Alternative History Experiment

[bestshot9]

Orders for Fravaria:

Culture name: Fravaria

Description:

Economic: Fravaria, after discovering the secrets of agriculture, will begin to settle down and begin farming and domesticating animals, eventually leading a mostly permanently sedentary lifestyle. They will no longer need to rely on following herds of animals for food but instead can benefit from living in the same area all year long and growing and raising their own food. They will also start to discover very basic cheeses which they will also use to supplement their diet.

Diplo/Trade: The various Fravarian tribes along the Valgyer [Rhine] and Heche [Main] rivers will begin to settle down and become less aggressive towards each other, as they will begin to realize the benefits that a larger community can have (as in a confederation of tribes, not large cities or anything.) They will attempt to bully out non-Fravarian tribes in the area to claim more land for their own people.

Cultural: The various religious beliefs and ceremonies have pretty much gone unchanged for this last era.

Priorities: Unify the various Fravarian tribes along the Valgyer [Rhine] River and begin to settle down as farming and herding becomes easier to do.

Spending: Spend our 1 point on Empire (Unifying the various tribes along the Valgyer and Heche [Main] Rivers.)

EDIT: Edited my description to make it more in-depth.

 

[mythmonster2]

May people still join up?

 

[Masada]

Of course.

 

[Adrogans]

Culture name: Dalycana
Description:
The tribes will evolve to be more independent than before, but will still come together in the face of an outside threat. Their religion is going to shrink to focus on three gods: The God Trino of art and crafting, The Goddess Mial fertility of both people and the fields, and the God Herak focusing on the attributes of leadership and war. The religion will become known as Aranthianism, named after the triplets (Gaius Aranth Priest of Trino, Isara Aranth High Priestess of Mial, and Fidelius Aranth Priest of Herak) who each became the head priest/priestess of the primary deities. They all came from the northernmost tribe called the Hian. They were the children of the tribal chieftan, Triack Aranth, and began to spout prophecies about the future. These then spread across the Dalycana people. Key to these prophecies was settling in the north after a great war pushed them from their ancestral lands where they would build an nation to last ages. These Prophecies came to be known as the teachings of The Aranth and spread as it offered hope during a time of conflict.

Cultural Results hoped for:
-A firm religion forms and is a uniting force of the Dalycana peoples, yet they would still be fractured into city states united by culture, religion, and history, but divided by various ruling families. The largest of these groups will be the following: Acturias, Hian, Coresis, Mercinthor, and Segygia. There are many smaller city states/tribes who will ally submit to one of the large five.
-They will lose/leave their homeland Daluron (Isreal) and would gladly leave it behind due to the promise of the bright future in Terrunaea (Anatolia). And they will never want it back Terrunaea is their true home and where they will begin to form true connections to the land and spread from there. Only a small percentage of the Dalycana will remain behind (mainly the followers of the deities who lost favor).
-Metal working will hopefully begin to become more understood and useful for things first such as cutting lumber and harvesting but eventually for combat.
-Every Dalycana will upon reaching adulthood will go and pledge themselves to one of the three deities. This will impact their future, but for instance a follower of Trino does not have to be a craftsman, they could be a warrior who sees combat as a form of art instead of simply for the sake of combat. The choice of which to follow has more to do with temperament and outlook than profession.

Priorities:
-Expansion into Anatolia
-Growth of the Metalworking craft
-Spread of the Religion of Aranthianism
-Learning Writing (I am imagining cuneiform style)

Spending:
1 point will be spent on the belief that Anatolia is the Promised Land and fuel migration and settlement.
1 point will go into the continuation of metal skills leading to its use in agriculture and simple weapons.

 

[civver_764]

JOINING:

Culture Name: Kraenn

Starting Point: South England, right on the coast.

Description:
(note: If this doesn't fit the description of a '(semi-)nomadic' tribe I am willing to make some adjustments.)

Economy Data - The Kraenn peoples have relatively limited sense of an economy. Groups of people find themselves massing together into villages and share their food with one another. The land is shared by all, with no one having "owned" any of it. Foreign trade is pretty much non existent within these primitive tribespeople.

Military Data - If one tribe runs short on food, no one is morally opposed to raiding a neighboring village for food. There is very little sense of unity beyond a local tribe. Other nomadic peoples farther inland(mostly hunters) will also be raiding by the Kraenn people. The more food you could steal from someone else, the more days you could without working. Several attempts have been made to 'annex' neighboring tribes into one, but have proven unsuccessful. Wooden clubs are mainly used

Cultural Data - Men are mainly fishermen, whilst woman fill the role of performing religous rites and nursing children. In some cases of food shortages, woman will travel further inland and collect/raid different types of food. The Kraenn are heavily dependent on the water and its abundance of seafood, however, and usually fear settling inland due to a supposed lack of food. Religious beliefs vary amongst the Kraenn people, but most involve some sort of ocean deity.

Priorities:
-establish a sense of leadership to unite various tribal villages and increase living conditions for the Kraenn people.
-eventually discover the secrets of agriculture, allowing them to become less dependent on the water and create more settlements inland.

(do you want to me to do orders like everyone else, or is this tribe still a part of round 1, since I don't have any points yet?)

 

[Vertinari118]

Culture name: Baildughciarad
Description:

Cultural Description

The sedentary tribes begin to develop agriculture and stop killing or just leaving behind the weak thus they gain a group of people who have the time to come up with ideas and test them out. Not really an academic class as such but these people enable the settled Baildughciarad to overtake the nomads in the technology race. Gradually the technological advances will filter through the rest of the Baildughciarad. People and tribes conquered by the Baildughciarad now form a new social class the eunuchs, and slaves but you can guess their role, originally done by some tribes to put down insurrection without massive massacres, who act as a bureaucracy among the tribes and spread the use of tokens even among the nomadic Baildughciarad, though the old barter system is not yet replaced, rather the tokens act as the fourth form of economy used by the Baildughciarad. Among the more nomadic tribes supplies are now centrally distributed according to your needs and usefulness to the tribes and tokens are used as a form of ration card to ensure you only get what you are due and no more or less. Horses are now a huge part of the nomadic arad, a shortened term meaning people only use after you have used the full name please otherwise you could be talking about anyone, way of life and are worshipped as spirits made flesh. To kill a horse is a more serious offence than murder. Dogs are also a large part of nomadic arad life, while sheep and goats are more important to the semi-nomadic and sedentary tribes.
Merged with economic description as well

Military Description

Horses allow for faster, more effective and more efficient raids, they also allow the tribes to travel faster and over greater distances than their rivals as an arad raider can sustain himself on mare blood and milk, note mares, or any other animal for that matter, do not have to be pregnant for lactation to occur. This increased mobility combined with the war-like nature of the arad has lead to the rise of a new warrior, or more accurately raider, class that make their living through raids. The bow and the spear are the most common weapons among the arad and their bows are very advanced for the time period. Metal-working and therefore swords and knifes actually useful in prolonged combat are just beginning to appear.

Religion

Rumours of a land of the spirits, a place of bounty and peace and warm summers with cool winters and food that grows everywhere in fields, has arisen in among the arad. It is said this place is far to the south and several of the more curious and war-like tribes begin to migrate south conquering or burning all that lies in their way until they reach this land of the spirits. This land is of course the Engarids (sorry NWAG).

Priorities:

Develop metal-working techniques and composite short bows if allowed or better bows than the ones we already have which can be used from horseback.

Religion fuelled tribal invasion of the Engarids (Sorry NWAG)

Further domestication and breeding of horses and dogs.

Gradual rise of agriculture among the sedentary arad.

Small migrations in all directions fuelled by the usual butterfly effect. A particularly hardh witer forces a few tribes to move and before you know it you have a massive host led by one brilliant commander, or not so brilliant. You know the drill.

The sedentary arad gradually spread out a bit from their current location forming the Yekegürün (meaning Great Nation or state or country).

Spending: I wish to spend both my points on my first priority please. That developing metal-working techniques and improving weapon design particularly bows.

 

[Cynovolans]

Culture name: Materan
Description: The Arabic Materans will start developing a separate identity from African Materans but still have many things in common. They will start by developing agriculture and have a large population boom causing migrations of the Materans to all over the Arabian Peninsula. A small state will form in the southwestern coast of the peninsula. The state will be called Materonzi which means "Brother to Materan". Materan is now used by the Arabic tribe to refer to their lost homes. Legends and myths all describe Materan as a heavenly land covered with plants, food does not require to be grown or harvested, an frankincense the holy plant is plentiful. They are aware of the African Materan tribes existence and call them the Materenoaa, or the "Sister to Materan". Materonzis economy is based on agriculture and trade. The military is more organized.

The African Materans will adapt to their new homes and grow in numbers, but much slower than the Arabic tribe. They will retain their hunter gather existence and continue to migrate south along the coast of Africa. They continue to refer to themselves as the Materans, and few tribes have any legends about the other tribe migrating to Arabia. Frankincense is considered the sacred plant that purifies the person. Every tribe has a legend about a home they came from, but details about the land and why they left it vary. This tribe is virtually the same as the original tribe.

Both tribes still worship the same deities, but differences being that the African Materans deities have the form of the animal they are the gods of.

Priorities:

• The Arabic Materan tribe discovers agriculture and has a large population growth.
• The Arabic Materan tribe migrates migrates all over the Arabian peninsula making them the largest tribe on the Peninsula.
• A state is formed in the Southwestern part of the peninsula. Called the Materonzi.
• The African Materan tribe migrates south along the coast.

Spending: I want to spend one point on the Arabic Materan tribe discovering agriculture.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Culture name: Serkot
Starting point: Irrawaddy (Serkot, in this timeline) Delta
Description: The Serkotese people have migrated down the river bearing their name, settling along its length. The most densely settled and civilized region is in the fertile southern delta. The Serkotese live by hunting, fishing and gathering the rich produce of the delta. Recently, rices have begun to be domesticated, contributing to the development of larger villages and levels of social order.

The Serkotese follow a rather undeveloped religion based around a collection of water-spirits, and their leaders have developed into something of a limited priestly class. At the moment, however, almost the all of the efforts of these people go towards simple survival.
Priorities: Increased Civilization, Agriculture
Spending: I guess we don't have any yet.

 

[Kentharu]

Culture name: Ik
Description:
The first "military leader" will come about, as a man named Ikno-Ru with the self proclaimed title of The Anu-Ronhash (translated to God's First General) after he successfully defeats one of the upper Nile raids. He would then go on to lead his army to solidify his rule among the Ik as well as unify them under one banner and central authority. In each village there will be a governor appointed by the Anu-Ronhash (who at this point is Ikno-Ru). The governor will be selected from the local population of the village and this governor will report to the Anu-Ronhash administration as well as pay "tax" in the form of grain and other such things (pottery and what not, raw materials). This should be undertaken with as little bloodshed as possible, however resistance is to be expected and should be taken care of swiftly. In return for the tax and a pledge of loyalty each village will receive the protection of the Anu-Ronhash. After this unification takes place rapid mobilization and coordinated strikes against those on my borders in an effort to convert and settle more land for which to grow crops on. Any and all villages that are encountered will be given the option to submit to the rule of the Anu-Ronhash and the same process I outlined previously will be done for them. Focus on expanding south (towards the Upper Nile). Keep a military presence along my Mediterranean border in case of raids from the Waldigo. Focus also on the further development of more complex and efficient irrigation methods.
Expansion of the military elite and prominence of its power through my society. These should make up the ruling class, bureaucrats and such things as well as of course generals. This should also foster a greater exploration and refinement of military tactics.

Priorities:
Expansion South
Development of irrigation methods
Development of roads to increase trade between villages (towns whatever)
Development of more greater war strategy.
Religious development to supplement the growing imperialistic nature.

Spending:
1 on facilitating further expansion as well as internal political development (unification process)
1 on further development of irrigation methods and inter-village connections through roads and such.

 

[bestshot9]

Hey Masada I edited my description in my orders to make it more in-depth, sorry about how skinny it was before, wasn't quite sure what the difference between the "description" and "priorities" were, but now I'm clear.

 

[mythmonster2]

Culture name: Akhlain
Starting point: Around the interior of Algeria. (If I will be stagnated for a few turns, its OK.)

Description: Akhlain refers to the people of North Africa. They are of very little importance for now, not being much than nomads living off the small oases they can find, with not much in the way of culture. Agriculture is almost impossible in the arid Sahara desert, so there are no cities. No cities means no real ruler, and so they are more organized into clans of a few hundred, and each is led by a chieftain. Little do they know a huge sea lies to the north, and their position may prove to become a very advantageous one. For now, nomads and herders they are. But their time will come.

Priorities: Not much, just do dat nomad stuff.

 

[Amon Savag]

Culture name: Anicistor
Description: I hope to change nothing.
Priorities: I hope to achieve more migration. As my people migrate, they leave their culture... So it's more of an expansive movement, than a movement from point a to point b. My people come in, take over, and leave.. but in doing so, they've expanded the base of the culture.
Spending: I'll take one for the team and spend on vision to see what the effects are.

 

[LDiCesare]

Culture name: Ilfeinoi (Gintainai)

Description:
Abstract
As Ilfeinoi learnt to domesticate horses, their lifestyle changed dramatically. They remained hunter-gatherers, but realised that raiding of other people had become much easier. Therefore, they started behaving more aggressively with the various tribes they met, and would split in two cultures, a traditional matriarcal one and a more aggressive patriarcal raider culture.

Religion
Women at first managed to impose a religion in which they were the ones able to pray and contact the Horse Spirit, and they ruled their clans for a long time. The Horse Spirit religion would be the dominant cult, but men would not be long to start worshipping their own "God of Hunt", often depicted as an eagle, and the Horse Spirit would become a "Great Mare Goddess".

Culture split
However, some young men started wanting to pick their wives themselves, or to take women from the people they attacked. Occasional raping was soon not enough, and a band of young men left their clan under the rule of a young hunter called Ileimir, and did something unthinkable: They raided another clan, and didn't steal their food but their women. Ilfeinoi were unable to react at first. Women elders demanded that this stop, but they could only ask for a war for which they were not ready, and men had to wage it. So, in order to fight Ileimir's "wife-stealers" (Gintainai in Ilfeinoi tongue), women let men gain some power. Soon, other young men imitated Ileimir, and a bunch of new Gintainai clans rose, stealing wives from Ilfeinoi and other cultures.

Economic consequences
Ilfeinoi used to raid only non-Ilfeinoi people, but Gintainai don't mind raiding other Gintainai or Ilfeinoi.
Some Ilfeinoi raided Gintainai back to take back their women, and some tried bartering to get them back, sometimes also raiding non-Ilfeinoi tribes to exchange foreign women for their captured clan members. Until the day a Gintainai clan said they would give a woman back in exchange for a mare. This soon led the way to a new kind of economy: Barter, which was almost unheard of before. Gintainai and Ilfeinoi soon developped an abstract currency unit, the Enfigin ("tenth of a wife" literally): One young woman was worth ten Ongin, and values were compared to the "worth" of a wife. This would weaken Ilfeinoi matriarchy and some clan men would slowly turn their tribes and behaviours into Gintainai.
Constant struggle between clans made Gintainai move much more than their Ilfeinoi ancestors, as they needed to find new women.

Priorities:
Internal struggle causes Ilfeinoi to split in two different cultures: Matriarcal Ilfeinoi, who may or may not survive, and patriarcal Gintainai.
Gintainai lifestyle is raiding, and they expand southwards and westwards in order to find new women.
Develop barter. Currency unit based on the worth of a woman should have an important effect towards altering influence of women in the society.
Gintainai may develop slavery if they meet large sedentary tribes from which they can pick slaves.
Develop bows for hunting, raiding and warfare.

Spending: Raiding.

 

[Neverwonagame3]

Culture name: Engardis

Cultural Description:
In response to rumours of nomad hordes moving south demanding access to a land approximating to their own, the Engarids begin sending forces north to try and repulse them in alliance with the natives. A fear will begin to emerge of foreign invasion, making internal wars less likely as tribes focus on (as with the United States and the Soviet Union, not entirely rationally) preventing the “Baildughciarad threat”.

A simultaneous but complimentary development will be a tradition of intermarriage between the families of various Kings and War-Kings. Tribes coming into whole or partial “personal union” will not be ruled entirely or “outlawed”, but marriage choices will be made in a deliberate attempt to avoid it.

Economic Description:
Agricultural technology will advance over time, triggering increases in population. In response to this, there will be greater numbers to command thus triggering Leadership developments (see Leadership). Experiments will be began with domestication, if mostly by the Unit Leaders. Greater independence will occur in most allotments with the need to support the tribe no longer being an obligation, however Unit Leaders will attain control of domesticated farmland and will be able to require rotating service from commoners to tend to their animals. In addition, minor food taxes will come into being to support various Kings and Leaders.

Military Description:
Probable combat encounters with other cultures are likely to show that Engarid military doctrines are ineffective, or at least have weaknesses. Cultural influence on military matters will be accepted, and Engarid tribes will begin reforming their tactics along Baildughciarad lines (also gaining an opportunity to improve their metals as mentioned earlier). The system of Units will permit small-arms tactics and give a degree of advantage over the enemy.

Leadership Description:
The system of King and War-King will remain, expanded by a system of Units. Each Unit will consist of a land area and the people within approximating to 100 men, 100 women, and assorted children (due to wartime needs, women and children can switch units depending on convenience, and numbers are thus only rough, but the number of men has to stay exact. Unit Boundaries will be altered to ensure this). Every Unit will have a Unit Leader and a War-Unit Leader, appointed directly by the King and War-King respectively. In civil affairs, Unit Leaders will focus on solving disputes and enforcing the law. In military affairs, War-Unit Leaders will develop small-arms tactics in order to defeat “local” opposition.

Priorities:
-Improve military leadership over time

-Keep up with Baildughciarad military developments

-Exploiting superior numbers (the conflict is between agricultural civilisations and nomads, and Baildughciarad nomads will have to get through the sedentary civilisation in the area), prevent loss of Engarid lands.

Spending:
-1 point on improving military Leadership
-1 point on keeping up with Baildughciarad metal developments once invented

 

[Abaddon]

In the [Indus Valley], the Khamba have become the premier traders of the world, reaching as far west as the Ranna, and as far north as the foothills of the [Himalayas]. Instead of agriculture the Khamba turned towards aquaculture but as time went on this became inadequate for their burgeoning population. This created a large scale grain trade up the [Indus] which has helped spur the growth and development of other civilizations in the vicinity. Perhaps, the most interesting facet of Khamba culture was the ritual castration of young boys, which has laid the foundations of a priestly caste. The Anicistor have begun a long migration north from the Indus valley having been driven out by the settled agriculturalists of the upper [Indus River]. Quite where they are headed is unknown.

Khamba (Trade, Religion, Settlement and Specialization)
[+3] Points: bonus option for detail

Culture name: Khamba

Description: Establish base of control up the Nedanta [Indus] Controlling this powerful agricultural area we will push out the reminants of Anicistor culture and ours will expand into it, castrating boys as it goes! With a large, bountious area under our control we will be able to concentrate on other things. Men will wonder about the stars,our place here. "culture" Also our trading ships will travel futher and futher up and down the coasts establishing links with tribes of increasing distances away.

Priorities: Establish self in Indus, establish religion in this area, due to large stores of grains and trade we need a better model than barter. Goldsmiths and coinage will begin to come into existance for govermental big deals. The commoners have nothing to do with it. Being a goldsmith is only allowable professional for the religous caste. All others are presecuted

Spending:
1. Religion
1. Settle the Indus Valley
1. Specialization "Religous Branch of Goldsmiths- basic coinage"

 

[Kentharu]

The Farmer and his Son​

The sun beat down on Ri’s back relentlessly as he meticulously bunched together stalks of grain and then proceeded to cut them with his hand scythe, after which he carefully placed them upright in a large thatched basket strapped to his back. The basket was already half full, however he had a large field to tend to by himself. This fact, however, did not deter him as he was accustom to the labor since he had tended to the field for the majority of his life. Ri was around 40 years, however he wasn’t very conscious of his age, he simply knew he had done what he was doing for a very long time, and that was sufficient information for him. Today he was doing what he had done yesterday and the day before that, harvesting the crop. He had no real help with as his son was to young to be of any use and would simply get in the way, or worse, hurt himself. His wife had died in child birth, but oddly enough he never missed her much. He only knew her for less than a year, enough time to pregnant her and consequentially have her die from it. He was, thus, left alone to care for a boy, a task sometimes greater than any harvest. He, in contrast to his wife, carried deeply for his son, and was a little over protective at times of him.

At the moment his son, Sen was playing around their hut, using a crude spear made of a small branch. He was using it in his “fun” as he busied himself fighting an invisible army of zombies. His father could hear his cries and yells from the fields however these were as common as harvesting the crop as he was well away of his son’s over active imagination. Ri did not, however, condone violence of any kind. In fact he was quite against the whole idea of conflict and preferred to, as one would imagine, tend to his field in peace without any heroics or adventure. His own personal philosophy was that of total non-violence. This fit rather neatly into Ri’s life due to the complete lack or threat of any violence, considering the closest village was many leagues away from his own and further more the closest village happened to be his own village’s closest ally. No other threat existed, save for wild animals and such things, which of course did not count since they were not human. As for his own village, he kept a pleasant but distant relationship with them and they seemed to not care much either way, as his harvest crop was always in on a regular basis and was always of very high quality. However this peace and quiet that Ri afforded would soon but him in a rather tough situation.

For the moment Ri was finishing off his allotted harvest quota for the day, which he had given himself, and was consequentially heading back into the hut with his basket full of stalks. It was then that he noticed his son with the mock spear, twirling it around and stabbing at the empty air. This was something Ri refused to tolerate. Huffing in frustration he continued on his way to the hut and rested the basket by the entry before stalking off towards his son. Sen did not seem to notice any of this as he was embroiled in a duel with the zombie leader, who had captured is wife to be. Hence it was a rather shocking when he felt a hard slap on his back which jarred him out of his duel with the zombie leader and sent him tumbling toward the ground with a yelp of surprise. At that moment the golden spear he wielded suddenly became a knotted piece of wood which was currently being yanked from his grasp by his father, who had now taken the place of the zombie leader. Sen could do nothing more than look up pleadingly at his father’s scowling face, scrunched with the kind fo rage he was so very afraid of.

“There is no violence in this family” Ri said in a deathly quiet tone as he glared down at his son. Without another word he took the twig-spear and broke it in half with a quick snap. Father and son watched each other, both staying completely still and silent, the only sound their slow breathing. Ri was debating what to do, whether to hit his son again or simply with hold his dinner and Sen was debating how he could escape his father’s wrath with minimal harm to his person. Ri’s contemplation on a punish would have to wait as a movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. As he turned and squinted down across his field and up the dusty path leading from his hut to the village he was able to make out a small band of people walking towards his hut. They all seemed to be carrying many things, many of which looked to be spears and bows.

“Go inside Sen” Ri said quietly to his son, not even looking at him as the creases in his face deepened into worry. Sen hesitated for a moment, not sure what could have perturbed his father so, followed his gaze over the now cut field and down the path where he saw the small band of people hurrying towards them. Before Sen could put anything together his father’s big calloused hands grab his shoulders and immediately shoved him in the direction of the hut “now, get inside and stay inside no matter what you hear”

Sen stared up at his father who looked away into the distance and a fear like never before began to creep into him, though he did not know why he dreaded leaving his father. But he obediently ran into the hut and pressed himself flat against his cot as the cold grip of fear rested its hand around his insides. Outside the hut Ri watched and waited for a few moments. No one came to visit him regularly and if so it was the odd townsman who came to trade for extra grain, or perhaps Set, an old friend who came by every few months to visit. Never had anyone come at harvest time, nor had they come in such large numbers, and never with weapons. Ri counted roughly 6 men in the band, all armed with either spears or bows. Immediately his mind leapt to the thought of getting his hand scythe in case they were violent. But that thought left as quickly as it came, since he knew he would not be able to fight off all of them at once and if he acted hostilely then the likelihood of him getting killed would be higher. No, instead he moved onto the path way and stood there waiting for them, making sure to be a little ways away from the hut so that they perhaps would not be tempted to go straight for it. Clearly they had seen him but they made no gestures of recognition, they simply moved closer and closer, however they also did not draw weapons which could mean no trouble. Ri steeled himself, ready for the worst but decided to raise his hand slowly and wave a little, hoping that they would recognize it as a sign of friendship. They didn’t, or at least they did not show any signs of responding, but again they did not draw weapons. Perhaps they were peaceful after all. As this thought floated through Ri’s mind the strangers finally came close where they could speak.

“Greetings strangers, who may you...” before Ri could finish his sentence the band of six stopped and the man in the center immediately began to talk very fast and rather angrily in a language Ri could not understand. Ri raised his hand motioning for the man to stop

“I am sorry stranger I do not understand you” he said as he shook his head and pointed to his ears, hoping that the stranger would understand. However this only seemed to further anger the man in the middle who pointed his spear at Ri and shouted something at him. Ri held his hands up, palms open hoping to convey that would mean no harm “please there is no need for violence”

With that the man in the middle suddenly swung the butt of his spear at Ri, making contact with his stomach and sending him stumbling backwards a few paces. Ri clutched his stomach, as he gasped for air, thinking that he was lucky the man did not choose to impale him right then and there. This thought was short lived as another blow to his back sent to his knees as he cried out in pain. It was then the group of six converged on Ri and flung him to the ground where they furiously kicked and punched every bit of him they could find as Ri curled up into a ball to try and protect his head. This strategy did work to a certain degree however the six freely punched and pounded his abdomen and back with blows until he was coughing up blood. After a few minutes of savagery the man in the middle called out tot he rest and straightened up, cracking his knuckles as he looked down at the quivering bloody mess that was now Ri as the rest of them followed suit and stopped the assault. Ri was alive, but barely conscious and vividly aware of the agonizing pain that stabbed throughout his battered body. He could hardly move let alone breath and he was sure he had broken a few bones. At this point though, his only thoughts were of the safety of his son, who he hoped had listened to him and was hiding inside the hut. Above him he could hear murmurs from the strangers until he a central commanding voice say something and then hands grabbed him and dragged him to his feet. He could barely walk, so he didn’t even try, instead he let them carry him to where ever they were going. He couldn’t see much as his left eye began to swell shut and his right was half closed already but he could make out that they were heading towards the hut. He groaned in protest, his thoughts flying about. They would catch his son and then what would they do to Sen. He could not struggle, and even when he tried every muscle in his body screamed in protest which left him only sobbing. Finally he was dumped onto the ground in presumably what he thought was his hut.

Sen had done just as his father had told him and was tightly pressed into the corner of his cot when the six men came in caring something. They dumped it on the ground and then proceeded to stalk off about the hut looking for something. This something, it seemed, wasn’t anything in particular, perhaps food. Sen could not make out very clearly from his vantage point but he could hear the breaking of pots as well as murmurs in some strange language. He could feel that cold fear again clamping around his gut, making him want to cry out for help and run but he knew that would be a mistake. Maybe the strangers would go away after they stole everything, or so he hoped as he tried to press himself into the very folds of the clay wall of his hut. This however did not deter the men from thoroughly searching through every inch of his home until eventually a large hand rested on him and then immediately grabbed his arm and yanked him from his hiding place and into the open. Than man who held him pushed his face right up to Sen’s, searching his eyes for something before straightening up and yelling out something. Soon enough the rest of the six came and gathered around Sen who was still held firmly in the mans grip. He did not know what to do, whether to try to speak or to struggle and perhaps escape. The iron grip on his right arm told him that escape was pointless but that cold fear wriggling in his insides seemed to want very much to get away from these strangers. They, however, seemed to be paying little attention to him and were currently in a heated debate amongst themselves. The one who was holding him kept on getting louder and louder until the larger of the men struck him hard across the cheek, sending him staggering back and then yanking Sen from his grip. Perhaps they would eat him, stew him in a pot and make a soup out of his eyeballs. This was not the case since it seems the large man simply pushed Sen back to his cot and then squatted in front of him. He stared at Sen for a few moments before saying something slowly in his strange tongue and then pointing to Sen before pointing firmly to his cot and then nodding. Sen blinked at the man for a few moments before he slowly crawled over to his cot and sat down on it. This seemed to be what the large man wanted him to do, which he was perfectly fine with since it probably meant he wouldn’t get turned into soup. It was at this point that he saw what the men had dropped on the floor. It was his father. Or at least something that resembled his father that lay quivering and curled up on the ground. The welts on his fathers back were twice as big as his fist.

ooc yes the picture is not TL

Edit added a paragraph that I forgot.

 

[Kentharu]

The Farmer and his Son (cont'd)

The sound of shouting and banging awoke Sen in the morning after a restless night of trying to sleep with the strangers still inside his hut. Sen rubbed his eyes, a yawn catching him as he stretched out a little, trying to wake himself up. Carefully he looked around in search of the six strangers but there was no sight of them. He could still hear the crashing and banging noises outside his hut, like someone was having a great fight. Sen did not wait to find out and as he began to crawl out of his cot he spotted his fathers form, still crumpled where it was the night before. Immediately he scurried over to his father and gently placed his small hands on him, shaking him slightly.

“Father” Sen whispered as he rolled Ri’s form over and put his ear to his father’s mouth trying to hear but the only sound that escaped his father’s lips was a rasping moan.

“Father it’s Sen, father please say something” he whispered desperately, tears clouding his vision as he shook his father again “please wake up father”

This time his father’s right eye open slightly and his puffy face moved to face Sen, a smile twitching on the edges of his lip. His hand shakily rose up and cupped Sen’s cheek as tears streaked down to meet his fingertips.

“Run” his father managed to say as his right eye closed, his hand falling limply from Sen’s cheek. Sen croaked and gripped his fathers hand tightly, sobs raking his body. He swayed slightly as tears rolled down his cheeks, falling gently on his father’s cheek as he were crying for his father. The finality of the moment seemed to crash into Sen, sending waves of agony through his mind and body. His father was dead. But through the sorrow and despair that clogged his mind his father’s words came rushing back, blowing away the haze fo grief.

“Run”

He choked back his pain and finally let go of his father’s hand. Some how he managed to get to his feet as he cleared his vision of the tears. He could still hear the yelling but now it was a little further away so he collected his thoughts and his will and moved towards the hut entrance slowly. Peaking out from it he immediately saw 4 of the strangers laying on the ground sprinkled around his hut. Pools of dark red tinted the baked soil, creating a grim halo around them. One had a long thick stick protruding from his stomach which he was weakly trying to pull out from himself as blood ran out from the corners of his mouth and nose. Down the path the other two strangers were fighting against two other men. One of the strangers though seemed to be wounded as he was limping on one leg while jabbing his spear at the other two to keep them at bay. Sen could not wait to see the outcome of this battle, though he sourly wished he could so instead of staying and watching he slowly began to sneak around the corner of his hut. Just then a great cry came from the wounded stranger as one of the other men, who wore a rather large shield on his left arm, jabbed his spear into the strangers chest. This cry was quickly ended when the second man thrust his spear right into the strangers throat before backing away and facing the last remaining stranger. The stranger, seeing he was outnumbered suddenly turned around and began running straight toward Sen, or rather the hut which Sen happened to be pressed in front of. He was only a few feet away from Sen before a spear suddenly jutted through his chest as he stumbled for a few moments and then fell to the ground with a loud thump. Directly behind him the man with the large shield stood leaning forward after he had just thrown his spear. Sen was frozen, caught between looking at the dying man before him and the tall lithe figure with the large shield who had seemingly saved his life. The man saw him to and raised his hand in an open palmed greeting

“Hail little one, do not be afraid for I am the Anu-Ronhash, Ikno-Ru” said the man as he began to advance towards Sen, who was still pressed against the hut’s outer wall at this point “I am hear to help where are your parents?”

Sen could not find his voice, he could only stare as the man, Ikno-Ru, grabbed his spear from the dead man and yanked it clear of him, pieces of flesh still stuck to it. This Ikno-Ru spoke his language, but with some sort of accent. He had heard that sort of accent before, from those farther down the great river Gani. The man’s companion began to advance as well, his head swiveling this and that way as if looking for more men to fight which seemed to agitate Sen even more.

“Don’t mind Sok, he is harmless” Ikno-Ru said as he smiled. Oddly enough that smile seemed to make Sen smile, even with the dead man in front of him, who’s blood had crept slowly along the ground until it reached the tips of his toes. Carefully Sen hopped away from the blood, rubbing what got onto his foot onto the dirt quickly as if it were acid.

“My father” Sen said but his throat closed up as a sob choked him, the memory all to fresh in his mind. Out of no where a hand came to rest on his shoulder, squeezing gently, something his father use to do regularly

“All things die little one, and all things are reborn into the father land of Anu” came a soothing voice from above. Sen sniffed and lifted his head, looking up to see Ikno-Ru’s face, so gentle and yet chiseled with a raw power that seemed to swim underneath the surface “do you have a mother?”

Sen shook his head as an answer, preferring not to speak since his throat did not want to work. Ikno-Ru’s hand pressed Sen’s small frame against him in a sort of hug, the warmth of which seemed to chase away that ever present claw of fear.

“Then I shall be your father, and you shall be my first son” Ikno-Ru said quietly as he steered Sen away from the hut and down toward the dusty path.

Note: Anu-Ronhash is a title meaning "God's First General" akin to King

 

[Cobalt Command]

A rather short story. Wasn't sure when it was the update's coming, and seeing as how I don't have a lot of time today, I wanted to get something out there before hand. Expect longer and more detailed in the future.

Spoiler Stories of the Over-Realm :

The roar of the fire was the dominating presence for Kt’thule and the various members who’d gathered around to feel its warmth. Bright and dangerous, yet calming and comforting, it was a combination Kt’thule had never been able to figure out when it came to the flame. Sitting at the head of this gathering was Oat’keel, the Chief Orator for the tribe, who from birth had been entrusted with the history of those people around them and their ancestors. He poked at the fire with a stick, fueling and prolonging its life, all while telling the gathered tribesmen stories of the past. With a certain malice, yet compassion as he told his stories, Oat’keel was a lot like the fire he sat at every night telling others his accounts of the past.

“Have any of you children here every heard of The Blight of Waarhaz?” questioned Oat’keel.

Most arms began waving in the air to signify that they thought they had a clue. It was this way for most stories, Oat’keel would ask if people had heard of this story or that, and arms would go up in hopes to explain a story they had never heard before. Not Kt’thule though, he was old enough to understand this cycle; though to his dismay, not old enough to be considered mature enough not to be watched over. So as Oat’keel told his tales of times long gone, and people long dead, Kt’thule sat there patiently, hoping he might take something away from the experience.

“Isn’t dat dat time… uh… ummm… where Waarhaz was… ahhhh, blighted?” struggled a child no more than five years of age.

“Very good Korath,” Oat’keel confirmed, as he did with every child’s explanation; Kt’thule was certain by this point that the story names were deliberate so as to give the young ones a confidence boost.

“The Blight of Waarhaz is no ordinary story, it describes a time here, but mostly focuses on problems in the Over-realm. You all understand, right, that each and every thing here is represented before the Final Authority?” everyone’s hands went up again, without Kt’thule’s surprise, in an attempt to look more knowledgeable than they were.

“Good,” Oat’keel remarked as he continued on with his tale, “well in a time long past, there was a tribe much like our own who traveled this area for plants and game,” he drew symbols in the dirt that seemed to resemble that which he spoke about. “They lived in harmony with the world, and the gods in the over-realm did so with each other. But eventually this tribe became too dominant, and begun taking the aspects of the Earth for granted, gathering more seeds than they needed, and hunting more beasts than required. This angered the gods who were being taken advantage of, and in turn, angered the Final Authority. So as punishment, the god of Rain, Pitaik, was told to stop the rain; which in turn made the god of seeds, Lukit, grow no plants; which in turn made the god of game, Fwakikit, lead his subjects away. All of this was caused because Waarhaz, as I hope you all know is the god of us, did not punish the tribe that rebelled against the order of the world. He was ashamed for his failure, he was blighted for the damage he caused the other’s in the over-relm, and he in turn decided to punish the tribe the harshest way he knew how,” Oat’keel proclaimed as he picked up some cooked meat and began eating.

This story was the first in a very long time to make Kt’thule shudder. The pause in story put everyone on edge as Oat’keel took a bite of game and a drink of water. The tension rose, either without Oat’keel’s knowledge or without his caring.

“What was the ultimate punishment?” inquired Kt’thule. This was something no one seemed to expect, because while Kt’thule was still young enough to need a watcher, he was old enough that everyone would assume he resented every story to the point he would never take them seriously.

As Oat’keel finished the meat, he smiled and continued while looking directly at Kt’thule, “he killed them off.”

A gasp was shared by all the listeners, and Kt’thule quickly spoke “But, wouldn’t they have moved on like we do when plants don’t grow and game is no longer available?”

“Normally yes,” agreed Oat’keel, “but Waarhaz made it so that the tribe wouldn’t.”
“How though?”
“Waarhaz is our representative, he probably gave the tribe hope in a hopeless situation.”
“Okay, but-“
“Now Kt’thule,” Oat’keel began speaking with a cold consideration “I don’t have all the answers, I only pass on the stories and lessons of the past.”

This statement ended the conversation. Kt’thule was displeased with the outcome and his lack of answers, but he feared speaking anymore on the subject lest he insult the most respected man in the tribe.

“Okay children, Yul’immy is high in the sky, I suggest you all go find your families and sleep until C’thulos rises again.”

Kt’thule walked off from the fire site and couldn’t help but think to himself about the revelations before him. He’d always thought of himself as old, but considering his ignorance on the subject of the Over-realm, the Final Authority, spirit representatives, and all their involvement in the world in which Kt’thule lived. Would the gods really do something so horrible? Was his life really so out of his control? If only he’d paid attention during the stories, he may not be so confused. So many questions lingered, and he only knew one way to have them solved.

Kt’thule entered the hut which had a small fire in the center and tried to speak “I… I’ve come to-“

“It’s okay Kt’thule, I know why it is you’ve come,” Oat’keel said without looking.

 

[Neverwonagame3]

Realistically, how long until the update?

 

[Abaddon]

The day you choke on your own tongue.