Pius Fidelis: Convert the Sume: IC Thread

[Maldiem]

This is the thread for detailing interaction with the Sume in the Inner Plane. To access the current description of the Sume, check out my post in the Species status thread.

Please do not post here until the beginning of turn 2.

OOC thread
Species Status Thread

This post will be used to cover clarifications and GM rulings. The post below details the Sume at the start of the game.

Please refrain from both excessively long-winded posts and excessively brief posts. I'm available via AIM, though my time zone is GMT -7, so times I'm not busy may not coincide with yours. I prefer to do interaction in pbp format, but if you'd like an extended scene or to get some interaction over with quickly, feel free to use my AIM (which you can find in my public profile).

[chrono]

Forneus

Turn 2.1, i22, easternmost side

The avatar forms just out of sight from the nearest settlement, then stares in disbelief for a while. Soon enough Forneus gathers his wits, stretches a bit and starts walking. As he does so, he tries out to wave his arms around, swing his tentacles around, throw a few rocks, sump and sprint to get a feeling of what he is able to do in this form. After a few unsuccessful attempts to float like a cloud or to disintegrate into smoke he gives up. Finally he tries out his bow at a tree a few times and fetches his arrow (if necessary).

As the immortal approaches the small settlement and enters sight range, he takes in a deep breath, focuses all his divine energy and yells out as hard as he can.
Hunters of this land, come see your god descend! Do not be afraid, come and greet your protector.
Surprisingly, his voice booms much harder than he expected, echoing in the forest.

OOC: expended one miracle (Clamor)

As he walks on, Forneus keeps shouting an improvised agenda, though
his voice no longer has that booming edge. Come out and rise above the others! The land will no longer have secrets to you, the prey will no longer have a place to hide. You will move swiftly and quietly like the wind and you will consume all in your path like a forest fire. Answer me and rise to your destiny. Answer me and you will survive the perils your world has in store.

Pretty content so far, Forneus walks on, using his bow as a walking stick. He is alert for surprises, but so far he is on a roll and arrogance and rash actions seem to be well-justified by his apparent immortality (so he's not really expecting trouble).

[Tichrondrius]

Gandoran

Turn 2.1, i22, southernmost side

The avatar of Gandoran appears and he is at first disappointed at how much.. smaller he seems to have gotten. At another glance he is pleased to note that he still seems to be much taller then the surrounding wildlife and people. With a few testing steps he notes that movement here is much the same as in their own little world. He briefly wonders what his other self is doing, before venturing toward the nearest village.

"Greetings to you all.. creatures. I am Gandoran, and I am your new god." He said, smiling wildly down at them. "I can offer many boons if you devote yourselves to me... and if you don't..." He continued, looking down at some rocks and stepping down hard, before pulling out his blade. "The consequences will be dire. What say you, creatures? And what do you call yourselves?"

[Thelonius]

Tek

Turn 2.9

Tek arrived to i22, his avatar barely 1 feet high. He left his Mask of Benevolence in the Outer Plane. Using his superior dexterity he moved in darkness and shadow, hiding from the view of others. He purpose was simple – to spy. He listened to the conversations of Sume and when spotted scurried away into darkness.

Tek’s main points of interest are how the Sume communicate with each other (brief exchange of words, storytelling, and commands) and who appears to be in charge and respected. News of other Immortal’s actions is of interest as well.

[lilomar]

Krixal 2.5

Krixal's avatar (once again only 1' tall) manifests in the center of the Sume village he has chosen.

Greetings, Mortals! I am Krixal, God of Fire! Who among you would like to learn of me?

Krixal extends his hand, palm up, and a flame ignites in his palm, burning for several seconds before extinguishing.

Spoiler

Show

1st use of a Miracle this turn: Manifest Flame

[Don Beegles]

Kranolk: Turn 2

After visiting the Zygon, Kranolk goes to the territory of the four armed creatures that he saw before. He plans to try a similar strategy, and searches about for a beast to present them as a gift. Very quickly, a trail presents itself; he sees huge tracks, each as large as both of his hands, and a trail of bent branches an arm span wide, which he follows. At the end of the trail, watering itself from a pond, is a short, extremely stout, looking beast with giant protruding tusks, and a ridge of short spines jutting from its deep brown fur. Its tail is held up, and ends in a fan-like blade of bone. As Kranolk creeps up behind it, it turns and sees him. Lowering its head, it charges at him, catching him off guard and striking him against a tree. It draws back to gore him on a tusk and he rolls away. The animal turns to chase after him, and he retreats up a tree that is nearby. As it scratches at the bark and slams the trunk to dislodge him, he leaps down onto its back. It sweeps its tail over itself to dislodge him, and he ducks out of the way, ending up beneath the creature, where he tears into its soft belly flesh with his teeth and claws, killing it.

Upset that he was seen so easily, Kranolk uses his knives to skin the beast and fashion a rough circle out of its skin. Cuts a head hole in the circle and puts it on, allowing some of the spines to trail down his back. He folds a pouch into the side of his new coat and turns it to leather, giving him a pocket for holding his knives. When he can return to the inner plane, he has an idea.

Until then, he grabs the meat and hefts it with difficulty, onto his back. He takes it to the nearest settlement of the Sume and deposits it in the center of the group. "Come, my friends, and eat. This brute and those like it must kill your hunters by the dozen when they come against it. I had great difficulty facing it myself, but I was able, as its carcass proves. I am come to help you kill things like this that can give so much food to you. I know you can hunt, and I love that in you. I want to help you learn to hunt better, but until then, eat what I have brought for you."

[pseudovere]

Sedha 2.1

A shadow near a northern Sume village darkens, and out of it steps Sedha. It takes a step, and stumbles. It would appear that I am heavier in this form. She takes several steps back and forth, adjusting to the non-godliness of her avatar's form, quickly adjusting to its limits. She then turns, and walks out toward the Sume village, until she is within earshot of the nearest Sume.

"I am Sedha, goddess of Darkness and Mercy, and I come to bring prosperity to your village. I wish to speak to your leader." Well, good start. Hopefully they would have something that she could do to win their favor.

[Maldiem]

@Forneus:

Turn 2.1, I22, Easternmost side

The eastern side of the area the Sume inhabit is less heavily wooded than the rest, as Forneus correctly predicted. The terrain is a sort of dry scrub with a few deciduous trees interspersed, so Forneus is quite visible to the moderately-sized group of Sume that have build a primitive village in the area.

The group recoils initially at the shout, though when it becomes clear that they have the advantage of numbers, they cautiously approach the smoky Immortal. Since they haven't gotten the hang of their language yet to the point where Forneus's entire statement is intelligible, it's a pretty good assumption that some of the meaning is lost on them. Still, one of the older females in the group seems to get the message, and responds with a tentative "What is god? What danger?"

@Gandoran

Turn 2.1, i22, southernmost side

As the tall war-thing advances on the group and utters his challenge, it becomes clear to the smallish group that this taller Sume has both been in many battles (how else would he have lost 2 arms?), and wasn't friendly at all. The logical thing, then was for them to get the heck out of there, which they do with all possible haste. They aren't going all that fast, however, since the adults are carrying the children and many supplies, while also helping the elderly. It would be simple for Gandoran to catch them, if he so chose.

@Tek

Turn 2.9

The Sume live in rather small groups (between 15 and 45) that are spread out through the hex very widely. There isn't a whole lot of communication between groups, but a few stories about strange happenings and things shaped like Sume (though by and large they are missing two arms, which is a point that keeps surfacing) that make odd demands. Leaders are usually a headman or headwoman, though in such small parties there isn't much call for central leadership. The language is primitive, guttural, and not very good. It becomes obvious to Tek that whenever one is asked something it does not know, it will make up something on the spot or spout some previously known superstition.

@Krixal 2.5
The Immortal's sudden appearance startles the village, and they briefly hide at the sight of the fire. One of the more curious children walks up to him and asks "what was that?" in a tentative tone.

((Responding to others now, just putting this up while I can)).

[Maldiem]

@Kranolk: Turn 2

While initially nonplussed by Kranolk's odd appearance, the Sume in the village perk up at the sight of food, and dig right in. The fact that he killed such a fearsome creature does indeed impress them, and after the creature is almost entirely consumed, one of the adults, clearly a hunter, asks, "You can show us to kill these?"

@Sedha 2.1

It is clear that the Sume currently do not have a concept of Mercy, though they do understand darkness quite well. They find it odd that they cannot see through her at all, since they can usually hunt quite well at night. Since she did not appear overtly violent, they approach cautiously, before one of their number speaks up, "I Ghassan, headman. You want help us?"

[lilomar]

Krixal 2.5

That, young one, is fire. It happens to be my specialty. It is the most wonderful of the elements! It is to be used for warmth, and for keeping away animals that would attack in the night. It can even be used for your food, for making food better! Would you learn about fire from me? Would any of you learn?

If Krixal gets very many takers, he will make a fire bow, gather tinder and fallen wood, and demonstrate how to build a fire.

One of the first things you must learn about fire is that it is painful if not respected. You must never touch it, or allow it to spread uncontrolled. Fire could destroy this forest if not properly taken care of, but the uses of fire far outweigh the risks. Just remember that you must always be careful.

Would you like to see how fire can improve food? Bring me some food and I will show you.

If food is brought, Krixal will demonstrate roasting it on a stick, making sure to have some spices appropriate to the food on his palms as he handles the food, so as to make it extra savory.

[Tichrondrius]

Gandoran

"Halt." Gandoran spoke loudly, and waited for a response. It seemed that they were afraid of him- and rightly so. He then rushed at one of the more battle-weary warrior looking types, but one still holding a child, and attempted to restrain them.

"I am Gandoran." He spoke to him, right in his face. He moved up a little to speak louder to the rest of the retreating group. "Stop- unless you'd like to lose these two. I will harm them- but only if forced. I am your god." He continued tersely. They hadn't attempted to battle him, but had ran. This screamed of cowardism, no place in war. But some of them looked strong- like warriors, but with compassion for those non-combatants.

"I only want to help you all- and have you join my cause. As I said, the boons will be great." He continued, still attempting to hold onto the one he had. "Listen to me." The large wargod said.

[pseudovere]

Sedha

"I Ghassan, headman. You want help us?"

Sedha looked at Ghassan. "Yes."

Maybe she should have thought this through a bit more thoroughly... what could she offer them? They already seemed to be doing fairly well, with no obvious problems that she could see, other than the crudeness of their huts, and it didn't seem that she could just suddenly will things to change to her will as she could in the... other place.

What could she do for them? A flash of darkness, as impressive as it may be, hardly would be the sort of thing to leave a lasting impact. Wait, maybe...

"Do you have any sick or wounded? Perhaps I could heal them."

[[While 1st level miracles can't effect sentient beings, 1 rank in the healing skill can xP]]

[chrono]

Forneus

Turn 2.1, i22, easternmost side

OOC: Forneus always manifests in his largest possible form (I put that in my status post, but I'm not sure everybody noticed), which is currently Large.

Forneus grins and watches the Sume approach him. They have no idea what they're in for. The world is dangerous. For you it is, for me it's not. You have to run and hide from bigger predators. I don't. I am the biggest predator and like a forest fire I can consume all.

OOC: using artefact (boots)

With a loud "fwoosh" sound from under his feet the immortal is launched forward and over the head of the closest Sume. The flight lasts for just a moment and the immortal tries to "tag" the creature while flying over it (just tapping it with a finger). With a loud stomp he lands behind the creature. Not caring if the tag succeeded or not, Forneus continues: If I wanted, I could have taken you by surprise and eaten you. There are dangers in this world that you do not suspect. There are hunters that can take down the strongest prey with a gesture.
Forneus draws his bow and lets an arrow fly at the nearest large tree. The arrow shatters the bark, sinks in deep, then returns to the hand of Forneus, leaving a deep gash in the tree.

...and it's as easy as that. Are you convinced?

Forneus realizes that he might have overdone it a bit, but he is on a roll. He doesn't much care if his speech is over the Sume's head, in fact that's part of the desired effect. The important bit is to get his point across.

[tugboat]

Turn 2.1

After finding himself on the surface of the world Tirus notices that he doesn't have any of his usual tools he only has his gloves chisel and shovel. Although he doesn't have all his usual belongings he ventures to the sume entering from the west. When he enters he notices the poor structure of there huts and how easy it would be to destroy them, Also notices the crude tools they use. He thinks of these tools to be so poorly made that they can hardly be used for any job. he says “ I am your God Tirus and have come to aid you.” as he enters the camp.

edit: (sorry origanaly posted in the wrong thread. I have corrected it now.)

[Maldiem]

@Krixal 2.5

The group listens attentively while Krixal explains the basics of fire and fire-making. They enjoy the cooked meat, though some are tentative about the danger Krixal mentions about the fire. During the meal, it becomes apparent that the Sume don't really understand what, if anything, Krixal wants from them.

@Gandoran

Gandoran catches one of the adult males, holding a child. He gets the drop on him from behind and takes him down, though once the child wriggles away it becomes evident that the Sume is stronger than Gandoran's avatar. Still, the Avatar weighs a lot more, and cannot tire, so after a few minutes of wrestling he manages to pin the hunter.

After a couple seconds of milling, the group seems to come to the realization that they can't outrun Gandoran, so they grudgingly stop to listen. It's clear that they don't understand the meaning of "god", "Cause" and "boons", though they get the general idea that Gandoran wants something from them, and now that they think about it that thing he's holding is really quite pointy. Gandoran realizes that he's probably pinned the leader of the group, and they're all waiting for him to continue, listening apprehensively.

@Sedha

To say that the Sume had no obvious problems would be a bit of an overstatement-- they are hunter-gatherers that haven't hit the limit of the land in terms of population yet. They have no knowledge of medicine, farming, sanitation or healing, and so live short, painful lives. They don't often starve (when it isn't a bad year), but there is an abundance of things that Sedha could help with. Ghassan leads her into the village, where they have the sick and wounded-- since it is a small village, with about 20 Sume in it, there are only two in the hut. One has what looks to be a minor cut that has become swollen and putrid, while the other has a broken bone that has not been set.

((Sedha's 1 point in healing allows her to understand that the bone needs to be set in order to heal correctly, and that the dirty nature of the hut is doing nothing to help the wound close)).

@Forneus

Forneus's antics do well to scare the bejeezus out of the leading Sume, who, along with the small party that ventured out, cowers away from the flying smoke thing while it gives its speech. After a small amount of time she musters the courage to talk, "God is danger?" She thinks for a moment, remembering something from his earlier speech, "God protect us?" She hypothesizes, clearly one of the great minds of her time.

((Sorry for response brevity and lag, everyone. Just started a new job this week and getting used to the workload, it'll probably be much improved by next week sometime. Since the turn is ending tomorrow, I encourage those of you who want to finish their interaction this turn to contact my AIM tomorrow. I'll be on after 5 pm GMT -7))

[chrono]

Forneus

Forneus smiles. He spreads his arms wide (hopefully appearing a bit larger) and says: God IS danger, he affirms. And I am god. There are other gods, who are also danger, but I am the strongest. I can teach you how to hunt better and in return you will learn from me and follow my instructions. Then I will protect you and I will be danger to those who want to harm you.

Forneus thinks for a moment.

I will protect you, but you have to learn. And when you are strong, you have to find the other Sume and teach them to be strong too. I will teach you about the elements: how to be swift like the wind and deadly like a forest fire. Now don't be afraid... come out and show me what you can. Tell me about how you live and I will teach you how to live better.

[Tichrondrius]

Gandoran

Gandoran struggled against the Sume. These beasts were stronger then he thought, excellent. They would do well. Too bad the kid got away- he'd hoped to draw them close with sympathetically. But they all came over anyway, perfect.

"Now, all of you, listen. As I said... I am Gandoran." He said, hitting his chest with his fist. He examined them more, and realized they looked the most like him.. out of the creatures on this plane. Interesting. "I can see some of you are fit for fighting- you know what that is? The hunt?" He asked. "You can use these skills for a better purpose.. why work when you get others to do it? When you can use your superior power to force them? To take what they have? Its called War." He continued, hoping they were at least getting some of the concepts.

"I can help you with this. Teach you the ways of war, grant you objects of great power..." He looked at the leader he had. "You are very strong, and nearly a match for me. This is impressive. I tell you now, if you do as I say.. I will grant you a weapon like this one." He continued, showing them once more the amazing pointy thing he had. The sword. "Do you understand?"

[lilomar]

Krixal 2.5

Once the meal is over, Krixal stands up and begins giving another speach.

Now, friends, I have shown you what I can offer you! There are many more things that I could teach you, and I will, if you will have me.

All I want from you is for you to learn from me; take the things I teach you and use them! When you do, think of me. And when you see the good things that come from my teachings, remember that it was I that gave them to you!

Spoiler

Show

OOC: This character uses more exclamation marks than anyone I have ever played

[Don Beegles]

Kranolk: Turn 2.6((I forgot to mention the .6 before, sorry))

Kranolk is momentarily surprised. This was much starting much more easily than his meeting with the Zygon. Apparently this race put less stock in physical appearances. He is quick to nod an affirmative. "It is not easy, and at first some of your hunters will still succumb to them, but it is possible. The trick is in exploiting an element of suprise."

He finds a stick and begins to doodle on the ground, chuckling to himself over his resemblance to Falenra and Ripik. He draws a large circle with an obvious tail to represent the creature, and then makes several dots around it, with one side of the circle closer to it than the other and a line passing through the center. "He is not like most other plant-eaters; he is fearless and attacks his predators instead of fleeing. You must encircle him unawares. It is not terribly difficult, as his hearing is not excellent. Then your hunters here" (He indicates the side of the circle farther from the beast) "Must make some noise to startle him and call him towards them. He will charge, and he is clumsy when he does. Then, your hunters who surround him inside the circle and on the other side can move in when he is looking only for enemies on the other side of him. If you are hidden well-enough with long spears, you may even be able to stab him before he sees you, and drain the life from him slowly. You must keep up an assault on him from a distance, wearing him down and running when he comes to close, but constantly baiting him to remain in the circle. If you have the stamina, you can outlast him, or one of your number who is stronger can attempt to close with him and slit his throat, but this will be difficult because he will be nervous and trample anything in sight."

He looks around at them. "That is how you should hunt this beast; by knowing his weaknesses and exploiting them. It will not be easy. Your spears will break at first, or he will be too strong. But with practice I know that your hunting parties will be able to bring him down easily, and you will feed your women and children with ease."

[pseudovere]

Sedha

Sedha examines the injured creatures from a distance. She knew that she couldn't let herself leave these injured creatures untreated, but this might be somewhat alarming to somebody who didn't know what she was doing. Moving the bone to set it would likely be very painful to the creature, and the wound looked like it could probably use the help of some boiling water to kill off the infection, although it didn't look like they had anything that they could use to boil the water with.

She turned to Ghassan, and gestures to the injured creatures. "Your friend with the broken limb will not heal properly unless he is helped. And the one with the strange wound needs to have his wound treated as well, and would likely do well to move to a cleaner hut while he heals. While helping them might be painful for them, it will cause them much more pain later if they are not healed. Will you allow me to help them"

If her help is accepted by Ghassan, she will attempt to set the leg with a nearby straight branch, (which she will find) wash the wound with clean water, (if she can find it) and show the creatures how to keep an area clean to for the sick or wounded.

[pseudovere]

I appologize for the double post, but it's bad enough to have to read through this post when it is conveniently separated from the rest of the text.

Sedha: end of turn rush!

She will then treat any wounded they have to the limit of her ability (1 rank healing), and teach them how to do any healing that she uses on them.

She will also answer any question they ask her truthfully, as long it is within her ability to do so. (she sees nothing to hide)

Any teachings she gives the Sume she asks that they not use against any others like themselves, and to spread the knowledge around to others in order to help them, not demanding that her name has to be attached to the teachings, but not objecting if they wish to do so.

If she needs to prove to them that she has godly abilities for some reason, and the healing and sneaking aren't enough to cover it, she will create a patch of blackness somewhere in the general area with her Dark Flash miracle, or use her Shadow Gown to envelope the area in darkness for a short period of time.

She never specifically asks for them to worship her, although she will acknowledge and accept their worship, as well as thank them for it.

If well received, she gives a speech to this effect as she leaves:

"I thank you all for your kindness. However, I should warn you: there are other creatures such as me. They all look different, but they have power rivaling my own. Some of them are good, and will try to aid you such as I have. However, many of them are bad, and will come to you with promises of power and other great things if you follow them. However, they will merely use you for their own amusement, and when they are done with you, they will cast you away to death.

"Listen if a creature such as me appears before you, but use caution, and be prepared to flee. If the creature offers you promises of what will happen if you follow them, or threatens you in any way, you must flee, as it offers you only a path to destruction.

"I have many things to do, but I will return to you as soon as possible."

If the Sume attack her at any point, and she feels her life is actually at stake, she will attempt to flee by using her Dark Flash miracle/ Gown of Shadows to create a distraction/ something for her to hide in as she runs for cover/ as far away as possible, and dematerializes as soon as she gets the chance. However, she will die before actually resorting to violence against them.

((...gods, I hate "choose your own" RPing like this, and for having to read that, I bet you do too. Lets hope I don't have to make a habit of this every end of turn.)

[Maldiem]

@Tirius:

((Interaction by IM))

After the surprise of Tirius's sudden appearance, the question on the Sume's mind is "What's a god?". A crowd gathers as Tirius mulls over his answer. Finally, his great mouth opens, "I am a God. I have a power that I may use to help you." This semi-circular reasoning further confuses the Sume, who jabber amongst themselves while trying to figure out exactly what this odd creature is talking about. Finally, one of the brighter ones in the bunch just comes out and asks Tirius, "What power?"

Tirius spends some time examining the tools layed out around the village, before spotting a medium-sized rock and saying, "You ask me what power I have? Let me show you." He then picks up the rock, and, using his Chisel, carves the rock into the shape of a finely-crafted hammer. "This should make it easier to work with."

They're amazed at the speed at which the chisel works and at the quality of the tool-- there is a period of several minutes while they pass it around, admiring it.

The older male with the most tool making experience introduces himself, "I Alim, Alim make tools. You show Alim to make those?"

Tirius grins, then responds, "I can show you how to make these. I can also show you how to make a better structures then these you have. Some structures that will not fall so easily. I ask one thing, that you pass on my teachings to all your kind and I shall teach you more then just this tool. With my teachings I will show you how to build my structure. My structure that you will seek shelter in and show that you are worthy of calling your work from me Tirus. If you can do this call my name and I will begin my teachings and protect you from your enemies."

The Sume in this village seem eager to learn, and Tirius spends much of the remaining time in the turn teaching this village to build, as well as encouraging the tribe to use their imagination.

((Tirius gains 15 worshipers, roughly 1/3rd of the village [those Sume of the correct age and physical disposition to build]))

@Forneus

The headwoman thinks for a bit (Forneus can almost see the steam coming from her ears), then arrives at a conclusion, "God protect us better than God hunt us. God teach us to hunt now?"

While that happens (assuming it does), Vahan, the headwoman, tells Forneus of the Sume way of life; they live the hardscrabble life of hunter-gatherers, though they are mostly on the top of the food chain, and their primitive tools serve fairly well. They hunt with sharpened sticks, or the occasional stick with a sharp rock wedged on the end. Their hunting tactics are extremely primitive, which consist of running things to exhaustion and then stabbing them, overpowering slower things, or just winning fights by virtue of the superior reach of their spears.

@Gandoran

The group stands there, mostly silent, before the pinned hunter catches his breath enough to speak, "Yes, we hunt. Tahir hunt well." Tahir then explains that the various tribes of the Sume do occasionally feud, but never something like what he's described. Tahir in particular is interested in these objects of great power, but they still need some convincing on the possibility of war (or, more imporantly, the aspects of Conquest that Gandoran has described). As Gandoran speaks, they get less and less flighty, until it is more a conversation than an aborted retreat.

@Krixal 2.5

They seem eager to learn, and before Krixal leaves a number of them begin to try and imitate Krixal's fire-making trick. Its a safe bet that they'll get the hang of it before long, and Krixal can feel the faint whispers of power coming from some in the audience.

((Krixal gains 10 worshipers, f the 40 or so Sume in the village))

@Kranolk: Turn 2.6((I forgot to mention the .6 before, sorry))

As Kranolk draws, the Sume act surprised and talk amongst themselves-- the concept of using drawn images to represent real objects is a new thing to them. However, they follow along intently, and are soon eager to try it. The headman, Gulzar, and some of the other hunters set off, to try out Kranolk's new methods. Assuming Kranolk goes with them, the hunt goes off basically without a hitch-- the presence of the god makes the beast much less of a threat. Later, during the night they have another feast, and its clear that Kranolk has become a valued member of the community. After the hunt, Gulzar asks Kranolk where he comes from, what, exactly, he is, and what he wants from them.

((Kranolk can feel the beginnings of a feeling very pleasurable from the Sume around him, in particular the hunting party. It feels like it isn't quite complete, though and is missing something.))

Sedha

Sedha examines the injured creatures from a distance. She knew that she couldn't let herself leave these injured creatures untreated, but this might be somewhat alarming to somebody who didn't know what she was doing. Moving the bone to set it would likely be very painful to the creature, and the wound looked like it could probably use the help of some boiling water to kill off the infection, although it didn't look like they had anything that they could use to boil the water with.

She turned to Ghassan, and gestures to the injured creatures. "Your friend with the broken limb will not heal properly unless he is helped. And the one with the strange wound needs to have his wound treated as well, and would likely do well to move to a cleaner hut while he heals. While helping them might be painful for them, it will cause them much more pain later if they are not healed. Will you allow me to help them"

If her help is accepted by Ghassan, she will attempt to set the leg with a nearby straight branch, (which she will find) wash the wound with clean water, (if she can find it) and show the creatures how to keep an area clean to for the sick or wounded.

Ghassan seems to realize that both of these Sume will either die or be maimed for life without something being done, so he suspiciously assents to Sedha's treatment. As Sedha sets the bone the Sume groans with pain, and then passes out. The other Sume in the hut recoil, then, after they notice that the leg is now in the correct position (if bruising rapidly), lighten up a bit. They're much more pleased with washing the wound, carrying the Sume with the infected wound to a nearby creek, that is fairly clean (as much as any forest creek can be). This village regards Sedha with some amount of respect, though her form and mannerisms keep them somewhat suspicious. While they're washing the wound, Ghassan asks Sedha, "How you lose lower arms? Why Ghassan not-see you?"

((Sorry everyone, lots of interaction this time, so it took awhile. The turn may end soon, but I'll allow yall 1 more response before turn 3 begins, since it took me so long.))

[chrono]

Forneus

Great!, Forneus exclaims and claps his hands. The outburst is so sudden that he aims to startle the closest Sume (however he does it with a wide smile and exhibits no threatening gestures afterward, hopefully showing them his outburst wasn't threatening). He continues with a calm voice. You are good hunters and strong too. I am pleased, but strong isn't enough to be the best hunter. I will teach you to use the elements around you to be the strongest hunters.

Forneus indicates the closest tree which has branches that are thick enough to support his weight and are at least somewhat high up. Remember: you should see your prey, but it should not see you. Can you climb up?

OOC: using item (boots)

Forneus flies almost straight up, carefully approaching the branch and grabs it, adjusting his legs and arms to have a comfortable grip. He then mimics looking in the distance and examining the surroundings. I have learned to be light and fast like the wind. Now I can see prey from far, but prey can not see me. He jumps off the branch, hitting the ground with a loud "thud" noise. When I see prey, I use my weapon to kill it. He lifts his bow and shoots at the nearest tree. Bark flies everywhere and the arrow returns, leaving a deep gash (and hopefully illustrating a point).
But what if there are many smaller animals?
OOC: Rhetorics 101, he does not wait for an answer
Alone you can kill just one. So you hunt in groups. But even in a group you will scare them and not get many.
Forneus takes a deep breath, contemplating how to illustrate the next point. For a moment he considers scribbling on the ground, but quickly rejects that idea. He asks a few of the Sume to assemble in a group, as if they're hunting.
If we see prey near there, he indicates a tree a small distance away, you do not run after it. Instead, a small group goes on the other side and scares it. You can scare it like I did before - by just shouting. Then it will run away from the small group and into the big group. Then the two groups hunt the prey and the prey is scared and has nowhere to run... Just be careful not to hurt each other. Forneus is pretty sure his explanations were clear and simple, but just to illustrate a point he circles around the tree and shouts, waving his hands a bit as he approaches the "ambush" group (without getting too close to avoid stressing them out) as if driving the animal toward them.
Forneus asks if they got it and suggests that he can show them for real if the Sume lead him to some place that they usually find prey. After giving them some time for the new tactics to sink in, he summarizes it again to be sure they remember: You start light like the wind., he points up the tree, When you see prey, you approach silently... like the wind again. He waves his hand through the air indicating that it makes no sound. A small group... or just me... circle around quick and silent like the wind and scare the prey toward the big group. Then the big group is deadly like a forest fire.
Forneus is getting a bit tired of explaining already, but he tries to make it stick in their minds by gesturing and showing the real moves whenever possible.

[Don Beegles]

Kranolk: Turn 2.6

Kranolk eagerly goes along the hunt to help the Sume, and equally eagerly participates in the revels afterwards. Why didn't it work like this with the Zygon? The races are obviously more different from each other than I expected. When they ask him about himself he answers jovially. "I am the God of Hunting, the greatest hunter who has ever lived, and I live in a strange world full of people like myself. There are Gods of darkness, fire, and animals, some of whom will help you, and some who will just use you to help them with their strange plots and experiments. I am here because there are none among them who are as great hunters as me, and I saw you and came for companionship. I want to teach the Sume everything I know so you can excel in hunting. I was hoping that you could spread what I have taught you to other groups of your people, so they would all gain the benefit of what I have taught you."

[pseudovere]

Sedha

Sedha looks up at Ghassan from her work on the wound. "I am not one such as yourself. This form has never had more than two arms. As to why I am hard for you to see, the answer is not quite as simple. I am not just darkness, but in a way, I suppose that I am the very idea of darkness, the part of the world that is hidden. I am hidden from your sight the same way that you are hidden from the sight of others creatures when you are in the shadows."

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 3.7

Tek appears in the lands of Sume, 16 feet high, wearing Mask of Benevolence (He would return to Outer Plane for Medals of Tek before the Contest starts). He waits for Ardannis and together they find a suitable place to hold the Contest.

He walks from one tribe of Sume to another, speaking in words of kindness and sincerity:

“Clever Sume. I am Tek. I help the smartest and strongest. I seek Sume, who is smartest and strongest. I wish to give him a gift. So all would know he or she is the best of Sume.”

“I would test Sume to find the best. Come to the place of Contest. There would be bright fires and food. Many Sume are coming there.”

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 3.7

Ardannis appears a few moments behind Tek, holding a staff that he shakes with a slightly worried glance. He is approximately the same size as the Sume. The prize isn't ready yet, though hopefully it will be by the time the contest is over.

Walking as the Sume do, on one pair of legs, Ardannis holds the other two pairs in front of him so as to have two sets of arms as they do. Tek, I think once we agree on a location, we could split up to advertise this contest. Perhaps tell the Sume it will take place in ten days time to give us a chance to prepare properly for it?

If Tek agrees, he takes a different path from him, visiting the several Sume camps he is able to find. At each he approaches nonthreateningly, calling Sume! Come and listen! Storytellers! Listen to Ardannis! If he gathers their attention, he will explain the contest, where and when it is, and promise wondrous prizes to the winner.

Spoiler

Show

We can RP an interaction with one village if you want, or we can gloss over it with a summary - up to you, depending on how much time we have - the contest may take up a lot of time to play through as well.

[Valgunn]

Awlruts, 3.3 Northernmost i22

A tornado of rose petals erupts from the ground a distance away from the village, rising up and up to five feet in height, then just as suddenly as it appeared the spinning stopped. The petals slowly falling down to reveal the avatar of Awlruts, clasping her spear and rustling her silken garments to get the petals off she spoke quite clearly. "Now that's an entrance!"

Right. Those thingy-me-does should be around here. Somewhere. She thought this as she moved north through the underbrush and then stopping before she get very far, remembering how she could move herself around in a flash of rose petals in the not here. Making a firm decision to try she looked ahead and willed it, nothing happened. "Sod." She mumbled under her breath, if she even has a breath, she isn't sure. First, she thought, I saw some sort of path thing, twisting her head this way and that, "that way!" She exclaimed as she marched away and quickly found the path, and at ounce set down the path towards the village, Oh and mental note, remember to appear on a path.

[Maldiem]

@Forneus

Forneus's teaching is very effective, and soon the Sume are imitating him relatively well (though they are best extremely clumsy climbers-- they climb only the most easily reached branches). When Forneus asks them to show him these new skills, they take him to a meadow nearby, where, when the Sume climb a tree and point, a large number of small, rabbit-like creatures graze. Vahan says, “Sume only catch one, sometimes catch none. We try God way.” She then points to three of the village's hunters and points to the other side of the meadow, and then Vahan and the village's four other hunters hide in the brush on their side of the meadow. The driving group sneaks around, and then makes a great deal of noise, throwing rocks, shouting, and in general scaring the creatures toward Vahan's group. Some of the creatures disappear into holes in the meadow, but about a quarter of them run to the other side of the meadow, where Vahan's group is waiting with spears. In total they kill about ten of the creatures.

@Kranolk: Turn 2.6

Gulzar is happy to spread around the new hunting methods, and he's soon talking it over with some of the other Sume from his village. He seems to accept Kranolk's statement about the world he comes from at face value, though he's less overtly enthusiastic about it than he was about Kranolk's other tales (which were backed up with food and immediate proof).

((Kranolk still feels that something is missing-- like an unscratched itch)).

@ Sedha

Its clear that Ghassan understands almost nothing of what Sedha says, though he does remark, "Sometimes Sume child born with not-right limbs. Not live very long."

@Tek, Ardannis, Awlruts: Dinner. Responding after.

[SithLackey]

Mandak, 3.3

Mandak materializes about a mile from one of the Sume camps, reacquaints himself with his avatar, and goes to town. He stops within audible distance of the camp, and rumbles loudly, "Greetings. I am Mandak, lord of the earth, and I come help you defend against beasts." Having made himself known, Mandak waits on the Sume to make the next move.