On the knees of Mount Ojin, at the place where the mountain is level to the foothills that surround it, there is a column of green stone erected by the ancestor Ojin.  It is as taller than a tall male who stands on another tall males shoulders.  There are runes carved along it, but they are so old and so weathered, no one really knows what they mean anymore.  It is just an old collection of greenish stones, stacked atop each other since before anyone was born.

It is the place of leave taking for your high village.  When it is time to head to the lowlands, your village descends the mountain by paths that have been worn into the stone by countless generations of pilgrims going along them.  When the leaders bring you to the Ojin stone, the village makes camp and there is one last night of celebration.  Or perhaps it is mourning. No matter how loud the songs are sung or how much is drunk, there is a sense of mourning.  Of goodbye.

Because when the time to wake arrives, the high village is no more.  Each family will depart from that place, silently.  Not looking back.  They will head on their own paths to the doors of their homes in the deserts.  From the moment they wake up, each family is of their low village.  Until it is time to climb high again.

For the first time, you are not following your parents.  Instead, you trail after a couple of families you know slightly.  They look back at you now and again, to make sure you are still there.  They offer you food and water when break time comes.  But mostly they leave you alone.

It is always awkward when a new face shows up.

If you had just been married, it would be slightly different.  Your spouse would have come to your high village to retrieve you.  And they would be walking with you, to guide you to your new home.

But you don't have a spouse.  Instead, tucked into the small pack you carry, you have a small finger bone.  It arrived by a messenger two months ago.  Along it's length is written a message from a family in Cool Shade Low Village.  Hiyal bids you come and work.  That is all it reads.  But it is enough.

You had spent a year carving a crystal the color of rose into the shape of a uko, paying careful attention to the delicate legs and wings so that the crystal looked like the insect it was based on.  You packed it carefully and sent it by messenger to the Hiyal family in their high village.  You didn't send a note.  It would have been rude to do so.

Were you nervous as you waited those long weeks?  Were you scared?  Whether you were or not, you received your answer.  And much sooner than you would have thought.

Hiyal sent you an ancestor's finger bone.  It gives you the right to enter their low village, to approach the ancestral tomb and to place it back where it came from.  Once you do, a Hiyal family representative will meet you at the entrance to the tomb and guide you back to their home.

From then on, until such time as you have repaid your keep and their favor with your labor, you will apprentice.  Hopefully to Matah of Hiyal.  But even D'osk of Hiyal would be good.  To be able to learn crafting at the feet of a Hiyal...

This isn't a dream, is it?

OOC:  I'll stop here and let you ask any questions or react.  Thanks

Migrations were always a weird time. For the changes they brought, for the pretty much constant daylight with Vainia and Seipra tirelessly relaying each other in the sky... This time, as always, Ailith wondered if she liked it. There was always the fact that she pretty much wasn't able to work on anything for the whole trip, to say nothing of how tiresome if was of course. Even though it wasn't that bad going down at least. On the other hand, there were so many things to see and do that were unique to those times that she often arrived home with ideas that would last for a good part of the season.

This time... There was still all of that of course, but muted, shadowed by concerns and hopes that would be unique to this particular trip: leaving her family despite her young age, going to a village she had never seen...and finding out what was waiting for her there. In a way, it was better than the weeks between when she had sent her carving, and when she received an answer: she had been counting the days while trying to estimate how long it would take to get there and back, alternatively sure of herself and her work then a few minutes later convinced it would never be good enough...

According to her family, she had been...difficult. Though her brother had used other words of course. It had been made worse for them by the fact that she hadn't revealed what was happening of course: she had paid for the messenger with her own resources obtained  thanks to little works she had done here and there. Simply because she hadn't wanted them to hope too much... to tell her not to bother - even though she knew her parents would have encouraged her - and also because she didn't want her brother to tease her. Even though he had taken his revenge of course.

But now... Now she knew that something was waiting for her. What, or more exactly who, she didn't know but she tried not too fret about it. Mostly unsuccessfully, but... One last time, she turned to her family, waving in their direction and watching them disappear behind a big rock. Finally with a sigh, and the conviction that if nothing else she would be able to send letters, she jogged to catch up with the families she was following to what would be, at least for some time, her new village.

At the first break, she thanked those who offered her water and food, taking advantage of the occasion to ask for any kind of information they had about...well, a lot of subjects, ranging from the village itself to how many apprentices there were, how they lived and so on.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 2):

There are two families.  The family of Kadeen of Husla Vag is the one feeding you.  They apparently agreed with Hiyal to insure your safety on the road.

Kadeen is a broad woman, smiling mostly but speaking in rather stern words to her numerous children.  Her husband and their eldest son are carrying thier goods in large packs, so neither of them really says much during breaks, instead trying to nap.

"If I had to describe the Hiyal..." Kadeen considers a moment.  "I would say they are very meticulous.  Our threshold is close to theirs, and they have a grand compound.

"Matah is still head of the family.  He sent us word about you.  But I would say his children D'Osk or Hannu are probably the ones doing most of the work these days.  Do you know which one you will be studying under?"

Just as she asks, as if on cue, there is a roar in the distance.  Everyone at the camp stands, looking excitedly at the sky.  It's the roar of one of the Interlopers flying villages.  What they supposedly call spaceships.  You have never seen an interloper.  One of their villages passed by your high village once.  But it was such a distance away, it looked more like a shooting star that moved parallel to the horizon than anything else.

But this time, the roar is louder.  And there aren't any mountains in the way.

From over the top of the foothills in the distance, you can see a long silvery looking tube rising.  At one end is a glow like fire seen through a pure orange colored crystal.  The tube rises, without any visible strings to hold it up or hands lifting it, and stays hovering in the air a moment.  Then it slowly rotates until it is facing away from you.

It suddenly speeds off into the distance, disappearing from view before you can consider it gone.

Kadeen chuckles as her children begin to whoop and point.  "I suppose the negotiations have been completed."

She looks at you.  "The ancestors are favoring you.  I do not know if you were told:  Hulsa Vag has finalized a deal with the Interlopers.  They are very interested in our village, particularly because of Family Hiyal.  You will probably be seeing some of them in person."

Ailith watched the skies, her mouth half-open. She, all at the same time, was surprised, awed, and felt a touch of fear, but most of all she couldn't help but wonder how it all worked and wished she understood... the things they could do with things like that... What had they done to make an entire village fly in the sky like that? But also... why?

With a start, she blinked a couple of times and focused on Kadeen when she talked again, “I didn't know, no.” For the past few months, she had been mostly focused on the last details of her carving, to make sure it was perfect, then agonizing over what the answer would be, “I hadn't really paid attention to it.” Which wasn't exactly true, but it wasn't like there had been all that much to say about them after all.

“To answer your question, I don't know yet.” She looked to the skies, pensive, “Maybe there'll be a test or something before they decide on that?” she looked back in the direction where the interloper had disappeared. “What were the negotiations about though?” She frowned slightly, really wishing it wouldn't interfere with her apprenticeship...

In reply to Ailith (msg # 4):

"I think they were keeping talk about the negotiations softer than meyo"
Kadeen says, referring to the silken threads so much of your clothing is woven from.

"I have no idea how the Hiyal will decide such things.  But they will not keep you in the dark long.  Matah is fairly straight forward.

"As for the trading agreement...well.  You know the Assembly has decided the Interlopers may only trade with a set number of villages.  Old Burrows village lost their contract before the last summer.  So the Interlopers were very keen to negotiate with a new village.  It was between us and Unburnt Grounds village.  It seems we have won."

Kadeen sighs.  "I hear the Interlopers want to trade for our artisan's works.  They also like to trade for meyo and vezze.  Why they would want such things..."

She shrugs. "Anyway.  If your work is good, some Interloper may pay a high price for it.  Wouldn't that be an honor?"

The journey resumes the next morning.  Kadeen is busy shuttling her younger children along, but she makes small talk with you when she can.

A little after noon, you spy the walls of Hulsa Vag.

There's a reason this place is called Cool Shades.  Part of it is built under an overhang of the mountain closet to it.  In the morning, the sun shines directly into it.  But as the day progresses, the overhang spreads a shadow over the village, and by the second hour of the afternoon, most of the village is shaded by the overhang and the mountain.

A good place to live.

Kadeen stops you.  "We will rest here a moment.  Have some water.

"Here is your veil.  You will walk the rest of the way by yourself, but we will keep an eye on you.  Approach the gate and present your token.  Past the gate is a street running straight back towards the mountain.  You will know you are on the right path if you pass a fountain that is colored yellow.

"The path will turn to steps.  Climb them until you reach the tomb.  Once inside, you should be able to find the shrine easily.  The Hiyal will wait for you outside.

"Be as quick as you can.  Matah will be impatient if you tarry.

"Do you have any questions?"

“I, uh... see?” Ailith commented about the negotiations, but she didn't sound particularly confident. She smiled thinly when Kadeen suggested her work might be bought by one of the interlopers. “For now, I'll focus on doing good with... well... whoever will have me I guess?” Still... She seemed pensive for a moment: what if she asked for knowledge as a payment? Wouldn't that be nice? Though of course... she'd need to get a lot better if she wanted to have a chance at that. In her village... in her old village, it wouldn't have been difficult as there weren't many who were able to craft anything of note. But in Cool Shades... Well, she certainly hoped she wouldn't be the last of them, but she had no illusion of being better than most...even if she hoped it would change of course. That was the whole point of her coming after all.

The next day, when they paused close to the village, Ailith took the veil tentatively as she listened carefully to the instructions she was given. She grimaced slightly when told that she needed to be quick - she had considered looking around on her way to the shrine - then nodded, “Yes, but...” She looked around for a second then shrugged, “I suppose they all can wait...” Or to be more precise, while she really wanted to know more, the last thing she wanted was to give any reason to Matah to be unhappy with her.

So instead, she bowed, “Thanks for your help. I guess I'll see you around?” With a last smile, Ailith started to walk in the direction of the gate while she put the veil on, then took the token in her hand to present it to whoever she'd find there.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 6):

The gate is guarded by one of the families that serve as warriors for Cool Shades.  But they see your veil and the finger bone in your hand, bow to you, and open the gate without a word.

As you pass them, you hear one of them whisper, "Welcome home."

It is fairly easy to find the path Kadeen informed you of.  It's almost right in front of you when you step through the gate.  It starts on the other side of a large community square faced by several family homes.  As you pass through, the people in the square, most of whom seem to be newly arrived themselves, look at your veil, bow, and whisper the same thing as the gatekeeper did after you pass.

"Welcome home."

"Welcome home."

The path winds forward and soon you see the yellow fountain.

It's a curious thing.  The stones are stacked in a circle around a central, shallow well.  The tops of the stones are a bright yellow color which appears to be natural.  The stones seem to be a dull brown on the outside, but if sanded down, they have an inner core of almost gold like yellow.

You've never seen stones like that.

In the center of the well is a large stone stacked with another stone of pure yellow on top of it.  The fountain is dry.  Whatever water source used to fill it seems to have dried up.  But the yellow color is almost illuminating.

The steps start soon after the fountain.  They rise up a slope, cresting right up against the mountain.  As you start up the steps, you can see an odd reddish-purple pattern at the top of the steps.  What it is isn't very apparent from here.

As you climb, the reddish purple begins to form itself into a flower.  The flower dissolves as you come up the steps.  As you come over the last step, it becomes something else.

Some ancestor cut a door into the mountain.  A heavy stone door that has been inlaid with reds and purple tiles.  The tiles are what formed the pattern.  What's so unique is how the image those tiles made changed.  From below it was just colors.  Then it was the flower.

Now it appears to be a sunrise.  Or, since this is a tomb, a sunset.  The craftsmanship is outstanding.  There is no way the visual effect could have been accidental. Someone figured out how to lay each tile so the viewer would be presented a different picture as they progressed the steps.

The door is slightly ajar.  You push on it.  It swings easily, despite it's weight.

Inside is a mausoleum.  A short set of steps leads down to the vault, and there are several niches cut into the walls.  One of the niches has a lit candle in front of it.  In the sputtering candlelight, you can see the intricate carvings around the arch that frames the niche.  Most seem to replicate Eyo vines or flowing water.  At the top of the arch is a single, simple flower.  A three petaled ghish flower.  You've seen ghish flowers before.  They are usually deep yellow, flecked with orange or reds.

Inside the niche is the skeletal remains of one of the ancestors.  It's hand is outstetched, as if waiting to receive something.

You would assume that's your objective:  to place the finger bone into that hand.

But there's a problem.  An old woman is kneeling in front of the niche, head bowed in prayer.  Her hands work a small string of beads.  She must be intoning a register of the names of her ancestors.  The elderly will do that.  As they feel death approaching, they will call on the ancestors by name, thanking each one for watching over their life and asking them to watch over their families after they're gone.

The old woman seems to sense you.  She stops with her beads and turns her head, looking at you.

She has a weathered face.  She must have traveled through many, many seasons.  Her skin is almost leathry, her eyes the color of pale crystal.  They say if one lives past a certain age, the color of your eyes will fade away.  This woman seems to be proof of that.

A large grin splits her face.  It's almost brighter than the candle.  She waves her hand, beckoning you closer.

"Come, come.  Who are you?  Tell me your name and what you hope to achieve!"

Had she not been admonished to not make Matah wait any more than absolutely necessary, Ailith would have lingered every step of the way. At the fountain first, to try and understand what had caused the water to stop flowing or find out what that yellow stone was, to look at the door and why though so massive it was so easy to push open, and of course after that to study the tiles and how they were able to draw multiple pictures at once. She had a few ideas, but...

But she had things to do right now and hopefully, she'd have time later to study all of those. Had her apprenticeship not been already pretty much assured - even if she didn't know the details - she might have taken the risk to take the time to at least get ideas she'd have been able to play with had she been refused.

As it was, she soon reached her destination,if not quite yet her goal. She briefly hesitated, between waiting for the old female to finish what she was doing, or stepping around her and placing the finger where it was expected to go, but before she could come to a decision she was asked a few questions.

She didn't answer straight away though, and instead took a moment to think about her answers, her head tilted to the side. Those questions might be mere formality, but they could also play a huge role in shaping her future. Finally, she said, “There are no simple answers to those questions. Not now, not here.”

She paused briefly before continuing. “I was Ailith of the Purple Waters village. I will be Ailith of Cool Shades Village.” But right at that moment, she was neither. Or both? She wasn't exactly sure.

The next question was both easier and more difficult to answer: she had many hopes, many things she wanted, so that wasn't really an issue of lack of material. Which to mention, and maybe more importantly, how to do it though... After a while, she started answering the second question. “I hope that I'll be talked about like people do about you as it'll mean I'll have accomplished much I can be proud of. I want to understand the world, how things, everything, works. I want to create marvelous things that no one has seen or done before.” She looked back at the old female in front of her, and for a moment it seemed like she was done. After a brief pause, with a mischievous smile she cheekily added, “And I hope to be the best apprentice you've ever had.”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 8):

The old woman chuckles.  "The best one I've ever had hmmm?  Well.  Maybe that will be.  Maybe."

She points at the bone in your hand.  "Let me have that.  I'll put it up for you."

Ailith didn't seem at all bothered by the "maybes", on the contrary. Plus, one way or the other, it was completely out of her hands for now: she had done her part, she couldn't only wait to see where it led her.

Asked to, she handed the bone to Matah with evident relief: not that she was scared of bones or anything of course, she just didn't want to risk messing up. Plus, it gave her a moment to watch what was around them for a bit.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 10):

The old woman chuckles as she takes the bone, tossing it up and down in her palm.  "Many thanks.  But I am not who you think I am.  After all, weren't you told the Hiyal would meet you outside the tomb?"

She grins, not quite kindly, at you before breaking out into a loud laugh that ends in a sputtering cough.  She wipes her chin, turns, and places the bone in the outstretched hand.

"Here is your first lesson:  things are not always as they appear.  Look at what is. Not at what you want to see."

She looks back at you.  This time the smile seems friendly.  "Ailith, formerly of the Purple Waters and now of the Cool Shades, be welcome to your tomorrow.

"Life is a trickster.  Always make sure its hands are in plain view.

"Life is difficult.  But the easy way is seldom the correct path.

"Life is charming.  But anyone who is telling you what you want to hear probably wants something.

"There is charity, but it is rare.  There is kindness, but never mistake it for benevolence.  And remember:  yellow is not your color.

"Now hurry outside.  The Hiyal are waiting for you."

And she is suddenly no longer standing there.

Ailith was in turn scared of having made a big mistake, puzzled by the...advice? Then really, really surprised. For a moment, she stood where she was her mouth more than half-open, fixing the spot where the old female had been. Suddenly, she turned on herself to try and see if there was something behind her, then crouched and patted the ground with her hand to make sure that there wasn't a trap door or something. Surely she'd have see something, but...

A minute or so later, quite sure that there was nothing to be found, she stood up. In other circumstances, she'd have stayed to explore, but she was expected and probably already late as it was. Which could be a good thing as she might have dug quite far otherwise. Just to make sure. As it was though...

Shaking her head, she walked outside to this time - hopefully... - meet the Hiyal. On the way though, puzzlement obvious on her face, she mumbled, “Yellow is not my colour?” It certainly didn't work too well on her given her skin colour, but still... “Why would yellow not be my colour?”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 12):

There are seven people outside, four women and three men.  One of the men is a large, solid but older man.  His thick arms are crossed in front of him, each seemingly crisscrossed in scars and old burn marks.  His eyes are a sort of slate gray color, just as fixed and hard as the rock it resembles.  The others seem arrayed more or less behind him.

He watches you approach and mumbles in a deep, booming voice, "Welcome home..."

He considers you a moment and then stretches out one of his arms, hand extending palm side up.

Sitting on his palm is the statuette you made.

He points at one of the uko's legs.  "This leg is made too thin.  Here.  Over time, the weight of the body will cause it to crack and eventually break.

"This spot here?  Along the abdomen?  And here at the head?  Your chisel was too harsh there.

"And you need...desperately...to learn how to use a sanding cloth.  Look.  Here.  Here.  Here. Here.  And here.  The polish is uneven.  Too rough here.  Too soft here and here.

"And your wings?"  He turns the little crystal statuette over in his hand, glaring at the four translucent wings you crafted.  He scowls.

"Your wings are perfect.  Absolutely spot on.  I am in fact jealous of this wing.  This one here.  You achieved the correct thickness of the wing.  And the way you worked with the flaw in the crystal instead of trying to correct it...that was wise.  These wings are why you are here."

He balls up his fist, gentely, around the uko statutte you made.

"Before I assign you a master, you will spend some time on the basics. Most notably polishing work.  I think you could also benefit from some sketching practice.  You will do chores to pay for your keep.  And you will have to show progress in your studies.  Fail to keep up and you will leave.  Fail to do as you are told and you will leave.

"We will work you like a slave.  If you cannot deal with that, leave now.  Otherwise..."

He nods at one of the younger men.  He steps forward.  There is a gentle kind of aqua marine coloring to him.  Not a shade you think you've seen before.

"This is Zez.  He is the head apprentice.  He will assign you your chores.  You will learn more when you have shown progress."

And without another word, he turns around and starts down the stairs.  The other begin to file along after him, and in just moments, it is you and Zez.

Zez waits until the last one is out of earshot and glances at you.  "He likes you.  During my first time, he spent what felt like an hour going over why the pot I made would never hold water for an entire lifetime.

"As he said, I am Zez.  Welcome home."  He smiles at you and then gestures for you to follow.  "Are you hungry? Or do you have questions?"

So, I realize this game has been a little novel-like thus far.  Sorry.  Had to get some set up done.  We'll soon move into the 'game' where your choices will direct how things go in a few more posts.

Let me know if you have any feedback thus far.  Thanks

When the old man welcomed her, Ailith bowed politely with a smile. She was a bit surprised that it hadn't been Matah but she supposed it made sense: she probably had much better to do than to welcome any new apprentice.

Her smile frayed however as he made his critique of her work. Not that he was wrong of course, just… Well, the too thin leg? That had been because she had made a small chip in the crystal, and by the time she had been able to make it disappear, the leg was too thin. She didn't have much to say about either the abdomen or the head - she had indeed been too harsh - but as for the matter of sanding cloth… It might be something common here, but back home… rather, back in Purple Waters Village, she had had to do with what she had been able to acquire, but it wasn't the best.

She had managed, mostly, to compensate, but at times she had done too much, and not enough at others. Though she had to admit that she hadn't noticed it in some places, but… Well…

Her smile came back - albeit a bit hesitant, as if she was afraid it wouldn't last - when he complimented the wings of her sculpture. Those had taken her forever to do, all the while knowing that the slightest mistake would ruin everything. She had managed, but it had been exhausting.

The young female grimaced slightly when told she'd go back to basics in general, and polishing in particular: that was definitely not the part of the work that she liked the most. Which of course explained a lot, notwithstanding the quality of her sanding paper. As for sketching… Well, she couldn't really say: small rocks or crystals with which she could practice her craft were easy to find, but sketching resources were another matter entirely.

She was definitely not fond of the idea of spending time on chores, much less that failing to keep up meant being cast out. But… Well, it wasn't like she had had no chores home, even if it wasn't as…contractual…as it would be here. As for failing… That was unthinkable. Being worked like a slave was of course really worrisome, but she supposed it was merely to test her dedication and make sure she had what it took. She'd hate it, however long it took, and she'd probably resent them quite a bit, but… it would pass. Something she'd have to keep in mind…

Introduced to Zez, she nodded to him, taking a moment to observe him while the others left. She started a bit when he said that the old man liked her, grumbling while rubbing her jaw, “If that's how he likes, I never want him to dislike me.” She paused, grimaced, and looking at Zez added, “But I suppose he's the kind of person from whom indifference or disappointment would hurt much more?” Her expression lightened after a second or two, and grinning cheekily, she remarked, “Maybe then you should have answered that he was mistaken, it was not a pot but a sieve?”

Asked if she was hungry or had questions, Ailith hesitated, about to shake her head, but nodded. “I, uh, could definitely eat something…” She hadn't had the stomach for much in the morning after all. Obviously hesitating, quickly looking over her shoulder, she asked, “And, uh… When you arrived here the first time, did you, uh… See…Someone in there?”

No problem, it's perfectly normal for an introduction :)
I like it!

In reply to Ailith (msg # 14):

Zez grins at your comments on the old man.  "True.  Matah can just look at you in such a way as you know you've done wrong."

So the old man is Matah? Zez seems to indicate he was.

Zez continues, leading you to the stairs.

"I was too dumbfounded when he started on about my pot.  But maybe I should have.  And so you know:  Matah doesn't always come greet the new apprentices.  You and I are the only two he has in a decade.  There are two other apprentices right now.  And..."

He glances at you.  "Well.  Just be patient.  It always takes a while for everything to settle in once a new face arrives."

He looks back at the tomb.  "You mean in there?  There was someone in there?"  He shrugs and shakes his head.  "No.  I just walked in.  Saw the skeleton.  And put the finger in its hand.  That was all.  Matah and the others were waiting outside."

He grins.  "And Matah had quite a bit to say about my pot which should have been a sieve.  What was worse is that he was right.  About all of it."  Zez laughs.

At the bottom of the stairs, Zez turns left.  He takes you down a short alley and stops in front of a small stand with a bench outside it.

"Consider this your welcoming feast.  We'll feed you. But you don't get a celebration until you get your first piece accepted.  Trust me. The wait is worth it.  But for now..."

He motions at an old man standing behind the booth and leads you to the bench.  The old man shambles out and gives you both bowls of soup and mugs of fermented burq.  The soup is both minty and spicy.  The burq is pretty well aged but mixed with something sweet.  It is pretty good food.

Zez pushes his bowl aside and reaches for his burq mug.  "I should also tell you.  The village has concluded an agreement with the Interlopers.  In two moon phases, we will open trade with them.  It is...a touchy subject.  Not everyone in the village agreed with the decision. And there is some animosity towards our house."

Ailith blinked in surprise as Zez informed her that the old male was Matah: for some reason she had expected Matah to be a female. Not that she could remember why exactly. Thankfully she hadn't made a fool of herself, even if it was just because she hadn't had to name anyone. That would have been...unfortunate. Especially considering what the the head apprentice said next: if Matah had only welcomed the two of them and since he now was the head apprentice... Well, it was a good sign. As long as she kept up and didn't make a mess anyway...

With a slight grimace she nodded at Zez's injunction to be patient which was clearly the thing she struggled the most in her work. Oh it wasn't to say that she wasn't able to be, but it wasn't really something that came naturally.

Thinking about her sculpture, Ailtih grimaced again. “I suppose so...” And while she wasn't exactly perfectly happy about it, it meant that if she did things right, she would be able to learn a lot more than if she had stayed where she was.

She thanked the old male who gave her the bowl of soup and started to eat without waiting: now that her position was clear, she was famished. “Hmm.” For a moment, it seemed that it'd be all Ailith was going to say about the last few things Zez said. Maybe because she was cautious to not say anything she was going to regret later. Still, she had to ask a few questions. “So, how do I get a piece accepted? And when will I be able to work on it if I'm supposed to be sanding stuff?” Her tongue slightly stuck out, proof if there was a need for it, that she wasn't anxious to be started on that.

Before the first apprentice had the time to answer to any of that, she continued, “What does the agreement entail? And why is it controversial?”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 16):

Zez doesn't seem offended by your questions abotu the work.  He seems to have been expecting them. "A large order for jars came in.  So you can expect that to be your first sanding assignment.  You will also need to rise every morning, draw water from the well for all the apprentices and fill the water jars in three of the shops.  Each apprentice is responsible for filling the jars in their master's shop.  But lucky you:  as the new apprentice, you get to fill the jars in all the shops without an apprentice."

He grins.  "Everyone does this.  Just pray another apprentice is accepted next season.  I had to do it for three seasons until Helza came."

He sighs at the memory.  "Anyway.  During the midday meal, you will bring food to each of those three shops.  And at night, you must sweep them out.  But that will be all you will be responsible for.  My advice is wait until the Masters are gone before you try to sweep out their shop.  Otherwise, they will assign errands to you."

Zez nods.  "And keep in mind:  any master can assign an errand to you.  You have to do it.  Don't protest.  The first season of apprenticeship is basically slavery.  It's meant to drive out those who are halfhearted.

"As for your piece...at some point, one of the masters will assign you a task.  That task will turn into another task and another.  And soon you will have made a piece just from all the various tasks they asked you to do.  That's another reason not to complain about master's assigning tasks.

"Keep in mind that every bit of work you do can end up in front of Matah.  That includes the jars you will polish or even the clay you might end up mixing.  At some point, one of those pieces that resulted from chores will met his minimum standards.  Then...welll.  You will find out."

He seems to think a bit, and then adds, "Be careful in who you trust.  There is a lot of competition amongst the apprentices.  And between the masters."

Zez sighs when you ask about the agreement.  "Honstly, I wish I knew what the agreement entailed.  The details have not been disclosed outside the village council yet.  But...

"The Interlopers used to trade with two other villages.  One of those villages was Old Burrows.  It has...well.  The rumors are that is has gone ethk"

Ethk

Silent.  Dead.

Sometimes villages just go silent and none of the families from them are heard from again.  It has not happened in quite some time.  Long before your grandparents were born, during the last large epidemic of sickness.

Ethk.  An entire village dying.

Ailith nodded as Zez answered her questions, grimacing here or there - mostly where it was about drawing water from the well or sweeping the ground, neither activities being what she considered fun or even just interesting. She could only wish, strongly, that another apprentice would get there as soon as the next season…

When the head apprentice mentioned the competitive side of the apprentices and the masters, the young female frowned, obviously not particularly pleased to hear that. It seemed that she'd have to avoid making any moves for a while, at least until she had the hang of things as they stood at the moment. Maybe she should selectively start to sweep the grounds of some of the masters' shops and see the kind of tasks they gave her… and then be sure to do last those whose tasks she had found stupid or whose activities she wasn't really interested in.

As for those she liked… Well, maybe she'd come early here and then. And if she was smart about it, she could more or less control what each master would see of her and maybe, if she was good enough they would compete for her! Though she supposed she would have to make sure to give their chance to those of them who at first gave her stupid tasks too here or there. At least if what they did interested her or if there was something she wanted to learn from them. Which meant of course that first she would have to learn what each of them specialized in.

After a moment, Ailith shook herself and emerged from her thoughts with a gasp as one word reached her: ethk… Her eyes widened considerably as she looked at Zez, judging if he was serious or trying to mess with her. Deciding that he was indeed serious, Ailith shivered. “But then, why…” She paused, grimaced, “Oh, yes, you don't know… But… Do you think they did it?” Her eyes open wide, Ailith barely whispered her question as if scared to be heard, and she looked her age: a distressed young female who knew pretty much nothing outside of her craft and old village.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 18):

Zez opens his hands in a wide gesture. "That is the question.  No one really knows.  All that is known is some from Old Burrows did not show up at their high villages this last season."

That is odd.  It is not unheard of for families to go missing.  Sometimes they were lost on the trek from village to village.  Sometimes forces like disease or rivalry or just bad fortune will reduce a family to only a member or two.  And those that survive are forced to integrate into a neighbor's family or other season village.

But that is the worst of the worst.  When a family goes ethk it means there is no one left to pray to the ancestors in the family's name.

Ethk is worse than death.  It is as if you never existed.  Not you, nor anyone of your blood before you.  It is silence.

Zez shakes his head.  "There are some who want to send an expedition to Old Burrows.  To see what happened.  There are others who want to wait for the next Assembly.  But there are more who want to grab the chance to trade.  The goods that can be obtained from the Interlopers is supposed to be amazing."

An Assembly is basically a congress of villages.  It occurs every fifth low season.  Imagine the United Nations except more contentious and less useful.  Probably thirty to sixty percent of the villages do not participate in it.  So it usually accomplishes very little.

Zez taps the table top.  "Alright.  Do you want anything else to eat?  If not, let's go home.  You have a lot of work in front of you."

I will let Ailith have any reactions or let you ask any questions thus far.  If not, I will move us along to the first real storyline.  We're going to skip ahead a few months if that's alright.

Thanks

“Uh… I, uh, see…” Though whatever she was seeing, it was obvious that Ailith didn't find that particularly reassuring. Not that she could do anything about it of course. And it wasn't even that she couldn't understand how tempting it would be for anyone, much less the Hiyal, to deal with the Interlopers: no matter how they did it, it was clear they knew a lot more than anyone else. Anything obtained from them would probably be worth a lot. The question however wasn't if it'd be worth a lot or not… but if it'd be worth enough. Time would tell, but… Condisering her own situation, she certainly hoped it would…

“Well… It can't really hurt to go see what happened to Old Borrows. Unless it's a sickness and still around anyway…” She grimaced at that. “But knowing is always better than not.” At any rate, that didn't have any impact on her appetite, and she happily ate a bit more before being satisfied. Though it might just have been to push back a bit that 'lot of work' thing…

Sure works for me.
Ailith will - grudgingly but seriously - work on the sanding, sweeping and all that. For the most part, she will adopt a sort of exploration / exploitation regarding the masters: she will "allow" a master to "catch" her by coming in early to sweep the ground of the shop and give her a task. She will do so for everyone once, then will do it again with those she found interesting, gradually focusing on those she wants the most to learn from (as I suppose the taks given are also a learning opportunity). She'll base that decision on her interests, what is known of the master, etc. But at the moment, she's interested in most everything anyway, so that system actually works in her favour.

She won't completely discard those who gave her stupid tasks but who do interesting things (for example if she wants to learn from them), just to see if maybe they have other things in mind than stupid things: are they really not interesting, testing her, or something else entirely? She will never completely discard someone, with a "you never know" mentality.

Her hope is that at some point, through all the tasks given - and hopefully successfully completed - masters will want to give her more and more interesting things to do, possibly to grab her as their own apprentice.

Though of course there are multiple ways it could backfire, like masters staying a bit latter than she expected and giving her a task she hadn't counted on…