Discord Link (https://discord.gg/yRTbyGt)
In the beginning there was a vast darkness. Things changed, and then they changed some more, and they kept changing until we finally find ourselves at a unique and beautiful planet filled with life. One of these forms of life is human: you! You are all the leaders of a sizable tribe of humans as they move from barely subsisting to settling and, hopefully, thriving through the ages. There is only so much room at the top where the lucky few bask in the fruits of the labors of others, and this creates a divide between you, the leaders of this as-of-yet unknown tribe!
At the start of the game every player is a Minor Family directing a nomadic tribe. As time goes on, Major Families will be introduced and voting rules will be adjusted accordingly (covered further below). Both types of families can propose plans of action for the tribe during all four phases of each turn and all generally want their peoples to continue existing. Beyond that, they are all competing for the position of top dogs as the Minor Families try to outmaneuver one another to usurp a Major Family and the Major Families do everything they can to hold onto their positions.
But how are you supposed to do any of that while you’re also leading what may one day be a multicontinental empire? Find out more in the spoilers below!
Everyone wants Influence. It represents how much sway a family has expressed over their people. Influence can be gained in quite a few ways, and with alarming regularity. Any proposal that is accepted by the tribe grants (or in very unlucky cases, loses) the Family that proposed it a flat amount of Influence. Events may occur based on a number of factors during the course of gameplay that will also result in an opportunity for Families to gain (or lose) influence. Influence resets when the civilization advances to a new age.
Everyone wants Prestige. Prestige represents the legacy a Major Family has left behind and is what determines the winner at the end of the game. Prestige is only gained by Major Families in position when your people pass into a new Age. Prestige cannot be lost.
The Master List is the scoreboard for the game and will track each players Influence and Prestige, as well as any notable events that may have occurred due to their actions. If you want to give your family an in-universe name I won't stop you - roleplaying is fun, but the list will use your forum username for ease of reference. Your character details can and will probably be copied and pasted alongside your other information for posterity.
The first Major Families will be selected at the end of the first turn based on Influence. There will be three Major Families selected regardless of the spread of Influence, however ties (ex. a spread of 3/2/1/1 Influence) or spaces filled at random (i.e. only one or two players with influence resulting in a roll between everyone else) will impact the development of your people. This will continue to be the case throughout the entirety of the game at every Age advancement, with the civilization seeing more beneficial ages the closer the number of Major Family candidates is to three and the general spread of influence at the transition to the new age.
Major Families and Minor Families are only functionally different in how they vote on proposals each phase, but this one difference is significant.
Major Families have a great amount of power and utilize their own votebox where their votes count in their entirety.
Minor Families vote is a votebox separated from the Majors’, and upon concluding a vote the winning proposal from the Minor Families has a singular vote cast to represent them in the Major Families’ votebox. Everyone, whether they join at the start or come in later, is initially a Minor Family.
In the case of a tie vote the proposal backed by the Minor Families will always win. Tie votes within the Minor Families will be resolved as God intended - via coin flip.
All votes are equal throughout the first turn, as there will be no Major Families in play.
Ages are clear partitions in the history of your people, representing periods of great change and an evolution of culture. Ages provide bonuses to appropriate actions, such as Bronze Age providing bonuses to actions involving bronzework, or The Unending Season giving military-based action bonuses. Ages are defined by the actions that drove the civilization into said new age, and their impact is affected by how many Major Family candidates there are as well as the distribution of influence. The most stable ages occur the more evenly Influence is distributed and the closer the number of Major Family candidates is to three. Note that, for the sake of calculating the influence of Influence, players with no influence for the Age will not be taken into consideration when judging distribution. Stacking the deck isn't necessarily bad though - the more ahead of the Influence pack someone is, the more their proposals will stray from average for better or worse (via background modifiers on rolls), and could result in accelerated Age advancement as a result.
While most Age advancements will occur after the Experimentation Phase, extreme circumstances could see a mid-turn Age change.
Each turn is divided into four distinct phases that take place over a wildly variable amount of time - months, years, or even generations can pass by over the course of a single turn. The first turn is the only exception, with an extra phase at the beginning for selecting your starting tribe. The tribe starts as Nomadic, with special rules in the spoiler titled "READ: Nomad Rules". Make sure you read it, especially if you're a returning player. Becoming a Settled tribe will replace the known special rules with new ones, but you don't get to learn those until your people do (:.
The Exploration Phase is the first phase and lets you propose plans for exploration of the world or developments to specifically enhance and advance exploration. Early on your people will only be able to explore 1 Space from settled territory, but as time goes on and your explorers can cross multiple tiles you will need to chart an exact course. Sea-based exploration needs to have a course charted that starts and ends on a settled coastal tile. Should trade become a possibility for some reason, it will also be taken care of in this phase.
Exploring Land and Shallow Water will reveal any resources available that your people would be able to identify, acquire, and utilize at the time. Details of Land terrain will also be revealed upon exploration. Exploring Deep Sea for the first time will result in a number of rolls to represent exploration into the great unknown. This "random generation" can provide boons or maluses to your exploratory efforts, wipe them out in a mysterious storm, discover new lands, and much more! If nothing of a more permanent nature is discovered, Deep Sea will be converted to a plain Ocean tile. Both Deep Sea and Ocean tiles represent much larger areas than other tiles, making progress through them slower if not properly prepared for. Tiles with a mix of Land and Shallow Water are considered to have Coastal Waters, which function similarly to Shallow Water with a lower bar of entry. A technology that allows only Coastal travel can cross from one landmass to another so long as they are not separated by a complete water tile.
You may decide to develop new techniques or equipment to improve their scouting or prospecting abilities in lieu of exploration during this phase. These proposals need to have a basis in presently available Resources and Technologies, and may reveal new Technology upon their creation depending on what is available and how well their rolls end up. Proposals for advancements are developed and integrated into society based on a roll of 1d10, where a 1 represents terrible construction, craftsmanship, execution, or adoption, and a 10 results in a brilliant final product with a major impact on the nature of future exploration...and perhaps the direction of your people as a whole. These developments may require resources for upkeep in order to continue gaining benefits from them, but can be "defunded" and "refunded" for no penalty during any Exploration Phase based on current needs.
The Expansion Phase is where you directly influence civilized society (if you consider yourself "civilized" or "society"). You can choose to spread your people to a grid square with a Resource upkeep cost based on the terrain and your people's own skills, technologies, and equipment. Distant settling and colonization will also occur in this phase if you develop means to do so. If, for some reason, you'd need to fight a war, decisions on where to strike would occur here.
Instead of expanding your borders you can use this phase to develop your people and their society in a wide variety of ways. Things like spears, hospitals, and a code of laws can all be proposed during this phase. You can also create techniques to refine base materials into a more refined resource, such as developing an alloy after figuring out how to use metals and getting your hands on a few of them, potentially expanding the potential of your technological and societal advancements. These proposals need to have a basis in presently available Resources and Technologies, and may reveal new Technology upon their creation depending on what is available and how well their rolls end up. Proposals for advancements are developed and integrated into society based on a roll of 1d10, where a 1 represents terrible construction, craftsmanship, execution, or adoption, and a 10 results in a brilliant final product with a major impact on the nature of future expansion...and perhaps the direction of your people as a whole. These developments may require resources for upkeep in order to continue gaining benefits from them, but can be "defunded" and "refunded" for no penalty during any Expansion Phase based on current needs.
The Exploitation Phase allows you to grow your economic capabilities. At the start you are able to choose one additional known resource in controlled territories to gather every Exploitation Phase.
You may opt to propose new techniques and equipment to improve the exploitative measures of your people. More advanced means of identifying and gathering resources is the quickest and easiest way available to identify new useful resources. Your proposals can be general, but more specific creations will have the potential to provide much more potent benefits. For example you may choose to create iron tools to provide a general benefit to your people, but proposing an iron pickax instead will potentially greatly improve extraction of ores and perhaps discover new ones. These proposals need to have a basis in presently available Resources and Technologies, and may reveal new Technology upon their creation depending on what is available and how well their rolls end up. Proposals for advancements are developed and integrated into society based on a roll of 1d10, where a 1 represents terrible construction, craftsmanship, execution, or adoption, and a 10 results in a brilliant final product with a major impact on the nature of future exploitation...and perhaps the direction of your people as a whole. These developments may require resources for upkeep in order to continue gaining benefits from them, but can be "defunded" and "refunded" for no penalty during any Exploitation Phase based on current needs.
The final phase of every turn is the Experimentation Phase. This turn does not have a variety of actions to perform, and is instead used solely to propose new Technologies, techniques, tools, social constructs, just about anything you could make in the previous three phases and then some. Unlike the designs proposed in other phases, the proposals in the Experimentation Phase do not necessarily need to be based on existing Technologies. Straying further from your existing baseline will make the action less likely to have major successes. Both positive and negative outcomes leave more extreme marks on your society than advancements proposed in other phases.
Proposals for advancements are developed and integrated into society based on a roll of 1d10, where a 1 represents terrible construction, craftsmanship, execution, or adoption, and a 10 results in a brilliant final product with a major impact on the nature of future experimentation...and perhaps the direction of your people as a whole. These developments may require resources for upkeep in order to continue gaining benefits from them, but can be "defunded" and "refunded" for no penalty during any Experimentation Phase based on current needs. Proposals in this phase will grant the Family 2 Influence when chosen as opposed to the 1 attained in other phases.
The Experimentation Phase ends with a summary of your peoples progress as well as any changes in Founder status or the Age.
And here's some more spoilers covering a few other things!
Until your people decide on a location to set up a more permanent home, if they ever do, they will be considered Nomadic. The Exploration, Expansion, and Exploitation phases all have extra considerations when playing as a Nomadic Tribe.
Exploration: Nomadic tribes travel together. When Exploring as a Nomadic Tribe, the entire tribe can, but does not need to, relocate themselves during the Exploration Phase to the Explored area.
Expansion: Nomadic tribes still grow, so it may eventually be deemed necessary to expand and split the tribe into two groups. You can use your Expansion action to develop a new group of Nomads in an area adjacent to their parent group.
Exploitation: While Nomadic tribes don't cost much in the way of direct upkeep, they still need and use resources. Nomads will automatically exploit the available resources on their current tiles. The downside is you will have to choose one resource in each area occupied by a Nomadic group to temporarily exhaust every Exploitation Phase until the tribe leaves the tile, with a one turn grace-period when the tribe moves in (so you can actually, you know, actually use all the resources for a turn). There is an additional risk of permanently losing chosen resources, although that chance is initially <0.1%. Note that if, for example, a resource that provides both food and gunpowder is affected by exhaustion when you decide to exhaust gunpowder it will not remove the Food unless/until food is the selected resource. The same is true for materials providing multiples of the same resource.
Nomadic tribes automatically exploit all exploitable known resources in the zone they occupy. Borders can be expanded but are not automatically exploited, although these resources can be selected for exhaustion.
Nomadic Tribes benefit from lower upkeep costs in general, but suffer due to less dramatic advancement and reduced resource stability.
Settling is not required, and while downsides will never disappear, you won't be directly punished for remaining nomadic for as long as you feel. You may also revert to a Nomadic civilization once you settle should you and your people decide that living in one place is not their cup of tea or tea-adjacent drink. The transition will likely include growing pains in either direction.
Settling a tribe is a large step in the progress of your civilization, with hardships aplenty to join the benefits. You are now considered Settled and some rules have adjusted accordingly.
Exploration: Your tribe is no longer able to migrate during your exploration.
Expansion: Settling is no longer restricted to spawning another group adjacent to an existing one, and you can instead found a new settlement anywhere within the tribe's borders.
Exploitation: There is no longer mandatory resource exhaustion, although passive exhaustion still exists.
Settlements incur an upkeep cost based on the developments in use, and at a more noticeable (that is, extant) rate than nomads.
Technological advancements will have a much greater impact on society, with more widespread potential effects than the advancements made by a nomadic tribe.
Semipermanent Resources are now permanent/treated normally.
The tribe may choose to revert to Nomadic at any point, however there will likely be issues resulting from such a decision based on your internal and larger geopolitical situations.
All proposals require a name to identify them as well as a plan detailed enough to be comprehended by the GM and other players. Proposals for technologies, equipment, and the like should clearly describe the desired outcome of the project. Adopted proposals in every phase grant 1 Influence, save for the Experimentation Phase which gives 2 Influence instead.
There will be two voteboxes active after the first turn, and you are only allowed to vote your singular vote in the proper box depending on your standing as a Major or Minor Family. A votebox is a quote box listing the proposals being voted for during that phase where you add your name next to the project you support as well as adjust a number representing the amount of voters supporting said item. Major and Minor Founder voteboxes will likely appear very similar, so they should be clearly labeled to prevent confusion. Provided below are two examples of acceptable voteboxes and one example of what not to do:
Owl Ranch (2): Birdman, Manbird
Money (1): Fedboy
Help We're Dying (1): Minor Families
Floorpills (2): Dr. Floorpills, Doc Galactic
Monkey Translator (1): Rathen
Help We're Dying (3): Shitsec, Checkers, The AI
In the above examples the victorious proposal would be the Owl Ranch. Help We're Dying was the winning proposal among the Minor Founders, so a vote was tallied for it in the Major Votebox. Note that both examples have clear titles indicating which group they are for.
Egg Scrambler (4): Larry, Moe, Curly, Joe
Scramb Eggler (4): Pinky, Brain, Moe
This is a bad votebox. It does not clearly identify which tier of Family it is associated with, the numerical tally of voters does not match the amount of voters, and Moe has voted twice!
While there is a vast multitude of resources to discover, uncover, and create, these can generally be broken down into three groups:
Food is any resource that provides sustenance for your people. This can include but is not limited to game, fish, wild berries, and crops. Food is usually used to pay upkeep for settled territories.
Economic Resources are most other resources used in the development and maintenance of your society. Examples of some Economic resources are tin, marble, clay, wood, and cotton. Certain Economic Resources, such as tobacco and opium, will (de?)buff your civilization with passive effects while they are being Exploited.
Special Resources are resources only found in large concentrations in very specific areas of the world. These Special Resources defy our own laws of the physical universe and can lead to very creative and interesting advancements. Special Resources have undefined reactions, allowing players to come up with unique solutions to whatever problems might arise. The base form of a special resource does not mean other forms would be ineffective or impossible: it is up to you to define what the liquid form of your special gas can do. Special Resources are the only ones you will be made aware of before you have the capacity to gather or utilize them.
Water, while not technically a Resource, is not available in some territories. Any action taken within them will be more likely to fail until a means of bringing water to distant lands is developed.
Resources you know of but do not have the means to exploit or can exploit but have no Technology to use them for will be identified by their red text in the Resources spoiler. A resource marked with ?? denotes a resource with unknown or variable products based on how you decide to approach exploitation.
Each Resource will be persistently tracked in their own spoiler alongside the amount of the resource you have available and the amount of the resource total (Ex. Iron (2/4))
To make things easy on youse, you will be able to search TURNTURNTURN in the fancy search bar up on the top right in order to find all updates in this thread.
Welcome to the Tribal Selection Pregame Phase!
As you sign up to participate you are also asked to mull over and vote on which of these starting locations you prefer. Once you select your starting location we will move onto the first Exploration Phase!
There are Five starting locations:
Your people have come to find themselves in the cold territories of the northern polar region. The land itself provides snow, and rock beneath that. Some wildlife manages to subsist on the rare rocky outcroppings that poke above the permafrost and allow plant life to grow. Your tribe is drawn to the coast though, as the sea provides more than the land ever could. Strange ringing coral in the shallows draws many a curious eye, but the whales who find themselves stranded and lost in the area are the true prize. Though difficult to hunt, these massive creatures find themselves washing up on the beach as often as not, providing an easy source of food for the locals.
Starting Technologies: Bone Tools (provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Bone), Bone Spears (allows Exploitation of larger beasts for Food. Requires access to Bone), Primitive Firemaking (a base tech vital for survival), Umiak Boats (canoes made of animal parts, allowing exploitation of and eases travel through Rivers and Coastal waters. Requires an exploited medium or large Animal resource), Chum Tents (provides basic shelter, made of animal hide stretched over bone. Requires access to an exploited Animal resource)
Starting Zone Known Resources: Food x2 (Bowhead Whale Pod, Lingonberry Patches), Stone x1 (Gabbro Protrusions), Bone x2 (Bowhead Whale Pod, Whalebone Coast), Sonorite x1 (Sonorite Reef)
Sonorite: A colorful coral only found in the waters around a large island in the arctic. At this time not much is known about it, but it surely has potential. There is currently no way to manipulate or utilize this material. Considered to have a sphere of sound.
Your people have found themselves on a nice patch of land near the equator, "comfortably" bracketed between mountains in the distance to the west, dense jungle to the north, and an oppressive expanse of desert to the south. While resources are bound to be plentiful, there is little room to move without coming face-to-face with deadly, unforgiving environments. Your people somehow managed not only to get to this somewhat serene slice of land, but have done so seemingly unharmed. As an unexpected result some superstition has arisen regarding the consumption of various plants, especially those with apparent psychoactive effects.
Starting Technologies: Stone Tools (provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone), Primitive Firemaking (a base tech vital for survival), Early Shamanism (a foundational technology for spiritual beliefs. Has a chance to reveal additional Plant-based resources when exploring new areas.), Bentwood Yurts (provides basic shelter, made of branches and bark shaped. Requires access to an exploited Animal resource), Chronological Imbalance (The tribe will experience abnormal events requiring your attention at a regular frequency. Proposals utilizing Traveler's Root will roll at advantage (taking the highest of two d10 rolls), with the lower roll hidden and applied to the next Traveler's Root-free proposal.)
Starting Zone Known Resources: Food x2 (Peanut Pods, Chayote Vines), Stone x1 (Gneiss Outcrops), Wood x1 (Araucaria Grove), Traveler's Root x1 (Non-euclidean Root Cluster), ?? (Sheep Herd)
Traveler's Root: A reddish-brown creeping plant capable of clinging to and climbing across most surfaces. At this time not much is known about it, but it fills your people with both a sense of hope and a sense of dread. Considered to have a sphere of time-space.
Your people have traveled the vast plains and found themselves at the intersection of two great but gentle rivers fed by massive mountain ranges far to the east and west. This tranquil place is home to a vast number of flora and fauna, most of which is relatively harmless. Harmless, but not unremarkable. A surprising number of the local wildlife is endemic to the area, which could be considered unusual for a location in the middle of a massive continent with large tracts of accessible and relatively similar environments surrounding it. Keen eyes from the tribe have noted that the region's unique wildlife tends to feed on the vibrant and colorful flowers growing in the fertile valleys.
Starting Technologies: Stone Tools (provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone), Primitive Firemaking (a base tech vital for survival), Early Herbology (Non-tree plant-based resources have a chance to provide Chemicals or an additional Food), Early Animal Husbandry (allows the taming of docile creatures, getting them to provide additional resources to the tribe), Thatch Huts (temporary homes made of bundles of thatch laid over sticks and coated with mud.)
Starting Zone Known Resources: Food x2 (Maize Fields, Potato Blooms), Stone x1 (Siltstone Bluffs), Wood x1 (Red Oak Thicket), Chemical x1 (Potato Blooms), ?? (Sharpbeak Chicken), Nymph Rose x1 (Nymph Rosebush Clump)
Nymph Rose: A species of rose that seems to change the things that eat it over time. Little else is currently known about the plant. Considered to have a sphere of biology.
A temperate region bordering an ocean to the south has drawn your people to it, in large part due to the massive crater marking some major cataclysmic event in the planet's past. Gently rolling hills and tracts of relatively flat land to the east and west respectively make for generally unremarkable surroundings beyond the planetary dimple. At the very bottom of the crater is a viscous grey fluid that is currently laying dormant but seems to have spread throughout the surrounding region at a number of small springs and pools that dot the landscape. Local wildlife tends to avoid this grey goo.
Starting Technologies: Stone Tools (provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone), Primitive Firemaking (a base tech vital for survival), Fishing Spear (sharpened sticks with forked tips that allow for Exploitation of water-based Food resources. Requires access to Wood), Basic Clayworking (reveals Clay resources, provides simple bowls and cups for the tribe), Hide Tents (simple housing made of animal hides stretched over conical wooden frames)
Starting Zone Known Resources: Food x2 (Cranberry Bog, Black Sea Bass School), Stone x1 (Shale Deposits), Wood x1 (Pine Barrens), Clay x1 (Clay Hillock), Nanites x2 (Impact Crater)
Nanites: A self-replicating but currently dormant mass of machine-based microlife left behind after an extrasolar object struck the planet, not that tribal folk would comprehend this. Very little is known about this grey goo. Considered to have a sphere of inorganic life.
Sometimes the dangers of the surface world are too much to handle, as was the case with your people. Fleeing the constant threat of death provided by barbaric tribes and vicious predators, your tribe fled to the center of their continent, passing through a mountain range and into a barren landscape. Turning around would mean their certain demise, but so would staying where they were. Luckily, a vast network of caves and caverns in the region provided cover and respite, and after a significant amount of time your people have learned to adapt and thrive in this otherwise unfriendly environment. The bowels of the earth do hold mysteries of their own, and the creeping mist in the deepest chambers fills your people with an incredible amount of dread. Some even claim they hear voices from the depths.
Starting Technologies: Cave Adaptation (The tribe has greatly heightened senses, which can prove to be overwhelming on the surface), Subterranean Migrations (Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile), Stone Tools (provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone), Early Firemaking (A base tech vital for survival), Primitive Ropemaking (Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles), Cave Homes (the most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago)
Starting Zone Known Resources: Food x2 (Hairy Lichen Walls, Cave Crayfish), Stone x2 (Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites), Textiles x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
Mourning Dew: A dense mist found deep underground that unsettles the living. Some tribals swear they hear the voices of the recently deceased within the fog. Very little is known about the true nature of this haze. Considered to have a sphere of mortality and (un?)death.
Remember to use a votebox to determine your starting location! Time to get started! If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or in the discord server provided in the first post.
(https://i.imgur.com/aQ39ciR.png)
m1895 - 0I/0P
Powder Miner - 0I/0P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
Quarque - 0I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/0P
Maximum Spin - 0I/0P
Preliminary Turn: The Chosen People
Hounded constantly by tribes larger, faster, and more brutal than themselves, your people had to choose between utter annihilation and the sliver of a chance at life that the mountains provided in the hopes that you could reach some sort of paradise. Or some peace, at least.
Unfortunately, when the tribe finally passed through the mountains, they were met with a vast expanse of rock. A completely barren surface greeted the tribe, offering no respite from the sun and wind and practically nothing for your people to survive off of. When your tribe finally found a hole descending into the stone they were fairly quick to go within (NUKE9.13 +1I). Having neared starvation and death from exposure, your people groped around in darkness, picking what they could off of the cave walls and licking the moisture that dripped down them until they at least knew they'd be able to survive for a little longer. When they managed to create fire using some dead moss and twisted lichen scraped from the walls into guiding ropes, your people found themselves exploring their cave further. Your people also decided to continue probing the surface now that there's some chance of survival. With the blinding sun in the day and freezing temperatures at night however, scouting was very difficult and as a result the tribe has minimal knowledge of the surrounding area. They wait for you.
Tribe arrived in 16-M.
While your people know what the surface looks like, they have yet to actually familiarize themselves with the surface or see what is offered by the labyrinth of caverns beneath the surface. Exploration offers to solve both problems. Exploring requires you to choose a tile within range to analyze in order to discover terrain and resources. As a Nomadic Tribe you can choose to move your tribe during this time instead, which will relocate them to the chosen neighboring area and provide greater detail on the "offerings" of nature without relying on rolls.
Terrain Identified
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: TRIBAL CAVERN, Rocky Wasteland
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
While you Families discuss and decide on your next course of action in the Exploration Phase you are also tasked with naming the tribe. You will not gain influence for proposing the winning name, and do not need to vote for the tribe name in two separate voteboxes (although a votebox for the names would be nifty and keep it organized, I won't push youse to maintain three separate voteboxes). There is also no deadline, so you may wait to name the tribe until you have solid inspiration. You will occasionally get small prompts like this when you have the opportunity to flesh out lore so that everyone has equal say in decisions that do not effect the game mechanically.
Remember, during the Exploration Phase you can choose to settle or explore another region, but you may also instead propose developments to aid in exploration and travel. If you have questions about what phase a proposal fits into, feel free to ask me at any time! The further a proposal strays from known Technologies, the more difficult it will be or longer it will take to be adopted by the tribe as a whole.
Cave Adaptation: Your people have grown accustomed to life in the dark. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Early Firemaking: A base tech vital for survival.
Primitive Ropemaking: Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 2/2
Stone: 2/2
Textile: 1/1
Mourning Dew: 3/3
(https://i.imgur.com/3NJGYF1.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: TRIBAL CAVERN, Rocky Wasteland
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x2 (Hairy Lichen Walls, Cave Crayfish), Stone x2 (Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites), Textile x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
NUKE9.14 - 1I/0P
m1895 - 0I/0P
Powder Miner - 0I/0P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
Quarque - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/0P
Maximum Spin - 0I/0P
Exploration I: Small Steps
The caverns offer your people their only chance at survival during these early days of the tribe. With nothing for them on the surface, one of the Families pushed for the creation of bands of scouts to check out the caves in 17-M (Maximum Spin +1I).
The scouts carried torches made of the broken ends of stalagmites with bowl-like indents carved into the wider end to hold the flame. These dim (though not to the tribe's eyes) fires were short-lived, but fuel happened to be plentiful during the scouting expedition. Scouts were also burdened with rope in order to traverse rougher climbs as well as leave a trail. Small parties of three or four would trace the various routes within the subterranean labyrinth, chiseling different markings that could be used to identify whether or not a path was explored and if it terminated in a dead end (a horizontal line for that branch of the cavern continuing, a vertical one for a dead end), and the ropes were used to backtrack quickly and easily.
The explorers progressed eastward through the dark passages with relative ease, foraging what the could of the lichen, fungi, and rare cave insect they found on the way. Eventually though they managed to come across an obstacle they couldn't easily traverse. A shallow channel of fresh water carved through the rock and ran across the tunnel. The stone beneath was likely slick, and the waters swift, but your tribe never tested it. Along the surface of the water gently rolled a thick vapor that your people immediately recognized thanks to the chill in their spine and the occasional whisper from the darkness. While their aversion to the Mourning Dew halted the planned direction of the party, the water had carved out a shelf wide enough to walk along the channel on in ages past. Eventually the channel led to a vast underground lake and, more amazingly, a split in the earth above that allowed the sun to sweep across the lake for a couple hours each day. Some ferns and small plants managed to take root in the clay-rich soil deposited along the lakeside. There was even, much to the chagrin of one explorer specifically, some life in the cave in the form of wasp nests, as well as the bats that fed upon them. There seems to be nothing beneath the surface of the water, but your people don't feel like checking right now anyways.
This location seems like there would be minimal difficulty supporting the tribe, even if it is heavily unsettling. Your tribe will also probably need to figure out what Mourning Dew does to a person when they interact with it (GM Note: I didn't want to determine the interaction between people and the dew, and I also want to make it clear that there's a reason why your people are avoiding the Dew mechanically. Don't overthink your people being spooked by it, that's just flavor).
RESOURCES IDENTIFIED
17-M
Clay Soil Deposits (Clay)
Gray Bat Swarm (??)
Mud-caked Wasp Nests (??)
Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles (Food x2)
The Whispering Lake (Mourning Dew x5)
----
It is time for your first Expansion Phase. Remember that this phase is for expanding in the sense of proposing technology to build up your military, society, industry, or culture in addition to the expected meaning of expansion by declaring an "attack" on a zone within or along your borders if you have an identified threat you wish to eliminate. As a Nomadic tribe you may choose to move during this phase as well. The name will also continue to be a point of discussion until the vote is more decisive.
Cave Adaptation: Your people have grown accustomed to life in the dark. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Early Firemaking: A base tech vital for survival.
Primitive Ropemaking: Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 2/2
Stone: 2/2
Textile: 1/1
Mourning Dew: 3/3
(https://i.imgur.com/3NJGYF1.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: TRIBAL CAVERN, Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x2 (Hairy Lichen Walls, Cave Crayfish), Stone x2 (Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites), Textile x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
NUKE9.14 - 1I/0P
Maximum Spin - 1I/0P
m1895 - -/-
Powder Miner - 0I/0P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
Quarque - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/0P
Ouch, NUKE9.13 is absolutely right. As much as I like the campfire idea I just don't see how it is possible at this moment.
Rereading the nomad rules, even the improved housing is going to be somewhat difficult, because if we move M-17 for example, we immediately lose our source of textile.
Rereading the rules for nomadic lifestyle:
While Nomadic tribes don't cost much in the way of direct upkeep, they still need and use resources. Nomads will automatically exploit the available resources on their current tiles. The downside is you will have to choose one resource in each area occupied by a Nomadic group to temporarily exhaust every Exploitation Phase until the tribe leaves the tile, with a one turn grace-period when the tribe moves in (so you can actually, you know, actually use all the resources for a turn). There is an additional risk of permanently losing chosen resources, although that chance is initially <0.1%.
What this really boils down to is that generic resources like food are not a problem, but any sort of more specialized resource is hard to maintain constant access to. If a resource is limited to one particular tile, the exhaustion mechanic means that you have to move away from the tile after a few turns.
That makes me think that the underground lends itself very poorly to nomad play. In a place with abundant resources everywhere, you can live off the land just find. But in our caves, even basic items like textile are bound to be harder to find.
In addition, I feel that reinforcing our homes with granite would be much safer in this environment than tents made out of woven lichen. If there is one thing we have in abundance here, it is stone.
As our tribe gradually get accustomed to their subterranean environment, they transform it into their permanent dwelling. This transition marks a departure from their nomadic existence as they embrace the allure of the caverns.
In order to improve the safety of our Cave Homes, our people embark on the endeavor of crafting stone walls from interlocking boulders, a novel technique still in its early stages but brimming with potential.
Fireside Community: (1) A_Curious_Cat
Settle Down: (1) Quarque
Expansion I: Rock And Stone (Roll: 9)
The tribe's descent into the underground had held them at the absolute mercy of geological events that had unfolded well before the first human came about. One of the Founding Families sought to change that (Maximum Spin +1I). Being surrounded by stone afforded the tribe ample opportunity to examine, manipulate, and identify differences in the materials making up the caves for everyone. Even if they didn't want to study the stones as intensely as some of the more passionate individuals, it was impossible for anyone to outright avoid learning something useful. Members of the tribe were encouraged to focus on specific aspects of "stonebreaking", resulting in highly specialized individuals spread out among a variety of crafts. Some took to carving paths through the stone, forcing softer materials to bend to their whims, while others saw the beauty of delicate work, slowly chipping away at and smoothing out the surfaced their tribe would be forced to interact with on a regular basis. Commonly used and known safe routes quickly became easily identifiable by the smooth floors and walls and stepped slopes. The markings used previously didn't get entirely discarded, with the system expanded to identify what kind of area the path led to (foraging, burial, etc.) and then a repeating pattern of the appropriate shape carved into the walls at about waist level. Excess stone removed from excavations is dumped down caverns and crevasses to prevent buildup or obstruction of the tribe's tunnels.
Improving the available natural "infrastructure" has immense benefit for everyone stuck in the dark underearth, granting any member of the tribe the ability to travel with relative ease and a certainty in their location and destination that was entirely absent before. It has also provided the tribe with greater access to stone-based resources, increasing the threshold before a Technology goes from requiring access to requiring upkeep. Additionally, your people have discovered a new type of "stone" in their home territory: Native Silver, which they largely ignore as it is too soft to be useful.
RESOURCE IDENTIFIED
16-M
Native Silver Vein (Stone?)
NEW DISCOVERIES
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Your people have spent a good few years barely subsisting within the cave network, and the first fully-caveborn individuals are starting to mature. While, biologically speaking, there have been no changes to their bodies to facilitate an improved life in the darkness underground, they still find themselves better able to navigate the only environment they've ever known.
TECHNOLOGY MODIFIED
Cave Adaptation->Advanced Cave Adaptation
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
It is now the Exploitation Phase. Remember that you can choose a resource to begin exploiting in a neighboring area, or propose a development that would facilitate or build upon your ability to gather, identify, or otherwise interact with the resources of the world around you.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Early Firemaking: A base tech vital for survival.
Primitive Ropemaking: Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 2/2
Stone: 3/3
Textile: 1/1
Mourning Dew: 3/3
(https://i.imgur.com/I4LXy4B.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: TRIBAL CAVERN, Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x2 (Hairy Lichen Walls, Cave Crayfish), Stone x3 (Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Textile x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
Maximum Spin - 2I/0P
NUKE9.14 - 1I/0P
m1895 - -/-
Powder Miner - 0I/0P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
Quarque - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/0P
Exploitation I: Lichen
Having not completely abandoned their nomadic ties (even if long-distance migration hasn't happened in the near-recent history of the tribe), one Family thought it would be a smart move to prepare their people for continued collection of the Hairy Lichen Walls they currently made use of even if the tribe moved on (Powder Miner +1I). This task would undoubtedly benefit from the usage of Stonebreaker markings, allowing the tribe the opportunity to continue harvesting the food and textile resources provided by the lichen with no interruptions.
The Hairy Lichen Walls in 17-M are now considered Semi-Permanently Exploited. If the tribe moves out of their Exploitation range from the area, then they will cease exploitation and require another action to start gathering again should the lichen reenter their Exploitation radius. Should the tribe settle with resources marked as Semi-Permanently Exploited then those will also be automatically exploited by the settlement much like the resources on the square they've settled. Semi-Permanently Exploited resources can be easily identified in the Resources By Region spoiler with an [SP] tag.
Your tribe is now no longer immune from Nomadic Exhaustion of resources in this location until they move. Beginning next Exploitation Phase you will have to choose a resource to exhaust if you remain within 17-M.
It is now the Experimentation Phase. This will represent the largest potential leap in knowledge that your people will have in a turn. Unlike the other phases, proposals for new advancements in the Experimentation Phase do not need to be in any way related to an existing technology or piece of knowledge. These proposals are meant to be your steps into or creation of new fields of research and industry - metalworking, democracy, and nuclear power are all likely things you will be able to do during as Experiments. Keep in mind though that while the new knowledge does not need to be directly connected, you still need to build proper foundations. Trying to make a space shuttle before you grasp sailing might be a little odd, and making a submarine before you can utilize metals might be even odder. These crazy things may still be possible, but your society is going to need to develop in such a way that a nonmetal submarine is a viable and sane idea that the population would be willing to adopt. And remember, chosen proposals in this phase give 2 Influence as opposed to 1!
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Early Firemaking: A base tech vital for survival.
Primitive Ropemaking: Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 2/2
Stone: 3/3
Textile: 1/1
Mourning Dew: 3/3
(https://i.imgur.com/I4LXy4B.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: TRIBAL CAVERN, Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x2 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP], Cave Crayfish), Stone x3 (Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Textile x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP]), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
Maximum Spin - 2I/0P
NUKE9.14 - 1I/0P
Powder Miner - 1I/0P
m1895 - -/-
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
Quarque - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/0P
Experimentation I: Soulbound (Roll: 2)
Some members of the tribe had always been able to hear the voices that came from the Mourning Dew more than others, and with the discovery of The Whispering Lake they could finally hear clearly enough to understand them.
The spirits of the dead that made up the Mourning Dew were concentrated enough for the "Attuned" who were more sensitive to the voices to make out mutterings of freedom, of an eternal peace they were soon to receive, with occasional quips about random moments of their past lives. None of them seemed to stay around for long - days at most for any one voice - with no clear indication of where the voices would move onward to. Your tribe attempted to reach out and communicate with these passing souls, going as far as wading out into the lake itself, but to no avail.
Eventually one of the Attuned was on their deathbed and one of the Founding Families asked them to bring a message to the afterlife (Nuke9.13 -2I). They were asked to scout out the surface above the tribe, an easy enough task with details the tribe could at least verify independently. A few days after they passed away, the Attuned's voice was briefly added to the chorus flowing into the lake before they emerged from the mist as a roughly human-shaped cloud of Dew. The Attuned spirit moved with purpose through the tunnels to the surface using passages it had been very familiar with in life. Once it reached the surface it began to whisper, listing out everything it saw on the surface.
As the days passed and the spirit continued to comb over every centimeter of the surface, observers could see and hear the spirit become angrier. The entity's voice rose to a deep guttural shout by the tenth day, calling out every pebble in a roar that put fear into anyone who heard it echo across the wasteland. When another Attuned approached the screaming being in an attempt to reach out and calm it, they found themselves enveloped by the ghastly being, their life drained and corpse withered and curled up in mere moments. Another Attuned fell to the spirit after following from what used to be a safe distance, as the spirit seems to become more easily agitated as time goes on. While it is expected that the spirit will return to The Whispering Lake once its task is complete, counting every stone above the Tribal Cavern could take an actual eternity even without being bound to the physical realm. In the meantime, the tribe will have to endure the occasional scream echoing from the surface.
But at least the spirit was precise.
NEW DISCOVERIES
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Soul-Scouts: Attuned given a request upon their deathbed to scout out a nearby area. Currently too thorough, resulting in lethal "haunting" of the scouted area after a period of time. Provides very accurate data if followed from an ever-increasing safe distance. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. Soul-Scouts provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
TERRITORY MODIFIED
16-M adds (Lethal Spirits [Surface]).
RESOURCES IDENTIFIED
16-M
Surface Granite (Stone x2) (Unavailable due to Lethal Spirits [Surface])
----
It is now the Exploration Phase. You may choose to make a proposal to develop for your people that could aid them in exploration in some way, or you can propose a route to explore. Thanks to Stonebreakers, you may choose to explore up to two tiles. These tiles must neighbor an already explored tile, and must connect to one another as well. Due to Soul-Scouts you may also choose to scout another tile neighboring a previously explored tile independent of any other action you take during the phase (at the cost of an angry ghost). When proposing exploration plans, be sure to include whether or not you will be deploying Soul-Scouts. For the purposes of this game, diagonal zones are considered neighboring.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Soul-Scouts: Attuned given a request upon their deathbed to scout out a nearby area. Currently too thorough, resulting in lethal "haunting" of the scouted area after a period of time. Provides very accurate data if followed from an ever-increasing safe distance. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. Soul-Scouts provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Early Firemaking: A base tech vital for survival.
Primitive Ropemaking: Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 2/2
Stone: 3/3
Textile: 1/1
Mourning Dew: 2/3 (-1 Soul-Scouts)
(https://i.imgur.com/I4LXy4B.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: TRIBAL CAVERN, Rocky Wasteland (Explored) (Lethal Spirits [Surface])
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x2 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP], Cave Crayfish), Stone x3 (Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Stone x2 (Surface Granite)Textile x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP]), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
Maximum Spin - 2I/0P
Powder Miner - 1I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
m1895 - -/-
Quarque - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/0P
Exploration II: Moving On
Your people, nomadic by nature even if stuck underground, itched to pick up and move once again. To see different cave walls. To hear how dripping water echoes in different caverns. A small group stayed behind to continue harvesting the hairy lichen, with runners bringing the resource to the tribe as it moved through the caves and toward a new home.
At the instruction of one of the Founding Families (Crystalizedmire +1I), a general direction was chosen for the migration to occur. The tribe packed their things and headed south into 16-N. With Stonebreakers traveling a couple days ahead of the rest of the tribe, paths could be widened, carved, and smoothed out to ease travel as they went. Small groups would break off from the main party to explore forks and branches in the paths they took, and eventually one of these teams found themselves led by a curious light. Following the glow led them to three massive interconnected caverns that each required days to comb through. Glowing Mushrooms sprouted from cracks in the stone where water had carved a path generations ago, and their relatively plump helmet-like tops proved more than adequate for eating (with some occasional mild discomfort). Some curious materials were woven in veins along the cavern walls, giving the tribe their first glimpse of Casserite within the Granite. One of the caverns even had a pool of Mourning Dew gathering at it's center.
The tribe, used to the feel of water dripping from the ceiling, were significantly less enthusiastic when they were setting up a camp for resting and felt something significantly harder falling on them from the ceiling.
Poisonous Cave Centipedes as long as a tribesfolk's forearm dropped from above, landing on this perceived threat with aggressive intent. The bites from the animals were painful, and they were never satisfied with just a single assault, often attacking in conjunction with a few other centipedes dropping onto the unfortunate someone or someones passing underneath the centipede clusters. The horrors of these large insects did not end there, as the bites festered and blackened while the venom spread through the victim's body. An incredibly powerful but brief illness struck the victims before they passed away curled in a ball and covered in their own fluids.
While the threat of the centipedes was not constant, it was present enough that the tribe made sure to quickly pass through the region and into 17-N.
This area was full of steep inclines as the passages wove into and through the mountains separating the empty wastes the tribe inhabited from the rest of the world. Fearful of any return through the centipede-infested caverns after having already suffered a noticeable number of losses, the tribe was intent on finding someplace sufficient to stay within this twisting maze. Fortunately, the tribe was able to locate a very large passage that led to the surface. The entirety of the winding passageways within the mountain crossed at a single point with a cave that passed through from one side of the mountain to the other, terminating at each end above the surface. Haircap Moss was abundant in the area, giving the tribe a sufficient and plentiful source of food. Tunnels closer to the surface also cut through significant deposits of Lignite layered above the everpresent Granite. One branch of tunnels beneath the mountain proved most intriguing, as it terminated at a very large squared chamber filled with a dense collection of Mourning Dew that wasn't flowing into the tunnel for some reason or another. Neither did any voices, as our Attuned were keen to point out. Once they entered this chamber, their interactions with the Mourning Dew were as expected (overwhelming numbers of casually mumbling voices).
As the tribe set up near the intersection between the underground and the cave tunnel, a small party went to check out the ends of the cave tunnel. While they did manage to get a good view of their surroundings, less of them returned thanks to a family of Cave Bears that made their home in the tunnel and hunted nearby prey on the surface. Survivors were able to spot a distant tower of smoke, and noted that it likely belonged to one of the tribes that forced yours into hiding.
Neither of these zones are safe, but the Cave Bears are something your people could evade, at least. While they aren't immediately disturbed by or disturbing the tribe, continued habitation of the area without decisively dealing with the bears could result in...animosity.
With the tribe setting up in 17-N, the group working the Hairy Lichen in 16-M could continue their work. All other resources in that region are currently unworked, largely due to the fact that those workers have moved on to harvest the resources in 17-N.
RESOURCES IDENTIFIED
16-N
Glowing Mushroom Clusters (Food+Chemicals)
Granite Caverns (Stone x2)
Casserite Veins (Stone?)
Poisonous Centipede Colonies (??)
Mourning Dew Pool (Mourning Dew x2)
17-N
Haircap Moss Growths (Food x2)
Granite Mountains (Stone x2)
Lignite Beds (Stone? x2)
Cave Bear Family (??)
The Misty Chamber (Mourning Dew x3)
TERRAIN IDENTIFIED
16-N
Interconnected Caverns
16-O
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
17-N
The Tunnel Pass
17-O
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
Deciduous Forest
Mountain-Fed Streams
18-M
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
18-N
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
18-O
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
Deciduous Forest
Lake-Fed Streams
UNKNOWN TRIBE
----
It is now the Expansion Phase. Remember that this phase is for expanding in the sense of proposing technology to build up your military, society, industry, or culture in addition to the expected meaning of expansion by declaring an "attack" on a zone within or along your borders if you have an identified threat you wish to eliminate. As a Nomadic tribe you may choose to move or settle during this phase as the phase's Action. The name will also continue to be a point of discussion until the vote is more decisive.
If you use a magnifying glass you might also be able to see the small purple squares in the upper right corner of the areas you have explored on the map.
You can interact with another tribe with any action, provided the proposal includes some flavor involving how it is intended to be used. All actions, even those without flavor, have the potential to cause interaction with other tribes - contact with the outside world is almost inevitable, and you have some power to influence how that comes about.
There is a general feeling among the tribe that there are about to be major changes in the near future. (This is GM-speak letting you know that your Expansion Action, unless it rolls astoundingly average, will be the final deciding factor for how your first Age comes about.)
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Soul-Scouts: Attuned given a request upon their deathbed to scout out a nearby area. Currently too thorough, resulting in lethal "haunting" of the scouted area after a period of time. Provides very accurate data if followed from an ever-increasing safe distance. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. Soul-Scouts provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Early Firemaking: A base tech vital for survival.
Primitive Ropemaking: Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 3/3
Stone: 4/4
Textile: 1/1
Mourning Dew: 2/3 (-1 Soul-Scouts)
(https://i.imgur.com/AlK9jqg.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: Rocky Wasteland (Explored) (Lethal Spirits [Surface])
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Interconnected Caverns (Explored)
16-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: TRIBAL INTERSECTION Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, The Tunnel Pass (Explored)
17-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Mountain-Fed Streams
18-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-N: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Lake-Fed Streams
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP]) Food x1 (Cave Crayfish), Stone x3 (Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Stone x2 (Surface Granite x2) Textile x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP]), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
16-N: Food x1 (Glowing Mushroom Clusters), Stone x3 (Granite Caverns x2, Casserite Veins), Mourning Dew x2 (Mourning Dew Pool), ?? (Poisonous Centipede Colonies)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
17-N: Food x2 (Haircap Moss Growths x2), Stone x4 (Granite Mountains x2, Lignite Beds x2), Mourning Dew x3 (The Misty Chamber), ?? (Cave Bear Family)
Maximum Spin - 2I/0P
Powder Miner - 1I/0P
Crystalizedmire - 1I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
Quarque - 0I/0P
m1895 - -/-
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Expansion II: The Ties That Bind (Roll: 10) (The Canadian Kitten +1I)
Musical Accompaniment, If You're Into That (https://youtu.be/Dy4HA3vUv2c?si=mCCQiD8UKAiKFdbS)
The Whispering Lake has been a curiosity that has drawn the attention of your tribe for some time now, and even with the "discovery" of the Attuned it largely remained a mysterious point of interest. Without much regular interaction with the Lake, it took the tribe until just now to test the waters in a most literal sense.
A small group of Attuned waded into the lake to fully immerse themselves in the souls of the dead in an attempt to finally reach out and make some sort of real connection. Most were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of voices speaking directly into their minds and either abandoned the lake or fell beneath the surface. Only one Attuned was able to endure the Whispering Lake, staving off madness and enduring the pains of hunger and thirst. After a few days, this Lake-Attuned found themself no longer able to differentiate between the Lake and themselves, filtering through the voices of the dead in order to find and speak to specific spirits passing by. They learned much about the Mourning Dew in their conversations with the dead (although no individual knew much on their own), and discovered that each of these spirits had lived a relatively normal life, doing a little bit to help others here and there, providing for their tribes, and not going out of their way to cause undue harm. As a result of their fairly uneventful lifestyles, they had a slow but steady and reliable path to The Whispering Lake and then the afterlife beyond. The savage spirit scouring the surface was becoming increasingly frustrated due to a degradation of the memory of it's order over time, resulting in an endless loop of task repetition delaying their peaceful path to providence. The Lake-Attuned was able to reach out to this accursed surface spirit from their permanent spot standing at the middle of the lake chest-deep in water and called them back.
The Lake-Attuned found that they could also reach out to their Attuned tribemates, acting as a relay between the living and the dead and passing messages back and forth across long distances. This meant the tribe was able to give clear instructions to the dead that wished to provide aid (and not just recently deceased Attuned) and give them something to do while they waited for their turn to pass on without forcing them to work "overtime". If this link were to ever be broken, any spirits working alongside the tribe would likely lose direction and revert back to a more aggressively agitated state.
As time passed, the Lake-Attuned found themself no longer wanting for food or drink, their bodies seemingly provided for in all manners by their attunement to the Lake, but they still aged. Having already been fairly old at the time of their lake attunement, it was only a few years before an Attuned heard the first "call". Being intimately entwined with death, the Lake-Attuned could feel their own spirit trying to break its mortal bindings and reached out to the Attuned spirit they felt most closely resonated with the spiritual energies of the Whispering Lake - one who had lived a life that would guarantee their passage through The Whispering Lake. As the tribe had begun to see the Lake-Attuned as a sort of spiritual leader (in a few meanings of the title), the Attuned had little hesitation in answering this unique call. The Attuned waded into the middle of the lake unbothered by the spirits congregating in the Mourning Dew, where they met a wrinkled, hunched, withered, but smiling Lake-Attuned. They both held out their hands and grasped one another for a few moments until the Lake-Attuned seeming dissolved into the lake. Their knowledge melded together within the new Lake-Attuned as the old spirit passed all of it's experiences onto the new spirit, leaving the tribe with a seamless transition in the position.
NEW DISCOVERIES
Lake-Attuned: An Attuned who has more specifically attuned to The Whispering Lake. Lake-Attuned allow the tribe to make requests of and utilize the spirits of the dead passing through the Lake without much complication. Only one Lake-Attuned exists at a time, acting as both messenger and spirit guide until they die of old age. Lake-Attuned choose which Attuned will inherit the position based on how closely their lifestyle aligns with The Whispering Lake's denizens - generally the more unremarkable the lifestyle, the better the fit. The tribe sees the Lake-Attuned as a sort of absentee leader who speaks to them through the Attuned. Requires access to The Whispering Lake.
Lake Spirits: Spirits from The Whispering Lake are fairly passive as they likely were in life, and eagerly await their turn to pass into the afterlife (whatever that may be). Lake Spirits are relatively simple, and work best on simple or fairly easy tasks (such as exploration). Their passivity can erode rapidly if overworked, especially without a Lake-Attuned in the tribe. There is no direct cost for Lake Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
MODIFIED DISCOVERIES
-Soul-Scouts: Spirits from the Whispering Lake who have answered the tribe's call to aid in exploration. They provide very accurate data to the tribe through the Lake-Attuned. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. While Lake-Attuned is properly funded, Soul-Scouts have no downside. However, if access to The Whispering Lake is lost, Soul-Scouts will provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless Lake-Attuned is properly refunded or the spirits are otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
TERRITORY MODIFIED
16-M loses (Lethal Spirits [Surface]).
Surface Granite (Stone x2) is no longer blocked.
The Lake-Attuned gave the tribe a sort of leadership figurehead to begin rallying behind, but the day-to-day operations of the tribe was largely beyond their scope. Instead, three families of the tribe were recognized as having a high level of influence on their tribemates. With the tribe clearly heading into a New Age, the strong leadership of these families has seen their opinions and goals weighed much more heavily than the average tribal family.
Maximum Spin, Powder Miner, and Crystalizedmire become Major Families.
There was a little negativity from a family that felt like it was being ignored, but it was unlikely that it would bloom into a larger issue for the tribe. At least for now.
With the advent of the Lake-Attuned, the tribe has grown much more attentive to the Mourning Dew that they once feared out of ignorance moreso than anything else. The Attuned within the tribe have grown more confident in their abilities to push the boundaries and pierce the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead - although your tribe has come to understand that those worlds are one and the same. The tribe has entered The Age of Attunement, the new Major Families receive 1 Prestige and all Influence has been reset.
During The Age of Attunement, any proposals utilizing Mourning Dew are guaranteed to have a larger impact than actions based around the more mundane resources. As a result, any proposals that do not use or interact in some way with Mourning Dew will have results rerolled on a 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10, while proposals that do use Mourning Dew will be rerolled until the result lands on 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10. This is to reflect the weight of the impact Mourning Dew is having and will continue to have on the tribe.
----
It is now the Exploitation Phase. Remember that you can choose a resource to begin exploiting in a neighboring area, or propose a development that would facilitate or build upon your ability to gather, identify, or otherwise interact with the resources of the world around you. Your tribe also remains nameless until there's a clear decision on what to name them! Since it is your first turn in a new zone as nomadic tribals, you do not need to choose a resource to exhaust.
READ THIS
With the ascension of the first Major Families, the way you vote is now changing to reflect the instructions in the original post. Major Families (Maximum Spin, Powder Miner, and Crystalizedmire) will vote in a separate votebox from the rest of the peasantry players, where their vote counts in its entirety. Minor Families (everyone else) vote in their own box, adding a single vote (with tie-breaking power) in the Major Votebox to whichever proposal the majority of the Minor Families vote for. You don't need to account for the Minor Vote in the Major Votebox as I'll obviously be checking both before working on results, but you can if you feel like it. The Tribe Name Vote will still account for everyone equally.
For the duration of this Age, all proposals related to Mourning Dew reroll until they result in a 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10. All proposals that do not use or otherwise revolve around Mourning Dew will be rerolled until they result in a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Lake-Attuned: An Attuned who has more specifically attuned to The Whispering Lake. Lake-Attuned allow the tribe to make requests of and utilize the spirits of the dead passing through the Lake without much complication. Only one Lake-Attuned exists at a time, acting as both messenger and spirit guide until they die of old age. Lake-Attuned choose which Attuned will inherit the position based on how closely their lifestyle aligns with The Whispering Lake's denizens - generally the more unremarkable the lifestyle, the better the fit. The tribe sees the Lake-Attuned as a sort of absentee leader who speaks to them through the Attuned. Requires access to The Whispering Lake.
Lake Spirits: Spirits from The Whispering Lake are fairly passive as they likely were in life, and eagerly await their turn to pass into the afterlife (whatever that may be). Lake Spirits are relatively simple, and work best on simple or fairly easy tasks (such as exploration). Their passivity can erode rapidly if overworked, especially without a Lake-Attuned in the tribe. There is no direct cost for Lake Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
-Soul-Scouts: Spirits from the Whispering Lake who have answered the tribe's call to aid in exploration. They provide very accurate data to the tribe through the Lake-Attuned. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. While Lake-Attuned is properly funded, Soul-Scouts have no downside. However, if access to The Whispering Lake is lost, Soul-Scouts will provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless Lake-Attuned is properly refunded or the spirits are otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Early Firemaking: A base tech vital for survival.
Primitive Ropemaking: Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 3/3
Stone: 4/4
Textile: 1/1
Mourning Dew: 2/3 (-1 Soul-Scouts)
(https://i.imgur.com/AlK9jqg.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Interconnected Caverns (Explored)
16-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: TRIBAL INTERSECTION Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, The Tunnel Pass (Explored)
17-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Mountain-Fed Streams
18-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-N: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Lake-Fed Streams
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP]) Food x1 (Cave Crayfish), Stone x5 (Surface Granite x2,Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Textile x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP]), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
16-N: Food x1 (Glowing Mushroom Clusters), Stone x3 (Granite Caverns x2, Casserite Veins), Mourning Dew x2 (Mourning Dew Pool), ?? (Poisonous Centipede Colonies)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
17-N: Food x2 (Haircap Moss Growths x2), Stone x4 (Granite Mountains x2, Lignite Beds x2), Mourning Dew x3 (The Misty Chamber), ?? (Cave Bear Family)
Major Families
Maximum Spin - 0I/1P
Powder Miner - 0I/1P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/1P
Minor Families
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
Quarque - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
m1895 - -/-
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Exploitation II: Chiaroscuro (Roll: 7)
The tribesfolk, who have begun referring to themselves as "Wardens of the Lake" in order to differentiate themselves from the other tribes on the surface, commonly used a circle of stones to create small barriers for their weak fires. It was through the use of Lignite as these barrier stones and one particularly chilly tribesperson (Quarque +1I) that the properties of lignite were revealed. While laying down to sleep, they opted to use a bit more of their allotment of dried lichen than usual and stoked a fire that nearly blinded anyone who looked at it. They laid some particularly large chunks of lignite into the fire to warm the stones, with the plan to lay on them once the fire died and the stones cooled off enough not to burn skin. The relatively soft, crumbly stones instead began to glow and burn on their own, emitting more light and heat than the tinder the tribe had been scraping by on until this moment. Of course a brighter, warmer fire was embraced by the tribe as rapidly as knowledge spread. This put some strain on the supplies of lignite available for other work, but it was more than worth the comfort. Smoke would build up after a while, but the tribe moved their specific living spaces enough that they never smoked out their homes.
Traveling also benefited very mildly from this discovery, as oft-used paths had fire-bowls carved into wall recesses to house lignite fires while the knowledge of said fires spread like fire. These fires kept the critters of the caves at bay, at least a little bit, whether it was through the light, smoke, or smell. The skill of a starting Stonebreaker was often determined by his Lignite Torchbowl construction, and it wasn't long before all but the most hastily carved paths had their own torchbowls.
Of note, the widespread presence of light has slowed the process of cave adaptation, at least when it comes to vision.
Needless to say, The Wardens of the Lake prioritized the gathering of Lignite in 17-N, making it Semi-Permanently Exploited.
RESOURCE TYPE DISCOVERED:
Fuel: Some materials double as a dedicated source of energy and/or heat with enough output to have practical applications. Fuel is used for upkeep on anything that would require energy to function beyond or incompatible with what the human body could apply.
RESOURCE MODIFIED:
Lignite (Stone+FUEL)
NEW DISCOVERIES
Warm Fires: Fires using a dedicated fuel resource. While it does not necessarily provide any major direct bonuses or maluses, Warm Fires act as a solid foundational development for further advancements. Requires access to a Fuel resource. Replaces Early Firemaking.
Lignite Torchbowls: Bowls carved into walls by Stonebreakers made to house lignite for fires. Provides sufficient light and keeps away cave creatures unaccustomed to the light, smoke, or smell. Underground areas with hostile creatures are less likely to have negative events from human interference. Requires 1 Lignite Resource for Upkeep.
Minor relevant note: The Lignite Upkeep uses the entire resource, meaning both the stone and fuel it provides. If a discovery requires specific materials down the line then remember that they will use all the resources that material provides, but they are likely stronger for it.
----
It is now the Experimentation Phase. Remember unlike the other phases, proposals for new advancements in the Experimentation Phase do not need to be in any way related to an existing technology or piece of knowledge. Also remember that winning proposals have their resulting influence multiplied by 2!
For the duration of this Age, all proposals related to Mourning Dew reroll until they result in a 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10. All proposals that do not use or otherwise revolve around Mourning Dew will be rerolled until they result in a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Lake-Attuned: An Attuned who has more specifically attuned to The Whispering Lake. Lake-Attuned allow the tribe to make requests of and utilize the spirits of the dead passing through the Lake without much complication. Only one Lake-Attuned exists at a time, acting as both messenger and spirit guide until they die of old age. Lake-Attuned choose which Attuned will inherit the position based on how closely their lifestyle aligns with The Whispering Lake's denizens - generally the more unremarkable the lifestyle, the better the fit. The tribe sees the Lake-Attuned as a sort of absentee leader who speaks to them through the Attuned. Requires access to The Whispering Lake.
Lake Spirits: Spirits from The Whispering Lake are fairly passive as they likely were in life, and eagerly await their turn to pass into the afterlife (whatever that may be). Lake Spirits are relatively simple, and work best on simple or fairly easy tasks (such as exploration). Their passivity can erode rapidly if overworked, especially without a Lake-Attuned in the tribe. There is no direct cost for Lake Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
-Soul-Scouts: Spirits from the Whispering Lake who have answered the tribe's call to aid in exploration. They provide very accurate data to the tribe through the Lake-Attuned. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. While Lake-Attuned is properly funded, Soul-Scouts have no downside. However, if access to The Whispering Lake is lost, Soul-Scouts will provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless Lake-Attuned is properly refunded or the spirits are otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Warm Fires: Fires using a dedicated fuel resource. While it does not necessarily provide any major direct bonuses or maluses, Warm Fires act as a solid foundational development for further advancements. Requires access to a Fuel resource. Replaces Early Firemaking.
-Lignite Torchbowls: Bowls carved into walls by Stonebreakers made to house lignite for fires. Provides sufficient light and keeps away cave creatures unaccustomed to the light, smoke, or smell. Underground areas with hostile creatures are less likely to have negative events from human interference. Requires 1 Lignite Resource for Upkeep.
Primitive Ropemaking: Provides ropes useful for a wide variety of tasks. Requires access to Textiles.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 3/3
Stone: 3/4 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls)
Textile: 1/1
Fuel: 1/2 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls)
Mourning Dew: 2/3 (-1 Soul-Scouts)
(https://i.imgur.com/AlK9jqg.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Interconnected Caverns (Explored)
16-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: TRIBAL INTERSECTION Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, The Tunnel Pass (Explored)
17-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Mountain-Fed Streams
18-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-N: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Lake-Fed Streams
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP]) Food x1 (Cave Crayfish), Stone x5 (Surface Granite x2,Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Textile x1 (Hairy Lichen Walls [SP]), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
16-N: Food x1 (Glowing Mushroom Clusters), Stone x3 (Granite Caverns x2, Casserite Veins), Mourning Dew x2 (Mourning Dew Pool), ?? (Poisonous Centipede Colonies)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
17-N: Food x2 (Haircap Moss Growths x2), Stone x4 (Granite Mountains x2, Lignite Beds x2 [SP]), Fuel x2 (Lignite Beds x2 [SP]), Mourning Dew x3 (The Misty Chamber), ?? (Cave Bear Family)
Major Families
Maximum Spin - 0I/1P
Powder Miner - 0I/1P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/1P
Minor Families
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
Quarque - 1I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
m1895 - -/-
Experimentation Phase II: Separation Anxiety (Roll: 2)
Mourning Dew has always maintained a curious property of never drifting out of some invisible, undetectable barrier surrounding every instance of the misty material. The Wardens of the Lake have long interacted with Mourning Dew at this point, but never before had they tried to remove it from the source.
Stone bowls were carefully carved and smoothed, and used by Attuned to gather Dew drifting at the side of the Misty Chamber. The first Attuned to pull Dew from the Chamber noticed the still silence explode into screams of terror and fear piercing into their minds. The Dew and the spirits of the dead Whatever essences of various spirits they extracted were unwilling or unable (or both) to communicate or cooperate with the Attuned in any way. As a result of the violent assault on the minds of the Attuned gathered, most of the removed Dew was returned to the Chamber which silenced it. One bowl remained within the hands of an Attuned, and they were determined to see their task completed.
With the very limited amount of Mourning Dew available in the single bowl, the Attuned decided to bring the offering to the Hairy Lichen in 16-M. The journey was slow, as the Attuned was careful not to lose any of the precious (psychically screaming) Dew. The trip was excessively easy to navigate, but the temptation to cast the Dew aside and flee the endless sounds of terror proved to be a constant presence. Still, the Attuned made journey and baptized the Hairy Lichen Walls with Mourning Dew.
The Hairy Lichen reacted in a wide variety of ways and not all at once. The screaming from the Dew subsided as it soaked into the lichen as if it understood what the Attuned intended, and soft white glow began to spread throughout the growth. While the screaming wasn't there to batter the minds of Attuned, the Hairy Lichen itself seemed to cause a sense of unease deep within their psyche. As time passed and the Attuned made repeated journeys to feed the lichen, it's standard growth patterns dramatically adjusted. Instead of spreading outward, the lichen had begun to creep in one specific direction - toward 17-N. The Dew feedings continued as the creeping hairs continued to travel and wind through tunnels until after a very, very slow journey the cluster stopped outside of the Misty Chamber. From there it returned to a more normal cycle of growth beyond the fact that it needed no further caring for from the Wardens.
The tribesfolk harvesting and utilizing the lichen noticed some of the changes made to the mossy material as it migrated. The fibrous lichen had become tougher and denser, and not only had the people found themselves less and less "satisfied" when eating the increasingly difficult to chew glowing lichen, but they also noticed a strong increase in fear and anxiety when ingesting it up to, in extreme cases, hallucinations involving violent and graphic death. Needless to say, the tribe stopped using the lichen as a source of food. The lichen continues to be useful for rope-making, and the strength it has gained from the changes it incurred in transit has actually improved the quality of the ropes available. The Strong Glowrope produced from Glowing White Lichen provides a source of illumination in the underground requiring much less maintenance (and producing much less smoke) than the admittedly more effective Torchbowls, better identifying routes that rope have been used to cut off, or lighting up pitfalls to see to the bottom, among other uses. Some members of the tribe take to hanging them from lower ceilings to light their homes.
The tribe was predictably angered at the loss of a food source, and what the Wardens had learned of the spirits residing beneath them filled everyone with unease (Quarque -2I). The experiment would not be repeated again until the tribe had considered what they'd learned of the Dew.
As if life hadn't been interesting enough, the bears living at the entrance of the cave got extremely rowdy one day as a small gang from another tribe came into the cave with long pointed sticks while attempting to grab the cubs. This did not go well for them, as a bear had been outside the cave foraging and trapped the other tribals between two walls of angry claws, teeth, and fur. The bears have won the day, but this negative interaction with humans has agitated them. There are increasing concerns that the bears may finally decide to turn inward and check out all the noise and smells the Wardens are producing.
NEW DISCOVERIES
Terrorforming: A very early attempt at agricultural advancement using Mourning Dew sourced from The Misty Chamber. Terrorformed plants will "flee" toward the Misty Chamber with each rapidly breeding generation until they arrive at the Chamber. Rapid breeding results in unstable mutations, with greater distances covered resulting in drastically dramatic and usually outright worse alterations. Terrorformed plants will emit a glow and pass on the strong fear and memories of death held within the Dew (usually when ingested, although other means of transference are possible). The Misty Chamber seems to provide sustenance for Terrorformed plants upon arrival. Requires access to The Misty Chamber, and 1 Mourning Dew for upkeep.
Strong Glowropemaking: A strong, faintly glowing rope made from Glowing White Lichen. Provides low light with low maintenance in addition to the standard uses of a sturdy rope. Requires access to Glowing White Lichen, and 1 Textile for upkeep. Replaces Primitive Ropemaking.
RESOURCES MODIFIED
Cave Bear Family (??) [17-N] -> Agitated Cave Bears (?!) [17-N]
Hairy Lichen Walls (Food+Textile) [16-M] -> Glowing White Lichen (Textile x2) [17-N]
----
It is now the Exploration Phase. You may choose to make a proposal to develop for your people that could aid them in exploration in some way, or you can propose a route to explore. Thanks to Stonebreakers, you may choose to explore up to two tiles. These tiles must neighbor an already explored tile, and must connect to one another as well. Due to Soul-Scouts you may also choose to scout another tile neighboring a previously explored tile independent of any other action you take during the phase. When proposing exploration plans, be sure to include whether or not you will be deploying Soul-Scouts. Remember that diagonal zones are considered neighboring.
For the duration of this Age, all proposals related to Mourning Dew reroll until they result in a 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10. All proposals that do not use or otherwise revolve around Mourning Dew will be rerolled until they result in a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Lake-Attuned: An Attuned who has more specifically attuned to The Whispering Lake. Lake-Attuned allow the tribe to make requests of and utilize the spirits of the dead passing through the Lake without much complication. Only one Lake-Attuned exists at a time, acting as both messenger and spirit guide until they die of old age. Lake-Attuned choose which Attuned will inherit the position based on how closely their lifestyle aligns with The Whispering Lake's denizens - generally the more unremarkable the lifestyle, the better the fit. The tribe sees the Lake-Attuned as a sort of absentee leader who speaks to them through the Attuned. Requires access to The Whispering Lake.
Lake Spirits: Spirits from The Whispering Lake are fairly passive as they likely were in life, and eagerly await their turn to pass into the afterlife (whatever that may be). Lake Spirits are relatively simple, and work best on simple or fairly easy tasks (such as exploration). Their passivity can erode rapidly if overworked, especially without a Lake-Attuned in the tribe. There is no direct cost for Lake Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
-Soul-Scouts: Spirits from the Whispering Lake who have answered the tribe's call to aid in exploration. They provide very accurate data to the tribe through the Lake-Attuned. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. While Lake-Attuned is properly funded, Soul-Scouts have no downside. However, if access to The Whispering Lake is lost, Soul-Scouts will provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless Lake-Attuned is properly refunded or the spirits are otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Terrorforming: A very early attempt at agricultural advancement using Mourning Dew sourced from The Misty Chamber. Terrorformed plants will "flee" toward the Misty Chamber with each rapidly breeding generation until they arrive at the Chamber. Rapid breeding results in unstable mutations, with greater distances covered resulting in drastically dramatic and usually outright worse alterations. Terrorformed plants will emit a glow and pass on the strong fear and memories of death held within the Dew (usually when ingested, although other means of transference are possible). The Misty Chamber seems to provide sustenance for Terrorformed plants. Requires access to The Misty Chamber, and 1 Mourning Dew for upkeep.
Warm Fires: Fires using a dedicated fuel resource. While it does not necessarily provide any major direct bonuses or maluses, Warm Fires act as a solid foundational development for further advancements. Requires access to a Fuel resource. Replaced Early Firemaking.
-Lignite Torchbowls: Bowls carved into walls by Stonebreakers made to house lignite for fires. Provides sufficient light and keeps away cave creatures unaccustomed to the light, smoke, or smell. Underground areas with hostile creatures are less likely to have negative events from human interference. Requires 1 Lignite Resource for Upkeep.
Strong Glowropemaking: A strong, faintly glowing rope made from Glowing White Lichen. Provides low light with low maintenance in addition to the standard uses of a sturdy rope. Requires access to Glowing White Lichen, and 1 Textile for upkeep. Replaced Primitive Ropemaking.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 2/2
Stone: 3/4 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls)
Textile: 1/2 (-1 Strong Glowrope)
Fuel: 1/2 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls)
Mourning Dew: 1/3 (-1 Soul-Scouts; -1 Terrorforming)
(https://i.imgur.com/AlK9jqg.png)
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Interconnected Caverns (Explored)
16-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: TRIBAL INTERSECTION Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, The Tunnel Pass (Explored)
17-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Mountain-Fed Streams
18-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-N: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Lake-Fed Streams
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
16-M: Food x1 (Cave Crayfish), Stone x5 (Surface Granite x2,Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
16-N: Food x1 (Glowing Mushroom Clusters), Stone x3 (Granite Caverns x2, Casserite Veins), Mourning Dew x2 (Mourning Dew Pool), ?? (Poisonous Centipede Colonies)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
17-N: Food x2 (Haircap Moss Growths x2), Stone x4 (Granite Mountains x2, Lignite Beds x2 [SP]), Textile x2 (Glowing White Lichen [SP]), Fuel x2 (Lignite Beds x2 [SP]), Mourning Dew x3 (The Misty Chamber), ?! (Agitated Cave Bears)
Major Families
Maximum Spin - 0I/1P
Powder Miner - 0I/1P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/1P
Minor Families
Quarque - 0I/0P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
m1895 - -/-
Exploration Phase III: Discoveries In The Deep
With the desire to travel once more causing an itch within the tribe, the Wardens of the Lake saw a long-forgotten family once more step forward to lay out the plans for an expedition (m1895 +1I). The goal was to explore the western territories within the mountain ring and observe the land immediately beyond it.
A large group set out following a series of torchbowls and glowropes through their previous home and continued northwest into 15-L. Once more it was Stonebreakers who led the way, increasing accessibility for the rest of the expedition while lighting the way with additional torchbowls and a few handy lignite runners. A network of caverns continued to wind through the region with very little that stood out to the wandering Wardens, at least initially. The same granite lined the walls that the tribe had seen everywhere else, and it was only through dumb luck that one of the Stonebreakers set up a lignite torchbowl near a new thing - a yellow stone clumped up within the granite that glimmered and sparkled under the torchbowl's light. This gold stone was certainly a curiosity for the tribe, but they were even more curious about a tunnel that terminated in a sudden straight drop. This pit, which could comfortably fit a dozen people standing shoulder-to-shoulder, also cut upwards to reveal the sky. Turbulent air kicked up in the tunnels branching off the tube at various points, which either fed or was fed by the twisting movement of the Mourning Dew dancing up and down the tunnel simultaneously. Stonebreakers set about cutting a path winding to the surface while Attuned readied themselves to explore deeper with the aid of glowropes. The brief trip to the surface proved to be worth the immense effort, as for some incredible reason the air coming through the tunnel carried the outside world with it. Grasses and hardy flowers had gained a foothold in the rocky wasteland, with a wildflower called stinkweed proving to be the dominant invader. As above, so below, as the Attuned also made quite a discovery in the depths.
They weren't actually that deep, and the larger tunnel narrowed at the bottom where it curved horizontally. At this point the path is narrow enough that the Mourning Dew fills it in it's entirety, and this initially gave pause to the Attuned meant to travel onward, as the entire time they'd been hearing laughter of all types - though all equally unsettling - coming from the Dew. Or was it crying? Either way, they opted to have a group of normal tribesfolk crawl through in their stead. When they finally emerged after an incredibly painful journey the tribesfolk couldn't be blamed for believing they had gotten turned around: the immediate surface was nothing but rock and stone. As they had emerged at night, it took a little bit of exploration to find the first greenery beneath their feet and realize that they had indeed left the cover of the mountains. While out there in the dark they also spotted something ominous: the light of great fires in the distance.
Only a handful of the tunnel crawlers managed to make the trip back, as one of them wound up succumbing to the laughter/crying and went mad. The madman was put down after turning on his fellow Wardens, scratching, punching, and biting however he could within the cramped fog-blinding corridor. The swirl in the fog seemed to intensify almost immediately upon the attacker's death, and the survivors wanted nothing more than to get out of there as quickly as they possibly could, emerging among the rest of the expedition covered in all sorts of bodily excretions.
Little else of note was uncovered by the explorers, so they continued along their planned route south into 15-M. The route the Stonebreakers carved was winding out of necessity, although they also accidentally managed to cross over their own paths and retread ground a few times too. Travel through the tunnels was fairly difficult, especially as they turned from the hard, dull stone the tribe is used to into a blackish glassy stone with excruciatingly sharp edges. The explorers managed to traverse the obsidian and over the course of their survey of the area had found a large chamber of magma. Within the middle of this lake of fire was an island that even from the opposite shores the Wardens could tell held Mourning Dew. Once again some members of the tribe began to work on ways to maneuver themselves and cross the molten stone (only one person had to get close enough to combust to learn that lesson). While a number of ideas were floated, the tribe figured they'd cut steps into the obsidian and hang ropes from the glimmering ceiling to traverse over the magma and drop onto the island. There was still some rope and fiber available to make more, but some of the expedition had found a large collection of very strong hair-like fibers coating some nearby tunnels and harvested it for additional materials.
The braiding of this new fibrous material was coming along very well and the first footholds smoothed out when one of the tribesfolk felt something travel up their leg. They slapped it on reflex and raised their palm to the light, illuminating a pea-sized corpse with eight twitching legs. Then they felt another. And another. Before the tribesman could kill those he felt a sudden hot, painful piercing sensation on his right thigh. More of the tribesfolk had begun to swat off their own octopodal offenders, with some of these aggressive arachnids being as large as a thumb. Then a fist. Then a head. Repulsive eyeless beasts with oversized fangs and a sickly off-white chitin fell upon the explorers in an excessively rapid and toxic manner, with very few of the exploring group managing to get away. Those unfortunate enough to be bitten quickly fell to vomiting and paralysis, although what happened to them afterward is anyone's guess.
But wait, there's more!
Those few that escaped were still a greater number than finally managed to return. The spider swarm was not seemingly content with just the meat they had gathered by the magma pool, and had decided to follow. With no eyes or noses to be disturbed by the torchbowls, the fleeing tribals found themselves beset upon repeatedly by spiders who continued to track down this suddenly available and abundant food source. The spiders didn't follow the tribe all the way home, but they are on the move, and the expectation is that they will eventually make the trip.
Meanwhile, the Lake-Attuned took the opportunity to send forth a small troupe of Soul-Scouts to examine 15-N. This was an easy enough task to accomplish, especially as the spirits, once freed from the lake, were drawn to the area. Many curiously straight tunnels (not that the spirits needed to follow them) followed a gradual decline that opened up into an absolutely enormous cavern, and were unremarkable other than the Inky Mushrooms growing from the occasional damp crack. The chamber itself was lit from the center with the faintest (for surface eyes anyway) white-blue glow, where a large circular portion of the room stood separate from the chamber thanks to some trench. Upon further inspection, which the spirits were very keen on doing, they realized this trench was filled with a constantly bubbling and churning mass of Mourning Dew. Something gave the scouts a sense of unease, which isn't the easiest task with the undead, and so they opted not to investigate into the Dew here any further. (GM NOTE: This is just an excuse to let you actually define what's going on here with a later action)
The platform at the center of the room was easily reached thanks to the nature of locomotion in the afterlife, but held nothing of note. The spirits then made their way upwards and checked out their surroundings on the surface. They found nothing of use to the tribe here, too. What they did see as they crested the top of the mountain ring and looked out with their ghastly senses was a collection of small homes (and not tents!) further beyond the West Wall. With the region sufficiently checked out, the information pipeline from the spirits to the Lake-Attuned and finally to the Attuned and tribe at large did it's work and spread the news.
RESOURCES IDENTIFIED
15-L
Granite Cavities (Stone x2)
Glimmering Gold Vein (Stone? x2)
Surface Stinkweed Patch (Food x2+Chemical)
Sanguine Tunnel (Mourning Dew x3)
15-M
Obsidian Layer (Stone x3)
Ceiling Diamond Clusters (Stone? x1)
Magma Mourning Dew (Mourning Dew x2)
Troglodytic Spider Horde (!!)
15-N
Granite Tubes (Stone x2)
Inky Mushroom Growths (Food+Chemical)
The Churn (Mourning Dew x6)
TERRAIN IDENTIFIED
14-K
Hilly Grassland
Pando Forest
Grassland
14-L
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
Pando Forest
14-M
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
Pando Forest
14-N
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
UNKNOWN TRIBE
14-O
Peat Bog
15-K
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
Pando Forest
UNKNOWN TRIBE
15-O
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
16-K
Mountain Range
Hilly Grassland
----
It is now the Expansion Phase! This phase is for expanding in the sense of proposing technology to build up your military, society, industry, or culture in addition to the expected meaning of expansion by declaring an "attack" on a zone within or along your borders if you have an identified threat you wish to eliminate. As a Nomadic tribe you may choose to move or settle during this phase as the phase's Action.
Thanks to some of the tribe's luck being less good than others, an imminent dangerous threat of spiders is on your doorstep! They will work as follows:
The Spiders will migrate at the start of every turn, moving one zone closer to wherever the tribe may be located. Various actions can slow or stop this approach, temporarily or on a more permanent basis.
The Spiders reaching the tribe will not be a game over, but it will make life really fucking suck for the tribe.
Life will also really fucking suck for anyone working tiles outside of the tribe center itself if they happen to cross the spiders.
For the duration of this Age, all proposals related to Mourning Dew reroll until they result in a 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10. All proposals that do not use or otherwise revolve around Mourning Dew will be rerolled until they result in a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Lake-Attuned: An Attuned who has more specifically attuned to The Whispering Lake. Lake-Attuned allow the tribe to make requests of and utilize the spirits of the dead passing through the Lake without much complication. Only one Lake-Attuned exists at a time, acting as both messenger and spirit guide until they die of old age. Lake-Attuned choose which Attuned will inherit the position based on how closely their lifestyle aligns with The Whispering Lake's denizens - generally the more unremarkable the lifestyle, the better the fit. The tribe sees the Lake-Attuned as a sort of absentee leader who speaks to them through the Attuned. Requires access to The Whispering Lake.
Lake Spirits: Spirits from The Whispering Lake are fairly passive as they likely were in life, and eagerly await their turn to pass into the afterlife (whatever that may be). Lake Spirits are relatively simple, and work best on simple or fairly easy tasks (such as exploration). Their passivity can erode rapidly if overworked, especially without a Lake-Attuned in the tribe. There is no direct cost for Lake Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
-Soul-Scouts: Spirits from the Whispering Lake who have answered the tribe's call to aid in exploration. They provide very accurate data to the tribe through the Lake-Attuned. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. While Lake-Attuned is properly funded, Soul-Scouts have no downside. However, if access to The Whispering Lake is lost, Soul-Scouts will provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless Lake-Attuned is properly refunded or the spirits are otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Terrorforming: A very early attempt at agricultural advancement using Mourning Dew sourced from The Misty Chamber. Terrorformed plants will "flee" toward the Misty Chamber with each rapidly breeding generation until they arrive at the Chamber. Rapid breeding results in unstable mutations, with greater distances covered resulting in drastically dramatic and usually outright worse alterations. Terrorformed plants will emit a glow and pass on the strong fear and memories of death held within the Dew (usually when ingested, although other means of transference are possible). The Misty Chamber seems to provide sustenance for Terrorformed plants. Requires access to The Misty Chamber, and 1 Mourning Dew for upkeep.
Warm Fires: Fires using a dedicated fuel resource. While it does not necessarily provide any major direct bonuses or maluses, Warm Fires act as a solid foundational development for further advancements. Requires access to a Fuel resource. Replaced Early Firemaking.
-Lignite Torchbowls: Bowls carved into walls by Stonebreakers made to house lignite for fires. Provides sufficient light and keeps away cave creatures unaccustomed to the light, smoke, or smell. Underground areas with hostile creatures are less likely to have negative events from human interference. Requires 1 Lignite Resource for Upkeep.
Strong Glowropemaking: A strong, faintly glowing rope made from Glowing White Lichen. Provides low light with low maintenance in addition to the standard uses of a sturdy rope. Requires access to Glowing White Lichen, and 1 Textile for upkeep. Replaced Primitive Ropemaking.
Cave Homes: The most basic form of housing - caves carved out by nature ages ago.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 2/2
Stone: 3/4 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls)
Textile: 1/2 (-1 Strong Glowrope)
Fuel: 1/2 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls)
Mourning Dew: 1/3 (-1 Soul-Scouts; -1 Terrorforming)
(https://i.imgur.com/fnzvuwW.png)
14-K: Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest, Grassland
14-L: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
14-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
14-N: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
14-O: Peat Bog
15-K: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland (Explored)
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range (Explored) SPIDER HORDE
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland (Explored)
15-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-K: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Interconnected Caverns (Explored)
16-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: TRIBAL INTERSECTION Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, The Tunnel Pass (Explored)
17-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Mountain-Fed Streams
18-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-N: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Lake-Fed Streams
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
15-L: Food x2 (Surface Stinkweed Patch), Stone x4 (Granite Cavities x2, Glimmering Gold Vein x2), Chemical x1 (Surface Stinkweed Patch), Mourning Dew x3 (Sanguine Tunnel)
15-M: Stone x3 (Obsidian Layer x2, Ceiling Diamond Clusters x1), Mourning Dew x2 (Magma Mourning Dew), Troglodytic Spider Horde (!!)
15-N: Food x1 (Inky Mushroom Growths), Stone x2 (Granite Tubes), Chemical x1 (Inky Mushroom Growths, Mourning Dew x6 (The Churn)
16-M: Food x1 (Cave Crayfish), Stone x5 (Surface Granite x2, Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
16-N: Food x1 (Glowing Mushroom Clusters), Stone x3 (Granite Caverns x2, Casserite Veins), Mourning Dew x2 (Mourning Dew Pool), ?? (Poisonous Centipede Colonies)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
17-N: Food x2 (Haircap Moss Growths x2), Stone x4 (Granite Mountains x2, Lignite Beds x2 [SP]), Textile x2 (Glowing White Lichen [SP]), Fuel x2 (Lignite Beds x2 [SP]), Mourning Dew x3 (The Misty Chamber), ?! (Agitated Cave Bears)
Major Families
Maximum Spin - 0I/1P
Powder Miner - 0I/1P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/1P
Minor Families
m1895 - 1I/0P
Quarque - 0I/0P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Expansion Phase III: A Change Of Pace (Roll: 7)
As the Wardens familiarized themselves with their surroundings, it became increasingly obvious that they would need to prepare themselves to centralize the tribe and develop a more permanent settlement. Under the guidance of a Minor Family (Quarque +1I), the tribe gathered themselves up once more and made the trek toward their new home - 17-M. The trip was relatively easy, and the tribe was anticipating life somewhere under open sky (an admittedly unsettling prospect) near running water. Being closer to the spiritual center that gave the tribe their self-imposed identity was very exciting as well. Folk excitedly moved throughout the area, and using lines of stones they were able to isolate portions of the area to give to each family in the tribe. While any old loose stone was used to mark property lines at first, the skilled stoneworking hands of the Wardens eventually made themselves clear and present.
Where Stonebreakers carved through the earth to reach an end goal, for Stonecarvers the end goal is the cutting of stone. Stonecarvers came about as a niche job meant to occupy the youth not quite suited to work in the caverns yet, but was quickly adopted by adults as they began to understand the potential utility of shaping stones for more purposes than just tools. Rough stones were replaced by smoother stone blocks that could be placed tighter together with fewer gaps, and soon the size and quality of a family's border blocks became something of a status symbol, with the better connected or "wealthier" (in the context of barely civilized cave people who just realized property is a concept) families even stacking their blocks vertically so as to let their property be identified clearer and from further away. The lakeside settlement quickly became a labyrinth in itself as stone walls formed corridors and unintentionally walled communal areas, rapidly coming to resemble the caverns that the Wardens had been familiar with for so long already. With supplies still coming from workers in 17-N, the tribe could take slightly more time getting settled in, and do so in a way that minimized their interaction with the mud wasps.
You tribe has coexisted in the same region as hostile creatures before, but the bears were few in number, kept largely to themselves, and were fairly non-aggressive. This is exactly the opposite of the wasps, and even with some careful planning, the sudden appearance of an entire tribe encroaching on the wasp's territory has rustled some chitin. Their aggression has only been stymied thanks to the use of lignite torchbowls, creating a sort of equilibrium that will need to be addressed should the local resources be developed upon any further - or the tribe grow much larger. There is one more cruel twist, as a shortage of stone thanks to the walls has resulted in an inability to fully provide for the Lignite Torchbowls. This lack of funding will see the efficacy of the torchbowls drop as time goes by, which will likely lead to more confrontations with the wasps.
[GM Note: Degradation will not slow since, although there is still Fuel available in the stockpiles, the Torchbowls require a full Lignite resource. This should provide a baseline to keep things simple as considerations become more complex, at least regarding multi-resource shenanigans.]
SETTLEMENT FOUNDED
Tribal Complex (17-M)
Settling a tribe is a large step in the progress of your civilization, with hardships aplenty to join the benefits. You are now considered Settled and some rules have adjusted accordingly.
Exploration: Your tribe is no longer able to migrate during your exploration.
Expansion: Settling is no longer restricted to spawning another group adjacent to an existing one, and you can instead found a new settlement anywhere within the tribe's borders.
Exploitation: There is no longer mandatory resource exhaustion, although passive exhaustion still exists.
Settlements incur an upkeep cost based on the developments in use, and at a more noticeable (that is, extant) rate than nomads.
Technological advancements will have a much greater impact on society, with more widespread potential effects than the advancements made by a nomadic tribe.
Semipermanent Resources are now permanent/treated normally.
The tribe may choose to revert to Nomadic at any point, however there will likely be issues resulting from such a decision based on your internal and larger geopolitical situations.
Settling has an immediate effect of requiring 1 Food for upkeep per settlement
NEW DISCOVERIES:
Stone Blocks: Pieces of stone cut from the earth and shaped for easier stacking. Being used in a proposal will add/increase stone upkeep but it will benefit from slightly higher quality construction in addition to the effects (for good or ill) resulting from using carved stone vs. another material. Requires access to Stone.
Complex Walls: Complex walls are crafted from Stone Blocks to outline property and interlock with other walls to create a large singular complex. Instead of encircling a settlement, complex walls define the entire thing, with a wide variety of heights, stone sizes, and overall quality throughout. Doubles as housing. Requires 2 Stone for base upkeep, with costs increasing as the tribe and it's settlements grow larger.
-Stonecarvers: Tribesfolk with a desire to shape stone instead of carve through it. They are responsible for the tribe's stonecrafts and will generally improve the overall quality of the tribe's stonework. Requires access to Stone.
MODIFIED DISCOVERY:
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation ->and Settlement Range<- extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
It is now the Exploitation Phase. Remember that you can choose a resource to begin exploiting in a neighboring area, or propose a development that would facilitate or build upon your ability to gather, identify, or otherwise interact with the resources of the world around you.
With the change in the tribe's lifestyle it became increasingly apparent that one family was somewhat absent from the decision-making process, and as a result was replaced by a former Minor Family. [In-game reasoning for swapping out Max Spin - due to a tie in influence a coin flip has determined that m1895 ascends to the position. I'm ignoring any ill effects from influence ties and the like since this was a request and not me trying to beat you nerds.]
EDITED TO ADD: With your first settlement in place, your people might eventually desire to come up with a name to collectively refer to their home as. As with the name of the tribe, naming settlements has no deadline and considers all voters equally regardless of family status.
For the duration of this Age, all proposals related to Mourning Dew reroll until they result in a 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10. All proposals that do not use or otherwise revolve around Mourning Dew will be rerolled until they result in a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation and Settlement Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
-Stonecarvers: Tribesfolk with a desire to shape stone instead of carve through it. They are responsible for the tribe's stonecrafts and will generally improve the overall quality of the tribe's stonework. Requires access to Stone.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Lake-Attuned: An Attuned who has more specifically attuned to The Whispering Lake. Lake-Attuned allow the tribe to make requests of and utilize the spirits of the dead passing through the Lake without much complication. Only one Lake-Attuned exists at a time, acting as both messenger and spirit guide until they die of old age. Lake-Attuned choose which Attuned will inherit the position based on how closely their lifestyle aligns with The Whispering Lake's denizens - generally the more unremarkable the lifestyle, the better the fit. The tribe sees the Lake-Attuned as a sort of absentee leader who speaks to them through the Attuned. Requires access to The Whispering Lake.
Lake Spirits: Spirits from The Whispering Lake are fairly passive as they likely were in life, and eagerly await their turn to pass into the afterlife (whatever that may be). Lake Spirits are relatively simple, and work best on simple or fairly easy tasks (such as exploration). Their passivity can erode rapidly if overworked, especially without a Lake-Attuned in the tribe. There is no direct cost for Lake Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
-Soul-Scouts: Spirits from the Whispering Lake who have answered the tribe's call to aid in exploration. They provide very accurate data to the tribe through the Lake-Attuned. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. While Lake-Attuned is properly funded, Soul-Scouts have no downside. However, if access to The Whispering Lake is lost, Soul-Scouts will provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless Lake-Attuned is properly refunded or the spirits are otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Terrorforming: A very early attempt at agricultural advancement using Mourning Dew sourced from The Misty Chamber. Terrorformed plants will "flee" toward the Misty Chamber with each rapidly breeding generation until they arrive at the Chamber. Rapid breeding results in unstable mutations, with greater distances covered resulting in drastically dramatic and usually outright worse alterations. Terrorformed plants will emit a glow and pass on the strong fear and memories of death held within the Dew (usually when ingested, although other means of transference are possible). The Misty Chamber seems to provide sustenance for Terrorformed plants. Requires access to The Misty Chamber, and 1 Mourning Dew for upkeep.
Warm Fires: Fires using a dedicated fuel resource. While it does not necessarily provide any major direct bonuses or maluses, Warm Fires act as a solid foundational development for further advancements. Requires access to a Fuel resource. Replaced Early Firemaking.
-Lignite Torchbowls: Bowls carved into walls by Stonebreakers made to house lignite for fires. Provides sufficient light and keeps away cave creatures unaccustomed to the light, smoke, or smell. Underground areas with hostile creatures are less likely to have negative events from human interference. Requires 1 Lignite Resource for Upkeep. UNFUNDED (DEGRADING)
Strong Glowropemaking: A strong, faintly glowing rope made from Glowing White Lichen. Provides low light with low maintenance in addition to the standard uses of a sturdy rope. Requires access to Glowing White Lichen, and 1 Textile for upkeep. Replaced Primitive Ropemaking.
Stone Blocks: Pieces of stone cut from the earth and shaped for easier stacking. Being used in a proposal will add/increase stone upkeep but it will benefit from slightly higher quality construction in addition to the effects (for good or ill) resulting from using carved stone vs. another material. Requires access to Stone.
Complex Walls: Complex walls are crafted from Stone Blocks to outline property and interlock with other walls to create a large singular complex. Instead of encircling a settlement, complex walls define the entire thing, with a wide variety of heights, stone sizes, and overall quality throughout. Doubles as housing. Requires 2 Stone for base upkeep, with costs increasing as the tribe and it's settlements grow larger due to the Housing classification.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 1/2 (-1 Settlement)
Stone: 0/2 ( -2 Complex Walls)
Clay: 1/1
Textile: 1/2 (-1 Strong Glowrope)
Fuel: 2/2
Mourning Dew: 3/5 (-1 Soul-Scouts; -1 Terrorforming)
(https://i.imgur.com/sBFKem4.png)
14-K: Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest, Grassland
14-L: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
14-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
14-N: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
14-O: Peat Bog
15-K: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland (Explored)
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range (Explored) SPIDER HORDE
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland (Explored)
15-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-K: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Interconnected Caverns (Explored)
16-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: TRIBAL COMPLEX Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, The Tunnel Pass (Explored)
17-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Mountain-Fed Streams
18-L: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Fertile River Valley, Great Plain
18-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-N: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Lake-Fed Streams
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited
15-L: Food x2 (Surface Stinkweed Patch), Stone x4 (Granite Cavities x2, Glimmering Gold Vein x2), Chemical x1 (Surface Stinkweed Patch), Mourning Dew x3 (Sanguine Tunnel)
15-M: Stone x3 (Obsidian Layer x2, Ceiling Diamond Clusters x1), Mourning Dew x2 (Magma Mourning Dew), Troglodytic Spider Horde (!!)
15-N: Food x1 (Inky Mushroom Growths), Stone x2 (Granite Tubes), Chemical x1 (Inky Mushroom Growths, Mourning Dew x6 (The Churn)
16-M: Food x1 (Cave Crayfish), Stone x5 (Surface Granite x2, Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
16-N: Food x1 (Glowing Mushroom Clusters), Stone x3 (Granite Caverns x2, Casserite Veins), Mourning Dew x2 (Mourning Dew Pool), ?? (Poisonous Centipede Colonies)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
17-N: Food x2 (Haircap Moss Growths x2), Stone x2 (Lignite Beds x2), Stone x2 (Granite Mountains x2), Textile x2 (Glowing White Lichen), Fuel x2 (Lignite Beds x2), Mourning Dew x3 (The Misty Chamber), ?! (Agitated Cave Bears)
Major Families
Powder Miner - 0I/1P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/1P
m1895 - 1I/0P
Minor Families
Quarque - 1I/0P
Maximum Spin - 0I/1P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Exploitation III: Rock And Stone Again
Pushing themselves front and center, one family within the tribe has risen to prominence through strong command of their people. In this case, the family has directed the tribe toward the wealth of granite within 17-N. Stonebreakers and stonecarvers who worked on-site began making their regular treks between the tribal complex and their workstation in order to provide the tribe with the stone necessary to offset the shortages that led to a reduction in the number of active Lignite Torchbowls. While the re-increase in activity in the area certainly didn't go unnoticed by the Cave Bears, the Lignite Torchbowls being relit more than offset any agitation the tribe would have caused the bears.
As with the bears, the wasps within 17-M find themselves repelled once more by the redoubled efforts to provide the proper materials for the tribe's growing needs. While there's always going to be the occasional sting or bite, mass swarmings and deaths are rare if not completely absent for the time being.
It is now the Experimentation Phase. Remember unlike the other phases, proposals for new advancements in the Experimentation Phase do not need to be in any way related to an existing technology or piece of knowledge. Also remember that winning proposals have their resulting influence multiplied by 2!
For the duration of this Age, all proposals related to Mourning Dew reroll until they result in a 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10. All proposals that do not use or otherwise revolve around Mourning Dew will be rerolled until they result in a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation and Settlement Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
-Stonecarvers: Tribesfolk with a desire to shape stone instead of carve through it. They are responsible for the tribe's stonecrafts and will generally improve the overall quality of the tribe's stonework. Requires access to Stone.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
-Lake-Attuned: An Attuned who has more specifically attuned to The Whispering Lake. Lake-Attuned allow the tribe to make requests of and utilize the spirits of the dead passing through the Lake without much complication. Only one Lake-Attuned exists at a time, acting as both messenger and spirit guide until they die of old age. Lake-Attuned choose which Attuned will inherit the position based on how closely their lifestyle aligns with The Whispering Lake's denizens - generally the more unremarkable the lifestyle, the better the fit. The tribe sees the Lake-Attuned as a sort of absentee leader who speaks to them through the Attuned. Requires access to The Whispering Lake.
Lake Spirits: Spirits from The Whispering Lake are fairly passive as they likely were in life, and eagerly await their turn to pass into the afterlife (whatever that may be). Lake Spirits are relatively simple, and work best on simple or fairly easy tasks (such as exploration). Their passivity can erode rapidly if overworked, especially without a Lake-Attuned in the tribe. There is no direct cost for Lake Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
-Soul-Scouts: Spirits from the Whispering Lake who have answered the tribe's call to aid in exploration. They provide very accurate data to the tribe through the Lake-Attuned. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. While Lake-Attuned is properly funded, Soul-Scouts have no downside. However, if access to The Whispering Lake is lost, Soul-Scouts will provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless Lake-Attuned is properly refunded or the spirits are otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Terrorforming: A very early attempt at agricultural advancement using Mourning Dew sourced from The Misty Chamber. Terrorformed plants will "flee" toward the Misty Chamber with each rapidly breeding generation until they arrive at the Chamber. Rapid breeding results in unstable mutations, with greater distances covered resulting in drastically dramatic and usually outright worse alterations. Terrorformed plants will emit a glow and pass on the strong fear and memories of death held within the Dew (usually when ingested, although other means of transference are possible). The Misty Chamber seems to provide sustenance for Terrorformed plants. Requires access to The Misty Chamber, and 1 Mourning Dew for upkeep.
Warm Fires: Fires using a dedicated fuel resource. While it does not necessarily provide any major direct bonuses or maluses, Warm Fires act as a solid foundational development for further advancements. Requires access to a Fuel resource. Replaced Early Firemaking.
-Lignite Torchbowls: Bowls carved into walls by Stonebreakers made to house lignite for fires. Provides sufficient light and keeps away cave creatures unaccustomed to the light, smoke, or smell. Underground areas with hostile creatures are less likely to have negative events from human interference. Requires 1 Lignite Resource for Upkeep.
Strong Glowropemaking: A strong, faintly glowing rope made from Glowing White Lichen. Provides low light with low maintenance in addition to the standard uses of a sturdy rope. Requires access to Glowing White Lichen, and 1 Textile for upkeep. Replaced Primitive Ropemaking.
Stone Blocks: Pieces of stone cut from the earth and shaped for easier stacking. Being used in a proposal will add/increase stone upkeep but it will benefit from slightly higher quality construction in addition to the effects (for good or ill) resulting from using carved stone vs. another material. Requires access to Stone.
Complex Walls: Complex walls are crafted from Stone Blocks to outline property and interlock with other walls to create a large singular complex. Instead of encircling a settlement, complex walls define the entire thing, with a wide variety of heights, stone sizes, and overall quality throughout. Doubles as housing. Requires 2 Stone for base upkeep, with costs increasing as the tribe and it's settlements grow larger due to the Housing classification. Replaced Cave Homes.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 1/2 (-1 Settlement)
Stone: 1/4 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls, -2 Complex Walls)
Clay: 1/1
Textile: 1/2 (-1 Strong Glowrope)
Fuel: 1/2 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls)
Mourning Dew: 3/5 (-1 Soul-Scouts; -1 Terrorforming)
(https://i.imgur.com/sBFKem4.png)
14-K: Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest, Grassland
14-L: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
14-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
14-N: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
14-O: Peat Bog
15-K: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland (Explored)
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range (Explored) SPIDER HORDE
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland (Explored)
15-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-K: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: Rocky Wasteland (Explored)
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Interconnected Caverns (Explored)
16-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: TRIBAL COMPLEX Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, The Tunnel Pass (Explored)
17-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Mountain-Fed Streams
18-L: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Fertile River Valley, Great Plain
18-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-N: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Lake-Fed Streams
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited, Region: Foreign Tribal Presence
15-L: Food x2 (Surface Stinkweed Patch), Stone x4 (Granite Cavities x2, Glimmering Gold Vein x2), Chemical x1 (Surface Stinkweed Patch), Mourning Dew x3 (Sanguine Tunnel)
15-M: Stone x3 (Obsidian Layer x2, Ceiling Diamond Clusters x1), Mourning Dew x2 (Magma Mourning Dew), Troglodytic Spider Horde (!!)
15-N: Food x1 (Inky Mushroom Growths), Stone x2 (Granite Tubes), Chemical x1 (Inky Mushroom Growths, Mourning Dew x6 (The Churn)
16-M: Food x1 (Cave Crayfish), Stone x5 (Surface Granite x2, Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths)
16-N: Food x1 (Glowing Mushroom Clusters), Stone x3 (Granite Caverns x2, Casserite Veins), Mourning Dew x2 (Mourning Dew Pool), ?? (Poisonous Centipede Colonies)
17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
17-N: Food x2 (Haircap Moss Growths x2), Stone x4 (Lignite Beds x2, Granite Mountains x2), Textile x2 (Glowing White Lichen), Fuel x2 (Lignite Beds x2), Mourning Dew x3 (The Misty Chamber), ?? (Agitated Cave Bears)
Major Families
Powder Miner - 0I/1P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/1P
m1895 - 2I/0P
Minor Families
Quarque - 1I/0P
Maximum Spin - 0I/1P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
NUKE9.13 - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P
Experimentation III: Like A Man Possessed (Roll: 1)
With a firm grasp of what it meant to be Attuned, a Minor Family decided it was time to revisit The Depths that once haunted The Wardens of The Lake before they were Wardens (or knew of the Lake) [Nuke9.13 -2I].
Some very limited communication, mostly through feeling and emotion rather than any words projected to the mind, allowed Attuned the opportunity to learn about the nature of the spirits within the Dew. These individuals met their ends at the height of their rage, and this reflected in the roaring and shouting amid the growling, snarling, and whooping that assailed the Attuned. Those that had the strength of will to maintain some composure whispered to be let in, to be freed from the chains that tormented them. Some Attuned obliged.
Violent spiritual energy possessed the Attuned who had allowed themselves to be open to it, and each Attuned quickly found themselves in devastating spiritual struggles to maintain control of themselves. Unfortunately, any doubts meant that the Deep Spirits had a weakness to exploit, sometimes to violently explosive effect, freeing themselves from the body but being cursed to return back to The Depths. Out of those that survived the possession process, two subAttuned arose:
An Attuned who could definitively dominate the possessing spirit found themselves in a symbiotic relationship where they served as a vessel to carry the spirit and the focus through which it could "cleanse" itself and achieve a spiritual "neutral buoyancy" that would allow them to pass through The Whispering Lake. Cleansing was done by releasing the concentrated negative and aggressive energies that tainted the spirit. These energies collected in and projected from the lungs and manifest as deafening shouts, screams, and roars. The pure potent rage frightened the tribefolk even before it was concentrated and directed, and now, properly channeled, this rage could strike such a strong fear in those caught by the bellowing that any living creature would feel the need to flee if not outright die of shock.
This power doesn't come freely, though. Deepcriers who subject their foes to the horrifying howls of the Deep Spirits can do significant harm to themselves if they exert themselves too hard or often. Injury often starts with damage to the throat and mouth causing bleeding, gums and lips splitting, teeth cracking, and eventually bleeding from the nose, ears, and eyes until they lose consciousness. Even if they don't push themselves beyond their physical limits, using these powers is mentally exhausting and requires some moderation and self-control to practice successfully.
Unfortunately the vast majority of attempted Deepcriers weren't incredibly more powerful than the possessing spirits and found themselves quickly succumbing to the will of the Deep Spirit. The first incident occurred a few days after the first possessions. Those who hadn't burst apart had thought themselves clear of danger and were familiarizing themselves with their new partners when one of the Deepcriers began to fidget and twitch. The spasms were quickly accompanied by involuntary barks and yaps before they just snapped, yelling and screaming as loud as they could while trying to tear apart their fellow tribesfolk with their bare hands and gnashing teeth. A number of villagers were caught in the ensuing shouting match, resulting in a good few debilitating injuries and deaths. The Shrieker managed to survive and fled, killing more villagers in brutally violent attacks as it escaped. The few surviving Deepcriers isolated themselves from the rest of the tribe until they could be sure they wouldn't fall to their possessors as well.
The Shrieker plagued the tribe for a time, wandering the caverns until it came across someone it could tear apart. It constantly yelped and barked with ferocious and deadly intent as it went, inflicting harm on Wardens even when it's voice was simply echoing from a distant tunnel. The fear it instilled struck deep and immediately, so to keep The Shrieker from unexpectedly and consistently interfering with the tribe's day-to-day efforts small plugs of clay were crafted that could be pressed over the ears. They effectively blocked out sound, which initially hampered the tribe more than the Shrieker would, but the Wardens eventually developed a very basic hand-and-body language to communicate nonverbally to one another while they worked. This language spread throughout the tribe as time went on thanks to the clay buildup in the ears that plagued the tribe's workers especially badly. At this point the tribe is stuck between two forms of communication, with a rudimentary fusion language forming between them.
Tribefolk who survived encounters with The Shrieker noted how it had appeared to be withering away as if starving, with visible decay the last couple showings before it never came back. While no longer haunts the tribe, The Shrieker has left a mark that will be felt for a long time.
NEW DISCOVERIES:
Deep Spirits: Spirits that inhabit The Depths. Filled with a barely contained rage that carried over from their final moments. Difficult to restrain but extremely potent, Deep Spirits are best suited for tasks requiring violence. There is no direct cost for Deep Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
Deepcriers: Attuned possessed by a Deep Spirit. Deepcriers channel the energies from the spirit in order to inflict harm on enemies in exchange for purifying the spirit and easing their passage to The Whispering Lake. The possessing process kills the weakest-willed individuals outright and leaves the weaker-willed susceptible to turning into Shriekers. Deepcriers use shouts and screams to manifest their power. Shriekers also do this, but are little more than feral beasts lashing out at everything until they die. The [Shrieker] modifier has a chance to be added to any tile being explored during the Exploration Phase while Deepcriers is funded. A potent combat unit with a major drawback. Requires exploitation of The Depths, and 4 Mourning Dew Upkeep thanks to the low success rate of the possession ritual.
Clay Earplugs: Small balls of elastic clay that can be formed and pressed over the ears to block out noise. Residue builds up in the ear over time. Requires 1 Clay Upkeep.
Semiverbal Communication: A mixture of rudimentary verbal language and a newly developing body language. Acts as a foundation for further language development. Not quite wholly adopted by the tribe at this time.
The few Deepcriers that survived until now have recently been found in their little cave home wrapped in silken strands and drained of all their life essences. At least, that's what the few Wardens traveling that way that made it back have said.
It is the Exploration Phase once again. You may choose to make a proposal to develop for your people that could aid them in exploration in some way, or you can propose a route to explore. Stonebreakers allow you to explore up to two tiles. These tiles must neighbor an already explored tile, and must connect to one anotherl. Soul-Scouts may also be used to scout another tile neighboring a previously explored tile independent of any other action you take during the phase. When proposing exploration plans, be sure to include whether or not you will be deploying Soul-Scouts. Remember that diagonal zones are considered neighboring.
For the duration of this Age, all proposals related to Mourning Dew reroll until they result in a 1, 2, 8, 9, or 10. All proposals that do not use or otherwise revolve around Mourning Dew will be rerolled until they result in a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7.
Advanced Cave Adaptation: A slowly growing percentage of the population has never seen the surface - or the sky. The tribe has greatly heightened senses, although sensitive eyes make the surface less than desirable during the day, and the lack of a ceiling overhead might be extremely unsettling at any time of day.
Subterranean Migrations: Your people can find underground routes through any Land tile.
Stone Tools: Provides basic tools for basic tasks. Requires access to Stone.
Stonebreakers: Your tribe is intimately familiar with various properties of stone, and have a chance to identify an additional stone (or "stone") based resource when exploring or settling a new area. The digging out, smoothing, and marking of tunnels for regular usage also makes all forms of travel easier. Scouts also benefit from the ability to dig around/through obstacles. Exploration Range +1. Exploitation and Settlement Range extends +1 beyond borders. Only applicable to underground actions.
-Stonecarvers: Tribesfolk with a desire to shape stone instead of carve through it. They are responsible for the tribe's stonecrafts and will generally improve the overall quality of the tribe's stonework. Requires access to Stone.
Attuned: Members of the tribe who are more sensitive to Mourning Dew. Requires access to Mourning Dew.
Lake Spirits: Spirits from The Whispering Lake are fairly passive as they likely were in life, and eagerly await their turn to pass into the afterlife (whatever that may be). Lake Spirits are relatively simple, and work best on simple or fairly easy tasks (such as exploration). Their passivity can erode rapidly if overworked, especially without a Lake-Attuned in the tribe. There is no direct cost for Lake Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
-Lake-Attuned: An Attuned who has more specifically attuned to The Whispering Lake. Lake-Attuned allow the tribe to make requests of and utilize the spirits of the dead passing through the Lake without much complication. Only one Lake-Attuned exists at a time, acting as both messenger and spirit guide until they die of old age. Lake-Attuned choose which Attuned will inherit the position based on how closely their lifestyle aligns with The Whispering Lake's denizens - generally the more unremarkable the lifestyle, the better the fit. The tribe sees the Lake-Attuned as a sort of absentee leader who speaks to them through the Attuned. Requires access to The Whispering Lake.
-Soul-Scouts: Spirits from the Whispering Lake who have answered the tribe's call to aid in exploration. They provide very accurate data to the tribe through the Lake-Attuned. Soul-Scouts allow Exploration of a tile neighboring a previously Explored tile independent of any other Exploration action, and have a chance to discover additional resources. While Lake-Attuned is properly funded, Soul-Scouts have no downside. However, if access to The Whispering Lake is lost, Soul-Scouts will provide areas they Explore with the (Lethal Spirits) modifier and hamper any actions in the area unless Lake-Attuned is properly refunded or the spirits are otherwise dealt with. Requires 1 Mourning Dew Upkeep.
Deep Spirits: Spirits that inhabit The Depths. Filled with a barely contained rage that carried over from their final moments. Difficult to restrain but extremely potent, Deep Spirits are best suited for tasks requiring violence. There is no direct cost for Deep Spirits, as any upkeep is reflected in the discoveries that utilize them.
-Deepcriers: Attuned possessed by a Deep Spirit. Deepcriers channel the energies from the spirit in order to inflict harm on enemies in exchange for purifying the spirit and easing their passage to The Whispering Lake. The possessing process kills the weakest-willed individuals outright and leaves the weaker-willed susceptible to turning into Shriekers. Deepcriers use shouts and screams to manifest their power. Shriekers also do this, but are little more than feral beasts lashing out at everything until they die. The [Shrieker] modifier has a chance to be added to any tile being explored during the Exploration Phase while Deepcriers is funded. A potent combat unit with a major drawback. Requires exploitation of The Depths, and 4 Mourning Dew Upkeep thanks to the low success rate of the possession ritual. UNFUNDED
Terrorforming: A very early attempt at agricultural advancement using Mourning Dew sourced from The Misty Chamber. Terrorformed plants will "flee" toward the Misty Chamber with each rapidly breeding generation until they arrive at the Chamber. Rapid breeding results in unstable mutations, with greater distances covered resulting in drastically dramatic and usually outright worse alterations. Terrorformed plants will emit a glow and pass on the strong fear and memories of death held within the Dew (usually when ingested, although other means of transference are possible). The Misty Chamber seems to provide sustenance for Terrorformed plants. Requires access to The Misty Chamber, and 1 Mourning Dew for upkeep.
Warm Fires: Fires using a dedicated fuel resource. While it does not necessarily provide any major direct bonuses or maluses, Warm Fires act as a solid foundational development for further advancements. Requires access to a Fuel resource. Replaced Early Firemaking.
-Lignite Torchbowls: Bowls carved into walls by Stonebreakers made to house lignite for fires. Provides sufficient light and keeps away cave creatures unaccustomed to the light, smoke, or smell. Underground areas with hostile creatures are less likely to have negative events from human interference. Requires 1 Lignite Resource for Upkeep.
Strong Glowropemaking: A strong, faintly glowing rope made from Glowing White Lichen. Provides low light with low maintenance in addition to the standard uses of a sturdy rope. Requires access to Glowing White Lichen, and 1 Textile for upkeep. Replaced Primitive Ropemaking.
Clay Earplugs: Small balls of elastic clay that can be formed and pressed over the ears to block out noise. Residue builds up in the ear over time. Requires 1 Clay Upkeep.
Stone Blocks: Pieces of stone cut from the earth and shaped for easier stacking. Being used in a proposal will add/increase stone upkeep but it will benefit from slightly higher quality construction in addition to the effects (for good or ill) resulting from using carved stone vs. another material. Requires access to Stone.
Complex Walls: Complex walls are crafted from Stone Blocks to outline property and interlock with other walls to create a large singular complex. Instead of encircling a settlement, complex walls define the entire thing, with a wide variety of heights, stone sizes, and overall quality throughout. Doubles as housing. Requires 2 Stone for base upkeep, with costs increasing as the tribe and it's settlements grow larger due to the Housing classification. Replaced Cave Homes.
Semiverbal Communication: A mixture of rudimentary verbal language and a newly developing body language. Acts as a foundation for further language development. Not quite wholly adopted by the tribe at this time.
Key: Resource: Available/Total
Food: 1/2 (-1 Settlement)
Stone: 1/4 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls, -2 Complex Walls)
Clay: 0/1 (-1 Clay Earplugs)
Textile: 1/2 (-1 Strong Glowrope)
Fuel: 1/2 (-1 Lignite Torchbowls)
Mourning Dew: 3/5 (-1 Soul-Scouts; -1 Terrorforming)
(https://i.imgur.com/JlvIaUY.png)
14-K: Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest, Grassland
14-L: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
14-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
14-N: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
14-O: Peat Bog
15-K: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Pando Forest
15-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland (Explored)
15-M: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range (Explored)
15-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland (Explored)
15-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-K: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
16-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
16-M: Rocky Wasteland (Explored) SPIDER HORDE
16-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Interconnected Caverns (Explored)
16-O: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
17-L: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range
17-M: TRIBAL COMPLEX Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Underground Lake (Explored)
17-N: Rocky Wasteland, Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, The Tunnel Pass (Explored)
17-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Mountain-Fed Streams
18-L: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Fertile River Valley, Great Plain
18-M: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-N: Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland
18-O: UNKNOWN TRIBE Mountain Range, Hilly Grassland, Deciduous Forest, Lake-Fed Streams
Key: Identified, Identified but Inaccessible or Useless, Exploited, Region: Exploit Range (>BOLD=Friendly Settlement), Region: Foreign Tribal Presence (>BOLD=Foreign Settlement)
15-L: Food x2 (Surface Stinkweed Patch), Stone x4 (Granite Cavities x2, Glimmering Gold Vein x2), Chemical x1 (Surface Stinkweed Patch), Mourning Dew x3 (Sanguine Tunnel)
15-M: Stone x3 (Obsidian Layer x2, Ceiling Diamond Clusters x1), Mourning Dew x2 (Magma Mourning Dew)
15-N: Food x1 (Inky Mushroom Growths), Stone x2 (Granite Tubes), Chemical x1 (Inky Mushroom Growths, Mourning Dew x6 (The Churn)
16-M: Food x1 (Cave Crayfish), Stone x5 (Surface Granite x2, Granite Stalactites, Granite Stalagmites, Native Silver Vein), Mourning Dew x3 (The Depths), Troglodytic Spider Horde (!!)
16-N: Food x1 (Glowing Mushroom Clusters), Stone x3 (Granite Caverns x2, Cassiterite Veins), Mourning Dew x2 (Mourning Dew Pool), ?? (Poisonous Centipede Colonies)
>17-M: Food x2 (Hearty Anasazi Bean Poles), Clay x1 (Clay Soil Deposits), Mourning Dew x5 (The Whispering Lake), ?? (Mud-caked Wasp Nests), ?? (Gray Bat Swarm)
17-N: Food x2 (Haircap Moss Growths x2), Stone x4 (Lignite Beds x2, Granite Mountains x2), Textile x2 (Glowing White Lichen), Fuel x2 (Lignite Beds x2), Mourning Dew x3 (The Misty Chamber), ?? (Agitated Cave Bears)
Major Families
Powder Miner - 0I/1P
Crystalizedmire - 0I/1P
m1895 - 2I/0P
Minor Families
Quarque - 1I/0P
Maximum Spin - 0I/1P
The Canadian kitten - 0I/0P
NUKE9.11 - 0I/0P
A_Curious_Cat - 0I/0P
chubby2man - 0I/0P