Fantasy Godslayer: Blood and Salt

[dikdik]

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[K0mori]

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[demytra]

1. Tell Her Everything - It seems she had done more than just pray for your health, unbeknownst to her. "When I was asleep, I saw Akko." you say to your mother, "I... spoke with him."

As you recount your experience, your mother is silent - eyes widened - as she listens to you intently; you can practically recall every moment you had experienced, and describe what you saw to her. You also elaborate on what you spoke about with Akko, leaving her speechless as you describe how he showed you the manner in which waterspeakers discern the future and omens and the ominous message that had been left to sit with you. A moment of silence passes as she struggles to think of a response, until she shakes her head: "Maybe... it was just your fever playing with your mind?" she tries to reason, but the expression on your face tells all; how vivid it all was, how real everything felt, you can't simply shake it all off as a simple sickly delusion.

She frowns: "Maybe you should speak to the elder about this? He would have more answers than me..."

The door to your room opens suddenly, and more familiar faces flood the area. Your little sister Lanya, with her steel-grey fur and rare purple eyes, bounds first into the room followed by your brother Ori who was only a year younger than you whose fur was a deep brown and held a similar pattern to your mother. They both practically leap to your bedside, shouting over one another with their own worries and relief to your better health.

"We thought you were going to die!" Ori says with excitement as he pushes you gently.

"I'm happy you didn't!" Lanya states, hugging you tightly.

You can't contain your own laughter as your siblings swarm you, and your mother looks on with a joyous smile of her own, before turning to a larger figure that stood at the door. Your father, who was large for a Saukkonen and with whom you shared the same coat color and pattern with, watched with crossed arms and a smile. Though his overall demeanour was more serious.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, his voice carrying the same air of authority that it always did. A strict, but fair father as he always had to be in addition to his other duties. Laketown, and by extension the Saukkonens, had no official ruler to call their own and so it had befell upon Alvar by circumstance to provide a strong voice. It was a position he did not relish, as was visible upon his greying whiskers and face and truthfully had expressed on many nights under the pale candlelight that he wished his people would look to someone else for comfort. As such, he always felt... distant. Never unreachable, but always torn between two realms.

"Better. A lot better." you reply with a nod.

"Good. We've delayed your coming-of-age long enough." he states, though your mother immediately protests.

"He only just got up out of bed! He was bedridden... he needs to rest still. Better yet, he needs to speak with the elder." she says, turning to you with a worried look.

"Pa, can I come to the hunt too?" Ori asks with a hopeful look.

"Not now, when you're a bit older." your father says, before turning his attention back to your mother. "The boy said he's better, and we can't delay the hunt. What would the other boys - or men for that matter - think of him if he never spears a proper riverbeast?"

Your mother scowls at Alvar, just about ready to argue with him while you and your siblings watch the growing tension in the room.

---

1. Go for the Hunt - The tradition of killing your first riverbeast is important, and you feel well enough to travel and hunt regardless. The Elder can wait.

2. Go for the Elder - You still want to speak with the elder, as your mother suggested, and also to get an opinion as to whether or not you need more time to recuperate from your illness.

 

[turtwigwins]

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[LoriMahe]

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[Breadman]

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[dikdik]

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[Infab]

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[AriAriAbabwa]

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[simj26]

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[K0mori]

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[demytra]

TIED VOTE, DEALERS CHOICE - 1. Go for the Hunt - The tradition of killing your first riverbeast is important, and you feel well enough to travel and hunt regardless. The Elder can wait.

"Ma, it's alright." you chime in before the two start shouting at each other over your well-being. You're capable of making your own choices as you lift yourself off the bed's edge and stand on your own two feet, much to everyone's surprise. You don't just feel well, you feel better than you did even before your illness had taken a grip on you; your tail taps against the wood in tune with your toes as you get a feel for things before turning to your father. "I'm ready." you insist, to which your father nods in similar sentiment.

"We leave within the half-hour, get yourself dressed and washed." he says before walking off further into the house. In the time that passes you gather yourself and your belongings for the occasion - which includes a spear with an jagged iron tip at the edge - as well as your boots and cloak for trekking along with your regular attire of plain clothes. Your weapon is well honed and balanced, and it feels right at him in your hands when you practice a thrust with it in the lower floors of your house. You feel as though you can deal with the coming trial, even if your only experience has been with dummies up to this point. Nothing can prepare one to deal with the real thing when it came to it, and you remember what your father once told you: In danger, you will not have time to think. Only to act.

"Ready?" your father asks as he descends down the stairs with his own gear in tow and you nod to him.

Stepping out, the locales of Laketown greet your senses in all their familiarity: the stench of fish barrels, either to be salted or roasted here or shipped elsewhere, is noticeable along with the general odours one could expect of a land filled with lakes and rivers. There was also the daily commotion of all types, whether it was your own kind or foreigners from the outside; it had been only in the last century that traders and merchants had seriously considered the northern regions to be of any serious interest for their enterprises. And those who took advantage of the lack of competition found themselves with a plethora of new materials to deal with and to carry back to their homelands further south. It was their larger vessels that sat docked in contrast to the smaller local fishing dinghys and canoes.

As the two of you pass through town to head for the wilds, your father is greeted by many faces and quick chats. Considering this is your big day, the news had spread fast already that you were off to do the Metsära - the hunting trial. Many of your neighbours bid you good luck as you pass by, and you return thanks in kind until you finally reach the end of town. A small dock for those to travel along the various tributaries and snaking waterways held a canoe for the two of you to depart in. And, not wanting to waste time, your father quickly unhitches the boat from its resting area and gets the two of you moving along with his paddle.

"Father, why did you leave Ori behind?" you ask, "I was younger than him when I got to watch a hunt."

He is silent for a moment before sighing: "I... I needed to speak with you, alone."

"...about what?" you ask.

"About your role in the family." he says as he continues to paddle. "After today, you'll be a man. A fully grown gortur of the Saukkonen. It is not just a status, but a responsibility. There is more to being such than a good hunter, or a good warrior. You also have a duty to your family, to protect and defend them. Do you understand?" You nod, though its plain to your father that you don't understand why this emphasis is needed. "I won't be around forever to protect you, or guide you." he continues, his tone growing more solemn than tutelary. "Or to protect your mother, and your siblings."

The thought had never crossed your mind, truthfully. You remember the stories of him fighting the wild-men further beyond Jarvimaata to protect this place you call home, and also how it was he who helped put forward the laws of your people into writing. He was an almost larger than life figure whose very presence inspired those around him. It seemed impossible to think of a world without him, with all that he's done.

What would you do when he's gone?

---

1. Deny - You shake your head, unable to actually visualize such a thing. He's here now, that's all that matters. The moments you have with him, and your family.

2. Carry on His Legacy - He is an inspiration for your people, and you can only hope to do his memory justice when that time comes.

3. Forge a New Path - Your father casts a long and deep shadow, but you have your own ambition to step outside of it and build your own legacy.

4. In Memoriam, Guidance - You will carry the pain in your heart, but you will always hear his voice to lead you onwards.

5. Forget - Perhaps it is better to allow the pain of loss to fade away, to make way for your own happiness.

 

[dikdik]

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[turtwigwins]

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[Infab]

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[AriAriAbabwa]

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[Breadman]

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[LoriMahe]

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[hardcore.munchkin]

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[K0mori]

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