.gr/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/07-druide.jpg[/img] [/hider] The stranger came to a stop in that patch of moonlight beside a boulder and a tree, just a short distance from the onlooking Levogh. He seemed quite harmless, an old man with tumbling white hair and a slightly tired breath as if even that slow trot by the lake had sapped him of his energy. But as his moss-green eyes swept across the assembly before him, all could see a gleaming wisdom there in them. The two agates came to rest upon King Blackeye once the man had taken a few moments to single out the elven king from the rest of the crowd. "Hail, Levogh! My name Kaebora, and I am the one that you have taken to calling [i]the Owl King[/i]. Allow me to explain," he suddenly called out. He beckoned Blackeye forward, and something compelled Célebron to come closer. "We are a brotherhood that worship the Moon, for she is the kind goddess that elevated us. Most of us were once mere men, long ago, but She blessed us with longevity, wisdom, and the power to soar as the birds do. We have come to dwell in this forest for several hundred years now, because this is a sacred place where we feel closer to Her touch. So it was with alarm that we first witnessed your arrival in our quiet homeland here, especially when you entered those ruins, as that great domed building that stands over all the others was once a temple to the very Moon that we revere. But after watching you for the past days, we are satisfied of your worthiness to inhabit this place. Perhaps under your rule, the temple could be restored once more." Kaebora lifted his chin to look upward, seemingly shocked at how the moon had already passed its peak. "I am sure that you have many questions, and in me you may find some answers. So ask what is most pressing to you, but know that our time is limited. In this body I am not as nimble; I shall soon have to leave, for it is important that I make it back to my fellows before the sun rises. There will perhaps be time for a lengthier conversation on another full moon." So what would Célebron ask? [i]Would[/i] he even ask a question? [color=gray] A) Ask Kaebora why he must be gone so soon, and where his 'brothers' are and what they're up to in that Great Oak! B) Ask what happened to the elves that once lived in these ruins, and maybe about that temple he mentioned. C) Ask about the history, age, religion, and/or powers of Kaebora and his kind. D) Ask about the forest and its many mysteries; surely he knows about those strange fungi all over the place. E) Ask him about what might things in the area pose a danger for the Levogh, and of whatever other people might inhabit this land. F) Ask him why nobody has ever seen the owls eat. Is it true that they intend to eat elven children?! G) Ask him why he waited so long before even attempting to communicate! X) Other. Perhaps Célebron has nothing to ask. Perhaps he might even feel the need to attack this strange man, now that it's clear the owls are neither guardian spirits nor the elves that once lived here![/color] [hr] Though they could not help but wonder what was taking place back at their new home, the parties sent out to follow the rivers pressed on. In such small groups, the nimble elven rangers could make remarkably good time. Gwyneth was the first to leave, and also the first to find something of interest. For many days her scouts followed the river without seeing anything more than the vast expanse of grassland broken up by the occasional shrub or tree, but then they suddenly came across some unusual tracks. The prints had been laid by massive hooves larger than those of any horse, and there were a great many of them leading straight into the river from what looked to have been the center of the grasslands. Though this river was by no means narrow or slow, here it became somewhat shallow and whatever had laid the tracks clearly knew to come this way if they wanted to ford the river. As a seasoned elven tracker, Gwyneth could determine some things from these tracks even if they did not look at all like those of any animal she had seen before. Some of the smaller (but still massive, and hooved) footprints went in pairs, so she determined that they had been left by something bipedal. From the spacing between each print, the creatures must have been tall indeed, for they had a great stride. The larger prints were arranged in such a manner that she could tell they belonged to a creature that walked with four legs. Still, despite the difference in size and gait, the prints looked so similar that she initially expected that some of the creatures might have simply preferred to move on all fours. That was disproved when she realized that the larger tracks were also much deeper, implying that the four-legged creatures were much heavier than the two-legged ones. In the north, a wall of ominous black clouds loomed over the land, so Gwyneth was afraid to keep following the tracks for fear of being caught up in the storm if it continued south. She turned around and made her way back for Wildhome. Meanwhile, Kalorn's sharp eyes eventually found something as well. His party came across very similar tracks, although these had been running parallel to the river at about a half mile's distance. Despite the trail having flattened the grass that it went through, it had been impossible to notice from such a distance; what had initially drawn Kalorn's attention had been a small watering hole surrounded by a few trees. The trail of strange footprints passed right through it. The grasses around the watering hole were lush and of a different hue than those elsewhere, but every last tuft had been chewed nearly to the ground. There were also remnants of a few campfires and massive piles of dung to be found. It was clear that whatever left those prints had camped here for some time, grazed upon the grass (albeit in a careful manner that left the roots intact and ensured it would regrow), and then moved on. But the ashes of the campfires were already cold, so he had little hope that they would ever catch up with whatever shepherds had passed through. He likewise began the journey home. As in for Moragh, he came across no such oddities. He traveled on for many days, his journey not yet having taken him across anything of note. ((Gwyneth and Kalorn will return next turn, and Moragh in an unknown number of turns unless recalled early.)) [b]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[/b] [b]Population:[/b] 146 men, 143 women, 75 children. [b]Military:[/b] No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to about 30% of adult population. [b]Food level:[/b] Average; improving [b]Resources:[/b] (Potentially magical) moon fungi [b]Wealth:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Trade:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Growth:[/b] [i]Low; impacted by racial traits.[/i] [b]Morale:[/b] Average [b]Foreign relations:[/b] [color=palegoldenrod]Brotherhood of the Moon's Wise Children: Friendly[/color] [/hider] [h3][color=DarkGray]The Lycan Covenant[/color][/h3] [hider] In the days that followed, the rain was unrelenting. The intensity of the rain ebbed and flowed; sometimes there were torrential deluges, and other times it was a mere annoyance. It had been weeks now since Vlath's touch had blackened the strange obelisk, but the rainclouds still continued to blow in from the sea. Living in the perpetual cold and damp was beginning to take a toll given the lack of any true shelters in Wulfhelm, but for now the Covenant endured. Even through rain and storm they went about crossing the river with makeshift rafts. A logging camp would provide the vital materials needed to build houses, so with that goal in mind the Lycans approached the task with determination. Beyond the incessant rain, they encountered no setbacks. The forest here seemed devoid of any threatening predators or aggressive natives that would stand in the way of their plans. Lacking sophisticated tools, the Goldtooth fashioned crude stone axes in the new logging camp. With the formidable strength of the Bloodfang warriors, those instruments proved sufficient for felling trees. In short order they chopped down several hundred trees and began removing the branches and limbs. They lashed the bare logs together into large rafts that were floated across the river and then taken apart. From there, idle hands were put to work rolling the logs the remaining distance to Wulfhelm. All of those logistics had been solved in relatively simple ways, but the fact remained that it was taking a great deal of effort and manpower to constantly transport game, lumber, and workers across the river. The Goldtooth plans to build a bridge would certainly help, but that was no small task to propose. The river was rather large and wide, so the bridge would have to have numerous supports in the middle to keep from collapsing. Some of the Goldtooth had the idea to use entire tree trunks as supports; surely the river was not so deep that they couldn't drive a few logs down into it in the middle and then use them to support the bridge. But even though it sounded simple enough, it would be no small feat of engineering to put such supports in place and keep them there and then build the bridge itself; the Lycans had never before attempted to construct anything like that. Several others had the idea to take a simpler approach and build a pontoon bridge. Basically, they would build dozens of rafts and then tie them together and anchor them to the shore, and in that way there would be a solid chain of rafts that could be walked across. It would be a floating bridge, of sorts. It wouldn't handle large loads as well and might occasionally need repairs if the ropes frayed or rotted, but it would be just fine for allowing the lycans to cross the river with ease and bring smaller loads like the hunters' game. Still others thought the entire idea of a bridge was futile or that there were better things to do with the lumber. [color=gray]What would they do? A) Begin construction on the massive free-standing bridge. (This will take most of the newly chopped lumber, 2 or 3 turns to complete, and there may be setbacks and unexpected costs) B) Build the cheaper pontoon bridge. (This can be done in 1 turn and will only take a moderate amount of lumber) C) Abandon the idea of a bridge, for now at least. The Lycans will continue using rafts to ferry things across the river.[/color] While he meditated upon the rains and what was to be done with the other strange stones, Vlath suddenly became very drowsy. Even as the skies wept down upon him and soaked his fur, he fell into a light and restless sleep. It was a very strange experience; he was lucid dreaming, he [i]knew[/i] that he was not truly a fish in the bottom of the sea, yet that was exactly what he felt like. Cold currents washed over him as he shambled along the black ocean floor. The slimy flesh of other creatures like him rubbed against his sides and they also walked by. He impulsively flicked his tongue out to test the water, hoping to sense the taste of blood, but there was nothing except for the rows of sharp, jagged teeth within his own mouth. And then there was a bright flash as a bolt of lightning struck the water's surface above. A few moments later, the sound of thunder shook Vlath awake. The Voidcaller looked out to the ocean. Something monstrous was out there, lurking beneath the waves. He knew it as surely as he knew his own name; the dream had showed him. And something in his bones told him that those abyssal monsters were coming closer. [b]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[/b] [b]Population:[/b] 127 men, 128 women, 57 pups. [b]Livestock:[/b] Some rabbits [b]Military:[/b] No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to about 30% of adult population. [b]Food level:[/b] Below Average; being improved [b]Resources:[/b] Lumber (medium quantity; increasing) [b]Wealth:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Trade:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Growth:[/b] [i]Low; impacted from low food level.[/i] [b]Morale:[/b] Low; due to rain and lack of shelter [b]Foreign relations:[/b] None [/hider] [h3][color=lightblue]Attolia[/color][/h3] [hider] The boar spirit was licking its lips and snorting with excitement as looked at the patch of upturned sand. When Caelis approached with the offering of berries, it willingly turned its its head and began to quickly devour them almost as an afterthought. As the spirit's ghostly tongue and teeth came into contact with the berries, the things decayed and became no more than dirt. Perhaps they nonetheless provided the spirit some sustenance, though. When they began to help the boar dig, it quickly became apparent that whatever was down there rested a good five or six feet below the sand. Great effort had been taken to ensure that the elements would not accidentally unearth whatever was down there, but the digging was made easier by how the freshly dug sand hadn't yet had time to settle and compress. After about an hour of digging, they struck something solid. They quickly dug around it and discovered a wooden chest. The thing was surely full, as it was so absurdly heavy that the elves could not lift it out of the hole. Furthermore, the solid wooden boards would not yield and the casket had a huge lock upon it. But the boar was unfazed! It climbed down into the sandy pit and bit the iron lock with its incorporeal mouth. The deathly touch rusted the iron into dust, and then the boar began butting its head upon the chest. The Attolians obliged it by opening the thing, and within was a dazzling pile of gold and jewels the likes of which none of them had ever seen before. The boar jumped right in and chomped down upon a solid bar of gold. The thing disappeared, but the greedy spirit was not yet satisfied. It bit down upon another, and then a third, and only then did it seem content. It trotted over to one of the campfires, looked sadly upon a few bones scattered in the sand, and then disappeared. After searching the beach more thoroughly, it seemed as though those mysterious sailors had caught the boar, roasted it over one of those fires, and then eaten it; however, it was the animal who had the last laugh, for it had claimed a few (literal) bites of their prized treasure and delivered the rest into the hands of the Attolians. The question was now just what Caelis and the others would do with this hoard of wealth; there were easily three hundred pounds of gold right there for the taking, not to mention the numerous jewels. But now they once again echoed the thought, [i]"What will happen if those sailors return?"[/i] With such a precious prize buried upon the shore, it seemed virtually certain that the ship would return in the foreseeable future. Such large amoutns of treasure did not simply go missing; if they came and found the gold missing, the owners would surely scour the land in an attempt to reclaim their prize. Then again, Attolia was several days away, and it seemed unlikely for any mariners to venture so far inland. [hr] Back in their camp, the Attolians continued to make progress towards taming the aurochs. The beasts truly did seem gentle once their trust was earned, but at the slightest provocation or threat to the calves, bull and cow alike would stampede. For that reason, most of the elves remained reluctant to interact with the beasts and left that task to the wood elves. In the meantime, there were other actions that could be taken. [b]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[/b] [b]Population:[/b] 125 men, 126 women, 66 children. [b]Military:[/b] No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. [b]Livestock:[/b] A herd of partially domesticated aurochs (1-3 more turns before they will be fully domesticated) [b]Food level:[/b] Below Average; improving [b]Resources:[/b] Horses (A small number) [b]Wealth:[/b] 300 pounds of gold; some precious jewels [b]Trade:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Growth:[/b] [i]Very low; impacted by racial traits and from low food level.[/i] [b]Morale:[/b] Average [b]Foreign relations:[/b] None [/hider] [h3][color=darkgreen]The ap-Cantar[/color][/h3] [hider] As they turned over the cart and allowed Mewar's bloodied and sun-dried husk to tumble out, the Mewari inside the camp watched on impassively. They maintained that same dead stare as Miksuin once again delivered the ap-Cantar's ultimatum, but none among them stepped forward to join him in brotherhood. A few cast stones toward Miksuin's small party, but even as they were driven away from the encampment the ap-Cantar could see that the Mewari camp was not nearly as brimming as it had been in the weeks before. Many of the warriors within had died on that suicidal raid upon Tilaticantar, and news of Mewar's death had surely shattered the morale of those that stayed behind. Many had doubtless fled back to their homes further upstream. Word had it that one of Mewar's surviving relatives, an uncle or cousin perhaps, now spoke for those who remained in the camp. For fear of retribution at his hands, none of those Mewari had stepped out in the light of day to join Miksuin, but throughout the afternoon and into the beginnings of night, the ap-Cantar waited by the river nearby. A slow stream of former Mewari began to leave the camp and join Miksuin, and when night fell the deserters came by the dozen. So he took those wise ones who chose life and brotherhood over death and treachery, and when they returned to Tilaticantar there were another some fifty men and women come to join the tribe. For whatever it was worth, there still were a few hundred in Mewar's stronghold, but they looked to lack the desire and the capacity to mount any true offensive. Given enough time, they might depose Mewar's family on their own. In any case, there was hardly any rush as a steady trickle of their deserters continued to come seek out the ap-Cantar. Not all of them were cowards who fled in the night; many were women with children who feared for their very safety. In the wake of Mewar's War, the ap-Cantar had lost a great deal of manpower. The women wept for their men and the children for their fathers, as there had been no less than a hundred dead over the past few fortnights. The women now outnumbered the males by nearly two to one, and some of the more respected and powerful men were beginning to look into arrangements to take on multiple wives. Hiwcantar's decree could of course stop such things, but even if he cared for trifles like monogamy, pragmatism might dissuade him from raising a hand in times like these. The ap-Cantar needed to recuperate now. What would they do? [b]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[/b] [b]Population:[/b] 149 men, 288 women, 119 children. [b]Military:[/b] No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 40% of adult population. [b]Food level:[/b] Average [b]Resources:[/b] None [b]Wealth:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Trade:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Growth:[/b] [i]Average[/i] [b]Morale:[/b] Average (increased from victory; taken back down from large casualties) [b]Foreign relations:[/b] None [/hider] [h3][color=purple]The Mustaqilun Tribe[/color][/h3] [hider] When the decision was made to hunt down the beast come morning, Rukdug's party understandably spent much of the night on edge. At any moment the predator that killed Morog could come for them, and some of the orcs were not especially eager to trust others to maintain a careful enough watch during their vigil time. Nonetheless, the night was a cold and uneventful one with nothing but a brilliant view of the stars and the chirping of insects to entertain their minds. So only after a mostly restless night did the orcs break camp and begin their hunt. Rukdug picks up the trail, and after fooling about in some wooded parts for an hour, they finally follow the tracks to a craggy mountain cliff virtually bare of any vegetation. The lack of trees sets them somewhat at ease, since it means less places for something to hide in ambush. But they don't get to muse upon such things for long before the trail takes them to a dark cave up there in the rocks. Various bones are littered around the entrance, and from what light spills down into the dark hole, it looks like even more are inside. They knew that they'd found their place; this was the very picture of what a child would draw for a monster's lair. Cowards might have tried to smoke the beast out of its hiding hole, but it was hard to determine how large the cave was. Perhaps there was enough air down there for the beast to stay put, and in any case there was hardly enough wet vegetation around in the rocky crags for them to burn; they would have had to go all the way back down into the wooded areas below, and they'd already been gone long enough. It was time to get this over with. They hadn't come completely unprepared. A few procured torches made by coating sticks in pine resin, and after a few minutes of fumbling they lit the torches, readied their weapons, and carefully crept into the cave. There were bones littered everywhere, some of the skeletons mostly intact and others torn apart and scattered in pieces. The stench of blood and rot filled the air. Rukdug's nose led his eyes, and he quickly saw a mangled body farther back in the cave. The bones still had some flesh and the ragged remains of clothing attached; that was the only thing that made him recognize the corpse as Morog's half-eaten body. But there was no sign of the monst- Glomp suddenly slammed into Rukdug and brought him to the ground. There hadn't even been an eye's blink of time to spare; Rukdug had felt the beast's claws rake across his shoulder as the thing had silently leaped at him from some shadowy recess behind. It would have surely killed the chieftain in an instant if Glomp hadn't saved him, but there was no time for thanks. The monster landed perfectly and with the same silence that it had leaped with, but then it spun around like lightning and let out a bloodcurdling roar. [hider=The Beast] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/236x/e7/9e/6d/e79e6d70c792b97605472dd5c224cdf1--mystical-pictures-animal-drawings.jpg[/img] [/hider] It was hard to see the giant cat even with the light of the torches; its coat was black as night and it blended perfectly into the shadows. Only the reflection of the light upon its white fangs and blue eyes rendered it easy for the to see. With a cry, one of Rukdug's hunters lunged forward with a spear. The beast rolled out of the point's way and swiped its claw at the hunter's legs. It left a gash deep enough to knock him down, and he only barely held up his spear in a feeble attempt to fend off the panther. One of the other hunters brandished a torch and advanced forward, with the flame scaring the beast enough to discourage it from pouncing upon the downed orc. There was the sound of another hunter nocking an arrow, and then a moment later he fired. The beast was moving quickly, so even in such close quarters the hunter's shot couldn't find its mark. As the beast began to rush at the bowman, Luza took aim from another side side and fired an arrow that struck it in the limb. The beast howled, and one of the other hunters seized its moment of hesitation by hurling his spear. The javelin struck the beast in its flank. Two more arrows found their way into it as well, and by then Rukdug was back on his feet and able to deliver a fatal blow by driving a spear through its neck. The beast still gurgled and hissed, so Rukdug ripped the spear free, dodged the cat's last feeble swipe of a claw, and drove the spearpoint into the beast's heart; only then did the thing finally die. After being especially careful to probe the rest of the cave and ensure that there were no more of the beasts, they could finally rest easy. While the hunters skinned and decapitated the sabertooth, Rukdug took a moment to more closely examine the various remains. He could identify the bones of deer, smaller animals and birds, and even a bear. Many of the animals had broken necks, but the bear's skull and what remained of Morog's head were both nearly crushed. The massive puncture wounds suggested that the beast had leaped from behind and driven its huge fangs into their heads; that was doubtless the fate that would have befallen Rukdug if Glomp hadn't reacted in time. Interestingly, and perhaps disturbingly, Rukdug eventually came across two different skeletons that were unmistakably humanoid. He could look at the bones and try to imagine what the things may have looked like, but he could only compare them to a few beings like orcs and humans. They didn't match up with either of those; the skeleton was far too small and brittle to be that of an orc, and even for a human it would have been quite small, almost childlike. In the end he wasn't quite sure what sort of race they might have belonged to. The skulls might have helped him make that determination, but unfortunately they were crushed even worse than Morog's sorry head. The hunting party wasn't sure what bothered them more; that there were probably dozens of other predatory sabertoothed cats like these lurking in the mountains, or that there might be some other sort of people in the vicinity. Both were food for thought, and likely topics to bring up when they returned to Riverforge. After about an hour of resting, the beast was taken care of and the wounded hunter tended to. The scrapes upon Rukdug's head were merely a flesh wound. They were ready to return to Riverforge with a trophy to show, though there was also the question of what they would do about Morog's body. [hr] Inside the various caves of Riverforge and the surrounding area, former metalworkers and smiths inspected the various stones. As they had been the ones who worked in the old foundries and turned stone and ore into weapons for the Dark One, they were the closest thing that the tribe had to knowledgeable prospectors. A few of the caverns had pretty looking opals and agates, for whatever those were worth, but the pragmatic blacksmiths were more interested in some colored stones that they recognized as malachite. Malachite was a beautiful green much like the agates, but it was also an ore that could be melted for copper. That was something, at least. Making good bronze would require tin and some other minerals that they weren't holding out many hopes of finding, and iron was also proving elusive thus far. But copper alone was better than nothing, and thorugh experimentation maybe the master smiths could create some sort of workable bronze alloy using secondary metals other than tin. In any case, that was just what they found in some of the shallow caves and exposed cliff faces. They could certainly get to work mining and forging copper if that was their order, but some were still hopeful that there would be better materials to be found deeper down. A few in particular wanted to unearth the rubble that blocked that one collapsed cave; if that was just the start of a much larger cavern as they had expected, then clearing the way into there would save them quite a bit of time doing exploratory mining. [b]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[/b] [b]Population:[/b] 187 men, 189 women, 86 children. [b]Military:[/b] No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 60% of adult population. [b]Livestock:[/b] Numerous untamed boars [b]Food level:[/b] Below Average; improving [b]Resources:[/b] River stones (moderate amount; being gradually depleted), copper (none; not yet being mined and exploited) [b]Wealth:[/b] Some semi-precious gemstones [b]Trade:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Growth:[/b] [i]Low; impacted from low food level.[/i] [b]Morale:[/b] Average [b]Foreign relations:[/b] None [/hider] [h3][color=orange]Orr'gavol: The Hammersworn[/color][/h3] [hider] The Union of Mithril were quick to deliver results. Within a week they had dug three mining shafts in the nearby hills and seen to the construction of some rudimentary wagons, and after that the carts of lignite had flowed without end. They heaped the brown coal into great piles and it set the people at ease to see that they were now sure to never run out of fuel for the longhouse fires come winter. Of course, it was also good to see that they had some means of taking up their crafts once more. Even with the quantities that they had, the intensity and pace of their mining operations only increased. When winter came and the snows settled, the effort to traverse the woodlands and the hills and transport the lignite would be magnified tenfold. It was harder to measure the success that some of the others were having. Kegs were stuffed full of various grains and the brewers added their secret ingredients and then left the barrels to sit. While the fermentation took place it was hard to determine if the result would be anything close to drinkable, but for whatever it was worth, the barrels began to pile up. That was when the crowded communal housing began to become problematic; some dwarves did not take kindly to their sleeping and living spaces becoming even more tight once room inside the longhouses was set aside for the brewers to keep their fermenting barrels. It was the Union of Steel that faced the most bitter luck and adversity. Even as the first snows fell, they kept sending out expeditions to scour the hills, but it was all to no avail. They finally turned their eyes to the more distant mountains to the northeast. Those snowcapped and rocky heights were more promising, but also much more treacherous at this time of the year. Simply tunneling into the base of the mountains to blindly look for minerals would have taken a great deal of time, effort, and resources that the Orr'gavol as a whole simply didn't have, much less the Union of Steel. So failing that, the prospector teams hiked and climbed about the mountain in serach of some signs on the surface that might indicate the presence of an ore vein. In their exploration, one trio of young miners discovered a narrow pass about halfway up the closest mountain, between it and the next mount over to the west. It was a narrow path; on one side they had a bleak wall of exposed stone that they meticulously searched for ores, and to the other side they had nothing but a bleak fall of more than a hundred feet. A light dusting of snow might have made the drop not so terrifying, were it not for the countless sharp stones that poked through the snow down there like knives. The youngest among the trio, one named Kadol, tried to avoid thinking about that fall by focusing upon the steady breathing of his friends and the path ahead. So intense was his mental state that he didn't notice the blackish crystals in the stone until he nearly came close enough to brush a hand against them. "Magnetite!" he cried out. The other two let out a whoop of joy and confirmed his discovery; that was an iron ore, alright. They began to walk up and down the path, trying to get an idea of just how much of the ore was present. They could already see it: they'd create some lifts and pullies, then lower the ores down there into the valley below where the going would be safer, and then they'd load it into carts and haul it back to their settlement--but then Kadol let out a second cry, this one of fear rather than excitement. He had walked on ahead up the path and stumbled across a sight so scary that he'd nearly backpedaled and tumbled off the ledge. [hider] [img]https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4061/4415406955_73ff6799e6.jpg[/img][/hider] It was a wraith, the ghastly likeness of what was once a dwarf. The forlorn spirit wore some armor of primitive design and carried a sword and buckler every bit as incorporeal as his flesh. The ghost must have been an ancient one; its faded form had nearly blended into the bleak stone and light snow. Kadol's eye darted to the side, and there he saw a recess in the cliff face with what looked like that dwarf's body, utterly encased and entombed in some sort of ice. Whether from the ice or the wind or the ghost's presence, the air up here had a deathly chill. The ghost looked every bit as startled as Kadol and the two behind him, but before anything could be said, the three prospectors fled. [b]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[/b] [b]Population:[/b] 214 men, 212 women, 98 children. [b]Military:[/b] No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. [b]Food level:[/b] Average; food stores decreasing [b]Resources:[/b] Lignite coal (low grade; large amount, increasing), iron ore (none, has been discovered but not yet mined) [b]Wealth:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Trade:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Growth:[/b] [i]Average[/i] [b]Morale:[/b] Average [b]Foreign relations:[/b] None [/hider] [h3][color=aba000]The Aedelfaari[/color][/h3] [hider] When King Eric and his entire party (save for the one messenger, of course) chose to venture onward, the forest seemed to welcome them into its embrace. As they hiked on down the path, the trees grew taller and mightier. The air itself felt ancient and magical, and they could only imagine that this was what one of the elven forest retreats of legend might have looked like. There was a great abundance of life. Deer, squirrels, and the like all looked up to take notice of the passing humans, but then after a moment went back to their devices in indifference. They were utterly unafraid, whether because they had never before seen men or perhaps the king's offering. On and on the twisting trail went, taking them to the heart of the deep woods. There, they suddenly came to huge clearing with the greenest and most idyllic grass they had ever seen. Rainbows, butterflies, and soothing mists filled the sky, and before them the path went on to a small hill that laid in the very center of the clearing. Crowning that hill were a perfect circle of mighty trees whose high branches were interwoven tight as wicker baskets; it was like a fortress of wood. They followed the path and climbed the hill, passing underneath the ring of trees. In the center, the Lord of the Forest was waiting. This was the deerman whose likeness had been carved upon the trees, but those mere pictures had failed to do his stature justice nor impress his power upon the Aedels. He was seated upon the ground, but if upright he would have easily stood twice as tall as Eric ap Adrin, and that wasn't even counting the massive antlers that crowned his head. Beneath his shaggy fur they could tell that his body rippled with muscle and primal strength, and yet he looked utterly tranquil and at peace. His naked fur and eyes were both as brown as a tree's bark, and they stood in contrast to the great stone boulder beside him. The rock had a flattened top such that it looked like a shrine, and on the slab were laid all manner of various objects. But the offering that Eric had given to the wolf still rested in the beast's mouth; it laid down in the grass beside its master. The deerman regarded the Aedels in silence as they approached, the hint of a smile in his eyes. They stood there expectantly for many moments, but he said nothing. They couldn't bring themselves to say anything either; somehow, they knew that the being before them was one of the wild and that it would never understand their speech. Neither party seeming to know entirely what to do, the awkward gawking continued for a few moments before the deerman reached down to take the sack of food offering from the wolf's mouth. He struggled with opening it, but when he did, his huge fingers delicately removed a single berry. He held it up to the light and looked at it closely, then nonchalantly cast it away into the grass. The gesture might have seemed to be one of anger, but something about his presence was calming enough that the humans did not panic. The Lord of the Forest reached down to gather a small object by his feet. Thy had at first taken it to be no more than a stick, but as he held it up they could see it for it truly was: a small flute. The gentle breeze shifted direction, and they could suddenly hear the faintest sound of song and prayer coming all the way from Waebury. The deerman stopped completely and nodded his head to the sound of the hymns; it seemed that he had a great love for music. When the wind shifted and the sound of the song faded, he brought the flute to his lips and answered with a song of his own. There was so much beauty and magic to his song that the blackberry he had cast away suddenly rotted and its seed sprouted, and within seconds a blackberry bush grew from the ground before their awed eyes. For some time, the exchange of song went back and forth; the wind would carry the music of Waebury, but then it would always shift such that the deerman could answer when it was his turn, and they would all sit and listen to his enthralling music. In the end, the party before him began to suspect that he was [i]willing[/i] the wind to change direction and making it so. But in any case, the sun soon came to hang low in the sky. The Lord of the Forest looked up to it, and then back to the Aedels assembled before him. He was not so powerful as to command the sun, and so it was nearing time for them to return to their homes lest they be caught in the forest at night. A familiar bear suddenly entered the clearing and acted as if it was to be their escort home. [hr] At Waebury, they knew not how their song had, more than even the King's offering of food, secured a peace and friendly understanding with nothing less than a divine being. So they had merely kept singing in their choir, assured by the heavenly song that returned to answer them each time. In the end they all felt uplifted. [b]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[/b] [b]Population:[/b] 192 men, 190 women, 84 children. [b]Military:[/b] No standing military. Militia able to be conscripted up to 30% of adult population. [b]Food level:[/b] Average [b]Resources:[/b] None [b]Wealth:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Trade:[/b] Nonexistent [b]Growth:[/b] [i] Above Average; influenced by food and morale[/i] [b]Morale:[/b] High; elevated by magical music [b]Foreign relations:[/b] [color=Green][i]Lord of the Forest[/i]: Friendly[/color] [/hider]