Depending on what our resources are looking like, either a lumber mill or some farms.
The wheat in the standing stones area... has anyone tried eating it yet?

>>1087976
Agreed.
Sustainable food supply is the primary concern.
Farming a must, but its slow and we need to discover what will flourish in this soil.
So starting thatbis important.

In the meantime hunting and foraging will supplement long term supply usage.
We need to see if theres a sufficient amount of game.
Maybe set up a smoke house for preserving meat if theres enough to warrant it.

Got to find something to help stretch things until the first harvests come in.

Set up some small plots to test the snail land for farming. Don't commit all our supply of seeds yet.
Also start gathering some wheat.

You need to start setting up your own farms too.

Doomsby 2024/04/15(Mon)15:40 No. 1088867 ID: 462d8c
File 171322082739.png - (551.04KB , 1280x1024 , highsland13.png )

First catalogue Report:
Your scouts and researchers finally bring in their first notes and findings. A pile of papers with various scrawlings and diagrams cover your crude desk and with some representatives of the teams you start to go through them.

Starting with the lake and the creatures within. Initial efforts have been apparently stymied by one particular fish; brown, potato-like, and about the size of a can. This fish seems to have a habit of swarming when one of their number is in distressed, such as when one is caught on a hook. These summoned allies would then bite whatever is the perceived problem, “bogging down” the line and often causing it to snap. These “Bogging Fish,” as the researchers have been calling them, are also quite numerous in number. Any attempts at fishing for other creatures have merely resulted in catching more of these vexing creatures. They are edible though, with the texture described as “slimy” even when cooked and was considered mild even by lake fish standards. They will probably be the backbone of any fishing industry we develop regardless of our intentions. Now other fish have been observed, but more time is needed to actually inspect them.

As for the snail meadows, the researchers say that there have been so far an innumerable species encountered so far. The entire food chain seems to consist of nothing but these gastropods and sorting them has been a herculean task. It seems like most small ones with pale coloured shells fall into the “prey” category, because there are plenty of predatory snails involved. Except for the “pastel yellow” ones, those are poisonous and should not be consumed. Predatory snails come in all shapes and sizes and so far there hasn’t been a basic rule of thumb identifying them. Many are venomous and use a sort of harpoon to attack other species. The most noteworthy of which is the “Regal Whorl” a large specimen having reached upwards the size of a ball. This may be the apex predator of the biome. Due to it’s size its venom sacs are fairly easy to harvest and though applications of the venom will be slow to discover.

Otherwise, efforts continue and further reports are forthcoming.

Doomsby 2024/04/15(Mon)15:41 No. 1088868 ID: 462d8c
File 171322086364.png - (1.78MB , 1250x1024 , highsland12-m.png )

>We needto start securing food supplies, get farmers tilling and planting
>You need to start setting up your own farms too.
You begin to order the clearing of some acres to turn into farmland. To figure out the conditions of the soil, you decide to plant a variety of crops on a single plot. The settlers have been growing some of their own in sustenance gardens, but this only gives so much insight as it is clear that many of these people aren’t farmers. Still, in due time we’ll figure out what grows and what adjustments could be made to the ground for more.
Simple Farm will take 1 round to complete. The harvest, however, will take longer.

>The wheat in the standing stones area... has anyone tried eating it yet?
>Also start gathering some wheat.
People have been sampling the local flora, a mix of boredom and a need for fresh food, and apparently the wheat is indeed edible. At this juncture it could only be turned into a very coarse, flat bread. A mass harvesting could be issued if need be.

Resources: Some starting supplies; basic tools
Food: Preserves

Current constructions: Simple farm (1 round)
Current projects: Catalogue reports (2, 4 rounds); Mesa expedition (1, 2 rounds)

Suggest some actions:
Begin a construction: Suggest a building and where it’ll go. An associated resource is required to be used as building materials. Only one construction can be -started- per a round, though multiple continued constructions can occur.
Start a project: Suggest a project that’ll involve a number of people, will take time to do, but isn’t explicitly putting together a structure. Resources to be used are option where appropriate. Only one project can be -started- a round but multiple can be worked on.
Enact a ruling: Instate a new bylaw or temporary measure.
Other: You’re a clever bunch, and this isn’t an exhaustive list of everything that can be done. Feel free to suggest something that doesn’t quite fit with the previous three actions.

>>1088868
Okay, let's section off part of the wheat fields for renewable harvesting, and see how the fields react to the intrusion. The religious group is there so we need to negotiate with them about property lines. How much land do they need for self-sufficiency, what are their plans for expansion, that sort of thing.

>>1088867
That's a promising first report. Those Boglers seem tailor made for easy catching, just hook one as bait and then net the lot of them. We might even need to limit fishing them lest we drive them extinct.

Purple has long been a highly coveted dye, and its main source is snail shells. We might just have a gold mine on our hands, but it would take a lot of shells and a long time.

Time to set up a logging camp in the forest. Our need for wood only grows.

That's a really interesting ecosystem, we should be on the lookout for burrowing snails. And the bogging fishes would probably be easier to catch with a trident or other spearfishing tools rather than fishing lines.

I suggest enacting a wildlife protection ruling to protect local fauna and flora, or else I'm a bit afraid the snail population is going to suffer once farming starts and suddenly they are seen as pests rather than part of the scenery.
That should go hand in hand with a project to find ways to protect our farms from hungry gastropods without killing them or disturbing their habitat too much.

We should also construct a watermill while there still is a waterfall on the edge of the lake. We might as well harness it while it's there, and it could power some sawmills and workshops.

>>1088868
Okay, that's easy enough. Make some travelling harvest caravans to perform basic hunter-gathering. Set up bounties for research on what they catch, different ways to cook the stuff, the long-term effects of the food, etc.

Build a basic workshop for crafting more building supplies, and we'll see what we can make from there.

>>1088870
Agreed.
The wheat is important but so is being a good neighbour.

>>1088867
Does the slimy quality indicate harvestable oil of any kind?
At the very least, whatever fish waste produced will make for good fertilizer.

>>1088874
It would also aid in the milling of the wheat. Speed that up greatly.
Once it no longer functions, the parts can be moved to somewhere the water still flows.

I propose queuing a simple road to and trading post between the Chasonite compound and our town. It's not urgent but I think it should at least be put on the books as a to-do.

It's perfectly acceptable to allow them to manage their own affairs, but seclusion and isolation are two different things. We need to at least include them as *part of society* early on, or else the same problems that drove them here will repeat themselves.

Doomsby 2024/05/01(Wed)18:52 No. 1090113 ID: 462d8c
File 171461472656.png - (552.42KB , 1280x1024 , highsland15.png )

>We should also construct a watermill while there still is a waterfall on the edge of the lake. We might as well harness it while it's there, and it could power some sawmills and workshops.
> It would also aid in the milling of the wheat. Speed that up greatly. Once it no longer functions, the parts can be moved to somewhere the water still flows.
A spot on the shore line is selected for a waterwheel. The strong current there will be more than enough to power what we need, but not so close to the edge where the forces are more likely to tear apart our crude machinery. Thankfully, with a simple workshop already set up, the required wooden gears and axles should be straight forward to construct.
Waterwheel will take 1 round to complete

>Okay, let's section off part of the wheat fields for renewable harvesting, and see how the fields react to the intrusion.
An area on the north side of the tile is designated for harvesting. It should be far enough away from the Chasonites to not interfere with them but still close enough to our colony. A group of villagers are gathered and outfitted with the few scythes we have. Harvesting will be simple enough, even for those armed with sickles, but the real obstacle will be transporting the bales of wheat back. Without a cart or beast of burden, carrying the grains will be what requires dedicated effort.
Harvesting will be completed in 1 round


>We might even need to limit fishing them lest we drive them extinct.
>I suggest enacting a wildlife protection ruling to protect local fauna and flora, or else I'm a bit afraid the snail population is going to suffer once farming starts and suddenly they are seen as pests rather than part of the scenery.
The balance between civilization and nature is a delicate thing. So you decide it’s best to put in some precautions before there is trouble. Fishing, for now, will be restricted to certain days. While not ideal, it should be enough to slow people from emptying the lake while requiring the least amount of administration. Unfortunately, it’ll be a bit longer before we know the fishes habits enough to assign and restrict certain seasons as well. The snails are a bit trickier, as they are seemingly endless in supply and few people are actively seeking them out. Of course, this can change in an instant should an industry arise from them; whether it be food, dye, or medicinal. Until we understand things better, the current limits will be that a person can only eliminate snails on their property, and only two baskets of snails can be harvested within a period of time.
Law Enacted: Basic wildlife protections.

>The religious group is there so we need to negotiate with them about property lines. How much land do they need for self-sufficiency, what are their plans for expansion, that sort of thing.
>It's perfectly acceptable to allow them to manage their own affairs, but seclusion and isolation are two different things. We need to at least include them as *part of society* early on, or else the same problems that drove them here will repeat themselves.
You write a quick missive to the religious group. You primarily ask about land usage and boundaries, but you also try to reach a hand out for cooperation. Right now, there are still too many unknowns surrounding them to say for sure what is the best way to approach them, but being cordial is probably a safe bet. You send off a courier and wait for a reply.

Doomsby 2024/05/01(Wed)18:53 No. 1090114 ID: 462d8c
File 171461483949.png - (1.19MB , 1280x1024 , highsland16.png )

Decision: Angry Skies

There’s a storm brewing. It’s...
A.) Fire and Ash: Tremors are not unusual in the colony, and rarely do they do more than rattle the shelves. However, it’s starting to become noticeable how frequent they’ve become. Eyes glance towards the mountain in the west as folk try their best to carry on as normal. That is, until the volcano decided it can no longer be ignored. A black plume of smoke spews upwards and is quickly accompanied by a resounding crack of noise. Dark, grey ash rockets into the sky with fire hidden within and lightning dancing around. Several more eruptions follow the startling first, some of which burst forth with even more ferocity. Eventually, the volcano settles into ominous rumblings with an amorphous mass of scalding soot hangs above it. Then the winds change, and the dark cloud moves our direction. Hot ash starts falling down upon the colony, clinging and scorching to everything outside. Soon, everything is a uniform grey as the worst of the storm moves on. The damage is great, but we will persevere.
Or
Snail Hail: It’s a local phenomena that snails will occasionally fall from the sky. Often your average rain will be accompanied by a handful of “THOKs” as shells hit the ground and roofs. Dents in wood are common and most people have gotten at least one welt this way. This time is different though. Usually the snail fall for a matter of seconds and quickly peter out, but this time they only seem to be falling in greater frequency. The rain is quickly out paced by by pail shells as the cacophony of impact becomes unbearable. Then the large ones start to fall. Fist-sized gastropods cracking against roofs and smashing the smaller snails on the ground. Melon-sized snails crash down and spiky shells tear through anything outside. Finally, the hail resides as quickly as it came. Everywhere there’s splintered wood and craters in the soil. The damage is great, but we will persevere.

Scalding hot ash, or delicious gastropods? Call it cloudy with a chance of meatballs, but batten down the hatches, because your short term food problems are solved!

>>1090114
Snail hail! With destruction comes opportunity. Also probably a sign that we don't need to worry about snail populations... they're clearly materializing out of nowhere!

We're going to have to build some tougher buildings. And/or shelters.

>>1090114
I cant help but feel were just saving up for a greater wrathful debut from the volcano at a later date but I simply have to go with the
SNAIL HAIL.
its just too perfect.

Snail! Hail!
Time to consider building styles to deal with this type of weather. Steeply slanted roofs ought to deflect the heavier shells. The real problem is the effect this will have on farming. Either gardens will need to be small plots with ample overhead protection or we will need to keep the farms to the grasslands.

Snail hail ! The town is getting shelled !

>>1090146
Im more worried about the potential effect of surviving snails on crops.
The initial hut of the hail will be bad but its the persisting potential for damage that makes it worse than normal hail.
Snails are little sods.
They can be voracious little marauders if left unchecked and even if dealt with perfectly, are certain to cause damage before being brought under control.

Beer traps work well, but nothing is 100% effective.
Plus without harvested crops and a brewery, beer isnt going to be plentiful enough to use yet.

Im still glad everyone seems to be plugging for the snail hail despite all this.
Its a great concept.

Wait, this is an easy one to counter.
Salt the earth.
Now, when they land, they won't be able to run from the acid floor. You can pick them up off the ground and the salt will act as a preservative and seasoning, giving you a steady supply of preserved rations until you can get your farms restarted.

Snail Hail.

Collect as many of them as possible. The shells can be used to make concrete!

Snail Hail.

Collect as many of them as possible. The shells can be used to make concrete!

Obsidian Edge RealDoomsby 2024/05/10(Fri)11:51 No. 1090688 ID: 681cb5
File 171536707690.png - (307.03KB , 700x550 , Obsidian.png )

The snail hail is coming… and with it, heroes arrive to face its looming darkness.

Among them are you, an Avali named Obsidian Edge (original character, do not steal) with a dark and mysterious past that will never be focused on. But it’s all sad, dark and bloody, trust me. Wielding your massive 100 kilometer long buster sword, aptly named the snail slayer for the hundreds of trillions of snail it has slain, you are not only the lord of all Avali, but also the edgiest… as your 200 kilometer long sword, the snail slayer, is the biggest edge there is! Also your parents are deeeaaaaad!!!

How will you conquer this threat of raining snail? With one swing of your 400 kilometer long sword, the snail slayer, or do you find a dark corner to brood in?

This is a joke and not a real update. Also, I vote for snail hail, obviously.

Snail hail. Melon-sized, roof-denting snail shells sound like they could actually be a usable resource. Also, snail soup for weeks after.

>>1090688
He’s literally me frfr!!

>>1090690
This

Arrest that maniac!

>>1090688
Brood.
Cant beat a good brooding.
Maybe soneone will ask about your backstory.

In the meantime, we'll brace for the snailhail.
Lets just pray it doesnt develop into a torsnaildo.

Doomsby 2024/05/13(Mon)18:05 No. 1090886 ID: 462d8c
File 171564873819.png - (701.75KB , 1280x1024 , highsland17.png )

>Unanimous vote for snail hail
Citizens brace their windows as best they can as their houses get shelled. Families huddle together as relentless drumming on their roofs and walls start to drown out all thought. Soon, sickly cracking noises can be heard. First of the larger shells breaking the smaller ones but then also of the wood of the structures beginning to break under the constant assault. The simple boards were made to block wind and rain, not a barrage of large snails. Some roofs begin to fail simply out of sheer weight of all the slimy creatures on them. People let out screams as their homes start crumbling around them, unheard over the cacophony of splintering timber and deafening hail. Thankfully, it does end but the damages to our community is severe. Most of our living spaces are crushed with many trapped underneath. There were a few poor souls caught outside who have been naturally stoned to death. Recovery and rescue efforts have been hampered by needing to navigate the moving, loose rocks that cover everything. The shock of it all leaves everyone in a solemn silence as they try their best to recover.
Simple Houses is now considered Ruined. A structure in such a state cannot preform it’s function but can be repaired. Repairs are instantaneous but will be considered that round’s suggested construction.

Soon, people are putting themselves to various tasks in recovery efforts. Families are freed from collapsed buildings and triage is set up in the few remaining structures. In dealing with the snails, a variety of efforts have sprung up. For the smaller creatures simple shovelling and raking them into piles help open up needed spaces and pathways. Large communal pots full of boiling water and fats have been set up to cook the known edible snails. Others have organized a relay of baskets to simply toss the poisonous ones off of the island. Still more colonists just do their best of killing as many snails as they can, sorting the bodies into shells and offal. Spirits are low but everyone is working for a tomorrow.

Initial Mesa investigations finished
It seems the white desert is full of peculiars, and they all seem designed to be hostile. The sand itself seems resistant to erosive forces. The individual grains maintain sharp, star-like structures even though they should be worn down tumbling against each other. Even when melted into glass the crystals maintain their roughness, with with the glass ingots almost being able to be used as a rasp. The wind too seems malevolent, as it tends to always be blowing against you regardless of which way you’re facing. With multiple people facing different directions it still manages to blow primarily into each person’s face. The air is indeed incredibly dry, but it’s unsure if this is another affect of the white desert or just from being a desert in general.
Unfortunately, this does greatly limit what sort of vehicle could be used to cross to the mesa. Anything with a sail is unusable. An airship could be tried to approach from above, but the envelope would be susceptible to the sharp sand, making this a risky option. For now, the team is going to develop a skid that can be pushed from behind or inside, and with a shield protecting the pilot or passengers.
Mesa expedition vehicle will take 1 round

Response from the Chasonites
A letter reaches your desk. There’s no seals or insignia, but you’re told this is from the Chasonites. Opening it you find it surprisingly short. You guess their terseness extends to their writing.
“Humble greetings,
We are glad to share in the bounty of this land with you. Our sect does not believe in such things as land ownership. That is the domain of worldly kings and not of the divinely driven. You may work our soil as we may work yours.
Blessed day to you.”
This does little to clarify things, but you seem to be free to harvest the wild wheat as you see fit for now.

Doomsby 2024/05/13(Mon)18:06 No. 1090887 ID: 462d8c
File 171564879769.png - (1.78MB , 1250x1024 , highsland18-m.png )

Wild wheat harvest complete
Your team of harvesters make quick cutting of the wild wheat, doing things systematically and acre by acre. Soon enough bare patches scatter across the northern part of the tile as they complete their work. Areas and lanes are left alone between each worked space so as to prevent erosion and to let the wild grass grow back. As was the worry, the real problem was hauling everything back. After a bale was bundled there wasn’t much choice but to carry it back to the colony on someone’s back. Their many sore spines could attest that this wasn’t ideal. There were attempts to bundle the wheat into large wheels to be rolled back, but those would just get caught and fall apart among all the rocks and bumps in between. Some people took an easier route. They would thresh the wheat out in the field and then bring the grain back in sacks and baskets. However, this left a lot of useful straw behind. In time, they all just bullied ahead and hauled the bales back. Their efforts will sustain us for a long time, but they’ll probably need to rest for a season or so.

Construction Complete: Waterwheel
Our most complicated construction yet is now complete. Not only is it more than four walls and a roof, but also a full on assembly of machinery. Wooden cogs, wheels, and shafts whirr and turn inside while the giant, paddled wheel creaks outside. For now, everything is hooked up to a mill stone to grind the wild wheat into a more agreeable flour. We can, of course, change its purpose in the future if need be.

Resources: Very few starting supplies; basic tools; shells: straw
Food: Preserves; snail bounty; wild wheat flatbread

Current constructions:
Current projects: Catalogue reports (1, 3 rounds); Mesa expedition (1 round)

Suggest some actions:
Begin a construction: Suggest a building and where it’ll go. An associated resource is required to be used as building materials. Only one construction can be -started- per a round, though multiple continued constructions can occur.
Start a project: Suggest a project that’ll involve a number of people, will take time to do, but isn’t explicitly putting together a structure. Resources to be used are option where appropriate. Only one project can be -started- a round but multiple can be worked on.
Enact a ruling: Instate a new bylaw or temporary measure.
Diplomacy: Initiate negotiations, make contact, form treatises or alliances, or even conduct old fashion espionage.
Other: You’re a clever bunch, and this isn’t an exhaustive list of everything that can be done. Feel free to suggest something that doesn’t quite fit with the previous four actions.

Doomsby 2024/05/13(Mon)18:07 No. 1090888 ID: 462d8c
File 171564884513.png - (32.58KB , 908x142 , youeverhadadreamthatadream.png )

>>1090688
A bit of context for this amazing post.

>>1090887
We can use the massive amount of snail shells to build stuff. crush them down and refine them into concrete powder and mortar, so we can strengthen our buildings for the next great snail hail. this material could also be used to improve other things as well.

>>1090886
>You may work our soil as we may work yours
Ah. They don't believe in land ownership, but that goes both ways. They will trespass on our farms and take what they want of the land's bounty probably. Fortunately, we can consider that a cost of operating on land near them. An acceptable cost, overall, considering the fertility of those lands.

>snail hail fucking WRECKED everything
Welp we have two choices now.
1, set up basic housing in a different biome
2, make reinforced housing in the snail lands.

>trouble transporting the wheat
Okay let's solve two problems at once. Build some new basic housing on the shore of the lake, near the wheatlands. We don't really want to build in the wheatlands in case they catch fire, in addition to the land ownership issues... huh, can we build in the central tile comfortably? That's another option since there isn't a lot of land by the lake.

We're going to need to get more wood from the forest, and set up a mine to gather stone from somewhere... For now we can break up the boulders along the shore of the lake for stone supplies.

SO, my actions are:
1, build basic housing along the edge of the lake biome
2, scout the central tile to see if it's habitable or if there's any useful resources.

We need to rebuild the houses as soon as possible. And we should consider changing their design to better resist snail hails. Things like very steep slopped roofs to prevent the snails from piling on top of the houses and crushing them under their weight, or maybe rounded to redistribute the impacts.

For our project, I suggest exploring the forest. We need to be able to navigate it without getting lost, and there's probably more to find in it beside lumber. Like edible fruits so we have something to eat beside bread, snails, breaded snails and snail porridge (served directly into its shell, obviously).

Lets replace the houses with dugout homes (like the American pioneers had). The broken remains can be repurposed to reinforce the roofs, covered with a thick ablative layer of dirt it should resist even the heavy snails.

We also need to establish a graveyard, even if it only has wooden markers for now. What's the funerary practice of the empire? burial, cremation, sky burial, ossuaries?

Honestly?
The Chasonite ideal of the land isn't a bad one. It seems radical compared to the standard way land is parceled out in the empire, but it should prove highly beneficial to the common man. Since our new Civilisation is young, I think it's the perfect time to write up a new Land Use Policy! We need to define what is Common land vs public, private, and other privileged lands.

Diplomacy/Enact a Ruling - Assemble some people representing the interests of various groups of our community, and request the Chasonites do the same. Then meet to codify a land use policy that all parties can support. By doing this now we're sure to save everyone a lot of headaches down the line.

As for the damage, instead of simply repairing the damaged houses, why don't we instead start building Sturdy Houses? Use the mill to grind down the snail shells. Cook the resulting powder into lime. Mix with sand or gravel to make concrete, or clay for mortar! The snails have provided what we need for us to build shelters capable of protecting us from them!

>>1090887

The rebuilding of the houses is a priority.

The hail knocked us down some, so we must be swift in standing again.

As to future storms, it will take time to design and resource hail resistant buildings.
Its a goal, but a long term one.

In the meantime it would be worth building a permanent encampment albeit from camping gear at first due to using construction for repairs.
Place it at the forests edge with the intent of turning it into a sattelite village.
Our eggs are currently all in the same basket as it were.

For future consideration.
That sand and glass are a valuable resource.
Need to kmow if it retains its properties when removed from the biome.
If so, we could be exporting eversharp crystal rasps to the empire eventually.
Perhaps numerous other tools.

>>1090887
We need housing and we need to reinforce our previous designs. How strong are those desert glass ingots? Thick tempered glass can be extremely durable.

>>1090937
Hmmm, if it's durable enough we could use it to armor our buildings in the snail biome... It's dangerous to live there now, though.

Build a warehouse in each sector, a place that's extra fortified to store goods. Then, have a set of specialized transports meant for the slow but steady flow of goods.

Doomsby 2024/05/21(Tue)23:34 No. 1091549 ID: 462d8c
File 171635967225.png - (866.89KB , 1280x907 , highsland19.png )

>We can use the massive amount of snail shells to build stuff. crush them down and refine them into concrete powder and mortar,
>We need to rebuild the houses as soon as possible. And we should consider changing their design to better resist snail hails. Things like very steep slopped roofs to prevent the snails from piling on top of the houses and crushing them under their weight, or maybe rounded to redistribute the impacts.
>As for the damage, instead of simply repairing the damaged houses, why don't we instead start building Sturdy Houses? Use the mill to grind down the snail shells. Cook the resulting powder into lime. Mix with sand or gravel to make concrete, or clay for mortar!
You order for the collection and crushing of the snail shells. Folks are glad to finally have something to do with them and start piling the things outside of the watermill to be ground into powder. Pretty soon a large pile of crushed shells is made but that’s when production greatly slows down. Gathering the other necessary materials, while plentiful, is a decentralized and disorganized effort. Moulding the bricks, being done on an individual basis, has resulted in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Not to mention that bricklaying tends to be a less common skill for parents to pass on to child than hammering boards together. Any attempts at making functional glass has been even worse for similar reasons, though some have been able to pull off some decorative windows. For sod roofs, however, many people of more agrarian descent are familiar on how to put one together and is being added to the design.
Simple’n’Sturdy housing will be complete in 3 rounds

>2, scout the central tile to see if it's habitable or if there's any useful resources.
Island seed tiles are the same regardless of island and are well explored by this point in history. They are primarily made of rounded, rough rock and have the ever present and prominent genesium crystals protruding outward. No plant life grows on these tiles and no wildlife permanently inhabit it. Culturally, the land isn’t quite seen as sacred by religious means, but there is still an unspoken sanctity to it. There are some who would protest to living on the tile, but holy men, gurus, and hermits have been known to do so. Extracting resources would raise a much larger commotion, and mining genesium is strictly taboo for island destruction reasons.
>Need to kmow if it retains its properties when removed from the biome.
They appear to do so. The glass was formed and tested in the safety of our colony.

Doomsby 2024/05/21(Tue)23:34 No. 1091550 ID: 462d8c
File 171635969816.png - (686.13KB , 1280x1024 , highsland20.png )

It starts as a tiny blip on the horizon but soon a familiar ship approaches our colony. Once again a crowd forms at the docking, waiting for news and supplies. (There’s also not much else to get excited for around here.) Cheering and hollering ring out as more hopeful settlers disembark from their long journey, eagerly welcomed by our own. Not sharing in the joviality, however, is the captain who waves you over and beckons you on board.
“Do you remember that bit of political news that I shared with you last time?” He asks as as he takes you below decks. “About the one maester who felt that the colonies were taking too many resources and not giving enough back? Has more charisma than empathy, that one. He’s been gaining political power at a startling speed and, well...” He motions to the ships hold. It’s dishearteningly barren. There’s no racks of planks, palettes of preserves, boxes or barrels of this or that. There are some supplies, but they could be accounted for in handfuls. “He was quite persistent and persuasive that the colonies should no longer receive... I think he called them ‘subsidies’. Was actually loading the goods onto the ship when some administrators with the dock police arrived and halted the whole operation. Had to lighten my purse a bit to keep what was already aboard.”
The captain sighs. “So official policy now is that we have to trade for anything we need, like we’re bleeding gold or something. Of course, then he wanted to add a ‘fresh starting’ tax on top of things. I don’t know who he has in his pocket, but that law got pushed through the redtape as well. Here’s what may surprise you though, that got vetoed by His Majesty himself. Yeah, I know. The official reasoning is that the taxes would not just halt growth but ruin most young colonies, resulting in greater loss of wealth than what could be squeezed out of them. The gossip though is that the king was just looking for an excuse to cut this maester down a bit and gain a bit of public favour in the process.”
The politics of home seem like they’re just as bad as ever, and not even this far away will keep them from making your life miserable. Not having the tax instated certainly is a boon, but the lack of supplies is a more pressing concern. The captain looks at you, ready for whatever move you think is best.


What do we do next?
A.) We need those supplies, so we’ll just have to find something to trade. Looking at what we have, the only things left in excess is straw and snail meat. Straw is barely above garbage on the mainland so that’s not likely an option. The snail meat won’t survive the trip unless we preserve it and right now our main means to do so would be to smoke them. Snail jerky is unlikely to fetch much at the markets, but should be enough to grab what we would most desperately need.
B.) While it certainly makes things difficult, we should be self-sufficient enough to survive without the regular influx of goods and food. We can send the captain back with no trade and simply ask for him to continue bringing back hopeful settlers and needed news. In time, we’ll figure out some sort of trade good to produce for any desired supplies in the future.
C.) It won’t earn you favour with the Maesters, but there is another way to obtain needed goods. The captain commands a loyal crew and flies no flags tied to our colony. We could send him to farther, busier trade routes and have him... “politely ask” the other ships to share in any useful supplies and goods. This would result in an even longer wait between returns, and could only be done a couple of times before the captain would need to seek safe harbours.
D.) Other __________.

>>1091548
A, let's smoke some snail meat.

ALSO:
D: take out a loan of sorts to get some additional supplies! Tell him you have access to a unique type of sand that you will be prepared to deliver in quantity next time he comes, so he won't have to worry about you paying him back. Though, you will also have other mundane goods by then in case the sand turns out to not be worth trading. Like wooden planks.
Actually, can we just straight up give him some bags of entropic sand so he can find out how valuable it is? Tell him it can be smelted into a coarse, extremely tough kind of glass, and might have other uses like in sandpaper or other sorts of grinding. Probably not polishing as it's too coarse.

We can also mount an expedition to recover materials from the volcanic region, there should be something valuable there... at the very least we can harvest volcanic rock and ash.

C) I don't know what's going on in the head of that Maester, but it's clearly not profit. He's intentionally crippling the empire's economy and we're not going to worship that.
Target the ships that seem to be working for the Maester - and be sure to give charity to most of the other ships. Make it clear that this isn't mainly about profit - it's about being pissed off from getting screwed over for no good reason.
Meanwhile, you need to come up with a product. Something you can consistently package, store, and sell for serious cash.

>>1091550
Snail jerky for now but looking into turning rhe more colourful shells into pigments just rose sharply in our priorities

>>1091550
Agreed.

We dont need to send a singular trade good either.
Our brick production is poor so, repurpose the crushed shells into trade.
We'll take a hit on time to completion but supplies could speed other goals.

Sort by colour and potential use as pigment.
Store in barrels.
Dye makers pay well for good pigments. They pay ok for poor pigment too.
Add this to the smoked snail meat.
For the love of the genesium core, no salting the meat.

Regarding the piracy...
If that has to be an option and the captain and crew are loyal enough to keep such a secret...
Would they be willing to BE pirated?

Leave the goods then report the items we traded as having being raided by a light airship sailing under no flag.

The story we tell increases the amount of stuff we send massively compared to what we actually send.
The smaller nature of the raiding ship means they could overtake the heavier laden vessel swiftly, but unfortunately also meant they couldnt take it all.

The crew of the ship in our story are not savage pirates but desperate fledgling colonists who have been driven to this desperate measure by the penny pinching maesters policies.
The only way to stop it will be guard vessels, an even greater cost than thebmeager supplies being sent prior.

This serves to offer his rivals ammunition of the political kind.

So, broken down...

.gather what goods we can
.captain leaves all supplies
.captain records a larger take than reality, enough to cover supply cost
.Captain and crew get the story straight regarding the raiders we claim they were hit by
.goods we actually sent now represent the remnant left.
.raiders are reported and portrayed as desperate loyal citizens squeezed too hard by the maesters poorly considered policies
.maesters rivals smell blood in the water

Added bonus, if the cap knows peers who equally can be trusted, they too could be struck by these noble but unfortunate fictitious raiders.

>>1091559
This piracy angle sounds good.
Send some samples of sand and glass to pass around potential buyers. If it only has a niche market we will want to keep supply low to match.

D) Like >>1091551 suggested, we could try exporting sand. Sand is useful as an abrasive, and our sand is extra abrasive.

>>1091559 I'm a bit worried this plan could give colonies a reputation as havens for pirates and bandits. And this maester would probably love to depict us a dangerous criminals. None of that is good for trade or attracting new colonists.

Let's save the piracy for if/when we get more desperate, it has a high probability of causing more serious problems down the line