Solo Spirit in the Details

[Eleret]

Summer 49 throughout the day Eleret sat in the small room allotted her -- smaller than others she had rented by far; indeed, just about as small as a ship's bunk, now that she thought about it. She sat on the edge of the bed, there being nowhere else, a length of polished wood balanced across her knees. Her woodcarving kit lay unrolled at her side, but the Konti made no move to touch it yet. Rather, she bowed her head over the wood, breathing slow and even, honing her thoughts upon the circumstances she now found herself in. Riverfall. A place which had been more real than fable to the Konti woman, yet still was now a wonder to find herself in. A place she was pleased to have finally seen with her own eyes -- rather than only through a cousin's stories and a sister's letters. In some sense, Riverfall could be thought Mura's balance, home as it was to the male race which might be counterpoint and complement to the Konti. It was nearly as beautiful, in its fashion, and seemed just as defined by water as Mura -- if in a rather different manner. In another time, she might have spent seasons -- even years -- learning the city's ways and experiencing its beauty. Studying the different waters, the forests above, the culture so unlike her own. Perhaps exploring jewelcrafting, which Tanell had written much of in her letters from Riverfall. But -- not in this time. Eleret hoped to return, eventually, to discover all that she had missed in her short stay; perhaps even to seek a mate among the Akalak and raise the first of the children she intended to bear. Not yet, not now -- but someday. Hopes for the future, regard and marvel in the present. The Konti ran her hands along the wood as she fixed each of these in mind. Having been purchased earlier that day, the staff itself symbolized Riverfall in a way -- thus, it partook of the significance that city held for Eleret. And more, for she had selected it with intent, seeing in the wood a potential gift, a nascent symbol, a message-to-be -- -- a sacrifice in the rough.

[Eleret]

Eleret picked up a narrow gouge from the kit unrolled at her side -- not the very smallest, but at no wider than her littlest finger, it was nearly that. She shifted the pole over until what would be the bottom end was near centered in her lap, the better to work her way up its length. First, though -- the proper courtesies. My greetings to you, Father, Eleret began in silence, both a prayer in its own right and the message she wished her sacrifice to carry. And of your courtesy, please give my regards to Mother as well. She set blade to staff, paring away stained surface layers to grave an undulating line in the wood's paler natural hue. I have been long away from home, which is both a sorrow and, in its way, a joy. I miss Mura, and the embraces of kin, Lake, and sea. Yet I stay now on the shore of another of your seas, in the city of Riverfall; a place I would never have seen if I did not travel. I find the city of the Akalak beautiful in its way, and would gladly spend more time exploring its wonder -- but this eve will be my last within Riverfall's bounds, and for all the sorrow of departure, I look ahead to this next journey with joy and excitement. As the Konti formed her prayer in mind, she continued carving the outlines of waves into the staff, turning it about to cover all sides. She had to be careful with splitting her attention, but the waves were at least a simple pattern to carve, and Eleret was in no rush to see them done. This working was not one she wanted to stint in the slightest -- even moreso than usual. We set sail on the morrow to cross the Suvan Sea, to find on the other side a place once called Syka. I hope this journey will find your favor, and that I might ask your blessing upon it -- not only for myself, but for all of us who are in the expedition.

[Eleret]

Eleret stopped carving about a handspan from the top of the staff, and looked back over the work she had completed with an artisan's critical eye. The new cuts shone pale against the brown background, a contrast she found pleasing. One area seemed a little barren; she added one more rippling line into that space, then deemed it complete. At least through the first phase. Planting the butt of the staff on the floor, Eleret made a tickmark with charcoal to define a band above the wave-patterns, one about as long as her thumb. Here she began to outline the petals of water-lilies such as she had known upon the Isle. I rejoice at being in the presence of the sea again, she thought to the staff, and to the god of the ocean, and thus in the presence of you the father of my people. There is another Konti in the expedition, and an Akontak I know from long ago in Mura. Like the sea, these are echoes of home which recall cherished memories to me. But I also have company unlike any I have known -- Her train of thought was broken, then, as the division of her attention claimed its toll. The gouge slipped in its track, moving past the wood to bite into Eleret's other hand. "Ow!" She snatched the injured hand away in reflex, raising it to her lips -- only to stop just before sucking away the blood. The Konti studied the nick by eye instead. Not so serious, she judged it would bleed a little, then stop on its own... and that, too, was a fitting part of sacrifice. It went against Eleret's habits and training, but she did nothing to clean away the welling blood. Instead, she resumed ornamenting the staff, letting the red liquid blot as it would on the staff. She also resumed her silent prayer, this time more careful to keep the greater part of her attention on the actions of her hands.

[Eleret]

I will travel with a Pycon, those odd little beings of clay; an Eypharian who is also Ethaefal; Drykas, of whom I had heard but now have the joy of meeting; and so many more besides. There is even a human who is also one of yours, one of the Svefra race; he goes about in the company of an otter. We all of us travel to Falyndar, where we will take to the land again and set about exploring and resettling the city of Syka. Two lilies were all that fit around the staff, which Eleret found fortuitous; it meshed well with what would go above them. Their pale petals were dotted with the red-brown of drying blood in a seemingly random pattern; a check of her cut showed that it had stopped bleeding in the time it took to carve the flowers. The Konti then adjusted the pole's angle to bring its very top down into her working space. Here, she would sculpt two leaping fish, both ornament and grip to the staff. First, she would define their outlines, their fins, and the suggestion of scales; then she would carve away the negative space around them, making more than just a two-dimensional representation. Choosing the smallest gouge for these details, Eleret continued on -- slow, steady, and mindful of her hands. I know little of Syka itself, other than what Mathias Syka shared with us; it did not feature in the history I studied. But I look forward to the chance to resume those studies in this new place -- and to take part in building a piece of the future. For if we are successful, we will add a new city to Mizahar, one with a history and a future all its own.

[Eleret]

She finished defining the first fish, adding a suggestion of splashing water beneath its tail. Turning the staff around, Eleret started on the second, like unto the first but not a perfect mirror of its partner. I cannot imagine this is a chance which comes often to anyone -- or perhaps it is one we all do have, the Konti mused, her thoughts taking a slight tangent, but rarely recognize or take advantage of. She paused for a moment, wondering if that might indeed be true -- but shortly recalled herself back to the task at hand. In any case -- It may be a long time yet before I stand upon the Isle again, or swim in the ocean beyond its shores. But I know that you are wherever the sea is, and the sea is also here. And so it is that I ask you look kindly upon this expedition, Father, if it pleases you to do so. Not only as we pass through your realm, but in the days after, so much as you may. Half prayer, half almost a rambling self-report of activities and excitement, similar in kind to what a child might relate to their parents. Eleret concluded with reflection on her love for the divine father of her people, then let her thoughts slip from the focus of prayer. She had almost balanced the prayer with the craftwork -- but only almost, as there was crafting yet to be done. The Konti applied herself in silence to the remaining carving, cutting away layers of wood to give the fish depth and body. It would be finished with a little sanding to remove knife-marks and a final coat using the last of the walnut oil she had from Mura -- not that any oil, in any amount, would protect the wood from the sea's touch. But that was no reason to go skipping steps. A proper sacrifice required full attention to detail.

[Magpie]

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Eleret :

XP:
Planning +2
Carving +4
Observation +3

Lores:
Riverfall: Mura's Counterpart
Prayer During Work
Sharp Instruments Require Focus
A Sacrifice Needs Attention to Detail

Notes :

A nice little thread, with a little skill honing thrown in. Good job

If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, please don't hesitate to PM me.
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