Destiny of Empires [Diplo Game] [Story Thread]

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

The Turkish farmers fled before the Hebrew hordes. Spewing forth from the southern lands where the stories did tell of nomads, Iakov and Avraheem, who travelled down to Egypt telling stories of their child-sacrificing god. Spewing forth north, dominating the lands of the Levanon, known for its great woodlands, the cedars of Levanon, and spewing further north, driving the Turkish farms from their land, land farmed for centuries.

The chief of Edine, the main Turkish settlement nearby, rode with the wind in his chariot troop to Istanbul for audience with Suleiman.

"Suleiman father of our nation, the Hebrews have invaded our lands, driving our farmers out of the productive land."

Suleiman's face clouded in rage. "Hebrews? Who are these barbarians?"

"They are Eygptians. Or slaves of the Egyptians, though they claim their fore-fathers travelled through this land centuries ago, and that it is sacred to them."

Suleiman turned to his Shaman. "Answer"

The shaman knowing Suleiman's moods, the violence of the Turks, spoke carefully "The Hebrews are an off-shoot of the Eygptians. Not long ago they broke free from the Egyptians, feeling from Egypt, travelling north. The stories of Iakov and Avraheem and their child-sacrficing god are known to the wise. But the land of Iakov and Avraheem is far to the south. Beyond the hills of the Levanon. So either these are liars - no decendents of Iakov and Avraheem - outcasts from Egypt who are using these stories to try to pretend they have a stake in this land, or they are greedy, twisting the stories of their people to seize more land and seize the land farmed by our people for centuries."

Suleiman turned back to the chief "What have you done?"

The chief hurried on unthinking "Egyptians can to us from the north, asking to be let through our lands. I knew of your friendship with the Eygptians so agreed, though some of our womn charioteers gave chase, seeking sport and bed-fodder. Then we saw what we took to be Egyptian settlers spewing north into the Levanon. I sent messanger telling them that if they settled in the Levanon they would be stealing our land. I asked them if that was how they repaid their friends? I urged them to settle south of Levanon, in the land of their forefathers, and then there could be peace, but that to steal the land of our farmers would mean war. But they ignore our words, spurred all friendship and logic, and rather than withdrawing slightly south, back to the land of their fathers, they just arrogantly started to set up their city, exactly where we requested them not to, and started to drive out our farmers."

"And there is no doubt? The Hebrews would not just be living near our people. You offered them peaceful co-existance but instead they chose, knowingly, to deliberately settle in land so close to our existing settlements that they would drive our people off the land?"

"No doubt. We offered co-existance but in their greed they pressed north, seizing the land of our farmers"

Suleiman signalled to his guards, they seized the chief dragging him to the sea cliff on the edge of which Suleiman held court, cooled by the winds. "You failed. You have let the Turkish people have their land stolen, their future destroyed. Their children destined to starve. These Hebrews are lying spawn of their child-sacrificing god whom you failed to stop". He nodded and the chief was thrown over the edge.

He turned to his shaman. "But what of the gods?"

White-faced the shaman spoke carefully "Some believe that the gods favour peace between tribes. But the gods who speak always say the same -that no tribe can be choked into starvation. A leader defending his people from starvation and strangulation always receives the favour of the gods. "

Suleiman swore, swore at the gods who gave this land to his people. A land surrounded by the greedy, tribes who all were pressing towards Istanbul. The Parisii, the Germans, the Russians, the Arabs and now the Egyptian/Hebrews. Tribes who talked friendship but kept pressing settlements towards Istanbul. Then he raised his voice "Turkmen. We have a choice. We starve, stragulated into a few acres around Istanbul, or we risk all in war to secure modest land for our people, to feel our children."

The response started quietly and grew to a thunder, the noise of chariot armies approaching their prey. "War, war, war" was the chant, from men who knew even death in war brought more honour than strangulation and starvation at home.

[Arabia (DoE)]

Deleted post...

[England (DoE)]

Greetings Ruler of the Sea People,

Your ships are disturbing our waters, we hope this is all just a misunderstanding, you will withdraw soon and respect our borders.
For long our people lived in peace with eachother, but we have heard certain rumors that you are not fond of this peace. Hopefully these are just baseless rumors as we think they are, but in any case we would like to maintain a good communication between our leaderships, so we could solve any possible conflict without bloodshed.

Delacroix of the Gaul tribes.

Greetings Delacroix the Sea Stealer,

Your waters? What gives you the right to claim exclusive ownership over the seas? Why do you have the audacity to proclaim yourself ruler of water adjacent to London? Are our children not allowed to swim in their backyard without your permission? You address us as the "sea people" yet claim our seas. What madness is this? The only misunderstanding is your mistaken assumption that you can choke off our small island from the rest of the world and bottle us up. We shall have none of it and refuse to recognize your ownership of the seas surrounding our lands.

We wish no bloodshed. We wish no harm come to your people. We don't even wish to claim any land on your continent. We wish merely to pass freely through your lands. We notice a Neandor chariot passing through your lands. You permit their safe passage but deny us? We seek nothing more and nothing less than your arrangement with the Neandor. We will achieve those ends through whatever means we have available. We hope this is acceptable and that it doesn't cause offense and that we can continue to live peacefully as neighbors. If this is not acceptable, then so be it. We care little for the opinion of the Sea Stealer who aggressively settled a stone's throw from our pre-existing city and then proceeded to rob us of our natural resources.

-Arthur, King of the Angles

[Ottoman Empire (DoE)]

Suleiman rode east though the wooded hills surrounded by his guards.

Further ahead the female chariotters of the eastern Turkic peoples were already pushing through the mountains to the plain of the Levanon, assisted by the Hittite tribesmen of the hills.



Behind were the charioteers of the western peoples, used to facing the axemen of the Germans and the Russian archers, coming to the aid of their eastern sisters.

Messengers kept arriving, from Moses the Hebrew leader, seeking the salvation of Jerusalem, realising the crime he had committed against the Turkic farmers of the East. Others catching up from the west, from the Germans and Russians. Most recently the dark skinned arabs, worshippers of the jealous god.

But still they rode.

[Germany (DoE)]

Behind were the charioteers of the western peoples, used to facing the axemen of the Germans and the Russian archers, coming to the aid of their eastern sisters.

what is "germans"?

grunzen is of the neandor line.

[Arabia (DoE)]

The Jerusalem War - 1950 BC

The Hebrew letter was received by the Arab Moolahs but not warmly. "So these Hebrews ignore our warnings?" pondered the elders. Surely they cannot expect to settle these lands without a price? Perhaps they put too much faith in this thing they call copper. Move the troops into position to lay siege to the city and cut their road. Send a letter to this Moses telling him that we may release Jerusalem, for a price.

[Israel (DoE)]

Shalom Arabians,

We have sent you an offer of great value for the release of Jerusalem.
The price we are willing to pay has already been offered. Either accept it or let me know that you will not accept.

Moses

[Mali (DoE)]

The great empire of Mali, to all.
Great leader of Mali calls on all nations to forget the path of war and to follow the path of trade and peace. So we all become great and mighty and then begin to fight among themselves, the better to fight with tanks than with sticks.

[Israel (DoE)]

Moses leads army through the river "Jabbok"

The Hebrews now had many anemies.
The city of Jerusalem was disputed by the Goiim of the Ottomans and Arabia.
The Sacret Mountain Moria where God met Abraham was claimed by the Islamitic heathens who insisted on building their own temple there for their idol Alah.
The Ottomans wanted to expand onto Moriah for different reasons.

First the Ottoman army approached Jerusalem.
Moses lead his army accross the river Jabbok, a small river in the land of Canaan.



The River Jabbok with in the background the Holy Mountain Moriah

Moses feared the Ottomans.
While he posted on the southern side of the Jabbok, his entire army crossed the river. Night was falling. Darkness covered the land of Canaan. The promised land.

While his entire army camped on the northern side of the river, Moses stayed on the south-bank. Praying to the God of Abraham, Isac and Jacob.

Then a man-like person appeared.
Not a man, not a holy angel either.
Dark though not evil.
Neither blessed not doomed.
A creature of the heavens.

A shiver was send down Moses spine.
The man-like person grabbed Moses and tried to ground him.
They wrestled.
Man versus god.
Moses found strengths from unknown sources.
They wrestled for hours.
And hours.
Moses had the upper hand.
Then the dawn came and the man-like person, a god, tried to flee.
"Let me go!" he ordered.



"No!" Moses said!
Moses held the man-like person with all powers he had found.
"Let me Go!" a voice of heaven demanded.
"I will not let you go, unless you bless me!" Moses answered.

Then the creature blessed him and spoke to him:
"You have battled with gods, face to face, and you have won. Therefore your name will be from now on 'Israël', which means 'God fights'"

Now Moses knew what this power was that had risen in him.
He had been wrestling with this man-like creature with the powers of the God of his ancestors, Abraham, Isac and Jacob.
With the powers of the all-powerfull God he had been able to stand against the powers of this lower-god.

The man-like creature left into the shadows.

Israël meets Suleiman of the Ottomans

Moses crossed the Jabbok and joined his army.
The fear had somehow gone.
They marched towards the army of the Ottomans.

Then both armies met.
Suleiman of the Ottomans stepped forward, so did Israël.
When Israël looked into the eyes of Suleiman he recognized the man-like creature, though Suleiman was not him.
Now Israël realised that he had wrestled with the angel-god of the Ottomans, who had the image of Suleiman.

Suleiman and Israël met and embraced each other.
There was peace between Israël and the Ottomans. Between Moses and Suleiman. Because the Ottomans had blessed Israël, the Ottomans would from now on be known not as "Goiim" anymore, but as Proselites!


Israël and Suleiman meet

Now the chariots of the Ottomans joined the Israëlins against the Goiim of Arabia. The goiims didn't dare to stand against Israël and retreated.

[Israel (DoE)]

The Hebrews believed that the Almighty God had given all nations of the earth, 18 in number, to one of his 'sons'. The 'sons of God' where the most mighty angels, 17 in number. God had given the Hebrews to himself. He would be the God of Israel.

Every nation therefore had a god for himself.
Samaël, the morning star, the most beautiful and greatest of the angels, had not received a nation. But Samaël always tried to deceive the nations of the earth to battle against Israël. For Samaël, also known as Lucifer or Sataniël, wished to rise to the heigst of God JHWH himself. He would deceive any nation for his own purposes.

Through Israël, all nations on earth should be blessed.
And all nations that would bless Israël would be blessed by JHWH.
The Hebrews were waiting for the Son of Men who would bring Shalom to the Earth again for everyone.
Then this Messiach would rule the earth from Jerusalem with his trone on the Mount Moriah.
Till then all peoples had to be ruled by their own gods and God JHWH would rule Israel.

Deuteronomium 32 (King James Edition)

8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the sons of God*. 9 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
lot: Heb. cord
10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
led: or, compassed
11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: 12 So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; 14 Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

*corrected by the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint
The Hebrew text reads "bene Israël" in most texts, but the eldest texts, found near the Dead Sea in 1947, read the true original text, which is "bene el" which translates into "sons of god". Later scribes most probably added 'isra' to 'el', making it more in sync with later monotheistic theology, covering the true meaning of multiple gods ruling this earth.
Gods named with names like "Toni", "OzzyKP", "St Jon", "Rempedaalops", "Robert Plomp" and many others.

[France (DoE)]

Joan 'd'Arc - the new ruler of the Gaul Tribes

Delacroix realized that he had led his people from the "frying pan to the fire" as one popular saying goes. He had made peace with Grunzen of the Neandor, and then proceeded to anger the English sufficiently that they declared war. He questioned whether he should be leading the Gaul Tribes through these turbulent times. He had a military background, not a diplomatic one.

Delacroix himself was not the only one questioning it. So were the priests and officials in the capitol. Contrary to one popular legend, Delacroix had not 'purged' the city's religious and aristocratic elite and they were not pleased with him. First, he had handed over the city of Venitii to the Neandor. Then he returned to the capitol at the head of Neandor troops, which many took as a defacto military coup. And finally, the English, as touchy as ever over this "English Channel" of theirs, declared war. It was a difficult period, and it could easily have been the end of the Gaul Tribes had a new leader not arose.

Joan was the great grand-daughter of Philippe Montgrain, the last of the great Parisi Tribal Leaders. That line had been barren of sons of any great note. And city 'officials' were reluctant to support a new 'king' as such. They were concerned about a conflict with Delacroix, but probably more concerned that a 'king' might get it within his head to rule the tribes. But a woman. A princess. That was a different thing altogether. The scheming officials figured that a princess would give a 'rightful' and 'popular' ruler for the people, nullifying Delacroix's influence, and yet, be someone they could control so that they still maintained power. This would be even easier now that the Veniti were no longer around to vie for leadership. It was a perfect plan. Except for one problem. They did not know Joan.

Joan Montgrain was chosen by Paris's religious leaders as the next ruler of the Gaul tribes and she was crowned Princess Joan I. Joan was as clever and strong-willed as she was beautiful, a point the Paris elite seemed to miss. She was a popular choice for the people, who always related to their tribal roots. Her coronation parade culminated at the Great Arch, and she quickly became known as Joan d'Arc.

Joan appeased the officials in the early days by agreeing to their meetings and plans. She quickly figured out the politics behind her choice as ruler, and was determined to use that to her advantage. After two weeks, she was able to arrange a trip to the fortifications outside the city, to meet with Delacroix, who had not been seen in the city since her coronation. The usual entourage of officials followed her, but after some initial introductions, Joan was able to arrange some time alone with Delacroix, pacing the ramparts. No one will ever know the details of that conversation, but suffice it to say that Joan emerged from her meeting with Delacroix with his full support, and the full support of the army. She could now start to flex her will.

Three days later she called for two foreign affairs couriers. Joan had official 'supervision' 24 hours a day. Her "aide-du-jour", the official that was assigned to her that day asked why. When he heard her intent, he respectfully declined and said that the Head Priest and the Head of Diplomatic Affairs would meet with her next week to discuss her request. Joan quietly sent a quick note off with one of her maids. In two hours, Delacroix and an armed guard arrived with the two couriers. Letters written to both the English and the Neandor were soon on their way.

The military quickly replaced the "officials" in the capitol. Joan's reign had begun in earnest.

[England (DoE)]

Peace Proposal

Esteemed Rulers of England

Let me introduce myself. I am Joan Montgrain, the ruling Princess of France. I approach you today with full humility for two reasons. First, I am not aware of our full history, and as I have only recently come to power. Secondly, I sense that our nation has wronged the English sufficiently for you to declare war.

I come with open palms to try and reach an understanding of the past and our differences and a way to a more peaceful future. Geography has made us very close neighbors. This is not going to change. We can either figure out a way to make our close proximity work to our mutual benefit, or we can stay at war, which will only serve to weaken both our nations.

From a military perspective, you are aware that we have spears. We are also on the verge of completing bronze working, and have sufficient workers and sufficient forests to quickly take advantage of it. We will likely be stalemated very quickly.

So, please educate me as what has happened, and how we might build a different relationship.

Respectfully, Joan, Princess of the Gaul Tribes

Dear Joan of France,

First of all, welcome to the throne of France. I look forward to all our future dealings and hope they will be both peaceful and fruitful. I appreciate your conciliatory tone, however note your lack of substance. As you are new, I do not begrudge you this and am happy to explain our current situation. First of all, I direct you to the previous correspondence I have had with your predecessor, Delacroix:

Greetings Ruler of the Sea People,

Your ships are disturbing our waters, we hope this is all just a misunderstanding, you will withdraw soon and respect our borders.
For long our people lived in peace with eachother, but we have heard certain rumors that you are not fond of this peace. Hopefully these are just baseless rumors as we think they are, but in any case we would like to maintain a good communication between our leaderships, so we could solve any possible conflict without bloodshed.

Delacroix of the Gaul tribes.

Greetings Delacroix the Sea Stealer,

Your waters? What gives you the right to claim exclusive ownership over the seas? Why do you have the audacity to proclaim yourself ruler of water adjacent to London? Are our children not allowed to swim in their backyard without your permission? You address us as the "sea people" yet claim our seas. What madness is this? The only misunderstanding is your mistaken assumption that you can choke off our small island from the rest of the world and bottle us up. We shall have none of it and refuse to recognize your ownership of the seas surrounding our lands.

We wish no bloodshed. We wish no harm come to your people. We don't even wish to claim any land on your continent. We wish merely to pass freely through your lands. We notice a Neandor chariot passing through your lands. You permit their safe passage but deny us? We seek nothing more and nothing less than your arrangement with the Neandor. We will achieve those ends through whatever means we have available. We hope this is acceptable and that it doesn't cause offense and that we can continue to live peacefully as neighbors. If this is not acceptable, then so be it. We care little for the opinion of the Sea Stealer who aggressively settled a stone's throw from our pre-existing city and then proceeded to rob us of our natural resources.

-Arthur, King of the Angles

I believe our position is fairly clear, yet Angle-land has not received a response to our letter. We have been following the situation in France and it is possible that your advisors have been hiding diplomatic missives from you. I wish to deal with you directly, so consider my forwarding of the previous correspondence to be an olive branch both recognizing your claim to the throne and assisting you in exercising unfettered control over your state. As laid out in my previous letter, your predecessors built a city uncommonly near to ours and have restricted our access to the sea right in our backyard. This aggressive act steals our resources, restricts our trade and travel, and makes our people unhappy. I am a good ruler, so when our people are unhappy it makes me unhappy. I am unhappy with this situation.

I understand the realities of our situation, and despite the loud cries from many in my court to remove your offending city from the Earth, I accept that our uncomfortable proximity will not change. I do not accept however your nation's desire to control the seas and decide where our ships may or may not travel. We would prefer to be granted permission to pass through your lands peaceably, as you grant such permission to the Neandor, however if this is impossible for any reason then we shall simply not recognize your right to the sea and travel where we wish.

As I have stated earlier, we refuse to recognize your right to control where our ships may or may not sail, but we wish you no harm. Your subtle threat of spears and bronze does not scare us, nor do we feel it is necessary. You will find no Anglish troops on your shores or in your cities. Our sailors and explorers have been given strict orders not to harm French land or people. We seek merely to sail where we wish.

Once again, if our desire to sail where we wish can be met peacefully, we will gladly seek it out. Until then though, our current situation must persist.

-Arthur, King of the Angles

PS - We prefer to use this medium for our communication and reserve coded messages only for matters where secrecy is essential.

[Native America (DoE)]

Coyote Runner was old, old past the memories of many of his tribe. To him at the beginning had been granted a long life, the eyes and ears of his people. He it was only of those who remained who had spoken to the god Coyote at the beginning. He alone understood the ideas Coyote had had for his people. He had been Coyote's faithful steward among the people.

Coyote had wanted Man to be a companion. He had wanted Man to run with him, to talk with him, to share food with him. Coyote had intended Man to live free in the world, to enjoy the world with Coyote, not as user, but as fellow member. Coyote had had such dreams, and those dreams had filled the people.

But things had changed. Coyote Runner remembered to when he first found out that Coyote's plans had gone awry: when the man-things had tried to communicate somehow across the river. At the time, Coyote Runner had dismissed these man-things as animals, unable to be understood. But Coyote Runner had found out he was wrong. The man-things were not only to be found out and about to the South of Cahokia, Home of the People. To the East, past the River, past the Mountains of the Sun, there were other Man-things, and they prospered as a community, just as the People did! Clearly, some other god had done more than mock Coyote; that god or gods had copied Coyote's idea. But these people did not live in harmony with the land. They tore it up for the metal in it, they built out a big city where they would, befouling the land around, and they gave no heed to the needs of the wildlife around them. And still they prospered!

That had been the beginning of the end for the Way of the Coyote. The People began to turn away from what was in their hearts and in their dreams. They, too, began to build without concern for the surrounding land. They, too, clamored to strip the metal from beneath the soil. They, too, began to multiply without concern for the needs of the land around them. And one day, a whole multitude of them had taken their tents, their animals and their arrows, their goods and their children, and moved down the river to the great joining of the Rivers, there to set up a new home. They still held themselves as of the People, and they still nominally followed the Way of the Coyote, but they were not willing to live forever in a dream.

And worse had come to pass. The People of the Coyote had actually taken some from among them and set them in bondage, to work for others! Those who were deemed too slow to hunt, or too stupid to stalk game, or too weak to contribute to the pot were put to work tilling the fields and stripping the metals. They were armed with the new weapons and they were made to practice fighting with them, though no reason had been given for why they might need to fight someone. Those who controlled these unfree members of Coyote's People grew to consider themselves important, and ignored Coyote Runner when he spoke against such things. They began to order things as they would have it. And they introduced a new word to the language of the Coyote: Slave.

And they prospered, too. So much so that another band of them had gone off to settle near the Great Lakes, by the shores of Gitchee-Goomee, the Shining Big-Sea Water. They had taken slaves with them, many newly forced into that bondage. And they had not heeded Coyote Runner's warning that they were at risk of overstepping the good graces of Coyote. "Heed me," he had said. "Coyote it is who protects us. Coyote it is who soon will refuse to protect us if you persist in these ways." They laughed, and said, "Protect us from what, old man? What has Coyote ever protected us from?" And they did as they would.

Against this tide, Coyote Runner could no longer stand. His life was the life of Coyote's People. Now, Coyote's People turned from Coyote. As with the People, so with his life. He knew his days were numbered and few. And in the midst of this dwindling came the news that the Man-Things to the East had attempted to communicate with the People. Their message was unclear, for they, too, spoke in ways unfamiliar to the People, and made no attempt to learn the language of the Coyote. But their gestures made it all too clear they were unhappy with the People. And they displayed weapons as they tried to talk; weapons which Coyote Runner knew must be intended for fighting. He had dreamed of such things, and a horrid idea had filtered into his dreams with them: a type of fighting that killed many, and lasted long; a thing called "war."

So, with his last days, he tried to prevent this dream from becoming reality. He called what few would still listen to him to come to his tipi, and he spoke with them. "Send to these Man-things a skin. Let be drawn on the skin at the top the sun rising. Let be drawn under that the Mountains of the East. Put a picture of the Man-Things and their city between the sun and the mountains. Then draw the two rivers and put pictures of the People of the Coyote there. And then draw below the mountains and above the rivers a heavy line. Let this be a sign to them that the People of the Coyote will not go beyond the mountains, will not seek to move any more towards these Man-Things. And tell the people of Two Rivers, and of Michilimackinac that they must try to avoid pressing on these Man-Things, for as surely as they do press, they will find that Coyote's protection was wanted, and wanting."

With that, Coyote Runner turned into his tent. He picked up his pipe, his bow and his spear, his flint and his tinder, and his flute, and he walked to the land of the Setting Sun, beyond the Great Mountains. His People never saw him again.

[Native America (DoE)]

The men gathered in the great space slowly. From all across the plains they had come. From Two Rivers had they come. From beside the Shining Big-Sea Water had they come. They came to do something the People of the Coyote had never done before. They came to name one among them as "leader." One among their number would soon be called upon to make the decisions for all.

Their had been much talk as to who the men should choose for this honor. Son of the Bear had lobbied hard among those who still lived in Cahokia; he was brave and fierce, strong, but not too cunning. Word was that Talks With Foxes, who lived among those at Two Rivers had spread the idea that his ideas were more important than any feat of strength; he it was who had conceived lately of finding a way to put words down on skins, so that others could read them far away. Many of the older men thought this a sign of leadership.

Sitting in the back was a quiet, young man. He had grown up in Cahokia, but he had visited Two Rivers and Michilimackinac. He had seen many wonders of the world. And he hungered for many things for his People. Things that Coyote Runner had spoken against. Things like larger cities, many people in one place, where their work could be concentrated. Things like making animals be servants to the People, to carry and to ride and to eat. And he was no fan of the Cult of the Coyote. To him had come strange dreams, in which he had seen visions of other gods, all equal, all promising better lives for the People than Coyote promised. He desired to enter into a compact with such a god, to make the People prosper.

One day, when he had been young, he had stood on a hill overlooking the plains. He had stood there for three days, hardly moving, just watching. Many had come to see what he was watching, but they could not bide longer than a few minutes before moving on, for they saw nothing. But he had watched with eyes that saw much. He watched as the coyote slunk along afraid of the People, afraid of the Wolf, afraid of even his own shadow. He watched as the bear ambled along, fearing no other animal, but seemingly without purpose. He watched as the fox crept out of its den, hunting always in the unseen brush, never in the open.

And on the third day, he watched as the bison moved. The bison, which could spread from horizon to horizon, who would trample anything in their way, from whom the Coyote, the Fox, even the Bear turned away. The Bison; inexorable, unstoppable.

And while he watched, Coyote Runner had come and watched for a time with him, had seen the Bison. The young man spoke not; the old man spoke not. They watched as statues. And it came into the heart of the young man that he would go down and run with the bison, go where they went, be a part of that great tide. And just as he was about to move, Coyote Runner said, "Remember this: they are many now, but in that maniness they have no individual strength. The one is not important to them." And the dreamer of Coyote's dreams turned and walked away. But the young man thought on this briefly, and scoffed in his mind. "Who worries about the one, when there are so many?" And he ran with the Bison, and learned their ways. And he became known as Runs With Buffalos.

When it was time to choose, when all the men had arrived, when the pipes had been smoked and the songs had been sung and the tales told, then each who wanted to be leader had spoken. And the follower of Bear had spoken of strength, and arms, and power; the follower of Fox had spoken of cunning, and stealth, and pretending. But the follower of the Bison had spoken of Great Things, of the Tide of Man, of a compact with a God, and of who could make these things happen. And even as he spoke, across the plains flowed the buffalo, and they split and surrounded the men, and the tramp of their hooves made the ground shake. And the men took it as a sign, and they chose Runs With Buffalos to lead them.

[America (DoE)]

The people of the tribe looked at the skin they received from the Feather people. They didn't understand it one bit. But then, Chief grabbed it from them. He turned it around the other way up, and then showed it to the tribe. Everybody said "aaah, right, of course."

The Chief looked to his Warrior Leader. Warrior Leader came closer, a few whispers were exchanged, and then the Chief stood up to proclaim something. This would be a historic moment.

The Chief spoke, and said that from this day forth, anybody caught defecating behind his tent would be tied to a tree and used as target practice for their new warrior band of archers.

On a sidenote, nobody was to cross the locations marked on the map given by the Feather People.

The Master Painter was given the assignment to send back a message signifying the approval of the plan of the Feather people. He believed it to be one of his best works yet.