After entirely too long of a wait, 3.1 is here!

3.1.0 Features

Marriage

Characters no longer receive an automatic spouse upon reaching maturity. Instead there are now two options to find a spouse. First, you will be able to form marriage treaties with other tribes. This will be a useful way to form lasting diplomatic ties with other tribes. When negotiating the treaty you specify which tribe's court the couple will join, allowing you to gain characters from another tribe. The other option will be through special events. Periodically, events will occur for unmarried characters, giving them the option to marry war heroes or minor nobles from your own tribe. These spouses will become characters themselves, potentially with excellent stats, and can give additional buffs and bonuses

Religion

Characters and the pops (the individual population) will now belong to a specific cult. These cults are dedicated to specific gods, or aspects of gods. Some cults can co-exist peacefully, while others will not. For example, the Humittes will have 3 core cults, one dedicated to each of their major gods. These cults will co-exist peacefully, but members of the Ravensworn Cult will not.

Settlements will receive bonuses based on cult membership on a percentage basis. For example, the Cult of Mardo will give a bonus to industrial output in a settlement. If 50% of the settlement belongs to the cult of Mardo, then the settlement will receive 50% of the total potential bonus. This will allow Humitte settlements to specialize, by controlling cult membership.

Pops can move between cults through the influence of temples. Each temple is consecrated to a specific cult, and will an area of influence around themselves. This influence will prompt pops to change their cult membership. Influence is also provided by the cult membership of the governor, king, and the cult membership of trade partners.

Crisis System and the Ravensworn

There is a new crisis system. After a delay, it will start spawning crises around the world. Right now the only crisis is tied to a subversive cult, the Ravensworn. In the future, though, there will be more crises, and they may tie into each other to form a larger narrative.

The Ravensworn are a subversive cult of raven worshipers. They can spawn as part of a crisis, and start infiltrating a settlement. If they manage to gain control of the settlement it will rebel to form an aggressive new tribe.

Rites

In addition to settlement bonuses, cults also give access to rites. Rites are special actions that settlements can perform. Rites have effects ranging from temporary bonuses, to free units, to even damaging enemy armies. Each cult provides different rites, and the rites themselves require a minimum level of cult membership to be performed.

What About Courts?

I mentioned royal courts in the previous dev log, but in the interests of not taking any longer for another release I have postponed them until a future release. Currently they're slated for 3.1.2.

What's Next: 3.1.1

I'm planning for a small release next, with a faster development cycle. 3.1.1 will primarily focus on expanding some existing systems, but with some adjustments to settlement management.

Legitimacy

A new legitimacy system will add a cost to rites and political actions (such as moving the capital or changing heirs). Legitimacy is tied to the ruler, and will affect how loyal other characters are. 

Legitimacy is accumulated over time based on the ruler's stats and skills, possibly some from monuments as well.

Cannibal Cult

There will be a new subversive cult tied to the Ghuls. They will use the new crisis system, and function similarly to the Ravensworn cult.

Provinces

Villages will now be grouped together with adjacent cities in provinces. Settlements within a province will share their economy, moving items back and forth without the need for trade buildings and trade routes. Population, cult influence, and buffs will still be limited to individual settlements. Governors will change from managing settlements to managing provinces.

A city can only be the capital of a province, it can't form a province with another city. Similarly villages can only belong to a single province, even if they border multiple cities. Villages without an adjacent city won't be part of a province, and will function largely as they do in 3.0.