[b]Arsuron Population: 234 Arsur Coast: 69 (4 in Uaru territory; 3 in Monastic Territory; 4 Illis) River Camp: 70 (2 in Rokthan Territory; 4 Illis) Lotus Colony: 76 (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: Complete [*] Dolphin Domestication: 7/10 [*] Improved Land Architecture: 4/5 [*] Bätänjűr (Arsuron Ninjutsu): 3/8 [*] Mathematics: 2/6 [/list] [/hider] [/b] [b]Copper[/b] For years, the secrets and development of copper working had been restricted to the nobility; only nobles, either the royal family or the newly promoted class of tool makers were allowed to even touch copper and its ores. However, the chief AnreH saw use for this metal in the hands of the common people. At the chagrin of the tool makers, AnreH declared that copper must be distributed to laborers, that copper tools and materials, like nails and rivets, must be easily available. Many of the tool makers were angered by the decision to make their status symbol a commoner's tool. Though AnreH had left the secret of copper working only with the tool makers and the royals, they speculated on what she might else be planning to do, and what must be done if she was to give away too many of the tool maker's privileges. [b]The Religion of Mathematics[/b] Making contact with the strange cultist of Mathematics required a long hike into the desert cliffs far from the shoreline, river camps and the civilized world. It was not known how these people had survived this far out into the deserts, but that was not important; what was important was their knowledge, an esoteric science that none of the common people of the Arsur coast truly understood. AntekH treked far out into the deserts, two soldiers accompanying him as they crossed the sandy landscape brandished with the newest armaments, cast copper swords and armor. The advisor and his company sought the knowledge and services of these monks, hoping that they would be willing to offer help as well. Upon coming to the monastery, the advisors took note of the strange mix of architecture and cave dwelling; they had begun inhabiting natural caves stewn across the many cliffsides, carving them to resemble housing. The three Arsuron climbed the cliffside, taking note of the monks peeking out of the structures, their faces visable due to the lack of masks, wearing clothes died dark blues and blacks, utilizing methods of dying learned by their ancestors long before they departed for the desert lands. The black dye was obviously the same used by the people of the Arsur Coast, but it was unknown where the blue dye had come from. AntekH took notice of the designs of their faces, geometric patterns in blue and black paint. "Hello?" AntekH called out to the caves, hoping that one would be able to respond. It took a while before a single female cultist began to exit from the structures to investigate the outsiders. It was obvious that her group had not yet discovered copper, though it appeared that they had knowledge of other metals judging by the shiney filaments in the cultist's makeup, dark grey, almost black. "Hwat do che, Machairian's want!" she shouted at them, seemingly angered by their presence in their monastary. "We did not invite che hto oor bothy, now be gone! Makesha!" the mountain dweller shooed them away as soon as they moved closer. Though the people did not appear to show any kind of agression aside from yelling, the soldier's seemed to urge AntekH to attack, but he refused. "If you would excuse me, miss, we would like to make a proposal to your leader." "The Änfi̋r? Why?" "We want to learn from your kind." The girl started laughing almost immediately upon hearing AntekH's proposal. Before responding in her native dialect of Arsuron. "Che know not hwat che request. Oor secrets are not for hte folk of hte Machair hto hknow. If che hwant hto learn oor hways, che must study under the Änfi̋r until he decides if che are ready." AntekH was stunned to learn that he would have to become a monastic to even convey the secrets of mathematics to the chief, but he decided that it was in his best interests to join this order and then relay their beliefs and knowledge to the others. "Very well, if you will take me to him, then I will join your order so that I may learn your knowledge." And so AntekH was to meet with the Änfi̋r to bring mathematics to the Arsuron commoners. And so he sent back the soldier's with a letter for AnreH to explain his situation. The young cultist girl herself not much older than the chief herself, a young 3 usrog (15 years), who introduced herself to AntekH as Anshug, lead the advisor into the caverns to meet with the Änfi̋r. AntekH looked around the caverns and saw the many metals shimmering across the walls two particular colors being a deeply dark grey which he nicknamed Lead, and a lighter metal he decied to call Tin, deeply embedded into the stone. The many different fires made the various stone layers and shiny metal look light a night sky, with some of the Mathematicians hard at work writing and drawing on papers, in a strange version of the Anrethi Abugida, very curly and embellished compared to the variant used back at home. When he was before the Änfi̋r, AntekH spoke calmly, hoping to get him in some way to let him into the monastary. "You wish to be a part of our monastary, and worship Yi'am and his children in the language of mathematics?" the Änfi̋r spoke, catching AntekH off guard when he spoke in Coastal Arsuronic. "Then it shall be, you will be dressed in the garments of our congregation and learn as we do, to know Yi'am as we do." "Excuse me, Your Grace, but is not Yi'am simply the sea?" AntekH asked, only for the Änfi̋r to chuckle slightly "In time, you will come to know what he truly is" [hider=Anshug][url]http://img04.deviantart.net/7510/i/2011/009/4/7/tali_zorah__unmasked_by_geirahod-d36tmh7.jpg[/url][/hider] [b]Explorers in Uaru Territory[/b] [@orangebox] The four explorers found themselves in a strange scenario. Here they were, being lead into the mountains by what appeared to be winged humanoids. The Arsuron found themselves amused by the juxtaposition of the cruel, unforgiving and savage landscape being able to create such a delicate and beautiful species as those who they had come across now; almost as if Yi'am himself had created them just to live in this land. A younger explorer named Anttar had her eyes on the orange haired one, not entirely sure how to react to the creatures. The leader of the group, an older male named Anpfet who quickly smacked his subordinate with a dried paper reed to get her back into focus. Anpfet quickly yelled at Anttar in Arsuronic to stop focusing on the native women and focus on scouting. Anttar grumbled and continued following the elder and the young Uaru. Meanwhile Anpfet was trying to figure out how exactly to speak with these people. Remembering that explorers and traders who conducted business with The Society used pictographs and splashes of the Abugida and Societal Script in order to communicate.