• Solo • [Warrick] Back Again

29th of Saun 718

The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
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Lei'lira
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[Warrick] Back Again

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29th Saun, 718


It felt strange being back on the farm. Echoes of a previous life seemed to flutter through the house mocking her. Echoes of a time when she had felt safe here; when this farm had been her sanctuary...her home. Now though, she couldn't wait to get everything settled so that she could put this place behind her once and for all. Maybe then the memories of being dragged out of what should have been her sanctuary would finally stop haunting her.

As Lei'lira had suspected, it had not taken her long to find a buyer for her farm. One of her neighbors had a son who had just gotten married, so he and his young wife were looking for a home of their own. Her neighbors were getting on in arcs, so while the newlyweds wanted a home of their own, they wanted to stay close enough that they could help their parents out when needed. It had helped that Lei'lira wanted to sell quickly so she was willing to give the new family a good price for her farm. The fact that she was looking to sell the farm fully furnished helped as well. All the new owners would need to bring with them was their own clothing, bedding, and the like.

"We have all of our things boxed up now, Lei'lira. What can we help you with?" Eri asked with a concerned tone.

Lei'lira smiled fondly at her "little sister" as she thanked her. Atreyu, Lil'ari, and Kei'iru were hovering behind her with worried expressions. Had her anxiety at being back here really been that obvious? Probably. It was hard being back here after everything that had happened. Lei'lira had already lost herself in flashbacks three times. Teia had pulled her out of one, and Eri had pulled her out of the second one. The third...that one had been the worst so far. Teirue had been the one to find her. The poor girl had been terrified to see her adopted mother in such a state. Fortunately, Sai'ryl and Tae'ryn had been near by when it happened. Sai'ryl had done her best to calm the hysterical child while her younger sister had gotten their older sisters to help. Ei'ryl took charge of the younger children and did her best to sooth them while Ei'ryn pulled her out of the flashback. Since then, all of the children had taken it upon them selves to keep an eye on her. If at least one wasn't in the same room with her, they were near by in case she needed help. And they would pop in to check on her frequently. Like now.

"How about Teirue? Is she all packed up, too?"

Atreyu nodded.

"She's taking a quick nap with Tiran and Taerin now, but Ei'ryl helped her pack before she got the little kids down for their naps."

"Is Kaien taking a nap, too?" Lei'lira asked hopefully.

"No, but Teia is with him. She's reading him a story in the hopes that he will fall asleep soon. Sai'ryl and Tae'ryn are with her." Lil'ari told her.

Lei'lira thought for a few trills. Most of her stuff was packed too, but there were still a few things she needed to go through. Like that chest that belonged to her mother. It was the strangest thing. It had been locked for many arcs; ever since her mother had lost the key for it when she and Lazuli were five. But the key that Lei'lira had gotten from one of the road guards the one time she had tried to bribe one for information had turned out to be the key that her mother had lost. Lei'lira had lost track of the key herself when she couldn't find what it might belong to after searching for a few trials after she'd gotten it. But she had found it again while sorting through her things to see what she wanted to take with her, and what would be left behind for the new owners.

"I still have things I need to sort through, and finish packing, but the house could use a good cleaning before we turn the farm over to its new owners. Would you be willing to start that? Ei'ryl and Ei'ryn don't really have anything to pack up, so they would probably be willing to help you clean, too."

The kids were quick to agree. Kei'iru was so enthusiastic about having something she could help with that she promised Lei'lira that the cleaning would be done before she finished sorting through the rest of the things she needed to look through. Lei'lira didn't know about that, but she thanked the kids and watched them run off to go start cleaning before getting back to the task at hand.

As she stared at the chest in question, Lei'lira found that she had had very mixed feelings; both about the chest, and about its former owner. After several bits of simply staring at the chest, Lei'lira finally knelt in front of it. She stared at the key in her hand for several more bits before putting it into the lock, and turning it slowly. There was some resistance due to the fact that the lock had not been opened in so long. Somehow, it felt as though the chest was as reluctant to be opened as Lei'lira was to open it. In many ways, she was opening a door to the past that until now she had meant to keep firmly shut. To do otherwise was simply too painful for her.

Why did you leave, Mother? When Dad died, we all lost someone who was very important to us. In some ways, he was Lazuli's most important person. But he was taken from us. He died. I hated losing him, but I understood; he didn't want to leave us. He had no choice. But you...you did have a choice. You chose to leave us. As soon as Dad's funeral was over, you were gone. Why? Was it something I did? I was always closer to you than I was to Dad, just as Lazuli was closer to Dad than you. Did I do something to drive you away? Was I not a good enough daughter to keep you with us after your husband died?

Lei'lira braced herself as she lifted the lid of the chest. Would she find answers in her mother's chest? Or nothing but more questions? She took a deep breath, and looked inside. The chest was filled with old journals. Most of them were her mother's diaries. Lei'lira counted twenty one of those; one for every arc her parents had been married. But there was a book that contained some flute music mixed in with the diaries. When Lei'lira flipped through it, she recognized her mother's handwriting. Were these all songs that her mother had played for her father? She remembered hearing several of them growing up, but some were new to her. Some of the songs were ones that had been common in Warrick when Lei'lira was a child. But others were ones she had never heard outside her home. Could her mother have written those songs? It was possible, but Lei'lira knew that she would never know for certain; her mother had abandoned them, so she wasn't here for her to ask. That thought left her feeling bitter, and heart sore, so she closed the book firmly. It wasn't until after she had done so that Lei'lira realized that she had been reading the flute music as easily as she had arcs ago when she used to play the flute under her mother's guidance. Some things were never forgotten.

At the bottom of the chest, Lei'lira found a box that looked as though it had been made out of tightly woven grass. The grass must have been of different types because it was different colors, and it was woven together in a way that had created a pretty pattern. Had her mother made it? Curious, Lei'lira opened the box. She found several necklaces within the box. Each was made out of a mixture of bone beads and beads made out of shells. Some had been painted, others had not. Some were plain, and some were ornately carved. Gifts from a childhood friend, perhaps? It was obvious that the necklaces had been precious to her mother at one time, and Lei'lira didn't think her mother could have made them. At the very least, she had never told Lei'lira that she knew how to make beads. There was something made of leather underneath the necklaces, so Lei'lira began lifting them out one by one, being careful not to get them tangled up; there were nineteen in all.

Lei'lira took a closer look at the leather object, and found that it was a pouch. It was heavy when she lifted it out of the box, and when she looked inside, her eyes widened in shock. There were a thousand gold nels inside! Had her mother been saving up for a trip back to Desnind? But if that were the case, why had she not taken the money with her when she left? Even though she had lost the key, she could have broken the chest open if she had wanted the nels badly enough. Unless maybe the other items in the chest meant too much to her to risk damaging them? But if that were true, why not take the chest with her when she left? Lei'lira didn't think she would ever know for certain. She carefully packed everything back into the chest, and locked it once more. Then she placed the chest with everything else that she planned to take with them when they left.

By the time she had finished going through the contents of her mother's chest, and putting them away, she heard footsteps approaching her room. She realized the kids must be finished cleaning the house. Lei'lira felt guilty about not helping them with the task, but what she'd been doing was important, too. And the money she'd would would come in handy for their own trip to Rharne. Besides, there was still plenty of work to do. Now that they were all packed up themselves, they had to get the animals ready to go.

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The key that opens the chest belonging to Lei'lira's mother was earned in this thread.
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Lei'lira
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As Teia and the children gathered around her in the kitchen, Lei'lira was confident that they would be able to get the farm ready for its new owners, and get the animals ready for the trip to Andaris as efficiently as they had packed up the house. There were eggs to collect, and cows to milk. Horses to groom and ready for a long trip, and stalls to muck out for the new owners. The sheep needed to be sorted out since the family that was moving in had expressed an interest in raising sheep for their wool. Lei'lira had more sheep than was convenient to bring to Rharne with her, so she planned to offer to sell them some of last arc's lambs. And while Lei'lira had a running list of what she was taking with her, and what she was selling to her neighbor's son, having everything written down on paper would make things a lot easier when it came time for her to take payment for her farm.

Lei'lira explained to the others what needed to be done, and as soon as she finished speaking, Teirue insisted that she wanted to help quite loudly in a tone that warned that if she couldn't, a tantrum would follow her "request." The problem was, of course, that at not quite four arcs, there was very little the young girl could do to "help." Fortunately, Kei'iru offered to let her help her collect the eggs. Lei'lira asked Sai'ryl and Tae'ryn to help them. Then she put Kei'iru in charge of the younger children since of the four of them, she had the most experience working on a farm.

Unlike Teirue, Tiran, Taerin, and Kaien were still sound asleep, so Ei'ryl offered to go back inside and keep an eye on them. Of the older children, she was the one who knew the least about working with animals, so it was that or join the little kids on egg patrol. It was obvious which of the two jobs Ei'ryl wanted to do more.

Since Atreyu and Lil'ari both had experience in milking cows, and mucking out stalls, Lei'lira asked them to milk the cows first, then take charge of cleaning out the stables and barn. She asked Ei'ryn to help them in order to make the job easier; three people working at a task could do it much faster than two. That left Teia, Eri, and herself. Deciding which sheep she wanted to keep, and which ones she was willing to sell was something that she needed to do herself. But having Teia and Eri with her to help round up the sheep would make the task a whole lot easier. So after she watched the kids split up and head off to do their chores, Lei'lira led Teia and Eri to the pasture where her sheep were feeding. Eri had gone to the pasture with her before, of course. But Teia had not as there had been no reason to so so before they had left for Rharne.

Looking at her flock, Lei'lira saw the original twenty ewes that she had. Those she definitely wanted to keep along with the five rams that she owned. But she also had thirty six lambs that were nearly an arc old, having been born last Vhalar. That made sixty one sheep all counted. And when added to all of the other animals she was planning to take with her, that was simply too many. At the same time, she did want to increase the size of her flock. More sheep meant more wool, after all. So the first task was to separate the lambs from the ewes. Between the three of them, it only took them a break to manage. Having a trained sheep dog would have made the task easier, but Shinta and Maia weren't exactly what she would call trained.

Once that was done, the three of them separated the males from the females. Lei'lira already had enough rams, so she didn't need any of the younger males. The real question was which of the females she wanted to keep, and which she wanted to sell. As inexperienced as she was with sheep, she had no way of knowing which ones were better or worse than the others. So she gave Teia and Eri a helpless look.

"I don't suppose either of you know which of the lambs we should keep, do you?" she asked hopefully.

Teia and Eri exchanged glances, and shook their heads. It wasn't much help. but Lei'lira really hadn't expected anything else. After giving the matter some thought, Lei'lira decided to keep the ten biggest female weanlings. The thought behind that was that the bigger they were, the more they were eating, and eating well was a sign of good health. So the three of them separated out the ten biggest females and put them back with the rest of the flock. The rest were kept separated so that the new owners could take a look at them and see if they were interested in buying them. When that was done, it was time to go check on the kids.

The younger kids had made a game of their chore, competing to see who could get the most eggs. But with Kei'iru in charge, their attempt at making the work fun was restrained enough that none of the eggs had been broken. All the eggs had been collected, and Kei'iru had been the natural winner. Lei'lira was pleased to find that once they had put the eggs in the kitchen, they had returned to feed the chickens. She was even happier to see that they were just finishing up when she came to check on them. Lei'lira praised them for a job well done, then asked them to go help the older kids muck out the stalls. Teirue was too young to help with that, so she had the youngest of the helpers come with her as she and the others moved on to their next task.

Even now, every time Lei'lira saw her Scalvwing Steeds, she was amazed by their beauty. She suspected that she always would be, and she couldn't wait to begin working with them in earnest. But that would have to wait until she got them safely settled into their new home in Rharne. For now, they needed to be groomed, and looked over to make sure that the trip from Scalvoris to Rynmere hadn't stressed them out too badly.

"They really are something, aren't they?" Eri asked, echoing Lei'lira's thoughts.

Lei'lira nodded. She made a quick trip into the barn to get the grooming brushes that they would need. Atreyu met her as she emerged.

"We only have five more stalls to do Lei'lira." he told her.

Then he grinned.

"And I'm in the lead." he added proudly.

Lei'lira grinned back.

"Good for you. Just make sure that you're mucking the stalls out well, not just quickly."

Atreyu nodded.

"When you finish, you can help us groom the horses for their trip, okay?"

Atreyu beamed at her excitedly as he agreed, and promised to get the rest of the stalls finished quickly. It was obvious that he was looking forward to being able to groom the horses, and Lei'lira knew that Lil'ari and Kei'iru enjoyed doing it as well. Lei'lira thanked her adopted son for being such a good sport about helping her get everything ready. Then they parted ways once more, each heading back to their own task.

When Lei'lira returned to the others, she handed the grooming brushes out to Teia and Eri. But she paused when she looked at Eri.

"Eri, Teia and I have groomed a Scalvwing Steed before, so we know what we're doing here. You shouldn't have any trouble with either. You know how to groom a horse, and for the most part, this is the same thing. But you do need to take special care when grooming their wings. Like any bird, their feathers can be damaged easily with rough treatment. So you have to be aware of that."

Eri nodded as she eyed the animal she was about to groom with caution.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" she asked.

"Not when it comes to grooming them. But they do need larger stalls than most horses do in order to accommodate their wings. For the most part, though, they are a lot like horses. They are prey animals, and they share the same instincts that a horse has."

"So they fear fire, the same kinds of predators, sudden movements, and loud noises?"

Lei'lira nodded.

"Exactly. They also respond to treats just as a horse would. Carrots, greens, and sugar or salt cubes make great rewards for good behavior for them."

Lei'lira, Teia, and Eri began grooming their Scalvwing Steeds, but they continued their conversation as they did so.

"Those are the same kinds of treats a horse would love. Does that mean they eat the same things a horse does? Or do they require anything special because they can fly?"

"No, they eat primarily grass and hay, just like horses do."

Eri nodded. They worked in companionable silence for a while before Eri stared at the mare she had just finished grooming for a few trills in bemusement.

"Another big difference between these Scalvwing Steeds and horses are the color. I mean sure, some of them are normal colors, but some, like this one..."

"This one" was a beautiful dark blue...and a very unusual color indeed to find on an equine.

"Yes. You can find anything from pure white to pure black, and any shade in between...but they can also be deep purple, green, or blue like that mare is."

Lei'lira looked around, and found that they had finished grooming the Scalvwing Steeds while they were talking. She was about to suggest they go help the kids when Atreyu and the others joined them.

"We're finished mucking out all the stalls now. And the barn is clean, too. Can we groom the horses now?" he asked while staring at the Scalvwing mare in awe.

"And can I ride her when we're done?" he begged.

Lei'lira smiled apologetically.

"We can groom the horses now, but we really don't have time for a ride. If there's enough light left when the new owners arrive to take charge of the farm, I want to get started back to Andaris this trial instead of spending the night. I've heard some of what's been going on with the mage scare while we were gone. None of us are Mages, of course, but I've heard talk of riots, and frightened mobs. People are dangerous when they get that frightened."

Lei'lira glanced at Qylios's mark nervously.

"We all know that this is a mark that Qylios gave me...but if the wrong person sees it, and is frightened, or angry enough, they might accuse me of being a Mage. I would rather not have to hope that whoever is in charge of this nightmare can tell the difference, and would let me go when they realized the truth. No. I would much rather be safely out of Rynmere with all of you as quickly as we can get back to Andaris and board a ship heading for Rharne."

Atreyu glanced at Lei'lira's arm. Then his eyes hardened with a fierce determination, and he nodded.

"You're right. There's no reason to take unnecessary risks." he said grimly.

The others were quick to agree. With an unspoken agreement, they got back to work.

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Lei'lira
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They must have had good timing, because by the time they were done, Lei'lira had a small crowd of people waiting at her gate. Two of them were the family who wanted to buy the farm from Lei'lira. The remaining five were neighbors who had agreed to help Lei'lira and her family drive their animals to Andaris since they were heading to the city anyway in the hopes of selling some of their livestock. It was their going away present to Lei'lira, or so they said. Lei'lira hesitated, clearly unnerved by the number of people there, so Teia stepped up and thanked the men and women who would be helping them get their animals to the city. She asked Eri to help them with whatever they needed while she and Lei'lira invited Rias and his new wife Niera into the house.

"I guess my first questions are how much you want for the farm, and what we would be getting for our nels." Rias asked after a polite greeting.

Fortunately, Lei'lira had a ready answer for him. She listed everything that she was hoping to sell along with the farm itself, including furniture, farm buildings, and land. She also mentioned that she had twenty six lambs that she would be willing to sell. Then she explained that since she wanted to sell as quickly as possible, the price was very negotiable. Rias considered what she was offering for several bits, then made an offer of 2884 GN for everything. Lei'lira thought that she might be able to get more if she haggled, but she didn't bother. If he was willing to pay that amount for the farm this trial, she was more than happy to accept it. She also offered to throw in the milk and eggs they had gathered earlier as well as the wool that had been sheared by one of the neighbors before Lei'lira had returned, and all the food she had stored save for enough to get them to Andaris so they could board their ship for free. Rias seemed touched by her gesture of good will, and said as much. He promised that he would spread the word of her generosity, and told her that if she ever returned to Warrick that he would give her a good deal on anything she might need. Since he had school friends who were traders that lived in Rharne, his offer was more useful than it might otherwise have been.

Once they had finished their business together, money exchanged hands, and Lei'lira gave Rias both the deed and the key to the farm. He and his wife wanted to move in within the next few trials, which was perfect for Lei'lira, since she hoped to be gone by the end of the trial. Rias thanked Lei'lira for being willing to work with his needs, before he and his wife took their leave. Once they were gone, Lei'lira turned back to her family; there was still more work to be done.

Off Topic
The items that were sold are as follows:

Farm House: 1400 sq ft, four bedroom stone cottage - 996 GN, 8 SN*
Land: 1 1/4 acre - 1000 GN
Barn: 300 GN
Stables (basic quality for 2 horses): 200 GN
Chicken Coop: 50 GN
Total: 2546 GN, 8 SN
Large Water Container: 20 GN
Large Feed Container: 30 GN
Buckets (4): 12 GN
Large Bucket: 6 GN
Pitchfork: 7 GN
Manure Fork: 7 GN
Wheelbarrow: 14 GN
Large Broom: 6 SN
Large Wooden Scrub Brush: 3 GN
Iron Sheers: 7 GN
Total: 96 GN, 6 SN
Fireplace Rod and Hook Stand (For Cooking): 6 SN
Single Bed: 25 GN
Small Fireplace: 50 GN
Small Unpadded Chairs (2): 10 GN
Small Table: 25 GN
Lambs (26): 130 GN
Total: 110 GN, 6 SN

Grand Total: 2884 GN


*Lei'lira's house is a bit complicated. Originally, she and Lazuli Warrick were living together back when Lazuli was a PC instead of an NPC. Since they are twins, she got permission for us to live together and put our 2 400sqft starter houses to reflect that. Later I decided to add 2 300dqft rooms. This was at a time when the price list had just been transferred to the wiki, and there were issues regarding the section on building materials. To fix this, Bumblebee gave me a quote of 373.4gn for one 300sqft room, or 746 gn 8 sn for 2. Lei is selling her house for the cost of the basic starter house (250 GN) + the 746 gn 8 sn I spent on the 2 300sqft rooms that were added on. She is taking no benefit from the part of the house that was originally Lazuli's money wise.

The money will be added/items deducted from my ledger once the thread is graded.


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Re: [Warrick] Back Again

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Lei'lira

Overview

XP: 10

Renown: 5 (for generosity that will likely be talked about)

Consequences

Injuries/Overstepping: N/A

Item deductions:
  • Farmhouse and farm-related equipment
  • 26 lambs
Loot:
  • 21 journals (her mother's diaries from the time she was married to her father)
  • Book containing some flute music (also written by her mother)
  • Box made out of tightly woven grass
  • 19 necklaces made out of bone beads of varying types
  • 1000 GN (found)
  • 2884 GN for the sale of her farm, and a number of items/land/etc.
Expenses: N/A

Knowledge

  • Skill:
    • Animal Husbandry - Scalvwing Steeds: come in many different colors including deep purples, blues and green as well as pure black, pure white, and every shade in between
    • Animal Husbandry - Scalvwing Steeds: dietary needs; primarily hay and grass
    • Animal Husbandry - Scalvwing Steeds: need larger stalls to accommodate their wings
    • Animal Husbandry - Scalvwing Steeds: special care is needed when grooming their wings to ensure the feathers aren't damaged
    • Animal Husbandry - Scalvwing Steeds: have the same instincts as horses
    • Animal Training - Scalvwing Steeds: respond to treats just as a horse would
  • Non-Skill:
    • N/A

Comments

Children excited about cleaning things? Children being genuinely helpful? Run, Lei'lira, run! Those kids are planning something dastardly! All jokes aside, they're cute and I could really imagine a gaggle of them following her around like she's mother hen. I could see how bittersweet the whole experience was for her, both leaving a beloved place behind but and also finally escaping a hated place. Obviously, she was glad to be rid of it in many ways but I could also see her kindness, how she chose to give to those who were just starting out. A lovely bit of characterisation.

Just a quick note. Lei'lira's gaining knowledge here that she's also teaching. Ideally, she should learn it and thus gain it herself because she's learned it from somewhere else before she passes it on. It sounds like she knows what she's talking about but she's only gaining that knowledge here. See? Not quite right. However, I've let you have it this time, especially as it's only taught to an NPC but be mindful in future!

A lovely little piece.
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