A cluster of stone buildings rose at the heart of the Southern Confederation, standing firm under wide skies.
Nestled where green hills close in, it looked less like a clan's outpost, more like some quiet village you'd pass without noticing. Houses stood firm, along with a place for treating injuries, a room for learning moves and rules, even kids' lessons held each week. Underfoot, paths of hardened soil kept shoes clean when dry. Roofs carried flat glassy squares soaking up sunlight hour after hour. Water came down from the stream slicing the land in two, cleaned before it reached taps.
This group didn't roam wild lands.
From stacking things came whole worlds. Building up changed how people lived together.
