[center][i]~A collab between BBeast and Kho~[/i][/center]

[center][img]http://s25.postimg.org/kn20vadkv/Far_Hunter_Logo.png[/img]
[b][color=96512B][h3]Gerrik Far-Teacher[/h3]
Level 5 Hain Hero
17 Khookies[/color][/b][/center]

In travelling down the east coast of Mesathalassa, Gerrik Far-Teacher had plenty of time to reflect on his visit to Susa. Not only did he learn of leather working and saw how sophisticated traps were made, but it was also his first up-close encounter with humans. If communication were easier then perhaps he could spend more time learning from humans and teaching them as well. And then there was this Alefpria place, which seemed to contain knowledge far beyond that of the rest of the world, knowledge too valuable to not share.

But Gerrik had more to do than just reflect on what he had done. He had to teach. And that he did, sharing the knowledge he had learned with the hain villages he passed, and learning what he could. Mesathalassa had been deeply affected by the Night of Phantoms, so in every village Gerrik found some new piece of information or practise, however small. Herbalism seemed to be rather common.

As he got closer to Fiberslay, though, Gerrik came across one village which had something markedly different. While in the village of Barbahar, teaching the people his ever-expanding knowledge of skills and crafts, a most peculiar presentation was made. One of the hain donned an outfit of cyan fur which covered her entirely, while a few of the other hain put on masks and costumes. They then reenacted a dramatic event, where the hair-covered hain, appearing to depict a fiberling, pretended to by tyrant over a village while the other costumed hain, which were depicting hain other than themselves, played other figures in the story. The tale culminated in the fiberling being driven out of the village by the united efforts of the hain.

It was quite an interesting tale, although more interesting was the means of telling it. Compared with traditional storytelling, the combination of visual and auditory elements and live actors gave the story an extra degree of immersion and enhanced the drama. Gerrik inquired about it afterwards, and learned that the story came from Fiberslay, brought by a strange band of four non-hain peoples (which Gerrik readily correlated with the Grand Parade he met in Susa). The show put on by the four strangers was so popular that some of the villagers in Barbahar attempted to recreate it, to act out stories themselves. The Barbahar actors said they were creating more of these live reenactments, or 'plays', but the Fiberslay story was still the most popular.

Gerrik could see the value of these plays. Although not too useful for his own work, they seemed to be an effective way to deliver some messages. He encouraged the actors to continue acting, and maybe even perform in other villages. Once Gerrik finished teaching, he departed, going by fishing boat to Fiberslay.

Fiberslay was a large village, as villages went. It was supported primarily by fish from the lake and the Fractal Sea, and supplemented by numerous herb gardens, which served both to flavour food and as medicine. It was also the most colourful village Gerrik had ever seen. Almost all the tents were dyed and painted, some depicting scenes and people. It was this he had come for- some means to record information in a way which did not require him to explain it in person.

Gerrik started how he normally did. After gaining entry to the village, he found the craftshain, introduced himself and began working alongside them, offering advice and sharing knowledge. The craftshain marvelled at how expertly this newcomer was able to shape wood and stone, and thus listened intently to his advice.

But standing separate from the group was another hain, looking as inconspicuous as any hain trying to look inconspicuous - that is to say, not very much so. It was clear from his expression that he was rather baffled by all that Gerrik was doing, for he was very clearly a Chipper this Gerrik. But there he was showing himself openly and [i]teaching[/i] the others what he knew!
It had been a long time since Shammik had last seen another Chipper, but he could not say he was all too pleased to have seen one after so long in this way. He would have very much preferred that he not see one at all, in fact! Ever since the Times of Tribulation, when Chippers were actively hunted and hated by all in Fibreslay, and ever since all Chippers in the region had received Stone Chipper's command that they hide themselves, there had been no indigenous Chippers in the village. 

Certainly, there were craftshain and others who had so benefited from the Chippers when they were yet welcomed, but Chippers had all but disappeared. That was not to say that they did not exist, they had merely done as Shammik had told them: they hid and waited on the day when Stone Chipper would return and bid them do otherwise. And Shammik was of the personal belief that he would in fact return and lead them personally into a glorious age of discovery and advancement.

As they were by nature inventors, most Chippers who did not physically flee did as Shammik did and became craftshain. They were suspected at first, of course, but it did not take too great an effort to convince the others that the 'Chipper demon' which had possessed them had been so frightened by the other hain that it had simply run away. For hain like those of the Fibreslay, obsessed as they were with the idea of long-ago alien tyrants who similarly possessed and oppressed them, it was not a difficult pill to swallow. And with time, as tends to be the case with these things, most all but forgot about Chippers and the natural state of neutrality towards those creative followers of Stone Chipper returned. 

But the Chipper-Craftshain remained hidden, and waited. And now this foreigner had come, ignorant to their ways and the command of Stone Chipper (or, perhaps, openly defying that command!)

'Shammik! Shammik! Come and see this! This one knows much!' one of the craftshain, Bagid, called to him. Startled to hear his own name shouted so loudly (for he had been trying very hard to be very inconspiciuous) Shammik nearly fell over. But quickly regaining his composure and righting himself, he made his way towards the group - if rather cautiously.

'What is it? Who is this? What are you doing?' he asked, giving Gerrik a suspicious glare with the two beady eyes on the right side of his birdlike face.
'A big Chipper! A Chipper Chie-' Shammik immediately whacked the indiscrete Bagid on the beak.
'Be quiet! You know that's a forbidden word!'
'Oh, ow. Sorry Shammik. I forgot...' ignoring Bagid, Shammik once more glared at Gerrik.
'Why are you doing that? Why are you going about telling everyone you are a Chipper? You want us all to die? You want Stone Chipper to be angry?' the zealous hain looked around him to ensure none of the non-Chippers were around to hear his accusatory whispers.

Gerrik gawked at Shammik and his wild accusations for a few seconds, momentarily lost for words. Who was this hain to tell him what the will of Stone Chipper was? Eventually he regained his composure, stood to face Shammik and answered with authority.

'I am Gerrik Far-Teacher, apprentice and successor of Stone Chipper and prophet of Teknall. It is by the command and blessing of Stone Chipper himself that I travel between villages and teach them all these things. If Stone Chipper were angry about this, which he is not, I would be the first to know.'

The others around the pair seemed awed at Gerrik's words, and all eyes (or what they could of them) were turned once more on Shammik. The zealous hain seemed somewhat taken aback by Gerrik's revelation, and he had indeed been told about one 'Gerrik' by his own master many years ago.
'Well, you say that, but we were all commanded by Stone Chipper in a great vision which reached us all - many years ago - to flee and to hide. And we did as he commanded us and our tribulation was lifted. We have not been commanded to come out of hiding, and until Stone Chipper himself commands us, we cannot and shall not reveal ourselves to the people. If you are, as you say, Stone Chipper's successor, then surely you must know of that dream and his command!'

This was news to Gerrik. He had not heard of this command, or why it had been issued. It seemed a very strange command for Stone Chipper to give.

[color=Peru][i]I think I'd better fill you in on this one,[/i][/color] came the voice of Teknall inside Gerrik's mind. [color=Peru][i]This event took place a few years after I drove off the fiberling- you remember it. A little over thirty years ago. Word of my miracle reached this village, which as you know has its own history with fiberlings, and the chief took offence that someone else could so easily defeat a fiberling. Furthermore, the ideas drawn from our time observing the heavens were presented in such a way which opposed the local folklore, such that the Chippers were branded liars. There was also talk of bad omens. These factors drove some, including many of the chiefs, to hunt down and kill any Chippers they found. This was the first I had heard of the existence of the Chippers, so I felt a degree of responsibility for their well-being. I came by dream to all those who were in danger, around fourty in number, and told them to be wary and flee for their safety.

Since then, the old chieftains have died, and their successors are a lot more open-minded. Never thought the warning would persist this long. Don't give up on Fiberslay, though. As you might be able to guess, it is one of the most important hain settlements on Galbar, and we're going to be set back some way if you get kicked out.[/i][/color]

This information was all relayed to Gerrik in a few short seconds. In that time, he appeared to be in thought, as though trying to remember something. He received the information from Teknall, synthesised it with his enhanced mental prowess, then rapidly assembled a logical argument.
Then Gerrik gave his response to the group. 'Ah, yes, that. The vision which was sent thirty-or-so years ago to the approximately forty Chippers who were in the villages in and around Fiberslay at the time- and those Chippers only. The vision which told you to be wary and flee. That was during the time that many of the more traditional hain were seeking to kill the Chippers, for spreading what they called 'lies' and for offending their cultural heritage. And when you stopped speaking of such things and disassociated yourselves with the offending message, the hain had no more reason to kill you.

'Stone Chipper gave that command as a response to the situation at the time in Fiberslay, and it was sound advice for the time. But times have changed. The old chief is dead. People have forgotten how the Chippers offended them. You lot have developed enough cultural awareness and common sense to not tell people that all their legends and beliefs are wrong, and be smart enough to distinguish between things which are true and things which are just ideas. If any trait is essential to being a Chipper, it is being able to think rationally and logically. So follow the logic. Some actions you did created animosity against the Chippers. You receive advice from Stone Chipper regarding this animosity, which you follow. This removes you from danger, and also removes the cause of this animosity. This animosity is now gone. Provided your words or actions do nothing to anger the people again, it is entirely safe to come out of hiding. Makes sense?'

Bagid, along with most of the other hain, found themselves unconsciously nodding in agreement, but Shammik - though his suspicion had lessened - was not yet convinced.
'No, that's not right. It was not the fact that we fled and hid, in and of itself, that caused the non-Chippers to stop persecuting us. The direct cause of their ceasing was the will of Stone Chipper, not our hiding and fleeing. And Stone Chipper willed that our persecution stop because we obeyed him. Had we taken any other course of action, reasonable as it may have appeared to us, we would have ultimately met with failure: for we would have disobeyed Stone Chipper, and so he would not have willed for the persecution to cease, and so we would suffer still.

'The fact that he has continued to protect us from the anger of the others must not fool us into a false sense of safety, for his will remains only so long as we obey his command, or until another command descends which overrules the last. That is the way.'

'But Chammik,' Salib, who stood beside Bagid, suddenly said with his gruff worker's voice, 'what if it's Dgerrik that comes bearing the second command of which you speak?' at which Shammik smiled.
'The answer to that is obvious to my mind. Here, think about this: why would Stone Chipper send us the first command in one way, but the second command in a different manner? That makes no sense. He knows that we are expecting his second command to come from him in the form of a dream also, and it is only natural that we reject any other form which claims to be the second command.'
'But Shammik,' Bagid this time, 'you told us before that we will only be able to come out of hiding once Stone Chipper himself descends.'
'Yes. I did, and there is no contradiction here - for whether Stone Chipper commands us through a dream or in person is one and the same thing. In both cases we receive the commands from the ultimate source and authority direct. You understand?'

With this said, all eyes turned back to Gerrik expectantly.

Shammik was proving to be problematically stubborn. Not only that, but he had influence amongst most of the craftshain in Fiberslay. He could, potentially, jeopardise his entire mission to Fiberslay. But Gerrik kept his calm. Shammik was not yet a lost cause.

'You say the cause behind all this was Stone Chipper's will, but from where did you draw that conclusion? Stone Chipper never told you or anyone else that the persecutions stopped because he willed it. This was an assumption you made at some point. Furthermore, it is an assumption without precedent. Stone Chipper's mission has always been to promote the spread of knowledge, not to hide it away. Stone Chipper has always promoted common sense and critical thinking, not blind obedience. Whenever Stone Chipper taught us anything, we were encouraged to think rationally about why those things might be true or useful. It is likewise for what he told you thirty years ago in the dream.'

'He does speak rather reasonably, Shammik. I remember our master saying something near about the same once,' Maro, one of the older and more respected members, spoke out at at last, to nods from many others in the group. Silent for a few moments, Shammik made clear his exasperation and gave way.
'Very well, I guess what you say is somewhat reasonable, even if a part of me is yet unconvinced. What have you come to us for, then? Merely to have us declare in the open that we are truly Chippers?'

Gerrik replied, 'My mission here is the same as in every other village I have visited, and a continuation of Stone Chipper's own mission- to teach the knowledge and skills that I know and to discover new knowledge and skills that I don't know. I have come to you craftshain because you are the ones with which I have the most to share. Once I share what I know, I request that you share it with others as appropriate, but that is voluntary as it always has been.'

Gerrik sat back down and picked up the piece of flint he had been working with before Shammik interrupted. Beside it was a broad-head arrow from Gerrik's own quiver. 'Now, before you arrived, I had been showing the others how to make a better arrow for hunting. You are welcome to join us.'

'I'll think about it,' the unseated leader of the craftshain responded, 'but for now, I must go and contemplate on this...uh, unexpected series of events,' and with that, he turned away and made his way out of the village, to find a calm and quiet place where he could think.

[hider=Summary]
As Gerrik Far-Teacher travels, he reflects upon his experiences so far. Armed with new knowledge and experience, he levels up, to Level 6 (-10 Khookies)
He stops by Barbahar and watches a play. He encourages the actors to continue what they are doing.
Gerrik makes it to Fiberslay and is impressed by its size and art. As is standard, he finds the craftshain, joins them, and teaches them all the cool skills he has picked up over his decades of travel and learning.
A particular hain named Shammik watches on with disbelief. Shammik was one of the Chippers who were in Fiberslay when the persecutions occurred, and was one of the hain to receive the vision from Teknall advising him to flee for his safety. Unable to physically flee, Shammik went into hiding. He believes that the Chippers are not to reveal themselves until Stone Chipper himself orders them to, lest they incur his wrath. The other Chippers in Fiberslay are convinced of Shammik's views.
Shammik and Gerrik have a debate over their clashing ideologies.
With help from super-genius level logic, his authority as chief Chipper, and divinely granted knowledge, Gerrik manages to convince the other craftshain that there is no need to hide any longer. Shammik reluctantly caves to peer pressure, although he still does not join Gerrik's lessons.

Gerrik Far-Teacher
Start: 17 Khookies
Spent 10 Khookies
Earned 10 Khookies (15000+ characters)
End: 17 Khookies, Level 6
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