Let's play King of Dragon Pass, just as our ancestors did

Heortarl riding a triceratops. Have they... have they been reading my Let's Play King of Dragon Pass fan-fiction?

Beasts of burden, 5. I am a contrarian!

Send Gerad to visit the Cragspider.

Aw, c'mon. I didn't say to slaughter them for meat!

GET HIM

Dino Riders are GO!

Year 1343, part 10



Ride 'em.

Also

Your emissaries approach Clan Pulaski, known for its guardianship of a holy rock with war powers, to ask if they want to join the new tribe. The Pulaski demand that the new tribe treat shamans with the same respect accorded to priests. They want each clan in the tribe to sacrifice to the spirit of the War Rock. They also want both the Humakt seat and one of the Thunder Brothers seats on the clan council.

Yerestia: The Peluski are an easily-offended lot, but our relations with them are good. We can press them a little and still win their agreement. Recommends #2, #3, #4, and #5.
Harvar: They want respect for the Rock and their shamans more than they want to join our clan. Recommends #1 and #5.
Insterid: Our weaponthanes yearn to belong to a tribe that claims the War Rock as its own. Recommends #3, #4, and #5.
Iskalli: Giving shamans the respect accorded to priests is contrary to tradition. The other clans will accept this provision only if it is well-laced with conditions. Recommends #2, #3, #4, and #5.
Valensta: Sacrifices made to the War Rock are not wasted. Our warriors will win battle blessings. Recommends #3.
Arene: Sacrifices made to the War Rock are not wasted. Our warriors will win battle blessings. Recommends #3.
Heortarl: So that's the vaunted War Rock? I've pulled more impressive stones out of the swamp. Recommends #1.
Mogri: Is Arene mocking Valensta?

Please indicate how much respect we should promise to give the shamans (no promise, a token amount, a bit less than priests, or the same as priests) and which (if any) seats we should offer them.

Sac to the War Rock, then loyalty pledges if necessary.

I think that screenshot may have been doctored.

I say we agree to honor their shamans in exchange for gaining the power of their all-powerful giant rock.

That's quite the accusation - are you sure you want to boldy go there? I don't think any man has gone there before.

Well duh! It's smiling.

Also #5

Year 1343, part 11



Let's open with our demand. Yerestia and Iskalli are right -- we'll need some leverage to get the other clans to agree to the allowances we're about to give the Peluski.



And as Valensta and Arene suggested, providing sacrifices for the War Rock is sure to bring dividends.



I'd be upset about this, but I honestly don't know if 4 was a good number anyway.



And now the big one. You indicated that we should afford respect to the shamans, and for lack of any clarification, I'm assuming that means we accede to their demand.

We are Orlanthi. This is not our way.



Despite that, they still haven't agreed to join the tribe. Shall we abandon negotiations, offer them one or both seats, or bribe them?

We must have the power of their giant rock.

Give them the Humakt seat.

bribe

Hrm. And here's the "give an inch, take a mile" portion.

Abandon.

Give them one of the seats. If that doesn't work, abandon.

Year 1343, part 12

Buckle up for a marathon update in a marathon year.



We continue the negotiations by promising the Humakt seat to the Peluski.



But this has the opposite of the desired effect. Jerks!



Let me tell you where you can stick that War Rock.



Oh, this again! And again, we've lost some food and cattle to this event.

I'd normally put this up to a vote, but the choice is clear. We learned the Orlanth and Aroka heroquest for this very reason, and the other options are no likelier to work now than before. So here we go!



I think the ideal choice for this heroquest is actually the fellow we sent to lead the expedition. Insterid is the best candidate, but this quest is likely to injure the quester. We'll just have to deal with it.



It'd be amusing to select a different option here, but I think it'd earn us a large helping of ire, and I'm not sure we'd get the option again when the drought event recurs.

Orlanth and Aroka

The Ernalda priestess says the words that Ernalda once said to Orlanth, "Only one person is doing this, but I have refrained from telling you dear husband, because I know that you honor kinship so much." Insterid speaks the words of Orlanth, and bids her to continue. "At your command, oh husband, I will instigate kinstrife. It is your nephew who is the cause of our woe. Your sister's son is drying my yields and starving the world. His name is Daga, and he is the son of Molanni, your niece."

Any option will get you to the next stage, but the first answer is the canonical one.



This is a combat-heavy quest, and this is the first of several stages where that skill will be put to the test. The best option is the fourth, but the most interesting is the second, since it's actually possible to slay Daga. This can end the quest successfully, but it also has negative repercussions because your quester not only strayed drastically from the actual heroquest, but also committed kinstrife in killing Daga. The act of kinstrife will strengthen the forces of Chaos.



It's entirely possible for your quester to die to Daga on this stage, even if you aren't going for the kill. (Obviously not an issue for Insterid.)



More combat. The quest text mentions several of the treasures that you can get from this quest if you chose that option: Splendorbread, Widebrew, the klanth, and the sack of Four Winds. There's one more; we'll see it in a bit.



A female quester gets the option to seduce the first enemy. A male quester gets the option to seduce the Dark Woman later. Insterid is not interested in such distractions, and she respects the institution of marriage too strongly anyway.



The Wind from Above is the last treasure. You probably have to take it in this stage for it to be available.



I like this stage, where we bump into another quester doing another quest (one that is unavailable to the player, incidentally). Bar none, this event has my favorite heroquest option. "Today, we discover the new myth that has always existed. Let's go, my friend!" The Uroxi grumbled something about Insterid not being a careful listener, but came along nonetheless.

The Storm Bull is not an enemy, but you can attack him anyway. This is the worst option: you have an unnecessary fight, and you don't get his help in the next stage. Telling the Uroxi to go away is not much better, as we'll see.



King of Dragon Pass has its share of heavy metal album covers, but this is among the best.

You must leave the Storm Bull to fight the Chaos creatures in this stage. If you don't, then the best case is that you lose the quest, and your quester comes back injured.



This stage of the quest has no associated option, but is nonetheless a very dangerous one. It involves a tough Combat check, and failure results in the death of your quester. If you didn't take the treasures from the trolls in the earlier event, it's probably impossible to win here.



We rescue a blue dude from a fake Aroka, and the drought ends.



We also enjoy a sizable boost to our clan's magic. Nice!

Dark 1



But despite all of this, our farmers are discontent. We resolve this by giving them 30 goods, which I neglected to screenshot. Insterid helpfully suggested that the goods should go to the weaponthanes instead.

We don't get to see the results of our generosity just yet, because...

Talk It Out

Clan Blue Jay, famed for its robust pig herds, wants the following if they are to join your tribe. Each clan of the tribe must sacrifice a dozen pigs to Mralota, the Pig Mother, each year, on the goddess' High Holy Day. A Pig Mother priestess must sit on the tribal council one year in four. The tribute they pay to the Namoldings for the bad smell of their herds must be ended. The other clans of the tribe must each supply them with ten baskets of acorns a year.

Yerestia: They ask for many strange things. We must extract other concessions from them in return, or the other clans will reject the deal. Recommends #6.
Harvar: We can easily afford to supply them with acorns. And I doubt they will be happy with less than 10 pigs per year, per clan. Recommends #3 and #4.
Insterid: This clan wisely uses its wealth to support its weaponthanes. We should do what is necessary to recruit them. Recommends #2, #3, #4, and #5.
Iskalli: It is contrary to custom to allow a priestess of the Pig Mother a spot on the tribal council. Recommends #2, #3, and #4.
Valensta: By insisting that the tribe treat pigs as if they are as important as cows, the Blue Jays will cause discontent among the other clans. Recommends #1.
Arene: There will be trouble between the grain women and the pig women if the Blue Jays are allowed to elevate the status of their hogs. Recommends #2, #3, and #6.
Heortarl: The gift of pig slop is generosity of a most affordable sort. Recommends #3.
Mogri: The pig tribe is hardly the most prestigious of the lot, but our options are growing slim. We should make at least a token effort to recruit them.

All that, and we got through... one season?

Give acorns, tell the namoldings to take a hike, and demand they share their wealth. If that doesn't work, send money.

The gift of pig slop is generosity of a most affordable sort. 3.

Go nuts.

#3

Year 1343, part 13



We start by offering generosity of a most affordable kind, and we are rewarded with gratitude of a somewhat disturbing kind.



We promise to end their stench payments, which hopefully is as easy as it sounds.



And we offer... I don't know, 20 pigs? Sure. That sounds reasonable.



That's good enough for them. Two down!



We'll visit the Karandoli Correctional Facility next.

Dark 2



Our bribe to the farmers seems to have done its work. The manual has the following to say about morale:
Incidentally, the weaponthanes are sitting pretty.



We'll spend this season constructing a shrine to Lhankor Mhy for his blessings in improving our negotiation. (In hindsight, this would have been a great idea a year ago.)

This Again

Young boys of the Oak Tree clan, not even men yet, come to your tula and attack another young boy with a sword. Fortunately, the victim's mother, Domasa Glendarasdaughter, is able to separate the boys before any real harm can be done. It turns out the boys are sons of Norpent Rangardsson, who was slain by Domasa and her late brother Brodasart when they recovered the stolen stallion Tempest from Rangarda Dark-Eyes. The boys seek vengeance in their father's name, even they are too young to have a right to it (sic).

Hey, remember Glendara and the horse? The feud that lasted years? It's time to end this.

Yerestia: We must not let this old feud further worsen relations with the Oak Trees. Recommends #5.
Harvar: The proper ransom for these boys would be five cows each, but I think I can get more. Recommends #4.
Insterid: Orlanth made justice so that disputes could be ended by words as well as swords. Recommends #1.
Iskalli: They are not men, and are not yet accountable for their actions. Recommends #3.
Valensta: Domasa married into the Oak Trees a while back, but her husband divorced her, fearing that she would become as vengeful as her mother, Glendara. So Domasa lives with us again, even though she is expecting a child. No recommendation.
Arene: If another generation takes it up, this feud will never end, or so say the carls. They will be unhappy if we do nothing to stop it. Recommends #1, #2, and #4.
Heortarl: King Oskul was slain not in a glorious battle, like the ones he fought against Bad King Urgrain, but was killed by a rock-throwing boy, in a feud he swore to end.
Mogri: The Oak Trees are still on our list of potential recruits. Let's not sour negotiations before they even begin.

#1. Talk them down.

#1. Offer them free triceratops rides. No boy can stay angry while riding a dinosaur.

Or they'll go power-mad from riding a dinosaur and become blood-thirsty marauders.

This feud shit is getting tiresome. I'm for 1 unless 5 is a better choice for smoothing things over with Oak Tree.

Yeah #1. Tsk them. Tsk them mightily!

1 1 1 1 1 1

These brats will never forswear vengeance. You may as well accept that your desire to reclaim that horse has resulted in a feud between your clans.

Year 1343, part 14

Buckle in for an action-packed update!



Ah.

I guess that's good.



Oops. I guess you can unbuckle.

The expedition to the north has returned. Alirene, one of the weaponthanes you sent on that mission, reports that the area is full of dragonewts. "We found one interesting place there. A temple of sorts. Had a silver statue of a dragon, with gems for eyes. Let's send a group there to steal it and bring it back."

Yerestia: This is our chance to improve relations with the Rakstanti clan. Recommends #5.
Harvar: Even if mercenaries manage to outfight and outwit the dragonewts, they'll simply take the treasure for themselves. Recommends #1, #4, or #5.
Insterid: It is a tricky situation. The more men we send, the more likely the dragonewts are to notice them. But if the party is discovered, they will need many men to successfully fight the dragonewts. No recommendation.
Iskalli: A well-made poem will give cheer to the warriors and increase our fame. Recommends #1.
Valensta: Some say that the dragonewts worship dragons. Others say that they worship in order to become dragons themselves. No recommendation.
Arene: We could trade such a statue for many cows. Recommends #4.
Heortarl: Only I can lead such a party, for I am tricky enough to succeed. Recommends #4.
Mogri: On the one hand, there's a treasure to be had here. On the other hand, our ancestors were friendly to the dragons, and dragonewts are their kin.

Didn't thing go pretty bad the last time we pissed off the ancestors? if so then maybe we should just stick to the poeming. 1