Independent People

**Independent People** (known as **IP** among the players) are minor AI faction which, unlike Empires, do not compete for Fame, and cannot pick cultures or ascend across eras. They often have a single-Territory City and a couple of Units, and player is able to fight them, trade with them, take their Cities in a siege, hire them as mercenaries, or assimilate them.

All the Independent Peoples are based on real life historical peoples and cultures that are currently not major cultures in the game.

## Overview

**Independent peoples** are always colored in **grey**, and will naturally spawn on the map on a per Era, per Territory basis. Every era has its own set of Independent Peoples, and each Independent People usually have one City on a single Territory.

Independent Peoples will always spawn as wandering Units. Sometimes they can spawn with their own Outposts - called **Redoubts** - on the map. The Redoubt can evolve into Cities over time and claim the Territories they are in; afterwards the Independent People will develop the City like major Empires.

* If a Territory is already revealed, or half revealed, from the *Fog of War*, but none of the major Empires **have full vision on it**, this Territory will have a high chance spawning a **Redoubt** (as well as an army) in the no-vision region.
* Even if a Territory is already claimed by an Outpost, but not revealed entirely, it can still spawn Independent Peoples in the no-vision region.

All the Independent Peoples are categorized into two types, **Peaceful** and **Violent**.

* Peaceful Independent Peoples will mind their business.
* Violent Independent Peoples will have their armies look for a fight, and ransack nearby Cities or Outposts whenever possible.
	+ If a Violent Independent People who doesn't have a City yet ransacked an Outpost, they will turn the Outpost into a City of their own in the next turn.

You can gift an Outpost to roaming Independent People if you want them to create a City in a specific location. Their selected Unit will be transported to the Outpost location.

All the Independent Peoples, whether Peaceful or Violent, have their own Ideology, which can effect their relationship with major Empires.

Moreover, all the Independent Peoples will **rise and fall**, and can only exist on the map for about 50turns (on Normal Speed).

* The turn countdown will show on the top of the info panel of the Independent People.
* Near the end of the countdown, the Independent People will go into the **Decline** status.
* If none of the major Empires try to take their Cities or **assimilate** them before the countdown ends, the Independent People will disappear when the turns run out, with their Cities become ruins, and the Territory returns to being unclaimed.
* If the Territory remains unclaimed, a new Independent People can spawn there in next Era.

Furthermore, if the Stability of a major Culture is too low, their Cities will **rebel** and fall into the hands of Independent People as well. These particular "Independent Peoples" would bear the name of the major cultures they come from, as well as their descriptions.

* The "Liberation" option on the City management panel have a similar effect, which will give the selected City to an Independent People belong to your culture.

## Treaties

All **Treaties** cost Influence, scaled with Ideological Proximity (the higher, the cheaper the **Treaties**. Aesthete Cultures always have 100% Ideological Proximity). Only 1 **Treaty** per tier can be chosen. Changing a **Treaty** costs Influence.

* **Establish Contact**: Enables **Patronage**.

* At 20 total **Patronage**, with at least 15% share:
	+ **Trading Charter** (can buy resources, a purchase will extends **Independent People** **Lifespan** by 1 turn)
	+ **Mercenary Charter** (can Hire Mercenaries, a hiring will extends **Independent People Lifespan** by 1 turn)
	+ **Science Collaboration** (gain Science per turn)
	+ Additionally, **Violent Independent People** will no longer attack.

* At 50 total **Patronage**, with at least 30% share:
	+ **Profit Sharing** (gain Money per turn).
	+ **Privileged Contract** (-25% cost for mercenaries and resources)
	+ **Cultural Export** (+1 Point alignment to the Empire's Ideological position on their Doctrine Axis per turn)

* At 100 total **Patronage**, with at least 60% share:
	+ Client State (Provides benefits of ALL previous **Treaties** with a +50 **International Sway** on other Empires).
	+ Assimilate

## Patronage

Independent People are not part of the Diplomacy; instead, the primary way to interact with them is through **Patronage**.

Once an Independent People developed their settlement into a City, **all** the major Empires that discovered this **Independent People** are able to **Praise** and **Bribe** them using Influence and Money.

The patronage status is calculated in numbers with the total **Patronage** of all Empires and the percentage of **Patronage** of each Empire.

### Patronage gain

Enabling **Patronage** first requires the **Establish Contact** treaty.

* **Bribe** Money costs per turn:

* **Praise** Influence costs per turn:

Other sources of **Patronage** include:

* 1.33 per turn with **Shared Religion**
* .67 per turn when in Sphere of Influence (**Shared Influence**)
* The Merchant Affinity Action adds +1 **Patronage** when used on **Independent People** Territory (requires a Resource)
* .67 per turn per Envoy in Territory (**Diplomatic Agent**)
* Attacking an **Independent People's** army will reset the attacking Empire's **Patronage** to 0.

## Hire Mercenaries

Requires the **Mercenary Charter** or the **Client State Treaty**. The Empire can **hire** the **Independent People's** army as **mercenaries** for 20 turns (on normal speed) using Money.

To hire an army, the player needs to click on the army, and the info panel will show the hiring button as well as the Money cost.

* The hiring cost depends on the overall Combat Strength of the said army.
* Once hired, the army will then belong to the hiring Empire, and the Empire **needs to pay the upkeep of this army**.
* The hired mercenary army can do everything a normal army can do, such as participate in battle and clearing forests, except claiming land.
* The hired army cannot be split or upgraded
* The hiring period usually lasts 20turns and can be refreshed before expiring (with a discount)
* If you attack the **Independent People** any units you have rented from them remain in your control.
* Once the hiring period ends, the army will revert back to an Independent People's army.

If choosing **Mercenary Armies** for the **Independent Peoples Civic**, the hiring cost will receive a **-50%** discount.

## Assimilation

Once the **Patronage** towards an **Independent People** has reached at least 100 total **Patronage** with a share of 60% or higher or is already a **Client State**, the Empire can spend a one-time Influence payment to **assimilate** this Independent People.

* If the Independent People is at the **Decline** status, then any major Empire can use the one-time Influence to assimilate it immediately, even without any relationship build up beforehand.

By assimilation, the Independent People will disappear, but their City will be incorporated into the assimilating Empire. In addition, the defending armies of this Independent People **will turn into units of this Empire** as well (max 2 stacks). Any additional units of these Independent People that you have hired will also join your empire. Additional units that were not hired will disappear immediately.

The assimilation cost is greatly increased while Patronage (shared influence per turn) is still active. It is best to assimilate after Patronage expires. If the civic Lands Rights is enacted with the Inherited Land option the assimilation cost will switch to Money instead of Influence. The assimilation cost will be greatly increased while a Bribe is active.

If choosing **Assimilated Peoples** for the **Independent Peoples Civic**, the assimilate cost will receive a **-50%** discount.

If the assimilated independent people has high relationships with other Empires as well, the assimilating Empire will receive **"Stole my Independent People"** Grievance from other Empires.

## List of Independent Peoples

1. ↑ Frayne (1990) identified their city Lulubuna or Luluban with the region's modern Iraqi town of Halabja.