Closed [Zulrav's Tower] A City Under Stars

[Crescenta]

34th of spring 517, Night.


The day had been a struggle for the Ethaefal, the feelings of self-loathing had been at a high and she hadn't been able to do anything about it. She had kept this mindset throughout the time that Syna's light reigned.

Due to this her day hadn't been a productive one, she had spent half of it in bed, trying to fall asleep. She hadn't been able to sleep, so she left her apartment to walk around Riverfall, see what was happening and perhaps do something worthwhile.

Crescenta had visited the Valkalah Library, seeing if there were any books on medicine. There were a few on the subject, yet they were mostly on beginners techniques and simple procedures. A level which she was a little above, and they were mainly things that she already knew about. However, after doing something she felt a little calmer.

She had decided that she would head to Zulrav's Tower after night fell, as she could look up at the night sky from there. Being away from her human form filled the Ethaefal with a sense of relief, because in this form, there was nothing to remind her of what she had done in a past life. She knew that what had happened before didn't matter anymore, but sometimes the horrible things that she did upset her still.

In her Ethaefal form she had long silver-blue hair with reached down to her shoulders, and white horns which curved behind her head, violet eyes and a height taller than her human form. She liked her appearance in the spring, it was her favorite of them. Though, she supposed it was interesting to look different whenever seasons changed.

Reaching Zulrav's Tower, she had gone onto the roof, and looked up at the night sky with a serene and peaceful smile. She would have gone to Leth's Observatory and prayed aswell, but it was further away from the city.

Another person was there as well, human seeming and oddly enough looking over the city, not the stars. She briefly wondered why he wasn't looking at the night sky, but decided he was probably a visitor in Riverfall, and here to see the city.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue 34th of Spring 517 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jez’s first impression of Zulrav’s tower, backed by the sunset lighting, was that it was very fitting for a God closely associated with the wind. It was tall and tapered as it grew, its point reaching into the sky as if to touch the winds to connect to Zulrav. Some travellers Jez had passed outside of Atri’s Place that afternoon had been discussing the tower, and he had wanted to visit as soon as he heard them. Luckily the tower was close by so he shouldn’t be out too long after dark. Jez had a healthy fear of being out at night. It was a dangerous time to be outside in Endrykas; a combination of wild animals and Pavilion-less people lurking between the tents. He didn’t know if the situation was similar in Riverfall, but wasn’t keen to find out. He climbed the spiralling staircase with the plan of thanking Zulrav and found himself alone when he reached the top. Though his worship favoured the goddess Caiyha, like most Drykas he would pay his respects to a variety of deities. Many a night the Firetongue Pavilion would exchange stories about the Gods, dancing to music and weaving complex knot work to honour and celebrate them. To the residents of the Sea of Grass, Zulrav was one of the more important Gods. This was particularly the case for Drykas in his Clan, within whom Zulrav’s energy flowed and guided their navigation through Cyphrus. Over the years Jez had heard many renditions telling of Zulrav and Semele combining their voices long ago to create the first Cyphrus Strider, from which all the Drykas’ bonded horses were descended. Jez honoured Zulrav for allowing his connection to Wind, his Strider, with a silk ribbon draped over his sash, embroidered with a tree blowing in the wind. He kept it on him at all times during travel, it along with similar symbols acting as anchors for him to pay respect to the Gods and ask for their assistance. Zulrav’s energy within his Strider and Jez’s faith in his God had brought the pair to Riverfall, despite their directions being based on only a loose idea of the city’s location. Jez closed his eyes for a moment, clutching the embroidered ribbon honouring Zulrav. Zulrav, he thought, Thank you for your guidance across the Sea of Grass, for paving the route in my Strider’s mind so that we knew the way. Wind and I are safe thanks to you. Jez opened his eyes as a light breeze picked up, wrapping around him for a moment, before dropping again. Most likely it was a normal wind, the product of being so high above the city, but Jez was devoted and believed it was Zulrav accepting his thanks. With a smile on his lips, Jez stepped to the edge of the tower roof, leaning against the wall to look down. A sudden rush of vertigo struck him, the man not used to being further from the ground than a horse’s back, and he stepped back with a pounding heart. He decided to look at the city at a large stride’s distance from the wall, still able to see a lot but not at risk of getting the rush of vertigo again. Looking out over the city from this height was a good way to understand its layout, overwhelmed as he was by the towering buildings when stood on the ground below. The buildings had a structured layout surrounding the huge central waterfall. It was the opposite of Endrykas, where Pavilions set up and disappeared around the general Clan layout as families travelled through the Sea of Grass. Jez had a lot of thoughts racing around his head about Riverfall, mostly related to not understanding the lifestyle of staying in place, of not giving the land a chance to recover, but it would take him a while to sort those thoughts into ideas that made sense. Since his arrival yesterday he had spent a lot of his time lost in thought. He realised with a shock that the same happened again, and the sun had long since set as he’d watched the city. Jez’s felt himself get nervous, unsettled in the new environment and worried about what Riverfall would be like at night. Atri’s Place wasn’t too far away; he could probably run there quickly and be back in his private room without getting caught up in anything. Jez turned from viewing the city, ready to head down the tower, and saw someone blocking his exit. He was a friendly man but very on edge in this strange environment. It made him more suspicious than usual. The woman before him was beautiful, there was no denying that, but her appearance held an other-worldly edge to it even without the non-human features. Then he registered those extra features, the strangely coloured hair and eyes, and the horns curved over her head. As someone who didn’t often meeting races other than humans, and very used to being alert for Zith, Jez’s first thought was that the woman was a strange form of Zith, one he’d not seen before. With that thought many Drykas would be on the attack immediately, but Jez wasn’t so quick to pick a fight without the proof he should. He narrowed his eyes, trying not to assume the worst, and took a small step back. He bit out in Common, assuming the stranger would not understand Pavi, “What race are you?” in a tone very unlike one he usually uses, eyes slightly fearful. It was unlike him to be so rude, but he was nervous and had no escape route if the woman was hostile. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Strider-Wind ||

[Crescenta]

She simply adored the night, the stars and the shining moon aswell. Somehow, it reminded her of something, and she felt lonely but at peace when she gazed up at it. Perhaps it was because it made her feel closer to Leth, she was one of his Ethaefal after all. However maybe she felt lonely because of her past life.

When she looked back down the man was looking at her. She noticed his face wore caution and fear across it, and he took a step back slightly. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her

Why? She wondered looking back at the man, her face ever so slightly upset. Were strangers usually like this in Riverfall, or was it her? She knew Ethaefal were rare in this city, and in every other city. Yet why was there a need to be fearful?

Then he asked her what race she was, and she decided it was safe to assume that he didn't know or recognise Ethaefal. So her face became a bit relieved. Crescenta smiled reassuringly at the man, and spoke. Her voice the soft one she generally had. "I am an Ethaefal, I won't hurt you, you seem nervous."

Crescenta didn't like it when people seemed fearful of her, even in her Ethaefal form people feared, though most were in awe. She didn't quite like the attention she gathered, even though admittedly any of her kind were beautiful.

Perhaps it had been rude of her to point out that he seemed to be nervous, or even fearful. However he seems like he could have attacked her if she had proven to be otherwise unfriendly or a less civilised race. She knew there were races that were killed on sight in Riverfall, she didn't know whether this was neccesary though, as she had never met one of a banned race.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue 34th of Spring 517 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The stranger before him looked upset as Jez stepped back and asked for her race. It made Jez immediately confused; did Zith even have feelings? He scoffed internally. No, of course they didn’t. Then why would this one look upset? The woman’s expression changed into a smile and she spoke with a soft voice. Jez continued to frown at her, on guard against a potential enemy. He regretted not bringing his shortbow with him. He might have been bad at using it, but at least it made him feel a little safer. His eyebrows raised as she told him her race: ethaefal. He let out a huge breath of relief, his shoulders dropping, as he realised how wrong he’d been. Opposite of being a Zith, this woman deserved respect, a soul who had once been honoured by the deities. Immediately after telling him her race, the woman let him know she wouldn’t hurt him. Jez truly believed her, already guessing as much as soon as he found out her race. He’d never met an Ethaefal before but had heard the stories, the tales of the race entwined with Leth and Syna. Many of his culture worshipped the God of the Moon and the Sun Goddess, and so tales of the related race were passed around by the Drykas. He had heard that Ethaefal were once favoured souls chosen by the pair. Though they were not the primary deities he worshipped, he paid his respects to them from time to time. In particular, Jez had worshipped Leth recently. The God of the Moon was known to cast light in the darkest of situations, something that Endrykas had needed during the dispute over the Gods during Winter. “I apologise,” he stepped forward, ashamed by his quick judgement. Due to their connection to Leth and Syna, Ethaefal were to be treated with respect by the Drykas. He spoke formally, not fluent enough in Common to speak as relaxed as he usually did. “I was worried you might be some sort of Zith,” he tried to explain himself, “I was startled easily; I am new here and have never left the Sea of Grass before. The city is…different to what I am used to.” Jez looked the woman over again, paying closer attention to her otherworldly features. Her shoulder length hair, silvery blue, her violet eyes standing out from her unmarred skin, and her horns, white and curved over the back of her head. Knowing they weren’t Zith features, he could appreciate their beauty. He wondered which God had blessed her. Having heard Ethaefal shifted with the day, he assumed the otherworldly appearance was related to the associated God. “Am I right in assuming you are associated with Leth?” Jez looked up to the sky for the first time that night, eyes following the path of stars up to the moon. He looked back to the woman after a moment. “Nobody else is up here tonight. What brought you here?” he asked, before explaining his own story, “Zulrav is an important God to me, and to my Clan, but I have never seen a…” ”tower…err…structure…err…” ”building devoted to him. It felt right to thank him at his own place after he guided my Strider and me across the Sea.” He fiddled with the ribbon attached to his sash, running his fingers over the embroidered tree. “I’m Jez, by the way, Jez Firetongue. I suppose I should reciprocate with my race; I am a Drykas from Endrykas.” ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Strider-Wind || The Heart of Nature Soothes the Heart of Man More Than Any Woman Can

[Crescenta]

She shook her head when he apologised, as if dismissing it. His reason for being on guard and cautious was a good one, after all. Crescenta would have been terrified had she had a run in with a Zith, she knew little about them, only knowing what people had told her about them. They said that they were more like creatures than people, beasts that weren't capable of kindness.

This made the Ethaefal glad that there were people here who could kill one, if they entered the city. She knew she wouldn't be capable of doing it, even if she knew how to use a weapon.

She was curious about the sea of grass, that was where that moving city was, wasn't it? The woman struggled for a moment, searching her mind before she came up with a name. Endrykas.

"It's fine, I would have been terrified if I had seen a Zith." She paused, wondering if it would be rude to ask about Endrykas, before deciding not to.

Crescenta nodded when he asked if she was associated with Leth. "I am, I'm lucky to have this blessing aswell." Lucky was definitely she considered herself, as she thought of this life as a chance at redemption for what she had done in a past life.

"I'm mainly up here to look at the night sky, though I will pray to Zulrav while I am here as well, this is his after all." She smiled listening to what he said next. Clan. Was that how they lived in the Sea of grass? In clans? The Ethaefal wondered as he spoke.

"My name is Crescenta." She answered upon being told his name, it was an odd name, she knew that, but she herself quite liked the name an old friend had given her, she wouldn't have used it otherwise.

Perhaps I should think myself as lucky to have a choice in my name. Most people were simply given a name at birth, though she was able to choose her own. Though she supposed names weren't that important anyway.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue 34th of Spring 517 AV Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ “My worry is a little embarrassing,” Jez rubbed the back of his neck with a grimace, glad she seemed to have accepted his apology for the confusion, “Many of my people would not hesitate to kill a Zith on sight. I am not much of a fighter though, and do not have my weapon on me, so would be in trouble if one showed up now.” He had not expected to encounter an enemy in a city deemed by many as ‘more civilised’ than Endrykas. It was not an opinion he shared, but nonetheless he expected to be safer here than in the Sea of Grass and had left the weapon with his other belongings. With adrenaline from the moment of fright still coursing through him, he felt uncomfortably exposed without his weapon or stallion immediately available. “The Sea does not allow weakness, so I have training,” he continued, attempting to show himself as less vulnerable, “…though it is true that I am more of a peace maker.” “The night sky?” he looked up for a moment before returning his gaze to the woman, “I may have come here to thank Zulrav, but this is a good place to look over the city…even if I did not intend to stay out so late. Do you know much about the stars? Some of my people use them to navigate, but it is not a skill I have.” He wondered what other uses people could have for the stars; what reason the woman could have for looking at them. Surely it wasn’t navigation, given that their high vantage point gave a view of the nearby routes through Riverfall, and many major buildings seemed to tower as obvious blotches against the sky compared to the low tents he was used to walking between. The Drykas grinned as she reciprocated his greeting, introducing herself as Crescenta. “It is a pleasure to meet you. Your name is interesting, is it common around here?” Having met with many passing traders in Endrykas, Jez was aware that not all people gave names in the Drykas way. His own name was his birth one, but it wasn’t unusual for his people to change their names according to significant events. Though Jez would likely always be a Firetongue of the Amethyst Clan, he expected one day he, too, would end up with a new first name. Jez yawned, unable to contain it, “I am sorry. I did not sleep well last night.” He glanced at the city, trying to put his thoughts into words he knew in the language they were using, “The…sounds, smells,” “the general atmosphere, hmm, the…” “…the feeling in Riverfall. It is very different to my home…and Wind is so far away.” A glum expression came over him at the thought of the stallion, further away from him than ever before. He had been assured by the stables that his Strider would receive the best care, but it did little to soothe him. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ || Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Strider-Wind || The Heart of Nature Soothes the Heart of Man More Than Any Woman Can

[Crescenta]

She listened to the man, Jez as he had introduced himself earlier. He talked about Zuilrav and how it was a good place to look over the city, before asking if she knew much about the stars. Crescenta didn't know much about them, and then told the man that much.

"No, I don't know much about them really. I would love to learn about them though, if I ever had the chance." She paused for a second, before deciding to divulge more, looking back up at the sky for a moment. "The night sky makes me feel at home really, it feels much more comfortable than in the daytime."

If she was honest, she disliked the day quite a bit, if only for the reason that she had her other body then. It was weak and ugly, and horrible memories came with it. She felt insecure and unsafe in that body.

The Ethaefal ignored those thoughts, turning back to Jez from the sky and answering his question.

"No, it's not common at all." The woman chuckled slightly, before elaborating a little more. "A friend suggested it to me when I lived in Zeltiva. Since the moon is crescent shaped, she suggested I just add an A to the end as a joke, yet the name stuck. I hadn't decided on a name before then, since I didn't have one already, so I was glad to have something to call myself."

Telling that story always cheered her up, she had liked Zeltiva, but had wanted a change after she had learnt the things she wanted to there, and had came to Riverfall. The woman had decided she liked it here as well.

"I'd imagine that it's very different, you live in tents in Endrykas don't you? It must be strange coming to a city that isn't like your own."

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue
34th of Spring 517 AV
Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari

“What is wrong with day?” Jez asked the woman, confused as to how anyone could prefer the night, “For me it is the night that is not comfortable. It is not safe.” He thought that was a fact of life, but maybe it was specific to the Sea, and different in Riverfall. Did he not need to be so wary during nights here?

The more he spoke to the Ethaefal the more curious Jez got about her. He couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting to her horns every so often as they spoke, the feature an obvious statement of their differences. Believing now that she was no danger to him, he was no longer fearful but excited by their meeting. “You did not already have a name?” he was confused about that, thinking he had either misheard or was mistranslating her words, “In Endrykas we are given names at birth. I do not understand why you did not have one and had to choose your first one. We sometimes change ours if we feel the need though, so I suppose we are similar in that regard.”

“Your name does sound nice,” he smiled at her, “It was a good choice to take it from your friend; it has more meaning that way. I do not know the word…crescent…for the moon, however. What shape of moon is that?” He thought for a moment to remember some shape names in Common, “The circle one or the curve one?” It was difficult communicating in his second language, and he wanted to seize the chance to learn new words, to prevent any future misunderstandings.

Jez picked up on the city name and his curiosity only grew. “You lived in Zeltiva?” Jez had never left Cyphrus before, had never even been to another city besides Endrykas until now, and wondered how different the other regions of the world were. “What is it like? Why did you leave and come to Riverfall?” He might have seemed invasive to a stranger, but he was too excited now by meeting someone with such different experiences to him to temper the questions. He’d been in Riverfall for only a day and yet was already overloaded with new information, having seen and done things he’d never experienced before.

He smiled softly as his thoughts turned to home, a pang of fondness surging through him. “Yes, Endrykas is very different. Last night was my first sleep in a bed rather than a bedroll in my tent,” he thought of the soft surface, comfortable but wrong, and how long it had taken him to get to sleep, “The solid walls and doors are…” “suffocating, claustrophobic…” “…like I am trapped. I do not understand how people stay in one place, without Caiyha’s creations around them. It feels…wrong.” That wasn’t even mentioning the fact that these people had no Striders, no deep, spiritual bond to a horse. Jez looked back to Crescenta, his eyes having drifted to looking over the city again as he spoke, “Please understand me, though. I am still excited to be here. All of the new things to see! I just…need time to adjust.” Jez thought of the things he would do and see here, and those he already had. His younger brother, Salva, would be particularly interested to hear his stories. The young man never left their Pavilion, too weak to do much, and so loved to hear about the adventures others went on.

|| Jez Firetongue || 25 years || Drykas || Amethyst Clan || Firetongue Pavilion || Bond to Wind ||

The Heart of Nature Soothes the Heart of Man More Than Any Woman Can

[Crescenta]

"Of course, nothing is wrong with the day." The woman backtracked quickly, her tone slightly apologetic. "In the night I am in this form, in the day I have my human form, and I much prefer the one I have right now."

She shook her head at the Drykas' next question. "Ethaefal do not have parents, or birth in a conventional manner. Nor are we ever children. It's hard to explain though, so I won't go into it any further." She smiled, looking over the city again. "It's interesting how you change your names, I've never met any other people who do. Perhaps it's something that only your people do."

"It's the curve one." She smiled, it was clear that common wasn't the man's first language, extremely clear, but the woman didn't mind at all. She wished that she could speak another language.

"Zeltiva is busy, but I liked it there. For me I was there because I was able to learn medicine and Auristics, I left because I wanted somewhere different, I suppose to experience a different kind of environment. Riverfall is closer to nature than Zeltiva is, I think. Zeltiva is focused a lot more on the mental side, while Riverfall is about strength. To me it seems that way, anyway." She had enjoyed both places, but she wasn't sure which one she preferred yet. Though she planned to stay in Riverfall for a while longer.

"I suppose there is good points to both ways of life. Endrykas is interesting, I've never known much about the place though."

[Orakan]

Jez

Skills

● Observation - 4XP
● Prayer - 1XP
● Planning- 2XP
● Logic - 3XP
● Socialisation - 3XP
● Interrogation - 1XP
● Investigation - 1XP
● Persuasion - 1XP

Lores
● Location: Zulrav's Tower
● Prayer: Thanking Zulrav for guiding Wind to Riverfall
● Observation: Higher vantage points give a better scope of one's surroundings
● Wilderness Survival: Travelling at night is dangerous
● Ethaefal: Appearance and characteristics
● Ethaefal: Souls chosen by Leth or Syna
● Leth: God of the moon
● Zith: Dangerous enemies of the Drykas
● Navigation: Stars can be used as a guide
● Riverfall: So different to Endrykas and the Sea of Grass
● Struggling with the language barrier
● Investigation: Figuring out cultural differences

Comments

I have a confession to make: I have a huge soft spot for Drykas and I absolutely love it when writers paint such beautiful renditions of life in Endrykas/the Sea of Grass. Although this thread takes place elsewhere, your grasp of Jez' culture (and his character) really shines through and it's a stunning read so, as a reader and grader, I just want to thank you. Now I want to read all your threads

Do let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade and don't forget to delete/edit your request in the grading queue.