Empire!7 - Into the Depths: Out-of-Character Thread (CWBG)

[LapisCattis]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/732231287934287928/946918175608541194/Webp.net-resizeimage.jpg

Empire!7 - Into the Depths: Out-of-Character Thread


Important Links:
Rules Thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?643057-Empire-7-Rules-Thread&p=25377830#post25377830)
Recruitment Thread (read about how to join here) (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?655836-Empire-7-Into-the-Depths-(CWBG)-Ongoing-Recruitment!&p=25760239#post25760239)
Waters of the World (approved region writeups go here) (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?643059-Empire!7-Into-the-Depths-Waters-of-the-World&p=25377796#post25377796)
In-Character Thread (turns go here) (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?644333-Empire-7-Into-the-Depths&p=25415030#post25415030)
Out-of-Character Thread (questions go here) (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?643060-Empire!7-Into-the-Depths-Out-of-Character-Thread&p=25377797#post25377797)
Dice Rolling Thread #1 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?643055-Empire-7-Into-the-Depths-Dice-Rolling-Thread&p=25377741#post25377741)
Dice Rolling Thread #2 (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?656553-Empire-7-Into-the-Depths-Dice-Rolling-Thread-2&p=25783648#post25783648)
Tables (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y5nZvSRvzib-nAqaJrKd3ZyFZNq2IjrPPWVG0vjQa_w/edit#gid=1744593699)
Organization Tables (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16gGVqwR4Geky1-Y7POkWlLzOJsGIOU3EWc33eJI6GHE/edit#gid=185331325)
Discord Server (https://discord.gg/A7Xn7P7PR6)

The Team:
Head GM: Aerin
Organization sub-GM: Lumaeus
Rules sub-GMs: Rolepgeek and Minescratcher


Welcome to the Out-Of-Character (OOC) thread! Please drop your questions for the GMs here, as our inboxes can fill up quite quickly. Questions can be posted even before the game starts and before players have been approved (for now). Feel free to chat, discuss, or even arrange for collaborative IC events with other players here, but remember that everything in this thread is Out-Of-Character and will have no influence on events in the world. Our optional community discord server is also available here (https://discord.gg/A7Xn7P7PR6).

[LapisCattis]

Pre-Game Frequently Asked Questions:

Can Region 1 be claimed?

No, Region 1 is at a different depth level and cannot be claimed as an initial region - an updated map will be given as soon as possible.

What depth can players reach at start?

At start, players can only reach the shallowest level - Depth 0, however technologies can be developed over the course of the game to explore deeper levels

Can player races be based on deep-water creatures/have deep water settings?

Just as in real life the habitats and ranges of perceived deep water creatures can very widely and stereotypically deep features such as hydrothermal vents can occur in fairly shallow water, if a player is interested in creating a race or region with deep water features, those interests can be accommodated by reaching out to a GM. Similarly, while players won't have advanced knowledge or ability to manipulate metals, metal deposits can conceivably be found even in shallow areas.

Do the colors on the map mean specific habitat/biome types?

The design of the map is meant to inspire player creativity and give more visual depth to the world. While some regions have definitive biome types in mind (Temperate, Tropical, Polar), colors and shading within those biomes is meant more as an inspirational guideline rather than a rule of something specific. Black spots could be shallow hydrothermal vents, a mineral mound, or perhaps the mark of a dark structure. Green shading in the polar region could be a kelp forest, a breeding ground for green jellyfish for use in technologies and development, or a persistent toxic algae bloom, or whatever else strikes a player's fancy. If a player is concerned that their idea doesn't fit with the setting, feel free to reach out to a GM.

How many players will E7 have?

Typically past Empire! games have had between 20 and 40 players, though not all players play for the entire life of the game (some join during play and others may find that their schedule no longer accommodates play). We aim to keep recruitment open and always accepting interested players for as long as E7 lasts.

Do you have any particular rules changes you want to highlight, especially for veteran players who might not be expecting them?

Each Empire game alters rules and play from the previous game, and this iteration is no different. A few key changes are:
The Support system is a massive overhaul that took a lot of time and debate to balance and in an ideal world we would've gotten a playtest for
Lots of changes and updates to Special Actions across all Action Types
Not strictly rules, but we also now have a dedicated Chaos GM (PotatoPriest) and an Unrest GM (Gaius) who will be handling NPC interactions so that those can have more time and development given, and in Potato's case make sure that no area is getting too stagnant and no one person is getting steamrolled over and over. That dynamic I want to keep an eye on and I'm looking forward to how it plays out

The rules say the three starting areas have "limited awareness" of each other- what does this mean in practical terms?

At the start of the game, you are not considered to be in diplomatic contact (and cannot send or receive items) with regions that there is no explored path to, however your people may hear dispersed tales of other countries, particularly from the Chelonian Chora.

What is the default race built on?

The Mers are based on clawed seals, particularly harbor seals. Though other marine mammals have a more complete aquatic nature, the evolutionary and logic jump from a dolphin to a creature with manual dexterity for tool-use was larger compared to the jump from a clawed seal to such a creature.

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/938884639005749312/947176009348825138/harbor-seal-pup-7-randy-straka.png


What are the effects of the starting techs?

Starting technologies have no mechanical effect and are instead meant to build background to your country and can be used as prerequisites for technologies players develop throughout the course of the game


---
How narrow can we go with resource requirements without handicapping ourselves? Say for example having foodstuff vs lobsters. Are the GMs then going to add some lobsters within reasonable distance before game start or keep to a pre-existing list where there might not be any lobsters at all?

This is a recurring question throughout Empire! games and will likely be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. I suggest not making a desired import extremely specific (such as only accepting cotton candy lobsters), but we will be doing our best to make sure players aren't in an import desert.

what sort of scale are we looking at for the map?

The map is of the entire world and roughly Earth-sized

That paragraph says the war deadline is the second Thursday. The combat section says it's the second Friday. Which is it?
War deadline is the second Thursday of the round. The rules will be edited to reflect the proper deadline, and we will also include a reminder schedule with the Round 1 opener.

is there significant tidal action in this world?

Only if a player or event makes it so (such as in a region write-up). Mechanically significant tidal action will not be present as a baseline

Do we have any indication of what the deal is with region 1?

Explore and find out!

----

Can the Divine Nacre's Gene Splicing be done multiple times to the same general/spy over multiple turns (assuming enough favours and the willingness to keep the guy benched) to keep increasing their stats to get a low-roll character up to max stats?

No, only once per character, and we will edit the rules to clarify this. There's no max stat from it, though.

Does the starting unit cap sink to 2 if the player chooses to not start with aristocratic support?

No. Electing to start with Open Aristocratic Support will result in a starting unit cap of 4 (base 3 + 1 region owned) compared to a cap of 5 starting with owned Aristocratic Support (3 + 1 region + 1 Aristocratic Support)

[Moriko]

Pre-Game Frequently Asked Questions:

In the Distance Loss section, the following is included: "Regions you own do not increase the effective distance." A few paragraphs later, though, it's mentioned that you can "pay" three regions to skip from your capital to a region you own. Is this solely for the purposes of exclaves, or am I misunderstanding how those two phrases interact otherwise?

This rule is in place for exclaves and special borders

Would special borders count full amount, if it costs say, 3 to go over one, if you own both regions, or would it cost X-1, in that case2?

The regions themselves wouldn't count; but the increased cost from crossing a special border would still add to the distance.

Addendum/clarification to my map-scale question: How large, roughly, is a region? Earth-sized world is good to know, but I'm wondering if things like nomadism (within a single region) are possible or if the regions are too small for that?

Nomadism is very possible. A single region would be similar to a large fraction of the Gulf of Mexico?

could, for example, I and another player start with support of each others things? Like I have support of the merchants in theirs and my region and they have support of the clergy in mine and theirs? or alternatively we have support of the merchants in each others regions?

All of the above examples would be ok, yes (the person posting the application needs to indicate who has the supports in their region).

What is the tech level of the setting at the start of the game?

Due to biological and ecological differences the tech will have differed for our underwater inhabitants compared to earth. With that being said the general standard of living, cultural and emotional growth could be vaguely compared to the late middle ages / start of the renaissance.

Regarding Merchant Marines: "Except for battle rolls, each Treasure spent past the first gives an additional +1 bonus."

Just for clarity's sake, since I can see this being interpreted either way, does "additional" mean "in addition to the normal +1 each treasure would provide" or "in addition to the +1 from spending the first treasure?"

IE, if I spend 2 treasure, is that +2 or +3 total?

The total would be +2 if you spend 2 treasure.

Do the planet / zones / historical event have names?

They do not have an official name although the organizations and many player races may have their own names for it.

Not sure if this has been answered but a thought comes to me, how deep are we and how deep is each of the depths?

You are on depth 0 and at the start of the game at this depth you have full access to the light colour spectrum. We are not putting hard values on how deep each depth is.

For cities that grant a bonus to a given kind of action, based on where you build them, how is that determined for your starting location?

This is based on the resource of the region. Players can choose the city bonus but the GM team have to accept this choice.

Can the Chora's Song of Prosperity target countries in different areas of the world (eg a Polar nation using it to make a trade route with a Tropical nation before a connection is found between them with exploration), presumably explained by the nomads doing the transporting, or is it limited to your own area?

No, you cannot interact with regions you have not discovered yet (Have an uninterrupted explored path toward.)

The only reference to rounding I can find anywhere in the rules is under the section on target numbers and opposed rules (found in the spoiler "Action Basics" under the Rounds and Actions heading), which states a different ruling to what you seem to presume as normal?

You are correct the part that mentions that casualties can be rounded down was missed and will be added.

I've not encountered the term "rounding negatively" before, I don't think that's a thing? I'm guessing that means rounding down, but it probably needs changing.

Will be updated to rounded down.

Do the seafloors of Deep Ocean regions have their own resources, or will those regions only ever give the resource you can access while it is Fathomless? If they do have resources down there, once revealed do they replace or coexist with the Fathomless resources?

These regions can be prospected to replace the Fathomless resource with a new resource (determined by the GM team) please see prospect under Economy in the rules.

Does prospecting a deep ocean replace the surface region, add an additional region, or some combination of the two?

Exploring a previously explored Deep region with depth access does not create a new region, it simply adds or modifies the existing region's information (holy sites, factions, etc). Prospecting changes only the region's resource and possibly quantity of TPs.
-Explore the Deep region without tech -> Fathomless region
-Explore the Deep region with tech -> normal region, interaction locked behind having tech
-Control and Prospect region -> TPs in region change


Less a rules question and more a clarity question, when can we expect a rough list of who will be in what region?

Once your region submission has been reviewed a number will be assigned. We will do our best to make sure this is your requested region but in some cases you might be moved.

So if I'm understanding that correctly, any resources, holy sites, factions etc that exist in the fathomless region are overwritten once the deep region is discovered, but in theory they should still be there, is there any way to access them?

Fathomless regions contain nothing but TPs.

Will an explored Wastes start with 0 TPs, or one?

It will start with 0 TPs

Will it be possible to sway/instill a Merchant Class within a Wastes region?

There are no Factions in waste regions and you cannot sway what is not there.

Will it be possible to Colonize a Wastes Region?

At the start of the game no but perhaps with tech this could be possible. Think of waste Regions as Ocean regions from previous Empires.

Can you colonize a Fathomless region?

No, only if you have explored the seafloor

Also, I just realized, but it's been mentioned that we will be able to trade off stuff regarding our supports, but far as I know we won't be able to interact at game start because of fog of wat. What will the rationale be?

We will not add fog of war to the starting areas so you will have access to everything you can see now.

Five of the regions in the temperate zone are completely blocked to us by brackish borders (108, 125 and 126 being 100% brackish, and 107 and 137 being brackish to us and another type of impassable outside the known area), so part of the starting area is unusable until someone researches tech for traversing brackish borders. Is this intentional ?

This was indeed intentional

If so are they banned for player starting regions or can people choose to live in a cut-off region if they really want to?

Players are not allowed to start in areas that are inaccessible at the start of the game. These brackish regions are an example of such regions.

Will we still know their resources and other details before we have the right tech, since they're revealed?

Yes this information will still be available.

Apologies if this is already written somewhere and I missed it, but what's the typical lifespan of a Mer?

If one lives long enough to die from old age this will be 60-80 years.

[Rolepgeek]

Mini-announcement for posterity, small adjustments have been made to the Org Table:
Abyssal Stewards Reputation bonus for Rank 3 (Favored) and Rank 4 (Core Branded) have been adjusted - the Magma Forges technology now also give +1 Depth Access, while Core Branded's extra defensive bonus now applies at Depth level 1 or deeper.
Divine Nacres Reputation bonus for Rank -3 effect altered - The Black Spot now only takes the full -3 penalty to leader loss rolls when the roll is not related to a battle; battle-related leader loss rolls receive a -1 penalty instead. Further, they gain an additional +2 bonus to all Maneuvering Rolls, on top of the bonus to Subcommanders.



To build off of the question about the starting tech level of the game and give some examples of possibilities for players who may still feel uncertain or want inspiration for the specifics of their culture's capabilities, I've put together some of the lists and setting-relevant potentials that came up while developing the world.


This is a list of some of the things biotechnology might be able to accomplish (with varying levels of efficiency) at game start, before the starting techs get involved; I've added some example mechanisms or organism name ideas after each, for potential inspiration.


Light production/concentration/diffusion [Triggered or Permanent Bioluminescence; Reflective Scales]
Toxin filtration/neutralization (specific toxins, small-scale) [Savior Leech; Detox Fern; Ashtongue Goby]
Wound treatment, fighting infections, treating some illnesses, and dealing with parasites [Skincleaner Fish; Disinfection Worm; Suturebug Larvae]
Converting inedible materials into edible materials or some types of non-useful energy into useful energy [Livestock; Domesticated Plants/Fungi/Microbe Colonies; Cultivated Undomesticated Ecosystems]
Enhancing the nutritional value or period of safe consumption of edible materials [Spices; Fermentation/Curing; Organically Concentrated Ingredients]
Recycle, consume, or dispose of waste products [Filter Feeders; Scavengers; use as Fertilizer]
Provide decent static protection/insulation against environmental shifts, create separation between areas, and protect against intrusion [Rampart Coral; Giant House Anemone; Sunkwood Sprouts]
Provide limited portable protection/insulation against environmental dangers, and injury [Biochemically treated and shaped or specially grown skins, shells, or leaves; Tightly woven fiber; Living creatures designed to wrap around or engulf the body]
Manipulate terrain/seascape [Burrowing/Digging Organisms; Corals; Cliffcracker Moss; Clumproot; Black Spotted Glue-slug]
Transport items, creatures, or information [Mounts; Pack Beasts; Messenger Critters; Waveweed]
Aid in gathering sustenance [Hunting Beasts; Regurgitators; Harvester Shrimp]
Help create tools, materials, and structures with some favorable properties [Haftspine Sturgeon; Shieldshell Turtle; Twinespinner Jellyfish; Shapescour Mite]
Help manage or enable other biotechnology [Numb Whale; Herding Sharks; Evernest Algae; Slimeteacher Eel]


Any number of the above capabilities might be enhanced or expanded through trade with the Divine Nacres as player cultures gain access to some of their more advanced stables of biotechnology, and particularly specialized or high quality forms of these or mass reproduction of them may warrant technologies.


Warfare
Between water having a higher resistance to things moving through it and comparatively better biological manipulation abilities for recovery, physical injury/trauma from sharp objects or blunt force trauma is probably less likely to kill or maim on average for typical combat sort of stuff. Toxins and chemical weapons, on the other hand, are probably quite common, in part because of the above.

The primary form of warfare for most cultures that can swim half-decently is probably gonna be pillaging and/or terror raids, not pitched battles or sieges, at game start - after all, most players won't start the game with massive armies, large immobile cities, or significant fortifications. The relative difficulty of fortification and relative mobility of many/most valuable assets makes it more useful as a strategy. Keyword is most[\i], though.

Explosive devices would be much more effective if and/or when they end up being used at all, due to more effective shockwave propagation, and the fact that having your organs pulverized by a shockwave doesn't leave a lot to be grafted back together and sealed up with Suturebugs/Cureslime/etc.

Production and Development

Construction of buildings and their equivalents is likely often based around large, mostly sedentary organisms whose growth can be shaped and operate in relationship with their inhabitants, potentially involving significant grafting to create a composite structure with favorable properties/behaviors.

Submarine landscaping/terrain modification is probably harder in some respects without metal tools...but at the same time, digging organisms can be very strong, and for hard rock faces, there's always trade with the Abyssal Stewards if you're too impatient to wait for the cliffcracker moss to finish.

Preparing tools/goods/etc. from raw materials will probably usually involve feeding something to a(n) organism(s) and getting out a partially processed product, which may need to be processed further by more organisms depending on the product in question, before being refined down into its final form.

A lot of organisms are finicky! That's why handlers and breeders are still specialized professions, just like handling/raising crops is; it's not as simple as just tossing some dead fish to your toolmaw shark every once in a while.

The means by which all this genetic modification is done is wibbly and I am happy to largely handwave the exact details of. Not even I want to try to get into whether folks know the molecular structure of DNA or if they're just using weirdly fast selective breeding or whatever - makes things too complicated esp. when their baseline tech is stuff we can barely do irl if at all.

Daily Life
Given the conductivity of water to sound waves, and the amount of things that would love to be doing communication/echolocation/etc., it's potentially pretty noisy anywhere with a decent population - might be laws regarding it in some cultures so that Important Shouts can get through - audio communication, messengers, and hormonal signals are also likely the main 'technology' used to communicate before Photospore Signalling or the like.

'Cooking' is probably gonna involve a lot of fermentation or similar processes, maybe using acid or salt or special cooking yeast/bacteria/whatever to kill potential pathogens in the food and help break it down, without an easy source of directable heat that can be produced lots of different places.

Light propagation through the water is much higher than one might normally expect; there is no immediately obvious reason for this and the GM team is unlikely to ever give one. Sight/color gets to matter beyond the first 50-100 meters from the surface, have fun with it.

Though subaquatic environs tend to be somewhat more consistent over time, there are still likely to be cyclical changes in any given environment, as well as the potential for drastic shifts every once in a long while. These might be believed to be linked to, caused by, or a byproduct of the cataclysmic events described in the opening blurb and their aftermath, or they might not be. This is principally so we can have [I]some analogy to seasons and weather, especially as it also then gives room for cultural differences in how groups handle these shifts.

[LapisCattis]

Pre-Game FAQ #6



Random question: Can you use the I5 special Procure Spy as a secret action? It makes sense in the fiction but seems like it'd be a real bugbear for bookkeeping.

It does make sense for flavor but it does breaks down in bookkeeping, and since those are meant to be characters and it doesn't make sense to have a character you can't write fluff about and share, so no secret procurement of spies.


What's up with the partial roughs border between regions 7 and 19? As far as I can tell, that's more or less entirely mechanically non-functional. I'm guessing that that's meant to be all one or the other?


It's meant to be partial for flavor, and partially it might become fully one or the other based on player interaction

have any genetic links between species been established that would be significant to reproductive xenocompatibility or disease xenocommunicability? Or just for interesting biological history things? I don't think genetic engineering has been developed yet that would override this yet, but in case it has? Just wanted to ask, since last game and all. Never even got one diplomatic marriage, and at the same time, diseases didn't make sense, but they were magic, so they didn't need to, but then again this is a biopunk setting, not a 'swords and sandals' setting?

As far as reproduction and interesting biological history, we will broadly leave this open to players. Just like with the Wastes and Toxic borders, there exists some level of toxin and shared biology that means that all races are harmed by those borders. If there are disastrous events that happen, we'll be keeping the setting in mind.

Can we use Faith/Econ to make spy gadget tools

Try it and find out (but try with Econ first)

[Frostwander]

From the Rules on Sway Faction (Diplomacy action):

If you attempt to Sway a Merchant faction which is either in or adjacent to a region in which you own a Trade Post, and either the Support is Open or you own a Trade Post corresponding to the region's Desired Import, then the TN to successfully Sway drops to 12.

Does this mean that regions besides player starting regions will also have Desired Imports?

[farothel]

Probably, as it would be difficult to have all desired imports otherwise. The Players can't provide all of those, although some could be provided even if they are not specifically mentioned.

[Volthawk]

The Resources and Trade section says that populated regions will have a Desired Import, yeah.

That brings up a related question - when you colonise an Open Waters region, does the Colony gain a Desired Import (either at the Colony stage or after you've settled it with a project)? If so, is it GM or player determined?

[LapisCattis]

Pre-Game FAQ #6


For completeness: How does this relate to Claims that have mechanics relating to dynastic or non-dynastic inheritance on a player's first ruler? Or, to put it another way: Does this mean that players can decide whether their first ruler inherited dynastically or non-dynastically for purposes other than stat-rolling?

If you want to choose dynastic or non-dynastic for your first ruler, you can, but dynastic inheritance would only give a disadvantage (for forming confederations) for the first ruler, so keep that in mind. We definitely won't stop players from making choices for flavor though

How are we going to do marriages between different races? I mean, the procedure should be easy enough, but how will the producing of the heir take place between different races?

This is something that players can and should hash out during the game as interest and opportunities arise


Following up some stuff from the Discord, it seems that the rules are currently missing details on how players can build Org bases and relating details. That should probably be added.
Tangentially, it came up in that conversation that Org bases are 1/region; that should probably be noted as well, for completeness.

Thanks for pointing this out! We'll aim to get edits in today

Will regions besides player starting regions will also have Desired Imports?

Yes!

When you colonise an Open Waters region, does the Colony gain a Desired Import (either at the Colony stage or after you've settled it with a project)? If so, is it GM or player determined?

The Colony does gain a Desired Import which players determine and must be approved by the GMs. However, if the region is Prospected and the resource updates to something that matches the region's Desired Import, the Desired Import will change as a region can't import and export the same thing.

When do the GMs imagine that we'll begin play?

We're hoping to start with around 40 players (though this isn't a strict cut-off, recruitment will stay open as long as we can manage). However, we don't want to drag things out for too long, so right now we're looking to start in about 2 weeks if 40 players aren't approved by then.

[Lt-Murgen]

A nomination for what a Mer looks like:


A rodhocetus

https://64.media.tumblr.com/c8b4cd0349cd3225b053f4c99291819e/tumblr_nsruq8ofv71s5f2yxo1_1280.png


Taken in a candid moment at a clothing-optional event, of course.

[LapisCattis]

Community Update

Round 1 is upon us! As we start the game, there are some important guidelines and issues that we want to address.

This is a community world-building game, where all players take part in developing, shaping, and interacting with the world. To recognize that we are all different people with different interests and limits, there are some community guidelines that are going to be enforced.

Though it is also already against the GitP's forum rules, we want to reiterate that descriptions of sexual violence, whether graphic or implied, are completely unacceptable in this space, no matter what type of characters are involved or how frequently sexual violence may or may not have occurred historically or otherwise. If there is no consent involved, it cannot happen in any of Empire!'s public spheres. If any players are interested in a storyline involving such activities between their own characters, they are free to do so in private.

Returning players may have noticed that the Assassination action now requires the explicit consent of the player whose character you want to assassinate when targeting rulers. By a similar token, substances and methods that alter mood, thought patterns, or memory may not be applied to characters without the consent of their player or the use of a Special Action that alters who has narrative control over said character (e.g. Incite Betrayal). While some story beats may make more sense for a character to have ingested something unknowingly or be affected by the use of drugs while imprisoned, it is important to discuss this with their player ahead of time to avoid damaging the sanctity of narrative control over one's characters.

If you are interested in writing fluff that you think may be questionable or disturbing to other players (such as detailed torture, common phobias/triggers, or exceptionally realistic prejudice), you may reach out to a GM or to other players to gauge comfort level. If in doubt, containing the fluff in spoilers and accompanying it with a content warning will usually be sufficient. Likewise, if you feel like another player's fluff crosses a line for you, please feel free to reach out to them and copy the GMs on any communications there, so they can adjust their fluff or - more likely - know to spoiler any similar fluff in the future.

While violence is inevitable and expected in a game where war is an expected and even profitable venture - this is still a game, and while a certain amount of tragic or horrific elements are to be expected, we request that players at least allow for plausible deniability in public fluff descriptions of atrocities, especially when interacting with another player's creation. Mass displacement of an entire people, for instance, has horrific and catastrophic impacts, and if you want to go into detail about these impacts, please see the above paragraph for how to handle it.

[Rolepgeek]

Mini-announcement regarding the Orgs.

The effects of having -3 Reputation with the Chelonian Chora have been adjusted slightly.
The Dissonant may now Undermine Unruly Factions to reset them to Open, and may use their free action each round to Undermine any Faction in a region they control, not just those controlled by foreign powers.

That is all.

[Tychris1]

I generally plan to write about addiction if that’s something uncomfortable for certain people let me know what’s good. My peeps can’t get enough of the Light and damaging their retinas.

Also I am aware of the depth region regulation. My angler-esque folks just like to stare down into deeper parts of the world.

[Silent_Interim]

Table-keeping heads-up: Region 22 appears to be unmarked, despite being visible in the Tropical map. As far as I can tell, all the other Tropical regions are correctly accounted for.

[Ivor_The_Mad]

To all my tropical friends! Your invited to a Friendly Neighborhood Potluck! Just come on down to the reef. Bringing some of your local cuisine is encouraged but not required. There will be games!

https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?644379-A-Friendly-Neighborhood-Potluck&p=25416700#post25416700

[Feathersnow]

Marcion, a semi-clone of the great prophet and evangelist Thekla, has left her pupil phase and is to be installed as Primarch. They have invited every nation and people they could reach to meet (that'd be the temperature zone,) at the Inner Garden of the Old Temple to trade and commune

Thread link (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?644371-Empire-Temperate-event-thread-year-one-The-Coronation-of-Primarch-Marcion)

[LapisCattis]

Questions from Discord:

"If someone gets to rank 4 reputation with the Abyssal Stewards and uses their ability to access all depths to colonise (or do other actions that depend on being able to properly interact with the Deep Ocean region in question, like prospecting and then buying the new TPs), what happens when they change rulers, rep drops to rank 3, and they lose access to the ability to access all depths? Is the colony still there but inaccessible until they regain the tech (and if so, does the region no longer count as being under their control for unit cap and empire minimum size and similar things that are based on how many regions you have), do they still have any post-prospecting TPs, and so on?"


Anything you've obtained in the inaccessible depth levels is still present and still counts for cap and size, it doesn't disappear into the void, but you can't interact with it or do actions there until you regain access.

"If a player starts with a Faith as the same name as an NPC Faith, is it possible for them to assert that the NPCs with that Faith follow broadly the same religion, but with sufficient distinction in doctrine and/or leadership to require conversion to reconcile it?"


We didn't want to put player faiths in NPC regions. If an NPC region's faith has a name you like, you can take it and we'll replace the faith that was in those regions with something else. If you want that sort of continuity with an NPC faith/area without mechanical advantage, then you can name yourself something similar but different, or different but establish that there's a history there.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

So, some questions about requirements.

Can Kelp Oil be used as burnable material for a heat source?
Can Warped Shells be used as a building material?
Can jellyfish be used for food? I don't know how appetites work down under, especially among varied species?

Also, I believe that it is about turn 5 or so if I recall correctly that we need our required resource by, right?

[farothel]

So, some questions about requirements.

Can Kelp Oil be used as burnable material for a heat source?
Can Warped Shells be used as a building material?
Can jellyfish be used for food? I don't know how appetites work down under, especially among varied species?

Also, I believe that it is about turn 5 or so if I recall correctly that we need our required resource by, right?

How are you going to burn something under water?

shells can be used as building material (coconut octopusses do) and turtles eat jellyfish, so yes, it can and is eaten.

For the required resource, I don't see it anywhere in the tables, so if I can't explore, I won't be able to get it, right? And where I am, I need to have a tech to get out, so that's going to be tricky.

[Volthawk]

For the required resource, I don't see it anywhere in the tables, so if I can't explore, I won't be able to get it, right? And where I am, I need to have a tech to get out, so that's going to be tricky.

Don't forget that you can do expeditions out of regions you have Mercantile Support in, so if you can get that in 6 or 13 you can then explore north (or go for 15/22 if you're willing to have your Eco 5 special be a specialised ship and to put the actions into prospecting the wastes), and if someone else's exploration (like Ivor's expedition westwards) reveals the right resources there's nothing stopping you trying to buy it normally.

---

On the topic of desired imports, I might as well check now whether the pairings I have in mind so far will work:
Giantsbane Seeds (114) for Military Equipment (109) - The seeds are described as being usable as a way of rapidly entering battle and being usable as a weapon themselves against larger targets.
Native Gold (122) for Valuables (112) - I suppose this depends on if gold is still good underwater.
Bioluminescent Tunicates (117) for Light Sources (118) - They're luminescent, but I suppose it depends on if they're bright enough to satisfy the need.
Fortified Bonemeal (112) for Food (122, among others) - Almost certain this fits, given the nature of the NPC actions in the region, but might as well have confirmation.

---

Also, since we're supposed to be putting more stuff on the forums, I should probably post the turn 1 temperate maps here. First shows region ownership, aristrocratic support and native defenders (will probably see the best way to represent national armies too in later turns), second map shows trade post ownership and mercantile support, and the last one does holy site ownership and clerical support.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/523191875193143309/961616831758598154/t1_land_v4.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/523191875193143309/961616830877802546/t1_eco_v2.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/523191875193143309/961616831288840253/t1_faith_v4.png

[Rolepgeek]

For the required resource, I don't see it anywhere in the tables, so if I can't explore, I won't be able to get it, right? And where I am, I need to have a tech to get out, so that's going to be tricky.

You actually don't need a tech to get out - brown borders are Roughs, which do not require any technology to cross. Likewise, yellow borders are Shallows and don't require any technology to cross, while cyan borders are Briny, and don't require any technology to cross.

[Minescratcher]

Giantsbane Seeds (114) for Military Equipment (109) - The seeds are described as being usable as a way of rapidly entering battle and being usable as a weapon themselves against larger targets.

Hmm, if you're going to become an arms dealer, I should probably make sure the recipients aren't going to use them against the faithful :smalltongue:

[Volthawk]

Hmm, if you're going to become an arms dealer, I should probably make sure the recipients aren't going to use them against the faithful :smalltongue:

For what it's worth, that's not happening for a bit, since the Cyphiri's future as an arms dealer requires them to first successfully break into the bonemeal-based cereal market.

[LapisCattis]

So, some questions about requirements.

Can Kelp Oil be used as burnable material for a heat source?
Can Warped Shells be used as a building material?
Can jellyfish be used for food? I don't know how appetites work down under, especially among varied species?

Also, I believe that it is about turn 5 or so if I recall correctly that we need our required resource by, right?

You'd likely have problems lighting oil on fire underwater, so a "burn for heat" logic wouldn't work, but there are other ways to get heat or insulation from something.

The others are just questions about how your species' logic works. Shells are physical things, so if your people want to build with them, sure. Likewise with jellyfish. The resources are left fairly open so if you can make a logical argument for use, that's the main thing.






---

On the topic of desired imports, I might as well check now whether the pairings I have in mind so far will work:
Giantsbane Seeds (114) for Military Equipment (109) - The seeds are described as being usable as a way of rapidly entering battle and being usable as a weapon themselves against larger targets.
Native Gold (122) for Valuables (112) - I suppose this depends on if gold is still good underwater.
Bioluminescent Tunicates (117) for Light Sources (118) - They're luminescent, but I suppose it depends on if they're bright enough to satisfy the need.
Fortified Bonemeal (112) for Food (122, among others) - Almost certain this fits, given the nature of the NPC actions in the region, but might as well have confirmation.

---

Also, since we're supposed to be putting more stuff on the forums, I should probably post the turn 1 temperate maps here. First shows region ownership, aristrocratic support and native defenders (will probably see the best way to represent national armies too in later turns), second map shows trade post ownership and mercantile support, and the last one does holy site ownership and clerical support.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/523191875193143309/961286350546554961/t1_land_v3.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/523191875193143309/961286349925793832/t1_eco.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/523191875193143309/961286350223581214/t1_faith_v3.png



Thanks for putting together those maps, Volthawk! All of those desired import pairings sound good. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if gold is valuable, then it's a valuable

[Epinephrine_Syn]

This one's more a Potato question than anything about an offer, but

Economy: Offer: The first nation to spend an economy action to gift region 59 a trading post of a food resource will instantly recieve the support of the mercantile and aristocratic nodes in the region.
What does 'gift' mean? Does region 59 own the TP with its own flag? Do you still own the TP and provide it for them? Does it just become unowned? Something else?

[JBarca]

Are any Polar players interested in working with me on the CCA's Reefback Nursery DNA's Holdfast? I plan to devote an action to building one in Danabae each round, but if anyone else wants to join in I'm happy to discuss how to split the rewards (or figure out other payment since I'll also benefit from the base bonus).

I'm also happy to discuss a similar arrangement (or a trade of actions or some such) for one of the other bases. Just let me know!

EDIT: I definitely meant the DNA's Holdfast, sorry!

[Autumn Stars]

i have posted! but i cannot link my roll post in my ic post, becaues i only have uh, 4 posts total. XD

[LapisCattis]

i have posted! but i cannot link my roll post in my ic post, becaues i only have uh, 4 posts total. XD

Could you copy-paste the URL to your roll post? I believe the minimum limit is 10 posts, so feel free to post whatever in the OOC thread until you get there

[Rolepgeek]

Added a note to the Smoking Garden effect in the Organization tables to make more obvious/clear one intended effect:


Also allows the region resource to be become a Hard Metal through Development (Economy 5 Special Action) or (potentially) Prospecting.

Also wanted to let everyone who's been doing fluff re: their interactions with the Orgs know - I've been really enjoying reading it!

[LapisCattis]

Round 1 Ending Reminder

Hi all, this is just a reminder that Round 1 will end at 10am UTC+1 this Sunday. If you have any war actions, those must be submitted by this Thursday night.

Round 2 will open later in the day on Sunday and will be a normal 2-week long round

[Minescratcher]

Actions:

1. Faith: Formalize The Currents doctrine & publish to the Scintillius

Hey Murgen, is this meant to be an Organize Faith action? If so I don't think you have the 5 Holy Sites to do that this round.

[Autumn Stars]

Could you copy-paste the URL to your roll post? I believe the minimum limit is 10 posts, so feel free to post whatever in the OOC thread until you get there

yeah okay i'll post a few times in here if tha'ts alright.

[farothel]

I thought it was 5 posts, but that could have changed (I'm already here for some time). Normally you should be able to see how many somewhere.

[Lt-Murgen]

Hey Murgen, is this meant to be an Organize Faith action? If so I don't think you have the 5 Holy Sites to do that this round.

No, the intent was a fluff action within my rounds to use up faith. But I did some other things, and changed it anyway.


I am used to actions that don't require rolls to do things within a culture. Like gathering and formalizing religious texts as a faith action, travelling around your nation giving speeches as a diplomacy, etc. As a player who really wasn't in Empire 6 much (or the latter half of 5), the introduction of aristocracy, merchants, and clerical groups within a culture is something I am still adjusting to. Much of what used to be fluff seems to be spent on formally bolstering your relationships with these groups, as I now understand it.

[Autumn Stars]

yeah okay i'll post a few times in here if tha'ts alright.

gonna get those posts out so i can link my rolls!

[Autumn Stars]

eighth post, i'm really glad i joined this game even if it's taking me a bit of effort to focus on it!

[Autumn Stars]

ninth, all y'alls writing has been pretty cool! hopefully i can keep up and run a good event next round!

[Autumn Stars]

and tenth post, i'm nowa real person with rights and can do things like linking my roll post!

[Tychris1]

Congratulations on your newfound humanity. Try not to go hollow.

[Potato_Priest]

@GM

"Armies without a separate Ruler will treat the commander score as their ruler’s Military score."

Does this mean that there is no penalty for an army not having an assigned commander, unlike in previous empires! games? It seems like having a ruler lead the army and having some random schmuck do it are functionally identical, since they use the same commander and military score. (Obviously having a general lead can add some variety.)

[Minescratcher]

@GM


Does this mean that there is no penalty for an army not having an assigned commander, unlike in previous empires! games? It seems like having a ruler lead the army and having some random schmuck do it are functionally identical, since they use the same commander and military score. (Obviously having a general lead can add some variety.)

This sentence in the rules refers solely to NPC armies which either don't have a Ruler or where the General and Ruler are the same person. Since this is the second time confusion has arisen we may rephrase it to be clearer on the point.

(Note also that if you have some random schmuck lead your army the commander score will be half that of if your ruler was leading.)

[Tychris1]

Invasion post up.

[TheDarkDM]

Lapis and Moriko, Corona pointed out to me that I need support in a region to attempt a Confederation claim - may I have permission to change the action type to sway Aristocratic support?

[Moriko]

Lapis and Moriko, Corona pointed out to me that I need support in a region to attempt a Confederation claim - may I have permission to change the action type to sway Aristocratic support?

Since we are only a few hours into the round and I dont want to punish early rolling. (And ofc rules are confusing) go for it.

[Volthawk]

For desired imports, when a region's desired import wants anything with a certain quality rather than a specific type of item (like 123 wanting spices or 141 wanting drugs, as compared to the various food and mineral desired imports) and those qualities aren't obvious in the resource names, are we free to say that a specific resource that plausibly may or may not be able to provide it works as an import (like defining whether any of the various plant-based resources are a source of spice and/or drugs), despite the fact that the details of resources are usually down to whoever takes the region and does a writeup?

[Rolepgeek]

Answering a couple of questions from the Discord:


Ok, so if I'm understanding "New" Generals and how they work in Combat...

A General's Military Score is used when rolling Tactical Maneuvering. Because a General is on the battlefield, you get your Ruler's full Military score, rather than half. Is this correct?

No. You still use half of your Ruler's Military score for the battle bonus itself, regardless of which of your characters is leading your forces (General, Ruler, or otherwise); this is intended to be representative of the overall emphasis on discipline, cohesion, and martial skill that a society - and by extension, that society's armies - has. Commander score, representative of the skill of the tactical and strategic aptitude possessed by the character leading the battle, is used for Maneuvering rolls. If you're interested in maximizing the importance/power of your commanders, I would recommend building towards bonuses to and from winning the Maneuvering roll.


While you may Slander yourself for free (no rolled action) to lower your Reputation with an Org, can you instead roll [Diplomacy] to attempt to lose Reputation with a roll?

Mmmmmm. I suppose. The TN will, however, be whatever it would have been for the TN to go in the other direction between the same two Reputation levels; 12 for 0 -> -1, 14 for -1 -> -2, and 16 for -2 -> -3. Any Org events/circumstances that alter the TN of Raise Reputation actions will also not apply.

[Gengy]

No. You still use half of your Ruler's Military score for the battle bonus itself, regardless of which of your characters is leading your forces (General, Ruler, or otherwise); this is intended to be representative of the overall emphasis on discipline, cohesion, and martial skill that a society - and by extension, that society's armies - has. Commander score, representative of the skill of the tactical and strategic aptitude possessed by the character leading the battle, is used for Maneuvering rolls. If you're interested in maximizing the importance/power of your commanders, I would recommend building towards bonuses to and from winning the Maneuvering roll.

Following up on this to make sure I'm wrapping my head around it: Even if my Ruler is leading the battle, and has a Mil 10, the bonus they provide to the battle is (1/2 Military Score) a 5?

And if I have a Military 7, are we still rounding down? (1/2 Mil Score in this case is 3)

[Tychris1]

Is my artifact an acceptable one?

[JBarca]

I am intending to recruit a General this round, barring something shocking coming up in the Org actions. Is the following TacDoc acceptable? Should be 2 points - the losses break even, then 2 for the free action.


Integrate the Captives
[General Name] elects to skip straight to the endgoal during a battle. When she wins, she often immediately orders surgical work to draw from early captives in order to empower her remaining troops, leaving the enemy free to flee. This grisly display of might is often enough to earn the loyalty, or at least fear, of local aristocrats.
Effects: -10% Losses both sides
Free Impress Aristocracy Action in the region in which the battle took place

[LapisCattis]

I am intending to recruit a General this round, barring something shocking coming up in the Org actions. Is the following TacDoc acceptable? Should be 2 points - the losses break even, then 2 for the free action.


Integrate the Captives
[General Name] elects to skip straight to the endgoal during a battle. When she wins, she often immediately orders surgical work to draw from early captives in order to empower her remaining troops, leaving the enemy free to flee. This grisly display of might is often enough to earn the loyalty, or at least fear, of local aristocrats.
Effects: -10% Losses both sides
Free Impress Aristocracy Action in the region in which the battle took place


Impress Aristocracy only works if you own the region (so you'd have to win the battle), but other than that your math works out and that looks good

[LapisCattis]

Is my artifact an acceptable one?

Apologies for the delay, this has been an active area of discussion on the GM team for several days.

Your artifact as it stands would need to be altered as it has no benefit or mechanics unless someone of your faith holds it, and tying an artifact to a specific player's faith instead of a specific faith may run into a number of issues. The options that the GM team has come up with are:

Original text:


When wielded by one who shares Faith with The Lighthouse, gain +2 to Tactical Maneuvering.

Suggestion 1: You choose another option for the artifact to give benefit to a non-Radiance follower.


When wielded by one who follows The Radiance as a Faith, gain +2 to Tactical Maneuvering. When wielded by one who does not follow The Radiance as a Faith, choose another option for bonus here

Suggestion 2: Non-Radiance followers spend an action upon acquisition of the artifact to choose a different bonus.


When wielded by one who follows The Radiance as a Faith, gain +2 to Tactical Maneuvering. If obtained by one who does not follow The Radiance as a Faith, they may spend one Faith action to set a new bonus (to be approved by the GMs) for the artifact when used by one of their faith.

[Volthawk]

So to be more precise about my earlier resource/import question: Region 123 has Spices as a Desired Import, but none of the resources around are explicitly a source of spices. Since in real life the plants that are sources of spices are very varied (pretty much any part that wouldn't be a herb instead, as far as I can see), and the basic pre-writeup resource names don't go into detail, would 127's Ray-Ear Seaweed be allowed to work as an import, with the explanation that some part of it is usable as a spice (perhaps the root, akin to ginger)?

I did have other regions to ask about, but then I realised that 128 was selling glass not grass, and naturally glass is not a spice unless you really hate your dinner guests.

[LapisCattis]

So to be more precise about my earlier resource/import question: Region 123 has Spices as a Desired Import, but none of the resources around are explicitly a source of spices. Since in real life the plants that are sources of spices are very varied (pretty much any part that wouldn't be a herb instead, as far as I can see), and the basic pre-writeup resource names don't go into detail, would 127's Ray-Ear Seaweed be allowed to work as an import, with the explanation that some part of it is usable as a spice (perhaps the root, akin to ginger)?

I did have other regions to ask about, but then I realised that 128 was selling glass not grass, and naturally glass is not a spice unless you really hate your dinner guests.

It would be alright as long as/unless someone takes ownership of 123 and writes up the resources as explicitly not usable for spices, after which it wouldn't count.

[Volthawk]

It would be alright as long as/unless someone takes ownership of 123 and writes up the resources as explicitly not usable for spices, after which it wouldn't count.

Gotcha, that works. Thanks!

[Tychris1]

How about also giving the tactical maneuvering bonus to those who don’t share the faith but only when used against those of the Lighthouse’s faith. Messes with their morale and sense of duty.

[Corona]

The rules say that a region may only be prospected once. However, if you try to prospect and fail to meet even the lowest TN, can you try again?

Edited to add: Can you use a cultural exchange to transfer ownership of a region to the other player as a non-action?

[LapisCattis]

How about also giving the tactical maneuvering bonus to those who don’t share the faith but only when used against those of the Lighthouse’s faith. Messes with their morale and sense of duty.


The fluff for that is good, but an artifact needs to always have an ability, not just on condition of faith or when the Lighthouse/Radiance is involved. And again, because of issues with tying an artifact to whatever a player's faith is, it should instead be tied to a specific faith. It could be something like:


When wielded by one who follows The Radiance as a Faith, gain +2 to Tactical Maneuvering. When wielded by one who does not follow The Radiance as a Faith and who is wielding the artifact against a follower of The Radiance, gain +2 to Tactical Maneuvering. When wielded by one who does not follow The Radiance as a Faith and who is not wielding the artifact against a follower of The Radiance, <choose another option for bonus here>

Maybe a +2 to Leader Loss rolls?

[Tychris1]

Feels like I’m getting too into the weeds. I’ll just KISS and have it be a plain +2 to tac man all the time.

[Minescratcher]

The rules say that a region may only be prospected once. However, if you try to prospect and fail to meet even the lowest TN, can you try again?

Edited to add: Can you use a cultural exchange to transfer ownership of a region to the other player as a non-action?

Yes, and no, unless Role corrects me. :smallwink:

[Rolepgeek]

This question was asked some time ago in the Discord and has been a subject of debate for the GM team since that point; we'd hoped to find a solution we liked better than the one presented below, but in the end decided it was the most reasonable answer.


Once the Hard Metal has been developed/prospected, does it remain if the Smoking Gardens are destroyed?

The answer comes down to "yes, but". More specifically: yes, but the region will begin having TPs disabled over time until the resource is changed or the Smoking Garden returns, as stockpiles deplete. If they all end up disabled, they'll then start getting destroyed as the local economy falls apart.

[Minescratcher]

Putting on my GM hat briefly again, two things:

First, thank you to bc56, SilentInterim, Volthawk, and Farothel, who volunteered to help maintain the tables! The GM team really appreciates not having to do it all ourselves, ensuring that it will actually get done in a timely manner :smalltongue: The tables are currently in the process of being updated for Round 2 and should be done in the next couple days; please post in this thread if you spot something that needs fixing.

Second, this is your annual reminder to be specific when making trades with other players! Since this is the beginning of the game, I expect the GM team will be more lenient than usual, but try not to rely on their generosity too much.


To give an item to another player, take a Diplomacy action or a sub-action of a larger trade-based Diplomacy action such as an Event, or use a non-action if applicable. If you want to exchange the item, both players must take an action or qualifying sub-action and specify what they are trading and what they expect to receive in return. The exchange action is conditional on both players upholding their end of the deal. If one player fails to action the trade, both sides of it will fail and the actions will be wasted.

...If you want to make an outright gift of any of these items, your action will suffice to transfer it to the control of the other player. It will help the GM team if the other player acknowledges the gift as a non-action.

[LapisCattis]

Round 2 War Deadline Reminder!

War deadline reminder! If you're planning any war actions, especially against another player, make sure you have them locked in and notify the other involved parties before the end of tonight.

[Silent_Interim]

With apologies for asking so late in the round: Would "+1 to Impress actions" be too broad for a 5 holy site bonus? I'm willing to just do +1 to Sway Faction instead, but I like the flavour on +1 to Impress more, and +1 to just one type of Impress action would probably be too narrow to be very good.

[LapisCattis]

Following up on this to make sure I'm wrapping my head around it: Even if my Ruler is leading the battle, and has a Mil 10, the bonus they provide to the battle is (1/2 Military Score) a 5?

And if I have a Military 7, are we still rounding down? (1/2 Mil Score in this case is 3)

Sorry for the delay you experienced on this.

That is correct, and yeah still rounding down

[Epinephrine_Syn]

With apologies for asking so late in the round: Would "+1 to Impress actions" be too broad for a 5 holy site bonus? I'm willing to just do +1 to Sway Faction instead, but I like the flavour on +1 to Impress more, and +1 to just one type of Impress action would probably be too narrow to be very good.

Seconding this question, because +1 to Impress rolls is probably useful and relevant to know about, and how that interaction will work for what your holy peoples are set to do.

Also, it'd probably be good to have an answer to this question before the end of the round, while faiths are organizing and setting their bonuses.

[LapisCattis]

With apologies for asking so late in the round: Would "+1 to Impress actions" be too broad for a 5 holy site bonus? I'm willing to just do +1 to Sway Faction instead, but I like the flavour on +1 to Impress more, and +1 to just one type of Impress action would probably be too narrow to be very good.

+1 to Impress Actions works!

[Tychris1]

Sorry for the delay you experienced on this.

That is correct, and yeah still rounding down

If we are rounding down why does it say rounding up for the Native commanders in the battle?

[Feathersnow]

Given +1 to impress works, would the complimentary bonus, +1 to claim holy sites or Trade posts, which I guess might be called "missionary works" be acceptable?

[Rolepgeek]

If we are rounding down why does it say rounding up for the Native commanders in the battle?

My fault - when the question came up, Lapis asked me for a reminder, and I'd forgotten the default rule for rounding was up, rather than down. It just rounds in the default manner, which is up.

[Gengy]

Unit Cap (and Colonize) Questions


Some of these questions are being asked to ensure understanding, and not to achieve clarity.


You may only have as many units as your unit cap allows. Your unit cap starts at 3 and is increased by 1 for every region you own and for every region you have Aristocratic Support in. If you end a turn with more units than your unit cap allows, excess units will disband at the start of the following turn.


With the current RAW, your turn 1 Unit Cap is 3 + 1 + 1 for a total of 5? (because you have one region with one Aristocratic Faction)
With a second region claimed by Conquest, and a third region claimed by Colonize, your new Unit Cap would be (6) total? (Because Colonize doesn't count towards Unit Cap till after the Great Project is complete)
Can you Sway the Aristocratic Faction of a recently Colonized (but not 'settled' yet [still requires a Great Project]) in order to increase Unit Cap?
Does a recently Conquered region provide a bonus to your Unit Cap immediately, or will you need to Sway the Aristocratic Faction first?
[edit] To 'settle' a newly Colonized region, is that only Economy Actions, or could it be other actions? (like Diplomacy or Military)
Examples:
Economy = Pay people to move there [tax benefits, etc]
Diplomacy = Convince people to move there [a land of opportunity, excitement, etc]
Military = Order people to move there so that the region can be protected [for the good of the nation, defend our borders, etc]


Additional Question related to Conquest

Previous versions of Empire! had a game mechanic where, after you Conquer a region, it is in Unrest - aka, isn't happy with being conquered - and you must roll [Diplomacy] to attempt to quell this disquiet. With Empire! 7, I'm not seeing this requirement. Has this been removed in favor of the Sway Faction mechanics?

[Tychris1]

My fault - when the question came up, Lapis asked me for a reminder, and I'd forgotten the default rule for rounding was up, rather than down. It just rounds in the default manner, which is up.

That seems in contrast to “Unlike other fractions, unit casualties round normally: 0.5 rounds to 1, 0.49 rounds to 0.”

Which would imply the default is down?

[Aerin]

From the rules: "As an Economy action, you may send a Specialized Ship on an Expedition into an unexplored Wasteland region to explore it."

Since this is forced to be an Expedition (ECO) action, does this mean that it's subject to the same constraints? Ie: the wastes you want to explore must be adjacent to a region you control or have Mercantile Support in?

[Corona]

That seems in contrast to “Unlike other fractions, unit casualties round normally: 0.5 rounds to 1, 0.49 rounds to 0.”

Which would imply the default is down?

The default rule is laid out explicitly in Rounds and Actions -> Action Basics -> Target Numbers & Opposed Rolls: "Any fractional values are rounded up unless otherwise specified. If your roll's total is equal to or higher than the target number, the roll will succeed."

The "unlike other fractions" here refers to the default rule being that 0.49, 0.01 rounds up to 1 as well, although I don't think there's any situation where there is a fraction different from 0.5, except for unit casualties.



@GM team

There appear to be no required resources for new colonies listed in the opener or the tables.

As region 8 was colonized by me, HC 1 should have the Mandate of Plo'uogoar faith, and the Supports should be Open now.

"OKI is the first to Organize their Faith in the Temperate Zone: OKI gains +1 Prestige!" - unless I'm missing something, should be +2 prestige like the others get

Questions: Do unsettled colonies require a writeup? If one player colonizes a region and another player settles it, does the GM team have any expectations for the division of writeup creation between these players?



Edit: made a political map of the tropics, posting it here too for the benefit of those who aren't on Discord
https://i.ibb.co/FK8kN6m/Tropical-R3.png

[Volthawk]

As region 8 was colonized by me, HC 1 should have the Mandate of Plo'uogoar faith, and the Supports should be Open now.

Ah yes, I forgot that all the new colonies now automatically have a HC of their state religion. That's fixed now.

[Torv]

TacDoc proposal!

Stringing its fingerstalks into tune the naked one began to play over them with a bow of rigid hair. Producing a rich sound surface knows how it began to sway to the tune of its impromtu violin. The kelpatrands take a life of their own, withering away from the muscian despite its alluring music. Picking up a dance to their own ryhtm the strands grows and multiplies all while unraveling their host. Fingerstalks turned to restless legs the music dies to the sound wilted hooves stampeding through the water.

The Wild Hunt:
When entering battle the naked one may summon a temporary unit of kelpies. This unit does not count for army size, battlebonuses, or leaderloss, but will be the first to die from battle casualties.

[Volthawk]

Another import question: Would Domesticated Sea Cows satisfy 139's need for Unskiled Labour, with the logic being that they can serve as the underwater equivalent of oxen in our past, for transporting things and serving as a draft animal and whatnot, or does the labour need to be actual sapient people (or does the underwater economy just not need strong simple animals)?

Also, what kind of thing would satisfy 117's need for Preservatives? Looking it up, it seems like most food preservatives involves heating/reducing/drying/similar cooking, which feels like it has issues underwater, and more generally I'm not sure how constantly being in seawater would affect most of the kinds of food made with preservatives made for use above the water. Not sure if, for instance, an animal TP providing gelatin/aspic for those kinds of preserves would work, or if the limitations involved in the setting means that won't work.

Are phosphorites hard minerals for 127's import? Had a look around, and it seems they're found in softer rocks like limestone and mudstone, but the apatite itself is hard. No clue what the overall score there is, not a rock guy.

[Tychris1]

Artifact for review:

The Radiant Sword:
A blade made of shimmering light. The edge is a floating formless shard of light, shimmering with holy text inscrutably in its massless length. The inscription seems to hang in the air; the language of Light spoken by the Radiance. No shield can repel its supernatural force and the rapturous light of the lives it snuffs illuminates its majesty to devastating effect.

For every two casualties suffered by enemies in battles that the Radiant Sword is brought into it gains a charge. The Radiant Sword provides its wielder a +1 battle bonus for each charge. It can hold a maximum of 5 charges and loses 1 charge at the end of every round it is not in combat.

[Rolepgeek]

An FAQ


1. With the current RAW, your turn 1 Unit Cap is 3 + 1 + 1 for a total of 5? (because you have one region with one Aristocratic Faction)
2. With a second region claimed by Conquest, and a third region claimed by Colonize, your new Unit Cap would be (6) total? (Because Colonize doesn't count towards Unit Cap till after the Great Project is complete)
3. Can you Sway the Aristocratic Faction of a recently Colonized (but not 'settled' yet [still requires a Great Project]) in order to increase Unit Cap?
4. Does a recently Conquered region provide a bonus to your Unit Cap immediately, or will you need to Sway the Aristocratic Faction first?
5. [edit] To 'settle' a newly Colonized region, is that only Economy Actions, or could it be other actions? (like Diplomacy or Military)
Examples:
Economy = Pay people to move there [tax benefits, etc]
Diplomacy = Convince people to move there [a land of opportunity, excitement, etc]
Military = Order people to move there so that the region can be protected [for the good of the nation, defend our borders, etc]
6. Previous versions of Empire! had a game mechanic where, after you Conquer a region, it is in Unrest - aka, isn't happy with being conquered - and you must roll [Diplomacy] to attempt to quell this disquiet. With Empire! 7, I'm not seeing this requirement. Has this been removed in favor of the Sway Faction mechanics?

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. You gain the Unit Cap bonus from owning the region right away. You do not gain the Unit Cap bonus from having the support of the Aristocracy until they actually do Support you.
5. Economy actions. It's about more than just asking people to move - you are building up the infrastructure and development of the area.
6. It has; the equivalent of Stabilizing a region after conquest is now Swaying or Impressing the Aristocracy to secure your grip on the area. You'll likewise notice you don't lose Aristocratic Support in a region you've lost in warfare - this has the potential to allow you to cause trouble for the occupiers until they can pry it away from you.


From the rules: "As an Economy action, you may send a Specialized Ship on an Expedition into an unexplored Wasteland region to explore it."

Since this is forced to be an Expedition (ECO) action, does this mean that it's subject to the same constraints? Ie: the wastes you want to explore must be adjacent to a region you control or have Mercantile Support in?
Sort of? Basically, Specialized Ships can travel through Wastes regions without issue, especially since you there's no way to control or have Merchant Support in Wastes regions. So if you meet the requirements to explore a Wastes region that has already been explored, you can explore any Wastes regions connected to it.

This does not apply to non-Wastes regions.


Questions: Do unsettled colonies require a writeup? If one player colonizes a region and another player settles it, does the GM team have any expectations for the division of writeup creation between these players?
Yes, unsettled colonies still begin the countdown with needing a writeup. If one player colonizes a region and another player takes that region from them and then settles it, then they are expected to build off of the initial colony writeup with whatever their settling the region entailed, but responsibility for maintaining a region writeup remains with the owning player.


Another import question: Would Domesticated Sea Cows satisfy 139's need for Unskiled Labour, with the logic being that they can serve as the underwater equivalent of oxen in our past, for transporting things and serving as a draft animal and whatnot, or does the labour need to be actual sapient people (or does the underwater economy just not need strong simple animals)?

Also, what kind of thing would satisfy 117's need for Preservatives? Looking it up, it seems like most food preservatives involves heating/reducing/drying/similar cooking, which feels like it has issues underwater, and more generally I'm not sure how constantly being in seawater would affect most of the kinds of food made with preservatives made for use above the water. Not sure if, for instance, an animal TP providing gelatin/aspic for those kinds of preserves would work, or if the limitations involved in the setting means that won't work.

Are phosphorites hard minerals for 127's import? Had a look around, and it seems they're found in softer rocks like limestone and mudstone, but the apatite itself is hard. No clue what the overall score there is, not a rock guy.

Unskilled Labor could probably use draft animal equivalents, yeah. For Preservatives, brining/salting (there are degrees of salt, seawater is not the most salty things can be!), perhaps some sort of honey equivalent, and for our setting, especially the use of fermentation, would all work. Also worth noting is that, historically, most spices became common in cuisine as a result of having antibacterial or antifungal properties - which is to say, they acted as preservatives. If you can find resources to smoke, dehydrate, or keep food cold (all difficult in the ocean, obviously, but I can imagine mechanisms for all of the above!), those would also work. For 127, Phosphorite is mostly notable for the phosphorus, which is useful for producing fertilizer or potentially lighting and/or heat (phosphorus being what it is) - it's not especially notable for being hard.


From the Discord:

'Shallows Appreciation' questions:


[a] If your Unit CAP is a (hypothetical) 7 at the end of Round 5, is that (+3) Points for this event?
[b] Like a Spy's score, can a General's score be used - if - their action that round is set to "Show off for the Abyssal Stewards" (or some such thing, removing them from using their score anywhere else that turn)
[c] Just to clarify, a player would need to have a Spy at the start of Turn 5 to set their action to Counterespionage for that round; a player cannot obtain a Spy during Round 5 to alter their score?
[d] Do Fortresses count towards the 'quality of security apparatus'?
[a] Yes, it's 1 point per full 2 Unit Cap. No fractions there, so no rounding.
[b] No; it's examining the discipline/training/quality of your personnel as a whole, not just the quality of your leadership.
[c] Correct.
[d] I'll say they give 1 point. The equivalent to two Unit Cap, essentially.

others:

Just to clarify on the open water holy site thing, if a nation with no state religion colonises an open waters region where someone's converted the HC, the HC stays as it is, right, as the colonising nation has no faith to change it to?
By default, yes, but if they'd rather change it to Open they can do that too.


Question: the TPs in regions with mercantile support count double for passive income? Do they also count double if you want to go Merchant Marine?
Yes they count double for Treasure generation, no they do not count double for Merchant Marine.


Do people who contributed only fluff and not actions to the Coraline Compendium get the extra reward, if it is completed?
I'll say yes, they'll get at least some reward, but if the project isn't completed, then nobody gets the reward anyway.


If the prestige of a nation is increased and all higher slots are filled, does this result in a Diplomacy roll-off like Raise Reputation?
I'm really not satisfied with this method of determining who loses out when slots get filled up, but I'm also not completely satisfied with alternatives, and for now at least it's consistent. So, for now, yes, but this is very likely to change once I decide on a method I like more.

[Minescratcher]

For 127, Phosphorite is mostly notable for the phosphorus, which is useful for producing fertilizer or potentially lighting and/or heat (phosphorus being what it is) - it's not especially notable for being hard.

Probably significantly more so being used as a critical nutrient source - phosphate isn't that aggressively reactive, and if you do purify it to elemental phosphorus, it still doesn't react with water (though a mil tech to cram a bunch of white phosphorus and surface air in two separate chambers and mix when desired...)

Although I doubt it'll happen, it would also probably be very easy for poorly-planned or uncontrolled phosphate imports to cause a catastrophic algae bloom and kill off a big chunk of a region :smallwink:

[Tychris1]

The city is a placeholder action in case the artifact needs more workshopping and goes beyond the round. We definitely prioritize Swords over Buildings.

[Volthawk]

Thanks for all the answers.


Unskilled Labor could probably use draft animal equivalents, yeah.
Good to know, thanks. Probably of note to some people in the other zones, too, given that they also have Unskilled Labour imports and I know at least the tropical people were discussing how to fulfill it.


For Preservatives, brining/salting (there are degrees of salt, seawater is not the most salty things can be!), perhaps some sort of honey equivalent, and for our setting, especially the use of fermentation, would all work. Also worth noting is that, historically, most spices became common in cuisine as a result of having antibacterial or antifungal properties - which is to say, they acted as preservatives. If you can find resources to smoke, dehydrate, or keep food cold (all difficult in the ocean, obviously, but I can imagine mechanisms for all of the above!), those would also work.
I see, noted. So if spices work, given that I'm Impressing someone this turn based on having spices, that means I can Impress the region wanting preservatives with the same resource, right?

[Corona]

Thanks for all the answers!

Submitting region 8 writeup:

Shue'aaz Sho (8)



The sea runs from the small island chain in the north over countless rocks and hills, gradually giving way to more well-known regions on the southern border. Once one swims some distance inward, there are no immediately noticeable landmarks - not a seamount that can be distinguished from its neighbors, making a return to civilization challenging even for experienced navigators. Those who have lived in this sea for years, however, eventually grow immune to this "Rock blindness", as it is called. The bare outcrops turn to an immaculate white twice a year, when the currents bring in marine snow. But the snow never reaches the nooks and crannies of the trenches and labyrinthine caves below. Vegetation is largely constrained to the archipelago's sandy surroundings, though plankton is omnipresent, like in any other sea, feeding on the minerals released by frequent volcanic activity.



Until recently, the region had few inhabitants, and no lawgiver. Itinerant merchants, adventurers, and minstrels spreading ballads exalting the latter's heroic deeds did cross the region. However, each night spent under the stars of Shue'aaz Sho - caves often had dangerous inhabitants - meant one was taking a risk of never waking up again.

The few "natives" of the region could not sustain themselves through agriculture or herding, so they more often than not turned to a primitive life of indiscriminate hunting and raids, if they were not already outlaws who had fled the civilized seas. These inhabitants were of various races and cultures, lacking even a common name for their sea. There are plenty unintelligent creatures, in particular several endemic species of colorful jellyfish who like to float near the surface, making the more squeamish Nacre divers shun the region.

The Lojanese colonists huddle close to their motherland in the north, carving infrastructure and orientation marks in the caves as they go, much to the displeasure of many natives, who feel that they are stripping the sea of its unique character. It is mostly the Tobar who have chosen to move to Shue'aaz Sho. While loyal to the Plo'uogoar, the immigrants are more likely to think of it as a guiding figure, rather than a creator deity who needs to be attended at all times, unsurprisingly.



Legend has it that Shue'aaz Sho was a Land of Elements before the Cataclysm. Its inhabitants were gigantic serpentine creatures, whose physique is likened by some narrators to that of the Kucen, with others opining that their prominent presence and wisdom implies that they must have had some relation to the ancient Lojanese. In a time before time, they came to the mundane, lifeless sea, carrying an "eternal heat" in their hearts from their unknown homeland. They had two pairs of large membranous fins sprouting from their backs, allowing them to swim above the surface as well as we swim below it. In their realm, water, air and lava coexisted, flowed around each other and mixed, giving rise to the beautiful, if lifeless, rock formations visible to this day. Unless they managed to leave in time, it is assumed that they were all killed by the cataclysm, buried beneath their collapsing palaces. A few loanwords remain, but most of their singing language has been lost to history. This includes their true name - Lojanese speakers call them the Glairpan.

HC1: The Always-Burning
It is the largest volcano in the land by any reasonable metric, except height, its tip barely peeking above the horizon from the middle of a deep crumbling caldera. Though it is not physically imposing, one learns to respect it, at the latest when the quakes hit and poisonous smoke billows in all directions. And should the Always-Burning decide that the living creatures have encroached too far upon its stony domain, that it shall adorn itself with a new skirt of igneous rock, it spews forth vigorous streams of hot lava, covering the surrounding mounds in a thick layer of ejecta. The Always-Burning is regarded as a symbol of the environmental dangers that Shue'aaz Sho abounds with, and for believers in the Mandate of the Plo'uogoar, it represents a goal, nature that is yet to be discovered and conquered. The natives pray at its foot so that they may be allowed to live another year.


The lives of the legendary inhabitants may have been extinguished by the era-ending catastrophe, but some of their scalding heat has endured. The seafloor is dotted with numerous smoking volcanoes and hot hydrothermal vents. Their heat bakes any sand that is brought to them, creating a sturdy glass that can be used for construction and tools.

Agriculture can hardly be practiced on top of basalt or gabbro, so the colony must be supplied with food regularly.

[LapisCattis]

Artifact for review:

The Radiant Sword:
A blade made of shimmering light. The edge is a floating formless shard of light, shimmering with holy text inscrutably in its massless length. The inscription seems to hang in the air; the language of Light spoken by the Radiance. No shield can repel its supernatural force and the rapturous light of the lives it snuffs illuminates its majesty to devastating effect.

For every two casualties suffered by enemies in battles that the Radiant Sword is brought into it gains a charge. The Radiant Sword provides its wielder a +1 battle bonus for each charge. It can hold a maximum of 5 charges and loses 1 charge at the end of every round it is not in combat.

Unfortunately this does need some workshopping. The standard for an artifact is +1 total, and this currently can give up to +5 battle bonus, stored and losing charges too slowly compared to how high the charge bonus is. Frankly the artifact is too strong and too easily gives massive bonuses

[LapisCattis]

Thanks for all the answers!

Submitting region 8 writeup:

Shue'aaz Sho (8)



The sea runs from the small island chain in the north over countless rocks and hills, gradually giving way to more well-known regions on the southern border. Once one swims some distance inward, there are no immediately noticeable landmarks - not a seamount that can be distinguished from its neighbors, making a return to civilization challenging even for experienced navigators. Those who have lived in this sea for years, however, eventually grow immune to this "Rock blindness", as it is called. The bare outcrops turn to an immaculate white twice a year, when the currents bring in marine snow. But the snow never reaches the nooks and crannies of the trenches and labyrinthine caves below. Vegetation is largely constrained to the archipelago's sandy surroundings, though plankton is omnipresent, like in any other sea, feeding on the minerals released by frequent volcanic activity.



Until recently, the region had few inhabitants, and no lawgiver. Itinerant merchants, adventurers, and minstrels spreading ballads exalting the latter's heroic deeds did cross the region. However, each night spent under the stars of Shue'aaz Sho - caves often had dangerous inhabitants - meant one was taking a risk of never waking up again.

The few "natives" of the region could not sustain themselves through agriculture or herding, so they more often than not turned to a primitive life of indiscriminate hunting and raids, if they were not already outlaws who had fled the civilized seas. These inhabitants were of various races and cultures, lacking even a common name for their sea. There are plenty unintelligent creatures, in particular several endemic species of colorful jellyfish who like to float near the surface, making the more squeamish Nacre divers shun the region.

The Lojanese colonists huddle close to their motherland in the north, carving infrastructure and orientation marks in the caves as they go, much to the displeasure of many natives, who feel that they are stripping the sea of its unique character. It is mostly the Tobar who have chosen to move to Shue'aaz Sho. While loyal to the Plo'uogoar, the immigrants are more likely to think of it as a guiding figure, rather than a creator deity who needs to be attended at all times, unsurprisingly.



Legend has it that Shue'aaz Sho was a Land of Elements before the Cataclysm. Its inhabitants were gigantic serpentine creatures, whose physique is likened by some narrators to that of the Kucen, with others opining that their prominent presence and wisdom implies that they must have had some relation to the ancient Lojanese. In a time before time, they came to the mundane, lifeless sea, carrying an "eternal heat" in their hearts from their unknown homeland. They had two pairs of large membranous fins sprouting from their backs, allowing them to swim above the surface as well as we swim below it. In their realm, water, air and lava coexisted, flowed around each other and mixed, giving rise to the beautiful, if lifeless, rock formations visible to this day. Unless they managed to leave in time, it is assumed that they were all killed by the cataclysm, buried beneath their collapsing palaces. A few loanwords remain, but most of their singing language has been lost to history. This includes their true name - Lojanese speakers call them the Glairpan.

HC1: The Always-Burning
It is the largest volcano in the land by any reasonable metric, except height, its tip barely peeking above the horizon from the middle of a deep crumbling caldera. Though it is not physically imposing, one learns to respect it, at the latest when the quakes hit and poisonous smoke billows in all directions. And should the Always-Burning decide that the living creatures have encroached too far upon its stony domain, that it shall adorn itself with a new skirt of igneous rock, it spews forth vigorous streams of hot lava, covering the surrounding mounds in a thick layer of ejecta. The Always-Burning is regarded as a symbol of the environmental dangers that Shue'aaz Sho abounds with, and for believers in the Mandate of the Plo'uogoar, it represents a goal, nature that is yet to be discovered and conquered. The natives pray at its foot so that they may be allowed to live another year.


The lives of the legendary inhabitants may have been extinguished by the era-ending catastrophe, but some of their scalding heat has endured. The seafloor is dotted with numerous smoking volcanoes and hot hydrothermal vents. Their heat bakes any sand that is brought to them, creating a sturdy glass that can be used for construction and tools.

Agriculture can hardly be practiced on top of basalt or gabbro, so the colony must be supplied with food regularly.


Approved! You can add it to your Waters of the World post

[Tychris1]

How about if it lost all of its charges after a round of “peace”.

[LapisCattis]

How about if it lost all of its charges after a round of “peace”.


That's still a potential +5 and a player could just keep going to war to keep it charged.


Some suggestions:

For every two casualties suffered by enemies in battles that the Radiant Sword is brought into it gains a charge. The Radiant Sword provides its wielder a +1 battle bonus for each charge. It can:


hold a maximum of 2 charges. All charges are lost if the sword is not used in a battle for a round. OR
hold a maximum of 3 charges. Add 10% to own casualties for each charge and all charges are lost if the sword is not used in a battle for a round. OR
slightly less serious suggestion: hold a maximum of 2 charges. The sword seeks blood, and if a country is not in battle for a round, the sword departs and enters the possession of the next country that has been in constant battle the longest. OR

[farothel]

If I may offer another option with the artefact (change in bold):
For every two casualties suffered by enemies in battles that the Radiant Sword is brought into it gains a charge. The Radiant Sword provides its wielder a +1 battle bonus for each charge it uses in combat (maximum 2 charges per combat). It can hold a maximum of 5 charges and loses 1 charge at the end of every round it is not in combat.

That way the maximum bonus is +2, it still loses charges when not used but it can hold more if you keep going into combat, but it's not overpowered.

[Gengy]

Submitting for approval.

(With ghostwriting from Feathersnow, and some minor tweaks by me!)


The Meadows of Elyan'dan
(Region 136)

Elyan'dan is populated by tribes of Mer that are loosely organized into a democratic confederacy. They have a complex system of honor and obligation to circumvent their lack of formal laws. Of note is that they have a complex system of division of labor based on gender, their concept of gender is completely divorced from any physiological markers outsiders can perceive.

The Meadows of Elyan'dan are an area of shallow seas with much plant life. These plants are typically giant lillies that have long roots tethering them to the sea bottom. The shady area is rich in life.

Export: Clam Vines are the colloquial name for the colonies of sessile, parasitic snails that infest the roots of the giant lillies that grow through much of Elyan'dan. They resemble giant beads strung on a piece of twine. The Mer of the region use the shells of the Clam Vines as clothing, weapons, and just to look at for the particular shiny shells. The snails themselves are not the best food source, but work in a pinch.

Required Resource: Heat Source
The Meadows are a peaceful place, but have unusual cold snaps that often signal an early or long winter. For all that - compared to some surrounding regions - it is a shallow watered location with a lot of plant life, the waters during winter become very chilly for the Temerpate zone. The more wealthy Mer of the Meadows made due with weaving heavy cloaks of Lily Petals, but having a wide spread heat source for all would greatly please those living in the region.

Open - Those of the Meadows are not subject to any particular religion, and are open minded enough to learn new ideas.
Holy Site: "Lily Cove" - A major city within the Meadows, Lily Cove is hidden within a large giant long rooted Lily forest, with twisting vines that are perfect living locations for Clam Vines.
Holy Site: "Upper Yard" - A large town on a giant underwater plateau, Upper Yard is the closest livable area to the surface. For Mer who enjoy the moonlight, or singing in the Sun, many move to upper Yard.

[LapisCattis]

Submitting for approval.

(Shadow writer: Feathersnow, with a little editing from me.)


The Meadows of Elyan'dan
(Region 136)

Elyan'dan is populated by tribes of Mer that are loosely organized into a democratic confederacy. They have a complex system of honor and obligation to circumvent their lack of formal laws. Of note is that they have a complex system of division of labor based on gender, their concept of gender is completely divorced from any physiological markers outsiders can perceive.

The Meadows of Elyan'dan are an area of shallow seas with much plant life. These plants are typically giant lillies that have long roots tethering them to the sea bottom. The shady area is rich in life.

Export: Clam Vines are the colloquial name for the colonies of sessile, parasitic snails that infest the roots of the giant lillies that grow through much of Elyan'dan. They resemble giant beads strung on a piece of twine. The Mer of the region use the shells of the Clam Vines as clothing, weapons, and just to look at for the particular shiny shells. The snails themselves are not the best food source, but work in a pinch.

Open - Those of the Meadows are not subject to any particular religion, and are open minded enough to learn new ideas.
Holy Site: "Lily Cove" - A major city within the Meadows, Lily Cove is hidden within a large giant long rooted Lily forest, with twisting vines that are perfect living locations for Clam Vines.
Holy Site: "Upper Yard" - A large town on a giant underwater plateau, Upper Yard is the closest livable area to the surface. For Mer who enjoy the moonlight, or singing in the Sun, many move to upper Yard.

Approved if you add just a short bit on the desired import

[LapisCattis]

Some key questions and clarifications from the discord:


Favors that are gained from the Orgs by fulfilling writing requests are granted in the next round opener and thus are available for player use the turn after you submit the writing
Even with a Specialized Ship, Investigations cannot target unexplored regions on the other side of a waste region
From Minescratcher: if you were to lose control of a region to which you have an Integration claim, you would retain that claim until another player gained their own Integration claim to the region, acting as a mechanical representation of lingering regional sentiment in your favor that you could use to attempt to pry the region back.
If a falsified claim is pressed successfully and the falsified nature is then revealed, the fabricator does still retain ownership of the region but loses Aristocratic Support.
The baseline bonus for Special 10 actions is roughly the same as in previous Empires - +1 to a common roll or +1 and something else on a less frequent basis



Question from Mystic: if the falsified claim is pressed, and such press is successful, then fabricator gets another type of claim on that region, like integration, then such fabricated claim is revealed, does the fabricator lose all claims to the region and/or lose aristocratic support?


Minescratcher: I believe only the fabricated claim and Aristocratic Support would be lost, though this sounds like a scenario which Gaius or Potato would immediately jump on.

[Gengy]

Approved if you add just a short bit on the desired import

This has been edited into the Resource section of the submission:


Required Resource: Heat Source
The Meadows are a peaceful place, but have unusual cold snaps that often signal an early or long winter. For all that - compared to some surrounding regions - it is a shallow watered location with a lot of plant life, the waters during winter become very chilly for the Temerpate zone. The more wealthy Mer of the Meadows made due with weaving heavy cloaks of Lily Petals, but having a wide spread heat source for all would greatly please those living in the region.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Nevermind, just produce more fluff, that's always good.

[farothel]

For the Org stuff:
Wealth begets wealth, and money can buy fame.
CYP is the first to have 2 passive Treasure Income in the Temperate zone! CYP gains +1 Prestige! ESP and STC are the first to have 2 passive Treasure Income in the Polar zone! ESP is in control of 4 unique resources; STC is in control of 5 unique resources - STC wins the tie and gains +1 Prestige!

HEX and LOL manage to get 2 passive income in the tropical zone in round 3 (I still have to do the TP updates in the tables, I'll do those tonight), so they too will gain +1 prestige, right?

[Torv]

Submitting the following for approval, fluff to come later:

Miracle: Symbiotic Spores
Anyone following Shimers of Unseen Bane, one of its schools, or owning a Delight of Moonlight Trade Post may cross toxic borders.
OOC-note: Owning a Delight TP puts you very high up on the conversion priority list.

TacDoc: The Wild Hunt
When entering battle the naked one may summon a temporary unit of kelpies. This unit does not count for army size, battlebonuses, or leaderloss, but will be the first to die from battle casualties.

Oddball Artifact (Round 5): The Kelpie and the Mare
Every round the Kelpie and the Mare each appears in a random players possession.
Providing the Mare with a steed or the Kelpie with a rider as a fluff non-action allows the player to use them as a +1 to one roll during the round.
Successfully stealing either the mare or kelpie guarantees it to appear in the thief's possession next round. When gifted away the kelpie and mare will instead appear in a random players possession.
Should the mare and kelpie ever appear simultaneously in the same players possession FAY may attempt to convert a Holy Center in the kingdom's regions. They do not provide any other bonus when united.

[Autumn Stars]

Bastion write-up for approval.

Before the arrival of the Gravetenders, Bastion was an empty place, strewn about with ruins of the Makers and some few of their own kind stranded from the rest. Now, it flourishes with Gravetenders all over, the hub of those who would go farther than their own natural borders. Those Gravetenders who choose to live here are often more outgoing, and intense in their faith, -and in their desire to spread it.- They are, to an extent, governed by Sersi the Pale, though as always, Gravetender politics remain odd to organics.

Bastion, as far as the Gravetenders have discovered, was a place of much contention among the Makers. Remnants of battle are scattered in the sands, and broken towers signify what must have once been important cities. Alas, the Fall was less kind to Bastion than it was to the Dead Cities, and none of the homes of the Makers remain intact here. Even now, ruins are excavated to rescue lost Gravetenders, stranded when the bodies of nearby Makers decayed or were eaten by scavengers.

Still, there is now life once more. Shrines and Reliquaries are spread through out the region, carefully spaced that no part of the new Gravetender home might be stilled. Trade flows, though sluggish still, and Pardalis, the New City, serves as Bastions beating heart.

In the soil of Bastion grows a silvery metal known as Manganese. Uses for it are still being discovered, but there is of course hope that it might serve as an alternative for the silver so necessary to the creation of new Gravetenders. Others have begun to use it in jewelry, and the fad is catching on quick. Gravetenders are, one must admit, somewhat vain, taking pride in their ability to modify their appearance.

Being one of the first places the Gravetenders made into a new home, Bastion served as something of a baseline for their new approach to spirituality. The Blossoming Sequence began here, or so they might say, with Sersi the Pale and her design of the New City. Pardalis certainly makes great pains to be comprehensible to organic life, to better spread their understanding.

[Corona]

Tropics round 4 map, next round there will be a map with a better resolution.


https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886410868523048/976031850692759562/TropicalR4.png

[farothel]

Tropics round 4 map, next round there will be a map with a better resolution.


It's plenty good. Thanks for doing this. Makes my life a lot easier when I have to do the table updates.

[Tychris1]

My thanks Corona. Very helpful! <3

[Volthawk]

I keep forgetting to post these here too, but since I just put in a key and the like yesterday, the temperate maps for this round:

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/938886392400973864/976560860405334036/t4_land_v2.png
Aerin did the organisation base symbols, you can tell because they're not just simple squares and circles.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/976511088847900732/t4_eco_v3.png
https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/938886392400973864/976506259115241552/t4_faith_v3.png

[Volthawk]

Given that the unrest warnings have gone out, and that it's been agreed that it's my responsibility to handle Mine's desired import, would any of the following satisfy a "Recordkeeping" Desired Import? In descending order of confidence (starting out at not very) and quickly getting incredibly reaching:


Cobalt Dye: It's dye, you dye things with it and now you can write and organise and stuff.
Luxurious Hides: You carve/stitch/whatever information into it, now you have very fancy and expensive records
Plant-based Resources: Maybe some kind of paper-equivalent (but not quite because underwater and different process etc) be made from the various plants around (seaweed, kelp, vines, etc)?
Malleable Blubber: I dunno, you can shape it so you can use it to be some kind of information record I guess?

[farothel]

the luminiscent crystals from LUX might also work. If you place small crystals in a pattern it can also be used to 'write'. It might not be portable writing, but neither were stone tablets and they are also accepted as record keeping.

[Minescratcher]

FWIW, I can see any of the above working except the malleable blubber which feels like a bit too much of a stretch to me.

Unrelated, any approval word on my tech?

[mystic1110]

Region Write Ups for Approval

Micht Tsy Fivrivirvs - Region 57

The people of the Micht Tsy Fivrivirvs are the Tsy Fivrivirvs and they are a species of large flippered marine mammal’s characterized by prominent tusks and whiskers, and their considerable bulk. Males weight about two tons and could occasionally be as much as three tons. Females weigh about two-thirds as much as males on average, occasionally even half as much. Much of this weight is held in blubber stored beneath the skin, keeping the Tsy Fivrivirvs warm in the polar waters. Both males and females have tusks, which are elongated canines that reach about one meter in length and sometimes can be as large as two meters. The tusks are used to cut holes in the ice for the Tsy Fivrivirvs to surface and breath air before submerging again – and they are used in the usual aggressive politics of the Micht (which is the Tsy Fivrivirvs word for “Kingdom”).

While already unusual, the Tsy Fivrivirvs are even stranger in that on top of their skin grow multilayered feathers, which make these large bulky creatures unusually fast as the feathers preserve underwater superhydrophobicity for reduced drag. The feathers of a particular Tsy Fivrivirv depends on its family and are often the cause of meaningless grudges or fights. While there are many families, there are four prominent families are the Gry Findyvr (which have red and gold feathers), Fiff (which have yellow and black colors), Ryvnik Liv (which have blue and bronze feathers), Syt Ryn (which have green and silver colors). Secondary families are formed during passionate romances between the prominent families and their progeny has feather colors from one of each of the progenitors (such as Tsy Fivrivirv with Black and Silver feathers or Gold and Yellow Feathers). There also exist tertiary families of monocolored feathers (for example a tribe descendent from a Gold and Yellow feathered father and a Gold and Green feathered mother, being all Gold Feathers) – these mono-colored Tsy Fivrivirv are usually considered the dregs and grime of so-called Tsy Fivrivirv society.

That society is not much of a society – families are extremely patriarchal and consider anyone that doesn’t at least share one feather color with them as an enemy. Of course they are a passionate people and affairs between families are quite common, but such affairs usually lead to familial grudges and wars. Wars and brawls and fighting is what the Micht is known for – the Tsy Fivrivirvs love to battle each other with their husks and heft. The Micht itself is a false concept – there is no Kingdom or King – Just familial chiefs called Prefects which exist to count the grudges against other Tsy Fivrivirv. Instead the Micht is a religious concept of the Tsy Fivrivirv Messiah, that being which would be a Tsy Fivrivirv with a feather of each family that would lead them back into the Sky.
The Micht is a sargasso of frozen seaweed. Giant icebergs float in the waters above stretching far down into the depths. The ice wraps itself around the natural seaweed and thus extends as far down as the ocean floor so that the entire region appears to be an ice cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites of ice covered seaweed. The Tsy Fivrivirvs use their tusks to break these ice pillars to harvest the seaweed within – either to eat or to make their homes.
The Tsy Fivrivirvs live in dams made of Woven Seaweed which is plentiful in the Micht, however they would appreciate Building Materials for more substantial lodging.
The faith of the Tsy Fivrivirvs is called “The Last Dream”. The last dream of the Tsy Fivrivirvs was that they once swam through the sky above the ice as easily as they swim in the waters below the ice. Given that they are a mammal species that surfaces from the ice to breath once in a while, they know what the sky looks like and believe that they once rules the skies before becoming too heavy and falling into the water. Many families of the Tsy Fivrivirv disagree what made them so heavy to begin with: sin, too much food, a cruel god . . . these disagreements form another axis of fighting among the families As stated previously though, their does exist a concept of a Tsy Fivrivirv messiah, that being which would be a Tsy Fivrivirv with a feather of each family that would lead them back into the Sky.

Coresite - Region 58

There are no natives in Coresite, instead the region is now composed of various hiveminds, either Herring, which make up most of the populace or the mercantile Medusa alga . . . the hiveminds at the moment seem to exist in equilibrium given what appears to be their central function, either administrative (fish) or commerce (plant). Between the two hiveminds are a small populace of Mer missionaries, spreading the gospel of the Pattern.
There was a reason that Coresite was not inhabited by creatures before Deep Blue migrated part of its awareness into it. The region is largely barren of plankton, kelp, algae or other oxygen producing fauna or flora making it a poor host for life. Even life that would thrive outside such oxygen rich areas, such as tube warms, would find no heat vent here – instead the region is largely an expanse of broken shells. What creature’s the shells are from seem to be long gone. They may yet exist in the fossil record of the region, but to the new comers to the region, all they would see are still waters, relatively clear given the lack of prior life, and a flat seabed composed of broken shells.
The broken shells that make the seafloor of Coresite though are very pretty, if one is given to appreciate ascetics. They are the color of gold, silver and cobalt. The few of these beautiful shells that exist intact are the Warped Shells that make up the regions prime export. Given their names one would think that the shells are curved in unusual ways, but instead the referenced to warping is a reference to the warping of the metal and blue colors of the shells which appear in complex patterns on the shells. The regions required resource are domesticated creatures, mainly as a reliable food source, since there are so few other options for nourishment in Coresite.
The Pattern seems like a religion tailor made for an entity like Deep Blue, which is largely a thought pattern between some Herring. Perhaps that is why the entity had seemed receptive to authorize a subroutine of such Herring to listen to the Mer missionaries and learn of the Pattern. However, while the original religion refers to the patterns of the coronas of the ice above or the movements of the tides, the subroutine of Coresite looks at its own pattern and so do the Mer that live in the region, looking at the moving fish for predictions of the future.

[Lt-Murgen]

Sadly, everyone, I will have to drop.

My son came down with Covid, and it is rough on him. And I'm still dealing with my elderly father and moving him inot a nursing home. All of my evening hours have been eaten up.

I am so sorry.

[Minescratcher]

Sadly, everyone, I will have to drop.

My son came down with Covid, and it is rough on him. And I'm still dealing with my elderly father and moving him inot a nursing home. All of my evening hours have been eaten up.

I am so sorry.

I'm so sorry to see you go, and I hope things get better for you soon!

[Moriko]

Sadly, everyone, I will have to drop.

My son came down with Covid, and it is rough on him. And I'm still dealing with my elderly father and moving him inot a nursing home. All of my evening hours have been eaten up.

I am so sorry.

I hope they recover soon! Don't worry about dropping, its a game and real life always takes priority.

It was great having you here and if you decide you want to return in the future we will be glad to have you but ofcourse only if you feel up for it.

[mystic1110]

I was recently informed that if you acquire a region by confederation you need to provide a write up of the "equitable incorporation into existing power structures within our government" - please provide some examples of what such write up would look like. Thank you.

[Rolepgeek]

Submitting the following for approval, fluff to come later:

Miracle: Symbiotic Spores
Anyone following Shimers of Unseen Bane, one of its schools, or owning a Delight of Moonlight Trade Post may cross toxic borders.
OOC-note: Owning a Delight TP puts you very high up on the conversion priority list.

TacDoc: The Wild Hunt
When entering battle the naked one may summon a temporary unit of kelpies. This unit does not count for army size, battlebonuses, or leaderloss, but will be the first to die from battle casualties.

Oddball Artifact (Round 5): The Kelpie and the Mare
Every round the Kelpie and the Mare each appears in a random players possession.
Providing the Mare with a steed or the Kelpie with a rider as a fluff non-action allows the player to use them as a +1 to one roll during the round.
Successfully stealing either the mare or kelpie guarantees it to appear in the thief's possession next round. When gifted away the kelpie and mare will instead appear in a random players possession.
Should the mare and kelpie ever appear simultaneously in the same players possession FAY may attempt to convert a Holy Center in the kingdom's regions. They do not provide any other bonus when united.

I can't give the final word of approval or disapproval on these myself, but I can give feedback on them based on my understanding of the rules. The Miracle, for instance, is doing double duty - it serves as a tech that does not need trading (resource requirement and all), as well as a miracle bonus for anyone in the faith. I don't know that it will be accepted in its present form.

The Tactical Doctrine is...probably fine? But I think a TacDoc that gives a temporary Unit that fully counts as a unit and is first to be lost from battle casualties would work about as well? This would mean that the total units lost would be increased commensurate by the casualty % rate based on that temporary unit, still, but I don't think it would be terribly unbalanced.

The Artifact is...I mean, it's not really unbalanced, though it is certainly oddball. I think rather than FAY being able to attempt a conversion, it should probably be something like 'a conversion attempt is made with such and such bonus of a random non-X Holy Site in the country's regions to religion X'.


Given that the unrest warnings have gone out, and that it's been agreed that it's my responsibility to handle Mine's desired import, would any of the following satisfy a "Recordkeeping" Desired Import? In descending order of confidence (starting out at not very) and quickly getting incredibly reaching:


Cobalt Dye: It's dye, you dye things with it and now you can write and organise and stuff.
Luxurious Hides: You carve/stitch/whatever information into it, now you have very fancy and expensive records
Plant-based Resources: Maybe some kind of paper-equivalent (but not quite because underwater and different process etc) be made from the various plants around (seaweed, kelp, vines, etc)?
Malleable Blubber: I dunno, you can shape it so you can use it to be some kind of information record I guess?


I've been given permission to definitively say: Cobalt Dye and Luxurious Hides will definitely work; arbitrary plant-based resources will not, but if they make sense they could work (basically if you can make a decent argument for it, it's probably fine and if it's an edge case, we're not computers, we can do leniency and such - there's just not blanket approval of anything that is plant, here). Malleable Blubber will not work.


FWIW, I can see any of the above working except the malleable blubber which feels like a bit too much of a stretch to me.

Unrelated, any approval word on my tech?
You already know this since we all GMs talked about it already, but to make it official here too - your tech is approved.

[Torv]

Got no issue with the changes proposed to the TacDoc or Artifact above.
As to the miracle ownership of a Delight TP is primarily intended for fluff. If it messes up the balance, just cut it away.
Happy to hammer out details once the Round 5 has begun, wouldn't want this to prolong the limbo between rounds.

[LapisCattis]

Bastion write-up for approval.

Before the arrival of the Gravetenders, Bastion was an empty place, strewn about with ruins of the Makers and some few of their own kind stranded from the rest. Now, it flourishes with Gravetenders all over, the hub of those who would go farther than their own natural borders. Those Gravetenders who choose to live here are often more outgoing, and intense in their faith, -and in their desire to spread it.- They are, to an extent, governed by Sersi the Pale, though as always, Gravetender politics remain odd to organics.

Bastion, as far as the Gravetenders have discovered, was a place of much contention among the Makers. Remnants of battle are scattered in the sands, and broken towers signify what must have once been important cities. Alas, the Fall was less kind to Bastion than it was to the Dead Cities, and none of the homes of the Makers remain intact here. Even now, ruins are excavated to rescue lost Gravetenders, stranded when the bodies of nearby Makers decayed or were eaten by scavengers.

Still, there is now life once more. Shrines and Reliquaries are spread through out the region, carefully spaced that no part of the new Gravetender home might be stilled. Trade flows, though sluggish still, and Pardalis, the New City, serves as Bastions beating heart.

In the soil of Bastion grows a silvery metal known as Manganese. Uses for it are still being discovered, but there is of course hope that it might serve as an alternative for the silver so necessary to the creation of new Gravetenders. Others have begun to use it in jewelry, and the fad is catching on quick. Gravetenders are, one must admit, somewhat vain, taking pride in their ability to modify their appearance.

Being one of the first places the Gravetenders made into a new home, Bastion served as something of a baseline for their new approach to spirituality. The Blossoming Sequence began here, or so they might say, with Sersi the Pale and her design of the New City. Pardalis certainly makes great pains to be comprehensible to organic life, to better spread their understanding.

Approved if you put in a short blurb about the Desired Import


Region Write Ups for Approval

Micht Tsy Fivrivirvs - Region 57

The people of the Micht Tsy Fivrivirvs are the Tsy Fivrivirvs and they are a species of large flippered marine mammal’s characterized by prominent tusks and whiskers, and their considerable bulk. Males weight about two tons and could occasionally be as much as three tons. Females weigh about two-thirds as much as males on average, occasionally even half as much. Much of this weight is held in blubber stored beneath the skin, keeping the Tsy Fivrivirvs warm in the polar waters. Both males and females have tusks, which are elongated canines that reach about one meter in length and sometimes can be as large as two meters. The tusks are used to cut holes in the ice for the Tsy Fivrivirvs to surface and breath air before submerging again – and they are used in the usual aggressive politics of the Micht (which is the Tsy Fivrivirvs word for “Kingdom”).

While already unusual, the Tsy Fivrivirvs are even stranger in that on top of their skin grow multilayered feathers, which make these large bulky creatures unusually fast as the feathers preserve underwater superhydrophobicity for reduced drag. The feathers of a particular Tsy Fivrivirv depends on its family and are often the cause of meaningless grudges or fights. While there are many families, there are four prominent families are the Gry Findyvr (which have red and gold feathers), Fiff (which have yellow and black colors), Ryvnik Liv (which have blue and bronze feathers), Syt Ryn (which have green and silver colors). Secondary families are formed during passionate romances between the prominent families and their progeny has feather colors from one of each of the progenitors (such as Tsy Fivrivirv with Black and Silver feathers or Gold and Yellow Feathers). There also exist tertiary families of monocolored feathers (for example a tribe descendent from a Gold and Yellow feathered father and a Gold and Green feathered mother, being all Gold Feathers) – these mono-colored Tsy Fivrivirv are usually considered the dregs and grime of so-called Tsy Fivrivirv society.

That society is not much of a society – families are extremely patriarchal and consider anyone that doesn’t at least share one feather color with them as an enemy. Of course they are a passionate people and affairs between families are quite common, but such affairs usually lead to familial grudges and wars. Wars and brawls and fighting is what the Micht is known for – the Tsy Fivrivirvs love to battle each other with their husks and heft. The Micht itself is a false concept – there is no Kingdom or King – Just familial chiefs called Prefects which exist to count the grudges against other Tsy Fivrivirv. Instead the Micht is a religious concept of the Tsy Fivrivirv Messiah, that being which would be a Tsy Fivrivirv with a feather of each family that would lead them back into the Sky.
The Micht is a sargasso of frozen seaweed. Giant icebergs float in the waters above stretching far down into the depths. The ice wraps itself around the natural seaweed and thus extends as far down as the ocean floor so that the entire region appears to be an ice cave filled with stalactites and stalagmites of ice covered seaweed. The Tsy Fivrivirvs use their tusks to break these ice pillars to harvest the seaweed within – either to eat or to make their homes.
The Tsy Fivrivirvs live in dams made of Woven Seaweed which is plentiful in the Micht, however they would appreciate Building Materials for more substantial lodging.
The faith of the Tsy Fivrivirvs is called “The Last Dream”. The last dream of the Tsy Fivrivirvs was that they once swam through the sky above the ice as easily as they swim in the waters below the ice. Given that they are a mammal species that surfaces from the ice to breath once in a while, they know what the sky looks like and believe that they once rules the skies before becoming too heavy and falling into the water. Many families of the Tsy Fivrivirv disagree what made them so heavy to begin with: sin, too much food, a cruel god . . . these disagreements form another axis of fighting among the families As stated previously though, their does exist a concept of a Tsy Fivrivirv messiah, that being which would be a Tsy Fivrivirv with a feather of each family that would lead them back into the Sky.

Coresite - Region 58

There are no natives in Coresite, instead the region is now composed of various hiveminds, either Herring, which make up most of the populace or the mercantile Medusa alga . . . the hiveminds at the moment seem to exist in equilibrium given what appears to be their central function, either administrative (fish) or commerce (plant). Between the two hiveminds are a small populace of Mer missionaries, spreading the gospel of the Pattern.
There was a reason that Coresite was not inhabited by creatures before Deep Blue migrated part of its awareness into it. The region is largely barren of plankton, kelp, algae or other oxygen producing fauna or flora making it a poor host for life. Even life that would thrive outside such oxygen rich areas, such as tube warms, would find no heat vent here – instead the region is largely an expanse of broken shells. What creature’s the shells are from seem to be long gone. They may yet exist in the fossil record of the region, but to the new comers to the region, all they would see are still waters, relatively clear given the lack of prior life, and a flat seabed composed of broken shells.
The broken shells that make the seafloor of Coresite though are very pretty, if one is given to appreciate ascetics. They are the color of gold, silver and cobalt. The few of these beautiful shells that exist intact are the Warped Shells that make up the regions prime export. Given their names one would think that the shells are curved in unusual ways, but instead the referenced to warping is a reference to the warping of the metal and blue colors of the shells which appear in complex patterns on the shells. The regions required resource are domesticated creatures, mainly as a reliable food source, since there are so few other options for nourishment in Coresite.
The Pattern seems like a religion tailor made for an entity like Deep Blue, which is largely a thought pattern between some Herring. Perhaps that is why the entity had seemed receptive to authorize a subroutine of such Herring to listen to the Mer missionaries and learn of the Pattern. However, while the original religion refers to the patterns of the coronas of the ice above or the movements of the tides, the subroutine of Coresite looks at its own pattern and so do the Mer that live in the region, looking at the moving fish for predictions of the future.

Both are approved

[Aerin]

Region 111 - The Tideswept Shelf

The name of the region comes from the large, sheer cliff that runs from west to east parallel the brackish border to the north. To the south of the region, at the bottom of the cliff, lie pools of nearly invisible briny water, only distinguishable by their rings of salt crystals and resident populations of brinerays. To the north of the region, above the cliff, lies a sandy slope that gradually rises upwards until the water is mere inches deep at the brackish border. During the winter, heavy rainfall to the north causes a massive sweep of low-salinity water to come pouring down the slope and cascade in shifting swirls of particulate matter over the cliff. During the summer, the rising temperatures cause upwellings of the briny pools to nearly the top of the cliff, coinciding with brineray mating season. As few creatures can withstand the extreme shifts in salinity, brinerays are the only populous native fauna.
To live on the Tideswept Shelf is to be at the mercy of the currents, which is perhaps why there was no native population before Lux-Glossia sent a colonization group. In fact, the first Shade to attempt to settle the region was caught unawares by the sweep of low-salinity rainwater from the north and had their algae cultures completely wiped out. Today, there is a small settlement carved into the side of the cliff in typical Lux-Glossian fashion the middle of the region. The people who have moved here in the few years since the colony was founded are mostly Mer and mostly young women seeking to redefine themselves and find their place in the world. Right now, the colony hosts a single Shade, but perhaps they will be successful enough to attract more in the future.
The region's most abundant resources are brinerays, which are a species of ray specially adapted to live in briny environments. Their habitat makes them too salty to eat, but their hide makes a sturdy salt-resistant leather when tanned, and their stingers have a multitude of uses from injectable poison to medicine to spear-tip. Adults have a wingspan of about a foot, while juveniles are about the size of fireflies and just as harmless. Shortly after mating season, the region is flooded with swarms of brineray babies.

As an upcoming colony, the inhabitants always find themselves in need of good tools for stonecutting, particularly chisels, hammers, and wedges. There's a lot of construction work to be done requiring sharp implements, and all of it must be done on the sheer cliff face. Any instruments accidentally dropped over the scaffolding are as good as gone.
Knowledge from the nearby faithful of Orope was instrumental in predicting the unstable tides of the region, causing the current colony to last far longer than the first failed attempt. The residents here are perhaps slightly closer to the Middish school of the Flowing Way as a result. One of the first buildings to be constructed on the Shelf was a temple to train new acolytes and maintain records of the tides and currents. The temple is one of the highest buildings in the colony, sitting nearly at the cliff's top, and so waterchimes, kites, and streamers are attached to every surface of the temple to catch the current as it flows over the cliff in the winter.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Is me losing merchants in 51 due to not meeting resource requirement? Because Chenlonian Hunters, being bigger than turtles, certainly should count. If it's unrelated to that, it's still relevant for me to know, so I know whether I can reimpress them with this TP this turn, or whether I need to find another TP.


Also, the OP says my region 55 TP 1 was coerced by Deep Blue, although I do not believe this to be the intention of Deep Blue, because the fluff in their post refers to Inkfang Worms (as compared to last turn, where they coerced TP 2, and did refer to Chelonian Hunters).

[Tychris1]

What does reaved mean

How do I lose a treasure I don’t own

Can I sway the aristocracy in region 19 to stop them from becoming Unruly

[Feathersnow]

I'm thinking of what my Tech and Miracle will be for this ruler, given I am at the half-way point towards getting to 10 in Faith and Econ.

My current idea-

Miracle- Abjuration Magic
1) trade Posts and holy sites owned by Sakura-Do adherents get a bonus to resist being sacked equal to SKR's rep with DNA. This bonus is increases to 4 against Reavers if it would be lower. (Note: As the leader of Sakura-Do, the Primarch of The World Garden is always used as this baseline, even by other Empires that convert)
2) As an Economy special 5 action, a Sakura-Do empire can change the output of a region they hold clerical support in to Abjurers. Empires with Abjurer TPs may designate that many regions they control as being protected by DNA for the purposes of Reaving.

Technology-
Squid Chariots
Requires: Supernatic Propagation, Megafaunal tailoring, composite grafts
Requires: building materials

Concept: a giant squid pulling an air ballon made of colonial jellyfish with a gondola containing cargo.

A squid Chariot can travel very fast across open sea. It reduces distance penalties by up to 4 open border segments.

[Lumaeus]

I wanted to try having fun with this and I saw that the previous games' artifacts sometimes got funky. I recognize happily if this is either not welcome in this game or too unbalanced or anything. I'm also willing to change any of the numbers on here to make it work. :) Thanks either way!


The Weeping Stone: This rock continually drips a black, tarry substance. This substance rapidly dissipates if left unattended, but if the faithful tend it, they can over time isolate substantial amounts. This substance, Anathema, drives to sickness and madness those exposed to it.

As a Faith action, the holder of the Weeping Stone may contribute to a 3 turn project to produce Anathema. Once this action has been taken three times (by the same holder), the holder gains one Anathema.

Anathema: This black tarry substance functions almost as an anti-Treasure. Whenever a player makes an opposed roll, they may as a non-action release Anathema upon their enemies. This applies a minus-1 to their results and may be used in conjunction with other roll modifications such as treasure or Seek Aid.

The big things I like about this artifact would be the project-based nature of it (stolen from previous empire artifacts) and the creation of a resource that itself might be traded, but is deeply thematic to my people. If there's any way to preserve these elements in a change, I'd value it. Thanks again!


Version 2:

"Once per turn as a Faith action, a country with this artifact or any other country that shares a trade route with the holding country may take an altered Seek Aid targeting the action/roll of another country, rolling 2d6+Faith against a TN of 14. On a success, that action/roll receives a -1 penalty to the final roll result. This may be done even after the targeted action/roll has been rolled. If the penalty would alter the action/roll's success into a failure, it does so."



Censer of Mother's Breath. Swinging this censer miraculously produces clouds of mineral rich hydrogen sulfide, a sign of blessing from the Great Mother. This effect induces zealous frenzy, allowing the holder to once per turn convert an action to "faith" solely for purposes of stat growth (using the typical stat for modifiers).

This allows the holder to use non-faith actions to keep growing faith.



Version 2:
Once per Round the holder of this Artifact may take a Non-Faith action as a Faith Action.

[Tychris1]

Also there were two casualties from my opponents this round so the Radiant Sword should gain a charge, no?

[farothel]

Technology proposal:

-Toxic Filtering:
After years of research and with the help of the Abyssal Stewards who work near toxic environments, Hymenocera scientists have finally managed to graft small pieces of engineered sponges on specifically created armour, which could be worn so the sponge could filter out the dangerous chemicals in the water before they can impact the individual. Now the toxic terrains to the North and East of the Expanse are also open for expansion.
Pre-reqs: tech: Composite Grafting; resource: armour

[Rolepgeek]

What does reaved mean

How do I lose a treasure I don’t own

Can I sway the aristocracy in region 19 to stop them from becoming Unruly

The Reaver raids happened at the start of Round 5 - this means that the Treasure you gained passively from having 5 TPs was lost.

There's an explanation of what a Reaved Faction Support means in the opener.

[LapisCattis]

Region 111 - The Tideswept Shelf

The name of the region comes from the large, sheer cliff that runs from west to east parallel the brackish border to the north. To the south of the region, at the bottom of the cliff, lie pools of nearly invisible briny water, only distinguishable by their rings of salt crystals and resident populations of brinerays. To the north of the region, above the cliff, lies a sandy slope that gradually rises upwards until the water is mere inches deep at the brackish border. During the winter, heavy rainfall to the north causes a massive sweep of low-salinity water to come pouring down the slope and cascade in shifting swirls of particulate matter over the cliff. During the summer, the rising temperatures cause upwellings of the briny pools to nearly the top of the cliff, coinciding with brineray mating season. As few creatures can withstand the extreme shifts in salinity, brinerays are the only populous native fauna.
To live on the Tideswept Shelf is to be at the mercy of the currents, which is perhaps why there was no native population before Lux-Glossia sent a colonization group. In fact, the first Shade to attempt to settle the region was caught unawares by the sweep of low-salinity rainwater from the north and had their algae cultures completely wiped out. Today, there is a small settlement carved into the side of the cliff in typical Lux-Glossian fashion the middle of the region. The people who have moved here in the few years since the colony was founded are mostly Mer and mostly young women seeking to redefine themselves and find their place in the world. Right now, the colony hosts a single Shade, but perhaps they will be successful enough to attract more in the future.
The region's most abundant resources are brinerays, which are a species of ray specially adapted to live in briny environments. Their habitat makes them too salty to eat, but their hide makes a sturdy salt-resistant leather when tanned, and their stingers have a multitude of uses from injectable poison to medicine to spear-tip. Adults have a wingspan of about a foot, while juveniles are about the size of fireflies and just as harmless. Shortly after mating season, the region is flooded with swarms of brineray babies.

As an upcoming colony, the inhabitants always find themselves in need of good tools for stonecutting, particularly chisels, hammers, and wedges. There's a lot of construction work to be done requiring sharp implements, and all of it must be done on the sheer cliff face. Any instruments accidentally dropped over the scaffolding are as good as gone.
Knowledge from the nearby faithful of Orope was instrumental in predicting the unstable tides of the region, causing the current colony to last far longer than the first failed attempt. The residents here are perhaps slightly closer to the Middish school of the Flowing Way as a result. One of the first buildings to be constructed on the Shelf was a temple to train new acolytes and maintain records of the tides and currents. The temple is one of the highest buildings in the colony, sitting nearly at the cliff's top, and so waterchimes, kites, and streamers are attached to every surface of the temple to catch the current as it flows over the cliff in the winter.

Approved! I love the brineray babies. You can edit your post in the Waters of the World thread to add this in or add it to the thread as a separate post


Is me losing merchants in 51 due to not meeting resource requirement? Because Chenlonian Hunters, being bigger than turtles, certainly should count. If it's unrelated to that, it's still relevant for me to know, so I know whether I can reimpress them with this TP this turn, or whether I need to find another TP.


Also, the OP says my region 55 TP 1 was coerced by Deep Blue, although I do not believe this to be the intention of Deep Blue, because the fluff in their post refers to Inkfang Worms (as compared to last turn, where they coerced TP 2, and did refer to Chelonian Hunters).

You did indeed have the resource requirement

I checked with Mystic and this indeed was an error, this has been fixed in the tables


Also there were two casualties from my opponents this round so the Radiant Sword should gain a charge, no?

You were defeated in the first battle (where 1 enemy unit was killed) and so didn't fight in the second battle, so the enemy casualty from that second battle isn't counted.

[bc56]

I would like to request +1 unit cap as a bonus for my Line of Olgght great project, representing the new construction of military infrastructure networks.
Is this appropriate?

[Epinephrine_Syn]

For the Chora, can you use treasure to pay off somebody elses debt? Does it have to be your own you pay off?


(Opportunity: Pay off CCA Favor debt by providing Treasure! Reward: +1 Favor. Cost: Give the Chelonian Chora a total of 3 Treasure as a non-action. Deadline: End of Round 6. Details: Only countries which owe Favors to the CCA are eligible. The treasure may be paid over multiple rounds (with non-actions), but the Favor will not be paid off until the third Treasure is provided. If only a partial payment has been made by the end of Round 6, 1 Treasure will be refunded.)

Edit: Also, can I as a nonaction give the Chora treasure on behalf of another person in general? Ex: If somebody wanted to use the Song of Tranquility Favor, but wanted me to pay for the treasure portion of it.

[Tychris1]

The Reaver raids happened at the start of Round 5 - this means that the Treasure you gained passively from having 5 TPs was lost.

There's an explanation of what a Reaved Faction Support means in the opener.

But I do not have 5 TPs?

[Rolepgeek]

I'm thinking of what my Tech and Miracle will be for this ruler, given I am at the half-way point towards getting to 10 in Faith and Econ.

My current idea-

Miracle- Abjuration Magic
1) trade Posts and holy sites owned by Sakura-Do adherents get a bonus to resist being sacked equal to SKR's rep with DNA. This bonus is increases to 4 against Reavers if it would be lower. (Note: As the leader of Sakura-Do, the Primarch of The World Garden is always used as this baseline, even by other Empires that convert)
2) As an Economy special 5 action, a Sakura-Do empire can change the output of a region they hold clerical support in to Abjurers. Empires with Abjurer TPs may designate that many regions they control as being protected by DNA for the purposes of Reaving.

Technology-
Squid Chariots
Requires: Supernatic Propagation, Megafaunal tailoring, composite grafts
Requires: building materials

Concept: a giant squid pulling an air ballon made of colonial jellyfish with a gondola containing cargo.

A squid Chariot can travel very fast across open sea. It reduces distance penalties by up to 4 open border segments.

For the Miracle, for my part at least I think I might ask you to talk to me about how this is supposed to work in the sense of what involvement the Nacres actually have in this magic system themselves? It's also worth noting that it's trying to do quite a lot - between +2 and +4 to resist Sacks from a single roll is quite a large bonus for a single Special 10 action already.

I also wanted to ask if you could clarify what specifically you're wanting Squid Chariots to do - does '4 open border segments' mean it can only reduce the effective distance of regions when the path isn't crossing special borders? Or does it just mean a flat -4 regions effective distance? Also was curious why the resource req is building materials when, afaict from the description given thus far, that doesn't seem like it would be the primary obstacle to making use of high-speed squid+blimp jellyfish transport?


For the Chora, can you use treasure to pay off somebody elses debt? Does it have to be your own you pay off?

You can choose to pay off someone else's debt, sure.


Edit: Also, can I as a nonaction give the Chora treasure on behalf of another person in general? Ex: If somebody wanted to use the Song of Tranquility Favor, but wanted me to pay for the treasure portion of it.
Sure, if you have the appropriate CCA Rep that you'd be able to ask them for the favor action yourself, or you have a Trade Route to that country. Otherwise, you'd need to give that country the Treasure first and they'd need to pay for it.


But I do not have 5 TPs?
When the round opener was being made, the tables said you had 5 TPs at the end of last round, because it had been missed that you didn't actually end up creating the City. The result is the same regardless, with you having 0 Treasure - as seen for LSD when the Reavers attempted to take Treasure from them and they had none to be stolen.

[Feathersnow]

For the Miracle, for my part at least I think I might ask you to talk to me about how this is supposed to work in the sense of what involvement the Nacres actually have in this magic system themselves? It's also worth noting that it's trying to do quite a lot - between +2 and +4 to resist Sacks from a single roll is quite a large bonus for a single Special 10 action already.

I also wanted to ask if you could clarify what specifically you're wanting Squid Chariots to do - does '4 open border segments' mean it can only reduce the effective distance of regions when the path isn't crossing special borders? Or does it just mean a flat -4 regions effective distance? Also was curious why the resource req is building materials when, afaict from the description given thus far, that doesn't seem like it would be the primary obstacle to making use of high-speed squid+blimp jellyfish transport?


1) The Nacres aren't really involved, except as ideals of protection that Sakura-Jin seek to emulate.
1a) as for what it is trying to do, I had nothing to template on, so I took the concept of "ask for a lot, then pare it down." The second mechanical effect and the fluff effect of wearing "shells of light" are the primary things

2) the idea is yes, it reduces the border penalty by a lot, but only when not crossing special borders.
2a) the gondola is artificial and buoyed by the jelly blimp and pulled by the squid. It is the only part that requires anything besides generic fodder, so is the requirement by default if any is necessary.

[LapisCattis]

I'm thinking of what my Tech and Miracle will be for this ruler, given I am at the half-way point towards getting to 10 in Faith and Econ.

My current idea-

Miracle- Abjuration Magic
1) trade Posts and holy sites owned by Sakura-Do adherents get a bonus to resist being sacked equal to SKR's rep with DNA. This bonus is increases to 4 against Reavers if it would be lower. (Note: As the leader of Sakura-Do, the Primarch of The World Garden is always used as this baseline, even by other Empires that convert)
2) As an Economy special 5 action, a Sakura-Do empire can change the output of a region they hold clerical support in to Abjurers. Empires with Abjurer TPs may designate that many regions they control as being protected by DNA for the purposes of Reaving.

Technology-
Squid Chariots
Requires: Supernatic Propagation, Megafaunal tailoring, composite grafts
Requires: building materials

Concept: a giant squid pulling an air ballon made of colonial jellyfish with a gondola containing cargo.

A squid Chariot can travel very fast across open sea. It reduces distance penalties by up to 4 open border segments.

Abjuration Magic - Role and I have been passing this back and forth for a bit. Overall, your current proposal is just a bit too strong in terms of the raw bonus, unfortunately. One suggestion is:

"Sakura-Do adherents receive a +1 bonus to resist Sacks if they have a DNA Reputation Rank of 1 or higher; if the Faith Head of Sakura-Do has a DNA Reputation Rank of 3 or higher, then Sakura-Do adherents gain an extra +1 bonus to resist Sacks in regions adjacent to or containing a Holdfast.

As an Economy Special 5 Action, a Sakura-Do country can change the output of a region in which they have Clerical Support to Abjuration Specialists; if the region's local Mercantile Support is not controlled by the enacting country, this requires permission from the current region owner or Mercantile Support holder. Countries with Abjuration Specialist TPs may designate a number of regions they control equal to the number of Abjuration Specialist TPs they own as protected by DNA for the purpose of defending against Reavers."


Squid Chariots - first, I love this and I now want a poster of a squid balloon chariot. Getting away from tangent brain, I believe Role checked in and "open border segments" is agreed on being defined as non-special borders. 4 border segments is a bit high, one suggestion was:

"Regions where only normal borders are crossed count half as much for distance penalties, applying to a maximum of up to six regions. Hostile territory still increases effective distance normally for Military actions."

It was also pointed out that "building materials" may be a bit...interesting as a resource requirement for this, like if someone tried to count something like Granite as a building material, the squid may have some issues with physics and tentacle strain. I'm not going to require you change it, but it may be something to think about




I wanted to try having fun with this and I saw that the previous games' artifacts sometimes got funky. I recognize happily if this is either not welcome in this game or too unbalanced or anything. I'm also willing to change any of the numbers on here to make it work. :) Thanks either way!


The Weeping Stone: This rock continually drips a black, tarry substance. This substance rapidly dissipates if left unattended, but if the faithful tend it, they can over time isolate substantial amounts. This substance, Anathema, drives to sickness and madness those exposed to it.

As a Faith action, the holder of the Weeping Stone may contribute to a 3 turn project to produce Anathema. Once this action has been taken three times (by the same holder), the holder gains one Anathema.

Anathema: This black tarry substance functions almost as an anti-Treasure. Whenever a player makes an opposed roll, they may as a non-action release Anathema upon their enemies. This applies a minus-1 to their results and may be used in conjunction with other roll modifications such as treasure or Seek Aid.

The big things I like about this artifact would be the project-based nature of it (stolen from previous empire artifacts) and the creation of a resource that itself might be traded, but is deeply thematic to my people. If there's any way to preserve these elements in a change, I'd value it. Thanks again!


Version 2:

"Once per turn as a Faith action, a country with this artifact or any other country that shares a trade route with the holding country may take an altered Seek Aid targeting the action/roll of another country, rolling 2d6+Faith against a TN of 14. On a success, that action/roll receives a -1 penalty to the final roll result. This may be done even after the targeted action/roll has been rolled. If the penalty would alter the action/roll's success into a failure, it does so."



Censer of Mother's Breath. Swinging this censer miraculously produces clouds of mineral rich hydrogen sulfide, a sign of blessing from the Great Mother. This effect induces zealous frenzy, allowing the holder to once per turn convert an action to "faith" solely for purposes of stat growth (using the typical stat for modifiers).

This allows the holder to use non-faith actions to keep growing faith.



Version 2:
Once per Round the holder of this Artifact may take a Non-Faith action as a Faith Action.


These are really neat ideas!

The Weeping Stone - Your first version with creating Anathema is pretty complex and could be stronger if you'd like. Version 2 looks good but I'd advise:

"Once per turn (total) as a Faith action, a country with this artifact or any other country that shares a trade route with the holding country may take an altered Seek Aid targeting the action/roll of another country, rolling 2d6+Faith against a TN of 12. On a success, that action/roll receives a -1 penalty to the final roll result. This may be done even after the targeted action/roll has been rolled. If the penalty would alter the action/roll's success into a failure, it does so."

Basically, if one country does it, then no others can, and shift the TN down a bit

Censer of Mother's Breath - First version is alright but does have room for strengthening if you'd like. One suggestion is:

"Once per turn the holder of this Artifact may take a non-Faith action as a Faith action for purposes of stat growth only (using the typical stat for modifiers). If the holder does this, they may roll 2d6+Faith against a TN of 12 before rolling the action in question. Upon success, the action gains a +1 bonus to the roll."

Your version 2 is just too strong and versatile



I would like to request +1 unit cap as a bonus for my Line of Olgght great project, representing the new construction of military infrastructure networks.
Is this appropriate?

+1 Unit cap would work, but if you wanted to, you could do more with it, like:

+1 Unit cap and an extra +1 while you keep Aristocratic Support in the region


Technology proposal:

-Toxic Filtering:
After years of research and with the help of the Abyssal Stewards who work near toxic environments, Hymenocera scientists have finally managed to graft small pieces of engineered sponges on specifically created armour, which could be worn so the sponge could filter out the dangerous chemicals in the water before they can impact the individual. Now the toxic terrains to the North and East of the Expanse are also open for expansion.
Pre-reqs: tech: Composite Grafting; resource: armour

This looks all good!

[Minescratcher]

Belated writeup for 113 for review (by someone with a better grasp of Greek word structure than me, ideally :smallwink:):


* * *

Region 113
Ektalithiades, the Petrified Plains

The rocky flats of Ektalithiades stretch for miles beneath lightly clouded waters, their featureless surface unbroken save by the Stone Teeth, great spires of rock pointing surfacewards upon which clams and scallops attach to feed. Once, the region was a vast submerged mudflat, attested by the shells and fossils buried in the rock, but no longer; some unknown force long ago hardened the seafloor into stone. The northwest and east of the region are characterized by lifeless brine pools, which the inhabitants avoid, while the rocky seafloor between hosts clumps of hardy mosses and swordgrass, food for the occasional small fish, sea snail, or desperate Tyrnamoi. These last are the sapient inhabitants of Ektalithiades. Their twin cities of Dupiopóli in the north and Nótiapóli in the south twist and burrow through areas of softer rock, a network of tunnels and caves which provide the Tyrnamoi with shelter, spawning grounds, and sites to ambush passing fish or snails all at once.

The Tyrnamoi are in many ways similar to the Middish to the north, but are clearly shown to be different species by just as many differences. Their skin is a dull white or grey color, marked by thin, wavy yellow patterns on both sides of their body. They lack the bioluminescent photophores possessed by the Middish, but instead have significantly more pronounced spines, which are hollow and deliver a painful venom primarily used for hunting. Tyrnamoi have similar reproduction and familial structures to those of the Middish, with one or more females spawning with a male, who cares for the eggs and raises the children; they also have similar resilience against oxygen deprivation and the unfriendly air, and the ability to vocalize is as ubiquitous in Ektalithiades as in Orope, though most Tyrnamoi speak dialects of a single language rather than truly distinct tongues.

Ancient history is poorly remembered in Ektalithiades; the oldest significant event in general recall is the signing two centuries ago of the Symfoníes, the agreement which officially handed power in Dupiopóli and Nótiapóli to the Mayor-Kings and their chosen sycophants, putting an end to decades if not centuries of strife and civil war. Power was consolidated into the hands of a few influential aristocratic families, who intermarried to align their shared interests as often as they assassinated each other to further some scheme, and the vast majority of the population was completely frozen out of any hope of political influence. To avoid unrest, the new rulers channeled the individualist energies of the Tyrnamoi into hunting and sporting competition, ritualized in the form of the yearly Brinesea Games between the two cities. Though this arrangement maintained the political stability of the Tyrnamoi, the hidebound aristocracy proved both too arrogant and too inexperienced to defend their realms against a proper army. The Accidental War, as it came to be called by Ironkelp Order sages, was an utter catastrophe, with the Tyrnamoi barely even able to inflict casualties on the invaders as their small forces were annihilated in a handful of decisive battles.

In the aftermath of the conquest, neither the Order nor the various Middish monarchs took much direct interest in Ektalithiades, allowing the victorious commanders free reign to do as they saw fit. Knight Commander Tolmach returned to Insol shortly following the surrender, leaving a power vacuum which two ambitious Knights strove to fill: Knight Bailiff Carlton Carrington, of Tolmach’s Inslangue honor guard, and Knight Bailiff Jörn Hanisch of the Alehlangue. The two were able to collaborate just long enough to exile the old aristocracy before immediately starting to plot to dominate Ektalithiades, each pulling other Middish nobles and influential Tyrnamoi into their respective orbits. Orope’s attention was drawn to the region once more in the 15th year of Grand Master Basilicos’s tenure, when Carrington declared himself “King of Dupiopólisol” and, in response, Hanisch declared the creation of an “Ektalithiadean Assembly” in the south. Though the two states have yet to come to blows, it remains to be seen how the Order and the Kingdoms will react to these jumped-up expatriates….

The Stoneteeth are rich in phosphorite rocks, whose significant phosphate content makes them valuable as a source of vital nutrients for all living organisms (so long as steps are taken to prevent deadly algae blooms) as well as a potential ingredient in creative (read “explosive”) chemistry projects.

Despite the autocratic organization of the cities, the Tyrnamoi are constantly in need of Military Labor. Conscription has proven a failure in the face of staunch opposition from everyone except the aristocracy, leaving military infrastructure entirely dependent on foreign workers.

Ektalithiades is home to what seems to be a strange offshoot sect of Sakurado. The Tyrnamoi hold that they were once sterile and reliant on the good will of the Precursors to maintain their population, but that Barbeleon suddenly manifested in the form of a living mass of algae, Sheldon J Plankton. This mass grew until it blotted out the sun above Ektalithiades, cutting off the Precursors, and declared that the age of nudity and sterility was forever ended, supposedly miraculously restoring the ability to lay eggs to the Tyrnamoi. The truth of this legend is difficult to ascertain, but in keeping with tradition, Tyrnamoi culture might be described as hedonistic; decorative metal or pearl jewelry and extravagant-bordering-on-tacky clothing made from dyed plant fibers are universal among all social strata, and outside of the largest and most important families, couplings rarely result in long-term relationships.

The twin cities of Dupiopóli and Nótiapóli, the major population centers of the region, are also the most significant religious sites. Each city claims to be the place where Sheldon J Plankton first appeared and therefore to have special holy significance.

[bc56]

+1 Unit cap would work, but if you wanted to, you could do more with it, like:

+1 Unit cap and an extra +1 while you keep Aristocratic Support in the region


Sounds good, I'll take that upgrade.

[Corona]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886410868523048/984364665003999242/TropicalR5.png

[Gengy]

Submitted for Approval


Colownya
(Region 128)

Colownya - the Gotezhar Colony - is entirely populated by Gotezhar. When Ezcorher started to become full of so much life, the opportunity to expand into new seas - and not fight over increasingly scarce resources - was enough for many lesser nuvens of Gotezhar to make the decision to stray. Like Ezcorher, Colownya's Gotezhar are divided into various castes: The Joontar handle bureaucracy and matters of faith, the Profundus take leadership roles, the Squalls handle law enforcement and military matters, and the rest are Workers of various types. More recently, a branch of Workers has elevated themselves to a separate caste: Merchants. They are still young, but formally recognized as important.

Colownya is a vast body of water with many undersea canyons, that travel underwater from west to east, like some great zipper snaking it's way all over the region. As though a very crooked smile of some god bit down just hard enough to create holes in the ground, these undersea canyons make excellent places to build domiciles for the new colonists to establish homes. Where the nuven were 'lesser' before in Gotezhar, those that arrived first and claimed a canyon for their family have become part of the local aristocracy. The largest canyons have shiny fragile walls that immediately attracted the largest nuvens, and did not just become family homes, but the start of new towns and - maybe one day - cities.

To the north, though, is one of the most important things in the entire region: A vast body of above-sea land. At the moment, the majority of this land is either impassible due to the brackish swampy waters, or guarded by defenders from the north. But the small bit of the land that the Gotezhar are able to control is a marvel to them. Unlike the spire in Ezcorher, Colownya's land allows for many different nuven to peacefully build near the shore to await for clouds - and more importantly, rain! - to just fly overhead. It is near this northern border in Colownya that the majority of the governance of the region happens, and has the burgeoning's of the region's first actual city; even more so then the larger canyons.

Export: Razorglass grow from the canyon walls. It is a brittle - often dangerously sharp - crystal that can be, with the right precautions (or just Gotezhar stubbornness) mined from the canyon walls. It has many different uses, both as a fragile form of weaponry and as a lesser building material. One thing is certain: those who live in razorglass houses, do not throw stones.

Required Resource: Esoterica
The Gotezhar of Colownya share one trait: curiosity. Without this similar trait, they wouldn't have bothered to move to new waters. Without it, the large amount of Colownya Workers would have been content to laze about; instead, nearly a third of the Workers are trying to understand what it means to be 'Merchants'. While the Merchant caste is new, they understand that you trade for weird things... and to do that, you need interesting things to trade back!

Glimmer Tooth - Afluente - The southern most canyon is also one of the largest, and was claimed by Joontar who still follow the Gotezhar faith. It is also one of the shiniest canyons, so ended up with the name 'Glimmer Tooth'.

[JBarca]

For approval:


Maurente [Region 74]

Maurente is mostly a large, flat, seaswept plain, broken up by canyons that teem with creatures and seem to glow with a life of their own. The flatseas are mostly empty, though, except when the herdsfolk of the region are moving their squid, manatees, or krill through the weeds for grazing. Within the canyons, settlements and natural habitats for many creatures can be found.

The borders of Maurente are mostly unoccupied, though, for a variety of reasons. To the west, the threat of the warlike Nautilites, or more recently the designs of the Ennead, kept settlement there the resort of the truly desperate. To the north, the seeping toxins of the wastes and brine make the seafloor uninhabitable. To the east and south, the strange roughs cause great currents to sweep along, creating an obstacle to construction that, as of yet, as not needed to be tackled.


The major sentient population of Maurente are the Reida, a species of intelligent flatworms. The Reida refer to the region as Masae, but the arrival of the mighty Ennead has seen such distinctions disappear rapidly. The Reida are organized into many tribes, the most dominant of which is the Jugurtuns. Prior to the conquest, there was no true ruler of the region, but when the tribes gathered, it was the Jugurtuns who fielded the most warriors, produced the most representatives, and who could bribe the most small tribes.

The Reidan tribes exist in a state of near constant conflict, though this conflict tends to be resolved with injuries or, at worst, a handful of deaths. Far more important is proving superiority and claiming land than any sort of conquest or destruction. When disputes arise, as they must, swarms of Reida from each tribe will mount their squids and aim to create "infernos," or areas of heated water. The tribes will then enter a contest of wrestling, jockeying for position, and stunts that lasts until one tribe retreats, either due to shame or the heat. When the Reida need to turn to true violence, these firefly squids prove to be startlingly effective, if unreliable, deterrents to enemy combatants as well.

Under the Ennead, the Jugurtuns retain some of their power. As the Doflein love of strict hierarchies begins to drift into Maurente, the Reida find themselves slotting into position beneath their new rulers, sorted mostly by the size of their tribes. In the end, though, the major reorganization sees the extraction of taxes from the Reida. On the whole, this is not the worst thing, though many of the more powerful tribes resent their new constant need to pay off rivals - they are more used to receiving tributes, not sending them.


Export: Firefly Squid. The Firefly Squid are squids about six or so feet long on average. They are the main domesticated creature of the Reida, useful for everything from pack animals to war beasts to food. They are special for their eponymous fireflies - a glowing, heat-producing plankton that lives in the body of the otherwise translucent squids. These plankton can, when made to, produce incredibly hot temperatures which the squids can then vent out of their mantle.

Requirement: Crops. The Reida are not farmers, they are herders. And when tides are rough and the seafloor is barren, the squids can go hungry. An import of food for the squids - and their masters - would go a long way toward calming the constantly warring tribes.

The Reida practice a vast variety of philosophies, organized into numbered, tenet-based Ways. Each Way is based on interaction with the currents of the region in a unique manner, ranging from trust to reluctant resignation to struggle. The holy sites in the region are not physical structures so much as schools centered on great teachers. The three dominant philosophies are listed below.
The Third Way: Led by Syphax. This school is based on not only accepting and trusting the currents, but assisting them. It is the most proactive of the pro-current schools, seeking to physically proselytize - those drifting with the current are encouraged to snag their less exuberant tribe members and drag them along. Some within the philosophy are even known to create vast artificial webs to snag as many as they can while drifting.
The Seventh Way: Led by Hiempsabal the Lost. This philosophy is predictive in nature. Hiempsabal is said to be able to predict the whims of the water, and teaches those who follow his word to do the same. Thus, the Swimmers of the Seventh Way begin moving before the tides shift, hoping to reach whatever it is the ocean has for them before their capricious environs shift again.
The Nineteenth Way: Led by Ṣap̄anbaʿal of Gaeitu. She teaches that the current is a great foe that most be resisted at all costs. This is by far the most enduring of the great philosophies, owing primarily to the structures its adherents build under Ṣap̄anbaʿal's watchful eyes. Their holy places dot the seascape, providing haven to those who wish a respite from the violence of the tides. Those caught in the open are advised to meditate on resist.

[Gaius Hermicus]

McTavish Enterprises

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/753361828813471758/984999691005595718/OIP.jpg

McTavish Enterprises

Blurb: Corporate state led by exiled walrus merchants.

Leader: Captain Eleazer McTavish
Dip: ?
Mil: ?
Econ: ?
Fai: ?
Int: ?

Capital Region: New Gloucester (Region 130?)
Resource: Mineblossom Sponge
Desired Import: Skilled Labor
Holy Sites: Ahabian Philosophy
Faction support: All MTE

Starting tech: Composite Grafting



Formerly known by its native name, Captain McTavish and the PR arm of McTavish Enterprises have essentially replaced all traces of the former toponym with a modified version of their own homeland: New Gloucester. While much warmer and verdant than their ancestral land, New Gloucester otherwise strongly resembles it in its rocky, craggy seabed. Interspersed throughout the territory are occasional promontories peeking above the salty surface, crusted over with barnacles. Seaweed is common in the region, though not the giant kelp found elsewhere.

At the northeastern corner of New Gloucester is the last remnant of McTavish Enterprises’ glorious past - the rotting corpse of the Monhegan, the great white whale, bioengineered to be a hollow transport vessel, which conveyed the Gloucesties from the far north to their new homeland. Though its body is bloated and bursting from decay, the gargantuan carcass remains a place of both ambition and sorrowfulness for its former crew, who frequently visit it to marvel at the glorious creation they cannot reproduce.



New Gloucester’s culture was forever shaken by the arrival of the Monhegan. Though the exhausted whale-ship expired immediately after being moored, its crew, under Captain Eleazer McTavish, quickly set about exploring the region. They found it to be warmer than their thick folds of blubber would allow to be comfortable, but absolutely chock-full of delicious shellfish to gorge themselves on, and also a trade hub with merchants from the Pfilghol and Costa Sereia seeking the native Mineblossom Sponges. The Gloucesties therefore decided to stay where they were, quickly colonizing the entire area and renaming it after their homeland.

The government set up in New Gloucester consisted of the Board of Directors of the newly founded McTavish Enterprises. Originally a mere captain of a trading vessel working for a much more significant corporation, Eleazer declared that his new title of CEO should stand for “Captain of Executive Operations'' instead of the more traditional “Chief Executive Officer”, thus ensuring that there was no megalomaniacal promotion being granted - in fact, his title of Captain did not change at all. Most of the Gloucesties, formerly the crew of the Monhegan, work for McTavish Enterprises as various officers named after their previously held positions in the grunt-labor force of the crew.

Gloucesties closely resemble walruses. Heavily built, their already thick frames are further bulked out by rolls of blubber suited for their much colder native environment, leaving them to constantly complain of the heat. Their faces are short and snout-like, covered with long, obsessively-groomed whiskers, while slightly curved tusks hang from their upper jaws. They dress in crusty flannels or seaman uniforms distinguishing their position within the company.

Unfortunately, the Gloucesties are not the only sapient inhabitants of the region. Among the delectable clams and shellfish of New Gloucester are an intelligent species of oyster, which lack mobility but are able to communicate via pheromone signals. Unfortunately, the Gloucesties did not recognize the signals when they first encountered them and gorged themselves upon the terrified oysters. Though they eventually learned that the oysters were capable of sapient thought, they occasionally still eat them while professing their intention to do no such thing. Frequently, such feasts occur during philosophical discussions, when the walrus’ attentions are captured by their contemplations and they do not realize that they are consuming their neighbors.



Mineblossom Sponge: Much prized by other peoples of the area, New Gloucester’s ubiquitous Mineblossom Sponge can be found all along the rocky seabed, clinging to crags and stones. Unique among sponges, it is sheltered by a hard, but pliable, outer shell, which the sponge “blossoms” out of when fully mature. While the sponge itself is edible, it is the shell which is particularly useful, as it is soft enough to be hammered into metal-like plates, which can be used for tools or building materials. However, extracting the shells from the sponges and manufacturing them into useful products is hard work, work which the newly promoted officers of McTavish Enterprises are loath to do themselves. As a result, a source of skilled labor is needed to fill out the rank-and-file of the corporation.

Starting technology: Megafaunal Tailoring. While the Gloucesties have no idea how to replicate the monumental achievement that was the Monhegan, some of the techniques that went into its construction are known. In particular, Ahab’s method of grafting smaller creatures together, eventually ensuring the brain and organs of the one were absorbed by the other to leave nothing but an increased mass, are still practiced on a smaller scale by McTavish Enterprises. In particular, highly aggressive trained lobsters are grafted together with Mineblossom Sponges to give them armor as hard as steel, which the Gloucesties use as guard animals for their markets.


Ahabian Philosophy
Though most of the Gloucesties are not particularly ideological, a strain of philosophical thought managed to capture them nonetheless. This is Ahabian Philosophy, named after the scientist who designed the Monhegan. Such a feat had previously been thought to be impossible, yet Ahab’s singular devotion (some would say obsession) to his goal proved successful. Toiling day and night, driving himself to madness with tunnel vision, he finally managed to engineer the monstrous whale-ship, only to die at the very climax of his vision. This philosophy of single-minded dedication to one’s goals is the core of Ahabism, which holds that any distraction from success is antithetical to sapient existence. Dedicated Ahabians thus pursue achievement beyond any reasonable standard, with the most devout of all sacrificing their relationships, sanity, or even lives in the process.

Holy Sites

The Monhegan’s Scrapyard: The corpse of the gargantuan white whale that conveyed the Gloucesties from their icy homeland. Now little more than bones, the remains are still an awe-inspiring site that reminds Ahabians of the possibilities achievable by seeking out their own goals.

Ishmael’s Self-Help Center: For those Ahabians who are insufficiently dedicated to their own success, the philosopher Ishmael offers classes in philosophy and motivational techniques. These classes come at a steep fee but Ishmael argues that the cost is nothing compared to the results achieved.

The SeaCow and Tardigrade: A key marketplace established by McTavish Enterprises, fortunes are made and lost every day at the SeaCow and Tardigrade. Statues of a virile manatee victorious over a cowering waterbear form the center of the market, where philosophers often gather to discuss the daily market trends.

[Rolepgeek]

The current round will be extended by one day; round close will be at 10AM PST Monday.

[LapisCattis]

Submitted for Approval


Colownya
(Region 128)

Colownya - the Gotezhar Colony - is entirely populated by Gotezhar. When Ezcorher started to become full of so much life, the opportunity to expand into new seas - and not fight over increasingly scarce resources - was enough for many lesser nuvens of Gotezhar to make the decision to stray. Like Ezcorher, Colownya's Gotezhar are divided into various castes: The Joontar handle bureaucracy and matters of faith, the Profundus take leadership roles, the Squalls handle law enforcement and military matters, and the rest are Workers of various types. More recently, a branch of Workers has elevated themselves to a separate caste: Merchants. They are still young, but formally recognized as important.

Colownya is a vast body of water with many undersea canyons, that travel underwater from west to east, like some great zipper snaking it's way all over the region. As though a very crooked smile of some god bit down just hard enough to create holes in the ground, these undersea canyons make excellent places to build domiciles for the new colonists to establish homes. Where the nuven were 'lesser' before in Gotezhar, those that arrived first and claimed a canyon for their family have become part of the local aristocracy. The largest canyons have shiny fragile walls that immediately attracted the largest nuvens, and did not just become family homes, but the start of new towns and - maybe one day - cities.

To the north, though, is one of the most important things in the entire region: A vast body of above-sea land. At the moment, the majority of this land is either impassible due to the brackish swampy waters, or guarded by defenders from the north. But the small bit of the land that the Gotezhar are able to control is a marvel to them. Unlike the spire in Ezcorher, Colownya's land allows for many different nuven to peacefully build near the shore to await for clouds - and more importantly, rain! - to just fly overhead. It is near this northern border in Colownya that the majority of the governance of the region happens, and has the burgeoning's of the region's first actual city; even more so then the larger canyons.

Export: Razorglass grow from the canyon walls. It is a brittle - often dangerously sharp - crystal that can be, with the right precautions (or just Gotezhar stubbornness) mined from the canyon walls. It has many different uses, both as a fragile form of weaponry and as a lesser building material. One thing is certain: those who live in razorglass houses, do not throw stones.

Required Resource: Esoterica
The Gotezhar of Colownya share one trait: curiosity. Without this similar trait, they wouldn't have bothered to move to new waters. Without it, the large amount of Colownya Workers would have been content to laze about; instead, nearly a third of the Workers are trying to understand what it means to be 'Merchants'. While the Merchant caste is new, they understand that you trade for weird things... and to do that, you need interesting things to trade back!

Glimmer Tooth - Afluente - The southern most canyon is also one of the largest, and was claimed by Joontar who still follow the Gotezhar faith. It is also one of the shiniest canyons, so ended up with the name 'Glimmer Tooth'.

Approved! You can add this to your Waters of the World post


For approval:


Maurente [Region 74]

Maurente is mostly a large, flat, seaswept plain, broken up by canyons that teem with creatures and seem to glow with a life of their own. The flatseas are mostly empty, though, except when the herdsfolk of the region are moving their squid, manatees, or krill through the weeds for grazing. Within the canyons, settlements and natural habitats for many creatures can be found.

The borders of Maurente are mostly unoccupied, though, for a variety of reasons. To the west, the threat of the warlike Nautilites, or more recently the designs of the Ennead, kept settlement there the resort of the truly desperate. To the north, the seeping toxins of the wastes and brine make the seafloor uninhabitable. To the east and south, the strange roughs cause great currents to sweep along, creating an obstacle to construction that, as of yet, as not needed to be tackled.


The major sentient population of Maurente are the Reida, a species of intelligent flatworms. The Reida refer to the region as Masae, but the arrival of the mighty Ennead has seen such distinctions disappear rapidly. The Reida are organized into many tribes, the most dominant of which is the Jugurtuns. Prior to the conquest, there was no true ruler of the region, but when the tribes gathered, it was the Jugurtuns who fielded the most warriors, produced the most representatives, and who could bribe the most small tribes.

The Reidan tribes exist in a state of near constant conflict, though this conflict tends to be resolved with injuries or, at worst, a handful of deaths. Far more important is proving superiority and claiming land than any sort of conquest or destruction. When disputes arise, as they must, swarms of Reida from each tribe will mount their squids and aim to create "infernos," or areas of heated water. The tribes will then enter a contest of wrestling, jockeying for position, and stunts that lasts until one tribe retreats, either due to shame or the heat. When the Reida need to turn to true violence, these firefly squids prove to be startlingly effective, if unreliable, deterrents to enemy combatants as well.

Under the Ennead, the Jugurtuns retain some of their power. As the Doflein love of strict hierarchies begins to drift into Maurente, the Reida find themselves slotting into position beneath their new rulers, sorted mostly by the size of their tribes. In the end, though, the major reorganization sees the extraction of taxes from the Reida. On the whole, this is not the worst thing, though many of the more powerful tribes resent their new constant need to pay off rivals - they are more used to receiving tributes, not sending them.


Export: Firefly Squid. The Firefly Squid are squids about six or so feet long on average. They are the main domesticated creature of the Reida, useful for everything from pack animals to war beasts to food. They are special for their eponymous fireflies - a glowing, heat-producing plankton that lives in the body of the otherwise translucent squids. These plankton can, when made to, produce incredibly hot temperatures which the squids can then vent out of their mantle.

Requirement: Crops. The Reida are not farmers, they are herders. And when tides are rough and the seafloor is barren, the squids can go hungry. An import of food for the squids - and their masters - would go a long way toward calming the constantly warring tribes.

The Reida practice a vast variety of philosophies, organized into numbered, tenet-based Ways. Each Way is based on interaction with the currents of the region in a unique manner, ranging from trust to reluctant resignation to struggle. The holy sites in the region are not physical structures so much as schools centered on great teachers. The three dominant philosophies are listed below.
The Third Way: Led by Syphax. This school is based on not only accepting and trusting the currents, but assisting them. It is the most proactive of the pro-current schools, seeking to physically proselytize - those drifting with the current are encouraged to snag their less exuberant tribe members and drag them along. Some within the philosophy are even known to create vast artificial webs to snag as many as they can while drifting.
The Seventh Way: Led by Hiempsabal the Lost. This philosophy is predictive in nature. Hiempsabal is said to be able to predict the whims of the water, and teaches those who follow his word to do the same. Thus, the Swimmers of the Seventh Way begin moving before the tides shift, hoping to reach whatever it is the ocean has for them before their capricious environs shift again.
The Nineteenth Way: Led by Ṣap̄anbaʿal of Gaeitu. She teaches that the current is a great foe that most be resisted at all costs. This is by far the most enduring of the great philosophies, owing primarily to the structures its adherents build under Ṣap̄anbaʿal's watchful eyes. Their holy places dot the seascape, providing haven to those who wish a respite from the violence of the tides. Those caught in the open are advised to meditate on resist.


Approved! I love the firefly squid. You can add this to your Waters of the World post



McTavish Enterprises

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/753361828813471758/984999691005595718/OIP.jpg

McTavish Enterprises

Blurb: Corporate state led by exiled walrus merchants.

Leader: Captain Eleazer McTavish
Dip: ?
Mil: ?
Econ: ?
Fai: ?
Int: ?

Capital Region: New Gloucester (Region 130?)
Resource: Mineblossom Sponge
Desired Import: Skilled Labor
Holy Sites: Ahabian Philosophy
Faction support: All MTE

Starting tech: Composite Grafting



Formerly known by its native name, Captain McTavish and the PR arm of McTavish Enterprises have essentially replaced all traces of the former toponym with a modified version of their own homeland: New Gloucester. While much warmer and verdant than their ancestral land, New Gloucester otherwise strongly resembles it in its rocky, craggy seabed. Interspersed throughout the territory are occasional promontories peeking above the salty surface, crusted over with barnacles. Seaweed is common in the region, though not the giant kelp found elsewhere.

At the northeastern corner of New Gloucester is the last remnant of McTavish Enterprises’ glorious past - the rotting corpse of the Monhegan, the great white whale, bioengineered to be a hollow transport vessel, which conveyed the Gloucesties from the far north to their new homeland. Though its body is bloated and bursting from decay, the gargantuan carcass remains a place of both ambition and sorrowfulness for its former crew, who frequently visit it to marvel at the glorious creation they cannot reproduce.



New Gloucester’s culture was forever shaken by the arrival of the Monhegan. Though the exhausted whale-ship expired immediately after being moored, its crew, under Captain Eleazer McTavish, quickly set about exploring the region. They found it to be warmer than their thick folds of blubber would allow to be comfortable, but absolutely chock-full of delicious shellfish to gorge themselves on, and also a trade hub with merchants from the Pfilghol and Costa Sereia seeking the native Mineblossom Sponges. The Gloucesties therefore decided to stay where they were, quickly colonizing the entire area and renaming it after their homeland.

The government set up in New Gloucester consisted of the Board of Directors of the newly founded McTavish Enterprises. Originally a mere captain of a trading vessel working for a much more significant corporation, Eleazer declared that his new title of CEO should stand for “Captain of Executive Operations'' instead of the more traditional “Chief Executive Officer”, thus ensuring that there was no megalomaniacal promotion being granted - in fact, his title of Captain did not change at all. Most of the Gloucesties, formerly the crew of the Monhegan, work for McTavish Enterprises as various officers named after their previously held positions in the grunt-labor force of the crew.

Gloucesties closely resemble walruses. Heavily built, their already thick frames are further bulked out by rolls of blubber suited for their much colder native environment, leaving them to constantly complain of the heat. Their faces are short and snout-like, covered with long, obsessively-groomed whiskers, while slightly curved tusks hang from their upper jaws. They dress in crusty flannels or seaman uniforms distinguishing their position within the company.

Unfortunately, the Gloucesties are not the only sapient inhabitants of the region. Among the delectable clams and shellfish of New Gloucester are an intelligent species of oyster, which lack mobility but are able to communicate via pheromone signals. Unfortunately, the Gloucesties did not recognize the signals when they first encountered them and gorged themselves upon the terrified oysters. Though they eventually learned that the oysters were capable of sapient thought, they occasionally still eat them while professing their intention to do no such thing. Frequently, such feasts occur during philosophical discussions, when the walrus’ attentions are captured by their contemplations and they do not realize that they are consuming their neighbors.



Mineblossom Sponge: Much prized by other peoples of the area, New Gloucester’s ubiquitous Mineblossom Sponge can be found all along the rocky seabed, clinging to crags and stones. Unique among sponges, it is sheltered by a hard, but pliable, outer shell, which the sponge “blossoms” out of when fully mature. While the sponge itself is edible, it is the shell which is particularly useful, as it is soft enough to be hammered into metal-like plates, which can be used for tools or building materials. However, extracting the shells from the sponges and manufacturing them into useful products is hard work, work which the newly promoted officers of McTavish Enterprises are loath to do themselves. As a result, a source of skilled labor is needed to fill out the rank-and-file of the corporation.

Starting technology: Megafaunal Tailoring. While the Gloucesties have no idea how to replicate the monumental achievement that was the Monhegan, some of the techniques that went into its construction are known. In particular, Ahab’s method of grafting smaller creatures together, eventually ensuring the brain and organs of the one were absorbed by the other to leave nothing but an increased mass, are still practiced on a smaller scale by McTavish Enterprises. In particular, highly aggressive trained lobsters are grafted together with Mineblossom Sponges to give them armor as hard as steel, which can


Ahabian Philosophy
Though most of the Gloucesties are not particularly ideological, a strain of philosophical thought managed to capture them nonetheless. This is Ahabian Philosophy, named after the scientist who designed the Monhegan. Such a feat had previously been thought to be impossible, yet Ahab’s singular devotion (some would say obsession) to his goal proved successful. Toiling day and night, driving himself to madness with tunnel vision, he finally managed to engineer the monstrous whale-ship, only to die at the very climax of his vision. This philosophy of single-minded dedication to one’s goals is the core of Ahabism, which holds that any distraction from success is antithetical to sapient existence. Dedicated Ahabians thus pursue achievement beyond any reasonable standard, with the most devout of all sacrificing their relationships, sanity, or even lives in the process.

Holy Sites

The Monhegan’s Scrapyard: The corpse of the gargantuan white whale that conveyed the Gloucesties from their icy homeland. Now little more than bones, the remains are still an awe-inspiring site that reminds Ahabians of the possibilities achievable by seeking out their own goals.

Ishmael’s Self-Help Center: For those Ahabians who are insufficiently dedicated to their own success, the philosopher Ishmael offers classes in philosophy and motivational techniques. These classes come at a steep fee but Ishmael argues that the cost is nothing compared to the results achieved.

The SeaCow and Tardigrade: A key marketplace established by McTavish Enterprises, fortunes are made and lost every day at the SeaCow and Tardigrade. Statues of a virile manatee victorious over a cowering waterbear form the center of the market, where philosophers often gather to discuss the daily market trends.

Approved! Welcome to Region 130. There are a few unfinished sentences you might want to finish for fluff, but nothing critical and you can add this to the Waters of the World!

[JBarca]

Approved! I love the firefly squid. You can add this to your Waters of the World post



Thanks! If you want more, they are the subject of my Genus Taxonomia Gelidum Mare submission, too :smallsmile:

[Minescratcher]

Sad overlooked region writeup noises :smalltongue:

[mystic1110]

Submitted for Approval:

Artetchhue - Region 55

There are two races in Artetchhue - the Chelonian Ortel and the Tetraodontid Orquig.

The Ortel are Chelonian race of hunters. They are exclusively carnivorous and subsist as a slow moving consumptive mass. These sharp toothed turtles eat almost anything, scavenger like in that they would eat bones and shells, but prefer good fresh meat. They are a tribal people, living in loose bands run by chiefs. The chiefs could be of either gender and sometimes the chiefdom is shared between two individuals, rarely even three. Importantly the chiefdom(s) are not hereditary – instead the strongest rule. It is not rare for Ortel to engage in brutal (yet leisurely) blood baths as rivals compete to eat each other to become the next chief, or to engage in horrifying (yet unhurried) coup attempts as a up and commers team up to take down the current chief by tearing them apart.

The Orquiq are a race of pufferfish – they are extremely unpredictable and volatile and often explode with little to no stimuli or provocation. Interestingly, they seem to share some genes with some species of eels and contain truly shocking about of electrocytes, specialized cells that generate electric charge and take up much of an Orquiq’s body. As an Orquiq expands by puffing itself up it builds and build electrical current until it reaches critical mass and explodes. Because of this tendency to explode, the Orquiq are a strict gerontocracy – those of them that live longer lead, the primary importance of a leader is to not explode. Much of the leadership decisions revolve around placating the younger Orquiqs and calming them down, informing them to just enjoy life and not to blow up.

The two races rarely interact, simply because while the Ortel would eat anything, it’s counterproductive trying to eat a pufferfish that would explode in a ball of electricity frying you alive as you approach it. The Orquiq, on the other hand, don’t swim close to the Ortel, because they know they would fly into a rage or a panic – either one of them might cause them to blow up – which might cause a chain reaction.
The geography of Artetchhue is not anything special - it is cold and filled with the usual underwater sights of steep abyssal cliffs, corals, grottos, and sandscapes - however, an important fact of Artetchhue is that it holds no volcanoes, lavatubes or other heat vents - anywhere in the region leading to a remarkably cold region of water in an already cold region of the world. The frigid water seems just above the temperature one would expect massive ice sheets to form - and yet they do not. This glacial environment probably let to the strange development of those that inhabit the region - the Ortel, turned carnivorous - need warm blood to sustain themselves, while the Orquiq developed the ability to generate electricity, presumably for the warmth.
The main resource of Artetchhue are hiring or conscripting a pack of Ortel - one could always use a slow-moving garbage disposal for your enemies or the refuse of their society, and their bones. The main import of Artetchhue is a Heat Source - any heat source, as it would placate the Ortel which would stop eating everything to bask in the warmth and calm down the Orquiq and stop them from blowing themselves up.
Both races of Artetchhue worship the Claw. The only doctrine of the Claw is that "The claw decides who will stay and who will go." This doctrine is shared between the races although their interpretations of what "The Claw" is widely differs. The Ortel believe the Claw refers to a giant Turtle who was their forbearer and that the Claw was called such because of it's giant claws. It was large enough to tear open icebergs and eat whatever was preserved within. This Giant ancestor determines where the Ortel travel and as such determine who would stay (those that the Ortel don't eat) and who will go (those that the Ortel do eat). On the other hand that Orquiq believe that the Claw refers to a sort of protective Goddess that would wrap an exploding Orquiq in her claws and stopping the internal cascade. She would therefor save the Orquiq by being a ground for them. In this fashion she, the Claw, determines who would stay (those she saves) and who would go (those that end up exploding).

[Corona]

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886410868523048/986356881821933629/Tropical_R6.png

[TheDarkDM]

Submitting for Tactical Doctrine Approval:

Victory is Life: +2 Battles, +10% own casualties, +10% opponent casualties

[Silent_Interim]

A heads up for everyone: I am going to be dropping out of participating in E7 as a player, due to a number of factors, but I will be coming on as Unrest GM, taking over for Gaius as he shifts to playing instead. For those in the tropics, there are already plans a-brewing to do with the Crimson Chant and the now-abandoned CCC, more to come soon. I hope you will all, if not necessarily like what I have planned, at least find the travails entertaining.

[Volthawk]

Remembering to post the maps here as well this turn:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/986661813083066409/t6_land.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/986701727396950078/t6_eco_v2.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/986712995948281956/t6_faith_v2.png

[Torv]

Updated TacDoc proposal!
The Wild Hunt
When entering battle the naked one may summon a temporary unit of kelpies. This unit will be the first one lost in battle casualties.

[Frostwander]

I wanted to post this, the idea came to me out of nowhere as a potential Tactical Doctrine, and wanted to get some feedback. I don't have immediate plans for this, but as a hypothetical to understand the system. And who knows how plans will change.

Tactical Doctrine: Dynamic Supply Lines
Effect: +3 to battle rolls in regions where you own a Trading Post. -10% to own casualties in regions where you control Merchant Support.

[LapisCattis]

Belated writeup for 113 for review (by someone with a better grasp of Greek word structure than me, ideally :smallwink:):


* * *

Region 113
Ektalithiades, the Petrified Plains

The rocky flats of Ektalithiades stretch for miles beneath lightly clouded waters, their featureless surface unbroken save by the Stone Teeth, great spires of rock pointing surfacewards upon which clams and scallops attach to feed. Once, the region was a vast submerged mudflat, attested by the shells and fossils buried in the rock, but no longer; some unknown force long ago hardened the seafloor into stone. The northwest and east of the region are characterized by lifeless brine pools, which the inhabitants avoid, while the rocky seafloor between hosts clumps of hardy mosses and swordgrass, food for the occasional small fish, sea snail, or desperate Tyrnamoi. These last are the sapient inhabitants of Ektalithiades. Their twin cities of Dupiopóli in the north and Nótiapóli in the south twist and burrow through areas of softer rock, a network of tunnels and caves which provide the Tyrnamoi with shelter, spawning grounds, and sites to ambush passing fish or snails all at once.

The Tyrnamoi are in many ways similar to the Middish to the north, but are clearly shown to be different species by just as many differences. Their skin is a dull white or grey color, marked by thin, wavy yellow patterns on both sides of their body. They lack the bioluminescent photophores possessed by the Middish, but instead have significantly more pronounced spines, which are hollow and deliver a painful venom primarily used for hunting. Tyrnamoi have similar reproduction and familial structures to those of the Middish, with one or more females spawning with a male, who cares for the eggs and raises the children; they also have similar resilience against oxygen deprivation and the unfriendly air, and the ability to vocalize is as ubiquitous in Ektalithiades as in Orope, though most Tyrnamoi speak dialects of a single language rather than truly distinct tongues.

Ancient history is poorly remembered in Ektalithiades; the oldest significant event in general recall is the signing two centuries ago of the Symfoníes, the agreement which officially handed power in Dupiopóli and Nótiapóli to the Mayor-Kings and their chosen sycophants, putting an end to decades if not centuries of strife and civil war. Power was consolidated into the hands of a few influential aristocratic families, who intermarried to align their shared interests as often as they assassinated each other to further some scheme, and the vast majority of the population was completely frozen out of any hope of political influence. To avoid unrest, the new rulers channeled the individualist energies of the Tyrnamoi into hunting and sporting competition, ritualized in the form of the yearly Brinesea Games between the two cities. Though this arrangement maintained the political stability of the Tyrnamoi, the hidebound aristocracy proved both too arrogant and too inexperienced to defend their realms against a proper army. The Accidental War, as it came to be called by Ironkelp Order sages, was an utter catastrophe, with the Tyrnamoi barely even able to inflict casualties on the invaders as their small forces were annihilated in a handful of decisive battles.

In the aftermath of the conquest, neither the Order nor the various Middish monarchs took much direct interest in Ektalithiades, allowing the victorious commanders free reign to do as they saw fit. Knight Commander Tolmach returned to Insol shortly following the surrender, leaving a power vacuum which two ambitious Knights strove to fill: Knight Bailiff Carlton Carrington, of Tolmach’s Inslangue honor guard, and Knight Bailiff Jörn Hanisch of the Alehlangue. The two were able to collaborate just long enough to exile the old aristocracy before immediately starting to plot to dominate Ektalithiades, each pulling other Middish nobles and influential Tyrnamoi into their respective orbits. Orope’s attention was drawn to the region once more in the 15th year of Grand Master Basilicos’s tenure, when Carrington declared himself “King of Dupiopólisol” and, in response, Hanisch declared the creation of an “Ektalithiadean Assembly” in the south. Though the two states have yet to come to blows, it remains to be seen how the Order and the Kingdoms will react to these jumped-up expatriates….

The Stoneteeth are rich in phosphorite rocks, whose significant phosphate content makes them valuable as a source of vital nutrients for all living organisms (so long as steps are taken to prevent deadly algae blooms) as well as a potential ingredient in creative (read “explosive”) chemistry projects.

Despite the autocratic organization of the cities, the Tyrnamoi are constantly in need of Military Labor. Conscription has proven a failure in the face of staunch opposition from everyone except the aristocracy, leaving military infrastructure entirely dependent on foreign workers.

Ektalithiades is home to what seems to be a strange offshoot sect of Sakurado. The Tyrnamoi hold that they were once sterile and reliant on the good will of the Precursors to maintain their population, but that Barbeleon suddenly manifested in the form of a living mass of algae, Sheldon J Plankton. This mass grew until it blotted out the sun above Ektalithiades, cutting off the Precursors, and declared that the age of nudity and sterility was forever ended, supposedly miraculously restoring the ability to lay eggs to the Tyrnamoi. The truth of this legend is difficult to ascertain, but in keeping with tradition, Tyrnamoi culture might be described as hedonistic; decorative metal or pearl jewelry and extravagant-bordering-on-tacky clothing made from dyed plant fibers are universal among all social strata, and outside of the largest and most important families, couplings rarely result in long-term relationships.

The twin cities of Dupiopóli and Nótiapóli, the major population centers of the region, are also the most significant religious sites. Each city claims to be the place where Sheldon J Plankton first appeared and therefore to have special holy significance.

Approved! Unfortunately I know absolutely nothing about Greek word structure so you're stuck with what you've got. You can add or create a new post in the Waters of the World thread


Sad overlooked region writeup noises :smalltongue:

I offer a baby cuttlefish in apology

https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/2/baby-cuttlefish-barathieu-gabriel.jpg


Submitted for Approval:

Artetchhue - Region 55

There are two races in Artetchhue - the Chelonian Ortel and the Tetraodontid Orquig.

The Ortel are Chelonian race of hunters. They are exclusively carnivorous and subsist as a slow moving consumptive mass. These sharp toothed turtles eat almost anything, scavenger like in that they would eat bones and shells, but prefer good fresh meat. They are a tribal people, living in loose bands run by chiefs. The chiefs could be of either gender and sometimes the chiefdom is shared between two individuals, rarely even three. Importantly the chiefdom(s) are not hereditary – instead the strongest rule. It is not rare for Ortel to engage in brutal (yet leisurely) blood baths as rivals compete to eat each other to become the next chief, or to engage in horrifying (yet unhurried) coup attempts as a up and commers team up to take down the current chief by tearing them apart.

The Orquiq are a race of pufferfish – they are extremely unpredictable and volatile and often explode with little to no stimuli or provocation. Interestingly, they seem to share some genes with some species of eels and contain truly shocking about of electrocytes, specialized cells that generate electric charge and take up much of an Orquiq’s body. As an Orquiq expands by puffing itself up it builds and build electrical current until it reaches critical mass and explodes. Because of this tendency to explode, the Orquiq are a strict gerontocracy – those of them that live longer lead, the primary importance of a leader is to not explode. Much of the leadership decisions revolve around placating the younger Orquiqs and calming them down, informing them to just enjoy life and not to blow up.

The two races rarely interact, simply because while the Ortel would eat anything, it’s counterproductive trying to eat a pufferfish that would explode in a ball of electricity frying you alive as you approach it. The Orquiq, on the other hand, don’t swim close to the Ortel, because they know they would fly into a rage or a panic – either one of them might cause them to blow up – which might cause a chain reaction.
The geography of Artetchhue is not anything special - it is cold and filled with the usual underwater sights of steep abyssal cliffs, corals, grottos, and sandscapes - however, an important fact of Artetchhue is that it holds no volcanoes, lavatubes or other heat vents - anywhere in the region leading to a remarkably cold region of water in an already cold region of the world. The frigid water seems just above the temperature one would expect massive ice sheets to form - and yet they do not. This glacial environment probably let to the strange development of those that inhabit the region - the Ortel, turned carnivorous - need warm blood to sustain themselves, while the Orquiq developed the ability to generate electricity, presumably for the warmth.
The main resource of Artetchhue are hiring or conscripting a pack of Ortel - one could always use a slow-moving garbage disposal for your enemies or the refuse of their society, and their bones. The main import of Artetchhue is a Heat Source - any heat source, as it would placate the Ortel which would stop eating everything to bask in the warmth and calm down the Orquiq and stop them from blowing themselves up.
Both races of Artetchhue worship the Claw. The only doctrine of the Claw is that "The claw decides who will stay and who will go." This doctrine is shared between the races although their interpretations of what "The Claw" is widely differs. The Ortel believe the Claw refers to a giant Turtle who was their forbearer and that the Claw was called such because of it's giant claws. It was large enough to tear open icebergs and eat whatever was preserved within. This Giant ancestor determines where the Ortel travel and as such determine who would stay (those that the Ortel don't eat) and who will go (those that the Ortel do eat). On the other hand that Orquiq believe that the Claw refers to a sort of protective Goddess that would wrap an exploding Orquiq in her claws and stopping the internal cascade. She would therefor save the Orquiq by being a ground for them. In this fashion she, the Claw, determines who would stay (those she saves) and who would go (those that end up exploding).

Approved! You can add or create a new post in the Waters of the World thread


Submitting for Tactical Doctrine Approval:

Victory is Life: +2 Battles, +10% own casualties, +10% opponent casualties

No issues here, consider it approved


Updated TacDoc proposal!
The Wild Hunt
When entering battle the naked one may summon a temporary unit of kelpies. This unit will be the first one lost in battle casualties.

A bit unorthodox in terms of the point system but it works! Consider it approved


I wanted to post this, the idea came to me out of nowhere as a potential Tactical Doctrine, and wanted to get some feedback. I don't have immediate plans for this, but as a hypothetical to understand the system. And who knows how plans will change.

Tactical Doctrine: Dynamic Supply Lines
Effect: +3 to battle rolls in regions where you own a Trading Post. -10% to own casualties in regions where you control Merchant Support.

Really interesting conditions! It's too strong as is, even with the conditions. We had a thought that it may make more fluff sense to tie the stronger effect to Support rather than TP ownership, so +3 to battle rolls where you control Merchant Support and -10% to own casualties in regions where you own a Trading Post. It's still a bit too strong but makes more mechanical and fluff sense, and is a step towards weakening it enough for balance. Maybe +2 to battle rolls where you control Merchant Support and -10% to own casualties in regions where you own a Trading Post?

[Frostwander]

Really interesting conditions! It's too strong as is, even with the conditions. We had a thought that it may make more fluff sense to tie the stronger effect to Support rather than TP ownership, so +3 to battle rolls where you control Merchant Support and -10% to own casualties in regions where you own a Trading Post. It's still a bit too strong but makes more mechanical and fluff sense, and is a step towards weakening it enough for balance. Maybe +2 to battle rolls where you control Merchant Support and -10% to own casualties in regions where you own a Trading Post?

+2 to battle rolls only in regions where I have a Merchant Support seems a lot weaker than the -10% casualties would make up for (especially also limited), considering it could just be +2 Battles everywhere, right?

[Gengy]

Just weighing in with an opinion:

I agree with Frost. A +2 is fairly standard by the TacDoc Point system. Getting an additional benefit by having a specific Support or TP already in the region would make sense. Especially if the opposing force can spend part of their own actions to remove the support, or ownership of the TP.

[Minescratcher]

I offer a baby cuttlefish in apology

https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/2/baby-cuttlefish-barathieu-gabriel.jpg

Yay! :smallbiggrin:

[farothel]

I offer a baby cuttlefish in apology

https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/2/baby-cuttlefish-barathieu-gabriel.jpg


It might actually be an adult as there are cuttlefish that are really that small. But cute nevertheless.

[Torv]

Kerstin stared into the Kelpie’s mellow eyes. Well at least what passed for eyeballs in the in the shape of ever churning kelp. Fathom upon fathom of dead stalks coiled around themselves as four restless legs. Loose strands extended up into a knitted torso, rhythmically constricting around nothing but water. Exhaling the Kelpie neighed, abyss knows how, and shook its mane of glimmering spores.

Kerstin felt the sound reverberate in her chest and pull at something in her core. Something new. Her flippers shuddered and split along the bones. Long fibrous strands dripped from the wound, painting her gray skin in a coppery orange until nothing of Kerstin remained.

The mare flexed unhinged bones, their white a highlight against the slithering mess of rustic kelp in the resemblance of a Mer. Latching on to the Kelpie two entanglements became one the ashen steed solidifying with specks of copper.

A cloud of glowing spores surrounded the Kelpie as it galloped into the Forests of Astral Yearning. The verdant kelp stalks swayed and then as if pressed down by a wave they latched onto the amalgamation. Green spears halted its progress and ripped it apart, loosened chunks obscured by the simmering light. Absorbed by the kelp forest the spores disappeared without a trace of the Kelpie left behind.

The wall surrounding the Great Kelpland began to glow with a soft light and the densely grown kelp parted in a tunnel of radiance. Trotting out came an ashen steed led by a golden brown Mer. The Mer seemed in no hurry to mount the companion but as she did the light became a rain of spores seemingly melting the two together and urging them into breakneck speed.

Followed by innumerable specks of light they flowed from one end of the wall to another. Any Otterieans carefree enough to inhale the afterglow beset by visions of warmer waters, ruled by a kelp stalk larger than one for their dwellings and sprouting iridescent flowers. Slamming into the outer wall of kelp the creature was absorbed leaving a sense of confusion and wonder behind.

[farothel]

I will oppose the roll in region 13. Because i didn´t object too much doesn´t mean i´m giving it away.

[Grim ranger]

Region 75
The Plains of Sarkenos

Situated in a rather plain territory of rolling seafloor vegetation and occasionally rising cliffs between it and many of more important regions surrounding it, the Plains of Sarkenos are a curious case of “good enough” terrain. Defensible, but not the most. Have their share of holy sites, but not the most holy. There is a measure of natural wealth to harvest, but only truly enough for one trading post to take advantage of without intensive measures. Simply speaking, the Plains are a borderland.

Settlements in this terrain mostly fit for fish-farming and other simple agricultural projects tend to be smaller communities, dotting the plains wherever they have found a particularly ample spot to settle themselves. Often these communities can even be quite mobile, some of them being mostly made up of tents and other structures easily packed and moved when situation calls for it. The most established of the various villages and small towns is the township of Plain Current, from which the more important people of the region (and its chieftain) attend to administrative functions of the scattered community. Founded upon the side of one of the larger rock formations in the region, the place is fairly defensible, and hosts the mining operation of magnetic sand.
Borderlands attract migrants, and as such it has population from many of the surrounding civilizations, simple folk that have gathered together into small communities. Most of the people inhabiting the Plains are not particularly wealthy, simple bartering and communal goodwill worth more than riches or rigid rules. There are races from most surrounding regions, often people seeking to escape the constraints of whatever has alienated them from their home…and over time, their descendants have grown more accustomed to community of many mingling races.

The daily lives of the people inhabiting this land are mostly focused on making certain essential tasks are done. Herding schools of fish, maintaining housing, tending to fields of seafloor crop and attending to mining of the magnetic sand prized by traders are all common ways to spend one’s time, and only a few take to administrating, matters of faith or fighting full-time. Still, the chieftain has mandated a measure of militia drills to drive away marauding beasts or occasional band of raiders, something that has proven to be a wise choice.

While the communities of the plains are generally allowed a fair degree of self-governance, they are still expected to follow the mandates arriving from the chieftain reigning at Plain Current, as well as to pay a measure of taxes. Regardless of this, many find this relative freedom compared to the neighbouring empires of the region a pleasant change of pace.

Since the Hegemony’s takeover of the area, relatively little has changed. The soldiery of Kar-Nath mostly patrol the border regions and leave the commonfolk of the Plains to their business, much to everyone’s relief. While still nominally part of Hegemony's territory, the Plains are offered almost full autonomy by the deal struck between their chieftain and the Frozen King, and as such they can expect to see relatively little of their overlords at any given time while reaping the benefits of being protected by a larger nation.
Resource: Magnetic Sand
Mined out of the deeper-reaching iron cliffs of the plains, Magnetic Sand is somewhat of a peculiarity. While not an item of massive import for day to day life, it is often sought out as magical material by many, and is seen as status symbol or academic curiosity across the seas. As such, it makes for a good trade good, even if its use in the region itself is highly limited.

Requirement: Toxins
The business of cultivating crops and herding schools of fish brings about its own challenges, and some of the most pressing of such are parasites, unwanted weeds and potentially invasive species that threaten such humble livelihoods. The people of the Plains have found a solution in various toxic mixtures mixed up depending on the pest they are supposed to guard against, and require constant supply of such products or risk losing harvests of fish and flora to such common misfortunes.
As a loose community, those finding their home in the Plains of Sarkenos do not have a codified religion. Preachers of many varieties ply their trade in the small villages and townships, and thus far no faith has united the people. Many worship their deceased ancestors or subscribe to various faiths they have brought with themselves from the empires around the Plains, but it is often seen as polite not to bring one’s faith up too often.

While the lack of codified faith has resulted in no new holies being truly raised, there are certain natural formations that often draw people’s worship. The Roil (HS 1) is an inexplicable whirlpool near the very center of the plains that seems to have dug through the seafloor itself, with many whispering of its unique properties in tones of reverence or fear. The Claw of Sarkenos (HS 2) is the highest rock formation on the plains, curling out of the ground akin to four-clawed hand of a massive beast, made of unique dark stone none have been able to identify.

With Blossiming Sequence having moved into the territory from the neighboring territory of Bastion, they have quickly opened up modest reliquary temples to invite theological discussion from the locals. While not yet a dominant faith of the region, their influence is regardless growing.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Here's an artifact pitch, I can go to more mild ones in a lot of ways, but I figured I may as well post the most interesting one first.

Maleficent Jello

Turns out, engineering the immortal jellies to have incredibly powerful toxins has had side effects. Vicious side effects. If one were to get into the weird, esoteric fantasy beliefs held by those such as Skullbloom and Stick, magical.

In small doses, the ink is instantly lethal, but in large doses... it's still lethal, but it radiates. Emanating power, pulsing into a shape that could be molded into anything, should one live long enough to manipulate it. With great scientific work, the grand excess of their years long research was coalesced into a blob. Was it alive...? Skullbloom seemed to think so. Violet had her doubts.

What was verifiable was that any vines (or indeed, any organic material that got near it) died within the hour, and nothing has survived more than two months of contact. Fortunately, the memories of the Medusa are stored elsewhere, and long as one was willing to 'cut off the hands' so to speak, there was little cost.

Perhaps isolates with more sturdy bodies could survive prolonged contact? Questions for later. The Medusa were large, but very fragile.

Yet, there was potential here. This wasn't merely hazardous waste. This could be shaped into Raw Power... to do something. To do lots of things, one suspects that its power is only begun to be harnesses.


Twice per turn, you may pay 1 Treasure to activate the effect of any artifact you have, or the effect of any artifact a player you have a Trade Route with (with said player's permission).

As a persistent effect, any empire that possesses this artifact for any length of time during a turn loses 1 Unit. No ill effects if there are no units to be decayed away. Players giving permission to have their artifacts copied do not decay a unit. Any player stealing or receiving this artifact in a trade does decay a unit.


(I'm not sure if the downside is interesting enough, I think it's fun. Not sure if the upside is reasonable, or requires a downside at all, it's already got a cost even before considering the downside of the artifact as a whole.)

[LapisCattis]

Here's an artifact pitch, I can go to more mild ones in a lot of ways, but I figured I may as well post the most interesting one first.

Maleficent Jello

Turns out, engineering the immortal jellies to have incredibly powerful toxins has had side effects. Vicious side effects. If one were to get into the weird, esoteric fantasy beliefs held by those such as Skullbloom and Stick, magical.

In small doses, the ink is instantly lethal, but in large doses... it's still lethal, but it radiates. Emanating power, pulsing into a shape that could be molded into anything, should one live long enough to manipulate it. With great scientific work, the grand excess of their years long research was coalesced into a blob. Was it alive...? Skullbloom seemed to think so. Violet had her doubts.

What was verifiable was that any vines (or indeed, any organic material that got near it) died within the hour, and nothing has survived more than two months of contact. Fortunately, the memories of the Medusa are stored elsewhere, and long as one was willing to 'cut off the hands' so to speak, there was little cost.

Perhaps isolates with more sturdy bodies could survive prolonged contact? Questions for later. The Medusa were large, but very fragile.

Yet, there was potential here. This wasn't merely hazardous waste. This could be shaped into Raw Power... to do something. To do lots of things, one suspects that its power is only begun to be harnesses.


Twice per turn, you may pay 1 Treasure to activate the effect of any artifact you have, or the effect of any artifact a player you have a Trade Route with (with said player's permission).

As a persistent effect, any empire that possesses this artifact for any length of time during a turn loses 1 Unit. No ill effects if there are no units to be decayed away. Players giving permission to have their artifacts copied do not decay a unit. Any player stealing or receiving this artifact in a trade does decay a unit.


(I'm not sure if the downside is interesting enough, I think it's fun. Not sure if the upside is reasonable, or requires a downside at all, it's already got a cost even before considering the downside of the artifact as a whole.)


It's interesting fluff, though I'm not quite sure how the fluff aligns with the artifact mechanics.

The main issue is the "no ill effects if there are no units to be decayed away" since then a nation with no units could just continue to use it with no penalty (beyond the treasure cost).

One suggestion is to alter the downside to:

Once per turn, you may spend an action to pay 1 Treasure to activate the effect of any artifact you have, or the effect of any artifact a player you have a Trade Route with (with said player's permission).

And remove the unit decay altogether

[Epinephrine_Syn]

It's interesting fluff, though I'm not quite sure how the fluff aligns with the artifact mechanics.

It is a combination of raw magical power source, capable of lending power to reverberate and amplify magical effects. Fuel, in a sense, or perhaps a power stone (now that reference brings me back to dreamcast days).


The main issue is the "no ill effects if there are no units to be decayed away" since then a nation with no units could just continue to use it with no penalty (beyond the treasure cost).

This would only be "No Penalty" if you consider "Literally Not Having Units" to not be a penalty. Might be better to save that for another artifact though, in any case.


One suggestion is to alter the downside to:

Once per turn, you may spend an action to pay 1 Treasure to activate the effect of any artifact you have, or the effect of any artifact a player you have a Trade Route with (with said player's permission).

And remove the unit decay altogether

I would be fine with this iteration of the artifact though, although I'd have to slightly tune down the 'dangerous' aspect of the fluff for that variant, make it more purely beneficial. Also, incase it isn't obvious, copying the effect of the other artifact doesn't prevent that other artifact from being used (otherwise would would even be the point).

I didn't realize you added "it costs an action" as well as costing the treasure. I'm a little more hesitant on that right now, because it'd be in most cases only as good as a seek aid, but it could still be potentially workable.

[Volthawk]

Passing thought for making it have that active cost rather than passive drain but keeping the fluff - what if the cost was 1 Unit rather than 1 Treasure? So it still eats organic matter when you try to use it, just in the turns you're not actively using it you can keep it safely stored somewhere (or at least safely enough that it's not a mechanically significant amount of nomming).

[Epinephrine_Syn]

While interesting, it messes with the fluff in the sense that it's meant to be dangerous as a substance to be around, but not actively a "consuming living flesh to function" sacrificial altar, and messes with the mechanics insofar as the function was meant to take edge on me being a non-military power, because it is a downside to not have an army. If I force myself to build units to use it, that defeats the entire purpose of its functionality.

[mystic1110]

While interesting, it messes with the fluff in the sense that it's meant to be dangerous as a substance to be around, but not actively a "consuming living flesh to function" sacrificial altar, and messes with the mechanics insofar as the function was meant to take edge on me being a non-military power, because it is a downside to not have an army. If I force myself to build units to use it, that defeats the entire purpose of its functionality.

The issue with the Flavor is that Units are the only things that represent "people" that can be lost to a "Dangerous" substance - if you want to show the danger of the substance without losing units, perhaps something with supports going from Support>Open>Unruly from those members of your populace dying from handling such dangerous substance. So what about:

As an Economy Action you may pay 1 Treasure to activate the effect of any other artifact you have, or the effect of any artifact a player you have a Trade Route with (with said player's permission) - if you do GM's will roll a 1d4 (1 - Aristocratic, 2- Merchants, 3-Clergy, 4- None) to see if members of your population suffer any ill effects from handling the dangerous substance. An effected support goes one down the unruly scale but cannot become rebellious in this manner.

Balance wise the downside is offset by you being able to use this any amount during the round, as long as you have the actions and treasure for it. Note - that your original suggestion had the effect as a non-action, but Lapis's fix had it as an action, so I'm hewing towards Lapis' balance more than your original suggestion.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Honestly, either or of those might work on the whole. I personally feel like spending an action to mimic stuff is a little high of a cost, but it might be workable.

Though an alternate suggestion that I think would work better for the artifact's dangerous yet malleable nature might be to shift it out of the Artifact space. Namely:

Once per turn, you may do one of the following:
As a non-action, you may add +1 to a roll you are spending at least 1 treasure on.
As a faith action, you may spend 1 treasure (going over typical treasure spending limits) to add a +1 to any roll you make.

[Tychris1]

The tac man bonus for my battle is wrong. I should have a +8 due to the combination of my perfected tactical doctrine and my artifact. Therefore only my tac doc should apply, creating a discrepancy of 27 to 16 putting us in the 9-12 losses range. With my tac docs 20% adjustments that should leave us at 40% losses for both sides.

So I should lose 1 unit and the coalition should lose… 2 units?

[Torv]

Miracle time (and a couple more things)!


1) Is a HS 15 bonus to impress actions okay?


2) Would the following change to the Kelpie and Mare require any action on my part:
The Kelpie and Mare yearns for attention, stealing them does not require a spy.
The above was my original intention, I had just missed the new theft rules for E7.


3) Miracle suggestion, Sea of Delights:

During the rein of [next ruler] faith actions count twice for stat gain and other stat gain is halved. FAY becomes unable to resist any other rolls than faith and invasions as the population is submerged in constant revelations.
No special actions besides faith may be taken during this period.

It is enough to distract minds rather than destroy them. The desired import changes from Neurotoxins to drugs (other than Delight) and requires two TP's to be fullfilled during [next ruler's] reign.

The merchant support of region 17 becomes reaved and FAY must permanently spend two treasure for each +1 as the kelp takes hold in the merchants and make them disappear.

The banished merchants appear in a random capital each round providing the owner with 1d4 treasure upon their leave. On a 4 the landscape is also scraped bare and a Support begins to grow unruly.
They trigger the Kelpie and Mare if they appear in the same country, providing no other benefit while doing so.

Edit suggestion: While FAY's Merchant Support is reaved their stat gain is capped at +3 per round.
Realized keeping the DI unfullfilled wouldn't amount to much, as there'd be no merchants left to be mad about it.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

I'm feeling increasingly likely to just take the suggestion Lapis made for the alteration, though I wouldn't want to be burdensome either way, and may wind up using it this turn.

[LapisCattis]

Honestly, either or of those might work on the whole. I personally feel like spending an action to mimic stuff is a little high of a cost, but it might be workable.

Though an alternate suggestion that I think would work better for the artifact's dangerous yet malleable nature might be to shift it out of the Artifact space. Namely:

Once per turn, you may do one of the following:
As a non-action, you may add +1 to a roll you are spending at least 1 treasure on.
As a faith action, you may spend 1 treasure (going over typical treasure spending limits) to add a +1 to any roll you make.

Just to clarify, are these to replace all of the other effects or only some of them?


Miracle time (and a couple more things)!


1) Is a HS 15 bonus to impress actions okay?


2) Would the following change to the Kelpie and Mare require any action on my part:
The Kelpie and Mare yearns for attention, stealing them does not require a spy.
The above was my original intention, I had just missed the new theft rules for E7.


3) Miracle suggestion, Sea of Delights:

During the rein of [next ruler] faith actions count twice for stat gain and other stat gain is halved. FAY becomes unable to resist any other rolls than faith and invasions as the population is submerged in constant revelations.
No special actions besides faith may be taken during this period.

It is enough to distract minds rather than destroy them. The desired import changes from Neurotoxins to drugs (other than Delight) and requires two TP's to be fullfilled during [next ruler's] reign.

The merchant support of region 17 becomes reaved and FAY must permanently spend two treasure for each +1 as the kelp takes hold in the merchants and make them disappear.

The banished merchants appear in a random capital each round providing the owner with 1d4 treasure upon their leave. On a 4 the landscape is also scraped bare and a Support begins to grow unruly.
They trigger the Kelpie and Mare if they appear in the same country, providing no other benefit while doing so.

Edit suggestion: While FAY's Merchant Support is reaved their stat gain is capped at +3 per round.
Realized keeping the DI unfullfilled wouldn't amount to much, as there'd be no merchants left to be mad about it.

1) I don't see why not

2) No, I'll make a note of it in the Round 7 Opener and again for Round 8 to remind folks

3) These are really interesting impacts, but balance-wise it's more like 2 Miracles being proposed in one.

During the rein of [next ruler] faith actions count twice for stat gain and other stat gain is halved. FAY becomes unable to resist any other rolls than faith and invasions as the population is submerged in constant revelations.
No special actions besides faith may be taken during this period.


^ This could be a Miracle all on its own, with the rest of your proposal being a separate Miracle.




The tac man bonus for my battle is wrong. I should have a +8 due to the combination of my perfected tactical doctrine and my artifact. Therefore only my tac doc should apply, creating a discrepancy of 27 to 16 putting us in the 9-12 losses range. With my tac docs 20% adjustments that should leave us at 40% losses for both sides.

So I should lose 1 unit and the coalition should lose… 2 units?

Right, we did miss your +8. With the updated math, you should've lost 1 unit and the CCC would've lost 1 unit since Aristocratic units are calculated separately

[LapisCattis]

Region 75
The Plains of Sarkenos

Situated in a rather plain territory of rolling seafloor vegetation and occasionally rising cliffs between it and many of more important regions surrounding it, the Plains of Sarkenos are a curious case of “good enough” terrain. Defensible, but not the most. Have their share of holy sites, but not the most holy. There is a measure of natural wealth to harvest, but only truly enough for one trading post to take advantage of without intensive measures. Simply speaking, the Plains are a borderland.

Settlements in this terrain mostly fit for fish-farming and other simple agricultural projects tend to be smaller communities, dotting the plains wherever they have found a particularly ample spot to settle themselves. Often these communities can even be quite mobile, some of them being mostly made up of tents and other structures easily packed and moved when situation calls for it. The most established of the various villages and small towns is the township of Plain Current, from which the more important people of the region (and its chieftain) attend to administrative functions of the scattered community. Founded upon the side of one of the larger rock formations in the region, the place is fairly defensible, and hosts the mining operation of magnetic sand.
Borderlands attract migrants, and as such it has population from many of the surrounding civilizations, simple folk that have gathered together into small communities. Most of the people inhabiting the Plains are not particularly wealthy, simple bartering and communal goodwill worth more than riches or rigid rules. There are races from most surrounding regions, often people seeking to escape the constraints of whatever has alienated them from their home…and over time, their descendants have grown more accustomed to community of many mingling races.

The daily lives of the people inhabiting this land are mostly focused on making certain essential tasks are done. Herding schools of fish, maintaining housing, tending to fields of seafloor crop and attending to mining of the magnetic sand prized by traders are all common ways to spend one’s time, and only a few take to administrating, matters of faith or fighting full-time. Still, the chieftain has mandated a measure of militia drills to drive away marauding beasts or occasional band of raiders, something that has proven to be a wise choice.

While the communities of the plains are generally allowed a fair degree of self-governance, they are still expected to follow the mandates arriving from the chieftain reigning at Plain Current, as well as to pay a measure of taxes. Regardless of this, many find this relative freedom compared to the neighbouring empires of the region a pleasant change of pace.

Since the Hegemony’s takeover of the area, relatively little has changed. The soldiery of Kar-Nath mostly patrol the border regions and leave the commonfolk of the Plains to their business, much to everyone’s relief. While still nominally part of Hegemony's territory, the Plains are offered almost full autonomy by the deal struck between their chieftain and the Frozen King, and as such they can expect to see relatively little of their overlords at any given time while reaping the benefits of being protected by a larger nation.
Resource: Magnetic Sand
Mined out of the deeper-reaching iron cliffs of the plains, Magnetic Sand is somewhat of a peculiarity. While not an item of massive import for day to day life, it is often sought out as magical material by many, and is seen as status symbol or academic curiosity across the seas. As such, it makes for a good trade good, even if its use in the region itself is highly limited.

Requirement: Toxins
The business of cultivating crops and herding schools of fish brings about its own challenges, and some of the most pressing of such are parasites, unwanted weeds and potentially invasive species that threaten such humble livelihoods. The people of the Plains have found a solution in various toxic mixtures mixed up depending on the pest they are supposed to guard against, and require constant supply of such products or risk losing harvests of fish and flora to such common misfortunes.
As a loose community, those finding their home in the Plains of Sarkenos do not have a codified religion. Preachers of many varieties ply their trade in the small villages and townships, and thus far no faith has united the people. Many worship their deceased ancestors or subscribe to various faiths they have brought with themselves from the empires around the Plains, but it is often seen as polite not to bring one’s faith up too often.

While the lack of codified faith has resulted in no new holies being truly raised, there are certain natural formations that often draw people’s worship. The Roil (HS 1) is an inexplicable whirlpool near the very center of the plains that seems to have dug through the seafloor itself, with many whispering of its unique properties in tones of reverence or fear. The Claw of Sarkenos (HS 2) is the highest rock formation on the plains, curling out of the ground akin to four-clawed hand of a massive beast, made of unique dark stone none have been able to identify.

With Blossiming Sequence having moved into the territory from the neighboring territory of Bastion, they have quickly opened up modest reliquary temples to invite theological discussion from the locals. While not yet a dominant faith of the region, their influence is regardless growing.


Approved! You can add this to your Waters of the World post or make a new post for it

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Just to clarify, are these to replace all of the other effects or only some of them?

Oh, yes, if we were to go with the amplification artifact becoming below, that would be the complete text of the artifact.

Maleficent Jello


Once per turn, you may do one of the following:
As a non-action, you may add +1 to a roll you are spending at least 1 treasure on.
As a faith action, you may spend 1 treasure (ignoring typical treasure spending limits) to add a +1 to any roll you make.

With the intention that the faith action one could be applied regardless of other factors, such as type of roll or whether the roll's made. Though I am kind of liking the first suggestion you made, tbh. It's growing on me and taking root, and I wouldn't be strictly opposed to implementing that one.

[Corona]

Tropics map for round 7. SBK has been taken up as a NPC, so I kept it on the map.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886410868523048/991391672367845428/Tropical_R7.png






During the rein of [next ruler] faith actions count twice for stat gain and other stat gain is halved. FAY becomes unable to resist any other rolls than faith and invasions as the population is submerged in constant revelations.
No special actions besides faith may be taken during this period.


^ This could be a Miracle all on its own, with the rest of your proposal being a separate Miracle.


My two cents: I think this part would be a pretty terrible miracle, the only benefit is that faith actions count twice for stat gain... mostly the effect would be that you'd quickly max out at 10 faith again. That would make getting the next miracle quicker, but then, you could just do that next miracle in the first place with your current ruler without all the downsides. :smalltongue: Torv, I don't think your miracle would suffer thematically or mechanically if you cut this part out.



@GM special actions for approval:


Cultural Identity Let's have a cuppa: 2d8 to Swaying.


Tactical Doctrine Graceful Show of Force:
Roughly using the 2-point budget with adjustments from round 3 opener:
-2: -20% enemy casualties
+2: -20% own casualties
-2: +12 to enemy leader loss roll
+1: +2 to own leader loss roll
+2: Make a Sway attempt against a support of your choice in the battlefield region (regardless of the outcome of the battle). If you already own all supports, get a +2 to battle roll instead.
+1?: +1 to tactical maneuvering

The explanation is such that the general avoids bloody engagements while swaying the local populace to their side by winning skirmishes, making those wins look bigger than they are, giving speeches, creating networks of Lojanese supporters and informants and reinforcing garrisons to boost morale. If the populace is sufficiently convinced of the general's cause, volunteers will even join their side (that is the +2 when you have all supports).

[Volthawk]

Oh right yes, keeping up to date with temperate maps here as well as in the temperate discord channel was something I was trying to do:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/991330576210604062/t7_land.png


https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/991365268674715688/t7_eco.png
Note: The Gotezhar city is actually in 136, as I autopiloted putting it in their capital and it turns out that wasn't the plan.


https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/991365328821026826/t7_faith.png
Note: 97 should have a TP owned by an NPC faith, as when it was revealed I misread "one of these and one of these" as just one HS, and it evaded people's notice until now. Whoops.

[Torv]

My two cents: I think this part would be a pretty terrible miracle, the only benefit is that faith actions count twice for stat gain... mostly the effect would be that you'd quickly max out at 10 faith again. That would make getting the next miracle quicker, but then, you could just do that next miracle in the first place with your current ruler without all the downsides. :smalltongue: Torv, I don't think your miracle would suffer thematically or mechanically if you cut this part out.

Yes. It's intentionally flashy while being mediocre at best. It amounts to somewhere about +1 or +2 in [stat] upon ruler generation for the next two rulers while adding a bunch of negatives on top (assuming you're taking +1 to +2 worth of stat gain in [stat] anyways).
A permanent +1 to [stat] upon ruler generation would win out pretty quickly without any of the downsides.

I do still need some of the statgain for reasons but the merchants are the fun part of it anyways.




1) I don't see why not

2) No, I'll make a note of it in the Round 7 Opener and again for Round 8 to remind folks

3) These are really interesting impacts, but balance-wise it's more like 2 Miracles being proposed in one.

During the rein of [next ruler] faith actions count twice for stat gain and other stat gain is halved. FAY becomes unable to resist any other rolls than faith and invasions as the population is submerged in constant revelations.
No special actions besides faith may be taken during this period.


^ This could be a Miracle all on its own, with the rest of your proposal being a separate Miracle.

1) Great!

2) Thank you!

3) How about the below instead?

[Next ruler's name] gains +1 faith and -2 economy during their generation.
No I won't think of the economy, JB
It is enough to distract minds rather than destroy them. FAY's desired import may be changed from Neurotoxins to drugs (other than Delight) as a great project using economy.
Okay, maybe
The merchant support of region 17 becomes reaved and FAY must permanently spend two treasure for each +1 as the kelp takes hold in the merchants and make them disappear.
Yeeeet!
The banished merchants appear in a random capital each round providing the owner with 1d4 treasure upon their leave. On a 4 the landscape is also scraped bare and a Support begins to grow unruly.
They trigger the Kelpie and Mare if they appear in the same country, providing no other bonus while doing so.

[JBarca]

Hello! I've got a MilTech proposal/request!

Devolving Standardized Integrations
Requirement: Graduated Symbiosis

The Doflein and their biologists continue to work toward perfecting grafting on a mass scale. While individuals have permanent features added, much of this relies on the Doflein ability to recover from otherwise fatal wounds in the healing stasis they can achieve. The first major strides have been made, though, and Nautilites can now be outfitted with the most important features of other races. These grafts, though, are temporary at best and often leave the soldiers in question weaker than before once their augmentations rot on their bodies.

Effect: Following a victory in battle, the victorious commander gains a +1 to battle rolls for a number of rounds equal to half (rounding down) the number of units the opponent lost.

[Minescratcher]

Tactical Doctrine Graceful Show of Force:
Roughly using the 2-point budget with adjustments from round 3 opener:
-2: -20% enemy casualties
+2: -20% own casualties
-2: +12 to enemy leader loss roll
+1: +2 to own leader loss roll
+2: Make a Sway attempt against a support of your choice in the battlefield region (regardless of the outcome of the battle). If you already own all supports, get a +2 to battle roll instead.
+1?: +1 to tactical maneuvering

The explanation is such that the general avoids bloody engagements while swaying the local populace to their side by winning skirmishes, making those wins look bigger than they are, giving speeches, creating networks of Lojanese supporters and informants and reinforcing garrisons to boost morale. If the populace is sufficiently convinced of the general's cause, volunteers will even join their side (that is the +2 when you have all supports).

I don't really have any mechanical feedback, but I wanted to say that this is incredibly thematic and cool!



Anyway, writeup for approval, with particular apologies to Potato_Priest for the linguistic butchery I have committed:


* * *

Region 127
Ke Yi Ade, the White Sands

The first thing any traveler to Ke Yi Ade notices is the bone-white sand that gives the region its name, in stark contrast to the clear blue waters above. Dull green seedgrass and brown Ray-Ear Seaweed grow in clusters, forming islands of stable sand in a seafloor ever shifting with the currents and tides. To the north, the vast coral forest of Ngù Fe Ave stretches across the bleached sands, the red flowercups of the Three-Arrows Coral a beautiful prize for any willing to dare its painful spines. Turtles feast on coral and seagrass, retreating into their muted brown armor as one of the great grey Lãkuviatowo lumbers across the seafloor, its claws sending vast clouds of swirling sand upwards as they uproot clumps of seaweed and buried oysters. In the distance, the plaintive call of the four-finned saber seagoats echoes through the waters, interrupted by the clashing of their long shell horns as they challenge each other for dominance, and in the saline waters of the western marches and the coastal brack to the east, the dark-eyed pupfish dart back and forth, so named for their resemblance to the children of the inhabitants, the Tomelãwo.

The intelligent populace of Sedadzi, the Tomelãwo, are nearly unique among the creatures of the region simply for being carnivorous. They are large, flat fish akin to Earth’s electric rays, with a wide, toothy mouth, a circular "head," white skin flecked with blue patches, and the ability to generate electric shocks of up to 200 volts from their heads. A single Tomelã hunts by wrapping its flat body around small prey like the pupfish and electrocuting it, while hunting parties working in concert can take down even an enormous Lãkuviato. However, the religion of Central Intelligence forbids the use of electricity against another thinking creature, and warriors typically rely instead on the sharp horns of saber seagoats or simply grappling. Tomelãwo are ovoviviparous, and spawn litters of up to 10 pups about every two years.

Tomelãwo society was once organized into a hierarchical feudal system, but the ascension of King Agbeli began a period of significant centralization of power, with the lesser nobility retaining or even expanding their wealth and status but losing much of their political power. By the time of his death and succession by his daughter Queen Esenam, the monarchy had become absolute, and the royal court merely a series of hunts and dances to keep the nobles occupied.

Prior to the War of Sky and Sea, Ke Yi Ade was ruled by Queen Esenam, the only surviving child of the previous King following a period of fratricidal infighting upon his death. She maintained near-absolute power in the region, relegating the nobility to a position of subservience with their power limited to their role as leaders in hunts and in war; the ultimate symbol of this hierarchy was the fortress and palace at Togbe dzi Nofe, built three years before the outbreak of the war. Aside from its defensive features and its halls of treasures and royal artwork, it contained enough rooms to quarter every major noble in the realm, allowing the Queen to keep a personal eye on any plotting and ensure loyalty.

Of Queen Esenam’s ill-conceived challenge to the armies of the temperate waters, enough is said elsewhere, and it will suffice to note that in the face of what they perceived as a threat or an insult, the Ironkelp Order and the reigning Profundus of the Gotezhar allied and invaded Ke Yi Ade. Despite trading evenly in casualties, the extreme tactical and operational flexibility of the combination of Middish and Gotezhar fighters, combined with the sense of abandonment among the defending Tomelãwo after the Queen retreated to Togbe dzi Nofe, rapidly overwhelmed the defenders, and the coalition army seized the fortress, the Queen, and the vestigial nobility in a matter of weeks.

In the aftermath, many Middish disinherited children and lesser nobles, many of them Knights in the invading army, attempted to establish their own realms in the queendom’s corpse as had occurred in Ektalithiades. Notably, in the north, the Insmiddish Knight Lieutenant John Donne elevated himself to Duke of the Forest of the Trinity, encompassing most of Ngù Fe Ave; in the east, the half-Scoshmiddish, half-Alehmiddish Knight Frederick Christy seized the waters about Christy Pit following his gallant performance in the nearby Battle of the Basin; and in the south, the capital city and old royal palace at Sedadzi were captured by Knight Lieutenant Felipe Lucero of the Hislangue, now Prince of Lucero. Despite the significant de jure shakeup, however, the remnants of the old Tomelãwo nobility bear no love for the Order, and it remains to be seen whether any of the new princes can truly enforce their will within their realms.

One of the most abundant plants in Ke Yi Ade is a brown seaweed, dubbed Ray-Ear Seaweed for its similar shape to the bulges around the Tomelãwo’s eyes containing their electrical organs (often misidentified as ears). Its blades are edible, though tasteless; the real value lies in the seaweed’s remarkably developed rhizome-like holdfast, which, when ground, is a potent spice and incense akin to ginger.

The merchants of the region desire Hard Minerals, as the sandy seafloor is extremely mineral-poor, and the Tomelãwo require specialized tools to build or dig in the sand and desire weapons of superior materials.

The native faith of the Tomelãwo is called Nunya vevi ade or Central Intelligence. It is henotheistic, holding that each species has its own god or gods, and that the Tomelãwo’s deity (it is rarely properly named or referred to with gendered terms) long ago fixed its great Eye upon Ke Yi Ade. The force of its gaze, which sees all that occurs in its waters, bleached the sands white. As its chosen people, the Tomelãwo are blessed with plentiful food and comfortable waters, but those blessings can be withdrawn at any time if they do not hold to a strict moral code, which prohibits consumption of plants or coral except in extreme circumstances, use of electricity against other thinking creatures, willful deception, consumption of mind-altering substances, adultery, and cross-species grafting.

Two major holy sites lie within the region. Roughly at the center lies a wide circular basin, said to be the pupil of the Central Intelligence’s gaze, now referred to as Christy Pit after Knight Frederick Christy, who seized the waters after the Battle of the Basin. Further north and west, the old royal palace in the city of Sedadzi serves a significant spiritual role, with a large temple annex dedicated to ensuring that the leaders of the Tomelãwo float correctly in the Intelligence’s sight.

[LapisCattis]

+2 to battle rolls only in regions where I have a Merchant Support seems a lot weaker than the -10% casualties would make up for (especially also limited), considering it could just be +2 Battles everywhere, right?

That's fair. Another option from the GM team is:

+3 to battle rolls in regions where you have Merchant Support, and -10% Own Casualties in regions where you have a Trading Post





3) How about the below instead?

[Next ruler's name] gains +1 faith and -2 economy during their generation.
No I won't think of the economy, JB
It is enough to distract minds rather than destroy them. FAY's desired import may be changed from Neurotoxins to drugs (other than Delight) as a great project using economy.
Okay, maybe
The merchant support of region 17 becomes reaved and FAY must permanently spend two treasure for each +1 as the kelp takes hold in the merchants and make them disappear.
Yeeeet!
The banished merchants appear in a random capital each round providing the owner with 1d4 treasure upon their leave. On a 4 the landscape is also scraped bare and a Support begins to grow unruly.
They trigger the Kelpie and Mare if they appear in the same country, providing no other bonus while doing so.

That looks good!


Hello! I've got a MilTech proposal/request!

Devolving Standardized Integrations
Requirement: Graduated Symbiosis

The Doflein and their biologists continue to work toward perfecting grafting on a mass scale. While individuals have permanent features added, much of this relies on the Doflein ability to recover from otherwise fatal wounds in the healing stasis they can achieve. The first major strides have been made, though, and Nautilites can now be outfitted with the most important features of other races. These grafts, though, are temporary at best and often leave the soldiers in question weaker than before once their augmentations rot on their bodies.

Effect: Following a victory in battle, the victorious commander gains a +1 to battle rolls for a number of rounds equal to half (rounding down) the number of units the opponent lost.

I love that fluff. No issues with this proposal!



@GM special actions for approval:


Cultural Identity Let's have a cuppa: 2d8 to Swaying.


Tactical Doctrine Graceful Show of Force:
Roughly using the 2-point budget with adjustments from round 3 opener:
-2: -20% enemy casualties
+2: -20% own casualties
-2: +12 to enemy leader loss roll
+1: +2 to own leader loss roll
+2: Make a Sway attempt against a support of your choice in the battlefield region (regardless of the outcome of the battle). If you already own all supports, get a +2 to battle roll instead.
+1?: +1 to tactical maneuvering

The explanation is such that the general avoids bloody engagements while swaying the local populace to their side by winning skirmishes, making those wins look bigger than they are, giving speeches, creating networks of Lojanese supporters and informants and reinforcing garrisons to boost morale. If the populace is sufficiently convinced of the general's cause, volunteers will even join their side (that is the +2 when you have all supports).

Cultural Identity is all good!

On the TacDoc, your Sway can be either a randomly rolled Support or a specific Support, not a Support of your choice. If you'd like the +1 to tactical maneuvering, the "If you already own all supports, get a +2 to battle roll instead" also needs to be taken out (so choose one of these). This isn't because of the budget, but because of how tactical maneuvering and the pre-existing Support bonuses work.





Region 127
Ke Yi Ade, the White Sands[/CENTER]

The first thing any traveler to Ke Yi Ade notices is the bone-white sand that gives the region its name, in stark contrast to the clear blue waters above. Dull green seedgrass and brown Ray-Ear Seaweed grow in clusters, forming islands of stable sand in a seafloor ever shifting with the currents and tides. To the north, the vast coral forest of Ngù Fe Ave stretches across the bleached sands, the red flowercups of the Three-Arrows Coral a beautiful prize for any willing to dare its painful spines. Turtles feast on coral and seagrass, retreating into their muted brown armor as one of the great grey Lãkuviatowo lumbers across the seafloor, its claws sending vast clouds of swirling sand upwards as they uproot clumps of seaweed and buried oysters. In the distance, the plaintive call of the four-finned saber seagoats echoes through the waters, interrupted by the clashing of their long shell horns as they challenge each other for dominance, and in the saline waters of the western marches and the coastal brack to the east, the dark-eyed pupfish dart back and forth, so named for their resemblance to the children of the inhabitants, the Tomelãwo.

The intelligent populace of Sedadzi, the Tomelãwo, are nearly unique among the creatures of the region simply for being carnivorous. They are large, flat fish akin to Earth’s electric rays, with a wide, toothy mouth, a circular "head," white skin flecked with blue patches, and the ability to generate electric shocks of up to 200 volts from their heads. A single Tomelã hunts by wrapping its flat body around small prey like the pupfish and electrocuting it, while hunting parties working in concert can take down even an enormous Lãkuviato. However, the religion of Central Intelligence forbids the use of electricity against another thinking creature, and warriors typically rely instead on the sharp horns of saber seagoats or simply grappling. Tomelãwo are ovoviviparous, and spawn litters of up to 10 pups about every two years.

Tomelãwo society was once organized into a hierarchical feudal system, but the ascension of King Agbeli began a period of significant centralization of power, with the lesser nobility retaining or even expanding their wealth and status but losing much of their political power. By the time of his death and succession by his daughter Queen Esenam, the monarchy had become absolute, and the royal court merely a series of hunts and dances to keep the nobles occupied.

Prior to the War of Sky and Sea, Ke Yi Ade was ruled by Queen Esenam, the only surviving child of the previous King following a period of fratricidal infighting upon his death. She maintained near-absolute power in the region, relegating the nobility to a position of subservience with their power limited to their role as leaders in hunts and in war; the ultimate symbol of this hierarchy was the fortress and palace at Togbe dzi Nofe, built three years before the outbreak of the war. Aside from its defensive features and its halls of treasures and royal artwork, it contained enough rooms to quarter every major noble in the realm, allowing the Queen to keep a personal eye on any plotting and ensure loyalty.

Of Queen Esenam’s ill-conceived challenge to the armies of the temperate waters, enough is said elsewhere, and it will suffice to note that in the face of what they perceived as a threat or an insult, the Ironkelp Order and the reigning Profundus of the Gotezhar allied and invaded Ke Yi Ade. Despite trading evenly in casualties, the extreme tactical and operational flexibility of the combination of Middish and Gotezhar fighters, combined with the sense of abandonment among the defending Tomelãwo after the Queen retreated to Togbe dzi Nofe, rapidly overwhelmed the defenders, and the coalition army seized the fortress, the Queen, and the vestigial nobility in a matter of weeks.

In the aftermath, many Middish disinherited children and lesser nobles, many of them Knights in the invading army, attempted to establish their own realms in the queendom’s corpse as had occurred in Ektalithiades. Notably, in the north, the Insmiddish Knight Lieutenant John Donne elevated himself to Duke of the Forest of the Trinity, encompassing most of Ngù Fe Ave; in the east, the half-Scoshmiddish, half-Alehmiddish Knight Frederick Christy seized the waters about Christy Pit following his gallant performance in the nearby Battle of the Basin; and in the south, the capital city and old royal palace at Sedadzi were captured by Knight Lieutenant Felipe Lucero of the Hislangue, now Prince of Lucero. Despite the significant de jure shakeup, however, the remnants of the old Tomelãwo nobility bear no love for the Order, and it remains to be seen whether any of the new princes can truly enforce their will within their realms.

One of the most abundant plants in Ke Yi Ade is a brown seaweed, dubbed Ray-Ear Seaweed for its similar shape to the bulges around the Tomelãwo’s eyes containing their electrical organs (often misidentified as ears). Its blades are edible, though tasteless; the real value lies in the seaweed’s remarkably developed rhizome-like holdfast, which, when ground, is a potent spice and incense akin to ginger.

The merchants of the region desire Hard Minerals, as the sandy seafloor is extremely mineral-poor, and the Tomelãwo require specialized tools to build or dig in the sand and desire weapons of superior materials.

The native faith of the Tomelãwo is called Nunya vevi ade or Central Intelligence. It is henotheistic, holding that each species has its own god or gods, and that the Tomelãwo’s deity (it is rarely properly named or referred to with gendered terms) long ago fixed its great Eye upon Ke Yi Ade. The force of its gaze, which sees all that occurs in its waters, bleached the sands white. As its chosen people, the Tomelãwo are blessed with plentiful food and comfortable waters, but those blessings can be withdrawn at any time if they do not hold to a strict moral code, which prohibits consumption of plants or coral except in extreme circumstances, use of electricity against other thinking creatures, willful deception, consumption of mind-altering substances, adultery, and cross-species grafting.

Two major holy sites lie within the region. Roughly at the center lies a wide circular basin, said to be the pupil of the Central Intelligence’s gaze, now referred to as Christy Pit after Knight Frederick Christy, who seized the waters after the Battle of the Basin. Further north and west, the old royal palace in the city of Sedadzi serves a significant spiritual role, with a large temple annex dedicated to ensuring that the leaders of the Tomelãwo float correctly in the Intelligence’s sight.

Approved!

[Corona]

On the TacDoc, your Sway can be either a randomly rolled Support or a specific Support, not a Support of your choice. If you'd like the +1 to tactical maneuvering, the "If you already own all supports, get a +2 to battle roll instead" also needs to be taken out (so choose one of these). This isn't because of the budget, but because of how tactical maneuvering and the pre-existing Support bonuses work.




OK, I'll make it a randomly rolled Support (among those I don't yet own, I assume) and remove the potential +2 to battle roll.

[Volthawk]

Colony writeup! Given I'm fully settling it this turn, I've written this from the perspective of next turn onwards (so besides the settling thing, I have their import and feather's taken their clerical support in this) so it doesn't immediately become out of date, hopefully that's fine.

Pyl-Garat (129)

The terrain of Pyl-Garat is somewhat similar to that of Cyph-Arel, the rocky landscape continuing southwards. Down here, rather than the many smaller scattered patches of soil that form the cores of settlements in Cyph-Arel, there are a small amount of vast stretches of very fertile silt. Some are mostly clear for use, featuring a small variety of easy to handle or remove plant species and the handful of mostly herbivorous animal species that feed off them, but others are overgrown thickets, the silt patches dominated by two plant species - one woody species that rapidly grows tall to get as close to the sun as possible, and another parasitical species that forms long interwoven vine networks that stretch from trunk to trunk of the first species and feed off them (the appearance of the two together giving rise to the term "vine forest"). The two species together provide an ample supply of food for the animals found in these overgrown forests (although only their fruits are particularly edible for most people, unless one wants to modify themselves to eat something considered thoroughly unappetising), in turn giving rise to several predatory species, and various other plants that can find a niche not taken up by the dominant two grow where they can in the shade below (or above the vine layer, for some of the more interesting plants). The understanding of the Cyphiri that live here is that the only reason the other silt fields haven't become one of these overgrown silt forests is simply that the two species aren't particularly efficient at spreading themselves out of their native field to others, slowing the spread enough that even now there are unaffected silt fields.


The population of Pyl-Garat is primarily Cyphiri. Various families are represented, but it is the Pylet family who are dominant here - they spearheaded the early colonisation attempts despite internal opposition, convinced other families to come along and more recently have put all their financial assets into the region, cementing their hold on it. They have great influence among the Cyphiri living here, and have grown increasingly aloof and independently-minded towards the rest of the Union Council (of which they are a member), despite having strong obligations towards the Hallus for their support in the colonisation. The other families present are much like those of Cyph-Arel - some are from families with presences in both regions, while a considerable number are new families created by those wanting a fresh start and new opportunities of their own. The latter category are those most loyal to the Pylet, who typically invests in all such families in Pyl-Garat to give them a head start, and Pylet family members frequently encourage those of other families who are considering going it alone to go for it and accept their support.

The Cyphiri who have settled here live in two kinds of settlements. The older settlements are found around the vine forests, the original colonies who relied upon what they could gather from the wilderness for resources - it was much faster than waiting for crops (although some farms have been established on the edges of the patches in the years since), the fruits are fairly tasty, and there was quite a lot else of interest there from a scientific and curiosity-driven perspective. These settlements have developed into the major towns of the region, and the places the Pylet are strongest. They're quite similar to the communities found in Cyph-Arel, with the major exception being the lack of a central farm to be built around - instead, they're set up in rows facing the overgrown silt fields, the closest being the most prestigious properties (particularly in recent years, with hunting being more controlled and formalised excursions into the wilderness becoming a status symbol) and newer buildings layering backwards from them.

With the growth the region has experienced in recent years, there have been more of the second kind of settlement cropping up - those based around the silt fields that are far enough away from the vine forests to be clear for the Cyphiri to properly utilise. While some have been built into farming communities to help secure a local food supply, the majority of these so far are focused around 'silt mining', gathering the silt itself and packing it for transport and sale elsewhere. These settlements are a little less well-built than the wilderness-edge settlements - the farmers aren't as well established yet, while the silt miners intentionally live in tents and other structures made to be easy to take down as they reckon that no silt field will last forever and they'll eventually have to move on to another one.

Not everyone here is a Cyphiri, of course - besides the usual gaggle of mercenaries and adopted family members from other species, the Sakura-Jin are here and have been here for years before the Pylet sent their first colonists here. Upon finding their missionaries across the region, the Cyphiri decided to leave them be and let them do as they wished - if any wanted to join one of the colonial settlements, they were allowed in, and those who wanted to stay distant were left alone. Over the years, many Cyphiri have begun to listen to the missionaries and accept their teachings and beliefs over the typical Flowing Way-aligned way of thinking of the Cyphiri, leading to a second group of Sakura-Jin arriving specifically to better provide guidance to their new converts.


The main export of Pyl-Garat is the Nutritious Silt they gather from some of the silt fields found here - many are overgrown or used for other purposes, but enough are clear and capable of being harvested from that some Cyphiri have set up a brisk trade in gathering and selling on the fertile soil. After all, good nutrient-rich soil like this is something a clever merchant can make a decent amount of coin with, so they've already been sending sacks of the stuff north into Cyph-Arel to top up the lower-quality soil there and sending opportunity scouts out into the wider zone to look for other potential buyers.

A quirk of Pyl-Garat culture that those back in Cyph-Arel find quite fascinating is their taste for Meat. It started early into the colonisation of the region, as the initial colonists found that farming was taking too long to yield enough food and foraging from the overgrown patches wasn't enough, and so began to hunt the animals that lived in and around them. They found that they quite liked the taste, and enjoyed the act of hunting itself (a little unusual, given the normal Cyphiri attitudes towards getting involved in violence themselves, but then again these early colonists were particularly adventurous and willful Cyphiri). These days, the increase in the population of these settlements means there isn't quite enough hunting to go around, and the Pylet have begun to control and legislate around the practice - hunting is now usually the privilege of Pylet of good standing in the family, or those of other families on good terms with them, although some other Cyphiri still hunt anyway. The need for meat has remained though, the early colonists still wanting their supply and the Cyphiri arriving later being influenced by the culture and diet the former set into place.

To compensate for this, the Pylet have begun to arrange for imports of sea cows from the north through Tellan contacts to provide a source of meat that, while not as fun as hunting your own meal, is undeniably tastier than the things they were hunting before and it's proven quite popular - the northern farmers may raise a good sea cow, but it's the Cyphiri of Pyl-Garat that know the best way to cook it up, using special jars of hot ashes also obtained from the Tellan (eating it raw, while perfectly possible for them to do, is seen as a little uncivilised these days and cooking is preferable despite the large amount of extra effort involved).


The Pylet family have never been particularly dedicated followers of the Way - in fact, Hapat Pylet (the current head of the family) has attracted scorn from several of the more prominent adherents to the Flowing Way in Cyph-Arel for his comments on the merits of the faith and the viewpoint it encourages. Many of those who came with the Pylet to settle Pyl-Garat were of a similar mindset, or at least weren't so invested in the Way that they avoided dealing with the Pylet. In the years since settling the region, many of them have begun to find themselves swayed by the words of the Sakura-Jin nuns, finding comfort in the answers they present compared to the endless questions of the Way. Widespread adoption of their mandates has been slow, even among those most convinced, but has been becoming more common in recent years after the arrival of a second detachment of missionaries from the World Garden. Few of the Pylet themselves have converted though, Hapat reportedly finding the tenets of Sakurado not much better than the lessons of the Way but seeing little reason to interfere in the religious business of other families.

The Chambers of Garat: Located in the largest of the forest-side settlements, the Chambers were originally built to house any Sakura-Jin visiting to spread their teachings, and have been expanded several times since - the first few times to provide a permanent residence for the Cyphiri that were converted to the faith and wished to directly contribute to the faith, and again in recent years to provide proper homes to some members of the second Sakura-Jin contingent and provide a proper place of worship for them to operate out of. It's grown to cover a good amount of space, situated on the very edge of the vine forest and its bounds including some of the silt field to provide a space for their gardening.

[LapisCattis]

Colony writeup! Given I'm fully settling it this turn, I've written this from the perspective of next turn onwards (so besides the settling thing, I have their import and feather's taken their clerical support in this) so it doesn't immediately become out of date, hopefully that's fine.

Pyl-Garat (129)

The terrain of Pyl-Garat is somewhat similar to that of Cyph-Arel, the rocky landscape continuing southwards. Down here, rather than the many smaller scattered patches of soil that form the cores of settlements in Cyph-Arel, there are a small amount of vast stretches of very fertile silt. Some are mostly clear for use, featuring a small variety of easy to handle or remove plant species and the handful of mostly herbivorous animal species that feed off them, but others are overgrown thickets, the silt patches dominated by two plant species - one woody species that rapidly grows tall to get as close to the sun as possible, and another parasitical species that forms long interwoven vine networks that stretch from trunk to trunk of the first species and feed off them (the appearance of the two together giving rise to the term "vine forest"). The two species together provide an ample supply of food for the animals found in these overgrown forests (although only their fruits are particularly edible for most people, unless one wants to modify themselves to eat something considered thoroughly unappetising), in turn giving rise to several predatory species, and various other plants that can find a niche not taken up by the dominant two grow where they can in the shade below (or above the vine layer, for some of the more interesting plants). The understanding of the Cyphiri that live here is that the only reason the other silt fields haven't become one of these overgrown silt forests is simply that the two species aren't particularly efficient at spreading themselves out of their native field to others, slowing the spread enough that even now there are unaffected silt fields.


The population of Pyl-Garat is primarily Cyphiri. Various families are represented, but it is the Pylet family who are dominant here - they spearheaded the early colonisation attempts despite internal opposition, convinced other families to come along and more recently have put all their financial assets into the region, cementing their hold on it. They have great influence among the Cyphiri living here, and have grown increasingly aloof and independently-minded towards the rest of the Union Council (of which they are a member), despite having strong obligations towards the Hallus for their support in the colonisation. The other families present are much like those of Cyph-Arel - some are from families with presences in both regions, while a considerable number are new families created by those wanting a fresh start and new opportunities of their own. The latter category are those most loyal to the Pylet, who typically invests in all such families in Pyl-Garat to give them a head start, and Pylet family members frequently encourage those of other families who are considering going it alone to go for it and accept their support.

The Cyphiri who have settled here live in two kinds of settlements. The older settlements are found around the vine forests, the original colonies who relied upon what they could gather from the wilderness for resources - it was much faster than waiting for crops (although some farms have been established on the edges of the patches in the years since), the fruits are fairly tasty, and there was quite a lot else of interest there from a scientific and curiosity-driven perspective. These settlements have developed into the major towns of the region, and the places the Pylet are strongest. They're quite similar to the communities found in Cyph-Arel, with the major exception being the lack of a central farm to be built around - instead, they're set up in rows facing the overgrown silt fields, the closest being the most prestigious properties (particularly in recent years, with hunting being more controlled and formalised excursions into the wilderness becoming a status symbol) and newer buildings layering backwards from them.

With the growth the region has experienced in recent years, there have been more of the second kind of settlement cropping up - those based around the silt fields that are far enough away from the vine forests to be clear for the Cyphiri to properly utilise. While some have been built into farming communities to help secure a local food supply, the majority of these so far are focused around 'silt mining', gathering the silt itself and packing it for transport and sale elsewhere. These settlements are a little less well-built than the wilderness-edge settlements - the farmers aren't as well established yet, while the silt miners intentionally live in tents and other structures made to be easy to take down as they reckon that no silt field will last forever and they'll eventually have to move on to another one.

Not everyone here is a Cyphiri, of course - besides the usual gaggle of mercenaries and adopted family members from other species, the Sakura-Jin are here and have been here for years before the Pylet sent their first colonists here. Upon finding their missionaries across the region, the Cyphiri decided to leave them be and let them do as they wished - if any wanted to join one of the colonial settlements, they were allowed in, and those who wanted to stay distant were left alone. Over the years, many Cyphiri have begun to listen to the missionaries and accept their teachings and beliefs over the typical Flowing Way-aligned way of thinking of the Cyphiri, leading to a second group of Sakura-Jin arriving specifically to better provide guidance to their new converts.


The main export of Pyl-Garat is the Nutritious Silt they gather from some of the silt fields found here - many are overgrown or used for other purposes, but enough are clear and capable of being harvested from that some Cyphiri have set up a brisk trade in gathering and selling on the fertile soil. After all, good nutrient-rich soil like this is something a clever merchant can make a decent amount of coin with, so they've already been sending sacks of the stuff north into Cyph-Arel to top up the lower-quality soil there and sending opportunity scouts out into the wider zone to look for other potential buyers.

A quirk of Pyl-Garat culture that those back in Cyph-Arel find quite fascinating is their taste for Meat. It started early into the colonisation of the region, as the initial colonists found that farming was taking too long to yield enough food and foraging from the overgrown patches wasn't enough, and so began to hunt the animals that lived in and around them. They found that they quite liked the taste, and enjoyed the act of hunting itself (a little unusual, given the normal Cyphiri attitudes towards getting involved in violence themselves, but then again these early colonists were particularly adventurous and willful Cyphiri). These days, the increase in the population of these settlements means there isn't quite enough hunting to go around, and the Pylet have begun to control and legislate around the practice - hunting is now usually the privilege of Pylet of good standing in the family, or those of other families on good terms with them, although some other Cyphiri still hunt anyway. The need for meat has remained though, the early colonists still wanting their supply and the Cyphiri arriving later being influenced by the culture and diet the former set into place.

To compensate for this, the Pylet have begun to arrange for imports of sea cows from the north through Tellan contacts to provide a source of meat that, while not as fun as hunting your own meal, is undeniably tastier than the things they were hunting before and it's proven quite popular - the northern farmers may raise a good sea cow, but it's the Cyphiri of Pyl-Garat that know the best way to cook it up, using special jars of hot ashes also obtained from the Tellan (eating it raw, while perfectly possible for them to do, is seen as a little uncivilised these days and cooking is preferable despite the large amount of extra effort involved).


The Pylet family have never been particularly dedicated followers of the Way - in fact, Hapat Pylet (the current head of the family) has attracted scorn from several of the more prominent adherents to the Flowing Way in Cyph-Arel for his comments on the merits of the faith and the viewpoint it encourages. Many of those who came with the Pylet to settle Pyl-Garat were of a similar mindset, or at least weren't so invested in the Way that they avoided dealing with the Pylet. In the years since settling the region, many of them have begun to find themselves swayed by the words of the Sakura-Jin nuns, finding comfort in the answers they present compared to the endless questions of the Way. Widespread adoption of their mandates has been slow, even among those most convinced, but has been becoming more common in recent years after the arrival of a second detachment of missionaries from the World Garden. Few of the Pylet themselves have converted though, Hapat reportedly finding the tenets of Sakurado not much better than the lessons of the Way but seeing little reason to interfere in the religious business of other families.

The Chambers of Garat: Located in the largest of the forest-side settlements, the Chambers were originally built to house any Sakura-Jin visiting to spread their teachings, and have been expanded several times since - the first few times to provide a permanent residence for the Cyphiri that were converted to the faith and wished to directly contribute to the faith, and again in recent years to provide proper homes to some members of the second Sakura-Jin contingent and provide a proper place of worship for them to operate out of. It's grown to cover a good amount of space, situated on the very edge of the vine forest and its bounds including some of the silt field to provide a space for their gardening.


Approved! Go ahead and plop it in the Waters of the World

[TheDarkDM]

A region for review.


Kemenangan Adiratna (Region 28)

Kemenangan Adiratna (Region 28)

In the farthest reaches of the civilized tropic seas, this sparsely-populated border region endeavors mightily to support life in defiance of the enervating currents that drift south from the toxic sea. Lacking the vibrant corals that characterize the more hospitable waters to its south, the seafloor of Kemenangan Adiratna alternate between smooth stretches of inhospitably bone-white sand and pockmarked flows of exposed bedrock. The currents of the area rise up from the hidden volcanic fissures that rent open the land in antiquity, funneling the water up and banishing the lingering toxins of the frontier. The borderlands between these shrouded refuges and the stark white of dead sea are ironically, heartbreakingly beautiful patterns of coruscating sand, silt, and minerals vomited forth from the heart of the world, the fundamental seeds of life trapped in a frozen dance with their own destroyers.

Bleached Hymenocera

Identical in origin to their cousins to the East, the hymenocera of Kemenangan Adiratna have suffered both physiologically and societally from their environment. Though the cave systems they call home provide refuge from the terrors both invisible and unnameable that emerge from the toxic sea, generations of exposure have left the normally resplendent coloration of the hyumoneceran shell bleached the mottled dun of sand. Robbed of the foremost indicator of rank in their regimented society, the bleached hymenocera struggle to maintain order in their petty kingdom, even as the best among them recognize the cruel necessity of centralized power in the face of their peoples’ many challenges. It is for this reason that each king or queen of Kemenangan Adiratna took great pains to both surround themselves in what trappings of wealth they could manage and distribute that self same wealth to their most loyal supporters. It was an imperfect system, and one that proved all-too-easily manipulated by the Lambent Syndicate.

Alerted by her agents that then-King Elyfos’ grip on power was waning in the face of dwindling food supplies in what was then Spilai Kochys, Lucent Mistress Adiratna set in play an insidious ploy. Rerouting her own shipments of Siren to the southern kingdoms of the Seablood Khanate and The Unity, she tempted the region’s vaunted Shell Guard into raiding the lightly-guarded caravans, depositing a wealth of Siren at the king’s feet. Unfamiliar with the eastern substance beyond whispered rumors in his court, Elyfos claimed his prize, and was soon ensorcelled by it. Yet in the weeks before it stole his lucidity from him altogether, the grateful king rewarded his most powerful and most faithful followers with their own small mountains of Siren. In mere months, the entire leadership of the region was firmly in the grip of addiction. And then the Lambent Syndicate’s shipments through the region ceased. The supply, which once seemed as an ever-flowing river, now began to dwindle. Nobles that had once sworn eternal friendship now looked jealously at any apparent surplus of the precious substance, and in his rare moments of lucidity King Elyfos was faced with the looming threat of civil war.

Then emissaries from the Syndicate arrived. With honeyed words and fresh caskets of Siren, the kucen quickly gripped the reins of power in Spilai Kochys. Though lesser functionaires and the heirs of the nobility cried out for resistance in the face of the Syndicate, the most noble and notable among them were swiftly and permanently silenced. The king’s court, reduced now to a luxurious Siren den, took little interest as Syndicate soldiers crossed the border to secure the canyonways linking the region, and it took little more than the threat of cutting off his supply for King Elyfos to sign away his autonomy and his kingdom’s name to something more of Adiratna’s choosing. Now, the noble court survives as something akin to a curiosity to the distant Lucent Mistress, and true power is concentrated in a regional governor of Adiratna’s clan and a network of collaborators less principled than their dearly-departed fellows.

Tiny Turtles

While the treacherous waters of Kemenangan Adiratna have had the most dramatic effect on its hymenocera inhabitants, they have changed every species that calls the region home. Nearly as ubiquitous in the caverns and canyons of crab-folk is a subspecies of flatback sea turtles rendered in miniature, a pygmy species that the hymenocera natives see as personifications of soon-to-be-born hymenocera. Certainly, the turtles’ vibrant green and orange coloration recalls the faded memories of the hymonecera’s own shells, and centuries of religious devotion has led to a relationship somewhere between pet, guardian spirit, and omen. The arrival of the Syndicate has led to efforts to corral and control the turtles “for the good of the population,” and the bleached hymenocera have no need to know what befalls the Tiny Turtles dispatched to the outside world.

Resource Requirement: Meat

Cruelly, though the bleached hymenocera’s devotion to the Tiny Turtles feeds their spiritual lives, it does little to truly feed them. What game exists in Kemenangan Adiratna is either too small or too rare to adequately supply even the modest communities of the caves, which has forced the bleached hymenocera to rely on a nutritious but foul-tasting kelp for sustenance. A reliable supply of animal protein, such that their cousins to the East enjoy, would go a long way to earning the loyalty of the common folk.

Suntouch Rise: A rarity in the tide swept waters of the tropics, Suntouch Rise is a string of seamounts large enough to border on islands rising from the largest of the region’s canyons. Breaching the distant surface, the sandy beaches atop the seamounts serve as the essential breeding grounds of the Tiny Turtles. Only vaguely aware of the cycle of life and death transpiring above their heads, the bleached hymenocera nevertheless recognize the stone pillars as the wellspring of their beloved turtles, and so have carved a series of shrines and altars at the base of the rock to channel their devotion heavensward.

The Lost: A location of local myth, The Lost is seen by the bleached hymenocera as the birthright denied them by the toxic sea. An expanse of dead coral rising in lonely monument above the white sands, the remains of The Lost speak of a proud city fallen to the ravages of time, broad boulevards of stone slabs and many-hued towers of coral left to wither beneath the distant sun. In years past, the most devoted among the bleached hymenocera would embark on pilgrimage to a hermitage at the heart of the city, but it has lain abandoned for many years.

[Volthawk]

Round 8 Temperate maps:


https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/996528682585821254/t8_land.png


https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/996528865457492008/t8_eco.png


https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/996529102699896862/t8_faith.png

[Corona]

Tropics R8 map
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886410868523048/997455050320384071/Tropical_R8.png

[LapisCattis]

A region for review.


Kemenangan Adiratna (Region 28)

Kemenangan Adiratna (Region 28)

In the farthest reaches of the civilized tropic seas, this sparsely-populated border region endeavors mightily to support life in defiance of the enervating currents that drift south from the toxic sea. Lacking the vibrant corals that characterize the more hospitable waters to its south, the seafloor of Kemenangan Adiratna alternate between smooth stretches of inhospitably bone-white sand and pockmarked flows of exposed bedrock. The currents of the area rise up from the hidden volcanic fissures that rent open the land in antiquity, funneling the water up and banishing the lingering toxins of the frontier. The borderlands between these shrouded refuges and the stark white of dead sea are ironically, heartbreakingly beautiful patterns of coruscating sand, silt, and minerals vomited forth from the heart of the world, the fundamental seeds of life trapped in a frozen dance with their own destroyers.

Bleached Hymenocera

Identical in origin to their cousins to the East, the hymenocera of Kemenangan Adiratna have suffered both physiologically and societally from their environment. Though the cave systems they call home provide refuge from the terrors both invisible and unnameable that emerge from the toxic sea, generations of exposure have left the normally resplendent coloration of the hyumoneceran shell bleached the mottled dun of sand. Robbed of the foremost indicator of rank in their regimented society, the bleached hymenocera struggle to maintain order in their petty kingdom, even as the best among them recognize the cruel necessity of centralized power in the face of their peoples’ many challenges. It is for this reason that each king or queen of Kemenangan Adiratna took great pains to both surround themselves in what trappings of wealth they could manage and distribute that self same wealth to their most loyal supporters. It was an imperfect system, and one that proved all-too-easily manipulated by the Lambent Syndicate.

Alerted by her agents that then-King Elyfos’ grip on power was waning in the face of dwindling food supplies in what was then Spilai Kochys, Lucent Mistress Adiratna set in play an insidious ploy. Rerouting her own shipments of Siren to the southern kingdoms of the Seablood Khanate and The Unity, she tempted the region’s vaunted Shell Guard into raiding the lightly-guarded caravans, depositing a wealth of Siren at the king’s feet. Unfamiliar with the eastern substance beyond whispered rumors in his court, Elyfos claimed his prize, and was soon ensorcelled by it. Yet in the weeks before it stole his lucidity from him altogether, the grateful king rewarded his most powerful and most faithful followers with their own small mountains of Siren. In mere months, the entire leadership of the region was firmly in the grip of addiction. And then the Lambent Syndicate’s shipments through the region ceased. The supply, which once seemed as an ever-flowing river, now began to dwindle. Nobles that had once sworn eternal friendship now looked jealously at any apparent surplus of the precious substance, and in his rare moments of lucidity King Elyfos was faced with the looming threat of civil war.

Then emissaries from the Syndicate arrived. With honeyed words and fresh caskets of Siren, the kucen quickly gripped the reins of power in Spilai Kochys. Though lesser functionaires and the heirs of the nobility cried out for resistance in the face of the Syndicate, the most noble and notable among them were swiftly and permanently silenced. The king’s court, reduced now to a luxurious Siren den, took little interest as Syndicate soldiers crossed the border to secure the canyonways linking the region, and it took little more than the threat of cutting off his supply for King Elyfos to sign away his autonomy and his kingdom’s name to something more of Adiratna’s choosing. Now, the noble court survives as something akin to a curiosity to the distant Lucent Mistress, and true power is concentrated in a regional governor of Adiratna’s clan and a network of collaborators less principled than their dearly-departed fellows.

Tiny Turtles

While the treacherous waters of Kemenangan Adiratna have had the most dramatic effect on its hymenocera inhabitants, they have changed every species that calls the region home. Nearly as ubiquitous in the caverns and canyons of crab-folk is a subspecies of flatback sea turtles rendered in miniature, a pygmy species that the hymenocera natives see as personifications of soon-to-be-born hymenocera. Certainly, the turtles’ vibrant green and orange coloration recalls the faded memories of the hymonecera’s own shells, and centuries of religious devotion has led to a relationship somewhere between pet, guardian spirit, and omen. The arrival of the Syndicate has led to efforts to corral and control the turtles “for the good of the population,” and the bleached hymenocera have no need to know what befalls the Tiny Turtles dispatched to the outside world.

Resource Requirement: Meat

Cruelly, though the bleached hymenocera’s devotion to the Tiny Turtles feeds their spiritual lives, it does little to truly feed them. What game exists in Kemenangan Adiratna is either too small or too rare to adequately supply even the modest communities of the caves, which has forced the bleached hymenocera to rely on a nutritious but foul-tasting kelp for sustenance. A reliable supply of animal protein, such that their cousins to the East enjoy, would go a long way to earning the loyalty of the common folk.

Suntouch Rise: A rarity in the tide swept waters of the tropics, Suntouch Rise is a string of seamounts large enough to border on islands rising from the largest of the region’s canyons. Breaching the distant surface, the sandy beaches atop the seamounts serve as the essential breeding grounds of the Tiny Turtles. Only vaguely aware of the cycle of life and death transpiring above their heads, the bleached hymenocera nevertheless recognize the stone pillars as the wellspring of their beloved turtles, and so have carved a series of shrines and altars at the base of the rock to channel their devotion heavensward.

The Lost: A location of local myth, The Lost is seen by the bleached hymenocera as the birthright denied them by the toxic sea. An expanse of dead coral rising in lonely monument above the white sands, the remains of The Lost speak of a proud city fallen to the ravages of time, broad boulevards of stone slabs and many-hued towers of coral left to wither beneath the distant sun. In years past, the most devoted among the bleached hymenocera would embark on pilgrimage to a hermitage at the heart of the city, but it has lain abandoned for many years.

Approved! You can go ahead and add to the Waters of the World

[JBarca]

Submitting a region for review! Thanks in advance!


Sketi [Region 68]

Sketi is cold and, oddly enough, dry. Much of the seafloor in the region is hilly, with peaks home to small coral systems and their symbiotic partners. The valleys come in two varieties. First and most commonly are the “still valleys,” places where the seafloor is sandy, covered in plant life, and home to the various peoples of the region. A fair few of these lower depths, however, are constantly shifting and are covered in valuable mineral deposits. A process that takes place deep under the seafloor produces pockets of air that percolate up through these valleys, creating shifting waves of bubbles rising through the water. Some valleys are filled with hydrophobic salts which catch large “rafts” of air, which the locals often use for anything that requires dry work.

These bubble columns dot the landscape, keeping visibility strangely limited from some angles. Travel across the region is also bound to established routes that are clear and safe, creating a sort of populated highway through Sketi.


Sketi is populated by two main groups, and a number of smaller peoples. The majority of Sketii are Carstalts. Carstalts are short, flat-bodied crablike creatures whose shells are open on either side, behind the large claw arms. Mating is a permanent prospect for Carstalts, as a mated pair merge into one wide creature, with the exposed flesh on the side of each growing together. More mates can be added to this pair, however, and it is not uncommon to see a Carstalt with a dozen or more members. For this reason, the Carstalts make exemplary production workers, as they can form a line of semi-independent craftspeople who can each specialize and still work in near-perfect coordination. Carstalts have long been content working hard and raising their children - they do not tend toward ambition or aggression.

The second largest population is Mer, who make up much of the wealth and power in Sketi. Prior to the conquest, Sketi was ruled by a queen and her two consorts. When a queen died or abdicated, her favored consort would depart with her, while the other would stay in the role with the following queen, thus guaranteeing a smooth transition and constancy in rule. Ostensibly, this remains the case, though the Ennead now chooses the queen and her consorts and there is no promise of continuation.

A small population of Nautilites is present in Sketi, as well, though they claim no kinship with the Danabaeans and view the northerners as nomadic barbarians.


Export: Gravelglass. The mineral salts of Sketi have proven incredibly useful for the production of strong and colorful glass products. Most commonly, this is made into gravelglass to sell to the wealthy looking for a colorful accent to their properties.
Import: Textiles. The tiny population of true fauna in Sketi, coupled with the difficulty in keeping softer materials in good condition around so many claws and hard shells, has created a huge textile demand.


For generations, the Sketi largely practices small, familial faiths. With the encroachment of the Pattern, though, their have been a number of unifying movements, though these have been far from successful.
The Three Peaks: There is a place near the center of Sketi that is off the beaten path where three large hills seem to lean into each other. At their peak, a large coral colony grows into a single crown, creating a hollow under which monastics and pilgrims can meditate or pray in peace.
The Open Vent: A place of quiet contemplation, meditation, and medicinal vision-seeking, the Open Vent is as it claims to be. There is a hole in the ground, from which flows a near-constant, wide tunnel of air, directly to the surface. It is calming to look at, strange to think about, and fascinating to study. People of all faiths and creeds can find something worthwhile in the Open Vent. In recent years, the people of the Pattern have begun using it as a tunnel to the surface, a strange new interpretation of the faith that sees adherents suffering the dry air to look directly into the sky above. This is frequently lethal.

[LapisCattis]

Submitting a region for review! Thanks in advance!


Sketi [Region 68]

Sketi is cold and, oddly enough, dry. Much of the seafloor in the region is hilly, with peaks home to small coral systems and their symbiotic partners. The valleys come in two varieties. First and most commonly are the “still valleys,” places where the seafloor is sandy, covered in plant life, and home to the various peoples of the region. A fair few of these lower depths, however, are constantly shifting and are covered in valuable mineral deposits. A process that takes place deep under the seafloor produces pockets of air that percolate up through these valleys, creating shifting waves of bubbles rising through the water. Some valleys are filled with hydrophobic salts which catch large “rafts” of air, which the locals often use for anything that requires dry work.

These bubble columns dot the landscape, keeping visibility strangely limited from some angles. Travel across the region is also bound to established routes that are clear and safe, creating a sort of populated highway through Sketi.


Sketi is populated by two main groups, and a number of smaller peoples. The majority of Sketii are Carstalts. Carstalts are short, flat-bodied crablike creatures whose shells are open on either side, behind the large claw arms. Mating is a permanent prospect for Carstalts, as a mated pair merge into one wide creature, with the exposed flesh on the side of each growing together. More mates can be added to this pair, however, and it is not uncommon to see a Carstalt with a dozen or more members. For this reason, the Carstalts make exemplary production workers, as they can form a line of semi-independent craftspeople who can each specialize and still work in near-perfect coordination. Carstalts have long been content working hard and raising their children - they do not tend toward ambition or aggression.

The second largest population is Mer, who make up much of the wealth and power in Sketi. Prior to the conquest, Sketi was ruled by a queen and her two consorts. When a queen died or abdicated, her favored consort would depart with her, while the other would stay in the role with the following queen, thus guaranteeing a smooth transition and constancy in rule. Ostensibly, this remains the case, though the Ennead now chooses the queen and her consorts and there is no promise of continuation.

A small population of Nautilites is present in Sketi, as well, though they claim no kinship with the Danabaeans and view the northerners as nomadic barbarians.


Export: Gravelglass. The mineral salts of Sketi have proven incredibly useful for the production of strong and colorful glass products. Most commonly, this is made into gravelglass to sell to the wealthy looking for a colorful accent to their properties.
Import: Textiles. The tiny population of true fauna in Sketi, coupled with the difficulty in keeping softer materials in good condition around so many claws and hard shells, has created a huge textile demand.


For generations, the Sketi largely practices small, familial faiths. With the encroachment of the Pattern, though, their have been a number of unifying movements, though these have been far from successful.
The Three Peaks: There is a place near the center of Sketi that is off the beaten path where three large hills seem to lean into each other. At their peak, a large coral colony grows into a single crown, creating a hollow under which monastics and pilgrims can meditate or pray in peace.
The Open Vent: A place of quiet contemplation, meditation, and medicinal vision-seeking, the Open Vent is as it claims to be. There is a hole in the ground, from which flows a near-constant, wide tunnel of air, directly to the surface. It is calming to look at, strange to think about, and fascinating to study. People of all faiths and creeds can find something worthwhile in the Open Vent. In recent years, the people of the Pattern have begun using it as a tunnel to the surface, a strange new interpretation of the faith that sees adherents suffering the dry air to look directly into the sky above. This is frequently lethal.


Approved! Male anglerfish must be jealous

[Torv]

Sorry for getting to this so late in the round, no worries if it doesn't get reviewed until after the opener.

Artifact Proposal

The Withering Everlight

Appears in a random capital each round, providing a +1 to a faith roll during its stay.

Triggers the Kelpie and Mare.
When it appears in the same region as the Banished Merchants they gather 2d3 treasure instead of 1d4.

[Gengy]

Based on my knowledge of how rolls work, I should be laying claim to a new region this round. I had the spare time, so I wrote this up for approval.


B’kini Bottom
(Region 139)

Those whom live within B’kini Bottom – pronounced (pa-Key-knee Bot-tum) – are mostly hardy warrior Mer, mixed in with a small smattering of dedicated Gotezhar who protect the surface waters.

B’kini Mer tend to be larger of frame than the average Mer, sporting more muscular bodies, and very few whom are overweight or weak. They also have more visible scar tissue, as though they have been fighting all their lives.

B’kini Gotezhar tend to have Shards with a bright white coloring; a distinction that may have been the reason for their separation from Ezcorher, though neither regions have histories to confirm this. B’kini Gotezhar are fierce to protect their clouds and also any Mer villages that live below them.

B’kini Bottom is a land with many beautiful reefs, but also many shallow valleys. Though the waters don’t run particularly deep, there are still some areas close to the south and east edges of the region that have vast sections of underwater cracks in the ground, leading into dangerous cave systems. Within these caves lay both boon and bane of the region: the miraculous Fertilizing Seeds, and the terrible B’trick Stars. The Stars are starfish of equal size to the average Mer, but they possess dense skin, making them difficult to kill, unless one manages to strike inside their mouths on the underside of their bodies.

The B’trick Stars must be fought regularly – the reason for B’kini Mer being warriors – for allowing them to eat too many of the Fertilizing Seeds will spread their number beyond what can be safely contained. This has caused entire floods of Stars before in living memory, necessitating the need for B’kini Bottom to have a large standing army to push their enemy back into the caves. It has been thought impossible to fully destroy the Stars, as in addition to the Seeds, the large starfish feed and grow on the toxic waters that float from the south and east of B’kini Bottom… but in recent years, Mer who venture too close to that border have found it far more bearable. Something seems to have happened to the toxicity, making it brackish still, but not dangerously so. Fewer and fewer Stars are being born, opening more areas for the Mer to live in, and fewer fights for the Fertilizing Seeds.

Export: Fertilizing Seeds grow from within the cave systems. They are enormous clusters of three-inch spheres, where the cluster itself is almost six feet in diameter. Each sphere – also known as a Fertilizing Pod – has a wood-like exterior that contains a pocket of air to perfectly preserve a single spike-covered seed. Managing to eat this inch-sized seed in it’s entirety has noticeable effects on a Mer’s desires for procreating, and in woman of age in the right time of their cycle, makes it far more likely for them to become pregnant, often with more than one child at a time; thus the name ‘Fertilizing Seeds’. How these seeds do this is unclear.

What is clear is that the seeds are not a casual food. In times of desperation, they can be eaten, but that is not the practice of B’kini Bottom, as it results in many more mouths to feed some many months later, only adding to those desperate times. Instead, the Seeds are cultivated for their mysterious properties and the military uses. A cluster of Pods, if cracked all at once, with force, bursts not just the air pockets within, but scatters the spike covered seeds in a violent manner. In this way, the Seed Cluster can be dropped from on high down unto unsuspecting Stars before the very things that the starfish want become their doom. In theory, the Seeds could be fired out of some kind of artillery weapon, but it was not until the Gotezhar from Ezcorher shared the Orope secrets of Supermarine Artillery that this was realized. Though the explosive nature of the Fertilizing Seeds is different from the Orope Giantsbane Seeds, the resulting destruction is similar.

In recent years, the more industrious B'kini Mer have cultivated their own cave system to cultivate their own Fertilizing Seeds, allowing ease of access to the Seed Clusters, and making it viable to sell the Seeds to outside sources, along with the safe methods of extracting the spiked seed from inside it's pod.

Required Resource: Unskilled Labor
There are many things in B'kini Bottom that need doing that are seen as beneath a warrior's responsibilities. It is with great reluctance that the warrior Mer and B'kini Gotezhar take up these tasks, especially when they could be more useful watching out for dangers on the borders. The people of B'kini Bottom are more than ready to do things that take skill and expertise to accomplish, but something that 'anyone' can do? Unskilled Labor is not fit for a warrior.


Long ago, or so the stories tell, there was a particularly difficult flood of B'trick Stars. The people of B'kini Bottom were caught unprepared, and would have been wiped out, if not for the timely arrival from the south of a house-sized crustacean, so caked in dirt and grime that it was dubbed by children 'The Krusty Krab'. Regardless of the origins of it's name, the Krab was a terror in battle, greedy to the extreme for it's next meal. It ate and ate of the Starfish, seemingly never stopping to fight the flood until the last of the Stars were slain and consumed. Then it settled on the ground for two days and nights, unresponsive to anything. When it finally moved again, it grabbed the corpse of one more B'trick Star, and scuttled back to the south, never to be seen again.

To this day, the warriors of B'kini Bottom worship The Krusty Krab as a mighty warrior-god made flesh, and shape their society around the humble Krab. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside, but deadly to their enemies, and unafraid of danger.
The spot where the Krab is said to have rested is considered to be a Holy Center, and a building that is one part temple, one part restaurant - serving starfish meat, of course - has been erected there. There is another temple restaurant farther to the north that was made as a tribute to the Krab, but holds no further divine significance beyond making it an easier place for families to travel to.

Once a year, in the middle of the summer sun, all of B'kini Bottom rests for two days and two nights, eating and drinking. Traditionally, this is a meal of B'trick Star meat. Additionally, as part of the celebration, warrior families find a crustacean and have their children whom are coming of age do battle with it, before consuming it and using the outer shell as armor and weaponry. In this way, they honor the Krab's tenacity. It has also caused the region to be a prolific breeding ground for crabs, as the Mer and Gotezhar of the region find them both a curious pet and viable food source.

Holy Site: "The Krab's Rest"

A temple and restaurant honoring the Krusty Krab, and site of where it supposedly slept after it single handedly defeated an entire wave of B'trick Stars with it's mighty claws.

Holy Site: "Mister Krab's"

A temple and restaurant honoring the Krusty Krab in the northwest. A viable alternative to worship and feast at, if one cannot travel for days to the southeast.

[TheDarkDM]

Submitting a region for review.


Rumah Leluhur (Region 27)

Rumah Leluhur (Region 27)

South of the regimented pleasure palaces of the sirens and the sprawling plantation-cities of their clients, the shrouded corals of Reumah Leluhur recall an earlier era of kucen development. Scattered tribal holds dot the striated coral hills, their colors growing increasingly clearer and brighter the further west one swims, as geothermal vents thin and the ocean floor rises closer to the elusive surface. It is a wild and dangerous stretch of sea, where the natural dangers of coral sharks and caravan-crackers are sometimes indiscernible from the war bands of kucen tribes, with the uninhabited spaces between tribal holds featuring some of the most spectacular coral forests, fed a unceasing supply of blood and bone. In these primeval battlegrounds, the coral serves as symbiotic home to a unique species of blooming fungus that leeches excess calcium carbonate to form hard-shelled discs that cast uncanny shadows.

Tribal Kucen

When the first siren Indah rose in Senja Bersinar to unify the kucen tribes beneath her glistening talons, the conquest was not so total as the Lambent Syndicate’s histories recount. As Indah’s honeyed words and ruthless tactics brought tribe after tribe to heel, the kucen chiefs and warlords at the far edges of their dominion grew increasingly terrified of the shadow to the north. Indah’s power, coupled with her clear intent to demolish the old order, moved the traditionalist kucen leaders to lengths once thought unthinkable, and beneath a banner now resigned to ignominy they sacrificed their pride and the pride of their tribes…and made peace. When Indah’s grasp stretched out to the kucen marches, she found herself grappling a confederation united in hatred and fear of nothing so much as her. Warriors unnumbered in their defeat pressed south, only to be repulsed time and time again. Even Indah’s greatest servants, her siren daughters, proved incapable of swaying even the weakest of the local warlords to their cause, and after nearly ten years of bloody struggle the mother of the Lambent Syndicate chose to turn her gaze elsewhere. It was not a defeat, of course, for defeat would be unthinkable. But the tribes found their freedom tenuously secure. In the years that followed, Indah’s disappearance and the merciless press of time eroded the purpose that once united the tribes, and little by little they descended once more into internecine conflict. Fortunately for them, the same state of affairs had come to dominate the shadow politics of the Syndicate, and the tribes were left to their little wars.

For a time.

The explosive expansion of Lucent Mistress Adiratna’s power through the subjugation of Kemenangan Adiratna dealt a terrible blow to her rivals’ complacency. Where once the Syndicate’s gaze had only stretched to its traditional borders, an entire world was now opening, its fruits ripe for the taking if one were cunning and ruthless enough. But while most of the Syndicate’s leadership thought to find advantage among the other civilized peoples of the tropic seas, the youngest and least magnificent among them struck upon a different strategy. For years, the southern tribes had watched in mounting jealousy as their northern cousins grew fat and wealthy, the oppressive terror of Syndicate rule obscured behind currents of luxury and aggressive propaganda. Conflicts once fought for honor or territory had begun to take on a markedly more materialistic shade, as tribes raided their neighbors for luxuries rather than essentials. Into this crucible, the Auroran Mistress Intan came not with steel, but with pearls. Spreading her proportionately meager wealth among the leaders of the largest tribes, she spun a vision of a new and binding federation, her faction of the Syndicate serving as figurehead and voice for the southern tribes, each chief and warlord elevated as captains within the Syndicate, with all the wealth and prestige that office entailed. Though she was initially greeted with mistrust, Intan’s clear need of them cast new light on union with Senja Bersinar, and eventually the southern tribes acceded. At once, wealth beyond the measure of their forefathers began to flow into the region. And warriors beyond the ken of the Syndicate’s drug-fueled conscripts leapt like a spear into Intan’s hand.

Hardplate Fungus

The unique fungal blooms that emerge from Rumah Leluhur’s ancient battlegrounds grow harder as they age, while retaining a great deal of supple flexibility. Long harvested by audacious hunters who brave the coral sharks, the fungus has served the local kucen tribes well as arms and armor for generations. Now possessed of the resources to protect industrial harvesting enterprises, the deep red calcifungus has begun to spread to the armies of other Mistresses and beyond.

Resource Requirement: Megafauna

Robbed of the constant warfare that once defined them, the tribes of Rumah Leluhur have petitioned Auroran Mistress Intan for a stopgap to retain their cultural distinctiveness from the soft peoples of Senja Bersinar. Her proposed solution, to import larger and more terrible beasts for the tribes’ chosen warriors to hunt, received early acclaim, though the longevity of the solution is far from decided.

The Fangs: Unlike the kucen of Senja Bersinar, the inhabitants of Rumah Leluhur have long shunned the Maw as a place of ill omen. However, two small tribes stand as noteworthy exceptions. Worshiping the eternal darkness found at the very heart of the Maw, these blind-seeker tribes have carved grim fortresses into a pair of jagged sea-monts that rise like teeth within sight of one another, dominating the northern and southern horizon line of their twins respectively. Long separate from the proper tribal relations of the region, the blind-seekers have yet to submit to Indah’s rule, their continued existence a strange mirror to the resistance offered against Indah by the southern tribes themselves.

[Tychris1]

Region for review


Retret Ringan (Region 19)


Far beyond the desolate plains, crumbling ruin mountains, and dangerous wastes of Binar Fajar lays a relative utopia by Kucen standards. The water is calm, the land is soft and rolling, and the sea is a reliable mistress. The fish growing in Retret Ringan are colorful vibrant and pliable to a stern hand. Life is simple in the valleys, trenches, and sea caves that make up the vast majority of homesteads within the region. Instead of artificial constructs the denizens therein rely on making use of existing landscapes to support their architectural needs. Harvest fields stretching as wide as the eye can see, save for the blight of warcraft that has now formed a set of "teeth" on the region pointed outwardly towards the Maw. Ruts and small trenches have been carved through the land from the unwilling masses dragged to the battle lines in years past to feed the Lighthouse war effort.


Lamplighter Kucen

In storied myth lives the ancient Lamplighter. The shining warrior wielding a magic blade forged from the melted lamps of his whole clan, combining their light into a singular purpose. He had won a hundred battles and cleaved a thousand foes in search of his Goddesses enlightenment. At the end of his long campaign he took his sword and buried it in the sand, bending the material into a plowshare, and resigned his life to the simple agrarian lifestyle. The veracity of such a story is hotly debated amongst Kucen scholars, some attributing this warrior's existence to various Kosong who were noted Warlords or Cult Leaders, and none fully agreeing on the matter. Regardless the mythical folk hero legend persisted amongst the people, many of whom followed in a similar step to the fabled Lamplighter, and were the dissatisfied soldiers, hangers-on, or worst of all survivors of the constant War surrounding Binar Fajar. At the height of Binar Fajar's opulence, this land was little more than an oversized plantation for the cruel and exorbitant Mistresses who ruled the Aurora Dawn and so few of them paid heed to its existence when they fled back to Indah's Rise for a more sightly and fitting station to rule over. Some however saw the opportunity to escape the dangers of courtly life and took the chance, though deprived of the copious Siren Extract in their home and the disgruntled veteran population lead to a quick subdual of any hegemonic statecraft.

Many of the Kucen in the region light Lamps outside of their home to celebrate the ancient warrior they consider the "Founder" of their home and when the Lighthouse came to they did so again in defense. The Kosong reavers were repelled at first, the Vessel at their host gutted and turned into a Lamp of celebration, and then came the reinforcements. Legions of glowing warriors blotting out the light above buried the Lamplighter resistance the year after, farms were sacked, the people subjugated, and now fully assimilated into the Lighthouse's voracious beast. Now Lamplighter serves as a form of "Elite Soldier" terminology amongst the forces of the Lighthouse, who treat the region as an expensive training ground and resort.



Coralberries

The Coral in the region is unique in producing a special abundant berry that is sweet to taste and makes for a delicious wine. It requires long years of careful cultivation to make the sweetest berries, which only grow in the darkest and deepest places in the land. Now it is mostly used for warpaint and the occasional shamanic potion to send a warrior into a fevered state.

Resource Requirement: Precious Minerals

Though they are long separated many of the ancestors of the Lighthouse were the founders of Retret Ringan and their obsessive nature over shiny baubles and sources of light therein persists. Nowadays it only appears as an obsession with shiny precious minerals, rocks that also double as the necessary materials to harvest coralberries with, and in more recent history to bend plowshares into swords and set the tempo of the Lighthouse Imperial March.


Cult of the Lamplighter:

All throughout Retret Ringan persists the Cult of the Lamplighter, broken down into 3 sects that while generally agreeing on the storied myth of the Lamplighter harshly disagree on the focus and the continuation of the fable therein. Some worship the Lamplighter as a Fertility Symbol, seeing his historic move of "planting" his sword and sowing the seed of their people in this land. Others view him as a Deathly Figure, a Reaper of the past who eventually was Reaped himself, and now ushers on those souls too weary to persist in an uncaring world. Lastly and perhaps most audaciously (and in some eyes recently proved correct) there lives the Resurrectionists who believe that in their time of greatest need the Lamplighter would be reborn and return their people to their Warrior's Oath. None of these cults embrace the Radiance of the Reef as the true Will of the Seas and prove a constant disappointment and irritant for the Vessel and his host of Thugs.

[Tychris1]

Torv I'm gonna punch you in the face unless you become my Vassal.

Much love, Ty.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

I'm not sure where the discussion for miracle implementation goes, but I figure I'll just put it here and wait for the gm team to be done with their post-round opener relaxation break.

The Birth Of Avarice

Everything is set. The stars are aligned. The currents are in the right place. The rock nest is imbedded with wealth of the ages. None of these things has materialistic meaning, but remnants of teachings from the Tall Tales ascribe symbology itself meaning within stories woven. As was proven tonight, force of will from the collective consciousness can bring forth unto reality itself.

Mammos, Will Of The World, Avatar Of Avarice, Fly Queen, takes on a form almost wholly alien to any denizen of the underwater, purportedly descended from the Dries Above. Insectoid wings, several pairs like a seraph. Bizarre legs with stump like feet in place of fins unsuited to the water. Yet fins and feelers and gills exist on this creature too, and it moves throughout the Waters of the World with an angelic grace defying all laws of locomotion. It is said to unify the traits of Sky, Sea, and Soil.

(What is meant by those phrases is at best, guesses. Skies is probably in reference to the Dries Above, albeit a bizarre phrasing, and the little gleaned from magical rites says as much. But Soil? What does *that* mean? The obvious guess would be the ground underneath Medusa Roots, some reference to the deeper underworlds and depths, but that has been explicitly denied. Whatever vast reality Soil refers to, it is from a world *entirely* distant and alien, and yet we are assured it exists, *somewhere*.)

Greed binds us all, hive mind and isolate alike. The thinking of hiveminds that they are more unified within themselves is a good one to take, but it is just the first step. Isolates form bonds within themselves and with other isolate clusters and hive minds through economic ties. This basic principle of exchange, of force of beliefs through material will, is itself a unity of thought.

When you pay something for a service, you command it, you unify your intents for mutual growth. Through these bonds, even those with vastly different belief systems and populations can be brought into alignment. We are all, at the core of things, one entity, one being, fractured into an ever expanding variety of cognitive processors. Not just in number of processors, but in *kind* of processors, ever evolving and expanding. Shell is the one true language with which all processors speak.

Harpies, Herrings, Humans, they don’t share anything in common. Anatomy, language, location, size, locomotion. But the one thing we all have in common is a basic principle of currency. All processors do, once they advance to a sufficient degree. Within the waters this is certainly the case, both in our frozen home, and in the warmer waters beyond the borders.

(Harpies and Humans obviously refer to hypothetical denizens of these strange other worlds outside of our reach, from the ordering it is supposed that Harpies are from the Sky, and Humans are from the Soil. Very little is known about either of these other races, and what little is known may be entirely fictional, not even if they are even major facets of those other worlds. The Herrings are, as we know, not presently omnipresent within the waters of polar, let alone outside it.)

It is these principles that guide the teachings of Mammos. Everything, alive or otherwise, is all collectively a singular hive mind, fractured for efficiency. Or perhaps, if not *for* efficiency, then making the best of some long past cosmological event that splintered the unified whole. It really is hard to say, the origins of life have always been a mystery, even within religious belief.

[Torv]

Torv I'm gonna punch you in the face unless you become my Vassal.

Much love, Ty.

You are not the boss of me, I quit! :smalltongue:

I probably need to learn to say no to work even if it's fun to do. On an unrelated note I'm looking increasingly busy the coming months and had been thinking of wrapping up FAY this round. Being punched in the face is even better. I'll skip the defence and stick around till round 11 to die properly. What even is an Empire game without using the Rebel Leader rules?

[TheDarkDM]

New tech for approval:

Death Commando Conditioning: +1 Battles

Slot: Logistics and Morale.

Resource Requirements: Siren Extract
Technology Requirements: Graduated Symbiosis

[Tychris1]

Well in that case the Hym is looking pretty good…:smallwink:

[farothel]

Well in that case the Hym is looking pretty good…:smallwink:

and why do you think that is?

[Tychris1]

Just that I’m going to make the same declaration next round but to you.

The imperialism train has no brakes.

[farothel]

Just that I’m going to make the same declaration next round but to you.

The imperialism train has no brakes.

Maybe not, but it can run off the rails.

[Volthawk]

Got...part of an artefact for people to look at and discuss. It's got a basic fluff outline and a rough idea of the mechanics, but I have little idea of what's balanced for it (or if the mechanical design is workable in the first place).


In the stories of the journey that Arthan, the founder of the Flowing Way, there has always been a missing piece in his history. The years between him travelling Cyph-Arel and learning the stories of the Cyphiri, and returning with the truth of the Way, have always been a mystery, and so some followers of the Way have always searched for Arthan's Rest, as the place he must have stayed in during those years has become known. Now, they appear to have succeeded. In the northeast of Cyph-Arel, close to the point where toxicity makes it impossible to go further, a Cyphiri scout found a cave. Carved into the rock, covering every surface, were the stories of the Cyphiri of the time, along with some of the biological storage mediums of the time, but the real prize was what has now become known as the Head of Arthan (few people believe it's actually his head, of course, but the name given to it by that scout has been intriguing and evocative enough to stic).

While the Head does somewhat resemble a Cyphiri head, it is notable larger, particularly when it comes to the brain, and it has a system of organs similar to roots to draw nutrients from a substrate instead of a neck - it appeared to have gone into a dormant state over the years as the substrate in the cave ran dry, but a new supply of nutrients has been sufficient to wake it up again. The most notable thing about it, however, is that it speaks. Constantly. An endless stream of information and analysis, but one that is scrambled and random - perhaps a side effect of its time in the cave, perhaps just a limitation of what it is and what it knows. It does listen, and with experimentation the Cyphiri studying it have discovered that feeding it a stream of information about a particular location in the right way (the Cyphiri do it by telling the stories gathered from or about the area, but a more direct set of information would likely work) seems to focus its babbling into talking about that particular region. While much of it is still of little use, there are plenty of useful nuggets of information in there one can use in the field, including many deductions and predictions that an experienced follower of the Way may make when given the same information - something that has cemented the idea in the minds of most Cyphiri that this was a creation of Arthan, and as such a being with an understanding of his teachings deeper than any living Cyphiri. And a useful tool, of course.

Mechanics:
The rough idea I have is that you spend an action "focusing" it on a particular area (gathering enough information and having enough people working on getting the Head to accept said information), and then you get some kind of bonus to rolls targeting that region until you refocus it. Not sure how broad a bonus it can give though, even with the limitations, or if it should be simpler than this, or if things targeting a specific region like this are legit in the first place.
A thought I did have when thinking about what type of action the focusing action should be (besides just using Faith) was to allow the action to correspond to any of the five stats, but then the bonus it gives is focused in that area (to whatever degree of broadness/narrowness is required) - so if, say, you take a Military action the information your people fed it was slanted towards things an army would find useful and got similar stuff back? Like I said, don't really have a good eye on the mechanics side.

[Kythia]

Seems like the answer is no, but is it too late to submit a region?

[Feathersnow]

Seems like the answer is no, but is it too late to submit a region?

we are still recruiting, if that is what you mean. The GM team was about to post a new recruiting thread

[bc56]

I'd like to propose as an econ tech:

Filtration Grafts:
Allows crossing of toxic borders
Requires Composite Grafting and a Filter Feeders resource.

[Kythia]

we are still recruiting, if that is what you mean. The GM team was about to post a new recruiting thread

That is what I meant, dunno why I phrased it in such a weird way. Thanks!

[Corona]

Submitting writeup (Edited to add the Silence):

Region 11 - Klau'ead Pyue'ea'oed


The region is part of the wider area nicknamed "the Blue North" by the Lojanese after the color of its waters, which is effected by the lack of contaminants and a seabed covered almost entirely by dead coral with a high albedo. The coral - dead and living - rather than rocks or the like, shapes the landscape, forming great sloping terraces.

The first few Lojanese expeditions trying establish a presence in region 11, although well-equipped, had been stymied and thrown into utter disorder by the near-impossibility of auditory communication. Having trained to communicate through alternate means and developed tools for measuring the distortion of sound, the explorers returned.

After exhaustive experiments that left more than a few members with tinnitus, they determined a clade of endemic plankton species to be the cause. The plankton absorbs the energy of sound with endothermic chemical reactions and uses the gathered energy for its movement and metabolism with exothermic reactions.

This phenomenon occurs in the entire region and is called the Silence by the locals - those among them who have visited other regions to be able to contrast it with normal conditions.



The colonies of the Lojanese and the Auros, respectively named Sau'eazhan and Kalo, are situated in the south, where a hospitable valley has enticed both peoples. Rivalry between the colonies has acquired a long-lasting character. Children pick fights with those from the other town, and adults have only harsh words for the neighbors. On the other hand, trade and cultural exchange has been inevitable, and the smaller, newer settlements are often populated diversely, without any enmity between the inhabitants.



Export: Sapcoral
The corals of the region consume many nutrients by filtering the water and slowly dissolving corpses and detritus that falls from above, in order to grow bulbs ranging in color from orange to purple filled with delicious nectar, by far the most accessible source of food in the region. However, about one-quarter of the bulbs, depending on the species, are filled with sticky sap instead, which rapidly expands due to the pressure inside the bulb and entraps any would-be feeder. The coral consumes the corpse to recoup the costs of growing the bulbs and the cycle continues. The two types of bulbs look identical until the membrane breaks. Which bulb contains what is determined by the shuffling of chromosomes in the one parent cell from which the bulb grows.
The probability of deadly bulbs is determined by evolution. Too great, and fish evolve not to try their luck. Too small, and the coral expends more energy than it consumes.
The sap is dyed a very bright, water-resistant color, but as it is extremely sticky, it must be mixed with some sort of powder or sand to weaken the glue if you ever want to remove the color.

Desired import: Fibers
Although the corals and the seafloor provide a cornucopia of food and building materials, there are scarce furred inhabitants or kelp from which fibers for tools could be extracted.



HS1: Ancient Hut
It is a small, approximately conical bamboo dwelling that has always been there. It is inhabited by the greatest of sages in Klau'ead Pyue'ea'oed. When the sage dies, another moves in. In exchange for being given porridge by the people, they spend all their time studying technology, learning magic and conversing with the gods in order to answer all questions asked.

[Kythia]

Crossposted from recruitment as I'm not sure I put it in the right place:

Faction Name The Magaramach





Leader: The Leviation
(Wait to roll until approved)
Diplomacy:
Military:
Economy:
Faith:
Intrigue:
(Link to the post containing your rolls.)

Capital Region: The Magaramachi Salination (outsiders), Home (internally) (ideally region 19, anything with brackish borders for preference)
Resources: Most Magaramachi aren't really able to understand the concept of trade but they do understand the concept of "if I do this, you do that" in the same way that a dog does. With a bit of effort and a fair amount of sweet, high-calorie foods, smaller Magaramachi can be lured and somewhat domesticated into a supply of Labour by more intelligent races. They can't handle complicated jobs and require constant oversight but their raw strength ad lack of need for sleep makes them equivalent to entire work crews when it comes to infrastructure projects and the like.

The sweet food is an essential part of that process though; the Magaramachi sweet tooth is all encompassing. Not to say the Magaramachi salination is free of such treats: theres a small silver and blue fish that they devour by the handful and a particular reddy green algae rewards those willing to travel to the surface. But there's not, and in fact can never be, enough Sweet Foods for the population's liking.

Holy Sites:

Sharprock: Open.
Technically a particularly hard coral but sharper minds than the Magaramachi could be forgiven for thinking it was rock. This large reef towards the north of the Salination is deadly within seconds to anything large enough not to be able to avoid brushing up against it. It's easily sharp enough to penetrate Magaramachi scales or similar plating and strong enough to make removing parts to use a weopans dangerous. The Magaramachi give the area a wide berth and those intelligent enough to think such abstract thoughts view it as a place of death and terror, an eternal punishment for anyone smaller than them.
The Breeding Gyre: Open
At the confluence of several major currents, the water is whipped into unpredictable whirls and eddies and something about the ever changing touch of the waters drives the Magaramachi into a frenzy of reproduction and violence. This place is both the major source of Magaramachi young and the major check on their population as individuals make their way there to fight one another, feed from one another and do other things beginning with "F" to one another. They stay there in an orgy of violence and other things until dead or too weak to continue. While it may seem hellish, the smarter ones view it as their (eventual) eternal reward for being so incredible and large - though of course in their dim imagination they win every encounter and grow bigger and stronger with each one.
Leviathan's Home: Leviathan is the boss
An area of the salination. Not particularly salty but not particularly not-salty. Not overly blessed with food but not too barren. Not too this, but not totally un-this. It's sole distinguishing feature is its the area Leviathan has called her own. She half swims, have floats through this area, an occasional flick of her tail driving her towards the males she has domesticated over here or a passing shoal of fish over there. Periodically - weekly? on average? - a challenger not bright enough to recongise how large and fantastic she is enters the area to be destroyed in a brief but bloody encounter. Their half eaten corpse slowly sinks to the bottom to be devoured by the mudscum who are finding this area to be a nirvana.


Faction Support:

Aristocratic: Self
Clerical: Open
Mercantile: Open

Starting tech: Choose one (or none) of:

Supernatic Propagation - The surface of the water is a dangerous and often hostile place, making so-called 'dry' bioproductivity a risky proposition, but with the right tools and personnel, engineered life can flourish there too.



The Magaramachi Salination is an unusually salty region of tropical waters containing the confluence of a few major ocean currents. It's a relatively shallow area with only a few rifts leading to deeper area, the majority of the region extends only a hundred or so feet down before one meets three or four feet of thick viscous mud. The bottom mud is the domain of the mudscum - semi-intelligent flat fish who live in packs and eat any flesh that makes it's way down there: their sharp teeth are effective at making sure that most things that come down are sufficiently dead to be eaten straight away regardless of how it landed but Magaramachi scales and similar carapaces need to be left to soften in the mildly corrosive mud for a few days.

Above that various shoals of fish, collectively known as deepfish, swim. Eating particulate matter and eventually dying and falling to feed the mudscum they are actually, though noone has noticed, the main driver of the region's enhanced salinity due to their highly saline skeletons eventually degrading.

Above that, the floating Magaramachi and various shoals of fish collectively called the highfish. Some of these are highly attractive to the Magaramachi and an unchecked explosion in Magaramachi numbers wuld likely lead to their extinction, with as yet unknown effects on the local ecosystem.

Above that, the surface. Clouds of colourful algae cover most of the surface gaining energy from the salts in the water and eventually dying and falling to be eaten by fish.

The algae covering most of the surface means there are few photosynthesising plants in the region as the waters are darker than one might expect given their depth.


Picture a crocodile. Remove those parts of its head that aren't mouth and make them mouth - a long body ending in powerful jaws. (The brain, should you care, goes backwards to near the stomach. The eyes are lost due to the darker waters, replace them with electrochemical sensors inside the mouth and a tongue sensitive to minute currents in the water. Nostrils are lost to gills shielded by slightly thinner scales). Now thicken the scales and up the musculature. You're picturing a Magaramachon.

They hatch from eggs at about a foot long and grow rapidly until about five feet, slower after that though rate of growtth is highly dependant on food availability. Magaramachi are biologically immortal and grow throughout their entire life, becoming stronger and more intelligent as they do, until they meet a violent end or, less commonly, succumb to starvation or disease. The bulk, those smaller than about six feet, are barely intelligent - smarter than a dumb dog, dumber than a smart one. Once they pass around six feet they start getting progressively smarter with no theoretical upper limit. The Magaramachi don't keep records themselves but records from their neighbours talk about one who reached thirty eight feet and was able to make substantial contributions to the world's knowledge - it's entirely possible that algae propogation was invented or at least substantially improved by them. Reaching such a size would have taken centuries though and as their body grows so does their food needs; Megaramachi of that size invariably starve to death.

Magaramachi society is entirely focused around size, and as size grows so does ego. Once one is large enough to have a concept of "myself" and "not myself" they inevitably come to the only sensible conclusion - that they are the greatest of all Magaramachi, that their smaller cousins are suitable only for training to bring them food and that their larger brethren (who attained such a size only through pure luck) must be brought down and eaten. The very largest, fifteen foot plus, are capable of understanding that not everything feels that way and acting as if they are not the greatest and most perfect of all things under the sea, but the fact that they can pretend not to think it doesn't mean they don't think it. Diplomacy is possible but goes much smoother if every so often the other party remarks on how large and incredible the Magaramachon is, how they are truly the greatest of all Magaramachi and how they will inevitably grow larger still.

Magaramachi females are perhaps slightly larger than males on average but not so much as to be an infallible guide. Magaramchi are hatched from eggs as they fall, those infants that don't hatch in time are eaten by mudscum as the eggs hit the bottom and the mother swims away unconcerned. Magaramchi fmales are capable of multiple simoultaneous pregnancies from multiple partners (or the same partner multiple times) - three or four concurrent pregnancies is common and seven or eight is a relatively routine occurance (akin to triplets in human society)

Magaramachon society, such as it is, is composed of several distinct groups under the leadership of the largest, the group being precisely as big as the leader can get away with. At any time the Salination is home to around twenty or thirty such groups in a constant state of war as each individual leader seeks to redress whatever cosmic wrong has happened to allow Magaramachi who aren't them to have any influence. Currently the largest, by quite some way, is the twenty three foot female who calls herself (or, more likely, allows others to call her) Leviathan - Magaramachi lrge enough to have names tend to have names like that: "Giant", "Huge", "Enormous", etc. The exception is those too cowed by a larger leader to have set up on their own who take/are given deprecating names like "Tiny" or "Small" which adds more fuel to their sullen plotting and scheming against their leader - until, of course, that breaks into a frenzy of teeth and claws when a challenge is made.

Algae plays a huge part in the diet of the smaller Magaramachi and smaller, non-intelligent, ones will instinctively "farm" the more desirable crops. Spreading clumps out for more growth, eating competing blooms etc. As one grows larger, this task becomes devolved to those smaller ones you've brought under your sway but becomes likewise more efficient with techniques such as crop splicing, crop rotation and selective breeding being widely known. These techniques have also been used on a species of large fish (called the "highest fish") that lives much of its life floating face down on the surface and, with much less success, on the mudscum below. Magaramachi are far more adept at farming the surface than the floor.



Each Magaramachi intelligent enough to consider the issue of faith follows a religion at once unique to itself and indistinguishable from every other Magaramachi. It can be broudly summed up as "<Insert name here> is the best" or "<Insert name here> is the biggest". Tenets are simple. <Insert name here> is the pinnacle of the Magaramachi race. Those it has cowed into following it have made the only sensible decision based on a) how tiny and insignifcent they are versus b) how huge and awesome he is.
Those larger are living on borrowed time until they are inevitably challenged and eaten, the calaries from their body feeding <Insert name here> and being another step on their eventual and utterly guaranteed path to becoming the size of the entire planet and then eating the planet. It's unclear what would happen after that.

[Volthawk]

This round's temperate maps:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/1000976855270166599/t9_land.png


https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/1000976926443307079/t9_eco.png


https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886392400973864/1000976969372012594/t9_faith.png

[LapisCattis]

Crossposted from recruitment as I'm not sure I put it in the right place:

Faction Name The Magaramach





Leader: The Leviation
(Wait to roll until approved)
Diplomacy:
Military:
Economy:
Faith:
Intrigue:
(Link to the post containing your rolls.)

Capital Region: The Magaramachi Salination (outsiders), Home (internally) (ideally region 19, anything with brackish borders for preference)
Resources: Most Magaramachi aren't really able to understand the concept of trade but they do understand the concept of "if I do this, you do that" in the same way that a dog does. With a bit of effort and a fair amount of sweet, high-calorie foods, smaller Magaramachi can be lured and somewhat domesticated into a supply of Labour by more intelligent races. They can't handle complicated jobs and require constant oversight but their raw strength ad lack of need for sleep makes them equivalent to entire work crews when it comes to infrastructure projects and the like.

The sweet food is an essential part of that process though; the Magaramachi sweet tooth is all encompassing. Not to say the Magaramachi salination is free of such treats: theres a small silver and blue fish that they devour by the handful and a particular reddy green algae rewards those willing to travel to the surface. But there's not, and in fact can never be, enough Sweet Foods for the population's liking.

Holy Sites:

Sharprock: Open.
Technically a particularly hard coral but sharper minds than the Magaramachi could be forgiven for thinking it was rock. This large reef towards the north of the Salination is deadly within seconds to anything large enough not to be able to avoid brushing up against it. It's easily sharp enough to penetrate Magaramachi scales or similar plating and strong enough to make removing parts to use a weopans dangerous. The Magaramachi give the area a wide berth and those intelligent enough to think such abstract thoughts view it as a place of death and terror, an eternal punishment for anyone smaller than them.
The Breeding Gyre: Open
At the confluence of several major currents, the water is whipped into unpredictable whirls and eddies and something about the ever changing touch of the waters drives the Magaramachi into a frenzy of reproduction and violence. This place is both the major source of Magaramachi young and the major check on their population as individuals make their way there to fight one another, feed from one another and do other things beginning with "F" to one another. They stay there in an orgy of violence and other things until dead or too weak to continue. While it may seem hellish, the smarter ones view it as their (eventual) eternal reward for being so incredible and large - though of course in their dim imagination they win every encounter and grow bigger and stronger with each one.
Leviathan's Home: Leviathan is the boss
An area of the salination. Not particularly salty but not particularly not-salty. Not overly blessed with food but not too barren. Not too this, but not totally un-this. It's sole distinguishing feature is its the area Leviathan has called her own. She half swims, have floats through this area, an occasional flick of her tail driving her towards the males she has domesticated over here or a passing shoal of fish over there. Periodically - weekly? on average? - a challenger not bright enough to recongise how large and fantastic she is enters the area to be destroyed in a brief but bloody encounter. Their half eaten corpse slowly sinks to the bottom to be devoured by the mudscum who are finding this area to be a nirvana.


Faction Support:

Aristocratic: Self
Clerical: Open
Mercantile: Open

Starting tech: Choose one (or none) of:

Supernatic Propagation - The surface of the water is a dangerous and often hostile place, making so-called 'dry' bioproductivity a risky proposition, but with the right tools and personnel, engineered life can flourish there too.



The Magaramachi Salination is an unusually salty region of tropical waters containing the confluence of a few major ocean currents. It's a relatively shallow area with only a few rifts leading to deeper area, the majority of the region extends only a hundred or so feet down before one meets three or four feet of thick viscous mud. The bottom mud is the domain of the mudscum - semi-intelligent flat fish who live in packs and eat any flesh that makes it's way down there: their sharp teeth are effective at making sure that most things that come down are sufficiently dead to be eaten straight away regardless of how it landed but Magaramachi scales and similar carapaces need to be left to soften in the mildly corrosive mud for a few days.

Above that various shoals of fish, collectively known as deepfish, swim. Eating particulate matter and eventually dying and falling to feed the mudscum they are actually, though noone has noticed, the main driver of the region's enhanced salinity due to their highly saline skeletons eventually degrading.

Above that, the floating Magaramachi and various shoals of fish collectively called the highfish. Some of these are highly attractive to the Magaramachi and an unchecked explosion in Magaramachi numbers wuld likely lead to their extinction, with as yet unknown effects on the local ecosystem.

Above that, the surface. Clouds of colourful algae cover most of the surface gaining energy from the salts in the water and eventually dying and falling to be eaten by fish.

The algae covering most of the surface means there are few photosynthesising plants in the region as the waters are darker than one might expect given their depth.


Picture a crocodile. Remove those parts of its head that aren't mouth and make them mouth - a long body ending in powerful jaws. (The brain, should you care, goes backwards to near the stomach. The eyes are lost due to the darker waters, replace them with electrochemical sensors inside the mouth and a tongue sensitive to minute currents in the water. Nostrils are lost to gills shielded by slightly thinner scales). Now thicken the scales and up the musculature. You're picturing a Magaramachon.

They hatch from eggs at about a foot long and grow rapidly until about five feet, slower after that though rate of growtth is highly dependant on food availability. Magaramachi are biologically immortal and grow throughout their entire life, becoming stronger and more intelligent as they do, until they meet a violent end or, less commonly, succumb to starvation or disease. The bulk, those smaller than about six feet, are barely intelligent - smarter than a dumb dog, dumber than a smart one. Once they pass around six feet they start getting progressively smarter with no theoretical upper limit. The Magaramachi don't keep records themselves but records from their neighbours talk about one who reached thirty eight feet and was able to make substantial contributions to the world's knowledge - it's entirely possible that algae propogation was invented or at least substantially improved by them. Reaching such a size would have taken centuries though and as their body grows so does their food needs; Megaramachi of that size invariably starve to death.

Magaramachi society is entirely focused around size, and as size grows so does ego. Once one is large enough to have a concept of "myself" and "not myself" they inevitably come to the only sensible conclusion - that they are the greatest of all Magaramachi, that their smaller cousins are suitable only for training to bring them food and that their larger brethren (who attained such a size only through pure luck) must be brought down and eaten. The very largest, fifteen foot plus, are capable of understanding that not everything feels that way and acting as if they are not the greatest and most perfect of all things under the sea, but the fact that they can pretend not to think it doesn't mean they don't think it. Diplomacy is possible but goes much smoother if every so often the other party remarks on how large and incredible the Magaramachon is, how they are truly the greatest of all Magaramachi and how they will inevitably grow larger still.

Magaramachi females are perhaps slightly larger than males on average but not so much as to be an infallible guide. Magaramchi are hatched from eggs as they fall, those infants that don't hatch in time are eaten by mudscum as the eggs hit the bottom and the mother swims away unconcerned. Magaramchi fmales are capable of multiple simoultaneous pregnancies from multiple partners (or the same partner multiple times) - three or four concurrent pregnancies is common and seven or eight is a relatively routine occurance (akin to triplets in human society)

Magaramachon society, such as it is, is composed of several distinct groups under the leadership of the largest, the group being precisely as big as the leader can get away with. At any time the Salination is home to around twenty or thirty such groups in a constant state of war as each individual leader seeks to redress whatever cosmic wrong has happened to allow Magaramachi who aren't them to have any influence. Currently the largest, by quite some way, is the twenty three foot female who calls herself (or, more likely, allows others to call her) Leviathan - Magaramachi lrge enough to have names tend to have names like that: "Giant", "Huge", "Enormous", etc. The exception is those too cowed by a larger leader to have set up on their own who take/are given deprecating names like "Tiny" or "Small" which adds more fuel to their sullen plotting and scheming against their leader - until, of course, that breaks into a frenzy of teeth and claws when a challenge is made.

Algae plays a huge part in the diet of the smaller Magaramachi and smaller, non-intelligent, ones will instinctively "farm" the more desirable crops. Spreading clumps out for more growth, eating competing blooms etc. As one grows larger, this task becomes devolved to those smaller ones you've brought under your sway but becomes likewise more efficient with techniques such as crop splicing, crop rotation and selective breeding being widely known. These techniques have also been used on a species of large fish (called the "highest fish") that lives much of its life floating face down on the surface and, with much less success, on the mudscum below. Magaramachi are far more adept at farming the surface than the floor.



Each Magaramachi intelligent enough to consider the issue of faith follows a religion at once unique to itself and indistinguishable from every other Magaramachi. It can be broudly summed up as "<Insert name here> is the best" or "<Insert name here> is the biggest". Tenets are simple. <Insert name here> is the pinnacle of the Magaramachi race. Those it has cowed into following it have made the only sensible decision based on a) how tiny and insignifcent they are versus b) how huge and awesome he is.
Those larger are living on borrowed time until they are inevitably challenged and eaten, the calaries from their body feeding <Insert name here> and being another step on their eventual and utterly guaranteed path to becoming the size of the entire planet and then eating the planet. It's unclear what would happen after that.

No worries! I'll be putting up a new recruitment thread later today with updated maps and locations. For now I put a response for you in the current Recruitment Thread. Thanks for dropping in an application! The Magaramachi are really interesting!

[LapisCattis]

Based on my knowledge of how rolls work, I should be laying claim to a new region this round. I had the spare time, so I wrote this up for approval.


B’kini Bottom
(Region 139)

Those whom live within B’kini Bottom – pronounced (pa-Key-knee Bot-tum) – are mostly hardy warrior Mer, mixed in with a small smattering of dedicated Gotezhar who protect the surface waters.

B’kini Mer tend to be larger of frame than the average Mer, sporting more muscular bodies, and very few whom are overweight or weak. They also have more visible scar tissue, as though they have been fighting all their lives.

B’kini Gotezhar tend to have Shards with a bright white coloring; a distinction that may have been the reason for their separation from Ezcorher, though neither regions have histories to confirm this. B’kini Gotezhar are fierce to protect their clouds and also any Mer villages that live below them.

B’kini Bottom is a land with many beautiful reefs, but also many shallow valleys. Though the waters don’t run particularly deep, there are still some areas close to the south and east edges of the region that have vast sections of underwater cracks in the ground, leading into dangerous cave systems. Within these caves lay both boon and bane of the region: the miraculous Fertilizing Seeds, and the terrible B’trick Stars. The Stars are starfish of equal size to the average Mer, but they possess dense skin, making them difficult to kill, unless one manages to strike inside their mouths on the underside of their bodies.

The B’trick Stars must be fought regularly – the reason for B’kini Mer being warriors – for allowing them to eat too many of the Fertilizing Seeds will spread their number beyond what can be safely contained. This has caused entire floods of Stars before in living memory, necessitating the need for B’kini Bottom to have a large standing army to push their enemy back into the caves. It has been thought impossible to fully destroy the Stars, as in addition to the Seeds, the large starfish feed and grow on the toxic waters that float from the south and east of B’kini Bottom… but in recent years, Mer who venture too close to that border have found it far more bearable. Something seems to have happened to the toxicity, making it brackish still, but not dangerously so. Fewer and fewer Stars are being born, opening more areas for the Mer to live in, and fewer fights for the Fertilizing Seeds.

Export: Fertilizing Seeds grow from within the cave systems. They are enormous clusters of three-inch spheres, where the cluster itself is almost six feet in diameter. Each sphere – also known as a Fertilizing Pod – has a wood-like exterior that contains a pocket of air to perfectly preserve a single spike-covered seed. Managing to eat this inch-sized seed in it’s entirety has noticeable effects on a Mer’s desires for procreating, and in woman of age in the right time of their cycle, makes it far more likely for them to become pregnant, often with more than one child at a time; thus the name ‘Fertilizing Seeds’. How these seeds do this is unclear.

What is clear is that the seeds are not a casual food. In times of desperation, they can be eaten, but that is not the practice of B’kini Bottom, as it results in many more mouths to feed some many months later, only adding to those desperate times. Instead, the Seeds are cultivated for their mysterious properties and the military uses. A cluster of Pods, if cracked all at once, with force, bursts not just the air pockets within, but scatters the spike covered seeds in a violent manner. In this way, the Seed Cluster can be dropped from on high down unto unsuspecting Stars before the very things that the starfish want become their doom. In theory, the Seeds could be fired out of some kind of artillery weapon, but it was not until the Gotezhar from Ezcorher shared the Orope secrets of Supermarine Artillery that this was realized. Though the explosive nature of the Fertilizing Seeds is different from the Orope Giantsbane Seeds, the resulting destruction is similar.

In recent years, the more industrious B'kini Mer have cultivated their own cave system to cultivate their own Fertilizing Seeds, allowing ease of access to the Seed Clusters, and making it viable to sell the Seeds to outside sources, along with the safe methods of extracting the spiked seed from inside it's pod.

Required Resource: Unskilled Labor
There are many things in B'kini Bottom that need doing that are seen as beneath a warrior's responsibilities. It is with great reluctance that the warrior Mer and B'kini Gotezhar take up these tasks, especially when they could be more useful watching out for dangers on the borders. The people of B'kini Bottom are more than ready to do things that take skill and expertise to accomplish, but something that 'anyone' can do? Unskilled Labor is not fit for a warrior.


Long ago, or so the stories tell, there was a particularly difficult flood of B'trick Stars. The people of B'kini Bottom were caught unprepared, and would have been wiped out, if not for the timely arrival from the south of a house-sized crustacean, so caked in dirt and grime that it was dubbed by children 'The Krusty Krab'. Regardless of the origins of it's name, the Krab was a terror in battle, greedy to the extreme for it's next meal. It ate and ate of the Starfish, seemingly never stopping to fight the flood until the last of the Stars were slain and consumed. Then it settled on the ground for two days and nights, unresponsive to anything. When it finally moved again, it grabbed the corpse of one more B'trick Star, and scuttled back to the south, never to be seen again.

To this day, the warriors of B'kini Bottom worship The Krusty Krab as a mighty warrior-god made flesh, and shape their society around the humble Krab. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside, but deadly to their enemies, and unafraid of danger.
The spot where the Krab is said to have rested is considered to be a Holy Center, and a building that is one part temple, one part restaurant - serving starfish meat, of course - has been erected there. There is another temple restaurant farther to the north that was made as a tribute to the Krab, but holds no further divine significance beyond making it an easier place for families to travel to.

Once a year, in the middle of the summer sun, all of B'kini Bottom rests for two days and two nights, eating and drinking. Traditionally, this is a meal of B'trick Star meat. Additionally, as part of the celebration, warrior families find a crustacean and have their children whom are coming of age do battle with it, before consuming it and using the outer shell as armor and weaponry. In this way, they honor the Krab's tenacity. It has also caused the region to be a prolific breeding ground for crabs, as the Mer and Gotezhar of the region find them both a curious pet and viable food source.

Holy Site: "The Krab's Rest"

A temple and restaurant honoring the Krusty Krab, and site of where it supposedly slept after it single handedly defeated an entire wave of B'trick Stars with it's mighty claws.

Holy Site: "Mister Krab's"

A temple and restaurant honoring the Krusty Krab in the northwest. A viable alternative to worship and feast at, if one cannot travel for days to the southeast.

Approved! It was only a matter of time before Spongebob came up
I know you started chatting with Mine about tech and resource overlaps, and let me know if either of you want to chat or have any issues.

[LapisCattis]

Submitting a region for review.


Rumah Leluhur (Region 27)

Rumah Leluhur (Region 27)

South of the regimented pleasure palaces of the sirens and the sprawling plantation-cities of their clients, the shrouded corals of Reumah Leluhur recall an earlier era of kucen development. Scattered tribal holds dot the striated coral hills, their colors growing increasingly clearer and brighter the further west one swims, as geothermal vents thin and the ocean floor rises closer to the elusive surface. It is a wild and dangerous stretch of sea, where the natural dangers of coral sharks and caravan-crackers are sometimes indiscernible from the war bands of kucen tribes, with the uninhabited spaces between tribal holds featuring some of the most spectacular coral forests, fed a unceasing supply of blood and bone. In these primeval battlegrounds, the coral serves as symbiotic home to a unique species of blooming fungus that leeches excess calcium carbonate to form hard-shelled discs that cast uncanny shadows.

Tribal Kucen

When the first siren Indah rose in Senja Bersinar to unify the kucen tribes beneath her glistening talons, the conquest was not so total as the Lambent Syndicate’s histories recount. As Indah’s honeyed words and ruthless tactics brought tribe after tribe to heel, the kucen chiefs and warlords at the far edges of their dominion grew increasingly terrified of the shadow to the north. Indah’s power, coupled with her clear intent to demolish the old order, moved the traditionalist kucen leaders to lengths once thought unthinkable, and beneath a banner now resigned to ignominy they sacrificed their pride and the pride of their tribes…and made peace. When Indah’s grasp stretched out to the kucen marches, she found herself grappling a confederation united in hatred and fear of nothing so much as her. Warriors unnumbered in their defeat pressed south, only to be repulsed time and time again. Even Indah’s greatest servants, her siren daughters, proved incapable of swaying even the weakest of the local warlords to their cause, and after nearly ten years of bloody struggle the mother of the Lambent Syndicate chose to turn her gaze elsewhere. It was not a defeat, of course, for defeat would be unthinkable. But the tribes found their freedom tenuously secure. In the years that followed, Indah’s disappearance and the merciless press of time eroded the purpose that once united the tribes, and little by little they descended once more into internecine conflict. Fortunately for them, the same state of affairs had come to dominate the shadow politics of the Syndicate, and the tribes were left to their little wars.

For a time.

The explosive expansion of Lucent Mistress Adiratna’s power through the subjugation of Kemenangan Adiratna dealt a terrible blow to her rivals’ complacency. Where once the Syndicate’s gaze had only stretched to its traditional borders, an entire world was now opening, its fruits ripe for the taking if one were cunning and ruthless enough. But while most of the Syndicate’s leadership thought to find advantage among the other civilized peoples of the tropic seas, the youngest and least magnificent among them struck upon a different strategy. For years, the southern tribes had watched in mounting jealousy as their northern cousins grew fat and wealthy, the oppressive terror of Syndicate rule obscured behind currents of luxury and aggressive propaganda. Conflicts once fought for honor or territory had begun to take on a markedly more materialistic shade, as tribes raided their neighbors for luxuries rather than essentials. Into this crucible, the Auroran Mistress Intan came not with steel, but with pearls. Spreading her proportionately meager wealth among the leaders of the largest tribes, she spun a vision of a new and binding federation, her faction of the Syndicate serving as figurehead and voice for the southern tribes, each chief and warlord elevated as captains within the Syndicate, with all the wealth and prestige that office entailed. Though she was initially greeted with mistrust, Intan’s clear need of them cast new light on union with Senja Bersinar, and eventually the southern tribes acceded. At once, wealth beyond the measure of their forefathers began to flow into the region. And warriors beyond the ken of the Syndicate’s drug-fueled conscripts leapt like a spear into Intan’s hand.

Hardplate Fungus

The unique fungal blooms that emerge from Rumah Leluhur’s ancient battlegrounds grow harder as they age, while retaining a great deal of supple flexibility. Long harvested by audacious hunters who brave the coral sharks, the fungus has served the local kucen tribes well as arms and armor for generations. Now possessed of the resources to protect industrial harvesting enterprises, the deep red calcifungus has begun to spread to the armies of other Mistresses and beyond.

Resource Requirement: Megafauna

Robbed of the constant warfare that once defined them, the tribes of Rumah Leluhur have petitioned Auroran Mistress Intan for a stopgap to retain their cultural distinctiveness from the soft peoples of Senja Bersinar. Her proposed solution, to import larger and more terrible beasts for the tribes’ chosen warriors to hunt, received early acclaim, though the longevity of the solution is far from decided.

The Fangs: Unlike the kucen of Senja Bersinar, the inhabitants of Rumah Leluhur have long shunned the Maw as a place of ill omen. However, two small tribes stand as noteworthy exceptions. Worshiping the eternal darkness found at the very heart of the Maw, these blind-seeker tribes have carved grim fortresses into a pair of jagged sea-monts that rise like teeth within sight of one another, dominating the northern and southern horizon line of their twins respectively. Long separate from the proper tribal relations of the region, the blind-seekers have yet to submit to Indah’s rule, their continued existence a strange mirror to the resistance offered against Indah by the southern tribes themselves.

Approved! Feel free to add to the Waters of the World

[Kythia]

No worries! I'll be putting up a new recruitment thread later today with updated maps and locations. For now I put a response for you in the current Recruitment Thread. Thanks for dropping in an application! The Magaramachi are really interesting!

Awesome! I'll do some rolls for stats tonight so they're ready to go when a region comes up. Thanks for having me.

Also, it turns out I'm considerably more of an idiot than I hoped and I actually wanted a region with briny borders, not brackish. So the lack of 19 ceases to be a problem. And it's not super important, it just felt like it made sense given I'd mentioned the high salinity of the region

[Minescratcher]

Crossposted from recruitment as I'm not sure I put it in the right place:

Faction Name The Magaramach





Leader: The Leviation
(Wait to roll until approved)
Diplomacy:
Military:
Economy:
Faith:
Intrigue:
(Link to the post containing your rolls.)

Capital Region: The Magaramachi Salination (outsiders), Home (internally) (ideally region 19, anything with brackish borders for preference)
Resources: Most Magaramachi aren't really able to understand the concept of trade but they do understand the concept of "if I do this, you do that" in the same way that a dog does. With a bit of effort and a fair amount of sweet, high-calorie foods, smaller Magaramachi can be lured and somewhat domesticated into a supply of Labour by more intelligent races. They can't handle complicated jobs and require constant oversight but their raw strength ad lack of need for sleep makes them equivalent to entire work crews when it comes to infrastructure projects and the like.

The sweet food is an essential part of that process though; the Magaramachi sweet tooth is all encompassing. Not to say the Magaramachi salination is free of such treats: theres a small silver and blue fish that they devour by the handful and a particular reddy green algae rewards those willing to travel to the surface. But there's not, and in fact can never be, enough Sweet Foods for the population's liking.

Holy Sites:

Sharprock: Open.
Technically a particularly hard coral but sharper minds than the Magaramachi could be forgiven for thinking it was rock. This large reef towards the north of the Salination is deadly within seconds to anything large enough not to be able to avoid brushing up against it. It's easily sharp enough to penetrate Magaramachi scales or similar plating and strong enough to make removing parts to use a weopans dangerous. The Magaramachi give the area a wide berth and those intelligent enough to think such abstract thoughts view it as a place of death and terror, an eternal punishment for anyone smaller than them.
The Breeding Gyre: Open
At the confluence of several major currents, the water is whipped into unpredictable whirls and eddies and something about the ever changing touch of the waters drives the Magaramachi into a frenzy of reproduction and violence. This place is both the major source of Magaramachi young and the major check on their population as individuals make their way there to fight one another, feed from one another and do other things beginning with "F" to one another. They stay there in an orgy of violence and other things until dead or too weak to continue. While it may seem hellish, the smarter ones view it as their (eventual) eternal reward for being so incredible and large - though of course in their dim imagination they win every encounter and grow bigger and stronger with each one.
Leviathan's Home: Leviathan is the boss
An area of the salination. Not particularly salty but not particularly not-salty. Not overly blessed with food but not too barren. Not too this, but not totally un-this. It's sole distinguishing feature is its the area Leviathan has called her own. She half swims, have floats through this area, an occasional flick of her tail driving her towards the males she has domesticated over here or a passing shoal of fish over there. Periodically - weekly? on average? - a challenger not bright enough to recongise how large and fantastic she is enters the area to be destroyed in a brief but bloody encounter. Their half eaten corpse slowly sinks to the bottom to be devoured by the mudscum who are finding this area to be a nirvana.


Faction Support:

Aristocratic: Self
Clerical: Open
Mercantile: Open

Starting tech: Choose one (or none) of:

Supernatic Propagation - The surface of the water is a dangerous and often hostile place, making so-called 'dry' bioproductivity a risky proposition, but with the right tools and personnel, engineered life can flourish there too.



The Magaramachi Salination is an unusually salty region of tropical waters containing the confluence of a few major ocean currents. It's a relatively shallow area with only a few rifts leading to deeper area, the majority of the region extends only a hundred or so feet down before one meets three or four feet of thick viscous mud. The bottom mud is the domain of the mudscum - semi-intelligent flat fish who live in packs and eat any flesh that makes it's way down there: their sharp teeth are effective at making sure that most things that come down are sufficiently dead to be eaten straight away regardless of how it landed but Magaramachi scales and similar carapaces need to be left to soften in the mildly corrosive mud for a few days.

Above that various shoals of fish, collectively known as deepfish, swim. Eating particulate matter and eventually dying and falling to feed the mudscum they are actually, though noone has noticed, the main driver of the region's enhanced salinity due to their highly saline skeletons eventually degrading.

Above that, the floating Magaramachi and various shoals of fish collectively called the highfish. Some of these are highly attractive to the Magaramachi and an unchecked explosion in Magaramachi numbers wuld likely lead to their extinction, with as yet unknown effects on the local ecosystem.

Above that, the surface. Clouds of colourful algae cover most of the surface gaining energy from the salts in the water and eventually dying and falling to be eaten by fish.

The algae covering most of the surface means there are few photosynthesising plants in the region as the waters are darker than one might expect given their depth.


Picture a crocodile. Remove those parts of its head that aren't mouth and make them mouth - a long body ending in powerful jaws. (The brain, should you care, goes backwards to near the stomach. The eyes are lost due to the darker waters, replace them with electrochemical sensors inside the mouth and a tongue sensitive to minute currents in the water. Nostrils are lost to gills shielded by slightly thinner scales). Now thicken the scales and up the musculature. You're picturing a Magaramachon.

They hatch from eggs at about a foot long and grow rapidly until about five feet, slower after that though rate of growtth is highly dependant on food availability. Magaramachi are biologically immortal and grow throughout their entire life, becoming stronger and more intelligent as they do, until they meet a violent end or, less commonly, succumb to starvation or disease. The bulk, those smaller than about six feet, are barely intelligent - smarter than a dumb dog, dumber than a smart one. Once they pass around six feet they start getting progressively smarter with no theoretical upper limit. The Magaramachi don't keep records themselves but records from their neighbours talk about one who reached thirty eight feet and was able to make substantial contributions to the world's knowledge - it's entirely possible that algae propogation was invented or at least substantially improved by them. Reaching such a size would have taken centuries though and as their body grows so does their food needs; Megaramachi of that size invariably starve to death.

Magaramachi society is entirely focused around size, and as size grows so does ego. Once one is large enough to have a concept of "myself" and "not myself" they inevitably come to the only sensible conclusion - that they are the greatest of all Magaramachi, that their smaller cousins are suitable only for training to bring them food and that their larger brethren (who attained such a size only through pure luck) must be brought down and eaten. The very largest, fifteen foot plus, are capable of understanding that not everything feels that way and acting as if they are not the greatest and most perfect of all things under the sea, but the fact that they can pretend not to think it doesn't mean they don't think it. Diplomacy is possible but goes much smoother if every so often the other party remarks on how large and incredible the Magaramachon is, how they are truly the greatest of all Magaramachi and how they will inevitably grow larger still.

Magaramachi females are perhaps slightly larger than males on average but not so much as to be an infallible guide. Magaramchi are hatched from eggs as they fall, those infants that don't hatch in time are eaten by mudscum as the eggs hit the bottom and the mother swims away unconcerned. Magaramchi fmales are capable of multiple simoultaneous pregnancies from multiple partners (or the same partner multiple times) - three or four concurrent pregnancies is common and seven or eight is a relatively routine occurance (akin to triplets in human society)

Magaramachon society, such as it is, is composed of several distinct groups under the leadership of the largest, the group being precisely as big as the leader can get away with. At any time the Salination is home to around twenty or thirty such groups in a constant state of war as each individual leader seeks to redress whatever cosmic wrong has happened to allow Magaramachi who aren't them to have any influence. Currently the largest, by quite some way, is the twenty three foot female who calls herself (or, more likely, allows others to call her) Leviathan - Magaramachi lrge enough to have names tend to have names like that: "Giant", "Huge", "Enormous", etc. The exception is those too cowed by a larger leader to have set up on their own who take/are given deprecating names like "Tiny" or "Small" which adds more fuel to their sullen plotting and scheming against their leader - until, of course, that breaks into a frenzy of teeth and claws when a challenge is made.

Algae plays a huge part in the diet of the smaller Magaramachi and smaller, non-intelligent, ones will instinctively "farm" the more desirable crops. Spreading clumps out for more growth, eating competing blooms etc. As one grows larger, this task becomes devolved to those smaller ones you've brought under your sway but becomes likewise more efficient with techniques such as crop splicing, crop rotation and selective breeding being widely known. These techniques have also been used on a species of large fish (called the "highest fish") that lives much of its life floating face down on the surface and, with much less success, on the mudscum below. Magaramachi are far more adept at farming the surface than the floor.



Each Magaramachi intelligent enough to consider the issue of faith follows a religion at once unique to itself and indistinguishable from every other Magaramachi. It can be broudly summed up as "<Insert name here> is the best" or "<Insert name here> is the biggest". Tenets are simple. <Insert name here> is the pinnacle of the Magaramachi race. Those it has cowed into following it have made the only sensible decision based on a) how tiny and insignifcent they are versus b) how huge and awesome he is.
Those larger are living on borrowed time until they are inevitably challenged and eaten, the calaries from their body feeding <Insert name here> and being another step on their eventual and utterly guaranteed path to becoming the size of the entire planet and then eating the planet. It's unclear what would happen after that.

Hey Kythia! Long time no see!


Approved! It was only a matter of time before Spongebob came up
I know you started chatting with Mine about tech and resource overlaps, and let me know if either of you want to chat or have any issues.


Approved! It was only a matter of time before Spongebob came up
I know you started chatting with Mine about tech and resource overlaps, and let me know if either of you want to chat or have any issues.

I believe we both agreed that the fertilizing seeds make sense as a substitute resource requirement for Supermarine Artillery, since they're capable of self-propelled flight, though it might be more similar to a cluster munition than a single guided projectile.

[Kythia]

Hey Minescratcher. Long time indeed, quite surprised I'm remembered

[LapisCattis]

The new recruitment thread is up and available here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?648247-Empire-7-Into-the-Depths-(CWBG)-Ongoing-Recruitment!&p=25532914#post25532914)!

[Kythia]

A rules question, apologies if this is covered - I did look but couldn't see it anywhere.

If you create a General or a Spy and nominate them as your heir, do they keep their assigned Military/Espionage value when they ascend to the throne (because that's the skills they already have) or do you reroll (perhaps becuase their skills were rather more specialised and it's a broader set that's needed to actually oversee a nation's efforts in that direction)

[Lumaeus]

Would +1 faith on ruler turnover be a valid tier 1 tech?

[Rolepgeek]

A rules question, apologies if this is covered - I did look but couldn't see it anywhere.

If you create a General or a Spy and nominate them as your heir, do they keep their assigned Military/Espionage value when they ascend to the throne (because that's the skills they already have) or do you reroll (perhaps becuase their skills were rather more specialised and it's a broader set that's needed to actually oversee a nation's efforts in that direction)

They do not keep their assigned Military/Espionage value, they reroll as normal, though since it would be almost required to be nondynastic, you could of course choose to place whatever they roll highest in their respective values.


Would +1 faith on ruler turnover be a valid tier 1 tech?

Not just like that: That's effectively +1 to all Faith rolls until/unless your ruler is Faith 10; and as a tech, anyone can use it, which can really warp the intended pacing of the game as regards special actions in particular, particularly with the way non-dynastic inheritance works this game.

Some potential options that might work better:
- Dynastic inheritance bonuses are adjusted for Faith: Your new ruler receives a +1 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of X or higher, a +2 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of Y or higher, or a +3 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of Z or higher.
[X, Y, Z] might equal [3, 6, 9], [4, 8, 10], or some other combination the rest of the GM team finds suitable.

- Rulers [?who inherit nondynastically?] gain a +1 bonus to Faith if their predecessor had a Faith score of N or higher.
This could potentially be extended to all rulers if N is high enough, but if it was just nondynastic rulers, it could easily be as low as 6 or even 4.

All of this assumes a basis for the technology which makes sense to the GM team, of course - remember than even tier 1 technologies still require either another technology or a resource as a pre-requisite. Since you don't have any resources, I assume you'd want a technology as a pre-requisite, but at present you only have Graduated Symbiosis. For my part, I can't really see a clear path for such a technology (though I can see a path to certain _similar_ ones), especially since of course I'm certain you'd want it to be logically applicable to the somewhat different physiology of the rulers of the Riftlings Many.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

All of this assumes a basis for the technology which makes sense to the GM team, of course - remember than even tier 1 technologies still require either another technology or a resource as a pre-requisite. Since you don't have any resources, I assume you'd want a technology as a pre-requisite, but at present you only have Graduated Symbiosis. For my part, I can't really see a clear path for such a technology (though I can see a path to certain _similar_ ones), especially since of course I'm certain you'd want it to be logically applicable to the somewhat different physiology of the rulers of the Riftlings Many.

I'm pretty sure that the specific reason this question is being asked is that the Eternal Communion is either at, or very soon will be at the next benchmark of 20 holy sites, and the Tier Size 3 bonus for a Faith is a "Benefit equivalent to a Tier 1 Technology". Unless you meant to imply that the bonuses for faith based size bonuses that emulate techs would also have resource requirements this game.

[Lumaeus]

Epinephrine_Syn speaks true! This is for a Holy Site Bonus religiotech which I intend to assign this turn. I propose the following:

Echo Chamber: Adherents of the Eternal Communion, whether hivemind or isolate, embrace and emulate the undying nature of the unified existence of the Communion. Over the lifetimes of constituent parts or of generations seeking to obviate the borders of self, fervor compounds beyond the usual borders of zealotry.

Effect: Dynastic inheritance bonuses are adjusted for Faith: Your new ruler receives a +1 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of 3 or higher, a +2 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of 6 or higher, or a +3 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of 9 or higher.

Alternative Crunch: I took the most generous scores in Role's suggestion, but they may be found overgenerous. If these are found undesirably low, the alternatives of 3, 7, and 10 can replace the 3, 6, 9. (Reasoning: Normally it's +1 at 4 and +2 at 8, so I lowered both thresholds by one, and then the addition of 10 allows for the opening of new horizons)

[Volthawk]

I guesss my artefact was a bit too vague, so a rewrite with decided mechanics rather than general thoughts on the subject:


In the stories of the journeys of Arthan, the founder of the Flowing Way, there has always been a missing piece. The years between him travelling Cyph-Arel and learning the stories of the Cyphiri, and returning with the truth of the Way, have always been a mystery, and so some followers of the Way have always searched for Arthan's Rest, as the place he must have stayed in during those years has become known. Now, they appear to have succeeded. In the northeast of Cyph-Arel, close to the point where toxicity makes it impossible to go further, a Cyphiri scout has found a cave. Carved into the rock, covering every surface, were the stories of the Cyphiri of the time, along with some of their biological storage mediums, but the real prize was what has now become known as the Head of Arthan (few people believe it's actually his head, of course, but the name given to it by that scout has been intriguing and evocative enough to stick).

While the Head does somewhat resemble a Cyphiri head, it is notable larger, with a particularly enlarged cranium, and it has a system of organs similar to roots to draw nutrients from a substrate instead of a neck - it appeared to have gone into a dormant state over the years as the substrate in the cave ran dry, but a new supply of nutrients has been sufficient to wake it up again. The most notable thing about it, however, is that it speaks. Constantly. An endless stream of information and analysis, but one that is scrambled and random - perhaps a side effect of its time in the cave, perhaps just a limitation of what it is and what it knows. It does listen, and with experimentation the Cyphiri studying it have discovered that feeding it a stream of information about a particular location in the right way (the Cyphiri do it by telling the stories gathered from or about the area, but a more direct set of information would likely work) seems to focus its babbling into talking about that particular region, with the nature of the information put in influencing the information recieved. While much of it is still of little use, there are plenty of useful nuggets of information in there one can use in the field, including many deductions and predictions that an experienced follower of the Way may make when given the same information - something that has cemented the idea in the minds of most Cyphiri that this was a creation of Arthan, and as such a being with an understanding of his teachings deeper than any living Cyphiri. And a useful tool, of course.

Mechanics
As an action (that can be associated with any stat), the owner of Arthan's Head can select a region for the Head to focus on. Until focused elsewhere with another action, this provides a +1 bonus to all actions targeting that region that use the same stat as the action used to focus the Head.


As before, not sure if this is too strong or too weak, but I figure it's better having something specific to critique rather than asking for general feedback.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Mechanics: Mammos has been born into the world from the polar depths, at the heart of the Eternal Spring. Upon creation, Artifacts and Miracles may be Intensified. An Intensified effect is diminished from its usual power, but has an additional bonus while in the presence of Mammos.

(Already created Miracles, Artifacts, or whatever else may be Intensified, entirely at GM discretion.)



These I'm really mostly considering for future miracles, but I definitely like the creepy fluff factor of the Intensify mechanics the most:

Once per turn, the Eternal Spring may duplicate the effect of or double the numerical benefit of one Artifact.

TPs owned by the Eternal Spring count towards Holy Sites for the faith they are a part of (to a maximum of half the actually owned Holy Sites of said faith) (not doubled by Merchantile *or* Clerical support within the region).

... hm. If I'm going to have Mammos being around being a conditional I should probably specify what that means. I'm imagining it can't be Incite Betrayaled or killed by typical, mundane means. But it also doesn't really militarily fight.

I don't wanna develop a whole subsystem, so I'm liable to say that (at least in this interpretation) it can be messed with via GM clownery, or by effects specifically targeting it (like if somebody or some org makes an artifact or miracle hex or field or nuke or whatnot). That it can't be clowned with through mundane means, but can be clowned with via spiritual ones.

[LapisCattis]

Region for review


Retret Ringan (Region 19)


Far beyond the desolate plains, crumbling ruin mountains, and dangerous wastes of Binar Fajar lays a relative utopia by Kucen standards. The water is calm, the land is soft and rolling, and the sea is a reliable mistress. The fish growing in Retret Ringan are colorful vibrant and pliable to a stern hand. Life is simple in the valleys, trenches, and sea caves that make up the vast majority of homesteads within the region. Instead of artificial constructs the denizens therein rely on making use of existing landscapes to support their architectural needs. Harvest fields stretching as wide as the eye can see, save for the blight of warcraft that has now formed a set of "teeth" on the region pointed outwardly towards the Maw. Ruts and small trenches have been carved through the land from the unwilling masses dragged to the battle lines in years past to feed the Lighthouse war effort.


Lamplighter Kucen

In storied myth lives the ancient Lamplighter. The shining warrior wielding a magic blade forged from the melted lamps of his whole clan, combining their light into a singular purpose. He had won a hundred battles and cleaved a thousand foes in search of his Goddesses enlightenment. At the end of his long campaign he took his sword and buried it in the sand, bending the material into a plowshare, and resigned his life to the simple agrarian lifestyle. The veracity of such a story is hotly debated amongst Kucen scholars, some attributing this warrior's existence to various Kosong who were noted Warlords or Cult Leaders, and none fully agreeing on the matter. Regardless the mythical folk hero legend persisted amongst the people, many of whom followed in a similar step to the fabled Lamplighter, and were the dissatisfied soldiers, hangers-on, or worst of all survivors of the constant War surrounding Binar Fajar. At the height of Binar Fajar's opulence, this land was little more than an oversized plantation for the cruel and exorbitant Mistresses who ruled the Aurora Dawn and so few of them paid heed to its existence when they fled back to Indah's Rise for a more sightly and fitting station to rule over. Some however saw the opportunity to escape the dangers of courtly life and took the chance, though deprived of the copious Siren Extract in their home and the disgruntled veteran population lead to a quick subdual of any hegemonic statecraft.

Many of the Kucen in the region light Lamps outside of their home to celebrate the ancient warrior they consider the "Founder" of their home and when the Lighthouse came to they did so again in defense. The Kosong reavers were repelled at first, the Vessel at their host gutted and turned into a Lamp of celebration, and then came the reinforcements. Legions of glowing warriors blotting out the light above buried the Lamplighter resistance the year after, farms were sacked, the people subjugated, and now fully assimilated into the Lighthouse's voracious beast. Now Lamplighter serves as a form of "Elite Soldier" terminology amongst the forces of the Lighthouse, who treat the region as an expensive training ground and resort.



Coralberries

The Coral in the region is unique in producing a special abundant berry that is sweet to taste and makes for a delicious wine. It requires long years of careful cultivation to make the sweetest berries, which only grow in the darkest and deepest places in the land. Now it is mostly used for warpaint and the occasional shamanic potion to send a warrior into a fevered state.

Resource Requirement: Precious Minerals

Though they are long separated many of the ancestors of the Lighthouse were the founders of Retret Ringan and their obsessive nature over shiny baubles and sources of light therein persists. Nowadays it only appears as an obsession with shiny precious minerals, rocks that also double as the necessary materials to harvest coralberries with, and in more recent history to bend plowshares into swords and set the tempo of the Lighthouse Imperial March.


Cult of the Lamplighter:

All throughout Retret Ringan persists the Cult of the Lamplighter, broken down into 3 sects that while generally agreeing on the storied myth of the Lamplighter harshly disagree on the focus and the continuation of the fable therein. Some worship the Lamplighter as a Fertility Symbol, seeing his historic move of "planting" his sword and sowing the seed of their people in this land. Others view him as a Deathly Figure, a Reaper of the past who eventually was Reaped himself, and now ushers on those souls too weary to persist in an uncaring world. Lastly and perhaps most audaciously (and in some eyes recently proved correct) there lives the Resurrectionists who believe that in their time of greatest need the Lamplighter would be reborn and return their people to their Warrior's Oath. None of these cults embrace the Radiance of the Reef as the true Will of the Seas and prove a constant disappointment and irritant for the Vessel and his host of Thugs.

Approved! Thank you for your patience!


New tech for approval:

Death Commando Conditioning: +1 Battles

Slot: Logistics and Morale.

Resource Requirements: Siren Extract
Technology Requirements: Graduated Symbiosis

Approved!


I'd like to propose as an econ tech:

Filtration Grafts:
Allows crossing of toxic borders
Requires Composite Grafting and a Filter Feeders resource.

Approved!


Epinephrine_Syn speaks true! This is for a Holy Site Bonus religiotech which I intend to assign this turn. I propose the following:

Echo Chamber: Adherents of the Eternal Communion, whether hivemind or isolate, embrace and emulate the undying nature of the unified existence of the Communion. Over the lifetimes of constituent parts or of generations seeking to obviate the borders of self, fervor compounds beyond the usual borders of zealotry.

Effect: Dynastic inheritance bonuses are adjusted for Faith: Your new ruler receives a +1 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of 3 or higher, a +2 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of 6 or higher, or a +3 bonus to Faith if their parent had a Faith score of 9 or higher.

Alternative Crunch: I took the most generous scores in Role's suggestion, but they may be found overgenerous. If these are found undesirably low, the alternatives of 3, 7, and 10 can replace the 3, 6, 9. (Reasoning: Normally it's +1 at 4 and +2 at 8, so I lowered both thresholds by one, and then the addition of 10 allows for the opening of new horizons)

We deliberated on balance and 4, 7, 10 are the consensus for adjustment, to start at 4 and every 3 points thereafter gets the extra bonus

[LapisCattis]

Submitting writeup (Edited to add the Silence):

Region 11 - Klau'ead Pyue'ea'oed


The region is part of the wider area nicknamed "the Blue North" by the Lojanese after the color of its waters, which is effected by the lack of contaminants and a seabed covered almost entirely by dead coral with a high albedo. The coral - dead and living - rather than rocks or the like, shapes the landscape, forming great sloping terraces.

The first few Lojanese expeditions trying establish a presence in region 11, although well-equipped, had been stymied and thrown into utter disorder by the near-impossibility of auditory communication. Having trained to communicate through alternate means and developed tools for measuring the distortion of sound, the explorers returned.

After exhaustive experiments that left more than a few members with tinnitus, they determined a clade of endemic plankton species to be the cause. The plankton absorbs the energy of sound with endothermic chemical reactions and uses the gathered energy for its movement and metabolism with exothermic reactions.

This phenomenon occurs in the entire region and is called the Silence by the locals - those among them who have visited other regions to be able to contrast it with normal conditions.



The colonies of the Lojanese and the Auros, respectively named Sau'eazhan and Kalo, are situated in the south, where a hospitable valley has enticed both peoples. Rivalry between the colonies has acquired a long-lasting character. Children pick fights with those from the other town, and adults have only harsh words for the neighbors. On the other hand, trade and cultural exchange has been inevitable, and the smaller, newer settlements are often populated diversely, without any enmity between the inhabitants.



Export: Sapcoral
The corals of the region consume many nutrients by filtering the water and slowly dissolving corpses and detritus that falls from above, in order to grow bulbs ranging in color from orange to purple filled with delicious nectar, by far the most accessible source of food in the region. However, about one-quarter of the bulbs, depending on the species, are filled with sticky sap instead, which rapidly expands due to the pressure inside the bulb and entraps any would-be feeder. The coral consumes the corpse to recoup the costs of growing the bulbs and the cycle continues. The two types of bulbs look identical until the membrane breaks. Which bulb contains what is determined by the shuffling of chromosomes in the one parent cell from which the bulb grows.
The probability of deadly bulbs is determined by evolution. Too great, and fish evolve not to try their luck. Too small, and the coral expends more energy than it consumes.
The sap is dyed a very bright, water-resistant color, but as it is extremely sticky, it must be mixed with some sort of powder or sand to weaken the glue if you ever want to remove the color.

Desired import: Fibers
Although the corals and the seafloor provide a cornucopia of food and building materials, there are scarce furred inhabitants or kelp from which fibers for tools could be extracted.



HS1: Ancient Hut
It is a small, approximately conical bamboo dwelling that has always been there. It is inhabited by the greatest of sages in Klau'ead Pyue'ea'oed. When the sage dies, another moves in. In exchange for being given porridge by the people, they spend all their time studying technology, learning magic and conversing with the gods in order to answer all questions asked.


Approved! Feel free to add to your Waters of the World post. Now I need to rewatch some Doctor Who

[Feathersnow]

Technology idea-

-Wizard Academy-
Requires- aristocratic support and/or clerical support in targeted region,

Requires- permission of holder of mercantile support and all holders of TPs

Requires- access to magic users OR sharing a border, trade route, religion, or cultural exchange with a culture with access to magic users

Requires- graduated symbiosis

Users can convert a region to produce magic users instead of their original resource as a project Requiring 2 Econ actions plus 1 Mil action for every TP converted, instead of as an Economy 5 special action

[farothel]

I'll be away from the 6th of August until the 23rd. While I normally should have internet at my destinations, I will be slower in replying, especially the last 5 days when I'm at the Discworld Con.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

I'm probably going to try to make this artifact right now, so proposing it a little early is for the best.

Rabbit's Foot
Artifact
Fluff: What once was a violent venus has now become a boon to the entirety of the frozen wastes. The religious stars have aligned quite hard to get a rabbit underwater, and it would be a crime to waste such a bounty. Chopping off the foot guarantees it will bring good luck and fortune, making sure any treasure and bounty utilized is efficiently guided along the entire currents that flow within the region.


Mechanics: At the end of each turn, randomly select one Player in the Polar region. That player's Empire gains 1 Treasure.

IRepeat this text once for every Treasure the owner of this artifact has spent this turn.

(I'm a, not sure the whole magic intensity thing will be okayed (or if it is, we might limit it to just miracles), and even if it is, b I'd like to figure out what'd be acceptable as a normal relic first)

[Lady Serpentine]

Question regarding Artifacts and Holy Orders. Holy Orders say the following:


A region can only support one holy order, but a Holy Order may be established in any region, even those you do not directly control, so long as you have local Clerical Support in the region.

(...)

Placing or removing an Artifact within a Holy Order is a non-action; you must own or have Clerical Support in the region the Holy Order is located within in order to place an artifact within the Holy Order.

However, Holy Orders and Artifacts also both stipulate this:


Holy Orders may also be used to guard Artifacts, in which case the Artifact cannot be used outside your own regions but benefits from the Holy Order’s +4 bonus against attempts to steal it.

You can give an Artifact to a Holy Order for them to guard, in which case the Artifact cannot be used for rolls outside your borders but receives the +4 bonus from the Holy Order to rolls to avoid being lost or stolen.

Is it intended that artifacts in Holy Orders can be used in your borders from any distance, but can potentially not be used in the region they are physically in?

To use myself as an example, let's say that I create a Holy Order in 179. I then place an artifact in it that provides a bonus to conversions in regions where I have a Holy Order. As written, I would not get a bonus to conversion attempts in 179, but would in 141, assuming that I had a second Holy Order there.

As a further question, how would this apply to an artifact with a passive effect? For instance, an Artifact which counts as a Holy Site or Trading Post?

[Minescratcher]

Question regarding Artifacts and Holy Orders. Holy Orders say the following:

[snip]

However, Holy Orders and Artifacts also both stipulate this:

[snip]

Is it intended that artifacts in Holy Orders can be used in your borders from any distance, but can potentially not be used in the region they are physically in?

To use myself as an example, let's say that I create a Holy Order in 179. I then place an artifact in it that provides a bonus to conversions in regions where I have a Holy Order. As written, I would not get a bonus to conversion attempts in 179, but would in 141, assuming that I had a second Holy Order there.

I think the resolution is in the Clerical Support rules:


If there is a Holy Order in the region, you may use any Artifacts stored within it, even if you don't own the region. This use is limited to regions owned by the same kingdom as the region where you have Clerical Support. If you do not own the region, both you and the region owner cannot use an artifact in the same round; if both countries attempt to do so, the clergy will favor you.

In the case of a Holy Order in an unowned region, this text certainly applies, and so you'd be able to use it in the region where the Holy Order is (and only there, unless you later annexed the region).

I will say this is a bit confusing organizationally, and the Special Action descriptions might be due for a clarity revision.


As a further question, how would this apply to an artifact with a passive effect? For instance, an Artifact which counts as a Holy Site or Trading Post?

I suspect this one will require GM discussion, so... watch this space. My gut feeling, though, is that a) that effect might not be approved for pure rules-jank reasons, or at least it would only be approved in a form which did make clear what happens if it's in a Holy Order, and b) if it was, it would almost certainly be considered to give an extra HS or TP to the region where the Holy Order is.

[LapisCattis]

I guesss my artefact was a bit too vague, so a rewrite with decided mechanics rather than general thoughts on the subject:


In the stories of the journeys of Arthan, the founder of the Flowing Way, there has always been a missing piece. The years between him travelling Cyph-Arel and learning the stories of the Cyphiri, and returning with the truth of the Way, have always been a mystery, and so some followers of the Way have always searched for Arthan's Rest, as the place he must have stayed in during those years has become known. Now, they appear to have succeeded. In the northeast of Cyph-Arel, close to the point where toxicity makes it impossible to go further, a Cyphiri scout has found a cave. Carved into the rock, covering every surface, were the stories of the Cyphiri of the time, along with some of their biological storage mediums, but the real prize was what has now become known as the Head of Arthan (few people believe it's actually his head, of course, but the name given to it by that scout has been intriguing and evocative enough to stick).

While the Head does somewhat resemble a Cyphiri head, it is notable larger, with a particularly enlarged cranium, and it has a system of organs similar to roots to draw nutrients from a substrate instead of a neck - it appeared to have gone into a dormant state over the years as the substrate in the cave ran dry, but a new supply of nutrients has been sufficient to wake it up again. The most notable thing about it, however, is that it speaks. Constantly. An endless stream of information and analysis, but one that is scrambled and random - perhaps a side effect of its time in the cave, perhaps just a limitation of what it is and what it knows. It does listen, and with experimentation the Cyphiri studying it have discovered that feeding it a stream of information about a particular location in the right way (the Cyphiri do it by telling the stories gathered from or about the area, but a more direct set of information would likely work) seems to focus its babbling into talking about that particular region, with the nature of the information put in influencing the information recieved. While much of it is still of little use, there are plenty of useful nuggets of information in there one can use in the field, including many deductions and predictions that an experienced follower of the Way may make when given the same information - something that has cemented the idea in the minds of most Cyphiri that this was a creation of Arthan, and as such a being with an understanding of his teachings deeper than any living Cyphiri. And a useful tool, of course.

Mechanics
As an action (that can be associated with any stat), the owner of Arthan's Head can select a region for the Head to focus on. Until focused elsewhere with another action, this provides a +1 bonus to all actions targeting that region that use the same stat as the action used to focus the Head.


As before, not sure if this is too strong or too weak, but I figure it's better having something specific to critique rather than asking for general feedback.

So sorry for the delay! GM suggestion:

As an action (that can be associated with any stat), the owner of Arthan's Head can select a region for the Head to focus on in the next round. This provides a +1 bonus to all actions targeting that region that use the same stat as the action used to focus the Head in the round before.



Technology idea-

-Wizard Academy-
Requires- aristocratic support and/or clerical support in targeted region,

Requires- permission of holder of mercantile support and all holders of TPs

Requires- access to magic users OR sharing a border, trade route, religion, or cultural exchange with a culture with access to magic users

Requires- graduated symbiosis

Users can convert a region to produce magic users instead of their original resource as a project Requiring 2 Econ actions plus 1 Mil action for every TP converted, instead of as an Economy 5 special action

This feels a bit odd as a tech but interesting idea! It's not out of the question but will need some more discussion


I'm probably going to try to make this artifact right now, so proposing it a little early is for the best.

Rabbit's Foot
Artifact
Fluff: What once was a violent venus has now become a boon to the entirety of the frozen wastes. The religious stars have aligned quite hard to get a rabbit underwater, and it would be a crime to waste such a bounty. Chopping off the foot guarantees it will bring good luck and fortune, making sure any treasure and bounty utilized is efficiently guided along the entire currents that flow within the region.



(I'm a, not sure the whole magic intensity thing will be okayed (or if it is, we might limit it to just miracles), and even if it is, b I'd like to figure out what'd be acceptable as a normal relic first)

Since rabbits are land animals and to IC knowledge, there is both no livable land and no such thing as rabbits (whatever those are), rabbit feet really aren't a thing in the world. There may be lucky rabbitfish or rabbitbirds! But land rabbits, you have no idea.

The effect itself is a bit odd but not an issue if that's what you really want, however I would remove the "people in Polar" since Polar isn't a mechanical area, it's just a descriptor. If you want to have a regional factor, here's a GM text suggestion:

For every treasure you spend in a single round, a randomly selected Player that you have diplomatic contact with gains one treasure at the end of the round.

[Volthawk]

So sorry for the delay! GM suggestion:

As an action (that can be associated with any stat), the owner of Arthan's Head can select a region for the Head to focus on in the next round. This provides a +1 bonus to all actions targeting that region that use the same stat as the action used to focus the Head in the round before.

Sure, that works for me.

[LapisCattis]

Reminder since we have some new folks that Round Nine ends at 10 pm EDT (UTC-4) tomorrow. Round 10 will open as soon as we finish the opener

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Since rabbits are land animals and to IC knowledge, there is both no livable land and no such thing as rabbits (whatever those are), rabbit feet really aren't a thing in the world. There may be lucky rabbitfish or rabbitbirds! But land rabbits, you have no idea.

Knowledge of such is related in part to the alien eldritch like nature of the religious fluff I've been implementing (which can also be discussed separately and/or vetoed, but I deliberately left it incredibly vague). It would probably be good to know whether issues relating to the unknowable nature of Sky and Soil wouldn't be a good potential fluff aspect to what I've written up, because I may need to change some things rather significantly if they are.




The effect itself is a bit odd but not an issue if that's what you really want, however I would remove the "people in Polar" since Polar isn't a mechanical area, it's just a descriptor. If you want to have a regional factor, here's a GM text suggestion:

For every treasure you spend in a single round, a randomly selected Player that you have diplomatic contact with gains one treasure at the end of the round.


Mechanics: At the end of each round, a randomly selected player that you have Diplomatic Contact (an explored path that doesn't go through wastes between your capital and theirs) with (including yourself) gains 1 Treasure.

The above effect occurs one additional time for every treasure you have spent since the end of the last round.

Some minor wording tweaks, but I think this'll work out well enough for me. Captures enough of the flavor, in any case. Even if the flavor changes due to the above reckoning, this artifact mechanic may still see use.

[Grim ranger]

So, here you go: writeup for Region 65... and my new tech, since II do think I need to get it vetted here still.

Mitochondrial Regulation

Required technology: Graduated Symbiosis
Required resource: Food

Permits actions and troop movements over Glacial (black) borders.


Region 65
Pelegar

A region once thriving, Pelegar is a land still recovering from destruction of ages past. Situated at the very edge of truly frigid waters much like Glacier Crag, it hosts plethora of ruins of older civilization...now half buried underneath sands, broken cliffs and occasional blocks of ice that seem to have been truck amidst the broken terrain after some grand calamity. The passage of time has returned measure of hardy vegetation to the area, however, and especially thickets of kelp seem to survive well in the local soil.

As apparent descendants of the ancient civilization once inhabiting the place, the locals still tend to form cities around the half-broken coral and crystal spires of their storied ancestors, creating a curious mix of ancient grandeur and repairs of colorful banners and simple building materials. This patchwork quality mostly affects the central structures, and the homes of the common folk clustering around them to form towns tend to be simpler affairs, at times more resembling tents than fixed dwellings. The region's most important town is Panatia, as it boasts the most intact of the ancient structures and houses the local ruling body, the Triumvirate.
While small concentrations of other races common in Polar waters wander about this region as well, the majority population is held by the native Lacertis, a race of lizards sporting a number of amphibian traits...and, crucially for living permanently under the waves, gills. While adapted to underwater life quite well, they still sport bulkier forms than many races about the place, and their wide jaws and powerful tails can be a boon on the battlefield.
Resource: Untalented Crabs
The cuisine of choice originating from Pelegar, Untalented Crabs can be found in fair numbers in the local waters, making herding them into large "farms" for trade purposes a simple enough matter. It is not a remarkable trading good, but there is always need for food and grafting material for those who are in need of a new carapace.

Requirement: Dyes
Still fixated on restoring their gloried past, the locals have developed plenty of techniques to create colorful fabrics and ceramics, all of which need a fair amount of different dyes.
The local faith of Pelegar is Yearnmourn, a collection of beliefs venerating the ancestors who had built the artful structures the ruins of which they now hold in such high regard. There are relatively little rituals that are considered indisputably sacred, with majority of them centering around burial and reconstruction of ancient relics left behind by their venerated ancestors. This worship of their precursors has elevated the grand figures from that ancient society (the ones they have knowledge of anyhow) into minor deities that people call upon for various tasks in their day to day life.

The sites of religious importance in the region are the Ancient Graveyard (HS 1) and Coral Spire (HS 2).

[Feathersnow]

"Way of the Cathar"

Doctrine of Clös

+2 free impress Clergy action

+2 free convert holy site action

+4 to battle roll

-2 reduce enemy casualties by 20%

-3 increase own causalities by 30%

-1 +4 to leader loss

I've never done this before, I suspect this is wonky, but would appreciate feedback.

[Torv]

Ty, I'll be attending the Second Exquisite Gala with the Goldfin in tow. Had completely forgotten about the new Aristocrat mechanics.

[Tychris1]

Amazing. Good show, sir!

[Corona]

Tropical political map, including last round's map for completeness:


Eel depicted incorrectly.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886410868523048/1005967912554741911/Tropical_R9.png




https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/938886410868523048/1006501866848391218/Tropical_R10.png

[LapisCattis]

Is it intended that artifacts in Holy Orders can be used in your borders from any distance, but can potentially not be used in the region they are physically in?

To use myself as an example, let's say that I create a Holy Order in 179. I then place an artifact in it that provides a bonus to conversions in regions where I have a Holy Order. As written, I would not get a bonus to conversion attempts in 179, but would in 141, assuming that I had a second Holy Order there.

As a further question, how would this apply to an artifact with a passive effect? For instance, an Artifact which counts as a Holy Site or Trading Post?

This was actually apparently noticed and addressed by the GM team before the game started, but we never got around to actually changing the text in the rules.

The intended rule was/is that if you have Clerical Support in a region with a Holy Order that has an artifact, you can use the Artifact in regions owned by the region owner, and anywhere else you have Clerical Support.

Artifacts which count as Holy Sites are unlikely to be approved - that's what Holy Orders are for. Artifacts that count as Trading Posts would count for whoever owns the Clerical Support in the region, but this would probably be specified as part of the artifact if it came up.


Knowledge of such is related in part to the alien eldritch like nature of the religious fluff I've been implementing (which can also be discussed separately and/or vetoed, but I deliberately left it incredibly vague). It would probably be good to know whether issues relating to the unknowable nature of Sky and Soil wouldn't be a good potential fluff aspect to what I've written up, because I may need to change some things rather significantly if they are.

Mechanics: At the end of each round, a randomly selected player that you have Diplomatic Contact (an explored path that doesn't go through wastes between your capital and theirs) with (including yourself) gains 1 Treasure.

The above effect occurs one additional time for every treasure you have spent since the end of the last round.

Some minor wording tweaks, but I think this'll work out well enough for me. Captures enough of the flavor, in any case. Even if the flavor changes due to the above reckoning, this artifact mechanic may still see use.

To clarify, I removed the 1 free treasure on purpose. The "randomly selected player that you have Diplomatic contact with gets 1 treasure at the end of the round for each treasure you have spent that round" is fine.

"A randomly selected player that you have Diplomatic Contact with gets 1 treasure at the end of the round and this action repeats for every treasure you have spent that round" is not.


So, here you go: writeup for Region 65... and my new tech, since II do think I need to get it vetted here still.

Mitochondrial Regulation

Required technology: Graduated Symbiosis
Required resource: Food

Permits actions and troop movements over Glacial (black) borders.


Region 65
Pelegar

A region once thriving, Pelegar is a land still recovering from destruction of ages past. Situated at the very edge of truly frigid waters much like Glacier Crag, it hosts plethora of ruins of older civilization...now half buried underneath sands, broken cliffs and occasional blocks of ice that seem to have been truck amidst the broken terrain after some grand calamity. The passage of time has returned measure of hardy vegetation to the area, however, and especially thickets of kelp seem to survive well in the local soil.

As apparent descendants of the ancient civilization once inhabiting the place, the locals still tend to form cities around the half-broken coral and crystal spires of their storied ancestors, creating a curious mix of ancient grandeur and repairs of colorful banners and simple building materials. This patchwork quality mostly affects the central structures, and the homes of the common folk clustering around them to form towns tend to be simpler affairs, at times more resembling tents than fixed dwellings. The region's most important town is Panatia, as it boasts the most intact of the ancient structures and houses the local ruling body, the Triumvirate.
While small concentrations of other races common in Polar waters wander about this region as well, the majority population is held by the native Lacertis, a race of lizards sporting a number of amphibian traits...and, crucially for living permanently under the waves, gills. While adapted to underwater life quite well, they still sport bulkier forms than many races about the place, and their wide jaws and powerful tails can be a boon on the battlefield.
Resource: Untalented Crabs
The cuisine of choice originating from Pelegar, Untalented Crabs can be found in fair numbers in the local waters, making herding them into large "farms" for trade purposes a simple enough matter. It is not a remarkable trading good, but there is always need for food and grafting material for those who are in need of a new carapace.

Requirement: Dyes
Still fixated on restoring their gloried past, the locals have developed plenty of techniques to create colorful fabrics and ceramics, all of which need a fair amount of different dyes.
The local faith of Pelegar is Yearnmourn, a collection of beliefs venerating the ancestors who had built the artful structures the ruins of which they now hold in such high regard. There are relatively little rituals that are considered indisputably sacred, with majority of them centering around burial and reconstruction of ancient relics left behind by their venerated ancestors. This worship of their precursors has elevated the grand figures from that ancient society (the ones they have knowledge of anyhow) into minor deities that people call upon for various tasks in their day to day life.

The sites of religious importance in the region are the Ancient Graveyard (HS 1) and Coral Spire (HS 2).

Tech and write-up both approved! Add the write-up to the Waters of the World thread whenever you have time


"Way of the Cathar"

Doctrine of Clös

+2 free impress Clergy action

+2 free convert holy site action

+4 to battle roll

-2 reduce enemy casualties by 20%

-3 increase own causalities by 30%

-1 +4 to leader loss

I've never done this before, I suspect this is wonky, but would appreciate feedback.

The only issue we spotted was that the two separate free action attempts should cost +1 point for stacking. I don't think that stacking cost is in the rules yet though since stacking free actions hasn't come up yet.

[Feathersnow]

Region for review


The Everswamp of Qzzry'ya


Most of the people of this brackish region are of a vertebrate clade previously unencountered. It has long been hypothesized, based on studies of Mer and It-That-Comes-From-Beyond-the-Sky that vertebrates are far more dominant above the sky. Some heretics suspect the Nacres may even be vertebrate-derived, based on the increased durability and metabolic hyperactivity needed to live in the toxic vacuum that exists beyond the water.

This clade is believed to be more basal than the Merish or, to use the word the Nacres called It-That-Comes-From-Beyond-the-Sky, "Avian" forms of terrestrial vertebrates that have re-colonized the sea. It has many traits in common with fish, but limbs of the same array as a Nacre or Otterian, with many traits in common with a mer. Biologians studying them now feel confident Mer ancestors once had four limbs and closely resembled Otterians based on this study of a basal vertebrate.

These creatures resemble Otterians in more than their gross physical features. They also have an uncanny ability to live in aether, actually nesting in it. Unlike Otterians or Mer, their reproductive properties are much like that of the Precursors- abandoning eggs and accepting any larva to make it to an adult phase in the wild to society. Thus, unlike Mer, who are repelled by the ways of Sakurado's cultivating infants deliberately, to the people of Qzzry'ya, this represents a more humane and logical way to safeguard future generations.

Of great shock to everyone, there was found a living colony of Precursors in Qzzry'ya. On the standing request of the Nacres to not wantonly and violently exterminate sentient bloodlines and out of an indulgence to anthropologists, they are going to be permitted to live naturally, though any are free to convert.


The dominant culture of this area called themselves the Levt. This word is both the name for their society and the dominant species. They revere the Great Mangrove. Study of this being confirm their legend that it is a single clonal colony actually introduced by the semi-apocryphal Saint Tomos in Precursor Times.

According to legend, there was once a forest of similar trees that were devastated in The Cataclysm. St. Tomo created this replacement to stabilize the ruined ecosystem and prevent the extinction of the Levt. In thanks they have practiced a corrupt form of primitive Sakurado, but are eager to adopt themselves to our new orthodoxy.



This area was once much like Dashasham, a series of mountains piercing the sky, but the Great Mangrove absorbed much of the salt and filled in much of the available space. It is more wood than water, and less mountain than either.
The waters here very light in mineral content, to the point it can cause kidney distress in fish designed for other regions.




Cuttings of the Mother Mangrove can live almost anywhere and provide fodder for animals due to their fast growth.

The hormonal system of Mother Mangrove is actually a Precursor relic used replicate industrial chemicals by careful application of stimuli. These Fruiting Mangrove are living chemical factories! That said, they cannot produce extremely complex biologicals.


Since Mother Mangrove has consumed most of the region, Fertilizer is needed to continue production effectively.


The Levt practice a primitive version of Sakura-Do that will require instruction to become orthodox. They do revere our saints and understand the need to care fir the World Garden. It us a good first step!

[Lady Serpentine]

Proposed TacDoc - Voice of the Black Tide: +2 to battle, -20% enemy casualties, +10% own casualties, automatically recruit one unit. If at unit cap, instead replace +10% own casualties and recruiting a unit with -20% own casualties.

By my understanding that'd break down like this:

Base budget: 2
Free action (+3 due to specific action)
+2 to battle (+2)
-20% enemy casualties (-2)
+10% own casualties (-1)

And then a special rider because this action is a lot more likely than most to run into circumstances where it's not a legal action, which removes Free Action and +10% own casualties and replaces them with -20% own casualties for no net change in cost.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Regarding the artifact to freely give out treasure, I understand and if I take it I will keep it that version that doesn't generate the plus one treasure. I would, however, push for the "12 regions within capital" thing because I was okay with the Diplomatic contact part on the presumption it would keep it distributed locally. Which as I understand things it definitely does not do right now.

Also, to be inserted later, but potentially considering Artifact Boat, and updates for later.

More important than the above, which member of the gm team should I dm in regards to this lore stuff? Or should said discussion happen in the ooc thread? I do want to ideally sort this out both so I can sort out my own fluff, and while I have more time to think about things because I might (might) be fairly busy irl September. Not enough to stop me from posting actions though, so no need for special accommodations.

[Feathersnow]

I'm considering long term plans. Would this work as a Miracle? It's pretty out there, but it works with my fluff, immortalized leaders have precedent in Empire, and I truly have no idea how to gauge its power level.


That said, it is months out, and a lot could change. I am locked into finally letting Marcion die no later than round 16, and they have a successor, who i can't let retire until they have their own suite of special 10 actions. It will take that long for the RP leading to this to even start because it involves Eusebia/MRK finding Deep Blue using only Free actions.

My idea is have Petrix succeeded by Eusebia/MRK after she convinces the Ecclesiarchs that it was hubris to assume only their kind of life has souls. Part of this is contingent on RP and the trajectory of the game, though

Project Ezra
By studying Deep Blue and with the help of The Divine Nacres and a fair amount of prayer, Project Eusebia has been rebuilt as The Chronicler!

On the next turn, my leader changes as per standard dynastic succession.

Eusebia/MRK no longer functions as a spy, is immortal and can use special ten actions at will, provided she actually has 10 in the required stat. She gains no more uses of special 5 actions, but can still use special 10 actions as 5's as normal. She is now known as Project Ezra: The Chronicler, but still answers to MRK.

Whenever she uses a special 10 action, she depletes reserves and has that stat reset as 1d4+2. If the World Garden would benefit from any additional bonuses for dynastic succession besides the +2 already calculated for high stats, the roll is recalculated at a capped 1d4+3.

[JBarca]

Hello! TacDoc proposal for this round, if you don't mind:

First to Kill
Tulticius is said to be utterly fearless in battle, and proves this every chance he gets. It's said he offers a handsome reward to any Beak or levy who kills a foe before he does.
Effects: +4 to battles, -4 Allied Leader Loss, -2 Enemy Leader Loss, +10% Enemy Casualties, +10% Allied Casualties, can only be used if enemy commander is a Leader or General

I don't know if the limitation is enough to qualify for the -1 on the budget, but I hope so! I'm of course happy to modify as needed (Battle Bonus down to +3, drop the restriction, eg) - I just want an absolute meatgrinder of a TacDoc.

[farothel]

Proposed TacDoc for my General

Combined arms
Training makes that the infantry can hold the line to make the cavalry attack in the flank of the enemy army to break them. While this can quickly win a battle, the infantry has to hold, no matter the casualties.

effect:
+4 to battle roll (4 points)
+10 to own casualties (-1 point)
can only be used if at least three units are present, 2 to hold the line and 1 to flank

[Feathersnow]

Alternative TacDoc

"Witness of the Great Commision"

Doctrine of Clös

+2 free convert holy site action

+4 to battle roll

-3 reduce enemy casualties by 40%

-1 increase own causalities by 10%

[Lady Serpentine]

So, there's not really a good way to track different types of units at the moment. This is intentional because even two types was a massive headache. As such, might I suggest instead that you do "Must use a Mounts and Warbeasts tech and a Scouts and Subterfuge tech" for Combined Arms?

[farothel]

So, there's not really a good way to track different types of units at the moment. This is intentional because even two types was a massive headache. As such, might I suggest instead that you do "Must use a Mounts and Warbeasts tech and a Scouts and Subterfuge tech" for Combined Arms?

Getting techs is even more of a headache as you can only get 1 military tech per ruler.

[Lady Serpentine]

I think you fundamentally misunderstand what kind of headache I meant. Having multiple types of units has been tried before, and it turned out they were a massive pain in the ass to track, to the point that the tables were at best three to five rounds out of date on unit counts and had numerous inconsistencies even when people had just done a pass to try and fix that.

Given that history, I find it extremely unlikely you're going to get any kind of approval for reintroducing distinctions between unit types. And if you did, it certainly wouldn't be from a TacDoc; it would probably require either a miracle or at least one tech.

Alternatively, if it's entirely a fluff matter, then the restriction is absurdly hard to track for an entirely different reason and exceedingly easy to trigger. Especially if you do not fluff, or are vague with the fluff of, your Raise Unit actions. And even if you approach it entirely in good faith and clearly state exactly what kind of unit you're raising, it makes tracking exactly what specific units died in each battle matter Which is another reason it was a headache.

[farothel]

Changed it so that I need at least 3 units, no matter the type.

[farothel]

Write ups for regions 4 and 29


Name: Lupomata

This region has a large number of valleys and hills and cliffs, mostly topped with smoking stacks belching toxic chemicals into the water. A few small drop-offs are found to the north and North west where the smoking hills make room for a desolate wasteland. In the hills there are a lot of caves and tunnels, mostly old smokers that are dormant. The valleys have mostly a rocky bottom, but there are some patches of sand where the eye weed grows.

Very little grows here, mostly hardy plants and corals that can stand the chemicals (or actually need them). The one plant that makes life easier in the region is the Eye Weed plant, which filters the toxic chemicals out of the water. So all settlements sit only where the Eye Weed grows and is surrounded by the plants. They don't remove all the toxic chemicals, but enough that within settlements one can survive without extra technology, at least for the natives. Visitors from outside the region best be very careful removing their filtering masks (although for small amounts of time it is okay).

There are not many predators in the region, but there are parasites that destroy the Eye Weed which have to be controlled. Some fish can also stand the toxic chemicals and feed on the natives. Near the vents only very specialised creatures can survive the heat and the amount of chemicals.

There are two main species in this region. The Lysmatella are smaller, shrimp-like creatures who are quite smart, while the Lupocyclus are more crab-like, larger but not as smart as the Lysmatella. the strange thing is that when Lysmatella and Lupocyclus work together, a sort of low-level hive mind forms between the two species, allowing mostly the Lysmatella to direct the work of the others more easily.

They live mostly in the valleys, where the level of toxic chemicals is less than on the tops of the hills. While the Lysmatella do most of the governing (what there is in the region), the Lupocyclus do the heavy lifting and most of the Eye Weed maintenance.

The region has always been fragmented, as the natives could only live where the Eye Weed grows (in the sandy valleys). While they can tolerate the toxic chemicals for long enough that some trade had developed, it wasn't enough for a strong centralised government. so the villages remained rather small, with a local noble (all from the Lysmatella) ruling over each village.

On the other hand, the fact that it was very difficult to move from one village to the other meant that there has been very little warfare between the villages. All villages maintain a militia to defend against predators, Mostly Lupocyclus with Lysmatella officers, and they have similar tactics, but there is not really a unified military.

The plant known as Eye Weed is grown across the region where-ever it can be grown. It is vital for life in the region, but some can be exported. It is very good at absorbing chemicals and also has some anti-biotic properties. Older plants actually contain a lot of chemicals that they absorbed in their lifetime, but the young shoots can be used to neutralise chemicals. this can be used to counter drugs or preserve food, or when a person has been outside of the villages too long, to counter the toxics they absorbed themselves.

While the Lupocyclus are quite content to live as before, the Lysmatella want exotic goods as a way to show their status and also to have something others from their species don't have.

The people in the region beleive that after dead, if you have fulfilled your destiny, your soul goes to another plain of existance (called the Dream World) where it can still be contacted by people with special abilities. If not, it is reincarnated in another body.

People with the ability to contact ancestors, called the dreaming dead, all can't form hive minds with others. So anybody who lacks the ability to form a hive-mind will become a priest (both species can become priests). The main training of priests to contact the dreaming dead is in a small village (Holy site 1) near the middle of the region where the only non-priests are one Lysmatella overseeing a group of Lupocyclus tending to the Eye Weed.

The second holy site is a chasm near the village of the priests, where there are a lot of villages around at various points. This is the only more organised part of the region as the villages are closer together. All the villages close to the chasm dispose of their dead by letting them into the chasm. It is tought that this chasm has a portal to the Dream World somewhere down below.

The last holy site is a small cave in the North-East, where according to legend the first Priest received the gift of Dream Talking from a soul so strong it could reach back by itself.

In the past years, a battle has been fought between different faiths and while the main priesthood is under the power of the Hymenocera, the holy sites, except for the site of the recently created holy order) are in the hands of the Shimmers of Unseen Bane.





Name: Belosa

A mostly sandy/muddy region with small rock formations dotted through the region. A lot of toxic chemicals are brought here on the current from the north-east, but there were a few crevassas in the region where toxic chemical poured out. The sand becomes a wasteland to the north-west. Closer to the North it's more hilly with the smokers also seen in region 4.

Due to the toxicity there are very few plants and the animals either tolerate the chemicals or actually need them. Near region 4 there grow some Eye Weed plants, but the rest of the region is not really suitable for them.

The Belosiae are cephalopods, about 5 feet long (including tentacles). They have grown used to the chemicals and actually have filtration systems in their body. They also use some of the chemicals they ingest to be able to glow in a unique pattern, which they use in mating rituals or in dance feasts when tribes meet. They live in tribal units, roaming through the region.

Because the lack of sufficient shelter and the lack of materials to build them, the Belosiae are mostly nomads, traveling from place to place with their herds of Spine Crabs. Each family unit is self-contained, although they do intermarry. There is a council of the heads of the largest tribes and the priests which decides on the few things that affect the region as a whole. Beyond that all tribes govern themselves and the few conflicts between tribes are most often solved by a combat of champions. As they are nomadic, everyone learns to defend the tribe and the herds, meaning they have quite a lot of soldiers should the need arise.

There are a few small towns around the rock formations where tribes come together to trade.

In the region lives a species of crab called spine crabs. These are often well camouflaged in the wild, but are now domesticated. They serve as food and draft animal for a large amount of different jobs. The spine crabs themselves dig in the mud for small molluscs to eat.

Due to the relative low amount of rock in their own region they need a lot of building material to build houses for themselves.

The main faith in the region is ancestor worship, where they believe that their ancestor's souls will look after them if properly appeased. Near the border with region 4 some tribes follow a different form of ancestor worship as in that region. While they don't have many Dream Talkers (only a few Lupocyclus move over the border), they do have a location near a group of Eye Weed plants where the few Dream Talkers say they can hear the ancestors. It's not clear why this location is different, but a lot of tribes following this religion try to pass there at least once per year. This site has recently been taken over by the priests of the Hymenocera as part of their vendetta against the Dream Talkers

In the rest of the region a different form of ancestor worship takes place, where people just try to emulate prominent ancestors. In the largest town near the middle of the region has a large cave that functions as the Hall of the Ancestors. Any Belosia who has done something noteworthy for the whole region will get a 'statue' in the Hall, where his/her glow pattern is recreated using luminous algae and sponges.

A third site the Belosiae consider holy is the site of a large battle between them and the titans, where many ancestors did glorious deeds. For most visitors it's just a muddy plain.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Questions:

1; Will Algae-Based Fuel qualify for a heat based resource to Impress 55 with? I imagine it being some kind of combustible fuel akin to oil from dinosaurs, but I could be wrong, and I'd like to know before rolling to Impress 55 (which would seriously help an exploration roll downwards next turn).

The frozen algae and kelp forests around the eastern towns contain high-pressure fuel cells under the ground, where the frozen plant matter has collapsed on itself and formed layers and layers above each other.

2; I already rolled an investigation in my capital before the Rustplagued details came up, which should meet the 14 TN (+7 Spy +3 Treasure +1 Merchant Support +3 Roll), should I strike that action from the record and reroll it given the new rules listed, or just take that as the 14 TN success?

3; Alternative Artifact Proposal, in light of this new Divine Quest:

Violet Scrye

A singular optic organ, harvested for specific purposes. The adherents of Mammos at first were not sure what to do with the deposed doubter queen, but soon found a way to Recycle her.

Mechanics: Once per turn, you may treat any region as if you had Merchant Support within it for the purposes of a Exploration or Prospect action, regardless of the ownership, condition, or existence of the Merchant Support in that region. This has no effect on the actual Merchant Support of the region.

[Rolepgeek]

A fully reply to the latest round ofOOC questions and inquiries will be forthcoming this weekend, but this couldn't wait -

@Kythia: Your attempt to Oppress the Clergy in region 10 is an invalid action.

From the Rules Thread, under Action Basics:

You cannot use multiple actions on the same target in a single round. Some examples of what is not allowed include:

Attempting to Convert the same Holy Site a second time in a single round if the first attempt fails, or attempting to Sack a Holy Site if a Conversion attempt fails in the same round.
Attempting multiple Buyouts of the same Trade Post, or attempting to simultaneously Buyout and Coerce a single Trade Post.
Attempting to simultaneously Sway, Impress, Oppress, and/or Undermine the same faction in the same region.
Attempting to intercept an enemy army twice in the same region.
Attempting to defend a region with two different armies to force a multi-way battle.
Attempting to explore in the same direction from the same starting point with two different exploration methods.



Additionally, for future reference, please note that you do not gain a +2 bonus to Oppress attempts for owning Aristocratic Support in the region - the bonus you're thinking is for Sacks.


If you would like to take a different action instead, you may do so.

[Kythia]

Ah, I missed that. My apologies. I'll rewrite that as a fluff attempt to intimate them when I get in to work (on phone atm)

[mystic1110]

Region 59- Separatum Corporate Holdings

The Separatum Corporate Holdings are located on a patch of rocky seafloor, instead of sand and silt, the seabed is mostly made of underwater limestone caves. This does mean that there are numerous caverns in the Holdings that open up into air filled chambers, except one should note that the air in these caverns, without circulation is heavy and not really breathable. That said, these pockets of air do create conditions perfect for the harvesting of algae – and are often called the algae mines by the people of the Holdings

The Separatum Corporate Holdings include the expanse of land previously labeled Region 59. The land is densely populated, full of slums of previously starving people. Now however, within those slums are huge automated algae farming tanks that provide the substance for the population. These tanks are a blessing and a curse - the blessing being food and the curse being work. The tanks while automated need monitoring, and such jobs are in short supply. Competition for them is fierce. The government of the region is the Separatum Corporation, the shareholders of which are the five members of the original Relief Counsel. Given Deep Blue’s request for administrative control, the Herrings were elected as the Directive Board and Executive Committees. The Board and Committee oversee much of the functioning of the Corporate Holdings, while the rest of the Shareholders come by to inspect of push their various agendas – some more humanitarian than others. The Corporation, while stemming from a philanthropic concern, has, through the capitalistic bent of some of its members, and through the mercantile and expansionism of its other members, morphed into an entity that wants to make good on its investments. As such, the Corporation is, if not outright exploitative, is positioned to be just that at a drop of a hat. Citizens of the Holdings are in one sense workers belonging to the Corporation, while at the same time also being considered assets. Labor is, of course, always an asset, but the Board and Shareholders both monitor any depreciation and interest of each of their citizen-workers. It goes without saying that Unions are strongly discouraged.

The people of the Separatum Corporate Holdings are Mer – they are not a particularly distinguishable from those that lived in the former Scintillating Ceiling except maybe by their thin frames and hallow faces – but this is probably due to their long-malnourishment and current working conditions than anything genetic. They are also paler than other Mer, again probably due to staying in the caves with the algae tanks rather than dancing in the waves – the sun’s ultraviolet light might penetrate ice and water, but not rock.

If the Mer of the region had a faith prior to the communion they do not remember. Even the promises and chants of the communion are distant to them as they clock in and out of the algae mines and factories each day. Faith might be an opiate of the masses, but work and work alone feeds them.


The traditional resource of the region had been Coral Dyes, but after the crises and the takeover of the region by the Separatum Corporation, the development of an advanced algae farming apparatus, the real resource of the region must be considered its algae.

[Corona]

I will be less available from tomorrow until the 28th, meaning the usual political map of the tropics will be delayed and I might not post until the second week of the round. If you happen to be itching to start a war with me, you can still feel free to. :smallamused:

[Volthawk]

So when it comes to the Abyssal Steward artefact, given I've been told that posting here is helpful and we've discussed the right balance point for this sort of thing, but it might not be what I want as this isn't a normal artefact construction, I have a thing.


Fluff fluff fluff, I have no idea if ancient Steward artefacts look significantly different from the stuff we make nowadays

A Specialised Ship equipped with this artefact that is used to Prospect in a Wastes region gains a +2 bonus, unless Role decides on a different bonus.

[Lumaeus]

Artifact Proposae

1. The Bubble: This orb floated up from the depths of the True Abyss within a great cloud of the Mother's Breath. Unlike the life-sustaining sulfides and other noxious boons, this bubble was filled only with the purest of water. Experimentation revealed that the Bubble could be made permeable, and water allowed to transgress its boundary, but when made again solid, it retains its water quality and its pressure.

Effect: As a Faith action, the holder of the Bubble may apply it to any region they choose--so long as any PC owner of that region does not object. When so placed, the Bubble allows its owner to interact with the region as though it were one depth shallower.

2. The Capstone: This pyramidal stone of pure white rose from the depths within a great cloud of the Mother's Breath. It's plain that this belongs in a great edifice unlike anything in the Dead Seas.

Effect: When placed into a Great Project as part of an action to contribute to the project, the Capstone provides a piece of Communion to the locals, bolstering their fortitude and collaboration. This region now gains a +1 on rolls to resist attacks, buyouts, conversions, hostile impressions and sways, and any other assaults, should the region owner choose.

3. The Mother's Favor: This disc of pressed, iridescent glass floated from the depths within a great cloud of the Mother's Breath. Whoever holds it hears the faintest echoes of distant whispers--the shared words of those blessed with the Eternal Communion.

Effect: Once per turn, the holder of this artifact may, once per turn, take an action as though they were part of the Eternal Communion. If they successfully usurp the position of faith head, they retain the title so long as they continue to act as a member of the Communion at least once per turn (and they do not otherwise lose the position as per normal rules)

4. The Tapping Wire: This ever twitching length of fine (both senses) metal wove its way from the depths within a great cloud of the Mother's Breath. When placed against a crystalline surface, snatches of distant voices can be heard.

Effect: This artifact provides insight into the hostile actions of the Abyssal Stewards. Whoever possesses the wire mitigates any malus inflicted by the Stewards for -1 or -2 rep by 1 (that is, a -1 to resist stacks and coercion total, and no penalty to secret actions).

5. The Hammer: This nondescript hammer rose up from the depths in a great cloud of the Mother's Breath.

Effect: When the owner of the Hammer contributes three actions to the same Great Project on the same turn, the Project moves four steps towards completion.

[LapisCattis]

Region for review


The Everswamp of Qzzry'ya


Most of the people of this brackish region are of a vertebrate clade previously unencountered. It has long been hypothesized, based on studies of Mer and It-That-Comes-From-Beyond-the-Sky that vertebrates are far more dominant above the sky. Some heretics suspect the Nacres may even be vertebrate-derived, based on the increased durability and metabolic hyperactivity needed to live in the toxic vacuum that exists beyond the water.

This clade is believed to be more basal than the Merish or, to use the word the Nacres called It-That-Comes-From-Beyond-the-Sky, "Avian" forms of terrestrial vertebrates that have re-colonized the sea. It has many traits in common with fish, but limbs of the same array as a Nacre or Otterian, with many traits in common with a mer. Biologians studying them now feel confident Mer ancestors once had four limbs and closely resembled Otterians based on this study of a basal vertebrate.

These creatures resemble Otterians in more than their gross physical features. They also have an uncanny ability to live in aether, actually nesting in it. Unlike Otterians or Mer, their reproductive properties are much like that of the Precursors- abandoning eggs and accepting any larva to make it to an adult phase in the wild to society. Thus, unlike Mer, who are repelled by the ways of Sakurado's cultivating infants deliberately, to the people of Qzzry'ya, this represents a more humane and logical way to safeguard future generations.

Of great shock to everyone, there was found a living colony of Precursors in Qzzry'ya. On the standing request of the Nacres to not wantonly and violently exterminate sentient bloodlines and out of an indulgence to anthropologists, they are going to be permitted to live naturally, though any are free to convert.


The dominant culture of this area called themselves the Levt. This word is both the name for their society and the dominant species. They revere the Great Mangrove. Study of this being confirm their legend that it is a single clonal colony actually introduced by the semi-apocryphal Saint Tomos in Precursor Times.

According to legend, there was once a forest of similar trees that were devastated in The Cataclysm. St. Tomo created this replacement to stabilize the ruined ecosystem and prevent the extinction of the Levt. In thanks they have practiced a corrupt form of primitive Sakurado, but are eager to adopt themselves to our new orthodoxy.



This area was once much like Dashasham, a series of mountains piercing the sky, but the Great Mangrove absorbed much of the salt and filled in much of the available space. It is more wood than water, and less mountain than either.
The waters here very light in mineral content, to the point it can cause kidney distress in fish designed for other regions.




Cuttings of the Mother Mangrove can live almost anywhere and provide fodder for animals due to their fast growth.

The hormonal system of Mother Mangrove is actually a Precursor relic used replicate industrial chemicals by careful application of stimuli. These Fruiting Mangrove are living chemical factories! That said, they cannot produce extremely complex biologicals.


Since Mother Mangrove has consumed most of the region, Fertilizer is needed to continue production effectively.


The Levt practice a primitive version of Sakura-Do that will require instruction to become orthodox. They do revere our saints and understand the need to care fir the World Garden. It us a good first step!

As long as the Levt are not capable of flight, consider this approved. Flight just has messy implications for mechanics


Regarding the artifact to freely give out treasure, I understand and if I take it I will keep it that version that doesn't generate the plus one treasure. I would, however, push for the "12 regions within capital" thing because I was okay with the Diplomatic contact part on the presumption it would keep it distributed locally. Which as I understand things it definitely does not do right now.

Also, to be inserted later, but potentially considering Artifact Boat, and updates for later.

More important than the above, which member of the gm team should I dm in regards to this lore stuff? Or should said discussion happen in the ooc thread? I do want to ideally sort this out both so I can sort out my own fluff, and while I have more time to think about things because I might (might) be fairly busy irl September. Not enough to stop me from posting actions though, so no need for special accommodations.

Looking back on the conversation, I don't see where "within 12 regions of capital" came up. If you want to limit it to "people with trade route connections" or another metric that is already tracked, that's fine, but since artifacts can and are at least somewhat meant to be traded, stolen, and otherwise exchanged between players, having a fairly easily tracked limitation is important.

I'll DM about the lore stuff in discord since I know I'm getting to approvals late

[LapisCattis]

Proposed TacDoc - Voice of the Black Tide: +2 to battle, -20% enemy casualties, +10% own casualties, automatically recruit one unit. If at unit cap, instead replace +10% own casualties and recruiting a unit with -20% own casualties.

By my understanding that'd break down like this:

Base budget: 2
Free action (+3 due to specific action)
+2 to battle (+2)
-20% enemy casualties (-2)
+10% own casualties (-1)

And then a special rider because this action is a lot more likely than most to run into circumstances where it's not a legal action, which removes Free Action and +10% own casualties and replaces them with -20% own casualties for no net change in cost.

I believe this has been updated and approved and is in your IC (mostly replying here for my own records)


I'm considering long term plans. Would this work as a Miracle? It's pretty out there, but it works with my fluff, immortalized leaders have precedent in Empire, and I truly have no idea how to gauge its power level.


That said, it is months out, and a lot could change. I am locked into finally letting Marcion die no later than round 16, and they have a successor, who i can't let retire until they have their own suite of special 10 actions. It will take that long for the RP leading to this to even start because it involves Eusebia/MRK finding Deep Blue using only Free actions.

My idea is have Petrix succeeded by Eusebia/MRK after she convinces the Ecclesiarchs that it was hubris to assume only their kind of life has souls. Part of this is contingent on RP and the trajectory of the game, though

Project Ezra
By studying Deep Blue and with the help of The Divine Nacres and a fair amount of prayer, Project Eusebia has been rebuilt as The Chronicler!

On the next turn, my leader changes as per standard dynastic succession.

Eusebia/MRK no longer functions as a spy, is immortal and can use special ten actions at will, provided she actually has 10 in the required stat. She gains no more uses of special 5 actions, but can still use special 10 actions as 5's as normal. She is now known as Project Ezra: The Chronicler, but still answers to MRK.

Whenever she uses a special 10 action, she depletes reserves and has that stat reset as 1d4+2. If the World Garden would benefit from any additional bonuses for dynastic succession besides the +2 already calculated for high stats, the roll is recalculated at a capped 1d4+3.

If you add on "Whenever she uses a special 10 action, she depletes reserves and has that stat reset as 1d4+2 and lowers all other stats by 1d3 (rolled separately for each stat), that should be balanced enough?

I'm not sure about where the dynastic succession component fits into the fluff, however.


Hello! TacDoc proposal for this round, if you don't mind:

First to Kill
Tulticius is said to be utterly fearless in battle, and proves this every chance he gets. It's said he offers a handsome reward to any Beak or levy who kills a foe before he does.
Effects: +4 to battles, -4 Allied Leader Loss, -2 Enemy Leader Loss, +10% Enemy Casualties, +10% Allied Casualties, can only be used if enemy commander is a Leader or General

I don't know if the limitation is enough to qualify for the -1 on the budget, but I hope so! I'm of course happy to modify as needed (Battle Bonus down to +3, drop the restriction, eg) - I just want an absolute meatgrinder of a TacDoc.

If you drop the battle bonus down to +3 and remove the "enemy commander is a Leader or General" restriction, this will work



Proposed TacDoc for my General

Combined arms
Training makes that the infantry can hold the line to make the cavalry attack in the flank of the enemy army to break them. While this can quickly win a battle, the infantry has to hold, no matter the casualties.

effect:
+4 to battle roll (4 points)
+10 to own casualties (-1 point)
can only be used if at least three units are present, 2 to hold the line and 1 to flank

I think this would work if instead of "at least 3 units", it's "can only be used if your army outnumbers the opposing army"


Alternative TacDoc

"Witness of the Great Commision"

Doctrine of Clös

+2 free convert holy site action

+4 to battle roll

-3 reduce enemy casualties by 40%

-1 increase own causalities by 10%

That works out!


Write ups for regions 4 and 29


Name: Lupomata

This region has a large number of valleys and hills and cliffs, mostly topped with smoking stacks belching toxic chemicals into the water. A few small drop-offs are found to the north and North west where the smoking hills make room for a desolate wasteland. In the hills there are a lot of caves and tunnels, mostly old smokers that are dormant. The valleys have mostly a rocky bottom, but there are some patches of sand where the eye weed grows.

Very little grows here, mostly hardy plants and corals that can stand the chemicals (or actually need them). The one plant that makes life easier in the region is the Eye Weed plant, which filters the toxic chemicals out of the water. So all settlements sit only where the Eye Weed grows and is surrounded by the plants. They don't remove all the toxic chemicals, but enough that within settlements one can survive without extra technology, at least for the natives. Visitors from outside the region best be very careful removing their filtering masks (although for small amounts of time it is okay).

There are not many predators in the region, but there are parasites that destroy the Eye Weed which have to be controlled. Some fish can also stand the toxic chemicals and feed on the natives. Near the vents only very specialised creatures can survive the heat and the amount of chemicals.

There are two main species in this region. The Lysmatella are smaller, shrimp-like creatures who are quite smart, while the Lupocyclus are more crab-like, larger but not as smart as the Lysmatella. the strange thing is that when Lysmatella and Lupocyclus work together, a sort of low-level hive mind forms between the two species, allowing mostly the Lysmatella to direct the work of the others more easily.

They live mostly in the valleys, where the level of toxic chemicals is less than on the tops of the hills. While the Lysmatella do most of the governing (what there is in the region), the Lupocyclus do the heavy lifting and most of the Eye Weed maintenance.

The region has always been fragmented, as the natives could only live where the Eye Weed grows (in the sandy valleys). While they can tolerate the toxic chemicals for long enough that some trade had developed, it wasn't enough for a strong centralised government. so the villages remained rather small, with a local noble (all from the Lysmatella) ruling over each village.

On the other hand, the fact that it was very difficult to move from one village to the other meant that there has been very little warfare between the villages. All villages maintain a militia to defend against predators, Mostly Lupocyclus with Lysmatella officers, and they have similar tactics, but there is not really a unified military.

The plant known as Eye Weed is grown across the region where-ever it can be grown. It is vital for life in the region, but some can be exported. It is very good at absorbing chemicals and also has some anti-biotic properties. Older plants actually contain a lot of chemicals that they absorbed in their lifetime, but the young shoots can be used to neutralise chemicals. this can be used to counter drugs or preserve food, or when a person has been outside of the villages too long, to counter the toxics they absorbed themselves.

While the Lupocyclus are quite content to live as before, the Lysmatella want exotic goods as a way to show their status and also to have something others from their species don't have.

The people in the region beleive that after dead, if you have fulfilled your destiny, your soul goes to another plain of existance (called the Dream World) where it can still be contacted by people with special abilities. If not, it is reincarnated in another body.

People with the ability to contact ancestors, called the dreaming dead, all can't form hive minds with others. So anybody who lacks the ability to form a hive-mind will become a priest (both species can become priests). The main training of priests to contact the dreaming dead is in a small village (Holy site 1) near the middle of the region where the only non-priests are one Lysmatella overseeing a group of Lupocyclus tending to the Eye Weed.

The second holy site is a chasm near the village of the priests, where there are a lot of villages around at various points. This is the only more organised part of the region as the villages are closer together. All the villages close to the chasm dispose of their dead by letting them into the chasm. It is tought that this chasm has a portal to the Dream World somewhere down below.

The last holy site is a small cave in the North-East, where according to legend the first Priest received the gift of Dream Talking from a soul so strong it could reach back by itself.

In the past years, a battle has been fought between different faiths and while the main priesthood is under the power of the Hymenocera, the holy sites, except for the site of the recently created holy order) are in the hands of the Shimmers of Unseen Bane.





Name: Belosa

A mostly sandy/muddy region with small rock formations dotted through the region. A lot of toxic chemicals are brought here on the current from the north-east, but there were a few crevassas in the region where toxic chemical poured out. The sand becomes a wasteland to the north-west. Closer to the North it's more hilly with the smokers also seen in region 4.

Due to the toxicity there are very few plants and the animals either tolerate the chemicals or actually need them. Near region 4 there grow some Eye Weed plants, but the rest of the region is not really suitable for them.

The Belosiae are cephalopods, about 5 feet long (including tentacles). They have grown used to the chemicals and actually have filtration systems in their body. They also use some of the chemicals they ingest to be able to glow in a unique pattern, which they use in mating rituals or in dance feasts when tribes meet. They live in tribal units, roaming through the region.

Because the lack of sufficient shelter and the lack of materials to build them, the Belosiae are mostly nomads, traveling from place to place with their herds of Spine Crabs. Each family unit is self-contained, although they do intermarry. There is a council of the heads of the largest tribes and the priests which decides on the few things that affect the region as a whole. Beyond that all tribes govern themselves and the few conflicts between tribes are most often solved by a combat of champions. As they are nomadic, everyone learns to defend the tribe and the herds, meaning they have quite a lot of soldiers should the need arise.

There are a few small towns around the rock formations where tribes come together to trade.

In the region lives a species of crab called spine crabs. These are often well camouflaged in the wild, but are now domesticated. They serve as food and draft animal for a large amount of different jobs. The spine crabs themselves dig in the mud for small molluscs to eat.

Due to the relative low amount of rock in their own region they need a lot of building material to build houses for themselves.

The main faith in the region is ancestor worship, where they believe that their ancestor's souls will look after them if properly appeased. Near the border with region 4 some tribes follow a different form of ancestor worship as in that region. While they don't have many Dream Talkers (only a few Lupocyclus move over the border), they do have a location near a group of Eye Weed plants where the few Dream Talkers say they can hear the ancestors. It's not clear why this location is different, but a lot of tribes following this religion try to pass there at least once per year. This site has recently been taken over by the priests of the Hymenocera as part of their vendetta against the Dream Talkers

In the rest of the region a different form of ancestor worship takes place, where people just try to emulate prominent ancestors. In the largest town near the middle of the region has a large cave that functions as the Hall of the Ancestors. Any Belosia who has done something noteworthy for the whole region will get a 'statue' in the Hall, where his/her glow pattern is recreated using luminous algae and sponges.

A third site the Belosiae consider holy is the site of a large battle between them and the titans, where many ancestors did glorious deeds. For most visitors it's just a muddy plain.


Both approved! You can add them to your Waters of the World post


Region 59- Separatum Corporate Holdings

The Separatum Corporate Holdings are located on a patch of rocky seafloor, instead of sand and silt, the seabed is mostly made of underwater limestone caves. This does mean that there are numerous caverns in the Holdings that open up into air filled chambers, except one should note that the air in these caverns, without circulation is heavy and not really breathable. That said, these pockets of air do create conditions perfect for the harvesting of algae – and are often called the algae mines by the people of the Holdings

The Separatum Corporate Holdings include the expanse of land previously labeled Region 59. The land is densely populated, full of slums of previously starving people. Now however, within those slums are huge automated algae farming tanks that provide the substance for the population. These tanks are a blessing and a curse - the blessing being food and the curse being work. The tanks while automated need monitoring, and such jobs are in short supply. Competition for them is fierce. The government of the region is the Separatum Corporation, the shareholders of which are the five members of the original Relief Counsel. Given Deep Blue’s request for administrative control, the Herrings were elected as the Directive Board and Executive Committees. The Board and Committee oversee much of the functioning of the Corporate Holdings, while the rest of the Shareholders come by to inspect of push their various agendas – some more humanitarian than others. The Corporation, while stemming from a philanthropic concern, has, through the capitalistic bent of some of its members, and through the mercantile and expansionism of its other members, morphed into an entity that wants to make good on its investments. As such, the Corporation is, if not outright exploitative, is positioned to be just that at a drop of a hat. Citizens of the Holdings are in one sense workers belonging to the Corporation, while at the same time also being considered assets. Labor is, of course, always an asset, but the Board and Shareholders both monitor any depreciation and interest of each of their citizen-workers. It goes without saying that Unions are strongly discouraged.

The people of the Separatum Corporate Holdings are Mer – they are not a particularly distinguishable from those that lived in the former Scintillating Ceiling except maybe by their thin frames and hallow faces – but this is probably due to their long-malnourishment and current working conditions than anything genetic. They are also paler than other Mer, again probably due to staying in the caves with the algae tanks rather than dancing in the waves – the sun’s ultraviolet light might penetrate ice and water, but not rock.

If the Mer of the region had a faith prior to the communion they do not remember. Even the promises and chants of the communion are distant to them as they clock in and out of the algae mines and factories each day. Faith might be an opiate of the masses, but work and work alone feeds them.


The traditional resource of the region had been Coral Dyes, but after the crises and the takeover of the region by the Separatum Corporation, the development of an advanced algae farming apparatus, the real resource of the region must be considered its algae.

Approved! For some reason this gives me Snowpiercer vibes...


So when it comes to the Abyssal Steward artefact, given I've been told that posting here is helpful and we've discussed the right balance point for this sort of thing, but it might not be what I want as this isn't a normal artefact construction, I have a thing.


Fluff fluff fluff, I have no idea if ancient Steward artefacts look significantly different from the stuff we make nowadays

A Specialised Ship equipped with this artefact that is used to Prospect in a Wastes region gains a +2 bonus, unless Role decides on a different bonus.


I don't believe you need my approval since this is something you're getting from ABS, but if you are asking for a check, this is fine!



Questions:

1; Will Algae-Based Fuel qualify for a heat based resource to Impress 55 with? I imagine it being some kind of combustible fuel akin to oil from dinosaurs, but I could be wrong, and I'd like to know before rolling to Impress 55 (which would seriously help an exploration roll downwards next turn).


2; I already rolled an investigation in my capital before the Rustplagued details came up, which should meet the 14 TN (+7 Spy +3 Treasure +1 Merchant Support +3 Roll), should I strike that action from the record and reroll it given the new rules listed, or just take that as the 14 TN success?

3; Alternative Artifact Proposal, in light of this new Divine Quest:

Violet Scrye

A singular optic organ, harvested for specific purposes. The adherents of Mammos at first were not sure what to do with the deposed doubter queen, but soon found a way to Recycle her.

Mechanics: Once per turn, you may treat any region as if you had Merchant Support within it for the purposes of a Exploration or Prospect action, regardless of the ownership, condition, or existence of the Merchant Support in that region. This has no effect on the actual Merchant Support of the region.

Some of these were addressed by Role but just to put my voice in:

1. The fluff for Algae Based Fuel (and the name) was clarified to note that it is caloric fuel, not flammable fuel. Traditional flammable fuel doesn't work terribly well underwater anyways

3. That fluff is terrifying! However, as it stands with no limitations and so broadly defined, this would not be accepted.