Pius Fidelus: Convert the Niddog

[Rogue_Dragon]

Mandak 3.1
As Mandak calls out the Niddogs come out of their crude structures and appear happy to gether around him. The largest among them steps forward, and says "I hear much of other god beast. Mandak new god beast? Mandak teach like others? Help like others? Need much help." As you look over the collected Niddogs, you can easily see that many of them have minor injuries, and their structures look even shabbier than one might expect, all but the largest seem to have collapsed.

((ooc: You don't have any way of actually knowing where other immortals have been or not, but since their are over 100 families, you statistically will reach one that hasn't directly seen any other immortals.))

[Oculus]

Arasylon

3.1

Arasylon's avatar appeared before the young Niddogg that had decided to travel with his cart and preach his word.

"May the song of life play long for you, Music-Bringer."

[SithLackey]

Mandak, 3.1

"Yes, I am god-beast, and I will help you. We will build a 'wall', to keep beasts out of your homes." To quell any possible confusion stemming from that statement, Mandak moves to the outer edge of the settlement and begins to demonstrate. His great strength, along with the relatively soft dirt and magical aid of the Pupr Scupr EX1, makes the work go quickly, and soon he has dug a trench 5ft deep and 20 ft. long, piling the dirt he has excavated on the inside of the trench, so as to make a crude wall 10ft. high. "We make more. Keep beasts out. But first, you need tools." With that, he finds a rock, uses Sharpen Stone on it, and uses it to fashion a crude scoop out of some dead wood. "Use this to dig, so the Earth protects you."

((Let me know if I got too far ahead of myself there.))

[Rogue_Dragon]

Arasylon 3.1
Guided by her frequent prayers it is not hard for Arasylon to find his young disciple. As she see's him she calls out "Arasylon! Arasylon back! I spread music, I did as Arasylon ask." Though she seems to be riding in the cart almost exclusively, there are a surprisingly large number of males traveling along side her, 10 total, and they all start in with a happy song when they realize that you are indeed the Music god.

Mandak 3.1
The Niddog take quickly to digging, they are already used to digging up certain edible roots, and they are willing to work hard if it will help them. Though as they work the female does ask "How dirt help? Need big wall stop beast. Big beasts not jump wall?" They also try their hand at using primitive tools, but the arms they use for grasping are not nearly as strong as their mantis like arms, meaning that the tools seem somewhat less effective in their hands.

[Oculus]

Arasylon

3.1

The childlike avatar laughs and plays his penny whistle to accompany the tune the Niddogg sing. When their song is done he claps and compliments them.

"Very good, very good. May it be said that the only thing more beautiful then Music-Bringer is her songs." Arasylon winked roguishly. "I am very pleased with all you have done and have come to reward you." Arasylon approached the wagon and presented Music-Bringer with the Vagabond's Drum.

Arasylon gave a brief demonstration of the drum, singing the song the Niddogg had used to great him and displaying an image of the scene from his point of view.

"Use this to help spread the joy of song and word of myself. I must leave now, but I will be watching over you. I also give you a warning. There are those who hold power much like I do, they cannot all be trusted. Any who would restrict your choices or distract you from the beauty of life with offerings of destruction should be forsaken. May the joy of music be with you always."

With these instructions Arasylon returned to the outer plane.

[Emperor Demonking]

Plamal

3.1

Plamal decides to go back to the Niddogs at the time he thought would be the best to hunt. Plamal appears at the group that he first appeared at and first stretches while running around. When Plamal has finished that he shouts. "What has happened with Niddogs?"

[chrono]

Forneus

Wrapping up turn 2

Forneus did indeed stay with the Niddog for a while, closely paying attention to their way of life, trying to find ways to make air and fire fit in their daily routine. During the following days Forneus went out hunting and brought back some meat. Each time he roasted it over a fire and tried to convince the Niddog that food prepared like this not only tastes better, but is also healthier.
Air is a much more tricky matter, but to Forneus it was obvious that the Niddog could use some weapons. Their strange anatomy baffled him a lot, so he spent a few days making crude weapons of different designs to evaluate how well the Niddog could potentially learn to use them. For a start, Forneus made a blow pipe, a crude spear and a mock version of his bow made from a flexible branch and the tendon of an animal he had recently killed. Forneus explained that these are just to try out and if the Niddog liked them, they could practice a bit and make weapons by these designs that fit them better.

OOC: since Forneus has no idea how to make weapons which are actually useful (and his versions have a range of a few feet and lack the power to bring even minor harm), however they can be used to test how well the Niddog can throw things (i.e. spear) and use a bow or a blow pipe (if at all).
All of the above is technically demonstration rather than teaching. If the Niddog are interested in anything they have to research it on their own.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Plamal 3.1
The Niddogs seem quite happy to see Plamal again. "Hunt much, no hunger here now. Other Beast-slayers see others. Teach others fire. Teach them heal, teach them sing. No trust others, no trust others teach. Plamal teach to hunt and not trust others." As Plamal looks over his slightly xenophobic followers he notices that they are much larger than they were before, however they also show signs of scars, likely from battling wild animals, and they have a somewhat more aggressive stance than they once did.

Chrono 2.more
There are few things the Niddogs wouldn't do to experience something completely new. They try hard to understand what Forneus is showing them, but their somewhat limited intelligence insures that they are not capable of taking it all in effectively. The arms that Niddogs use for grasping are somewhat weak, especially when compared to their scything talons, and the crude-ness of the example weapons makes them question why they would use such a thing, as their own natural weapons are easily more effective. Of the weapons, the blow dart shows the most promise, as they have a surprisingly strong breath, but the idea behind it is currently still a litle beyond them. However telling them that eating warm food is good is something that they can understand. They pick up a litle bit of Chrono's information on fire, and they are able to figure out at least how to make small cooking fires, and seem to entertain the hope that cooking meats (especially meats that have grown cold) will help them get stronger.

[Emperor Demonking]

Niddog

Turn 3.1

Plamal looked at his Niddogs. He felt a slight pang of shame with the fact that he had done what he tried to stop the other immortals from doing. Then again they didn't trust the other immortals. "You very good. Do you want help? Where tricked healers?"

Later turn 3.1

Plamal goes on a jouney to find a group of healers, trying to prepare his speach to convince them to leave the worship of whatever immortal they followed.

[SithLackey]

Mandak, 3.1

At the new questions, Mandak pauses to consider his thoughts before answering. He should have realized the tools would not work as well for them, but it was too late to really worry about that now. As he answers the curious creatures, he continues working with them until they have completed the perimeter, and then continues around for the second time and, over the next few days, works with the Niddog until their wall is deemed big enough to keep out the beasts (probably in the 15-20ft range) "If there are bigger beasts, we will make the wall bigger, and then we will make the wall dangerous for them." When the complete wall goes all the way around, Mandak uses his sharpened rock again, this time to sharpen a stick, and plants the stick in the ditch outside the wall. "We make more. These will hurt beasts that try to cross your wall." If they seem unable to sharpen the sticks themselves, Mandak will use a combination of his existing cutting tool and a second use of Sharpen Stone to make more tools, so the Niddog can help. (EDIT: or not)

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 3.01

Tek arrived at the predetermined place and waited for Ardannis. He wore his Mask of Benevolence and was about 2 feet high.

When Ardannis arrives, Tek would follow him and leave Signs – like “Food” and “Danger” where appropriate. Signs will be created from the materials Niddog could use themselves.

When they meet the locals, Tek would wait for Ardannis to introduce him to the Niddog.

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 3.??

Spoiler

Show

Outer Plane discussion still going on regarding when exactly in Turn 3 this visit happens. Best current guess is that it'll be 3.3 or so when we arrive, though it may well still be 3.01.

Ardannis appears with Tek, this time holding his staff in one of the topmost pair of hands. Walking for a few minutes, they enter the Niddog camp. Redclaw of the Niddog, are you here? If/when she comes out, Ardannis bows and present her with a bouquet of flowers he has picked on the way. Ardannis said he would come back, make better trails. Ardannis bring friend to help with trails. Redclaw, this Tek. Ardannis make good trails; Tek make signs. Signs tell Niddog which trail goes to where.

Feeling he has spoken enough for an introduction, Ardannis pauses before he overwhelms Redclaw.

[chrono]

Forneus

Turn 3.5 - 3.7

Forneus appears at the previous Niddog group and is impressed by all the progress they've made since his visit. He is quite pleased with their adoption of fire and encourages them to experiment with it. To be a master of air and fire, you need to understand fire. If I take something from the world, Forneus indicates different items around him, ranging from dirt to moss to rocks and different plants, you should be able to tell me how well it burns and how well it flies. Once you can do that we can really begin the fun part.

Forneus stays with the Niddog for a day or two, much like before and observes what has changed. These creatures, although primitive, seem to develop with great speed. As Forneus found out they were beginning to develop healing, he tried to tap into their newfound knowledge - after all, in order to heal one first has to know at least a bit of the problem. Knowledge about things that make the Niddog ill, anything from poisonous plants to venomous lizards, could potentially increase the impact of his air weapons.

Forneus explains that what makes the Niddog ill may make the others ill too. If this poison or ill effect is combined with his blow pipe (which so far seems to be the most accepted weapon), it could be used for defense to a greater effect, or even in prevention (by poisoning dangerous animals that stray nearby even if they don't attack).

After helping out with whatever he can, Forneus tries to spread his influence by asking the Niddog to contact any nearby groups that they can (if not, he finds them through his pool). He spends many days teaching how air (which is so far mostly for fun, except for the blow darts) and fire can make the life of the Niddog easier.

[Don Beegles]

Kranolk: Turn 3.1

Kranolk, still brooding about the best way to reach the races, but sick of waiting around his room, teleports down to a random place on the Inner Plane, where he recalls seeing one of the races, though he doesn't really remember which one. Hungry again, he puts his nose to the ground, and soon picks up an unfamiliar scent, which he follows. It leads him very quickly to a small hexapedal creature digging in the dirt facing away from him. It is near the edge of the clearing, and he pounces on it easily. When he lands on it, it cries out with words and he realizes that it is one of the races that he could see from his scrying pool. Caught in the thrill of the hunt, he sinks his teeth into its skinny neck and enjoys his feast, oblivious to any violation of his vow not to harm the races. It tastes good, and he is soon hungry again. This was just a small specimen.

When night falls, he follows the young Niddog's trail back to the village, where he crouches under his cloak to wait for them to go to bed. He is not sure, but he thinks they might be looking for the missing youngster. He waits until they all disperse into the wilderness or return to their huts, when he stalks to the nearest and brushes aside the covering of the opening. There is a small family inside, and he silently reaches in with one of his Niddog-like claws, savoring the irony, and drags the fattest of the lot from the shelter. This deed done, he creeps away from the village, and enjoys his kill. He wants to go back for more, but he knows it is a bad idea. Instead, he decides to visit one of the races that he has not seen yet, maybe the strange amorphous one.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Plamal 3.1
"Healers? Along river, past Burnt-one. You want us show? The Niddog are happy to go wherever plamal asks them to. Whether or not Plamal accepts the Niddog guides, he can rather easily find the 'healers' home a few miles south-east along a nearby stream, there are only two families living that close to the river, the other, and the first that Plamal would come across, is the home of the Burnt-one, which is rather easy to notice, as it has a small stone ring, and something akin to a campfire, surrounded by younglings who the Burnt-one is teaching, though none will approach the bear-like Plamal unless he speaks and tries to communicate with them first.

Mandak 3.1
After a time the Niddog finally start to see how big the wall could get. though they do not have particularly good digging appendages, they are very dilligent, and willing to try anything, as most of what the God-beasts have taught has lead to good things. After they realize that the walls can protect them from wind and animals, they love the idea, though due to their physical limitations, they have a very hard time making a wall taller than 7ish feet, especially one that is steep on both sides, they simply can't reach that high, and can't throw dirt that accurately. The Niddog are capable of sharpening sticks using their mantis claws, its just something that never occured to them, and they have a difficult time placing the sharpened sticks in a way so as to be dangerous to things coming over the wall, the idea seems simply to foreign to them at the moment.
((ooc: I'm a bit confused on one point, you said "once the wall goes all the way around"...wheres the exit? they don't have doors or gates or ladders, so how do they get past their own wall?))

Tek/Ardannis 3.~
Redclaw is there, easy to find for Ardannis, as he can hear her every time she prays(which is almost every time she leaves home), usually praying that the trails will be safe, and food will be easy to find. Her and her family are happy to see him. Red-claw happily accepts the flowers, and eats most of them, leaving a few for some younglings that happen to be visiting. "Make trails now? How signs work? Need help make trails? We help! Tek Travel-god?"

Forneus 3.5-3.7
The Niddog have done surprisingly well in their experiments, appaently they also gathered some of the knowledge of the Burnt-one, meaning that they even know some things about fire that Forneus wasn't expecting them to know yet. "Fire burn everything. Fire no burn Rock, no burn dirt, no burn bone, no burn water. Water kill fire. Much dirt kill fire." As far as what they know about healing, surprisingly little, they know some plants make people sick, and the anti-poison techniques they've learned seem to work on only a few creatures, among them are Death-tooths, a surprisingly large poisionous snake, usually close to 10 feet long. A lizard that generally only bites when threatened, and the talons of a strange kind of bird that occasionally tries to steal carcasses from the Niddog scavengers. As Forneus stays and works with the Niddog, younglings start to pass through on their usuall travels, and can't help but stay and watch the strange Smoke-beast Forneus, and try surprisingly hard to impress him with their knowledge of just about anything he seems interested in.

Kranolk ?3?.1
The lone Niddog, a youngling, was no match for a god of hunting. His sight and hearing were impressive, but not good enough, and his strength was formidable, but not nearly enough, especially due to the surprise. As Kranolk slips in to the small cluster the smell of death lingers in the air, these are not hunters, merely scavengers, dragging what others have killed back to their homes. He spots the largest of the group, sleeping a little apart from the others, slightly bloated from a day of feasting. As Kranolk reaches in and strikes at the female, he finds that the adults have far thicker skin than the children, as if a thin layer of hardened leather already covers their bodies, but nothing strong enough to stop the strike, his claw strikes true, and fatally wounds the Niddog. she of course screams, though it comes out rasping and chocked blood dripping out of her mouth indicating her lung was punctured. She tries to escape and strikes at Kranolk with her own claws, actually managing to harm Kranolk, leaving a long gash down his side, however after her first strike, her breath, her strength, and her life are gone. Kranolk drags her into the night while her family stands staring in terror and confusion. What strange creature took her? The surviving family now spreads word of the Niddog-slayer, a beast that uses their own claws against them.

[SithLackey]

Mandak, 3.1
Mandak is pleased by the fervor of the Niddog, but finds himself having to remind them more than once that the inside of the wall does not have to be steep to keep out beasts, and that they should leave a small area of the ditch filled in, and the wall next to it lowered slightly, so that they can still leave their own camp. Once their toil is finished, Mandak speaks to the gathered Niddog. "Friends, You learn quickly, and I am pleased. I must go now, for there are others who need my aid, but I will return. Keep me in your thoughts." And with that, his avatar seems to mold itself seamlessly into the nearby earth, and he is gone.

(Sorry about the confusion. I'll admit I didn't really think about that when I made that post.)

Mandak, 3.7
Just as he promised, Mandak does indeed return. "I have a new gift for you. Beasts are easier to slay if they are trapped in the earth." To demonstrate, Mandak builds a simple pit trap with the Scupr and sharpened sticks, and covers it with branches and other things to conceal the opening. Then, he sits in wait with some of the Niddog for the coming of a beast. Assuming it works, Mandak blesses the Niddog and departs once more.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Mandak 3.7
When Mandak returns, he finds that the Niddog have taken well to their new home. The wall does indeed seem to keep most predators out, and the Niddog no longer need to constantly rebuild their primitive shelters which were blown over so easily in the wind. The Niddog watch carefully as he digs the pit-trap, wondering what is to come next. When a large boar-like creature runs by, and clumsily impales itself inside the pit the Niddogs are overjoyed "Feast many days! Mandak teachings great! Mandak feed many days!" The Niddog are obviously pleased with the catch, and continue to celebrate as they slowly drag the boar back to their home. Struggling to get it up the crude ramp.

[lilomar]

Krixal 3.1

The flames of the Burnt-one's fire coalesce into a humanoid shape, 1 foot tall, and then solidify to form Krixal.

Greetings my student! I have returned as promised!

How have things gone spreading my teachings of fire among your people?

[Rogue_Dragon]

Krixal 3.1
As the fire flares the Burnt-One steps back, as do the younglings gathered around the fire, many of them seem prepared to dart towards the nearby stream, however when Krixal steps out, the Burnt-one calls out to the younglings "No fear. This Krixal, this teacher of fire." In response to the question the Burnt-one merely motions at the 15 younglings gathered around the fire. "Teach many."

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 3.~

Yes, make trails when Niddog ready. Signs tell Niddog which trail is which - one sign say this trail for food, one sign say this trail for go back to home.

Tek? Tek god, but not travel god. Gods like flowers; all flowers are flowers, but are different kinds of flowers, like different colors. All gods are gods, but different kinds of gods.

He turns to Tek to let him explain himself and his ideas better than Ardannis probably could.

[pseudovere]

Sedha 3.8

Sedha stepped out of a shadow near the edge of the Niddog camp she had visited earlier. She had enjoyed her time with the Niddogs from before, and from their continued prayers, she decided that it was time to make good on her promise to return.

She looked around the village, greeting the first Niddog she sees. "Greetings. I am Sedha, the Kind-One. I have returned to you with more teachings."

[Thelonius]

Tek 3.01

(Due to scheduling problems Tek can come only between 3.01-3.4, while Ardannis arrives at 3.3.)

Basically before arrival of Ardannis, Tek studied the available materials from which to make the signs, finding a balance between how available, how sturdy and how easy for Niddog to manipulate they are. He then crafted a lot of “Danger”, “Food” and “Home” signs.

Turn 3.3

When Ardannis arrived Tek followed him to the Niddog tribe.

”I am afraid that my attention is required with Karksh, those pesky mortals, as you say. I’ll try to teach Niddog how to craft signs and give you those I’ve already crafted, so you could leave them at the trails.”

When they arrive to the village and Ardannis introduces Tek to the Niddog.

“Greetings to all. As Ardannis told you, I am a different God with other useful skills. I’ll teach you to make signs, he spoke of. You can make them easily and fast, but they would help you greatly.”

“Ardannis would go and seek the best trails to you. And he would mark them with signs. Follow this one (“Food”) to find food. If you see this one (“Danger”) don’t go there. There is danger at that trails. If you get lost and see this sign (“Home”), you should follow that trail to return back to your nest.”

“If you start using signs, you could travel further in search of food, without danger of getting lost. And by marking dangerous places your young would know to avoid them.”

Tek remains with the tribes and teaches those, interested how to make signs. He also studies the social interaction in the group, trying to determine who is in charge and why.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Tek/Ardannis 3.3
The Niddogs listen intently to what the Immortals say, focusing so that they can understand their advanced words and concepts, and generally speaking they do a fairly good job of understanding the basics. Their society isn't advanced enough to cause a need for any kind of written language, but the simplicity of the symbols makes them easily accepted and remembered. During the teaching tek would notice that generally speaking the females tend to lead the males. In this particular settlement there are 5 males who follow the lead female, Redclaw, though she listens to them if the males have more knowledge on something than she does. Tek would notice something similar amongst the younglings. Though they don't have any real leaders, the females tend to ask far more questions, and are more apt to innovate, while the males tend to sit quietly and merely copy exactly what they saw. After the Niddogs have a decent understanding of the symbols and how to make them, Redclaw says "Now no more lost. Old trails safe. How make new trails? How make better trails?" trying to adress both immortals.

[Emperor Demonking]

Plamal

Turn 3.1

Plamal decides not tot to take the Niddog guides. Once he gets to the river he yawns and then says. "What are you doing? You have been tricked. Tell me all you learnt. I shall show you the lies."

[Thelonius]

Tek

Tek considers what his domains have to offer the Niddog. It’s a good opportunity to create specialization in their society. And with specialization comes power.

“You can scare predators away. Niddog need to make sounds like this”

Tek cries a powerful, frightening roar using miracle Winds of Words (sound amplification).

“Many Niddog make sound like this together. Predator would think, Niddog are big and scary. Would leave them alone”

Tek can help Niddog practice making strong roars (or whichever powerful sounds they are capable of making).



“Then some Niddog can become Scouts. Scouts don’t hunt, only travel and mark new trails. Other Niddog follow marked trails. They remain safe and bring more food.

“Scouts train to be best of Niddog to avoid predators and find safe trails. They do that better then average Niddog. Ardannis can teach Scouts how to travel best.”

“Make small groups. One is Scout Leader. Leader tells other Scouts what to do. Leader must be smart and think fast. Other Scouts do, what leader tells them. They must be fast and strong, work well together and follow commands.”

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 3.3

((Yeah, both being here for 3.3 gives us a dozen days overlap, which should be plenty. That'll work out fine.))

Tek right. Scouts make new better trails. Ardannis will show any Niddog who wants to be Scout how to find food, avoid danger, and put up signs for other Niddog to follow and be safe. He speaks more slowly as his sentences get longer, making sure they can follow him.

Before Tek leaves: Ardannis says to him privately Tek, if you will show a few Niddog how to make copies of the signs you've made, we could have both Scouts and Signers; the Scouts in charge of making trails and putting up Signs, and the Signers in charge of making signs, perhaps even designing new signs for new things they encounter. That would make those who can't be Scouts less left out, though perhaps you can think of a better name than 'Signers'. I know you have to leave soon, but I can stay and teach them how to forge trails, and make sure that these ideas spread under both our names.

Spoiler

Show

Waiting to make sure the Niddog "get" it before launching into orienteering lessons.

[chrono]

Forneus 3.5-3.7

Forneus takes his time with the Niddog, most of which consists of taking part in their activities, and especially fire-connected chores. He also spends some time playing with the young ones and teaching them about air and fire.

When the creatures surprise Forneus with their "earth/water versus fire" argument, he is taken aback for a moment, but then explains: You only know of small, weak fire. Small fire is put out by water and small fire is put out by earth. But that is not important because small fire is still much more useful than a pile of dirt or a handful of water alone. But there is a big fire, very hot and very dangerous. Big fire destroys rock, makes water merge with the air and can take this whole area, Forneus waves his hands to indicate everything in sight, and only leave sooth. Big fire can not be stopped until there's nothing left to burn, and that's why it's dangerous. It is very powerful, so I will teach the Niddog about the big fire, but only after you learn how to control the small fires better.

[SithLackey]

Mandak, 3.4

This time Mandak arrives near a different village, but approaches them much the same way as before. "Greetings, Niddog. I am Mandak, lord of the Earth. I come to teach. If you listen, you will Know to defend from beasts, and hunt them." He waits to see if the reaction is at all similar to the previous one.

[lilomar]

Krixal 3.1

Wonderful! You have done well!

I wish to stay and live with you for several days, and see how your people have applied my teachings.

Krixal will stay with the Niddog for the next several days, observing them and aiding the Burnt one in his teaching. He spends part of his time carving out a pipe, and searching for an herb that can be smoked, to see if any such grows nearby.

If he finds one (be it something along the lines of tobacco, marijuana, or even rosemary, or lemon grass, he will take up smoking it. If any Niddog show curiosity about his activity, he would be delighted to teach the habit to them.

Spoiler

Show

I assume that I would Know enough to recognize plants and herbs that are smokable, at least by trial and error, given cooking (herbs) + fire (the act of smoking).

[Rogue_Dragon]

Plamal 3.1
The Niddogs gathered are obviously somewhat frightened by a yawning bear, but when he speaks, a somewhat small Niddog steps out in front of the others "She teach to heal. To help, to keep others from sickness. No trick! Heal works!" As she speaks her voice starts to sound angrier, and a number of the males around her start to tense up. Though she may be small, the males here are not, one of them quite possibly the largest Niddog you've yet seen, and he's standing directly behind the angered female, his claws tapping the ground on either side of the female.

Tek/Ardannis 3.3
The Niddog take well to the teachings, the ideas of scouting and leaving copies of the signs goes well, though the social changes that Tek suggested seem a little strange to them "All learn, all scout. All make signs. Why seperate? No need." The Niddog already tend to yell alot when they see a predator, usually to warn others, and their natural defences are such that a group is fairly safe from all but the most savage of species. Generally it is the unseen predators that catch them.

Forneus 3.5-3.7
Though all the Niddog present are willing to learn, the younglings seem the most apt to figure things out, and the most dedicated to learning the skills Forneus is teaching. Most of the games that the Niddog younglings play involve essentially wrestling matches, where they push eachother back and forth, pressing mostly with their Mantis claws. With his superior size it is not hard for him to win if he tries, though their claws would dig into his hands painfully, meaning that he'd have to rely on his armor to avoid being injured by their play. As far as his actual teachings on fire, they go fairly well, as mentioned they already have a basic understanding of fire, so now the idea of different kinds of fire (big and small) isn't to hard for them to fathom, though they for now they focus on the small fires, since that what they have seen most by far.

Mandak 3.4
The small group that Mandak approaches is just starting to build a small campfire to keep them warm and safe for the night ahead. As Mandak calls out, they stop what they are doing and gather around him the female of the group speaking "You come to help? Like the others? We will learn! Defend from beasts? Like the fire?"

Krixal 3.1
The Burnt-one is happy to have Krixal nearby, and shows how he teaches any passing younglings how to safely use small fires. He no longer lives with the family that Krixal first saw him with, now he lives alone, but many of the younglings that seek to learn from him will bring him gifts of food, help repair the nearby structures, and of course help gather wood and rocks for their lessons on fire. Krixal does indeed find something that would smoke well. Its a kind of small vine that grows best in damp shaded areas, meaning that it grows fairly well near the river. The smoke of the vine smells slightly sweet, and seems to have a slightly calming and euphoria causing effect upon the Niddogs. The Burnt-one and the younglings are indeed interested in this, as they are interested in just about anything that Krixal does, and though at first they don't understand why smoking this would be good, they quickly take to it, as it does have obviously enjoyable effects. Though they don't have any way of easily carving a pipe, one of the younglings has the idea of digging a very very small fire pit, putting the vine in, and using dirt to keep the plant from burning too fast. Though it still burns much faster than it would in a pipe, and a number of Niddog will often gather around a single of the mini-fire pits since they can then all breath in the smoke.