The Hitchhikers Guide to the Gathering Storm

[vulture]

The Hitchhikers Guide to Gathering Storm
Copyright: Carrion Communications

Getting There
No matter where you are coming from, there is only one real way to get into the lands of the Storm, namely to go through Vox Controli. The ferry from Port Isolation to Wittlich city is good value, and the crossing is usually calm. The journery south through Vox is pretty easy, and one of the best ways to travel is to join one of the numerous trade caravans that travel the road from Wittlich City to Eliplis these days. You will probably get less trouble from the border guards if you are with a caravan as well.

Elipolis
I can start out by saying that Elipolis won't be to everyone's tastes. Much of the normal social life of a city is still absent, and there is a heavy military presence, which makes the streets feel rather oppressive. This, of course, used to be the frontier town of Vox, with only a single road snaking south to the distant town of Dissidentville. On the south side of the city you can still see the old gate, with signs warning people of the dangers of travelling into the wilds beyond. The town's walls are highest and heaviest on this side of the town, and form a veritable fortress. It was always expected to be the main line of defence in the event of a war between the two nations of Estonia, but was famously circumvented when the Storm managed to sneak a large force on to the beaches north of the city during the night. The beaches and the north side of the city were only lightly defended, and so the town fell without the Storm ever having to assault the great fortress itself. Some of the fortress has been dismantled to provide rocks for the new northern wall, but much of it was adapted to become the new barracks for the border guards. Small sections of it have been opened to the public to show what the defenses we like, and the tour around these areas is well worth the price, although those not interested in military history won't be too enthralled - but then, there isn't much for them to see in Elipolis in the first place.

The next feature of the town worth a visit is the grand canal, a man-made waterway that runs from the western gulf through to the eastern ocean. Amazingly the neck of land narrows to under 800 meters at its thinnest point, and this is where the canal is situated. Boat rides along the length of the canal are available when it is free of heavier traffic, which will give you a chance to examine up close the remains of some of the bridges. There used to be four great bridges over the canal, and as with the fortress, they were built defensively to withstand an attack from the south. The main battles for Elipolis took place at these bridges, with the Stormian infantry attempting to secure them while the Vox troops tried to hold them long enough for their engineers to collapse them, giving the garrison a chance to hold out in the southern town until reinforcements could arrie. Three of the bridges fell, but the forth was taken by the Storm after some dsperate fighting. Once the bridge head was secured, the fate of the town was sealed. Although much of the rubble of from the bridges has been cleared from the canal, much can still be seen of the original structres, and the surviving bridge shows evidence of the Voxian's unfinished attempt to bring it down. The area between the central two bridges has been turned into a war grave, where the fallen soldiers of Vox and the Storm are buried side by side, and the canal trips allow you to get off gere and wander around the cemetery for a while.

Elipolis is at a low point in its history at the moment. It's position and surrounding terrain made it one of the more dramatic and beautiful cities in this part of the world. But currently is is struggling to recover from the war. Many of the Voxians citizens have left to join the exodus, and very few Stormians have come in to replace them so far - those that have are mostly the families of soldiers stationed here for long periods of time. The Stormians don't have the skill at architecture and building that the Voxians do, and so many of the fine buildings that were damaged, and of course the famous bridges, have not been repaired to the same quality that they were originally. But hopefully this town will recover in time and become the cultural center it used to be.

Coming soon: Inchon, Dissidentville and the northern wilderness

[FrustratedPoet]

[DeepO]

If you're going to do all territory of Gathering Storm like this, you have a lot of work in front of you! Better hurry on the Northern wilderniss, though, before it is completely removed... maybe something to do with this greenhouse effect people are talking about?

DeepO

[vulture]

Not planning to do the whole of the Storm, just the major cities I think. Although it may get expanded if I have any ideas.

[vulture]

Inchon
It used to be the case that after leaving Elipolis, you wouldn't see another building until you reached Dissidentville, unless you counted Grog's mountain shack as a building. These days it is only a fairly short journey over the hills before you find Inchon nestling at the end of a short valley. Not that you'd be pleased to see it there, because it really is the ugliest town in the whole Storm. It really is nothing more than a military camp with a few of the buildings made a little more permanent. The best advice to give you here is to stock up on supplies and get out of there as quickly as you can, because there is nothing to see, nothing to do, and a lot of bored soldiers, which almost always spells trouble.

You have a choice of two roads out of Inchon. One heads south east to Inchoff, the other south to Dissidentville. Both are long hikes through the jungle and wilderness. Although we weren't tempted to try and visit Inchoff, we discovered that travellers aren't allowed to go there anyway. The town is currently closed to visitors, and the road isn't maintained. Apparently Inchoff is only really accessible via sea from the east coast towns further south. Hopefully by the time we get there the town will be open, and we'll be able to explore it.

The jungle is a dangerous place to travel. The road to Dissidentville is well maintained and frequently patrolled, but be on your guard. There is occasional bandit activity, and some of the local fauna are best left unmet, particularly the tropical chickens. We cannot emphasise strongly enough that you should not leave the road. Although the Storm says it intends to clear the jungles one day, it won't happen any time soon, and certainly won't happen in time for anyone to find you should you get lost. So please, stay on the road, enjoy the scenery, and behave yourself until you are out of the jungle and entering the wheat fields of Dissidentville.

Dissidentville
The best introduction to the history of Dissidentville can be found in Dissidentville: A People's History by Beta of Vox Controli. Maybe this is a one horse town, but it is probably the most interesting horse you will ever see. Dissidentville only has the one street, and it is not even a particularly large street, but you can find the architecture and cuisine of three different cultures here. This, coupled with the locals flair for combining these odd ingredients into a surprisingly pleasing whole, give you a town that is unrivalled anywhere for the sheer interest per building it generates. Every single building in this town has something you just won't see anywhere else, and the half chicken, half fish fountain at the centre of the town is a thing of such sublime beauty that is has to be seen to be believed.

For dedicated hikers, Dissidentville also marks the beginning of the Arashi trail, a route that heads south into the Spinebreaker mountains, alternating between scorching rocky valleys and high passes almost permanently under snow and ice until it finally reaches Arashi many miles to the south. The route follows that taken by the invading Vox army on it's march south - as one often finds in the north of Gathering Storm, a great deal of life is heavily influenced by the recent war.

For those of a less adventurous nature, there is only one option, and that is to follow the easy road south west along the valley floors which will eventually bring you to Monsoon. Soon there will be another option, when the highway east is opened, allowing you to skirt around the north of the mountains to visit the new town of Blizzard.

Coming soon: Monsoon, Arashi and the Spinebreaker Mountains

[Beta]

Vulture. Excellent stuff!!

Never having been able to spend much time in Elipolis myself, I somewhat regret not having seen more of it in its former life.

And yes - the fountain in Dissdentville is very unique. Oh, and by the way, Travellers should make sure they try the suberb restaurant across the street from the fountain. It is called the Three Tureens - with 'Jungle', 'Mountain' and 'Beach' sections to the menu.

[Aidun]

This country sounds nice. Maybe I'll travel to there next holiday. are there also some good hotels? Is there a tourist office of your country in Pamplona, Spain?

Aidun

[vulture]

Originally posted by Aidun
This country sounds nice. Maybe I'll travel to there next holiday. are there also some good hotels? Is there a tourist office of your country in Pamplona, Spain?

Aidun

Actually I've just finished writing the stuff about Monsoon and Arashi, and Monsoon certainly has some good hotels, and might appeal to you. I don't think we have a tourist office open yet - Gathering Storm doesn't have a tourism minister at this time.

[vulture]

Monsoon
As you come down out of the Spinebreakers south of Dissidentville, you arrive on the great Lung plains, named after the famous warrior Lung Tzu, father of the even more famous Sun Tzu. The plains consist of vibrant grassland nesting between the Spinebreakers to the north and east, and the hills known locally as the Ribbreakers to the south. At the west end of the plains is the coastal town of Monsoon, while at the eastern end is the city of Arashi.

Monsoon is a rapidly growing town, founded not long before the start of the war, but quickly growing into an important trading centre. Work is underway on expanding the harbour, in anticipation of it becoming the main access point for naval trade with Bob. If you've come in the overland route, this is the first time you will really feel as though you've seen a genuine town. The residents of Monsoon are generally very friendly and outgoing, and it is one of the few places in the Storm where we received an enthusiastic welcome. They have staked their future on becoming an important trade conduit, and as such are much more open to visitors, and much more interested in the world around them than is usual. With intercontinental trade being relatively new, they are embracing it all cheerfully, and then finding out what they like and what they don't. While we were there, squid was the new delicacy - squid not being native to this part of the world, it has only recently become known about through Spanish traders.

We were fortunate enough to be in town in the early summer, when the rose festival occurs. One of the main products of Monsoon is rose perfume, gathered from a peculiar species of rose that grows in the hills to the south. There is only a small window each year where the petals can be collected and the perfume made, and after a few weeks of frantic activity, the whole town relaxes and puts on the rose festival, culminating in a big parade and much feasting and playing of games. Lodgings are easy to find even in this busy part of the year, and very good value.

There is a large spring in the town's main marketplace, and local legend has it that any visitor who drinks from the spring three times will one day return to the town. The town's rapid growth is pointed to as evidence of this. Well, we all had our three drinks before we left, so we shall test the theory sooner or later, but it has to be said that if we do have to come back here, I doubt any of us will be complaining. If this is the face of the new look, arms open Storm, then we like it.

Arashi
Arashi is quite a contrast to Monsoon, and perhaps what we would tend to think of as more typical of Gathering Storm. It is at the other end of the Lung plains, a large town in a narrow valley under the shadow of the Spinebreaker mountains. This town is second to none in importance in the history of the war in the eyes of the locals, and certainly the only other battle that matches it for significance has to be the battle for Elipolis. The defence of the town was also one of the most controversial decisions during the war. The Storm armies had camped out on a mountain known as Arashi Nine - the origins of the name are unknown - and were awaiting the approach of the Voxian army along what is now the Arashi trail (see the entry on Dissidentville). Scouting reports on the size of the Voxian army suggested that it was too big for the defenders of Arashi Nine to stand against, although numbers were very uncertain. Reinforcements from the south would be unable to reach the mountain in time to help, so the much debated decision was made to abandon the defensive positions on the mountain and concentrate the defense in Arashi, which could be reinforced before Vox got there. This gave Vox free access to the mountain overlooking the city, and also left exposed the short trek across a valley to the next peak in the Spinebreaker chain, which Vox crossed to surround the town from all the peaks.

The town's layout is still dominated by the effects of the war. Arashi was besieged for many years by Vox's armies camped out in the mountains, and while the initial defensive works were very quickly thrown together, the duration of the siege enabled a more complex defensive arrangement to be put into place. The east side of the city now has a second wall some distance outside the first wall, and the region in between became known as the 'field of catapults'. Semi-permanent catapult emplacements were built there, well over a hundred of them, initially for defensive use, but as the war drew on the catapults were strengthened and re-engineered to be able to fire loads high up into the mountains to where the Voxians were camped. The catapults were all in the outer half of the field, and upon a signal could very quickly be pulled back to the inner half, whereon large boards covering a ditch across the middle of the field would be pulled up to give a makeshift wall with a deep ditch in front of it, and a field completely exposed to catapult fire for the attackers to cross. Although the field is being converted to housing these days, a section of it is left as it was with the ditch and catapults, and at weekends there are regular displays of the well drilled catapult crews performing the manoeuvre in a startlingly short time.

The roads in the town are also built for defence, with very wide, straight roads running across the town to allow for quick movement of troops to where they are needed. The chariot lanes are worthy of mention, as another feat of well-practised timing to defend the town. These wide lanes gave chariots the chance to get up to full speed, four abreast, charging at the makeshift wall in the catapult field. When they passed a certain marker, a section of wall would be dropped over the ditch, and the chariots would stream out. The wall could then easily be pulled back up before the enemy would have a chance to take advantage of the breach. Displays of this are also done at weekends, and the wall-bridge hits the ground at almost the exact moment the lead chariots arrive at the wall. The citizens' boast that taking the first wall would leave the attackers in a worse position than before may well have some truth to it.

In the end though, these defensive measures were never used. The combined effect of the hundreds of catapults firing day and night took their toll, and by the end the remaining Vox troops were the ones under siege up in the mountains. The wide roads are still here though, making the large town very easy to get around.

Well, enough rambling about history. The town itself is rather austere, not too surprising given its recent past. The huge barracks at the centre, from which the wide roads radiate, is currently being developed into something new, although we were unable to find out what plans the government has for it at the moment. From what we heard from neaby residents, it appears to be becoming an indoor city square type of feature, with law courts, permanent shops, a library and possibly even a theatre, with almost all daily business being able to be done in the same place. A novel idea, and if it does turn out like that then the finished article should be worth a visit as well. The town also copies Monsoon in some way, being rather more outward looking than most of the Storm, although for some reason there is a particular fondness for Neu Demogyptica here. Demogyptican food is widely available, and of surprisingly good quality. Saumagen is a particular favourite, even after they found out what it actually was ("we ate worse during the siege, I can tell you" seemed to be the general attitude). And Arashi is almost alone in the Storm in teaching the Demogyptican language. Traditionally children learn Voxian, since it is useful and closely related to the Stormian language. By government decree, schools also have to teach one Bobian language, which is almost universally chosen to the that of the Glory of War, because it has more connection with the Estonian languages than any other (due to inter-mixing between the Warmongers and the Voxians there is a considerable shared vocabulary), and because it is somewhat simpler than Spanish or Demogyptican. In Arashi however, Demogyptican is almost the only Bobian language spoken. If we ever find out why Arashi acquired such a curious quirk, we'll be sure to let you know.

Hotels and guest houses aren't common, considering the size of the city, but are easy to find. In typical Stormian fashion, the guard houses found along the main boulevards which are no longer needed were converted into government-run hostels. They're certainly not luxury accommodation, but are comfortable and offer a cool place to hide from the afternoon sun, before venturing out for the evening. The best food is found on the west side of the city, near the road to Monsoon. Food distribution here is rather quirky, with food caravans selling most of their goods to the first restaurants they come to. This means that the further east you go, the less choice there is and the worse quality the food is, while dining spots on the square by the west gate get the first choice of what to buy and serve. Consequently the west square has become the heart of the city's evening activities.

The Spinebreakers
The Spinebreakers are the most imposing geographical feature of the Storm, and it is well worth taking the time to go walking in the foothills of them, if nothing else. The Arashi trail runs along the entire length, and actually goes south of Arashi as far as Tempest, although by that point most walkers can't cope with the idea of another few days hard hiking in the mountains. Arashi Nine is now the site of a shrine dedicated after the victory over Vox, and is several hours walk up steep trails from Arashi city - not a journey for the faint hearted. The trail is pretty busy though, with many Arashians making the journey to remember lost family members, and on Armistice Day there is a major procession. The southern Spinebreakers are mostly notable for the curious banana shrubs that grow there. Allegedly a consequence of the war, when over-sized bananas were bred and used as ammunition against the Voxian army, it is claimed that a few of the bananas took root, producing small shrubs in the think mountain soil. They are thought to be the only high altitude bananas in the world. Travellers are advised not to eat any of them for their own safety; not that the bananas are poisonous, but rather than they are the favourite nesting site of the ferocious rock chickens, and going for a banana might just cost you a leg. Fortunately the terrain close to the Arashi trail is kept clear of the bushes, so the chicken threat is minimal.

Coming soon: Sandstorm and Eye of the Storm

[Panzer32]

Wow, look at all the intel we're getting

just kidding

Great stuff, Vulture!

[Rhothaerill]

Pretty darn cool! Good job Vulture. Can't wait to read more.

[Beta]

I'm in awe, Vulture.

(But I would like to raise an issue concerning the game here. Using a catapult mod as you have described in Arashi is clearly not legal under civ3 rules. Vox demands that the game be re-wound to a point 10 turns prior to our troops approaching Arashi, you remove the illegal mods, and we will start again. Sound fair? )

[Arrian]

Great work, Vulture! It's a good read

-Arrian

[asleepathewheel]

Great stuff.

[alva]

Enjoyed it very much, fantastically-didlio