3/3 Relationships 0 Skill Check 1 Diplomatic Mission
1/1 Relationships 0 Skill Check 0 Military Check
1/1 Relationships 0 Skill Check 0 Exploration Expedition
The Old World has arrived, the Children of Egun fleeing a feared imminent collapse of the failing farmlands and fishing yields that have propped up their struggling kingdoms. The Sigil of Mane and Van Myr are all about at war, a slim pretext of religious unity keeping the chaos from spilling over into the twin centers of huddling humanity. Desperate to alleviate the domestic pressures of refugees and hungry hordes entire forests have been felled, and both poor and rich alike make sail for the colonies, but which one?
To the south the New Carrylean Empire beckons to those who desire safety above all else, a pledge of fealty to the Empress guarantees any man a job, food, and a place to berth. To the north the wild lands have grown tamer, Jericho stands as the beacon of the Sigil of Mane shepherding the faithful to a safe harbor in the New World and a wide spread of colonies along the coast struggle to appeal to the influx of settlers, hoping to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Hampsterdam, situated in the Penitent Bay, thrives on its location and unique peaceful relationship with the natives - it is the first colony to create an embassy for a foreign race and routinely receives peaceful visitors. It's dangerous, and sometimes extreme, reputation for horrors dissuades the casual family settlers who would be the ideal backbone of a settlement, but their emphasis on native life, understanding local flora and fauna, and unconventional religious institutions bring in treasure hunters, researchers, and opportunists of all kind. The nearby settlement of Ravenwood, penned in by aerial raids, struggles to attract those same settlers but by dint of its reputation attracts mercenaries and former military veterans, a virtue that pushes their boundaries out past their high walls. An additional settlement, Meggido, situated on islands southeast of the Penitent Bay, offers a more comfortable home for those who fear the wilds though its unconventional leaders drive away the Van Myr and Sigil citizens.
Further south a throng of civilians head for Sigrun, long spoken of as a success story of the New World. It's conquest by a trio of Saggaran Dhals brings great consternation, with many breaking off either heading to the northern colonies or to head further south, banding together to form a new colony named Coimbra. Those who remain find it to be an adequate home, and trade resumes shortly with the rest of the world.
The arrivals come in the thousands, settling in and around the bay, pushing north in the Woods, west into the plains, and south towards the swamps. The question of identity, of provenance, is masterfully handled by your Treasurer,
Julia Herelia Marion , who is quick to establish quasi-official hierarchical relationships between the many smaller settlements and Hampsterdam itself. In no short order the chaotic barter system that had strangled the black markets of Van Myr are replaced by a requirement for gold as currency, a measure embraced as a return to normalcy for many of the ash-choked refugees, though much less popular and far less succesful a tax on those who settle in these lands. Your steward,
Captain Arenna Handt , while a strong proponent of these measures, lacks the military strength to enforce them and the political acumen to maintain them without might. Many settlements become autonomous, forming their own militias and electing local leadership.
In an effort to stem the decay of civil bonds and build a new prosperous incentive for centralization Joey the Sorcadin sends out feelers to the local settlements in an attempt to create a unified trade union for Iron production and exporting. The response varies from region to region, in the Grey Hills surrounding The Bastion the miners are keen to remain tightly linked with the markets of Hampsterdam and its refining and smithing potential but the other settlements find little incentive with your plans. The smaller villages that dot the river into the North Woods are swayed by your persuasion to join with the understanding that the ash from their woods will fire the smelters of the town but the settlements further north in the shadow of the Looming Mount seem keen to play off Hampsterdam and Ravenwood for better opportunities.
The Western Plains, rich farm country and grazing land, have seen the greatest boom outside of the coasts with settlers eager to find independence. These people find little need to work so directly with you but realize that geographically you will always have some dependence on one another. Your agents report that a leader named Hippolita has sway over a group of several of the better organized settlements, their people eager to both work and defend themselves.
Refugees desperate for work are sorted into the militia and town guard.
Julia Herelia Marion outmaneuvers
Captain Arenna Handt creating a mostly Van Myr based militia, segregating the other nationalities and keeping them from positions of influence. Tensions between the two threaten to spill over, but with
Captain Tork proves a surprisingly calming influence on
Captain Arenna Handt and they instead recruit heavily the men in their purview, sailors and stewards, from the ranks of more far-flung ethnicities.
The Orcish Enclave is a resounding success, coupled with the increased output from the enlarged smithies and the proximity of the local entertinament it makes for a popular and diverse city center. Sailors, Adventures, and Eccentrics of all type brush shoulders with craftsmen and exotic races, but it creates a muddled deterrant for the religious folk and farmers who settle further away from the center of government. A priest named
Saficus Anuluii arriving with the Sigil of Mane invests heavily in buying up land near the center of town, to build a temple and worship center for the faithful. The Seekers protest, but receive little support from
Leandra Kelles or any of the officers of Hampsterdam.
Quintus Bartholomew Marion employs his contacts among the hunters to keep an eye on Saficus Anuluii and see what they might learn. In no short order they discover that the soldiers directly employed around the Priest are tight lipped and professional, not the common mercenaries they seem. They report distinctive gold-wrapped short blades kept in their private chambers, emblazoned with the sigil of Mane, which they keep conspicuously out of site when out with the Priest or on patrol. They also notice the Priest meeting regularly and in secret with a racine woman, Ahmygna Yasylia , who is herself more elusive to follow.
Tayala Benzare proves hands-off in her approach, focusing on the native life around the settlement less than the settlement itself. With the influx of mystics and herbalists she finds a ready and eager pool of workers for her many initiatives but rarely reaches outside of them.
Captain Arenna Handt , having seen the dangers and benefits of the wilds, pushes
Julia Herelia Marion to make room in the center for
Tayala Benzare 's grand gardens. A well known alchemist named
Tennebelt chooses to settle here based on these developments and presents himself to the leadership council.
In just weeks after the arrival of the Children the Orcs begin to visit more and more frequently. The results are surprisingly positive, the orcs trade for small objects and fill the ears of travellers with rumors of great things in the lands beyond. The Aelfinn grow more concerned with developments, the proximity of the Iron Clan makes them nervous and they only tepidly resume their visits. An Alefinn group goes missing, found dead by Iron Clan weapons -
Captain Arenna Handt and
Praetor Aelia Nacii weigh in favor of the Iron Clan due to their strategic value and the Aelfinn grow more distant.
Food remains a serious concern, with the loss of most of their crops last year and a massive influx of population there is little extra to sow. Fortunately the fruiting tree restores itself and the hunters find more prey than ever before, with the mild winter you had last year it seems that the settlements may comfortable thrive.
Captain Arenna Handt is optimistic that by the next year the settlement will be fully self-sufficient and able to export profitably to
The Known World .
A group of soldiers under the command of Fjolk the Fury sought to claim the lands along the coast of the Sagouri Swamp. They sailed under the flag of Meggido and made no attempt to hide their intention. Under the command of Warden Ajax the Bear-barian , Praetor Aelia Nacii mustered the poorly armed and even more poorly trained ragtag group of soldiers guarding Hampsterdam and sought to protect the settlements of the coast.
The Hampsterites, gaining no forewarning and being poorly organized, arrived after the Meggidans had begun their resettlement efforts. Some of the settlers, bold isolationists of the type likely to settle along the swamp, had attempted a mild resistance, forcing the soldiers to go house to house and evict them. Seeing an opportunity and anxious to engage, Praetor Aelia Nacii surrounded several smaller groups and forced their surrender, a development leading to a stall in aggression from Fjolk the Fury . After a tense negotiation the captives were exchanged, and the Meggidans retained only a smaller beachhead along the edge of the Marshlands SW of the swamp. Praetor Aelia Nacii impressed Captain Tork with her initiative, but Julia Herelia Marion was less pleased with the riskiness of the maneuever. You made contact with Corman Axe , the main instigator of the resistance against the Meggidans.
By the end of Summer
Savin Kilvane and
Cole have moved out of the Enclave, Cole having vanished without a trace or note and Savin moved in with a nature commune located on the outskirts of town.
Quintus Bartholomew Marion launches the first official expedition of Hampsterdam to the Carolas Lycenture on the old Hag's mountain in the shadow of The Looming Mount . Upon his arrival he realizes the hill has been claimed by Ravenwood and fortified with simple wooden palisades and towers. While they are unwilling to let you work the location due to its strategic importance they do direct you to two locations that may be of use to you.
The Barrow Mound - a shattered cliff face south of the Looming Mount exposing two dozen or so large tunnels that run up to the edge of the cliff exiting directly into the air. The shattered face itself is cleft as if by a massive force, forcing the exposure of these ancient and worming tunnels. It resembles nothing less than a massive termites nest, broken down the middle.
The Grave of Saints - an excavation site of strange statues and colonnaded ruins north of the Looming Mount. Daskalos Numenos of the Lagos Islands is there with several dozen assistants excavating and cataloguing the ruins on behalf of Ravenwood .
Comments