Chapter 3: Enslavement and liberation
Early interactions
Over time, the nature of the relationship of the Devanu over the Fubarnii changed from opportunistic to a more structured domination. With the Fubarnii population now thriving, the Devanu did not refrain from demonstrating their displeasure by killing and eating members of the villages that failed to provide tribute. Devanu are very territorial, and it is not hard to see how they came to think of Fubarnii villages within their territory as their own ‘property'. Nevertheless, individual Fubarnii were inconsequential and could move from village to village (if they didn't mind the risk of being picked off and eaten en route). It did them little good, however, as one Devanu territory was much like another.
Communication between the Fubarnii and the Devanu was difficult. Most of the percussives and plosives of Devanu speech were unfamiliar to the Fubarnii, and the lipless Devanu were unable to form many of the consonants of the Fubarnii language. But there were obvious advantages in being able to tell what their ‘masters' wanted, and the Fubarnii learned to understand. The most adept in each village would usually act as interpreter for the rest, and would therefore have the job of mediating, bargaining or outright pleading depending on the Devanu's demands. This naturally gave them some status within their own community.
Towers
The first tower was probably a fairly small structure, and one can only speculate how it came about. Maybe a Devanu in a low-lying area simply felt the need for a more elevated nesting space, perhaps nothing more than a platform of piled up rocks. Maybe a building was constructed for other purposes, as storage perhaps, and the Devanu took to living on top of it. What is sure is that the idea spread, and naturally each Devanu clan would want to outdo its neighbours. The larger a territory, the greater the Fubarnii workforce that could be pressed into service – but eventually the key became architectural skill, and Fubarnii that had it were prized.
The Devanu were not kind masters – it was not in their nature to be. It is hard to understand the mindset of a carnivore, an intelligent predator whose whole worldview is based on hierarchies of strength, size and viciousness. They simply have a different set of values, and being kind is not a virtue in Devanu society. To the Fubarnii, whose philosophies are more similar to our own, they were anything from a natural disaster up to evil incarnate. Even today there are mixed views. The more extreme (particularly in some cultures such as the Delgon) tend to see the Devanu as morally evil and extermination as justifiable. Others see them as a trial that was overcome, and further persecution to be unnecessary. A Devanu acting according to its nature is no different from an earthquake or a lightning strike – deadly, but there is no sense in being personally affronted by it. A few very rare enlightened thinkers even acknowledge the possible benefit the Devanu may have had on their culture, speeding progress and inspiring inventions that might not otherwise have been discovered. They tend to do so very quietly however.
