Ya I don't know enough about Rome to have any say in this. Well... Except that in the west empire it wasn't just the fault of the empire, but the guards too. I recall something about the guards keep killing the emporer. Got to make sure to pay or kill those guys. Do you think kobold egg is an alchemy component? Might want to sacrifice one to the Dragon Cauldron.
The Roman empire collapsed inward due to politics as much as military issues. Sure the barbarians sacked Rome, but they simply finished a process that had been underway for a long time. When a nation starts contracting rather than expanding or maintaining status quo it can go really fast. The eastern Empire survived, but it was never more than a shadow of the true Roman empire. Kobold eggs could be an alchemical ingredient. The kobolds might be willing to trade unfertilized eggs, though the prize is certain to be high.
Part of that is spread over the history of the empire. At first they could outnumber their greek enemies because they were much closer to home. Later they took in tons of people from outside Italy because of their decadence and lack of citizens wanting to join the legion.
Pokey, I thought the the Christians called the Zealots burned it down. I got that from Carl Sagan. Reading more on it since your post they really don’t know who did it. It could have been Caliph Omar. This is a pretty interesting read. What happened to the Great Library at Alexandria? I think Johan had mentioned the destruction of the Library on the old site. He showed me the light then.
One of the greatest tragedies in history for scholars and history buffs, not to mention the people of that time who lost one of their greatest (if not the greatest) repositories of knowledge. One of the reasons I think Richter needs to build a core library next is that it will serve as the core of a center of knowledge, research and learning. Its not so much what the library will imidiately do, as it is what it could become with time. The impact of production type core buildings will likely be limited to mostly benefitting the elite once the village reaches a certain size as their production capabilities are limited by their level. A core library on the other hand can much more easily be scaled up with supporting buildings, such as the scholars hut for research. Richter would also have the prestige of a core building dedicated to learning as well as the benefits of being a lord known as a patron of the arts mundane and magical, which will help attract brainpower.
Of course people will eventually try to burn down that library too just to get a core token and a magic core. Not so with a normal library, not token or core involved. But a smart crazy pretty inbred Macedonian acting as the Pharoah might still get you to burn it down.
The current core buildings are made from elementum and aged glass. A common drawer in the cauldron stood up to a celestial/abyssal bomb. The forge, being the less solid, still has five million durability against the eight million of the cauldron. As long as Richter uses the right material for the library - such as the skull of the lawmaker - it should have at least a few million durability. Might be worth it to spend alteration points on beefing up the defense of the core though, just in case. Similar precautions for the other core buildings would make sense.
Back to Kobold trade. I’ll give you one Kobold Warrior for four scrawny Kobold female casters. On the serious side I am very eager for Ricther to meet a professional trader from the least of the Kobold tribes. I think it would make for an interesting relationship. The weakest Kobold tribe trading with Richter could help form a great alliance. It could also play out well for Ricther when Hafiz's sons return. I would love to see the inter action of two professional traders trying to earn Ricthers business.
It should make for an interesting discussion. The Kobolds are a captive market, anything they want or need from the outside world either goes through Richter or it doesn't happen at all. The tribe that controls said trade is bound to grow powerful. At the same time the kobolds have at least one gold mine, as well as access to silver and cobber nuggets from somewhere. Which means they have mineral wealth, likely more than enough to entice the white pearl company and smooth over any racial resentments. Richter's place at the table would be as an intermediary who also just happens to be an arms and potions dealer.
I’m not so sure the weakest of the Kobolds have a gold mine or anything like it. I believe it’s the higher cast the control the gold mine and other resources. I’m certain that they would relish the opportunity to trade with Ricther or to even act as his Embassies to the other cast. I would think tha the lower cast would have closets like we have seen with odd things put back they have found. Operating traps and watching the front lines would have some benefit.
I'm fairly sure the tribes are divided into castes rather than each tribe being a caste. There is probably not an entire tribe of mages for example, instead its likely there are members of the mage caste in all or at least most tribes. No caste system can function without low-caste members to do the dirty work that is below the higher castes, so they'd be there as well. As for the gold mine, its not critical that the tribe that they make a trade agreement with have access to the gold mine or other sources of minerals, just that they can tap into the kobolds own internal trading network such as it is. The kobolds use gold, silver and cobber nuggets as coinage. Which means they can pay Richter and the whitepearl company for wares they can then trade onwards at a premium. The tribe that do control the gold mine would have a big advantage in comparison with the other tribes, but not so much compared to the tribe that runs the trade. Its important to remember that from a kobold perspective the civil war that started a thousand years ago and wrecked the kobold empire hasn't ended. They are still fighting for power, vengeance over the regicides or whatever other motive guided them to war in the first place. Only the existential threat of the ashstalker goblins have forced them to collaborate with factions they hate with every fiber of their being. Only the total victory of one faction (meaning subjugation or extermination for the others) or the return of the Khans can bring about a lasting peace. Even then some tribes would likely have to be beaten down.
Makes sense I was reading this cultivation Book where in a family, the ones that had no talent for cultivation would be the servent, no matter their father & mother.
