Decades pass, once more.
On the plains, House Esra continues to develop the fundamentals of masonry, eventually nailing down the fundamental principles of building. The local huts are given solid adobe foundations, making them much more sturdy. Plans are considered for a wall to encircle the whole village, but with lukewarm support from House Arvay and the Cult of the Grass and no support from House Esra, the wall remains unfinished even after many years. Meanwhile, the power and influence of the Three Houses continues to grow, and with trade bringing food and wealth into the Grasslands from all parts of the valley, the grasslanders enjoy a golden age of prosperity.
In the hills, the new tradition of slavery is embraced and continued. While many of the original crop of slaves weaken and die from mistreatment, the hillfolk range beyond the valley to take more slaves every now and again, keeping the stock full. The slaves are slightly more productive than free clansmen, and the freemen reap the benefits. A small population of the hillfolk abandon farming and devote themselves exclusively to war, becoming the first true warriors of the valley.
In the bogs, one of the families turns entirely to gathering herbs and materials from the bog, while the head of the other family devotes her full time to the herbal arts. They soon learn the techniques of basic healthcare and medicine from the riverfolk, trading for most of their food with the barge-men along the river.
In the forest and the hills, the cult of Bohromu flourishes, gaining power and members. Some time during your slumber, one of the most capable hunters of the forest stumbles upon a cave littered with golden hairs and discovers a strange spear made not of wood but a gleaming golden metal, stronger and sharper than any rock he has ever seen. More than this, it glows with the light of the sun. The hunter leaves the forest and joins the cult of Bohromu in the hills, where the Golden Bear is worshipped as sun god and war god both. In their raids, they find the spear brings them luck, and frightens their foes.
The riverlands remain quiet, but as the overfishing of the river continues they are forced to trade their pottery to import more and more foods from the grasslands, forest and hills. The cult of the Blessed Spirit spreads to a sizeable minority of the rivermen, and the Potter families grow in importance and influence as well.
The barges bring goods up and down the river, but they bring ideas as well. Riding along with shipments of fish, the primitive notions of healthcare and medicine make it to the Whispering Hills. In pots of grain and bales of felt, the secrets of weaponcraft make it to the bog, and the bogkin begin to train themselves as a simple militia, arming themselves further against incursion. And from the bogs, with the herbs and fungi they extract comes the knowledge of how to use them as well.
Two new things come to your attention as you awaken, both ocurring on the Whispering Hills. The first is that one of the hillfolk has apparently discovered that a particular greenish rock, when cut open with a sharp rock, has a pleasing reddish sheen within. He has found that he can hammer this new material into different shapes, which it will keep. There is some excitement at this new material, and simple bangles of it are becoming common as a form of jewellery.
The second are strangers at the tributaries to the Blessed River, coming over the hills with strange animals laden with leather packs full of grains and clayware. So far, their contact with the hillfolk has been minimal, and the hillfolk have been unwelcoming to potential goat rustlers.
Inhabitants: 298 (280 Fishermen, 17 Clay-workers, 1 Healer)
Health: Moderate
Happiness: Above Average
4 Families: Creativity/Dexterity Enhancement
Primitive Healthcare
Primitive Medicine
Primitive Watercraft
Cult of the Blessed Spirit
Ecology: Stable
Natural Health: Average
Biodiversity: Moderate
Biomass: Above Average
General Strength: 55
Natural Strength: 21
Cultural Strength: 25
Inhabitants: 147 (123 Farmers, 22 Craftsmen, 2 Healers)
Health: Good
Happiness: Blissful
Primitive Agriculture
Basic Crop Management
Basic Irrigation
Primitive Masonry
Primitive Woodcraft
Primitive Weaponcraft
Primitive Healthcare
Primitive Medicine
Militia Tradition
Tribal Government
3 Families: Intelligence Enhancement
3 Families: Native Phytomancy (Sense)
Cult of the Grass
Ancestor Shrine (Enchanted for Calm Weather)
Village Palisade [40% complete]
Ecology: Stable
Natural Health: Moderate
Biodiversity: Moderate
Biomass: Moderate
General Strength: 44
Natural Strength: 18
Cultural Strength: 24
Inhabitants: 33 (Foresters)
Health: Fairly Good
Happiness: Cheerful
Cairn Sites
Shrine to Bohromu
Cult of Bohromu
Primitive Healthcare
Primitive Woodcraft
Ecology: Robust
Natural Health: Fairly Good
Biodiversity: Above Average
Biomass: Above Average
Golden Bears
General Strength: 30
Natural Strength: 15
Cultural Strength: 13
Inhabitants: 85 (75 Herders (13 Slaves), 5 Felters/Clothiers, 5 Warriors)
Health: Moderate
Happiness: Optimistic
Primitive Weaponcraft
Primitive Metalcraft
Primitive Medicine
Basic Slavery
4 Families: Enhanced toughness
Cult of Bohromu
[The Sunspear]
Cult of the Whispering Wind
Ecology: Stable
Natural Health: Fine
Biodiversity: Moderate
Biomass: Above Average
Whispergrass
Growth-favoured Climate
Domesticated Goats
General Strength: 47
Natural Strength: 22
Cultural Strength: 19
Inhabitants: 17 (9 Swampfolk, 6 Herbalists, 2 Witch Doctors)
Health: Excellent
Happiness: Ecstatic
2 Families: Enhanced Perception, Swamp Resistance
Primitive Healthcare
Primitive Medicine
Primitive Weaponcraft
Basic Construction
Militia Tradition
Ecology: Stable
Natural Health: Good
Biodiversity: Below Average
Biomass: Moderate
General Strength: 49
Natural Strength: 10
Cultural Strength: 5
Inhabitants: 580 (524 Peasants (13 Slaves), 46 Crafters, 5 Professionals, 5 Warriors)
Health: Fairly Good
Happiness: Optimistic
Ecology: None
Natural Health: -
Biodiversity: Nil
Biomass: Nil
General Strength: 56
Natural Strength: 0
Cultural Strength: 61
And we're back! As I said, jury duty took a lot out of me (unpleasant trial), but I've made a few more adjustments to the underlying systems and we're good to go.
A few things that have changed:
+ Automated population growth for non-primary citizens.
+ Automated trade selection (does starving citizens first, then searches for bounty).
+ Automated overgrazing/overfishing. Right now only the River is being overfished. Overfarming reduces biomass, ecology, diversity and general natural health.
+ Agriculture is now dependent on the overall health of the ecosystem - so overfarming damages agriculture as well, now.
+ Automated slavery. Slaves have a lower rate of reproduction, are more miserable and less healthy than free citizens, and they don't immigrate. Instead, they have a separate capture mechanic tied to the slavery technology and how actively slaves are taken. Children of slaves remain enslaved. On the bright side, slaves are a good 20% more productive than free citizens, and slaving tech will only improve that.
+ Tech spread is now automated, based on how many tech-spreading technologies exist. The first is the river barges, so tech will spread to and from the river slightly more than other regions.
+ Factions such as the grasslander Houses have their own (currently hidden) stats. They have resources they can dedicate to projects, and some have their own soldiers.
I'm sure I'll update the engine more as we go on.