Primordial Evolution Game/Hastun

The tribe of Hastun:

The tribe of Hastun is a southern Tentouz tribe that just arrived at the edge of the jungle after being through a long starve. They are smaller than their northern cousins due to this. They have know arrived to a bountiful but dangerous world that they are decided to tame and make theirs. But before trying to understand their story, it is rather important to know their biology.

History of Hastun:

Prologue:The first tale:

The word of the first tale, sigil of Hastun.

The first tale of the Hastun: "The land that shall bear our lives, shall be ours until the end of times"

The colour shades that may mean this has not been worn for a long time on the hides of the pale remnants of the Hastun. But the words have not been forgotten, still inscribed deeply in the dormant memories since the beginning of the great starvation. The prophet of these words may still be living in the pack, as pale and as the others, no longer differentiable from its pairs. They have been guided instinctively by this obsessive idea to seek for a more bountiful land. Wandering and roaming unnoticed on the desert sky for decades, they have forgotten the way to be themselves. But in a day, a green horizon appears, dawn of a new era. The Hastun catches a prey, feeds on it and awakes. Then he knows that he must stay awakened forever. A few hours pass, and the entire tribe is back on its minds. Their hides turns blue again, and then moving shades start to scatter around in tidal color waves. The skin on their foreheads pulses and a sketch starts to design itself. The words appear again: "The land that shall bear our lives, shall be ours until the end of times" they become the sigil of the Hastun. All wear it, but then an other word, made of darker shades is formed. The word of their forgotten past, their lost origins. This word becomes sense of obliviousness and sacrilege. Forgetting is forbidden.

Part I: Tame the sky and the lands

[> for a post and # for the result.]

>The remains who reached the jungle are composed of 30 adults and 5 larvae. They now need to gather more food to feed themselves properly. 20 individuals stay around their landing point and tries to build deposits the higher they can. They tend to use clubs with stones as lever to move heavier stuff. Act by pairs to transport things. Gather cutting edge objects. A second group goes to south to hunt. They fly higher than the canopy, counting on their powerful eyes to spot herds and big animals on the ground, circle them, and then go down to shoot them with acid mucus bubbles. They try to aim the head to kill quick and avoid spoiling meat, hides and scales.

#Early attempts at figuring out the workings of more complex skills result in suffering. A tribal member is crushed under a rock as it rolls over atop him. thankfully a squish and somewhat robust biology saves the tentouz as gas is rapidly vented preventing rupture. This member will be out of commission and need medical care/ feeding as it recovers. The tribe catches an abundance of suls. they do not taste good, and are a sticky mess, but will fill their bellies tonight.

>The hunters come back successful and are welcomed by frenetic tentacle waving and vivid colours. The meal has for result to reinforce the vigour and elevate slightly the general intellect of the tribesmen. The remains of food are stocked in the deposits weakly built. Some try to look for useful parts on the suls but it's a lost cause. They spend a few days on their stocks while at least 5 hastun keep awake to foresee any threat (night-time is not a problem for their superior vision). Some tribemen spend some time on the wood collected to see how they could work it. They first try to use cutting objects but their strength lacks to work it as they would. They then find out that they can shape it slowly but precisely by pouring acid concentrated mucus on it. They try to build tools that they attach with strings of llras.

#An accident at the workshop happened! A Tentouz poured too much acidic mucus onto the wood, and it burned a hole through the workshop. Some wooden tools were also liquified in the process.

>The workers only managed to save a bunch of knives from the accident that can merely be used to harvest some more llras or cut the sul meat. They now need to hunt again while some others continue their experiments on wood.

#The hunters only manage to catch some more suls, and just about half of what they caught last time. The woodcarvers, however, had managed to learn from their mistake, and found out the exact acidity used to make wood temporarily pliable. The reshaped wood is then warmed on top of fire to strengthen it. Woodworking learned!

>The woodworker managed to combine various functions in one single tool easy to carry around. It can be used as lever, hook or carry things or liquids inside. They now try to weave ropes with dry llras strings.

#The first attempt at rope weaving is not so good. The ropes snap frequently, and can sometimes whip back with dangerous speeds. The same individual who got crushed was just recovering when a rope lashed an eye. ouch.

>The tribe spends a few days on its food stock. The hunters are more and more appreciated by their pairs and now benefit of knives to pre-cut their preys before to have less to carry. The trees are too small and week here for the ambitions of the builders. And the animals have a too poor meat around here. Once they waited for their wounded to heal they started moving down further south and settle where they can before starting again for the next day. The hunters lead while the workers carry their tools, taking the minimum.

#The first day of travel results in combat with other flying creatures, strange long limbed things that grasp and strangle, and pull at you. they were dispatched with some effort by the hunters. Now the tribe has more meat, but a few bruises to go along with it. The region is rich in strange fungi that may be useful.

>Hunters: These new preys (I guess it's nightsky wlouz) have been first tasted by the hunters and the great amount of colourful molecules were integrated in their hides. These new colours proved to be useful for hunting as they help to hide in the jungle. They cut the skin apart for themselves to keep the more of these colours. They now seek for bigger prey, richer in meat. Craftsmen: The interest of the workers have been attracted by a real high green top mushroom trees to build shelters and deposits on its top.

#Hunters with this new camo are much better then previous, but continue to find easy prey in the form of the various wlouz species, while not filling are very abundant. The craftsmen manage to make use of the mushroom trees and set up simple shelters, while digging into the surface to make little pits for their spare food, etc.

>Some workers that weren't busy woodworking or building started to experience some cooking. Not really for the food, as the fresh meat was already in taste of everyone (best quality molecules) but just to experience new things that they boiling mind was suggesting them. They try to mix up liquefied meat or wood powder with their mucus at low acidity in various ways in order to obtain a goo-ish substance. Some try to explore a bit around to find new interesting things. There are now several specialists among the workers: Builders, woodworkers, gatherers. The hunters having to deal with melee fighting against wlouz, they asked longer and sharper blades to the woodworkers. Some front line hunters wear two blades. New hunt session. Two class of hunters: observers and scouts.

#Gelatin is made, it is wiggly, and lasts a while. The scouts retreat as the dark shadow of a sky beast appears overhead, and with it, soon the wesper swarms. The blades made were sharp, but too thin and broke quickly. The hunt continues and now some fat animals that seem to congregate around the base of the mushroom trees are easy enough prey, though a few more heavily armored ones attack the hunters to little effect.

>The stewing workers try many things with the new goo: change doses, burn it, eat it, dry it, pour it on their skin, add soil to it... (I guess it's more latexy if I have more vegetables due to dextrin/agarose-like molecules. A protein rich one would be more cement-like). These new threatening wizards often hurt the fragile skin of hunters who would need armour. They consulted the woodworkers who couldn't build something light and suitable but were inspired by these armoured creatures. Builders are also interested by the new goo and try to ask the cooks about it. The hastun start to spot that they have issues communicating. Having different tasks, they favour different food and their organisms assimilate differently each foreign molecules. This has result to have individuals thinking in different ways. The hunters are bellicose and start having to superstitious beliefs while the workers are pragmatic and curious. Some tensions creates. The hunters valor death in battle and boldness against bigger threats while the workers see each death as lost memory and sacrilege.

#They find the 'pudding' to be tasty, and if boiled using a bit more mucus they can make a kind of glue. The builders can definitely use this, maybe to glue leaves together?

>The builders use this to reinforce the structure and the hut and try to make it waterproof. The builders try to make rope out of freolla leaves. The toolworkers changed their design for melee weapons. The hunters ask for a way of keeping more acid a time to pour it at once at the armored creatures. The toolworkers crafted a kind of spoon/basket with the inside covered of glue to resist longer to the acid.

The hut.

#Reinforced structures tend to come unglued after repeated exposure to the rain, but glue kept dry holds tight. perhaps a more specific mix is needed? The builders create ropes of such quality that it brings pain to the eyes to even look upon them. perhaps not that much, but they are pretty damn good, and very strong/ useful. The prior issue of the ropes braking is no longer an issue. Tool worker's create danger and mighty looking weapons, sadly they are fragile and worthless, hunters boldly charged dangerous prey only to be left with their tentacles to defend themselves after the weapons broke promptly. A few died. The spoon is a bit too thin and acid prematurely breaks out the bottom. The Armored animals are injured but retreat to the inside of the mushroom trees and angrily hide.

Part 2: A different social pact

[> for a post and # for the result.]

>When the hunters come back with dead ones the workers' skins flush with disapprobation. One takes the dead corpse still containing a bit of methane. After a subtle and quick referendum amongst the workers, the one holding the corpse sticks his event and rips the sack to breathe the more gas possible without having it burning. The warriors are outraged and express a white symbol filled of sense about respecting the dead, and honoring the warrior.

#Nearly 100% of the remaining gas is incorporated into the individual, as well as the associated memories etc...possibly the personality may even overlay over the existing personality, slowly manifesting itself stronger and stronger. such is the way of this world.

Hastun of the hunters

Hastun of the builders

>After twitching a bit because of the burnings suffered during the transfer, the craftsman enters in a kind of trance. He start shivering as the gas exchanges accelerate. A storm of colors explode on his skin. Maybe some of the molecules are still a bit poisonous to him. Then he stops, floating immobile in the air. After a few seconds of this catatonic state he awakens and start stabilizing itself. His minds boils of contradictions between concepts, enters in various moods. He is now able to gauge the misunderstanding between the two castes and tries to consider each side apart. The empiricism of the workers over the superstitions of the hunters. The ingeniousness over the ingenuity. He is not his old self anymore, neither he is this dead hunter. He is both and none of them, a new Hastun. He has novel concepts out of the ideas of both castes: For him, death must be respected but at the same time, losing the memory of one is unbearable. The boldness of the hunters is necessary but not be paid by so much deaths. He starts thinking about strategic ways to spare soldiers while using them the better possible. After a a bit of discussion with the individuals of the two groups, he tries to manage to conciliate them, explain them how they actually really need each other. Eventually, some are still skeptical about all this. He decides to illustrates his point by organizing a new mission requiring every kind of Hastun. The builders carry panels of wood they hold by packs with their new ropes wrapped around to hold it well. The stewards distribute their better nutritive goo to the hunters. The woodworkers wrap rope coated in glue around the holds ans weak points of the weapons to reinforce them. The soldiers receive new directives. They are separated in regiments of 3 to 5. Shooters, equipped with throwing spoons with some woodworkers that have a more vegetable-specific acid. Melee fighters are fed with the most colorful pieces of meat as they would serve as baits. Here's how they proceed: -Observers approach silently around the chimney with the range fighters to place them well. -Melee fighters try to taunt the armoured creatures the longer possible as the builders approach with wood panels to block the entries. -Range hunters then shoot at them using barrage shots to hold them in pack, sparing a couple of them. -Melee fighters try to capture the ones surviving.

#The hunt goes mostly well. The team is organized, and the shooters remain hidden throughout the duration. Flawed weapons are now functional, if imperfect. The wood panels hold out for the duration of the hunt. The melee fighting is very good and backed up by shooters who actually hit their own allies instead of the prey. The death of one hunter results in an explosion that hurts several others, even puncturing one's gas sack. In the end though, they go home with so much meat there is fear of it rotting.

>Besides the few death, this is the greatest achievements ever made by the tribe. The point of the orderer of this is definitely proved and the grief is absorbed. This one hastun's authority is now assumed by all and he is tacitly considered as their ruler. The anarchic development they've been through was not enough anymore to keep them together. He orders a hunter and a worker of each profession to spare the gas of the deads and name them to oversee the work of its group. The bodies are carried while the ones surviving are left to run away. The stewards precociously dissects the animals, trying to separate the leather and the bony plates from the meat. If knives can't cut through they use acid. They search for ways to conserve the meat, eventually bathing into acidic mucus or cooking it into nutritive jelly which is mostly fed to the larvae. If succeed, the tribe would be safe from need for a few months. The craftsmen try to work on the leather seeking for waterproof condition and the plates for protection. As the defenders are away, some scouts go explore the chimney, intrigued by what could be inside and what causes glitches with light on the top (good eyes). For the few next months, great attention is given to the larvae to fill the empty places in the ranks. The prosperity encourage mating.

#Using acid to cut the flesh was a bad idea. Much of the meat was spoiled and the shell thinned if they were using acid. The leather that were salvaged, though, were treated in less acidic mucus, and prove to be good leather. The few plates that were salvaged were worked good, the craftsmen have definitely learned from their acidic mistake. The cooks, however, did not, and they spoiled some more food trying the same acid mucus approach. Not much has been gleaned from the chimneys, because the scouts got bored real quick. As far as child care and mating goes, it goes on like usual.

>The workers managed to build basic light armor for the hunters. The part on the back protects the unique dead vision angle and is actually also worn by the workers too to attach ropes to it or carry tools. The scouts report having seen a bunch of creatures inside that were only meat. No need for more right now. As they started exploring to the top, they had difficulties raising in the air and their fire sprouts went mad. Afraid they preferred to leave. Fast forward, months past and the issues of food conservation start to be felt. The stewards saved the most possible in form of meat pudding. This poor meal was not a really good mind fuel at all. The balance between the groups started to tremble again. The hunters being the ones who kept the tribe alive used to keep for themselves the most interesting parts. Eventually, the ruler ended this partially to give better chances to the inventors. Nevertheless, the tribe was wanting more territories. They sent scouts further to the center of the jungle to find more of these trees to build huts.

>The new pot used by the Tentouz had effect to stun them as the molecules rapidly take of the few neurosynaptic connections of their brain. But when they are absorbed by the lymphoïc fluid and integrated to immunologic neuroreceptors the huge variety of components give them a burst of awareness and creativity. At these times, the workers invent a language to name things. Drawing a symbol for a component and waving the colors in different ways in the background to describe a process. The toolworkers in cooperation with the cooks try to make pipes coated with a glue resistant to acid.

#The pipes resist the acid after the glue has been baked to an enamel like state, however, the process leaves them somewhat brittle and they cannot be banged around.

>These rigid tubes are now used by elite shooters to contain a special batch of particularly concentrated acid cooked by the stewards that they pick to add to their balls. A cook sometimes follow them to refill it up. They start to hunt again seeking for the biggest and oddest creatures. The sense of challenge push the hunters to surpass themselves.

#The new batch of acid is so caustic it will erode stone, revealing and leaving behind shiny flakes of an unknown substance (metallic residue that is not eaten away by the acid as the mineral is broken down) Despite their goal of finding a dangerous and worthy prey, they find a particularly large mud grub....it dies pretty horribly though.

>When the giant beast is killed, a swarm of bouncing insects (the mushroom pincer Wezars) come to scavenge it. The hunters have to keep defending their prey against it, using acid while they try to cut parts of it and bring it back and forth to the hut. The hut itself is too small to stock all the meat they managed to get in and a lot is still rotting on the field of battle. The workers are convinced to inspect the body. They try to take everything that could be of interest: guts, skin... They study the plants growing on its back and gather some of it. The craftsmen try to use the skin and guts as cloth by letting it dry on the sun after cleaning it. The cooks try to conserve the meat with a weaker recipe of acid mucus and turn a part of it in nourishing goo in case they don't manage to conserve it. The craftsmen were fascinated by the little shining nuggets. They gather them in little bags of leather. They like to look at all the reflects of each nugget, each one being unique. They also find some nuggets that are not so shiny but take them anyway. The cooks are asked to cook more of this acid to find more.

#The large creature is cut up into chunks and hauled away, the conservation acid is too weak and does nothing so for now the tribe simply gorges on the meat as much as possible. It is theirs and should not be wasted. Fruit is edible with less hard cellulose then normal plant matter, some tentouz get bad diarrhea from it, but others are fine with it.

>'Diarrhea' - The phenomenon is way different from what we could imagine. When the liver-like organ swells and aches from what shouldn't have been through it, the amount of acid produced in the stomach grows dangerously. The pressure due to carbonic gas accumulating hurts the tentouz. A part of it is directed to the pouches and, mixed to the methane, weights the creature, slows the conversion, and put the mind in dormancy. The ill creature swells, laying on the ground. Happily, the Tentouz organism is really robust and quick to reestablish, so they rarely die from this, despite how spectacular it may look. The place lacks. The larvae are now practically at adult state. The food and objects gathered practically fills the hut. Now that the tribe is revived, scouts are sent again. This time they head straight to south.

#The scouts progress is slowed as the bumble through a Wezar swarm. Numerous stinging cuts and punctures dot their bodies, but they carry on.

>They now search new green mushroom trees to build huts at the maximum distance of 10km from the first one or with each other.

#They find a grove of it just a few kilometers out of their main settlement. These could be made into a secondary small village if need be.

>This grove is composed of a methane chimney surrounded by common Yashed trees. The ground is a a watery mire and a waste for everything that lives underneath. This would be a good spot as a colony of animals seems to live underneath. They wrap ropes around the chimney and tend them between the trees to suspend bags of Mudgrub leather in which they can stock many things. The whole is protected by a big cloth of leather fixed to the rope. While working around the chimney, a worker suddenly fell off the tower. He didn't realize that the amount of oxygen was too low (the Tentouz have a poor respiratory system). When he realized that he was feeling bad, it was too late. He didn't manage to elevate himself or to burst his sprouts. This new camp is at around 25km from the hut which is quickly covered by a Tentouz flight. They now use to wrap themselves in a leather cloth to protect themselves from Wezars stings. This camp has become the new center of experiment of the builders who built freely their workshop around the trunks. They don't need so much a food stock as they just need to take a creature from the hive when the hunt is not enough.

#The new outpost quickly built, and soon begins to mirror the methodology of the first. The tribe can grow.

>Fast forward. The young are now fully grown and the new larvae grow well. The life is good for the Hastun, but their boiling minds needs more stimulation. They start to get interested by these tiny nuggets they managed to take out of the stone. They search for stones to dissolves and see whet they can get from it.

#The youngling's acid is too weak to erode the stone, they will need help.

>The cooks prepare for them their best corrosive acid. The young adults were busy lasting rocks, gathering various nuggets of mineral. After fooling around with that for a bit, the elder craftsmen started to show interest to their treasures. It was perfectly resistant to the acid. They also had some interest to the stone itself that were now shapable as wood and didn't burn.

#the Hastun has managed to find tin and bronze in small quantities. But these scant few they managed to mold into crude shapes by using primitive casts. The first Hastun miniature has been cast.

>They used to put the metal at their sprouts to make it melt but it was not really practical as they couldn't work it directly. They make small pipes out of leather with glue only on the joint so it remains flexible to drag the gas from their sprouts. Using a bit of their primary copper and tin shapes. They try to forge more complex things using carved stones as molds. They can't really beat the metal like a human blacksmith.

#The blacksmiths are not perfect, but begin to show understanding of their own limitations. Metal is heated to near liquid and shaped by sand casting. This results in inferior tools but they are functional.

>Meanwhile, the stewards were becoming interested in the gas that has caused the falling of the two builders. They tend a dry membrane of Mudgrub guts to capture some of it. Then they do some experiments on it: Breathe it, swallow it (like swallowing air for a burp but it goes to the gas chamber), set it fire (while being far from the tower).

Smithing tool.

Part 3: Ambitions

[> for a post and # for the result.]

>The gas is actually methan. Breathing it resulted in choking as it wasn't toxic, but it wasn't oxygen. When they swallowed it, they swelled from it and realized that it was the same as what they have inside. Everytime they tried to absorb something, they were able to feel its "anima"( i'll make a word for it), the essence that they were able to take from it. They came up with the idea that the this gas was the anima of tentouz. In a second time they also realised they needed the other gas around to breathe. The anima of the sky. The attempt of setting fire to it resulted in a cloud of fire that hurt several workers around. But the ones who were far enough to observe distinguished with their good eyes that the fire was different. The one out of their sprouts was explosive. They came up with the idea that it was the fire itself whereas the chimney gas was another element that could be set on fire. A part of the stewards became specialists of the gas and fire. Meanwhile the blacksmiths tempted to shape the metal in the shape of a tube.

#The blacksmiths are physically weaker then the other races, and must work with very thin metal. The tubs fold when struck incorrectly, and become useless. Making use of the flattened metal, they put an edge to it and at least get a few knives. Back to work. The fireworkers get singled badly, one loosing the tip of his tentacle. Safety must be put in place.

>Once in awhile, the the thinking leader of each class of workers gather to try to put in common their technologies in order to invent more complex things. They're all convinced now that mastering the tides of gases and fire is the next step to their evolution. They search together a solution for controllable contention. A balloon of gut tissue was all good to hold the gas but their weak tentacles were not good to hold it closed. It has been the cause of many accidents. After several weeks of working they came up with a really ingenious mechanism to hold gas and liquid. Meanwhile, at the northern camp, the hunters hire builders to set the village as a stronghold in order to protect the food reserves against savage animals. Now that the population have grown, the food stock extend to leather bags suspended on trees. Steward posts have been built on the ground on layers of stones.

#Prior experience with metal work leads to more intricate metal forging. Goo tends to leak out of, just about anywhere. Much food is gained in the most recent foraging. Some Tentouz will take fruit and certain flowers with bits of meat, grinding it up they put it in a jar. It will ferment for a few months at which point they will pop the top and huff the fumes. It has quite the bouquet of hydrocarbons and stimulates their minds. The things you discover when you find old food jars... The stronghold has issues with things not being properly secured, if only there was a way to more strongly affix things to the "trees".

>While the stewards work on better goo, leather workers start to make balloons out of mudgrub gut to sick it around the new system when it gets to be functional. The stronghold project was a bit ambitious. They quickly had problems to attach things to trees and build in the muddy ground. They came to the idea that the ground was unworthy of their interest. The crawling creatures may go back and forth beneath them, they'll keep building on the heights. They unbuilt every wall and rather consolidated small chunks of ground (with rocks) in order to build towers. The stewards tried the idea of mixing strong acid with rocks and then add water to neutralize it, and then add goo mush into it.

#the second attempt at the glue builds on top of the first, and the addition of boiled bones and hoof like things, rendered into liquid, really helps the case, but now it is gelatin like. too much. The balloons actually worked out, the culmination of a long time of effort. Foundations and cement are out of reach for the moment,and with those components missing, so were towers.

>Several Borgas IV's weeks of hard work did not end up with the slightest success. The brilliant projects being held by the qualitty of the goo and the cement, they had to find new solutions to increase their rate of ingeniousness. One of the hunters passing by to ask toolworkers for weapons went complaining on how the hot summer sun made his mind dazzling in a dizzy daze. The idea struck the thinkers who, they must admit it, have been giving themselves bursts of stunning shoots. They then tried the idea without forgeting to bring herbs to burn and jars to breathe on. A hut was built on a layer of rocks, and a small pyre lighted inside. The acceleration of molecular agitation and the changes of chirality due to thermolability had effect to give them a kick of smatness. Going out of this warmhouse, they got back to work.

#A little mind alteration never hurt anyone, particularly a tentouz. The Goo and cement are now of a useable quality, perhaps even nice. now what to do with it?

>A solid, flexible and waterproof recipe of goo has finally been invented by adding up the sugary nectar gathered from a Kakt Wezar colony to the jelly substance inside the mugar leaves. They finally can complete the thorough valves. They even manage to build smaller valves. They build balloons and attach them in top of the chimney to fill them with the Anima of Hastun. They are persuaded that studying this will allow them to know more about themselves. They also already see many use to it. The first to be experimented is to add it to the Anima of fire to have a more steady flame with the metal Bunsen heaters. The cement has been stabilized by adding small rocks to it. Once dry it is pretty tough and has a brownish color. They cover parts of the ground they want to build a tower on with it. The building of these foundations needs an big quantity of rocks and gravel. The bit they managed to find would not be enough. The blacksmiths also claim for more rocks to extract metal which will be needed for the towers. A scouting patrol is sent to the north east to find some (100km a day).

>After several days of travel, the scout troop arrived on the north part of the main river which was on a more hilly and rocky layer of land. They immediately started to build a camp. They then gone back and forth, following the course of the river to bring some material, but finally a good part of the material has been gathered around. The ground was pretty poor on metals, but there were other metals too. They found a bit of tin and copper they were used too. But also two new grey-ish elements which were Aluminum and chromium. The first one reveled easy to melt but the other one was pretty hard to get melting. These two last components were rare on sight. Even rarer, when they managed to spot it without melting it, they sometimes were able to extract at great effort chunks of darker grey (Arsenic trioxide). Melting it revealed to liberate a ill gas. The miners didn't try it themselves again but gathered the rare chunks they got anyway. But the weakness of the Tentouz was a problem to carry minerals back to the worker's camp. The ruler himself thought of making the toolworkers work on his idea of a wooden shell to put on the river. On the way, they noticed a strange pattern on the ground and a structure above the river. But it was nothing yet to worry their aerial travels. Eventually, curious ones wanted to try following it up north.

#The Hastun found plenty of copper and some raw aluminium ore. Some tin were also found. So far Arsenic were found in very small quantities. As for the river transports, the toolworkers made it too heavy, and the boat sank to the bottom of a shallow river. They found strange structures on the ground, partially covered in vegetation. They are definitely not of Hastun make, and it seems like the former inhabitants of these were smaller creatures than the Hastun.

! Bobbing on the wind currents you find a very deflated airship. It is more advanced then what you could have imagined, but not outside the realm of possibility. It is partially stuck on the top of the trees and loaded with cargo. Some of it is damaged, others not. Please roll 4d20 like above.

>The boats are too heavy. But one thing that the tentouz have a good idea of is densities and Archimedes forces. They try this time to add ballons filled with normal atmosphere air around the shell to make it float. They also attach more ropes to it in order to be able to save it if it would be about to be sank. First, the ingeneers try to make the ship work. If they are successful at it, they would unmount it precociously to analyse the materials used. Scouts wander inside the dead village. First, realising that these buildings were a work of something with greater abilities than the mere creatures, they worn their more friendly colours hoping to find other tentouz (they don't know of the other races). But their UV sensibility quickly revealed the place to be really desert. They then searched for anything interesting to he tribe.

#the domestic boat floats. The new ship was easily repairable and with some study, is apparently made of a bark like substance, mixed with some sort of resin, pressed into sheets. The sheets were cut to shape to make a very lightweight structure with a very large gas bag floating above it. The tentouz were sure they could apply this to their own designs. The ship had rudders, and sails used to direct it in the air, and a simple yet robust system to do so.

>Toolworkers and stewards worked together trying to make the new wooden layered material. All this new notions of axle mechanics was a mess for the confirmed workers. But young adults which did not have yet a job to do were very interested. While analysing the tube thing, one pulled one of the four rings and triggered a clicking noise (which he felt more than he heard). They tried to put the balls alone: nothing. The sack alone: explosion! Both: Shooting. After this conclusive result, tool workers couldn't resist the urge to unmount the thing and blacksmiths to melt the balls and set fire to a sack of powder. Also, ate it. It was untastefull but full of good minerals, so it gave a shot of energy (nitrates are not poisonous for tentouz). Seeds: a common thing to the tentouz, but they never realised its role in vegetable life. Yet, curious youngs decided to take a part of it before stewards cook it all.

#The new wooden material is difficult to make, but previous experience makes it not so hard. The idea is simple. Wood like pulp, combined with glue, and pressed into sheets. the mixture is off though so this wood is not for ship building, but actually quite flexible and leather like. This new mechanic is entirely new! So many moving things...The study often results into simply playing with the various mechanisms. These bullets are of a harder material then what has been previously experimented with, and resist the fire's heat. These seeds are totally unknown, and taste different, some of them have fallen to the grounds below into the swampy soil. Wild Azrach and Hrass rapidly take root in an environment where nothing has been designed to eat them yet. Though some of the pack herbivores have been sniffing. The tentouz keeps this patch of plant life as his own little project. the town is full of ruins, and with some work the tribe manages to pull some of them down, these buildings are made of cut stone! Much easier then digging it up themselves! Fuck history, whoever was here before does not need them. Time to strip the town of all resources!

A blacksmith equipped with the latest technologies

A Warrior equipped with the latest technologies

>The miners sack the city for every nugget of metal, every piece of fabric, every novel thing. Once they got everything, leaving the buildings, builders try to see what they can manage to do with the buildings. >Tell me about towers, undergrounds, etc. Meanwhile, more exploration is ordered, these loots are a chance for the development of the tribe. The weapon principle is now understood, an explosion is triggered and throws a projectile. But as the Hastun have no idea on how to cook that powder or find that tough metal, they try to design something of their fashion. A gun that would throw a ball of acid slime triggered by a gas explosion. They use a bit of their new understanding of the axles for the trigger and air input. A valve is installed to loch the acid room. When the trigger is pulled, the oxygen enters the methane and hydrogen room and triggers the bursting reaction and then the methane combustion to propulse a ball of inflamed acid through an aluminium pipe (the easiest to shape). Some of the precise parts of the gun are made of the new wooden material. The chambers are covered by a layer of bronze (tin + copper).

#Only a few things were recovered. Little metal spheres, some stuck into the walls, and some odd debris here and there, but mostly empty and abandoned. Whoever was here vacated in a hurry, carrying everything with them. The architects are having a hard time analyzing the structures, for many of the rooms can barely fit one tentouz, and some of them are even smaller. Plenty of walls and floors need to be destroyed carefully if it is to be of use to the Hastun. Meanwhile, to the north of the ruins, a large abandoned mine came into view; seems like the ruins were some kind of mining town. There is still plenty of ores scattered, maybe more underground. To the east, only more jungle and marshlands, while the ones going to the Other direction got confused and went missing. Meanwhile, the smiths are having a hard time making perfectly straight metal cylinders, at least now they got plenty of curved or bent cylinders. Some try out the foreign gun, it hit a False Bluva dead.

>> =II= (quarries) The explorers immediately install an outpost on this new quarry. tearing down walls and roofs is not difficult; this sandstone melts well on acid. But they must try to manage not to make the buildings fall down. This would take months of work. The new town is named from a symbol they often encountered carved on walls. The resources are hard to transport in the air between the different places. The engineers try to make a prototype of airship combining their technology and the foreign technologies using light composite material, valves, methane balloons and combustive propulsion.

> =!= (first village), =o= (second village). Meanwhile, the income of metals, rocks and gravel allows the growth of the villages of the south. Many towers rise around. Now every hastun has its own place to spend the night instead of wildly floating in mid air to sleep. Nothing lays on the ground anymore. > =o= While quietly observing his garden of foreign seeds which was growing well, a hastun witnessed the mating behavior of the Hivogs Chemists make more experiences with all the materials that have been gathered.

#The buildings are not much more then they have always been, but slow improvements continue in the understanding of architecture. The new airship prototype drunkenly takes to the air before getting under control after a bit. It is crew intensive, but it flys and can actually move quickly with the wind. Hivog's seem to only mate after they have gorged at which point they become very relaxed, almost clumsy, bumping into things, and eventually each other. The new chemistry is very advanced, allowing for distillation, cooking, and combining of chemicals. Some are very dangerous, some are just neat.

>While keeping alchemical beliefs, Hastun begin to have an advanced understanding of the valences while not knowing the atomic species or structures of molecules. >New chemistry techniques:

• Distilation: Heating the liquid which is produced in their fermentation jars and passing it through a cooled pipe allows to extract ethanol. Then, mixed with an acid or water dissolution and distilled again allows to get essentials oils from vegetal life which allows the Hastun to absorb molecules from too tough vegetals to be digested. Ethanol is tried on drinking of course, but it has low effect on their synapse-poor brains, merely numbing their muscles: totally worthless!
• Pigment extraction: Grinding, mixing with ethanol and filtrating allows to extract pigments from leaves. They start to weave fabric with the new species of llras produced from the foreign seeds and colour it with the pigments.
• Arsenic oxide acid: The arsenic trioxide (As2O3) dissolves easily in water to become arsenic acid (H3AsO4). This is very poisonous. Even the tentouz organism can't do anything against it and is a weak reagent for metals. It is very carefully used to shape the most precise pieces of metal.
• Pigment mordant: While sparing their acid blasts to save the arsenic oxide chunks, the miners discovered that the aluminium veins were surrounded by alum cristal (KAl(SO4)2) which is a mordant for pigments.

Finest creation of the Hastun engineers, the airship is a miracle of ingeniousness. It needs a big crew. Four of them have their sprouts plugged to a methane combustion motor to set fire to it while holding the lever of the individual gas balloon valve. These motors are only used for manoeuvres because they only have a few gas allowed. A few more workers controll the balance of the whole ship by movingthe charge it contains. A few more have their sprouts plugged to balloons and can swallow methan to convert it in dihydrogen to make the ship lighter. The shipping doors are controlled by a puller system because too heavy for a Tentouz. > =II= The ruins have been converted in a miners' blacksmiths' and chemists' ground. Some towers have been converted in long furnaces to melt bigger quantities of metal. Alimented by wood from the jungle. Entire lairs inhabit chemist's mad experiments . Smoke puffs raise up from the place and are visible from the distance. > =O= Since the invention of the balloon, methane has become the most needed resource of the Hastun in less than a Borgas IV year. And the population has grown more than ever. They need new settlements and more of these methane chimneys. Scouts are to go again. Meanwhile, the study of hivogs goes on. The observer now watch inside the trunk to studdy the condition of the methane release. Also studying the tree, he assumes that it must also have "seeds".

Part 4: Contact

[> for a post and # for the result. @ for other player's post]

#New resources of methane are found, but more interestingly a small group of koburrog tribals not too far, to the southwest of your tribe, have achieved a sort of flight, and are near the ruins of a recently destroyed ancient city. There is much rock and metal there. Not too much else is learned of the Hivog, and the same goes for the chimney, save that periodically pressure builds up and a blast of flame will shoot out. The researcher is merely singed and surprised, but unharmed.

>This one Hastun could past hours observing the jolly Hivogs. So much that others had to replace him on his gardening (the garden has grown in size and interest). This one Hastun has managed to unravel a part of their behaviour from which he had outed three interesting points. They feed on what drops from the inside of the trunk and males, when they go for mating always seek other colonies, therefore chimneys. And the most important is that the methane is produced from the ground enriched by their dejections. In fact, these trees always grow on these piles of dung. He starts wondering if this material could be the base of a new growth. Gathering dung from various methane chimneys, he starts covering a zone with dung hoping to see one start its growth.

@A contingent of scouts spots some large blimp like things dropping from the heavens. The Scouts race back to the main camp, bringing the news. Inan'Cic quickly mobilizes a small contingent of Riding Hunters and Kiteburrogs to follow him as he heads out to investigate these strange creatures. They ride forward, guarded towards attack. They had already had death fall from the heavens before, and they didn't want to be caught off guard again. The Rii'Dan's chirping bird-like voices carry a fair distance on the wind, with Inan'Cic calling out a greeting in their language.

>While descending, the ruler sees a contingent of these small two footed creatures. The one leading them starts to move the beak that eats half of his face. As food is not being brought to it, he assumes that it must be a form of communication. In response he moves his six tentacles in his own fashion while making colour dance on his skin. This soundless colourful dance has mean to present their intentions of knowing better what they're having on sight and tend to a peaceful end with it. He finishes by locking the symbol of the Hastun on his forehead to speak on their name for so on.

@Inan'Cic jumps when the creature begins to move it's limbs, colors shifting rapidly across it's skin. His hunters shift closer together, unnerved by the display. When a symbol flashes onto the creature's balloon portion, the guards are overcome with curiosity. It's clearly an organized pattern, but the creature has yet to actually speak. They look uneasily at each other, wondering what they should do about this. Inan'Cic steps forward introducing his tribe as the Rii'Dan, a small tribe living nearby. He asks who they are, wondering where such creatures come from.

>The ruler still doesn't understand anything of the quick babbles of the beak. Seing that the colour shifting had a more positive effect on them than the dancing. He tries to go further on that with more representative symbols. He points the sky and draws the symbol of the essence of air. He points his head and draws the essence of the being, he fires his sprouts and draws the essence of fire. Then he points the north and draws the symbol of the Hastun again.

@Inan'Cic watches the creature with it's latest display. realization dawns on his face as it points to the sky and then to a new symbol forms on its head, clearly it means sky! The next symbol though has little meaning, something that relates to the creature since it points to itself. The firing of the jets draws the interest of the hunters. Clearly such a being is composed of fire to allow such a feat. The connection between the sky symbol and the fire is lost on the Rii'Dan though. The first symbol is shown again, with the creature gesturing towards the left of Swarog's daily route. This must mean something relating to the symbol is that way. Inan'Cic draws an incredibly crude drawing in the dirt with his spear. It appears to be a tube like creature with multiple limbs and a squat stick-figure on it's back. a series of dots lead to a square shape with a sun-pattern and more stick figures. Inan'Cic gestures towards the ruins, then himself, and to the ruins again. He says how they had happened across the ruins and were now inhabiting them, hoping to find useful knowledge within.

>The ruler has no real idea of what this drawing means but he assumes that it must be a king of identity symbol to them. He now tries to talk about the ruins they have themselves found on the north but has no real idea on how to signify it. He then remembers of the map found he has kept on him because it was pretty (they didn't need it yet because they all know the region enough). He laid it on the ground, picked a stick and coated it with pigments from a bag to point where such ruins were. He also drew a symbol where the main village was. He then pressed his point with forehead symbols. Then craters came to present samples of resources they had.

[Negociations held in standby]

#Success! As if spontaneously, a small tree starts to grow.

>> =!= Llras have started to cover all the ground around the village, uncontrollably flowing out of the garden. After a while, the small saplings have grown into tall Azrach bushes and started to bear their first fruits. These fruits have been tried for fermentation and then distillation. Llras germs have been added in nutritive pudding for the larvae. > =II= The tall furnaces allow to melt bigger chunks of metals. Alloys are being tried. Arsenic added to bronze (Tin and copper) gives it a neat bright. Stibnite mmelted in increase the hardness of metals. Pure stibnite trioxide (actual result of the smelting) is found to be fire resistant. Good isolation. Dissolving Stibnite in chlorhydric acid and then distillating it allows to have Antimony trichloride. Only use found yet of this is as pigment mordant. > =][= (ruins) Some try to study the symbols on the walls...

#he fruit is an excellent source of fermentation, and while the gas is the primary interest to the tentouz, the liquid is flammable, and when distilled to its base, is quite a potent fuel or accelerant for fire. A large puff of corrosive gas explodes out of one of the labratories, and the tentouz caught within the blast are stripped of their color changing skin layer. they are lucky to be alive. The symbols are apparently how the old Koburrog tribe documented information. Simple things, but there are many messages ranging from crude messages, to bits of fact and lore. This gives insight in how to communicate with other races.

>Losing their ability to colour their skin impeded the alchemists to discuss directly on the chemistry matters. They started to take the habbit to write down symbols and relationships between atoms on the walls of the lab lairs. Sometimes even carving it when the information revealed to be important. This had effect to slow down their progress a bit but was a way to keep trace.

In the thinking rooms, new odd ideas come from new things on the vapours. One terrible statement is made: however far thei have progressed, improved their life expectancy, trained their minds and memories. They keep on forgetting. And the death of any of them is a big loss of knowledge. And this is to get worst as the first generation is growing very old. A new solution must be found.

#A form of knowledge that can be stored must be created, for now that form is writing. The rii'dan have symbols, and it may benefit to study them and incorporate the two written languages into one, or at least help to shave off time in creating their own more robust format.

>The idea of writing was brought by the creepy looking alchemists. and some who have met the Rii'Dan. But it doesn't seem to make unanimity at all in the tribe. In fact the majority tends more to bring back the idea of taking the gas out of a dead one. The beliefs about taking charge of the essentia of the deads have spread once again within a system of new strange beliefs developed in the thinking chambers of =!= and =o=. A lot started to refute that empiric research can unravel the true nature of the world. They think that as creatures of air fire and being, they are the true seers who the world truly belongs. They see stars as omens of their rights over all lands. As metaphysical matters point out, they start relying on the words of the origins: "The land that shall bear our lives shall be ours until the end of times" It seems that most of the lands bear conveniently their lives. It shall be theirs then. The new radical ideas had started to point out and spread rapidly. At first, the ruler concerned about these dangerous thoughts wanted to put a break on it, but it was to late already. The main crafters of all professions were already converted and the followers of these counselors took their beliefs too. All these cutting edge chemists who lived away from the main towns have missed the wind of change. After a lot controversial debates where they could not unceasingly make their points on the arguments over the skin. Radical solutions have been taken. They have been relieved of all rights and took as prisoners. The ruler who had first attempted to stop all this had to let it go to keep his place. He has been thanked for all his services to the community by keeping his place has honorific title. But to be honest he had no real power anymore. The tribe has been taking prisoners of anyone to contradict the new leitmotiv. This is in this tricky and tense contest that the ruler has been sent to meet the Rii'Dan... [Negotiations start again] The balloon gets escorted by the Hastun diplomatic troop to guide its sail. They do a first stop at the bigger jungle village. It consists of a wooden hut in top of a giant mushroom tree surrounded by a myriad of towers. Ropes lay between them, which at they have bunches of leather bags attached to them. Some of these towers hold huts where methane supply balloons are attached to and contain a lot of odd materials. Some bigger huts spreads a funny smelling smoke. Rii'Dans have to protect themselves from them as they notice they would drive them sick real quick. The ground is covered by a furry layer of grass and weird bushes. The vegetation has a way different turn around here. They spend a few days here. As there is not much place to step on, the hosts spend most of their time on their ships or on the ground. They find themselves forbidden to visit most of the huts. Anyway, some workers come to show them their most remarkable features as their real good rope, or the hunter's powerful fire-mucus guns. The population in the village is pretty low compared to the number of inhabitation. Maybe they're elsewhere at. Then the next step of the travel starts off when the Hastun quarry airship comes to take its step on the village. The trip is set along to it. They fly over a bunch of quarries while the vegetation begins to decrease over the lands they cross. Meat goo is fed to the hosts during the travel. They finally arrive to the ruins. Very similar to the Rii'Dan's ones. Most of the vegetation that used to grow on it has now been removed. A bunch of buildings lay on the ground while other stand puffing huge puffs of dark smoke. The crimson light brights dim from the blacksmith's workshops where the weirdest tools are being forged. Some buildings have been hugely modified to give room for balloons or machinery (like big distillation batchs). Melted stone lays around places. Leather cloths cover supplies of materials. The ruins are a blazing industry place.

@Inan'Cic is amazed by the industrialization of the ruins. He had known that they held secrets, but not to this degree! He takes special notice of the large forges, interested in the crafting that goes into them as well as what they are used to create. He hopes to learn

>Inan'Cic notices symbols carved that look like the ones in their own ruins in points the walls are not destroyed that much.

@Inan'Cic does his best to learn what he can about the crafting methods of the Hastun, taking back what they are willing to teach him to use to further the growth of the Rii'Dan. He tries to convey how he feels that he has little to offer in trade for such knowledge, but is willing to do what he can as reparations for such gifts.

>The workers come and indicate to the koburrog where they are too curious. After being stopped on observing for many interesting things, the workers finally force the ruler to tell them what they want. He then draws something looking like a Rii'dan and then a smaller one next to it. He circles it and then covers it with the hastun symbol. Maybe they want workers, or maybe youg Rii'dans...

@Inan'Cic quickly sketches a copy of the image, drawing three smaller Rii'Dan. He then draws the Hastun symbol over one of the three smaller ones.

>The Hastum seem to accept. They let Ilan'Cic take some information. He will have more after his tribe pays. The band of Hastun heads back to the south with also their own airship and the koburrogs. They go to the Rii'Dan ruins to select their prizes. They select rather the younger ones or the ones that don't speak. They show them and let the Rii'dan get them.

@Inan'Cic walks into the camp, the Hastun following behind. The camp's guards gather, raising their weapons, but Inan'Cic waves them down. He tells them he will need to converse with them and some of the others about something and pulls them aside. A small contingent of the guards waits, refusing to let the Hastun enter the camp. Inan'Cic gathers a large group of guards, telling them what he has made a trade for. He pulls forth the information he has obtained, telling them of possibilities they could make with this, and how they could survive even longer. He informs them that they only have to give a small portion of their young, and the Others seem to be interested mostly in those who are rather young or partially anti-social, a relatively small selection for the advancements they could gain. A group of the guards are uneasy at best, some becoming enraged at the concept. Inan'Cic manages to dodge his way through an explanation that roughly that many die each year, and such a loss is actually less so, for their children would probably have a better, more secure fate with the Others than any future that could be offered at the camp. This placates the guardsmen, for now. Quietly, they gather up the children the Others had chosen, sneaking over when they strayed too far from the camp and bundling them off to the transport ship. With this done, Inan'Cic requests the rest of the "payment" at the soonest possibility, but expresses the hope that the two have peaceful negotiations in the future.

>The Rii'dan young were employed for every tough task. Mining manually the dissoluble ores (arsenic and alum), blacksmithing, growing synthetic methane chimney forests, taking care of Hivogs, serving as expendable second hands or as reactants for alchemists... Their lifespan is short which is fine to the Hastun. Once gotten rid of the first generation they were able to shape their education as they wanted. They were not taught to talk, only obey color orders. Hastuns manages to be gods to them. They were no longer Rii'dans, just mindless slaves. Their reproduction rate was so high that they were not always able to consume enough of them in time and had to get rid of some in purpose of keeping the population under control. > =!= The place has become a big food supply since Koburrog slaves allowed to build massive underground attics. A new process of conservation has been found. Saturating the inner atmosphere with methane to limit the proliferation of bacterias and adding acid to limit fungi growth. > =o= More methane chimneys have been grown. The place is a small forest of them. Taking care of the hives beneath and enriching the dumps with the inside of their second stomach (in an indescribable vomiting process). The ground is only a murky dung dump. The top layer is a forest of balloons being filled with methane to fuel the entire Hastun industry. And to trade with the Rii'dan that now need it to use their technology. Further collaboration is led with the Rii'Dan mostly food and methane trading but also collaboration for hunts. A napalm strength is a nice help for Koburrog hunters and scout on the ground are needed for Hastuns. > =][= Blacksmithing has been greatly improved. The slave strength was useful to shape bigger pieces of metal. Better alembics were made of metals instead of short lasting metal covered wood mush. Alchemy is not what it used to be. The knowledge of the white one have been absorbed by the wrong ones, with incompatible belief. They try to lead the work in unproductive ways, trying to reach perfection states: the ultimate solvant, the immortality substance, the ultimate substance combining the sky, the being and the fire (always resulting in explosions). They also believed that the one able to absorb the essentia of every living thing would be able to see over all the schemes of the world. In-between, the proximity with Hu-raan roads and Gorrirog fortresses may have lead the Hastun to meet new folks...

[Quite a few years later] As they scouted to extend their empire, Hastun started spotting various foreign activities. But before entering in direct contact, they tried to discreetly observe the foes. They observed tall stone walls east of their quarries. Traveler's caravans passing down the strange road. Going upper on the north, some elite scouts spotted really stealthy flying creatures troops.

[The following parts tell the stories of Hastun over the next 200 years as well of these of the Rii'dan.]

Part 5: Time of shadows

With the help of their growing force of Koburrog slaves that they began breeding to be more and more obedient, the Hastun had found the solution to many problems they had with their physical lack of strength. Not pleased by the useless movements of their beak, they selected those who don't move it, annoyed by those who seek contact with their brethren, they only bred those who spend time sitting in dark corners. Over a decade, the behavior of their controlled population began to significantly change. Associal, mute and deaf for an increasing part. Their skin turned to a grey color. Building became more straightforward, no need for complicated contraptions, territory expansion became easy and resources began flowing.

The Kob stralls are sturdy and mindless disposable workers.

But the consequence of such improvements in the Hastun society was that they began to rest on their laurels. The thought breathing was more and more oriented for pleasure and distraction,the research rate was reduced.The bias introduced by wrong individuals in the research fields severely slowed down research and destroyed precious material. But this situation of decadence was only the premise of much darer events. Some forbidden substances reappeared in the thinking rooms, bringing obsession and delusions in the mind of those who absorbed them. And in Hastun, bad ideas spread very rapidly. A great part of the elite had a major shift in their vision of the world. Those wanted to bring the Hastun back to their old values. The death of the first ruler after 70 years of reign had seen the arrival of a despot full of those dogmatic ideas: Fear of the anathema, belief in the sentience of the substances, discredit of the chemistry in profit of an alchemical and animalist view.
With its ruler, the alchanimanists took advantage of the Koburrog forces to siege all the major towns under their power. The decade over which last their reign was a total waste. The researchers that had not been killed for treason were held hostage to perform impossible tasks to prove the legitimacy of the alchanimalist view: Uniting the being, the air and the fire in one substance (to only explosive ends), finding the anima of anathema (which is actually the absence of anima), having one absorb all known substances in hope of reaching enlightenment (only to reach madness). The population was growing miserable as the fragile conditions established for them to thrive were broken. The warriors, who were always closer to these unrealistic ideals quickly joined this faction. They pushed the oppression with their specific abilities gained by ingesting animal hormones (basically like stimpacks of adrenaline and such). Progress was at a stop but the oppressed had not renounced to revolt.

Seeking north of their fields, some researchers joined by the exiled formed a troop that went on a journey north of the old ruins to find living remains of Hu'raan civilization. As this was a travel through the desert, a lot of them nearly didn't make it through. They were at luck as the Hu-raan, thrilled to see Tentouz again decided to help them. Communication was difficult at first but the Hu'raan being a very advanced people, they quickly picked up notions to have complex discussion through drawing. The Hastun exiles promised them to share some of their knowledge with them in exchange for military support. The Hu-raan agreed quickly as they thought that they were going to gain access to the mystical abilities of the Ry'lai but were only taught chemistery tricks that weren't really big news for them. But it's only fair and what due was given: weapons. Those were powder-based firearms. As they didn't need the enhancements required by modern Hastun weaponry, they all were able to wield them.
And so war raged. The following events were extremely tragic and violent. The Hu-raanic arms were far superior and very destructive for tentouz that would burst in flames as soon as shot. At the end of the day, the rebels won a battle but were finaly outnumbered by the foot soldier forces of Kob thralls and airborne machines and forced to retreat.
Strong of this victory, the despot decided to enforce his power by declaring war on their neighbors, the Rii'dan.

The war lasted for as long as 8 years. Their troops clashing against their enthralled cousins; But those cousins had hastun support. The outlaws yet in exile then decided to join forces with the Rii'dan. While helping organize the resistance, they contacted again the Hu-raan since the two years they had visited them. Understanding their upcoming demise, they offered them to join the Rii'dan nation. Happy to find new brothers to share their enlightenment with, a bunch of Hu'raan followed them bringing with them more technological means to wage war.
A long time passed while the Rii'dan passively resisted the invader while their secret hosts prepared their last chance to reclaim their nation.

This time, the exiles fought by their conditions. The Rii'dan planned an attack followed by a calculated retreat. The Hastun armies fell into the trap and dozens of soldiers found their demise this day, leaving the capital vulnerable to an attack.
The following events are straightforward. As the rebellion progressed from town to city, more and more joined as the corrupted leading casts and army were defeated. As an ultimate offense, the newly established exile power burnt them without leaving an ounce of their inner gas get in the air, committing the anathema as it is the only fit punishment.

Part 6: A new golden age

After the events marked by anathema known as the time of shadows, the new heads of the Hastun tribe decided to take severe measures for the renewal of their power. They replaced the traditional ruleship of one individual by a council formed by notables of the different casts. The capacity of one individual Hastun to encompass in itself the very variant ideals and mindsets of all the casts by nourishing it with all the thought substances they individually consume has been decided delusional. The belief of the unity of he animas had been claimed untrue and superstitious. The new council is composed by a member of these casts: Hunters, warriors, farmers, engineers, chemists, builders and explorers. An embassy for the Rii'dan and the Hu'raan refugees have been built in =!=.

The southern Hu'raan city that lays next to the quarry (where the refugees are from) has been taken for the quarry. Now center of a vast complex, it is used as living and raising quarters for the large population of Kob thralls. The high astronomical towers and most grand buildings have been turned into research centers. A new sub-cast has appeared within the engineers: the astronomers. Although seen as controversial by the Hu'raanic individuals, the Rii'dan declared their approval for the Hastun to keep their Koburrog Thralls. The Hastun had declared in return that they would do their best to erase their sentience traits to ease their inconvenience. A treaty of support has been signed between the new Hastun council and Inan'cic the twelfth, king of the Rii'dan. The superstitious beliefs of their foes had been declared untrue and the worship of delusional idols forbidden as well as the faulty substances that entertained such beliefs. A bit later, a Rii'dan contingent accompanied by a Hastun diplomat equipped with the finest colour-talk powders have been sent northwise to seek the other remains of the Hu-raan. They found along long roads, cities that were far less miserable than the one they already know. But these Hu-raans revealed to keep more pride for their empire and categorically refused to be part of the Rii'dan people. They claimed that their southern brethrens' words were lies and that the empire would stand forever.

Ultimate safeguard of their knowledge and generalized storage and distribution means: some individuals have sacrificed their individuality to become libraries of substances. Stuck on top of a methane chimney and maintained by life support assisted by kob slaves, the sheer size of these memory tentouz stops their brain cells from being able to deal with the substances in any effective fashion. They barely retain enough sapience to recieve and deliver the large amounts of substance they hold in themselves.

A tentouz bloated to the brink serves as a repository of knowledge.

The Hastun people was now wealthier than ever. Over the next 50 years, the developments and enrichment of the tribe went exponentially. The spices found in the attics of the old Hu-raanic city revealed dozens of novel ideas and with the input of the refugees, progress went on the right directions. Research were frantic. All the old huts were destroyed to be replaced by solid colorful towers of proteo-cement and cut stone with onion-shaped tops. Solid arcs bouncing from one tower to another covered with cleverly sculpted houses and attics full of food. The cities of =!= and =o= grew so large that they finally merged together. Rock-carving, painting, weaving, farming and art developed largely. Chemistry went far less haphazardly. The substances were now far more controlled and classified in stocks in purified state. An economy of the animas rose with rates dictated by the complex system of value embedded in the Hastun brains.

The mines expanded and fumes rose from the old city as big furnaces alimented by the peat of the jungle melted iron, copper, tin, silver, gold. The arsenic and vanadium found in saline chunks surprisingly revealed to stimulate fungal growth if brought in small quantities. The weaponry evolved. The mastery of the powder associated with the Hastun chemistry allowed to invent novel weapons. Precise rifles sending small shells full of acid to directly melt an animal's brain. Small guns sending mini-bombs of blushed powder for signaling. More metals allowed to craft steel blades. But that weaponry, in time of peace was kept limited to hunting.

On the ground, bountiful farms of Hrass, azrach, blushed plenty of new species of bulva and yashed and even exotic species from all around central found in the attics of the old imperial city were enhanced by new irrigation techniques. The first basic screw pumps even allowed the construction of the first aqueducts around the capital.

New livestock was also created. Not only the Hivogs who serve their life in methane farms before becoming delicious meat and crafting materials but also the Wlouz for their unique pigments, the toxoced for their interesting spores, the blurogs that automatically followed the culture of blusheds and even some rare specimens of toxodragons (reading the central south evolution is recommended). But the ever growing metropolis was not enough anymore. The expansion started as new areas of the jungle were converted into farms, hunting posts or habitations of lesser quality.

Using the same techniques developped for the creation of memory hastun, valves were pierced onto specially trained messenger Wlouz to bottle substances in their buoyant gas pouches. The Wlouz imune system not being as strong as a Tentouz', only a limited number of substances were usable, but enough to create a complex messenger code. The messages were easily retrievable by plugging a simple tube into the valve. This allowed for faster comunications around the etire jungle.

On their side, the Rii'dan also expanded. Their population growing fast. They had annexed half of the jungle in no time. The Hu-raan technology helped them rebuild cities of might under the groves of the jungle. Although the Inan'cic dynasty was often confronted to tribal rivalries, the support of the Hastun helped them to be definitely sit on the throne. However they had a new source of troubles. From the western mountains, hordes of savages walked on the jungle. The Khumar hordes, cannibalistic and berserking koburrogs surged by hundreds. The advanced technology was not enough to sustain the number of foes even though they only used primitive spears. There were losses. The savage hordes took heavy tributes in the first years they rushed across the regions but slowly the Rii'dan became able to resist to them with no major issues. However, their presence stopped dead any prospects of expansion in the eastern plains.

The population of Rii'dan exploded as the extention of life expectancy suddendly brought by the latest advancements was not in par with the rate of reproduction of the koburrogs.

So a solution was found. For a hundred years, the Rii'dan and the Hastun had shared the jungle half and half between the east and the west. A new agreement, signed in the embassy that had now a slate ground and bags of chalky rocks to ease negociations (a kob thrall would sweep the ground afterwards with a bundle of dry Hrass), stated that some regions of the jungle would bear both the Hastun and the Rii'dan as the Rii'dan would take the ground and the Hastun the air. The Rii'dan had to run the farms and the Hastun would assure defense. The first communal city was built at the frontier.

Nothing to worry about...

The Hastun were at the top of their form. The feats of the young nation started to be heard of and peaked the interest of the bigger fish. The watchtowers reported more and more sightings of large ships near their coast of varrying appearances. They were starting to be noticed. The first emissaries to arrive were of the Katumoiset, a group of odd-looking insectoid traders were quite interested in the drugs the hastun were able to cultivate for themselves and told them that their kind would not be the only ones who would benefit from their enhancing substances. Nobles of powerful nations would put a high price on such exotic and pure 'spices'. They also offered them to take care of their surplus of Kob thralls and exchange some of them for more robust slaves. Seeing it as a great opportunity for enrichment, the Hastun sealed extensive deals with the shady pirates. The Katumoiset traders somewhat rushed those deals along, invoking trust and a long lasting beneficial partnership. As a gift of good intentions, the Katumoiset versed the Hastun chemists in their process of crystalization allowing to refine some of the more fragile molecules into solid practical chunks. The Hastun goods started flowing through the Katumoiset network and became of somewhat high demand.

Part 7: The end of the long peace

As harmony grew between all the great allies of the shadow wars, the Hu'raan refugees became one with the Rii'dan over the decades and the sucessfull model of vertical sharing of the land with the Hastun quickly became the norm in the whole of their lands. The two nations grew into one and Rii'dan leaders naturally joined the Hastun great council over time. In this golden age, both parties had achieved their goals and lived off the entierity of the southern jungle and plains. The territory settled into shape bordered by the coasts south and the desert north.
The general tone was of optimism and beatitude. And thus, when word of a war affecting the Hu-raan empire in the north came, the new nation did not care to endanger themselves into mattrs out of their concerns.
In the mountains of the west, an old empire had rose from its ashes, eager for war and conquest. Nutera and Yakush two Gorrirog clans yet unheard of formed a coalition, and its fierce warriors swept through the desert pillaging the Hu-raan ancient cities. Even when the Hu'raan called them to arms, the clueless Hastun did not take heed of the danger. The nuterans effectively cut the empire in half, leaving few cities in the south that had no way to regain the main land in the north. Strong of their new victories, the aggressive nuterans eyed during the truce on the lush jungle and its hulking towers. Descending from the heights, they rushed on the western coast where no decent defence were established.

Ralying symbol of the standing armies.

Luckily, the technological advances of the united nation were on match with the strength of the Nuterans. The old waring machine was awakened and the Hastun swiftly replied to the armored, shock-wielding hordes with air strikes, biological weaponry, powder and a bulwark of disposable thralls. After a short strife, a front was settled on the now occupied coasts. A race for strentgh fired on the frontier as both parties piled up soldiers and defences for the decade to come. Confined with this stalemate, both belligerents plotted for decisive measures.

The amount of resources the Coalition were able to muster for each battle didn't add up. Intelligence Hastun sweeps of their land didn't account for all the materials they were able to gather for their troops and barricades. More in depth investigations were lead and revealed that the Coalition was recieving support from a yet unheard of third party. Sails of the Nad'lun traders were joinig the eastern coasts to deliver large amounts of material and food as well as weapons the Gorrrog did not have the craft for. The Hastun swallowed their recently found pride and agreed to join forces with the remnants of the Huraan empire. On their side, the Nuterans expanded on the western islands for war resources and found a secretive tribe of Pussmals tat they quickly enslaved in their ranks allowing sweeping strikes from underground. Taking notice of their unevitable demise if they remained clawed between the Naturans and their old Suzumou rivals known as Zu-nul, the few remnants of southern cities of the empire rushed south to join the battle in the jungle.
Decisive strikes were lead, now that the ranks of the allies of Hastun overpowred the invader by its sheer number. In the north, the Hu'raan had not drawn its last breath and kept the Naturans occupied, regaining small chunks of their lost land. The war was long winded as nearly 50 cycles swept through the sky but in the end the day was won for the people of the jungle now counting more Koburrog citizens.
It was bitter victory that didn't leave much room for celebration as the Nuteran now occupied a massive chunk of land and would not be contempt with their defeat.

Part 8: Taking to the air and the sea

The Hu'raan's greater knowledge of the world were immediately a great input to the limited view of the Hastun. They had been too centered on themselves and happily ignored the other potential nations around them unless they bumped into them. The jungle was all that really mattered to them. Their fate was accomplished. But now they had to defend it against all that would prey on it. It was finally time to take heed of the forces of this world.

A stusval drone.

The first expeditions were lead to secure the islands where these strange burrowing creatures were found. After liberating them from the disbanded forces that remained there, it was discovered that they were a proud people. As the Rii'dan, they were eventually offered to join the Hastun as they conveniently were perfect candidates to form a third strata underground. The refugee queen of the Stusval laid many children that were highly proficient in building and farming. They optimized the foundations of the cities, hardening the maleable soil under the towers by hardening it with their saliva and provided an underground system to carry good that were not transportable by air. A sizeable portion of the koburrog population moved to new underground habitation complexes built by the pusmalls. The well designed tunnels even helped regulate temperature in the cities. Backup storage facilities for precious substances were built in the ideal conditions of these new walls.

The flag of the Trade post and seal of the agreement.

In an effort to conciliate the Hastun for their role in the coalition war and probably to avoid that what they couldn't have had teken by force falls into the hands of the Katumoiset, the Nad'lun offered to trade with the Hastun for technologies. At first, the high council, being mostly composed of war veterans, did not see this proposal with a good eye. But they soon came to the realization that without a new trade opportunity, the aggressive economy of the Katumoiset would swallow then under their control. If it was not for the boost procured by the harboring of the Stusval queen, they would most likely already have fallen as vassals of the pirate dealers as the proliferous partnership had quickly tipped in their favor.
The installation of an outpost was conceded and resources began flowing in the right way. The nadlun offered a myriad of exotic and novel technologies. Technological blueprints of the enclave, even if somewhat dated, unlocked a swathe of new prospects in metallurgy and farming. Their model of a distributed workchain was quite compatible with the simple minds of their Kob Thralls. The science of electrical currents was also a nice input in their research and the most central parts of the towns started to be illuminated with limelight bulbs of fluorescent gases. With imports from all over, the diversity in cultured crops offered a much better nutritious ratio of production and a safeguard against desease that would ruin a completely homogenous culture.
The Nad'lun were seemingly cutting the most favorable deals for the Hastun in an effort to keep their economy strong enough to remain independent of the Katumoiset. A fierce plight for control was happening between the two rivals in the economical node that the region had become. The cape the Hastun controlled was probably important for trade as the only passage by water between the othet continents.

As they struggled to grasp all these new concepts and integrate them in their technology, one thing attracted the most attention of the Tentouz of the Hastun collective: old pamphlets from the enclave relating to the joining of a nation known as Ry'lai and of their mystical abilities. The pictures of the individuals were easily identifiable as being of their kind.
The Hastun tried to reach towards the Enclave who were deep into a war on their own land but have been turned away. Maybe because of their reputation of drug and slave traders or maybe because the Ry'lai themselves refused to acknowledge them. No information could be had on where to find their great ships. Thus an expedition was prepared to reach the north of the continent where they had lived previously as it could be the place where Hastun originate from. A fleet of high altitude airships was to be flown across the great desert. The blue vessels of hope took off carrying the dreams of the hastun.
But as the fleet had travelled halfway across the desert, red beams of fire-hot energy struck at the vessels with high precision. Surely the Naturans didn't have such weaponry. Little did they know that those were the Zu'nul's ground to air red lens towers built to strike at the Sa'rak infidels. Most of the ships had been burst into flames before acid bombs could be deployed from the heavy Hastun artillery to melt the top of the menacing ziggurat. Greatly weakened, the fleet managed an escape by burning flares to cloak their route. After making an emergency stop at the great Hu'raan capital, the vessels finally reached their destination as the Frilla canopies of the northern jungle appeared.
After a difficult landing in the middle of the heavy groves, the search parties dispatched in order to find the remnants of the Ry'lai. Unfortunately, all they found was death at the hand of the tribal Mevolas who easily ambushed them from the Frilla canopy. The ships were lost and only remained a few survivors who took refuge in the hollow trunk of a frilla tree. They were one Tentouz and a few Koburrog citizens. One of them, a notable of the name of Inan'shik (descendant of the old Inan'cic dynasty) had gathered seeds from the giant tree for sustenance. The Tentouz entered a meditative state in preparation of a possible starvation in order to consolidate his memory if he was to wither white.
But instead of reaching a near catatonic state as intended, the Tentouz was subject to a truely amazing penomenon. The spores of the great tree released airborne substances inside the trunk. The koburrog coughed heavily but the tentouz entered into a trance. The thousands of pheromonal messages entered natively in resonance with its mind and its conciousness was momentarily expanded as it felt the every motives of the great tree. The Tentouz felt as if they had become one and his mind was branching off in the winds as the spores of the tree reached the entire forest. There he heard it all, the millenia old messages of the Ry'lai were still being endlessly replicated by the forest itself. His mind, entirely oppened to the great webway of the Ry'lai went alomst mad from the intense experience. It's skin started to swell as its body was fighting off the heavy influx of foreign substances. Seeing his companion's death nearing, Inan'shik urged him to stop but as he wasn't responding, the koburrog grapped an emergency mask, pierced its pouch valve with the tube and strapped the mask on its mouth. The tentouz fell asleep as the emergency mask relayed a recycling loop between its pouch and stomach to let the imunity build up, isolated from the foreign atmosphere.
When the Tentouz finally woke up, Inan'shik was surprised that the symbol it displayed had changed. Still dazzeled, the tentouz briefly explained the importance of the tree. It was vital for them to bring a sapling back home. The other kobs dismissed it, saying that there were more important matters at hand, like surviving which, with their legendary luck, wouldn't be a run to the mill. Inan'shik however, was convinced by his companion's plead and made the others fall back in rank. They are the Hastun, and crossing a desert is something they all have in their blood, even with a measly sapling.
Although, the saplings of these mighty trees were not as measly as they imagined them to be. Scouting expeditions had revealed that the young trees were as great as a full-grown yashed, and actually lumbered around the forest on their roots. They would have to capture one that was very young. Luckilly, it seems that the Mevolite natives had gone away and they were more free to search the area for such a sample. One such was spotted dallying around a pond after hours of research.
The rag-tag team started to circle it. Two of the five koburrogs initisted a claw maneuver, one holding a llrassen bag. They jumped at it, but it seems that what the small trees lack in size they gain in swiftness. Allerted, the pink sapling jumpted into motion as sudendly as a false Bulva falling on its prey. One of them was grappled by the roots while the other one took a kick into the pond. The Tentouz leaped into action, charging from the air at his rescue. It pulled its tentacles around it atempting to subdue it while trying to lift itself to uproot it. Unfortunately, it was far too weak to subdue the sapling. The small frilla released the already dead strangled koburrog and started to whip at the tentouz. In a panic, the tentouz fired his jets full force to avoid getting tangled. The fire bruised the bark sending the sapling realing back in surprise while it escaped.
Inan'shik and his partner shared a quick look and started unleashing preemptive fire with their blunt rifles, sending slugs of lead to the ground to keep the sapling in check. The Tentouz followed their lead and pulled out his specialty gun. It closed his eyes for a moment to gather the weakest acid he could to load into the chamber and mixed in the powdery content of a small bag with it. It then plugged the tubes to his sprouts, took a deep breath to aim the silvery tube at the trees flower and in a contraction followed by a brief explosion, sent the bubble of fluids to the sappling.
The juices started to burn and seep in through the tubular petal and the tree quickly fell to the ground motionless. Luckilly, the nerve-numbing toxoced powder worked on them. They quickly sealed the bag and looked for their companion, but he never emerged.

After a foraging and camping for the night, the only two survivors of the expedition set course for the desert, deciding to go along the western shore to avoid contact with those that had fired upon them. They barely had any hope to make it out but they simply had to try. Their carriage was simply too important. Luckily, they were met by a Nad'Lun trader fleet that had been contracted to find them by the Hastun Council.

Their arrival was greatly celebrated even through the mourning of the numerous lost expeditionary crew. The sapling was nurtured back to health while word spread about the importance of the event leading to a grand ceremony the day of the "planting" of the sapling. A location had been especially chosen at the center of the jungle to enthrone the first Great Frilla of the south.

Decades passed as the Hastun greater civilization focused inward, developing their infrastructure and securing their borders with their more bellicose neighbors. The only expansionist foray was made to the western fringe where the hordes of Khumal once bordered them. It seemed that they had migrated out long ago and left little trace of their passage.

The Frilla tree grew tall in the fertile soil of the jungle, constantly enriched with manure from the Hivog farms until it grew so big stopped wandering around. This pharaonic project employed a massive trall workforce. Around a devitalized zone of the ground from the tree's draining it of nutrients, methane chimney Yashed grew dense and with it, Hastun Tentouz came to build around the great tree. Other layers of the greater Hastun society came further the growth, with the Pusmals from the tribe previously known as Stusval guiding and nurturing the roots. Rising taller than any tree or even building in the jungle, the tree dominated the landscape.

When reaching maturity, it began to spread its spores on the whole jungle. The Tentouz quickly noticed the change and the original discoverer, who had permanently turned pink in hue from the experience, wandered around the settlements as a de-facto prophet to guide his brethren towards the great communion. As could be expected, this new tree hadn't any connection with the Ry'Lai webway. But instead of despairing at the loss of their ancestral history, they looked forward to build their own legacy in the southern webway. The minds of the Tentouz were now almost all able to exchange with each other with the great network. But they weren't the only ones who gained this ability. The gestalt mind of the Stusval's, through its pheromonal sympathetic network later managed to communicate through it as well with the development of specialized interface drones.

The membranes developed by the tree, were of much higher quality than the Great Mudgrub gut usually used for constructing balloons. Instead of hunting these rare animals, they started carefully extracting the new material from the new tree. The researcher's cast began work on furthering their understanding of the tree for the good of the civilization but they also had their own agenda. Since the time of the great shadow, they never forgot the tragedies that befell them (for the Hastun never forget) more than a century ago. They still wore traditionally full robes of bleached leather to commemorate the white one of old. The new advancements in aerodynamics allowed them to begin work on their great project. A floating fortress dedicated to pure empirical research. A haven away from any trouble that would befall them. Taking inspiration from tales of the floating Frilla juggernauts of the Ry'Lai, they incorporated an extensive system of valves, baloons, reaction engines to support a hollowed proteo-cement complex filled with chemistry facilities, methane and food greenhouses, and memory Tentouz databanks. It featured the first interconnected anima network but the scientist kept true to the practice of documenting research with written text. This sky fortress was to place itself in air above the deeps of the southern bay and never touch ground ever again. Access was only given on an individual case to recruits and emissaries and all other communication was either relayed through the webway or messenger Wlouz.

Epilogue: The inevitable Downfall

As the nation thrived and neared to be alike the other civilizations,the great turmoil in the world would near bring their fate to an end.

However, their whole motive during their evolution was their goal to own and live off the jungle, their promised land. A goal they reached pretty handily but when the time was to open to other horizons, their apparent success was shadowed by their greatest weakness. The hastun were a very logical and calculative bunch and weren’t quite potent to see things as others might. They traded and treated with rival factions, trading food and goods to the Nad’lun corporation while fencing drugs and slaves to the Katumoiset pirates.

When doom rang its bells, when hordes of Naturan barbarians and Zu-nul zaelots descended at once on their homeland, they had no more helping hands to reach and were pushed south to their inevitable demise as their eternal land threatened to sink in the depths under a darkening sky. When the continent was torn apart, and the massive armies swallowed by the earth, the jungle was no more on the map.

It is said that some went on a diaspora guided by the Nad'Lun, especially the researcher caste, to accompany the races who had planet escape projects but most remained to their ancestral land as the word remained strong: "The land that shall bear our lives, shall be ours until the end of times".

The virtuose race who just crowned themselves of a city in the clouds and of unveiling the webway of their origins was but a few lost survivors, trapped in the cave networks of the pussmals under miles of water. They lost it all, the earth as their minds lost all marks of their glorious past.

Ideographic language of Hastun samples:

• 

  Our tribe, the first tale, sigil of the capital.

• 

  Sigil of the riverside city.

• 

  Sigil of the Quarries complex.

• 

  Sigil of the northern ruins, symbol from an ancient civilization, localization of the first experiment fields.

• 

  Sigil of the Rii'dan frontier city.

• 

  Sigil of the millitary cast, strongholds and outposts.

• 

  Sigil of the sky laboratory, grand field of research.

• 

  Sigil of the Nad'lun - Hastun communal city.

• 

  Forgetfulness, sacrilegious, anathema.

• 

  Anima, the essence, element.

• 

  Anima of fire, H2.

• 

  Anima of the being, methan gas.

• 

  Anima of the sky, oxygen.