Pius Fidelus: The Oque

[Zweanslord]

Turn 4.3, Group 13, Ark

As Ark continues to talk about these strange things, like another species that talks, the Oque consider him generally weird. Ark loses his credibility, however the stories are eventually considered as entertainment. Every Oque knows that he's just talking rubbish, but Ark manages to bring it in an interesting fashion. Hence, he eventually becomes more of a story telling figure in the group. They let him stay with the group as long as he wants and enjoy his stories. Only occasionally do they share food with him and they sometimes wonder how he can live without food.

As Ark observes the group, he learns more of their ways of communicating and notices it improves after a story of him. In a way, he can introduce them to more advanced concepts of speech as he goes on. Further, during his observations, he sees that they eat plants and fruits, that they do not really have father or mother concepts, though caretaker seems more appropriate. Three usually take extra care of their own children and the rest takes care of them as well. There do not exist any notions of leadership and if any Oque really do have a disagreement they can leave the group when they wish. Jealousy does exist, especially when food is more scarce. Some Oque, if pushed for it due to lack of food or perhaps other reasons, will probably bully others in this group. Ark also notices that if the Oque are really threatened with no hope of running away, they shoot strange jolts.

During his visit, Ark does see one trio of Oque doing the first mating ritual after having ate quite a lot more than usual. The second mating ritual he can not witness before leaving, however. Trio's of Oque who do seem to mate or have children do not seem to do so on base of love or lust in the way humans know it. They just, at one point, feel the need to breed and then usually approach others who share that feeling and who they spend enough time with in the group.

Turn 4.6, Group 7, Tumine

Spoiler

Show

No plague, but most Oque die not of natural causes. Stone age and all.

The children enjoy the raft trip and the other Oque are happy with the Tumine's responses. The ill Oque are also happy with Tumine's visits and care. The Oque sometimes ask if she can heal them, but if she, at the start, says she can't, they accept it since they can't either. Glad with her care and that of the other Oque, the sick Oque seem at least in a slightly better mood than they would have otherwise been. They are sad when Tumine has to go, but accept it as well.

[lilomar]

Krixal 4.1-Wrap up

Krixal explains that the idea is to make the food taste different, so that it isn't nessasary to eat the same flavors all the time. He tries several different spices, sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, etc. and asks the Oque if they like the different flavors. He will also experiment cooking the fruits and other plants that the Oque have brought him.

If any of these are enjoyed by the Oque, he makes sure that they know how to duplicate the feat, staying to teach them fire and plant gathering, up to spending the entirety of 4.1 with them.

At the end of 4.1 (or right away if he doesn't find anything that they are thrilled about) he explains that he will work on finding out how to improve their light, and leaves, promising to return.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 4.1+, Group 30, Krixal

The Oque taste the several different cooked fruits, with spices, sweets, etc, etc. Krixal, may however, be somewhat disappointed when he hears that some Oque do not even taste the difference between the different flavours. Others, who do, do not think it of as yummy or blegh, at least not most of the time. Only one Oque, Rfatsb, seem to think it is absolutely fabulous, while two other Oque seem to think it is worse than eating mud. Krixal finds Rfatsb looking at the food, seeing how he prepares it and often being first in line to taste something new. He tries to reproduce the different cooking skills, but unfortunately, he seems more interesting in eating than in cooking. Some other Oque seem interested as well, but in the end, Krixal is unable to teach them to fully duplicate the feat. They mess up or seem more interested in gathered the ingredients and eating them before they realise it can be cooked too.

Some Oque do learn how to do it, but burn themselves, have unfortunate accidents or otherwise hear from other Oque that they are wasting their time. And thus, when Krixal leaves, these Oque do not learn further or try to duplicate it much. A few times they attempt it, but most often fail and it does not take much time before the Oque in group 30 cease attempting to cook. It is considered too dangerous, too messy, too time consuming and useless. There are more Oque who look forward to see Krixal come back to see if he found a way to teach them about light. Rfatsb is the only one who really does look forward to see Krixal come back, but that is mostly because he likes to eat the different foods and flavours instead of making them.

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 5.2, Group 31

Swinging down in his normal fashion, Ardannis greets the now-familiar members of the Group and asks how they have been. After spending a day with them, he announces that there will be a contest to find the best Fives player, who will receive something special from Ardannis. There will also be big news announced at the end of the contest.

Spoiler

Show

He's going to announce it in the other two groups as well, but starting here first to have time for RP.

Also, lost power and didn't have time for the turn wrap-up, but basically all I would have added would have been an encouragement for the three groups he knows to spread what they've learned to still further groups. The progress of that will be one of the first things he asks about (after asking how this group is doing, of course).

[Dr Bwaa]

Tumine Barok, turn 5.3
Group 7

Tumine appears from the water, greeting her Oque and inquiring immediately after the sick ones, and then asking about what progress the Oque have made since she's been away as far as raft-building and so on are concerned.

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 5.4

Tek arrives 4 feet tall, wearing Mask of Benevolence and Magnifying Glass.

Tek locates the group he once visited. “Greetings I return”.
Once again he follows the Oque, but this time to learn their habits.

Tek follows Oque to find out how they gather food. He also examines Quax with his Magnifying Glass, asks Oque about it and tries to help them develop it. He also asks, if they know about any other Oque groups.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.2, Group 31, Ardannis

Unfortunately, Ardannis sees some missing members amongst the group. Neither Qwerty nor Tiktbt are present. When asked, he hears that Tiktbt was attacked by a beast and that Qwerty was lost, nobody knew where he was. Despite their advances one becoming safer against beasts, Tiktbt was ambushed by a clever beast. The Oque did not seem particularly sad, since things like that happened more often and it has been a while since it happened.

Rtskink is not present in the group either, but he eventually walks towards Ardannis. He seems weak, and in a way, old. His walking pace matches that and he occasionally trips up a bit, but since he has enough legs he continues to walk on. Yvtsk, on the other hand, is much younger and walks around confidently.

When Ardannis asks about spreading, he is told that the contact between Group 30, 31 and 32 is high, going well and the teachings have spread between those groups. More groups have not been approached, since to have contact, the three Oque groups needed to stay together, which can be a drain on food and effort, and thus more groups have not been really seen or contacted. Ardannis also notices that Group 30 has moved to another place.

When the Fives contest begins, the large majority of the group joins in. Only about five don't join in, but that is because two are feeling ill and three are slow and thicker as they are pregnant. They keep to resting. The Oque all get out things and the like and occasionally play in trees, but mostly on the ground. Ardannis needs to keep up who goes when, how the contest goes and who goes against whom and make this clear. However, as the contest goes on, it becomes obvious Yvtsk will win. At the end of the contest, he is the final winner of the game, having lost not once. Rtskink was unfortunately beaten rather soon, since he was somewhat distracted and weak in mind, probably due to age.

What Ardannis also notices is that the Oque's language has improved a lot over the time. Due to his games and own propagation of better language, the Oque have picked up on it and developed their language at a much better standard. It seems that the smarter and younger an Oque is, the better he learned it. Therefore, it is not surprising that Yvtsk is doing well on the language too.

Group 7, Turn 5.3, Tumine

When Tumine arrives, it is obvious. Gpardz is no more, having died of his illness. The other Oque who had been ill, have died as well. What is perhaps even worse is that the bad news continues. Tumine hears that Travbt was ambushed and killed by a beast. And Fcinkt has been missing. He went out on a raft of ice, but got swept by the stream and has not been heard from since.

The Oque do not seem particularly sad at the moment. Their lives go on, this happens more often and it has been a while since it happened. What Tumine also notices is that the children she gave a raft ride have now grown to become adults and seek her out. They seem happy with her, but when she tells them of how the raft-building went, they in turn tell that the Oque have been mostly busy with ice due to Iklekos's visit. As these Oque talks, Tumine also notices one major change. These Oque talk a lot better since she first the other Oque. Due to Tumine's presence, new inventions and due to Iklekos' recent visit where he stimulated language as well, these Oque have a much better way of talking. "Tumine, want to see rafts? Reftsk, Tumfst and Minfte have made them. Reftsk can show Tumine ice rafts too. Tumfst and Minfte will help Reftsk." says one of the Oque, Reftsk. Tumine may notice that Tumfst first part of the name is similar to her own, while the first part of Minfte is similar to the last part of her own.

Turn 5.4, Group 24, Tek

Tek notices that the group of Oque seems a bit different than last time. Some have died and there are new children, while other children have grown up. The new children are told about Tek when he returns and in general, Tek finds the same welcome as last time during the time he was allowed to stay. The Oque tolerated him, but did not seem particularly disliking or liking towards him.

The Oque live in tree huts, consisting of crude roofs and the rare floor placed in the trees. They usually go out with a group of about six, sometimes more, a few times less, to find food. They look around, moving about, until they find a plant or fruit they recognise and eat it, occasionally bringing back some food to the rest of the group for them to eat. This, and looking for water, as well as building their huts seems to take up most of their time. The Oque sometimes talk with each other and seem wary of beasts, which are often a threat. Only rarely does Tek see the Oque use their jolt ability.

When Tek tries to examine Quax, he finds some difficulties. The Oque usually do not make Quax from their bodies just like that and most do not even know how. Instead, they now how to apply it. If asked, they will shoot their jolts, which seem like blue globs in the air, but dissipate soon on the target, causing quite some pain if it is a living target. When an Oque applies Quax on wood, it usually infuses the material with it, creating a somewhat blue glow inside the material. A few Oque are willing to try and create some Quax. They succeed in the effort, but it are nothing more but a few big drops. It seems like some kind of thick liquid-like blue material. It dissipates soon after leaving the Oque body, but it seems to gleam with a strange reflection. With continued research, Tek things he may even see something like veins running through the Quax, though he is not completely sure. When matching with the blue glow when Oque are manipulating wood, he thinks he can see some veins occasionally within the glow too.

When Tek asks if the Oque know of any other groups, he gets a yes as reply. They tell they know of a similar group near them (Group 23), which they met some time ago. They are probably within a few days travel from this group, perhaps more. They do not join up because it is easier to find food for a smaller number and they like it with the current Oque present.

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 5.5

Tek speaks to the Oque:

“I can teach you useful skill. You could apply Quax to surface – in a shape of a Mark, like this. Tek demonstrates the Marks, he carved in wood. Then if you see Quax Mark, you could remember, why you left it there.”

“If you found food, but couldn’t take it all, you could leave Food Marks along the way. You could follow them later to find food again. Or if there is danger, you could mark it. Other Oque would pass, see the Danger Mark and avoid danger. And this is Tribe Mark, it would lead to Oque’s home, if you get lost.”

If Oque decide to learn this skill, he demonstrates how to draw marks, and helps them find the best surfaces to apply their skill to.

Tek also travels to the group 23. He introduces himself as Tek, the Traveler. He mentions the group 24, to establish trust with this Oque.

If accepted he tries to teach them skill at making Marks and asks, if they know of any other Oque groups.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.4-5.5, Group 24-23, Tek

When Tek explains about the marks, there are several Oque that find it interesting. One of them is Qifst, who is the first to try to copy what Tek is doing with the marks. "Qifst try." And he places one paw on some wood. At first he is not very successful, since the mark requires more details than working with a hut. The other Oque have similar problems, but eventually Qifst manages to produce a simple symbol. A rough circular area which can indent or extrude. Eventually, as the Oque continued to do this with their Quax, they learned more very simple and basic symbols to apply. It seems that, at current, they can apply this on wood and not any other materials. Considering that wood is also the most abundant in the forest, that is hardly a problem. More Oque now seem to find Tek's presence interesting and the use of marks becomes more and more applied.

At group 23, the group jump up in the trees when they hear Tek. When they saw him, they assumed he was just another relatively harmless being due to his small size and lack of aggressive behaviour. When he spoke, they were scared, but when they realised that this was the thing a few Oque of the other group had spoken of, they let it alone. When Tek stimulates the Oque to use marks, they seem more interested in him, especially Stka. "Stka try!" With this group, a similar progress was made. They learned to apply marks in a useful fashion from Tek and some showed more curiosity than those of Group 24. However, there were also some which thought Tek was not as good. When Tek asks if they know of any other groups, the answer is simple. "Yes." They tell Tek of Group 22, and naturally that they met Group 24. Group 22 is also a similar group, where, just look in Group 24 and 23, the Oque can warp wood for huts and shoot jolts.

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 5.2, Groups 30-32

Ardannis bows his head, shoulders sagging briefly at the news. The news that two Oque he had been teaching to roam have wandered their last is indeed sad to him. As the Oque do not let it bother them, though, he perks up soon, reminding himself that it certainly won't be the last time it happens.

He greets Rtskink with a slower and calmer smile than usual. Hello, old friend. Time begins to wear your strength thin. Let me ease your tired feet, for a little while. He touches Rtskink, who feels both younger and stronger for a short while. ((Assuming these effects are visible)) This moving more quickly, as Rtskink is now, is a sign to you - as the Oque grow more wise and strong, the gifts from their god and friend, Ardannis, will increase. Some day you will be able to "poof" as well. But for now...games!

Ardannis runs the simplest of tournaments - each Oque finds another to play with. The winner of that game finds another winner to play with, and the loser is eliminated. Eventually, there is only Yvtsk remaining, and Ardannis congratulates him heartily, praising him as the smartest Oque...for now. He then gathers as many of the Oque as he can around, telling them it is time for the news he has promised. Not standing on a rock or taking any presumptuous pose, he sits in the middle of them as if telling a story.

There are many more Oque than any of you have met, and your groups are the most advanced of them all. Some of them do not know how to make huts, some do not know how to make light. Some don't know how to make a jolt, and a few poor groups don't know how to use their Quax well at all. Even the groups who do, don't have your skills in making trails and fooling beasts. Your three groups have come closer and become good friends, sharing knowledge, but you are so close you cannot meet any other Oque, and spread this knowledge and skill even further.

You may wonder why you would want to meet many more Oque, but there is good reason. Soon, I will leave on a Great Journey, and travel on foot, without a poof, far past the lands of the Oque. Several tendays' travel to the west, there lies a large lake, so large you cannot see the other side. In this water lives another kind of being, very different from you, but not as different as the beasts and the gods are. And any Oque who wish...may come along for an incredible journey.

He regales them with stories of the Karksh and the Niddog, emphasizing that these are neither beasts nor Immortals, but rather beings who think like the Oque, though looking very different. Whether or not they seem interested in meeting other creatures like this, he will encourage them to split slightly from 30 and 32 to spread their knowledge to other groups, before reconnecting with 30 and 32 to share their experiences. If they seem amenable to this, he emphasizes above all else that they should not force his knowledge on any Oque who do not wish it. Any Oque are free to choose what they want, and these Oque should not try to make them do anything. He also says that the better idea is probably not to tell new groups about the Great Journey for now, but mostly so that they are not overwhelmed - they will still be told in time to go along, if they wish.

After setting to rest their questions, he moves on to Groups 30 and 32, repeating the process of tournament and news. Rather than a runoff, he tries to judge personally which of the three village winners is the best player, and awards them the Wary Eyes headband, which he shows them how to tie around a leg so that it does not interfere with movement. He tells them how it makes them more canny and aware, less likely to be surprised by a beast. He also assures the rest of the Oque that there will be other contests in the future, and a chance to win the headband back from the current owner.

Spoiler

Show

Whew that was long. The short version:
-greeting
-contest and news
-answer questions, stay another day to make sure things settle down
-move to next village and repeat
-move to third village and repeat

If he seems to be overwhelming them, he'll go a little slower. After meeting with each village, giving the news, determining the winner and encouraging them to spread their knowledge, though, he'll leave, promising to return soon and meet whatever new groups they have met.

Oh, and what he plans for them is basically: 30, 31, and 32 all split up *briefly* and go to meet other groups and share knowledge for a while, perhaps exchanging a few members. After some time, they return, and can see their friends in the other two groups again, if they wish. If as he explains it, they don't actually seem too attached to the other groups, and the only problem before was hanging with the other groups *and* meeting new ones, he won't stress the "return to see your friends" parts as much.

Oh, and you didn't say how much their language had improved, but he would have quickly noticed. Consider his speech and all to be, as usual, about one notch above what the Oque are doing, so that they can understand him, but he's not speaking quite as simply as they do.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.2, Group 30-32, Ardannis

When Ardannis touches Rtskink, Rtskink stand up firmer, placing better distribution of weight and a much more confident stance, instead of keeping its central body a bit slumped down. Striding in a proper pace, Rtskink looks much brighter and better. He lifts two paws up in a flexing manner before walking around a bit. He makes use of this opportunity to walk around the settlement for a bit. When, however, the effect wears down, he looks disappointed once more about it and seeks a place to rest down on. He still grateful for a moment of joy, though.

When Ardannis tells the news of the other Oque, the Oque of this group does understand. They seem alright with spreading the knowledge, however that means they have to abandon the settlement they made. This is fine, because it means they can move to another location with food. When Ardannis tells of his Great Journey, the Oque respect him for doing so, but when he talks about other species.. this respect seems shattered. Other species who talk? They could understand that there were more of those creatures that talked and taught like he did, or if there were simply more creatures that looked like Ardannis. But whole different species who could talk as well and resided on other places?

A number did not believe him. Another number did, but wanted to have nothing to do with them. A minority found it intriguing, but not enough to go with Ardannis. If there were creatures like Ardannis, then to have other species may not be so weird. However, they could still be beasts. And their forest was still comfortable, so no Oque really saw the need to come along. Especially since nobody else was coming along.

"Yvtsk and the Oque do not need to meet these other beings. Ardannis talks of strange beings, stranger than beasts. Talking beings, like the Oque. The beings are not alone and the beings may harm the Oque. This group will not tell it to other groups because it sounds scary. Ardannis has shown us that the world has more than the Oque thought. Ardannis has been with the Oque and the Oque are now smarter. The Oque like that, but the world still sounds scary. Beasts are still here, danger is still here. Other beings may lead to more danger." Said Yvtsk and as Ardannis can have determined, Yvtsk is the smartest and best spoken person of the whole group.

When Ardannis goes to the other groups, he finds nobody as smart or well spoken as Yvtsk. In Group 30, he finds Tifcp as the smarter one and in Group 32, he finds Bruntk as the smarter one. "Oque will tell other Oque. Will teach them trails and games and.. tac..tactics." Was the word from Tifcp about group 30, and Brunkt said: "Ardannis good, Oque will tell other Oque about Ardannis. Oque will be better at Fives. Brunkt sad Brunkt not win. Who is the Oque that did win?"

Yvtsk, as being obviously the smarter Oque of the groups, eventually gets the Wary Eyes from Ardannis. The first time Ardannis puts it on, Yvtsk eye seems to shift focus and when the Oque looks at Ardannis, it is as if the Oque looks frighteningly deeper at Ardannis, though this is merely an illusion. "Amazing. How Ardannis make this thing? What is it?"

When the Oque groups eventually move out to another place, they do this for a longer period. They move out to meet other groups, though their main purpose is different. They, in fact, move out to find other places of food. In the process, Group 30 and 31 find another group each, while Group 32 does not. Group 30 comes into contact with Group 29, while Group 31 comes into contact with Group 22. They start to spread the teachings of Ardannis, telling about games, about trails and teaching them better on language. In Group 30, this seems to work to further benefit to the group itself as well, since with teaching the Oque learn how to better deal with the knowledge as well.

Group 29 seems sceptical of the other group at first, but eventually they start to learn. Group 22, on the other hand, reacts much less positive. They find it annoying as Group 31 wants to teach them things and finds their own methods fine enough. Eventually, they do start to show some interest and are willing to learn somewhat, but they keep a leery eye on the Oque of the group, seeing them occasionally as a threat to nearby food sources as well.

[chrono]

Forneus

Turn 5.2

Forneus spent a bit of time looking over Oque territory. There wasn't much of interest, so he wasn't really optimistic, but he was told that there are sentients here and the table imps weren't wrong before.

Forneus materializes near the largest visible water source, because even if he isn't very fond of water he knows from his Sume and Niddog interaction that water attracts a lot of creatures. Pity. He thinks.

As Forneus isn't really sure what the creatures would look like, he takes the approach that worked so far: Creatures of this land, show yourself. Forneus yells out as hard as he can (OOC: using miracle for added effect). I am Forneus and I have come to help you master the elements.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.2, Forneus

The water rushes behind Forneus. A large stream, with plenty of water. It is coursing along just fine. The wind blows gently over the stream and Forneus can hear the rustling of leaves. Birds chirp and the sound of the forest is around him, intermixed with the wind and the sound of the stream. It is a soothing and relaxing environment until it is brutally interrupted by a loud yell. The response are birds chirping loudly and some flying away from the disruption of peace.

The sound of the water and the rustling of leaves continue then. It is a bit more quiet now, with less birds. Yet there is no response, not a sign of sentient life. Forneus sees something in the distance, but that could have just as well been a deer. As he looks around, nothing approaches him and in general, this part of the forest seems quiet for now. What he may notice though, is that on his side of the stream, not too far away, a strange rectangular piece of wood can be seen. If he goes to investigate it, it seems to be warped in an unnatural way, at places almost molten together. It is obviously broken and probably part of something a bit bigger, but what it is, is something he can only guess towards.

[Dr Bwaa]

Tumine, turn 5.3
Group 7

Tumine expresses great sadness of the passing of so many of her friends. Tumine indeed follows Reftsk, Tumfst and Minfte to the rafts. She asks, How fast Oque make ice? Assumine they demonstrate, Tumine then explains that, if the Oque are out on a raft and swept away or swept overboard, or the raft breaks and things look bad, they should make ice and hold onto it, because it will keep them floating until they get out into calmer water.

Once finished with her safety lecture, Tumine will spend a day or so searching for Fcinkt, though she presumably does not find him, and fears the worst.

After spending a couple days here, Tumine then says she's going to go visit group 8, which she does, and she'll take any other Oque that feel like going with her for a couple days.

Group 8
Tumine checks in here, seeing how her teachings are spreading and so on. She also inquires about any other Oque tribes that may be living nearby that these Oque may know about.

[pseudovere]

Sedha 5.1: Group 3

Sedha had seen the other gods appear in different sizes... perhaps she could do so as well. Sedha appears off to the side of the group of Oque, roughly 4 feet tall, and clutching Tek's Cocoon of Sounds. That was not as hard as I though it would be...

Sedha called from out of the bushes at the band of Oque. "Oque. Sedha has come back. I bring proof of beast sounds."

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 5.6

Tek moves to the group 22 and repeats the process – using his knowledge of group 23 to gain their trust and teaching use of Quax Marks. Tek also carves Tribe symbols on the paths between Quax tribes.

He revisits all the groups and examines the Marks they make. He comments on the Marks that were made with greater skill and precision, praising them and complimenting the makers. He also says “If someone makes a mark that I like very much. I’ll give him a gift.”

He also asks about major sources of Oque’s deaths – predators, illnesses, Oque getting lost or starvation.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.1, Group 3, Sedha

When Sedha came, she notices that the group has different members. Children who were born and had grown up in the time she was gone and other Oque who had become older and had died. Therefore, it takes a while for the Oque to explain to everybody what Sedha is again, since most jumped up the tree again. This seems to effect the Oque, who think Sedha is not that good.. Eventually what Sedha said is addressed. "Sedha weird." "Sedha bad." How can there be sounds besides what they speak?

Turn 5.3, Group 7, Tumine

Reftsk, Tumfst and Minfte show Tumine the rafts which they made. They seem to be alright, not very good for long voyages and still easily breakable, but to cross a small stream they seem to get the job done. When Tumine looks at Reftsk, Tumfst, Minfte and three other Oque make the raft, they do take a while to make the raft, but they do so in a decently quick fashion. The raft is only temporary due to it eventually melting, but it seems more sturdy than the wooden versions. Tumfst even shows a few sliding tricks as he steps on the raft and moves over the stream, showing some agility with the raft sized for one Oque. If Tumine wants, she can ride on it as well.

When Tumine goes off to group 8, the trio of Oque seem interested in coming along, wishing to follow the strange being that showed the Oque these great skills. During their walk, they actually ask two things. "How do Oque use rafts better? Oque have fun with rafts and use it to cross stream. Are there other uses of the rafts?" Said Reftsk, after which Minfte speaks up. How should Oque use rafts to go up stream. Stream flows and hard for Oque to move raft up. Easy to move down stream but then Oque have to walk back." "And we lose raft!" Adds Tumfst.

When Tumine and the three Oque reach group 8, Tumine finds that the teachings have been only so-so. The group has moved again and it is not near the water due to more food being deeper inland. The group does want to go to a good place with water to learn more about swimming and rafts, but knows no proper location. When asked about other groups, the group tells it has not seen any other groups in a while now, besides group 7.

Turn 5.6, Group 22, Tek

When Tek talks to group 22, there are a few Oque who immediately go look at Tek and show a lot of interest in Tek. They talk of Ardannis and of Krixal. They seem very interested in Tek's teachings and do not find it weird that Tek is talking, since they have met Ardannis before. Listening eagerly, they are the first to try out the symbols and as Tek meets them, the difference between these few Oque compared to the rest of the group and the other groups he met is obvious. They can make whole sentences, speak more clearly and about complex subjects and in general are much more intelligent. They adopt the art of making symbols relatively quickly compared to the groups Tek met so far.

As this goes on, though, a number of Oque of group 22, which originally belonged to the group instead of the new Oque from group 31, seem to get a annoyed by this. They are jealous of the other Oque's intelligence, abilities and knowledge. They are jealous they know so much and get angry when they sometimes belittle them because they are clearly superior in many things. Tek does not notice this much, since the Oque he talks to with in group 22 are usually the visitors of group 31 or those highly interested in the knowledge of group 31. They tell Tek of other groups where Ardannis has been, two other groups, who have gone out to spread this greater knowledge as well.

The Oque who are jealous meet each other at times, telling each other how the other Oque are bad. Angry due to their inferiority, they try to seek a way to become better again.. though they do not know how to do that.

[Dr Bwaa]

Tumine Barok, turn 5.3
Group 7 & 8

Tumine indeed tries out the raft, getting as much of a feel as she can for its maneuverability and other capabilities. On the walk, she is delighted by the questions.

Of course! she says. Grabbing a suitable branch, she continues, Use stick to push against water. Flatten out end to make better.
She offers one end of the branch to Minfte as they are walking and explains how to warp the end into a paddle. If there is time, they will make two, as she rants on about all the things you can do once you can control your rafts, and so forth. When we get to water again, Tumine will show you!

When they get to group 8, then, Tumine suggests that they move North, where she knows there to be much water, and promises to teach them more about how better to use their rafts.

Tumine will show the trio from Group 7 how to use paddles at the first opportunity

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so, if the other Oque do not want to leave right away and those three want to return, she will go with them and teach group 7. If they want to leave soon and the trio comes with, she will lead them to the closest water she can find and then follow that downstream to a good food place (probably not RIGHT next to group 7, since they seem to be too many to live all together, but if that's not the case, then they could certainly join them, or even just visit for a while). I don't have a great sense of where exactly the river runs on the map, so that's why this is so vague, sorry.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.3, Group 7&8, Tumine

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Here's a quick map to make it clearer, since I find it confusing to convey in words how it all relates to each other. The river to the north eventually leads to the lake. It is more to the north of the hex, since the stream slowly becomes a stream that is difficult to cross, in the remainder of the hex, upstream, there are plenty of places to cross and the streams are less strong.

Reftsk, Tumfst and Minfte seem very interested in Tumine's suggestion and hope to try it out soon enough. There is plenty of time to make two paddles, since it takes a few days to move to the other group now. The Oque hope to use the paddles soon, though do not drag them along. They can make them again elsewhere and are otherwise a burden.

At Group 8, they are happy to see Tumine again and are happy with her suggestion as well. They will be ready in a few days to move and the trio that came from group 7 seems interested in hanging around this group and Tumine for now. There, they practise to make paddles in some spare time, but continue to ask Tumine. "We use rafts for fun, for moving to the other side of the stream. But are there other uses? How can we make rafts useful?" Asks Reftsk again, where useful actually applies to making life easier for an average Oque. After all, there are still beasts around and the Oque do need food. To satisfy their basic needs, the rafts do not seem to help much.

Eventually, the group goes on the move and goes north as Tumine suggested. There, they meet group 7 again and stay for about two days before moving on. Tumine shows them further down the stream, a few days downstream again. There, they are willing to settle again if Tumine approves of the place. The trip, in general, was slow since a lot of Oque need to look around for food as well. The trip back to Group 7 took much longer than the way to Group 8, but eventually a new location next to the water is settled for Group 8. Happy with the watery location, they start building their huts up again, with the trio of Group 7 helping. Some spare time is used to test the paddles and the like, but mostly, the Oque use their time with their more than primitive huts. They ask if Tumine is willing to help, which in her case consists of finding suitable branches for the roofs of the huts.

[pseudovere]

Sedha

These creatures had gone through so much since she had last seen them, and all of the ones that she had met before had passed away. There had to be something she could do to improve their lives. Perhaps Tek's Cocoon would help them.

Sedha walks forward to them, and holds out the Cocoon of Sounds to the Oque. "Many strange sounds Oque no hear. Sedha bring gift. Gift show Oque sounds." Sedha very slowly moves to put the cocoon on the ground near the Oque, in a place that they are likely to disturb the bushes around them to create noise and slowly moves away to stand far back enough that the Oque will not feel threatened when they approach the Cocoon. "Go and see. It no hurt Oque."

[chrono]

Forneus

OOC: wow, great scenery to deliver a great effect

Forneus waits for a few seconds. Well they must be here eventually. Right? Waiting around seemed to accomplish nothing, so Forneus flew up to make sure that there weren't any stray sentients engaged in some activity important enough to make them not show up after his call. Eventually he makes his way to the strange piece of wood, looking around for clues about which way the creatures could have gone.

Regardless of how that goes, the avatar is still for a few moments.
OOC: acting in outer plane

[Dr Bwaa]

Tumine Barok, turn 5.3
Group 8ish

Tumine indeed helps with anything the Oque ask her to. In response to the question of how rafts could be useful, she has several responses.

Food always grow near water. Rafts good for moving; big raft move many Oque fast down- or up-stream. Raft good to find food and bring home. Go along stream, get food. Put food on raft, bring back home. Carry much food on raft, more than Oque could carry alone.

Raft also good to escape predators. Many predators not swim, not catch Oque on raft.

Tumine also offers this little tidbit:

Other smart creatures farther downstream, not like Oque; not like Tumine, not beasts. Live in water. Eventually, Oque could meet them, make friends, help each other. Need raft to get to them; they live out in big water. Called "Karksh."

Tumine answers more questions about water and the Karksh, that yes, they do actually live under the water, and so on, if they are asked. She emphasizes that the rafts can be used to move around and explore, finding food and being a safe haven from beasts.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.1, Group 3, Sedha

Well, the Oque may not believe Sedha, they are still interested to see what that item is. Of the Oque that still remember Sedha appearing, which there are still a few. They listne to the strange device and hear their own rustles, they hear all kinds of things, from chirping to foot steps, to the wind. Then, he response came. "Wow! Thing speaks!" "Thing not speak. Thing make noise!" "OooOoo. Noise. That noise?" "Yes! Thing make noise. Thing not speak." "Ah. Yes. Wow." "Sedha make object? Sedha make object make noise?" "Wow. Sedha wow." This causes quite some Oque to agree with the last speaker. "Sedha said world noise?" "Yes. World no noise. Thing noise!" "Thing wow." "World no noise. Sedha bad. Sedha make noise thing. Sedha good?" This last question causes a lot of question, but then one Oque speaks up, and all simply agree with that instead. "Sedha wow."

In short, the Oque still do not believe the world has sound or anything, but instead believe that Sedha made an item that makes sound. Since they formerly believed that they were the only ones to make sound and found out Sedha could too, they are still very amazed that Sedha could make an item that makes noise, even if it does not sound too useful to them.

Turn 5.2, Forneus

When Forneus flew up, he did get a nice view to enjoy, though he spends little time enjoying it as he looks for sentients. There do not seem to be any sentients in the vicinity at all and no clues either, besides the strange piece of wood. However, even the wood provides no clue as to what way any nearby Oque, if they are nearby at all, may have gone.

Turn 5.3, Group 8, Tumine

Reftsk, Tumfst, Minfte and quite some other Oque's listen to what Tumine has to say about the uses of the rafts. They are genuinely intrigued and decide to use the advice on the use when they have their huts done. As they pass by group 7, this advice is exchanged too, so that they go do it as well. Reftsk, Tumfst and Minfte are already the first who try to apply it, starting to create rafts to move up and down the stream to find more food along the shores of the stream. The wooden rafts are not big yet so they can not carry things, but it makes it nicer to explore and find food as well. The three Oque's are especially busy with it, being the pioneers in this method.

When Tumine tells of the Karksh, the Oque do not even consider the possibility that with smart, Tumine means smart like the Oque. They think she refers to smart water beings, just like some other land beings can be smart too, dodging around or cunning ambushes and the like. However, since they are not beasts, they obviously are smart at evading beasts. They do understand the beings live under the water, since the Oque have seen fish swim in the water already. Some Oque ask about these Karksh and once Tumine is asked to tell the children about it to keep them busy for a bit while the other Oque were making huts.

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 5.65 (Meeting group 22)

Tek brightens as he hears about Ardannis and Krixal. He had previous dealings with those Immortals and he spares some good words about them.

His secondary domain is domination, so he should be both interested in and perceptive about such group conflicts (hurt pride, desire for recognition). Does he get enough hints about the conflict to get involved?

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.6, Group 22, Tek

The Oque who are visiting from group 31 are surprised to hear Tek speak about Ardannis and Krixal, finding it curious that he knows about them. They ask why that is so and continue to ask him quite a lot of questions about it, trying to find out what more he can help with and show genuine interest. They, out of the Oque of group 22, are actually more found around Tek than the original Oque of group 22.

The Oque who are jealous of the smart Oque start to grow a dislike out of it all and make sure they do not even get close to Tek. They talk with each other in private, away from the group and get angrier at the other Oque and this Tek, Ardannis and Krixal. They make sure not to let this on to the other Oque and definitely not Tek, preferring to avoid him. Tek can notice this avoiding, but it is more likely that he reasons they just dislike him, which the other Oque sometimes not even notice.

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 5.6-5.7

Tek doesn’t talk about other Immortals too much. They seem to be well liked already, so it’s up to them to use it now. He remembers what he learned about other Oque groups and returns to the groups 23&24.

He observes how well they’ve applied their skills at Quax Marks.

His last project before leaving is trying out Oque group work. “Can Oque use Quax together? If one directs, others help him, you could make better, stronger huts.”

If Oque take to the idea, Tek attempts to organize working groups.

First he selects the Oque who would direct use of Quax. Tek would select those, who displayed greatest fine manipulation skill with drawing Quax Marks. He also oversees the group communication – everyone must be clear, on what they are doing and when they should be doing it.

Tek also finds the Oque, who are most intelligent or skillful with Huts building. He helps them formulate most basic idea, of what better Hut would be and how to explain it to others. Most likely it would be limited to making a bigger, slightly sturdier huts, as Tek knows nothing about architecture. But the aim here is to improve cooperation.

After this experiment Tek bids Oque farewell and leaves for to the Outer Plane.

[Zweanslord]

Turn 5.6, Group 23-24, Tek

Qifst, at Group 24, and Stka, at Group 23, are the Oque that seem to have the finest manipulation of warping wood. Unfortunately, this is still very crude. When Tek explains the concept of cooperation, he gets different responses. "Oque make. Tek not make." Those of group 23 do not seem to charmed to be told what to do by Tek. When the Oque do agree to try, it seems to lead to frustrations when an Oque does something wrong and the other Oque comments on it.

At Group 24, Qifst tries it as well, and while there are definitely less frustrations than in Group 23, it is not because the Oque are more tolerant here. Pmats uses his jolt to make his companions, two other Oque, do it the correct way, not as they want it. This leads to a lot of grumbling, but the two Oque finally do work when Pmats 'convinces' them. Some other Oque copy this, but in general, it seems that it leads to frustration, either because the Oque do not like other Oque doing it as wrong or because the Oque do not like being told what to do. It leads a few times to fights and further tension. This, in turn, leads to Tek not being very favoured here any more, seen as the source of these frustrations.

[pseudovere]

Sedha 5.1: Group 3

Sedha sighs inwardly. This was proving more difficult than she had first imagined. Oh well. This method clearly was going nowhere. Perhaps she should try a different method. "Sedha not control gift. Sedha ask Tek, friend of Sedha, to make gift. Tek make. Sedha give to Oque.

"Gift game. See?" Sedha walks around the cocoon. "Gift make more noise now. But if Sedha move careful..." Sedha carefully walks around the Cocoon, making as little noise as possible. "Gift make little noise. If Oque make gift make less noise than other Oque can, Oque win."

[Dr Bwaa]

Tumine Barok, turn 5.38-5.42(ish)

After several days of helping the Oque get situated, Tumine announces that she will be leaving for a short time to explore the nearby terrain, as she doesn't know it very well, and that she will be back in a few days. She reminds the Oque that if they ever need her, all they need do is call for her, and she will hear, and come as quickly as she can.

She then goes off exploring for several days, headed generally West. She pays special attention to any other rivers she might find, as they are a prime source of life, and is looking specifically for more Oque or other sentients. She keeps an eye out for their distinctive huts. She is not travelling fast, merely exploring and looking for signs of life, and keeping her... mind(?) tuned in to Oque-frequency telepathy, hoping to find some more settlements, as she noticed several others in this forest before she made her original visit.

If she does find any, she will approach slowly, calling out to them simply (as she has no way of knowing if they are as linguistically advanced as her Oque now are), Hello Oque. Me Tumine. Tumine good. Help Oque! Friends?

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 5.2, Groups 30-32

Ardannis nods. Yvtsk is wise in these thoughts. A god like Ardannis can go where he wants, but Oque must worry about beasts and danger. If the Oque are happy here, then Ardannis will speak no more of a Great Journey. Ardannis travels often, and the Oque are always welcome to ask of these travels, but I will not ask the Oque to accompany me. I am happy to teach all Oque, and they should not feel forced to anything they do not wish. He speaks no more of his idea, to them or any of the other groups.

((to the responses from Groups 30 and 32))
I am happy other Oque will hear of these wonderful things. I must soon leave, but I will return to visit the new groups you have met and become friends with them as well.

((to Tifcp and Bruntk))
Ardannis is saddened that he cannot give a prize to all three winners, and devises what he can. After the contest, he spends the next evening ((one evening at each group, that is)), carefully finding a tree with bark of just the right quality, and spends some time carefully braiding a much higher quality Patience than the simple grass ones he has made before. The bark is supple yet strong, and alternating the inside and out of the bark makes a pleasing pattern on the finger trap. Presenting them to Tifcp and Brunkt ((separately)), he says I brought only one special gift for the winner, but as the best in your group I have made you this Patience, a special better one, so that Oque who see you with it may know of the patience and wisdom you show in the Fives games. He gives them a small strap, also made from bark, so that they can tie it loosely to their upper leg if they wish to carry it around. Yvtsk, in the other group, was the Oque who was best at the game, but all Oque in the groups I know have become much smarter, and should all be proud.

((to Yvtsk))
You may call it Careful Eyes. It has power from Ardannis in it, to make Yvtsk harder for beasts to surprise. How did I make it? Gods have power, and can put some of that power into things. I put some of my power into this, as a gift to the Oque.

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As for their interactions with other groups, he'll be back around 2.5 or so, so I'll assume he notices it then.

Sorry if the paragraphs about Tifcp and Brunkt were unclear - I was basically saying that the stuff in those two paragraphs will happen twice, one at each group, since his reactions to them are basically identical.

Also, geez they're getting smart fast - it was almost creepy to have Yvtsk ask such a canny question. Well played, sir. :-)