~THE TRIBE~ (IC)

[La Savant]

~THE TRIBE~
ACT 1



OOC Thread

“The Gods have blessed us.”
Eios turned to face Datus, the Elder Priests’ words echoing in his mind. The pair stood atop a small hill just east of the settlement, overlooking the large river below, it’s crystal waters glimmered in the bright golden sun that rose to the east. Datus, an Elder Priest of the god Awan, master of the universe and creator of all things, and Eios, far younger and a priest of the Elementals, the four lesser gods who bound the world and ruled it’s elements. Datus was tall and slender, garbed in a heavy black robe and cowl, his face painted a black and white vertical pattern, as was custom of the Elder Priests. Eios was equally slim in build, but was far shorter than Datus. He wore garments much like Datus’, though his were a modest brown, and he did not bear the painted face that the Elder Priests so did.

“Why do you speak this so suddenly?” asked Eios. Datus turned to face the younger priest, his expression not to be read ,”Look Eios, feast your eyes below,” he made a simple sweeping motion with his right hand ,”look at this land. I have never seen such prior to our arrival those moons ago. And it is ours, our peoples’. We have a home, a land to raise our children. A land where our crops will flourish and our beasts will nurture and grow fat. A land for the coming generations to call their own.”

Eios gazed across the valley as Datus spoke. The valley was beautiful. Lush, strong trees and green grass grew near and far as the eye could see. The chirping of birds could be heard, and flocks of them soared throughout the valley and high above in the clouds. Eios looked westward at the mass of tents, yurts, and simple houses that were clustered along the sides of the river and the surrounding area. He could see where more houses were being erected, he could see their people moving about in the large village that had been established. He could here oxen lowing and the braying of asses and mules.

“They have, brother Datus,” Eios turned to the taller priest ,” the gods have blessed us. The journey was long and hard. Many did not make it,” his tone wavered ,”but... in the end, I believe it was worth it. The hardships and those many days of travel.”
“It was, Eios, it was.” Datus said firmly.
The two looked out across the valley together again, and then down below at the great village once more. “Come,” Datus said ,”let us return to our brothers.” Eios nodded, and the two began to trudge carefully down the grassy hill, toward the village.

[The Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune]

Hagal

Bastard

Hagal sat outside the small hut that his brother had helped him build soon after they had set up the smithy. It wasn't much to look at, a small building of mud brick, a thatched roof, and a deer pelt to cover his doorway, but it was his home now. A pack of the priestfolk passed by where he was sitting outside of it. He smirked as he overheard their insults. Once he might have found them cutting, but he was used to it now. The village needed him as much as the traditionalists hated him. They'd get what was coming to them one of these days.

Picking himself up off the ground, he walked into his new house and prepared himself for the upcoming day. He splashed water from his small washbowl to clear some dirt from his face and scrubbed his teeth a bit. Couldn't let one of his most feared factors go to waste. Removing the fur vest he slept in, he donned the simple leather straps he used to hold his spear in place. Placing the weapon in said holder, he also grabbed his flint axe before painting a few sigils on his face as basic war paint. Stepping out once again, he made his way off towards newly designated training ground at the edge of the village.

Walking on to the field he found a small pack of warriors and trainees lounging about. Drawing his spear and using it's stick end to knock one of the warriors on the head, he gestured to the rest of them and said "C'mon, the women can rest for a day but the hunt never ends. We have some meat to bring home."

The warrior he had hit on the head stood up and said "Why should we Wolf? You don't control us. We're having a nice time enjoying the fine weather of our new home that you had argued against journeying towards in the first place."

It was true, Hagal had been one of the detractors against the great journey. He had a strong faith in the gods but the priests were another issue, and blindly following one of them into the desert because of some "vision" seemed foolhardy at best, suicidal at worst. Still though, he couldn't let his brother die alone out there, so he followed. Now though...

Hagal punched the other warrior in the face, knocking him to the ground. Drawing his spear, he used the weapon to place the other warrior into a chokehold. Looking up to see a group of young woman staring at the combat, he gave them a brisk nod which caused a chorus of giggles to erupt from the crowd. When the other soldier patted the ground to signal his yielding, Hagal released him from the hold. Looking at the rest of the group, Hagal spat "That's why you follow me, because none of you have half the spine required to beat me in combat. Now, let's go check out the game in our new home." Hagal gestured to the land past a grassy hill just past the training grounds. Two men descended down the hill as the entire affair occured. The rest of the warriors grabbed their weapons and began to follow Hagal up the hill the priests were descending.

[Recuecn]

Agraia

Agraia knelt in the warm sun outside the new hut he had built, just feet from the banks of the river at the spot where it ran most swift and deep. The heat made the work more intense, certainly, but Agraia was glad for it--he knew it would help the mud bricks he had used to set more strongly. The warmth was reflected back at him off the wall against which he had built a pair of tanning frames. It was the perfect spot for it--the heat would also help the leather to cure faster. As he stretched out some deerhide from yesterday's catch to dry, his attention was diverted by a row coming from the training field. He stood up to get a better look, his tools still in his hands.

Across the field, Hagal had pinned one of the warriors to the ground with his spear. From this distance, Agraia couldn't hear anything now that the first yells of surprise had subsided, but what he could see told him the whole story. The group of warriors slouched around in the dirt, hiding their hands and afraid to make eye contact with anyone, while Hagal glared defiantly into their eyes, challenging any of them to confront him. A heavy moment hung in the air, no one moving. But the tension eased as Hagal rose from his position atop the pinned warrior's chest, spitting in the dirt. He led the way away from the village as the warriors shuffled into line behind him.

Agraia glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed the scuffle. Besides a group of young women who had stopped to gawk, no one else had seemed to notice. The rest of the village was to preoccupied with its work. I should be working too, thought Agraia, not rubbernecking here like some nosy scoundrel. He knelt and returned to his task, deftly thrusting a bone needle through the deerskin and pulling a length of sinew through behind it. Pulling the sinew taut against the frame, he pulled the hide flat, suspended in the sunlight. This will make a nice, new pair of soft sandals with plenty of leather left over, he thought, but I need to figure out what to do with the rest. I know it will be useful for something. He let out a small yelp as he pricked his finger with the needle, and put his knuckle to his mouth, sucking at the bead of blood that formed there.

His mind drifted again. The trouble with Hagal is that he makes all his own problems. I couldn't care less about tradition--nor most of the other tribesmen. After all, we've just given up our forefathers' way of life to settle down--something we've never done before. Yet Hagal is constantly aggravating the other warriors. No wonder they can't stand him and talk behind his back. Sooner or later if he doesn't learn to get along with them, they're going to band together, and then...

"Agraia! Are you still out there?" It was Eleni, calling from inside the hut, where she was busy lighting the fire.

"Yes, I'm right here."

Eleni came outside, bending her shoulders to emerge through the hut's low doorway. "Awan, that'll be a lot of leather. What could you possibly do with that much? You'll waste it all."

"No Eleni, it won't be wasted. Sandals for you and me, then who knows what else we might need... I probably have to patch my sling... clothes even, maybe."

"What, leather clothes? How uncomfortable would that be? Do you expect me to dress like the wife of a weak hunter who is too poor to wear linen?"

"Linen, now there's an idea," murmured Agraia.

"Where will you get linen? This valley is uninhabited, who would you buy it from? There's no civilization here."

"Eleni, don't you see? We've settled now. We are a new civilization. We can make our own linen! I saw some flax along the riverbank further up the valley. I can cut you some and maybe you can learn how to spin it... I can find a way to make sure the plants return next year, perhaps, and we can make cloth for our neighbors..."

He trailed off, but Eleni had had enough. "Quit daydreaming!" She slapped the back of his head playfully; she was still in love with Agraia's inventiveness and his endless mind for new ideas. "You've got no business making cloth in your imagination for our neighbors next year, when you should be working right now on making me real shoes! Back to work with you!" She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. Agraia beamed. The sun was warm, but his wife's love was warmer.

"As you command." Eleni went back inside and he picked up his work again, smiling to himself. Eleni had needed nothing from him, nothing more than his presence and his conversation; she had come out merely to greet him and remind herself that he was there. Agraia was a lucky man to have a wife who he loved and who loved him, and he knew it. Yet he was lucky in other ways too--the priests had been wise to choose this valley, it was fertile and large and the tribe was already reaping its blessings. Everything was going well. And who knew? Maybe next year he really would have new flax plants to make linen from. And maybe he could sell this extra leather and get something nice. Or maybe he'd buy some food, take a couple days off from the hunt and jump into the river that ran right past his hut and finally teach himself how to swim. Or maybe he could round up some of the wild oxen he had seen in the valley with the other hunters, and find a way to tame them. Or maybe... the possibilities were endless.

[Kazarogkai]

Amon Son of Kuffi

My eyes opened upon the morning sky within the home that had been mine for 9 years of which the last of which had been alone. From my bed, a simple mat of fur atop a mattress of straw, I stood up doing a little bit of stretching for the sake of these old joints. My home was a tent made from the hides of many animals stretched over a frame of wood. Not great but adequate for it's role, atleast it would be if it weren't for the memories. Living alone in the home of ones dead guardians tends to be a rather morbid affair that weighed heavily on the heart. Hence my present project.

First things first though. Pushing my bedding aside I uncovered what to most eyes untrained appeared to be a small wooden shield of sorts of sorts. Picking it up one would quickly discover that it was an entrance. More specifically it was an entrance to what was in effect a small hole in the ground measuring 2 feet wide and 6 feet deep at the bottom of which was a large clay jar filled with food. Over the course of small scale experimentation in part inspired by the pottery typically used to store such things I had created what can only described as a miniature vertical shaft or cave similar to that used by miners to excavate minerals from the ground. Why one might ask? Well the original intent was simply to create a way to hide my food from potentially sticky hands but over time I had found that this cave of mine had the rather remarkable property to better preserve food similar to the clay jars themselves via being a bit more cool than the regular ground level of my tent. I figured it was something to do with the elemental properties of earth or something of the like similar to how clay jars might preserve food. Whatever the case may be it in part was to be a significant part of what was my latest project.

Pulling the top off and taking from within it a piece of dried beef and some cheese I walked my self on over to my water jar and pulled from it water which had been gathered from the river itself with a simple clay vessel. Taking some rocks which had been pre-gathered I placed said rocks into the fire to let them warm themselves and when they were ready used 2 sticks to gather them back and placed them within my clay vessel letting it boil the water knowing full well that cold water was dangerous and tended to make one sick. While I sat and waited for my water to finish boiling I engorged upon the aforementioned food using it as my breakfast. When I finished, about the time when the water was finished boiling and letting itself cool I drank said water to wash it all down.

With that out of the way and after getting everything in order, namely covering up my food hole, I gathered my tools and I made my way out into the mourning sun. After a brief second of basking in it I made my way on over to where I needed to be. It was a bit of a walk making my way onto the location of my latest project which lied roughly a mile away from the edge of the river right on the outskirts of the villages central most point. It lied atop a rather nice hill which I had named Red Rock Height in reference to the large number of red rocks I had found throughout the area. Once there I surveyed the area and the extent of my project. If one where to see they wouldn't really see much. At the center of a clearing of red soil was what appeared to be a rather extensive wooden frame shaped into that of multiple rings of varying heights, one within the other, with a roof of thatch with the outermost ring having a total diameter of 12 paces and the inner most 8. The highest ring, inner most, measured a bit above 2 men tall while the the outermost, which was the shortest, was slightly above the height of a man. The Thatch roof only covered the area between the two outer and innermost rings leaving the central zone uncovered creating a structure which in the eyes of a modern audience would appear to be a donut of sort. It was a long way from finished most definitely probably needing atleast another half year to finish. But still it was quite the sight to see... atleast it would be if it weren't for it being so hidden from view. The hill had previously been quite heavily forested, much of the material had gone into making his structure, and it still was in the side immediately facing the village obscuring the view of those atop and below. This had afforded me a measure of privacy from the annoying and prying eyes of others giving me some peace and allowing me to work far more efficiently. With that after finishing my surveying of the whole thing I made my way on over and got right to work for there was so much that needed to be done and so little time to do it. It was a well known fact that I worked in intervals of 5 days with the 5th day being used as a sort of break day of sorts with it being a day from which I devoted myself to my own personal projects and works and hence was unavailable for whatever reason. Hence I honestly didn't expect nor would likely tolerate any sort of interruption to my work... but such things have a tendency to go not the way you wish. Such is my luck.

[Endem]

Even the Unkown

He was sitting before his tent, normally he would be there with rest of warriors as a scout, but, today was special, if the priest calculated right, his wife, Almyra will give birth today. Even was wondering about what the rest of life will have for him when suddenly his wife called him in. When he saw her, he knew what was happening, it was happening, he promised to get help for her. He ran to a group of women nearby and explained the situation, some agreed to help Even and soon in Even's small tent about four women arrived to assist Almyra.

A little bit later

Disclaimer:we both know what happened, but, I don't think describing any of it could be considering a PG-13 so enjoy a placeholder ( this is the placeholder )

Phew. So it happened, and now Even was holding his children, twins, a boy, and a girl, already in their first clothes. Even had mixed feeling about this, what will now happen, then he gave the children to Almyra and wandered outside of the tent. He wandered the place where Hagal a few moments ago was sparring with other warriors. What was he supposed to do, he didn't know how to be a father in the first place, maybe some who already had children could help? He thought

Even wondered deeper into the settlement searching for someone looking like he could help.

[White Bluff]

Persphone

Persphone started early that day, she walked along the river bank with a basket slowly filling it with herbs, berries, and roots. As she walked she hummed a tune, before long her basket was full, as she walked back to the new village she smiled at the fact that it has made it as grand as it has, along the way home she walked by as Hagal pinned another warrior, she giggled as he noticed the crowd of women that he had indirectly gained the attention of. As Hagal and the other warriors walked down the hill to hunt. It didn't take her long after that to get home, her humble hut, only made from mud brick and a thatched roof, the inside walls was lined with dry and drying herbs, in the corner there was a small bed with some furs on top of it, and in the corner there was a rock with a shallow rut carved into it with a smaller rock to crush herbs and berries into a paste.

[Theyra]

Kakau, Son of Markata

Kakau was stretching as he left his hut, his wife Sibylla had already left to hunt with the men. "Another morning in this beautiful fertile land, if only my parents could see this place". Kakau said in sad tone once he talked about his parents. They died some moons before the tribe made their journey to this land. It pained him that they could not live to see this amazing land. Kakau took a deep breath, "At least my children will be able to see and live in this land... well once I have children". He started to think of his wife, beautiful with her long dark hair and strong. One of the few women that can hunt with the men. He loves her dearly and he knows she loves him back. Kakau considers himself lucky to have found her and with her gone to hunt. Now is the time that he should be doing his job, he walked over to scholars hut and went to review the star charts that he made.