Flashback Part 1: Troubled family

[Karsynwa]

1st of Fall, 490 AV

Dinner was quiet this evening with his father just having recently gone out. He was at the table with his mother Synwa, and his mentor Arrel. Together they were finishing what remained of the fish stew his mother had cooked. Karsynwa remained quiet while his mother talked with Arrel.

“How was the patrol?” Arrel asked, leaning forward over his bowl. He sat across the small dining table from Synwa and Karsynwa. It only could seat a maximum of four people comfortably so the gesture wasn’t exactly necessary. Karsynwa almost rolled his eyes, but he resisted the impulse on a hunch. The creeping suspicion that Arrel was watching him out of the corner of his eye.

His mother seemed indifferent to the movement, finishing a bite of hard bread before addressing his question. “Uneventful. Really, I wish to get back out on the grass soon.”

Arrel nodded at this, popping a spoonful of stew into his mouth. They had recently come back from a patrol themselves. Karsynwa and Arrel. His mentor was still wearing his leather jerkin, breeches and boots from earlier, though Karsynwa had already changed into a light blue tunic and trousers. Arrel was also wearing something that attracted his gaze. A weapon harness with two Lakan proudly displayed. Karsynwa felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight, though he quickly stifled that undignified emotion. Instead of gawking, he picked out a fish eye from his bowl to chew on while he looked out the window to his right. His seat was tucked up against the outside wall of the apartment so he got a good view out of the windows that lined the front of their single room suite.

“Ours was much the same. Mostly drills and me arguing with your husband.” Arrel said as he finished his stew, and slid the bowl away from him.

“About?” His mother asked. Karsynwa glanced over to watch the exchange. Arrel was grinning while Synwa maintained her stony expression as she tucked into what remained in her bowl.

“The usual” Arrel said, pointedly looking at Karsynwa. Karsynwa met the man’s eyes and gave a slight nod. While he might be still young, he could read the obvious hints they were dropping with their shift in conversation. Slowly, Karsynwa stood up, gathering up his dishes before departing through the outer door that lead to the courtyard. He mused over just why they wanted privacy while he scrapped the contents of his bowl out over the compost heap. A few others milled about the courtyard on this evening, residents of the Corra Apartments that were doing a little bit of everything before the light faded. Some were cooking, others gardening, and a few were just reclining in their chairs while they watched a couple children play among the Rosehip bushes.

His bowl scrapped clean, he went over to where some fall water came out the gutter and rinsed it clean. Naturally he kept the door to his apartment in sight while he did so. Though he wouldn’t care to admit it, even to himself, he was more than a little anxious to see one of them come out. Not that he minded spending time in the courtyard with its beautiful greenery. He just wanted to know what they were talking about. Whether his mentor had something to criticize about his performance today that he could approve on.

WC: 564

[Karsynwa]

He dismissed the thought. Arrel wasn’t one to shy from criticizing him in front of his parents. Why then the secrecy? Karsynwa set the bowl and spoon down on the ledge beside the gutter. Before he was really conscious of what he was doing, he crept back towards his door till he was just under those windows he had been looking out of earlier. Then he pressed flat against the wall, hoping that he would be able to hear anything. This drew some strange looks from a couple of men who where paying attention, however nothing came of it because he wasn’t there long when the door to his apartment opened.

Arrel stepped out, and made a sharp tisk noise with his tongue pressed against his teeth. Then he smiled, grabbing Karsynwa by the shoulder. “We’re going to go for a walk. Go on and put up the dishes. Then get dressed for patrol.”

Karsynwa’s heart was beating frantically in his chest as he froze there caught, then he was swept up by a feeling of relief. Off balance, he simply nodded to the demand and went about doing just that. Altogether it took him less than ten chimes to come back outside wearing his leather vest, black trousers, sandals, and upon his mother’s insistence, a fur trimmed green cloak. It was becoming a little cooler outside, though he hardly felt this subtle shift in the weather warranted it. He was raised better than to argue with her so he did it without complaint.

Once he came outside, Arrel led them out of the courtyard at a leisurely pace. The light was noticeably dimmer now as the evening wore on, and torches began to flare to life across the city as they started their way down the cliff face. Karsynwa was watching those distant orange lights come into existence when Arrel finally broke the silence.

“Hear anything interesting?” Arrel asked. Karsynwa promptly shook his head. His mentor chuckled and gave him a slap on the back. “Good answer, even if I suspect it might be true.”

Karsynwa looked at him. There must have been something about his expression that clued Arrel in because the man’s expression changed. He appeared noticeably more stern now. “In our line of work, you need to be careful about what you say to whom. Especially if you like them. Its not always going to be as simple as hunting and killing a thing out on the sea of grass. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Yes. Sometimes its about catching a criminal in the city.” Karsynwa said after thinking it over for a moment. He was only a couple of tendays into the militia so far so he hadn’t had much experience beyond training to go on. However, he did remember his father talk about capturing criminals occasionally so it made sense to him that it would be in the militia’s purview.

Arrel did not agree, shaking his head slightly. “You’re right, but any old guardsman can catch a thief off the streets. I am talking about larger, more general threats to the city. There are groups out there who would like to cause a great deal of trouble if they got the opportunity to so it is our responsibility to stop them before they do anything.”

WC: 551

[Karsynwa]

Karsynwa cocked his head confused. “How’s that work? How can you stop someone from doing something before they have done it?”

“By knowing all the right things.” Came Arrel’s tongue in cheek response as they ducked into an alcove to let a battlegoat and konti pass them up the narrow path. Karsynwa noticed that she was wearing a gold bracelet that he’d seen more than a few other women wear so he didn’t think much of it.

“But how am I supposed to know what is the right thing and what is just plain wrong?” Karsynwa asked, his tone verging on the edge of exasperated. Arrel on the other had derived more than a little amusement from his reaction while they resumed their trek down the narrow path.

“Experience. After you’ve been more or less set along the right path by yours truly.” Arrel said. Turning the bend in the narrow trail they caught their first glimpse of the Kulkukan, or the roof of it at least. Karsynwa could hear the murmur of voices from those that milled below. From this distance that was all he could make out.

“Do you remember that lady we just passed?” Arrel asked suddenly, giving him a curious expression.

“Yes, what about her?” Karsynwa hesitantly asked,racking his brain for what this could be about. Arrel certainly hadn’t told him to start watching people, though what was that they always said in training? If you have to be asked, you probably shouldn’t be the one to do it. Naturally he was butchering the phrase, but he remembered the sentiment well enough. It was important to be able to make your own decisions while following the heart of a command.

“Oh, nothing, just I saw her too.” Arrel said slightly disappointed, which irked Karsynwa for some reason.

“I mean, she had that goat with her. Scales. A dress. Long hair.” Karsynwa started rattling off everything he could remember off the top of his head till Arrel stopped him with a raised hand.

“Anything else? Be more specific.” Arrel asked rather curtly.

“Uh, blond hair, white dress, oh and a gold bracelet around her left wrist.”

Arrel shook his head. “Her hair was tied up in a braid, her eyes were violet, she was wearing a white blouse with a short tan skirt, the bracelet was on her right wrist and the word you were looking for was Konti. Scales, gills and webbed fingers are usually a dead give away though you’ve had a long day so I’ll give you a pass.” His mentor chided, bumping him in the side with an elbow.

“Do you know the significance of that goat she was traveling with?” Arrel asked.

“No. I’ve seen them accompany other women before, and sometimes children.”

“I suppose that is a start.” Arrel said with a sigh before continuing. “Those are known as Battle goats and they are often picked as companions for Nakivak to keep them protected while their Talvis is away. A Nakivak is a woman that has entered into a contract to bear a child for an Akalak. This Akalak is known as a Talvis, or patron because he has to support and protect this woman while she carries his child. These arrangements are not usually made with love you see, but love does sometimes come from them. Thus the need for the contract, and the bracelet to signify that she is under the protection of another.”

WC: 576

[Karsynwa]

Karsynwa opened his mouth to speak, but Arrel raised a hand to stop him. “Now something else you didn’t notice was the ornamentation of the battle goat. Silver gilded its horns, and more than a few gemstones hung from its silk barding. What from that description do you glean?”

“That her Talvis is wealthy?” Karsynwa asked hesitantly.

“Yes, very good.” Arrel said with a bright smile, clapping his hands together before putting an arm around Karsynwa. “Just make sure to try and remember that the next time. This having been your first time, I won’t harbor that against you.”

“But why did I get some of those details wrong if we were seeing the same thing?” Karsynwa asked, still feeling quite puzzled as he tried to work it all out.

“Because you saw what you wanted to see. You hadn’t really been paying attention when she passed us so when I tested you on it, your brain panicked and starting filling in the details. Its something that you’ll have time to work on though so just keep that in mind. Unless you are actively observing something, you are going to have a hard time remembering even basic details from just a casual observation.”

“We haven’t gotten to this part of your training yet, because your mother had some reservations, but I think together me and your father managed to convince her.” Arrel said, stopping in the path to give him a good once over.

“Convince her about what?” Karsynwa asked, likewise studying Arrel’s face which unlike his, betrayed nothing.

“To get your feet wet training with the Intelligence branch. You might be the youngest there, but its best to start while you are young with these sorts of things. That way we can keep you from forming habits that will make your training difficult.”

“Like me missing those details earlier?” Karsynwa asked.

“Exactly, and you can start training your brain to think like one of us which you’ll find quite a bit different than what you are used to.” Arrel said with a slight grin.

“So what would I do with the branch?”

“I think an easier question to answer would be what would you not be doing, because our branch covers pretty much everything if you are creative enough. At first though, we will keep it simple. We are going to work on your observational skills, and train your mind to interpret that data effectively. While run through some potential applications for this tomorrow, but for now I want to feel out where exactly your observation and analysis abilities lie.”

“Okay, what you want me to watch?” Karsynwa asked, giving him a questioning look as he wondered if it was going to be him asking about another stranger he missed or something along those lines. He was a little confused on the applicability of this, but figured this all factored into their earlier conversation about criminals. Perhaps that was what he was learning to identify.

“You’ll see.” Arrel said teasingly before they continued down to the tavern.

WC: 508

[Karsynwa]

A small crowd was milling around outside of the Kulkukan. With it getting darker, it was harder to make them out till Karsynwa walked close enough to see them illuminated properly by the red lanterns within the establishment. As expected the majority were Akalaks though there were a few human males that clustered to one side of the gathering. Looking through the large arched windows, he could see that it looked like the place was having a busy night. It was packed with people, so much so in fact that more than a few were forced to stand back around the windows obscuring the view of what went on inside. That was partially the reason the lantern light from within wasn’t as strong as it would have been.

Arrel took a seat on a fountain across from the tavern and patted a spot on the stone beside him. Obligingly, Karsynwa took a seat where together they watched the tavern quietly for a little while. People came and went while the crowd inside the tavern seemed to remain the same size. Finally, after a few chimes, Arrel looked over at him.

“That group of humans. What do you think they do for a living? Start with what they are wearing and elaborate from there.” Arrel said, leaning forwards onto his knees pensively.

Karsynwa squinted, locating the trio hovering near the entrance of the tavern. Which was both good and bad so far as observation was concerned. Good because he had good light, but bad because people kept passing in front of the group, obscuring his view. They looked rather ordinary to him. Short men who stood a few heads shorter than the Akalaks around them. The men were wearing darker colors, blue black, and burgundy though that last one might have been brown taking on that hue with the red light washing over them. On their hips they carried small wooden weapons, little clubs that looked rather quaint to Karsynwa. Beyond that, he failed to pick up anything particularly special about them. Utterly average they were, though he did remember to note at least their hair color before he turned to Arrel.

“Can’t really make out their eyes, but the one with brown hair on the right is wearing a dark green tunic with trousers and a nice pair of boots. The two fair hairs are wearing something similar though they are lest well kept than the other man. Makes me think that the one on the right is a merchant, and the other two are guards?”

“Is that a question or an answer?” Arrel responded immediately.

Karsynwa winced. “An answer.”

“They are all three sailors.” Arrel said flatly, looking at Karsynwa before he continued. “Aside from the fact that one of them is still clutching their welcome scroll, and their clothes are streaked with salt, you could have possibly inferred this by their choice of location, as well as the way they carry themselves. Merchants tend to have better dress, better guards, and a better choice of taverns to visit when they want to spend a night out in the city. There is a reason this place is packed. That is because it is cheap, and far enough down the cliff that it is often the first respite for weary sailors fresh out of the port. None of these men have Kuvan tattoos so you know they aren’t citizens and from the way they are bunched up you know that they have just come from somewhere together. They’re standing with a bit of a slouch but not bowlegged as one might if they had spent many days riding down here from the Kabrin road. Instead, if you look closely they look like they are standing at an angle, like they would have been doing for the past several days on the deck of a ship.”

“So the clothes didn’t matter?” Karsynwa asked confused.

“They were a factor, but a small one. Some of this is just knowledge you will have to gain on your own from continual observation during your patrols. If you are doing it right, you should start noticing immediately the general details that stick out from a place such as this, and you’ll be able to build on that by talking with the locals in the area. Both of those things combined will give you a decent start on forming your own picture of the place and its inhabitants. Knowing what is normal for an area is only half the battle, but it will help you pick out when something unusual happens. Lets go on to the next place, and this time I will demonstrate.”


WC: 778

[Reed]

Grades Awarded!

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Karsynwa

Skills

• Intelligence: 5
• Observation: 5
• Rhetoric: 1
• Stealth: 1
• Socialization: 5

Lores

• Intelligence: The body language of someone who wants privacy
• Location: Corra Apartments
• Stealth: Drawing attention by hiding in view of others.
• Intelligence: Earning dirty looks after getting caught eavesdropping
• Socialization: Being conservative with information
• Intelligence: Suspicious behavior is when a person acts abnormally
• Location: Kulkukan
• Rhetoric: Using a disappointed tone to provoke an emotion
• Intelligence: Be specific when relating details
• Lore - Konti
• Lore - Nakivak
• Lore - Talvis
• Lore - Battle Goat
• Intelligence: How the wealthy dress their Battle Goats
• Observation: How not paying attention leads to getting details wrong
• Rhetoric: How tone can make a statement sound like a question
• Intelligence: The Kulkukan attracts sailors because of its proximity to the port

Awards & Retribution


Notes