The Cindorayi, Population: 103, Year 10 IL (Inland), Age of the New Moon
The Rice of Races
"Isn't it beautiful down there?" asked Lyudmila to her companion, Leo. The two had been friends practically since birth, and were raised in the same litter of children. Traditionally, the Cindorayi did not retain much attachment to their birth parents, and were instead raised by a group of women who volunteered to serve as mothers. Their birth parents might remain together and live together, or they might separate, there was really no restriction, though men or women who repeatedly changed partners were quite socially unacceptable.
"Indeed it is." responded Leo. The two were treading water, and then quickly recovered their breath and dove back into the sparkling waters of the sea. As they swam towards the shallow ocean floor, the water flowed around their sleek fur like that of a polar bear from a different world. As they came closer, it became quite apparent the ocean floor was covered in small sparkling turquoise jewels.
Lyudmila spotted a different-colored patch of the seafloor, and was curious enough for it to divert her from her quest. She scooped up a handful of the soft, malleable substance and brought it up with her in her rough bag with the crystals to examine it further.
This simple action sparked a revolution that would change Cindorayi life forever.
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When they returned to the village, they quickly discovered that this new substance, which they called glina, could be molded into any desired shape, and furthermore that when left near to a fire it would harden and become rocklike. This quickly sparked a period of innovation for the science-loving Cindorayi, and they used it to make things from bowls to vases to eating utensils. They also determined that by adding things like mud or sand, they could make it more or less brittle.
The primary use for glina, however, became the creation of bowls out of which to eat and which to cook things in and an alternative to wood sticks for picking bits of food up. Soup quickly became a meal of choice for many Cindorayi, but the greatest change occurred when one of the Cindorayi surveying parties that Ekatyrina had sent out came back with a plant they called mifan (rice) which they boiled and produced a great quantity of food from a very small plant. It was then that Ekatyrina knew she found the perfect food with which to sustain their food supply, and ordered that it be planted all along the sides of the river valley and at the inland village as well, in their first great agricultural experiment.
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