Lords of the Ring - Forum Game Reboot

Unfortunately, south is not an option from this point. If you go north a ways first, then you may venture south, but not before.

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Then my tribe will go northeast.

2 Likes

Seeing as the deadline for old players reclaiming their spots has effectively passed, the game will proceed with 9 players out of 10. If anyone wishes to join in, they may, but it will be on a first come first serve basis. As of now, the next round will officially be in-progress and can be expected to show up later today or tomorrow.

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At long last, here is the first round:

Round 1

See (@serialkiller)

Vote: Migrate East (6)

Outcome

Thinking to beat the competition in the rush to the east, your band left the home valley in a great hurry. However, this left your people with little time to prepare themselves, and the harsh weather conditions, sparse resources for gathering along the way, and attacks by horse-sized birds with toothed beaks that knock your people from the mountain trails has completely halted your band’s trek. While a possible return to the home valley is also feasible, rather than facing the ridicule and shame of turning back, your band has settled in the foothills between the home valley and the eastern mountains. Here, they gather the edible roots of tiny shrubs that grow in the cracks of the rocky mountain face, as well as pick small clusters of bitter nuts with shriveled shells that grow in the sparse trees. They have also found prey to hunt in the form of three-eyed goat-like creatures that roam the higher trails of your new home in the hinterlands. Competition between your hunters and the swooping birds for the goats is mostly avoided out of fear of conflict with the predators and lack of ability to fight back effectively. Morale is low, even more so when tracks of other Augrela bands passing through the area without sign of them turning back. However, you have mostly escaped the home valley and its scarcity. In fact, your scouts and gatherers that return in that direction speak of a quick recovery since the great migration. Many express a desire to go back due to this, while others express a desire to go further into the mountains, leading all eyes to turn to the elders of the band for guidance forward.

Stability: -1

Power: 1


Yirha (@aviscerator)

Vote: Migrate North (9)

Outcome

Your band has decided to make their way directly north, into the lower rainforest. While it is warmer than the home valley, the change isn’t so drastic as to cause problems with migrating. However, your people find themselves stymied in progress by encounters with squat, but wide six-legged armored beasts with shovel-like tusks. Not to mention your supplies are constantly under threat by small rat-like creatures with a large eye both on the front and back of their heads. While the vermin are easily chased away, the armored beasts are a much more potent threat, as your route seems to consistently take your band into areas they inhabit. Resulting in forward scouts being chased off and sometimes injured by their aggression. However, edible plants in the form of juicy purple fruits with slightly bristly skin are found in abundance in the trees. This plentiful food source stabilizes the band’s morale, but forward progress is stalled slightly and thus your band has not moved very far from the home valley. You have escaped its bounds, but far-ranging scouts can still easily reach the fringe of your old home.

Stability: 0

Power: 1

Malphas (@blackink)

Vote: Migrate East (10)

Summary

Out of the various bands going east, yours has experienced some of the better fortunes. Taking some of the lower trails, your people have mostly avoided attention from the predatory birds, making your migration into the eastern mountains more peaceful than most. However, they did not get very far into the mountains, and were forced to settle in a small valley nestled in the mountains part of the way through. There is food to be had here in the form of the edible roots and bitter nuts as well as the three-eyed goats, and water in the form of mountain springs and creeks. And the predatory birds don’t seem to bother the main body of the band as long as you stick together and stay low. But your hunters and gatherers have to venture up into their territory to gather food, meaning nerve-wracking trips that don’t bring back much each time. Your people are slightly uneasy, but feel that moving out of the home valley was the right choice.

Stability: 0

Power: 1


Novak (@Louix)

Vote: Migrate Northwest (1)

Summary

The attempt to migrate to the northwest has ended in complete disaster. Supplies ran out quickly after it was discovered that they attracted the attention of two-legged boar-like creatures that scarfed down plenty of food before being chased off. Not only that, your band came under attack from mysterious burrowing predators with six legs and a mixture of feline and naked mole rat features. A hasty retreat was made back to the home valley, but not before many were lost to predators, starvation, or simply lost in the many meandering trails. Your band is low on food and morale, with many actively considering either leaving to find another band, or simply dispersing. Your band’s elders didn’t manage to survive the trip, leaving much of the decision making up in the air, with small factions beginning to form around various figures in the band. This only further increases tensions amongst your people, who aren’t sure who to look to for guidance, the best hunters, the strongest individual, the most cunning, but stability must return soon or your band is not long for this world.

Stability: -2

Power: 1


Atorii (@oncpapa)

Vote: Migrate North (12)

Summary

Your journey north, while not the smoothest, has gone relatively well. Supplies have been supplemented by purple fruits that can be found in the branches as well as the patient snaring of small burrowing birds that your hunters can find. However, they must avoid the attention of much larger flightless birds that stalk the canopy above, swooping down on the unwary with talons and quite sharp beaks! Over time, your band has made a fair amount of progress north, and have managed to settle around a stream which your scouts report is fed by a lake to the northwest. They also have reported signs of another band that has migrated further north, but have seen no other signs of them. Your people are glad to be out of the near-famine of the home valley, and have taken to this area quite nicely, even if food supplies have to be guarded more closely due to the presence of rat-like creatures with a large eye on the front and back of its head (same pest the Yirha are dealing with). They are happier to be here than where they were before, but not by much.

Stability: 1

Power: 1


Yslach (@lordclassyus)

Vote: Migrate West (13)

Summary

While treacherous due to the nature of the forest trails, your band has managed to make a fair amount of progress westward. The trails have brought your people to a slightly higher altitude, enough so that the trees start to be covered in needles rather than broad leaves, which draw no small amount of curiosity from your scouts. They have settled around a series of clearings near a mountain spring, and have found cones that, while requiring a bit of preparation over the fire, are quite edible. In addition, they have also found bushes of bright yellow berries that are also edible, but less plentiful than the cones. They have also encountered large sloth-like creatures that also feed on these cones as well as shaving bark off of certain trees, and two-legged round-bodied boar-like creatures that feed on roots and grasses. The plentiful game allows your people to survive, but not without having lost a fair number amongst the trails, leaving many worried for their safety, while others are unsure it’s possible to find them again. This has caused your people to be slightly suspicious about the forests, and many do not venture out alone ere they get lost as well, mitigating the effects of having plentiful game to hunt and food to gather.

Stability: 0

Power: 1


Ssuiis (@agenttine)

Vote: Migrate East (5)

Outcome

At the urging of the band’s elders, your people have attempted to migrate east. Unfortunately, it was too late in the year and heavy snows and winds nearly buried your band alive in the trails. Forced to turn back, morale and supplies have been moderately depleted, not to mention attacks from predatory birds that knocked some of your people from the higher ledges to their deaths. While the venture was not a complete and total disaster, it has taken a heavy toll on your people, and many now do not wish to attempt travel through the mountains again. The only consolation is the apparent quick springing back of the home valley, which your people have settled into the eastern fringes of, not quite in the foothills of the mountains, but not entirely in the home valley either. Your scouts report signs of bands to the east in the actual hinterlands, as well as signs of other bands that they guess have remained in the home valley to enjoy the resurgence of wildlife and plant life. This leads to some small resentment at who these bands might be, given the success of one neighbor in achieving something your people could not, and the good fortune experienced by those that seemed to have remained. However, in this fringe environment, your gatherers and hunters can take advantage of large reptiles that have come to inhabit the home valley in the Astani’s absence, as well as three-eyed goat-like creatures that come wandering out of the mountains in the case of the latter. And in the case of the former, Degi nuts from the home valley supplemented by small amounts of bitter nuts in the hilly hinterlands.

Stability: -1

Power: 1


Alitize (@soundwave)
Vote: Migrate North (17)

Outcome

Your band has experienced great fortune, as their trek through the northern rainforests goes with very little trouble. While encounters with large six-legged armored reptiles guarding fields of edible tubers are few, your people have managed to snag a few of the tubers the reptiles guard. In addition, your hunters were lucky enough to bring down a predatory bird that swooped down from the canopy. Though it doesn’t stop the attacks from the creatures, the fact your hunters brought one down is a good morale boost. Your people have settled around a small river, which your scouts is fed by a lake to the southwest, while they also report of rolling, sparsely treed hills to the north, northwest, and northeast. Your people, in relatively high spirits, are ready to follow your elders’ direction, seeing them as wise and in tune with the spirits of the land to have led them to such good fortune.

Stability: 2

Power: 1

Krangei (@Svrangite)

Vote: Go East (9)

Outcome

Your band is one of many that has made their way to the east, and one that has experienced moderate fortune. While too late to make it into the mountains proper before winter sealed the passes, your band has managed to settle in the foothills, able to get sustenance from the edible roots and bitter nuts as well as hunting the three-eyed goats. The smart decision to not brave the snowy passes has left your band with slightly more morale, though the stymied overall progress has left some wishing to go back. Your band has also had to move somewhat north of their initial starting point due to attacks from predatory horse-sized birds as well as roving packs of saber-toothed dogs from the west that appear to have moved into the home valley. However, this has given your far-ranging scouts glimpses of signs of a new herd animal moving around to the northeast, possibly moving into the area around the home valley with the Astani gone. They also report the presence of large herbivores replacing the long-necked creatures in the home valley proper. However, this is a harsh existence for your people, as stable hunting requires venturing far from the band’s stomping grounds, same with gathering edible plants. This results in lowered morale and food being hard to come by.

Stability: -1

Power: 1

2 Likes

Make the best hunters our leaders and… I mean… Try again I guess

You’ll have to pick one, either try and move out again, or solidify the band’s leadership. Both of these are major shake-ups of the band’s routine and will have effects later down the line so I’m gonna have to make you choose one or the other. Otherwise I’d let you do both. But remember, you’re still nomadic at this point, so you’re free to migrate again after solidifying who’s in charge. :wink:

1 Like

I feel like domesticating some goats.

Vote 1: Domesticate the goats!

2 Likes

You know what what, I changed my mind, make the most wise/intelligents our leaders

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This looks like a good place for becoming permanent
Vote: Settle down (and if possible organize the gatherers in groups)

1 Like

Vote: Tame these predatory Birds and call them Maklao

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Vote: Migrate east

Also how far would i need to go to find a path south?

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All you need to do is do a single migration north to be able to go south again. But if you only ever migrate north once, then you can only go south once.

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Ah, then i change my vote to migrating northeast instead.

2 Likes

Nice round, I have missed this type of forum game.

Vote: Restock our supplies with berries and cones. We will head further west on a later date and than we will need food.

3 Likes

Happy that this is back !
Vote: tame the goats , preferably in cooperation with agent

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@Aviscerator and @Oncpapa you are the only ones left who haven’t voted yet.

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Sorry for late vote.
Vote: Migrate further north.

3 Likes

@Aviscerator I’m sending one last reminder to you that you’re the only vote remaining. If you haven’t voted here or on Discord by tomorrow, your band will enter a period of stagnation for this round and you will be allowed two votes next round to make up for it.

2 Likes

Sorry for the late reply
Vote: Migrate west from current position

3 Likes

Round 2

See (@serialkiller)

Vote: Tame the goats (19)

Outcome

The attempts to tame the goats are a great success! Your people now enjoy a steady diet of goat meat and even milk to supplement the kills of your hunters and the hauls of your gatherers, as well as goat hide to supplement the hides attained from hunting other animals. However, it seems the goats do not take well to eating the grasses and plants of the home valley. It will sustain them, but they fare much better when given some of the sparse grasses and plants such as the edible roots from the mountains to eat. As such, more strain is put on your gatherers to get as much as possible from the mountains in order to keep the moderately sized herds of goats in their top condition. With the danger of predatory birds and no particularly easy way to carry a lot of these plants back to the band, this is a difficult task. However, this does not dilute the boost in morale that was sorely needed after the failure to even enter the eastern mountains by much. Your people are happy with where they are right now, and some even feel confident enough to reattempt crossing into the mountains.

Stability: 1

Power: 1

Extra: Your scouts and herdsmen report noticing some agitation in the wild goats that still roam about, but they aren’t sure what’s causing it. Some suggest investigating the signs of another band roaming about for possible clues.


Yirha (@aviscerator)

Vote: Migrate West (3)

Outcome

Your band attempts to migrate further west are plagued with issues from the start. The most prominent of this issue being that once again your people manage to run into the armored reptiles fairly consistently. Only this time many forward scouts aren’t so lucky and are killed in the process, leaving the band blind to their path of travel and often running into them later. Some have also discovered the presence of palm-sized insects with a bite that causes a lot of stinging sensation and slight swelling on the afflicted area by disturbing their hives. Even worse, some of your band’s elders have gone missing, whether simply lost in the trees or killed by an armored reptile or predatory bird. Significantly, deterred, your band has returned to their previous stomping grounds for now. Though the loss of morale is great, your band is holding together, at least for now. Many are calling for any direction other than west to be taken, some even call for a return to the home valley.

Stability: -2

Power: 1

Extra: Some far-ranging scouts have reported signs to the southeast of another band moving northeast. A direction some have suggested the band should go in. They also report signs of a new much smaller band to the south moving into your range, and a band of equivalent size to yours to the north. Some suggest moving before things become too crowded, while others suggest making contact with these other bands before making a decision. Either way, your elders must make a decision before others make the decision for them.


Malphas (@blackink)

Vote: Settle down and organize gatherers into groups (18)

Outcome

At the command of your band’s elders, your people have begun to settle into life in the small mountain valley. As such, they have discovered that the valley is home to grazing animals no taller than an Augrela, yet remarkably similar to the Astani in their four hooved legs and long necks that consume grass as well as leaves from the small groves of trees. These animals roam the low mountain trails and ledges much like the one that led your band to the valley. In addition, organizing your band’s gatherers into groups seems to give them more protection against the predatory birds above. While not perfect, your gatherers appear to be less of a target this way. This is a great boost to morale and your people quickly start to become comfortable with this new life.

Stability: 2

Power: 1

Extra: Your far-ranging scouts report that there are signs of at least one band in the east, as well as at least one to the west back in the home valley. Some are curious as to who might have succeeded where your own people failed, while also curious about who might not have made it at all.


Novak (@Louix)

Vote: Make the wisest the leaders (1)

Outcome

While your band’s wisest members have managed to accumulate a small number of families to their cause, they prove unable to convince the other factions forming in your band to follow them. Those led by the objectively strongest split away first, and call themselves the Donsou, leading the band’s best fighters into the home valley’s western fringe. With the departure of the newly-christened Donsou, the band’s best hunters also make their departure, now calling themselves the Avoch. This group has left to the north, gaining enough distance to lose constant contact. This leaves your band severely depleted in number, but they still scrape by as most of your band’s gatherers remained with the wisest members of your group. The Novak as a people survive, but are barely holding on to their identity and cohesion as a group. It is feared that another catastrophic event or a mere stroke of bad luck could rip what remains apart.

Stability: -3

Power: 1

Extra: Over the course of these events, your people have become aware of the presence of another, larger band that appears to have remained in the home valley. This spreads more fear amongst your people as the tracks suggest that this band could easily crush yours if they so desired in your current extremely weak state.


Atorii (@oncpapa)

Vote: Migrate to the north (2)

Outcome

Your band’s attempt to move further north is a near-complete disaster. It seems that the armored reptiles have become more active recently, and are venturing further out from their guarding grounds, and this results in encounters with particularly cantankerous beasts. Let alone constant attacks by the climbing birds that result in casualties that the reptiles do not inflict. In addition, while you have made some progress north, this stretch of land seems to have become particularly inhabited by these creatures, which now includes your own people in the middle. Morale has taken a big hit due to your dangerous surroundings and the inability to truly fight back against these aggressive animals. Any improvement caused by forward progress is completely swallowed up.

Stability: -1

Power: 1

Extra: Your scouts report on the presence of other bands to both your north and south, the one to the south appears to be moving north into your band’s previous stomping grounds and is quite small in size. While the one to the north appears to be of a similar size to your own band, if not a bit smaller.


Yslach (@lordclassyus)

Vote: Focus on restocking supplies (15)

Outcome

The move to gather the band’s collective breath and stock up on supplies was a good choice. The time to settle into a routine and gather a surplus before possibly venturing further is appreciated by a number of families. Some still go missing in the forest trails, but the focus on gathering leads to shorter trips to better stock up, mitigating the number that go missing. While your people still fear the deeper forests to a degree, the time taken to wear down some specific trails to follow has made them push back their fear of the forests in general, with the unknown reaches of the woods being more feared than what your band has claimed for themselves. This has led to a boost in morale, if a small one.

Stability: 1

Power: 1


Ssuiis (@agenttine)

Vote: Domesticate the three-eyed goats (15)

Outcome

Your people have managed to tame a small number of the three-eyed goats, which they use to supplement their diet in the form of goat meat as well as milk. The small herds also supplement supplies of clothing with their hide. While the animals will survive on the grasses and plants of the hinterlands you inhabit as well as those of the fringes of the home valley. However, they are at their happiest and most productive when supplied with some of the sparse grasses and edible roots of the mountains. With the threat of the predatory birds and treacherous trails, these trips aren’t as effective as they could be if your band either lived in the mountains or had a way to gather more plants in one trip. Morale is higher, but it is more of a recovery from the previous drop than a true improvement due to these factors.

Stability: 0

Power: 1

Extra: Your scouts are reporting signs of extra agitation amongst the wild goat herds, and signs of another band of Augrela are also present amongst this agitation. They suggest looking into them in the future. They also report of signs of other bands to the north and northwest of your current range.


Alitize (@soundwave)

Vote: Attempt to tame the Maklao (17)

Outcome

Your would-be animal handlers attempt to entice the Maklao birds with pieces of meat from the rats as well as pieces of fruit. Despite their tremendous efforts, the Maklao do not respond with anything but aggression towards your people. It is clear they see Augrela as food and nothing more. Your handlers are lucky they escape with mostly minor injuries caused by the birds’ talons and beaks. However, they were able to observe the Maklao diving from the canopy to attack some of the armored beasts that you have seen in your range, using their momentum and sturdy beaks to penetrate the thick plates. This has inspired your hunters and crafters to come up with ideas to turn these beaks into weapons that could penetrate the hides of these beasts. But there is no reliable way to even strike at the Maklao, let alone kill them for their beaks, meaning it is little more than a concept at this point. This does generate a little excitement amongst the band, mitigating the failure to tame the birds.

Stability: 2

Power: 1

Extra: Your far-ranging scouts report of movement of other bands to your south as well as north and east, the band to the south seeming to be in a spot of trouble, while one to the north appears to be of an equivalent size to yours. The one to the east appears to have already left outside of the current range your scouts are currently comfortable exploring. They also report signs to the southeast of another band, possibly following the other.


Krangei (@Svrangite)

Vote: Migrate Northeast (10)

Outcome

Seeking to instead skirt around the mountains rather than travel directly through them, your band has headed northeast. Your far-ranging scouts report signs of another band having already gone this direction, but there are no signs of them present, indicating they have moved on long before you got here. They also report the presence of purple horse-like creatures that roam in herds, generally heading towards the home valley, but some seem to have taken up residence around your band’s range as well. These creatures tend to stay away from your hunters and gatherers, except when they catch the attention of very aggressively protective males of the species. These animals have become something of a staple meat source, as well as meat from roving packs of large rodents with an eye on the front and back of their head. Your people also dine on purple bristly fruits from the rainforests to the west. This moderate success, and avoidance of the terrors of the mountains, puts many minds at ease. Although not all are happy to still be fairly nearby the mountains.

Stability: 0

Power: 1

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