A Different World: The Noble Cities [IC|Closed]

by **Ralnis** » Mon Apr 19, 2021 6:03 pm

Warcyfle,
Island of Lo

With the pledge from their allies, Teslanite made into weapons and armor and even siege ladders being made. The Sons of Tes'la were getting prepared for the first naval invasion that they had ever done in their history. All they could get from the enemy was theories from those who fought the Fog-Men. Their oarless raider skiffs and their fog magic would be a difficult fight since they had nothing to counter it except the bireme was capable of taking at least a few while sustaining damage. So the main objective is the defeat of the Fog-Men either by naval domination or landing enough men on their shores. Which relies mostly on the Fog-Men's navy and the defenses of their settlement.

Grum had a sense of de ja vu as he was once prepared to fight the Aun'kal now his navy was working with the Sons of the Dawn to get rid of this threat. The objective was to conquer the Fog-Men and pay them back for their raids and the taking of Warcyfle people. All the warriors prayed for the Storm Father to guide them for this will be their first invasion.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:01 am

Deepkin

Magisterium, Kharbarinth
Twelfth of Longnight, Year Twohundred Seventyfour of the Reckoning

Armenios pricked his palms with the point of the keen silver dagger, pausing in his incantation as he did so.

"Blood, you see, is the most powerful reagent known to a mage. Any time you need extra power in a working, seal it with blood. Normally I would recommend rest, or access to a nexus of arcane energy, if you require additional strength to effect the enchantment. But sometimes only blood will serve, due to circumstances beyond your control."

Several of the acolytes had grown pale as their master's blood dripped freely from his palms, filling the small bowls on the altar before him with crimson. A woman in green trimmed robes stepped forward as he turned his palms upward once more. She chanted a short cantrip, and the lines he had scored in his flesh closed. He continued his chant uninterrupted for several more minutes as quills scribbled about the room, then gestured at the bowls with a word of command.

There was a flash of light, and an iron tang of slaughter filled the air for a brief sickening moment. Then the woman on the bier before the altar stirred, her eyes fluttering, and smiled. The grim pallor which had effused her skin when she had been brought to the Magisterium, the effect of shock from a broken arm gained in the mines, was slowly replaced by a rosy hue. An acolyte, the trusted favorite of Armenios, stepped forward to help the older woman to her feet. An orderly took charge of the injured woman, and would have walked her out of the room save for gesture from the mage.

With somewhat of a flourish he unwound the bandage from around the woman's arm, revealing whole and unmaimed flesh. She bowed deeply to him, and spoke several words of gratitude before departing. The master bore her protestations of thanks with good grace, before smiling warmly and turning back to the class.

"As you can see, even without access to an arcane source such as the Fulcrum below this school, a willingness to endure suffering and pain on the behalf of others can gain the Mother's favor for a work of eldritch potency. There are other uses for blood sorcery, but you will have other instructors who will instruct you on their use in the future no doubt. Class dismissed."

The young aspiring magi closed their textbooks, bound in heavy leather and inset with iron charms for warding against stray magical potencies, and dutifully filed out of the antechamber of the Magisterium to their next lecture.

Golden Age Years 9 and 10

by **Pragia** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:20 pm

The first returning Magi from Kelska-ar was worrisome, but the return of the Kelskar proper was cause for uproar among the upper cadres of the Archmagi. It would be eventually be revealed that improper tabulation by the Magistrate resulted in reduced supplies being sent. The First Magister Bolreth Seltor was not a master of logistics, but this failure only narrowly avoided tragedy. The more conservative archmagi would voice to their superiors that this was folly, that the magi had all they could desire in the city, and that greatness could continue from a lone city at the head of the Arkor. Nonetheless the more expansionist magisters would remain stubborn, declaring to their assembled Archmagi that this would be attempted again, with proper support, and their prosperity would only be secured through the discovery of more sources of power which can expand their magical prowess. The site of Kelska-ar had the same magical potential as the home city, thusly they would claim and master it, despite their bitter failings.

The Kelskar agreed with the situation, their leader Caa Valen promising his magi masters the success of the endeavor. History would record the stubborness of the hardy scouts as legendary, as by the next spring they would set off into the woods beyond the headlands to try to re-establish the site and forever cement himself in the remembrances of the Eleskar. This age of expansion would continue in spite of ill omens, no longer paying heed to the inward focus of the previous magister. It was not only by land that the Eleskar were beginning to make their goals made manifest. Later in spring the shipyards would produce three behemoths capable of traversing the mighty Arkor to its mouth and beyond. The vessels: Talkor, Arkor, and Vakor (the name given to the great ocean beyond the Arkor) were technically all under the Magistrate, but the Kelskar demanded that they be free to use these vessels whenever they wish. With a crew, these vessels would expand the reach of the Eleskar greatly to gain knowledge and seek out new peoples.

by **The Empire of Tau** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:21 pm

Machaka - Turn 36

by **Lazarian** » Tue Apr 20, 2021 9:29 pm

The Faith of the Four
written by Istvan Agalan

The Faith of the Four is one of the major Southern religions that developed in the early years of the ascension, rising to prominence in the city of Corvus. Unfortunately, the Corvidians had such a penchant for syncretism that it is difficult to discern which rites and beliefs were original tenets of the faith and which were adopted from others. However, one particular facet can be cleanly traced back to the earliest records. That, of course, being that the Corvidian people had a strong belief in an innate soul which persisted beyond death. This, along with the Dreaming World and Waking World, can be found in every offshoot of the Faith of the Four, even scattered variants which made their way up to the First Republic.

As for the Waking and Dreaming Worlds, there were clear distinctions between the two. Anything that was physical and understandable was part of the Waking World. Anything that defied natural explanation was either part of the Dreaming World, or caused by it. Lightning, magic, earthquakes, even life itself - all these had origins in the Dreaming World. Souls were chauffeured across the mountain between the two worlds by the Many-Colored Crow, flown upon his broad back.

Why did the Corvidians believe that carrion birds were omens of good fortune, rather than that of ill fortune? Some argue that early militarism caused positive associations - the scavengers which flooded the aftermath of a battlefield could be tied to victory and triumph. Alternatively, another theory posited was that the early Corvidians were quick to acknowledge the intelligence of crows and ravens (genus Corvidae, named after these ancient people). We will never truly know.

Oddly enough, they also believed that Many-Colored Crow ferried souls back the other way as well. Supposedly, it was possible for a descendant to be a reincarnation of a deceased elder, if exactly forty years transpired between the death of the elder and the birth of the newborn. Not all souls were reincarnated, but if a child shared many characteristics of a relative, said child could be proclaimed as a reborn spirit. This could lead to odd cases as a child being heralded as the reborn Patriarch of a family and assuming the position upon maturity, though such things were not common occurrences.

But where, exactly, did a soul go in the Dreaming World? Were all men equal in the dark forest beyond? Many believed that a patron god would judge their followers, chosen by profession and deed.

Vennon would measure warriors for their bravery, inviting those who died in glorious battle to eternal halls of feasting with their ancestors. Warriors who died fleeing or deserting were shunned, cast into the deep forests to roam alone. Such deserters would wander purposeless until they deteriorated into nothing, with the only chance of salvation being if they successfully crossed back over the mountains into the Waking World to be born once more. However, many souls who attempted to cross back over the Mountain would find the weight of their misdeeds would be too heavy, and their soul would shatter on the journey and dissolve into nothing. A few, however, could make it back to receive another chance. Some believe that the faint glimmer of hope allowed grieving families of cowards and traitors at least some solace.

The other gods were more merciful, though their halls were less glorious. Artisans and laborers would reside in the realm of the Blacksmith, which was the realm of the Dreaming World which shared the most in common with the Waking. Men who performed great deeds or reliable work would have those deeds appear as riches in the afterlife, while misers who hoarded wealth and physical possessions would find it fall to ashes beneath their fingers.

The Crone and Youth would consolidate the souls of their followers into their own great soul, growing in power over the eons. This simple story became important canon in the Faith of the Four, both explaining the power of technology over the passage of time and validating the Crone’s ascension in importance over the Crow in centuries to come. The decision to become a Spirit-Guide was not to be taken lightly - it was an oath to pass into a single collective entity upon death and forego chances of reincarnation. However, the Spirit-Guides would continue their duty of guiding their people throughout the following years, an honorable privilege.

But where, one may ask, did the souls of the wanderers and scouts go? In an interesting way, the members of the Many-Colored Cult had a unique fate. Their souls would grow wings, and they could supposedly share Crow’s nature of traversing between both the waking and dreaming world. In the Dreaming World, they appeared as winged men, who assisted with ferrying the souls of the dead. They would perform this duty for three days of the week, and celebrate at an endless festival the other four. In the Waking World, they would take the form of a crow, which could deliver messages and dreams from the gods to the Spirit-Guides or serve as an omen of good or ill fate.

This belief of ferrying souls is likely the best explanation of Corvidian burial practices. The sons of Corvus would bring the bodies of the dead far out from the city, setting them upon stones and in open clearings. These bodies would be left for the carrion birds to devour - after all, what worth was there in a lifeless body? As the birds left after their meal, they would take the soul of the departed with them, travelling to the Dreaming World. Corvidians did not value bodies - while other civilizations would find desecration of bodies to be a dreadful offense, the Corvidians would be largely indifferent. Slain soldiers were often left on the battlefield to be eaten, their equipment scavenged and a quick prayer said over their bodies for safe travels into the Dreaming World.

Needless to say, murdering a crow or carrion bird was seen as a criminal offense in Corvus, with such a heretical action being punished with banishment from the city. Not all crows were members of the Many-Colored Flock, but all crows were the patron animals of the Crow - who, when riled, could cause terrible storms, earthquakes, and even volcanoes.

But where did the souls of other men go? Despite having their own set of deities, the Corvidians claimed that all faiths were valid in one form or another, and that men of those faiths would pass into the afterlife dictated by that religion. Even in the Dreaming World, the gods fought and argued like their chosen peoples in the Waking World. This could explain military defeats, great accomplishments by foreign powers, and many other events.

However, all souls of men were shards of those of the gods, breathed, hammered, or tricked into life. A soldier's soul was formerly a wolf kinspirit, with drops of Vennon's blood shed into it and giving it greater purpose. Worker's souls were forged out by Jac'non in his great forge, built and prepared for their actions in the waking world. The Crone and Youth would weave strands of wisdom and ingenuity into a Spirit-Guide's soul, and the Many-Colored Crow...simply would seize a creation of the others and stash it underneath his wing. Every man's soul was built for a purpose. Professions were not just seen as a source of survival in Corvus, but as a religious and divine purpose as well. (As a side note, it was common belief that men are foolish, and could serve a god other than the one that created them. For example, many of the greatest guild masters and ruthless captains of industry were said to be "misguided soldiersouls".)

Regardless of a soul's origin, at the End of Time, when all men unified underneath a single flag, the Great Soul (first and greatest of the gods) would combine into a single being once more. All gods would infuse into one, the Crow would consume the world, and the cycle would renew.

by **The GAmeTopians** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:42 am

The Republic of the Great River

Manywaters Docks

The sheer number of piers that stretched out into the broad stretch of the river was a sight to see. Few were finished as of yet… but they would soon be packed to the brim with weary sailors, an intermediary point along the coast of both the freshwater river and the Boundless Seas to the east. A great deal of wealth would flow through this area, to be sure.

Meanwhile, not too far inland, the passion of the River’s craftsmen radiating across the city, their productivity in the new high-tech workshop at record highs - and yet another was soon to be built. Perhaps the era of intellect was not ending, but rather being bolstered, with yet another power - the era of gold and iron, wealth and power.

Such is the way of things in the River’s Jewel. Such is the way of things in this strange world.

by **Olthenia** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 2:04 pm

The Northern Mountains
Father Lizard's Foothills

Have you heard it? The mo Terrak brothers have talked the priestesses into funding a new city. A new CITY! Have you heard it!

The band of men and women was a long, lumpy line through the landscape – men, women and animals laden with packs braying and shuffling. Onwards, ever onwards, towards the nearest hill-crest or the next bend in the path. To be fair, though – ‘path’ was probably putting it generously. There were no paths out there. This was wild country, and the men and women of fair Sorrowfree knew it. Sought it. Needed it, on some level, as thirsty camels might seek water. Or at least they flattered themselves that way.

Settlers in a new land had to tell themselves such things, perhaps. To make the new life less scary and the thoughts of the old more bearable.

To be sure though, life on old Flaxer Street had never been that bearable to begin with. If Flaxer Street was where you called home, it was up at dawn and home again in the evening – and hot broth for supper and bean porridge somewhere inbetween if you were lucky. The wise mothers who ruled Sorrowfree were always quick to tote their kindness, to be sure – but Ykka and her humble kin who called the huts on Flaxer Street home? By the Mother, they had seldom seen much of it – that was for sure. Maybe that was why so many them were here now? Flax-pickers and garden-hands. Tanner-folks and dung-shovelers. The gentlest and lowest of Sorrowfree’s huddled masses – the ones not enthused to join the Bonadar, anyway. No, no – settlers then. That’s what they were. It was hardly an easier fate than picking flax or wielding a Bonadar falx. But at least it was freer. And that’s what mattered.

Ykka mo Keyn was one such settler. Her pack lay heavy on her shoulders, and even though she had marched her new boots right around her mother’s old hut five times full of well-water, the things still felt heavy and clumsy on her feet – no matter how well they fit. “We won’t have the stink of the tanneries out there,” her father had smiled at her – over and over – throughout the month before their journey began. He had won the discussion by then, of course. Had won it almost a whole season ago, back when the word of the expedition – no, the new settlement! – had begun to spread amongst the gardeners and spinner-folk along the old lanes.

It was unusual for men to discuss matters of great import in Sorrowfree.

“A city of our own. A council of our own!”

“Fates and futures for ourselves.”

“Proper cottages. And a camel by every gate!”

Ykka didn’t quite know about that. Camels by every gate? And councils where men had voices equal to women? That all seemed silly to her, somehow. Even her older sister Bargi always said so. “It’s dumb!” she frowned, and set her face in the scowl that made her whole forehead look like a spider’s web. “Men can’t agree on anything. They’ll even argue about clouds!”

“Maybe that’s why the Mothers of the council let them go,” Ykka remarked, and stopped to shift the pack on her back into a slightly less painful position. At the question in Bargi’s eyes, though – she hastened to add: “It’s hard to hear men argue if they’re all the way across the mountain.” And harder still if they’re busy digging ore out of the rocky ground. That, in the end, was what the Khortuun’s new town was really, truly about. Mining, and wrenching iron nodules from the cold, cold ground to forge tools of all shapes and sizes.

And war. That, perhaps, above all.

“You’re just sad because you know we won’t get our own camel,” Bargi teased. And Ykka snorted. “Am NOT!”

But so it was.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 3:25 pm

Year 274 of the Reckoning

Turn 37

Zhai Cheng: Out of the south after a long and arduous expedition the explorers return - with news of a great river wider even than the Jade River which runs through a great expanse of baking sand, and men and women who have settled a mighty city, smaller than Zhai Cheng but still formidable, at the source of this river far inland. Many strange beasts they tell of that they encountered on their way to the lands of these Aederfolk - the people of the city of Aled Aedryn, who seem to have had word of the Corvidians. Indeed, while the explorers were there, some of the Nanfeng were seen in the city. It was difficult to maintain the peace, and their Aederfolk hosts seemed to regard them with suspicion after speaking with the red-haired barbarians... In positive news Refined Construction is now known to the Zhai Cheng, and men's heads are filled with visions of great structures and monuments, things even the ancestors will not look upon with disdain.

Warclyfe: The expedition against the Fog-Men is a roaring success - and their encampment, placed upon the shores of a vast continent is utterly destroyed, their lightly armored raiders and craft no match for the forces rallied against them. Only twenty marines of Lo are slain in the conflict, and over twenty cartloads of precious goods and wealth, obviously stolen from near and far, plundered from amongst the dead and their dwellings. Of the men stolen by the Fog-Men long ago, there is no sign.

Kharbarinth: Explorers go west of Kar Agala, spying out the land there. A wide place of open plains unfolds before their eyes, stretching north and west. To the south lie familiar forests. Beavers are to be found here, thick with glossy pelts, and cassiterite. There are also edible tubers that grow in this soil, sweet to the tongue and amusingly bright in color. A method of Encryption have the scholars of the Magisterium devised, to hide their secrets from the common man and prying eyes. Means of concentrating Geomantic energy have also been refined, speculated to enable more advanced workings, and means of scribing runes in cold iron. Hematite gives up its secrets in Forgefend - it is a fair metal, like the meteoric iron used elsewhere.

A barbarian attack out of the north and east has been repulsed from Stalheim by the garrison with heavy losses to the foe. Those who envy the wealth of the Deepkin do not rest.

Eleskar: The new settlement has been successfully founded this year, well provisioned and waiting out the winter storms in comfort. This region, Kelska-ar, has 12 Forest regions, 4 Hills, and 4 Flatlands. Moreover clever men, working at the site of the new city, have discovered a network of deep caverns which will make do as comfortable housing for the people. A free Houses has been added to Kelska-ar. Methods of Power Focusing have also been perfected, drawing the strength of the earth more potently into a smaller area for a greater period of time - an impressive innovation.

Machaka: Work on the rigors of the Scientific Method has proceeded as planned; with a careful approach to innovation and learning, the scholars of the Republic will soon be the envy of the world. The prospectors have found nothing of note.

Rivermouth: The explorers sent north have found nothing of interest in their work.

Sorrowfree: There is good news to report this year, unlooked for. A caravan of nomads passing not far from the new city of Three Brothers was intrigued by the Khortuun and their strange customs, and have settled nearby. After much discussion they are added to the people of the city, Artisans of repute with pale northern blonde hair and deep emerald eyes. They say they fled out of the north when wolves of darkness with fangs that dripped blood preyed upon their kinsmen, and they are the last of a once-mighty kingdom.

Narjoram: Good news - traders and explorers have found a way to a city called Saladonia to the south and east, and enterprising men have negotiated a trade alliance with these strangers. The wealth of trinkets and comparative advantage has create a Trade Post in our city, and all will prosper.

by **Novas Arcanum** » Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:37 pm

Autumn and Spring Era

The Shan Ang forests where thick and nearly impenetrable. While the people of Yuzhou had long tamed the hot and wet forests of their corner of the world to the east the land was wild. Towering rainforest trees, thick jungle foliage, and tall palm trees sway under the tropical sun. Strange creatures peered from the underbrush has the colonists marched through the muddy terrain. The rainy season had just ended and Wei Xun lead scout of the colonists was leading the settlers to the ancient site of Zhongdu.Wei Xun knew these jungles like the back of his hand he knew what was good to eat and what would kill you in a instant,he even knew things that seemed good to eat but that would kill you in a slow and insidious way without one even realizing the brightly colored fruit was poisonous. He knew methods on how to keep the swarms of insects from eating one alive while sleeping. He knew the rhyme and rhythm of the seasons and where to build so that the torrential rains wouldn't wash away any structures that would be built.

He lead them to a site close to where the ancient people of Zhongdu had built their village. It was a good spot, easy access to food, in a location that didn't flood during the rainy season. The ancients knew what they where doing and how to live in this land.

It had been decades since the Pillaging of Zhongdu. The jungle had long reclaimed the land and all the manmade structures where gone, rotted away. This was especially the case since the Zhongdu people built their structures out of wood.

A daoist monk who was among those who would settle the land would lead a ritual purifying the land and build a small, humble wooden shrine not like the magnificent and beautiful pagoda, Jade Tower that was being built in Zhai Cheng or even the shrine in Yuzhou. The Shao where not idol worshippers, and their views of religion were different then other cultures. Still this was necessary to honor the ancestors.

In time Zhongdu would rise triumphed a jewel in the jungles.

Zhai Cheng

Population: 3555(+800 Growth)

Urban District I [Granary , Spinning House,3 huts, Bloomery, Guojizian, Monument, Nursery, Shrine (+3 Stability) ,Forge, Charcoal Pit],+I Flat Food Bonus |II Palisade | Aqueduct
Urban District II[Forbidden Palace(+2 Stability),Garrison, Smithy, Clinic, 6 Huts,3 Cottages(+3 Stability)] +I Food Bonus| Palisade
Urban District III [2 Huts,4 Spinning Houses ] |Simple Stone Wall |+I Flat Food Bonus
Rural District I [5 Huts, Timber Camp,7 Gardens , Galena Scrape Mine]|Watchposts||Aqueduct +III Flat Food Bonus
Rural District II[ Galena Scrape Mine, 4 Paddocks (Unicorn)]|Watchposts,|+III Flat Food Bonus.
Rural District III [Farm,2 Paddocks (Unicorn)]|Watchposts| Aqueduct|+III Flat Food Bonus
Rural District IV [Quarry ]Watchposts|+III Food
Rural District V [5 Cotton Plantations] |Watchposts|+III Food
Population Actions:
700 Scholars [Urban District I] |Studying from the Xianbei [Saddle7/8]
400 Bureaucrats [Urban District I]| Enacting wise and sound government policy +IV Wisdom, +IV Wealth, +IV Stability |Plan of Multitudes [XI/XX]|
100 Peasants [Rural District I]| Working hard--->[+I Labor, +XXII Food ,+I Timber, +II Galena Ore(3 from Domestic Crops,5 from granary ,7 from Aqueduct). ]
800 Peasants [Rural District II] | Working long hours-->[ +VIII Labor ]
100 Peasants [Rural District II]|Working long hours --->[+IV Food, +II Hides, +II Galena Ore ,+I Labor]
100 Peasants [Rural District III]| Working long hours --->[+IV Hides, +VII Food ,+I Labor(1 from domestic animal source,2 from paddocks,2 from farm,2 from Aqueduct)]
100 Freemen [Rural District V] |Studying the Laoist Classics in their free time [+V Cotton, +I Labor]
100 Peasants [Forests (Trapped) ] Gathering Silk,+ I Labor
100 [Rural District IV] Freemen | Studying the Laoist classics in their free time [+I Stone, +III Labor]
55 Soldiers are guarding the peasants gathering silk
100 Artisans [Urban District] | Crafting wares and tools at the Forge ---> -I Charcoal, -I Galena Ore +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban District]|Crafting tools and wares at Bloomery--->-I Charcoal,-I Galena Ore, +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban District]|Weaving silk clothing--->-I Silk, + III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban District]| Crafting tools and ware at Bloomery-->-I Charcoal,-I Galena +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban District]| Weaving cotton clothing ---> +IX Wealth
100 Artisans leave to resettle Zhongdu [-5 Stability, taking 1 wealth,4 food]
100 Explorers (Mount) |On the lookout for barbarians
100 Explorers |Resettle Zhongdu [ -10 Wealth spent on setting up settlement ,taking 4 Wealth,1 stone ]
100 Soldiers [Iron Armor, Iron Weapons, Composite Bows] Are guarding the Settlers and moving to the newly reestablished settlement of Zhongdu.
100 Soldiers [Iron Weapons,Iron Armor,Composites] escorting Peasants to Yuzhou and back.
200 Peasants are taking 5 Wealth each to Yuzhou and returning.
200 Soldiers patrolling in Zhai Cheng.
Galley Squadron Patrolling the seas
100 Soldiers are being caparisoned for war [I/III Wealth|0/I Industry]

Miscellaneous
100 Freemen educated has Artisans
+III Wealth from Plan of Multitudes (Wealth) [7/10]
Plan of Fields [1/5]
+I Stability from Splendid Isolation.

Construction
Farm [0/IV Labor| I/I Wealth].Not Complete.
Jade Tower[0/VII Labor| III/VII Wealth| 0/III Industry| III/III Timber] Not Complete.
Simple Stone Wall [Labor 0/IV| Wealth 0/ II | Industry 0/I|II/V Stone ]
Cotton Plantation[III/III Labor| III/III Wealth]
Spinning House [Labor III/III| Wealth IV/IV]
Spinning House [Labor III/III| Wealth IV/IV]
Quarry[II/II Labor]
Quarry[0/II Labor]
Quarry[0/II Labor]
Aqueducts[0/V Labor| I/III Wealth| 0/III Industry| V/V Stone]
Aqueducts[0/V Labor| I/III Wealth|0/III Industry| II/V Stone]
Docks District [Labor 0/VI |Wealth 0/V| Industry 0/IV Industry ]

Economy
+II Wealth from Palace Economy.
-I Wealth from Splendid Isolation.

Stability
81

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:18 pm

Deepkin

Walls of Iron, Stalheim
Eighth of Summersheight, Year Twohundred Seventysix of the Reckoning

The citadel rising slowly at the back of the soldiers was a welcoming presence, even if out of view at the moment. Great blocks of dressed stone were hauled by thick ropes many stories toward the heavens by cranes worked by sweat men in shifts, the slow trudge of the workers rotating the immense drum which cranked the giant rocks skyward. It was no Citadel of the Dawn, not by far. But the frowning battlements and prepared arrow slits would discourage even a determined attacker, and the heavy stone could resist even a bombardment by the formidable weapons which the Deepkin wielded, the catapults, for days and weeks if necessary.

But that wasn't to say that any of the men who stood upon the wall had intentions of sitting in their fortifications and weathering an assault. That was the reason their attention was focused on the weapon before them, a clever machine which the artificers had recently sent to the Guard for testing. One of the men, at the nod of his commander, slotted a heavy ash rod into the weapon. It gleamed with a cruel iron tip, spikes glistening halfway down the head. Two soldiers on either side of the mechanism set to work, winding a heavy torsion bundle back on spindles, grunts of effort betraying the tension the bolt was under.

Then it was all the way back, and a heavy trigger slot held it in place. The captain stepped forward, aiming the weapon in a few directions briefly, acclimatizing himself to the weight and the bearing mount upon which it was placed. Then he spoke to one of the mages nearby.

"We are ready to begin."

Behind his beard the man's lips murmured, a patch of solid air showing warriors standing on the ground below near some targets, dummies built of straw and wood. Whispered commands come back through the link, and the men scatter to prepared holes dug into the ground, to observe the test.

Whump.

The first bolt sprang out of the machine, embedding itself in an instant not far from where a target sat. A frown creased the captain's face, but his men stepped forward to reload the weapon. It was less than a minute later when the weapon spoke again, this time neatly tearing one of the dummies in half with the impact. Soldiers nodded appreciatively at that outcome, then the captain gestured to the mage. The other man brought over a bundle of heavy iron shards, cleverly wrought to hold together before being launched, before breaking apart in midair.

This iron rain of flechettes was delightfully effective. Nearly a dozen targets were impacted by the shot, with wounds which would be debilitating perhaps even if well armored. A worthy addition to the defense of the city.

by **Ralnis** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 12:14 am

The Island of Lo,
Warcyfle

The news of the utter eradication of the Fog Men came as a shock to the prisoners, who's sons and daughters were slaughtered to a man. There crimes were simple. They attacked the Warcyfle and they refused to let it go unpunished. The utter genocide of a people had also opened up another pathway into the Mystical Mainland for both them and the Aun'kal. This alone had to be talked to them on top of the location of the Ithoi. It would be something for the Aun'kal to understand and they were allies. Not to mention that they owed them for their contribution of the effort of eradicating the threat. It would be for the best to talk about the need of expanding their peoples beyond their islands.

The very idea in order to cement the peoples would be a good idea to do a joint colonization was the thing an aging Grum had in mind, mostly since it would be able to to deepen their relations that they had been doing so much good. The very idea to strike a deal with the Dawn Singer to use the Peninsula.

by **Pragia** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 12:21 am

74th Year of the Eleskar, 6th Year of Tyraal

by **Olthenia** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:57 am

The Vale of Ustar, Sorrowfree
Twenty-Third of the Arc of Good Words, the 276th Year of the Star-Count

The men’s breaths steamed in the cool morning air.

The first of the morning light lay cool and clear across the rocky mountains – a grey skein that toned the land a dreamy blur, halfway between wake and dreaming. But it was enough. A miner’s work was hard, to be sure – and up there in the mountains, bright and early was when it started.

“And HEAVE!” Imra’s voice rang, clear and childish, across the land. And almost as one, the throng of men clustered around the break in the ground leaned on their crude picks. A chorus of grunts later, and a triumphant “It’s coming! It’s coming!” heralded a crunch of rock. A large, flat boulder broke at long last – revealing in the pale halflight… More rock? Well, yes. To a point.

“Here – bring up the light.”

Imra, her thin face even paler than usual in the gloaming dawn, was already striking flint to light a torch there. Once its wrappings flickered alight, a huddle of curious men hunched down along the rocky scar. “I think I-“ began young Yeften, his voice uncertain. “Yuh! I see it!” cut in old Nirumzur – whom the others called Old Nur. “There’s gleaming.” Yeften smiled, wiped his running nose with the back of a brown hand, and brushed pebbled rocks aside with the sleeve of his cape. The stuff was linen, and had cost about half an arc’s worth of wages – but it kept the cold off his young body. And that made it all the more worth it. Once mountain cold got in your lungs and in your bones, a man’s soul sat loose in his body for sure – lest wise crones could secure it with prayers and ointments. And Sorrowfree was damn far away - up here in the mountains. Damn far indeed.

“Yeeeessss~” It was Imra who hissed the word as she stooped to the cut Yeften’s sleeve had cleared. And when she rose again? Oh, Mother-Moon – in the palm of her hand, black and coarse, lay flaky pebbles as black as ash and dark as night. And yet? Despite all sense and reason? Yet in spite of their blackness, the heat of a forge-mother’s fire – banked and trammelled by the heat of much wood – could melt it. Send it hopping and bubbling until the slag dropped from it – burnt away like so much smoke and left a clear, gleaming metal behind.

‘Iron’ they called it – and Imra, Yeften and Old Nur had crawled their up here in cold, cold mountains – wrapped their frail bodies in layers and layers of work-men’s linens, hefted picks and shovels on wary backs – and wrenched it black, and pebbled, from the cold, cold ground.

“Come on!” Imra announced. “This is it. We’ll dig here today.” With luck, this vein would run along the face of the ridge the were standing on. The rocks up here were riddled with little veins like this – and Imra suspected they likely ran deep into the rock, too. Deeper than man could easily hack and break by hand alone. But so it was! It’d take will to do this work. Hard, mean and unbending.

Luckily, her fellow miners had that in spades.

by **The Empire of Tau** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:28 am

Machaka - Turn 38

by **The GAmeTopians** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:04 am

The Republic of the Great River

Somewhere

Darkness. Not shadow… not night… nothingness. The Void. Almost strange, it was, how this “substance” of nothingness floated in perpetuity, disturbed by no man or beast. An infinite plane of destruction, if you could call it that - after all, in order to destroy, there must have been something in existence to begin with.

The Weary Eye, Rivermouth

Whispers by the bar.
“Folks are finding weird symbols everywhere, didn’t ya hear? Some say they’re symbols of the Black Kings, that we’ve been infiltrated - others that they’re wards from the Outsider, protecting his devout and warning unbelievers.”
A scoff came from the far end of the bar. The figure sat hunched over his drink, a deep cowl obscuring any sight of face or feature.
“The Outsider cares little for believers or devout,” a low grumble reverberated across the room, “for the Void’s embrace comes to everyone in time. You do not have to worship him to harness his power - it is a tool, nothing more.”

Such is the way of things in the River’s Jewel. Such is the way of things in this strange world.

by **The National Dominion of Hungary** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:36 am

The Land of Penithel

OOC: No lore, traveling at the moment.

by **Lazarian** » Fri Apr 23, 2021 1:21 pm

Lore will come, depending on whether I have to stay late or not!

by **The Knights of Azorea** » Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:38 am

Velathri, City of Feathers

"In this year the sons and daughters of Velathri the Great delved great tunnels of clean, white stone in the depths, to be as new rivers. The veins of the city grew bountifully, and even the poorest husband could clean his home with water as clear as iron"- Chronicle of the Priestesses of Kaliyat

Likan, River-Daughter

Likan, like a great blue salt-flower, had blossomed in but a few years. Where once had been two hundred were now five. Soldiers grilled fish in iron grates at the marketplace, as artisans wove baskets in their multitudes. In the house of the Ordos all was full of noise and command. Strangers had been spotted in the sea, in great rafts and broadly armed. The soldiers watched the water and kept themselves drilled, and the workers of the town hefted blocks of stone into a coronet to match Velathri's crown of walls. The strangeness of the salt-air had settled, but Likan was far from calm.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:27 pm

Year 276 of the Reckoning

Turn 38

Zhai Cheng: Zhongdu has been re-established, a defiance of the Nanfeng and the Xianbei and the vagaries of fate. Her settlement is easy, and her lands fertile. This region has 4 Mountains, 4 Hills, 4 Flatlands, and 8 Forest districts.

Kharbarinth: West of west of Kar Agala the Explorers roam, coming upon a region of coastal plains. To both north and west the cool seas stretch, and south lie familiar forests. Winking red rubies are to be found in the hills here, and swaying yews with supple timber and fragrant boughs. There are also impressive deposits of galena which stud the landscape in pebble blue and gray. Earnest miners in Stalheim have opened up a new vein of jade unlooked for, and harvested the impressive placer deposit. -48 Stability, +12 Geodes. Geomantic entrapment has been devised by the scholars, as have uses for brightstone.

The attack upon the northeastern barbarians was swift and decisive. A stratagem the soldier at the fore named the Cantabrian Defense saw all of the nomadic raiders converted to so many arrow-studded corpses, the singing bows and swift steeds of the men of Stalheim preventing the enemy form coming to grips. The camp is plundered for a wealth of ten cartloads of treasures, and the rest of the belongings of the barbarians put to the flame. Scholars in Kharbarinth have made a breakthrough, a Rune of Secrecy which, when inscribed, conceals from sight ought which might otherwise be easily found, save if one has the arcane talent to perceive it. Men of Stalheim have also created protocols of city-planning which significantly increase the amount of edifices which fit within city walls, and scholars in Kar Agala have devised means of carefully husbanding the giant trees there.

Warclyfe: The Dawn Singer sends word that his people rejoice at this victory, but none wish to settle in Lo, for they have their own dreams of expansion now that the mainland has been pacified. Southeast of southeast has been explored, a land of thick jungles like Lo. To both north and west the seas beckon, the narrow channel which separates the islands of Warclyfe from the Peninsula, and east and south teem with verdant rainforests. Citrus, oranges, grow in great groves here, and sapphires stud the forest floor near small rolling hills. There are also deposits of strange white metal, which shimmers beneath the storms which roll over this region, as if filled with an inner fire. East of this land the other explorers went, into the depths of the jungle. There they find deep rollicking forests on every side, and strange small brown men, who shriek at their intrusion in strange tongues. The oranges are to be found here as well, alongside strange black sand which collects in the streams and pools of the region. There is also good news from the scholars - studying clinker construction has allowed them to devise small light skiffs, good for raiding and cheap to build.

Sorrowfree: Clever sons and daughters have gone north of the city alongside the Explorers, retrieving a goodly amount of Magnetite for the forges, gleaned by the basketful from mountain rivers and lakes. -33 Stability, +8 Magnetite Ore

Machaka: The continued prospecting attempts in the homeland, are, unfortunately, only met by continued failure. If there is ore here, or ought of value save hard stone, it seems determined not to give up its secrets. The men sent south return in due course, with news of the lands south - here is a place of pleasant woodlands, bordered to the west by rolling plains where the endless forest falters. There is galena to be found here, known well in the homeland, and native copper, the servant of the Riverlanders to the south and east. This land is a place of abounding mineral wealth, for too in these environs is found sturdy granite, such might raise might gray citadels against which armies may break.

Rivermouth: This has been a hard year. Beyond the walls, the Hesukar ravened, burning and despoiling. Eventually the demon-men returned to their city, but not after days of the horizon being blackened by fire. Five farms have been burnt to the ground entirely, their outbuildings and crops utterly destroyed, and the unicorn herd slaughtered by Kraalen in its pens. These sacred beasts lay butchered upon the ground, rotting exemplars of beauty laid low by the servants of the Black Kings - and yet men whisper that this might is to be envied, not despised. If the River is not strong enough to stand before the Black Kings, perhaps new gods are needed... -110 Stability, +Mystical Insights (??). Word from the prospectors in the southeast is not promising - nothing of value has been found there as of yet. There is however good news - working with the scholars from Corvus, the men of the River have devised a clever method of shaping wheels, strong but light, allowing men to carry goods swiftly over impressive distances. This will bind Corvus and Rivermouth by sinews of easy trade without a doubt.

Avnelin: The attempts at planting the wheat brought from Corvus have flourished, and it establishes itself easily enough in the lands of the Pennenthelli. There is ill news though. Raiders have been seen coming out of the southeast, and they have clashed with the defenders of Avnelin. They were driven off, but at significant loss - three and forty of the defenders of the city fell in battle with the foe. Attempts to domesticate the strawberries have met with success, the succulent red fruits filling the bellies and fields of the city.

Corvus: Men working hard in the fields and the byways have wrested and impressive quantity of stone from the earth, to raise high the defenses of Corvus. Their civic duty is lauded by many, though others think they seek unmanly gain through graft. -46 Stability, +11 Stone. There is also black news, of great despair. Not long before autumn, men and women come straggling south from Corvin, their faces covered in soot and their eyes red with weeping. They say monsters came upon the nascent settlement not long after their kinsmen departed south, slaughtering many and binding the rest in chains. The people of the city strove manfully, but were overmastered, for the monsters had skins of stone which weapons would not bite upon, or bestial strength and long red hair, fearsome to behold, true manifestations of the Beast. Corvin, it seems, has been destroyed...

by **Novas Arcanum** » Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:51 pm

Finals approaching so most of my posts will just be actions for the foreseeable future

Zhai Cheng

Population: 3555(+800 Growth)

Urban District I [Granary , Spinning House,3 huts, Bloomery, Guojizian, Monument, Nursery, Shrine (+3 Stability) ,Forge, Charcoal Pit],+I Flat Food Bonus |II Palisade | Aqueduct
Urban District II[Forbidden Palace(+2 Stability),Garrison, Smithy, Clinic, 6 Huts,3 Cottages(+3 Stability)] +I Food Bonus| Palisade
Urban District III [2 Huts,6 Spinning Houses, Jade Tower (+5 Stability) ] |Simple Stone Wall |+I Flat Food Bonus
Rural District I [5 Huts, Timber Camp,7 Gardens , Galena Scrape Mine]|Watchposts||Aqueduct +III Flat Food Bonus
Rural District II[ Galena Scrape Mine, 4 Paddocks (Unicorn)]|Watchposts,|+III Flat Food Bonus.
Rural District III [Farm,2 Paddocks (Unicorn)]|Watchposts| Aqueduct|+III Flat Food Bonus
Rural District IV [Quarry ]Watchposts|+III Food
Rural District V [6 Cotton Plantations] |Watchposts |+III Food
Population Actions:
700 Scholars [Urban District I] |Studying Midwifery [Midwifery 8/8]
400 Bureaucrats [Urban District I]| Enacting wise and sound government policy +IV Wisdom, +IV Wealth, +IV Stability |Plan of Multitudes [XV/XX]|
100 Peasants [Rural District I]| Working hard--->[+I Labor, +XXII Food ,+I Timber, +II Galena Ore(3 from Domestic Crops,5 from granary ,7 from Aqueduct). ]
400 Peasants [Rural District II] | Working long hours-->[ +V Labor [+IV Forced Labor]]
100 Peasants [Rural District II]|Working long hours --->[+IV Food, +II Hides, +II Galena Ore ,+I Labor]
100 Peasants [Rural District III]| Working long hours --->[+IV Hides, +VII Food ,+I Labor(1 from domestic animal source,2 from paddocks,2 from farm,2 from Aqueduct)]
100 Peasants [Rural District V] |Working hard [+VI Cotton, +I Labor]
100 Peasants [Forests (Trapped) ] Gathering Silk,+ I Labor
100 Peasants [Rural District IV] |Working hard [+I Stone, +I Labor]
55 Soldiers are guarding the peasants gathering silk
100 Artisans [Urban District] | Crafting wares and tools at the Forge ---> -I Charcoal, -I Galena Ore +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban District]|Crafting tools and wares at Bloomery--->-I Charcoal,-I Galena Ore, +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban District]|Weaving silk clothing--->-I Silk, + II Wealth,-I Wealth, +II Industry
100 Artisans [Urban District]| Crafting tools and ware at Bloomery-->-I Charcoal,-I Galena +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban District]| Weaving cotton clothing ---> +XIII Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban District]|Crafting tools and wares --->+I Wealth
100 Explorers |Prospecting for ore in Zhai Cheng.
100 Soldiers [Iron Weapons, Iron Armor, Composites] escorting Peasants to Yuzhou.
100 Peasants are taking 5 Wealth to Yuzhou and returning.
100 Peasants are taking 5 Wealth to Zhongdu and returning.
100 Soldiers escorting the Peasants to Zhongdu
100 Soldiers patrolling in Zhai Cheng.
100 Soldiers (Mount) patrolling in Zhai Cheng
100 Soldiers are being caparisoned for war [I/III Wealth|0/I Industry]
Galley Squadron Patrolling the waters of the Sea of Zhai Cheng

Miscellaneous
100 Freemen educated has Artisans
+III Wealth from Plan of Multitudes (Wealth) [9/10]
Plan of Mines [4/5]
Plan of Fields [3/5]
+I Stability from Splendid Isolation.

Construction
Farm [0/IV Labor| I/I Wealth].Not Complete.
Dense Housing rises on the banks of the Yu River [Labor 0/V| Wealth 0/IV | Industry I/II| 1/3 Stone| 1/2 Timber]
Simple Stone Wall [Labor I/IV| Wealth II/ II | Industry 0/I|I/V Stone ]
Rural District [III/III Labor | I/I Wealth]
Watchposts[I/I Labor| I Wealth | I/I Industry]
Cotton Plantation[III/III Labor| III/III Wealth]
Spinning House [Labor III/III| Wealth IV/IV]
Quarry[II/II Labor]
Quarry[II/II Labor]
Quarry[II/II Labor]
Aqueducts[0/V Labor| I/III Wealth| 0/III Industry| V/V Stone]
Aqueducts[0/V Labor| I/III Wealth|0/III Industry| II/V Stone]
Docks District [Labor 0/VI |Wealth 0/V| Industry 0/IV Industry ]

Economy
+II Wealth from Palace Economy.
-I Wealth from Splendid Isolation.

Stability
81

by **Olthenia** » Thu Apr 29, 2021 1:15 pm

The site of Three-Brothers-Town lies a considerable distance north of the old Khortuunic capital Sorrowfree. Its ruins, in the form of a mound - or “tell” as it is locally known, lie on the plans just north of the great mountains that ring the Ustar desert. Although the name of the city was known from Nirari and Penithel sources, its location and history were a mystery until the accidental discovery at the end of the previous century of an ancient tomb at the small village of Sar Ahamra. An Olthenian archaeological mission under the direction of Caleer Mannil began excavations in late ‘94. This was followed by a series of digs through ‘96. Limited work was undertaken in ‘98, but full-scale work did not resume until the late 00’s.

The city’s location ensured its importance through commerce. To the west lay a wide fields (the plains Binet el-Meida), while to the east a vast, dry riverbed led to the ample markets of Daru and Avnelin. The city also sat astride an important north-south mountain trade route linking Sorrowfree and the northern lands.

It is clear from excavations that Three-Brothers was first settled in the mid to late Bronze Age period and had grown into a substantial town by the early third millennium B.C. Three-Brothers is mentioned in cuneiform documents discovered at Mari near Rivermouth dating to the Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000–1600 B.C.). However, it was in slightly later centuries that the city entered its golden age. At that time, the prince of Daru, the wealthy trading city of the Nirari tribes, wrote to the Penithel pince Minaan IV (Minaan r. ca. 1353–1336 B.C.) to warn him about the power of the neighboring city Carnelia and compared its magnificence with that of Three-Brothers:

"See, there is no mayor’s residence that can compare with that of Carnelia. It is like the residence at Three-Brothers. Extraordinary large are the riches there."

Three-Brothers was a flourishing city, its streets lined with two-story houses dominated on the northeastern side of the tell by an acropolis with two temples dedicated to the goddess Mother-Moon and her would-be consort Father Lizard. A large complex, built from finely dressed stones and consisting of numerous courtyards, pillared halls, and a columned entrance gate, occupied the western edge of the city. In a special wing of the complex were a number of rooms apparently devoted to administration, since hundreds of cuneiform tablets were discovered there covering almost all aspects of the life of Three-Brothers from the fourteenth to the twelfth century B.C. It is clear that the city cast a long shadow across its surrounding countryside (though the full extent of its boundaries is uncertain).

From around 1500 B.C., the Khortuunic realm of Sorrowfree had dominated much of the area directly north of the Ustaran desert, but by 1400 B.C., when the earliest tablets at Three-Brothers were written, Sorrowfree is understood to have beem in decline. This was mainly a result of repeated attacks by the Kar-Kilai, a Hesukar successor-state. Eventually, around 1350 B.C., Three-Brothers, along with much of the surrounding plains as far north as Avnelin, fell under Kar-Kilian domination. According to the texts, other states had tried to draw Three-Brothers into a defensive alliance, but the city mothers refused and instead called on the Kar-Kilians for “aid”. Following the Kar-Kilian conquered the region, a treaty was drawn up that made Three-Brothers a subject-state of the woodland reavers. The Three-Brother-Town’s version of the treaty, covering several tablets, was recovered at Site B in early ‘04. The Kar-Kilian state grew as a result, gaining territories from the defeated alliance. The Kar-Kilian Slaughter-King also recognized the right of Three-Brother-Town’s ruling priestly dynasty to the throne. Texts, however, suggest that this largesse came at the cost of enormous tribute.

Merchants figure prominently in Three-Brothers’s archives. The citizens engaged in trade, and many foreign merchants were based in the state, for example from Daru exchanging copper ingots in the shape of ox hides. The presence of Rivermouth and Machakan pottery suggests both eastern and northern contacts with the city. It was also the central storage place for grain supplies moving from the wheat plains of the northern to the Khortuun court at Sorrowfree.

Other:
-A wonder stands finished in Sorrowfree this year. Happy day!
-A new expedition sets forth to lands unknown, W-W-W-N.

by **The National Dominion of Hungary** » Fri Apr 30, 2021 2:04 am

The Land of Penithel

OOC: Lore soon hopefully, sorry.

by **Pragia** » Fri Apr 30, 2021 10:14 am

76th Year of the Magisterium of the Eleskar, 8th Year of Tyraal

The rise of Tyraal Eleskar to her seat of power is regarded as a time of change in the history of the Eleskar. The second Grand Magister would recognize the growing potential of their settlement attempts. The prosperity of their home has created a hub of knowledge and trade as the ships of the Eleskar traverse the Arkor out onto the sea to sell their native timbers and masterful stonework to cities as far away as the Penithel and the Khortuuns of the far deserts. Though the Kelskar had put great work into their new holding, it was already apparent that its success would invite replication. New explorers drawn from the ranks of increasingly curious non-magical populations would ensure the future of such attempts, but their unique culture invited the Grand Magister to decree the creation of a state. The Magisterium of the Eleskar would be the new common term for not only the now multi-city nation, but also for the order of mages which makes up the majority of their population. Eleskar runners traversed the roads that now stretched far from the city through the forested lands that are home to the Magisters, but when they came upon the great pearl of the Riverlands, there was pause as smoke blotted the skies.

The new Grand Magister, as well as her council, were not masters of war, as had the Eleskar people been for the majority of their history. The Order of the Seventeen was stationed now in Kelska-ar as a more relaxed post where they may hunt the great beasts of the wild. Beyond the House Guard, there was no great military power to the north. Nonetheless, they felt an obligation to their partners in the region. The runners would deliver messages that the Magisterium would be willing to provide whatever resources are needed to support their efforts. They lacked trained men, but even now some magi of a more belligerent demeanor were devising methods to apply their leader's new skills to warfare. Tyraal herself had developed her abilities in a way that has not yet been able to be codified and replicated, and the promise of the creation of constructs was coveted by all 49 of the archmagi, as such a development would ensure their name in the history of the Eleskar.

Nonetheless, her abilities were attributed to the light of the Goddess, the Grand Magister commissioning a wreath of the purple flowers of the northeast as a token of her power. She ordered the construction of a Temple to El'es, the Violet Queen, a place that the magi would gladly support in their devotions. Such great action and conviction from a leader barely of age was applauded by the entire hierarchy of Magi, including a council whose role was immediately curtailed.

by **Ralnis** » Fri Apr 30, 2021 11:17 am

Island of Lo,
Warcyfle

Despite the rejection of their allies in other people, the Sons of Tes'la had found purchase in these lands. The numerous things was that the lands were as thick as Lo itself in jungle and blessed by the storms of their god. There were even different types of trees outside of the jungles that they've only seen once in the mainland. This with the oddities such as blue gems that reacted with their Teslanite weapons and strange metal that acted just like the God Metal.

The other reports were not as interesting to Grum, who now sported fully grey hair and had an aging look to himself. His successor however saw the potential in getting the Peninsula. Rich food and these small strange men that carried rocks or other things. These things were noted on the council as the Warcyfle needed to make their mark before the Aun'kal do. It is not a means of being evil, but they needed to get a hand on accessing those resources if they were to better their understanding of the Path.

Because of the speed and importance of trying to get it done was something that stressed importance. The importance of advancing their government. It would be better to keep the control of the colony or other places that needed to be pacified. Grum wanted to do it before the Fog Men raided them. The old chieftain was still very angry for losing entire ship's worth of people all that time ago. Even with the obliteration of the people and the scattering of the encampment didn't stop his pain.

However the second thing that came from it was their technology. After the explorers had managed to find what's inside the former Fog Men lands, they managed to reverse engineer the skiffs. These skiffs were very cheap, can be mass produced and be used as scouting and raiding. The very thing that was revolutionary was that the building of the ships, the triangle sails, and even the rig allowed for the ships to be faster than the galleys but also they didn't even need oars. Oar power was the very standard of sea travel and warfare in the Mirror Sea. From the Aun'kal, who used their ships, to the Ithoi and their fortress island.

Yet the idea of the Fog Men was something that took the Warcyfle by storm. The very applications were beyond what the Sons could make but already the merchants had started to use this as a rapid travel for cargo and trade. Many suspect that they can use this as a means of traveling even further outward, many even had brought up the idea to make a trade contact with the Sons of the One God. It would be something if the people of the One God could come to the table in trade but it would have to be brought up to the Aun'kal. One idea that may come is the conquest of the Ithoi in order to finally pacify them.

Nevertheless a contact with the Ithoi was agreed upon to try and gauge their reactions and get an update on the information about them. It had been decades since they had contact them for trade and getting rid of some pirates. Perhaps one of Grum's revenge schemes can come true? But what would be the price if anything...

by **The Empire of Tau** » Fri Apr 30, 2021 11:57 am

Machaka - Turn 39

A Different World: The Noble Cities [IC|Closed]

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