16.26.3 Foragers

Foragers are a system by which you can dispatch a group to passively gather
fibre or wood commodities from a given location (providing there are 
commodities in that area to gather, of course). 

Your foragers will be in competition with other adventurers' parties and
depending on your (and their) approach it is quite possible for violence to
break out.
 
Basic commands
================= 
FORAGERS COMMISSION [1-5]
When standing in a viable location you may commission foragers to build your
party. You may have up to five foragers at a time.

Should you lose foragers at any time, this command can purchase more to make
the party 5 again.

Foragers commissioned are always at level 1.

Tsol'aa foragers can be commissioned in the Aalen by a redwood stump.
Theran collectors can be commissioned in New Thera, before the woodcutter's
cottage.
Goblin pillagers can be commissioned when approaching a small village, just
north of the Dakhota hills.

FORAGERS STATUS
    - Show the various status of your foragers, including their type, current 
      level, current health, attitude, and whether they are deployed in a 
      given area.

FORAGERS SCOUT BRIEF/THOROUGH 
   - Brief scouting costs 100 gold and will give you a rough idea of how many
     commodities are in said area.
   - Thorough scouting will tell you how many bands are already scouring an 
     area but will cost 1000 gold.

FORAGERS SEND <attitude> <area>
   - Dispatch your foragers to an area. 
   - This will have a gold cost, 100 * level per forager.

FORAGERS RECALL <area>
   - It will take three hours for them to return, during which time they will
     not gather any commodities or seek out battles (though others may still
     seek them out).
   - You cannot call back a group of foragers in the first four hours of 
     their expedition.

Areas
======
Foragers for now are confined to mainland Achaea and the northern section
of the continent.

Fibre is foraged in grassy areas and can be collected in the summer or autumn.

Wood is found in wooded areas (jungles, forests, etc) and can be foraged in
autumn and winter months.

Dispatching a foraging party
=============================
 
When you send off a foraging party they will be gone for around an Achaean 
month (24 real life hours). 

During this time they will gather available commodities every real life hour.

However, your band may also encounter hostile foragers from other players 
(or initiate hostilities: see attitudes below). 

If your foragers slay another forager, the forager that landed the killing 
blow shall gain experience, and once sufficient experience is acquired that
forager will level up, increasing both their health and damage capabilities.

Foragers experience is also acquired on successful return from foraging 
in season and this increases with commodities returned.

If a member of your foraging band is killed whilst foraging, you can commission
another and dispatch them to build your band back up to five.

When a foraging band returns all of the commodities they gathered will be 
placed in your most optimal warehouse (in terms of how much it will cost you).

If you do not have a warehouse, the commodities are placed in your rift, or in
your inventory if there is not sufficient space.
 
The Three Foraging Attitudes
=============================
Peaceful
--------
Peaceful foraging bands will neither defend themselves or initiate hostilities.

They do however gather the most efficiently of any attitude.

Aggressive
----------
Aggressive foraging parties will initiate hostilities with other foraging 
bands, and if wiping out that band in its entirety loot the commodities they
have already gathered. 

They are however the least efficient at gathering commodities innately.

Aggressive bands will not attack bands belonging to your home city, or your
mutual allies.

Diplomatic
----------
Diplomatic foraging bands do not initiate hostilities, but will defend
themselves against hostile attacks. 

Diplomatic bands have a chance to avoid conflict through negotiations and 
gather commodities slightly better than aggressive bands.


Goblin pillagers have a bonus towards aggressive foraging methods.
Tsol'aa foragers have a bonus towards peaceful foraging methods.
Theran collectors have a bonus towards diplomatic foraging methods.