Over the course of the year 1345, we send emissaries to each of our allies to ask them to come to the confederation moot for the forming of a new tribe. Each clan has its own demands and requirements so we have to negotiate with each of them, sweetening the deals with generous gifts. To the Varmandi, we agree that they would get the Ernalda and Asrella seats on the new tribal ring, that other clans would have to contribute towards the fortifications of their prized temple to the Earth goddess and make annual sacrifices there. In return, they agreed to teach the other clans the secret myths of their temple.
For the Ernaldori, we agreed that the other clans may buy food only from the Ernaldori so long as their supply holds out but may do so at preferable trading terms. We also had to sweeten the deal with a minor treasure and when we tried to give them gifts, they gave us back gifts of equal value. For the White Horse clan, we agreed that all the clans must swear an oath against banditry and must send guards to accompany each White Horse trading mission. In return, the tribe as a whole would receive part of the proceeds of the trading activities of the White Horses.
For the Apple clan, the other clans must agree to allow their hunters to hunt on the wildlands of their tula and make annual sacrifices to Odayla, the god of hunting. In return, they agreed to add one of their clan treasures to the tribal regalia. For the Black Rock clan, we agreed that each clan would make annual sacrifices to their sacred rock and in return receive part of the blessing. The tribe would also respect shamans, but still consider them of lesser status than priests.
All six clans gathered for the moot. As expected, there were plenty of disagreements among the clans, but we found that we could solve them quite easily by asking the satisfied clans to make concessions to the dissatisfied ones. Then when it came to choosing a leader, we nominated our own clan leader and persuaded everyone else to agree with a large gift of cows and goods. We also donated two of our own treasures to the tribal regalia. With the contributions from the other clans, this was sufficient to earn the approval of the gods and thus our new tribe was formed.
The other clans take note of this important event. One even applies to join our new tribe but pulls back when we ask that they contribute part of their annual magic to the tribe. Later that year, we once again have to help Thadart, the warrior who now looks like a Tusk Raider. This time he wants a wife but no woman from our own clan would have him. Finally, we find a woman from the Apple clan who is neither particularly lovely nor clever, but seems to be able to accept him, and the two marry. The marriage even helps our relationship with the Apples.
Over the next year, the consequences of a new tribe in Dragon Pass make themselves felt. The Eagle clan comes to us with another offer of an end to raiding and this time we ask for an annual tribute of 15 cows which they humbly accept. Forming a tribe also increases the number of worshippers at our temples, allowing us to expand them. In 1346, we expand our temple to Ernalda for the blessing that preserves food from spoilage and to Humakt, for the Truesword blessing which makes each of our weaponthanes fight like two. We also hear that the clan who had asked to join us earlier has now joined the Colymar tribe, a powerful tribe consisting of the very first Orlanthi clans who came to Dragon Pass. This seems like a portent of things to come.
At the end of the year, the same prophet who predicted the forming of the tribe returns to visit us. He tells us that in order for our new tribe to grow to greatness, we must retrace all of the steps of Orlanth, in effect performing all of the heroquests to reenact the great events of the gods. This is a heroic endeavour that will take many years to complete but we are determined to follow the path set out for us by the gods.
Now that we have a tribe, we have more magic available to us. But we also have two extra categories to allocate magic to: Destiny and Heroism. From now on, we will likely want to perform a heroquest each year, so we make sure to always allocate some magic to Questing and Heroism. In the Sea season of 1347, we successfully complete the difficult Lhankor Mhy Finds the Truth heroquest, and ask for knowledge about Dragon Pass which works as if we had sent explorers there ourselves.
With the new tribe and the influx of new clan members, we face some shortage of farming land and so need to spend some time clearing wildlands. We also expand our temple to Ernalda for the blessing which increases the nutritional value of the milk of our herd of cows.
But the really big news is brought by Sora Goodseller, the Issaries trader who sold us two treasures some time ago. She tells us that by forming a new tribe in Dragon Pass, we have pushed the other clans into forming other tribes of their own. The new tribes are the Balmyr, the Estarelder and the Torkani. In addition to the Colymar, still the largest and most powerful of the tribes, and us, the Red Fox tribe, that makes for five tribes in Dragon Pass. It seems that conflict on a scale far larger than any previously known will be inevitable.
Rather than weather the coming storm alone, we choose to try to ally with one of the new tribes. Of these, the Balmyr is out of the question as the Eagles, our worst enemy, is part of them and it contains the Fire Quartz clan as well, our second favourite raiding target, though we do not as yet have a feud with them. We have few dealings with the Torkani tribe. So we try to make overtures to the Estarelder which includes the Elkenvali clan who is well disposed towards us and is both an ally and a trading partner.
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