The Rokthani | Population; 245



As the sun sets over the endless shifting sands, two Rokthan parties make their way northwards to the Ki'Kisk river, where they plan to cross for the first time in memory. The troop sings traditional Rokthani limericks to pass the time while hauling a flat mass of sticks and twine.

"Oooooh

The farmer named Ladi was working
In the fields, she spent most of her days
When the sun came on out
And the fields all dried up
The bottle was her home evermore"

Eventually they came to the river. It was a moderately sized one, about one hundred feet in width this specific point. Due to natural Rokthan anatomy, swimming through the water was literally second nature. However, one of the two groups did not plan to cross the river. But instead, intended to traverse its current.

The Rokthan are not sailors. Nor do they even have regular contact with large bodies of water. Nonetheless, the best Rokthan minds set out to figure out how to solve the problem of traveling down the river in the quickest way possible. Finding a way to get back quickly was not priority. They devised a scheme to allow travel of a small group's worth of personnel downstream through taking advantage of the plants around them. Finding that old sticks and such float easily in the pools at the base of the mountains that form in the spring, they figured that the key to water transportation lie in using enough of those to support the bodies of the explorers. Through several tests, they determined the amount of wood needed to support a single body, painstakingly assembled the materials, and thus, the first boat raft was born!

The leader of the raft group helps set the craft down and speaks up to the others. "Alright, this is where we part ways. Thank you all for the lovely conversations. I hope our groups can speak again soon!"
The other group smiles, nods, and takes their first dip in the river. "Blimey, that's cold!" one yelps.
Their leader prepares to hop in. "Ahh, yep, this stream comes right down from the mountain range. There may be natural springs nearby as well."
"L-let's just... g-g-get this over with!" he shivers.
One by one, they slid into the water. Five members of the raft team left for the river crossing team since the raft could only hold five people. 14 people made it across the river alive. The one that was lost, they say, was never found, and nobody could remember their name.

The raft's maiden voyage was, seemingly, a success. Even though fears of it suddenly falling apart never left their minds, they continued into the unknown, charting as much as they could along the way.

The Yelb
Population 12

Gib was meandering around the beach eyes intently looking for anything interesting. So far he had found a pretty rock (discovered 9 times by Gib alone),a rock perfect for skipping, and a clump of sweet tasting grass. Suddenly his eyes spotted a beautiful crystal embedded in the mud. Gawking in childlike wonder he raced over until he was chest deep tugging and pulling at the marvel to no avail.
Gib ran around the beach babbling for his friends and clutch brothers and sisters to come see what he found.
After a time the group dragged the crystal beautiful as the sometimes invisible sky stone, and bigger then any of there stomachs. All of them starred at the most amazing thing any of them have ever seen the second being a snail that was the same color as it's shell. They gazed at the marvel for an hour until the oldest of them Bab said "We need to share this pretty with everybody!" "Of course I would." Said Gib "Smart think. Let's do it!" Chimed in the others.

The youngest of them a four moon old named Tes voiced the obvious, "Who is this everybody? And why is he so special?" Asked the child. "No idea. But let's go find him and ask." Said Bab. And with that they bound the crystal to the back of there riding turtle and set off. On a mission to share their discovery with everybody.

And more importantly to find something cool.

Arsurón: population 120

The journey north had been wracked with violence. At least one ärgős was lost in a short skirmish with hostile tribes.

Ánam knew that no more casulties could come from this migration, and that every step must be taken to get these bägős settled onto the river and able to move about up and down freely. Ánam tasked three Orsurón, two females and one male, to construct their own bïsgős (the traditional Arsurón reed canoe used for raiding and exploration) and move up the river, using a stone and rope to test the depth of the waters.

The 3 explorers set off to harvest the thick reeds and grasses on the plains ajacent to the river's banks. The dry plains were by no means large, quickly whithering away to a vast desert. The exporers quickly returned their focus to cutting up reeds with the sharp, fish bone knives they kept and tying these reeds into a thick bundle. When the boats were ready, the party pushed the grassy boats into the river, each quickly taking out a carved bone oar to help paddle against the current of the river. As the party made their way up the slave river, they quickly turned back to toss bits of coral into the water, the appropriate offering for the daughters of Yi'am (the sea).

Exursions this far into the river had never been conducted before, and the three were wondering what lay beyond the horizon.

Time: Era of Gray (no precise timekeeping system developed)

Platta Civilization
Population: 77

Markings of Change
It has been many years since Darbu's insight, and the Platta have expanded signifigantly. Four camps mark different exploration areas. To the south of even the southern camp area, a younger Platta walks with a stick in their left hand pointing up in the air. To them, it is a toy of sorts, for they like to pretend to be a tree when they observe the forest on scouting missions. They are traveling with an older scout that is training them in the ways of exploration. The stick toy occasionally hits the ground, leaving little marks, but this Wasn't thought about very deeply until yesterday.

Yesterday, the scout and child were exploring there and had encountered some strange rocks that seemed more brown than normal. This led them to go deeper into the area than originally planned. But when the time came to return, it was forgotten the exact path taken. The little marks helped determine the path back. This insight had been spread throuhgout the southern camp but nowhere else yet.

On other events, the former gray secretary had died last week, and the role has since been taken by the secretary's only child. That child is an adult now, and has a gray cloth around their neck. They are talking with the messengers (courage + place = cyan) about messages to deliver to the camps in the north, west, and east. Specifically, the messages are about the latest finds of food sources and path marker idea. The Platta have become less relying on fish, but still largely enjoy it. A festival is planned soon to combine the foods found, as well as fish, to celebrate the successes of the explorations.

One such challenge the Platta keep finding is that it is difficult to determine what to bring, ciitng how easy it used to be in the past as it was clearly set. There have been attempts to resolve this, but none have arose clealy so far. While the path markers are seen as useful for navigation, using it elsewhere has not yet been considered.

The Cindorayi, Population: 91, Year 7 IL (Inland), Age of the New Moon

The Path Is Set

It has now been a hundred moons since the Cindorayi first landed, and as the growth of the village of Lunysvet continued, most of them had become accustomed to life on land. Once a Cindorayi saw a bird-like creature flying overhead from the direction of the sea singing. This, some said, was a sign from the sea that told them they had made the right choice. Others said it was just a sign that someone had had a bit too much fruit ferment. The argument stands.

Viktorya, the self-declared chief inventor of the burgeoning Cindorayi civilization, had success in sharpening some large rocks with a harder variety of stone that she found, and upon teaching the method (which required mind-numbing quantities of patience) to her fellow Cindorayi, they began to produce stone axes to replace their pearl tools, made by lashing the stone tightly to thick wooden sticks. With this new tool, the process of cutting down trees became much easier. At one point, Viktorya remarked on how strong buildings would be if they could be built out of stone, and there was a chorus of agreement.

One day, Viktorya arrived at Ekatyrina's cave house, to discuss an important matter.

"Hello, Viktorya. How are you doing this evening?" asked Ekatyrina, as Viktorya knocked on the side of the wall and strode in. Ekatyrina bowed as a sign of respect to the other leader.

"Quite well, I thank you." Viktorya bowed equally deeply. "I have come with a proposal."

"Oh?" Ekatyrina raised her eyebrow. "Go on."

"It is ridiculous for our two villages to remain separately governed, when we are of the same people. We should have one leader."

Ekatyrina nodded, and thought for a second. "How would we decide which one of us it should be, if it should be one of us at all?"

"Let us have a vote, as you described. The Cindorayi people should be the ones to decide, and they are well enough acquainted with both of us to make a logical decision."

"That would make the most sense to me." Ekatyrina's eyes slightly glimmered, as she had little doubt she would win such a vote. "But how would we communicate decisions between our two villages? We must travel several versya to get to it through the forest."

"That is where my idea comes in. We can use the stone axes to cut down all the trees in a narrow... path, if you will, between our villages. A fast Cindorayi would only take minutes to travel it, without all of the trees and underbrush in the way."

"An excellent suggestion." Ekatyrina nodded thoughtfully. "I will tell my village of the plan, and we can begin clearing this path at once."

"I am glad you appreciate it. Thank you for your time," responded Viktorya.

"And thank you for yours." They both bowed to each other, and Viktorya departed as the sun grew lower in the horizon.

The Yelb
Population 12

The Family
The Yelb had walked been walking north carrying their treasure in a net woven between the group's two turtles. As the Yelb have always done and stayed within earshot of the tides (about a mile or so inland). They found many marvelous things on their exodus.like a plant that when crushed had a peppery taste and smell, a hive of small ants they exploded into a irritating acid when threatened (yet inside the hive they made a sweet honey from sweetgrass nectar), and a soft, warm, white, yet durable "hide" found in a heap of shattered wood its discoverer Tes was wearing it like a shawl. Despite these new wonders and charms the hearts of the Yelb were sad for they had talked to many of the new things they had found yet none answered back.

Until Today.
The group was crossing to the top of a hill, when they saw creatures never seen before, cutting down trees with strange sticks. They tried to count how many they in the valley but couldn't. As they hid behind the hill they bargained over who would have the great honor of saying hello.
It was determined that the one with the best stuff would have the privilege. It was then that Gib regretted making the crystal the groups property, as Tes with her strange shawl was the richest of the family. As the group and there turtles walked down the hill Tes told the nearest worker "Greetings from my family to yours! Can we see your stuff?"

Saurians, Population: 64

"Syera, come quickly!"

The sleeping huntress jumped at the unexpected shout. She quickly reached around and snatched up her spear. She looked at the doorway, eyes wide and spear raised threateningly. Her stance relaxed when she realized it was merely one of the village youngsters. She rubbed her eyes and groaned annoyedly.

"What is it?" She demanded as she threw off the fur blanket off herself. She brushed herself off and stood.

"Syeth's h-hut, i-it collapsed!" The young Saurian stammered.

"What?!" Syera yelled. She shoved the Saurian aside and threw herself outside. She ran up the path of the village as fast she could. She darted amongst the huts until she reached the spot.

She froze at the terrible sight. The spear dropped from her hand. A large crowd began forming around the hut. There were gasps and screams in the crowd. The hut had completely caved in. Within the ruins was the dead body of Syeth. A couple of the larger hunters stepped forward and started pulling the hut off of the body. They dragged the body out and rested him in the middle of the crowd.

Syera lifted her spear and stabbed it into the ground. The head cracked, but she didn't care anymore. She sat down beside the body and placed her hand on Syeth's cheek.

"He had barely started living his life," She whispered. She wished him peace before standing. She looked around at the crowd sadly. "This can't happen again," She said plainly, "We must make better huts."

She turned and pushed her way out of the crowd, not bothering to grab her broken spear. She retreated back to her hut, not to be seen for the rest of the day.

-

Sithalin stabbed the water viciously. His aim proved to be true when the water began turning a dark shade of red. He pulled the spear out of the water and studied the speared fish. Satisified with the catch, He pulled it off the head and tossed it into the crude bag they had fashioned out of leaves on the trip. He tiredly ran his hand along his fin as he stared out across the lake.

Another extra day of walking. Why were the fish moving like this? They weren't being overfished, there had to be another reason. Perhaps they would investigate the waters when they got back; They might find the reason.

Sithalin turned to the others and shouted. "Another day of this, then we go back home!"

The others cheered at the announcement before returning to their tasks. They were eager to get back home already. Sithalin was too, though his eagerness was clouded by worry for his son. He hoped Senith would be able to make it back before they did.

The Yelb
Population 12



Den and his brother Dem were not lost. Of course a Yelb is never lost, the brothers simply didn't know were there group, the ocean, or were they themselves were but they were not lost. Of course it is lonely with just the two of them.

They had been near the jungle with the others when at the same time Den and Dem saw the most beautiful butterfly either of them have ever seen. Racing each other to be the first to catch it they ran into the woods far away from the sounds of the sea. Since then the two had been traveling the jungle enjoying strange new sights. After a few days they came out of the forest and onto a dry and desolate desert.

Glad to finally see sand again the brothers charged forwards thinking they had found the ocean. Eventually the two nearly charged straight into the largest creature they had ever seen. It reminded them of the slow scary sea lizards (crocodiles) they had sometimes had to run from on the beach.

The creature hadn't noticed them yet as it was busy eating a even bigger creature this one covered in hair. The trading nature of the Yelb took over and Den approached the new creature and asked "If I give you three of my favorite clear stones, can I have the white thing inside your red thing?" While Dem asked the creature "I'll give you 8 green leaves, and two lettuce for your pretty coat." Pointing at the dead creatures hide.
@Neruu

Alvith Population: 148 - Age of Rielo
Chief Rielo Kriivith had gone out on walks outside village looking for answers for past several days. His quest to discover a new strength to strengthen the Alvith and ensure the growth of strength had been fruitless. Today would be final walk in searching outside village for new strength. Chief Rielo knew he could not waste anymore time just wandering outside village. Scalo the old chief and second strongest in the village would be in charge while the chief was out.
---
Several hours had passed since Rielo had left the village to search for something he had no idea he was looking for. The sun high in the sky beating down on the chief as he walked along plains. Only the Ogurk watchers would go this far out to find fresh water holes if needed. In the distance was something odd that caught Chief Rielo attention. In the distance was carcass of some creature that had died some time ago. Scavengers had left some meat on the bones which had dried in the hot sun. Chief Rielo looked to the carcass and was hungry so went to rip off a piece of the sun dried meat still on the bones. Surprisingly the meat had not spoiled yet due to sun drying it out but had not clicked in the chiefs mind for the reason. As the chief made his way back towards village he knew he had found something but what eluded him for now. He would make his way back to village and hope he can figure out what the great serpent meant.
---
@Cuddle Pot One of Alvith by named of Raclo would look down to spot some small creature. Never had such a creature had ever been seen by Raclo or any Alvith. Raclo wasn't sure what to even make of the creature as it made noises and gestures. Seeing two of them just confused Raclo more. The Alvith were not ones to trade, society for Alvith was based on strength. Trading was a foreign concept to Raclo and could not understand what the creatures meant.

"Great Serpent.. meaning?" Raclo muttered in confusion.

Though Based on gestures could figure out the creators wanted something from a Ogurk but what exactly the small creatures wanted Raclo couldn't figure out. Reaching for a wooden spear Raclo smacked his tail against the ground and raised the spear to try and scare off the creatures.

The Cindorayi, Population: 93, Year 8 IL (Inland), Age of the New Moon

Intelligence Comes In Small Packages

A few Cindorayi males at the edge of the forest were cutting down trees with their stone axes, when suddenly they heard strange noises coming from behind them. They looked around, and saw small reptilian creatures, lead by one with an interesting piece of clothing. It was clear that they were requesting something, but the two had no idea what.

One, named Alyx, turned to the other Cindorayi, named Anton, and said, "Do you think they're intelligent? They don't seem like any of the other creatures we've met."

"I don't know, but maybe we should give them something so they go away," Anton replied.

"Do you still have your moon crystal necklace?"

With evident reluctance, Anton pulled the small turquoise crystal out of the string where it was tied around his neck, and gave it to the creature with the shawl. He then gestured that someone should probably tell Ekatyrina, so Alyx went off to cross the makeshift bridge over the river and up the hill to Ekatyrina's cave.

---

Work on the path between Zemlyarod and Lunysvet continued nicely, as the Cindorayi increasingly became adept at the art of crafting stone tools. A few more had been created, such as one with a flat head to knock things together, and one with a pointed head on top of a stick to catch fish, though it could just as easily be used against other creatures.

The population of the Cindorayi continued to expand, and more and more of the area upon the hill-surrounded-by-river was covered by houses and the occasional workshop. Some chose to migrate to the other village, which was less densely inhabited.

"And I grant unto thee mastery over all things my world has to offer. All the animals on land and in sea, all the plants that grow from thine sacred soil, and the winds that blow over yonder mountaintops. -Ki'Kisk - Rokthan Legend

The Rokthani | Population; 246



Night has descended upon the great woods, faster than expected, since the mountains blocked out most of the rays. To settle in for the night, the troop found a suitable hillside to dig into for the night. Through the efforts of all able bodied men and women, a semi-permanent post was established. The explorers had no shortage of food nearby, attributing to the lush flora and plentiful fauna of the forest. Their foraging efforts were cut short, however, by a strange natural phenomenon.

"THE SKY IS FALLING! AAAUUG-AH-HUAAA!!!" screamed one of the foragers while darting back into the den, soaking wet.
"Huh?!" barked the leader of the group, busy counting bugs. "Now let's just see about this!" He maneuvered near the exit hole to get a look at the outside. Though the moonlight could only give him a rough idea of what was out there, it was apparent that water was falling from above. He blocked up the hole to prevent any water from coming in. He took a deep breath and exhaled to calm himself down.
"Alright... ...does anybody know what in blazes is happening?"
One distraught Rokthan blurts something out. "It's Ki'Kisk! He's angry at us for abandoning our homeland! WE HAVE TO GO BACK! IT'S--"
"No!" interrupts the group leader. "He promised us that all of this land is ours! If anything, turning back now would be heresy!"
Just as another person was about to raise another point, the entire den shook with a great sudden deep, rumbling noise. The entire group gasped and started to panic.
"If it's not Ki'Kisk then it's obviously something that wants us out!" Clamors a woman. "I want to see by brood again!"
"I know you do! We all do!" Says the group leader. "But what are we going to do, run outside in... that?! All we can do at this point is wait and pray."
"What if praying isn't good enough?!" says another Rokthan as more rumbling could be heard outside. At this point, the entire den was arguing. Numerous voices piled on top of each other with thunder as the soundtrack. Just as things were about to turn violent, one rugged voice called out.
"STOP!!"
It was the map maker. Having mostly recovered his vitality, he was back to his old glowing self. All of the conflicting voices stopped and everyone turned their attention to him.
"Your bickering is useless! It will not solve a thing, I promise you. I have seen things like this before, when I was mapping the edge of the forest. The leader is right, all we can do is wait. This event may pass in a couple hours, or it may last until tomorrow. I do not know. All I know is that Ki'Kisk is watching over us, and would never let it get the better of us."
The group seems to have calmed down, reassured by the map maker's message. The rest of the night was spent eating, napping, and telling stories by the sound of the thunder and rain.

At the main village, the women and children in charge of looking over the place were having doubts about the whole operation. Though it was going relatively smoothly, they had no way of knowing, and could only hope. Technological developments related to egg care and bug farming were going well.

Arsuron population 120

Anrétt wiped the sweat from from her face as the reed canoes of her party floated gently upon the riverbanks. Another explorer plunged his bone knife deep into a large watermelon that his team had brough from the Arsur. The fleshy, pink fruit was a favorite among the Arsuron, a wild plant that sprung up in the rough plains of the Arsur. Anrétt wished that there was an easier way to aquire this sweet plant. Maybe, she though, they could plant the seeds of the watermelon, and help them grow, then collect the watermelon and start again. Maybe...

Anrétt's train of thought was interruptrd by the sudden sounds of her team mates as they pointed out the rain. No good, the fire would be put out. No warmth meant cetain death for the Arsuron scouts, so a dry shelter would have to be found. The three scouts dragged their boats onto the shore and untied them, using the three reed bundles and repurposing them as mobile shelters. The Arsuron then moved quickly by foot, following the coast further inland.

As the Arsuron moved futher in, the scouts began tiring. "Yi'am! Give us your strength to carry on!" The male scout cried back in the direction of the sea as his two female companions drudged ahead. Suddenly, Anrétt noticed something ahead. "Bańa! Look!" she said, pointing at the sudden appearance of infrastructure upon the otherwise dusty plains they had walked along. The three scouts walked quickly towards the strange settlment, spears and knives drawn should there be hostilities. Anrétt, taking charge of the squad, called out in her own language. "darúg fïfïg!" Translating to, "peace be upon you" an Arsuron equivalent of hello
@MangoJuice

Time: Era of Gray (no precise timekeeping system developed)

Platta Civilization
Population: 78

New Lives
Despite the relatively new challenges of the more complicated lifestyle, the Platta have managed to adapt. The festival goes smoothly, and the discoveries are shared. A new Platta is also born on the day of the festival. It is commented that it seems to show how the new life transition is working well. The new food sparks many ideas, and conversations, including the idea of how the marks and map making might be able to be combined.

Previously, maps were mostly made to show the area and that is all. But now the idea has come that it can also show a specific path to note, as well as perhaps indicators on it to make sure readers of it don't misinterpret the two kinds of maps as the other. When this marking idea is explored here, it is also realized that the cloth of maps could also be used for just marks, without a map of the area. It is not sure what it would be used for, but some think it could help with a new thing to add to art made on the cloth to indicate a movement. The art made in the following days explores this. Cloth is also rarer than it used to be, so more is planned to be gathered.

As the ways of the cloth's use becomes more complex, the Platta also look for ways to get more cloth, and keep track of what each is for. It is discussed on how to resolve this, and the answer that is agreed upon is to make some kind of system similar to the symbolism of role, except now for keeping track of information about the world beyond what nature directly shows. One question is this: As there are more Platta than ever, it is no longer possible to just know who made what drawing because of the lack of communication. Should the cloths' makers be identifiable on an individual Platta basis, or should there be a more general system that notes camp and role?

In other events, the brown rocks found on the earlier travel are looked at more closely to see what they can do. They seem to not work well for making browner dyes, so no use is found for now. A couple are still stored for later use and study.

"I bestow unto thee intelligence above all other beings of this world. I also grant thee shape matching my own, the perfect form. Thou must use these miracles to prosper." -Ki'Kisk - Rokthan Legend

The Rokthani | Population; 249



*Yaaawwwwwn*
It's a slow morning in the village of Easthome. The sun peaks up from behind the desert, reflecting upon the drifting current of the river Ki'Kisk. Rokthan move about their daily business, maintaining the burrows and tending to the insect farms. One man in particular goes to check up on the East side of a burrow entrance wall to ensure that it's not about to collapse and cause an inconvenience.
No cracks, no chunks falling off, it seems to be up to standard. Just as he's about to go bathe in the river after a tiring twenty seconds of work, he hears something odd. An animal? No, it can't be. There's nothing out here but a bunch of bugs. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was speaking a language. Maybe it's just a comrade that's heading back from a foraging. But he didn't recognize whatever they said. The man decides to take a good look behind him. What... are those? Are those predators?! He decides that the only logical thing to do is to scream out in panic.
SCREEECH!
With that, nearly the entire village, about 17 individuals rushed to where he was. Startled, they ask what the problem was. "Well, what?! What's wrong? You look like you've seen a spiri--"
That's when they saw them. Three tall figures standing back lit by the rising sun. It was uncertain if the crowd was staring in awe, horror, or some other emotion. Against his better judgement, one of them finally decided to say something. The first words ever spoken to another sapient race by a Rokthan.
@Nerevarine

اذهب بعيدا

"Go away!"

Arsuron pop: 120

As the snakelike creatures aproached and yelled at the 3 scouts, the male one, his name Angar, began to chuckle at the sight of the, in his mind, animals. Angar spoke up as he pulled his knife from his cloth belt and spoke jovially to his compatriats.

"Bańa! itug al burï ka? Hahaha! de nahigagá! sutúr al-ïräkH nahi'i babi!"
(Clansmen, did these snakes build this? Haha! Let us skin them. The pelts of these animals will get us a good price)

However, the self appointed leader, the woman Anrétt held up her hand to Angar, requesting his silence. "Nu angar," as she took her own bone knife and cut open another watermelon. After doing so, Anrétt placed her knife on the ground in front of herself and placed the two slices of melon in front as well, as a peace offering towards the Rokthan, as was tradition among the Arsuron tribes. Anrétt spoke up again.
"nahi nu figer" she said (We are not a threat). Anrétt pointed to the watermelon. "Al ardúk, amam! Al du'ón, nahi nu figer."
(This is a watermelon, eat it please. It is yours, we are not a threat.)

Anrétt knew not if the snakes would accept her offering, or if they would simply respond with agression. "Yi'am na'i firugim abab..." (Great Sea, give me wisdom)
@MangoJuice

Meanwhile

While Anam's tribe secured the slave river, Ansett decided to find a more sensible solution for survival. A voyage south to find new lands. The Lotus tribe had gathered 10 bägős, each with 5 people to voyage along the southern coasts. They knew not what they would find, if anything.
@Joegreenbeen

The Rokthani | Population; 249

The village was at a complete loss of what to do. The beings were clearly not immediately aggressive, but their overall intentions were not at all clear. A couple people in the back of the growing crowd could be heard muttering. "Are they holy figures?" "Where did they come from?" "What do we call them?"
When one of them put down the fruit, everyone went silent. After a few seconds of staring, a Rokthan slowly inched forward, followed by gasps in the crowd. "Hey, what are you doing?! You ditz, get back here!!" says one in a hushed tone. The Rokthan didn't listen and continued to go to the fruit, attracted by its alluring sugary smell. When he got to the melon, he looked up at the figures. Feeling confident enough, he licks the fruit. The entire crowd was wide-eyed and tense at this point. Just when the local village organizer was about to says something, two more Rokthan started sliding towards the fruit. "Uh-- ge- hey! HEY!!" says the organizer trying to herd the two from the tall figures. It was useless. Now there were three Rokthan licking the fruit without a care in the world. "Are you guys completely dense?! Bought out by a sugarfruit?! We don't even know who... or what these... things are!" shouts the organizer. Ignoring his words, the rest of the village begin to come closer to the beings. Curiosity takes over as the village begins chattering to them. "Who are you?" "Where did you come from?" "What are you wearing?" "Why are you so tall?" "Are you Ki'Kisk?"
"I can't believe what I'm seeing! This is absolutely disgraceful! Where are your self-preservation instincts?!" barks the organizer as he slithers away from the group back to the village center.

@Nerevarine

Saurians, Population: 64

Just under a week since their departure, the group of hunters was spotted. They marched proudly through the swampy forest, expressions of victory on every face. Close behind them, the largest of their group was dragging the limp body of the almost mythical bird.

The entire village cheered in celebration and came in to get a better look at the kryan.

It was large, around the same height as they were. It had a huge curved beak, surely capable of lopping off a hand with a single bite. Its strange feet were webbed with no claws. Its large wings and tail were covered in long feathers. It had a strange long neck which the Saurians had never seen on a bird before. According to the hunters, the kryan always held its neck vertical, giving it its impressive height.

Despite the rejoice at their return and success, Senith could tell something had happened. It wasn't long before he personally found the collapsed hut. He did not know this Syeth, but he still knew this was a real loss. His declining mood was not aided by the rest of the villagers. His father had not returned yet. There was no one else besides Senith left to turn to.

He was pestered and bothered the entire day. When the sun set and the village's fire was lit, he did not join the others. Rather, he stole away to his father's hut and hid inside.

He was silently working on his spear when the leaf curtain was pushed aside and a huntress stepped inside. She stood in front of him, gazing down at him sitting in the corner of the hut.

"Senith, I want to help you," She said simply.

Senith looked up at her, perplexed. That was a first, usually they were asking for help. "You want to help me? How?" He asked curiously.

She didn't answer and sat down next to him. She turned and looked at him seriously. "Let me handle things for a while," She said, "I have an idea, and I can't help but think that things will not be done if Sythalin or you are leading the village."

"Sorry," She added quickly.

Senith looked at her uncertainly. "Idea? What kind of idea?"

"When Syeth's hut-" She stopped. "I have an idea of how we can reinforce our huts, but I need the village's cooperation for this to work out."

Senith paused. He wasn't so sure how safe it would be to tell the whole village to trust this huntress in her hut making abilities. He wasn't even sure he knew her! He knew, however, that the crude huts were a problem that needed fixing. He had to make sure she didn't have the solution.

"I don't know," He said slowly, "But if you think you know how to improve the huts, we need to know."

The huntress nodded and stood up. "We'll see if you've decided in the morning," She decided, "Sleep well."

With that, she left the hut.

Time: Era of Gray (no precise timekeeping system developed)

Platta Civilization
Population: 103

Fork in the Flow
More years had passed since the last events. Due to the growing populations, a new system was devised to keep track of various things. Using the coloring system, more information would be communicated via the means of the cloths. Messengers became more important, and sharing of this information became increasingly valued. It also became more frequent the question of when the information should be sent due to the risks of long-range travel. Some also wondered if some should be able to hold the knowledge for their own use rather than having to share. This was causing some divide amongst Platta, and adding to tensions.

As the Platta explored deeper and expanded wider, new things were found. This includes the great lake north of them, and the fork in the river in the south. The fork gained more attention as it brought up the issue of the path to go from there, like the river, there was a divide what ways the flow of water or Platta views were turning. There was a growing amount of Platta who didn't feel united with the other Platta. Some thought the Platta were becoming uncaring of life as they explored. Some thought they weren't exploring and sharing enough to learn what else could be found. Some thought Platta were becoming too disorganized and the discussions were too slow to address new problems, and were working on a different way to organize that was more hierarchical. These tensions were building faster than before and showing no signs of slowing.

Arsuron - Pop. 120

Anrétt's scouting group

The three scouts were a bit overwhelmed when the Rokthan began crowding around them. They were clammoring and chattering both amongst themselves and towards the three scouts. Understandably, the three wanted to know just what the cacophony of sounds meant. Anrétt thought for a second before picking up her knife once more and motioning for the Rokthan to move back while she and her companions took a step back of their own. Anrétt took the knife and smoothed out a section of the sand as she began to explain the origin of the scouts. She pointed to herself, saying her name "Anrétt, na Anrétt", and then pointed at her companions "al Angar" she said while pointing with her spare hand at the male scout. "al Anlug" as she shifted the finger towards the female scout. Anrétt then drew, to the best of her knowledge, the river that they had just walked along. "al yijen" she spoke. pointing to first the river at their side, and then to the river that she traced in the sand. Anrétt continued to draw the river until she suddenly turned the thin line into a wide body of water. She pointed to this and said solemnly "al yi'am". Anrétt circled an area of the coastline she drew and told the Rokthan that it was called "Arsur". Anrétt pointed to herself and her companions once again, "nahi, Anrétt, Angar, Anlug, nahi Arsurón. Nahi d'al" trying to convey that they were indeed from this place. She began drawing a line showing them traveling up the river to where they are now.

Anrétt wanted to try and teach the Rokthan some vocabulary. She pointed to her knife, "Arsurón al ligi 'arkuH'" ((We) Arsuron call this 'arkuH'), She pointed to the watermelon, "Al ardúk". The canoes "al bïsgős". Anrétt hoped this would help clear up whatever they wanted to know, if anything. Angar scoffed at Anrétt's attempts. He saw little value in her diplomatic attempts; when she failed, he would solve the problem the correct way. Anrétt knew this, and was trying to avoid violence with the newly discovered creatures, but if it failed, she would not allow Angar to make things worse.

Anam's camp, mouth of the yijen re̋Hrëh

One boat lost to this deadly river already. Anam was at his ends; was it truly impossible to set up a camp on this river? There must be a way, any way to take control of this vital point. But could he risk another attempt to try and move a houseboat into the shallow river? He had already seen one torn to pieces by the river bottom, and while thankfully the sea spared their lives, the next may not be so lucky. Anam sat and thought. The ärgős was central to the lives of the Arsuron, it was their home, a mobile boat that could follow the fish and dolphin up and down the Arsur as the herds migrated. But, he thought, was the need to move really required in a situation like this? Anam realized what the point of this journey was, to control the mouth of the river. If it was to be held, there must be a permanent presence.

Anam called out to his advisor and told him the new plan. "We are going to move the bägős onto the shore, and make 4 of them permanently remain.

The advisor was confused, no one had ever suggested to repurpose an ärgős as a land dwelling. "Sir, why would we ever do that?"

Anam replied, "Because we need residents year round to maintain control. I want 4 bägős grounded, one converted into a barracks and the rest as regular housing. 2 people per house, only merchants and traiders. I want 10 soldiers in that barracks to prevent raids." Anam looked at his advisor, "do you understand?"

The advisor was utterly confused and somewhat horrified by the suggestion of keeping Arsuron out of the sea, but he nodded, "Yes sir, but...do you think that these merchants will take well to this idea?"

Anam chuckled, "The amount of money they will make though trade fees per day will be more than reason for them to stay."

And so, with that, the Arsuron began the creation of the first permanent terrestrial settlement in their history. Anam and his daughter would stay as well, making the new camp the Capitol of the Fiyah Alliance."