A journey to the desert

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DragonKitty

DragonKitty

Scholar
Jasmine and Lobias sit on their horses just outside of the gates to Parson’s Breach, patiently waiting for their newly found brother Isawda to join them for their journey to their homeland. Their Uzuari guard stands nearby holding onto his horse and an extra pair of horses. “I wonder if our brother Isawda will bring his nest mate with him to meet his new family? I brought along an extra horse in case she does join us” Jasmine says to Lobias, who merely grunts and shrugs his shoulders in response as he doesn’t really care he just wants to get home. Jasmine gives her brother Lobias an exasperated look and says, “I know you are eager to go home, stop being so childish, we should reach home in a week with these horses as I chose the fastest I could find”. With that she looks towards Parson’s Breach and resumes waiting patiently for her new brother, knowing that he is just packing his gear and taking care of any last minute things before beginning this journey with them.

(the actions and responses of Lobias, an NPC, are stated here with the approval of PLOT)
 
Stepping out of the gate of Parsons Breach Isawda stopped to draw a breath of the crisp fall air deep into his lungs. As he exhaled he felt himself let go of the knot that had settled in his chest. Things had happened so fast. For as long as he had memories, he had been looking for any hint of his mother. Then in a few minutes he learned that he had a brother and sister, and that he would never, ever, have the reunion that he had dreamed of for so long.

With a shake of his head Isawda set his feathers aflutter and his feet on the path away from Parsons Breach toward the group of horses and riders waiting just ahead. If things went as planned he should be back about the same time that Ithawda should return from her own investigations. They had already been apart too long and he knew that he was less than complete without her.

Stepping up into the saddle of one of the extra horses, he nodded to Lobias and turned to his new sister.

"Jasmine, please tell me again what you know of my mother. I fear that knowing she was lost to me was such a shock that I was in a daze as you told me of her life and passing." He shrugged sheepishly. "It is a story that I will probably want to hear many times, until it is set in my heart and cleanly recorded in my mind and stone."
 
Jasmine smiles at Isawda, gathers up her reins and nudges her horse into a walk knowing the others will follow, she motions Isawda to come up and ride beside her saying "Of course my brother, let me begin".

“Her name was Myrius, although I think your father would have known her under a different name but what that was I do not know. As a young girl she was a servant girl; the desert tribes will sometimes war amongst the other villages, usually stealing stuff or taking slaves, not all out to-the-death war. It’s more a show of might rather than a desire to kill the enemy. Mother was taken in such a raid for a servant to the chieftain of the tribe. When she was near womanhood she grew restless and wanted more out of life than what she had.”

“Keep in mind brother that our servants, and even slaves, are treated very well. More like tribe members in truth, and usually end up marrying into the tribe to become full members. This is what eventually happened with our mother…but I digress, let me continue with events in their proper order, we will get to that part of her life soon enough.”

Lobias cut in, spitting on the road as the horses plodded on. ”Do we really need to tell him everything about our people?”

“Yes Lobias, we do. He is part of our people in spirit, he deserves to know all about us, and about Mother as well.”

Turning back to Isawda, Jasmine pleaded with her eyes. “Sorry about Lobias, he never wanted to leave the desert, thinking that a search to find you was futile. He also can’t understand why Mother chose to leave all those years ago.”

“Let me continue: Mother decided to leave, escaping in the night, taking food and clothing with her. She killed a guard who spotted her in order to make her escape. She managed to find space on a caravan that she came across, and it was there that she began using a new name to hide her identity. I have no details on the journey itself, only that she eventually found her way to Dormus. There she met your father and eventually had you. She never told us details of her time in Dormus, but she was there for over five years. One day the Uruzaries came to the Biata city, when they had found where she had been hiding all this time. They had with them papers to prove her crimes and identity, including her status as a servant. Mother did not say why your father just let them take her, but he did. She was returned to our tribe to pay for her crimes, and forced to leave you behind. She was to become a slave instead of a servant, bound with ropes at all times to prevent any future escapes.

“I do not know the exact amount of time, but it was at least ten years later or maybe longer, one of the tribes warriors took a liking to her. He asked the chieftain to make her his wife, swearing the she would not escape. His wish was granted. Mother came to accept her new life, our father treated her kindly, and within a few years Lobias and I were born.

“Our tribe lives a simple life, travelling throughout the year following food and water. She seemed happy as a wife and mother, but sometimes she would seem sad but would not say why. Our father was a strong warrior, we wanted for nothing as he was always able to provide for us. She never went hungry or cold and never wanted for anything. But several months ago she got sick, a coughing sickness that came with a high fever. In a matter of just a few days she grew weak and frail. One night, she quietly told us the story of her time in Dormus, and of you, making us promise to seek you out, for had an object she took with her when she left Dormus that she wished you to have. It was claimed by our chief upon her return to the tribe, and he has had it ever since. Mother passed soon after she told us the story; she seemed at peace, much more serene than I believe I have ever seen her. When we approached the chief with our request to fulfill her dying wish, he said we could travel to find you but that the object he would keep until you came to claim it; we were not allowed to see it so I cannot tell you what it is.”
 
Isawda listened with sad smile to the story of his mothers life and death. Even her passing, surrounded as it was by family, only made the smile tremble slightly. At his age he had always known that, if his mother was of one of the shorter lived races, he might only ever find memories of her. He had found much more. A brother, a sister, and a whole peoples he was now bound to.

"I think she was know as ... Myra to my... father." Isawda shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. "At least that is the name I heard in whispers when I was very young."

Frowning he continued "I have no idea what she would have taken, or even wanted, from her stay in Dormus. While father would certainly not defend her if he felt he had been deceived, or if his overly precious reputation was a risk, he would never let anything he valued out of his control." His lips twist in what bore only a passing resemblance to a smile. "Wives that were an embarrassment, and sons who asked question of them, he obviously did not place value in."

Twisting in his saddle. he seems to shake of the ill mood.

"Lobias, be sure that I do not wish to intrude beyond paying my respects to my mother and her people. I have obligations, both of duty and of the heart in Parson Breach and must return there almost immediately. I would appreciate it if you would help me during my brief time in the desert. With your guidance I would hope to pay those respects without intruding or offending."

Reaching out to offer his hand he asks "Will you help me honor our mother, and show respect for the desert and it people?"
 
Lobias hesitates for a moment, and then takes Isawda’s hand, thinking perhaps this half-brother isn’t so bad after all. “You wish to fulfil your duty, seeing this through...I like this. This is honourable. Mother would have been pleased, and our people will respect this as well.” Letting go, he nudges his horse back to follow behind so that Iswada and Jasmine can continue their talk if they wish.

Jasmine smiles, pleased to see her brother become more accepting. “Tell us of your life, brother. What was your childhood like, and how did you come to be at Parson’s Breach?”
 
Isawda settles back in the saddle and lets his body relax into the rhythmic gait of the horse. His eyes are on the horizon but he seems to be seeing something much farther away.

"The story of my life is a tale of three parts. "
He grins "Well, maybe that is now becoming four."

"My earliest memories from childhood are of a modest home with a few servants. Although my father always acted like it was a grand palace with an army of staff. Perhaps he only saw it as he wished it. But at least he saw the house. I always seemed to be invisible."

With shake of his head he throws off the dark mood that threatened to hold him in its grip. "But that changed when I pestered him with questions about my mother. It only took a few days and he suddenly saw the need to have me 'fostered' after the style of some noble houses."

"That lead to the second portion of my life, and to be honest, one of the happiest of times. In the nearby village of Smallford I learned from an honest blacksmith, and a gentle earth mage. They were not highly skills but they were good people and they gave me a solid base in those skills that I would need so badly in the years to come. But most important of all, there is where I met Ithawda." As he says her name his face brightens and his eyes glow. "As happy as I was there she felt constrained in such a place, and wished to see all of the world. Ithawda does nothing in half measures!"

"The next part of my life was to wander with Isawda over many lands. While we traveled for her curiosity and desire to always be seeing something new, I was constantly on the lookout for any hint of who my mother might have been and where she had gone so long ago. We saw many wonders, much of the ordinary, and far to much of the hand of necromancy which seems to be reaching out its dark hand to touch our world." His face briefly becomes very hard and cold. There seems to be far more than the usual earth weavers opposition to the undead behind his words and anger.

"Then a few months ago we ended up in Parsons Breach. A place much troubled by many dangers, including waves of undead. That would be enough to keep us there for some time. But the town also has the most unusual population. Those people would hold us there, even if there was less need of us to help face the dangers that lurk about the place."

Isawda frowns. "It seems a very short tale to explain 86 years of my life. But each of those portions was far longer in the living than in the telling."

He turns in the saddle to look directly at Jasmine. "But 86 years it has been since I was born. And from what you tell me, you were born not very long after." He tries to look directly into her eyes. "For most of the shorter lived races, that is a very long time. And yet you and Lobias seem far younger than that."
 
“Isawda, I didn’t think of that point until now. The only thing that Lobias and I both know for sure is that we have both seen more than 30 winters, but our mother seemed no more than middle-aged to us, even in death. All of us thought, when she died, that she was taken too early; she wasn’t thought to be elderly and should have had many good years left in her. You know, come to think on it, I can’t recall Mother ever saying her actual age. She would simply smile and say something along the lines of “just old enough to raise a beautiful and wise child like you”. Perhaps though it doesn’t matter, we have found each other now and that has made me happy.”

The days in the saddle fly by quickly, with many tales to tell between the newly found siblings. The travel was easy with calm weather, pausing only briefly to water the horses, eat a quick meal, and rest around the campfire overnight. After a couple nights together, Lobias seemed to warm up more to Isawda and they began little bouts of sparing and sword play. All too quickly, the small band of travellers found themselves approaching the desert’s edge. After one more night in the open, Jasmine wakes with the first light and begins breakfast. The time is near to introduce Isawda to the rest of her people; she wonders what is in store for them and what the mysterious item is. After breakfast the horses are made ready and the travellers mount up once again, with Lobias racing ahead to prepare the Sultan and Elders for their arrival.
 
Lobias sat upon the saddle of his mount thinking to himself... "It's good to be back on the road home, what luck we have to actually find him. Jasmine is way too trusting of strangers, we don't know what kind of person this Isawda is. One of these day that kindness will get her in trouble. But as a promise to mother I have accompanied her and has found him, how will the chieftain reacts to this outsider..."

He spots the village ahead and urge his horse to run faster. It's good to be home.
 
Jasmine shifts in her saddle as they start forward; it is time to give her new brother a quick lesson on her tribe’s customs. “We will reach our tribe shortly my brother. Our tribe is one of the Jackal Tribes. We are a nomadic people and our home is the Edgeland desert, which is split into Sultanates. Each Sultanate has its own Sultan or Sultana, but all are ruled by the Shariah, forever may he reign, who resides in Ashtara, the Jewel of the Desert Sands, the central city and capital of our homeland.

“When we reach our tribe we will take you to meet our Chieftain, Al-Hadiye, his wife, the Kaehfu, meaning ‘The Leaders Second’, Fahime, and the Elders. You will also meet our Great Shaman, Al-Wahed. What they will say or what they will ask, I do not know. When you are introduced, show respect by bowing until the Chieftain asks you to rise. Remember too that in our tribe there is no task that is too small or too big to take on. Our motto is Find The Way, even if the odds seem impossible. The good of the tribe must always come first.

“One last thing: there is an order to command in our tribe that is absolute. The Chieftain speaks for all, and his word is final; then the word of the Kaehfu, and then the word of the Elders. There are other ranks for honour, military, and other notable organizations, but I will not go into all of them. I believe you know now what you need to.”

As the village looms ahead, Jasmine can see that Lobias is waiting with a group of warriors, watching them approach. Stopping her horse several feet from the group, Jasmine dismounts and hands the reins of her horse to one of the warriors.
 
Lobias looks up to his new brother and smiles. “Come, they have made a place ready for you, in our Mother’s memory. A feast is prepared, and there will be dancing tonight! Enter our camp, and enjoy the hospitality of the Desert Tribes!”
 
The group settled around the great fire at the centre of the camp. Children lined the outside, some paying attention while most played their own made-up games. Adults made up the centre of the gathering, with the Chieftain, Kaehfu, and a Shaman nearest the fire. The Shaman motioned to a young initiate, who ran from the circle and disappeared into a tent.

The Chieftain turned to face the newcomer squarely.

"Isawda, is it? Please, sit, and listen to what I will say now. You will have time tonight to rest, and ask questions of those in our humble camp, but I must insist in the morning that you travel quickly back to your own town. You are needed, and your destiny is awaiting you there, not in the sands. Both your mother, and our Shaman, have been shown this in visions, and is the reason for our haste. We have a Ritual prepared for you, however, so that in the morning when you begin your journey home it will take only a third of the normal time to get there.

"Isawda, your mother was a woman who was strong, compassionate, and loved by all in our camp. She had no enemies, except perhaps Fate, who stole her away from us too soon. Let me introduce you to Gaur t'Lan, Lobias and Jasmine's father." He gestured to a heavily muscled man who would have been considered near to Elder status, had he not been in such excellent physical condition. Gaur flashed a quick smile, and nodded his head, but made no other movement.

The Chieftain continued, while the Shaman's initiate returned with a bundle of blankets.

"As you have no doubt already been told, Myrius left something for you. It was her wish that you have something, and we honour her memory by fulfilling her dying wish, and you honour us by coming this far to retrieve it."

The Shaman, dark wild hair framing a square jaw and piercing green eyes, pointed a finger at the only Biata in the circle. "I have my doubts that you are her true son. I, too, spoke with Myrius on her death bed, and she gave me specific instructions for the proper test of which to show if you are her blood son or not. You have passed in sight already, as she stated your were Biata. But her true kin? We shall see. If you fear not, hold out your hands for her simple test to be taken."

The Shaman unwrapped the blankets to reveal a very large egg! It was pristine! The smooth surface of dark blue tones sparkled like a jewel in the sunlight.

The large egg settled into Isawda's hands. He tested the weight, but otherwise did nothing, unsure of what this was to prove. Glancing about, he finally settled his gaze on the Shaman, who was frowning.

"Perhaps you are not who we seek, after all."

As the Shaman was about to step forward to retrieve the valuable item, a small light flared for a brief moment on the egg shell. The sparkle turned into a shimmer, and begin coalescing into a thin line around the centre of the egg, creating a line of bright yellow light that seemed to come from within. Suddenly there was a loud crack. Part of the egg lifted away, revealing itself and the delicate work of art located within.

The Shaman spoke in an awed, hushed tone, but the frown did not leave his face. "You are Myrius' son!"
 
Isawda'e eyes glow with the joy of new discovery as he looks down into the wonder that he holds. Shaking free of it spell, he bows low in turn to the Chieftan, the Shaman, and his mothers husband. "You all do me too much kindness and honor."

While he smiles with joy, his travel dusted cheeks are traced with the path of his tears. "I know my mother was not treated well in the land where I was born. I give praise to and for those who took her into thier home, thier family and thier hearts."

He looks a little troubled as he admitts "The ritual that you offer I must accept most gratefully. My nest mate, Ithawda by name, expectes me to be in Parsons Breach when she returns shortly. And that holding is beset by many dangers, and needs every blade and spell to hold them bay. Even those as modest as my own."

"The only thing greater than my joy in meeting my mothers second family and those who became her people, is my sadness that the meeting is so brief."

He agains bows, this time to the group as a whole. "I hope that in what little time we have you will tell me more of the mother that I have soughts for so long. And that in our future you and the fates will allow me to return when time and events press less quickly on our heels."

Isawda remains bowed in respect as awaits thier reply. Whatever it is, he vows that he will honor it both in the spirit and the letter of thier words.
 
<Written by Plot with permission by all involved>

"Isawda, you speak well, and from what little I know thus far, you appear to be an honourable soul." The Chieftain raises his arms, and calls upon the entire Tribe to welcome their guest. "Welcome into our family, while though you may not be of our blood or kin, your mother spoke kindly of you, and was so loved by these people, that I welcome you also as a honorary member of our family. Tonight, we feast, we share stories of our humble crafting and daring battles, and listen in turn to your memories if you would share them! Meet with your tribe, and ask your questions of us. After your rest, when daylight breaks, the Ritual will begin to speed your journey."

The night drifted too quickly away, with indeed much food, drink, and stories shared. Late into the night they spoke around the fire, through three meals, until they were too tired to continue.

True to their word, as dawn broke, the Shaman and Kaehfu woke Isawda, bringing him into the Shaman's tent where a Circle of Power waited. Jasmine, Lobias, and everyone of the Tribe was awake to see the Biata who had become family off.

The Ritual did not take long, and shortly after some heartfelt goodbyes, Isawda began his journey back to Parson's Breach. His trip was much faster than he even expected, despite his instructions on what the Ritual would do for him. In one day he had already passed two of the familiar camps that Jasmine and Lobias had made with him! The magic that aided him and pushed him so rapidly would last long enough to see him to his destination, but no longer, and so Isawda pushed himself as much as he could to take advantage of it.

Despite his feeling of emptiness for leaving the new family he had discovered, he felt a growing churning in his heart to return through the mountains to the town he had called home for these last months. He would be there soon. He took advantage of the time alone each night at camp to study the egg he carried with him, wondering at the secrets it might reveal.
 
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