[center][img]http://s25.postimg.org/kosvah54v/cooltext166741318147104.png[/img] [color=965716][b]The Great Artisan, Divine Mason, Builder of Civilisations Level 3 God of Crafting (Masonry)[/b] 9 Might & 1 Free Points[/color][/center] Teknall had made his protectors. Now he could work on developing the sentient life of this planet. From afar, he observed the tribes of the Hain. Already they had been imbued with an intelligence which allowed them to make simple tools and shelters, yet their skills were lacking. They had no guidance other than their own trial and error and drive for efficiency. Over many, many generations they might get somewhere, but it would be a slow process. Teknall could not bear for such intelligent life to languish in lack of inspiration. The trick would be finding the least intrusive way possible to provide such inspiration and teaching. He could implant knowledge directly in their minds, but he was no thought-weaver. He could do so for small things, but for such a huge leap in knowledge it would be jarring for their mortal minds. He realised that, if he wanted to do it properly, he would have to teach them by demonstration. So Teknall reincarnated himself. Gone was his arbitrary human form, and he was remade in the image of a Hain. His form was pretty average for a Hain. Teknall flexed his strange new exoskeletal joints, and blinked his newly arranged eyes. This blind spot right in front of his face would prove to be a hassle for the purpose of crafting. It was no trouble for Teknall, for his senses were not limited to sight, but for the other Hain it was a hurdle to be worked around. There were also fewer fingers on his hands, although they were just as dexterous. Finally, adorned himself with a leather apron and pouch for holding his tools. His tools also needed changing. He could not walk into a tribe with flawlessly milled tools of steel. He swapped his tools for some of hand-chipped flint and stone, bound onto wooden handles. He also fashioned for himself a rawhide satchel and filled it with more tools of similar type, and slung that over his shoulder. Finally ready, he walked across the plains of golden grass towards the nearby tribe of Hain. This newcomer caused a stir among the Hain. Firstly, lone nomads were rare to the point of being unheard of. Secondly, he wore some strange attire. Thirdly, there was some aura about him, something they couldn't quite put their finger on, and they felt it only very faintly. But the newcomer walked confidently, and soon he was before the tribe elders. [color=965716]"Greetings, elders."[/color] One of the elders, slightly confused and mildly suspicious, cautiously replied, "Greetings, stranger. What brings you here?" [color=965716]"My name is Stone Chipper, and I am a wanderer, collecting knowledge and skills from abroad,"[/color] Teknall replied, [color=965716]"If you would allow me to stay with your tribe for a while, then maybe I can share such knowledge with you. I also bring some gifts, as a gesture of goodwill."[/color] Teknall took the bag from his shoulder and offered it to the elder who greeted him. The elder took the bag and inspected its contents, and his face became one of curiosity when he saw the tools within. They were all expertly crafted, and included stone axes, flint knives, flint chisels and stone hammers. Even the bag was of interest, for the process of creating rawhide was not yet known to the Hain. The other elders gathered around to take a closer look. Teknall smiled, or at least expressed the Hain equivalent of a smile, seeing that his plan was working and his work appreciated. [color=965716]"I can show you how to make such things, if you allow me to stay."[/color] "Of course, of course," answered the elder, now quite keen to have this visitor, "Make yourself at home, Stone Chipper." [center]~-===-~[/center] Teknall stood in front of a natural flat stone outcropping he was using as a workbench, with a rock the size of his head sitting in front of him. Standing in front of him was an audience of about 7 Hain of varying ages. [color=965716]"...The trick is that you've got to strike it along the grain. See here? Look for yourselves."[/color] Teknall held the stone forwards, and each of the Hain took their turn inspecting the stone where Teknall pointed. [color=965716]"A good flint chisel works nicely. In a pinch you could use stone, but try not to use any stone chisel softer than the stone you are trying to split. So, I line up the chisel along the grain, and then I will give it a strong, sharp blow with my hammer-"[/color] And he did so, bringing his stone hammer down on the chisel, the force being transmitted into the stone he was working, which split cleanly in two with a sharp crack. [color=965716]"-and now I have two rocks. By doing this, I can split stones into smaller pieces of pretty much any size I like."[/color] He proffered his hammer and chisel to the crowd. [color=965716]"Who would like to try?"[/color] [center]~-===-~[/center] The two rocks clashed together one more time, another shard of sharp stone being struck from the rock and landing in Teknall's leather apron on his lap. Among his audience this time was a teenage girl and a middle-aged male who had also brought some tools and stone for them to practise stone knapping themselves. [color=965716]"To make a sharper and sharper edge, you need to move to softer and softer tools,"[/color] Teknall instructed, pointing to the edge of the axe head he was making, [color=965716]"Otherwise you will damage the fragile edge."[/color] He put down the stone he was holding in his right hand, which he had been using as a hammer, and picked up a porcelain plate, one he had collected earlier for this purpose, and then struck the axe head with the porcelain. His expert touch caused the stone to shed small filings exactly where he wanted them to, sharpening the edge. [color=965716]"As always, you need the right tool in the right hands to do the right job."[/color] He looked up at his audience, especially those two who were trying it themselves, and upturned his palm in a hain-smile. His hand then reached down to where he had put his tools, picked up a Pearskin Cattle femur with the end shaped to a rounded point, and began hammering with that. [center]~-===-~[/center] A Hain was lashing a blunt stone onto a straight branch with a length of long, narrow tree root, making a hammer. The Hain then received a tap on the shoulder, and turned around to see Teknall. "Ah, Stone Chipper. What is it?" [color=965716]"Why do you use only one thread?"[/color] Teknall queried, [color=965716]"Wouldn't it be stronger if you used multiple threads?"[/color] The Hain thought for a few moments, then nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." Teknall stooped down and plucked a few long strands of grass, and between his fingers he twisted them together. He then tugged on both ends of the string, demonstrating their strength. [color=965716]"Together the strands support each other. If one is about to fail the others hold it together, and even if it still fails the others remain."[/color] He handed the string to the Hain. [color=965716]"Try it yourself."[/color] [center]~-===-~[/center] Darkness was over the Gilt Savannah, the small moons in the sky providing only a token amount of light. Yet the stars were clearly visible, and the ring, the smashed remains of Lex, glimmered faintly with reflected sunlight. On the surface of Galbar, only creatures with the most keen night vision would be able to make out any more than silhouettes against the horizon. Yet Teknall did not need vision, for he had the divine sense of perception. He had sensed a pack of Ashlings, made of about 15 Pearskin Cattle, slowly en route to the village, from over 100 miles away, and after seeing that they were not going to stray from their course Teknall had left the village under cover of nightfall to drive them off. He would not have his efforts be interrupted by something as crude and preventable as a pack of Ashlings. In the center of the Ashling pack, Teknall revealed himself, dropping his concealment and manifesting in his full divinity. He stood twice as tall as a Hain, about as tall as a human, and instead of white porcelain he was covered in plates of glowing gold, casting light across the savannah, and in his hands was his adamantine maul. Immediately he swiped the maul in a circle around himself, destroying five Ashlings. With surprising speed, he advanced forwards, bringing the maul down on two more Ashlings that were in his path until he was outside the pack. He spun around, slamming his maul into another Ashling which was lunging at him, then he parried the proboscis of another, which had just shot forwards in a jagged mass of crystalline ash. Teknall now stood his ground as the rest of the pack lunged towards him. With swift strikes he shattered the corrupt beasts apart, until only three remained. While highly violent, the Ashlings weren't totally dumb. They were fiercely outmatched, so they turned to flee, stampeding away. But Teknall didn't let his quarry get far. The maul dissolved away and in its place manifested two of his smaller, throwing hammers. He threw one, which flew forwards in a streak of golden light, flying as fast as an arrow. Even before the first had struck, Teknall through the second hammer at a different Ashling. The first hammer struck, destroying the Ashling on impact, and then dissolved in golden motes of light before reappearing in Teknall's hand, which he threw at the third and final Ashling. These beasts, as unnatural as they may be, fell just as quickly by Teknall's hand. [center]~-===-~[/center] With a branch, carved to be a smooth, curved stick, in hand, Teknall walked over to a couple of hunters, preparing their flint-tipped spears for the hunt. He held the stick forwards, between the two hunters. [color=965716]"What do you think of this stick?"[/color] Teknall asked. The hunters gave a puzzled look, but Teknall had been around long enough and proven himself to be wise enough that his words were to be listened to. They stared at the stick with a pair of eyes each. One of them then reached out to touch the stick. It was smooth, on account of it having been made smooth, but this is probably not what Teknall was referring to. So the hunter pushed it. Teknall held the stick firm as the hunter pushed harder, and given a reasonable amount of force the stick flexed and bent a fair angle, but did not break, and once the hunter removed his hand the stick sprung back into position. "It's quite flexible," the hunter finally observed. [color=965716]"Indeed it is. And it pushed back, did you notice?"[/color] The hunter nodded in response. [color=965716]"Good. Maybe, if we set it up correctly, we could make it push more useful things. Maybe throw things..."[/color] He glanced at the spears the two were holding. The hunters followed his gaze and seemed to catch on. The other hunter gave an upturned palm. "If you can make it throw them further, I'd use it." [center]~-===-~[/center] A young Hain boy walked timidly over the pebble-strewn ground and up to the mound of boulders. In his hand was a small bag which clinked and clicked as he walked. Teknall walked behind, urging him onwards. "You sure this is safe?" the boy asked. [color=965716]"Of course. I've dealt with these creatures many times before. They're quite friendly,"[/color] Teknall reassured the boy, [color=965716]"Besides, if it was dangerous, I'd be doing it myself."[/color] Onwards the duo walked, until one of the boulders stirred and stood, stocky limbs unfolding from its round form. It was initially quite startling for the boy, for the stony beast stood almost four times as tall as him, but Teknall put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder and said, [color=965716]"Observe. The Stone Man is just curious. Now, remember the plan."[/color] The boy nodded, took a deep breath, then stepped forwards. In front of the Urtelem, he emptied the contents of the bag. Out came a couple of handfuls of stone shavings and chips, leftovers from flint and stone knapping. He quickly stepped backwards, and a few moments later the Urtelem stepped forwards, leaned to take a closer look at the offering of stone fragments, then scooped them up with one big, fat hand and chucked them in its mouth. The sound of crunching stone was loud and grating. Teknall patted the boy on the back. [color=965716]"What did I tell you? They love to eat stone!"[/color] He paused for a moment, then added in a lower tone, [color=965716]"One thing I know they don't like, though, are Ashlings."[/color] "Ashlings?" the boy asked, his eyes growing wide. [color=965716]"Yes, Ashlings. Terrible monsters. You don't want to meet them. Although, if you can keep these Stone Men near the village, you won't have to. Understand?"[/color] The boy nodded, seeing the responsibility before him. [color=965716]"Good. Let's head back for today."[/color] [center]~-===-~[/center] Three Hain, armed with the newly invented bow, stalked a herd of Pearskin Cattle. One of those Hain was Teknall. [color=965716]"You know the Sprinting Hunter,"[/color] Teknall said quietly to the two hunters, in reference to the Fleet-Footed Mangler, [color=965716]"To catch its prey, it has a massive burst of speed. In the same way, the bow gives your smaller spears a massive burst of speed."[/color] They slowly crept closer to the herd, trying carefully not to spook them. However, they did not have to get as close as they normally had to, since the bow had a much further range than their throwing arm. [color=965716]"Remember how we practised it."[/color] And they had practised well, for the hunters were quick to raise and draw their bows and loose a couple of arrows on a single bull, the arrows both hitting their mark and sinking into the bull's flesh. It bellowed in pain and the herd began to flee, but the arrows embedded in the bull's hide prevented it from running as quickly. This allowed the hunters to fire another volley into the bull, further wounding it, and rendering it slow enough for the hunters to catch up to it on foot and slay it with a full-sized spear through the neck. Teknall jogged up behind the two hunters and patted them on the back. [color=965716]"A hunt well done."[/color] "Indeed," one of the hunters responded, "This is a fine weapon you have made." So the three Hain picked up the bull carcass together and carried it back to camp. [center]~-===-~[/center] A piece of hide, scraped clean of all meat, fat and hair, was stretched out in the sun between two wooden racks. Teknall was tending to it when a Hain walked by an asked, "What have you got there?" [color=965716]"I'm treating this hide to make it stronger and last longer,"[/color] Teknall explained, [color=965716]"I've scraped all the flesh off, so it won't rot. Now I've stretched it out and I'm letting it thoroughly dry. Then I'll have a sheet of rawhide."[/color] "Oh," the Hain replied. The Hain then poked the rawhide sheet, and found that it was rather stiff. "Seems useful." [color=965716]"Indeed. Once it's ready, I can work it into the shapes I want by wetting it, bending it and letting it dry again. It's a good, stiff, yet workable material."[/color] The Hain nodded, then moved on to let Teknall get on with his work. [center]~-===-~[/center] The sun was rising, and with a bag slung over his back and his apron over his front, Teknall was ready to depart after spending about a quarter of a year among the tribe. Most of the Hain were there to see him leave and wish him farewell. "Must you leave, Stone Chipper? You have helped us so much," said one. [color=965716]"I'm afraid I must. There are other places in this world, other Hain to teach,"[/color] Teknall replied. "Have we not provided you with enough? We could get you several wives," offered another. [color=965716]"I am not after wealth or women. I search for knowledge, and that is something I cannot gain by staying in one place,"[/color] Teknall said. More protests were raised, but Teknall silenced them with a wave of his hand. [color=965716]"I am going, and that is that. Farewell. May the knowledge I have shared with you serve you well. Always be learning."[/color] Eventually Teknall was able to tear himself from their goodbyes and walk off, across the Gilt Savannah and over the horizon. [center]~-===-~[/center] And it was like this that Teknall visited as many of the Hain tribes as he could find, across all of Galbar. Under the pseudonym of Stone Chipper the nomadic teacher, he taught the Hain many things over many years. He gave them the art of flint knapping, basic masonry and carpentry, fletching, rope-making, and many other fundamental skills, from which the Hain will be able to readily develop and expand technologically. And by doing this, Teknall felt strength grow within him. Now, in the palm of his hand, a fetal civilisation was growing. In time, they would move past the mud huts and hunter-gatherer lifestyle and make towns, cities, empires. This was Teknall's drive, Teknall's purpose, and this spurred him on across the globe. [center]~-===-~[/center] As Teknall was leaving one village, a Hain male of 22 years stepped forwards, carrying his own bag of belongings, tools and food, and said, "I want to go with you, Stone Chipper." Teknall paused and considered the man for a few moments. This Hain was called Gerrik, and Teknall was quite familiar with him. Gerrik had show exceptional interest in his teachings, and showed a keen mind and inventiveness above and beyond that of the other Hain. He thirsted for knowledge, and was bold enough to put himself on the line for it. [color=965716]"I see you have come prepared, Gerrik. Excellent. Let us go together, then."[/color] And so this time, two Hain left the village instead of one- Teknall, the Great Artisan, and his new apprentice, Gerrik. [hider=Summary] -Teknall reincarnates himself as a Hain. -Under the name of Stone Chipper, Teknall manually teaches Hain across Galbar fundamental crafting skills, as well as how to tame Urtelem. (free Domain action) -Teknall levels up to Level 4 (-5 Might. 4 MP and 1 FP remaining) -From one village, he picks up an apprentice named Gerrik. [/hider]