Open Chronicles Honest Work

[Sinuhe]

Afternoon, in a rural settlement in the Seret region.

---

When Sinuhe was a child, he'd been told stories of the war-ravaged mountains, bandits and cutthroats lurking every corner. He wondered how far the truth of those stories stretched. As it went, he had only been met with hospitality. An old matron and her family had sheltered him for several nights now, in exchange for doing odd jobs around their land that required a strong back. The life was not a rich one - he slept on the floor and ate hot millet each morning - but they did not ask him where he had come from, nor when he might leave. It was more generosity than he deserved.

His task for the day was repairing a section of low-slung stone wall. Sinuhe had been stacking and re-stacking rocks all day, quietly amazed at the complexity of it all, putting perhaps too much thought into what rock should go where in order to keep the wall stable long into the future. The sun was beginning its downward turn, well into the later half of the day, but not time to retire just yet. Nearby, a gaggle of children played along the edge of a canal, muddying up the water with bare feet and reed sticks they'd cut themselves. The only adult in sight, Sinuhe watched them with a passive eye, looking up from his work from time to time to make sure they were still being good to each other.

Taking a step back, Sinuhe took a moment to survey his progress. The hole was nearly patched, but a few big stones that didn't seem to fit were still scattered about in the grass. In the stillness of contemplation, his stomach growled. Sinuhe's dark brow furrowed at the sound - maybe it was time for a proper break. He reached down for his pack, but his hand met flattened grass, the supplies he'd brought missing from their place.

"I brought my pack, didn't I?" He asked the wind, searching around the area for his lunch, straying further and further away from the safety of the wall.

 

[White Swallow]

Nostalgic

​

Yes, that is how one would describe the rural settlements deep within the mountains' embrace. Azrana, the weary and great blue lizardman perched on a massive rock, obscuring the sleepy sun with his palm so his sight of the land was clear.
His eyes could see far and wide, but the delight of spotting civilisation was the one most sought after. Children playing on the riverside, a little stream of life, a little minuscule village living in the shadows of gods. It reminded him of home when he was still a little burrum-man.



»Heeey-yooo,« he shouted, waving his hand in a friendly manner, but still kept his right on the hilt of his sabre.
»Pray tell, what settlement are you from?«
He couldn't quite tell who was around from this distance just yet.

 

[Sinuhe]

The call rang out high and clear across the grassy field he was wading through. Sinuhe stopped his searching and squinted up through the sunlight at a blue figure perched upon a rock. The voice was friendly enough, and alone by the sound of it.

"This is the Qulsunu settlement, though I am only a visitor here," Sinuhe called back, opting not to lie about his status. He wouldn't have fooled anyone for long, anyway. The plain black linen he wore differed greatly from the colorful and trinket-adorned fabrics that Sereti folk around here seemed to favor. The language of Baal-Asha rang in his voice, and though he'd been traveling hard for months, the softness of fertile valley life still clung to his features. One could practically smell the river on him.

As he stepped closer, carefully and with a good deal of respect, he saw the hand on the hilt. A rush of dread came up from Sinuhe's gut as he realized he'd left his own sword leaning against the stone wall behind him. He wanted to glance at it, to measure how far he'd need to run if it came to that. But he buried the feeling, kept his gaze strong and did not look away from the blue lizardkin. It had not come to that yet.

"I am afraid their welcome is not mine to give." Sinuhe held his open palms to the sun in a gesture of good will, praying that it would not be seen instead as weakness. "But give me a moment to find my pack, I can share my wineskin and a shady spot, at least."

White Swallow

 

[White Swallow]

Despite being as heavy as a boulder, he leapt rather gracefully off his perch before slowly making his way towards Sinuhe.

As he slowly waltzed closer, his figure was clearly that of the local burrumites. They were as often slavers as they were slaves themselves when they were not herding sheep.
Azrana was one of the more heavy-set ones, his heft easily measuring three men. And while burrum-men were known to possess colourful hair, fins frills and horns, his were fake and made out of strings of beads.

» Qulsunu it is then, hmm« Azrana Looked sideways as he murmured to himsels. Seems like I must have wandered too far south, he thought to himself.
As he gazed back he noticed the unease in the orc's eyes.
His hand left the hilt, scratching his tail with the very same limb before crossing over his arms.
Truly, his kind was dangerous by default, but a gesture is a gesture nonetheless. » I presume they are a welcoming kind then. And so are you. My Name is Azrana. « Azrana however lifted one of his arms in an open palm, signifying that there is no need on his part.

 

[Sinuhe]

It was Sinuhe's ignorance that let him relax a little as the lizardkin took a more passive stance in front of him. He knew not of burrum-men nor the intra-politics of the mountain tribes. The acrobatics and the man's size was daunting yes, but Sinuhe was an orc of middling stature, and he was used to being smaller than some of his cousins. Wrestling companions of days past -- sometimes he had won against the odds and sometimes he had not.

"It is unbecoming for a stranger to start fights," he said when the other man noted his welcoming nature. Sinuhe put his hands back down at his side, risking a glance back towards the canal. The children had gotten quieter, having noticed the newcomer. They were huddled together now, whispering uncertainly to each other about what to do. That was good. If he told them to run, they probably would.

"At least not before giving his name." He looked back to Azrana. It was meant to be a lighter aside, but Sinuhe's tusks often got in the way of his smile, turning it to a grimace instead. Sinuhe reached out an arm to the lizardkin, naively hoping that people still shook each other's hands this far north. "I am Sinuhe. May prosperity follow you, Azrana."

White Swallow

 

[White Swallow]

Azrana nodded his head as the intent for peaceful intent was established. He slightly leaned forward before offering his hand to the orc when he reached out to him.

» Well met, Sinuhe.«
After seeing and hearing more of him, Azrana decided to test how much he knew of the world.
» You're from beyond the rivers, I reckon beyond the Baal-Duru split.«
The great lizardman scratched his chin, the look on his face was calmer and more tired than anything else.
With a tilt of his head, he looked over to the children, surprised they haven't ran off just yet by the way they acted.
Probably looked up to the orc, didn't they, like kittens looking at their mother to see what to make out of this world?


Sinuhe

 

[Sinuhe]

Beyond the rivers. Azrana's comment was not a question, but it did ask for more details. Of course, that was fine by Sinuhe - it was not uncommon to ask travelers for bits of news from across the land. It was just that the news these days was always so grim.

"That obvious, huh?" With the greetings out of the way, Sinuhe cut down on the formalities, giving a heavy sniff of his nose and a solemn nod. "Alas, though I've been sleeping on the packed earth for some months now, I've yet to turn blue." The squint of his yellow eyes spoke not of levity, but rather he looked convincingly forlorn.

He turned then to look towards what he thought was probably where the mouth of the Baal-Asha widened some thousand miles away, or at least it was the direction he'd first come to the settlement from. And he would have shared the route of his journey with Azrana then, had the glint of copper along the canal not caught his eye. Sinuhe huffed again, this time louder. That was his cup! The children must have been using it as a plaything, which meant he had a good idea of where the rest of his stuff had gone.

He had nearly turned his whole back to the lizardkin come out of the rocks, forgetting the tension from before. "Excuse me, I will be right back," he said as he strode away towards the canal.

Sinuhe dug the copper vessel out of the bank, grimy and half-filled with mud. He held up the sullied thing to the children, who were only a few paces away. "Well, where's the rest of it?" he asked the kids, tone not unkind. He could hardly blame them for being curious, these ones who only drank from clay and cupped hands.

Unfortunately, his mere presence broke whatever hesitation the children had, and the lot of them clamored around him, some trying earnestly to answer his question, but most chattering excitedly about the dangerous-looking stranger in their too-loud kid voices.

"Do you know that burrum-man!" One kid shouted at such a volume that Sinuhe was sure Azrana could hear.
"He's not going to eat us?" Another one chimed in at the same level.

Sinuhe reached his free hand up and scratched the scar that tore along one side of his face. "I don't think so," he said noncommittally, at a loss about how to quell their excitement.

White Swallow

 

[White Swallow]

» Been there in my youth, don't intend to return unless told, « he chuckled with a deep rumble before. He would have asked for any specific town before the orc excused himself away.

The burrumite looked around, turning his body for a few rotations and brushing against the slowly assembling wall with his tail a few times before he wandered off for a meter or two and sat down on a spot.
Just the right temperature, perfectly illuminated.

Azrana inhaled deeply, quite literally basking before his eyes gazed at the orc conversing with the children, some of which obviously shot glances at him.
Of course, if they were so curious about him they could come and ask dear Azrana.
» If you return Sinuhe his gear, I'll give you treats from the east. « He hollered at them, reaching into his pack and pulling out a slice of dried cairou persimmon.

 

[Sinuhe]

A lovely scent wafted across the warm grasses and, momentarily distracted from the children, Sinuhe turned towards the smell to see Azrana holding up a dried round of orange fruit. The offering was meant to appease the children, but it was also making Sinuhe even hungrier.

Luckily, at least one child in the group had some manners. Bravely, a young little human - barely taller than the high grasses that surrounded the canal - came forward and offered up the canvas sack that served to carry his day things. "Dalila thought it would be funny to take your pack. I told her not to!" She said. Sinuhe looked down at her and smiled. He regretted that he didn't remember her name - the child was the quite, well-behaved sort, and the adults in the settlement didn't need to call after her very often.

"Thank you, little one. And thank you, Dalila," With a sudden step forward and a sweep of his arms, Sinuhe whisked up another nearby child. She squealed in surprise and delight. "You're so good at holding my things, maybe I should sling you over my shoulder next time I go out." He flipped the kid upside-down behind his back, holding her by one ankle. Dalila squirmed and kicked her remaining heel against his back, but he wasn't about to drop her.

Wading through the dry grasses, kids following along, Sinuhe made his way back towards Azrana. Most of the children peeled off the closer they got to the wandering warrior, the sweet smell of dried fruit not enough to overcome their anxieties. When he reached the spot, only the little girl carrying his pack remained, and Dalila, who didn't have much of a choice.

"Put me dooowwwn!!" Dalila complained.

Obligingly, he righted Dalila. She kicked her bare little feet the whole way down as he set her gently in the grass. Then he sat in the grass himself, yellow eyes squinting through the sunshine. He himself would have picked a spot in the shade, but the lizardkin seemed to be enjoying the heat, so he would not protest.

Sinuhe waved the shy girl forward. She handed him his things, and looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't muster up the words. He put a reassuring hand on her back, mostly so she wouldn't scurry away so quickly. "It's alright, go and claim your prize," he said, nodding at Azrana. The girl took a step closer to Azrana, looking hungrily at the fruit slices, but didn't dare say anything.

White Swallow

 

[Torie]

The inn was barely an inn. More like a sagging thatched farmer’s hut that the locals gathered inside to socialise each evening. It was here that Torie had spent the last several days. About a week ago she had arrived, used her druidic powers to ban rats from the town, suppress the growth of weeds and even suggest a few helpful remedies to those with ill-health. The locals had been grateful, generously slaughtering a steer to feed her tiger form’s appetite, as well as a few sheep and a pig. She was eating well. Too well, as usual. She wondered how much longer a small hamlet like this could support her?

After listening to old Jod tell the innkeep of his temperamental wife for third time that day, and probably the thirtieth time since Torie arrived, the druid-in-tiger-form decided she needed some air. Lest she eat old Jed! So she rose from the hay and squeezed out the inn’s door – substantially a much more tighter fit than it had been a week ago – then stood surveying the outdoors.

At the corner of the hamlet she could see the children playing with that orc fellow. The locals had called him Sinuhe but she hadn’t met him yet. There was also a big, blue lizard, bedecked in colourful beats. At first she was worried for the children’s sake, though only for a moment. He looked dangerous, but not aggressive at the moment. And Sinuhe didn’t seem worried.

Torie grinned at the thought of meeting the pair, and waddled towards them eagerly. A few years ago she may have bounded over to meet them, but moderation was always a weakness for Torie. Now, the best her enormously round body could manage was a painfully slow swagger, her roly-poly flanks bouncing back and forth with each step. If she was self-conscious of her size she didn’t show it. Instead she simply leaned on the low stone wall Sinuhe had been repairing and grinned toothily, whiskers trembling around her pink nose.

“Hello, fellow weirdos,” she said in a deep, rumbling growl at odds with her cheery demeanour. For in a village made of humans, all three of them were. “I hope neither of you are planning to eat the children? If you are, at least spare some for me!”

 

[White Swallow]

He watched as the orc settled his business with the kids. Rowdy bunch, reminded him a lot of his own little daughter. He knew very well that his stature at first, very unfamiliar to some backwater village can evoke the word 'scary dragon' in a kid's mind. But such fear can also be quickly dispelled.


As promised, the hulking lizard man offered the little delightful slices of persimmon. The first that he had in his hand went to his mouth, where he flipped the slice in his mouth every few moments before it disappeared completely.
Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a little sack with many more for Dalila to reach into and take as many as she pleased.

» The brave get what they wish for,« he nodded his head, shaking the little jute sack.

A greeting after, Azrana peered at the sight that came from the village.
» My my, a talking tiger?« He looked around to see if any mage was playing a prank on them.

Torie Sinuhe

 

[Sinuhe]

The children's excitement and apprehension was quelled by a few pieces of fruit and a reassuring word from the lizardkin man. Watching the scene, Sinuhe let a dimple of worry fall from his brow and settled in more comfortably in the grass.

That is, until something orange and low to the ground stalked - or more like strolled - towards them. The two girls squealed good-naturedly at the approach of the tiger and its casually spoken threat, pretending to be scared. They ran off some distance away, clutching handfuls of orange fruit.

"Children are a bit too heavy to have at midday," Sinuhe said as he watched the two kids run. His tone was blase, it did not deviate from his usual cantor. "Perhaps when the sun goes down."

Though Sinuhe had yet to meet the tiger shaman face to face, he'd overheard the villagers talking about her good work - and about her appetite. If they gave up any more of their livestock, they would have to hunt through the winter. Nobody in this village was a particularly good hunter.

'Maybe that's why that old woman likes me so,' Sinuhe thought. 'She only has to feed me grain and fruit.'

Azrana asked after the nature of the talking tiger, and Sinuhe stayed silent. He would let the shaman introduce herself, guessing that it would be safe to do so since neither one of them looked inclined to cause a ruckus.

Well, maybe the tiger, but she at least did not have her claws out.

Torie White Swallow

 

[Torie]

"Ah! Good idea," Torie said in reply to Sinuhe. She waddled around the wall rather than hopping over it, flopping down into the grass only a few feet away from Sinuhe and Azrana, her white belly spreading out over the ground between her legs. Immediately Cloette, the youngest of the children, came up behind her and pressed her cheek into Torie's soft fur, absently stroking her stripes. Obviously familiar with her, though none of the children seemed afraid.

"So, you've I've seen around," she said to Sinuhe, "Though I don't think we've been introduced." Then she turned to the lizard fellow. "But you're new. I'm Torie," she said to them both, though her eyes lingered on the slices of persimmon the lizard fellow was handing out.