A Divine Theater

[Kavyk]

Eilil, having discovered fermentation and the effect it seems to have on the Radu, quickly claims the process of fermentation as a sacred ritual of the Radu. He directs a pair of the Speakers to experiment with production of fermented fruits and other liquids, in order to refine the process.

As for clothing, he begins working with the bison and a few crafters in order to find a way to process their hair without having to kill them, perhaps shaving it and rolling together to form thread which can then be used for weaving, with the appropriate dyes. After all, the Radu have discovered that some plants stain their fingers when they are picked are smashed. He also lets it be known that gatherers should be on the lookout for plants that be useful in making garments. Also, until the herd is large enough to reproduce faster than it is eaten, he wants the elves to continue to hunt for their food, and so he tells them this.

For those who ride horses, he also wishes to discover if they can direct the movements of the herd of bison, moving it where they want it to go. If they can do this, when they become nomadic, as he plans, they will be able to take the entire bison herd along with them and have moving supplies of food and clothing.

Knowing that in time, the trees will need to be replaced, he directs the Radu to plant three trees for every one that they cut down. Otherwise, they will be force to travel even longer distances to harvest the wood they need, which would slow their expansion down.

Wanting to encourage the use spread of magic through the tribe, and having noticed that the children of those who can use it, can also use it, Eilil institutes a Rite of Adulthood. When a maiden has her first menstrual cycle, one of the Speakers, who can use magic, will introduce her to the pleasures of womanhood. For a youth reaching the appropriate age, the same will be true of a female Speaker. Eilil teaches that this is a sacred right and should be pleasurable to all involved, but the relationship is never to extend beyond one night. Pregnancies from these unions are to be expected and desired, though Eilil doesn't explain why. Eilil is present at each of these rights, encouraging fertility and easing any pain or anxiety.

The only way that the large canoes will be able to move is by oar-power, as far as Eilil can tell. Banks of oars will be necessary, but this will, hopefully, facilitate trade between Alade and Nest. Also, it means that they might be able to fish at sea, which would provide another source of food for the smaller settlement of Alade beyond the river.

On the Speaker front, now that he knows cooperation can improve his abilities and those of Jora and Alade, Eilil desires the Speakers to learn to work together, to see what they can accomplish. He isn't looking for any particular result, but rather, would like to see if they come up with new uses for their powers on their own.

After some consideration, Eilil decides that Onoli, the animal-soother, should be in charge of the tribe at Corral. Every child in Nest and Corral shall be tested to determine if he or she has the animal-soothing ability and if so, it should be trained. Daradel continues to be the leader of Nest, and it will be his job to test all the children for magic, and teach them its uses. Jora seems to be the natural choice as leader of Alade, and so that is where Eilil sends her. He works with her to develop her martial and magical skills, as a frontier leader needs to be able to defend herself and her people. She will be in charge of training the young magic-users.

Furthermore, Daradel, Onoli, and Jora are henceforth known as the Council of Speakers, and are the leader of the Speakers of Eilil and the Radu in general. Any decision which affects the Radu as a whole, and not just their individual settlements must be decided by the three together.

Trusting to the judgement of these three of his chosen people, Eilil takes a break to work on his own magic and experiment some more with what he can do. In particular, he returns to his 'messiah' project, though if he finds he can do something like this, he will continue to wait until the time is right. And he does something else, he actively searches for others like him, perhaps beings with whom he can form alliances or friendships. He loves the Radu, but they do not always understand him or his desires. [This last is kind of odd, maybe. To be honest, I do not read any parts of this thread except my own. I am assuming that we are all on the planet and generally have the same timeline, but I could be wrong.]

 

[Serpenteye]

Asveh:
Ok, I'll save the constitution for later. For now Asveh will simply appoint himself the divine judge and solve all disputes within the tribe himself (off screen), in the fairest possible way. From that a code of laws will eventually evolve naturally. He will define and defend private and public property and punish those who violate others lives and belongings.

As soon as the Blessed Ones and the Wolf Guard are sufficiently trained (and the wolves have just weaned their young) 24 of them will be sent out against one of the wolf-packs and 24 against another pack. Asveh will personally scout for the armies and if the situation turns ugly he will intervene personally.
The patrols will consist of 14 Wolf Guards and 10 Blessed Ones each. Asveh will invest his power to give them greater speed and mobility and he will lead them straight towards the packs. When they arrive they are to incapacitate (BO) all the wolves and kill (WG) all the adults, taking the puppies to be raised among the tribe. They are to attack from range and keep their distance from the enemy using their enhanced speed.

When the hunters have returned they will be reorganised and sent out again after the wolves. This time their numbers will be greater (30 in each group), meanwhile the villagers will be kept on alert for a possible counter-attack from the wolves and their lycantropic leaders.

If the remaining packs have not fled the region by then the hunters will keep being sent out until the lycantrope-led packs are wiped out.

The captured puppies will be domesticated and raised as mounts and guard dogs, if necessary with divine intervention.

 

[Wrahn]

Shesa had lived a full life, she passed into the afterworld having seen her children’s children and while fearful, was content. Passing quietly in the night she came awake floating above her body. There is a sadness as she looks down upon her husband that they will be separated.

Through the doorway a cloud of golden energy comes. Larger than the room, it engulfs her and she can almost burst from his love of her. She realizes that the golden cloud is Coreagen and she can also feel his sadness for the Sharalik for their loss of her.

In the morning when Shesa is found dead, there are a great many tears from family and friends. Aesa/Coreagen will come to the family and instruct them to bury the body so that it will return to their mother.

The entire tribe will gather as they take the body into the woods, ”Shesa’s life was a good one, happiness was her companion as it was the companion of her friends and her family. Today, let us celebrate they joy she brought us, rather than the sorrow of her passing.”

It is a somber day spent talking about her and the joys she brought, knowing that she is gone from them. There are many tears shed. As the sun is lowers, Coreagen gathers the tribe, touching their minds simultaneously. They all gather around the pool the Fountainhome is built around.

They will again begin to sing, connected through each other through Coreagen, the harmonies are beautiful and sad. In the magical union, one voice raises to lead them, it is the voice of Shesa and the nature of the song changes from sadness and mourning to joy. The song reaches it’s climax as the sun finally dips below the horizon. Shesa voice singing alone in beauty that can not be expressed with a mortal voice, as the light of the sun fades, leaving the halls silent, even the waterfall seem muted. Each member of the tribe feels a little Shesa in them.

Coreagens speaks through Aesa, ”She is part of us now, we will always carry a piece of her with us.”
---
Coreagen seems endlessly fascinated by the great underground sea, privately chatting with Sama over the probable dimensions and contents of the sea. Realizing they will require a whole new set of skills to learn of the sea, for now, he has Sama and the deep scouts keep patrols in the known caves and watch the seas.
---
Working with Tyga, and the spider, he begins the process of harvesting the spider silk. He will instruct them in the process of weaving the silk into incredibly strong subtle and light cloth. Making a denser weave, it makes for a strong light armor.

(ooc: More about spidersilk http://www.szgdocent.org/ff/f-ssilk.htm)

Further he will teach them about tanning deer hides, using wood coals to burn of the hair and deer brains as a tanning agent. Using a silk lining they make good cold weather clothes.
---
He will send a small force, lead my Oeln out to the prairie. He is to go 2 weeks out and then return, with the same instruction as before, avoid being seen.

 

[WizWrm]

Eilil:
Slow progress is made in refining the progress of fermentation, but with hard work and a large investment of time, it becomes more of a science than an art; the Radu are able to do it consistently. Fermented fruit/wine becomes a key part of your ceremonies.

Your efforts towards better clothing are equally successful. The elves weave several garments of dyed animal-hair. The first set of clothing is given to Daradel, and others are handed out to various members of the tribe, mostly the friends and family of those chosen to create the clothing. You estimate that within a month, there will be enough for each elf to have at least one set of the superior garments.

Combining bows with horses, the riders are able to force the bison to migrate in a controlled direction, but it is dangerous and uncertain work; a pair of Radu are nearly killed when the herd suddenly turns about and stampedes.

What did you have in mind for the canoes? The river flows from the ocean (near Alade) southeast, then turns a bit more southernly and stays that way for many miles, until it passes through Nest, and then you haven't followed it to the south, unless I'm gravely mistaken. If you wanted to go upriver, it's easier to ride a horse along the banks of the river, or take a horse-driven cart if you need to carry stuff, which is how trade is working currently. The river flows fast enough that you don't need much more than a steersman with a pole to send canoes downriver.

You test the tribe's children for the ability to calm animals, and find that only Onoli's family has that ability - he has four children, ranging in ages from less than a year to ten years old.

Working together, the Speakers are able to cast magic faster and can do so with less fatigue. They (almost accidentally) discover a way to use the same technique they use while manipulating light to inspire confusion and terror in people and animals. However, they do not push this farther, since it runs very much contrary to their goals at present.

Testing your limits once more, you find that the messiah project is still out of your grasp. What else specifically are you trying?

How are you exploring? Rushing about the countryside, going high in the sky and looking down, trying to expand your perceptions, looking to see if you can sense other living, sentient beings? I'll post a couple notes about the planet and chronology in the OOC thread.

Also, do you want me to rush the timeline forward to see if/how the birth of magically-talented Radu works out? If so, how far?

Asveh:
Your attacks on the wolves progress smoothly and efficiently; less than a half-dozen halflings are killed (mostly due to mistakes or carelessness) as compared to the eradication of over a hundred wolves. To your surprise, the lycanthropes always manage to be elsewhere when the patrols arrive to where you directed them.

After two weeks of this continues (and after the successful capture of about thirty wolf cubs), something very odd happens.

Unseasonal stormclouds roll across your walled settlement, darkening the sky. Driving rain and flashing lightning batter your fields and clay houses, sending the halflings running for cover. Some four hours into the storm, you sense a second presence - a being much like yourself - within the clouds. His voice echoes through your mind. "WHY DO YOU PERSECUTE MY PEOPLE?" A stroke of lightning punctuates his words. Despite the frightening show, you notice two things: first, he is extremely tired, something he is trying - and failing - to conceal from you. Second, none of the halflings have been harmed by the storm, though there has been a moderate amount of property damage.

Coreagen:
The ceremony progresses as you have described it, and with its completion, as with all ceremonies and rituals dedicated to you, you feel slightly strengthened.

There is not a huge amount of silk (the giant spiders do not produce it in proportion to their smaller kin), and it is difficult to work with, but nevertheless, you do manage to fashion two sets of armor/clothing with it within a week. Other pieces are used to augment existing clothing, or with your tanning process to make new clothing. The Sharalik are greatly appreciative of what you have shown them. The Circle declares that the first day of each flood season henceforth shall be dedicated to the you and the bounty that you have granted them, as it was during the flood season that you have helped them the greatest - it has just passed, so the first ceremony won't be for many more months.

The scouts follow the river through the prairie for two weeks. The river grows slightly larger as you go upriver to the north, but otherwise you find an environment like this.

 

[Kavyk]

Eilil isn't really trying to pack a lot into short periods, though that seems to be happening some of the time. He'd much rather let the tribe get accustomed to these new developments at their own pace, so a skip forward in time of a few years or so doesn't seem too bad. He'll still keep contact and the Watchers will alert him to dangers, but otherwise, the Radu have really gotten a lot of new things recently and they definitely need time to adjust.

After some consideration, does 25 years sound like too far? That should be enough for a whole new generation to be born and grow to adulthood, the first generation after the breeding experiment.

As for searching for new divinities or tribes, he will first attempt to simply expand his awareness of the world. If that doesn't work, 'physically' moving his consciousness very high in the atmosphere might work. And finally, there is the exploration method.

Since the tribe has expanded, somewhat, he will send more expeditions, hunting parties of 5-8 hunters will be sent every few weeks in different directions, with the expectation that they will gradually go farther than before, using the stars to come home, as he has previously explained. The sea seems too dangerous at the moment to explore, but perhaps a ship or two might be sent out in any event, up and down the coast, staying in sight of shore. Since there are going to be 25 years or so, with each expedition going a little farther than the last, maybe he can make some progress. He will do this in such a way that he can accompany each expedition and at the outer edge of his demesne, he will expand his consciousness in search of new divinities.

Specific experiments in using Eilil's new power include:
Creating & controlling elements, like fire, weather, and even water. Controlling, rather than simply calming, animals. He will also attempt to 'invest' a portion of his power in Jora, seeing if she can stay young longer, etc. Can he kill an animal with a thought? Bring it back to life? That kind of stuff.

 

[Serpenteye]

Asveh is both frightened and intrigued by the appearance of the other spirit. He had speculated that there might be others such as himself who gained power from the faith of a sponsored people, and now his suspicions were confirmed. He studies its emanations for a moment, and finds the weakness that he'd hoped was there. The slaughter of its followers had rendered it nearly harmless and it couldn't have been any stronger than himself to begin with, lest the war would have gone much better for its servants...

A bright light rises from the ground where his Halfling guise had stood. He lets his reply be heard in the minds of both by the deity and his people.
"We did not start this war. It was started aeons ago when the ancestors of your packs started hunting and killing the ancestors of my people. It is a war that has been fought for millenia, and our recent losses are but a small part of the casualties. But the rules have changed, my people are no longer helpless. We are no longer the prey, you are no longer the hunters. The tables are turned, and at last it is time to end this war once and for all."
As your children are being enslaved by my own, so will your essence feed my power.

The light strikes, searing the clouds with its radiance, and envelopes the godling. A furious battle erupts in the skies as Asveh attempts to devour his enemy and add its power to his own.

 

[Wrahn]

Pleased by the progress of the circle, he will move them up to animal. He will teach them to calm them, to convince them to come to them. How to make them sleep. He will teach them to relay emotions to them and how to receive emotions from them. He will encourage them to take a pet and practice these things with the pet.

During this process, her begins to teach them about the internal workings of the animals and how they come together, in fact he will teach the entire tribe about this on a rudimentary level. He will show them basic first aid, the setting of bones, the bandaging of wounds. The circle he will go deeper with and try to impart upon them a basic understand of how the bodies of the animals work.

When he feels they are ready he will show them how to promote healing in animals. He is very cautious with this, as he knows that unless they are very careful things can go horribly wrong.
---

He spends several months in the deep caves, “looking at the bones of the earth” as he describes it. He will take the circle down there several times and have them call metals from the earth in places. Initially, working with Abrin and his craftsmen they try carving the arrow heads out of the metal, but it proves largely useless. Finally the try heating it to soften it. Which has some limited degree of success, if only marginal. When it is discovered that the metal can be heated to liquid form, they start making molds to form the arrowheads.

Later, Jaln, experimenting with other metals, discover a substance harder than the raw iron they were making, by combining tin and copper. They use the new discovery to outfit the hunters with bronze arrowhead and spearheads.
---

Gathering the upper scouts, he will go to where the spiders are, bringing a freshly slain deer with them. He will take them to an area he knows that the larger more intelligent spiders hunt and instruct them to leave the corpse in the open. When/If a spider comes for it, he in Oeln’s body will step out from cover and project feelings of peace and friendship.

 

[Cepter]

Much to do

As the spirit of the returning hunter left Attar's presence, the divine being reflects on his relationship with his people, how it has grown and how it could continue to grow. He watches as the orc is reborn, and vows to himself to watch over this new child, to see if it will return to its old ways. As this thought crosses his mind, it awakens in him a deeper realization: that he should observe all of his people more closely, at least for a time. He saw he needed a better knowledge of each of them, what skills and talents they possessed, in order to help them grow strong as a people. And speaking of the Jasad as a people...

Jalakar sat before the fire, watching the embers dance and fade when they suddenly flare up, nearly rising to the ceiling of the long house as Attar, in his orcish guise, steps out of the flames to speak to the chieftan.

"I have council for you, greatest of Jasad. I know that the burdens of leadership are many, and that even one as wise as you can not know all things. And so I offer you a means to have your burden shared. Gather to yourself the wisest one among the herd-keepers, of the plant gatherers, and of all the other groups that make our people great. They will offer you new ways to see around problems, and new ideas to challenge the people. And, when the time comes for another to rise to the place of chief, they will be there to help him."

Attar leaves the leader to his work and starts to return to his home, only to be drawn back by a strange rythmic hollow sound. He follows it until he finds the hunters gathered together. They have taken the skin of an ox and stretched it taut over a frame. As one of the hunters beat it with a heavy stick, it made the noise in question. The noise complimented the chants of the hunters as they pledged loyalty to one another and to Attar himself, asking him to guide them. He mainfests himself briefly in the fire in his lion headed form, giving them a feeling of his joy at their unity and urging them to show the others this new thing they had found before he returned to his work.

He departs the settlement, returning to his realm to observe and influence his people in a more subtle manner over the course of time. He sees the builders trying to chip away at the strage rocks containing the even harder substance that had been found earlier. As they work, a haunch of meat cooks slowly over a fire, its fats bubbling out to sizzle in the blaze. Inspired, one of the workers placed a stone in the fire, shouting his triumph when, moments later, the harder material in the rock began to ooze free. Excited, he and the others began working to create molds to drip the liquid metal into to create sharp spear and axe heads from the new substance, much to Attar's delight.

He directs his gaze onwards, towards the crude pen where the three captured horses were kept. They were spirited creatures, worthy mounts for the fierce hunters of the Jasad. As he comes near, he hears Krash, the keeper of the horses talking to Jarkal, the leader of the fishers, about how the fishers tricked the fish into waiting for the spear. Soon, the conversation was joined by a hunter, and the three began to discuss ways they could lure horses in the same manner. All agreed that it was possible, but they did not wish to kill or hurt the horses. Indeed, the ones that had been caught had already proven to be amazing creatures, and their speed would become a great boon to the tribe (OOC: What are the genders of the horses?). The fisher discusses something some fishers had seen, a patch of reeds tangled together that had snared fish. They were working on something similar themselves, weaving the reeds together and casting them into the water to catch larger numbers of fish. The hunter also contributes, talking about some plants the hunters had found that were not deemed fit to eat. Some had been seen to kill animals, and others had caused large creatures to fall into a deep sleep. He also tells of how the hunters are trying to use these plants together with a new weapon, a short spear that could be thrown many paces ahead of a hunter. Attar chooses not to materialize, but he imparts on these three the importance of what they seek, and his pleasure at seeing them work together.

He extends himself beyond the settlement, to where a lone hunter stood watch outside, making sure nothing came after the herd. The hunter scowls deeply, voicing his concerns to the wind.

"I am a hunter. It is what I have always wanted to be. But what are we to do? The tribe no longer needs us simply to find food. The herd-keepers and the fishers provide that. What is our place?"

Attar takes the appearance of an old hunter as he appeares to the youth. The hunter's spear was up quickly, Attar notes with pride, but the deity gently pushes it aside.

"Your questions do you proud, Varktal. You wish to be of value to the tribe, one of the most noble goals of all. It is true that the hunters are no longer needed to feed and clothe the Jasad, but you are far from useless. Already we begin to grow to large in number for this place. Soon it will be time to find another, that some of out people may leave here and spread the glory of th Jasad to a new home. The hunters will be needed once again to find a new place, as they did once before. Also, there may come a time when others seek to take what the Jasad have, and it will be the hunters who must turn them back."

Varktal falls to his knees, awstruck by the task Attar has laid upon him and his fellows. Attar places a hand on his shoulder and urges him back to his duty. Varktal does, his will strengthened and his faith renewed.

Attar returns once more to his realm, smiling contentedly down at the Jasad, noting with pride that the small art they had started with had grown. One ambitious painter had begun to paint the history of the Jasad on the wall of a cave near the settlement, making a kind of shrine to Attar himself. He did not know how yet, but Attar new that this art could prove to be a step towards something very important, especially when the time came for the Jasad to become to settlements.

(OOC: Okay, trying to get a lot done in this post, since the Jasad had been inactive for awhile. In the future, posts will probably be shorter. Anyway, here are the goals:
- Attar wants to take a close look at the orcs under him, looking for any sort of special talents (magic, particular skills, whatever). He will also be keeping an eye on the orc who was reborn, seeing if he remembers any of his past life or has any other effects after being reborn.
- A council of elders is to be formed to help the chieftan lead. They are advisors more than anything, but Attar will encourage the chieftan to listen to them carefully.
- The bonding rituals will hopefully both stimulate the development of music and strengthen the bonds the Jasad have with each other and with Attar.
- The metal the Jasad are gaining will be used to make spearheads (for both thrusting spears and throwing spears) and axeheads.
- The fishers are developing nets, an idea which Attar wants to spread to the hunters. The hunters will try to learn ways to bait horses, then use sleep-inducing plants (either laced with the bait or on javelins that can be thrown from hiding) to bring in more horses. Nets will be used to trap other prey, and maybe as a basis for traps and snares later.
- The conversation with the lone hunter is to start moving the hunters towards an explorer/defender role. Attar will promote this message often over time, keepin the hunters at the forefront of society, though not as overlords. He always emphasizes the need to work together.
- Finally, he will continue to encourage art, and is starting to have thoughts about working towards at least pictographic writing.)