[b]Arsuron 

Population: 212

	Arsur Coast: 64 (4 Illis)
	River Camp: 62 (2 in Rokthan Territory; 4 Illis)
	Lotus Colony: 67 (6 in Soruli Territory; 2 Illis)
	[hider = Trading Posts]
	Yijen Fork Trading Post: 9 (6 Arsuron; 5 Illis)
	[/hider]

[hider=Technological Progress]
[list]
[*] Copper Working: 7/8
[*] Dolphin Domestication: 6/10
[*] Improved Land Architecture: 3/5
[*] Bätänjűr (Arsuron Ninjutsu): 2/8
[*] Mathematics: 1/6
[/list]
[/hider]
[/b]

[b]The Problem of Succession, Transportation and Moon Cycles[/b]

The Long Era of Anam had come to an end. The old chief lay dead, living a long life of 12 úsrog (60 years). The people of the Arsur coast drapped their lost leader in a sheet of reed fiber cloth, his name written across the death shroud as the body was lowered into a specialized boat, made in the old tradition of reed bundles. As the bearers swam the boat out to sea, they filled the boat with stones and sealed it shut with the traditional covering of the boat coffin. As the sealed boat sank down into the ocean, the many Arsuron took their place on the shoreline to grieve. Many made offerings to Yi'am, hoping the sea would be merciful on Anam's soul as it returned to the ocean. A tomb had been constructed not to far from Anam's home in River Camp, where his mask was first cleaned, and then placed on a shelf to remain for all time. On this day, all Arsuron would be given a day off work, and tomorrow would be the initiation of the new chief, Anam's 3 úsrog year old daughter (15 years), BisreH. 

On the day of the initiation, the new chief was renamed from BisreH to AnreH, to signify her transition into Adulthood. 

In the first challenge, AnreH was to carve a new mask, one similar to her father's yet with her own personal alterations. The Mask would be created within only a few hours, carved directly from the great whale bone as was traditional. AnreH was next to done the dress of a chief, in her case a long dress made from woven reed fibers and a dyed cloak soaked in the blood red coloration of the Lotus Colony. Next she would be instructed in what was currently known on the subject of Copper Working. Copper had become synonymous with high class, and only skilled tool makers, who had been ascended to nobility through work with copper and the chief herself would be allowed to even touch raw copper, for to cast copper was to have power. Copper working is still primitive, with no known method to cast molten copper into shapes. 

By the end of the day, the people were invited to a public festival, with freshly hunted dolphin meat and the finest smoked and salted fish provided from the mariculture farmers. For dessert, sugary paper reed pulps, and bloodwood fruit fresh from Lotus Colony. 

But not all was well. On her first true day of rulership, AnreH was approached by her advisor, AntekH, who was warning that the system of counting úsrog and moon cycles was a poor method of keeping time. He also brought to her attention that there was no good way of moving north of the Rokthan, as rivers were not able to access past the vast desert. 

"Why not create a river?" AnreH spoke, as if this suggestion was at all feasible. 

"Madame, it is simply not possible. We know so little about the way that rivers work. The need to count and measure the lands is simply too advanced for our understanding of numbers!" AntekH spoke 

AnreH scoffed, "Nonsense, I know many who study numbers, who could solve the problem of building rivers and keeping track of moon cycles." 

"Madame, you do not mean the likes of those hermits who speak of things like values of nothing and formulas! They are madmen obsessed with the pseudowork of Mathematics!" 

"If you haven't noticed, AntekH, Mathematics solves many of the problems you face," AnreH then turned to her advisor, looking him straight in the eyes. "Why do you fear and shun Mathematics? Do you even understand it?"

"Well...no madame, but they say it is a dark art that warps the mind. That people who treat physical things like numbers as if they are theoretical and spiritual will loose track of reality..."

AnreH simply scolded her advisor, "Do not attack that which you do not understand. Especially if it may help you"

AntekH sighed at the though of having to work with mathematics cultists. He just imagined them, holed up in monasteries, strange buildings built on land to keep away outsiders.  "What do you want me to do, madame?" 

"I want you to recruit the mathemeticians and learn from them, help them develop their craft, and give as much support to them to end their stigma and get them to work together. When they are learned we may use them to perfect our time keeping and build canals to reach the far ends of the lands. I will send a scouting party out to the far north to survey the land and inform us of what they find. Perhaps if we find intelligent life, they can help us in creating our goals."

[b]Exploring the North[/b]
Long after the decree of the new chief, 4 Arsuron found themselves traveling north, first by boat and then by foot. 
[img]http://i.imgur.com/sDGhIA3.png?1[/img]
Across the long desert, as was typical but not particularly enjoyable, the Arsuron treked, for days on end. Water and food had become scarce, but this is typical of an Arsuron scout. What was not normal was the lack of any wild game for hunting or even the odd plant for foraging. It was obvious that somthing was not normal in this part of the desert. Eventually, the Arsuron had come in contact with a mountain range; majestic and tall. But what caught their attention was something else. What appeared to be a person, the most humanoid one they had seen in their travels save for the Illis. But what really caught the attention of the four travellers was the youthful beauty of this figure, and the powerful wings around their hips. One of the explorers called out to the figure, hoping to catch their attention. 
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