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Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 2:41 pm
Expedition with Mom – Finding the Crippling Miasma Tome – 1523 words
Raemos lay in his bed, almost bouncing in his enthusiasm. He couldn't wait to begin the letter to his sister! His hand, holding the pen, shook with uncontrollable excitement at all the events he was to tell her about. It was so bad that he had to steady it with his other hand, not wanting to waste ink and paper on spills.
Dear Vona, I have a question for you. Did mother ever take you on adventures when you were little?
Rae had never asked his mother, and had just assumed that Vona had never gone on an adventure. She was not a fighter or an explorer and it was very dangerous out there.
I ask because I've just returned home from the most remarkable trip! Mother left the ranch in Father's hands and we traveled to an old, abandoned place in the desert - I think it used to be a town. It had since been swallowed up by the sands. The desert is such a powerful place, Vona. You must miss it so much, even surrounded by wonders as you are in the city!
It had been quite a sight. They had traveled by kargoth, his mother not wanting to leave him far behind (or tire herself out) with flight. The desert was a spectacular place, especially since they were travelling to a part of it that was unfamiliar to Rae. His mother had scouted it, though, had gotten intrigued by the place, and had decided to investigate, true to her archaeologist roots.
It was a town with simple buildings peering out from the dunes and desert grasses. Long abandoned, only the winds of the desert echoed in the silent and sandy streets. The buildings were in good condition -- preserved by the shifting sands. Raemos had been intrigued - his mother had told him stories of her explorations and discoveries from before Vona was born. Now, he had a chance to live those stories, and tell his own.
We set up a base camp in a temple among rotted tapestries and scorched walls. Mother said it was structurally sound and would protect us - and any artifacts - from sandstorms. She pointed to a bunch of symbols and said it was a temple to Abronaxus, and that it was likely a Dovaa village, eaten by time and the harsh desert...
They had found a well, mostly sand-clogged and partially dry, but enough to sustain them for a short visit. It had taken some work to uncover it and make it usable, but Raemos was no stranger to hard work, and his mother's enthusiasm was infectious.
I think Mother had gone too long without doing what she loved, Vona. She was so happy to be out here. It makes me wonder. Who had the idea for the ranch? Why did they not move to Serenia and farm there instead? Either way, I have never seen Mother so energetic, and you know how she is usually!
They had set up all the equipment that day, and taken an early night, wrapping themselves in blankets against the chill desert air. Raemos had had trouble sleeping from the excitement, but had still woken up to breakfast in the morning bright eyed (figuratively) and bushy tailed (also figuratively). They had eaten, and set out to explore the ruined village. The streets were simple - a main street and a few side streets - and the village was a small one. No building was more than a thirty minute walk from the well. Still, it looked like it had been a healthy place. He had wondered what could have caused the place to be abandoned.
It seemed like a nice place, but when I asked mother why it might be abandoned, she just smiled. One of her be-creative moods, I guess! She told me, “That’s the fun part!” I guess she meant figuring it out. I rather think she was right!
It had been fun, spending those days with her, piecing together people's lives from what was left behind. They had found houses and all sorts of trinkets and nicknacks, the detritus of life itself. There hadn't been many important things left behind - and no bodies outside of the tiny graveyard. From this, Rae could deduce that the Dovaa had left of their own accord, not perished. That had been a relief.
They had brought a few of the objects back to the base camp, cleaning them up and inspecting them. Rae hadn't known what to look for, but his mother had pointed out the important parts. The patterns and shapes and their meanings were too complicated for him to understand, but he was fascinated none the less.
We have some things that we'll bring to you on our next visit to Serenia. Don't you know a collector of artifacts? Perhaps you should let them know. We can bring them to him.
It wasn't a 'treasure trove' as mother puts it: we didn't find any gold or gems or hidden long-lost artifacts of forgotten yore, but I think we can at least raise enough money for some new fences! Won't that be nice?
The temple didn't have much, but I was able to make some sketches of the walls! I think you'd like them, Vona. I'll bring my journal with me when I visit.
Clearly, the Dovaa had taken whatever they could salvage from their town. Still, the temple had been Rae's favorite place to be on his resting hours, and some nights he would, in the fire's dim light, trace out the reliefs of dragons in his mind.
We stayed there for three days, excavating sand from a few houses. You wouldn't believe what we found on our last day, though!
They had excavated a house, uncovering a symbol of the Ysali dragon clan symbol -- or so his mother had told him -- and once they had dug out the door and entered, Raemos had been hit with a musty, thick smell.
The other houses had been stripped bare, but not this one. This house was full of dried and dusty herbs. It was dark and brooding, but I think it was once a healer's house, or some kind of Dovaa witch! I think I saw beds and bandages there. Mother had a grand old time - we even found books!
Oh, the books! A whole rickety shelf of them! They'd had to make several trips to bring them all back to camp.
He had been cleaning off the next set of books to bring back as he waited for his mother to return when he had discovered why the place might have been so different from the others. A discoloration in the floor had caught his gaze, a different shadow than the rest of the floor's material. He had investigated, only to find a trap door, leading to a dank basement that smelled of rot and alcohol. Among the barrels of brew and the dusty, cavern-like floor, there were the horned remains of a Dovaa, propped against the wall. Raemos had initially been frightened of the corpse, and had climbed out of the basement as if his pants had been on fire. Only when his mother returned did he dare to return to the basement. They removed the body, carrying it to the graveyard, and gave it a proper burial. Whoever it was had clearly broken their leg and starved down there.
Raemos decided not to mention the body in his letter. Why bother his sister with it?
Most of the books were recipe books or teaching books in the Dovaa language - mom is translating them, and she seems happy to have a project. But one was neither!
Vona, you won't believe it, but we found a magical tome! Mother gave it to me, and said it was a dark magic tome, and that it was my project to figure out how to use it.
Raemos looked at the imposing book, now in residence near his dresser.
I don't have any more magical aptitude than I did before, but I do like it! I'll bring it with me on our visit. You said you had a friend with a bookish sister, right? Maybe she would like to take a look too!
Anyway, Vona, I hope you are doing well, and I cannot wait to see you and tell you about this adventure in person.
Your loving brother, Raemos
He ended the letter with a flourish and folded it carefully into an envelope, dating it, sealing it, and putting it with the sheaf of letters he had to send to Vona. They were out, wrapped in cord and in plain view, not in their usual place in a box under his bed. The courier was coming tomorrow and Rae did not want to forget to send them. He closed his eyelids and snuggled into his sheets to sleep, still buzzed from the exciting trip.
He would have to go on more expeditions with his mother, that was for certain.
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 9:21 pm
You won't Bite me, Right?
Raemos was bursting with excitement as he took out his journal and transferred the sketch to it. He had had quite a day!
Today was a beautiful day. It was not blisteringly hot as it sometimes is. Perhaps winter has finally reached our desert home!
Today did not start out auspicious, but it certainly turned such not too long in.
I met a drakein! Such interesting creatures! This one was an immature one, gangly like a young kargoth. It... he, I think... had such an interesting head. Horns, like a dragon, but plates that made its profile significantly differnet. I have not seen many dragons, indeed, but I saw enough of that Ysali to know that they are very smooth-built creatures
I made a sketch, just to be sure, in case I want to compare. I should have sketched that dragon! Ah well, I'm sure that when I get older I will have hunted quite a few! And sketched at least one.
He- Jijikko- didn't seem to recognize himself, but I am sure I captured his likeness. Then again, he was moving around quite a bit.
I managed to convince Mother to take us to the city this evening on an errand. Convince may not be the right word.
Sonia had been delighted. She had caught Raemos hiding the drakein in the barn and thought that the idea of travelling to Taliuma on a moments notice with her son and a wild drakein in tow was excellent and fun. Her excitement was catching. Normally, such a trip would happen the next day, but nobody wanted Father to find out about said wild Drakein. He wouldn't be happy. Besides, there were semi-urgent errands. Mother would handle the excuses. Rae just had to focus on sneaking the Drakein out.
I anticipate a fine day of buying all those things that I've been meaning to buy for myself. Its so rare that I have an opportunity to buy for myself. I must pack in case we have to stay over. I wonder what we shall find?
He glanced over his shoulder before packing it into his travel bag. This was certainly more exciting than scrounging for roots in the desert. It was, he felt, a little presumptuous and overly-hopeful to think that he had made himself a new friend. He was inexperienced in friendship, and besides -- the drakein was an animal. Animal 'friendships', if that was what they were, rarely lasted. But! Raemos wasn't picky: he was willing to take what he could get and see where it led. And, hopefully, this trip would at least lead to interesting things.
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 8:39 pm
Ashen City - 1427 words 6 year old Raemos had heard about Ashen city from his parents, and had read about it in books, but he was not prepared for the wonders that met his eyes as he stepped out into the main street. "Wow..." he said, awed beyond his wildest hopes.
Vona took his hand, giggling at his reaction. "You haven't seen anything yet, Rae!" she said gleefully. Things were going perfectly!
She had done it! She had snuck her baby brother into the city! So what if her parents hadn't wanted Raemos to visit her! She did. They didn't need to know a thing about it.
All it had taken was a little cleverness, a separate ticket on a small, unremarkable boat, a disguise, and a story to match. And here he was! Her brother! She had been living in a dorm in Ashen city for several months now, but the city still had the power to awe even her. And if she, the almost jaded Eowyn Frontier girl, could still be awed, she knew her brother would be completely floored. He was going to love it! He already was loving it, and they had just stepped into the city from the docks! The rest of the day was going to be awesome.
Rae's mouth was so wide open, he could have caught passing insects. He gazed upon the grand spires above, and even without color vision and despite the thick goggles that obscured his eyeless sockets, he could see the remarkable architecture around him. He loved the way that the towering buildings of the city seemed to reach for the light. The Orderite citizens danced through the forest of stone like motes on their beautiful, soft wings, as much a part of the architecture as the structural supports inside of them. He wished he could be as beautiful and elegant as them and their whirring, clanking, shining, bustling city. But, of course, he would never be. For the first time in his life, though, he didn't care. He was satisfied to simply weep in awe of the place. With every step, he wanted to fall to his knees and praise Seren's greatness, for surely the goddess was powerful and wonderful to have created such a glorious people and a vibrant citadel.
Vona giggled again at how obviously a tourist her brother was. ”Silly!” she said giving him a playful nudge as she grabbed his bandage-covered hand, "Well, come on then!" she said, tugging at him, "Lets show you around! We need to start early if you want to see everything!"
He moved reluctantly and slowly, as if he was wading through thick mud. The place was simply overwhelming to the young Oblivionite. Eventually, though, he was forced to jog to catch up with her enthusiastic strides- it was that or let his arm be torn off.
As they passed under brilliant banners and vibrant alleys and intricately tiered ledges, Raemos could hardly believe that the place was real. It was so different from the stark expanse of the Malro desert. It different, also, than the patchwork of Tukyere and the oceanic dinginess of Taliuma. He knew, in a 6-year-old way, that he was in love. This city of light and its people were special.
He had very little time to take it all in. There was indeed a lot to see, and Vona bustled him hither and thither in her excitement to show him the city she now called home. She showed him every monument and impressive piece of architecture she could think of, showed him the Citadel of Order in passing, and pulled him away before he could take more than a moment. He would have liked to visit it properly and look inside, but he knew he was lucky to be able to enjoy this city at all. He did wish that, in his rush to pack up a light bag, he had thought to bring his sketchbook. He would just have to commit the wonders to memory and sketch it later.
Finally, they came to a line of shops, some on the ground, some on higher levels. It was here that Vona finally stopped her madcap tour. "Heres where the real fun begins. “ she said, winking, ”You brought money, right Rae?" He nodded, taking the moment she checked her purse to catch his breath. "Good! Lets go shopping!"
Rae was hard pressed to find something he not only wanted to buy, but could afford. He had saved up the small surplus allowance he got from running errands, and had even sold some of the samples he had taken on some of his adventures around the ranch with Mother. He hadn't wanted to be shortchanged when he got there, because he wanted something small that he could carry with him and put somewhere safe. He wanted something frivolous that would not be worn down from use, something maybe like a figurine or bauble. Whatever it was, it would have to be as beautiful as the city itself, so that he could remember it as clearly as if he was there, even though he probably couldn't afford the fare for a long time.
But everything he saw was either not the sort of thing that he was looking for, or was too expensive. He was enjoying himself, looking around the shops, but had given up hope of finding a suitable souvenir. Finally, though, he found exactly what he sought. It was a toy, a hand-painted figurine of Aevah Avi, her hands raised up as if to call down the sun. It was beautiful, though it was not unique- there were many others like it, probably to let children play hero games with other figurines. He could see three other figurines sold by the store, obviously part of a set -- an orderite mage, scepter in hand and wings out -- a fierce looking dragon, it's stature proud and deadly – and a horrible bent creature.
He looked closer and flinched. It was eyeless and goblinoid, a repulsive expression of the purest evil on its twisted face. An Oblivionite -- the villain in the set of heroes. It hurt him to see that, in a deep place he hadn't known could be hurt. He shuddered, shaking off the feeling, and turned back to the Aevah figurines.
It was beautiful. It was - comparatively - inexpensive. And he wanted it. So he bought it, and, as his sister took him to her dorm, he turned it over and over in his hands, smiling to himself.
Vona knew that Raemos couldn't stay long if they wanted their ruse to remain undiscovered by their parents. He was leaving for Eowyn later that night. She wanted him to meet her friends beforehand, and she knew they would be all over Raemos. She had talked their ears off about her adorable and hilarious baby brother and all the trouble they had gotten into when she was younger (mostly her fault). She was looking forward to introducing him to them. So, it was with a big, anticipatory grin that she opened the door to her room and ushered Raemos inside.
Neither sibling expected to see their parents at the room. Her dorm-mates were gone, out in the town. They had been bribed by some small spending money to leave the room free for her parents to give her a birthday party and presents in private. Their parents were not expecting Raemos to follow her through the door, and their ready expressions of delight at their daughter turned quickly into horrified dread.
Raemos didn't know why his mother had rushed him out of the door and onto an earlier boat to Eowyn, nor did he understand why his parents had seemed so panicked. His goggled gaze met Vona's beautiful and clear eyes as they left, and he knew she was as confused as he.
That night, on the ship back with his mother, Rae lay on the hard cot, the afterimages of the beautiful city still playing out in his mind. He wondered why things had ended so strangely and abruptly. His mother had said she would tell him in the morning, and had seemed very tired. He hadn't pressed further. Raemos was worried about her. He had never seen her look so sick and tired before. He thought about writing in his journal, but remembered that he had forgotten it back at the ranch. He committed the trip to memory, resolving to let it all spill onto the page when he arrived home.
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Posted: Tue Dec 24, 2013 9:02 pm
Aftermath -- 3648 words
Raemos was absolutely... stunned. It was the only way to describe the deceptive silence that he felt, the placid quiet of his mind – much like the calm before a sandstorm. He sat down, hard, on his bed, and stared straight ahead as he forced himself to take deep breaths to get over his shock and the anger that bubbled just beneath it, and try to make sense of it all. He was not angry at mother or father. It wasn't their fault, whatever had happened. He was angry at himself, and he did not understand how it was possible to betray himself. He quickly got out his journal and pen and began to write, hoping that the familiar activity would order his thoughts and soothe his soul... if he even had one to begin with.
Arrived home today from my trip to Ashen city. To see mother's worried and pensive look on the ride home, though, it was a near disaster.
I had a wonderful time with Vona in the city. It was beautiful, from its highest spires to the Orderites in the streets. There was something special about the architecture, as if the buildings were full of Seren's blessing. Everywhere we went, the city bustled with the business of life! I couldn't believe it. How can anybody sleep here? Vona said she did not mind it much anymore. My sister is so resilient! I wouldn't be able to get used to the din there, after the somber and desolate quiet of the desert. I wouldn't be able to sleep at all!
Actually, why would anybody sleep there? There was so much to do, no matter where I looked. There were banners everywhere, and people were doing something on every corner. I would have liked to see more, but Vona kept dragging me away from one thing to the next! We saw so much, and I was tired after, but I don't think I saw everything there was to see! If I lived there, I would never sleep.
Sonia sat by the boy's cot, watching him as he slept. Gently, so as not to wake him, she fixed one of the bandags the made up his disguise, smoothing it against his face. Her heart ached for this strange child who had blessed her life and who she loved so dearly. She had always felt closer to him than to her oldest, like there was something special that the two of them shared that neither Mallew or Vona possessed. From the moment that Vona had brought him to her bedside she had known that he was her son. She had never thought of him as anything else until now.
When she had seen him in Ashen city, in Vona's room, in that ridiculous disguise, a terror deeper than any she had ever felt before had hit her like a hammer. Even in their isolated little rathole of a cabin on this dingy little ship, where she was fairly sure that they were safe, that terror still haunted her. She was afraid that the walls had eyes and ears, that hidden observers would see the truth about her son.
That moment on the threshold of Vona's room had stripped her of something precious. Something truly beautiful- her delusions, Mallew had called them- had ended. She didn’t think that she would never be the same again. Her beloved Raemos was an Oblivionite child, and she could never again pretend he was anything else. She felt as though she would never feel safe in the city of her birth now, and that she would be always wary of her own kind.
She wondered how it came to pass that she, a full blooded proud Orderite was raising an Oblivionite as her own. She had always thought of them as soulless and dangerous, worse than dragons because they were puppets of their evil goddess. They had tortured her uncle and killed her brother in the course of the great war. And yet, when Vona had brought that little eyeless babe into their house, Sonia had felt her unending despair and sickness lift, and had accepted him into her arms.
She had called him the name she had been going to give to her son. She had loved that child as though he had come from her womb, and, she realized, as she looked at his sleeping face and his mysterious tattoos, she still did love him as dearly as she had on that fateful day.
Everything had changed, but really, nothing had. He was still her son, abandoned by whatever creature called him kin as the son she had carried had abandoned her to Seren's grace. As his mother, she supposed it was now her responsibility to tell him the truth about what he was. She couldn't believe that she had allowed him to think of himself as a cripple for so long. It had been cruel to let him think so, to let Mallew treat him as such, but was this any kinder? She wasn't sure how to approach telling him that he was exactly what Orderites were supposed to despise, and soulless as well. She wondered how he would take the knowledge that he would never join them at Seren's side in the afterlife.
She had always felt that Raemos was the boy that her son was to have been. She wanted to believe it with all her heart, that her beautiful child would somehow not be gone entirely if he died. She gently caressed his cloaked face. He… her son… was so perfect… even the dip of his eyelids over his empty eyes.
She loved him, and she owed him her life, because without him she surely would have followed her unborn son into death on that despondent bed. After she told him the truth, she knew she would still love her Raemos. She just hoped he would still love her too.
Vona tried to take me everywhere, but she has never understood why mother and I love artifacts and architecture and culture. For me, my favorite part of the day was seeing the grand Citadel of Order, home to the leader of the Orderites, Aevah Avi. It was a shame I could not visit it properly or even sketch it, but Vona moved me away too quickly, and I left my books at home. The shopping district was nice too. I could hardly believe all the different shops crammed onto those streets! I could have bought almost anything. Not as diverse as Taliuma, but lovlier. Far lovelier. And costly- things there were so much more expensive than they are in either Taliuma or Tukyere.
So, I had fun and I was safe for the duration: my disguise held, and I blended in with the others around me just fine. I don't understand why Mother and Father had the reaction they did. I mean, I sort of do: Mother explained it to me not an hour ago, when we arrived home, but I still don't understand. She told me I was an Oblivionite, one of the soulless tools of Soudana. But how can that be? Mother and Father are Orderites, as is Vona. They say they found me on their doorstep, but I am their son, and they love me, I know they do. They could not love me if I were an Oblivionite, could they?
Mallew Medrol stayed in Taliuma one night longer than he had had to. Technically, he could be on his way home right now- his mount was ready, his supplies all packed, his errands all ran and finished. He was, though, reluctant to leave the town and its comforts behind.
He sat at one of the local bars- his favorite because it was one of the few completely Orderite bars around. Most of the others in the area were staffed, at least partially, by Dovaa.
He had finished two mugs of their halfway decent Serenian beer, and was staring into the froth on the third, but he just couldn't seem to wash away the bad feeling in the back of his throat.
Raemos's little prank had scared him. It felt as though they had brushed up against death itself and that only luck and quick thinking had saved them all. To be fair, it was Vona's prank too. Still, he had always known that boy was trouble.
Mallew had almost convinced himself that Raemos was indeed his son - deformed and crippled, but his son in some way, or at the very least his stepson. He had been pulling the wool over his own eyes, believing his wife's delusions. That boy was an Oblivionite, was no blood of his, and -- after the fiasco in the city -- would likely bring them all to ruin if given half the chance. He drank the bittersweet drink to drown the thought.
When he had seen Raemos there with Vona, dressed in that ridiculous getup, he had felt chills down his spine. Even now, images of his wife and daughter tortured and killed by an angry crowd flitted through his skull. It could have been so.
He stared into the emptied mug. How had he, Mallew Medrol, become a traitor? Why hadn't he killed that Oblivionite spawn? Why hadn't he scattered its ashes to the desert wind before it could grow up to call him 'Father'?
The answer was simple: Sonia and Vona. It had been painful to come home after Sonia had lost their child, to see the empty nursery and the baby clothes all laid out, never to be worn by his son. Nobody could bring themselves to clear out the room and throw the things away. It was such a painful wound, too freshly etched into their souls to confront so soon. He'd tried to cope by spending as much time as possible out on the range, but he knew he would have to come home eventually. Between the empty space in the house and Sonia's sickness, it only got harder to come home. She had been listless and depressed, bedridden and unable to eat. He had feared that he would lose her, too, that their unborn son would drag his mother to the grave with him. Some days, he would bring a bottle of good, old, 'liquid oblivion' a out to the fields with him to drown out the thoughts of his dashed hopes for his child, and of just flying off into the distance and leaving it all behind. The booze, terrible as it was, let him kick away those thoughts for a little bit longer. He hadn't known how much time he would have left before those thoughts would stick, or if one day he would find himself winging his way to Taliuma.
So when he had returned to see his wife holding that dark little infant in her arms, beaming with all the light and life that she'd had when he had first met her, with his daughter delightedly cooing over its little eyeless face, he did not have the heart to dispose of it as he should have. At that time, the baby had seemed like a gift, a miracle of some sort, and he was willing to overlook it's... differences... for the sake of his wife and daughter. Their happiness meant so much to him.
It wasn't as though the boy was a bad child. He was obedient, respectful, intelligent, and Mallew knew the child looked up to him -- which felt good, he had to admit. But Rae, no matter how good a child he was, was an Oblivionite- a soulless monster created by Soudana. He may be nice and cute now, but Mallew feared that when the child grew up, his base nature would take over. Mallew did forget sometimes what the boy was. It was the little things that reminded him- the lack of wings and eyes, mainly, but also tiny tells in behavior that he sometimes wondered if he imagined.
He had tried, for Sonia's sake, to pretend that Raemos was simply a severely crippled Orderite, born deformed and lacking the wing tattoos of his kind. But no. Mallew knew he had to come to terms with it. The child he had been raising as his own was not a cripple, but a monster. He started on a fourth drink.
That boy was not his son, and if it were up to him, he would run the boy through, quickly and mercifully. But he knew that the boy was Sonia's son and, Mallew recognized, her savior. He had an obligation to her, and to Vona as well, to give the boy some sort of life.
But... he did want the boy out of the house and away from his wife and child. The only option he could think of was to train the boy as a warrior and push him into a life of adventure and soldiery. That would be approved of and would get rid of the blight that he had brought upon them all when he had accepted the infant from his wife's arms, and hadn't cast it upon the ground.
He ordered a fifth drink.
Much as it would wrap my differences and deficiencies into a nice, neat package, like my lack of eyes and wings, much as it would make everything make sense, it still can't be so. I am not an Oblivionite. I am not a monster like they are, I'm just a freak. They do not have a soul, but I do...
Don't I?
Would I know if I did? What is a soul supposed to feel like? How do I know I don't have one? Surely I do! I must have one! I think and feel like Mother and Father do. I love them as much as they love me. Do I not need a soul for that? No, surely I must have one, but yet... Mother wouldn't lie to me. Not while she was crying like she was. But how could I be...such a thing?!
Either way, freak or Oblivionite or abomination, I saw that beautiful city. If their reason to rip me from it and send me back to Taliuma was because of some sort of danger, then I think that they overreacted. I was well disguised. Nothing was revealed. But, surely, my oddities could not put us all in danger, and certainly not destroy us all as father had said. Ashen city was a beautiful city, with beautiful people. They could never be capable of a thing like that.
Vona lay awake that night, staring at her roommate's soundly sleeping forms outlined in the dim glow of the night light. She huddled to her pillow and sheets, taking whatever comfort they had to offer. Over the months she had been here, a bond had been growing between her and her roommates that, it has seemed, was unbreakable. They were her friends, her confidants, her allies. She had been looking forward to introducing them to her cute little brother, and him to them.
She had known Raemos was an Oblivionite for a long time. She had seen others before in town. She didn't mind them, actually. She'd talked to a few while on errands (while out of her parent's influence) and they hadn't seemed that bad. She remembered finding Raemos outside that fateful morning, and the fact that he had no eyes made it very obvious that he was an Oblivionite as these people had been. Raemos hadn't seemed to know and she hadn't seen why it should matter enough to tell him. He was happy, and he was her baby brother, and she adored him. That was what mattered.
She had never thought to connect the fact that her brother was an Oblivionite with the demonic creatures that her friends so vehemently hated. Not fully, anyway: she had understood it enough to invent the disguise. He had thought of himself as somehow damaged anyway- he just needed to cover himself up with bandages and hide his eyes to complete the ruse.
Father had explained it all to her before he left, and she had felt her world change with every word. All the shadows of the city had become as stark as the blinding white of the buildings, and she feared them. It was if she saw a side to this shining city and her smiling friends that she hadn't thought could exist there. Were they capable of the hate that her father had described to her? Could they kill her innocent sweet little baby brother for being something he never chose to be? Could they kill her and her parents because they loved him? When Mallew had first started scolding, she had thought he was just being overprotective of both of them, which had, admittedly, been an odd thought because Vona had always felt that her father was sort of cool towards Raemos.
Then, though, as her roommates had come home from their days on the town, she had really started to think about it.
Shira, on the bed across from her, was a tailor apprentice, like herself. She was shy and sweet, and it was hard not to like her.
Ami, Shira's bunkmate, was a blacksmith apprentice. She pretended to be hard as nails, but she was very pleasant to talk to and always knew the best and juiciest secrets.
Karya, her bunkmate who lay sleeping above her, was an alchemy apprentice. She always smelled of the strangest things, but she snuck in wine from her father's stores to treat all the girls.
Lora and Bellsy, the scribe apprentice twins by the door, were a bit aloof, but they had warmed to Vona and gave her advice that she greatly treasured.
She loved all these girls. In her half-year in the dorm, she had felt more than welcome. They were as close to family as she could find in the heart of the Orderite kingdom. They had helped her get used to life in the city after the Eowyn frontier.
Now, as she looked at her friends with fresh eyes, she realized just how different Ashen city truly was from Eowyn. Eowyn's cities, even Taliuma, were mixed and matched. Everybody and everything could be found there, and they all managed to live together somehow. Here, it was just Orderites, and they all had a reason to hate Oblivionites.
Shira's mother was a warrior that had been captured by Oblivionites. She escaped, retired to an agrarian lifestyle, married her crush, and had Shira, but was forever haunted by what they had done to her.
Ami had tried to be a warrior- a former archer- but she had had to give it up because she had had her leg cut off- at only 14- by an Oblivionite expert in a duel. Her family had finished him off, but she now had to wear a prosthetic for the rest of her life and couldn't pursue her passion.
The twins were orphans. Their parents died on a dragon hunt in the Malro desert. To hear them tell it, the Oblivionite friend in their parent's group had cursed them with bad luck.
Karya's family was a proud family, happy to serve Seren in all her glory. Her line produced mages that showered the battlefield with light, and they had many stories of victory and valor on the battlefield, and also horror and monstrosity. Karya had chosen a different path, but she was still proud of being an Orderite.
Vona could not reconcile those stories with her brother, who was the sweetest, most humble and honest person she had ever known. How could her baby brother be a monster? How could her friends hold such monsters inside them? How could such a shining city be stained with hate? The very thought of her brother being hurt was horrible and wrong, but, thinking about it and what her father had said, she knew it to be true.
She stared up at the darkened ceiling and the thick curtains and stifled the tears that came to her eyes. She missed home – there was no hypocrisy in the desert.
I don't want to see them as upset as they were. It was my fault, that much I understand. How can I keep them happy? I don't want to stop visiting Vona. She is my sister, my companion, and I miss her.
I feel so alone now. Is this what not having a soul is like? Lonely and empty? I miss Vona so much. I want to visit her, if not in the city than somewhere else. Not here, though. It costs so much to visit Eowyn- I don't want Vona to have to pay or stop in her studying. She needs to be happy, and tailoring makes her happy. I will beg Mother to find some other way to visit her that will keep them happy too.
Raemos closed his eyes for a moment and let the bright and beautiful memories of Ashen city play out in his head, vying to burn out all the confusion and frustration. He smiled softly, taking his toy and placing it on the dresser, facing his bed so that Aevah Avi would be watching over him.
It had been a nice trip. He wanted to go back there sometime. But he felt horrible for making his parents so worried and scared. Though he didn't entirely understand why they were afraid, he knew that he didn't want them to feel that way again. He wanted to conclude his entry, but he felt, suddenly, drained and tired. He signed his name at the bottom of the page and lay down, blowing out the candle.
He fell asleep shortly after and dreamed of flying on golden-feathered wings in the city of light. It was a good dream.
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Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 2:55 pm
HUNT: I wasn't Hunting That... 409 words
Today, I properly killed my first dragon. It was a dire battle, right down to the end, and I can now see why Father and some of his friends - the few he lets me near - talk of dragon hunts and battles with such excitement and fervor. It was exhilarating. The dragon leapt from the brush and we duelled, claw to sword. I had thought that I was only moderately good at battle and fighting, but when it came to using the skills I had trained in endlessly in a life or death situation, all hesitation and clumsiness seemed to flow away from me.
I slew a dragon. I drove my sword into its brain and evaded its jaws. I took its soul orb for my own. I am still somewhat stunned.
I only went out to trap some fekarats and bring their claws, pelts, and meat back to my Father as a peace offering. I hadn't gone out hunting dragons. Yet, I found one, and came back with not only the fekarats and their valuable claws, but a dragon's soul.
I hope that the look I received from my father was an appraising one, and a positive one at that. I hope that the grunt he made when he looked over the results of my expedition was one of gratitude or - dare I say - pride. It is very hard to read Father sometimes, especially when he's been drinking the night before.
Mother was proud of me, and very concerned about the injury I took to my arm. She bandaged it up, covering the revealed area of disgustingly dark skin. I had forgotten the injury, I guess in the buzz of battle, and had further forgotten that it had cut and so loosed the bandages that disguised me. I am thankful for mother, who noticed it quickly. I need to learn to be more vigilant and careful about such things as wounds, if I am going to follow the path of a warrior, like my father.
I had doubts before about my ability to fight, but now... Now I think that I can be a fighter. This will be my life, I think. I hope that my friend Maeron will teach me some of his tricks when I next visit, now that I have a better idea of what I am doing.
In the meantime, I think I shall bask in my success fo while longer. 
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Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 1:25 pm
Argos Valis of the Guardians, My Uncle - 1216 words Raemos sat down to write in his journal, as he did daily, very aware of the a fourth presence in their home. It had been just him, Mother, and Father in the house for so long, he had forgotten what it was like to have a fourth member.
He had forgotten how changed all the noises of the cottage had been when Vona had left for Ashen city. Somehow, that one person made all the difference.
He rediscovered this on the few occasions that Vona visited them. This time, though, it was not Vona Medrol who added to the aura of his home, but someone unfamiliar - a stranger. An interesting stranger... one that might hold the key to his future.
Or not.
It was hard to tell. The man was very mysterious.
Today there arrived the most intriguing visitor! I didn't know my mother had a brother - I have never met my uncles, aunts, or cousins on either side. My parents, I assume, were ashamed to have them meet me. I would be. Still, the man - Argos Valis - was interesting to see. His face was so much like Mother's, but yet so very different.
(I think, though, that Vona gets her features from Father's side, though, which is odd. Shouldn't women look like their mothers?)
(Not that my sister is not pretty - clearly the young men of Ashen city think so, considering the frequency with which she courts and then throws aside their affections!)
If mother has a brother (or brothers if I heard them right!) then might Father have a sister? What an exciting prospect!
My uncle's arrival was a surprise, and unfortunately I ran into my Mother and him talking without my disguise completely donned.
Mother was upset, but he did not seem to be. I quickly donned my goggles, of course, but instead of horrified or disgusted by my appearance, he merely seemed confused. I left the room, at Mother's behest, to clean up the kitchen and figure out a meal for four from what we had. The Silx had eaten through quite a few of our stores - recovered somewhat from that incident with young Jijikko the Drakein. I shall have to deal with those little beasts soon.
I could hear low and indistinct questions asked in rapid succession to my mother, and equally indistinct but annoyed answers. The interrogation - I can only assume that was what it was - ended when I brought Mother and our guest a drink. He looked me over quite thoroughly, and it made me very uncomfortable to be scrutinized so.
Argos looked very carefully at the Oblivionite boy that his sister had apparently adopted. He had wondered why she had stopped writing him after her pregnancy, but hadn't been able to check on her. Work kept him busy - mercenaries of Guardian caliber and reputation were in high demand in this violent world. Somehow, he wasn't surprised that she had adopted an Oblivionite. It seemed exactly the sort of odd thing that his sister would do.
That wasn't fair, he knew it. Obviously, something had happened to the baby - he didn't know what, but since Vona was accounted for - he had found his niece in Ashen city previously and caught up with her - whatever happened must have been both early and fatal. This boy was very lucky, and clearly well loved, by Sonia anyway.
Argos hadn't wanted to upset the kid with his rude questions, so he had asked as many as he could of his sister when he had her alone. From what he had managed to gather, the boy might be worth watching. Argos was always on the lookout for youngsters to point towards his guild - new blood was always good. That he was an Oblivionite just meant that he had to be more careful about joining, that was all.
Argos had nothing against Oblivionites. His brother had been killed by them, yes, and his uncle had countless horrible stories of torture, and likely worse ones he never told. But Argos had met a good many Oblivionites during his time in the Guardians, some of whom had saved his life and the lives of his friends. He knew, from experience, that they could be as 'rightgeous' and 'just' as his own kind. Moreso, he sometimes thought, than the folks back at the city. There were bad Oblivionites, sure. But good ones too, just as there were good and bad Dovaa. And Orderites. Good and evil came in many forms, and Argos felt that he was priviledged to know that.
He took a thoughtful drink of his water, knowing that he was making the child uncomfortable with his staring. Considering that this boy had been raised by his sister and her husband - a man who Argos never particularly liked but who he knew had a strong moral code - this might well be one of the 'good' ones.
One that he might be able to take under his wing.
Argos nodded, once. "Allright." he said, giving Sonia a small smile. Yes, she had won this time. "I'm Argos, your uncle. Nice to meet you." he said, extending a hand to the boy.
I looked to mother for guidance, but she was glaring at Mr. Valis with a look I recognized - it was the look that Vona gives me when we are arguing and is sure that I am doing at that moment will prove her point entirely. That look, I guess, she got from our Mother. Interesting, isn't it, how traits are mixed like that? I wonder, often, what I received from mother or father at my birth? If I received anything at all...
He nodded, once. My Uncle seems to be a thoughtful man. He took his glass and motioned for me to sit down.
We talked and... I'm not sure how to feel. He seemed very interested in me, and listened to what I had to say. He was very serious the whole time, too - his eyes were watching me throughout our conversation, as intense as a dragon's. He said he wanted to get to know me, that he wanted to take me on a few hunts with him, while he was in the area, to get an idea of 'what I was made of'. I don't know what he meant by that, but I think I should try to impress him. He seems to be a nice man, and he is my mother's brother. My uncle.
Father was not happy about him staying over. I could hear him and Mother having words outside, but in the end Mother had her way. Argos Valis will be staying for a few days, and he will take me hunting in the desert. He says he has questions to ask me. But what? I suppose I shall find out...
Raemos ended his entry with a sketch, as he often did, drawing a stylized picture of the man.
As he did so, he thought about what might happen tomorrow. He was uneasy about going off into the desert with a strange man. What sort of questions would he ask? What would they do? Rae was unsure.
Well, he would find out. 
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Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 9:58 am
I had an... interesting... day today.
Vona had left a package with the dockhands for us to deliver on our way to her friend's country home – some clothes for a Maeron Aredan that had been ordered from the tailor she is apprenticing under. I told Mother and Father that I could do this alone – I wanted to show them that I was growing up strong, like they wanted me to. Mother was worried, but I was sure I could handle it. I wanted Father to think of me as a strong and capable son, not as the barely-useful runt I know he considers me to be. I thought I did not need hand holding anymore – I am nearing 12 summers, after all.
Perhaps I don't need hand holding, but I was also not prepared to face a hoarde of enormous dragons. They ambushed me as I was walking along the road. Their wings shone in the light and they had hundreds of teeth and claws the size of my arm and they smelled like... it's hard to describe. The dragons smelled like summer breezes and warm sunlight on the face. The soul orbs that came from them feel the same way; warm and soothing but... disconcerting, almost. Very hard to describe, indeed. Well, maybe less than hundreds of teeth. Anyway.
 I would surely have died in an instant if a massive feathered drakein – I think it was a drakein? – hadn't come and shielded me from the dragon's jaws. They conversed – I think they conversed? Can dragons be spoken to? It is the only way I can explain the roaring back and forth. I was very shaken, however. My memory is... blurred. I have never been as scared as I was then. The great dragon wished to take my life, and I could see, wheeling in the sky, two others. So many. So huge. Just a single tap of their mighty claws could have killed me, easily.
 The drakein began to do battle, but I think that she had about as much chance as I did. I tried to help her, but I was too weak – I did little more than get in the way. Fortunately, help arrived in the form of a drakein, an orderite, and a... strange creature? It looked like a dovaa, but it was scalier and bore strange crystals on it's head. It had a tail, and claws, and I thought I saw shimmering wings behind it. It was powerfully magical: the ground obeyed its bidding and became weapons of earth and stone. Gaili magic, I think? I would have appreciated it more, had waves of ground (the ground can make waves apparently) not shoved me away from certain death. I admit, charging the downed dragon was foolish, but my pale-feathered savior hadn't seen it! It would have killed her! I couldn't let that happen. Not that I did much, but I did distract it... I'd like to think I distracted it.
I saw the orderite fall, and since I could do little to help with the dragons and the fighting, I went to see if he was all right. He was, though I wonder why he did not use his wings? He is not a freak like me, though. He had an amazing sword, and when we were attacked by hidden dragonic attackers... Oh, he was amazing. He and the other drakein (it used Ice magic so... Aiskala?) fought so perfectly together it was like a dance. No... it was poetry, the way he leapt from it's back, the way he used his unique sword to slay the dragon, the way he looked as it disintegrated away... I want to be like him. He said he would teach me some tricks with the sword, and I can't wait.
I'm staying with him for the time being – he lives in a small house in the woods. I was very tired when he brought me here – I am writing this in the middle of the night. One of my odd waking periods, the sort I get in new places after hard travel. I don't feel like taking a walk though, but I couldn't go back to sleep without recording the day in my journal, could I?!

Which leads me to another exciting thing! I was very tired because I used magic. The tome Mother and I found months ago was on me and, since I was not capable of much else, I gave it a try. When I said the magic words, it spewed an eerie fog that held back the dragon's movements and, I think, helped the fight. I cast it twice, and I have never used magic before. Magic is draining. I felt as though all my strength had left me. I was barely able to walk with assistance, and would have collapsed where I stood if Maeron had not helped me.
Now, though, I can feel something growing inside me – a power that, maybe, was always there, waiting for the tome to tap into it. Magic... its an exciting prospect. Father always said that magic was a good skill to fall upon when swords failed. I had thought that even that was denied me, that I was doomed to enjoy studying something I could not partake in. But no. I can do magic. It is a relief.
One moment... Maeron... Aredan... Goodness! Hes the recipient of the package!
This cannot be a coincidence. My sister's errand would not just happen to coincide with a random person I met on the road. This must be fate.
We were fated to meet and, so, I was fated to learn from his vast wisdom and skill. I declare him my mentor... I think thats how this works?
I want him to like me. I want him to teach me everything.
I hope he likes me.
I really hope he likes me.
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Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 11:10 am
Uncle Argos's Outing Today, I went hunting with Uncle Argos, Mother's brother. I woke up especially early and, while checking on the animals, discovered that we have a Dunkel infestation. I exterminated them with impunity!
Thats when Uncle Argos found me.
Argos was an uneasy sleeper, especially in an unfamiliar place. He had heard the soft creak of the door and, being protective of his sister, he had gotten up to investigate. He had checked her room, the main eating and cooking room, and all had been well. Then he had checked the boy's quarters. The oblivionite was missing! Argos did not suspect foul play or wrongdoing, but he was curious. Where did the boy go?
Argos did not usually wake until the sun rose, but he decided to make an exception. He prepared to go out, packing up a day bag and putting on his armor. On a whim, he picked up the bag that the boy had obviously packed for their hunt and brought it with him.
He had, also on a whim, gone towards the herd first. He was curious – he wanted to see just what his sister was raising. As he approached, he could see that there was a commotion - the animals were moving nervously and were obviously upset. He drew his sword, always wary, and approached cautiously. He came, just in time, to see Raemos dispatch the last Dunkel, two other dunkel leaking their stolen blood into the sands nearby. He got close just as the boy finished taking the wings off the bodies.
He watched as the boy stroked a sheron soothingly. ”Shhh...” he heard the boy say, ”Its all right now.” Argos grinned. Clearly, the boy had some compassion. The posture he adopted and the tone he used were so like Sonia's with their long string of pets. He was feeling pretty confident that this boy was guardian material. He just had to confirm it.
”Starting out on our hunt without me?”[/b[ he joked, calling out to Raemos.
Raemos looked behind him, startled. ”Oh, uh...” he reached for his goggles before realizing that he had forgotten them, ”H-hello Uncle Argos. You're up early...” he said, nervous.
Heh. So Sonia had taught the boy to be very careful when talking, had she? That was a thing she would do. ”Yes, well, Since you had an early start, I figured I should too. I don't want to get shown up by a little boy, now do I?” Raemos tried not to smile. He didn't want his uncle to think that he was laughing at him. ” I mean,” Argos continued, ”I'm trying to impress you with how awesome I am. Wouldn't do to sleep in like a sluggard.” Raemos laughed, relaxing slightly. ”But I'm trying to impress you!” he retorted.
Argos laughed as well. ”That so?” he said, handing the boy the pack he had taken from the room, ”Well lets just see, then.” He felt flattered that the boy thought he had to impress little old him – that and he felt that the ice had broken somewhat between them. Good. He did want to bond with his nephew, regardless of what his nephew actually was. ”Lets start our hunting now, shall we?” said Argos, moving on,
I hadn't been expecting anybody up at that hour. From there, we set forth on our expedition. He said something about uncle-nephew bonding, but I could feel he was testing me.
We found, in the early dark hours of the morning, a lone hastar nosing around our property. I wouldn't have minded leaving it be, but Uncle said that I should fight it, so I gave it a try. It got annoyed and ran... I'm actually relieved. It was doing no harm.
”You see that?” said his uncle, gesturing towards the equine shape snuffling at the sparse brush of the ranch, ”Thats going to be a problem sooner, rather than later. Once it finds the barn, it'll bust its way in and you'll have more problems than silx on your hands.” Argos wasn't sure if he was actually correct, but he knew that Hastar stallions could be dangerous, especially if hungry and desperate, and this one was thin and mangy. Definitely hungry and desperate. ”Show me how you deal with one of those.”
Argos watched as Raemos stalked up to the beast and, opening with a spell, lay into it. There were definite flaws in the boys training, but Mallew was a barbarian not a swordsman – Argos expected no more and less.
It was interesting, though, how the boy opened with magic, not a simple warcry. As the Hastar ran away, Argos approached and gave the boy a pat on the shoulder. ”Good job, kid.” he said, watching it disappear into the slowly brightening morning.
”Why?” asked Raemos. He did not feel like he had done a good job at all. Surely he was about to be scolded for letting it live...
”You ran it off, and you're still alive.” said Argos, looking down at the boy's innocent... sockets... ”Thats something to be proud of, eh?”
”I failed, sir.”
”Kargothshit. You ran it off. Now, next time, put a bit more twist into your sword... like this...” he demonstrated with his own blade, ”and a bit more oomph. See?”
Raemos nodded, confused. So. He wasn't being scolded?
”Lets move on.” said Argos, smiling. Raemos nodded, surprised. He was really starting to like his uncle and... well... he was sort of glad that he hadn't killed the Hastar. He knew it was odd to be so compassionate, but he liked wild animals. There was an innocence about them that he could appreciate.
”Yes sir!” he said, following along.
After that, I wondered what sort of man my uncle was, to encourage me to attack an innocent creature. But I have since found him to be better than that. I wonder if he thought that that would be the greatest test of my abilities? He was wrong.
Note: it seems that we have more than a Dunkel infestation: Lirkepts are nesting nearby. I should check more often and make sure they don't cause problems. In other news, lirkept teeth are very interesting.
Argos whistled. The boy had form, that was for sure. Again, slightly sloppy in execution, but he had something. You could learn all the forms in the world, but you had to have something to build off of. As Raemos swatted away the lirkept and blocked it's bite, he knew the boy had that something. Talent, maybe. Aptitude at the very least.
Raemos finished putting down the Lirkept and cleaned his sword. ”Don't forget the fangs.” Argos reminded him, ”They're useful.” Raemos nodded and collected them up.
The true test, I think, came later. I killed two dragons today! Kiandri, at that- the clan of lightning! They were quite a sight up close – all wiry muscle and sparks.
I tried to play it smart, but they were far stronger than I could have dealt with. If Uncle hadn't stepped in, I would not be writing this now, but he did and... something happened. I'm not sure what.
A bolt of energy came out of my hand and through my sword and struck a dragon, slaying it. I dont understand what it was. Was it magic? But I called up nothing and invoked no spell, so how could it be? 
Raemos awoke to find Argos doing something to his feet. It could only be magic, the way that the light appeared in his Uncle's hands and seemed to soak, like water, into his seared feet, stealing the pain away. He sat up, watching with interest.
”You can do magic, sir?” He asked, awed.
Argos nodded. ”A little. Used one of these.” he pointed to the shattered and dissolving remains of a dragon orb, ”Peisio, good for healing, especially for burns...” he brought away the magic and began to wrap Raemos's feet in bandages. ”There, you should be able to walk now.” he said, finishing the wrapping with a neat, efficient tie.
”I'm sorry sir...” said Raemos, looking back towards the place where they had fought the Kiandri dragons. He had screwed up. He should have been more careful. He shouldn't have tried to fight them alone. He should have asked for his help.
”Sorry? For getting your a** beat by a dragon out of your league?” Argos shook his head, ”No apologies, just be thankful I got there before it made a snack of you.” he said.
”You must be horribly dissappointed in me. As your nephew.” said Raemos, struggling to his feet before the pain and weakness nearly made him fall again. Argos caught him and helped him up, supporting him as they began to make their way towards the cottage. He said nothing for a moment.
”Say. Raemos. Have you ever used magic before? Aside from the tome?”
Raemos shook his head. ”No sir?”
”You may want to look into using magic more.” said Argos thoughtfully. What he had seen the boy do under duress had been raw and unfocussed but, if channelled right, then the boy could be formidable. Argos hadn't known Raemos long, but he could see that, while the boy liked the sword, he loved magic far more. It was in the way he spoke the miasma incantation, like he was invoking something that deserved respect. In comparison, his swordwork was technically sound, but there was nothing personal in it. Magic was in the boy's soul... Argos caught himself. His nephew had no soul. Well, all right then. It was in his heart – the sword was more a hobby. A good hobby to have, but not his passion, that much was clear.
As they approached the door to the cabin, Argos stopped, rummaging around in his pocket with his free hand before presenting two static-charged amber glowing orbs. ”I believe these are yours.” he said to Raemos, handing it to him.
Raemos, blushing, accepted them and, carrying them in his free arm, entered his home. He felt tired but proud, and, however briefly, happy.
I hope, though, that he likes me despite my failure. He let me keep the orbs from the dragons I killed, and I got to show them to Father. Mother was upset, but Father... I think he was proud.
Uncle Argos says he thinks I should join the Guardians when i'm older. He says that I'm good enough to join, and that I'll learn all sorts of interesting sword techniques and magical spells.
What really has me interested, though, is that he said the guardians were full of heros. I would like to be something like that, maybe not as great and mighty as a hero. That is far out of reach for me. But If I can do some good and help people, maybe I can be more than a humble ranch boy who can't even sprout wings.
I think... I will join them.
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Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2014 1:09 pm
Anger Management
This morning, I met a Drakein, Grrel. She... I think it was a she... was huge, larger than Jijikko. She seemed very tired, which may have been why she was attacked by dragons. We thwarted them, though! We thwarted them quite thoroughly. I didn't do much, though... Her magic did most of the work. Hopefully, I've placated her and will have further oppurtunities to talk to her. I hope that housing her in the barn will not be a mistake.
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Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 11:16 am
The Market Run and Sonia's Explorer's Kit
Oh how I love Market Day! Going to the Taliuma market with Mother has to be one of my favorite things in this world.
I feel happiest at the Market, surrounded by salesman and wares! Not to say, of course, that I am not happy at home! The open expanse of the ranch and the untamed desert beyond is almost romantic. I have always liked it.
At least, that is my personal opinion. I know mother prefers the cramped corridors of Taliuma and Father... Well, father is a hard man to please. He sees the desert as a place of danger, to be tamed. And Vona? Vona is happy in Ashen city with her job and her friends. We each have our opinion of the Malro desert, and I think each of us has something equally valid to say.
The market is not home, but, to me, there is something about a Market that makes me relax. I think it is the comaraderie of the customer and the salesperson, the fair exchanges of the art of trade, the colors and smells and sights flickering all around you.
In Taliuma or Tukyere, it doesn't matter anymore what race you are or what creed you hold, or what path you follow in life... Only that you are selling what someone is buying, and that you have something to trade for what you want.
I think that it is beautiful and balanced.
As usual, Mother and I stayed at an inn owned by a friend of hers, storing our meat, desert goods, and pack animals in a rented stock area. Her friends always have interesting stories to tell – their own or gleaned from their guests - and I always enjoy listening to them. And, of course, keep my disguise on.
Then we had our baths, that rare Taliuma treat that scrubs away the sweat our ranch home. If only it could scrub all the filth away. If only it could scrub away the cursed darkness of my skin. But, alas, nice as they are, a bath can only do so much. It can only take away the surface grime and dust and sheron stench. And still, it even leaves some of those behind.
Still, it was pleasant to bathe, and the next day we hit the market. We sold our meats to the local butchers and, armed with newly acquired funds, we set out to buy. Mother was with me for the morning. We bought some fish for our dinner that night from one of the local fishermen - a man with only one leg and one eye and covered with tattoos. While mother chose a fish, he told us a story about losing his arm and leg to a great beast that lurked deep beneath the ocean. He had defeated it, with the help of a Peisio Dovaa friend. I asked for proof and he seemed delighted to give it, showing me a jagged tooth on a chain around his neck. He told me it was a fang of the great fish. We left his stall soon after, but I have to wonder. Was he telling the truth? How did he breathe under the water? I shall have to ask him when next we visit his stall, if we see him again.
Mother let me go off on my own, with the stipulation that I was to return to the inn if I got lost or overly separated. I managed to purchase some useful items - obsidian, seggan leaf, and the fur of some Aiskan beast - from a number of stalls in the area. Normally, I do not buy quite so much, but the prices were good and I do want to take up a craft someday. These materials will be good practice, unless we use the seggan on the animals first. I also purchased some cooking herbs and a small, pearly, stone. It was cheap, but Mother might like it.
I also traded some of my fekarat claws for other small items – Loveless Flowers and the beaks of large, colorful birds - that I thought may be more useful than the claws alone. I kept a few of the claws, of course, and purchased some of the oddly colored eggs that a slightly shady merchant sold - two red, two green, and two blue. A good spread, I think, of colors. I wonder what use they could be for, if used for other than cooking? I also got rid of my talisman. I'd studied it's properties and found it... lacking. Why should I want to turn a beast into a ysali dragon? I swapped it for a new talisman, which I will study the properties of. I didn't let the merchant tell me what it did – its best if I find out for myself.
All and all, it was a good day at the market, with much accomplished. We stayed the night before leaving. Mother, I think, found everything she had been looking for. She wouldn't elaborate on what, though. In fact, she was quite cagey about it! I think I now know why.
We arrived home a few hours ago, and just as I settled in, Mother came in with a bulging, awkwardly-wrapped package. I unwrapped it and, inside, was everything that an explorer could want!
Rope, climbing tools, a lockpick kit... every essential thing that had ever been conceived of for an explorer was in that package. My Mother watched as I opened it, and then, having seen my reaction, she gave me a hug.
She told me that she was proud of me. She told me that she wanted to go on lots of trips with me and to explore the corners of Magesc together. She told me that she had great hopes for me. She gave me a hug, and a kiss on the forehead.
And then she told me 'Happy Birthday'.
Do you know? I had forgotten it was my birthday. I don't usually celebrate it, nor does my family, but today... Today I received a delightful birthday present.
My mother must have paid a lot for these. Am I truly worth that much?
I hope I can continue to make her proud.
My birthday, though... How old am I, again? I think I forgot. I should find out. That is a question to ask tomorrow when all are awake.

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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 10:40 am
Discussion at home
Dear Maeron,
Thank you again for rescuing me from those enormous dragons and for allowing me to stay in your house for the night. I write to let you know that I have reunited with my sister and parents safely - I am sure you have plenty to worry about without me adding more to it.
My travels were, fortunately, uneventful - I ran into no more dragons or other dangers. I was not eager to meet more of their kind - I doubt I will be so lucky as to meet someone as gracious as you a second time!
I would like to see you again. I have few people, outside of my immediate family, that I could call my friends, though my sister hopes to change this (By the way, she hopes you enjoy your new clothing!) I would like to learn from you.
I am sure you are busy adventuring, but perhaps next time you are in Eowyn? We live on a ranch in the desert, my parents and I, and I am sure they would be glad if you joined us there - I certainly would.
Actually... As I made my way here, to this lovely country home (Serenia is such a beautiful land), I was thinking about what you said, about Ayr. Since neither of us have ever been, perhaps we could go together? I hope I am not too presumptuous in suggesting it!
I only mention it because I know that, if I want to make anything of myself, I will need to leave the safety of living among sheron and kargoth in my parent's ranch. I thought that, perhaps, the best way of doing so would be to explore a strange land with a capable and skilled friend? Better than going alone, I think.
Again, I hope my suggestion was not overly familiar, and I hope to hear from you soon. Enclosed is a slip of paper with the address that my sister uses to write to me from the city.
Thank you, again, for saving my life. I hope we can be good friends.
-Raemos Medrol 
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Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 10:26 am
The Package for Aevah Race Leader Solo 2582 words
"Well? How is it?" Raemos asked anxiously, trying to see Vona's face over the letter she was reading. "Is it any good? Do you think she'll like it?"
Vona held up a finger. "Just a second, Rae." she said. She knew her brother was anxious, but she was enjoying his stress as she read his letter oh-so-slowly. She tried not to smirk as she glanced at his flushed and intent face. She loved messing with him sometimes – he took things so seriously! She was of the opinion her brother needed to loosen up a little.
Finally, she set the letter down on top of the decorated box in front of her. "Okay, done." she said, smiling innocently at him.
Raemos fidgeted, and Vona had to repress a giggle. Her brother had been nervous and silly all day, and she found it hysterical. Honestly, the way he was acting, you'd think that this package and the letter were incredibly vital or at least valuable. Not that the package wasn't important to both of them, but the fuss he was making was just too much.
"Well?" he asked again, impatiently, "Is it good?"
Vona gave him an honest smile. "I think she'll love it. And if she doesn't, I'm sure the chocolates will change her mind." Raemos gave his sister a glare (at least she assumed it was a glare, what with the lack of eyes) and grabbed the paper back. He looked at it and grimaced, tossing it aside. "Its no use." he said, turning away, "It's a terrible letter, full of obnoxious adjectives and foolish verbs... It's wordy and stupid.” He covered his face with his hands, “She'll won't hate it." he wailed quietly.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Rae." said Vona, picking up the letter from the floor "You were very eloquent and flattering. I'm sure she'll read it and absolutely love it."
He gave her a pitiful look. "I wasn't trying for flattering..." he muttered unhappily, “I was going for... Oh, I don't know, Vona. Polite. Professional. Mature...” he waved his hand dismissively, “It's useless, Vona. It didn't work. I shouldn't have tried...”
"Women like flattery." said Vona, trying to keep her face straight, "As a matter of fact, I love it."
“I know you do. As do half the boys in Ashen City!” snapped Raemos, looking away, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Vona... That was uncalled for... But... the point is, the letter isn't for you. She won't like my dry and worthless flattery, I'm sure." he nudged the box despondently with a toe. "It was a useless effort. I'm sorry I wasted your time with this foolish project."
Vona accepted both remark and apology with dismissive neutrality. She didn't particularly care what he said about her dating habits – it was mostly just adorable when he complained. "Raemos, I'm sure Aevah Avi likes to be told that she is beautiful just as much as I do, and she deserves it more than me anyway. She's gorgeous." She opened the box and looked at the contents. "Anyway, I don't think it was useless or foolish. This is a nice collection of good things..." She picked up the box of Eowyn chocolates and inspected them, "I bet she doesn't get elaborate packages like this every day. When I visited her, my traditional gift or whatever was so crappy, you don't even know!" She laughed as she ran her hand over the glittering blue dragon orbs next to them, and the box containing a single, carved figurine of Kargoth ivory,"I think it will be a great introduction. She's gonna think you're pretty awesome, that's for sure. Peisio orbs, chocolates, and a figurine? I'd think you were awesome. “ she said, putting the package back in order, “Anybody would.”
Raemos shook his head vehemently and, gently, closed the box. "But Vona...” he said quietly, looking away again, “You don't understand... I'm filth. She doesn't deserve the punishment of having to deal with my wretched existence..." Vona rolled her eyes. When he got like this, there was no shaking him from his silliness. He stood up, "I'm sorry for wasting your time, Vona. You should keep the chocolates, I know you're out of the ones I gave you for your birthday..."
Vona could hear the despair in her brother's voice and, for a moment, she felt sorry for him. For a moment. Then she was just annoyed. Ridiculously dramatic mood or not, she was going to keep him from being an idiot. "Rae, I think you're an awesome little brother, and I love you. You are also being a massive idiot." She said, "Just put a ribbon on the stupid package and send it. With that letter, she's bound to like you, no matter what you think you are."
He looked at her, almost piteously, and she wanted to hit his head against a wall until the sense was knocked back into it. He shook his head again. "No. No she won't." he picked up the letter again, reading it once more. He sighed, smiling faintly, "I... guess it isn't a bad letter..." he admitted, moving to set it down again.
"What isn't?" Their father entered the room with a long stride. "Raemos, are you ready to do?" They had planned on going out to hunt some of the dangerous creatures that plagued this property – their 'rent', as it were for staying here for their visit. Raemos had told Vona that he hoped his father would think a little better of him after that. Vona hoped so too.
"Yes sir." said Raemos.
"Good. What's that you have?" asked their father, grabbing the letter out of Rae's hand. He read it, his face blanching to a pale porcelain white. He looked at Raemos, his eyes wide with fear, anger, or perhaps both. "Raemos... You..." he brandished the letter as if it was a weapon, his teeth grit in a grimace of wrath, "You are not allowed to do this. You will not deliver this to Aevah" he snarled, "I forbid it."
Raemos shrugged despondently. "Don't worry father." he said, his voice neutral, walking to the door, "I already decided not to do so." he said, leaving the room to fetch his hunting gear.
Mallew seemed surprised and, Vona realized with a surge of anger, relieved. She watched as he looked back at the letter. Suddenly, before her stunned eyes, he tore it up, his face the picture of anger – or fear - incarnate. As the scraps of paper fell away like leaves, he left the room with a satisfied stroll.
Vona stared, seething, at the scraps of paper now fluttering on the floor. That had been a good letter, and she thought that it was a lovely accompaniment for the present. She rubbed her eyes, trying not to cry, before standing up, her stance resolute, and went to get some paste and a fresh sheet of paper. She had an idea, and whether her silly little brother wanted it or not, she would make his efforts worthwhile.
~~~
Vona sat nervously in a chair in Aevah Avi's office, trying not to fidget as the demigod leader of the Orderites opened the package she had brought.
"What's this, Vona, changing your mind about living the simple life of a tailor?" asked the woman, holding up the Peisio dragon orbs to the sunlight streaming in through the windows, "I'm not displeased either way..."
"No, ma'am..." said Vona, shaking her head, "I'm still going to be a tailor." she looked around nervously at the guards around the room. "It's... well..." she hesitated, leaning in, "It's about my brother, actually" she said.
Her idea had seemed so swell before: put together the letter, wrap the package, and deliver it to Aevah herself. She'd be doing Rae a favor - one he'd never need to know about. She didn't intend to tell anybody but their mother what she had done with it, not unless Rae asked.
"Oh?" Aevah leaned back, folding her fingers delicately, "I was unaware that Sonia had another child. How nice." She was polite, but Vona could feel an intenseness behind it.
"Well, uh..." Vona swallowed, "Its... complicated."
"An affair on Mallew's part?" Aevah inquired, tilting her head, "An illegitimate child? A long lost half brother? Spit it out, dear, what is making you so nervous in my presence?" she smiled invitingly, sipping at a cup of fragrant tea.
Vona could feel the intensity of the woman's stare beating down upon her, calling her to reveal her secrets. She glanced again at the guards. "I... uh..."
"Whatever you have to say can be said in front of them too, Vona Medrol. They are trustworthy, and that includes with deep family secrets. Now..." Vona could tell that she had piqued the woman's curiousity, and realized that this was a terrible mistake. She had passed the point of no return, and she wouldn't be able to get out of this situation at all. This was, she realized, a really bad idea. It would not, she did not think, end well. "Well, you see...” she began, “My little brother is an.." she glanced at the guards and lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, "He's an Oblivionite!" Well there. If she couldn't get out of the situation, she might as well go all in. The big family secret was out there now. She leaned back, swallowing anxiously as Aevah paused midway through her sip of tea.
"I'm sorry, dear?” she said, giving Vona a look that said both 'silly girl' and 'don't play games with me', “I must have misheard you..."
Vona shook her head. "You didn't." she said, looking Aevah right in the eyes. She wasn't playing games. Not with this.
Aevah blinked. Vona could almost see her mind processing the information and realizing just what Vona had said. Delicately, she put down her teacup. "Well." she murmured, tapping a finger on the package, “Well well well...” She waved to the guards, "Leave us..." she said, dismissing them. The guards left, to Vona's great relief. "So. Vona. Your brother is a hybrid?”
“No ma'am. An Oblivionite.” said Vona, babbling a little, “Just an Oblivionite. Nothing else in him at all...” she laughed nervously, kicking herself mentally. Shut up, vona... she warned herself, you're not done yet.
“… I see. That's...” she hesitated, “New." said Aevah, her voice serious, "Tell me, Vona, how did this come to pass."
And Vona told her. Everything. From the moment that she had found the Oblivionite infant in the scrublands to the trip to Ashen city. She told her about Rae's journals and sketches and about how, in the past few years, he had grown so much. She even told Aevah about the horrible pranks she pulled on him when he was a kid, like when she'd stuck a strawberry in his eye socket. She told her about the times that she had read him stories and cuddled him to sleep when he was little. She told him how kind he was, and how proud she was of him.
She told her everything because Aevah's kind yet stern gaze demanded it, and because she wanted to with all her heart. She wanted someone aside from her and her parents to know how unique her brother was. She wanted to trust her leader with her secrets. She didn't want to be afraid of those secrets anymore.
Finally Aevah stopped her. "All right Vona. You say the boy..." she hesitated on the word, "wrote me a letter."
"Yes." Vona handed the pieced together letter to Aevah, "Father... ripped it up."
Aevah recieved it, inspecting Vona's attempts to paste it back together before giving her a searching look. "Why?"
"I... guess he didn't want Rae to send the package to you, ma'am."
"But you say the boy was reluctant?"
"Yeah... Rae... I think he got stage fright... something like that. He didn't think you'd want anything from him..." Vona searched Aevah's face, hoping for some sign that she – not her brother – was right. "He called himself filth, but... But just read the letter..."
Aevah looked at her carefully for a moment before turning her attention to the letter. Vona watched Aevah's eyes as they moved over the document, anxious to see her reactions. She had read the letter so many times while piecing it together, that she knew it by heart...
To the graceful and powerful Aevah Avi,
I have long considered you my hero and role model. You are everything I have ever longed to be: Beautiful, intelligent, and enlightened. When I hear stories of your heroic exploits, I wish – often – that I could one day embody some measure of that greatness and embody some small fraction of the light that you possess. I have not been able to listen to your teachings in person, but I have heard them from my parents and have accepted them as my own.
Ever since I was a child and first experiened your glorious city, I have wanted to be a part of the cause of Seren. I wanted to fight by your side and make you - and my family - proud. I wanted to do great deeds in your name, or – at the very least – be your foot soldier in the fight against the dark forces.
Although I know I am not worthy of your army, I do intend to join the Guild of the Guardians. They will take in even someone as wretched as myself. They are a good and honorable group, and I can serve the Great Cause from there.
I believe in Order and Righteousness, and that the wicked will falter and perish in Seren's revealing light. However, I can only see the light that is cast and not the colors within. Though that is enough for me to know that Seren is great, and that light will prevail over darkness at the end of the great war, I long to be able to bask in her light and see the beauty that my sister sees in a sunrise or a rainbow.
I am relegated to the shadows wretched and undeserving of such an honor, but still I believe in that honor, and so I shall fight in her name.
Even as wingless and crippled as I am, I hope I can make you proud.
Sincerely, your devoted follower, Raemos Medrol
Finally, the demigod put it down. "Eloquent." she said, taking a sip of her tea. She took out the small carved kargoth tusk and inspected it briefly. "So he intends to join the Guardians?"
"Yes ma'am" said Vona. From his letters, she'd felt that he'd had a certain sense of relief about the decision. In the long run, she felt it would be better for him.
"And... has he chosen his weapon yet?"
"No ma'am."
"Hmmm." Aevah placed the figurine back in the box thoughtfully before setting the package aside. "Very well.” she said, turning her attention to some writing at her desk, "You are dismissed, Vona. Do take care, and keep me posted, if you would, on your brother."
"Yes Ma'am!" Vona said, standing up shakily. It was a wonder that she didn't trip over herself on the way out.
Once out of the Sanctuary, she took a few gasps of the steam and soot-stained air in relief, steadying herself against a column.
Well.
That had gone better than expected.
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Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 4:31 pm
Mallew limped from an injury in his leg as Raemos helped him away from the battle site, moving as briskly as possible towards the house. Mallew moved as a man asleep, stirring only when the comfortable little house was within view. But the man was silent for the rest of the day, and Raemos didn't know if he was still proud of him or not...
Dear Vona; I'm sorry to have missed you this afternoon: I understand that business called you away, and I wish you luck on your new commission. I hope they appreciate your work.
Thank you for helping me this morning. I know it was all for naught, and I sad a few things, but I really do appreciate you helping me.
Or Borgnah hunt went as well as could be expected. We did catch them: there were two, though, twice the menace we were expecting. They were, however, dispatched with haste.
However, we had an encounter with a Khehora. The Khehora (I think it was an Aedaun, Vona) was being chased, I think, by the Borgnah and assisted us in killing them. Father tried to run it off, but it took offense to him and attacked. He was protecting me, Vona. I think he was protecting me. If he was, then I nearly got him and a beautiful feathered beast killed needlessly. I don't think it would have attacked if he hadn't struck out pre-emptively... But who is to say? Khehora are, after all, wild animals.
I couldn't let either be killed. I don't know how father feels about me using a spell to disable both of them, but... Vona... He said he was proud of me. He said I had skill. He said I was smart. He praised me, openly and overtly. Is something happening that I don't know about? Is something wrong? Or have I just been blind as well as hideous, and have failed to see our father as anything other than a harsh monolith of severity?
Anyway, Vona, I wish I could have spent tonight and tomorrow with you, playing games and gossiping by the fire, but your duties call, and soon I will be off to Ayr with Maeron. Hopefully, you can join us in Ayr for the stargazing. I'd like that. Maybe you could meet Maeron! He's probably a better catch than those boys in the city. Who is the current one? Ah well, You can tell me at the Starfall festival.
You'r loving brother, Raemos

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Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 4:40 pm
The Marketplace
Raemos felt more than a little pleased with himself as he set out for home, his newly-bought supplies heavy on his shoulders. He had braved the wonders and dangers of the Tukyere markets and come out the better for it. He had sold their meat successfully, bought the supplies that they needed, and had even managed to buy some things for himself. The interesting materials he had bought - excepting the leather, which his father might find more useful - would go a ways towards his training.
The best part of it all was that he had done it all himself, without help. No parent or sister had gone with him. He had been completely on his own in the strange and alien hybrid settlement.
He jangled the money in his purse, feeling suddenly guilty. He knew that he was supposed to have more money left over from the sale, and that his family needed the money. He had learned, recently even, that his parents still owed a land salesperson for the ranch, a loan that they had had to pay off for over twenty years now. And he had spent some of it on his own things.
He thought about the copper and silver he had bought. Had he been selfish? Had buying them - or the leather - been a mistake? He braced himself for a lecture when he got home, and - perhaps - for a little white lie. Raemos was not a fan of lying, but telling his father that the hybrids had cheated him on the meat was better than the truth - that Raemos was a selfish pile of scum. If Mallew was angry, that is. If not, then Raemos had no comment. He would find out, either way, when he got home.
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:52 am
The Treasures of the BeginnerRaemos laid out his new haul of items on his bed, looking over it with barely controlled delight. He was a little wary of showing the whole stash to his father - he wasn't supposed to have spent as much as he did - but Sonia had told him she would take care of it. He wasn't sure what she meant by that, but he had confidence in his mother to handle anything from a grumpy kugel to a hungry khehora. Somehow, she would manage Father. In the meantime, though, he went through his new treasures: Quills and ink, astral and blood both, for enchanting items. He hadn't thought he'd want to do enchanting, but when he'd looked at the quills, he'd realized he'd wanted to give it a try. After all, he liked writing and magic, and from what his mother had told him about enchanting, it would be a perfect melding of the two. He set them aside, wrapping the ink and quills in the cloth they had come in. He'd move them to his desk later. He spread out the pile of magic books and looked them over. They were basic, but he only needed basic now, having no magical training. Besides, he was a swordsman. He needed to focus on sword training. He had a basic magic primer, a basic enchantment book to get him started on enchanting items, a levitation magic tome, a 'Candleight' tome, and a basic conjuration tome. Raemos was excited to begin studying them and learning their secrets. He wondered if it would take as much study as his other tome - the Dark Miasma tome. Probably not! That one was far more advanced, he thought, than these basic learning tomes. He put them all back into their pile and brought them to his bookcase, putting them away with careful organization. With some hesitation, he took the enchantment book out again and set it on the desk. He brought over the pens and inks and arranged them neatly, right next to his Aevah figurine and his sketchbook/journal. He might as well try out his new toys.
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