Solo A Day in the Life

[Azmere]

Azmere Stormblood

57th of Fall, 515 AV

Azmere sat behind the tent on a log with his feet propped up on the fence. He’d been whittling down arrow shafts since before the sun rose to high noon and then some. He lost count twice but was into triple digits with ease. His hands had a few splinters, several tiny lacerations and a blister as proof of his work ethic. Caloke walked back and grabbed the pile of finished shafts and counted them quickly. “I’ll need four more before I finish fletchin’ these.” Then she was gone as quickly as she had arrived. Azmere’s eyes went wide in frustration. After Caloke had left he muttered something about that being the fifth time today and went back to shaving off imperfections and smoothing the pieces of wood so they would fly true.

A few moments passed by and Caloke returned just as Azmere finished the fourth and final one. She smiled as he handed her what she needed and rose to his feet. Caloke put her hand on Azmere’s unscarred shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “You do good work. You honor your pavilion.” Azmere closed his eyes and bowed his head in a silent showing of gratitude. When he looked up, she was gone. He didn’t have time to contemplate much. He started to head for the well when the abrupt cursing of Ercere caused him to stop mid-stride and change direction. Azmere ducked into the back room of the Whetstone and looked about for the commotion.

It only took a second for Ercere who was wrestling with a bow and cursing as loudly as Azmere could ever recall. He took a few quick steps and stood next to the man in silence. When Ercere realized he wasn’t alone, he stopped, looked up and then tossed the bow at Azmere. The thing snapped back into a curled twig but Azmere caught it nonetheless. He nodded his head as Ercere stalked into the front of the structure. Azmere looked over the bow and smirked. Recurves required a special trick. Fortunately, Azmere’s grandfather had taught him years ago what to do. He walked back outside where he had fashioned himself a little workspace. Azmere tucked one of the ends in between two logs.

Azmere took a step back and eyed the piece of wood as it curled up from its mooring. He rubbed his hands together making sure that they were free of excess dirt and oil. Then he knelt down and tied the string to the bottom and pulled it out from under the logs and laid it between his feet. Using his body weight, Azmere folded his hands over the top of the bow, pulled it back and then leaned down upon it creating the desired arc. Resting down upon it, he used his left hand to grab the string and pull it up over the other end of bow. Azmere stood and smiled at his achievement. He grasped the bow and held it while shifting the weight of the log and sliding the bow around it. He waked inside and handed it to Ercere. The big man smiled and took the bow with a roar. “Attaboy!” Ercere clapped his hand against Azmere’s back. “I have three more that need done. Blasted recurve fad is gonna make you a chunk of coin, lad.” With that, Ercere waved towards the table where the stock was kept and disappeared out front to sell the bow. Azmere just shook his head and went back to work.

Word Count586

Scars are just stories that we wear. - Asmodeus

[Azmere]

Azmere Stormblood

Azmere stood in his little corner behind the Whetstone pulling shafts against their natural curve and tying up the ends to make recurve short bows. The task was simple enough; just like whittling arrow shafts from twigs or slicing feathers for fletch. He seemed to excel at the little things and they did help to make the time pass. His grandfather touted the work of craftsmen to build a good soul in a man. So Azmere plodded through his tasks with an almost blissful attitude. He didn’t mind the work and felt that it would only help him in the long run. (Not to mention it was a way to put Mizas in his purse.)

His thoughts were interrupted by Caloke who leaned around the door post. “Hey, Azmere!” Her voice was loud but she didn’t seem angry. “I need you to go get some supplies near the Gates. The man’s name is Bulrahm.” She disappeared for a moment then leaned back out. “You’ll know him when you see him.” She grinned and went back inside to resume whatever she had left to pass on the errand. Azmere nodded and set down his work. He made sure everything was neat and organized in his little space. Though he wasn’t part of the Whetstone reputation, he was still treated well by the owners and staff. However, given the marred areas of his face and neck, Azmere was politely tucked under an overhang behind the store. He understood. There was no need for a deformed labourer to be displayed in the main room. Most people don’t care about some scar tissue but there’s always the exception and in business one must cater to these overly sensitive types. They tend to have the loudest voice when complaining.

Azmere moved around the fence and up to Hephiestian. He stroked the animal’s mane lovingly and whispered something funny to the beast. With practiced ease, Azmere hoisted himself up onto his Strider and they were off. The Wind-Knotted Gates were not far away but using his mount was a faster means of travel which meant he was being efficient. Furthermore, Azmere was not told what type of supplies. The strong back and legs of Hephiestian might come in handy. Let’s be honest for a moment. Drykas will find any reason (excuse) to ride.

The wind pressed against Azmere’s skin and the coarse hair of the Strider’s mane brushed against his hands. There was nothing quite so freeing as a quick ride. The duo navigated the crowd of the market without missing a beat. There were two Ankals arguing about Zulrav knows what and their pavilions pushing back and forth like a scrum. Azmere was about to steer them around but Hephiestian was already rerouting. Azmere smiled and adjusted the route anyway. The horse was smarter than almost every person he’d ever met including himself but could be stubborn and needed correcting from time to time. Once they were clear of the hot mess, Azmere looked up and saw the massive twin poles rising into the sky. True enough, many in Mizahar would not marvel at these pillars. By statute, they wouldn’t compare to the average gate in most other regions (so Azmere’s been told) but the history, tradition and sharp contrast to the rolling expanse of grass makes them the perfect totems for the horse people.

Word Count544; Total = 1130

Scars are just stories that we wear. - Asmodeus

[Azmere]

Azmere Stormblood

Hephiestian brought himself and his rider to a stop on the west side of the gates. Azmere disapproved and urged the strider to the East of the mighty totems and turned them around then dismounted and moved to stand near the head of the magnificent creature. With loving motions, the Drykas stroked his fingers through the mane and along the graceful muscles that made up the equine neck. Truly fascinated by the anatomy of the being, Azmere was lost in the maze of tendons and underlying sinew that he nearly missed the arrival of Bulrahm.

The strider that rode up was a bit portly but it is said that people and their pets share resemblance. The rider hopped down dressed in the finest cheap silk copper could buy. Royal purple, lavender and deep shades of violet covered this man. He had scarves knotted on his elbows and knees, a tunic or tabard of sorts that was literally dozens of rags tied and stitched together. One might be inclined to laugh at such a presentation except that Azmere had never seen a man so large. It seemed Bulrahm was a head taller than Azmere and probably twice as thick. His legs looked stumpy and his fingers were the size of sausages but what set the entire spectacle were Bulrahm’s unique face and the get-up he hung from it. The man had deep eyes that were either very dark brown or black but this was offset by rosy cheeks that plumped around a tiny round nose. His mouth was wide with a thick lower lip and a windmark goatee that was of traditional knot-style artwork. Bulrahm’s hair was long and flowing on the right side of his had but the left was shaved partially up above the ear and the rest tied into knots and braids. Everything had purple and amethyst beads and feathers laced in as well as ribbon and the occasional piece of chain. The merchant also had chains connected his entire ensemble as well as gold cord and purple twine. If a child was tasked with decorating a person in the likeness of a vain purple spider; this would be the result.

Azmere patted his faithful steed on the neck and moved towards Bulrahm. The man was staring at something in his pack but turned suddenly and boomed a greeting upon hearing Azmere approach.

“Well hello there, laddie!” His voice was high in pitch and raspy but it had such a resonance that Azmere could literally feel the words as they echoed against his frame. “I would bet I could find something perfect for what you seek. Now just let me take a look at you…” Bulrahm made such quick and erratic movements that he caught Azmere off guard when the large man took a huge step forward to size up his new client.

Azmere stepped back and raised his hands in front of his chest meaning to slow down. Using Pavi, he communicated signals in with his words. “Caloke sent me. You have her order?” Azmere felt small next to the merchant. He also noted the surreal sensation associated with mingling alongside such interesting people.

Bulrahm seemed hurt by Azmere’s initial reaction but his face shown bright red at the cheeks and chin when Caloke’s name was mentioned. He smacked Azmere’s shoulder with one hand and his own round belly with the other. “Why didn’t you say so, lad?” Bulrahm roared with laughter that was something very similar to the sound Azmere had heard a turkey make right before attacking his mate. Bulrahm spun around and his momentum carried him past his yvas bag. Stepping back, he dug in and retrieved a large burlap bag. He placed it on his ab shelf and dug in to retrieve an item. Azmere heard the clank of steel. In between the chubby digits, the young Drykas could see the item clearly. It was a black steel arrowhead. The merchant used his six sense of knowing what his customer was thinking and chimed in at this very moment. “Grind a tip on her and she’ll sink through meat like the lightning of Zulrav, hisself.”

Azmere looked into Bulrahm’s eyes for a moment. He was taken back to the night when Zulrav saved his life. Instinctively, he reached a hand up to touch the scar tissue hidden beneath his shemagh. Hephiestian had snuck up and used his nose to bump Azmere’s elbow. Azmere shook his head and blinked. “Right.” He reached into his belt and grabbed the purse of coin he’d been given to pay for the goods and handed it to Bulrahm. The fat fingers snatched the tiny bag and in the same motion replaced the sample item. He was a whirlwind of purple and gold as he gave Azmere the goods then mounted his strider. He touched his nose and pointed to the young man.

“Pleasure doing business with you, laddie.” Bulrahm began to ride away laughing like the greedy little chipmunk that he was.

Azmere peeked inside the bag of arrowheads. He shuffled a few aside and found everything to be in order. Satisfied, he tied the thing shut with the single leather thong and tossed it into his yvas bag. He mounted and took off for the Whetstone. He and Hephiestian rode fast but easy allowing the nice day to soak into their bones. Winter would be coming soon and days like this would be missed.

Word Count890; Total = 2020

Scars are just stories that we wear. - Asmodeus

[Azmere]

Azmere twisted his body to the left and was on his Strider without any effort. Hephiestian shook his mane and was off without needing to be spurred. The pair made a light trot until they had navigated the masses outside the gates. Once the crowd had been cleared, Azmere tucked his head and chest down towards Hephiestian’s neck while working his thigh muscles to secure his stance. The horse felt his rider tuck down and instinctively began to trot faster and faster until they were at a full gallop. It took very little time for them to reach the Whetstone and in his typical fashion, Azmere dismounted before the strider had come to a stop. He used the momentum to carry his body almost to the back door of the shop. He hopped the fence rail and ducked inside the pavilion. He moved to the table where Caloke was working and came to stand next to it. He hovered over her from the other side of the table admiring her skill and trying to pick up the mechanics of her nimble fingers.

Caloke continued to work but she was so accomplished that she had ceased to watch her task and moved her big eyes to Azmere’s face. After a moment she cleared her throat. “You’re in my light.” Azmere flushed but between his tanned skin and the poor lighting, one could scarcely tell.

“S-sorry.” The young man backed up and tucked his head down a bit. He was a head taller than Caloke but Azmere often felt inferior because of her superior fletching and social skills. He quickly drew the bag of arrowheads from his waist and set it on the table. He stepped back and turned on his heel to head back to his little spot outside when Caloke’s sultry voice stopped him.

“Hoooold on a moment, Azmere.” She rose from her seat and walked to the other side of the table. She leaned her well-formed rump against the edge then reached behind her to retrieve the bag of arrowheads. She opened it and rifled through the contents. “You need to learn to be more thorough when dealing with merchants. Fortunately, Bulrahm is an old friend and sent word of his ploy with the rest of our order.” Her agile digits produced a handful of black rocks from the bag and showed them to Azmere.

The man’s pride beat him up one side and down the other. How could he have been so naïve? He shook his head and looked to Caloke. He opened his mouth to apologize but Caloke cut him short. “No need for that.” She set the materials down and leaned forward into a stride that brought her almost up against him. “You’re a good worker, Azmere.” Her eyes burned into his and then she gave a crooked smile and smacked him on the arm. “You’ve got a lot to learn about business, though.” Caloke turned and went about her task. She gathered the arrowheads and laughed to herself a bit.

Azmere was at a loss. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or ashamed. Not having much experience with his feelings, the masked man went back to his stump to finish his work for the day. A small smile crossed his dry lips. “A lot to learn, indeed.”

Word Count553; Total = 2573

Scars are just stories that we wear. - Asmodeus

Textbox by Firenze

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Azmere

Experience

• Fletching/Bowing: 1
• Carving: 1
• Observation: 3
• Intelligence: 1
• Logic: 2
• Weaponsmithing: 1
• Riding, Horse: 3
• Socialisation: 2
• Rhetoric: 1
• Organisation: 1

Lore

• Caloke: Thinks Azmere is a credit to his pavilion
• Fletching/Bowing: Sharpening arrow points
• Small tricks for recurved bow work
• Azmere: Happy to do the small jobs no one else likes
• Merchants: A supply run
• Drykas: love to ride
• Riding: Steering the horse through a crowd
• Location: The Wind Knotted Gates
• Bulrahm: The giant
• Drykas: Traditional hairstyles
• Riding: Maintaining control of a galloping horse
• Azmere: Has a lot to learn about business

Notes

Tips for next time: make sure Azmere is actively doing things, don't just describe them like a list of events unfolding. The difference: Azmere worked for half an hour bowing and flething VS Azmere used his knife to shave the arrow ends down to sharp points, repeating the process for a good thirty chimes until all the arrows were complete.

Something else you need to make sure your next job thread has is more of Azmere, doing his job. As boring as repeating the same thing can be, you need to steer clear of filling your job threads up with travel, and socialisation. I should have been able to award you three to five points in your main job skill, but I was only able to give you one; this is a pretty good indication that there wasn't enough work happening.

Aside from these things, I think you have a really readable writing style that flows nicely. I'm looking forward to seeing how you improve next time! Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions or concerns and enjoy the rewards!