• Solo • [Treth] Celebrating Us

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

6th Ashan, 717


The atmosphere in the classroom was one of eager anticipation as Tei'serin watched the children enter, and get settled down. They whispered among themselves excitedly, and Tei'serin simply allowed it. She could hardly blame them. Any festival was a cause for celebration, and the Festival of Languages was one of her favorites; it always had been. Perhaps she loved the day so much because of her own heritage.

She was a Sev'ryn, and although she had never been to Desnind, the home of the people she had been born into, she had thrived on stories about her heritage as a young child. Her favorite bedtime stories had been about the animal spirit familiars that were linked to the souls of every Sev'ryn. When she was little, her mother had always promised her that she would find hers some day, and when that happened, she would truly be complete.

By right of birth, she was a full blooded Sev'ryn. But in a sense, she was a Biqaj, too. The only man she had ever known as a father had been a Biqaj. And when he married her mother, he had adopted her, adding her to his large, boisterous family of sea traders. Tei'serin's fondest memories as a child were of the time she'd lived on their ship. The constant fresh, tangy scent of the sea, and the cooling spray of sea mist as the ship plowed through the waves. Song filled nights surrounded by family. She had been loved, and cherished despite not being one of them by birth. Though vague, her memories of that time were often all that kept her going from trial to trial now. She had been loved once. Happy. And perhaps...someday...she could find that happiness once more.

When the ship she'd called home sank off the coast of Ne'haer, and her father died soon afterwards, her world had shattered. Thorin had brought her out to Treth, installing her on a small farm out in the woods. The farming community had been unlike anything she had ever known, and at first, Tei'serin hadn't known what to make of it. Living on a ship, and traveling from one port to the next was a far cry from living in one place all the time. But there was a sense of peace here that Tei'serin craved. A sense of belonging. The people of the village, and the farmers who lived nearby were a family of sorts. Not by blood, perhaps...but by purpose. Everyone helped everyone else, and lived content in the belief that they would be offered help in turn should they ever need it. Living isolated on her farm the way she did, Tei'serin lived at the edge of that family. But she felt a part of it all the same. As a teacher, she was a welcome part of the community. A small, but diverse community made up of several different races that called Treth home. And it was that diversity that they were celebrating now.

By now, the children were all settled in their seats, so Tei'serin called class to order, and took attendance. With that done, it was time to address the class.

"Welcome to the Festival of Languages. Is everyone ready to share their presentations with the class? Remember that we will be voting for our favorites when everyone has had their chance to show their work. The three students with the best presentations will give their presentations to the entire village during the feast this evening."

At the beginning of the last week of Cylus, Tei'serin had given her class a project to work on. In anticipation of the holiday, she had assigned everyone to put together a presentation about the race that their family was a part of. She had left it up to the students to decide what they wanted to say in their presentations. Some would likely stick to the well known facts about their races. But it was Tei'serin's hope that the children would learn a lot about the different races, and cultures that their classmates hailed from. These presentations would be a way for the class to celebrate the holiday together before joining the festivities of the village. One of the requirements was that each child say something in the language or languages spoken by their race, and teach these phrases to their classmates in the spirit of the holiday. But the rest was up to them. Tei'serin wondered with eager anticipation what her students had come up with.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

The air seemed to tingle with excitement. Tei'serin didn't know was more eager to begin; her, or her students. She had decided well before the trial the presentations were due that the younger children should give theirs first. This would prevent them from getting restless, and possibly disrupting the other presentations as they got frustrated while waiting for their own turns. It also ensured that the children wouldn't unfairly compare the younger kids' presentations with the more polished ones that the older students could give. That would only hurt the younger children who were simply doing the best that they could.

Tei'serin cautioned the class to be polite, and listen quietly during the presentations, telling them that they would be given a chance to ask questions, and discuss each presentation when it was over. Then it was time to begin, so she called Cally, a young girl of five arcs who had just joined them at the beginning of the school arc to start them off. Cally was a human, so she started off by saying that humans were so diverse that they didn't have a racial culture as much as they identified with the places where they lived. And since humans lived in most cities throughout Idalos, their culture was that of the cities or kingdoms they lived in. She explained that her family had lived in Rynmere before coming to here to escape a war. Then she described life in Rynmere. It was a kingdom divided into dukedoms, each ruled by an ancient family who had lived in the country from the time it began. Rynmere was ruled by a king, but it had seven noble families who did "important" things too, according to the young child. She then explained that her family had been farmers living not too far outside the capital of Rynmere, a city known as Andaris. But several bad seasons in a row, combined with the war had driven them to seek a new life elsewhere. Cally concluded her presentation by saying "Hi. My name is Cally. I still miss Rynmere sometimes, but Treth is a great place to live, too." in Common. Since Common was the language spoken in Treth, there was no need for her to teach them what the words meant. The class greeted her politely in return, and then the discussion began in earnest.

Questions such as what did the nobles do, and many others were fielded. Some, like what was the farming like in Rynmere, Cally was able to answer easily. But the young girl was only five arcs old, so her perspective was that of a young child. She simply didn't know the answers to many of the questions that were asked by the older students. Tei'serin tried to answer as many as she could, but her own information about Rynmere was sketchy at best, and was focused on the aspects that affected Ne'haer directly; like what the kingdom imported, and exported since some of those goods came to, or were bought from Ne'haer. After a while, Tei'serin called a halt to the question and answer session so they could move on to the next presentation.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

As the presentations continued, several stuck in Tei'serin's mind as being especially interesting. One of her students, an eight arc old boy named Harald, was a Lotharro. His presentation was a fascinating one. In it, he explained that there were no such thing as a female Lotharro. He continued to say that some Lotharro were born to families where the mother was a member of a different race. But others were reincarnated out of the bodies that were theirs in life they had just left. Tei'serin had to quiet the other students, and most of the other students wanted to know how such a thing was possible. Harald was a bit of a prankster, and it wouldn't be at all strange if he tried to pass something off as "truth" that simply wasn't. But even he would try to pass off something more realistic sounding than that if he was going to try and prank the class. Soon, he was telling them more about his people, such as the fact that the lands surrounding Uthaldria were filled with monsters. Like the others before him, he taught the class how to say something in the language of his people; Haltunga in this case. He taught them how to say "My name is Harald, and I'm, a Lotharro. Lotharro are the strongest warriors in the world."

The next presentation was given by a young girl the same age as Harald. Like Cally, she was a human. But she had been born to a slave in Athart. She and her mother had been bought by the same man while he was visiting the city on business. But he had freed them both when her mother had saved him from being poisoned by eating a poisonous mushroom he'd thought was supposed to be safe to eat. Her presentation taught them a bit about the life of a human slave, born, and bred under Avriel masters, and a bit about the city of Athart from the eyes of a human slave. She concluded her presentation by teaching the class how to say "Hi, my name is Feria. Treth is a wonderful place, and we're all lucky to live here. I'm very happy that I am free now." in Dehasin, the language spoken by human slaves in Athart.

This was a very good idea. I don't know who is enjoying the presentations more; the kids giving them, the ones listening to them...or me. Everyone is having fun, and they are learning a lot in the process. I'll need to remember this, and see if I can't use more holidays in my lessons. Tei'serin mused as she listened to some of the questions the class had for Feria with one ear.

The presentations were an assignment that all of her students could do; one meant to be seen as a fun challenge rather than the rote memorization that was needed when learning the multiplication tables, or lists of vocabulary words. They united the class across the age line of the various age groups, because the assignment was the same whether the student was five, or fifteen. Admittedly, she expected more detail, and accuracy form the older students, but that was only to be expected.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

Sorin Ki'azour's presentation was next. As a mixed blood, the soon to be eleven arc old boy had come to her asking if he could do his presentation on both peoples that made up his heritage. Curious to see what he would come up with, Tei'serin had decided to allow it. But she cautioned him that his grade would suffer if he didn't find a good balance, and give an equal amount of effort to both peoples if he decided to do that. She wasn't disappointed.

Thorin's son started his presentation with the Sev'ryn side of his heritage. Some of what he told the class were things that Tei'serin already knew, either through half remembered stories her mother had told her as a child, or from talking to Ti'niva. But some of the information in his presentation was new to her. One of those things was that the use of wood was strictly regulated by the Sev'ryn. She had known that forests in general, and the Makubwa Lori in particular, were beloved by her people, but not that it was apparently a punishable offense to cut down a tree without special permission. Special permission was even needed to make use of the wood of a tree or branch that had fallen due to natural causes. Instead of burning wood as a source of light, the Sev'ryn used Iyo, a type of large glowing insect that resembled a butterfly or moth in appearance, and came in three colors; blue, yellow, and green. Tei'serin couldn't help but wonder what her people used to make paper out of...or if they even used it at all. Perhaps they had a purely oral tradition for passing knowledge down from one generation to the next? Sorin concluded the first half of his presentation by teaching the class how to introduce themselves in Xanthea, as well as how to say "The trees must be protected from those who wish to harm them."

The second half of Sorin's presentation was about the Biqaj. He began by telling the class how to identify a Biqaj; namely the pointed ears, and eyes that change colors with their moods that all Biqaj have. Then he discussed the culture of the sea faring people. Some of what he spoke of struck a cord in Tei'serin, stirring her memories of living aboard her adopted father's ship when she was very young. One of the things he talked about was that the syllables in Biqaj family names all have meaning. Using his own family name as an example, he told the class that the Ki in his name meant Merchant of, and the Azour meant Fire. Knowing how dangerously unpredictable her guardian was, the name seemed fitting somehow to her. He also talked about Taj'thara, the Biqaj New Years on the last day of Saun. It was a time of reflection, and celebrated by song, dancing, and drinking. He ended his presentation by teaching the class how to introduce themselves in Rakahi, as well as how to say "May you have good trading, and may the sea treat you well."

The final presentation was given by a fifteen arc old girl named Tarya. Like many others in the class, she was a human who had lived in Treth all her life. But she had a wealthy uncle who was a skilled trader, so she told the class several stories he had told her about life as a trader. She explained how important it was for a trader to be able to communicate with the people he wanted to trade with, and the value of being fluent in several languages if you were a trader. Tarya went on to say that since her uncle's trade routes took him all over western Idalos, he made it a point to teach himself how to speak all of the languages spoken in the region. As such, he was able to make himself understood in Athivelienic, Irarian, Nysin, Anume, Nidtaic, Rifaish, Dregneen, and Naratrien. He was fluent in a several of the easier languages, and knew enough to get his meaning across to prospective buyers in the rest. She concluded her presentation by teaching the class to say Hi, my name is..." in Nysin, and the word trade in all of the languages she'd named.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

With all of the presentations finished, it was time to vote for the three that would be given during tonight's festivities. Tei'serin gave the class some time to discuss their options among themselves before asking them to submit nine nominations. The nine presentations would then be voted on to determine the best three, and those three students would have the honor of giving their presentations during the feast that would mark the end of the trial's celebrations. As the teacher, Tei'serin would refrain from voting. It would be wrong of her to do anything that might make her students feel as though she was showing favoritism to any of them. Likewise, the students she didn't vote for would likely be hurt.

Each of the students who were nominating one of the presentations were given a chance to explain why they felt their choice deserved to win. Tei'serin listened carefully to their speeches, and found herself agreeing with many of the points they brought up. When it came time to grade the class on their work, she planned to take into consideration how much the class enjoyed the presentation. Research, and knowing the material was a large part of it, and everyone in the class did well in that regard. But in an oral presentation, it was also important to speak clearly, and concisely, presenting the material in a way that was both easy to understand, and enjoyable to those listening to it. So she had to take that into consideration as well. For that reason, the three presentations that won the class vote, would also get full marks for their efforts.

It wasn't a surprise when none of the youngest students' presentations were nominated. While some were quite good for their age group, the older students were aware that the presentations that were given to the village this night would reflect on them all. And they wanted to give the rest of the village the best impression that they could. Tei'serin could understand that; she felt the same way. She was very proud of her students, and she wanted the other villagers to see them the same way she did.

When it was time to vote, the three presentations that won were the ones that Sorin, Tarya, and Harald had given. The fact that Sorin's, and Tarya's presentations had come as no surprise to her. Both were serious students who were at the top of their age groups. Each of them always put their best efforts into every assignment, and their hard work was worthy of reward. In addition to being among the best in the class, they were very outgoing, social people. They made friends easily, and had no trouble speaking in front of any sized group with ease. Harald's victory surprised her a bit more. While quite good, especially for his age, Tei'serin thought that Feria's presentation was better. Could the subject matter have had an effect on the vote? Slavery was forbidden in Ne'haer. It was possible that her students had been uncomfortable about hearing about life as a slave...perhaps enough so that it had affected their decisions as they voted.

Tei'serin set those thoughts aside for now. It might be beneficial to give a brief lesson on slavery in other cities, if only as a warning to those who decided they wanted to travel when they grew up. But for now, there was work to do. Tei'serin dismissed the class a break early so that the kids would have more time to enjoy the festivities. But she held Sorin, Tarya, and Harald back. The three of them had a lot of practicing to do if they were going to be ready to give their presentations to the entire village during the feast. And with her help, they would be ready with time to spare.

Off Topic

Bonus experience approved by Jade, to be given to the following character(s) involved in this thread, only upon the completion of the review, where the character(s) demonstrated celebration of the holiday, Festival of Languages, on Ashan 6th, Arc 717. The details of this this holiday include: A celebration dedicated to diversity, this trial is celebrated by every race and shows the diversity that Idalos has. A verse is said by all in their native language, meaning a display of all kinds of languages are shown and shared. It is a time to celebrate the world and join together as races and friends.

Bonus Experience Upon Review Completion:
Knowledge
Ne'haer Holiday: Festival of Languages
Free Choice of 1 Broken Language
+2 Bonus Skill Points

[Yndira]

Here you are, dears

Tei’serin

Knowledge:
Anume: word for trade
Athivelienic: the word for trade
Dehasin: language for human slaves in Athart
Dregneen: word for trade
Haltunga: language of the Lotharro
Haltunga: word for Lotharro
Irarian: term for trade
Naratrien: the word “trade”
Ne’haer Holiday: Festival of Languages
Nidtaic: “trade”
Nysin: word for trade
Language: Anume
Language: Athivelienic
Language: Dehasin
Language: Dregneen
Language: Haltunga
Language: Irarian
Language: Naratrien
Language: Nidtaic
Language: Nysin
Language: Rahaki
Language: Rifaish
Language: Xanthea
Linguistics: Haltungan phrase: My name is…
Linguistics: learning basic introductions
Location: Andaris: Capital of Rynmere
Location: Athart
Location: Athart: governed by Avriel
Location: Athart: slaving city
Location: Rynmere
Location: Rynmere: divided into dukedoms
Location: Uthaldria
Location: Uthaldria: territory surrounded by monsters
Logistics: taking into account the attention-span of children
Iyo: large glowing insect the size of a moth or butterfly
Psychology: Sense of belonging
Psychology: Importance of representation
Race: Lotharro
Race: Lotharro: no females
Race: Sev’ryn: regulate use of wood
Race: Sev’ryn: use Iyo in place of fire
Rahaki: how to introduce yourself
Rifaish: the term for trade
Teaching: giving long-term assignments
Teaching: presentations to strengthen learning
Teaching: passing on presentation etiquette
Teaching: allowing questions to clarify confusion
Teaching: repetition to strengthen memory
Teaching: different methods of teaching the information
Teaching: the importance of a presentation
Xanthea: The trees must be protected from those who wish to harm them

Loot: +1 Language at Broken
Injuries:
Fame:
Devotion:

Story: 7/5
Collaboration: 0/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: These points may not be used for magic

Comments: Very informative! It seems like there was a little bit of knowledge from near everywhere in Idalos in this thread. Thank so much, as well, for being so patient with me.

Please PM me if you feel I’ve missed anything