Editing Primordial Evolution Game/Hastun (section)

===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.
[[Image:Maptentouz.png|thumb|left]]
'''@'''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.'']'''