Post by Cathie on Jul 7, 2014 12:09:19 GMT -5
(This story is how Kjarra was settled)
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It was the year 2299 and poaching was a way of life, not that I knew anything about it at the time. Most of the land had been ravaged by war. Spyridon was thriving, and yet not its people. If we’d kept up the way we were going back then, we would’ve killed each other off within a hundred years or so. Of course that didn’t happen, thank the Gods. I was the youngest of 5 children living on a farm, which could no longer grow anything. Our livestock had to be sold; our produce withered and dried or caught disease. No matter how hard my father tried to reclaim our land, nothing would hold. Massive dust storms would rip across the valley, covering everything in sand and dust. It’s what claimed the life of my parents.
My older brother was confronted with a lot of decisions a barely 18 year old should have to make. Give his land to the nation, in exchange for a place in a poor home, or have it seized for non-payment of taxes. He willingly gave it to the nation. We showed up at the poor home, but there wasn’t enough room for 5 of us, so they split us up. He and my two sisters stayed, while I and my brother who was only a year older than I was, were sent north. I was 8; a human living on an island where many half demons had settled to be away from humans, off the coast of Yorga. But it was the only place two young orphans could go and work, and not be a burden for our nation.
Our first few days on “Half Breed Island” (which is what it was nicknamed) were inconsequential. We were showed to our room, which we shared, where we’d eat, bathe, and work. We’d be kitchen helpers. Okay, no problem, I thought to myself. It was tricky learning some of the things in the kitchen at first. Like how to not throw up at the sight of bloody, raw meat being served without cooking, or sometimes meat that suspiciously had flesh that was similar to my own. I convinced myself it was pork. But I managed, and so did my brother. We’d been there a week, and on the morning of the 8th day, when I woke, he was gone. I never saw him again, and no one would tell me where he’d been taken.
I grew up on the island, learned to not fear those around me but respect them. Most were honest and hardworking. They fished for a living, sending their catches to the nation. Some worked on telecommunications, which I never fully caught onto what they were doing. It wasn’t what I originally thought, though. They were slavers. But of course that’s what I was here on the island. I just didn’t realize it until it was essentially slapped in my face.
Christopher was my age. We practically grew up together…I worked in the house across from his. Both of his parents were half demon, but of course at this point it didn’t bother me. When I wasn’t working and when he wasn’t in school (this should have been a clue for me but it wasn’t), we played hide and go seek, or hung out as time went by, up on his roof, looking over the entire island. We’d go to the lighthouse and help the keeper with his chores, and he’d let us up in the tower. Chris’ parents rarely minded that the two of us spent so much time together at first, but as time got on, things changed, and I could hear raised voices from my window. He blew it off and said his parents were just being the way they are.
When I’d finally turned 18, I thought I’d be free of working in the kitchen, but that didn’t happen. I was an adult, I should’ve been able to leave, and go find my own way in the world, but I was told to wait. Always to just wait. They’d give me excuses about weather, or work coming in and houses opening up there on the island as if they wanted me to stay because they didn’t want to lose me. Christopher skirted the questions, too, but then found out why. We’d gone out to the lighthouse, not quite as enthusiastic as we might have 5 years prior, and we watered the garden for the keeper there. When we were done, we climbed up into the tower where he then proposed.
Of course I was ecstatic. I said yes. He said not to tell anyone just yet. He wanted to tell his parents at just the right time. And wanted to get money and a job for himself, too. Little did I realize, he was really trying to buy me from my owners. Little did I realize I even had owners. That night, I heard more arguing coming from Chris’ house. And this time I could hear it clearly, since his window was open, too…his parents were calling me a slave. They were arguing with him about marrying a slave. I didn’t see him for nearly a week after that, and the dynamics in the house I served in changed.
I confronted my owners. Asked them why and mostly why they never told me. My owners did care for me. They were ashamed they’d bought me but needed the help. I asked where my brother had gone, and they said he had been sold, as it had been too expensive to house two slaves at that time. They didn’t know where he was now, however. And they told me I couldn’t marry Christopher. They wouldn’t let me go to see him, said he could be in a lot of trouble if I did. They’d never treated me like a slave, so I had no idea, but now I was being told what I could and couldn’t do. I thought I’d just run away. I mean I had wandered the whole island with Christopher, and I knew my way around it. I’d planned it. That night my door was locked for the first time, and Christopher snuck over, climbing up to my window.
We whispered frantically. He had a job but he had to leave for it. Right now. I wanted to go with him…he said I shouldn’t. But I insisted. Reluctantly he agreed and we climbed out my window. It had been too high a drop for me to do it alone, but with his help, it was much easier. We ran. I felt like my heart was pounding in my ears, I wanted to laugh, and cry at the same time. A part of me didn’t want to leave. That had essentially been my family for 10 years. And they were truly kind to me. They’d never really denied me anything. I had clothes, toys…pretty much anything I’d ever wanted as long as it’d been in budget as any lower income family might get. And I understood it. I was part of the house and part of the family, and part of this island. Chris and I were given suckers when we’d been children, visiting the barber shop to talk to his uncle. The whole community really knew who I was and had never mistreated me. Until it came to this. And so I had to leave. I had to be free.
One of the largest airships I’d ever seen was parked on the beach. I’d seen them flying in and landing for traders, but not like this. The man who exited as we approached was also one of the wealthiest I’d ever seen. Finely groomed, clean clothes that weren’t meant for working, brass or gold buttons on his uniform. Chris did the talking, but before I knew it we were both being shown on board. The ship felt like a flying city. I was dazzled by the lights and the sounds. A far cry from the cool fishing city I grew up in, and the dry farm from my previous life. I wasn’t going to be a slave anymore. I was going to be free. I was given my own room but Chris and I were quickly married as soon as we landed in a city on the mainland. Just a quick official paper signing, nothing fancy, but to us it meant everything. And then we began training.
I had no idea what we were training for. I had my mind and heart set on a family. Children, a house, a yard. And Chris wanted those too, but we had to make money first. We were told we would be working for official law enforcement. We’d capture people who had warrants out on them. People who attacked cities and towns. The bad guys. I could live with that, but I knew nothing about fighting, nothing about using weapons. So that’s why we were trained. And for a long time I really thought that’s what I was doing. But I was getting older. And we had money. Enough to buy a house outright between the two of us. Once we were trained, and I’d learned to use everything needed, I found I was quite good with a gun, and could hit a moving target with a tranq dart while driving our hover cycles (it’s like a motorcycle without wheels).
I was 25 before I sat Chris own and told him I wanted to settle down. I didn’t mind if he continued but I wanted out. It was too risky for me to be chasing people down while pregnant. Of course he was shocked. I had tried to figure out how to tell him over and over, but it was getting hard to hide the morning sickness and had only known for two weeks. So Chris told our boss. That’s when things got weird. They weren’t happy about the situation. Losing me would mean losing a good chunk of change, as Chris and I worked well together, and now he’d need a new partner, which would take time. Either way, Chris and I bought a very small house on the shore of Owin. It was an elven nation but it wasn’t exclusive, and there were plenty of humans who lived there. I was in love with the ocean as was Chris, and the ship could land on the island off the coast so it was perfect.
In the mountains near our home, we found a group of people living. They were a tribal community of elementals. Since we were so close in proximity, we found each other trading often and I found myself essentially in the care of their healer as a midwife. I didn’t mind, though, they were closer than the nearest hospital or doctor’s office.
It was at a dinner with the captain of the ship when the healer water elemental, Kia, showed up to our house with some fresh vegetables from her garden, that things became obviously wrong to me. The captain’s reactions to an elemental being there in our home was…unexpected. He became violent, told her to leave, and then grew angry with Chris and I. That night, he asked to speak to Chris on the ship, and so he went. When he got home, Chris was quiet. He explained that the people who he worked for, who I had worked for, were paid money to capture elementals because they were usually problematic for nations. Chris had tried to convince them that this particular group wasn’t an issue, but there was no convincing. That night I found myself in their village and warned them about the ship. They fled south, to the major city of Owin, where the elves, who unlike humans, would take them in. Chris was fired the next night when the team had gone to capture them and found them to be gone.
I found out that we were poachers. You often heard the word, but mainly in conjunction with animals. These were elemental poachers. I had no idea why they were poaching them, I just knew they were. And I’d done it. Over and over for 7 years. Without being able to afford our house payments now, we reluctantly sold it. I was very pregnant, and Kia was still hiding in Owin, so that’s where we went.
I had a son. He was born January 3rd, 2317, and we named him Liam. Chris was ecstatic. So was I. We integrated our lives in amongst the elves and the elementals and for once, I felt completely at peace. But that peace wasn’t to last. We had just celebrated Liam’s first birthday. Chris and I took him out sledding, when we saw a familiar shape on the horizon. It was the ship. We knew they were coming for Kia’s tribe, but we knew they’d not come until night. An open attack on Owin would be stupid. Instead they had devices neither Chris nor I had used but knew of, which would read what they’d originally said as dark energy…we knew it now as Aether. More lies from the poachers. They’d sniff them out, and sneak in, taking each and every one of them. It wouldn’t be so hard. The elementals had no money. They lived in the shelters and temple homes, helping around the facilities growing gardens and crafting…which the elves of Owin were famous for. We had to warn them, and so we went back into the city, rounding each of them up.
It didn’t take long to gather items. We just didn’t know where we were going to go. Chris and I had decided we’d go with them. Neither of us felt that we belonged in the society there in Owin, though we loved the city itself, and we wouldn’t return to Half Breed Island. So we, and a married pair of clerics in Owin who were expecting, left. They were quite fond of the tribe, and decided to dedicate their abilities to them. They suggested the small logging town on the large island of Panallsia. However, it seemed impossible to get to. With such a large group, we couldn’t all fly in a small prop plane, and walking, though possible, would be difficult, and dangerous. We didn’t have enough snowmobiles or vehicles. It would need to be by ship. Chartering one would be expensive, unless we could find one going already. Either way, we felt that was our best option so we headed down to the docks.
Io must’ve been smiling on us. A ship which was bringing oil and supplies was heading for Phanallsia, and they’d be leaving within the hour. Still, it would take two days to get there, and the captain wasn’t going to just give them a free ride. So the clerics paid everything they could, which took care of some of the group, we were able to pay for some, and then the rest, the elementals bargained their way on with work and goods. We barely made it on in time. It was getting dark when the ship pulled away. The poachers never knew.
Phanallsia wasn’t an easy place to live. We settled there, though, and did what we could, integrated into the little village. The people there weren’t biased against any of us, which was a nice change. Some of the earth elementals, however, wanted to go up into the mountains and literally carve out a place to live away from all society. Safe. Chris and I agreed. All of the earth elementals left and went off to create a new home. It took nearly two months.
We are finally moving now, up into the mountains. None of us are quite sure how this will work out, but the ones who were up here said it was completely doable. We’ve been traveling for two days, and are finally in the actual mountains. I’m glad it’s June, as this will be quite difficult to traverse in the winter, but we’ve seen deer-like creatures, the elementals say they can hunt and use to make clothing and other things that are needed. I’m hopeful! There’s still a lot of snow, but the water elementals find it easy to work with. It’s just harder to breathe up here, so we take it little by little. The wind elementals are helpful with this, however. We’re going to need to figure something out.
June 20th- This is Christopher. I’m burying my wife’s journal for many reasons. I’m hoping no one hates us for what we did before. We had no idea. I wanted to finish this for Kjarra, but didn’t know where to start. It’s been a little over a week since she was killed in a rockslide. I don’t know how to go on without her, except I know I need to. Liam needs it. Kjarra saved more than half of the tribe from the landslide in the middle of the night. Others were lost, too. Maybe this was a bad idea. I don’t think we can survive up here alone. Once they are settled, I am taking Liam and traveling to Shareem. I will work, save, and bring back things I feel are needed. We will get electricity for heat, water, everything. I know the elementals are used to living without, but in these mountains, I just don’t think it’ll be possible in the winter. Wish us luck.
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It was the year 2299 and poaching was a way of life, not that I knew anything about it at the time. Most of the land had been ravaged by war. Spyridon was thriving, and yet not its people. If we’d kept up the way we were going back then, we would’ve killed each other off within a hundred years or so. Of course that didn’t happen, thank the Gods. I was the youngest of 5 children living on a farm, which could no longer grow anything. Our livestock had to be sold; our produce withered and dried or caught disease. No matter how hard my father tried to reclaim our land, nothing would hold. Massive dust storms would rip across the valley, covering everything in sand and dust. It’s what claimed the life of my parents.
My older brother was confronted with a lot of decisions a barely 18 year old should have to make. Give his land to the nation, in exchange for a place in a poor home, or have it seized for non-payment of taxes. He willingly gave it to the nation. We showed up at the poor home, but there wasn’t enough room for 5 of us, so they split us up. He and my two sisters stayed, while I and my brother who was only a year older than I was, were sent north. I was 8; a human living on an island where many half demons had settled to be away from humans, off the coast of Yorga. But it was the only place two young orphans could go and work, and not be a burden for our nation.
Our first few days on “Half Breed Island” (which is what it was nicknamed) were inconsequential. We were showed to our room, which we shared, where we’d eat, bathe, and work. We’d be kitchen helpers. Okay, no problem, I thought to myself. It was tricky learning some of the things in the kitchen at first. Like how to not throw up at the sight of bloody, raw meat being served without cooking, or sometimes meat that suspiciously had flesh that was similar to my own. I convinced myself it was pork. But I managed, and so did my brother. We’d been there a week, and on the morning of the 8th day, when I woke, he was gone. I never saw him again, and no one would tell me where he’d been taken.
I grew up on the island, learned to not fear those around me but respect them. Most were honest and hardworking. They fished for a living, sending their catches to the nation. Some worked on telecommunications, which I never fully caught onto what they were doing. It wasn’t what I originally thought, though. They were slavers. But of course that’s what I was here on the island. I just didn’t realize it until it was essentially slapped in my face.
Christopher was my age. We practically grew up together…I worked in the house across from his. Both of his parents were half demon, but of course at this point it didn’t bother me. When I wasn’t working and when he wasn’t in school (this should have been a clue for me but it wasn’t), we played hide and go seek, or hung out as time went by, up on his roof, looking over the entire island. We’d go to the lighthouse and help the keeper with his chores, and he’d let us up in the tower. Chris’ parents rarely minded that the two of us spent so much time together at first, but as time got on, things changed, and I could hear raised voices from my window. He blew it off and said his parents were just being the way they are.
When I’d finally turned 18, I thought I’d be free of working in the kitchen, but that didn’t happen. I was an adult, I should’ve been able to leave, and go find my own way in the world, but I was told to wait. Always to just wait. They’d give me excuses about weather, or work coming in and houses opening up there on the island as if they wanted me to stay because they didn’t want to lose me. Christopher skirted the questions, too, but then found out why. We’d gone out to the lighthouse, not quite as enthusiastic as we might have 5 years prior, and we watered the garden for the keeper there. When we were done, we climbed up into the tower where he then proposed.
Of course I was ecstatic. I said yes. He said not to tell anyone just yet. He wanted to tell his parents at just the right time. And wanted to get money and a job for himself, too. Little did I realize, he was really trying to buy me from my owners. Little did I realize I even had owners. That night, I heard more arguing coming from Chris’ house. And this time I could hear it clearly, since his window was open, too…his parents were calling me a slave. They were arguing with him about marrying a slave. I didn’t see him for nearly a week after that, and the dynamics in the house I served in changed.
I confronted my owners. Asked them why and mostly why they never told me. My owners did care for me. They were ashamed they’d bought me but needed the help. I asked where my brother had gone, and they said he had been sold, as it had been too expensive to house two slaves at that time. They didn’t know where he was now, however. And they told me I couldn’t marry Christopher. They wouldn’t let me go to see him, said he could be in a lot of trouble if I did. They’d never treated me like a slave, so I had no idea, but now I was being told what I could and couldn’t do. I thought I’d just run away. I mean I had wandered the whole island with Christopher, and I knew my way around it. I’d planned it. That night my door was locked for the first time, and Christopher snuck over, climbing up to my window.
We whispered frantically. He had a job but he had to leave for it. Right now. I wanted to go with him…he said I shouldn’t. But I insisted. Reluctantly he agreed and we climbed out my window. It had been too high a drop for me to do it alone, but with his help, it was much easier. We ran. I felt like my heart was pounding in my ears, I wanted to laugh, and cry at the same time. A part of me didn’t want to leave. That had essentially been my family for 10 years. And they were truly kind to me. They’d never really denied me anything. I had clothes, toys…pretty much anything I’d ever wanted as long as it’d been in budget as any lower income family might get. And I understood it. I was part of the house and part of the family, and part of this island. Chris and I were given suckers when we’d been children, visiting the barber shop to talk to his uncle. The whole community really knew who I was and had never mistreated me. Until it came to this. And so I had to leave. I had to be free.
One of the largest airships I’d ever seen was parked on the beach. I’d seen them flying in and landing for traders, but not like this. The man who exited as we approached was also one of the wealthiest I’d ever seen. Finely groomed, clean clothes that weren’t meant for working, brass or gold buttons on his uniform. Chris did the talking, but before I knew it we were both being shown on board. The ship felt like a flying city. I was dazzled by the lights and the sounds. A far cry from the cool fishing city I grew up in, and the dry farm from my previous life. I wasn’t going to be a slave anymore. I was going to be free. I was given my own room but Chris and I were quickly married as soon as we landed in a city on the mainland. Just a quick official paper signing, nothing fancy, but to us it meant everything. And then we began training.
I had no idea what we were training for. I had my mind and heart set on a family. Children, a house, a yard. And Chris wanted those too, but we had to make money first. We were told we would be working for official law enforcement. We’d capture people who had warrants out on them. People who attacked cities and towns. The bad guys. I could live with that, but I knew nothing about fighting, nothing about using weapons. So that’s why we were trained. And for a long time I really thought that’s what I was doing. But I was getting older. And we had money. Enough to buy a house outright between the two of us. Once we were trained, and I’d learned to use everything needed, I found I was quite good with a gun, and could hit a moving target with a tranq dart while driving our hover cycles (it’s like a motorcycle without wheels).
I was 25 before I sat Chris own and told him I wanted to settle down. I didn’t mind if he continued but I wanted out. It was too risky for me to be chasing people down while pregnant. Of course he was shocked. I had tried to figure out how to tell him over and over, but it was getting hard to hide the morning sickness and had only known for two weeks. So Chris told our boss. That’s when things got weird. They weren’t happy about the situation. Losing me would mean losing a good chunk of change, as Chris and I worked well together, and now he’d need a new partner, which would take time. Either way, Chris and I bought a very small house on the shore of Owin. It was an elven nation but it wasn’t exclusive, and there were plenty of humans who lived there. I was in love with the ocean as was Chris, and the ship could land on the island off the coast so it was perfect.
In the mountains near our home, we found a group of people living. They were a tribal community of elementals. Since we were so close in proximity, we found each other trading often and I found myself essentially in the care of their healer as a midwife. I didn’t mind, though, they were closer than the nearest hospital or doctor’s office.
It was at a dinner with the captain of the ship when the healer water elemental, Kia, showed up to our house with some fresh vegetables from her garden, that things became obviously wrong to me. The captain’s reactions to an elemental being there in our home was…unexpected. He became violent, told her to leave, and then grew angry with Chris and I. That night, he asked to speak to Chris on the ship, and so he went. When he got home, Chris was quiet. He explained that the people who he worked for, who I had worked for, were paid money to capture elementals because they were usually problematic for nations. Chris had tried to convince them that this particular group wasn’t an issue, but there was no convincing. That night I found myself in their village and warned them about the ship. They fled south, to the major city of Owin, where the elves, who unlike humans, would take them in. Chris was fired the next night when the team had gone to capture them and found them to be gone.
I found out that we were poachers. You often heard the word, but mainly in conjunction with animals. These were elemental poachers. I had no idea why they were poaching them, I just knew they were. And I’d done it. Over and over for 7 years. Without being able to afford our house payments now, we reluctantly sold it. I was very pregnant, and Kia was still hiding in Owin, so that’s where we went.
I had a son. He was born January 3rd, 2317, and we named him Liam. Chris was ecstatic. So was I. We integrated our lives in amongst the elves and the elementals and for once, I felt completely at peace. But that peace wasn’t to last. We had just celebrated Liam’s first birthday. Chris and I took him out sledding, when we saw a familiar shape on the horizon. It was the ship. We knew they were coming for Kia’s tribe, but we knew they’d not come until night. An open attack on Owin would be stupid. Instead they had devices neither Chris nor I had used but knew of, which would read what they’d originally said as dark energy…we knew it now as Aether. More lies from the poachers. They’d sniff them out, and sneak in, taking each and every one of them. It wouldn’t be so hard. The elementals had no money. They lived in the shelters and temple homes, helping around the facilities growing gardens and crafting…which the elves of Owin were famous for. We had to warn them, and so we went back into the city, rounding each of them up.
It didn’t take long to gather items. We just didn’t know where we were going to go. Chris and I had decided we’d go with them. Neither of us felt that we belonged in the society there in Owin, though we loved the city itself, and we wouldn’t return to Half Breed Island. So we, and a married pair of clerics in Owin who were expecting, left. They were quite fond of the tribe, and decided to dedicate their abilities to them. They suggested the small logging town on the large island of Panallsia. However, it seemed impossible to get to. With such a large group, we couldn’t all fly in a small prop plane, and walking, though possible, would be difficult, and dangerous. We didn’t have enough snowmobiles or vehicles. It would need to be by ship. Chartering one would be expensive, unless we could find one going already. Either way, we felt that was our best option so we headed down to the docks.
Io must’ve been smiling on us. A ship which was bringing oil and supplies was heading for Phanallsia, and they’d be leaving within the hour. Still, it would take two days to get there, and the captain wasn’t going to just give them a free ride. So the clerics paid everything they could, which took care of some of the group, we were able to pay for some, and then the rest, the elementals bargained their way on with work and goods. We barely made it on in time. It was getting dark when the ship pulled away. The poachers never knew.
Phanallsia wasn’t an easy place to live. We settled there, though, and did what we could, integrated into the little village. The people there weren’t biased against any of us, which was a nice change. Some of the earth elementals, however, wanted to go up into the mountains and literally carve out a place to live away from all society. Safe. Chris and I agreed. All of the earth elementals left and went off to create a new home. It took nearly two months.
We are finally moving now, up into the mountains. None of us are quite sure how this will work out, but the ones who were up here said it was completely doable. We’ve been traveling for two days, and are finally in the actual mountains. I’m glad it’s June, as this will be quite difficult to traverse in the winter, but we’ve seen deer-like creatures, the elementals say they can hunt and use to make clothing and other things that are needed. I’m hopeful! There’s still a lot of snow, but the water elementals find it easy to work with. It’s just harder to breathe up here, so we take it little by little. The wind elementals are helpful with this, however. We’re going to need to figure something out.
June 20th- This is Christopher. I’m burying my wife’s journal for many reasons. I’m hoping no one hates us for what we did before. We had no idea. I wanted to finish this for Kjarra, but didn’t know where to start. It’s been a little over a week since she was killed in a rockslide. I don’t know how to go on without her, except I know I need to. Liam needs it. Kjarra saved more than half of the tribe from the landslide in the middle of the night. Others were lost, too. Maybe this was a bad idea. I don’t think we can survive up here alone. Once they are settled, I am taking Liam and traveling to Shareem. I will work, save, and bring back things I feel are needed. We will get electricity for heat, water, everything. I know the elementals are used to living without, but in these mountains, I just don’t think it’ll be possible in the winter. Wish us luck.
