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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WizWrm" data-source="post: 1354536" data-attributes="member: 13568">Asveh:They nod and bow deeply. "Thank you for your wisdom. We shall do as you say." The halflings soon begin to organize themselves, and soon enough, two families volunteer to stay behind at the first field of the next cycle (the best of the lot) to clear it for planting. Soon after they arrive, one inventive halfling determines how to burn trenches around the area they need to set aflame, and they manage to clear the field in a reasonable amount of time. Four cycles (about ten years) pass, and soon the halfling tribes are fat with the bounty of the soil. By this time, they have even learned to store excess grain for the winter in giant cairns, which they build out of scattered boulders and rocks. Their moment of triumph is marked by a decision that the great meets of times past are no longer necessary; the fields provide all the food they need, and the tribes no longer need to wander about.However, this has an unforeseen side effect as well. The once-nomadic halflings, now settled down, have become easy targets for predators, especially the roaming packs of wolves, who have teeth as long as a halfling's finger. When they roamed through their grain cycles, it was rare that the wolves would be able to find them, but now that they no longer need to move about, the crafty predators have learned that the camp is an easy source of food. Guards are set at night, but achieve only limited success in driving the creatures away from the giant blankets that they sleep under. It is one night towards the end of summer, soon before the rainy season, when you hear Hesaras calling for your help. You look down and see that he has been posted as a guard, along with four other halflings, and that they are under attack by nearly a dozen wolves, led by one of unusually large size.Eilil:In the morning, Alade and several fishermen are sent out to gather the roots and plants that you instructed them to find. Since they've never looked towards these plants for food before, when they come back, they are bent over with great amounts of the edibles, lashed together with flexible branches. Despite the obviously difficult labor, the fishermen are grinning and laughing as they return, and that night there is a great feast. While some of the elves are hesitant to try the new food, when Alade takes the first bite and declares it delicious, they quickly dive in. They decide to dedicate the feast to you, and Alade solemnly proclaims that from here on out, there shall be at least one day every season devoted in thanks to your wisdom.Irohim:The elder nods, gazing at you in wonder. "I understand. The birds are to be rewarded, then, when they do as we wish, and punished when they do not. Pieces of wood float, and even rocks will stay above water when they are seated on wood; thus, enough wood shall allow us to float as well."With your vision in mind, and under your occasional instruction, within a few weeks they manage to train several birds to recover fish for them, and to construct a half-dozen wooden shell-boats that allow them to plumb the bounty beyond the shores. A few days later, one of the elders goes into the forest, seeking the herbs and fruits that you described as medicine. When he returns, they fashion a salve which is used to ease the pain of a gnome that was wounded after falling across a sharp rock. The gnome prays to you in thanks, and the Elder recalls the other part of your vision - the starfish that signifies their bond with you. The next morning, a trio of gnomes are sent to gather dried starfish and string them on necklaces as a sign of the Volor tribe's devotion; soon the entire tribe is wearing them. When they call to you while wearing the necklaces, you feel as if it is somehow easier to respond to than before.Despite their appreciation, many gnomes still resist the idea of traveling to a new island; there are none within sight of the shore, and they worry about becoming lost or caught in a storm, out of reach of their kinsmen. Besides this, the eldest of the gnomish oligarchy, named Angariful, is the first to pass away under your oversight, no doubt due to his advanced age. This only further encourages their reluctance to sail away from Quam. You feel his spirit calling out to you, asking for your guidance. What do you want to try to do? You have a lot of options available to you, limited only by what you are willing to try.</blockquote>

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