Strangers from a distant land

Recent years in the North have been dominated by the strange folks from over the sea, the empire that sent colonists and then vanished, never to be heard from again.

So far I've been calling these people "elves", but it's a very poor fit.  They're not forest-dwellers, not long-lived embodiments of human ideals; they're not archers, and I don't really care whether their ears are pointy.  (I guess they do manufacture toys more efficiently than anyone else, but Santa's elves these are not.)

Instead, these people are:

• from a coastal hot and dry climate
• physically weak, bad at throwing things
• hive-based, where only a few Mothers and Fathers in each city breed, while the rest work
• excellent tool-users, with nimble fingers and specialized tools
• flexible and acrobatic
• milk-drinkers and bread-eaters

To humans, tree goblins, and giants, these people are strange interlopers, outsiders who don't fit the usual understanding of life.

To the northern folk, these are the Strangers.  It's a North-centric term (no Stranger would call themselves one) but considering three of the four intelligent species are indigenous to the North, I don't mind leaning in their direction.

What they call themselves almost doesn't matter, as they've never dealt with other intelligent species until now.  When you don't know anyone else, you end up calling yourself something generic, like the People or the Ordinary Boys.

In the pseudo-American framework of Signs in the Wilderness, the strangers are inspired by English alchemists, sultans of Delhi, Malay pirates, master craftsmen of the Great Qing — people from all corners of the Old World, strange and exotic to the people of the New.

I'm still rolling the term around my head, but for now, I think I like calling the imperial folk Strangers.  A few terms I've considered lately:

• elves
• strangers
• imperials
• southerners

One thing is certain: I'd like to use a name that isn't entirely invented.  Calling them Strangers suggests something, that they're known for being outsiders, mysterious newcomers.  Calling them Abskiul or Marecun or Tsadelath doesn't really suggest anything at all.


(And yes, I'm being deliberately inconsistent with the capitalization of Stranger.  On the one hand, I haven't decided which I prefer.  On the other, I'll probably end up uſing more Capital Letters anyhow for that early modern Flair.)

I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on the topic.  I imagine there's no perfect solution, but I'm sure there's one out there that's good enough.

The Great Migration

Migrations are a great way to cause trouble, and trouble usually leads to adventure.

American frontier history is full of migrations: the Lakota fleeing onto the Great Plains to escape the musket-wielding Ojibwe, the Oregon Trail drawing American settlers to the west, the Cree following the fur trading posts through Canada, the Mormons (and the Pilgrims before them) heading out to establish a holy city.  It's a long list.

So why do we care about migrations in a roleplaying game?

• They're often a consequence of a conflict.  Help the local people win a war, and the losing side might have to flee somewhere else.
• They cause conflict of their own.  Most places are already inhabited to some degree, so a bunch of newcomers showing up is likely to get folks ready for a fight.
• Migrations need resources.  Plenty a trader has gotten rich on selling goods to migrants passing through.  Someone's likely to hire guides and armed escorts.
• Migrations bring resources, too.  They might be the first ones in the area with guns, or they might be carrying sacks of gold to buy land.  Raiders might make a good living preying on these folks.

To create a great migration, you might find the following tables helpful.  As usual, you can roll randomly if you like, but you might just use the tables for inspiration.

Mitchell Pass, Oregon Trail - Todd Williams

Why migrate?

Pick two reasons from the table below.  The first is obvious and visible to outsiders; it's the reason you're likely to hear about.  The second is quieter, a reason that most outsiders don't know about.  It might even be a secret reason only the leadership knows about.
 

Why migrate? (d8)
1	A bountiful land full of resources beckons to those who are ambitious or desperate.
2	Enemies are driving them out to take their land.
3	Their livelihood is running out: the land is barren, the fish are gone, the mines have run out.
4	Fleeing from persecution, they want a place to live by their own ways.
5	They aim to build a utopia, a shining land of virtue and prosperity.
6	A prophecy, a vision, or a great spiritual teacher leads them into the wilderness.
7	Trade opportunities beckon: access to trading partners, guns, a port, a trade route.
8	They need to settle close to powerful allies.

Trail of Tears - J. Crosby

Difficult terrain

There's a major obstacle in the way of this migration, some kind of difficult terrain that's going to be hard for everyone.  Crossing this obstacle might be where the migration is most vulnerable.

Obstacle (d10)
1-2	a vast, trackless plain, bitterly cold in winter and blazing hot in summer
3-4	a rugged mountain range, nearly impassable under winter snow
5-6	a great expanse of swamps, lakes and/or rivers
7-8	a deep canyon, a high bluff, or a difficult portage bypassing a waterfall
9-10	a journey on open water: over the sea, across a strait, hopping from island to island

Waka - Charles Goldie and Louis J. Steele

Progress

Roll to see how the migration is progressing.

Progress (d6)
1	The migration is just talk so far. They do not know much about the destination yet.
2	An outsider has been to the destination and back. Everyone is intrigued by their report.
3	All the people are about to migrate in one large caravan.
4	Groups of dozens of people are just starting out now, armed and vigilant.
5	Families or very small groups are setting out, trying to keep out of sight.
6	Most of the people already traveled the first step a while ago, but they ran into problems and hunkered down. Now they have to decide whether to keep traveling or return home.

Handcart Company across the Sweetwater River - Clark Kelley Price

Surplus & shortage

People on this journey are going to need help.  Roll once on the chart below to see what they need most desperately.  Roll again to see what they have in abundance.

Surplus/Shortage (d8)
1	safety, forts to take refuge in, armed escorts, guns, powder
2	food, grazing for pack animals, water in a dry country
3	guides, maps and guidebooks, a navigator, an interpreter
4	warmth, shelter, suitable clothing for the weather
5	a safe place to cross an obstacle: a portage, pass, ford, strait, etc.
6	boats, wagons, snowshoes, draft oxen, porters
7	leadership, confidence, belief in their purpose
8	money, trade goods, permission to pass through someone's territory

Trading Post - Hubbell

If you get the same result for both rolls, treat each one differently.  Let's say you rolled a 6 for both (boats, wagons, snowshoes, draft oxen, porters).  They could have plenty of canoes for the river-borne part of the journey, but be desperately short on hands to carry everything over the portage from one river to the next.  Or some of the people could have oxen and good wagons, while the rest are stuck hauling everything on their backs.

Hard work ahead

The migrants believe they'll have a hard task ahead of them at the end of the road. They might believe this from prior experience, or because of rumors headed their way, or maybe by the words of a prophecy about their new home.

Hard Work (d6)
1	expel the people who live there already
2	defeat those who will follow after them
3	clear the wilderness to make room for settlement, felling trees, opening rivers, digging wells
4	build a great colony/city
5	learn how to survive in such a strange place
6	prepare for dark days to come: starvation, disease, cold weather

Clearing the Land (Quebec)

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Roll up your own great migration:

a great migration
obvious reason
quiet reason
major obstacle
progress
in desperate need of
have in abundance
hard work ahead