Part 9: Mudanças
To better understand a significant cross-section of Portuguese culture and history, it is worth learning a new word: Saudade.
Saudade is an emotion that is sometimes translated into English as "longing" or "nostalgia", but describes a more specific feeling than either of those. Saudade is the peculiar mixture of happiness and sadness one experiences when recalling a fond memory. The feeling is partially joyful because the recollection is itself joyful, but there is a sadness to it as well, because the person experiencing the memory must also acknowledge that the joy they are feeling is only a reflection of the joy they experienced at the time, and the thing that brought them joy is itself gone. To give a contemporary example, think of a game or TV show you might have enjoyed when you were younger that, for whatever reason, you no longer enjoy presently. The memory of the experience may be there, but the feeling of happiness that it may create is itself ephemeral, and an acknowledgement of that causes some sadness as well.
Saudade as a concept plays a large part in both historical and contemporary Portuguese culture. Reasons why this might be the case include the fact that Portugal was at one time a major colonial power but has since seen its glorious days of empire disappear. Conversely, Portugal as a country has always tended towards the simple and conservative, so any type of major social change can bring about feelings of saudade for the way things used to be in a more general sense. It is also an emotion that can be explored on an individual level, and awareness of saudade as a concept helps us recognize that it is a somewhat universal feeling that has affected everyone, whether as a consequence of anything from losing a loved one to growing older and seeing the world change...
With hope in her heart, Dona Maria commissions the construction of a gigantic statue of her late friend, so that travelers to the city of Lisboa might be welcomed and awed by the divine figure. She dreams of seeing traders and ships from across the cruel ocean flocking to the Portuguese lands in order to learn the ways of Sebastiao and his people. Though she was somewhat bewildered by the strange new focus that her people were placing towards conquering the seas.
The thinkers of the land, meanwhile, take their studies into the abstract realm of numbers, hoping that a formalization of abstract ideas might further enhance their understanding of the many mysteries of the world.
The Trireme gazes further to distant lands and sees what appear to be another fiendish Barbarian camp, where people have been taken captive from distant lands. However, they can do little but observe from across a cruel ocean, and swear that a reckoning will be forthcoming for the cruel Barbarians in the future.
However, the newly experienced sailors take to the seas with a vigor unlike any they have felt before. It is as though Portugal was always destined to be one with the sea, and the strange foreboding ocean feels more familiar to them with every passing day.
They know as well that much progress must be taking place in those mysterious far-off lands, and find themselves eager to see it for themselves (I was certain Parthenon was going to arrive soon).
Luanda, meanwhile, begins looking to get their food stores in order, as the city is growing at an ever-faster rate.
The Worker corps, spurred on by their architect colleagues, have also happened upon an interesting plan. Dona Maria's last trip to Luanda was stymied by poor conditions in transit, which could potentially be alleviated by the construction of a long roadway, such as the one within the city, between Lisboa and Luanda. The plan is ambitious, and the Workers make plans to see it through.
The Trireme continues to explore.
However, the vast ocean seems less and less of a hazardous abyss every day. It simply seems quite dull where it was terrifying before.
Lisboa, however, seems to have borne fruit of its faith. Dona Maria has found a number of scholars and linguists of great ability to bring Sebastião's Laws to distant lands, and in so doing hopefully enlighten people across the land in the ways of the hunter.
The Missionary unit is like a Worker in that it is non-military, but it moves a significant distance per turn and can convert citizens in a City to a Religion twice before being consumed. It is easier for them to convert a non-religious City, and as we explained before, converted Cities will also contribute to our Pressure score.
The missionaries prepare for a departure to Luanda first, so that they might practice their craft with a local population before attempting to work with foreigners.
The people of the Universidade, meanwhile, begin considering the relative merits of using their numbers to more accurately calculate the value of goods for purposes of trade.
Sebastião's flock do their work, and before long the people of Luanda begin to almost universally recognize the holy man's Laws.
At this time, we should take a look at Religion Overview to remind ourselves a little of what both the local and global Religion game is like. We can even use it to take a little peek behind the curtain...
This tab shows which Beliefs have already been claimed, so we can get a more accurate sense of how each Religion can affect local cities.
The missionaries, having practiced their technique, begin focusing on the task of translating their scripture to the language of the Rigan people, in the hopes that they will come to accept the teachings of their master hunter.
In Lisboa, however, disaster strikes.
The people are suddenly overcome with a crippling sense of despair and enervation, and their work on the construction of the icon of Sebastião ceases.
Demanding explanations from the merchants and architects who arrive in Lisboa to return their wares and tools originally slated for the project, Dona Maria is frustrated by the terse replies they offer, that the project simply "cannot be done" and there is no point in putting further efforts towards it.
As you can see, losing progress on a Wonder is not a total loss as you are compensated with Gold proportional to the amount of Production spent.
Dona Maria, convinced that her people are somehow cursed, instead commissions a new temple, grander than any existing shrine or Pagoda, so that her people may instead connect with their faith and re-dedicate themselves to Sebastião's teachings, if not his image.
In a strange contrariness, the Worker corps of Lisboa and Luanda are making fantastic progress on their road project, coordinating between them in order to build sections of the road at different points in order to connect them faster and devote less time to each individual section.
The missionaries of Lisboa will be the first to use sections of it as they travel to Riga. The last part of their journey will be at sea, and they hope that the waters will remain calm for their journey.
The sailors, meanwhile, take in the sights of the icy south. However, the men of the Trireme are hardy and acclimated to all conditions, so they simply report on the formations of the ice with admirable stoicism.
Luanda, having learned more about the nature of the elephants from Sebastião's words, attempt something unusual once more: They believe that the elephants, being of some intelligence, can be further trained to perform and entertain a crowd, thereby providing a sort of previously unseen delight.
The currency project is completed, though there is some debate as to whether or not the coins minted should be handcrafted with ivory or stone.
There is a sense that the world is changing, and the Portuguese hope that their place in it remains assured and peaceful (the Confucians got Monasteries, Missionary Zeal and Charitable Missions all at once, this also means we are in a game with three Piety Civs. It will be all the sweeter if we can take the Great Mosque).
The great Road nears completion.
Determined to prevent another situation where her people become overcome with despair, Dona Maria demands the formation of a new system of laws outlining specific duties and obligations to be held by people of various political function.
One of those tasks, naturally, is the spreading of the word of Sebastião.
These men and women of the Goddess have dedicated their lives to bringing their story to the people of Riga, and it has paid great dividends. Though they may not share a common tongue, the Rigans and the Portuguese now share a common faith.
Worth noting here is that having a Religion in common with a city state drops the rate at which Influence degrades by 25%.
The Trireme returns north to inspect the distant lands a bit more closely. They see unusual varieties of trees and stones near the shore, as well as an estuary. There may even be enough land beyond it to settle a new city.
The Circo of Luanda complete, and the Great Road nearly so, the people of Luanda consider that their city is itself grand enough to warrant some resettlement elsewhere.
(We are also notified that the Great Wall has been built. Next turn the Statue of Zeus goes too.)
The cross-country Road is also completed (save for an impassable river crossing west of Luanda), the Worker corps decide to commemorate their Queen's once historic journey by naming their finished creation "Via da Rainha", or "Queen's Way".
Connecting Cities in a Civ to their Capital by a road gives the City something called a City Connection. Getting a City Connection by road gives Portugal a bonus 1.25 multiplier per population in the connected City to Gold, and while it may seem that this is impossible for cities across Oceans or Coast tiles, the Harbor building allows City Connections across seas.
The Workers then occupy themselves building a Farm to better feed their compatriots in the City.
Then, miracles are realized.
Beyond all frightening and joyful change, and equal parts frightening and comforting realization that there are yet worlds to see beyond the dark oceans, the people of Portugal understand that there is a grandeur to their faith that no other society can match, and that this grandeur can be expressed in a way that is still meaningful to everyone in Lisboa and Luanda.
There is still a lot of possibility in the future, and there is little cause to be frightened, regretful, or sorrowful when there is still so much to be done.
After all, the goal is closer than it has ever been, and soon it will be time for the world to acknowledge that Portugal has arrived, and is ready to greet them.
With that in mind, Determine two new paths for Portugal to follow.
First, Lisboa requires a new construction project, and Chichen Itza looks like a good candidate. +4 Happiness, +1 Culture and still more Great Engineer points are nothing to scoff at, and though we have not yet seen a Golden Age, believe me when I say that an additional 50% duration for them is a very nice addition. It is a high-priority Wonder for the AI, however, and given the loss of Colossus I wonder if it is worth pursuing when we know 3 other Civs are also in the Medieval Era. Make the call as to whether we should build it or something else.
In three turns, Luanda will produce a Settler. Determine where it should go on the map. If you recall from our last Settler excursion, there were a few placement options for the new city:
ModeWondershot posted:
[...]
A - One tile east of the northernmost Elephant:
Pros: Immediate access to elephants and fish, later access to bison, proximity to Vancouver and Lisboa for easier potential trade, immediate surroundings include lots of hills for good production value, location atop a hill provides a production bonus, coastal city for access to ships.
Cons: Relative dearth of resources beyond those first three, no access to Kilimanjaro tile. Little growth potential beyond lots of Production.
B - Two tiles directly northwest of Kilimanjaro. Recommended by game #1:
Pros: Eventual access to Kilimanjaro and 4 elephants bison, and Fish, hilltop location provides a production bonus, coastal city, proximity to Vancouver and Lisboa for easier potential trade.
Cons: No immediate resource access, will have to wait a significant time or buy lots of tiles to access resources sooner, little growth potential beyond access to Kilimanjaro and lots of available Production.
C - One tile east of Kilimanjaro:
Pros: Immediate access to Kilimanjaro and deer, eventual access to 3 elephants and 1 bison, location atop a hill provides a production bonus.
Cons: Out of reach of the Sugar resource to the south, out of reach of the river to the south, preventing access to some buildings, inland, and will thus be unable to build boats or coast-specific buildings.
D - One tile southeast of B. Recommended by game #2:
Pros: Immediate access to deer, eventual access to Kilimanjaro, Bison, Sugar and 2 elephants, coastal and river-adjacent city enables production of ships and certain buildings.
Cons: Out of reach of 1 elephant and elephants in general will require more time to access, general lack of nearby hills beyond ones adjacent to Kilimanjaro will result in lowered production.
E - Southeast coastal forest tile. Recommended by game #3:
Pros: Immediate access to deer, stone, and fish, eventual access to 1 elephant and sugar, eventual shared access to wheat with Lisboa, coastal city, proximity to Lisboa for easier trade.
Cons: Proximity to tundra, which is a low-yield tile, no river- or hill-based benefits, no access to Kilimanjaro tile, lack of hills or horses mean low production in the long term.
Now, only A, B and E are viable positions based on Luanda's exact placement, so please determine where the new City should go. Note that A and B are closer to the new landmass which makes them potentially decent locales for trade cities, and E now has access to 6 units of Iron resources, which make it a little more appealing from a Production and military development standpoint, and it will be much easier to connect to Luanda by road.
Finally, we are also three short turns from our next Social Policy, so determine which of these 3 policies in our existing Policy trees we should adopt next:
Mandate of Heaven (Piety): Units and Buildings purchased with Faith are 20% less expensive.
Theocracy (Piety): Temples provide +25% Gold and Holy Sites provide +3 Gold.
Naval Tradition (Exploration): Lighthouses, Seaports and Harbors provide +1 Happiness.
I'll get the results on Tuesday of next week and we will go from there.
Até a proxima!