3/3 Relationships 1 Skill Check 1 Diplomatic Mission
1/1 Relationships 1 Skill Check 1 Military Check
1/1 Relationships 1 Skill Check 0 Exploration Expedition
The harvest yields sufficient rewards to keep both the current settlers and the ever growing immigrants fed and content through to the next year.
Julia Herelia Marion institute graded payments of taxes through food, incentivizing the procurement of food into the granary over the contribution of gold. With that the first exports are shipped back to the homeland, a banner moment for those who sought out this colony for the betterment of Van Myr and the continuation of their homeland.
Captain Arenna Handt works tirelessly to keep the numerous settlements honest but with the rapidly growing farmland and settlements the level of success of this endeavor is hard to judge.
The settlements of the Western Plains swell faster than the rest, inland growth promoted by the abundance of wild life and readily available farmland. The route west along the northern ridge of the Grey Hills proves a safe area due to the traffic with Orcs coming in from the West and smaller settlements abound, linked loosely by a defensive alliance pioneered by
Hippolita , a charismatic leader from a settlement named Delphi. The coastal settlements outside of the Penitent Bay also remain functionally independent, this is where the majority of the former Van citizens settle, more comfortable on the ocean than the land. They seem displeased with he preponderance of foreigners in command positions in Hampsterdam and look to themselves or other powers for leadership. Rumors of a Van Myr agent circulate through the settlements, paving the way for the eventual governorship to be appointed.
The settlers around the Sagouri Swamp express their thanks for the earlier intervention with grudging admiration,
Praetor Aelia Nacii is quick to capitalize on this small bit of good fortune and gains a small commitment from the men to serve as an auxiliary force in case of any further problems. Tensions with the Meggidans seem to evaporate unexpectedly, with reports coming in that they have pushed further into the swamp.
The many settlers of the Bay itself integrate into the rapidly expanding city of Hampsterdam, a greater metropolitan area reminiscent of the massive bayed cities of the Old World. Farming, fishing, and hunting become the backbone of the city but trade and exploration already show the promise of future growth, attracting even further opportunists eager to capitalize on the future of this city on the edge of the New World. Rumors of a great find somewhere in the bay itself reach your ears, sponsored by a treasure hunter named
Dendara Cammise , but this person remains elusive to your fledgling guards.
In Hampsterdam
Captain Tork pushes for using your good fortunes to create a shipwright and extend the dock into a legitimate port. Even if building ships is still years away simply having the ability to properly maintain ships here will make you the destination of note in the North.
Praetor Aelia Nacii is less convinced, worried about the horrors of the New World itself and pushes for creating a series of watch towers and palisades to lesson any potential danger that may emerge. Your steward
Captain Arenna Handt ends up siding with
Captain Tork and preparations begin on creating a series of watch towers.
In the city the gardens grow,
Tayala Benzare and her compatriots increasingly finding new herbs, flowers, and plant life to nourish. In time it will no doubt be of great use, and even now you hear echoed rumors of its exaggerated wonder returning from the Old World. However, a strange new group - the Blessed of the Leaf - are gaining great strength in Hampsterdam and the surrounding settlements. Rumors of strange rituals consecrated to a divine entity in the nearby woods are ever-present, creating a growing tension between the loyal worshippers of the Fathers and this new faith of
The Discovered Lands.
Leandra Kelles proves to be a lackluster leader for the Seekers and the people begin to look for someone more able to challenge this rising heathenism.
Tensions in Hampsterdam rise. The loyal members of Van Myr expect to be given better treatment in the colony and are annoyed to see the former refugees rising above them,
Captain Arenna Handt seems unwilling to address their complaints and while no riots erupt their are moments of tension with several murders reportedly linked to the rising problems. It is difficult to tell who is fanning the flames of this unrest but it certainly seems to be growing rather than shrinking. The arrival of a well-armed mercenary group lead by
Kat Vilyivitskin exacerbates the situation - the group remains stationed near the center of town being funded by an unknown source and sworn to an unknown end.
The Aelfinn, troubled by recent events, depart the Western Plains. Their former village is claimed by a group of Ashland tribals before the neighboring villagers can get there. The situation turns violent, and several of the Ashlanders are slain, two more lynched, by the local strongman., a fomer Van Myr Peacekeper named
Gareth Nemens . Details are sketchy on what exactly happened, and by the time the news reaches Hampsterdam there is nothing else to be done.
A New Carrylean Warship arrives bearing with it a diplomatic missive,
Imperial Dictat : Verfassungsordnung . The message is born by
Scorra Vulpi , Third Fist of the New Carrylean Empire, who is courteous and respectful and brings with her several crates of textiles, tools, and carrylean crystals. She is accompanied by
Samia Belyin , a sorceress of evident power, who takes a passionate interest in
Tayala Benzare and her gardens.
Trade with the Iron Clan continues to flourish, the Iron Enclave is expanded upon by eager Orc Artisans into a grand pavilion - the hunger these people possess for trade with yours is astounding but also reassuring, as much as the strange race disrupts the peace they also foster the belief that not all things in this New World need be violent. As much as the Orcs strive to conceal it you see that some of them arrive wounded, with injuries clearly inflicted by weapons and not claws or teeth. New tribes amongst the Iron Clans begin to arrive, some with strange customs and bizarre mannerisms.
Ravenwood lays claim to most of the area surrounding the Lonely Mount, bringing no smaller consternation to
Captain Arenna Handt . She officially complains to them, but they argue that under the Exculpate it is perfectly reasonable for them to claim this area. Shortly thereafter large sclae mining begins in the low hills.
Winter brings with it a modest cold and a dismissal of some of your legend (-1), as the new settlers begin to believe your tales of horrific winters to be a gross exaggeration. They cannot, however, deny the missing. All about the rims of the settlements, from the North Woods to the Western Plains to the Sagouri Swamps, people go missing. Some of them return, especially in the North Woods, but others are never found, or are discovered... mutilated... but with precision, a corpse returned ot the capital seems almost clinically dissected with particular body parts missing.
Two trade ships go missing, bad omens for a developing trade hub - the ships are found smashed ashore, crudely broken in some pieces, with rotted fish parts mixed in with the smashed planks.
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