Pius Fidelus: Convert the Niddog

[SithLackey]

Mandak, 3.4

"Yes, like the others." Mandak realizes that he should have been expecting to find beings having already visited by the other immortals, and is really not all that troubled by it. He spends the remainder of 3.4 showing this group the same things he showed the others. He also tries to observe how they interact, knowing that at some point, a knowledge of their culture will aid in his attempts to protect them, especially from themselves.

[lilomar]

Krixal 3.1

Krixal is delighted at the success of the experiment with the smoke-vine. He leaves the Niddog, pleased with the way things have been in his absence.

I will return again soon, Until then, continue my teachings. And call on me if you need my help!

Krixal dissapeers into the Burnt one's fire.

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 3.3 (wrap-up)

Having gotten the Niddog's permission, Ardannis bids farewell to Tek and spends the next month or so ((until 3.55)) teaching the Niddog how to scout and blaze trails more effectively. He shows them the art of marking a trail, breaking small branches or making a small cairn of rocks to show which direction the path takes at any confusing junctures. He shows them the best ways to find food, and mark those trails with the Food symbols Tek has left. He shows them how to notice the traces left by beasts and the areas they frequent, and mark those trails with Danger. He tries to teach the Niddog to climb if they do not already, showing them what a useful defense it is againt beasts who cannot.

Lastly, he gives them Tek's instructions for copying the symbols, and encourages them to make their own innovations. As example, he offers the possibility of a symbol for Friend, to mark traisl that lead to other Niddog camps. After waiting to see what kind of symbol they make, he tells them that they can improve on these skills, learn from experience what makes the best trails and become better at scouting, and invent new symbols like the ones Tek made for them.

After a month, he takes his leave. Having noticed that the predators the Niddog have the most trouble with are the ones they don't see in time, he says Ardannis must go now, but will come back some day soon. If Niddog make good trails, good signs, Ardannis will come back with tool to help Niddog hear unseen beasts better. Niddog keep practicing trails and signs, tell other Niddog about them. Tell other Niddog that Ardannis and Tek bring good signs, teach good trails, and can help all Niddog. Ardannis must go now, but he will hear any Niddog who calls his name. So will Tek. Wherever we are, will hear Niddog who need us, and come as soon as we can. Having finished, he swings up through the branches of a tree. Reaching the top, he swings up into thin air and disappears.

Spoiler

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What would be a good shape for something the Niddog would hold? A staff seems like it'd be hard for them to carry, right? Would something like a headband work better?

[Oculus]

Arasylon

Turn 3.2

After a brief interlude in the outer plane Arasylon reappeared before a group of Niddogg he had not yet visited. He entered the area once more playing his magic Fiddle and singing, this time though he sang a song based on the ones he had heard the Niddogg sing. He awaited the presence of the residents.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Arasylon 3.2
When Arasylon aproaches singing, the residents of the area quickly come out and join in the song. Though they have never seen an immortal themselves, Music-bringer has made sure that none have gone without hearing of Arasylon. The residents here immediately come out and join in with Arasylon's music. One of the younglings recognizes him from the stories she has heard and cries out "It's Arasylon, Arasylon bring more music!"

[Oculus]

Arasylon

Turn 3.2

Arasylon laughs, always enjoying the enthusiasm of the younglings. "Well said, youngling. I am Arasylon, it is good to know that word of my existence has traveled. I have come to entertain, aid and advise. Which shall it be for you today?"

[Rogue_Dragon]

Arasylon 3.2
The children respond easily, and almost in unison "Entertain, entertain." Though one of the adults feels a little differntly. "I have question. Others have come. Others spread other teachings. Some say that Gods bad. Say that full of tricks or dangers. Why they say? What gods good and what gods bad?"

[Oculus]

Arasylon speaks to the children first. "Go gather things to use as drums... do you know about drums?" As the wounglings scatter for branches and rocks (or before they ask what drums are) he turns to the adult "Choice is the greatest beauty in life, and I say that you should choose who you wish to worship and who you don't. HOWEVER, I will say this, any god who tries to take your choices away is not a good god. And any god who offers gifts and teachings of destruction wish to silence the most beautiful song of all... the song of life. I can only ask you to choose wisely who you would worship."

Arasylon gave a grave smile and waited for any more questions.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Arasylon 3.2
The younglings quickly run off and do as Arasylon bids, gathering the rocks and sticks that they can carry, only a few adults going to help them. The rest listen to the rest of Arasylon's words. "There is one not good god. Teaches to kill beasts, teaches to not listen. Tried to talk, tried to learn, His followers teach nothing, his followers learn nothing. What do against bad god?" By now a few of the younglings have started to trickle back, the ones who were fastest, and got to the few good rocks nearby first.

[Oculus]

Arasylon

Turn 3.2

Arasylon's brow furrowed, the Niddoggs' poor command of language made ti hard to decipher everything they said. Tell me this god's name. If his followers neither learn nor teach I would think they hold little threat, those who do not grow or help others grow will quickly dissapear." Arasylon paused for a moment to get the gathering younglings to start playing a rhythm. He cast ghost song having it play a lower and slower melody like the Niddogg seamed to prefer and started the younglings singing with it.

"The best thing to do about this god, whoever he may be is to warn others about him. Teach them about the right of choice, and those who say to not listen and not choose are evil and wrong. Tell all who will listen that those who follow this god have been lead astray and should not be trusted. If you encounter them try to encourage them to see the error of their ways, but do not endanger yourselves. Can you do this for me?"

[Rogue_Dragon]

Arasylon 3.2
The younglings quickly take up the song, paying little heed to the words he speaks to the adults caring more for their music lesson than anything else at the moment. "Do not know name of god, they not tell, call him Beast-slayer." says the lead female "I think I understand. Just teach if they will listen, and avoid if the do not. We can do that, will tell others that too. Thank you Arasylon. Did not know what to do. Was very worried for them." By now the ghost song has worn off, but the younglings are continuing to sing a similar tune, their random thwacking of rocks and sticks coming closer and closer to actually forming the beat that their voices seem to carry so easily.

[Oculus]

Arasylon

3.2

Arasylon was pleased to help the Niddogg and was overjoyed that the younglings were learning to keep a beat. He sang with them a bit more and worked on their rhythm skills and departed once more for the outer plane.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Mandak 3.4
Like the others, these Niddog are at first questioning of the use of these teachings, however through a bit of dilligence, they finally see the use of the walls and they love the pit that Mandak makes, though they have a very difficult time trying to make one of their own. There culture is relatively simple. The females lead the males in most things, telling them when and what to do. The males occasionally take command, but only when they know more about something than the female, at which point she usually will ask the male what to do anyways. Younglings occasionally come by and learn what they can, getting shelter food and training from their elders. There is relatively little violence, except in the games of the younglings which almost never ends in any kind of actual harm, and you never see it cause more damage than cuts and bruises.
((OOC: Sorry for not responding to your post earlier, I somehow managed to not see it.))


Arasylon 3.2
The Niddogs are saddened that Arasylon needs to go, but the adults understand that he must have other places to be, though they have no clue what else he has to do. The younglings however are much more saddened to see him go, which he can easily tell by the prayers he hears from them, asking him to return.

[SithLackey]

Mandak, Turn 3 Wrap-Up

After staying with the second group for a while, Mandak decides it is time to leave once again. "Remember, Niddog, whever the wall stops a beast, or when the pits bring a feast, remember Mandak in your thoughts. Remember Mandak, and he shall be good to you." With that he disappears.

[chrono]

Forneus

Turn 3 wrap-up

As Forneus plays with the young Niddog he tries to get them to learn new 'air' games. Since the blow pipes were the most widely accepted he sets up a small accuracy challenge game where the purpose is to hit the largest number of (rather large) fruit set up not too far away. His other idea is to get the Niddog to practice throwing and catching so the game is playing "catch" with the hardest fruit Forneus finds which are even close to suitable for throwing.

As he does that, Forneus keeps encouraging the Niddog to use air and fire more in their lives and to spread that knowledge across nearby groups.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Wrap up/End of turn 3/ Start of turn 4

The Immortals who visited the Niddog have returned, attempting to spread their names and their beliefs further throught the Niddog society, and a number of new Immortals have appeared as well. The songs of Arasylon have spread, so that almost every Niddog knows of song, and the Music-Bringer now spreads the image of her god using the story drum that he gifted to her, further proving his power through the items she weilds.

Ardannis has returned with his friend Tek, as promised and tried to spread the teachings of trails and the various ways of making and marking them. His teachings have gone well, and those that were present for them try hard to spread them throughout the Niddog, but complex teachings like symbols and trailblazing take time to teach, and time to spread, but the beginnings are there. Around Redclaw's home there are a number of new trails, all meticulously marked to indicate whether they lead to food, danger, or merely back to shelter, and any passerbys are taught the meaning of the symbols, and how to make them.

Forneus has also returned to spread his teachings of fire and air. The legends of the Smoke-beast Forneus are now far more common, and the younglings who he taught and played with now spread word of him, often while playing catch with various fruits. These games almost always end in the eating of said fruit, making things all the better.

Krixal the Fire walker has likewise returned, this time bringing with him a new teaching. With the advent of smoking now slowly spreading along the streams of the forest, more and more small fires dot the night-time landscape, and the sweet smell of the smoke-vine can be found on many of the younger generation.

The new Immortal Mandak has started spreading his teachings, and already two families live within the protective earthen barricades that he has taught them to make. They also now know that such things as pit-traps exist, but lack either the motivation or the tools to make them on a regular basis. However the walls that Mandaks students built are the envy of all their neighbors, and many younglings travel past to learn how to craft such impressive protection for their future homes.

The Beast-slayer plamal once again returned, leading his followers to want to spread word of him more, but it seems that few listen to them, believing them to be mistaken in their ways. Plamal himself tried to speak with the Kind-one and her followers, but to no avail.

The Kind-one was once again visited by her Goddess, who brought with good will and kidness as before. Her teachings were once again of healing, which all present were greatly thankfull for, though Sedha often found herself re-teaching points from her previous visit that some of the younger Niddog were having difficulty understanding, and that the Kind-one was haveing difficulty explaining. But in the end, the travelers understood the kindness that was Sedha, and word of that kindness spread even further than before.

Not all Legends are of the Immortals and their exploits. In the darkest nights when there are no fires to keep them warm, and the sounds of the forest are filled with predators, the Niddog speak of the Niddog-slayer, a great best with claws of a Niddog, that hunts them, and can slay even the strongest leader before she has a chance to fight. Surely such a creature can not exist, but the story spreads none the less.

((ooc: sorry for the delay on that, I was alot bussier these past few days than anticipated, so I didn't have time to write it bit by bit ahead of time as I had planned, the Status page should be updated shortly with numbers of followers etc.))

[harmonictempest]

Ardannis, Turn 4.6

Ardannis rematerializes near his Niddog friends, swinging down into the top branches of a tree in the same way that he left. Redclaw! Niddog friends! Ardannis back. How go trails? Redclaw teach many Niddog about trails?

Spoiler

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Similar to Tumine, just want to let people know I'll be around the Niddog through 4.6-4.7, most likely.

[SithLackey]

Mandak, 4.1
This time when Mandak manifests, he takes his maximum size, a towering sixteen feet, emerging from the ground near the first family he helped. This time, he has a request for them. "Friend Niddog, your lives are good here, in this safe place. But there are others who do not have the Knowing of this protection from the beasts. I wish one amongst you to aid me, as I spread the Knowing to others, that they might prosper as you have. Who among you is willing to brave this great task?"

(So you know, if the reaction is positive the next step is to do the same thing at the other family, so if it is, go ahead and move things to that point.)

[Rogue_Dragon]

Ardannis 4.6
Redclaw and the rest are of course happy to see their god return. "Teaching goes slow. Teach those that pass, teach younglings, hard to teach others. Symbols make area safe, trails easy travel. Younglings not get lost."

Mandak 4.1
The first group is glad to see their god return, though somewhat startled by his recent enlargement. The lead female looks somewhat dismayed at the thought of letting one of her family go "Why must leave? Can't stay here? Teach younglings traveling?" However before Mandak has a chance to respond one of the males near the back of the group steps forward and says "I will go. I travel with Mandak, Help teach, learn more." The female considers for a minute and then grudgingly agrees "Take Three-eye, he good digger."
The second group is quite a bit easier to find a creature willing to travel with him. One of the younglings of the family has just reached the age where she should start wandering about, and since she has had as much training as anyone else, she should be as knowledgable as any of the adults from the group.

[lilomar]

Krixal 4.5

Krixal manifests in the Burnt One's fire again.

Greetings, how goes it, my students?

[Rogue_Dragon]

Krixal 4.5
The younglings gathered around the fire once again jump back, startled by it's sudden manifestation, however the Burnt-one does seem too startled. The Burnt-one responds slowly, but with confidence "Teachings good. Many many younglings learn. Fire less danger now, many know way to stop fire. You do much for Niddogs." As Krixal looks over the Burnt-one, it becomes obvious that he is not as strong as he once was. His skin has a slightly greyish color to it, and his movements are slow, also, though he has continued to grow into his old age, his limbs look thinner than they once did, as if they muscles underneath his hardened skin are slowly decaying.

[lilomar]

Krixal 4.5

That is good, I am glad that my teachings have been good for the Niddogs.

Saddened at the aging of his old friend and first deciple, Krixal will stay with the Niddogs for almost a month, teaching them if they wish, but also just enjoying seeing his teachings put to good use (and enjoying the smoke-weed).

Towards the end of 4.5, Krixal will ask several of the Burnt-one's students if they would come with him to spread his teachings among other Niddog.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Krixal 4.5
Any younglings that Krixal asks are more than willing to travel with him. Since all of the Burnt-ones are already traveling on an extremely regular basis, they see no reason not to travel wtih Krixal, and in fact, some students who should have moved on long ago have remained with the Burnt-one and Krixal, hoping that Krixal might give them more insight into fire and the Smoke-vines. Though there are probably at least 14 younglings to choose from, there are 4 that stand out above the rest, 3 males, and one female, all of them seem to have a natural grasp of how to use the basic fire-teachings that Krixal has taught, and some of them even help the Burnt-one with his lessons on occasion.

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 4.6

Tek arrives to the tribe of Redclaw, where he is known. He is the same height as Niddog and wears Mask of Benevolence.

He begins gathering information on communication between tribes:

1. How often and why different tribes contact each other?
2. Do they share with each other or trade?
3. How efficient are the teaching methods of Niddog? How new ideas are spread?

Tek greets Ardannis and shares with him his latest ploy:

“I have an idea. There seems to be a lot of Immortals coming to the Niddog. Each brings a new idea with himself – a commodity. Why don’t we try to persuade Niddog to send out small groups that will learn knowledge of others and teach it to their tribes? They will be the first Traders, of Ideas. This way new concepts would spread faster among all Niddogs”

“You could help with organization of traveling parties – they’ll need to be prepared for longer journeys and might have to carry extra weight”

“I’ll see if I can help them to improve their teaching techniques and help them to develop trader’s speech and diplomacy”

[chrono]

Forneus

Turn 4.3

Forneus arrives once again to visit his Niddog followers. He plays air games with the young ones again and encourages their use of fire. As Forneus spends considerable time with the Niddog (this turn and in the past), he soon learns of their fears at night.

Come now, darkness should not be scary when fire is your friend. If used wisely, fire can pierce even the darkest night. Forneus suggests that one or two Niddog can maintain small fires close to where they sleep, in the direction from which beast howls are most often heard. Beasts know the power of fire and they are afraid. Even a small fire can scare a big beast. Forneus asks what they've heard about the Niddog-slayer, trying to figure out if that isn't a trick by some of the other immortals. If the slayer was actually sighted or there are first-hand accounts of disappearances, Forneus will investigate, but first he says: I am your friend, but more importantly, I am Forneus, master of air and fire, the strongest creature in this land. If you have trouble with the other Immortals, if the slayer ever shows or if you are attacked by predators that you can't handle with fire and air, shout my name. If all of you shout, I will hear you and come to help, even if I am far, far away, Forneus points at the clouds in the sky.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Tek 4.6
Redclaw and her kin gladly welcome Tek into their home, and gladly answer any questions he asks. Though by tribe I assume you mean family, as there social structure is still such that a single female leads 3-10 males, +younglings, which isn't quite a tribe.
1. Different families occasionally speak to eachother when out hunting nearby eachother, but most of their contact comes from younglings traveling from family to family spreading news. A small group of younglings will generally come through every 3-4 days, and stay at least a night, but sometimes more if they feel that they can learn more there.
2. Younglings will sometimes bring gifts to families that are known to be extraordinary good teachers, and gifting to prospective mates is rather common, but most Niddog are willing to share almost all they have, so trading is so far unneccessary.
3. Generally, adults teach by showing what should be done, and then having the younglings try to do it. This lets the younglings figure out their own ways of doing things, as well as learning what previous generations have done, but it is by no means very organized, and many teachings get distorted as they spread further and further from their source.

Forneus 4.3
"Fire keep away all beast? Keep back Niddog-slayer?" Ask some of the younglings, but in the background, you can already hear the adults talking of how to take shifts watching the fires. "If it keep safe, always have fire." says the female of the group a fairly average sized female, though she has a streak of white fur along her stomache, leaving her the name White-belly. The Niddog are used to calling out when they are in trouble, so the idea of calling to Forneus in particular isn't to hard for them to grasp. Though one youngling does ask "How live in sky? Why come here, if home in sky?"

[Thelonius]

Tek, Turn 4.6-4.9

Tek considers what he learned about Niddog.

“Learning… Learning... Perhaps some mnemonic devices would help. They’ll improve their memory and teachings wouldn’t be distorted. They are more fun as well. I should seek out Araslyon, to compose music for my rhythms.”

Tek formulates several easy rhythms and first-letter mnemonics, designed to impart some basic knowledge to the younglings. He then tests them with the younglings of the Redclaw tribe.

If the results prove satisfying he’ll spend time developing other rhythms. He would spend time traveling with the younglings (protecting and helping them on their journey). As he would visit other Niddog families, he’ll see what innovations they have (earth walls, fire etc.) and compose mnemonic devices about them as well. After gathering enough knowledge, he would return to the Redclaw tribe and help their teachers by introducing the concept of mnemonic devices, teaching them knowledge of other Niddogs and generally improving they ability to communicate information to their students.

”If this works and rumors of “great teachers” spread, a lot of younglings would come here to learn, perhaps it would spark some further changes. Of course I shouldn’t get my hope up this early.”

If Tek meets Araslyon on his travels:

“Greetings. Araslyon, Master of Music. I offer a joint project for you. I’ve been composing mnemonic rhythms to help teach Niddog. Perhaps you can turn them into catchy tunes – they’ll be easier to remember, faster to spread and more fun to learn this way. Then each of us would be able to teach them to Niddog. What say you?”

[chrono]

Forneus

Forneus smiles at the younglings. I am an immortal and I am a master of air - I live in the sky like you live on the ground. I live up in the sky, beyond where you can see, beyond land creatures can fly. Everything up there is possible by just thinking about it. Here on the ground you have to know what you want and you have to work to get it. Forneus pauses for his strange words to sink in. That's why I come down from the sky, I want to help you live better. I want to show you all the things air and fire can do for you and if you try, you can learn to use them to be happier.

Forneus explains that the Niddog should decide where to put their fires and plan during the day: they need to gather the firewood and clean up the areas of the fires ahead of time. When night comes they should start the fires and not have to worry about going in the dark for firewood or worry about the fires getting too big because they didn't clean up the area.

Edit:

Forneus pauses a bit and thinks. Wouldn't it be easier to guard if there were more Niddog? If there are more Niddog, most could sleep and only few can guard. With few Niddog if you guard well you won't get much sleep, which is not good.

Forneus considers his next question/suggestion. Why don't the Niddog live in larger groups? If there's not enough food, I'm sure I can come up with air weapons to get you more food. Forneus tries to figure out if the Niddog are able to create simple traps to shoot projectiles at small animals grazing nearby.

[lilomar]

Spoiler

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OOC: Was this a typo? "Since all of the Burnt-ones are already traveling on..." If it wasn't, I have some questions...

Krixal 4.5 - 4.8-ish

Krixal asks two of the males, and the female to accompany him, along with two of the less-experienced students who seem to be promising (males, we don't want any power-struggles ). He will then travel for the next several months among the Niddog, visiting as many groups as possible. He leaves the other male with Burnt-One, telling him to take care of him as he is getting old, and needs companionship in his late years.

Whenever they come upon a group of Niddog, Krixal will go forward and introduce them.

Greetings Mortals! I am Krixal, God of Fire! These are my follower's, students of my disciple, Burnt-One. I have come to teach you of the uses of fire!

If they are well received, Krixal and the Niddogs stay for a day or so and teach about fire pits, building fires, good material for fires, and of course, smoke-weed. Also, Krixal never gives up cooking his food every night, and trying to see if any of the Niddog come to appreciate cooked food.

Spoiler

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Feel free to RP individual encounters, or, if the visits are sufficiently similar, we could do one encounter and say that the others are like that one.

[Rogue_Dragon]

Tek 4.6-4.9
The Niddog are slow to learn the ideas, but eventually they understand. Younglings in particular seem to like these new methods, as they tend to keep their knowledge more easily accessable, and the mnemonic devices allow younglings to check eacothers learning, by simply seeing if it 'sounds right.'

Forneus 4.3
The youngling tilts its head slightly, indicating that it is somewhat confused and it slowly responds "Up there no work? How prove abilities? How play? You come down here to work and play?" However his suggestions on clearing the area and collecting materials ahead of time quickly takes root, and now almost no vegetation grows near their primitive structures, and a pile of sticks and small logs lies near the center of camp.

White-belly seems somewhat taken aback by his suggestion "More together? Like sisters? Can't live like that. Takes away.." White-belly pauses for a moment, looking around at her family, and thinking of the small patch of land they call their own, and though she never finishes her sentance, Forneus can hear the rest in his head, as if it is a prayer that she herself cannot name or understand "Freedom." Generally speaking food isn't to scarce, theres almost always something to eat. Sometimes it's not the most appetizing meal, but the Niddogs don't seem to mind, and usually don't have problems feeding everyone when a large group of younglings occasionally travels by.

Krixal 4.5-4.8...ish

Spoiler

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That was indeed a typo, I meant Burnt-one's students, sorry for the confusion

The male left behind seems saddened that he doesn't get to come with as well, but he willingly accepts the duty of watching the Burn-one.

The groups that Krixal encounters welcome him gladly. Few groups would turn away a being known to bring helpfull teachings, and younglings are likewise welcome almost anywhere. Krixal's teachings are well recieved, though most that he come across already have some knowledge of what Krixal will teach. However in the first family he visits, there is a particularly curious youngling, one too young even to go on his journey, but he almost never stops asking questions "Why burn food? Not waste any? Why Smoke-vine so good? Does cook food make food like smoke-vine?"