Day 12 of spring, 533
This week I made the sort of once-in-a-lifetime discovery that every scholar dreams of. I discovered a heretofore unknown people! I continue to broaden my horizons, and those of my fellow exiles, by seeking out uncharted lands and recording my findings. The stack of unsorted notes in my study is truly shameful, but this discovery was so important it just couldn't wait.
It started out as just another day of exploration. I had rented a small boat and sailed out to one of the uncharted islands in this chain, with the intention of mapping it. First I circumnavigated the island to find a good beach. I found a little bay with a sandy beach with a small stream on the north side of the island, and made landfall there.
As I secured the boat, I realized many pairs of eyes were scrutinizing my every move. At first, I was quite frightened, particularly since I could not see my observers. When after a couple of minutes nothing came bursting out of the trees to attack me, I began to relax.
Hoisting my pack, I then left the boat and started to follow the stream into the interior of the island. I made no attempt at stealth, as a rustling in the branches all around me marked my progress. Not wanting to force a potentially dangerous confrontation, I pretended to ignore my followers, but kept my eyes and ears open.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, a soft voice spoke behind me. "Good sir Thoom, before you trespass into my village, may I please know the nature of your business?"
Startled, I whirled around and nearly had my hand taken off at the wrist by a very nervous little creature quivering excitedly on a boulder I had only just passed by. Quickly regaining my composure, I turned my hands palms upward and calmly announced, "I mean no harm; I am a scholar and come here only in pursuit of knowledge."
Apparently I said the right thing, as a murmur of appreciation escaped the six soldiers that had, unbeknownst to me, snuck up behind me and pointed their wicked little knives at my back. The one on the rock, whom I took for the leader, favored me with a big, toothy grin and exclaimed, "If truth you speak, you shall be our honored guest. If, however, your motives are false, then the planks of your sailing boat will float home individually with a different piece of you tied to each!"
Such was my introduction to the diminutive but fierce Furo. I handed the leader my dagger (handle first) and allowed her to tie my wrists and blindfold me, as her soldiers excitedly investigated the contents of my pack, especially my lunch. I hoped there would be food for me in the village, as that which I had brought from Puddleby surely would not survive the trip.
As we walked, I tried to get the leader to tell me about the island and her people. She insisted on trading question for question, which under the circumstances was agreeable to me. So I learned that her name was SharpTooth, and her people the Furo. She could not tell me whether her people were indigenous to the island or deported there by Emperor Mobius, but they had clearly lived in isolation on this island for some time. In exchange, I told her of recent events in the Ascendency and the Exiles of Puddleby.
By and by, we came upon the village, where I was unbound but remained under cautious guard. I was quite the center of attention. Apparently everyone knew me for a Thoom, but had never actually seen one before. I could not understand their tongue, but recognized my race-name scattered throughout their speech. Most of them could not understand me at all, and only the leader could truly converse with me.
The first of my possessions to be returned to me were my mapping tools, which I used instead to sketch the Furo in some typical poses: standing, fighting, and bolting for safety.
The features of the Furo are musteline in the same way that the Fen'Neko are feline. Their arms and legs are as short and stocky as their bodies are slender, and they long faces with bright, beady eyes and wickedly sharp teeth. Their bodies are covered with silky fur, and they have long tails that tend to puff up when they get excited. In dress, the Furo favor comfortable breeches and baggy overshirts neatly tucked into a colorful sash at the waist.
Physically the Furo are quite small, but have a wiry strength that belies their stature. Although they stand no more than three feet tall, any of the Furo could easily best me in a wrestling match due to their exceptional speed and balance. In armed combat the odds would be somewhat more even, as due to their size the Furo can withstand relatively little blood loss and inflict little damage. Their size prevents them from effectively wielding a weapon larger than a small sword. Still, their speed and balance again come to their aid, as they are particularly adept at avoiding being hit as they lash out to inflict on their enemy scores of tiny wounds. The Furo are superlative hunters of small prey such as rats and myrms, but are also effective in groups against larger animals due to their uncanny ability to hit.
The Furo are completely unfamiliar with the use of magic, and have very little instrinsic talent for it. On the other hand, with their tiny fingers they can craft knives, utensils and ornaments of exquisite intricacy.
Socially, the Furo are bright, joyful, and intensely curious. For a people with no written history, they possess a remarkable knowledge of the world and other sentient races. They have a loose tribal network, with a sort of pecking order whose complexity defies analysis. The only constant seems to be that at the top of every heap is a scrappy little female. They have very little notion of property, unless the holder of said property is another Furo. It took me all afternoon to convince them to relinquish to me those of my belongings they hadn't already hidden away.
I proposed to SharpTooth that the Furo initiate mutually beneficial cultural and trade relations with the exiles of Puddleby, but after many generations of isolation, her people were understandably cautious. In the end, the Furo held a celebration in my honor that lasted the whole night, and early the next morning they blindfolded me again and brought me back to my boat. SharpTooth invited me to return at any time to exchange knowledge with her people, but bade me not reveal their location to the rest of the world until they feel comfortable integrating into a larger society.
Such an interesting and exciting race, I do hope they decide in our favor soon.
Coming soon: Tamarin's account of the Ripture War