The Well of the Worlds

[Susano]

THE WELL OF THE WORLDS

I started a new campaign (of 16-24 episodes) over Labor Day Weekend. Called The Well of the Worlds, it can be best summed up as El Hazard meets Land of the Lost. You can read more about it here: http://surbrook.devermore.net/worldbooks/well/well.html

While it has a strong lost worlds Pulp feel, I'm placing it here because the PCs will certainly end up with nigh-superhuman capabilities once the game starts to wrap up and reach the end point. Thus, the game is a mish-mash of Champions, Pulp, Fantasy, and lost worlds goodness.


The Cast
Billy Jo Earl Brown -- construction worker from the state of Georgia.
Calvin Murdoch -- frustrated artist.
Cyan Chartreuse -- ex-Army medic, now an EMT.
Donovan Knight -- ex-Air Force, now an airline pilot.
Edward Aldrich -- ex-Army, now a computer tech.
Marcus Dreamseed Anderson -- 17 year-old whiz kid and technical prodigy.

[Susano]

Session 1


The campaign opened with Billy Jo, Calvin, Cyan, Edward, and Marcus waking up to find themselves hanging upside down in the remains of Flight 903 to Bermuda. The section they were in consisted only of the fuselage and the wings. The tail end (with the engines) and the nose (with the cockpit) were gone. After getting out, the characters spent some time looking around. The weather was cool, the local flora was mostly evergreen and bamboo, and the idea the PCs were in Bermuda was quickly squashed by the sight of an immense Himalayan-looking mountain range to what as eventually labeled “south.”

The PCs debated what to do, and ended up deciding staying put was the best option. All of the spilled carry-on luggage was collected and gone through. Anything useful was removed and sorted. The emergency doors were blown and the life-rafts removed. The rafts were cut up and used to shelter the open ends of the plane.

Marcus spent some time trying to decide where they were. He noted the sun was too low in the sky and there was no real horizon. The curvature of the Earth didn’t cut off his view of distant objects, instead things just went on and on until they faded into the distance. To make matters worse, cell phones, GPS, and compasses all failed to work.

While outside looking around, Billy Jo spotted a large flying “thing.” It wasn’t a bird (not feathers) and not a bat (far too big.) Other PCs spotted tiny lizards flitting about.

That night Marcus made another discovery—there was no moon. And no stars either. Night was dark. Very, very dark. However, there was a faint aura that played over and came from behind the mountain range. Eventually, it allowed a small degree of night vision.

The next morning, the PCs were awakened by the bellowings of what they called the “hippo-croc.” Said hippo-croc was nearly 20’ long and massively built. It was rummaging in the debris path left by the aircraft as it came down, eating just about everything it came across. The PCs, realizing said path led straight to their camp, decided to move out. Packing their gear (they had more than enough carry on bags to do with), they started to follow the local stream south, knowing that A) steams led to rivers, and B) rivers usually meant people.

After a few hours of travel, they came to a long straight furrow in the ground. While overgrown with a layer of grass, it didn’t look to be a natural feature. Hoping it might have been caused by another section of their flight, the PCs elected to follow it. They found the wreckage of a strange flying car, overgrown with weeds and the like. Edward said it looked like something from Bubblegum Crisis. Curiously, they could read the model “Vector” but didn’t recognize the maker’s logo. There was also a registration tag on the vehicle, reading “HART JR.”

At about this time, Donovan Knight stepped out and introduced himself. He’s been towards the tail end of the plane, and had woken up a few hours ago. Marcus found this interesting, as his group had been up and about for well over 24.

The PCs took a longer look at the car, and even managed to open the driver’s gull-winged door. There was a collection of bones inside, along with ragged cloths, and a really nice jacket. Closer examination of the jacket indicated it was made by Arasaka and had a tag stating it was 100% biosteel. Inside the jacket was a slipcase holding (among other things) an identification card for [name obscured] Hart Junior. The card was registered to the City of Angelus and showed that Hart had been born in 2093 and had gained his driver’s license in 2011.

Burying the bones and keeping the jacket, the PCs head “north” (per Marcus.) They followed the stream and eventually came across a herd of woolly mammoths grazing some distance away. After some debate over the idea of woolly mammoths (in Bermuda of all places!) the PCs moved on, but not before Marcus noted a feathered head poke up out of the tall grass. Seems science is right, velociraptors did have feathers.

As the day drew to a close, the PCs encountered a huge stone plaza. 100 years square, it featured an assortment of pylons and obelisks. The one in the center was probably 100’ tall before it fell, the ones on the corners are 50’, and the ones in between those are 25’. At some point the ground sank, and a whole section of the plaza sank, causing the collapse of several pylons. One, however, was open, the door laying on the ground.

Marcus took a look inside, and found bones, leaves, debris, and... a computer system? Touching what looked to be the control surface resulted in everything lighting up for a moment. Then dying out. The PCs decided to stay in the room, and good thing to, as a massive thunderstorm rolled through in the middle of the night. As the lighting flashed, Edward had his head out the door when a bolt split over his head and struck all of the still standing pylons. While Cyan attended to Edward’s eyes, Marcus saw the monitors light up, displaying some sort of diagram (or map) before everything shut down again.

The next day the party continued north, or as Donovan claimed “the center.” The center of what, being the new topic of discussion. Donovan himself wasn’t sure what the center was, only it was “there.”

While passing a thickly wooded area, the air was broken by a woman’s scream, and a female figure dashed out of the trees and bounced off of Edward. He had only a moment to realize she was blue (as in blue-skinned), when she gasped out (in English!) “Giant person!” and then dashed off again. Immediately afterwards 9-10’ of massive humanoid came out of the trees as well. There was a bit of panic and/or heroics, as the PCs reacted to this strange set of events. Edward, armed with a flare gun from one of the life-rafts, fire a flare straight at the “giant person.” The flare hit home and with a cry of pain and fear, the giant left.

The blue-skinned woman (girl actually) gave her name as Guthny, and thanked the PCs for saving her from the giant person (who are known to carry of livestock, raid crops, and kidnap people.) She also called for her friends, who had been with her gathering herbs, nuts, mushrooms, and the like. They were Dalla, a cat-eared and tailed “hunting person” and Vilgerthr, a “leaping person” who looked to the PCs live a svelte human crossed with a rat and/or ferret. Guthny, it turned out, was a farming person.

Asking if they were traders, the three girls agreed the PCs needed to come back to their village, to speak to the elders about the attack of the giant person. If there’s one, there’s more. Along the way, the PCs were introduced to one of the village elders, Mister Grim, a laconic leaping person who smoked a pipe and carried a hoe on one shoulder.

Once in the village, the PCs found it to be roughly 100 strong, split 50 farming people, and 25 each hunting and leaping people. Much to the PCs interest, everyone looked to be in excellent physical shape. While there were signs of age and injury, illness seemed to be non-existent. Also, the villagers were all well-toned and attractive. Dress was Nordic (although everyone sort of thought “generic Hollywood middle ages”) as was the general culture.

Brought to the village elders, the PCs met Váli, and aged (very aged) blue-skinned farming person, Mister Grimm, Vidar, a red-skinned blacksmith (and quite young compared to the others), and Mother Gytha, a aged hunting person who must have been devastatingly beautiful when she was younger. Seeing as the PCs were hungry, they were fed and allowed to hold their own council before meeting with the elders directly.

[Susano]

Notes
The PCs have seen the following animals: the hippo-croc, the flying not-a-bird, wooly mammoths, the feathered dinosaur, numerous small ground lizards, a giant person, chickens, goats, sheep, and horses. The latter four look normal enough, but you never can tell.

There is no horizon, moon, or stars. Also, the sun is too low in the sky.

Everyone speaks English. Actually, the PCs aren’t sure what the villagers speak. Everyone hears English.

Marcus has a 100% biosteel armored jacket from circa 2100.
Edward has a flare gun and 2 flares.
Someone has the other flare gun and three flares.
Cyan has a bag of assorted medical supplies.

You’ve met the following people
Guthny (gooth-nee) the blue-skinned farming person. She won’t stop talking.
Dalla the hunting person. She has tanned skin and white hair. She’s the tomboy of the three.
Vilgerthr (vil-gerth) the leaping person. She has white fur and hair. She’s the quiet one.
Váli (vow-lee) another blue-skinned farming person. He is the oldest person in the village.
Mister Grimm the leaping person farmer. He’s more gray then white, and has a pipe.

[Yansuf]

The card was registered to the City of Angelus and showed that Hart had been born in 2093 and had gained his driver’s license in 2011.

I assume that is a typo, he got his license in 2111?

[Susano]

I assume that is a typo, he got his license in 2111?

Yeah... I'll fix that in the one I sent the players.

[Susano]

The next game session isn't until the 25th. That's when things will really pick up, with at least one major fight scene.

[Susano]

Well, the Wild Mass Guessing has started. The players have different theories as to where they are. The common one is an artificial world somewhere. They're also trying to decide what kind of artificial world. At least one PC think he's in a Dyson Sphere.

[Deadborder]

Well, the Wild Mass Guessing has started. The players have different theories as to where they are. The common one is an artificial world somewhere. They're also trying to decide what kind of artificial world. At least one PC think he's in a Dyson Sphere.

At least give him points for that. Dyson Spheres are cool!

[Susano]

Session 2

Having had dinner and spoken among themselves, the PCs then spoke to the elders of Fyrkat Village. They mentioned they’d come from far away in a vehicle, had arrived here by accident, and didn’t know home was. Low on food, wanting a decent night’s rest, a bath, and clean clothes, the PCs appealed to the villagers for aid.

The villagers agreed to help the PCs if the PCs would help them. Since they’d driven off a Giant Person by setting it on fire, perhaps they could help drive off the entire nest? Giant Person were known nuisances. They raided crop, stole livestock, and kidnapped people (to eat, apparently.) The PCs, after some discussion, agreed.

The next two days or so were taken up with preparations. Arms (axes, spears, hatchets, knives, and bowers) were brought out and made ready. The village’s armor (byrnies and corslets of wax-soaked leather) was also taken out of storage and serviced. The PCs realized the village’s weapons were all tools, either for wood working or hunting. This wasn’t a warrior culture, and they didn’t have swords, battle axes, pikes, or items of that nature. They also didn’t have helmets or shields.

Loading a horse drawn wagon (it turns out the village’s horses have three toes!) the party of 12 villages (mostly Hunting People, with a few Farming and Leaping People as well) headed out to where the PCs encountered the first Giant Person. Hunting People then tracked the Giant Person back to his (her?) lair, a large stone plaza. The “Baptismal Pool Plaza” consisted of close-set flagstones up against a steep hill. Four storerooms were set in the hill (this is where the Giant People laired.) At a right angle to the hill was a line of columns and arches, where the two met was a tall obelisk topped by a weathered statue. The base of the obelisk was a deep pool and a channel that led out to three large rectangular pools.

The PCs and the villagers lined up on the far side of the channel and fired a flare and fire arrows into the store rooms. Things caught fire, the Giant People came out bellowing, and the battle was on.

The fight lasted for maybe a minute or so (actually 2 Turns, but let’s be dramatic here) and resulted in four dead Giant Persons and two that ran away. Billy Jo and Cyan managed to kill on, Marcus got one all on his own, and Edward and Donavan took down the biggest. The villagers assisted (in fact, they killed one Giant Person with an arrow to the eye when the GM rolled a 4.) One villager had been struck down by a Giant Person and needed help, Billy Jo had been punched across the plaza by one of the biggest Giant Persons and was miraculously unharmed, while Edward received an open-handed blow from the biggest Giant Person and was suffering from cracked ribs. Calvin saw Marcus struck down, found this was one of those times where he wished he could erase and start over, and then saw Marcus duck the blow that moments before had nearly killed him. Dalla, for her part, had plunged forward to the attack, slipped on the channel’s muddy bottom and fell and hit her head.

Cyan tended to the wounded, and informed everyone that Dalla wasn’t as badly injured as everyone had thought. Calvin was relieved to this hear this, as his attempt to reverse the event (per what had happened with Marcus) had failed. Cyan also tended to the injured villager, and wrapped up Edward’s ribs. The stress of combat resulted in Donovan getting physically ill and Marcus sitting in the wagon in a daze. Upon their return to Fyrkat, the PCs were treated as heroes. A feast was held in their honor and they were gifted with arms, clothes, and the like.

A month later found the PCs, for the most part, fairly well settled into village life. The PCs all felt better than they’d ever had before, losing (or gaining) weight as they discovered what is was like to live in a Iron Age society. However, while physically they felt well, there was the growing realization that this was their future—a life with out running water, electricity, modern medical care, refrigeration, indoor plumbing, and so on. Needless to say, the PC’s reactions were varied:

Billy Jo Earl Brown decided to capitalized on his hero’s welcome by taking a Hunting Person lover (or two... or more....) The discovery that Farming Person and Hunting Persons were sexually compatible but unable to bear children was only an added bonus. He also spent time going on hunting trips and working with Herger, the village’s Leaping Person carpenter.

Calvin Murdoch introduced the villagers to the idea of modern styles of art (such as pencil sketches.) He too ended up working with Herger, as his pencil sketching skills were a bonus when it came time to do wood carvings. Herger ended up teaching Calvin woodcarving, the art of drinking mead, and knowingly looked the other way when Calvin bedded his daughter. In fact, Calvin rapidly commenced a bed-by-bed tour of the village. It started when he was shown the Undines (or Water People) a race of mer-men (half-human, half-dish) who dwelled in the nearby river. His sketches of the nude female Undines started a strange rivalry, in which various unattached female villagers compared themselves to the sketches and then asked him to sketch them. Things went downhill from there....

Cyan Chartreuse found herself apparently “adopted” by Mother Gytha. She spent long hours with Gytha and Vilgerthr, learning herb lore and the uses of medicinal plants.

Donovan Knight spent a lot of time simply getting to know the villager and its people. He also asked about the world around them and who dwelled in it (more information below.) At one point Mister Grimm lent him a pipe and sat down for a smoke. Among their topics of discussion was the fact the villagers recognized that cross-race love affairs occur. They were recognized as inevitable, not considered taboo, and were tolerated, provided both parties recognized their responsibilities to the village and eventually started same-race families. However, it was insinuated that starting a same-race family didn’t mean the end to the cross-race affair.

Edward Aldrich worked with the Vidar the blacksmith on making useful things out aircraft aluminum. He also tried (and failed) to make a crossbow and a katana, and practiced with the weapons he’d gained after the battle with the Giant People. The other PCs were amazed to see him lose something like 40 pounds in just four weeks! As for Edward, he decided he never really needed to leave. The villager was all he could have ever wanted, and better yes, it had catgirls! He too capitalized on his hero's welcome to take a Hunting Person lover.

Marcus Dreamseed Anderson, much like Donovan, spent him time getting to know the villagers in the non-Biblical sense. He used his knowledge of science to ask about crop rotation (the villagers did that already, cycling crops around season to season), created a still, helped turn the aricraft aluminum into bowls and spoons, learned carpentry, smithing, and the runic written language. He also found a constant companion in Vilgerthr, who adored him. Marcus, for his part, found Vilgerthr to be a great friend, but was oblivious to her true feelings. Everyone else on the other hand....

[Susano]

Notes

The vicarious thrill of having your PCs make love to Green-Skinned Alien Space Babes came to a crashing halt when it was realized that the long houses everyone lives in have no walls, doors, or private rooms. You get, in effect, curtains. On the other hand, while everyone knows that you’re doing, no one comments on it. There’s an open acceptance that comes from such close-quarters community living.

The villager’s religion centers around farming and growing. They don’t seem to have gods, exactly, but do have rituals enacted to ensure good crops, good growth, and so on. The feel is somewhat animist. However, they do have one strong and overriding belief—things from the sky, like people, are bad. Very, very bad.

The PCs have seen the following new animals: small medium and large Giant Persons. Village sheep have anywhere from two to six horns while the horses have three toes. The village doesn’t have dogs, but has a lot of large feathered monitor lizards as pets.

The village measures time by growing seasons. A season is 120 days (give or take.) The PCs learn to divide by three to get approximate years. Thus, when Guthny says she’s 48 seasons old, that means she’s around 16. In addition, there’s no cold season. In other words, the village never has to deal with food running out in the middle of winter. This is one reason they all look so healthy.

Mention is made of the ocean, far to the Center. Trade goods come up from the ocean. This include glass objects (beads and the like), mirrors, saw blades, gold and sliver, fine cloth, and so on.

Fyrkat is one of a cluster of villages all a day’s travel from each other.

Heading towards the ocean is forest, forest, more forest, and then wide plains of grass. Then the ocean itself. The PCs are pretty sure this “map” is fairly abstracted.

Talk has given the PCs the following idea of the local population:
Building/Farming People are basically humans with unusual skin colors (red, green, blue, and so on.)
Hunting People are humans with secondary feline characteristics (ears, tails, eyes, claws.)
Leaping People are basically anthropomorphic rats/ferrets.
Running People are tall (easily 6’) brown-ish skinned humans with pale hair, long legs, and long ears on their heads. Common wisdom is to never challenge one to a footrace. Running people come up from the Center lands.
The forests towards the Center are inhabited by the Forest People, who appear as green-skinned Farming People who live in the trees.
The forests also contain the vaguely-described “Beast People.”
Giant People live up towards the mountains. At best guess, a Giant Person is a form of simian, perhaps a Gigantoithecus.
Gnomes are short (no more than 5’ tall) gray-skinned with red, black, or gray hair, and live in the ground. They are known as the Burrowing or Mining People. The PCs immediately think “dwarves” upon hearing about them.
Undines, or the Water People, have humanoid torsos and fish-scaled lower bodies. Undines are considered safe-water indicators. If you see them in a lake or river, the water is “safe.” (This leads to the question of “safe from what?”) Meeting the Undines quickly dispelled any notions of “that’s impossible” the PCs might have had when told about other races. Calvin may have romanced a female Undine... if so, he’s not saying.
Naga, or Serpent People, are rumored to dwell in the Forests. They have humanoid upper bodies and the lower bodies of huge snakes.

You’ve met the following people
Halli (hal-lee) the red-skinned Farming Person who is an apprentice to Vidar the blacksmith. He’s around 18 and has a physique similar to Vidar’s
Finnogi (fin-nbohgee) the Hunting Person who is an apprentice to Vidar the blacksmith. He’s around 16 and shows signs of developing muscle (he’ll probably end up the most muscular Hunting Person in the village.)
Dagfithr (dag yreeth) the blue-skinned Farming Person who is Vidar’s wife. She helps with the smithing and if seven feet tall and green would make an excellent She Hulk.
Herger (her-ge) is a gray-furred Leaping Person and the village carpenter. He has a great sense of humor (his advice to Marcus when the latter couldn’t properly lift a hammer was “Grow stronger.”) His hair is worn long and heavily braided and decorated (his wife’s work.) Billy Jo is in slight awe at his ability to eyeball measurements.
Hildigunnr (heel-dee-goon-n) is Herger’s wife. She has an unusual physique for a Leaping Person (she’s very curvaceous) and wears her hair to her waist. She’s also the village’s primary barber, if the need arises.
Authfríthr (aooth-freeth) is Herger and Hildigunnr’s daughter. She’s unique in being very dark-furred, as opposed to the typical Leaping Person grays and whites.

[Susano]

WELL OF THE WORLDS RACIAL GUIDE

RACES YOU’VE MET

Farming People: The average Farming Person is rather tall, standing 5’8” to 6’ for men, 5’6” to 5’9” for women, and in excellent physical shape, both strong and hardy. They’re also rather colorful, with skin (and hair) colors ranging from dead black to pure white, and just about everything in between. The most common colors are blue, green, and red, with some yellow and purple. Hair color usually matches skin tones, but not always.

Hunting People: Shorter then Farming People, Hunting People average about 5’4”-5’6” for females and 5’7”-5’9” for males, with lithe and supple builds. They have classic anime “cat-girl” looks—vertical pupils, cat’s ears, sharp teeth, tails, and so on. They tend to have pale to white hair and tanned/bronzed-skinned bodies (they aren’t furred). Hunting People are always fit in appearance and exotically attractive.

Leaping People: Averaging 5’6” to 5’8”, Leaping People are a race of humanoid rats/ferrets/kangaroo rats. Noted for their agility (although not as agile as the Hunting People), Leaping People are, as their name implies, great leapers, able to clear distances of 9 to 10 feet (or more) from a standing start. Their bodies are furred and very slender. They also have human-like hair on their heads, thin, smooth-furred tails, and legs that digitigrade.

Giant People: Humanoids that stand upwards of 10 feet in height. They are covered in hair and look like a cross between a chimpanzee and a gorilla. At best guess, a Giant Person is a form of early simian, perhaps a Gigantoithecus. Giant People raid settlements for crops, livestock, and people, and will eagerly eat anything they catch.

Water People: Also known as Undines, they have the heads, arms, and torsos of humans (some have pointed ears), with finely-scaled fishtails. These tails are brightly colored with a broad horizontal fin at the base. Skin and hair tend to be fair in color, although the hair might be greenish or bluish. Water People breath air and are a sign of “safe” water for bathing, swimming, and the like.

RACES YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT

Running People are tall (easily 6’) brown-skinned humans with pale hair, long legs, and long ears on their heads. Common wisdom is to never challenge one (or accept a challenge) to a footrace. Running people come from the Center lands.

The forests towards the Center are inhabited by the Forest People. They appear as green-skinned Farming People and live in the trees.

The forests also contain the vaguely-described “Beast People.”

Gnomes are short (no more than 5’ tall) humanoids with broad, muscular builds. They have grayish skins with red, brown, black, or gray hair. Also known as the Burrowing or Mining People they dwell under ground and trade ore and finished metal goods for foodstuffs. The PCs immediately think “dwarves” upon hearing about them.

Naga, or Serpent People, are rumored to dwell in the Forests. They have humanoid upper bodies and the lower bodies of huge snakes.

Goblins, or Night People. These are small humanoids who prowl about when the sun goes down. They are said to steal livestock, steal harvests, kill the unwary, and eat the dead. They are also known as Night Thieves, Eaters of the Dead, and similar names.

The people of Fyrkat claim to have met Running People and Gnomes, and have battled raids by Goblins.

PEOPLE YOU’VE MET

Guthny (gooth-nee) a blue-skinned Farming Person. Aged 16, she’s perky, vivacious, and won’t stop talking. In the modern era, she’d be a cheerleader and in the glee club.
Dalla the Hunting Person. She has the typical tanned skin and white hair. She’s a tomboy (in this case meaning she hunts, fights, and so on) and is also about 16 or so.
Vilgerthr (vil-gerth) the Leaping Person. She has white fur and hair and is Mister Grim’s daughter and Mother Gytha’s apprentice. Quiet and studious, she’d wear glasses and have an arm-load of books if this was Teen Champions.
Váli (vow-lee) a blue-skinned Farming Person. He is the oldest person in the village, but still retains his build, which must have been impressive when he was younger. He tends to think before speaking, and isn’t one for idle chit-chat.
Mister Grimm the Leaping Person farmer. He’s more gray then white, and is never seen without his a pipe and straw hat. He speaks slowly, with a lot of thoughtful pauses, and seems have come from Central Casting with the label “wise-old grand-dad.”
Vidar (vee-dar), is a red-skinned Farming Person blacksmith. He was seen dressed in only trousers and leather work apron, and has an impressive physique (think the guy who played “Thor” in Adventures in Babysitting.)
Halli (hal-lee) the red-skinned Farming Person who is an apprentice to Vidar the blacksmith. He’s around 18 and has a physique similar to Vidar’s
Finnogi (fin-nbohgee) the Hunting Person who is an apprentice to Vidar the blacksmith. He’s around 16 and shows signs of developing muscle (he’ll probably end up the most muscular Hunting Person in the village.)
Dagfithr (dag yreeth) the blue-skinned Farming Person who is Vidar’s wife. She helps with the smithing and if seven feet tall and green would make an excellent She Hulk.
Mother Gytha (gee-tha) the Hunting Person. Likened to Sophia Loren, she’s akin to the village doctor, midwife, and nurse all rolled into one.
Herger (her-ge) is a gray-furred Leaping Person and the village carpenter. He has a great sense of humor (his advice to Marcus when the latter couldn’t properly lift a hammer was “Grow stronger.”) His hair is worn long and heavily braided and decorated (his wife’s work.) Billy Jo is in slight awe at his ability to eyeball measurements.
Hildigunnr (heel-dee-goon-n) is Herger’s wife. She has an unusual physique for a Leaping Person (she’s very curvaceous) and wears her hair to her waist. She’s also the village’s primary barber, if the need arises.
Authfríthr (aooth-freeth) is Herger and Hildigunnr’s daughter. She’s unique in being very dark-furred, as opposed to the typical Leaping Person grays and whites.

[Susano]

Despite his name, Calvin felt Mister Grimm was anything but. Sure, he was a nearly six foot anthropomorphic ferret/rat/... person, and that would have been enough to set several people Calvin knew back in high school into a fit of the screaming heebie-jeebies, but the effect was spoiled by the broad straw hat he always wore and the thoughtful manner he puffed on his pipe when asked a question. In Calvin’s opinion Mister Grimm (he’d found he couldn’t think of the man without adding the “Mister” part) would have been right at home on the front porch of a general store in Maine or Massachusetts somewhere, playing checkers, drinking beer, smoking his pipe, and discussing the weather, farming, fishing, and if the Sox were going to make it to the Series again this year.

“Where did we all come from?” Mister Grimm closed his eyes, rubbed his chin, and paused to exhale a cloud of smoke. It hadn’t taken long to learn you didn’t rush Mister Grimm. He came to his answers in his own due time, and couldn’t be hurried.

“Fyrkat was founded several hundred season ago.” He gestured with the stem of his pipe westward before continuing. “When the town of Askam grew too large, people came here, found the land good, and settled.”

Grimm took a long draw on his pipe and gazed at Calvin expectantly. Yeah, he belonged in New England... or in a movie, playing the quintessential grandfather. “But that’s not what you meant, is it?”

No, no it wasn’t.

“For me, Fyrkat always has and always will be.” He shrugged, “I normally leave such questions to Mother Gytha.” He paused again, and gave Calvin a wink. “But, I should do something to pass the time while you put my picture in that book of yours.

“The Farming People say they have always been here. That the world was made for them or that they were made for the world.” Another shrug,” I don’t know about that, but I know there are more of them than any other people.” He paused and eyed Calvin for a moment, “But then, all women are the same once the candle goes out, right?”

Calvin dropped his pencil and felt his face grow red. The casual acceptance of sex here in the village took some getting used to. Part of it stemmed from an acknowledgment that inter-species romances were inevitable, the other was that the long houses had no inner walls or doors, just curtains. So if you decided to take a villager up on her offer, odds were everyone else in the long house was going to know what you were up to. However, for the most part, they simply took it in stride, without all of the sniggering and whispering you’d get back home.

“The Hunting People have stories of living in a great forest, a forest larger than the world, and coming here in search of fresh game.” Mister Grimm shook his head and smiled slightly. “They do like their stories.”

And the Leaping People?

“We came out of the ground.”

The ground.

“Long ago, the Leaping People lived underground, like the Mining People do. We ate roots and crawling things. We ate that which ate mud.” Mister Grimm set his pipe aside, clasped his thin-fingered hands together (thin or not, they had a grip like iron), and leaned back, closing his eyes. “We lived in damp darkness, not knowing of the sun, or fire, or metal. Then, one day, as we dug for new roots, the roof of our world fell in, and we rose from broken earth to find ourselves in a world of light and heat. Of sun and air, of fire and water. Of things to eat that grew out of the ground and not in it.” He paused and leaned forward.

“And that is how the Leaping People came to be.”

[Susano]

Of all the peoples in Fyrkat, it was the Leaping People Calvin found most fascinating. Mainly because they were so different. The Farming People looked like, well, people, even if they were green, or blue, or red. In fact, they didn’t look much different than that green-skinned Orion Space Babe from the Star Trek reboot. Hunting People had cat-like ears and tails, but to be honest, he’d seen booth babes at anime cons who looked much the same (although the average female Hunting Person looked far hotter than your average anime con booth babe.) But the Leaping People....

For starters the Leaping People weren’t human. Oh, they were humanoid in their general physical makeup, but they didn’t look like someone in a fursuit. They were pure modern CGI special effects in the flesh, and truth be told, they were kind of awesome. He’d already filled pages of his sketchbook with drawings, featuring anything from Mister Grimm smoking his pipe after a day in the fields, to Authfríthr proving exactly how human Leaping People actually looked under their clothes (far more than he first thought, that was for sure.)

Calvin looked up from the plank he was scribing to realize Herger had been talking to him. The village carpenter, Herger had been another one of his frequent sketching subjects, mainly due his heavily braided hair. It was his wife’s work, Herger had said, the first time Calvin had drawn him. She worked glass beads and metal rings into his hair, and tended to mix things up periodically. The end result was fairly impressive, and made the gentle-natured woodworker look positively fierce.

“What was that?”

Herger nodded to the workshop’s entrance, “Put down your knife, Little Brother, it’s time for lunch.”

And there was Hildigunnr (Heger’s aforementioned wife), with Authfríthr in tow (man, were Fyrkat names a mouthful), carrying in a wide wooden platter loaded with food. Leaping People, heck, the entire village Calvin had noted, ate everything. There was meat (usually game brought in by the Hunting People), fish, birds, fruit (such as apples, pears, and berries), vegetables (including carrots, potatoes, and corn), grains, and leafy greens. There was also loaves of coarse bread (Wonderbread would have been a miracle to the villagers) as well as cheeses, butter, and honey. Nothing was wasted, and leftovers often went into the stewpot. Any leftovers after that went into the compost pile. And the funny thing was... it also tasted fantastic. Duncan had said it was because the food was fresh—often right from the fields, and hadn’t suffered any of the taste-leaching processes used to prepare modern canned and frozen foods.

Authfríthr handed Calvin a plate with a quick smile. She was an oddity in the village, having almost gunmetal gray fur and black hair, which was so unlike the rest of the Leaping People’s gray, silver, and white. Her mother Hildigunnr was also somewhat unique, as she possessed a curvy build more akin to the Farming People’s than the leaner physiques of the Leaping People. She also wore her hair long, waist-length at least, since she apparently didn’t trust anyone else but herself to cut it (she was the closest thing the village had to a barber.) Calvin had drawn her portrait, but felt trying to get her to pose like Authfríthr did was pushing his luck.

Lunch was thick slices of bread with butter and honey, cold meat, and wedges of cheese, washed down with cold water from the cellar storage. Simple, yet it beat any fast food he’d ever had. And best yet, lunch allowed time for questions. And today’s subject was the village’s religious customs and observations.

Picking a bit of meat out of his teeth with one clawed finger (Leaping People had claws, not fingernails, but they were too small and short to really be dangerous... unlike Hunting People’s claws... which Billy Jo apparently found out the hard way,) Herger examined the wood-shop's ceiling. “We don’t have ‘gods’ like you describe them,” he said at last. “But we do give thanks to the earth and water every harvest.”

“And planting,” Hildigunnr added.

“Aye, and planting.” Herger took a swallow of water and then continued. “You see, when it comes time to plant a field, we offer our thanks to the earth for giving us crops, to the sun for shining up them so they’ll grow, and the rain for bringing us water.”

“And when harvest comes,” Hildigunnr took up the narrative, “we give thanks for the food we are about to gather. Harvest is also a time of plenty, with feasts, games of skill and chance, and sporting contests.”

“Such as?”

As an answer Herger causally flipped a knife into length of scrap wood. “Archery, spear throwing, knife throwing, foot races, dice games, tafl games, and so on. Traders usually come around harvest time, to trade cloth and glass for tobacco, hides, antlers, and crops.”

“It’s also when craftsmen show off their best work.” Now it was Authfríthr’s turn. She nodded to Herger. “Father always has a new chest to present, Vidar has fine spears, and there will be new cloaks and clothes.”

Hildigunnr took up the narrative next. “We offer thanks for a harvest taken by holding feasts and setting aside a share of the crop. When we offer thanks before a planting we do so by returning the shares set aside to the earth. We also let the earth rest between plantings, and feed it with the remains of our meals.”

Of course. That explained some of what Marcus had talked about. The villagers rotated their crops between fields, letting some set for a season. They also collected manure (as well as the contents of the village latrines) and spread that over the fields periodically. Nothing in the village went to waste. Ragged clothes became rags, broken tools were either repaired or reforged into new items. Leather goods went into the compost heap. To simply throw something away was apparently unthinkable.

Now Herger spoke again. “We honor the earth, the sun, and the rain, for they bring us food for life.” He gestured at his shop, “They also bring us wood and metal for tools, feed for the goats and sheep, which gives us clothes, and light to see by, warmth during the day, and water to drink.”

“What about the air?”

There was a long moment of silence. Herger and Hildigunnr glanced knowingly at each other. Finally, coming to an unspoken agreement, Herger nodded to his wife.

“Little Brother, I tell this you only because you’re a stranger here,” Hildigunnr said. “We’ve heard stories about evil spirits of the air. Terrible beings who fly across the sky on roof beams and raid villages. They come in the night to steal away people, much like the Giant People do. But unlike the Giant People, they also pillage and burn, and leave only ruins behind.”

Authfríthr shuddered. “Night People are bad enough, but people from the sky? Mother used to threaten me with them when I was little and didn’t want to go to bed.”

“I told her they’d come and take her away unless she was safely abed,” Hildigunnr explained.

Much like the bogeyman. Except after seeing real, live, mermaid, I’m not so sure about laughing off stories of people who fly around at night and attack villages.

[Susano]

DISCUSSING PEOPLE OVER DINNER

Donovan stepped inside the smithy and announced, "Wood's all chopped, Vidar. Any other chores you need help with?"

He'd had the decency to put his shirt back on, but his face was still flushed from the recent exercise. The heat emanating from the open furnace didn't help matters.

"Hmmm..." Vidar mulled, chin in hand, as he glanced around the somewhat cramped confines of the smithy.

The building was made from stone from the ground to about knee-high, then wooden walled and roofed. Inside was the forge, bellows, woodpile, anvil (set into one serious stump) and a whole assortment of hammers, tongs, bars, dippers, and who knew what all.

Added to the mix was red-skinned Vidar, who looked almost satanic in the glow from the furnace’s red-hot coals, and two apprentices — his son Halli, who was as red as his father (and probably would end up as well-muscled) and Finnogi the Hunting Person, who was starting to bulk up far beyond what Donovan suspected was normal for one of the feline-looking humans.

"Ah!" Vidar brightened and then pointed to a number of straw brooms in one corner. "You three can sweep out the dust, draw water, refill the wood pile, and rake the coals." Nodding in satisfaction, he sat down on the anvil, resting his broad hands on his thick thighs.

"A clean shop keeps the fires down," he explained. "So don't skimp on your sweeping."

Donovan laughed, shaking his head. "One would almost suspect you were testing out a new apprentice," he said with a chuckle.

He turned to the two actual apprentices and cheerfully directed, "All right, we'll gang up on the invading dust bunnies, then I'll finish the woodwork by bringing it in, while Halli, you rake the coals, and Finnogi, you bring in the water. Sound good? Let's do it."

The two young men stared at Donovan for a moment, open mouthed, before turning to look at Vidar. The smith simply shrugged his broad shoulders and chuckled. "Sooner you clean up, the sooner you eat."

It didn’t take Donovan long to realize cooperative cleaning up had become a race to clean up. Finnogi and Halli seemed to be a bit put out by being told what to do by someone who wasn’t even an apprentice (and even if he was, he was their junior!), but also didn’t want to cause trouble in front of their master. That, and Donovan was getting his share of the work down in a manner that was both thorough and efficient. For several minutes there was no sound other than the rasp of brooms across the hard-packed earth, at which point the three scattered — Donovan to bring in several arm-loads of wood, Halli to smooth the glowing pile of coals into a warm bed, and Finnogi to tear off across the camp to the well, a bucket in each hand.

Finally, the three stood panting while Vidar carefully surveyed the inside of the smithy. With a well-practiced eye he examined the forge, the floor, and the large water tub used for quenching. Donovan felt like he was back in basic, with the drill sergeant examining the barracks before granting the troops leave.

"Excellent," the red man pronounced. "I see a little competition is good once in a while.

"Now," he clapped his hands together, "Let us eat."

That was the signal for Dagfithr, Vidar’s wife, to step into the forge carrying a cloth-covered basket. Unlike most of the women in the village, she tended to wear short-sleeved gowns, which revealed arms positively rippling with muscle. Vidar had mentioned that Dagfithr had helped with the forge before Halli had joined him. Even now, she sharpened knives and axes, set the shafts that Herger brought over, and worked the bellows. Which meant the creaking basket she had with her was probably loaded to the breaking point.

Setting the basket down on a table, Dagfithr pointed at the two apprentices. "Plates, knives, spoons, and cups," she commanded. "Also a bottle of mead, for we have a guest tonight." Not being fools, the two teens made themselves scarce.

Taking the cover off of the basket, she laid it across the table, slapping Vidar’s hand away before the smith could sample anything. "Donovan," she said, "could you set this out?"

"Yes, ma'am," Donovan replied politely, knowing full well who was in charge. He examined the basket's contents and carefully began removing items to arrange on the table. Two layers down, Donovan was still unloading foodstuffs and searching for any free space to place it. He'd once been invited to a Thanksgiving dinner by a friend from a large family. This spread was in the running to beat that dinner by sheer bulk and variety. The amount and selection of meat, vegetables, breads, and more was mind-staggering.

He wondered how much of this food was actually going to get eaten, then glanced at Vidar, Dagfithr and the two apprentices as they returned with table settings and retired his question. He had to admit, after the work he'd done today, he could easily put down a good share of the repast all by himself.

He found places for the last few things by the simple expediency of removing the basket from the table, then looked at Dagfithr expectantly for her assessment.

"Good," she acknowledged with a nod and then handed a knife and two-tined fork to Vidar. "Husband, if you will divide the meat?"

While he could understand all of their words, Donovan still found some of the meanings to be a bit puzzling. "Meat," for example. It didn’t (usually) refer to what he thought of meat — animal flesh — but instead to anything you ate. He’d felt somewhat pleased when he realized it was the origin of the phrase "meat and drink."

However, in this case, Dagfithr really did mean "meat," which Vidar started to carve with gusto, laying slabs of goat and pork on each plate, while Dagfithr added slices of dark bread and wedges of rich goat’s cheese. The two apprentices busied themselves with pouring drinks and filling small bowls with broth and vegetables.

"Now," Vidar said, after a few moments of doing nothing but eat (and Donovan could hardly blame him, the food was simple, but good), "you have worked for me, so now comes your payment. You had questions?"

Donovan swallowed the mouthful of food and answered quickly, "Yes, sir."

He paused a second to organize his thoughts. "As I mentioned before, my friends and I are strangers in this land We know very little about it or the people that live on it. You've had a chance to meet and talk with passing traders. Any information you could give me about what lies towards the ocean, what sort of people we might meet as we travel there, well, it would help us very much.

"For example, we've met the people here in Fyrkat: the Farmers, the Hunters, and the Leapers. We've, well, encountered the Giants, and heard about the Night People. Are there any other races? Any others that we should watch out for?"

Vidar gnawed on a length of bone and thought. Beside him Dagfithr pushed a spoon around in a bowl of leafy greens, then leaned over, her braids hiding her face a she spoke in low tones.

Nodding to his wife’s whispers, Vidar looked over to Donovan. "I am reminded that while the Night People are small, much smaller than the Giant People, and shorter than most of us here, they are not to be ignored. They seem to treat night as we do day, and can be quieter than a Hunting Person on the prowl." He tossed the bone into a large bowl of scraps, feed for the pigs and compost piles. "They can climb as well, and have snuck over the walls more than once. They steal anything small — food mostly — but will take your livestock if they can."

"My mother told me they steal children," Finnogi supplied.

"And the dead," Halli added.

Dagfithr glanced at the two young men. "They do both, if they can."

Spreading butter and honey on a hunk of bread, Vidar gestured to Donovan with his knife. "You can tell a Night Person because they are dark and short, with large eyes and ears."

"Donovan?" Halli asked, "Have you seen the Water People?"

"No, Halli, I haven't," Donovan answered with an amiable smile. "Are they friendly?"

"They are," Finnogi answered quickly, edging out his fellow apprentice. "And are a sign of good luck. Water People in a lake or river means the water is safe to bathe in or drink from."

"They look as you or I do," Vidar rumbled, "but have pale skins, like Marcus does. Their hair is long and green or blue, like Dagfithr’s."

"But they have no legs," Dagfithr stated with a glance at her husband, who held one of her braids as an example to Donovan. "Instead they are like a fish below the waist. Like this." She used her knife to lift a fish’s tail from its bowl of sauce and nodded at it.

Donovan's eyebrows climbed up his face. Mer-people? he thought incredulously. Are they pulling my leg?

He took a bite of some bread to give him time to ponder this. He had no way to know if this was their idea of a joke, but his gut told him they were being sincere.

I should let Calvin know about this. The guy would probably freak about getting to draw honest to goodness real mermaids, he thought, smiling at the image.

Finally, Donovan responded. "We have legends back where I'm from about people like that, but I've never seen one. Are some near? Do you... trade with them?"

"They live lower in the river," Vidar replied. "We trade some of our food, like cheeses, vegetables, and fruits, for the fish they catch."

"Herger makes them wooden spears in exchange for pearls," Halli supplied.

"And they eat everything raw. Even frogs," Finnogi added, with a look of slight disgust.

Donovan decided this was not a good time to bring up sushi. He nodded and said, "Thank you," then turned to Vidar. "Do you have any information on the people we might meet when we'll travel..." he paused as he racked his brain to recall the term the villagers used for the Center, "ah, sunward?"

"Burrowing People?" Dagfithr inquired as Vidar looked thoughtful.

Donovan looked at Vidar inquisitively.

"No, they’re mountainward," the smith answered, then looked over at Donovan. "The Burrowing People live in the ground. They’re short, maybe this high," he held his hand about five feet from the ground, "but very strong. They dig homes in the earth and mine for metal to trade for food. I visit them about once a season."

"Okay," Donovan replied, furiously scrubbing the mental image of a marching line of cartoony little people singing "Heigh,ho!" out of his head. "Any chance they may also be sunward? Do they travel outside of the mountains?"

The smith gave a shrug of his broad shoulders. "I travel mountainward to trade with them. If they are elsewhere, I can’t say."

He set a small bowl on the table and pointed at it. "This is Fyrkat." He set a large bowl near it. "This is Askam, which is the size of four Fyrkats." ("At least," Dagfithr clarified.) A crust of bread became the mountains, a berry the home of the Burrowing People. Vidar then made wide sweeping motions aways from 'Askam.'

"Traders come up from the ocean, which is said to be a lake so large you can’t see across it. They pass through many forests and across wide plains before they reach us. They come every harvest, then return, making a circuit across the land and up and down the escarpments, pass through the lands of many peoples."

A hint of excitement crept into Donovan's voice. "How soon until the next harvest and their visit?"

"Sixty, seventy days." Vidar glanced at Dagfithr for confirmation, who nodded.

"Donovan," Halli interjected, "depending on which caravan comes, you might get to meet Running People."

"Running People," Donovan repeated, his head nodding with a "go on" gesture.

"They’re really tall," the youth stated. "As tall as Billyjo."

"Taller," Finnogi interjected. "With skin as dark as Cyan’s."

"And hair like cornsilk," Halli added.

"They run like the wind," Dagfithr mercifully cut in. "Only the Leaping People can really keep up with them."

"So never challenge one to a race," Vidar said. "Or accept such a challenge. You’re sure to lose." He gestured at the 'map' he’d made. "They say they live on the plains along the ocean. Those who come up with the caravans trade mostly in leather and hides."

"Now," Vidar said as he cleared space around his crude map with one broad hand and started to lay out crusts of bread 'sunward' of Fyrkat. "Caravans tell us that there are broad forests here, between our villages and the cliffs. At the bottom of the cliffs is an even greater forest, hot and wet with rain. Forest People live there. They look as you and I, but are green and dwell in the trees. There are also the Beast People, who look like men with the legs of goats or deer, or so the traders say."

Donovan followed the recitation with bright eyes, eagerly absorbing the data.

The smith paused and tapped the bread representing the 'greater forest.' "A trader once told me that a... a..." he paused and looked puzzled as he searched for the right words. "That a Serpent Person once came to trade with them. He also looked as you or I, but like a Water Person, he had no legs. Instead, he had the body of a great snake, perhaps ten or twelve paces long."

Taking a drink of mead, he looked over at Donovan. "I thought to call the man a liar, but I know there are many different people in the world. That, and I liked his wares. If he wished to think he fooled me with a wild tale, so be it. It will not lessen the price I asked for spear heads."

Donovan nodded, acknowledging the wisdom of Vidar's words. "Did the trader give you any information about the Snake People's disposition?" he asked, his eyes still trained on the makeshift terrain Vidar had laid out as his sharp mind stored its layout for future reference.

“No,” Vidar shrugged, “Other than to say he drove a hard bargain.”

Gazing at the map, Dagfithr waved her hand over it. “We have also heard stories of Sky People, who come from the air. They ride on great ridge poles and spear heads as large as a lon house. Like the Night People they steal food, livestock, and people, carrying them away into the sky to never be seen again.”

Donovan accepted this last bit in somber silence. He'd heard about the villagers' mistrust of 'Sky People' but this was the first time he'd heard the whole story. He was glad they'd decided to keep the fact that they'd been passengers on a plane on the down-low at the big pow-wow that first night. And he reminded himself to stress the need to continue the practice to the rest of the group.

Respectfully, he nodded to Vidar and the others. "You have all given me much to think about. I thank you for this." He made sure his words extended his gratitude to everyone at the table.

"This information will be helpful when we move on." His face broke into a grin. "That may be a while, though, so if you need any more help, I'll be glad to lend a hand. If only to sample some more of Dagfithr's excellent cooking."

[Susano]

HUNTER OF BEES

“Marcus,” Vilgerthr said, almost hesitantly, “do you mind if I tell you a story while you work? It will help pass the time.”

Intending to quickly glance up, Marcus' eyes were captured by hers. His hands, cradling a mass of glass and wire, clenched and there was a faint 'Ping' as something snapped. Marcus blushed, mumbled "not at all" and hastily turned his attention back to his work.

“Oh, good!” She almost clapped her hands with excitement. “I’ll tell you the story of Hunter of Bees.” Settling herself properly, with hands folded in her lap, and back straight, Vilgerthr began: “Once, long ago, a boy was born to the Farming People. He was a marvel to behold, with skin as white as bone, hair as black as night, and eyes the color of the sky. As a mere babe, his bawled in hunger and his mother lifted him to her breast to suck. But he refused the offered nipple, and spoke.

“‘Give me mead,’ he cried. But the People knew not of mead. So he rose from his crib and went to the entrance of his parent’s hut. ‘I shall go into the forest,’ he said, ‘and find the secret of mead. And when I return, I will teach it to you.’

“So the babe went into the forest. He walked far and wide, until he found a nest of bees. Ignoring their stings, he dipped one hand into the hive and pulled forth a mass of honeycomb. ‘There,’ he said, ‘now I have the secret of mead.’ He returned to his village and displayed his golden treasure, and showed the People how to mix it with water, and how to make it into mead. And for this deed, he was named ‘Hunter of Bees’.

“Satisfied, Hunter of Bees sat down and demanded food, for he was hungry after his travels in the forest. Again he refused his mother’s breast. ‘Bring me meat,’ he cried, ‘and dark bread, and rich cheese, and leafy greens, and bowls of mead.

“The People brought him all he asked for, and as he ate, he grew into full manhood. Tall and strong he was, and well-shaped and comely, despite his strange coloration.

“After he had eaten his fill, Hunter of Bees went out from his parent’s hut and looked at his people. He saw them dressed in rags and living in huts of mud and straw. The People knew not of how to work metal, or how to sow grain, or how to shape wood. This was not right, he decided, and as he had taught them the secret of mead, he knew it was his duty to teach the People the secrets of other things.

“So Hunter of Bees stood and dressed himself in skins and furs, took up a bone knife, and a fire-hardened spear, and spoke: ‘I shall go forth into the world and learn all there is to learn. And when I return, I will teach you all I know.’ And thus Hunter of Bees went forth into the world. He walked far and wide, as far as his legs would take him.

“From the Hunting People Hunter of Bees took a wife. She taught him the ways of the hunt. Hunter of Bees learned to track prey, how to climb a tree, how to hide himself, and how to skin what he caught. She also taught him how to work with leather, so he may properly clothe himself. And the Hunting People taught him the ways of the bow, the knife, and the spear.

“From the Leaping People Hunter of Bees took a wife. She taught him the ways of the earth. Hunter of Bees learned to sow crops, how to tend them, and how to harvest what they gave him. She also taught him how to work with cloth, so he may properly clothe himself. And the Leaping People taught him the ways of the loom, and the needle, and the plow.

“From the Burrowing People Hunter of Bees took a wife. She taught him the ways of metal. How to find it, how to mine it, how to smelt it, and how to forge it into tools. She helped him make his new knife and spear, as well as an axe so he could work wood, and sent him back out into the world.

“When Hunter of Bees returned from the Burrowing People he visited his other wives and showed them all he had learned. The Hunting People learned of cloth and metal and wood. The Leaping People learned of leather and metal and hunting. The Farming People learned of hunting and metal and cloth and grain and wood, and in return taught Hunter of Bees’ wives the secret of mead. And so, as Hunter of Bee’s wives taught each other all they had learned, the secret of trade was discovered.

“And now Hunter of Bees looked up his People and found they grew crops, and hunted in the forest, and made tools of metal, and homes of wood. And he took from the Hunting People a wife, a woman with skin as black as night, hair as white has bone, and eyes the color of the sky. And with his wives at his side, he spoke to the Farming People: ‘I shall go forth into the world and learn all there is to learn. And when I return, I will teach you all I know.’ And thus Hunter of Bees went forth into the world, with his four wives at his side, to find the other peoples of the world and learn what they had to learn, so the People would prosper.”