Zi'da 50 716
Urikyar grunted angrily as he walked through midtown. He had just arrived back from his journey on foot both to and from Fort Gawyne. He originally left in late Vhalar after learning that the U'frek sailors were accepting recruits. He knew that his birthtrial was approaching the following season, so he hoped that he would have been accepted before the end of his 21st arc.
He spent a few trials going through the knowledge exams, up until the first physical exam. The first test was a measure of one's swimming ability. Urikyar couldn't even bring himself to go into the water. The memories of the ship overturning returned to his mind, and anchored him onto the ground. He wanted to jump into the water and prove to both the recruiter and himself that he could conquer his fear. Eventually his feet started moving, but they pulled him away from the water, away from Gawyne, and back to Andaris. He was so ashamed of his fear, that it even took a few extra trials to make it back home. The layover was so great that his birthtrial had come and gone before he had reached home.
As he walked past Ye Olde Inn, he stopped and caught glimpse of the community notice board. There were a few different notices attached, but they were all written in the common language, so he didn't understand the words that were in front of him. Since he spent his entire life surrounded by Biqaj on the ship, common was never a focus point to learn. On the ship, the crew preferred to use their natural tongue. He never anticipated that he would have been on his own. At this point he realized that it would have been a useful skill to have.
As he stared at the notice board, he came to the conclusion that he didn't know if he could even survive Andaris. He could die at any moment, whether it be due to his folly and lack of usable skills, or just a random mishap. Suddenly he had an epiphany. There was a fortune teller down in low town, if there was anyone who could tell him about his future, it would be the teller.
It didn't take long to get from midtown to low town, but the atmosphere was clearly different between the two. Low town felt more dangerous, more likely to have to deal with an altercation or some kind of confrontation. Just as soon as he made a comment on the poor state of the town, several sailors and Knights patrolled through the area. Out of fear that the sailors would recognize him as the Biqaj that couldn't swim, Urikyar quickly hid himself inside of the nearest door, which happened to be the fortune teller's shop that he was searching for.
He could hear the footsteps of the Knights and sailors trailing off into the distance through the door. It sounded like they were slowly, but surely leaving the area. Urikyar looked around the shop, none of the items looked interesting to him. There weren't any language-related items or a crystal ball. The only thing that remotely looked like it could help him was a dream catcher. "Perhaps it could help me get rid of these water dreams?" He wondered.
He picked up the dream catcher, and as he gazed into it, it was like he could see the vision of the ship being dragged down by the ocean. He saw himself sinking helplessly while the others were distracted by their own impending doom. He saw the tide as it was preparing to strike him like it did once before. He jumped and dropped the dream catcher onto the floor. The resulting clattering of the dream catcher as it hit the floor was enough to awaken him from his vision. When the dream catcher hit the floor, a bone piece had separated from it. Urikyar picked up the bone in one hand, and the dream catcher in another.
"WHO'S THERE?!" A voice shouted from the back of the shop.
The language was foreign to him, but the volume was not. Anyone that was speaking that loudly, had to not have been happy. Urikyar placed the dream catcher back onto the shelf, but slipped the bone into his pocket. "Maybe they won't even notice it's gone." He hoped. Before the teller could come out and confront him, the boy slipped through the door. He looked both left and right, and determined that he was safe due to the lack of the patrols presence. He wouldn't have to worry about embarrassing himself, and hopefully the teller wouldn't notice the missing piece of the catcher.
As he walked from lowtown back to midtown, he removed the bone from his pocket and examined it. It was small, but it was a little longer than the length of his own index finger. He examined it by feeling it with his finger, to which he discovered three isolated chip marks of varying length. It was odd, as if they were done intentionally, but he couldn't determine how or why it would have been done.
When he entered midtown, he saw the same patrol that he encountered earlier. They were all heading in tow toward the inn. Either they were quartered there, or they were after someone who was staying there. The U'frek sailors looked at him, but none of them seemed to recognize him as the reject that he was. Urikyar looked at the community notice board and saw that there was a new posting, added in the common language. "1000gn for Cursed Sloop, nicknamed The Volley of Misfortune. There are also Biqaj scribbles on the side from its original builder. The first captain of each new crew to step foot on it always dies. Please take as soon as possible! Signed, Dysen Lottimore." He recognized three words, sloop, Biqaj and the amount of 1000 gold nels. Whether it was in common or Rakahi, he understood that gold nels meant the item was for sale.
Finally, it seemed like luck was on his side. Even though he would have to save up the gold nels and pay for the sloop, it was still a better opportunity than nothing at all. His mood changed from the depression of being rejected, to having a focused goal. Both the Fates and the Seven were smiling on him. This trial single-handedly redeemed the lack of celebration on his birthtrial.
A drunken Biqaj U'frek sailor suddenly came bumbling out of the inn. He was clearly from a separate group than the patrol that Urikyar kept coming across. He walked over to Urikyar and was unable to stop himself from puking. Just as the sailor leaned down, Urikyar's hands grasped his back and he was able to push the sailor past him while simultaneously rotating around him. While the sailor finished vomiting, Urikyar looked at two of the older posters that he had seen before.
"૮શળળબ એ૭શનમ મકએમ ૭ળશમકઇળ. ૧ઇ ૧ઇળઇ કએ૪ઌરઔ એ ઔશશઈ મઌપઇ ઌર૮ઌઈઇ, ઌ ઈઌઈર'મ ૧એરમ મશ ળનઌર મકઇ ઝએળમબ." Said the sailor.
"ડીએર બશન ળઇએઈ મકઇ૮ઇ મશ પઇ?" Asked Urikyar. "ઌ ઈશર'મ કએ૪ઇ એ ઔશશઈ નરઈઇળ૮મએરઈઌરઔ શઊ મકઇ ડીશપપશર ઠએરઔનએઔઇ."
"મકઇ૮ઇ? મકઇબ ૧ઇળઇ ઝશ૮મઇઈ ઌર ૮એનર. ઌમ પએબ ૭ઇ મશશ ઠએમઇ..." the sailor explained.
Despite the sailors initial protest, he translated the postings of the missing cat and the missing bone. He explained that they were most likely unable to be found since they were posted almost two seasons ago. But Urikyar's hand sank into his pocket, where his thumb caressed the bone and it's knick marks. The description matched the object perfectly.
He wondered if the appearance of the sloop was caused by the luck from the bone. He was tempted to keep it for himself, so that more fortune could come his way, but he knew that it wasn't his to keep. It obviously meant alot to this family, so it would be best to return it to them.
Urikyar nervously knocked on the door to the residence. He clenched "The Family Heirloom" poster in his left hand, and the bone finger in his right hand. The temptation to keep the finger started swelling in his mind, but ultimately he decided against it. His heart belonged to the sea, not to some trinket. He resolved himself to relinquish the relic as the door creaked open to the Liteborn residence.
"WHO'S DHERE? I DONE TOL' YOU BEFORE THAT WE DONT NEED NO PROTECTION FROM NO SARKINS AROUND HERE!" The man yelled as he opened the door. He stopped when he saw the Biqaj in front of him with an open hand, his grandfather's lucky bone being offered to him. Tears began to stream down his face, and he gestured for Urikyar to enter his home.
Like the fortune teller before him, Urikyar recognized that the volume of of the man's voice implied that he was angry, even though he didn't understand the words. He assumed it was because their family missed their item, and it had made them grumpy or irritable. He was hoping that he could change their mood with his good deed. He immediately presented the bone to the man, and followed the man's indication to follow him into his house. No further words were exchanged between them, but the man's reaction made it clear that he was appreciative.
Meanwhile, back at the shop, the fortune teller was fully aware of the stolen bone that was attached to the dream catcher. Even though the teller didn't see the perpetrator, she wasn't angry or worried. The bone itself was full of luck, but not all of it was good. The fortune teller learned the hard way that the secret of the bone, was that it had to be given away willingly for the new owner to not experience the drawbacks of the bone. For each amount of good luck that was earned, shall be dealt back in bad luck as well...
Urikyar grunted angrily as he walked through midtown. He had just arrived back from his journey on foot both to and from Fort Gawyne. He originally left in late Vhalar after learning that the U'frek sailors were accepting recruits. He knew that his birthtrial was approaching the following season, so he hoped that he would have been accepted before the end of his 21st arc.
He spent a few trials going through the knowledge exams, up until the first physical exam. The first test was a measure of one's swimming ability. Urikyar couldn't even bring himself to go into the water. The memories of the ship overturning returned to his mind, and anchored him onto the ground. He wanted to jump into the water and prove to both the recruiter and himself that he could conquer his fear. Eventually his feet started moving, but they pulled him away from the water, away from Gawyne, and back to Andaris. He was so ashamed of his fear, that it even took a few extra trials to make it back home. The layover was so great that his birthtrial had come and gone before he had reached home.
As he walked past Ye Olde Inn, he stopped and caught glimpse of the community notice board. There were a few different notices attached, but they were all written in the common language, so he didn't understand the words that were in front of him. Since he spent his entire life surrounded by Biqaj on the ship, common was never a focus point to learn. On the ship, the crew preferred to use their natural tongue. He never anticipated that he would have been on his own. At this point he realized that it would have been a useful skill to have.
As he stared at the notice board, he came to the conclusion that he didn't know if he could even survive Andaris. He could die at any moment, whether it be due to his folly and lack of usable skills, or just a random mishap. Suddenly he had an epiphany. There was a fortune teller down in low town, if there was anyone who could tell him about his future, it would be the teller.
It didn't take long to get from midtown to low town, but the atmosphere was clearly different between the two. Low town felt more dangerous, more likely to have to deal with an altercation or some kind of confrontation. Just as soon as he made a comment on the poor state of the town, several sailors and Knights patrolled through the area. Out of fear that the sailors would recognize him as the Biqaj that couldn't swim, Urikyar quickly hid himself inside of the nearest door, which happened to be the fortune teller's shop that he was searching for.
He could hear the footsteps of the Knights and sailors trailing off into the distance through the door. It sounded like they were slowly, but surely leaving the area. Urikyar looked around the shop, none of the items looked interesting to him. There weren't any language-related items or a crystal ball. The only thing that remotely looked like it could help him was a dream catcher. "Perhaps it could help me get rid of these water dreams?" He wondered.
He picked up the dream catcher, and as he gazed into it, it was like he could see the vision of the ship being dragged down by the ocean. He saw himself sinking helplessly while the others were distracted by their own impending doom. He saw the tide as it was preparing to strike him like it did once before. He jumped and dropped the dream catcher onto the floor. The resulting clattering of the dream catcher as it hit the floor was enough to awaken him from his vision. When the dream catcher hit the floor, a bone piece had separated from it. Urikyar picked up the bone in one hand, and the dream catcher in another.
"WHO'S THERE?!" A voice shouted from the back of the shop.
The language was foreign to him, but the volume was not. Anyone that was speaking that loudly, had to not have been happy. Urikyar placed the dream catcher back onto the shelf, but slipped the bone into his pocket. "Maybe they won't even notice it's gone." He hoped. Before the teller could come out and confront him, the boy slipped through the door. He looked both left and right, and determined that he was safe due to the lack of the patrols presence. He wouldn't have to worry about embarrassing himself, and hopefully the teller wouldn't notice the missing piece of the catcher.
As he walked from lowtown back to midtown, he removed the bone from his pocket and examined it. It was small, but it was a little longer than the length of his own index finger. He examined it by feeling it with his finger, to which he discovered three isolated chip marks of varying length. It was odd, as if they were done intentionally, but he couldn't determine how or why it would have been done.
When he entered midtown, he saw the same patrol that he encountered earlier. They were all heading in tow toward the inn. Either they were quartered there, or they were after someone who was staying there. The U'frek sailors looked at him, but none of them seemed to recognize him as the reject that he was. Urikyar looked at the community notice board and saw that there was a new posting, added in the common language. "1000gn for Cursed Sloop, nicknamed The Volley of Misfortune. There are also Biqaj scribbles on the side from its original builder. The first captain of each new crew to step foot on it always dies. Please take as soon as possible! Signed, Dysen Lottimore." He recognized three words, sloop, Biqaj and the amount of 1000 gold nels. Whether it was in common or Rakahi, he understood that gold nels meant the item was for sale.
Finally, it seemed like luck was on his side. Even though he would have to save up the gold nels and pay for the sloop, it was still a better opportunity than nothing at all. His mood changed from the depression of being rejected, to having a focused goal. Both the Fates and the Seven were smiling on him. This trial single-handedly redeemed the lack of celebration on his birthtrial.
A drunken Biqaj U'frek sailor suddenly came bumbling out of the inn. He was clearly from a separate group than the patrol that Urikyar kept coming across. He walked over to Urikyar and was unable to stop himself from puking. Just as the sailor leaned down, Urikyar's hands grasped his back and he was able to push the sailor past him while simultaneously rotating around him. While the sailor finished vomiting, Urikyar looked at two of the older posters that he had seen before.
"૮શળળબ એ૭શનમ મકએમ ૭ળશમકઇળ. ૧ઇ ૧ઇળઇ કએ૪ઌરઔ એ ઔશશઈ મઌપઇ ઌર૮ઌઈઇ, ઌ ઈઌઈર'મ ૧એરમ મશ ળનઌર મકઇ ઝએળમબ." Said the sailor.
"ડીએર બશન ળઇએઈ મકઇ૮ઇ મશ પઇ?" Asked Urikyar. "ઌ ઈશર'મ કએ૪ઇ એ ઔશશઈ નરઈઇળ૮મએરઈઌરઔ શઊ મકઇ ડીશપપશર ઠએરઔનએઔઇ."
"મકઇ૮ઇ? મકઇબ ૧ઇળઇ ઝશ૮મઇઈ ઌર ૮એનર. ઌમ પએબ ૭ઇ મશશ ઠએમઇ..." the sailor explained.
Despite the sailors initial protest, he translated the postings of the missing cat and the missing bone. He explained that they were most likely unable to be found since they were posted almost two seasons ago. But Urikyar's hand sank into his pocket, where his thumb caressed the bone and it's knick marks. The description matched the object perfectly.
He wondered if the appearance of the sloop was caused by the luck from the bone. He was tempted to keep it for himself, so that more fortune could come his way, but he knew that it wasn't his to keep. It obviously meant alot to this family, so it would be best to return it to them.
Urikyar nervously knocked on the door to the residence. He clenched "The Family Heirloom" poster in his left hand, and the bone finger in his right hand. The temptation to keep the finger started swelling in his mind, but ultimately he decided against it. His heart belonged to the sea, not to some trinket. He resolved himself to relinquish the relic as the door creaked open to the Liteborn residence.
"WHO'S DHERE? I DONE TOL' YOU BEFORE THAT WE DONT NEED NO PROTECTION FROM NO SARKINS AROUND HERE!" The man yelled as he opened the door. He stopped when he saw the Biqaj in front of him with an open hand, his grandfather's lucky bone being offered to him. Tears began to stream down his face, and he gestured for Urikyar to enter his home.
Like the fortune teller before him, Urikyar recognized that the volume of of the man's voice implied that he was angry, even though he didn't understand the words. He assumed it was because their family missed their item, and it had made them grumpy or irritable. He was hoping that he could change their mood with his good deed. He immediately presented the bone to the man, and followed the man's indication to follow him into his house. No further words were exchanged between them, but the man's reaction made it clear that he was appreciative.
Meanwhile, back at the shop, the fortune teller was fully aware of the stolen bone that was attached to the dream catcher. Even though the teller didn't see the perpetrator, she wasn't angry or worried. The bone itself was full of luck, but not all of it was good. The fortune teller learned the hard way that the secret of the bone, was that it had to be given away willingly for the new owner to not experience the drawbacks of the bone. For each amount of good luck that was earned, shall be dealt back in bad luck as well...