[Forum Game] The Long Winter

[Ironhide G1]

Yoliotl, after being declared Tlatoani, rose and said, "My people, I thank you all for everything you have done. I and my clan were exiles from a distant land, and thanks to you we have received a place to grow and thrive. I owe so much to you, who have given so much to me. That is why, since I am your leader, I want you to come to me or the council if you have any questions or problems that might come up. I garuntee you I will try my hardest to make this civilization the best it can be. Next, I would like to thank my competitors, who have gone through so much. I look forward to working with you all during these upcoming years. This task will not be easy, but with the council's help, and yours, I think you and I will be able to make this civilization great."

((After reading it over it sounds so much like a middle school student council speech))

 

[Emilersej]

((Stats up! This is a new document which will be used from now on:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G-1cnnwqvCDN5trzyH5YjwtOlY_OzQWxwjrmhrGmxXw/edit?usp=sharing ))

((Bonus Picture: Meeting the Theedes))

 

[barkardes]

((Where do we send economical orders?Here or PM?))
((And how much food does a food merchant make?))

 

[Kaisersohaib]

NECUAMETZTLI​

I have returned, not with victory, but with riches from faraway lands. I learned their secrets and their words, they showed me things that I didn't know before. It wasn't my destiny to win this time, but for now, we are the most powerful clan around! Let us plan our next move for even greater glory and treasure; combined with our thriving tannin business, our future is brighter than gold in the sun. I congratulate my former opponent Yoliotl, I may have distrusted him for his strangeness and appearance, but I hope he knows what he has to do and I wish him luck.

 

[Emilersej]

((Map updated!))

((Send orders anywhere you want. I'm not sure how much food merchants give, maybe 50, I'll check when I can.))

((Order deadline is in 48 hours from now!))

 

[barkardes]

"To the people living in Atlauhtipan(capital)
We are in constant need of foods.Population growth is something we should aim for now.So I offer a cooperation between us to send traders for food.The food acquired will be equally distrubuted."
Chicahua,leader of Clan Achtopochtecapiltzmeh
((I basically offer for a cooperation to build a food merchant))

 

[Rovsea]

((OK, so some important things to consider. We are starting in Classical era, I believe, which may mean that we don't have constant war (a good thing, I'd say), and that also effects the potential buildings we can build. I know a lot of really early buildings give food, but I'm not sure how many do at this point, so I'm not exactly sure what I should be focusing in. If anybody would like to talk with my clan, just start a PM with me. If you'd like to talk about it in-thread, that's also fine.))

 

[Galren]

The Cecuecacayotin propose that scouts be sent to the lands of the Teutontlalpan as well as the Kemetlalpan in order to find out the location of their settlements. In addition, we should also foster good relations with these people for the possibility of goods exchanged between our tribe and the other tribes.

 

[barkardes]

((Could we have a list of the buildings we can build?))

 

[Emilersej]

((There will be no buildings list, as it takes too much time with the endless amounts of them offered in the mod I'm using. Just choose a focus, add some extra instructions if you want, and then you'll get something if you get enough production points))

 

[barkardes]

((We can choose a food focus then,what the others from capital think?))

 

[Ironhide G1]

((Fine by me.))

Yoliotl made this declaration: "Due to suggestions by my citizens, I would like to establish a food focus for our tribe, and would like to see if several volunteers would be willing to establish relationships with the nearby tribes."

 

[Rovsea]

Tonauac would like to remind all of the other clans:

We are surrounded by potential enemies and definite rivals. We have to plan for the future in order to stand any chance of building something greater. With that in mind, each and every clan should take a long-term view of what they plan to do, so that the entire village can benefit.

 

[Galren]

Ceccuetlachtli came back to the necentlaliliztli (assembly), after some decisions within the clan. Even though Ceccuetlachtli had a poor performance at the trials, he wasn't too sore about it as the new opportunities that had popped up had the potential to bring great wealth to both his clan and the tribe. With this, Ceccuetlachtli began to speak of his plan to the rest of the clans.

"The Cecuecacayotin are willing to provide volunteers to establish relations with our neighbors. I myself am also volunteering to be part of the group that will establish relations with our neighbors. And I also agree that our people need to focus on gathering food. Besides the potatoes, I do not see any other good areas to forage food in around Atlauhtipan. Instead, I see many forests around our territory, which will give us good building materials and a bit of game from them."

((The Ceccuetlachtli want to focus on food as well as send out some of its men to locate neighboring settlements.

A shame that the Theedes have claimed the mushrooms and the vanilla, which would have been good grounds for gathering. We do have a bit of richer land to the east that we can forage in, though. Other than that, I just see nothing but forests and hills.))

 

[Emilersej]

Chapter II: The World Gets Bigger

Thus began peacefully the reign of Tlatoani Yoliotl, and everything went on as usually. More or less. For travelers from west and south came to Atlauhtipan in order to trade their wares for potatoes, lumber or precious metals. Rafts came down the western river from Teutontlalpan, selling mushrooms and delicate vanilla and then returning to Teutontlalpan via the eastern river, which ran back to their lands. Laden with clams, eggs and poultry, rafts from Kemetlalpan also struggled their way up against the current of the river from their altepetl, Huasetl, which was located where the river flows into the Smoking Sea, and from the land of the Dantecah came traders carrying conches and other valuable curiosities along the winding trails of Copallan.

As it appeared that the whole world was coming to Atlauhtipan, Tlatoani Yoliotl decided that it was also time for his people to make their way to the lands of other tribes. Thus, a small band of men, consisting mostly of Cecuecacayotin, travelled to the many other kingdoms of the Green Lands under the leadership of Ceccuetlachtli, saw their altepetl (cities) and met with their Tlatoqueh (rulers, plural of Tlatoani). This gave the people of Atlauhtipan some indispensable knowledge of their neighbors, which was important, as their neighbors already knew much about them.

In the other states of the Green Lands, where leaders were not chosen through a series of tough trials, but merely through inheritance, the succession laws of Atlauhtipan were viewed as somewhat curious, if not barbaric. Further complicating matters, a trader from Kemetlalpan had witnessed some women tossing the last remains of a heptodon into the river. Having just fought his way up against the current, he knew that it would soon end up down-river in his homeland. When he came home, he told the story to the whole village, and soon the story about the people of Atlauhtipan and their pollution of the rivers was being told up and down the entire Smoking Sea coastline, souring the relations with their leaders. Of course, everyone else were also throwing trash into the rivers and seas, but this appeared to be of little concern to our neighbors.

At home in Atlauhtipan, trade and business was still flourishing, however. Food was plentiful now that the earth was warm enough to grow potatoes and other vegetables properly. While most people were busy trying to get as much as possible out of the increasing amount of trade on the river, there was also time for other things. People made sure that a part of their accumulated wealth was given to their god, and spiritual life flourished as much as commercial life did.

After 63 years of ruling, Yoliotl died. His death was as peaceful as his reign had been. During his reign, Atlauhtipan had prospered greatly, and was now defended by a palisade (constructed by Teotlacatona of Tonatepotztocah). Among other things, Yoliotl had been well-liked by his people for establishing a great bonfireplace in the middle of the settlement, where people could gather in the mild summer evenings and dance through the night.

During Yoliotl’s reign, his people, and especially the clans of Camotlalpan, had been growing steadily, and by the time of Yoliotl’s death, the clans of Xiuhcoatl, Coaxoch and Cecuecacayotin had grown too populous for all of them to keep living off their ancestral lands.

--------------------

It’s time for a new generation of leaders to take over our nation! While signing up for the trials this time, please state whether you will choose a risky or a safer/cautious strategy for both the hunting trial and the mock battle.

The Camotlalpan clans (@alexander23 , @EmperorGrimm and @Galren ) must decide to which empty land they want to move their excess population. They must agree on one due to game mechanics. Look at the map here. The tile directly to the east of the capital (Quaquahuicalla) contains a lumber camp, hence the higher output, but other tiles could also be improved to attain greater output. Note that our borders have expanded slightly!

Also, we should start establishing mythology, religion and the like! You can all contribute to this, but it’s up to you as players to determine whether we will have many cults or just one common religion, or maybe some sort of polytheistic in-between. I think it’d be a nice idea if the clan leaders convened during the preparation for the trials to discuss their beliefs and worldviews.

Stats have been updated. An update detailing what happened with your orders will be up in a minute, and the map will be up tonight.

 

[Emilersej]

Turn 1 Orders

The most perseverant of all the clan leaders was probably Teotlacatona of Tonatepotztocah, who did not only benefit from trading with the Kemetecs downriver, but also initiated many projects to the benefit of the entire people of Atlauhtipan. Among other things, he attempted establishing a sanitary area in Atlauhtipan, where trash was not to be tossed, and animals were not permitted to enter, where the sick would be able to be treated. Although this did not actually have any effect on public health, it shows his great devotion to his people. More remarkably was perhaps when he set about walling the whole altepetl off with a ditch and a palisade. The building of the palisade did not take too long, but maintaining it proved a bit expensive, and actually got the Tonatepotztocah indebted, as they had to pay someone to maintain the fortifications.

(Sent nice and detailed orders, +1 trade route (+1.25 food, +1.25 production), palisade around Atlauhtipan (-1 wealth, +20% defense bonus in Atlauhtipan))


The Clan of Cuallitechichic benefited greatly from the trade with the Teutontecs, for their chief, Caliinahuac, was so delighted when saw the first raft from the south heavily laden with baskets of mushrooms that he bought the entirety of it. When he found himself unable to eat it all himself, he set up a booth and began selling it in Atlauhtipan, and this was how the Cuallitechichic began their journey to become the most influential merchant clan in Atlauhtipan.

((2 merchants granting +3 wealth and +3 great person points, +1 trade route (+1.25 food, +1.25 production)))


While not away travelling and trading, Ceccuetlachtli of the Cecuecacayotin attempted to increase the fertility of his gardens, but due to his business, he was never able to really do so.

(+1 trade route (+1.25 food, +1.25 production), didn’t manage to build any buildings this turn)


The Clan of Tlanextic constructed some frames for drying skins by their residence in Atlauhtipan, and their cheap, dried skins threatened the tanning business of the Necuametztli Clan.

(Skin drying (+1 food, +1 production)


Tlatoani Yoliotl establishes a common fireplace in the midst of the settlement, which is often used for bonfires at celebrations. His clan, the Maximotin, improved their hunting techniques and became known as the best hunters in Atlauhtipan.

(Government: Bonfire (1 happiness, 1 health, 2 food, 2 culture, charcoal, ash) Maximotl: Hunting (1 happiness, 2 food, 1 wealth))


Chicahua of the Achtopochtecapiltzmeh improved the food output of the fields and gardens of his clan by watching the clouds to find the right times for sowing and harvesting.

(Cloud Watching (1 culture, 2 food))

 

[happycats517]

((Damn it, I was sitting here the past few days thinking I should send orders in but I wanted to also get some IC in and other stuff and ended up sitting on my ass. Anyway.))

Clan Yolotli
New clan leaders: Xipil Sacnite and Xipil Tototl
Description: Xipil Sacnite was an older choice for the leader of the clan, being near 40 already at the time of her election and well on her way to being one of the eldest of her clan. But the clan believed that her wisdom and experience were needed to push the Yolotli clan forward after a few disappointing generations of isolation. Xipil Tototl was a young instrument maker who barely finished his rites of adulthood when he was elected. He was considered one of the most personable people in the clan and his determination and charisma won the clan over during the voting. The pair has been described as an odd one and some elders in the clan felt like this was a break from tradition where the two leaders were expected to be almost completely similar ((The two Amoxtlis looked like they could have been twins)). Despite this, the two have led the Yolotli clan well and hope to stand as equals among the other leaders.

Xipil arrived at the center of Atlauhtipan with a young slender woman beside them. Xipil announced that this time the Yolotli would put forward a candidate for the Trials of the Tlatoani. They introduced the young woman beside them as Teicuih, a Yolotli hunter who wished to compete in the trials. They then left to prepare to meet with the other clan leaders. The Atlauhtipan crowd seemed to be confused by the announcement. Teicuih looked like a timid girl and some wondered if she was even an adult. The general consensus was that the Yolotli were about to embarrass themselves in the trials.

((Yolotli has put forward a candidate for Tlatoani. I will take a risky strategy for hunting and a cautious strategy for the battle))

 

[Kaisersohaib]

((Yeah, forgot to send orders, my bad. IC and decision soon.))

 

[EnvyDemon]

((I totally spaced orders, my bad on that))

 

[happycats517]

The Religion of Yolotli
​

Xipil came to the leaders to discuss their beliefs of the world and the spiritual and revealed these things:

There is one god above all others and She is the Creator God, Techihuani. We bring glory to Her name through the creation of art, music, crafts, buildings, and all that humankind creates. Unlike the other gods, Techihuani has no agreed upon form, instead being described as everything from an amalgamation of many different parts (e.g. her left arm is short with a dark complexion while her right is almost white and muscular, the bottom half of her head up to her eyes looks like a little girl and the top looks like an old woman, etc.), a formless being, an everchanging being never holding one shape for long, and countless descriptions that range everywhere from a young girl to an old woman to even a man.

Techihuani created the other gods to safeguard over the elements of creation and to teach humanity the ways of creation, some of the major ones are as follows:

Aamitinemi - God of wood and the hunt. He was one of the first gods, teaching our ancestors how to survive. He was created with his sister Ayahuitlitzon to keep the first humans alive and to help guide them through the freezing world. He is seen as a quiet and serious young man with short curly red hair and a bow and ax. He is married to Aatemi, the Goddess of water.

Ayahuitlitzon - Goddess of fire, shelter, cooking, the forge, and war. Her influence has grown over time, much to the jealousy of her brother. She is seen as a versatile and vivacious young woman, around the age of her brother, with long red hair. She is depicted in a variety of ways, depending on which of her many roles she is fulfilling at that time.

Ixomitic - The Goddess of bones, time, and death. As the first humans walked the lands Aamitinemi took them to a clearing to hunt and found a heptodon to kill. His spear pierced the beast's hide and killed it and as the blood began to spout from the wound, it pooled and began to build the form of a beautiful young woman. When the blood finished creating this form, a woman stepped out from it and the blood fell away. She told Aamitinemi and the first humans that her name was Ixomitic and showed them all the uses for the bones of an animal. She was quite enjoying herself until she accidentally touched a human and they aged rapidly, turning to dust before her eyes. The other humans and Aamitinemi shouted and drove her away into the forest where she learned the dark truth that every living thing she touched withered and died, even the grass beneath her feet. Ixomitic is portrayed as a sympathetic and benevolent character, often wanting to help humanity but being unable to help.

Calquetzqui - God of earth, farmers, and builders. Son of Aamitinemi and Aatemi, the Goddess of water, he led humans out of caves and showed them how to build permanent houses and how to work the lands. He has a burned face after an altercation with his aunt Ayahuitlitzon and has sworn that he would get vengeance. Other than his burnt face, he looks much like his father.

Other gods: There are many other gods for just about everything and every act of creation or work. There are also sprites and other lesser spirits that are believed to live in certain areas and locations, so that there might be a sprite of a river or a sprite of a mountain and there are even sprites for individual trees and the like. In general, the Yolotli believe in a very spirit filled world.

Location of the gods: The gods are believed to be located all around us in every manifestation of their aspects, so when a hunter is on the hunt, Aamitinemi is believed to be there with them. However, this idea is mostly metaphorical, since the Yolotli also believe that their gods have actual physical form and live in the otherworld.

Basic Mythology of the Yolotli:
-Techihuani rarely participates in the events of the other gods. Such events are too far below Her and She only involves Herself during major mythological events.

-The feud between Aamitinemi and Ayahuitlitzon is the topic of many stories. Many of the gods descended from them and their hatred for each other runs deep.

-In fact, the feud has led to a rudimentary story of the end times. In which Aamitinemi and Ayahuitlitzon bring the gods to all out war. The confrontation occurs due to the eventual death of Techihuani at the hands of Ixomitic, who grabbed Techihuani during an argument only to discover that her power worked on Techihuani as well. Aamitinemi stands as a champion of order, wanting to keep the world and the natural order of things the same after Techihuani's death while Ayahuitlitzon is a champion of change, wishing to bring equality to the lesser gods and the sprites. The war is believed to be bloody and destructive. Wiping out much of humanity and leaving only a few gods left.

-Stories of heroes and monsters are quite common in Yolotli mythology and it is not uncommon for the gods to aid them, especially if they are demi-gods. However, many heroes are depicted as having some fatal flaw that eventually leads to their ruin, such as the story of Nopaltzin, a great warrior, who fell madly in love with the beauty of Ixomitic, to the point where he chased her all across the world until he finally caught up with her and realized that all that is beautiful is not necessarily good.

-Stories of the otherworld are also quite common. The otherworld is not just the land of the gods but also of the sprites, faerie folks, and other supernatural beings. Malevolent spirits often try to convince humans to come to the otherworld, where terrible fates usually befall all but the wisest and bravest of heroes. The otherworld is believed to occasionally intrude upon the regular world and that this can be recognized by phenomena such as a sudden change of weather, seeing strange beasts, or seeing a green sky.

-Many older stories talk about the Nemachpan ((the enemies)) a tribe that the Yolotli often clashed with and who the Yolotli were eventually saved from by Techihuani and Her gift of the knowledge of war

Basic beliefs of the Yolotli:
1) There is no god before Techihuani

2) There are many spirits in the world and all should be worshiped and thought of

3) The otherworld is a dangerous place and if one does not pray to the gods and the spirits they will be lost there and eventually die.

4) After death, one will be reincarnated as a human or an animal, based on one's purity in a previous life

5) The major virtues are Creation, Piety, Honesty, and Charity. These virtues and how well one follows them determines one's purity. One's purity determines not only what one is reincarnated as, but their purity is passed on to their children and their clan. Impure people bring bad fortune to their clan and their family and are often shunned from society.

6) One should give offerings to the gods of both food and objects. The objects should represent what one wants help from the gods for. The offerings should either be buried or, in the case of offerings for help in war, should be burned for Ayahuitlitzon

7) Human souls are unique in the fact that they need to find another half to live a full life. This is usually done through marriage which is seen as a permanent union between the two souls of the participants and the marriage is seen as binding until death. When one's spouse dies, one is expected to not eat or drink for the time it takes an empty moon to reach to be a half moon ((i.e. about a week)). If one survives this, they are allowed to remarry. However, surviving this is usually seen as a bad sign since it signals that the marriage or the spouse who died was impure. In a pure marriage where both souls have truly connected into one, both will die together or soon after each other so they may be reincarnated at the same time and may be married again and again until the end of time. If they do not die together, it is believed that either the one who died was a bad spirit and will be reincarnated as an animal or that the union was a bad union and their souls weren't compatible. It should be noted that the idea of marriage and the Yolotli succession practices are seen as different. Marriage is seen as the union of two souls into one, while the leaders are believed to have fused their soul into one soul split among two bodies which is why they take the same name. Yolotli leaders are actually expected to never marry or have children.

8) Magic is not only real but it's prevalent. Music is very closely connected to magic. While not all musicians or music are seen as magical, particularly gifted magicians and particularly old songs are believed to have great power and the Yolotli have many rain songs, healing songs, war songs, prosperity songs, charm songs, curse songs, and the like. Other magic is performed through complex rituals that can cure a variety of ailments or curse an enemy.

9) Proper burial is seen as very important. The body of the dead should be taken and washed before they are buried. The dead is buried with a few trinkets which are meant to represent their place in the next life, so a spear might be left for someone whose family wants them to be a great warrior in the next life.

10) The head is considered the most important part of the human body and is considered the seat of the soul. It is common practice for the Yolotli warriors to take the heads of their enemies since it is believed that if the head isn't properly buried then the soul will stay trapped in it forever.

And so it is said. This is what we believe.

((So what I tried to do was mix Celtic, Greek, and Norse mythology with some of my own ideas to create a religion for my clan. The religion is a mix of animism and the idea of anthropomorphic gods. People are free to follow this and build on it, create cults based off of it, or obviously go their own way and create something different. I tried to leave some room in the mythology and stuff for others to work with and also so I can mix some other beliefs in if we end up being a minority belief.))