Shiny New Thing (Solstice)

by **Lani Stranger** on November 20th, 2018, 4:59 am

40th of Fall, 518AV

When Lani reached the Courtyard of the Sky, she was more used to the chaos now. It had taken her a few Market days to accept that this was simply how it was, when the whole mountain had to shop on one day, it could be a bit crowded. Still, it made her uncomfortable, as could not slide by here. Here in the sea of red fiery hair, where everyone was shorter than her, she stuck out like a dead tree in the desert. She had to steel herself against the usual bullying. Those who did not see her on her regular routes now had the opportunity to mock her for being foreign. There was a distrust there, and she knew it, but she continued to keep her head down and work her ass off, and attempted not to make a fool of herself. Still, crow-eyes, spider, cuckoo, all these were names she was used to being called and could pick up on as she passed by. Most of Mt. Skyinarta’s residents were attempting to barter and get their shopping done to pay her too much mind, but it was inevitable that at least a few paid attention.

Still, she had grown so used to the stares, that she hardly noticed them anymore. Few had reason to outright abuse her, and once they got their snickering and hateful stares out of the way, she was old news to them. Her only real difficulty ever came with the occasional vendor who didn’t trust her money, although she had converted it to pinions. She had quickly acquired what she needed to survive, but was now looking for something specific. She was sure it wasn’t going to go over well, which was why she had put it off for so long: weapons. R’yse, her mother, had taught her to be vigilant about personal security, and ever since losing the Konti, Lani just… hadn’t.

She had come with her boomerang and her throwing daggers, but she decided it was time to get a real sword, something more to her liking, so she could practice with it. As Lani wandered between the stalls, searching for her favorite weaponsmith, she noticed a large crowd of people at one stall in particular. It did not take her long to realize this was the stall she was looking for. Curious as to why there was a crowd today, she wandered closer, trying not to push any bodies and get herself into trouble. Still, as people came and went, there was enough room for her to assess the stall.

There were a certain amount of premade swords and axes laid out for viewing, and it seemed as if people were giving requests, a lot of them. There was no way all those weapons could be made in one day, but it seemed as if after someone ordered, they walked away. Perhaps they would pick them up the next market day or have them delivered. Lani didn’t know enough about what she wanted to approach the line, she was going to need professional advice. She needed a sword, but she did not know what kind.

So she ignored the line, looking at the swords already laid out, and trying to decipher the Nari labels on them. There was the usual fare of swords that she recognized, Rapier, flamberge, long, bastard… And then there was another that she did not. It was a three-foot long sword with an elaborately crafted, glass-inlaid handle that was long and provided nearly a half of the sword’s length. The blade was somewhat curved and tapered into a broader, heavier tip. The hilts were decorated with the fall colors, and looked absolutely stunning. She could tell immediately that these were native to Wind Reach by the personality that the sword gave off, and there were a few of them. At this point she was happy she would have to learn from scratch with any of these swords, because this was the one she wanted, and this was perhaps the best place to learn to use it.

Without a care for the price tag, Lani looked up and into the stall, trying to catch one of the weaponsmith’s eyes to ask them about the sword, and how she could acquire it.

Note :

Word Count: 714

by **Solstice** on November 20th, 2018, 6:48 pm

It seemed that not even the thick grey clouds overhead were capable of dampening the indomitable Inarta spirit. Market Day went on as per usual in spite of the ominous weather, and if anything the prospect of brightly colored trinkets and swords had made the crowds even thicker than usual. Wind Eagles perched on stone columns overlooking the courtyard, watching with amusement or disinterest according to their nature as their Endal riders flitted from shop to shop, seizing the prettiest of the trinkets for themselves. Laughter rang out among the stones as Endal and Avora chattered among themselves. Market day was an event to be treasured, a chance to kick back and have fun for those who weren’t working it, and the highest of the castes always took full advantage of the opportunities. Hardly more than a few hours into Market Day, the majority of the finest crafted goods were already gone. First come first serve, as it were. Today, the weapon stall was bustling with activity. The nicest of the colored talon swords had been picked off already, usually by Avora who didn’t have the time or the privilege to acquire a custom order like the Endal could. The weapons that remained were still perfectly usable, but perhaps the glass was too cloudy in one place, or the color was not quite as bright as it could have been. It was not the type of thing that the non-discerning eye would notice, but more than enough for the Endal and Avora to turn up their noses at.

The stall was so busy today that there were three Chiet helpers working at breakneck speed to take care of the lower caste buyers, while the Avora weaponsmith and his apprentice took down custom orders and helped out their fellow Avora. One of these helpers was a twenty something Chiet woman by the name of Marth. Her long fire colored hair was pulled back into a feathered bun and splashes of freckles sprinkled across every inch of her skin, the fire-reds accented by emerald green eyes. Sweat stained her vinati, and stress and exhaustion had worn lines into her features. She heaved a sigh as she spotted the tall, dark haired and dark eyed woman lingering in front of the weapon display and trying to catch someone’s eye. The girl’s first reflex was to cringe at the stranger’s bizarre appearance. Such a weird looking creature she was! All shadows and sharp edges. Marth gave a hopeful glance in the direction of her fellow helpers, but each and every one of them was somehow looking in the opposite direction of the weird girl. Marth’s sigh rattled the air, but she gathered her resolve and walked towards the woman with her shoulders back and spine straight. Judging by the spindly girl’s attire, she was no Dek. And if she wasn’t a Dek, than there was money to be made at least. Assuming that the girl wasn’t wasting her time.

“Oy you!” Marth said, snapping her fingers at the shadowy woman. “You want something? C’mon, hurry it up. We don’t got all day!”

Note :

by **Lani Stranger** on November 20th, 2018, 7:18 pm

The sharp trill of Nari was directed at her, and the foreigner offered as pleasing a smile as she could. Thick russet lips spreading over flat white teeth. The Inarta seemed annoyed to have to talk to her, which was not an uncommon occurrence. She had waited long enough, with every vendor somehow missing her gaze as she looked for it, but who was she to complain? One long shimmering finger reached out to point at the ornate Talon Sword. It seemed to be of slightly higher quality than its neighbors, although she imagined there were swords that put even this one to shame. It made sense that all the best had already been taken. Still, she knew little to nothing about swords, and the whimsical collective nature of the Inarta had quickly worn off on her. If she saw something shiny, she was going to get it.

Luckily, she had an unusual amount of money for someone in her position, but she was not going to let this red-headed woman cheat her out of it of course, it wasn’t as if it was common knowledge. Most of her Mizas rested in a dimension that these Inarta couldn’t even reach. Still she had exchanged a hefty amount of gold for pinions in anticipation for this purchase. She may not know anything about the sword, and was prepared to pay a higher price for the decoration on its hilt, but she was not an idiot when it came to money, so she let confidence ride in her voice when she spoke of her selection.

”That one, red and gold glass, dark metal.” She described the sword as best she could while pointing so the Chiet would get the right one out. It was the nicest of the given the selection, at least in Lani’s opinion and surely the woman would know which one she was talking about. “Dark like sky, the metal.” Lani added, glancing up at the clouds. It was half way through the season and it was unusually warm, at least as far as her memory provided. The last year, Morwen had ceased to do her duty, and that fall they had not anticipated. People marveled at the warm weather late into the Autumn season, unaware that worse was to come. It was still relatively early in the season, but she worried that the same events would be repeated, devastating the wilderness without the reprieve that Winter gave.

While the woman got the sword down, or wrapped it in thick cloth to give to her, or whatever she did to prepare it for sale. Lani wasn’t paying attention. She wasn’t used to being graced with a whole conversation by the Inarta, they didn’t trust her by her looks, and her poor grasp on the language made many impatient, but still she had gotten used to talking anyway, even if it was mostly to herself. Val had told her to try and converse, and so she was going to practice. But starting a conversation was hard when you are largely met with irritation and ignorance. She mostly got to speak with Kavisan or Hansi. Narth didn’t want to speak with her all that much, and honestly neither did Lani.

”We hope Morwen this year comes.” She expressed her worry, looking back at the woman now, in an effort to goad a conversation out of her. Even though this Inarta was short with the stranger, she was the only one who actually approached her like a customer. She tried to used the grammar structure she was taught, but she suspected it was slightly off. Still, she tried to make eye contact with the woman again, wondering if she would reply to the remark, it wasn’t as if the Inarta weren’t worried about the same fate of last year, everyone was worried about it.

Word Count: 642

by **Solstice** on November 24th, 2018, 11:34 pm

Marth raised an imposing red eyebrow at the foreigner's outstretched finger pointing towards the talon sword nestled amidst the dull greys and harsh browns of the common but practical weapons on display for the Chiet perusal. In spite of the Marth's natural xenophobia, she had the good grace to be a touch impressed by the dark haired woman's apt selection. It was hardly Endal worthy, but it was the best of the lot, almost good enough for an Avora to use, and the stranger's beady black eyes had zeroed right in on it like an arrow trained to a stag. The Chiet was a bit puzzled though. The weapon had found itself in a strange no-man's-land, not good enough for an Avora to buy, but also too expensive for a Chiet to purchase. It was collecting dust with the Chiet weapons, but no Avora had seen fit to touch it what with all the other beauties available.

Marth's first reaction was that this strange girl had no idea what the weapon was worth. Her lips twitched in a smug smile. “You got pinions squirreled away in your web somewhere?” she snickered. She eyed the girl up and down, chortling cheerfully. “That one is gonna be 168 pinions. Do you understand me?” Marth didn't try to raise the price for the girl. Why would she? That was more opinions than a Chiet made in a season! She should know; she was a Chiet herself! When Lani revealed herself indeed capable of paying the hefty price for the blade, Marth would be rendered momentarily dumbstruck into silence. A typical Inarta would be thoroughly bitter at having been apparently cheated out of a possible bonus for charging extra, but Marth found herself quietly contemplative, the expression on her face one of deep thought. There was more to this foreigner than met the eye, and Marth was too shrewd to ignore the obvious.

Quietly, Marth removed the talon sword from amidst the cluster of weapons, and gave the odd foreigner a piercing look. “You want a scabbard for this? To carry it around?” she asked. Realizing the woman might not understand her, Marth dug around behind the stall for a moment before emerging with a simple scabbard. “Only four pinions.” Marth held out four fingers to illustrate the point. If Lani agreed to the offer, Marth would sheath the sword in the scabbard and offer it to her. Otherwise, she would return the object back behind the stall and wrap the sword in a cloth which would then be offered to Lani.

The foreigner's sudden question took Marth off-guard, but she put some consideration into the answer chewing her lip thoughtfully. “I hope she comes too,” Marth said. “But she won't. You're new here right?” Marth glanced over the Courtyard of the Sky for a long moment, her eyes moving past the bustling people and perched eagles, then off towards the tall mountains in the far distance. “It hasn't snowed yet. By now the Sanikas Pass is usually closed off because the snow gets too high for anyone to make it through. Not this year though. Or the last, or the year before then. Yeah, she's not coming.” Marth spit on the ground bitterly. “If you can't rely on the Gods, than who can you?” Marth watched Lani carefully, curious as to her reaction.

by **Lani Stranger** on November 24th, 2018, 11:49 pm

Lani nodded at the price, but did not smile. She didn’t want to appear haughty, but she had more than enough to cover the sword, and a few extras. The Chiet seemed fairly surprised by this, and Lani began to realize why the sword had gone unpurchased. It was not the most beautiful sword, but it outshone the bland simpler blades that were obviously offered for Chiet. Perhaps it was made to fit an Avora class, but did not make the cut, and because it was too expensive for any Chiet to afford, it was resting in limbo, until Lani showed up. She also nodded to accept the scabbard, and dished out all one-hundred-seventy-two pinions. Nearly double what she would make in a season, but Lani had happened into a small fortune recently. Now the only thing that kept her in Wind Reach was the threat of Winter Travel.

”I am new.” She confirmed, reaching with both hands to receive the scabbard. She had not spent much time this far north, but Lhavit usually wouldn’t even begin snowing for another fortnight, perhaps Wind Reach was used to sooner snows. What a terrible impact it must have on the environment. ”Must be… good not for the… wild.” She threw the sentence together, realizing it was a poor expression of her thought. But the beautiful thing she had learned about language was that most people understood the basic vocabulary, even if her grammar was not as good.

”I wonder,” Lani placed a slim finger on her chin, copying Kavisan’s habit and phrase almost to a tee. ”If she tries to say to us something.” Lani had more faith in the Gods than this Chiet, even those who could not perform her duties. She had heard about the murders of the Vani and any who followed Morwen, and Lani wondered if that had cemented the lack of winter forever, or if there were a way to retrieve Morwen for her duties. She had heard rumors that the Goddess simply refused to do her part of the four seasons… but why? Had none asked why? Or had they all simply decided to punish the Goddess and then remain confused as to why it didn’t work.

She was half invested in the conversation; half of her was scanning the weaponry accessories. She appreciated the scabbard, but she also wanted a travelling container for this, as she had no intention of leaving such a precious, at least to her, weapon out when she was not using it. ”Have you… scabbard for keep?” She fumbled with the words, clipping the scabbard to her right hip and then making a long box shape with her hands, unsure of how to say ‘a storage container’ in Nari.

Word Count: 458

by **Solstice** on December 1st, 2018, 3:55 pm

The strange girl's affirmation of being new to Wind Reach came as no real surprise. Strange visitors were not terribly uncommon to Wind Reach, but the poor reception usually ensured that they did not stay for very long. Rarely did strangers come here and try to stay for longer than to trade and simply move on; in that, this stranger was very unusual. She was no Isur, the most common of the uncommon. Most of the people in the city had never seen anything like her, including Marth. But for all her internalized dislike of anything different, the shop tender still found herself with her tongue pressed against her teeth to hold back any sharp remarks, listening closely to the woman's slow, heavily accented speech. It was garbled, but coherent enough for someone who struggled with Nari. This woman was not touched in the head the way so many Dek were.

“It's very bad for the wildlife,” Marth said, gleaning the woman's meaning. “Did you hear about those traders who were attacked by the bear? Three people died! If those Endal hadn't been there all of them would have been dead meat! Bears should be hibernating by now!” It was easy for fall into the habit of casual gossip with a fellow Chiet, even if the woman might not entirely understand everything that Marth was saying. Lani's wonder earned her a startled look from Marth, followed by gritted teeth. “If she's trying to say something,” the Chiet snapped. “Then she should just say it straight!”

By the time that she had dug around in the pile of accessories and fished out a simple but well-made scabbard container and set it on the table for Lani, Marth's fast burning temper had already cooled. Her digging had also uncovered a bottle of rust proofing oil, which she showed to Lani and set beside the scabbard container. “The scabbard container,” Marth said slowly, so Lani could hear the words for it. “Is six pinions.” She gestured next to the bottle of oil. “Do you want this?” she asked. “It's for rust proofing. It keeps the sword from...going bad.” Marth frowned, not sure if the Chiet would get the meaning from her. “Ten pinions. All of this, altogether if you want it, will be 188 pinions.”

by **Lani Stranger** on December 2nd, 2018, 5:30 pm

Perhaps the topic of Morwen had not been the best subject to attempt to start a conversation. Anger spiked in the girl before her, and Lani raised her eyebrows. She was upset at the deity’s disappearance too, but Lani was too religious and respectful to think of saying such a thing out loud. But just as soon as the Inartan Chiet had grown to anger, she was back to a normal attitude, helpful but only just. The Inarta were weird. The Inartan woman found a container for her, and brought a bottle to Lani, explaining what it was. She knew the word for rust, but didn’t quite understand the rest of the sentence until the Chiet explained that it would keep the sword from going back. She assumed it was important to take care of her weapon, and fished out the coins for all of the items, wordlessly. She would have to learn how to care for this new weapon as well as use it, and since the girl had not attempted to rip her off, she trusted that it was a useful item.

It didn’t occur to her until she was attempting to balance all of the things in her hands that this Inarta had not only helped her, seemingly without complaint, but treated her as a human as well. Perhaps she offered the oil for the sake of the sale, but Lani wanted to think the Inarta momentarily forgot her distrust of Lani’s strange eyes and accent. She wasn’t going to draw attention to the fact that she thought this, but she wanted to say more than just thanks for the items, but was restricted by her inability to do so in the city’s language. She caught the woman’s eye, and sighed.

”Thank you,” She said simply, It was times like this when the language barrier frustrated her. If she had come to this city speaking Nari as fluently as any of them, would they still treat her as they did? Or did her not-quite human appearance create the foundation of distrust from them? She could count on three fingers the people willing to talk to her with any substance, one of which was her employer and so he had little choice in the matter.

Receipt :

by **Solstice** on December 2nd, 2018, 10:05 pm

Grades are here!

Lani Stranger

XP Award:

+4 Observation
+3 Socialization

Lore:

Lani: Becoming Used to the Bullying
Being Capable of Protecting Oneself is Important
Nicer Items are Offered to Higher Castes
Lore of Morwen
The Sanikas Pass Closes Due to Heavy Snows Each Year
Morwen Has Been Absent for Two Years

Rewards and Penalties:

N.A.

Note: Pm me if I missed anything or if you have questions or concerns!