Gaelyc

"*Nestled in canopies high above the heads of terrestrial brutes, the Gaelyc dwell in economically productive harmony with the Great Treefolk. So holy are the mighty forests in whose trunks entire cities dwell that treefelling of any kind is a capital crime, for in the trees lie the farms and factories that govern the indomitable Gaelyc economy.*

*With the spreading of the Great Treefolk's Seeds across the Moonrisen square, the Gaelyc venture forth to turn these great seeds into new foundations for eco-friendly economic growth--no matter where these seeds now lie."*

-Tribe Description.

The **Gaelyc** tribe are the second of the fan tribes made by StressedKingMonolith , and specialize in "sacred botany" (ie, forest tile management). The Gaelyc possess three unique technologies (**Treesong**, **Canopy Crops**, **Sacred Botany**)**,** three unique units (**Feyling, Ballista, Longship),** five unique buildings (**Orchard, Vinepress**, **Sap Shed**, **Sap Distillery**,*'***Tree Manor**), and one unique Giant (**Tree Folk**). Gaelyc start with **Treesong**, a technology that enables Fruit harvesting and free Grow Forest, which provides the terrain resource necessary for the unique buildings of the tribe. The Gaelyc cannot Burn Forest nor Clear Forest.

## Resources

Gaelyc have a bonus (+) on all Forest spawns, and a massive disadvantage (-) on all Farm spawns.

## Appearance

Fruit: Branch Pearls (Grapes), Pearlsip (Sparkling Grape Juice meets Maple Syrup , spawned by Vinepress), Treetar (Tree Rubber , spawned by Distillery).

Land: Dark Emerald Green.

Forest: Raingrowth (Rainforest).

Animal: Canopy Bear (Sun Bear with the chest pattern on the back).

Mountain: Large old tree stump.

City: Illuminated burrows inside thick treetrunks, with elegant vine-wrapped huts attached to elaborately decorated tree holes flanking each burrow. Think the Keebler Elf meets Lothlorien.

Helmet: A tiara of vine and hardened stone, crowning a healthy head of long hair.

## New Skills

Skills are what give all Polytopia units special abilities. For more on skills, see Unit Skills on the main Wiki page.

### Ensnare

**Ensnare** enables a unit to hold an enemy unit in place after attacking it. An ensnared unit can still attack, but cannot move or heal. The enemy unit can uninsnare itself at the cost of Health, or by another unit "attacking" the "ensnaring vines" that visually indicate that a unit is ensnared. Any attack, no matter the damage, by a friendly unit will break an ensnared unit free.

### Germinate

**Germinate**enables a unit to spawn a non-mounted unit adjacent to itself, at a cost of its health. The spawned unit acts like a unit just produced from a city, and unless it bears the keyword Sprout cannot take an action until the next game turn.

### Sprout

**Sprout** enables a unit to take actions the same turn it is produced.

### Cradle

**Cradle** enables a unit with Germinate to hold population slots, just like a city, but only for units spawned via Germinate.

### Processor

**Processor** enables a building to spawn resources specific to the type of adjacent buildings around it.

## Special Technology

### Treesong

**Treesong** replaces Organization , and allows for Fruit Harvesting and discounted (-2 Gold from price) Grow Forest. It prohibits Burn Forest and Clear Forest. Treesong starts researched.

### Sacred Botany

**Sacred Botany** replaces Forestry , and allows for the construction of **Sap Sheds**.

### Canopy Crops

**Canopy Crops** replaces Farming , and allows for the construction of **Orchards**.

## Special Buildings

### Orchard

The Orchard replaces Farm , provides Population (+2) upon being built. Changes the skin of a Forest tile to that of a bustling rainforest orchard. Can only be built on Forest tiles.

### Vinepress

The Vinepress replaces Windmill , and provides a Population boost (+1) per adjacent **Orchard**. The Vinepress has [**Processor**], and will occasionally spawn the special fruit "Pearlsip". Pearlsip provides a variable yield of gold when harvested. The number of adjacent Orchards affects the gold value of the harvested Pearlsip; the more Orchards, the greater chance for a higher yield. The Vinepress appears like a basket press surrounded by structurally supporting vines. It can only be built on Forest tiles.

### Sap Shed

The Sap Shedreplaces Lumber Hut , and provides Population (+1) upon being built. The Sap Shed appears like a treehouse overlooking a series of tapped trees . It can only be built on Forest Tiles.

### Sap Distillery

The Sap Distillery replaces Sawmill , and provides Population (+1) and Gold boost (+2) per adjacent **Sap Shed**. The Vinepress has [**Processor**], and will occasionally spawn the special fruit "Treetar" that can be harvested for a one-turn Gold discount on any unit or building produced in the same city limits as that Sap Distillery. The number of adjacent Sap Sheds affects the discount the harvested "Treetar" provides; the more Sap Sheds, the greater the one-turn discount can be. It can only be built on Forest tiles.

### Tree Manor

The Tree Manorreplaces Customs House , and provides Gold (+2) per adjacent Port . Tree Manors can be built on Forest or Plains tiles.

### Roads (skin modification)

The Road improvement will, upon being built on a Forest tile, appear as a large rope-bridge as long as a Forest tile remains on the tile with the Road.

## Special Units

### Feyling

The Feyling has [**Ensnare**] and [**Sprout**], and can be produced either by a **Tree Folk** Giant or by a city after Spiritualism is researched. The Feyling has a high attack and low cost (1 Gold), but has almost no defense and very little health. The Feyling appears as a smaller Gaelyc Warrior, except the unit's head is flanked by vines and the unit's weapon is a sharp stick.

### Ballista

The Ballista has [**Ensnare**], and replaces the Catapult. The Ballista can conduct retaliatory attacks, but has less range (-1) than the Catapult. The Ballista appears as a tribe member flanking a large bow welded to a wagon, just like typical ballista depictions in games, which is decorated by wrapping vines. The Ballista's projectile skin is a vine-wrapped giant arrow.

### Longship

The Longship has [**Ensnare**] and [Escape], and replaces the Battleship. The Longship possesses more movement than the Battleship, but carries less defense. The Longship hull skin appears like that of a historical longship, save the round shields are replaced by the Battleship's cannons. The Longship's projectile skin is a vine-wrapped giant arrow.

## Special Giant

### Tree Folk

Tree Folk has [**Germinate**] and [**Cradle**], and is the Gaelyc's unique Giant. The Tree Folk can [**Germinate**] any non-mounted unit as an action during a game turn. The Tree Folk can [**Cradle**] up to three produced units. **Feylings** produced by Tree Folk are free. The Tree Folk has less health than the average Giant, but possesses more movement (+1) when on a Forest tile.The Tree Folk appears as a cross between a Magic the Gathering Lumberknot and a Middle-Earth Ent.

\*\*Note; the skin of the Tree Folk takes a seaweed-type appearance upon entering a Water tile. This unit cannot embark.

## Music

The music of the Gaelyc can best be summarized by real-world artist Adrian Von Ziegler's Celtic Harp Music. In essence, something gentle and played by a stringed instrument, possibly with quasi-natural sounds as a backdrop.

## City Names & Language

After an extensive christening ceremony to ensure no tree is harmed during urban canopy construction, the Gaelyc then name a city after the second best and worst thing that happened in the vicinity of that city's construction. If a Tree Folk or Great Tree Folk is present, then the city is christened according to their own mystical traditions. Examples of city names include **Maithai**, **Nayen**, and **Shávah,** the last of which means "healthy meal".

## Tribe Lore

*Gaelyc Tree Manor officials are notorious for their strict debt collecting policies during springtime but more relaxed about lending rules during the fall. This is because the Gaelyc economy is heavily tied to natural processes and events, and therefore is vastly more adaptable to market pressures than those of the other tribes; at least, that's what Gaelyc moneylenders like to tell potential clients.*

*The Gaelyc sense of identity is firmly ground in the tribe's ability to harvest and produce vast quantities of goods without ever needing making waste; unused wood is turned to pulp, while unused food is turned to fertilizer. Recycling isn't so much a "better option" for the Gaelyc, as it is the normal way of doing business.*

*Pearlsip parties are often held in the wealthiest canopy homes of Gaelyc families about to enjoin themselves through marriage, and are frequently accompanied by a boisterous contest in burps.*

## Tribe Explanation

### Overall Idea & Concept Exploration

The idea behind this tribe came from a desire to make a tribe that explored the other side of the "natural magic" coin; plants. With the Elyrion focused on the "animal" magic, I thought it would be perfect to make a tribe that compliments this focus via an emphasis on the "forest" magic. The need for Forest tiles and unique fruit production (the "Pearlsip", which is a syrup champagne, and the "Treetar" which is a industrial-level rubber tap on Flexseal steroids) gives the Gaelyc tribe concept a small notion of forestry management that is a core of their play style.

I also wanted to make a nature-based tribe that wasn't all flowers and ponies, but one that despite its Ewok-type living conditions was actually economically productive. Given the rather primitive world of Polytopia, I think a Druid-type "industrial" civilization that focuses on "forest magic" works out really well; as all the tribes are effectively agrarian civilizations, and therefore a tribe that lives in an ecosystem that can operate on an industrial level with little environmental damage could be pretty strong.

I also think the unique Giant forces players to move away from the concept of the Giant as a mega attack/defense unit and more as a supporter of the war effort as a whole. Having a mobile unit factory is an excellent, but very vulnerable, advantage, and I think it helps explore the idea of a forest-loving tribe that relies heavily on the manipulation of its environment to win the game. Plus, the Ensnare ability is just very, very cool.

Hope you enjoyed the concept! Also, if you liked this, check out my Jurasa tribe! Or my Zaratha tribe! Or my Babylonian-Assyrian Sumar tribe!

 Other Tribes by Me

* The Jurasa, a prehistoric-based tribe focused on dino-Giant breeding.
* The Zaratha, a Persian-based tribe with a focus on wealth management and indirect warfare.
* The Sumar, a Mesopotamian-based tribe focused on Disbanding, Temples, and Siege Towers.
* The Qin-Sija, a Eastern-based tribe focused on science, ranged weapons, and conversion Giants.
* The Vasca, a Iberian-based tribe focused on pay-to-fire weapons, exploration, and trade.