EliteCommander

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Even if he did not understand everything involved, Tarentek was glad to hear that Onyx was happy with what she was doing. It would likely help her to go into the coming crisis with a clear head. It was not long before Onyx stopped him near another merchant's stall, deciding to instruct him in how to greet strangers. With the relative success he had experienced so far, Tarentek decided that it could not hurt to try, so he watched her closely as she approached the merchant. There were some words of her people's dialect that he did not understand, mostly names, but fortunately, their greetings seemed simple enough. At least, there did not seem to be anything different from greetings among his own people.

Tarentek stepped forward beside Onyx, mimicking her posture. "Greetings, I am Tarentek, of Amman." He said politely, though he wasn't absolutely sure if he was meant to say anything afterwards. He assumed it was appropriate to exchange simple banter as Onyx had, but in any case, he would wait for Haku'gil to respond.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek mimicked Onyx's gesture, then moved with her. From her conversation with Jai'san, Tarentek gathered that her personality traits were not quite as uncommon among her race as she initially said, though perhaps she was rare among her particular tribe. Tarentek did not know the significance of this ritual she spoke of, but it seemed like something highly personal to her. It was possible that it was some sort of coming-of-age ritual where she selected her path in life. The Karisskan had no such customs, but many of the races who traded with Amman did, so Tarentek was familiar with the concept.

"I will be honest, I did not expect him to speak to me. Perhaps if I can speak to more of your people, I might have some chance of at least changing a few minds." Tarentek commented before his attention slowly shifted to the pouch in which she had placed her statue. "So this statue you purchased, it is for a ritual, you said? Will this ritual give you the answers you need about your future?" He asked with genuine curiosity.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

The trader's reaction to seeing Tarentek was initially no different than any other Elissic he had run into, but he was surprised to see that he was actually willing to speak to him after they were introduced. Opal had seemed unwilling to do any more than tolerate his presence, but as Onyx said, those from outside the village were potentially more accepting. He nodded to Jai'san before responding. "Yes, I am indeed Karisskan. From what I have been told, it is exceptionally rare for one of my kind, or any other kind for that matter, to be allowed into this place. However, there were...extenuating circumstances that granted me an exception." He explained.

Tarentek was not precisely sure how much he should share about his reason for being here at this time. He understood that Raldel might want to avoid a panic, so revealing the full gravity of the situation might not be wise. However, giving a basic warning about danger to the east could save lives without risking panic if anyone intended to travel in that direction. "There is trouble in the east. If you have any plans to travel in that direction, I would cancel them if at all possible." He added.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"I see." Tarentek answered. Mostly, he had been observing the vendors and their products. Since her people restricted their settlements to only Elissics, they did not have quite the variety of trade goods that he was used to seeing in markets, but it was an interesting experience nonetheless. In particular, he found himself interested in their more artistic works. As he would expect, their style of art was much different than what he was accustomed to seeing. Unless two groups had extended contact, it was rare that they would have similar artistic styles. Just like the multicolored wings of their creators, the sculptures and paintings were filled with color, which made some stands into impressive displays. Some of Tarentek's people felt that art was not useful, but he personally believed that beautiful works that their own, practical reward. If Tarentek actually had anything of value that he did not need, he might have even traded for one.

After a few moments Tarentek shifted his gaze to Onyx once more. "I am not expecting trust, but...do you think it will ever be possible for me to gain it? Would anyone you know here even be willing to speak to me? Also, what do you think they know about me? Your father must have told them something, but I do not know what."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Lorag had been watching Harriet closely for the entire day, not that he actually noticed anything interesting. She did seem annoyed and angry, but then again, so was he, for several reasons. Mostly, he just wanted a good meal, a craving that only grew as time passed. Eventually, they ended up waiting in the dining room for their food, at which point Darahil made an appearance. The brief shouting match between the two didn't actually attract all that much attention, likely because Harriet was involved. If it wasn't normal for her to be yelling at someone, then Lorag had probably misjudged her. Regardless, he tried to pay attention to exactly what they were yelling about. It sounded just like mundane accounting, but it was something he could report to Meesei.

It wasn't long after Darahil went away that Lorag saw Ahnasha step into the dining chamber, which meant the food had finally arrived. He and Harriet were the first pair Ahnasha saw, so as she started to walk towards them, Lorag looked down at Harriet, who was facing away from the entrance. "When do we eat? I'd say right around...now." He commented just as Ahnasha reached them.

"Lorag, Harriet, there you are. Meesei sent me over here to-" Ahnasha began, though Lorag quickly interrupted.

"It's here isn't it? Don't have to wait anymore?" He asked almost with enthusiasm, something Ahnasha was not used to seeing in Lorag unless the situation involved alcohol. There had been times where hunting was difficult and he had to go longer without food, but she supposed the fact that he knew the food was coming made the wait harder to deal with.

Ahnasha let out a sigh. "Yes Lorag, it's here. Just head back up to our room."

"Great, now let's go." Lorag said, trying to rush Harriet to get up and follow him, though with how impatient she had been, it would probably be more like a race up to the room.

"Yes, good to see you too, Lorag." Ahnasha mumbled with a slight chuckle. "Also, Harriet, just to let you know, Meesei might be coming to speak with you before the day is over. I think there is something she wanted to talk about."

With how long it had been since she had eaten, Meesei was already halfway through her meal by the time Vera and Kaleeth arrived. She looked up from her spot where she was seated on the floor and saw Vera peering in through the metal door. "Yes, please, come in." She answered as she motioned for her to enter.

Once Vera and Kaleeth entered, Meesei pointed to the collection of bags in the corner that contained the food Ahnasha had purchased. "The food is in those bags. Please, help yourselves. There are a few types of meat, fruits and vegetables, and I believe a few loaves of bread. I apologize if you normally prefer your meat cooked, I was just too impatient to wait for my meal."

Meesei paused, then used a spell of detect life as she looked around through the walls to ensure no one was close enough to listen in. "I believe my investigation today has been fruitful. I am ready with another series of questions for you all, and I have hopes that we may be able to resolve this soon. Let us all finish our meals first, though. I am sure you have been just as hungry as I have."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek was not sure if his counsel was helpful or not. On the one hand, she explained more about her beliefs that made her seem as if she was skeptical, but on the other, she also seemed to accept it in the end. In any case, he believed he had said all his limited knowledge would allow him to, so they were silent for the remainder of the walk to the market.

As with most markets, this one was crowded, at least in comparison to the rest of the village. Being that Amman was a sizable city, he was accustomed to large crowds, but this one looked a fair amount more spectacular simply because of the people themselves. Tarentek had been unaware that Onyx's people could show such a variety of bright colors in their wings. While perhaps not conducive to camouflage, their multicolored wings made his own race seem bland by comparison. This was the first time he had been in a crowd of her people, so Tarentek glanced over to Onyx somewhat nervously. "So...are there specific people in the market you think I should see, or should we just wander? Either way, it might be best for you to lead."

The Depths of Deception

I suppose it might be time to move us on altogether, but I'm going to be pretty busy today. I suppose I'll do it tomorrow, so Leon can have today to post if he chooses.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"You know, I believe I might disagree with that." Tarentek commented, casting his gaze across the village as they walked along in order to observe his surroundings. He did not know for how long her people had been living essentially alone in these mountains, but he had the feeling that they would not be able to maintain their isolation forever. "The way your people live, it seems to have worked for you. Even without those roles you just mentioned, your people have survived and, normally, would probably continue doing so. However, with this Empire approaching, I have a feeling that the wave of change is going to come crashing down over this place, and every other settlement in this area. No matter how events unfold, I see no way that any city is going to remain untouched. I do not know if I told you, but that mission your father assigned me is to go to Tel Nof, with an escort, and negotiate on behalf of your people to secure their aid in the coming war. From all I have gathered, that is something that has never happened with your tribe, or if it has, no one has mentioned it."

Tarentek looked back to Onyx with an encouraging expression. "This problem you face, with your heart being stronger than your soul, it may just be a sign of things to come. You people might not have traditionally needed the roles you are suited for, but as change sweeps the land, your people may find themselves in dire need of people like you. After all, if it were anyone else from your tribe who had found me, I doubt they would have saved me. You would not have received my warning, and you would be left to face our enemy alone, with no time to seek help from even your own kin."

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

Tarentek did his best to understand what Onyx was explaining. To him, what she described was a spiritualistic religion, a concept that was foreign to his people. Despite this, her beliefs were not so complicated as to make him unable to understand entirely. As she explained it, the soul and spirit was indicative of different parts of their personalities, with each guarded by one of their deities. That was actually reasonably similar to his own people's beliefs, though in the case of the Karisskan, Jhala imparted onto them their entire personality. He still felt that there were parts he must be missing, as any religion was too complicated to explain in a few short sentences, but he did have some thoughts on what she had said so far.

"I see, so these beings work against one another, but both for your benefit. And a stronger heart means you are blessed by...Fellagang. You said a strong soul is important when you come of age, but I have a question about your heart. Namely, what are all the traits a strong heart bestows upon you? If a strong heart gives you certain traits, then those traits would have to give you certain skills and abilities that others do not necessarily possess." Tarentek asked.

Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

"I am not sure how well I understand." Tarentek responded regretfully. "Those concepts, soul, spirit, and heart, are not ones I grew up with, so I don't think I understand them in the same way you do. I remember you describing your soul as your 'eternal self,' but don't understand exactly how you can make it weaker or stronger. I will try to understand as best as I can, if you believe it is something you can explain in words. For my people, we did not have any sort of ritual to determine our role. In theory, our paths were chosen based on our greatest talents, but that was usually just following our parents' roles. After all, our talents are usually formed through what our parents teach us. The methods of your people are new to me; foreign."

Tarentek doubted his answer was what Onyx wanted to hear, but nevertheless, he gave a smile and tried to elevate the mood at least somewhat. "But, as I said before, my people are always open to new ideas, and I am no exception. And as someone with an outside perspective, I might even be able to give some advice."