Sounds like we're broadly on the same page there.<br/><br/>What about outside contact?<br/><br/>The way I was envisioning it, the Manse has not been in contact with anyone with any kind of regularity. They hid themselves away for centuries, aided by the subtle influences of a certain Sidereal (storms coming up to keep ships from getting close enough to see the manse and such like) and the abilities of the manse itself.<br/><br/>In the last ... century perhaps ... scouting expeditions were sent out, the waters aspected Dragonbloods taking the lead, using some of the few submersibles still operational to check nearby islands for signs of settlements. Seeing the general loss of technology, trading openly while sailing in in a First Age ship would not be a good idea. A little limited piracy would see them with a small collection of 'normal' craft, with any of the crew who proved sufficiently adaptable being added to the general population of the Manse, adding some fresh blood as well as providing updates on how the world was.<br/><br/>In the last score of years there would be limited trading with some of the nearby settlements, partly to gather essentials the manse cannot provide and to get more information. There has been some talk of setting up a permanent settlement on one island, to provide the Manse an interface with the world at large, which would allow them to trade more openly while keeping the manse itself hidden. All that would be needed would be to find .. or create .. the circumstances that would allow for this.