In the first day, they had light and dark. The frigid wastes, smattered with tough plant life, looked cold and uninviting.
In this first moment, the Goruk met their God. It needed not to speak; its power conveyed itself. They had been birthed of its hand, and by that same hand would they die. The Goruk understood this from the very first. They understood the ice and snow, the harsh realities of life on their island. And they understood that someone must show them through it. Thus, the first Goruk experience was the challenge, the trial, and so the first Tribe, the Tribe of Eyes, was made.
Their second experience was the kill. On the Isle of Tribulations, plants were sparse. Only the hardy winter fox and its various prey, the mammoth and the various small mammals of the ice, clung to life. Food would always be of the challenge; and always would members of the Blood Tribe relieve its pressure.
But blood and flesh alone could not bear fruit for a whole species; nay, some other sustenance would be required. The weak and the slow found it in the oft-overlooked shrubs and flowers. Little fruits grew from them, and with enough hard work, sewn and turned to more of the plants. But this way was slow and hard, and earned little respect. The farmers bound together for necessity, and the Seed Tribe came into the world.
As time went on, life became a little bit easier. The Isle was cold, but bore little snow. The ground was tough to move, but rich with natural materials untouched by sentient life. No trees grew, but patience and water allowed small dirt huts to be built. These huts were cold, but not quite so cold as the outside.
And so the Goruk settled in. They lived, bred, and died. Stoneworking came around, as did happiness and prosperity. But their numbers grew, and soon the Goruk found themselves at a new point in their short history, one of growth and expansion. One might even say a new Age. An Age of Exploration.
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[–] cyaknight [S] ago
When the Sky Man was first spotted, the Tribe of Eyes was immediately convened. More information and an awareness of the approach of newcomers meant that a delegation was formed.
It would consist of Yrt the Ninth Eye, lowest of the Eyes, a Seed Tribe representative, and a nine-man honor guard. Each guard was of the Blood Tribe; each had taken on a mammoth alone and come out victorious. Their mission was to determine the true nature of the Sky-Men, their purpose, and their origin.
Yrt was not the lowest for a lack of diplomatic skill. Rather, each above him was either a better tactician or was his elder. The mission would meet the Sky-Men at the outskirts of the only Goruk city, Scorch (after its location, the spot where the Holy Goddess created Goruk-kind). It was an unusually trusting move on Yrt's part. The only Goruk population center was, of course, invaluable, and Yrt gave the Sky Men quite valuable intel with the location alone.
The sudden influx of information, and offer of peace, made Yrt suspicious. Goruk politics are riddled with lies; but, ever the oddball, Yrt would agree to a polite peace, and trade.
Please note that I refer to you as Sky Men because the Goruk know nothing of you.