I have no desire whatsoever to in any way suspend the White Sandbox. I think it's only getting richer. As we've already seen, "killing things and taking their stuff" is doable in many forms with many interesting diversions and agendas, and this weird project of Tavis' where he's sort of committed to using OD&D as it seems it might have been intended to be written if you were there at the time clearly indicates that we don't get castles and all that until we're name level. Since this loot haul will likely put none of us above sixth level (possibly Chrystos, but I see a wight in his future), we've got a happy slog ahead of us.
I DO see an opportunity to enumerate some dangling threads that should perhaps be briskly tied off and snipped, making the fictive barrier to entry at the table considerably lower. Like, let's not try too hard to relate whatever hole we go to next to the Caverns so that newbies don't have to get smacked in the face with all the tedious Thracian lore we heroes so adore in order to contribute to strategizing. We'll hardly be starting from scratch, but surely we can pare down our options a bit so that we are less prone to freeze up in debate about what kind of bizarre power to summon from Limbo while we slide into fiasco.
SO though I'll weigh in on how the Threads of Thracia should go, mostly I want to get on the next thing.
John Fighter, True King of Restored Neo-Thracia, says (this is what John intends, and obviously there will be debate before anything actually happens — lots and lots):
the Thracian hill-men tribes, including E.N. Lightenment: the Caves of the Conquered Dark is their holy site where the dead must be buried for Thanatos to bring them to the afterlife
No go. The hilltribes are to be converted to the Skyfather or Caswyn's pantheon, and made aware of their noble roots as the heirs of the Thracia that was, and the sires of Restored Neo-Thracia. Depending on his funds (and those of his new backers in Hruhru), John intends to essentialy buy their villages and make them his people. Both the blind goddess and the church of the killing frost give John the weebs, and they are not yet welcome among his people. He will carouse to this effect, perhaps combining efforts with Caswyn.
the lizardmen: the cottage on the riverbank is a historical / cultural monument, and the temple near where the Immortal King was roused is a holy place
Given their previous fickleness, I doubt they'll think it holy for long after a group of us hold high the Immortal King's ruined head, limbs, tail, and left wing.
They can keep their cottage, and stay, and eat fish as they like where the dwarves do not settle, after their leader kneels and presents one of his recently shed skins to us to symbolize his casting off of their old ways and submission to our authority. At some future time they may make application for more privileges and honors, but if they remain murderous they shall be exterminated from this place, every scale and every egg.
- the dwarves of Barrogin's Barrelmen: the shrine erected to Balint in the Caves of the Conquered Dark is holy, as is the caverns in general by extension
John proposes that our dwarven friends be invited to dwell forever in this place. Our price for wresting it from the grasp of evil shall be their hospitality, their free aid in matters of dwarven expertise and much reduced rates for the purchase of their products (John may be placing an order for a few hundred suits of Thracian style plate to kick things off), and perhaps a stipend of some kind to be paid once they make the place a going concern. Further, he will confide to Barrogin that in the matter of the Axehood, John Fighter most definitely has his back. He also hopes they will find Grastik the Giant Gnome, who I think we've lost track of, and offer him a home with them, strange even as he is.
- the dog-brothers: the dungeons beneath the palace provide revenue from trade, which they are happy to share with the Grey Company in exchange for the right to use the place
John absolutely insists that every slave be brought forth. If any are reserved or harmed, the dog-brothers will be destroyed. If the dryads and Raven feel they can restore some order and keep the other beastfolk under control, they may remain, slaveless, to till the deep under a proper matriarchy that acknowledges the dwarves' dominion in the upper caverns and the Law of Restored Neo-Thracia above.
John wants no part of the "trade" income, and offers his share to the rest of the party to soothe their outrage at his presumptuousness, as well as the income to be realized from the strange plant.
As for what to do next … whatever will get the most immediate funds, he will go where all will, but he will prefer dealing with Ashur Ram if we can figure out a way to avoid losing hard-won experience.
