A Whole New World [Moritz]

[Alric Lysane]

5th Fall 521 AV - The Sunberth Dovecote, Outpost Water Garden It had been a trip that he had meant to make some time ago, but circumstances had forestalled and then he had shamefully forgotten, only to remember and then get hit a bit and forget again. Yet now he had remembered. It was not so much a secret as it was that most Sunberthians did not hold the outside world in enough regard to bother to investigate. Alric didn’t know much about the rest of the world but he did know a rumour he liked the idea of following up on. So it was that he walked towards the Overlook and it’s new building – this Dovecote. He had also come prepared. “Who goes?!” came an old voice almost shouting in his ear as soon as he crossed the threshold which caused him to jump back, startled and sticking his finger into his ear. So far the plan was going swimmingly. “Alric…the name’s Alric old man” “Old? Old! You giving my gyp lad?” “I’m not even sure what that is” he said carefully, noting the man held a very serious looking polearm and also noted that their conversation had not started on the best of terms. He tried for a smile. “Calling me senile now?! Right, that’s it lad, you’d bet-“ “I meant no offense at all sir and merely came to feed the bird” “Doves!” “Doves! Imeantdoves!!” he got in quickly as his hand pulled out a small package that had bene tucked behind his belt and offered it to the old codger There was a short bark of a harrumph before the old man stepped forwards and grabbed what Alric offered him and set about opening it, sniffing and muttering to himself. Alric was pretty sure the man also nibbled a few bits too, which was strange seeing as it was essentially bird seed – or as good and close as he could afford to it. Alric was forgotten now and he had a few moments to himself to look up and around – it was an impressive if slightly rundown sight, like much of Sunberth. It was clear that the old man was taking care of things though, some nest boxes – or what he presumed were nest boxes – were new wood. “Faust!” the old man declared eventually. “Faust?” “Me!” the old man cackled as he kicked the door closed, giggling to himself for reasons Alric couldn’t fathom. Rumours only went so far and he was starting to think like he had been played a joke on. He was also acutely aware that he was now shut into a smallish room with an insane old man with a very big weapon. “Ah, I see. Nice to meet you Faust. How…how long have you been looking after the…doves?” he said, stepping slowing towards the exit. “Long enough to know you don’t know doves!” “True, true, but then how would I learn if I never saw one?” “Wanna see?!” Old Faust chuckled again, sweeping his arms up and a few of the doves started flapping down at Alric. Later Alric would not be proud of himself but given the strange situation he had opted for flight. What had started as flight had ended with him opening the door, dashing through, seeing somewhere he had never seen before, trying to crane his head around to figure out what had happened…and then tripping and rolling over a few times before slumping back to the ground with a groan, rubbing his head. It was a little while later, after he had established where he was – well at least he had been told and shown a map of sorts – and having time to gather himself, that he could be found walking the streets of the Outpost. Without knowing he had now wandered curiously towards the Water Garden, knowing not really where he was going, and wondering if he should turn around and run back to Sunberth or not. For now, curiosity was winning out.

[Moritz Craven]

5 Fall 521

Stepping forth from the dovecote door, Moritz once more found himself in the outpost. Unlike before when heading there from Lhavit the temperature change was not that noticeable. Being in Syka heat was normal, although the outpost tended more towards a dry heat than a wet one like in the beach side city and in some ways was better while in other ways worse.

His current outfit was luckily pretty breathable, being a silk button up suit that covered all but his hands, one of which had a bracelet on the wrist, his feet covered in sandals, and above his neck. One of the odd traits of many of the suit was that when it was worn properly and buttoned up his name appeared on the front on a spot over one breast. A small patch with his full name on it. He was unsure how it worked, knowing it was some kind of magic, though he also knew it was not the only one.

Such as the fact that the entire outfit seemed to meld with his fur when he shifted while wearing it, and that while he had grown since receiving it the suit still seemed to fit perfectly.

Along with that today he also had his weapon harness on, as he bore his swords in a scabbard on his back just above his waist. Being commonly used dually the odd scabbard could hold both, though was a bit tricky to remove the weapon from due to the scabbards mouths odd shape meant to keep the weapons from falling out or stabbing someone by accident on a turn.

Over his weapons Moritz also had his pack, filled with normal items such as food, water, random common tools, a chunk of material that looked like glass but was actually skyglass the kelvic had found fully formed, and of course money.

Entering Mortiz saw that the man who passed out maps was free, and so approached to speak to him. Walking towards him it occurred to the young kelvic that when he had first man the man he had been much smaller. And now, only a few seasons later, he was much bigger than he had been then. Now he was nearing six full feet in height and perhaps not done growing seeing as he appeared around sixteen years old in human age.

In truth he was much younger, being a kelvic, which was reflected by his square black Okomo eyes and his oddly colored hair. From a distance though his hair was much more noticeable, and upon closer inspection it would be seen that not only did he had said Okomo eyes but also a colored sunburst around said pupil which marked him as an Iraso, a practitioner of Pathfinding.

"Moritz, greetings! How are you this fine day!?"

Moritz smiled, looking at the man who seemed in as fine spirits as ever. While he might seem charitable Moritz understood the economic facilitation his map handing out performed, having been told of it by said map hander outer himself. His honesty struck a chord with the kelvic and he found he liked the man, one who always found time to speak to Moritz even if only in passing.

"I'm fine, and I can see you are as well. Do you ever have a bad day? I don't think I've seen you have such."

Shaking his head Moritz continued, going into his bag to take out his outpost map he had received from the man long ago and yet in truth not so long ago by most peoples count.

"I was actually thinking of finding some quite place, maybe a good place to stretch and practice my forms with my weapons. I've not been to many places here, do you know of a good one."

The man seemed to think for a moment before inspecting the map, and after a moment tracing an area around the rim followed by a single spot near it.

"You see this spot here, in between the bazaar and the residences along the walls? Thats the hanging gardens. A bit of greenery and walking space to divide the two places, rather than having shops up against houses. Well anyways... See this here... Its a garden off of it, the water garden. Its a nice little place, but I think you would find it useful for your needs. Its not too small, usually not too busy, and a nice quiet place with mostly water sounds."

Moritz pondered for a few moments, thinking over the map and the spots the man had listed, before finally nodding.

"Yes, thank you! I will try it. Lets see... So if I am here... And I need to go here... The best route would be to go... This way... I think."

The man nodded, smiling at Moritz, who seeing his confirmation slowly began to walk off. Once he had taken a few more paces though and felt he had his direction down the young kelvic began to pick up his pace, moving his eyes between his map and the ground before him and checking in spots to make sure he kept on track. He was here... And if he was on track he should be passing... Here...

As usual he navigated by a general sense of keeping direction, but mainly by regular use and checking in with landmarks. Stopping a few times, checking the map, adjusting his direction, and then continuing on at a fast clip with his long legs. Perhaps not the simplest method of moving around, but at the moment it did seem to suit Moritz.

WC: 936

[Alric Lysane]

This new venture was starting to get to Alric. It wasn’t that he felt that he was in any danger, in fact he was fairly sure he was far from it, but the sudden jerking from Sunberth into a new place he had clearly been unprepared for created a small sense of rising panic. He needed to find somewhere for a few moments of stability, ideally with some form of seat and the ability to have a puff or two of his tobacco. Luckily for him he stumbled into a set of gardens with a low wall that he immediately loitered on and didn’t stop thinking about anything else until thin curls of smoke were around his cheeks. He took a deep breath and felt his shoulders relax ever so slightly and his mind went from panic and wariness to a calmer caution and creeping sense of curiosity. This Outpost was certainly something to behold, even if it did lack the certain rustic charm that Sunberth possessed. There seemed to be all types of people her – most of which he didn’t recognise. That was something that certainly made him wonder what else there was hiding around the place. He made a mental note to find out when had had become a bit more accustomed to the place How did I get here? I mean I know the dovecote and door thing but…how? he wondered to himself. Had it been magic? The idea made his skin crawl slightly, spiders creeping across the back of his neck. He wasn’t as zealous as some of Sunberth about magic but he wasn’t, on balance, a fan. Though if he were about to die and there was some magic healing going around he was first in line. He acknowledged the hypocrisy but he felt he and the rest of Sunberth had good reason. Still, there was nothing he could do about it now and so as long as he made sure there were no reimancers about to set him aflame he would have to lump it for a time. Settling into watching the comings and goings of the people he counted a good five different cultures, if not species, and a handful he didn’t think were human. That was both concerning and strangely comforting. Mizahar was clearly easier to survive than many might believe. It was as he watched and puffed that he noticed a lad who was wearing something he couldn’t name but looked nevertheless very impressive…with a name tag too he assumed, though he admitted it might be the tailor’s name or similar. They were armed, which gave him pause, but still seemed largely innocent. Certainly they didn’t seem as dark and raggedly desperate as Sunberthians. “Hi Moritz,” he said as they came close enough for him to read the word properly, “looking very smart today. Gold on legs you could say” he smiled around his pipe to show he was friendly. He had to get to know the place somehow and this one looked to have a map they knew how to read. “Looking for something?”

[Moritz Craven]

Heading along the track he was setting himself Moritz inspected the map again. If he was here... And had turned here... Then that was... There... Then he just needed to go... There...

While he was still learning the ins and outs of moving around the outpost he did feel like he was slowly getting better. He still needed to refer to the map for most things, but found he understood it better and was able to place in his mind what places marked on it were from his past sights of them.

As he turned again he saw something off to the side, and realized he was nearing his destination. Oddly enough it was a sudden staircase, cutting off to the side of the hanging garden. This descended into another area, which looking about did have a good bit of water. Water in the middle, plants, and a route around the edges that made a path and let one walk around it. Simple but nice enough to look at, though Moritz was unsure what exactly the theme was from what he could see. Most of the places here seemed to have some sort of theme, though some were harder to tell than others.

As he was thinking on this he crinkled his nose, a scent hitting his face which he did not like. Looking about he saw it was smoke, and tracing said smoke back he found the source was... A person? Moritz pondered on this for a bit, wondering why a person of all things, not a chimney or grill or something, would be emitting smoke. Had he eaten some hot coals? But no, that would burn his stomach. Inspecting him more closely he saw the man had something in his mouth, which surely then was some sort of implement making the smoke. Though the reason for that evaded him. He had seen and made fires before, but did not understand why someone would purposely breath in such things.

The man emitting smoke seemed to be human, at least as best Moritz could tell. At that he felt that small saddening he often felt at those locked into a single form and limited as such from their full body as Moritz was. He was both his forms, expressing himself as either in turn, but the thought of being born with only one... The thought alone with discomforting. Of course, he reasoned, if he had only known such...

As he was pondering such things he find the smoke emitter taking an interest in him and approaching to speak.

When the man did speak his first words were to use Moritz own name. It took the young kelvic a moment to realize how he knew his name, namely because he was wearing a piece of clothing which displayed his name when worn. Not having worn it too often it had evaded him, and so he had been caught off guard by the man using his name. But having now mentally prepared for it he felt he would better recall next time. Or at least better than this time.

While the smoke he was emitting from his... Smoke emitter... Was confusing, his words once he spoke were even more so. For a moment he looked down at the cloth covering his legs, ascertaining that they indeed were not covered in... Gold. Perhaps some kind of saying from wherever the man was from?

"Gold on my legs? I have no idea what that means... Is that a compliment or?... Something? Would gold be good in this context, as a commonly valuable material? Or.... I mean from context and from your other words I'll assume its meant as a compliment, but I have no idea and have never heard it used before as an expression. What exactly is it meant to convey? And what would its meaning come from? I admit I'm drawing a blank on how it would be... Derived? Yes derived, that'd be the word."

Pausing for a moment Moritz considered the man some more, before responding to his second question.

"As for if I'm looking for anything, I believe I've found it. I was told of this place here, and was heading to this garden. So based on that I'm not looking for anything, instead I've found something."

Pausing once more Moritz frowned slightly, carrying a neutral expression through most of his prior speech and speaking in a rather sedate tone, but now frowning as he eyed the mans smoke maker.

"Also I was wondering, what exactly is that smoke maker? And what would its purpose be? Why would you willingly inhale smoke? I feel like that would be a bad idea. I'm pretty sure inhaling smoke isn't wise. I was told before not to do that on a campfire, but you seem to be doing so now with this."

As he finished speaking Moritz recalled people usually preferred eye contact, and so looked the man in the eyes to hold his gaze, whereas before his eyes had been somewhat wandering, inspecting the other mans eyes even as he clearly showed his own.

WC: 852

[Alric Lysane]

“Compliment?” he wondered aloud, grinning around his pipe stem, “I suppose it depends on how you think of it. Means that you look smart and well off. So you could call it a compliment” he continued, leaving out the part about the naïve nature and robbable assumptions. He was amused, that much was certain to anyone who was watching him. The way this Moritz spoke was strange, almost as if they thought rolling someone over with speech was a physically possible endeavour. He also seemed to be trying to work things out by talking them out instead of thinking in the privacy of his own skull. A strange trait indeed and one he was not used to. Perhaps this was how the rest of the world spoke and Sunberth had just killed it off with its brutal anarchy and destructive nature? No matter, he seems soft enough and certainly no threat. Might as well pass the time talking than in silence, outsider or no he mused to himself. “So you have, so you have. You were looking for here to sit a spell? Been a long shopping trip has it?” he asked by way of friendly conversation. He was making an assumption, the Outpost was chiefly a trading centre from what he had been told on the way in so it made sense to him. He did laugh at the discussion of his pipe though, a deep and rich series of chuckles as he wondered where this one had come from that he had never seen a pipe. After a few moments he steadied himself and met the gaze of this strange outsider and the laughter stopped. He had never seen eyes like it, like a sunburst pattern perhaps he thought, not the usual circle of single colour no. His mouth opened for a few ticks before he closed it and tilted his head, thoughtfully looking at the lad. “I can’t disagree,” he smiled again, “it probably is bad for me but then again what is good for me where I come from? And I have never been wise” “It’s called a pipe and you use it to smoke tobacco…or other things. I find it…calming. And useful for thinking and pondering upon the state of my life and others. Tell me, where can I get eyes like that? You got some special mage powers? Not going to burn me up are you?” he asked. He was unsettled by the idea that he might be in the presence of some sort of mage in training. He had never heard of a mage with those eyes, but he wasn’t about to take chances and at least he’d know where he stood if so…which was still not certain footing. He was not sure how he felt about mages beyond the general breeding towards dislike and suspicion. Fear was common but he wasn’t afraid, an anomaly to be sure for Sunberth. Some were okay if you were about to die from injury of illness, healing was a good thing in general if still unsettling. “If so would you mind if I finished” he went for humour despite the possibility, he was fairly sure he was safe in the Outpost but still humour was often disarming enough to provide a stay of dire events. At least for a time.

[Moritz Craven]

Moritz inspected the man as he spoke, after a moment moving up from his legs and chest to his face to see the grin across it. Apparently, it seemed, the man found something Moritz had said humorous or funny. What that had been Moritz was unsure, and could only make supposition about it.

He did however listen keenly to his words, doing his best to derive meaning from them. Words he felt he understood better, though tones and mannerism less so.

His explanation that it wasn't necessarily a compliment, but was dependent on how it was used was intriguing to Moritz. Another word or phrase he had not heard before and could possibly use and understand. As well one that was subjective in its usage and meaning based on the situation, something he could dig into logically and try to better understand.

As a phrase, according to the man, it meant... That the person looked smart and well off... Normally that was a good thing, but from the mans indication of phrasing it seemed such could also be bad... At least from a certain point of view.

Perhaps thinking a bit too deeply on such a simple thing, Moritz pondered the various uses and meanings. Was that good or bad from the person being called as such? Or from the person saying it? What could be good from one persons perspective, and bad from another?

"I suppose what is good for one person can also be bad for another. For instance if I lost my coin purse, but you found it, that would be good for you and bad for me, but overall being one singular action. From that perspective someone being intelligent and monied could, logically speaking, be good from your perspective, but if say... You were looking for someone to rob and used that as an indicator, it would be bad from my perspective and therefore not a compliment. While being one action or defining word. It would then be about perspective."

Pausing for a moment Moritz looked down at his own clothing, before returning his gaze to the man.

"In truth this was a gift from an old instructor of mine before we parted ways, so I did not buy it myself, and I'm unsure how expensive or not it is. But it does seem to suit me well, and it was a gift, and so I've continued to wear it."

When the man began speaking of Moritz reason for being there and sitting the young kelvic shook his head in disagreement.

"Sit? No, I never said I was here to sit. I just arrived and have not done any shopping today. I just said I was looking for this place. I was told it was quiet and a good place to stretch, and so I thought to get away from the voices of the bazaar and perhaps do some stretching and the like, or perhaps some simple forms to refresh my training. It would not do well to get rusty."

Quite a few things he said seemed to be humorous to the man, and he was still unclear why when he was simply asking clarifying questions and other simple things and statements. Was that perhaps humorous to some? Or was perhaps the man a bit addled in the head and found random things funny?

It was not until he felt a pause in the speech flow and noticed the man staring at his own eyes that Moritz paused for wonder on him. Was his eyes, admittedly a bit odd, that strange to see?

When he did speak his response was even more confusing to the young kelvic, forcing a small frown on his lips. He knew it was bad for him... And did it anyways? He was unclear on the logic behind that, or if there even was one.

After a few moments he went on to explain, but found the explanation even odder. He used it to... Calm himself? Had he no other means of doing so, and or was he so uncalm so commonly that he needed a substance to perform the task at will.

"Have you never heard of meditation? My old instructor, the same one who gave me this outfit, used to speak on it. Its all about calming yourself, your breathing, gaining the control and the like of your own mind. Without any need for outward input to do so. It seems that would work much better, along with being much cheaper seeing as it doesn't cost anything. Plus it isn't as you said bad for you, but in fact from what I understand good. Seems that would be a much better method of calming oneself than inhaling a smoky substance which you have admitted is bad for you."

Pausing for a moment Moritz pondered the man before querying him again. As for his question on his eyes, Moritz put that off for a moment as he spoke and in turn thought on how best to reply.

"If you would like I could introduce you to it, show you some simple tricks and things of the like. I think I know some of the simple first steps enough that I could help you get started at least. If you would like."

"As for my eyes, well I don't know that you could get them even if you wanted to. Though I'm unsure from your words what the connection would be to eyes and burning things. Are you saying you have seen a form of eyes that lets one burn things? If so I would be interested to hear more on such things."

Pausing once more Moritz inspected the man some more before continuing his speech, pausing a bit for dramatic effect as he began his short tale and explanation.

"Anyways, your original question was where you could get eyes like mine. As for that, well its a bit tricky to explain. I did not find these eyes, they were a gift. You see I met and befriended a mountain witch, and after we became friends she gifted these eyes to me as a boon of sorts. She had such eyes, and the ability to pass them on if she chose to do so. Perhaps one day when I fully understand the gift I could try to do so, but I do not think I am anywhere near there yet. I'm unsure what any of that would have to do with these... What did you call them... Mage powers? What exactly are mage powers? Are they related to these eyes that let you burn things?"

Most of Moritz words were spoken in the same deadpan delivery, as if Moritz was talking on nothing of more interest than the current weather or the thickness of various slices of wood taken from a log. Regardless he spoke in such a way that it would likely soon be clear that the jokes and joking the man made were lost on the young kelvic.

"As for the smoke thing, the pipe as you called it, I don't mind, but if you could please keep it from me. If the smoke is bad I don't think I would want it on or near me, or breathing it in. Plus, to be honest, it smells bad."

WC: 1,218

[Alric Lysane]

In Sunberthian terms Alric might be considered to be a talker and a thinker, at least beyond the usual types of thinking that occupied people on the edge of survival. Yet this one left him drowning in words, so much so that he wasn’t quite sure where to begin any response. Even when he had a few words formed it didn’t seem to matter as this Moritz continued onwards, seemingly oblivious to a sense of social convention. Perhaps they all talked like him where he was from but it felt somewhat like jumping from an island to an island, dry stable places temporarily stopping him from being submerged into the verbiage he might drown from. He frowned slightly at first, looking at Moritz shrewdly, wondering if he were trying to poke fun at him by using fancy words. Words that someone dress far more commonly may not understand and so get confused. It was not far of to be fair but still, he didn’t like being made fun of. Over the following several chimes though it became apparent that it was just the way Moritz was. Alric could sense no condescension in the tone of voice or the body language. The frown vanished and was instead replaced with an amused twinkling of his bright blue eyes. He waited for the words to finish, it was about all he could do. “Well it’s good to see that the Sunberth perspective exists in other places,” he said, taking another puff of smoke, “and that the logic makes sense even in the mouth of another land. Yes, were you in Sunberth you might be considered a good target. I suppose that could also be true” he conceded. “As to the smoking…sure why not. I’ll put it out. It may smell bad to be true but you never know, perhaps one day you will change your mind and quite like it. If so then think of me on that day,” he took one last puff, breathing it out through his nose before tapping the pipe and treading upon the embers, putting the pipe away. He had relaxed slightly at the mention of a witch. He wasn’t sure what was meant by it but Moritz didn’t seem to understand what he had meant by mage and didn’t seem the type to wilfully lie by how direct he had been so far. His shoulder muscles relaxed and he realised he had been coiled up ready to act without fully realising. He mused upon the revelation of the eyes and the suggested ignorance of what he had been gifted. Alric was not sure he’d accept something without knowing precisely what it was, especially if it altered his own body in some way. Still…there were more types in the world than he had fingers so who was he to judge. “If you’re never seen eyes that could burn you to ash where you stand then clearly you’ve never spent much time around a woman,” he said with a grin, “though to be sure you may wish you hadn’t in such a circumstance. Thankfully I like mine as they are, I have been told they are quite charming…though that might’ve been the coin too” “These forms you mention…what do you mean by them? Are they related to this meditation you talked about? I’m not sure about training but I’ve spent many a Bell looking into fires and thinking upon life, relaxing. Perhaps this is what you mean by meditation?” he asked. He was curios now this Moritz seemed to know more than he did about a few things and that likely meant there were more things beyond that he knew more of too. He never turned away knowledge and information when it was deigned to be gifted to him and so he probed a little further to see if more would be forthcoming. After all he never knew when something learned would lead to other things found and ideas that had never been considered bursting forth. That was never a bad thing, so long as he kept his head. “You seem to have had many teachers. Where do you come from that is so filled to the brim with knowledge and those just giving it to people? And what in the name of Eyris is a mountain witch? Are you a witch then?” he asked, again with a slight apprehension he couldn’t fully extinguish. With Moritz, he was learning, it was probably best to be direct and just ask. Sunberth rules would usually suggest not to but this was not Sunberth and Moritz was not the average person it seemed.

[Moritz Craven]

Moritz was many things, however short on words was not one of them any would use to describe him. It was not uncommon for him to spout on for some time, and for him talking things through and out was just a part of his logical method of reasoning. The act of speaking seemed to help him, and so when he was trying to make sure he understood something someone was saying he often repeated it in his own words and explained his understanding and reasoning.

While this was perhaps unusual for some it was common for Moritz.

At the mans mentioning of the "Sunberth Perspective" Moritz pondered for a bit, reasoning that this was either were the man was from or lived. From some of his later words it seemed both might be true, and almost certainly that he currently lived there. That seemed quite likely.

"I'm not sure about the Sunberth Perspective, but from what you said it just seemed... Logical. Otherwise your meaning would not have made sense. It seemed to be the way you were thinking of it at least, from what you said. About different perspectives, and being good or bad depending on said perspective. Though that does seem to indicate my reasoning was sound. I'm not saying I agree with it, nor do I disagree with it, I was just trying to understand and state your point of view and logic, as a... Person of... Sunberth is it?."

He could not recall having heard the name before, but there were not too many cities so if this man was from it surely it was a large one. From the sound of things though if such a phrase was common and it had such connotations it did not seem like the... Friendliest.... Of places. Though, Moritz realized, at that point he was more dissecting the possible culture of another city as much as he was trying to reason it out logically. Not, he realized, that the two were mutually exclusive. Moritz realized it might have been of use to learn some of such things before moving to another city, but now was forced to learn things as best he could on the fly.

If nothing else Moritz found the man to be willing to compromise, at least in the small matter of smoking. Of course this seemed as likely a tactic at getting more information out of Moritz as a desire to make him happy, since if he scared Moritz off he would not learn anything else. If this other place had such a negative connotation, then it seemed likely to not be easy in terms of trusting people, and so would be more likely to try to gain any information from a possible source...

It was not long before Moritz however found himself confused once more, only realizing after the fact that the man might be using some form of metaphor and symbology and not meaning literal flames from eyes... Or at least he thought as such, not being quite sure.

As for the mention of coin Moritz was even more confused by that, reasoning that the man had been paying people to... Compliment his eyes? Or at least had been paying someone to do something else which had included said eye compliment? He was even less sure what this was referring to, simply eyeing the man with a brow raised. He himself did not look too old, appearing perhaps sixteen years in human age while in truth being much younger as a kelvic, but could not fathom what indirect coin usage would result in eye praise.

"Uh,,, Right.... Anyways..."

Luckily for Moritz the conversation continued and another topic was brought up that Moritz was able to understand and explain unlike some of the earlier ones.

"Forms? Oh, no I meant combat forms, for training with a sword."

At this Moritz paused, tapping one hand against his scabbard on his back and the weapons held within with a few quick pats.

"My instructor was a combat trainer, and part of my training was to use a sword. From what she said, forms are common patterns or... Well literal forms, motions and ways you place your body, used in training. I suppose it could be used in other things, like stretching and the like... Not sure about meditation, since its not overly physical. I suppose that could be a part of meditation, though staring into a fire isn't exactly how I was taught it. I don't think relaxing and meditation are necessarily the same thing, but neither are they necessarily separate things."

At his comment on teachers Moritz frowned, running back through the past exchanges they had. Had he mentioned many teachers? After a few moments of thinking on this the kelvic shook his head, not in agreement.

"Many teachers? I've only mentioned one actually, is one many? I wouldn't think so... Also no one said teaching was free, you seem to be assuming a lot of things from what I've said that I have not said. My mother paid for my combat instructor, she wasn't free. As I don't think are most teachers, or else how would they make a living? Teaching is an exchange. Often though, in my experience, just because someone seems to be doing something for free doesn't mean they actually are. Like the man who gives out maps here. I asked him about it once, and I came to understand it. He worships Xyna, who is all about trade. His giving directions and maps helps facilitates that trade. And so his doing so, facilitating trade, is a method of worship for his own divine. Outwardly it might seem he is doing it for nothing, but he is not."

Pausing for a moment Moritz tapped his chin, thinking for a few moments.

"As for me, I offered to teach you some meditation, but then I did so for several reasons. One, teaching something to someone else helps you better learn that same thing at times. Plus it better helps one learn the act of teaching in and of itself. Plus I get some enjoyment out of explaining something to someone who does not understand it. That and a few other reasons would be why I made the offer. Various little things."

Having gotten off track and focusing on one of the things Alric had asked of many Moritz had lost track of the last question, that of explaining the witch and such related topics, and so had forgotten at that moment respond to it.

"Oh, and is that another local phrase? Who or what is Eyris?"

WC: 1,106

[Alric Lysane]

“Yes I am from Sunberth,” he said, “for my sins” He left it at that, there wasn’t much to say being truthful and he hadn’t really ever been one for letting people know where he lived. He supposed it was inbuilt caution for city where you could be robbed whilst asleep. It seemed a reasonable enough conclusion to him as he scratched his chin and didn’t really pursue that thought further, it wasn’t important. “Your reasoning was sound enough. I’d wager most don’t think it through like you do but yes it was…logical” That was the simple and direct part of the next stage of conversation. There was little else to say and it became apparent that his next words were far more interesting and worth listening to intently. Some seemed the same as in Sunberth, though he was willing to bet gold miza that the teaching methods were worlds apart considering their apparently different backgrounds. He was fairly sure that it wasn’t too common that people might die whilst being taught where Moritz was from, not at such a high rate at any rate. Though, being fair he had no idea. “You are correct, I did assume,” he looked into those strange eyes again, “but now I know for you corrected me. A good mechanism, no? No matter, it would sound as if your life has been much more enjoyable than some I have known. Perhaps you are indeed blessed by the gods, like this map man. As for me…well I’m not sure that I’d say blessed describes much of my life. Still I suppose one can live in hope” he snorted at himself. “Eyris is the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. Things which I admire but perhaps are a bit short on” he said, noting that the witch comment seemed to have passed Moritz by. On balance he supposed it didn’t matter. He was here now and interacting with Moritz and he sensed no threat. A strange nature perhaps but no threat. If anything, they seemed less dangerous than some of the ones prowling the streets of Sunberth, so he let it go. He hadn’t even heard of a witch before so that was new information to be entertained by, that was enough. Perhaps he would look into it himself between other things. It sounded like something worth knowing, especially if these mountain witches were into giving gifts but were not in point of fact fire wielding magic users who would turn him to ash for no reason. Xyna was a new one too, surprising since he had spent many a day in markets and the like. He hadn’t heard of Xyna before though…perhaps it was a merchant thing and they kept it to themselves. He had a mental note to ask some merchants hext time he had business in the Commons. “Tell you what, perhaps I could take you up on your offer of meditation training…then you can try to hit me with those forms of yours. Or just try to hit me…I can be quite fast so I doubt I’d be hurt. Call it fair trade?” he asked, waiting for the answer. If affirmative he’d follow the instruction, this meditation seemed familiar and somewhat interesting.

[Moritz Craven]

Moritz frowned as he examined the mans words, unsure once more what he meant. He was from Sunberth... For his sins? Moritz was completely puzzled by this, and was not sure what the man could mean. He gathered Sunberth was bad, but putting that with where one was from... That was even more confusing rather than less.

As the man quickly moved on to other topics Moritz continued that vein of the conversation, still somewhat wondering what the man might have meant.

"Well I mean, I do try to be logical and use reasoning as much as I can before acting or making a decision. When I am able to. Plus, I find people make more sense when you try to reason out such things. Motivations and the like. I also try to avoid assumptions. Logical reasoning can help narrow things down, to consider what is most likely, but I find it also helps to avoid assumptions in trying to be logical."

"As for the gods, I don't know if I'd say I'm blessed or not. I've never met one, at least not that I remember... I think possibly something or other just before I was born, involving Dira, but you'd have to ask my mother about that since I wasn't yet born on that day."

Thinking back Moritz recalled bits and pieces of talking about the day he was born, but had never gotten the full specifics. He knew his mother had been visited by Dira, and something involving people dying had occurred, but beyond that he knew little. And even that was from bits and pieces and words said here or there.

Mortiz knew a few divine beings from talk earlier in his life, but he also understood there were many he knew little or nothing about. He knew Dira from growing up in a household with his mother who worshiped her. He knew Caiyha from his talking with said mountain witch who was her worshiper, and helped explain some things to him. He also new Zintilla as she ruled over Lhavit where he was raised, and was quite often talked about. Morwen he knew of from his vision on her seasons past, the divine of winter and cold... And Xyna the one he had named as she was the divine over the Outpost and it seemed everyone talked about her all the time there if given a chance. He'd learned of her on his first day when he had gotten his map.

Listening to Alric it seemed Eyris was another such Goddess, this of... Knowledge and Wisdom. He had not heard of her before, or at least did not remember doing so in the paat. Assuming of course this was true, which Moritz tried to not assume. Instead he took in the information and would look for secondary confirmation to ensure his first source was not wrong. He could not think of a reason for Alric to lie at that moment, or what gain he would have from making things up, but he did not eliminate it as a possibility.

It was as Moritz finished listing off all of these divine beings that the young kelvic noted something. They were all Goddesses. Surely though there were male gods? At the moment wracking his memory he found he could not name even one, but it made sense that if their were female goddess' there would also be male Gods. He just did not seem to know of any of them. Or had he heard of others and forgotten?

As he was mulling this over though Alric asked another question in an attempt to continue the conversation. Meditation? After a moment Moritz recalled the earlier line of conversation, and his own offering to instruct him in a bit of such things.

"Right, meditation... I'm not sure what you mean by fair trade, but I don't mind showing you some things for meditation. Well, for starters you would want to relax. Why don't we go sit on a bench?"

With that Moritz motioned for Alric to follow, and took a seat on a nearby bench within the walkway. Patting the spot beside him Moritz motioned for Alric to follow, and continued with the assumption he would. When he began to speak and give directions it was in a calm even tone, not rushing or hurrying but just speaking in a calm manner. Of course such was common for Moritz who tended outwardly at least towards a more neutral countenance. Not as he did not feel things, but as he did not often express such or at least not in a way most people understood.

"So once your comfortable relax your body, close your eyes, and try to clear your mind. Just picture a blank emptiness. And focus on your breathing. Only the empty and your breathing, nothing else. Take in a deep slow breath and hold it. Count to three... One, two, three... And slowly let it back out. And then breath back in again a deep slow breath, and hold it. Continue to picture nothing, just the blank empty and your breathing. Focus on nothing else. And then repeat."

WC: 860