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

Ooh. Definitely not Urox.

Let's sacrifice to Arroy and see if that cures her.

Mogri! You would let them take our cheese?

Fine, 2.

Yeah, let's go for praying to Arroy.

This is potentially a very important decision, so I'm going to leave voting open through the weekend so that I know who to blame when Insterid dies as a result of this event.

No pressure!

Oh geez... Now the pressure is on.

If it were that whiny Arene, I would be a-okay with playing Barbarian Detectives and interrogating the clans, but since Insterid is actually useful (and since we have invested into making her awesome), we should sacrifice to Arroy to be as sure of curing her as possible.

I was going to pray to the healer but then I felt vengeful so we should interrogate our own women (2) instead.

Curing Insterid is more important than finding out who poisoned her, sacrifice to Chalana Alloy.

4. Sacrifice to Urox! PREEMPTIVE REVENGE!

Good news: Insterid is saved!

Bad news: that event wasn't!

Year 1334, part 2

Yes, a storm knocked the power off for a fraction of a second, so we lost the Chaos skirt event. In my attempts to reproduce it, I noticed something odd:



The Gorindi chief has many names.

This is really odd, since the game makes a point of telling you when a clan has changed its leader. I didn't check if other clans had the same effect.

You can get through an entire game without noticing any major bugs, but we've run into two in the last two updates. (There's a good chance these are fixed in the iOS version, which fixes a lot of other little stuff.)

Anyway



I didn't reproduce the Chaos skirt event, but I did get this much less exciting one.

Rangoron, a fine young weaponthane of your clan, wishes to marry Ostlana of the Orlundi clan. Ostlana's mother, Veoslina, has been given permission by her clan to dispose of any marriage suits. She wants Rangoron to steal the magical plow of the Blue Spruces and give it to the Orlundi.

Yerestia: If we refuse Rangoron, we risk dissension in the ranks. If Rangoron steals the plow, we risk a feud with the Blue Spruces. No recommendation.
Harvar: Orlanth performed many great deeds to win the heart of Ernalda. Recommends #1 or #3.
Insterid: Alone, he stands little chance. But if we send just one warrior to help him... Recommends #3.
Iskalli: The Blue Spruces will not take kindly to the theft of their greatest treasure. Recommends #5.
Valensta: The Orlundi are prosperous; the marriage would be advantageous. Recommends #1, #2, or #3.
Arene: The Blue Spruces are well-known for their fertility magic. We should curry their favor. Recommends #4.
Heortarl: If the Blue Spruces can't protect their greatest treasure, they don't deserve to keep it. Recommends #1 or #3.
Mogri: There's a good chance the storm will take this event, too.

The Orlundi are trading partners and the Blue Spruces are our weakest neighbors, the ones we raided last year for lack of a better option.

boring!

I will pray to Thor in the hopes you lose power and we get a better event

1. If he's that thick, okay, but I wouldn't encourage this silliness.

The clan was displeased. Our god-talkers said we should have appealed to Orlanth, god of storms.

How many cows do you sacrifice to Thor?

I agree on the boringness.

1. I care not for these petty squabbles.

You know what, let's see where this is going.

Assuming that your power grid can keep its shit together, let's help Rangoron steal the plow.

Previously on King of Dragon Pass: Intrigue! Deception! A skirt hemmed with the very fabric of Chaos!

More recently on King of Dragon Pass: Someone wants to steal a magic plow

Year 1334, part 3

No luck on the storm front. I guess False didn't sacrifice enough cows.



Anyway, because you guys are stone cold jerks, you've decided to send Rangoron to the crows. I hope you're all happy. We lost a weaponthane.

Earth 1



Or... not. I guess they didn't beat him up too badly after all.

I wonder what this did to our relations with the Orlundi/Blue Spruces. Probably nothing good.



I take another opportunity to sacrifice for Ernalda's mysteries. When I did this last year, we learned more about "Making of the Storm Tribe." This time, we learn the Preserve blessing, which reduces the rate at which our food spoils.

I could very well spend these actions sacrificing to a god whose best blessing we haven't already learned, but our magic will suffer if another god's temple is ever larger than our patron deity's. This is the best argument against taking Ernalda as your goddess: Ermal and Orlanth have a good spread of blessings, but Ernalda does not have three blessings worth maintaining.



We failed to set up a trade route with the Gorinthi. Yes, of course they're wealthy. That's why I wanted to trade!

Earth 2



And now it's time to try another heroquest. We haven't learned any new ones since the last time we tried this, so we've got Ernalda Feeds the Tribe and The Making of the Storm Tribe on the table. Obvious picks for these quests are Yerestia and Insterid, respectively.

The possible benefits for Ernalda's quest are listed above, but most of those are useless at the moment. We'd only want to seriously consider the treasure or the stat boost. Making of the Storm Tribe will let us boost Insterid again, improve our reputation, improve our political abilities, or get Orlanth's blessing to form a tribe.

Here's an important decision that won't get blown away by a power outage. What is our quest?

Storm tribe, again. Much more practical.

Storm Tribe!

Storm Tribe, Orlanth's blessing.

Year 1334, part 4



Time to propel Insterid into the godplane! To assist us in this task, I've asked our allies the Eagles to send some worshippers. We've put a lot of magic into Quests, we have seven different gods on the ring, and we have plenty of magic. This is ideal conditions for questing!



But history refused to change

Sometimes, this just happens. I usually reload when it does, because screw that, but for the LP, I want you guys to have the "authentic experience," for a less save-scummy definition of authentic.

No problem, though. We'll just try aga--

Oh no you won't



A bunch of guys worshipping that lame-o third god option are here to whine to us.

Yerestia: Elmal must always be subordinate to Orlanth. Recommends that Elmal be subordinate to Orlanth.
Harvar: A tangible gift shows greater respect than do petty words. Recommends #3.
Insterid: Let us make war on them! No recommendation.
Iskalli: Elmal must always be subordinate to Orlanth, or so our laws say. The Anzarni laws are different, however. No recommendation.
Valensta: Our magic will suffer if we let them lob dirt at our temple. But we weakened the Elmali magic by doing the same to the. Recommends #3.
Arene: Bulls will be bulls. Recommends #4.
Heortarl: It's good to see Elmal getting picked on, instead of Eurmal.
Mogri: We have enough magic or goods to spare either, but do we want to?

This is -- you guys, this is the best set of ring advice ever. Everyone's a caricature. Yerestia with her to-the-point advice, Harvar with his economics, Insterid with her warmongering, Iskalli with his lawspeak, Valensta with her "what would Chalana Arroy do," Arene with her cow analogy, and Heortarl with his snarky commentary.

I love these guys.

I like this "poem of apology" business.

If they don't like it, we have a fight instead. What can possibly go wrong?

I'm not feeling sincerity here.

2. Everyone likes poems, right?

Year 1334, part 5

We decided to recite poetry to the enraged cultists. This can't fail!



It goes about as well as last time we tried the poetry option. You guys must have the memory span of goldfish, or maybe you're trying to sabotage the clan. Either way, the Elmali have promised terrible fortune for clan Destine.

Dark 1



Let's throw a feast! Everyone loves a feast. Insterid likes feasts better when weddings are involved, but this will do.

Insterid: patron thane of marriage and death.



Hey -- we didn't invite you!

Weaponthanes fight with the strength of five men. We have a pretty good advantage, despite appearances.



And then some guy I've never heard of is in trouble.

I decide to go all in with this fella. Either he dies and we get a new thane or he lives and we win the battle.



It's win-win!



And we do. Look at those casualties!

Dark 2

Okay, time to enter the godrealm again.



Where other clans would recognize this as a stupid idea, clan Destine forges boldly onward.



I neglected to mention that heroquest success rates decline if you perform them in quick succession. The game wants you to wait three years between heroquests. That is silly.

We'll try again after these messages from our sponsor.

Don't change that dial



Buy your Uralda-brand Magic Cow today!

Yerestia: We could gain great magical benefits by sacrificing the cow. Recommends #2 or #3.
Harvar: Orendal wishes to seem generous, but does not want to give up the calf. No recommendation.
Insterid: When Uralda's calf wandered into the land of the dead, it turned white. When Ty Kora Tek returned it, Orlanth's tribe rejoiced. Recommends #2 or #3.
Iskalli: We can argue that it is Orendal's duty to give up the calf, provided that the whole tribe would benefit. No recommendation.
Valensta: This is no ordinary calf. Whoever owns it gains great fortune. Recommends #3 or #4.
Arene: Orendal will understand if we take the calf from him. No recommendation.
Heortarl: White calves are sickly, and soon die. No recommendation.
Mogri: Valensta is our animals expert, and Yerestia could use a new cow.

Our clan ring has mixed opinions on how badly our choice will screw over Orendal. What's your opinion?

Take it into the chief's herds. 4.

Maybe 4 will balance out the bad karma from the poetry reading.

The Chief deserves all the benefits!

option 4

Dear Anzarni
Don't send out your army
I am very sorry
We threw mud at your temple
But we were smoking hemple
I am very sorry

Oh yeahhh... An epic for the ages, that one.

Is this going to be one of those things where if Orendal doesn't own the calf, a dragon will swoop out of the sky and kill all of his children because he doesn't have enough good fortune? YOU CAN'T TRICK ME! LET ORENDAL TEND THE CALF!

It's just a simple mutation / a recessive trait you ignorant savages! Let the guy keep his calf.

Year 1334, part 6



We've decided to keep the white calf in the chief's herd, scoring Yerestia a new nickname (flattering or unflattering? You decide) in the process.



Here's Valensta with the weather. As predicted, it's super cold this year. That means our herds get frostbite, or something like that. But our herds still seem to be on the upswing, so what's up?



Well, this might have something to do with it! Yerestia's new toy is a bona fide treasure, and it works much like Blacktail used to, providing us with better cow production.

I figured something nice would come of that decision, but I had no idea it would be this. Needless to say, I'm pleased as punch!

Storm 1



And it's time to ship Insterid back off to the god-plane. Sixty Eagles is a lot of Eagles.



COME ON.

Deservedly

A trickster from the Heran clan comes to mock you. He has a couple of warriors from his clan with him to discourage you from attacking him. "I hear your heroquesters can't buckle their braces correctly, let alone enter the god-plane!" He scoffs, "You are a sorry excuse for Orlanthi, aren't you?" He capers about, doing a little dance and drooling on his tunic. "Well, in exchange for something valuable I will bless you with trickster magic so that you will not be so laughably incompetent next time you quest!" He wants goods worth at least ten cows in exchange for Eurmal's blessing.

Yerestia: The people are offended by his mockery. They will be upset with us if we do not abuse him. Recommends #1 or #5.
Harvar: I can convince him to better that price. Recommends #3.
Insterid: If they get offended when we attack the trickster, we can drive them off. Recommends #1.
Iskalli: A trickster is a natural outlaw, unless he has the protection of a clan chief. This fellow, of course, is protected by the Heran chief. Recommends #5.
Valensta: We can afford his boon, if we want it. No recommendation.
Arene: Tricksters have powerful magic. Recommends #6.
Heortarl: Me! Me! I am the only trickster you should trust. Recommends #5.
Mogri: We already incurred Elmal's curse this year. Let's not add Eurmal's to the list by attacking him. (Rude treatment is de rigeur for a trickster, though.)

He's right, you know...

Rudely decline him and ask Heortarl for his trickster magic instead. 5.