Solo Stranger in a Strange Land

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Timestamp: 4th day of Spring, 514 Seirei watched in rapt fascination while her mother worked. It always amazed the young girl how her mother could turn a simple block of wood into a spoon, or a bowl, or a beautiful figurine. To her, the idea that you could take something plain and ordinary, and create something beautiful out of it was a thing of wonder. Every time she watched, Seirei promised herself that she too would be able to create beautiful things out of wood like her mother did. Her mother looked up, and smiled. "Are you ready for your next lesson, Seirei?" Seirei grinned eagerly. "Yes, mother." "Good. Now come with me." Seirei skipped happily as she followed her mother over to another table. A box of tools sat on the table. Each tool had a wodden handle, and a metal tip. Every tip was shaped differently. The box had a horizontal divider in the middle that had slots for the tools to fit in. Each tool was neatly resting in its own slot. "These are called gougers, Seirei. Do you see how each one is different?" Seirei nodded. "Gougers are used to remove wood in the shape of the gouge. That's how you create detail in the work you do as a woodcarver. They are used mostly when one is working with wood or ivory rather than stone or bone because they rely on the strength of the carver's hand to do their job. Gougers can make small dimples without the use of a drill if the hole doesn't need to have any depth to it. They can also be used to make lines in the material you are working with." Seirei listened intently as her mother spoke. She tried to commit every word to memory. "Gougers are one of the most customized tool a woodcarver uses. There are many different kinds of gougers. The V shaped gouger, and the curved gouger are the most common types." Seirei looked at the gougers that were displayed in the box, trying to figure out which ones were the V shaped gouger, and the curved gouger. When her mother realized what she was doing, she smiled, and pointed them out, naming each one. "I want you to go help your brother now. Jared needs help packing up our things. The caravan master wants to leave at first light tomorrow, so we need to be ready." "But mother, I want to learn more about woodcarving!" Seirei protested. Her mother chuckled. "I'll give you another lesson when we're on the road tomorrow. Jared can drive the horses while I teach you, okay?" Seirei nodded, knowing that it was her mother's final word on the subject. Then she ran off to go find her brother.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Seirei stirred restlessly in her sleep. Doing so caused bruised and aching muscles to protest, and the pain drove her from the remnants of her dream. As awareness returned, the pain of abused muscles intensified. Hard upon the pain came the memories of what exactly had caused that pain. Seirei whimpered as she curled in on herself, drawing up into a fetal position. That...that...that...I hate him! I hate him! I hate him! He had no right... she thought as fear, grief, anger, and raw hatred warred for dominance within her mind. "I hate him..." she sobbed quietly as a tear trickled down her cheek. Seirei froze in terror as a soft rustling nearby alerted her to his presence. Had he heard her? Would she be punished for voicing her feelings the way she had been when she resisted him last night? Her heart pounded painfully in her chest as she waited in dread. But although Seirei could feel his eyes on her, there was no punishment forthcoming. Nor were there harsh words of warning. For several long, anxiety provoking minutes, there were no words at all. Only the quiet sounds of his movement filled the air. When he did finally speak, it was to say that she could explore the city if she wanted to, and to warn her to be back before it got dark. Seirei shivered, not liking the thoughts of what might happen if she was late. He also told her that he would be out hunting for most of the day. Seirei felt his eyes boring into her for several moments longer. Then he was gone. Seirei lay where she was for several long minutes, deep in thought. He was gone. If he were to be believed, then he'd be gone for most of the day. This was a good chance to try and escape. Seirei knew that she couldn't survive on her own for long out in the Sea of Grass...but she wouldn't have to. If she could find where the trade caravans stayed, she could ask to join one as far as their next stop. She had enough money to pay her way. But...what then? What would she do when she got to the nearest city? How would she survive once she got there? Would she have enough money left over after paying for passage to get by until she could find a job? If she was able to find passage with a caravan that would allow her to work her way to the nearest city instead of paying for her passage, the money she had would last longer when she got there. But while she had lived with a trade caravan all her life, and had the skills to benefit them, there was no guarantee that she'd find someone who would agree to that. And once she started asking around, she would have to leave soon afterwards. Otherwise, word might get back to her captor that she was trying to escape. Seirei absolutely did not want to know what the punishment for that would be. No. I'd be better off if I waited. I need to earn more money before I escape. Enough so I can be sure that I'll have enough to get by until I can find a job after paying for passage away from Endrykas. If my luck is really bad, that could take a season or more. As much as I hate it here, it would be safer for me to wait. He wants to breed me like some kind of animal...to force me to bear his children and help repopulate his people. It's horrible to think of being raped by him over and over again...but...he needs me alive and in relatively good health if I'm going to bear his children. So as bad as things are here, it's better for me to endure them, and wait until I'm sure I'm ready to escape. Seirei decided. The first step in getting ready is to get my bearings. So I think I will take him up on his offer to let me explore the city. If nothing else, I'll learn my way around. Hopefully that will give me an idea of what kind of wood carving is most useful here. That's where my greatest talents lie. As a wood carver, I will be able to earn money that will allow me to escape. With luck, I'll even learn some more hand signs. I can speak Pavi well enough...but I still sound like a simple child without knowing the hand signs that contribute so much to the language. I know some, but not nearly enough. Now I really wish I'd paid more attention to when my father was trying to teach me. But I was so sure that I'd never need to know more than what any trader knows to get by. she thought ruefully.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Seirei's muscles protested bitterly as she stood up. She straightened her clothes self consciously, not wanting their rumpled appearance to be an obvious sign of what Lian had done to her. Then she left the tent. The first thing she did upon stepping outside was to take a good look around her. The last thing I need is to get punished because I can't find my way back, and he has to come looking for me. With the luck I've been having lately, he'd decide that I was trying to escape rather than just getting lost, and my punishment would be that much worse as a result. she grumbled to herself. All of the tents in the immediate area were varying shades of blue. Everything from the brilliant blue of the sky on a sunny day, to a deep sapphire blue, and everything in between could be seen. It seemed odd at first that there would be no other colors except blue for the tents. But then a half remembered discussion from her childhood flashed through her mind. There are several Clans among the Drykas people. I remember Father telling me that when I was a child. Seven Clans...or is that eight? Nine? Six? Something like that. More than five, and less than ten, anyway. Each Clan is known for a particular specialty. Healers, hunters, warriors, crafters...that sort of thing. I can't remember which Clan is known for what specialty, but I do remember that much. Or what the names of each Clan were. But maybe the color of the tents have something to do with the name of the Clan? What would blue represent? Water? Sky? Lian said his family name is Windrunner. Does that reflect his Clan in some way? I don't think my father ever told me what Clan he's from. I wonder why he didn't? Seirei mused. Seirei was distracted from her thoughts by the excited shouting of kids playing. Three boys, and two girls ranging in age from five to no more than ten erupted out of a nearby tent. Each brandished a blunt practice knife. "I, Andrel Windrider of the Sapphire Clan, am the best hunter of all the Drykas people! There aren't any better hunters even in the Emerald Clan!" the oldest boy shouted happily as he waved his practice knife over his head. The sign that he made with his left hand, the one that wasn't holding his knife, looked similar to one her father had taught her. The one she knew meant a job well done, so Seirei guessed that it was a positive emphasis. Or childish bragging. The kids were clearly playing a game, after all. As Seirei watched, the other kids protested Andrel's boasting quite loudly. This quickly descended into a free for all spar that had all of the kids shrieking in laughter. Sapphire Clan, and Emerald Clan...so the Clans are named after gemstones, then. That probably means that Lian is from the Sapphire Clan, just like that boy. The only blue gemstone I can think of is a sapphire, and it would make sense if people of the Sapphire Clan had blue tents. Following that logic, members of the Emerald Clan probably have green tents. And the specialty of the Emerald Clan is hunting, apparently. Seirei thought. Seirei studied Lian's tent carefully, trying to memorize even the smallest detail. When she was certain that she would recognize it as his, she moved on to studying the nearby tents. Once she was confident she'd recognize the area Lian's tent was in, she picked a direction, and began walking. After a while, she came to two tents standing side by side. These tents were considerably larger than the ones that people lived in, so Seirei figured that they were used for something important. "Do you study reimancy, too?" Seirei spun around to face the person who had spoken to her so suddenly. "No. Is that what people do here? I...I'm new to Endrykas." Seirei said in pavi. The man frowned at her lack of hand signs. His own hands flew rapidly as he spoke. "Yes...or part of it, anyway. I'm attending the reimancy class they offer in that tent." he said, pointing to the one on the right. "The other is used for meditation. A brother and sister run the place. It's called Mists of Rain. It's pretty expensive to attend classes. But it's worth it, if you can afford it, though." Seirei thanked the man politely. Neither reimancy nor meditation held any interest for her. She respected those who could wield magic, but meddling with forces that powerful scared her more than a little. She would leave such things to those who were willing to learn them, and stick to her wood carving. Having learned what the tents were used for, Seirei made her way slowly back to Lian's tent. By retracing her steps every so often, she would diminish her risk of getting lost by forgetting which way she had come. After reaching his tent, Seirei picked another direction, and began walking once more.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Seirei sang as she walked. The song she chose was one of her favorites. Her mother had taught it to her when she was very young. They sang it when they were riding together in their wagon while the caravan was traveling. It passed the time, and kept her from feeling bored and restless. It was also a bonding time between mother and daughter. Sometimes Jared would join in as well. Other times, he preferred to listen. The song itself was a bright, lively tune. Its notes rose and fell in a fascinating rhythm that tended to stick in Seirei's head every time she sang it. The song told the story of a young girl traveling on her own, and discovering all sorts of wonderful and terrible things. Seirei identified with the girl in the song because she, too, had spent most of her life traveling from one place to another. As a child, she often dreamed of traveling with the girl in the song, and sharing some of her adventures. Singing the song always put Seirei in a good mood. And while she couldn't quite say that singing it made her happy now, it allowed her to remember the good times with her mother, rather than her mother's death. It also distracted her from her fear and anger at Lian and her current situation, and allowed her to enjoy the beautiful spring day. Eventually, blue tents turned into green ones, and Seirei realized she had left the Sapphire Clan's territory for that belonging to the Emerald Clan. That boy said that the Emerald Clan was known for their hunters, didn't he? Seirei mused as she continued to explore. There were four places among the green tents of the Emerald Clan that caught Seirei's attention, and seemed important. One, the Hunter's Allegiance, if she'd heard correctly, seemed to be a place where Drykas hunters could hone their skills. Another was a weapons merchant. Seirei took special note of this one. When she was ready to escape, she would need a short bow, and arrows. The Feather Run seemed like a good place to buy them. There was also a place where one could buy livestock, and a place that hunters brought their kills to so they could be butchered. That man probably spends a lot of his time here. Seirei thought. She couldn't help but feel relieved at the idea. After all, the more time he spent here, the less time she would have to endure his presence. It's good to know what places I should avoid. Rather that retracing her steps back to Lian's tent, Seirei continued on. Eventually green tents gave way to purple ones. Purple...what gemstones are purple? Amethyst? What else? Are there any others? Seirei couldn't think of any other purple gemsotnes, so she tentatively guessed that this might be the Amethyst Clan. As she explored, she discovered that she had reached the outer edge of the city. She also learned that the Clan probably specialized in horses since most of the shops and services in the area revolved around them. There was one where one could buy horses, a stable where one could board their horses so they'd be cared for and protected while their owners were busy, a place where horse racing took place, and a place where one could get tattoos. I'll need to learn how to ride. Seirei decided. And for that, I'm going to need a horse. Or at least access to one. So that's one more thing I'm going to need to save up for. Seirei retraced her steps once more, singing softly as she walked. When she reached Lian's tent, the kids she'd seen earlier were gone, but she saw a woman sitting outside another nearby tent. The woman was weaving a basket out of grass. Seirei watched the woman work for several minutes.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

I could do that! she thought excitedly. I'm not very good at weaving yet since I've been focusing on my wood carving, but working with grass might be easier than working with thin strips of wood. And grass is everywhere around here. Different types, that would look diiferent when they were dried. Drying them so I could use them would give me different colors to work with. I'd have to practice a lot, but if I could sell grass baskets as well, I'd earn money faster. It would definitely be worth it. Seirei looked up at the sun briefly. She wasn't skilled at telling time by the sun, but she could tell that the sun was high in the sky. The light was bright, not faded as it often seemed to be in late afternoon. Nor were there any signs of dusk approaching. Going by that, Seirei guessed that it was early to mid afternoon. If her guess was right, she still had some time left for exploring. Seirei really didn't want to know what punishment he had in mind for her if she was late. And she wasn't sure if his idea of "getting dark" was before sunset when the afternoon light paled, or during it when the light truly began to fail. So she wasn't about to take chances. Not yet, anyway. Once again, Seirei picked a direction, and began walking. As she walked, she made a mental map of her surroundings. Making note of places that would be useful to her wasn't enough. Seirei wanted to learn as much about the layout of the city as she could. Doing so would help her considerably when she was ready to make her escape. It would help her now, as well. She never would have thought of using grass to weave baskets if she hadn't seen someone doing it. Eventually, she found a bunch of red tents. So do the red tents mean that this is the Ruby Clan? Or maybe the Garnet Clan? No...garnets are a darker shade of red than this. I wonder what this Clan specializes in? And why didn't my father tell me more about the Clans? Did he think I didn't need to know since I didn't live with him? As she looked around, she saw a young man sitting in front of his tent, hard at work. He was rubbing a piece of leather over a wooden bowl. After watching him for a few moments, Seirei knew that that piece of leather had fine grains of sand or crushed rock embedded in it, and that he was using it to smooth the wood, and bring out its natural shine. After a while, Seirei moved on. She found several places of note in the area. A place where one could buy weapons, and get them repaired looked interesting to her. Seirei wondered which one was better. This one, or the one she'd seen earlier at the Emerald Clan. Unlike the Emerald Clan, this Clan had an armor shop called the Threaded Hide. They also had a supply store that interested Seirei greatly. It would be easy to get most of the supplies she'd need to travel when she was ready to make her escape. The other places were a tavern of sorts, and another place where one could get tattoos. Neither of which held any interest to her. Seirei took some time to browse the weapon and armor stores. She wanted to get an idea on prices. When she had another chance to explore, she would compare the prices and quality of the products here with the ones at the other shops. She also wanted to visit the place where horses were sold and see what breeds were available, and what it would cost to buy a horse. By the time she was finished browsing, the afternoon light was starting to fade. Keeping an anxious eye on the sky, Seirei hurried back to Lian's tent, hoping to get back before he did so he wouldn't decide to punish her.

[Khida]

Player 1

Skill	Points
Intelligence	+4
Investigation	+3
Observation	+2
Planning	+2
Singing	+1

• Amethyst Clan: horsemen
• Emerald Clan: hunters
• Endrykas: clans with a gemstone theme
• Endrykas layout is organized by craft
• Endrykas location: Feather Run
• Endrykas location: Hunter's Allegiance
• Endrykas location: Lian's pavilion
• Endrykas location: Mists of Rain
• Endrykas location: Threaded Hide
• Gouger: a tool for carving details
• Intelligence: surveying by walkabout
• Planning: anticipating needed resources
• Planning: the importance of funding
• Singing to improve moods

Notes

I find it neat that this dovetails with Lian's solo. Also, go Seirei for being determined and pragmatic.

All the Intelligencing she did here earned a bunch of lores, obviously. I couldn't give "layout of Endrykas" per se, because that layout will change from day to day and season to season. Instead, I awarded the locations Seirei would recognize if she saw them again. Also, I did not give Carving XP for the first post because a) she's Competent in the skill, so this basic lore is below her current level and b) she didn't do any actual carving in the memory.

Please PM me if you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade. Also, please edit your request to show this thread has been graded.