The Dawn of Man (IC, Closed)

[G-Tech Corporation]

This thread is only to be posted in by those accepted here. ALL OOC will go there as well.

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The sun rose above the island, beaming light and life down to the forested island-continent below. Mareal's many peaks glistened white in the rays of dawn, its streams burbled happily along their many courses, and the vast amounts of wildlife stirred from a night's slumber. Herds of deer rose from their hidden positions, and began the daily task of existing. Wolves returned from their nights of hunting, and yips greeted many of the adults from their dens as the pups welcomed their parents home. A black bear lumbers into a stream, its massive paws seeking for a fish for breakfast, glistening moisture coating the shaggy fur of the great beast.

Mareal is an isolated island, and its animals have lived alone for time unmeasured. But that is about to change. Man, that most curious of creatures, has risen from its previous status as another beast, and is posed to grip its destiny with both hands. Many primitive peoples have banded together in the vast untamed wilderness of Mareal, and now it is up to then to find peace and prosperity for their people.

Drums beat, speech is devised, and the humans walk forward upright into their futures.



It is the time of the Dawn of Man.

[SSTxReaper]

Dawn. The villagers of Alaston were beginning to wake up except the group of men that set out earlier in the night to hunt. The leader of the group Chief Yon Duck was beginning to sit on the floor in the middle of the village. This was a morning process in which everyone in the village would sit around Chief Yon Duck and began to pray for the heavenly gods.

Finishing their morning prayers everyone in the village began to do there everyday task. Some would go make tools for hunting while other would go to hunt game for food and clothing while others would simply plant for food. The village of Alaston wasn't very good at farming so the people there greatly lack any type of vegetation and would rely on meat.

The group of men that was sent out in the middle of the night came back almost empty handed. They had brought back 5 rabbits but no big source of meat. Chief Yon Duck was disappointed "My fellow men you have brought nothing for your village to eat. Go rest and I will sent out another group of men to hunt and fish."

With that the group of men went into the village to rest while another group of men was sent out to hunt and fish for the day. This morning in Alaston wasn't looking to good.

[Lackadaisical2]

Raeland, Winter Solstice

The fires burn dimly on this late, cool night. Stars and full moon shine down on the shadowy forms of hundreds of revelers dressed in poorly made garments. They dance to the beat of crude drums, beads and bone necklaces tinkling their own music to the rapid drumming. The smell of roasting meat and nuts foraged and stockpiled earlier in the year wafts through the air and the exhalations of the dancers fogs the air with the sweet smell of a primitive mead.

While most families share a bonfire with several others, Braegan, a large, muscular patriarch in his mid-thirties, has a family so large that they have a fire of their own. His five wives have blessed him with many strong sons and beautiful daughters, while his prestige in battle against other men and against the beasts which occasionally prey on the Rael is well known and he has been elevated to a position on the ruling council. This has been a year of plenty for the Rael, and this year's bear ritual is more extravagant than usual, Braegan is in high spirits with no small help from the pot of mead his second wife made for him. The stone vessel is large and painted with the juice from various berries, the finest vessel in the tribe.

The drumming reached a fever pitch, the dancers' limbs moving now with less grace and more rapidity seemed a blur and Braegan began to wonder if the true start to the ritual wouldn't be soon. The drums stopped suddenly and from the central fire, a flare-up of heat and light washed over the crowd. Braegan whose fire was near the center, a place of certain honor had to squint at the sudden light. A hush fell over the nearly 400 Rael assembled here as they saw the figure of a bear walk on two legs out of the flames. The eerie tones of bone flutes played by the shamans at the central fire pierced the quiet and the Bear began to speak in the wyrmtongue, marking the bear as none-other than Scrael, their god. After a minute or two of rapturous congress with Scrael, the central fire flared again, the flutes wailed loud and high and the god was gone.

Braegan and the other Rael returned to their crude homes, knowing they had pleased the gods.

[Marzarbul]

The beginnings of a village were being formed upon the shores of the small northern inlet. Deep in the woods surrounding the village the sound of wood being chopped could be heard as slowly the woods were receding away from the edges of the village. To the east of the sprawling mass of mud and straw huts lay the beginnings of a small field containing various plants they had recently gathered and began planting for food. These fields were currently beginning to show to first signs of life as small stalks began extending themselves from the rich loamy soil. While the crops grew the village needed other forms of sustenance and so the women of the tribe went out into the woods to gather various roots, berries, and nuts to help supplement their diet. Although it took time to gather enough to feed the village it was more reliable then hunting and until the crops they had planted were ready to be harvested they would need this source of food to survive.

While deep in the forest ranged several hunting parties scouring the area for any sort of wild life. Their faces were stained with various dyes gathered from local plant life giving them an almost ghost like appearance as they wielded crude stone spears. As they neared their pray the sound of howling could be heard off in the distance as the sun began its slow descent back behind the earth. Soon the great silver disk would rise and the wolves would be a danger to themselves and possibly the village. The howl then spooked their prey straight into their arms and soon after several spears connected with the beast it was brought down. It has a pair of large antlers and was panting heavily into the soil as one of the hunters approached the beast and ended its suffering. All those warriors whose spears had taken down the great beast gathered around its neck and stained their hands with the blood of the creature. Applying the blood to their faces in messy streaks they raised their weapons and shouted their praises to the spirits for allowing them to hunt down this beast. Soon they tied the beast up to a long piece of wood by its legs and began the long trek back to the village with chants and songs of victory.

Soon the forest began to thin as the marks of their village began to become noticeable. Several of the trees were marked with red dye upon their trunks and the remains of some could be seen as evidence of the axe mans power. As they passed into the clearing they could see that the women had already returned with their earlier harvests and were preparing a hearty stew. Using the logs cut previously the other day they had several small fires going underneath stone tablets to help cook the deer. While the various roots and nuts were slowly being either ground down or opened for consumption. Then out of one of the more larger huts a tiny horde of children descended upon the great hunters with grins upon their faces. At the door of the hut emerged an old crone with hundreds of wrinkles upon her face and hair as light as moonlight going all the way to her back. She was leaning upon a gnarled and battered staff that many claimed was a present for her from the spirits of the sea and as the village elder looked out amongst the children's revelry she smiled a toothless smile at their antics. She had tried that day to teach many of them the difference between poisonous roots and dangerous creatures but after a few hours time their attention would wander greatly and she would be forced to tell them an ancient story to gain their interest again. However, there was one child that seemed to be much more attuned with the spirits of the world than the rest. Harial Stormborn, youngest son of High Chief Jakarta Stormborn, was one of her brightest students and as the other children played and danced around the arriving warriors he merely watched them with unbridled curiosity waiting for his brother to return from the hunt.

"Welcome home brother," said Harial as he slowly approached his brother whose face he could see was covered with dried blood and smudged grey dye. "I see that we once again are blessed with another gift from the forest and that you yourself received it."

"Indeed we are blessed little brother although the wolves seemed to lament their loss of prey to us greater." Walking towards his little brother, Tayala knelt low and ruffled his hair. Much to the discomfort of Harial who simply pushed away the dried blood covered hand with a dirty look on his face. "I am not so little," announced Harial as he crossed his arms and looked up at Tayala, "I am simply of a younger age and soon when I grow up it shall be you I call "little" and I will laugh and eat all the deer I want."

"Really now? Well then I guess we shall see if that is the case but for now little brother I suggest you go help the women to clean our kill. I need to tell father of what I have seen in the forest but if you do a good job I shall put in a word with the cook and get you some Tera berries." Nudging Harial towards the group of gathered women and children, Tayala stood up and gave his brother a bright smile and ran towards the center of the village where upon a small hill sat a large hut made up of various sticks, mud, and rocks. Although it was not the biggest dwelling in the village it was certainly the nicest and as Tayala entered the hut he could feel the heat of the central pit blaring into his face and the feel of pelts laying upon the floor. Seated upon a low backed chair made from animal bone and stone sat his father, High Chief Jakarta of the Durial tribe.

"Come my son, be seated here next to me and tell me of what you have seen in the forest today?" Grabbing a small pile of pelts in the corner, Tayala placed them down next to his father and told him of the forest. How there was game a plenty in the deep woods though it did take some time in finding it and that their was danger to be had and that if came in the form of wolves. Nodding his head seriously at this comment Jakarta leaned forward in his seat and speaking slowly said, "I know of this danger Tayala. Already we have experienced loss from these beasts. Two of our villagers were spirited away from us recently and although many attribute the Spirits of the Wood I believe that it was the responsibility of the beasts you have named."
"As such I want the threat to be reduced and soon. So I shall be making you head of the hunt and you shall take fifty men into the woods and eliminate what beasts you can. I do not care what the costs or how long it takes but I want it done. I shall know you have accomplished your mission when you bring back thirty pelts. Understood?"

"Yes father it shall be done."

"Good, now then. It is time we join the others and bless the spirits for their blessing today. For tomorrow my son. You shall be hunting the devils of the deep."

[Ouearotion]

The Porugasian tribe was a small tribe with a simple life for all of its members. The boys starting at around age six would become fishers for their tribe, bringing back any kind of fish they could find. The girls starting at age five would prepare the fish for eating by peeling off the skin to be used use as either loincloths or headresses to the chief and his wife, and gouge out the eyeballs with their fingers to sacrifice to their god. The bones of the fish are usually used as weapkns for the tribe huntsmen. These huntsmen were the most fit of men in the tribe, they return every other day with a few rabbits for the village to feast on, and searching for more fish bones they could use to kill more game.

Every morning at sunrise the Porugasian chief, Rafalo would awaken everyone up with a loud obnoxious call signaling that it was time to return to your lives work. Freguda, a ten year old boy, awoke groggy as the chief had awakened him. He had always hated his simple task of fishing, and had always wanted to become a huntsmen. Fishing for the Porugasians was a very slow and difficult task. They would step into a nearby river or stream, and the second they saw a fish would reach down with their hand and attempt to grab and kill it with their fish bones. Though they had to make a precise acupuncture in the heart, saving as much fish as they could for it to be used for various other things. Freguda, being in the fishing business for four years now was a terrible fisher. He had one of the lowest fish per week ratio in the tribe, only bringing back about one fish every two weeks.

Freguda got out of his makeshift bed of leaves and walked out to the tribal square where the chief made his daily prayer. The chief raised his hand up and screamed in their ancient language " Go forth under Terrika's protection, bring us back fish for our clothing, weapons, and food!" When he finished like normal all of the men would go out towards either the nearest river or stream, and like normal Freguda would accompany them. At the stream they saw a monstrous bear fishing for food, knowing how rare and dangerous bears were all of the men who usually go to the stream which included Freguda, instead walked over and joined the men at the faster flowing river. As Freguda and his fellow tribesmen made their trek to the river he cursed under his breath "Piini, at the river it will be crowded and harder to locate any reasonable fish there." He frowned as he arrived at the river and his assumption came true, men usually had a good fifteen feet distance from another man but here the distance was shortened to five. "Piini, how will I bring any fish home like this, I'll be a laughing stock to all of the villagers." He started thinking about how all of the villagers would laugh at him for not catching a single fish even though there have been many days when he hasn't caught a fish.

Freguda sighed sadly before making his way back home, "I'll just return in shame, my family would probably leave me with a bear to die so I'll not shame our family name." As he made his way back to the village he had remembered that he has never been to the rivMer and he quickly gets lost in the wilderness, "Piini, what luck, it seems like Terrika is going to kill me off instead." He continued walking through the forest sadly as he had just noticed that not only was he a shame to his tribe but to his god also. "Why should I even try anymore, I'll never be as good as the others. I'll never become a huntsman, and travel past the stream into the unknown." While ranting and walking, Freguda had accidentally stepped into a mud like substance "What my luck, first a bear is fishing at the stream, second I get lost, now my just cleaned feet are dirty by this mud, piini." He step back from the mud puddle and examined his foot for the mud, but to his surprise instead of mud he found a sticky gray substance instead. Curious, Freguda removed the sticky substance and began rubbing it between his hands make a sphere, "This is like mud, but I can hold it like a rock."

Freguda continued playing with the "magical" substance before noticing the sunset. "Piini, I'm supposed to return to the village by sunset." Looking around him he had remembered what his father had told him when Freguda just turned six and was about to go hunting. "Son be careful not to stay out to late when you go it fishing. It is rumored that all of those who stay out late never return to the tribe the next morning. Many people have said that there is a monster bigger and stronger than both wolves and bears." A rustle in a bush finally got Freguda to cover his arms with the gray substance to show the tribe and began to run in fear of the monster. The creature that made made the first rustle began speeding up towards Freguda, having his prey in sights. Seeing how Freguda was being chased made him run faster, before making it into a clearing, I'm tired, and I can't run any further, I'll have to stand and fight. He readied his sharpest fish bone for an incoming attack.

The monster raced into the clearing revealing that he wasn't a monster at all, but a huntsman returning from his expedition, "Piini, Freguda I thought you were a deer or something. I would've killed you like that and brought you back to the village." The man seem to have four rabbits attached to his loincloth by their ears, he then outstretched a hand to Freguda, "How about we wash you up and return back to the tribe." Freguda backed away suspiciously "Nah I'm fine, let's just head back to the village already." The huntsman shrugged and guided Freguda back to the village where the were both welcomed with opened arms, Freguda then raised his two arms and screamed "I have found magical mud that can be held like a rock." He removed the magical mud from his arms and rolled if into a sphere watching as the tribe oohed and aahed. Chief Rafalo walked up to Freguda and placed his hand on his head "Freguda, Terrika has blessed you with this magical mud that can be held like a rock. He has shown you this because you are one of his chosen ones. Now tommorow, instead of fishing and hunting all men must follow Freguda to the magical mud and cover themselves in it to bring back to the village." With that the chief returned to his room and the tribespeople cheered at Freguda the chosen one.

The next morning

Following their orders, all of the men followed Freguda and the huntsman who saved him to the magical mud patch and rolled their bodies into it, covering themselves with magical mud. When they returned home they removed the magical mud from their bodies and piled it on the floor. From that day on the fishermen group split everyday, one group gather fish, the other group covering their bodies with magical mud and bring it back to the village. Freguda was from then on a hero to the tribe for the magical mud, though the tribe didn't even know what to use it for. Now there is a pile of magical mud, no one knowing what to use it for just to play with it a mold it into a sphere.

[Marzarbul]

The gentle patter of rain fall greeted the village as they awoke the next morning from their huts. The sky above was cloudy and dark with the precipitation which to the villagers was a sign of the sun spirit being held prisoner by the sky spirit. As usual the fires that the sun had gifted them several weeks ago were put out by the rain and only charred embers remained. This terrible weather would make hunting the wolves a harder task and as Tayala grabbed his spear he gave a slight prayer to the gods. Going through the door of the hut he sent out runners to gather the rest of the hunting party at the edge of the village. In total fifty strong warriors of the tribe would be present on this hunt and although it might mean they would not eat meat tonight it would mean they would be making the village a safer place. Running through the village he was sure to keep a steady pace in order to keep a good footing though his feet were getting stuck in the mud. Cursing slightly he tried extricating himself from the latest sand trap when he attempted to pull his foot out he fell face first into the ground.

His entire face was covered in dark black mud giving it a mask like experience except for his dark brown eyes which showed some of the embarrassment that he felt at that moment. Him the hunter and son of the chief was covered in mud like a child with his hunting party waiting on him. Removing the mud from his face with his one hand he heard the sound of giggling to his right. Looking up with mud still covering parts of his face he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Her name was Reshana and as she covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stifle the giggle she eventually broke out in full out laughter. Struggling to stand up as fast as he could his bronze skin began to slightly blush as he tried to walk it off but failing miserably. Reshana was promised to him upon his fifteenth name day and as he tried to look important walking away he could still hear her laughter ringing out. Passing the final house and removing the last bits of mud from his face he raised his hand and at once a group of men assembled around him in a disorganized circle. The men were mumbling slightly about trying to enter the forest to hunt wolves will the weather was so bad. Many felt that they should hold off their hunt until the sun was free from captivity so they could see their enemy and track them easier.

The rain might be seen as a bad omen but Tayala realized that not only would the wolves be hidden in the rain but so would they be hidden as well. Grabbing his spear tighter he pointed it towards the forest and immediately began jogging towards it. Realizing that they were being left behind the mumbling group of hunters immediately began to jog behind their leader all the while praying that the sun would rise soon. Eventually the party faded into the forest and life at the village began to awaken as children began crying and women began their morning duties of home repair and the collection of food for tonight. As Harial awoke he noticed a that his brother was already gone and that his father was already beginning his day with a communion with the spirits. Already the sound of chanting was beginning to get on Harial's nerves as his father spoke the same mantra over and over again. As he left the small hut he shivered at the cold as rain trickled down from the sky at a slow steady pace. Trudging his way through the mud he eventually arrived at the Wise Woman's hut and saw that already there were several other children lazing about inside the hut. Murmuring greetings to several of the other children there he took his place on the straw covered floor and waited while the rest of the tribes children arrived to be taught their daily lesson. Usually these lessons only lasted for a few hours as the work of the children was needed elsewhere and today would be no different. Or at least that was what the Wise Woman thought as she began her the first lesson of the day what turned out was a matter entirely different.

As the wise woman went on about how the Great Spirit created their tribe from seedlings Harial inched his way slowly to the back of the sitting group and began tying up pieces of straw together into different shapes and figures. He had already heard this lesson before and knew why the Great Spirit formed them. What he wanted to know was why the sky fire should always go out. Why could they themselves fashion sky fire to use whenever they desired. But how to create it? He did not know and as he twirled around the pieces of straw between his fingers he absentmindedly grabbed a twig and began to just twist it around the pieces of straw. He knew that wood and straw burnt easily but how to make the sky fire appear from them. Gathering the hay together he began to try and move the stick around in it to make the magic begin. He first tried simply laying the stick upon the fire and praying to the Sky Spirit. After that he began to rapidly tap the straw with his stick. Finally in exasperation he began to twist the stick between his hands back and forth. Somehow the small pile of hay began to smoke and he jumped up in fright at the slight plume that he, Harial had created. He then noticed that the rest of the class had noticed this plume as well and smiling her toothless grin was the wise woman as she witnessed the beginnings of a legend.

Deeper and deeper they went into the forest and as they tried to find any sort of sign of wolves the men became more afraid. Killing smaller game was one thing but attempting to kill wolves was quite another. The Durali tribe were a mainly agricultural society and had little practice in hunting which is why kills of larger game are highly revered when they occur. Moving forward ahead of the bumbling mass behind him, Tayala began to walk slower through the undergrowth with his sharpened wooden spear at the ready. That was when after stepping over a rotting log he saw the wolf corpse. It seemed to have been mauled by some other larger creature, possibly a bear and as he examined it he heard a slight whimpering sound coming from a small bush to his left. Moving forward towards the sound the rest of his party followed rather hesitantly as they attempted to get their spears into a readied position.

"Lets find out what is behind this bush," whispered Tayala, more to himself than to anyone in particular as he stretched out his left hand. Pushing aside the bush he revealed a litter of wolf cubs, around twelve of them all mewling for their presumably dead mother. At hearing their soft whine his heart weakened for a moment and he stayed his spear. Grabbing several of the cubs by the ruff of their necks he held them out to the others. "Look, the Spirit of the Forest has given us a gift today. When we set out we went out for vengeance but how can we have such hatred in our hearts for creatures that were just born. I say that we embrace this gift and take them back with us to the village to raise and treat as our own." Treating the decision as non-negotiable, Tayala pointed to the rest of the cubs and soon they had all twelve in their hands. Walking away back towards their village Tayal smiled at the thought of giving his little brother his new gift and perhaps even his father would be proud of what they had found. Wagging the wolf pups into the village their was a crowd already gathered around the wise womans hut but as he neared he saw that they were not waiting for them but something else had occurred. Handing the pup off to one of his men he ran over towards the hut and looking inside he saw his brothers face gleaming as he looked up from his pile of smoldering hay in front of him.

Possible Tech Improvements:
Domestication I
Fire Creation I

[SSTxReaper]

That same day, the group of men that were sent to hunt and fish came back victorious. Not only have they capture some fish from the nearby stream they had also managed to kill a deer. Something the most of the men in the village couldn't do. They had also brought back small game like rabbits and squirrels.

They went to Chief Yon Duck of their success. "Chief, we have brought back good game from our catch." one of the men said. "Good I can see you men are very skilled at this." Chief Yon Duck said. Chief Yon Duck thought for a minute and then replied. "Why don't you men go out hunting tomorrow and take some of the children with you. You will teach them everything you know and perhaps one day they will grow up and become even better skill hunters and passed that one to their children."

As the day went on the huge feast was being prepared while others were having fun. One such man was smashing a big rock on a little rock. He did this a couple of times until the small rock was fairly flat and the outer edges sharp. He tested this knew thing on himself by cutting small pieces of his hair. Getting excited he decided to find a small stick and found some grass to tie it. Once done he was happy with his new toy and went off to show it to other people.

The feast had finally started since there was no fire (yet) the local people ate their food raw and consider that to be a blessing. Chief Yon Duck would be the first one to eat so he took out a small sharp piece of bone, and began to cut the deer open. After what seem to be forever of cutting Chief Yon Duck had succeed of cutting out the deer's heart. He raised the heart high into the air and brought it down to his mouth eating it whole. The people of the village watched him eat the heart and they proceed to grabbed their share of meat.

As the night went on small group of children possibly 10-13 years old were playing not to far from the village. One boy saw a small wolf not to far from the village. The boy told the rest of the children of the wolf and they stopped playing. All the children were terrified of the wolf and not one of them move an inch. Finally the wolf moved in closer and the boy realized it was after the meat he was holding. The boy threw the meat has far as he could and it landed in front of the wolf. The wolf quickly ate the meat and started to move in closer to the children.

All of the children ran back into the village except the boy who stood there. He grabbed a stick and threw it away from him. The wolf saw the stick fly and ran after it. The boy saw his chance to escape and took off running back to the village. When he turn around he saw the wolf running back to him with the stick in his mouth. The boy stopped and waited for the wolf to stopped running as well. The wolf stopped in front of the boy and dropped the stick. The boy didn't know what was going on, he knew wolves eat his kind so why would this wolf be nice to him. Not knowing what to do he walked back to the village and notice the wolf was by his side also walking with him. When the boy enter the village with the wolf most of the people screamed in fear and hid inside their huts. The group of men that came back with the food earlier quickly grabbed their tools and circle the boy and the wolf.

One of the men told the boy to get away. "Boy get out now so we can kill this beast and eat him." The boy quickly replied back to him. "This wolf no means of danger. He is playful and nice. Let me show Chief Yon Duck and he will decided." The group of men were quite surprise by his find and decided to let him talk to Chief Yon Duck. They escorted the boy and wolf to him and which the boy quickly showed Chief of what was going on. "See Chief this wolf means no harm. It only wants to play. Watch all you do is throw this stick and feed him when he comes back." The boy showed Chief several times of this technique and the Chief was quite pleased.

"Alright you may keep this wolf. He is still quite young and will grow up to be a big beast one day....." The chief left the boy and quickly talked to the group of men. "Tomorrow when you go hunting bring back a litter of these beast. We can teach them as this boy has done and possibly have them help us hunt." The men agreed and the village went off to sleep for the night.





Possible Tech Improvements:
Domestication I
Spear-Creation I

[Legital]

Ultan, center of the Ultanshi people

As the sun rose over the horizon, an old, frail man emerged from a small mud and wood dwelling. In his hands, he held a long animal horn, which was hollowed out. It was smoothed, and even had a slight shiny glint to it. Attached to either end, was a knot of string as to allow one to carry it on his waist when hunting. The man held the small instrument up to his lips, and with a puff, blew into it. It created a rather deep, vibrating sound. It was to signify the mark of a new day. The horn was to wake up those who still slept in their dwellings, and if they still slept, hopefully a kind person would check on their neighbor to wake them personally. After a few moments, the man blew the horn one last time before retreating into his small hut, presumably to sleep himself.

From the mans small dwelling on the far hill, the village lay centered between it and the shore. People wearing some simple furs emerged from their wood and mud dwellings, and began to move about. The stronger men met together, deciding who would lead the days hunting party. They carried with them long and some short spears, with small pointed rocks attached to them. A chip in the stick was made, and the pointed rock was smashed in. It was much stronger and sturdier than a regular sharpened stick, and it seemed to penetrate larger animals somewhat easier.

From the woods, came a group of men with some small game. They had some rabbits with them, and most impressively, what appeared to be a small wild boar. They carried these catches to the center of the huts pridefully, parading them for all to see.

Along the edges of the huts that were arranged in an almost semicircle fashion towards the sea, there was a patch of relatively flat land. In some areas, the Earth was upturned, and a man knelt down to each of those little areas. In his hands, he clutched seeds. He remembered as a boy watching trees come from the ground, but what exactly made them? Once when he dug up the smallest sprout, he found this little tiny shell at the end of the growing plant. Finding more like that, yet not growing, he decided to try it for himself. He wanted to make his own plants, and as many as he wanted.
He had all sorts of various 'seeds' with him. He even had a rock. Perhaps if he planted enough of these small rocks, larger rocks would soon appear. That would be pleasing.

Past this area, some men with odd things in their hands approached the treeline. They held things which appeared to be half spears, but with a larger sharpened rock in the middle of it. The men went up to trees, and began chipping away at them towards the bottom. They have seen men come back to the village with fallen logs, and some men began smoothing them and cutting at them with rocks. But finding fallen trees was difficult at times, so why not get them yourself? The process was hard and slow, but eventually the tree slowly fell to the ground. The men let out a cheer, a crude series of laughs and barks, and seemed to gain a new enthusiasm about their task.

Furthest from the village was a lone man, with a similar tool in his hands that the tree cutting men had. The tool was angled slightly differently, but it had the same concept. Before him, was a small gathering of rocks. How they got here, he did not know. He wanted to smooth and chip some of them down to bring back to the tool makers. They were always happy when he brought nice angled rocks to them. What he held in his hands was a testament to their work.

Raising the tool before him, he brought the tool down hard. It made a scarping sound, and seemed to barely do anything. The man sighed. "Great Ulshi, please reward me this day for my never ending work!" He struck again. And again. He continued this for some time, until he hit the rock at an odd angle, and something odd happened. Little yellow things emitted from the rock. In a quick flash. It was very odd. With his curiosity getting the better of him, he hit the rock the same way again. The thing happened again. It came very quickly, in a flash of light. The man laughed a crude laughed. It reminded him of the light in the sky when the rains came.
From his footing, he managed to push some sticks and leaves towards the rock. He struck the rock again to create the same thing, but it was not enough. His tool was degrading fast like this, but he could always get a knew one. Angling the tool in his hand, he rose it high, and crashed it down upon the rock. The thing happened again, in greater intensity, and the spark fell to the small kindling on the floor. Smoke began to come from the area it hit, and the man scrambled to his knees, getting close to the smoke. "What is this Ulshi shows me?" Then, a small light began to grow, and then he saw it. Well, he did not know exactly what it was. When the light from the sky touched trees, he saw this happen. And now it was before him. No where near as angry as the light from the sky, but kind like a small child.
He smiled wide, and watched it until it quickly died. He had to show this to the others. But he had a job first. Almost reluctantly, he stood, swinging at the rock again.

Possible Tech improvements:
Fire Creation I
Planting I

[Atelia]

The suns rising called for another day in the village. The chieftain a wise but strong man called out to the people with a shout to awaken for the days work. Many had already awoken to go the rivers to fish for food however now that everyone else is awake the village truly came to life with most going out to the fields so that they can plant the new crops. An experienced fishermen named ulag kall left early that mourning to a river where he always fishes along with a couple of other younger fishermen that he was suppose to teach. Once he reached the river he steadied his arm as his eyes caught on to a fish he then lifted up his arm and then through his harpoon into the water in the attempt to catch it however he failed.

The others then began to do the same it wasent to long before one of them caught a fish however has it became time to leave one of them had still not caught any thing but one while the other had three. He had caught five and when he saw that the boy only had one he thought to himself that this boy was just not a fisherman. As the sun just about disappear'd he and the others were almost back at the village when they heard the terrifying sound of a wolfs bark. Ulag stood tall with his weapon as he looked for the wolf with his eyes however it was only one of the domesticated wolfs along with one of the village guards. As he and the other fisherman walked pass the wolf it simply sat on the ground showing its teeth.

Once they had reached the center of the village. They put the fish that they had caught on a piece of cloth that was stretched out to cover a large stone slab. He and all of the other fishermen then went to sleep after eating some of their catch that was quickly prepared. While the others in the village then began to eat. It was however the next day that was the most astonishing one of the farmers of the village had actually managed to get one of the horse that wander through the plains to calm down and bring it to the village. Ulag learned of this when he returned from the days fishing as the fish was being prepared he saw the animal being kept in one of the larger huts as they fed it. As he ate his fish he wondered what would be the purpose of having this creature here and trying to tame it.

[Katyuscha]

It was late and the hot, night air was filled with the howls and the barks of the Trusks villagers. The women and children screetched and barked as the hunters came back from their night on the hunt. They brought with them mostly small game, such as rabbits and small birds, but two hunters in the back of the group came through dragging a dead deer by its antlers, its neck broken. While the other hunters hunted for mere small game, those two hunters spent hours stalking that deer. Eatching its every move, waiting for it to let its guard down. Then, BAM! Its neck was broken and only one of the hunters were minorly injured in the process.

The hunters dragged the dead, mangled corpses of their game into the center of the village, where the woman began ripping it apart. Some of the children watched their mothers work, while others played games with eachother on the outskirts of the village. Once all the meat had been collected, it was passed out to every villager. The men were given large chunks of deer, while the woman and children picked pieces from the rabbits and chickens. It was an important part of Trusk culture to never show skin in public, meaning the villagers ate facing away from each other, allowing them to take their facial coverings off in order to eat. They ripped the raw, bloodied meat to shreds with their ridged, primeval teeth like savages. All that could be heard was the sound of them ripping and chewibg the meat.

They finished their meals after 5 minutes and returned back to their hide huts where they lay down for the night.

[Ouearotion]

The morning sky was golden as the sun rose from the sky, it was another beautiful day for the Porugasian tribe. It had been about a week since Freguda had found the magical mud, even though it was one of the most useless things in the village, Freguda was a hero. He was famous within the village for finding this magical mud, and his fame had earned him the spot of leading a group of men towards the magical mud patch. He never became the huntsman like he wanted to be, but he was respected by all nonetheless. Now many tribespeople are still wondering why Terrika would give them such a gift without teaching them how to use its power, that's of it could be used for anything to benefit the tribe.

Chief Rafalos stepped out of his hut and screamed the awakening call as the sun arose, this way the tribespeople would get a lot done before the monster came out by sunset. Peroya was just another ten year old child, though she was a curious one. She had many ideas that when brought up to other women were call strange and crazy. Ever since Freguda arrived with the magical mud, she had always known that the magical mud could be used for something much greater then other people thought it could do. She never doubted any blessing from Terrika, if their god had given it to them it was suppose to benefit the village greatly.

As Rafalo screamed the awakening call, Peroya awoke from her leaf bed and made her way towards the tribal square where Rafalo gave a prayer and sent them on their way. Freguda led his men towards the magical mud where they would cover their bodies in it and bring it home while the other men went to fish. The women however all went to their standardized work hut, there were three different huts that did three different jobs. Hut one, eyes would retrieve the fish and gouge the eyeballs out for them to be sacrificed to Terrika. From there the fish would got to but two, skin the women there would skin the fish and use the skin as loin cloths. They then pass the fish to hut three where the remove the skeleton of the fish, sharpen the skull and store it to be used as weapons. The fish is then stored on leaves where flies can't get them so they may be eaten raw by all of the tribespeople.

Peroya worked at but two where she skinned fish all morning and afternoon. After arriving at her hut, Peroya got a fish skeleton and began peeling the skin off of her first fish. She had hated how simple her job was, skin a fish and put it aside then every hour some one would come to transfer it to hut three. Once lunchtime had arrived, all of the women left their fish to go eat fish at the square. Peroya always sat alone while eating lunch since she was dubbed crazy by the other tribeswomen. She then looked up at the sun, "The sun is beautiful, though what if we could harness its energy and send a little bit of it towards our tribe. I don't think Terrika would mind if we only used the suns power a few times a day." Peroya then continued looking up at the sky until she began to see lights in her eyes and pulled them away. "One day I'll harness it's power and use it for the good of the tribe."

Once lunchtime was over she returned to work, continuing to peel fish skins until sunset when the men arrived. She smiled as the magical mud covered man returned and threw their magical mud into the pile to never be used. Chief Rafalo then announced dinner and all of the tribespeople sat in the sqaure and ate their fish. Though once dinner was over Peroya continued looking up at the sun until it finally setted and the moon came up. "It's late, I should head to sleep so I'll be rested for tomorrow's day of work." She then retire into her but where she slept thinking about the sun before eventually falling asleep.

The next day Chief Rafalo awoke and did his awakening call like usual, and the day continued as an average Porugasian day. Though once the men covered in magical mud arrived, one of them attracted all of the villagers to the hut where the magical mud was piled by day. The first pile seemed to have hardened and had turned into rock, "The magical mud has lost its magic!?" one of the men had said bewildered as he examined another pile "But this pile is still magical!" the villagers began touching and examining the piles of magical mud until Peroya arrived "It has to be the sun's energy." She screamed as all of the villagers laughed at the crazy thought, a man then smiled "The sun is located on the outer shell of Terrika's heaven, how would it affect us down here." He said while laughing. Peroya frowned before an idea sparked into her mind, she pointed at the pile of magical mud that was collected on the second day "This will turn into stone once you men return from your jobs." She said "And if it doesn't, I will go out and fight a bear." A man stepped up "Well you better make sure that bear doesn't know how to fight." All of the villagers excluding Freguda and Peroya laughed as the headed to dinner.

Freguda smiled at Peroya, "I know you're smart Peroya, but you're fighting a battle you can't win. How about when you go fight the bear, I'll secretly hide you in a hut where no one would find you." He smiled warmly before leaving for dinner. Peroya frowned knowing that she had to trust that Terrika would be with her, she then went to dinner and sat alone before heading to bed. The next day went by as normal, and when the men had returned from gathering magical mud and fish all of the villagers had gathered inside of magical mud hut. The man from the other day walked up to Peroya "I'll make sure to give you the best fish skeletons so you can poke the bear before dying." He laughed as he walked over toward the magical mud pile and had felt that it had turned to rock. He stepped away from it and gasped "Impossible, Peroya was right! The magical mud has turned into stone!" All of the tribes members shrieked as they turned their heads toward Peroya. "The sun has hardened the magical mud with its energy there is no other explanation." The other tribespeople gasped some more as she continued " So what if we made blocks to build better huts. Then the sun would harden it and turn it to stone so we may use it." She then walked over to the third pile and molded a clump of magical mud into a brick like shape, "So I'm going to need help if we want a lot of blocks by sunset tomorrow." she said as more villagers grabbed some magical mud from the third pile and molded it into a brick. Then the third pile was turned into a pile of still magical bricks. "Let us rest today, and return back here at sunset." Peroya said while Headig out to the square for dinner.

The next evening the blocks had hardened and tribespeople decided to mold the next pile in to blocks and the next, until it was made into a job for women once the men had left to do their jobs. Hut four, blocks was led by Peroya, molding all of the piles into bricks to be used for but building. Peroya had finally harnessed the sun's energy for the god of the tribe, and had found use for the magical mud, she had officially joined Freguda as a hero and a chosen one.

[SSTxReaper]

The following day Chief Yon Duck was waiting for any knew from the "Hunters" he decided to give that name to the group of men that were chosen to hunt. The Hunters went out this morning with some children to learn how to hunt with them. He had also told the Hunters to bring back litters of wolves so they can train them. Not only that they were also getting better to fish which was good. "Now if I could teach them to farm it would be even better." Chief Yon Duck said.

As the day went on Chief Yon Duck walked around the village to observed what was going on around. Nothing interesting was going on so Chief decided to go asleep.

When he woke up it was already afternoon and the sun was starting to set. The Hunters return victorious once again. This time they caught more fish and brought back a litter of wolves. "We had to kill the mother and one of our men was bitten in the arm." Chief Yon Duck looked at the injured man. It looked like he wont make it to see the sun rise again. He took the litter of puppies and gave them to the boy. "You teach everyone here how to train these young ones."

The men began to tear open the deer and fish for the upcoming feast. Once again Chief Yon Duck did the ritual heart and the feast had started.

[Legital]

As the day went on, Chieftain Willik gathered some of the village elders. These men were older than the Chieftain, and perhaps wiser, but they were not leaders like Willik. As the elders arrived, the Chieftain had his sons pass around meat that was gathered during the morning. The men ate the meat, sinking their teeth into it and ripping it. When they were finished, whatever bones that were in the meat were tossed into a pile. No matter how small a bone was, it could be used for something. Some of the woman made beautiful necklaces out of them, and wore them for all to see. Some Children took them and played with them, imagining them being whatever their hearts desire. Many men took the bones and sharpened them into weapons and tools. It was simply unwise to let the bones go to waste.

Most of the people gathered, along with nearly every villager, wore some sort of fur around their waist. Some women wore crude fur tops, while others went about dressed in a similar fashion to the men with the simple fur skirt. The Chieftain wore the most magnificent clothing in the village. He wore a great black bear pelt, which was draped across his back. At his waist he wore a wolfs pelt. Around his neck was a bone necklace, with a rabbits skull. It was a funny story on why he wore the small rabbit skull, and almost every villager knew why. But it did not stop the children from speculating. Some of the boys say its because the rabbit was actually an evil creature created by Ulshi, and that the Chief slew it with his bare hands. Some of the girls believed that since it was a rabbits skull, it was because the Chief was kind and nice like a rabbit. No matter what it was for, the Chief almost always wore it.

Once the meal was finished and the bones taken away by the women, the Chief sat in front of the gathered elders. He looked at each of them, and nodded. "I extend my thanks to those who have come today. May Ulshi bless you all."
The men murmured a silent prayer, extending their thanks in return. "Our subject of discussion today is that of an oddity. Something unfamiliar to us." The men became quiet, politely listening to their Chief. "We know we are not alone on this land we call home. There are dark spirits in the forests at night, but there is something else. Unknown men and tribes populate this place as well. It is true, as I have seen these strangers." Some of the men spoke out, agreeing with the Chief as they too have seen the strangers, while others listened even more, wishing to hear better.

"I do not know these peoples. I do not know if they are like us. I do not know why they are here. But I fear that we will meet these people some day, and some will be hostile. I wish to know what you wise men think we should do." Immediately, voices began talking back and forth. Men argued over what was the best course to take regarding the strangers. Some said that that Ulshi put them there for us to live together with, others believed the people to be creations of dark spirits. The Chieftain listened to everyone, and made sure that those who spoke were heard.


Not too far from the Chieftains gathering, his wife and daughters sat around some fur pelts and bones. Soaoi, the Chieftains wife, cleaned the furs with a stone. She rubbed the stone across the fur, removing mud and dirt. Some parts of the fur were uneven, and using a sharp rock, she tore away the pieces. Sometimes it became cold in the village, and all people had were their fur skirts or large animal pelt they covered themselves with. Soaoit and her daughters were preparing furs for themselves and the Chieftain. "Mother, what if people could wear large pelts over their entire bodies like the animals?" One of the younger girls said. Soaoi smiled, and looked at her daughter. "But how can we? Ulshi did not grant us fur like bears or wolves." The girl knew this, and she picked up a wolf pelt which was a little bigger than herself. She wrapped it around her, and grabbed the leg piece and crossed it over her shoulder. The paw now touched the back of the pelt at her shoulder. "See? I can look like a wolf!" Soaoi laughed, and so did the daughters. But after a moment, she took a closer look at the pelt. The claws were ripping into the back of the pelt, and made it reluctant to fall off of her body.

Grabbing a small piece of sharp bone, Soaoi approached her daughter and the pelt. "My daughter, I think we can be blessed with fur after all!" She stuck the bone through the paw, and into the back of the pelt. She slowly backed away as the bone loosely held the pelt in place. The daughters stopped their laughing, and looked on in awe. The young girl no longer had to hold the fur pelt. It stuck to her body without anything but the small bone piece. The outfit was crude, but it was something. Perhaps in the future Ulshi would bless them with more pelts, and they could arrange them as full robes. It would provide warmth to most of the upper and lower body, although it left most of the legs exposed. "Come, my daughters. No more play, let us clean these furs."


As the day neared the afternoon, the men who felled the trees in the early morning rolled them closer to the village. The men who crafted the wood nodded their approval. They could make larger items now since they had many more logs than before and no longer had to use one log for many tools. As the men talked about their achievement, the lone man from the woods returned. He had only two rocks with him. One looked to be the head of his tool, while the other was an odd color. He stopped and talked to the men with the fallen trees, exchanging greetings. When they inquired about the rock, he shook his head. "I must bring these to the Chief. Come and see if you wish." The men, curious, followed.

The Chieftain saw the man and the small group approach his little huddle of elders. Chieftain Willik rose, and bowed his head in a formal greeting. "Greetings my sons, what brings you here?" It was not rare for villagers to approach the meeting, but this many was rare. The lone man from the woods, named Sanguis, bowed deeply. "Ulshi has shown me great fortune! He has shown me how to create gentle light, unlike the angry light in the sky when it rains!" The men hushed themselves, and looked on it bewilderment and curiosity. "Watch closely!"

Sanguis knelt down, and gathered some of the dry grass and twigs on the ground. He placed the stone next to the pile, and with the angled rock, he struck down. It sparked, and a gasp arose from the gathering. He struck the stone again, and again, and finally, the grass began to smolder. He stared at it, smiling, and looked up to the Chieftain. "Can you see? It is a great blessing!" The Chieftain smiled wide, and let out a hearty laugh. "This is truly a blessing from the great Ulshi!"

[Marzarbul]

The sounds of chanting and stomping reverberated throughout the forest as the tribe celebrated another kill brought in by the hunting parties that day along with the prosperous harvest they had finished collecting. These new crops provided a blessing and a curse upon the tribe as it allowed them to reap a bountiful amount, it was too much for them to eat over several days. As such the tribe was trying to think of ways to preserve the newly gained crops. This matter was however a small problem compared to the recent positives that had affected the tribe since their recent discoveries. Now instead of darkness dominating the village it was as bright as day time with a central roaring camp fire with flames extending high into the sky. This was truly a blessed time for the Durial tribe and as the tribe chanted the sound of howling interspersed the ritual. These howls however were not met with the usual fear as they came from the throats of seated wolves lounging about with the villagers. Several even were gnawing on spare bones from the animal roasting over the fire. Out of the twelve wolves that they had found that day in the forest only four had survived to become permanent members of the tribe; their names were Fang, Snarl, Claw, and Demon. So far the wolves were proving to be an immense boon as they increased the security of the village by warning them of any intruding animals or people. By having the wolves it combated the negative that the new fire pits attracted many unwelcome eyes in the night. With the fire though, the former raw meat the tribe once sustained itself on was becoming to be replaced by cooked food more regularly leading to a healthier diet along with less disease. In addition to these advancements the various buildings in the village were slowly becoming more permament as the wood being chopped down in the forest was being brought into the camp and being used for some rough building materials. Making many of the buildings a mix of wood, hay, and rocks depending on how each part went together.

After several more minutes of chanting the villagers flopped down upon the earth breathing heavily after their exertions. Those villagers seated instantly began to clap and yell their approval for how long the chant went on for it was known the longer the ritual the stronger the prayer. Then the tribe quietened down as High Chief Jakarta stood up from his chair with his hands upraised. "My fellow brothers and sisters of the Durial tribe. I High Chief Jakarta Stormborn greet you all this first of the harvest days this year and wish you all many more to come. Now we have much more than the harvest to celebrate this year. This year my sons Tayala and Harial have both accomplished deeds that shall be remembered by our tribe for years to come for they have been blessed by the Sky and the Forest. Our tribe now commands the devils of the woods and the fire from the sky. With these blessings we have grown stronger than before with little to fear. I wish to proclaim now that I call my two sons who have each shown themselves to be favored by the spirits to rule equally once I am gone. Let the Durial tribe forever more be ruled by their children together and may the spirits watch over them for time immemorial."

At this last statement many around the village were stunned into a momentary minute of silence as the hierarchy of the camp was slightly overturned somewhat but the silence was broken by the laughter and celebration of the brothers who immediately began dancing around the fire in excitement. With these two brothers in agreement with their fathers judgement the rest of the village joined in and soon the entire village was in revelry around the campfire yelling and singing. However, while the tribe of Durial celebrated their newest achievements that night they were being silently watched in the hills of the forest by something that none of them would have guessed even existed; another human being.

[Steel Confessors]

As the sun rose for what seemed the umpteenth time again over the Kasr, the golden rays of sunlight flickered across the mostly wooden village and the various etched locations marking out the various sets of property and areas for land. The huts were built against the various faces of rock and sections of the mountains and highlands upon which they were built. The Kasr prided themselves on the organization at which they pushed at, keeping things well maintained and ready for the next generation and the wisdom they would bring. The various ditches that lined the dirt paths had been washed out by fresh rains, leaving the settlement an almost clean appearance.

In the central portion of the small village was the main council chambers for the elders, built high majestically with ornate decorations carved from bone and dyed paintings from the nearby pigments of the various plant growth. The various murals depicted wildlife as well as the ever-progressing history of the Kasr. Built around the central building on leveled pieces of earth were the huts of the villagers, basic in their construction of twigs and thatch. To the south was the vast ocean, the end of the world as some called it. If it was such, the Kasr often made the joke that if the ocean truly was the edge of the earth then they can only progress forward. Dotting the nearby landscape of the village were the various observation posts of the town guard.

One of the only villages, and perhaps the first, with a dedicated military of about forty individuals, mostly men, the Kasr always did regard the threat from animals and their own kind as the greatest of many. As such a team of full-time soldiers, the Kasrkin, trained and drilled in the ways of war with spears, striking quickly before lunging back. The various positions were disguised with brush and foliage in a sparse attempt to hide them while also providing minor shelter for the individuals guarding the Kasr.

To the north built into the rocky soil were the farms that fed and supplied the village. It was mostly fields of corn and barley, the barley for bread and beer while the corn added a vegetable supplement to the mainly meat and protein diet. However, added to the side, as if an afterthought, was a small shack with a long snaking fence of wood encompassing a grassy knoll. The knoll itself had much the same crops as the farming fields but added to the neat and ordered rows of the crops was a selection of hollow reeds pulled from the shoreline's vegetation that were split in half before being woven into a network of tunnels and rows, running along the furrows of the field.

Built by Opoo, the network was designed to better manage and run the the rains along dedicated channels, evenly spreading the gift from the sky to the crops increasing the water flow to each individual plant and theoretically increasing crop yield. Opoo even had plans to eventually build tanks and wells to store the water from the rains giving a steady flow of water even during the drier times. However, that was out of the hands of the fellow, resources and time simply unavailable.

Added to the mix as well was the various dung of plant-eating animals, full of nutrients and vitamins for the plants. While he had no idea that such things existed, it was simply an idea garnered from the evidence of plant life flourishing from the manure of plant animals. He had considered doing such as well with the predators of the island, but simply observation again told otherwise. The carnivore's feces simply killed and left simply patches of dead vegetation.

After several weeks of hard work, Opoo stood at the edge of his field, glancing over it with anticipation and equal amounts of trepidation. The village thought ambivalently towards him, but there was always the risk of failure and his field simply dying out. The consequences of wasting resources such as that was grave and he dreaded the possibilities.

[Lackadaisical2]

Raeland, Late Winter
As the most Southern portion of the Island, winter rarely brought freezing weather, but today was such a day. Snow covered the ground and the Raeling huts in a chilly blanket. Inside, the Raelings huddled together and shivered as their fires burned low, the easy downed wood near the village long ago depleted. And so in the relatively large hut of Braegan, the fire was nearly out.

"We must go and search for wood, far out from the village" his first wife, Eva, begged, with a concerned hand on her daughter's cool face.

"You go and find some then." Braegan said with disdain. He didn't want to bestir himself, and this was a chore Eva often pestered him about.

Eva huffed and rose to a crouch (as high as the low ceiling would allow, she gathered the older children and two others of Braegan's wives and went in search of wood far from the village. The snow was cold on their unshod feet, but they pressed on anyway, their calloused feet used to some abuse. Eventually they came upon an area of dense forest which looked ripe for finding old wood to burn, and the children and women split up to scavenge through the area. The tall pines left a thick screen of branches, blocking out the wind as well as the family of Braegan from one another.

When her feet began to feel too cold and she had collected enough wood, Eva called out to gather the others, and many shouts went out through the forest as the group of women and children re-convened. But after many minutes, Lubjova, Eva's little daughter with hair the color of straw had not returned with the rest.

"Go on back home, I shall find Lubjova myself, that girl is always wandering off." Eva said to them with irritation in her voice. And so it was that half an hour later, near the edge of the copse that Eva found Lubjova. Her body was sprawled on the ground will blood everywhere and her intestines pulled from her body, a fox now at her, nibbling at her still warm insides, each piece wriggling with each shake of the fox's like some macabre worm. The creature perked up at Eva's cry, wrinkled it's bloody muzzle and ran off into the scant underbrush outside of the copse.

Later that day, Braegan organized the many fit men in the village to go wreak vengeance upon the creatures who had killed Lubjova. They traveled first to where her body still laid and while some took her back to the village to be buried, the rest followed the bloody foot prints, leading one way and then eventually they came upon the prints of wolves in the snow. The men followed these anxiously, hand axes and spears at the ready and Braegan leading the way, his bravery strengthened by anger. It was all to often that the Raelings were taken by wolves, for the animals were plenty in these areas and while the Rael were strong fighters they spent more time sowing fields than hunting dear and other animals.

After a long journey, the hunting party found the wolf pack, the disturbed snow leading to them sure as an arrow. The men surrounded the pack of 8 wolves and at the shout of Braegan ran to attack. Teeth flashed, stone-tipped spears and crude hand axes were swung with might and bravery. In the end all 8 wolves were killed, and Braegan had many cuts, while one men lay dead, his throat torn out by the vicious grey wolf which seemed to have been the pack leader. Another man lay on the ground crying and then moaning as he tried to stop the excessive bleeding from his leg, eventually he went silent, and then closed his eyes.

The next day Lubjova was buried with green pine boughs to cover her torn out stomach and a fine bone necklace around her so that the Unnamed God would know her as a friend in the otherworld. The Rael had a feast to send her off, flush with the meat from the vengeance that Braegan and the other men had brought to the wolves. The meat was tough, but better than eating beans or millet again, and if cooked properly was quite good.

When next Braegan's family needed wood for their fire, he went with them and cleared out the low branches so they might see each other, and he would bring back those branches for the fire too. And whenever the tracks of wolves were spotted, or a man or woman or child was killed, Braegan and the other Raelmen would gather and hunt the beasts down if they could, the men learned from their fights and it soon became less dangerous to hunt the beasts.

Raeland, Early Spring
The Rael were out in their stream-bound fields, a bright sun warming the damp earth where men and women used sticks to poke holes while children followed after, dropping a seed (or two if they were clumsy) into each hole and covering it over again with dirt. The Rael depended heavily on their fields, while they could hunt, they weren't particularly good at tracking of animals and did not know much of their prey. As such planting time was very serious and the people worked from dawn til dusk, planting their various crops on the village's communal fields. While most used sticks to poke holes for the seeds, some men, tired at the pace of the poking used longer sticks, and where the ground was soft enough, would simply drag their hand ax through the ground, making a crude furrow. The work was still back-breaking, and suitable to only a few areas... most scoffed at the practice, calling those who used it 'beavers' thinking the ax trailing behind their steps to look like the wide tail of the rodent.

Spring was a time of relative peace for the Rael, as wolves were interested in easier prey, new foals and such and their work kept their hands from idleness. Come summer these fields would be rich with plants of all sorts, some to be harvested early, while some roots could spend years underground. The Rael foraged year-round too, for the planting was not always successful and some plants were too difficult to grow, and women would often return from a trip into the untamed woods and fields with sweet berries or strong tasting herbs which made for special treats.

[Katyuscha]

It was a new day and the Trusk people began to crawl out if their huts and into the sunlight. They immediately got to work improving their village. The woman went to gather berries from nearby bushes, the children serached for any recently dead animals, and the men left for the hunt. They didn't do so quietly. They ran through the woods with sticks in their habds, howling and barking in a language that soubded no different from that of an animal. They were pack hunters, using scare tactics to herd frightened animals into traps or off cliffs, where the rest of the pack would finish them off.

The hunters moved through the woods like locusts. Some ran, while others crawled on all fours. After about 10 minutes of runni g and screaming, they found their prey. Two deer who were standing idly in a small field. They then stopped running and fell quiet. The deers picked their heads up for a moment nervously, but went back to eating. The lead hunter, a hulking monster, crept forward quietly, hiding in the tall grass. He and a number of other hunters crawled closer and closer to the deer, surrounding them from all sides. Meanwhile, the remaining hunters began to climb the nearby trees where they sat and waited with arrowheads and big stick in hand.

Suddenly, the lead hunter spung from the grass barking as loud as he could while running straight for the deers. The others followed and soon they were chasing the two deer into the forest where the other hunters lay waiting. The deers ran gor their lives, trying to escape the hunters using every ounce of energy in their body to escape. They soon reached the trees where the hunters were waiting. As the two deer ran into the trees, a group of smaller hunter jumped from the trees, landing on top of one. The deer struggled, but one of the hunters was able to successfully wrestle it to the ground and break its neck. The other deer escaped with its life after knocking a hunter off its back. The hunters then dragged the body back to the village.

On their way, they came across a large patch of mud. While some people thought that mud was useless, the Trusk saw it as a godsend. In the hot, arid conditions that they lived in, they enjoyed the cooling effect the mud had and would often lay in it for hours keeping them cool abd their skin soft. If a Trusk was lucky enough to come across some nud, he would usualky drop what ever he was doing and bring as much of it back to his hut as he could. There was another thing the mud was good for though. When the mud dried, it became hard and the Trusk have taken to using them to make dolls and other entertaining items. Some people even through the mud onto the the outside of their huts where it would harden forming a cooling outer shell.

So, the hunter gather as much mud they could carry and brought it back to the village. When they arrived the found that one of the children had been injured by a wolf attack, but was saved by his mother, whowas able to beat the wolf off and scare it away. The childs leg had a large gash and he was taken to the village healer, who was hiven the task of tending the childs wounds without looking at the bare skin. Not a very effective method, but it worked for the most part.

The villager sat around a fire facing away from eachother and ate. The hunters had only brought back enough food for one night and so they would be up and hunting again firrst thing in the morning, tomorrow.

[G-Tech Corporation]

The sun rises and sets, its flaming form twining with the white rays of the moon in an endless dance as days spin into weeks, weeks spin into months, and months into years.

On the face of Mareal a whole generation rises and falls, and now it is the province of their descendants to dictate the course of their respective nations. Man advances incrementally, stepping forward tenuously, his recent innovations further distinguishing him from the creatures that roam his island. Populations of the hairless ape swell, and his brain and use of tools begins to re-shape the nature of the island paradise. Forests begin to fall to crude axes, vegetation is obedient to the wishes of the one who carefully planted it, and even the animals of the isle have now begin to recognize man's dominance.

The brilliant star rises from its watery cradle, and a new day dawns on new clusters of men on their island home. Nearly half a century has flitted by, and man continues to stretch his limits, striding towards his position of lord of this world.

[Liugark]

East of the Big Mountain

The sun set early,and the light illuminated the small valleys which
tingled between the hills.

In the background the majestatic mountains reflected the light
of the bright disk,showing themselves in all their glory.

The Arapheans came out of their little mudhuts,some of them reinforced
with leaves and brush.

Uphabi,the young hunter,watched how the farmers began their work.
As they planted small seeds in the earth,they covered it with the same
earth they just digged a hole in.Uphabi was confused by this.How
could something grow,when it´s limited by the earth ?´

Farmers were not his kind,and so he didn´t have to worry.
As he turned his head to watch the sunrise in the east,he catched
something in his sight.A little bird hopped around on the ground,
only a few meters away from him.He succesfully digged out a little
plant,picking it up with his beak.The bird was distracted,and Uphabi
used his chance.With a qucik thrust of his wooden spear he pierced
the small bird.Then he kneeled down to pick the little bird up,but when
he did so he touched the earth were the bird dug around the plant.
The earth was moist,and Uphabi started to wonder.Is this nescessary ?
Water ? The elder farmers always told him about how a seed needs sunlight
to actually grow,but they never mentioned water.

Excited he sprinted down to the little unregular field the farmers were working on.
"Water ! Water !" The farmers looked at him bewildered,as no one of them
was armed and a young hunter who went crazy was a worrying thing.

"What ? Water ? If you feel thirsty,visit the blue stream.There is water."

"Water..for the plants !"

The farmers were still irritated.What did the juvenile Araphean mean ?
Uphabi ran to the little stream,filling his hands with water.
He ran back to the farmers and splashed the water on the ground,where
the seeds were planted.

"Water is good for the plants.Will help them grow !"

-------

Hasham was a young kid.He was playful,and sometimes unnerving to his surroundings.
They often gave him stones he could throw so he was distracted with something.
Hasham felt left out,what made him angry.So he often went to his own stone.
This stone was no usual stone.No! It was his.And it was big.It was bigger than some
of the hills !

And so,Hasham spend a lot of days throwing small stones at his big stone.
This day,Hasham got send away again.And he was angry again !
So he took a couple of small stones,marched to his big stone and started to
threw his ammunation.It was a windy day,and some small bushes have
been carried to the big stone by the wind.

Hasham enjoyed his throwing.It was fun.Sometimes,when a small stone
hit his big stone,it made little suns.He even touched one of this sounds
once accidently.It hurted.A lot of small suns came off the big stone today.

When one of this small suns touched the bushes,and the sun became bigger.
Hasham was scared,and returned to his mother.He begged her to come with him,
he cried and shouted.Finally,he got her moving.Unnerved by her little son,she
soon was terrified by the fire that has set the other small bushes and brush
on fire,too.

The elder started to ask what Hasham did,and how he made this.And after
an hour of asking,Hasham eventually explained how he discovered fire:

"I throwed my small stones,and when they hit my big stone,they made small
suns.Then the suns fell down.And then the bush was a sun! "

[Legital]

Ultan, capital of the Ultanshi

Its been a little while since the morning call, and a cool breeze settled itself over Ultan. The great, puffy white clouds rolled over the modest village, effectively blocking out the sun for a short time, plunging the village into a momentary shade and coolness. The sound of laughter and talking was carried in the wind. Children chased each other around the roughly rectangular wooden and mud dwellings, occasionally stopping as they were admonished by an elder for being reckless before running off again.
Young men gathered with friends and family, grabbing their spears and axes, and set off in various sizing groups into the woods to kill small or large game for their meat, fur, and their ever useful bones. Older men sat outside their modestly built wooden dwellings, and used their stone and wooden tools to shape the wood that was brought back from the forest. As the village expanded, room had to be made, so there was no shortage on wood for the crafters or for families looking to build new dwellings.

In the center of the village, the Chieftains longhouse looked much more different than it did, say, fifty years ago. It was still rectangular in shape, and instead of crude mud walls with a wooden frame, the walls were mostly wooden with mud in between them as to allow them to stay in place. It was like a larger design of the average dwelling. Windows were etched into the walls, allowing light to enter. When the weather was unforgiving, or the Chieftain wished for privacy, all he had to do was cover the window with a fur which attached to the wall just above the window itself.

Outside of the longhouse was a new edition. A roughly circular pit was dug, which in the middle of it a nicely sized fire danced. Upon the discovery of creating fire, Chieftain Willik wished for a never ending source. It took time to figure out what to do, but all they had to do was keep a steady supply of small logs in the fire. The fire devoured the wood quickly, and was still unpredictable, but they had it.
As the ash built up, some would scrape it away and use it to smear on their faces for decoration. Most of the hunters used the ash to prevent the sun from glinting off their sweat in the forest when they were hunting game. To think, the use of ash was discovered by a mere child who liked to play in the dirt!

Around the buildings of the village, a crude two to three foot wall was erected. When the time came years ago when dirt had to be moved, it took a great while to excavate it with your hands, or a stick. So one crafter took an angled tree branch, and smoothed one end of it, creating a sort of 'scoop'. That's what the villagers called it, a scoop. It was useful in moving the earth in modest amounts. When one man broke his scoop, all he had was the flat, smooth piece. It was hard to carry dirt with, but he could place a few good sized rocks on it and carry either side of the broken scoop like a tray. Thus, some crafters smoothed out wood into trays to aide in the transportation of materials. Most people still carried things with their hands, but it was a nice thing to have around at times.

Perhaps the greatest thing to the Ultanshi people were their farms. Corn and potatoes were planted in neat rows towards the back of the village. When planted near the sea, the crops seemed to wither and die quickly. Perhaps the foul tasting water was foul to the plants and ground in the area as well? That's what the farming men thought, and they avoided the land like it was an ill omen to stand upon.

---

Over the next few days, a young man named Loken took a quiet stroll over near the ocean on the beach. He was the son of a woodcutter, and thus followed in his fathers footsteps. He helped families construct their dwellings, as he was relatively skilled in the manipulation of lumber. He had his mind on the construction of a massive dwelling, as tall as the trees, and he dreamed of having a family living in it. Pure fantasy, but it would have been amazing. But in his pensive state, he seemed to have walked into some mud. Or, something odd looking and feeling like mud.

Loken walked out of the visibly grey patch of material. He noticed that his feet left an imprint in the material. If it was mud, it would have sloshed about and his footprint would have disappeared. This was not the case. Stepping into the discolored earth again, another imprint was made. "How odd." He said aloud to himself. He knelt down, and placed his hand into it. It was cool, cooler than the sand on the beach. He grabbed a handful of it, and noticed the hole in the earth kept its shape.

The material discolored his hand, and it was somewhat watery. Confused, he simply examined it for a few moments. With his other hand, he clasped the material and held it with both hands. If it took the shape of his feet and hand, then perhaps....Just as he thought. He molded the material into a rough square. It was a very interesting substance he discovered. It would take whatever shape he wished. Perhaps it could be a substitute to the runny mud? Yes, it could be. But the material itself was soft, and if he held it at an angle, it fell apart. He frowned. "What on this island had Ulshi placed here?" He said aloud again. It was as if it was mud, earth, and water at the same time!

He messed around with the material for a good half-hour. He noticed around the edges where the substance met the earth, it became hardened, like wood. He did not know what caused that. He scooped up some more of the substance, and placed it in little squares on a nearby rock. His hand left little indention's in the substance, and he wondered if when he came back, they would retain that shape. He would come back to those later. First, he had to show the village his discovery. With a handful of the substance, he marched back off to the village, content on what he had found.

Possible technology advancements:
Brick-making
Carpentry

[Steel Confessors]

Opoo's plan worked marvelously, expanding the plant and crop yield wonderfully, filling the fields and farms with grain and vegetables. Added to the irrigation system was even Opoo's idea of putting in small reservoirs of water harvested from the melting snows of the mountains and the various streams nearby. An idea was put forth of the possibility of water being underground, stored in vast caverns underground. The theory was put aside, considered folly by the elders. Water? Underground? Preposterous.

However, Opoo was now dead and gone, leaving behind a family and a significant standing in the Kasr. However, with the belief of Opoo being re-interred within the flesh vessels of his family, high expectations were placed upon them with the idea of producing the best and brightest and expanding the village yet again.

Partially considering this in the fields of his father, sat Ola, Kasrkin of the tribe. He was deep in meditation considering how to properly assist his people. Ideas and designs abounded in his primitive mind, but he had yet to master the means in which to build them. He imagined vast aquifers to carry water from the mountains down to his village and fields, irrigating them year round as well as providing a much better plumbing system to his people. He imagined vast structures of stone, massive in scope and design. The idea of soldiers amassed in rank and file, a brilliant and sparkling material cladding them.

He shook his head slightly. If anything that was his father forecasting the future from his now omniscient view from the otherside. Ola longed for his father, the man brilliant for his time. The descendant staggered up to his feet, brushing off dirt from the backs of his legs. He glanced around, studying the fields. He considered a recent issue. With the increased abundance of the fields it became more difficult to properly harvest and use all of the food before it spoiled on the vine or branch leaving a surplus of wasted food and effort. It was a bit of a bitter taste Ola thought, especially to his father to have produced so much to simply waste it.

He concluded a better method of harvesting must be devised, formed and practiced. He sat back, glancing around at the available materials and sat thinking. With a snap of his fingers and a brief 'Ah!' Ola had it. He stood up and trekked back into the village, expanded and grown since the time of his father. The paths were much more worn and the various ducts trailing away the waste into the sea used his same irrigation method, lining the ditches with reeds. The structures were a little better built as well, formed by using mud-bricks.

Ola's sister came up with the idea no less. She had taken mud and left it out to the sun to see it hardened. It was brittle however and easily cracked when tapped or trod upon. To solve this integrity issue, she had tucked wasted grass and wheat stalks and formed it into orderly rows encased within mud. The result was a much stronger and more usuable material and gradually buildings were being built or even rebuilt with the new building material, tossing by the wayside some of the older stick and twig buildings. However, thatch was still used for the roof, a plan not quiet yet formed for the materials that wouldn't run the risk of collapsing on its on weight.

Ola eased into his home, and found pieces of flint left by the doorway, chipped and left behind. He collected them and grabbed a nearby stick. He put the twig into his lap, a thick oak from the look of it decent in heft and surely grand in terms of integrity. Taking the sharp pieces of flint he set them onto the horizontal sides of the stick, tapping them into the wood with small taps from a hammer stone.

After a few smashed thumbs and pricked fingers, causing the handle to almost be slick with red as the nick on his thumb just wouldn't stop bleeding. He stood up though and glanced over his creation, adjusting its weight in his hand. It was about a foot and a half long with chips of flint tapped into two sides of the wood directly horizontal from each other. Each was sharp and finely set, although brittle if they came into anything harder than wood.

Ola rushed into the field, elated and eager to test his creation. Finding his way into Opoo's field he took position near a few stalks of barley. With a grunt he swung his makeshift scythe, cutting the stalks of the wheat down like, pardon the pun, chaff. He let out a shout of joy. His invention worked! With this production would be increased and collection of the fruits of the farmer's labors would be that much easier to obtain, a step closer to proper harvesting.

Possible advancement: Harvesting
Brick-Making
Also previously Planting

[Marzarbul]

The Village of the Durali

It had been fifty cycles the elders tell us of the discovery of fire and the taming of wolves. The brothers Tayala and Harial have been buried deep beneath the earth though their monuments and children still live on. Even the pronouncement of having two leaders ruling the tribe was kept as well in order to insure the favor of the spirits though the Stormborns were still ruling upon their hill. The village itself was a sprawling mass of mud and wooden buildings with those in the center being much more sturdy and lived in. The former woods that seemed to be surrounding the small village was no longer as menacing after fifty years of clearing. Soon the forest was only on one side of the village and the ocean could be clearly seen now with no large vegetation in sight. This removal of the forest lands had to be done to both support the creation of new houses and the planting of more fields and crops. Even with the clearing of the woods there were still many who feared to trespass too deeply into its folds and still the howling of wolves in the forest meant doom upon the unlucky ones still in it.

In addition, the taming of wolves had been increase so that now there were over thirty of the tamed wolves wandering around the village with names like Winter's Scorn and Blade Tooth. The fires that once were sent from the sky were now such a common occurrence amongst the villagers that they no longer feared its flames and now many knew of the secret of Harial now. This story will focus on one such individual who seemed to inherit Harial's innate curiosity and desire for fire. His name is Craggock Stormborn, cousin of the chiefs of Stormborn, and currently the Head Woodsman of the Durali tribe. Now Craggock was not a very young man, having lived through over thirty cycles many feared that his death would be soon and that soon another Headman would be needed. But those fears would usually be quieted upon seeing how quickly the man could fell a tree with only several strokes of his stone axe. His face was rugged with a deeper bronze color than was normal with those of the warmer north and his eyes were a deep ocean blue. A color that many in the village found to be enthralling and a clear sign that he was born of the sea spirits. This legend although flattering was false. Craggock was simply born by the one the village knew as the Outsider. A pale skinned man who claimed he was from another tribe of man but of course this was impossible. He was simply a lost Durali that had become scared pale by the horrors in the forest. So they had taken pity on him and he had mated with the daughter of an uncle of High Chief Jakarta.

With genealogy set aside Craggock inherited both the man's eyes and the various other ideas and tongues of his former tribe. Though these ideas were nothing more special than were the best place to set your tent up and the best time of the night to look at the stars. That day as the sun began to set Craggock was singing in his fathers tongue as he usually did when he ventured into the forest alone believing that his father's spirit would protect him from any dangers that might befall him. As he sang he hefted his stone axe upon his shoulder and looked behind his shoulder at the grey wolf dogging his trail with a slight smirk upon its face.

"Come on Iron Tail, if you do not hurry I believe your master might find a better service for you warming his feet at night," said Craggock jokingly as he stopped to wait for his wolf to catch up. Iron Tail just simply looked up at Craggock and turned his head sideways as if he was determining whether or not his masters threat was real or imaginary. Suddenly deciding that his master would surely never harm him he bounded past him and headed up the worn trail. Smiling at the antics of Iron Tail he was still amazed how the old dog found such energy to go bounding off into the forest like that. Eventually the two reached the end of the trail and the beginning of the deep woods. The sun above was barely shimmering through the trees and gaps between their foliage was few and far between. In the deep woods however it looked as if it were perpetual darkness and even though he might be the Head Woodsmen of the tribe he did not dare challenge the supremacy of the Deep Wood.

Standing there staring into the wood he was almost mesmerized by the trees there and for a second in the corner of his eye he swore he saw something there. Quickly spinning to his right he glanced around the trees but saw neither a creature nor Durali. After a few short breaths he calmed himself down and began to look for the red dye marking the tree he was to cut for that day. Seeing it a couple of meters to the right he moved towards his mark with a quite assurance though in the back of his mind the specter of the deep woods was still haunting him. Nearing the trunk of the tree he began to take a few experimental swings as if in his mind he were preparing in a single blow to take down the giant timber with one blow.

'A one, a two, a three...," murmured Craggock until he heard the sound of howling coming from the deep wood. Quickly pivoting on the spot he raced towards the crying of his wolf and then entered the deep wood. Going deeper and deeper into the deep woods his heart was beating out of control as if it were being pounded into the grinding stone. Cupping his hands to his mouth he began hollering out, "Iron Tail, Iron Tail, Where are you?" The sound seemed to be absorbed by the trees surrounding him and soon even the sound of the howling stopped. All was quiet in the forest except for his breathing. In and out. In and out. With each step another faltering step forward and that was when he smelled the choking fumes of smoke. Fire. Then Iron Tail quickly bounded past him emerging from a small undergrowth of vegetation with a crazed look in his eye as he headed back towards the village. Craggock knew that he had better do the same and warn the village of the possible impending doom. Hefting his axe as best he could the woodsman went off like a rocket back towards his village jumping over rocks and roots like a graceful deer. As he entered the outermost boundary of the village he began to scream, "Fire! Fire! Fire in the deep woods!"

Soon hundreds of villagers began scrambling for safety farther towards the cost and began to move all their possessions with them as well. After many had moved away from their homes towards the coast many could see the large pillar of smoke coming off from the forest and many prayed that it would stay there. The village thus gathered stayed their until nightfall when mercifully the sky opened up and it began to rain. At this they felt safe enough to return to their homes though Craggock did set a watch at the forest just in case the fire tried to creep up on them in the night. Overall the experience had scared Craggock deeply and for many months afterwards he would not dare tread near the deep wood for fear of upsetting whatever lived there which could create Harial's Gift.

[Liugark]

Snip.

[Atelia]

A fishermen by the name Velt Kall began his walk to a river that he normally fishes at every day. In the time that has passed since last spoken of somethings have changed. Ever since the day that a horse was brought to the village and fed. The people continued to herd the animals and some who got on top of the animals originally to control it realized that they could ride on them to get to places faster once they have had some time to learn how to ride them with control. It was then carved on the stone in the center of the village that all members of the tribe when they are of little age must start learning how to ride on them. More horses were herded together in to the village so that the growing population of the tribe would have enough horses. Originally they would have grass in hand as they slowly approached the creature and then gently stroke its head as it ate out of their hand and then they led it towards the village with more food. However now they have a population of horses sizable enough so that they can just breed from the horses they already have this is done for the reason that they believe that they shouldn't have to depend on getting them from the wild.

However we are to return our focus on Velt Kall for today is the upbringing of an idea that will greatly affect the people of his village forever. As the man looked into the water and attempted time and time again to catch a fish he thought to himself about how difficult it is to catch fish and how the best chance of doing so is when they have no where to go.That's when he began to think of ways to trap the fish ideas included trapping the fish by surrounding it with rocks and throwing sand into the water to blind it. However as you would think neither of those ideas worked very well but then he had the idea of using some animal skin to try to scoop the fish out of the water and it worked sorta. The water was heavy and it was still hard to get the fish but when a small hole was pierced into it by a jagged rock he then tried and noticed how much smoother the attempt was when he saw the hole and realized that water was coming out of it as it became lighter he then knew that it was the water that was so heavy. And when he saw that the hole got rid of the water but not the fish he started making holes in it with his harpoon and when he tried again it worked perfectly. And as the sun went down he was eager to show the others what he discovered.

That night when he arrived at the village he told everyone of his find and in the mourning he along with many others were to see this new better way of fishing they rode there on horse back so that they could arrive at the river as soon as they could when they were there and Velt Kall showed them how much easier it would be to fish using this sack with holes in it he called this way of fishing netting. Once they saw what needed to be seen they reported back to the chieftain and told him what they saw after hearing of this the chieftain said that they see into it that it is improved however it could be. And then when they are done with that they are to inform and give out these nets out to the other fishermen he decide'd to call them nets since Velt said that the method be called netting. The men of the village agreed that deer skins be used for nets which now had considerably more open gaps in it then before. All of the fisherman were to receive one so that they could have more fish to eat. As the sun goes down on this day you should now see the things that have happened.

[Chazicaria]

The village of the Chazics was a humble sight. About 2 dozen small mud huts dotted the few acres the settlement inhabited. Each hut consisted of a dug out, about 3 feet deep, and a crude mud brick wall, about 6 feet tall, that surrounded it. The primitive roofs consisted of anything the villagers could put together, whether it be ruined animal pelts, large vegetation, sticks, or tree bark; there was also a hole of about a foot diameter. Each house was between 8-14 feet wide and in a rounded square shape. Around the settlement was a 3-4 foot mud wall with sticks pointed outwards every few inches. In the center of the village was a larger than average hut in a rectangular shape decorated with various skulls and bones.

It was dawn, and most of the tribe was gathered outside this hut, conversing and preparing for the day's activities. The tribe's Huntsmen had recently brought in a good-sized haul of various animals, including a large buck with a very large set of antlers. As was custom, the Chief would present the antlers to the Huntsman that killed the beast. The Huntsman would then include them on his clothing. A few minutes passed, and drums began to beat. The deep sound of animal bones pounding against hides stretched over hollowed out tree trunks permeated the air around the camp. People began to dance, moving their limbs to the rhythm of the beat. The Huntsmen began rapidly lifting their sharpened sticks in the air, some even throwing them up and catching them. The lone Huntsman who had killed the animal sat kneeling about 20 feet in front of the Chief's house, facing the entrance. An altar to the various gods was right at his back, and the shaman was standing on top, chanting the same phrase over and over,

"Shandrag, Great One who hunts and fights! Bless our efforts! Etmrag, Great One who builds and births! Bless our efforts! Aelrag, Great One who shows us friendship, Bless our efforts!"

Just as it seemed as if the village couldn't get wilder, the elder stepped out of his tent with a blank expression on his face. Everything stopped, and everyone stared.

"This Huntsman. Tolrak Ultag," the Chief, Ultag Za, announced in a powerful, deep voice, "He has distinguished himself and his family. His forefathers smile on him this day."

Tolrak thought back to the moment he killed the beast. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins as he sprinted into the ravine they had cornered the deer in. One Huntsman had already thrown his spear into the beast's abdomen, and it had slowed significantly. Tolrak took the chance to chase after the beast as it sloppily ran into the dead end ravine. Cornered, the beast took its chance and charged at Tolrak. With reflexes bestowed on him by the gods, he stabbed his spear through the neck of the deer and hopped to his right, avoiding the collapsing animal.

"It is on behalf of Shandrag that I award Tolrak with the bounty of the beast!" Shouted the Chief as he lifted the antlers into the air violently.

Tolrak thought of the antlers charging at him. He seemed to know to avoid them, as he knew that those who didn't were sent to Shandrag. Then he thought of his spear, a rough stick with its end sharpened.

"Rise Tolrak, and receive your gift!" Tolrak rose, reached out his hands, and the Chief placed the large set in Tolrak's hands. One of the antlers, however, had been chipped when the beast hit the ground, and the pointy edge slightly pierced Tolrak's right hand.

For the next hour, the village congratulated the Huntsman on his kill. Tolrak then placed the deer's head on a steak at the grave of his father. It was customary to do so, as the head would scare of evil spirits. While walking the well-worn path back to his hut, Tolrak thought about the antler stabbing him. He wondered if all antlers could break and pierce like that.

While sitting in his hut that night he simply stared at the antlers. He was thinking more about the sharp one. After a period of time that felt like forever, he grabbed the spear sitting in the corner of his hut and the sharpening rock next to it. He took the rock, and smashed it against one of the points on the antler. The point simply shattered.

This time, he hit the base of a point. An intact piece a long as his thinnest finger snapped off. He picked the piece up and rubbed it with the stone for a while. It was definitely more difficult to sharpen than the spear, but it was working.

After reaching a point he was satisfied with, he began fiddling with the piece, seeking a way to attach it to the spear. He remembered the way the chief used long plant pieces to attach feathers to his staff. He quickly obtained some, and rubbed the piece's sides until there were grooves for the plant pieces to wrap around.

Finally, he tied the sharpened antler piece to his spear, opposite the sharpened end.

"This will do." Tolrak said, satisfied. He then went to sleep, hoping he would be able to test his new weapon during tomorrow's hunt.