File: Brown bear.jpg (49 KB, 375x281)

49 KB JPG

>>43431452
Your skin crawls at the indistinct sight of a fuzzy muzzle, paws and ponderous bulk. Silvery light highlights the thick fur, sharp claws and gleaming teeth, as the mountainous figure rears onto its hind legs and glares at you with a heavy huff. Elia grips his spear so tight, the rough wood cuts his palms and slicks the haft with small drops of blood and licks his lips, backing away, sliding his bare feet over the stones of the hillside. "Brother," he croaks, "What do we do?"

The bear before you slumps down onto the ground with a heavy grunt, its size enough to shake the earth itself, just a little. Bears are huge animals already, that an entire hunting party would be wary to fight, but here, in the fading light, with just you and brother Elia Weak-Spear, nary a javelin between you, you feel the flutter of fear in your chest. There's no denying that you, or even the bravest of the brave, would be glad under such conditions, to see the bear is not staying perched on its hind legs; a display that would indicate its anger and fury, as well as its intent to smite you from the side of the valley with its heavy paws. Instead, it seems more concerned with just having you leave.

But beyond its front legs, your prize; the leaves that glow with silver moonlight, still glimmers and flickers like a dancing fire. It's so tantalizingly close...

Your heart pounding in your chest, you take a step back, trying to appear non-threatening. It's really not hard at all; the bear regards you with the same grumpiness that its kind is known for, but a little curiosity, as you go to speak. You keep your voice low and quiet, calming, as you stay in its sight. Anything to not give the bear any chance to distrust you or become aggressive.

>>43431496
"Forgive us, great bear," you begin, causing its ears to flick forward in a gesture that almost seems confused. "We didn't mean to startle you or intrude. We're just exploring. We didn't know this was your territory and mean you no harm." To your surprise, the bear snorts, almost seeming to understand. You get the impression that if it could speak, it'd be derisive.
"Hurt me? As if you could," it almost seems to say. Of course, all that you actually hear from the beast is a low rumble, as it stalks forward, its belly scraping low over the bush. As you watch, seemingly without ire and without even noticing its deed, the bear's hindpaw crushes the fragile shrub, snapping the brittle stem as it lumbers forward, sniffing the air with its blunt snout.

The bear looks over at you, having honestly forgotten your presence for a moment, then bunches up and jolts forward in a lazy bound, lashing out with a blunt paw. The impact is enough to lift you clean off your feet and send you bouncing away in a heap. From the pain, none of your bones are broken and your pride seems to have taken by far the most damage, but the message is clear: "I am bored now and you're irritating. Shoo."

Elia hastily hurries to your side and helps pull you upright. "You idiot! What were you trying?! Let's get out of here already. He looks like he's getting hungry and I don't want to be his evening meal!" Your spear left your hands as you were knocked off your feet and now lies close to the wandering bear. If you stay or try to retrieve it, you risk angering the creature and receiving more than a love tap for your troubles.

>>43431522
The bear regards you for a moment and seems to contemplate if you're worth the trouble of destroying. Following Elia's lead, you back away and avoid looking it directly in the eyes. You have a moment of heart-stopping panic as it stands on its hind legs, but its ears merely prick and it sniffs the air, before dropping onto all fours again with a thud and making a low moaning sound, before shambling away. You and your brother breathe a sigh of relief.

"That was FAR too close," Elia sighs. You nod in agreement as you go to retrieve your spear. The head has cracked in half, but the shaft and bindings can still be re-used. It's not a TOTAL waste. The bush that drew your attention however, is quickly losing its glow. Only a few faint glimmers now surround leaves as silver as clouds. You pluck a few and watch the light slowly die in your hand.

"Where did it even come from?" you wonder, tucking the leaves into your jacket. "We should have seen something as big as a bear coming from a long spearcast away!"
"I don't know, but I'm not eager to find out," opinions Elia. "If this hill, or that bush makes bears appear out of no-where, I want NOTHING to do with them!" You find you have a hard time disagreeing. You certainly escaped with your lives, but you were very lucky to do so, having been so close to a bear. If it had been hungry...

The pair of you venture downhill until you feel somewhat safer and make a small fire to sleep near to. Elia agrees to take first watch and to your joint relief, the night passes without incident.

>>43431542
The following morning, you continue back to the tribe camp. Elia is bitterly disappointed you both have nothing to show for your trip (the pheasant became last night's meal).

"I'm going to have to avoid Galit for a while. Why did we go up there in the first place, brother? We ran straight into danger for nothing. If we had come back with something, that would be another matter, but... I don't mind spending time in your company, of course, but was it worth it?"
"We have these?" you offer, presenting the three leaves you took from the bush. Their light has died, but their still keep their almost reflective, white surface.
Elia sighs and takes one. "I suppose it's something. Maybe I can tell a story to the children at least. Women like a man who can help raise the children, right?"

As Elia leaves with his share of your 'treasure', you turn one of the two remaining leaves over in your hand. Its light may be gone, but the mystery remains. The leaf no longer clasps at your finger as if it were a baby's tiny hand either. You've never heard of such a thing in your life, but those who have lived much longer than you might have. You approach the circle of the Elders and quietly interrupt their discussions. Sitting at their feet, you relate your tale of what you found on the mountain, but you can tell that even with the odd leaf before them, they don't believe you.

>>43431771
"It sounds to me," says one, "That you were taken by surprise by a bear that had woken late from its winter-sleep. There is no shame in that; even the best hunters lower their guard sometimes. You were lucky to escape alive."
"Mmmh, especially with weak-spear with you," remarks another, earning him a rap across the knees by another elder binding a new fish-spear.
"That's the son of my sister's child you speak ill of, Grandfather Tevet. Elia will prove himself in other ways. He's fast and quiet. He fishes well and catches birds."
"I'll grant you that," nods a forth, turning the leaf over in his shaking hands, deep-lined by the passing of years. "A strange thing, but it must have been the late light that seemed to make it glow." He considers letting it fall into the fire for a moment, but then catches your eye and sighs, handing it back, as though one might hand back a child's toy. "You would be better served hunting and fishing, grandson. You have ambition, but the way to be great is to provide for the tribe and raise strong sons and daughters, not to chase after fancies."

Having left the elders circle, you clench your jaw and draw a breath that shakes your body in anger. The elders dismiss you so readily, so eager to have you follow the path of your fathers and grandfathers and grandfathers before them! To tread the same path earns you no distinction, merely the same fate as those who refuse to believe you saw something strange and possibly great that night! All the same, they are correct in one way... A tribesman who cannot hunt or fish or gather is a tribesman no-one will remember, for he will meet an early death.


What will you do in these coming days?

>Make a new spear with which to hunt
>Getting your spear broken by that bear was maybe a sign of ill-luck. You'd be better served fishing for your food
>Spring is a time of new growth and fresh life. That means plenty to gather
>You can get by through asking your family to share

>>43431960
>>Make a new spear with which to hunt

>>43431960
>Make a new spear with which to hunt

Gotta pull our own weight but I'll be damned if we stop exploring

>>43431960
>Make a new spear with which to hunt

A spear means food. A soear means protection. A spear means life.

>>43431452

Thanks for putting in the effort Britfag, I appreciate it

>>43432419
And maybe a sling as well?

>>43432436
Least I can do. You folks deserve better than one thread and constant flaking for one reason or another.

>>43432450
The tribe doesn't use slings, I'm afraid. Nor do they use bows. No-one has yet managed to create such a thing. Maybe you can however? It would require much experimentation, but it'd be a true contribution to the tribe.

Of course, if you devote yourself to what is essentially 'mucking about' you'll not have much chance to hunt or fish or gather, so maybe save it for at least a good season, hmm? A Mesolithic tribe doesn't really have 'specialists' who can survive on the labour of others. That'll be something for your descendants.

>Votes counted. Writing.

>I need to get you guys some stats, so you can roll this for yourself.

The rawhide bindings and shaft of your spear are still intact, but you need a new head or the hunting weapon is next to useless. Finding a suitable lump of flint, free of bulbs and large cracks, takes the better part of the day searching the bed of the stream for rocks that have washed down from the hills further up the valley. As the light begins to fade however, you have several likely stones to work on. That evening, by the light of the family fire, as food is passed around and friendly chatter goes with them, you spread a length of deerhide over your knee and get to work, grasping a small, dense stone in your hand and striking firmly at the flint. The shock through your leg is nothing unexpected and soon, using stone and antler, you start to wear away at the core, striking off flakes that can be used for the barbs of fishing spears.

When you learned this technique as a child sitting at the feet of the elders, you acquired a colorful selection of bruises all across your thigh as the striker slipped and hit you, but over your years of practice, you've grown adept at placing your strikes. The light fades before you can truly finish, so you set your work to one side, pull a skin over you and join the heap that sleeps close to the fire, under the cover of the low bivouac your family shares. The next day, after a lean breakfast, you get back to work, the gnawing in your belly incensing you to finish today. Little-by-little over the course of hours, the core turns into a long, leaf, as broad as three fingers and as long as your fingertip to your wrist, plus a knuckle more. The spearhead is razor-sharp and you test it by scraping the edge over your arm and watching the soft hairs fall away. Perfect for a skinning or gutting knife, but you need a spearhead to be able to resist a shock, so you grind down the edges until you are sure they won't immediately snap and fracture the moment you thrust.

>>43432999
You left your spear's head soaking in the stream overnight and the rawhide has softened, allowing you to work it loose and carefully insert the head into the notch split in your spear. You re-bind the rawhide, whipping it tight and setting it by the glowing fire to dry and harden, seizing tighter still. By the end of the day, you'll again have a fine spear and be able to join in the hunting parties. For now though, you seem to have the day free.

What will you do for the rest of the day and for a while yet?
>Familiarise yourself with the hunting parties and see if you can gather or join a small band
>Head down to the river. You have no spear, but you can always try to catch fish with your hands
>Explore and look for plants that can fill your grumbling belly
>Make a fishing spear with the flakes you knapped off making your hunting spear
>Experiment... The thought of hunting has started to fire your mind a little with ideas
>Explore the hill again. Maybe you'll find another strange sight
>Look into the woods. If nothing else, perhaps you'll find something good to hunt, once your spear is ready
>See if you can find a woman among the tribe. One of the measures of a man's legacy is the children he leaves
>Other (Write in)

>>43433137
>>Make a fishing spear with the flakes you knapped off making your hunting spear
>>Experiment... The thought of hunting has started to fire your mind a little with ideas
Also what are we rolling?

>>43433137
Don't forget that you can view your stats, inventory, surroundings or tribe at any time. All you have to do is look for the information.

>>43433189
The system will be based on D10s. Relevant stats, job levels and some advantages will either give you extra dice, or a flat bonus. When you need to roll (probably starting next thread) I'll announce target numbers to beat. The highest of the first three rolls wins.

FYI, when crafting, if you beat the target by a certain amount, you can make an exceptional item, but only if the materials allow for it. Flint, sadly, does not. Exceptional items can grant bonuses, be more durable, etc. or even just command more respect.

>>43433137
>Make a fishing spear with the flakes you knapped off making your hunting spear
>Experiment... The thought of hunting has started to fire your mind a little with ideas

>>43433230
What kind of terrain are we in? What's the weather/season like? How big is the tribe?

>>43433137
>>Make a fishing spear with the flakes you knapped off making your hunting spear
>>Experiment... The thought of hunting has started to fire your mind a little with ideas

So are we specifically experimenting with the fishing spear if we choose these two?

>>43433137
>>Make a fishing spear with the flakes you knapped off making your hunting spear

>Familiarise yourself with the hunting parties and see if you can gather or join a small band

There's power in number, if we can find someone more stupid than us then we gain a thug or a friend to help us hunting

>>43433295
Your tribe has stayed in this valley since the time of your grandfather's grandfather. At the head, small streams wind through rough and mountainous terrain to join together beyond your sight into a great river. No-one has ever approached the waterfall that cascades from the mountain heights. The valley itself is broad and lightly wooded in small patches. The summer is hot and cry, while in the winter, wind and snow howls down from the north and you are forced close to your fires for protection, hiding amid the meager shelter of leafless trees. Near to the river, the land is fertile and filled with plants and soft earth, while further up the slopes of the valley, it quickly becomes rocky and sparse, with prickly, hardy grasses and shrugs clinging tenaciously to the sparse and stony soil.

The tribe is some sixty strong, not counting the elders and the children. The guidance of the Elders has kept you all together through the bonds of family, where groups might have otherwise split off. In numbers, the elders teach, are strength.

>>43433380
Nope. If you do both, you'll do neither to their fullest extent. Essentially, you'll be allowing your mind to wander as you bind together a fishing spear.

>>43433536

Well we already have a regular spear getting ready for us, we can afford to let our mind wander a bit while doing this

>>43433548
I agree with this guy. Kick around some ideas while making a fishing spear or two

A man cannot live by red meat alone and while there might be days when the wind is wrong, or bad luck keeps the heard from you, the river always has fish, even in the dead of winter (although few indeed are those willing to stand on the ice to stab down with their spears THEN...) Your mind wanders as you bind flakes to the shaft of a new spear. Unlike your hunting spear, a fishing spear doesn't need the same robustness of structure. The many barbs on the edges keep the small, lithe fish from wriggling away once they have been skewered. Goat sinew is enough to bind it too, dried by the fire, it's not as hard as rawhide, but if it's soaked first, it dries well enough.

The work is second-nature to you, your hands almost moving on their own as you grow bored. Your mind drifts and you remember the way Elia killed the pheasant while you were up in the hills. His arm is weak, but a well-cast stone is more than enough for something as brittle-boned as a bird. If only it could be hurled further... You watch the way the branches of the trees sway in a small breeze and the way they spring back when a bird takes flight. An idea starts to form in your mind, but it will still need plenty of work before you have anything usable.

>>43434017
Brother Paku comes to see what you're doing as the day wears on. "Fishing now, brother?" he asks, flopping down next to you. "The season's good for it, at least. What was that the other day though, wandering off up the valley with Elia? He seemed miserable when you came back and the elders said you found a bear?"
"Mmmh. We were lucky to get away unharmed," you nod, only half paying attention.
"You see where it went? It must have woken up late... A bear that's slept a long time's going to be weak..." Paku scratches his beard and grins.
"What are you thinking?" you ask, setting down the spear in your hands and giving your wily brother a look.
"While you were off climbing hills, I managed to impress Mesut," Paku grins, "Joined his hunting band after I put my javelin through the loop no bigger than my head in a tree's branches. A bearskin would be impressive for a first hunt, don't you think? And you don't get many chances to hunt a weak bear."
"I don't know brother, that thing didn't look weak or small to me."
"The light was bad when you saw it! It probably looked twice as big as it actually is! Come on, I'll put in a word for you with Mesut! Come hunting with us tomorrow!"

Mesut is one of the best hunters in the tribe, if not THE best. He's strong, fast, skilled and knows how to read the signs of animals. He laughs loudly, angers passionately and has three wives already. If anyone can bring down a bear it's him and his three (now four)-strong hunting band. That said though...

>That bear was not ordinary and was huge into the bargain! Even Mesut would be hard-pressed to bring it down and you'll not send your brother into danger.
>Mesut's strong and Paku cunning. With their band, they could bring it down, but you have no time to hunt with them. Bears are grand, but take a long time and your belly wants feeding!
>Bears are good eating and their fur is warm. If you were part of a band to kill one, you'd perhaps make the elders take you more seriously.
>Other

>>43434133
>>That bear was not ordinary and was huge into the bargain! Even Mesut would be hard-pressed to bring it down and you'll not send your brother into danger.
Come on Paku you know I'm not one to enlarge or make thins seem different than they are trust me don't mess with that bear.

>>43434133
>>Bears are good eating and their fur is warm. If you were part of a band to kill one, you'd perhaps make the elders take you more seriously.

We need to scout it first though, darkness or no I know what I saw and the bear was huge. If we see other game on the way we should hunt that.

(In our mind though I see this as an opportunity to explore more and perhaps see the spirit again)

>That bear was not ordinary and was huge into the bargain! Even Mesut would be hard-pressed to bring it down and you'll not send your brother into danger.

Go hunt something else, leave the bear alone or you will get kill

>>43434133
>>Bears are good eating and their fur is warm. If you were part of a band to kill one, you'd perhaps make the elders take you more seriously.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Can't stay awake much longer, this will be it for tonight, sadly. Wish these threads had a little more attention, but I guess I'm just not a good enough name.

It's a split vote, meaning it'll depend on a coin toss!
>1 = Hunt the bear!
>2 = Refuse to send Paku into danger

>>43434689
Good night, and it was kinda fun. See you next time m8

Maybe one more...

>>43434689
"No."
"Come on, brother! You know Mesut's skill and I'm not bad either! We can do this!" Paku leans forward, eager to convince you.
"I said no," you frown, pushing Paku backwards so he sprawls on his back. "I'm telling you brother, that bear was not normal and it was NOT small. You know I'm not one to enlarge or make things seem different than they are. Trust me; don't mess with that bear."
Paku picks himself up and sighs, scowling a little. "Yeah yeah, I get it, brother. We won't go chasing after your imaginary bear that appears from no-where. It was probably just a really mean goat anyway." He stalks away, shaking his head to eat with his new band. You don't think you can count on an invitation from them any time soon, but that's a problem for another day.

Your spears are finished and the spring has only just begun. As you settle down by the fire, you realise it's time to start making more long-term goals. The day-to-day swing of life in the tribe doesn't often change much unless something arises, so whatever you chose to dedicate yourself to will probably take you at least half a season. You could hunt or fish, or continue that thought that caught in your mind before. You could equally take to exploring; this valley seems to be holding many more secrets than the well-worn routes of migration the clan takes. You could seek to call a woman to you, or find yourself a hunter band. You could even decide your skill with your hands is something you want to seek to improve. There's almost limitless possibilities, but one thing's for certain: You won't find them by hunting the same beasts, walking the same trails and sitting on your backside waiting for them to find you.

Chose your path for Early Spring!
>Hunt in the forest
>Fish in the river
>Explore the forest (gather plants too)
>Explore up the valley
>Explore down the valley
>Explore the hills
>Experiment and create a method of hurling stones better

>>43434938
>>Experiment and create a method of hurling stones better
Also give it some time. People will find out about this given the quality. Just don't go in QTG. Really don't.

>>43434938
>Experiment and create a method of hurling stones better

I assume we still get enough food for ourselves to survive in the meanwhile, jut not as much or as impressive as if we had dedicated ourselves to hunting/gathering?

>>43434982
It's that bad in the QTG?

>>43435060
Every half-season, you and every person reliant upon you will consume ONE unit of food. Currently, you have...

One.

So if you spend this turn experimenting with slings then next turn, you'll need to hunt or start to starve.

Oh and until you have better preservation techniques, there's a limit on how much food you can store in reserve.

>>43434938
>>Experiment and create a method of hurling stones better

>>43435156
It's weird. Sometimes helpful but going there and advertising a quest usually brings out some toxic fucks. Kinda like BQ without the quest.

>>43435284
Yeah it can actually get pretty bad.

Btw, does OP have a Twitter?

>>43435380
Not yet. Well, I DO, but it's a personal one. Don't ask me why.

Basically, 5pm eastern on Mondays and Thursdays until about now. I probably should get a twitter though.

>Votes called and writing for the last time today.

File: Sling 1.jpg (354 KB, 1559x1080)

354 KB JPG

Your experiments don't go perfectly. At first, you have the idea of fashioning a whippy branch to throw stones further, but the children seem to have turned it into a game and the older members of the tribe treat your activities with a certain amount of disdain. "Toys," they dismiss them as. "Toys for children. No real purpose." What's especially annoying is that they seem to be right. The branches do throw a stone further, but not nearly with enough force. They might hurt what they hit, but they aren't going to bring down anything larger than a sparrow. The only one really interested is Elia. Galit didn't respond well to his stories of glowing leaves and suddenly-appearing bears and he's eager to find something to make himself worthy of notice.

"I'm not sure we're on the right track, brother," he laments, looking over the few attempts you've made. "Wood just doesn't seem to work and bone would snap too easily."
"Any ideas?" you sigh. You've had to move a little distance from the camp just to avoid being disturbed and the two of you are quickly gaining a reputation as outsiders. At this rate, even if you made something useful, it might be hard to convince others of its worth.
"Not really," he admits, "But if I find something, I'll let you know. Maybe we just need to look at it from a new angle?"

To make matters worse, you discover that neglecting your hunting has meant your supplies are steadily dwindling. You stretch it as far as you can, but soon nothing can change the fact that you have nothing to eat but grass and if you're to start eating like a goat, you may as well leave the tribe right now and live as an outcast the rest of your life. You need food, real food, before you begin to starve!

>But that's a problem for next thread, where you will have stats and hopefully, a face and a name too!
>Thank you all for playing, the next thread will be at 5pm Eastern on Thursday the 5th.

Have a good couple of days and I'll see you there!

>>43435660

Thanks Britfag, (any chance we could made think of the Atlatl, because it seems like we got close there and we do have javelins in the tribe)

>>43435660
Thanks for the run mate and feel better yeah?