Provolution
Sage of Quatronia
History of Arete
From the foundation of Arete to when we learnt how to write.
The Discovery of the Yassans and how our people learned about Agriculture.
according to Civius the Steward
"Gaiyut the Tracker has returned with news of a Dark Forest up ahead Sir." Prochon glanced at the young warrior, not much more than a boy, and nodded. After a few moments when he did not remove himself from the Masters Presence Prochon nodded again as to say go on. " There are also tracks Sir, human ones...."
"Warband, gather from amongst your ranks 10,000 of the most fierce warriors, for tonight we shall see just how bloodthirsty you are". As the warriors were being assembled I, Civius the Steward , approached the Masters tent and asked if I might join him for a drink. The Master nodded and his gaurd split their ranks. Two old friends locked arms in the Warlords tradition and then the master spoke. "To what do I owe your company Brother?" I looked him in the eyes and with concern and determination I spoke. "Are we backward barbarians like the Spanish whom we've met this very year Sir? Pillaging, raping and slaughtering are not the way of the warrior.....sir" The Master arose, clenching his fist in anger at the blatant insult to his authority. I did not give him a chance to retort, I went on. "Let me approach the tribe with a small band of warriors? If they are a peaceful people I will demand a tribute for their protection from Hatshepsut the Barbarian. If it turns out they too are barbaric then I shall be the first to crush them with my mighty club." Prochon relaxed his fists as he seemed to look through me. A hint of pleasure could be seen in his eyes. Then he nodded and said I had until nightfall for then he would unleash his warriors on the savages.
As I was rushing to gather my things I heard a familiar voice approaching my tent. As I glanced at the entrance it was none other than Timus the Protecter. I arose to greet him but he raised his hand to stop me. "I shall join you to meet the Tree People, Masters orders. Though I'm sure you do not have a problem with it." I smiled, we locked arms in the warriors tradition and then had a stiff drink before setting out.
As we approached the dense, dark forest we gave one last look at each other, both with half a grin. Hands clenching our clubs we disappeared into the trees. The more we walked the forest seemed to thin out until at last we reached a clearing that was as wide as the eye could see. Were my eyes deceiving me? Had Timus clubbed me over the head after breathing in the dark spirits of the forest? I was in a dream world from which I hoped to never awaken from. Hundreds and hundreds of beautiful women all barebreast working like they were of one mind. Some carried water to the soil. Others were burying strange seeds across vast streches of land. The rest of them were carrying baskets of fruit on their heads. Scores of vegetables being pulled by horses to a small village in the distance. I looked over at my old friend and he was smiling from ear to ear. At the same moment we both gave each other a look of confusion as to say "Where are the menfolk?". So we set off to the village, a few young girls running around us just pointing and laughing.
The village was full of shops and the men appeared to be bartering their various fruits and vegetables for things like strange cloth and shiny rocks. As we were carrying on down one of the many sand paths we were approached by a large bearded man. His dialect was similar to ours so we were able to communicate loosely. He asked if we were familiar with the lands north of the great mountain. We replied that we were warband scouts for the Great City of Arete. Capital of the world we told him. He just kept bowing and offering us things from other mens baskets it was all quite amusing. He then led us to what appeared to be their Tribal Leader Yassan. A very fat man with long hair and a big smile. He told us his Great grandfather founded the village years ago and they were a peaceful people that tended the lands for its fruits. We all ate and had a what the natives called "Valcano Water", tasted horrible but made your head and feet feel light. We were having so much fun we lost track of time and night was fast approaching....
Meanwhile the Warband was preparing for the assault. Thousnds upon thousands of tired and hungry warriors at its helm. Prochon was beginning to worry about his friends and his fear that the villagers were hostile grew with every passing minute. Finally he could not wait any longer and gave the order. The Warriors began marching in unison, clubs held over their right shoulders.
"Civius, wake up! The villagers are arming themselves" I tried to get up but my head was pounding. "Prochon must be marching on the village" I forced myself to stand and took a second to absorb the situation. "He does not know these are a peaceful people." I told Timus to go see Yassan and I would race to intercept Prochon. As I reached the fertile fields I saw our warband approaching. It was a glorious sight to behold. The women were no longer on the fields as they had taken refuge in the village. Behind me the Villagers were taking up defensive positions. A hundred yards now seperated the warband from the village. I could see Prochon giving orders to the men and I made a bee line to him. I finally reached him, exhausted from running, I fell before his feet. "What have they done to you Civius? Where is Timus?" I tried to speak but my mouth was so dry, my head pounding with every breath I took. "There he is" Prochon shouted. Timus was approaching the Warband behind me escorting the Tribes leader. I finally got a word out and it was simply "Stop".
After a long meeting with Yassan and his Tribal Council Prochon persuaded the villagers to join our Civilization. They would bring with them the knowledge of Agriculture. The people would be escorted by 1000 warriors back to Arete. In return one thousand Yassanites joined the Warband. The locals threw one hell of a festival on the eve before we set out. As we left that morning Prochon gave the order to destroy what was left of the village. The Yassans were no longer a people but a great addition to our growing empire.
"Gaiyut the Tracker has returned with news of a Dark Forest up ahead Sir." Prochon glanced at the young warrior, not much more than a boy, and nodded. After a few moments when he did not remove himself from the Masters Presence Prochon nodded again as to say go on. " There are also tracks Sir, human ones...."
"Warband, gather from amongst your ranks 1000 of the most fierce warriors, for tonight we shall see just how bloodthirsty you are". As the warriors were being assembled I, Civius the Steward , approached the Masters tent and asked if I might join him for a drink. The Master nodded and his gaurd split their ranks. Two old friends locked arms in the Warlords tradition and then the master spoke. "To what do I owe your company Brother?" I looked him in the eyes and with concern and determination I spoke. "Are we backward barbarians like the Spanish whom we've met this very year Sir? Pillaging, raping and slaughtering are not the way of the warrior.....sir" The Master arose, clenching his fist in anger at the blatant insult to his authority. I did not give him a chance to retort, I went on. "Let me approach the tribe with a small band of warriors? If they are a peaceful people I will demand a tribute for their protection from Hatshepsut the Barbarian. If it turns out they too are barbaric then I shall be the first to crush them with my mighty club." Prochon relaxed his fists as he seemed to look through me. A hint of pleasure could be seen in his eyes. Then he nodded and said I had until nightfall for then he would unleash his warriors on the savages.
As I was rushing to gather my things I heard a familiar voice approaching my tent. As I glanced at the entrance it was none other than Timus the Protecter. I arose to greet him but he raised his hand to stop me. "I shall join you to meet the Tree People, Masters orders. Though I'm sure you do not have a problem with it." I smiled, we locked arms in the warriors tradition and then had a stiff drink before setting out.
The Babylonians
We were trailing a herd of Aurochs when we met them.
We were five, I, The Blastoid was the leader, Jogo, Rhoro, Taegal and Gaiyut the tracker were the other hunters. Gaiut had come up with the idea and we had used it several times now to varying success. Gaiut, Jogo and Haig had the frightening part, running at the beasts with flaming branches forcing them to panic and scamper as a herd towards a steep ravine. When the panic beasts tumbled into the ravine, it was time for Taegal and I to lever some rocks off the cliff face causing a landslide that would engulf and kill some of the beasts.
It was a successful hunt. Rhoro sat astride one dead beast, skinning the carcass. Jogo and Gaiut were cutting and Taegal and I were burning and herbing the meat for transport. The sun was hot here far from the ocean. I heard a screech from above and looked up to see an eagle soaring far above, circling for prey.
And then in a second there was a faint thump and the eagle exploded in a chaos of feathers and flesh and its corpse fell suddenly to earth. I signaled to the party to stop there skinning and to move to the lip of the ravine.
It was then that we saw them, several hundred strangely dressed men marching in caravan. They were dressed in light tunic, loosely draped and sand and turquoise in color. They were olive colored skin their hair was oily and black, and trimmed to a sharp pointed beard on their faces. One was laughing at another and raced away from the others to the corpse of the eagle. He raised it up in his fist and his companions laughed and spoke in a foreign tongue. One of them raised a huge curved wooden stick tied together by a string, he placed a piece of wood in the stick and releasing the string let the piece of wood hurl into the air, this time soaring to strike a vulture and bring it down. We stared in silent utter astonishment at the power of this weapon that these men held.
Orders were given, Rhoro and Jogo went back to finish the business with the meat. Gaiut and Taegal were sent to carefully track these wanderers and I raced back to the main band to tell of what I have seen.
I found Prochon in the Huntmaster's tent, where he was chewing on an overcooked shank of auroch. He motioned for me to sit and offered a piece of meat. I told him the events of the day and asked him leave to meet these strangers.
Go, and take 50 men, for protection.
Gaiut had come back from the tracking and told us there location. We made sure that we came loudly and with no ill intention. We came within range of their camp, put down our weapons and walked over them as a sign of peace. They looked at us warily and brought us to the largest tend at the center of the encampment. Inside the tent laying back on cushions and snoring loudly was what I guess was there leader. He was in the same garb as the others but his was stained yellow from what smelled like some type of fermented beverage. His guards prodded him until he became awake and he startled to see me before him.
Who are you? His eyes tried vainly to focus on my face.
I am The Blastoid a wanderer from the city of Arete. We are exploring this land and saw your war band from afar. We come in peace and wish to know more about your people.
Prowess, ummm, uhh burp. Yes we are good with our bows. Now his eyes seemed to focus more and he started to study my garb and appearance, much more like a warrior sizing up an opponent. From Arete, huh, never heard of it. I am the Grant and I am the leader of these bowmen. I am a warrior in the charge of our leader chief Lincoln of Babylon.
Well met, The Grant
The Blastoid, huh, doesnt it make you sound more important when you put a the in front of your name? I think so
I have seen the beautiful weapons your warrior use to kill from afar, what is it called.
It is the longbow, and we are the keepers of its secrets, bring word back to your leaders that we are a peaceful people, but any who cross it will fall quickly from its wraith.
I stand warned.
And we went on for hours, more of his bitter mead was brought and we drunk and talked. I had to excuse myself every few hours from the tent, but in reality to retch the alcohol up so I could stay sober and not lose my guard. If nothing else the man could drink! Though we spoke it became obvious that both of us were too guarded to let our secrets out, I learned little of his home except its name and there abhorrence of slavery. And he was not able to glean from me the location of our city or the existence of the Spanish. As dawn broke the next day I retrieved my men, who had spent the night drinking and singing with the longbowman to return to Prochon with our first impressions of these strange people.
The Fable on how Gaiyut the Tracker learnt to tame animals from the Sahashunas
My name is Gaiyut, the Tracker, and I am a scout for the Warband lead by Prochon, the hunt master. Prochon has set orders for me to run out ahead every morning to scout the advance for the warband. The warriors are strong and fierce, but they are too large of a group and would be seen by others long before our warriors would understand what they were walking into. I am fast, a great runner and tracker, the result of my native haritage in these lands.
The following is my account of the Sahashunas people, and how they agreed to join our people, and teach us the mysteries of Animal Husbandry, the knowledge of raising Animals to work with us, to fead us, and to clothe us.
On the 13th week of our journey since leaving Arete, the world was just beginning to wake, and already I had ranged a couple leagues ahead of the warband, which had camped to the East on the plains near the river, that runs through the "Paradis hills", as Prochon and others in our Warband had taken to calling the region to the East. The Paradise Hills region is a wonder to behold. I must tell you that they will take your breath away my people! From the moment we set foot there, we felt it. It is truly a wondrous place of many natural wonders. There is one hill with chunks of a shiny yellow stone that is cold to the touch, yet will nearly glow with fire when the first rays of the sun hit it in the morning. At the Eastern edge, there are enormous beasts with large white bones jutting from their mouths and huge arms hanging off their faces and thick hides that could turn away a spear. Watching the sunrise from the hills many proud ridges is almost enough to make one want to leave the sea behind and settle here. That story is for another to tell perhaps, but the place is too gorgeous not to mention.
That morning, as I ran toward the west through a seamingly endless sea of grass, using the long stride of my people, I didn't feel the sea of grasses pass beneath me. More so, I felt the simple flow of time and the cool morning air and the refreshing dampness on my legs from the low hanging dew. It had been a great morning for running, and I could see for ever in the never ending grasses.
The grassy sea began to thin somewhat, and I saw rocky hills and sandy soil approaching me, and the ground was becoming harder, and more gritty. The air began to smell much drier with the promise of heat and long hours running without water. Here, I saw a village built near a small creek that ran off toward the east (/ooc Creaks are not to be thought of as a "river" is in game terms).
I stopped my stride and crouched in the grasses, easing a stone into my sling, and loosening my flint spear in case the villagers proved to be hostile. Through the tall blades of grass, I saw some famers rising out of their wood frame huts that were covered in animal skins. Not far from the village was a large area, where the grass had been beaten down or roughly cut, and there was some kind of wood structure, bearly knee high and built by lashing tree limbs and brush together. My curiosity was peaked!
"What could be inside such an area?" I had wondered.
Thoughts of the previous week, when we our Warband had encountered a strange people, who called themselves the 'Babylonians', and carried strange weapons that could reach you from the edge of sight, brought my hackles up, and I hastily scanned the nearby hills for signs of these strange people. Seeing none, I cautiously approached the village.
When I was a hundred spans from the edge of the enclosed area, I got a glimps of some small animals that lived in a small hut and made this strange clucking noise as they pecked at seeds on the ground. To the right, I saw some boar sleeping near a mud pit, and now, I spotted a few other four-legged furry animals with small horns on their heads that made this strange rattling sound. I was wrapped in wonder. I've hunted animals my whole life, so it wasn't the animals themselves that gave me pause, it was that they weren't running away from me. My hackles began to rise. Surely, this was not the work of natural men!
As I began to back away, a wolf-like animal ran up toward me, barking and snarling! I raised my spear to defend myself, but it didn't attack, it stayed its ground and barked and howled. Then it dawned on me! This creature was guarding this area. I didn't know what to make of it, it was nearly too much. Then I heard a young boys voice yell out, 'Paka! Paka! Cam qik Paka! Sook!' I turned to the noise with one eye on the wolf thing snarling at me. A large burly man stood up from where he had been doing something with one of the furry horned animals and began to approach me, raising a hand to the boy. The boy stood his ground about 200 spans from me and split his gaze between me and the large man, who was apparently his father.
'Who are you?' He bellowed. The wolf thing ignored the big man, and kept focusing on me. I dared not make a sudden movement. Things were beginning to become clearer to me. This man somehow controlled all of the animals within my range of sight. At the time, I thought this man was truly magnificent.
'My name is Gaiyut!' I told him. Putting down my sling and slowly stepping away from the wolf thing, I held out my hands palms up, hoping that my movements would appear to be peaceful. 'I mean you no harm. I am an explorer far away from home. Your animals made me curious. I've never seen such a thing!'
The big man crossed his arms and looked at me like I had two heads. 'What you mean? Aint you never seen a dog, chickens, pigs, and goats before?'
I hastily tried to remember what he was telling me...this sounded very important. 'Seen them yes (I lied) but not in such a way as to be under the control of people...unafraid of people.'
'Are you a Savage? I'll have Hindy tear you into scraps for the hogs if ye are!'
'No! Please, no! I am a scout from a large settlement far to the South East. I wager we know a great deal from which your people would be greatly served.'
'My People? 'We...' as he struggled with the word, are the Sahashunas, people of the Grass Sea.'
'Hindy back off, it's alright!' And the wolf thing, dog, calmed down, whimpered, and sniffed my feat with a toung hanging out of its mouth and strolled easily back to the 'pens' as the man had called them.
'Thank you! Could we talk somewhere inside, I would very much like to see if there is a way both our people can help each other.'
'Name's Majaal, and I'll take you to our clan hall and let the elders decide.'
At the Clan Hall, I met with 4 men, and we interrogated eachother for hours over what life was like out here on the Grassy Sea, about things I had seen while exploring, about my people, about the wonders to be found in the waters near Arete, and about how we had mastered farming and the wheel. Stories about The Wheel and about Fishing brought me the same slack jawed look I had no doubt had when discussing what they called Animal Husbandry. Soon, we were all laughing and back slapping about old stories, and it became apparent that our people shared common ancestry.
The Sahashunas also agreed with our supicions toward the Babylonians.
When I mentioned that I was actually scouting ahead for a Warband, the elders took no time at all in announcing that they'd gladly join our people at Arete in exchange for an escort and the chance to keep their animals out of the hands of Savages, wild animals, and the Babylonians.
The Sahashunas are a simple people that share ancient ancestry with our people, and who also hold knowledge that is new to us. With the news of this discovery, I ran like a deer and the world fell into a blurr, as I headed back toward the Warband. Prochon agreed without hesitation to lend 50 warriors to escort the Sahashunas to Arete.
Our people are truly blessed with good fortune to now have two villages, who have joined our people, bringing new knowledge to us.
Long live our People!
~Gaiyut, the Tracker
From the foundation of Arete to when we learnt how to write.
- 1. Fields of Arete (Farewell)
- 2. Jungle Hill (Revelation of Virgin Rocks)
- 3. Northern Foothills (Hard climb, lost a few men to forces of nature)
- 4. Northern Range (Realization of defensible border and grim desert on other side)
- 5. Dark Forest (Met Spanish and discovered Yassans and agriculture)
- 6. Fields (The Yassan women tagging along the Warband for a while)
- 7 Paradise Hills (Gold, Elephant and Rice)
- 8 Golden Plains (Met Babylonians and discovered animal husbandry)
- 9. Barren Hills (Voting on which member from the warband to send home to tell the tale)
The Discovery of the Yassans and how our people learned about Agriculture.
according to Civius the Steward
"Gaiyut the Tracker has returned with news of a Dark Forest up ahead Sir." Prochon glanced at the young warrior, not much more than a boy, and nodded. After a few moments when he did not remove himself from the Masters Presence Prochon nodded again as to say go on. " There are also tracks Sir, human ones...."
"Warband, gather from amongst your ranks 10,000 of the most fierce warriors, for tonight we shall see just how bloodthirsty you are". As the warriors were being assembled I, Civius the Steward , approached the Masters tent and asked if I might join him for a drink. The Master nodded and his gaurd split their ranks. Two old friends locked arms in the Warlords tradition and then the master spoke. "To what do I owe your company Brother?" I looked him in the eyes and with concern and determination I spoke. "Are we backward barbarians like the Spanish whom we've met this very year Sir? Pillaging, raping and slaughtering are not the way of the warrior.....sir" The Master arose, clenching his fist in anger at the blatant insult to his authority. I did not give him a chance to retort, I went on. "Let me approach the tribe with a small band of warriors? If they are a peaceful people I will demand a tribute for their protection from Hatshepsut the Barbarian. If it turns out they too are barbaric then I shall be the first to crush them with my mighty club." Prochon relaxed his fists as he seemed to look through me. A hint of pleasure could be seen in his eyes. Then he nodded and said I had until nightfall for then he would unleash his warriors on the savages.
As I was rushing to gather my things I heard a familiar voice approaching my tent. As I glanced at the entrance it was none other than Timus the Protecter. I arose to greet him but he raised his hand to stop me. "I shall join you to meet the Tree People, Masters orders. Though I'm sure you do not have a problem with it." I smiled, we locked arms in the warriors tradition and then had a stiff drink before setting out.
As we approached the dense, dark forest we gave one last look at each other, both with half a grin. Hands clenching our clubs we disappeared into the trees. The more we walked the forest seemed to thin out until at last we reached a clearing that was as wide as the eye could see. Were my eyes deceiving me? Had Timus clubbed me over the head after breathing in the dark spirits of the forest? I was in a dream world from which I hoped to never awaken from. Hundreds and hundreds of beautiful women all barebreast working like they were of one mind. Some carried water to the soil. Others were burying strange seeds across vast streches of land. The rest of them were carrying baskets of fruit on their heads. Scores of vegetables being pulled by horses to a small village in the distance. I looked over at my old friend and he was smiling from ear to ear. At the same moment we both gave each other a look of confusion as to say "Where are the menfolk?". So we set off to the village, a few young girls running around us just pointing and laughing.
The village was full of shops and the men appeared to be bartering their various fruits and vegetables for things like strange cloth and shiny rocks. As we were carrying on down one of the many sand paths we were approached by a large bearded man. His dialect was similar to ours so we were able to communicate loosely. He asked if we were familiar with the lands north of the great mountain. We replied that we were warband scouts for the Great City of Arete. Capital of the world we told him. He just kept bowing and offering us things from other mens baskets it was all quite amusing. He then led us to what appeared to be their Tribal Leader Yassan. A very fat man with long hair and a big smile. He told us his Great grandfather founded the village years ago and they were a peaceful people that tended the lands for its fruits. We all ate and had a what the natives called "Valcano Water", tasted horrible but made your head and feet feel light. We were having so much fun we lost track of time and night was fast approaching....
Meanwhile the Warband was preparing for the assault. Thousnds upon thousands of tired and hungry warriors at its helm. Prochon was beginning to worry about his friends and his fear that the villagers were hostile grew with every passing minute. Finally he could not wait any longer and gave the order. The Warriors began marching in unison, clubs held over their right shoulders.
"Civius, wake up! The villagers are arming themselves" I tried to get up but my head was pounding. "Prochon must be marching on the village" I forced myself to stand and took a second to absorb the situation. "He does not know these are a peaceful people." I told Timus to go see Yassan and I would race to intercept Prochon. As I reached the fertile fields I saw our warband approaching. It was a glorious sight to behold. The women were no longer on the fields as they had taken refuge in the village. Behind me the Villagers were taking up defensive positions. A hundred yards now seperated the warband from the village. I could see Prochon giving orders to the men and I made a bee line to him. I finally reached him, exhausted from running, I fell before his feet. "What have they done to you Civius? Where is Timus?" I tried to speak but my mouth was so dry, my head pounding with every breath I took. "There he is" Prochon shouted. Timus was approaching the Warband behind me escorting the Tribes leader. I finally got a word out and it was simply "Stop".
After a long meeting with Yassan and his Tribal Council Prochon persuaded the villagers to join our Civilization. They would bring with them the knowledge of Agriculture. The people would be escorted by 1000 warriors back to Arete. In return one thousand Yassanites joined the Warband. The locals threw one hell of a festival on the eve before we set out. As we left that morning Prochon gave the order to destroy what was left of the village. The Yassans were no longer a people but a great addition to our growing empire.
"Gaiyut the Tracker has returned with news of a Dark Forest up ahead Sir." Prochon glanced at the young warrior, not much more than a boy, and nodded. After a few moments when he did not remove himself from the Masters Presence Prochon nodded again as to say go on. " There are also tracks Sir, human ones...."
"Warband, gather from amongst your ranks 1000 of the most fierce warriors, for tonight we shall see just how bloodthirsty you are". As the warriors were being assembled I, Civius the Steward , approached the Masters tent and asked if I might join him for a drink. The Master nodded and his gaurd split their ranks. Two old friends locked arms in the Warlords tradition and then the master spoke. "To what do I owe your company Brother?" I looked him in the eyes and with concern and determination I spoke. "Are we backward barbarians like the Spanish whom we've met this very year Sir? Pillaging, raping and slaughtering are not the way of the warrior.....sir" The Master arose, clenching his fist in anger at the blatant insult to his authority. I did not give him a chance to retort, I went on. "Let me approach the tribe with a small band of warriors? If they are a peaceful people I will demand a tribute for their protection from Hatshepsut the Barbarian. If it turns out they too are barbaric then I shall be the first to crush them with my mighty club." Prochon relaxed his fists as he seemed to look through me. A hint of pleasure could be seen in his eyes. Then he nodded and said I had until nightfall for then he would unleash his warriors on the savages.
As I was rushing to gather my things I heard a familiar voice approaching my tent. As I glanced at the entrance it was none other than Timus the Protecter. I arose to greet him but he raised his hand to stop me. "I shall join you to meet the Tree People, Masters orders. Though I'm sure you do not have a problem with it." I smiled, we locked arms in the warriors tradition and then had a stiff drink before setting out.
The Babylonians
We were trailing a herd of Aurochs when we met them.
We were five, I, The Blastoid was the leader, Jogo, Rhoro, Taegal and Gaiyut the tracker were the other hunters. Gaiut had come up with the idea and we had used it several times now to varying success. Gaiut, Jogo and Haig had the frightening part, running at the beasts with flaming branches forcing them to panic and scamper as a herd towards a steep ravine. When the panic beasts tumbled into the ravine, it was time for Taegal and I to lever some rocks off the cliff face causing a landslide that would engulf and kill some of the beasts.
It was a successful hunt. Rhoro sat astride one dead beast, skinning the carcass. Jogo and Gaiut were cutting and Taegal and I were burning and herbing the meat for transport. The sun was hot here far from the ocean. I heard a screech from above and looked up to see an eagle soaring far above, circling for prey.
And then in a second there was a faint thump and the eagle exploded in a chaos of feathers and flesh and its corpse fell suddenly to earth. I signaled to the party to stop there skinning and to move to the lip of the ravine.
It was then that we saw them, several hundred strangely dressed men marching in caravan. They were dressed in light tunic, loosely draped and sand and turquoise in color. They were olive colored skin their hair was oily and black, and trimmed to a sharp pointed beard on their faces. One was laughing at another and raced away from the others to the corpse of the eagle. He raised it up in his fist and his companions laughed and spoke in a foreign tongue. One of them raised a huge curved wooden stick tied together by a string, he placed a piece of wood in the stick and releasing the string let the piece of wood hurl into the air, this time soaring to strike a vulture and bring it down. We stared in silent utter astonishment at the power of this weapon that these men held.
Orders were given, Rhoro and Jogo went back to finish the business with the meat. Gaiut and Taegal were sent to carefully track these wanderers and I raced back to the main band to tell of what I have seen.
I found Prochon in the Huntmaster's tent, where he was chewing on an overcooked shank of auroch. He motioned for me to sit and offered a piece of meat. I told him the events of the day and asked him leave to meet these strangers.
Go, and take 50 men, for protection.
Gaiut had come back from the tracking and told us there location. We made sure that we came loudly and with no ill intention. We came within range of their camp, put down our weapons and walked over them as a sign of peace. They looked at us warily and brought us to the largest tend at the center of the encampment. Inside the tent laying back on cushions and snoring loudly was what I guess was there leader. He was in the same garb as the others but his was stained yellow from what smelled like some type of fermented beverage. His guards prodded him until he became awake and he startled to see me before him.
Who are you? His eyes tried vainly to focus on my face.
I am The Blastoid a wanderer from the city of Arete. We are exploring this land and saw your war band from afar. We come in peace and wish to know more about your people.
Prowess, ummm, uhh burp. Yes we are good with our bows. Now his eyes seemed to focus more and he started to study my garb and appearance, much more like a warrior sizing up an opponent. From Arete, huh, never heard of it. I am the Grant and I am the leader of these bowmen. I am a warrior in the charge of our leader chief Lincoln of Babylon.
Well met, The Grant
The Blastoid, huh, doesnt it make you sound more important when you put a the in front of your name? I think so
I have seen the beautiful weapons your warrior use to kill from afar, what is it called.
It is the longbow, and we are the keepers of its secrets, bring word back to your leaders that we are a peaceful people, but any who cross it will fall quickly from its wraith.
I stand warned.
And we went on for hours, more of his bitter mead was brought and we drunk and talked. I had to excuse myself every few hours from the tent, but in reality to retch the alcohol up so I could stay sober and not lose my guard. If nothing else the man could drink! Though we spoke it became obvious that both of us were too guarded to let our secrets out, I learned little of his home except its name and there abhorrence of slavery. And he was not able to glean from me the location of our city or the existence of the Spanish. As dawn broke the next day I retrieved my men, who had spent the night drinking and singing with the longbowman to return to Prochon with our first impressions of these strange people.
The Fable on how Gaiyut the Tracker learnt to tame animals from the Sahashunas
My name is Gaiyut, the Tracker, and I am a scout for the Warband lead by Prochon, the hunt master. Prochon has set orders for me to run out ahead every morning to scout the advance for the warband. The warriors are strong and fierce, but they are too large of a group and would be seen by others long before our warriors would understand what they were walking into. I am fast, a great runner and tracker, the result of my native haritage in these lands.
The following is my account of the Sahashunas people, and how they agreed to join our people, and teach us the mysteries of Animal Husbandry, the knowledge of raising Animals to work with us, to fead us, and to clothe us.
On the 13th week of our journey since leaving Arete, the world was just beginning to wake, and already I had ranged a couple leagues ahead of the warband, which had camped to the East on the plains near the river, that runs through the "Paradis hills", as Prochon and others in our Warband had taken to calling the region to the East. The Paradise Hills region is a wonder to behold. I must tell you that they will take your breath away my people! From the moment we set foot there, we felt it. It is truly a wondrous place of many natural wonders. There is one hill with chunks of a shiny yellow stone that is cold to the touch, yet will nearly glow with fire when the first rays of the sun hit it in the morning. At the Eastern edge, there are enormous beasts with large white bones jutting from their mouths and huge arms hanging off their faces and thick hides that could turn away a spear. Watching the sunrise from the hills many proud ridges is almost enough to make one want to leave the sea behind and settle here. That story is for another to tell perhaps, but the place is too gorgeous not to mention.
That morning, as I ran toward the west through a seamingly endless sea of grass, using the long stride of my people, I didn't feel the sea of grasses pass beneath me. More so, I felt the simple flow of time and the cool morning air and the refreshing dampness on my legs from the low hanging dew. It had been a great morning for running, and I could see for ever in the never ending grasses.
The grassy sea began to thin somewhat, and I saw rocky hills and sandy soil approaching me, and the ground was becoming harder, and more gritty. The air began to smell much drier with the promise of heat and long hours running without water. Here, I saw a village built near a small creek that ran off toward the east (/ooc Creaks are not to be thought of as a "river" is in game terms).
I stopped my stride and crouched in the grasses, easing a stone into my sling, and loosening my flint spear in case the villagers proved to be hostile. Through the tall blades of grass, I saw some famers rising out of their wood frame huts that were covered in animal skins. Not far from the village was a large area, where the grass had been beaten down or roughly cut, and there was some kind of wood structure, bearly knee high and built by lashing tree limbs and brush together. My curiosity was peaked!
"What could be inside such an area?" I had wondered.
Thoughts of the previous week, when we our Warband had encountered a strange people, who called themselves the 'Babylonians', and carried strange weapons that could reach you from the edge of sight, brought my hackles up, and I hastily scanned the nearby hills for signs of these strange people. Seeing none, I cautiously approached the village.
When I was a hundred spans from the edge of the enclosed area, I got a glimps of some small animals that lived in a small hut and made this strange clucking noise as they pecked at seeds on the ground. To the right, I saw some boar sleeping near a mud pit, and now, I spotted a few other four-legged furry animals with small horns on their heads that made this strange rattling sound. I was wrapped in wonder. I've hunted animals my whole life, so it wasn't the animals themselves that gave me pause, it was that they weren't running away from me. My hackles began to rise. Surely, this was not the work of natural men!
As I began to back away, a wolf-like animal ran up toward me, barking and snarling! I raised my spear to defend myself, but it didn't attack, it stayed its ground and barked and howled. Then it dawned on me! This creature was guarding this area. I didn't know what to make of it, it was nearly too much. Then I heard a young boys voice yell out, 'Paka! Paka! Cam qik Paka! Sook!' I turned to the noise with one eye on the wolf thing snarling at me. A large burly man stood up from where he had been doing something with one of the furry horned animals and began to approach me, raising a hand to the boy. The boy stood his ground about 200 spans from me and split his gaze between me and the large man, who was apparently his father.
'Who are you?' He bellowed. The wolf thing ignored the big man, and kept focusing on me. I dared not make a sudden movement. Things were beginning to become clearer to me. This man somehow controlled all of the animals within my range of sight. At the time, I thought this man was truly magnificent.
'My name is Gaiyut!' I told him. Putting down my sling and slowly stepping away from the wolf thing, I held out my hands palms up, hoping that my movements would appear to be peaceful. 'I mean you no harm. I am an explorer far away from home. Your animals made me curious. I've never seen such a thing!'
The big man crossed his arms and looked at me like I had two heads. 'What you mean? Aint you never seen a dog, chickens, pigs, and goats before?'
I hastily tried to remember what he was telling me...this sounded very important. 'Seen them yes (I lied) but not in such a way as to be under the control of people...unafraid of people.'
'Are you a Savage? I'll have Hindy tear you into scraps for the hogs if ye are!'
'No! Please, no! I am a scout from a large settlement far to the South East. I wager we know a great deal from which your people would be greatly served.'
'My People? 'We...' as he struggled with the word, are the Sahashunas, people of the Grass Sea.'
'Hindy back off, it's alright!' And the wolf thing, dog, calmed down, whimpered, and sniffed my feat with a toung hanging out of its mouth and strolled easily back to the 'pens' as the man had called them.
'Thank you! Could we talk somewhere inside, I would very much like to see if there is a way both our people can help each other.'
'Name's Majaal, and I'll take you to our clan hall and let the elders decide.'
At the Clan Hall, I met with 4 men, and we interrogated eachother for hours over what life was like out here on the Grassy Sea, about things I had seen while exploring, about my people, about the wonders to be found in the waters near Arete, and about how we had mastered farming and the wheel. Stories about The Wheel and about Fishing brought me the same slack jawed look I had no doubt had when discussing what they called Animal Husbandry. Soon, we were all laughing and back slapping about old stories, and it became apparent that our people shared common ancestry.
The Sahashunas also agreed with our supicions toward the Babylonians.
When I mentioned that I was actually scouting ahead for a Warband, the elders took no time at all in announcing that they'd gladly join our people at Arete in exchange for an escort and the chance to keep their animals out of the hands of Savages, wild animals, and the Babylonians.
The Sahashunas are a simple people that share ancient ancestry with our people, and who also hold knowledge that is new to us. With the news of this discovery, I ran like a deer and the world fell into a blurr, as I headed back toward the Warband. Prochon agreed without hesitation to lend 50 warriors to escort the Sahashunas to Arete.
Our people are truly blessed with good fortune to now have two villages, who have joined our people, bringing new knowledge to us.
Long live our People!
~Gaiyut, the Tracker
