The Continuing March
Turn 8 Part 2
As mentioned last turn, I split Turn 8 into two parts because it was getting too long. The previous half of Turn 8 can be found here:
This is a very language heavy update - probably 60% of the update is about updating the languages of various regions.
In this half of the turn:
The Eekraw who followed the light of the landing ships to the southwest in the first half of the turn continue their march further southwest.
The Eekraw of the far northern forest, who were pushed out of their previous home, undergo language development.
The Eekraw of the temperate forests to the north (who pushed out the far northern forest Eekraw) have a gathering of the clans on the tiem of the two moons.
Overview
I am doing a project of incremental worldbuilding. In other words, I’m taking aspects of worldbuilding and changing them slowly over time, in hope of creating a world that has the real weight of history behind it. In addition, I’m using randomness and ‘game-like’ mechanics, as well as assistance from ChatGPT, to help work my way through this process and ensure that I am sometimes surprised by the results.
The Eekraw are an avian species that has recently developed sentience. They’re slightly shorter than human height, and live around 80 years absent illness or injury. They can’t lift off vertically, requiring a cliff face or tree to jump off to successfully initiate flight. They have strong and dexterous foot talons, meaning their feet rather than wings are needed to work tools. They live in communal nests, with a nest of four-six adults raising their young together.
Expansion
I roll a 1 on a 1d2, so I only expand to one region. I roll a 13, the region that was just settled in the first half of the turn by Eekraw looking at the lights of alien starships. This region expands further again.
From earlier in this turn, they had the following statement added to their societal overview:
Rikrere (night-light)/The skylight omen - Some of the Eekraw once saw lights in the sky, over and over again, pointing this way (southwest). They left their old homeland, and traveled for long days and nights, until they reached their current location. Some say they did not fulfill the omen, and ought to keep going until they can go no further.
Based on this, rather than rolling for all possible directions they could go, I am sure they will go southwest. The only question is how I decide that - i.e., southwest from the main body of the region, so the tropical deciduous forest next to most of it, or southwest from the furthest part of the region, so the temperate forest further south. I prefer the idea that they just keep on moving the furthest they can, so I’ll say that they move to the temperate forest along the southernmost part of the continent.
I’ll remove the last sentence, “Some say they did not fulfill the omen, and ought to keep going until they can go no further,” from the cultural overview of region 13 - the Eekraw who thought that have left now, so the ones who remain in region 13 think they’ve made it where the omen tells them to go. The Eekraw in Region 14 might think they need to go further.
Biome Generation
Now, I’ll generate the new biome. First, I’ll take a feature from region 13, the only nearby biome. I’ll roll a 1d12 and get a 10 - “Star-shaped fruit produced by one of the tree-species”
Next, I’ll take a feature from three random regions. I’ll roll 3d13 - 8, 11, and 7.
From region 8 - feature 9, “Small, vibrantly colored fish which live in shallows and coastal pools, feeding on small insects and algae”
From region 11 - “Large herbivore with sturdy legs, hump on back to store water, thick leathery skin, can go days without water.” However, unlike the other two so far, this doesn’t really make sense for the temperate forest region, so I’ll make it a variation. Possible variations:
Large herbivore with wide, flat hooves for stability on uneven terrain and thick furred skin
Large herbivore with a small hump for fat storage and sturdy legs
Herbivore with tall neck to reach higher foliage and thick skin
Medium-sized herbivore with sturdy legs, small hump for fat storage, and thick skin
Very large herbivore with wide legs, hump for fat storage and furred skin
I roll a 2, so it’s basically the same as the one from region 11, but with a hump for fat storage instead of for water storage.
From region 7: “Large insects with a gas-filled cavity to make them buoyant enough to easily climb trees
Now I’ll roll for the remaining features on the tables from Stars Without Number, that I mentioned in Turn 7
Major Predator:
10 - mix two — 5 and 6 - mix of mammal and reptile
Quadruped, Wings, Harmful to touch, Poison, Cat-sized, and cripples prey and waits for death
Description: Small fur-covered reptilian creature, which swoops down on creatures, poisons them, and then consumes them when they die
Minor Predator:
2 - bird
Wings, many legs, molts regularly, horns,
Description: Medium-sized avian creature with six legs and wings, molts regularly, and uses large horns to spear prey
Minor predator:
Many retractable limbs, exoskeleton, horns
Description: Medium-sized predator with hard exo-skeleton and retractable limbs and horns
Scavenger:
Quadruped, many joints, wet or slimy, pincers
Description: large many-jointed quadruped scavenger with slimy skin, uses pincers to rip apart dead carcasses
Medium Prey:
Quadruped, varying sized limbs, wet or slimy, with symbiotic creature
Description: Large, slimy quadruped with larger front limbs, has symbiotic relationship with a smaller creature
Small prey (symbiote)
Quadruped, tentacles, molts regularly, horns, cat-sized
Description: Small, reptilian creature that molts, with four tentacles and powerful horns, has symbiotic relationship with medium prey
I’ve decided not to generate a “resource” category - From now on, instead of that, if there are any unique resources in a biome, they’ll come from random events, not from biome generation. There are three reasons for this change - first, most of the ‘resources’ I’ve generated are for things that the Eekraw don’t yet know how to do, like weaving baskets from bark. Second, in most cases the resources will be basically the same as on earth - iron, gold, etc., and bark and fibers. Generating them separately doesn’t really create much distinction. Third, I can’t think of good unique ones, and most of the ones that ChatGPT suggest have fantastic abilities, like mushrooms that repeat sounds they hear, which aren’t really the direction I want to go with this. Maybe if I had magic present in this world, they’d be more reasonable. I will keep the staple food category, but I’ll keep it basic (‘tubers’ or ‘fruits’ rather than ‘fruits that float.’)
So, overall, this is the new biome:
Major Predator: Small fur-covered reptilian creature, which swoops down on creatures, poisons them, and then consumes them when they die
Minor Predator: Medium-sized avian creature with six legs and wings, molts regularly, and uses large horns to spear prey
Minor Predator: Medium-sized predator with hard exo-skeleton and retractable limbs and horns
Scavenger: large many-jointed quadruped scavenger with slimy skin, uses pincers to rip apart dead carcasses
Major Prey Animal: Large herbivore with a small hump for fat storage and sturdy legs and thick fur
Medium Prey Animal: Large insects with a gas-filled cavity to make them buoyant enough to easily climb trees
Medium Prey Animal: Large, slimy quadruped with larger front limbs, has symbiotic relationship with a smaller creature
Small prey Animal: Small, vibrantly colored fish which live in shallows and coastal pools, feeding on small insects and algae
Small Prey Animal: Small, reptilian creature that molts, with four tentacles and powerful horns, has symbiotic relationship with medium prey
Staple Food: Star-shaped fruit produced by one of the tree-species
Staple Food: Tubers grown in the soil beneath trees
The new words in the language of Region 14 are:
Creatures (7):
V’kreo’traki’kee - Small fur-covered reptilian creature, which swoops down on creatures, poisons them, and then consumes them when they die
Varkee’rikun’tee - Medium-sized avian creature with six legs and wings, molts regularly, and uses large horns to spear prey
Tikru’teik’talu - Medium-sized predator with hard exo-skeleton and retractable limbs and horns
Yikkaar’yitaki - Large many-jointed quadruped scavenger with slimy skin, uses pincers to rip apart dead carcasses
Teer’skikka - Large herbivore with a small hump for fat storage and sturdy legs and thick fur
Tirvayi’skikka - Large insects with a gas-filled cavity to make them buoyant enough to easily climb trees
Yi’skikka - Large, slimy quadruped with larger front limbs than rear limbs, has symbiotic relationship with Rateer’yi’skikka - provides food, receives protection
Takikrew’skikka - Small, vibrantly colored fish which live in shallows and coastal pools, feeding on small insects and algae
Rateer’yi’skikka - Small, reptilian creature that molts, with four tentacles and powerful horns, has symbiotic relationship with Yi’skikka - provides protection, receives food
Plants (8):
Takutur - Star-shaped fruit produced by one of the tree-species
Tyri’talu - Tubers grown in the soil beneath trees
Basic language development for regions 13 and 14:
Region 13:
Creatures (7):
Teeka - dangerous creature
Skika - non-threatening/harmless creature
Skikti - small harmless creature
Varriki - Large avian creature, large light-sensitive eyes, hunts nocturnally. Will snatch a fully grown Eekraw if they are alone.
Tirtekyi - Large reptile, has large tail with spikes on it
Tikrutei - Dog-sized insect, with green camoflauge skin and strong legs. Ambush predator
Skikkya’tak - Large semi-amphibious segmented worms that feed on dead plants and animals, as well as seaweed and other ocean plant-matter
Rat’skika - Large herbivore with armored hide and two large horns
Takital’skik - Medium-sized animal with hard exoskeletal shell, four legs and slightly webbed feet for swimming. Feeds on the star-shaped fruits and the funghi, travels in small family groups
Kratsia’te - A medium-sized creature with tough skin and sharp tusks
Riikeai - Bioluminescent beetles that live in colonies and feed on tree sap, release a noxious gas when threatened. Has luminescence that alters based on the season.
Takewskik - Small, vibrantly colored fish which live in shallows and coastal pools, feeding on small insects and algae
Region 14:
Verbs (4):
Rive - to fly
R’ree - to succeed/excel
Vahre - to teach/educate
R’echra - to sing/recite
Riji - to use
R’iler - to forage
R’alv - to land on a tree
R’alal - to land on the ground
Rateer - to defend/protect
Rechita - to care for/nurture
R’arek - to challenge
Talrel - to light/illuminate
R’rach’ji - to trade
Rech’Varek - to conduct ritual
Language Development:
I’ll now roll a region to undergo full language development to all categories.
I roll region 12, the tribe that lives in the temperate forest biome at the north of the central continent.
Updated Language:
Basics (1):
Ek’e - me
A’yi - you
Ra’yi - respectful you
Roo - them
Ra’e - us
Ki - yes
Kra - emphatic yes
He - no
Kreik - emphatic no
Culture (2):
Ra’ye - elder
Ti’ke - youngling
Echwi’dee - nestling
Ek’jit - individual from my nest
Echwi - nest
Er’ra - clan
Rilg - food
Rilkal - a place of gathering
Riltit - a feast
Yektawa - a particularly old, sacred tree
Eeki - safety/safe place
Dortiktr - hidden danger
Farura - Good fortune
Raik’varik - the story of the fearful journey
Descriptor (3):
Yukit - misguided/wrong
Raiktal - scared/fearful
Ra - blessed or sacred
Eek - boring/predictable
Tik’t - dangerous
Verbs (4):
Ch’ke - to leap or glide
Hrark - to fly
Rilk - to eat
Hal - to stand/land
H’ra - to complete
Hra’ar - to die
Hrait’r - to defend
Raaf - to make/create
Faark - to travel
Chariy (to try something new)
Tik’fat - to forage
Kreet’r (to argue/make a case)
Other (5):
Dee’ - prefix for small
‘ka - suffix for large
‘kaara - suffix for really, really big
Ta - below
Fa - above
Environment (6):
Rai - sun
Ta’al - ground/stone/soil
To’or - underground
Tar - water
Aru - wind/breeze
Rykri - day
Rairu - night
Aakrik - sunset/sunrise
Tafa - jumping off points for flight - cliffs or tall trees
Farsktiwi -forest
Talraak - pond
Talfarkwi - open-space/clearing
Creatures (7):
Titi - predator
Siko - creatures that walk
Jil’ta - prey animals
Rakuti - Stealthy nocturnal predator with large, piercing eyes, solitary hunter
Taf’Ti - Semi-transparent gliding kite-like creature. Paralyzes its prey then wraps it up and slowly dissolves it
Ti’tikrur - Medium-sized quadrupedal insect which crafts web-like snares and then pounces upon prey.
Tikuri - Medium-sized beetle-like creature with spiky hardened carapace, eats decaying plant or animal matter.
Trakta - Large herbivore with broad, leaf-like antlers. Have thick fur that helps keep them warm in the winter
Sijikal - Medium-sized animal which eats the fern-like plant and moves in groups of three or four, easily startled
Talaat - Amphibious medium-sized animal with webbed feet and a finned tail, lives in or near rivers and small lakes, hibernates in winter
Tu’jeti - Small animal with vibrating whiskers and no eyes, lives in decayed roots of trees underground
Rai’ra - Bioluminescent beetles that live in colonies and feed on tree sap, release a noxious gas when threatened
Plants (8):
Till - plant
Jiltir - edible plants
Fark - trees
Fartir - Large sweet berries produced from a bush
Ratik - A fern-like plant with nutrient-rich leaves which several animals eat. Eekraw cannot eat them
Farsk’eek - tree-sap that hardens when exposed to water
Ra’tarkaf - A sap that glows for a long time after being removed from a tree
Development:
I roll region 3, the tribe that invaded the temperate forests last turn. They have a 1d3 - 2 - social advancement.
Currently, this is their social situation:
Social Structure:
Clan units of multiple related nests, limited or no specialization
Culture:
View the forest (Tava) as being placed in the world for them by the spirits or their ancestors to aid their leaps into the sky. The oldest trees are worshipped as Yek’Tav, sacred trees.
Revere the sun
Tools/Technology:
Shelter: Underneath trees, with some brush pulled over the top
Shalu’tarak’tiy - tool fashioned from animal bones to draw sap from the trees
Oral History/Myth:
Var’Doltik was a young Eekraw who was generally derided as being clumsy. However, she went and found several other Eekraw - Talwik, the brave male, Ekti’lu, the wise female, and little Daltal’tiy, the male tracker - and convinced them to form a hunting group, even taking down a Ra’kutik. Her demonstrated leadership convinced the other three to form a nest group with her. Later, the rest of her clan decided to ask her to guide them, due to the noted success of her and her nest group.
Possible social advancements:
Navigational landmarks to aid in migration
Trade between clans
Mating ritual - under-populated nests display vitality through communal flight dance to draw new nestmates
Solidified migration locations (I.e, clan returns to same place each year)
“Big Eekraw” - an individual or nest takes charge in each clan and directs its movements
Elder’s council
Initiation rituals
Elders take up role as teachers
Seasonal gatherings
Gathering every 16 years during dual moon event
Rotating guard duties
Nest swap - when nestlings turn to younglings, they switch to another nest to learn skills
I roll a 10, so when the dual moon event occurs every 16 years, the various clans gather in one place and have a great feast. As a reminder, the 16 year event: “Every 4794 days (roughly 16 years), there is a four day window where both moons are full on the equinox, creating a sustained reflection on the surface of the water at night that is bright and straight. On the 6th and 10th intervening year, there is a single day window where there is a lesser version of this event.”
I add the two following words to the lexicon:
Laikur’laa (night-sun) - the night of the two moons shining together
Laikur’laa Riltika (night-sun feast) - the feast when the two moons shine together every 16 years, during which all the clans gather
I then add the following to the culture section:
Every 16 years, on the night when both moons are full on the four days around the equinox, all the clans gather together for a great feast. They call this the Laikur’laa Riltika (Feast of the Night-Sun)
Now, I’ll do a round of language evolution for this region:
Creatures (8):
Tik - ground-based predator
Vaekt’k - air-based predator
S’ka - walker - as in creatures that walk (instead of fly)
Rae’ku - Stealthy creature with large, piercing eyes, solitary hunter
Daeltiti (like the avian pack-hunter, but on land) - Pack hunting creature with leather skin and a strong jaw that can crunch through exoskeletons
Vaervak - Sleek, elongated animal with a prehensile tail. Drops from trees onto their prey, have a venomous bite
Tiruir - Medium-sized beetle-like creature with a hardened carapace, eats decaying plant or animal matter
Skiraku’eik - Large herbivore with broad, leaf-like antlers. Have thick fur that helps keep them warm in the winter
Eraskik - Medium-sized animal which eats the fern-like plant and moves in groups of three or four, easily startled
Taeraksi - Amphibious medium-sized animal with webbed feet and a finned tail, lives in or near rivers and small lakes, hibernates in winter
Tujeit - Small animal with vibrating whiskers and no eyes, lives in decayed roots of trees underground
Vajil’dor - Bioluminescent beetles that live in colonies and feed on tree sap, release a noxious gas when threatened
And that’s Turn 8 completed. If anyone is actually reading this, please comment, let me know if there’s any feedback on how to do this process more effectively/interestingly. I’m having fun, but I’m sure there are better ideas that I can add in.