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item:text:diary_of_a_xtauh [2021/05/07 10:58] – ↷ Page name changed from item:text:diary-of-a-xtauh to item:text:diary_of_a_xtauh shyriathitem:text:diary_of_a_xtauh [2024/01/25 09:51] (current) – shyriath
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 +====== Diary of a Xtauh ======
 **The Life and Journey of An-uxhwi Son of Je-thuro, and the Happenings that Have Occurred to Him therein:**\\ **The Life and Journey of An-uxhwi Son of Je-thuro, and the Happenings that Have Occurred to Him therein:**\\
-**including his enslavement by the [[takma:|Soakers]], and his time in the [[avishraa:place:cerulean-tangle|Wet Lands of the Furthest South]]**+**including his enslavement by the [[takma:|Soakers]], and his time in the [[geography:sekhaa:region:cerulean_tangle|Wet Lands of the Furthest South]]**
  
-//Behold, I call upon the //pirr// to aid me in recalling long-gone days and committing them to record. May the [[universe:mikurmiya:kastun:|Gentle Eye]] of [[culture:mythology:eyes-of-the-sky:daxelh|Daxelh]] look favorably down upon this [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author|speaker]]-in-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing|daubings]].//+//Behold, I call upon the //pirr// to aid me in recalling long-gone days and committing them to record. May the [[universe:mikurmiya:kastun:|Gentle Eye]] of [[mythology:eyes_of_the_sky:daxelh|Daxelh]] look favorably down upon this [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author|speaker]]-in-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing|daubings]].//
  
-//Know, then, witnesses, that I am [[person:an-uxhwi|An-uxhwi]], son of Je-thuro, who was daughter of Je-hwun, who was daughter of Je-badulh. Many eights of [[concept:timekeeping#turn|blinks of the Gentle Eye]] have passed since my hatching in the Far South, and I have grown old and seen much come to pass. And, it must be said, I have done much for which I will be judged - and indeed have been. I scorn those who have. When the time comes that the [[universe:mikurmiya:|Burning Eye]] looks upon me and scours away my flesh, I hold no doubt that my soul shall stand the scrutiny and join the countless stars.//+//Know, then, witnesses, that I am [[person:An-uxhwi]], son of Je-thuro, who was daughter of Je-hwun, who was daughter of Je-badulh. Many eights of [[concept:timekeeping#turn|blinks of the Gentle Eye]] have passed since my hatching in the Far South, and I have grown old and seen much come to pass. And, it must be said, I have done much for which I will be judged - and indeed have been. I scorn those who have. When the time comes that the [[universe:mikurmiya:|Burning Eye]] looks upon me and scours away my flesh, I hold no doubt that my soul shall stand the scrutiny and join the countless stars.//
  
-//Until then, the regard of my beloved [[person:je-xejro|Je-xejro]] is all that I care to maintain. For those among the people of [[avishraa:community:poradrin:|Poradrin]] that have begged me to commit to daubings the tale of my life, know that it was only the joining of her voice with yours that convinced me to relent. I remain troubled that the repeating of my tale, whether by spoken words or daubed signs such as these, shall only keep alive the comments and the curses that she has had to share with me; but she has said, not without reason, that without explanation there can be no understanding. I have relented to her wishes, in the hope that she is correct. But before I begin, know that the Burning Eye scours her soul no more than it does mine! Strange of form she may be, but her heart is good, better still than that of I, her bitter father; and Daxelh has favored her with a good husband and healthy children.//+//Until then, the regard of my beloved [[person:Je-xejro]] is all that I care to maintain. For those among the people of [[geopolitical:Poradrin:]] that have begged me to commit to daubings the tale of my life, know that it was only the joining of her voice with yours that convinced me to relent. I remain troubled that the repeating of my tale, whether by spoken words or daubed signs such as these, shall only keep alive the comments and the curses that she has had to share with me; but she has said, not without reason, that without explanation there can be no understanding. I have relented to her wishes, in the hope that she is correct. But before I begin, know that the Burning Eye scours her soul no more than it does mine! Strange of form she may be, but her heart is good, better still than that of I, her bitter father; and Daxelh has favored her with a good husband and healthy children.//
  
 //Let those who condemn her - and me - be exposed as hateful and as enemies of Daxelh. They shall shrivel in the sight of the Burning Eye along with their bodies! But those who witness this and dare to understand, I welcome them. If indeed they see and understand and Je-xejro's children may take pride in their ancestry, then my learning of the town-signs will not have been in vain.// //Let those who condemn her - and me - be exposed as hateful and as enemies of Daxelh. They shall shrivel in the sight of the Burning Eye along with their bodies! But those who witness this and dare to understand, I welcome them. If indeed they see and understand and Je-xejro's children may take pride in their ancestry, then my learning of the town-signs will not have been in vain.//
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 Life is hard in the Far South, but not impossible. For in the earliest of days, before Daxelh ascended to the skies and She lived among Her children, she taught them the habits of migration that they would know ever to seek that which was elsewhere. So it was that when those of the People who lived in the Far South were faced with the Burning Eye, they withdrew to the mountains where the air remained cool by reason of their nearness to the love of Daxelh, and in Her watchful gaze could remain in half-sleep. And when the Gentle Eye glowed in the night, they saw that it was safe to go down and feed, for it was then that the desert saw rain and life, however sparse. Life is hard in the Far South, but not impossible. For in the earliest of days, before Daxelh ascended to the skies and She lived among Her children, she taught them the habits of migration that they would know ever to seek that which was elsewhere. So it was that when those of the People who lived in the Far South were faced with the Burning Eye, they withdrew to the mountains where the air remained cool by reason of their nearness to the love of Daxelh, and in Her watchful gaze could remain in half-sleep. And when the Gentle Eye glowed in the night, they saw that it was safe to go down and feed, for it was then that the desert saw rain and life, however sparse.
  
-So it was with most of the [[culture:ethnicity:ixhwanlhai:flitting-hargh-people|Flitting Hargh People]]. How long ago I was brought into life I can no longer say with certainty, for the Flitting Hargh did not count the blinks of the Eyes as do the people of Poradrin. I suspect that some fifty eights of blinks at least have passed, but whether more, and how much more, cannot be said. As was the custom, my mother, Je-thuro, timed conception so that her eggs would be laid as the Burning Eye closed, and cunningly hid them among the rocks of the highlands; of the two that were laid, only mine hatched after slightly more than two blinks, when the Burning Eye had just closed and the time of the Gentle Eye came.+So it was with most of the [[ethnicity:ixhwanlhai:Flitting Hargh People]]. How long ago I was brought into life I can no longer say with certainty, for the Flitting Hargh did not count the blinks of the Eyes as do the people of Poradrin. I suspect that some fifty eights of blinks at least have passed, but whether more, and how much more, cannot be said. As was the custom, my mother, Je-thuro, timed conception so that her eggs would be laid as the Burning Eye closed, and cunningly hid them among the rocks of the highlands; of the two that were laid, only mine hatched after slightly more than two blinks, when the Burning Eye had just closed and the time of the Gentle Eye came.
  
-My mother was yet young, but by virtue of her beauty had already acquired two mates, An-ehwko and An-kulri, who were my fathers. At the time of my hatching she had borne but three times before - the one egg of her first was eaten by scavengers, that of her second yielded my eldest brother An-ilhji, and the three of her third my sister Je-kan, my brother An-lhiru, and another son who hatched but did not survive to the time of naming. Aside from the last, these were those that were with me upon my first migration, and I was taken down into the lowlands to [[avishraa:community:je-xurros-rest|Je-xurro's Rest]].+My mother was yet young, but by virtue of her beauty had already acquired two mates, An-ehwko and An-kulri, who were my fathers. At the time of my hatching she had borne but three times before - the one egg of her first was eaten by scavengers, that of her second yielded my eldest brother An-ilhji, and the three of her third my sister Je-kan, my brother An-lhiru, and another son who hatched but did not survive to the time of naming. Aside from the last, these were those that were with me upon my first migration, and I was taken down into the lowlands to [[geopolitical:je-xurros_rest|Je-xurro's Rest]].
  
 Now, those families of the Far South whose children are of a certain age may brave the open desert at night, but places of refuge and meeting are needed at various times and for various purposes. By virtue of the vulnerability of hatchlings, families carrying them take them to such places, which are often established around springs and oases and other good sources of water. Je-xurro's Rest was such an oasis, and it was the pride of my mother that it was named for her own grandmother's grandmother. On many nights she told us the tale of its founding, and I shall recall it here to the best of my ability: Now, those families of the Far South whose children are of a certain age may brave the open desert at night, but places of refuge and meeting are needed at various times and for various purposes. By virtue of the vulnerability of hatchlings, families carrying them take them to such places, which are often established around springs and oases and other good sources of water. Je-xurro's Rest was such an oasis, and it was the pride of my mother that it was named for her own grandmother's grandmother. On many nights she told us the tale of its founding, and I shall recall it here to the best of my ability:
  
 <blockquote> <blockquote>
-//Je-xurro was the daughter of Je-najhwo of the [[culture:ethnicity:ixhwanlhai:burning-rock-people|Burning Rock People]], who had been prosperous and borne many children. But in the time of Je-najhwo's old age, the Soakers pushed the Burning Rock People away from their ancestral lands. The Soakers, as all know, have long been the enemies of the People, and gone are the days of legend when the People lived along the rivers of the Far South and up to the feet of the [[avishraa:place:spine-of-sirdanth|Gray Highlands]], for the Soakers in their misery have built their warrens and have become too numerous to remove.//+//Je-xurro was the daughter of Je-najhwo of the [[ethnicity:ixhwanlhai:Burning Rock People]], who had been prosperous and borne many children. But in the time of Je-najhwo's old age, the Soakers pushed the Burning Rock People away from their ancestral lands. The Soakers, as all know, have long been the enemies of the People, and gone are the days of legend when the People lived along the rivers of the Far South and up to the feet of the [[geography:sekhaa:region:spine_of_sirdanth|Gray Highlands]], for the Soakers in their misery have built their warrens and have become too numerous to remove.//
  
 //The Soakers are large and strong and cunning, but do not understand free will; they mistrust it in others and in themselves. And so, at the bidding of those they accepted as masters, they came out into the desert in response to the raids of the Burning Rock People: not to fight in the honorable manner of the People, but to destroy, seed and shoot. The oasis of our foremothers was attacked in the midst of night, and old and young and egg perished at their forepaws, and among them Je-najhwo; and the oasis was poisoned so that it could not be used. Many healthy adults of the Burning Rock People were spared because they had been out hunting; but they had no elders and no young, and no place to provide for either, and insufficient strength to withstand the Soakers should they return.// //The Soakers are large and strong and cunning, but do not understand free will; they mistrust it in others and in themselves. And so, at the bidding of those they accepted as masters, they came out into the desert in response to the raids of the Burning Rock People: not to fight in the honorable manner of the People, but to destroy, seed and shoot. The oasis of our foremothers was attacked in the midst of night, and old and young and egg perished at their forepaws, and among them Je-najhwo; and the oasis was poisoned so that it could not be used. Many healthy adults of the Burning Rock People were spared because they had been out hunting; but they had no elders and no young, and no place to provide for either, and insufficient strength to withstand the Soakers should they return.//
  
-//A people without lands is no people, and the Burning Rock People were therefore no more. A great many of these, among whom was Je-xurro and her sister Je-lhorun, traveled east into the flat lands of the [[culture:ethnicity:ixhwanlhai:hidden-people|Hidden People]], who dwelt in burrows in the time of the Burning Eye because they had no highlands to which to retreat. At first the Hidden People were welcoming and gave shelter to them; but there was not enough food or water for so many extra mouths, and at last the travelers were obliged to go forth again. They passed north, into the deep center of the wastes, and came at last to the [[avishraa:place:jaruk-heights|Jaruk Heights]]. By reason of their remoteness, few passed that way, and yet there was game and some water, and by a wide pool between two arms of the Heights they made their refuge, and because it was Je-xurro that found it they named it Je-xurro's Rest.//+//A people without lands is no people, and the Burning Rock People were therefore no more. A great many of these, among whom was Je-xurro and her sister Je-lhorun, traveled east into the flat lands of the [[ethnicity:ixhwanlhai:Hidden People]], who dwelt in burrows in the time of the Burning Eye because they had no highlands to which to retreat. At first the Hidden People were welcoming and gave shelter to them; but there was not enough food or water for so many extra mouths, and at last the travelers were obliged to go forth again. They passed north, into the deep center of the wastes, and came at last to the [[geography:sekhaa:region:Jaruk Heights]]. By reason of their remoteness, few passed that way, and yet there was game and some water, and by a wide pool between two arms of the Heights they made their refuge, and because it was Je-xurro that found it they named it Je-xurro's Rest.//
  
-//In time, the Hidden People heard of this place, and some of them came north to dwell there. And some of the travelers, among whom was Je-xurro, remembered their hospitality and welcomed them; and yet others, among whom was Je-lhorun, had not forgiven them for not keeping them longer as guests. And the discord between them became such that they could not reconcile, and there were battles between them, in which Je-lhorun was slain; and at last the dissenters were defeated, and departed to a further region of the Heights, where they named themselves the [[culture:ethnicity:ixhwanlhai:jagged-tooth-people|Jagged Tooth People]] for the sharp ridges of rock there. And the people of Je-xurro, who remained with those Hidden People who had come to dwell by the pool, joined with them and called themselves the Flitting Hargh People, for the [[species:hargh|brightly colored insects]] that were found near the pool at dawn and dusk. And between then Flitting Hargh People and the Jagged Tooth People there remained enmity and strife ever after.//+//In time, the Hidden People heard of this place, and some of them came north to dwell there. And some of the travelers, among whom was Je-xurro, remembered their hospitality and welcomed them; and yet others, among whom was Je-lhorun, had not forgiven them for not keeping them longer as guests. And the discord between them became such that they could not reconcile, and there were battles between them, in which Je-lhorun was slain; and at last the dissenters were defeated, and departed to a further region of the Heights, where they named themselves the [[ethnicity:ixhwanlhai:Jagged Tooth People]] for the sharp ridges of rock there. And the people of Je-xurro, who remained with those Hidden People who had come to dwell by the pool, joined with them and called themselves the Flitting Hargh People, for the [[species:hargh|brightly colored insects]] that were found near the pool at dawn and dusk. And between the Flitting Hargh People and the Jagged Tooth People there remained enmity and strife ever after.//
 </blockquote> </blockquote>
  
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 ===== Early life ===== ===== Early life =====
-My childhood was not unusual for one among the migrators of the Flitting Hargh People in that time and place. For the first few blinks of my life, I was carried in a sling around the neck of one or the other of my fathers, whichever one was attending the children while the other helped my mother keep watch on the herd. My parents kept [[species:axtin|axtin]], small but hardy and surefooted, and well suited to the Jaruk Heights; and they drove the herd down into the lowlands for the hours of darkness, when rain most often fell, to fatten them upon the plants that grew best during those times and trade them at Je-xurro's Rest for supplies that could not otherwise be obtained - especially salt and extra water. And when the Burning Eye opened once more, the herd was driven back into their daytime camps in the heights, where the family's hidden stores were, and there the older axtin were slaughtered, their skins dried and cut into strips for rawhide bindings, their meat dried and salted for preservation into lean times, and the blood drunk for easy sustenance - particularly for a youngling, for whom dried meat was a difficult test of the teeth.+My childhood was not unusual for one among the migrators of the Flitting Hargh People in that time and place. For the first few blinks of my life, I was carried in a sling around the neck of one or the other of my fathers, whichever one was attending the children while the other helped my mother keep watch on the herd. My parents kept [[species:axtin]], small but hardy and surefooted, and well suited to the Jaruk Heights; and they drove the herd down into the lowlands for the hours of darkness, when rain most often fell, to fatten them upon the plants that grew best during those times and trade them at Je-xurro's Rest for supplies that could not otherwise be obtained - especially salt and extra water. And when the Burning Eye opened once more, the herd was driven back into their daytime camps in the heights, where the family's hidden stores were, and there the older axtin were slaughtered, their skins dried and cut into strips for rawhide bindings, their meat dried and salted for preservation into lean times, and the blood drunk for easy sustenance - particularly for a youngling, for whom dried meat was a difficult test of the teeth.
  
-As I have said, my mother, Je-thuro, was at that time still quite young and beautiful, which had allowed her to claim two mates only shortly after she came of age. Of this she was right to be proud, but her self-regard was perhaps overstated, for her most prized possession was a piece of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian|edge-rock]] that she had found as a wandering girl. Instead of using it, as many might, to fashion tools or weapons, she employed it for a less practical use, for it had one flattish side which she had taken some pains to grind and polish smooth, so that she could [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror observe|herself]] in its black depths and use it to apply [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_black eye|black]] or to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmetics|outline her facial markings]]. There was that about her: whatever she might do in the service of vanity, it never mastered her practicality. She spent less time with her sons than with her daughter, who would lead the family after her; but she was protective of us all.+As I have said, my mother, Je-thuro, was at that time still quite young and beautiful, which had allowed her to claim two mates only shortly after she came of age. Of this she was right to be proud, but her self-regard was perhaps overstated, for her most prized possession was a piece of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian|edge-rock]] that she had found as a wandering girl. Instead of using it, as many might, to fashion tools or weapons, she employed it for a less practical use, for it had one flattish side which she had taken some pains to grind and polish smooth, so that she could [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror|observe herself]] in its black depths and use it to apply [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_black|eye black]] or to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmetics|outline her facial markings]]. There was that about her: whatever she might do in the service of vanity, it never mastered her practicality. She spent less time with her sons than with her daughter, who would lead the family after her; but she was protective of us all.
  
 My fathers, An-ehwko and An-kulri, were brothers, hatched from the same clutch. These were not the names they originally bore - Nefko and Ngurri, as near as I can render them - for they came from the east, and their people spoke a tongue which differed somewhat from that of the Flitting Hargh and Jagged Tooth People, and when they arrived in the lands of the Flitting Hargh People they were called by such names as were closest in form in our tongue. Being the same age, when the time came for them to depart their family, they chose to travel together for a time, and by the will of Daxelh they came into the territories claimed by Je-hwun, my mother's mother. As Je-hwun had become old and Je-thuro was her only living daughter, Je-thuro remained with her instead of departing, to care for her and defend the territory that would become hers. When the brothers arrived, they both paid court to her, and she was pleased by their attentions, and rather than choose one over the other she asked their consent to take them both, and as neither wished to harm the other and both desired her, they agreed. My fathers, An-ehwko and An-kulri, were brothers, hatched from the same clutch. These were not the names they originally bore - Nefko and Ngurri, as near as I can render them - for they came from the east, and their people spoke a tongue which differed somewhat from that of the Flitting Hargh and Jagged Tooth People, and when they arrived in the lands of the Flitting Hargh People they were called by such names as were closest in form in our tongue. Being the same age, when the time came for them to depart their family, they chose to travel together for a time, and by the will of Daxelh they came into the territories claimed by Je-hwun, my mother's mother. As Je-hwun had become old and Je-thuro was her only living daughter, Je-thuro remained with her instead of departing, to care for her and defend the territory that would become hers. When the brothers arrived, they both paid court to her, and she was pleased by their attentions, and rather than choose one over the other she asked their consent to take them both, and as neither wished to harm the other and both desired her, they agreed.
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 ===== Wanderings ===== ===== Wanderings =====
-The Jaruk Heights are at the very heart of the desert. Those who have traveled most say it lies equidistant between the four great walls within which is the preserve of the People: the Gray Highlands in the Far South, the Dawn Spires in the East, the Pinnacles of Night in the West, and the Great Water in the North. In any of these directions I could have gone, and seen untold sights, and had a very different life as a result. But south I went, toward the lands held by the Soakers, for I was young and brash and I wished to see for myself the giants who were the tormentors of the People.+The Jaruk Heights are at the very heart of the desert. Those who have traveled most say it lies equidistant between the four great walls within which is the preserve of the People: the [[geography:sekhaa:region:spine_of_sirdanth|Gray Highlands]] in the Far South, the [[geography:sekhaa:region:Nest of the Sun]] in the East, the [[geography:sekhaa:region:refuge_range|Pinnacles of Night]] in the West, and the cold lands in the North. In any of these directions I could have gone, and seen untold sights, and had a very different life as a result. But south I went, toward the lands held by the Soakers, for I was young and brash and I wished to see for myself the giants who were the tormentors of the People.
  
 I passed first into the lands of the Hidden People. Now because of the past contact and kinship that had arisen between these and the Flitting Hargh People, we knew of each other and were on cordial terms, and often the wandering males of nearby tribes went to them to learn their ways of avoiding the heat of the Burning Eye even in the lowlands. As I have said, they [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugout_(shelter)|burrow beneath the ground]] to accomplish this feat, and they do so in two ways. I passed first into the lands of the Hidden People. Now because of the past contact and kinship that had arisen between these and the Flitting Hargh People, we knew of each other and were on cordial terms, and often the wandering males of nearby tribes went to them to learn their ways of avoiding the heat of the Burning Eye even in the lowlands. As I have said, they [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dugout_(shelter)|burrow beneath the ground]] to accomplish this feat, and they do so in two ways.
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 At last the land became more friendly to life, and yet more alien, for here I encountered a people who spoke a tongue unfamiliar to me. The language of the Hidden People had been like mine, though some words and pronunciations were different, and although I was never able to fully understand the tongue of my fathers (who never taught it to me, but sometimes spoke it between themselves) many words and phrases were like ours, though greatly changed, and it seemed to me that I could sometimes discern the topic of which they spoke. The tongue of the people I encountered now, however, offered me no such guides; I had no understanding of it, and found it unpleasant, for the words popped and clicked in the mouth. At last the land became more friendly to life, and yet more alien, for here I encountered a people who spoke a tongue unfamiliar to me. The language of the Hidden People had been like mine, though some words and pronunciations were different, and although I was never able to fully understand the tongue of my fathers (who never taught it to me, but sometimes spoke it between themselves) many words and phrases were like ours, though greatly changed, and it seemed to me that I could sometimes discern the topic of which they spoke. The tongue of the people I encountered now, however, offered me no such guides; I had no understanding of it, and found it unpleasant, for the words popped and clicked in the mouth.
  
-Nonetheless, my [[concept:empathic_sense|mind-sense]] of them proclaimed them a kindly people - or at least one adept at hiding their true feelings of me - and they were willing to trade. I learned some small portion of their tongue, but as I went on to a land stringed with oases, I found that they - who called themselves [[culture:ethnicity:otarkit|Otarkit]], the Red Ones, for many of them were of that color - were more often familiar with mine, or in any case one enough like it to be easily understood. I learned from them that when the Burning Rock People had departed their homeland, they had passed through the lands of the Otarkit, and that some of them had stayed and joined with their people. Though their children came to speak the tongue of the Otarkit in their everyday lives, their former speech lingered, being much like that of the Hidden People and of use in their dealings with them.+Nonetheless, my [[concept:empathic_sense|mind-sense]] of them proclaimed them a kindly people - or at least one adept at hiding their true feelings of me - and they were willing to trade. I learned some small portion of their tongue, but as I went on to a land stringed with oases, I found that they - who called themselves [[ethnicity:Otarkit]], the Red Ones, for many of them were of that color - were more often familiar with mine, or in any case one enough like it to be easily understood. I learned from them that when the Burning Rock People had departed their homeland, they had passed through the lands of the Otarkit, and that some of them had stayed and joined with their people. Though their children came to speak the tongue of the Otarkit in their everyday lives, their former speech lingered, being much like that of the Hidden People and of use in their dealings with them.
  
 I considered staying among the Otarkit for a time, for I became comfortable among them and they valued the leaf-stone carvings I had brought from the Jaruk Heights, for they had no stone nearby that was such a color. But when the last of the carvings was traded away, I resolved to continue west, and see the lands of my foremothers. The Otarkit, living near to the area, gave more precise directions than my mother's stories had, and advice about the current conditions in my chosen path. They warned me that the land was inhabited mostly by bands of unattached males and a few female warchiefs, all fond of skirmishing among each other and against the Soakers. Though their advice was almost certainly meant as a warning, to me it smelled of adventure and a chance to earn status, and I eagerly pressed on. I considered staying among the Otarkit for a time, for I became comfortable among them and they valued the leaf-stone carvings I had brought from the Jaruk Heights, for they had no stone nearby that was such a color. But when the last of the carvings was traded away, I resolved to continue west, and see the lands of my foremothers. The Otarkit, living near to the area, gave more precise directions than my mother's stories had, and advice about the current conditions in my chosen path. They warned me that the land was inhabited mostly by bands of unattached males and a few female warchiefs, all fond of skirmishing among each other and against the Soakers. Though their advice was almost certainly meant as a warning, to me it smelled of adventure and a chance to earn status, and I eagerly pressed on.
  
-I, young fool that I was, expected to distinguish myself in battle early, but the will of Daxelh quickly disabused me of that notion. Though An-ehwko had given me javelins and taught me the rudiments of fighting with them, I had not yet had opportunity to encounter any foe brighter than a feral //axtin// or more vicious than a //[[species:shexru|shexru]]//. As a lone male against a band of experienced males, however, I was, much to my chagrin, ambushed and captured in an extremely short time, with the only wound inflicted being the one that resulted in the scar that still graces my muzzle.+I, young fool that I was, expected to distinguish myself in battle early, but the will of Daxelh quickly disabused me of that notion. Though An-ehwko had given me javelins and taught me the rudiments of fighting with them, I had not yet had opportunity to encounter any foe brighter than a feral //axtin// or more vicious than a //[[species:shexru]]//. As a lone male against a band of experienced males, however, I was, much to my chagrin, ambushed and captured in an extremely short time, with the only wound inflicted being the one that resulted in the scar that still graces my muzzle.
  
 They took my weapons, my supplies, and my carvings; in hopes of keeping them, I offered my services to them, but they laughed and departed, not even deigning to bind me. I followed them at a distance, in the hopes of coming upon them while asleep and seizing back those things that were mine, but always they had someone on watch as they traveled, and there were few opportunities. At last, when my strength ran low and the next opening of the Burning Eye drew near, I approached, out of desperation; but I was seen, and they took me and beat me. Then the leader ordered me tied to stakes fixed in the ground, and left to face the Burning Eye alone and without water, shelter, or aid. They departed, and when the Eye rose above the distant horizon, it turned its gaze full upon me. They took my weapons, my supplies, and my carvings; in hopes of keeping them, I offered my services to them, but they laughed and departed, not even deigning to bind me. I followed them at a distance, in the hopes of coming upon them while asleep and seizing back those things that were mine, but always they had someone on watch as they traveled, and there were few opportunities. At last, when my strength ran low and the next opening of the Burning Eye drew near, I approached, out of desperation; but I was seen, and they took me and beat me. Then the leader ordered me tied to stakes fixed in the ground, and left to face the Burning Eye alone and without water, shelter, or aid. They departed, and when the Eye rose above the distant horizon, it turned its gaze full upon me.
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 When at last night came, we traveled to the clan's strongholds. It was a short journey, if a lean one; we carried few supplies, so that, unburdened by much weight, we could make the journey by wing. We paused to rest and eat beside an oasis, and there my brother and I made silent prayer, for there it had been that the Burning Rock People had lived before the Soakers poisoned the waters. When we had humbly asked Daxelh to remember the spirits of the dead of that place and to comfort them, we pressed on, and after a further flight had reached the lands of the clan that An-ilhji had joined. When at last night came, we traveled to the clan's strongholds. It was a short journey, if a lean one; we carried few supplies, so that, unburdened by much weight, we could make the journey by wing. We paused to rest and eat beside an oasis, and there my brother and I made silent prayer, for there it had been that the Burning Rock People had lived before the Soakers poisoned the waters. When we had humbly asked Daxelh to remember the spirits of the dead of that place and to comfort them, we pressed on, and after a further flight had reached the lands of the clan that An-ilhji had joined.
  
-These people called themselves the [[culture:ethnicity:pairket|Pa'irket]], which I was told meant the Just Ones, for so they saw themselves (though, they added, there were others to claim that name). It was their habit, when not going on raid, to remain in the high and stony places, which defended equally well from both the gaze of the Burning Eye and that of the Soakers, who lived all too close. But this meant that they tended few animals, for there was not enough pasturage in the heights for large herds, and had to live in a way different from that to which I was used. The following is the way of it, as best as I can describe.+These people called themselves the [[ethnicity:Pa'irket]], which I was told meant the Just Ones, for so they saw themselves (though, they added, there were others to claim that name). It was their habit, when not going on raid, to remain in the high and stony places, which defended equally well from both the gaze of the Burning Eye and that of the Soakers, who lived all too close. But this meant that they tended few animals, for there was not enough pasturage in the heights for large herds, and had to live in a way different from that to which I was used. The following is the way of it, as best as I can describe.
  
 There are areas in their highlands where the rock is soft, in the manner that rocks are, and in places exposed to the wind, it has scored deep crevices and gashes into this material, forming [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_dwelling|shaded places floored and roofed with stone]]. In these places the Pa'irket erected walls along the lips of the floors, made of stones [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_stone|carefully chosen]] to fit together tightly; and behind them, sheltered from the Burning Eye, were square dwellings made of blocks of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe|an earthy material]] which I had not seen before. There were larger dwellings for the unmated males to share, with space for ten or so; and smaller ones, each for a female, which she would share with mates and young children if she had them. There are areas in their highlands where the rock is soft, in the manner that rocks are, and in places exposed to the wind, it has scored deep crevices and gashes into this material, forming [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_dwelling|shaded places floored and roofed with stone]]. In these places the Pa'irket erected walls along the lips of the floors, made of stones [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_stone|carefully chosen]] to fit together tightly; and behind them, sheltered from the Burning Eye, were square dwellings made of blocks of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe|an earthy material]] which I had not seen before. There were larger dwellings for the unmated males to share, with space for ten or so; and smaller ones, each for a female, which she would share with mates and young children if she had them.
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 I feared in truth that my journey would seem to her too similar to that of my brother - it is ill-omened that one should tread too closely in the footsteps of another - but she accepted me as having the potential for my own worth, and granted me her blessing to be trained amongst the raiders of the Pa'irket if I in turn gave my consent to be so trained. And therefore I was named as one of them, and in the fashion of their males I was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo|sharply marked between the eyes]] with dark ink; for this was believed to lend one some of the strength and ferocity of a female. I feared in truth that my journey would seem to her too similar to that of my brother - it is ill-omened that one should tread too closely in the footsteps of another - but she accepted me as having the potential for my own worth, and granted me her blessing to be trained amongst the raiders of the Pa'irket if I in turn gave my consent to be so trained. And therefore I was named as one of them, and in the fashion of their males I was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo|sharply marked between the eyes]] with dark ink; for this was believed to lend one some of the strength and ferocity of a female.
  
-For a number of blinks, under the gaze of either Eye, I trained alongside my new battle-brothers in the ways of combat, with the short javelin, and the dagger, and the sling. I came to mourn less the loss of my old javelin, for the blade of its replacement, and that of the dagger, were not of edge-rock but of metal. Now, in the Jaruk Heights, weapons and items of copper were known, though they were carried only by wealthy chieftains; but although copper went into the making of the metal of the Pa'irket, so also did a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiterite|dark, shiny gem]] found near the base of the heights, and some of the quality of the gem imparted to it by Daxelh became passed to the copper. Though less lustrous red to the eye, it could be made harder and less brittle, and kept a better edge, and the Pa'irket called it simply ''kirepital'', which is ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze|blade-metal]]'', for all their weapons were cast of it. Though it seemed a common thing to them, I felt wealthy having weapons such as these.+For a number of blinks, under the gaze of either Eye, I trained alongside my new battle-brothers in the ways of combat, with the short javelin, and the dagger, and the sling. I came to mourn less the loss of my old javelin, for the blade of its replacement, and that of the dagger, were not of edge-rock but of metal. Now, in the Jaruk Heights, weapons and items of copper were known, though they were carried only by wealthy chieftains; but although copper went into the making of the metal of the Pa'irket, so also did a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassiterite|dark, shiny gem]] found near the base of the heights, and some of the quality of the gem imparted to it by Daxelh became passed to the copper. Though less lustrous red to the eye, it could be made harder and less brittle, and kept a better edge, and the Pa'irket called it simply //kirepital//, which is //[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze|blade-metal]]//, for all their weapons were cast of it. Though it seemed a common thing to them, I felt wealthy having weapons such as these.
  
 But if I had any misconceptions of status, my new clan took care to disabuse me of them. The mundane chores of each village, particularly of stirring the cesspit, and of carrying its contents to the plantings, were done turn and turn about by all residents, but more often by those males who had not yet proven valuable in some other role. My ability to produce carvings raised me somewhat above the otherwise unskilled, but was not as esteemed as skill at fighting, and I spent many watches devising new and fruitless techniques to keep the stench from my nostrils. But if I had any misconceptions of status, my new clan took care to disabuse me of them. The mundane chores of each village, particularly of stirring the cesspit, and of carrying its contents to the plantings, were done turn and turn about by all residents, but more often by those males who had not yet proven valuable in some other role. My ability to produce carvings raised me somewhat above the otherwise unskilled, but was not as esteemed as skill at fighting, and I spent many watches devising new and fruitless techniques to keep the stench from my nostrils.
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 Possibly I was less skilled in fighting than in romance; though An-ilhji's mate Arindarrak approved of my choice of gift to Jethrekin when I told her, An-ilhji found less praise for me when I sparred with him. But though I never could defeat him in combat, I at least came eventually to the point where I could hold my own against him, and could reliably best at least some other opponents. Therefore An-ilhji recommended me to Chirtpek, who agreed to allow me on the next raid. Possibly I was less skilled in fighting than in romance; though An-ilhji's mate Arindarrak approved of my choice of gift to Jethrekin when I told her, An-ilhji found less praise for me when I sparred with him. But though I never could defeat him in combat, I at least came eventually to the point where I could hold my own against him, and could reliably best at least some other opponents. Therefore An-ilhji recommended me to Chirtpek, who agreed to allow me on the next raid.
  
-Now, the land of the Pa'irket lay among the foothills of the southernmost Pinnacles of Night, so called because, in the Jaruk Heights, it was behind those mountains that the Burning Eye closed for its rest. But as a wall to the domain of the People it stands incomplete, for there is a gap between its southern end and the [[avishraa:place:spine-of-sirdanth|Gray Highlands]], through which the rivers of the south flow. The most ancient legends say that once these rivers were the domain of the People, and that along their lush banks there were prosperous villages and farms, even as there are in Poradrin. But the Soakers came up from the [[avishraa:place:cerulean-tangle|Wet Lands]], south beyond the Highlands, and took the river valleys to dwell in, though they could not survive too far into the desert. This is how we named them as Soakers; for they must bathe in and drink water frequently, lest their scales dry up and they crumble away into dust.+Now, the land of the Pa'irket lay among the foothills of the southernmost Pinnacles of Night, so called because, in the Jaruk Heights, it was behind those mountains that the Burning Eye closed for its rest. But as a wall to the domain of the People it stands incomplete, for there is a gap between its southern end and the [[geography:sekhaa:region:spine_of_sirdanth|Gray Highlands]], through which the rivers of the south flow. The most ancient legends say that once these rivers were the domain of the People, and that along their lush banks there were prosperous villages and farms, even as there are in Poradrin. But the Soakers came up from the [[geography:sekhaa:region:cerulean_tangle|Wet Lands]], south beyond the Highlands, and took the river valleys to dwell in, though they could not survive too far into the desert. This is how we named them as Soakers; for they must bathe in and drink water frequently, lest their scales dry up and they crumble away into dust.
  
 The People do not have the strength to dislodge them from the rivers, for they huddle together in great numbers, and this together with the size of their bodies means an alliance of many clans is necessary to do battle against even one of their warrens. But they had also taken many oases for themselves, and these supported few of their kind and were difficult to defend. It was one such oasis that was the object of my first raid, and under the leadership of Arindarrak we went there, going so far as to begin our journey under the Burning Eye so that we might arrive shortly after nightfall. When we arrived, we spied out the Soakers from afar; there were scarcely twenty-four of them, and little more than half were adults, while we numbered about thirty. We moved in from two directions: some from the land, while others held their breaths and swam beneath the water. Though they had set a guard around their tents, it was not enough to protect them that night. The People do not have the strength to dislodge them from the rivers, for they huddle together in great numbers, and this together with the size of their bodies means an alliance of many clans is necessary to do battle against even one of their warrens. But they had also taken many oases for themselves, and these supported few of their kind and were difficult to defend. It was one such oasis that was the object of my first raid, and under the leadership of Arindarrak we went there, going so far as to begin our journey under the Burning Eye so that we might arrive shortly after nightfall. When we arrived, we spied out the Soakers from afar; there were scarcely twenty-four of them, and little more than half were adults, while we numbered about thirty. We moved in from two directions: some from the land, while others held their breaths and swam beneath the water. Though they had set a guard around their tents, it was not enough to protect them that night.
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 But these were not the conditions I faced, and we came upon them surprised and leaderless. The raid was my first taste of battle, and, I admit, I was not of one mind about it. I had opportunity to prove myself against foes larger and more cunning than animals, and to obtain the blood-price of vengeance against the wrongs done to my ancestors and to the People, and this was satisfying; but beasts though they are, I found it difficult to think of them so. One male, who had gone unarmed, crouched between myself and those I assumed to be his young, as if to protect them. What good father among the People would do differently? But none could be allowed to return to their kindred alive; though he caught me and tore at me, my dagger let the blood from his throat, and he died. The other adults suffered the same fate. But these were not the conditions I faced, and we came upon them surprised and leaderless. The raid was my first taste of battle, and, I admit, I was not of one mind about it. I had opportunity to prove myself against foes larger and more cunning than animals, and to obtain the blood-price of vengeance against the wrongs done to my ancestors and to the People, and this was satisfying; but beasts though they are, I found it difficult to think of them so. One male, who had gone unarmed, crouched between myself and those I assumed to be his young, as if to protect them. What good father among the People would do differently? But none could be allowed to return to their kindred alive; though he caught me and tore at me, my dagger let the blood from his throat, and he died. The other adults suffered the same fate.
  
-There was some debate, afterward, about the young. There was duty in ending them as well, but certainly no honor, and some of us - myself among them - argued that they should be allowed to live, either to be set free and left to Daxelh's mercy, or to be taken back to the villages and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery|brought up in our service]]. Those against these plans argued that death would be more merciful in any case, for they would not be fed if set free and would not survive the journey home if taken, for we could not carry the water to soak them as they would need. Dead they would be in either case, and we could but choose the length of their suffering. After some discussion, this point was agreed. Since we had taken few casualties and the young were small, we had plenty of the potion called [[item:substance:peace-of-daxelh|peace-of-Daxelh]] to administer to them, so that they would feel no pain. They were permitted to sleep, and then their lives were taken, and they were buried.+There was some debate, afterward, about the young. There was duty in ending them as well, but certainly no honor, and some of us - myself among them - argued that they should be allowed to live, either to be set free and left to Daxelh's mercy, or to be taken back to the villages and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery|brought up in our service]]. Those against these plans argued that death would be more merciful in any case, for they would not be fed if set free and would not survive the journey home if taken, for we could not carry the water to soak them as they would need. Dead they would be in either case, and we could but choose the length of their suffering. After some discussion, this point was agreed. Since we had taken few casualties and the young were small, we had plenty of the potion called [[item:substance:peace-of-Daxelh]] to administer to them, so that they would feel no pain. They were permitted to sleep, and then their lives were taken, and they were buried.
  
 As we returned home, I was troubled by this. My brother advised me that we were rarely compelled to kill the young of the Soakers, for they were often too prudent to bring them unless they had built their walls and dwellings. In exposing them, the fault was theirs. And, he said, it should be remembered that such raids as these were not like hunting and herding, where the younger prey should be left to multiply in due course; the Soakers were enemies, not prey. Since they were many and the People were few, he said, the goal must be to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide|lessen the Soakers as far as one could]]. Put like that, it made sense; but I did not feel right in my soul, and spared a prayer that Daxelh would find a place with Her for such innocent creatures. As we returned home, I was troubled by this. My brother advised me that we were rarely compelled to kill the young of the Soakers, for they were often too prudent to bring them unless they had built their walls and dwellings. In exposing them, the fault was theirs. And, he said, it should be remembered that such raids as these were not like hunting and herding, where the younger prey should be left to multiply in due course; the Soakers were enemies, not prey. Since they were many and the People were few, he said, the goal must be to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide|lessen the Soakers as far as one could]]. Put like that, it made sense; but I did not feel right in my soul, and spared a prayer that Daxelh would find a place with Her for such innocent creatures.
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