Part 10: Clan Chief Selection

When the clan arrived in Dragon Pass, the elders were cautious about their surroundings. All of the clans had changed greatly simply by moving to this new land, and the surroundings were nebulous and worrisome. Custom dictated that this was a time to mend relations and end kinstrife, so the priests and shamans of Kuchulainn prayed to Assaries and Lhankhor Mhy to deliver them from the torment of endless feuding.

We'll kill some dudes next year--a year of setup never hurt anyone.

Task one: Replace the clan council with one that doesn't suck.



This is the clan control system. Those runes on the gray arch along the top jump from screen to screen--this is the Clan screen, showing the state of our clan and allowing us to make decisions. The obelisk in the middle shows the blessings available to us--as you can see, four of the blessings have the three line rune of Chalana Arroy, goddess of taking care of the clan, as all of her miracles directly aid and benefit our clansmen. The gray runes are miracles we can't ask for, because we've lost their secrets. The black runes are miracles we can sacrifice to the gods to receive for a time. The blue runes (none depicted) are miracles that are permanently in effect thanks to temples we've built. Temples have an annual upkeep so they're not any cheaper than just asking for a miracle when you need it--but you can only perform one action a month, and there are ten months in a year. If you want to keep a lot of powerful magical effects up, you'll have to build some expensive temples to do it with.

Anyway, we'll be ignoring the Gift button (give toys to farmers or warriors to keep them happy) and the feast button (party, with the option to invite your neighbors) and all the roles with boxes around them (change the number of hunters or crafters the tula maintains) and instead hit REORGANIZE to exchange our circle for a better one.




This is the reorganizing screen. Like most actions, reorganizing your clan ring takes a month. We can sort the candidates by their level in each of the seven skills, or list them by name.

Rather than having a crazed seven part fill several roles election, I've simply chosen six of our seven candidates for you; Let's meet the nobles of Kuchulainn!


First on our ring was Arnbord, the Lawspeaker. This role is traditionally taken by either the clansman with the best grasp of custom or a worshiper of Lhankor Mhy--fortunately, Arnbord was both, and as such never had to worry about his position being usurped through internal politics. A humble man, Arnbord always put the ancestors first, the clan second, and himself a distant third.


Second was our spiritual leader, Randalyar. Randalyar was a kind and loving man who cringed at the thought of violence. His mastery of magic was astounding, and the Kuchulainni suffered no hexes or curses under his watch, but his strict policies of nonviolence often rankled with the rest of the ring.


Korstardos was a cunning dog of a man, always cheerful, always looking for an angle. While his love of money bordered on greed, no virtue among the Orlanthi, his predatory attitudes made him feared among all the clans as a terrifying opponent across the bargaining table. When his deals cut too deep or his generosity ran thin, he often found himself surrounded by furious traders--the experience has left him the second best warrior our clan has to offer. When the Kuchulainni want something, Korstardos is sent to get it. He succeeds, one way or the other.


Rana is a strange woman. For four entire years before the exodus into Dragon Pass, she had disappeared completely, disgusted with the changes Heortland had been enduring. But even in seclusion, she continued to support her clan--the women of the clan would often awake to find several freshly butchered deer resting in the center of the old tula. She appeared without a word of explanation when the decision was made to leave Heortland, and she's brushed away all questions about her absence. She knows more about the beasts of the wild than anyone else in the clan.


Fedarkos is a slow man, but fiercely protective of the farmlands and herds of the people. A carryover of the original clan ring, along with Arnbord, he seems to change with the seasons. In the sea season he is hopeful and optimistic, in the fire season eager to go to war. In the earth season he is grim and determined to bring the harvest in, and sometimes works days without sleep. In the dark and storm seasons he is moody and distant, as if the darkened skies obscure his vision of the future.


Garstal is a man barely aware of the world around him. He knows, for a fact, that everyone loves him, that his insight has saved the clan many dozen times, and that there isn't a woman in the village who wouldn't drop to her knees at his request. The rest of the clan knows, for a fact, that he is a worrisome man who spends much of his day grooming himself and explaining to other people how smart he is. Not an expert in anything, Garstal's many exploits and antics have gotten him into his fair share of fights, making him pretty handy with a sword and running away both. He holds a place on the ring in an attempt to appease Eurmal, the Trickster, and because when the ring makes an unpopular decision they can simply blame him. It's not like he ever notices.

The chief is the only slot unfilled--and we have an expert at every skill but leadership, which works out nicely. The best in our clan at every skill besides leadership and combat (second best) are on the ring, and we've got a wide selection of gods there, too--so we turned out pretty OK with the nobles, sub-par followers of Orlanth aside. So, who are our two candidates for chief?


Ortossi was sometimes called Orlanth's grandson, for his commanding voice and fierce blade. The strongest warrior in the tribe and a commanding leader besides, Ortossi spent his youth whipping the other children into gang fights and street brawls, constantly picking the strongest among them to fight at his side. Today, his chosen flunkies serve the clan as the weapon thanes, and the other men owe much of their fighting skills to the mock battles Ortossi was obsessed with starting. Ortossi has demonstrated an innate interest and aptitude at almost every aspect of Kuchulainni life, with the exception of custom--unlike his peers, he has little patience for history and manners.


Heortarl, conversely, was much more like his namesake king Heort. Although not as flashy as Ortossi, he spent his youth breaking up the fights that Ortossi started. No weapon thanes herald from his age group, primarily because he opened communication and encouraged his peers to communicate and cease their fighting. A marginally superior leader, Heortarl finds it slightly easier to get his peers to follow his commands, but is nowhere near the warrior that Ortossi is.


Election time! Cast your votes for clan chief: Kick ass take names Ortossi, or calm and centered Heortarl?