Kiram
Whippersnapper
Posts: 9
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Post by Kiram on Jul 8, 2013 13:11:01 GMT
Common Year 2484 Cataran Year 206 Catar, The Roaming City
The interior of the library was perhaps the coldest place in Catar, not that that was saying much. High above the towering stacks of books and scrolls, a series of fans spun with a quiet thumping hum that filled the nearly silent room. The sun filtered down through the high stained-glass windows, painting the ancient vellum and weathered leather of the documents. Naru Zadhi sat at one of the half-dozen small tables scattered around the room, a small pile of books stacked upon the table. Little beads of sweat dripped down the darkened skin of the young scholar, staining the small wooden desk that swayed gently with the lumbering movement of the great roaming city.
This was the long, boring stretch when the city trundled between Neveh and Arish for weeks through the endless desert. The city was sleepy at this time, at least by Cataran standards. The normal hustle and bustle of preparing for the trading season had died down, and the heat of the day kept most of the people off the streets until the twilight hours. The slow, lurching movement of the room, and the heat of the midsummer sun conspired against Naru. He felt his head begin to sag towards the light-painted wood of the desk. His head hit the table with a light thump. Then, it happened. All at once, he shot straight up, his entire body tensed with raw power as his bright green-yellow eyes glazed over. The room around him shifted and changed, shadows and splintered colors of light coming together to form a verdant forest. Something flitted through the leaves, slowly turning ashen grey everything it touched. The deep green and browns faded as the forest melted, leaving only a foggy grey mist covering the whole of the world. And in front of Naru, a spirit took shape, beckoning to him from the mist.
Then, without warning, the world snapped back into place, just as it was before. The young academic convulsed, knocking a stack of books off the table as he fell to the floor, and retched as the world swirled back into it's more familiar and comfortable shape. Long moments passed before he was able to pick himself up off the floor, and head for the temples of the disciples.
"I have to go. I know what I saw," said Naru, sighing with frustration. He delicately placed yet another book into his satchel, wrapped in long sandy robes to protect it from the desert winds and sands.
"You are a scholar! Your exam was less than 3 weeks ago!" his father countered. The argument had been going on for the better part of the day as the younger Zadhi had begun to pack his bags for his pilgrimage.
"Father, you know I must do this."
"You could have a job at the university."
"The job will still be there when I return. My spirit is out there. Waiting for me. It found me in the library." Naru's voice grew more steady as he spoke. He was never more sure of himself than he was at this point. "The disciples tell me I was dreaming, but I know what I saw was true. Please father, I must do this."
Malake Zadhi let out a heavy sigh and looked into the eyes of his son. The boy's... no, the man's dark hair had been cut short in preparation for the journey. Everything except the final He shook his head and opened a small chest kept by the foot of his bed. He forced a small bag, heavy with the weight of precious metal into Naru's hands. "If I cannot convince you to stay, you must at least allow me to give you this."
Naru took a deep breath, his mind grasping for the appropriate words, that seemed to slip away. Finally, the only words that seemed to make sense tumbled from his lips. "Thank you father. I leave with the group when we reach Arish in two months." This provoked the first smile of the day from his father, broad and full of pride. That night, his extended family would gather. The entire neighborhood would gather. There would be a feast.
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Post by Timeon on Jul 9, 2013 12:13:23 GMT
Later that day Naru walked into the library to find several lively voices fighting to override one another. It was unusual for such a debate to flare up in this library, but it was not unheard of, with scholars bumping shoulders on a busy day.
It was no mere argument that Naru found. Seated beneath bookshelves, swatting flies and cursing, he recognized some of the elders present. Raha Gero, a famed magician, was leading the dialogue. Her hair was streaked through with grey, and rested as a braid over one shoulder. Naru had not seen her in many years, and it was said that she had left on private business to Sali. She had visibly aged since then, and Naru was now seeing her through new eyes.
"That is precisely what we believe." Raha was saying, directing her voice to a short man dressed in red opposite of her. Naru noted that the skin of this man was unusually pale.
"But surely you understand that humans are made of up different parts, unlike spirits?" the foreigner asked in oddly accented Cataran. "A spirit is a wholesome being. It is birthed as one whole from a parent spirit. We humans, on the other hand..."
The foreigner's heretical remarks were visibly chafing the elders. The stranger did not believe in Zaurac's teachings, granted, but his gall to argue against them, in the Wandering City...
"Then why does a spirit complete a human?" one of the scholars shot angrily. "Can you answer me that, sirrah?"
"That's the thing." the pale man said with a smile. "It doesn't, I think. You try tell a Faloran that he needs a spirit."
Some wooden shape hovered behind Raha's shoulder, her spirit, Naru guessed. It looked like a stick figure that a child could have assembled on a riverbank. It clattered into the midst of the dialogue and presented a little bow to the foreign traveller. "Friend from afar. Allow a spirit to speak, if you will."
"Why, of course." the strange man said, his hands clasped at his belt. "Please, speak."
"Raha Gero and I have travelled to your Dominion. We have observed the relationship between man and spirit there. Your people believe that a relationship between man and spirit must be business, an exchange. We believe in something more. A bond. A bond that runs deeper than what you term a pact. We speak of soul."
"Fascinating." the man said, drawing a pair of spectacles from his pocket. Then a notepad appeared in his hand, and a quill, as if from nowhere.
Raha Gero cleared her throat. All looked to Naru Zadhi, who was standing there observing the dialogue. "Apologies, Master Naru, for holding a debate in the library. This is not the place, I think."
"Ah." the foreign man said, packing away his notepad. He offered Naru a hand. "I am Professor Quinto Carena, from the Holy Dominion of Archanicus. A collector of lore and legends, a scribe of tall tales, true or otherwise. I have come here to learn about your people, and perhaps offer you the wisdom of mine."
"He is merely a child, professor." one of the scholars said, rising to his feet and dusting himself off. "Do not waste your time."
"He does not look like a child to me." Quinto said, adjusting his spectacles. He paused for a second, then gave Naru a quaint nod of his head. "It's been a pleasure talking to you all. I will retire to my quarters to meditate. Would any of you later join me for supper?"
"Master Naru is having a feast tonight, professor." Raha Gero said with a smile and a very fixed stare on Naru. "I am sure he would be honoured if we attended."
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Kiram
Whippersnapper
Posts: 9
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Post by Kiram on Jul 9, 2013 17:40:13 GMT
Naru smiled weakly and took the hand awkwardly before he bowed slightly, in deference to the assembled elders. "Please, I am no master. I have only just completed my studies. But I appreciate your kind words, Professor." These last words were in the heavily-accented Faloran that Naru had picked up in his studies. The young man gathered himself up, visibly getting a little taller at the reminder that he was now, officially, at least, as much a scholar as every other person in this room. Even if the assembled scholars and professors made him feel like a schoolboy. And even if one or two of them refused to believe it.
"I would be honored if all of you would join me for the feast tonight. It is a humble thing, but we can accommodate such honored guests as all of you," Naru said, remembering and acknowledging Raha's notice. "I would love to hear some of the lore you have collected, Professor Carena. I am preparing for a great voyage, and tales of foreign lands would be a delight. But please, there is no better place than the library for stories and debates. Perhaps there is something to be learned from discussing the teachings of the prophet with one who doubts." That was something that he'd heard Raha Gero herself had said, upon occasion. He bowed again to the assembled scholars and wandered off into the library. There was still time to study before his journey began, and there was much they didn't teach you in the halls of Catar. He was pleased enough to see Raha still in the room. He stood across the room, carefully thinking over his words as he approached. He was still uneasy speaking about what had happened to him, but of everyone he had met, Raha Gero was perhaps the one he looked up to the most. He approached the magician with deference, waiting patiently until she was alone before grabbing her attention.
"I am surprised you remembered the name of such a lowly student as myself, miss Gero," was how Naru decided to start the conversation. He had had many teachers. Few were as memorable as Rahu.
"I think the real question is if you remember anything I taught you, Master Naru," she countered with a smile. Her grey braid swayed gently with the rocking of the floor beneath them.
"I need to ask you something..." Naru trailed off, taking a moment, as he often did, to make sure that he used the correct words."... I need your advice about something. Something strange has happened to me. I'd rather not talk about it here, though." He punctuated his point by glancing around at the still-assembled scholars, students, and other library-goers. "I would be honored if you would attend the feast of my peregrination. We could talk more there, provided we don't get caught up in another conversation with our esteemed guest the professor."
The elder scholar and magician looked puzzled, but nodded "Of course, Naru. I'd be happy to join you at your party. It has been too long, my pupil."
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Most of the people who showed up at the feast were members of his extended family, but his family was not poor, and a peregrination feast always attracted a crowd of locals. His neighbors were there, as were a few of the local scholars, interested in why one of their own might choose to leave on a spirit-quest. The professor had even made it, and was quite excitedly talking to just about everyone he could, even scribbling down little notes on a little scrap of parchment when someone mentioned some well-known Cataran fable or widely-held truth. It was more than Naru could have hoped for. More than most got when they decided to go on a journey to find a spirit. But there was something important that needed doing as well.
Naru managed to pull his mentor and teacher aside after the feast, while people were still eating and mingling. After looking around to make sure that there was no one within direct ear-shot, he leaned in close. "I apologize for the cloak and dagger routine, but I am worried. While I was in the library, something happened. Tell me, teacher, what do you know about... visions?" He asked, cautiously, explaining what had happened in the library just a few days ago.
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Post by Timeon on Jul 10, 2013 23:17:08 GMT
At first Raha Gero seemed sombre, her face drawn and wise. Then she broke into a gentle chuckle. "My first instinct was that you became a mortash chewer. But then I noted the absence of black veins on your face. Then I wondered if your mind was broken, and that I would have to send you to the Screaming Keep of Sula. But then I remembered him, Naru."
Naru was left apprehensive, his fingers drumming his knee as Raha accepted some honeyed tea from a passing tray. She put the cup to her nose, inhaled, and then provided her usual smile in response to Naru's patience.
"Remembered what, teacher?" Naru pressed, remembering Raha's fondness for proof of her student's full attention.
"I met a man on the island of Anankim, once. Do you know of it?"
Naru did, in fact, know something of Anankim. It was north of Sali, by the coast of Samar. A Samari city was nestled amidst its hills, fortified and grim. When Samar had fallen to the Dominion, the island of Anankim had been cut off from its motherland, but with help from Sali, it persevered. "I know of it, teacher."
Raha nodded sagely. "It is a wondrous place, Anankim. Before the Dominion came, it was the centre of trade in those waters, a midpoint for Dominion, Samari and Sali traffic. I visited it twenty years ago, and it was there I met my familiar. I also met a holy man. He embarked on his spirit quest, as is Samari custom, but began to have visions, so that no spirit he encountered matched his heart's desire. A week passed, and he failed his quest, according to custom. But what is remarkable is that he did find his spirit, in time. And he bonded with it. He was not of Catar, but he became one with his spirit. I believe he is proof of the truth of our religion."
As Raha finished her tale, Naru realised that his mouth was slightly open, and he was breathing into his teacher's face. Hoping his breath smelled of jasmine, Naru shut his mouth and made himself aware of his surroundings. "That is fascinating, teacher. I thought there was only one in this world left alive who had found his true spirit."
"Only one in Catar." Raha corrected him. "And he sees no one, for reasons I can only begin to guess."
"What do you advise I do?"
"Find a place of learning. If these had been better days, the Faloran Imperium would be a place I would recommend visiting, especially for the lore of Kutanda's libraries. But the Burning Man destroyed those long ago, and the Imperium is gone." Raha Gero seemed to get emotional, and turned her head away. "There is silence in the library. And all the pages are ash."
"Then where else, teacher?" Naru asked, half-desperate, but enthralled by the tales of lands far away.
"There is the great college on the isle of Brosholm, in Otticia. But that is far away, and the journey is dangerous. There is also the royal library of Malvern, which is not far from Arish, considering. The Faloran Republic has many archives, but that place is not safe for any but a Faloran Republican, I am afraid. You could wait till we arrive in Konsheer, and then try for Sali. But then you shall have to be patient, and there are no forests in Sali. Now I'll ask a question, student. What do you think you should do?"
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Kiram
Whippersnapper
Posts: 9
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Post by Kiram on Jul 11, 2013 6:57:34 GMT
Naru fell silent, pondering this for long moments. He had already decided to search for his spirit, but perhaps more research was required. Images of ancient vellum maps sprung to mind, and he searched for the names of places she had mentioned. "There are forests in Otticia! A great, old forest!" He practically yelped this, sounding for all the world like a schoolboy again, before remembering himself and gaining his composure. "I'd have to travel through Samar, or across the mountains of Sali and the great sea." He fell quiet again, contemplating all this. Rahu, for her part, looked bemused as she watched the gears in his head turning perhaps a little more slowly than they should. "I think Otticia might be where I need to go. But research must be done first." He drew himself up, after coming to this conclusion. "The Malvern library is closest. And if it turns up nothing, I can even make it back in time for the Welcoming, and head for Otticia over the great sea." He nodded at this conclusion. It was the best choice for him. Libraries had always been his home. Now, at least, the prospect of his journey seemed slightly less scary. "Thank you, Teacher. You have helped me greatly. I shall leave from Arish as planned."
He bowed graciously, and found himself drawn to the company of the other semi-famous guest in the room. He re-introduced himself to the good professor, who looked for all the world like a kid in a candy shop, scribbling down as many notes as he could about the various tall tales and stories that were being told. The doctors eyes lit up even brighter as the young man approached, and he quickly extended his hand again in that strange Dominion way, saying, "Ah, Master Naru! Thank you so much for inviting me to this feast. I could never have hoped to observe your customs and stories in such an up-close manner! It has been a delight, simply an absolute delight."
"It is an honor to have such an esteemed guest at my feast, professor," Naru replied graciously, placing his hand in the professors awkwardly and let it be shaken. "I am to begin a great journey soon, Professor," he said, switching over into his thickly-accented and oddly-worded Faloran. "After speaking with my teacher, it appears that I may be headed to your own land in due time, Professor Carena. My teacher tells me that there is a great library in Otticia. I hope to see it while I search for my spirit."
The professor, as usual, seemed overly delighted at this fact. "Tell me, son. This spirit quest of yours. What does it entail?"
"Well, as I'm sure you've seen on your journeys, many Catar leave the city or their village to go off in search of the spirit which..." he paused here, remembering who he was talking to, and mentally rephrasing before continuing. "...which we believe to be our other half. As I'm sure you've heard from the many respected scholars here." The doctor nodded before Naru continued. "It is out of place for me to speak, but if you choose to stay in Catar for a while, you will have a chance to see the Welcoming. Perhaps then you can meet the Tamam, the one who has found his spirit. As for me, I will seek far and wide. But perhaps when I pass through the Dominon, we shall meet again, professor."
"Yes, I'd very much like that indeed. You simply must visit me at the university! Be sure to bring me any stories you collect along the way," he said, his bright, cheery eyes a stark contrast to his graying hair and slowly-wrinkling face. His face was pale, and it made it very apparent that his lips were wine-stained. But he was perhaps the most popular of the guests at the party. Catarans were a fairly common sight everywhere, but it was rare to see an outsider within the walls of Catar. There was rarely a reason for it.
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The rest of the time crawled slowly across the month like the city across the desert. There were no seasons here, only endless summer, and the days seemed just as long to Naru. He spent his time studying the foreign worlds, and daydreaming of the adventures that waited him. He'd only ever been out of Catar for a day-trip. The waiting was absolutely killing him. He spent much of his time talking to professor Carena about what to expect. He learned of the Dominion, mostly, and their war against the Falorans. How the Falorans had turned on the spirits, began to hate them. In exchange, he told the professor what he knew of the Catarans, and the Sali. It was a good way to pass the time in preparation for his journey. Most of the others departing with him were training to fight, or spent their time praying in the various temples around the town. This, he felt, was a far more productive use of his time.
As the month ground finally to a close, he accepted two final gifts. The one from Carena was a book. It was so new that Naru could almost smell the ink still drying. A Helpful Guide to the Customs and Greetings of The Holy Dominion of Archanicus. He thanked the good doctor and exchanged it for an old book of his own. A small thing, a book of fairy tales, but Carena was, as always, almost too excited to get his hands on it. Raha Gero's gift was much simpler, but did not bear returning. It was the gift of a teacher to a student, a simple set of robes, dyed the deepest and most luxurious red. He placed it away until the very day he was leaving. He stepped out of the gates of Catar wearing his dark red robe, carrying a satchel that was too-full with books, and headed into the gates of Arish. Into his great journey.
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Post by Timeon on Jul 12, 2013 15:28:52 GMT
The yellow walls of Arish rose high above him, an unbroken barrier, save for one narrow pair of gates. Those gates opened up to a great plaza, in the middle of which there was a platform, and upon it, a giant lion. Walking through the busy gates, Naru Zadhi studied the infamous Guardian of Arish. The lion - the Guardian - stretched and yawned, releasing a keening of boredom. The sole reason that Arish had not been absorbed into the Malvernian Imperium, a fate which had befallen Darasel and Marus, was that the Guardian of Arish had warded off every attempt at a siege with its sheer power.
As Naru set foot in front of the platform, the lion opened one viridian eye, a glaring green gemstone which studied him intensely, checking to see if he posed the city and sort of threat. Almost insultingly, the lion went back to sleep. Naru Zadhi passed onwards, into the denser parts of the city. He could try find a merchant caravan heading for Malvern, and pay to join it for the journey. Or he could search for another group, perhaps a party of nomads, but those would be harder to convince to take him along as a burden.
He found a room in one of the cheaper inns, just under the shadow of the southern city walls. There, the innkeeper developed a hobby of mocking him for his shaky legs. "Can always tell when someone's from the Wandering City. You hobble around, like toys, except the ground isn't moving with you any longer!"
If he was going to try his luck finding safe passage to Malvern, there were three main areas he could try. The Merchant's Hill, which would prove the most extravagant and expensive option, but probably also the safest and fastest, and most direct. Then there was the Pacter's Corner, if he wanted to try speaking to fellow scholars for information. It seemed like an obvious choice, except that the scholars of Arish were known to deal with the darker side of the Malvernian Imperium. The Malvernians, after all, were the slavers of the world. Long after slavery had been abolished in the civilized countries, Malvern clung to its tradition of slavery. They were known to enslave Catarans when possible, and the scholars of Arish helped them with such efforts through their magic.
His final option was to try for the Gut, that part of Arish where the less savoury aspects of society congregated. Buying a place on a smuggler's caravan was probably the cheapest way to get to Malvern, but offered its own risks. Travel had just turned surprisingly complex for young Naru Zadhi, and he realised that the world beyond the Wandering City was probably even less friendly than the scariest of myths portrayed.
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Kiram
Whippersnapper
Posts: 9
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Post by Kiram on Jul 15, 2013 13:38:11 GMT
The ground under Naru's feet obstinately refused to move, even the tiniest bit. He felt like a man who had just stepped onto a boat for the first time, his feet always striking the ground just short, or just far or where he intended them to. This wasn't the first time the ground had been solid beneath his feet. It had happened before, on occasion, when the wandering city had settled in front of some land mark of religious significance, or some town to trade with, but the young scholar tended to spend most of his time reading in bed, where the sudden solidness of the ground was nothing more than a minor nuisance.
As he unpacked his things, Naru slowly began to doubt his journey. He had barely taken his first steps outside of Catar, and already he felt lost. He was a scholar, not an adventurer. Then, quite without warning or prompting, he remembered one of the members of his cohort, as they set out in unison from the gates of the wandering city. Seema Sanji was a girl he had never met before. And she had left the city with nothing but the few think silver pieces her family and friends could cobble together for her. The look in her eyes, though, was one of pure determination. Naru felt foolish now. He was one of the luckiest in his group. He'd started his journey with money, with education. With fine new robes and a full stomach. Some, like Seema, had left with little more than a days food and water. His heart hardened as he planted his feet on the lifeless ground. The journey had just begun.
He made his way to the market square, making sure (as his father and elders had advised) to only take a little money with him, hiding the rest well in his room, and locking the door behind him. The heat of the day was uncomfortable, and he stuck to the shade of the tall buildings and awnings as best he could. Arish was a desert city, but they were also a trading town. They did business by day, instead of in the short hours of twilight where most Catarans got things done. Naru rubbed his now-fuzzy head as he browsed the various wares on the market hill, doing his best to look like he had some idea what he was looking for. Even in such a villainous place as Arish, pilgrims were, for the most part, safe from banditry. As safe as anyone could be, at least. Asking around for passage, he found the prices expensive. He could afford them, of course, but he was no skilled laborer, and even the heavy sack of gold would only take him so far in his quest. Unwilling to leave without some momento of his journey's first steps, he settled on a fine walking stick. He had never been good at the martial arts, but he felt it made him look more like a journeyman. And it might come in handy, in some way.
He settled on the Pacter's corner. He was inexperienced, obviously, but he felt confident enough in his intelligence, and the wisdom handed down to him by Raha to have him safely ferried to his destination in Malvern. Still, he approached the corner with all due caution, beginning to wish he had worn some of his rattier robes.
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Post by Timeon on Jul 17, 2013 13:49:19 GMT
A winding street paved with dusty steps led from a busy city street into a strangely isolated part of Arish. Just behind the façade of businesses and the unassuming lay the Gut, the underbelly of Arish. The Pacter's Corner was right beside it. Naru Zadhi wondered at the relationship between the two. Or perhaps the Pacter's Corner was within the Gut. That did not bode well.
Terraces of wood caught the light of the sun, offering the side-streets some pleasant shade. Accompanying that shade was the music of neighbours cursing one another from across the balconies. The alley Naru walked through branched into two, and looking to his left, he saw several clusters of crates and cages. Wild animals danced in circles in their cages, snarling or whistling at Naru. Then, much to his horror, he saw several women and children crouched down in some other cages. Scarf-wearing merchants spat and talked prices, no doubt preparing to ship the captives to Malvern, to serve as slaves.
As he was busy looking to his left, Naru smacked into somebody while walking. He caught his balance, but the stranger he bumped into did not. With a cry, a woman toppled at his feet. "I am so sorry, madame." Then he grew suspicious. "I am not here for pleasure."
"That's not what I am." the woman said from the ground, causing Naru to blush.
He helped the woman to her feet. Her hair was fair, much to Naru's fascination. Golden hair was an uncommon sight in the desert. She wore a scarf around her neck, much like the slavers he had glimpsed. "You fumble and walk like a child." she commented with an air of amusement. "You must be sick in the head, or a man from the Wandering City."
"Indeed, I am of Catar, madame. I do apologize. It takes getting used to, after-"
"Yes, yes. I know." the woman sighed, narrowing her eyes. She looked over Naru for a few seconds, then seemed to reach a decision. "You look lost."
"I was just looking for the Pacter's Corner, actually. I must have misunderstood the directions I was given. They speak strangely in Arish."
"Oh, indeed?" the woman said with a chuckle. Then she pointed to her right, which was Naru's left, towards the slavers. "That is the Pacter's Corner."
Naru noticed the dryness in his own mouth, eyes fixed on the women and children in the cages. "Are you sure?"
But the woman had ended her conversation with him, and was walking into the supposed Pacter's Corner casually. He followed her, but lost her amidst the crowd. There were other golden-haired people here, bartering with the Catarans. "And what is this one's crime?" one of the slavers asked, as a burly man was shoved to his knees beside one of the cages.
"A thief." his jailer answered.
"He looks strong." The slaver grabbed the man by the chin, looking into his eyes. "His spirit is broken. That will earn you a couple of extra silvers. Take your money and begone, sirrah."
People began to notice Naru Zadhi standing there with mouth agape. "Can I help you?" the slaver inquired with a furrowed brow. "Never seen a criminal sold into slavery before?"
"I-I was told this... this was the Pacter's Corner." Naru stammered.
"Why, yes it is." the slaver replied, extending his hands palms to the sky, as if wondering what more one could expect.
Then Naru Zadhi noticed that not all the animals he had heard were caged. A jackal came to a halt at the slaver's feet. Then it turned its head towards Naru, and Naru realised that it had more eyes dotting its skull than he could count. It was a familiar.
"I was looking to find a way... to Malvern." Naru managed to say, as the jackal patted towards him. "Passage."
The jackal sniffed his boot, and began to lick it. The slaver ignored his familiar's antics. "An unusual request." A sly smile crossed his face. "But understandable. We can find room for you. Unless you object to sleeping beside slaves, who will no doubt beg you for their release. You will have to talk to our mistress, and aside from payment, will have to work during the journey."
"Your mistress?"
Inevitably, it was the golden-haired woman he had bumped into earlier. She rested a gentle hand on Naru's shoulder. "So that is what you want. How curious." She closed her hand around his arm, and Naru was sure she was testing his muscles. "A scholar, no doubt. Where is your spirit?"
"I don't have one. Not yet." Naru replied, stepping away from the woman.
She looked disappointed. "A weak man who can't even use magic. How are you going to earn your keep?"
"Let him tattoo runes onto the slaves." the slaver said with a shrug. "And pay his way on top of that."
"Or are you too soft-hearted, Cataran?" the woman pressed, doe-eyed.
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Kiram
Whippersnapper
Posts: 9
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Post by Kiram on Jul 17, 2013 15:11:22 GMT
Naru gulped nervously and attempted not to show how intimidated he was. But he had his knowledge. He was a scholar, and he wouldn't be made to look like a fool. "I may be young, but I've passed my tests. I am a scholar of Catar." This little speech started out shakily, like the words were his very feet on the too-steady ground of Arish. He played with the idea of high-tailing it back to the market square and finding a proper caravan. But Seema's determined eyes flashed before him, and his own eyes narrowed. His voice steadied, and he continued, "I have no problem with a little work. I know more runes than most. Show me the process, I'll begin work as soon as we leave. Provided your fee is less exorbitant than the merchants on the Market Hill, that is." He had found his voice now. And it grew stronger, steadier, by the word.
"I'm not the strongest hand you'll find from Catar, but I guarantee that I am the best educated." He had begun to sound arrogant, in his head. He could practically feel the smack of one of his higher professors coming. But he needed to be strong now. "I'll sleep where I need to get me to the library in Malvern. I can pay, and I can work. All I ask is for a place to store my things. I carry quite a few books, you see." He would need a chest, with a key, he decided. These people weren't above slaving, they certainly wouldn't be above stealing all of his funds. And staying at inns was not cheap.
A long, warm breeze flittered through the corner as the noonday sun passed overhead. He waited, quite tensely, hoping that they weren't about to pull some sort of blade on him. "Do we have a deal?"
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Post by Timeon on Jul 18, 2013 22:56:19 GMT
Summer of Common Year 2484 August Cataran Year 206 Marus, part of the Malvernian Imperium
Travelling with the pacters between Arish and the first Malvernian city of Marus, Naru Zadhi was given the chance to get to know his travelling companions. Spread out over five wagons, the company was composed of Malvernians, Catarans and a couple of Salimons, all under the employ of Corinne, the woman who Naru had stumbled into. Under Corinne's guidance, the company passed over the desert safely and towards the gates of Marus, a trip that they had made together many times over the past few years.
Guarding the company was a Salimon by the name of Gharrn, who had a particular distaste for all things Cataran. All Cataran members of the company, Naru included, often felt the verbal whip of his distaste along the way. Finally, there was the man with the jacakal familiar, Corinne's business partner. His name was Anthon, and his mood seemed to be perpetually foul. Unlike Gharrn, he did not take his bad temper out on those around him.
"So, do you know how to fight?" Corinne asked of Naru as the company came to a halt amidst a small trade outpost. In the distance, past the shimmering sands, Naru could see the outline of what was surely the city of Marus.
"Fight?" Naru's grip tightened around his walking stick. "Depends what you mean by that. I've been set upon in Catar by thugs before, and came out in good shape, and in good spirits."
Corinne cast her eyes to the sky, as if pleading for some spirits of the air for redemption. "I take that as a no, then. Captain Gharrn thinks you're a liability. Says that if we are set upon by bandits, or Cataran nomads after our supplies, then you'll only get in the way. He has a point."
"Are you expecting trouble?" A sense of unease crept over Naru, and for the first time, he became painfully aware that he had no idea what lay ahead, beyond some vague names of cities.
"There's always trouble." Corinne said with a smile that seemed to contradict her words. She reached for her saddle, and pulled a bow free. "I've killed with a bow before. Maybe I can teach you how to use one. But if you want a bow of your own, buy one when we're in Marus."
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When they arrived in Marus, Naru Zadhi realised that for the first time in his life, he was setting foot outside of the desert. He had seen his spirit in a vision, in a forest somewhere. The truth was, the most trees he had ever seen in one place were in the gardens of Sula, by the great Mourning Lake. Whatever truly lay beyond the sands of the Cataran desert, Naru Zadhi only had his imagination for guidance.
Marus was different from Arish. It was not built like Arish. While Arish had been carved out of soft yellow stone, Marus was hewn from giant slabs of granite, cut out of the mountains to the south. It was the western border city of the Imperium, and a formidable fortress. Streets had been designed so as to deter an offensive army, and everything was rigidly controlled. Soldiers thronged the city, and Naru and the company moved very slowly through Marus. It would be in Marus that they supplied themselves for the wetter and colder journey to Malvern, outside of the desert.
In Marus, they also loaded on more slaves, mostly rebellious Catarans who had committed some crimes. They were bought off the slave market, and hustled to the five wagons of Corinne's company. Naru Zadhi was brought forward to begin the tattoo process, just off the main street of Marus, beside the inn that Corinne and her guards were staying in. The slaves looked terrified, and lost. Their eyes pleaded with Naru for help, until they saw the instruments in his hands.
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Kiram
Whippersnapper
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Post by Kiram on Jul 24, 2013 19:35:26 GMT
The tools in Naru's hands vibrated gently with the shaking of his hands as his approached the line of slaves. It was unreasonably cool, he thought, in this strange little city at the edge of the desert, but sweat still beaded on his forehead. As he approached the huddled mass of prisoners, he took off his head covering and rubbing the bristly dark fur that had sprouted on his head since the caravan had left Arish. He let out a deep sigh and set the tools down on the ground, crouching low next to the first man. His first assignment. "What is your name, sir?" Naru asked softly, in his rolling city-accented Cataran. He knew, almost instinctively, how posh and sheltered he must sound, to a criminal and slave.
"What do you care, slaver?" the man snarled back. He was middle-aged, with the dark, scarred skin typical of a desert nomad who had fought a hard life. But after a long, awkward moment of silence, he finally let out a begrudging, "Aldac. My name is Aldac."
Naru stayed quiet for another moment before he spoke. "My name is Naru. I'm a pilgrim, from the wandering city." He paused for just a second, wondering why he was telling this strange man his life story. But he continued unabated, "I hope this won't hurt too much. Why are you here, Aldac?" The tattooing process wasn't pleasant, and it was long, but it certainly wasn't the worst part of the caravan for the slaves that were being traded.
"I am a thief," Aldac admitted, and Naru thought he could almost hear pride in that statement. "I *was* a thief," he corrected. "Now, I am just another slave, headed for Malvern." Aldac winced as the needle hit his skin. Naru's hands were quite a bit steadier now, as the conversation and the ink flowed. "Ten years from now, perhaps I will be able to buy myself into freedom."
"Slavery, just for stealing?" Naru asked quizzically, trying to keep his mind off the work. It was a simple symbol, the mark of a slave, and it was nearly done. But he continued talking with this interesting man, Aldac.
"I was a very good thief, but I could not afford to pay back what I had stolen. So they sold me instead, to pay back my debt." Aldac shrugged. He was resigned to this by now. His anger, if it had ever existed, had apparently faded. "It was that, or lose my hand. And a thief in chains is still more useful than a thief without a hand." A wry, humorless smile passed over the lips of the aging thief.
Naru's work seemed to speed up. Most of the other slaves weren't interested in speaking to anyone. Especially not someone holding the tools of a slaver in their hands. But Aldac seemed content enough with the company. "Tell me, Naru," he began, boldly using the young scholar's first name, but he was too young, or too naive to see any disrespect. "You are a pilgrim. Why take up with slavers and merchants? They say the true path to one's spirit begins and ends on the footsteps of the pilgrim."
The young man's eyes went a little wide. A well-read thief. Or at least one who had occasion to listen to the sermons given by the proselytizers who spread the word of the Cataran faith through the desert and beyond. Naru considered this for a moment, nervously saying nothing as he put the finishing touches on one of the final slaves in the group. "I... feel I have a long way to go. I am no adventurer. I felt that the best way to find my spirit is to look where I find myself most comfortable. In the great libraries and universities of the world. This is just... a safer way to travel." The admission was almost shameful, but it was also mostly true. He was almost completely incapable of defending himself. That would have to change, if he didn't want to spend his entire wandering in the back of a caravan.
A small, dark laugh escaped Aldac's dried and cracked lips. "You are smarter than most seekers, I'll give you that, young one. Not so smart that you stayed home, but smarter than you look, that is for sure." Another laugh, heartier this time, and it aroused a few chuckles from the assembled slaves. Naru's face burned with the sudden realization that, even here, surrounded by slaves, he was naive, and out of his depth.
Later that night, as the strangely cool sun sank into the horizon, Naru strode through the cirlced wagons of the caravan outside Marus, to where Corinne was eating supper, alone. He sat down across from her, much to her bemused surprise, and set on the table a bow of extremely fine craftsmanship. One that even Gharrn would be envious of. As she glanced over the boy, she noticed a quiver of fine arrows hanging at his waist. "Will you teach me?" was all Naru said by way of introduction.
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Post by Timeon on Jul 28, 2013 13:24:26 GMT
"I'm eating." was all Corinne said.
Naru Zadhi looked to her stew, unsure of how to follow-up that conversational lead. "Is it tasty?"
Corinne paused, looking up from her food with a look of consternation. "I said I'm eating. Would you give me a moment?"
Naru looked away, grunted and swallowed. Maybe it was his pride that he swallowed. With a shrug he crossed his legs and waited. After a few minutes, Naru became lost in thought, mentally retracing his steps all the way back to the Wandering City, and his vision. What if it had been a dream? Could he ever admit it to himself if it was? As his thoughts turned dark, he realised that Corinne was looking over his bow. "Where did you get this?"
"A gentleman sold it to me for a decent price by the main market."
"This is the bow an Abstinent. They are Malvern's order of monk-assassins. How an Abstinent lost his bow, I can't begin to imagine. Unless he didn't, and his body was looted."
"It's a stolen item?" Naru asked, his heart quickening, for he was instantly reminded of his tattoo-work. He did not wish to find himself becoming tattooed himself.
"Perhaps. And you bought a bow but not a bracer? You're going to end up hurting yourself." Corinne said with a sigh, putting the bow down. "Come then, while there's still a little light."
She began to teach him how to position his body, how to hold the bow, how to nock an arrow, and other intricacies of archery. All the while, they made idle conversation. "You think slavery is wrong, and yet I tell you, it creates more good than you know. You think the Salimons are free? They live in slavery, except they do not know it, because it is economic. Malvern is merely more honest. And in other lands, humans serve spirits, while here, spirit and man are equals."
Naru was not sure how to respond to that.
"When we leave Marus and enter the forests, we will see how capable you are with the bow."
"What will we be hunting?" Naru asked, straightening his back as he tested the bowstring.
"Escaped slaves." Corinne said, a deadly and serious look on her face. Then she broke into laughter. "If only I had a mirror to show you your reactions. No, we will be hunting rabbits. Why shoot a slave you spent money on? You have no sense, scholar."
When the training was done, and the sun had sunk beneath the horizon, Corinne bid Naru goodnight, and departed to Captain Gharrn's tent. Naru was left with the Abstinent's bow, staring up at the stars, wondering what lay ahead. In the morning, they would travel east, and leave the desert behind them.
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Kiram
Whippersnapper
Posts: 9
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Post by Kiram on Aug 12, 2013 5:40:48 GMT
The convoy never stayed in one place for very long. The next morning, when Naru awoke, the camp was already halfway broken down. The slaves were loaded into their carts, and the slave drivers and few straggling merchants who followed in their wake with various wares to sell in the massive cities of the Imperium. Naru always felt a bit lost on the days they broke camp. Like he was in the way no matter where he stood, so he found his way to one of the already-loaded slave carts and sat on the back, a book in his freshly bandaged hand. He felt, more than anything, foolish and green, having rushed out to buy a bow without a bracer. He had no idea what he was doing.
The cart he sat on wasn't chosen at random. He almost always journeyed with the slaves, but today, he asked around as politely as he could, and found the cart with Aldac sitting against the door of the cage. Aldac smiled a half-wicked smile at the sight of the boy. "Deigning to ride with us, boy?" Aldac croaked in the skittish, too-fast accent of the outer provinces.
"I always ride in the slave-carts," Naru replied, somewhat sheepishly. "Part of the deal. I cannot afford my own horse, or else I wouldn't be riding with the caravan." He very quickly changed the subject, however, not wanting to linger on this particular point. "Do you read, Aldac?" He asked pointedly, veering the conversation suddenly off course. He reached through the bars with a second book, an old, but quite simple book on the teachings of the sacred scrolls of Zaurac. The man looked stunned, but slowly took the book from Naru.
After a long moment, Aldac finally found some of the words that were so quick to abandon him. "Why do you give a book to a slave?" he asked, bordering on incredulously. He turned the thing over in his hands, running his well-worn fingers along the tough leather. He tried sounding out the name in his head, slowly. He hadn't practiced his reading in a very long time, and he was never very good to begin with, but he muddled along for the first word, before looking up at Naru. "Why, boy?"
Naru shrugged. He honestly wasn't sure why he had brought that book with him, but it all made sense at the time. His mind raced for a moment before he settled on a convenient lie. "I thought you might be more interesting to talk to if we were on the same page about a few things. Nobody else wants to talk to me. The slaves think I'm one of the slavers, and the slavers find me a nuisance," is what came tumbling out, perhaps a little bit too truthfully. "If I have to talk to you, I might as well make sure that you have something interesting to say."
That finally seemed to snap Aldac back to his senses. He let out a hearty laugh and shook his head, then glanced up once more. "Maybe I misjudged you, kid."
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Post by Timeon on Aug 17, 2013 15:44:17 GMT
Autumn of Common Year 2484 September Cataran Year 206 West of Eukos.
The further east the slaver caravan travelled, the more the desert gave way to rugged stone, soil and grass. A gigantic mountain range separated much of the desert from the Malvernian Empire. The slaver company made for a gap in that mountain range, behind which there lay a gigantic forest, and the city of Eukos.
When the mountains finally came into view, Naru Zadhi was reminded of the Salimon mountain ranges he often glimpsed from the Wandering City of Catar. Yet these mountains were less jagged than those of the Salimons, and they hid a whole different world behind them. Corinne sometimes told stories she had picked up from village folk who lived under the shadows of those mountains - there were many myths and legends of strange spirits living amongst the passes and crags, abducting unsuspecting travellers. There was even a tale brought by some wandering madman, who claimed that the spirits were building a kingdom of their own in the mountains.
These tales made for interesting conversation over supper, every time the caravan stopped for the night. They did not alleviate Naru Zadhi's boredom, however, and instead made him more restless. The world was even bigger than he thought, and it felt like he had been away from home for a lifetime - and yet, Malvern was still so far away.
As they passed the mountains and set foot in the grasslands of Malvern, it became possible to go out hunting with Corinne. It was an entirely new experience for Naru, and his many clumsy failures in the beginning stained his self-confidence. But as with all things, he grew better over time.
At last, the slaver caravan crested a ridge from which they could see the sprawling forests before them, stretching all the way to the distant eastern coast, a world away. On the border of this forest would be Eukos, the provincial capital.
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When they were four days away from Eukos, the slaver caravan came upon the skeleton of a town beside the road. A few corpses littered some ditches, half-burned and disfigured. Wooden beams groaned inwards, charred black. Even the cobbled road had been torn asunder. Whatever had come to destroy this village had been methodical.
"Impossible." Captain Gharrn said, returning to the caravan, close enough for Naru to hear. He was speaking with Corinne. "The only people who could do this are forest savages, and they don't roam this far west. They never have."
Corinne did not seem amused. "The world is ever changing, Captain. It seems that now they have finally dared spread west. We will have to speak with the authorities in Eukos about this. The road to Malvern may be unsafe."
"In which case we will have to take the northern road, and avoid the forest."
"That would be an unacceptable delay." Corinne said stiffly. "We will hire more guards if we must, but we can't waste time going to Lisia."
As Corinne and Gharrn argued, several people burst from the bushes. Naru had his bow in hand immediately, and a panicked uproar spread through the caravan. It was quickly calmed when it was revealed that the people who had burst forth were not savages, but were instead villagers who had survived the slaughter.
Naru was relieved on their behalf, but his relief did not last long. He watched in great detail, as if time had slowed down, as the survivors were thrown onto the slave carts and shackled. When Naru questioned what was happening, Anthon, the man with the jackal familiar, explained that the townsfolk had no lives to return to. By a loophole in Malvernian law, they were landless and dispossessed, and if they wanted to travel with the caravan, they owed service to the caravan, for a time.
As Naru rode to speak with the villagers, he learned from one slender beauty in particular that the savages had taken most of the town prisoner. The woman he spoke with had only narrowly escaped. Her name was Lyala. Naru had never seen a woman like her before. She soon realised her effect upon Naru, for she leaned in closer, and spoke more softly. "Don't let them take me away, Naru."
Within the hour, the caravan was moving again.
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Kiram
Whippersnapper
Posts: 9
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Post by Kiram on Sept 1, 2013 19:39:12 GMT
Night fell on the Caravan, and for the first time in his life, Naru couldn't see the river of stars in which the spirits swam before coming to the mortal world. He tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep in the unnatural darkness of the forest. Each time sleep thought to claim him, some strange thought would slip into his mind and cause him a fresh round of sleeplessness. And whenever he closed his eyes for too long, he was haunted by the face of the young woman with the dark and pleading eyes.
After what seemed like hours of this sleeplessness, the young scholar finally moved from his bedroll. He crept as quietly as he could over to the slave caravans, where he knew the cramped conditions often made it difficult for the newer slaves to sleep. He would hear them, sometimes, when he awoke from a dream, talking nervously. Sometimes of escape, but most often of the simple things. Of home and life and their misinformed folk religions. Tonight, though, they spoke mostly of their ill-fortune as Naru crept quietly to the locked iron gate on their cart.
There was a little shuffling as the villagers rearranged themselves, some refusing to speak with the perceived slaver, but one, the girl from earlier in the day, moving up to wrap her slender hands around the wrought-iron bars of their cage. Her eyes were less pleading now, but it was clear she hadn't given up hope yet. She whispered in hushed tones to Naru, "You have come back." Then, almost a little too hopefully, she added, "Will you help to set me free?"
Naru's heart felt heavy in his chest, and his mouth went dry. He took a long minute to respond, but he finally managed to choke out the words, "I am sorry. I do not have the key, and I am just a pilgrim. I don't think I could help you before they killed me." The words were almost heart-breaking to say, so he quickly followed them up with an introduction, to clear the sad air between them. "My name is Naru. Scholar of the Wandering City and pilgrim of Zaurac."
This introduction did little to stifle the tense sadness between them, but the girl seemed to understand. She spoke more slowly, after hearing the heavy accent in Naru's words, as if she suddenly thought him incapable of understanding her. "My name is Lyala," she began.
They spoke for almost an hour. It was a while before Lyala was able to understand the odd words that Naru used, and she often corrected him. But she soon found that his comprehension was better than his speaking, and she began to speak normally. Of her life. Of her lost family. Of what she wanted in the future. Naru began to wonder how much gold he had. And how much it would cost him to set her free.
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