The Feast – Orianna Èirigh – 6.04.2022
Apr 9, 2022 20:06:24 GMT
Ian, Velania Kalugina, and 3 more like this
Post by Orianna Èirigh on Apr 9, 2022 20:06:24 GMT
OBSERVATIONS & EXCERPTS from the JOURNAL of SECOND ASSISTANT ARCHIVIST ORIANNA ÈIRIGH of ASHKHA
I nearly passed into the Cosmos’ starry embrace yesterday.
Death. Life. I wish Nim were here. She is just a novice but her comfort in understanding such things is beyond mine and having had my own brush with the River Beyond, I could use her ‘pearls of wisdom’. Perhaps I can imagine what she would say.
“Everything has a time to live and a time to die. Yours was not then, because you promised me-...”
What did I promise her?...
Me and four others were asked to come to a feast, a special occasion happening in the Frog Bog, outside of Port Ffirst. The bullywugs are a curious people I’ve only just begun to read about in Daring Academy in my spare time. This section of the Dawnlands — Daring Heights, Port Ffirst, the Frog Bog, and the mysterious dusky pink fort I’ve only passed — all of it has extensive history despite how young it all is, how new. I remember coming across the history of the conflicts between the bullywugs and the grung — the other amphibious-like creatures who live in the swamplands between the seaside town and the vast, dark forest to the north — but it was still quite the joyous thing to experience their hospitality first hand. There has been a relative peace between the two peoples now for nearly a year or more, held together by such diplomatic relations as seen through the efforts of a halfling by the name of Norbert.
At first I was unclear if the exchange of knowledge was equal as it appeared at first that Norbert was saying he was helping to teach the bullywugs how to be ‘civilised’. It was only after understanding that other scholars from the Academy have come in order to learn important cultural aspects of the bullywug way in exchange for learning more about how the Darites and Port Ffirstians interact that it seemed there was no plan to wipe out such a rich and unique culture. If the latter had been the case, I’m pretty sure Florian would have set the poor halfling on fire.
The feast we were invited to was in honour of the continued cultural exchanges and to celebrate a successful hunt, along with the extended peace that has brought prosperous times to the Frog Bog. It’s hard to write about what the feast was now knowing what the meat was, how it was held captive and slaughtered.
The hydra of legends and where they come from is a mystery that would require further research, something I could do in my spare time perhaps to further my knowledge of the monstrosity. But from what I recall there’s nothing that would suggest they cannot reproduce themselves. Strange though that when I asked about it afterwards Chief Taddern said with complete honesty that it was a young thing when they found it in the Bog.
Had it wandered far from wherever it came from? Is it possible there is a lair somewhere and the young one emerged from it only to be stolen away to then be offered up to the slaughter and be feasted upon?
Did someone place it there specifically in the hopes that it would grow and destroy the bullywug and/or grung villages? When it was done there would it have turned its sights to Port Ffirst?
So many questions. So many uncertainties. Yet it is dead and gone instead of me and my friends…
I wonder sometimes at the designs the stars have for me. A month has passed and though I have not had the Vision again I think of it often and wonder when it will be time for me to act. Do I wait until then? Should I stay in the Academy where it is safe?
I don’t know. I don’t know…
I nearly passed into the Cosmos’ starry embrace yesterday.
Death. Life. I wish Nim were here. She is just a novice but her comfort in understanding such things is beyond mine and having had my own brush with the River Beyond, I could use her ‘pearls of wisdom’. Perhaps I can imagine what she would say.
“Everything has a time to live and a time to die. Yours was not then, because you promised me-...”
What did I promise her?...
Me and four others were asked to come to a feast, a special occasion happening in the Frog Bog, outside of Port Ffirst. The bullywugs are a curious people I’ve only just begun to read about in Daring Academy in my spare time. This section of the Dawnlands — Daring Heights, Port Ffirst, the Frog Bog, and the mysterious dusky pink fort I’ve only passed — all of it has extensive history despite how young it all is, how new. I remember coming across the history of the conflicts between the bullywugs and the grung — the other amphibious-like creatures who live in the swamplands between the seaside town and the vast, dark forest to the north — but it was still quite the joyous thing to experience their hospitality first hand. There has been a relative peace between the two peoples now for nearly a year or more, held together by such diplomatic relations as seen through the efforts of a halfling by the name of Norbert.
At first I was unclear if the exchange of knowledge was equal as it appeared at first that Norbert was saying he was helping to teach the bullywugs how to be ‘civilised’. It was only after understanding that other scholars from the Academy have come in order to learn important cultural aspects of the bullywug way in exchange for learning more about how the Darites and Port Ffirstians interact that it seemed there was no plan to wipe out such a rich and unique culture. If the latter had been the case, I’m pretty sure Florian would have set the poor halfling on fire.
The feast we were invited to was in honour of the continued cultural exchanges and to celebrate a successful hunt, along with the extended peace that has brought prosperous times to the Frog Bog. It’s hard to write about what the feast was now knowing what the meat was, how it was held captive and slaughtered.
The hydra of legends and where they come from is a mystery that would require further research, something I could do in my spare time perhaps to further my knowledge of the monstrosity. But from what I recall there’s nothing that would suggest they cannot reproduce themselves. Strange though that when I asked about it afterwards Chief Taddern said with complete honesty that it was a young thing when they found it in the Bog.
Had it wandered far from wherever it came from? Is it possible there is a lair somewhere and the young one emerged from it only to be stolen away to then be offered up to the slaughter and be feasted upon?
Did someone place it there specifically in the hopes that it would grow and destroy the bullywug and/or grung villages? When it was done there would it have turned its sights to Port Ffirst?
So many questions. So many uncertainties. Yet it is dead and gone instead of me and my friends…
I wonder sometimes at the designs the stars have for me. A month has passed and though I have not had the Vision again I think of it often and wonder when it will be time for me to act. Do I wait until then? Should I stay in the Academy where it is safe?
I don’t know. I don’t know…
