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"What about Natasha?"

"Oh, she's also from Coral II. Corwyll's childhood friend. Has hots for him, but Corwyll's hella oblivious and Natasha is too shy to try and ask him out because that 'might ruin everything'."

"That sounds..."

"Stupid, you wanna say? I would agree. I coulda play matchmaker but I dunno Corwyll that well and Natasha doesn't want me to, so." He raises his hands in defeat.

A) "Is Corwyll's home at Coral II?"
B) "How do you know all this?"
C) "I don't think Maria could win such a case?"

You decide that the feast will be as it should be and lavish gifts will be prepared to be taken to Dugda's parents back in Rycht.


With great pomp and even greater jubilation, the entourage of Dugda, carried on a horse, symbol of wealth, arrives behind the wooden walls of your capital. The serfs and servants line to throw flowers at and put raven feathers in the caps of the visitors.

Princess Dugda arrives in your throne room shortly afterwards, led by much older man.

"I, Yohe, brother of King Herykk, give you his child, Dugda, to be your wife and mother of your children. Creator bless your upcoming marriage!"

The feast takes place the whole day and night, and when the moon begins its course due to the earth, you and Dugda recede to your bedchamber. She is young and pleasant to the eye, although shy and without any significantly big quality amongst her.

Perhaps her plainess guarantees prosperity for your family.

After a week's stay, the entourage begins its trek home, carrying chests filled with bronzes, irons and coins, the Treasurer shaking his head at this frivolty.


"Floods, my liege! Floods! Farmlands inundated, fishing boats sunk." Advisor steps about in front of your table, agitated. "Although the Druids rightly believe the river waters will bring fertile soil and stir the fish to life, the truth remains that peoples living along the River are suffering. We've received several pleas for help, in writing and by messengers, my liege." With a sigh, he turns to you.

"I do not have to tell you, my liege, that our Treasury is nearly empty."

A) "But the people suffered enough in past years! Donate to the cause of rebuilding at once!"
B) "This time they must persevere on their own, I'm afraid!"

Espionage has the same issue as Federations in that you need to invest a tradition tree to bother with it at all.  Like I don't think you even get spy/encryption tech without starting the tradition.

You need 'more physics points from Researchers' techs (Quantum something?) and Colonial Bureaucracy to get first espionage tech, after that its 'previous spy tech + physics researchers level tech'.

From what I have played espionage, both with and without the tree, there's really 4 actions you would use:

Gather Intel: has a chance to give you colony sites info, lift fog of war (very nice if you didn't survey/visit their systems with Science ships) or show enemy fleets, neat before invading that pesky neighbour who doesn't wanna be friends.
Acquire Asset: It's a bit random, but Assets can be reused, and +4 to operation speed is always nice.
Smear Campaign: Has potential to break those pesky defense pacts your neighbour has, making it easier to wage war.
Steal Technology: At worst it boosts something you're already researching; at best it will give you a tech that has been eluding you for those XX years already.

Subterfuge Tradition tree is nice (+50% infiltration speed, intel refunds after operations), but not a requirement; you easily get more codebreaking/encryption bonuses from edicts, techs and civics, really.

You didn't tho!

You announce that Mammo herds will be captured and brought over the hills to Surinthomus, and that the soldiers will accomplish this task.

The first expeditionary troop leaves the next day.


Weather this year is very promising; blizzards are infrequent, but snowfall steady and even. The temperatures are only slightly below the freezing of water, and some people are comfortable working outside in furs and skins. Many of the Druids see this as a good omen for the coming spring and summer.

3

After few weeks, first news come from the Mammos-herders; they had little luck in procuring young and mature males and females, and those they did capture are feisty and uncooperative.

3

Few weeks more pass and you receive even more of the same news; in total, less than a herd was collared and pacified. It is not enough to sustain your people, much less to start breeding new Mammos, but the expedition leaders will try again, before Mammos leave the desolate iceplains again.


The Advisor comes into your chamber with the Scrolls of Kingdom Status in his hands. Funny; the year seems to have come and go blindingly fast, while the half-year campaign against Swoll seemed to stretch endlessly.

Maybe it's the perks of stability and hall-dwelling.

Happiness: 3
Population: 3
Economy: 2
Army: 4

"Soldiers returning home after being pressed into service have calmed the hearts of their wives and mothers, my liege." Says the Advisor, stroking his beard.

"Unfortunately, the Treasurer is rather worried about the state of the Treasury itself. He is asking, through my person, that the upcoming marriage to Dugda is bereft of ceremonial feasts and procurement of expensive gifts."

A) "To receive a woman and not compensate her parents would be a political blunder! Same goes for celebratory feast. Request denied!"
B) "Alas, harsh times call for harsh measures. The ceremony will be private and as frugal as possible!"

"Fine, his body might be buried, just don't expect me to spend money on his barrow!" The Archdruid bows while your councilmen continue to murmur.

Later you learn that some aunt or uncle sponsored Swoll's burial barrow, making it one of smallest and least elaborate ones ever built in the kingdom.


You receive a reply from Kingdom of Rycht; Princess Dugda will be sent to you along with entourage of servants and gifts come Spring.

Several herds of great tusked Mammos were spotted in the far east, where there is naught but fields of rock and ice!

"My liege, hunting and capturing those herds, or even just one, could allow us to restore the ancient practices of forefathers, who used this fur-clad behemoths as beasts of burden! My grandfather always said that there's no better and fattier meat than that of a Mammo, and even in his time they were sparse before they died out in our lands." Several councilmen nod and agree, while the Marshal steps forward.

"And who, do you propose, we send? There might be enemies lurking in other directions. Of neighbours distant and close, only Rycht so far shown any sign of friendship towards us." He says, stroking his beard.

"We can hire hunters and sponsor woodsmen for this expedition." Says the Advisor.

"That will drain the Treasury!" Says the Treasurer, obviously in protest. "Even if it would allow us to raise Mammos for meat and commodities, it will only mean more investments!"

The council argues for a moment before the Advisor taps the floor with his staff, and all eyes turn to you.

A) "Having Mammos back is all benefits to me; and our brave soldiers and scouts shall obtain them for us!"
B) "Having Mammos back is all benefits to me; and we shall hire veteran hunters and woodsmen to obtain them for us!"
C) "If they showed up any other year, I would be all for capturing them; at this moment, however, we have more much pressing matters to solve!"

You send an affirmative reply to the Rychtans.


The Druids bow their heads and the Archdruid steps forward. Behind him, laid out on a large green blanket, is human skeleton, its skull severed and pierced.

"My lord and king, Cyrus, these are the bones of the Tyrant. As is the custom the bones were laid outside by the River for ravens and mudshellers to clean with their beaks and pincers over the last six months. The bones are now bare and clean. And so we come asking, whether, according to the custom, the bones of a dead King should be laid to rest in a barrow of stone and soil." Your councilmen loudly grumble at this demand before Advisor strikes the floor with his wooden staff, calling for order.

"Why would our good king Cyrus, victorious in fight against Tyrant, and liberator of these lands, allow for this?" The Archdruid smiles.

"A body that is not buried cannot release the spirit of its owner into the Earth. That would disrupt the natural course of things - and be a great affront to the Spirits and the Creator themselves."

A) "And Swoll was an affront to all things Surinthomusan! Throw his bones into the river!"
B) "Fine, his body might be buried, just don't expect me to spend money on his barrow!"

They've overcapped presumably to fight the longstanding meta of 'send 10 science ships and find all the juicy archeology/anomaly/planet sites' in 20 years.

The unity penalties over the cap aren't that big, except, of course, in early game.