It was a typical warm day on Ino. The day of punishment for a foreigner from an unknown island came. "I will tell you the rules once more before you execution. No murder or rape! No robbery and do not endanger the honor of our families! You have committed rape on our island. Murder and rape is punished by beheading. You get no right to say any last words. My the death goddess punish your rotten soul." Esia said to the foreigner. She then quickly swung her scythe. The man fell over and his head fell off. "Give this man an unhonorable burial. Let the vultures eat from his corpse!" It was the first execution in two years. The village thought very highly of Esia. No one really knew how long she has been their protector or how old she was but she watched over the village as if she was one of the demigods. The villagers brought carts full of wheat into the village. They traded with merchants from the neighboring island. The merchants brought spices and hops and the village gave them some wheat and their crafted jewelry. Today was also the day of harvest, a festival the village and a village from the neighboring island celebrated together. The would drink and have fun together. They would celebrate the good harvest they had and the high fertility rate. Each woman in the village got 5 to 12 children each. Maybe sometime soon they would grow to a town or make more villages.
Esia dressed up for the evening. In her white dress with a white cloth choker that had black lines going around it, she seemed like a celestial being. A bronze chain hung down from the choker with beads on it. All the other women were getting dressed for the festival.

The wind howled through the village as the Khan of the Khador prepared for what he feared would be a bloody battle. The harvest been low this year, and the hunter were having trouble finding game. The Khan knew what this meant. It was a sign from Orin that a battle was likely at hand. The Khan knew that his people are hungry and so had called a gathering of the village warriors to decide what had to be done. The warriors had decided what he knew they would, they called for a raid on the lands to the south. They had heard of the abundant harvest there and that the foolish southerners where having a feast to celebrate this. Of course this made them easy prey in the eyes of the Khadoran warriors, after all they would not know what hit them until it was to late. However the Khan knew that raids could be bloody affairs an cost the Khadoran people as dearly as it cost their prey. So he had proposed that they take trading goods with them and that they would try to trade for the food they needed, and if that did not work they would sail away for three days and then return on the third night and take what they needed. So as he buckles his sword around his belt he looks over to his young son and says, "We are the Children of the War God, however Lady Cryx determines when our time to dye comes. Should I not return I wish you to guide the people as I have done." His son a boy on the verge of becoming a man says, "yes, father I will lead them as you have shown me." The Khan says, "good, then should Cryx choose me I know our people are in good hands." He then places the iron crown with its elliptical pieces of obsidian on his head and leaves the house of the Khan.
The Khan looks around and sees that the village warriors are pushing carts loaded down with wooden furniture and iron tools toward the five dragon boats of their people. Five hundred warriors and we call this a raid more like a battle, he thinks. But we will still give them the chance to trade before we slay them. I pray that the gods grant them the wisdom of that path. Once the boats are loaded down he heads to the largest of them and climes aboard. Before they set sail to the south he calls out the all the warriors, "we will grant them the opportunity of hold Khadoran iron and the Wood of Orin, but if they refuse to trade. The we will grant them a swift journey to Lady Cryx and the Underworld. Now Brave warriors set sail for the islands of the south." The sails unfurl on the dragon boats and the ships head rapidly south towards the unsuspecting southerners.

New developments: More robust weapons, construction cranes, woodwind instruments (including bagpipes), fishnets, tattoos and piercings.


Sunset came and the people had gathered. The people from the other island had brought a new instrument (aulos) and the art of tattoos with them. Music began to play and people were amusing themselves. Esia decided to get tattoos. The tattoo artist tattooed a tribal line at the top of each of Esias cheeks with a light blue ink. The night went long. After the celebration everyone went home. The next day Esia got her hair shaved to get her head tattooed. Her hair grew back and long quickly. With the acquirement of cranes the people built another village more towards the center of the island. They built a temple and a small palace with a council chamber. The villagers were welcome in the palace and were grateful that they had such a fair and kind chief. But soon Esia wasnt called chief anymore but guardian Esia. She made sure that the laws of the island were obeyed and that those would be punished for disobeying. A new milder punishment was made for robbery: Instead of death, the culprits got 20 whip strokes on first account and further robberies by the same person resulted in loosing a finger. Esia took care of the problems and would protect the island from invaders.

It was full moon last night, so this should be a busy day for Theodor. He and his Veterans were asked to help the Phoniän guardsmen. Today all kinds of creatures gathered in the capital, with all kinds of wares. Theodor changed into his travel's outfit. He rendezvoused with his Veterans at the south side of the market, pointing out places that should be watched carefully. After that they started patrolling in groups of three. Theodor and his group marched to the gate. He didn't go on a patrol, he and his Chosen had a special assignment. They had to guard the chieftain of a tribe they wanted to ally with, if they were succesful it would be great. But one of their enemies could attack, and if they would succeed in killing the chieftain it would start a war between the Agovorian and the tribe that had lost it's chieftain. But it would probably not happen, there hadn't been an enemy that dared to attack them on a Grandtrade-day. The Warlord and his Chosen walked to the small port at the lake, there should the chieftain arrive. And Theodor was right, the chieftain arrived there, right on time, with his personal guard as well. The tribe they came from was a Boarmen Tribe, good warriors, not very smart. Theodor introduced himself, speaking the language of the Boarmen Tribe flawless. He discussed his plans with the chieftain, and they started the trip. They hadn't any trouble getting to the mayor's estate, they wished each other a good day, and departed. The sun was undergoing when Theodor and his Chosen walked to the market, they were free for the rest of the day. When they arrived at the market it was less crowdy than when they had left the capital. But there were enough creatures left in the market, buying and selling stuff, catching up with eachother. It was a cool evening, great for a campfire. Theodor would make one when all his men had finished their duty. And so it happened, when the sun was gone a large campfire was made, in the middel of the square, in the norht-west part of Phoniän. The drums were beating, a traveling tradesman told a story and the others were listening. It had been a great day and the capital had made a lot profit on this Grandtrade-day, and a valueable ally.

The dragon boats pull up to the southern island in the darkness of night. Deep in within the lead boat the Khadoran Khan prays to Lady Cryx to prepare a place in the Underworld for his men if this event comes to battle. He spends the rest of the night preparing for the next day. At dawn the next day the dragon boats land on the beach and before long the landing boards are in the sand and Khadoran warriors pour onto the beach. They form into ranks as the boats cargo is lowered to the ground in carts pulled by five men each. Once every thing is in order the Khan who was the first man on the beach points in the direction of the nearby settlement. "March there my warriors, now is the time for trade if possible. Or if we cannot do that then the taking of what we need for our people. Now form a shield wall, and advance." With that they begin to march toward the settlement.

The Sun was high in the sky. Hoteph walked out of the bamboo hut and looked out upon his village. Everything was peaceful, and going well. The jungle on the island was dense from the heat of the island, Fruit was plentiful and so was meat, with all the wild game around. Hoteph grabbed his Lance and set out for the village feeling quickly for his sword on his belt. He desended down the hill at a quick pace, greeting all the villagers. He enjoyed being the Chief.
On his way down the hill, He noticed something on the distance. They looked like boats, but non like his. His face wrickled from though as he continued his decent. Thoughts ran through his, but the one that stuck the most was thoughts of war. That was what he dreaded, knowing that it would cause fatalities on his already small population. He couldn't afford that, but he would fight to defend his land, no matter the cost.

Esia noticed the advancing troops from the roof of the newly built stone palace. Her men noticed to and were on alert. "No need to go with me. I will take care of these matter myself." She said. Esia walked down to the oncoming troops. "Welcome to my island. We call it Ino. What brings you here?" She asked holding her scythe in her hand. "So that you know I am the leader of this island. They called me guardian Esia."

The Khan at the head of his elite troops (from now on referred to as the Thyns) notices the strangely marked woman approach. He quickly appraises her, she carries a scythe in a manner that speaks of her knowledge of its use and not just for farming. When she speaks he does not quite understand her words but he realizes from her body language that she is not issuing a challenge. He turns to his Thyns and says, "Bring forth the carts." The Thyns step aside and the men pulling the carts to come to the front of the army. The Khan walks over to one of the carts and pulls a crate from it and brings it over to the strange woman. He sets it down and opens it to reveal iron knives. "We bring these," he snaps his fingers and a man runs over with a piece of wooden furniture, "and these to trade. So says I the Khan of Khador"

Developments: Simple chainmail, ale, wine, mead, hammers and axes for battle, oil

Esia kneeled down to look at the knives. She pointed at it and said in her tongue: "Knife" to show the word for it in her language. Esia took out a flute and played on it. It was abnormally loud but beautiful. A couple men and women came carrying wooden chests. They opened the chests. One chest had bronze jewelry and bronze ceremonial daggers in it. The next was full of olives. Then a man was carrying a barrel. He opened it and filled a cup with wine. A man stood next to Esia with a chainmail shirt and a battlehammer resting on his shoulder. Esia offered the foreigner some wine. "Here drink. Its wine." Esia said.

The Khan is impressed by the things the strange woman has brought before him. He is a little confused when she offers him a cup of the strange liquid. He calls over Zhorav the leader the the Thyns and tells him to take a sip of the strange liquid. Zhorav takes the drink and sips from it. "It is good my Khan," Zhorav responds, "weak compared to Orin's mead but good." The Khan takes the cup and drinks deeply from it. He enjoys the sweet taste of the beverage. He smiles and hands the cup back to the woman. He turns to his men and shouts, "They are touched by Orin's wisdom. May they live long and when their time comes may Lady Cryx smile upon them." His men all drop to their keens and shout, "Seyla." He turns back to the strange woman and says, "(pointing to himself) I am the Khan. (lowering his hand) May Orin protect you and Lady Cryx grant long life. (smiles) And let Gora grant you his sense of adventure, but not his mischief."

To her words Esia made fitting gestures: "As I said. My name is Esia. I am the guardian of Ino. Maybe you would like to stay for a night after your long trip. In the name of the highest goddess, death goddess Enesia and her kin, I welcome you to Ino." She then turned to her villagers: "Bring them to the main village and make sure they get some food and beds." She smiled at the Khan and waved him over to come with her to the small palace. She walked over to the palace which was next to the temple which looked like a very tall tower. On the front wall of the palace was an engraved picture of Enesia who somehow looked like Esia with a severed head in one hand and the light of life in the other. The rotting head of the rapist from days ago was mounted on a spear in front of the palace.

The Khan nods to his men to follow the people of the island to their homes. As he travels with the woman calling herself Esia he takes note of all the defensible locations in the village. As he approaches the palace he notices the skull on a spear. He walks over to it and takes it from its place. The Khan then pulls a long knife from his boot and begins to carve runes on the skull. "Lady Cryx judge this man true, be he a noble warrior, or man condemned to hell. Reveal to me the true course," He chants. He chants this three times, before he understands the crime this man had committed. He drops the skull to the ground shouting, "burn forever you worm." He raises his right foot over the skull and as he brings it down he cries, "Seyla." The skull shatters and the Khan begins grinding the shards to dust. Looking over at Esia he says, "Lady Cryx is pleased."

The Agovorian had started building a large structure, on top of the highest hill of the Vespian Isle. It was on the western part of the isle, directly against the sea. There was a path up to the hill, which made many turns, on the other side there was a steep cliff, it was impossible to climb, and if you fell you would be crushed on the pointy rocks, or be smashed against them by the waves. Here were the temple of the Earth Mother, the Agovorian Warriors' headquarters, the Temple-guard headquarters, the Disciples of The Earth Mother's estate and the Meeting Room, for when the chieftains would discus about all kinds of things that were going on. It would be the greatest military/spiritual structure on the whole island.

Theodor however, was besieging the capital of an enemy clan. This clan was made from criminals and outsiders of other tribes, and it had killed a group of Agovorian farmers, which didn't go unnoticed. Theodor gathered all his men, and several men (and beasts) from other tribes. They crumbled the resistance outside the gates. And because there weren't any rivers or well in the capital Theodor figured that the easiest way of defeating the enemy clan was to just wait until they hadn't any water anymore. It wouldn't take long, and there weren't any other matters to attend to they could wait.

There had been another Grandtrade-day, which was very successful. There had been a good amount of profit, and they had made another ally, a tribe existing out of centaurs. And the population of the Agovorian was growing larger, a few nomadic tribes were formed and some groups of Agovorian had started to build villages. They made them at several oases and close to rivers and the sea. And some of the Agovorian had traveled to uninhabited islands close to the Vespian Isle. Some of them were once inhabited by clans, which were a threat to the Agovorian tribes, and had been eredicated by Theodor and his Warriors.

The tribes that recently had made an alliance with the Agovorian brought new kind of weapons, wares and food. There almost wasn't any crime on the Vespian Isle. This was because everybody had its place, if you're parents were farmers, you would become a farmer, if your betrothed was a hunter, your children would be hunters. Some females had professions as well, but most of them took care of the house and children and prepared food. You could tell what profession someone had if you saw his tattoos, and if you had a different profession than the one you should have you couldn't make a lot profit. People would think you were a run away, or was exiled by your tribe.

The difference between tribes and clans was the smartness, tribes were able to converse, write and read. Clans would simply shout and attack instead of parley. If you were a guest in a tribe and you would thank them and say that they are a kind clan, they would be offended.

Esia studied the action of the guest and concluded: "I understand your anger, however I do not thing it is adequate to take down a symbol that is supposed to deter future criminals. However would you follow me to have some tea and we can discuss the current matters and maybe exchange a few friendly words as our tribes could have a future pact or even an alliance to strengthen each other against future threats coming from clans or other tribes. How do you feel about that? Will you accompany me to the tea room?" Esia thought it would be delightful to at least exchange a few words with the outsider and maybe study his customs.