Closed Spring Triathalon!

[Meadow]

20th Spring 517 A.V.

Thomas Heartsong sat up in his tent stretching while getting ready for the day. It took several chimes before the man remembered what the day was. The Spring Triathalon! It was time for the city to celebrate their survival of the previous seasons. Jerking up the man finished getting ready hurrying out of the tent. Grabbing his riding gear, he suited up his strider before giving his wives a kiss and heading out. Thundering hooves beat against the ground as the ankal rode to meet the others. The entire city seemed to buzz with excitement about the event. Pulling the yvas back some, he dismounted in front of the Conclave tent before entering.

“Good morning all,” Thomas called with a smile on his face, “everyone excited?”

“Excited for the games?” Eli asked with a laugh seeing the young man.

“Absolutely! Ready to show what the Diamond Clan can do,” Cyrus said with a smirk holding his head up high.

“Not nearly as showy as the Ruby clan,” Pratal argued.

“Let's leave the decisions to be determined on the game field shall we?” Harper said with a chuckle watching the two Conclave members boasting.


The group smiled and prepared to step out into the world. Each moved to their respective clans, with the exception of Thomas. He hurried off to see if the Warstorm pavilion had managed to get the targets set up correctly. It was not long before the competitors would be ready; the young ankal looked around seeing that Baultime was setting up. The young business owner was always ready to make money, even if that meant taking out the smaller tent. His business partner would be able to run the main tent while the sister and brother team move out into the middle of the city to serve the crowds of watchers. Hurrying up to the man spotted Mal'n Farkil instructing others of the pavilion where the appropriate distances were.

“Everything is going well?” Thomas asked with a smile.

“Very. Just two more to place and everything will be in place,” Mal'n said with a smile.

The young male Drykas was proud of what his pavilion was able to do. Even if it was just a meeting place for all the champions to come and train newcomers it did not matter. Everything was done with excellence and precision. Thomas Heartsong said thanks before heading off to see how the rest of the preparations were coming wondering how the competitors were readying themselves.

[Turrin]

Turrin didn't get the best sleep the night before since last night, he couldn't get his mind off of the competition. The Inarta didn't care much about the riding competition since he was just a beginner rider, but the skills competitions with a bow and melee weapon weighed heavily on his mind. The archery competition was the especially was important to the former Endal since the archery skill was the basis of the whole Inarta society. If you weren't good at archery, you wouldn't have the basic skill for hunting. If you weren't able to have a valuable and useful skill for the city's survival, you wouldn't eat. Deciding to represent his former homeland, Turrin put on his bryda, combed his long burgundy hair, and tied the six feathers into it. Grabbing his short bow, Turrin strung his short bow and secured the quiver to his hip. On the left side of his hip, Turrin secured the scabbard of his talon sword. He knew that he wouldn't need to use it, but he safer with it on him.

The hunter decided to walk to the game field. It was a nice day, and the walk would allow him to clear his mind before the competition. There was a slight breeze blowing across the see of grass, but it wasn't enough to be a nuisance. Turrin noticed that he wasn't the only person making their way to the competition. The Inarta noticed the event was a big deal because he noticed that the city must have swelled in population. He never seen this amount of Drykas in one spot since he came to the city fifth-teen days ago. When he got the competition field, he looked around and saw a field with targets being set up, so he walked up to one of people setting up and said in common with a hand gesture for archery if he didn't know common, “My name is Turrin Goldeneyes. I am here to compete in the archery competition.”

The man tilted his head in confusion. The Inarta signed when he realized that he didn't speak common. However, he did noticed the gesture that the foriegner made for him. The man said something that Turrin couldn't understand in Pavi than he pointed to place to wait. Turrin said with a smile, “Thank you, sir.”

Walking to the location, Turrin could tell that he needed to relax since his heart was pounding in anticipation. He worked all his life to show off his archery skills, and today, he would prove to the world that he was great with a short bow. However, the anxiety that he was feeling wasn't helping his confidence, so he needed to calm down. The Inarta needed to take his mind off the crowd and the competition, so he laid down on the grass with his hands behind his head and looked up into the sky. It was nice to take his mind off the competition for a few chimes and just stare up into the clouds. He could already feel his heart start to calm down. It was nice to lose his mind in the sky, so he stayed like this till someone came to address the competitors.

[Jez Firetongue]

Jez Firetongue
20th of Spring 517 AV
Pavi/Grassland Sign , Common, Nari

Jez knelt before the canvas sheet, carefully removed from its usual hanging position to the tent floor, and looked over the embroidered symbols of his most frequently worshipped deities. This morning, in preparation for the Triathlon, he was using the canvas as a focal point for his prayers to multiple Gods. He gently touched his palm to the tree, tilted as if blowing in the wind, and prayed to Zulrav to bless his Strider with his guidance and speed. He moved his palm in a near caress to the winged serpents, marked as a pair coiled together, and sent a prayer to Rak’keli to protect the health of his fellow competitors through the events. To Syna, a touch to the sun symbol, and Tavasi, a touch to the knotted leaves, he prayed for the joyful spirit of competition to not be soured so that the first steps to peace in Endrykas cause begin. Finally, he placed his palm over the central triskelion, the largest piece on the canvas, and shut his eyes as an extra sign of respect and concentration during his prayer to his favoured Goddess, Caiyha. He thanked her for his Pavilion’s continued survival amidst the wildlife inhabiting the Sea of Grass, and prayed for her guidance in living alongside nature once more today.

Prayers completed, Jez hung the canvas up once more and gathered the supplies he would need for the competition. He was dressed fully in his finest clothing, his hair and sash covered in symbolically decorated ropes and leathers, formed into knotted ornaments, He dressed to honour his Pavilion, his Clan, and the Gods he worshipped. He didn’t expect to win the contests for them but wouldn’t feel right attending the event in anything less. He checked his riding quiver contained all twenty arrows and that his shortbow was secured, then attached it to a side rung on his Strider’s yvas. He attached one yvas bag to the other side, containing his full waterskin, before lifting the yvas and its associated cloth and exiting his tent.

Outside the Firetongue Pavilion was buzzing with excitement. Most of his family wanted to get some work done first, but had told Jez they would be there to support him shortly after the start of the event. Wind, having picked up on the excited energy, was waiting directly outside his tent in the hopes they could ride together to burn it off. The Drykas tacked the sandy dun stallion and mounted, ready to see what he could do with his bonded partner in competitive mode, and directed him to the Warstorm Pavilion. As they approached Wind became hesitant. The last few times they had come here Jez had been hurt in some way and the Strider was beginning to associate bad things happening to his rider with the place. Jez had to soothe him for a few Chimes before he was willing to move forward, cautious but accepting of the Drykas’ judgement.

Seeing him upon a Strider and in possession of a shortbow, one of the Drykas involved in organising the event approached and directed Jez to the small group of people waiting around in the same area, holding different kinds of bows and quivers. Jez rode close to them and dismounted Wind, removing his quiver and leaving the stallion to wait with the other horses, behind the group of competitors. He sat in the grass on the edge of the group of competitors to wait for the contest to start, watching the crowd and noticing familiar faces among the competitors. Turrin was among them and Jez grinned, remembering their training the day before; hopefully it would pay off and he wouldn’t make a complete fool of himself during the unarmed combat event.

As Jez took in the atmosphere, buzzing off the excited energy of the crowd, he didn’t notice an acquaintance approaching him. “Jez Firetongue!” the Drykas looked left as a recent customer at the Healing Hoof sat beside him, “Thank you for your help. My shepherd dog is behaving much better now that the matting is out of the fur on her stomach. I can’t believe I didn’t notice how bad it was. Hopefully she wasn’t in pain for too long before you got to her.” Jez was glad to hear the dog was feeling better and ended up conversing for a little while with the man, hands signing quickly as they spoke in rapid Pavi. “Well, I’d best leave you before the contest starts,” his fellow Drykas got up as their conversation came to a natural pause, “May the Gods treat you well,” he said in lieu of wishing him good luck.

After the man rejoined the crowd Jez was left to his own thoughts, excitement and nerves thrumming through him as he sat among the competitors awaiting the start of the contest.

|| 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