The Gravetenders
Laksha
Diplomacy - 5 || Military - 3 || Economy - 6 || Faith - 6 || Intrigue - 3
Actions:
1: [Diplomacy] Extend Cultural Exchange to the shoalmind Deep Blue.
The rumors of a shoal of herring which act in concert, called by some a god, and by others a nation, captures the interest of many Gravetenders, especially Laksha herself. A mind composed of parts that live their own lives, die, and feed the whole.. There is meaning, there. Gravetenders of all designs make their way to the shoalmind's waters, and after a traditional debate over who is to speak first, make their request. They wish to understand and commune with Deep Blue, and to speak with it on the matters of death and growth.
2: [Faith] Attempt conversion of Holy Site 1 in Spawn Point.
The Gravetenders which make the journey to see the shoalmind Deep Blue do so the same way Gravetenders do everything: constantly discussing their personal spiritual feelings, their individual interpretations of the Blossoming Sequence. It seems this discussion has little effect on Deep Blue, but perhaps in the future, more directed discussion will make way.
3: [Faith] Attempt conversion of Holy Site 1 in Kar-Nath, the Rime Gorge
The Rime Gorge, and the ritual it represents, is of great interest to the Blossoming Sequence. Many die, and those few that survive flourish with power. The respect this sacrifice claims among the Nathi resonates with the Gravetenders, and as more of them come to discuss and learn, they have an equivalent effect upon the Nathi of faith... More than equivalent, in fact.
4: [Military] Generate Unit because of Abyssal Stewards.
Violence is not a concept inherent to the Gravetenders, but their friends the Abyssal Stewards have made a request... and as they Stewards are the most likely source of all important silver, Laksha is inclined to listen. A subset of the Gravetenders, all of sturdy mind, are sent to study the arts of war.
5: [Military] Generate Unit because of Abyssal Stewards.
Beyond the need to please the Abyssal Stewards, some subsection of the Gravetenders, upon studying the martial ways of the organic nations, discover an aptitude for such thinking. Even they, however, fervently hope such things are never required.
[Rolls]
Non-Actions:
Continue to host the Reef in Bloom.
This year, the Reef in Bloom has a spire set aside in Dead City Urodela, a chamber for a meeting of the myriad nations of the Polar waters. Something must be done about the Shark King's constant aggression, and Laksha is intent on being part of the discussion.
Trade specialized ship "Silvered Eye" to Kar-Nath.
The past several years have seen a collaboration between Kar-Nath and the Gravetenders. Seeing that their southern neighbors chafe due to feelings of being 'boxed in,' so to speak, Laksha offers the services of her scientists and faithful, to craft a ship, a gift. A thing of crystal and stone, fit for all the amenities of organic life. Special care has been paid to the specific needs of the Nathi people. When the ship, the Silvered Eye, is complete, it is sent from deep within Dead City Chantrieri laden with a gift of food, along with the promise of more in the future. All Laksha of the Gravetenders asks is a lasting friendship, that peace might be set between them.
Offer Treaty to Kar-Nath: Peace between us, and negotiation before conflict. [Both nations will attempt IC negotiation before any martial conflict between them. Pulling out of this treaty requires notification the round before.]
The Gravetenders, though less concerned with the concept of 'territory' than the organic races, understand that is important. Not only because it matters to their organic neighbors, but because it establishes their own claim to personhood in the eyes of many. Knowing this, they make an offer to their southern neighbors.
Having already established trade and some level of trust, the agreement is simple: Neither nation will initiate violence without attempting to resolve conflict peacefully. A meeting set after the one about the Shark King will discuss such.
Accept Trade Route from Kar-Nath.
Kar-Nath, despite being so different, has long proven itself a trustworthy friend to the Gravetenders. It is with this in mind that Laksha is glad to open a trade route between them. Food and wealth and ideas shall flow, and their isolationist neighbors will experience the endless debates of the meaning of value and price, in addition to those over spiritual matters.
Accept Cultural Exchange from the Shifting Ennead.
Laksha accepts the offer of cultural exchange, seeing it in the interests of her people. Sersi encourages this action, arranging for the hub of this understanding to be set within Bastion itself. This of course, happens early in the first year, before the event that would set Laksha's concerned gaze upon the crimes of the Ennead's Princes. The possibility of conflict keeps Sersi sharp, however, and she insists that the flow of understanding not be interrupted.
Assist Kar-Nath's buyout of Trading Post 2 in the Dead Cities.
Laksha is more than willing to help arrange trade between the Dead Cities and Kar-Nath. The food they produce and preserve is an act of comfort and convenience, and they have little need of it as a source of nourishment. The Silvered Eye carries with it the first exchange, extra included as a gift. The Gravetender which delivers it speaks long of the abundance brought about by collaboration.
Purchase Reaver protection from the DNA for one Favor.
While the Gravetenders make their first steps into the art of war, they have not become masters of it in any sense, and so ask the protection of the Divine Nacres against the coming reaver threat. Sersi makes plans to observe these protections, uncomfortable as she is relying on the surface dwellers for safety.
Request a Prospecting action from the Abyssal Stewards on Bastion, ever in search of Silver.
Contribute to Genus Taxonomia Gelidum Mare.
Fall Blossoms are one of the many creatures which changed in response to the event that turned the Dead Cities into a mass grave. Common in Gravetender waters, they are a species of jellyfish which have adapted to the corpse rich environment of the Dead Cities.
Fall Blossom larvae are especially small, and known for fleeing from any detected movement. Rather than solid ground, the larvae root in dead bodies, drawn by the scent of decay. Once rooted, a larva grows into a larger than average polyp known generally as a Maker’s Flower. Notable for their silver tendrils, they are quite beautiful and some Gravetenders will carefully keep them in their homes.
Maker’s Flowers secrete a preservative chemical from their roots, slowing the rate of decay significantly. A colony will produce less of this preservation agent depending on how many are present, maintaining an optimal rate of decay for luring their preferred prey, scavengers. When scavengers of an appropriate size approach a corpse inhabited by Maker’s Flowers, they lash out, grabbing with thin tendrils and pulling their prey into their bodies. Once appropriately fed, a Maker’s Flower will ‘bloom’, transitioning into the reproductive stage of its life cycle, the Fall Blossom.
The Fall Blossom is the dominant stage, like most jellyfish. Relatively small in number but significantly larger than most jellyfish, they tend to remain near their spawning point, awaiting larger scavengers approaching the corpse their larvae are rooted within. They form a final line of defense for the Maker’s Flower stage, warding off larger scavengers with their paralytic sting. Predators which fail to avoid their tentacles serve as their own prey. Fall Blossoms are a brilliant red, streaked through with silver, though of course their color is only truly appreciable when in direct light.
[Write fluff for Holy Site 2 in Bastion.]
The discovery of a old Maker battlefield sweeps through the Gravetenders, and especially those deeply faithful to the Blossoming Sequence. What can be learned of this internal conflict of their Makers, and what might be made useful for those to come? The site is made holy by their inquiry, and serves a secondary purpose as the first place any faithful Gravetender who studies the art of war visits.
Spoiler: Stat Changes
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Military - 3 > 4
Stats for next round:
Diplomacy - 5
Military - 4
Economy - 6
Faith - 6
Intrigue - 4
Spoiler: Statistics
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Spoiler: Special Actions
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Special Actions Available:
Special Actions Used: Faith 5, Economy 5
Spoiler: Diplomacy
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Reputation/Favours
The Abyssal Stewards: Rep 1, 0 Favour (Expected Change: None)
The Chelonian Chora: Rep 0, 0 Favour (Expected Change: None)
The Divine Nacre: Rep 0, 0 Favour (Expected Change: None)
International Prestige: Rep 4, 0 Favour (Expected Change: None)
Cultural Exchanges
None
Cultural Identities
None
Spoiler: Military
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Units: 0 (Expected Change: +2)
Aristocratic Support
78, 76
Generals
None
Fortresses
None
Perfected Tactical Doctrines
None
Military Technologies
None
Spoiler: Economy
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Treasure: 0 (Expected Change: None)
Trade Posts
Total Owned 1
78.1 – Preserved Food
Mercantile Support
78, 76
Cities
None
Trade Routes
The Seatide Confederacy
Specialized Ships
None
Civilian Technologies
Megafaunal Tailoring No mechanical effect.
Graduated Symbiosis No mechanical effect.
Photospore Signaling No mechanical effect.
Supernatic Propagation No mechanical effect.
Trophic Deconvolution No mechanical effect.
Composite Grafting No mechanical effect.
Spoiler: Faith
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The Blossoming Sequence
Faith Holy Sites: 6
Dead City Urodela: This Dead City is placed such that the light which streams from above is channeled into a series of crystals, all sculpted into abstract forms.
Dead City Tacca: Known for its meditation chamber, and the series of elaborate Reliquaries the faithful have built inside.
Dead City Chantrieri: Chantrieri towers above the rest, precipitously built along a sharp dropoff.
Neoplastic Monolith: A great roiling mass of hard, stone-like flesh grows near the [direction of nearest waste or toxic border] border of Danabae. It shifts, grows, and consumes constantly, and is revered by some few who dare approach it. The Gravetenders have taken to reflecting upon it, and have built a temple nearby.
Pardalis, The New City: The first city truly built by the Gravetenders, now dedicated as a holy place of the Blossoming Sequence.
A Study Of War: A battlefield of the Makers, significant now to the Gravetenders as where they made their first steps to understanding violence.
Clerical Support
78, 76
Organized Faith Bonuses
+1 to holy site conversions.
Artifacts
None
Holy Orders
None
Miracles
None
Spoiler: Intrigue
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Spies
Spoiler: Claims
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78 - Historicity
76 - Integration
Re: Empire 7: Into the Depths IC Thread
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