TURN ONE RESULTS
Colonise E17, E21, F20
Harsh winds and storms assault the golem settlers in the northern mountains to terrifying effect; lacking permanent shelter they are quickly dispersed and a number destroyed in accidents or simply lost. Although they hold out for a year, the colony fails and only a handful return.
The southern effort is far more successful, effective prospecting and the establishment of sturdy shelters protecting the early settlers from the harsh elements and providing for the construction of fresh golems for the heavy labour needed for permanent settlement. Within a scant few years, a fully-functioning colony is established and envoys are sent back to the home catacombs with gifts of fresh ore and newly fabricated golems.
The south-eastern expedition is a complete disaster. Harsh terrain and large, predatory beasts conspire to confound the settlement attempts of the industrious golems set to the task. Despite their personal strength and armour, the wild creatures of the region are adept at destroying the simple shelters of the golems whilst they are out prospecting and scattering their ore supplies. The precipitous heights and disastrous weather cause record numbers of accidents and mechanical lock-ups, resulting in an eventual abandonment of the colony. Heavy winter snows delay the return of the settlers, until at last only three golems trudge back to the catacombs, bearing tales of terrible conditions. One of them, however, swears blind that whilst lost in the snow drifts he caught sight of the biggest vein of silver he had ever seen.
- E17 and F20 colonies fail. E21 succeeds well enough that it sends a bonus point of Population back to the home hex.
Improve Architecture
The great golden golem, Architect 23, was hailed for a brief time as the greatest mason of its age. With the aid of those golems who had stayed behind with the strange glowing stone it had constructed a great edifice over the mines with great vaulted archways and a thousand rooms for the housing of its kin. Vast workshops were provided for the construction of more golems and provisions even made for meeting halls to discuss culture and reason.
When the envoys from the southern colony returned, they were astonished to find their homes in ruins amidst a massive pile of rubble. A scant few survivors remained, including a broken and insane golden golem who had to be put down. As they sifted through the rubble and rebuilt their homes, odd constructions did give the mason golems some new ideas on improving construction work.
- Plus one, minus one. The bonus population from E21 replaces the point of Pop lost from the experimentation with architecture. A bonus of 1EP to Sturdy Architecture is gained from the sacrifice.
Tip: Research requires investment of units. Population sphere research can be especially dangerous, as it requires investment of Population units. The more units risked, the greater the chance of success or survival. Since E19 only had one unit, I only used one unit.
Plumb for Materials (Pop Scouting check)
Strip mining of the mountain reveal very little new ore, mostly only uncovering a great deal of relatively worthless granite and schist and simultaneously destroying some of the more arable land in the region. So much effort is spent on this fruitless venture that existing ore stocks are depleted, reducing the availability of metal for new golems.
- Land in the region is reduced by 1.
Indoctrinating against other Entities
The three entities began to discuss the merits of harmony and power as the curious villagers looked on. For three long hours they contended one another with words and reason as the mystified Serani listened. In the first hour, Endren discussed the nature of Harmony putting forth the argument that only with peace could the world expect to grow. Agreeing with him in principle, Jouli contended that sometimes it was necessary for the strong to take leadership of the weak, the wise of the foolish, the sighted of the blind. If a sighted man cannot convince a blind man of his strength by word, should he be denied the power to prove it by act? This argument did not settle well with the Serani, so it seemed that Endren had won the first round. However, the presence of the two entities was significant enough that the discussion continued. So it was that Joulan raised the importance of skill and strength, which Endren agreed with on the provision that it served to protect the people. No real conclusion was reached in the second hour and some of the listeners began to grow bored. In the final hour, Endren put forth his contention that the loss of any life was abominable and that even a stronger Serani should flee in the face of combat rather than carry blood upon his hands. Jouli then asked the people if they could look upon themselves with respect, knowing that they had fled like cowards when a victory and the security of their peoples could be have. The words rang true for the Serani present and so they turned their ears away from the old figure and instead to the two young siblings.
- The Armour of the neutral religious factions are increased by 3 against Endren.
Recruiting Worshippers
In the final hour before the villagers left for their huts, Endren attempted vainly to recruit followers to his teachings of peace and harmony, yet though no Serani showed him enmity, not a one would listen. All were focused intently upon the words of the two figures sat opposite. So it would be for many years as Endren journeyed amongst the Serani.
No success in gaining followers.
Indoctrinating against other Entities
The three entities began to discuss the merits of harmony and power as the curious villagers looked on. For three long hours they contended one another with words and reason as the mystified Serani listened. In the first hour, Endren discussed the nature of Harmony putting forth the argument that only with peace could the world expect to grow. Agreeing with him in principle, Jouli contended that sometimes it was necessary for the strong to take leadership of the weak, the wise of the foolish, the sighted of the blind. If a sighted man cannot convince a blind man of his strength by word, should he be denied the power to prove it by act? This argument did not settle well with the Serani, so it seemed that Endren had won the first round. However, the presence of the two entities was significant enough that the discussion continued. So it was that Joulan raised the importance of skill and strength, which Endren agreed with on the provision that it served to protect the people. No real conclusion was reached in the second hour and some of the listeners began to grow bored. In the final hour, Endren put forth his contention that the loss of any life was abominable and that even a stronger Serani should flee in the face of combat rather than carry blood upon his hands. Jouli then asked the people if they could look upon themselves with respect, knowing that they had fled like cowards when a victory and the security of their peoples could be have. The words rang true for the Serani present and so they turned their ears away from the old figure and instead to the two young siblings.
- The Armour of the neutral religious factions are increased by 3 against Endren.
Recruiting Worshippers
In the last hour before the villagers returned to their huts to sleep, they paid keen attention to the words of Joulan and Jouli. Satisfying as their victory over Endren had been, it was a minor one. Compelling as their arguments were, they lacked real substance and so although all the Serani present sang their praises that night, their words were forgotten a month later. So it would be for many years as the pair journeyed amongst the Serani.
No success in gaining followers.
Create a Cyclone of Fish (Deed: Population)
The tiny Xenopross and his handful of friends stared up from their nets at the turbulent sky, fear and uncertainty filling their minds. The loud one, Salmon Blue-Stripe, had shouted at the sky in rage at the constant rain and wind delaying their fishing, thrusting up the sacred stone, and it seemed the sky had answered. They quivered as the winds and rain grew harsher and more terrifying, a horrific spout spearing down from the heavens and drawing up water from the sea. As sea and sky met, the water whipped around them and slashed their faces with brine. Rubbing the salt from their eyes, they were astounded to see fish almost flinging themselves into their nets from the turbulent waters!
- The cyclone does indeed produce a one-off fishing boon, but it has no lasting effect beyond that one miracle.
Create Prophet/Avatar, Clear Blue Skies (Deed: Religion)
As the Xenopross cried out in joy at their fortune, they drew back in fear as lightning struck the sea and the sands. Though most of the group hurried for shelter, Salmon Blue-Stripe alone remained, staring at the sky in blank terror. To the horror of his friends, a searing pillar of lightning came down from the tempestous skies and brought him to the ground. Mere moments after that, the storm seemed to fade and be carried away by strong but gentle winds, revealing a clear blue sky.
The group of frantic Xenopross lumbered over to the distant form of their friend, gasping in amazement as it first stirred, then strongly arose. As they grew nearer, it became clear that he had been changed deeply by the experience. A powerful confidence radiated from his eyes and when he spoke it seemed to carry the impression of roaring winds. More impressively, the hair of his tail stood straight upon its end and it seemed if one looked closely as if a thousand tiny points of light swirled beneath his skin.
"Salmon Blue-Stripe?" they called, trembling.
"Yes," the Xenopross thundered, "but not as you knew me. There are things I must tell you. Great and terrible things, of the sky. Of Madric."
As one, the fishermen sank to their hind knees and began to venerate the prophet before them.
+4 to Belief (T1 Generation) for Xenopross. Of the religious units generated next turn, Madric will start with 1 free cult. Avatar generated in the form of a Xenopross prophet. Future prophets will continue to serve as Madric's avatar until one is defeated or He withdraws His patronage.
Colonise D10, F10, E11
Small troops of Serani began the long migrations south, curiosity stirred amongst them by the recent series of events amongst their people. As the decades progressed, many small villages began to pop up along the river, which the Serani came to name and regard with importance. Similarly, Serani in the southern forests began to erect small villages amongst the clearings dotted through the woods. It was only in the deep woods to the east that trouble stirred. Time and again, adventurous Serani attempted to settle there only to be chased out by packs of lera-mabāli. Eventually, a reputation developed for that part of the wood and so the Serani remained distant from it.
Successful colonisation of D10 and E11. Colony failed in F10.
Search for Somniferous Plants (Population Perception check)
Serani herablists comb the newer regions for herbs of value during the expansion. Some of the cannier serani began to experiment with a herb that could quite often kill smaller animals by grinding it up and watering it down until it just made them sleepy. A few serani died attempting to ingest it themselves, signalling many years of careful trial and error before reasonable results would be achieved.
Somniferous herbs found in E11, need EP investment to make use of.
Build Temple in E9 (Deed: Population)
Hard work and sweat pay off. It isn't much, but after a solid year of design and construction, a large mud hut with an open roof is constructed over the village's fire pit and festivals begin to be held within it. Some of the serani start burning the new herbs on the fire, which is generally considered relaxing. However, worship is still largely confined to elemental concepts and uncertain spirits; neither Joulan and Jouli nor Endren hold any more than minor sway.
1 EP to new trait, Shrines (T1 Religion Armour)
Draft Recruits (Research: Military, plus Stealth check)
Enthusiastic as the PPT may have been, a handful of stone-age malcontents plotting in a hole by the sea do not an army make. Fortunately, Engles proved to be a charismatic speaker and, though he never really achieved the revolutionary successes he had hoped to, his persistent conviction throughout his life not only kept the movement going but slowly increased its ranks, though never to the level where they presented a true threat. His success in devising methods of capturing and indoctrinating random fisherxen would prove an important foundation in drafting real armies in decades to come. It is uncertain whether it is a mark of his skill at covert operations or the negligible effect of his life overall that the PPT remained unnoticed by any of the great social powers.
Increase Xenopross Draft trait by 3. Actions unnoticed by Xenocon or Xenopross in general.
Bread Riots (Research: Military)
Throughout his life, Engles attempted to periodically start fights and spread discontent over the matter of food and its distribution by the clan rulers. Unfortunately for him, there was never really any great famine during his lifetime and his efforts neither trained his recruits in disruptive tactics nor really dealt any great social blows.
No real success or failure.
Commune (Deed: Military)
The colonel's interpretation of Engles' order may not have been exactly as intended, but once again the secrecy (or ignominy) of the PPT probably saved it from serious repercussions. Not really a man of rousing speeches, the colonel took a few recruits to set up a tiny commune fishing Dobbler fish far from the central clans. It succeeded insomuch as the ten or so Xenopross who started it didn't exactly die out instantly, but it never really took off the ground either. Eventually the colonel realised that he would require a substantial population of colonists to actually form a real colony rather than an isolated hamlet of separatists.
Once again, being not much of a speaker he returned to the tried and true method of flat-out kidnapping random Xenopross wherever he could. Unfortunately, the colonel was not particularly effective at managing this on a large scale and was eventually killed by an angry mob. The tiny little commune eventually died out without any support from the homelands. Most Xenopross never even knew it existed.
No success. [Action attempted was to seize a point of Xenopross population and force a colonisation attempt.]
Scout F16, F14 (Scout: Population or Military)
Monoliths floated across the barren desert, soaking up the sun's rays and scouring the land for anything interesting. Ultimately, they failed to find anything of interest.
Nothing of note in either hex.
Colonise F16
As the years went on, more and more Monoliths threw themselves into the vast, baking desert, seeking out suitable locations to plant themselves firmly in the sands and soak up the light. Unfortunately the effort of hovering the many-score miles to their new homes drained the energy reserves of the majority of the Monoliths, enough so that when the seasonal sandstorms came and blotted out the sun they could not survive on the power stored within them. Hundreds of monoliths cracked and failed leaving eerie graveyards of silent black husks throughout the desert, whistling in the wind.
Colony Fails, 2 Pop lost.
Psychic Development (Research: Social)
Time and again, Monoliths experimented with the signals broadcast between one another, trying to extend the range of their communication. Alas, the furthest away they could be from one another and still hear their voices was no more than a handful of inches.
No Loss, No Gain
Settle F20 and F22
A strange curiosity and desire for expansion gripped the eyeless lizards as they tunneled and scrabbled through the underworld. Bhuur, though they did not yet call themselves such, began to migrate north. Tunnelling and crawling upon the surface when the burning sensation was not as strong, Bhuur made their way through harsh conditions and the threat of predation by means of their natural adaptation to subterranean ways. One colony, the harsher, showed little promise. The winds there were powerful, battering even beneath the ground, and the flying beasts there were ravenous. Unable to find purchase with their limited claws for digging, the northern migration of Bhuur snuck home to the not-rock, surviving because of their skill at remaining unseen. The returning colonists made mention of a curious rock there that smelled like metal, but a metal they were unfamiliar with. The western colony, though initially showing promise, made its home in unfortunate ground; a great movement of the earth killed nearly all the lizards who made their homes there.
Colony at F20 fails, but colonists return safely to home hex. Colony at F22 fails.
Scout G23, H22 (Scout: Pop & Military)
The gatherers made their way across the open plains, moving mostly under cover of night and burrowing beneath the ground in the day. The plains seemed plentiful enough with the sound of food, with only scant beasts sounding large enough to be particular threats. In the western stretches the gatherers come across a type of grass that although soft in summer, come autumn dries into a long, hard shaft with a sharp end. The gatherers learn to make their temporary burrows in thickets surrounded by these sharp grasses, which fend off predators.
+2 to Military Reaction in H22.
Inspire Gathering in Jottarians (Deed: Population or Economic)
In the months that followed, more and more Jottarians told tales of a great serpent that came to them when they were alone, or else in dreams, and spoke to them. It had compelled them to search for more and varied types of herbs and fruit, to seek out rarities and profit from them. Unfortunately, the fruit it had guided them to was bitter and many upset stomachs came from the herbs it had suggested. After some time, the Jottarians began to regard the words of such visions with less weight.
Attempt failed; Loss of 1 point in Religion (Power)
Encourage Exploration & Expansion (Deed: Religion)
Other Jottarians were visited in their dreams or alone by the great serpent, receiving visions and warnings that great signs would come to show them a path to great prosperity and fortune. One day, at a great feast being held by a village oft-plagued by such visions, the vines in the trees rose up of their own volition, twisting themselves all in a certain direction. A rising wind came, blowing to the north-west, and they knew. As one, the village began to move.
Successfully twist a number of Jottarians into attempting an Expedition to C23.
Devise Hammer (Research: Population)
The surprisingly industrious Jottar seize upon LongHair's 'straight branch' and begin attempting to refine the design. In less than two generations, the hammer has been developed to include a weight bound to the end and is being used to pound starch from tree pith, as well as to force specially cut branches together to produce better housing frames.
+4 to Toolmaking (T1 Population Action)
Forced Expansion to C23
The village inspired by Verinaath's visions was but one of many that followed them into the northwestern jungles. For a time they enjoyed great prosperity, bringing back news of many strange and wonderous plants there. Soon enough, though, reports came also of strange black creatures that swung through the trees like shadows, faster than the eye could see and strong enough to rip the arms from an unwary Jottar. Eventually communication with the northeastern jungle ceased, once and for all.
Colony Failed.
I didn't consider the language thing an action; if you want definite advancement in a trait, spend EP on it. If you try and research something, you need to be ready to risk failure and potential loss.
Settle G5, H8 and I7
The attempted expansion of the Xenopross is a fiasco. Although met with initially calm weather and success, all three colonies were beset by a massive hurricane moving in from the sea. Although the homelands remained intact through their long entrenchment, the coastal colonies were washed away in the storms and the new settlements on the plains flooded. A long and grumpy line of Xenopross return from the grasslands, those that return at all.
All three colonies fail, settlers from H8 make it back alive.
Make nets from land plants (Research: Population)
Although the Xenopross sent out to search for suitable vines for net weaving were initially enthusiastic, the onset of the storms and abandonment of the inland colonies put a halt to any further gathering attempts.
No success.
Build Lightning Temple (Deed: Population)
Enthusiastic as the Xenopross may have been, a handful of polyglottal stone-age marsupials living in mud nests by the sea do not grand architects make. Nevertheless, Salmon Blue-Stripe is adamant about his nest and, seizing upon Madric's fanatic new worshippers, works them to the bone and beyond in the construction of his grand 'Lightning Temple'. Over the course of ten years the structure collapses twelve times, leading to fears in the populace and discontent amongst the developing clerical order. Finally, after the deaths of hundreds of Xenopross, the Lightning Temple is completed and remains standing, a two-storey nest of piled mud kept together by sheer determination and the blood and bones of countless innocents (which turns out to serve as an excellent binding agent). Not all is bad news, however. Salmon Blue-Stripe is the first up on the offering altar in celebration of the completed temple, courtesy of his successor; Tuna.
Temple constructed, +1 to new skill Shrines (T1 Religion Armour), loss of 1 Pop from home hex.
Teach the Golems to generate mana (Research: Magic)
The golems prove slow students, but with enough time and effort, Urist teaches them how to generate enough mana through the positioning of crystals to work very basic spells.
Golems gain +1 in new trait, Mana Focusing (T1 Magic Generation)
A lot of actions this turn only invested one unit in their attempts, so they only had one unit's strength in the action. Probably the most successful action of the turn was the Jottarian research attempt; because they only used one Population unit to try and colonise a location, three Pop units were used to try and research Toolmaking. This netted them a very high success rate (+4 EP).
Second up is the amount of Move a unit has, actually a hidden stat. Most units have 2 Move, plus 1 Move for every 5 points of Range in their native sphere. Avatars have double this. So to take the Jottarians again, the 1 point of Pop that attempted to colonise the forests used 1 Move to get to the Hex and 1 Move to try and colonise it. The three units that remained at home used 1 Move to research Toolmaking, then 1 move to research it even further. Urist, by comparison, used all 4 Move to try and teach Golems magic (but he got some bad rolls and they didn't learn much).
Where people attempt an action they have no units for, I assume a unit strength of one, generated from the general population.
Some folks with good stats got bad rolls this turn, some folks lucked out. Generally, though, people with good stats do better. Know your strengths. The Xenopross failed all three colonisation attempts this turn because they had no Action or Power in their Population sphere - they are better at swindling colonies from people than establishing them.EP To BurnMonoliths: +5
Xenopross: +5
Bhuur: +4
Jottarians: +4
Serani: +5
Golems: +4
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Topic: Evolution Lite - A Supplementary Game (Read 51952 times)