A savage display

It appears as if the chief, while respected by the village can be challenged for his position at any time. I suspect (although I have little empirical evidence to prove it) that only those of the warriors caste may challenge the chief for his position. Perhaps the other castes have no interest in ruling. I don’t know if this is the only method for choosing a new chief, or if this is a special case.

Regardless, the warrior called the chief into a circle, outlined in salt, flour or some other sort of white powder. It all seemed extremely ritualised, the two men moved slowly, mirroring each other’s movements. A crowd began to gather around them, keeping a respectful distance outside the circle.

Suddenly the ritual dissolved and the two men lunged at each other and began to grapple. The men seemed equally matched at first, the chief and the warrior trading pins and blows back and forth. The two men leapt apart and the warrior grabbed a bladed stabbing weapon. Not to be left defenseless, the chief did the same.

The battle continued, but soon it was apparent that the warrior was tiring. The chief had been dodging more and more of the warrior’s blows, forcing him to come in closer, to waste his energy.

In a flash, the chief thrust his blade inbetween the warrior’s ribs. In and out, in one smooth motion. The warrior dropped to his knees, then collapsed in the dust.

After a moment, the chief dropped to his knees and laid his hands on the dead man. What happened next was completely unexpected. The chief threw his head back and began to yell! His yell changed pitch and tone, as the chief growled out unknown words.

He was singing!

Other warriors broke from the crowd and moved towards the dead man. They picked him up and carried him into a nearby woods, as the chief followed them. They were all chanting together, some sort of funeral dirge. A few minutes later, plumes of smoke appeared from some hidden place in the woods.

What an amazing, haunting experience.

Chief in mantle of office & Warrior

Recently there was a birth in what appears to be the warrior caste. The birth was celebrated by everyone in the village, but the only members allowed to hold it were those of it’s own caste.

I’ve spent the majority of my time watching one specific caste. The warrior caste is extremely stocky and overly-muscled. Their skin is much thicker and has an orange hue to it. They seem to spend the majority of their lives training and strengthening their bodies. They are well respected among the community, and seem to have their own set of decoration and uniform.

I want to devote more time to watching the tradesmen, but they are much more difficult to track down. They are quick ones, always scurrying about.

I’ve become a bit more comfortable watching them in the past few days, even going so far as to spend some time drawing more detailed pictures of them. Their appearance is fascinating.

It seems I’m actually getting some use out of my chosen field of study in university. Or rather, the degree path Father chose for me.

Gestures

There is definitely a leader, denoted by his elaborate clothing. It also seems like certain members of the village are more respected than others. The lower members of the heirarchy seem to be making a gesture of respect as he walks among them.

I have to be careful not to arouse suspicions of my presence. I do not use my binoculars when they might risk reflecting sunlight onto the valley, and I keep my D’ni Linking Book hidden in the cave where I first entered. I’ve become more comfortable using this book and keeping my Relto book safe in my quarters.

I only watch them for short periods for safety, so I have not witnessed many examples of their culture’s rituals. I assume they are a hunting tribe as I have seen many of the larger members carrying bladed weapons. I have also noticed a lack of domesticated grazing animals.

I haven’t had the luxury of drawing the natives in detail, but I feel safe enough to do a few quick drawings once and a while.

I hope to learn more about these people. I wish I was better at coming up with names, it would be easier than just referring to them as “the savages” or “the natives”.

It’s been an entire year to the day. I’ve been so busy with the Third Age it almost slipped past me.

I can hardly believe an entire year has past.

My God, that Age is populated! There is at least one village of natives there! Absolutely unbelievable!

I’m still out of breath, but let me start at the beginning.

I linked into a dark cave system. As I wandered through the tunnels I wondered if the entire Age was underground, and why a D’ni troglodyte would write another cave-world. I noticed a pile of stones stacked up against a wall, light creeping through the cracks. I spent a few minutes removing them, and found myself in a small cave that led outside, into the beating sun.

As my eyes adjusted to the harsh brightness, I noticed I was in the middle of rolling green plains. For a long moment, I was convinced I was back in the English countryside. A hundred metres away, the land fell away into a deep valley. As I wandered towards the edge of the hill, I stopped dead.

A small circular village sat in the bottom of the valley. From where I stood I couldn’t see any details, only small bipedal creatures milling about, columns of smoke curling lazily from small campfires.

Natives!

I snapped out of my awe, and quickly ducked behind a rocky embankment. I wondered if any of them had seen me, but I decided the chance of anyone looking at that particular spot were close to nil. Even if they had been, the sun was behind me.

I decided to move back to the cave system before linking back to D’ni. As I did so I found myself running for no reason.

What am amazing turn of events! Did the D’ni know these natives? Did they share the Age with them? Did they block it off once they knew it was populated and never return?

Amazing. I want to learn more about these people…but I am unsure how they would react to seeing an outsider…

Perhaps I can observe them from afar. I have a pair of binoculars I could use…

Hmm, some consideration is required.