Closed An Unexpected Introduction

[Alona Halloran]

As Alona followed Randall, she looked on in amazement as they began to pass by some of the settlements, chin craning back and forth as each settlement was revealed. She made sure to look carefully at the ones still in progress, attempting to piece together the rest of the buildings in her mind's eye. Some of it was a bit hard to understand from a short glance, but it was a fun game to imagine how the construction had begun. "About how long does it take to build one?" She asked, her index finger trailing from one unfinished bungalow to another. The change in weather was a surprise, though. Quickly, beads of water were finding themselves on Alona's brow, no matter how many times she wiped them away with her sweater sleeve. She stayed behind as the two walked, naturally trusting the Founder to lead her through each pathway. The mention of her height caused her to sigh, shoulders slumping despite silently agreeing. It was not the first time her figure had been an obstacle in her work, though in Zeltiva it was minor. A few days where Alona had to crawl to reach a shelf while her master was away, but nothing serious. "Those could work, yes. I'm not the strongest, either, but I think I could make do." When the subject changed, she furrowed her brow, frowning up at Randall. "Wait... elephants, as a pack animal? Isn't that a bit strange?" She questioned, then immediately felt silly about it. This was the jungle, after all. Dogs and horses were unlikely to be common here. "I've never seen one in person before. Have you? What are they like?" "That's actually a small relief to hear. When I first set off from Zeltiva, I worried about my own capabilities. That I wouldn't be able to contribute, or..." She shrugged, waving a hand to brush away at her earlier anxieties. "In hindsight, it was very silly to think. But, I do want to help Syka, and I will. Knowing I'm not the only one learning certainly helps to hear, as well. ...But I must admit, I didn't imagine you were an animal trainer." She added, grinning with a newfound curiosity. "You'll have to tell me more about your business one day!" "Either name sounds equal to me, but it's a wonderful idea all the same. I'd love to help with that. Communal crafting spaces would be a fantastic way to encourage others to learn new disciplines. ...Not to mention, a place to celebrate would be easy to sell to the rest of community." Alona nodded as she spoke, each project floating through her mind as Randall explained them. "That plan works fine for me. My tent can manage for as long as it takes to take care of the rest. ...Provided the skies stop their delivery of snow for a while, anyway." She felt a chuckle lift from her throat. "Juli..." She lowered her head as she muttered to herself, eyes shutting as she committed the name to memory. "It shouldn't be much of a bother, my only needs outside of what I can make are tools and the like." The sight of the Pools caused Alona to gape, finding herself staring enough that she nearly lost track of Randall as they went past. Needless to say that the idea of warm water was quite an attractive one at the moment. Perhaps later she'd have to come back... While the urge of sticking to the familiar was strong, she didn't travel halfway across the ruddy world just to stick to what was familiar. Despite that, her face turned white. "A ghost? You're joking." Alona said with the tone of someone who certainly hoped the other person was joking. Her knowledge of ghosts amounted to stories told by drunken old men, so she hesitated to say that she believed in such things. Still, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a touch unnerved. When the subject changed, Alona truly did not know what to think. "I've heard a little about her disappearance on my way here, and I suppose some of it would fit..." She trailed off, eyes falling on a lump of snow near her feet, then took a deep breath. "It seems every second Syka finds a new way to surprise me. This...certainly is far from what I expected." Another short burst of laughter found itself on her tongue, finding the whole story unbelievable, yet having no choice but to believe it. "That was Myrna, the woman you mentioned earlier, was it? What sort of things did she study, was it the gate? Seems like an odd thing to build all the way out here... Do you know what it does?" She crossed her arms as her words left her, unable to really form much a response in the face of such strange things beyond basic surprise. She laughed again, louder, and held her cheek with one hand. "Si-, Randall, I have to say that this is really not the sort of conversation I prepared for today." She said amid small giggles.

[Gossamer]

Randal looked thoughtful. “A basic bungalow takes about two weeks if we work on it all day long. Syka has relatively short days compared to some of the northern and southern climates. Day light comes abruptly and night falls fast. There is no slow transitions to the next period like there are in say Syliras or even Avanthal. So since we have about a ten hour day, working about eight hours, taking two hours for breaks and a full long night of sleeping, about two weeks yes. That’s if I have help. If it’s a more complex design and I don’t have much help, it takes far longer, two or three times that length.” He said, smiling. “Even someone just measuring cuts or hauling wood in from the sawmill helps.” He said, leading her further through the settlement.

Some places he didn’t show her, but rather just pointed out where that trail lead or where this path went too. Syka was too sprawled out to defend well and Randal knew it. He didn’t, however, mention it to Alona. He had probably already told her too much as it was.

“I don’t believe strength has a lot to do with it. I move things far larger than me because I move them smartly. I’ll show you how to do so as well and you’ll find that you are more than the sum of your …. “ He turned to grin at her. “… height.” The Founder was teasing her, at ease with the girl, though not flirting or being to forward. “I’ve had a lot of female assistance. You ladies like your buildings built quickly. I find that while I have a lot of upper body strength, you ladies move faster through the jungle. You are stronger and swifter in the legs and more flexible. Moving through the jungle, you can bend and twist and go so swiftly even the deer are jealous. Use what you have, Alona, and don’t regret the way the Gods built you.” He added, offering a smile up at Syna’s light filtering through the palm trees.

“No, we’re seriously working on getting a few. I’d like a half dozen at least, two pairs and some breeders. The elephants are called Ashta, and are small tuskless – well small in comparison to how big some of the Falyndar elephants can get - that are super friendly and super strong. You can ride them like horses too, but they will carry and haul for you willingly working side by side with us. We’ll get some, as soon as we can. It’s just all logistics. The nearest ones we can actually purchase are miles away along the coast. We have to figure out how to haul them due to their size, and the fact that because we don’t want them nervous, we want to haul them together or at least in pairs to keep them calm. Luckily they can swim so we can potentially offload them out past the breakwater and swim them in…. but yea… its all a logistical nightmare getting them here right now. Once here, we know they will thrive.” He said, knowing it might be safer to send someone across land to bring them back but he had no idea who would do that.

“I’m from Denval…” Randal volunteered. He looked thoughtful and smiled. “My forte was dogs and security. I worked for the military. I trained them as messengers, scouts, and defense. I married my superior officer.” He said with a smile. “She and our children didn’t make it out when The Djed Storm of 512 hit. I was off on a training mission with my dogs. We joined the survivors in a flotilla and The Veronica picked us up. That’s how I meant James and Juli. My dogs didn’t make it. They were, I suspect, the last of their breed. We had to eat them to survive out at sea.” He said softly, his eye haunted. “I’ve been… busy with construction here. It’s hard … turning back to animals. I will be able to someday, but until then, I’m good at this.” He said, knowing it was true though not something he started out knowing. They continued walking. They were now past the bungalows and at the far side of the settlement.

Randal was taking her to see the sawmill.

“I can frame out all the buildings, with your help would be nice, and then maybe move on to bungalows that need building if you can handle some of the finish work for Crafter’s Row. Just a bit of siding. You’ll notice we don’t really hang doors or windows, we just frame in and leave the air to circulate to keep things cool. I can help with the roofing, thatch for now with palm fronds would be fine. But it would be helpful to have someone work on the inside designs and maybe do some counters or basic furniture. I’ll have the local smiths build the forge. They’ll need a say in it afterall.” He said, ticking off things in his head as he walked, trying to get it all straight. “I think we could have a good start or maybe most of it done by next winter and not stall the other building projects around the settlement.” He added, hopeful. “The community center would just need some simple tables and benches. I am sure you could handle those?” He said, glancing at her hopefully. “I can get the sawmill to supply the wood and Aladon the fasters like nails and such for free.” He added, knowing he was putting a lot on the girl but hoping she’d be willing.

If she did this, and turned out to be a big help, he’d make sure a lot of her debt to the city if she did take a loan from them would get canceled by way of payment.

Randal turned and looked at her curiously. “What exactly did you expect?” He asked, wondering what the rumors were of the Settlement that kept bringing people here.

She turned the subject to Myrna and Randal looked thoughtful. “She was an explorer, Alona. You see, Mizahar isn’t the only world out there. There’s as many as there are stars in the sky. That’s how summoning mages summon things – they pull them from other worlds not our own. Before the Valterrian, people world walked. They traveled from this world to others to study them. I think Myrna specialized in research on world walking. That’s why the World Gate is here. It’s one of our duties, this settlement, is to protect it.” He said quietly. “I think it was built way out here for safety. If you can go through, things can come through as well.” He said, looking thoughtful.

“Truthfully we don’t know a whole lot about it, but we do know that its functional again.” He added, looking at her with a slight curiosity to see how she’d react.

Then they walked into a clearing that was definitely the end of the trail. A crude sawmill was set up just in the center with a pile of logs and a growing stack of lumber. A mountain of sawdust was accumulating just beyond its shelter, and the whole thing was obviously operated by a waterwheel that drove the blade slowly as it cut through timber. It’s operator was a smallish man, mid thirties, with a complex set of braids. It was hard to tell what is race was until he turned and it was revealed he had six arms. Spotting Randal, the man waved with four of them while still moving a log with the other set.

“Alona, this is Lars Waska. He runs the mill here. He actually came over with the equipment to set it up and loved Syka so much he stayed. We’re thankful to have him too.” Randal said before continuing. “Lars, this is Alona. She’s going to be assisting me and making furniture. We’re going to start on that Crafter’s Row we’d talked about.. .with the Commons? So start cutting six by six posts would you? We’ll need dozens of them to set the buildings up. I just have to figure out a better way to move them.” He said, shaking his head thoughtfully and tapping his chin.

“Anyhow, this is the end of the line for the tour. There’s nothing much past the mill but open jungle and beach. I’ll take you back to the commons, but feel free to have a look around first if you’d like.” Randal said, taking a moment to discuss the Crafter’s Row project further with Lars and work on what needed to be cut to do so. When Alona was ready to go, Randal would definitely see her back to the Commons.

[Alona Halloran]

Alona considered for a moment how long she felt she could sleep in a tent, but quickly forced herself not to think that thought to it's completion. Whether she wanted to or not, she would likely have to. Syka seemed to be a world full of possibilities, but she had to admit to herself that this was one place where she did not have a lot of options. "I imagine making it lofted would create quite the delay." She mused, not looking forward to such a long time without a real roof, but if it meant a better product at the end, it was something she could swallow her pride for. Speed was not something she had ever truly tested herself with. At least, not enough to agree or disagree with Randall's comment, though it still managed to turn her cheeks rosy red. Still, if her height would lead to a disadvantage in strength, speed and dexterity would have to be her focus. "Then I will do my best to excel in whatever I can." She said, smiling through her blush. The Ashta were completely new to Alona's worldview, and just imagining them left her wide eyed. Even despite the issues given in regards to bringing them to Syka, a small part of her brain felt excited at the idea of seeing one. Little moments like this were more what she expected when thinking of Syka, small periods of wonder at the unknown... Hopefully, they'd live up to their expectations. The sparkle in her eyes faded at the mention of Denval. Her knowledge of the world outside of Zeltiva was spotty at times, but it was hard for anyone from her home to not know. "I'm sorry." She offered simply, eyes on her shoes, words losing her in the attempt to be respectful. "I knew of some survivors in my homeland." Somehow, the urge to know more of his past was dampened now. As details of their work were fleshed out vocally, Alona made sure to pay attention. She nodded along, looking around at what nearby arcetecture she could see for reference as she listened. "I haven't seen many buildings with this kind of style, but it doesn't look difficult." She said, feeling in over her head with the amount of information, yet oddly comfortable. It was a lot, yes, but it seemed managable, for the most part. Besides, having more work was hardly an issue when one had a debt to repay. At the question, she could only shrug at first. Instead of a proper answer, she found herself giggling. "I didn't expect snowfall, for one thing." She offered, then forced herself to be a little more somber. It was a fair question, afterall. "Most of the sailors I met that talked about it made it sound like paradise, really. A wild place good men where making into a home. There was nothing about ruins, I think." She said the last with more of a tone of awe than anything else. Mentioning magic brought Alona's attention back into overdrive. "I'd never imagine such a thing. Have you seen it yourself? What does it look like?" She said, her attention driving her to look around, as if she might be able to catch a glimpse of the Gate through the thick trees around them. Her curiousity still rampant, she paused at the sight of the building up ahead. It was smaller than she expected, perhaps, but she was no less thankful to see it. Its size was immaterial compared to what help it would be to her business. What drew more of her attention however was the man inside it. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, then looked at the man again. No, it was definitely six. While she knew vaguely of the Eypharian people, this was the first time she had truly met one in person. Regardless, she smiled and came forward, nodding her head before extending a palm outward in a wave. She'd shake one of his hands, but she didn't want to take him away from his task. "It's very nice to meet you, sir." Afterwards, she stepped back and let Randall and Lars speak more on the project, keeping silent but listening closely, for her own sake. Once that was over, she gave a short goodbye to the logger and followed Randall back to the Commons. "Thank you very much for taking me, and for all the help." She said once she reached her destination, smiling back up at him. "I hope I am able to be of help here in Syka. I'll be staying here until we can talk more about my acreage." She found herself chuckling. "And I believe I've kept you hostage enough for today." At that, she looked around at the beach before her. "I think I already like it here." She turned back to Randall and with a big smile, bowed before him. "Until next time, Mr. Randall." I think now's as good a time as any to close it, given its Spring already. Thank you again for modding!

[Gossamer]

The Fates Have Spoken
Here is your thread grade!

Character: Alona
Experience Awarded: Observation +5, Interrogation +2, Socialization +5, Planning +3, Cleaning +2, Investigation +3
Lores Awarded: Randal Zor: Founder, Builder, Loves Wood, Home Location, Overworked, Needs Help.
Syka: Location, Rarely Gets Snow, The Real Reason For The Settlement (Pavena), Needs Carpenters, The Settlement's Layout, The Settlement's Locations, Major NPCs Of Syka
Syka: Has The World Gate, Has The Ghost Veronica
Elephants: Called Ashta, Packanimals,
Myrna Kelvic: Owned Pavena, Marcus Kelvic's Twin Sister

Notes: Thanks for threading with me. There are a lot of lores. If they were Randals, I just gave them a big list.. .same with Sykas lores.. though I broke it up into two batches there at the end.

You were a ton of fun to thread with and I really really enjoyed playing with you. Please feel free to volunteer to thread with others. I know they are going to love your PC as much as I do. She's sweet, dedicated, and tough... I really like her. And if you ever want a thread with my PC here in Syka, I'd jump on the opportunity.

As always PM me if you have issues.