Snippet #1720652

Dangerous times were knocking on the door of mankind, no matter whom they worshiped. As far from the battlefienld as the water people were, they had news and tales coming from the land of Bellegar and Chath continuously and, needless to say, it did make them feel uneasy. They trusted their patron goddess, no doubt, yet they could feel the cold breeze of war coming closer to their own lands and families. The impact this fact had on them all was that they had become even more fierce in their training with bow and arrow, constantly doing their very best to improve both their aim and their weapons. Thus, they had created from the simple bow, a more refined and much deadlier form of bow. The long bow. Its range was definetly bigger and the piercing ability of the arrows was much improved as well and now able to pierce some metal armors. The heads of the arrows were metal now, made as sharp as lightning. The crocodile companion of these archers were increasingly obedient and well trained, and with it, even more efficient in the aspects of slowing or even killing a target.

However, not all of the population took archery as their primary war skill. A small number of them took a great liking to melee fighting and thanks to the craftsmen that had evolved along nicely like all the rest, they would be custom make armors and weapons. These fighter’s particular favorites were the lance and shield. These lances were taller than their wielder by a half of their own height and the shields barbed with poisonous pricks. The Lady Morgana had made them into a careful population. She had made sure not to take the blessed peace of their lands for granted and always prepare, improve... evolve.

The craftsmen were also improving the quality of the buildings in all three of the water cities, making them resilient and larger than what they normally built. They now developed a way of treating the woods they used in order to be quite fireproof by using a special oil from a species of fish found on Morgana’s shores. Taking the model from Bellegar’s homeland from which the water people received letters continuously written by the healers in his land, the craftsmen, masons and builders commenced erecting high walls around the cities of Oceania, Linae and Dew-neth. However, having so many plains at their own disposal, the water people starting using them closer to their full potential, growing weats and vegetables that now filled their tables alongside the fish and beakalo flesh. They would start to regularly hold feasts in honor of their kind goddess at the feet of the temple, praise her wisdom and thanking her for the peace and well-being that enveloped her lands.

The temple in Oceania now held a special addition, a structure built as part of the temple, that was used as a school where the elite of water people could learn to read and write, where maps were created and strategies discussed. It was also here that the administrators of the three cities would meet and discuss new ideas of crops, buildings, weaponry, armors and trading, then taking these new ideas and putting them into practice when they returned into their cities and nearby villages.

A new form of travel had been developed as well between Oceania and Linae and that was by sea. A part of the fishermen took a major liking to building means of water transportation that quickly became quite efficient. They built larger boats with sails instead of ores that would carry merchandise from one city to the other. Since some of the travels took place at night, a star guide was slowly being developed that would insure the boats followed their routes, even in the dark. The first astronomists were developing. For trading between Oceania and Dew-neth, however, a different kind of boat was created that was longer and slimer, perfect to be going up and down the rivers.

The priestesses did not rest. They made sure that no idleness was shown towards the young shrines in the new cities. In that sense, they named a few more special builders and craftsmen to raise temples in the place of the shrines in Linae and Dew-neth located in the center of each of the cities. They would be ornate with the best of pearls that were now the most respected of adornments since it represented their goddess so well, the new temples to be were to hold statues of magnificent beauty that would picture Morgana and, now, there would even be murals and songs of adoration decorating the walls.

The Lady Morgana appeared to her people in each city and watched over them without interruption, and even though there were many whispers of war in the neighboring lands, the presence of Leviathan that patrolled from one city to the others would ensure and make the water people feel safe and at ease.
Her fiery brother had requested a shrine of his in each settlement of Moragana, in order to have a sorts of protection against the Suo-ata who were a constant threat to not just her people... but all peoples. Her message to Chath had been this: “My people are NOT defenseless, my brother. And what you ask is too much by any circumstances. You shall not have the shrines. If the Suo-ata are to attack my cities, I –will- consider it an act of aggression from your part. I shall not believe that you, their god and creator, cannot control them and keep them at bay! I do not wish for any of our people to suffer.” And she delivered her message in person in front of her brother and his people, always soft spoken and slightly stretching her arms out in a gesture of peace.

As for her other brother, Bellegar, his gift was much welcome as The Lady Moragana agreed to sending her waterons for the sole purpose of defending those that belonged to her kind. She would make sure her beloved brothers and sisters would feel safe no matter in which land they were. They would make their living at the new built shrine, the waterons always a shadow that assured them the goddess was always with them.
Hunting in the woods, some of Morgana’s people had stumbled across a tribe of nomads that wore feathers and the such as ornaments. Yet, these tribespeople did not seem aggressive, but on the contrary. The hunters immediately asked who they were and what they were doing on these lands and as soon as they presented themselves as the children of the wind goddess, one hunter had been sent back to Dew-neth straight to the temple in construction and the first priestess there to inform of this... meeting. The priestess asked for the Lady Morgana’s wisdom.

“My blessed goddess, what shall we do about these people?”

“Manna, my sister,” the goddess spoke “These people are not to be harmed unless they want to inflict harm upon our brothers and sisters. Yet, they cannot be allowed to roam free in our lands either. Send a representative of the water people and have him explain to them the importance of borders and how they need to be kept. I shall send Leviathan to be present for this meeting as a means of precaution for our hunters and the representative. I am sure my sister will understand. I do not see why we should provoke pain to one another.”

Morgana suggested that a canal be built to the north-west of Dew-neth that would make the border she had sent message of to her sister. It had its root in the river and end in the sea. Part of that border would be the represented by the river itself before it forked around the city. There would be waterons place on that river as immovable sentinels. Wards for the land of water. They were commanded not to kill any of the wind people unless they were the ones to take an aggressive and war-like attitude.

... every pain of her people was a pain to the goddess.