• Solo • [Treth] Gone but Not Forgotten

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

52nd Ashan, 717


Someone was handing out candles, and Tei'serin murmured a quiet thanks when one was offered to her. Her thoughts were already turning inward to the memories of those she had lost over the arcs. She knew that it must have shown in her response to whoever had given her the candle...and in the simple fact that she hadn't noticed who had given it to her. But she was certain that she would be forgiven for her distraction. Wasn't that what this festival was for, after all? Remembering those who had died? And Tei'serin had a lot of people to remember this night.

Per her own private ritual, Tei'serin's mother was the first person she focused on. Dae'nira was a beautiful woman. As a young child, Tei'serin had always been entranced by her mother's beauty. And for a very long time, she had hoped that she would grow up to be as beautiful as her mother in the future. But unlike many, Dae'nira's beauty was not only skin deep. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.

Tei'serin remembered her mother as being a warm, kind, gentle woman with a beautiful voice, and a ready smile. One of her earliest memories was of her mother singing her to sleep during a storm at sea that had frightened her. Many of her fondest memories were of the stories that her mother had told her when she was very little. Though vague, and delicate, like fragile soap bubbles, Tei'serin treasured each and every one of the memories she had of her mother.

It was a tradition of the holiday for people to name the people that they were remembering, and to share a favorite memory of them with the others. In this way, those that had been lost could be kept alive in the hearts of those who were left behind. Some of the memories that were shared were funny ones that made the villagers laugh. Others were sweet memories that brought fond smiles to the faces of those who knew the person who was being remembered. Tei'serin knew many of the people that the other villagers spoke of because she had lived on her farm near Treth ever since she was five arcs old. But because she hadn't been born in the village, nor had her parents, or her grandparents before them, there were many that she only "knew" through stories, and shared memories like the ones that were being offered now. Even so, it still gave her a sense of "knowing" people who had died long before she was ever born. In some ways, it was a comforting feeling. Despite being an outsider in some ways since she hadn't been born in Treth, she was coming to belong here all the same.

When it was her turn to share a memory of her mother, she told the gathered villagers of her mother's kind heart, and love of nature. She told them that her mother would have loved Willow Woods as much as she did, and that she wished that they could have gotten the chance to know her.

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, Day of Candles, on Ashan 52nd, Arc 717. The details of this this holiday include: The celebrations for this trial begin at night, when people gather with candles. This night is dedicated to lost loved ones, especially those that died in battle. Strangers gather and unite to remember the brave souls lost in war.

Bonus Experience Upon Review Completion:
Knowledge
Ne'haer Holiday: Day of Candles
+2 Bonus Skill Points
Free Item: A sculpted flower candle that burns with a blue flame given to you by a priest from the All God Temple. In the center of this candle stands a tall column of wax with scripture from the Jourkadri Cuts language, meaning "Peace be to the spirits beyond," to those who can interpret it. Legend from the temple says that if you pray by this blue flame, your prayers will be answered. If this is true, though, no one knows. This item cannot be sold or given away.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

The next person Tei'serin's thoughts turned to was her father. She had never known the man. She didn't even know the man's name because talking about him was too painful for her mother to talk about him much; and even if it hadn't been, it probably would have only confused her if she had tried to tell her about her "other" father. Oh, her mother had tried to tell her that Randar was her stepfather, not the man who had fathered her. But she hadn't actually understood that until she was older. Even now, Randar was her "real" father, stepfather, or not. He was the only father she had ever known. But that didn't stop Tei'serin from wondering what her birth father had been like. Or if she had any family who were still alive.

Perhaps it was because she had never known the man that her thoughts never dwelled on him for long. Thoughts about her father inevitably turned to the man she thought of as her father. In Tei'serin's mind, Randar Nji'ryn was two very different men. Before she shipwreck that had shattered their lives, and left them stranded in Ne'haer, he was a loud, boisterous man with a booming voice, and a ready laugh. He loved to laugh. He loved the sea in all its moods. And he loved his family most of all. Tei'serin had always felt warm, and safe when she was wrapped in his large, sheltering arms. He was quick to anger, but equally quick to forgive. And his puffed up cheeks, and bright red face just as he was about to yell always made Tei'serin want to laugh...when she wasn't on the wrong end of her father's anger, anyway. And it had been very rare that she was. In Tei'serin's memory, the man was always singing, goofing off with his family, or telling tall tales when he wasn't busy working the ship they lived on, or doing business. That man was the one she loved.

But there was another Randar, as well. The quiet, lost, broken man he had become after the shipwreck. Losing his wife, and family had destroyed her stepfather. Looking back on it now, she could understand why. But as a child, she had only known that when she had needed him the most...he wasn't there. Oh, he was there physically. But he had no comfort to offer a little girl who had lost her entire world on the same trial he had. He had lost his beloved wife, but she had lost her mother...one of the two most important people in her life. And in a very real way, she had lost her father as well. Where he had lost brothers, sisters, and cousins, she had lost uncles, aunts, and cousins. He had struggled to get past his grief, and take care of her, but it was a losing battle. As horrible as it had been when he had finally died too, there was a small sense of relief as well. Her father had truly died in the shipwreck that had taken the rest of her family. The broken echo of a man that had lingered on had hurt Tei'serin deeply without ever meaning too; much the way she had hurt him simply by existing, and forcing him to try and live for her sake rather than joining those he had lost.

When it came time to share a memory of her father, Tei'serin spoke of the man he had been. The man she knew as her father, rather than the broken man that he had become. She didn't speak of the rest of her extended family, because her memories of them were too vague, and disjointed.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

The warmth of the candle in Tei'serin's hands was a comfort as she remembered those she had lost. She loved this holiday, as sad as it was, because it made her feel like she was truly a part of the community. Young, and old alike, the villagers who had gathered in the center of the village tonight to remember their dead offered comfort to her freely, just as she did the same for them. And sharing memories of those who had gone before added to that sense of community.

In arcs past, Tei'serin only had her family to remember. But this arc was different. Tei'serin's thoughts turned to Zera; a woman she had only known for a short time. She liked Zera, but didn't know that she really knew the woman well enough to call her a friend, never mind a loved one. But even so, the woman had made quite an impression on Tei'serin all the same. She deserved to be remembered...both for who she was, and for the way she had died. Zera was the only person that Tei'serin had known who had died in battle. She had seen countless people die as she did what she could as a healer during the events of last Vhalar, but that was different. They had all been strangers to her. She had known Zera, even if it had only been for a short time. And Zera had been born, and raised here in Treth.

Zera had taught her how to build a fire, and how to cook over that fire when camping in the woods. The older Sev'ryn woman had taught her how to mark a trail in the woods so she could find her way back if she got lost. She had also taught her how to tell wild onions and garlic from the poisonous lilies, and what wild onions could be used for medically, in addition to teaching her several words in Xanthea. They had been on their way to a war between Immortals, though they hadn't known it at the time. In the short span of the trip to Ne'haer, they had become something very like friends. Once Tei'serin had managed to return home, she had hoped to be able to get to know the older woman better...but Zera had never come home.

It had only been later that Tei'serin had learned how few of the warriors she had gotten caught up in as they traveled to Ne'haer had made it back home. Zera was the only person that Tei'serin knew who had been killed in battle. When it came time for her to share a memory of Zera, she spoke of a woman who had taken a terrified girl, and taught her things that would help her throughout her entire life. She also expressed her wish that she had gotten to know the older woman better. That wish was partially fulfilled by the memories the others shared about her. They spoke of a strong, patient, hardworking, light-hearted, stubborn woman who never let anything get her down for long. Tei'serin would have given a lot to have had the chance to know Zera the way the others did.

Moseke, please guard Zera well. Though she died far from Desnind, she was one of your people. Watch over her until she is ready to begin the next cycle of her journey. And if she has already begun her new life, please let this one be happier than the one I knew her in. she prayed silently.

It was late when the last person had been remembered, and the villagers began making their way home. Or perhaps, very early would be more accurate. Tei'serin decided that she would spend the night in the school. Long night or not, there would be school in the morning. If she made the trip back to her farm, she would only have to turn around, and come back soon after she made it home. At least by spending the night in the school, she would be able to get a few breaks of sleep before she had to teach a room full of equally tired and cranky kids.

[Pegasus]

Tei'serin

Points!:

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: NA (solo thread) (+2 Bonus skill points)
Structure: 5/5

Knowledge:

Caregiving: Children can be overwhelmed with grief
Ne'haer Holiday: Day of Candles
Treth: United as a community
Psychology: Sharing grief can be a powerful thing
Socialization: Sharing stories with strangers.

Loot:

Free Item: A sculpted flower candle that burns with a blue flame given to you by a priest from the All God Temple. In the center of this candle stands a tall column of wax with scripture from the Jourkadri Cuts language, meaning "Peace be to the spirits beyond," to those who can interpret it. Legend from the temple says that if you pray by this blue flame, your prayers will be answered. If this is true, though, no one knows. This item cannot be sold or given away.

Fame:

+2 (Taking part in community things!)

Devotion:

+1 (take part in a festival), +1 (pray to Moseke)

Magic:

These points may NOT be used for arcana

Overview:

Story An interesting story, well written and clear. I couldn't award a heap of knowledge because so much of it was introspective or remembering. I would have liked to have "heard" the stories that you shared ~ or that were shared by the others. That would have made a nice addition to the thread, I thought? But it was a nice little thread and I feel like I know your pc a little bit better for having reviewed it. Great stuff!
Structure All good, no problems.

Please do PM me if you've got any questions or feel I've missed anything.