Six Ages: Ride Like The Wind AAR

[PDH]

I am really liking this AAR

[Solmyr]

I may well die horribly in this AAR, by the way, since I'm not looking at any spoilers or best strategies. At least my battles so far have gone more badly than not.

[Solmyr]

Orala's Year 10

Bolda reported that the Yellowhill clan continued its slide into poverty and recommended giving them a gift. I don't think we can afford that.

Maryu continued to lead rituals to heal our wounded. 22 more people were healed by Erissa's blessing.

Churka led an exploration of our clan lands. We found some mischievous pixies, which did no real harm but on the other hand improved our clan mood.



Flint Heart emissaries wanted to know the story of Nyalda's Bride Price. We shared it with them. They departed, pleased.



Fire Season began. We raided the Shining Blossoms, together with our allies the Gryphons. We brought 15 swords and 96 bows, and the Gryphons sent 20 warriors. Slipping around Shining Blossom patrols, we attacked, facing 9 swords and 108 bows. The Shining Blossoms sent out a herald, who taunted us, and we responded to their taunts with our own. They could not provoke us. First we attacked in a berserk fashion, but could not break through their defense. One of our nobles, Targarung, slew an enemy noble and was surrounded by enemy Bows. Targarung tried to ride through them, but they made him food for arrows. Our side gasped in fear. Nonetheless, we pressed the attack and finally defeated them. We drove the Shining Blossoms from the battlefield, and were able to plunder their lands. Sadly, our losses were greater than theirs, and we lost a skilled noble as well.



While we were out raiding, the Char-Orisae raided us for 15 cows. Bastards.

We were raided by the Blue Crests. They offered to parley before the battle. They boasted at us, and we did the same in return. They came out ahead in this battle of words. Endarei saw Bandars sustain a life-threatening injury. Endarei rode with armed escort to Bandars's side. They shot at her escort. The escort pulled her back, before she could suffer harm. Four of them were wounded. Luckily, Bandars survived. However, with the loss of our war leader, we were driven from the battlefield and looted. And now we have even more wounded. Great.



Dwarves came to trade for our cows. We asked for a treasure. We gained a treasure called the Stone of Mostal, which will increase our wealth when our people resist change. Don't know if it was a good deal, but here we are.



Rather oddly, the Blue Crests, same ones who just raided us last season, sent a delegation. The Pure Horse clan offered us a treasure as reward for our strike against the Shining Blossoms, who harried them for keeping slaves. We accepted the treasure, because why not?



Acting as our emissary, Angakon asked the Old Eagles to make good on the obligation they owed us, and provide us with cattle. Angakon asked for a few more cows than custom demanded. Eveltan, chief of the Old Eagle clan, agreed to give us a few extra cows. Some of his herders seemed unhappy with our request.

Our Gryphon allies sought our aid in a mission against Forosilvuli raiders from the southern Ram kingdoms. We sacrificed to Elmal on their behalf. In the story tent our priests whirled in warlike fashion, leaping to Elmal's side. He said he would grant aid to the Gryphons. Soon we heard that they fared poorly against the raiders. The Forosilvuli had drawn on the barbaric power of their own gods.



Maryu continued to lead rituals to heal our wounded, healing 22 more. Meanwhile, Churka's efforts to search for bandigs proved futile, as she could not find where they were hiding.

Brighteyes shamans wanted to trade for our Sow spirit. We declined, because while our treasury is low, we also need Sow's help to increase our food. They thanked us for our attention and departed.



And now it's Storm Season and we are being raided by Rams, the Orlanthi across the river!



We set aside a small reserve, while the Rams performed some kind of ritual that caused it to start raining. Then we responded with an Elmali ritual of our own, Firehoof, that allowed our horses to fight as well. We then maneuvered for a better position and fell upon the Rams' flanks. We drove the Orvisi off, and were happy to have survived the battle, because our losses were again pretty bad!



While exploring our own lands, we found the bones and honor belts of Flint Heart explorers. We returned the remains, but kept the honor belts. Their priests thanked us, but Kondon could tell they were wondering about the missing gold. But hey, our wealth is low so we need everything we can get!



The time came to add more fabric to the tent that tells our sacred story. We waylaid Blue Crest crafters and their guard, taking the bolt of cloth they'd agreed to deliver to the Flame Singer clan. Take that, Blue Crests!



Kondon sought alliance with the Old Eagles. They agreed that we should join forces against the valley's many dangers, and became our allies. The Old Eagles are the guys who love raiding, so hopefully now they won't raid us anymore!

We spotted a herd raid by the Shining Blossoms, but only had 13 warriors to send against their 19. We were driven from the battlefield and plundered, as they took 24 cows and 10 horses. Bugger.

At the end of the year, our chief trader Bolda died of old age. She made some good and some bad deals, but overall was pretty skilled. We will miss her.

Sacred Time has arrived. Our clan suffered many losses this year, both people and livestock. Many are still wounded, too. Fortunately, our magic is strong this time, as we put it into Fields and Wilds to help with food (as the priests say the cows will give little milk), Health and Ritual to help with healing the wounded, and 2 into War to hopefully have better luck in battle. I think next year we might have to forgo raiding altogether and concentrate on defense, healing, and improving our economy.

[grumbler]

I'm really enjoying this.  Thanks for putting it together.

[Solmyr]

Orala's Year 11

Maryu tells us about a disturbing portent.



Ram People paid us an unexpected visit. We could not tell what they wanted. We asked if they want us to owe them a favor. They screwed up their faces in confusion and wandered off.



Through messengers, the Shining Blossoms accused us of cursing them. We thanked the messengers. People worried of the damage our reputation would suffer throughout the valley, with these accusations of fell magic unanswered.



Doren arranged for some better herding practices, and we recovered some cattle.



Kondon said that due to our theft of story cloth last year, both the Flame Singer and Blue Crest clans now hate us. He also reported that there are many Rams clans living across the Black Eel River. Here is what we know now:



In preparation for raiding season, Bandars promoted 4 new warriors.

Soon, the Ar-Tarimae raided us. They slipped past our patrols and we were forced to fight against a bigger force. We performed the Battle Glow ritual, firing up our forces to win, but the Ar-Tarimae also performed a ritual that ignited the wheels of their chariots. We began with a skirmish, but failed to inflict many casualties. We tried to conserve our strength and fight cautiously, but their fierce attack could not be withstood. We were driven from the battlefield and looted. The Ar-Tarimae stole 20 cows and some other loot, but at least we had very few casualties this time!



Not discouraged, we sent a cattle raid and stole 29 cows from the Shining Blossoms. We are still ahead on cows!

Churka told us that our allies the Old Eagles performed a magical ritual and attacked the Orvisi clan, achieving great victory. We also performed a ritual of our own, sacrificing to Elmal to gain the Steadfast blessing, that should help us in defense.



The Jade Colts called in a favor, requesting a gift of magic. We gifted them with divine magic. Our priests spun but could not contact the gods. The Jade Colts would come back another time to collect the obligation we owed them.



Bandits attacked our exploration party in the clan lands. Churka and her forces killed and scattered them. Afterwards they found a bit of magic for our rituals. Churka continues to deliver.



A Ram girl, Hindala, ran away from her clan and was found in scandalous embrace with one of our young men, Chadoro. We could not tolerate this fraternizing with Rams (and could not risk upsetting the Old Eagles), so we encouraged them to drown themselves. They agreed that they did not want to live if they could not be together. Chadoro gathered up stones. He weighed Hindala down, and then himself. Holding hands, they leapt into a deep pond by the berry bushes where the two of them had been caught.



We built a shrine to Elmal to permanently provide the Steadfast blessing for our defense.

Shortly afterwards, we were raided by the Shining Blossoms. They slipped past our patrols and we had to fight with a smaller force. After a series of clashes, the Shining Blossoms managed to outfight us, somehow. We were driven from the battlefield and plundered. We losts cows and lots of people. So far, Elmal's blessing did not seem to be working.



A delegation from our Father Clan, the Starshines, came from the north seeking Swords. None of our Swords wished to leave us for the uncertainties of the north. We marked their departure with a song.



To finish the year, Bandars raised 3 new warriors. At Sacred Time, we again had plenty of magic thanks to Raven's intervention. We put some in Diplomacy to help with our standing among the other clans, as many of them now hate us and we cannot afford so many enemies. We also make plans to explore, so put some magic towards that. The rest is pretty much the usual.



Next up: More fighting and more dying, and a bit of diplomacy.

[Solmyr]

Orala's Year 12

Our trade goods were so low that we could no longer afford to maintain our shrine to Pela and had to take it down. We'll need to rebuild it as soon as possible, I think.

There was an earthquake, and Maryu shared some thoughts about it. Apparently it was caused by the earth goddess of the Rams.



We've lost a lot of people, so we needed some new clan members. Derenei visited the other Rider clans, looking for people willing to join the Swift Mares. She managed to convince 15 people to pack up and move. They brought with them eight children. Our people grumbled that we had gotten the dregs of the other clans.



One of our exploration parties found gems on our lands. This should help our market.



Kosyalor, one of our elite warriors, attacked the elders ruling against him in a legal case. We did not want to upset our warriors too much, so we ordered Kosyalor subjected to an equivalent beating.



As the Fire Season began, we sacrificed to Elmal and learned the mysteries of his Morale blessing.

Soon after, we were raided by the Varlevings, one of the Rams clans across the river. We spotted their raid and could bring all of our warriors to defend. Again we sacrificed to Elmal for the Battle Glow ritual to fire up our warriors. The Varlevings rushed our lined in a berserk attack, but we fought back fiercely and it was soon over. We drove the Varlevings off, and their survivors left without looting our land. We still suffered too many casualties, though. Afterwards, Maryu led a ceremony to Erissa to heal 21 of our wounded.



We found out that Mazelna of the Karent family loved a Ram warrior named Sartar. Dammit, more fraternizing with the enemy! We let her family deal with this. People said that the council had underestimated the seriousness of this affront.



Maryu told us that the Karent family is expecting a new birth soon. There are good portents surrounding it.



While exploring our lands, we found six cows worth of gems. More loot! We used some of it to rebuild our shrine to Pela.

People complained that the circle was too slow to adapt. We threw a feast, promising to do better. The change seekers got good and drunk. They mocked the circle long into the night.



Maryu tells us about a strange vision she had. It seems to refer to past events.



The Old Eagles asked to betroth one of their young men and Ayvtu, the girl with fire powers. We told them to come back when she is of age. They said they understood, for they too wanted what would bring Ayvtu happiness. And our clan mood was somewhat improved by this.



The Blue Crest clan announced a hawking competition. We sought to smooth over differences with hostile Rider clans. As hawks coursed the sky above our heads, we talked to leaders from clans we would not normally encounter in a friendly way. Hopefully this is the beginning of our diplomatic advancement.



We discovered a small grove of ebony trees while exploring our lands. More material for our crafters!



We were raided by the Shining Blossoms. We spotted their raid and brought all our warriors to defend. The Battle Glow ritual seems to be useful, so we performed that, while the Shining Blossoms performed their own ritual to fire up their bows. We charged at them, while they shot at us with deadly precision. To exploit their fear of us, we attacked them with berserk fury, and they could not stand before us. We drove the Shining Blossoms off, and their survivors left without plundering us. We again lost some men, but not as many as before.



Our leading farmers noted that our fields were just beginning to show signs of exhaustion.



Our shamans said many great spirits were abroad in the land, and it was a good time to seek a blessing from one of them. They called on a light spirit, to win others' trust.



Derenei convinced the Mor-Kagin clan to create a new trading route and made a small profit from her trip.

At the end of the year, our war leader Bandars and one of our shamans, Tayrnak, died of old age. This comes at a bad time as the Sacred Time is almost upon us and we will not have time to appoint a new ring member to replace Bandars.



Sacred Time has arrived. We placed our magic in the usual areas, although with Bandars dead, we cannot place as much into War. We also placed some into Harmony to help clan maintain internal peace, as some disputes have arisen in the recent years. We will continue to improve our economy and try to make peace with other clans, as we have too many enemies now.

[Solmyr]

Orala's Year 13

The Char-Orisa let us know that many good omens accompanied the birth of their chief's son Autronos. We sent them some cows as a gift.



The Karent bloodline asked the clan to celebrate the auspicious birth of a new child, a boy they named Beren. We announced the birth to other Rider clans. Our fellow clans shared in our joy, and hoped for great things when Beren grew to manhood. We actually managed to make them hate us less as a result.



We needed a new warleader on the clan circle to replace Bandars. It was unanimously decided that Churka was the best replacement, with her skills and longtime service to the clan.



Our Raven trickster strikes again! Old Eagle and Brighteyes delegations arrived to demand redress after Bardalor promised each he would lay a trickster curse on the other. We returned cows only to the Old Eagles, as they are our allies and we want to keep them happy. The Brighteyes took this as badly as we expected, which was very badly. They hate us again now.



We now had enough goods, so our priests sacrificed to consecrate our clan hall. Maryu led the ceremony. The gods praised their generosity, and Busenari, Gamari, and Uryarda in particular gave their blessing to our pastures.



We raided the Shining Blossoms and eluded their patrols. Our allies the Old Eagle sent some warriors to help. We performed the Battle Glow ritual while the enemy shot arrows at us. Afterwards we charged at them while they did a ritual of their own to enhance their arrows. Churka saw that the enemy had dropped an apparent magic weapon. Churka fought her way to it. She dealt hard blows to those who stood in the way. She snatched up the weapon, later identified as the Master Sword (it's a magical item that fights on its own like a warrior). We continued our berserk attack, and the enemy could not keep resisting. We drove the Shining Blossoms from the battlefield, and were able to plunder their lands. We seized the Helm of Elmal, a magical treasure that grants divine blessings to worshippers of Elmal.



The Urkarnings raided us. They slipped past our patrols and we had to fight with few warriors. We conducted the Battle Glow ritual and fought ferociously, as did they. But our ferocity was stronger. We drove the Urkarnings off, and were happy to have survived the battle. There were too many losses again.



After the battle, Churka raised 4 new warriors. She also offered some thoughts on the raid.



Shining Blossom emissaries wanted to know the story of Hippogriff Reborn. Apparently they don't mind that we just raided them. We said we did not know it. They thanked us for our time, and moved along.



We sent out two parties. Doren went foraging into the northern forests, as our food situation is precarious (we only have stores for one season). Churka went exploring even further north. Meanwhile, Angakon led a ritual to Elmal and we learned the details of the story "Elmal Guards the Sunpath".

Lyafor, youngest of the children who prematurely gained fire magic, grew old enough to say he was leaving, to heed Elmal's call. We performed a ritual to bless him with powerful war magic. The magic passed into him, and his eyes glowed with the burning rage of the sun. Our war magic will be strained for a while, but hopefully this is worth it.



Doren returned from the foraging expedition with lots of food!



Churka's expedition did not fare as well. She encountered a party of trolls, and lost a couple of men to their attacks as she led a retreat. At least she herself survived the journey.



Rams called Forosilvuli came from beyond the valley to ask us where the Ku-Randeri were, so they could attack them. We had just sent an envoy to the Ku-Randeri to smooth over our feud! We told the Forosilvuli to go ask local Rams instead. "We are not asking them," they cried. "We are asking you!" And with that, they attacked us. Their long-fanged sakkar did not help them much. We killed five Forosilvuli and scattered the others, but two of our warriors were hurt.



Angakon led a ritual to Elmal and learned the Flaming Lance blessing. Meanwhile, Henedra said that our fields had been used for many years, and were no longer as productive. We will have to address that.

We sent Kondon with gifts to the Ku-Randeri. It did not quite end our feud, but our clan mood was improved since we tried to reduce the number of our enemies.



In the Storm Season, the Paral-Uni raided us for 22 cows.

We were raided by the Shining Blossoms, who slipped past our patrols. We performed the Battle Glow ritual and advanced, while the enemy moved some forces into reserve. We attacked in a berserk fashion, and it looked like the battle could go our way. Churka slew an enemy noble and was surrounded by enemy Bows. Churka took them all on. She struck down many of their petty warriors. Unfortunately, the Shining Blossoms brought their reserve into play, countering our attack. Despite our fierce fighting, our morale could not withstand their resolve. We were driven from the battlefield and looted. In the aftermath, they knocked over our watch tower.



In Sacred Time, we put our magic into the usual endeavors. We are losing too many people still, but at least our herds are doing better.

[Solmyr]

Orala's Year 14

One of our young shamans, Otoren, tells us some news.



Our clan hall was now completely ready to help organize our ventures.



As said before, our fields are feeling the strain of planting. We cleared new fields and held a ceremony for the Barley Goddess and Earth Mother.



The shaman Otoren said that we had not asked the Sow spirit for help for several years, and it was getting restless. Maryu led the ceremony to ask the spirit for help, and it agreed to help our food situation.

An earthquake caused a stampede, and some of our cows went missing. We lent Nyalda strength with a ritual. The priestesses said that the assistance we had given would help the Earth Mother heal her distant wounds. It would be some time before another quake would plague our cattle.



We rebuilt our watchtower and sent Churka to look for bandits again. Unfortunately, she still was not able to find any bandits. They hide far too well.

We were raided by the Blue Crests. They slipped past our patrols and we had to fight against a larger force.  The Blue Crest clan hero, Cherekem, charged us, horse wreathed in divine flame. Churka asked Gamari to wreathe her steed in flame. Gamari did not deem Churka worthy of this sign. Churka met Cherekem's charge head-on. Churka and Cherekem traded terrible blows. When it was all over, it was Cherekem who fell from horseback, wounded. His fellows groaned in disbelief. After that, our fierce attacks broke the Blue Crests' morale. We drove the Blue Crests off, and their survivors left without plundering us.



Eleen led a ritual to Ekarna and learned the details of "Ekarna's Four Trades".

We sent Kondon with gifts to the Brighteyes. Although they praised our generosity, we still could not end the feud.

A delegation from the Blue Crest clan sought the help of our elders in judging a legal case. We agreed, in exchange for a gift. They said that each party had agreed to pay us ten cows, if requested. Our elders ruled in favor of the party lodging the case. They did not let their connection to the chieftain count against them. Their chieftain beamed, triumphant. It's odd that they are asking for our help in a legal dispute despite just raiding us!



We heard that three priestess sisters of the Orvisi clan greatly manifested the power of the Ram gods. We rallied our fellow Hyaloring clans to vigilance against Rams. We stirred the valley's Riders against the Vingkotling menace.



The Orvisi clan wanted gifts for the birth of a baby girl supposedly descended from their founder and their rebel god, Orlanth. We gave them the aid of a protective spirit. They were surprised by this offer, but accepted it. The shamans found a horse spirit who said she was ready to stand over the girl's shoulder. She said she would whisper the child's name into her mother's ear. Thanks to our spirit, the girl would be named Redalda.



Maryu told us about a vision of Lyafor, the fire-blessed boy that went on a pilgrimage.



We tried to explore our clan lands, but foul weather turned back our exploration mission. Too many trolls. Afterwards, Churka raised 4 new warriors.

Bardalor, our Raven shaman, sold six of our children to charioteers. We contacted Raven, to disclaim support for slave traders. Bardalor donned a feathered cape and flapped and cawed. He said Raven accepted our change of heart. We tried to find out where the children are now. "They are long gone by now," Bardalor said, "taken to the Wheel kingdom up north." Shamans drummed the rhythm of the truth rune. Owl spirits flew north to the kingdom of the Wheels. They came back to say they could guide a raid to the right clan, if we choose to go. Damn Bardalor, this is going over the line! We don't mind you screwing with other clans, but our own?



Angakon led a ritual to Elmal and we learned the Protection blessing, that reduces our wounds in battle. This is definitely one we are taking.

Blue Crest emissaries came to talk about Rams. We were noncommittal.



Under the cover of negotiations, the Blue Crests stole 32 cows from us in a herd raid! Bastards!

Our own herd raid did not go as well. We abandoned our herd raid against the Shining Blossoms because they spotted us.

Sacred Time is upon us. This time we have little magic, because Raven stole some. I think we are done with having Bardalor on the clan ring. We put our magic into the most important things - fighting, diplomacy, and maintaining our herds.

[Solmyr]

Orala's Year 15

Otoren told us we aren't exactly the most popular clan right now. Even our parent clan is embarrassed for us.



Meanwhile, Dalasha says that this will be a cold year.



Derenei visited the other Rider clans, looking for people willing to join the Swift Mares. She managed to convince twelve people to pack up and move. They brought with them seven children.

Old Eagles wanted us to take part in a ritual against giant bears. That sounded weird, but the Old Eagles are our allies and we want to keep them happy. We said we would take part. Our holy people blazed to the heavenly haunts of the gods, along with the priests of many other valley clans. Old Eagle priests pronounced the rite successful, and the threat of giant bears averted. We also managed to end a feud with one of the clans that hated us. More anti-giant bear rituals, I say! Fuck giant bears!



Alright, time for Bardalor to be kicked off the clan circle. Fortunately, we have a perfect replacement for him, Henedra, who is from the same family, is also great at managing food, and is the same age. She will be our new circle member.



At the start of Fire season, we changed our permanent blessing from the shrine of Elmal from Steadfast to Protection, to reduce our wounds in battle. As the future will tell, this was an excellent decision!

Fire season, time to raid! We raided the Shining Blossoms and eluded their patrols. We fought fiercely and they could not stand before us. We drove the Shining Blossoms from the battlefield, and were able to plunder their lands. We seized the Bowl of Healing Smoke, a magical treasure that helps cure the sick. Also, we suffered no losses at all, while kicking their butts all over the valley!



Doren said that there was no proper Fire season, and many of our crops would fail. We'll need to think about food again.

Wheels of the Ar-Tarima clan wanted to briefly rest their captured Rams, bound for sale up north, in our village. Well, we did promise to Raven that we would not tolerate slavery anymore. We told them that the Swift Mare clan loathed slavery and condemned those who practiced it. Their sputtering umbrage should have given the people joy, but instead they were afraid.



We were raided by the Jernelthi. We spotted them and brought all our warriors forth. We conducted the Battle Glow ritual, but the Rams whooped at us and our warriors' morale was shaken. We skirmished with them, but they summoned rain to hinder our archers. Maryu then rallied our warriors in the name of Elmal, and their resolve was restored. Otoren saw that the Rams had left their battle standard exposed. Otoren engaged its few guardians and sent them all to whatever hell Rams go to, then seized the standard. Otoren held onto it; though it would be of no use to us, we could trade it away. We drove the Jernelthi off, and their survivors left without looting us. Again, we had only two wounded while wounding and killing many Rams.

The Shining Blossoms raided us. We spotted them and engaged in a fierce battle. We drove the Shining Blossoms off, and their survivors left without plundering our land. No wounds for us and dozens of dead and wounded for them! Elmal has truly blessed us!

We sent Derenei to the Orvisi with the Orlanthi Battle Standard that we captured earlier, to try to exchange treasures with them. Sadly, Derenei was hard-pressed to sell the Orlanthi Battle Standard, and had to accept a poor price for it.



The Jade Colts called in a favor, asking for 20 cows. We gave them what they asked. They thanked us and departed.

Maryu led a sacrifice to Busenari to learn Milk Blessing, which could help us get more to eat. Meanwhile, Doren led a foraging expedition to the northern woods, finding something to eat as well.

Orala said that it's been ten years since our last ritual, the one where we tamed the river. It was time for a new one to keep the gods happy. We decided to perform the story "Elmal Guards the Sunpath". Here is what we know of it:



We sought Elmal's blessing by riding to the sunpath. To gird our actions on the sunpath we sought the aid of other clans. Instead of help, we got mockery. We also petitioned Wheels for ritual aid. Two charioteer chieftains expressed zeal for a solar blessing. We chose Churka to perform the ritual; she worships Osara, and so should be good for this ritual. She took the Helm of Elmal with her to aid in her journey in the Gods War.



Churka found Little Yelm on the sunpath, scavenging its stones. Churka said "This is unworthy of you." Little Yelm answered by charging with outstretched spear. Churka fought against Little Yelm as she would against an inferior. Little Yelm didn't stand a chance. Churka was right to fight him this way.



Churka found the Demon Sun laying claim to the sunpath. She greeted him with an immediate attack. Churka fought against Shargash as she would against a monster. After a furious battle, Churka pushed Shargash from the sunpath.



Churka found a host of golden men stripping the sunpath of its stones. Churka brandished her whooping stick. They scattered, terrified, leaving behind the stones they'd been trying to steal.



The Cold Sun attacked Churka with a blast of frigid air. Churka took on this foe head-on. It took every grain of strength, but Churka finally wounded the Cold Sun, driving him off for at least seven more years.



Elmal thanked Churka for guarding the sunpath. Divine wisdom suffused Churka's being; her combat skills are now heroic. The Wheels in attendance were fulsome in their praise. We might differ on many matters, but not in our devotion to Elmal, or our vigilance in guarding the sunpath. The Ku-Randar clan no longer hates us!



Yatakan, one of the boys gifted with fire magic of Elmal, has grown into a man. He is now available for serving the clan. He is young, and is a member of the Zarent family, which has so far been represented on the circle by Elindrai. Yatakan certainly looks like he will be a good replacement, and may even be chieftain material someday!



Maryu led a sacrifice to Busenari for his Milk Blessing. Hopefully our food stores will be replenished soon. Maryu also told us that the Blue Crest clan, who mocked us before, was impressed by Churka performing the ritual of Elmal, and now respect us again.

Rams came offering us valuables from the honor belts of Brighteyes nobles in exchange for livestock. We did not want to offend the Brighteyes, but also did not want to engage in unnecessary hostilities with the Rams, so we simply declined. They said there were no hard feelings and went on their way.



We built a temple to the trade goddess Ekarna where we had just a shrine before. Now our traders could establish a new trade route. Derenei convinced the Old Eagle clan to trade with us regularly.

We were raided by the Shining Blossoms. They slipped past our patrols and we had to fight while somewhat outnumbered. We performed the Battle Glow ritual while the enemy shifted some forces into reserve. We then shot them with arrows but soon ran out; nonetheless, their losses were great. Utilizing their fear of us, we let loose loud war cries, and they were intimidated. We then charged and fought fiercely, and ultimately prevailed. We drove the Shining Blossoms off, and their survivors left without looting our land. This time ten of our warriors were wounded, but none were killed; the Shining Blossom losses were again in the dozens.

Kondon, our chief negotiator, died of old age. He served the clan well for many years and will be mourned.

Due to a shortage of goods, we could no longer afford to maintain our shrine to Pela. We will have to rebuild it again very soon.

Sacred Time is here and our magic is not great. We put it in War to help with combat, Crafts to help with trade and profit, and Wilds to get some more hunting in while it is still bountiful. The seers say we should acquire more magical treasures in the next two years to receive the blessing of Ekarna.

[grumbler]

Thanks for continuing this.  How did you know how to fight the various challenges on the Sun Path?

[Solmyr]

I read the story and tried to pick whichever way seemed the most appropriate. I suspect you can choose several options, they just influence your chance of success.

[Solmyr]

Orala's Year 16

Churka told us about an incident with the Mor-Kagini clan. They are the arrogant guys living in the west of the valley. Well, we don't want more enemies, so we'll let this slide.



With our clan hall built up, we can now engage in two ventures at once. We once again sent Churka to scour the valley for bandits, again with little success. Meanwhile, Derenei oversaw crafting of ebony sticks, making a nice profit.



Five of our foragers went missing. We sent a party to track them. Our searchers never found them.



Let's test our raiding skills a bit more this Fire season. We raided the Shining Blossoms and eluded their patrols. The Shining Blossoms managed to withdraw while our magicians performed a ritual. We plundered the Bowl of Unity, a magical treasure that rewards openness to new ways.



We raided the Ar-Tarimae and eluded their patrols. Churka remembered that the Ar-Tarima chief was noted for his caution. We performed the Battle Glow ritual, while the Wheels performed a ritual to ignite the wheels on their chariots. We shot arrows as they advanced on us. During the battle, Churka felt the might of Osara filling her, and took an opportunity to attack and break a formation of enemy footmen. We fought fiercely and cut them down as they tried to flee. We drove the Ar-Tarimae from the battlefield, and were able to plunder their lands. And look at those casualties!



Churka told us that the Old Eagles failed in their attack against the Rams. Oh well.



Our leading herders noted that our pastures were just beginning to show signs of damage from overgrazing.



We spotted a herd raid by the Lastralings. We fired at them and then charged, and they could not withstand our mounted attack. We drove the Lastralings off, and their survivors left without looting us. A bit more losses on our side this time, unfortunately.



Bandits offered us a piece of god bone stolen from the Sorandings in exchange for goods worth 50 cows. What? We don't negotiate with bandits! We decided to steal the treasure from the bandits. Churka found the cavern where the bandits lived. She and the others snuck in when only one bandit was left on guard. The bandit died unawares, and they left with the god bone. We kept the bone; it is a magical treasure that grants an edge in warfare, especially in fights against or involving Rams. Ekarna should be pleased with us acquiring all these new treasures!



We sent Doren to the northern woods again to forage for food, while Churka took a party to explore our clan lands some more. Outlaws attacked our exploration party in the clan lands. Churka and her forces killed and scattered them. They did not find anything new, however.

Rams of the Urkarning clan asked for brief hospitality, to rest their charioteer captives, which they planned to sell as thralls. We can't have slavers marching into our clan lands! We attacked them. We surprised them, routing them easily. We killed four of them and wounded easily twice that number. Two of our warriors were hurt. The slaves asked to be returned to the Ar-Tarima clan. We escorted them home. Their lost kin welcomed them with great joy and thanked us profusely. The Ar-Tarima no longer hate us!



Ayvtu, the girl who had the strong fire magic, has grown into a woman. She may also be able to serve our clan, though she wants to marry outside of it.



Elindrai engaged herself to two men at once, prompting both claims to demand compensation. We compensated the Blue Crests. The Yellowhills said we would regret Elindrai's double-dealing. Dammit Elindrai! Well, this is a good reason to remove her from the clan ring. Her place will be taken by Yatakan, our young Elmali fire wielder!



Derenei convinced the Ar-Tarima clan to create a new trading route. But then the fuckers raided our herds and stole 26 cows! Grr.

Sacred Time is here! Our magic is pretty good this time, so we can assign a bit more to various things. We should really do more exploring soon, and maybe consider a ritual again. Also, it seems that the banditry threat is gone from the valley. Not sure what caused that, but not complaining!

[Solmyr]

Been a bit busy, but now it continues!

Orala's Year 17

Doren's ability to provide food was acknowledged to be of heroic level.



Churka urges us to send her exploring. Perhaps we should do it soon.



For now though, we assigned Churka to the task of scouting for bandits. This time, she was much more successful, finding and killing many of them.



Plant people attacked our fields, blighting our crops. We cannot really go fighting in Sea Season, so we have to resort to magic. We performed an earth magic ritual to reverse the blight. Nyalda the earth mother leached the wild elf magic from the fields, taking with it the blight.



We raided the Shining Blossoms and eluded their patrols. We responded to their taunts with our own. Churka led us to victory. We drove the Shining Blossoms from the battlefield, and were able to plunder their lands. We seized the Mighty Whooping Rattle.



The Blue Crests raided us. We drove the Blue Crests off, and their survivors left without looting us. Our casualties were fairly high, though, so Churka had to raise four new warriors afterwards.



We learned that the Shining Blossoms had declared a feud against us. Things have really escalated now.

We sent Churka exploring to the east with a small party.

The Brilliant Hoof clan came to threaten us with reprisals if we did not relent in our assaults against the Shining Blossom clan. We said we would grant peace, but the Shining Blossoms would have to pay a token tribute each year. They said we did not understand the peril of our situation. We sought to win them to our side. They took offense at our attempt to befriend them. Their allegiance could not be traded for as if it was a goat or skin of kumis. We agreed. Our warriors said we had taken the only wise course—the Brilliant Hoofs fielded a much tougher force than the Shining Blossoms.



We sent Otoren with gifts to the Shining Blossoms, with whom we were feuding. They accepted the gifts, but the feud could not be resolved yet.



Derenei shared our exploration with other clans. Hopefully this will make them like us more.



Our pastures had been grazed for many years, and were no longer as productive. We will have to think what to do about this.



The Gryphon clan announced a hawking competition. We sought to smooth over differences with hostile Rider clans. As hawks coursed the sky above our heads, we talked to leaders from clans we would not normally encounter in a friendly way.



We sacrificed to Busenari and learned the details of the story "Busenari Finds the Light". Perhaps next year we will send someone to Gods War to perform this ritual.

Churka returned from her exploration and told that she found some other explorers there, in the Dog Hills. She traded with them and made a small profit.



A bizarre monster made of putrid flesh burst from below the surface, injuring one of our elders. We called on Elmal. The priests whirled in our temple to Elmal, begging the sun god's aid. A shaft of light blazed down from the heavens to incinerate the weird creature. It let out a sizzling sound and was consumed by the flames.



The Yellowhills wanted exclusive trade access to our beer, but we declined. Sorry, we aren't giving away our beer anymore!

Maryu, our magic expert, died of old age. We will need someone else to replace her on the clan ring.



Derenei said that Ekarna has blessed us because we acquired at least two magical treasures in the last two years. Our market should be more profitable for a while!

We sent Otoren with a small party to search for spirits in the northern woods. He returned some time later and said that he found an Antelope spirit.



We sent Angakon with gifts to the Yellowhills. They should be friendly now, and they also told us of a cave that could be explored.



Our magic at Sacred Time is a bit bad, but we had some reserve, so we manage to allocate all the necessary things. Also, apparently we are now known for being bullies. Damn Shining Blossoms spoiling our reputation!

[Solmyr]

Orala's Year 18

The oracles predicted an unusual number of rats and vermin this year. Jereno also told us about an unusual number of disputes in the clan. We have these well in hand, though, so the clan mood is good.



We reorganized the clan circle, appointing the young shaman Otoren in place of the deceased Maryu. Otoren is famous for his skill at magic, so he should be a good replacement.

Doren began trying to restore our overgrazed pastures, but it was clear that this year's effort wouldn't be enough.



The Gryphons asked us to speak for them, petitioning the Old Eagle clan for peace. We sent Derenei with some gifts and she talked to the Old Eagles for them. The Old Eagle leaders said they esteemed us highly, but were not prepared to abandon a target they'd spent so much effort softening up. When we told the Gryphons, they responded with dismay.



We raided the Jernelthi, the Ram clan south of the river. We drove the Jernelthi from the battlefield, and were able to plunder their lands.



We were raided by the Orvisi. We drove the Orvisi off, and their survivors left without plundering our land. Our casualties were pretty terrible, though. Churka started raising some new warriors before the battle.



We were raided by the Jernelthi. Old Eagle forces appeared to launch a surprise flanking attack against our foes. We matched the Old Eagles blow for blow. Our foes reeled. We drove the Jernelthi off, and were happy to have survived the battle. Our losses were quite light, but all this raiding is wearing us down again.



We conducted a ritual to Erissa, asking her to heal our wounded, and she healed many. Churka also oversaw a crafting program, producing fine jewelry to improve our economic situation.

A Varleving girl tried to steal one of our horses, but fell and broke her neck. We returned her remains to her clan.



Yellowhills wanted us to take part in a ritual against hoof blight. We said we would take part. Our holy people blazed to the heavenly haunts of the gods, along with the priests of many other valley clans. Yellowhill priests pronounced the rite successful, and the threat of hoof blight averted.



We still have many wounded, so Endarei led another ritual to Erissa to get some more healed. Also our food situation is not the greatest, so we had Otoren persuade the Sow spirit to help feed the clan.

The Sorandings asked us to speak for them, petitioning the Gryphon clan for peace. We stayed out of it. People said we should have helped them. They might have been Rams, the second-guessers said, but they were also humans.



We sent Churka with some warriors to explore the woods north of the Char-Orisa clan lands.

Taking advantage of Churka's absence, the Blue Crests raided us. Otoren saw that the enemy had dropped an apparent magic weapon. Otoren fought his way to it, but could not reach it in time. Although we held our ground bravely, we were too outnumbered. We were driven from the battlefield and looted. In the aftermath, they burned our watch tower. The Ar-Tarimae also stole 17 cows in a cattle raid as we were recovering from our wounds.



Sacred Time approaches. This has been a horrible year for the clan. We lost many people, cattle, and horses. Churka is still away exploring, and we hope nothing has happened to her. We put our magic into the essential things again. Maybe we should try some diplomacy again next year.

[Solmyr]

So apparently I made a big mistake in not doing something for several years that resulted in a huge loss of herds of my clan (I've played several years ahead already). Should I keep going and try to recover from this, or restart?