ROLEPLAY

My name is Anzhanto. I am a young Zoraï. I grew up with a kindly Mother, an old Matis woman Chiarni Tinallo. Mother told me that when I was very young, a Zoraï girl came running into camp dragging me along by the hand. The girl was greviously injured but I was unhurt. Mother said that Master Wu-Seng healed her wounds but something inside her had broken and she died a few days later. The girl never spoke a word and I didn't say anything either, for some time Mother worried that I could not speak at all. Despite this, Mother knew my name. She had found a sheaf of drawnings in my satchel. In the corner of each was one word: Anzhanto. Mother said it was the only word I would respond to for nearly a year.

Mother was used to mute children, there were two of us for a time: Me and my brother, Lorick. Lorick still doesn't speak with his voice but he does use his hands to speak. When I tell others that I have a brother Lorick, they will often ask me to point him out. They are almost always confused when I point to the short, thin Fyros. Lorick and I, of course, were not born to the same woman but we had the same Mother.

Lorick's first parents were poisoned by Goo. His first father died very quickly but his first mother lingered for a couple of years, Goo slowly poisoning and rotting her away. She was pregnant with Lorick when the accident happened and Mother says that is why Lorick is so small and doesn't speak. She said she didn't know the details of the accident and Lorick won't tell me what he knows.

Mother has had many children over the years, Lorick and I were the only ones to stay with her for as long as we did. We remained by her side until her frail body could live no longer and she died on Winderly 16, 3rd AC 2575. After she died, we followed some Rangers to Silan. We arrived there in Germinally and stayed through until Frutor of that cycle. After that we moved on to Zora and are now living in the desert.

1h - Quinteth, Medis 29, 4th AC 2575

As I write this, I sit under a tree on the shore of Dyron Lake. Through the night air, the hot breeze of the desert carries with it the musty sent of mektoubs and the crackle of Fyros warriors carrying Burning Stavon swords and Retch axes. Over the waters drifts the sounds of music from the Oasis Tavern, someone is celebrating. Life in the desert is very different from the jungle—the music is a stark reminder of that—and yet, it is the same. I find it hard to believe that it's almost two months since we left the Witherings.

The Exodus

It was early in the morning when we loaded the mektoubs—it was about the 3rd hour on Dua, Floris 2, 4th AC 2575—summer had just arrived in the jungle and most of Zora was still sleeping. Vao agreed to meet us at the stables and prepare some feed for the journey. He still could not believe that two apprentices, me an armorer adn Lorick a forager, were taking three mektoubs over The Great Outback and into the Burning Desert . . . alone. I could only smile and assure him of our guaranteed safety. Ma'Ran-sek'o Zo'wang Shizu'o Ma'Tal Tseu-ho.

In short order the meks were packed and we were riding out the north Daïsha gate toward Stainmoor Gate which we reached without incident. There we greeted the Kami and then continued our journey toward Desert Stock and The Great Outback. We reached Desert Stock late in the afternoon that day and found the old hermit waiting for us as promised. He deftly guided us passed Gibbaï and gingo and then we watched as this old and frail looking Zoraï wove sap into spells strong enough to easily fell the kitin swarming over the rampart of The Great Outback. At his signal, we rode up the rampart, passed the broken carapaces of kirosta and into the Great Outback. "Mata waki," he called out to us and then turned back toward the jungle. Lorick and I rode on and took shelter at the outpost for the night.

Before sleeping, I sketched the mask of the old hermit. I wish I knew the story behind his wearing the scripture of devotion, so few Zoraï do.



The next morning, just after dawn, we set out again and it wasn't long until we entered the tunnel that would lead us into the desert. We could feel the heat and caught the smell of the desert long before we exited the tunnel. It was about the 7th hour on Tria, Floris 3rd that we exited the tunnel and entered the Burning Desert.

Before us rose a large dune covered with a huge herd of timari, their shimmering scales glinted in the morning light. The familiar sight of these docile creatures was a warm welcome to the desert. Among the timari wandered a few animals I had never seen. They were very tall with long legs, large bulbous eyes, a short and squat tail and seemed covered in a bristly spine over their back. I have since learned that these are called lumpers. The are even more placid than the gentle timari!

Beyond the large herd of timari and lumper was a herd of one of the most unusual creatures I have ever seen. I am unsure how to describe them, it was almost as if I were looking at something formed from the bark and moss of Atys itself. The Fyros in Dyron told me that they are called arana. The arana bray loudly, it is quite a defening sound!

These sketches are first of a lumper and then an arana. The arana has two tusks that jut from its lower jaw.



We rested for a short time, checked the maps the hermit had given us and made our way to Dyron. There were kitin—kipucka, kirosta and kipesta—that made the travel risky but we were able to sneak passed them without too much difficulty. The top of the Malmont was covered with three kitin mounds which were swarming with huge kipees and white kitin of all kinds. We didn't get close enough to make out exactly what they were but I will guess that they are similar to the kitin swarming the mound east of Hoï-Cho.

It was nearly midday when we reached Dyron; so we stopped in at the Oasis Tavern for a meal and then began our journey toward Pyr. Lorick and I have been studying desert foraging under Master Apokos Boethus, he's a rather strick teacher. Lorick has been learning to craft Kostom helmets from Master Dyron Cegrips, she is a very severe Fyros—I am glad that I am not studying with her! We've both had a free day today but now dawn is not far off and I need the sleep. Tomorrow Lorick and I will spend the day digging and then Lorick will be under Master Cegrips watchful eye. Perhaps I'll find the time to write about our journey to Pyr and the time we spent living there.

Some sketches I did of Dyron. One of the merchants thinks he can sell them as momentos for travellers. He thinks they'll want to write on the back of them and send them to family in other lands by messenger. The first is from the Dyron market and the other is the Oasis Tavern.

1h - Holeth, Medis 30, 4th AC 2575
Another long day, Master Apokos had us digging all day and now Master Cegrips has Lorick working on his crafting skills. He's not the best armorer apprentice but he's working hard.

To Pyr!
As I wrote last night, we arrived here in Dryon midday on Dua Floris 2, ate a warm meal—everything is warm, even when it's cold, in this place—and then we immediately left. The map given us lead to a Kami altar among the Frahar Towers and then through the dunes to Oflovak's Oasis and the Kami altar there. From the Kami altar we journeyed in to Pyr. Our travels from Dyron to Pyr was largely in the dark both to protect us from the heat and to hopefully avoid notice as we travelled. This seemed to work well as we had no difficulties crossing the desert; although, the night was filled with the grunting bellows of frahars and the splitting screams and growls of varinx.

Pyr! We saw the bark wall rising above the dunes, blotting out the night stars, long before we reached it. I had, of course, heard stories about the great city, Pyr, but until I saw it, I could only believe half of what I was told: Gates of fire; strange Kami floating above the bark; and most wonderful of all, the Academy of Pyr! They are all real! I have seen them all with my own eyes now.

A desert Kami Sentinel and the Pyr Academy

It was very early, only the 7th hour, on Tria Floris 3 when we arrived at the Cerakos Gate. We had stabled our meks and the guards just waved us into the city. Passing through the flames was strange, I could feel sap flowing through the place and the warm flames licking my skin but I was not burned. Lorick looked as surprised as I felt! We wandered through the streets and became quite lost near Miners' Row, of course, we had no idea what the street was called then. Lydix Deps found us though. He owns a bar on Oasis Fountain Square and was just heading there when he found us. His twin brothers, Eutis and Eurius rent rooms to travelers like ourselves, and he took us straight to their door on Central Lane. The rent was 200 dapper a day, we had plenty to cover a few nights but we needed to find work right away or we wouldn't have any dapper for meals.

Oasis Fountain

Eurius suggested we work for his cousin, Eunix Deps, who runs a weapons shop on Trader's Way. He told us we could sweep the shop and help Eunix out for a few dapper a day. We didn't come all the way to Pyr just to sweep floors! Instead, we enlisted with the city guards. Each day one of the corporals would give us tasks to complete around Pyr. We worked for Apollo Boethus, Tin Lyseus and Xykos Zessen almost every day. We also served the local Kami as often as we could.

We tried to enroll at the Academy but we were turned away. Well, we were really told that we should return to Dyron and study with the Masters there. I wanted to study in their archives but was told that was a privilege reserved for well known scholars and masters only. Which brings us back to Dyron and me sitting near the lake while Lorick works away making helmet after helmet for Master Cegrips.

12h - Quarta, Fallenor 16, 1st AC 2578
Travelling from Min-Cho to the Void led me near the Kitin mound east of Hoï-Cho and what I saw was unexpected: All of the tall and majestic rotoas seem to have died off and new rotoas are sprouting from the old root stock.