[Flashback/Training] The Legacy

[Siiri]

And so for the next few days, Siiri returned to Baba’s house, always at the same time, and always doing the same things, chopping wood first, then cooking him a meal, which usually ended up being roasted chicken as those birds seemed to flock around that area for some reason she couldn’t understand. After eating, Baba would then instruct her to carve out the rough carving of the crouched wolf, sometimes letting her continue on a piece she left the day previous or making her work on a new one whenever he saw a flaw in her work, which was usually the case. While the man was as grumpy as a startled badger, Siiri found she liked Baba’s company. He was honest with everything he said, and though he oftentimes delivered it in a mean-spirited way, she found that the rotund Myrian was an excellent teacher, occasionally pointing out the flaws in her work or giving her tips on how to carve better. She learned to be patient and to appreciate carving as an art of its own. She liked the concentration it forced her to achieve, and she found that it helped her focus in other tasks she did, such as training for practice bouts or honing her swordplay. And she found that she actually liked just… carving. For no other reason than just to do it. It felt relaxing for her. Siiri had kept for herself a block of wood that she would work with when away from Baba, using any new techniques she learned from the man and applying it on that particular piece of wood. She would test out new carving styles on the endless supply of wood outside Baba's house, executing the carving techniques to perfection, before she would apply it on her own piece. She kept this from Baba, for the man would always tell her to leave any carvings she's done in his abode. He must have assumed she could not carve elsewhere, for he possessed the necessary carving tools, and it was true: Siiri used a rusty blade she found around the Snapping Jaws clan home. It wasn't meant for carving, but she didn't mind, just stoically accepting the added challenge. So far, her carving had the general shape of the wolf, though she's poured in the work to detail its facial features. The eyes were not aligned straight and one of the wolf ears were clipped, results of miscalculations on her part. Its nose was a little too sharp as well, making it look more like a howling fox than a wolf. Still, Siiri was proud of her work, and she continued to put effort into it. On this particular day, as her time in the rotund carver's house drew to an end, the girl already made plans to work in detailing the haunches of her personal piece. The man should be shooing her out by now, but he seemed to be taking his sweet time. Siiri looked up from the wood she was currently carving, one with a passable face of the wolf, to find Baba coming out of his room with several bones pieces. Necklace, bracelet, dagger and bowl, all made from bone, were set down on the table before Siiri. She put aside her work and turned to Baba questioningly. “Examine each,” the man simply said to her. Siiri put aside what she was working on, carefully replacing the tool she was using in Baba’s pack, before picking up the items, one at a time, to examine them. The first was the necklace, finely crafted from the skull and vertebrae of a long but smallish snake. Its teeth are actually designed to hook into holes drilled into the tail end of its spine, effectively serving as the locking mechanism. Spines such as its ribcage had been filed and rounded into nubs to prevent them from snagging on the skin of the wearer. Upon each of the individual bone pieces – and there were many! – from the skull to the last tail bone, were carved circles of varying sizes, inside of which were detailed illustrations of what the snake might have looked like when it was still alive. Each of the carving depicted the snake in various poses, and despite the smallness of the rendition, the exquisite detailing would leave no one in doubt that it was the snake the bones had come from. It was a masterful work of art. Faintly, as though it was a trick played on her mind, Siiri felt power emanating from the item, though she knew not what kind. She would have asked Baba what it was but she was not sure if what she sensed from the item was real. The next item she inspected was the bracelet. It was simply made, a length of twine inserted into small holes bored into some sort of creature's claws. They were rather sharp, yet not curved like a feline's. The circles carved on each were perfectly made, though the depictions inside them were more than a little difficult to make out, mostly because of the size. It looked like some sort of bat-like creature but Siiri wasn't sure. She turned to Baba, questions in her eyes. “Zith,” the rotund Myrian answered simply. Siiri shrugged, putting the item back down. Must have been some Zith, for someone to bother taking parts of its remains. Most treated them as pests and were dealt as such, though Myrian culture discouraged wasting anything. At least its body was put to good use upon its death despite being vermin in life. Lastly, the girl lifted the dagger. It felt comfortable in her palm, a perfect fit. It felt like it was made just for her, it made her feel like she could bring down anything using it. Crafted from a single piece of bone, its blade was stained light red, as if the blood of its victims had not washed off of it. It was slightly curved and the cutting edge was keen. Siiri felt her skin would split easily if she ran her fingertip across of it. On the flat of it was carved a large circle and inside, the roaring face of a tiger. The weapon was crafted from the bone of the creature, thigh bone most likely. “All of these have circles like those on these daggers!” Siiri exclaimed, patting the twin daggers her aunt had lent her. “Except...” “Aye?” Baba asked, encouraging her to continue. “'Cept what?” “Except what’s drawn – carved inside are different for each of them. Like this one,” the girl pointed at the snake necklace. “It's like it's telling a story about the snake.” “Aye, lass. Good eye, good eye. They be called malediction circles. 'Tis what ye came here t'learn, and I be teachin' ye now. “In the olden days, this art be called Legacy, fer the remains of what once lived – or was still livin' – can benefit those who practiced the art. Ye take a body part, one that lasts a long time (bones are preferable as ye can see) an' then ye bring out what power it has inside. How much ye pour in doin' such, that's as much as the thing gives back to ye. Do it half-arsed, it gives ye half-arsed results. Or worse, it doesn't do anything and ye just wasted a good piece o' bone. The circles be what ye use to tap into the item’s potential. What ye tap – eh, what now?” Siiri had interrupted his little lecture by raising her hand and waving it before his face insistently. “How do you know what you’re supposed to put inside the circles?” the girl asked in all seriousness. This was what she had come to learn and she intended to squeeze every ounce of information about Malediction as she could from her teacher. “Ah, but that’s the trick, innit? Take an random piece o’ bone or body part, not knowing where it comes from, and ye etch yer circles on ‘em doin’ guess work an’ that, ye be one lucky pup to get the right effect off it. Most times ye do get an effect – a rib’s a rib an’ a femur’s a femur aft’ all, if ye get me drift – but knowin’ who or what ye have workin’ on, that be the best t’tap into, get the most potential out of the item.” Baba paused, looking around as if to check for others who might be listening in on them, then drew near Siiri as if about to share something conspiratorial with her. “Imagine this, lass: people say the old god Ruros’ bones still lie at the foot o’ Myri’s throne. Never seen it meself, not having been close enough, but oh, what I’d give to get me hands on one o’ his bones, see what me hand can craft off such divine remains, aye?” Siiri’s eyes widened at the prospect. She knew of the tale of Ruros’ demise at the hands off Myri of course – everyone did - but now she saw potential in the remains of the former god of war. Weak though he had been, Ruros was still divine. Baba was right; who knew what powers could be unlocked from his bones? Her excitement caught the rotund man’s eyes however, and he hurriedly kept her grounded before she took it in her head to try something stupid, like palm a bone from Myri’s throne. “Bah, you din’t hear such a tale from me, aye? ‘Tis but rumors. Besides, ye’d never know what to do with one if ever the tales be true and ye get yer hands on a Ruros bone. Now…ye were asking about circles…”

[Siiri]

Baba resumed his lecture, explaining to his young charge that the malediction circles were but the way to tap into the latent powers of the object it is inscribed on, while it was the meaning the maledictor put into the circle that would dictate the sort of effect the power would have. He insisted that the more the maledictor knew of the person or creature the bone or body part came from, the more accurate the meaning the maledictor could instill in his circles. Finally, he indicated that it was the maledictor's blood that would activate the work he's done. "Ye have to give somethin' o' yerself t'get somethin' back, see?" he concluded. "Remember: circles t'tap into the item, meanin' for the desired effect o' the item, and yer own blood t'bring it all t'life. Later on, ye'll learn how to amplify all these thing with other rituals and procedures, but fer now, these be all ye need t'know." Siiri nodded, absorbing everything the man had said. The novelty of the art of malediction intrigued her. And its use fit her people so, they who were known not to waste any part of beasts they killed. She wondered why the art wasn't practiced as much as it should. Perhaps, she realized, it might have something to do with the amount of effort required to complete even just one piece of maledicted item. Myrians would rather be honing their skills in combat and warfare rather than sitting on a stool all day perfecting a small circle on a bone. Was that the reason why Baba had become the tubby man he was now? Or perhaps he just liked his roasted chicken... "What about the bowl?" the girl asked. "I don't see any carvings on it..." In reply, Baba picked the item up from the table and handed it to her. "Look closely, lass." And she did, even feeling the item first with her fingers, just as Baba taught her. But the bowl had a smooth finish, free of imperfections. There were no circles carved on its surface, only painted circles depicting a large man. Painted? "You can use paint for the circles too?" Siiri asked, surprised. "Aye, lass," Baba confirmed. "Yer wondering now why ye spent all this time learnin' to carve from me. The answer is simple: ye want yer circles t'be stamped on yer item for as long as possible, make it permanent-like. Ruin it and, most likely, the effect goes with it. Carving an' etchin' be the best ways to leave those circles on. Paint an' drawin., they fade, get smudged. Carving lasts longer - a lifetime. "Now here... brought me somethin' for ye t'try yer first circle on. Nothin' fancy, just a single tiger's tooth - tis part o' the set that comes with that dagger. Ye can't have the dagger, but ol' Baba's givin' this one t'you for free. What ye carve on it is up to ye. Just remember that it comes from a tiger, honored beasts of Navre and the mounts of our best warriors." Baba took Siiri's small hand and placed a single tiger's fang on her palm. It was two inch long with a hole drilled at the thickest part at the base - perfect to use as a pendant. The girl clutched at it tightly, like it was a most treasured gift. She had never received anything for free from the rotund Myrian, everything had to be earned. The act was uncharacteristic of him. Siiri felt there was a certain significance to it. She choked out a thank you, and almost threw a hug at the man, but Baba had jumped off his stool, turning his back on her and began to gather the items he had made her examine. "Bah!" Baba grumbled, waving a gnarled hand at her. "Get ye gone from me house and don't ye come back 'til ye've carved somethin' on that there tooth! Now scat!" He shooed her away then, muttering something about her returning only when she's about to activate the item so he could laugh at her when it blew up in her face. But despite the mean words, Siiri thought she heard a mixture of pride and a little sadness in the man's voice. She left as instructed, but with a slight smile on her face, promising herself that she would return to show her teacher a well-crafted item from the tiger's fang. OOCGoing to use a black frame now whenever Baba has dialogue. Blue on brown is a little hard on the eyes, on my screen at least.

[Siiri]

When Siiri arrived home from Baba's, she immediately went to her room to hide the tiger tooth. The item was fairly worthless on its own, as anyone could just about obtain one if they lingered around the tiger pens long enough, but the girl treated it like it was worth more than a chest full of Bikka. It was to be the item where she would inscribe her first malediction circle. A test item, yes, for she did not even take it from the tiger herself, nor did she know anything about the personality and behavior of the particular tiger it belonged to, but it did not matter, for she knew enough about tigers, having seen them her whole life paraded in the streets during important festivals, fed her clan's stable of them as part of her chores, even seen them in action from a distance, hunting down prey or chasing down trespassers as sport. And so she knew of the tiger's power, its strength and limitations, the range of its abilities - what it could and could not do. These would be the basis of what she would inscribe on the tooth, what she had to contemplate and focus on when she finally made her own mark on the item.

The girl took the item out hours later after she was done with her chores at home as well as supper. With the only proper carving material available to her still at Baba's place, Siiri had to improvise with what she could use to work on the tooth. She figured it was another of Baba's silly test of her resourcefulness and dedication to learning the art of Malediction, that's why he 'forgot' to provide her with carving implements. It didn't matter, for the rusty blade she had been using would suffice for the task. First however, she needed to make a flat enough surface on the tooth of her to decently carve on. While more experienced carvers might be able to manage carving a perfect circle on the cylindrical fang, she was nowhere near that level of expertise. Taking out a whetstone and holding it between her knees, Siiri began to run one side of the tooth across its course surface, starting from the closest part near her and pushing it steadily away, keeping the two objects in contact the whole time. She brought the object close to her eye, inspecting it in the dim candlelight.

There was little bit of grainy dust-like substance on the side she had scrapped against the whetstone, though the tooth itself seemed only slightly blemished by her efforts. A Myrian tiger's fang was tough and durable; it would be a while yet before she produced the desired evenness she wanted. Siiri resumed her previous action, running the tooth over the rough whetstone several more times, checking to see if the side had flattened enough for her to attempt carving on it.

It took Siiri almost a quarter of a bell before she was fully satisfied with her efforts. Both sides of the tooth were flat now, aligned close enough that, were a bit of twine inserted into the hole drilled at its top to turn it into a pendant for a necklace, one of the flat sides would show. Siiri dusted it clear of grains before hiding it once more. Tomorrow, she would commence with the actual carving of the malediction circles.

[Siiri]

Siiri started working on the item once more as soon as she was done with breakfast the next day, but she discovered that carving the malediction circles were the second easiest part of her task, the first being planing the sides of the tiger's tooth flat enough to be able to carve the circles onto it. It only took her a bell to engrave a perfect circle on each side, initially running her blade around a discarded blowdart to trace the shape and then continuously running the blade over it again and again to to carve the shape deeper into the tooth. As soon as she was done, the girl realized that the circles were too small for her to actually carve any drawings in, leaving her to wonder if she had just wasted the tooth for malediction. Someone of Baba's skill could have salvaged the item by etching inside the circles, but Siiri's level was still too unrefined to attempt such a thing. She knew she would just end up breaking the tooth if she tried. In the end, she chose to just inscribe a word within the two circles that would best speak of what the beast was when it still lived. What those words were, however, she still had to think of. For the better part of the morning, as she was carrying out her chores, Siiri thought long and hard about everything she knew of Myrian tigers. At first, she wanted to use the word "power", for she thought the beasts were the top predators in the jungle of Falyndar. But the item she had was just a tooth, and she felt that the word held little meaning for the item. It would have been more aptly used on a jaguar's tooth for their powerful bite. "Grace" she also considered, but thought it even more ridiculous than the first word. How would grace be associated with a mere fang? The young girl scratched her head in irritation. Finding the meaning - what she had to put inside the malediction circles - was more difficult than she first realized. In the end, she settled for the words "Fear" - for such were what the creatures instilled to every other living being that had the misfortune to hear its mighty roar - and "Death", for the fate that awaited the tiger's victims once it had latched onto them with its teeth. In any other culture, the words Siiri had chosen would have been considered negative and would, perhaps, lead to cursed item. But the girl was Myrian, and the item she was carving on belonged to a beast most revered among her people. Her people dealt with death on a regular basis, mostly by inflicting it upon others, and fear was their birthright. Siiri felt she had chosen words most fitting for the tiger the fang belonged to in life as well as for herself. Carving the words took even longer than carving the circles, as she had to adjust the size of her script for the letters to fit within the boundaries of the malediction circles. She spent an hour on each of the words, with many breaks in between to rest her weary hands. It would only have taken her half the time to complete it had she rushed it but she wanted the item to be perfect - as perfect as her young hands could make them, at least. Once done, Siiri rushed to Baba's isolated house, her eagerness to show the rotund Myrian her work channeling into her knuckles as she rapped loudly upon his door. She heard his telltale grumbling as he shuffled to let her in. Unable to contain herself, Siiri pulled out the freshly carved tiger's tooth to show her teacher even before she crossed the threshold into his abode. "I'm done!" she blurted out, handing Baba the item. The stout Myrian held it up in the light to examine it, turning it this way and that as he eyed the girl's carving critically. He gave a single grunt as he gave it back to her. "Well?" he growled incredulously. "What are ye waitin' fer? Spill yer blood an' activate it, see the fruits o' yer labor!" Siiri took the item back, a slightly hurt look on her face. "I thought you wanted to know," she muttered. "And isn't there some sort of ceremony for its activation...?" "Bah! If there was, lass, I'd still be doin' it for all the bones ol' Baba's carved in his lifetime... All the ceremony's done when ye poured yer heart out t'carve them words on that there tooth, makin' it t'best damn tooth ye could ever have made. That part is done, lass. "Now ye give it part o' yerself, that which give ye life, to bring it to life. Go on now. This be yer first item. Ol' Baba shouldn't even be here to watch ye give life t'yer first creation." Absorbing his words, hearing its meaning as well as picking up the hidden kindness beneath all his gruffness, Siiri only nodded. She placed the tooth on the table - the same table where she learned how to carve from the man before her - and, after slashing a small cut on her palm, allowed the blood from her wound to drip on it. If she expected some sort of magical effect to result from the act, Siiri would have been sorely disappointed. No such thing happened. The item just sat there, no more different than it had been a few seconds ago. Sucking on her wound to stem the blood flow, she turned to Baba for confirmation. "Did it work?" "Aye, lass. Aye," the man nodded. He produced a bit of twine, inserting it in the hole he drilled in the tooth so many days ago when he felt that his student was ready to try her hand in malediction. Tying the ends together, Baba held it up to Siiri. "All that's left now is t'try it on, lass, see what it does." Without qualms or hesitation, Siiri put the necklace around her neck. -Fin-

[Cayenne]

Well done! This was a delight to read, and I have to say, I especially enjoyed the picture of the child in conjunction to that particular post in the thread. But I was very, very pleased to see the relationship between Siiri and Shara, and her interactions with Baba have really set the stage for further flashbacks and development. I hereby award the following: Weaponry - Dagger: 3 XP Weaponry - Thrown Daggers: 1 XP Unarmed Combat: 1 XP Tactics: 1 XP Rhetoric: 3 XP Negotiation: 2 XP Weaponry - Hatchet: 1 XP Malediction: 5 XP Carving: 5 XP Cooking: 1 XP Trapping: 1 XP Lore: Lore: Using Light Reflections Against Opponents Lore: Being Snarky With Elders Lore: Chicken Herding Lore: Bartering Lore: What is Malediction Lore: What Malediction Can Create Lore: How Malediction Works Lore: Rumour: Where Ruros Remains Might Be Crafted Item: One Wooden Wolf Carving One Tiger Tooth Pendant Ability: Allows the wearer to perfectly imitate in pitch, strength, and volume, the roar of a Myrian Tiger