Times of Trouble IC

[JNAProductions]

It is the first year of a new age. Each of you has only 80% of the food you need to feed your population. You have no technology, no magic, and few tools.

What will you do?

[Novabomb]

Solkar shall teach his follows farming. Half the working population will be assigned to the fields, while the other half hunts the beasts of the land.

The farmers shall lay their seed near the river Berglen, and the edge of the wood. After the initial planting, they will begin building simple huts, and gathering of wood in preparation of the cold time which Solkar has forseen.

The hunters shall throw sharpened sticks at their prey until the secrets of archery are revealed. They hunt to the west of the farmers, but are forbidden from crossing the river haglen, or entering the swamp.

The hunters shall return with food, and be provided with more sharp sticks by the farmers.


Edit:

Since this is supposed to last the year, I will expand the description a bit more.

[Macros]

From the ruins of the once-great kingdom of Ulthanar emerged the few survivors who managed to endure the calamity that befell them. So much has been lost, one could be forgiven for giving up. Their king is dead, along with most of the nobility. Their cities are now rubbles, their magical libraries have sunk below the sea. Yet hope remains. The youngest and last survivor of the royal line, princess Aethel, began to organize the survivors, keeping the few souls left from drifting apart.

The immediate concern of the people of Ulthanar is food. While agriculture will be a desirable long-term solution, the coming winter is the most pressing issue, with reserves already low. While the tools at their disposal are somewhat lacking, the elves assembled their makeshift ressources to provide hunters and fishermen the strict necessary. Hopefully, their natural dexterity and proverbial ingenuity will see them up to the task.

Building refuges is another urgent matter. The progress might be slow on this front - elves aren't the most hardy laborers - but clearing part of the near forests will provide enough wood to build rudimentary houses, with the added bonus of freeing lands for agricultural expansion. Once this double crisis is solved, more long term plans might be brought to the fore.

[JayceSL]

The Ascended has seen the terrors befallen his people, and has lead them to a defensive position. Naming their new home the Vale of Omens, they spread out between the sea and the mountain range of the Kibaragz Mountains.
After focusing on finding a suitable location for his Wanderers, he then turned to overseeing their needs. Food was scarce, they had no diplomatic allies, no technology and no goals. The Wanderers needed to become a nation, but in order to do so, they needed to overcome their lack of food and shelter first.
The Wanderers were divided into three four groups. The fishers, hunters and gatherers, gathering food, the haulers, moving goods, the builders, building shelter, and the woodsmen, gathering wood. Their primary focus was on the forest of the Vale, clearing out a corner of the woods near the coast to build their first real camp.
Once the immediate concern of food shortage is over, the Ascended starts guiding select Wanderers to new positions as wisemen, making them focus on reflection rather than praticality. Their primary concerns are the future; technology, diplomacy, rules of law etc.

[Mabn]

Faced with an imminent resource shortage, Urk the Wud spirit commanded his tribe expand their hunting grounds.

[The Bandicoot]

The Long-Tooth tribe has become complacent and weak. They have forgotten their history, they have forgotten their strength, and they have forgotten their roots.

First we shall deal with the roots. The Long-Tooth tribe will begin to re-learn their druidic magic and use it to grow the surrounding flora and fauna. Bigger plants means more food gathered by the gatherers and bigger animals means a tougher and more rewarding hunt as well as more meat.

So, early in the morning the druids rise and move through the area quietly "seeding" the flora and fauna with their magic. Then the strongest of the tribe hunt with spears and the others gather fruit and berries. Those unwilling or unfit to provide for the tribe provide for it in death, their meat being used just as any game animal's.

[JNAProductions]

Hunting and farming both go poorly, leaving almost no extra food. 20% of the population will die before the year is out.

On the bright side, Archery has been discovered! +2 to hunting rolls.

Hunting and fishing has barely brought any food in, and a full tenth of the population died trying to clear land. Another tenth will die due to starvation before the year is out.

You have slightly more land.

Hunting goes poorly, bringing in hardly any food. In addition, many die trying to clear the land, but many more succeed. 20% of the population will die before the year is out due to starvation.

You have significantly more land.

You manage to bring in some food by hunting. Only a tenth of your people will starve before the year is out.

You barbarically feast on your own weak, culling the herd of the sickly and diseased. (Gain +1 to any one physical stat.) In addition, your hunting brings in a great deal of food, giving you stores for the upcoming year of 10% your needs.

Your druidic magic fails, but you know what to do next time. Druidism discovered.

[Mabn]

When prey falls dead the Wud eat it. When Wud fall dead prey eat them. Always birds take a finder's fee. Urk bid the Wud lay their dead on the slopes and continue the hunt.

[Novabomb]

To cope with the emotional impact of the mass starvation, the Solkari add the following to their Religion:
"We bury the body so that it may return to the earth, allowing the spirit to journey towards Elysium, the Paradise Plains." (Solkar decided that keeping the dead out of sight would help moral)


New Year:
Given the empty huts from the mass starvation, the settlment plans are reduced. Given the low amount of food, the Solkari focus more heavily on the present. Hunting to Farming is divided 2 to 1. Moonthly (Not a typo) communal storytelling is introduced in order to allow others in the tribe to learn better ways to hunt and farm from the successful. Social recognition reward for the top 5% of people bringing in the most food.

[Macros]

The year following the Cataclysm was a hard one for everyone involved. Despite their efforts, the elves suffered heavy losses. Nonetheless, there was no choice but to keep moving forward. It was with a heavy heart, but with unshaken determination that the people of Ulthanar continued their efforts to colonize the land. Despite the setbacks, some progress had been accomplished, and, while Aethel was disgusted by the thought, the losses meant it was now easier to feed and lodge everyone. Simply relying on hunting and fishing would not be enough, and might exhaust their ressources, but the clearing efforts had given the elves good lands to cultivate. The priority shifted toward agriculture, in order to establish a stable source of food as soon as possible.

After some hesitation, it was also decided to focus on building rowing boats with the collected unused wood. It would be a helpfull boon for the fishermen, no longer restricted to the coast and rivers, and claiming back the sea would no doubt prove helpful in the longer term. Long ago, the leves of Ulthanar sailed across the globe ; that seem impossible to achieve right now, but it is nonetheless a good way to reclaim their old heritage.

Finally, the brightest minds among the elves were tasked by princess Aethel to reform an academy, in order to stimulate research and store rediscovered knowledge. The gigantic libraries of Ulthanar are likely lost forever, but a fresh approach, to store those new lessons in survival, will be the first step before the survivors might start to rival the erudites of old. It's also a good way to reform an elite to better administrate the survivors.

[The Bandicoot]

This year goes much the same as last year. The druids attempt to "seed" the local flora and fauna. This year though, the weak are not culled. Those who are not well enough to hunt may build, they create (better/more advanced?) weapons to help the hunters as well as shelters made from beast hide and branches. (I'm thinking similar to wigwams and other such structures) As last year though, the main goal is to gather enough food to feed the tribe. Any structures or weapons made are just bonuses.

[JayceSL]

Wanderers

Distraught by the continued onslaught of bad luck upon the Wanderers, the Ascended decides to focus more on the food gathering than the expansion. Once a series of camps set up near the coast and the forest, he turns the Wanderers towards fishing and developing farming techniques. The Wisemen still are a focus, albeit less so than the immediate food shortage.