[h2][center][color=Brown]Raethel Norvegicus and the Rattus People[/color][/center][/h2]

Years passed.

Some argued that the exploratory tunnels out into the desert took more time, effort and resources to accomplish then simply equipping a band of Rattus explorers and sending them out overland on paw. This callous disregard for the lives of their follow Rattus was a minority viewpoint through... and one that was quickly countered by facts. A fact was that once they started tunneling to search for water sources up on the surface, the amount of Rattus that died or went missing dropped to zero which also meant that any equipment or supplies they might have taken with them had dropped to zero as well. 

Another was that while the tunnels themselves took time to set up, once they [i]were[/i] built the time it took for a Rattus to scamper from one end to the other was deemed a lot faster than attempting the same distance above ground due to removing the environmental conditions, threat of attack by the wild life and the sapping heat of the sky as factors to contend with. The tunnels also had the benefit of ensuring that supplies could last longer; Not only did the absence of the sun overhead reduce the strain on water supplies by a great deal, but the cooler nature of the tunnels ensured that food stuffs lasted longer then they might have on the surface. 

Inspired by this, the various outposts had started to build tunnels to each other since it provided so many benefits to being able to move around. A surface presence was of course maintained and the river still had plenty of traffic because it was still faster to go by water craft in order to get to an area that isn't next door, but there was now an option to walk from one side of Rattus held territory to the other without having to come to the surface. Crossing the river still required a water craft, but the idea of tunneling under the river was currently being discussed with the primary issue being a question of depth; How deep did the tunnel need to be so that there wasn't a risk of the river breaking through and flooding, but shallow enough that Rattus could just use it to cross the river if they wanted without having to go so far out of their way that it would be faster to go topside and take a water craft. 

While each outpost went by a different name as favored by those living there, collectively the Rattus had started to refer to their settlements as 'The First Barrows', through some Rattus had already started shortening the name down to 'First Barrows' or 'Firstbarrows'. 

The exploration of the desert had uncovered a handful of surface bodies of water... as well as couple of underground sources. It also revealed survivors of one of the exploration teams that had gone out; The gamble to keep going had paid off for them in that they had managed to locate a decently sized pool of water with life growing around it, proving enough food and water to sustain them. The pair who had decided to try risking the trip back home had not made it and they were deemed lost to the desert, despite some attempts to search the likely area they would have died in. 

These outposts of food and water proved to be wonderful staging areas in order to continue tunneling on, through the sites themselves would need to be fortified to remain secured.

[hr]

If asked about what he believed the greatest change to come to the Rattus had been over the years, Raethel would answer without hesitation 'The pups'. After the awakening there had been both young and older Rattus due to the fact that there had been young and old rats that had answered the call, but there had been no true pups among their number for over a year. Then one night a messenger had come to get him because one of the expectant mothers had finally started. While there were Rattus there who were better suited for tending to the mother's needs and trying to make sure it was a healthy birth, Raethel had still felt the need to be present at the first natural birth of a Rattus litter. 

It was... humbling in a way, seeing their bare, pink flesh and their closed eyes as they hurdled together naturally. While Raethel might have been the first of the newly created Rattus to awaken on that fateful day, one of these pups had been the first Rattus to truly be born as a Rattus rather then to have started off as a rat. So overwhelmed by the moment, he had tried to declare that his standing and title as the First would go to the first born of the litter as was their right as the first natural born Rattus... only to be stopped by the simple fact that no one actually remembered which of the pups had been the first. Sure there had been excitement when the first one came, but the mother was still birthing the rest of the litter and by the time the question of order was brought up, the pups had huddled together and gotten mixed up. While they were able to rule one out due to a mark on their skin, there was simply no way to be sure with the rest. 

In the end it was for the best that his position would remain in his possession to pass down to his own pups when they were born later on, but the original litter would at least bare the honor of being the first litter as a collective. He wasn't quite sure which of his children would be the one to take his position as Speaker just yet, but they still had plenty of growing to do before he felt the need to concern himself with grooming them for the role. Let the pups be pups.



[hider=Summary]
Years pass for the Rattus as they make progress with exploring the desert, found their first city proper (even if they don't know it as such at this time) and finally have baby Rattus! 

Raethel tried to select the first naturally born Rattus as his successor, but due to the medical staff on paw not having had much concern about keeping track of who was born first, no one actually knows. In hindsight Raethel considered this a good thing, for it meant that he could one day hand his position of Speaker down to one of his own children.
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[hider=Spirit]

Start: 2

+1 for being apart of a post for longer then a line.

Divine Quest: Claim the Land of Deserts and Hidden Rivers for the Rattus (In progress)
Divine Quest: Discover a new land across the sea (Plus discover the ability to sail on the ocean)
Divine Quest: Create safe passage through the Great Dragon Range so Rattus can explore the other side.
 

End: 3  
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