PM to join The Journey, Part 4

[Shadyn]

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23rd-?th of Autumn, 515 AV


The water far below was dotted now and then will various trading vessels. Kalea’s coastline had long since vanished, and the edge of Cyphrus was now at hand. A tremor of anticipation ran down his spine. Perhaps it was the cold air, or perhaps it was his excitement, but any thought of discomfort had long since vanished. It was one matter to explore Kalea, but that had been his homeland, and had been well traversed by other intrepid Inarta of the centuries. Cyphrus, though, was on the very borders of Inarta travels. If he was successful, he would be the first Endal to make the round trip all the way across Cyphrus to the eastern ocean.

One bell later, and they were soaring over a new and thrilling land. Already it looked vastly different from Kalea. It was covered in grasses, but these were much thicker and taller…like a sea. If the maps he had studied were up to date, this was the Sea of Grass.

Inarta traders had once traveled to Riverfall and Kenash, but those were on the coastline, and those trade agreements had long since lapsed. The Endal records showed that – besides himself – only two other Inarta had ventured into the Sea of Grass, and neither they nor their Wind Eagles had ever been sighted again. According to the records, they had been the Wing Leaders of one of the last trade convoys to Riverfall, and had decided to try to open up relations with Endrykas. Obviously, even if they had survived, they had failed that mission. Upon this thought, however, he made a mental note to make inquiry with the locals into what happened to them. They were most likely dead, since their Wind Eagles did not return, but it was still possible that one of them had indeed survived. Anyhow, just because he was far from Wind Reach did not mean his duty to provide and protect as an Endal suddenly stopped. He would be true to his position, even in this distant and wondrous land.


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[Shadyn]

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The trade routes were relatively easy to spot, being long swaths of grass pressed down into something resembling causeways, though some were clearly less used than others. His camp had been on the border of the Sea of Grass, and had been uneventful. He had hunted out some ground squirrels, still missing some with his bow, but not nearly as many as when he had hunted the marmots. Learning from his past mistakes was something that Shadyn took gravely serious, and the details of hunting various creatures was no exception.

Firewood had been easy to obtain, since small clusters of trees grew everywhere a spring was to be found, and the generally kind and dry climate kept dead and fallen wood in suitable condition for burning. Using his flint and steel was now something of a second nature to him, as was finding good tender.

Today was different, though. He had spent most of the night skirting around a storm, and had not made nearly as much progress as he had wanted. Thus, it was going to be another long flight. The horizon was dotted here and there with the glow of caravan camp fires, and as the sun rose one by one they were extinguished as the travelers prepare to continue their journey. Since he was heading southeast, Shadyn was able to watch the sun rise over the vast, rolling plains. For a brief moment, the golden orb seemed to fuse land and sky, joining them into an endless domain. Looking behind him, he could see the moon, a waning gibbous, sitting in the exact same position, except it was shrouded in shadows and silver. Yet, somehow, everything seemed united into one single, giant piece. Greyscale and color, the gentle and the powerful, the dim and the brilliant, the soft and the harsh, land and sky, sun and moon, night and day, stars fading out as the pastel blue sky faded in…all was one, joined by a single moment in time. At that moment, he recalled what Xarrt had told him all those years ago, the first time he, a human, bound to land, had been lifted up into the heights, and world that was not his by right, but by the unification in bonded kindred of man and beast, Inarta and Wind Eagle.



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[Shadyn]

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“Xarrt…I think I just realized why I am living. I have often wondered ‘what is the point?’…but now I think I am getting a glimmer of possibilities. We live in a world of so many division, so much darkness, so much complacency with our half-successes and half-achievements and forgotten dreams. What if that could change? What if the very system that has condemned us to that miserable state could be turned against itself and allow us to reach for that indefinable something for which ever thinking creature strives within themselves?

“Just now, I realized that as an Endal, I have breached a gap that no others can breach – the separation of earth and sky. What if I can use this first victory over mundane conditionality to start a series of changes that will rock Mizahar to its very core? I have a good head on my shoulders, and I have your own sage advice to guide me when my judgment fails me. I have noticed that fewer and fewer trade convoys leave Wind Reach each year, yet we have incredibly find goods…

“I know how to speak well, present my thoughts forcefully and persuasively. It comes naturally to me. I have practiced the universal language Common until I can speak it with as much accuracy, albeit far more slowly, as Nari. I am no auristics master, nor do I have incredible insights into human nature, but I pay attention to details, and know how to put two and two together in such a way as to comprehend to at least some degree personalities, emotions, and intentions. Most importantly, I suppose, is that I pay attention, and this allows me to cross the barriers that exist between people. With continued practice, I will have mastered the first universal key – the individual.

“By leveraging the individual, and the trade sense ingrained into every resident of Wind Reach, I will be able to make sound trades. Using your ability to let me transcend the earth and reach into the sky, I can bring the valuables from my own doorstep to the hands of those who might not have even seen the goods I carry. In time, I will become wealthy, and master the second universal key – money.
“With money comes influence. If I behave wisely, not just spending money haphazardly, but thoughtfully…cunningly, even…I can bring valuable players under my influence, and with the right people in the right places, I will be able to slowly amass the third universal key – power.

“When these three aspects have fully developed, they will endow me with the ability to make changes…to take this fractured world in which we live, and stitch together a unity. Certainly, Rhysol will not suddenly be slain…evil, hatred, discord…all that will remain in the world. The heart no man can touch. But the mind…the mind of most beings is tractable, and though there are those who will not bend to my goals, sufficient pressure from the masses will do what my own efforts cannot. I cannot make a perfect world, that is sure…some things are never to be…but I can take something broken, and fix it as best as these mortal hands can do. Perhaps I will fail. Perhaps some dark force will see my threat to their own sway and crush me. But right now I swear by Leth and all the gods of all things good, just, right, pure, and noble that I shall devote every last breath in my body to founding what I hope will be at least the beginning of a such a transformation.”



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[Shadyn]

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As the day wore on, something in the grasses caught his Shadyn’s eye. He flew Xarrt lower for a better look…it was a bird, or some sort. But one that was built for walking, not flying. It was quite large, as well, for a normal bird…it stood at least several feet taller than a man. It’s beak was huge, and, strangely enough, vaguely reminded him of some of the glasswork he had at home.

“Xarrt, we are going to need to make camp soon anyway, so why don’t you let me down and I’ll take out that oversized stork.”

Very well, just be careful. We don’t know what creatures live in these grasses, so I will keep an eye out from up here.

They flew ahead of the bird some ways, then dropped down into the grass. Shadyn lept nimbly off of Xarrt’s back and stalked into the tall grasses. In this area they grew at least a foot over his head, in some places much more. He didn’t like the feeling of not being able to see…especially because the moon had already set, and wasn’t full anyway, thus depriving him of what had saved his life during his encounter with the dire bear.

Unsheathing his tomahawk, he let it dangle at his side, swaying gently with each step. Carrying it this way was a talent in and of itself, something he had learned long ago when Arrmal had first given it to him. The razor-edged blade would slice deep into his thigh if he did not watch how he moved. Thus, when carrying it by the lanyard, he twisted his wrist just slightly to make the blade’s edge point slightly outwards, allowing him to move freely and without worry of cutting himself.


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[Shadyn]

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He heard something moving ahead of him, and was preparing to attack, when he was suddenly lifted off feet. Xarrt had one talon from his left foot hooked under each arm.

“Uh…Xarrt…you do know that I prefer riding on your back to hanging down here like another piece of game meat? Would you mind explaining this a bit?”

I watched you down there, and I realized that one bird might give you a hard time or even kill you. I lifted you out, though, because another one started moving in your direction. That would not have gone well for you, I can say that, and I doubt that I would have been able to kill both, or at least done so quickly enough to save you. So, I decided to hoist you out of there.

Though movement was not all that easy, Shadyn turned enough to look over his shoulder, and sure enough, there were the birds stalking around the area he had just been.

“Xarrt, how about we try the flying flip? Same way you would do with a fledgling learning how to fly. Ready?

As you say. Let me fly a bit higher so that I can save you if this doesn’t work.

After they attained another two thousand feet of altitude, they were ready. Xarrt, performed a flip, letting go of Shadyn when he was upside down. The momentum flung Shadyn up in the air and back to right side up, by which time Xarrt had righted himself and flown under him. Shadyn only dropped a few inches onto the saddle, instantly latching onto the pommel, then fitting his feet into the stirrups. He threw his head back laughing at the thrill of this success. This was a trick that would serve him well in the future, he felt.

“Now, let’s find ourselves a campsite.”




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[Shadyn]

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The next several days were surprisingly easy. The Sea of Grass was a healthy terrain, providing plenty of food, and he swung down to pick up directions from occasional traders on where he could go to find Endrykas. All in all, traveling was simple and satisfying.
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The small copses of trees dotting rivers and springs provided plenty of fresh deadwood, and the dry environment kept it blissfully dry. Trader caravans provided needed directions now and then, but it was otherwise an easy solitude. This was a much needed reprieve from the strife of The Unforgiving.

Still, his wounds were not improving. The gouges on his chest were large, but shallow enough not to cause too much trouble -- caring for them was easy enough. The problem lay in the deep lacerations to his right shoulder. The Zith's claws were undoubtedly filthy, which was making things worse. Besides, he could only see the front half, and that not very well...everything else was out of sight. It most certainly was not out of mind, though. He took to washing it every morning and every night, doing what he could to keep pressure off of it. Nevertheless, he worried that it might be becoming infected. Every night as they flew he prayed to Leth that it would not be anything major, and that either way he would meet a physician in Endrykas. That did help to ease his worries, and his pain, as did the cold night air.

The last camp before he would reach Endrykas was filled with anticipation...and with muscle cramps. Soreness radiated down the whole right side of his body and across his torso, making it rather difficult to sleep. Still, as will all difficulties he had faced in life that he could not change or avoid, he did his best to deal with it, and time and sleep soon cradled him in a gentle embrace.



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[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Shadyn

Experience

• Riding, Wind Eagle: 2
• Land Navigation: 1
• Tracking: 1
• Observation: 2
• Logic: 1
• Storytelling: 1
• Philosophy: 1
• Intelligence: 1
• Acrobatics: 1
• Wilderness Survival, Plains: 1
• Medicine: 1

Lore

• Location: Cyphrus
• Location: Sea of Grass
• Land Navigation: Following a map
• Logic: Money buys influence
• Cyphrus Glassbeak
• How to carry Throwing Axes
• Where to find driftwood
• Medicine: Caring for a wound

Notes

Hello, good story; a few tips to offer if I may. Make sure Shadyn is actively doing things rather than telling the reader what is happening from day to day. I went easy on you this time but some of the skills I awarded needed a little bit more. For example the cleaning of his wound, you mentioned it was something he did every day but didn't have him actively work through the steps of doing it, aka boiling some water and salt, changing the bandages, etc.

Also for his riding level the flip was a little extreme but I did give you a point in acrobatics. Again you could have gained a lot more skill points here which would have been as easy as explaining how Shadyn steered, guided, ordered his mount to do something. I hope the feedback all helps with future posts! It’s been a pleasure having you in Cyphrus and I look forward to reading and grading more of your work in the near future.