[i]Sacta Civitas, 11 AA to 16 AA[/i] It took over a month for Tadiza to repeat the work needed to complete the enchanting of her latest invention as she ended up incorporating the newly acquired mana honey and magical inks into the design, waxing the bottom with a substance containing water mana honey and painting the sails with ink drawn from the sea-breeze. When the day came crowds gathered to watch the ceremonial launching of the ship, the most notable member being the Vrool tyrant of the oceans around the city who was drawn to the ceremony by the Klaarungraxian nature of the ships figurehead and rumors that the vessel heralded an age of longer distance sea travel. As the mighty ship was rowed around the walled harbor for the crowds amusement those paying attention could see the tyrant engaging in negotiations with some of the city’s officials, including Amulius the Diplomat, about them paying for the ‘protection’ of the city’s shipping should they push their trade routes further along the coast. A bit of shrewd negotiation, a shower of gifts, the consumption of a large barrel of wine and the Matarin male’s pheremonal influence allowed Amulius to turn the protection money the Tyrant was demanding into a promise of actual protection of their ships from raids, and retribution against any that did occur, in return for a share of any wealth they might ship across the tyrant’s aquatic realm. With the contract sealed by a Tekretsian priest the ship, named the WayFinder, was free to begin pushing the boundaries of the city’s naval range with impunity, daringly seeking out new lands full of new resources and peoples for the city to exploit or trade with. The ship performed wonderfully, scything though the waves powered by its twin sets of oars and magically produced winds. What rapidly became apparent however was that the ship longed for its creator, for any real damages it received could not be repaired without Tadiza doping herself on Inspiration ink and seeing to the repairs personally, particularly because amateur attempts often resulted in unexplained explosions. As a result any long distance travel required the presence of the Inventor to keep the Wayfinder shipshape, meaning the vespain woman becoming a near permanent fixture on the ship as it made a series of adventures westwards. Her presence was a mix of boon and curse because while she sometimes Innovated the ship out of trouble her presence meant that the ship became home to an ever increasing stockpile of rather volatile Inventions. As the ship sailed out and brought back tales of distant lands the city went through a population boom thanks to the burst of agricultural innovations and improvements that had been brought on by Kallak, Tadiza and the Embassies’ efforts. Long term storage of food, the introduction of domesticated giant ants and the simple yet effective pesticides of the ladybird shrines allowed more food to be produced, stored and transported which in turn increased the population the city could support. The rapid maturation of goblins also meant that this increase was felt rather rapidly, producing more workers who could work more fields who’s fruits filled the City's coffers. A late arrival to these improvements were the Lords Over Nature. Once they had spent a year learning the basics of magic (and how to read) in the Library Silandrazz and Stoshri rapidly drew in more members to their fledgling order as a result of several minor contributions to the library in the form of spells regarding the biokinetic manipulation of insects. Most importantly for Silandrazz she managed to use stone from Sancta Civitas to induce the mortal friendly attitude of the city’s swarmlings in any member of the species, an innovation she brought home to her tribe during an expedition of the Wayfinder into the central desert’s ocean filled canyonways. In doing so they also established a trade route to and from the desert hives, mostly for fire honey. In the city, the Lords Over Nature’s research resulted in several minor improvements to agricultural via the modification of plants and animals, including creating a variant of cloud moth caterpillar that could be effectively milked for silk, which provided a greater and more consistent source of the fabric than waiting for the giant caterpillar to spin a cocoon and then slaughtering it. Other uses included the controlling of animals, mostly large insects, which helped with domestication efforts and the use of magic to improve a mortal’s physical characteristics temporarily. Silandrazz and Stoshri also helped with the Library mages' various other research projects. The red star maple trees were confirmed to be the source of the interference that prevented the network of mind bound Servant from forming on their island, something which the City’s Servants began experimenting with ways to bypass. Reliable sources of all four kinds of mana honey were eventually established and shipped into the city and experimentation began with the use of the honey and in the combination of the elements into other elements. Ink continued to be experimented with, as began to be used to enhance the construction of magical objects, in the creation of artwork and as magical body paint. Finally, the newly consecrated nature of the Builder-priests ushered in a new wave of construction and carving, as they used their divine carving skills to both decorate the city with grand artworks dedicated to the gods, the city's history and it's people while also taking part in the more humble and vital task of producing more housing for the city’s booming population. As the city improved itself, the wayfinder roamed further and further from home. As they did so, they made contact with many Vespian, goblin and akua tribes along the coast of Whakarongo, establishing good relations with several and opening up trade with them that would allow them to resupply and travel ever westwards. As they traveled, the explorers became enamored with Akuan tales of the island of Pakohu, a place they could sometimes catch glimpses the mountaintops of on clear days Five full years after the Wayfinder first touched the waves Tadiza and her trusty crew loaded up on supplies, sailors and trade goods and set out seeking to travel west till they found a rumored peninsula that they believed was the perfect place to launch themselves across the open sea towards Pakohu. What strange lands might they discover? Want new peoples might they meet? What dangers awaited them on their travels? The crew of the Wayfinder did not know, but they were all too eager to find out. [hider=summary] Sancta Civitas timeline advances by 5 years. The Wayfinder, Tadiza’s divinely inspired Bireme, is launched and begins to explore the seas around Whakarongo, culminating in an expedition to find a way to cross the open sea and reach Pakohu. Meanwhile in the city, the population increases thanks to various invitations and divine blessings increasing the city’s food production and storage capabilities. Negotiations are made with the local Vrool tyrant to pay them custom taxes in return for the guarantee of the safety of long distance shipping across the tyrant’s oceanic domain. The Lords over nature expand into a proper order, invent biokinetic modification and Silandrazz finds a way to calm her tribe's swarmlings using stone from Sancta Civitas, opening the tribe up for trade with the city. They also make it so that the city’s silk producing giant moth caterpillars can be milked for their fabric instead of needing to be grown and then butchered for it when they make their cocoons. The Red maple leaf trees are confirmed to be causing issues with the Servant’s Mindbound link, and steps are made to begin investigating ways to bypass this. Source of all the forms of mana honey are acquired by the city and experimentation in its use are made. The use and uses of magical ink also increases. Finally the Builder-priests revel in their newly gifted abilities, producing grand homes for the increasing population and lovingly decorate the city with intricate decorations of all shapes and sizes. [/hider] [hider=mp summary] Start mp/dp: 1/0 Lords over nature, 1 mp for 3rd title wight (described below) 0mp (insect discount) -> mutate giant caterpillars to be milkable for silk 0mp (ship discount) -> consecrate the Wayfinder, Tadiza’s Inventor tech bireme Cut through the waves I: the ship's outer hull is incredibly smooth, reducing drag and friction and increasing speed. Resilient Hull I: the ship is sturdier that its materials should allow. End mp/dp: 0/0 1/5 arcane monuments 5/5 mad science 1/5 for medicine Prestige: 5 k chars => +3 Lords Over Nature Start 20 10 -> new title (+1 wight from mp used above) Biokinetic modification II: The order has an innate talent for the use and research of magical bioengineering. This could be used to improve crops, modify animals for domestication, increase a person's strength, create flesh weapons, perform surgery etc. 10 -> major major technological shift -> invention of biokinetic magic: the use of magic for the manipulation and modification of plants and animals +3 End 3 Builder-Priests +3 (total 8) Inventors +3 (total 13) [@Legion02] Sevants +3 Library +3 [/hider]